True Blue LA - July 25: Reds 5, Dodgers 2Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2013-07-25T22:26:42-07:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/43213492013-07-25T22:26:42-07:002013-07-25T22:26:42-07:00Reds 5, Dodgers 2: No comeback this time
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<img alt="At least the Dodgers were able to fool Shin-Soo Choo." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E8i-SeDgWRiKCYRfmbVTTxXRxdI=/3x0:3996x2662/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/16916973/20130725_kdl_am8_405.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>At least the Dodgers were able to fool Shin-Soo Choo. | Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers saw their lead fall to a half-game over Arizona in the National League West.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Reds</a> homered twice against <span>Zack Greinke</span>, and on Thursday the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dodgers</a> weren't able to mount a third consecutive comeback win. Cincinnati captured the opener of the four-game weekend series at Dodger Stadium, 5-2.</p>
<p>The loss snapped the Dodgers' six-game winning streak and dropped their lead in the National League West to a half-game over the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Diamondbacks</a>, 3-1 winners over the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cubs</a> in Phoenix on Thursday.</p>
<p>Old friend <span>Xavier Paul</span> greeted Greinke with a solo home run well into the right field pavilion with one out in the first inning. Fellow former Dodger <span>Cesar Izturis</span> dropped a single into short left field in the second inning to score <span>Todd Frazier</span> from third base with two outs for an early 2-0 lead.</p>
<p>Yasiel Puig's aggressiveness worked to his advantage to get a run back in the fourth inning. He singled to center field, then after he rounded first base <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span> tried to throw back to first to get Puig, only his throw bounced into the dugout and Puig was awarded two bases, putting him on third base. <span>Adrian Gonzalez</span> cashed him in with a ground out to second.</p>
<p>While a one-run lead against a dealing <span>Mat Latos</span> was tough enough to overcome, <span>Jay Bruce</span> made it even tougher when he muscled a high curve from Greinke into the left field pavilion for a two-run home run and a 4-1 Cincinnati advantage.</p>
<p>Latos made it hold up until the eighth inning, when another Gonzalez ground out cashed in a <span>Carl Crawford</span> double to cut the lead to 4-2. A single by <span>Hanley Ramirez</span> brought the tying run to the plate in <span>Andre Ethier</span>, but his line drive against left-hander Manny Parra found the glove of Izturis at short to end the inning.</p>
<p>Latos has made 10 starts in his career against the Dodgers, and including Thursday night has allowed one or fewer earned runs in six of them. But despite his 2.32 ERA against Los Angeles, this was only his third career win against the Dodgers (3-6).</p>
<p>Down three in the ninth inning, the Dodgers managed to get the tying run to the plate against Aroldis Chapman but Crawford lined out to shallow left to end the game.</p>
<h3>Notes</h3>
<ul>
<li>Hanley Ramirez was 2-for-4 with a stolen base on Thursday, and on the season has stolen six bases without getting caught.</li>
<li>Choo was caught off second base on a well-executed fake by Ramirez and <span>Skip Schumaker</span> in the eight inning. <span>Joey Votto</span> hit a single to center but the middle infielders tricked Choo into believing the ball had been caught, causing him to run back toward first, and Choo was quickly tagged out.</li>
<li> <span>Mark Ellis</span> didn't start, but delivered a pinch hit single in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to seven games, during which he is hitting .462 (12-for-26).</li>
<li> <span>Carlos Marmol</span> allowed a run in the ninth inning, and in two appearances as a Dodger has allowed eight of 16 batters faced to reach base.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Up next</h3>
<p><span>Clayton Kershaw</span> takes the mound on Friday night, looking to stop the bleeding of the one-game losing streak. He trails Reds starter <span>Homer Bailey</span> in career no-hitters by two.</p>
<h3>Thursday particulars</h3>
<p><b>Home runs</b>: Xavier Paul (6), Jay Bruce (21)</p>
<p><b>WP - Mat Latos (10-3)</b>: 7⅔ IP, 8 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 1 walk, 4 strikeouts</p>
<p><b>LP - Zack Greinke (8-3)</b>: 7 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts</p>
<p><b>Sv - Aroldis Chapman (24)</b>: 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/7/25/4558734/dodgers-reds-recapEric Stephen2013-07-25T17:09:20-07:002013-07-25T17:09:20-07:00Ted Lilly DFA'd, Elian Herrera recalled
