Dodgers vs. Yankees. One of the biggest rivalries in baseball. The history emanates from their World Series meetings which have been many and memorable. They have met 11 times from 1941 through 1981. The Yankees have won 8 of those 11 series. In those 11 series matchups, NYY has a 37-29 record in 66 games, a .561 winning percentage. Coming into Friday’s game, the two teams have met 16 times in the regular season, and have an 8-8 record.
Game 1 was a pitching matchup of the LAD’s Clayton Kershaw vs NYY’s Luis Severino. Clayton has had a rough go his last three games. In those 3 games, Clayton has 12.2 IP, and allowed 10 runs (all earned). That calculates to a 7.11 ERA. He surrendered 18 hits and 6 BB for a 1.894 WHIP. He did have his strikeout pitch going with 19 Ks. Kershaw is glad to see the end of May, and is hoping he can get back to where he was in April.
Kershaw has started 4 games against NYY. He has pitched very well against them. In 27.0 IP, he had a 1.67 ERA and a 0.519 WHIP. But he has never beaten the Yankees. Until Friday night.
NYY told everyone what they were going to do. They were going to jump on the first pitch. Gleyber Torres hit a middle/middle 92.4 MPH 4-seamer into CF for a single. Aaron Judge hit the next pitch into 5-4-3 DP. Next batter, Anthony Rizzo, swung at the first two pitches and then got a generous call for strike 3. A 3-pitch strikeout, and a 5-pitch inning.
- The Dodgers first inning was a little more productive offensively. Mookie Betts hit a leadoff HR for the 41st of his career (14). He moves past Charlie Blackmon into the 9th
- Freddie slugged a 105.4 MPH one hopper but right at Torres for the 4-3 putout.
- Will Smith hit a ball in the hole that Anthony Volpe made an excellent play on and threw to 1st. The umpire called Will out that the Dodgers successfully challenged, and Smith was on 1st with a single.
- Max Muncy then hit a 2-2 change, middle out, for a 2-run HR (18).
- JD Martinez hit an excuse me swing infield single.
- Miguel Vargas singled to load the bases.
- James Outman singled to score JDM and the bases remained loaded.
- Miguel Rojas hit a ball to the CF wall, but it was enough to get a sac fly.
- The Dodgers have batted around with Mookie coming up for the second time in the 1st Mookie singles home Vargas and the Dodgers have a 6-0 lead.
- Outman gets picked off 3rd to end the inning.
The teams traded HRs over the next 5 innings, with NYY getting two solo bombs from the two hitters just off the IL: Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton. Both were on 2-strike sliders. The Dodgers countered with a JDM solo blast of his own, his 13th, and Mookie’s 2nd HR (15) on the night. Mookie singled in the 8th for a 4-hit night.
Kershaw got thru 7 innings for the 4th time this season, and 1st since May 10. His best performance of the night came against Aaron Judge. Kershaw got Judge to hit into a DP and then struck him out twice. Kershaw also struck out Anthony Rizzo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa twice on his way to a 9-K night.
Kershaw’s 9 K’s gives him 2,891 for his career. He is 109 away from 3,000 and 40 away from Zack Greinke for 20th on the all-time list.
JDM, J-Hey, and Will Smith each had 2 hits to go with Mookie’s 4. The team had 13 hits and went 3-5 WRISP. Since JDM came back from the IL, he has been on a tear. He is batting .321/.354/.731/1.084. He has 4 HRs out of the last 5 games, and 8 HRs over the last 12 games. For the season, JDM is batting .283/.324/.627/.951.
The Dodgers now have 4 players with .922+ OPS: Mookie, Freddie, Will Smith, and JDM. They have 2 more at .838+: Max and J-Hey.
Freeman set new Dodgers records for most extra-base hits (24) and doubles (17) in a calendar month. Babe Herman (July 1930) and Duke Snider (June 1954) previously shared the Dodgers record for most extra-base hits in a single month with 23. Herman also held the Dodgers franchise record of most doubles in a month with 16, which came in July of 1930 as well. For the month, Freddie started 28 games and got a hit in 26 of them. He ended the month with a 20-game hitting streak that was broke on Friday night. For the month, he batted .400/.462/.722/1.084.
The Dodgers got game 1 against NYY. For game 2, NYY sends out Gerrit Cole to face LAD’s Michael Grove coming off his IL stint.
For MiLB, the Dodger affiliates won 5 out of 5 games, including a Great Lakes DH. I ran out of time to put anything together. I will try and do something in the AM. But it is my grandson’s birthday party on Saturday. But here is one good story.
That’s what it looks like when the offense does what it does best and we get the starting pitching the Dodgers are known for.
Then there was Bickford.
And, now we get to see our gasconadian (sorry, could have just used vaunted, but going for a Conroy spin) home grown against a full strength Yankee lineup.
I think we might need 8 runs again.
The bottom of our lineup is hitting .221. Two rookies there, guess we have to live with them hitting like rookies. They both look like solid prospects that on occasion look like rookies, but hopefully it’s short lived. They keep striking out and getting picked off in September, the Dodgers may have a problem. Championship teams don’t play like rookies. Contending teams can I guess, but not champions.
They don’t? Universally or generally speaking?
Lots of hit and run comments from you lately Bluto.
