Dodgers 22-13 on Cinco de Mayo???

Posted By on May 5, 2019

Where or where would the Dodgers be without Cody Bellinger? The last time the Dodgers were north of .500 after April was 2017 and was LARGELY due to Justin Turner and his .404/.465/.562/1.026 April metrics. Although, JT only had 1 April HR, he hit 20 from May on, so there is hope for JT’s power to resume when the weather warms up.

Those of us who believe that the Dodgers are a good, but maybe not WS championship team, wonder where the Dodgers would be without Belly and his unworldly slash line of .415/.489/.847/1.337? However, even with Cody, many of us see problems that might have been solved in the off-season and will be more difficult at the trade deadline. Too LH dominant, and no real bullpen improvement.

As an aside, I cannot speak for others, but I do not blame Doc for any game loss or losing streak or anything of that kind. Does he make mistakes? YES!! I am not huge fan of Roberts’ in game decision making, but I acknowledge that he is exactly what the FO wanted when he was hired. He is a tremendous communicator (except when it comes to Dick Mountain in WS games) and believes in analytics. And I also concede that I would not be a better in-game decision maker than Doc. He is not my favorite, but he is better than Dave Martinez.

I was busy with celebrating my Grandson’s 1st Holy Communion Saturday evening. So some of the stats may not be current including Saturday’s game, but I think my point will come across. Before Saturday’s game, there are currently 90 pitchers who qualify for ERA league leadership (1.0 IP per team game). The Dodgers have two; Ryu and Chicken Strip, both tied for 65th with 35.1 IP; exactly .1 over the qualifying point. Without a starting staff that can go deep into a game, the team better have a lock-down bullpen, but the Dodgers do not. They were 12th in MLB in relief innings pitched and have 21st best ERA of 4.54. 12 relievers – 68 runs in 120 IP (I do not count Russell Martin as a reliever). That is 8th most in all of MLB. They have an 10-7 record with 12 saves and 6 blown saves. They got both last night. For relievers, stranding inherited runners is critical for a healthy bullpen. For the Dodger relievers:

Floro (12 IR – 4 scored) (8/1 before last Monday’s game)
Jansen (6/4)
Kelly (5/3)
Baez (11/3)
Alexander (7/3)
Ferguson (3/2)
Garcia (5/2)
Santana (2/0)
Stewart (1/0)
Chargois (0/0)
Stripling (0/0)
Schultz (0/0)
Urias (0/0)

More than 40% of inherited runners scored (52/21). That is not a lockdown bullpen, especially when your closer and supposed bridge to that closer have inherited 11 runners and 7 of them have scored.

Offensively, with all the different lineups (no, not a complaint), the Dodgers only have 7 players who qualify for league leadership in BA, OBP, SLG, and OPS. Cody is the only regular player with a BA north of .287 (JT). Cody leads MLB in all four slash lines of BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, plus hits, runs, RBIs, and is tied for the MLB lead in HRs. He also has 5 SB. In 85 PA, semi regular Alex Verdugo is batting .346, but Dodger batters need 109 PA to qualify. There are currently two Dodger regulars with an OPS of .946 or better, with Joc being the second. As inconceivable of a start as Cody has had, Joc has also been extremely instrumental in the Dodgers start. His HRs have been timely and fairly consistent. Joc is currently tied for7th in MLB HRs with 10 (4th in NL). The Dodgers have two others with an OPS greater than .800; Max at .805 and Kike’ at .825. Although, Alex has a tremendous OPS of .981 which should get him full time in the lineup. After Max and Kike’ the OPS falls off, with the two RH batters counted on, JT and AJ, at .735 & .617 respectively.

Even with these concerns (at least for me), the Dodgers have the best record in the NL and 3rd best in all of MLB; slightly behind the Rays and Twins. They are 9 games over .500 with a 22-13 record. I mentioned it about a week ago that this team is beginning to remind me of the 2017 team. The last two come from behind wins were very reminiscent of 2017. There is much to be excited about.

