Sep 3-5: BIG time series — teams tied with exact same record (unusual). Will not matter too much unless there is a sweep.
Game 1- Already off to an odd start: Dodgers’ listed starter Price not starting (he has issues), so another dreaded bullpen game. Don’t get why hot AJ is not starting, but cold Belli is in his place. 1st inning Dodgers get 2 on 2 out, as JT takes a very close 3-2 pitch for a walk. This is why the #5 spot is so important, and it is Seager there, but only whiff on 2 straight changes (fool me twice?). McKinstry early PH (for Knebel) K. Trea gets a 9-pitch walk and works his way to 3B, but gets stranded in the 3rd. Nothing doing in 4th and 5th, but we do send up our 2nd PH for our RHP: McKinney fly out. Dodgers bring up 2-3-4 in the 6th: we need to score! 7th gets a leadoff walk. grounder-force, flyout and then a predictable Belli K. Bad on Roberts for not PH for Belli — with anyone, including AJ, Barnes, Pujols — but no. Dodgers still a goose egg (sad), with only 2 innings left. 1-2-3 in 8th, in spite of a good swing by PH AJ (should have hit for Belli) for a long fly to CF run down in the gap by Slater. Now for all the marbles in the 9th — last chance, down 1-0. Dodgers bring up 3-4-5. Betts grounds out. JT clutch hit for Dodgers only 4th hit. Seager follows with another clutch hit, a double — 2nd and 3rd, 1 out. Here comes clutch Willy, but unfortunately his hard hit is right at 2B, who throws home, getting JT in a rundown. JT is run all the way back to 3B, but Seager moves up to 3B — both runners standing on 3B. We all know the rule, but apparently JT doesnt, and almost is doubled off to end the game! Down to the last breath, CT3 clutches a blooper to tie the game, Seager scoring! Now for extra fun, finally we PH for weak Belli — with Pujols, who grounds out. Now tied at 1-1 in the 9th — what else.
Pitching: Dreaded bullpen game Opener is Knebel. Leadoff hit (not a good sign). K (good sign). Popup, groundout (good). Good through 2 (2H, 0R). Next up Bickford for the 3rd. He starts off with 2 walks (ugh!), then a hit to load them, and is replaced by Vesia. He also hurls a cookie for another hit and 1st run of series (on an 0-2 count — a sin). But redemption on a great K of Bryant, followed by a rope to deep CF flogged by hot Crawford but luckily flagged by a fleet Belli. Damage limited to 1 run (we’ll take it): 1-0. Vesia gone too. In comes Graterol in the 4th: leadoff double (ugh!). Advances on groundout. K of patsy pitcher — 2 gone. Leadoff is rough Ruf (not a dog LOL): comebacker for 3rd out. Enter our 4th pitcher in only the 5th: Shane Greene (maybe we could use Shawn Greene LOL). K, groundout (nice play by Seager), but then 2 walks. Out goes Greene for LHP Bruihl to face LH hot Crawford (I can’t watch). But nice job and Craw grounds into a force — no runs. Roberts runs out our ace early, in the 6th, and Treinen gets us out of the inning — but not until Belli appears to make a shoestring catch but overturned to a trap (correct call). Blake gets the next guy to end the 6th, and he goes 1-2-3 in the 7th. Still 1-0. Now tied 1-1 in the 9th, in comes Jansen, who throws 6 straight balls (dumb pitch calling — not 1 cutter) and walks 1st 2. But Kenley guts it out somehow getting 2 flies and a groundout (not overwhelming).
And we go to extra innings, tied 1-1 — how appropriate. Runners placed at 2B. For the Dodgers, unfortunately it is Pujols, who gets moved over on a long fly by AJ. Roberts goes with a pinch runner for Tio: Buehler. Trea gets the clutch sac fly to go ahead 2-1. Barnes PH single for Kenley, gets WP to 2B. Mookie works the count full and walks: 2 on, 2 out. JT grounds out. So 2-1 to the bottom of the 10th. Dodgers have no one left to bring in as their 9th pitcher, save yet another late acquisition: Andrew Vasquez who hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2019. Giants leadoff with hot Crawford, who works the count full and then pounds a grounder through the middle to tie the game. Worse, is the lame Dodgers don’t cut the throw, so Craw takes 2B as the winning run (oh no) — could cost the game. Grounder gets Craw to 3B. Gutty Vasquez K’s Yaz for 2nd out. Winning run 90 feet away. Giants go with a PH, so Dodgers answer with yet another pitcher (10th of the game and 39th of the season), newly acquired: Evan Phillips, who comes in and blows away the PH Casali on a sweeper.
So now we go to the 11th, completely exhausted and bereft of pitchers and players, tied 2-2. They even had to put Will Smith at 1B for Pujols (for Belli for Muncy). Seager leads off with his 4th hit, and Dodgers have them cornered with no outs. Smith hits it hard but right at SS Crawford who goes home to tag out JT (who I wish would have been sent home on the Seager hit). 1B and 2B with 1 out, up to bat is CT3 (9th inning hero). Whiff, 2 outs. Oh no, Dodgers have no one left to PH, so they send up the relief pitcher Phillips (crap!). Dodgers completely waste 1st and 3rd no outs. That ought to cost them the game. Dodgers have no one left but me, to write their epitaph. Giants bat top of the order, with Ruf on base 4 times, but a swing and a miss for a K. LH hitter BB gets the IBB, to bring up Kris Bryant (0-4). Walk to load the bases. Liner/hopper snagged by Seager at SS who throws home for a force and 2nd out. Just have to get by killer Posey. He strokes it sharply to the 4 hole, snagged by Trea who rifles it to Will Smith at 1B, but a tad high barely pulling Will off the bag, but he struggles to get a toe back on. After review, still ruled SAFE — game over. Giant win 3-2. Oh my goodness. (The game had to end sometime.)
