Let’s get one thing straight: Andrew Friedman is the President and GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is his responsibility to oversee anything that is connected with “Baseball Operation.” For the sake of this blog, Andrew Friedman is responsible for building the Dodgers Bullpen. To date, most Dodgers fans are saying that he built a deplorable bullpen. I have heard one fan say it was an “average” bullpen.
They are of course, all right because Andrew Friedman should have known the following:
- That David Pirce would end up on the DL for an extended time period;
- That Corey Knebel with end up on the DL for an extended period;
- That Dustin May would blow out his arm and have to have TJ;
- That Tony Gonsolin would have issues that would keep him on the DL for a long time;
- That Scott Alexandr would be on the DL with shoulder inflammation;
- That Brusdar Graterol would be on the DL for the first couple months of the season;
- That Mitch White would not quite be ready;
- That Dennis Santana would not quite be ready; and
- Garrett Cleavinger would not quite be ready.
OK, I’ll give you the last one. But, I still think that Cleavinger will be a solid piece in the pen. If you say you knew all that… well, I call BS! Not only should Andrew Friedman have known that… but he should also have known that it would all happen at once! Anybody with half a brain and 20/20 hindsight can see it!
So, do you really think Andrew Friedman should have planned for all of the above… and that the 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger would be on the IL most of the season and that a potential Rookie-of-the-Year (Zach McKinstry) would be on the IL most of the season ) so far? No team could withstand that. Yet, some of you sit there and second-guess everything that has happened in a catastrophe?
It is obvious that Andrew Friedman should have signed nine more pitchers to take the place of the above nine? Come on, Man! Quit the second-guessing. The Dodgers have had a catastrophic onslaught of injuries and they are still one game above .500. That would have devastated most teams. Yet, some of you say “so much for our depth!” I am sorry (and I am not going to call you a moron), but if you think that, you are! Yes, Andrew Friedman should have known ALL THAT would happen? Get real! I posted a list of relievers that were on the market last season (which many of you wanted) and they were no better… maybe worse than what the Dodgers currently have.! It is because of the depth that there IS hope.
While I am at it, Doc is a bad manager? OK, let me ask one question: How many world championships have you won? If it is not at least two, then you are a miserable couch-sitting, never-had-a-chance second-guesser! Build something yourself and get back to me. This is Major League Baseball and this is damn hard, but there are 127 games left. That’s a lot of time to right the ship! A lot of the moves you attribute to Doc are really the product of analytics. You would be more factual to blame Andrew Friedman. Like most modern-day managers, he is there to make computer-aided decisions, not “gut” reactions… agree with it or not. That’s an entirely different discussion. The losing streak will fix itself, but I can’t fix stupid!
Of course, in case you need it explained to you, that is pure sarcasm!
Dodger Minor League Report
- OKC (1-4) won their first game of the season 8-6 over Round Rock. Yasiel Sierra and Phil Bickford gave up a combined 5 runs in .2 innings. 36-year-old Austin Bibens-Dirkx got the win by going 5 innings and allowing one run. 32-year-old Kevin Quackenbush got the save. Estevez went 2-5 (leading off and playing CF). Ruiz got a hit in his first game back at AAA while Reks hit a 3-run homer. Ravelo and FedEx (I can’t spell Federowicz) also had hits. Player to Watch: LH LF 24-year-old Drew Avans. This was his first game above class A and he was 2-4.
- Tulsa did not play.
- Great Lakes did not play.
- Rancho Cucamonga did not play.
AF does need to answer for spending $40m on an SP when he could’ve spread that dough around the roster.
We only have 4 starters right now. How would we look with 3? We have stars at just about every position except second base with a former No 2 overall prospect, another solid prospect and a great utility guy that can fill that spot.
Where should we have spent that money?
C – Smith is one of the best offensive catchers in the game, Barnes a solid backup and Ruiz is one of the best catching prospects in the game.
1B – Listed as one of the best first basemen in the game and Rios is a great backup when not dealing with a shoulder injury. Beaty can also backup.
