- Right now, the Padres look better, but of course that can change.
- The Padres have the better bullpen.
- The Padres seem very good defensively.
- The Dodger defense looks shaky, very shaky.
- The Padres’ defense is top of the class, the Dodgers’ defense, not so much.
- The bullpen will not hold up over 162 games.
- Roberts will wear out the rest of the bullpen.
- Dave Roberts just does what he is told.
- Best BP in baseball? Hardly ……….. KJ can’t go on back-to-back nights, Treinen can’t get people out, Graterol looks horrible, Gonzales doesn’t know where the strike zone is, Price looks done and Nelson should get his DFA tomorrow.
Those are all quotes from this site over the past couple of days. No names will be mentioned to protect the _________________ (you fill in the blank). Most… if not all of that is just silly drivel and knee-jerk reactions. It’s way too early to proclaim that Rios or Beaty is crap. In fact, I am going to address each and every claim above – which are opinions, but opinions based upon a very small sampling. Opinions are also like… well nevermind!
- Right now, the Padres look better, but of course that can change. – Look at the standings. Nuff said!
- The Padres have the better bullpen. – Who decided that? 20+ games into the season and we know?
- The Padres seem very good defensively. – Most errors in MLB! Wrong!
- The Dodger defense looks shaky, very shaky. Your opinion…. not fact!
- The Padres’ defense is top of the class, the Dodgers’ defense, not so much. – Even Ray Charles can see otherwise!
- The bullpen will not hold up over 162 games. – From a person who said the bullpen would not hold up last year.
- Roberts will wear out the rest of the bullpen. – World Champion! Sour grapes!
- Dave Roberts just does what he is told. – So Andrew Friedman is the idiot? The facts say otherwise! Very Weak!
- Best BP in baseball? Hardly ……….. KJ can’t go on back-to-back nights, Treinen can’t get people out, Graterol looks horrible, Gonzales doesn’t know where the strike zone is, Price looks done and Nelson should get his DFA tomorrow. – Yeah, one game proves all that. LOL!
Last night’s game was a great game with two heavyweights going back and forth and it had an ending we did not like. That much is true. The Dodgers are still not hitting on all cylinders. We have some players injured and some out of sync. We have some pitchers learning and adjusting to their new bullpen roles. Yet, the Dodgers are 15-7 and have the largest run differential in baseball. Predictably, many fans are calling for Dave Roberts head on a platter, because of course, when a player (hitter or pitcher) doesn’t execute, we all know it is the managers fault! Somehow it all comes back to the guy who just won a World Championship. WOW!
I was hoping that the Dodgers would have won last night and split the series, but I guess that is too much to hope for. We are 22 games into the season and everything is a small sampling. The bullpen is a work in progress. Jimmy Nelson and David Price are pitching in new roles. The fact that they have not been perfect should not be surprising. It is still early. You can blame it on the bullpen, but the real problem was the hitting… or lack thereof! The Dodgers left a total of 42 runners on base! 42! They should have won the game by 10 runs.
Yes, the Padres won the game and the series, but did you know that they had just one extra-base hit? Tatis’s Home run! There is a degree of luck involved in baseball, which is why you cannot make proclamations after 22 games. As you get to the 50 or 60 game mark, you start to get the picture. Blame it on whatever – Doc, the bullpen, whatever, but the real problem is the lack of timely hitting. Mookie is playing but is not right. Cody is not playing. McKinstry and Lux are injured and CT3 is still dinged. Rios does look lost, but sending him down now may not have the effect you want. Raley and Noisy are green and Beaty is slumping.
This is baseball. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .241 (.634 OPS) and Nolan Arenado is hitting .253 (.739 OPS) for the Cardinals. That proves both of them are bums and their manager is an idiot, using the reasoning many of you are applying to the Dodgers. Liam Hendriks has a 4.82 ERA – send him back to AAA! Alex Colome’s ERA is 5.63 while Rasiel Iglesias is at 6.75 (I did predict that, but it’s early). Craig Kimbrel is lights-out! My guess is that most of that will change. This is baseball. I am sure you have watched it before. Do not take leave of your senses… especially after just 22 games. 5 out of 4 people struggle with math, but I think that means there are 140 games left!
Andrew Friedman is building a bullpen for the playoffs. That bullpen will likely include Tony Gonsolin, maybe Joe Kelly, maybe Mitch White and several others. I saw a lot of good in Jimmy Nelson yesterday. Give him time. Ever Garrett Cleavinger got my attention with his 97 MPH heater. Bullpens take time to build. What looks to be the best today can crumble tomorrow. Watch and see! By the way, I would not be surprised to see Mitch White tonight!
