In the stock market, sometimes stocks become wildly inflated and after days or weeks of gains, the market has a few days where it drops, which is called a “market correction.” To me, the fact that the Dodgers have now lost two straight to the Atlanta Braves is just and example of a rather obvious market correction or as someone once said “You can’t win them all.”
So, don’t start leaping off any buildings, just yet! It’s the first time we have seen Alex Wood get shelled this year. His ERA ballooned to 2.17 (OMG) as he have up 9 hits in 4.2 innings and allowed 9 Runs (7 earned), 4 walks and 2 HR. Yasmani Grandal and Kike Hernandez had 4 of the Dodgers 7 hits and Grant Dayton looked like a LH Sergio Romo. “You can’t win them all!” In fact, sometimes a team just looks like crap. Move on – there’s nothing to see here folks.
It’s up to Rich Hill to right the ship tonight. The Dodgers don’t want to acknowledge it, but they are running with a 6-man rotation right about now with Ryu due back Monday. The best thing that could happen is for Ryu to start and throw 7 shutout innings. Teams, like the Yankees might line up for a shot at him.
Allegedly, the Dodgers don’t want to trade Alvarez, Buehler or Verdugo. If I could get Britton and Brach, I would trade Alvarez and Calhoun. I do think the DH is coming to the NL soon and Calhoun is perfect for that role. I think this guy is a special hitter, if he can keep his weight in check and move those “tree-trunk legs” a little faster. How well he does is directly proportionate to how much of a “gym rat” he is. I see him as a hitter who can hit .300 with 30 HR and 45 doubles. He just can’t play the field… much. He makes contact and doesn’t strike out much. He is truly a special hitter and, if traded should command a big return… like Britton and Brach.
Dodger Notes
- Jacob Rudner of ThinkBlueLA has a nice piece on Ibandel Isabel who currently leads High A Hitters with 20 Home Runs.
- Dodger scouts are allegedly scouting Yu Darvish.
- Baltimore scouts are allegedly scouting Dodger prospects.
- The Dodgers continue to be linked to Justin Verlander and Justin Wilson.
- What I do know is that Andrew Friedman will not make any dope-fiend moves.
- It is looking more and more like the Pirates and Royals will not be sellers, so McCutchen and Rivero are not likely.
Injury Update
- A-Gon is due back in August according to the team. My guess is that it is Mid-August.
- Andre Ethier is said to be coming back when the rosters expand in September. If healthy, I could see him on the playoff roster.
- Andre Toles is progressing from his surgery and is expected back at the start of Spring Training.
- Scott Kazmir has went to see a Body Mechanic Specialist which means he is out for the year.
- Brandon McCarthy has a blister and it was revealed that he has been battling blisters all year. Lots of HR and lots of blisters this year with various pitchers. Is the ball different?
P.S. I am having some issues with the site today. If comments are held in moderation, be patient. We are working to fix it.
Mark
That is a excellent analogy!
I am glad that Dayton gave up that HR, so our front office knows that we do need a good leftie for our pen.
Because non of our leftie relivers have been consistently good this year, including Dayton.
And a second reliever should only help even more, like Mark has suggested.
I unsurprisingly agree with Mark’s thoughts that Calhoun, might be a very special hitter.
He might as good of a hitter, that Schwarber seemed to be, if not better.
And I know Schwarber had a slow start this year, but before that, most people felt he was a special hitter.
And it is hard to let a hitter like that go, even with his defensive short comings.
And like they always say in baseball, if a player can hit, they will find a place for him to play.
The issue with Calhoun is that he may not even be adequate in LF. If that’s the case, he’s an AL player by default.
That said, it’s an interesting question. Do you hold onto him with hopes he can play LF (or 2B with some MAJOR improvements) or trade him before everyone realizes he’s a DH?
2 losses in a row…and to the Braves.
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What suckage.
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When I found out they lost again I couldn’t take it anymore and lept out the window. Fortunately I live on the ground floor so the fall didn’t do much damage.
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Being a Dodgers fan is the worst. This FO is the worst. Our season is over for sure.
I had a really cool cartoon that I tried to post today, but the issues with the site prevented me from doing it.
The law of averages. Wood was not only due to lose, but to look absolutely pathetic. I”m glad it happened, and it may happen again. It’ll make him want success even more.
Not to jinx things, but I expect Kenley to blow a save soon. I’d rather have it happen now than in Oct, so get it out of your system.
