MiLB- Odds and Ends

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1. James Outman hit another home run last night to add to his all time Loons record. 19 as a Low-A Loon and 9 as a High-A Loon.

2. Thanx to Kenley for nothing. Second save in a row he blows. Yes, his numbers so far had been pretty good but who has really confidence in him when he comes for a save ? I don`t but sadly for the Dodgers DR obviously has.
   I was hoping that Treinen would come back for the 9th after he set down the Giants 1-2-3 in the 8th on minimum pitches. He was looking great and shold have had enough in the tank.

   After that great comeback win the Dodgers had the day before a W yesterday really would have given us not only a share of first but great momentum. Kenley more often than none fails in the really big moments .
   With so many players out or hurt and the offense sputtering the Dodgers needed that save and he could not deliver.

   Julio pitched fantsastic but all for none. So disappointing.

   And watching Cody Bellinger bat has turned into a train wreck Painful for the eyes and stomach.
   I am sure a couple of us guys here on the board could hit .150 (and falling , if that is possible). Sooner or later they will have to introduce a Cody-line. Sorry for ranting but I really had it with those kind of games.

   On the minor league side: Pages went 2-4 with his 17th long ball. What is wrong with Cartaya ? Has not been in the lineup for some time now. Hurt ? Would be fitting with all the injuries that have hit the Dodgers.

   Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!

   1. I agree with you about Jansen, stats are good except for the walks and he always keeps you on edge when he’s out there, last nights result were no surprise, 92 mph fast balls with zero movement are a feast for big league hitters and last night showed it. Also, why can’t Roberts ever use a reliever more than one inning? Is he savings their arms for the post season that may never come? Lastly, maybe Cody needs a stint in triple A to learn how to put the ball in play and not try to hit a 500′ HR with every swing.

      1. I also can not understand why DR does not stay with a reliever when he got good stuff and gets hitters out. Last nights game was another prime example.
         It is even more perplexing since he did stay with Julio during the big moments in last seasons playoffs.
         Maybe someone held a pistol to his back forcing him to leave Julio in back then.

         Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   2. Cartaya is in Arizona. I dont know why because he was hitting well. I think is just a method they are using . I am sorry to say JANSEN should not continue next year. He stinks as a closer. Brings no confidence . His numbers have been lucky and he complained not being in ALL STAR game . Well Last 2 games show why he is not respected as a closer anymore even Though his numbers looked very well it has been luck. He has lost it now for several seasons. He is not GAME OVER Gagne by any means . Maybe has saved tons of games of Dodgers and great career but has tons of blown saves as well.

3. Anybody on the Loons that can get 3 outs?

4. Cartaya is on the Temporary Inactive List. Not sure what that means. Perhaps some developmental time at Camelback.

   Cameron Gibbons just got back from some developmental time at Camelback and pitched a clean ninth last night. Jeff Belge is currently on that list

   Loons pitchers did well last night: Alec Gamboa five scoreless, Melvin Jimenez one scoreless, Franklin De La Paz two scorelss and Cameron Gibbons one scorless.

   Just wondering if De La Paz is the next Victor Gonzalez moving along as the invisible man.

   1. Thanks DC. It’s always good to hear what’s going on down on the farm. A few of those guys will help in the coming years. I think most of this morning’s chatter will be about the epic failure last night.

      A couple of thoughts about that:

      The giants can pitch too. Obviously they can hit it over the fence as well.

      Bellinger won’t change. He’s the blind squirrel on this team. I keep waiting for the next pitch to go out and we just get the same results over and over. He won’t adjust or he’s not being asked to.

      MLB needs better umpiring. That won’t happen until they take balls and strikes out of their hands. Sad, but true.

      This team needs the first stringers in there and healthy. Mookie, Seager, Turner and Lux out and Muncy not at 100% on a night with first place on the line? It shouldn’t happen but that’s where we are. May gone, Kershaw and Bauer not available, Gonsolin not able to go 5, Jansen coughing up hair balls again, and nobody in the system knocking the door down. . Bad time to be playing the giants, but we can’t play the dbacks and Rockies every night.

      Time for a gut check.

5. All I can think about is Kenley blowing it last night. It seems like I can’t remember the last time Kenley got the first guy he faced out. Looking through his game logs, he’s allowed at least a hit or a walk in his last 9 outings in a row. The thing that hurts the most is that we would be a game up in the win column and in first place if he didn’t blow his last two opportunities.

   After his meltdown last year, and his current downward trend, I have lost all confidence in him being able to slam the door shut. It’s time to move on from Kenley as closer.

   It seems that the Mantra for this team is to rest. I feel like there’s little urgency to win now as a each night features a questionable lineup decision. I realize that “some” players are banged up. Belli clearly isn’t right, Seager, Mookie, Turner were all out of the lineup last night. But, it seems to me that maybe they’re being a little too cautious or that this is some kind of self fulfilling prophecy by having a cautious Spring Training in anticipation of not knowing how players will react to playing a full season after a short one.

   Maybe I’m just getting sick and tired of watching what looks like split squad games and I’m venting my frustration of never seeing this team play with a full lineup, much less roster. I feel like the IL and bench team on a given night could beat the one that’s on the field. Is this just bad luck? Are the baseball Gods intent on not allowing a repeat? Or, is this the result of a bad training staff?

   Let’s stop screwing around now. Activate Seager and Knebel and get Nelson throwing. Get Brusdar back on the roster and get Mookie back in the lineup. Put Kenley on the IL and work his ass into game shape. Stop treating these guys with kid gloves and make a run.

   Time to start looking for a new training staff.

   1. “new training staff.“

      I’ve asked that question before. I think conditioning is why Roberts does what he does with this team. We were ok in a 60 game season. Not so much now.

      I’ve heard the word “depth” for quite a while here. It would appear it’s gone, or, at the very least, not as deep as some thought. “Next man up” all appear to be replacement players. At the very least this team needs Mookie, Seager, Kershaw and Jansen. I figured Turner would need rest, and he does, but he can’t rest with Mookie and Seager on the shelf. Bellinger? If everyone else is banged we can wait on him.

