Dodgers Limp Home To Battle The Snakes, And The Curse Of Hello Kitty

Dodgers Lineup vs. Arizona

Puig 9Crawford 7Hanley 6Gonzalez 3Ethier 8Uribe 5M.Ellis 4Federowicz 2Nolasco 1

Randall Delgado– 4-5 vs. Ricky Nolasco-12-9

If you know what’s up, you’ll burn those unholy cursed hello kitty bobble heads the Dodgers are handing out to Dodger fans upon entry into tonight’s game. I know the woman love them and all, but they must be destroyed at all costs. Take those awful things and burn them in effigy because nothing good has ever come from those little stupid cats.

The Dodgers limp home to begin a seven game home stand trying to snap a four game losing streak. They’ll kick off the home stand with a three game series against those god forsaken Snakes, and end it with a four game set against the Giants.

Everyone is concerned, perturbed, annoyed, and worried about the Dodger’s recent losing road trip. They won two of three at Colorado, but lost all three games in Cincinnati by one run decisions. The Dodgers haven’t lost four in a row since May 17 I believe, when they got swept in Atlanta. The offense again is nowhere to be found. The Dodger bats only scored seven runs in the three game series against the Reds and keep giving away at-bats with poor plate approaches, and making routine boring outs. Those boring outs generally consist of grounder after grounder. That’s what the Cincinnati series was all about for the Dodger offense. The art of perfecting the weak grounder to the right side, and at the most inopportune times, that means an inning ending double play, which usually happens with men on base of course. So basically the Cincinnati series consisted of grounder, grounder, grounder, grounder, Whiff, Whiff, grounder, Whiff looking, pop-up. Grounder, grounder, Whiff, grounder, grounder. Pretty annoying.

Ricky Nolasco-Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

But the Dodgers still have a commanding lead in the NL West. The Dodgers (83-59), have an 11 game lead over the slumping Dbacks with 20 left to play. The Dodgers still need to clinch the division, and a series win against the Snakes can put it on ice. Barring some ridiculous collapse, the Dodgers are making the playoffs. And maybe they just need to be back home for the bats to wake up? Or maybe we just all need to burn those lame hello kitty dolls before it’s too late.

Or maybe the Dodgers just need to face a slumping pitcher? Is that Randall Delgado who they will face tonight? Not really, but he’s not moving mountains or anything. Delgado threw seven innings of three earned runs on four hits ball against Toronto on Sept 4. He struck out six that night and didn’t walk anyone, but wasn’t involved in the decision. Delgado has won just once since August 2. Over his last five starts he’s pitched at least six innings, and turned in quality starts in four of his last five outings.

Randall Delgado-Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The 23 year old right hander has faced the Dodgers twice, posting an 0-1 record, and 4.91 ERA. The Dodgers beat him the lone time they faced him this year back on July 8. Delgado allowed three earned runs on 11 hits in six frames in that appearance. Overall he is 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA. The Dodgers have hit Delgado well in limited plate appearances.

RBI

OBP

SLG

Andre Ethier

.167

Hanley Ramirez

.333

Skip Schumaker

.200

Carl Crawford

.000

Adrian Gonzalez

.500

A.J. Ellis

.000

Mark Ellis

.333

Dee Gordon

.667

1.000

Zack Greinke

1.000

Yasiel Puig

.667

Juan Uribe

.667

Clayton Kershaw

.500

Ricky Nolasco

.000

Michael Young

.500

1.000

Total

.354

.396

The Dodgers will counter with right hander Ricky Nolasco. This guy has been on fire of late. He’s allowed just two earned runs in his last 22 innings pitched. He threw back to back eight inning shutouts, and finished August with a 5-0 record, and posted a 1,64 ERA. Nolasco has pitched well against the Snakes. He has beat them twice this season. Once with the Marlins back in May, when he whiffed 11 in eight one run innings. Then again on July 9 in his Dodger debut when he allowed one run on four this through seven frames.

Nolasco is 7-2 against Arizona with a 3.84 ERA in ten starts. Nolasco is 7-1 with a 2.27 ERA with the Dodgers, and 12-9 with a 3.26 ERA and 146 whiffs overall.

RBI

OBP

SLG

Martin Prado

.326

.340

.413

Miguel Montero

.313

.625

Gerardo Parra

.071

.188

.071

Paul Goldschmidt

.250

.333

.250

Didi Gregorius

.667

.778

Aaron Hill

.556

.778

Wil Nieves

.125

Cliff Pennington

.143

Eric Chavez

.333

.667

Adam Eaton

.000

Trevor Cahill

.000

Wade Miley

.000

.500

.000

Randall Delgado

.000

A.J. Pollock

.000

Total

133

128

.289

.316

.391

We may get a break since Martin Prado has been sick, and may not be in the lineup tonight. Kirk Gibson said he is still under the weather, and that a fly bug has hit the Dback’s clubhouse pretty hard. The Dodgers just had one of those rip through the clubhouse. Sometimes those little germs are worse than hitting slumps.

Look, you can catch the game tonight at 7:10 PM, and you can watch it on Prime Ticket, and we’ll be back with our recap afterwards, but please burn the Hello Kitty dolls. I’m telling you that no good can come from them, and why take a chance? The Dodgers need all the help they can get right now breaking out of this slump. Every little bit helps, and burning those cursed dolls can only help free some of those evil spirits. Those H.K. dolls give me the creeps. Have you ever seen the film Dolls? Or Puppet Master? Just burn those god damned things already and be done with it. Go Blue.

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