Game 2- Dodgers need a comeback win after last night’s exhaustion. And Trea gives them a liftoff with a leadoff solo blast (16th of his career). Dodgers go on to score 3 total in the 1st, but Urias gives 1 run back (could have been worse). Looks like a typical Dodgers game where we score early then try to hold on. But good that they tacked on 3 more runs late (8-9th), last run on a solo jack by hot Seager (3+ hits last 2 games). Hot AJ gets a double, but pulls a hamstring trying to steal 3B. (Reports it is a grade 2 pull, so AJ is likely gone for 3-4 weeks — such a shame.)
Pitching: Urias pitched out of a lot of traffic, giving up only 1 run with 8K’s in 6.2 innings. His relief shutout the Giants: Vesia, Bickford, Treinen, Graterol. (Much more efficient than the 11 pitchers used last night.) Dodgers get a big 6-1 statement win.
Game 3– Rubber game meets the road. Dodgers in their ugly new dress blues. Difference early is both teams get 2nd and 3rd with no outs in the 2nd, but Dodgers leave them (CT3 popup, Belli K, Buehler K), while Giants get a triple for 3 runs. After the 2nd batter homer by Belts, it is now 4-1 Giants after 2. Dodgers get a leadoff hit from Trea and move him to 3rd, with Mookie on 1B with a walk, but 2 outs. JT flies out, and we leave ’em again. Dodgers load the bases in the 5th with 2 outs, Will Smith up. 1st pitch to the backstop, but ricochets right back to the catcher (weird), so runners hold. Count goes full and wow, what a close call for ball 4. Mound visit. 1 run in and CT3 up — K. Settle for only 1 run: 6-2 (missed critical opportunity yet again). Dodgers limp in order in the 6th. Dodgers send up 2-3-4 in the 7th, but go 1-2-3 (ugh). 8th again goes 1-2-3, including a Smith smash 1-hopper diving snag by Bryant to throw him out. Sleepy Dodgers limp into the 9th. 1 on, and Pujols to PH — wham bam! Tio slugs one into the bleachers (Dodgers only XBH of game) to give the Dodgers a modicum of momentum and a 2-run deficit at 6-4. After Trea flies out, Muncy comes up being 0-11 for the series, but comes through with a hit. Tying run to the plate in Mookie. He works the count to 2-2 when ump makes BAD call for strike 3 on a ball 4 inches inside (boo!). Last chance with JT, who lofts a foul fly down the RF fence that is snatched just off the screen by Yaz. Oh my, fitting end to a fitting series — close all the way. At least the Dodgers show some fight and make it interesting at the end.
Pitching: Dominant Buehler anything but. Balls being laced. Low fastball to Belts in 1st goes 419 feet for a homer. Belt high and in cutter to Duggar gets roped into RF corner for a triple (Mookie seemed to take his time). Never pitch belt high to anyone, or to a “happy zone” (for lefties it is down and in). Buehler still getting ripped in the 3rd, seems lost — too many pitches in the middle of the zone and not enough movement. Cutter mediocre; curve nowhere to be seen. Now 6-1 on 7 San Francisco hits through 3 (reverse score of yesterday). Kiss this game good-bye, along with Walker’s Cy Young (sigh). Buehler lifted after 3 with 6 ER. Bruihl a solid 4th and 5th, with a nice snatch by Muncy on a hot shot to 1B. Also a masterful bunt hit by an ageless Crawford that hits 3B to beat the shift, but he is caught stealing (Dodgers first since I don’t know when). Giants leadoff in the 6th against Price with a drag bunt hit by Yaz (wow, impressive, and shows why the Giants keep winning). Followed by a double for 2nd and 3rd no outs. Another weird play as Seager trips over the runner on 2B while catching a popup near the bag, complicated by Trea getting in the way too. (Should have been called by a 3rd party, usually the pitcher directing traffic.) IBB to load the bases, 1 out. Another popup, 2 outs. A hit here breaks the game open. Belt up, and rips a grounder up the 1B line snagged by Muncy, and the Giants also leave the bases loaded. Price starts the 7th, but is replaced by newbie Shane Greene. 2 on, 2 outs, catcher Casali makes final out. Still 6-2. Newbie Andrew Vazquez hurls a clean 8th. So the Dodgers bullpen shuts out the Giants again! But too late, as the 6 runs had run out the Buehler door.
Odd play in the 4th when a DP grounder to Trea isn’t: Trea makes a rookie mistake going after the runner instead of throwing to 2B for a possible DP. Worse, Trea tags the runner with an empty glove, and the play is challenged. Turns out trea accidentally clipped the runner’s helmet with the ball in hand before throwing to 1B.
Series summary: Dodgers scored 2 more runs than Giants, but lost 2 out of 3. Maybe the Giants are just a tad more efficient at producing runs, especially with RISP. Both bullpens were very tough. Buehler was a huge disappointment (go figure). Belli cost us a lot of scoring opportunities by his K’s and popups with RISP. He has to be replaced in the lineup — by either of the Mc’s or Beaty (bring him back to replace AJ!).