With the trade deadline 20 days away, I thought it would be fun to go back over the years and see some of the names that have been acquired in season. And there are some interesting players on the list. Many familiar names have made stops in Los Angeles since 1958. The first, and only major trade in 58 during the season was a young infielder named George Anderson to the Phillies for Gene Snyder, Jim Golden, and Rip Repulski. You might know George better by his nickname….Sparky.
In a post the other day, 2D2 told you about Chuck Essegian. Most of the important moves for the 59 season came in the winter of 58 or spring. Wally Moon came from the Cardinals for Gino Cimoli, and a SS who would make a huge impact the next few years was returned to the team from the Tigers….Maury Wills.
In the 60’s, these are some of the names the team acquired, some had decent success, others not so much. Ron Perranoski…traded for Don Zimmer. Turk Farrel, Daryl Spencer, Lee Walls, Andy Carey, Bill Skowron, who hit a homer in the 63 series against his former team, Marv Breeding, Jim Brewer, Dick Stuart, Wes Covington, Ken Boyer, Rocky Colovito. I would have loved to have seen Ken Boyer play in LA in his prime. Excellent 3rd baseman. Coolio was way over the hill when he came to the Dodgers.
The 70’s saw players like Duke Sims, Dick Dietz, Juan Marichal, and Boog Powell. Powell did not hit a single homer in his close to 50 game stint. Of course he was mostly pinch hitting. In the 70’s most of the players were home grown guys. Although they did bring back Maury Wills. Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm pitched for the Dodgers in 1971 at 48 years old. His ERA in 9 games was 1.09 with 3 saves. He pitched in 16 games the following year, but was not as effective. They also had guys like Vic Davalillo come in to be pinch hitters.
For some reason, they have always seemed to get older catchers to be the backups. Chris Cannizaro was one such pickup. He was with them for a couple of years. One of their first pickups in the 80’s was Jerry Grote, a former Mets catcher. Others in the 80’s were Enos Cabell, Al Oliver, Bill Madlock, Cesar Cedeno, who I almost forgot about. Phil Garner, Rick Dempsey, Granted, some of those guys were signed in the winter but are interesting pickups to say the least.
The 90’s started off with them getting Eddie Murray. Eddie was 33 when he came to LA. Hubie Brooks came over from the Mets. Then the next year they got Gary Carter from the Mets….another old catcher. Eric Davis, Tim Wallach, Cory Snyder, Greg Gagne, Milt Thompson, Otis Nixon, Bobby Bonilla, Todd Hundley, Devon White. All those guys spent less than 3 years with the team except Wallach. I forgot in the 70’s they picked up Billy North from the A’s. He did not make much of a difference and was really not too happy to have been traded.
Guys like Kevin Elster, Chad Kreuter, Geronimo Berroa, Jim Leyritz, Marquis Grissom, Jeff Rebolet, Tim Bogar came in the early 2000’s. Brian Jordan, Fred McGriff, Rickey Henderson, Robin Ventura and Jeromy Burnitz all came over in 2003. Henderson would stick around a couple of years, but McGriff only played 86 games his only year in Dodger blue, finishing his career 7 homers short of 500.
Steve Finley came over in 2004 and hit a division clinching Grand Slam against the Giants. Jeff Kent came the next season. Some other really familiar names joined the team the next few years, Nomar, Kenny Lofton, Bill Mueller, Sandy Alomar, who was 40 when he came to LA. Luis Gonzalez, Mike Lieberthal, David Wells, Andruw Jones, who was probably the worst FA signing in Dodger history for a position player. Jason Schmidt holds that honor for pitchers. Chan Ho Park came back. Mark Loretta, Juan Castro, Brad Ausmus, Jim Thome, Jamey Carrol, Ted Lilly, another exe Dodger who came back.
There always seemed to be some player Ned Colletti felt that even at an advanced age, they could contribute something to the team. He started off the 2010’s doing the same type of pickups. Aaron Miles, Eric Thames, Mark Ellis, Shane Victorino, Bobby Abreu, Adam Kennedy, Matt Treanor, Jamey Wright, Michael Young, and in his last season as GM, Chone Figgins, and Dan Haren. Colletti also traded for Greg Maddux, not once, but twice. in 06, and 08.
The new era started when AF was hired in 2014 after the season was over. Would he continue the trend and get some senior citizen help?
Not as much as his predecessor so far. but he has gotten some. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Jose Peralta, who was 39 when AF traded for him. Carlos Ruiz, another veteran catcher, Curtis Granderson, David Freese, John Axford, Ryan Madson, and Russell Martin. So he has shied away from older pitchers for the most part.
Who if anyone will AF target this deadline. One thing is obvious. The team needs a spark. Mookie Betts cannot do it all by himself. None of the pitchers on the current roster are older than 33.
I would have loved to see Thome hit at least one homer as a Dodger, but he had an injury that was bothering him, and he never got on in Blue. Of course his career continued in Minnesota, and he went over 600 for his career.
Myself, I do not see too much movement this deadline except a couple of the teams who are going to be way out of the race may want to try and get some prospects for their stars.
Bear, you forgot one of the best LAD FA signings and then later re-acquired in a trade with the Mets…Brett Butler. And one of my favorite Dodgers. He is after all going to get his number retired by the Dodgers. Okay, so it going to be because of CK, but Brett wore 22 well.
“As a member of the Dodgers from 1991 to 1995, Butler reached the prime of his career. In 1991, Butler led the National League in runs scored and walks, earned a roster spot on the National League All-Star team, and finished seventh in MVP voting. During the 1995 season, Butler was signed as a free agent by the New York Mets. In August 1995, Butler rejoined the Dodgers in a trade for Dwight Manees and Scott Hunter. After finishing the season with the Dodgers, he again became a free agent and returned to the Dodgers.”
