Powered by five strong innings from starter Clayton Kershaw and big offensive games from Corey Seager and Gavin Lux, the Dodgers held off the Reds on Sunday, 8-5, to claim a much-needed weekend series victory.
After falling to the Reds in Friday’s opener 3-1, Los Angeles took the final two games of the series in convincing fashion.
As the Dodgers continue their winning ways, the race for the National League West division title may conceivably boil down to the final days of the season. At the beginning of Sunday’s games, Los Angeles trailed the Giants by two full games. The Giants will try for a sweep later Sunday against the NL East-leading Braves.
Kershaw looked outstanding. One of his few blemishes came after Nick Castellanos doubled in the fourth inning, advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a Tyler Stephenson groundout to shortstop. Kershaw went five full innings, surrendering three hits and no walks while striking out eight batters on 74 pitches.
The win was Kershaw’s first since June 27 when he went eight full innings against the Cubs. His appearance on Sunday was one inning and 24 pitches more than his previous outing last Monday against the Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers got on the board first when Will Smith hit his 25th homer of the year into the left field stands. After a Chris Taylor double to left, Lux hit his seventh homer of the season to extend the lead to three.
The Dodgers struck again in the third after Corey Seager hammered a 420-foot homer to right-center field off Cincinnati starter Wade Miley, also scoring Albert Pujols. The blast was Seager’s 10th of the season. Three batters later, Lux drove home Chris Taylor on a groundball single to center, stretching the lead to six.
Lux finished the day by going 3-for-4, raining his season average to .239.
The six-run effort chased Miley from the game after just three full innings. Miley surrendered the six runs on nine hits and a walk while throwing 64 pitches.
As promised by skipper Dave Roberts, Kershaw was piggybacked by righty Tony Gonsolin, who promptly surrendered a homer to rookie TJ Friedl, which was coincidentally his first MLB hit. After a nearly clean seventh frame, Gonsolin was pulled in favor of Blake Treinen with one out in the eighth after he allowed a double to Jonathan India that scored Friedl and cut the lead to three.
India came around to score when Castellanos singled to right, cutting the Los Angeles led to two. Both Cincinnati runs in the eighth were charged to Gonsolin.
The Dodgers added insurance in the top of the ninth when former Dodger Kyle Farmer air-mailed a throw to first, allowing Mookie Betts to score. Trea Turner scored after Seager drew a one-out bases-loaded walk, extending the lead to four.
Kenley Jansen threw the ninth, allowing a solo homer to Joey Votto before sealing the win.
Kershaw improved his season record to 10-7. Miley fell to 12-7.
The Dodgers have won eight of their last nine and 11 of their last 15 games.
After an off day on Monday, the Dodgers will land in Denver for a three-game set against the Rockies, who have climbed to within six games of the plummeting Padres in the West.
Including the series in Colorado, just four series remain in the regular season for the Dodgers.
Giants have lost to the Braves, 3-0. We’re one back again.
It’s a shame the Pads season has seemingly gone down the toilet. They don’t have a lot to fight for anymore so I’m not sure what kind of fight they’ll put up against the Giants, but they aren’t totally out of it yet, so hopefully they play hard this week. They can relax when they play us.
Remaining games:
SF – SD, Colo, Az, SD
LA – Colo, Az, SD, Milwaukee
We each have 9 games against the same opponents, but the Giants have an extra 3 against SD while we play the Brewers. We still have an uphill climb.
The Dodgers will be fine playing anybody except Bellinger until he learns to hit for singles towards left field..
Bellinger is a power hitter. He is not going to slap balls to left field. He has changed his batting stance and his approach at the plate. He probably will be used sparingly until his rib feels better. He is still the best CF in the game and on the team, he is out there for his defense, which showed up on a sliding catch in Friday’s game. Lux is no outfielder yet. Pollock will return by the weekend for the series with the Diamondbacks. This Colorado series is not going to just be a piece of cake. The Rockies are a much better team at home than on the road.
I agree with you except a “quality power hitter” has to also be a player that when necessary can make contact to start or keep a rally alive. This is especially important in the playoffs facing elite pitching when many times one run is the difference between winning a game and/or a series. We have all watched Turner, Pollock, and other Dodgers go with a pitch to move or score a player. Bellinger has been maddeningly unable to do that simple thing and has been a rally killer all year. I would bench Bellinger and use Pollock and Taylor in centerfield. They are both very good defensive outfielders and can make contact when necessary. The Dodgers finally figured out Lux was drowning and sent him down to OKC to recalibrate physically and mentally. It appears to have helped Lux as he is much more focused at the plate. They should have done that with Bellinger a long time ago.
