I’m very grateful to Mark T. for covering for me yesterday. I spent the last 4 days in Las Vegas at a Trial Lawyers Conference, attended by approximately 3,500 attorneys. Some people might think that being surrounded by this many attorneys is as close as you can possibly get to hell on earth but, alas, it’s my profession and I survived unscathed. As Willie Nelson sang in “Me and Paul” – – “After taking several readings I’m surprised to find my minds still fairly sound.” That be me. Short post today, as I have some medical stuff to take care off. I may not be able to comment tomorrow.
• In 2017 the Dodgers finished August with a 5 game losing streak. They followed that up with an 11 game losing streak and a 4 game losing streak in September. They made it to the 7th game of the World Series. In 2018, the Dodgers went 13 and 13 in August, which included a 5 game losing streak. Jansen lost two of those games. They won 18 games in September and made it to the World Series. This year the Dodgers were 16-11 in August but finished with 3 straight losses to the D’backs. What can we learn from this? Absolutely nothing!! The key is getting into the playoffs and then taking one game at a time.
• The Gavin Lux era is upon us. I’m excited to see what this young man can do. Whether he goes 0-20 or is lights out in his debut doesn’t much matter to me. I think he has a very bright future as a Dodger and I’m willing to hang in there with him. Let’s all hope that by the time you read this, you will all be complaining that we should have called him up sooner because he had a great debut!!
• The ball to Dustin May’s head was scary. It appears that he is going to be fine. It’s hard to tell with him though, he seems to have a constant stare that makes it hard to tell if he is okay or not.
• I’m not sure that I fully understood the 3 bunts in row program late in Sunday’s game. I get that you want to practice for the playoffs, but why not earlier in the game instead of the 8th and 9th innings. I guess they had lots of confidence that Bellinger and Pederson were going to come through with home runs.
• Tyler White has probably played his last game as a Dodger. If he has, I certainly hope that Andre Scrubb doesn’t become a lockdown reliever for the Astros. If he does, I can already hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the front office bashers.
• Will the Belli Bomber come through with 6 more home runs this month, becoming the all-time Dodger home run leader? I hope so. Seeing that he had tied Duke Snider with 43 home runs, reminded me that, juiced ball or no, Cody Bellinger is a very good young player. Lest we forget, he is only 24 years old. There remains room for improvement. That’s a scary thought.
• Casey Sadler has been quietly effective since his acquisition. He’s not overpowering, but he gets the job done. But as we know, relievers are very fickle. I wonder, where are Erik Goeddel and Adam Libertore, each of whom had some nice moments with the Dodgers last year.
• I have been to Las Vegas twice in the last 40 years. Other than passing through on my way to Colorado or attending another conference, I can see no need to go back for another 40 years. I mean no offense to Vegas Dodger or any others that live in that area. I have no reason to think that it isn’t a wonderful place to live. My only experience was the Strip and that doesn’t do it for me. I did notice that the Allegiant Stadium construction is coming along nicely. Let me see, Raider fans and the Las Vegas crowd. What could possibly go wrong there? I hope they have a ton of security at those games.
• I hope that rest cures what is presently ailing Hyun-Jin Ryu. Even if it does, I would adjust my pitching rotation so that he and Buehler mostly just pitch at home. Their home records are too good to ignore.
• In one of my next posts, I’m going to write about player development. I’ve always been curious as to what happens to a player from the moment he is drafted to the moment he makes his big league debut. The Dodgers invest a tremendous amount of resources in helping young players become as good as they possibly can. It interests me as to how they pull that off.
• It is still my opinion that the Dodgers are going to go to the playoffs. I’m also going to predict that they win the World Series, 4 games to 2. That’s my nose, and sticking to it. I don’t care who they play. Just as long as they get there. If my prediction is wrong, you can ridicule me all you want. Before you do, I would ask that you share your prediction now, as opposed to after the Series.
• I beginning to dislike the Diamondbacks almost as much as I dislike the Giants. They have a long way to go to reach that level of dislike, but they are creeping up the ladder.
• I don’t know about the rest of you folks, but I miss AC.
