Game of the Week: July 12: LAD @ BOS

[debot tigers]

LA Dodgers (57-35) @Boston Red Sox (52-39)



LAD:  Pat Cypert (6-4 3.88)
BOS: Jhoan Duran (8-2 4.12)

Dodgers 3 Key Stats:

5-1 Record in July.

LA started off July well and defeated two formidable divisional opponents in Arizona and SD.  And while all these games were at home they should be buoyed by the fact that they sport the 2nd best away record in the NL at 25-18.  They also are on the road for another heavy hitter following this series against the city that loves to hit HR in Philly.  After this they get what many would consider a reprieve against none other than Miami and Angels.  One has to think they would like to at very least come out of this six game swing with a split and momentum?

1.  

1 GB back of SF and about one million dollars in budget space.  Some very tight margins to play with.  SF has ample money and resources and a lead of one in the season series (7-6).  SF just always seems to be just always above the Dodgers in most statistical categories and geography.  Is this the year where the Dodgers propel and take California?  

21.4 

Hitters WAR.  Good for 2nd in NL and firing on all cylinders.  All Dodgers hitters are currently positive in WAR which must be great for morale and continuity.  All hitters are contributing, but especially Ancrum in the field with 4.2 WAR.  Here is one where they one up the Giants, as Ancrum struggled to perform last year in SF and is nothing short of a bargain find for the dodgers here at 6.5 million on a one year clearance bin find.  



Red Sox 3 Key Stats

1-5 July

Polar opposite of the Dodgers and not the start the Sox wanted when embroiled in a terse, tense, and tight battle for AL East and wild cards.  The Sox were swept by their formidable foes on the road in the blue jays.  They didn't travel far to lose 2 of 3 against a mediorce Detroit team.  The silver lining is they are home now and they own a respectable 27-15 record but find themselves battling two teams for 7 games at home who have a combined road record of 47-39 in the Dodgers and Blue Jays.  One has to think that the Red Sox would consider anything less than 4 wins a failure and a set back for.....

15

Games in a row.  This is a pivotal time of year for most teams but you'd have to put Boston a top this list.  They play 15 games in a row and 12 against division rivals.  There is no rest after this homestand as they travel to Baltimore for a 3 game set followed by some solace facing the struggling Yankees and Rays.  They currently trail the O's and Jay's by 3  games in the AL EAST and wild card and can ill afford to give up more ground when these 15 games lapse.

8

As in eight hundred thousand in budget space and 8 prospects in top 200#.  Do the Red Sox sit pat and hope their pitching can take the expectation off of their exceptional hitting performance this year?  Can they pull up their Red sox and play some defense?  Or do they need to procure this?

Questions for the GMs:


For Dodgers Ben:

How are you guaging this Road Trip?  Would you be satisfied with a .500 showing?

You would make the playoffs if they started today.  And you comfortably hold down a spot and looks fairly secure for remainder of season.  Are you satisfied with your roster?  Do you believe that as it stands it can withstand the likes of your sister SF and cross country foes?

If the trade deadline were tomorrow would you make changes?  If so where?  Can you afford to?  Can you afford not to considering the resources of SF and army of prosepects amassing in Milwaukee.  




For Mike Ball

You have had a rough start to July and are embarking on a 15 game in a row schedule.  What should we expect from you to manage your roster from fatigue without compromising talent?

Similar question as asked of Dodgers.  If trade deadline were tomorrow would you make changes andd if so where?  It looks like there are bullpen pieces out there that would be upgrades for you?  Why have you not pulled the trigger?  Are you willing to or do you feel your pitching staff is better than it has performed?

Your Closer in Pawtuckett Marchant is having a good campaign;  why haven't you given him his stripes yet?

Trivia:  Since PBA inception how many combined total of no hittters does the Dodgers and Red Sox have?

[Ben_Dodgers]

How are you guaging this Road Trip? Would you be satisfied with a .500 showing?

Hard to go .500 over 7 games, but 4-3 would be a good outcome against two division leaders.

You would make the playoffs if they started today. And you comfortably hold down a spot and looks fairly secure for remainder of season. Are you satisfied with your roster? Do you believe that as it stands it can withstand the likes of your sister SF and cross country foes?

I’m pretty happy with the roster. Losing Pando for the year hurt - we don’t have a way to replace his power, but we also aren’t a team that relies on home runs. With the whole team hitting well it’s not as hard to get production out of the DH slot.

