We cannot summarize the two game series against the Asterisks without reengaging about Joe Kelly. Let’s look at the pitch to crybaby Correa to get his mouth going and get Kelly “taunting”.
Was Correa really upset about a breaking ball high and tight that went to the backstop to put runners in scoring position? I doubt that was Kelly’s plan. Was he complaining about the pitch to Bregman? No he was embarrassed because he let Kelly get to him and make him look silly striking him out.
Let’s not forget that it was mouthy Correa that insinuated that Houston did not cheat in the 2017 post season, and popped off to Belli:
“When [Bellinger] talks about that we cheated for three years, he either doesn’t know how to read, is really bad at reading comprehension or is just not informed at all,” Correa told The Athletic. “The commissioner’s report clearly says that all those activities were conducted in 2017. 2018 nothing happened. 2019 nothing happened. It was just talented players, playing the game of baseball with passion and winning ballgames.”
He then went on to claim that Houston earned their 2017 World Series title against the Dodgers, insisting that the Astros didn’t intercept LA’s signs. He said teams don’t use “easy” signs to decode in the World Series because those games are “too important.”
The other culprit in mouthing off last winter was Alex Bregman.
“The commissioner came out with a report, MLB did their report, and the Astros did what they did, meaning they made their decision on what they’re going to do. I have no other thoughts on it.”
I am not going to minimize the danger of head-hunting by a wild, hard throwing pitcher. But if you slow down the pitch you can see that the pitch goes over his numbers. Bregman almost ducked into the pitch. There is no doubt that it scared the *** out of Bregman. But if the pitch would have hit Bregman, it would have hit him in the upper back.
Of all the lame apology attempts by the Astros in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal, Bregman’s and Correa’s were the worst. Neither Correa nor Bregman gave anything close to a sincere apology. Is it any wonder why they would be the two batters who might have been exploited?
Then there is there no class hypocritical manager who complained about Kelly.
Dusty Baker likes to pop off about Joe Kelly comments but makes no mention about his comment to Kelly from the Houston dugout after getting spiked by Michael Brantley at 1B…”Just get on the mound MF.” That of course was okay for Dusty.
I am convinced had it not been for Correa’s comments and actions after his strikeout, Kelly would not have been suspended. Kelly is not the only pitcher that has thrown behind a batter, and I will go out on a limb and guess that not every pitcher who threw behind the batter was suspended.
Now for the rest of the series. The Dodgers got off to yet another slow start in Game 1. They then strung together 5 singles, 2 walks, a fielder’s choice & error, into 5 runs. And that was their offense. Mookie did come back and get his first extra base hit with a double in the 8th. A.J. Pollock had a three hit night and Mookie and Corey both had two hit nights.
Walker Buehler threw one bad pitch in the first 3.2 IP; a hanging slider that Correa punished. After two quick outs in the 4h, he suddenly lost it. A single to Brantley, a walk to Gurriel, and a single by Correa to give the asterisks a 2-0 lead. Adam Kolarek came in to face Josh Reddick who hit a screaming line drive to Corey Seager who made a good play to retire Reddick. After that, Bazooka Graterol, Joe Kelly, Caleb Ferguson, Blake Treinen, and Kenley Jansen finished off the Cheaters with KJ getting his first save in 2020.
When asked after the game if he was tiring in the 4th, Walker Buehler made no excuses and just said that he lost command. He has some inconsistencies that he needs to work on before his next start.
In Game 2, the Dodgers were facing a pitcher, Cristian Javier, who started the year in A ball in the Carolina League and progressed to AA and AAA before he season was over. He made his MLB debut last weekend with a perfect inning in relief. He made his initial MLB start and completely shut down the Dodgers except for one pitch to Corey Seager who hit his 1st HR of the season. Javier struck out 7 of the first 10 batters he faced (8 in total), and then retired 12 consecutive batters after Seager’s HR before he walked Austin Barnes on 4 pitches.
Dustin May started for the Dodgers, and after an impressive 1st inning, he had a rough 2nd inning. Threw way too many pitches and failed to get off the mound quick enough to cover first on a ground ball that Muncy made a good play allowing the tying run to score. It looked to me that May was afraid to throw inside to RH batters. Was it poor command, or by design? May only went 3.1, and the bullpen that was hoping to get a break after 5.1 innings on Tuesday and an unknown need for Thursday, needed to go even more innings on Wednesday.
With runners on 1st and 2nd and one out, Jake McGee got Reddick to pop up to JT and struck out Myles Straw to get out of the 4th. McGee came back out in the 5th, got the first out before giving up a single. Dylan Floro finished up the 5th. Baez, Ferguson, Treinen, and Jansen shut down the asterisks as their pitchers did the same to LAD hitters. In the 8th, A.J. Pollock delivered a PH double for his 4th hit in the series, got to third with one out, and Bob Geren sent in Terrance Gore as a pinch runner hoping to score on contact. But alas, Austin Barnes struck out and Max Muncy hit a weak grounder to 1st to end the inning.