Fortunately, I lost the internet connection on Tuesday, so I was spared from watching the disastrous performance by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although I did see that Austin Barnes BA is now creeping up on Bellinger (and surpassing Beaty) and that Austin now has half the number of RBIs (3) as Bellinger (6) even though Bellinger has nearly three times as many ABs (72 vs 26). Just kidding (partially). I did read that the team went 2-9 WRISP. Another sparking display of clutch hitting. Better than the 1-8 on Monday. But let’s keep putting Bellinger in either the #3 or #4 hole. He only left 4 men on base on Tuesday,
Looking at the box score, the Pads had two batters with a sub-Mendoza line BA, (Hedges and Profar), while the Dodgers had six (Joc, Smith, Beaty, Belli, Muncy, Barnes). I guess Doc is going to just keep putting them out there and see if anything changes. I understand that Doc says that Lux is not ready, but then Doc doesn’t see anything wrong with the continuation of a lineup that isn’t producing. How about Lux, McKinstry, Raley? Can they really do worse?
Nice piece again Michael – totally feel your loss (MP3) – listen to music all day everyday – fishing and music sounds perfect.
Jeff, how we could do with a Brett Butler now – one of my favourites.
He’d probably break all records for the amount of times LOB if he was playing now.
I’m beginning to feel uneasy about this season. Need an awful lot of key components taking a BIG uptick.
And quickly at that.
I think breaking out of the funk is as easy as stringing together some hits. They have not strung together a real rally without hitting a homer. Thanks Watford, I got my new one yesterday. Unfortunately the instructions for these things are printed so small you need a magnifying glass to read them. I am redoing the music on my computer, so it will be a while before I put any tunes on there.
Great piece, Michael – You have become a real icon on this site. I am sure that no one else can write like you do and sing the National Anthem at Dodgers Stadium, as well! Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
Here is what I think about this team and it’s manager right about now:
Fans all have a better idea about who should play where and when because they are much closer to the situation than Dave Roberts. They are in the clubhouse daily with the players and chat with them frequently. The fans talk to all the other coaches and medical staff about each player. The fans know if a certain player is dealing with some personal issue or nagging injury because they are around the players each day for quite some time. The fans communicate with the players frequently by cell phone, obviously because they have the player’s personal numbers.
Fans automatically know what player should play because they have access to the copious amount of analytics spewed out by the nerds in that department. Fans have plenty of time to analyze it every day and make their informed decisions. As a result of this close connection to all the players on a daily basis, the fans know better than Dave Roberts and all the coaches who should play and who should not play. They know that certain players should not take up a roster spot, but that other players will be awesome of just given a chance. They know that Tony Gonsolin, Keibert Ruiz, and Gavin Lux should be on the MLB Roster because they have been to USC observing them on a day-to-day basis and talking with them for hours on end. They know they are ready.
If you think this is sarcastic, you would be right! Think about what you are saying! This is a rough stretch, but we did see some hope: Bellinger at least hit the ball. Muncy got a hit, Barnes got two hits (wow) and Kike got a double. The bullpen was nails and if Chicken Strip could have a couple of pitches back, it might have been a different game. Of course, if Chickens had lips they might be people!
It’s not the manager. Its the players. They will come together, work it out, and come back with a vengeance! Tony Gonsolin will get a spot start tonight, just to push the starters back a day. He went 4 last time. Can he go 5 or 6?
Perspective: They are only 4 other teams in all of MLB with a better record than the Dodgers. Don’t lose your minds. Patience, Grasshoppers.
“Bellinger at least hit the ball.”
“Muncy got a hit”
Low bars are good for underachievers and short alcoholics. But these are the Dodgers. Adjustments must be made.
I applaud Joc for doing what he did. He tried to start a rally. I would ask Bellinger to do it as well.
Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results is the definition of a sub Mendoza hitter. We’ve got a few here.
Does anyone (hey Chris Taylor) on the Dodgers know how to bunt?
Pederson
Twice in a season?
The analytics must say that bunting doesn’t work. Lol. And yes the analytics know better than the fans do. Pretty soon blunting will be known as the B word.
The analytics tell me bunting the ball at a vacant space is a damm smart play. Hit it where they ain’t has worked since Abner was a minnow.
Badger is a smart dude and that’s no kidding.
I did forget Butler, a pox on me for that. Brett played 6 full and a part of one more season as a Dodger. The string was interrupted by a short stint with the Mets. He came back in an August trade in 1995. He was also involved in negotiations during the strike in 94 and was pretty cool to the players on the Dodgers who crossed the line to play when the owners were trying to break the union. He actually played longer for the Dodgers than he did any of the other teams he played for. He was a .298 hitter in his years with LA. I always liked the guy, and he was their best leadoff hitter since Wills retired. As to last nights debacle. I shut the game off after the 5th inning. I was just totally disgusted. Watching hitter after hitter just flail away. Mark preaches patience, and I get it. Problem is, there is not that much time to be patient. 2 more games and 1/3rd of the season is gone. And sorry, it does not look like Bellinger, Joc and Muncy are going to remember how to hit anytime soon. As the manager in Bull Durham said, it is a simple game, see ball, hit ball. Toronto played the first MLB game in Buffalo yesterday since 1915 when the old Federal League played there. They did an amazing job transforming that field. Oh, one more thing. This team right now is PAINFUL to watch play. But congrats to Justin Turner who got his 1000th career hit last night. JR, Joc got a bunt single last night. Ended up scoring the first run.. A little small ball might wake these guys up. Oh, speaking of a long swing, someone might tell Edwin Rios his is real long.
Kolarek and the BP did a fine job last night. They got 2 full innings out of him. Padres are a lot more aggressive hitting team than the Dodgers. The pitch Machado hit out was definitely a hanger. Dave can’t hit for these guys, but one thing is for sure, without Seager in this lineup, they are a different team. JR said something about Taylor bunting, but he was one of the few who hit the ball hard at all last night. Walks will kill you and even though there were only 2 by Strip last night, the first one came right before Machado unloaded his bomb. Roberts said last night about the teams hitting slump ” It will right itself” Really Dave? And you know this how? I do think it is time to send Beaty to the alternate site and bring back either McKinstry or maybe even Lux.
