[PilotMan]

9/2 7-1 L to the Mets
Winfield went 2-3 and hit his 20^th double of the year. Bryn Smith (15-10) lost again. Smith made 3 mistakes. One to Glenn Davis in the 2^nd (9) and 2 to the Straw Man (36,37). The Mets rapped out 14 hits in all, and cruised to an easy win.


9/3 14-6 W over the Mets
The Mets started off with a 5 spot in the first and looked like a repeat of yesterday, but then LA came back. And did they ever. Today marks the highest run output from LA all year, and the first time since July 27^th that they've gotten at least 10. Ever starter except Von Hayes got into the hit parade today with Ozzie leading the way with 3. Schmidt went 2-4 with a bases clearing double. Of LA's 16 hits, 8 were for extra bases. Kelly Downs (16-8) gets the win in a bad outing. Rickey was forced to leave the game late after hurting his shoulder making a diving catch with the game decided. Ugh.


9/4 3-2 L to the Mets
LA wastes a really good performance from Ken Howell. Howell allowed 4 hits over 7.1 innings of shut out baseball and then gave way to John Franco. Franco got out of the 8^th inning just fine, but it was the 9^th where things fell apart. Franco, now 3-4 on the year, blows his 7^th save chance. They game went from 2-0 to 3-2 on a bases clearing, double by former Dodger killer(?) Luis Salazar (known from his Padres days). Gene Nelson (4-2) gets the win.


In other really great news, the LA Dodgers have lost Rickey Henderson for the rest of the year to a significant shoulder injury. He's gone to the 60 day DL. Henderson only batted .250 this year, with 10 HR's. He was a speed demon early on, but his getting on base dropped off and so did his production. At one point he was on pace for well over 100 steals, but ended the year early with 64. There's a very good chance this is the last we'll see of Rickey in LA. 1988 was Henderson's least productive year since his rookie season in '79.


9/5 13-3 L to the Braves
Ozzie Smith went 3-4 and Von Hayes hit his 18^th HR of the year. Jim Beattie (3-7) struggled through 5 innings and Sergio Del Rosario's first appearance this year went very poorly. He was responsible for 5 runs in an inning and two-thirds. The Braves Craig Biggio lead off with a homer (13) and they never looked back. Glavine (14-11) picked up the W.


9/6 8-2 W over the Braves
Mike Schmidt went deep in the 4^th (14) as part of a 7 run inning that put LA in front for good. Inky had a bases clearing triple in the same inning as things just didn't go right for Brian Fischer (3-10). LA's rookie Kirk Vucsko (1-0) got his first career win with a 6 inning outing, where we walked 5 and struck out 7. John Denny pitched the final 3 for his 2^nd save.


9/7 8-4 L to the Astros
Don't really expect to win any of these games. Winfield went 3-5 and Caminiti 2-4. The Astros went up 2-0 and it was close for most, then they added 4 more in the 7^th and chased Bryn Smith (15-11). LA put 4 up in the bottom off of Candiotti (12-4) and got it close again, but in the top of the 9^th the Astros got to Franco for 3 more to put it away. Lee Stevens was hurt in a collision at 2^nd and had to leave.


9/8 9-5 L to the Astros
Houston put up 2 early off of Kelly Downs (16-9), but LA got them back plus 1 by the bottom of the 2^nd, thanks to a Schmidt HR (15). Once again, things went ary in the 6^th and 7^th as Downs was chased and the bullpen did him no favors, leaving him on the hook for 7 runs as Barry Larkin cleared the bases with one of his 3 doubles in the game.


Don Robinson was activated off of the DL, recovered from his shoulder injury.


IF Curtis Wilkerson was promoted to the main roster. Wilkerson put up good numbers in AAA, but in 89 games in the majors he's hitting .214, with an OPS of .552. Yippee.


9/9 16-4 W over the Reds
Middle of the third, after 2 Reds HR's, one by Luis Alicea who lead off with one (10) and the other, a 2 run shot by Kal Daniels (16). Those were the only errors by Ken Howell (5-3) who struck out 8 in 6. cut the game in half when Winfield went deep (17) and again when Inky tied it in the 5^th (9) with a 482 ft blast. The wheels came off for the Reds in the 6^th though. LA sent something like 16 guys to the plate, scored 12 runs, and and saw Hayes hit number 19. Mike Scioscia left the game with an injury so we'll have to deal with that again. John Denny pitched the final 3 for save number 3. Only the 2^nd win in 13 tries against the Reds.