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<figcaption>Jeff Gross</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers now have 38 players on the 40-man roster.</p> <p>It stood to reason that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> weren't going to carry 13 pitchers for too long. But to get back down to a more standard 12-pitcher roster configuration, the Dodgers got rid of the very pitcher they activated a day ago. <span>Ted Lilly</span> was designated for assignment on Thursday, a day after he was activated from the disabled list.</p>
<p>Lilly didn't really have a role on the team as he hasn't proven himself healthy enough to start regularly this season, and his willingness to work out of the bullpen was overshadowed by fears of his ineffectiveness and the quality of the other seven relief pitchers on the team. The bottom line was that the Dodgers essentially chose to keep the volatile <span>Carlos Marmol</span> over Lilly, and it was very likely the correct choice as Marmol offers far greater upside than someone who figured to be the long man or mop-up specialist had Lilly remained in the bullpen.</p>
<p>Lilly has a $12 million salary in 2013, the final season of his three-year, $33 million contract. He was 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in 23 innings over five starts this season, and was limited to just 13 starts for the Dodgers in his final two years with the team. Lilly was 24-21 with a 3.83 ERA in 58 starts in his parts of four seasons with the Dodgers.</p>
<p>Replacing Lilly on the active roster is <span>Elian Herrera</span>, who was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque for the third time this season. Herrera is 2-for-7 with a pair of singles in three games in his two previous stints with the Dodgers this season.</p>
<p>The Dodgers would have recalled <span>Scott Van Slyke</span>, but since he was optioned on Sunday he can't be recalled within 10 days unless replacing someone on the disabled list. The earliest Van Slyke can be recalled without a DL move is Wednesday, July 31.</p>
<p>But that means the Dodgers made the decision on Lilly on Thursday, which makes sense given that Mark Saxon of ESPN LA reported <a href="https://twitter.com/markasaxon/status/360543166115491841" target="_blank">a disagreement between the Dodgers and Lilly</a> on whether he would go back to the minors to adjust to the bullpen.</p>
<p>But the Dodgers had to know something like that would happen, and could have avoided this mess by designating him for assignment one day earlier rather than going through the charade of activating him from the disabled list for a day, only to change their mind 24 hours later. That would have allowed them to recall Van Slyke as the corresponding move for <span>Matt Kemp</span> getting placed on the disabled list.</p>
<p>Even Lilly was confused:</p>
<blockquote data-partner="tweetdeck" class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p style="text-align: left;">Lilly: "Obviously I’m not happy about what happened. It’s a pretty big turn of events from yesterday."</p>
<div style="text-align: left;">— Pedro Moura (@PedroMoura) <a href="https://twitter.com/PedroMoura/statuses/360547572621910017">July 25, 2013</a>
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</blockquote>
<p>
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<p>But perhaps not as confused as Saxon, <a target="new" href="https://twitter.com/markasaxon/status/360528257013133318">who thought Van Slyke was recalled, too</a>.</p>
<blockquote data-partner="tweetdeck" class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p style="text-align: left;">I believe I mistook <span>Chris Withrow</span> for Van Slyke from a distance. Apologies. Same beard.</p>
<div style="text-align: left;">— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) <a href="https://twitter.com/markasaxon/statuses/360539026010284032">July 25, 2013</a>
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</blockquote>
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<p>Oops.</p>
<h3>Game info</h3>
<p>Time: 7:10 p.m.</p>
<p>TV: Prime Ticket</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_07_25_cinmlb_lanmlb_1">MLB Gameday</a></p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/7/25/4557916/ted-lilly-dfa-dodgers-elian-herrera-recalledEric Stephen2013-07-25T15:35:35-07:002013-07-25T15:35:35-07:00Offense keys Dodgers run
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<figcaption>Tom Szczerbowski</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers have hit 32 home runs in their last 28 games. It look them 47 games this season before they hit their 32nd home run.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> send <span>Zack Greinke</span> to the mound on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a>, but all eyes are on the plate, where the Dodgers have met quite often of late.</p>
<div class="sidebar">
<h2>Starting Lineups</h2>
<table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" cellspacing="2" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="2"><tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" bgcolor="#ff0000" width="125"><font color="#ffffff"><b>Reds</b></font></td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" bgcolor="#157dec" width="125"><font color="#ffffff"><b>Dodgers</b></font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CF</td>
