True Blue LA - April 25: Marlins 8, Dodgers 6Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2018-04-25T21:12:41-07:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/170469332018-04-25T21:12:41-07:002018-04-25T21:12:41-07:00Nothing works for Dodgers against Marlins
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<figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="Bsi6N6">LOS ANGELES — The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> misfired on all cylinders on Wednesday night, combining uncommon wildness from ace <span>Clayton Kershaw</span>, a lackluster offense for a third consecutive night, sloppy defense, and manager <span>Dave Roberts</span> watching it all burn.</p>
<p id="4vlqOx">The result was an 8-6 defeat at the hands of the lowly <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a>, who took two of three games at Dodger Stadium for their first series win of the season. That’s just one fewer than the Dodgers.</p>
<p id="ra9DK5">“We’re better than that, obviously,” said first baseman Cody Bellinger.</p>
<p id="wsGn2i">The offense on Wednesday made <span>Trevor Richards</span> look nearly unhittable in his 4⅔ innings. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out 10 and walked three in his outing, and the only hit against him came off the bat of Kershaw, a one-out single in the third inning.</p>
<p id="QMeald">“We really couldn’t figure him out,” said Roberts of Richards, who was making his fifth major league start.</p>
<p id="2WA17p">Marlins starting pitchers entered this series with a 5.56 ERA, yet permitted just two total runs on nine hits in 16 innings against the Dodgers, with 20 strikeouts and seven walks.</p>
<p id="6Cb6gY">“I don’t think we played good. I think their starters the last two days made some pitches we didn’t take or put good swings on them,” said shortstop Corey Seager. “It’s a little frustrating for sure.”</p>
<h3 id="hjWdlF">Walk on the wild side</h3>
<p id="Of4f0q">Kershaw played with fire all night, walking a stunning six batters in his five innings, which is double his walk total through his first five starts of the season. The six walks tied a career high for Kershaw. It was <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/oGrkx">the third such game of his career</a>, but his first since April 7, 2010, eons ago.</p>
<p id="HpwulO">Since the start of 2016 Kershaw only had two <em>three-start</em> stretches with six total walks, let alone one game.</p>
<p id="WkjPLj">For a little while Kershaw was escaping in spite of his wildness. Miami loaded the bases against him in the second and fourth innings but failed to score.</p>
<p id="HoniTH">Kershaw didn’t face a single batter with the bases loaded through his first five starts of the season, but on Wednesday the Marlins had plenty of opportunities. They were 0-for-5 with two strikeouts though with the bases juiced, which allowed Kershaw to keep the game scoreless into the fifth inning.</p>
<p id="SFt2zH">“I just wasn’t very good. A lot of guys on base,” Kershaw said. “I almost skated out of it. I probably should have given up more than that.”</p>
<p id="6I2YH8">After two relatively quick outs in the fifth Kershaw’s wildness continued. He was ahead 1-2 on <span>Justin Bour</span> but walked him, his fifth free pass of the game. <span>Cameron Maybin</span> followed with yet another walk, giving the Marlins another runner in scoring position.</p>
<p id="NBX7QS">At that point Kershaw, who again is showing wildness normally not seen out of him, was at 105 pitches, his most in any start since before the All-Star break in 2017. The Dodgers at the moment have <em>nine</em> relievers on the active roster plus an off day on Thursday.</p>
<p id="pGmBxq">Roberts, who went with <span>Pedro Baez</span> over <span>Kenley Jansen</span> in a tie game in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s loss, on Wednesday chose to stay with his struggling ace.</p>
<p id="0oyMhC">“I just felt it was his game to try to get through that inning,” Roberts said. “You’ve got Maybin and Rojas and I’ll still take my chances with Clayton.”</p>
<p id="a7CdeS"><span>Miguel Rojas</span>, an outstanding defensive infielder with a career .254/.312/.331 slash line entering Wednesday — a 79 OPS+ and a 76 wRC+ — finally made Kershaw pay for the walks by crushing a ball off the left field foul pole for a three-run home run.</p>
<p id="GByonf">Rojas, a former Dodger who had four career home runs in 839 plate appearances in his first four seasons, has three home runs in 101 PA in 2018.</p>
<p id="7KMMkm">“He just couldn’t get into a rhythm. It seemed like he was laboring and was really out of sync,” Roberts said. “To his credit he kept competing, and was one out away from going five innings scoreless.”</p>
