Best K games against Cardinals at Dodger Stadium – The Lefties own it
This isn’t a surprise, to be honest I expect Kershaw and Koufax to be at the top of this list every time. Which is why it was refreshing to see Nomo and Fernando hit the top now and then to change things up.
This list really is a who’s who of LAD pitching mountaintop. Good to see Burt Hooton show up.
Some notes:
- Koufax has five of the fourteen double digit K games
- Kershaw has three of the fourteen, giving the lefties, eight of the fourteen
- No one else has more than one game
- Sutton, Nomo, Billingsley, Valdez, Grienke, and Nomo round it out
Player Date Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Clayton Kershaw 2014-06-29 W 6-0 7.0 5 0 2 13 78 Sandy Koufax 1964-08-16(1) W 3-0 9.0 7 0 1 13 85 Don Sutton 1973-07-11 W 3-1 9.0 7 1 3 12 78 Sandy Koufax 1965-09-25 W 2-0 9.0 5 0 3 12 86 Clayton Kershaw 2015-06-06 W 2-0 8.0 1 0 2 11 89 Chad Billingsley 2011-04-17 W 2-1 8.0 3 0 2 11 85 Zack Greinke 2014-06-28 W 9-1 7.0 4 1 0 10 75 Clayton Kershaw 2010-06-09 W 4-3 7.0 4 3 2 10 65 Ismael Valdez 1999-04-24 W 6-1 9.0 6 1 2 10 79 Hideo Nomo 1997-06-07 W 5-2 9.0 6 2 3 10 74 Burt Hooton 1977-08-27 W 4-3 7.0 5 3 2 10 63 Sandy Koufax 1966-08-21 W 4-1 9.0 6 1 2 10 79 Sandy Koufax 1966-07-01 L 0-2 8.0 5 2 1 10 73 Sandy Koufax 1963-08-21 W 2-1 12.0 9 1 2 10 88
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Generated 5/23/2017.
Best game scores against Cardinals at Dodger Stadium
Top games scores by LAD pitchers against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Wow, this seems like a lot. My cutoff point was 80, and a plethora of Dodger pitchers made the cut. Over 30 of them. Fernando leads the way with his “throw your sombrero to the sky” no hitter.
Some notes on the names;
- Some unusual names here belong to Mike Morgan the teen-age sensation. Morgan was drafted at age 18 in 1978 with the 4th pick and pitched in the major leagues the same season. It wasn’t until he turned 29 with the Dodgers that he started having above average success as a pitcher.
- Terry Adams the relief pitcher turned starter. Adams had made over 250 relief appearances before the Dodgers turned him into a starter in 2001. In 2001 he was the 3rd best starter in the Dodger rotation.
- Fernando must have loved pitching against the Cardinals, three of the six highest games scores belong to Fernando.
- Sandy Koufax had six games scores >= 80
- Don Sutton had five game scores >= 80
- Clayton Kershaw only one time but it was the 3rd best at 89.
- Only three pitchers in the 21st century made the cut, Kershaw / Adams / Billingsley
Player Date Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Fernando Valenzuela 1990-06-29 W 6-0 9.0 0 0 3 7 91 Don Drysdale 1965-05-25 W 2-0 9.0 1 0 0 6 91 Sandy Koufax 1963-07-03 W 5-0 9.0 3 0 0 9 90 Clayton Kershaw 2015-06-06 W 2-0 8.0 1 0 2 11 89 Sandy Koufax 1963-08-21 W 2-1 12.0 9 1 2 10 88 Mike Morgan 1990-04-24 W 3-0 9.0 3 0 0 6 87 Fernando Valenzuela 1985-07-20 W 3-0 9.0 3 0 1 7 87 Fernando Valenzuela 1981-09-06 W 5-0 9.0 4 0 1 8 86 Al Downing 1973-05-06 W 3-0 9.0 2 0 2 5 86 Sandy Koufax 1965-09-25 W 2-0 9.0 5 0 3 12 86 Sandy Koufax 1962-06-18 W 1-0 9.0 5 0 0 9 86 Chad Billingsley 2011-04-17 W 2-1 8.0 3 0 2 11 85 Don Sutton 1970-06-11 W 2-1 10.0 6 1 0 9 85 Sandy Koufax 1964-08-16(1) W 3-0 9.0 7 0 1 13 85 Fernando Valenzuela 1986-05-03 W 3-0 9.0 5 0 1 8 84 Don Drysdale 1964-06-11 W 5-0 9.0 4 0 1 6 84 Alejandro Pena 1984-07-07 W 3-0 9.0 4 0 1 4 82 Bob Welch 1982-05-23 W 5-0 9.0 5 0 2 7 82 Bill Singer 1972-08-23 W 3-0 9.0 4 0 3 6 82 Sandy Koufax 1964-06-12 W 3-0 9.0 4 0 3 6 82 Don Drysdale 1965-09-26 W 1-0 9.0 5 0 0 4 81 Don Drysdale 1963-07-02 W 1-0 9.0 5 0 1 5 81 Terry Adams 2001-09-01 W 3-1 8.0 3 0 1 7 80 Ramon Martinez 1992-07-09 W 2-1 8.0 3 0 4 8 80 Don Sutton 1977-08-28 W 11-0 9.0 6 0 0 5 80 Don Sutton 1976-04-29 W 4-0 9.0 5 0 1 4 80 Don Sutton 1974-08-24 W 3-0 9.0 7 0 1 8 80 Andy Messersmith 1974-06-11 L 0-1 9.0 4 0 1 4 80 Andy Messersmith 1973-07-12 W 4-0 9.0 7 0 0 7 80 Don Sutton 1971-06-23 L 1-3 9.0 3 1 4 7 80 Sandy Koufax 1964-04-14 W 4-0 9.0 6 0 0 5 80 Johnny Podres 1962-09-30 L 0-1 9.0 5 1 0 7 80
