Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune of losing Trevor Bauer, Dustin May, and Clayton Kershaw
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles by trading prospects for Max Scherzer or some other ilk…
Yes, old Billy has nothing on me. I’m a poet but don’t know it, yet my feet are Longfellows.
OK, I’ll stop right there. I wear size 15 shoes, but if not for my prehensile toes, they would be a Size 6. 😉
However, that is the question and some of it could be answered as soon as tonight if (as anticipated) JoJo Gray can step up and show out. It would seem to me that he should get the opportunity. JoJo has the tools to be a Top-of-the-Rotation Starter and sometimes guys like this take the league by storm and other times they get pounded. You never know.
Right about now, the Dodgers need a shot in the arm. Mookie was hot and then went down with a hip injury. It turns out it has been bothering him for a while. Corey Seager is due back at any time, but we can’t expect him to immediately hit like the World Series MVP. Cody Bellinger is struggling and experiencing some bad luck, but that’s what happens. Sometimes the baseball Gods just try you.
The Dodgers lost Dustin May, have had a plethora of injuries, will possibly lose Trevor Bauer for the season and Mookie Betts is a huge question. We don’t know what his hip injury is, but it seems serious. The fact is: Hip injuries do not fix themselves. I can’t speculate what is wrong, but I just know it ain’t good. I would guess he probably got an injection, which may help for a few weeks.
Corey Knebel is on his way back and it looks like early to mid-August for him (barring setbacks) and Clayton will be back then too, but are there just too many things to overcome? No, there is not, but do the Dodgers KNOW that? My favorite saying is this:
No Mountains Can be Moved… Until you KNOW Mountains Can be Moved
The only way for the Dodgers to overcome their injuries and overtake the Giants is to change their thinking. When you change your thinking, you change your destiny.
You may think I am going all metaphysical on you… and I am because it is true. There are times when the Dodger look lost and defeated. That was apparent last night. They were behind 3-0 in the first and then Muncy and Turner hit home runs in the bottom of the inning… and then they shut down! This is not on Andrew Friedman or Dave Roberts. This is on the Collective Soul of the team. Only they can fix it. It seems like they all hit or no one hits.
Gabe Kapler is a metaphysical guy and the Giants are confident. They are believers. They KNOW mountains can be moved. I don’t have problems with Dave Roberts lineups, use of the bullpen, and all of that. It’s all subjective. Everyone has an opinion and no one has all the data and info that Doc has. But Roberts is a guy who may not understand the metaphysical side of baseball and the impact that your thoughts… the teams’ Collective Thoughts have on the game. I would say that right about now, the Giants grasp that and embrace it, while the Dodgers do not! It is that simple… and yey so hard to achieve!
Dodger News & Notes
- Steven Souza, Jr. is still playing at OKC.
- Sheldon Noisy is playing a lot of shortstop for OKC. He is being groomed to take over for CT3, in case he leaves.
- Tut Tut is still hitting .182 at OKC.
- Matt Davidson has 14 HR at OKC.
- Kaybear is biding his time, knowing that he is WAY too good to be at AAA.
- Yasiel Sierra pitched his first “clean inning” last night at OKC (2 K’s).
- OKC was the only Dodger Farm Team that played last night. If you want to know whether they won or lost… Look it up!
- Quit sayng that Bellinger doen’t change his approach with two strikes. He did last night only to hit a liner to the LF’er. Pick a new mantra!
- Victor Gonzalez looked awful last night. I think I give him a pass based upon his body of work. Let’s see his next outing.
The Dodgers are in a world of hurt! They cannot win throwing out milb players in a Mlb game. I realize righty lefty matchup but throwing reks out there in this huge game. Well how did that work out. Struck out 3 times in a row before I went to bed. He replaced the Dodgers hottest hitter in pollock huh true. Pollock in a streak with first place on the line and he sits. As usual no urgency. Just a little contact could have changed the whole game. At least doc could have batted him 8th.
Gonsolin has been terrible and could not make the Giants rotation. He is not able to get it done. With Betts, seager, out the replacements are just not good enough. Beaty, reks , had no business being in that game. I don’t blame doc he has to play who he has. AF can’t have a 200 million payroll. We have who we have and they are not good enough. Supposedly we r frantically looking for sp sorry too little too late. We can’t give up but this current team is good but not good enough.
Regardless of the early score, I though catman was HORRIBLE. I lost count of how many batters he started 2-0 & 3-1.
Maybe the analytics showed Pollack struggling against Gausman.
I was really hoping the kid, Reks, would explode onto the scene with a Yasiel Puig kind of beginning. But alas, my greatest fear came forward…..he was more like a deer caught in the headlights.
Reks is no kid, he is 27. Puig was 22. Pollock has had little success against Gausman, but what Roberts did was go with the percentages, and it did not work.
You win some, you lose some. I’m not throwing rocks at Doc for that one, although I understand benching a hot player just because the pitcher is RH is questionable.
It was bad news right from the start when a hot Mookie was scratched from the lineup. Maybe the computer said the team would be better off stacking lefties at the bottom of the lineup since Gausman’s splits say so. Maybe Pollock is incapable of playing seven games in a row, so they might as well give him a rest now.
With 67 games remaining there’s plenty of time to make up a couple of games and to get players healthy for a deep run. No need to put extra urgency on a July game just because they’re playing the team they’ve been looking up to in the standing for most of the season. It’s more important to give regulars some vacation time and keep the bench “relevant”.
I don’t know, sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war. Perhaps the thought was that the first game of the series would be a sacrificial lamb knowing that Gausman would be a tough hill to climb anyways. It could be that the computer upstairs knows the Giants will eventually fold. Or, AF is trying to trick the Giants into thinking they’re contenders so they don’t sell at the break and reload their farm system.
I was lucky enough to fall asleep right before V-Gone gave it up like a Bauer Instagram follower. On the bright side, Gonsolin is built up to 80 pitches. He should be good for 4 innings the next time out. Maybe Jo-jo will have a Fernando type start to his career tonight and change the trajectory for the series.
It’s obviously not optimal to have to play our rivals with Kershaw, Seager, Mookie, Knebel, Nelson and Lux on the shelf and especially against of the league’s best pitchers to open the series and to play it with a short bench. Sometimes timing is everything. I’m not going to get hysterical and jump ship just because a bucket of water has settled in the hull. I remain confident that leaks will be patched and ship will continue forward until we reach our destination.
So much for starting the second half on a hot streak. It all looked pretty rosey just a couple of days ago after drubbing the Rockies those first two games. Adversity builds character I guess. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I’ve been told.
.164 BA, .283 OBP, .276 SLG—–Bellinger
Going on ten weeks for a non-surgical bone fracture–Seager
Pennant drive and the team starts Reks and Beaty…need I say more
Vesia looked unhittable in Denver and it appears he has found his stuff, but Doc brings in V-Gon who just came off the IL—–bonehead move!
Bickford’s arm is going to fall off if he keeps being used at this rate.
Posey comes off the IL with no re-hab games and gets a two-run HR in the first inning while we wait for Seager to get right.
Giants BP was lights out last night….is their BP better than ours?
Belli went oppo on a line drive out to LF and some view it as progress while I see the numbers that look absolutely putrid and embarrassing.
“Giants BP was lights out last night….is their BP better than ours?”
According to stats yes. Just depends if you believe stats.
It’s my opinion that Gonsolin is a relief pitcher.
To trade or not to trade.
You know where I stand.
Friedman is no doubt looking around. We need pitching. But we need our first string on the field every night to best the better teams. Like it or not, the better teams are in our Division.
When we get the varsity back on the field, add pitching, we are good enough to win 3 of 5. We will remain a blind squirrel operation because that’s just who are, so there will be olive swallowing games on occasion, please excuse the mixed metaphors, but I think the odds makers are right. We are 70% favorites for a reason. 70% favorites will win 60% of their games. And that should get us the Division.
FINALLY, someone who agrees with me that catman is no starter. He CAN BE a very effective middle reliever, 3-4 innings.
cheers
pb+
Ahhh, I got blasted when I said Price should be in the rotation instead of Gonso. I don’t necessarily think that Gonso can’t be a starter, but why this year year when he began the season injured, again? Why not do what they did with Julio last year? Why is every freaking pitcher and position player injured? WTF?
