Sons of Steve Garvey

9.9: Walker Buehler vs. Kyle Hendricks
9.10: TBD vs. Shota Imanaga
9.11: TBD vs. Jordan Wicks
all games 7p first pitch

Former Dodger Cody Bellinger returns to Dodger Stadium again, as a revived hitter; he's batting .263 with a .744 OPS (108 OPS+), and would be better than his +1.5 bWAR if not for his injuries this year. Still, some believe Matt Chapman, who recently extended his deal with the Giants, would have been a better fit at Wrigley Field. Chapman has a far superior WAR this season (+6.5), but the Giants aren't vying for a 2024 postseason spot, either.

It's going to be hot as Hades Monday at the Stadium, but I'll be there to cheer on the Dodgers. This is a big start for Walker Buehler tonight, given how our starting rotation is in shambles (save Jack Flaherty, who dominated the Guardians Sunday in a 4-0 victory). Crossing fingers for Buehler!

photo: Michael Layton / Getty Images

Fri 4.5 11.20a: Bobby Miller vs. Kyle Hendricks
Sat 4.6 1p: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Jordan Wicks
Sun 4.7 11.20a: Gavin Stone vs. Shota Imanaga

The Cubs may have already lost ace Jordan Steele to injury, but they've still got some formidable arms, including Sunday starter Imanaga, aka "the Throwing Philosopher", who struck out nine in his MLB debut on April 1.

Of course, we've got our own Japanese superstar pitcher (who starts on Saturday), who has had mixed results in his two outings to date.

And it's another reunion with Cody Bellinger, who is back with the Cubs after signing a three-year, $80M deal with annual opt-outs. I liked Bellinger pre-shoulder injury, and though I was happy to see him return to form last year after two miserable post-WS years with the Dodgers, we've got plenty of ~.200 batters at the bottom of our current lineup with which to deal already (James Outman, Gavin Lux, Kike Hernandez, Chris Taylor--not to mention Jason Heyward, who is on the 10-day IL).

And look at that, we've got three of those awful hitters (Outman .120 BA / .387 OPS; Taylor .091 / .424; Lux .200 / .499) in the 7-8-9 spots for Friday's game! Surely at least one of those guys has to break out, right?

Thanks, Pete Donovan of USA Today, for pointing out how former Dodgers have been faring on other teams this season:

5 Former Dodgers and how they are faring this year:
Justin Turner (Red Sox): Hitting .284 with 2 home runs.
Cody Bellinger (Cubs): After hitting .165 and .210 in his last two years in Los Angeles, he’s bounced back nicely and is hitting .300 with the Cubs – and has three homers against his former teammates.
Corey Seager (Rangers): Hit .359 in first 11 games of season before going on the injured list with a hamstring strain.
Trea Turner (Phillies): Solid, but not spectacular; hitting .293 with only seven RBIs.
Kenley Jansen (Red Sox): Has not given up a run in seven games with five saves.

It's all in how you look at the data, right? Over at third base, I do miss JT but Muncy's revival (and MLB-leading 11 HR this year) is certainly helping me move on. Cody Bellinger had three HR against us across seven games, but James Outman's .316 BA is ahead of Bellinger, and Outmans' 193 OPS+ is also ahead of Bellinger's 154 OPS+.

It has been a while since we've seen Corey Seager at shortshop in Dodger Blue, but let's hope he gets well soon. But speaking of shortstop, Trea Turner's .293 with seven RBIs still eclipses Miguel Rojas' .125 BA and ZERO RBI this year. Maybe with Mookie slotting over at shortstop, we'll finally get some production from that spot...but I do miss having a real shortstop in the lineup.

And good for Kenley Jansen, who also led the league with 41 saves last year in Atlanta. Our bullpen is still patchwork and hardly revered, but $16M is a lot of money for a last-place Boston team's closer.

And no mention of Kiké Hernandez, and his .220 BA (84 OPS+) starting for Boston every day at shortstop? Or Joc Pederson, batting .250 in 13 games with the Giants? Or Alex Wood, off to a good start with San Francisco and a 1.50 ERA, but sidelined to injury?

It's a mixed bag, to be sure.

Credit ESPN for some spicy takes, but man, this one is pretty bold:

Cody Bellinger will be a 5-WAR player for the Dodgers.

Alden Gonzalez: I don't know if we'll ever again see the Cody Bellinger who terrorized pitchers through the first half of the 2019 season, but I also don't know that we need to. Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP and amazingly one of the worst hitters in the sport in 2021, will settle into who he is this year -- a high-impact player who will at times look dominant and at times, perhaps briefly, look lost. Sunday's two-homer, two-strikeout afternoon offered a perfect snapshot. Through his first 15 games, Bellinger had four home runs, three stolen bases and a .915 OPS, but also 20 strikeouts in 60 at-bats. He brings elite power and speed, not to mention strong defense at a premium position, but he also strikes out a lot. The Dodgers will take that.

Why it's mild: We get it, Bellinger was really bad last season. But he also has an NL MVP Award and is 26 years old. Combine that with the fact that Bellinger is off to exactly the start the Dodgers were hoping he would have, as you mentioned. With that in mind, we're just not sure how much heat predicting Belli becomes Belli again actually carries.

