I’ve always like Fergie Duhamel, back to when she was originally with Wild Orchid, and now she does her own music. In High School, she was a cheerleader, straight-A student, spelling bee champion, and a Girl Scout. She’s just the All-American Girl. However, her rendition of The National Anthem at the NBA All-Star Game was a low point. But who can forget her in this song by the Black Eyed Peas?
So, Fergie is really good, right? What? Not that Fergie? What Fergie? Ferguson? Caleb? Oh, who knew? Well yeah, heck yeah, Caleb Ferguson is pretty dang good too. It has been suggested that he looks like Kershaw on the mound, in some respects. Shoot, I thought Clayton went seven, but it turned our Caleb Ferguson (“Fergie”) went the last four.
But seriously, folks, Fergie gave us something to talk about. Who was the moron who said he should be sent back to OKC? Oh, that would be me! Well, I am glad I was wrong. He went 4 innings last night and struck out 6. He also got out of a couple of jams. It might delay his development as a starter, but he might be a really nice piece in the Dodger’s bullpen. When Striker Buehler returns, I think I would keep him in the pen for a while. The Dodgers might not have to trade for a pitcher that way.
Scott Alexander is really getting into a groove and Edward Paredes is pitching extremely well as the Dodgers LOOGY. Fergie can be the LH Chicken Strip out of the pen. Today, Rich Hill goes for the sweep. Hill is ready for a really, really good game and it could come at the expense of the MUTTS. The Dodgers team ERA is up to 7th in MLB and within .24 points of the league-leading Cubs. I think the pitching is just fine… they could use another hitter.
I really would like to see someone in RF other than Puig. He’s not bad, but we are always going to wonder if he will ever play up to his potential. Include him in a trade… it’s time to move another direction. I don’t hate him – I just don’t see it working. Speaking of other options, Alex Verdugo went 3-5 and is up to .347 with a .907 OPS. Rios has been playing a lot of 3B at OKC lately. Will Smith hit his 11th HR last night and after a fast start, Conner Wong has fell off the face of the earth – he’s down to .233. However, Rylan Bannon continues to rake (16 HR; .976 OPS), while Jeren Kendall continues to look like a flop (.227).
Matt Kemp – NL MVP!
Did you know that Jacob deGrom is just 92 days younger than Clayton Kershaw?
Injury News
- Striker Buehler still has a little soreness in his rib area. It sounds like he could be out another 2 or 3 weeks.
- Ryu stopped throwing off a mound and is just throwing off flat ground after experiencing soreness in his injured leg. It sounds like his return is in August.
- Julio Urias is still set to pitch in games by the end of July.
- Dennis Santana will not be back until early-to-mid August… at the earliest!
It wasn’t just that Rylan Bannon hit his 16th and Will Smith hit his 11th, it was that they were both 2 out 8th inning 3 run HR’s that gave their teams the lead that they did not relinquish. That is a positive sign.
.
I have no idea right now how Kershaw is going to pitch for the remainder of the year. I would hold off on saying no need for more pitching until we know how Kershaw really feels and how Buehler and Ryu come back. With respect to starters, I would not overpay for Happ or Hamels,nor take on the excess salary. I would consider Jacob deGrom.
.
I would have pursued Kelvin Herrera, but that ship has sailed. I would consider Blake Trienen or Kyle Barraclough. But I am not really sure whether either pitcher is really available. Craig Stamman is a good middle reliever and a Padre. So that is out. Brad Hand was never going to go to the Dodgers. The O’s are not going to pay down on Britton and I would not want Brach. Bottom line, I agree that the Dodgers will not go for any significant difference making pitcher.
.
Offensively, the only real potential upgrade being dangled is Scooter Gennett. That is the one player I would target who could actually be a difference maker. Wake up from your dream if you really think Machado is in play for the Dodgers.
.
Trade Puig? What is his value? Forsythe has negative trade value. The Dodgers are pretty much stuck with what they have (not that that is a bad thing). They cannot pursue a difference maker with any salary attached, and the current Dodger players are better than what else may be available out there.
.
Sit back and enjoy a bumpy ride to October.
Herrera’s fastball has been down 5-6 MPH lately. His stats are good (except in the small sample with the Nats), but his drop in velocity does not seem good to me.
I agree that this teams needs some more offense rather than pitching. With the pitchers Mark mentioned slated for a return from the DL, I think the FO has to put a priority in getting some more bats. Who that might be, I have no idea but the team needs to find an offensive piece or two to carry them forward.
With the D-Backs getting healthy and Goldschmidt hitting again the Dodgers are going to have to track them down and some offense just might be the ticket. Gennett, Realmuto, Corey Dickerson, Adam Jones, Jed Lowrie are some options.
It’s going to be fun to see what FAZ does and they will do something.
