Blog Kiosk: 10/17/2018 - Dodgers Links - Game 5 this Afternoon!

Everyone wants to talk about Bellinger and his fantastic diving catch and walk-off single. I would rather point out how great our bullpen has been. Last night their entire eight-man relief corp recorded eight scoreless innings, and overall they've given up only two runs in 19.2 inning pitched. That is the only reason we are still in this thing. Per Todd Zolecki at MLB.com:

"It was hard to watch everybody walk out of the bullpen and be the last one," Urias said through the team's interpreter. "But it was kind of motivating to watch everyone do their job and I was able to do mine, and when we got the run it all worked out."

On another note, I am excited by the starting staff next season that will include Walker Buehler and Julio Urias. It promises to be electric.

Pic above of Urias via Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2018 at Dodger Insider. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1978 the Yankees defeated the Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series to win their second consecutive title. In 1981 the Dodgers defeated the Montreal Expos in Game 4 of the NLCS at Olympic Stadium, 7-1. Steve Garvey hit a two-run homer in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie, then the Dodgers scored four more runs in the ninth to run away with it. They are tied at two games a piece in the series with a deciding Game 5 two days later.
• Happy Birthday, Pop Dillon, Mike Sandlock, Johnny Klippstein & Jim Gilliam!
• Memorabilia Watch: I wasn't going to initially share this item from Heritage Auctions, but then I took a closer look and realized that this jacket is the coolest football memorabilia item ever! Check out this 1938-1939 Brooklyn Dodgers football club game-worn sideline sweater jacket (link here) that not only includes the fantastic "Trylon and Perisphere" New York Worlds Fair logo, but also has a certain phase that we all should be familiar with embroidered on the back. It says, "Follow The Dodgers." Pics are below. Click to embiggen.:

• You should all praise the Rally-Ruler! 
• Awesome! Per Jason Owens at Yahoo Sports; "Steve Kerr had plenty of time to watch the Dodgers win."

After the Warriors dispatched the Thunder, Kerr entered the press room urging for brevity so he could find a TV to watch his Dodgers, who were locked in a 1-1 tie more than four hours after the game started.

Steve Kerr, Dodgers fan, enters press conference: "Let's make this quick, the baseball game is in extra innings."

• Per Kenny Kelly at Beyond the Boxscore; "Kenta Maeda is a different pitcher out of the bullpen: It’s not just the added velocity. His pitch selection changes, too."
• I'm still not worried. Via Alden Gonzalez at ESPN; "Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw hasn't decided whether he'll opt out."

"I have not made a decision," Kershaw said when asked about it prior to Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday. "And to my understanding, you get 10 days after the World Series. So, should be a busy 10 days."

• The Astros controversy that sprung up yesterday is just weird. What the heck is going on? Per Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors; "Astros Have Not Been Punished Following Sign-Stealing Controversy."
• So, the Dodgers did stay at the infamous Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee - famed for being haunted. Per Rick Barrett at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; "Pfister sends some guests to the Marriott for a free night's stay as NLCS leaves hotels crowded."

Turns out the Pfister was overbooked because it was under contract to house the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were in town for the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

The hotel manager was going down the guest list, one name at a time, asking people to give up their room in exchange for a free stay at the Marriott.

• They are just a bunch of whiners. Per Ryan Walton at True Blue LA; "Brewers unhappy with Manny Machado after ‘dirty play’"

“He’s a player that has a history of those types of incidents,” Christian Yelich said after the game. “One time is an accident. Repeated over and over and over again, you’re just a dirty player. It’s a dirty play by a dirty player. That’s what it is. I have a lot of respect for him as a player, but you can’t respect someone who plays the game like that.”

• This looks like very poor footwork by the first baseman Aguilar. Why doesn't he push off first base, like all first baseman are taught, once he records the out? He has ample time to avoid contact. At the same time, Machado did practically nothing to avoid contact, as well. Of course, Manny's ability to deviate from his course is far more difficult (and if I can add, more likely to cause injury) than it would be for the Aguilar to just step-off the damn base once he records the out. Heck, I would argue that batters have an explicit expectation that first baseman will do just that. Aguilar failed in the basics of his position. Via a tweet from Fabian Ardaya: