Legends of the Fall

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1. No Dodger spin stats, no name calling, no saying you told us so, just a very good informative post, nicely done.

   1. Don’t expect that often…

2. Thanks for the update on AZ Fall League participants. This is one of the most talented groups (as a whole) that I can recall in recent years playing together in the Fall League for the Dodgers. Like to see Dennis Santana’s name added to the group; another potential reliever for 2020

   1. There are some changes this year. One is the start and finish time as outlined below and the other big one is that teams can now select players from all minor league levels. Previously all but one was from the AA and AAA levels which reduced flexibility in selection. Four this year are at A+.

      “Beginning in 2019, the Arizona Fall League’s schedule will now start in mid-September, with this season launching on Tuesday, September 17th and ending on Saturday, October 26th. Additionally, the annual “Fall Stars Game” will be held on Saturday, October 12th while the AFL Championship Game will be scheduled for Sunday, October 27th. The amended timeline allows Minor League players to avoid downtime at the end of their seasons and instead transition directly into the Arizona Fall League schedule. In particular, pitchers will have the opportunity for more continuous rest in preparation for the following year’s playing schedule. The new AFL schedule more closely aligns with timing of Clubs’ traditional Instructional Leagues.” Makes sense.

      “Additionally, MLB Clubs will now be able to nominate any player under contract in their organization to participate in the AFL. This change, which will offer flexibility to Clubs who may want to select a player at any level for additional development following traditional Minor or Instructional Leagues, will be evaluated following the 2019 AFL Season.” Also makes sense.

      There is some flexibility with pitchers as I think one can be moved in and out. Last year 8 Dodgers participated in the AFL including four pitchers – Nolan Long, Jordan Sheffield, Ben Holmes and Andre Scrubb.

      I think Mark is right. This is a testing ground against top prospects. Jeren Kendall has a chance to continue turning a corner. Omar Estevez was limited to 86 games this year due to injury while Marshall Kasowski missed considerable time through injury. Mitchell White seems to be in an in-between place right now. Devin Mann broke out and Brett de Geus should be watched. Geraldo Carrillo pitched very well towards the end of the season. He is young (20) and small (154 lb).

      1. thanks, great info. I know that in previous years a MLB team could petition for one lower level prospect to play. Then there are the “taxi squad” players (cannot recall the correct title) who can only play certain days during the week. I wish we had more info on the AZ rookie league that also plays in the Fall.

3. For me the high point of the game was when analyst Alana was ‘sent to the principals office’ for talking about betting.
   One minute she was talking about the ‘$3000 buy in the players were doing’. Then after Orel clumsily had to ‘explain’ that these are not real money bets she was gone . I thought she was fired on the spot. But she did emerge a few innings later. Which is one of my complaints about ESPN games. Its as if doing the play by play is too boring for them. So they have to talk about what A Rod did in 2004 or some other nonsense story, while an entire half inning or more goes by. So great that she got caught by her nonsense.

   1. I think that Alana is just about the best thing on the Dodgers broadcasts. And it’s not a matter of being attractive, she knows the game pretty well, and usually has interesting things to say. And she’s much better on the postgame shows than Hartung, though she only shows up on it about once every two weeks.

      Do you notice how Orel never, ever says anything negative about any Dodgers player’s performance? I suppose that this is the case with many franchises, but sometimes I watch a game on MLBN, which features one of the announcing teams, and I do sometimes hear something negative, about the team’s play, at least. It is not a religious ceremony, and I don’t see why an announcer cannot point out things that are not going well. Nomar is better at this, he is a good eye for the game, and will point out when someone did not make the right defensive play , or needs to change his approach at the plate. Vin Scully in his prime, used to sometimes say that “The Dodgers are just not playing well on defense in the last few games,” or things like that. Later in his career, he usually refrained from making comments about the team’s play.