      All we can do is hope everyone currently on the roster is available for the stretch. Some help will come at the deadline but not enough to keep the raft afloat if the top of the lineup, 3 starters and our closer are not functioning.

      The good news is even with all that’s happening we have a solid record. The bad news is, there’s a team in our Division that is matching us. Maybe two before the season is over.

      We get healthy we will be fine. And if we don’t? It will be Neuse as the ship Reks.

   2. Totalmente de acuerdo contigo B and P, creo que son un grupo de jugadores demasiado mimados, tipos millonarios sin sed de victoria, aburguesados y engreidos que NO saben ” EJECUTAR ” a pesar de ser profesionales en este deporte egoistas que no toman en cuenta a su basta masa de seguidores, muy delicados delicados de salud que en cualquier arrancon de carrera se desgarran los músculos, no entiendo que siendo jugadores de este nivel y con todo
      tipo de equipo, información, doctores, entrenadores no tengan un plan de adiestramiento físico apropiado para cada uno en lo particular y evitar tantas lesiones, perdón pero me siento muy frustrado y enojado por la pérdida de ayer, pero así mismo tiempo me ha proporcionado una idea más clara de los alcances del equipo y su dirección por ésta temporada.

6. Went to bed after the 7th, woke up & saw the 3 in the 9th and without having to look further, said !@$@!!! JANSEN! We just cannot have a reliever who allows so many runners. as noted, even in his saves his is usually allowing runners. And with him a runner on 1st might as well be a runner on 2nd & sometimes 3rd since I don’t think he could even hold Pujols on base ( exaggeration ). Time to give a try to Treinen or Kelly I think. And Belli? I drop him down to 8th & leave him there for the time being and stop effing around with him in other different places in the lineup.
   cheers
   pb+

7. Brutal loss. Pressure on Walker tonight to split the series and not lose any further ground, All you Cody Bellinger fans, and I know there are a few on this site, he will not improve if he continues to step in the bucket with his his first movement and wrapping the bat behind his head is also problematic.. He is walking away from the baseball and not able to hit center cut fastballs. Some here say he’s not fully recovered from shoulder surgry,then he should be rehabbing and on the IL.He is killing the lineup with a .156 batting average and hurting our chances to win. We can’t carry him any longer because of his glove.

   1. Ok. Who takes his place in centerfield?

      1. No one, Belli is here for the long haul. At least he was getting the bat on the ball most of the time.

      2. As I have noted, he is too good on D to drop him right now, but he should be relegated to the 8th position and left there until he gets his sheeyit together. Sit him in the “worst batting position player in the lineup position” and let him stew on that.

8. What can you say, tough game to watch. I do not know why, but I just had a bad feeling as soon as Posey stepped to the plate. He is just one of those guys who is going to take what you give him and go with it. Then the sequence to Flores was awful. When he is on, and he was for quite a while, Jansen can be dominant, but to me, the minute he does not get that first batter out, we are in trouble. To compound it, he then walks the next hitter. He is nerve wracking to watch. But the offense did not exactly light the world up either. As for Bellinger, they do not score that second run if he is not on base, and yes, they can carry him. He is not going anywhere. He made two outstanding defensive plays. Understand, if they were at full strength we would not even be discussing his hitting woes. Look at the lineup they ran out there last night, No Turner, no Betts, no Seager, a rookie playing third, and a mediocre fielder playing right. Albert did ok at first, he has not been a minus in the field. Shake last night off, get the win today, and then beat the crap out of Denver this weekend. Go into SF on a high note, and last night will be forgotten. Oh, and you probably won’t be seeing Zach Reks for a while, guarantee he gets sent down when McKinney is activated today. Next 7 day are going to be very interesting.

   1. There is something wrong with Belli. Physically? Psychologically? Who knows, but something is not right. On August 18, 2017, with the Dodgers at full strength and on a record pace (86-34 and 19.0 games up), LAD sent Joc Pederson to OKC. At the time, Joc was hitting .215/.329/.418/.747. That team could certainly have hid Joc, but they wanted him right. As it turned out, it did not help…until the WS. But they tried to do something different.

      After last night’s game, the Belli watch (per MLB player stats):
      Season – .156/.275/.262/.538
      Since May 29 return from broken leg – .153/.282/.254/.536 (Baseball Reference)
      Since June 23 return from hamstring injury – .107/.250/.227/.477 (Baseball Reference)
      Last 15 games – .074/.190/.130/.320
      Last 7 Games – .038/.167/.038/.205

      He is 0-23 against SFG pitching. Five walks. .000/.179/.000/.179.

      I agree that Belli scored from first on the Pollock double, and that should have been the winning run. He plays a GG caliber CF. But if speed and defense was all that mattered, then Jeren Kendall and Jake Vogel should be promoted. Right now, is DJ Peters really a lesser option than Belli?

      I suspect that Belli will find the answer, but it may not be until 2022. However, sometimes, the good ones just do not make it back. Isn’t that right Joe Charboneau and Mark Fidrych? Before I read the Ohtani potential turn around comparisons again, he just might not turn it around. The year Belli won the MVP, he was not having as good a year as was the reigning MVP, Christian Yelich, before Yelich broke his kneecap (Sept. 10, 2019). Yelich has not been the same since.

      Every LAD fan is pulling for Belli to return to his 2019 self. But how long do you wait?

      Sure the Dodgers could have been tied for the Division lead had they not blown last night’s game. But if not for the Will Smith walk off, they could just as easily be 4.0 games back instead of 2.0. Win tonight and then face Colorado with three potential bullpen games, with Price, Gray, and Gonsolin in some order. Then to SF with Urias/Buehler/???.