Really enjoying the recent posts about the old timers and role players! With regard to “what’s wrong with the Dodgers,” hitting with RISP and a few less HR balls served up would lead to a drastically improved record. As it is, there are still many bright spots. I have confidence that this team will overcome its current funk. They are just too talented not to. Slumps are contagious and so is hitting (no covid metaphors, please!). It may take some time, but they will get on track.
I have finally figured out what I really dislike about Roberts. He is the biggest apologist ever. He also said last night that he liked the teams approach and they squared some balls up…Hey Dave, I thought scoring runs won games and now it is squaring the ball up. How did that work out for you?? You score 3 runs in 2 games, you are going to lose most of the time. If not for the late bombs off of the Giants, you would have a 4 game losing streak. Of a larger concern to me at least would be the fact that they are 4-5 at home. Last year they rarely lost in LA. This year they are making a habit of it. 21 home games left. And 21 on the road…..amazing how that works out. Now the quirkiness of the season starts this weekend when they head south to Anaheim for 3, come home for 2 against the Mariners, then go to Seattle for 2 before coming home for 3 with the Rockies and then heading to SF where they finish the season series with the Giants, and then go to Texas to face the Rangers. They do not get an off day until the Monday after the Rockies series. One other thing, the prattle between Orel and Joe has reached the ridiculous phase. Last night it degenerated to Orel’s preoccupation on the road with playing Candy Crush on his phone. Please, who cares about that crap.
Frank Robinson was pretty good.
Maybe without a juiced ball this team is just a warning track power club. If they are hoping the wind will blow those pop ups over the fence they’re dreaming.
The Padres know they can beat us now. I wonder who else out there may also believe it.
Pederson took some ribbing from the Padres about that bunt. It was a hit. Keep doing it. And get Bellinger to do it too. Next guy up.
I think they’ll eventually wake up. In the mean time, the good clubs can beat us. The Padres are a good club. I live about as close to San Diego as I do LA. Too bad their hats are brown. Who wants to wear a brown hat?
Yeah, the Candy Crush stuff was boring. But Orel had some interesting insights into approaches at the plate. He studies hitters. So do I. I’d like to ask him how he would pitch Bellinger and what advice he would give him.
My advice to Belli, put a little bend in the knee, lose the long swing and just try and make contact. Yeah. Ol Frank wasn’t a bad hitter. He is also one of the last to win a triple crown, Cabrerra was the last to do it in the AL in 2012, the last in the NL was Joe Medwick in 1937, so it has been a while. Only 2 men have ever won it twice, Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby. Your boy Mickey won it once. The pitching triple crown has been won 39 times, with more than a few multiple winners. 2 Dodgers on that list, Kersh and Sandy. Koufax did it 3 times. Which ties him for the all time lead with Walter Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander…couple of pretty good pitchers there with close to 800 wins between them. One other thing, Alston and Frank did not get along very well. One of the reasons he was dealt after one season in LA. I guess I am just not a fan of Orel’s analysis style. I think sometimes he gets too technical for the average fan.
I haven’t been a fan of Orel’s mostly because I don’t find his attempts at humor not all that funny. Joe is growing on me and I think he’s doing a good job in dealing with Orel. He can lead him into being interesting. I like the analysis not meant for the average fan. When he starts talking about how to read hitters and how he would set them up it peaks my interest . Or is that piques my interest? Maybe it’s both. Did you hear his answer to Joe’s question about how he would pitch to Tatis? That was funny. With Orel I find less is more. Tell me about spin, grips, approaches, strategies then let Joe talk.
We do miss Vince Scully compared to these 2. I used to like Steve Lyons as a commentator. But is worst when they put that guy Navarette or something as announcer when Davis is not on.
Tim Neverette. Came to LA from the Red Sox. He is doing a lot of radio with Monday when Charlie is not around. Neverette is rarely one, so I would not be too concerned about him.
As they say, sometimes the squirrel finds a nut. For me Orel is like a bad hitter, mostly swing and miss. I like Nomar better. Davis has been growing on me some. Taking over for an Icon like Vin cannot have been easy. But like some, I would like to see Joe do a solo broadcast sometime just to see if he could pull it off. Vin was the absolute best at that. Compared to the idiots in the Rockies booth though, Orel would be Harry Carey.
I thought Orel to be exceptional, last night. His attention to details is impressive. I also feel Joe has settled into his role and he seems to have mastered the Vin Scully bio that he does on a player every game. Doesn’t feel forced any longer. They are growing on me. The Candy Crush things was absurd. Orel is a geek, ya know.
I really like Orel and Joe too. Orel is kinda down-home and folksy , but obviously knows a lot about baseball too. I really don’t want to listen to some stiff “just the facts ma’am” guys for 2 and 1/2 hours. Nomar it’s very good too.
Hello Michael . Why do you say Rickey Henderson stuck around a couple of years . He actually played much less games than Mcgriff . Henderson only played 30 games for Dodgers in 2003 and that was his last season in MLB.
Bad research on my part. You are right, he did only play 30 games. Just seemed longer than it was..
I guess what happened was that Henderson stuck on the independent league until 2005 but never returned to MLB after 2003. Henderson actually played with Roberts in the 2003 team and i remember he actually hit a home run in his first game as a dodger i think or at least one of his first games and also stole a base. Ones you forgot to mention was Juan Marichal, Michael young, Sandy Alomar, etc. There has been many. For some reason the Dodgers seem to love to bring players that were good before when they are way past their prime for a cup of coffee. Thome for example did not even hit a home run with Dodgers.
I mentioned Marichal and Alomar in my original draft, Jeff may have edited them out. But Juan was only there for 2 games. Michael Young is mentioned. Neither Thome nor Powell, who was a Dodger longer than Thome was hit any dingers for LA. Henderson hit 2. Dick Stuart managed to hit 3. Yes, they have brought in a lot of players over the years who are way past what they were. I did not mention Jeff Kent either. But Jeff had a nice little run with LA. But his personality did not endear him to LA fans. Charles Johnson, spent half a season before he was let go after he came over in the Piazza trade. There have been many, and I am sure I missed more than a few. John Shelby would be another one. Guerelmo Mota was about 35, and Roberto Hernandez was 40. Takashi Saito was in his late 30’s when he came over from Japan.