I hate to think how hapless Bellinger will be attempting to hit quality inside our outside pitches with sore ribs He has been flailing away at those pitches all year. Ribs do not heal in a few days,
I am not saying Bellinger should be given up on for the future but he needs to get a clue on how to make contact. At the end of the day, ya gotta hit (barrel up) the Ball! Continually hitting pop-ups or constantly hitting balls into the shift doesn’t count.
Bellinger was a Quality power hitter for his first 3 seasons. He was over .a 260 average. Now last year does not really count as a full season as they only played 60 games and he was actually pretty good the second half. Had it been a full season he projected to hit close to 30 HR’s and his average would have gotten better as it improved the last 2 months of last year. And he also had shoulder problems this season. I am sure Bellinger has a better handle on what needs to be done and what is being done than any of us fans. The guy has been working his tail off trying to get better. Fans should just shut the hell up and understand that he takes it a lot harder than any of the fans do.
I would like to see any of us do something as complicated as catching up with a close to 100 MPH fastball up with a shoulder that was not yet strong enough. We have no clue how hard that really is. Belli will be himself next season, and probably a lot better with having all winter and a full spring training to work on his new swing and approach. Chill dude. He is doing something none of us ever has.
Tough to defend bear, good first half as a rookie, average 2nd half, ok 2nd season, good first half in his mvp year, average at best 2nd half, less than average last year and what will now be called a Bellinger year ( mendoza less 40 ) . Actually it is unlikely anyone eill achieve this level, as they wouldn’t last the year.
Yes there is a new line the Bellinger line….But he had an MVP Glory Year! But He is a great defender! But!
But he hasn’t been able to hit a quality inside or outside pitch in the last two years. He has probably led the league in pop-ups and hitting into the shift.
Bear we have met and you are a very nice guy. But it’s a business it’s not about compassion. It’s all about performance. you keep giving excuses for poor Belli.
These guys make huge salaries to perform. It’s not about poor Belli and his sore shoulder, broken leg, ribs, etc. He has been hapless and a rally killer against any quality inside pitch or outside slider or curve. IMHO It’s partially the Dodgers fault and partially Bellingers fault. He has been ridiculously ineffective yet he hasn’t changed his approach, the true definition of insanity. If you are at a 150 average dragging the team down and the entire infield shifts to the right why wouldn’t you hit the ball to the left? I played JC we had guys throwing in the very low 90’s no fun. But these guys are paid to do that and have done it in the past. He has failed this year. It doesn’t matter why. The results are what matter. Tell the place you work you are doing your best and not do your job properly. See how long you last. Bellinger needs a mental reset. Lux was able to do it. Apparently, Bellinger is too stubborn or arrogant to do so. Does he have talent? Absolutely! Will he be better next year? Maybe? One thing I have learned in my life is it all depends on a person’s mental agility and outlook. Will he change?
It is not about compassion at all. It is about how the fans look at the game, and then about how the team looks at the player. Bellinger’s 2021 is going to be seen as a lost season no matter what. He has changed his approach and his batting stance in the last 2 weeks. He is now injured again, but I would bet that management and the training staff know a hell of a lot more about his mental state and physical condition than any fan on any blog anywhere. Excuses? Yeah, there are reasons why he is not hitting well. His shoulder has a lot to do with it. And excuse me, JC pitchers might throw in the 90’s, but they are not adding nasty back door sliders and curveballs to the mix along with all the video and data pitchers get before they even face Bellinger. Fans base their knowledge on what they are seeing on the TV screen, but tell me T, has this slump of a year affected Bellinger’s play on defense? No, not one bit. If anything he has gotten some joy out of making big plays and saving runs, which by the way, he is at the top of the list in the majors in doing so. Sorry my friend, neither of us has enough inside information to form a coherent opinion on Bellinger. I think Bellinger has started changing already. He has struck out less with the new stance, and he has made contact more often. Going to left field for a natural pull hitter is a skill that takes time and we are not talking about Brett Butler or Bill Buckner here. You are talking about a 25 year old former MVP who has been hurt for the better part of a year and a half. He has all winter and spring training to work on his faults. Changing that drastically in the middle of a pennant race and in a season where he has missed more than 60 games is just not that easy.
