Kershaw was his regular fantastic self last night -- going eight innings of four hit ball with nine strikeouts, no walks and one earned run. The bullpen, unfortunately imploded and could not hold the lead. Per Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider:
“We’re going to have to count on these guys, and Scotty’s been great all year,” Kershaw said. “Kenley has big shoes to fill. We know that these guys are a very talented group — guys that we trust, guys that have had our backs all season. Come the ninth inning tomorrow, whoever it may be, we have good faith that they can get the outs we need.”Photo above of Clayton Kershaw via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2018 at Dodger Insider. Below are more links to check out:
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“It’s another loss, which is no fun, but Arizona and Colorado we’re all right there. Nothing’s changed,” Kershaw said. “Obviously we’d like to win games when Arizona loses, when Colorado loses. But for now we just have to keep plugging away. I know it sounds cliché but it’s just going to come down to the last 40 games, and thankfully nobody’s pulled away yet.”
- This Day in Dodgers History: In 1919 the Dodgers and Cubs play a doubleheader that last a total of only two hours and seventeen minutes. In the opener, the Cubs blanked Brooklyn 2-0, in one hour and ten minutes, and in the nightcap, it takes the Dodgers one hour and seven minutes to shut out Chicago, 1-0. In 1980 the Dodgers signed amateur free agent pitcher Tom Niedenfuer out of Washington State University. In a couple of years he would be a mainstay in the Dodgers bullpen -- recording 64 saves as a Dodger.
- Happy Birthday, Magic Johnson, Frank McCourt, Mark Loretta, Scott Stewart, McKay Christensen & Juan Pierre!
- Podcast: Dodgers Digest - ‘Dugout Blues’ episode 243 – Struggles, Maeda/Stripling bullpen, drafts (Podcast Link)
- Go here to check out pics from Monday's game from Cat Loves the Dodgers.
- The injury bug has reared its ugly head again. Per Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors; "Dodgers Health Updates: Jansen, Dozier, Axford."
John Axford has a fracture in his fibula after being hit in the leg. Out 2-3 weeks. Brian Dozier has an abnormal EKG. More tests needed.— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) August 14, 2018
- Via Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs; "Loss of Kenley Jansen Exposes Dodgers’ Bullpen Mess."
While the Dodgers rotation has the league’s lowest ERA (3.30) and FIP (3.48), they’re 10th in innings per start (5.40), and as such have the circuit’s fifth-highest innings total out of the bullpen (436), and the added exposure isn’t helping. Including Friday and Saturday’s losses, they now have the league’s fourth-lowest winning percentage in games in which they led after six innings, and they’re tied for the third-highest loss total
- Per Doug Padilla at MLB.com; "Jansen needed electric shock to stabilize heart."
His timetable for a return remains uncertain, but Jansen sounded confident he will return before the four-to-six-week recovery time that was originally reported."I feel much better; health-wise everything feels good," said Jansen, who has started taking blood thinners to help him to correct his latest issue with atrial fibrillation. "The minute they shocked me back in, I felt better. I feel great just working out again."
- This seems interesting. On Saturday, September 8th a special event will take place at the LA Sports Museum in benefit of Masons4Mitts & Dodgers RBI. It'll include photos and autographs with Dodger alumni (no names indicated yet), complimentary food from Pink's Famous Hot Dogs and a tour of the finest private collection of Dodgers memorabilia in the world. There's a bunch of Rams stuff, as well. Go here for more information.
- Via Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times; "Dodgers need to take their time with Julio Urias."
However unstable their bullpen, however precarious their position in the standings, the Dodgers have to resist the temptation of his talent and protect him. He shouldn’t be recalled any earlier than Sept. 1, when their expanded rosters would allow his usage to be dictated by what’s best for him rather than what the team needs.To their credit, the Dodgers appear to be committed to moving Urias at a measured pace, even though manager Dave Roberts said last week that Jansen’s absence might accelerate his return to the major leagues. The team’s plan calls for Urias to pitch three innings at some point this week with double-A Tulsa, which indicates that management is still looking to deploy him as a long reliever instead of a late-inning weapon who could be called on regularly.
- You might need this shirt. Via a tweet by Kike Hernandez:
Since Chase doesn’t want a farewell tour, I’ll give him one of my own! #BestDadEver https://t.co/V7dODt2h7r pic.twitter.com/lYN10sCWSM— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) August 14, 2018
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