Dodger Thoughts

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

Easy Puigy: Dodgers 3, Giants 1

Things went right. Again.

Yasiel Puig hit an effortless homer in the first inning. Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed 11 baserunners to his first 24 batters, and gave up but a run. Buster Posey fall down. Puig hit an effortless go-ahead single in the eighth. The bullpen faced eight batters without a hit or walk.

The Dodgers won their third straight game for the first time in more than two months, ending a five-game losing streak to San Francisco with a 3-1 victory tonight. Funny when things are happy.

Despite his unreal start, Puig was the cause of some concern heading into this game, having gone 1 for 7 with three strikeouts in the final two games in San Diego. But quietly, he drew two walks, showing signs of willingness or ability to lay off bad pitches. What would that mean tonight?

In the first, Puig took a called strike, then a ball, then smoothly drove a Madison Bumgarner pitch on the corner down the right-field line and just inside the pole for a 1-0 Dodger lead.

In the third, Puig fouled off a strike, swung and missed, then lined to center.

In the sixth, it was ball, foul, miss and then a single to center.

And in the eighth, facing the same George Kontos who gave up Clayton Kershaw’s eighth-inning, tiebreaking Opening Day home run, Puig took ball one, then lined a hard single to left field to drive home Nick Punto, who had led off the inning with a double.

That meant for the game, Puig saw 12 pitches and had more hits (three) than missed swings (two). He now has a .476 on-base percentage and .753 slugging percentage.

Puig also had an odd play in the top of the seventh, when Posey launched the 108th and last pitch from Ryu to the wall in right field. Puig camped under it, only to have the ball strike the wall above his head and miss his glove completely. It was the 12th baserunner to reach against Ryu, and the first since he got a 1-2-3 double play to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth (after Posey tripped hitting third base and had to stay there instead of trying to score.)

Ronald Belisario relieved and struck out Hunter Pence on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning, setting the stage for the Dodger bullpen to do what they needed to do – keep the Giants from scoring.

Things went right. Again.

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44 Comments

  1. ESPN just showed (several of the main hitting) stats that had Puig’s first twenty games the best debut for a Dodger hitter since 1900. Oh is that all? Any one who not only helps beat the Giants but makes Vin Scully chuckle in astonishment is a damned good gift.

    • Anonymous

      If you want to make Vin Scully chuckle, tell him *your* plans.

  2. Anonymous

    Sure, the Dodgers had lost 5 in a row coming into this game against the Giants.
    But, that was before they brought up that guy by the name of Yasiel Puig !
    No matter how bad the Dodgers are going – it’s always a joy to see them beat that No-Cal team with their Halloween colors.

  3. Anonymous

    Another good win where we hung in there until the end

  4. Good story by Joe Posnanski about the Dodgers and their travails this season:

    http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/52277516/ns/sports-baseball/

  5. Anonymous

    As Vin says, the Amazing Mr. Puig! (Bochy may reconsider his initial thoughts about not having him in the ASG).

  6. Anonymous

    Puig seems to be in a luig of his own. Love making everybody groan.

  7. KT

    SportsCenter ‏@SportsCenter 9m

    Through 20 career games, Yasiel Puig has more homers and RBI than Bryce Harper and Mike Trout had COMBINED at that point.

  8. KT

    Dodgers PR ‏@DodgersPR 11m

    Since 1900, Puig’s 7 HR are tied for the most by a #Dodgers player thru 20 career games with Matt Kemp (2006) via @EliasSports

  9. KT

    One more:

    Dodgers PR ‏@DodgersPR 1m

    Since 1900, Puig’s 34 hits and 58 total bases are the most for a Dodger thru 20 career games (via @EliasSports)

    • Anonymous

      By any chance did you notice how good the careers were of those that were # 2, 3, 4

  10. KT

    For those of you who missed this last night:

    looks like bouchy did his post game from the bathroom….you can see toilet paper rolls mounted on the walls in the background

    http://imgur.com/2tlvT5S

  11. Anonymous

    Help for the bullpen? Carlos Marmol has been DFA’d by the Cubs.

    Note: SARCASM

    • Anonymous

      Boy, nothing paints a player quite like a bad fantasy.

    • Anonymous

      What’s the matter Bob, too many somebodies miss the sarcasm over the years here?

    • Anonymous

      Mármol makes Valverde look like Mariano Rivera.

  12. Anonymous

    You can’t make basreunning mistakes if you’re not on base. Puig was two for two in that category last night, and yet he was still the hero of the game. Go figure.

    Meanwhile, I got the third degree from security on my way into the game because of a little Swiss-army keychain nail file and penknife. Since when did fans need to be frisked to watch a ballgame? Taking away all the pen knives in the world wouldn’t have stopped what happened to Bryan Stow, who was beaten with fists, not weapons, and in the parking lot, not the stadium. That kind of heavy-handedness makes me not want to return to the Ravine again soon.