Bear you know more about baseball history than I do or most people. We can agree to disagree. A large proportion of us have had work and perform at that work to feed ourselves or help our families. This young man is making over 16 Million a year. He had a bad year last year with the same pitches. You don’t get to throw out 2020 Bellinger had over 200 at-bats. He has been for whatever reason hapless at the plate this year. He doesn’t get props for starting to incrementally change his stance/approach in late September!
I have listened carefully to guys I respect their knowledge. Nomar has stated all year that Bellinger doesn’t have to swing like he is trying to hit the ball 20 miles. Bellinger hasn’t listened for almost two seasons while he has been making millions and been terrible. We have all met people too stubborn to change. I think that has been Bellinger.
You like Bellinger I think he has incredible potential but is too stubborn or arrogant for his own good. Hopefully, he will change his mental approach. Frankly, I think he is destined to be a little above average for the rest of his career. I hope I am wrong. Yep in JV it is very different. I could not hit breaking balls, had to work and wasn’t athletic enough. But these guys are professionals making millions they need to perform.
A professional who is still a kid. He had shoulder problems last season too. Now, you say he was bad all season, wrong, check the stats. He was horrible in July when the season started. He hit .260, which is close to his career average, in August when he also hit 10 of his 12 homers. He hit .267 in September and October, but the power fell off. He was having shoulder problems then. He was OK in the wild card series with the Brewers, and very good in the NLDS against the Padres hitting .333 with a HR and 5 ribbies and some great work on defense. He did not hit well in either the NLCS or the World Series, but, he hit the game winning HR in game 7 of the NLCS, and managed to hit a crucial HR in the World Series. Over all in the playoffs he had 4 HR’s and 13 RBI’s. Numbers beaten only by Seager. So all of the arguments about how BAD he was last year, well they are BS. Yes, he is making millions after being paid only 625,000 in his MVP year. And the Dodgers made that choice. Not the fans. He probably could have gotten more in arbitration. That is most likely how his salary will be determined for next season. It is easy to criticize someone when you are not walking in their shoes. And your perception of his mental state is simply and assumption. Nomar and Orel, Joe and Monday, they can opine all they want. Fans can guess what is going on, but have NO FRIPPEN CLUE what is actually happening.
Sorry Bear but where were you at 25? Did you have responsibilities, I bet you did! ? At 25 I had an AA degree, been in the Air Force in the Vietnam War got out was working two jobs, and going to school to finish my BS in engineering. Oh and engaged and we were both working and going to school.
Yes!!! He is a KID at 25. That in a nutshell is his problem. My major was engineering my minor was cultural anthropology because I was amazed at different societies and how they developed. No successful culture that I have ever read about allows their offspring to be a KID at 25.
I was married, stationed in Germany and had two kids. But being a kid with those kinds of skills is my point. And baseball is entertainment, it is not a life or death thing like we were faced with. I got electrocuted by my radar at age 24 and I should have died. I did things when I was off duty that were absolutely nuts. We cannot compare our life experiences to a kid who’s dad was a player on a World Championship team, was around baseball with pro players most of his youth, and then suddenly finds stardom and then failure on the biggest stage in the game. He is going to be a father for the first time, fighting serious doubts about his abilities and injuries all at the same time. None of us have a clue about what he is dealing with. And you cannot compare our culture to his. We are kids of the baby boom. Our fathers and mothers went through the great depression and the worst war in history. Had Cody been just a normal kid with normal parents and had this kind of talent, who knows what kind of mindset he would have. But I said the same thing about Puig. He was an adult, but he was not mature in his mind. Bellinger is an adult, but still a kid in many ways. That kind of money allows you to be that way a while longer. No doubt with a child coming, he will be a lot different in the future.
Do not tell me about having to work. I have worked my ass off since I joined the Army at 17. If I had his skills I would have loved to be doing what he does for a living at his age. So he is getting 16 million, So what? Baseball is entertainment my friend, and entertainers, whether deserving or otherwise, make massive amounts of money that we can only dream of. So you expect more of a highly paid athlete. But like movie stars who get millions and still lay a lot of dead eggs, athletes are not perfect, they are human and stuff happens. You think Lindor is worth the massive dollars the Mets forked over to keep him? Sorry, comparing your life or mine to a star athletes salary is a waste of energy and time. There is no comparison.
