There Are No More Excuses For Anyone!

… and that includes Dave Roberts.

Last night was a classic example of what is wrong with the Dodgers.  Trailing all of the game, in ther bottom of the 9th inning, the Dodgers Kike Hernandez homers off a RH pitcher (Write that down, Doc-a RH pitcher) to tie the game.  Chris Taylor quickly strikes out and Alex “I am screaming to be sent back to AAA” Verdugo meekly grounds out.  Oh well, now if Kenley can just hold them it will be fine. Kenley does his job and in the bottom of the 10th, Yasmani Grandal walks and Cody Bellingers get an infield single.  Runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs.

Next Matt Kemp flies out to CF (he did his job) and pinch runner Ross Stripling goes to 3rd base.  So, now there are runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out and the D-Bags walk Joc Pederson to load the bases. Kyle Farmer HAS to just hit a fly ball – the Dodgers will send Stripling no matter how deep.  You have to do that.  Kyle “Send me back to OKC” Farmer strikes out and the guy who is supposed to be the heart and soul of the Dodgers Chase “I’m in a two-month slump” Utley weakly strikes out.

Even Ray Charles Can See What is Wrong With the Dodgers

Yes, Yimi Garcia gave up a 3-run homer to officially lose the game, but it was not his fault becausde it never should have gotten there in the first place. Major league players do their jobs, which, in the 9th inning was just to move the runner.  All Farmer had to do is hit a flyball to the outfield or the Right Side of the infield.  With one out, Ross has to go on contact, if the ball is on the ground.  It takes a perfect play to get him.  A fly ball scores a run. You don’t have to get a hit – you just need to follow the fundamentals and do your job.

Right about now, the Dodgers some weak, sorry hitters on the team who do not belong. Let me list them:

  1. Kyle Farmer – Just looks totally overmatched, except against the Giants – bring him up for that series but he has to go to OKC.
  2. Alex Verdugo – he started out good but can’t hit in the clutch now. Back to AAA.
  3. Chase Utley – Put him on the DL – he looks exhausted.
  4. Max Muncy – The expermint is over.
  5. Joc Pederson – Yes he is hitting .260, but with no power.  He cannot hit the ball hard, but he can walk.
  6. Chris Taylor  – Very close to being on this list.  In fact he is. He is on track for 175 strikeouts.  Too many from the leadoff spot.  Cut down on that damn swing!
  7. Tim Locastro – Doc plays him very little, se we have no clue.

Yasiel Puig was hittless last night at RC, but you might as well bring him up.  Shoot, activate Justin Turner – even though he has been out all year, I’ll bet he could have found a way to get a flyball in Farmers place.  Toles, Ramos, Peters, Diaz, ANYBODY but these chumps! Call up Logan Forsythe.  Do something.  Get kicked out of a game, Doc.  This guys are following your lead ands feel no urgency.  Light a fire. Set someones hair on fire.  There are no more excuses.

I like Yasmani, but why is he hitting ahead of Matt Kemp?  That’s felony stupid!  Right about now, this is what the lineup should look like TONIGHT:

  1. Locastro  CF
  2. Hernandez  3B
  3. Kemp  LF
  4. Bellinger 1B
  5. Grandal  C
  6. Barnes  2B
  7. Tasylor  SS
  8. Puig  RF

Forget the matchups – It’s not working anyway! Call Toles up as soon as he is activated and get Ramos here too. I would have a “come to Jesus meeting” with Turner Ward – Except for Grandal, everyone he has been coaching for over a year just sucks! The excuses are over.

 

MINOR LEAGUE UPDATE by AlwaysCompete

OKC – 8-3 Loss to Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals)

After going 15-0 at home to start the season, the OKC Dodgers have dropped their last two games at home. Last night’s game was forgettable affair as Guillermo Moscoso started and lasted 5 innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits, 2 BB, 2 K, and 2 HR.  Joe Broussard followed and did not fare much better allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, 0 BB, 1 K, and 1 HR in his 2.0 innings of work.  While Scott Alexander pitched a scoreless inning, he did allow 2 hits.  The one bright pitching performance was by Pat Venditte. No baserunners in his 1.0 inning, with a strikeout.  Pat Venditte in his last 10 games:

No earned runs in last 10 games

No runs at all in last 9 games

No walks in last 8 games

4 hits in last 8 games

12.1 IP in last 8 games

 

Throw out his 4/15 game where he allowed 2 runs in 0.00 IP, Venditte has been down right dominant. For the season he has 17.2 IP, 5 Runs (3 earned), 10 hits, 6 BB, 19 K, 1.53 ERA and 0.91 WHIP – NO HOME RUNS.

