The only negative of the day was that Yasiel Puig was placed on the 15 day DL for his aching hamstring.
It was so nice being back at the stadium. It’s getting down to the last few games. I’m already feeling a bit sad. My life is either baseball season or waiting for baseball season. The Dodgers are my whole life.
Since I always like to talk weather which was a favorite conversation between my Dad and I, I have to mention that the daytime temperature at Dodger Stadium was 99 degrees. I was prepared for a miserable night, but surprisingly, the seats on my side of the stadium were already in the shade. Life is good.
The Dodgers were however standing in the hot sun. I always wonder whether they are immune to all this heat. Do they look like they are sweating? Not really. Maybe they have their own personal air conditioners.
Steve Yaeger, Zack and Brett
Joc and Baez
The batting cage
For some reason I was fixated on Zack’s ponytail
Like maybe a whole lot.
Kike was trying to catch some fly balls
I got the feeling someone was trying to get Chase Utley’s attention.
I think he kind of looked our direction. I didn’t know what he looked like at this point. Is this him?
Most of the guys had already gone into the locker room by the time we had access to the dugout area. We did catch Donnie as he ran in to say hi.
Joc signed some autographs
before waving to me and running in
The main course at the club was sloppy Joes. I always think of sloppy Joes as a dish you make for the kids when you don’t have time to cook and you have ground beef and a can of tomato sauce.
The salads were delicious especially the cabbage slaw with the pineapple.
I was excited to see my friend Yoshiko with her son
I hurried out to the seats in time to see Chase Utley interviewed…I think this is him.
My friend Carol and super cutie Lucas
Alanna. Orel and Ned
It was my lucky day. Someone gave me this ball.
I almost missed Clayton running out on the field
and Yasmani with his pink drink
This must be his good luck drink because he mixes it up and drinks it before every game. Apparently Yaz likes this hot weather. He says it keeps him loose. This weather just keeps me sweating and complaining.
I love watching Clayton warm up
He always pounds that back wall
Is this an awesome picture??? Clayton in the foreground with magnificent Dodger Stadium in the background?
Yaz is back after being off a few days with left shoulder soreness
A little prayer always helps
Why do I always seem to catch Clayton yawning?
The guys came out to stretch
Kike and Chase
I’m trying to get a better look at Chase
but he hasn’t looked in my direction
I keep trying
Now I know this is Kike
Why does Brett Anderson always look so cold and gnomish. It is still about 90 degrees.
Sheesh I can’t believe I photobombed this picture. It’s me trying to take a picture of Chase. Figures. Thank you Jon SooHoo I think.
This is a good sign. This is Chase Utley’s first home game as a Dodger and he’s signing autograps for the fans.
I mean, I really was photobombing today. Am I looking at Carl with adoring eyes or what? He was asking me how I’ve been and all I could think of was how nice he was to stop to talk to me. He is always kind to the fans.
Joc came out to the field for a brief moment. He didn’t start today. Kike took over in center field.
The umpires were agreeing on how to make us miserable with their calls
Kike laughing to himself. Justin in the background
Kike is obviously the Dodger with the best hair
Maybe tied with Justin Turner with his “ginger’ hair.
and Clayton and Yaz made their walk to the dugout
It’s always exciting when Clayton pitches. Usually it is a fast game. We have to eat fast on those days and the chefs have to start baking the 7th inning cookies earlier.
I was happy to see my favorite batboy Javier
The game was fairly quiet until Jimmy Rollins hit a single in the 3rd inning.
Chase then hit a triple with Jimmy running home. The throw was late to home and Chase took third. The score was 1-0. Here’s my first good picture of Chase Utley.
In the top of the 4th, Anthony Rizzo hit a solo home run. 1-1. Every once in a while, a team is able to score against Clayton.
It was again quiet until the 6th when Cubs pitcher Hammel imploded. He walked Chase. He then gave up a single to Adrian Gonzalez. Chase stole third on another wild pitch and then ran home on instruction by new third base coach Roenicke. Very aggressive base running. 2-1
With Travis Wood pitching in relief, Scott Van Slyke hit into a double play but scored Adrian Gonzalez. 3-1.
In the bottom of the 6th Carl singled.
Yasmani walked.
Then Kike singled scoring Carl Crawford. 4-1.
They had replaced Andre with Scotty because of the lefty-lefty thing. Scotty was in charge of making sure that everyone knew how many outs there were.
Clayton Kershaw had another phenomenal game. He had 14 strikeouts which ties a career high. He’s had 76 strikeouts since the all star break. He has 248 career high strikeouts. He only allowed 3 hits in 8 innings with only one earned run…Rizzo’s homerun. He is #4 in ERA at 2.24. Of course Zack is #1 at 1.61.
Chase Utley hit his first RBI as a Dodger with a triple.
I think I know his face now.
It is apparent that Chase and Jimmy have that Phillie one-two punch going still. If nothing else, Chase seems to have brought a spark to the team.
Kenley Jansen came into the game in the 9th inning to retire the side in order. The final score 4-1.