2D2’s Minor League Report
OKC Dodgers lost to the New Orleans Baby Cakes: 10-1
The OKC Dodgers closed out the 2019 PCL season with a 10‑1 loss to the Baby Cakes. Cam Perkins went 3-4 including a HR in what was probably his last game in the Dodger organization. Dennis Santana worked hard to prove Mark right about him being a relief pitcher, throwing 2.1 innings allowing 2 hits, 0 run, 1BB and 3K. OKC Dodger fans will have to wait until April 2020 to watch them play again.
Tulsa Drillers beat the Corpus Christi Hooks: 4-3
In their final game of the regular season, the Drillers beat the Hooks 4-3. Drew Avens continued his strong season going 3-4. Jordan Procyshen chimed in going 2-4 with a HR. Edwin Uceta pitched 4 very strong innings in relief allowing no runs, 3 hits, 1BB and 6K. The Drillers having clinched the second half title, start the playoffs with the Arkansas Travelers on Wednesday.
RC Quakes beat the I. E. 66ers: 4-3
The Quakes won their final regular-season game against the 66ers. Marcus Chiu led the offense going 2-3 with a HR and 2 RBI. Dillon Paulson: 1-3 with 2RBI. On the mound, 20-year-old Jose Martinez started and threw 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 BB. He struck out 5. Conner Strain followed with 2 innings, allowing 1 run on 1 hit, while he struck out 4. Austin Drury got the save, throwing a scoreless ninth inning. The Loons start their playoff run on Wednesday against the lake Elsinore Storm.
Great Lake Loons lost to the Lake County Captains: 6-3
In their final tune-up before the playoffs, Leonel Valera went 3-4 with 2 RBI. Romer Cuadrado added his 7th home run and Luke Heyer added 2 hits. Steven Kolek pitched 3 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 5. Kevin Malisheski pitched the next pitched 3 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 4. Joel Inoa pitched an inning in relief allowing the 4 deciding runs. DodgerBlueMom, a reliever you may want to keep your eyes on is Aaron Ochsenbein who has had a very strong first year with the Dodger organization. He pitched a scoreless inning in relief. The Loons start their playoff run on Wednesday against these same Captains.
2D2, I think we all miss AC. He’s a likable guy and writes well.
The last time I was in las Vegas was 2005 or 6, passing through to Utah and Zion Nat’l park, a seriously beautiful place. I’ve spent a bit of time with people who used to live there in the 70’s. I love the desert and I love the area around LV, especially Mount Charles. The place has changed dramatically. I’ve seen it morph each decade since the 60’s. I’ve no intention of ever returning. lol. But, who knows?
I, too, am rooting for Belli to knock off the HR record. I think he will do it.
I think the Lux era is off to a good start.
I think May has perhaps had enough baseball this season. Gonsolin seems to have won the competition.
I am not going to predict anything this playoff season. I have certain views about it but there are too many variables that come into play to make any certain prediction. Humans have a habit of being very changeable and unreliable. This levels the playing field and you could probably put the worst team in baseball in the WS and we might get a surprising result. Of course, gamblers need to make a bet, but I’m not a gamblin’ man.
Forgot to add a thought about Joc: just when we’re ready to give up on him he goes out and absolutely crushes the ball in 4 straight at bats and makes a great athletic play in the outfield. I prefer that Joc.
Lux looked quite comfortable in his MLB debut, don’t you think? Loved the shot of his parents after his first hit.
I noticed his mom take a deep breath right before she sat down again. I was really happy for them. In the end, we all put on our pants the same way.
Good morning 2D2. Thank you for the very nice write-up this morning. I hope Joc Pederson is ok and rests today to recover from that painful lunge into the wall to prevent a homerun. It is no secret that Joc is one of my very favorite players. I have rooted for him through thick and thin ever since he was brought up from the minors and continue to do so. I will indeed keep an eye and look for news on Aaron Ochsenbein, born in Lexington, Ky and hope to watch him advance in the minor league system. I wish him luck in the Loon’s playoffs. Yes, I really miss AC also and hope he comes back soon.
