Hiroki Kuroda Adds Taters To Labor Day Menu
by Eric Stephen on Sep 5, 2011 1:12 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Recaps
Email
Print
Hiroki Kuroda got off to a horrific start on Monday against the Nationals, allowing three home runs to the first five batters he faced. The Dodgers were never able to recover and lost 7-2 in the opener of a four-game series in Washington DC.
Ian Desmond greeted Kuroda with a home run to begin the bottom of the first inning, and he was followed by a single by Rick Ankiel. Ryan Zimmerman followed with what looked like another home run, but it was caught on the warning track by Tony Gwynn Jr., just in front of the left field wall. Before Kuroda was able to breathe a sigh of relief however, Mike Morse and Jayson Werth took him deep for a 4-1 lead.
Kuroda had never allowed three home runs in any start before today's game, let alone any one inning.
Per the Prime Ticket broadcast, the last time the Dodgers allowed three home runs in the first inning was June 25, 1988 in Cincinnati against the Reds. Fernando Valenzuela was pulled with two outs in the opening frame after allowing four runs on those three taters, hit by Barry Larkin, Eric Davis, and Paul O'Neill. The Dodgers did come back to win that game, 6-4.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers could not repeat that comeback performance on Monday.
According to MLB Gameday, Kuroda threw six sliders in the first inning. Two were hit out of the park, two more were hit for singles, and two were out of the strike zone. Kuroda was able to settle down after that shaky first, retiring 13 of 14 batters at one point. Between the second and fifth innings he threw only five sliders, and all were out of the strike zone.
Kuroda tried another slider in the sixth inning, and Morse took him deep for his second home run of the game. In his six innings of work, Kuroda threw 13 total sliders. Eight were called balls, three were deposited in the seats, and two more were hit for singles. It's safe to say Kuroda didn't have command of that pitch on Labor Day.
The last Dodgers pitcher to allow four home runs in a game was D.J. Houlton on August 29, 2005. In fact, in the last 34 years only 14 Dodgers have allowed four circuit clouts in one contest, including Kuroda today.
All in all, it was an odd day for Kuroda, who doubled his career high in home runs allowed in a game, but also walked nobody and set a new season high was nine strikeouts. The last pitcher to allow four or more home runs and strikeout at least nine in the same game was Josh Beckett for Boston on May 18, 2008. The last pitcher to do it with no walks was David Wells of the White Sox on May 11, 2001.
Notes
- James Loney's single to left field in the sixth inning was his first pinch hit this season. As a pinch hitter this season, Loney is now 1-for-10 with a walk.
- Dodgers starting pitchers in the last two days (Kuroda and Clayton Kershaw) combined for 19 strikeouts and no walks...and no wins.
- A.J. Ellis had a double and a single today. Since getting recalled on August 23, Ellis is 8-for-19 with a double, two home runs, and three walks.
- Dee Gordon took the silver sombrero, striking out three times today, and has gone 83 consecutive plate appearances without a walk. With the Dodgers this season, Gordon has two walks in 135 plate appearances.
- Kuroda is the first Dodger to lose 15 games in a season since Derek Lowe in 2005. The last Dodger to lose 16 games was Orel Hershiser in 1987.
- Ramon Troncoso made his first appearance for the Dodgers since June 18, allowing an unearned run in the eighth inning.
- Former Dodger Alex Cora came into the game in the seventh inning on a double switch, and played first base. Today was his 13th career game at the position, and ninth this season. Cora has played 21 1/3 career defensive innings at first base.
- Danny Espinosa took the golden sombrero for Washington, 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.
- Ted Lilly gets the start for the Dodgers on Tuesday, facing Stephen Strasburg, making his 2011 debut and scheduled to throw about four innings or 60 pitches, per Ben Goessling of MASN.
WP - John Lannan (9-11): 5 1/3 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
LP - Hiroki Kuroda (11-15): 6 IP, 8 hits, 5 runs, 9 strikeouts
My brother Greg was at today's game in Washington DC, and took some photos:
Here is a shot of the entrance to the park:
And a view from the right field seats:
105 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
so what you are saying is
kuroda should have thrown moresliders
by nolander on Sep 5, 2011 1:14 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
No, Dee should eat more sliders. Kuroda should throw less of them.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
by underdog on Sep 5, 2011 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Looks like tomorrow probably will be a rain out hopefully they let Strasburg pitch wednesday.
by Joey Joe on Sep 5, 2011 1:19 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
that is a rec
for a Prime Ticket game!!!
by MammothDodger on Sep 5, 2011 3:17 PM PDT up reply actions
thought those were up tomorrow
maybe it will rain on Wednesday as well
by MammothDodger on Sep 5, 2011 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Hey, Mammoth – I noticed that the hotel I stayed in in Lone Pine had cable TV that carried KCAL (and a lot of other LA stations, too) as well as Prime and FS West. But the place I’m staying in Mammoth Lakes (leaving tomorrow morning) has neither KCAL (though it does have KTLA I think) nor Prime, though it does have FS West, which I find weird. Who takes FS West, but not FS Prime Ticket?