 

Offensively, Kyle Garlick and Rocky Gale had 2 hit nights. Garlick and Dany Espinosa both hit their 1st HR on the season.

 

Tulsa – 5-3 Win over Springfield Cardinals

Dennis Santana pitched another outstanding 6.0 innings, allowing 1 run (HR) on 5 hits, issued no walks, and registered 11 K. In 34.0 IP, Santana sports a 2.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.  I would expect to see Santana in OKC by June.  June is a favored month to shuffle rosters in anticipation of filling 2 rookie league teams after the amateur draft.

 

After Dylan Baker blew the save in the 7th, and Corey Copping pitched a scoreless 8th, Josh Sborz struck out the side in the 9th to record his Texas League leading 6th save.

 

The offense was led DJ Peters and his 2 HRs and 3 RBI. DJ now has 7 HR’s on the season.  Keibert Ruiz was 2-3.  We need to remember while Ruiz’s slash line is .271/.327/.365/.692 by itself is not overly impressive, but the fact that he is doing this in AA as a 19 year old catcher tells you he is a star in the making.  Errol Robinson and Drew Jackson also had 2 hit nights.

 

RC – 6-1 Win over Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres)

Andrew Sopko started and pitched a strong 6.0 innings (73 pitches), allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 2 BB, and 4K. Sven Schueller and Isaac Anderson finished and preserved the win for the Quakes.  Offensively, Omar Estevez went 2-5 belting his 3rd HR on the season.  Donovan Casey, Rylan Bannon, and Sterve Berman each had 2-4 nights.

 

The RC story continues to be Gavin Lux. With a single last night, Lux has hit in 11 consecutive games, but more impressively, in the 24 games following his 1-20 start, Gavin has reached base in every one of those 24 games…22 with a hit.  I am officially on the Lux bandwagon (even though I remain a huge Bo Bichette fan).  I would love to see what Lux can do as a 20 year old at Tulsa.  I think Lux is poised to jump back into the Top Ten Prospect list come mid-season.

 

Great Lakes – 3-2 Loss to Beloit Snappers (A’s)

Melvin Jimenez had another disappointing start. In his latest start, he lasted 2.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 K.  Austin Hamilton, Zach Pop, and Dan Jagiello restored order over the final 5.1 scoreless innings.  For Zach Pop, after his first two games where he allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in 2.2 IP, Pop has pitched in 8 games, 11.2 IP, 0 runs, 6 hits, 6 BB’s, and 18K’s. Pop still needs to limit his base on balls, but his swing and miss pitch is really starting to work. He throws hard, and should be watched on his climb up the organizational ladder.

 

Brayan Morales and Brandon Montgomery each had a 2 hit night, and both contributed stolen bases, with Morales getting 2. Morales now has 15 stolen bases and is leading the Midwest League in that department.

 

This article has 49 Comments

    1. I checked the Drillers’ MILB page as well as the Tulsa newspaper and see no further word. Hopefully it’s a preventative/rest-type procedural move and nothing serious. His stock is rising fast in prospect circles.

  1. My, my. Your glass certainly went from half-full to half-empty in a heartbeat. Good to see it. I agree with both your logic and your ranting. Enough is enough. The team is lifeless. Blame needs to be doled out. FAZ has done a wonderful job of solidifying our minor league system. Maybe that’s where they belong – in charge of MiLB for the Dodgers. I didn’t agree with what Lasorda said last year to Roberts about what the team had done so far didn’t mean shit unless they won the WS. Now I agree with his statement wholeheartedly. Roberts and FAZ are all such milquetoasts it drives me nuts.

  2. JT please come save us. CT3 does indeed appear to be a one year wonder, Joc should have been traded for a bag of balls, Verdugo is not ready for primetime, Utley is a great guy but his time is done as a big leaguer.