I can understand how something might get accidentally edited when formating the article, but in this case, I did not accidentally (never intentionally) edit their names out.
“The 70’s saw players like Duke Sims, Dick Dietz, Juan Marichal, and Boog Powell.” 1st line after the Rocky Colovito picture.
“Jeff Kent came the next season. Some other really familiar names joined the team the next few years, Nomar, Kenny Lofton, Bill Mueller, Sandy Alomar, who was 40 when he came to LA.” 1st and 2nd line under Rickey Henderson picture.
Eye sight not what it used to be, and I was just scanning so I missed that…My bad Jeff. thank you.
Do you remember David Wells , Andy Ashby, Bobby Bonilla, John Candelaria ? They also played some with Dodgers.
All Lives, I mentioned Bonilla and Wells, totally forgot the Candy Man and Ashby.
I never cared for him, but Manny Ramirez had his time to shine as a Dodger.
Manny, the year he came over had maybe the best 2 month stretch I have ever seen from any player. In 53 games he hit .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBI’s. Sparked the creation of Mannywood in left field, and the sale of dreadlock wigs. Amazingly he only struck out 38 times in 232 at bats…you seeing that Cody?? And he hit a home run on his bobblehead night. A crowning achievement for any athlete. He continued his hot hitting in the playoffs, and in his appearances with the Dodgers in 4 playoff series he hit 5 homers and drove in 11 with a batting average close to .390. He only played 104 games in 2009, hitting 19 homers. that was the year he got suspended for PED’s. A 50 gamer. He was hitting .311 with 8 dingers when he was waived by the Dodgers and selected by the White Sox. Had he not gotten suspended, he would most likely have gotten to 100 ribbies in 2009, and close to 30 homers. He was quite the character. And he was extremely popular.
I liked Manny the hitter. Manny the personality wasn’t that interesting to me. Kinda like Puig I guess.
A piece in the Athletic this morning with more positive fluff from Roberts. Nothing said about 4 unearned runs. Just the usual about good at bats. There were some no doubt. The more noticeable at bats were the crappy ones. He also made a lame excuse for Taylor’s amateurish slide. Something about bracing for contact, which was nonsense as Hedges was playing the ball perfectly and giving plenty of the plate. He ended up reaching across the plate to make a tag on a player he thought would be sliding, a player who should have been sliding and wasn’t. He was as surprised as anyone about what Taylor did and if I were him I would have said something too. WTF was that?
That was a bad play for sure. Roberts never ever says anything about the bad stuff. He always puts a positive spin on his comments. And what is even more suspicious to me, he does not show frustration, although it is most likely there. I was more surprised that Ebel sent Taylor when the ball came right back to the fielder, I did not think he had a chance to score anyway, the throw beat him by 5 feet. Manny was mostly fun to watch. I remember him swinging at a pitch and almost pinwheeling all the way around and losing his helmet. One the next pitch he launched it deep into the pavillion.
Yeah, my dislike for Roberts is growing with each post game presser and Atlantic article that Pedro writes. His body language is so easy to read. It says “I know you know that I’m not telling the truth, but I’m going to give you some BS explanation anyway”. It’s just insulting to me and I’m sure others that he thinks we believe his BS. I know he has to try and protect his players, but he goes too far that it becomes absurd. What’s wrong with saying “we are underachieving offensively right now, yada, yada”. It’s not like the players and the fans don’t know this. Quit trying to put lipstick on a pig.
He is a yes man. He will always be politically correct and wont say what he really things. Never says anything clear just wants to be socially accepted . Sometimes is important to be more outspoken and say things but now with this cancel culture reaching mlb starting with commissioner you have to keep your job and not be controversial.
Vengeur
August 12, 2020 at 12:17 am
I feel the same way but can’t put my finger on it.I think part of it’s this covid thing distorting the season and the schedule. It’s taking the fun out of everything.
Well put. The never ceasing pandemic has cast a heavy cloud over just about everything. Impossible to get away from it. This baseball season, with no fans and 60 games, feels forced, almost quixotic. This is a very strange time in our history. With football now very unlikely, college ball already shut down, it sure sets up a long a dreary Fall season. The politics this Fall will continue to rip us apart, and no sports to fall back on? Maybe the year will be saved by a Dodgers World Championship.
Strange days indeed.
Nice Cream reference there at the end. One of their weirdest tunes. Yep, Covid has changed everything.
The Doors! But Cream did write “Strange Brew.”
Damn, got my rock bands mixed up.
You’re old. Mup ix’s are expected.
Gee, thanks Badger, both my eye sight and memory questioned and proved to be faulty in one article!
If memory serves, and that is questionable, I am older than you. That makes me an expert in the field of……. what was the question?
I am 72. Birthday is the 14th of June. So maybe U R older than me….
We need a player who can hit AND pitch past 4-5 innings. BABE RUTH anyone??
Snickers
It’s a statement to JUST HOW GOOD AND TALENTED WE ARE, that an 11-7 record (a .611 winning %) is considered a major team struggle, underachieving, underwhelming, etc.
We’re hanging in there, and that allows us to pounce as soon as proven mlb studs wake up. I didn’t look at 2020 as a 60 game season, and that we’re already 30% done.
I looked at it as any other year (minus the fans), where somehow on July 27, each team in the NL West was tied with the same record. The season still ends in late September, so it’s as if we’re just in a normal, fun pennant race. Kind of like 2016 when we won the division on the last day, or 2018 when we beat the Rockies in Game 163. Remember one year, we lost 8 in a row before winning 8 in a row. Another year we lost 17-18. This is LA; we’re drama queens.
This will make for a fun next 6 weeks
No matter what, they are underachieving Bobby. And they need the middle of the lineup to hit. Sooner than later. They do not have the time to PUTZ around.
Thoughts on last night, besides the obvious:
* lead off Mookie
* Move Belli down in the order.
* All the anti small ball crowd, tell me again why you should never bunt.
* Orel and Joe seemed amazed when Joc bunted for a base hit. The way this team is hitting, I’d love to see more of this under the right circumstances. Manufacture some runs.