Lee Stevens is on the DL with a bone bruise on his arm.


9/10 7-6 (11) W over the Reds
Tie game until the 4^th when Winfield went opposite field (18) to tie it up. Jim Beattie got touched for 4 more in the 6^th and it looked like that would hold, but in the 9^th, Quiz could not get an out against LA. Batter after batter, and in the end it was an Ozzie Smith 2 run triple that tied the game up. The Reds got out of that jam, but they couldn't get out of the blown 9^th and ultimate loss in the 11^th. Curt Wilkerson provided the game winning hit. We denied Jack Morris's 20^th win of the year.


Both Greg Swindell (20-3) of Houston and Doc Gooden (20-6) of New York joined the 20 win club. This is Gooden's 3^rd 20 win season in 6 years.


Just back tightness for Scioscia, and no trip to the DL.


With that win for Swindell and the Astros, the Los Angeles Dodgers are eliminated from the playoffs this year. With a 16 game lead on the Reds, the magic number is down for 5 for the Astros. The Mets need 9. In the AL, the Yankees are 2.5 in front, with a number of 18. And the West, the Rangers have come out on top by 4 games, and they have a number of 17.


9/11 9-3 L to the Reds
The Reds got on the board first with another first inning HR. This one from SS Jeffery Wilson (15). LA would claw that one back in the 4^th then take the lead in the 5^th. Kirk Vucsko (1-1) pitched well and held the slim lead, but Lasorda, once again, sent him out one inning too late. Back to back home runs by rookie Orsino Hill (1, his first career) and Luis Alicea (11) surrendered the tight lead. Tom Niedenfuer blew the game open allowing 6 in an inning and a third. Kal Daniels walked 5 times for the Reds. LA squandered a 3-5 game from Wilkerson and a game where Scioscia reached base on all 4 plate appearnces.


9/12 3-2 L to the Braves
Bryn Smith took a 2 hit shutout into the 9^th inning. Then a single and a pinch hit HR by Craig Worthington (6) tied the game. Franco came on and served up single to Craig Biggio, who then stole 2^nd, and took 3^rd on a throwing error. Andres Thomas knocked him in, then Franco (3-5) got some outs. LA got 2 hit games from Scioscia, Smith, and Biggio. LA had the tying run on third, and Dwayne Murphy poked a little flare to left, but Dan Boever was able to make the catch to end the game.


The Padres Bob Ojeda joins the 20 win club.


LA has promoted OF Billie Merrifield. A former 4^th rounder, in 1982 of the Dodgers, he had previously played in 20 games, but never an at bat. He can play the corner infield positions as well as a couple in the outfield. He's spent most of '88 in AA San Antonio, where he batted .246/.284/.363.


There's just a little over 2 weeks of baseball left for this year. The Dodgers hopes are crushed and the DL is full. Of the guys on the DL, we may have seen the last of Rickey Henderson and Fernando Valenzuela in a Dodgers uniform. We also have no chance of see BJ Surhoff or Frank Tanana back in action this year.


9/13 5-4 L to the Braves
Kelly Downs didn't allow a hit until the 7^th inning but it still didn't earn the W. The Braves went up, and LA tied it in the 7^th, but Kent Tekulve (6-2) got hit by Craig Biggio's 14^th of the year, and that ended up being the winning margin. Once again LA got the tying run on 3^rd, but Jim Acker shut us down and he earned his 14^th save.


LA had dropped into a tie for 3^rd now with the Padres. The Braves lurk another game behind. 5^th place is a real possibility. Tom Lasorda's job is in real jeopardy right now. He is in the last year of his deal, and while he has had tremendous success, this year will be one to forget and it may do him in. The rumblings are beginning.


Mike Scioscia is back on the DL again with back tightness. He just can't seem to shake this injury. So LA's catching situation will be back to a plethora of minor leaguers to handle. C Larry See (.248/5/30 in AAA) was recalled to take his roster spot.


LA has signed journeyman reliever Don Aase (4-4, 5.85 40G with Boston) was signed to a minor league deal a week after being released by the Red Sox. Aase had turned 34 the day he was released, and has a 3.95 career ERA. LA is hist 8^th pro team in his career.