    The FO was fixated on getting under the CBT at all costs, even at the expense of making a great team even better. When your only off season acquisition is getting Alexander (not counting the Kemp salary dump trade) and Koehler you have to really question their foresight.

    Puig could have been dealt to acquire some talent, it would have eliminated an OF logjam and provided a path for Toles. Utley takes a roster spot and is a great clubhouse guy and all, but he looks old and tired. Don’t forget Wilmer Font made the 25 man roster. Who’s assessing talent on this team?

    This is a results based business and when your FO takes a WS team and does nothing to make them better and now has us in fourth place you have to wonder what analytics they were looking at. Yes, they won 104 games last year and yes they were one game away from a championship but they needed to get better and standing pat knowing your SS has an elbow hanging on by a shredded ligament, keeping Joc, Puig, Alex Verdugo and not having the foresight to use some of that excess OF talent to acquire pitching is short sighted.

    Could they predict the injury to JT? Know they couldn’t but could they have had us better positioned than a Max Muncy experiment…yes, I think so.. Could they predict Alexander couldn’t throw strikes…yes the data was right in front of them. Could they have used the data to see it was highly unlikely Forsythe would be worth $9 million and used that money somewhere else like maybe some pitching…. .yes that seems quite logical.

    Hate to say it, but if we don’t bounce back soon there are some trade pieces that we can use to get much better. I can see Wood, Grandal, Joc, Puig traded to stockpile the system with talent, but I can also see this FO not being players in the big FA stars out there next year and fumbling another opportunity.

    $59.00 for a reserved level seat on a Saturday night for a bobblehead, $15 to park a car and $13.50 for a Dodger Dog and Coke. Safe to say the Guggenheim group is effectively dealing with their debt problem, still making money for their shareholders all the while we watch a team devoid of heart and grit. JT save us!

  3. I no longer think we have a logjam in the OF. As a result of Seager’s injury, we can utilize Taylor’s versatility to move him to SS full-time this season and while we’re at it, shift him to 2B in 2019. Infield set. Kemp is the starting LF (disregard his move to RF for Verdugo), Puig is the starting RF, and CF should belong to Verdugo (if he can handle it), but it can also be a platoon between Joc & Keekay. OF set.
    *
    Assuming Kemp/Verdugo/Puig are the starters and Joc/Keekay are the reserves, the next man up is Toles. Now it’s hard to argue that he’s blocked because he had a fairly clear shot before his injury and would’ve undoubtedly been called up by now if healthy (for heaven’s sakes look at all the ABs that have gone to Muncy/Farmer/etc.). As soon as he gets well, he can replace someone (and Keekay can resume his IF-heavy use) and slide into the OF rotation, spelling Kemp/Puig and possibly putting his name in the hat for the full-time CF gig. I don’t consider the potential Verdugo/Toles roster spot battle a log-jam; I consider it a competition.
    *
    As for 2019, the main OF name that could pop up belongs to Diaz. I see him as slotting perfectly to replace Kemp in LF (whenever that happens). The next OF on the radar, Peters, is slightly further away and again slots [ideally] as Puig’s replacement in 2020.
    *
    After that, prospects like Kendall & Heredia are so far down the line that the most likely outcome is neither factors into our future at all.
    *
    Thus, I don’t see the log-jam in the OF. Maybe someday. But not this year and not next. Seager’s injury was the [unfortunate] key to this solution and even though there still uncertainty–and losing– a glut of OF talent is not one of our current dilemmas.
    *
    Taylor may have been our MVP last year. This year he has struggled. He can still redeem himself by plugging the dike at SS and while he’s at it sliding over to 2B next year. P.S. If Seager has to move to the OF to protect his arm all bets are off!

