In his first game back from the DL last night, Rich Hill pitched 5 innings and allowed 6 hits while walking no one. He gave up one run and his ERA sits at 2.77. Some fans, like to criticize Hill because it means their irrational hatred of Andrew Friedman is somehow justified in their small minds. They criticized his rehab starts in RC because he walked a few batters because (of course) that is what they do. They are master critics who walk down the hill, after the battle is over, and shoot the wounded.
Let’s get one thing straight: Rich Hill is a very, very good pitcher. Not that he has always been a very good pitcher, but in the last year and a half he resurrected his career and is awesome… when he doesn’t have a blister. “Yeah, let’s make fun of that blister.” Anything to prove to yourself that Hill was a bad signing by FAZ. Dumb! But, you know, he throws a curveball… well a bunch of curveballs from all different angles, so it takes him a little longer to get the “feel.” That’s why he gets bombed in the Spring, but I think he is getting close. Hopefully, he has the blister figured out. After the game he told Alanna Rizzo:
“The ball came out of my hand well — not 100 percent the way I wanted to — but the one mistake to Brandon on a curveball that kind of hung. But overall everything came out the way I wanted to and the finger felt good. No issues there.”
You know, I respect differing opinions… especially when someone can articulate a position and defend it, with a sustainable and valid argument. For example, DodgerRick wants five starters who can pitch deep into games. That’s his goal and he dislikes anything less than that. He is unwavering and steadfast and presents artful arguments (like a lawyer) and while I don’t agree with him all the time (most of the time), I can respect his opinion.
The people who bother me are ones who never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. Every comment is designed to support a circular argument that they have. The simplicity of their character makes them exquisitely incomprehensible to me. I can always predict with an absolute certainty what they will do…because they are so simple! If a player Andrew Friedman signed or traded for makes a mistake or does something other than excellence, they pile on like turkeys in the rain.
- At first I thought Doc’s lineup was dumb last night, but I think he was just trying to shake things up. It didn’t work, but I get what he was doing. Just don’t do it again, OK? 😉 I mean, at some point, you have to trust your bench. Taylor, Gutierrez, Turner and Hernandez all did their jobs, but Barnes, Puig, Pederson and SVS all failed. Barnes and Puig left 8 runners stranded. While not crazy about the lineup, players have to produce. SVS has not produced all year. When A-Gon comes back, he’s the odd man out. Joc, Puig and Van Slyke simply cannot hit lefties, I guess. Joc is hitting .174 against LH pitching – he is a platoon player. Sit him! Puig is hitting .159. Van Slyke is hitting .138. Pathetic! Grandal is hitting .133 against Lefties so Barnes was the right choice.
- Let Adrian hit #5 when he gets back. Keep Cody at #4!
- Minor League Report
- Shea Spitzbarth pitched 2 shutout innings upon his promo to AA. It is possible he could see LA THIS year! If you can pitch, you can pitch and he is a pitcher.
M.T. Where’s the music???
I’ll leave the articulating and subtracting from the sum of human knowledge (sounds like a line from Genius currently on the tube)…
With a loss like that last night, I could use a little of Lynard Skynard or Little Feat to uplift my soul…
Oh yeah patrons of LADodgertalk, how does a big bopper in the middle of the lineup sound to ya now???
Sounds like you need a little Why Store:
… and we have a Big Bopper with another coming back soon…
Just a thought, but if we took Kemp back, would that be cost efficient as aren’t we on the hook for 50% of his earnings?
We are paying $2.75 Million a year of Matt Kemp’s $21.75 million a year deal. So he would cost us another $19 million a year. He’s available, but with the luxury tax it would be another $10 million too.
I think the Padres are on the hook for quite a bit or at least some at this point too.
Watford
I think it was a mistake to think Puig would step up, and provide as much offense, as Kemp did.
I don’t think this is on the front office, because I think when they first came over, they listened to what Mattingly thought, because they didn’t know the players, that well.
And Mattingly didn’t handle the Kemp situation well, so there was a lot of conflict there, so Mattingly thought that Puig would be less of a problem, then Kemp was.
But he must of thought Puig would become a better hitter, then he really was.
