Game 160: Giants treat Brandon McCarthy like a flower child in the outfield.

Brandon McCarthy

Brandon McCarthy faced six San Francisco Giants batters without recording an out; all six scored in the Dodgers’ 9-3 loss. (Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon McCarthy‘s odds of making the postseason roster as a reliever took a dive in the Dodgers’ 9-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants. The box score is here.

Dave Roberts is stressing the positives against left-handed pitchers.

There are Vin Scully Awards in Los Angeles and New York City. Cooperstown should follow suit, writes colleague Tom Hoffarth.

Dodgers’ rotation for final six games leaves as many questions as answers. Update.

Julio Urias

Julio Urias has thrown a career-high 119 innings this season between the majors and Triple-A. He will move out of the bullpen to start Thursday in San Diego. (Getty Images)

SAN DIEGO — The Dodgers announced their starting rotation for the final six games of the season:

Tuesday at San Diego: Kenta Maeda
Wednesday: Jose De Leon
Thursday: Julio Urias
Friday at San Francisco: Rich Hill
Saturday: Clayton Kershaw
Sunday: Maeda

Update (6:20 p.m.): Roberts said that Kershaw, Hill and Maeda will start Games 1, 2 and 3 of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals in that order. The starting assignment for Game 4 is to be determined. Maeda wanted two starts before the regular season ends, not one, which is why he’s starting tonight and not tomorrow.

Roberts discussed his season-ending rotation Tuesday afternoon:

Continue reading “Dodgers’ rotation for final six games leaves as many questions as answers. Update.” »

Brandon McCarthy thought his baseball career was in jeopardy two weeks ago.

Brandon McCarthy

Brandon McCarthy pitched 5 1/3 innings against the Colorado Rockies in his first start since Aug. 13. (Getty Images)

When Brandon McCarthy took the mound for the Dodgers on July 27, he began the day with a sparkling 2.39 earned-run average. He’d only pitched four games, but they were encouraging. It appeared the veteran right-hander could pick up where he left off before the Tommy John surgery that wiped out 14 months of his career.

That day, McCarthy threw 83 pitches in four innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. Only 51 were strikes. His control betrayed him a little more with each successive start: 85 pitches and 48 strikes against the Rockies; 65 pitches and 31 strikes against the Red Sox; 51 pitches and 22 strikes against the Pirates. That was on Aug. 21. His ERA after that game: 3.63.

McCarthy then went on the disabled list with stiffness in his right hip. As it turns, his most pressing problem was much worse.

Continue reading “Brandon McCarthy thought his baseball career was in jeopardy two weeks ago.” »

Game 155: Dodgers win, but clinching party remains on hold.

Chase Utley

Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley lunges toward first base following through on a throw in a 14-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. (John McCoy/Staff photographer)

The Dodgers couldn’t stop scoring in a 14-1 rout of the Colorado Rockies, but a San Francisco Giants win put their National League West clinching party on hold. The box score is here. The photo gallery is here.

Rich Hill was scratched from Sunday’s start as a precautionary measure; Brandon McCarthy will start instead.

Sunday is Vin Scully’s final game behind the microphone at Dodger Stadium. In his final pre-retirement press conference, Scully discussed the time he was asked to run for governor of California.

Scully’s style touched generations of fans, writes Ryan Kartje. Scully was unique in style and substance, writes Mark Whicker.

Scott Kazmir, Chris Taylor and Brandon McCarthy are about to give the Dodgers a full active roster.

Scott Kazmir was activated from the 15-day disabled list, and Chris Taylor was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City, giving the Dodgers 39 players on their active roster for tonight’s game against the Colorado Rockies.

The 40th man, pitcher Brandon McCarthy, is on the 15-day disabled list. He threw a 75-pitch simulated game at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. This afternoon, McCarthy threw a bullpen session and manager Dave Roberts said he will be activated from the DL before the regular season ends a week from Sunday.

That means the Dodgers will have a full complement of 40 players on the active roster. That’s a rarity in September, and perhaps the Dodgers will be unique in that regard in MLB.

In any event, it will be a logistical nightmare if all 40 players are asked to fit inside the visiting clubhouses in San Diego and San Francisco, where the Dodgers end the season next week.