We are only four games into the season, and the sniping at Doc is already in full gear. Not just from LADT commenters, but throughout the Dodgers blogosphere. Every manager makes horrible decisions throughout the season, and sometimes they actually make some good calls. Of course, nobody likes to comment on those.
Now maybe some of these decisions are not Doc’s alone. It seems to be a team philosophy to drive the pitch count up rather than attacking the first strike. Often times the first pitch is the best pitch a batter is going to see, especially if it is a strike. Mookie is getting a lot of 1st pitch strikes thrown. Mookie has also not been a very prolific hitter swinging and hitting the first pitch. He appears to be a prototypical leadoff guy waiting out the pitcher. He swings at the first pitch less than 8% of the time. Also interesting to note is that Mookie has hit more HR’s in those 8% than on any other count. Just like any mortal hitter, Mookie is very pedestrian once the count gets to 0-2 or 1-2 or even 2-2. But he is so prolific after getting ahead or even 0-1, that he more than makes up for it. Mookie taking first pitch is more about Mookie than it is organizational. Mookie has not seen NL pitchers very much, so it is going to be a learning curve for him. We just need to be patient, and let Mookie get comfortable. He will hit. He always has.
Max Muncy seems to have somewhat the same pattern. He hits the first pitch a little more than 8%. But once Max gets 2 strikes, he becomes a very bad hitter. Just like Mookie, Max is a very good hitter with 0 or 1 strikes. As was brought up yesterday, Max is a very streaky hitter, but has been very productive for the past two years, so again patience seems to be the best medicine here.
Contrarily, Corey Seager is hitting the first pitch 18.4% of the time, with impressive results. .404/.410/.648/1059 on 344 AB. And just like all hitters he is not nearly as productive with two strikes. But he is much more prolific swinging early in the count than either Mookie or Max.
Other Dodger hitters on swinging and hitting 1st pitch seen:
- Belli – 9.8%
- JT – 10.7%
- Joc – 9.5%
- CT3 – 12.2%
- AJ – 11.8%
- Kike’ – 9.3%
I have not done any kind of research to see what other teams do with 1st pitch. But other than Corey, most Dodgers are not nearly as aggressive on the 1st pitch. I do know the Dodgers do like to build up pitch counts, but I do not pretend to claim that it is an organizational philosophy to not be as aggressive as Corey Seager on 1st pitch seen. Dodgers hitters are looking to attack mistakes, but with at least 1-0. They are looking for 1st pitch ball, and then they can dominate. I also recognize that Seager was getting as much grief when he was not hitting because he was too aggressive while the other hitters were being more patient. Sometimes you just cannot win. In baseball, when success in hitting is measured by being successful in 30% of their AB’s, much more can go wrong than can go right, and fans love to pounce on that (me included).
Apparently the swing at the 1st pitch is contrary to the analytics community, which seems to be driving some (most) of these decisions. See article below on a more comprehensive review of 1st pitch hitting:
https://www.royalsreview.com/2018/9/11/17819626/first-pitch-swing-strike-ball-lee-judge
So it would appear that teams are pushing for patience to take the 1st pitch, and “hoping” the pitcher throws a ball.
However, I do see Doc making multiple mistakes with game strategy, as I do believe he did with leaving Kike’ in to bat in the 8th inning of Game 3 and Game 4 with the bases loaded. But does he make more than other managers? Again it is easy to look back and determine that Doc made a mistake, but what would another manager do in that same situation? We can never adequately answer that question. I know many would surmise that a “better” manager would have PH Matt Beaty in that critical 8th inning AB of both games, and Beaty would have hit a bases clearing double to take the lead. Of course he would. If we were managing the team, the Dodgers would be 4-0.
Where I think that Doc has garnered his most criticism is in his stubbornness on staying with a player too long or using the same strategy over and over with little if any change in the results. Doc is a players’ manager and he seems to do whatever is necessary to prove that a player belongs in a specific situation every time. He did it with Pedro Baez when he was labeled El Gasolino by our own Dodgerrick. He stuck with CT3 as the leadoff when his OBP was hovering .250. He continued to trot out Joc to 1B even though it was obvious to everyone (including Joc) that he did not belong at 1B. Maybe if he worked on it all winter with a 1B coach he could become a decent 1B, but during the season? Most everyone believes that Kike’ is a super utility player (me included), but he has never shown that he is an everyday player, and yet he continues to get that chance. This reliance on L-R-L-R is maddening, but he (and probably AF) believes it to be the best strategy. Okay I am not a ML manager so why even consider my opinion. But try something different every once in a while to see if there might be a difference. It’s only been 32 years since the last championship. Even my patience is growing thin.
I have no idea who would be a better manager, but it is obvious that we are all better than Doc AFTER the fact. Doc’s decisions are more than fair game. He gets paid a lot of money to manage an elite MLB team. I am sure he anticipates a lot of negativity when the Dodgers lose, and he will continue to get more than his share. I will say this, Doc may be managing an elite team, but he cannot be considered an elite manager until he wins the postseason. Even then, it will be, “but that was before, what about now?”
