There is an old saying, so old, in fact, that many of today’s younger Dodger fans may have never heard it before The saying occasionally pops up when something doesn’t or hasn’t happened in a while and is referred to as “Once in a blue moon.”

A blue moon has absolutely nothing to do with the actual color of the moon, but rather is a second full moon in the same calendar month, and typically occurs (about) once every 2.7 years. Even more rare is when there are two blue moons in the same calendar year.

On January 31, 2018 there was a blue moon. There was another on Friday night, March 30, 2018, when the Dodgers were shutout by a score of 1-0 for the second consecutive game in their second game of the 2018 season, both by the San Francisco Giants, who finished dead last in the National League West with 98 losses in 2017.

Friday night’s Blue Moon will be the last until 2020.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But wait, there’s more…

Like game one of new season, pitching in game two of the new season was again absolutely brilliant. In the season opener, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw and a stellar Dodgers bullpen allowed a grand total of one run – a solo home run by Giants second baseman Joe Panik – on a combined eight hits with a combined 11 strikeouts and two walks.

On the other side of the ledger, Giants starter Ty Blach and the Giants bullpen held the Dodgers scoreless and allowed only six harmless singles (including two by Kershaw), while striking out 10 Dodger batters and walking five. But for as good as Kershaw was, you can’t win if you can’t hit.

A blue moon indeed.

And then came game two.

In game two, Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood allowed no runs and only one hit in his stellar 8.0 innings pitched. Along the way, he struck out eight and walked none. It was, by far, the best outing in the 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native’s career.

On the other side of the ledger, Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto and his unique change-of-pace delivery took a perfect game into the seventh inning on Friday night under a blue moon; a perfect game until Dodgers center fielder Chris Taylor finally blooped a single into short center field. It would be the Dodgers only hit of the night. However, Taylor was immediately erased on the very next play when Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager grounded into a routine 4-6-3 double play. No other Dodger would reach base on the night. In other words, Giants pitchers face the minimum of 27 batters on the night.

A blue moon indeed.

Taylor’s blooper to short center off of a near perfect Johnny Cueto would be the only hit of the night for the Dodgers.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

As for the Giants, their lone run came on a solo home run by (wait for it…) Joe Panik, which landed halfway up the right field pavilion. It came off of (wait for it…) Kenley Jansen, the best closer in the game, in the top of the ninth inning. The Dodgers could not counter in the bottom half of the inning, when fill-in closer Hunter Strickland (for regular Giants closer Mark Melancon, who is on the disabled list) collected his second save in as many days.

But wait, there’s more…

During the game, the Dodgers committed four errors, three by fill-in third baseman Logan Forsythe (for Justin Turner) and the other by normally-sure-handed shortstop Corey Seager.

“That will be the last time, I assure you, that will ever happen to Logan,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters after the game. “He’s a very, very good defender all over the infield, and at third especially. I’m sure it’s a night he would like to forget.”

A blue moon indeed.

As for Jansen, it was his first loss since July 3, 2015. Of bigger concern is the fact that his cutter topped out at 89 MPH instead of its normal 93-94 MPH. And while Roberts said that the decrease in velocity is a “mechanical” thing, Jansen himself adamantly denied this.

“It’s no mechanics, he just got me,” Jansen said.

A blue moon indeed.

The good news – at least for the Dodgers – is that the next blue moon will not occur until 2020, so the Dodgers have that going for them.