Sep 10-12: This was supposed to be the final battle for 1st place in the West, only the Padres did not show up with a valid ticket. Padres find themselves in the role of a spoiler yet battle for a wild card. We are all so happy Dodgers finally listened to us about the awful, weak bottom of our order with Belli, McKinney and Sousa — and finally brought up Beaty (yay!) and even Gavin Lux for LF.
Game 1- Quiet 1-2-3 1st, although Muncy hit a long fly flagged by Tatis at the RF wall. 2nd, Dodgers get the fabled 2 on, 2 out with slumping CT3 on the snide for a K. Muncy gets revenge in the 3rd by launching a 428 ft moonshot (32nd) for 2 runs: 2-0. So happy to have Will Smith back in the lineup: he bashes a double high off the wall in LCF in the 4th, moves over on a WP, and scores on a sac fly — 3-0. 6th sees Dodgers get 2 on, 1 out (again) with Lux now on the spot. Gavin has a good AB: works the count full and ropes a liner, but it is caught. Then Freaky Friday breaks out as the throw by Profar goes far into LFx, allowing both runners to move up. So Padres IBB CT3 to load the bases for Urias. I think I would have PH for Julio, but he K’s (can’t hit that curveball) to leave ’em loaded. Still 3-0 after 6. In the 8th, Dodgers sure could use an insurance run, but go quietly. But because of the shutout, the Dodgers still win with only 3 runs on all of 4 hits — with the Muncy HR and Smith 2B accounting for all 3 runs.
Pitching: Urias to the rescue? So far so good through 2 — no score. In the 4th, CT3 makes a sprawling catch in CF to save the inning as clean. 4 shutout innings (remarkable Julio). Urias survives Machado in the 5th with a perfectly executed long fly rescue (find the fence!) near the top of the LCF fence by CT3 to save a double. That is 5 shutout innings by Julio yet again. He usually tires in the 6th, but he survives, after giving up a double (almost another great catch by CT3, who got his glove on it but had a bad angle to hold on). Urias stuns us by taking a 3-hit shutout through a clean 7th — first time in who knows when. Now Treinen for a high leverage hold vs. top of the order in the 8th. A pair of 2-out hits puts runners at the corners. Obvious that Tatis at 1B would go, so I would have pitched out and thrown him out to end the inning. (Why don’t the Dodgers ever do that?) So Treinen has to face Wil Myers with 2nd and 3rd. Blake appears to strike him out twice on check swings that were denied (bad calls), then proceeds to make him really chase a wicked slider to end the 8th still 3-0. Jansen for the save. Kenley again curiously is the only pitcher ever to intentionally balk a runner over to 3B, after allowing the runner to steal 2B without a blink. (Again, I would have pitched out and thrown him out — to end the game!) Kudos to Urias to get his MLB leading 17th win (you know what I mean).
Game 2- What’s Belli doing back in CF? The cat has 9 lives. Why isn’t Beaty starting? Roberts has some explaining to do. Dodgers bat only 3 in 1st after leadoff hit by Mookie is erased caught stealing as Muncy K’d. 1-2-3 in 2nd. Belli (!) leads of the 3rd with a walk, and scores (barely) on a double by Lux. (Coach Ebel likely sent Cody with no outs because the pitcher was up next.) Buehler sac bunts Lux to 3B, and he score on a sac fly by Betts — 2-0. But now 2-2, with 3-4-5 coming up in the 4th: Turners sandwiching Seager, but no club here — retired in order. About to be retired again in the 5th, G Lux goes deluxe with his 2nd hit — to just get Buehler out of the way, but surprise: Walker does that on 4 pitches. So pitching change, with 2 on, 2 out. 1st pitch: gone! Wow, Mookie blasts it into LF bleachers for a 3-run job (his 20th) and a 5-2 lead. (Could be ballgame.) the 6th sees another Turner sandwich, with same meh results. 7th has a leadoff walk by Will Smith. Roberts lets LH Belli bat, who hits a DP ball to 2B, but avoids the DP on a low throw. But Roberts then drives us mad by PH Souza for Lux after Gavin has 2 hits! So Souza completes the DP to end the inning (ugh!). Dodgers out in order in the 8th, ended by frustrated Muncy called out on a low pitch (bad call). Odd statistics: Dodgers have 0 LOB! Mookie and G Lux get all 4 hits and all 5 RBI.