Count me in as one who wanted Corey Kluber. It appears that I would have been acquiring damaged goods. Once again, AF has proven that he is a far better baseball evaluator than I am. I know there are those out there who believe they are better, and yet they still sit here on a blog while AF continues to be employed in MLB. Just like Doc, AF is fair game for criticism, and while he has made mistakes, his pluses far outweigh his negatives. With respect to Kluber, I think the Rangers will find a better way to spend $18MM next year, and will choose to buyout Kluber’s 2021 option at $1MM. Pitcher’s shoulders, elbows, and backs are fragile making it very difficult to spend large dollars over long term on FA pitchers. What will teams be willing to pay next year for James Paxton (at 32), Robbie Ray (at 29), and Marcus Stroman (at 30), perhaps the three best FA starting pitchers next winter?
Tuesday starts the beginning of a 9 game three city road trip. Game 1 is Walker Buehler vs 26 year old Dominican LHP Framber Valdez. Dustin May goes in Game 2, vs TBD. Per the transaction list, CK was placed on the 10 day IL on July 23. He should be eligible to come off the IL on Sunday, August 2 against the DBacks, or any of the three Padres games.
I know it is a 60 game sprint, but maybe we should have a little more patience. Here is where I would embed a youtube video of Guns N Roses, singing Patience, but that particular video is really not appropriate, so we are going to have to have some patience for another musical interlude as well.
Here’s my vote:
The man in the back said “Everyone Attack!”
I’d say Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down!”
Interesting read Jeff.
“ If we were managing the team, the Dodgers would be 4-0.“
Good one.
About the first pitch thing. My approach, the one I used and the one I coached, is what we used to call Dead Red. Look fastball in your zone. Step into the box ready to drive that pitch. If he gives it to you and you straighten it out the chances are he won’t do it again. If you look at it then he starts out with the advantage in that at bat and you never want to just give that away. Pitch counts? Look, if as a team you get the reputation of attacking cookies I can guarantee you they will soon stop giving them to you, start nibbling or throwing breaking balls and you will accomplish driving up pitch counts and do it on your terms. Admittedly this is old school philosophy and I have no algorithms to support this strategy.
I already addressed the Doc thing in the last thread. I shall not regurgitate, which means to repeat. Feel free to express your opinion on why I might be off base.
We are favored today, 9 runs O/U. I got us and push on the runs. 5-4. If it goes to 9.5, I’ll risk the over, 6-4.
I’ll take the over. We wake up today (and bean some jackass who deserves it)
Not being aggressive does not bother me. But last season, Doc would have pinch hit for Kike both games. And it probably would have been Beaty, because all they needed was a hit to get back into the game. If they wanted a homer, it would be either Joc or Rios. Bad baseball decision and I said that before Kike made the out. I would have pinch hit for Taylor too.
That gets back to my comment yesterday about how much time do you give a player with a shortened season. Hernández becomes a free agent after this year. Maybe Roberts is giving him one last chance to show he can hit lefties and righties.
That’s an interesting take MP.
I think it’s clear he trusts Kiké. The guy had a great start, granted it’s was only 10 at bats. if you look at game 2 box score he was 1 for 5 but scored twice. At the end of that game he was hitting .500 with a 1.300 OPS. Perhaps Doc was looking at it as a series. And managers don’t always view short term results from outcomes. It might have been looked at from the “he had good at bats” perspective. We hear that a lot.
But, again, 60 game season. Be here now. There is no yesterday and don’t live for tomorrow. I wonder how difficult that might be for a guy like Roberts.
The Dodgers have one of the highest road win % in the majors, and only 4 teams have a higher one. So far, the home team has had a slight advantage in this fanless season, 30-28, by my count. This would give the Dodgers a favored position playing Houston at home. I can’t imagine them not playing aggressively on this road trip. For whatever reason, they took their foot off the gas with the Giants. Maybe they were lulled to sleep. I was, too.
As was pointed out by one of our posters, the Power seems to be missing, so far. We all know the Dodgers are built for power. Would love to see them shake the cobwebs off and explode. Corey still doesn’t seem to have gotten back the power he used to have. He’s a doubles machine that seems to have lost that extra oomph to take his fly balls over the fence. I’ll still take his doubles and the way he is hitting this year, but what happened to his power? He looks stronger than ever and more assured at the plate.
I am less concerned at this point about what buttons that Dave Roberts will push than I am in the lack of execution that we have seen thus far from the Dodgers. As I posted yesterday, they lead the league in men LOB and most of the Blue haven’t hit with RISP this year. If this weren’t a chronic concern I would chalk it up to a slow start under strange circumstances but in most of the past 7 otherwise successful seasons, lack of hitting RISP has been a big issue. In a 60 game season, they can’t wait to start situational hitting – they have to do it now.