I think he’s referencing my comment about championship teams not playing like rookies. Not sure. Maybe he will clarify that for us.
Yes. Thought that was obvious, sorry if it wasn’t.
I’m not sure i want to know what Fred thought i was about….
If you have the time…. Might be interesting. Take away runs on home runs from Kersh’ stats.. what would be his ERA.
And how many of the home runs allowed by CK have come with 2 strikes ?
( seems like many, as in well over 50 percent?).
I enjoy your site.
I visit regularly
Bill, thank you. I have approved your first comment, so no future comment will be in moderation. I appreciate you visiting and reading. Thank you again.
Not that it’s needed, I give my approval to Bill’s comment too.
Bill. Sounds like maybe an alias.
I approve too
Nice, feel good game. Great to see Mookie on fire and Kershaw having enough to keep the Yanks at bay. I fear it will not be the same outcome with Cole, plus Grove could cave badly. If he can avoid the HR, just maybe there’s a chance. Kershaw could not avoid the HR but luckily he avoided putting men on base with those HRs.
Muncy and Heyward both feeling it. Bickford is not. Will tomorrow see us in 2nd place?
River Ryan has great arm action. Looks like he’s just playing catch out there.
River Ryan has got MLB pitcher all over. He throws 1 plus pitch and 3 above average pitches. His only negative scouting grade is his control. But he is still learning how to pitch. That should come with experience. In 37.2 IP he has 39 K but also 19 BB. That is barely a 2-1 K/BB ratio.
Ryan has had 1 bad game all year (May 16) where he allowed 4 ER in 3.2 IP. He has allowed only 3 ER combined in 3 other games, and zero runs in 5 games. Since May, Ryan has 13.0 IP, 0 runs, 5 hits, 4 HBP, 8 BB, 14 K. Once he learns to get his control under control, Ryan’s helium should rise pretty quickly.
Starting or relief? Time will tell. With a 4 pitch arsenal, starting is not out of the question. It will be control that will dictate.
I think as fans we should call for his promotion.
Come on everyone, Cry Me a River!
ok, maybe that one needs a little work…
He really looks like he can spin that breaking ball. As you say, if the command develops, look out.
A good win and a fun game to watch. Dodgers made quite a few loud outs.
Outman making contact more and more. That’s step one to being a force in the lineup.
I guess Stone pitches for OK today. Hope he does well.
Betts stole his third base yesterday. He should be stealing more.
Given the length of the season/wear and tear on the body, I’m ok with Betts and others being somewhat selective on stealing. However, stealing is part of the game that all the players that are capable should be adding to their repertoire so it’s a viable weapon in post season.
Getting back to choosing between constantly having great regular seasons or having regular seasons just good enough to occasionally having one but winning a WS every 8 years, I thought about the Dodgers trade for Josh Fields after glancing at LADT today.
Fields was a key addition who helped give the Dodgers a chance to get into and possibly win a WS. It weakened the team in the long run. That trade is what a team does to try to win now. Without him maybe the Dodgers waste 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons. It cost them somebody that wouldn’t help them in those years but eventually would–Yordan Alvarez.
Give it up. Fields could have been had for less. That trade sucked begonias.
It’s an example for trading a prospect for a limited duration hole filler.
I prefer to trade vet for vet or younster(s) for youngster.
If we gain advantage, I approve.
I think trading a catcher prospect for a shortstop prospect is great idea.
Make it so.
What told you back then before Alvarez even had one professional PA that he would be who he is today? A ML reliever for a player who had never played? How much less can you go?
Back then I was told nothing. And you might be surprised how much less I can go.
Couple of interesting tweets from Jack Harris. Noah Syndergaard will be making his next start on Wednesday against Cincinnati.
Fans can continue to complain, but until there is another option, Thor is going to start.
Also, after Freddie’s 0-fer last night there was this tweet from Jack Harris.
Even his outs are loud.
Gerrit Cole vs Michael Grove.
Who you got?
Gonna make lemonaid from of the lemon grove.
Well, Cole hasn’t lost yet this year, and Grove hasn’t won yet this year.
I’ll say law of averages kicks in for one of them today (either way I’ll be happy)
Lemon grove. I get it.
I worked on a lemon ranch in Fallbrook back in the early 70s. How does that relate to the Dodgers? I met Duke Snider at his bar. Also met Martin Milner at a hardware store. He owned an avocado ranch. How does that relate to the Dodgers? Not sure. Tell you what, I’ll get back to you on that one.
I met Martin Milner somewhere on Route 66. He had a nicer car. Might have been at the Wigwam Motel.
I hope he doesn’t get squeezed by the umpire.
“and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat”
On making lemonade:
Sour you doing Michael?
Terrible. It was hard to concentrate.
Almost fully through 4, you can see why Grove went straight from AA to MLB
But through 5 he looks like he hasn’t learned Major League hitters can hit high cheese. He needs keep those pitches 6” higher and throw everything else knee high.
I was just thinking, imagine if Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle were 6’7 280 pounds.
Badger for an assistant pitching coach?
Make me an offer. You should know my last job paid $18 an hour. It was under the table but don’t tell anybody.
6-3. I expected worse.
2nd place is worse, not worst, though. With our pitchers, it could get even worse. How bout that catch by Judge! I was also surprised to see so many Yankee fans at the game. Spike Lee is now fat!