Dodgers and Brewers Preview

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1. How about that gem from the ChiSox’s Lucas Giolito?

2. Short series are dangerous series, beware of the hot pitcher(s) making a mess of things.

3. I totally missed Gyorko as a former Dodger position player, so their are 3 in the playoffs, Gyorko, Rojas and Grandal. I think your rosters are spot on.

4. Dodgers better bring their big boy bats. Playoff pitching is dominating so far! With no respect for seedings!

5. For those who have been claiming that defense is not important…Twins sloppy defense gave a gift and the game to the ***

6. Terrance Gore is running the bases and practicing in the outfield during the Dodger practice this afternoon. Doc says there is a good chance he may be added to the roster.

   I’m thinking if they add him that leaves Ruiz off, but I suppose it could also be Beaty or Lux.

   1. To add Gore, he would have to be added to the 40 man. That would seem to indicate that Joc is an opt out candidate. I do not think they would DFA him, but he could decide to opt out and go on the restricted list.

7. If The Dodgers can avoid 2 things then they will be fine:

   1 Avoid getting in a situation where they have to rely on the bullpen to be good.

   2 Avoid having to score runs on Hader and Williams.

   It’s as simple as that.

   1. I think your analysis is totally wrong. They have relied on the bullpen all year. How can you not rely on it now? That’s nuts. The bullpen pitched a bulk of the innings. You have starters not getting out of the 6th inning, your frippen pen better be good, especially in the playoffs. Hader and Williams will not be an issue unless the starters in Milwaukee shut them down. And they are not that good.

      1. Look at our bullpen’s career stats closely and then look at their 2020 stats closely. And then remember who our manager is.

         It’s best to win without putting it in the bullpen’s hands.

         1. So the Dodgers need to get complete game victories from Buehler and Kershaw in order to win?

            1. No of course not Jeff. They need to score enough runs and get good enough pitching from the starters that the bullpen has some wiggle room because the bullpen is not as good as most people think they are.

               And I don’t need any bullpen stats thrown at me. I’m a stat-head.

            2. Let’s put it this way. Wouldn’t it suck if the Dodgers took a 1 run lead into the 8th inning and then the Dodgers bullpen gave up that lead and then Counsell threw Williams and Hader at us?

               Yep that would suck. And it could happen.

            3. I think what Eric finally came around to say is:

               The Dodgers need to score more runs than their starters and relievers give up.

         2. Career stats? They mean nothing Eric. There is a clean slate. They have put the game in the hands of the pen numerous times this season and won. The bullpen has 25 of the teams 43 wins. What you are saying makes no sense. 7 of the relievers have more wins than Buehler. 4 have more wins than Gonsolin. It is a clean slate for Roberts too. I think you are putting your prejudice on display here. Koufax did not win a World Series game until he was in his 3rd one. Kershaw’s post season record, while not outstanding has shown he can be dominant at times. Buehler has pitched in all of 4 post season games, and Jansen has had a mixed bag also in the post season. They are one of the best bullpens in the league. Their stats for this year say that. They also have the trust of the manager and the front office to get the job done. You are worrying too much about things you have no control over. I trust the pen to get the job done. 3 of the 4 home teams in today’s games lost. Indians getting crushed by the Yankees. Beiber went 4 plus innings and gave up 7 runs,,,,so even the elite can lose in a short series. Only home team to win was Tampa.

8. Damn, missed another former Dodger. if he makes their post season roster, and he probably will, Kyle Farmer of the Reds. Culberson no longer with the Braves. So he is not in. Not that many ex Dodger position players around the majors. Most exe Dodgers are pitchers Font elected free agency instead of re assignment. Brad Miller also an exe Dodger on the Cardinals. Travis dArnaud, and Dayton on the Braves. Garcia and Rojas with Miami, Machado with the Pads, Darvish with the Cubs, Yanks, Rays, and Indians have no former LA players on their rosters. Premier match up today, Cole-Bauer tonight.

9. You mean Cole-Bieber don’t you Bear?
   If we’re going to get Cole-Bauer it’ll have to be the final series and none of us would be happy with that.

   1. Brain fart..yep, and Bieber got hammered.

10. Take it to the Limit – my favorite Eagles’ song!

    Let’s play the games and see what happens. I like our chances.

