Dodgers Minor League Report

Posted By on May 19, 2019

I will cover the Dodgers – Reds game on Saturday as part of the Minor League Report, because that is how they played… like a minor league affiliate. I will cover them last to teach them a lesson (yeah, that will work).

Great Lakes Loons – The Loons improved to 24-15 by destroying the West Michigan Whitecaps 7 – 1. Andre Jackson continues to shine and he did not disappoint last night as he went six innings, allowed 1 hit and no runs. He is 3-1 with a 2.24 ERA. In 36 IP he has given up 23 hits to go with 36 strikeouts and hitters are batting just .178 against him. He has given up 17 BB – that’s his problem. Last night, he failed to walk a batter (that’s a good thing), and he struck out 4. He now sports a 95 + MPH fastball, changeup, cutter, and curveball – a starters repertoire. At 6′ 3″ and 210 lbs. he has the build to do it, but he has been pitching just a short time. Watch him… he’s a mover. Jose Martinez pitched the last three innings, giving up just one run, for his third save. Vargas and Hulsizer had two hits each while Camargo had 3 hits.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes – Jeter Downs had just one hit, but it was a double that drove in 3 runs, as Rancho beat the Modesto Nuts. 25 year-old Eric Peterson went 3-4 in just his second Cal League game. Gerardo Carrillo gave up all 4 runs in his 4 IP.

Tulsa Drillers – Cody Thomas continues to rake as he went 2-4 with the only RBI Tulsa had. He is hitting .304 with a .946 OPS, but Tulsa lost 2-1. He is certainly a rising prospect. Jordon Sheffield pitched 1.2 shutout innings as his star is still rising rapidly. Shea Spitzbath also continues to show out as he now has a 1.86 ERA – in 19 IP, he has 26 K’s but also 11 BB.

Oklahoma City Dodgers – OKC raised their record to a paltry 14-26 by beating the Omaha Storm Chasers 7-6. Peterson, Rios and Jackson all had 2 hits and Errol Robinson had a 3 RBI. Dennis Santana started and continued to pitch like the reliever he is – forget the stats: HE’S A RELIEVER!

Los Angeles Dodgers – There were 31,000 + fans at Great American Ballpark Saturday and there was an incredible amount of LA Dodger Fans in attendance. I would guess 7,000+. Great American and the City of Cincinnati are among the best baseball venues in the country, but one thing makes them the BEST: They serve Frisch’s Big Boy Burgers. Think “In n’ Out Burger on Steroids”. OMG, it was awesome!

Cincinnati fans are great. They root for their team and we root for the Dodgers and they are gracious winners… or losers. We had a great time, even though the Dodgers played like crap. There were highlights:

  • Striker Buehler, while not having his best stuff, pitched well enough to win, but the odds of winning when you score 0 runs are slim and none.
  • Cody Bellinger continues to show why he is the best player in baseball (so far). He can sell out with the biggest swing in baseball and then, on the next pitch, short up and hit it where it is pitched, getting a hit. If he keeps it up, he might hit close to .400.
  • The good news is that Joe Kelly has had a few good outings now. For the most part, he looks like he is starting to figure it out.
  • Chris Taylor looks to be in a dark hole with no way out. His body language screams “I am beaten.” Where does he go from here? On the other hand, Matt Beaty just looks like he can be “that guy” you trust to get a hit. He also looked solid at 1B.
  • In all fairness, the Dodgers had quite a few hard hit balls. They just didn’t hit them where “they ain’t.” The temperature was in the mid-90’s but the humidity was low – it was a great day for a game – just a bad outcome. I would have thought the ball would be flying out of that bandbox, but it didn’t happen.
  • Puig did get two hits, raising his average to .210
  • Hopefully, they get ’em today and take the series.

This article has 43 Comments

    1. Alex Wood (back) will take another two-week break from throwing.
      Wood has been on the injured list all season with back problems, and he experienced renewed discomfort last week after throwing a bullpen session. The 28-year-old left-hander can now probably be ruled out until at least mid-to-late June. “I’ve texted with him a few times,” Reds manager David Bell told reporters Wednesday. “He still remains positive. He was so excited when we saw him out on the West Coast. I can tell it just can’t happen soon enough for him. It’s hard for him to wait this out.”

      SOURCE: Cincinnati Enquirer
      May 8, 2019, 12:09 PM ET

  2. Like the lineup today, good to see JT back in there. Kike and CT3 have to get it going against RHP. Ryu on the mound makes me confident-is he the new ace? I have to finally admit he is worth the QO they gave him. How does he do it with a 91 mph fastball? Command of 5 pitches and keeping hitters off balance plus a sick K to BB ratio.

