Here s Your Chance

BTW, I removed two comments that were spoofed to be me. They were not mine. We have hacker doing that and I catch most of them, but went to bed early, so I deleted them this morning. We are getting close to finding who it is.

How do you live with yourself? lol, or anyone else for that matter?

I have read many good observations and I appreciate everyone’s insight. It all comes down to playing the game between the white lines – and you win by executing pitches and swings at key moments. I feel good about my Dodgers – go Blue, win tomorrow and then on to the NLCS! ⚾️

I thought that I knew that game pretty well but apparently not. Can someone help me understand a move/non-move from the other night?

I think it was the 5th with Trea Turner on 2nd and Urias on the mound. 1 out I think but I could be mistaken……less that 2 anyways.

Rendon is up. Probably their best hitter. 1st base open.

They pitch to Rendon and even get 1-0 to him.

Why not IBB him?

That give you a matchup against a lesser hitter in Soto. Much less patient hitter in Soto.

Gives the Dodgers a L on L matchup against Soto, and put the double play in order with Rendon on 1st.

Of course Rendon ripped a long double to score Turner.

I just don’t understand why they didnt walk Rendon. Announcers didn’t even mention it as a possibility.

Again, I just don’t understand. Maybe I would have been a fool, but I walk Rendon every time in that spot.

Astros just lose. Interisting two next baseball days.

Great win by Tampa. Gets me more motivated for tomorrow!

It must be tough being so “brilliant”!

We are going to see Scherzer if the Nationals are ahead late. He has amazing reservoirs of endurance. We cannot let Washington get ahead in this game, because we won’t be seeing much of their relief staff if they do. On the other side, I don’t know why we are talking about Buehler for 7, Kershaw for 2. I would not be excited to see Kershaw , not after all the recent games where he gave up runs in the first two innings We have to hope that we can score first, and that Buehler can go a great 7, and then we could use Maeda, Urias or Jansen. I do not expect that the last two innings are going to be anything but grueling for us Dodgers fans. We just don’t have a bullpen which can cleanly close out the 8th and 9th in a close game. We have to hope that Roberts has the right feel for which pitchers to use, unlike some of the playoff games in the last few years.

Lux was only the minor league player of the year! He’s facing really good pitchers. It’s not like any of our other guys are lighting it up against Washington’s starters! I’d go with Beaty in left tomorrow. I thought he had some good ab’s against Scherzer and has some success against Strasburg.

My starting line-up to win is:

1. LF C. Taylor

2. CF J. Pederson

3. RF C. Bellinger

4. 2B Max Muncy

5. 3B J. Turner

6. 1B D. Freese

7. SS C. Seager

8. C R. Martin

9. SP Walker Buehler

This line-up will win the game, I already simulated this game 10 times & this line-up won 9 out of 10 times, that’s a 90% chance to win. Courtesy of MLB 19 on my PlayStation 4. U wouldn’t believe me if i told u how accurate this whole season was. Every team made the postseason & some scores were exactly how it ended. Last thing, Lux Sux! He needs to go back to the minor leagues, he’s not ready for major league pitching! Manager Dave Roberts needs to stop being stupid in believing in this guy & stop starting him in the line-up, he’s just simply not major league material. Gavin Lux Sux!

Rutt Row. Verlander getting tagged early. I wonder if the Astros fans ready to fire the manager and GM yet for starting him on short rest. RELAX EVERYODY!! Listen to Buehler today, saying you can spin it the other way and have fun with the pressure. No other pitcher on the staff that I would rather have in game 5 at Dodger Stadium than him. We just need to score abot 4 or 5 and we got this.

Verlander being thrown out there on short rest, and so far Tampa has lit him up in the first inning. 3-0 Rays and he threw like 33 pitches.

This game is all about us scoring early and often. J-Hair on Dodgertalk mentioned today that he would move up in the box on Strasburg and treat every pitch like he has two strikes. If he gets a good one, he puts his A swing on and PUTS THE BALL IN PLAY. He warned that the last thing you want to be with Strasburg is 0-2 or 1-2. Also, you gotta have Freese play the whole game, this is what we got him for. I would also take Martin over Will Smith. Martin is one of those guys who could struggle all night, then hit one either out or in the gap to win a game.

I’m playing Pollock. He and Turner have hit Strasburg well this year, pretty much no else has. If the shift is on, the lefties should drop bunts down the third base line. Need to put pressure on the Nationals. If they give you the third base side, take advantage. I don’t see Corbin coming in to relief. They tried that in game three and he got lit up. I have no expectations how the game will play out, one way or the other. But hitters must produce in the clutch, if the Dodgers are to win. Obviously, Walker Buehler needs to be on top of his game.

