DSL Dodgers:
Seventeen-year-old Heisell Baro (Bautista)continues to deal. In 40.1 innings he has posted a 1.12 ERA along with a 0.87 WHIP. He has struck out 43 and walked 15 while holding opponents to a .150 batting average against.
AZL Dodgers
The Dodgers have signed undrafted free agent Luke Mckenzie
McKenzie, a dual position player, played 16 games as a freshman at Jones County Junior College in 2018 before being sidelined by an injury. He batted .250 with two home runs and seven RBIs. He made seven appearances out of the bullpen, notching six strikeouts in 5.1 innings and recording one save.
The native of Sandy Hook, Mississippi had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2019 regular season.
During the summer of 2019, the 21-year-old outfielder played with the Fulton Railroaders of the Ohio Valley Summer Collegiate League and had an excellent campaign. He batted .340 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs. He led the team in home runs, batting average and was tied for the top spot in RBIs. He pitched 4.1 innings and had four strikeouts. His summer league play caught the attention of Dodger scouts.
Bobcat head coach Chris Kirtland is happy to see McKenzie have a chance to play professional baseball.
“Luke has the work ethic and energy that you want to see in a teammate,” Kirtland said. “He is always the same guy every day, a quality every coach loves. Of course we would’ve loved to see him in our lineup this season, but instead, we will be rooting for him in Dodger blue. We are very proud of him and he will be yet another fine representative of Jones College in professional baseball.”
He debuted with the AZL Dodgers (Lasorda) on Sunday going 1-3.
Ogden Raptors:
Twenty-year-old third baseman Brandon Lewis was the Pioneer League Offensive Player of the Week for the week of August 5-11. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 4th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of UC Irvine. He posted a triple slash of .600/.667/1.500 in 3 games going 6-for-12 with a 3- home run game. He drove in 7. The three-homer feat is the first turned in by a Raptor player since Justin Chigbogu did it July 18, 2014, against Great Falls.
The three home runs hit by Lewis combined for a projected distance of 1,327 feet. His three-run blast in the third inning gave the Raptors a 4-1 lead, a two-run homer in the sixth tied the game and a final solo shot in the ninth drew Ogden within one, but they dropped the game by a 9-8 final.
“Brandon put in really good work with hitting coach Seth Conner, and (hitting coordinator) Aaron Bates came in town and they were talking about letting the ball travel,” said Raptors manager Austin Chubb. “Brandon did that, and he had a career night with three home runs. I think it’s been a good thing to see his approach get better. He’s laid off some tough pitches and gotten himself into better counts and he’s really taking advantage of it.”
Left-hander Jacob Cantleberry made his Raptors debut on Sunday pitching 2 innings of scoreless ball on one hit, one walk, and 3 strikeouts. A 13th round pick in 2019 out of the University of Missouri, the 22-year-old has a 1.17 ERA and a 0.87 Whip on the season between the AZL and Pioneer League.
Reliever Jeff Belge is also on a bit of a streak. The 6’5”/225-lb left-hander was selected by the Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of St. John’s University. In 14.2 innings over 10 appearances he has a 0.61 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP along with 22 strikeouts and 8 walks.
His story began when he was a 9-year-old playing little league baseball. While skipping rocks with a cousin, he was struck in the eye with a piece of shale. As his cousin cocked his arm to throw, the rock flew straight into Belge’s right eye. It was a one-in-a-million shot and an accident as shocking as it gets.
The rock tore into his eye dead center. Belge needed two surgeries and 18 stitches to repair his shattered cornea. Belge said doctors described his wound as looking like a Mercedes Benz hood ornament or an upside-down.
Lightning does strike twice in the same place. While attending Henninger High School and considered one of the top pitching prospects in the nation, Belge re-injured his right eye in a freak accident. While wrestling in a hotel room with a teammate in July, 2015 he was inadvertently poked in his right eye by his teammate’s finger. He described what happened as the eye deflating like a balloon. He is legally blind in that eye and it is considered a bit of a miracle that he can see shape and movement with the eye. His right eye is blue while his left eye has remained green.