Just as context, in last year's campaign, Max Muncy led the Dodgers with a 4.9 WAR (Mookie Betts was 4.2; Corey Seager was 3.7). Walker Buehler had a 6.6 WAR to lead pitchers, but Bellinger isn't compared against pitchers.

In the World Series championship 2020 season, Betts led the Dodgers with a 3.6 WAR. I suppose that number would be a lot higher spread over a 162-game season, but that would assume Betts' pace could be maintained that long.

In 2017, Justin Turner had a 5.6 WAR and Seager had a 5.3 WAR. Bellinger was a 3.9 WAR.

To be fair, Bellinger had a 8.6 WAR in 2019, his MVP year. Could he get to 5 WAR in 2022? Seems a little bold.

Oh, and old friend Manny Machado leads the majors in WAR as of today, with a 1.7.

photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press

Your NL Player of the Week, @Cody_Bellinger! pic.twitter.com/F1SouKO8cw

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 25, 2022

Congratulations, Cody! Boy, I wasn't counting on your bat this year, certainly after last year's debacle and this year's spring training. Really hoping that this is a great sign of things to come in 2022!

(Cody did go 0-for-4 tonight in Arizona, but I'm still staying positive.)

DODGERS 10, PADRES 2

The Dodgers slammed the Padres today early and often, cruising to a 10-2 victory off the back of two Cody Bellinger homers that amassed 4 RBI between them. The Dodgers scored 18 runs in the weekend series @ Petco Park, versus the Padres' six runs. True, the Padres stole a victory on Saturday in extras, 3-2. But a series victory is still a series victory, especially on the road (though there were many Dodgers fans in attendance for all three games, which was cool to see and hear). And the Dodgers' run differential of +44 is higher than any other team in the majors, including the Giants, who are only in the mix because of Gabe Kapler's unsportsmanlike penchant for running up the score.

But enough about teams who didn't advance in the 2021 NLDS.

This Post-Game Thread is about the Dodgers, whose dominance today was again very well rounded. Freddie Freeman added a two-run HR of his own in the third. Mookie Betts went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, and Chris Taylor all had RBI. And even Hanser Alberto got a hit.

The Dodgers didn't violate any unwritten rules, either. Clayton Kershaw started and went the minimum five innings (third win of the season), and his three Ks today put him three strikeouts away from tying Don Sutton for the Dodgers franchise lead in strikeouts. The Dodgers trotted a number of relievers out there including Reyes "Good Times" Moronta and newly-recalled Garrett Cleavinger, and only Justin Bruihl yielded an earned run. And the Dodgers gave Edwin Rios and Zach McKinstry some playing time in the seventh inning, with the Dodgers nursing a 10-1 lead which had the game way out of reach.

Because that's the way you play the game.

Cody Bellinger is batting .273 this season with a .915 OPS, second only to Freeman. This is not what I expected from Bellinger. What a pleasant surprise.

No rest for the weary; the Dodgers take their MLB-leading record to Arizona for three games.

DODGERS 5, BRAVES 1

Tony Gonsolin has been the Dodgers' weakest starter this year, lasting only three innings in his first start, and then four innings in the second start--both of which needed to be backed up by Tyler Anderson in long relief. Today, coming off the news that Anderson would be slotted for Saturday's game, filling in for an injured Andrew Heaney, Catman got serious and got to work.

Gonsolin punished the Braves' bats today, giving up no hits through his first five innings, yielding a solitary hit to Manny Pina in the sixth inning. What's more, Gonsolin's six frames took only 83 pitches, which is more than any of his first two outings, but not too many more. With 3 BB and 3 Ks on the day, Gonsolin's ERA now sits at 0.69 across 13 innings of work.

And then there's that Freddie Freeman guy. His hugs and tears with former teammates grabbed the spotlight for the series opener on Monday. And Kenley Jansen, who also got commemorative gifts on Monday from his former team, got some of the focus on Tuesday when he earned the ninth-inning save over the Dodgers.

But on Wednesday, it was back to Freeman, who hit his second HR of the year (and the series). Traditional angle:

And check out this alternative angle cut:

Plus, Cody Bellinger is slowly coming back from the dead! Maybe. He's slowly worked his average back to .279, including a RBI triple as well as his third double of the year, both off of salty Braves starter Charlie Morton. Bellinger seems to have stopped overswinging with the whole corkscrew stance, and the results seem pretty smooth:

On the downside, Max Muncy is still languishing at .128 and Mookie Betts is at .178. But if Bellinger can pick up the pace, we can afford to be more patient with both of them.

All in all, a great 6-1 homestand, the Dodgers' first homestand of the year. I was happy to get to one game this homestand. Can't wait for the next visit to the Stadium!

DODGERS 7, TWINS 0

One night after a rain-delayed 7-2 victory that was nip and tuck until a six-run top of the eighth inning, the Dodgers sent their #5 starter to the mound against a tableau where no other starting pitcher had lasted more than five innings all season.

Except this #5 starter was Clayton Kershaw.