2B – Lux – award winning can’t miss prospect with McKinstry a very solid prospect and CT3 a solid bat backing up
3B – JT former All Star and best hitter so far this season. Rios is the backup here too
SS – Seager WS MVP, 2x SS, 2x All Star CT3 and Lux to back him up
LF – Pollock – Former all star, one MLBs top hitters against lefties on a team full of lefty bats
CF – Bellinger – Former MVP and All Star
RF – Mookie – Former MVP and All Star
Any suggestion on where they should have spent that dough? Remember that they tried to get in on DJLM, who’s WAR and OPS is worse than CT3 this year. That would not have helped. Maybe bullpen? A crapshoot. Eric was looking good with his three picks for the pen until two of them started sucking with a 4+ ERA.
Written in true Mark Timmons fashion, always a good read.
Second guessing is something that Andrew Friedman probably does on a regular basis. It’s only natural. For every second guess written here, he’s probably done more, trying to assess how the Dodgers arrived at this point and how best to correct the ship. Maybe he doesn’t use the word second guess, probably more of a constant reevaluation process.
You really can’t plan for injuries, especially one like Cody Bellinger suffered. But you understand that a certain degree of depth can make a difference over the long haul, especially when it comes to pitching. Then you lose that depth and things tend to go sideways.
So start with what doesn’t need to be fixed — the starting rotation. Done a pretty job. Now look at the bullpen, somewhat of a mess. But a bullpen is easier to fix than a starting rotation. So that’s a positive. The hitting? That’s another story. Too many strikeouts with runners in scoring position. That should be fixable, but … perhaps part of the problem is patience, taking too many pitches. Max Muncy would be a prime example. Lots of walks, but letting too many good pitches go by with runners in scoring position, others not picking it up. Muncy needs to drive in runs.
Eventually, Bellinger returns as will others. A trade or two, others getting healthy makes a difference in the pen. In the meantime, the Dodgers need to take advantage of scoring opportunities, especially in close games and definitely from the 7th inning on. They lead the league with a runner at third with less than two outs, having struck out 23 times in those situations. In the last four games they are four for 47 with runners in scoring position — not exactly a formula for success.
From Houston Mitchell:
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout.
My name is Houston Mitchell, and it seems like the last time the Dodgers won a series, the word “World” appeared in front of it.
So, who needed extra Tums the night of the 14-11 victory? Yeah, me neither. Knew they had it all the way.
I’m looking for new ways to discuss what is going on with this team. It’s obvious the problems, and it’s obvious the only solution is to hope they play their way out of it. There aren’t a ton of magical arms waiting in the minors to resurrect the bullpen. There are no magic bats lurking somewhere to get hits in key situations. There are no mystical gloves laying about to help the shaky defense.
The team on the field is the team that will have to turn this around. Sure, they will get some reinforcements when people start coming off the IL, but what they really need is some sort of mental readjustment, because the team is not playing the smart, heads-up baseball we are used to seeing.
So, let’s look at some numbers. I know some of you hate stat-filled newsletters, but, we can’t intelligently discuss what’s wrong if we don’t look at the numbers occasionally. Are the Dodgers really bad with runners in scoring position? Is Max Muncy really doing poorly during this 5-15 stretch? Is Kenley Jansen a problem still, or is he actually the best reliever they have used recently? Or are thoughts clouded by confirmation bias? Let’s take a look.
The Dodgers began their game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday, April 18 riding an eight-game winning streak. They were 13-2. And then they lost that Sunday, the finale of a three-game set with the Padres. Then they split two with Seattle, lost three of four to the Padres, lost two of three to Cincinnati, lost three of four to Milwaukee, lost all three to the Cubs and lost two of three to the Angels. That makes them 5-15 in their last 20 games, which, over a full season would be 40-120. You know which team finished 40-120? The 1962 New York Mets, considered by many to be the worst team in baseball history.
They currently stand at 18-17. Last season they finished 43-17. Same number of losses, 25 fewer games.
Some numbers during this 5-15 slide:
Austin Barnes: .185/.371/.185
Matt Beaty: .367/.486/.500
Mookie Betts: .243/.264/.405
Gavin Lux: .200/.250/.222
Max Muncy: .127/.385/.255
Sheldon Neuse: .219/.219/.406
AJ Pollock: .269/.321/.558
Corey Seager: .247/.333/.390
Will Smith: .246/.303/.393
Chris Taylor: .300/.440/.500
Justin Turner: .231/.378/.354
Well, you can certainly see why you’d want to keep Matt Beaty on the bench as much as possible. And why you’d want to keep trotting Max Muncy out there as the cleanup hitter. It has looked to me the last few games that opponents are pitching around Justin Turner to get to Muncy, which would help explain Turner’s lower average but higher on-base percentage. Really, Beaty, AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor are the only ones hitting at or above what you would expect from them. And when the top two hitters in your lineup are slumping, you’ve got problems.
