Dodgers Try To Avoid Beer Sweep

Last night’s frustrating 3-2 loss to the Brewers was nothing surprising or new for the Dodgers. The club can’t hit at home, and they can’t come from behind. Once the Dodgers are trailing in the seventh inning or later, you may as well hit the showers. Because the Dodger offense certainly does. The Dodgers are now 0-45 when trailing from the seventh inning on this year. They have not one come from behind win this season. It’s mind boggling. But as I’ve said before, since there is no physical logical explanation for such futility, it must be a mental block. Then again if the bottom of your lineup is Barney, Butera, pitcher, you won’t be scoring many runs. No myth there.

Dodgers Lineup vs. Milwaukee

Gordon 2B

Puig CF

Gonzalez 1B

Kemp RF

Crawford LF

Turner 3B

Barney SS

Butera C

Haren P

Wily Peralta-14-7 vs. Dan Haren-10-9

I would love to see the Dodgers inability to come from behind in games be investigated by the myth buster team. You know that tv show that investigates urban legends and myths? The great Dodger suckfest of the late innings would be a big ratings sweeper. They would of course have to go where the failures begin and end, Dodger Stadium.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The club simply doesn’t hit at home. The opposing clubs have no problems hitting there. Poor Clayton Kershaw didn’t get any support again. The awful home hitting cost Kershaw his 11 game winning streak. Lost amongst the losing is Matt Kemp moving into fifth place on the all time Los Angeles Dodger’s home run leaders. Kemp’s ninth inning solo home run was the 172 of his career. Can you believe that? He’s already hit 172. Of course nobody was on base.

Today the Dodgers will try not to get swept, but we all know it’s going to happen. Right hander Wily Peralta will counter Dan Haren in the series finale.

Peralta is a 25-year old Dominican flame thrower who grew up so poor, he had to use lemons as Baseballs. It’s wonderful to see a guy come from such poverty to rise to Baseball stardom. Just don’t do it against the Dodgers Wily.

Peralta is 14-7 this season with a 3.46 ERA in 24 starts. He’s whiffed 111 and walked 43 in 151 frames. He’s big and can reach up to 98 mph on the radar gun. He’s mostly a two-pitch guy, fastball and slider, but has started to learn a sinker in recent weeks. The Brewers signed him for 450,000 dollars.

The Dodgers have seen him twice. He is 1-1 with an 8.22 ERA versus the Dodgers. He’s only pitched once at Dodger Stadium. In that game he allowed three earned runs on six hits through six frames. He won that game.

The Dodgers are hitting .226 against Peralta (7 for 31) with no home runs and a .499 OPS against. Darwin Barney is hitting .091 (1 for 11), so naturally he’s in the lineup today. Because screw offense. DEFENSE!

Name	PA	AB	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH
Darwin Barney	12	11	1	2	1	1	.091	.167	.091	.258	0
Carl Crawford	5	5	2	2	0	2	.400	.400	.400	.800	0
Matt Kemp	5	5	3	1	0	1	.600	.600	.600	1.200	0
A.J. Ellis	3	3	1	1	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667	0
Andre Ethier	3	3	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0
Kevin Correia	2	1	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	1
Adrian Gonzalez	2	2	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0
Scott Van Slyke	2	1	0	1	1	0	.000	.500	.000	.500	0
Total	34	31	7	8	2	4	.226	.273	.226	.499	1

The Dodgers will have Dan Haren on the mound, The veteran is coming back from a nice win over Atlanta. He’s now had two good starts in a row. Can he make it a third? Haren is 10-9 this year with a 4.50 ERA in 24 starts. He’s whiffed 106 against 29 walks in his 140 innings of work.

Haren has pitched very well against the Brewers. He is 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in four games versus Milwaukee. He’s whiffed 25 and walked just 6 in those starts. Milwaukee is hitting just .231 (18 for 78) against Haren with one home run and a .637 OPS against. Not bad at all. Can he keep this up?

Only Mark Reynolds has hit a home run against. Oh and screw you Lyle Overbay. That guy is 6 for 18 with three doubles against Haren. When will that guy go away?

Name	PA	AB	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH	SF
Gerardo Parra	20	20	3	1	0	1	0	3	.150	.150	.200	.350	0	0
Lyle Overbay	19	18	6	3	0	4	0	3	.333	.316	.500	.816	0	1
Aramis Ramirez	11	10	3	1	0	1	1	1	.300	.364	.400	.764	0	0
Mark Reynolds	9	9	2	1	1	1	0	4	.222	.222	.667	.889	0	0
Rickie Weeks	7	6	2	2	0	0	1	1	.333	.429	.667	1.095	0	0
Khris Davis	3	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	.500	.667	.500	1.167	0	0
Zach Duke	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	1	0
Carlos Gomez	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Jonathan Lucroy	3	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.333	.000	.333	0	0
Jean Segura	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Tom Gorzelanny	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	1	0
Kyle Lohse	2	2	1	0	0	1	0	1	.500	.500	.500	1.000	0	0
Total	85	78	18	8	1	8	4	17	.231	.265	.372	.637	2	1

GM Ned Colletti told MLB Network radio that Joc Pederson and Alexander Guerrero will be called up on September 1. No duh. That’s when rosters expand. Of course they’ll be called up along with a few other guys. I just wish there was some way to be rid of the horrendously awful Carlos Triunfel.

The Dodgers are 70-55 and are still a half a game ahead of Milwaukee for the best record in the National League. The lead in the NL West has dwindled down to 4.5 games.

We’ll be back after the game to give you our usual postgame recap. I think the Brewers are going to drive me to drink.

Game Time -1:10PM

Go Blue!

Defeat Beer!

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Peralta Counters Haren in Series Finale

By Scott Andes | Aug 17, 2014