Bobby
And you are right, that defeat will give Wood not only more motivation, it will help him to learn, that he just has to let some things go in a game, like dropping that pop out, to be able to continue to pitch well, the rest of the game.
Just like everyone else I believe the Dodgers need a lock down LHRP, but for 2017. Zach Britton has been hurt, and his last game out he gave up 2 runs in his one inning. Is he healthy? Many (including me) have liked Brad Brach. Good reliever. But the Dodgers have Brad Brach, and his name is Josh Fields. Their metrics are almost identical. Fields has allowed one more HR, but has a better SO\BB ratio. Other than that, they are very comparable, with Fields maybe a bit (microscopic bit) better. So I am less inclined now to make the trade. I would like both, but not for an overpay.
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Justin Wilson seems the most logical, but he is the most sought after. I can see Detroit saying to the Dodgers, “if you want Wilson, you need to take Verlander.”. Detroit can get prospects from any of the other teams, but very few can handle Verlander’s contract. This is a chance for them to get out of the contract.
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Darvish now seems to be heavily marketed. The Cubs and Dodgers seem to have some interest. With the Quintana trade, the Cubs no longer have top 100 prospects they can move. They do have ML players, but seem reluctant to include them. The Dodgers should be able to match anything the Cubs offer, but will they?
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I still think that it is more likely that the Dodgers go the Tony Watson and Pat Neshek route (or similar). This is more the Sborz \Sopko level which they can include.
AC
Everything you said, makes great sense to me!
I am sorry about that game last night, because that game must have been harder for you to watch, then the rest of us, since Wood, is your guy.
Dodgers exploring possible deal for Mets P Addison Reed – Buster Olney
I think I read that teams that are interested in Verlander want his team to pay $30M of his salary. Maybe McCarthy and Kazmir would accomplish the same thing but give his team at least a hope that they get something in return.
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I still would like to get Betances from the Yankees as well should they want McCarthy back. Other pieces required obviously.
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I still predict that Stewart will be in the rotation by mid August.
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Kike’ is looking good. So good that Forsythe is expendable. Taylor can move to second and Kike’ can backup third and move around all three outfield positions plus short plus second to give the Dodgers his RH bat.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Inciarte in center instead of Joc.
You would have to overwhelm ATL with something to get that done
One of these days Joc is going to make everybody eat crow for longer than a week 😉
How ’bout Joc and Alvarez?
That might do it, but they might ask for more. I would love Inciarte in CF and leading off.
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1. Inciarte CF
2. Seager SS
3. Turner 3B
4. Bellinger 1B
5. Taylor LF
6. Grandal C
7. Forsythe 2B
8. Puig RF
Strong lineup 1-8
Dodgers are excelling with Kike’ and Joc in CF but if you guys want to get rid of Alvarez and weaken CF, knock yourselves out.
Not sure how having Inciarte in CF weakens the position. I would take him over Joc all day long. And as Mark pointed out, he would give us a better lead-off option.
The Joc and Kike’ CF platoon produces much better stats than Inciarte alone. Do your homework.
Rudy
With a little more experience Toles’ defense should get even better, because he will have more confidence, the more he plays at the major league level.
And he will probably hit for a pretty good average, just like Inciarte, but he has quite a bit more pop, then Inciarte has.
I saw that Toles was in the dugout for a while, last night.
He said he hasn’t been in the dugout to much, because he doesn’t want to accidentally injure himself, by celebrating with the players, and have a set back.
He didn’t have any other structural damage in his knee, so he should be fine for next year.
MJ, I see Toles more as a LF’er. An outfield of Toles, Inciarte, and Puig next year would be nice, with Taylor moving to 2nd and Forsythe traded for some needed goodies.
Rudy
That would be ok with me.
Sometimes after winning streaks, teams have a hard time getting back into winning gear. I hope this is not the case, but Hill doesn’t give me much confidence. This is a big game for him to prove his worth. It is a big game for the team to see if it can recover the mojo. I think this could be one of the most important games of the rest of he season.
Keeping the big picture in mind is important. The last 2 games were painful but not a trend. What are the trends?
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The Dodgers have no reliable lefty relievers.
The Dodgers have an excess of utility infielders – Kike, Taylor and Utley and Forsythe. The improved play of the first 2 makes the latter 2 expendable.
The Dodgers have improved greatly against LHP this season – Turner and Taylor have mashed against LHP.
As Hill has improved, McCarthy has regressed, and no one is confident in either Maeda or Ryu.