    1. I am a little partial to Desperado, but Take It To the Limit is high on my list.

       1. Cmon guys….Tequila Sunrise is their best….

          1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JlmvtAHhnc

11. In the AL most teams have included 13 pitchers, except Houston that went with 12.

    Rays:
    LHP – 4
    RHP – 9
    INF – 7
    OF – 6
    C – 2

    Jays:
    LHP – 4
    RHP – 9
    INF – 8
    OF – 4
    C – 3

    White Sox:
    LHP – 5
    RHP – 8
    INF – 6
    OF – 6
    C – 3

    A’s:
    LHP – 5
    RHP – 8
    INF – 8
    OF – 5
    C – 2

    Asterisks:
    LHP – 3
    RHP – 9
    INF – 7
    OF – 6
    C – 3

    Twins:
    LHP – 2
    RHP – 11
    INF – 5
    OF – 5
    C – 4
    DH – 1

    NYY:
    LHP – 4
    RHP – 9
    INF – 6
    OF – 6
    C – 3

    Indians:
    LHP – 2
    RHP – 11
    INF – 5
    OF – 7
    C – 3

12. Jeff, it is undeniable that fans are apt to be more critical of their own players, and hold them to a higher standard. And in this season, most of us have not watched very many games of other teams, so there is less room for comparison. But even so, I do not think that Jansen is anywhere near a great relief pitcher at this point. He might be enough to get us through if we really hit the ball, and have sizeable leads. But against a good team, and holding a one-run lead, he is not among the best, and I say this from watching him struggle some in almost every outing. In his last one, unless he pitched in the last two games which I did not see, he came in to pitch one inning against the Angels with a four-run lead. He only put one runner on base, but he made 31 pitches. He labors. We can’t use him two nights in a row if he makes that many pitches.

    The playoffs are going to be one game after another without rest. Maybe he will surprise, maybe that recent game where he loaded the bases and then pitched out of it, will have been the turning point. But the odds are that he will lose at least one playoff game. Last year, he barely pitched in the playoffs. This year he has pitched somewhat better, but rarely ever has a clean inning. And if he puts a man on base in a tie game, we have all sorts of problems, since he struggles to hold runners on, and is very concerned about someone stealing his signs on second base. We should have gotten a closer after last season, and we did not, not a reliable top-level closer. So we will see if we end up paying for that again, and hopefully were are strong enough to keep getting leads that our bullpen can hold onto. Most of the playoffs we have lost have come down to someone not being able to hold leads or keep us tied. Niedenfuer Broxton, Elbert, Jansen, Kelly, many disappointing efforts in crucial games; and rarely have we had a closer who was great in the big games, not since the days of Sherry in 1959, and Perranoski. How many times in the playoffs have we seen us have an early lead, and then the lead starts to disappear, and our bullpen cannot match the other team’s. We must have lost five playoff games like that to St. Louis, over the years.

    1. This year, Kenley has pitched in 27 games. In 14, he did not allow a baserunner. Hader pitched in 21 games and he did not allow a runner in 12. KJ inherited 9 runners including a bases loaded with zero outs (against the Padres), and none scored. KJ has pitched with very similar results to Hader. Hader throws harder and gets more K’s. KJ gets his K’s, but gets more outs with soft contact. That is what the numbers show. Fans can disregard those numbers. But tomorrow starts a brand new season.

       You and Eric may be right and the bullpen could get tattooed. Then again, they could be lights out. I choose the believe the latter. If I am wrong so be it. But I choose to believe that a team that won 43 out of 60 should be able to dominate a team that won 29 out of 60 and has one batter hitting north of .270 (in 58 PA). And that one batter was 0-7 (with 2 K’s) earlier this year when he played for Seattle.

       1. Well, ,just for the record, I am not predicting that the bullpen will get hammered, it hasn’t all year, and it is better than most of our recent bullpens, particularly in terms of depth. My comment was about Jansen, who is the closer. And he is certainly not a bad pitcher, but my rhetorical question was about his ability to hold onto one-run leads or to come in with men on base and stifle a rally. The Washington series was lost because of the bullpen, we could not hold on to a two run lead in the 8th. Of course Bellinger and others not hitting was important, but we were six outs from victory, and could not get it. And one big reason was that Roberts had no confidence in Jansen, so he used Kershaw and Kelly.

          Unless you have an offensive juggernaut like the Yankees displayed tonight, and we showed through much of the schedule against mostly weaker teams, it always comes down to the bullpen. There is no Koufax to pitch a complete game shutout on two days rest, as in the 1965 World Series. The key man in our bullpen is Jansen, and I just do not feel that confident n him, but he may well do a great, or at least, commendable job in these playoffs. We need that from him.

