Game of the Week: May 4: SF @ LAD

[Commissioner Erick]

San Francisco Giants (9-17) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (12-14)


SF: Drew Smyly (1-1, 7.46)
LAD: Kenta Maeda (3-2, 3.21)


Former NL West powerhouses, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers each come into their Game of the Week showing with a losing record.

While the Giants are rebuilding this year, a win by the Los Angeles Dodgers would go a long way to restoring order in the division when they host the San Francisco Giants this week.

The Dodgers come in with only three starting pitchers fielding an ERA under 5.88. That lack of pitching has been one of the main components in why the team is only 12-14 to start the season. However, the team is in good fortune in this game for several reasons.

For starters, San Francisco's offense is one of the worst in the league, as the Giants are third to last in runs, and last in batting average and on-base percentage. Secondly, The Dodgers may be turning it around as they allowed more than four runs in a game just once in seven contests last week. Finally, Kenta Maeda has consistently been the Dodgers' second best starter this season. He has a 3-2 mark and a 3.21 ERA in five starts, including a victory in San Francisco last week when he went 7 innings, allowing four runs in a 15-4 Dodgers romp.

Maeda is easily having the best season of his career thus far, especially when you consider how rough he was last year. Maeda carried a 4.90 ERA last season, allowed a league-high 44 home runs, and had a negative WAR. He redeemed himself with two wins in three playoff starts, and has been a steady performer in a rotation that has not performed well with Gio Gonzalez out of the pitcher.

There are signs this may not last though. Maeda has always been hit hard by left-handers, yielding an OPS above .800 each season thus far. To date, lefties have just a .547 OPS thus far in 2020. This also coincides with the fact that Maeda led the NL in home runs last season. He hasn't allowed a single one this year. He's throwing his sinker a decent bit more and mixing it his changeup more, but he doesn't have an overwhelming pitch to neutralize opposite-handed hitters. He's nibbling a bit more to try to avoid the meat of the plate, and having success with his control. It'll be interesting to see if his success continues against the Giants.

A unit that has had little success is the Dodgers offense. Los Angeles puzzling ranks 11th in runs in the league coming in to tonight's game, despite adequate health. Nomar Mazara and Alex Verdugo are each hitting in the low .220's and have five home runs between them. Mazara is hitting over .300 against righties, but is ice-cold against lefties, batting just 3-37 against them. After hitting .311 last year against lefties, the decline s disturbing. Somehow Alex Verdugo has a .515 OPS—against right handers! It's a weird profile that doesn't make a lick of sense and is damning the Dodgers offense. The only player who is hitting is Willie Calhoun, which is rough with the amount of firepower the Dodgers expected.

They'll take their swings against lefty Drew Smyly, who was having a pretty nice season until a disastrous 13-run affair against the Dodgers last Wednesday. After a five-run first, the Giants let him load the bases in the second, walk in the lefty Calhoun, then give up a grand slam to Cody Bellinger. After retiring six in a row, Samuel Rutledge's manager-bot let Smyly face Belinger again with the same result, this time a three-run home run. The disastrous start ballooned Smyly's ERA from 3.27 to 7.46. Smyly had a 3.28 ERA last year, which will be tough to get back to after the Dodgers' massacre.

Fortunately, the Giants have a pair of lefties in their pen to face the Dodgers lefty-dominant lineup. Masahiko Morifuku has been frequently used as a lefty specialist this year, and he has only one save as a result. However, after a rough start, Morifuku hasn't allowed a run in six appearances. He worked in three of the four games in the series with the Dodgers last week, allowing no runs in 2 innings. Andrew Chafin worked in two games against the Dodgers himself last week, allowing no runs and no hits in 2 innings of his own. Those lefties will almost certainly be called upon to get big outs tonight.


Questions for the GMs:


For Samuel Rutledge, if Smyly struggles again today, are you just going to leave him in to take a beating again?

You're still acquiring assets and are in a weird state where most of your veterans come of the books in two years. However, which major leaguer on your team will be around when your squad becomes good again?

Most of your hitters are really struggling. Which is most disappointing to you thus far?

For Troy Allenbagh, your rotation is really rough right now. Do you plan on addressing that this season?

Jurickson Profar has played with a bum knee this year, and hasn't hit since he came back. With him announcing he has a bruised knee, will you play him today?

Michael de Leon has the second best average on the team, which is a testament to him, but also an indictment of the rest of your squad. What has gone wrong with the offense?

[rutledgeeeeeeeeee]

For Samuel Rutledge, if Smyly struggles again today, are you just going to leave him in to take a beating again?

It depends on how rested my pen is. I always like my starters to get a full workload no matter what, though.

You're still acquiring assets and are in a weird state where most of your veterans come of the books in two years. However, which major leaguer on your team will be around when your squad becomes good again?

Arroyo could for sure still be on the team. Great instincts at the plate, plenty of talent, young.

Most of your hitters are really struggling. Which is most disappointing to you thus far?

