Sunday afternoon Ross Stripling was not fair – he was just very good, so since his nickname is Chicken Strip, he is fowl and this should be a reminder of how very good he was before the All-Star Break last season. I would say his pitch tipping is behind him and he could be a very solid piece in the rotation all season. His ERA dropped to 2.92 as he was very efficient with just 88 pitches over 8 very solid innings. It turns out there was a reason he was so good: He wanted to get home in time to watch The Games of Thrones. Doc should bribe him with a Free Download of a Season, each time he goes eight!
Starts like that are often contagious to the rest of the staff. With Clayton coming back tomorrow, this can be a nice building block, but this early you never get too high or too low. There is a lot of work to be done, processes to sort and flaws to fix. Rich Hill is on a rehab assignment and Hyun jin Ryu will pitch an “aggressive” bullpen session today. It turns out that Ryu’s injury may have been just a tweak, but when you have a horrible injury like last season to a groin, you can’t be too cautious.
I told you that you don’t sit Chris Taylor when he is struggling like he was. It paid off Sunday as Doc continued to show confidence in him. Joc will only hit against right-handed pitchers, but he is showing he might have that figured out. One step at a time. CT3 and Joc in LF could produce 40 HR, with Joc hitting the majority. By the way, Joe Kelly is not going anywhere either, let alone AAA… nor should he.
Alex Verdugo is seizing the day and showing he deserves the PT. He continues to flash power better than advertised (remember who told you that?) and has 3 HR and 9 RBI is 35 AB’s with only 5 K’s. He is OPS’ing over 1.000 and sports a .343 BA. He is also hitting .500 against LHP in what is a small sampling, but he is in the process of taking the RF job and putting Cody back at 1B where he is a huge asset.
Justin Turner will get more rest as CT3 and Muncy fill-in for Seager, Taylor and Kike. JT will get untracked soon., but the Dodgers literally have EVERY position covered if there is an injury to any player. Literally, ANY player! I think Alex will be in the Rookie of the Year running this year. He is THAT good. He might get 20 HR THIS year. He is hitting .444 with RISP. That stat has to play!
Every loss is not Doc’s fault and they don’t win “in spite of him.” Neither Roberts or Friedman are perfect. Roberts sometimes over-complicates things, but he makes up for that with his massaging of egos, and his players love and respect him…. even Puig after he was gone. Friedman should never select another Cuban player as that has been a disaster, but I think he has learned. I do like Puig and wish him the best… but moving on was best for everyone… and the Dodgers got two very good prospects.
Roughly, this is the lineup I see:
- Catcher – Barnes/Martin (hen he gets back) or Smith
- First Base – Bellinger
- Second Base – Kike
- Shortstop – Seager
- Third Base – Turner
- Left Field – Pederson/Taylor
- Center Field – Pollock
- Right Field – Verdugo
Muncy will play a lB, 2B, 3B and pinch hit. Freese will play occasionally at 1B and pinch hit. CT3 will spell Pollock and others, and Kike will play other positions at times, but I think the above lineup will be the rule not the exception. Kike is the everyday 2B. He wants to win a Gold Glove.
Rest should be frequent as they strive to stay fresh and strong by the end of the season. The Rockies may have already blown their season, but it is still early. The D-Bags and Padres are playing over their heads, but I could see the Padres being a game or two above .500 this year.
The Dodgers have no interest in Keuchel or Kimbrel… nor should they. They have enough arms in the system to plug up several bullpen positions if need be. Even Mitch White is showing out this year after a disappointing 2018. He has 7 IP and has yet to give up a hit, let alone a run. Gonsolin and May are also taking greater steps as are several others. At least one or two of these guys could step up and make the club this year.
Baseball is a very, very long season and it is important to your sanity and blood pressure to enjoy the ride, and the process. I am still of the opinion that the Dodgers need another RH bat, but if Bellanger, Verdugo and Muncy can continue to hit lefties, it’s not as imperative. In fact, it may be unnecessary.