* I have no problem with Dino sending Taylor the way this team leaves runners on base. I do have a problem with that slide. I think with a good roll slide away from the tag, he’s safe. Make teams make plays.
* CT3 made a bad play but I think he’s playing great especially at short.
* Orel and Joe have tough job in a blow out but last night they wore me out. Sometimes their attempts at humor aren’t funny and don’t connect. The candy crush deal 2 nights in a row for example. Joe has become the stat babbler. Orel will make a comment and Joe has a stat available in a nano-second. He’s driving me crazy with the “expected numbers” versus “actual numbers” deal now. I guess that’s a stat put into a computer subjectively by somebody to try to quantify a player’s “bad luck”. So a hitter hits one through the box, that was a hit forever, but now it’s right into the shift so that’s “bad luck”? Anytime a ball is barreled up but caught that should have actually been a hit? I need some explanation on this one. Joe loves it especially to explain Barnes.
* I do like Orel’s more technical explanation of baseball especially pitching. I don’t want the Tim McCarver, dumbed down version aimed at the grandma in the nursing home who’s watch her first game ever because she can’t change the channel.
* Last night, Orel talked about reading a batter’s head movement. This is exactly what Badger and I discussed yesterday about Bellinger’s upright stance and excessive head movement. Orel would watch a batter’s head that went forward and pitch east-west and if up-down, north-south. That’s exactly what Bellinger is experiencing now. He is being pounded up in he zone, mostly away (it used to be up and in). Orel was commenting how still Tatis Jr’s head is.
* Belli has hit with that stand up style for years and it’s worked in the past. My point is his complicated swing makes him streaky and susceptible to slumps. His timing has to be way better than folks with a more simple swing (see Nelson Cruz) His low average in 18 games is magnified this year or in short post season series’. 18 games is actually 48 games. I get this from Joe nightly.
* Like last night. Joe said the shorter schedule has added a lot of pressure on players to perform. Really? I sort of assumed that big league players were supposed to be skilled at dealing with pressure and if they weren’t they wouldn’t be here. They had pressure to preform for scouts as prospects, pressure to get to the bigs, pressure to stay and pressure to help their team win. It’s PERFORMANCE BUSINESS.
* I probably need to listen to our opponent’s broadcasts for a few games. I seem to be in an increasingly bad mood watching us lately.
Way to bring the heat phil. I’m “oh hell yes“ on most all of that. The only thing I take issue with is the fact I didn’t say it.
The slide I expected from Taylor was a head first hug the ground left hand (small target) on plate…. or a low and away hook slide. I did not expect him to collide body first with an outstretched arm. He had a chance to be safe and he totally blew it.
I expect something different out of these guys over the last 30 games.
Pitching change for tonight’s game. Tony Gonsolin will be activated to make tonight’s start. Pushing Urias to tomorrow against Paddack, and Kersh will open the series in Anaheim. No word yet as to who, but you can pencil in Kolarek, will be sent to the alternate site.
It may well be that the Padres are becoming a better team than the Dodgers, and will start to win the division titles. Maybe that is premature; and of course it is hard to stay on top when you are always drafting low. But this unit we have, has definite limitations. Unless we can count on Bellinger to hit around .275 with 35-40 HR and 100 RBI in a a full year, we do not have enough firepower. Kike’ is a .245 hitter, so is Pederson. Muncy hits .260, and who knows but that he will regress to his pre-Dodgers median, though we certainly hope not. Taylor was another diamond in the rough pickup, and in 2017, he was even in the talk for MVP for a while. But for the last few years, he is a 260 hitter with mostly warning track power, and the value of versatility.. If our lineup consists of Kike’, Taylor, Muncy, Pederson, and a Bellinger who hits ,240, we cannot win a title. Our starting pitching is perhaps not as good as the Padres’ staff. Things are not going to magically turn around, though we of course will win some games and likely make the playoffs.
After last season’s very disappointing finish, I was of the mind that we were starting on somewhat of a downward trend. When we had done nothing in the offseason, I was continuing to feel that way. But then we got Betts, and things looked much better. But the problems remain, in terms of our overall lineup. And whereas the Padres have a mostly young team, which is obviously hungry to finally have some success, the Dodgers perhaps seem blase’, as if they are waiting for the playoffs, or don’t find much excitement in the game. Of course, when you mostly strike out or pop the ball up, it is hard to generate rallies. So the question is, is this just a mini-slump, and we are fine, or are there indeed inherent weaknesses in our ballclub, that we are not at all effective against good pitchers, that we cannot string together base hits, that we do not advance runners? I actually think that we might need an overhaul of the roster for next year, but I am sure that some will disagree, and making major changes is not the organization’s way. We can discuss this further as the short season progresses. I think that a lot of us were hoping for a great Dodgers season, to somewhat take our minds off other things, but this one looks like a slog, and another disappointment at the end.
Good analysis William.
I don’t mind a .260 averages if the OPS is at or over .900. OPS is the go to number now. Situational hitting may be something .240 hitters are just not good at. A high LOB number may be what we will be reading in every box score this year. It’s ok leaving a dozen on if 7 score.
An overhaul would be fine with me. Let’s go get the Mookie’s and Lindor’s, maybe a Trout and a Tatis that may be out there. This all or nothing thing we’ve been doing has come up empty 7 years in a row. I just looked at the MLB Leaderboard and we got mostly nobody showing up. Betts is 8th on one list, xtra base hits I think. Yeah we’re 11-7 but we’ve apparently been doing it with mirrors and invisible players. And pitching of course.
New day. Maybe we start over tonight.
Why would you even think this: Unless we can count on Bellinger to hit around .275 with 35-40 HR and 100 RBI in a full year, we do not have enough firepower.”
This is Cody’s 4th year. Based upon his first three years (on a 162 game schedule), he has averaged 39 HR; 102 RBI; .363 OB%’ .909 OPS. AVERAGED! Over .900 OPS is considered Superstar Status.
Mookie Betts is in his 7th year and his averages are: 29 HR; 96 RBI; .301 BA; .374 OB% and .893 OPS – Just below Superstar Status.