Absolutely agree that Roberts should of left Maeda in and it was too early to pinch hit.

With some struggles with Bellinger in the 4 hole here would be my starting lineup for Wednesday game 5.

1. Bellinger CF

2. Seager SS

3. Muncy 2B

4. Turner 3B

5. Freese 1B

6. Pederson RF

7. Smith C

8. Taylor LF

9. Buehler P

Fight On! and beat the NATS

Here’s Houston Mitchell of the times about how individual Dodger hitter have fared lifetime against Strasburg and the Nats have done against Buehler:

“In fact, let’s look at how the Dodgers have fared against Strasburg, including postseason games:

Matt Beaty, .667 (2 for 3), 1 double, 1 RBI

Russell Martin: .500 (3 for 6)

A.J. Pollock: .412 (7 for 17), 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 3 RBIs

Jedd Gyorko: .412 (7 for 17), 2 doubles, 1 homer

Justin Turner: .250 (4 for 16), 2 homers, 6 RBIs

Will Smith: .250 (1 for 4)

Kiké Hernandez: .222 (2 for 9), 2 homers

Joc Pederson: .143 (2 for 14), 1 double, 1 homer

Cody Bellinger: .118 (2 for 17), 1 double

David Freese: .091 (1 for 11)

Corey Seager: .071 (1 for 14), 1 homer

Chris Taylor: .063 (1 for 16)

Max Muncy: .000 (0 for 12)

Alex Verdugo: .000 (0 for 3)

Gavin Lux: .000 (0 for 2)

Team: .191/.276/.382, (33 for 173) 7 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homers, 4 walks, 66 strikeouts

And the Nationals vs. Walker Buehler

Brian Dozier: .600 (3 for 5), 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBIs

Howie Kendrick: .500 (1 for 2), 1 walk

Victor Robles: .429 (3 for 7), 1 triple

Anthony Rendon: .375 (3 for 8), 2 doubles, 2 RBIs

Gerardo Parra: .235 (4 for 17), 1 homer, 1 RBI

Adam Eaton: .167 (1 for 6), 1 walk

Juan Soto: .143 (1 for 7), 1 walk

Kurt Suzuki: .143 (1 for 7), 1 double, 1 RBI

Trea Turner: .000 (0 for 8)

Matt Adams: .000 (0 for 4)

Yan Gomes: .000 (0 for 5)

Wilmer Difo: .000 (0 for 3)

Asdrubal Cabrera: .000 (0 for 2)

Team: .205/.278/.341 (18 for 88), 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 7 walks, 27 strikeouts”

So Hawk, you’re telling me that there’s a chance that Pollock can redeem this postseason! It’s tough to watch him struggle right now but I still think he’s a good player and I’d give him a chance next year.

Maeda is not a long reliever for this series. Roberts was not going to leave him in when he pitched the night before and will most likely be needed tomorrow. I was not a fan of bringing in Urias. The Nats are an excellent team against LH pitching and Urias threw 2 innings the night before. The only lefty I would have thought about there was Kershaw, but my choice would have been May or Stripling.

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The real issue was the offense though. I thought they would get to Scherzer. They didn’t do the little things early to add on. Seager not tagging on Beaty’s fly ball. I wasn’t a fan of Beaty swinging 3-0 his next time up. Their weakness is the pen. Make him throw pitches instead of bailing him out on a 3-0 pitch. I agree with those who have stated that Freese should have been hitting 3-0 not Taylor. Did Doc really think there was a more important AB to save him for later in the game? And how did Taylor miss that fat slider in the middle of the zone to strike out?

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Freese must start Game 5 at 1st base. Lux has looked overmatched on good breaking stuff. The Dodgers need professional AB’s against Strasberg. Pollock should sit too. I don’t really care for who. Taylor, Kike, Beaty. Anyone other than Pollock who has been a bust. I don’t want to hear how he had big AB’s and did well after the DL stint. He was brought in to be a big RH bat to upgrade over Puig. Puig the last two years was .870 OPS in the playoffs. AJ is zero so far. The team was significantly better with Vergugo than Pollock. He did nothing prior to his injury and didn’t play in a meaningful game after his injury. His postseason AB’s have been pathetic. If I’m AF, I’m doing everything I can to unload him in the off season. He’s a brittle player who’s game is in the decline.