I don’t think Price is the answer to our problem. I could be wrong, but he looks more likely to get 5 than Gonsolin. And isn’t it a sign of the times that we are asking for only 5 innings? A Quality Start is 6 with a 4.5 ERA. Feels like a low bar but apparently isn’t.
Plus, he is a cat person. And to each their own, but no cat person would ever be able to rate as my favorite pitcher.
I look at the Giants lineup and can’t believe they are a first place team. How do the Giants lead the NL in HR’s? Other than Posey they have no stars to speak of. And, Posey is load managed to keep him productive. A bunch of no name pitchers as starters and in the BP. With the Dodgers it’s one injury after another. Why does it take Bellinger and Seager so long to recover from seemingly minor injuries? It is a miracle that we have as good a record as we do. I’m not very optimistic for the remaining of the season for things to change on the injury front. And then throw in the Bauer debacle to complete the unbelievable. It’s seems one step forward and two steps back on the injury front. Let’s hope that changes soon.
It’s great to have your knowledge and comments back philjones!
It was nice to see Bellinger go to left field last night, but come on Mark, that doesn’t prove that he can make adjustments with two strikes. If he does it on a consistent basis I’ll buy in. Lately, he has had plenty of opportunities to make adjustments with two strikes. I mean even Roberts expectations are for him to just hit it forward (not strike out). How pathetic that those are the expectations for the MVP from two years ago? You would think that at this point he would at least try to lay down a bunt or just make contact like he did last night in his final AB. He drove in a couple of runs the other day with a feeble swing and a dunker to CF. I was ecstatic and thought maybe this is the start of something to build on. Nope. Remaining AB’s no real attempt for contact while swinging for the fences. He needs some time on the bench or at least get dropped to the 7-8th spot in the lineup.
thanks tedraymond.
Well, looking back at last night’s game and only that game, with the Dodgers trailing, 3-2 in the bottom of the first, runners on first and second, one out, Matt Beaty hits a shot right at the third baseman. Game over.
Obviously, Tony Gonsolin pitched poorly. Why didn’t AJ Pollock start? Zak Reks? Struck out all three times. Looks lost. Why is he even in the line-up? Especially in an important game.
As to Keibert Ruiz. Will the Dodgers keep him or package him in a trade for pitching? Some thinking he will be moved at the trade deadline. But then maybe the Dodgers should keep him for the bat, for the future, can’t get enough players who can actually hit, right? They can probably pull off a trade or two or three using only players in the system. Can they pick up a difference maker or two at the trade deadline next week?
The Giants will no doubt make a move or two. Pressure on. This is Friedman vs. Zaidi.
I appreciate Mark pointing out that Gabe Kapler is a metaphysical guy. I thought he was just weird. But he has done a good job so far getting the most out of a bunch old guys, the best days behind them. Hey and Farhan hit the jackpot with a couple of pitchers.
I think Farhan knows what he’s doing, Kapler has whipped those guys into shape and has them believing. That said, we are still the better team.
Bellinger barreled a pitch deep in the strike zone. I think that’s a positive sign.
My opinion:
Get healthy. Stay that way until November
Resolve the Bauer issue before the deadline. Everyone needs to know what we have going forward. It will be a 60 game season. This team knows what it can do in 60 games.
Get pitching help.
That’s it.
Maybe the giants and Padres have caught us. I don’t think so, but they do smell blood in the water.
Well it was 11pm at the end of the 6th last night, so I went to bed. Apparently the best decision I have made yet this week.
Cody does not hit the ball to lf. He seems to at least try to keep from striking out with 2 strikes by lunging off balance to make contact. Since his slump he often goes out of the zone chasing especially with 2 strikes. The opposing pitchers just throw it right down the middle and he hasn’t been able to catch up. I continue to think he will produce. If not now in the future. When he bats I always think this could be the at bat whereas when Taylor bats and gets behind in the count u know it is a strikeout. After Muncy and turner I am about as confident in bellinger as the rest. Pollock is hot but it won’t last, smith is overall good but I am always aware of the dp ball and warning track power to rf. Then there is Betts. He has shown what he is capable of but his injuries have stopped him in the first half. Many as well as me think we would not have won the ws without him. Well we r without him. The rest aren’t worth talking about. Seager is a game changer if he don’t get a hang nail. Dodger players seem to spend a lifetime on the il. Seems unexplainable that Seager would b out this long.
Mookie, Seager, Turner, and Muncy. Everyone else hits 8th.
What about Smith? Add him to those other 4.
GM Guys – I agree with y’all getting frustrated with Belli . Think need maybe sit him down for few games next to Albert clear his head, definitely pressing. Conversely, find it ironic that Yelich hasnt been same hitter either since him and Belli battled for MVP 2 years ago. Have no doubt we get everybody back healthy (HOPEFULLY keep them healthy) that Belli will click !! Have great day !
Anyone who thought we would win last night after hearing the news that Mookie would be out is a huge optimist, and guys like me (realist) probably frustrate you. I did tell my wife though before the game started, “if our pitcher can get by the first inning with no runs, we may have a chance…..”.
Well, he didn’t…….. but there was good news, I was able to catch up on my sleep.
Should we trade? Lol. Even though I haven’t been here long, I’m sure you know what I think. Yes, yes, yes…..BELLINGER (2.5 seasons and counting) AND LUX (mentally fragile) ….in order to get more pitching and maybe an intriguing OF prospect.
No way even think of trading Bellinger right now. With only 134 at bats? He’s bottoming out right now. You might as well give him away. I do agree though that Lux doesn’t seem to have the fire.
Sanity!
My rough count on here has AT LEAST half the team traded away by various peeps this season. Sometimes a different one each week. We are the freaking world champs & people have half the team needing to be gone. RIDICULOUS.
I look at it this way. If we had won every close game people get upset about (and I do not like those either ) can you imagine what our record would be? In the freaking stratosphere. Hell if we had won half of our one run & extra inning games, what would that give us? Another 8-10 wins? People would be calling us the greatest of all time and things like that. So my take is that we are THAT CLOSE to being almost untouchable in the baseball sense.
cheers
pb+
Well, you could at least put our $ 16M to better use.
Besides, many guys here believe Cody can be beasty again, so if they believe that, don’t you think there are a few GMs out there who might also believe that and thus offer us decent compensation for the former MVP?
Think about it….if you are a GM and you also believe all of Cody’s problems are fixable…last season and this season are anomalies ……all he needs is a little time off to heal….and he is now out there on the open market…..would you only offer 3 mediocre prospects? Do you think that will suffice for our brilliant brain trust? Of course not….you know better, and besides, you want Cody badly and believe in him just as much as Mark, Bear, Badger, and Penguins do.
So what are you to do?
At least three top tier prospects to start the bidding at! To be continued……
I agree with your thought and reasoning that Bellinger still has a lot of trade value. But I wouldn’t trade him. He will turn things around, the only question is when.
I hope you are right, Eric……but “my gut” is telling me….stick a fork in him and move on.
If the Dodgers were interested in trading Cody, give me a call, I have a friend here in Atlanta who knows some higher ups on the Atlanta Braves. I could tell him to plant a seed for acquiring the former MVP and I could even make a video of Cody in his golden years when he was playing 1B and mashing the ball.
Hmmmm, I wonder if there is a correlation between him moving to the OF and struggling with hitting? Hmmmmm. No, I’m sure that is not related.
Who will the Dodgers drop off the 40-Man Roster to clear a spot for Gray?
My guess is Andy Burns.
Who’s Andy Burns?
Ok, I know who he is. Didn’t realize Gray wasn’t on the 40. I’m lagging behind in information like that. I’ve been busy getting nothing done. It ain’t easy mastering nothing. Takes discipline.
Good guess. Guys like him are a dime a dozen. See Devin Mann and Sheldon Nuese. I wouldn’t be sad to see Uceta never make another appearance in a Dodger’s uniform especially this season, but he is only 23.
Yes, it’s a perfectly reasonable solution to trade away Lux. After all why stick with a young blue chip prospect that’s probably your best defensive shortstop when both of your other Major Leaguers who can play shortstop are free agents after the season?
Same thing with Belli. Ignore the injuries, ignore the MVP season. Ignore the Gold Glove defense in CF. Just trade him.
I’m actually optimistic that Doc mentioned before the game that Belli should concentrate on using the field and being a hitter first and the slug will follow. He made some baby steps last night hitting the ball the other way and not striking out against one of the top pitchers in the league who also piles up strikeouts.
