I wish that the Dodgers had traded for Nicholas Castellanos who has been “transformational” for the Cubs since being traded to them. He is hitting .336 with a .373 OB% and a 1.062 OPS to go with 9 Doubles and 11 HR in 119 AB’s. However, to be fair, I have to wonder how he would do in LA. AC pitched DJ LeMahieu as the Dodgers 2B and he is hitting .335 with 24 HR and 90 RBI while OPS’ing .921. He is in the MVP conversation. But would he have been that good in LA? I don’t think so and maybe Casty would have not been that good in LA either.
A lot of what happens for a player and to a player is greatly determined where he lands. Would we be talking about DJ LeMahieu the same way if he was in Cleveland or Houston? Wrigley Field is perfect for Castellanos. Would JD Martinez be the slugger that he is if he hadn’t hit in Arizona and Boston?
Another issue is “Does the player like the city and the people?” Some people are East-coasters, some are West-coasters, others are Midwesterners or Southerners… even Northerners. Some love Minnesota, some hate it. Some love Indiana, like Andrew Luck, who took out a full-page ad in the Indy Star yesterday to say:
Dear Colts Nation,
Thank you!
Thank you for an incredible eight years. For welcoming me with open arms. For helping me grow on and off the field. For helping Nicole and I make Indiana our home. And for showing us the true meaning of Hoosier hospitality.
It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent the Colts and the city of Indianapolis on the world’s stage. I can’t wait to see our team take the field and continue the journey.
I’m proud to be a Midwesterner, a Hoosier, and a Colt.
Andrew Luck
Andrew was born in Washington, DC, raised in Texas, went to college at Stanford and now considers himself a “Hoosier.” By-the-way, no one knows what “Hoosier” means, except that you are from Indiana. He likes Indy – just doesn’t want to play foot ball.
I raise these questions because as fans we often look at other players and say “We should trade for them or sign them as a free agent.” But, the questions are many:
- Do they like the city or area?
- Does their family feel the same?
- Do they like the people and the culture?
- Do they like the climate?
- How will they fit into the team culture?
- How will they fit into the team approach?
- Will they be a star or a piece?
- How do they mesh with the manager and coaches?
There is so much to consider when a new player comes to a team, through free agency or trade. For example, Hyun-jin Ryu is a free agent after this season. He loves LA, LA has a big Korean community that he feels a part of. Some other cities have Korean Communities, but they are much smaller. Even in NYC, the Korean Community is more scattered. The odds are, Ryu will not find anything close to the Korean Community he has in Los Angeles.
Since his shoulder surgery in 2015, he has pitched 131 innings over those three years. 126 of those innings were last year, meaning that he missed all of 2015 and only pitched 4 innings in 2016. It’s only logical that as he approaches 160 innings this year, that he may be a little fatigued and would benefit from some rest. I think he will pitch close to 200 innings this year (including the playoffs) and finish strong after some rest. But, he will be 33 next year and I know Andrew Friedman would like to sign him for two years. He might go a third, but pitchers (except Justin Verlander) tend to break down at that stage of their careers.
I can see the Dodgers offering him 2 Years/$38 Million or 3 Years/$50 Million. I also think that other GM’s will offer more and this is where it falls upon the player. If it’s $5 million more, it’s an easy choice – with the Korean Culture and Community, he will stay, but if some moron offers him 5 Years/$80 Million, he has to take it. That’s $30 Million Real Dollars. Not many players will leave that kind of money on the table and the MLBPA would be all over them if they did.
That, my friends, is called a conundrum! Stay tuned, as we see how this plays out in in the offseason.
Now, back to this one…
- I stole that line from Vin – Don’t tell him!
- Contrary to what was reported from another blog, Gavin Lux was not called up to the Dodgers yesterday. Most likely, he gets the call today, as it has been rumored that he is in LA. Remember this: the team is not going to let a blogger get a scoop. Never!
- OKC has one more game, but Lux did not play yesterday either. Kyle Garlick hit his 23rd HR (.315/1.061 OPS) and Edwin Rios hit his 31st HR and drove in 5.