    ROY in NL while early is becoming more clear. Alonso has the counting stats: 14 HR, 34 RBI, .261, .925 plus the NY media hype. Paddack is the top pitcher: 3-2, 1.99 ERA, .75 WHIP, 45 K’s 41 IP. Walker the surprise: 8 HR, 18 RBI, .272, .875 and our very own Verdugo: 4 HR, 20 RBI, .317, .878. Still with a shot, it’s a long season: uber prospect Victor Robles: 8 HR, 17 RBI, .253, .766. Uber prospect 2 (been injured) Tatis Jr: 6 HR, 13 RBI, .300, .910. It’s shaping up like a nice race through the summer.

    Dodgers have the best record in the NL and 3rd in baseball behind Houston and Minnesota however they are 19-6 at home and just 11-11 on the road. I know, play for the split on the road but this team needs to learn to win more on the road to go deep in the playoffs. We all know Ryu, Hill and Maeda pitch better at home. There are many Dodger fans at every road park, have to turn this into more road wins starting today.

    1. I’m going to add Soroka on the Braves as a dark horse: 4-1, .98 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 34 K’s in 36 IP.

      1. Thanks for the heads up on the ROY race. No Acuna or Soto this year so a level field.

  3. Dodger road victories remain elusive. What is really surprising is how good the Cincinnati pitching has been this season, yet the team is struggling to reach .500. They have the best overall ERA in the NL and a very low BAA, .229, 2nd to only the Dodgers. They are tied with Chicago for the most shutouts in the NL and have the most SO’s by any pitching staff. They’ve also given up the least HR’s in the NL.

    The Dodgers need to jump on this team out of the gate. Is JT our Draymond Green? We need him to produce!!

  4. Does anyone here have an opinion on the Doolittle/Edwards/Maddon kerfuffle? I don’t see why one is allowed and the other not.

        1. I’ve seen the comparison. I’m asking for opinions.

          If you’re not allowed to touch the ground, what does it matter if it’s more pronounced of a stomp or a toe-tap?

        1. haha, I’m quite sure that 4th pick will be traded before he ever wears a Laker uniform

  6. A Seattle pitcher toe tapped and they made him stop this week. He had done it all year. The announcers did not know what was going on for a long time because this is how he pitched.

  8. Ryu in his rocking chair today…
    Pollock will be an important piece this year…

    1. Pollock has not so far. The team is fine without him. Until he returns. Waste of money and bad contract when Dodgers already had Verdugo. Do not agree with this signing at all. Until he proves different. All i see now is .223 and less than .300 OBP and average defense.

  9. Hey Mark, was it hot enough for you yesterday in Cincy. Was there with wife my birthday and our anniversary. Team looked awful and disinterested. Glad they look so much better today. Was in sec. 118 , row m yesterday and Sec 119, row l today. Where were you?

      1. was on 3b side but too low and in constant sun. are you going to the 500? don’t think I will unless I find a ticket in the shade.

        1. Yes, I am going to the Indy 500. The only tickets in the shade are in the Suites. We sit Top Row, North East Vista.

  10. I agree peterj, a healthy Pollock in September and October would be scary as hell in this lineup.

  11. Thanks for blowing the shutout Garcia! Now 31 scoreless innings for Ryu.

    1. Garcia pitched a clean inning and had a problem with that 4th out. There was no “reason” to take out Ferguson after the Votto walk leading to Yimi pitching more than 3 outs. This is Doc doing his thing. It didn’t influence the outcome of the game, so no big deal. As a fan, I don’t like it. I’m more disappointed that I had to sit through another unnecessary pitching change that I am that we didn’t get the shutout.

      1. Ryu is more than halfway to 59 in a row. Jansen was up warming in the pen in the 9th, shouldn’t happen with an 8 run lead to start the inning. Verdugo had a nice game today at the plate and in the field.

        1. I know, crazy! I love Ryu, he’s our David Wells. All of those pitches in the pen take their toll. Stop with all those pitching changes! At least he didn’t pull Yimi.

      2. Yes, still scratching my head as to why Ferguson was pulled with 2 outs and 1 base runner with a big lead.

        Stop with these 4 out appearances already.

  12. Over their past 22 games, Dodgers starting pitchers are 12-2 with a 2.05 ERA (32 ER in 140 1/3 IP), 144 strikeouts and only 18 walks.

  13. I notice they bench and platoon Joc when a LHP is starting. Hope they do not do the same for Hernandez when a RHP is starting.

    2. Before today he had 10 consecutive outings without a run and only 1 hit during that streak.

  15. The way Kiki,is hitting now they may not play him unless someone starts pitching underhand!

  16. Willie Calhoun helps put a loss on the cards! Big hit off hicks. Montas dealing. Former dodgers heating up. Calhoun will make a good dh.

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