Belge says he sees little out of his right eye beyond some colors and outlines of objects. The eye has 20/300 to 20/400 vision. “It’s pretty much nothing,” he said.
He has 20/25 vision in his left eye. But the risk is always there should there be another injury to the eye. For protection, he wears goggles, one lens a prescriptive lens.
Belge had been drafted by the Red Sox in the 32nd round of the 2016 June Draft but did not draw as much interest in 2019.
Great Lakes Loons:
Twenty-year-old right-hander Edward Cuello has made two appearances with the Loons giving up but one hit in 6 innings. On the season between the Raptors and Loons he has posted a 3.45 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over 28.2 innings pitched along with 29 strikeouts and 8 walks.
Outfielder Romar Cuadrado brought his hitting shoes with him when he returned from an exile to the AZL. In his last 10 games he has slashed .333/.442/.639 with an OPS of 1.081 to go along with 3 home runs and 6 runs batted in.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes:
Twenty-year-old right-hander Jose Martinez had a very successful debut with the Quakes on Sunday. He pitched 5 shutout innings on 3 hits with one walk and 5 strikeouts. He recorded 8 ground ball outs and threw 47 of his 68 pitched for strikes.
Tulsa Drillers:
The Drillers cleaned up on Player-of -the Week awards for the week of August 5-11. Omar Estevez as the Offensive Player-of-the Week and Leo Crawford was the Pitcher-of -the Week.
During that week, Estevez was 10-21 (.476) with four extra-base hits and four runs batted in. Two of his extra-base hits were home runs. The infielder hit safely in five of the six Tulsa games during the week.
Crawford had a memorable Double-A debut on the mound for the Drillers. In his first start for Tulsa, the lefthander allowed only three hits in six shutout innings. He also registered 11 strikeouts without walking a batter in a win over Springfield. Five days later, Crawford worked five more scoreless innings against Northwest Arkansas.
Pitching coach Dave Borkowski on Crawford.
” He looked like he belonged. He looked like a veteran out there. Had no fear, attacked from the get-go. It was a heck of a performance.”
“He set the tone by being himself,” the coach said. “He came in here and established his fastball, established his changeup from the get-go … he didn’t come out and try to be better. He just attacked from the get-go and pitched within himself.”
OKC Dodgers:
Connor Joe continues to play without a mirror image. The OF/1B player is still only 26 but plays in almost anonymity. In 88 games he has slashed .301/.428/.522 with 76 runs, 15 home runs, 65 RBI, 64 walks and 71 strikeouts. His .428 OBP is not a typo.
MT’s Minor League Highlights
- The Tulsa Drillers scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Springfield Cardinals 5-4. Drew Avans hit a solo shot in the 5th inning, but going into the 9th inning, the Drillers trailed 4-1. Conner Wong led off the inning with his 3rd HR and then, with two outs, Chris Parmelee doubled and Donovan Carey walked. With 2 on, 2 out and a 2-2 count, Cody Thomas blasted a 3-run WALK-OFF HOMER. BOO-YAH!
- John Rooney continued his strong pitching at RC, going 6.1 innings, allowing 6 hits and 1 ER to go with 7 K’s. His ERA is sitting at 2.43. Jeren Kendall went 2-3 with a walk and his 16th HR. He has a .203 BA and a .307 BA to go with a .758 OPS. He’s not worthy of the scrap heap, but he does not impress.
Brandon Lewis with the Ogden Raptors homered again last night making it 11 in 29 games. His 117 at bats plus 8 walks do not qualify for official league leader status.
His currents stats are 11 HR (4th), 35 RBI (6th), 85 TB (9th), .359 BA (3rd), OBP (5th), SLG .726 (2nd), 1.136 OPS (2nd). Naturally those stats might fall with more at bats but he hit .303 (16 games) in the first half and is hitting .431(13 games) in the second half. He is 20 years old .
Also 20, right-hander Rodolfo Ramirez of the DSL Dodgers Lasorda currently has a 0.65 ERA in 41.1 innings and a WHIP of 0.65. He has walked 8 and struck out 56. Perhaps he should come stateside.