<td>Choo (L)<br>
</td>
<td>LF</td>
<td>Crawford (L)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>LF</td>
<td>Paul (L)<br>
</td>
<td>RF</td>
<td>Puig<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1B</td>
<td>Votto (L)<br>
</td>
<td>1B</td>
<td>Gonzalez (L)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2B</td>
<td>Phillips</td>
<td>SS</td>
<td>Ramirez</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>RF</td>
<td>Bruce (L)<br>
</td>
<td>CF</td>
<td>Ethier (L)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3B</td>
<td>Frazier<br>
</td>
<td>C</td>
<td>Ellis</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>C</td>
<td>Mesoraco</td>
<td>2B</td>
<td>Schumaker (L)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SS</td>
<td>Izturis (S)<br>
</td>
<td>3B</td>
<td>Hairston</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>P</td>
<td>Latos<br>
</td>
<td>P</td>
<td>Greinke</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<p>The Dodgers are averaging 5.43 runs per game during their 23-5 run, and their 152 runs during that span is one more run than the team's previous 42 games.</p>
<p>They have scored 113 runs in 19 games in July, the most in baseball and 5.95 runs per contest. The only team with a better record than the Dodgers (15-4) this month is the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a>, at 17-3.</p>
<p>The Dodgers have scored 41 runs over their last four games, including at least eight runs in all four games. The team hasn't had a streak of eight-run games that long <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/tgl.cgi?t=b&team=LAD&year=1985#134-137-sum">since Sept. 9-11, 1985</a>. Since 1900, the Dodgers record is five straight games, last accomplished <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/tgl.cgi?t=b&team=BRO&year=1945#56-60-sum">from June 20-24, 1945</a>.</p>
<p>The team has homered at least twice in five of their last six games, including four straight contests. It's the longest streak of two home runs by a Dodger team <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/tgl.cgi?t=b&team=LAD&year=2004#118-122-sum" target="_blank">since a five-game streak from Aug. 17-21, 2004</a>.</p>
<p>Greinke, who is 5-0 with a 2.36 ERA over his last six starts, has been even hotter at the plate. He is 7-for-10 with two doubles in July, and was even used as a pinch hitter once, and walked. Greinke on the season is hitting .406/.486/.469 in 39 plate apperances.</p>
<p><span>Joey Votto</span> is 5-for-16 with three home runs and a double against Greinke, while <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span> is hitting .278/.325/.538 against him in 40 plate appearances. But Greinke has had success against <span>Jay Bruce</span> (2-for-19) and <span>Brandon Phillips</span> (3-for-14, double).</p>
<p><span>Andre Ethier</span>, who was 8-for-14 with five doubles and a home run in three games in Toronto, is 7-for-21 (.333) with two doubles and two walks against Reds starter <span>Mat Latos</span> in his career. The other three Dodgers with at least 10 plate appearances against Latos have all had tough times at the plate: <span>Juan Uribe</span> is 4-for-19 (.211), <span>Hanley Ramirez</span> is 2-for-11 (.182) and <span>Mark Ellis</span> is 1-for-11 (.091).</p>
<p>Old friends <span>Xavier Paul</span>, in left field batting second, and <span>Cesar Izturis</span>, at shortstop batting eighth, are in the starting lineup for the Reds.</p>
<h3>Game info</h3>
<p>Time: 7:10 p.m.</p>
<p>TV: Prime Ticket</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_07_25_cinmlb_lanmlb_1">MLB Gameday</a></p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/7/25/4557336/dodgers-reds-offense-zack-greinkeEric Stephen2013-07-25T14:20:01-07:002013-07-25T14:20:01-07:00Q&A with Wick Terrell of Red Reporter
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<figcaption>Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Wick Terrell (also known as "Kevin Mitchell is Batman") over at the Reds' SB Nation blog, Red Reporter, recently took the time to answer a couple questions for TBLA about the MLB team in Cincinnati. </p> <p>The Dodgers and Reds surprisingly haven't faced each other this season. To find out more about Cincinnati, Wick Terrell (aka Kevin Mitchell is Batman) from the Reds' SB Nation blog Red Reporter took the time to answer a couple questions about Cincy.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> This question is pretty simple and on almost all of these Q&A's, who are the Reds' Cy Young and MVP as of right now?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>This one may seem simple, but the balance of both the pitching and offense makes it a bit harder to choose. For the Cy Young, the surface stats would dictate it should be Mike Leake, as he's 9-4 with a team-best 2.79 ERA, and he's genuinely pitched quite well; FIP and xFIP, however, don't seem to think it's a clear reflection of how good he is, though, and actually have <span>Homer Bailey</span> (he of the no-hitter) and <span>Mat Latos</span> ahead of Leake significantly. If you're really asking which pitcher I'd like to throw Game 1 of a playoff series, I'd go with Latos, his 3.11 FIP, and his career high 9.5 K/9, but that's a close one.