      Mostly, and this has certainly gone on for years, the current Dodgers broadcasters, and certainly the postgame and Dodger Talk show people, are relentlessly positive, no one is ever right in criticizing any player or the manager, the fans do not know anything, whereas David Vasseigh thinks that his access to the team makes him a great baseball expert I find it unlistenable, but I was driving home late last night, and didn’t know the score, so I listened to him and Hairston go on about how Kenley is not doing badly at all, that the fans criticized Kelly before, and look at how great he is doing, etc.

      . Finally, the season ends, and they say goodbye, it was a great season, even though the Dodgers dd not win the title, and so many clubs would have loved to have had the season the Dodgers had. All the criticisms that people may have made are thereby rendered moot. Anyone remember Geoff Witcher, who used to do the talk show? Anyone who wasn’t playing well was “in a slump, and you can never tell when he might come out of it.” Wes Parker got to do Dodger Talk for a year or so during a very bad season, and he would articulately criticize all sorts of things, but from the perspective of someone who cared. It was rather cathartic to listen to after a loss, mirroring how the fans might feel. But he was summarily taken off the show after that season. It is a sport, it should be open to the ups and downs of fan responses, but the Dodgers see it as a product to sell, and no one in corporate management would ever say anything negative about their soap or soft drink.

      1. True,
         Orel is only positive. Once they asked him how he would pitch to a particular Dodger hitter and he basically said, what are you kidding. I would never give that away.

      2. Spot on, William. The Dodgers, IMO, have never had the best broadcasting team, even with Vin. They are entertainers, not real analysts. So far, the best broadcasters for me are Kruk and Kuip for the Giants, and the Padres team. The D-backs broadcasters are atrocious so I’m forced to listen to Orel go on and on. I do like Tim Neverett, though. He’s not as good looking as Joe. Nomar is not bad, but he’s ridiculous on the talk show with those other jokers. Too much posing and jock feeling, especially paired with Coletti. Horrible.

4. Call up Gavin now dammit! Can he pitch?

   That sucks that Ryu is completely losing it. WTF? Skipping a start is in order.

   If you included some weekend on your trip, I would host you for some BBQ. Lemme know if you want to come down to Huntington Beach to cool off and I’ll have a beer with you. That’s gonna suck being in a hot Rancho garage during a heat wave. It’s been close to unbearable at the beach.

   Might as well call up Santana on Sunday to see if he can save the pen.

   1. We fly back early Saturday.

      We’ll probably rent a big floor standing AC. 😉

5. Good column. I’d like to see Lux called up. But the Dodgers seem to be tap dancing around it for whatever reason. Maybe it’s about at bats and being able to get Hernandez, Taylor and a few others enough plate appearances to be ready for the post season. But Lux has certainly earned a call-up and it would create some excitement on a team that seems to be strolling toward October.

6. Nice post 1439.

7. What happened to the Dodgers last night? Were they stealing the signs on our pitches, or using humidified baseballs to allow them hit after hit on Ryu, Kelly and Fergie? Does this make sense? No, it was just an energized team that beat us soundly. This mom is saying there will be days like this, hopefully not too many. Now put yesterday behind you and go out today and show them snakes what a good team you are,

   1. I do wonder if Ryu has been tipping his pitches lately.

      1. A worthwhile question to ask although you’d think if multiple teams had discovered he was tipping his pitches we would be able to see it also.

   2. It was Kenley’s fault.

      1. true. Kenley couldn’t even record 1 out yesterday. Send him to SF!!

8. We’ve been spoiled with good hitting and good starting pitching up until recently. If this keeps up we will see how much the Dodgers bullpen is vulnerable as Dave Roberts will need to use it more and use it in ways he doesn’t want to use it.

   Freese, Verdugo and Muncy all injured are big time pieces in the Dodgers offense, we need them back and healthy. When the offense is completely healthy I have no worries about the offense. But pitching is another story.

   I don’t know what to say about the pitching, it is what it is. Not all relief pitching is whatever Mark calls it “fickle” I think. But Friedman better improve the pitching in the off season.