Thank you for the minor league write-up DC. I was most interested in the young pitcher Jeff Belge and the story about his eye injuries as a young boy and high schooler. That he overcame them to become the pitcher he is today speaks of great determination and heart. I hope his success continues.
Do you guys think Lewis gets promoted before the year ends?
Just a random thought, but what if they rotate May and Urias in the rotation for the rest of the year? This would let May develop some time in the BP and limit his innings pitched, while at the same time allow Urias to satisfy his desire to start and still be available in the BP. Now you guys can tell why that ideas is so dumb!
Not dumb. I think that works better with May or the reasons you mentioned. As far as Urias, I would think management would want him to focus on being a bullpen piece this year, especially since Kolarek has not impressed as a LOOGY so far. There will be time to stretch him out to be a starter next year.
Here’s another thought. Come playoff time, why not just pair May with Hill in a starter’s role. Nosler brought this up the other day. The concern with May is limiting his exposure to such a high pressure situation when he’s barely had any exposure the big leagues. I think you can minimize this by lowering the expectations. If he’s only required to get through three innings until Hill takes over, then that let’s his stuff play up without the high pressure expectations of having to have a six inning quality start. It limits his focus on just getting through the order once or twice.
With Gonsolin, Maeda, Urias and Hill all in the pen, I don’t think you need to pin May to anyone and I don’t think you need to limit May to just 3 innings as he’s only given up 2 runs in any of the first 5 innings across 3 starts. He seems to hit the wall in the 6th as most youngsters do.
I’m really starting to warm to the idea of having those 4 starters in the pen to pitch anywhere from the 5th-7th innings and letting Kelly/Baez/Kenley pitch the 8th and ninth. I would think the other bullpen spot goes to a lefty to serve as a situational guy. As of now, I can’t see how Strip makes the PS roster.
As far as Urias/May flipping between the pen and the rotation goes. Right now it looks like they’re leaning towards keeping Urias in the pen, so giving him starts seems to be counter productive when you have Kershaw, Ryu, Maeda and Bueller taking the majority of the starts and then you have Stripling and Gonsolin as options beyond May and Urias when Strip’s IL stint comes to and end and when rosters expand.
If you look ahead at the schedule, May is lined up for an 8/18 and 8/24 start. I’m thinking that he’ll make the 8/18 start, then they’ll send him back down to the minors to skip a start, then bring him back when rosters expand. Since Gonsolin is still a starting pitcher right now, I look to Gonso to take that start.
September has a lot of off days and expanded rosters. So they’ll have a lot of options to manipulate the rotation for rest.
But the big hesitation with adding May is that he’s a rookie with barely any MLB experience, let alone experience in a game 4 of the WS. And the Astros and Yankee offenses are a little different than the Cards and Marlins.
But he’s got stuff that plays. He’s a better option than Maeda or Stripling even if healthy. Urias is needed in the pen. Hill won’t be capable of 6 innings if any inning at all.
But asking a rookie to go through the lineup of the Astros or Yankees two or three times is a lot to ask. Yeah. Have any one of the starters you mentioned come in to pitch the 5th-7th.
If you simply ask him to get through the heart of the order once or maybe twice, it’s a little easier to handle the pressure I would imagine.
I don’t think it’s a given Hill will be back. If I had to bet, I would say that he won’t be.
I saw an interview with DR yesterday and he was asked about the team vs. left handed pitching. He mentioned that his lefties are hitting lefties better this year and called out Muncy, Belli, and Seager as those that hit lefties. He also mentioned Taylor and Kike coming off the DL soon as well as Verdugo.
Is anyone else concerned about CT3 and Kike coming back when the team is rolling so well without them? Jedd Gyorko is absolutely crushing it in his rehab assignment so far and seems to be ahead of CT3 and Kike as far as the schedule goes. Gyorko historically crushes lefties.
No word on David Freese who still looks like Joc’s preferred platoon partner when he comes back. Gyorko seems to be the fallback plan, and can also play all infield positions.
