Hello,
In the third game of the Dodgers-Padres four game series, the Dodgers prevailed 6-1. San Diego has won two of the three games so far. Saturday's game was almost beside the point as people's attention was probably on Greinke-Quentin 2: The Rematch. Both the Dodgers and Greinke were able to prevail this time. But this victory has the feeling of winning the battle, but losing the war.
The last time these two teams got together, with Zack Greinke pitching, a brawl broke out after he hit Padres slugger Carlos Quentin. That brawl occurred on April 11th and resulted in Greinke getting his collar bone broken. Greinke then was out a few weeks recovering from his injury and Quentin was out a few games due to suspension. Greinke faced Quentin three times in this game, Quentin was 0 for 3 and struck out twice. Although the crowd was well aware of the inherent drama, the game went on without a hitch.
Although LA has only won 4 of their last 13 games, the Dodgers hope this is the start of playing much better. Their are multiple optimistic quotes coming out of the Dodgers clubhouse. Honestly I laugh at their ridiculous optimism, how is this team going to suddenly learn how to score runs? LA has moved up to 28th place in runs scored, but they still are only averaging 3.57 runs per game. The lowest scoring team in MLB that is successful is the Pirates, they average 3.77 runs per game.
Although I think the Dodgers' optimism is unwarranted, there were some encouraging signs Saturday. Greinke had a great game, 8 innings, gave up 4 hits and only one earned run. He's now 4-2, but his ERA is still at bit high at 3.79. Greinke also struck out 8 Padres. He also got on base twice as the result of two walks. I see the potential the Dodgers paid him so much money for. That was probably his best game of the season. But he did get in that stupid fight, mostly due to his own actions. If he stays healthy and continues to pitch like he did on Saturday, this contract could work out for the Dodgers. However the chances of it working out over the long term for LA seem very slim to me. This type of contract usually favors the player.
Other good signs for the Dodgers: Although Yasiel Puig didn't get a hit, the Dodgers were still able to score 6 runs. Ever since he's been up from Chattanooga, Puig usually is the catalyst for any runs LA has scored. In this game Puig was 0 for 3, but still managed to get on base twice due to walks. He's still hitting .435 and his OBP is .473. Adrian Gonzalez was only 1 for 4, but he did hit his 9th home run this season. Petco Park isn't the easiest place to hit home runs either. Hanley Ramirez had a home run as well, his third of the season. But as is the case most of the time when the Dodgers do hit home runs, both were solo shots.
Although a good win, ultimately it's only one win. It's probably way too little, way too late. But it's nice to think about this the potential of this lineup when the Dodgers eventually get a healthy Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford back. Although I'm not optimistic that the Dodgers can avoid the injury bug the rest of the season.
LA is now 31-42, last place in the NL West. They trail the first place Diamondbacks by 9.5 games. LA has won 1 game in a row, but only 4 of their last 10. As I noted above they've only won 4 of their last 13 games. LA has a 2.2% chance of reaching the playoffs.
Upcoming: Following a good outing last game, Chris Capuano is scheduled to start for the Dodgers on Sunday. Capuano is 2-4 and has a 4.62 ERA. The scheduled starter for the Padres is Andrew Cashner (5-3, 3.56 ERA). It looks like it will be a nearly full house in San Diego on Sunday with only a few tickets remaining.
LA starts a 7 game home stand on Monday. On Monday they start by playing the Giants for 3 games, San Francisco is one of the 4 teams clumped together in the NL West. Those 4 teams have left LA in distant last place. Next LA will welcome the faltering Phillies for 4 games. The Phillies still have a chance of making the playoffs only because the NL East is so weak this season.
The Braves are really struggling of late, they've been shut out two games in a row. The last run they scored was in the 3rd inning of their Thursday game against the Mets. Atlanta has been shut out 11 times this season, which leads MLB. Atlanta also has lost 3 in a row and have only 4 of their last 10 games. But since the NL East is so bad this season, they still lead the Nationals by 5 games. The underperforming Nationals, one of only two teams to have scored less runs than the Dodgers, are only 37-37.
As always thanks to ESPN.com for many of the stats quoted in this blog.
themusicaddict
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