The offense went into a little slump, now the pitching is following. There’s a balancing act here, don’t peak too soon!
Lux handled his debut very well. I love his approach and his single up the middle on the first pitch. He may be the most athletic player on the team.
It was great seeing Maeda step up at the end of the game with a couple of zeros in those first two innings. Too bad he didn’t keep them coming. He did his job, but the line score looks bad. Sometimes stats don’t tell the full story. He did his job, he just needed to get outs.
Yesterday was the hottest day of the summer, the air was very still. The next few days will be more of the same. Look for more homers during this series.
Turner is going to hit 30 when it’s all said and done. This will be the 3rd time our boys in blue will have 4 30 HR guys.
May, may not be needed in the post-season pen. But, I wouldn’t count him out with 2 bad appearances. Transitioning to the pen is easier for some than for others. His stuff is nasty, but his command needs work. If he learns to command that dirty stuff, the sky is the limit for him.
More on the pen. Jansen, Kelly, Baez, Sadler, Kolerek, Ferguson, Gonsolin, Urias, Garcia, Floro, May and possibly Hill. That’s 12 guys for 8 spots, plus one will be a starter. We’re gonna be just fine.
It’s fun to speculate what the team will look like next year and everyone has different opinions. No one knows what’s going to happen, not even AF who isn’t even guaranteed to return to the Dodgers. No guarantee, but he’s certainly the favorite.
It’s no fun to hear people whine about Verlander and Darvish 2 full years after the 2017 deadline. Much worse than a Monday morning QB. Get over it already.
Even less fun is name calling especially by a guy who writes one line every couple of days.
This is a great team and a great organization. Enjoy it.
The Dodgers are still #1 in 2 of the 3 Power Polls.
I thought Lux looked very comfortable last night and although it was only one game, I don’t think the playoffs would overwhelm him. Based on what I saw, I’d like to see him make the post season roster.
I’d also like to see him be our leadoff hitter at some point. Although it’s always great to see Joc lead off the game with a homer, I’d prefer someone with a higher OBP and Lux strikes me as an excellent choice. Joc can hit his homers farther down the order, hopefully with someone on base in front of him.
He’s got “leadoff hitter” written all over him. He’ll wind up hitting some of those homers to start the game as well. Joc used to hit really well in the 8th spot. This team’s about to go on another roll. We’re gonna clinch before the weekend.
It’s always dangerous to rely on highlights to evaluate a player, simply because the highlights only show the player at his best, and not the stuff that occurs in-between those highlights. But in Lux’s case I made an exception, because I saw a very much under control hitter in those highlights, with ability to hit the ball with authority to all fields. Nothing I saw last night made me think any differently. And on the plays that he had, he handled himself well in the field.
I have no doubt that Lux would be a great leadoff hitter, but I also have no doubt that he would be great anyplace in the order. Time and circumstances will determine where he hits. For now I’m just happy to have him in the lineup. I suspect the Dodgers will wait a while before making any changes.
Next year
1. Lux
2. Verdugo
3. Turner
4. Bellinger
5. Muncy
6. Seager
7. LF
8. Smith
Lots of lefties.
You can put Pederson, Beaty and KBear into that lineup and have all lefties.
Don’t mind when the Dodgers score a bunch of runs. A bit worrisome when the opposition scores a bunch of runs.
Just wondering if the was any silverware left in Vegas after 3500 lawyers left town?
Sorry 2D2. I couldn’t resist just one lawyer joke.
2D2 – Why the dislike for the D-Backs other them being a division rival. To me they are just an improved team trying hard to make the Wildcard. (I think they made nice moves in the Greinke deal especially the acquisition of the Gallen kid) I don’t recall them doing anything bush or antagonistic to cause a stronger dislike for them than anybody else other than the Giants. They’re just a nice team struggling to be 500 and 18 games back. Did I miss something?
There’s been more than a few D-Backs Dodgers Brawls over the years. The pool incident. And stadium officials making Dodgers fans wear Dbacks gear behind home plate…
https://www.sbnation.com/2015/4/13/8405125/the-diamondbacks-keep-making-dodgers-fans-put-on-diamondbacks-jerseys
So yeah, you missed a bunch of stuff.