13. Well the Yankees have made a statement about hitting elite playoff pitching! Can we match it?

    1. The Dodgers will not be facing a guy who is anywhere near the pitcher Bieber is..

       1. True for the Shane Bieber during the regular season, but the Bieber who pitched today was a different guy. His fastball was just flat and leaked over the plate. Worst game by far this year.

14. Brewers are going with their designated opener…LHP Brent Suter. He as opened four games this year. Three 3.0 IP starts and one 4.0 IP start. Career wise against LAD, Suter has 3.0 IP allowing 7 hits and 6 runs, including 2 HRs. He had 3K and 0 BB. 2.333 WHIP and 6.0 ERA.

    1. Does Kike start?

15. Well let’s hope Belly and Muncy have a bounce back like Torres who had a horrible regular season!

16. Home team was not a plus today. 3 of the 4 home teams lost. Only the Rays won on their home turf. Old friend Romo killed the Twins chances.

    1. Don’t forget the Twins defense.

17. Adding Gore is stupid. Simply because it keeps someone who can actually hit a baseball off of the team. Also, the extra inning rule does not apply in the playoffs. His speed is negated by the fact he rarely gets on base. And he has been at the alternate site for two months. How in the hell is that fair to a players who has been with the team most of the year?

    1. I mentioned Gore making this team a couple of days ago.

    2. Could there be a chance Dodgers find the need for a pinch runner? If Turner has any leg issues a pinch runner might come in handy and make a huge difference late in a game.

       1. I get that. I still think it is a bad move. The guy has not faced any pitching since July, at least not someone else’s pitching, and as stated before, they have to either put someone on the IL, or DFA someone, put them on the restricted list, or something else in order to open a spot on the 40 man roster. Turner might have leg issues and he might not, but bringing in a guy who’s only talent is speed, just makes no sense to me, and it robs someone who deserves it of a spot. And I think they need someone like Ruiz on the roster, or even Beaty more than Gore.

18. Question. Maybe someone can answer this tomorrow. Do the Taxi Players and the USC Players get a World Series ring if the Dodgers win it? Are they being paid at the major league level right now? Thanks.

    1. A ring? Maybe, Coaches and a lot of other people in the organization do. I would think that the players who have participated at some point in the season would get one. Not all of the players have appeared at the MLB level.

    2. Taxi players I would think will get one. Since they have to travel to Texas if the Dodgers get that far.

    3. DBM, rings are at the discretion of the team. Generally, anyone who had any involvement with the ML team will get a ring. Players (anyone on the 40 man team at all during the season), coaches, trainers, clubhouse attendants, front office personnel… This year was a very different year, and it is possible that the players at the secondary site were considered part of the ML team. Taxi squad players traveled with the ML team and are on the 40 man roster so they would undoubtedly get one. This will come down to what Guggs, Kasten, AF think. I assume it will be a very large order with a lot of participants.

       1. Ok, I understand. Thank you for answering, AC and Bear. Also enjoyed your article, AC. My playoff roster is the same as yours but for one position player, but I am proud to say my pick of Tampa and the Dodgers in the World Series is the same as yours. Now on to the Brewers.

19. It’s a lot of data and it shows that the Dodgers are far superior but it all comes down as Kershaw and Jansen always have.
    Tomorrow is a very important game that has to be won, yes or yes, I don’t want to get to an elimination game with Kershaw, we all know how it has ended in the past.
    In the end if Kershaw and Jansen do their job the Dodgers will go far and anything is possible but if both players repeat their story in October we all know how it will end.
    I’ve been saying for 10 years now they will have their revenge, things will change, in baseball there are bad and good moments, the bad bad moments are over, now the good ones come for them, etc, etc.
    Today after so many years the hopes are intact, I hope things change for both of them, the opportunity presents itself again, do it !!!

    1. Kershaw is pitching game two. No way he would be involved in game 3 unless he was knocked out VERY early in game two. And they might end up not even needing Jansen. Kersh is more ready for this than he has been in a while. You have to remember, he is fresher going into this playoff season than he ever has been. His velocity is up, and he is throwing a lot more strikes. Although he has given up a few, the HR ball has not hurt him nearly as much. And when they get to Texas, it is not nearly the HR park Dodger Stadium has been.