Everyone that’s piling on Belli was piling on Pollock not long ago.
The bottom of the order was crap last night. I saw that as soon as the lineup came out. You don’t think we could have scored another run or two if Pujols and Pollock were in there? Unfortunately Beaty pulled two screamers just foul and hit a rocket the other way but within reach of the third baseman. V-Gone sharted himself and there’s the game. Is that a call or reason for drastic changes?
Management is managing this team for the long haul, like it or not. I don’t like that they decided to give Kershaw a vacation. I don’t like that they are having Brusdar working on off-speed pitches in the minors. I don’t like how they waited so long with Cody and Corey. But, it is what it is and they have a pretty good track record on their side.
Make a trade to add, not subtract from this team. I will say this again, we have just about the best offense in the league and have only used our best lineup once.
Tonight’s lineup will feature Pujols at first, Muncy at second and CT3 at SS against lefty Alex Wood. I would assume that Barnes will be behind the plate since he’s less horrible against lefties.
They’re gonna do that opener Bullcrap and Gray will make his debut during a grudge match. I hate this brand of baseball with all the shifts, openers and bullpen games. In retrospect, management should have committed to Price in the rotation sooner and probably have given Gonsolin a little more time to bake in the minors. The bullpen is being ridden hard right now and it shows.
An Opener makes sense to me. Let Gray ease in by facing the middle bottom of the order. It has the feel of another bullpen game. That’s where we are, maybe for a while.
I think I’ve heard this song before. The opener will give up a run or two or three, then Gray will suck not being used to coming out of the bullpen.
Did you happen to notice that Gray has made three appearances since coming off the IL? His two starts were scoreless and the the third appearance he came in after an opener and sucked. Coincidence?
Coincidence? No.
IMO those foul balls & screaming liner that got caught on Beatty were great ab’s, sans getting the hit. 1ft diff on all of them & they are doubles. Kind of like when Smith was hitting the ball hard & not getting results. Those guys I think you keep giving them ab’s until they falter. He was “this close” multiple times.
cheers
pb+
“The bullpen is being ridden hard right now and it shows.”
I don’t buy that argument. It’s like you are saying that relievers are fragile.
Bottom line is that our bullpen is not good enough.
We have two starters in the rotation that are actually pulling a starters workload. All those extra innings fall on the pen. I know logic and reasoning is like is like a safe date with Trevor around here, but I stand by the logic and reasoning that when when a bullpen has to cover for the starters, it brings out their flaws.
There isn’t a bullpen in the league that qualifies as a good bullpen by your standards. I choose to be more realistic with my expectations and know that it will be better with health. Bruadar, Nelson and Knebel are all missing and last night’s disaster was from a guy that’s shouldered most of the load so far this year.
I know that complaining about the bullpen is your thing, so have at it. It just seems so odd to constantly complain about the team with the second best record in baseball.
Gonsolin pitches like a guy with a sore shoulder. Last year he averaged 95.1 MPH with the fastball topping out at 98. (Per MLB Savant.) This year he’s throwing at 92 – 93. He’s also lost his release point and is leaving it up. That’s what you do with a sore shoulder. I’m surprised that the Dodgers are letting him pitch.
They got only 4 hits last night after knocking the Giants’ best starter out after 3 innings. That’s really horrible. Looking at the lineup, Turner and Muncy did damage. Nothing else happening. Pollock came in late and got a hit. He’s the hottest hitter in the league in July and in a game where Mookie was unavailable, they sit him for Zack Reks?
Gonzalez didn’t have anything last night, but Roberts left him out there to take his lumps. Every ball was hard hit. He doesn’t look ready either. Giving up 4 runs in the 7th isn’t going to win many games.
Good observation Rick. Maybe he was missing the center of the strike zone on purpose. Big difference between 92 and 95. You can miss outside the strike zone with a 92 but you’d better be accurate with your breaking stuff and off speed if you do. He wasn’t. Before last night he was averaging 18.5 pitches per inning. I think that’s too high, but last night it was 24.
Gonzo really had nothing last night. I don’t know why. But he possesses nothing right now that screams out “starter” to me. Unless it’s clearly by default. Price isn’t a great option but he’s about all we’ve got unless we make a trade or psome kid comes up and seizes the opportunity. Gonzo shows a below average fastball, not well located, a so-so slider that sort of rolls up there and a “Bigfoot” splitter. They say it’s out there, I just haven’t seen it. Right now he’s sort of a no pitch guy. He’s another guy to try to milk for a couple of innings in the bullpen.
Wouldn’t it be fun if one of the youngsters that gets a chance actually seized the moment and earned a spot and kept us in this thing. Pitching, for sure, but even a bat. Bear would know a name of somebody who did that. Like Fernando or Fidrich who burst on the seen. Instead we see stuff like Reks who gets a chance and than takes hittable fastballs for strike 3. Let’s see some of that vaunted minor league depth actually show up and make and impact instead of shuttle back and forth to AAA. McKinstry is okay but someone needs to step right now.
I’ve said my piece about Doc’s in game management decisions but he has a very difficult job right now which he makes tougher. Between the injuries and lack of performance, I’m glad I’m not him. I think it’s a semi miracle that we have as good of a record as we do with 2 starting pitchers.
Is there any emphasis at all at holding runners? Alexander completely fails to use a left hander’s advantage to freeze and hold runners at 1st. Does he have at least a “C” move? Times to home aren’t as big of a deal with lefties as they can use deception, the hanging knee and reading the runner to help his catcher. But not Alexander. He never looked Solano back and was 1.85 to home. Smith made a throw he might as well have taken a bite out of the ball. Solano, not a resound base stealer, stole it standing up. Smith, while not being the best arm in the league, is made to look even worse. His caught stealing stat is awful and made more so by our pitchers seeing no value in hold runners.
I’m trying hard to say something positive but I’m struggling to find something.
I’m not that impressed with the Giants and they can be had. We’ll see if AF has something in mind and I hope it doesn’t involve Ruiz who’s bat I’d like to see right now off the bench but is a bad fit.
Again, it’s wait it out.
No May and an injured/ineffective Gonzo…….huge losses for us, huge. These two were supposed to fill gaps that needed filling…..one starter snd one Julio Urias coming out of the bullpen.
Instead, we got Bauer and Price…..oh ve!
It’s OY VEY…get it right, or don’t print it.
Automatic correct does it again, Bear!
I hear ya, have a very close friend who is Jewish and from Brooklyn. He used to live about 2 blocks from Ebbets Field. Went to his first game there in 1952 when he was 5. He got to see Robinson play in person which is something I wish I could have done, and he saw Snider hit one onto Flatbush avenue. That would have been cool too.
Random thoughts:
1) Totally agree with dRick and others that Catman is hurt. Some doctor must have told them it won’t get any worse if he pitches so that’s what they’re doing. Wouldn’t be surprised to see surgery after the season.
2) Speaking of surgery, I think Mookie has the same problem that Posey had in 2018. That led to hip surgery and he wasn’t the same until this year. I definitely expect to see Mookie go under the knife this winter. Hopefully he’ll be back in time for next season but he may not be the same again for a couple years if he follows the Posey recovery timeline. He’s younger and also hasn’t had the physical stress of being a catcher, so that should help.
3) I expect to see AF trade for a controllable outfielder this month since Mookie can’t be counted on from day to day. This isn’t going to get better any time soon. I see someone like Bryan Reynolds, Cedric Mullins or Lourdes Gurriel as possibilities although a couple of those guys would come at a very high cost, prospect wise. If I’m correct about Mookie’s situation and with Pollock having one year left here, coupled with a real lack of good outfield prospects in the system, I think this is the way to solve that problem.
4) Andrew needs to pick up at least one strong starter. The Reds are beginning to look like they might be sellers so maybe he could get them to part with one of Castillo, Mahle or Miley, any of whom would be stronger alternatives than what we have now. Other names that everyone is mentioning include Scherzer and Berrios and possibly Kyle Hendricks. I don’t know if it will be a rental or someone with some years of control left but I expect he’ll come up with someone. The only problem is that Preller and Farhan will be in the same marketplace, Preller in particular.
Reading Timmons’ columns reminds me of that old saying: “Put wishes in one hand, crap in the other. See which fills up faster.”