And these were the Minnesota Twins. Without Carlos Correa in the lineup, as Correa was busy scheming other ways to cheat (and, dealing with a hangnail issue).

Clayton Kershaw was incredible. pic.twitter.com/eODbAeRgOa

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 13, 2022

Kershaw dealt 13 Ks over seven frames and was pulled after only 80 pitches, withthe Dodgers nursing a 6-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth.

Fans are pissed off thst Kershaw was pulled, and I get it. But Kershaw himself said on the post-game show that it was the right decision and his slider had lost its bite the last two innings. Not to mention, he isn't stretched out given the lockout, and it was 38 degrees out there today. I am cool with the decision.

We had 5 LOB through two frames and had notched three runs, but the middle frames were scoreless, before we opened up the eighth inning with consecutive HR from Cody Bellinger (whaaaaaaat?), Gavin Lux, and Austin Barnes, the latter of whom regained his lead atop the Dodgers 2022 HR board (with two).

Dereck Rodriguez was the victim of these three HR, two of which (Bellinger's and Lux's) ended up in the same spot, in deep right-center. It was a pretty cool show of offense from a team that hasn't had many outbursts yet this year, certainly not vs. expectations. And Max Muncy added a solo shot in the ninth to raise his average to .118.

Really good to see Muncy and Bellinger get good swings on the ball, for one of the few times this year. As it is, Muncy and Will Smith are the only starters below .200 so far this year. Chris Taylor went 0-for-5 with 2 Ks (Lux had 3Ks today), and dropped his average to .313.

Alex Vesia relieved Kershaw for the seventh and gave up a one-out single, but that was the only hit the Twins had in the shutout loss (Justin Bruihl had a scoreless ninth).

But the story today was clearly Clayton Kershaw, who now has as many Ks as our other four starters, combined (Walker Buehler and Andrew Heaney with five each; Tony Gonsolin with 3; Julio Urias with a goose egg). Dodgers come back to home for four with the Reds and then three with Kenley Jansen's Braves. Good to be back above .500, though we're still third in the division and one game out of first pending tonight's results.

DODGERS 6, BRAVES 5

The @Dodgers had just a 6% chance to win after the bottom of the 7th, then @Cody_Bellinger struck. pic.twitter.com/p7dFHFjIZr

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 20, 2021

In the eighth inning of 2021 NLCS Game 3, the Dodgers' season looked to be over. But battling back from a 6% chance of winning to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat was absolutely amazing, and one of the most incredible Dodger games I have ever attended.

The reports are right on target: I have never heard the Stadium so loud, which was probably more stunning because the Stadium wasn't full. But what made the noise so astonishing was that the deafening roar arose from a quiet (albeit largely still packed) audience with such ferocity, it was like the din of the fighter jets doing the flyover during the pre-game ceremony. ShakaBOOOOOOOM!

The Dodgers started NLCS Game 3 with another two-run Corey Seager HR in the first before an out was registered, just like we did in NLCS Game 2. And once again, the Dodgers gave up the lead later on in the game, despite having a Braves starting pitcher on the ropes and struggling, letting him off the hook with poor ABs and LOBs. When Walker Buehler faltered in the fourth, the Dodgers' offense looked exhausted, striking out and grounding out like old men (including the high-leverage Albert Pujols PH that resulted in a weak strikeout).

But then came the bottom of the eighth, and although Cody Bellinger's three-run HR made the stadium absolutely erupt, and Mookie Betts' double gave the Dodgers the lead--it was a full inning of unlikely events. And it happened SO FAST, like a tsunami. And with ABs that belied how poorly we attacked the Braves pitchers earlier in the game. Will Smith didn't muscle a ball, instead poking it up the right field line for a single. Justin Turner weakly popped out to second, which is a continued concern. But AJ Pollock worked a two-strike single up the middle, setting the stage for Bellinger's heroics.

Bellinger was down 1-2 in that AB, and the first strike was awful (brought to his knees, as the corkscrew was way off) and the second strike wasn't much better (totally mis-timed). So for him to get that home run ball, on a fastball so high up in the strike zone that there was no logical explanation of how this could have possibly been hit for a home run, was insanity. Any normal batter would have whiffed; not to mention, a guy batting .165 all year, who couldn't catch up to fastballs in the entire month of September.

The Braves were stunned. The place was going crazy. Frankly, I was just shocked that we had tied the score at all. But the fun wasn't over just yet. Chris Taylor singled over a leaping Dansby Swanson at short, and then stole second base while Matt Beaty was in his pinch-hitting AB. Beaty grounded to second in what many reports are calling a "sure double-play ball had Taylor been on first"--which is true--but I think Beaty deliberately poked it there to advance the runner in case it was fielded (which it was). I looked at that one as a smart Beaty AB.

And then, Mookie. Mookie, Mookie, Mookie. Mr. Clutch, a two-out double to right fielder Joc Pederson, to take the lead. Talk about ice in the veins.

The Dodgers then loaded the bases to bat all the way around in the order, but Will Smith popped to second to end the threat and fail to add on any insurance runs. Kenley Jansen then came in for the ninth (the inning he is supposed to be able to pitch, by the way), and struck out the 4, 5, and 6 batters in the Braves lineup, including the dangerous Austin Riley and Pederson (batting .364), to win the game.