The other issue is starting pitching. Roberts can only put the guys out there who are available to pitch. Stripling was brilliant. May acquitted himself well. The version of Alex Wood who can’t break 90 MPH or pitch off of his fastball won’t work. Notwithstanding some of yesterday’s comments, Urias gave up a lot of loud outs on Sunday and wasn’t fooling anyone. A fastball without good location or good movement is hittable and his secondary stuff wasn’t there either. I have hopes for Urias based on what I saw last year but maybe those who have opined that he is better over just a few innings are right and he isn’t really a starter – I guess we’ll find out this year.
I would love for the Dodgers to gut punch those cheatin’ ‘Stros. This is a chance to regain momentum.
I’d argue it’s not a chronic concern. It’s not a concern.
They were fourth best in the MLB last year with runners in scoring position.
Sheesh
I’m not so concerned with the lack of power, runners left on base, and hiccups from the starting pitchers. This is still early in the season with a very short spring training. Essentially we have the same position players who led last year In home runs and over 100 wins plus Mookie. If we are leaving men on base that means we are getting opportunities that eventually will start to be cashed in. Once the pitchers start getting stretched out if think good things will happen. When we get this train rolling no team is going to stop us.
Nothing about this season is going to be predictable because we have no clue how each individual ballplayer is dealing with the cloud hanging over the season, that being Covid-19. Some players will not let it affect them in the slightest. Others will have a hard time concentrating because they will be worried about their health or even more so their family’s health. Some may get part way into the season and opt out because they can’t handle the pressure any longer. I’m just going to sit back and let it play out, if in fact it actually does play out, and enjoy every game that is played.
The Nationals have just voted not to go to Miami for their weekend series. Interestingly, they don’t get to decide, MLB does. Let’s see if they respect the Nats vote. They would look pretty bad if they told them they had to go or would forfeit the games.
Houston and revenge – I guess you can fall into one of two camps on that one.
1) “My name is Inigo Montoya, you stole my championship, prepare to die!” —–Princess Bride slightly modified
2) “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” ——-Gandhi
Included in the MLBTR article on the Nationals vote was the following: Over the weekend, the Marlins inexplicably took the field against the Phillies after multiple positive tests, evidently based solely upon the collective sentiment within the Miami clubhouse.. That is inexcusable. I do not care if anyone in the Marlins organization is skeptical of the severity of the virus, but to knowingly play with positive test results is beyond wrong. To ignore protocols is one thing, but to knowingly endanger the health of others is inexcusable. If this turns out to be true, I would have zero problem if the Marlins were booted and the schedule would have to be redrawn for the east.
Perhaps there was something wrong with Alex Wood. He was put on the IL with shoulder inflammation. Josh Sborz has been recalled to replace Wood. It would appear that Kershaw will come off the IL when his 10 days are up, and the team can continue with their 5 man rotation. It would appear that Alex’s Dodger days are numbered.
Doesn’t bode well for Alex. Is this the same problem he had last year with the Reds or something totally different? In any case, I really don’t like seeing Sborz brought up instead of Gonsolin but maybe Catman is the next guy up when another starter gets hurt.
Starters are now Buehler, Strip, May, CK, Urias assuming CK takes his next start.
Last year was back issue.
I’m surprised Gonsolin didn’t get the call, or maybe A. J. Ramos. I hope you are correct about Kershaw.
It is perhaps likely that Sborz will be in the pen for the next several games and then be sent down for Saturday’s game, with Gonsolin being recalled for that game. If Gonsolin is going to start, no reason to bring him up now to sit on the bench. The next four games figure to be Buehler/May/Stripling/Urias. The fifth day is open and a perfect spot to start Gonsolin. CK could pitch on Sunday.
Good stuff here.
Skitter. Yep
rick, as always, well put.
Jeff, you too, well said
STB – not surprisingly I agree with you.
AC – yes, bad form Marlins and….. can we blame Driveline?
Voldy – yeah, where’s Gonsolin? I think I take him over Santana. I think, I don’t know. Hard to know anything these days. What is and what is ain’t? Beats me.
How many of us recognize the picture used on this thread? If you do, you’re old.
I qualify.
Keye Luke, and David Carradine, in Kung Fu. Luke spent a long time in the movie business. Carradine’s dad, john, great character actor, and his brother Robert, ( The Cowboys ) had small roles in the series at one time or another. John was a horror film staple and bad guy for years. Robert had some movie parts, most notably besides The Cowboys, as one of the soldiers in Lee Marvin’s squad in The Big Red One. Keith Carradine, the other brother is also a veteran actor.
Hi guys – The Marlins demise is worrying news for the season. Nothing like that has happened here in a sporting sense. Everything has gone amazingly well, although you guys are starting the season in a more acute situation than we were in.
Hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to take a minute to point out something that is very real for me, and worthy of a very positive mention to somebody who doesn’t seem to be much of a favourite around here (Pete excluded), and that’s AJ Pollock, and his decision to play this season at all, considering what he has recently gone through.
Here is an an article i recently read-
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.espn.com.au/mlb/story/_/id/29483720/dodgers-aj-pollock-opens-positive-test-daughter-premature-birth%3fplatform=amp
My first son Ben was born 7 weeks prematurely (33 weeks of a 40 week pregnancy).
The medical people didn’t seem overly concerned when we arrived at the hospital and so it proved.
However, when some years later we found ourselves at the same hospital 13 weeks before the due date with my second boy, Will, things were very different.
We were taken by ambulance to a Neo Natal Hospital that specialised in Prem births, with all lights flashing.
We were told that at week 27, 80% of
babies are expected to survive, and of that 80%, half would have either breathing problems or brain damage.
Will had a bleed on the brain at birth, and has Cerebral Palsy.
He weighed in at 2lbs.
He was lucky though, and of all the things that a brain bleed can affect, vision, hearing, speech, memory and things like intelligence, or a combination of those things, his is mobility. He has a stiffness in his lower left leg, and walks with a limp.
However, he is bright as a button, and is in the English squad for Cerebral Palsy Soccer at his age group, so things are good.
Aj’s daughter was born at week 24, weighing 1.6punds, and I can tell you, that is small.
He then contracted C19, and neither he or his wife could visit the child for 10 days.
She will have been in an incubator with tubes coming from every direction.
Will was in one for 79 days. Your life goes on hold, and you visit or stay multiple times a day. They could not do that. That must’ve been incredibly hard. Every day you’re holding your breath, and as you can imagine, rather stressful.
It’s good news as she is now home.
The reason for this long winded post, is that I find it incredible that AJ has decided to play at all. He must’ve been beside himself, and although the baby is home, is still very vulnerable. They as parents must know they have a long road ahead. Week 24 is unbelievably early.
For him to be there with his teammates says a lot for me about his character and importantly his desire. No one would have blamed him for staying home.
I really hope he is rewarded with a WS ring to show his girl in years to come.
Watford, thank you for sharing your story. I now have another young lad to cheer on…Will. When this pandemic issue is over, one of my retirement goals has always been to volunteer for the Special Olympics. I appreciate the passion that young people with challenges exude, and have since I was 11 or 12, because of my neighbor, Mitch.
With respect to AJ, I too was taken aback by his decision to play in 2020. He strongly considered opting out. I would not have blamed him if his decision was to stay with his family. However, it was his wife who convinced him to play this year. She told him that he would hate it if he was home while his teammates were out winning a WS. If she does not begrudge AJ for playing, then why should I. But I do wonder where is head will be at times during the season.
I agree with you Watford, AJ has a very special quality.
Thanks for that post and the information WD. It just brings home again that baseball is not the most important thing in the world.
Frankly, if I were a member of AJ’s family I would encourage him to opt out right now. He’s made plenty of money in the game already, has more years on his contract and the chance of harming his daughter is more than slight. I know his teammates would back him if he made that decision. I hope, upon further reflection, he does.
On the other hand, if you are a ballplayer and spent the majority of your life as such, you can take measures to stay away from your family for 3 months to win a Championship, which is part of who you are. I would agree with him either way, however, his whole family wants him to play. Ballplayers play! That’s what they do!
“I thought it would be a lot harder,” AJ said of the decision to report to Summer Camp this week. “Kate is an athlete (lacrosse at Notre Dame). I think when I brought it up to her, she said, ‘Do you really want to look at the guys winning the World Series from the couch?’ I was like, ‘I want to do what’s best for you and what’s best for Maddie.’
“Getting coronavirus for me put it into perspective. I was staying at home and being careful and got it. I always want to play whenever I can, and Kate wants to see me play. Talked to our doctor. Everyone has their own decision to make. It helps when your whole family’s on board and they want you to play.”
Pollock said he had two days of typical COVID symptoms a month ago — headache, body aches, congestion, loss of smell. He went 14 days without seeing his newborn, who had to be quarantined and is still hospitalized, but thriving. She’s up to 8 pounds. Pollock said she looks “like a normal baby — she’s pretty cute” and that she never tested positive for COVID-19.
I believe the baby is now home but maybe his wife and baby are not in L.A. with him. In any case, I agree it’s his decision to make.
I don’t know Mark. I just read an update (July 20) CDC Disposition of Non Hospitalized Patients with Covid Not in Healthcare Settings and it said, in so many words, yeah, probably ok. But there were caveats, including this:
“The recommendations below are based on the best information available in mid-July 2020 and reflect the realities of an evolving pandemic. Even for pathogens for which many years of data are available, it may not be possible to establish recommendations that ensure 100% of persons who are shedding replication-competent virus remain isolated. CDC will continue to closely monitor the evolving science for information that would warrant reconsideration of these recommendations.“
An evolving pandemic. Viruses are like androids; non living parasites of living metabolic systems. They definitely replicate and adapt to their environment. The truth is, we don’t know enough yet. We only started dealing with this recently. If it’s your child, what would you do? Easy to sit and judge if it isn’t you. I’m guilty of that myself. And having that experience, I know what I would do if it were my family.
