Clayton and Mookie Lead LAD Over Rays in Game 1
The Franchise opened the 2020 World Series and had a game fairly reminiscent of his 2017 Game 1 against the Assterisks. Back in his home town, Clayton Kershaw threw a non-stressful 6.0 innings, and left with an 8-1 lead. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits. He issued a one out walk to Randy Arozarena in the first, and then proceeded to sit down 13 consecutive batters before Kevin Kiermaier
The Franchise opened the 2020 World Series and had a game fairly reminiscent of his 2017 Game 1 against the Assterisks. Back in his home town, Clayton Kershaw threw a non-stressful 6.0 innings, and left with an 8-1 lead. He allowed 1 run on 2 hits. He issued a one out walk to Randy Arozarena in the first, and then proceeded to sit down 13 consecutive batters before Kevin Kiermaier hit a line drive solo HR in the top of the 5th to cut the Dodgers lead in half. Kershaw threw another 3 up and 3 down 6th and his night was over.
This was also a big night for the future HOF LHSP as he delivered 8 strikeouts. What made the strikeouts more meaningful was that when he struck out Willy Adames in the 5th, he notched his 200th postseason K, surpassing John Smoltz, moving into 2nd place on the all-time postseason strikeout list. Next up on the list is Justin Verlander at 205. I actually hope he has to wait until 2021, which would mean the Dodgers will have swept the Rays in 4.
CK had a tough first three hitters, giving up a single to Yandy Diaz and with one out, walking Arozarena putting runners on 1st and 2nd. CK was having issues with his slider in the first. Even Clayton mentioned that he was spiking the slider in the first. The slider started to become sharp in the 2nd, and Kershaw elevated his game. He was dominant. Maybe CK was listening to a lot of his “advisors” as he was pitching to all four quadrants, rather than concentrating on his glove side.
With all of his distractors about his October meltdowns, for the 2020 postseason, Clayton has quietly gone 3-1 with his four starts, a 2.88 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, in 25 innings. He has 31 strikeouts against only 3 walks. Clayton has quieted a lot of his October demons and doubters. This was Clayton’s third WS Game 1 start, and two have been masterful (2017 and 2020). Granted his 2018 Game 1 start was a real stinker, and Game 5 was not much better. With how the Dodgers are stacked for the future, I am confident that CK is going to get a lot more opportunities to build on his postseason numbers.
I could write about the masterpiece Kershaw spun in Game 1 a lot longer, but there were a multitude of other achievements that need to be recognized.
After three uneventful innings, the Dodgers put up crooked numbers in the middle three. It startewith a leadoff walk to Muncy and after one out, Cody Bellinger absolutely crushes the first pitch in this AB for a two-run HR and a 2-0 LAD lead they would never relinquish. I do not know if it was his shoulder, but this was a different swing for Belli. He got a great pitch that Glasnow could not get inside enough, and Belli seemed in total control from the start of the swing throughout. In the FS1 post game show, ARod made a great comment about how balanced Cody looked in Game 1. He seemed to be in control of his swing, and I hope that this is a prelude to the next three 2020 WS LAD wins.
It was important for the Dodgers to get out in front and stay there. The Rays have won their last 63 games when leading after the 7th. Their bullpen is special, especially late in the game.
Remarkably, the Dodgers scored 4 runs in the 5th without a HR. They turned a pair of walks to Mookie and Seager, three stolen bases (2 by Mookie and 1 by Seager), and a fielders choice groundball that Mookie beat the throw to the plate and a 3-1 lead. Three singles by Fresh Prince, CT3, and Kike’ gives the Dodgers 3 more runs. The big boppers turn 2 walks, 3 stolen bases, and 3 singles into 4 runs.
Tyler Glasnow’s night was done after Will Smith’s single. LHRP, Ryan Yarbrough, a key Rays reliever, relieved Glasnow and offered up the CT3 and Kike’ single to finish up the pitching line for Glasnow. Glasnow went 4.1 IP, allowed 6 runs on 3 hits and 6 walks. He also K’d 8 Dodgers. He did all of this and threw 112 pitches, several reaching 100 MPH, in those 4.1 IP. I will not speculate as to whether Glasnow will be available in future games, or if he is, how effective he will be.