Now, let’s look at hitting with runners in scoring position this season, from best to worst, including players on the IL or at the alternate site.
Zach McKinstry: .429/.400/.500, 14 at-bats, 9 RBIs
Matt Beaty: .412/.474/.647, 17 AB, 15 RBIs
Max Muncy: .314/.538/.437, 35 AB, 11 RBIs
AJ Pollock: .308/419/.615, 26 AB, 13 RBIs
Chris Taylor: .300/.417/.533, 30 AB, 10 RBIs
Justin Turner: .293/.354/.439, 41 AB, 16 RBIs
Corey Seager, .290/.436/.548, 31 AB, 15 RBIs
Austin Barnes, .278/.458/.333, 18 AB, 6 RBIs
Gavin Lux, .238/.330/.283, 21 AB, 7 RBIs
Mookie Betts, .214/.371/.214, 28 AB, 7 RBIs
Will Smith, .176/.286/.324, 34 AB, 11 RBIs
Sheldon Neuse, .100/.100/.100, 10 AB, 1 RBI
Luke Raley, .083/.214/.083, 12 AB, 1 RBI
Edwin Rios, .000/.278/.000, 13 AB, 0 RBIs
DJ Peters, .000/.250/.000, 3 AB, 0 RBIs
Cody Bellinger, .000/.143/.000, 6 AB, 1 RBI
Keibert Ruiz, .000/.000/.000, 2 AB, 0 RyBIs
You may be surprised to see so many Dodgers doing so well with runners in scoring position. Keep in mind, for every game where they go 1 for 10 as a team, they have a game where they go 11 for 23. It’s feast or famine, The Dodgers have the sixth-highest batting average in the NL with runners in scoring position:
Cincinnati, .296
Miami, .266
Colorado, .264
San Francisco, .260
Atlanta, .249
Dodgers, .244
St. Louis, .241
Philadelphia, .240
San Diego, .233
Chicago, .228
Milwaukee, .218
New York, .216
Pittsburgh, .216
Washington, .215
Arizona, .201
And the Dodgers are the only team in the NL, through Sunday, with more than 300 at-bats with runners in scoring position. They have left 287 runners on base, 30 more than the next team on the list. Which brings us to the next point: The teams with the best offense usually leave the most runners on base, because they get more runners on base. If the Dodgers win a game 6-1, get eight hits and five walks and leave five on base, and their opponent gets one run on three hits and leaves two on base, which team has the best offense? Add that up over the course of a season, and you see what happens. People often point to LOB as a sign of a bad offense, when it is often a sign of a good offense.
Since 1950, the team with the record for most left on base in a season is the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, which left 1,328 runners on base, finished 102-60 and is considered one of the best offenses in baseball history. Of the top 20 teams in runners left on base since 1950, 18 finished with winning records, two won more than 100 games and nine won more than 90 games.
The L.A. Dodger record for LOB is held by the 2009 Dodgers, which left 1,224 runners on base and finished 95-67. The 2021 Dodgers are on pace to leave 1,328 on base, tying the 1976 Reds. We can only hope they end up with 102 wins.
Now let’s look at pitching during the 5-15 stretch.
Starters
Trevor Bauer, 2.37 ERA
Walker Buehler, 4.19 ERA
Clayton Kershaw, 3.15 ERA
Dustin May, 3.55 ERA
Julio Urías, 3.38 ERA
For relievers, we add Inherited Runners who Scored percentage. If you come in to a game with the bases loaded, and allow two of those runners to score, you have an IRS% of 67%. This allows us to see which relievers have deceptively low ERAs. Come in with the bases loaded and give up a triple, then your ERA is 0.00, but your IRS% is 100%. The league average for IRS% is 34%.