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Generated 5/23/2017.
Garvey has most TB against Cardinals at DS
Taking a look at the most total bases in one game against the Cardinals at home we find Steve Garvey at the top of the list. Quite a game by Garvey with three doubles and two home runs. Garvey’s game really stands out, that is a lot of total bases for one game.
Reggie Smith was a Cardinal before being a Dodger so he might have enjoyed that game a tad more than usual.
Player Date Rslt R 2B 3B HR TB RBI Steve Garvey 1977-08-28 W 11-0 5 3 0 2 14 5 Dusty Baker 1983-07-11 W 7-6 3 0 0 2 10 4 Reggie Smith 1976-07-21 W 7-6 3 0 0 2 10 2
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Generated 5/22/2017.
How about the other side? Most total bases by a Cardinal against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Even before doing this search I’m expecting Fernando Tatis to be somewhere on the list.
Dang, Tatis doesn’t even make the cut. The guy hits two grand slams in one inning but can’t find another total base. The Cardinals haven’t had many big games against the Dodgers at the Ravine. I had to go below double digit total bases just to find Larry Walker some company.
Nice to see Pedro Guerrero on this list. Remember Juan Encarnacion as a Dodger? It was brief.
Player Date PA R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI Larry Walker 2004-09-12 5 3 4 1 0 2 11 3 Juan Encarnacion 2006-07-23 4 2 3 0 0 2 9 2 Jim Edmonds 2000-06-16 5 3 3 0 0 2 9 2 Mark McGwire 1999-05-22 5 3 3 0 0 2 9 3 Pedro Guerrero 1990-04-26 5 2 3 0 0 2 9 5
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Generated 5/22/2017.
Thar might be gold in that Taylor
The team with the largest payroll in the history of baseball shouldn’t be allowed to uncover massive gold nuggets while panning in the rivers of utility players, but they keep doing it.
The story of Justin Turner is already will documented, and now the question is, have they done it again?
Chris Taylor was a simple utility player who rode the train between AAA and the Mariners for several years. Even with 230 plate appearances, Chris Taylor had never hit a major league home run. When the Dodgers traded for him last summer he was playing in AAA and the price was simply Zach Lee. Or to be more succinct the price was nothing.
Taylor came over and hit a triple in his first game as a Dodger but didn’t do much for the first few weeks. He barely played getting seventeen plate appearances and getting three hits.
That all changed on July 15th when he got the start at second base. It all started quietly enough with Taylor striking out in his first at-bat. It got good after that. In his 2nd at-bat he hit a triple driving in two runs. In his 3rd at-bat he hit a double. His fourth at-bat he hit his first major league home run, which also was his first grand slam. It was a game of firsts for Taylor and the Dodgers:
1st LAD to hit a grand slam as his first home run
1st LAD second baseman to drive in six runs
1st LAD to hit a grand slam, a double, and triple in the same game
1st Dodger second baseman since Jackie Robinson to drive in six runs
Taylor would collect six hits in three games and while that was his offensive peak in 2016, it appears that was just a peak into what he was going to do in 2017.