Yarbrough was done after the 5th, throwing 19 pitches. Another LHRP, Josh Fleming, replaced Yarbrough. The first pitch Fleming threw Mookie put it into the RF stands for his 1st LAD postseason HR. Back to back doubles by JT and Max Muncy scored another run. It was this second run that apparently ended the night for Kershaw. Even though Kershaw pitched an effortless 78 pitches, Doc felt comfortable with an 8-1 lead that he decided to end his outing. Unfortunately, as Doc is inclined to do, he did not have his reliever warming up, and Floro was probably not ready when he was asked to enter. He got Austin Meadows on a strikeout. He then surrendered a single to Margot, and a booming double to Joey Wendle. Even though it was well hit, and Belli ran a mile, he was not able to make the catch as he was closing in on the fence rather quickly and seemed to back off a bit (shoulder, maybe?) After the game, it seemed like Belli offered up that he should have caught the ball, but he was concerned where the fence was. Doc did not get his next reliever up in time again…Victor Gonzalez. Victor did not appear to be sufficiently warm and his slider was flat. He gave up two sharp singles that scored both runs he inherited. The next batter he faced, Mike Zunino, hit a 105 MPH blur on a line right back at him, that VGon was able to double up Mike Brosseau at 2B to get out of the inning.
Pedro Baez entered the 8th and got a quick 3 up and 3 down. He threw only one fastball and several sliders and changeups. He is also working a lot faster than he used to do. Joe Kelly was tasked to finish up. Austin Meadows, who is having a poor 2020 and even poorer postseason, slugged a drive to CF that Belli was able to catch up to and make another one of his patented Belli catches. Kelly retired the next two batters he faced, and Game 1 was in the books. Kelly went back to his 96-97 MPH fastball, and threw only two knuckle curves.
Tyler Glasnow was wild, and Clayton Kershaw was efficient and effortless. The first two relievers for both sides had early issues, with the Rays’ Josh Fleming figuring it out after four batters. He seemed to run out of gas in the 8th, and the Rays’ 3rd reliever, John Curtiss came in to strike out Will Smith to finish up an 8th inning threat. The keys to the game were the Dodgers starting pitching, Dodger bats, Dodgers speed on the bases, and Dodgers defense. Belli made another good defensive catch in CF, but in the 6th, JT made a diving stab at a hard ground ball off the bat of Yandy Diaz and was able to throw him out while still on the ground. The relievers for the Dodgers were able to get the job done even if it was with a little anxiety. Mookie, Max Muncy, and CT3 each had 2 hits. Mookie and Belli both went deep. Muncy has come under a little scrutiny during his ho-hum postseason but went 2-4, plus a walk, 2 RBIs, and NO STRIKEOUTS.
Pitcher of the Game – Clayton Kershaw
Player of the Game – Mookie Betts – 2 for 4, 2 runs, 1 HR, 2 stolen bases, and a head first slide to beat a throw to the plate to score run #3.
- Rays – 3 runs, 6 hits, 0 errors
- Dodgers – 8 runs, 10 hits, 0 errors
FINAL SCORE – Dodgers 8 – Rays 3 – Dodgers lead series 1-0
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Discussion (129)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I think Kershaw came out for a variety of reasons that we know.
7run lead
Sat in the dugout for 2 long innings
Save some bullets for game 5
Starters not used to going deep anyway
What we don’t know
Kershaw might have been stiff
Get some bullpen guys in
Don’t risk an unforeseen injury
I agreed with him taking him out but I was getting edgy and nervous with floro and González. Baez and Kelly performed.
The Rays will be throwing all their best relievers tonight along with Snell. It will be important for Gonsolin to keep his fastball up in the zone and use his breaking stuff less than usual. Again 4 runs gets it done and we take control of the series. I don’t give the Rays much hope against Buehler and his 99!
I have no problem removing Kershaw with an 8-1 lead. Why leave him in at that point? That criticism is dumb…and I think Doc has been worthy of criticism in the past with regards to Kershaw and the post season. Doc made the right call here.
I feel pretty confident in the Dodger’s chances this series. The Rays don’t have a Tatis/Machado or Freeman/Ozuna. Freeman just gave me anxiety every time he was at the plate, and he was actually impressive to watch. He never got cheated. It seemed like he always barreled up and got a good rip at the best the Dodger pitchers could offer. He was the best hitter I saw in the playoffs.
The Rays lineup is not nearly as formidable as the Padres or Braves, and they almost look easy compared to the Braves. There is more margin for error, and the Dodgers, with the combination of the efficient outing by Kershaw (it looks like he had command of three pitches after the first inning), the smart baserunning and the disciplined at bats, looked like the Dodgers we saw during the regular season when they were clearly the best team in baseball. Glasnow wasn’t sharp, but the Dodgers also just took advantage of that and wore him down and ran up his pitch count until he cracked.
The Rays are scrappy and get the absolute most out of the players they have with a very smart managerial system – even better than the Dodgers here, IMO.