       1. Today the team has to win yes or yes, if the game is lost today, tomorrow it would be an elimination game with Kershaw and that has not gone well in the past.
          I’m not worried about the regular season Kershaw, we all know he’s very good, the one that worries me is October’s Kershaw, hopefully this year history will change.

20. Normally, I would be complaining about starting Buehler over CK in the playoffs. I am of the mind that you always start your best pitcher and CK is the best we have. If some are worried about his history, that will be no excuse facing a lacklustre Milwaukee team so I can let this choice slide by for this series. Buehler should be more than enough to handle them. If the bats don’t show up, what kind of excuse could we make for this team? I’m not even going to go there. This team should destroy them much like the Yankees destroyed Cleveland as we are not facing anyone remotely close to Bieber’s calibre.

    8-2 Dodgers

21. Country music got a double whammy today. We lost Mac Davis and Helen Reddy. Both were 78 years old. Mac actually was in a movie about football. North Dallas Forty with Nick Nolte. He wrote In The Ghetto and a couple of other tunes for Elvis. His signature song was ” I Believe in Music. But he also scored hits with It’s Hard to be Humble, Texas in My Rea View Mirror, and Baby Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me. Reddy has numerous hits in the 80’s Her song, I Am Woman was her biggest hit, and a movie of her life by that title was recently released. RIP Helen and Mac. Your music lit up the world.

    1. Sorry to learn of their deaths. Not many authentic country music singers left.

       “It’s Hard to be Humble” is certainly one of my favorite country novelty type songs. Right up there with a Ray Stevens song. My favorite is, “Baby, Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me”, which he wrote. One he wrote for Elvis which I really enjoy is, “Don’t Cry Daddy.” I also really like, “Watching Scotty Grow”. which he wrote, by Mac and Bobby Goldsboro.

       I was not as tuned in to Helen Reddy for some unknown reason.

    2. There was a story about “Baby Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me”. I think there were not too many lyrics in the Chorus and Baby Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me repeated a lot, which was a big hit. I loved Mac Davis’ easy style and the Country World will miss him. Helen Reddy, a star in her own right will be missed too.

22. I still think Kelly makes the roster over Ruiz (unless he is still injured).

    They don’t need 3 catchers in a 3 game series.

    1. It is not to have three catchers, but to have one on the bench when Smith DHs while Barnes is catching. It lengthens the hitters in the lineup by making sure that Smith can be used in every game. Doc said they were going with 12-13 pitchers, not 14. So which pitcher gets bumped if you add Kelly?

23. I would add Ruiz and let Smith be the DH when Kershaw pitches in game 2, I don’t want Smith’s bat out of any game.

    1. Good idea. At this point Smith needs to start every game, one way or the other.

24. Lakers at 6. Dodgers at 7. I have all my bp meds on standby

25. Well do the Dodgers show up this October with their big boy pants or their pantone panties? We will see!

26. I remember Reddy singing with Merle Haggard on some sort of TV special. She was so off key Merle gave up trying to harmonize with her. It was one of Merle’s songs.

27. For all those who denigrated Nick Castellanos’ defense. He just made a very good defensive play on a Freddie Freeman drive into RF. It was not one that will be reported as “impossible” by Fangraphs, but it was a very good defensive play that I have seen missed by many this year.

28. Peter Gammons has a good article on AF and the Dodgers this morning in the Athletic.
    I’ve been waiting so long for this post season. I’m confident but as nervous as if I was preparing to play the game myself.

29. Both Clevinger and Lamet are off the Padres Wild Card roster. The Padres have 14 pitchers. I guess they are looking at a couple of potential bullpen games.

30. Roster just announced:

    Wood, Floro, Lux – no
    Ruiz, Beaty, Gore – yes

    Only problem I have is Kelly instead of Floro.

31. Ruiz, Gore, and Beaty on. Floro, Lux, and Wood off.

    1. Beat you by a minute Hawkeye. Maybe news travels faster to L.A. than to Iowa. 🙂

32. DODGERS ANNOUNCE WILD CARD SERIES ROSTER

    LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced their 28-man roster for the 2020 Wild Card Series, which begins tonight vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. PT.