- McKinstry continues to rake (.400/1.228 OPS). It will be interesting as to what happens to him.
- The Dodgers team ERA is 1/2 a run a game better than any NL Team.
- As much as everyone has been lamenting the bullpen, they have pulled into the TOP 5 in Bullpen ERA. They are now right there with the best and the “great” Yankee bullpen is now #7.
- The Dodgers bullpen is #2 in WHIP in all of MLB and tied for 2nd for lowest batting average at .229.
- So, to keep parroting that the “Dodgers have bullpen problems” is saying what every team feels. Bullpens are always a problem, but the biggest problem is in your head. By playoff time, the bullpen will be even better.
- Dustin May has struggled in the bullpen (and that’s being kind) but I am not ready to throw in the towel. He will get a couple more opportunities and he should focus on just 1 or 2 pitches. He did make a few really nice pitches.
- Except for May, the Bullpen was outstanding yesterday.
- Striker B today – Time to get that ERA under 3.00!
The bullpen is officially good now. Sadler, Baez and Kelly have been pretty consistent for some time now and others are starting to take shape like Caleb Ferguson, Yimi Garcia, even Dylan Floro looked pretty good. The adage is that you need 5 reliable relievers in the post-season. We have that. We just need Kenley to figure it out over this month.
Lux is going to play second base tonight and Julio is going to be pitching tomorrow. Colorado is on a losing streak. This next series should be fun. I always get nervous heading into a series against a team on a losing streak because it’s just a matter of time before their luck changes.
I think yesterday was the official end of our rough patch. What a game David Freese had. I would be tempted to play him semi-regularly right now if Beaty wasn’t so good at hitting right handers.
I can’t believe all the knee jerkers complaining about May in the pen. Let’s see him do it a few more times before declare this a failure.
Not sure when you wrote/posted this Mark, but MLBTR says that Roberts told reporters after the game yesterday that Lux would start at second base tonight. That’s official enough for me.
Happy Labor Day everyone. For those of you on the road today, travel safely.
Well, Mark, here I was just going to tell you that you were right about Castellanos and then you toss in doubt. Then there was Orel Hershiser raving about DJ Lemahieu during the winter meetings, saying he was the perfect fit for the Dodgers at second and then they don’t sign him. Then there was Justin Verlander in 2017 and I thought he was the perfect fit for that team and instead they traded for Yu. Yah I get it, they didn’t want that big contract, but why worry about that after clearing a reported $90 million last year. Not to mention Christian Yelich. I wanted to go all in and acquire him.
Win or lose, I think the team needs to make major changes next year. I agree with everything you said about Ryu so that seems likely. But would it make more sense to pursue Gerrit Cole? More long term money, but would the Dodgers have a better to chance to win it all with Cole or Ryu? Plus the Dodgers have money to spend in 2020. Friedman pointed this out several times last year.
The Dodgers need to clean up the outfield situation (too many players needing at bats) and make major improvements in the bullpen. I get that the Dodger bullpen is good at times, until they’re not, like Saturday. Does it make sense to keep Hernandez and Taylor with Lux figuring to take over second base and Verdugo needing to play regularly in the outfield.
Should they move Turner to first and go after Rendon? They need a solid bat behind to hit behind Bellinger.
Or maybe they could make a run for Casty, move Bellinger back to first, Verdugo to right. But then where does Muncy play?
There are lots of options for sure.
I think Cole is going to get paid some stupid money and if so, the Dodgers should rightfully walk away.
I am still interested in Casty.
Rendon is going to get some stupid money too. I would love Rendon, but he will be 30 next years and he’s likely to get an 8-year/$240 Million Dollar Deal. JT is 34 and showing signs he is ready to breakdown.
I think they ride another year with Turner at 3B , Corey at SS, Lux at 2B and Max at 1B.
I also believe it is likely that Verdugo plays CF next year with Cody in RF and Joc and Pollock platoon in LF. If Joc has his usual year, you offer him the QO and let whatever happen.