It seemed like a full moon night. There was a crowd of 44,874 which is about 10,000 short of a sellout.
The game was quick as I expected. Kershaw was right on point. I am expecting a perfect game from him before the season is over.
I’m already counting down how many more times we’ll hear “I Love LA.”
The season is almost over. I’m paying for my postseason tickets next week. I’m hoping I use all the tickets in my packet.
Matt Latos will start Game 2 against the Cubs on Saturday. He was in the bullpen during the last road trip and then was sent to Arizona to tweak his pitches a bit. I don’t think that shows a lot of confidence in his pitching. I differ with Jon Weissman that I think that the Dodger management had a concern with Latos’s pitching. Those two losses sent him down to the bullpen. His ERA is 6.75. My bone of contention has been sending Mike Bolsinger down when he was doing well with a 2.83 ERA and 5-3 W-L. I expect to see him Tuesday when they expand the roster to 40.
The game Saturday starts an hour early at 6:10. The Cubs pitcher will be Jon Lester. His last game he was one short of a shutout. The Cubs are relieved to face Matt Latos. Go figure.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m hoping that Latos gets his first win as a Dodger. GO DODGERS!!!
Wacha did his part.
The first game of a series. Want to get off to a fast start. Wacha pitching. All good. Third inning. Error, error, hit batter. Bases loaded. Byrd hits a grand slam. Cards down 4-0. Ugh. That was the ballgame. The Cards did manage to come back and tie the score at 4-4. Siegrist could not get out of the 9th inning. 2 walks and 2 singles. Giants win 5-4. Not exactly Cardinal baseball.
Matheny felt it was important to show confidence in Siegrist. Did not have anyone warming up in the 9th inning. This is a classic Matheny move. It is up to the players to come through. No help will be coming from Matheny. My issue with this move. If this was the plan to have Siegrist fill in for Rosie, while he is on paternity leave, then why did Siegrist pitch in a 10-1 game 4 nights ago. If Kevin is the man. Why did you have the man, pitching mop up.
In a tie game situation. Why was Villanueva and Tuivailala not used out of the bullpen, first? This is what I worry about for the postseason. Matheny has shown no growth and development, in his in-game management. It will all be up to the players to perform. No help will be coming from the bench.
One more time I will ask the question. Why is Randy Choate still on this team? Choate entered the game in the 7th inning and for the 17th time this season failed to record an out. LOOGYs have only one job. Get one guy out. Choate is not capable of performing that job.
The Giants are only 2.5 games behind the Dodgers. I fear the Giants in the postseason. Even with Kershaw and Greinke, I would rather play the Dodgers. Why? Bochy owns Matheny. In a close game, Bochy will push the right buttons. Matheny will not be pushing any buttons.
It will be Ron Washington against Tony La Russa. We know how that turned out. Its time to start rooting for the Dodgers. That is why losing last night to the Giants, is a big deal.
The Cards need to take the final 2 games of this series. These games are more important, than other games.
These are the things I worry about.
Later.
It’s certainly been a fun year, and it seemed to fly by. But with neither the Mudcats or the Bulls (my two local teams) set to make the playoffs this season, Sunday’s game between the Durham Bulls and Charlotte Knights will be the last one for me this year.
The previous fifteen games I’ve gone to so far this year were all exciting, and saw me heading to ballparks in Hickory, Greensboro, Durham, Zebulon and Myrtle Beach. Throughout the year, and my travels, I managed to get around 100 autographs again this year, and I’ll be detailing them all in full within the next week or two.
With the Bulls schedule for next year already released, I’ve already been looking ahead to the 2016 season, trying to project which players will be coming to town. From the way I’m viewing things, next year could be even more eventful than 2015, but that’s a long time down the road, and anything can happen.
One thing you can say about the Chicago Cubs (All right, there’s plenty but this is just one) They never make things easy on themselves. Yesterday’s 4-1 loss against their most recent playoff nemesis the Los Angeles Dodgers was a lesson in humility.
Then again, it’s games like these facing opponents such as Clayton Kershaw arguably the best thrower in the game that the Cubs need.
“You can put those pitchers against the most veteran teams out there and they’re going to look like they’re taking people to school,” Anthony Rizzo said. “This is good — it’s a good test. There’s pitching all throughout the game, but to face this consecutively like we are — I’ve never been there, but I know it’ll be a grind every game [in the postseason], and that’s what we’re doing.”
Anthony Rizzo launched his 26th home run of the season in the loss. It’s not going to be an easy September. The Cubs face the Cardinals and the Pirates. After the Dodgers the Cubs will get a much needed breather when they’ll face the Reds.
“These are games we’ve got to win,” Cubs starter Jason Hammel said of facing ace pitchers. “When they’re on their game, they’re going to be tough to beat. I could say the same thing about our five starting pitchers. It is what it is, and tonight, Kershaw was better.”
September is going to be an interesting month. Fowler’s back and with the possibility that Javier Baez could see some action, my only concern is the Cardinal’s series. I still believe that the whole Cubs year will come down to the last day of the baseball season.