The Dodgers are 9-8 and better positioned than last year, contrary to what the Drama Queens, Knee-Jerkers and Negative Nellies say. I think that even Joe Kelly will come around. He’s too good!
We get to see some old friends tonight…
Minor League Report by DC
Great Lakes Loons – West Michigan WhiteCaps Tigers)
The Loons game was postponed due to inclement weather.
Rancho Cucamonga 3- Lancaster JetHawks 10 (Rockies)
The Quakes had a rather forgettable Sunday afternoon game. They actually were leading 3-2 after six innings but the pitching imploded in the JetHawk top of the seventh inning. The first Quake run was scored on a Nick Yarnell single in the bottom of the fourth plating Starling Heredia who had tripled. Two additional runs scored in the bottom of the sixth inning on a Heredia single driving in Jeter Downs and
Devin Mann. Heredia had three hits on the day while Mann had two.
Unheralded Victor Gonzalez started for the Quakes throwing 3.1 scoreless innings on one hit. On the season he has pitched 8.2 scoreless innings over three appearances. He was followed by Max Gamboa who gave up one run in 1.2 innings pitched on two hits. Sven Schueller who had been “Mr Reliable” for the Quakes in his first four appearances had one of those days in his 1.2 innings pitched. His stat line was 6-6-6. That is six hits, six runs, six earned runs. Devin Hemmerich almost finished up the game with two innings in which he allowed another three runs. The final out came on one pitch by second baseman Brandon Montgomery who induced an infield pop up.
Rancho Cucamonga suffered a four-game sweep at home at the hands of the JetHawks who pummeled Quakes pitching for 34 runs on 44 hits.
Quakes manager Mark Kertenian picked his first ejection of the year after twice committing a cardinal sin. That is, arguing balls and strikes and more specifically calls on strikes.
Tulsa 0 – Arkansas Travelers 1 (Mariners)
Driller pitchers tossed a 9.2 innings no-hitter and lost 1-0. It was a history making no-hitter as it has been 80 years since a Texas League team spun a no-hitter and lost. The last time was on July 22, 1939. Mitchell White pitched four innings with three walks and six strikeouts. Parker Curry tossed three unblemished innings with two strikeouts. Marshall Kasowski gave up two walks in his inning pitched. Louis Head finished up with 1.2 hitless innings striking out five. He did give up the lone run in the game on a hit batter and two walks with a runner starting on second base in the bottom of the tenth inning. It was the first nine-inning Drillers no-hitter since April 18, 1991. That one was a combined effort by Everett Cunningham and Barry Manuel.
Sunday’s no-hitter was not the first in which White was involved. He also threw four innings on April 7, 2017 and combined with Alex Hermeling on the first no-hitter in Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga history.
At the plate the Drillers have five singles and one walk but had an unsightly LOB of 12. Lux, Estevez and McKinstry all had their hitting streaks stopped. Logan Landon recorded another hit, continuing his hot start to the season. He has recorded a hit in each of the six games he has started this year and is batting .455 on the season. Jared Walker extended his hitting streak to five games with a single on Sunday. He is batting a healthy .385 so far in 2019.
Oklahoma City 3 – Iowa Cubs 4
The Dodgers had only four hits but walked seven times and came a whisker away from tying the game in the top of the ninth inning. They had scored their first run in the fourth inning on a Kyle Garlick home run. A second run came home in the eighth inning when Will Smith scored on a Garlick single to left field. The third and final run scored in the top of the ninth inning when Jake Peter scored on a Drew Jackson ground out. The Dodgers went 2-for-16 with runners on base, 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded five runners in scoring position.
On the mound starter Ben Holmes took the loss deserving a better fate giving up only two earned runs in five innings pitched. He struck out five and walked none. He retired 14 of the 17 batters faced including the first six straight and final six straight. The problem was that the relievers were unable to wrap things up. Justin Grimm allowed a run in 1.1 innings pitched as did Josh Smoker. Each pitcher inherited two runners, and each allowed a run to score. JT Chargois secured the last out in the eighth inning.