If they hoard prospects some of those arms will be better than any bullpen arm you can sign and some prospects will be better than anyone you can trade for.
Gray, Downs, Estevez, Mann, Ruiz, Wong, Cartaya, Hoese, Busch, Peters, White, Kasowski, Amaya, Santana x 2, Vargas, Estevez, Gonzalez, Sheffield, Ortiz, Carrillo, and Grove are right behind Smith, Gonsolin, May and Lux. Yes, not all will be stars, but I think several will be. That is a very strong field.
Given the state of the team, I would have a hard time trading any of them. The guy you trade may be better than the guy you get.
Rios & Garlick need to be given a chance , but maybe not with the Dodgers. They should have some trade value.
Pollock will NOT be in a platoon next year. Write it down and take that to the bank!
AJ Pollock has averaged less than 90 games a year over the past 4 years. In itself, that’s almost a platoon, but there are two factors here:
1. He will be a year older at 32 next year; and
2. Alex Verdugo will be a year better and I think he’s already AJ’s equal on defense – in another year, he will be better.
Cody and Alex have to play all the time. Against LH Pitchers, Alex has hit .327, while batting .282 against Righties.
AJ Pollock has hit .220 against RHP this year versus .359 against LHP. Add in his age, injury history and inability to hit RHP and he’s a platoon player in light of who is in the outfield with him.
He could play a key role in winning the World Series this year, but I am not bullish on him going forward. If we win it all, he will have been worth it.
Not gonna happen because…
Being injured is not the same as being platooned. Now that the plate is out of his arm, they’re gonna see if he can stay healthy. (He’s missed parts of 3 seasons with essentially the same injury)
His career OPS against Righties is only 65 points lower than Joc’s.
Pollock is making just under $14 Million a year while Joc is making $9Million and will get a raise next year. Why would they pay that much for each side of a platoon.
If he ends with good numbers (and it looks like he will), it will be a bad look to potential free agents to platoon him after one year with the injury he had (an old injury that the team knew about). And to make him the small side of the platoon at that.
One bad year against righties is called an outlier, not a trend. Most of it was before the injury. He’s raised his OPS 167 points since coming off the DL.
Since coming off the DL, he’s hitting righties and lefties well and looks really good with the glove.
I think they have to plan on him being a full time player for at least another year. Plus, he’s right handed and you probably don’t want to piss off one of your only right handed bats.
I can see them moving him over to LF because his arm looks bad, but his arm probably won’t be that bad next year after properly healing from the surgery on his throwing arm.
I think the writing is on the wall with Joc.
Happy Labor Day to all. Good and needed win by the team last night. Can not wait to see Lux play tonight.
I am bemused by these “bullpen rankings.” Does anyone actually think that the Dodgers have a better bullpen than the Yankees? I would like to see a statistic regarding how many times the Yankees’ bullpen lost a lead in the seventh inning or later, compared with the Dodgers’. I don’t think it’s close. They have three absolutely first-rate pitchers to close out a game. I’m not sure that any of ours fit into that category. Would anybody here not immediately trade entire bullpens with the Yankees, if that were somehow possible?
Yesterday was a good bullpen effort. But the rest of the series was not. Things could come together, if Baez gains more confidence, and Jansen perhaps improves his efforts. There are some good arms in the bullpen, but too many pitchers whose location is erratic, and who give up homeruns, which is brutal late in the game. Yesterday, it all worked well. The keys will be Jansen, and then how well Roberts can maneuver through the late innings, and which pitchers he chooses to use in different situations. In the last two World Series, these decisions were not ideal.
It seems to me that the only way we would have any reasonable chance to win the title this year, would be if our bullpen were suddenly lights out. We are likely to either have to go against the Yankees, who have the much stronger late-game bullpen, or against the Astros, whose starters are better, meaning that we would likely have to win against their bullpen. It doesn’t seem to me that we are as good as either team, but the oddsmakers have us a very close second favorite, so they are rating us higher than I might have expected. They’ve got he Astros at substantially lower odds than the Yankees to win the AL, even though the Yankees currently lead in the home field race by a game over them, and the Yankees took them to seven games two years ago, when the disparity between the teams seemed greater than now.