   2. Bear, you are right that if the team was at full strength we wouldn’t be talking about Cody’s hitting woes because he wouldn’t be playing. All Star Taylor or Bellinger in CF? Chris Taylor of course. I’m tired of the injury excuse. His broken leg isn’t right, yet applauded for his excellent CF play. Oh, he’s having trouble hitting because his shoulder surgery hasn’t healed completely, yet he swings violently at pitches with no success. At best he’s in a terrible slump. At worst, without a change in his hitting approach he’s never going to capture his success from the past. Since the middle of the 2019 MVP season he has deteriorated offensively to the pathetic point he is at now. It’s sad and frustrating to watch. Personally. I’ve been pulling for him to turn it around. Now, I’m pissed at him. For him not to even try to bunt or just make contact and try going oppo is him being selfish and obnoxious. Cody, you are the worst hitting everyday player in baseball (I don’t know this as a fact). At least look like you’re trying to make something happen with the bat to correct that perception. You’re now applauded for scoring from first base on a double. Yipee!!

      Kenley has these failures the past few years, but the seem to happen less this year. So, with his last outing and last night he’s having trouble with controlling his big body. The question is how long will he be in this funk? Hopefully, not long. Kenley is having a successful season so far even though it’s not always pretty. The problem with him seemingly allowing the first batter he faces to get on it provides some tense moments. But, he has navigated those situations for the most part.

9. Move Taylor to center if and when Seager ever returns.

   1. Kind of in between a rock and a hard place there. If you move CT3 to center, you have to play someone at 2B.

      Last 7 games
      Pujols 17 AB 1R 4H 0RBI 0BB (This would move Muncy to second, but he’s gonna be gone in a couple of days anyways)
      McKinstry 19 AB 2R 3H 1HR 2RBI 1BB
      Bellinger 26 AB 3R 1H 2RBI 4BB

      Offensive Production between those three aren’t that far off. Defensively, the team is much better with CT3 at 2B and Belli in CF. Again, I wouldn’t mind a bench day from time to time but the timing is screwed with so any banged up players.

10. I knew when Kenley came in last night that his mechanics were out of sync. When he is not in sync, he can’t find the zone and loses 3 or 4 MPH. Not good.

    However, in case you don’t know, his ERA is was 1.45 BEFORE the game and is now 2.15 after it.

    He was tied with Josh Hader BEFORE the game for 5th Place among NL Relievers with the 1.45 ERA. Now he’s #22.

    He is tied for #5 with Hader in saves with 21.

    He has blown 4 saves in 25 opportunities.

    Aroldis Chapman has also blown 4 saves in 21 opportunities, but has a 4.28 ERA.

    The Giants don’t have one closer, but Jake McGee has blown 2 saves and Tyler Rogers has blown 5 saves.

    As a team, the Giants have blown 18 saves and so have the Dodgers.

    Unless Kenley has suddenly just lost it, he ain’t the problem.

    He’s just the most popular whipping boy after last night!

    Great Report as always, DC!

    1. I am happy for you that you still have so much faith in KJ. Most of us have lost it. Ever since the 2017 WS.
       As I said above some of his numbers are okay for sure . Others not so much.

       Yankee fans are as fed up with AC as we are with KJ. 4 blown saves in 25 chances is not top notch closer number.
       Comparision with the Giants closer situation does not help US one iota.

       If we can get Kimbrel I say do it. And let Kenley walk after the season.

       Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    2. It would appear he’s suddenly lost it.

       Maybe he finds it again.

       But your point about seeing he doesn’t have it is a good one. You put him in there in the 9th he has to face 3. If he doesn’t have it get him the hell out of there after 3.

    3. Mark, some of those saves are “easy” saves; the Dodgers were up by two or three runs, Jansen got some outs. I have no stats on this, but does anyone know how many of these saves were one-run games when he came in late? That is the measure of a great reliever, locking down the opponent in those situations. When you are up by two or three runs, you can afford to put the first runner on, as he generally does; but not when you are up one, against a very good team. We will be facing good teams in the playoffs, even if we only get to play in one playoff game. I know that Jansen’s ERA was very good,and he certainly has pitched better than last year, but he is not an elite closer now, even though there are not many of those. But with the shortness of our starting staff now, we need one.

       1. I think you have to use the eye test vs the stat test on him. When he was lights out, he was just that. Come in, 3 batters, GONE. Now even when he gets the save and does not allow a run it is WALK, STEAL, out, hit, then out, out. He just does not pass the eye test anymore IMO. Used to be he comes in & you go BUH-BYE. Now it is OH SHEEYIT.
          Not a good optic at all.
          cheers
          pb+

       2. William,

          Are you still on the “trade everyone and start the rebuild” line of thinking?

          1. When I suggested that, it was in the context of, “If Kershaw is out for months, or the year” (as some were theorizing), and if we do not get Bauer back, and Betts is seriously injured, as was a concern. I would not just say, “we should rebuild” when we are two games out, and a sure playoff team. But if we were without these players, then we could not win a title, so the goal would be to build the best team for next year.

             The problem is that we have few players that anyone would want, outside of the few that we would never, and should not, trade. So we are stuck. I had thought that if all these key players were out, we could trade Jansen, as some team would want him for a rental. But at this point, I think that we should go for the title, and be buyers. We expect Kershaw and Seager back soon. We do need Betts, as well.

             1. Agree!

                Go for the title!

11. Went to bed after the 6th inning, checked the score in the morning and knew what movie happened without checking the box score. Until we can develop or trade for a close it’s high time to at least try moving Jansen to setup role and moving Treinen to closer role, they experiment with everything else. You could argue against that saying well Jansen will just blow it in the set up role and never get to Treinen and that is a fair argument but it’s worth a shot!

    1. Treinen has 3 blown saves in 6 chances.

       Jansen has 4 blown saves in 25 opportunites.

       5 out of 4 people struggle with math.

       1. Another old cliche that we constantly hear “5 out of 4 people struggle with math”, “Even Ray Charles can see that”. Time to come up with something new Mark. If you look at the number of people who suggested it’s time to move Treinen to closer the math is alot more in favor of Treinen than it is Jansen. It’s just a suggestion and I think most agree with it. If not your entitled to your opinion.

          1. I would also try Kelly at closer now too.

       2. Here’s some math for you. He hasn’t had a clean inning in a month. His ERA in his last 2 outings is around 35. His WHIP is about 50. Something isn’t right with him. I don’t know what the answer is but the team cannot afford more of this.

