One of the most anticipated series this season started on August 3rd, 2021. The Houston Astros came to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers in front of a packed crowd for the first time since the Astros cheated their way into beating the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series. Let’s just say the Dodger faithful did not forget what the Astros did to the Dodger franchise. The Astros are the first-place team in the AL West and have the 2nd best record in baseball. The Dodgers are in second place in the NL West and are tied for the 3rd best record in baseball.
In the first game of the series, the pitching matchup was the Astros Lance McCullers and the Dodgers Walker Buehler. The 2017 World Series game 7 starter Lance McCullers pitched extremely well against this streaky Dodger offense. Walker Buehler also pitched very well but gave up a run in the 3rd inning. The Astros’ bullpen kept the door shut on the Dodgers’ offense, giving up only one hit in 2 and a third innings. The Dodger bullpen, however, did not fare the same. Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol both came in for an inning, and both pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Victor Gonzalez did not pitch well again. He gave up a 2-run home run to Yordan Alvarez, which made to score 3-0, which ended up being the final score.
The final game of the series was the kind of game Dodgers fans deserved. Dodger fans were treated to Max Scherzer’s debut in a Dodger uniform. Max Scherzer showed up with a ton of adrenaline and pitched an excellent game, going seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits, and striking out 10. Dodger fans loved his performance so much they gave him a curtain call. A curtain call is when a player does something extraordinary, fans will either cheer continuously or chant the player’s name until he comes out of the dugout and acknowledges the fans. An special moment in a player’s career.
When Scherzer came out of the game, the Dodgers called on Joe Kelly to pitch the 8th inning facing Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, and Carlos Correa. Jose and Carlos are two of the players with hands-on involvement in the 2017 World Series cheating scandal. Kelly struck out Altuve, for Altuve’s 4th strikeout of the game. Likewise, Kelly struck out Brantley which then brought Carlos Correa to the plate. Dodger fans may remember last year when Kelly faced Correa, it resulted in an on-field altercation, and MLB suspended Kelly for eight games. Unfortunately, on a two-strike pitch Correa got the best of him, hitting a towering homerun. Kelly got out of the 8th inning by getting Alvarez to fly out.
In the top of the 9th inning, it was time for Treinen to come in with a 4-run lead to close the door, right? WRONG! Dave Roberts decided to bring in Kenley Jansen to close the game. Kenley did not look good as he couldn’t hit the target at all with minimal velocity. He ended up giving up a leadoff single, then the next batter hit a two-run home run. As Jansen will sometimes do, he changes the narrative of his outing by striking out the last three batters he faced. This was a terrible performance by Jansen, and if not for the four-run lead, it could have been a disaster.
It is very frustrating watching the bullpen managed as it is right now. Dave Roberts had the great idea of warming up Blake Treinen in the 8th inning after Joe Kelly gave up the homerun earlier in the game. I wish Dave would have just put Blake into the game in the 9th instead of wasting his time warming up. You could feel the tension in the stadium when Jansen came in to close the game. Jansen, who posted a sub-two ERA earlier in the season, had an ERA of over 14 for his last five games, which should tell you he is struggling. A win against the Astros was more than a slash in the “W” column. Fans desperately wanted a win and were energized for this game, evidenced by the highest attendance MLB game of the year. It almost slipped through our hands.
The Dodger offense was also highly motivated to help Scherzer in his debut, scoring four runs in the first inning. Every offensive player besides Justin Turner had a base hit in this game. Mookie Betts was the clear stand-out player in this game, going 2 for 5 with two home runs, including a leadoff home run. This exciting game came too close to comfort with the final score being 7-5 Dodgers. The two-game series was an exciting one for Dodger fans and Dodger players themselves. This atmosphere Dodgers fans brought to the stadium made this feel like a playoff series. I am hopeful the series split with the Astros will create the momentum for the Dodgers to get hot and take the division lead.