9/14 11-5 W over the Braves
Ken Howell (6-3) struck out 11 Braves in 7 innings. LA put up 4 in the 3^rd and 3 more in the 4^th against Zane Smith (10-10). Inky hit HR number 10 and Von Hayes became the first Dodger to hit 20 HR's on the year. In fact, Hayes is putting the touches on his best season ever, by joining the 20/20 club. Bad luck continued to hound the team. Dave Winfield left the game with a back injury, as did John Denny, who had come on in relief.


Things just go from bad to worse for LA. Dave Winfield needs 550 PA to get the vesting for his contract extension. He had been on pace to get it, but he had to go on the DL with a back strain and he is likely done for the year. He has 505 PA's. So he will be a free agent. No work on John Denny yet.


OF Mitch Webster was brought up to the Majors after spending the entire year in Albuquerque. Webster suffered through a multitude of injuries this season and still managed to hit .370/.427/.518 with 21 steals in 66 games. Webster last played for the Blue Jays and has a career .281 average.


Denny is now done too. With a non-throwing shoulder injury, he won't be back until the spring. Tough break for him. '89 will be his last on contract.


9/16 7-6 L to the Reds
Reds went up 6-0 on Jim Beattie (3-8) after 3 innings. Kal Daniels hit #18. LA kept fighting back though. Von Hayes homered in the 5^th (21), as part of a 3-4 day. Curtis Wilkerson also went 3-4, with 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Mike Schmidt came off the bench and homered in the 9^th to cut the lead to 7-6 before Quiz closed the door (35). LA's Sergio DelRosario who up to now, had possibly the worst career pitching stats ever, pitched 3.2 innings, no hits, 4 walks and 3 K's. His best career outing. It dropped his season ERA to 12.00.


The Astros are the first team to clinch a title, winning the West with their 97^th win of the season. The Mets are down to 2 for their magic number. In the AL, the Yankees are 3.5 in front and are still the only plus .500 team in the East. The West is still a mess. The Rangers had moved to the front, but the surging White Sox have caught them. The M's linger 2 back and the Angels only 4.5.


9/17 8-3 W over the Reds
LA scored 4 times in the first, which was enough to win the game outright. Curtis Wilkerson went 3-5 with a bases clearing double in the first. He ended with 4 RBI's. Von Hayes hit #22 in the 2^nd, a solo shot, and Caminiti added another in the 9^th, his 8^th of the season. Bryn Smith (16-11) pitched 8, throwing only 102 pitches to get the job done.


9/18 6-5 L to the Reds
A good game from Kelly Downs, and the bullpen kept him from getting his 17^th win. Carrying a 4-3 lead into the 8^th Niedenfeur served up a 2-run HR to Nick Esasky (23) that put the Reds up in front. LA sneaked a run in the 9^th to tie it up and Don Robinson (0-4) took the game to the 9^th. Nothing went right, 3 hits, a big throw at the plate to salvage the game, then back to back walks that let the winning run score. Ozzie Smith was injured in a collision at 2^nd base and was taken out.


Of course, the news is not good for the Wizard of Oz. He's torn some ligaments in his thumb and he is done for the year. LA only got 92 games from Ozzie this year. He did good, but it was costly. He may not be back next year.


The Mets are the Kings of the NL East. They will meet the Astros in the least surprising preseason pick ever.


9/19 5-4 W over the Astros
This may as well be our playoffs. We traded the lead 4 times with the Astros. Von Hayes was great, going 4-4 with his 23^rd HR. Pete O'Brien's 15^th in the 8^th put LA back on top for good. Franco pitched the last 2 innings for his 31^st save on the year.


9/20 8-3 L to the Astros
Barry Larkin went deep in the 2^nd and 4^th (13,14) off of Kirk Vucsko (1-2). LA's young starter allowed 10 runners, 6 of them walks, while also getting 6 K's in an all or nothing effort in under 5 innings. Even though it was still close, reliver DelRosario did him no favors as he allowed a single, then a grand slam to Dickie Thon (9). Caminit went 2-4 with a pair of doubles.


