Dodgers Team News

Dodgers – Padres Game Thread, Part 2

The Los Angeles Dodgers are fresh off of a 15-0 opening day win over the San Diego Padres, and now they send free agent acquisition Scott Kazmir to the mound tonight to do battle against their National League West rivals. Will he fare well or will it be a tough go of it for the newcomer?

Chase Utley will be the team’s leadoff hitter tonight while Corey Seager will be back in the number two spot. The entire lineup was tweeted out by the team a few hours ago and it’s the exact same as it was yesterday except for Austin Barnes in A.J. Ellis’ spot.



IT’S TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL!

Dodgers News: Puig Comes To Play On Opening Day

FIRST INNING

Chase Utley starts out the game striking out on three pitches, but then Corey Seager has a blooper fall in before a sliding Melvin Upton Jr. can catch it in left field. Justin Turner then grounds into a 6-4-3 double play to end the opening half of the inning. Kazmir on the mound coming up!

After a grounder to third is the first out, Spangenberg grounds to Utley at second but Utley doesn’t field or throw it cleanly and it goes as an infield single. A fly ball by Matt Kemp in center field almost causes a collision between Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig, but Pederson hauls it in. Kazmir then gets Wil Myers to line out to Pederson to end the first. No score after one!

SECOND INNING: TIED AT 0-0

After Adrian Gonzalez grounds out on the first pitch of the inning, Yasiel Puig works a great plate appearance and draws a walk with one out. Carl Crawford then flies out to center for the second out. A wild pitch allows Puig to advance to second, but Pederson strikes out to end the top of the second. Nothing doing after Puig’s walk.

Scott Kazmir notches his first strikeout as a Dodger by fanning Derek Norris, and then gets Solarte to fly out to left. It’s a 1-2-3 second inning for Kazmir as he gets Ramirez to fly out to left field, as well. To the third we go!

THIRD INNING: TIED AT 0-0

Los Angeles down in order on a strikeout, groundout, and fly out to center. To the bottom half we go!

1-2-3 inning for Scott Kazmir after a ground ball, popout, and groundout. 8 straight retired by Kazmir. He’s faced one over the minimum through three innings.

FOURTH INNING: TIED AT 0-0

Corey Seager leads off the top of the fourth with a single up the middle, and he’s 2-for-2 to start this game! Has both of the team’s hits. Justin Turner then gets robbed of at least a double by Matt Kemp, who makes an incredible diving catch! Adrian Gonzalez smokes a ball to dead center, and Jon Jay takes a weird route and can’t make the catch. It’s a double, and there’s runners on second and third with one out. Puig then has a great at-bat with some tough pitches, and then ropes a TRIPLE to dead center field! Two runs score! 2-0 Dodgers! RBI single through the draw-in infield by Crawford, and it’s 3-0! Oh hello offense! Pederson then strikes out after a lengthy at-bat on a called third strike, and Barnes flies out to center to end the top half, but the Dodgers score three runs to take the first lead of the game!

Kazmir begins the fourth by getting Spangenberg to go down looking on a fastball, and then gets Kemp to ground out to short. Kazmir has retired 10 in a row now. Another 1-2-3 inning for Kazmir as he sits down Wil Myers on a strikeout! 11 in a row retired by Kazmir, three strikeouts, and just one hit allowed. He’s dealing!

FIFTH INNING: DODGERS LEAD 3-0

Kazmir strikes out to start the inning, and then Utley pounds a baseball into short right field, but it’s directly into the shift and is the second out of the inning. Two-out double for Corey Seager! The hustle variety! He’s now 3-for-3 in the game. Justin Turner ends the inning with a meek fly out to right.

Weak popout by Norris starts the bottom of the fifth, and Kazmir is getting some incredibly easy outs. And just like that he gets an easy can of corn to left field for the second out. 13 in a row retired. Kazmir then gets Ramirez to ground out to second. Another 1-2-3 inning for the lefty. 14 in a row retired. To the sixth!

SIXTH INNING: DODGERS LEAD 3-0

James Shields gets Adrian Gonzalez to go down looking to start the sixth, Shields’ sixth strikeout of the game. Puig then grounds out to shortstop for the second out. Crawford’s flare shot off the end of the bat is snagged by the third baseman, and we head to the bottom of the sixth!

Kazmir starts the sixth with a strikeout. 15 in a row retired. He then gets pinch hitter Jabari Blash to ground out to third for the second out, and then he strikes out Jon Jay to end the sixth. 17 in a row retired! My god what a debut!

SEVENTH INNING: DODGERS LEAD 3-0

Pederson pops out to start the top of the seventh, and then Barnes pops out to the catcher for the second out. Kike Hernandez is now pinch hitting for Scott Kazmir. Weird. Kazmir’s at 75 pitches through 6 innings, and he was rolling. Interesting choice to take him out here. Hernandez then grounds to short, but Ramirez throws low to first and it can’t be dug out. That’s an E-6. Utley then ropes a ball, clocked at 98 MPH off the bat, right at Ramirez at short and that ends the top of the seventh. TIME TO STRETCH!

Pedro Baez is in to pitch here in the seventh, and he fans Spangenberg on a 96 MPH fastball. And then Baez gets Matt Kemp to whiff on a slider! Two up, two down, two strikeouts for Baez. Then Myers grounds out to third base to end the frame, and Baez has a 1-2-3 seventh!

EIGHTH INNING: DODGERS LEAD 3-0

Corey Seager leads off the frame, and for the first time in the game he is retired. He’s now 3-for-4 with a run scored. Justin Turner then strikes out on a pitch that was very borderline, but he did get rung up. Two down. And Gonzalez strikes out swinging to end the eighth. Chris Hatcher coming in!

Derek Norris goes down swinging as Chris Hatcher blows him away with a 95 MPH fastball. Hatcher then fans Solarte on a 96 MPH fastball! That’s 22 in a row retired by Dodgers pitchers. Two outs in the eighth. Ramirez then grounds up the middle, and Utley snatches it up and throws him out at first to send us to the ninth! Dodgers are cruising.

NINTH INNING: DODGERS LEAD 3-0

Puig begins the inning, and he grounds out to shortstop to start it off. Trayce Thompson, in his first at-bat of the night after taking over for Carl Crawford after the top of the sixth, strikes out. Joc Pederson then works a two-out walk which brings catcher Austin Barnes up to bat. Pederson then steals second base on a 2-1 pitch. He has the first stolen base for the Dodgers this season. Rodney then fans Barnes to end the threat. Kenley Jansen coming on for his first save of the season!

Kenley gets Jankowski to ground out softly to Seager at shortstop after breaking his bat. Jansen gets pinch hitter Brett Wallace to go down swinging for the second out! Just one to go for a victory! Jon Jay then singles right off of Jansen, and it deflects to Utley who can’t make a play on it. Jay reaches and the Padres have their first baserunner since the first inning. Both were infield singles. It snapped a streak of 25 straight retired. Jansen then strikes out Spangerberg to end the game! Dodgers win! Two straight shutouts to start the season! What a start.

FINAL SCORE: DODGERS 3, PADRES 0

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Staff Writer

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