The Dodgers don’t want Kemp. Why do you think they got rid of him in the first place?
Look beyond his home runs. The story is a little deeper than that. Does he get on base? Does he create offense? Is he a defensive liability?
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=5631&position=OF
I wish my posts weren’t always stuck in limbo.
I wish they weren’t either. I am running this up the food chain to see why. Occasionally, it happens to others. It may have to do with your e-mail address. WordPress may think it’s spam. I don’t know.
Kemp was absolutely awful the first half of the last three seasons. It took Atlanta’s owner calling him out for being out of shape for him to start better this year. Kemp was dealt because he could get a return and yes his defense on .OBP were declining. I have no complaints at this point about that deal. I sure as heck wouldn’t want to be sitting here with AJ Ellis as our starting catcher this year or the last couple.
Dodgerpatch, I think it has to do with incorporating outside links.
“Turkeys in the rain”?
I remember as a youngster being out at Lakeside Golf Course watching “Soldier in the Rain” with Steve McQueen, Jackie Gleason and Tuesday Weld being filmed, but I’ve never heard of turkeys in the rain. Must be messy.
I hope we never see another starting line-up without both Seager and Bellinger. It made no sense.
Come on, Clayton…don’t let the bastards bring out the brooms.
If it starts raining, turkeys pile on top of each other in a corner and the ones on the bottom suffocate.
Happy Thanksgiving
Hill did pitch better then I thought he would, last night.
It didn’t look good early with him after he walked the first hitter, and hit the next batter, but Hill didn’t allow the game, get out of hand, after that.
He had much better control then I thought he would have, but I will have to see how he pitches against a team, with a better offense.
But since I haven’t seen, or heard anything about a blister, the news seems to be good with Hill, at this point in the season.
Taylor and Kike did provide most of the offense last night, and they probably had the two hardest hit balls, last night too.
And about Puig, Joc, and Barnes, I wouldn’t expect as much from Barnes, as I would, from Puig and Joc.
Barnes does not get close to the same amount of at bats, as those two, and he is only in his first year.
I think we are lucky that he has been able to provide some offense, with the few games, he plays in.
But I think your right, it does look at this point, that Joc and Puig, are not going to make any big gains this year.
They are what they are, so I don’t expect them, to do much more, then they have already done.
And that is why I was high on Toles, because he seemed like he would be a more consistent hitter, and that would help this offense, to be more productive.
Because we don’t have a lot of hitters in our line up, that consistently make contact, and keep our offense, moving.
And the fact that Toles had more power then I thought, and seemed to be able to hit in the clutch, was like having the icing, on the cake.
I don’t think Puig should automatically start and play, in every game either, because he hasn’t done much against lefties, this year.
And he has had reverse splits, throughout his career against lefties, to an extent.
I see Puig hitting his best, toward the back of our line up, because there is less pressure, hitting in the back of the line up.
Because it seems like Puig tries to do to much, when he hits higher in the line up, and at times, when he is under pressure, in clutch situations.
And I don’t understand why Joc never seems to have a swing down, when he comes to spring training.
It is hard to learn a new swing, and use one, at the begining of the second month, of the season.
Players do make adjustments with their swings as the season goes along, , but it isn’t big incremental changes, like Joc seems to make, after the season has already begun.
I’ve been watching a lot of games of the best team in baseball right now (Astros), and our starters don’t compare to those of Houston. The biggest difference is that they are healthy. Houston has a relief pitcher that can pitch several innings 2-3 days in a row, and they use him like Cleveland used that guy last year. Statistically, there might not be much difference, but take a look at wins and losses. On the offensive side, the Astros can field almost 2 teams with players who consistently produce. This is the team the Dodgers will have to beat at some point, and unless Kershaw can pitch every day, or the batting light weights start producing, I don’t see much of a chance. BTW: At least OKC beat the Sacto giants. I can’t believe we can’t play the giants better than we do. It’s been going on for several years now. The Dodgers are the only team against whom the giants have a winning record. Unbelievable. I’m afraid of a sweep today. Kershaw will have to be better than he has been lately.