Well, I am a baller, and I would play but I would also stay away from the family and have a lot of facetime and cameras and TV’s available for it. I would not judge him if he didn’t do it. How Andrew Luck retired is not something I agree with, but he is a friend and I respect it. People are different.
I have friends who always wear a mask and others who never wear a mask. I probably don’t agree with either one, but I respect their viewpoint. BTW, the ones who don’t work for me and wear them at work.
I think hundreds of thousands of people have died in this pandemic for reasons that will surface later… and its nothing like many of you think.
Here we go again; None dare call it conspiracy.
Really touching story, Watford. One does not quite know things in the background of the player’s personal life that affect their decisions. I have a new-founded respect for Pollock and his wife now. I pray their little girl does well. He is a brave young man and shows great character.
As a mother of premature twins weighing slightly over two pounds each and losing at first with complications, I know how Pollock and his wife worry about the days after the birth of their daughter hoping to see a weight gain and like you say holding your breath for good news. . I am also glad your little boy is doing well. Thanks so much for sharing.
We’re concerned about our starting pitching but think how the Angels are feeling after Ohtani’s disaster the other day. It’s only 4 games into the season and the Angels already seem dead in the water.
DBM – sorry to hear about your loss, and thanks too for sharing.
Will makes me proud every day, and the way he gets on with life despite his disabilities and the way he has dealt with various surgeries tells me that he will be fine.
Maybe AJ sees Baseball as a welcome distraction.
Thanks to AC, STB & Bobby for their kind words.
Oh Watford, I am sorry if my blog was confusing. I wrote “twins weighing slightly over two pounds each and losing at first with complications.” I did not mean I lost them, but that they lost even more weight, down to below 2 pounds, due to Jaundice, etc. The one whose weight was only 2lbs 9 ounces at birth, had to get her entire blood changed. It was a terrible sight seeing one needle going in the head and one in her tiny heel.
They are grown now and doing well. Thanks for your kind words.
Any team that would cheat in the World Series would probably find a more sophisticated method to get away with cheating after seeing just how much damage they did when being able to avoid Kershaw’s off-speed pitches. The only thing I’ve ever heard from the mouth of any Astro was they didn’t cheat in the World Series. A couple of them deserves to be beaned even to the point of injury.
Damn, Wat and DBM, your stories are amazing. So yes, you can definitely relate to and feel for the Pollock family.
Quas, I don’t disagree with you. The Trashtros need to pay because Rob Manfred didn’t do a damn thing when he should have. Although I”m not a proponent of injuring someone, I am a proponent of sending a strong message and letting them feel that message for a few days.
Yeah Bobby I know injury sounds harsh and it isn’t what I’m hoping for. But “deserves” is a fitting word. How many children may had been affected as likely Kershaw’s charities funds likely lessened. The profits Houston received weren’t taken from any of team players. They were only rewarded and turning the page for them is simple. I doubt there’s a microscope on their play this season but should be as I sure wouldn’t bet the won’t cheat still.
I really wanted to give Alex Wood the benefit of the doubt after he pitched, but here is what I said:
Alex Wood was clearly out of sync. Early this spring, he was hitting 93 or 94 with his fastball. He never hit 91 yesterday. His control was way off too, so he is either just out of sync (his delivery is prone to that) or he is canceling an injury (he is prone to that too).
I was leaning towards injury… and it turns out that is what it is. Now I will say what I really think:
His career as a Dodger is over.
Jeff D. was right, Alex Wood is likely done and Sborz is up for a few days with Gonsolin tanking his place for a minute… or longer.
Even though we all have different opinions on Wood the pitcher, I think all of us really like Wood the person. It’s too bad he’s injured now .
I recall Mark suggesting Wood become our, or anybody’s, Andrew Miller. Maybe when he returns from this new injury, his career goes that route. I’d love to have him back in that role, when he’s healthy.
Only if his velocity is back to 93 range otherwise his career could be over.
I wrote this back in May 2017.
https://ladodgertalk.com/2017/05/02/the-alex-wood-dilemma/
I agree Bobby. Alex was a guy I enjoyed watch pitch. He was great for us in 2017 going 16-3 and 3.73 era leading the league in winning percentage. He definitely contributed during the year to get us to the post season. If Vin didn’t say,” His delivery is all elbows and kneecaps “ he should have. And the trade when he went to the Reds brought Gray back. I hope he can get thru this and end this season on a high note. I can’t help but root for Alex Wood.
