Tough To Watch
In a game where the two best hitters struck out 7 out of 10 plate appearances, this was a very hard game to watch much less write about. Unfortunately for the good guys, JT s strikeouts were much more problematic than Christian Yelich s. The Blue put up a good fight late, but Game 1 goes to Craig Counsell in his chess match against Dave Roberts. It appears that Counsell played Roberts
In a game where the two best hitters struck out 7 out of 10 plate appearances, this was a very hard game to watch much less write about. Unfortunately for the good guys, JT’s strikeouts were much more problematic than Christian Yelich’s. The Blue put up a good fight late, but Game 1 goes to Craig Counsell in his chess match against Dave Roberts. It appears that Counsell played Roberts by starting LHP Gio to get the RH hitters, and then brought in RHP Brandon Woodruff in the 3rd. In the meantime, Clayton Kershaw showed us again that he is not the Ace he once was and should not be considered one…at least in the playoffs.
How does a $30MM pitcher give up a HR to a relief pitcher, and how does a $30MM pitcher last 3 IP in a NLCS game? And please do not bring up David Price because he has never pitched well in the playoffs and he hasn’t pitched well for the last two years. None of Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, Gerrit Cole, or Chris Sale give up the HR to Brandon Woodruff. But then Hyun-Jin Ryu probably does not either, and really neither do any of the other Dodger starting pitchers, including the much maligned Alex Wood. The story line going into this NLCS was that the Dodgers were favored because of their advantage in starting pitching. It just did not happen with Kershaw in Game 1.
Counsell got Roberts to use Max Muncy for David Freese in the 4th inning, taking Freese was out against LHP Hader and Cedeno. Because Kershaw had his worst outing of the year, the Dodgers used Madsen in relief in the 4th and then had to use Dozier as a PH in the 5th. The Dodgers then proceeded to use five relief pitchers. Fortunately for the Dodgers, the Brewers used 6 relievers. Of course, all of the Brewers relievers are relievers and all except Hader will be available for Game 2.
I am sorry but the NLCS is not a time to experiment with a pitcher out all year with a shoulder injury. If Alexander is hurt (no word that he is), there was still Josh Fields who IS a relief pitcher who could have been used. The Brewers are only using 2 LHRP, but the Dodgers needed three, one of which who has not pitched almost the entire year? This is not a knock on Julio Urias, who may very well be that dominant LHSP that many hoped he would become. But to be asked to be a reliever in a NLCS after not pitching for the vast majority of the past two years??? This is not May or June. This is October and the NLCS.
For all of those that were so quick to blast Alex Wood for giving up a HR to Freddie Freeman, I hope you are all just as quick to hold both Kershaw and Urias to the same level of expectation of perfection.
For the 1st 7 innings, other than Manny Machado, it was very hard to come up with anything positive out of this game. Machado and Kemp get RBI singles in the 8th to get close, but with 13 strikeouts, it is hard to get runs in. It was extremely hard to watch Puig and JT K with a runner on 3rd. At least with a ball in play, there is a chance. Geez, the Dodgers batters have to do something to change their approach with 2 strikes!!!
And then there were the 4 errors, 2 by Grandal along with 2 passed ball. It was certainly not a great defensive game for our catcher. That is not to mention the 4 strikeouts, 2 with runners in scoring position, and a fielding error by JT.
Not everything was a bust, especially in a 7-game series. The Dodgers did come back from 6-1 down to make it close. They were in a position to win this game. CT3 had a 3 hit game, Machado had a 3 RBI game, Kemp had 2 hits including a key hit in the 8th. Two of Chris Taylor’s 3 hits (including his triple) were against RHP. He has the hot bat, and maybe should stay in the lineup. We know he will be with Miley going in Game 2.
Hader went three innings in Game 1, so it will be extremely hard for him to come back for Game 2. The object was to come to Milwaukee and split so they could come to LA to win it in 5. As bad as Kershaw was tonight, I cannot remember him being bad two playoff games in the same series, and he is due to be back for Game 5.
It was never going to be easy. This year’s team seems to play at the next level when the situation seems the most bleak. The team is now down 1 game to none and have Hyun-Jin Ryu going in Game 2. The Dodgers still have the advantage as long as they win Game 2. If Hader is not available tomorrow, I like the Dodgers chances. They will need to be patient and not overswing against Miley, but they can hit him. As I said after Game 3 in the NLDS, KEEP THE FAITH. Even after a poor Game 1, the Dodgers will prevail.