And as much debated as Dave Roberts' pitching choices were in NLCS Game 2 (even I couldn't understand the use of Urias for the eighth inning, which doomed us), let's take stock that Dave Roberts' crazy pitching choices in NLCS Game 3 kept us in the game. Taking out Buehler when he was losing his cool, and command, in the fourth. Alex Vesia to close ou tthat inning. Pulling Corey Knebel when he got into trouble, allowing only one run to score. Introducing Justin Bruihl to the series at the right time. Calling on Mariachi Joe Kelly to strike out the dangerous Ozzie Albies with two on and two out. Bringing in Evan Phillips for five key outs in the seventh and eight. And then switching to Tony Gonsolin to again thwart Albies (who ended up 1-for-5 but is still batting .308 for the postseason).

My only worry is that we've let Freddie Freeman (3-for-4 with a walk) find his stroke again. But having Austin Riley go 0-for-4 with a walk is an amazing feat for this series.

I will try and post more about the at-game experience later. There was so much more: the mariachi band in the right field bleachers, complete with a cardboard cutout of Joe Kelly (and a hilarious cut to him in the bullpen, mid-game) was hysterical; and it was so fun to have them liven up the crowd during the game. Watching the game while still avoiding alcohol (given my vow to the baseball gods after NLDS Game 3). But for now, all I can say is, I am so glad to have been there. And to have stuck it out to the end (even with the hour-long wait to get out of the parking lot!).

UPDATE: I also found this animation to be hilarious.

#MLBFieldVision -- Cody Bellinger's game-tying home run trot pic.twitter.com/Rss5FHmBfd

— David Adler (@_dadler) October 20, 2021

Knebel vs. Fried, 5p

No rast for the weary. The Dodgers hopped on a plane Thursday for Atlanta, assembling a lineup without Clayton Kershaw (expected), Max Muncy (hoped for, but understandable), Billy McKinney (interesting), and David Price (a little surprising). In their places, pitchers Justin Bruihl and Evan Phillips join 11 other arms and 13 position players.

And as called a couple of hours ago, NLDS Game 5 starter Corey Knebel will again start a postseason game for the Dodgers, taking the mound in NLCS Game 1 vs. Harvard-Westlake alum Max Fried. I agree with the decision to not let Max Scherzer, who earned a one-inning save in NLDS Game 5, start Game 1 on another short respite, right after a six-hour flight.

But sending out Knebel again to start (even if it's only an inning, before Tony Gonsolin likely takes the mound) seems to be playing some risky games with the baseball gods. In Doc we trust.

The Braves may have only won 88 games this season, but they're playing hot, writes Mike Digiovanna of the LAT. And of course, by virtue of the Dodgers not winning the NL West, the Braves (who won the NL East) wield home field advantage. The Braves beat the crap out of Milwaukee in their NLDS. So this isn't going to be easy, by any means.

Oh crap, I'm nervous again! Guess I'd better watch something to calm the nerves...wait a minute, how about some other Bellinger heroics (albeit also, a Bellinger celebration injury that lingered into 2021...)

LET'S GO, DODGERS!!!

photo: Harry How, Getty Images

DODGERS 2, GIANTS 1

In one of the most tense Dodgers playoff games I have ever watched, the Dodgers overcame the ghosts of Giants playoff games past, winning 2021 NLDS Game 5 in its final inning. The game's box score looked identical for the Giants and Dodgers through the first eight innings, with each team showing one run on six hits, and both runs coming in the sixth inning (Dodgers, off a Mookie Betts single and stolen base, scoring on a Corey Seager RBI double; Giants, on a solo home run to deep center by Darren Ruf).

Justin Turner was batting 0-for-3 with a walk in this game, capping an uncharacteristically anemic .083 batting average this postseason. But when Camilo Doval hit Justin Turner in the top of the ninth with one out, that opened up a sliver of hope for the Dodgers that seemed to elude them all game (the Dodgers ended the game 2-for-10 with RISP, and 7 LOB). Gavin Lux worked a great AB for a solid single to right, his first hit of the game (despite great at bats all game long). JT advances to second. And then, the light-hitting Cody Bellinger scorched an RBI single right through the shift to have the Dodgers take the lead:

Bellinger was the hero. Bellinger, after a trying season full of injuries and disappointing ABs. I was very worried by his plate appearance here in the ninth (I thought he was going to GIDP), and I was very proud to be proven wrong by his GWRBI. Way to go, Cody!

The bottom of the ninth wasn't a cakewalk, though. Dave Roberts' insane pitching choices this game, starting out with Corey Knebel for the first inning; Brusdar Graterol for the second; and Julio Urias for the third-through-sixth frames, seemed to leave us high and dry after using Blake Treinen and Kenley Jansen one inning earlier than normal. As the LAT's Dylan Hernandez pointed out, the unusual starter decision drove Giants manager Gabe Kapler to burn left-handed batters Tommy La Stella and Mike Yastrzemski early, making them unable to pinch-hit later. Who knows, it might have gotten the Giants spinning, spending energy trying to react to the unconventional move.