Both teams failed to score in the 10th with some good pitching by Osuna and Scott Alexander. The Dodgers broke through in the 11th on a Mookie Betts double. Houston scored the tying run on a pair of singles by Gurriel and Correa off Scott Alexander, before Dennis Santana struck out George Springer looking to end the 11th.
As good as Seager has hit this year, he failed in two situational ABs trying to move JT over to 3rd with one out. JT might have scored on the weak ground ball hit CT3 in the 12th, but he did not get the chance. Dennis Santana got Tucker and then got hosed by a bad call by the umpire to Altuve for Ball 4. After getting Bregman to hit a weak fly ball to Belli, Santana got to face Jack Mayfield instead of Michael Brantley. In all of Dusty’s wisdom, he pinch ran Mayfield for Brantley to start the 11th on 2B. Why PR for Brantley?
In the 13th, Edwin Rios said forget about this situational hitting nonsense and blasted a 2 run HR off Cy Sneed to take a 4-2 lead. After walking the leadoff hitter putting the tying runners on base, Dennis Santana got Correa to ground into a 6-4-3 DP and struck out Dustin Garneau looking to end the game. As poorly as Santana may have pitched Saturday against the Giants, he was outstanding in extra inning jams. He inherited two runners in the 11th and pitched the 12th and 13th with a runner starting at 2B, and nobody scored.
The Dodgers may have found two outstanding setup pitchers in LHRP Caleb Ferguson and RHRP Blake Treinen. This was Ferguson’s 3rd game in 6 played, and he has not allowed a base runner with 5 K’s. Blake Treinen may not have been as dominating, but it was also his third outing, and he has allowed 1 hit and 1BB with zero runs. Overall, the bullpen gave up 1 unearned run in the last two games over 15.0 IP. Starting pitching looks thin, but the bullpen looks locked in.
It may not have been pretty, but the Dodgers completed the 2 game sweep against the Cheaters in Houston.
One rule change that MLBPA has requested and MLB is considering. The MLBPA has requested that the 30 man roster stay intact for the entirety of the season. Just too many unknowns.
A couple of sad notes to report. Long time MLB manager, John McNamara passed away at 88. And a very sad day for me as former USC Trojan infielder and longtime coach, Mike Gillespie, has passed away at the age of 80. He is one of only two who have played for and coached NCAA championships. He was on the 1961 national championship team and coached the 1998 national championship team, the last for the Trojans. He coached 30 future ML players including Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior. Gillespie later went on to coach the UCI Anteaters to five NCAA regional and one WS appearance. Gillespie retired after the 2018 season. College baseball has lost a GREAT ONE. I know I will miss him.
First and foremost, baseball lost a couple good ones in McNamara and Gillespie… I used to roll over to UCI to see the Anteaters play… Gillespie was very approachable after games which fans appreciate…
OK hopefully we got the headhunting out of the way and it’s back to baseball….
Pleased that Rios got a lil time in the spotlight…
The pen is making me feel very good…
In looking at the Blue, Depth is a beautiful thing… With health, it’s going to be very tough to catch up with the Blue over the 60 games…
After Altuve struck out last night, Orel said “guessing is harder than knowing”
Simple Truth!
Meanwhile, lots of fun in LA this am with several earthquakes/aftershocks from 4:30am onwards
Tiny temblors, Bobby. You probably just turned on your other side and fell back to sleep. 🙂
I actually did laugh at both of them, but my am coffee was at 5am haha.
Preparing for a fun evening of Clippers/Lakers at 6 and Dodgers at 6:30 (and Sparks at 7 if anyone cares about the WNBA, which I actually enjoy watching)
4.2 according to my QuakeWatch app. That ain’t tiny.
Did you feel it?
No.
Because it was tiny. 🙂
Gillespie was one of the great college coaches. He replaced the legend Rod Dedeaux at USC and made his own name and legacy.
Great sweep of the Cheaters. The kids Santana and Rios are making statements on the field they belong in the majors. With more chances Santana is settling down and starting to throw the ball very well. I think by the end of the season he could slot in as a number 4 or 5 in most rotations. I’d like to see more of Rios as DH and 3rd to give JT a breather.
The Dodgers will be facing 3 RH’s in the D-back series. This will be the series that Muncy and Bellinger start hitting the ball hard. Of course, all others are welcome to join in.
Rios has to be in the lineup!
Nice job by the pen. Offense still in a little funk. The first 6 in the lineup went 3-30. Not what you want from the meat of the order. I was very impressed with Santana’s performance. The kid went right after the hitters. Looking forward to tonight’s game. I want to see Strip build on that first game.