So our rotation now is Kershaw, hill,maeda,stripling, and wood with Ferguson the next man up. I think this is rather thin. Kershaw may or may not hold up, hills blisters could return anytime, maeda who knows always something plus inconsistent, wood extra days to keep him off the dL so is that over, ryu may not be back, urias same oft-injured kidgloves, now Buehler is probably after all star break. Not a very dependable group. I wouldn’t go out an overpay for a pitcher but I maintain we are not out of the woods yet. After Ferguson we have nothing except maybe banuelos. Stewart is not capable and Santana is not available. It could go south in a hurry but with good health we don’t need another pitcher.
Super impressed by Ferguson
Looked like a classic dodger battler out there. We can almost make two separate rotations: buehler/wood/stripling/ferguson/santana vs. Kershaw/maeda/ryu/stewart/urias
I also consider banuelos an option
If there is a concern that baseball is losing viewers then Puig is one of the answers. He does things that are fun to watch, both good and bad. I could do without the bad though.
.
Puig needs to hit lefties. Turner needs to get it going. Without both happening, the Dodgers are going to be weak, maybe too weak, against lefties.
.
Last year Bellinger arrived earlier than planned and made a difference. Maybe Verdugo can do the same thing.
.
I don’t have a problem trading Grandal to the Nats.
1. What can the Dodgers get back?
2. Do the Nats want him bad enough to take Forsythe?
3. Could Forsythe and Grandal to the Nats get a player the Mets would want?
4. Is there a contract the Mets want to get rid of that the Dodgers could absorb if Grandal and Forsythe were traded to the Nats?
5. Do the Dodgers need Realmuto more than they need deGrom?
6. Do the Marlins have a contract they want to dump if the Dodgers free up payroll with the Grandal and Forsythe trade?
7. Can Puig and Donnie Baseball coexist?
8. Is a desirable batting order contingent on having power hitters in RF and LF?
9. Does an outfield of LF Pederson, CF Verdugo, RF Kemp have enough power in the corners?
0. Do you prefer Toles over Verdugo?
I’ll play:
1. No sure why so many want to trade grandal. Let him play out his last season before free agency and maybe barnes and farmer can be the bridge to smith/ruiz.
2. Trading Forsythe doesn’t seem likely.
3. We will see toles or verdugo soon. Somehow.
4. As much as people compare muncy to Taylor, Turner is the better comp.
5. I thought kershaw looked good but our expectations have to come way down.
6. Love to watch Robert’s interact with players.
7. Ideally we dont have to rely on bellinger and our main run producer. In big spots he can be exposed. I like a bit lower in the lineup.
8. Our
Bullpen will continue to change and shift all season. Just have to hope we have 7-8 dependable guys by postseason.
9. Joc is looking good these days.
10. John smoltz was all over degrom yesterday. It’s like Scherzer didnt exist.
Here’s how to judge our offense after today’s test against a bad team’s bullpen. We score 0-3, we are still slumping. We score 4-6, we are working on it. We score 7-9, we are healthy. We score 10+ we are rollin’!
Hit the ball to Left Field and it’s gone….
Noted
1 – Grandal isn’t going anywhere. You don’t change starting catchers midstream. The Dodgers’ supposed strength in the minors is allegedly at catcher, so why trade Grandal and try to get Realmuto?
–
2 – Forsythe isn’t going anywhere. Who would want him/
–
3 – Puig isn’t likely to go anywhere. He is underperforming and is a headache, which begs the question again about who would want him. Additionally, you get rid of him and then have to rely on unproven minor leaguers (Verdugo or Toles).
–
My analysis a couple of days ago revealed that the Dodgers’ real problem is at run prevention. They are 9th in runs allowed this year, the highest they’ve been since 2014 when they were 11th. They were 1st last year. They are 18th in fielding percentage and 17th in defensive efficiency.
–
Rich Hill has pitched 1 good game out of 8 and is getting lit up by a bad Mets team again. Urias may not be back this year but if he is he won’t be a starter. Buelher is still out, as is Ryu. Maeda hasn’t been good since he returned from the DL. Wood isn’t the Wood of 2017. They could use a SP, but they especially need good relievers, especially an 8th inning bridge to Jansen.
–
Forsythe needs to be replaced at 2B. Turner needs to return to the DL until he can grab a bat.
–
Since the Braintrust arrived, the one time they made a big splash at the deadline was last year. They have a mandate not to exceed the cap so they won’t make a big splash this year either. They are also painfully slow at pulling the trigger, trying to get the best possible deal and so missing out on players as a result.
–
Expect to see new members of the bullpen, but little else this year. The 2018 offseason should be more interesting.
Maybe Hill is ready for a really really good game next time he pitches.
–
Would be nice if the Dodgers could get some runners on in front of those HRs.
Just start Kiké at second over Forsythe!! Is he that bad defensively? I mean seriously who would you want at the plate Forsythe or Kiké. I don’t care what his average is he has power and can do it in big games. As far as hill I think the blisters keep him from throwing his best curveball. Talking about a guy who needs another pitch. I mean he is essentially pitching with an 88-89 mph fastball. He has to be able to throw his best curveballs.
Clearly Hill had command problems today, as evidenced by three hit batters, all of whom scored.