Let’s Dial Down the Chippiness!
Can we agree to disagree without attacking each other? That is not a question. It is an order! Quit trying to “one-up” the other guy! Make your points but keep it civil.
We Have the Technology
So maybe we don’t call all balls and strikes electronically, but what about a half-dozen challenges a game? It’s immediate and does not slow down the pace of play. They could implement it immediately.
Some observations;
The calling of balls/strikes seems to be the worst I can remember. I actually have to now wait and see what is called as I can no longer believe what I see. I can only imagine how confused the players are ( from both teams). This is a systemic problem for which there is no easy answer (electronic b/s is not ready for prime time although one could argue it couldn’t be any worse then what we are witnessing).
Peter’s is not ready for prime time. MLB pitchers have exposed a big hole in his swing.
Beaty I think is starting to come around but the rest of the Dodger OF depth is very suspect.
As Mark mentioned, Rios is lost. He’s hitting around 100. Of course if he reverts to his mean he will have one crazy couple of weeks hitting. Hope this happens but I am very skeptical. He’s had around 45 at bats. What he does over the next 45 at bats will dictate what the Dodgers need to do.
Cleavinger got the loss but was the best relief pitcher for the Dodgers last night. If Price is out for awhile it would be good to see what he can do.
Price evidently had some hamstring issue which is why he only pitched one inning.
Why didn’t Kershaw bunt ?
I like the odds of getting that run with a Kershaw bunt much better than him trying to get the bat on the ball against a underneath delivery lefty. Roberts does not ever use the bunt. I think it should’ve been used twice last night. Also, Peters should not have been in that game at all. Agree with comment below that Rios should not have hit for Noisy.
I was wondering that myself. All he had to do was get it by the pitcher and game over. B&P..my bad, I forgot that he had been a Mariner. But I still like him as an infielder better. Too early to get crazy over this. And Mark is right, they are not hitting on all cylinders. Also I have noticed that it has been pretty chilly at night. The ball does not seem to be carrying very well. Guys like Mookie and Seager are sputtering a bit. You have to know that Mookie is pretty bummed about his hitting right now. The umps K zones have been lousy. No consistency. Strike 2 on Mookie in the tenth inning was at least 2 inches too low.
Excellent question. Kershaw is a very good bunter and that should have been the call. Also, the Dodgers had several other opportunities to bunt during the game. Raley was up twice with the bases loaded and one out and struck out. He may not seem like a bunting option, but he bunted for a hit in this series against Darvish, and they shift against him. And pinch hitting Rios for Neuse in the ninth was silly, and just further weakened the bench unnecessarily. Even if you choose not to bunt with winning run on first, Neuse had homered off of the same pitcher in this series.
The biggest difference between the teams to me is the Padres willingness to play small ball to supplement the home runs. They steal bases and hit the other way in close games, whereas the Dodgers are poor at executing with runners on.
Because the bases were loaded?
Exactly!! That makes it a force play at home and the bunt would have to have been absolutely perfect. The rule it you don’t squeeze with the bases loaded, unless it is a suicide squeeze.
Disagree. Infield was back at DP depth. All he needed to do was get the ball past the pitcher on the 3rd base side. Chances of a DP were slim and all the pressure is on the fielders.
All he has to do is get the ball past the pitcher?!??!?? And on a specific side?
I can count on two hands the number of position players who can do that regularly. And you’re expecting a pitcher to do it??!?!??!! Against a quality reliever?
Well he could do it to the first base side also, harder for the pitcher to pivot and throw if he is a righty. But the POINT is, Kershaw has always been a decent bunter, in fact, one of the better ones on the team. Only guy I saw lay down as many as Kersh was Maeda. And all the pressure is on the fielder to make a clean play. If it works, fine. They still got nothing from a strike out and Kershaw is a huge DP candidate for any ball hit to an infielder. At that point, why not try it? Your hitters were inept with men in scoring position all damn night. Try something new. And he was hitting against Hill. Last time I checked he was not one of the Padres best, plus being left handed it would be easier for Kersh to follow the path and take a pitch on the outer half down the 3rd base line.
Oh yeah, Kersh has bunted over 100 times in his career. 31 times against a lefty. So the expect a pitcher to do that argument does not hold water with a player like Kersh who has had plenty of practice. Is there a risk of failure??? Certainly. But, nothing else was working.
This is Kershaw’s 14th season.
That’s an average of 7+ bunt attempts a year.
A YEAR.
2.5 (generously) a year against lefties.
Let him be comfortable at the plate in a high-leverage situation.