I’ll let fangraphs take it from here: If you got this far, I’d really recommend clicking on the provided link, it is a fun read.
It’s also allowing him to walk a lot more. Taylor’s taken a free pass in an impressive 16.8% of his plate appearances, which happens to be the exact same rate at which Joey Votto‘s walking this season. So, to recap: Taylor is hitting for high average, hitting for power, walking at a high rate, and fielding well. He’s doing all that in some snappy stirrups, too. The Dodgers may have a hell of a find on their hands, even when the regression dragons decide to work their magic.
Alex Wood closing in on most LAD wins in May
With four wins in May, Alex Wood has a decent shot at matching the most wins in May for an LAD. Fifteen times a player has won five games in May. According to the schedule, Wood has only one more start scheduled for May. If he was to win his fifth game in five starts he’d be the only LAD to accomplish five wins in May in only five starts.
Notes:
- Sandy Koufax did it four times
- Charlie Hough did twice without starting any games
- Don Drysdale did it three times
- Fernando did it in 1982 not 1981
- Clayton Kershaw did it last year
Player Year G W ERA GS IP OPS Ramon Martinez 1991 6 5 3.07 6 41.0 .628 Sandy Koufax 1963 6 5 1.52 6 47.1 .428 Sandy Koufax 1966 6 5 1.55 6 46.1 .502 Sandy Koufax 1961 8 5 2.74 7 49.1 .601 Don Drysdale 1965 8 5 2.51 7 57.1 .549 Fernando Valenzuela 1982 6 5 2.34 6 50.0 .594 Charlie Hough 1976 11 5 2.28 0 23.2 .633 Sandy Koufax 1965 7 5 2.05 7 61.1 .499 Clayton Kershaw 2016 6 5 0.91 6 49.2 .354 Don Drysdale 1964 8 5 1.83 8 64.0 .530 Don Sutton 1975 7 5 1.35 7 60.0 .442 Charlie Hough 1974 8 5 0.49 0 18.1 .328 Claude Osteen 1970 7 5 3.21 7 56.0 .664 Kevin Brown 2003 6 5 1.02 6 44.0 .451 Don Drysdale 1968 8 5 0.53 8 68.0 .436
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Generated 5/22/2017.
Updated May Pitching Stats – May 22nd
Dodger record in May 12 wins 7 losses
Dodger overall record, 24 wins 18 loses, tied for 2nd place, two games behind Rockies
Alex Wood owns the month of May so far.
You can see why Julio Urias is now in AAA working on his command.
Ryu may only have a few more starts before they settle into the five man rotation of Kershaw/Hill/Kenta/Wood/McCarthy.
Josh Fields has made his case to be part of the bullpen going forward and not part of the AAA option train.
Jansen / Hatcher have yet to walk a hitter in a combined 15 innings.
Does Alex Wood’s four wins make you wonder who has the most wins in May for a Dodger? Probably not since we would have to expect Koufax/Kershaw/Drysdale/Orel/Fernando/Sutton to dominate the list. But do they?
Player G SO W ERA GS IP BB WHIP SO9 SO/W OPS Clayton Kershaw 4 23 3 1.98 4 27.1 5 1.024 7.6 4.60 .633 Alex Wood 4 33 4 1.54 4 23.1 5 1.071 12.7 6.60 .527 Julio Urias 4 7 0 6.62 4 17.2 10 1.642 3.6 0.70 .829 Kenta Maeda 2 13 1 2.03 2 13.1 3 0.825 8.8 4.33 .503 Josh Fields 10 11 0 0.77 0 11.2 3 0.943 8.5 3.67 .543 Brandon McCarthy 2 10 1 5.40 2 11.2 2 1.114 7.7 5.00 .582 Ross Stripling 5 13 0 1.93 0 9.1 2 0.964 12.5 6.50 .515 Hyun-Jin Ryu 2 7 1 6.75 2 9.1 7 2.357 6.8 1.00 1.113 Pedro Baez 10 8 0 2.00 0 9.0 4 1.333 8.0 2.00 .698 Chris Hatcher 7 15 0 4.32 0 8.1 0 1.320 16.2 .903 Kenley Jansen 7 15 1 1.23 0 7.1 0 0.682 18.4 .481 Sergio Romo 7 8 1 4.50 0 6.0 1 0.833 12.0 8.00 .717 Luis Avilan 9 11 0 4.76 0 5.2 4 1.941 17.5 2.75 .787 Rich Hill 1 6 0 1.80 1 5.0 0 1.200 10.8 .868 Grant Dayton 5 3 0 11.25 0 4.0 3 2.000 6.8 1.00 1.088 Adam Liberatore 1 1 0 0.00 0 1.0 0 0.000 9.0 .000
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Generated 5/22/2017.