9. Ryu over his career has not pitched well in Arizona. He’s human. Doc left him out there too long. It wasn’t to prove to Ryu that he needed to skip a start. It was the first game of a series in a hitter’s park. No different than when he left out there arguably too long in Colorado. Six-man rotations rarely make for sharp pitchers. The Dodgers have 5 off days in September. Plenty of time for rest this month.

10. There are a few guys who need to have a re-set of some sort to get ready for the post-season. Ryu has had 3 bad outings in a row. Roberts says he’s fine and will continue to pitch every 6 days. Seems like he needs a break but who knows?

    Bellinger has cooled off and needs a re-set. He needs to go back to what worked earlier in the season.

    Jansen needs to figure it out. Period. I don’t care if the bloop double the other day wasn’t hit well, he still allowed the run to score. That can’t happen. He has really bad numbers in the second half, with an ERA of 5.14 (if you believe in ERA for relievers). More importantly, he now has 7 blown saves. The Dodgers will need him to be good in the post-season.

    3 key guys, none of whom are playing well the past few weeks who will be crucial for the post-season. The Dodgers have to get them ready.

11. Longenhagen Chat:

    Q: Mitch White, Josiah Gray, Leo Crawford, Gerardo Carillo. Who are you taking long term, and which one is least likely to pan out?
    Eric A Longenhagen: Gray is in our overall 100. White is near-term potential starter who has had injury/consistency issues. Carrillo has more variance but def a relief risk. Crawford sits 86-90.

    Q: Any updated thoughts on Andy Pages? Has been dominating the Pioneer League as an 18 year old.
    Eric A Longenhagen Probably a LF/RF but yup, has big power

    Jay Jaffe Chat:

    Q: what do you think is wrong with Jansen?
    Avatar Jay Jaffe: Velocity. Via Pitch Info, here’s his progression for his cutter:
    2016 94.2
    2017 93.5
    2018 92.7
    2019 92.1

    That’s two full clicks gone, and with it some movement — about 2 inches of horizontal movement and an inch of vertical movement. Not great, Bob! Now, how much of that is mechanical versus physical, I don’t know, but it’s a pretty big deal for the Dodgers, perhaps the biggest one facing them over the next two months

    Q: Russell Martin and Brian McCann are both among the top 10 catchers in career WAR; a lot of that is defense. I’m a little skeptical … In your opinion, are they legit HOF candidates?
    Avatar Jay Jaffe: I’m definitely in the minority on this one but given how much we’ve learned about framing, I don’t think it’s implausible at all, and wrote about it back in the spring https://blogs.fangraphs.com/framing-the-hall-of-fame-cases-for-martin-…. I don’t think you can elevate Yadier Molina beyond the stats to “must-have HOFer” without doing the same for them.
    By the time they’re eligible, we’ll have a better perspective on what we might call the Peak Framing era and may have also found ways to tease out pitch framing pre-1988 based on WOWY strikeout and walk rate models, not to mention staff handling. Obviously, the effects won’t be as large because of the noise level and need for regression but that kind of stuff might show us how rare their accomplishments are.

    Q: I’m very impressed with May’s two-seamer, both speed and movement. Do you think he should throw it more and not try to work in his other pitches so much?
    Avatar Jay Jaffe: He’s throwing it 49% of the time, per Pitch Info. That’s probably too much — only 5 guys with at least 80 IP are throwing it that frequently: Chirinos, Arrieta, Davies, Lucchesi, and Matz. Also, it seems pretty silly to tell a 21-year-old top prospect to stop working on other pitches; he’s a talented youngster but not a finished product.

    Q: Is speed the most underappreciated aspect of Cody Bellinger’s game? He’s second in MLB in home to first time, per Statcast.
    Avatar Jay Jaffe: Speed and athleticism, yes. He’s a hell of an outfielder.