Anyway, there’s normally only one cable company per area, and I would have thought that the population is sparse enough that you’d probably have the same cable company in the Owens Valley and up the 395 into Mono county. But evidently not. It seems strange, unless maybe the hotel chains (my one on Lone Pine was a Best Western but where I am now isn’t a chain, as far as I can see) somehow plug into a system – but don’t ask me how.
Are you seeing Prime as part of that big Fox Sports thing (I forget the name) where you can follow virtually any team, and pay for it? Or some other way? Or is available as part of an extra non-basic package in Mammoth? I still find it veryt weird that FS West would be basic cable but not Prime. Something to do with the Lakers, probably.
When I was in San Diego, I had Fox Sports West but not Prime Ticket.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 5, 2011 7:39 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Gwynn looks lie
my puppy when she’s trying to get something off of the counter.
It's not what you look like, when you're doin' what you're doin'
It's what you're doin' when you're doin' what you look like you're doin'!
Here's an interesting factoid
According to both @PostBroncos and @albertbreer: The last time Peyton Manning was on a team + didn’t start, the QB who did start was Todd Helton. In 1994.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Out of the NL playoff teams, I guess i’ll root for the Dbax.
AL – i dont really care for any of the teams…All 4 have played in a WS in recent years.
Yeah I will easily root for the Brewers over the other NL teams
and probably the other AL teams too.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
omar vizquel is the oldest position player in the big leagues...
Can you name the 2nd oldest player without looking?
The answer surprised me.
Happy Labor Day Everyone!
That is all, apparently since the Dodgers were more done than my burgers when I woke up.
Scoring question: Batters interference counts as a plate appearance right?
Minor League Central @mlcentral @andrewngrant
One would think, since you made an out, but I would tweet Bob Timmermann.
Follow @DavidYoungTBLA
- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Fed's a-comin'
@TarHeelMonthly
Tim Federowicz just got call to the Dodgers. He will be 5th #UNC alum to make MLB debut in ’11 and the 9th Tar Heel overall in the bigs.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
He must be pretty good to join this group.
4 Catchers in LA Dodger history played in over 90 games in their first and/or second year.
John Roseboro, Mike Scioscia, Mike Piazza and Russell Martin.
I am curiously excited to see where this goes
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 5:54 PM PDT up reply actions
now we can get daily comparisons of his performance and t dogs
I wonder how this works, a 3 way rotation of catchers?
AJ Ellis of the 30 year old career back up.
There’s only one David Ross in baseball, and A.J. Ellis probably isn’t David Ross.
Ellis will likely be the backup to Fed
or if not “likely” it’s the scenario I’d put my money on at this point…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
In the history of major league baseball
Only nine 3rd baseman have hit 300 home runs and 2,000 hits. When perusing the list, subjectively everyone was considered a plus defender at 3rd base except one.
Adrian Beltre will be number ten sometime this month when he collects his next two home runs.
Our 19 year old phenom has indeed matched the hyperbole.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Sep 5, 2011 5:31 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
nice pull Phil
Konerko, Beltre, Piazza – all stolen from us
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions
What’s weird about Beltre…I almost feel like he has had a disappointing career. Given the tremendous promise he showed at such a young age, only to be followed by so many disappointing seasons later on, I think he could have done so much more. But, you can’t sneer at 300/2,000. Excellent defender, too,
Done!
It was a morning draft – I had several bloody marys which necessitated an afternoon nap
now watching a pretty dang fun college football game – Mrs HJ is out with friends
my team is pretty solid for a 12 team league
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 6:02 PM PDT up reply actions
I may take you up on that or at least hear your angle – my starters are solid
Brees
Mendenhall
Blount
Jennings
V. Jackson
Colston
Owen Daniels
Bryant – Kicker
Steelers
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 6:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Nice
Our starters in common: V. Jackson, Daniels
I was targeting Blount (huge sleeper for me last year) but he got way over drafted in my league. He’s a good second RB but an even better “flex” option. My only problem with him is the lack of receptions. Other than that, great power/speed combo that can easily rip off huge gains at any given time.