I like Alex Wood too… but it’s all about “what have you done for me lately?”
Hard to believe Buehler will be very sharp tonight or last very long. Could be a long bullpen game tonight.
Taxi Squad for the three city road trip:
Victor Gonzalez
Rocky Gale
Zach McKinstry
Who comes off the 40-man?
Nobody. They were all on the 40 man.
Gale isn’t!
You are right. I have not seen any corresponding move. I will see if I can find anything.
Gale is not on the 40 man, and is in Houston on the taxi squad. Perhaps a player on the taxi squad does not have to be on the 40 man when on the road trip. It could be that he does not have to be added to the 40 man unless he is called from the taxi squad to the roster. That seems logical to me.
What, if anything, does that mean for Gonsolin in Saturday’s game?
Do not know. That was a guess from me. But it looks like the plan is for CK to go Friday and Urias Saturday. If CK cannot go, Doc did hint that Victor Gonzalez is considered a starter and is stretched out to four innings. It’s a new dynamic out there.
It isn’t clear to me, but it may be that if you are on the 60-Man Roster, you can be on the taxi squad and don’t have to be on the 40-man. We will find out.
The more I think about it, my guess was rather moronic. Gonsolin was not on the taxi squad and cannot be recalled during the road trip. That is what the taxi squad is for. That is my dementia playing tricks with me. It will either be CK or Victor Gonzalez or Dennis Santana, or Caleb Ferguson or another reliever in an opener role.
Well, I’m just glad you guys are here figuring this stuff out because this entire curriculum has scrambled my cerebral huevos.
AC…question. Can the Taxi Squad be changed every road trip? Not that I want to see it changed. I love it.
The taxi squad can be changed for every road trip, but not once that road trip has started.
Ok. Thanks, AC. You know I am eager to see what McKinstry can do if he gets a chance.
The only way McKinstry plays (or Gonzalez or Gale) is if someone on the 30 man roster goes on the IL or is optioned. They are there so the team can control travel in case of emergency. It is similar to prior years except the player being recalled is already in the city and does not have to take a commercial flight once recalled.
Sorry, my bad. I forgot. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Despite my recent view on Alex Wood starting, I feel bad for him. I don’t dislike Wood. I like him and his funky delivery. I won’t forget him being the one guy who mowed down the Cheaters during the World Series in Houston. It was just apparent at sub-90 there are better options. I hope his injury isn’t serious. I do look forward to May and Goose starting. I wish we could watch Goose hit, but I won’t start ranting about all of the stupid rule changes this year.
~
I feel for Pollock too. Our daughter had the lowest hemoglobin ever at the University of Iowa Hospitals. Fortunately, after a rushed emergency C-section and 2 blood transfusions, Brooklyn, made it just fine. The doctors and nurses told me later they didn’t think she would make it, but fortunately she was big for a pre-mee and a girl. They said a boy would not have made it. Girls tend to be fighters when they’re pre-mees. I was shocked to see my daughter when she was born. White as a ghost. It was congratulations, but we need you to sign this paperwork right away. I can’t imagine being AJ and seeing a 1 lb baby.
Glad your daughter is doing well Hawkeye. Premies are scary but she made it, good news. By the way, love her name.
Did I miss the lineup for tonight?
I tried to sneak Reese in as the middle name but I lost that battle. Still call her Pee Wee though.
Watford, your sharing of your experiences with your sons was very touching and informative. It reminds us that pro players are people first with families and life circumstances. It’s easy to forget that sometimes. These guys aren’t robots. It’s cool Pollock and his family chose for him to play and MT is spot on when he states “ballplayers, play”
Back to being aggressive early in counts at taking pitches, Badger shares my opinion perfectly with his thoughts “My approach, the one I used and the one I coached, is what we used to call Dead Red. Look fastball in your zone. Step into the box ready to drive that pitch. If he gives it to you and you straighten it out the chances are he won’t do it again. If you look at it then he starts out with the advantage in that at bat and you never want to just give that away. Pitch counts? Look, if as a team you get the reputation of attacking cookies I can guarantee you they will soon stop giving them to you, start nibbling or throwing breaking balls and you will accomplish driving up pitch counts and do it on your terms. Admittedly this is old school philosophy and I have no algorithms to support this strategy.”
I too can look at all the algorithms and statistics you want but with my eyes, when I see hitter after hitter taking a “get me over” fat fastball for strike one and end up getting forced to hit a pitcher’s pitch late, It’s time for an adjustment. As Badger states, look dead red, in a spot, and let it eat. And it goes without saying we are swing at strikes and not chasing.
I have used a chart Like Jeff posted showing batting averages by count for many years. My philosophy in coaching both pitchers and hitters was slightly different. While strike one is important the most pivotal pitch (as mention in this article also) is 1 and 1. The difference between hitting 2 and 1 versus 1 and 2 is .178. Both pitchers and hitters need to be aggressive on 1 and 1.