I know you have worked Bear, I know you were in the Army. That is my point we all have to work, we all have to be responsible. It’s not about whataboutism. Its about a young man taking responsibility for his performance or lack of it. I care about the Dodgers. Watching Bellinger continually not making adjustments and for two seasons popping up, striking out, and hitting into the shift has pissed me off. I am disgusted with him. If he is that injured sit him down! I think he needs something to smack him in the head so he will change. I do not buy he has changed yet. Is he stupid or arrogant? I don’t know maybe both… But if you continue to fail and not change he is certainly one or the other…
There you go with the 2 seasons again. That is pure BS. 60 games and 89 games barely make one. Also you are comparing our upbringing with normal parents to a kid who was immersed in baseball as a child walking in a clubhouse full of superstars. No comparison my friend. Cody had nothing like the child hood I suffered through. I made my own way. I had to get out of a bad situation when I was 17. Had Bellinger had to make those kinds of decisions he might be a totally different person. You became who you are because you had varied interests and passions. I became me out of desperation to get out of the life I was trapped in. I had dreams of playing too, then I transferred those dreams to music and got great satisfaction out of seeing other people enjoy what I am doing. Fans place expectations on players, and when that player fails to meet those expectations, no matter what the reason, they start piling on. I prefer to give Belli the benefit of the doubt that he will improve next season when healthy. I also let the powers that be make the decisions that affect his playing time. They know a lot more than I do. No need bickering back and forth, nothing you can say is going to change how I look at Bellinger and nothing I can say is going to change your opinion of him,.
So we ignore 2020 and his over 200 at-bats? Do we ignore the WS championship too? Does he want a Mulligan on 2020 and 9/10’s of 2021? But he got paid in excess of 20 Million Really?
No, you do not ignore it. But there are reasons behind the performance that have contributed to the fall off this season. The Championship is what it is because all the teams were on the same page. Get real T. He hasn’t played a full season since 2019. He is not even close this year. I am done arguing about this crap.
It’s OK it’s fun to wind you up…They are now platooning him thank god.
I traveled half of my life on the road working at different manufacturing plants all around the world. If I remember right you drove a truck for a while so probably the same gone from home. I would leave a list of things to do around the house for the kids. As they got to be teenagers it was the rule if they could not get something done they needed to send me a note telling me why and what was needed to complete the chore. They were paid for the work.
We were trying to make them understand that the world doesn’t care. If you are tasked with something to do and you accept that task you need to do it or explain why and/or what you need to get it done.
Both the Girls are very accomplished. I think some of that training helped.
So for an answer to you, I do not give a hoot why Bellinger has been terrible for two years. I just am amazed that you do not agree. So at the end of the day, you love Bellinger and think his incredible fielding expertise allows him to bat the new line replacing the Mendoza line the Bellinger line, and it’s OK. I do not… As Gordon says there are a lot of guys bagging groceries that could play centerfield as well and bat higher than the Bellinger line (160) . And we would have to pay him less than 16 Million I’ll bet…
I do not agree simply because the stats for 2020 tell me different. He had one bad month, and even with that .136 start in his first 8 games, he managed to raise his BA over 100 points in the next 48 games. And he hit a very respectable .267 over his last 21 games, and I repeat for you sir, he has played less than a full season over the last 2 years. He was second only to Seager in the power and runs driven in stats during the playoffs. And get over the 16 million thing. That was agreed on while they knew he was coming back from surgery. The only one ignoring the facts here is you. Yes, I agree he is terrible THIS SEASON. But his playing is the teams decision, not the fans. I think Muncy had a worse season than Bellinger last year, and so did Pederson. And neither of them had an injury that can affect your hitting like the shoulder. So, your argument does not hold water. And once again I say comparing normal life experiences to athletes and expecting them to perform them all of the time is unreasonable and warped thinking.
Are ya happy now??? Bellinger just placed on the 10 day IL and Raley activated. Raley in the starting lineup hitting 8th and playing RF. Mookie moves to CF.
Very sad about Jo. RIP
I wonder why they would start Raley and not CT3? I wonder if he isn’t right either.