As an aside, I've learned to have trust in Doc Roberts' calls. The decision to start Knebel "went all the way to the tippy-top of the organization," Roberts said (the LAT also reported that Roberts told Kapler abou the Knebele decison at 10pm on Wednesday night, though the news didn't break to the public until aroudn 12 hours later). That said, the decision to have Chris Taylor bunt in the top of the ninth, with one out and men at the corners, was ridiculous. Taylor was stroking the ball well, a squeeze play at the plate was unnecesary, and Taylor popped his bunt up for an out anyway. That ended up leaving the score at 2-1 LA, at a time when a third run really seemend necessary to win this one.

Max Scherzer came in to pitch the ninth and line up for his first career save. But should this game go to extras, it wasn't clear what arms might be left to utilize.

Scherzer got Brandon Crawford to fly out to Chris Taylor in left field. Then Kris Bryant reached on an error by Justin Turner, which was bone-chilling. Winning run now comes to the plate. You sort of got the sense that one more mistake from Scherzer--in an unfamiliar position--would cost the Dodgers the game. Giants manager Gabe Kapler threw in "Late Night" LaMonte Wade to pinch hit, and he Kd looking on a beautiful pitch to the outside high corner, ending a very tense AB. And then, controversy struck, when Wilmer Flores struck out on a close call check swing that was called a game- and series-ending strike. And I mean, a very close call:

Giants fans are understandably angry; that's a shitty way to lose a game. However, so was losing on July 22, when a check swing that should have been called strike 3 was mis-called as ball 4, leading to Kenley Jansen walking in the tying run, in an eventual 5-3 loss to the Giants.

Poetic Justice. #CheckedSwingKarma pic.twitter.com/32OBLUUVR4

— Eric Vrsalovich (@EVrsalovich) October 15, 2021

Kapler, in his post-game conference, was disappointed by the call but reiterated "that was not the sole reason we lost that game." Gotta hand it to Kapler for that poise and professionalism in the wake of that loss.

Maybe this is the baseball gods restoring order. I was at that July 22 Giants @ Dodgers game, and yes, it hurt--even in a game much less meaningful than this one. But given that game would have had the Dodgers win the season series with the Giants (and the division), meaning NLDS Game 5 would be in Los Angeles,... perhaps it's karma. Or payback for The New York Giants stealing signs in 1951.

Baseball karma.

----------

Okay so by this point you are probably asking how SoSG Sax could have been the hero, when all he did was watch the game 300 miles away on television, pacing a groove in the floor just like every other Dodgers fan during that tense Game 5 matchup?

I went to NLDS Game 3. And I was fortunate enough to go in a suite, which gives access to not only great views, but food and beverages. And oh, there were a lot of beverages. I got to Game 3 very early, giving me a chance to have many of the beers in the refrigerator during the course of the game (always drinking responsibly, of course). Scherzer was on the mound against Alex Wood. The Dodgers, tied 1-1 in the series with two games at home, looked poised to win Game 3.

But unfortunately, that was the blustery and cold night that the Dodgers lost, when winds knocked down shots from Chris Taylor and Gavin Lux short of the wall that Evan Longoria was lucky enough to crest, in the Giants' 1-0 victory.

Mind you, this was my third visit to that suite this year. And all three times, the Dodgers had lost.

I was going back to that same suite for NLDS Game 4. And now, I was very worried. Was it my presence in that area that was dragging the Dodgers down? I even considered not going to the game at all, but that seemed extreme.

So late the night of Game 3, I made a vow: I would not drink any alcohol as long as the Dodgers were playing in the 2021 postseason.

Please note, this is a HUGE sacrifice to the baseball gods. I can't remember the last time I was at a baseball game and not drinking a beer, but I am guessing I was underage at the time. Having a beer at a baseball game is one of my passions, coupled with two of my favorite things in the world: baseball, and beer. Maybe not in that order.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, though. So I went to the game. The Dodgers romped to a 7-2 victory. And while friends and acquaintances cheered and clinked cans of Stella Artois and Modelo, I drank Aha flavored seltzer water and Dasani.

One thing I did notice was that I need to fidget while watching a game. So I ate a lot of chips and popcorn. Guess that's why I'm sipping a lot of beer during a game, normally.

But I also noticed, it wasn't tooooooo bad to be dry while watching the Dodgers. I could do this. I think.

So, bolstered by the Dodgers' win in Game 4, I have remained alcohol-free. Including through the off-day. Including through all of NLDS Game 5.

And it worked.

I also wore the same "World Series LA" hat (from 2017) which brought the Dodgers luck in Game 4. Same Dodgers socks as in Game 4, as well. And I wore a different Dodgers t-shirt during most of the game. After the seventh inning, with the score tied 1-1, I wanted to switch to the "World Series Champs" t-shirt (also what I wore Game 4), but Ms. Sax, sitting beside me on the sofa, warned me it was too early. So I waited. Then in the ninth inning, she signalled for the t-shirt change from the bullpen. And THAT move worked, too!

Crazy.