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>As for MVP, I'll go with <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span> in the slightest of victories over <span>Joey Votto</span>. Choo's been a revelation at the top of the order and has been, of late at least, passable in CF after some early struggles. Votto's been great, for sure, but he's not performed nearly to what we've come to expect.<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> The Reds are probably in one of the toughest, if not the toughest, divisions in the league. What or who do you think they need to acquire at the deadline to leapfrog over Pittsburgh and St. Louis?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>For the same reasons the Reds were pretty universally picked to win the NL Central at the beginning of the year, I don't think they really need much aside from their healthy regulars. <span>Ryan Ludwick</span> is set to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday and presumably will be back soon, as will <span>Sean Marshall</span> and <span>Jonathan Broxton</span> (sigh) to help augment the bullpen. Assuming <span>Johnny Cueto</span> gets healthy soon, too, there's not a hole that can't be filled from within. Of course, they also just simply need better production from some of the guys already on the roster. If you can show me where the magic tree that grows shortstops is, I'd probably pluck one of those, too, but man that thing's hard to find.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> If the Reds don't manage to win the NL Central, what do you think they need to do to at least make it to the NL Wild Card game and ultimately, the NLDS?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>They're firmly in the mix for a Wild Card game as-is, and there just aren't a lot of options out there to mix things up; in other words, they need to just keep doing what they're doing and hope for some expected marginal improvement from <span>Brandon Phillips</span>, <span>Todd Frazier</span>, and hopefully Joey Votto, because that coupled with the consistency of the pitching staff should see them reach the postseason for the third time in four years. With a pretty barren trade market and a depleted farm system from previous trades, there's also not a clear fix from outside that seems to work. It'd be nice to see them improve upon their collective .248 average with Runners On, too, since there's such a significant OBP presence at the top of the lineup, but I expect that number to rise.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> Joey Votto is having another solid season, but do you think he deserved to start the All-Star Game over <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span>? Why or why not?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>The All-Star Game and the entire way it's formatted is a crapshoot, so yeah, I'm glad Votto got the start despite being outperformed by Goldschmidt. Why? Well, look no farther than 2009, when Votto clearly had outperformed <span>Ryan Howard</span>, but barely made the team due to the way the voting system is set up to favor established name-brand stars, and Howard got the start. I'm happy Votto got a bit of redemption for that, but that doesn't mean I like the process at all. If Goldschmidt and Votto have similar 2014's to their 2013's, I'd expect (and vouch for) Goldschmidt to get the start in next year's game. That's a long-winded way of me saying that I think the All-Star Game has a billion things to fix to be more relevant.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> The Shin-Soo Choo trade seems to be working out well for the Reds. Did you like it at first glance, or were you not a fan? Why or why not?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>I was undoubtedly excited to add Choo's OBP ability and professional hitting to a Reds lineup that needed those traits desperately, yes. I'll also admit that I thought the price to pay was too steep for the Reds given the lack of SS depth behind <span>Zack Cozart</span> (who had struggled and still struggles) and the fact that Choo was merely a 1 year rental. I'd actually hoped the Reds would go after <span>Dexter Fowler</span>, since at least they'd have a MLB-caliber CF signed beyond 2013.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>Losing Didi Gregorius and watching Cozart underperform has been tough to watch, as has watching future CF <span>Billy Hamilton</span> struggle in AAA. I'm not sure what the 2014 CF position will look like, but it appears that part of the plan hasn't quite materialized the way Walt Jocketty & Co. had imagined when they pulled the trigger. Regardless, the Reds would be lost this season without Choo, and I'm glad they have him.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> Todd Frazier is having a decent season, but maybe not as good as he did last year. Why do you think that's the case?