<p id="I9oQdn">The Dodgers scored a courtesy run in the sixth, but <span>J.T. Realmuto</span> made it real moot with a pair of home runs against the Dodgers bullpen, the first home runs allowed this season by both <span>Daniel Hudson</span> and <span>Scott Alexander</span>.</p>
<p id="iR1jy2">That insurance was more than enough to withstand a two-run home run by <span>Matt Kemp</span> in the eighth inning to pull the Dodgers within three.</p>
<p id="kmtO4A">Don’t worry though. Roberts called on Jansen for the ninth inning of a game this series. He pitched the ninth inning on Wednesday, entering with a 6-3 deficit. Jansen was not immune to the Dodgers malaise, with two errors plus a slip-and-fall single leading to two more runs, which gave the Marlins <em>even more insurance</em> that they needed to withstand three more Dodgers runs in the ninth.</p>
<p id="9Dbz8F">But it was too little, too late for Los Angeles.</p>
<p id="unalMv">“Regardless of who we play we have to play complete baseball,” Roberts said.</p>
<h3 id="Fe02VW">Up next</h3>
<p id="EtZ9Qt">The Dodgers are off Thursday, then will pack a lot of baseball into an 11-game, 10-day, three-city, two-country road trip. It all starts Friday night in San Francisco, where Hyun-jin Ryu will start for the Dodgers and <span>Derek Holland</span> for the <a href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> in a battle of southpaws.</p>
<h3 id="8mvxMY">Wednesday particulars</h3>
<p id="XlI6ky"><strong>Home runs</strong>: Matt Kemp (4), Yasmani Grandal (4); Miguel Rojas (3), J.T. Realmuto 2 (4)</p>
<p id="ZuijTH"><strong>WP - </strong><span><strong>Merandy Gonzalez</strong></span><strong> (1-0)</strong>: 3 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk </p>
<p id="dYxy0q"><strong>LP - Clayton Kershaw (1-4)</strong>: 5 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2018/4/25/17282914/clayton-kershaw-walks-dodgers-offense-wtf-marlins-everything-is-badEric Stephen2018-04-25T14:42:17-07:002018-04-25T14:42:17-07:00Forsythe to start throwing program in Arizona
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<figcaption>Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="jKQfTx">LOS ANGELES — <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> infielder <span>Logan Forsythe</span> will head the team facilities at Camelback Ranch in Arizona to begin a throwing program as the club begins a 10-day, 11-game road trip that will take them through San Francisco, Phoenix and Monterrey, Mexico.</p>
<p id="CH0Afc">Forsythe had to take a few days off after taking anti-inflammatory medication for his right shoulder. </p>
<p id="j2dX6W">“We just tested it out. It didn’t go well. We gave it a couple more days,” Forsythe said. “It’s already feeling better than it was.”</p>
<p id="AcUlmN">Forsythe started 12 of the Dodgers’ first 13 games, including 10 starts at third base while filling in for the injured <span>Justin Turner</span>. </p>
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<p id="zEZK2w">“[Forsythe] is doing everything as a regular player as far as hitting and running. He’s just playing light catch so he’s not really letting it go,” manager <span>Dave Roberts</span> said. “He’s got to be able to throw to bases and throw at a high volume. He’s not there yet.”</p>
<p id="rcLYL6">Forsythe last played on April 14, and given that his throwing program starts Friday and the ensuing minor league rehab assignment once he is cleared, it is unlikely Forsythe would be activated before the club returns home on May 8.</p>
<p id="naK9ti">“I can’t see less than four or five games [on a rehab assignment],” Roberts said. “That’s the floor.”</p>
<p id="cHFwtK">Dodgers third basemen this season are hitting .150/.225/.263 with two home runs, last in MLB at the position in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, hits (12) and runs scored (four).</p>
<p id="B01bDz"><span>Kiké Hernandez</span> gets the call at third base on Wednesday night, just his fifth start in 15 opportunities this season against right-handed pitching. Hernandez has started all eight games against left-handed starting pitchers this season.</p>
<p id="4HA0bY">Right-hander <span>Trevor Richards</span> starts for the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> on Wednesday.</p>
<h3 id="hTPhZI">Anniversary</h3>
<p id="zHgIqG">One year ago Wednesday the Dodgers called up <span>Cody Bellinger</span>, and all he has done in the calendar year since is hit .267/.348/.561 with 42 home runs, 30 doubles, five triples, 10 steals, 71 walks, 103 runs scored and 106 RBI in 154 games. That’s good for a 138 OPS+, a 134 wRC+, 4.4 rWAR and 4.3 fWAR.</p>
<p id="faGokv">“When he first came up thing were really fast, and he was just that wide-eyed young player,” Roberts said. “Now things have slowed down.”</p>