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Discussion (140)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Grandal should sit tonight. I think his game last night was one of the worst one-game defensive performances I have ever witnessed, astounding that he could be so bad. He sits and let Barnsey get the start. Kershaw didn’t pitch well but his line was exacerbated a bit by the poor defense of Grandal. Passed balls, interference, missed throws to home all gave extra bases and outs to the Brewers and no pitcher can overcome all of those mistakes.
Giving up a HR to a RP is all on Kershaw and that’s not supposed to happen. Gotta get’em today. I agree with the Urias analysis. We’re all hoping he becomes the real deal, but it’s kind of head scratching that he makes the NLCS roster over Alexander when he was your off season acquisition to shore up the BP. Just seems the FO overthought that once again.
There’s a lot to unpack in last night’s game one of which is the horrible balls and strikes by HP umpire Scott Barry. It was Angel Hernandezesque. That bad…and yes for both teams. JT’s called third strike in the 8th inning was 8 inches off the plate. They mentioned last night that Joe Torre has implemented that game three of a seven game series takes on such importance that he has mandated the best “ball and strike” umpire is behind the plate in game three. For this series that will be Gerry Davis. Shouldn’t the MLB put the best umpires in the playoffs and WS? Every umpire is graded throughout the year and to have an umpire call balls and strikes in such a wide and ever-changing zone is utterly amazing. wasn’t quite as bad as Eric Greg, but pretty darn close. MLB should do much better at that.
It is always the darkest right before dawn, it seems. You are right – amazing things can happen when it seems all is lost. The Dodgers lost the game, but in the battle of the bullpens, the Dodgers won! The Dodgers pen gave up 1 run in 5 innings and the GREAT, AWESOME, UNHITTABLE Brewers pen gave up 4 runs in 6 innings! Today is the day, the Dodgers have to stomp on the pen and they need to knock Miley out in the 1st inning. That’s the recipe for a win today!
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The Atheltic’s Pedro Moura said it best:
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Clayton Kershaw’s past postseason failures are his past postseason failures. Friday night was not another data point proving that one of baseball’s best pitchers cannot handle momentous spots.
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Friday night was evidence of how much his stuff has degraded in recent seasons. He is still an otherworldly competitor. He still prepares maniacally — as thoroughly as anyone longtime Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt has seen since Greg Maddux. He still can and will win games. But a seasoned, patient opponent is going to present the current Kershaw problems.
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Because they can wait and wait and wait and eventually pounce on mistakes, as the Brewers did in their 6-5 Game 1 victory at Miller Park. They forced Kershaw out of the game after he recorded only nine outs, the shortest postseason start of his career. No contrast could be starker than that between Friday and the previous Friday, when Kershaw shut out Atlanta for eight innings in the longest postseason start of his career.
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Against the Braves, Kershaw averaged only 10.6 pitches per inning — the third-lowest average of his career, fewer than half his average against the Brewers. He benefited then from an overeager opponent willing to comply with his plan. No one could repeat that at the major-league level.
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Whereas the Braves pounded every one-strike slider into the ground, the Brewers waited out Kershaw, fouling off everything he offered. In the first inning alone, Milwaukee hitters fouled away seven two-strike pitches. Twenty-three of the 74 pitches Kershaw threw — nearly a third — were hit foul.
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Open on theathletic.comhttps://theathletic.com/587243/2018/10/13/no-longer-dominant-clayton-kershaw-proves-vulnerable-to-a-patient-brewers-lineup/–
I tend to agree with DC that Clayton will not opt out, but there’s a small part of me that thinks the Rangers would give him $120 million over 4 years to be the face of their rebuilding franchise. “Local Boy Comes Home.” We will find out what happens with Clayton after the season, but the fact remains: These guys can still win it all. It starts today, now!
Painful to watch the flubs in this caliber of game, but today is a new day. Barnes needs a chance today. JT needs to eat Wheaties this morning! A split in Milwaukee would be good. Yasiel swung at a sucker pitch. Get him 3-2, put him in a pressure spot, throw him a good slider and it seems to be a K every time! Try ball 4 Yasiel! Manny was clutch last night and Cody barely missed a bomb. Let’s go with the hot hands today! I am keeping the faith in the OC!
