Pederson Mmmbopps The Dodgers To A Win

Rookie Centerfielder Joc Pederson hit a second inning Grand Slam, his 5th homerun on the season, after being greeted with the walkup music "Mmmbop" by Hanson. A couple of the Dodger veterans hijacked Pederson's typical hip hop walkup music before his at bat. They should substitute teen bop hits of the '90's more often. Jeff Turner hit his second homerun on the season and Pitcher Carlos Frias pitched 5 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball to improve his way to 2-0 on the season.

Flash Comes Through

Dee Gordon came through in the clutch last night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, driving in pinch runner Roger Bernardina with the go ahead run in the bottom of the 8th inning in a 5-2 Dodgers victory. Gordon later scored, along with pinch hitter Jeff Turner, on Hanley Ramirez's Ground Rule Double to provide the final margin. The Dodgers got off to a quick start scoring the first two runs of the game on Adrian Gonzalez's Home Run (20th) and giving him 94 RBI's on the season. Dodgers starter Hyun Jin Ryu tired in the Top of the 7th inning with the Dodgers holding a 2-0 lead and allowed the Giants to tie it at 2. Brian Wilson was the beneficiary of the Dodgers three run outburst and got credit for the win (2-3). Kenley jansen came on and closed the door for his 41st Save. Gordon was the star of the game as he had 3 of the Dodgers 7 hits and scored 2 runs.

They Win And They Lose

Even when the Dodgers win they, somehow manage to lose. The Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals last night 9-1 and during the course of their 6 run second inning, they lost utility man Jeff Turner to a hamstring injury and Hanley Ramirez to a calf injury although on which leg seems to be up for debate. Jeff Turner raised his average to .302 with 21 RBI's playing a variety of positions and has been invaluable since coming to the Dodgers late in Spring Training this year. He is likely headed for the Disabled List and Carlos Triunfel is on his way back to Los Angeles on the Albuquerque shuttle. I think Hanley Ramirez gets hurt stepping onto the field. I wonder if he gets hurt cashing his check? Dee Gordon continued his recent hot streak with 3 more hits raising his average to .297. Juan Uribe drove in a pair and six different Dodgers had RBI's after only scoring 2 runs in the previous two games against the Cardinals, one of those games was a 1-0 victory for the Dodgers. Zach Greinke went 7 innings, giving up 4 hits and one run, and he struck out 10 to improve his record to 10-4 on the season.

Managing Better With Less

I have been calling for Don Mattingly's job now for about a year and I feel I have had justifiable reasons. A bigger payroll than Wal-Mart, a ton of talent, and the best starting pitching in baseball are just a few of the reasons the Dodgers should be running away with the National League West. If I have noticed one thing about Don Mattingly's managerial style over the past couple of years it is that he seems to manage better when he has less talent on the field. When Mattingly has to make the pieces fit and somehow work, it brings out the best and more creative manager in him. The left side of the infield over the course of the past three weeks has been a combination of Jeff Turner, Miguel Rojas, Jamie Romak, and Carlos Triunfel with an occasional guest appearance thrown in by Hanley Ramirez and the Dodgers are 13-6. Outside of Hanley Ramirez,three rookies (I am not sure about Triunfel) and Mets castoff Turner, none of them a household name. Scott Van Slyke and Drew Butera have played key roles off the bench. Mattingly seems to have a better feel as to when to use the lesser players as starters and off the bench rather than roll the superstars out there and watch them play.

The Whiff And Poof Express

I borrowed the title for this blog from an old BC comic strip. The manager of their baseball team was asked to describe his lineup a la the "Murderer's Row" lineup of the 1927 New York Yankees. The manager referred to his lineup as the "Whiff And Poof Express" because of their hitting futility. I realize that the Dodgers are missing some key parts to their lineup but they only had 6 hits in last nights 2-0 win over the Kansas City Royals. Jeff Turner led off the game with a triple (he's batting leadoff?) and was eventually driven in by Adrian Gonzalez. The Dodgers scored their only other run in the top of the Ninth inning when pinch hitter Andre Ethier drove in Adrian Gonzalez with a single for the final margin of 2-0. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw was not at his most dominant but he did stretch his scoreless streak to 21 innings by pitching 8 innings last night, striking out 8, walking 1, and giving up 6 hits. He improved his record to 8-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.24. Kenley Jansen pitched the Ninth inning for his 23rd Save.

Not A Happy Homecoming

Zach Greinke returned to his old stomping grounds in Kansas City last night and it did not go so well for Greinke and the Dodgers. Greinke was the losing pitcher in the 5-3 Royals win and he did not have one of his better efforts. He gave up all five Kansas City runs in 5 1/3 innings on 11 hits. He fell to 9-4 on the season. Hanley Ramirez drove in two runs from the Designated Hitter position and Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo homerun, his 13th, in the 9th inning and that was the Dodgers offense. The Dodgers played the game with a patchwork left side of the infield with a combination of Rookie Miguel Rojas and Jeff Turner at Third Base and Carlos Triunfel and Miguel Rojas at Shortstop. Triunfel played parts of 2012 and 2013 with the Seattle Mariners before being picked up by the Dodgers off waivers earlier this season for organizational depth. Triunfel is now Major League depth. He did hit his first career homerun last week.

The Bats Wake Up

The Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates last night 12-2 as Hanley Ramirez hit two homeruns and drove in five and a trio of players- Matt Kemp, Jeff Turner, and Drew Butera- drive in two runs a piece. Hyun Jin-Ryu improved his record to 6-2 as he scattered ten hits (can you really scatter ten hits?) and gave up both Pittsburgh runs. Jamey Wright pitched three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the year. The Dodgers are still hovering around the .500 mark and Hanley Ramirez carried the team when they got hot last year and I am hoping a five RBI night will jump start him to another hot streak. Matt Kemp needs to get off the schneid as well or he might be playing himself right out of Los Angeles.

Josh Beckett Joins An Exclusive Club

Josh Beckett threw the first Dodgers no-hitter in 18 years yesterday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies. Hideo Nomo was the last Dodger to throw one in 1996 against the Colorado Rockies. It was also the first no-hitter in the Majors this year. Beckett threw 128 pitches, struck out 6 and walked 3. 128 pitches is a high pitch count but if I was Manager Don Mattingly I wouldn't have taken him out, either. Beckett had a chance to make history and he struck out Chase Utley to finish it off. Beckett improved to 3-1 on the season and improved his ERA to 2.43. The Dodgers were led on offense by Adrian Gonzalez who went 3-4 with 2 RBI's, Juan Uribe's replacement at 3rd Base, Jeff Turner went 2-4 and hit his 2nd Homerun, and recent call up, Shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena went 2-4 with an RBI. Yasiel Puig continued his recent tear with 2 hits and he raised his batting average to .349. The Dodgers took 2 out of 3 from the Phillies, shutting them out twice in the process.

Josh Beckett was probably the least likely of the Dodgers starters to throw a no-hitter, his first, as he is 34 years old and is not the fireballer he was when he won the World Series MVP with the Florida Marlins in 2005. He also underwent a procedure last year to fix a nerve problem in his arm that shut him down for the majority of the 2013 season. No-hitters often involve good pitching, great defense, and a whole lot of luck. Beckett didn't even need the great defense or the luck.