Odd are always interesting, though certainly not dispositive.
I would like to see a statistic regarding how many times the Yankees’ bullpen lost a lead in the seventh inning or later, compared with the Dodgers’ – this is basically a blown save.
The Yankees have 23 and the Dodgers have 24
But blown saves % would be more accurate because not all teams have the same umber of opportunities.
The Yankees are 9th with 68.6 and the Dodgers are 20th with 59.32.
William,
Sorry to confuse you with facts.
Another thing that comes into play is how many 1-run leads they had versus 2 or more run leads.
Still another is the fact that the Yankees have 7 shutouts against 1 complete game, while the Dodgers have 14 shutouts against 3 CG. That means that the Yankees bullpen has been involved in 6 shutouts while the Dodgers has been involved in 11!
Most of the Dodgers bullpen woes were earlier in the season.
Here’s some stats:
LA DODGERS:
7th Inning ERA – 3.82
8th Inning ERA – 3.30
9th Inning ERA – 3.61
Extra Inning ERA – 1.59
NY YANKEES:
7th Inning ERA – 4.00
8th Inning ERA – 5.06
9th Inning ERA – 3.09
Extra Inning ERA – 1.72
The Yankees Bullpen has pitched 100 more innings, so they have more save opportunities and for the most part, they have seized those opportunities, although look at this:
The Yankees Big Three that William believes are invincible:
Adam Ottavino – 5 Blown Saves. His 1.69 ERA looks good until you consider his 1.30 WHIP (translation: he is very lucky)
Zach Britton – 4 Blown Saves – 2.15 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP
Aroldis Chapman – 5 Blown Saves – 2.22 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP
Their bullpen is good, but it is far from lockdown. They have blown 23 saves. The Dodgers have blown 24 saves.
Finally, the Yankees pen has been overworked and will be taxed even more. The Dodgers pen is much fresher and that could pay big dividends in the playoffs.
Interesting stats, Mark. I appreciate your researching them. l And interesting stat from 59inarow, too. Statistics do flesh out the picture. All I know that is I have watched quite a few Yankees games on MLBN, and in virtually all of the ones I see, the bullpen just shuts down the opponent in the late innings. Maybe most of these blown saves came early in the year. Against the Dodgers, the Yankees’ bullpen was dominating;and yes, that was only three games, but I’ve seen plenty of other ones like that. But it is an interesting comparison to consider. I’m sure that their back three have given up many less runs than our back three, but that can be misleading, too, since Kelly was mostly ineffective earlier in the year.
The idea about the Yankees’ bullpen maybe being worn out, is intriguing. We will see how that plays out. I know that going into the A’s series where they were swept, Chapman had about six days off in a row, and Britton, too, according to the announcers. They do use the bullpen a good deal in most games, though.
I love the way everyone only remembers the few hits they recommended but conveniently forgets all the horrible misses they called for! Kinda like going to Vegas and “all” the money everyone wins. That’s why they build all those billion dollar casinos because their losing money. Darvish was clearly the better sign than Verlander in 17. He was bad for Detroit. Houston got lucky. And their were a lot more people clammoring for Stanton and Osuna than Yellich who had never really hit for much power in Miami. Hindsighters are as bad as knee jerkers!
DODGERS SELECT IF GAVIN LUX
REINSTATE LHP URÍAS, RECALL RHP SBORZ & TRANSFER IF WHITE TO 60-DAY IL
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Gavin Lux, reinstated left-handed pitcher Julio Urías from the restricted list and recalled right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz from Triple-A Oklahoma City. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred infielder Tyler White to the 60-day injured list.