9/21 7-2 W over the Padres
The Padres scored first, with 2 in the first on a Gwynn 2-run shot. Jim Beattie (4-8) settled down from there and worked 7 strong. LA scored the next 7, with 5 in the first as they batted around. Mike Schmidt went 3-3 with his 17 HR and Pete O'Brien went 2-5 with his 16^th. LA got a lot of help from the others in the lineup. Mitch Webster, Curt Wilkerson and Larry See all had 2 hit games.


LA begins the final run of their games with all of the remaining games being against either the Padres or Giants. Right now we are in 3^rd, but only 2 game separate the Braves and Padres. If things go badly we could easily be surpassed, however, having the 106 loss Giants on the schedule may help that.


Don Aase has been promoted to the club for the final few series. LA is now the 8^th uniform that Aase will have worn in his 12 year career.


9/22 4-1 (10) W over the Padres
Bob Ojeda and Bryn Smith went head to head all game. After each team scored in the first it stayed zeroes until the 10^th. With Bob Stanley (5-6) on the mound, Schmidt walked, Wilkerson singled. After a pinch hitting Roy Smalley got out, Von Hayes stepped up and smashed a shot over the right field wall. It was Hayes' 24^th of the season and capped a 2-5 game. Tekulve (7-2) got the win.


Lee Stevens was activated off the DL, but doesn't figure to start with Hayes on fire in center and Pete O'Brien at first.


9/23 4-0 W over the Giants
Really, playing the Giants can make anyone look good. Kelly Downs (17-9) allowed 2 hits, and if not for a walk in the 9^th would have gotten to finish the game, but instead he had to settle for the W. Downs knocked in 2 of the 4 runs, with a bit 4^th inning double. It was his 4^th on the season. The real highlight was getting to see 30yr old C John Debus, get his first major league hit. He was overjoyed at the moment and the crowd appreciated it.


With just a few games remaining it looks like Schmidt might be done at third. While is production has been down most of the year it looks like he might just be too old to keep it up at the hot corner any longer. Wilkerson has slid over, while Chuck Jackson takes up the position at short.


9/24 3-1 L to the Giants
Lasorda is really shaking things up now. Don Robinson (0-5) got his first start of the season. I'll be honest, this really feels like we're scraping bottom now. He pitched ok, for just under 5 innings, and the bullpen was alright. Today, it was the offense that just couldn't get going off of Eric King (5-13). Of the Dodger starters, it was Curt Wilkerson (3-4) and Stan Holmes (2-4) that provided all the punch. A Mitch Webster single and RBI was the lone scoring play and nobody else even got a hit.


Rumor has it that Valenzuela may be available for one of the final 2 games of the year. Whether or not he gets to make a start is up to Tommy.


In the AL races, it's the Yankees with a tight 1 game lead on the Orioles. Both teams are at or above .500 now. In the West, the White Sox are a game in front of both the M's and Rangers, with the Angels 3 back, but the window is closing. The magic number for both teams is 8.


9/25 3-2 (12) W over the Giants
LA faced a pitcher in Tim Kammeyer who had walked 135 guys in 176 innings. The fact that LA rapped out 9 hits off of him in over 6 innings but didn't draw a walk until the 7^th has to say something. Kirk Vucsko had the best start of his career, pitching 7.2 and allowing only 3 hits, walking 3 with 4 K's. The Dodger bullpen did great, especially DiPino (3-4) who went 3 scoreless innings. LA outhit the Giants 14-4. In the 12^th Ty Dabney hit a double, and then scored on an Inky single. Chuck Jackson went 3-4. Giants rookie prospect Glenallen Hill hit the first homer of his career (1).


9/26 6-3 W over the Padres
The Padres opened up scoring in the first off of Jim Beattie (5-8), then again, Beattie settled down, good for his typical performance. Still LA couldn't do anything against Tandy Charley until the 7^th. In the 8^th Schmidt went deep for the 18^th time, and this one, a 3 run blast, put LA up for good. That capepd a 3-4 game for Schmidt and one of his best of recent times. The Padres loaded the bases with 1 out in the 9^th. Putting the tying run at the plate. John Franco was called on and got out allowing only 1 of them to score, before closing it out on a double play. His 32^nd save.