Bobbie 17
How much do the Astros platoon?
I am just curious about that, and nothing more, then just that.
The Astros platoon at Catcher and 3B/OF, with our old friend Josh Reddick/Gonzalez.
I like the Astros. I like AJ Hinch. They are a solid team with a good young nucleus. I think Alex Bregman is going to be a star. I read today that the Astros were looking at a top of the rotation starter and solid LHRP. There were rumors that they will be going hard for Gerrit Cole and Tony Watson from the Pirates. They have the farm system to make such a move. That kind of deal says they will be all in this year.
Some teams just give some teams a very hard time. For the last couple of years, the Giants have been that team for the Dodgers. I hate that. I hate having coffee with my clients (and my best) who are former Giants. I hate having Giants fans wearing their WS jerseys/jackets/shirts. I am going to see a lot of them this weekend. But I will still be wearing my Dodger gear.
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I do not like that Seager and Bellinger are out the same game. While I agree that Barnes needs to play more, and against LHP, maybe it might have been better to have Grandal in the game with both Seager and Bellinger out. He does have the hot bat. Those were my only real complaints about last night’s lineup. Kike’ should just play against Giants lefthanders. Barnes not hitting in key situations is not good (but somewhat understandable), but Puig not hitting in key situations is not acceptable. He needs to clutch up, that is what he is there for. I have said it before and am more than willing to eat crow, but I keep hearing how much talent he has. Since 2014, we have not seen it. So was June 2013-2014 the outlier? Or is 2015-Present the outlier? Late and close Puig is .182/.280/.318/.598 (25 PA); team ahead he is .267/.343/.500/.843 (70 PA) vs. team behind he is .226/.268/.377/.645 (56 PA). Puig leads the league in GIDP with 11. And I know he is only 26. SVS not hitting is now expected.
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I am not altogether sure where Joc is at? He was making good improvements last year, but he seems to be reverting back to 2nd half 2015. But until there is a better option, Joc is the only CF choice the Dodgers have. Thus it is even more important that Puig produce, especially against LH .171/.239/.195/.434 (46 PA). Because of Joc’s power potential, a little more patience is warranted, but he is going to have to begin producing. My clients do not care what my credentials are. All they care about is if I get the Business Plan to the lenders on time, and file their tax returns on time. In my audit days, the SEC did not care what my potential was. All they cared about was making sure that our client’s audit was completed in order to file annual reports before the deadlines. Talent and potential are great, but it is production that wins games. The pitchers seem to be pulling their weight, now it is the offenses turn to clutch up.
AC
What do you think is Corey’s problem right now, because he looks to be in, quite a struggle?
And why do you think that Puig has so much trouble, hitting a good fastball, because they say, that most major leaguers, can at least, hit a good fastball.
Corey just answered my question with two hits, and I am happy for him, because he has been struggling.
All the guys in the middle of our line up, got two hits today, and that was good to see!
The lineup was one thing, the batting order was another altogether. Until Forsythe returns Taylor should be hitting leadoff. Today we had a 38 year old guy who is hitting .180ish batting leadoff. I like Chase, and yes I know he’s been heating up and has history against Cueto, but he’s still a .180 hitter. Taylor draws walks and can run. Injuries and scheduled days off sometimes leave a less than desirable lineup on the field, but some of the batting orders have been truly baffling.
Sitting Turner game one of both series and then Seager, Grandal, and Bellinger all the same day definitely makes it tough. Especially as bad as SVS and Joc look. Speaking of looking bad, Romo must go. Dayton needs to get himself straight and return ASAP because he’s a big part of the pen.
Hopefully Hatcher, Romo, Kike, and Van Suck will be replaced on the 25-man roster sooner than later.
Going into the season I thought the greatest determinant as to how we would do was Joc and Puig. If they hit well, we’d win going away. If they played like last year we’d struggle
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Out rotation question marks were primarily who would be healthy, as we had quantity and quality. By and large our pitching keeps us in the game but we have to score runs to win.
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Puig and Joc are two of my favorite players but they aren’t getting it done.
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I’m not quite ready to cut ties, but am willing to listen to offers.