Stripling certainly made a case for himself not to go back to the BP when CK comes back. As you say, it’s a long season and the sampling size we have of him has yet to determine where he will wind up. He melted last season and that is still on people’s minds.
Didn’t you predict 30 HR’s from Verdugo? lol.
I’m not going to make any predictions regarding him. But I will say the positional players look good and I think we have a good base to draw from. I do not think we are deep in the minors for any replacement players in the event we have to dig ourselves out of some injuries to our starters. I am actually surprised at the poor showing I saw in ST. Except for Gonsolin and May, who are probably not ready to make any appearances on the big stage for quite some time, I am not so hopeful there are others. Ruiz seems far from ready. We should hope and pray nothing happens to Barnes while Martin is healing up. We could ill afford anything that will disrupt our tag team C’s. And, I also don’t see the FO renting or trading for any big name pitchers. That is not what they do in any case. They have a terrible track record when they go outside the organization.
I’m really looking forward to destroying the Reds this trip. I have not given a second thought to Puig or Kemp since the trade. They are goners. And, btw, great article on Puig that MJ posted. Now we know what went down. He’s just a baby boy.
I hope the Padres trade for Kluber and thin out their prospects. Hopefully he won’t put them over the top this year.
Martin had back pain during Spring Training and with that pain flaring up again it can be predicted that his pain will come and go all year. Smith might be on the commuter plane all year. He is more than ready to spell Barnes defensively and who knows, he might hit some as well. Whatever happens this year, he will be on the Dodgers full time next year.
Can’t we be happy with Verdugo as a Gwynn type hitter? Gwynn didn’t hit more than 9 home runs in his 19 year career more than 5 times. Let’s not set expectations for him that establishes a failure stat that he doesn’t have to meet to be really successful. The Dodgers don’t need a power bat in RF when they have power bats at SS and 2B.
If Alex puts up 500 AB’s I think he will hit 20 HR. He has that power. I also think he will eventually hit 30 in a year, but not this year.
Mark – not so sure that AF should never sign another Cuban player but you are right, the Cuban situation with the Dodgers does seem like a crisis. So many dollars put out with so little reward, getting in the way of other players, etc. I think they have to be more selective but not necessarily abstain.
Omar Estevez might help improve that picture but with $6M signing bonus he has to keep on his present trajectory. I do like Miguel Vargas with the Loons, especially as a $300,000 signing bonus. He will play the entire season as a 19-year-old. His hitting right now is lagging but he seems to be a good player at third base with an above average arm.
DC,
That was said tongue-in-cheek, but the success of signing Cuban players has not been good. I don’t blame him… it was a good try, but most did not work. Estevez could be the exception….
Might we have a San Diego v Seattle World Series this year? At least it would be a west coast Series. Or, are we ready for a Dodger v Yankee World Series?
Bum,
Dodger vs Yankees would be a real ‘Homer’ festival.
Hey Mark, even a broken clock is right twice a day, congratulations. I think the point people were making is that you don’t sit a hot player to give CT3 playing time. Yesterday, CT3 was in as Kike and Turner were out for rest after Kike’s average has dropped 54 points over the last week and Turner getting his normal weekly rest. That’s exactly when you play a guy who’s been struggling. Of course, CT3 isn’t going to hit 000 all year.
Alex Verdugo should absolutely be playing more especially while he’s hot. Maybe he’ll hit 20 homers. He’s on pace for 40-45. Is that gonna happen? Not a chance, but playing hot players in favor of sitting cold players makes sense to most people. Hell, Jason Heyward had over 20 homers (exactly once) so you have a chance to be right about Alex… At least once every 10 years. Unfortunately for Alex, Joc’s on pace for around 60 HRs, Muncy is starting to heat up and Pollock isn’t going to sit. Champagne problems.
Good thing Doc didn’t pull Stripling after 5 during a shutout again. Good things happen when your pitchers start pitching deeper into games. It will be interesting to see how they handle Kershaw tonight.