<p id="1gcL5k">The Dodgers are 99-48 in Bellinger’s starts.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2018/4/25/17281776/logan-forsythe-throwing-program-cody-bellinger-one-yearEric Stephen2018-04-25T11:00:01-07:002018-04-25T11:00:01-07:00Kershaw starts finale vs. Marlins
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<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="EjaqQw">LOS ANGELES — The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> and <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> conclude a three-game series with a weird start time on Wednesday afternoon, after a pair of low-scoring games that followed pretty much the same script before improvized endings.</p>
<p id="aWG4tc">Both Monday and Tuesday were 1-1 games late when the Dodgers scratched across the go-ahead run. Both nights saw the Marlins tie the game in the eighth inning against the Dodgers bullpen. </p>
<p id="ao4y1e"><span>Kenley Jansen</span> was not used in either contest, Monday by design (he was unavailable after pitching the two previous days) and Tuesday by choice (avoided in a tie game in favor of <span>Pedro Baez</span>, who allowed the winning run for Miami).</p>
<p id="L3OVPo">“That’s a decision that didn’t work out and I take full responsibility for it,” <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsNetLA/status/989021562975150080">manager Dave Roberts said</a>. “It was a decision I made going essentially against the book.”</p>
<p id="lJDtWV">Roberts has an easier decision on Wednesday, sending <span>Clayton Kershaw</span> to the mound for the series finale. Kershaw has pitched seven innings in each of his last three starts, his longest such streak since June 29-July 18 last season, a four-start stretch wrapped around the All-Star break before he was sidelined by a back injury.</p>
<p id="cuMEUD">Kershaw also hasn’t walked anybody in his last three starts, the first time he has done that since Apr. 26-May 7, 2016.</p>
<p id="msdNKD"><span>Trevor Richards</span> is on the mound for the Marlins, the first right-handed starter used by Miami in the series. This is his fifth major league start.</p>
<p id="L6f7m8">The first four starts include one very good start — seven scoreless innings against Pittsburgh — and three mediocre ones, allowing 14 runs in just 12 total innings in those. The result is a 6.16 ERA, and nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (14).</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trevor Richards faces Clayton Kershaw tomorrow<br> -- Richards has never faced Kershaw<br> -- Richards has never been to Dodger Stadium<br> -- Richards has never been to California<br> -- Richards has never been west of Oklahoma.</p>— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) <a href="https://twitter.com/clarkspencer/status/988971962671091712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2018</a>
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<p id="RqcY5p">Miami’s starters have a 5.16 ERA so far this season, 26th in MLB. The Dodgers have scored two total runs in 11⅓ innings against Marlins starters this season.</p>
<p id="YGfdp1">The Dodgers have scored just 10 runs with Kershaw in the game in his five starts, including four starts with zero or one run.</p>
<h3 id="pvBTVq">Early start</h3>
<p id="uIlwIm">The 4:35 p.m. PT start technically counts as a day game because it begins before 5 p.m., and gives this six-game homestand starts of 7:10 p.m. (three times), 6:10 p.m., 5:08 p.m. and 4:35 p.m.</p>
<p id="v3Kh89">More rest was built into baseball’s collective bargaining agreement beginning in 2018, including the 162-game season spread over 187 days instead of 183 like before. There is also more time allowed for travel, which is where this early start on getaway day comes into play. Per the CBA:</p>
<blockquote><p id="MpYmjI"><em>For the 2018 championship season, the latest possible start time for getaway games on days when the visiting Club travels to a home off-day or either Club travels to another game the following day shall be determined by taking the portion of the in-flight time that exceeds 2½ hours, and subtracting that amount of time from 7 p.m.</em></p></blockquote>
<p id="GA3PqA">The Dodgers have a short flight to San Francisco on Thursday so that doesn’t affect things. The Marlins are off Thursday, but their flight home to Miami is measured at 4:41 per for CBA purposes. Subtracting 2½ hours from that is 2:11, and subtracting that from 7 p.m. means Wednesday’s game couldn’t have started any later than 4:49 p.m.</p>
<h3 id="j7TZ5a">Game info</h3>
<p id="hdbged">Time: 4:35 p.m. PT</p>
<p id="eazPin">TV: SportsNet LA</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2018/4/25/17278508/dodgers-marlins-preview-clayton-kershaw-trevor-richardsEric Stephen