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>Due to the fact that Frazier is playing Gold Glove caliber defense at 3B this season, his bWAR and fWAR totals actually dictate he's been better than last season, but while it's visible that he's improved his defense, I'm as skeptical as anyone of putting too much value in defensive metrics.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>His bat has been worse in 2013 though, and that's not debatable. He's walking just as much as a year ago and his BABIP has dipped from .316 to .294, but there's one specific reason his overall numbers are worse this year. In 2012, he had an .871 OPS away from Great American Ball Park, which was actually significantly better than how he hit in the Reds' home bandbox (.786); in 2013, however, he's hit just .200/.303/.300 away from Cincinnati, and typing that just made me throw up in my mouth. Yes, away from GABP, Todd Frazier has been <span>Wilson Valdez</span> this year. Where's the Pepto...</p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> Mike Leake is having a very good season (9-4, 2.79 ERA), after a not so great one last year (8-9, 4.58 ERA). Why do you think that's the case? When he made it to the majors, did you think he had the potential to put up numbers like he is this season?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>Here are <span>Mike Leake's</span> xFIP numbers over the last 3 seasons: 3.68 (2011), 3.82 (2012), 3.97 (2013). Here are Mike Leake's K/9 numbers over the last 3 seasons: 6.33 (2011), 5.83 (2012), 5.58 (2013). So what's the difference? Well, the BABIP he allowed last year was at .306, and he stranded runners at a 71% rate. In 2013, his BABIP has dipped (say that out loud and see if you don't laugh) to .259, and he's stranding runners at a 81% rate. He's also reduced his HR allowed rate from 1.31 per 9 innings to 1.03, and that's undoubtedly helped his overall numbers. He's throwing his fastball and cutter less and is mixing in a slow curve and change up about 10% more often this year, and that's probably helping to drive his better results. Call it the Bronson Arroyo School of Pitching, if you will. I thought Leake had a shot to be a dependable innings eater when he was taken in the 1st round in 2010, and that's pretty much what he's been. I do think this year's a bit of a mirage, but I think 2012 was, too. I think his 2011 season is a bit more indicative of what we should expect out of an in-prime Mike Leake (which if you compare to his career numbers is exactly what you'll find).</p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> If he is ever able to come off the DL for a long period of time and avoid other injuries, what kind of impact do you think Johnny Cueto can have on the rest of the pitching staff and more specifically, the starting rotation?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b><span>Tony Cingrani</span>, Cueto's replacement thus far in 2013, has a 3.23 ERA, 3.42 xFIP, and a 10.83 K/9 in 10 starts for the Reds this season, and as weird as it is to say, I'm honestly not sure how much better Cueto could have possibly been.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>That said, I still think I'd trust Cueto more than Cingrani down the stretch due to veteranyness and mind-bullets and the Tiant-turn and the power of the dreadlocks, but that's all superficial stuff that is less quantifiable than how weak our knees get when Joey Votto cracks a smile. If anything, having Cueto back might help the bullpen more than the rotation, since he's got a track record of pitching deeper into games than Cingrani, who has often struggled with high pitch counts and getting deep into games. Who am I kidding, though. Cueto's been worth over 7 wins the last two seasons. He's our ace, and I'm sure he'd help a ton.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>DAVID:</b> Series prediction?</p>
<p class="p1"><b>KEVIN MITCHELL IS BATMAN: </b>Reds in a sweep, because I won't be able to sleep with the idea that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> and their quadrillions of dollars are just a game or two behind the Reds in the Wild Card race.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/7/25/4554726/dodgers-vs-reds-preview-red-reporter-wick-terrellDavid Lauterbach2013-07-25T13:20:07-07:002013-07-25T13:20:07-07:00Dodgers on fire and in first place
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A recap of what happened in the NL West from July 18-24: The Dodgers are finally all alone in first and the other four teams are now trying to keep up. </p> <p>A month ago, the NL West standings showed the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> in first and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> in last. Now, Arizona is in second and Los Angeles is in first.</p>
<p><b>TEAM RECAPS:</b></p>
<p><b>Diamondbacks: </b>Arizona was 2-4 this week. The Diamondbacks lost two of three against the Giants and Cubs and now sit at second place in the division.</p>
<p>Nothing jumps off the page about Arizona this week. Their offense wasn't terrible, averaging 4 runs per game thanks in part to a 10-4 win over Chicago. Their pitching was impressive this week, surrendering on average 3.7 runs per game. That means the Diamondbacks scored on average more runs then they gave up this week despite going 2-4.</p>