You have your ideas and I have mine. He still is one of the best bunters on the team. And he is not that great of a hitter. I think he could have pulled it off. Considering how it worked out,, trying would have been a good idea. We can agree to disagree.
I get this feeling that Roberts (and by extension AF, because we all know he’s just a sock puppet ;)) doesn’t have a real sense of urgency about the regular season. It’s as if it’s all a big long Spring Training in preparation for the playoffs. I think he’s ok just coasting into the playoffs, and maybe putting in a little effort to get home field advantage, but otherwise it’s a case of tweaking a little of this, letting a pitcher work out some issues there, letting a player play through a slump, etc. It’s not a terrible way to approach things, because playoff baseball is just completely different, the season is long and workloads need to be managed, but there’s a danger of creating a culture of complacency with losing.
I still don’t really get the story with Graterol. So apparently he didn’t throw at all from the end of the playoffs until late, meaning he missed all of Spring Training, and now he’s being put in high leverage situations and he’s been whacked. I’m confused. Was he injured? Did he just not feel like throwing? What? I mean, his velocity is there, but clearly there were some things he needed to work on last year. He’s very similar do Dustin May. Both have elite velocity and that crazy sinker ball movement, but both have had issues with translating their stuff into swings and misses – and strikeouts. May has taken a big jump in his K/9% and has worked on his command and incorporating his curveball and cutter into his pitch sequencing, and he now strikes out batters at a K/9% of 13.50 , which is tied for 6th in baseball.
May has put in some work and has taken a big step in his game. Graterol has not, and it’s costing the team. This is what perplexes me about the game. You’d think that at this level, there would be a consistent off-season training program and more coaching collaboration between the team’s coaches and the players, but apparently it’s still pretty laissez faire. Guys like Bauer work their tails off in the off-season with outfits like Driveline, but it’s completely on their own. Kershaw apparently didn’t work as hard this off-season, but for him it’s probably just as much about managing workload over the course of an entire year.
Nevertheless, baseball is a profession that should be year round, at the very least to stay in consistent remote contact with coaches and devising ways to remotely measure workload and monitor pitching and training over the course of an off-season. The fact that the Dodgers are paying Joe Kellly 8 million dollars, he shows up to Spring Training and immediately his arm starts hurting indicates a problem to me. Spring Training is a preparation for the season, but a player ought to show up PREPARED for Spring Training. This kind of stuff should be implemented as an organization and there should be contract stipulations , IMO.
Speaking of Dustin May, his curveball is very good, and that’s starting to become his out pitch. He’s mixing in a cutter effectively, too. There’s just something weird about the shape of that sinker that allows right handers to square up on it if it’s in the strike zone. It works when a right hander is looking for something else and he comes in and jams him, which is what happened to Machado once when his bat shattered. I’m just a fan on the internet and know nothing about coaching pitching, but I’m still confused why May doesn’t throw a four seamer high in the zone more. When looking at heat maps of his pitches in the zone, that inside upper quadrant is almost completely neglected by May, mostly because of the shape of his sinker that he mostly throws. If he could command a four seamer with some rising action, and the spin rate he generates with his other pitches suggest he could, throwing that pitch high and tight would terrify batters looking for the tailing action of that 98 MPH two seamer.
May and Blake Snell have nearly identical inning pitched so far and identical K/9%. May has a much better ERA and has been the better pitcher so far.
The starting pitcher with the highest ERA in baseball is our old friend, Madison Bumgarner. BWAHA.
Patch, I do know a lot about pitching and don’t know either why May doesn’t throw way more 4 seamers at the top of the strike zone. I have asked that before. It would be a huge weapon.
I am not a Roberts hater and think he does a fantastic job with communicating with the players and getting them to play hard. However I thought he made a couple of poor choices last night. Pinch hitting Peters for Raley because righty/lefty thing in the bottom of the 8th inning didn’t seem right but he may have done that move in the top of the 9th for defense anyway. To me the biggest problem was pinch hitting Ríos for Neuse in the bottom of the 9th inning in a tie game. Ríos was your last positional player left and you had to realize that the game may go into extra innings and you had the pitcher’s spot hitting #6 which would allow the Padres to pitch around the 4th and 5th hitters which they did do. Ríos was needed if the game went into extra innings. Plus everyone can see Ríos is struggling mightily with one hit all year, a dribbler 60 feet down the third base line. Neuse had 4 hits in his last 3 games with 2 homers and 2 outs hit over 100 mph. Absolutely crazy to weaken your team like that and my son and I both said so at the time.
I am not agreeing or disagreeing… but it is a fact that some guys come out of slumps when their manager shows confidence in them. Obviously, it didn’t work last night…
Excellent points Jim!
Both of those pinch hitting choices were ill-advised. Not only did he pinch hit Peters for Raley in the 8th inning, but just prior to that, he pinch hit Will Smith just to be intentionally walked, and wasted him for the entire game. Tingler outsmarted Roberts and forced him to waste both Smith and Raley, just to allow Peters to bat off of the lefty.
And then Two batters later in the 9th, Roberts removes Neuse from the game for Rios. So in the space of 3 batters, Roberts burned Smith, Raley, and Neuse. And the only benefit was to have Peters and Rios bat, and stay in the game to each bat again in game deciding situations. And of course in the 10th inning, the Dodgers are out of position players so must PH Kershaw.
The players decide the outcome of games, much more than the manager. It was not Robert’s fault that 4 straight relievers failed to hold a 6 run lead. But managers can put players in better positions to win games. Roberts didn’t do a good job of this yesterday. He voluntary removed Smith, Raley, Neuse, Beaty, and Pollock from the game which left him with Rios, Kershaw, and Peters taking 5 key at bats to win the game.
I agree that Dave is a great communicator, motivator, and leader. But he sometimes struggles with in game strategy. Sometimes it is as simple as just leaving your best players in the game.
There was plenty of blame to go around. Not Doc’s best game manageing. Again he does nothing to help a struggling team manufacture runs especially early when Barnes left 9 guys stranded by the 6th. They left 16 LOB. There might be one safety squeeze in there somewhere. But Raley, Peters and Rios were 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts and just hacking away. Everybody last night, especially Mookie did not producing.
BUT, We had a 7 run lead.
Has anyone seen Jorge? He’s been silent for the whole series.
The rest of you can blame poor bullpen execution or poor hitting for the 3-1 outcome, but I’m afraid I have to lay this at the feet of Jorge. Before the series started he wished injury on the opposition. I warned him about karma.
Karma is more powerful than baseball talent.
Do not wish ill health on opponents. It will come back to bite you in the ass.
All kidding aside, this was a great series. Yes, we came out on the losing end but we’re still in first place. If the rest of the season is as intense as April has been, baseball will be all the better for it.
Last I heard, Jorge was on suicide watch! 😉
His Padres fan friends beat him up
Really, really, really enjoyed that whole series.
It’s great to have a strong rivalry with geographic proximity. Hopefully, Zaidi gets the Giants to a similar state soon.
Then going to the park may be worth it.
PS: Although I have never watched a Dodger minor league game, Peters’ 38% K rate in the minors does seem to ring true…
I think you got your wish about the Giants and Zaidi…
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/standings
The Giants have a ton of money coming off the books at the end of the year and they will be a player in the FA market.
The Balance of Power in Baseball is shifting to the NL West
As much as we, and the announcers yesterday, keep praising our amazing 2016 draft, it’s worth noting that 2017 and 2018 drafts haven’t done anything (yet). Maybe Michael Grove becomes something, but of all the Dodger prospect ranking systems out there, I don’t see that many, if any at all, from 2017 and 2018.
I’m sure the smarter folks can give their opinions. But as much as this won’t hurt now, it could start to hurt in a few years (especially if SD and now SF build them selves back up)
First of all i totally support Mark on his stance on MLB and against cancel culture. That being said only reason i am watching is because i like baseball and The Dodgers but dont care about anything else or MLB or Roberts opinions on this and social matters (Just stick to baseball Roberts ). Period. That being said. Please answer me a question _?? Why is Rios still on the roster the guy cant hit water and has no hustle or attitude it seems. Peters cant hit water as well he could have had the walk last night but cant hit the high fastball it seems or anything else. I know he only has 5 at bats and i think already has 4 ks.
Bullpen is looking terrible but most terrible is the manager that after the 6th inning does not know what to do and manages a game plan like the robot and yes man he is ( Yes he won , we won 2020 but we could have won 2017,2018 with a better manager ). If a pitcher pitched the day before he is simply not available. Or according to FO and the Yes man Roberts pitchers are being kept on a pitch count and there is no managing on feeling anymore. Corey Seager is not looking to deserve a big commitment and is looking more like the 2019 version than 2020. Bellinger is needed. Mookey seems to be hurt and 2 rbis so far this season !!! . We have to be realistic Dodgers do not posses the depth or minor leagues they claim to have. Dodgers have a bunch of 4A players like Peters, Riley, Rios, Santana, Clevinger, Etc, etc. But again this game is on Roberts i am tired of how he disrespects the rivals and gives away games. Leading 7-1 against your strongest divison rival now and you put nelson, Graterol, Gonzales, Price These guys stink.
I do not think Roberts is a smart manager to be honest !
I am the person who said, before yesterday’s game, that the Dodgers bullpen (as now constituted) would not hold up over 162 games. I did not say that last year, because there were only 60 games, though I certainly did question the bullpen. It is not as if the bullpen became great last year, but putting Urias in it was a big factor in us winning the title. It is far easier for Roberts not to wear out his bullpen, when there are only 60 games.
I f anyone has watched the season so far, and I know that virtually everyone here has, it would be impossible to have confidence in this bullpen. Yesterday it blew a 7-1 lead. Apparently the only fairly reliable pitcher we have right now is Jansen, and I am not fully convinced, but he has looked much better than last year. But he apparently can only go once every three games or so.
The rest of them are not at all comparable to the top bullpens. Yesterday, Roberts was so unwilling to use Jansen or Treinen, that he left Nelson out there to look awful, until he somehow got out of the bases loaded, one out situation, and kept the tie, only giving up two runs. Meloncon, whom we could never hit when he was with Pittsburgh, but then fell off some, is now back to stifling us in save situations. We absolutely have to add relievers, and not the kind we have added in past midseasons, longshots who were once good. If we do not, we will not win the pennant, in my very strong opinion, which Mark can certainly point to if I am not correct.
That game yesterday was awful. One game, of course. But it allowed SD to be only three games behind us, not five. It gave them great heart. And it wasn’t just the bullpen, though that was obviously the main cause. How do we not even score one run in three innings with the automatic baserunner on second to start the inning? We didn’t hit one ball hard after the seventh inning.
And I totally agree that using up our last regular bench piece, forcing us to use Kershaw as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded, was just poor strategy. BTW, I have seen us use Kershaw as a pinch hitter before; do you remember any game where an opponent has had to use a pitcher in that spot? I do not. Roberts maneuvers himself into that position. And while I certainly realize that bunting with the bases loaded is ordinarily ridiculous, in that spot, I was hoping that Kershaw would try it, because he was very unlikely to get a base hit against that five-man infield. Maybe he could have somehow gotten a walk, Roberts must have thought. Peters did, but swung at it, turning it into a strikeout on a ball a foot high. An awful loss, and I do not think just one game, which we can easily get right past.
I want to give a big thank you to Watford Dodger for the compliment he gave me in the comment section in yesterday’s post. I appreciate it Watford Dodger thank you.
There are flaws with our bullpen and the better teams like the Padres will expose those flaws. Other not so good teams I’m not worried about though.
No problem Eric
Credit where credit’s due
I have not really been critical about the offense – the Dodgers have some injuries and guys with track records who should revert to the mean. I am concerned about hitting RISP and yesterday was just awful. We will see if it becomes a trend like it was a couple of years ago.
I have been very concerned about the bullpen for some time. I don’t believe that there is anyone who will throw a clean inning more often than not. The quality, depth and performance of the bullpen was on display yesterday and it wasn’t pretty.
Here’s Houston Mitchell of the Times:
“Corey Knebel, who looked like the secondary closer behind Kenley Jansen, but he strained a back muscle and will be out at least a couple of months. Dennis Santana is also on the IL after not feeling well after a COVID-19 vaccination. Brusdar Graterol is struggling, Jimmy Nelson hasn’t exactly been lights out, as evidenced by Sunday’s implosion. David Price (poor fielding let him down some Sunday) and Victor Gonzalez have been erratic. Blake Treinen has given up 13 hits in nine innings. Their best relievers have been Jansen and Scott Alexander. And there doesn’t appear to be a lot of help on the way. Losing Knebel really hurts. Games like Sunday can’t happen very often. You have to tip your cap to the Padres for some of it, of course, but the bullpen needs to step up their game. There’s really no one where you say to yourself “Game over” when they come in.”
Mark is playing at being Dr. Pangloss but you can’t improve if you don’t own up to your faults. I love the Dodgers’ starting pitching and I assume that the offense will come around. The bench isn’t what it has been in years past perhaps, but the bullpen is the Achilles heel of the Dodgers.
Easy to criticize from ones couch or easy chair. But Dave is what he is. My problem is that 3 guys out of the pen were unavailable and he had to end up using a guy who had not pitched in a game since spring training to shut down the Padres. But you cannot expect everything to go according to plan. They could have just as easily won 3 of 4 as losing them. Never leave a pitch in the middle of the plate to Tatis. That being said, a lot of those hits were just seeing eye dinks. Padres took advantage, Dodgers did not. We need the whole team healthy.