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So this is why the Dodgers didn’t go after JD Martinez. I would like to see the team make a move for a LHRP – a must. Do they get a starting pitcher? I have been saying no for a few weeks now but now I’m not so sure. Darvish? Gray? Verlander? I like Darvish the best of the 3. He’s just a rental, so no long term expense. Gray has a recent history of shoulder problems and I’m not convinced that he’s sound. Verlander – HE’S DONE! He’s very expensive and it’s $28MM/year in 2018 and 2019 so no thank you.
The Dodger starters have a 3.33 ERA while the bullpen has a 2.90 ERA.
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RH hitters are hitting .220 against the Dodgers while LH hitters are hitting .237.
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That is not a huge disparity, but consider the relievers ERA against LH hitters:
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Stewart – 0.00
Baez – 1.81
Dayton – 2.31
Stripling – 2.33
Avilan – 3.14
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Fields, Morrow, Hatcher and Romo all have ERA’s of 3.70 to 7.71 against LH pitching.
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Of course, the Dodgers could use a “lockdown lefty” but what we now have ain’t horrible. Yasiel Sierra has absolutely destroyed lefties this year (.191 BA), so could he be an option?
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Could Ryu develop the mindset to be a lockdown lefty?
Maybe, but he doesn’t have the stuff or the health to be a lockdown lefty.
Utley
Corey
Cody
Grandal
Forsythe
Joc
Puig
Trayce
Hill
Not the best lineup today, swapping JT for Utley and Taylor for Thompson. They may have needed a blow but they have 2 off days coming up soon. Maybe Roberts wanted to shake things up after 2 losses and there are also Kike and Barnes on the bench for late game moves. Utley at lead off makes me cringe a bit but maybe he goes off today. Tehran has been mostly good but sometimes throws a stinker. Hill has been good enough to make me mildly confident and Kersh goes tomorrow. I see a split of the 4 games and a return to normalcy in the Blue Universe.
Thompson belongs in AAA
I think you are right about that.
Thompson does have a home run against Teheran and is 2 for 3.
Thompson belongs at AA as far as I’m concerned. His swing is a mess and he did nothing at AAA to merit a call up. He also gets the worst reads and has the most missteps out of any OF on the team.
“The Joc and Kike’ CF platoon produces much better stats than Inciarte alone. Do your homework.” from Bum, who I guess views himself as a teacher. I don’t have idle time like you to look up every statistic, however, I still would rather have Inciarte leading off and playing CF than Joc. Sorry that my opinion offends you. Get over it.
I’ll take Taylor at lead off over Inciarte.
Deal.
Really really glad you’re not running the show for the Dodgers big guy. No offense meant…hope none taken.
I hope you realize that this was not a trade Bum and I were discussing. It was who we would rather have in the lead-off spot. I would want both Taylor and Inciarte on the team.
Thompson gets 3 K’s in 3 AB’s and after Roberts double switched him out Taylor hits a HR. Trace is down to .119 on the season and is wasting a spot that could be used for a better internal or external option. Hill battled and pitched well enough to win tonight. The team is still overly dependent on the long ball, 3 HR’s all with bases empty.
I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST TAYLOR TOMORROW
I was just coming to say…what a shame the Dodgers didn’t get JD Martinez to play LF so we could sit Taylor more.
The Truth Hurts may be right about Taylor. Come in during the 7th inning and hit a HR and a 3B, driving in 3 runs. I may have to buy a T-Shirt!
Agreed DDM, he needs to be in the lineup every single day, .310 BA, .920 OPS? The kid is the real deal
Vegas, design in progress and I’ll send to Mark, welcome to the Church brother
But who should be playing 3B?
Thompson needs to be sent down. He can’t hit in the minors much less the majors. Taylor ruined kenleys save again lol! Yasiel sierra off to good start in Oklahoma City. Somebody pointed out he is fantastic against lefties. Maybe a September call up. I would get darvish if not too costly. Maybe they would take McCarthy.
Thompson probably needs another offseason to fully recover from last years back injury. It may well be that he rights the ship with some other team, but whatever the case, he’s a player I still like a lot. If he can fully recover, I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if he ultimately becomes a reliable power bat in someone’s outfield, maybe even the Dodgers, but not likely this year.
I would love for the Dodgers to land a right handed bat for LF, and move Taylor into 2B, and also add a lockdown lefty out of the pen. Another quality starting pitcher would also be welcome. Problem is, what would all that cost? Not having seen much of the players being mentioned, and our minor league prospects, I’m at a loss to make any particular suggestions, except to say that I agree with Mark, and don’t think that FAZ will make any dope fiend moves.