       3. Shenanigans! That’s some Biden logic right there. Here’s one for you.

          Every time Treinen has come into the Ninth inning with a lead, we won the game.

          Stop employing the shift behind Treinen and he would be just about perfect.

          Get Knebel, Nelson and Graterol back on the roster and stop screwing around.

          Kenley needs to go on the DL with an injured buttocks.

          1. Let’s go a step further with Mark’s Hader comp. Not eliminating any game, Hader’s WHIP is 0.804. His SO/W ratio is 4.57. KJ has a WHIP of 1.168 and a SO/W ratio of 1.75. Now as long as MT wants to ignore last night’s game and take that out of the equation, let’s eliminate Hader’s 07/11 game against Cincinnati. This was Hader’s only game where he allowed 2 runs. In 38 games, he has only been scored on in 5. Eliminate 07/11 game and Hader’s ERA is down to 1.00 and his WHIP is 0.736. Even with taking the $$$ out of the equation, there is not a GM who would take KJ over Josh Hader.

             1. Yep, KJ is a free agent. You’ll be able to tell what the other GMs think of him soon enough.

          2. Honestly I am all in on Treinen. Heck, his biggest problem is not him IMO. It that when he is on his stuff moves so well that not even the umps seem to be able to see it correctly. And I agree with another statement about not shifting behind him as I have seen LOTS of “hits” that were just dinkers & broken bats going through holes on the other side of the shift. When he is on, almost no one barrels him up.
             cheers
             pb+

12. Apparently, the Royals are willing to entertain offers for Whit Merryfield. If Mookie Betts is out for an extended period time, Merryfield could fill in at a corner outfield position. Plus, he could serve as insurance at second base. The price is likely to be steep, given his value to the Royals, but I see a potential fit.

    1. Obtaining Merrifield should be something to look at seriously if Betts is not going to return this season or if he is limited. I’ve wanted the Dodgers to get him for the past two years. But, with Lux waiting in the wings to fill the teams perpetual void at 2B it didn’t happen. He can play 2B and RF. He is a solid RH bat and a great teammate. Cherry on top is team control for two years at $6.75M and $2.5M. He’s 32 and was a late bloomer. It would be a definite “go for it now” move.

13. McKinney will probably get the start in LF tonight. Pollock has awful numbers against Desclafani. Sure Jansen is the whipping boy when he does not get the job done, just like everyone wants to trade Bellinger for not being the 2019 Bellinger. None of us have gone through trying to play pro ball when coming back from injury. We can sit here and analyze and postulate what we think might be wrong. But we have no clue. To be a good hitter it takes a lot to fall in place. Timing is essential. Recognizing when a pitch is in the strike zone or not is also essential. Elite players like Trout and Pujols in his prime make it look so easy. But you have a very short time to make a decision. And the ball is not coming at you straight all of the time, it moves. So when you see someone really square one up, they either guessed right or the ball just hung there like laundry out to dry. And one thing none of us knows for sure is the mental state of the player. There is not a person on here who has a clue what is going through Jansen’s mind when he blows a game like that. What I saw immediately after the ball was hit was a guy who knew he had just made a really bad pitch. No one is more down on themselves than the player who makes the bad pitch or the critical error. Yes, we fans get frustrated and angry when things go wrong. But we can pontificate and yell and scream all we want, and it is not going to change anything, neither will panicking and going and make a knee jerk reaction trade. I would bet, and probably win, that Friedman has already been in meetings with the coaching staff and scouts and everyone else about what is needed and which direction they might go. Trading for Kimbrel, ok, what is he going to cost?? Just him alone, or a package deal with Bryant, who is versatile enough to play infield and outfield. What would they cost? Are the Dodgers willing to take on more salary and go way over the tax? What is the GREATER need right now? Health would be my guess, then a innings eating starting pitcher. We have no clue what AF is planning, or already has talked with other GM’s about at all. They are two games out. They have 7 games left against the Giants. More than enough games to make up the deficit. When they are playing the Angels, the Giants will be dealing with the Astros. They have plenty of games against weak competition while the Giants are facing tougher opponents. But anyone who for one second thinks that the Giants are just going to fade and fold, is sadly misinformed. These guys believe like LA believed last year. And their scrubs have out performed our scrubs by a large margin. Just look at how many journeyman players they have. And all of them are making contributions to the cause.

14. I have a lot to do today, will be checking in later after they post the starting lineup. Good news? Most of the Giants have really bad numbers against Buehler, who is the ACE of this team. Most GM’s feel the cost for pitchers this trading deadline is going to be very high. And most GM’s seem to be shying away from trading their future for a rental, so do not expect them to trade for someone like Scherzer unless they can sign him to an extension.

15. With May gone and big question marks next to Kershaw, Bauer, and Gonsolin, If this year is still a priority for the organization, a starter will be needed at the deadline. Like to see a trade that allows Ruiz in the big leagues for extended time but that might mean the Dodgers can’t manipulate his service time as effectively. With all of the injuries and the Bauer circus, it looks increasingly like this may just not be the Dodgers year. Maybe the prudent thing to do is ride this year out for better or worse and reload for next year. Won’t be popular.

    People can point to all the numbers they want…Jansen is the opposite of what you want in your closer. He is fragile mentally and loses his mechanics way too easily. Too many walks. Runners steal at will. Jansen’s career has been overall a good one numbers-wise, but I will be happy to see a fresh face in that role and so will my blood pressure.

16. JANSEN STINKS ! Not Mr Game Over but MR Blown Save

17. The worst part about last night’s debacle was this…

    “Fans certainly have a right to voice their frustrations,” Roberts said. “I get that. But I do believe that this guy, born and raised as a Dodger, what he does — he cares about the Dodgers, the fan base, and he’s shown that on the field, off the field. No one hurts more than he does, to be quite honest. He’s worked really hard to kind of get back, should’ve been an All-Star this year, and he’s had a fantastic season. … He was looking forward to pitching at home. And so for it to not go well — yeah, I’m disappointed to hear [the boos]. Certainly. He’s not gonna say it, but I am.”