I agree Bear the bullpen did a great job. How many games do you see 8 relievers and a starter. I bet we will see a game when 9 pitchers get one inning , all a no hitter. That would be something.
Caleb Ferguson is turning into an outstanding picture this year. I
Ferguson has impressed with his ability to throw that high heater that no one seems to be able to make contact with. I liked the kid when he first came up. I know he really wants to be a starter, and I think somewhere down the line he might get his wish. I hope they do keep the rosters at 30. Makes sense with all the craziness going around. Bob Geren is 2-0 as a Dodger manager! Fire Roberts! LOL……..One thing I did notice, I think Geren burned 2 players when he did not have to. When Pollock got to 3rd on the wild pitch with one out, Geren pinch ran Gore. The next 2 hitters failed to get the ball out of the infield. He could have saved Gore for later. Dodgers got 2 hits out of the DH spot last night. Pollock’s pinch hit double, and Rios homer. And they only got 5 the entire game. Big difference from Tuesday’s game, 4 of the 5 went for extra bases so maybe their power switch is coming back on. Yaz beat the Padres last night with a walk off into McCovey Cove, so Colorado sits in first and the Dodgers are 1/2 game back. I think you meant pitcher, not picture there Skitter. One you hang on the wall, the other you can keep tea in, or put on the mound.
Phillies had one coach and one clubhouse person test positive, which is actually a good sign. Pat Venditte signed by the Marlins. Had a cup o java with the Dodgers a couple years back. One thing I have been wanting to say about AF making the commitment and signing Mookie long term. What it does is save all Dodger fans a lot of stomach churning this winter while waiting to find out if Mookie was going to stay or leave. Now we have peace of mind. That being said, I think, and Jeff will know this better than I, that there are at least 9 Dodgers in the final year of their deal. Including JT, Kike, and Joc. I think of those 3, only JT comes back. Kike is redundant, and Joc wants to play everyday, plus the fact his new deal will be 11 mil a year plus.
Betts, Bellinger and Muncy are at .200 or below, Smith is hitting .091, Barnes .200. Taylor has hit in bad luck until yesterday’s game when he struck out 3 times. Belli had no K’s until this series and struck out 3 times against Houston. Muncy leads the team with 7, then Kike with 6 and Betts has 5. The last few games they have struck out too many times. When this bunch starts hitting, I would think the offense would not be sputtering so much. Ray going tonight for Az. He lost his first start and his ERA is over 7. But he has always pitched the Dodgers tough. RH lineup will probably be in play this evening. No word on Kelly’s appeal yet. AJ Pollock leads the team with a .500 BA.
Did anybody else find it odd that Barnes wasn’t pinch hit for with one out in the 8th after Pollock’s double and wild pitched to 3rd. I totally expected Rios in that spot. I’m glad Rios was around in the 13th but we might have saved 4 innings had Rios come through in the 8th.
Then again maybe not. Rios struck out in his first AB against Sneed. Then touched him for the homer the second time. No, he hit at the right time. Second guessing after the fact is easy. And you do not want to burn your catcher when you only have one left on the bench. Smith is hitting even less than Barnes.
Second guessing is easy Bear. That’s one of the reasons it’s so fun.
And I’m certainly not saying Smith should have hit for Barnes.
I knew that, I am just saying that Rios might not have done what he did later in the game. Like I said, he fanned on a high fastball his first at bat. 2nd time around he got it right.
You know Bear at the time, in the top of the 8th, I wasn’t privy to the fact that Rios was going to strike out in his first at bat and hit a homer in the 13th. Had I known that I wouldn’t have wondered why Barnes was wasn’t pinch hit for. I lost my crystal ball.
I have found that crystal balls are useless. My point is simply this, no one can see what is going to happen. Maybe Rios goes deep. Maybe the offense for once hits on all cylinders, they don’t consistently leave a lot of men on base, and score like they did the first two games. Point is it is very simple to say after the fact, coulda shoulda woulda. But no one can predict events..You witness events as they happen. The manager who is there in real time is the one who makes the call.
Important win last night. I pulled an all time rookie TV move. I have the Directv MLB Package. And I record everything. I hate commercials so I watch nothing in real time. As I recall the record time for Directv games used to be 6 hours. Not now. It’s 4 hours. So, I ran out of game and had to read the outcome online.
I love the new extra inning rule. I’ve seen enough boring, dragging 16 inning affairs where the batboys are pitching at the end. Way more suspense each 1/2 inning now.
But so much for all the early speculation about extra inning strategies. The expected bunt, especially by the home side, intentional walks, 5 man infields, wheel plays, all that; out the window. The Asstros-Dodger strategy – knock the guy in. And it finally worked last night.