So could the Dodgers be better? Yes. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Does any help have to cripple the minor league system? No. Who can be the game changer and where will that person come from? We have 2.5 months before that will become apparent. But for right now this team is coming together even with the apparent concerns (at least for me). The Dodgers will need to contend with what they have, and that should be no problem, as it should be enough to get them to the trade deadline at or very near 1st place in the NL West.

Baseball America just determined their May prospect rankings to see who the fast risers and notable fallers are:

Risers:

Nico Hoerner – Cubs – SS – Currently AA – Up 30
Nate Lowe – Tampa Bay – 1B – Currently AAA – Up 23
Chris Paddack – San Diego – RHP – Currently Padres 25 Man Roster – Up 22
Griffin Canning – LAA – RHP – Currently Angels 25 Man Roster – Up 20
Dustin May – Dodgers – RHP – Currently AA – Up 20
Jordan Groshans – Toronto – SS/3B – Currently A (Midwest League) – Up 18
Carter Kieboom – Nats – SS – Currently Nats 25 Man Roster – Up 17
Luis Robert – White Sox – OF – Currently A+ (Carolina League) – Up 16
Nate Pearson – Toronto – RHP – Currently AA – Up 15
Pete Alonso – NYM – 1B – Currently Mets 25 Man Roster – Up 10
MacKenzie Gore – San Diego – LHP – Currently A+ (California League) – Up 9

Fallers:

Yusniel Diaz – Orioles – OF – Currently AA – Down 30
Josh James – Houston – RHP – Currently Astros 25 Man Roster – Down 19
Justus Sheffield – Seattle – RHP – Currently AAA – Down 18
Eric Pardinho – Toronto – RHP – Currently Rookie League – Down 18
Garrett Hampson – Colorado – 2B – Currently Rockies 25 Man Roster – Down 17
Tony Santillan – Reds – RHP – Currently AA – Down 13
Alec Bohm – Phillies – 1B/3B – Currently A (South Atlantic League) – Down 9
Francisco Mejia – San Diego – C – Currently Padres 25 Man Roster – Down 8
Triston McKenzie – Cleveland – RHP – Currently AA – Down 8
Brent Honeywell – Tampa Bay – RHP – Currently IL – TJ Surgery – Down 7
Ian Anderson – Braves – RHP – Currently AA – Down

I am not sure what that says about Yusniel Diaz, but he is much too young to be taking such a big tumble without merit.

Minor League Report by AC

OKC Dodgers 8 – New Orleans Baby Cakes 7 (Marlins)


It took extra innings, but the Dodgers finally got back into the win column. In the top of the 10th, Shane Peterson started at 2B. Edwin Rios was HBP and with a WP, the Dodgers had runners on 2nd and 3rd. Peterson scored on a ground ball out and the Dodgers were in front. The game ended strangely with one of the Baby Cakes runners out due to being hit by a batted ball. It may not have been pretty, but the Dodgers won.
Peterson, Rios, and Angelo Mora each had 2 hits. Both of Peterson’s hits were doubles, and Blake Gailen hit his 1st HR of 2019. Mora also had a double. Rios and Gailen each had 3 RBIs on the night.
Rob Zastryzny started and went 5.1 innings. Justin De Fratus and JT Chargois finished up.

Tulsa Drillers 7 – Corpus Christi Hooks 9 (Astros)


You knew it was bound to happen. Dustin May got lit up last night, surrendering 8 runs (6 earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks in 3.2 IP. He did get 6 outs. Adam McCreery and Andre Scrubb both continued to pitch well in relief. The Drillers had 8 hits to support their 7 runs. DJ Peters had 2, including his 4th HR, and Cristian Santana also had 2. Gavin Lux (4) and Chris Parmalee (3) each had a HR with Parmalee’s being a 3-run shot.

RC Quakes 7 – San Jose Giants 3


Thanks to 3 home runs, two by Jeter Downs (his 4th) and one by Starling Heredia (3) the Quakes won their 5th game of their last 6, maintaining their 3.0 game lead over the Lancaster JetHawks. Heredia, Downs, and Marcus Chiu each had 2 hits. Steve Berman got his 1st double. Brayan Morales got his league leading 19th stolen base.
Wills Montgomery continued to pitch well going 4.2 innings with no hits allowed but 5 walks and 1 run. But the story line for LAD fans was that Tony Cingrani pitched an inning in relief. He faced 4 batters with one batter reaching 1st due to an error. He had 3 ground balls and 1 K. A good first outing for the lefty.