I don’t view San Francisco as an unstoppable juggernaut. Yes, they’re the defending World Series champions, but we’ve split the season series 6-7 so far and have historically fared pretty well against them. (145-116 regular season record and 12-5 playoff record). LA has won the NL West 4 of the last 6 years, too. I think this years roster matches up pretty well against San Francisco.

If the trade deadline were tomorrow would you make changes? If so where? Can you afford to? Can you afford not to considering the resources of SF and army of prosepects amassing in Milwauke

I’ll never say no to another good SP, but I’m not actively looking. I have several top prospects so I’m sure there are ways to make a deal happen if it comes to that.

[Commissioner Erick]

Red Sox 6 - Dodgers 5


WP: S. Hartman (1-5)
LP: I. Robles (1-5)


Conditions were not ideal but Boston and Los Angeles were able to put their game in the books.

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5, at Fenway Park today. Leading the charge for Boston was right fielder Joe Taylor. He was 3-5 with a home run and 2 singles. He drove in 3 runs and scored once. Boston reliever Steve Hartman picked up the win, upping his record to 1-5. Ismael Robles was saddled with the loss.

The game came to a dramatic end. In the bottom of the ninth, with Boston trailing 5-3, Taylor hit a slider from Ismael Robles for a 3-run home run, giving the Red Sox the walk-off win.

"It's great to get the crowd pumped up," Taylor said.

With the win, Boston raised its record to 53-39.


Questions for the GMs:


For Ben Vincent, you batted Hyo-Sang Choo third despite the fact he only has two homers. Why do you hit him in the middle of the order?

Patrick Leonard was gunned down at the plate in the third inning, which turned out to be a key moment. Given his lack of speed, would you have preferred your manager bot hold him at third on Dan Cabrera's fly ball?

Penguin Robles blew up in the ninth and cost you the game. Have you been satisfied with his performance this year?

For Mike Ball, with two outs and two on in the fifth, Alan Medina pinch hit for Jonathan Annis. Did you feel that was too early to pinch hit?

Dai-lin Chang looked great with 2.1 shutout innings. Only 24, is he pitching himself into staying on your roster full time?

You claimed Jimmy Shead off waivers from Pittsburgh earlier in the year and he went 1.1 scoreless today, dropping his ERA to 1.78. Despite your budget and talent, how important is it for you to still find an edge on the waiver wire?


TRIVIA: Penguin Robles is second all time in Dodgers Saves. Kenley Jansen is first. Who is third?

[Mike RedSox]

For Mike Ball, with two outs and two on in the fifth, Alan Medina pinch hit for Jonathan Annis. Did you feel that was too early to pinch hit?

No, I'm ok with playing matchups and Annis has

Dai-lin Chang looked great with 2.1 shutout innings. Only 24, is he pitching himself into staying on your roster full time?

For sure, pitching is a tough spot for us and I'm willing to give anybody a shot.

You claimed Jimmy Shead off waivers from Pittsburgh earlier in the year and he went 1.1 scoreless today, dropping his ERA to 1.78. Despite your budget and talent, how important is it for you to still find an edge on the waiver wire?

I've always kept an eye on the waiver wire, depsite the budget, it's always a good idea to keep an eye out for any way to improve your team.

[Ben_Dodgers]

For Ben Vincent, you batted Hyo-Sang Choo third despite the fact he only has two homers. Why do you hit him in the middle of the order?

Choo has a .390 OBP vs RHP. The only player who gets on base more is his counterpart Tim Hendrickson, with .400 OBP vs RHP. Their job is to get on base ahead of Leonard and Verdugo.

Patrick Leonard was gunned down at the plate in the third inning, which turned out to be a key moment. Given his lack of speed, would you have preferred your manager bot hold him at third on Dan Cabrera's fly ball?

I think it was a reasonable call. We consistently rank among the top teams in the league in baserunning for a reason, and I trust the base coaches to make those calls. Sometimes the other team makes a good play.

Penguin Robles blew up in the ninth and cost you the game. Have you been satisfied with his performance this year?

No, he hasn’t performed up to my expectations. He’s allowing way too many baserunners. He has 13 Meltdowns, which really isn’t acceptable for a closer. But the rest of the bullpen has also struggled with consistency, so for now he’s still got the job.

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 1: I successfully guessed none.

[Commissioner Erick]

Trivia 2: Nobody guessed Mike Caldwell