Breakthrough!
Well, Clayton Kershaw did not go 9 innings last night, but he was very dominant over 7 innings and he likely could have went at least another innng or two, but that is not how this new version of the Dodgers works. It was obvious before the game and during the game, that Clayton was intense, but not overly amped up. He said he treated it like any other start
Well, Clayton Kershaw did not go 9 innings last night, but he was very dominant over 7 innings and he likely could have went at least another innng or two, but that is not how this new version of the Dodgers works. It was obvious before the game and during the game, that Clayton was intense, but not overly amped up. He said he treated it like any other start and I think he did. He could have went 8 innings… maybe 9 innings, but why? With Morrow and Jansen in the pen with several days of rest, why push it? Maybe he will pitch deeper in game 5 (if it goes that far), but it worked. The Dodgers won, so there’s that. It was very hot at game time so there is that too!
Last night we again saw that the Dodgers have a plan and they work that plan.We also saw a team that would not be denied. You can want to win. You can have a desire to win, but do you have the will to win? The will to win starts with a want, a desire, but that alone is not enough. Sometimes less talented teams win because they simply believe that they will win. That belief becomes their destiny. I believe these are Destiny’s Dodgers. They believe and contine to impose their will on winning, no matter what.
Tonight, it’s Justin Verlander verses Rich Hill. This should be another pitchers duel. but you never know. This is eaxtly what FAZ had in mind when they signed Rich Hill over the winter. It’s time to deliver on the Big Stage. Justin Verlander has been lights out since he came to Houston, but these are Destiny’s Dodgers. They will not be denied!
Doc has said that Corey Seager will go back to his familiar #2 spot tonight. Who will catch and play 2B is the question? I am sure Andre Ethier will be in LF. I would roll with this lineup:
- Taylor CF
- Seager SS
- Turner 3B
- Bellinger 1B
- Puig RF
- Ethier LF
- Barnes C
- Forstyhe 2B
Utley can’t catch up to the fastball anymore – that’s my opinion. Pull up a chair… enjoy the ride. These guys are on a mission!
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Discussion (57)
Disagree, not disagreeable
This is unbelievable
I will always wonder why Stripling was put in where he was.
I was thinking this when Fields was in the game, but clearly McCarthy was a bad choice. Maybe Pedro Baez should have been considered. But Mark was right, the early removal of Hill set off a bad chain of events.
Maybe Culberson reprises what he did last year and hits a walk-off following Seager and Turner. Or something else equally good. Destiny’s Dodgers.
It’d be tied right now if that ump knew how to call it right! It’s time to let tech to step in.
Regroup and get a couple in Houston…
Pulling Hill was questionable but pulling Morrow so quick was the key in Doc’s over managing…
Just a great, great, great game.
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Definitely can see the 2nd guessing of pulling Hill, but I thought it was the right move. I could be wrong.
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Astros are good. Dodgers are good.
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Baseball is great.
Morrow should have been to start the 7th leaving Stripling for long relief. I let Morrow start the 7th and get 4 or 5 outs.
Tough loss in a game the Dodgers could have won several times. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. But that’s baseball. Nobody said it was going to be easy. Dodgers play well on the road. No reason to think that they won’t bring it back to LA, or even win it all in Houston.
And I was right about Culberson. Only problem was that no one got on in front of him.
Hate to ask, but has the Houston monster been awoken??? Damn, they got helluva machine with 8, let alone going to 9 in Houston…
Unbelievable game – seems a long time ago that Vin started the game off.
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So many “what ifs?”, but ultimately a fantastic game.
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This is gonna make things very tough now. Houston are very strong at home, and a few of their hitters just got their Mojo back.
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Verlander is gonna be tough to beat, and Keuchel will be tough in Houston.
Gonna need to take 2 games there or face having to win both at Dodger Stadium.
The good news is that their #3&4 starters are not nearly as good as #1&2.
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#Rollercoaster
Totally agree, Mark, taking Hill out in the 4th compromised our biggest strength, the bullpen. Run him out there for one more inning, regardless of whether he allows 1 run or not, and you can line up our bullpen like we have the last few weeks. Love Kenley,, but a 2 inning save against the Astros is asking a lot. These guys are not the D-Bags or the slumping Cubs, they won over 100 games for a reason. With that said, and trying not to drink the MLB analysts Kool-Aid, I loved how we battled back and made it a game, not once, but twice! This is going to be an epic series, and I think Doc will learn from his bullpen gaffe and move on. Plenty of baseball to be played. Let’s not forget amongst the bummer of tonight that Verlander was 9-0 entering tonights game, and he left losing 3-1. We took the Stros biggest punch and came back, just keep hitting and its all good.
I would also like to see the Dodgers get some hits with RISP. Can’t just depend on the long ball.
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If the Dodgers face Keuchel again, I suspect they might be a bit more patient against him than they were in the first game. I suspect he’s someone they could get to with a little familiarity.
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What worries me most is the Dodgers Achilles heel that we saw tonight. We don’t want to get too deep into the Dodgers pen. I have little confidence in Stripling, Fields, and McCarthy. I prefer Baez to any of them, especially against a team that hasn’t seen him.
That was a wild and simply great game! Verlander is human, so is Jansen and Giles. The ball that hit Taylor’s cap and the one that hit the umpire both could have scored runs. I can’t blame McCarthy, he hasn’t pitched in forever and was not supposed to be out there in the 10th inning of a tie game. Roberts pushed so many buttons he probably has carpel tunnel. The home plate umpire was awful, and Seager and Turner hit the ball hard but they got caught before Culberson’s home run or they still might be playing. I question so many of the bullpen moves on the Dodger side but just have to move on. I really think the Series goes 7 after watching the fireworks tonight. Keuchel and Verlander had pretty low pitch counts, they could both go on 3 days rest, Kershaw too.
By the way, Hill wasn’t taken out in the 4th, but instead didn’t come out to pitch the 5th. Bottom line is that he could have pitched another inning or maybe even two. And I’m not second guessing, because I didn’t like it at the time, mainly because of what I mentioned earlier, I.e., my total lack of confidence in Stripling, McCarthy and Fields, all of whom were more likely to get in the game if the Dodgers went to the pen too early.