So far there have been 7 extra inning games and 1 bunt. Jason Stark has a terrific article in the Athletic (subscription requires) this morning that covers this very topic. Here is some info he offers on bunt strategy using 2019 MiLB stats where this rule has been in place: (since the sample size is too small in MLB 2020)
“20.7 PERCENT — That’s the total percentage of the time that a team led off an extra inning with a bunt. That includes home teams, road teams or any combination of scores.
22 PERCENT — That’s how often the road team bunted to kick off an extra inning.
31 PERCENT — The highest rate of bunts leading off extra innings came, logically enough, from home teams that had just held the road team scoreless in the top of the inning, meaning they already had a runner in scoring position as they led off their half-inning, needing just one run to win.
13 PERCENT — The lowest percentage of bunts leading off an extra inning, not surprisingly, was from home teams that were trailing because they’d allowed runs in the top of the inning, so they couldn’t play for one run.”
With MLB’s general distain for the bunt, I bet the % will be much lower.
Which brings me to my old school thoughts on the use of small ball and not just in extra innings. The Dodgers left 50 runners LOB in their first 5 games. Hitting with RISP was practically nada. Last night was different story with practically no traffic on the bases until extra innings. But with batters struggling and 50 LOB was there one time in the first 5 games where the Skipper considered trying to manufacture a run? I love the safety squeeze. It’s indefensible if executed right. With the right guys at the plate, I think small-ball still can win games.
And when we’re not creating traffic, like last night against this Javier kid (and others) with 3 hits in 10 innings, it it too outrageous to consider a bunt single against a shift to create a baserunner? A bunt single, bunt the guy to second and knock him in. I remember Mickey Mantle using the drag bunt as a slump breaker. I believe there is a time and place to try some small ball to help your team. But that’s just too “old school”.
Where do you live Phil? Direct has the Spectrum Channel where I am.
I posted an article a while back (BR I think) about Mantle’s success with the bunt. He hit .600 doing it and had over a dozen bunt hits the year he won the Triple Crown. I got a feeling these guys don’t work on bunting. It’s not analytically correct so why bother? Bellinger could hit .380 if he learned to bunt well. Seager and Muncy could hit .350. They just continue to swing for the fences because that’s what they are taught to do. And we win over 100 games, so what do I know?
Badger, I’m currently back to Eastern Washington having returned from my winter home in Arizona 2 months late due to my bicycle accident. It’s SportsNet LA.
SportsNetLA is what I have too. Didn’t have it last year.
I switched to MLB.TV and dropped DTV Extra Innings. I’m liking MLB.tv much more.
When the NFL comes back ill have to go back to DTV to get the Sunday Ticket, but I’m staying with MLB.TV.
Used my sons college email and got 35% off. A steal for $41.00
I got a military discount. And I got the single team option since I really never watched much of the other teams games anyway. cost me 32 bucks…not bad considering I usually was paying 119 for a full year. Last year I was in LA the first 3 months of the season at my sisters. She has the Dodger channel so i saw all I wanted to see. When I got home in mid June, they had a sale on and I got the rest of the year for 40 bucks, so the last 2 years I have spent less than I normally do in a year.
Yeah, the swing away from the bunt (Pun?) has been a little much.
While the sacrifice I think is rightly obsolete, bunting for a base hit makes so much sense.
I don’t get it either, but it’s happening.
An exciting win, and almost gets one to become immersed in this season, except that apparently there was an article which said that had it been the Yankees or Dodgers which had the 14 cases of virus, MLB was prepared to shut the season down. Who knows, but the season will hang by a thread all the way through.
Back to the game, our bullpen has been mostly great, but you can’t keep using them every night. Treinen was a very good pickup, and I wish that the Dodgers had given him the multi-year contract, and not Kelly last year. Santana saved the game for us, by being able to pitch for 2-plus innings. The play that saved us was the call at second base, that Hernandez was in the act of throwing when he dropped the ball; otherwise, Houston would have had bases loaded, one out, in a tie game. Speaking of Hernandez, i think he has one hit after the opener when he went four for five. I concur with AC and others that he should not play regularly, just spot starts.
We absolutely have to hit; this looks like our world series against Boston. And we did not face Verlander or Greinke. Bellinger had that incredible first few months, then he hit .263 after the All-Star break, has never hit in postseason, and isn’t hitting the ball hard at all so far. Seager is doing much better, really the only one who is. Maybe our lineup is not ideal, ,maybe we need to use Rios and Beatty more, and not just trust that certain players are what they were. Of course it is only six games, and we have won four of them, though except for Cueto, we have not faced a proven starter, and we did not hit him at all, they just took him out. What happens when starters stretch out more? We’ll surely do better, one thinks, but are we confident that Muncy and Taylor and any of our catchers, and even Bellinger, are going to have good seasons? It’s never easy to beat the Astros, so these were good wins, despite any concerns.