Also no word on Verdugo. Any updates on Dugie’s status MT/AC/DC?
It was awesome seeing Rios break out last night. He’s been one of my favorite prospects for years. It looks like he really cleaned up his defense and his platoon splits look really good this year in the minors.
Right now it looks like we potentially have 7 regular full-time players when healthy in…
Muncy – L
Belli – L
Seager – L
Verdugo – L
Turner – R
Pollock – R
Smith – R
Man, we’re in cruise control right now.
Gyorko is a great Bench piece and has to make the Post Season, along with Freese.
Kike and CT3 will be in, as well.
Yimi will not, I hope.
I think Negron could be better bench piece than Kike. Kike is not that smart of player at the plate and maybe has more tools but Negron plays very well and is in great shape for his age and is functional bench piece maybe he wont hit as much but makes more contact than Kike and seems better on defense so far. I would keep for next year CT3, Gyorko, Negron, Rios and/ or Beaty and would move on from Kike, Joc. Also Peters should be ready next year and Lux as well of course. Martin should be gone next year so Barnes as Backup while Ruiz is ready to share duties with Smith. Smith has been great dont get me wrong but we cannot expect Mike Piazza type numbers or Buster Posey Average type numbers maybe more Grandall type but who knows, but i think in future he and Ruiz should share duties or trade Ruiz for someone really good.
Gyroko has a club option that the club won’t be picking up. Rios and Negron won’t be taking any roster spots from Kike or Joc. The Dodgers value versatility and very few have as much to offer there as CT3 and Kike. Negron has it but there’s a reason he’s a 30+ year old journeyman. As much as I like Rios power, I see him dealt to an AL team. His lack of athleticism is apparent.
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With Joc heading into the last year of his contract he might get dealt. That’s what AF tends to do. However with Pollock’s injury history they aren’t going to just give him away. He’s a valuable piece that has shown he can play all 3 OF positions and has an .OPS of .900 vs RH pitching.
When expressing that the dodgers sometimes ” give away” games that they wish they had back at the end of the year I wasn’t accusing them of purposely throwing games for whatever reason that might be done. I was simply talking about games I perceived as lost due to unforced errors in any of it’s different phases. I mean, of course they are either won or lost. I really didn’t need to be informed of that. And I know that there are no ties in MLB. And I’m sure many fans, players, managers look back on seasons and say… we should of won that one or sure wish we had that one back. So anyway…..
I’m concerned. I don’t want Kike back. Not if he’s going to get his starting role again.
The Dodger offense, aside from feeding on Marlin the last few days, hasn’t been all that great since they started out on that torrid pace. The Dodgers need to be matching up better with the Yankees and the Astros. They rake from top to bottom. I don’t want to see bad at bats by Kike in critical situations.
Kike was just passed by Justin Turner (who has 80 more AB’s) for 3rd on the team in RBI. He also has 16 HR. Remember that after the All-Star Break Kike was one of the hottest hitters on the team. He hasn’t been good this year, but he has had some really clutch hits.
With no one on base, his BA is .215.
With runners on his BA is .268.
With RISP, it’s .253
With RISP and 2 out, it’s .273.
as a PH, it’s .313.
Detect a trend?
I have been disappointed with Kike this year, but he ain’t chopped liver.
I like him as a bench piece, not in a starting spot. I think he sealed his fate this year. I like CT3 as well and I think he plays better outfield. If I had to choose between the two, I would pick CT3. Not a huge fan of Negron, and I’m looking for him to regress.
Ok, he can pinch hit.
So, if we are contemplating adding the rookie May to the postseason roster, why again isn’t Lux getting a call up? Sure, the likelihood of a rookie coming in and making an impact as a starter in the playoffs involves risks, but it seems the Dodgers have a potential upgrade right now at 2nd base if he starts getting reps there. I salivate at the possibility of an infield of JT, Cory, Lux and Muncy. Any contemplation of putting Kike back out there is just a delay in the inevitable and is passing on the opportunity to put the best player out there at 2nd.