Lux, 21, is expected to make his Major League debut tonight against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers first round selection (20th overall) in the 2016 First Year Player Draft out of Indian Trail High School (Wi.) has hit .347 (159-for-458) with 26 homers and 76 RBI in 113 combined games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. In 49 games at the Triple-A level, the infielder has clubbed 13 homers and driven in 39 while slashing .392/.478/.719. He was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for the month of July after hitting .435 (40-for-92) with eight doubles, four triples, seven homers and 26 RBI. The Kenosha, WI native led the league in batting average (.435), on-base percentage (.519), and OPS (1.356) while also tying for the league lead in runs scored (29) and triples (4) during the month of July. He was selected to the Texas League All-Star Game and appeared in the 2019 Sirius XM MLB Futures Game.
Urías, 23, returns after serving his 20-game suspension mandated by Major League Baseball. On the season, the left-hander is 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA (19 ER/64.2 IP) and 66 strikeouts in 26 games (six starts). In parts of four seasons with the Dodgers, Urías is 9-7 with a 3.30 ERA (62 ER/169.0 IP) and 168 strikeouts.
Sborz, 25, was recalled for the fifth time this season. He has appeared in two games for the Dodgers this season, allowing six runs on six hits in 3.0 innings of work. In 46 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, he is 4-3 with a 4.68 ERA (26 ER/50.0 IP) and 68 strikeouts. In five minor league seasons with the Dodgers, he is combined 24-20 with a 3.53 ERA (144 ER/366.1 IP) and 370 strikeouts.
White, 28, was originally placed on the injured list with a right lat strain on August 13. He appeared in 12 games for the Dodgers, recording two runs and two RBI. In 83 combined games, he batted .208 (50-for-240) with three homers and 23 RBI. In parts of four Major League seasons, the former Western Carolina Catamount has amassed 26 homers and 103 RBI in 257 games.
First off, I’m glad May didn’t sustain any serious injury on that line drive. That said, I can’t help but think Honeycutt told May after giving up a grand slam against Atlanta “next time you’re in a bases loaded jam use your head”
That was pretty punny.
Looking forward to the start of the Lux era.
Just received a picture from my brother who is at Wrigley watching Cubs v Mariners. Great Ballpark.
Guess I’m not the only Baseball fan in the family.
Good win yesterday, but I hope we’re not returning to the HR being our only way of scoring.
I think May’s nickname should be “redlocks”.
Yah, I don’t know about knee jerks or hindsighters, but I’ve always wanted the Dodgers to acquire Yelich, even when he wasn’t hitting homeruns. Just a really good player. And a SoCal kid. Plus, Yelich had a great contract. As to Stanton, love the power, but staying on the field has always been an issue and most weren’t freak injuries, like Pollock. Not sure why anyone would think Yu was a better pitcher than Verlander. He got lit up a few times before the trade deadline, who could forget the (who was it, Miami?) it was like the ball was on a Tee. Darvish was 6-9 with a 4 plus era before being traded. Verlander was 10-8 with a 3.8 era and had totally dominated the Dodgers in a start in Detroit.
What you omit is that at the trade deadline, Verlander had a 4.29 ERA, but the Dodgers already moved to get Darvish. Darvish was coming off TJ surgery and was rounding into form. At the end of June, he had a 3.11 ERA. In July, he put up a 7.28 ERA but came back to 3.13 in August.
Verlander went from a trade deadline ERA of 4.29 to an ERA of barely over 1.00 with Houston. No one predicted that. In fact, bloggers in Detroit, who watched the games, questioned whether Verlander was washed up. I guess he wasn’t!
You are not remembering this correctly at all. Let me bullet point this for you.
* At the deadline Darvish was better than Verlander.
* Houston and LA were both in on Darvish, we won.
* Verlander became available after the deadline, Houston won the consolation prize.
* Since we had a better record at the time Verlander was acquired, we wouldn’t have even been able to get him, because he was claimed before he even go to us.
So why does this always come back up? We never even got the opportunity to get him!!!!!!!!! (deleted)
I fully understand that where a player lands can have something to do with their performance. But there is probably no way to measure that. In the case of LeMahieu, a player which I was also in favor of signing last year, there is no reason to believe that he would have not performed as well for the Dodgers, especially since he had already performed well while playing in the NL West. There are those that took the position that LeMahieu’s numbers were inflated in Colorado, while I have argued that playing half of each season in Colorado depressed his numbers on the road. And on top of everything else, LeMahieu was a gold 2nd baseman.