Treinen was not a free agent last year, Kelly was. And considering what he did to the Dodgers in the 18 series, it was a good move. And except for occasional gaffs, Kelly has done a decent job. He gets hammered because of the grand slam Kendrick hit in the playoffs to win. But he should not even been sent out there for his second inning. That one is on Roberts. Yes, the call at second was critical. But the kid got out of the inning, and then shut them down after getting the lead. As for Bellinger, all players go through rough spots. One thing Belli is is a hard worker. I think he may have tinkered with his swing a little too much, but there is to much talent there to stay in this funk for long. Seager is hitting well, but Pollock is leading the team with a .500 average. Muncy, Betts, Bellinger are all at the Mendoza line or lower. Kike is second on the team with 6 K’s, and Muncy is 1st with 7. Belli has only struck out 3 times, all in this series. Until you get the meat of the order hitting on all cylinders, you are going to struggle. The Dodgers went from worst in the league in RISP avg in 2018, to first last year. There are a lot of ifs’ right now. But over the course of the next 54 games, the teams that rise to the challenge will end up on top. This team has a ton of talent. I agree that Kike is better suited as a super sub. Me, I move Muncy to second, and put Rios on first. I do not trust Kike over the long run as the regular second baseman. I look for Lux to join the team at some point. Gore is useless, and I totally dislike the runner on second rule. It worked out ok last night. But I think it gives way too much advantage to the home team. Earn the runs the right way. This is not little league baseball, it is the majors.
Bear, I totally agree on the extra innings rule change. It is a gimmick, and it puts something into baseball which was never part of the game; the idea of the sport was that to get on base you had to hit the ball somewhere, or walk your way on. Next, they’ll say that if the game is still tied after 14 innings, each team gets the bases loaded to start their half? Or a home run with two men on base after the 14th, counts for six runs? That will get the games finished more quickly, but it’s an insult to the sport and the fans. No inning should start with a different set of rules than the innings before it. Actually, I like the “must pitch to three batters” rule, which might seem inconsistent, but that rule was put in to keep managers from making five pitching changes in an inning, not to add more runs, or break ties more easily; and it is a rule for every game all season, applying to all innings.
It is a gimmick, but so is the DH. Lowering the mound was something of a gimmick. From 18” to 10” is a big deal. Made the game better. I’m not sure about this runner on second rule but I am sure that extra inning games tax bullpens. Expanding the rosters is something I’ve been promoting for a while. I’ve suggested this before, follow the examples the Asian leagues use. 6 man rotation, 28 man rosters, with 3 floaters daily so only 25 per day. I actually expand to 26 man with 3 floaters. This would allow pitchers who threw 2 days in a row, or were involved in a 15 inning game to get rest without causing the team a shortage. I think the runnner on second is the remedy they chose to keep those long marathons from happening.
Things everywhere are evolving. I just heard about huge class action lawsuit filed in Colorado over the Covid-19 in prison. How does that effect each of us and MLB? I’m not sure. Ask rick.
Badger, there is nothing evolutionary about the man on 2nd rule. It is a gimmick, pure and simple. I don’t think it is the same thing as the DH. You play the whole game with the DH, both teams. This started because of the failure of pitchers to bat well. Teams really never made the effort to have their pitchers proficient in hitting. Most pitchers didn’t go a full game. The DH was the right move. There is nothing right or evolutionary about the man on 2nd rule. It came out of the blue and was not a result of something else. Most games don’t go into extra innings, and most games in extra innings don’t go very long. There are exceptions and if the youth with their poor attention spans get bored tough s**t for them. 🙂
William, I don’t feel remotely “insulted” by the extra inning rule. I like it. We can disagree on this one.
Is it too early to say we need Gavin Lux?
Hernandez has 25 plate appearances, has a 24% K rate, .400 SLG, 97wRC+ and a .294 wOBA. He’s been given the starting 2B job for the last two years and I think he has proven he is a good multi-position utility player who brings value to a ML roster, but but he is not an everyday 2B.
I am not sure Lux is the answer either. He was not that impressive in his debut. He had some good moments to be sure, but he did not turn the league on it’s ear. Hopefully he lives up to his promise. He looked not ready in the last 3 exhibition games. Neither at the plate nor in the field.
Went to bed a happy camper last night after the Dodger victory. The kids, Rios and Santana, came through! Great job by the bullpen facing some tough batters. Caleb and Treinen very good also
Thank you AC for the great recap. I think Kelly’s suspension games are ridiculous.