Kike is who he is. It’s been four years. He’s not going to change – decent glove, can play multiple positions, sub .250 hitter, decent against lefties, has some pop. He’s a good bench piece.
Brandon Lewis is listed as a third baseman but has split his time almost equally between first and third base. He will play the entire season as a 20-year-old. However, with 22 games left in the Raptors and Loons schedules he might not get a promotion but be kept with the Raptors to continue his work on his new approach. If all goes well, he could start with the Loons next year and progress to the Quakes as the season progresses. Will he be promoted this year? I really don’t know but Sam McWilliams was. My choice would be to have him finish the season in Ogden.
Edwin Rios !! He could be a good 1b Muncy type for next year . I would let Joc go or trade him and let Rios and Beaty on team next year. Muncy not great at 2b but better than Chase Utley and has glove but probably would be better in 1b. They should just put DH in NL i do not know why they dont do that. There is no point of pitchers batting anymore really. I am baseball purist but most pitchers cant hit or run the bases and they can get injured trying to bunt or running the bases. Could Muncy play LF ?? he would be better DH but is versatile.
He can also play 3b but not too good. Turner has hit well lately but is not a 150 game player and Rios can play also 3b but not great defense but i would find a spot for this guy . Joc has hit well in playoffs in the past but he is not too versatile and just too inconsistent for an everyday player and is more of a platoon type and has not really fullfil his potential or come close to minor league numbers overall. Power yes but he was supposed to be almost a five tool player but has shown only power and was good on defense at first and i know now has made some good catches but is not a good defender really anymore and i really cant believe he did 30 – 30 on AAA in Majors this year i think he does not even have a stolen base or maybe 1 the most, he has not stolen more than 5 in any year of his career.
What do you think of Rios over Joc for next year ??? I think Beaty and Rios can be more productive than Joc and Kike. Kike is a Joc with better defense and versatility but at the plate they produce almost the same numbers. Ton of strikeouts, low batting average , some walks but not great anymore , power and not too much speed. I think Joc and Kike could be replaced. Why does Gyorko still in rehab ??? They should call him up
I’m completely against the DH and would rather see the AL get rid of it. I’m sick of seeing washed up players hang on because of it as well as no glove types. I think it’s thrilling to watch a pitcher get the job done at the plate. I also enjoy the complexity it gives to the NL style of play.
It’s hard not to get excited about coming years with all these farm guys producing when they get called up. The only real problem we have is that all the hitters are left handed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some major moves in the offseason. We can bat an all left handed lineup next year if we choose.
Belli OF/1B L
Lux 2B/SS L
Seager SS L
Muncy 1B/2B/3B L
Rios 1B/3B L
Beaty 1B/LF L
Verdugo OF L
Ruiz C S
Pederson OF L
Turner 3B R
Smith C R
Pollock OF R
Peters OF R
Kike Util R
CT3 Util R
I couldn’t agree with you more on the DH. If you’re a crappy fielder it should be exposed not rewarded with a special position.
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Carlos, Rios won’t be taking a spot from Joc. Possibly Beaty. If Rios is still a Dodger, most likely a guy bouncing up and down from AAA getting consistent AB’s in OKC and called up when needed.
The DH is coming. It would have came this year as Manfred was willing to add a couple of roster spots in exchange for the DH, pitch clock and some other small stuff. It would have happened but Tony Clark is on the warpath. It will come in the next CBA now.
The DH sucks!
It’s a given that pitchers bat dreadfully. No one gets excited seeing a pitcher coming up to bat. They are not bred to bat, but to pitch. They don’t play everyday and there is little motivation to improve their batting skills.
The DH is coming and is necessary in the NL. It improves 50% of the game, offense. Having a lousy fielder as a DH is way more realistic than allowing a pitcher to bat. It’s just the way it is. It isn’t like asking the USA to embrace Communism.
There’s an absolute competitive advantage when one team has a pitcher that can handle the bat whether it’s hitting or bunting. I enjoy seeing someone like Greinke and Gonsolin hit. Most of the DH’s actually don’t hit worth a crap either. Usually sub .250 hitters. Play the game with the strategy it’s supposed to have.