Last night decent pitching no scoring. It’s always something. SF appears to be about ready to get on a roll. Come on Dodgers, get with the program.
And they are doing it without MadBum, Pense, and Melancon. Only 6 games behind us. We need a win.
I try to keep an open mind to what I see from game to game and be aware of the big picture of the long season. Roberts likes to keep everyone involved and stays with his veterans longer than most. They platoon more than I would prefer but like to play match ups. I did not like last nights lineup but understand it. SVS got one more chance and did not look good. He and Utley do not make the plays Cody and Agon do at 1B. Kike produced in the cleanup role, and Taylor delivered again. Gutierrez is hitting and if his body holds up playing the OF will stay. I expected 50/50 results from the 2 pitchers coming off the DL and McCarthy did worse than I thought he would and Hill did better, settling down as the game wore on. If he is past his blister issues moves way up on the starter depth chart. Tough decisions looming as all but Ryu have produced recently. Hatcher does fine in low leverage situations, Romo probably gets another chance or two. Dayton does not look the same this year but Fields, Baez, Avilan and Stripling have been consistent, Jansen his normal self. AGon’s return sends SVS down and when Forsythe is ready they will need a spot and one from Kike, Taylor, Utley or Gutierrez either goes down or to the DL, unless they cut back a pitcher. More intrigue and roster manipulation to come. Seems like a couple days ago they were poised to take first and now sit in 3rd but it is a long season. Winnable series are coming up and they catch the NL Central not playing all that well, this will be a big test outside of the division of where the team stands. Kershaw needs to be the stopper tonight and Cueto needs to pay for being a soft tosser these days. Don’t chase and make him throw fastballs behind in the count. Also put the ball in play, take walks and manufacture runs, hard to hit low curves out.
Vegas
That was some good advice for the Dodger’s hitters today, against Cueto.
I would love for the team, to finally knock Cueto, out of the game today!
I said I had to get used to these line ups. I am taking a stand. I am not going to get used to these kinds of lineup. I believe everyone should know their roles. That means we have eight starters, and four bench players. We need five starting pitchers. Give each starter a rest when they need it, and only one at a time. Seven in the bull pen without Romo and Hatcher.
If we have to depend upon Pederson and Puig to take us to the promised land, it will never happen. They both have been with us three years and I do not see any improvement. It is time for those two to fish or cut bait. Peterson is batting 216 on the season and Puig is batting 241 on the season. Bring up Thompson, Dickson or Verdugo. They certainly cannot do any worse than Puig and Pedersen. Put Kike and Taylor in the outfield. Do something.
The more I think about the last two games, the madder I get. Those pitchers from SF we should of hammered. We stink.
Hill did not pitch great, but something for him to improve on. One run on five innings is pretty good. Now, find five starters. I am pissed. I do not use that word very often.
Mark
How about that big hit, from Grandal!
I think it’s gonna work out fine. Title of an old song done by several artist. Ike and Tina Turner’s version was probably biggest chartwise but from the moment I heard Ry Cooder’s instrumental version of it nearly 40 years ago it’s been my favorite piece of music. If Beethoven had heard it the ninth would had been just a little better. Sure, it’s rough viewing Giants beating Dodgers too often, but ‘I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine’.
Nicely said Quas
Cueto got it up to 93 but has thrown about 4 fastballs in 2 IP so far. Seager hit a 1st pitch single, Turner pulled one down the line and Grandal took an 0 and 2 change up off his shoes, dropped the barrel and doubled to right for 2 RBI’s. Nice start today, not trying to do too much with Cueto moving the ball around. Kershaw looks sharp so far. Not sure I like Utley leading off when you have Taylor but not gonna nitpick.
Mark our pitching is fine when healthy. Rich hill is a stud when healthy. He pitched well last night. Our problem is we cannot score. Pederson puig are just not good major league hitters. I think Pederson always works hard he is just limited in skills. Puig can’t hit a fastball very slow bat he provides good defense and very little else. Just throw utley a change up and he is done. Faz has got to work on the offense.
Puig – Now that was clutch. Keep that up.
It was either clutch (and I hope it was) or it was:
Mark
Now that is funny!!