So here we go, on to the NLCS with Game 1 in Atlanta. I'll be poised and ready, as I'm sure the Dodgers will be as well. But I won't have drink in hand!

GO DODGERS!

DODGERS 9, GIANTS 2

The line favored the Dodgers in this NLDS Game 2, but I didn't believe it. Not after getting shut down by Logan Webb in Game 1, where we went scoreless in the 4-0 defeat. It reminded me that, with the exception of a solo shot by Justin Turner and a game-winning walkoff HR by Chris Taylor, the Dodgers hadn't had much of an offensive show for this 2021 postseason.

Many Dodgers were to blame for this power outage, but none received more criticism than Cody Bellinger, who struggled through multiple injuries and could never get that corkscrew swing to be back into place this season. He looked thoroughly lost all year, especially on the high fastballs in which he was inevitably late. But in Game 2, with the Dodgers nursing a tight 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning and one out, Bellinger met Giants reliever Dominic Leone and came through:

AJ Pollock followed Bellinger with another two-run-scoring double down the left field line. Pollock had also been maligned for his poor postseason performance as a Dodger (though unlike Bellinger, Pollock almost hit .300 this year during the regular season). Suddenly, it's 6-1 LA in the sixth, and the pressure was lifted.

But that wasn't all. In the eighth inning, Will Smith hit a first-pitch solo shot off of Zack Littell for a 7-2 lead.. After a Chris Taylor single, a Bellinger K, and a AJ Pollock single, Dodgers bench reserve Matt Beaty had an RBI single to left.

I couldn't be more happy for Beaty, who was the one Dodgers player not to get any appearances in the 2020 World Series. He wasn't great in Game 1 starting in place of the injured Max Muncy at first, but it was great to see him contribute here in a pinch (he replaced Corey Knebel). When Corey Seager added a two-out single to score Pollock and make the score 9-2, it was more than over.

Of course, the Dodgers were only in this spot thanks to Julio Urias' five innings of three-hit, 5 K ball that yielded only one run despite a couple of jams and leadoff Giants on the basepaths. The Giants ended up 1-for-8 with RISP; the Dodgers were 6-for-15. Urias also stroked a RBI single in the second inning to help the cause and open up a 2-0 lead early.

Also of note: Although Joe Kelly gave up a run in the sixth inning (and Alex Vesia gave up a run in Game 1), our bullpen has still been pretty strong in these two games. The Dodgers got to both Leone and Littell for multiple runs on Saturday. Both the Dodgers and Giants have strong bullpens. I hope this is a portent of things to come for this series.

Meanwhile, Kenley Jansen and Blake Treinen have yet to make an appearance in the NLDS.

Mookie Betts also had a momentum-saving pirouette move in right field on an RBI single by Brandon Crawford. When Wilmer Flores tried to stretch from first to third on the same play, Mookie gunned his butt out at third by a sweet throw to Justin Turner:

Flores nailed. Rally over. Good prevails over evil in Game 2.

Now we're back to Los Angeles for two home games. I'm feeling a lot better now that it's a best-of-three series with two games at home; some of the sleeping bats woke up in a tense affair on enemy territory; and we've got Max Scherzer going on Monday.

Clench up, Dodgers fans.

screenshot stolen from Spectrum SportsNet last night

Last night, en route to a 14-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, the Dodgers mashed out 11 runs in the first inning. It was the most runs scored in an inning since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Cody Bellinger finally broke out of his return-to-the-majors somnabulation and crushed a one-inning franchise record 6 RBI.

🚨 BELLI SLAM 🚨

It's an 11(!!!)-run first for LA. pic.twitter.com/dgdawSLM11

— MLB (@MLB) June 3, 2021

Here's a recap of the whole bottom of the first:

In fact, it reminded me a lot of the last 11-runs-in-one inning outburst by the Dodgers, which came in the 2020 NLCS vs. the Braves:

More important than winning the series with the Cards and moving 1.5 GB the divisional lead, this game showed that the Dodgers' offense might actually be back. We can't depend on Max Muncy, Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, and a recent coming of age from Gavin Lux. If we can get Bellinger healthy, Mookie Betts back to a prolific leadoff hitter...who knows how we might look when Corey Seager comes back from the broken hand, around the All-Star break.

But for now, let's celebrate the bottom of the first inning, batter by batter:

• Mookie Betts hits a ground-rule double (17) on a fly ball down the right-field line.
• Max Muncy walks.
• Justin Turner singles on a sharp ground ball to left. Betts scores, Muncy to third, Turner to second. Throwing error by left fielder Tyler O'Neill. LA 1, STL 1
• Cody Bellinger singles on a sharp line drive to right. Muncy, Turner score. LA 3, STL 1
• Chris Taylor walks, Bellinger to second.
• Gavin Lux singles on a sharp fly ball to center. Bellinger scores. Taylor to third, Lux to second. Throwing error by shortstop Edmundo Sosa. LA 4, STL 1
• Zach McKinstry singles on sharp ground ball to right. Taylor, Lux score. LA 6, STL 1
• McKinstry steals (1) second.
• Austin Barnes walks. This is eight straight batters without an out recorded.
• Walker Buehler strikes out on a foul bunt. One out.
• Betts singles on a line drive to left. McKinstry scores, Barnes to second. LA 7, STL 1
• Muncy flies out to right. Two out.
• Turner walks. Barnes to third, Betts to second.
• Jake Woodford replaces pitcher Carlos Martinez.
• Bellinger hits a grand slam (1) to right-center. Barnes, Betts, Turner also score. LA 11, STL 1
• Taylor lines out sharply to short. Three out.