Great Lakes Loons 5 – Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 1 (Brewers)


The Loons scored 5 runs in the 7th to win for their 8th consecutive game. They remain .5 games behind the Bowling Green Hot Rods (TB). The Loons were only able to scratch out 6 singles with Niko Hulsizer and James Outman getting 2 each. The pitching was fantastic with Andre Jackson starting and going 5.0 and Jose Martinez finishing up the final 4.0. Combined, they allowed 3 hits, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts, with Martinez getting his first win.

This article has 66 Comments

  1. Re: Diaz, looks like he struggled in AA after his trade from LA last year (he had been doing well in Tulsa at the time). He was sent back to AA to begin 2019 and his numbers have remained low. Talking -.200 SLG% difference from his Tulsa days.

    Reading about it, he had a big Spring Training and cemented his status as their #1 prospect, showing a line drive stroke and an excellent arm. Who knows why he has struggled so much this season.

    He will probably reemerge as a post-hype guy, but 2020 is now more likely than 2019.

    1. maybe Friedman and Friends knew Diaz wasn’t as good as his top 100 ranking???

      1. Could be a young kid having to again adjust to new town, teammates, manager, coaches, while still struggling with language.

  2. I continue to be amazed by the pure quality at bats Verdugo takes. He rarely gets fooled, he rarely looks lost, or anxious at the plate. He remains quite calm at the plate, ala JT.

    As I and others have been saying for a while, he needs to be in the lineup every day. It’s been 6 weeks now, and I think he’s proven he belongs in the middle of everything.

    This Kirby Yates dude came into the weekend with absolutely filthy numbers, and we’ve beaten him twice. It says a lot about us, and no doubt it’s demoralized SD a bit. Hopefully Maeda is on today and we sweep this series and come home.

    1. Agree 100% Bobby, Alex rarely chases outside the zone and does not strike out looking, he’e going to protect with 2 strikes. He also uses the entire field and has pretty decent speed and surprising pop. He’s a natural talent that had to master the emotions and mental aspects of the game at the highest level. Thank goodness AF stuck with him as we are seeing a star in the making before our eyes. Get out the Brooms today for the Machadres!

  3. You’re right Mark, we’re too right handed and we really need a lock down guy or two in the pen. Same needs that we had in the off-season. I’m not blaming AF, because this isn’t for the lack of trying. The magic of the Farmer trade and solid signings of Pollock and Kelly looked fine at the time. You win some, you lose some. I just want him to keep trying. The trade deadline is a long ways off and we’re in 1st place, and we’re looking like another “at least” break even road trip against “at least” one tough division rival and we’re on pace for 102 wins. There’s plenty to be happy about.

    To do list
    Promote Lux and May
    Keep the phone lines open for bullpen and RH bats

    Life is good.

    Bold move. Would the Dodgers overpay for a RH bat for the likes of Muncey and or Joc? It’s gonna really hard to get that right handed bat into the lineup with all of these left handers performing the way they are.

  4. Whatever urgency the Dodgers could have imagined to replace Pollock’s righty bat has been soothed by Taylor’s new found contact and Verdugo’s consistent contributions.

    A graphic shown during the game last night had Muncy leading MLB in K rate against lefties since the middle of last year at 42%. He can still hit a lefty’s mistake but 42% speaks for itself. So, who should sit against lefties? Maybe it isn’t Joc all the time, at least while Pollock is out and it certainly isn’t Verdugo.

  6. Are you starting to see why I said Verdugo was “Tony Gwynn-esque?”

    2. Different body types unless Alex puts on weight, more like Wade Boggs to me but either one would be large shoes to fill. Team control for 6 more years? Yes please!

      Think about it-the last 4 years top rookies: Cory, Cody, Ferris, and Alex. Ferris was the lowest in ROY voting at 3rd but had Acuna and Soto to compete with plus an injury held back his numbers.