Always I was watching on my iPad and predictably Pederson struck out but with 2 strikes I knew puig would k but he didn’t great!!!! Those guys have to produce but with both hitting below 250 I don’t think we can expect much. But give him credit today.
Hey Mark, I was going to say that about Kike last night batting cleanup but since you bring the blind squirrel up..Puig has hit the ball hard all 3 times today, and leads the team in RBI’s and stolen bases and is tied with Cody for HR’s and probably has as many hard hit outs as anyone on the team. Joc on the other hand should watch how Bellinger takes the outside pitch the other way and quit trying to pull everything. He is either stubborn or not real smart, maybe both. He probably takes more called strike 3’s on a 3 and 2 pitch while already trotting to 1st than anyone I have ever seen. Umps probably hate him just a little for that stuff.
Vegas
Corey leads the team in RBIs, not Puig.
And Puig only has one more RBI, then Bellinger has.
And during the time the announcers kept on saying that Puig hit into bad luck, Toles had the same exact Babip, that Puig had.
But Corey was hitting into the most hard luck, on the team.
And remember, this isn’t Puig’s first year, it is his fifth year, even though we act like it is his first year at times, when he does something, good.
And that is probably because this is the first year, that Puig has wanted to put in the work, to get better.
That’s because Toles kept chasing breaking balls at his shoe tops for weak outs to second and first. Not the same type of luck. Seager is always going to lead the team in hard outs. Puig hit three or four missiles that turned into nothing today. Foul balls or outs. You could see the coaches and teammates visibly getting behind Yasiel after such bad luck. It’s a process learning a new swing and it’s good to see his teammates and the coaching staff keeping him from getting down on himself. I have no complaints other than a few AB’s from Yasiel this year. In the past Puig may have mentally checked out after such AB’s. It’s good to see the support he’s getting and the effort he is giving.
The injury to Toles is a problem. I would have had no problem with him sliding over to CF to replace Joc. If Puig hits between .250-280 with 20-25 HR’s at the bottom of the order and plays stellar D, not a problem. If Joc hits .210-.220 and continues to have a power outage the Dodgers have problems. Puig should not be hitting behind guys like Kike, Joc, and Utley.
The Dodgers are going to need another bat in my opinion. I think Seager, Turner, and Bellinger are just fine in the middle of the order. Grandal and Puig are just fine doing what they’re doing even if I complain about where Grandal hits in the batting order and yes I would like to see Puig’s avg rise and I think it will. Taylor and Forsythe are just fine as well. That leave’s 1st base and CF. If this offense is going to click, Gonzalez and Joc have to pick it up dramatically.
OK, how about this?
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The Dodgers trade Hyun-Jin Ryu, Yasiel Puig, Scott Kazmir ($30 million contract), Joc Pederson and Yadier Alvarez to ATL for Ender Incarte and Matt Kemp (against my better judgement)/
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Lineup:
1. Incarte CF
2. Seager SS
3. Turner 3B
4. Bellinger RF
5. Kemp LF
6. Gonzo 1B
7. Grandal C
8. Forsythe 2B
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Can you dig it?
There is no way Atlanta goes for that, but I do like the thinking. Inciarte is a true defensive CF who can hit some, but has no power. But he just signed a 5 year $30.53M contract to be the long term Braves CF. Joc would lessen the sting a little, but the Braves would not trade Inciarte for Joc straight up. The Braves like what they got in him.
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What makes Kemp intriguing is that the Padres still owe $8.5M annually through 2019. That makes his annual total contract cost to the Dodgers at $13.0M. Since the Dodgers are already paying $2.5M, that makes the differential $10.5M. Would they be willing to pay an additional $10.5M for each of the 2.5 years remaining on his contract? I think most Dodger fans would prefer Kemp to Braun and Kemp to Puig. Well, I can only speak for myself, but I would prefer Kemp to either Braun or Puig. The problem is that Kemp is having a tremendous start, and he is really the only player keeping them relevant in their new stadium.