    Excuse me Doc, but go Bauer yourself! Could you imagine what happens to Doc if he managed the Phillies after deflecting to the fans? They would eat him alive!

    He was born and raised a Dodger
    He cares about the Dodgers and the fans
    No one hurts more than he does
    He’s worked really hard to get back
    He should have been an All-Star
    He was looking forward to pitching at home

    None of this has anything to do with winning a ball game or performing up to expectations. I’m sorry, but you’re playing in division after resting during the All-Star break and you come out flat in your first two save ops in a pennant race? That is completely unaccepted, especially considering his recent track record.

    We all saw him melt down at the most inopportune time last year. Then they had to bring him along slowly this year. No back to back games. Scared to use him in one run games early. I’m just so sick of both of them.

    No wonder this team looks so soft at times. Talking like that is pathetic. His antics getting tossed last night after the game was essentially over was pathetic. Doc is no leader. He’s a nice guy and a yes man. A politician.

    This team and especially Kenley needs a good kick in the ass! Not a pat on the back to massage a fragile ego. That goes for Belli and Lux as well. Let’s start giving out some tough love, Bauer style instead of stroking egos.

    1. Roberts gives good hugs. And KJ sure needed one after last night.

    2. You are correct. All the rahrah Dodgers stuff equals NOTHING when it comes to wins/results.

       Just like in the stock market, past performance is no guarantee of future results.

       Honestly, what Doc is saying without saying it is “Kenley has earned the RIGHT to blow saves for us” & I call bullspit on that.
       cheers
       pb+

    3. Exactly . DOC is a ploitician like Manfred. A YES man hypocrite. He is probably a democrat . YES man laughing with Harris and Biden i assure he would have not gone to White House if Mr Trump was there. I am sorry Dodgers went this route with manager i liked Roberts over Kapler as he played with Dodgers and cant stand Kapler but Roberts has turned out to be a YES man diplomat and has followed MLB and Ownership agenda talking about their agenda instead of focusing on baseball and not calling things for what they are and calling out players like Jansen when they stink and not perform. Dodgers should have already 3 ws Championships or at least 2 for sure (2017 and of course 2020 they won) But thanks to Doc and Jansen they only have 2020 just because Rays sucked and Urias and others came through but Doc and his stupid moves and Jansen blowing all games did not help.

    4. BulldogsandPenguins

       I absolutely agree.

       1. Totally agree with you guys. I actually found it refreshing to hear some boobirds last night. There’s a few other guys that need to hear some of that. Oh I know, as we often hear here, ” Professional baseball is SOOO HARD!!!”

    5. Doc has no clue how to argue with an umpire and get his moneys worth. He came out, shouted a few F-Bombs and retreated like a whipped dog. He needs to watch some video of Lou Piniella, Billy Martin and Bobby Cox on how to really argue with an umpire. Lost art.

       1. Earl Weaver and Tommy need to be on the must watch list.

    6. The next time Roberts is honest with the media will be the first time. All these excuses. Kenley has been bad the last two outings. That happens. Why can’t Roberts say that instead of making excuses for a grown man. He sounds like a little league mom defending her do no wrong 10 year old. If Kenley has a bad outing then the boos are warranted and Roberts saying they aren’t deserved because of that list of irrelevant excuses BulldogsandPenguins listed above is BS. Spontaneous applause and booing is a immediate reaction by fans (from fanatics) from something that has just happened on the playing field. I’m sure most of those that booed Kenley have cheered him more than not in the past. Roberts has taken this “player’s manager” mantra too far.
       Nice post B&P.

       1. To add to that, Kenley HAS not “earned the right” to ANYTHING. if he pitches well one night, he earns the “right” to pitch the next time they need him. And THAT’s IT.

    7. I’m from Philly.

       The fanbase and media are nothing to strive for or evaluate favorably.

       Except for Flyers fans, in general they are pretty pragmatic and thoughtful.

18. In a game played by millionaires it’s all about results. If you hit you get your name penciled in the line-up…if you don’t you should sit your butt on the bench and watch. Time for Belli to watch a game or two.

    Lets not forget KJ was not the closer in last year’s WS run. All you need to know is the Dodger closer, making $19 million per year was NOT the closer of choice in the game WS game #6 with a chance to win LAD’s first WS in 32 years.

    Yes, Urias was light’s out in game #6, but with a chance to win the WS KJ is left in the BP to watch. The right move by the way but now Doc wants to lecture fans on the booing. This will be KJ’s last year as a Dodger and I’ll say thanks for all that he has done, but I won’t miss his inconsistency.

    1. And LUCKILY, Doc will have ZERO say in whether he stays or goes.

19. I’m just a fan, so I’m asking, not saying this is what should be done.

    Bellinger is really struggling offensively, but keeping him in the lineup is justified by his great defense. DJ Peters has been identified at times as a pretty good defensive center fielder, but struggles mightily at the plate.

    Is Peters good enough defensively, and close enough to Bellinger offensively right now that the Dodgers would not lose much if DJ switched places with Bellinger for a short time so Cody can focus on his hitting without the pressure of trying to help the team win?

    Or would that just be another blow to Bellinger’s confidence?

    1. Being concerned about prodding Cody’s confidence should not be an issue because he doesn’t listen anyway. At this point he doesn’t deserve that consideration.

       1. Well we do not know if he is not “listening”, perhaps no one is saying anything. Either way, the optics sure suck.

20. Craig Kimbrel, anyone?

    Not sure I agree with Mark. Kenley Jansen, not the problem. He’s part of the problem, two blown saves in a row. There are signs, control issues here and there, drop in velocity at times. Really believe the closer issue is front and center for Andrew Friedman. Can he find someone on the trade market remains to be seen. But go back to the playoffs and World Series last year. No one had faith in Kenley. Julio Urias, Blake Treinen and others had to step up.

    Doesn’t matter how many saves the Giants have blown versus the number the Dodgers have blown. Two in a row is concerning. I can guarantee that Dave Roberts is concerned and so is Friedman. Jansen didn’t bounce back and shut the door.

    Friedman says the Dodgers will be very active at he trade deadline. In the past it was more about just improving the team. This year feels different. May be the difference between winning the NL West and ending up second.