I did not mind the inherited runner at 2nd base in overtime, but agree with philjones about a bunt moving him over to 3rd and giving us a chance for a sac fly. We seemed to have a lot of balls hit for fly outs in the game.
Looking forward to games with AZ. Go Blue
I thought I was going to hate the extra inning/second base rule but I found it to be quite exciting last night. I freely admit that I might not be speaking this way if the Astros had won the game.
Bellinger is the fastest guy on the team and has previously shown he can bunt for hits. If I’m in charge of hitting for this team I insist he try to bunt at least one time per game until he straightens himself out.
This team hit a record amount of homers last year. This year they seem to be hitting a lot of fly balls which are caught on or near the track. Does anybody know how many homers have been hit in MLB to date vs. the same amount of games last year? I’d like to find out if Manfred has made a change to last year’s ball or if our guys just need to be eating more Wheaties.
Lux looked totally lost during Summer Camp. A great part of that may have been because of his late start. I’m sure that AF will add him to the roster as soon as they see he is ready. How long that will be I have no clue.
The Dodgers have hit a total of six homers this season in six games … after hitting eight on opening day 2019 alone!
I still say the extra innings rule and the DH are here to stay.
With regard to Gavin Lux, let’s not forget the guys are people too and we don’t know what is happening in their lives. We know he was late. But why? Maybe someone close to him is/was sick r dying. You never know what kind of battles people are fighting… maybe he was lost but for reasons unknown to us.
I am still concerned that the starting pitching is just not throwing enough innings.
After 6 games, Dodger starters have logged 26 1/3 innings (4.3 innings/game). Relievers have pitched 31 2/3 innings (5.3 innings/game). This is a recipe for disaster if it is a long term thing. Starters are 1 – 1, 3.08. Relievers are 3 – 1, 1.14.
Starters have a composite bWAR of +0.1. Relievers are a composite +1.5. Starters almost never have a lower bWAR than relievers.
May, Buehler, Urias and Wood have not looked good. Stripling is sole outstanding performer among starters in what is an admittedly small sample size.
Starters have to throw some quality innings!
Other issue is bad situational hitting (again). Dodgers have left 58 on base in 6 games. Next closest team in MLB is the Mets with 48. Dodgers are OPSing .741 with RISP with 2 2B and 2 HR and .352 SLG%. Smith, Muncy, Pederson and Pollock still hitting .000 RISP.
Put another way, the Dodgers have scored 31 runs (17 in the first 2 games, 14 in the next 4) but they have left 58 on base.
Guys have to knock guys in!
With a runner on 2B and no outs in extra innings, in deciding whether to bunt or not would depend upon the hitter. If it were Muncy or Bellinger or Pederson, I probably would not, but I would tell them to quit working the count and swing at the first pitch they can pull.
Maybe we are thinking about this all wrong. Maybe Gore should learn to bunt well and let him bunt the runner to 3B. That would put a lot of pressure on an infielder.
Maybe we need a designated bunter / base stealer. Nice idea. And that would play into my idea of playing more small ball and manufacturing runs.
Yes. Mark, I mostly agree on the batter. But I think it would have to be a surprise from someone who does not bunt often (which is almost the whole team). It might only work once but worth a try in my opinion.
Wow Mark, that would make Doc think too much. Good idea, though. Gore should be a bunter. Classic skill for a fast man.
After 6 games, the Dodgers are second in team ERA at 2.02. Colorado leads at 1.84 – see how long that holds up!
The Dodgers are 6th in Team BA, but 12th in OPS. What is amazing is that they are 25th in striking out! They have been very unlucky with balls hit in play.
Baseball is watered down enough as it is. I like the DH, and think it is here to stay. I dislike the extra inning rule, and think it is gone after this year. There is a proposal on the table for doubleheaders to be 7 inning games. I like the game the way it was designed. I think you change it too much, you are going to alienate the older fans. I know the electronic strike zone is coming too. They want to make the calls as fair as possible. But it takes the human element out of the game, and that was one of the beauty’s of the game. No time limit, no time clock. Play til you win. There has been enough change. Rich Hill went 5 innings in his first start as a Twin in a 3-0 shutout of the Cardinals. Maeda went 5 innings in his lone start. They both are 1-0.
I hope they both do well… especially Rich Hill. He’s a favorite of mine.
I only wish bad things upon them when they play the Dodgers. 😉
DODGERS RECALL LHP VICTOR GONZÁLEZ
OF TERRANCE GORE DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNEMENT
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have recalled left-handed pitcher Victor González and have designated outfielder Terrance Gore for assignment.