Why can’t Will Smith be our Buster Posey?
So far so good!
Today:
Pollock
JT
Smith
Belly
Muncy (2b)
Negron (RF)
Seager
Garlick (LF)
Buehler
Garlick 8th and Negron 6th? I’m sure there was a logical reason for it.
Half of that duo has got the only run.
This is going to be another walk off!
I’m glad Negron is okay. Got to love his effort but I would have switched those two in the batting order. Of course with all the double switching and substitutions it probably doesn’t matter today
Has Seager fired a ball to the catcher on a relay throw once this year? Every year throw is on a hop or often multiple hops.
Hawkeye – i thought the same thing.
Today seems very flat.
Pitching horrible so far.
All potential playoff opponents should have it in their scouting reports to run on Seager if there’s a potential play at the plate. It stands out so much that I wonder if it’s on purpose as part of his rehabilitation from his surgery
I smell a GS!
I love Kris Negron! Once in a lifetime.
Carpe Diem!
is he still alive after that dive??
I know it’s only one game, but not one reliever has looked like getting an out.
Why is Chargois still a Dodger? Let’s hope our starters make better relievers than our existing relievers when playoffs begin!
The game is fugly all around. Terrible job on the mound today. Buehler didn’t have command nor has anyone else after. Either behind in the count or unable to finish anyone off if they got ahead. And the moving strike zone didn’t help Buehler.
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Bad days for Buehler and Baez that you just flush and bounce back next time. However, Shaggy belongs at AAA not Sadler. I keep hoping Ferguson becomes the 2018 version but I become more doubtful every day. He just seems to be laboring every outing with command and like today winds up grooving one to get it over. I hope rushing him up to the bigs last season didn’t ruin a bright future.
Ferguson bright future depends on him developing a slider or another third pitch. No third pitch no future for Mr Ferguson
To be a starter for sure but he thrived last year. Right now he can’t command his two pitches.
Many relievers have been successful with one or two pitches,
If he commands 1 or 2 pitches, he will be very good. If he commands 3 he will be in the HOF.
Cmon Mark most big league pitchers have 3 pitches especially starters! Gonzo, May and Buehler all have3+ pitches. Ferguson throws 95. It’s not like he can only throw his fastball. A slider makes all the difference for him. He doesn’t have great command of his curve like Hill. For him it’s learn a slider or learn a new profession. That would motivate me!
If he can command 3 pitches he is a starter, but Mariano Rivera commanded 1 pitch. That got him to the HOF. 2 Pitches? That used to be Kenley. Three pitches? You are a starter.
Don’t say he needs another pitch when he cannot command the ones he has.
Right about now, it’s between his ears!
You can be hugely successful out of the pen with one EXCEPTIONAL pitch, like Mariano Rivera’s cutter. Otherwise it takes 2 or more. And there is probably no single formula that gets the job done. And it’s probably more than just the number and quality of pitches. Command also plays a critical role.
Ferguson no doubt has the arm to be exceptional, but right now he lacks a quality 2nd pitch. And while everyone seems to be focusing on the curve and slider, it doesn’t have to be either one. If Ferguson (and any number of other pitchers) suddenly came up with an exceptional change-up, he could be lights out, as either a starter or reliever.
In fact, the same goes for Chargois, and any number of other relievers. But as we all know, it’s easier said than done. Hence, the paucity of quality relievers in the game.
Most pitchers that have three real good pitches are starters. Caleb was a starter working on his secondary pitches when he was rushed up out of necessity last season. Not having three good pitches is what tends to put people in the bullpen for their career.
The Dodgers obviously have a very fine team, but the bullpen is a real problem. The playoffs are not the regular season, and you can’t get away with a mediocre bullpen against the top teams. This was just one game, of course, but this is not a good bullpen. Today we saw Baez, who two outings ago, came in for one inning, loaded the bases and got out of it, and then next time pitched one scoreless inning. Today he did not get a batter out in 28 pitches, and now his ERA is 3.61. Then Chargois, who gave up three runs in one and a third, and was lucky not to give up more, since Miami ran themselves into an out at third. His ERA is 6.61. Ferguson two-thirds of an inning, two runs, ERA 6.04. Then Jansen, who two outings ago gave up two runs to blow the save, then came back to pitch a scoreless inning with one hit, with a four-run lead; and then today pitched a one-hit inning with the Dodgers down six runs. His ERA is 3.66.
Now, people understandably suggest that we will have a number of starters and/or minor league call-ups, who will make up most of the bullpen, and then we’ll be fine. That is pretty optimistic, though. Garcia, Ferguson, Chargois are not usable in the playoffs. Baez is okay, but hardly one of the best relievers around. Jansen is the key, and how much does one count on him, particularly as opposed to the closers the teams we play in the playoffs will have? We saw today again that on the rare occasions that our starter has an off outing, we are almost surely going to lose, because the middle relief will just keep giving up runs. That’s what happened against Boston in game four last year, and against Houston in game five. No bullpen is perfect, but ours is far lesser than the Yankees’. Unless we have a tremendous offensive run in the playoffs, and great efforts by all of our starters, this bullpen will be a serious concern, which of course was obvious all season, but left as is, at the trade deadline. Treacherous waters for us to navigate through. even as good as we are in the other aspects.
They are only going to carry 12 pitchers in the postseason. Shaggy, Yimi, and Ferguson are not going to be on the postseason roster. Kershaw, Ryu, Buehler, Jansen, Baez, Kelly, Urias, Hill, May, Gonsolin, Kolarek, Stripling is my guess. If Stripling is a no go they have Floro or Sadler to occupy the 11th spot. If the starters do their job and Joe Kelly pitches like he has been there’s plenty to be optimistic about when you compare it to other bullpens.
Today was just one of those shit shows. As far as Ferguson goes, it was a bummer for me to watch him struggle. I really like him and I tend to agree with MT, that it doesn’t have anything to do with anything other than in between his ears. He’s been mostly lights out in AAA this year, but chokes when he comes back up.
Most relievers are two pitch guys. He needs another pitch to be a starter. He needs to command his curve and fastball to be a reliever. He isn’t doing either right now. As bad as Ferguson was, Shaggy and Petey were even worse! Bueller was pretty bad as well.
We have to remind ourselves that this is not the BP we are going to be seeing in the playoffs. Ferguson has had problems since the Spring. Yimi, Shaggy & Fergie will not be on the roster. Kolarek looks like a goner. Shaggy still has potential as well as Ferguson, but not this year. I see Strip, Gonsolin, Urias, Baez, Kelly, & Jansen. Sadler and May could be added. Maeda could bounce from #4 SP to BP. I agree with Mark that Hill will probably not be back.
The Dodgers will be better with CT3 and Verdugo added, but I like Negron, too. Will Freese be ready? Gyorko to me is the wild card in this end run. We need to see him play ASAP. He is the only backup with skill for JT at 3B. I’m really not sure about Rios or Beaty at 1B. I like their bats. Without Freese, I’m thinking Belli back at 1B. I like what I’ve seen from Negron in CF. Will the Dodgers stick with Joc in the OF? I think they will with CT3 and Negron backing up. We have the bodies, just not sure where they will all fit.
Again, the bullpen will not be a problem in October, the bullpen will be a force, as I see it, there is only one spot available:
SP:
1 Kershaw
2 Ryu
3 Buehler
Game Bullpen (Hill, May)
4 Kenley
5 Urias
6 Kelly
7 Baéz
8 Maeda
9 Hill
10 May
11 Gonsolin
12 ?
I prefer in # 4 a bullpen game because if they put May as SP that opens another spot for another mediocre reliever, no thanks.
There is still a lot of time and my hope is that Fergunson can get ready, Floro is inconsistent but allows few HR.
Floro or Fergunson are my favorite candidates for # 12.
Hill, Maeda, May and Gonsolin can, if required, do jobs of more than one inning, it is a very versatile bullpen.