Relievers
Scott Alexander, 1.29 ERA, 33% IRS
Garrett Cleavinger, 6.23 ERA, 67% IRS
Victor Gonzalez, 1.17 ERA, 67% IRS
Brusdar Graterol, 20.25 ERA, 0% IRS
Kenley Jansen, 1.23 ERA, 0% IRS
Joe Kelly, 54.00 ERA, 0% IRS
Jimmy Nelson, 2.35 ERA, 0% IRS
David Price, 4.50 ERA, 0% IRS
Dennis Santana, 10.13 ERA, 50% IRS
Blake Treinen, 2.16 ERA, 33% IRS
Edwin Uceta, 4.15 ERA, 0% IRS
Alex Vesia, 9.00 ERA, 0% IRS
Mitch White, 1.35 ERA, 80% IRS
In short, with Corey Knebel, Price, Alexander and Graterol out, the Dodgers have had to rely on guys such as Cleavinger, Santana and White a lot more than they expected, and the results haven’t been pretty.
Will the Dodgers snap out of this skid? Eventually, yes. They certainly aren’t the 1962 Mets. And despite this horrendous slide, they are still only 2 1/2 games out of first. The Giants’ magic number over the Dodgers is all the way down to 126. There’s reason to be concerned of course, but if they can get some bullpen pieces back and break out of this slump on offense, things will get back to normal. I’d still bet on them to win the division.
The problem with looking at numbers, of course, is that they don’t play the games via computer, they play them on the field. And, with the team flailing about like a fish on a pier, two of their best pitchers spoke up.
Clayton Kershaw: “It doesn’t do anyone any good to think, ‘Oh, it’s a long season, it’s 162 games, and we’ll figure it out — we’re too good not to.’ In my opinion, you figure it out right now. Don’t wait. Don’t get complacent with it. Last season taught us that a little bit. For me, personally, every game matters, whether it’s May or September. All the wins count the same.”
Trevor Bauer: I don’t necessarily want to speak for the team. I’m pissed, personally. I frickin’ hate losing. I want to win, that’s why I came here, and we’re just not playing up to our capability right now. You can say it’s early and no need to panic, but we’re not going to sleepwalk our way to winning another division title and going to the World Series again. We have to go out and beat someone.”
And Dave Roberts had this to say, about the sense of urgency required for a 60-game season compared to a 162- game season: “I think you can try to play every game, in theory, like it’s Game 7, but in reality, it’s not. When you look out at a 162-game season, there are going to be times when you’re not getting hits and teams look lethargic. That’s every ballclub that’s not swinging the bats.
“I know we still have a lot of good players, and we’re gonna win baseball games. But to have our hair on fire for 162, I think that is hard. Our guys understand it is a marathon. I don’t like how we got to .500 the last couple of weeks, but we are where we’re at, and we have to get better.”
Well kershaw and Bauer are not following the it’s a long season narrative. I think they would like a bit of urgency to end this slump.
I don’t blame AF but could he have seen this coming: price, knebel, Alexander are hurt every year. He knows clevinger, white, are rushed but Santana just hasn’t been good. Btw pollock injured surprise surprise!!!
Bad argument Ten, Here’s a list of the 23 Dodgers to hit the IL in 2019…
Max Muncy
Dylan Floro
Kris Negron
Tyler White
Alex Verdugo
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Enrique Hernandez
David Freese
Ross Stripling
Chris Taylor
Will Smith
Josh Sborz
Rich Hill
Corey Seager
Scott Alexander
Matt Beaty
Austin Barnes
Kenta Maeda
A.J. Pollock
Caleb Ferguson
Russell Martin
Tony Cingrani
Clayton Kershaw
Surprise surprise over 162 games 23 guys hit the DL. Through 30 games this year, 10 which would explain the current slump. Betts probably should have gone on the DL, Pollock is not on the DL yet.
Edwin Rios
Scott Alexander
Dustin May
Brusdar Graterol
Mitchell White
Victor Gonzalez
David Price
Dennis Santana
Corey Knebel
Zach McKinstry
Gavin Lux
Well I c Alexander and pollock on the list u presented. Knebel and price weren’t on the team but were injured. Pollock is not on the il yet but he will be.