González, 24, will be recalled for the first time after being placed on the 40-man roster on October 31, 2019. The southpaw has been with the Dodger organization for seven seasons, posting a 17-27 record with a 4.34 ERA (182 ER/377.0 IP) and 364 strikeouts in 112 games (76 starts). The Tuxpan, Nayarit, Mexico native recorded his best season with the Dodgers in 2019, across three different levels going 5-2 with a 2.31 ERA (23 ER/89.2 IP) and 93 strikeouts. His next appearance with the Dodgers will be his Major League debut.
Gore, 29, appeared in two games with the Dodgers without recording an at bat. The Georgia native has spent parts of seven seasons in the Major Leagues, hitting .224 (15-for-67) with 32 runs scored and 23 stolen bases in 102 MLB games.
Terrance was “Gored!”
Never thought he should be here in the first place.
Dammit MT on Gore. There goes my designated Bunter/Base Stealer.
That would have been the idea for a savvy manager.
Good stats. Those that strike me as most important are the WRISP and LOB numbers. “Guys gotta knock guys in”. If they do, we will be extremely tough to beat. These games have been closer than they should have been.
In talking with a high school buddy who coached in Oklahoma we were reminiscing about bunting. Back in the 60s and 70s, everybody on the team could bunt and hit behind runners. Not everybody was good at that second skill but everyone drilled on it every day, but everyone could lay down a bunt. The runner goes you hit behind him and it’s first and third. Numbers 3-5, guys who were expected to drive in runs, could start rallies by bunting for hits.
Oh, and I agree with AC about that Kelly pitch. I thought it was more behind him, but it was not at his head.
I just read about Gore……great news. He was a wasted roster spot. With Gonzalez here, they can stretch Fergie out and let him start maybe. Or at least be the long man.
Lineup:
1. Betts RF .200
2. Muncy 1B .200
3. Turner 3B .333
4. Bellinger CF .192
5. Pollock LF .500
6. Taylor SS .211
7. Seager DH .320
8. Kike 2B .280
9. Smith C .091
I find it humorous that some want Smith in the lineup but want Kike out!
Neither of our catchers excite me all that much, but I prefer Smith over Barnes.
Kiké is a streak hitter. You never know when he will explode. I’d rather have seen Lux win second base, but I certainly understand why Hernandez is in there.
We’re favored. 9 1/2 runs. Feels like that’s what it might be every day.
“They don’t know what the hell they are doing”. Bomani Jones commenting on MLBs handling of the Covid issue.
No one does… even the experts!
It’s evolving.
Me, too. I actually believe the Dodgers don’t have their future starter yet. I’m not sold on Ruiz, either. I think a major trade might happen at some point. Smith has power but doesn’t seem to be a hitter, per se. Barnes is quite awful. I’m a bit tired of this experiment.
Gonsolin to start Friday per Roberts
Catman starts tomorrow! I’m guessing Sborz will be optioned.
Our starters aren’t pitching long enough into games.
Our hitters are leaving way too many runners on base.
Mookie and Belli still haven’t gotten going.
Yet, we just swept a series with a good team, we’re only 1/2 game out of first place and the team that’s ahead of us leads the league in ERA with a mediocre pitching staff which hasn’t pitched in Coors yet this season.
Don’t panic folks, EGBOK (Everything’s Gonna Be OK).
No teams pitchers are pitching deep into games. The Dodgers have 1 Quality Start and are tied with six other teams for the lead in quality starts. With a short training time, pitchers will be ramped up as they are comfortable. I see it as meaningless right now. Two weeks from now? Different story.
The Dodger starters have a 3.08 ERA while the BP has a 1.42 ERA, which is #1 in all of baseball. I don’t see it as a big deal, because the staff is huge and no one is close to “overworked.”
As Buehler and May ramp up and Kershaw comes back, the starters will go much deeper into games. The Dodgers are 11th in Starter IP. I believe they will finish in the TOP 3 or 4 in Starter IP.
The world is upside down right now. I feel fortunate to even have baseball to watch. My team, even when not playing particularly well, is on pace for 40 wins. Lakers are on tonight too. I’m going to take all this in as long as I can for it may not last.
One day at a time. Today. Those reptiles that live under rocks. And every now and then I’ll check in on the Lakers.
Where are french fries from?
a. McDonald’s.
b. Carl’s
c. Belgium
d. it’s not where they are from, it’s where they go
They are from Greece!
Grease!
Maybe yours are.
Best fries around here are at Islands. Great shakes there too.
Man bites snake!
Man, Kole Calhoun may have prevented a really big inning there!
Nice play. Betts would just glided over and caught it easily.
Is there a better SS in the NL than Corey Seager?
I’d take Javy Baez, but Seager, who I used to call “The Franchise” in 2016 and 2017, is back to being The Franchise. He looks great.
As I said in summer training, I’d personally go Betts Seager JT Belly Muncy, yada, yada, yada
Are you referring to the Baez who has a career OPS of .795 and an OB% of .310?