The silverware was all gone! 🙂
You didn’t miss anything. I dislike them, primarily, because they are a division rival. Plus, we always seem to struggle whenever we play them. Moreover, Archie Bradley is an opponent that is easy to dislike. It’s not that they’ve done anything bush or antagonistic. It might just be the uniforms.
I do agree with you that they are putting together a nice roster and many of their players are fun to watch. Once they got rid of Dave Stewart, the front office has done a nice job of constructing their team.
My apologies to the entire board. Last night I forgot to write “Magic Number 6”
Blame the Modelo I was enjoying at a bar !
2D2, my former boss is the Executive Director of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Assoication. Now called the Iowa Association of Justice.
~
Nice debut for Lux. I think the Muncy injury really kind of forced their hands along with Gavin’s play of course. I honestly don’t think they wanted to activate him this year. So, let’s say all are healthy and Lux has a successful month of September, who are you leaving off the playoff roster. Joc, JT, Muncy, Bellinger, Seager, Verdugo, Smith, Backup Catcher, Freese, Pollock, CT3, Kike, Beaty, Lux. I just named 14 players for 13 spots. Right now, Lux is the odd man out and I think it’s why they really had put off activating him when it seemed like a few weeks ago it was the time to do so. If he rakes for a month, does he really even have a shot at the postseason?
That’s lawyer marketing. Trial lawyer organizations no longer use the term “trial lawyers.” That conjures up images of the ambulance chaser. In California, we call ourselves the Consumer Attorneys of California. “Justice” and “Consumer” portray a more friendly type of shark.
If Lux continues to rake, I think he makes the post season roster. Maybe not for each playoff, but he will make it. Someone is bound to get hurt.
13 Hitters
Catchers
Smith
Martin
Infielders
Seager
Turner
Muncy
Lux
Outfielders
Bellinger
Pollock
Pederson
Verdugo
Bench
Kike
CT3
Freese
Out of luck
Beaty
Gyorko
Negron
Is that how you see it?
IF Lux shows some legit talents in September then yes, I think he edges Beaty for that last spot (the speed as a possible pinch runner could be huge). Beaty is a 1b/LF, and we have plenty of those! (granted we have plenty of everything really)
I say all this as a fan who really likes Beaty’s calm approach at the plate, and originally I felt he could be a nice late inning pinch hitter in October. That is, until Lux came up (but again, let’s see how Lux does and how it all plays out the next 3.5 weeks)
Question is, do we want the extra bullpen arm for a 5 game series vs Wash/Chi, or the extra pinch hitter for later in the game?
I pretty much see it the same. I think Beatty makes one of the playoff series. For me, the final spot comes down to Beatty or Lux. Of course, if Lux struggles the remainder of the way, then it comes down to Beatty and Gyorko.
It’s too bad that they run from the name. I know it was a rebranding but too much good work that shouldn’t be run from in my opinion.
Beaty is probably the best pinch hitter on the team. I have a tough time leaving him off.
How does Lux qualify for the playoff roster? He wasn’t on the 40 man roster on Aug 31.
The Dodgers are a half game behind the Astros and Yankees in the battle for home field advantage in the World Series, if they meet. They lead the Braves by four and a half games in the race for NLCS home field.
Now, it looks like Washington and Chicago are going to be the Wild Card teams. The Cubs are always dangerous in the Epstein/Maddon era. But the Nationals pose a major threat, because they are the kind of Wild Card winner team which you absolutely do not want to face in the shorter five-game series. We assume that Scherzer would pitch the WIld Card game. So that would likely make it Bueheler vs. Strasburg in the series opener. I assume that we would pitch Buehler, because the first game starter for us is likely to be the one who pitches the fifth game, and you probably would rather have Buehler twice than Kershaw twice. In game two, it’s Kershaw vs. Corbin or Sanchez. If we were to lose one of those two, then it gets really difficult. Game 3 would be Ryu vs. Scherzer, not favorable. Lose that, which is a strong possibility, and then it’s what? Gonsolin vs. Corbin or Sanchez, or would it be Strasburg on three days rest? We do not have a reliable fourth starter right now. And then, if we win that and tie the series, it’ going to be Strasburg if he did not pitch in Game 4, with Scherzer certainly available, and Scherzer could actually start a Game 5, as he can pitch on three days rest.