Have to agree with Mark on all of his points. It is still way too early to pull ones hair out. And I do not have many left to pull. Things you do not plan for happen. And in baseball, nothing is certain. It is easy to sit here 35 games into the season and say, wow, they should have signed this guy, or why did they let Kike and Joc walk. The offense is totally different without them. And as good as Beaty has been playing lately, 3 weeks ago everyone was ready to trade the guy. I saw more negative stuff on Pollock too. Things have a way of averaging out. The Giant starters have been nails. McGee has saved a lot of games with an ERA north of 5. I think the biggest key to the offense hitting on all cylinders is Betts. The guy is not playing all that great. Oh he has a couple of decent games and then has a game where he strikes out 2 or 3 times. Mookie Betts is the Dodgers go juice. Lately he has been more like flat soda than seltzer water. They get Betts going, Bellinger and McKinstry back and the entire offense will benefit.
I think Beaty is a good replacement for Joc as a left handed hitting outfielder. He can also play first and makes a lot more contact. I miss the Joc Bombs, but Beaty is probably going to be the better overall hitter in time.
I was one that thought AF had put together his best BP for 2021. Sure there were a few wild cards, but it was mostly pitchers who had success last year. The biggest question mark would be the closer and Kenley Jansen. He proved right out of the gate that he couldn’t be counted on to pitch in back to back games. He has to consistently battle with his mechanics which provides us with either a lights out performance or a tightrope experience. So, with the closer role up in the air it affected the rest of the BP slots. No one knew what their role was. The injuries have been the main culprit in BP’s poor showing. With the injuries comes call ups that shouldn’t be pitching in the majors right now. Add in Roberts’ poor aptitude for BP management and it’s turned into a mess that has cost the Dodgers many losses. But, it is what it is and I don’t think there’s much AF can do at this point except wait for the infirmed to heal and performance to improve.
There was a poll of several national baseball writers on what baseball could do increase or maintain it’s popularity.
I heard about this on the radio so I don’t know where to find a written source. Maybe the Athletic? While the worst commissioner in the history of sports is screwing around with larger bases and other asinine BS the game is continuing its path downward. Several of the writers suggested ending the shift to provide more action. Manfred is too concerned with speeding the game up. That not the problem. It’s what is happening action wise during the game. So they find a way to save 5-10 minutes. If it’s a boring experience it doesn’t matter how long the game is. If there is action and strategy it provides a fun experience then it doesn’t matter how long the game is. Conclusion, it doesn’t matter how long the game is. What matters is what happens on the field between the first pitch and the last out. More bunting, hit and run, stolen bases, etc. You never know what can happen if you make contact. Damn, I wish Omar G was the manager.
I know stats are a large part of baseball and provide the analytics that GMs crave for success. But, in my opinion they are a big part of ruining the game. Strikeout, walk, HR, shifts, openers, and All Star starters who average five innings. It may lead to a few extra wins, but while you’re putting the finishing touches on the “piece of metal” that you have won at the end of the year the foundation of the game is crumbling.
Manfred has continued to have a poisonous relationship with the player’s union, disrespected baseball (with the piece of metal comment) with his handling Houston cheating scandal, and his ridiculous experiments in trying to fix what doesn’t need to be fixed and ignoring those that do need to be fixed. If there is a strike after this year then there is a real possibility, with today’s toxic and decisive climate, the final, rapid decline of baseball will begin. Let’s hope the best.
Good takes, tedraymond, as usual. As baseball struggles to regain it’s foothold after the last devastating year, Manfred focuses on shit like minor league experiments like bigger bases, limited pick offs, no moves by lefties and other nonsense. I actually don’t think he likes baseball and feels he needs to change the game.
A potential work stoppage is the worst thing that could happen to baseball after this season. And it looks very likely in the current environment. Manfred has no clue, no wisdom, no leadership, and no personality to negotiate effectively. Enjoy baseball while you can because I have bad feelings about the future with this JACK-ASS.
It takes 2 to tango and I have no confidence that the Union has the long term future of the game in mind either. They will strike and not care if it ruins the game – they will cut off their noses to spite their faces.
lol – Rob Manfed and Tony Clark negotiating, what could go wrong?
Regarding the bullpen, yes it’s hard to build a great bullpen and there’s no way you can build a pen that can withstand losing 5 guys to the IL all at the same time. That’s completely obvious.
Eric’s pen wouldn’t have done any better with Doolittle and Colome sucking and Melancon is somehow getting it done with smoke, mirrors and a 92 MPH cutter which won’t last.
When it’s all said and done, Eric’s pen additions would not have helped and would have probably prevented us from getting Bauer.