Sure, I WISH Bellinger would start hitting again. I WISH Bauer had never met that girl. I WISH Seager would heal faster. I WISH Mookie was healthy. I WISH the Dodgers’ offensive depth was of a higher quality than has been apparent. I WISH the Giants were not good this year. I WISH Dave Roberts would abandon the LR matchup script once in a while and manage by what he sees. I wish hot hitters would not be on the bench for critical games.
Wishes are fun but they’re not reality.
You sound like we are 40 games under .500.
The fact is the Dodgers are pretty damn good.
They have the second-best record in baseball.
Yesterday, they were ranked #1 in the MLB Power Poll.
I have never said I WISHED for anything. I do happen to believe the Dodgers are the cream of the division and will rise to the top.
It seems to be that the CRAP comes from another place…
like the southbound end of a northbound male bovine?
Just say Jackass.
BUT, BUT, I was referring to bullshite Bear.
Same thing, different reference
Hey Cynical,
I’m not saying I agree with what you are proposing here, but what I want to say is simply this…..I cracked up reading your post!
I don’t know if you made that saying up — “wishes and crap” but I laughed like heck reading it. Your whole post was funny to me…..you may not have intended it to be, but I found it so. Thus, I thank you for the “free” entertainment.
America’s Got Talent could use a funny guy like you…..
“Put wishes in one hand, crap in the other.
And if your nose itches?
You wish you had a third hand
The Dodgers have agreed to a deal with left-hander Maddux Bruns, their top pick (29th overall) in the 2021 MLB Draft, a source told MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo on Tuesday. The club has not confirmed the deal, which is for $2.2 million, according to Mayo. The slot value for the pick was $2,424,600.
Bruns, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound southpaw from UMS-Wright Preparatory School in Alabama, went 7-0 with a 0.86 ERA as a senior, allowing just 13 hits and six earned runs over 49 innings of work. Bruns has a four-seam fastball that stands out, topping out at 98 mph last season, a significant jump from the low-90s the prior year.
Bruns, who was named after Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux and ranked the No. 49 Draft prospect by Pipeline, was a Mississippi State recruit.
Thoughts:
1) It’s obvious to me that Gonsolin is still injured.
2) Boneheaded Doc sits Pollock for Reks IN AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT GAME. Don’t tell me this kinda thing hasn’t happened before.
3) Our bullpen is just not good enough to win a World Series.
4) Trades are needed for both starting pitching and bullpen help if you want to try to win the World Series.
5) The Dodgers need to win all 3 remaining with the Giants or it will be a failure to seize the moment.
You are on fire today Eric…I like your bullet points.
1) It’s obvious to me that Gonsolin is still injured. (TM: agree, get him out of there)
2) Boneheaded Doc sits Pollock for Reks IN AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT GAME. (TM: Doc used analytics…didn’t work)
3) Our bullpen is just not good enough to win a World Series. (TM: 100% agree. I don’t even trust Jansen when it gets down to playoff pressure. He doesn’t have ice running through his veins like Julio. )
4) Trades are needed for both starting pitching and bullpen help if you want to try to win the World Series. (TM: 100% agree…we may be okay with the bats with a healthy Mookie and Corey to go along with the others, but we just don’t have enough dependable pitchers. Oh, we definitely need Trevor back in the playoffs. He is huge.)
5) The Dodgers need to win all 3 remaining with the Giants or it will be a failure to seize the moment. (TM: I have to disagree…I will be happy with a 2-2 split, but even if we lose 3 of the 4, no need to find a bridge to jump off of. Still plenty of baseball to be played. Let’s get healthy first, get Bauer back, and then let’s see.)
I like your passion and convictions, Eric. Keep them coming.
TM, Bauer is not HUGE in the playoffs. His record in playoff games is 1-4. He has a decent ERA of 2.94, but he only had one playoff series where he was very good and that was against the Yankees in 2017. He lost 2 games to the Cubs in the 16 World Series, so I do not see how he is huge. This year his ERA is pretty good and he is 8-5. But the guy has given up 19 HR’s in 17 games, he is a huge distraction to the team right now, and if and when he comes back he will not have pitched in almost 2 months or more, meaning he has to be built up again, and is he going to do that with the pennant on the line? No, I just keep him off of the team for the rest of the season. Let his legal team do it’s business and when the mess is all done with, go from there. Me, I trade for a solid innings eating starter. Preferably someone with no legal problems.
I’m not giving up on Bauer yet. I’m still hoping on 7/27 MLB does the right thing and drops their investigation. Just stay out of it and let the courts decide; unless he is found guilty in a court of law, he is presumed innocent, so leave him be.
As for him only 1-4 with a 2.94 ERA…..I’m not deterred by those numbers at all. He is a better pitcher today than he was when he pitched those games. People were saying the same about Clayton….his numbers were even less impressive going into last year, but look at how he did?
Trevor, Buehler, and Clayton can be scary. We may even have to put Julio back in the pen to close instead of being the 4th starter. Not sure about that though. I’d rather us trade and bring in a closer and move Jansen to 8th inning.
I disagree, I do not think MLB is doing anything less than due diligence. And if the DA decides to charge him, he is lost for the season anyway. I also disagree that he was not the same pitcher back then. He had the same tools, and he was playing on very good teams. In the playoffs, Julio could very well be the secret weapon out of the pen, but only if they pick up a proven starter. Bauer is not going to be back this season, bank on it. His legal troubles are not just going to fade away by the end of the month. This is going to be messy. It is going to be very public, and it is not going to end well. Your gut needs checking, I think your wife is feeding you too much fantasy food.
1. I VIOLENTLY disagree that Gonsolin is hurt. There is no way they would let him pitch if he was. That’s an uninformed erroneous opinion. The Dodgers spend too much time and money on these guys to let them pitch when they are injured… unless he is injured and telling no one. More likely, he is just building up like pitchers do in the Spring. It takes a month or longer. The opinion is not rooted in fact.
2. You have no clue if Pollock had an issue or asked out or if it was a planned day off. Your opinion is based on what you saw, but not necessarily the facts.
3. That is your “GO TO” after every game the Dodgers lose. It’s getting old and it’s another opinion.
4. OK, but I will not sell the farm.
5. It would be great to do that, but there is still a lot of time.
Sometimes people have to struggle in order to succeed. Ponder that!
VIOLENTLY disagree……I like it when you talk tough, Mark! I pictured Clint Eastwood saying that instead of you…..
Violently does not mean violence. I just happen to believe it is 180 degrees off. It’s insane think any team will do that!
I think violently does have a connection to violence. Maybe you meant “strenuously”.
Gonsolin’s fastball has lost three ticks. Something must be the cause. He may not be injured but he may not have the strength he lost from injury back yet. It took him 80 pitches to get 10 outs. That sucks.
They have 3 more with the Giants next week in SF. So quit thinking in the short term. What they need to do is take at least 2 of the next 3 and keep it to a game lead going into that series. While the Dodgers are playing the Rockies this weekend, the Giants are home to the Pirates before the Dodgers come to town, when the Dodgers leave, Houston goes into SF while LA plays the D-Backs. Keeping pace with SF while we play them, and then dominating the bad teams, they can still close ground when SF plays tougher opponents. The back end of the Giants schedule in August has them playing a lot of contending teams.
It is still early, isnt that what Karros was saying all the time when he was with us ?
Oh yeah, we know how that turned out. I have not bones to pick about the game yesterday or the lineup DR sent out. We lost the game, okay, we faced Gausmann who is having a career year . One of the best pitchers in the league this season. What I have a problem with is the Sunday game vs the Rockies. That was a game the Dodgers gave away due to bad baseball and thererfore they are now 2 full games out. There are too many games like that this season. Games like that will make the difference in a season. Not the game last night.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not early, but not too late either. Games like the loss to the Rockies, and the game they threw away in Miami are the ones that stick in your craw. But to be where they are, both teams, with the injuries they have suffered is amazing in of itself, and look at SD. They have been hit huge by the injury bug also, and are hanging in there. Here is a weird fact, the entire Giant rotation are free agents at the end of the season. Yep, all of them.
I think we need to take 4 of 7 against s.f. and beat the crap out of the Rockies in between.
I still expect the giants to fade. But if they don’t and we keep winning we will take the Division. We are still favored every night and we are very much favored to win the Division because we are clearly the best team in this Division.
Mark
The reason why I say Gonsolin is injured is because I know he is better than how he has pitched recently. Even Doc said that Gonsolin is dealing with a shoulder issue that isn’t bad enough to put him on the IL.