  4. I have defended FAZ since they arrived, and recognize what they have accomplished. But I have also stated that what they do best is build depth for a long 162 game season. They find players that can play multiple positions but not produce at an AS level in any of them, and that can work (and has) as long as the stars were still in the lineup and producing. JT has been out all year. Seager is now out for the season. 60% of the starting rotation was on the DL at the same time. While Forsythe is not a star, he was the starting 2B. With a small infusion of AAAA utility players, the team can function. But with a roster full of them, and expecting them to produce at a championship level is not realistic. If it were not for Walker Buehler, the depth would be a huge bust this year, because too much is expected of them as a group.
    .
    Kike’, CT3, Farmer, Locastro, and Muncy make up nearly 50% of the position players on the current roster. Add Chase Utley, and now you are at 50%. With a 21 year old going through big growing pains, a former power hitting OF now more of a singles hitter, you get what has been built. The Dodgers would be battling the Reds for the worst team in the NL if it were not for two players who most did not want on this roster…Kemp and Grandal. Sophomore seasons are always tough for players, and Cody is producing better than should have been expected. But those three players cannot make up for the lack of offense in the remainder of the offense.
    .
    Last night the 3-4-5 hitters went a combined 7-15. That would have been productive if the 1-2 batters not gone 1-10 with 4 K’s. Other than Logan Forsythe and Max Muncy, no position player has an OBP less than the Dodgers’ continuing leadoff hitter. CT3 continues to have a sub .300 OBP with 40K’s. But he does have those 5 HR’s. Sure looks like he belongs as a 6-7 batter in the lineup. I still think Verdugo is going to hit well at the ML level, but he should not be expected to produce in the Corey Seager slot. He may be close but he is not ready. Send him back down to OKC to work on consistency and producing in pressure situations. Corner OF are expected to produce in those pressure situations.
    .
    If the Dodgers are out of it by July 1, bring Alex back and keep him in the lineup for the remainder of the year. Alex Bregman, Andrew Benintendi, Dansby Swanson, and Ozzie Albies were all allowed to play at the ML level regardless of the results, and their teams have been rewarded. Ronald Acuna will be the third Brave to be allowed to learn on the job in three years. The Braves will be rewarded as they will be considered one of the top contenders next year, if not this year. Clayton Kershaw was allowed that privilege when he first came up.
    .
    Unfortunately, FAZ built a team for depth which means building a AAA team with players that can come up if needed at the ML level for a short stint. With Buehler and Verdugo on the Dodgers’ 25 man and Toles on the DL, OKC does not have 1 prospect on their roster. I like Henry Ramos, but apparently the front office does not. Almost all have ML experience, but they are all AAAA 26th man type players. OKC has Breyvic Valera, Donovan Solano, Jake Peter, and Danny Espinosa all on the roster and all newly acquired since last year. We really needed all 4 with Drew Jackson and Errol Robinson repeating AA??? What happens when Locastro drops back down?
    .
    FAZ has been soundly criticized as being small city minded. They know how to build a team on a small team budget, which is exactly what they have done. I cannot be totally critical when considering what they inherited. I was okay with signing Hill as I believed he could be a good #3 or #4, and he would give the Dodgers’ pitching future time to develop. But in retrospect, that is $16M this year and next year which will not generate enough WAR to justify. The same is true with exercising the option for Forsythe. Hill, Puig, Grandal, and Joc are all players that can get some return at the deadline. Not Gleybar Torres type return, but maybe there is a Kyle Hendricks or Robbie Ray lottery nugget buried on some team’s minor league system.
    .
    If Kenley starts to produce again, he would be a good trade candidate that could generate a good not great return (too much contract left). Alex Wood could generate a good return, but he could also be an extension candidate. He just turned 27 and has one year arbitration remaining. He is not a #2, but is a good #3 or #4. Ryu’s value went away when he went on the DL until after the AS break. Logan has limited if any value. As good as Kemp is playing, there is no reason to trade him if they have to pay much of his contract. But FAZ will have their listening ears on, because teams will call. There is also no reason to make trades now. There will be more interest at the trade deadline once teams know if they are in or out. Only Kershaw, Seager, Bellinger, and Buehler should be considered untouchable at the ML level.
    .
    FAZ will be ultimately graded by how they react to the current situation and how they respond to next winter with a big city budget and sitting under the luxury tax. They do not need to sign a Harper or Machado or Donaldson or Keuchel to be competitive. Develop your own stars and fill with next level players. I will continue to be an advocate for D J LeMahieu as one of those fillers.

    1. Bravo. The Extra 2% is only helpful if the other 98% is maximized too. This year is revealing some basic flaws in our construction and we’re no longer able to hide them.

    2. AC

      Toles went out on the DL on April 13.

      And after the first ten days he was out, Toles said the people in LA , were just trying to be over careful with him, so he would be out for another ten days.