As far as Doc goes, he’s got a great record managing great teams. He inherited a team that Mattingly guided to three straight 92+ win seasons and won 91 games the very next year. I don’t see a big difference between the two beyond the fact that there was more talent on our World Series roster and Doc didn’t have to manage with NL rules.
I’m not sure why you think he’s a good manager. We can all agree he isn’t an in game tactician. You argued recently against changing the batting order, something Doc used to do more than changing his underwear, prior to the second half of last year.
MLB baseball had to implement the three batter rule because they were sick of Doc putting in a lefty, to walk a lefty, to bring in a worse righty that the lefty replaced, to give up the big hit. Now MLB is working hard to figure out how to implement a rule to limit double switches.
In the nearly 50 years of the American League having the DH, I can’t recall an AL team ever dissolving the DH forcing a pitcher to hit, yet Doc managed to this twice already this year with an NL team! His unnecessary double-switches seem to routinely result in having a rally killing pitcher hit in the middle of the lineup late in games. I could go on about sitting hot players during a losing streak in order to get that struggling player a “runway” or to exploit that platoon split with against a lefty with a right handed bat that’s sporting a 200 batting average. His interviews are filled with condescending jargon and little information. I’m really puzzled as to why you continue to defend this guy.
To be fair, I don’t think this is all Doc’s fault. I’ve said this in the past, the Front Office is highly involved in setting the lineup and scripting decisions the best they can during the game. They don’t want a manager that’s going to manage the team. They want a guy that can follow the script.
The front office is adjusting. We are starting to see less strict platoons on the roster. They learned from their mistakes. The next evolution will be to have a good manager that receives information from the front office and then does with it as he sees best. This adjustment may take a little longer.
You answered your own question at the end of your comment. AF probably has more input than Doc, so if you want to blame Doc for the pitching changes, lineups, platoons, etc., I think you are blaming the wrong person. I think lots of teams are doing things like this. What I look at is how former players from the Dodger speak about him after he has left. To am man, he is loved and they say that clubhouse is second to none. I guarantee that his “in-game decisions” are based upon the collective intelligence of the front office and the coaching staff.
I do not buy the slogan that he is not a good in-game tactician. I think he is doing what the data tells him to do… and they have a whole lot more data than we do. Remember, that even the best managers are wrong about 75% of the time.
“To a man.” Doc has been using that expression on a replay loop all year. Kinda tone def for a guy that stands up against Black and Asian racism (because he’s black and Asian) using such a misogynistic term all the time while being married to the whitest blonde lady on the planet. Doc is a walking, living, breathing contradiction.
Yes, the word is that he’s loved in the clubhouse. Is that making the team better? That’s pretty hard to quantify.
Leaving Vesia in for two inning during his debut in a close and late situation with White sitting in the bullpen doesn’t make the team better. That’s much easier to quantify.
Having Clayton bat with runners on in the middle of the order during an extra innings because of unnecessary double switches does not make the team better and is easier to quantify.
To a man, I’d say the Dodgers are, indeed, men. So what’s the problem with Roberts using that phrase? Would you prefer he say, “to all bulldogs and penguins”?
I guess you are trying to be clever with all those references to race of Roberts’ parents and wife. I’m not sure how Roberts’ ancestry or that of his wife are relevant, though Al Campanis might have.
As a manager, Roberts seems mostly OK to me, though I do wish he hadn’t left Kershaw in so long in a certain WS game, when he could have turned to Maeda and Kolarek. Roberts has piled up the best winning percentage in his run as manager, and serial division titles. Probably cheated out of WS title too.
As for the bullpen, I’m wondering why Friedman let Jake McGee get away. For the Dodgers he pitched to a 2.66 ERA with 33 Ks in 20 innings in 2020. Now he has 9 saves with the (first-place) Giants. McGee’s ERA is up in the 4s, but that’s a volatile stat early in the season.
Oh, and McGee is a lefty too. Isn’t a lefty reliever something the Dodgers always seem to need?
And then there’s the Dylan Floro trade. He did a fine job for the Dodgers–and is now doing even better for the Marlins, with a 1.15 ERA and 15 Ks in 15 inning. I
BulldogsandPenguins
I didn’t want Colome, I wanted Joakim Soria.