Mookie is doing alright now and Cody is struggling, I get that. But why do some think Cody can’t do exactly what he has always done: Struggle and get hot? Last year he was hot early – Maybe it is better to get hot late?
Geeeezzzzzz!!!!
Mark,
It looks to me that something is wrong with Cody. He is not himself and seems distracted and depressed. My Daughter thinks his girlfriend dumped him. Whatever it is he is not his happy smiley self.
Exactly. He has bad body language. Also looks bad on the field. Might it be all these protocols and players having to wear masks ? But he also looks to have kind of bad attitude or lack of spirit or hustle some. Same as others in the club i noticed.
DODGERS RECALL RHP TONY GONSOLIN
LHP ADAM KOLAREK OPTIONED TO ALTERNATE SITE
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have recalled right-handed pitcher Tony Gonsolin and have optioned left-handed pitcher Adam Kolarek.
Gonsolin, 26, returns for his second stint with the Dodgers after tossing 4.0 scoreless innings on July 31 in a spot start against the Diamondbacks. He will make the start tonight and in 12 career games (seven starts) with the Dodgers, he owns a 4-2 record with a 2.66 ERA (13 ER/44.0 IP) and 38 strikeouts. The Northern California native has been with the Dodgers organization since being drafted in the ninth round of the 2016 First Year Player Draft out of St. Mary’s College. He earned the Dodger Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award in 2018 after going a combined 10-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 26 starts between Advanced-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa. He is a combined 20-14 with a 3.33 ERA and 315 strikeouts in four minor league seasons with the Dodgers.
Kolarek, 31, pitched a season-best 2.0 scoreless innings last night, his longest appearance since June 27, 2019 at Minnesota. In five games with the Dodgers, he is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/5.1 IP) and three strikeouts. In parts of four Major League seasons, the Maryland native is 10-3 with a 3.58 ERA (41 ER/103.0 IP) and 71 strikeouts. Since joining the Dodgers on July 31, 2019 from Tampa Bay, he is 4-0 with a 0.53 ERA (1 ER/17.0 IP) and 12 strikeouts in 31 games.
DODGERS ROSTER – 28-MAN
MANAGER: Dave Roberts (30) • BENCH COACH: Bob Geren (88) • PITCHING COACH:Mark Prior (99) HITTING COACH: Robert Van Scoyoc (72), Brant Brown (73)
FIRST BASE COACH: George Lombard (92) • THIRD BASE COACH: Dino Ebel: (91) • BULLPEN COACH: Josh Bard (54 )
ASSISTANT PITCHING COACH: Connor McGuiness (87) • ASSISTANT HITTING COACH: Aaron Bates (65) • GAME PLANNING COACH: Danny Lehmann (0)
NUMERICAL PLAYERS POS
3 TAYLOR, CHRIS IF/OF
5 SEAGER, COREY IF
7 URÍAS, JULIO LHP
10 TURNER, JUSTIN IF
11 POLLOCK, AJ OF
13 MUNCY, MAX IF
14 HERNÁNDEZ, KIKÉ IF/OF
15 BARNES, AUSTIN C
16 SMITH, WILL C
17 KELLY, JOE RHP#
21 BUEHLER, WALKER RHP
22 KERSHAW, CLAYTON LHP
31 PEDERSON, JOC OF
35 BELLINGER, CODY IF/OF
40 NELSON, JIMMY RHP#
41 MCGEE, JAKE LHP
43 RÍOS, EDWIN IF
45 BEATY, MATT IF
46 GONSOLIN, TONY RHP
48 GRATEROL, BRUSDAR RHP
49 TREINEN, BLAKE RHP
50 BETTS, MOOKIE OF
51 FLORO, DYLAN RHP
52 BÁEZ, PEDRO RHP
57 WOOD, ALEX LHP#
64 FERGUSON, CALEB LHP
68 STRIPLING, ROSS RHP
74 JANSEN, KENLEY RHP
75 ALEXANDER, SCOTT LHP
77 SANTANA, DENNIS RHP
85 MAY, DUSTIN RHP
ALPHABETICAL PLAYERS B/T
75 ALEXANDER, SCOTT L/L
52 BÁEZ, PEDRO R/R
15 BARNES, AUSTIN R/R
45 BEATY, MATT L/R
35 BELLINGER, CODY L/L
50 BETTS, MOOKIE R/R
21 BUEHLER, WALKER R/R
64 FERGUSON, CALEB R/L
51 FLORO, DYLAN L/R
46 GONSOLIN, TONY R/R
48 GRATEROL, BRUSDAR R/R
14 HERNÁNDEZ, KIKÉ R/R
74 JANSEN, KENLEY S/R
17 KELLY, JOE R/R#
22 KERSHAW, CLAYTON L/L
85 MAY, DUSTIN R/R
41 MCGEE, JAKE L/L
13 MUNCY, MAX L/R
40 NELSON, JIMMY R/R#
31 PEDERSON, JOC L/L
11 POLLOCK, AJ R/R
43 RÍOS, EDWIN L/R
77 SANTANA, DENNIS R/R
5 SEAGER, COREY L/R
16 SMITH, WILL R/R
68 STRIPLING, ROSS R/R
3 TAYLOR, CHRIS R/R
49 TREINEN, BLAKE R/R
10 TURNER, JUSTIN R/R
7 URÍAS, JULIO L/L
57 WOOD, ALEX R/L#
PITCHERS (15+3)
75 ALEXANDER, SCOTT LHP
52 BÁEZ, PEDRO RHP
21 BUEHLER, WALKER RHP
64 FERGUSON, CALEB LHP
51 FLORO, DYLAN RHP
46 GONSOLIN, TONY RHP
48 GRATEROL, BRUSDAR RHP
74 JANSEN, KENLEY RHP
17 KELLY, JOE RHP#
22 KERSHAW, CLAYTON LHP
85 MAY, DUSTIN RHP
41 MCGEE, JAKE LHP
40 NELSON, JIMMY RHP#
77 SANTANA, DENNIS RHP
68 STRIPLING, ROSS RHP
49 TREINEN, BLAKE RHP
7 URÍAS, JULIO LHP
57 WOOD, ALEX LHP#
CATCHERS(2)
15 BARNES, AUSTIN R/R
16 SMITH, WILL R/R
INFIELDERS (5)
45 BEATY, MATT L/R
13 MUNCY, MAX L/R
43 RÍOS, EDWIN L/R
5 SEAGER, COREY L/R
10 TURNER, JUSTIN R/R
OUTFIELDERS (3)
50 BETTS, MOOKIE R/R
31 PEDERSON, JOC L/L
11 POLLOCK, AJ R/R
INFIELDER/OUTFIELDER (3)
35 BELLINGER, CODY L/L
14 HERNÁNDEZ, KIKÉ R/R
3 TAYLOR, CHRIS
# IL
That is the loudest list I ever read.