    3. I will admit you were right on that nut, you old blind squirrel! Glad to see you MJ, I was worried about you!

  7. Travis d’Arnaud will be on the 25 man roster. Beaty optioned……….

    #Dodgers will carry 3 Right handed catchers as they’re facing a lot of LHP. D’Arnaud can play some infield too. He’ll be moved around the diamond.

    — Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) May 5, 2019

    2. Hmmmm, Ok

      Contract details are still not available but pretty sure AF is only paying MLB minimum with Mets on the hook for $3+M.

    3. Will this allow the Dodgers to use Barnes and Martin at the same time ( Barnes at 2nd)?

  8. DODGERS SIGN C TRAVIS D’ARNAUD
    INF MATT BEATY OPTIONED TO OKLAHOMA CITY

    LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today signed catcher Travis d’Arnaud to a one-year contract and placed him on the active roster. To make room on the 25-man roster, the Dodgers optioned infielder Matt Beaty to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

    d’Arnaud, 30, was released by the New York Mets on Friday after appearing in 10 games this season. In 2017, the catcher played in a career-high 112 games, batting .244 (85-for-348) with a career-best 16 homers and 57 RBI. The backstop began the 2018 season as the Mets Opening Day starter but missed the majority of the 2018 season recovering from ulnar collateral ligament surgery in his right elbow. In his seven-year Major League career, d’Arnaud is a .242 (329-for-1360) hitter with 47 homers and 164 RBI in 407 games. D’arnaud was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the supplemental first round (37th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of Lakewood High School (Ca.).

    Beaty, 26, was recalled on Tuesday and recorded his first career hit in his Major League debut later that evening. The infielder played in three games since being recalled, batting .667 (2-for-3) with an RBI. Prior to joining Los Angeles, Beaty was hitting .277 (23-for-83) with two homers and 10 RBI in 22 games for Oklahoma City.

  9. It gives them more flexibility to pinch-hit as well. They actually brought him in to make CT3 feel better as TDA is hitting way below CT3.

      1. It tells you what they think of Kemp when they jump at the chance to add d’Arnaud. All Beaty did was go 2-3 in limited action. This is a curious move to say the least…at least he’s right handed? I’ll be scratching my head all day.

      2. What number does he wear, 72? Alex isn’t going to give 27 back, he already bought bling.

        Maybe D’Arnaud can pitch in an extra inning game, catchers usually have good arms-LOL!

        Rudy Byrd, that was a wild Derby yesterday! No Triple Crown this year IMO.

  11. Enough about Verdugo. He’s a star and certainly another candidate for ROY for the Dodgers. What young prospect is next in line for 2020? Keep em coming AF!

    1. My picks (in order) for 2020:

      1. May
      2. Gonsolin
      3. Lux
      4. Ruiz
      5. Estevez
      6. Smith

  12. Can’t always kiss Verdugo’s butt. Horrible at bat by him last inning, to not even get CT3 over. That was not a quality, productive at bat whatsoever.

  14. Count me in on Verdugo. He needs to be a starter. He’s proven(so far) that he can hit LHP. A a matter of fact he’s our leading hitter vs LHP with .381 BA and 1.219 OPS. Bellinger is 2nd along with Pollack @ .333 BA. All others are at .250(Muncy&Taylor) and below.
    d’Arnaud could be a good get since he has a lifetime .252 BA vs LHP( Martin & Barnes together are.121 BA(4-33). I have read that he can play the OF and 2B, 3B but and maybe that was in the minors but in the majors he’s played ONE game at 2B and ONE game at 3B and Zero games in the OF. Not sure how his defense and framing ability is.

  15. Mark, I think May, Lutz, and Ruiz are targeted for 2021. I think Gonzo is up in 2020

    1. Bellinger was targeted a year later too.

      Players are ready when they are ready.

      That’s why I ranked them, but right about now, bad outing notwithstanding, May is on track for sooner than later.