By the way, if anyone is interested in going to game 5, I am selling my 2 extras. Tickets are in Reserve 51, Row K. For members of this blog, the tickets are yours for face value ($38 each) .

Let me know if interested!

Great post AC. You and your family are still in my thoughts and prayers. Now just a quick comment. I apologize if any of my comments offended anyone or that It seemed I was questioning their loyalty as a fan. It was just a knee-jerk reaction on my part to a bunch of complaints after our 2nd game loss which I was as disappointed in. I believe we all want the Dodgers to succeed.

It is kind of hard to make any conclusions on Mike Trout’s post season capabilities since he is only 1 – 12 in three games. Three post season games for arguably the best player in the game. That is a shame!!! You might be able to draw a different conclusion that no matter how much you pay the best player in the game, that it takes a team to get to the playoffs. But since Mark brought up Trout, I will bring up a name that many on this site would undoubtedly bench because of his post season ventures. There is a player who from 1990 to 2000 (baseball age 25-35) was in 5 playoffs (no WS). That included 116 PA and 97 AB with an accumulated post season slash line of .196/.319/.299/.618. Then at 37, he took off in 2002 and had a great post season culminating in a WS loss. He played in one more playoff series where he was 2-9 (2003). So absent his 2002 post season, Barry Bonds was a sub Mendoza line hitter in the playoffs. I think I would like my chances more with Bonds in the lineup rather than on the bench, just as I do with Belli and Corey.

I do not want to be “butt-hurt” so whatever lineup norcaldodgerfan wants is okay with me. I am ambivalent to Matt Beaty over AJ Pollock. For a must win game, I would have no objection to Matt starting. He has proven himself that the game is not bigger than he is and deserves the chance while AJ continues to struggle. I do not feel the same with Belli or Corey. They should start and play every inning, no matter if they strike out every AB. And IF Freese is healthy enough, he should start at 1B and Max at 2B. It is a must win game, and Freese does give the Dodgers a better chance to win than does Lux, or CT3, or Kike’.

I for one have NEVER questioned (formally or silently) anyone’s loyalty to the Dodgers. I have never gotten “butt-hurt” by anyone disagreeing with my take. Quite the opposite. I like disagreements as long as they do not get personal. Two guys I have had the most disagreements with on this site are Mark and Dodgerrick. I have never met either one, but I consider them friends and would cherish the opportunity to argue with them over a beer at a local pub. Which is where I used to have these discussions before the internet.

This is a big Sports week for me as the Dodgers are involved in a great 5 game NLDS, and my Trojans travel to South Bend to take on the hated Irish. (Note to PeterJ – I will not be in South Bend this year, but it will feel like it as i will be enjoying the game with a bunch of Irish Catholics from Church). Believe me, if I got “butt-hurt” about any sports event it would be from my Irish buddies who love it when they are big favorites. But we will remain best of friends no matter the outcome, and one group will have bragging rights for a year. But even though most pundits do not give my Trojans a chance, I fully believe in my heart of hearts that my Trojans will prevail. No matter who starts at QB or who the head coach is. That is who I am with the Dodgers as well. I do not believe they will be beat no matter who is on the mound, or LF or 1B or 2B or C. I am not all knowing and I am not not trying to convince anyone that thinks differently that you are not a fan, but IMO the time to do an autopsy of this year’s team is AFTER the season. Believe me, win or lose, I will be critical, as I have the last several off seasons on this site. But for now, whether it is Buehler/Kershaw/KJ/Beaty/Pollock/Freese/Smith/Martin/Lux/Joc/CT3/Kike’/Freese/Belli/Corey/JT/Max, I will go into the game believing that Doc and his staff will come up with a plan that gives the team the best chance to win.

I think the Blue “wants’ the next game pretty bad Jeff..

I think we get it done.

I too was happy for Hill, but wish he goes longer.

It’s a shame 6 inn. Is considered a quality start nowadays. . It’s a shame bunting is extinct.

1988 is along time to wait.

Look, most people thought this was going 5.

This is playoff baseball, the two best teams in the NL.

We will need a couple guys to step up tomorrow, no doubt, but they also do too.

Game is at home, we got Buehler on one more day rest than their guy, we got more guys (better guys) ready in the Pen.

We got this.

BTW, Zack Greinke, who will be 36 before the World Series is over has a higher career ERA in the Playoff than Clayton Kershaw – 4.58 to 4.33.

Scherzer has a 3.60 Playoff ERA while Strausberg has a 0.64 ERA. Buehler is at 3.03.

Today may define Striker Buehler’s career… or give him a good start.