      But this is the 26 day he has been out, and I can’t find anything to see what is going on.

      Could you please find out, what exactly is going on with Toles?

      Thanks AC

  5. I was never a Verdugo fan but I decided to not swim up river here as too many here loved him. I would trade him in a heartbeat for Machado. I am okay with other prospects going as well and if salary releif is needed, then Forsythe, Puig or Hill being moved is fine with me.
    .
    I continue to worry about Joc but I also continue to see him from a glass half full perspective. The broadcast last night told us that Joc had the highest OBP over the last two weeks in the NL. Garciaparra aslo said that Joc is now swinging the bat smart and is hitting the ball more to the middle of the field and not trying to pull everything.; that power will come; that power should follow base hits and not the other way around. As far as not hitting the ball hard, statcast says the opposite. Last time i looked he ranked about 42 in all of MLB for average exit velocity and only behind Puig and Seager on the Dodgers.
    .
    CF Pederson/Hernandez
    3B Turner
    SS Machado
    1B Bellinger
    LF Kemp
    2B Taylor
    RF Toles/Hernandez
    C Barnes/Grandal

      1. I don’t know but I would like to send a controllable player to the Orioles from the team that we traded Puig, Hill, and/or Forsythe to. If Hill were traded I would want to include Alvarez in another trade for Chris Archer. I have read a proposal for Lux, Kendal, and Verdugo for Machado.

  6. Hey Mark, are you going to be at the game May 21 vs. Colorado (I believe that’s what you said). That day is now $1 dodger dog night! Looking forward to meeting you, and buying you a Dodger Dog!!!

  7. Glass half full: if the team is so bad how did they win 104 games last year and make it to game 7 of the WS? Can’t have it both ways! Yes they are playing like dog doo and can’t get consistent play yet but it is way too early to throw in the towel.

    Hill should have had a rehab start before facing the DBags but it was either start Stewart or no rehab and they chose the latter. Hill needs command of his breaking stuff to set up his 89 mph fastball.

    Verdugo has a sweet stroke and will be a good player soon but he also has a bit of an attitude and has a ways to go. Joc is painful to watch in the batters box, he is doing a ridiculous dance before every pitch and if I was a pitcher would probably plunk him just because he grabs his crotch while waving the bat at me.

    Puig and Taylor are 2 of the biggest disappointments so far but you know what? Just stick them both in there and let them play through it. If not Taylor at lead off then who? Give Kemp more run if his legs hold up as he is using the whole field and having consistent good AB’s and his fielding is adequate.

    Get Puig, Forsythe, Hill, Turner, Kershaw and Toles healthy and then see where they are in June. Let Buehler do his thing and send Farmer, Muncy, LoCastro, Paredes and Hudson out. Quit over managing and let the game come to you Doc. And get in their face sometimes Lasorda style. They are the ones not producing in key situations not Doc or Faz. Hold them accountable and make moves as necessary to light a fire.

    This Division is full of flawed teams and the Snakes are no exception. They are playing well but also over their heads and will come back to the field due to poor hitting and lack of pitching depth. The Rockies will go on a run like always but have a thin staff and the Giants have little depth and their own injuries. The Pads are the Pads, a young team a couple years away. Forget wild card this is a winnable division, it’s May 9th and the Dodgers best ball is ahead of them. A couple years ago the DBags could not beat the Dodgers and now it seems the other way around, the worm has turned. Let’s see how everyone plays against the rest of the league before pounding the panic button.

    Having said all that I do live in Vegas and have not bet on them once this year but don’t like betting against them either. I am past ready for a little winning streak or three, starting tonight.

    1. Put a cup on and lean way back and I expect the cup will ride up. It’s like Thelma and Louise, can’t do one without the other.

      1. As an ex-catcher, I had my share of wearing a cup. Not the most comfortable thing. In my day, the cup fit into a pocket in the jock. Not sure about these days. If leaning way back causes discomfort, either stop leaning back or stop wearing the damn thing. I guess that’s just Joc being a jock.

  8. Good take Vegas, yeah I have been wondering what kind of routine that is Joc does at the plate. Slightly more entertaining that the rest of the game but still a head sctatcher. Maybe he ought to start thing about wearing a cup, or just hitting. Weird.