The second no-hitter of 1988 (Dave Stieb in July) was pitched by the most unlikely of pitchers. Cleveland Indians pitcher Mark Fellows, who at best, has been a really good minor league pitcher, no hit the Detroit Tigers tonight. He finished his 9 innings with the game tied at 0, as the Indians couldn't do anything against Teddy Higuera. In the bottom of the 9^th, tied, Fred Manrique lead off with a double. The Tigers brought in John Henry Johnson to pitch, and Kelly Gruber singled over the short stop. Manrique, running all the way scored from 2^nd to get Fellows the no hitter, who was mobbed in the dugout. This was Fellows first win of the year, in his 5^th start. He has 23 career starts over 3 seasons, starting 16 in '86. He's a 3 time minor league all star, and finished 2^nd in '87 for MVP and Pitcher of the Year in AAA. This year in AAA, he was 16-7, with a 2.89 ERA .His minor league success just has never showed up in the Majors. He's 30, and this has to be the high point of his career.


9/27 7-4 L to the Padres
Bryn Smith (16-12) allowed 3 2-run HR's in 5 short innings. That good hitting by the Padres, Matt Williams (25,26) and McGee (12), allowed them to go out and hide. LA chipped away getting 2 hit games from Caminiti, Inky, and Webster, but they just couldn't get close enough to really threaten the game. Bob Ojeda picks up his 22^nd win on a team with a losing record.


The O's who have been hard charging the Yankees are now having to do without the services of probably ROY Ken Griffey Jr. He's got an injury that would have him back in the middle of the ALCS if they make it that far. The team will now try and replace him with fellow rookie, Brian McRae.


9/28 2-0 L to the Padres
Great pitching dual between Kelly Downs (17-10) and Jimmy Key. Both men threw 8 inning shutouts with both teams only getting 5 hits in a clean game with no errors. Von Hayes opened the 9^th off with a great diving catch in right, but then had to leave the game with a bruise. He's probably not going to play any more this year, bu the injury isn't serious long term. Tom Beyers came in to play and Kevin McReynolds knocked a single into left. Downs faced Matt Williams next, who cleared the fence in right (27), over the watching eyes of Byers to end it.


Four games left for everyone else, 3 for LA. In the AL races things are crazy. The Yankees are 1 up on Baltimore, with 1 game to play between them before they both head elsewhere. The Yakees have an easier road, so the odds do favor them, slightly. In the West, it's now a 3 way tie for the lead, and legitimately anyone's to win. The Angels are only a half game back. The M's and Rangers finish with 4 against one another, while the White Sox go on the road to Kansas City, and the Angles finish with 3 on the road against the Twins. The Angels were supposed to win this division, but they are under 8% probability to take it. The winner of the M's/Rangers series has a 77% likelihood of winning the division. All 4 teams have 94 wins.


9/29
LA is off.
The Yankees win 7-3 and extend their lead in the East.
The White Sox fall to the Royals thanks to 2 Lance Parrish home runs (12).
The Rangers are shut out by Nolan Ryan and the M's (8K's), to take the lead.


Dave Winfield and Fernando Valenzuela were activated off the DL today.


9/30 7-2 W over the Giants
Pitching under the lights of LA, Dodger fans got to witness one final throw of the year, and possibly ever, for fan favorite and hometown hearo Fernando Valenzuela. In an emotional game, Fernando pitched more like his old self. Although he walked 5, and struck out 4, the Dodger icon, pitched into the 7^th inning and got the win to run his record to 5-11. LA hammered 6 extra base hits (of 10) including an 8^th inning blast by rookie Lee Stevens (2). Stevens finished the game 2-4. LA's also saw Winfield return and go 2-4, while Caminiti went 2-2, but walked 3 times. The fans gave Valenzuela a standing ovation as he left the field. He smiled and waived his cap in respect to the fans. No word yet on if the team is thinking of extending his contract. LA will finish with at least 81 wins this year.


The Yankees win and O's lose and that hands the title to the Yankees for this year.
The Angels stay close with a 5-2 win in Minnesota.
The White Sox lose again, this time in the bottom of the 9^th to the Royals.
In extra innings, the M's steal a game from the Rangers to drop the magic number to 2. Only the Angels now have any chance to take the division from the Mariners.


The Angels had the best team in the AL, but an August that saw them go 11-17 killed their strong run this year. They have the best pitching in the AL with 2 20game winners (Saberhagen, Storm Davis) and 1 19 game winner (Mike Witt).


Mike Scioscia was activated from the DL with his back issues.