Another point about stopping the running game courtesy of True Blue LA:
“The Dodgers have allowed 26 steals in 31 attempts this season, most in the majors, so much so that they would be leading even when excluding the last two games.
“A few things stand out here. For one, the bullpen has allowed 16 of the 26 steals, which seems to be a problem late in games, especially when the most were allowed by high-leverage pitchers Jansen and Treinen.
“Dodgers catchers have only thrown out three runners trying to steal, all by Will Smith, who has allowed 14 steals in 119⅔ defensive innings behind the plate. Runners are 12 for 12 when stealing against Austin Barnes, in 80⅔ innings.”
Yeah, there was another poster or two who I was dwelling on this subject with.
Steals are exciting.
Steals are statistically problematic, thus strategically problematic.
Steals are killing the Dodgers.
I miss Steals.
that overall steal stat also has A LOT to do with jansen. ANYTIME someone gets on base it is an almost automatic steal ….. and those double steals in extra innings are ridiculous.
The catchers are given no shot by the relief pitchers, not just KJ. Off Cleavenger in the 11th after his walk to Grisham, Tatis and Grisham double steal to 2nd and 3rd. As another suspicious move, Doc stays lefty, lefty and pitches to Hosmer. I would walk Hosmer every time in that situation and hope ONE ground ball gets us out of the inning. Instead Hosmer hits the sac fly which proves to be the winning run. Cronenworth struck out to end the inning and that’s who i would have been pitching to.
It’s a crap shoot in these deals and wasn’t Doc who struck out and pitched poorly or caused the injuries but as a strategist he leaves a lot to be desired.
The Rockies have finally done something right.
Jeff Bridich is “stepping down” as GM.
More details to follow.
That Sunday game falls on Roberts head pure & simple. Dustin May had the Padres handcuffed until Roberts goes to his mandatory bullpen. That game would have been over had May been allowed to continue. Old Dodger fans can go back years to the times of Drysdale, Koufax, Newcombe ( who once pitched both ends of a doubleheader), Erskine, Valenzuela, Don Sutton, Oral Hershiser, etc. All of them went the distance unless they wore down in late innings. And then to put in a pitcher (Kershaw) to pinch hit with bases loaded? That was awfully difficult to watch. Roberts strategies are less than stellar – that’s all I’ve got to say.
Sid – I think Roberts was out of position players when Kershaw came in to hit. I think he pinch hit for Nelson. I also think SD had to use Weathers (LHP) to PH as they were out of position players. I really thought Kershaw would be instructed to bunt. He can bunt.
And Weathers didn’t bunt for the Padres, which was also a head scratcher. The distain for the bunt has risen to the point where almost no Skipper even considers it. Don’t give up those precious outs to get guys in scoring position.
I seldom even think about it as an option anymore when watching. It’s a lost strategy because the metric folks say it’s not productive. But I contend that there is a time an place for it. Moving runners into scoring position at the right time adds pressure to the pitcher and defense. With the extra inning rules now, I want that guy on third with one out if I’m the home team and it’s tied. There are 25 ways to score from 3rd base that aren’t available from 2nd. So if batters are walked to set up the possible dp, so be it. I’m not exiting that inning with the guy still on 2nd.
No hit and run anymore although I prefer the run and hit. Few steals attempted. The safety squeeze is in defensible when done right. There’s a time for these things but Earl Weaver would be proud of today’s game. Wait for the 3 run homer. And wait. And wait.
How many free hits are out there against the shift even with a half-assed bunt? When the Dodgers have struggled to get anything going, how many attempted bunt hits have you seen? I’ve seen zero. I played at a time where if that was given to you and you didn’t at least try to get on, you were selfish.
There’s a time for small ball and players could add it to their toolkits.
I’m telling you right now, if I could run like DJ Peters and I hit like him, I’d be drag bunting every time up.
Injuries have quickly become the single largest issue. Over the last few years I always end up going back to the same point. AF loves depth. That’s why he has worked so hard to NOT empty the system and go for every trade fans demand he pull off. If you have depth, you can ride out injuries (especially when they come in clusters). Dodgers might be a .500 team for a couple weeks. Without the depth we might be a .300 team for a couple weeks. When key players start coming back, I have every faith we will be back on the right track. A lot of work needs to happen in the bullpen. But this team can ride out injuries. It’s designed for that.
Speaking of balls and strikes. I thought that Jim Reynolds did s a good job last night. Not perfect but consistent for both sides. What I really liked and I mean really, really, he did not allow the catchers pulling the ball up or in to influence his decisions.
I expect my one disappointment is that the Dodgers do not run and can’t seem to stop the Padres from running. I also am a fan of the bunt. I know the theory is that it is an out but it is not nearly as devastating out as the “K” or DP.