  9. If the Dodgers fall out of contention… and that’s likely more than a month from now (if it happens), then there are some players who may have value (if healthy and producing:

    Puig
    Grandal
    Pederson
    Wood
    Ryu (when he comes back)
    Hill
    Jansen
    Baez

    Teams can become despirate due to injuries, etc. I would be fine with a fire sale. The Giants won 3 World Series in 5 years but were bad the other two years. It’s really hard to sustain so many years of being good… especially when (arguably) the two best hitters are gone.

    1. I wouldn’t be in favor of trading Wood unless we are overwhelmed with an offer. Only other name on there I’d hesitate to include would be KJ, just for the “you have to have a closer to win it all” factor, although Maeda could probably become the next Smilin’ Saito and do just fine in that role.

  10. I can see why most here think Verdugo will be a great player but he sure hasn’t reached that status yet. There’s a strong chance he will as there’s a strong chance he believes all the things most say of him here. I’m just not as sold on him yet. Firstly because a player has to be in the mix somehow of him and others stepping on that plate they batted from. That is something I saw early with Turner and thus was sold on Turner while arguing with many who weren’t sold. In search of a spark plug to bring some energy to this team that is making me sleepy. I was awake when Dodgers tied at 5-5 but missed the games end as my snoring was louder than the sound of the game. I can take losing if there’s some sign of life. Dodgers, give some damn sign!

    1. Tend to agree on Verdugo, maybe back to AAA for awhile to get his cap to fit on his head better. I would like to see Solano and Banuelos get a shot but both need to be moved to the 40 man. Should be easy enough as Seager and Ryu have not been put on the 60 day DL yet. Ramos is another guy doing well but not on the 40 man. 3B has been a black hole since JT and Forsythe went down, is the thinnest position in the organization and has not been addressed well in the draft. I agree with AC about drafting Lux over Bo Bichette simply based on their need at that position. Rios can hit but can’t handle 3B. They have guys who can field but not hit at the major league level. Give Solano a chance, he is a good SS too and has more experience than any of them. Banuelos has been great at AAA but maybe they are worried he will flame out like Font. I like Stewart but in the bullpen please. Alexander is a DP machine and just needs better control of his sinker, bring him back. Fields and Cingrani don’t look right, I don’t think either is 100% at this point.

  11. Something is seriously wrong with the focus of the Dodgers. I listened to the Cody Bellinger interview on Jimmy Kimmel live. Jimmy asked about the no-hitter in Mexico and Cody said that there were players who didn’t even know there was a no-hitter thrown even after it was thrown! That is being totally not present. Inexcusable!

  12. Long time reader, first time writer.

    I agree 1,000% with Mark that you have to forget the matchups because it just ain’t working.

    I haven’t checked if this is correct, but I believe that in 35 games there have been 34 different lineups.

    This is just insanity! Analytics / match ups / overthinking is helping to kill the heart, soul, and chemistry of this team.

    I just wish Dave coached more with his gut and used more common sense… but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

    Kike has been swinging a hot bat and playing well in the field… he has a great energy out there… he should be in the lineup everyday regardless of who’s pitching.

    I agree with norcaldodgerfan… Joc should have been traded for a bag of balls or a catcher’s mask in the off season.

    Verdugo obviously has tons of potential but still needs some more time. He’s up this early only because of the injuries… but why bat him second? That’s a lot of unnecessary pressure for a young guy. He’s fast, has a decent eye at the plate, usually makes contact… why not bat him in the 8 spot?

    And Grandal has been great so far this season but I believe he’ll revert back to form soon enough. Either way though… you have to get Barnes more at bats. He’s the type of hitter the team desperately needs in the line up… a good contact hitter that grinds out at bats, and makes the opposing pitcher work.

    I don’t want to see Max Muncy again unless he’s coming in as a late inning defensive replacement and Chase needs to take at least a week off… I agree, he looks utterly exhausted.

    I think Kyle is fine… he’s just out of rhythm like so many of the players because he’ll go 3 games without being in the lineup. He may benefit from being sent back to OKC for a week to get his swing / rhythm back.

    All that being said… if the starting pitchers (what’s left of them) don’t start pitching better and longer into the game… things will be going from bad to worse very quickly.