All, I can say, is that I hope the Cubs beat them in the Wild Card game. This is the biggest thing wrong with the Division Series being best of five. You play 162 games, finish maybe fifteen games ahead of the Wild Card Game winner, and then face them in a very short series, where one HOF pitcher and one other very good pitcher could give them the actual advantage. Actually, we have been having enough trouble on the road, that I would be very concerned if we faced anyone there with the series tied 1-1 or worse.
Today’s lineup:
Lux
Seager
JT
Belly (CF)
Pollock (LF)
Beaty (1b)
Kike
Martin
Urias
Wow, that was fast – Moving Lux to the leadoff spot. Seager finally back in the two spot. I really like 1-6. Classic Doc move sitting CT3 after two homers the night before.
I thought the same thing about CT3, but this tweet from Ken Gurnick is probably a better explanation:
“Chris Taylor fouled a pitch off his left foot, migjt be available tonight.”
Shows we don’t know sh*t!
Any time Martin gets a hit, I am very pleasantly surprised. I would hope that he does not start a postseason game, unless maybe we are up 3-0 in a series. Good catcher, though not great at throwing out runners, .200 hitter.
That was quick. Based on past performance, I would have expected Doc to keep Lux hitting 8th until he gets fully comfortable, and has a few more games under his belt. But it’s OK with me. I guess that the brass recognizes his precocious maturity, and trusts that he’s ready for prime time. And I loved seeing Seager back at #2 last night, and love it again tonight. And from what I understand, Lux also has good speed, so using it at the top of the lineup makes sense.
I was wondering why Joc wasn’t in the lineup, and then I remembered he got hurt last night. I wonder if Lux would be leading off if Joc wasn’t hurt. I assume from Bobby’s lineup post that Kike’ is playing RF.
I’m guessing that Urias only pitches a few innings tonight. If that is the case, who comes in to eat innings after Julio is done given that Maeda was used for that purpose last night? Gonso on three days rest? Probably not May after what he’s been through. Or do we get essentially a bullpen night? Please no!!
There’s 17 active pitchers on the staff and everyone rested last night with Maeda tossing 4. Strip just pitched a two days ago and went 3, so he’s probably not available. Gonso is on 3 days rest, so he probably isn’t either.
So, everybody but Gonso, Strip and Maeda?
They’ll probably give Sborz some work since they’ve called him up 2 or 3 times this year but have hardly used him. Not sure if he could go more than 2 innings though. Floro could probably use some work also. Sorry Scott, a bullpen night is probably exactly what we’ll get.
Roberts has announced that Garlick and Rios will not be getting called up this September, indicating that he had enough problems just getting all the other guys playing time.
Some stats – team ERA with the 3 catchers:
Will Smith: 4.09
Austin Barnes: 3.31
Russell Martin: 2.99
I wonder how that looked two weeks ago.
right. I think Smith caught the last 2 bad Ryu outings, caught last night’s Buehler outing. I don’t recall if he caught the bad Kersh outing.
He also caught the bad Maeda outing last night!
Question is are the pitchers making Smith look bad or is Smith making the pitchers look bad or (and this is probably the right answer) is the sample size so small that we can’t draw any conclusions?
Watching these inept umpires night after night call balls strikes, and strikes balls is a nightly advertisement for an electronic strike zone.
Instead of juicing the ball to increase offense, I think the consistency of an electronic strike zone would by itself increase offense. Hitters would have the same strike zone game after game.
Please, no more Yimi Garcia!
Does Yimi give up anything else but homers? And speaking of his awesome spin rates what are the spin rates of all the homers he gives up?