    • KT

      how do you figure two for two…because he made the FOURTH out?

      • Anonymous

        When he got thrown out at third in the 6th, he was the third out (a cardinal sin), because Gonzalez was safe at first–the throw pulled Belt off the bag. When he was safe at third two innings later, it was because Panda dropped the ball. He was lucky, but still wrong to try to take the extra base.

        • Anonymous

          Wrong – Gonzalez was punched out at 1st for the 3rd out – there was no play on Puig at 3rd – inning was already over.

          • KT

            Yea I review every close play on my 70″ 1080P Sharp w/ HD satellite receiver from less than 6 feet away and I saw what you saw…crystal clear as the saying goes

        • KT

          And along with AaSsWw correct reply…Panda never touched the hurried throw by belt the ball skipped right under his glove and hit Puig in the side

          • Anonymous

            My mistake. I was at the game and didn’t have replay available. In any case, it was the wrong decision both times. And both are still forgivable because the guy is on base so often (except when he’s hitting home runs–no baserunning skill required).

  13. Anonymous

    From Stark at http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9412832/mlb-trade-deadline-preview
    Andre Ethier:
    It’s a myth that the Dodgers are out there actively dangling Ethier.
    Clubs in the outfield market that we’ve spoken with say they’ve had to
    ask about him, not the other way around. Yes, Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford
    are coming back one of these days, theoretically. But both of those
    guys have spent nearly as much time on the disabled list over the last
    year as they’ve spent in, say, their kitchens. So the Dodgers are
    approaching this situation carefully despite the emergence of Yasiel Puig.
    The other thing to keep in mind is that they’ve been telling other
    clubs they still view themselves as buyers, especially if they can reel
    in a third baseman they can control for multiple seasons. So given the
    $71.5 million Ethier has guaranteed beyond this season, he’s probably
    only getting moved if they can find a way to sell and buy at the same
    time.
    from me: seems like short-stops should be considered as well as third basemen

    • KT

      Use him as a relief player and a power bat off the bench rotating between CC MK and YP

      • Anonymous

        Yeah – it’s just like before the season when the Dodgers had an over-abundance of starting pitchers and they said – “Well, you can never have too much pitching depth…” – Well, with this team – and the over-abundance of injuries, you could just as easily say, “You can never have too much outfield depth.”

    • Anonymous

      I can see Ethier as the fourth outfielder for sure, especially now that he’s shown his ability to play center field at a decent level. I have no problem keeping him and Van slyke on the bench, even if it means losing Cruz, Schumaker, Punto, or Hairston. You only need somany futility infielders.

      I also see the Dodgers using Ethier to acquire bullpen help, although that seems to be what every team is looking for right now. Says something about the state of baseball.

    • Anonymous

      I’m glad to hear this. It would be maddeningly rash to jettison one of our outfielders.

    • foul tip

      Way late seeing this. Guess you’re thinking move HanRam to 3B if a SS is acquired?

  14. Anonymous

    Hey Jon – “Easy Puigy” – easily my favourite title of the year thus far.

    Keep Puiging away…

    Yasiel what I did there?

  15. So, #27 is back in the club house…. Is he back in the line-up?

  16. Anonymous

    If Kemp continues to revert back to swinging at sliders away in the dirt, it would be nice to have Ethier play in CF against the Marquis’ and Van Slyke for Ethier and Crawford against lefties. Hopefully, Van Slyke’s collapse was due to his injury and not to pitchers figuring him out.

    • Anonymous

      Hope you are right about SVS and the injury, though it wasn’t really a collapse (11 PA, 3 K and 1 BB in his last three games, one against a tough righty) and it took Donnie’s sharp eye to see the struggle.

  17. KT

    Todays lineup:
    Ellis 2B
    Puig LF
    Gonzalez 1B
    Ramirez SS
    Kemp CF
    Ethier RF
    Federowicz C
    Punto 3B
    Fife P

    • KT

      I think we should start working Ethier in LF…Puig’s got the stronger arm…I realize it more natural for a lefty in RF and a righty in LF but arm strength

      • Anonymous

        Gotta agree. Puig’s arm is outstanding; Ethier’s isn’t bad, but not Puig-esque.

      • Anonymous

        Edmundo “Sandy” Amorós Isasi begs to differ.

    • Well, okay. Let’s get this done.

  18. Anonymous

    So curious to see how Matty does tonight. I have to DVR the game, as I have a commitment that will keep me in the dark until around 8:00 p.m. I’m counting on you guys to provide thoughtful commentary, astute observations, and healthy dollops of humor, whatever happens, and until I get back, okay?

    • KT

      2000 is fine…you get to ffwd through the commercials and catch up before the end of the game

  19. Anonymous

    The strongest lineup to date.

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