    Keith Law chat:

    Q: Keith — Here in LA it felt like the Dodgers chances to win the WS dropped from 33% to 20% after the Yankees beat up Ryu and also will likely get home field advantage — and the Astros might too. Over-reaction to one 3 game series?
    Keith Law: There is no reaction to a 3-game series that is not an overreaction.

    Paternostro Chat (BP)
    Q: What does Jeter Downs’s upside look like? Could he be a first-division SS?
    Jeffrey Paternostro: That feels a bit lofty for me, although Brandon but an OFP 55 on him earlier this year. https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/eyewitness_bat.php?reportid=549

    Mark Berry Chat (BP)
    Q: A non Gavin Lux related Dodgers question! Any idea what’s going on with Yadier Alvarez? I know there were questions about his coachability last year and this season he only pitched in two games in April. Is it a serious injury or more?
    Mark Barry: It’s easy to say it’s just the trials and tribulations of a pitching prospect, but it’s also kind of the trials and tribulations of a pitching prospect. Especially one that throws so hard. Finding news on and injury stuff is pretty tough, too. I think he’ll be more frustrating than not, but even in a limited sample this season, the strikeouts have been encouraging.

    1. Best answer… Keith Law: There is no reaction to a 3-game series that is not an overreaction.

       On Downes, what the hell is an Enrique Hernández/Mookie Betts blend? Is Will Smith and Buster Posey Paul LoDuca blend?

       HOF – If you have to think whether or not a player is a Hall of Famer, he isn’t. Russell Martin – very good career, but not a HOF career.

12. Ryu does not need rest in my mind, he needs to find his control and command again. He can only do that through taking his turn in the rotation, albeit a six man rotation in September.

    September will be a challenging month for the Dodgers, balancing rest and keeping our key players sharp for the postseason. I lean towards rest.

    Get Lux up now, because with the uncertainty of Muncy and other key player’s injury history we need to have him as an option for the postseason. Who cares if they have a spot or if his service time begins, we are the Dodgers.

    1. Do you think his lack of command and control is related to an injury not admitted by him? How do you lose “lack of command and control” for 3 games in a row? Just asking and hoping that is not the case.

       1. DBMom – I believe you’ve hit on the 64 million dollar question. Wouldn’t you like to have the answer to why some outings are great and others aren’t? Ask Fred Couples how last week end at the Boeing Classic he shot 63 on Saturday and 74 on Sunday. Just no “splayning it”. I’m sure the video folks are looking for differences……might be something mechanical, might be physical, might be mental, fatigue maybe (speculated here). Going from Cy Young to Sayonara is never easy to explain and you just try to work through it the best you can. The best remedy is usually “just play” and don’t over think it.

          1. True Phil. I understand just playing it through. It is just amazing to me how you can go to one extreme to the other. I truly hope he is ok.

13. I agree about calling up Lux. Of course AF knows lots of things that I or anyone else around here doesn’t. But like all of us, he’s capable of making mistakes. As for Ryu, I don’t have a clue. Just hoping it’s just a temporary bump in the road.

    As I believe, and Mark has told us more than a few times, it’s all about how you finish. Hopefully the Dodgers find a way out of this valley, and work themselves up to the mountain-top.

14. On positive side, after witnessing 8 game losing streaks and losing 17 of 18 games in the later part of these last 7 seasons, I”m pretty happy that we haven’t gone into one of those mega slumps!

    Wana hear a shocker? After jacking up season ticket prices AGAIN next season, the team actually kept playoff prices relatively the same from 2018 and 2017 prices! I was stunned yesterday when I opened my invoice and noticed 2019 playoffs will only cost me roughly $150 more than 2018 playoffs. Go figure!

15. What’s wrong with Cody??? Nothing, according to this pundit from Dodger Nation—- https://www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-examining-cody-bellingers-slump/2019/08/29/

16. Three things:

    1. Someone had the idea of calling up Dennis Santana. Why not? He’s on the 40-man. That’s brilliant! Nothing to lose – everything to gain.