<p><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a>: </b>Colorado was 3-3 this week. The Rockies took two of three against the Cubs to start off the week before losing two of three against the Marlins. Colorado avoided a 2-4 week with a 2-1 win over Miami on 7/24.</p>
<div class="sidebar">
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody>
<tr>
<th colspan="4">National League West Standings</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Team</b></td>
<td align="center"><b>W-L</b></td>
<td align="center"><b>Pct</b></td>
<td align="center"><b>GB</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Los Angeles</td>
<td align="center">53-47</td>
<td align="center">.530</td>
<td align="center">---</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Arizona</td>
<td align="center">52-49</td>
<td align="center">.515</td>
<td align="center">1½</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Colorado</td>
<td align="center">49-53</td>
<td align="center">.480</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>San Francisco</td>
<td align="center">46-55</td>
<td align="center">.455</td>
<td align="center">7½</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>San Diego</td>
<td align="center">45-57</td>
<td align="center">.441</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<p>The Rockies scored one or two runs in four of their six games this week. Colorado then scored nine and four in the other two games. This shows how inconsistent their offense can be at times and has been all season. For a while, the Rockies looked like contenders and buyers. But now, they might be sellers at the July 31 trade deadline.</p>
<p><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a>: </b>San Francisco was 3-4 this week. The Giants took two of three from Arizona at home before going 1-3 against the Reds during a four game series that included a home and away doubleheader.</p>
<p>San Francisco pitched very well against a tough Arizona offense, holding them to just six runs over three games. But then the Reds came to the Bay, and that was a different story. The Giants dropped the first two games (one being the first in the doubleheader) by a combined score of 20-3 (11-0 and 9-3 respectively). Over the final two games of the series, Cincinnati outscored San Francisco 11-8.</p>
<p><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">Padres</a>: </b>San Diego was 3-3 this week. The Padres started off the week dropping two of three to the Cardinals. San Diego then traveled to Milwaukee and took two of three from the Ryan Braun-less <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a>.</p>
<p>The Padres' offense was pretty good this week scoring on average 4.2 runs per game. But San Diego wasn't able to win more than they lost because the pitching staff gave up on average 4.4 runs per game. The Padres are in the NL West cellar and have quite an uphill climb if they want to get back in it.</p>
<p><b>Dodgers:</b><b> </b>Los Angeles was 6-0 this week. The Dodgers returned from the All-Star break with a bang, as they swept both the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/">Blue Jays</a> on the road. Also, this is a pretty interesting fact about LA's last ten road games...</p>
<blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet">
<p style="text-align: left;">Dodgers set LA Dodgers record w/10 straight road wins. Last Dodgers team to win more n a row was 1955 (that team began year 11-0 on road)</p>
<div style="text-align: left;">— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) <a href="https://twitter.com/truebluela/statuses/360231590598676481">July 25, 2013</a>
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</blockquote>
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<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Los Angeles averaged a RIDICULOUS 7.8 runs per game this week. The Dodgers scored three runs in each of their first two games against the Nationals. In the next four games, LA scored nine, 14, 10, and eight runs, respectively. That means over the last four games Los Angeles has averaged 10.3 runs per game. That's absurd.</p>
<p><b>WHAT'S IN STORE FOR THESE TEAMS NEXT WEEK?</b></p>
<p><b>Diamondbacks: </b>One game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>, three against the Padres, two against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a></p>
<p><b>Rockies: </b>One game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a>, three against the Brewers, three against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a></p>
<p><b>Giants: </b>Three games against the Cubs, two against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a></p>
<p><b>Padres: </b>One game against the Brewers, three against the Diamondbacks, three against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a></p>
<p><b>Dodgers: </b>Four games against the Reds, two against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a></p>
<p><b>OVERALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:</b></p>