    1. Kyle Farmer is 10th on the team in at-bats. If that’s not a sign that 2018 has been a mess, I don’t know what is. His SLG% is .278, which places him .005 ahead of Hyun-Jin Ryu (.273) and well ahead of the next player, Yasiel Puig (.250). The only other position player with a SLG% lower than those is Breyvic Valera, checking in at a cool .000.

  13. Mark I totally agree with your post. I am just bewildered how you could sit Kiké on the bench and play farmer, Muncy, Utley, and Locastro with. All of those guys are 4a at best( don’t know about Locastro) but at only 26 years old I think and on the biggest stage Kiké has produced. He hit 3 home runs in a playoff game and definitely has more upside than any of the above. Play the man and find out!!! When you have a lineup with Muncy, Utley, Farmer, and the pitcher you start the lineup with 4 outs. Move Taylor out of the leadoff spot if for no other reason takes some pressure off. We need to continue to get younger overall. I just don’t see this year producing a positive result so if this proves true try to get better at the trade deadline. Our rotation next year could be urias, Buehler, Kershaw, Wood, Maeda with Santana at the ready. Trade hill if possible they are not going to pitch him anyway. Keep seager, bellinger,, turner, urias, Buehler while being open to trading anybody and everybody else. I hope we can get back in it but hope is not a strategy. I have always been skeptical and posted so concerning Taylor. He might turn out to be a good or above average player but he has to adjust and I am not sold that will happen. If Kershaw wants to opt out and raise his pay to 40 million per I would just pass. You have to consider trading him at the deadline don’t just lose him and gain nothing.

  14. Big changes for our favorite soap opera:

    Puig activated
    Verdugo down
    Alexander up
    Yimi down
    Brock Stewart up
    Cingrani to DL

    1. Not that they listen to me but agree with all of these moves. Puig needs to be the Wild Horse again, Verdugo needs to get his attitude right; Alexander is a DP machine, Cingrani himself said he has a dead arm; Yimi has not built up yet and hopefully Stewart goes to the pen so Stripling can be the #5 starter. The team needs JT back badly, followed by Kershaw. I see Joc and LoCastro sharing CF with Kemp and Puig playing every day. When Forsythe comes back Kike goes to the CF platoon, for now he splits 2B with Utley. Hopefully a team meeting before today’s game with some shouting involved.

      1. Puig needs to do anything. And I’m sure we gave verdugo a list of things to work on. He’ll be back. Hoping we see toles before too long. Strange delay. We need a boost of athleticism, energy, something. If we lose tonight we are in big trouble. If this isn’t a jackpot we’re in it’ll do til the real one shows up.

  15. Cingrani’s ERA is 14.73 since complaining of a “dead arm’ on 4/26. What took so long?
    Puig – one game in Class A – 0 for 4 – yep, he’s ready to join the Dodgers. Replaces Verdugo who’s hitting .125 RISP.

    Looks like a Chinese fire drill to me. No good options?

    1. The good news is Prig doesn’t have to be very good to be better than Verdugo.

      That’s the bad news too.

      1. Verdugo’s very young. Not everyone can perform like bellinger last year. I’d still like to find out if verdugo can play cf.

  16. Bobby,

    Monday I am in Section 1 FD, Row W , Seats 6 &7

    Tuesday I am in 12 FD, Row W, Seats 1 & 2

    The brass has agreed to give me and my wife The Tour of The Stadium, Pressbox and the Memorabilia Area at 4 PM Monday. They say it will take a couple of hours.

    1. wow, that’s awesome! I won’t be sitting near you, but I will come down and we can grab a drink. The great thing about the stadium now is that you can go anywhere and walk around.

      Monday works well, plus I’m a cheapie and want those $1 Dodger Dogs!!

  17. Inside the park HR: Kike turned the wrong way, took a bad angle, got there late and mistimed his jump. Taylor and LoCastro make that play. I understand putting Barnes at 2B tonight but it weakens the defense in 2 positions and cost them there.

  18. Other than Walker Buelher, I haven’t seen anything from the Dodgers this year that gives me a reason to be optimistic.

  19. I finally looked at the standings. We are 4.5 back in the wild card. Four teams are ahead of us (including nats and cubs). I cannot in good conscience declare us out of the race.

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