Turns out Pollock wasn’t injured last night. So why was he sitting? I’ll tell you why, it’s because Doc is a bonehead (I’m being nice when I use the word bonehead instead of using a harsher word).
Sorry about talking about the bullpen, but I passionately believe the bullpen isn’t good enough to win it all. But give me Scherzer and Kimbrel, get Bauer back, move Gonsolin to the bullpen immediately, then move Urias to the bullpen for the playoffs and then I will shut up about the bullpen because that is a bullpen that can win it all.
Great subject today Mark. And they will trade. The question remains, who for who? I hear and see a lot of names bandied around. I do not know if AF is targeting a big ticket pitcher, I would think he is leaning more towards someone like Gibson than Berrios. Berrios will cost a lot. Maybe 2 of your top 10 prospects. Scherzer want’s at least a 2 year extension BEFORE he will waive his no trade clause. If I were chasing a bat, I would definitely kick the tires on Haniger of the Mariners. He could definitely be a difference maker, and easily help the offense a lot. Make no mistake, the Giants are for real. And those old guys and fringe players they have believe they are the best and they are playing like it. And they have injury issues too, so they are getting great contributions from the guys replacing the regulars. Belt, Crawford, Longoria and LaStella are all on the IL. The Dodger AAA players who have been called up this year have not performed nearly as well as the Giants subs have. Raley and Reks were both raking at OKC, well over .300. Ravelo was too but they let him leave and sign with a Japanese team. They brought in Tsutsugo because they thought they could fix his swing and make him back into the player he was in Japan, nope. And he has just now started to show a pulse at OKC. Still hitting under the Mendoza line. AF did not load the roster at OKC with a lot of former MLB starters like he did a few times before. The only guy down there with much experience is Kickham. Of their top prospects, the one I promote tomorrow is Ruiz. I do not trade him, I trade Austin Barnes as a throw in for the best starter we can get. Ruiz’s bat is definitely an upgrade from Barnes. I like Austin, he plays hard, but he is just a weak link in the order, and without a DH, he pretty much makes the last two spots in the order automatic outs. I have long railed against Roberts for his in game strategies, and I think he made a blunder last night. Bickford was pitching well, and Roberts pulled him after a hit with one out and brought in Gonzalez simply because a lefty was coming up. Dave did it because Bickford’s splits against lefty’s are not that good. But it totally backfired because everything Gonzalez threw up there was hittable. Bickford has more K’s than innings pitched. I would have let him try to finish the inning. Gonzalez is not the same pitcher this season as last. And the stats reflect that. He pounded the strike zone last season, and this season he is not doing that. He will probably get better, but he was just off of the IL, and looked like it. His only action was against low A hitters a couple days before. Vesia comes in and is lights out. Dave needs to develop some new strategies. Do I have all the answers? No, I am not privy to the real Dr.s report on Mookie’s hip, Seager’s pinky, Belli’s shoulder and leg. But Bellinger is one of the best defensive players in the league, and I give him a lot of credit that his defense has not suffered because he is in a slump. Another thing that bugs me is all the shifting they do. Back in the day, late in the game, they used to play what was called no doubles defense. Which meant that the 3rd baseman and the left fielder were pretty much hugging the line with a righty at bat. That would have changed the whole scenario when Estrada hit his double down the line in the 7th. Had Turner been playing deep and on the line, he probably would have got that ball and had a double play. But he was in and off the line, so he had no shot. Pollock was playing way over in left center field and had no way to cut the ball off, so it rattled around in the corner and two runs scored. Game definitely over with the way the offense was performing at that point. Now they all pull out their little cards and look where the data tells them to play, and damn the idea that someone might just hit it in a different direction. Oh yeah, Gonsolin needs to learn how to bunt, or at least hit the ball the other way. They all need to learn not to swing at pitches a snake could not hit.
Good read, Bear. Always enjoy your insights and analysis, even if we may disagree.
But one thing we do agree on is not trading RUIZ, and trading Barnes instead. But, if we have to trade Ruiz to get someone critical to fill a need, like another SP or BP, then we may have to. You have to give up something to get something, right? Barnes isn’t much.
I remember when we would not trade Lux to get that bullpen ace we desperately were coveting a few years ago, thinking Lux was too valuable. Hmmmmmm. Looking back at that….I wish we had. But hindsight is 20-20, right?
I am not trading Ruiz for a reliever. No way, a top of the line Ace starter, Maybe. Barnes would only be a piece of a trade. Ruiz is MLB ready right now, the only way I trade him is in some sort of blockbuster deal where they get a top of the line starter and maybe a RH bat with power. They have some prospects a lot of teams would be interested in. If Mookie’s injury is that serious, why risk playing a player you have for the next 11 years? Let him get it fixed ASAP, and trade for a reasonable replacement, someone who’s offense is very good. So I trust Mookie’s judgement that it is something he has dealt with all year, and he knows when to take himself out so it does not get worse.
If Mookie is done for the season the Dodgers just as well be sellers if the goal is to win another title. Without him no chance. We waited 32 years with all kind of teams , he was the difference when we finally won it all last year.
This team as it looks now with May and probably Bauer all for the rest of the year, Bellinger struggling to even reach the mendoza line, Seager and Clayton uncertain to return the Dodgers are not championship caliber as of now. I would not trade the farm under those circumstances at the deadline for a middle of the road starter or BP arm. Wont make a difference.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!
Who said anything about middle of the road? Top of the line, or no deal. Mookie will gut it out for the rest of the year, and then they will evaluate his hip, see if he needs surgery, and go from there.
“If Mookie is done for the season the Dodgers just as well be sellers if the goal is to win another title. Without him no chance. We waited 32 years with all kind of teams , he was the difference when we finally won it all last year.”
Betts wasn’t why we won it all. First it is a team sport, second if anyone deserves credit for winning it all last year it is both Corey Seager and Julio Urias.
Mookie didn’t look done to me this past week….
I’m not giving up on TB…..FREE TREVOR! Do the right thing MLB!
Seager is almost there; Clayton will only be gone for a short while.
We still have Marvelous Max, CT3, Will, Buehler, Urias, Jansen, Trienen, Pollock, Awesome Albert, Turner, others
And if our friends here are right and Bellinger gets fixed…..we have him as well.
The cupboard is not bare, Ram……breathe in…..breathe out……
Free Trevor? He is not in jail, and MLB has nothing to do with the legal system. He is on suspension for good reason, and he is getting paid while there. 1.5 million a week. I am not shedding any tears for Bauer, I am concentrating on the players who are there.
Well put Bear.
I’m still hopeful this gets settled. I expect MLB to hand down a suspension but depending on how it’s settled it may, or may not be for the season. I won’t be surprised either way. I most curious how the Dodgers will look at it.
Lux is still young and raw. I dont understand why everybody is so down on him.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
They are down on him simply because he was their #1 prospect and he has struggled to find consistency. Most expected him to be Seager reimagined. He might find it, he might not. Right now he has to get healthy before he can try to regain that kind of confidence he had at AAA.
6 homers with 37 rbi with solide D at ss in an injury filled year so far is not that bad.
A team like the Dodgers can survive a rookie season like that even if it comes from your Nr.1 prospect.
The real troubles of this team:
May lost for the year.
Bauer not available and probably done for the season.
Clayton hurt again.
Bellinger not hitting a lick.
Mookie not close to 100% all year.
Lux is the least of our problems.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lux is part of the problem, he looks at way too many strikes right down Broadway. He has talent to be sure, but give me Seager’s close to .300 BA and power, and I can live with the occasional error at SS because he has the offensive chops to make up for it with his bat, Lux has not reached that yet, and no, they cannot live with mediocre stats when they have so many underperforming stars and the injuries. They need consistency, not mediocrity.
no kidding Bear about Gonzo’s inability to bunt. That was pitiful. If he was ever coached up on how to bunt he wasn’t listening or missed that day. With the exception of starting the bat at the top of the strike zone (unfortunately flat) everything from there goes south. The pulling the bat back to set up the little jab at the pitch is the fatal move.
I can just hear my dad, an old fast pitch, pitcher if he saw that attempt. It’s just another little thing that matters. Like holding runners
Except for maybe Kershaw and Urias, who both have excellent moves to first, the entire pitching staff is terrible at holding runners. I cannot remember who was on the mound, but he did not even check Solano and he stole 2nd with ease. He had such a great jump that Smith did not even bother to throw down. It was the 2nd stolen base of his CAREER<
Alexander
The only thing worse than the two bunt attempts was the last swing after they pulled the bunt off because he looked so HORRIBLE. DH cannot come soon enough for him.