    2. May is a safe bet for 2020 and I expect Smith to see a lot of time up as well.

  17. Did anyone notice possible static between Max and Roberts? I’d like to hear what Max thinks of Doc and if it’s negative I hope it’s temporary.

    1. I know Roberts saved Muncy from getting kicked out of the game yesterday and also a week ago.

      I don’t know why Muncy would have any problem with Doc.

  18. OK, here it is:

    I TOLD YOU SO ABOUT CT3!!!

    BOO-YAH! Eat that crow!

    1. I’m starting to come around on my displeasure with CT3. Need a bit more solid contact and an average much better than .218 but I’m gladly going to eat crow

  20. Man. it’s like a Dodger home game today, the place is crawling with Dodger Blue, and loud! Joe Davis also mentioned that the Dodgers are tied for the NL lead in least strike out percentage as a team. What a difference a year makes. Hitting philosophy has totally changed. As I’m writing this Taylor is still rising from the dead and just went deep to put us ahead in the 8th. Padres gotta be wondering how they can put us away. This team just won’t die!

    1. What a great teammate! Taylor was just waiting until,Pollock got hurt to step up and rake! I hope Mark has learned his lesson not to give on players so quickly! Or was that ME?

  25. That was some horrible ninth inning clutch closer pitching. Barnes gave two high targets for KJ while Renfroe took the first one for a strike but the second one was center cut right down the middle. KJ has lost some movement and is very hittable.

    Doc should have the team come in a bit early tomorrow and work on some but defense as well. What the heck was JT and KJ doing on the Myers bunt? You would think if they’re going to give you an out, break hard, charge and get an out instead a hapless bunt to the SS position goes without a play. Fundamental sloppy.

  26. There is no way to sugarcoat this one. This hurt. The team could have picked up a game on both the DBacks and Pads. I am sorry to say, but I have very little confidence in Kenley right now. In most games, his ball does not move. The pitch to Renfroe was way too easy to hit. I have read so many from Twitter who say it was the defense’s fault and Kenley was fine. No way, no how. This was all on Kenley. The Dodgers beat Kirby Yates twice and I should be happy about that (and I am). It reminds me of 2017 when LAD went into Cleveland and beat Andrew Miller twice. The Dodgers have a number of good middle relief help but absolutely zero dependable late inning high leverage relievers. They are probably not available, but AF needs to be looking hard for a new closer.

    KJ has not pitched well since before the 2017 WS. A contender cannot have a closer with a 4.67 ERA. In his last 7 games (7.0IP) 7.71 ERA. Last 15 games, 15.1 IP, 5.28 ERA.

    With respect to Kimbrel, the Dodgers are not going to sign him before June 6. But after June 6, it becomes only money that is involved. I have no idea if Kimbrel wants to pitch for the Dodgers, but if he does, AF needs to sign him. I hope Kenley turns it around, but since Game 2 of the 2017 WS, Kenley has not been a lock down closer.

    1. Well said, he is not dominant and every save attempt is an adventure.

      1. The first warning sign was when he said he was focused on spin rate and not velocity. But, he doesn’t see that batter if the defense does its job. They should have been expecting and playing the bunt in both situations. Kenley is not the same guy as he was.

    2. We should be rooting for him not to sign. If June 6th comes and goes, there’s no reason we shouldn’t sign him.

  27. Both J-Hair and Colletti mentioned on the post game show that Kenley’s biggest problem this year has not been velocity as much as it’s been location of his pitches or lack there of. He has been way inconsistent. Doc even slightly alluded to that in his post game conference. Hairston and Uncle Ned also questioned the pitch strategy for Renfroe, saying they should have pitched him like they did Machado earlier, throwing the cutter away from the plate and down. He said Renfroes hole in his swing is high and inside, but Kenleys cutter broke right down the inside portion, which Renfroe being a dead pull hitter, didn’t miss. They made some very valid points. I also think Doc knows Kenley isn’t right, and this is the first time I have heard him say Kenley didn’t execute in a press conference.

    1. It’s funny how they say that velocity isn’t a problem, yet both Kenley and Kershaw are both worse than they used to be and both have less velocity. But, I’m no rocket scientist.

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