Most LAD walks in May
A few days ago we looked at where Cody Bellinger ranks in LAD May for home run runs and RBI.
How about we take a gander at Chris Taylor and the LAD May base on balls leaderboard. Taylor already has fifteen walks and while he’s a long way from the top, he could crack the top five (he’s already in the top ten), though playing time might be an issue with Logan Forsythe set to be activated tomorrow.
Wally Moon has the most walks with 24.
Player Split Year BB PA BA OBP SLG OPS Wally Moon May 1961 24 95 .324 .495 .493 .988 Jose Offerman May 1995 23 128 .356 .480 .455 .935 Shawn Green May 2000 23 118 .367 .508 .667 1.175 Ron Cey May 1973 22 125 .357 .475 .612 1.088 Jim Wynn May 1974 22 108 .365 .491 .706 1.197 Jim Wynn May 1975 22 114 .242 .389 .451 .840 Brett Butler May 1991 22 126 .243 .381 .282 .663 Greg Brock May 1983 21 100 .205 .370 .474 .844 Eddie Murray May 1989 21 108 .235 .389 .388 .777 Gil Hodges May 1959 20 89 .290 .449 .609 1.058 Wes Parker May 1967 20 123 .265 .385 .373 .758 Davey Lopes May 1975 20 111 .271 .410 .388 .798 Ron Cey May 1977 20 115 .221 .357 .400 .757 Shawn Green May 2002 20 120 .316 .433 .694 1.127 Ron Fairly May 1964 19 92 .214 .389 .300 .689 Wes Parker May 1968 19 140 .250 .351 .304 .654 Frank Robinson May 1972 19 108 .282 .407 .529 .937 Joe Ferguson May 1973 19 125 .275 .376 .520 .896 Reggie Smith May 1977 19 118 .296 .407 .633 1.039 Darryl Strawberry May 1991 19 101 .207 .356 .451 .808 Russell Martin May 2009 19 111 .330 .450 .385 .835 Charlie Neal May 1958 18 123 .225 .339 .451 .790 Wes Parker May 1970 18 132 .301 .394 .496 .890 Davey Lopes May 1980 18 112 .220 .342 .253 .595 Gary Sheffield May 2000 18 109 .275 .394 .473 .867 J.D. Drew May 2005 18 110 .244 .373 .411 .784 Jim Gilliam May 1960 17 119 .250 .359 .320 .679 Wally Moon May 1962 17 76 .293 .447 .397 .844 Jim Gilliam May 1962 17 125 .269 .377 .308 .685 Wes Parker May 1965 17 145 .236 .331 .333 .664 Ron Fairly May 1967 17 118 .232 .347 .394 .741 Billy Grabarkewitz May 1970 17 117 .394 .479 .564 1.042 Willie Crawford May 1973 17 112 .404 .495 .628 1.123 Ron Cey May 1974 17 121 .293 .395 .424 .819 Joe Ferguson May 1979 17 88 .203 .356 .449 .806 Brett Butler May 1994 17 125 .327 .424 .505 .929 Delino DeShields May 1994 17 104 .276 .394 .322 .716 Jose Cruz May 2006 17 81 .246 .405 .410 .815 Orlando Hudson May 2009 17 137 .328 .404 .414 .818 Yasiel Puig May 2014 17 128 .398 .492 .731 1.224 Maury Wills May 1961 16 125 .333 .424 .407 .831 Willie Crawford May 1970 16 107 .311 .421 .489 .909 Willie Crawford May 1974 16 113 .234 .339 .383 .722 Ron Cey May 1978 16 112 .266 .375 .447 .822 Jose Offerman May 1994 16 112 .213 .324 .287 .612 Joc Pederson May 2015 16 123 .236 .341 .519 .860 John Roseboro May 1961 15 100 .217 .330 .422 .752 Ron Fairly May 1962 15 84 .397 .513 .603 1.116 Dick Tracewski May 1964 15 107 .211 .321 .289 .610 Jim Lefebvre May 1965 15 131 .248 .341 .345 .686 Wes Parker May 1971 15 111 .283 .382 .402 .784 Reggie Smith May 1978 15 116 .357 .431 .602 1.033 Davey Lopes May 1979 15 127 .295 .378 .661 1.039 Pedro Guerrero May 1983 15 109 .275 .376 .462 .838 Mike Scioscia May 1986 15 85 .261 .400 .304 .704 Shawn Green May 2001 15 118 .252 .347 .476 .823 Andy LaRoche May 2007 15 54 .216 .444 .270 .715 Chris Taylor May 2017 15 72 .351 .486 .579 1.065
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Generated 5/22/2017.