    The Dodgers will carry 13 pitchers and 15 position players. The roster is as follows:

    Pitchers (13) Position Players (15)
    RHP Pedro Baéz C Austin Barnes
    RHP Walker Buehler IF Matt Beaty (L)
    RHP Tony Gonsolin 1B/OF Cody Bellinger (L)
    LHP Victor González OF Mookie Betts
    RHP Brusdar Graterol OF Terrance Gore
    RHP Kenley Jansen IF/OF Kiké Hernández
    RHP Joe Kelly IF Max Muncy (L)
    LHP Clayton Kershaw OF Joc Pederson (L)
    LHP Adam Kolarek OF AJ Pollock
    RHP Dustin May IF Edwin Ríos (L)
    LHP Jake McGee C Keibert Ruiz (S)
    RHP Blake Treinen SS Corey Seager (L)
    LHP Julio Urías C Will Smith
    IF/OF Chris Taylor
    3B Justin Turner

    The Wild Card Series continues tomorrow night with Game 2 at 7:08 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium.

33. I am fine with using Gore as a PR in a critical situation. I have no problem with Lux or Wood off the roster. But to select Joe Kelly over Dylan Floro is a joke. This is an ego call. AF and/or Doc have to justify the signing of Kelly over the more productive Floro. WHIP is a better gauge for a reliever than ERA. Kelly is 1.50 while Floro is 1.11. Floro 24.1 IP – Kelly 10.0. Kelly was signed because of that big fastball, but he won’t throw it. Kelly may in fact pitch well, but I cannot be convinced that Kelly gives the Dodgers a better chance to win than does Floro. Ego vs. production.

    1. There is probably about $8 million reasons why Kelly is on the roster. It becomes even more curious when you discover that Kelly had 5.04 ERA against Milwaukee and Floro has a 0.00 ERA against them in their careers, albeit a small sampling of a few innings.

       Two things:

       1. Kelly threw his fastball a lot more in his last appearance; and
       2. He has 11 postseason series under his belt and has performed remarkably well in many of them, including 2 WS where he has a 1.59 ERA and a 0.794 WHIP.

       I think AF is trying to catch lightning in a bottle again. Kelly has 49 innings of Post-Season Experience where Floro has 7 innings Post-Season Experience with a slightly higher career ERA. I could make an argument either way. Let’s hope AF knows something we don’t.

       1. I have always maintained that AF/Doc know more about what is going on with the players than we do. But I fear that your first statement is the correct one. That is what is disconcerting.

34. Dylan Floro was used frequently to get the Dodgers out of tough spots, but the Dodgers have 2 other relievers with heavy sinkers like Floro (Treinen and Graterol) and if Dustin May throws out of the bullpen that is 3 sinkerballers.

    I don’t think that Joe Kelly is a good pitcher but he is more of a high strikeout guy than Floro and I assume that is why he is on the post-season roster. Floro may be viewed as redundent.

    1. He also puts more runners on base than does Floro. Kelly had 9 Ks in 10 IP while Floro has 19 in 24.0 IP. Yes Kelly has a higher K ratio, but really not that much. Floro has 4 BBs in those 24.0 IP, while Kelly has 7 BBs in his 10 IP.

35. Wow, did we just get lucky.
    Devin Williams not on the Brewers roster, dealing with an arm issue. Argument could be made that he was better than Hader this year.

    1. No argument – He WAS better.

       I suddenly feel much better!

    2. There is no argument. Williams was the best reliever in MLB this year. Big loss for them.

36. I wouldn’t have either Ruiz or Gore on my roster. I understand the reason for both but Ruiz is totally untested at this point of the season and Gore isn’t really a baseball player. (He reminds me of Herb Washington, the designated runner who “played” with the A’s against the Dodgers in 1974.)

37. just saw Devin Williams is off the Brewers roster. Wow!

38. Evidently they intend to use Gore. Again, we shall see!

39. I’m watching Bauer pitch today and he’s really amazing. Give me Greinke and Bauer in a ballgame and I’m a happy camper. These guys are PITCHERS in the true sense of the word.

    The Angels ought to give Bauer whatever he wants this off season and make sure he’s in an Anaheim uni in 2021. He may be a jerk to some, but he’s one hell of a pitcher.

    For those of you who weren’t aware of it, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito were all teammates on the Harvard-Westlake high school team here in SoCal in 2012. Not only are they now all in MLB but are all potential future Cy Young winners. Truly amazing.

40. Sorry to sound so negative but I am really perplexed by Floro being left off of roster for this 3-game series when he has been so good. I wonder whose brainy idea that was? Also do not see the need for Gore. A simple solution would have been to keep Floro on the playoff roster and not Gore. But, that is just my opinion.

    1. I do not think it is just yours.

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