Tonight we get a pitching rematch of Game 2 of last year's NLDS, with Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright locking horns again. The game is known for Matt Holliday's gaffe, as he booted a potential game-ending soft liner from James Loney, but in reality Ryan Franklin was the true goat of that game, if there is such a thing.
After Holliday's error, the Dodgers had a runner on second base and two outs, trailing the Cardinals 2-1. St. Louis still had an 86% win expectancy at that point in the game, but Franklin allowed a walk, single, and a walk to the next three batters before Mark Loretta rode into the sunset with his game-winning hit.
But that was then, and this is now, and what we are left with is a matchup of two excellent young pitchers. Wainwright was battered for eight runs in 2 2/3 innings in his first start against the Dodgers in May 2007, but since then he has shut them down:
| Adam Wainwright's Last 5 Starts vs Dodgers | |||||||
| Date | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | Game |
| 10/8/09 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | LA 3-2 |
| 8/19/09 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | StL 3-2 |
| 7/28/09 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | StL 10-0 |
| 5/23/08 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | StL 2-1 |
| 8/10/07 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | LA 2-1 |
| Totals | 39 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 25 | 1.38 ERA |
Kershaw himself is no slouch, with a 1-0 record and 1.82 ERA in four career starts against the Cardinals. Over his last six starts this season, Kershaw is 4-1 with a 1.58 ERA.
Pevsner A Shot In The Dark
Yesterday, the Dodgers selected Andrew Pevsner, a left-handed pitcher from Johns Hopkins University, in the 16th round. Pevsner went to Agoura High, and made it to the final game of the CIF Southern Section in 2006. Andrew was raised right, among a family of Dodger fans, and was born on October 15, 1988.
That happened to be the date of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Andrew's mother went into labor at 2am on October 15, and as the afternoon progressed she wasn't any closer to giving birth. Her gynecologist had tickets to the game, and was "getting antsy," according to David Pevsner, Andrew's father. Eventually Andrew's mom had a C-section and Andrew was born about 3pm. What happened next is best explained by David Pevsner:
My wife’s resting in bed later and Andrew had been taken out by the nurses so she could get some rest. Thrilled and exhausted, I turned on the game…in the bottom of the 8th inning, and as excited as I was, I was crestfallen that my Dodgers were going to go down. I dozed off for a few minutes, when my brother finally called me, apologizing that he’d missed my earlier call. I was glad when he asked to talk to my wife, because out of the corner of my eye I had just seen Mike Davis get a walk, and the Dodgers were still alive! My wife hears my brother mumbling something like "Uh, huh…yeah….oh, really…uh huh…OH MY GOD HE HIT IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She sees me jumping around the room and just shakes her head. For a minute there after the game I mused out loud, "Hmmm. Honey, I know you love Andrew as a name and all, but, well, you know….Kirk Gibson Pevsner….that’s not bad, right?" I got "the look", but to this day several of my buddies call Andrew "Kirk" when they see him.
Pevsner was absolutely meant to be a Dodger. Welcome aboard, Kirk Andrew!
Notes
- The Dodgers also drafted outfielder Devon Ethier, bother of Andre, today in the 32nd round, from Gateway Community College in Arizona.
- The Dodgers are 3-1 this season with the opportunity to sweep a three-game series.
- The Dodgers have not swept St. Louis at Dodger Stadium since July 4-6, 1988. The final game of that series is my favorite regular season game I've ever attended, featuring a seven-run seventh inning capped by a tie-breaking grand slam by Franklin Stubbs
Get your guess in for Xeifrank's simulation game here.
Game Time: 7:10 p.m
TV: Prime Ticket