    Will the Giants falter? Possibly. But Farhan will be active in the trade market and so will the Padres. Will Keibert Ruiz be in play? What other top prospects are likely to be packaged in what may turn out to be multiple deals? Friedman is very good at making big trades without giving away the farm. But the competition within the West will be intense, not to mention others seeking starting and bullpen help.

    As to Cody Bellinger, he still has incredible value, defensive skills and all. But his ability to score from first on AJ Pollock’s double can’t be ignored.

    Not to sound like a broken record, but Bellinger needs to drop down bunts when the shifts are on. It opens up more scoring opportunities for the Dodgers. Stealing second, going first to third on a single and scoring from first on a double. The fact that he is a good bunter plays in his favor. Now that’s helping the team win. The power and swing will return at some point. But take advantage of what’s given. The third baseman playing short is opportunity knocking. Open the door.

    Good write-up, DC.

    1. Per your Bellinger comments how many times have you seen Cody bunt to where you determined he is a good bunter? My guess would maybe be 4-6 times in his career. Hell, he may be a good bunter, but he almost never tries so how do we know for sure. I agree his speed on the bases is amazing. The problem has been in order to steal second you have to get to first first. To go from first to third you have to get to first first. To score from first on a double you have to get to first first. But, he seems to ignore that part of his game. Cody’s objective is to get from the batter’s box to home plate via a HR no matter what the situation. In a situation where just making some type of contact is needed he swings from the heals despite his surgically repair shoulder. He has a great source in Albert Pujols available to him and I would bet he hasn’t spent 5 minutes talking hitting with Albert. Otherwise, a very good post.

       1. Actually over the years he has bunted numerous times, can’t remember him being thrown out. He’s a very talented athlete with incredible speed. Honestly with the third baseman playing short, it’s not like you have to make a perfect bunt. Hey, Adrian Gonzalez dropped a few bunts to beat the shift. Why does everyone think it’s so hard to lay down a bunt? You’re right about getting to first, which is why you begin dropping bunts. If the defense adjusts you’ve opened more holes in the infield. Stating the obvious, what he’s doing at the moment is making lots of outs.

          1. He is very athletic and a very fast runner. That’s what is so maddening. I don’t think he has laid down a bunt this year. Yes, that’s where it starts when you’re struggling. No argument there.

21. I read all the comments every day and enjoy the opinions. The comments from Bulldogs and Penguins really make a lot of sense and addresses the overall trend in our country- every one gets a trophy and it’s not my fault!! I keep reminding myself that these players make ridiculous money for just playing baseball. I guess they train and put in the work, although I sure don’t know, but for most of their lives they have been told they were special and “taken care of”. This does not create a work ethic or the ability to take responsibility. I agree that Doc is a very nice man and has a tough job trying to be critical with a bunch of “show flakes”. People keep saying that Lasorda would kick they ass and get them going but I believe this generation of players would just shut down and feel they were no getting enough respect. The Dodgers are not the only team, it goes across all baseball and our workforce in general. It might be worse for the Dodgers because of the press they get and their visibility. Sadly I don’t think Doc has much of a choice other that to plead with the players to take some responsibility but Doc telling the minimum wage fans how much they care is really hard to take. They care about being a star and being paid- end of story. I have always thought that baseball skills are important but the key element in choosing/signing a player should be did he hold any jobs while in high school or college and will he take responsibility or criticism. Finally, an earlier comment on the site said maybe this just isn’t our year and I truly agree. Someone up there has said it is time for another team to have a turn. I will always be a Dodger fan I unfortunately just have to lower my expectations.

22. The time to build a team is in the off-season. The time to make a trade or 2 is before the deadline. How many holes do we have that need to be plugged? Too many by my count.

23. 1 – Jansen has been solid all year long. 2 blown saves is not a trend – yet. I have been concerned about the lack of control all year – his WHIP has been unusually high all year (now at 1.168) and BB/9 is at an all time high of 5.7/9 ip. He’s going to have a bad game – not a problem if not a trend.

    2 – Victor Gonzalez doesn’t look the same and he hasn’t all year. WHIP has doubled from .7 to 1.4. BB/9 at 4.9. I really couldn’t understand why Roberts left him in to take his lumps on Tuesday in a close game. Roberts needs to have a shorter leash.

    3 – Bellinger just can’t hit right now. I agree with others – why not let him figure it out? He’s not figuring it out against Major League pitching. To say it’s because of his defense is crazy – you wouldn’t let anyone else play every day who is hitting .150 because he’s a good glove.

    4 – What can you do with all of the injuries? In the past few seasons, injured Dodgers have been replaced by guys who could play. This year, not so much. I don’t think that there’s anyone to blame or an easy answer. It turns out that the Dodgers have a lot of AAAA guys. They need to reload a bit. Hard to do drafting as late as they do. It might help if they drafted some position players once in a while.

24. Yoiks.

    Stop with the political references. This isn’t about Biden nor is it about “everyone gets a trophy” or “what’s wrong with this country”. That’s tripe.

    What is you EXPECT Roberts to say? I’ve said it many times in here but it just falls on the floor. Don’t listen to what people SAY, watch what they DO. His job is to protect and encourage his players. His closer is Jansen. His centerfielder is Bellinger. His starting staff included May, Bauer and Kershaw. If they can’t perform it’s up to Friedman to fix the leaks.

    A few years ago, in having this debate about Mattingly, I pointed out that the BEST managers in baseball are worth about 1.7 WAR. According to the “math”, 21 batters and 7 pitchers were worth more to their teams than nearly every manager. We can’t start multiple bench players and rookie pitchers against the Division leader in late July and expect to win. We cannot keep running a closer out there that, for 30 days at least, is showing us something ain’t right.

    We’ve got 4 games remaining against the giants before the deadline. We need to play them even then make moves to improve this club. Our replacement players are just that, bodies in uniform. If Mookie, Bellinger, Kershaw and Seager don’t return to form we might be toast.

    1. I find it hilarious that people blame the person the least responsible for loses, but never give any credit when he wins.