“They’re not robots,” Maddon said of his roster. “They’re young. They’re learning. I have no issues. I just want us to learn from our experience.”
Believe it
Anthony Gose | Flashin’ Leather
Sorry Matt Boyd but Josh Donaldson hit this pitch into a conniption.
Matt Boyd looked okay. He was inconsistent. Some innings good. Some not so good. All in all not bad but for a young guy.
VerHangen and Feliz were not bad out of the pen.
The Jays are just rolling and are now my pick to come out of the A.L.
I hope Miggy is not going into a slump. He hasn’t looked great the last two games. I know that’s a tough thing to say but he’s pretty much what I look forward to when I tune.
Jim Accordino photo/Bobby Murcer
By Glen Sparks
Someone, in a fit of enthusiasm but with no mind for giving a young ballplayer a break, stuck the “next Mickey Mantle” sign onto Bobby Murcer’s back. It never quite fit.
Yes, both Mickey and Bobby were native born to Oklahoma, Mickey from Commerce and Bobby from Oklahoma City. Yes, they were both christened with little boy names, ones to convey perpetual youth even in middle age. (Murcer’s given name was “Bobby Ray Murcer.” He was never “Bob Murcer,” let alone “Robert Murcer.”)
And, yes, they were both Yankees, outfielders on America’s most popular, most successful sports franchise ever. But voters elected Mantle to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. The Mick hit 536 home runs over 18 seasons, led the American League in homers four times and made 20 All-Star teams. He won three Most Valuable Player honors and the Triple Crown in 1956. Mantle retired with an oWAR of 116.0 ponts.
Murcer stayed on the Hall of Fame ballot for one year, getting 0.7 percent of the vote in 1989. He hit 252 home runs over 17 seasons, finishing runner-up in that category in 1972. He made five All-Star teams and finished in the top 10 in the MVP balloting three times. Murcer retired with an oWAR of 42.7 points.
So, no, Murcer didn’t quite turn out to be the next Mickey Mantle. He still put together a long, solid career. Bill James in his Historical Baseball Abstract, selected Murcer as the centerfielder on his All-1970s All-Star team. (Murcer played centerfield for the Yankees, mostly right-field for other teams.)
The Yankees called up a 19-year-old Murcer in 1965 and gave him 37 at-bats (.243 batting average). He came to bat 73 times (174) the following season before losing two years to Army service. In 1969, Murcer hit 26 home runs in his first full season in the Bronx.
He played during an era of big ballparks and good pitching. A lefty batter, he could, however, take advantage of the short porch in right-field at Yankee Stadium. Over the next several years, Murcer put together solid campaigns. He hit 23 homers in 1970 and 25 in ’71. That season, he also drove in 94 and led the league in on-base percentage (.427), OPS (.969) and OPS+ (181). He hit .331, the highest average of his career.
Murcer smacked 33 homers in 1972 and drove in 96 runs, both career highs. He topped the A.L. in runs scored (102) and total bases (314). The writers voted him fifth in the MVP race, his highest finish ever.
In 1973, Murcer hit 22 homers with 95 RBI and batted .304. He slumped in 1974 (10/88/.274), and the Yanks traded him to the San Francisco Giants straight-up for Bobby Bonds. The deal left a wound. Murcer loved playing for the Yankees and didn’t want to go 3,000 miles away from his baseball home. He loathed cold, windy Candlestick Park. It was summer everywhere but in San Francisco, Murcer complained one July day.
He hit just 11 homers, but still drove in 91 and hit .298 that first year. The next year, he hit .259 but rebounded with 23 homers. The Giants sent him packing to the Chicago Cubs in 1977. There, Murcer knocked 27 home runs but managed only nine in 1978.
Midway through 1979, the Cubs sent country-boy Murcer back to the Yankees and the big city. He spent the rest of his career there as a part-time player and retired early in the 1983 campaign.
Murcer retired with 3 Blank Ink points, a formula for looking at how many times a player leads his league in a particular category (Black because the league leader is usually listed in bold.) The average Hall of Famer has 27 Black Ink points. Murcer had 95 Grey Ink points (to denote Top 10 finishes). The average Hall of Famer has 144. Mantle retired with 62 Black Ink points and 272 Grey Ink points.
Following his playing career, Murcer opened some businesses in Oklahoma and did some broadcasting for his beloved Yankees. Mantle, meanwhile, began battling health issues. He had done plenty of drinking during his career, sure that he would die an early death from Hodgkin’s disease just like his dad and his grandfather did.
As it turned out, Mantle lived many years longer than both. (He famously said once, “If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”) Mantle died of liver cancer on Aug. 13, 1995, at the age of 63.
Murcer smoked for much of his life. Later, he gave it up for chewing tobacco. He underwent surgery for a brain tumor on Dec. 28, 2006, and spent much of his time afterward warning people, especially youngsters, of the dangers of tobacco. Rebounding a few times, Murcer died July 12, 2008, at the age of 62.
Mantle and Murcer.