Wow, what an inning. Between this, and Chris Taylor's 14-pitch AB in Monday's game (below--people, this AB takes over nine minutes!!!), this series might have the turning point for the Dodgers' season. We're in third place in the division, but with the third-best record in the NL (and fifth-best in MLB). Let's GOOOOOOO!

When the Dodgers won the World Series in 1988, I was but a boy with hopes and dreams. 32 years later, that boy is older and heavier, his hopes and dreams having become wishes and adjusted expectations.

32 years is enough time to get an education and a job and realize how different they are from experience and a career. It's enough time to start a family, who will learn to tolerate your irrational Dodgers fandom.

Is it the Cubs' 108 years? Of course not. Is it still a fucking long time? Yes it is.

It's also enough time to figure out winning the World Series takes talent, discipline...and some je ne sais quoi.

Talent: The Dodgers were always rich enough to afford it (and sometimes stupid enough to give it away).

Discipline: Levels of hard work and common sense seemed to vary with the revolving door of managers that followed Tommy Lasorda's 20-year tenure, as well as the whims of whoever was keeping the GM chair warm (Kevin Malone? DePo?).

Intangibles: We never seemed to possess the inevitability of the Yankees, the devil magic of the Cardinals and Giants, the scrappiness (later entitlement) of the Red Sox. We endured 31 years of postseason drought and disappointment, never even getting within a victory of reaching the World Series. The Astros' cheating scandal of 2017 and the Red Sox cheating in 2018 were just the cherries on top of the cowpie.

So what changed? It was as slow as turning a battleship, but here's the summary:

1. Fuck off, Fox.
2. Go to hell, Frank & Jamie.
3. Hello, Guggenbros and Andrew Friedman (assist: Ned Colletti).

The result? A steady stream of talent (not just the occasional Manny Ramirez-esque splurge) resulting in 8 straight division titles. An organizational philosophy of discipline. Remember how frustrating the swing-for-the-fences approach was just a few years ago? Then this year, cavernous Globe Life Field became our "home" park and talk started about how the Dodgers' homer-happy approach could fall flat there.

Globe Death Field

— Sons of Steve Garvey (@sosgsosg) October 7, 2020

Instead the Dodgers made adjustments and nailed the balance of situational hitting and bashing dingers. Discipline! Lots of credit to hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc for that.

And the intangibles! Finally luck was a lady, the cookie didn't crumble, the ball bounced our way:

NLDS Game 1. 5th inning: Padres 1, Dodgers 0. Dodger-killer Jake Cronenworth makes a throwing error, allowing us to tie the score. We score 4 runs the next inning.

Something about that 5th inning pic.twitter.com/Bp7xCo6Bgh

— Sons of Steve Garvey (@sosgsosg) October 7, 2020

NLDS Game 2. 7th inning: Dodgers 4, Padres 3. Cody's catch! It sets the stage for a one-run squeaker of a victory (thanks Kenley):

I thought we were toast after going down 3-1 to the Barves in the NLCS. Indeed we were losing in the 6th inning of Game 7, but there was a crucial momentum shift two innings earlier:

NLCS Game 7. 4th inning: Barves 3, Dodgers 2. The inexplicable Barves double brain-fart:

What if Swanson pulls a Pierzynski and touches home after JT's tag? Maybe a replay situation. What if Riley doesn't double back like ZZ Top in Back to the Future III? Maybe he's safe at third. More maybes than in an Arrested Development marathon!

NLCS Games 5-7. One word: Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooookie.

And the coup de grâce:

World Series Game 5. 4th inning: Dodgers 3, Rays 2. Manuel Margot decides he's the man:

Silly rabbit, Kershaw's the man.

(And for anyone questioning the legitmacy of a COVID-shortened season: The two best teams met after a regular season that was mentally and emotionally more taxing than a 162-game season, plus every playoff team had to play an extra round. Take your asterisks back to 2017 where they belong.)

32 years is a generation! Thanks to the Guggenbros for investing the scratch, to Friedman for his roster wizardry and to Doc for keeping the egos in check. Best of all, their sustainable approach means we should be competitive for the forseeable future.

And when we win the World Series again, I still won't be done celebrating this one.

The nadir of the Dodgers' 31 years of postseason futility came in the 2006 NLDS against the Mets. Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew were thrown out at home on the same play — by an all-former-Dodgers relay of Shawn Green to José Valentín to Paul "Fuck the Dodgers" Lo Duca. Naturally the Dodgers went on to lose that game by 1 run and get swept out of the series.

The collective outrage from group e-mails within our circle of Dodger fans must have been overheating our Intel Celeron microprocessors because days later, we decided to take our talents to Blogger. The Dodgers' streak of futility was at a mere 18 years — what babies we were! — when Sax made our first post.