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I think Dodger fans are just going to have to get used to it. Kazmir is not going anywhere. His injury takes him out of this year, and there is no guarantee that he will ever be able to pitch well again. I am a Kaz fan, but even I have my serious doubts that he will ever return to pitch effectively.
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I know many on here believe in Ryu. I am just not there. His fastball just does not move at all, and his slider is not breaking like it used to. He starts the pitch out over the plate expecting a break, but it just flattens out and becomes a hanging breaking ball. I still consider him a #7 SP on the Dodgers. If he pitches okay, I can see the Dodgers moving him for a tier 2 level prospect, with an ETA of 2019-2020. I think you might have a better chance with replacing Ryu with Maeda.
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I have been reading that the potential buyers of the Marlins are looking to move some of the established players to get some prospect returns. The farm system is not very good at all. The one player that keeps coming up in the readings is Ozuna. I do not know what it would take, but as a start, Puig would be a natural in Miami. They do not feel confident that they will be able to move Stanton. That was really not a smart contract.
I wanted to trade Puig to Miami after his rookie year.
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OK, let’s get creative:
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Trade Puig, Pederson, Verdugo, Calhoun, Alvarez, Buehler and Kazmir (just some salary) for Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna… a whole new outfield. The Marlins go into full rebuild mode.
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Lineup:
1. Yelich LF
2. Seager SS
3. Turner 3B
4. Stanton RF
5. Ozuna CF
6. Bellinger or Gonzo 1B
7. Grandal C
8. Forsythe 2B
Mark
Yelich is the center fielder, now.
Just get Yelich and Stanton, and leave left field, for Cody to play now, and for Toles to play next year.
I want no part of that Giancarlo Stanton contract. He is just not worth the cost. I like Yelich, but I liked him more in LF. Ozuna is the one who is having a great start this year. I agree he is not a true CF, but he can play LF and both Bellinger and Toles can play RF.
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But if we are going to get an OF, I am still holding out hope for Lorenzo Cain. He is an outstanding defensive CF who gets overshadowed by Kiermaier and Pillar, and he is a good contact hitter with little to no power. He is also a good base-stealer. Maybe the Dodgers could get a package of Cain and Kelvin Herrera. My guess is that the Nats will be all over this duo as well, and would have to be considered the favorites to get them.
Uh… maybe not.
Have another drink Mark and make it a Long Island Ice Tea since I come from there.
Don’t mind if I do.
I like Incarte, but NO Kemp, and I would only include Alvarez if it involved Mike Trout coming our way in another trade. Put Taylor at second, he has turned his game around, and trade Forsythe, and yes Joc and Puig need to be traded. And enough with Bellinger not at first base his natural position. AGon is just behind Utley; Utley’s engine is running on fumes, AGon has been on empty for too long. Where is all the depth – let them play.
I like that lineup Mark! It clears up the SP logjam and some salary relief. If they would take Kike and Hatcher instead of Puig I would be all in. Leave Taylor at 2B and when Forsythe comes back he can be Kike only a better hitter. Utley stays on as team dad and spends extra time with Kemp and Puig about playing nice together.
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2 priests walk in a bar, and one says ‘do you know how to spoil a shutout?’ And the other says ‘Sure, put in Romo!’
A couple of notes with respect to last night’s and tonight’s minor league games.
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Fabio Castillo turned in a nice 6 inning effort for OKC. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits, no walks, and 8 strikeouts. He is not a SP prospect, but he may become a reliever when the other SP start to arrive. While Madison Younginer is beginning to heat up as a reliever, Jacob Rhame seems to be going the other way. Last night Rhame went one inning, gave up 1 run on 2 hits, with1 strikeout. While Younginer got his 3rd save with 1 inning, no runs or hits, 1 walk and 1 strikeout. His last four games he has pitched 10 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits, one walk and 8 strikeouts. For the year, Madison has thrown 20.1 innings, allowing 4 runs, on 11 hits, 5 walks, and 26 strikeouts. His ERA is 2.01, with a .85 WHIP, and a .167 batting average against. Drew Maggi has been hitting very well since he came off the DL. With the one he hit last night, Calhoun now has 6 HRs for the year.