I like Jennings a lot, too, but with Finley back, I think his targets go down significantly. Especially in the red zone. With Colston, hopefully you have some solid bench receiving cause he’s had roughly 900 knee operations.
But yeah, overall this is a nice team. Should certainly be a playoff contender.
I am in a very complicated keeper league – we’ve been playing together since before fantasy websites. We can trade draft picks up to two years into the future and everybody trades – a lot. You can dump talent for picks if your team is not good, but if you do you will likely lose hundreds and hundreds of dollars
I got Blount as a pick-up and will have him this year and next if I don’t trade him – he was one of my 5 keepers along with Jennings, Jax, Colston and Cassel.
My back ups WRs are solid, but not spectacular
S. Moss
D. Bess
A. Brown
The fat Mike Williams
What does your roster look like?
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 6:44 PM PDT up reply actions
I only play in re-draft leagues
QB: Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford
RB: Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Beanie Wells, Brandon Jacobs, Reggie Bush, Fred Jackson
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Vincent Jackson, Kenny Britt, Julio Jones, Lance Moore
TE: Owen Daniels
K: Billy Cundiff
Defense: NY Jets
effin braves
chose the wrong game to not score any runs
Chukwudiebere Maduabum FTW!!!!!!!
Follow @Shaqfor3
Sorry I missed you question – was preparing and then eating supper
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 7:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Hah. As I told ya you'll be able to pick up someone decent in free agency tomorrow for him
(email me if you need advice, I got you into this damn league, I feel obligated ;-) )
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Man, Maryland has some
Butt ugly unis
by Greg Stephen on Sep 5, 2011 7:30 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I'm with Greg
They are schizophrenic at the very least. I think Julio posted a link to their red/black unis a few weeks back, and those are even more hideous. Like Mission Viejo HS on acid.
Tonight’s version isn’t as bad, but only because there is a ton of white instead of the yellow/black or red/white on the shoulders and helmet.
Jim Callis says that the Royals farm system isn’t even in the top 10 any more which is certainly a fall from grace for the greatest farm system of all time.
Minor League Central @mlcentral @andrewngrant
a prospect is a promise tied to a dream tied to a wet fart
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 7:34 PM PDT up reply actions
I suggest you...
take the link, read the article
but in case you didn’t, some but not all
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 7:35 PM PDT up reply actions
They called up three of their nine top 100 guys and two of those guys really sucked this year.
Minor League Central @mlcentral @andrewngrant
I think that it is very cool that baseball metrics can allow us to understand performance and project development with more accuracy than ever before
I think it is even more cool that the game of baseball will allow you to understand it, but not define it, and it reminds us that projections are not reality time and again – even if on the macro they are very accurate
by Hollywood Joe on Sep 5, 2011 7:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Morales has to be available for next year..
Trumbo’s doing work.
I guess they could keep Morales at DH, but I’d like to see the Dodgers trade for him.
Is Cliff Lee going to sneak in and get the Cy Young?
Threw his 6th shutout tonight
2.47 ERA
Last 48 innings:
2 runs
Speaking of which, from Ken Tremendous (Michael Schurr) on Twitter just now
@KenTremendous
Halladay: 202.2 IP, 56 ER. Kershaw: 205.2 IP, 56 ER. Cliff Lee: 203.2 IP, 56 ER. That is BONKERS.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I like this retweet
adamxFTL: @KenTremendous john lackey, 56 IP, 203 ER
Chukwudiebere Maduabum FTW!!!!!!!
Follow @Shaqfor3
by shaqfor3 on Sep 5, 2011 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I could picture that
those CGSO’s might win over people
Chukwudiebere Maduabum FTW!!!!!!!
Follow @Shaqfor3
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on True Blue LA
Related FanShots on True Blue LA
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Get a grip: Reds’ Todd Frazier loses bat, still connects for home run (Video)
- Eric Hosmer redefines the Baltimore chop with infield double (Video)
- College player makes impossible over the fence catch to save tournament game (Video)
- Security!: Camden Yards guard collides with Royals’ Mike Moustakas
- The Juice: Nelson Cruz matches career high eight RBIs, Pujols stays hot in Seattle