What’s it mean?
“Maybe it is better to get hot late?“
I think maybe he’d better get hot late. It’s too late to get hot early.
The Dodgers sent it to me that way. Wierd!
Dodgers new theme song:
Quit yelling, I already have a head ache! I called that one, knew poor AK was heading back to campus. Now they need to find the Padre repellent elixir. It is already hot here. 92 in Canon City today…A/C is doin it’s yob.
IT’S PRINTED LIKE THE RESTAURANT MENU IN A SENIOR COMMUNITY.. I CAN READ IT WITHOUT MY GLASSES.
Ha ha ha…I like that. I could too.
I did see a name on there that we can pin the blame on. Danny Lehmann..what the hay is a game planning coach anyway??? Never heard of that. What does he plan? The way they attack hitters? Thought that was the pitching coach. The way they attack pitchers? Thought that was the hitting coach. Maybe he plans the post game spread..lets see, cheese sandwiches or quiche.
That is funny! A Game Planning Coach. Baseball is now fully and unredeemably corporatized. Post game spread. That is funny as hell!
Get rid of RVS and Roberts immediately, this team is going nowhere with those two at the helm, Geren and Prior are keepers. Get a manager that is not an apologist and has the ability to hold player’s accountable and truly lead.
Free Gavin soon, are we close to gaining the extra year of control so we can stop the spin and get him out of USC and to the bigs?
Not happening Adam. Roberts signed a new 4 tear deal before the season began, and AF believes in Von Skoyoc. Last year the hitters believed in him a lot. He has no MLB experience except what he is getting now.
The concern that I have about the likes of Bellinger, Muncy et al is that I don’t see any real change in what they are doing. Muncy continues to struggle against the high fastball. Bellinger continues to have a loopy swing and a slower bat than I remember. Barnes – well, he’s still Barnes.
When people aren’t going well, I want to see progress. Slumps happen – I get that and if what’s wrong is a slump, the ship will be righted eventually. If the problem isn’t just a slump but an approach, then you look for change. Bellinger has an OPS of .485 and has been worth negative .4 WAR in 17 games played. Muncy leads the team with 20 Ks in 70 AB. No one else has more than 13. Yet they are #1 and #2 in plate appearances.
If they aren’t going well, then maybe they shouldn’t be # 1 & 2 in plate appearances.
Why should they change?. They have been pretty damn good in the past.
because they aren’t good right now. if there’s a problem (and there is) then fix it.
By the way – the only other Dodger hitter with negative WAR is Beatty (minus .3).
Only Dodgers with OPS .800 or better – Betts, Pollock, Seager and Rios.
Careful what you wish for. As soon as the Dodgers start hitting then the bullpen will collapse. They have to give us stuff to complain about!
This stuff is funnier than George Carlin.
Not even close…….Carlin was at the top of comedians. Now, it might be funnier than say Milton Berle.
This stuff is hilarious
Trade Bellinger before it’s too late, they led him to believe he’s a superstar when he’s just a little more than average player. Or that he at least learns to hit to the left side of the infield, or do you want to put all your hopes that the ball will pass between first and second, or that the ball will land in front of the RF every time he has a turn at bat? It really doesn’t look like he can get out of the supposedly “slump” he’s in, good luck with that!
I know that nobody is going to like this comment, but it is more frustrating to see that everything ALWAYS goes to the right side of the field…
ROY, off second year and MVP the 3rd. Yep. he is superstar material. It is way too early in his career to even think about such things. He changed his stance before the re-start, and has not been able to get into any kind of rhythm. But he is not striking out as much as before and he is making hard contact a lot of the time. He has gone the other way a few times. What is happening right now has to be playing into his confidence which is where the main problem lies. And Muncy is hitting worse than he is, so why just pick on Cody? Muncy leads the team with 20 K’s Belli is behind Muncy, Turner, Pollock Taylor and Hernandez. All of those guys have 13, Cody has 11. Only 2 more than Mookie, so he is hitting the ball. He is just not have much luck when he does it. And trading him. That is an asinine idea.
Not Michael,
Crack is bad.
Today’s line up,
Joc LF
Betts RF
Bellinger DH
Turner #B
Muncy 2B
Pollock CF
Taylor SS
Rios 1B
Smith C
Gonsolin P.
per Jeff Passan
Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly, who was suspended for eight games for throwing at Houston Astros batters, had his ban reduced to five games on appeal, sources tell me and @kileymcd.
This lineup breaks out of the slump tonight! Or at least scores three runs! Remember this lineup is still studly compared to the Koufax Drysdale years. If only our starters would start throwing shutouts!
No team in baseball has an offensive team OPS of .800 or better. Hitting is down throughout all the teams.
I really hope Gonsolin pitches well enough tonight that it impresses Doc enough to keep him on the active roster and in the starting rotation.
Stripling’s career stats say he gives up a lot of hard hit balls and Urias career stats say he’s WAY BETTER as a reliever.
Even though Barnes got 2 hits yesterday, 1 being a lucky hit, I’m so tired of Doc playing musical catchers. Put Smith in there and leave him there for God’s sake.
Yes I know that the starting pitching and the catching are not the problems. I’m just pointing out what I believe is obvious that Doc is doing wrong. I don’t know what to say about the overall hitting, I’ll leave that to the experts.