       The Dodgers lose because of him and win in spite of him!

       Temporary Insanity! Maybe it’s permanent insanity!

       1. I don’t blame Roberts for the multiple injuries or Jansen melting down last night – it happens.

          I do think that he left Gonzalez in way too long on Tuesday.

          He’s not a great tactician but I don’t think that he’s supposed to be necessarily. He does what the front office wants him to do and so I’m sure that they’re still happy with him.

          The Dodgers didn’t lose because of Roberts last night. They lost because:
          1 – they had 3 hits all night;
          2 – they were without their starting 2B, SS, 3B, and RF due to injury;
          3 – Jansen had a bad game;
          4 – the bench depth isn’t as good as it has been – Neuse and Reks aren’t replacement level players at this point

25. Last night’s 9th inning was like a Biden Brain- Freeze. Oh sorry, I guess that was a political reference. My bad.

    1. It was more like insurrectionists storming the Capitol with various weapons, intending to kill Pelosi and other Democrats, and maybe to hang Pence, though I am not certain about that; and Trump just watching in glee on TV, hoping that our country would. after 250 years of democracy, turn into his dictatorship; and making sure that National Guard troops were not called out while the carnage continued and officers were maimed and in one case killed. If one is looking for political analogies, that is a much better one. You know, this state and city is mostly full of Democrats, so the political tenor of this Dodgers site does not mirror the general attitudes of the populace, which might be worth considering. And I would be much happier if we just discussed the Dodgers and baseball here.

       1. Lol. The Giants did an insurrection on Dodger stadium last night. You might be stretching it just a tad. Well we all have our fantasies don’t we?

       2. Joking right? You mean the “insurrection” where capitol police actually LED said “insurrectionists” into a side door into the bldg & one of them murdered an unarmed “insurrectionist”? ‘Cause that is what happened & there is TONS of video to prove it.
          And piglosi is already dead, her brain has just not told her so yet.

       3. That is going to happen and I will be checking posts. If they veer to politics, they will be deleted.

    2. You should be sorry because it was a stupid and inane reference, not only a political one.

       1. You’re right Bidens dementia is nothing to joke about. My bad.

          1. Big, if true.

26. 

    1. Wow. Those letters are big.

       Can’t argue with that. Wouldn’t anyway because I agree with it.

       I would just add: respond, don’t react.

    2. Not sure I would call it knee jerk on anything said about Kenley. We had pretty much all last year, we had his beginning this year AND the past couple weeks. And as noted more than once even when he has been “good” this year, it has usually not been “old Kenley good”.

    3. Fully agree.
       Are you talking about the partisan voter reform measures pushed by butthurt MAGA losers?

27. Cody’s lack of confidence ……yawn….boo hoo……don’t the Dodgers have a Sports Shrink for guys with his mental issues? And tell Gavin to go with Cody too.

    Look at the bright sides fellows, he can catch and run, so maybe we are being greedy to also want him to hit. After all, he is only making 16 million .

    I wonder what place we would be in if we had 8 players who are all Golden Glove players but who can’t hit a lick and are practically automatic outs? I mean, if we don’t mind one guy who fits that role, why not all 8? Something to think about……

    As for Jansen, God bless him really….I like him as a person and he has done so much for us over the years. But…..we won the WS last year because he was not asked to close. That should tell you something. It yells at me!

    Only 3 hits last night with CT3 getting 2 of them. Was their pitcher their ace? I sure hope so.

    Anybody else besides me getting worn down having to keep up with all these injuries and drama? I’m starting to look forward to the NFL starting up (go NY Giants) and I just came off an amazing playoff run by my favorite hockey team (Montreal Canadiens), so maybe I should relax a bit more over this season, not fret over all the drama and injuries, but rather reflect more on last year’s season in which we were able to win so many clutch playoff games after an amazing shortened season.

    In fact, if you don’t mind, I’d like to share with you what i did this morning….after I watched the 9th inning highlight of our loss last night, I decided to go on YouTube and watch the 9th inning of game 6 vs Tampa in the WS last season. Watching that removed the frown and lifted my spirits again. I think I’m going to do this every time we lose….run to YouTube to watch “happy moments” and not let the frustration (sad moments) of this season get to me. Anyhow, that’s just me. You gotta do what you gotta do. Go Dodgers. .

28. Obviously, our set of metrics as informed fans is not at all how the ownership looks at things. We both want to win, but they are about making money, and of course they spend the money. Winning the title last year bought them a lot of time and goodwill. It was great to win a championship. But it was a short season, not enough time for Roberts to wear out his bullpen. And we came very close to losing to Atlanta, but we made some great defensive plays, hit some key home runs; and Urias was amazing in the playoffs. But we have yet to win a championship since 1988 in a a full season. And our six or so-year run has been admirable, but with a rare exception, this has been a very weak division in that period. Now it is baseball’s best division, and we cannot dominate it. It helps a lot in the playoffs to have won the division. Being a wildcard is not at all favorable, and we don’t really have the kind of team which is going to beat good, division-winning opponents in a series where they have the deciding game advantage. If we don’t win the division, I don’t think we have much chance to win the pennant.

    So do we go all-out for this year, knowing that the next few years may well see a decline, even out of contention? We have key free agents, we have very little in the minors to expect big homegrown stars soon. The Giants have a better manager, I think, and maybe Zaidi is the equal of Friedman, based on this rebound. The Padres will go all out to win, have good additions next year. (Clevinger and Gore ), and may well make a big deal before the deadline, some are rumoring Gallo. Are we situated to be powerful next year? I doubt it, and I would want to go all-out this year. But ownership might not want that, preferring to be in the mix next year, even if not the division favorites, and also not wanting to spend much more money, particularly with perhaps having to pay Bauer’s entire contract.

    I don’t see any real reason to think that the Dodgers are suddenly going to take off and pass the Giants. They are very confident, have a great team esprit. If all our players got healthy, then maybe; but why should we expect that to happen? Reading through what Roberts has been saying, Betts may be out, or at least very limited, for the rest of the season. Let us hope not. Kershaw may or may not pitch as well as he did before he got hurt. Seager is still out. The minor league players we bring up have not done very well so far.