And with the new school approach of openers and a different pitcher every inning, running up pitch counts isn’t an advantage. So, maybe you want to see what a guy has but I’m not fooling around late with men on. When you’ve stranded like 40 runners in 2 games, I want to hunt a fastball early.
I have made no comments about Doc’s managing so far but I said earlier that the Dodgers are a great team without a great manager. Good guy, good with players but stubborn as a mule.
Then again most people think they can do 3 things 1. Write a book 2. run a bar 3. manage a baseball team. At least I know I can.
In today’s pre-game Zoom Press Conference, Doc indicated that Alex has been having shoulder soreness for a couple of weeks. After the game they noticed that his arm slot had dropped (that was clear to me on TV from the 1st inning), and they sent him in for a scan. His scan is clean. It is inflammation, and he will need some rest to settle it down, but his season is not in jeopardy. Doc did say that any problems with ramping up were NOT a cause.
Doc did seem to be guarded about his feelings in his return to Houston. When asked if he was still angry, he said he was not, but he did say that there are still feelings that do not go away. He did say that it was a strange feeling walking into the ballpark, but the team will be concentrating on winning tonight and tomorrow, and not worrying about 2017, something they have no control over. Doc will not be ordering and does not expect any retaliation. He is not going to address the team and does not hear of any chatter about 2017.
Players will be isolating themselves in their hotel rooms. They all know what is at stake, and nobody wants to be the one to get their teammates sick.
Walker’s max output tonight is expected to be 5 IP and 75 pitches.
Clayton is with the team in Houston and is scheduled to throw a bullpen tonight. If all goes well, he could be ready to start on Friday in Arizona. Julio Urias will get an additional day, and will start on Saturday. That would put Buehler pitching on Sunday.
When Joc was asked about returning to Houston, he did acknowledge that there is a special feeling, but like Doc, there is nothing that can be done about 2017. The team will be looking to win two games in Houston for 2020.
In Dodger player pressers with Spanish speaking players, I have come to learn that I need to relearn Spanish. Sounds like a retirement task awaiting me. The Spanish speaking journalists come out in force with Julio Urias. Julio also responds in Spanish, but does have an interpreter for English speaking journalists’ questions. Julio did acknowledge that he was not successful in executing his game plan in his last start. He could not get the first pitch strike, and he had to grind it out from there.
With respect to the Marlins, “Sunday saw Marlins players and field staff make the final call on playing — rather than a league official or health expert — even as positive tests piled up. Both shortstop Miguel Rojas and manager Don Mattingly said after the game that the team never gave strong consideration to calling off the game.” How does that happen? That had to be anticipated. There needs to be penalties assessed against Mattingly and whatever Marlins official decided to look the other way with all of the positive tests. Four other teams are now inconvenienced because of the Marlins. Whether any alterations to that decision process will be implemented moving forward remains unclear. Some fans on other blogs are saying what would happen if this were the Dodgers or Yankees. I am sorry, but IMO the Dodgers field and executive staff are not that irresponsible. And without following the Yankees, I would assume they would also not jeopardize their team, their opponent, or a season.
Both Dave Roberts and Joc were asked about the Marlins and what impact that will have on their decisions. Dave was a little more matter of fact and said that they can only control what is in front of them. What happened with the Marlins is known and will reinforce the Dodgers decisions to follow protocol. Dave is not focusing on the Marlins, but looking at each game the Dodgers will be playing and to try to get through the season. They are not playing, “what if…”. He indicated that nobody believed that the season would go without a roadblock. MLB is hoping the teams will learn from the idiocy (my emphasis) of the Marlins and will act accordingly. Per MLB and MLBPA, there have been no new cases from Friday’s test results from any player or staff. Apparently 29 of the teams are trying to play responsibly. That does not mean there will not be any new cases, but if the teams follow the stated protocols, the belief is that the outbreaks will be small in number and they can control their own destiny through their 60 man player pools.
Joc was a little more emotional about it, but had the same response. It is what it is. We have to be responsible. Wear the masks. Gloves on the planes. Do not touch hotel remotes (and other gadgets) without sanitizing them and gloves. Be Accountable.
It will be important to see what happens with the coronavirus tests when the team gets back from the three city road trip.
Update:
I checked with my source, and a player on the taxi squad does NOT have to be on the 40 man. Only on the 60 man player pool. He would have to be added if he is recalled. Being on the taxi squad and traveling with the team is not being recalled.
Bob Nightengale has a story which indicates that one or more Marlins players went to a strip club in Atlanta while they were there. No one has confirmed that story, so it may just be rumor, but Lou Williams, the Clippers player did the same thing when he was allowed out of the bubble to attend a funeral.
Apparently athletes (at least a few of them) don’t have much self-control these days if the stories are true. They were willing to jeopardize not only their season but their entire team’s season for some r & r. Sad.