Yimi’s HR% is 6.4% – 6.4% of all AB against him end in a HR. (before tonight)
2nd worst on the Dodgers is Hill and then Jansen at 4.1%.
He has now allowed 15 HR in 57 IP.
It seems like Dave Roberts doesn’t care about home field advantage through the World Series.
In 57 innings, Yimi has given up 36 hits. He has a whip of .82.
And yet that’s the 15th hr he’s allowed this year!! 3.63 ERA with a .82 whip just doesn’t sound right. I am not sure I’ve ever seen a reliever like this.
I think it’s pretty hard to trust Yimi. But Mark is right about his stuff. If he’s not traded, then he’s a winter project to try and straighten out. Of course Yimi is 29, but it’s probably not too late. I just glanced at his stats and noticed that he has a 0.82 WHIP this year, and a career 0.98 WHIP.
Imagine that they might dumb down the ball a little because of all the backlash about the juiced balls. If so, Clayton, Yimi and Jansen will all be much better.
If you allow 1 HR /IP then but nothing else your WHIP is 1.0 but your ERA is 9.0. A low WHIP doesn’t help if you give up 15 HR in 57 IP.
So far, it looks like all those HR’s hit last night have tuckered out the boys in blue. Feast to famine.
I’m wondering how much influence Doc has on the playoff roster, or does the FO already have its plan set?
Wow, that may have been the best I”ve seen Ferguson look!!
And if all you give up are HRs and almost nothing else (given the low batting average against him), then there’s a good chance that the cause can be isolated and corrected. Certainly there is enough promise to make the effort.
My comment appears to have galvanized Martin, and insured that he will play major innings in the playoffs for us.
Joe Davis hit it on the nose, and a lot of us (maybe most of us) can identify with “it’s senior’s night”. And following them, Gavin Lux just can’t keep up with his elders.
Only his 2nd game and they put him at leadoff? What is the reason for this move so soon? Lot of pressure on a new rookie maybe?
Joc was out and Lux is a natural leadoff hitter. I don’t think they do a kid any favors batting them 8th. If Joc plays tomorrow we will most likely see Lux hit 8th.
Old guys rule! Showing the young guns how it’s done!
Yimi or Kenley: Who do we trust more?
At this point in time, I don’t trust any of the pitchers. The whole staff is having problems keeping runs off the scoreboard. It’s the bats that have saved us the past two games and it’s the bats that must continue to shoulder the team because the pitching has become worn down. It’s a tough grind. Perhaps that is why we are seeing so many pitchers getting a call. 7 pitchers used in this game. Floro, the only reliever who went 2 innings. The moral of the story? No HR’s, no wins for this team.
Magic Number 5
I trust them both. In OKC!
Garlick and Rios not being called up
The question of Beaty vs Lux making the playoff roster is an interesting one. Beaty has done just about everything to give the impression that he is a clutch player and can be relied on in high leverage situations. He’s even playing a decent 1B. It’s hard not to like this guy. He seems very comfortable and mature in the dugout and you never get the impression he has an issue with anything. He’s been an RBI machine. But all this has been played out vs RHP. He doesn’t seem to be able to hit LHP in the MLB. His slash line against LHP is atrocious with no HR’s. On the face of this, it would disqualify him from post season. We will be tested against LHP and both Joc and Beaty will sit.
Lux looks like a true leadoff hitter, a natural infielder, and it’s rumored that he has some power. He’s had no issue in hitting LHP but his power is against RHP. He’s been a minor league sensation and we’ve been looking for a 2Bman for some years, now. We are so used to seeing a platoon at this spot and players like Muncy getting extended PT there due to his bat, not particularly due to his glove. The big question in my mind and probably to the FO is can they live with Lux as the sole owner of 2B? This would be taking PT from Muncy and Kike, in particular, who are both power hitters. The Dodgers are totally committed to the POWER, not to the completeness of players. Lux could be in that special category that Bellinger occupies, a total player. Speed, hitting, and fielding. If Lux begins to show his power, the FO will have an easier decision to make between him and Beaty. With a sustained presence in September, Lux is the man. He fills so many needs of this team.