    2. The Dodgers need to go back to a one-man booth: Joe Davis.

    3. Tyler Skaggs had Fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his blood. Sad! Very sad!

    1. I just read that about Scaggs. All I can say is wow. He suffocated on his own vomit? It’s more than sad, it’s tragic. How can that happen and no one have a clue. I really can’t get my head around it. A case of extreme quiet desperation? I’m truly shaking my head wondering how and why.

    2. Wow! Lot’s of athletes get hooked on pain meds because of injuries. It’s the Fentanyl from tainted sources that’s killing everyone. That really sucks. Very sad.

17. Ok seems to be grab bag Friday on here so here goes:

    I find myself agreeing with you MT, no downside on bringing up Santana, he may actually have a shot, he clearly is more suited for relief. Besides the statistical improvement, he seems more suited mentally for that role.

    I am happy there seems to be an organizational shift in terms of valuing relievers and the shifting of meddling starters to relievers ie Sheffield and Santana. Maybe Brock Stewart’s collapse and loss of all value wised them up. I hope Mitchell White winds up in the pen too in 2020, I believe he could be a high leverage reliever for many years.

    And Joe Davis in a single man booth would be great but I doubt that ever happens. Steiner makes me ill, Hershiser and Nomar struggle to be consistent, and Neverett seems to have a voice more suited for football.

    I know Gyorko has not had much run yet but I am not impressed and he seems out of shape. He will really have to have a good September to overtake Beaty for the last spot. I actually think, barring injuries, the position player side of the NLDS is set. Now if Muncy or Freese cannot make it back then lots of possibilities come into play.

    I want Lux up but I doubt it happens. I liked what they did with Smith last year as he was a catcher but I don’t see it having much value with Lux and maybe it actually frustrates him some. Either bring him up and let him play or send him home to get ready for 2020. I wonder if they manipulate his service time in 2020 like many before him to gain the extra year of control. I don’t like it but as the system is currently constructed it makes sense to do so.

    A lot to be determined on the pitching side, I think the locks are Kelly, Jansen, Kersh, Ryu, Walker, Baez, Urias, Maeda, and Hill (if healthy). The last three spots are between May, Stripling, Kolarek, and Gonsolin. I think it will be three of the above with the longshots being Santana, Floro, Ferguson, and García.

    I know it is hard too keep pushing with a 20 game lead but I would like to see the Dodgers put together a consistent week or two soon. The 5 game NLDS could be a real challenge, likely against the best team in the National League the last three months, Washington.

    The MVP and CY Young races have become highly competitive. The Cy young is now wide open with Ryu, Kershaw, Scherzer, Soroka all candidates at this point. If Scherzer has a good September and is fully back from injury he will likely win, but that is a big if. If Kersh can finish strong, and Sherzer falters he could steal it which would be awesome after all that has been written about him over the last year.

    The MVP race seems to be between 4 now Bellinger, Rendon, Acuña and Yelich. Too close to call at this point, but exciting.

    1. The problem with Joe Davis is…he just ain’t Vin. When you’ve listened to the best your whole baseball life, the rest will just never do.

18. Reading about Tyler Skaggs makes me wonder if he didn’t exhibit any outward signs that something was wrong. It would seem that if he was using all of that stuff, it’s not likely that it was all of a sudden, and that he must have exhibited at least some tell-tale signs that all was not right. Got a feeling that more stuff will be revealed going forward. In fact, it may well be that the authorities know a great deal that’s yet to be revealed.

    1. No, there isn’t a conspiracy around this, it’s actually very straightforward. You have pain, doctor gives you opioids. You get addicted, your prescription runs out. You buy crap off the street that looks the same, it isn’t because the cartels make it and cut it with fentanyl (cheap synthetic ingredient) so they can use less of the costly ingredient (opioids costly organic ingredient) and you die because it isn’t mixed properly.