I went to the game yesterday. It was absolutely gorgeous at the stadium. No one got killed or even hospitalized. Well, I’m not sure about the second one as some guy on the other side of the aisle looked like he was disoriented and his wife yelled for help. I jumped out of my seat and reported it to an usher. The medical team was there in less than a minute. Great job by the staffers.
The last 5 games or so that I’ve gone to, I’ve taken the Dodgers Stadium Express from Union Station to the ballpark. I highly recommend doing this. We had some World Famous taquitos at Cielito Lindo before the game. China Town and Felipe’s is also a short walk from Union Station. The best part is that parking is cheaper, and none of the money goes to Frank McCourt.
Even when Joc is hot, he does not have it in his DNA to hit lefties. I also think if you left him in there to try and learn it would destroy his confidence.
Starling Heredia sighting. Would be nice to see a bounceback year. We need OFers and RH hitters.
Position — Player — Projected Games Started
Catcher: Barnes 95; Martin 45; Smith 22
First Base: Bellinger 75; Muncy 65; Freese 22
Second Base: Hernandez 100; Muncy 35; Taylor 27
Third Base: Turner 145; Muncy 17
Shortstop: Seager 152; Taylor 10
Left Field: Pederson 122; Taylor 40
Center Field: Pollock 137; Taylor 15; Verdugo 10
Right Field: 75; Verdugo 85; Hernandez 2
Bums, you have Bellinger on only 75 games.
True, but I have a mystery player getting 75 games in right field. That was meant to be Bellinger.
I think the reason Doc allowed Strip to pitch 8 innings was his pitch efficiency. He was averaging 10 pitches and inning. That will keep the hook away. THROW STRIKES!
6 game losing streak snapped and all is right with the world. All it took was a well pitched game by the starter and some timely hitting. CT3 made sense for yesterday’s game because he had success against Chacin in the past and I complimented Doc for his lineup before the game. Players performing make a manager look good and analytics should theoretically provide the best match ups and yesterday it clicked.
I thought you wanted a site that was balanced not a place to come drink blue kool ade. We are all Dodger fans here and even the ‘Drama Queens, Knee-Jerkers and Negative Nellies’ want the best for the team and can’t side with management at all times. I consider this site a bit of therapy and a place for banter with other Dodger fans and it helps with the BP too.
59 you could not have picked a better day to take in a game and I’m glad they broke the skid with you nodding and shouting approval! It was a fun game to watch on TV too. I will be watching this series with extra interest and glad the Puig bashers had something to talk about. After what Grandal just did let’s hope some ex Dodgers don’t go off the next few days. It will be interesting to see which Kershaw shows up tonight and 5 or more runs by the offense would be a nice cushion.
To all those who comment here it should be clear by now that our host will not kick us off for our takes on the Dodgers. Our host gets called a homer by some and our host calls some Drama Queens, Knee-Jerkers and Negative Nellies, and on occasion morons. He’s just being presidential when he does that.
I take a break from this blog from time to time but not due to our host and more to do that I either have a lot going on or I feel my thoughts don’t have enough company. Things balance out.
Come on back Rick. You have good takes.
I like it here when MJ and I ignore each other; most here probably do as well.
nope, i miss the spats between MJ and you (and Ham)
We are at peace I think. When we broke up and she got to keep the dog, I thought we would argue less but Joc kept getting in the way.
That was good.
I don’t know how I got dragged in the middle of their love spat
You were the reason we broke up.
Dang. Since I have come on to this board, I have:
1. Started a Russian Invasion,
2. Created an alter ego for Bumsrap
3. Had a surrogate Baby with 59. This one is quite embarrassing.
4. Broke up a Lovers Triangle between MJ/Bums & Mark. (rumor has it that Mark was involved)
5. Created division amongst the morons and the brain trust.
What else might I myself get into 🙂
I like Rick too but when he comes back with these lists:
1. What if Turner develops brain cancer?
2. What if Cody Bellinger regresses back to 2nd grade?
3. What if Corey Seager gets attacked by a wild group of pygmies?
4. Max Muncy could get gored by a bull.
5. Alex Verdugo could quit baseball and join the circus
6. Walker Burhler could join a law firm and sue Roberts for misuse.
7. AJ Pollocks body could be donated to medical science.
8. The Dodgers will miss Puig and Kemp’s toxic clubhouse presence.
That’s what I have problem with. There are no ghosts under the bed.
