Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Mark Ellis powers Dodgers, 7-2, after Kershaw struggles

What can baseball do?

Baseball can give you joy when you can imagine only sadness.

It can also give you the reverse, but enough about last week with the Dodgers. This is this week.

For two consecutive games, the Dodgers have won when you would have thought they would lose. They won when Chad Billingsley was unable to start Sunday, and they won in New York, 7-2, after an uncharacteristic disintegration by Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday.

Kershaw, to be fair, only allowed two runs, but it was shocking how it happened. Twelve pitches in into the third inning, 39 pitches into the game, Kershaw had retired all eight batters he had faced and had a 1-2 count on an emergency relief pitcher making his first career plate appearance. Moments later, he was trailing 2-1 and barely escaping a bases-loaded jam with a Marlon Byrd groundout, and after two more innings and 111 total pitches – matching the most he has ever thrown in the majors without reaching the sixth inning – his night was over. It was the second consecutive outing in which an opposing pitcher ended a perfect start by Kershaw.

Photos by Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Fortunately for the Dodgers, Mark Ellis has shown up like a combination of Florence Nightengale and the Tooth Fairy. Ellis, who Sunday drove in the Dodgers’ first three runs and also made a critical defensive play, all but singlehandedly put the Dodgers on his back Tuesday, with a game-tying home run in the fifth inning – the 100th of his career – and then a leap-from-your-seat three-run blast with two out in the seventh to put Los Angeles ahead to stay. (Not for nothing, Ellis also knocked out Mets starter Jonathon Niese in the third inning with a hard shot up the middle.)

Ellis’ second home run, as Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. noted, made him only the third Dodger second baseman in a century and first in 39 years with four hits and two homers in a game. The 35-year-old (how can such a veteran’s veteran be 10 years younger than me) himself has now thrice homered twice in a game. I also dare say that you won’t find another night in history when Dodger and Angel second basemen each hit two home runs, including tiebreaking homers for both, but I leave you the research challenge.

Not to be lost amid Ellis’ glory is the day Justin Sellers had – three hits, including an RBI single in the second and another coming ahead of Ellis’ second homer. (Juan Uribe drew a walk to keep that inning alive.) After starting the season 0 for 13, Sellers is 11 for 37 with a homer and five walks in his past 12 games (.409 on-base percentage, .378 slugging) and hasn’t made an error since his unfortunate second game of 2013. As hot as Dee Gordon has been at the plate in Albuquerque, Sellers has allowed the Dodgers to remove the yellow caution tape around shortstop.

A.J. Ellis doubled in two insurance runs in the eighth and now leads all major-league catchers with a .446 on-base percentage and NL catchers with a 159 adjusted OPS, and not because the pitcher is batting behind him – he has batted no lower than seventh except for in the third game of the season. Matt Kemp had two more hits and is now 17 for his past 55 (.309) with four doubles, as MLB.com noted, while Andre Ethier doubled ahead of A.J. to slow a 2-for-25 slump.

In addition, the topsy-turvy Dodger bullpen of 2013 has gone back to topsy, pitching at least four innings of shutout ball for the second consecutive game, sparked by a comeback performance by struggling Ronald Belisario (three batters, three outs on 15 pitches, 12 for strikes).

Los Angeles is now 9-4 when it isn’t losing six games in a row. Joy and sadness, that’s our game. With Ted Lilly against Matt Harvey tonight, it figures to be more of the same.

Previous

Billingsley loses longshot bet, headed for surgery

Next

Getting the lead out …

21 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Interesting to see how Lilly performs in his comeback

    • KT

      Just as long as he keeps us in the game, I’ll be happy…our offense is turning around

  2. Anonymous

    Ellis was just fun to watch, but a Sellers who could stay warm allows the Dodgers to play Hanley at third. That’s good in all sorts of ways. So, yes, a happy night!

    • Anonymous

      I have resigned myself to the fact that Hanley is our SS come heck or high water and Sellers slipping to third if he keeps hitting seems more likely.

      • Anonymous

        I can’t see sellers at third and I doubt Mattingly will either. Much better if Hanley goes to third.

        • Anonymous

          I think that the world in general pretty much agrees that Hanley should play third, but if we want that to happen we will all need to convince him first.

  3. The best thing about this article, is that you didn’t even mention the big guys; Crawford, Kemp, Gonzalez, and the Dodgers STILL won 7-2!

  4. Anonymous

    Perhaps the Dodgers will be able to persuade Hanley that third will be easier on him – ignoring the fact, of course, that he injured himself at third.

    On another topic, Belisario’s outing was encouraging. The usual live arm, but with command this time.

  5. Anonymous

    As for your Dodger/Angel second basemen question I am sure Ross Porter knows.

  6. Anonymous

    Since the Angels started playing in 1961, they’ve had just 9 multihomer games from their second baseman. Billy Moran had one in 1962 and then not another one until 1979 when Bobby Grich started coming up with them. Ellis’ multihomer game was the Dodgers’ 12th by a second baseman in that time. Prior to last night, none had been on the same day. The last date in MLB history when there multi multi-homer games by 2nd baseman was 8/20/2011 when Ian Kinsler and Dan Uggla did it.

    • Anonymous

      You make it look so easy, Bob.

      I have to believe Jeff Kent must be on that list somewhere.

      • Anonymous

        Jeff Kent did it twice (07 and 08). Orlando Hudson did it in 09. Others in LA were Charlie Neal (twice in 59 and twice in 59), Jim Lefebvre (twice in 66), Davey Lopes (in 74 and 79), Steve Sax in 88, Juan Samuel in 90, Mark Grudzielanek in 01, and, of course, Jose Hernandez in 04. Lopes 1974 game was a 3-homer affair.

        • Anonymous

          I remember Lopes 3 homer game. And he’s a little guy!!!!

  7. Anonymous

    Pre-season darlings, the Nats are only 10-10 themselves. In danger of being swept at home by the Cards with Strasburg behind 3-0 after three. Let’s see if they can come back when the ace falters.

    • Anonymous

      They didn’t and now find themseves a game under .500 (I blame sequestration).

  8. Tonight’s lineup:

    Schumaker LF
    Ellis 2B
    Gonzalez 1B
    Kemp CF
    Ethier RF
    Hairston 3B
    Ellis C
    Punto SS
    Lilly P

  9. Anonymous

    bother, Rockies have tied it up in the bottom of the 9th

Comments are closed.

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén