Dodgers SLAM Door on Pads

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1. And another great one passes…Whitey Ford passed away today at 91. RIP Whitey.

   1. RIP

   2. What do you think is the likelier of the following:

      A. We get another pitcher with a .690 win percentage && over 250 starts
      B. We get another pitcher nick-named Whitey.

2. Do not allow Jansen to pitch and the Dodgers will be World Champions. We can’t afford to give up one game by using an obviously diminished Jansen. Why risk it? The team will make mistakes but using Jansen would be an unforced error.

   1. Jansen will pitch. I am not sure how much, but he will pitch. He pitched in two out of three games versus San Diego and we won them all.

      1. Jansen doesn’t have major league stuff. If he were a rookie with his stuff he would never get to pitch. His great reputation which he earned is the only reason he ever gets close to the mound. Sentiment is sweet but in a battle for the best in all of baseball any good manager must say no and don’t drink that sweet temptation to make a guy feel good. Jansen is a big boy,he will deal with it.

3. Good summary of the game and strategy. Interesting late in the game Hernandez pinch hits for Joc replacing him as dh but later played the field. Given the score and inning it made sense but still not a typical move.

4. One other point. I am not oblivious and I scratch my head at a lot of what Doc does. But he does not make his decisions in a vacuum. Last night worked, but maybe a collaborative “they” could have started Gonsolin in Game 3 and saved May and Urias for Game 4 if necessary. However I would rather revel in the win and not nit pick. Eight More Wins!!!

   1. And 0 loses!

   2. I think much of what you see in the comments is the head scratching. Maybe poorly stated or colored with frustration.

      I have many head scratching moments in the post season with DR. Most of my comments at those times is an attempt to make sense of why those decisions were made.

      The other point I would make is that outcome is only one point in favor of a decision. Percentage of an outcome comes from a bad decision working or a good decision not working. Sometimes teams win it all when a low percentage decision pays off. Trying to understand why a decision was made helps me come to terms with that choice even if I initially disagree with a particular choice.

      Somewhat of a messy process at times, but the group input is helpful from both sides.

      Thanks for everyone’s tolerance

      1. Huh? I guess I can’t understand you. Come again please.

5. Most of the journalistic pundits gave the Pads bullpen the advantage over the Dodgers. Not me. I acknowledged that the Pads had the superior back end in Pomeranz and Rosenthal, but IMO, overall the Dodgers bullpen was superior. That proved to be the case as the Dodgers scored 23 runs, 19 against the relievers (including 4 off of Rosenthal). Morejon is really a reliever. Dodger relievers allowed 5 runs. 2 off KJ, 2 off Kolarek, and 1 (unearned) off Urias.

   The Dodgers outscored the Pads 23-9. 23 runs is 7 2/3 runs in three games. Now will the bats stay alive against the Braves?

   1. I heard most giving the Dodgers pen the advantage going into the series. Prior to the season I heard most giving SD the advantage. I usually don’t like Smoltz because he never stops talking but more importantly he usually spends 3 hours of talking about what’s wrong with baseball. I thought he did a good job of avoiding the latter this past series. We’ve heard Joe and Smoltz do a Dodgers-Braves series before. I recall Smoltz having a much harder time than Joe from being a homer. Should be interesting.

      1. Turn off the sound.

   2. Seven runs per game is a bit much. I think closer to 5. Pitching is the real question mark. We need to keep the Braves under 5. Kershaw should do his job but the rest of the staff cannot be known because they have never done it. We can not give the Braves runs. They need to beat our best. No sentimentality.

6. Thank you for the summary of the game last night and the series, AC. My thoughts…….

   Will Smith, (I call him Opie) surpassed my expectations and hope he continues to do well. Congrats to JT on his hit record.
   Urias was just brilliant.
   I loved Joc’s hits and glad he started.
   Is this team of umpires “the Balk Squad”?
   My worries are that I hope the non-usage of McGee and Gonsolin is not due to some injury.

   All in all a very good series with several players contributing in a real “team effort”. Congrats to the Dodgers.

   1. Don’t call Ron Howard that, he takes it as an insult. Opie is what first comes to my mind with Ron Howard. Now, why do you call Smith Opie?…….just wondering.

7. The Braves are a better team than the Padres without their top 2 starters. Plus I think Atlanta’s bullpen is better. This will be a tougher series. But I still like the Dodger’s chances with seven straight games and huge advantage Dodgers in game four. If Buehler gives us an ace like performance in game one then Dodger’s in six. Urias strikeout of Tatis was the key to the game. Urias showing why he will,be part of the three headed monster with Buehler and May!

8. Slam Diego is now Scram Diego

9. The stats say the Padres were better than the Braves in hitting, pitching, fielding and of course wins. But those are just numbers. You cannot trust the numbers. Numbers lie.

   See you next year San Diego.

   Dodgers will no doubt be favored in every game in the next series. Will they win every game in which they are favored? They have so far this post season.

   Dodgers and Lakers. Both should win. Don’t ef it up LA.

   1. Maybe, the Rams can make it a trifecta and take “Title Town” away from Boston. That would be awesome.

   2. Number don’t lie, Badger. Perhaps the interpretation of #’s can be misleading. There is a difference.

10. Convincing series win for our Dodgers. The two keys were our deep pitching staff and the hitters making contact. This was a stark difference for Seager, Bellinger, and Pollack in their past performances in the playoffs. Making contact allows the opposition the chance to make mistakes. And, showing that they can score plenty of runs without hitting homeruns. As DBM mentioned above, everyone seemed to contribute offensively at some point during the series. And, that’s the way it should be. I think Mookie’s influence takes an enormous amount of pressure off our other stars. Mookie’s been there and is a WS champ. It could be he has emphasized it takes a team effort to win and it’s not necessary to feel that “I need to be the man” in order to win the WS. But, whatever the reason, I’m thrilled to see how well they’re playing in all aspects of the game. It should be an epic series with Atlanta. If they can defeat the Braves then the WS (it’s just a piece of metal) trophy has a tremendous chance of ending up in Los Angeles. I think our pitching depth will be the key to victory whoever the AL representative might be.

    And finally, how is it the Dodger game last night was only on the MLB network? It’s the playoffs and one of the teams is in the second largest media market. What are they thinking? “Ah gee, maybe I’ll sign up for the channel so I would miss out on not seeing a game in the future”. For me it was quite the opposite. It’s a fantastic way to keep and grow the fan base – NOT!

11. Dear Mr. Joc Pederson,
    My name is philjones and I have been very hard on your play this year. I know you have gone through a lot with your wife and baby. I’m sorry about that. That’s had to be hard. But I have openly said you should never DH again and only pinch hit when no-one else is available. Then you go and hit a 2 out single to left field of all places to score 2 runs. When I woke up from my fainting spell, damned if you didn’t get another single in the 5th. Wasn’t pretty but there are no pictures in the scorebook.
    I’m just writing to tell you that I like my CROW oven roasted with a light orange sauce and rice pilaf with a nice Reisling.
    Sincerely,
    phil jones

    1. I hope that’s a large crow you’ve got there Phil because you’ll be sharing it with quite a few of us.
       Other than that, you’ve planned a nice menu . I checked online and really couldn’t find any wine pairings for crow so let’s just go with the Reisling.

       Now, Joc just needs to continue what he started last night and Belli and Max need to keep contributing and the other guys need to keep doing what they’re doing and the pitching needs to stay at this level. If all of that happens, we’ll have our WS title. If……………………………………….only 2 letters but a very large word.

    2. Lol, Phil. Made my day so far.

    3. Yeah phil, I’m having mine with a fine Chianti. Let’s hope this helps Joc’s attitude and, therefore, his production at the plate. He’s at times hard to take, but he’s a Dodger and will all want him to do well.

       1. Hey tedraymond, which is going to help Joc’s attitude, the confidence boosting hit or the Chianti?

          Thanks for the humor guys and DBM.

       2. All birds are edible.

12. Very impressive sweep of the Padres. But yes, they were essentially without two top pitchers, and that makes a difference. I agree that they will be better next year, and they seem determined to get to the top. But right now, the Dodgers have a great chance to win it all. Atlanta is quite good, their starting pitching in the first two series has been great, and the bullpen is also good. The addition of Osuna has made them a more dangerous offensive team; the combo of Acuna, Freeman and Osuna is as good as anyone’s. I expect there to be more close games in this series, and the bullpen is going to be crucial. That is where we have come up short in most of the playoff series which we have lost. Tie game in the ninth, or extra innings, which team’s bullpen is going to prove better? Of course, we do have the ability to score, so maybe we will not face any extended extra inning games.

    We need four starters in a potential seven-game series. That has been a problem for us, remember having to pitch Ricky Nolasco in a 2-2 series? What we have now is Buehler, whose finger certainly is a question mark, but whose stuff is still great, saving the issue of location and hence high pitch counts. Kershaw pitched great against the Brewers, not great but adequately against San Diego. Then we are going to be using young pitchers for the other two spots: May, Gonsolin, and then Urias also a significant part of those games. If we have to use Urias in the first two games, that makes it more difficult. I do not think that we can use either May or Gonsolin in relief, since they will start. Seven games in a row is a problem, since Kershaw needs four days rest, and Buehler at least that with his finger. So if we open with Buehler, pitch Kershaw next, then we have Gonsolin?, then May?, then who pitches in Game 5? Buehler in 6, Kershaw in 7, presumably, if it goes to seven. Some issues for the Dodgers in that regard, particularly if the bullpen is taxed. But even so, we have the better lineup, so we are favored by a substantial amount.

    Oh, and as far as window possibly closing, which I stated the other day, I still believe that, but it of course takes a backseat to this season, which we all want to focus on. Just to clarify, we will be very good next year, but then I think we face difficulty, unless we are willing to spend our way out of it. We will have additional payroll space, particularly if we do not sign Seager, and then Bellinger the year after that. Kershaw will be gone, and Jansen, too.

    1. Personally I think the Padre lineup is as good as the Braves. Maybe better. Obviously Atlanta has been playing well of late, but they haven’t seen anything like the Dodgers, so, there’s that.

       The last series would no doubt have looked different with Lamet and Clevinger. I doubt the outcome would have been different, but the games would have been. The Dodgers will now face a healthier staff. If All shows up, we won’t be beat. If Nothing shows up, it could be close.

       Rams? They are 3rd best in the West …. right?

    2. It seems to me that we need 5 starters in the Braves series, not 4 as you suggest.
       Kershaw, Buehler, May, Gonsolin, Urias. Why make game 5 a bullpen game when you have 5 established starters?

       On the other hand, we may have more position players than we have use for. We’ve just finished 5 playoff games. In three of them we used 11 position players and in the other two 10. Why carry 14 guys and wind up short on pitchers.
       If Rios is healthy I would definitely add him to the other subs (Kike, Barnes, Beaty). If he isn’t healthy I’d go with just those three. Gore and Lux are luxuries we can’t afford in a series where we’re going to be going through a lot of pitching.

       Add a long man. I would prefer White or Gray but I’m sure Wood would be the choice of the front office.
       If we only use 12 position players (Rios not available), I would add another bullpen guy.
       We are doing very little pinch hitting so a long bench is not necessary. If someone gets injured you can go to the taxi squad.

       1. You are right. I meant that you usually need four, but because of the lack of travel days, and the fact that we do not have a starter who can effectively pitch on three days rest right now, we do need five starters. Fortunately, I guess, the nature of the game, at least this year, is that your starter only has to go four or five innings, then you use the bullpen. So if Urias is needed in relief in the early games, he can still perhaps start in another, and go four innings; or maybe they will start Graterol for an inning, and then he will come in. Interestingly, the Braves only had to use three starters in their abbreviated series as well, so pitching depth for either team has not been tested.

13. I didn’t want Pederson as the DH last night, but he was and he had 2 hits, good for him.
    The Dodgers are 5 and 0 so far in the playoffs, keep it going against the Braves.
    My most valuable Dodger player so far in the playoffs is Urias.

14. I talked about how different starting pitching and bullpens are used today versus a few years ago. Sometimes it’s hard for an old timer like me to get my mind around it. It’s almost every team and not just the Dodgers. I don’t want to perseverated on this and it’s not a criticism. It’s just so different.
    I know the Padres were 2 starters short but even with that, who would think that in the game 3rd game of a series, you would see 18 pitchers used and 13 walks? For the 3 game series, 42 pitchers toed the slab. I can see a 15 pitcher staff possible. Who would see May as an “opener” for 1 inning. It worked. Urias looked great and out of the pen, I hope he stays. I am concerned, like Jeff, about McGee and Gonsolin being too rested.
    And how about Will Smith. I couldn’t be happier for a players. Put the bat on the baseball and good things happen. This Betts kid is pretty good too.
    Don’t sleep on the Braves. But this year is just falling into place in so many ways. This has to be the year, don’t you think?

15. The Braves team ERA was more than a point higher than the Dodgers. I do not see where their pitching staff is supposedly better. They have some young starters who are pretty good, Anderson, Fried, and Wright. Melancon their closer is no stranger to the Dodgers. He has done pretty well against them in the past. But the rest of the relief corps is not all that. The starters have a combined ERA over 5. The pens is 3.50. Dodger starters at 3.29, relievers, 2.74. Dodgers starters have given up 42 HR’s, the pen just 24. Atlanta’s starters have given up 38, and the pen 30.

    1. https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/stats/_/type/pitching/name/atl

       Again, they are just numbers, but, these numbers are kind of impressive. I look for them to inflate in the coming days.

16. Sad to hear of the passing of HOFer Whitey Ford. I was lucky to see him pitch a few times. Mostly on TV. But he was a master of his craft. Called the Chairman of the Board. One of Mantles best buddies. I also remember the mammoth homer he gave up to Frank Howard in the 4th game of the 63 series. Howard hit that ball basically with one hand and it went right down the line into the second deck. RIP Whitey. You were fun to watch.

    1. Hey Bear. I have a Whitey Ford autographed ball on my desk. I had gone to LAX when the Dodgers returned from NY during the 1963 WS. After getting all the Dodgers from that ’63 team to sign a ball I went over to the terminal where the Yankees had arrived. First player I saw was Whitey Ford and he signed no problem. I continued up to the gate and here comes Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. I’m thinking holy crap. I asked them to sign and they both refused. I was crushed, but it must have created bad karma because the Yankees lost the next two games and were swept. Lesson: please sign my ball or there are consequences. Lol.

       1. That is totally cool. I used to have a ball that was autographed by several players from the night i sang the Anthem. Including 2 rookies of the year, a no hit pitcher and a 6 time gold glove winner. But the only one I have now is autographed by Rick Monday, Lucas May, and Mike Restovich. I also have a photo signed by Duke Snider. Mantle was Badger’s favorite player.

17. I was a little peeved last night by Matt Vasgersian and his insistence that the Dodgers’ window is closing because the Pads are so young and so good.

    The Dodgers’ player development system has sent a steady stream of major league ready players. The following players have made their MLB debut in the past 3 years:
    Ferguson
    Gonsolin
    V. Martinez
    May
    Santana
    Sborz
    White
    W. Smith
    K. Ruiz
    Beaty
    Lux
    McKinstry
    Rios

    They have several high-end prospects who will be coming up in the next 2 seasons and the financial resources to insure that if they need additional parts that they can get them.

    Whether its 2021 or 2023, the Dodgers will be the big impediment to any other team in the NL West winning the division.

    And looking forward, the Padres’ vaunted young pitching prospects haven’t been as good as they have hoped. I will be interested to see if Buehler, May, Gonsolin, Urias and Gray will be overtaken by the Padres’ young pitchers, but I doubt it.

    1. Buehler, Urias, May, Gonsolin, Belli, Seager, Betts, Smith, Lux. The core is very young and I don’t see AF letting them take a step backward. I made a comment in the previous thread about the same thing.

       1. Lux part of the core? Not yet, my friend. It’s a possibility but he hasn’t earned it. And leaving CK and JT off? Both players have some years left. I don’t see any change in CK’s status. He is our resident ACE and there is no end in sight for his career as long as he stays healthy.

          1. True about Lux and I agree about those two. I left them off because I think Smoltz and many others miss the age of the Dodgers just because SD is supposed to be the next big thing.

18. To say that the dodgers’ window is closing is wrong, the team is young and talented.
    The window is closing but for the veterans who are going to leave like Baéz, Joc, Kike, Turner, etc.
    Young people like Urías, May, Smith, Lux, Graterol, Bellinger, etc, etc. will continue to mature and improve even more and the team will have the money to get what it takes, the window is not closing, the window is getting bigger !!!

    1. The talent level at the Major League level will be just about equal. Edge to Didgers of course. Minor League mid season system rankings at mlb.com have the Padres 3rd (down from 2nd in March) and the Dodgers 11th. Dbacks are 9th. I think what the experts mean by a closing window is not so much that the Dodgers won’t be good, they will be, but organizations in the NL West are hardly standing still.

       1. The Dodgers are eleventh because they have graduated players

19. A quick question that is in no way meant to be judgemental, just curiosity – but how come the players were allowed to celebrate with family members after the series was clinched last night, as I thought that the whole point was that they were in a “ Bubble” – to avoid contact with anyone who could potentially infect them?

    Have I misunderstood the “Bubble”, because I thought that the players had been deliberately kept away from their families?

    If so, is it not a strange time to abandon that code, with so much on the line, and having come this far?

    1. As I understand it, the family members are part of the bubble in the hotel in TX

    2. Many of the families are also in the bubble. Some are not. Dustin May’s family is not so they could not interact. Kershaw’s Family, and it looked like Betts’, and others are in the bubble.

20. Thought I saw Joc after the game playing with his cute little daughter.

21. I might be crazy but I think this big ballpark in Arlington by be helping the Dodger hitters. It seems like they have gotten out of the homer run or nothing mode and making more contact. Good things happen when the ball’s in play.

    1. Are you suggesting we move back the fences at Dodger Stadium?
       Actually I had the same thought last night.

       1. Won’t happen, They just spent over 100 million renovating the old girl. And they put those HR seats right behind the fence.

          1. That was my feeble attempt at humor Bear. No way they do anything at DS to cut down Dodger homers there.

             1. Feeble is definitely right. Lakers looked feeble at the end of the game.

       2. Maybe the Dodgers could work out a deal and play all of their home games in Arlington in the future. (note to Bear, it is just a joke)

22. A few comments on dodger baseball.:

    I wish somebody would have told me that Doc was doing a bullpen game. I couldn’t get the game and I was afraid may was injured. I could not imagine him using may as an opener when May had pitched so well against the pads.

    Urias has to be the talk of the playoffs so far. He has been tremendous and clutch.

    Bellinger and seager have improved their playoff performances in a big way. Barnes has played over his head to this point. His hitting has been unexpectedly good while his receiving and blocking balls in the dirt exceptional. In order to win the big one some players have to exceed expectations. He will play a limited role because we have a top of the line catcher in smith.
    Betts is well just a great player. Pollock, muncy, turner, and Pederson have contributed. I would just say that I expect more from Taylor offensively.

    The pitching has been very good save the ninth inning high wire act of Jansen and Kelly. Urias and May have just been dominate. Buehler has been dominate but obviously less than sharp with command. Kershaw was excellent and then good. Treinen has been very good. I feel for Jansen and wonder if he is hurt. His loss of velocity makes you question it.

    The biggest wildcard may be doc. His plan last night seems reasonable but it could very well have gotten us beat. Kolarek just did not execute. I just felt may was kind of wasted. I thought he would use an opener for May. The pads were I am sure ecstatic to see may gone after 1 inning in that big of a game. But the move of the game was bringing Urias in when he did and urias bailing him out. To this point Urias has arguably been our mvp. Go Dodgers!!

    1. Kolarek got robbed of a strikeout (ABS please) and it changed the dynamics of the inning. Taylor is a streak hitter, as are a lot of Dodgers. It’s the nature of the All or Nothing beast. A few us, most notably Timmons, have been blowing the Urias horn for some time now. Kid got game.

       I think we were all surprised by the opener strategy. I was hoping May could go 6, and give the bullpen some time off. Shows you how much I know.

       1. Thanks, when you don’t c the game u don’t know about kolarek being robbed.

23. Tampa Bay slams the door closed on the Yankees!!

    1. 🙂

       1. It’s a good day when the Yankees lose. That’s a scary bunch.

          1 run? Didn’t see that coming.

24. The 2020 final four:
    Dodgers, run by Andrew Friedman Rays, run by a guy who worked under Friedman
    Astros, run by a guy who worked under Friedman
    Braves…uh, they have Fried, man.

    1. Good one Bluto.

    2. Alex Anthopolous (sp) the Braves GM worked under Friedman with the Dodgers also

       1. Way to run my joke!

          1. Actually you were either plagiarized by Joel Sheehan or you plagiarized him. Word for word tweet was put out by him as well. If you copied dude, you got to at least attribute it. Can’t take credit for being witty if you copy someone else.

             1. I totally stole it, i steaklmost of the stuff i post.

                I with in marketing for a start-up. I know bupkes.

                not sure why i should attribute it.

                But if i should have, then my bad.

    3. That’s good and I don’t even know who fried is.

       1. You are about to find out.

25. Lakers are playing a tough team. You don’t see yesterday players in crunch time.

26. Green and Kuzma not exactly Fisher and Horry! Supporting cast for Lakers is weak and streaky! When AD doesn’t have a big game Lakers are very vulnerable. Butler is a beast! What a competitor. Love the Miami team

27. Wow, Dodgers mean business this post season. This feels like the first time in the more recent era, that all phases are clicking at once and no one’s struggling. Well, maybe one guy, and he’s an important figure for the franchise, but we got 5-6 arms in the bullpen that are probably throwing better than him. He’ll only be our undoing if Roberts allows it to happen.

    The baseball world really, really wants to anoint the Padres. Granted they’ve got some colorful characters and some intriguing young talent, and they put together an impressive 60 game stretch, which would be called May and June in a normal campaign. Can’t recall who, but one of the announcers at Fox or MLB Network called the Dodgers/Padres rivalry the best in the game at the moment? I guess if they say it enough times, casual viewers will believe it and tune in more. I don’t tend to root against other teams, more indifferent than anything. I’m starting to develop an annoyance for the Padres. They have a bit of 2017 Astros to them as far as quickly going from doormat to threat and being loud about it. It would have been a very bitter winter had we lost to them.

    If there has been one underwhelming component of the 2020 season, it’s been the much anticipated Bellinger/Betts coupling. That was supposed to be worth the price of the ticket alone, but as we know it didn’t really materialize during the season because of Bellinger. I think game 2 is the first time all season it felt like both guys were locked in together at the same time, and what a rush. When they’re grooving, I’m hard pressed to find two more entertaining players to watch in the game because of all the tools, and they’re on our team. I think there’s reason to believe Bellinger is just about back and it wasn’t a anomalous showing. He hit .300 over the last 17 games of the year and he’s hitting over .300 so far in the playoffs. Hoping and expecting the power to turn up a tick in the next round and into the WS.

    1. San Diego has been developing for a few years. They are now developed and just need experience. They just got some.

       Agree about the Lakers. There’s no #3, just several 4’s and 5’s. But they don’t really need a go to 3 when AD is on. He wasn’t last night. I hope he’s ok.

       Bellinger is an interesting slugger. He’s not built like a Superhero. Judge and Stanton are. They look like Terminators in a uniform. Bellinger just swings like one. He has to connect with barrel to hit it out. Judge and Stanton can pop it up 380’. Judge and Stanton are watching now. That’s a good thing.

       The Braves are on a roll but we should handle them if we remain stubborn.

       1. Bellinger’s physical stature reminds me of the “Splendid Splinter” Ted Williams, but his violent attack on pitches is just the opposite of Williams’ fluid swing. I believe Bellinger would hit just as many home runs if he would pattern his swing after Williams.

    2. Spot on assessment of the Padres, but I have already passed the annoyance hurdle with a few of their players — Manny Machado at the top of the list. Thankfully he is a Padres player rather than a Dodger.

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