Los Angeles Lakers (46-33, .582, 1st NL West) @ Vancouver Whitecaps (42.-7, .532, 3rd NL West)
The last time we saw Vancouver, at home, they were 4-5 and off to a bit of a rocky start – we beat them two games to one in that series – but both wins were hard fought. At the time, I pegged them for a better club than what they were showing early in the season and since that series, while they have had some rough stretches, they’ve mostly proved me right. The Whitecaps have an okay offense – it could be better, but it’ll do. They don’t really hit for average (.273) and they aren’t great at getting on base (.328), but they hit home runs and get enough people across the plate. They were led in that regard by Arthur Grant – the 25-year-old had a .358/.399/.642 slash with 19 HR’s and 49 RBI when he went down with an oblique strain, he’ll be back in a couple of weeks – not soon enough. Without him, they are left to play to their strengths, and what a strength it is… At #1 in both Starter and Bullpen ERA, and #2 in Defensive Efficiency the Whitecaps know something about keeping runs off the board. Their staff has been nothing short of miraculous – and their bullpen, led by top Closer Enzo Mercado has been handcuffing offenses at every opportunity. They have us on a three-game set here, in their park, and sitting a scant 4 games back – they’ll be looking to make up some ground, and with the way we’ve been hitting (not to mention the void left in our lineup by Otto’s absence) we’ll need to be a lot better than we have been to keep that from happening.
80 of 162: Julen Morales (9-4, 3.17) @ Nick Boyer (4-5, 3.52)
If you could have your pick of which pitcher to face when playing Vancouver, you’d go with Nick Boyer every time – not because he’s easy to hit, he’s just the lesser of five evils… we get one on him in the top of the 1st, plus three hits to lead it off – it’s no bother for Vancouver though as they return the favor with five hits and four runs of their own in the bottom of the frame – including a 2-run double for 3B Kevin Palmer who had zero trouble with Julen’s curve. We manage to get two of them back in the 3rd – one comes on Newman’s 5th jack of the year and then take the lead in the top of the 7th when a Pepper flyball catches a gust of wind and carries just outside of the centerfielders reach and brings two runs home. That’s all that would be required in our game one victory over the Whitecaps, 6-4. 27 hits between us in this one – Zarate, Cooke, Mullens, Kumar, and Aguilar all get 2 hits and Newman gets 3 (including our only double and our only HR). Morales calmed down after a miserable opening and Bovie got the hold leaving Saul to earn his 21st save.
Elsewhere (City of Compton): Your boy
Rad pitched today, and it went about as good as you’d have thought – 5 innings, 6 hits, 5 earned runs, 4 walks, and a single K… Compton got the win despite
Rad’s best efforts. Yikes. This kid just isn’t getting it…
In Bush League news – Jules Winfield went 3 for 5 with a HR and 3 RBI for the Sunrise Supremo’s in their 10-4 win over the Quincy Quackers – I got to hand it to Jules, man… he’s still out here having fun and doing his thing.
81 of 162: Michael Brisk (6-7, 4.11) @ Adam Gunter (5-6, 3.04)
Halfway home, folks – dance & rejoice! We figure Gunter out during his second (and part of his third) time through the order with a couple of runs scored in the top of the 4th and 5th innings to secure a 4-2 victory over the Whitecaps. Ethan was stunning in this one, he finished 4 for 4 with a double, 3 singles, a walk and 3 RBI for the game – an unstoppable force. Brisk gives us 6 good ones and only allows two runs to score, and Durkin gets a 2.2 inning save – his 5th of the year. Not sure how Saul feels about this guy being such a save vulture – but it’s working for the club, and if it works for the club… well, you know how the rest of that goes.
82 of 162: Case Tunnell (6-2, 3.84) @ Bill Marvin (8-4, 3.29)
Case Tunnell comes up one man short of a complete game win – he gets hooked with one out to go and his replacement, Matt Olston, blows the save by allowing the run that sends this one into extras – he’s sitting all the way in the back on our flight back to Los Angeles, right next to the toilets where he belongs… Vancouver doesn’t make us wait for very long though as they walk us off in the bottom of the 10th when Filonas Polyclitus hit a run-scoring double off of, you guessed it – Matt Olston, to send us on our way, heads down, mumbling under our breath, and kicking the dirt as we wonder what we’ve done with our lives… Whitecaps win and avoid the sweep, 3-2.
While a sweep
would’ve been nice, I’ll take 2 of 3 against the surging Whitecaps any time. At 5 games back now, we have some breathing room – though San Diego is still right there at 3 games back and in 2nd place… 6 straight home games before the All-Star break (3 v MIN; 3 v SDC) – some important divisional games coming up...