Hard to believe that at 30 years old, with only 7 years of MLB time, Puig is already out of the league and playing in Mexico. What a waste of talent. I agree that Burns will most likely be the player moved off of the 40 man so Gray can be activated. Burns is on the 7 day IL at OKC anyway.
This breaks my heart. I envisioned him as the next Roberto Clemente. Sigh….
All the god given physical tools but a brain like a nut.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think a lot of it had to do with immaturity, a lack of commitment to get better. Not listening to his coaches, save one, Turner Ward. And in a small way, culture shock. Coming from an extremely poor environment and all of a sudden having more money that you ever dreamed of and the ability to buy things you never thought you would have. Yes, he had the tools, what he really needed was a strong mentor to guide him towards the right path. He had that for a while when Uribe was there, not so much afterwards.
In 49 games at Vera Cruz he is hitting .301 with 10 HR’s and 36 RBI’s. His OBP is .384, he is slugging .534 and has an OPS of .918. He has struck out only 29 times with 20 walks. 7 steals, caught twice. He also has 8 doubles, and has scored 30 runs. Not a bad line at what is considered AAA.
Honestly, if we can be assured his head is right, I’d pick him up at the airport myself. He can’t be any worse (drama wise) than TB. We can at the very least platoon him with Cody so that Cody doesn’t have to face another LHP….at least until he shows us he is back.
He does not play CF, he plays right. Moving Mookie to CF would probably aggravate his hip even more, and taking Bellinger out weakens the defense, he is the best they have out there. They will sit him occasionally, but the only way he is going to improve is facing real pitchers. He needs to change his approach, and I saw some of that last night. Unfortunately, Yasiel’s ship in LA sailed a long time ago. Down on the farm, Peters has an 11 game hitting streak, and is striking out a lot less lately, and Davidson hit his 10th HR in the last 2 weeks. # 14 on the year.
Would not oppose it. Maybe he can be lightning in a bottle for a second time when he comes to t he Dodgers.
Dodgers took a flyer on Tsutsugo, why not Puig!?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry Bear, but there’s guys that hit 400+ in that league. Those numbers mean nothing and that league isn’t comparable to AAA.
Probably not, but MLB considers it so, that is why so many who do sign out of there end up on MLB rosters. Just the fact that he is playing fairly well, and not in the news is a plus. Lots of ways to get into trouble down there.
I sure hope mad Max’s wife holds out until either rockies weekend or the weekend after with AZ. Just NOT for either of the midgets series.
COME ON MRS MUNCY, we are rooting for you!
I am really getting tired of the disappearing act of Corey Seager. Sorry but it does not take 10 weeks to heal a fractured pinkie. What is he waiting for? He has already missed 43% of the regular season games since 2018. He is dreaming if he thinks he is going to get Lindor kind of money. I really don’t see the Dodgers signing him to a long term contract even though he was our key offensive player in the playoffs last year. I really like Corey but his below average defense along with being injury prone tells me we need to move on and find another SS.
In this case it has. He was starting to hit, and then had pain in the hand, so they shut him down, and how about letting the doctors decide how long it takes to HEAL a pinky. You ever tried hitting a baseball coming at you at 90 plus miles an hour after breaking your finger? You are in no position to judge. Oh yeah, he is in his walk year, and is going to command a huge contract, so they probably will have someone else at SS next season, and at this rate, it will not be Lux.
There’s a lot of frustration with the way things have gone this season I totally get that. We all want him back in the lineup. But there’s nothing worse than a chronic injury, that didn’t heal right, and he definitely doesn’t want that . If he never played another game, I’ll always admire Seager. When he gets hot he’s a phenomenon.
Kudos Bear on Seager!!! Some it seems have never played the game…
Good day for reading… Puig??? I gave up on his ass when he was nailed speeding in Fla. with his Mom in the back seat… All the God given talent in the world and the IQ of a fence post…
Go get em tonight…
Thanks Pete. I never gave up on him, always hoped he would someday figure it out. But he was if nothing else hard headed, but he had the best beginning to a career I have ever seen a Dodger rookie have. He was indeed The Wild Horse.
Probably played more baseball than u ….and certainly been to more Dodger games than u …..season ticket holder for 40 years. What about all the other injuries? Played in barely over half the games in last 4 years. Sorry but as much as I like Corey we need to move on because he just isn’t worth the investment in a future contract with his injury history and the fact there are many other quality SS that will be available.
And that makes you an expert? I doubt it, Been watching the game a lot longer than 40 years, played when I was young, but I went into the Army for 9 years, other things took precedence. I am not saying he is going to stay past this year, but I have seen them play with a lot worse SS than him and not win a thing. Lux is not the answer at this point, and Corey when healthy is still the better option. Just because you are a season ticket holder for 40 years does not mean crap. Quality, at what price and is AF willing to spend that kind of money, Is Story better? Correa? Baez? None will come cheap and AF has free agents of his own he needs to worry about, and none of them are coming to LA this season, so it is a moot point.
Original diagnosis, sure, but you still have to wait and see what happens after that time. Yep, Seager has a history. But it does not matter what your doctor friends say, they are not the ones treating Seager. I agree, it is hard to depend on someone who is injured that much, but when he is healthy, and that is what they want, he is a lot more dependable than Lux. As for my crap, I am sorry we have to disagree, and I did not sit on my heinie butt head, I was busy delivering the goods you needed to work at your job and feed your family. So shut your effing pie hole about people you know nothing about. People are people where ever they go, and while I respect your opinion, that does not mean I have to agree with it, and since I write on this blog as a contributor, well, you either have to read it or just leave and go somewhere else. Oh something else, I was watching Dodger baseball long before you moved to LA,. And when you came in 1966 I was busy serving my country, I played the entire time I was in the service and for a few years afterwards, but family and making a living came first. Does not mean I did not follow my team closely. You are not the end all know all of baseball knowledge, you are the same as me, a fan with his own opinions nothing more. As for over the hill, nope, I just am enjoying my retirement in a place where I do not have to deal with people like you.
Oh and I do agree, they will most likely pass on resigning him. And where in my post did I even advocate that? You not only cannot read, your comprehension is questionable.
IQ of a fence post? Don’t slander fence posts like that!
He’s not ignorant. He’s an immature narcissist.
Amen brother, amen,,,,whoops got religious there for a minute.
So who gets dfa for Gray? I’m guessing Raley.
It will be Burns DFA for Gray or Seager
Most likely Burns since he is on the IL at OKC anyway. No roster announcement or starting pitcher announcement yet.
The interesting thing is that of all the players the Dodgers brought up he seemed to hit the best (albeit a very small sample size).
.467 OBP. Only Cleavinger and Bickford are better. All 3 of them are better than Muncy.
Burns is 3 or 4 years older which is why I think it will be him. His ship is gone.
Couple of points to make:
1. In David Prices’ first two outings of the year, he had a 12.00+ ERA. Since then it has been around 2.00. Cut the guy some slack as he builds up his arm strength.
2. Tony Gonsolin is HORRID, TERRIBLE, AWFUL, BAD, and DOWNRIGHT CRAPPY… and BTW has a 2.83 ERA.
FTI, you people have taken leave of your senses.
DODGERS SELECT RHP JOSIAH GRAY
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Josiah Gray and placed left-handed pitcher Scott Alexander on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated infielder Andy Burns for assignment.
Gray, 23, was 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA (5 ER/15.2 IP) and 22 strikeouts in four games (three starts) for Triple-A Oklahoma City. In his first full season in the Dodgers organization, he was named the 2019 Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year after going a combined 11-2 with a 2.28 ERA (33 ER/130.0 IP) with 147 strikeouts in 26 games (25 starts) between Low-A Great Lakes, High-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa. In his minor league career, he is 14-5 with a 2.41 ERA in 42 games (40 starts). He was originally acquired via trade with infielder Jeter Downs from the Cincinnati Reds on December 21, 2018.
Alexander, 32, heads to the injured list for the second time this season. He appeared in the game last night, tossing 0.1 innings and allowing two hits. In 18 games this season, he is 0-2 with a 2.93 ERA (5 ER/15.1 IP) and eight strikeouts. He has been in the Major Leagues for parts of seven seasons with the Kansas City (2015-17) and Los Angeles (2018-21) and is a combined 12-9 with a 3.16 ERA (72 ER/205.0 IP) and 160 strikeouts in 211 games. The Northern California native was originally acquired by the Dodgers in a three-team trade with Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox on January 4, 2018.
As predicted…
Same prediction I made, but I was a little surprised about Alexander.
This team has a completely different presence without Seager and Bellinger. Even without them they are still favored to win. Even with Bauer in question, Kershaw on his yearly IL rehab and Mookie questionable, Lux, and… Reks, we are still favored to beat them tonight and win the Division in two months. Most of the so called experts, and the money, still likes the Dodgers. So do I.
I knew Doc was lying yesterday when he said Mookie Betts would start today. Turns out Betts is not starting today. Why no Smith today?
Taylor
Muncy
Turner
Pujols
Pollock
Bellinger
Barnes
McKinstry
Nunez
Lying? You have proof? Maybe he was more hoping and after BP his hip was still an issue. Do not make statements you cannot back up without facts.
I watched Doc say it last night. I could tell that he was lying. It was the first thought I had when those words came out of his mouth.
If he was hoping then he should have said he was hoping, but he didn’t.
I found the look Doc had on his face funny when he said it, it was so easy to tell that he was lying.
Proof enough for me.
Doc’s not lying, he’s just stupid.
Hardly. Degree in history from UCLA.
Badger, you’re easily impressed. Look how stupid Bauer is. He has an Engineering degree from the same school. Even I know not to take an Instragram offer for rough sex.
Smart people do stupid things every day. That’s Bauer. Roberts does not belong in that bucket.
Intelligence does not equate to common sense. For example, Bauer.
For the time being Mookie is “day to day “. Realistically, I see a IL coming.
Couldn’t agree more as he has done that all season with telling us incorrectly when players are coming back. It just goes along with his bullpen management and how he removes our pitchers in the middle of innings when they are pitching well. It happened twice at the game last night with Sherfy and Bickford. Roberts is STUPID and has never mastered how to manage a pitching staff. As we know there is a three batter minimum, so you should be trying to match up with the next 3 hitters not just the next batter. He plays the matchup game with the next scheduled hitter which of course can be pinch hit for and usually the next hitter will bat from the opposite side so it really negates the pitching change unless you retire the first batter. Sherfy came out with 2 outs and Bickford with one out and we all know what happened with Gonzalez coming in. Roberts continues to make head scratching pitching decisions that cost us games and I don’t know why there are those who think he is a decent manager. We win because we are the most talented team in spite of the decisions of our POS manager.
r
You guys kill me. Mookie said he was fine and would be back today. So Mookie is a liar too. Everyone is a liar. You are smart and Doc is dumb! Feel better?
You should be MLB managers.
This is what read:
July 20, 2021 05:28 PM
Dodgers’ Mookie Betts: Likely to start Tuesday
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Monday’s 7-2 loss to the Giants that he expects Betts (hip) to start in Tuesday’s game, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Likely. Expected. I don’t think he said Mookie would play.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before tonight’s game that this is the worst Mookie’s hip has felt all year.
No mention of IL, right?
I got a feeling he’s going on it. Hope I’m wrong.
Not yet Badger. I read that they were trying to manage it. The main problem is when he runs a lot. Like the other day when he got 4 hits. It also bothers him running in the outfield. Where is the DH when we really need it.
Wow, I’m still laughing at “Smart people do stupid things every day.” I mean, isn’t that exactly the opposite of what smart people do?
BulldogsandPenguins
Lol. You’re right. Smart people are suppose to do smart things that’s what makes them smart.
There’s book smart and there’s life smart. No matter how smart someone is you will eventually do something dumb.
Yep.
Seems to me that goes without saying.
And common sense is something many lack, even smart people
Funny how? You think that isn’t accurate, or you just think it’s funny.
“I mean, isn’t that exactly the opposite of what smart people do?”
Not always.
Badger, it was a ridiculous statement. It’s basically an oxymoron like Jumbo Shrimp. Or a Bachelors of Arts in History which basically qualifies you up for a position at Taco Bell.
So, you are either saying you’ve never done anything stupid, or you are not smart.
Your Taco Bell statement is ridiculous.
You’re first sentence has no logical connection to anything. In fact, it completely contradicts the statement that you’re arguing about.
Smart people do stupid things every day. But, I’m not smart if I’ve ever done anything stupid.
You think smart people do stupid things is an oxymoron? You think Bachelor of Arts in History is one too?
I don’t think that word means what you think it means.
And the Taco Bell on one’s resume qualifies them applying for child protection agencies.
Could someone please explain to me how and why Vegas has the Dodgers as the favorites tonight? I mean come on….be real….just look at the pitching match ups to start with. This is always huge, I think we can all agree.
Wood vs an assortment of unproven/questionable pitchers. This has to be considered a huge advantage for SF
Hitters: look at our last 4 guys…..is there anyone who scares you….or you think scares their pitchers? Now I know the first 5 guys can go off and that may be all we need, but here is the rub for me….SF probably scores as many runs against our bullpen as they did last night against……our bullpen. We have to face Alex Wood, 8-3, and who knows our team pretty well. Advantage again has to be SF
So again I ask….how are we the favorites? Home field maybe? Means nothing in this rivalry, in my opinion. Doc is the better manager? I can’t imagine anyone giving an “amen” to that one either. So why?
In conclusion: my “gut” is telling me tomorrow morning when I wake up to check on the score, I may not be smiling. I hope my gut is wrong, but most of the time my gut (which is connected to my brain) is spot on! Nevertheless….GO LA….JUST DO IT AND SHOCK THE WORLD….or at least my gut!
How Are Odds Determined?
Odds are engineered to attract equal action on both sides of a betting line. In a perfect world, a sportsbook receives equal betting volume on both sides of a wager then, win or lose, they’ll make 5-10% on the juice (or ‘vig’).
As such, it’s integral to understand that the chief function of oddsmakers isn’t to create an accurate (and probable) picture of reality—it’s to mitigate your sportsbook’s risk. Think of contemporary oddsmakers as risk management professionals, as well as expert sports predictors.
https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/guides/betting-101/how-bookmakers-generate-odds/
In conclusion: I hope that helps.
Is there somebody here who didn’t know that?
TM didn’t know. That’s why he asked the question. I answered it. Are you having a stroke?
Thanks BP…..you are a gentleman and a scholar. Even at my age, 68, one is never too old to learn something new. I really had no idea how betting works…..pretty fascinating….okay let me call my bookie and put $2 on the underdogs, SF tonight. I should make out pretty well with the LAD-142 odds.
My bad. I assumed anyone who ever followed sports, or has been to Vegas, knew how odds work. Sorry.
Even I did not know how they determine the odds, but then again, I never bet on sports.
I’ve never bet on a game before but I know how it works.
I’m curious, what did you think I meant all those times I said the money likes the Dodgers?
Vegas is stupid.
Look around… it was built by winners.
It was $ placed before the season started called long-odds.
Wow!!! At the pool walking and come back to this crapola…
Badger, MT, consider they’re like obscene phone callers…. No responses will kill em…
P.S. Do you think Eric worked at Guantanamo??
It’s Time for Dodger Baseball…
You were at the pool walking? Jesus!
Now, that’s funny!
Maybe I got the fence post mentality, but I find it entertaining. Let’s face it everybody’s got their takes in on the team, so a little sparring doesn’t hurt anything. Whether they admit it or not I think most people here feel that way
Otherwise they would let it go and they wouldn’t keep jabbing at each other
I wish I got more obscene phone calls!
Give us your phone number and we can help you out.
I’m in.
In fact, I’ve got his number. I’ll wait til 10 pm my time.
Anyone see the Lux reaction to the Muncy home run last night. They just showed it on the pregame show
Man that kids got some facial expressions
Yes. I saw it last night on the broadcast. Joe was joking that it would be a GIF by the end of the game. He looked like the Dodgers version of rubber faced Jim Carrey.
If there has ever been a day you haven’t done something stupid you aren’t a smart person.
So far I’m brilliant.
Now that Bobo is funny.
Incredible.