Roberts couldn’t handle the pressure so he started Kershaw, not the best pitcher.
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Posted 10/12 12:18 pm before game 1
Dodgers should pitch Buehler in the 1st game, he is the only unhittable pitcher on the staff. Maybe one of the best in baseball. If not use him in the second game so he can start 2 games. Kershaw allows to many home runs which means they start the series by losing the first game.
Rich
Keep the faith everyone. The PLAN was(is) to split on the road and sweep at home.
Game 1 is over and there is nothing to say,we saw what happened and now it’s on to game 2 and hope for a better ending.
Despite a disappointing performance all around if you knew in advance that Kersh would not get out of the 4th inning, Grandal would have a horrible defensive game, and team defense with 4 errors, JT 0 for 5 with 4 K’s and Hader shuts them down for 3 innings would you think a 1 run loss on the road or a blowout? It might be a moral victory for the Blue or even a pyrrhic victory for the Brewers but it was just one game. On the bright side they shut down Yelich with a good pitching approach and exposed Counsell’s strategy too so now Joc has to adjust his lineups to be more balanced with L and RH hitters. There is a way to beat Hader too-don’t chase and make him throw strikes. Ryu needs to put the team on his back and the hitters need to put the ball in play today. CT3 and Kemp stepped up and should be back in the lineup today and perhaps Barnes needs a start if only for better defense and let Freese have more run. The Brewers had to win game 1 and now the Dodgers have to win game 2.
I would save Ryu for Game 3 and Start Rich Hill today! That’s just me.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Freese hit right and left handers equally well during the season?
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I questioned the choice of Urias over Alexander just based on the fact that Urias was most likely off-limits two days in a row. The playoffs is indeed no place to experiment.
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Correct me if i’m wrong, but it seemed to me that Kershaw made very little use of his curveball last night, and was overly reliant on his fastball. Fact is, in order to be successful the current Kershaw needs to make use of and command all THREE of his pitches.
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Each and every game I see convinces me that it’s time for an electronic strike zone. The technology exists, so use it. Isn’t the object of these things to get the call right?
In game 3 in Atl, we were down 5-0 quicky. What impressed me, and what I felt gave us some momentum, was coming back. Even though we didn’t win, we also didn’t fold. And that boded well for game 4, which we took.
I think last night was the same. We were down 6-1, and very easily could have lost 6-1 vs that great bullpen. But we pounded the best part of their team and wound up losing 6-5. That bodes well for today.
It’s a series. None of expected to win it in 4. If we can take today, it’ll be right where we want it. Now go get it.
I didn’t see Urias inning, but from what I hear, he came back strong after giving up the HR. I like that. Hopefully it gives him confidence for when he’s needed next.
Good call Mark. RYU, BUEHLER, KERSHAW at Dodger Stadium games 3,4,5.
Let the Bishop go today. He has the grit and determination to lead this team and get the game two win. We have the bullpen to back him up.
Hopefully that 8th and 9th inning last night kindled some spark to carry into today.
AC–the first sentence of your third paragraph says it all.
Before the rotation was announced, I would have started Buehler in Game 2 and saved Ryu for Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. But the rotation has been set and you cannot overthink and perhaps overreact after losing Game 1. Go with Ryu and hope the bat does not miss the ball too much. 13 out of 27 outs is a strikeout? That is not acceptable.
I myself, would have kept the starting pitching rotation, in the same order.
Not only because it worked in the first series, it puts less pressure on Kershaw.
With all of Kershaw’s issues in the post season, it is easy for him to melt in these tough situations, and Ryu doesn’t pitch emotionally, like Kershaw does.
Although other then that fastball right in that relief pitcher’s wheel house, Kershaw didn’t pitch as bad as it seemed, in that inning, Grandal lost it.
But the next inning was on Kershaw, because he couldn’t get the bottom of the Brewer’s order out.
Although I didn’t like when Roberts took Freeze out, I thought the Brewer’s manager over played his stategy, and did it way to soon.
Why take your starter out, or your second pitcher that is more like a starter out that early, when they were not having any trouble getting hitters out, at that moment?
I would have at least, thrown the second pitcher another inning, before going back to my bullpen, because that second pitcher was dominating the Dodger’s hitters.
And that would have kept his bullpen more rested, and he would still have a couple of his big horses from the pen to use, more toward the end of the game.
I think almost any time a manager over manages a game, and starts making those moves so early in a game, it comes back to haute that manager, later in that game.
Just like what happened last year in game two, when Roberts took Hill out of the game way to early, and had Kenley try to get 6 outs, instead of just three outs.
And Vegas is right about making Hader, throw strikes.
The Dodgers should approach Hader, much like they approach, Robbie Ray.
Because they are much the same pitcher, they can be affectively wild, if you don’t make them throw strikes.
From A. Rizzo:
Dodgers:
Taylor CF
Turner 3B
Freese 1B
Machado SS
Kemp LF
Hernandez 2B
Puig RF
Barnes C
Ryu P
After just one game the price on the Dodgers to win the series has gone from -170 to +130! I stayed out of game 1 because it was -160 on the road with Kershaw and now the same team is the underdog in the series with Ryu going today in a big bounce back spot and the next 3 at home? I’m going to get me some of that! Dodgers are now +450 to win the WS and at the start of the season were only +500 and are now a lot closer to actually doing that than at the beginning. Got to get a little of that as well…Go Blue!
Happy to see that Barnes is getting the start today. Yaz just didn’t look right last night… looks like he had a case of the yips.
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Do the Dodgers have a team psychiatrist? I mean besides Roberts. I think the problem with Kershaw in the playoffs and Yaz last night has a lot more to do with mental issues than physical / mechanical issues.
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As for JT… I’m not sure what happened last night. That was the most un-JT like performance I have ever seen. My guess is that he’ll have a good bounce back game today and get back to his usual disciplined approach at the plate.
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And please, please, please keep Mr. Freeze in there for the whole game. You pick a guy like that up exactly for these types of games… he can’t get the game winning hit in the 7th or 8th inning if you pinch hit for him in the 3rd.
I would have pitched Ryun first but if not started him in la. Kershaw ego and Buehlers poor start changed everything and the lack of confidence in hill although I like him. When your best hitter strikes out 4 times you are not likely to win. Grandal with the biggest choke job I have ever seen in the post season. But we need him to straighten up because Barnes has not produced. Today is a new day so maybe the Dodgers had a wake up call. Maybe instead of all the arrogance they can have a junkyard mentality. Go blue!
Watching that disaster unfold in front of my eyes last night, I thought to myself, that only the Dodgers could have produced that inept masterpiece.
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I’ve read everything from this, and last nights thread, and can’t disagree with any of it.
Sometimes the most disappointing thing is when you can see something coming before it actually happens, and yet it still occurs.
I found myself calling the pitches, as if I were the Brewers catcher, because they are so obvious, depending on who is at the plate for the Dodgers.
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Taking Freese out so early, because as MJ has repeatedly said, gives you the best ABs against Lefties or Righties, and bringing in Urias innthat spot, both left me shouting at the TV.
It’s not second guessing when most of us here can predict the outcome.
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Grandal looked like he was in shock.
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Still, plenty of time to come back, and a win today changes things massively.
I’m not sure all this strain on the Milwaukee Bullpen will work for them if the series goes deep.
Bets are down, cold ones at the ready and feeling a beat down today from the Blue to the Brew. Ryu has been so effective and efficient lately it should not matter he pitches better at home. Today the bats make it all academic and Ryu gives the bullpen a rest. Or it could be an all hands on deck with the off day tomorrow. Either way I’m wearing my gear and ready to shout my approval!
That catch by Cain was huge.
Freese robbed by Cain of a HR and on a shattered bat grounder to 2B Manny does not hustle down the line and is out by a step. Miley is hittable today, don’t let him settle into a groove. How long will Counsell let him go today?
Last night it was Bellinger just missing a 3-run HR, and today it’s Freese just missing a 2-run HR. Even the ball that CT3 hit last night (in spite of the fact that it should have been caught) just needed a little more oomph to go out.
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Dodger hitters need a little extra weight work. 🙂
The ball that Cain robbed, just showed, that Freeze is not just a single’s hitter, so you lose more, when he is not in the line up, then when he is.
Cody ball, wasn’t hit as hard, at least on the line, because Cody got to under that ball.
Cody didn’t get under the ball he hit last night. He hit it at the end of the bat.