It was three years B.T. (Before Twitter) and we were getting started during the golden age of sports blogging. It was thrilling to see the blog gain readership and recognition by the Dodgers organization itself (shoutout to Josh Rawitch!).

A glance at the sidebar shows our "attendance" at over 3.5 million views, which still blows my mind. A big hug to my friends and fellow Sons — the rest of the O.G. 6 — AC, EK, Lasorda, Pedro & Sax — and the "newcomers" — Delino, Dusty, Gnomes & Stubbs (and honorary DoSG Karina!).

But 14 years of blogging? Also a long time. At times it's felt like a crying baby that needs to be fed (damn GTs!). And the 31 years of falling short didn't help.

Now that we've arrived at the promised land...I don't know? In this fucked-up year, Vin Scully's truism holds even more true: "If you want to make God smile, tell him your plans."

Go Blue!

Gonsolin vs Snell.

Anyone else worried about CT3 and Will Smith? They've been uncharacteristically unreliable lately. On the flip side, Catman Gonsolin will be fully rested, Corey, Max and JT have been great and Mookie's due for his signature World Series moment. Props also to Joc, although he likely won't start today's game.

On the bullpen side: Say no to Kenley and Baez. Say yes to anyone else.

The Boys in Blue have two games to win one. GO BLUE!

Tony "Catman" Gonsolin vs Blake Snell.

So far, so good.

Game 1 was vintage 2020 Dodgers, if a team can be "vintage" while "still playing." Starting pitching kept the Boys in Blue in the game and it took a while for the bats to arrive but when they did, hoo boy.

Today is a different beast, however, as Walker Buehler is lined up for a Game 3 start, which means it's time for a bullpen game! Gonsolin is the starter, with May and Urías reportedly available to sub in. Keep in mind all three pitchers worked three days ago so Doc will have to mix and match to scratch out those 27 outs.

But it won't matter if the bats don't show up again. I happen to believe Snell is touchable based on my extensive research of watching his last start.

GO BLUE!

Clayton Kershaw vs Tyler Glasnow.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat is going on??? How did the Boys in Blue go from staring elimination in the face (sans mask, no less) to barreling into their third World Series in four years?

Let us count the ways:

1. Timely hitting. And just enough of it. The Dodgers' margins of victory in their four NLCS wins: 12, 4, 2, 1. In Game 7, both Kiké Hernandez's and Cody Bellinger's ABs went like this:

• pitch #5: foul
• pitch #6: foul
• pitch #7: foul
• pitch #8: crucial HR

The Barves' pitching tightened up and somehow our bats, as Dr. Ian Malcolm might say, found a way.

Oh yeah, congrats to NLCS MVP Corey Seager! Keep mashing, Corey.

2. Pitching. While our starters have been variable, the bullpen has been the best we've seen lately. Let's hope Clayton can go deep into tonight's game and preserve those relief arms.

3. De-fense! De-fense! De-fense! Mookie Betts! Justin Turner (above)! Defensive Runs Saved might not be as sexy a stat as, say, dingers, but it all adds up (or subtracts down).

4. Managing. Let's credit Dave Roberts when he pushes the right buttons. Our first two openers in Game 7 (Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin) weren't great but Doc made the adjustments to settle the pitching down. He PHed Kiké at the right time and trusted Julio Urías to finish the game. No Clayton or Kenley in sight.

5. Luck. Finally, that last ingredient that no amount of money can buy. In Game 7 it came in the form of the double TOOTBLAN courtesy of Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley. We suuuuuure could use a few more of those types of plays by the Rays.

Will this finally be our year? Will the small-market Rays triumph over our clever, moneyed overlords? In 1988, both the Lakers and Dodgers handled their business. 32 years later, we're thisclose to it happening again.

GO BLUE!

Well it looks like the MLB 2020 "season" is on, after all. Which means we have to clean out the cobwebs and get this rusty ol' blog up and running again.

I'm going to leave the 2019 SoSG Attendance Record up there since we won't be replacing that in this season. But I'll try to have an Opening Day post up for Thursday's game against the hated ones.

In positive news, it has been incredible to watch baseball on television even without the crowds (don't worry, we'll be commenting on those stupid cardboard cutout things soon enough). Cody Bellinger's grand slam in yesterday's 9-2 exhibition win over Arizona was a delight, not only to see that ball carom off the empty right field seats, but also to see Mookie Betts and Max Muncy work two walks and 14 pitches, setting up a Justin Turner infield single and then the Belli GS. We didn't even have an out when we had four runs on the board. It was great.

And you read that right, SoSG Sax is actually WATCHING baseball again on television, for the first time in seven years. Unbelievable. More on that later as well.

Buckle up for this sprint of a season. Not sure if we'll get all 60 games and a post-season in--the European soccer leagues give me some hope, though the US' efforts managing COVID-19 have been much more disastrous than Europe's--but who knows. We'll be there for you.

Game time, 4.30p.

Dodgers have five on the All-Star roster: Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Max Muncy, and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Let's go, Blue! This time, it doesn't count!