So Puig gets on , gets thrown out stealing, and then Pederson hits solo HR #5. Then again, chances are if Pederson comes up with Puig on base he doesn’t get the same pitch to hit.
Is the ump a Mets fan?
Another great at bat for Forsythe!
Does Forsythe have any value as a bench player? He can play 3b, 2b, 1b, ss in a pinch. Wouldn’t mind to see him come up late in a game. Might be time to remove him from starting role.
Was watching the Sox game and on the NESN broadcast, Dennis Eckersley called it “ridiculous” that infielders are allowed to set up on the outfield grass and said certain shifts should be outlawed.
What do people here think?
Eck is a moron. If you want to put 7 players in RF, then do it!
–
Live with the consequences.
Want to stop the shift? Then stop hitting into it. When the situation calls for it lay down a bunt or hit the ball the other way.
And yes, the plate umpire is a Met’s fan.
Agree
Also, all defensive positionings are a shift in a sense
The problem with that is that, in a sense, you are letting the shift win.
You are having a good hitter doing something they are decidedly worse at. Bunting.
Turn down for what?
I was on the edge of my seat for the whole game and my blood pressure shot up 20 points. You can hit 7(SEVEN) HR in a game and lose, can you?? Or can you??
What a game!
Dodgers win!! Great win today no matter how bad Mets are it is tough to sweep. Couldn’t have been sweeter for turner doing it at shea. Even though hill didn’t win I guess he hit nimmo enough to knock their best hitter out. Great job Hudson surprise surprise! When Taylor is ready Kiké and Muncy have to take over second or even platoon Utley until the late innings. Utley and Muncy are weak on defense but I say bench Forsythe and play Kiké most of the time. Or, play Kiké at short and Taylor at second. Anything but Forsythe. Btw reds swept cubs lol
WHEW!!!!! Did not want to lose a game in which the Dodgers hit 7 bombs. Especially to the Mets, given that I live in NY.
–
Nice game for Kike’, EXCEPT for that play at 3B, when he froze on the tag. Looked like he might have been waiting for Bautista to slide into the tag.
That was very strange…
Paredes just gets outs
Lefty LOOGY!
Overall, that’s the road trip you want. 6 games, and we won 4 of 6.
Now it’s time to come and really step up on this 10 game homestand starting tomorrow
Isn’t anyone here a little concerned that Rich Hill has pitched so badly this year? The Mets are 26th in runs scored (3.9 R/G). Hill gave up 4 R in 5 IP.
–
In 8 starts (excluding the one where he only threw 2 pitches), he has pitched well in 3 and badly in 5. The projections aren’t too good.
Mets go with a bullpen game and Dodgers hit 7 HR’s and it goes 11 innings? 7 solo shots and Mets get 5 with 2 swings is the reason. Still an exciting if poorly played game and always tough to sweep on the road.
–
Kike is not a SS and Muncy not comfortable at 2B. With more playing time they might improve, the bats get them into the lineup. Forsythe is not going anywhere and is a sunk cost, they will get what they can from him.
–
Rick makes good points about the defense this year, the constant position shuffling especially in game has had an effect. You don’t change catchers in a pennant race, they will ride Grandal and Barnes as far as they can. Puig is not going anywhere either and the minor league guys will mostly show up in Sept. They may add a bat and an arm at the deadline but not big names or cost.
–
You heard it here first: this team is so resilient and yet so maddening that I think they shock the world like the 88
Dodgers. They will reel in the Snakes and win the division then be underdogs in every series on their march.
Logan Forsythe can be Mike davis
Now we just need Orel and Kirk! This team just needs to get in the playoffs and no one will want to play them.
I have another impression of Daniel Hudson from the one above, one in that he seems to have turned his season around. In the month of June, Hudson has pitched in 9 games and 11.1 IP. He has allowed only 2 unearned runs (6/6) in those 9 games. He has given up 6 hits and 5 walks along with 12 K’s. Regardless as to how he started the year (very poorly), Hudson should get credit for his good month thus far.
I love the distribution of Home runs on this team. Very spread out. Will be hard for turner to catch up and Seager’s two are frozen in time. Forsythe’s year is almost lost too. Barnes struggling mightily. Muncy, belli, Kemp, keekay, grandal, puig, joc and Taylor doing yard work.
Dodgers have slugged .500 for a month four times bbref.com/pi/shareit/
.
.520 — June 1950
.508 — July 1953
.505 — Mar/Apr 1977
.500 — Aug. 1953
–
Dodgers are slugging .527 this June, with 6 games remaining
Besides our Twitter in Chief, is that video an example of what’s wrong with our world today???
For #$%^ sakes Yasiel, the cutoff man as in baseball 101…I repeat, all the God given talent with the IQ of a fencepost…
1. It may be.
–
2. Why do you insist on insulting fenceposts?
Rylan Bannon is en fuego
Also kasowski
Now that AC’s sleeper, Caleb Ferguson, is outed, I’d like to nominate Bannon as next in line. A non-top 10 prospect who is to be watched for he might succeed.
Honorable mention to connor joe, who is more like [potential] lightning in a bottle.