I agree, There are times when a bunt is in order, and while it doesn’t always work the way we want it to, it is still good strategy if used at the right time. The Padres team is built with much greater all around speed than we are, and it certainly paid off this weekend. How many of our guys are legit threats to run? Most of theirs are, and they took advantage of the first & third steal because we wouldn’t throw to second. O well, we are all a little frustrated right now and it is good to blow off some steam. They will be back, but perhaps aren’t as dominant as we thought early in the year.
Its April, Ill take our guys any day of the week over SD.
Bellinger, Lux, McKinstry, Kelly, Knebel (hopefully) all will be back…
Lets go get the Reds. We lost the battle, we will win the war.
A couple of observations.
-No one on the team seems to be able to hit with RISP. Nor are we often able to advance a runner into scoring position or from second to third. Doesn’t seem to matter though because we can’t seem to get them home from third.
-I have seen several comments about Barnes being a good catcher. I have never agreed, especially on his throws. He has a weak arm and a slow delivery. His throws to second seem to float and arrive at shoulder level. Smith is much better, but our pitchers are not holding runners on and they too, have slow deliveries.
-We couldn’t ask for better starting pitching. It is hard to watch their efforts go to waste because of the BP.
-It looks like some of our hitters are coming around, but Mookie is really hurting us right now while he is in this slump
-We don’t seem to be able to get HR’s consistently like we did last year. Could the ball be part of it?
-The umps behind the plate are terrible, it is hard to watch all the bad calls. It really changes the game.
Doc subbed Pollock for Beaty right after Taylor hit his HR. Why? No one on base. Pollock could of been used in a more important situation. Rios and Peters are useless right now.
DODGERS ACTIVATE GAVIN LUX AND DENNIS SANTANA, RECALL MITCH WHITE
PLACE DAVID PRICE ON IL, OPTION GARRETT CLEAVINGER AND DJ PETERS
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers made a series of moves, activating infielder Gavin Lux and right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana from the injured list, recalling right-handed pitcher Mitch White from the alternate site, optioning left-handed pitcher Garrett Cleavinger and outfielder DJ Peters and placing left-handed pitcher David Price on injured list with a right hamstring strain.
Lux, 23, returns after missing 10 days with right wrist soreness. He has appeared in 13 games for the Dodgers, batting .220 with two triples and five RBI. In parts of three seasons with the Dodgers, he has notched six doubles, three triples, five homers and 22 RBI. The 2019 Minor League Player of the Year was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2016 First Year Player Draft out of Indian Trail High School.
Santana, 25, has made five appearances for the Dodgers, allowing four runs in 4.2 innings with three strikeouts. He has pitched parts of four seasons for the Dodgers, posting a 2-2 record with a 6.82 ERA (23 ER/30.1 IP) and 31 strikeouts. He was originally acquired by the Dodgers as an international free agent on March 12, 2013.
White, 25, will be recalled for his first stint with the club after making two appearances in 2020 with the Dodgers. The former second rounder out of Santa Clara University is 1-0 with three scoreless frames in his Major League career. In four minor league seasons with the Dodgers, he went 14-15 with a 3.97 ERA and 311 strikeouts in 75 games (67 starts).
Cleavinger, 27, made his Dodger debut last night, suffering the loss, allowing an unearned run and striking out one. He was recalled prior to Saturday’s game and was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Phillies on December 20, 2020. He made one appearance for the Phillies in 2020, allowing one run on two hits with one strikeout in 0.2 inning. He was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft by the Phillies out of the University of Oregon.
Peters, 25, made his Major League debut after being recalled on Friday. He went 0-for-5 in his three game stint with the club. Peters has been with the organization since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 First Year Player Draft out of Western Nevada College. In four minor league seasons, he has hit .269 (461-for-1714) with 92 homers and 271 RBI. In 2019, he split the season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, clubbing a combined 23 homers and driving in 81 runs in 125 games.
Price, 35, appeared in seven games for the Dodgers, recording a 1-0 mark with one save. His first career regular season save came on Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 in a 7-5 win against the Rockies. The 2012 Cy Young award winner is in his 13th season and 151-80 with a 3.32 ERA in 328 games (311 starts) in his Major League career. He was acquired along with Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox on February 10, 2020 in exchange for Alex Verdugo and minor leaguers Jeter Downs and Connor Wong.
Line up vs the Reds…..Betts, Seager, Taylor, Muncy, Smith, Raley, Lux, Rios, Urias.
The best news about that game was Dustin May, looking like an ace in the making.