I think some clarification is needed here. I most certainly did not mean that everyone who is smart will do something stupid every day of their life. What I meant was everyday somewhere someone who is smart will do something stupid. I think I’m smart (used to be anyway) I graduated with honors, BA, but I have done some very stupid things in my life. The point was everyone has. Dave Roberts is a very successful man. He’s lead the Dodgers to the playoffs every year he’s managed. If he was stupid he would have f’d it up long ago and be gone. To call him stupid is silly. In fact, to call Dave Roberts stupid is a stupid thing to do.
It’s great to see a 0 on the scoreboard going into the bottom of the first. That has to be huge for the players too, not to be down this early in the game.
Maybe the Vegas oddsmakers knew something I didn’t know.
This year is just very frustrating!! The injuries have killed us. I don’t think we can win the division with the current team as is.
We need a starting rotation not a bullpen rotation. Current we have buhler, Urias, and price. U can’t really count Gonsolin as he is just an opener. Stretch him out blah blah. He has had plenty of time to stretch out. I really don’t think LA sends an injured pitcher out there but he has something wrong when your fastball drops 5 mph in the next inning. What frustrates me is no urgency!! Price could have been in the rotation some time back.AF response has been throw some more bullpen guys out there. Our bullpen is starting to show the stress.
Our offense is basically turner and Muncy with a streaky pollock and smith hot so smith sits. The giants are going to just start walking Muncy or he will start going out of the zone. We have got to give Bellinger going to have a chance. I don’t think u can count on Betts with his injury and who knows if Seager will even come back. If he does will he have enough time to get comfortable? Btw the giant ss who replaced Crawford got a big hit. We need somebody to do that but instead reks ks 3 times. We just don’t have enough quality depth we need our starters mlp to perform.
Our defense needs to play better but I don’t know if they can. Holding runners kills us but we seem helpless to do anything about it. Without our regulars and without our regulars performing we just are a good team but not a division champ. When and if kershaw comes back how many starts until he is ready? If Bauer comes back how long would that take? We need starters and productive starters.
Here we go again. Going to have to score a lot of runs to win with our current bullpen.
Our ballyhooed prospect gets called up to hand the ball to an opener to gets us behind right away.
I totally agree with the assessment about not starting Pollock last night. The moment Mookie was out Pollock should have been in. There is a complete lack of urgency.
Wood has never looked better!! The giant mediocre players hit homer homer homer.
That’s OK kid, if you can pitch three or four more innings and not give up a run you did great. We’re all pulling for you
Mark I edited my post but it still posted the original also emojis aren’t showing up
Josiah Gray doesn’t look so good.
I think I’ve heard this song before. The opener will give up a run or two or three, then Gray will suck not being used to coming out of the bullpen.
The script pretty much wrote itself.
Remember that just a couple of weeks ago we swept a two game series against the Giants. Back away from the shotgun.
What a crying shame. I feel sorry for this kid although I was looking forward to his major league debut, it really shouldn’t of been in such a high leverage situation. Against the team that’s leading us in the division and a game we really needed to win
That’s just one shade of Gray. He has many more he can show us.
I agree. I think he’ll , be a good pitcher In the major leagues. It’s just too bad that the Dodgers were so desperate that they had to put him in that kind of situation
The guy Taylor was talking to what’s his name
Who? Oh, he’s on first.
For all you dreamers, take Bauer off your list. Even if MLB clears him he will never pitch for the Dodgers again. Can you picture the reaction if he takes the mound at Dodger Stadium! The Dodgers, their fans and the city of Los Angeles would, rightfully so, never stand for it. The history of this wonderful franchise is too valuable to jeopardize it for a yo-yo like him.
Go Dodgers!
Can’t trust him anyway in an important game. He’s a choker, allegedly.
Beaty has been hitting the ball so hard lately he is so due. Everybody on your feet. We got it baby we got it baby we got it baby Smith walks it off how sweet it is
I love LA
Smith bomb for the win.
Finally a 9th inning walkoff for Dodgers! Now the sprint starts here!
Season saving comeback!!!!!!!
Power outage at Dodger stadium, Will Smith turns off the light.
Oh what a night,
Late ninth inning and Smith walks it off
What a moment what a night
Good night Mrs. Calabash wherever you are!!!
So Will Smith comes to the rescue…. Whew.
But let’s review this game. Rough baptism for Josiah Gray…. Throwing Ks, giving up HRs.
But how about that Alex Wood? Too bad he hit Turner and Muncy, but he’s having a fine year for the Giants, sort of like that guy Jake McGee.
Where did the Giants find these guys? Why didn’t their last team pony up the $$?
Well, as it turned out, some of that money would represent just a small fraction of what was spent to sign Bauer, who may or may not come back this season, and will forever be taunted as a choke artist.. As I’ve mentioned often, I was against signing Bauer, but not because I anticipated something like this. Doc and the players might pretend like Bauer’s troubles really don’t matter that much, but it sure can’t help team chemistry. If he’d suffered a season-ending injury like May, they’d say, well, that’s baseball. But this? They talk among themselves, they wish they’d never signed him and then they go home and their wives and girlfriends ask questions.
Even the best case scenario for Bauer at this point is not a great one for the Dodgers.
Anyway, that’s one reason AF isn’t just looking at rentals. I hope he is considering quality SPs under contract for more years, like Castillo and Berrios. Come to think, Scherzer supposedly wants a longer deal to waive his no-trade. What would it take? Can they swing it without including Ruiz or a top pitcher?
And I still think another proven bat would help. One report suggest that the Giants are interested in Starling Castro. All-Star Adam Frazier is a Taylor type with less power–and he seems certain to be dealt. Right now, it seems we think Seager will return and again be Mr. October. No guarantee of that–and he, or another key player, could go down with injury.. Meanwhile, Belli struggles, and Lux, even when healthy, seems no better that the guys from OKC who showed they weren’t ready for prime time.
Speaking of Lux, I hope he’s rooting for McKinstry…even if it means that he loses his starting job.
That’s the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it! If adversity builds character, the Dodgers showed it tonight!
What’s the big difference between this year and last year: injuries, plain and simple. We need to keep gutting out wins, making the best of a bad situation with our battered and bruised line-up (no, that is not a reference to TB!). Then, when we are finally healthy, we make a run for it, and hope that the Midgets finally regress to the mean. I predict that we will win the division, but it will be close. Unless the injury Gods are truly against us, and we lose major pieces for the rest of the season, but that is the one thing we can’t control.
Regarding TB, I predict that we will never see him again in a Dodgers uniform. AF will get Max Scherzer for us, suspend TB for the rest of the season, then a long legal battle will ensue about his contract. I am agnostic about TB’s guilt or innocence, but his continued presence on the team would be a huge distraction.
Nice comeback and win. What is weird is the fact that I have seen all of Will Smith’s walk of HR’s. I was at Dodger Stadium when he hit his first, against the Phil’s in 2019. I was watching the Rockies series when he, Verdugo and Beaty all hit walk offs in a 3 game series, and then the one tonight. I think that even though he got tagged for 3 HR’s, I saw some good things out of Gray, and I think he will improve his next time out which would work out to Sunday against the Rockies. And the pen did their job, despite a few shaky moments and did not give up any more runs after Gray left. Taylor had a Mookie like game, and McKinstry made a huge defensive play when he was in RF. Beaty is no 3rd baseman, that is for sure, but with them carrying 14 pitchers, the bench is short. Early word is that Turner will most likely not play tomorrow, Muncy is day to day, and with his wife close to giving birth, I would not count on Max to be in there. So, guys like Reks, and Beaty, who for damn sure can hit, are going to have to step up, McKinstry too. Padres lost to Atlanta tonight to drop 4.5 back of LA. Dodgers have the same amount of wins as the Giants, and can be the first team to 60 with a win tomorrow. Congrats to the Bucks who came back from a 0-2 hole to beat Phoenix and win the NBA title. Chris Paul denied again.
OKC trounced Reno 10-3. Ruiz, Tsutsugo, Neuse and Estevez all homered. Tsutsugo went 3-4 to raise his average to .207. The HR was his 6th. Ruiz had 3 hits adding a double and single to his line for the night. Neftali Feliz got the win, he pitched 1.2 innings with 1 walk and 3 K’s. Graterol had a clean inning striking out 2. Pazos gave up 1 run, and Quackenbush closed the game with a clean inning. Ramirez started and went 4.1 giving up 2 runs, walking 5 and striking out 3. He gave up only 2 hits.