What a year for injury. It’s been constant. Is that a comment on the trainers, bad luck or is there someone with a voodoo doll in Dodger Blue? Wow and that isn’t counting the Bauer mess.
Taylor has not been hitting for over 2 weeks, and he sat for 4 days. Also he is hitting .235 against the Rockies starter in 17 at bats. Raley is a lefty, so he gets the start.
I could be totally wrong but considering how important these games are I think if Taylor were 100% healthy, he would be starting tonight.
After all, Raley hasn’t exactly distinguished himself at the plate this year. The fact that he’s left handed hasn’t made a difference in any of his other at bats against right handers this year.
And also, you fail to see the point that even with the injuries he is playing through, Roberts and the organization value his defense and occasional contributions what ever they might be to the offense, so you are wasting your time arguing for his benching. They are not going to do it.
Gordon is full of beans if he thinks a lot of guys bagging groceries could even come close to Belli. That is about the most ridiculous statement ever posted anywhere.
Kendall at Tulsa is a potential 5 tool player that can’t make contact. He could replace Bellinger. At least if he gets on he can steal bases…
You have to be joking. Kendall has not come close to reaching his POTENTIAL. He is hitting .201 this season. And for his minor league career he is hitting .214. He couldn’t replace Belli’s jock. Bellinger can steal bases too. Kendall has lost that job to James Outman who is hitting .289 with 9 HR’s and 24 RBI’s. And you cannot compare AA stats to a guy who is in the majors. They have no one at AAA who is that good. Pages who is at single A and has 31 homers seems to be the Belli replacement of the future. He should debut just around the time Bellinger is close to being a free agent. Read your sources better. You are getting some really crappy info.
I know that I was just saying we could use Kendall as he can’t make contact either!!! I was attempting to be funny..
I am a Pages, & Vargas, fan. Vargas was just moved up to Tulsa this year is 3 years younger than the average and won the batting title the kid can hit the ball.
Do you really believe that Bellinger, when healthy, next season , is going to be this bad? Those guys can hit in the minors yeah. But I have seen way too many who could do that fall flat on their faces in the majors. And if Kendall was hitting .201 at A ball, he would be lucky to hit MLB pitching for a .100 average. You are not funny T. I am.
Cmon Bear. It’s funny. Sure Kendall can’t hit so far but he has a great work ethic and is trying very hard. Sound familiar? And he is a great defensive player.
I think in a couple of years Vargas will be a very good MLB player. He has good size has made contact in every league and has great bloodlines as his Father was a star. I am a huge Vargas fan.
Bellinger has a ton of potential. Does he ever come close to his Glory Year? I don’t know. Bellinger has not shown he can adapt with the pitchers & the pitchers continue to adapt against every hitter.
I hope, for the Dodgers sake, Bellinger gets his head out of his lower portion and listens to his hitting coaches and guys like Nomar. It has taken Bellinger 2 years to start to change. When you listen to commentators that have been incredibly successful at hitting, like Nomar, ARod, Big Poppi and I have read a ton of other commentators critique his stance and approach you have to wonder as he has not been successful why he hasn’t changed. If you have a bad shoulder then why are you swinging like that and striking out and popping the ball up so consistently?
Bear you get upset at us questioning Bellinger. You refuse to admit he has now established the Bellinger line in baseball for futility. Sorry Bear the world is all about results no one cares about his sore shoulder, broken leg, broken ribs, etc. If you suit it you need to perform or be criticized for not doing so.
Well bear we’ll never really know because the guys bagging groceries never really got close to the bellinger line. Actually I’ve never heard of anyone hitting 160 in the bigs before. Oh maybe a few pitchers. Lol
Oh yeah, NOT WISE TO POKE A BEAR THIS NEAR HIBERNATION….JUST A WARNING.
Jo Lasorda passed away last night at 91. RIP>
Yes! I am thrilled he is on the DL> he should have been on it most of the year as apparently he has been so badly injured it has affected his swing and mental approach all year.LOL
They do not have a DL anymore sir. It is now called the IL> get ur facts straight. I think impending fatherhood has probably affected his mindset also. And to think the injuries have not affected his swing is to be very narrow minded.
You guys are so much fun. You should have your own site! Relax bear, it’s a game and everyone just taunts you when you get your back up. You’ll all laugh about this next month when the giants are winning the world series.