Don’t really understand the pressure some of us bloggers put on May. the dude is only 21. 21!! Let the kid breath a little bit and get some adversity under his belt. We all know you don’t get better and learn until you get your assed kicked about 15 or 20 times over. Pretty soon you get tired of that 2×4 swatting you on the back of the head. He will learn and be a friggin force, if not this year, next year for sure. We have all seen his stuff, which has some nasty late movement on it. He has some maturity issues when he gets hit hard, but once again, he is trying to learn to be a big leaguer on one of the best teams in one of the biggest markets in baseball, about 50,000 fans every night, not on some podunk team like Baltimore or Pittsburgh where you can literally count how many people are there.
First of all, we don’t know if the Dodgers had a chance to acquire Verlander before the trade deadline or not. It was reference a couple of times in the LA Times that the Dodgers liked Verlander, but the contract was an issue. Could they have taken the whole contract and made a deal before the deadline? Maybe. Not something the Dodgers haven’t done before. But they were focused on getting under the cap. In terms of commitment Darvish may have made more sense. All I basically said was I’d rather had Verlander than Darvish. Yu did pitch well in the playoffs, just melted down in WS. I felt Verlander just needed something to play for a new team, plus his velocity had returned. I’m sorry if that offended the one gentleman, but everything written here is pretty much opinion, some speculation with some data tossed in … it’s sort of why I like this site.
Don’t feel badly. That “one gentleman” is a hothead and gets offended on a daily basis.
Roger,
Great point about May’s age by Roger. I remember being 21, and upon reflection, I can also remember all the mistakes I made at that age, and even when I was older, despite the benefits of experience. Was Clayton Kershaw an instant star? Sandy Koufax? Orel Hershiser? Justin Turner? Adrian Beltre? And countless others. Let’s not expect too much from our young players. Maybe we’ll see some instant successes, but don’f count on it. And if the May’s, Gonsolin’s, Smith’s, and Lux’s disappoint at times, just remember how many players before them took time to develop into the players we know today.
Bellinger is taking over CF. Polllock moving to LF where he should be.
I had not heard that, but Cody is the fastest of the three. The only thing I wonder about is: Does Cody want to play there. Early in the season, he expressed a preference for one position… RF. He said that it helped his focus on offense if he didn’t have to worry about playing other positions. Maybe he is fine in CF too. I just remember that.
Pollock is no longer elite in CF, and the platoon of Joc and he may start sooner than later.
If only Belli could play rf, cf and first base at the same time we’d have an awesome defense!
Sorry Mark but the beginning of the Lux career spells the end of Kike’s Dodger career. Won’t need both Kike and Taylor next year. I hope Rios gets a shot next year. I love his bat. Sure would help if could learn some left field
Kike and Taylor could both be on the team next year or both could be gone. One could be here. They have a lot of value due to their versatility. I would not write either one off just yet.
I am anxious to see Beaty at 3B tonight.
I think there’s going to be some changes in the off-season. One of CT3/Kike plus Joc and maybe more. We’re going to be even more left handed next year.
Anyone else puzzled by Lux’s number? Will he get an option of changing it next year?
Joc Bomb to start the game.
He will have that option…
Clayton changed his.
Dodgers are not likely to give up Hernandez, a power bat who is projected to give 70RBI’s this season. He has 60, at the moment. He’s also a RHH and above average fielder. Dodgers are all in on HR hitting players. Taylor just hit a HR as I type this!
From Alden Gonzales, ESPN beat writer:
The Dodgers still have a lot of loose ends with four regular-season weeks remaining. Kenta Maeda will probably spend the rest of the month pitching out of the bullpen to prepare for a high-leverage role in October. Kenley Jansen is still the closer, but is an option to pitch in non-save situations as well. Cody Bellinger will spend a lot of time in CF moving forward, with AJ Pollock transitioning to LF. Rich Hill is still working his way back and will face hitters over the weekend. OF Alex Verdugo and 1B Max Muncy won’t return until next week’s road trip, and it sounds like Verdugo will have to earn his playing time back.