By the way I too don’t like Doc as the manager.
Soria’s ERA is almost 10. I woulda stuck with Colome.
Dylan Flor and Josh Sborz are pitching very well.
I’m just being honest, that’s just who I am. Soria has been on the IL, he’s only pitched 3.2 innings so far, so it’s a very small sample.
So Soria is just like our relievers, either suck or on he IL. Still 1-3 in bullpen building. About the same ratio as AF.
Colome, Soria what’s the difference? Same result. 😉
Everyone I speak to hates Doc. Not sure why MT defends Doc, but hates Mattingly. They’re pretty much the same as far as managing goes.
You know, you may have something there. The thing that always impressed me about Mattingly is that he never lost the clubhouse. Like the 2013 team got off to a horrible start and then went 42 – 8. He kept things together. Roberts has had that same impact — players seem to like him.
I just don’t think that he always puts players in the best place to succeed – he has a programmed way he’s going to do things and he does them.
Like that 14 – 11 game against the Angels last week. I get lifting Kershaw pitching on short rest after 5 innings with a 13 run lead. I also get him using the back end of the bullpen for mop up duty. I don’t get leaving those guys out there long enough to give up 11 runs.
Mattingly’s last 3 teams went for 92 wins, 94 wins and 92 wins then he left. His post season record is 8-11 with the Dodgers. DM was less than a great strategic manager also and stuck with favorites a lot even when slumping. Doc is a players manager pure and simple. He is also a company man and toes the company line. That is one of the main reason’s he got the job. Remember he was neck and neck with Kapler for the job. Doc’s strength is communication, period. He is a pure apologist in his interviews. But maybe, just maybe this team is not as good as everyone thinks they are. But no one can predict injuries and if you look at Bellinger’s, it was totally weird. How many guys have you ever seen spiked and end up with a broken bone in their leg. Good news is that he is running. McKinstry is still learning how to sneeze without pain.
For those of you wondering, I got an email from Jeff this morning. He is doing well. Walking a lot and has lost about 15 pounds. He hopes to start writing at some point, but is not there yet. He does read LADT>
Thanks for the update, Bear!
Love the articles by Jeff, and hope he is back soon.
I keep in touch with Jeff and I think a reasonable expectation is that you could see an article occasionally very soon. No timetable and no schedule. It will come randomly. No rush!
All of the plaudits that the Dodgers have won the past several years because of depth have been because the depth means that you don’t have to bring up the likes of Cleavinger, Vesia, Santana and White when the expected happens and players go out. Yeah, it’s foreseeable that several of the injured Dodgers would be injured this year.
1 – Price is 35 and didn’t pitch last year
2 – Boston didn’t like the medicals on Graterol during the 3 team trade 2 years ago – that’s how the Dodgers ended up with him
3 – Alexander spends time on the IL every year
4 – Knebel hasn’t pitched a full season since 2018.
You can argue about whether it is reasonably foreseeable that they would all be out at once but even George Shearing could see that much of the Dodgers’ pen was not going to be reliable. (Shearing was a blind jazz pianist – look it up. I like jazz.)
As I pointed out the other day, the “Fearsome Foursome” listed above hasn’t been rushed – they just aren’t very good. The only pitcher of the group with any track record of success in the minors or the majors prior to this year is Vesia.
I believe that the offense will eventually turn things around. The starters are as good a group as any team in baseball. The bullpen is a mess. The Dodgers can’t rely that Knebel will ever be healthy again. Price and Nelson still have to show that they can pitch effectively consistently out of the ‘pen. Jansen is still only good every other day. Treinen and Alexander still allow too many baserunners for the late innings. The bullpen will be the Dodgers’ achilles heel.
I’m glad to hear that AC is doing well. You’re in my prayers AC. Thanks for the update Jeff.
Dodgers Roster: Luke Raley Recalled From Triple-A Oklahoma City
Per Bleacher Report today:
“Los Angeles pitchers are having a hard team holding runners on base. The Dodgers are allowing 1.1 stolen bases per game, more than any other team.
The defense goes beyond the basepath. FanGraphs ranks the Dodgers 27th in defensive WAR and 25th in ultimate zone rating. Seager has cost the team two runs, Turner has cost it five, and Taylor has cost it five across his three positions (two in center field, two in left field, one at second base).”