       Because the pills are coming from the cartel there’s very little in the form of quality control, because they don’t give a shit. One pill may contain very little fentanyl and another may contain a lot, which causes the over dose. He didn’t lead a double life, he got addicted to pain killers.

       1. I also understand the parent’s desire to get to the bottom of the story and find out who supplied and under what circumstances, but at the end of the day unless someone put a gun to Tyler’s head he took the dope and drank the booze on his own volition.

          Sad story, so much lost, so many people left without answers they may never get and so much heartache. I’m sorry for his family, but he most likely selfishly took dope to escape something dark and sinister. Let’s hope his death is not wasted and something good can come from it.

    2. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/fentanyl.html

       Here’s some info.

19. I was sorry to see the Fall Ball was moved up about a month. It’s apparently to give the MiLB players less time off between the end of their seasons and the start of Fall Ball. I’m bummed because I love Fall Ball but hadn’t planned on getting to Phoenix until mid October, the typical start of the games. Now I’ll miss practically the entire season. I had no idea this was a possibility when I was scheduling my life……
    Maybe I watch too many Dodger broadcasts but I too am getting kinda sick of Orel. I usually like him and think he offers some good insight from the pitching end. He certainly has a million little tricks and theories and has thought everything through when it comes to pitching. The other night was a new one where he hates multicolored gloves on pitchers because it’s easier to tip pitches. Never, ever heard that one before and he said it 2 nights in a row.
    But lately he seems to have branched out with comments about other positions and hitting that are sometimes a complete stretch or questionable. He has a tendency to miss little things or make stuff up. To me he often offers too many “possible” explanations that sound more like excuses. He almost refuses to say anything critical or negative even if it’s warranted. He is a “boot licker” for sure BUT that’s not unusual for a home team booth guy. It’s more the norm than the exception. It’s understandable for a guy in his position especially since he coaches in spring training. I’m sure he has relationships with players throughout the season. That can lead to information but it’s not going to lend itself to unbiased analysis. I frequently listen to the opposing teams broadcast to get their perspective, scouting and news and get a break from Nomar, Orel and Joe. I believe that Vinnie actually stayed away from the clubhouse and getting too friendly with the players in an attempt to be more objective. At least that’s what I heard.
    It’s a long season on the fans too.

20. I think Joe’s great! But, I don’t have a problem with Orel or Nomar as they both add insights into the game from the perspective of a former major leaguer. I don’t think they’re homers like most of the other broadcasters out there. Try listening to any Angels broadcasters.

    They probably just don’t bash on a player because they know how difficult it is from experience and and have a habit of being optimistic because that’s what it takes to be successful.

21. It’s the “no one knew” thing that gets me. In the world of baseball how does Scaggs slip through the cracks. Was he alienated from everyone. Someone had to of known something. IDK.

22. Max Muncy has a small hairline fracture in his wrist. Muncy is optimistic that he can return in 2 weeks or so.

23. DODGERS ACTIVATE KRISTOPHER NEGRÓN
    INF MAX MUNCY PLACED ON 10-DAY IL

    LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have activated infielder/outfielder Kristopher Negrón from the 10-day injured list and placed infielder Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list with a right wrist fracture, retroactive to August 29.

    Negrón. 33, was placed on the injured list on August 20 with neck stiffness. Prior to the injury, he was batting .268 (11-for-41) with two homers and seven RBI in 15 games for the Dodgers. On the season, he has appeared in 25 games for the Mariners and Dodgers, hitting .250 (16-for-64) with two homers and eight RBI. He originally joined the Dodgers on July 28 from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for the minor league infielder Daniel Castro.

    Muncy, 29, has appeared in 129 games for the Dodgers, batting .253 (112-for-442) with 33 homers and 87 RBI. The All-Star became the first Dodger to record back-to-back 30-homer seasons since Shawn Green (2001-2002). In two seasons with the Dodgers, he has amassed 68 homers and 168 RBI while slashing .258/.382/.552. In parts of four Major League seasons, he has hit .245 (258-for-1052) with 73 homers and 183 RBI.