Beaty and Smith must feel like veterans with Lux in the lineup.
Dodgers may have to pick it up to maintain their home field advantage against Atlanta which is hot and only ; games behind the Dodgers.
Oops, I meant 4 games behind Atlanta.
Oops again, 4 games AHEAD of Atlanta.
Welcome to the club, Lux!
Welcome to the club even more, Lux!
It could still happen, but Joc is close to sitting on 4 HRs tonight.
Impressive AB for Lux. After taking two pitches for strikes (I think it was 2 of the first 3), he still managed to run the count to 3-2 before the double. The question that still remains is how he is going to handle himself when he starts to see more breaking and off-speed pitches.
ya i was impressed how he got the count full, and i was really impressed by the quick bat. I can see tons of doubles for him as he becomes our full time leadoff hitter
If Lux had gotten a little more of that pitch he would be a triple away from a cycle. Although like any player he still has a lot to prove, so far he looks like the player whose highlights had me among those who wanted him to be called up earlier.
Listening to Davis and Hershiser talking about the lively ball and the increase in HRs reminds me what I was thinking when May got hit. I know pitchers in the past have been hit by line drives, but by adding liveliness to the ball, baseball is increasing the odds of a pitcher being seriously injured or worse. Hitters are bigger and stronger than ever before. I see no sense in adding fuel to the fire.
curious: Is “Brooklyn Dodger” your name because you grew up a Brooklyn Dodger fan, or do you currently live in Brooklyn?
I know – he lives in Long Island!
Brooklyn is part of Long Island as well as Queens. Many don’t know this.
May finishes sideways after he throws the ball. Certainly not in a traditional ready position.
Walker not pitching like the Walker we’ve come to enjoy. He’s in line for a W but I think his night is over after 5 innings pitched.
it’s as if this game were being played in Colorado and not here!
We have some struggling or tired starters , location seems to be the major issue recently. Need this to flip, our title goes through them, come on big Three.
Joc seems ok, his streaks are fun, when he is bad hard to watch.
The kid just missed a hr and Brooklyn it was a slider. His swing is sweet.
Bobby,
I spent nearly my first sixty years in Brooklyn, and even went to games at Ebbets Field (from which I lived within walking distance as a child). Unlike some Brooklyn Dodger fans I couldn’t bring myself to root for any other team. I was born in 1946, and guess that had I been born several years later, that I would now be a Mets fan (ugh!).
I currently live about 20-25 miles east of Brooklyn in Long Island. However, I still have friends and acquaintances in Brooklyn, and get there pretty regularly.
Good. Now we get to see Lux face a lefty.
Didn’t get a hit, but he did hang in against the lefty, and fouled off a couple of pitches before grounding out. One at bat does not a season make, but I was encouraged, and have a feeling that lefties will not be a problem,
Nice to see Seager go deep, especially against a lefty. Doesn’t mean it’s the start of something good, but good things have start somewhere. I’m hopefull.
What took so long to bring up Lux, We’ve been averaging sixteen runs a game since he got here!
Aren’t we happy that we don’t have to see Maeda start for the rest of the season? If there is a place for him, it is middle relief for no more than 2 innings in the BP. Let’s hope we don’t see him in the rotation next season. Enough is enough.
Well that was a Coors field game if there ever was one! Wow! And Jeff Maeda was still better than Buehler!
I think I remember Buehler getting roughed up at Coors this year. Our pitching has really faltered, in general. HR’s, and many RBI’s. Teams can hit against us. I wouldn’t worry except for the bats going silent at times. Generally, the HR’s keep coming and the Dodgers are built around the HR. Keep in mind that we are not even the leaders in HR’s. The only teams that have more than us are NYY and MN! Houston is right there, too. Crazy, man. The only chance the Dodgers have in the playoffs is to keep on hitting those HR’s. Without them, shit is going to happen.