You gave me a laugh Mark. Thanks. I need more of those.
This site is balanced. It’s only when you think EVERYTHING is wrong is when you become unbalanced… as bring the men in the white coats unbalanced.
This team has a lot to sort out and teams like the Astros who seem to be flying high will come back to earth. I just advise taking a deep breath and realize you not in a swamp surrounded by alligators.
Like Bums said, I won’t kick you off for that but I might call you a moron. Hopefully, the shoe doesn’t fit.
Hey Mark,
Have you ever fed alligators? They are blind as can be if you throw food right in front of their face. They see great on the sides though. Just goes with your comment. Not sure if you meant it to go along or not, but it was brilliant.
Stripling threw off speed stuff (curves mostly) when they were guessing fast balls and fast balls when they were guessing off speed. And he was throwing everything for strikes. It was that simple. And yet so difficult to do. And it was so much fun to watch. Hope he starts repeating his performances all season long. Pitching is baseball as far as I’m concerned. Nothing better than two good pitchers battling in a low scoring game.
Another thing he did well was to get hitters to hit the ball at a defensive player. It’s usually Dodger hitters that do that.
Yes, his curve has some major depth to it when he’s throwing it well.
Any one check out the PBS American masters episode of Ted Williams on Netflix recently. Definitely worth a watch. I watched it a couple of times so far. World class pilot, fisherman and the best hitter there ever was. Angry, complicated yet kind and real. Hell of a man for sure. And what a swing. It was perfection.
I have on my Watch List. One of the few things that looks worth watching anymore on Netflix
1. Curt Casali (R) C
2. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
3. Yasiel Puig (R) RF
4. Matt Kemp (R) LF
5. Jose Peraza (R) 2B
6. Jose Iglesias (R) SS
7. Scott Schebler (L) CF
8. Kyle Farmer (R) 1B
9. Luis Castillo (R) P
Dang, the Dodgers are playing themselves!
Intrasquad game
wow, their catcher leads off?
… because Peraza can’t have an OB% above Dee Gordon.
Is Jose Iglesias related to Julio the singer?
Who is Kershaw’s corresponding move?
Schultz down
David Freeze is 4 for 8 against Castillo with a HR.
Max Muncy is 0 for 5 against Castillo.
Muncy is starting at 1st while Freeze is on the bench.
Makes sense. 😉 The computer must know that Freese doesn’t hit well on Mondays, against righties?
now, now. Don’t question anything. It is not a good thing.
What does Computer Say Now!!! Computer Say. Doc Knows Best! LOL
The Dodgers obviously don’t know as much as we do. They are too cheap. We know better. Dumbasses!
The right vs left thing….It’s science …not a random conspiracy theory.
LOL. Mark, you remind me of my wife. Don’t get so angry at those of us who know more than you and the Dodgers.
We, the fan, have the grown up with Sports Illustrated Baseball, Strat-O-Matic Baseball and know better. I myself have proven that the 1979 Cubs can beat the 1927 Yankees in a full season of Strat-O-Matic, So Back Off Buddy.
Jeez, I still have my ancient Strat-O-Matic game (in a closet somewhere).
Rudy,
those SOM are valuable. Don’t by all means throw them out. IF I were an unsavory person I would try to swindle them from you. Depending on the years, and if you have the original boxes, they can be worth $$$. How many do you have???