24. Am I correct that if Lux is not added to the 40-man roster by 11:59 PM Eastern time tomorrow, he can’t participate in the playoffs?

    1. No, he can still be added, but he would:

       1. Have to take the place of someone who goes on the IL; and
       2. The commish has to approve it (allegedly to prevent fabrication).

       1. Since Friedman is a master at manipulating the IL, I guess we don’t have anything to worry about if they actually want to add him after the 1st.

25. So Lux is not in OKC lineup today. Anyone have the inside scoop on if he’s on his way to AZ??

    1. He’s either coming up tomorrow, or the Dodgers are screwing with us.

26. Time to tack on some runs. Could use Lux tonight.

27. On the positive side, playing like this at least we won’t be overconfident come playoff time!

28. A couple of nights ago, Sadler threw up a cookie, and struck out the hitter for a save. Tonight the cookie got smashed. I know that there are people on this site that like Sadler, but I don’t, and expressed it once a while back.

29. Does anyone else think the batting order is stacked a bit weird. Doc had Joc and Beatty at 1 and 2 (LH), Cody and Seager at 4 and 5 (LH) and CT3 and Hernandez at 6 and 7 (RH). Why not put a RH bat between some of those LH batters?

30. wow – a run scores on a passed ball and a balk? (with a SB between them)

    Great play by the catcher – glad we have the veteran out there tonight

31. I”m so happy that our BP is so highly thought of and rated. All of the stats that our What Me Worry? Timmons has given us to prove that this is so, is comforting. Every baseball analyst I’ve read talks about the Dodger BP weakness and the missed opportunity for strengthening it both in the off season and before the trade deadline, came up blank. The FO seem hell bent on doing this in-house and with their hand picked savior, Kelly, yet it all seems so deja vu. Throwing Yimi at them will surely get the job done.

32. When is the last series we looked really good? Boston right after the break, maybe, been awhile, need to put together some better baseball or maybe we don’t and 2017 can repeat?

    1. Not to worry, we’re working on things. I have an informant who tells me Doc wants to lose these games to test the “fortitude” of the team.

33. Like Beaty’s Fortitude not sure about the rest at the moment. Play better, dog days and 20 game lead aside!!

34. Very frustrating loss.

    I can’t stand Bradley. Wish Russ M had charged the Mound.

    Yimi? Unbelievable.

35. Roberts reviews the game, talks about the relievers, and also why Gonsolin was left in for the 6th. He says, “Joe was down, Ferguson was down.” He of course meant that he could not use either one, because it would have been overuse. So I would like to know why he put Kelly in last night in the 8th inning with the score 8-4. Because of that, he could not use him tonight, and used Garcia instead. It’s bad enough that we do not have a good enough bullpen, it is made worse when the manager inexplicably uses the person who has been his only really effective reliever in the last month in an 8-4 game. Maybe he somehow thinks that all his relievers are of the same game value? That is about how he has managed the last two World Series.

    1. William, Gonsolin did not pitch the 6th, Baez relieved him and got the hold. Sadler blew the game and Yimi lost it. Your questions about Doc are right on the money, though. It’s almost like he doesn’t really think out his moves. However, it is still up to the pitchers to do their job and when you have a guy like Yimi who has been so inconsistent come in at a high leverage moment, Doc is responsible for this folly as he has done this time and time again. High leverage is not his forte. His management acumen only extends to games in which we have a healthy lead and little chance of the other team overtaking us.

       Gonsolin is still my boy. We saw him tire in 5 innings, but he’ll get better as he’s consistently used. May should be placed in the BP as soon as we have enough starters for a 5 man rotation without him. Dodgers are showing their ass not in a taunting way, but for it to be beat on. And teams have been beating on it, even mediocre ones. Seems we are in our annual slumpathon.

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