Pitching: Buehler takes the mound after one of his worst ever starts and retires side in order in the first, gives up a hit in the 2nd, and retires the side in order in the 3rd. Walker appears to have good command of his pitches this time (good location and movement). After a hit to Manny, Buehler inexplicably throws Tatis a cookie on the first pitch for a homer to tie the score at 2. Hosmer follows with a double to LF that Lux has a misadventure on, but gets left on (lucky liner to Betts). Buehler better in the 4th, but does give up his 4th hit. Manny gets a leadoff double (why do they pitch to him?), then stupidly takes 3B on a grounder to 3B with now 2 out (against baseball rules). But Manny is left on, so still 5-2. Buehler goes on the hill for the 7th and gets a 0 after a good running catch on a roped liner in RF by Mookie (again). Treinen for the hold in the 8th. Frazier leads off and steals 2B. Manny (2-3, 2B) strokes his 3rd hit for an RBI to cut lead to 5-3. Tatis up as tying run. Blake tries to keep Manny close by throws over, but he easily steals 2B. Tatis get his 3rd hit to drive in Manny for 5-4 (!), and the Dodgers compound it by letting Tatis take 2B on the throw home. Tying run at 3B with 1 out. In comes Joe Kelly to brilliantly K 2 batters on wicked sliders. Jansen for the save at a slim 5-4 lead. First 2 batters out, 1 more to go — top of the order. Called strike 3! Dodgers hold on by skin of teeth for a 5-4 win, and Buehler finally gets win #14.
Game 3- After 1st 2 games where Dodgers got only 4 hits each game, let’s hope the offense gets going. And let’s hope Roberts plays all our best and hottest hitters, so Betts and Lux for sure. And indeed, they play, along with Souza for Belli to face LHP Snell. But alarmingly, Blake Snell pulls a groin in the 1st and is replaced by a RHP, Chrismatt (Merry?). With 2 out, Trea pops up to shallow CF and it falls. Of course Trea steals 2B (27th to lead NL). Turners are back to back in the lineup today, and JT lines to Manny. In the 2nd, Will Smith belts a long fly headed to the top of the LF fence that is snagged on a leaping snow cone by Pham. (Would have been over the fence with the old ball.) G Lux leadoff single in 3rd that Manny playing him in RF tried to throw him out at 1B but threw wildly. Scherzer can’t hit, can’t bunt, K’s trying. Mookie and Muncy out meekly. Scoreless into the 4th, when a Seager special solo blast makes it 1-0. Dodgers then load the bases on 3 walks with 2 outs, including a PH by Belli for Souza and an IBB to G Lux to get to Scherzer, who bounces out. Mookie leads off the 5th with another solo blast for 2-0 (and his 21st). Dodgers get a 3rd run in the 6th, and then wham — a doubling of the score to 6-0 on a 3-run blast by a dormant JT — game over. Or should have been. Padres roll out their headhunter who proceeds to hit 3 batters almost in a row and almost beans Trea — to load the bases on owies and score 2 more. Note: Belli finally gets a hit, a double to RF (Bronx cheer?).
Pitching: Scherzer on the hill, pitches an immaculate 2nd (9 pitches, 3K), along with 2 more K’s to retire side in the 3rd — to close in on 3,000 K. Max perfect through 4, getting Manny to pop up. 5th leads off with Tatis, who blasts a hanger to deep CF: back goes Belli to catch it a step from the fence. (Whew! but he could have played it better.) Max still perfect after 6 after fanning PH Marisnick! 1st pitch of 7th lofted high and deep to RF as Mookie fights the sun to make the catch. Flyout to LF. Here’s Manny! A loud foul; count goes full, and tension mounts. Max goes with curve that Manny hits off the end of the bat for a soft comebacker. Perfect through 7! Tough hitters in the 8th: Max gets Tatis, but leaves a change over the inner half to Hosmer for a double — end of no-no and perfecto. Maxx finishes the 8th and is replaced by Bruihl in the 9th to complete the 1-hit shutout.
So Dodgers hold on for an 8-0 bruising of the Padres for the sweet sweep.