I was somewhat concerned when Roberts pulled Kershaw when he did. Especially, when the Rays seemed to be coming alive on offense in the 7th inning. But, it was the right thing to do. The 7th inning has sometimes been a black hole for Kershaw in the playoffs and I’m sure Roberts wanted to allow CK to leave the game on a positive note if he is needed later on in the series. Florio and Gonzalez survived the inning. Baez had a quiet 8th. He has been effective in his appearances. And then Mr dependable, Joe Kelly finished them off.
I agree that Gonsolin should start today. I expect him to be more effective than the last time he pitched. All this playoff experience for him and May will be very beneficial for them in future playoff outings. If Gonsolin can reduce his BB’s then he should be more effective and be able to save the bullpen an arm or two. Four to five innings would be awesome.
Mookie Betts has got to be the most fun Dodger to watch in like….forever. He seems to always find a way to help the team. Even when he is not hitting in the Atlanta series he basically helps win two games with his defense and base running skills. Who does that on a consistent basis? I don’t think anyone in baseball right now. With his smile and encouragement adding to his superior talents he is a remarkable player and human being. Absolutely, the best acquisition in LA Dodger history. And, Boston’s dumbest. I love it when billionaires trade the best all around player in the game to save money.
I’m very optimistic this WS. This is our best team out of the past four years and our easiest opponent. The Rays are, obviously, a very good team but don’t have the playoff experience of the Dodgers. We beat down their best pitcher and the way the Dodgers are excelling in all aspects of the game right now I just don’t see how they can be defeated by the Rays. I like the Dodgers in five with Kershaw throwing a gem to close out the series. He deserves the opportunity to make that happen. Go blue!
We don’t know what Doc may have known: Maybe Clayton’s back was getting a little tweaked…. maybe his arm was cooling off and with a big lead, Doc probably made a snap decision. Big Deal! He was saving his ace and likely he will say to Floro and Gonzo “Sorry, for the short notice – Thank’s for being good soldiers.”
What really, really bothers me is the fact that certain people always have to discredit DOC no matter what! They see a shadow and blame it on Doc.
I do not think Roberts is a good game day manager but going after him about enough warm up pitches for the relivers is a little much, and has far as Gonsolin getting the start tonight, I’m sure Roberts didn’t make the call by himself. As Mark said win or lose, Gonsolin is the right call. Very nice win for Kershaw and the team.
Hopefully, they will all be this close, but it was very smart to remove Clayton with a 7 run lead – only 76 pitches, don’t stress his back and he becomes a weapon for another day… if needed.
Doc finished the game with Floro, Gonzalez, Baez, and Kelly, of which only Baez was a “key part” of the pen.
That means that Treinen, May, Wood, Kolarek, McGee, and Bazooka… along with Gonsolin are at the ready today. I guess that under the right circumstances, Julio Urias could be too, but I expect him to start Game #4, which could be the closeout Striker can keep it up.
I think Gonsolin is the right call to start today’s game. In his 2020 starts, he averaged 6.1 IP’ed.
He has a 9.95 ERA in the postseason, but that is skewed by his 6 walks, in 6.1 IP. During the season, he walked 15 in 40 IP. Now that he has a little postseason experience, I look for more of a game like he pitched in September. Solid!
Win or lose, to me this is the right call!
This game went very well for the Blue. Indeed, Glasnow was wild, giving up 6BBs plus a very high pitch count. He’s definitely an up and coming young star. What happened to him is what I don’t want to see happen to our younger arms like May and Gonsolin. My philosophy on them is ‘use sparingly and with great attention’. They are our future but no reason to throw them to the wolves (Rays). This team can hit a lot of HRs and will kill us if we let them.
My only bone of contention is, of course, Doc. I agreed with his decision to pull CK, but anyone with eyes could see how he mismanaged his next two relievers, neither having had the warm up they could have used. Was there really such urgency that he couldn’t prolong their warmup and getting them off the bench in time to do it? This one’s on Doc, but with a blowout going on, he was spared an embarassment. I would hate to see this happen in a close game.
Well that was a great start, and really pleased for Kershaw.
I wondered what the Rays manager was doing by letting Glasnow throw so many pitches? Surely it would have been prudent to get him outta there ASAP to save him for another (better) day? It’s wasn’t as if he was pitching well. His confidence won’t have been helped either – a very strange strategy.
Lots of positives – especially Max & Cody When those two hit our lineup looks daunting. Kike with another PH as well.
Early days of course, but not knowing much about the Tampa lineup, i didn’t see too much to worry about.
I was thinking that I would take CK out with that big lead, and Doc obviously thought the same. He’ll be ready to go again – and possibly on short rest if necessary.