Seager has a .854 career OPS and a .363 OB%.
Baez is allegedly a better defensive player, but has 21 more career errors than Corey.
I think the gap will widen after this season.
My money is on Seager!
Lindor is the only SS, that might be better!
Depends on whether you are talking who you really like or who actually put up better numbers.
Facts matter. But not necessarily when you are talking about favorite players.
Corey has definitely changed my opinion of him. I no longer think about Lindor or any other SS replacing him. He is here to stay and I’m 100% behind him unless he starts to make errors. lol
Maybe.
I’d go Betts, Seager, then Belli at the top if I had the line up card. Somehow Rios has got to be there maybe batting 10th in this stacked lineup.
I have always been a fan of kike but I have finally had to accept that he is just an average player who can be exposed playing everyday. He can be great on a given day and can be very good in streaks. He can be fantastic for a team by playing multiple positions well. Fantastic defensive player with game changer skills. But, he struggles against handed pitching and day in day out he has not proven to be an everyday player. He has had chance after chance. However, he has been a good player who has helped the Dodgers. We are hoping for much more from lux.
On the other hand will smith we don’t know. We already know Barnes is a serviceable player but not a mlb hitter. Solid but limited. Smith we don’t know. For those of us who want to c smith play we want to see what we got. He has good power, according to the gm he has great defensive skills. Will he hit for average we don’t know. He is a guy who could be a star. Maybe so maybe not. I just want him to play everyday to find out.
We know what we have in kike and Barnes which are good but in smith we are hopeful of greater things.
Kike is hitting .429 against LHP.
Against RHP, I would use this lineup:
1. Betts RF
2. Bellinger CF
3. Turner 3B
4. Muncy 2B
5. Seager SS
6. Pederson LF
7. Rios 1B
8. Beaty DH
9. Catcher
I like muncy much better in 4 spot than any other. As of now I think I concur. I believe lux might crack this at some point. I like smith at catcher.
Belli has left 5 on base in his last 2 AB – OPS well under .500. I hope he works out his issues soon
I would like to see him at #2 so that he doesn’t feel he is the big bad slugger.
AJ Pollock for MVP.
I’ve never seen AJ play so well since he’s been a Dodger. He seems more unburdened and even laughs more. Whatever he’s been through, it looks like he has emerged a better player and that’s great!
In another weird Covid shortened season change to the game (assuming we get the entire season) MLB and MLBPA have agreed starting August 1st all doubleheader games will be 7 innings.
And if a doubleheader game goes more than seven innings, the outfielders have to tie their shoelaces together. These changes are getting stupid.
What a great image!
Tell me again why Arte said no to Strip and Joc? It’s not like asked for Jo Adell in return!!
Like obviously has compromising pictures on Roberts! Why the h…l is he hitting against a righty after what Rios did last night?!!!
5-2 and we’re really not playing very well except for the bullpen
Bellinger and Taylor need to sit out for a while. Both look like they are golfing. Bellinger’s timing is out of order and he looks bad out there with undercut popouts that have no muscle behind them. They’ve got the man power to replace them and playing Arizona is perfect to give them a break.
Joc also needs to play more. He has been hitting lefties this season and he may have turned the corner. Move AJ to CF with Belli sitting for a game or two. Roberts is not a proactive mgr. He waits too long to do something about a player.
Announcers talking about there being no home field advantage in MLB. Today, visitors have dominated, stripping home field advantage big time.
My boy, Nick Castellanos is tearing it up in Cincinnati. He’s hitting ,381 with 1.242 OPS, 2 HR, 2 doubles and 8 RBI.
(Sigh) Oh well! We could have had him but ended up with that bum, Mookie!
I am not sure if I would sit Cody or not. Maybe let him bat leadoff?
1. Cody CF
2. Mookie RF
3. Corey SS
4. Max 1B
5. JT 3B
6. AJ LF
7. Kike 2B
8. Joc DH
9. Catcher
Shake it up.
I am worried Barnes and Smith will hit .350… if you add their batting averages together.
Why would that make a difference? He’s not seeing the ball and he’s probably stuck in his head about something.
Batting leadoff changes your mindset. In theory anyway. I don’t know what applies this year.
It looks to me like Bellinger is popping up and chasing pitches. That suggests 1. that loopy swing is behind and 2. he’s anxious. I know what used to be done in those cases. I have no idea what they do now. I suspect they will do nothing and let the MVP figure it out. Same with Taylor, and Muncy who went through a 1 for 16 streak. We are managing to win games so I doubt Roberts does anything out of the ordinary. This team is really good, even when they aren’t playing at the top of their game.
Mookie is hitting the ball. Most of the time anyway. His power may not manifest in the NL West the way it did in the AL East. If and when this group rolls as a team they could be scary good.