I’ll tell you one thing Doc is doing right. He’s not reading LA Dodgertalk or else he would have resigned by now.
Or laughed his ass off like me!
Cassidy – Or put Mookie at lead off or moved Belli down in the order or not made out the military line up nightly, left-right, left-right….you get it or had 18 different lineups in 18 games or had 8 different DH’s batting all over the place. But that’s Dave and he’s doing it his way (with imput from upstairs)
We are 18 games in…
Keep what little sanity you have left.
The sky is not falling.
Everything will be alright.
18 games in is 30% of the season. It’s not like they have 50 games to figure this stuff out.
I still believe in this team. So does Doc. It would appear that he will keep doing what he’s done for the first 30% of this bizarre season. I have to admire his resolve. He sees no need to react. He’s not even responding really, just giving the same well rehearsed company line and putting the same guys out there. They will, or they won’t. I just hope they are playing as a team by next month.
Corey Seager is currently 2nd in MLB in barrels/plate appearance per the MLB Statcast leaderboard at 18.5%. Will Smith is 2nd on the Dodgers at 10% (25th in MLB). Muncy is 4th on the Dodgers (behind Justin Turner who’s 3rd) at 58th in MLB. Cody Bellinger is 134th in MLB at 3.9%.
In other words, Cody isn’t squaring the ball up. Muncy is striking out too much but when he makes contact he makes decent contact. Cody isn’t striking out but he’s not hitting the ball hard. In barrels/batted ball event, Cody is even worse – – he’s 157th in MLB. His swing is keeping him from hitting the ball hard.
Let’s face it – you don’t OPS .485 if you’re hitting.
I can’t get in on the action until late so I can’t read every post: so
1. Muncy broke a finger and may not be over it. It is such a fine line for a guy like muncy who is not a superstar. Give him a few days off. He is not helping as it is.
2. Bellinger is still young. He is probably feeling the pressure of an mvp season. He needs to regain some confidence and swagger. A 3 for 4 night would be a start!
3. I think stripling is more like the last outing than the first couple. Urias seems uninspiring currently. Kershaw is closer to 3 than 2. Buehler needs to get it together sooner than later. Our starters are not dominant. Other than Bueller expect quality starts which are good but not dominant.
4. Our bullpen is capable of and will have to be lockdown for us to win the series.
5. Everybody whined and cried that we need a leadoff hitter and when we get one doc won’t use him. I am just not confident that doc will ever be able to pull the right levers.
Comments about tonight’s lineup:
1) Very happy to see Joc leading off again. You always want to have your best bunter at the leadoff position.
2) In my opinion CT3 is a better defensive SS than Seager and until the entire “regular” lineup starts hitting I would make Taylor the regular shortstop and play Corey at DH, 1B or 3B, with the preference being DH or 1B. I don’t think he’s going to be an exceptionally good third baseman and I believe he has stated he doesn’t particularly enjoy playing there.
3) When you have an excellent fielding player who is not hitting (Belli), the best solution is to DH him, thereby not letting him play the field (where he is actually helping you) and giving him lots of time to stew about his failed at bats during the game. Yes, that was meant to be sarcastic. If I’m Doc, I tell Cody I’m fining him $1000 every game he doesn’t hit the ball to left or attempt a bunt at least once, no matter if successful or not. As we’ve all been saying, he needs to use the entire field and has done so before so it’s not like the idea is completely foreign to him.
4) Glad to see Catman get another start. I hope it goes so well that they can’t option him out tomorrow.
I just read Bellinger swings a -2 bat (length to weight). I’d give him a -3 a half inch shorter than the one currently uses (33.5”). That would be 33-30. I’d tell him to barrel it back through the middle. That technique often results in something other than what you’re aiming at. What it did for me was send it to the opposite field gap.
I agree about Taylor at short. If he’s ready, let Corey DH for a couple at bats.
As long as he’s healthy, Gonsolin is in my rotation. His sinking stuff is as good as anyone on our staff.
Betts leads off. Then Corey, then pull names out of a hat.
Is Rabbit Maranville still playing? (see what I did there?)
Yep.
You pulled a rabbit out of that hat.
Good one.
I’d pick again. That rabbit don’t hop.
We’re favored again. -170. 9.5 runs. Seems like a lot of runs for a slumping Dodger team. 6-4 Dodgers? 5-4? Zach Davies has pitched well in his 3 outings. 0.83 WHIP. Is this the guy we break out against?
Yeah. Sure. Dodgers, 5-4. But I wouldn’t bet on it.
by 5-4, did you mean hits? I
I find it ridiculous that every night there is a different strike zone.
Note to all Dodger hitters hitting with 2 strikes, which is everyone in the lineup, multiple times, PROTECT THE PLATE.
Gonsolin almost five innings eight strikeouts. Like I said before I hope he stays on the roster and in the starting rotation.
I really think this was the best I’ve ever seen him look
By the way, great job by Doc using Treinen this early in the game, for this situation.
Since we can’t do a damn thing offensively, it’s good we stopped them from scoring there.
I agree actually and I’m not a Doc fan.
I love Treinen’s quiet intensity. His exacting pitches, precise, controlled, and keeping batters guessing. He has been a great pickup for us.
I loved that bunt from Barnes. It caught me completely off guard as it did the Padres. We’ve seen some poor base running lately. Rios comes off 2B and gets tagged out. Mookie, the other day, gets waved in from 3B by Ebel. These kinds of mistakes can be fatal when we are slumping.
I really like Treinen also. He got some bad breaks in those first starts in large part due to horrific umpiring, He’s going to be a real asset going forward.
Does Cody have a clue as to what to do with a bat in his hand and in the batters box? He looks so tied up in knots and can’t seem to barrel any pitch up. Doc needs to sit him down or we’ll lose him to a ruined psyche before much longer.
News on Smith. He came out of the game with neck stiffness. Ah. small ball. I love it. I was wondering if Maury is still working with the runners. Maybe Mark knows. I really like the bunt. And I wish more players were adept at that skill.
Hello offense it’s nice to see you again.
Where is McGee?
Happy now?