“Here’s a fun fact: The Dodgers have scored the second-most runs in baseball and the most in the NL. They have a plus-32 run differential, the best in the NL.
Now, here’s a not-so-fun fact: The Dodgers have lost an MLB-high 10 games by one run. In one-run games, they are just 4-10.”
How much does defense and a good bullpen matter in close games? Especially when you’re not hitting?
Defense and bullpen matter as much as clutch hitting in close games, maybe more since you can score without a hit.
Quick response to yesterdays discussion.
I am hardly anti mask. I do, however, believe that every situation requires those involved to be reasonable and courteous. Our experience in Anaheim was neither.
I live in San Bernardino County. Population 2.1 million. As of today, there are 63 people hospitalized with COVID. In the ENTIRE COUNTY. This is down from the peak in January of 1,800 hospitalized COVID patients. 47% of the people in the county have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The total number of positive COVID tests has run at about 50 or so per day. In the entire County. The County’s positive test rate stands at 1.3%. Which is within the margin of error for most PCR tests. Which means that the majority of those positives are likely false positives.
I wore a mask during the entire second surge. I still wear one when required. However, the risk of catching and dying of COVID in Southern CA is substantially lower than the risk of driving on the freeway for a few hours. Given that I am vaccinated, I should wear them outdoors? Wearing a mask, outdoors, in the present environment is simply silly. And If I am required to wear a mask, I do expect those asking me to be courteous and reasonable. It’s pretty simple. Barking at my son to pull his mask over his nose when his hands are full because they made him throw out the plastic bag he was carrying his stuff in is neither courteous or reasonable. I won’t be going back to an MLB game until these rules are removed.
And I will continue to NOT wear a mask, outdoors, at minor league games because COVID is nearly non existent in the region and I am fully vaccinated. I’m not anti mask. I’m a scientist. And I’m reasonable.
It is not about the science.
Even Ray Charles can see that!
I wish I could argue otherwise. I work with immunologists and epidemiologists every day. I analyze covid antibody data daily. It’s my job. I can’t even begin to understand how we made all this political. Nonsensical. Extremes. Everything is extremes. Virtue signaling. Regardless if you are on the left or right. Everybody just wants to be a part of some narrative.
I fight for reasonable. Which had no side.
“Virtue signaling”
I just understood that this week.
Virtue signaling
We have been open in Indiana for a while. We have 6.7 Million people and 912 hospitalizations… BUT we have been open! Deaths are in the single digits. I wear a mask but hate it and I got my first shot today (my Doctor advised I wait more than six months since my last infection). Somehow, many people want to follow Dr. Fauci who won’t go to a restaurant or even be outside without a mask!
Great NY Times article on masks today.
Great and NY Times should never be used in the same sentence.
Great papers like the NY Times have great articles as evidenced by today’s NY Times.
I used it twice in the same sentence
You’re on your own on this one, pal.
Lots of good stuff there.
Here’s the problem:
Masks work, but let’s say you have been around two people that have been infected. So, you take off your mask and you immediately wash your hands in antibacterial soap and get a new one. Few people do that perfectly and while the mask worked, you got infected from surface touching.
this bug is mostly aerial. Wearing a mask is to protect the other and to prevent spread.
Wow – down by 1 and they bring Cleavinger in? It’s like Roberts wants to lose.
If you’re not in favor for robo-umps after seeing that last called strike to Betts there’s no need to for you even be at this site because you have no argument. For an umpire to ruin that shot for betts simply because Mookie was good enough to lay off pitches that are obviously outside the strike zone is so wrong taking everything in to consideration. Umps like that should be fined and face restrictions to further disable them from making bad calls in the future. It’s time to get the calls right, the tech is at hand.
The level of umpiring this year has been unbelievable. It’s as if the umpires have decided themselves that they would be so bad it would force MLB to switch to robo umps.
Good for Lux!
Was this the come-from-behind victory with Lux coming up big that we will all look back on and say that was the turning point? Gosh I hope so and I am so happy for Lux to come through big time.
Very satisfying come from
behind victory.
Let’s hope this is the beginning of better times, although 3 bombs off Walker is troubling.
https://dodgersway.com/2021/05/11/dodgers-kris-bryant-trade-rumors-2021/?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email
Food for thought. Makes a lot of sense.