It’s early in the season, I expect a lot of these guys to turn it around. Nothing disappointing as of yet.

[Commissioner Erick]

Dodgers 18 - Giants 4

WP: K. Maeda (4-2)
LP: C. Taylor (1-3)


Drew Smyly was a lot sharper this time around. He didn't get blasted for 13 runs. he didn't give two home runs to Cody Bellinger, in fact he didn't give up any homers and allowed just one run in the contest.

No, instead of the Dodgers knocking Smyly out of the game in a 15-run outburst, a tender elbow knocked Drew Smyly out of the game in an 18-run outburst.

Nomar Mazara reached base and scored five times, Drew Smyly left due to injury after 3 innings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers scored 17-times against the San Francisco Giants bullpen in an 18-4 rout.

The Giants got off to a great start in the game. After allowing 13-runs his last start against the Dodgers, Drew Smyly was back on his game, retiring the Dodgers in order in the first and third. Nomar Mazara doubled in the second and came in to score after Garrett Kennedy dumped a ball in front of Joneshwy Fargas to bring home a run for Los Angeles, but that was it against Smyly. The Giants starter worked 3 innings, allowed just those two hits, didn't walk anyone, and struck out three.

However, throughout the game, San Francisco's trainers were watching Smyly rub his elbow after pitches. After striking out Jorge Soler to end a dominant third inning where he threw 11 pitches—five foul balls, four strikes, one ball, and one weak ground out—Rick Jameson talked to Smyly and Samuel Rutledge's manager robot and decided to take Smyly out of the game.

Jameson is outstanding at preventing arm injuries, partially because of this conservative approach. While Smyly was diagnosed with just a tender elbow and may be able to make his next start, it contributed to San Francisco losing control of the game.

Cory Taylor, a young arm with fewer than 20 innings in the majors under his belt, was tasked with holding on to San Francisco's 4-1 lead. Taylor struck out his first batter, Michael de Leon, but was pulverized by the Dodgers' lefties.

Alex Verdugo cracked a home run to right field on the first pitch against Taylor to make the score 4-2. Mazara followed with his second double of the game before Willie Calhoun continued his torrid start, hitting a 403-foot bomb to right-center to tie the score at 4-4. Cody Bellinger slapped a 2-2 pitch the other way for a line single before Kennedy walked to put two aboard. Taylor got Pederson to pop up a slider for the second out, but Juremi Profar, starting in place of brother Jurickson, sliced a double the other way to plate the two runners, giving the Dodgers a 6-4 lead. Jorge Soler followed with a ground single and a 4-1 lead turned into a 7-4 deficit.

Taylor was pulled for Joan Gregorio, a starter-turned-reliever, and de Leon countered by bounding Gregorio's first pitch down the first base line for a run-scoring double to make it 8-4. Brandon Crawford made a great leaping grab of an Alex Verdugo bid for a base hit, but the damage was done with a seven-run inning.

The next inning was no better as the Dodgers plated eight runs, including Mazara's third extra base hit of the game, a leadoff home run to make it 9-4. The Dodgers would send 12 men to the plate, get five singles, two doubles, and draw two walks in the frame. Mazara followed his home run with a double later in the inning, giving him a fourth extra base hit before the fifth inning was over. Gregorio's 2.25 ERA shot up to 5.82 and a competitive game became a 16-4 rout.

The only remaining drama involved Mazara. He came to bat in the sixth with a man on and worked a walk, preventing him from getting another RBI. However, an error by Crawford, a force-play, and an infield hit by Kennedy allowed Mazara to come home with his fifth run of the game. He was in the on deck circle when Verdugo flew out to end a one-two-three eighth, preventing a chance at more rarified history.

As is, Mazara's three doubles tied a Dodgers record, and his five runs tied an NL record. Six other players have scored five runs, most recently Nick Senzel of the Mets. Only Daniel Murphy has more doubles, as he struck four doubles back in May of 2017. The game was judged to be the fourth best in baseball this season, with the best performance being Bellinger's game against Smyly last week. For a struggling player and offense, Mazara's outburst has to be exciting for a team trying to get out of an early rut.

Every starter for the Dodgers scored and drove in a run.

Kenta Maeda worked 6.1 innings to go to 4-2.



Questions for the GMs:


For Samuel Rutledge, how disappointing is it to see Smyly rebound off an awful start, just to see him hurt himself the next time out?

Cory Taylor hasn't shown the ability to get lefties out at the big league level. What will your plans for him be going forward?

Todd Frazier went 0-3 to see his average drop to .233. How do you feel about his tenure with your team?

For Troy Allenbaugh, you went with a lefty-heavy lineup against Smyly and for three innings it looked like it might cost you. Were you worried with how he was handling your lineup early?

With your catchers nicked up, Kennedy came in and did a great job with the bat. What are your thoughts on him?

Cody Bellinger does well in games Smyly starts, but even with three hits he's under .200 with his average. Is the move to third base messing with his bat at all?