<p>Dodgers' infielder <span>Mark Ellis</span>. The veteran hit .440 this week with one home run, seven RBI, and three runs scored. In LA's final game of the week on July 24, they forced the game to go into extras after tying the game at 3-3 in the ninth. Ellis was the hero in the tenth when he launched <a href="http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?c_id=la&gid=2013_07_24_lanmlb_tormlb_1&lang=en&content_id=29108397&mode=video">this monster home run</a>. While Ellis only played a significant role in one game this week, he played extremely well throughout the entire week.</p>
<p><b>BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE:</b></p>
<p>Dodgers' catcher <span>A.J. Ellis</span>. The younger Ellis led Los Angeles to a 14-5 win over Toronto on July 22. The catcher went 4-6 with one HR, five RBIs, and three runs scored. Ellis hit a two-run-homer and knocked in his three other RBIs on singles.</p>
<p><b>OVERALL TEAM OF THE WEEK:</b></p>
<p>The Los Angeles Dodgers. LA was 6-0 this week and averaged 7.8 runs per game over the entire week, and 10.3 over its final four games. 10.3! That's ridiculous. Here's another tweet to describe the Dodgers' right now:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p style="text-align: left;">Giants' PBP guy Duane Kuiper mid-broadcast: "One thing you can't do now, if you're in the NL West, just don't even check the Dodgers score."</p>
<div style="text-align: left;">— Pedro Moura (@PedroMoura) <a href="https://twitter.com/PedroMoura/statuses/360237492034744321">July 25, 2013</a>
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</blockquote>
<p>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p>
<p><b>WORST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK:</b></p>
<p>Giants' pitcher <span>Tim Lincecum</span>. In his first start since his no-hitter, Lincecum was horrendous. Against the Reds on 7/22, Lincecum gave up eight earned runs on nine hits over 3.2 innings. The former two-time Cy Young Award winner struck out just two batters and gave up three homers. San Francisco lost the game 11-0 and <span>Bronson Arroyo</span> threw a complete game shutout for the Reds.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/7/25/4555084/national-league-west-weekly-report-dodgers-first-placeDavid Lauterbach2013-07-25T12:10:12-07:002013-07-25T12:10:12-07:00Dodgers-Reds starting pitchers
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ImVI3fadVr9LusUFB0i0vlft0NA=/0x178:4000x2845/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/16894899/20130512_pjc_aj4_103.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers, looking to extend their six-game winning streak, send their three best starting pitchers to the mound at home against the Reds.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> return home for a six-game homestand at Dodger Stadium, beginning with a four-game series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a>. Here is a look at the television schedule and pitching matchups for the long weekend at Chavez Ravine.</p>
<h3>Thursday, 7:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)</h3>
<p><span>Zack Greinke</span> has allowed one run in 22 innings over his last three starts, and though he didn't garner a win in his last start, snapping a five-start winning streak, the Dodgers have won each of his last six starts. <span>Mat Latos</span> in three July starts has allowed 13 runs and 10 waks in 15 innings, though he does have 23 strikeouts during that span.</p>
<h3>Friday, 7:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)</h3>
<p><span>Clayton Kershaw</span> has lasted at least seven innings in each of his last five starts, two shy of his career best streak, which he tied earlier this season. <span>Homer Bailey</span> no-hit the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> on July 2, but has a 5.50 ERA in three starts since then, though with 22 strikeouts against just five walks.</p>
<h3>Saturday, 6:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)</h3>
<p>Hyun-jin Ryu has exactly three strikeouts in each of his last three starts, though despite his nine strikeouts and seven walks and a 5.82 ERA in 17 innings during that span he is 2-0 and the Dodgers have won five straight starts by the left-hander. <span>Bronson Arroyo</span> has allowed five runs in four July starts. He has been with the Reds for eight seasons, and his Saturday start will give Arroyo 254 starts with Cincinnati, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/pitch.shtml#pitching_register::14" target="_blank">good for 10th place in the long history of the franchise</a>.</p>
<h3>Sunday, 1:10 p.m. (Prime Ticket)</h3>
<p><span>Chris Capuano</span> has allowed five earned runs and recorded 13 or fewer outs in three of his last four starts, with a 7.23 ERA during that span. <span>Tony Cingrani</span> made six starts in April and May for the Reds before moving to the bullpen. Since his return to the rotation in July, the left-hander has allowed exactly two runs in all four starts, with a 2.70 ERA during that span.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/7/25/4555644/dodgers-vs-reds-tv-schedule-starting-pitchersEric Stephen