Just a few observations. Bellinger is playing with confidence, his great skills are in evidence, he can’t continue at this pace but it is fun to see. Seager and turner will get on track because both are just too good. Barnes is playing up to his capabilities, Martin will be on the injury list multiple times. We will see Will eventually no Gale please. Verdugo is here to stay. Joc pop and Taylor will get it done. Pollock very streaky, good defensively, solid addition when h…… muncy is an asset needs to reduce ks. Kike just needs consistency. Starting pitching is a strength. The bench is good. We can overcome most injuries and certainly better than most. But, the bullpen will have to be fixed. We cannot end the year with the same guys we have now and win a World Series.
I agree with all of your observations. Here are a couple of things:
1. Pollack. The verdict still out on his hitting. Verdugo should be playing in his place with RHP at times
2. Freeze should be playing more 1B
3. I still feel this team is too fragile. Either that, or they just don’t want to risk their contract future.
Pollock is certainly not a great hitter. He is a good defender, rh obviously, can steal bases. In recent years he has only hit in the 260 range. I would be surprised if he finishes higher than 275. I thought freese would bounce back and forth at first and third. They are babied and or protected all year. The front office is very cautious with their investment. When they were called on for extra effort in the World Series Boston players were volunteering Dodger players were worn out. I don’t blame the front office for being cautious because they have a huge investment. I don’t know if this had anything to do with the World Series but it’s something to consider.
Oh what a surprise:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26532954/back-la-puig-late-nlcs-ring-presentation
Nike Hulsizer turned his doubles into home runs tonight with the Loons. Two so far in the seventh.
Jason Kipnis activated off the IL for the Indians, Brad Miller DFA’d.
Connor Joe, Drew Jackson, and now Brad Miller is available. Let’s get the gang back together!
And Puig takes Kershaw deep 1st AB back in Dodger Stadium as a visiting player.
Surely not true he can’t hit lefties.
AJP strikes out twice already. See this is where I say play Alex in CF and bench Pollock the same way Doc platoons for others. Why not. Verdugo rides the pines.
Pollock not doing the job of a #5 hitter
Exactly, but like I just said, why isn’t he being platooned? Mark will have an answer I’m sure, but he is no better than Verdugo. Come on, this gets ridiculous. He has started almost every game now. Sheen his butt.
This could drive me back into Joc’s corner. When Joc first came up I was a huge fan. Have cooled him since then. Win me back Joc.
I’m not ready to get down on Pollock. Like me, probably no one on this site has seen him play through a full season. Not only do teams have peaks and valleys, but so do players.
Last year and this year, it seems as if Kenley has lost the ability to throw strike after strike. And he is no longer pitching up in the strike zone as frequently as he did in the past. Maybe he has less trust in his stuff, and has become more tentative about throwing strikes, and less willing to attack hitters up in the strike zone.
Ok, Kershaw has to plunk somebody to protect Bellinger. Straight BS. C’mon Doc, how bout a little payback?!?
Truth.
I want blood
Please I only get computer animations game. What happened
What Happened to Belli????
Got hit right in the knee. Ouch. He’s been taken out
Geez. Just fn great. Our best player and they know it. Is he OK? Please tell me, he is ok. I hope this won’t cause a mental change. HATE THE REDS.
HIT ANYONE OF THEIR PLAYERS BELOW THE HEAD. FASTBALL
Now that I have calmed down, the Red Dodger Hitters really suck. Most are hitting below the Mendoza line. Figures 🙂
Seager 3-0 count and swinging away. Old Dodgers. Oi Vay
Poor job by Seager swinging 3-0. Most likely cost the Dodgers taking the lead.
That one was for Bum
Good win and welcome back Kersh!
That was just about a perfect ending to a satisfying win with Joc’s walk off. Kersh, Puig, Kemp, Jansen, Bellinger, there were story lines everywhere! It was almost playoff baseball like and on ESPN for all to see. When is Doc going to stop teams from taking liberties throwing inside and hitting many Dodger hitters? At least some high and tight with a menacing glare! Hopefully Cody gets some treatment and a day off and he’s good to go.
Joc got us our just deserts. Hated to see Belli get hit like that but don’t condone retaliation by a pro like Kershaw. That should be Baez’s job.
He would definitely miss.
LOL