Nothing like reading LADT after PT…
A great post filled with baseball stuff and most important the human side of things, you know the living with life’s terms…
Watford and DBM, you’ll be in my thoughts alot after your stories..
I may have missed it, but how are you doing Quas.??? I saw your name pop up and was wondering…
Watford you were right about AJ and how I’ve like getting him out of the gate. He’s a player who grinds it out… And of course, having a wife that went to my beloved UND makes it even better…
One day at a time…
Are you a Domer too?
Just a Notre Dame fan since birth… It was a Catholic thing…
Local team I root for is UCLA…
Hey peterj, I’m doing a lot better after Kelly’s turn on the bump. Maybe I’m by myself but I’m thinking there some intent behind a couple of his misses. Kelly’s my hero!
Today vs the Trashtros:
Mookie
Muncy
JT
Belly
CT3 (DH)
Seager
Pollock
Kike
Smith
Buehler
And the first inning the Dodgers go down in order on 14 pitches.
Get that bum Kike outta’ there!
If he keeps swinging that way he’ll get his share of hits.
My point… exactly!
Somebody help me here. I’m watching Valdez and from my view he starts his windup with his foot off the rubber, then sets it down in front of it.
It’s close…
It’s the Astros. They cheat.
He’s starting his windup with his foot in front of the rubber and landing in front of it. Maybe his heel is contact? I’ve never seen anybody do that. It was not legal when I umped.
Damn the last 5-6 dudes have hit the ball hard. We’re on this guy. Just super unlucky so far
It is VERY disappointing that Buehler was not more ready for the season.
Makes me wonder if he is “ace worthy?”
Being an ACE starts with an attitude – he talks a lot of trash….
I agree. They’ve known for some time the season was likely to start in July. I hope he wasn’t listening to me and thinking there would be no season. Any starter should be able to throw 75 pitches.
It’s Mookie time!!!!!!
Man, Graterol has a chance to be absolutely filthy for us.
Andre scrubb in the majors being traded from the Dodgers to the Red Sox. Don’t know how scrubb will turn out but Tyler white wasn’t exactly helpful. We might need to quit dealing with the trashtos.
Don’t say that to bear. He’s a huge Tyler White fan!
Orel and Joe are really going off on the Astros cheating their way to a Championship. Especially Orel. He’s pissed. MLB failed by not stripping them of the title.
I would not have expected anything less than stripping the title from them. The league copped out of the most decisive action it could have levied. How do you not punish this?
In the same vein, if the Marlins did indeed knowingly field a team with infected players on it, they must either face a very stiff fine, or elimination from the season. It is not too harsh of a punishment as it is endangering lives of not only their own staff but other staffs as well. This is where I have no stomach for how the league handles important situations that they are presented with.
Joe Kelly says STFU! CHEATERS!
Huerta Kelly. Well done!!!
Correa is definition of a selfish player. Wants to be the hero instead of taking a free base!
We leave them loaded again. Come on guys. Bury them.
Seager isn’t getting any lift when he pulls the ball. Everything is on the ground. And Ferguson with that new cutter slider is a future star!!!!!
Caleb Ferguson looked amazing!
Joe Kelly made every Dodger fan forgive him for the granny he gave up to Howie.
And again Kike hits and Joc, Rios and Beaty sits?????????? Three run lead is enough?!!!!!
Dare I say it! If Kelly’s fastball can find the strike zone is this the best bullpen in baseball?!!!!! AF looking even more brilliant with Treinen signing!
Other than the Mookie double absolutely nothing hit hard tonight, but I’ll take a W anyway we can get it. Graterol, Ferguson and Treinen looked great making a lot of hitters swing and miss.
Muncy is scuffling and might need to sit tomorrow’s game out. Lets see Rios or Beaty get a start at 1B.
After 5 games we’re 8.1 and 5.4. That’s good, right?
And Kolarek leads the team with 5.4 wins!
And after three Dodger wins, Kolarek has two of them. Baseball is a weird sport, but I love it and am so glad we’re playing. Just hope we can keep the Covid at bay so we can have some late summer sports entertainment.
Graterol got the win. I guess one of those scorer’s decision.
Thanks, I stand corrected. I thought I saw a line score on ESPN or TBLA that showed Kolarek with the win. Good For Bazooka (Graterol)
Graterol, Treinen, Caleb, & Kelly, all dominant relievers when they are on. I can’t remember when I’ve seen the BP looking so good and strong. Along with McGee, whom I also see good things, I’m liking our chances a lot. It’s making me rethink Baez, who has never looked as good as these guys. If things continue like this, Baez could be a nice piece put up near the trade deadline.
I never would have imagined our rotation being as questionable as it has become, though. They really need to bare down and get it together.
If Striker can add another inning next game and another after that, the Dodgers will be fine. He just needs to get in sync. Let’s see another good outing from May today and Chicken Strip on Thursday. I’d like to see May pitch into the 5th inning or deeper.