Sep 21-23: Dodgers travel to the Rockies to begin the final fortnight of the season — 2x 3-game series at home and away. Dodgers will send their amazing 3 hurlers to the mound: all 3 have >=14 wins. Dodgers have placed Belli on 10-day IL and replaced him with Luke Raley (oh no — a regular 0-fer).
Game 1- Dodgers start Raley in RF (drat, I will pencil in his 0-4) instead of CT3 (why?). And the fans cry, “Why not Beaty?” I’d even take McKinstry. Dodgers go out in order 1st 3 innings (0-9), then 1st 2 out in 4th. Figures 1st hit in the game would be an infield bleeder (by Trea). Muncy 0-fer the road trip. (0-9, so why’s he batting 4th?) With 2 gone in 5th, Dodgers finally come alive with hits from G Lux and Hot Hand Luke, with Urias driving in the RBI! Dodgers finally on the scoreboard, and have runners cornered for Betts, who goes Baltimore chop for an infield single and RBI — ties the game at 2. Trea leadoff hit in 6th, followed by a Muncy 413ft mash off the wall for a double, scoring Trea on his signature slip-and-slide — to take a 3-2 lead. Muncy takes 3B on JT fly to RF. Rox bring the infield in, but to no avail, as RBI man Smith cashes in the run on a long fly to RF corner — extends lead to 4-2. (Dodgers had only 1 hit through 4, but got 6 hits the next 2 innings, good for 4 runs.) Now tied at 4, Dodgers need to score in the 8th, with 2-3-4 at bat. Seager grounds to 1B. Trea lines it back at pitcher who fly swats it down for out 2. Muncy caught looking (ugh). Better produce runs in the 9th, but did not — even though G Lux got yet another hit, but was thrown out trying to advance to 2B on a WP! We go to the 10th: Lux on 2B to start. Tio Albert to PH (vs a RHP!) goes hard up the middle (a veteran play) to plate Lux for the winning run. Pujols POTG, as Dodgers hold on (exhale) for an exhausting 5-4 win.
Pitching: Urias efficient in 1st on only 6 pitches, and very good in 2nd-3rd — perfect through 3. Julio falters in the 4th to give up 2 runs on a pair of doubles. Leadoff double in the 5th. Balk on a flinch. Great snatch on 1-hopper by Trea when infield was way in. (I would play them half way in the middle, up at the corners. A K. Flyout — runner stranded. 6th is usually Julio’s downfall — gives up a leadoff hit. Next a sharp grounder up the middle snagged by shifted Trea, but no one else to cover 2B, so throws to 1B (runner to 2B). A 2nd RBI double to CJ Cron, for 4-3. Back-to-back double on a pop fly that just eludes Lux on a dive, so game tied at 4 runs on 7 hits for each side after 6. Urias loses win opportunity, and puts kibosh on his Cy (sigh). Kelly starts the 7th with a walk and hit (oh no). K on a bunter. Infield fly for 2 outs. What’s the Story? 0-3, but gets a walk. Out goes Kelly for Treinen, with bases loaded, 2 outs. Blake battles the heck out of nemesis Blackmon and gets the swing and miss on the 9th pitch, a 98 heater, to preserve the tie after 7. Blake cleans up the 8th. Jansen for the tie-save in the 9th, walks the leadoff hitter (ugh). Rox try to bunt runner over, and fail, but a little WP off Smith’s heel moves runner up anyway. A flyout, runner holds at 2B. And now for another Story (AB). Kenley trying to make Trevor chase, but no bite and he walks (OK, 1B open). But now we face nemesis Blackmon. Long fly to RF, back goes Raley and … makes the catch (breathe). We go to extras! Graterol for the 10th (guess Roberts wants to go with gas over finesse, being in Colorado). Brus gets 2 outs, buts walks the 3rd hitter — 1st and 3rd. Replaced by Vesia, who induces a fly out to CF — ballgame! (I’m surprised the Rox didn’t try a double steal, as the Dodgers are known to be poor on steals.)
