July 30-Aug 1: We need to sweep this series — against the worst team in the NL.
Game 1- Raise your hand if you saw this coming. In a 4-hour+ game, Dodgers give away the game with a walkathon of 9 BB’s (seemed like 50), including 5 of 1st 11 hitters, mostly by Walker Gonsolin. Dodgers gave up 5 runs, and it could have been a lot more — to the NL’s weakest hitting team. Jansen came in for the 8th (yay, not the closer), and loads the bases to make us all sweat by going to full counts — but gets a big K to end it. Treinen now the closer (yay), but left tied after 9.
Dodgers’ offense went 15 scoreless innings until CT3 jacks one in the 6th, and the Dodgers loaded the bases. AJ hit a near slam, only to have it caught on the track, and 1 run scored (instead of 4). Dodgers did make a nice comeback to tie at 5, but just could not get the go ahead run. Taylor gets a triple with no outs and doesn’t score — a sin. Dodgers then leave 2nd and 3rd in the 8th, after a clutch game tying pinch hit by Tio Albert. Then we get bases cornered with 1 out in the 9th, but usually reliable Will Smith bangs into an around the horn DP (he just had to get the ball in the air!). Belli tied a record for futility with 4 popups (and a K).
Game went to extra innings, where the Dodgers suck big at 1-11 now. Due to the bullpen not being able to stop the runner from 2nd from scoring by giving up a hit yet again.
All this in the shadow of the Dodgers blockbuster trade (which didn’t help us tonight).
Game 2- Nice bounce back by Dodgers’ offense — 8 runs on 16 hits — led by a huge 2-run HR by JT to take the lead for good at 5-3. Then another key RBI PH by Tio Albert. Top of the lineup (1-5) stayed hot, especially Will Smith (3 hits) and AJ (2 hits). Not so much the bottom, even though Belli got 2 infield singles (a good sign, but still swings and misses on high fastballs), but McKinney ofer (but somehow stays in the lineup).
Pitching was another bullpen game, led off by gopher ball White. Mitch seems to think it is OK to live off hanging curves. Taxi squad Cleavenger didn’t have command, and surrendered a solo jack. But the rest of the pen was pretty solid (Gonzalez, Vesia, Kelly, Treinen, and even Uceta) — with help from a pair of DP’s.
Game 3- Game over. Dodgers blow out D’Backs 13-0 on 14 hits, including 4 by red hot AJ, homers by JT and Mookie (yay). Save some for the Astros, please. Snakes were so bad today they ended the game with a position player pitching knuckleballs at 60 mph.
Pitching: Urias pitched great again, no runs on 2 hits but only for 5 innings. Urias got his 13th win. Our latest acquisition (#134?) is a call up, Yefry Ramirez, who looked good covering the 8th-9th.