Sep 24-26: Dodgers return to play their cousins whom they should beat like a drum. Dodgers need a sweep.
Game 1- Betts leadoff hit, Seager BB, but TT hits into DP in the 1st. Will Smith leads off 2nd with a double (19th), driven in by a nifty slash hit by JT. Boy are we happy to have AJ back: he clobbers one deep into the LF bleachers for a 3-0 lead. In this inning, even pitcher Gonsolin gets an infield hit, only to be erased by Betts on a DP. 3 flies up in the 3rd. in order in the 4th. Still 3-1. Of course G Lux leads off 5th after making a great catch for a DP. But bats are silent again. 6th gets leadoff double by Trea, 1B by Muncy but Trea doesnt read it well and stops at 3B. Smith hits a nice sac fly to score Trea for 4-2. 7th: Beaty PH lines to deep CF. Mookie out. Seager lines into the RF corner for a triple! (With 2 outs need caution trying for 3B — better make it.) Trea strokes a chopper for 3rd out. All important 9th, as the Dodgers look for that elusive insurance run. Top of the order goes 1-2-3 (Trea fans on a bad chase).
Pitching: Gonsolin gets his 3rd start and is shaky in the 1st, as he offers up a center cut fastball that gets smashed to deep LF. No worry, AJ is there to snag it on a well timed leap against the fence. (However, AJ should have found the fence first.) Not so lucky in the 2nd, as Calhoun leads off with a solo HR (belt high fastball). But then Gonso settles down and avoids the middle of the zone to get 2 K’s. Tony very good in inning 3. He gives up a hit in the 4th, followed by a long fly to deep RCF sprinted down by a fleet Lux to amaze us all — including the runner who got doubled off. 5th gets a K on a WP and runner reaches 1B. Grounder that should have been a DP gets only one out at 1B due to the shift leaving no one to cover 2B (mistake!). Run cashed in on a hit (shame), so now 3-2. Yet another WP (really wild) moves tying run to 2B, but Tony escapes on a K (and done on only 67 pitches). Vesia for the 6th: K, double and walk, so 2 on. Vesia gets troublesome Calhoun to fly out for 2nd out, and finally a K on a 95 heater. Still 4-2. Treinen gives us a scare in the 8th: 1 pitch away from loading the bases with 2 out vs. troublesome Calhoun again, but fans him on a high 93 cutter. (I wanted 97.) 4-2 in the 9th: Jansen for the save — please! Kenley goes up and away to 2 lefties (normally good approach) but they both manage to slice the ball in the air to LF, now occupied by CT3. And a very good thing, as CT3 uses his speed to make 2 great catches, including an all out dive (makes up for his whiff with bases loaded). With 2 out, Kenley tosses a wipeout slider for a fan and the ballgame. Dodgers lucky to hold on for the 4-2 win, as the bullpen hurls 4 more shutout innings.
Dodgers remain 1 game behind Giants (99 wins to 100 — unreal).
Game 2- oy oy. Dodgers sleepwalking through this game. Nothing doing on offense until a solo jack by Trea in the 6th, but that is all. Along with sloppy defense. How does the worst team in MLB embarrass the Dodgers like this? Trea Turner gets a pass on his 2nd solo jack of the game in the 9th. Dodgers lose 7-2 and deservedly so. Bad night.
Pitching: Kershaw not a good showing either — seems all the Dodgers drank the same Kool-ade. Marte homers on 1st pitch! A bad sign. Kershaw gives up 4 runs and is lifted in the 5th for Graterol. But the 4-0 lead does in the Dodgers tonight. To make matters worse, Roberts throws in the towel by bringing in Evan Phillips in the 8th only to see him surrender 2 extra runs, so now 7-1 — game over.
Game 3 (rubber)- red hot Seager and Trea go back to back in the 1st for a 2-0 lead. red hot Seager goes mile high club with a 464 ft solo blast for 3-0. Then Dodgers hit the usual mid inning drought, so still 3-0 in the 9th. Big problem is the bottom of the order can’t get a hit with men on base (0-9 with RISP). AJ got hit on his hand by a pitch — hope he is OK (we need him).
Pitching: Urias goes 5 shutout innings (yay, back on track). Bruihl for the 6th, Kelly the 7th, Knebel the 8th — all shutouts. Jansen for the save, gives up a hit. But then stupid give the runner 3B. Okay, we hold on for the 3-0 shutout and take the series.
Notes:
- Dodgers get their 100th win for the 9th time in their storied history.
- Both Dodger middle infielders, Seager and Trea, get their career 100th home runs in the same game!