Game 2- Facing all-star pitcher Marquez. Trea with a hit in 1st. Smith and G Lux on base in 2nd with 1 out, but Raley (good 0-fer replacement for Belli) and Buehler K. Seager on in the 3rd, but a rare GI DP by Trea. In the 4th, hot G Lux strokes another one into LCF, this one for a run scoring double to open the scoring. Hot Hand Luke unexpectedly thumps a 2-run homer to CF, and the Dodgers lead 3-0. Now behind 5-3 in the 5th (that’s Colorado), Mookie leads off with a walk (very close call). Seager single the other way. TT walks to load ’em. Muncy walks for a run, and that’s all for the all-star Marquez. JT strokes a sac fly to RF, to plate the tying run, but Trea gets picked off 2B when the throw goes there instead of home (big gaffe). Smith chases for a K and last out. 5-5 in the 5th, but 6-5 in the 6th. Raley and Lux out, then we get to see AJ as a PH (yay, he’s back!) ground out. Top of the order in the 7th. Mookie rakes a 1-hopper short-hopped by Story. Seager smash snared at 1B for a pitcher covering out. TT follows suit with the 3rd hard grounder, to 3rd, to end 7th. Now down 10-5 in the 9th, appears hopeless. Dodgers send up a parade of PH’s to no avail, and lose 10-5.
Pitching: Buehler clean 1st. Pitches go belt high in 2nd for a long fly out and another double off the wall by CJ Cron, followed by another long fly out to CF, Cron taking 3B — stranded. In the 4th, Rodgers ambushes 1st pitch for a solo HR. 2 straight hits follows. Then a pop fly falls that should have been caught by Trea (no help on call!) for bases loaded, no outs. McMahon strokes the 5th straight hit for 2 runs to tie the score. Another long fly, for an out (on another high fastball). But pitcher Marquez hits a 2-out double to score 2 more runs for 5 in the inning, and Walker comes out for Bruihl. 5-3 Rox (and no W for WB). 5th, Bruihl hits Blackmon to put 1st 2 on, and replaced by Graterol. Brus’ lasers are center cut and gives up back to back singles for a run (6-5) and bases loaded, no outs. Lucky liner is snagged by Seager for 1st out. Slider for K, 2 outs. Laser at 102 for called K, and leaves ’em loaded (whew). 6-5. Knebel clean in 6th. Vesia in 7th, after a collision at 1B with Blackmon, also surrenders a double to CJ Cron (4th of series!) on a belt-high fastball (stop that!) to score Blackmon for 7-5. Ouch: Sam Hilliard of all people bangs a 3-run homer for 10-5 and ballgame. Apparently the collision hurt Vesia enough, and he is replaced by Evan Phillips (who?), who ends the inning, and gives a clean 8th.
Game 3 (rubber)- Must win. Dodgers get the return of AJ, who will play LF today. Dodgers inexplicably move Lux to CF and leave Mookie in RF (?). 1st: Dodgers get 2 on, 2 out, and leave it up to the #5 hitter (critical spot), cold Muncy, who works the count 3-0 but is green lighted to pop up (ugh). AJ leads off 2nd by banging a double (great to have his bat back), and he is cashed in by a Barnes (!) single. Hot G Lux should be batting higher than 8th, and he continues his hot hitting with a single. Scherzer struggles to even bunt and almost pops up foul, but K’s, while Barnes and Lux pull off a double steal (close). Betts K, but Seager comes through big with a pop fly hit to drive in both runs — 3-0. Seager and Trea leadoff 5th with hits, but all erase on a DP by Muncy. Dodgers sleep through 6-7, but awaken in 8th for a run on another double by AJ to cut lead to 5-4. The fateful 9th, down a run — season on the line. Dodgers show some life and get 2 on, 2 out via singles by Betts and Seager (4th hit), with game on the line for Trea — boom, a base hit to score the tying run at 5! Clutch. And we go to extras again. In the 10th, Mighty Mad Max comes through with a mighty blast to deep CF for a 2-run homer, and the ballgame! A 7-5 win in 10.
Pitching: Mad Max Scherzer takes the hill, and throws a clean 1st. 2nd, gives up a leadoff hit to face killer Cron, who also singles. Then a double for a run! Why can’t Dodgers pitchers adapt to Colorado? All 3 games of this series our top 3 pitchers struggle — with location and movement. Yay, Max gets a chase K — do more of that and don’t throw in the middle. 2nd-3rd with 1 out, fly to LF for AJ, who makes a crisp throw home to hold the runners. Max only has to take care of the pitcher, but Freeland lashes a liner to LFx to drive in both runs and tie the game at 3. Just like yesterday. More bad in 5th: a 2-run homer to Tapia for 5-3. Max replaced by Kelly for clean 6th. Bickford gives up a hit in 8th and is replaced by Bruihl, with runners at 2nd-3rd and 2 outs, gets a K to end the threat and preserve 5-4. Jansen a clean 9th, to get the game to extras.