Dodgers Defeat Rangers 10-2: Kershaw K’s 11, Game Notes & Scouting Takeaways
Kershaw K’s 11, Utley and Segedin go deep en route to the Dodgers’ 10-2 victory over the Rangers on Thursday.
This is the first of a six-part scouting series. In addition to this Dodgers game, I will be covering the following games: CWS@OAK (3/24), CLE@CWS (3/25), CIN@SEA (3/26), COL@TEX (3/27) and LAD@SEA (3/19). Follow me on Twitter @JoePiazza_ for live game updates!
The Dodgers wasted no time Thursday evening. They jumped to an early lead on a leadoff single by Logan Forsythe and a Chase Utley home run. By the time the Rangers had their first chance to bat, they were already down by two runs. Fast-forward to the bottom of the fourth inning, and the Dodgers had extended their lead to 7-0.
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was in mid-season form, striking out 11 batters, walking one and allowing just two hits. Rangers starter Dillon Gee wasn’t able to tame the Dodgers lineup, as he gave up nine hits and seven runs (four earned) in 3.1 innings of work. He struck out just two batters and almost exclusively induced hard contact. He wasn’t missing bats, and the Dodgers weren’t missing opportunities.
After tacking on three more runs in the eighth inning, including a home run by Rob Segedin, the Dodgers took the field in the bottom of the ninth with Brandon Morrow on the mound and a 10-run lead. A runner reached base on an error, the next guy grounded out on a fielder’s choice and Morrow was pulled. In came Joe Broussard with one on and one out, who proceeded to surrender a long home run to Drew Robinson on the first pitch. Broussard followed that up with a strikeout and fly out, and the game was in the books. Dodgers 10, Rangers 2.
Dodgers Batting
Realistically, Spring Training stats don’t count for anything. Neither do the outcomes of Spring Training games. Still, the Dodgers had a field day with Rangers pitching. All it took was two batters into the game for L.A. to have a lead, and they never looked back. They scored in five of nine innings, and scored multiple runs in three of those innings. Chase Utley led the way for the team, going 3-4 with a home run, 2 RBI and two runs scored. Logan Forsythe, Andrew Toles and Charlie Culberson also had two or more hits each for L.A.
Yasiel Puig and Omar Estevez collected 2 RBI each on two-strike, two-out singles. Andrew Toles and Chris Taylor both hit doubles off of Gee, the first of which drove Puig home in the third inning. Although he didn’t record a hit in the game, Joc Pederson was also looking sharp. He walked in the fourth, and squared up fastballs in two at bats, hitting a deep fly ball both times. Yasmani Grandal had a tough day at the plate, going 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
With Utley swinging like he is, it’s going to be tough for manager Dave Roberts to keep him on the bench. Logan Forsythe is expected to be the everyday second baseman, meaning management will have to get creative if they want to get Utley’s bat in the lineup. Also, it appears that Andrew Toles has proven his case as an everyday outfielder. This will give him a chance to show that last year’s .314 small-sample batting average was no fluke.
Rangers Batting
For every blowout game, there’s going to be an ugly losing side. Thursday showed us that the Rangers can have a very ugly losing side. Rangers hitters amassed 15 strikeouts and stranded 10 runners on base. The top performers for Texas were Mike Napoli and Nomar Mazara, who were the only guys to get a hit off of Kershaw. Neither of those hits started any sort of momentum, but it was encouraging to see Mazara get a solid hit off of a lefty, let alone Clayton Kershaw.
Adrian Beltre went hitless in two at bats, but drove a ball to deep center field in his second time up. Rougned Odor also had a couple of decent at bats, including a nine-pitch battle with Kershaw that resulted in a deep fly ball to center. But like Beltre, Odor was 0-2 with a strikeout on the day. In addition to those two, Delino DeShields, Jurickson Profar, Ryan Rua and Elvis Andrus were also hitless
Just when it seemed like the Rangers were going to be shut out 10-0, Drew Robinson put them on the board. With a runner on and one out in the ninth, Robinson drove the first pitch he saw over the right field fence, scoring the only runs of the night for Texas. It was the fourth home run of the spring for Robinson, who could be called up in a pinch if someone gets hurt.
Dodgers Pitching
The Dodgers pitching staff had a day to be proud of. Kershaw had the type of day that lets you know baseball is back. From a pitcher’s point of view, it’s hard to top 11 strikeouts across six shutout innings during Spring Training. His best pitch of the day was his slider, as it was reponsible for eight of Kershaw’s 11 Ks. He kept batters out of rhythm all day, allowing just three baserunners. The Rangers lineup couldn’t even get one extra-base hit off Kershaw, managing just two singles. Those singles were no cheap hits though, as Nomar Mazara and Mike Napoli each squared up a solid knock against the perennial Cy Young candidate.
Relievers
Ike Davis was brought in to hit for Kershaw, and lefty Grant Dayton was called upon to take over. Dayton, who impressed in his 26.1-inning debut in 2016, pitched a smooth seventh inning. He induced a fly ball, a weak ground ball and struck out first baseman Drew Robinson. The eighth inning was a little more interesting, courtesy of Brandon Morrow. Morrow gave up two hits, but still managed two strikeouts and a ground out to end the threat. He went back out for the bottom of the ninth with a 10-run lead, and induced a ground ball to lead things off.
An error by shortstop Drew Jackson allowed the runner to reach base, but Morrow induced another grounder to short. This one was milliseconds from being a double play, but Doug Bernier beat out the throw to first. The Dodgers brought in Joe Broussard, who gave up a two-run shot to Drew Robinson on a fastball down the middle, on his very first pitch no less. Broussard has strong minor league numbers, but will have to do better than that.
Rangers Pitching
Rangers starter Dillon Gee had a rough day on the mound. In just 3.1 innings, Gee surrendered nine hits and four earned runs. A pair of throwing errors in the third by Rougned Odor allowed three unearned runs to score, but the Rangers pitching staff must be held accountable for the remaining seven runs allowed. Gee played with velocity to keep hitters off balance, but couldn’t induce outs when he needed them most. His velocity ranged from a 89-91 mph fastball, to a 73-74 mph change up, which was a good sign. However, he allowed two base hits and 3 RBI on two-strike counts in less than four innings. That must be improved upon if Gee is going to play any substantial role for Texas in 2017.
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Relievers
The Rangers bullpen was busy Thursday, as manager Jeff Bannister needed six relievers to get through the game. R.J. Alvarez got Texas out of a jam in the seventh, but was responsible for three earned runs in the eighth. Rob Segedin led off the inning with a homer, and Alvarez was pulled with two runners on and one out.
Lefty Ryne Slack was tasked with damage control, but couldn’t get it done. Slack walked the first batter he faced, then got O’Koyea Dickson to hit a pop up to the catcher for the second out. With the bases loaded and two away, Slack allowed a two-run single to Omar Estevez.
The Dodgers’ lead was at 10-0. Maybe the worst part of Estevez’s bases-loaded single, was how close Slack was to getting out of it. Estevez was facing a 2-2 count with two outs, and was given an 87 mph fastball down the middle. He still had a pitch to work with but gave up with the fastball.
The only clean inning for Rangers pitching was Jaye Chapman‘s in the ninth. Chapman got through the inning unscathed, striking out Rob Segedin along the way. Of course by that point, the Dodgers lineup was void of any starters.
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Rangers pitching failed to trick the Dodgers lineup on Thursday. Instead of using a carefully placed offspeed pitch to put hitters away, the Rangers continued to throw below-average fastballs over the middle of the plate. Dodgers hitters were hitting the ball hard all afternoon, and Texas pitchers didn’t take advantage of two-strike counts