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As I projected last weekend, and as Mark noted above, Shea Spitzbarth got the promotion to AA, and in his first relief appearance for Tulsa, he went 2 innings, allowing no runs on 2 hits, with one strikeout. He has a nice rising fastball in the mid-90’s and a very tight curve that gets a fair amount of swing and miss. He has the mentality of a late inning reliever, and should continue to move up in the organization. OKC still has some outstanding relievers in Broussard, Somsen, and lately Younginer, along with Dayton and possibly Liberatore when he comes off the DL. But Spitzbarth may be special. Offensively, Tim Locastro and Edwin Rios had three hits apiece, with Rios getting his 7th HR and 31st RBI. Edwin leads the Texas League in RBIs and slugging, while he is #2 OPS. He has a very impressive line of .348/.371/.578/.949. Maybe he can become the next Kendrys Morales for the Royals in some kind of trade.
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Neither Devin Smeltzer (Great Lakes) or Yadier Alveraz (RC) were sharp last night, although Devin did go 6.2 innings on 89 pitches. He allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 1 HR allowed. Alveraz went 3.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, 4 walks and 4 strikeouts. He just threw too many pitches (74 /40 strikes) in those 3.2 innings. Forsythe went 0-4 with 2 K in his most recent rehab, while AGon went 0-2 with 2 walks.
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Tonight at OKC Justin Masterson pitched against Tyler Beede, the Giants #1 prospect (#79 MLB top prospects). Masterson went 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits. He allowed a 1st inning double and 1 out later a 2 run HR, for the only problem he had all game. Justin had no walks and 7 strikeouts. However, he threw 106 pitches (73 for strikes). Beede went seven, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. He threw 98 pitches. The Dodgers beat the River Cats 3-2 with a walk off Willie Calhoun HR (his 7th). I love it when the River Cats get beat, especially by the Dodgers. The Dodgers have won 3 straight and go for a 4 game sweep tomorrow. Jurrjens for the Dodgers and Gregorio for the River Cats.
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Tulsa was 7-4 winners over the Springfield Cardinals. Walker Buehler started tonight for Tulsa. He went 3.2 innings, no runs on 3 hits, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. He threw 68 pitches. They are not going to let him throw too many this year. Offensively, Kyle Farmer and Tim Locastro had 3 hits apiece, while Fernandez, Rios, and Beaty had 2. Farmer and Beaty each hit their 2nd HR, and Farmer is now batting .327 for the year. Buehler also got a hit tonight. When are Farmer and Will Smith going to get their promotions?
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Great Lakes lost to the Lake County Captains (Indians) 10-7. Brendon Davis and Gage Green had two hits, and no Loons pitcher distinguished themselves tonight.
I was at the game in SF today and just got home. Several observations:
1 – Puig hit the ball hard every time up. No bad ABs.
2 – Joc looks lost right now
3 – Kershaw didn’t have a good curve or a good slider but had great fastball command. The Giants were totally overmatched.
4 – No more Romo please
5 – Kike can’t hit righties
6 – Giants are in trouble. They have few hitter who can do anything and poor middle relief
It’s hard to hit righties when your front shoulder is pulling off the ball every swing. Kike’s ability to play a mediocre CF should not continue to keep him on the roster when Forsythe returns.
I am curious about your comment on Kershaw’s slider. I read a couple of writers who said his slider was his best all year. Instead of 90-93 he was in 86-89 and got a lot more break. I did not get to see the game. I watched it on Game Day, so I did not get to see the actual pitches.
That’s a great game from Walker Buehler!
I saw the game – Kershaw was lights out – Orel was purring.
My question about how much we would be on the hook for Kemp has been answered. Approximately $10m a season. We need a RH thumper, who
hits lefties, and I know Kemp doesn’t tick every box, but he might feel like he has unfinished business in Dodger Blue.
I do agree that Kemp may have unfinished business in Dodger Blue. He loved being a Dodger, and did not burn bridges. He has a lot of fans still in LA. He is a negative defensive player at this stage, but so was Greg Luzinski and Manny Ramirez.
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I am not advocating getting Kemp, but he is a less costly response than Braun, and would not come with any of Braun’s baggage.