Aug 27-30: Rockies come to Los Angeles with the NL’s worst road record. We should sweep, but we’ll take 2. We still have to use bullpen games.
Game 1- Dodgers go with a bullpen game and an opener, Graterol, who got ambushed by Dodger killer Blackmon for a 2-run homer (Charlie’s 4th vs Dodgers this year). Dodgers get started in the 3rd, with a solo jack off the LF foul pole by Will Smith (21st, and 3rd game in a row), with an add-on solo blast in same area by Trea. So 2-2 after 3. (Keep pitching Will up and in, thank you! And please, everyone, stop calling it the “fair pole”! It is the extension of the foul line.)
Sad, bad play by Rox ends inning on a foul popup near home caught by catcher as he was run over by big 1B CJ Cron, twisting his ankle. That should never happen: pitcher should have made a 3rd party call (directed traffic). Also, scare on AJ fouling a pitch off his front foot (hope OK).
Dodgers still not hitting, but at least we are into the Rox bullpen. Dodgers go quietly in the 7th and 8th. Last chance 9th features the heart of the order. Mookie leads off with his 1st hit since being back, and is WP to 2B. Muncy PH for Pujols: K (wicked backup change). Seager works the count full but gets wrongly wrung up on another outside change. Last dance with AJ (Petty remark), but he steps on his own toes with a check swing strike 3. Game over.
Pitching: Graterol opener marred by Blackmon homer. Rook Andre Jackson takes hill for 2nd time this month (and in his career). Andre is clean through the 4th, but 2 walks in the 5th to face killer Blackmon, and he induces a grounder to 1B (whew). Rox start all-star LHP Freeland, who is pretty tough through 5. Top of 6, Jackson hangs a change to slugger CJ Cron (23rd) for 482 feet! (Still only counts for 1 run, but get out the tape measure.) Jackson gets pulled after a bunt hit (looked foul) in the 6th, for Bruihl (spell check?). 7th brings in Shane Greene with Dodgers down 3-2. HBP sets up a DP. Grounder to Trea at 2B should have been a simple DP, but Trea decided to chase the runner first (usually a bad pay), missed him, but got bailed out by the ump making a correct call of “out” on the runner for going too far out of the baseline on the attempted tag (but it was a close call and we could have lost the DP). Greene starts the 8th, but relieved by Vesia. Vesia pitches the whole 9th, but surrenders a scant homer just over AJ’s glove for a 4-2 deficit.
So we lose 1st game to Rox (should not happen). Rox out-homer Dodgers 3-2, in a game where all 6 runs (4-2) resulted from home runs.
Game 2- Dodgers load bases with 2 outs in the 1st, so here comes the key #6 hitter: oh no, it is Belli! (stupid Roberts.) Gray off to Rocky start goes full count again (3rd straight), and so Belli gets a pitch in the middle of the zone, but Belli flies out (at least he hit it, and he will fly out again). Where is our hottest hitter, AJ? McKinney replaces Seager? Why is Mookie hitting 3rd when he is not yet back to his good hitting? So bad lineup leaves ’em loaded (and not laughing). Trea leadoff single again in the 3rd, takes 2B on overrun, takes 3B on a steal (what else can he do?) Muncy walks on 4 pitches (3rd walk by Gray). Gray delivers 1st pitch to Mookie but hurts his arm and leaves. New pitcher walks Mookie on 4. Bases loaded again, no outs. JT too aggressive on a low pitch and hits into a DP (ugh). But at least we scored the only run of the series not due to a homer. Smith waves at a high fastball for 3rd out. We should have gotten more than 1. [1-1] CT3 launches a big fly for yet another solo jack in the 4th. [2-2] Trea leads off the 5th yet again (walk). Unfortunately Muncy ropes one into a DP. Bats quiet in the 6th — why can’t we hit Rox pitching? Insult: Trea gets backpicked to end the 7th. Finally, in the 8th, Muncy slaps a parachute into LF to leadoff. 2 walks load the bases yet again (3rd time). Tense drama. Clutch Will Smith works the count 3-1 to get a good pitch and slugs it into LF to score 2 — ballgame. PH AJ singles for the insurance run: now 5-2. Will Smith again goofs by getting thrown out taking 3B to end it.
Pitching: Dodgers go with Knebel as the opener in yet another bullpen game. Then the Price is right after 1.2 innings. Not so right in 3rd, giving up a run on a hit. [1-0] later [1-1]. In the 4th, a long fly to RF that could have been caught by McKinney wasn’t, so runners at 2nd and 3rd. Grounder to 2B scores a run. [2-1] Price is removed in the 6th (low pitch count) for Bickford. First batter hits a long fly for an out. Another loud fly but foul by a hot CJ Cron, then a soft fly out. Treinen is clean in the 8th, and Jansen likewise for a nice save in the 9th. Dodgers win 5-2, and stay even with the Giants (also won 5-0).
Game 3- Giants and Dodgers in parallel, and the Giants got shutout — so Dodgers jinxed. But hope Dodgers can stay focused and win this game, despite Roberts pulling both Mookie and JT for McKinney and Belli, so our “deep” lineup isn’t (only 1-5 are good hitters). Dodgers perfectly awful through 4 (no hits). But in the 5th, we get 2 hits — by Seager and Belli (went the other way!) to get them cornered. But Senzatela gets sneaky 3-2 fastballs by CT3 and McKinney, with Barnes grounder to end the threat. Senzatela is tough through 7 (still only 2 hits). Dodgers going quietly still in the 8th, until a gift pop sun ball falls, then a walk to Muncy. But AJ K’s (a straight flush). Rox have not shutout the Dodgers in 5 years — until now. Sad. [0-3-0] Rox get only their 2nd road series win.
Pitching: yet another bullpen game, led off by Mitch White (who was good last time). This time White gets ambushed in the 1st for 3 runs by carelessly hanging curves to killers Blackmon and CJ Cron. Mitch settled down in the 2nd, and got out of a leadoff double jam in the 3rd by finally locating his curve low. 4th sees a center cut fastball ripped for a hit, followed by a stolen base when Barnes can’t grip the ball. Walk, so 2 on. Pitcher bunts and Dodgers screw up — bases loaded, no outs. White gets a K, then is replaced by Graterol. K. Popup on Blackmon — inning over (whew). Still 3-0. Grat clean 5th. for the 6th, we order up Creme Bruihl. In the 7th, Kelly has a mess and gives up 2 runs. Jansen gets some work in the 8th. But in the 9th, Roberts goes nuts: has JT pitch! Red Dream throws some BP but escapes on 2 long flies after 2 hits (fun but stupid). So in all, the Dodgers give up 5 — to the worst road team. One defensive highlight: Belli made a great overhead leaping/lunging snow cone catch of a liner to deep CF.