Sometimes It Rains
Judgment Day left no doubt
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“Some day a real rain’ll come and wash all the scum off the streets.”
Before Hurricane Hilary had a chance to wash out Sunday baseball in Southern California, all three home teams in the region — San Diego, Anaheim, and Los Angeles — played doubleheaders on Saturday.
This rare present-day trio of double-dips put all teams involved in a position to make a statement, if only for one day.
Travis Bickle probably wasn’t much of a baseball fan. I doubt he was giving much thought to Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, or Catfish Hunter when he drove through Times Square in the mid-’70s and wished for a cleansing deluge. Nonetheless, the spiraling isolation of the Robert DeNiro’s character in “Taxi Driver” might resonate with some fans in Southern California right about now.
Doubleheaders, even on the rare occasion when they are planned, disrupt routines. In a game very much predicated upon routine, a twin bill can take players, coaches, and staff out of their comfort zones. So, as far as I was concerned, Saturday’s matchups between the Marlins and Dodgers, Rays and Angels, and D-backs and Padres served as late-season gut checks for six teams in playoff contention, especially as postseason hopes become October illusions for some.
In Los Angeles, the Dodgers did what we’ve become so accustomed to from this team. They swept the Marlins in a pair of 3-1 decisions. In each game, Mookie Betts chipped in with two RBIs, hitting two solo homers in the nightcap. The Dodgers are 19-3 in August — nineteen and three! — following a win over the Guardians this afternoon in the completion of a suspended game from last night and a victory in the scheduled game for the day. They entered the All-Star Break in second place, a half-game behind the Diamondbacks. Entering play today, they held an 11.5-game lead over both Arizona and San Francisco. That advantage is now 12.5.
Regular season wins, though, seem to do nothing for Dave Roberts in the eyes of the baseball media. Every October, his decisions are questioned, especially when it comes to bullpen usage. His qualifications for the job of Dodgers manager are doubted. I think this is foolish. Games today are more scripted than ever before (and that hasn’t stopped in LA during the SAG-AFTRA strike); in some cases, the call to the bullpen might as well be placed by baseball operations officials. Roberts, affectionally known by many as Doc, deserves a lot of credit for keeping a talent-rich roster focused on the greater goal. Given all the injuries the team has suffered this season, they’re still going to end up with the second-best record in the NL and a first-round playoff bye.
About 30 miles south, it was a very different Saturday. After taking the first game, 7-6, the Angels fell to the Rays in game two — by a score of 21-4. Those results felt very indicative of a team that has thrown everything — every player possible, including their first-round pick from last month’s draft — on the field but just doesn’t have enough.
Of course, the Angels’ season has only gotten worse since. During yesterday’s doubleheader — necessary after the Angel Stadium field hadn’t adequately recovered from the heavy rains in time for Monday’s game — Ohtani likely threw his last pitch for the Halos. And they were swept.
I’ve watched a lot of Angels games this season. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a team have so many close games — tie games, one-run games — turn into blowouts so quickly and in so many ways.
Maybe there’s a borderline pitch that goes the wrong way. Sometimes there’s a bad call that extends an opponent’s at-bat. Not too long ago, Brandon Drury hit what could have been a game-winning double, but the ball hopped over the wall and the runner ahead of him had to stop at third base.
Yesterday, defensive stalwart Andrew Velasquez committed a two-out throwing error that allowed Elly De La Cruz to come to the plate. What was a 3-1 Angels lead became a 4-3 deficit. It only got worse, the heartbreak greater. Ohtani’s arm fatigue was actually a tear of the UCL, a development that made Mike Trout’s placement back on the injured list feel relatively benign.
One tropical storm, two doubleheaders, and the washing away of any postseason dreams.
At 61-67, the Angels and Padres have identical records. The main difference between the two teams is circumstantial; the threshold for the final Wild Card spot in the NL is about five games behind the corresponding spot in the American League.
In San Diego on Saturday, the Diamondbacks swept the Padres, leaving the home team seven games under .500. I think you’ll agree that, even in this expanded playoff format, that kind of record makes it difficult to consider a team seriously in the Wild Card standings.
There’s been a lot written about the Padres’ expected winning percentage — a metric based off run differential — and their horrific record in one-run games (6-19) and extra innings (0-10). Saturday’s games against the D-backs exposed some of the soft spots of the San Diego roster that speak to more than just bad luck.
Matt Waldron started the first game of the doubleheader for the Pads. If you’re unfamiliar with his name, don’t feel bad. Saturday marked Waldron’s second career Major League appearance. Waldron speaks for the organization’s upper-level depth of starting pitching, thinned out by multiple win-now trades over the past couple years.
The second game of the day was started by Yu Darvish. The D-backs, meanwhile, made it a bullpen game that included the big league debut of Bryce Jarvis, a first-round pick in 2020 and son of former Padres pitcher Kevin Jarvis. Arizona got to Darvish, whose performance has been uneven this season, for four runs in five innings. Meanwhile, Jarvis pitched well and got the win in his debut.
On Sunday, a real rain came through Southern California.
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