Some interesting names in year. Andy LaRoche? I’m shocked he ever got enough playing time to manage fifteen walks in a month. Got to love the split, a .216 BA with .444 OBP. How about that Dick Tracewski TSL? .211 .321 .289. Ha ha.
Orlando Hudson and Jose Cruz with seventeen walks.
There is that May 2014 Puig again. Can we have that guy back again?
And they say Maury Wills didn’t walk enough.
Of course Jimmy Wynn is near the top. That was the man’s calling card.
I was unaware of Wally Moon’s propensity for patience.
Updated May Hitting Stats – May 22nd
Dodger record in May 12 wins 7 losses
Dodger overall record, 24 wins 18 loses, tied for 2nd place, two games behind Rockies
Three regular players with an OPS over 1.000, 2/3 of the way through May. No wonder the Dodgers have a great record in May.
Offense looks to be held down by Seager / Joc / Puig. Can’t really count Adrian since he just got back and has looked very good since taking the time off to heal his wounds. Even Seager and Puig have an OPS over .700 so not exactly hurting the team, just not helping it. Joc was hurting the team but maybe with his jack yesterday he is ready to go on a tear.
Everything has already been said about Taylor and Bellinger. I guess what really stands out are the fifteen walks by Taylor. Hmmm, wonder how that stacks up on the May LAD Walk leaderboard?
Kind of easy to see why Brett Eibner is on the current roster and SVS is in AAA. Though Brett probably won’t see another game, as I’m sure he’ll be sent down when Logan Forsythe is activated tomorrow.
Player OPS PA R 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG Brett Eibner 1.371 13 3 0 0 2 6 1 4 .364 .462 .909 Chris Taylor 1.065 72 13 4 0 3 11 15 14 .351 .486 .579 Cody Bellinger 1.034 81 19 5 1 7 22 7 25 .297 .358 .676 Yasmani Grandal 1.021 58 6 9 0 1 14 2 10 .393 .414 .607 Austin Barnes .883 28 5 4 0 0 4 6 3 .273 .429 .455 Enrique Hernandez .871 43 7 6 0 1 6 5 8 .270 .357 .514 Andrew Toles .825 26 5 2 0 0 2 1 4 .360 .385 .440 Franklin Gutierrez .824 23 4 1 0 1 3 2 6 .286 .348 .476 Chase Utley .809 51 4 2 2 0 7 6 9 .286 .380 .429 Justin Turner .808 63 9 2 0 0 5 8 11 .333 .435 .373 Corey Seager .794 82 15 6 0 2 6 11 14 .257 .366 .429 Yasiel Puig .724 65 12 1 0 3 11 5 13 .250 .308 .417 Adrian Gonzalez .667 21 0 2 0 0 5 0 7 .286 .286 .381 Joc Pederson .619 61 9 3 0 1 4 6 13 .192 .311 .308 Scott Van Slyke .582 11 1 0 0 1 1 1 3 .100 .182 .400
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Generated 5/22/2017.
OTDIB – May 22nd – Piazza finds his HOF cap
On this date in baseball:
May 22nd, 1998 – Mike Piazza gets traded again, this time to the Met’s where he would enjoy a HOF career. While the Dodgers got slugger Gary Sheffield for Piazza, the Marlins got jack shit from the Mets. Kind of funny how Dodger fans have hated that trade for years, but it was really the Marlins who got screwed.
The Mets trade Preston Wilson, Geoff Goetz, and Ed Yarnell to the Marlins for Mike Piazza. Florida had acquired the All-Star catcher last week from the Dodgers, along with Todd Zeille in exchange for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich, and Manuel Barrios.
May 22nd, 1968 – Pops Stargell picks up 15 total bases. Remember this was 1968, the year the offense went missing in baseball.
At Wrigley Field, Pirates’ slugger Willie Stargell hits three home runs and just misses a fourth in a 13-6 rout over the Cubs. ‘Pops’ also hit a single and a double, which bounced off the railing of the left field fence back onto the playing field.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 