And that might be the only good news for Dodger fans. (Well, Neuse hit another HR… but he also botched an easy play. Maddening.)
The defense continues to look VERY shaky–especially in comparison to the Padres’ first-rate D. With Bellinger out, Betts is the only premium defender out there for the Dodgers. It’s not the rest are horrible; pretty much average. Not championship quality. Too much sloppy play, while the Pads have made some dazzling plays. Here’s hoping that Lux can help and also spark the offense. Dodgers also need Belli and McKinstry to get back to full strength.
McK’s bat-to-ball skills are sorely missed… especially when Raley, Peters and Rios have been whiffing. Ugh.
If the struggles continue, should Dodgers call up Busch? He’s supposedly the best pure hitter among the prospects but his D is limited. Can he play left? Ruiz can hit–but probably only an injury to Smith or Barnes will bring him up.
Happy to see Mitch White get called up. Hope he makes the most of it. With all the talent in the Dodgers system, I keep thinking somebody will break through the way others have in the past, like VGon last season. If it doesn’t happen, Friedman’s shopping list will probably include a veteran OF or UT guy.
Oh, I hate “cancel culture” too–especially in the form of a violent insurrection that led to the deaths of three police officers and was aimed at nothing less than canceling the votes of the majority of Americans. Oh, some of those self-proclaimed “patriots” even wanted to cancel the life of the Vice President and perhaps a few others. Remember that, folks?
I’m glad Mark decided, upon reflection, not to cancel his blog over “cancel culture.”
So, when you say stuff that is demonstrably false, I have to take issue. You are obviously controlled by the liberal media, but I am not.
No Police Officers were killed at the Capital and the insurrection was not nearly as violent as what goes on every day in Chicago, Settle, NY, Portland, and Baltimore.
Now we are finding out that Capital Police were only looking for Trump Supporters and letting BLM and Antifa into the Capital. This story is far from over, but don’t repeat falsehoods! Let me put what you just wrote into perspective.
Get your facts straight. And… you are welcome that I do not practice cancel culture.
Duke, it would appear that you are either delusional or as dishonest as Bluto, who like every Leftist has shown he has no problem lying about politics. Unlike many I welcome political commentary when it involves baseball, but try to elevate to at least a sixth grade level. Thanks.
2 things I was surprised by:
Actually shocked we pitched to tatis with the score tied. All the damage he did to us and with the game on the line we pitched to him. Fortunately Nelson was lucky enough to strike him out. Can u imagine the headlines had he homered or knocked in the winning run. I guess no one here felt the same but to me that was the dumbest decision that worked out for us.
I was surprised Barnes didn’t bunt with a runner starting at second. He can’t hit and he can bunt.
If we get in a playoff game and get behind the pads we might as well go home if melancon comes in. Betts may be hurting because he has terrible swings. I am trying to figure what he can hit. He has a strong resume on offense but he just seems overmatched frequently. On the plus side Dustin May looked great!! Seager acts like he is too tired to move.
I might regret this statement if Raley gets some hits in his next AB’s, but his AB’s are not competitive at all. He looks way overmatched, nearly as much as Peters did so in his cup of coffee call-up.
What has happened to Will Smith?
Rios also. Dude looks completely lost
McKinstry Bellinger Gonsolin are very much missed.
Kenley picked a really bad time to give up his first HR. Once again the clutch hitting was non existent. Ump’s K zone once again was inconsistent, They need a spark really bad and at this point in time, Mookie is not providing it. Tied with the Giants for first place. Just one more reminder, this is NOT 2020
Another loss with a feeble offensive effort by the Dodgers. It seems that the Dodgers are treating April like an extended spring training. Just a week ago the talk was the Dodgers on pace for 120 wins, now they are tied for the division lead with the Giants and have lost 6 out of 8 games. It still seems to me like the Dodgers are seeing a steady diet of offspeed pitches and have not been able to adjust. The Dodgers seem unwilling or unable to wait and hit balls to the opposite field. The Padres consistently took singles the other way to beat the shift, and again tonight the Reds had key opposite field hits to produce their runs.
It is a long season, and the Dodger starting pitching continues to be fantastic. They are still in good shape, and have a great roster even with the injuries. But once a team is willing to sacrifice games against its top competitor, like the Dodgers did in both series finales against the Padres, it sends a message that each game is not important. A letdown from a World Series winner is inevitable, but the current lax approach seems to make it worse. Similarly, it looks like Friedman was premature to trade Floro and Kolarek, and the bullpen could really use the arms right now.
No need to panic in April, but the Giants, Padres, and Dbacks are not gonna just rollover and give the division to the Dodgers.