    Who do we have that we could use in a big trade for major players? Ruiz, perhaps. We want to hold onto him, he could become a big star. Or perhaps not. Theo Epstein said that “prospects are just prospects.” We have a very good catcher, we do not need two very good catchers. Moving Smith to the infield might not work at all. Lux? There is someone who hindsight would say we should have traded at high value, but no team much wants him now, not to trade a starter for. Who else? It’s hard to find much, which makes it quite difficult to make a a major trade, as we well may see. We will probably get somebody, maybe two players, but will they be of the type who could get us a championship? This seems unlikely, unless anyone here can think of a package we could offer for a top closer and a good starter, or at least one of those.

    But if we do little or nothing, then we must hope that Seager is back and good very soon; that Betts can play well even starting every other day; that Kershaw will be back in form; and maybe even that we get Bauer back, but I think that the tenor of who the Dodgers are, who their media base are, makes it difficult to imagine that. But if we just accept what we have now, we still are in big trouble for next year, unless we want to come up with big money for free agents, ours and other teams.’ So I would want to see us go all-out now, package Ruiz, Lux, maybe Pollock, Gray, to get a player or two who could really help win this division, in which case we would have a real shot to win a title. And as for Jansen, he has matured, he really wants to do well, he is classy. But that was the biggest game of the year to lose last night, and we are not keeping him anyway, so at least don’t use him every time as the closer.

    1. Totally agree William. We will find out over the next 8 days exactly what Friedman has in mind. Most agree there will not be much action during the week. But they expect Thursday and Friday will be chaotic. Looks now like Betts might be headed to the IL for a while. We all have our opinions on Bellinger, and they are all valid. But none of us have the inside knowledge to make a serious determination on the problem. Also, none of us are privy to what marching orders Dave receives from the front office, so again, you are assuming. Most baseball teams are very close mouthed about injuries, trade targets, and finances. We also have no clue how much value AF places on some of his prospects. He obviously felt he got enough return for Rincon. I as much as anyone on here feel the frustration. But I am not the end all know all of how to fix what is broken. Maybe this is not our year as one so poetically put it. You look on other sites and they still say our win last season was illegitimate. I argue it was simply because all teams played under the same circumstances. Is the 81 title any less legitimate because of the strike? I think this team really wants to win this year to dispel all those accusations. But so far, the injuries have derailed the train. I think, and honestly believe that the expectations everyone had for this year were way too high. No one factored in losing your best players. All thought that they would be in place and the team would dominate. They have proved to be wrong. So, Roberts plays the hand he was dealt, and when things go wrong everyone goes nuts and blames Dave. Jansen has had his ups and downs, but I remember when everyone loved the guy. But no one is perfect. Relievers least of all. If it was so easy to get three outs, it would not matter who we ran out there. Dave made a choice, and it backfired. Shit happens, get over it and move on to the next game because there is not a chance in hell complaining is going to change the result. It is an L. And it is in the books, so move on and win today, tomorrow and the next day and keep winning and the rest will take care of itself.

29. Hope you’re all feeling better after blowing off steam this morning.
    I always learn stuff here. Today I learned the following:
    1) Roberts is a crappy manager
    2) Kenley is a crappy closer
    3) We rest our players too much
    4) Ownership is only interested in making money
    5) The Giants are probably better than we are
    6) Yes, we’ve been to the playoffs umpteen times in a row but we should have won the whole thing more than once
    7) Biden needs to be mentioned in a baseball conversation

    I’m a contrarian kind of guy so I’d like to thank you all for your negativity this morning. Suddenly I’m feeling very positive about things. I figure we’ll win the division by about 5 games.

    1. #8) Dave Roberts gives good hugs.

       1. I can’t believe I forgot that one.

    2. All things are possible

    3. 7) Biden needs to be mentioned in a baseball conversation since he is a big swing and miss…………. CODY? CODY? CODY? 🙂

       1. Cody’s batting average will improve. unfortunately we can’t say that about Biden’s IQ.

          1. BAZINGA!

          2. if that was true then in comparison, #sleepyjoe’s would be at such a negative that it would have the gravity of a black hole & suck the life out of the entire universe.

30. Damn I wanted that win last night!!!
    Now at least for today I’m stuck with , “The Boys are Back in Town”…
    Currently A.L.M. in my mind has taken over 1st. place… Please dear God, let him run out of dimes in the payphone…
    Singing is trying to capture the crown…

31. DODGERS ADD OF BILLY MCKINNEY

    LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers added outfielder Billy McKinney to the active roster and optioned outfielder Zach Reks to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

    McKinney, 26, was acquired yesterday from the New York Mets in exchange for minor league outfielder Carlos Rincon. He has split the year between Milwaukee and New York, batting a combined .213 (39-for-183) with eight homers and 20 RBI in 79 games. In his 39 games with the Mets, he batted .220 (20-for-91) with five homers and 14 RBI. In parts of four Major League seasons with the New York Yankees (2018), Toronto Blue Jays (2018-2020), Milwaukee Brewers (2021) and New York Mets (2021), he has hit a combined .225 (125-for-556) with 26 homers and 61 RBI. He was originally drafted in the first round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of Plano West High School by the Oakland Athletics.

    Reks, 27, went 0-for-6 in his third stint with the team and is 0-for-10 in six games for the Dodgers this season. He has spent most of the season in Oklahoma City, batting .325 (53-for-163) with nine homers and 31 RBI in 43 games. In 299 career minor league games, he has batted a combined .303 (325-for-1071) with 44 homers and 176 RBI. The Chicago, IL native was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 10th round of the 2017 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Kentucky.

32. Sure it’s a fact Jansen sucked last night. But what he’s given goes seems to go further with me than many others here and I’m proud of that. Every player in the HOF has had a season that they’d like to erase but that ain’t possible, they don’t have that kind of superpower because there’s no such things as super humans. The job of closer is be perfect but that ain’t even on the menu. Jansen is left handed but his brothers made fun of him being so so that’s why he throws right handed. But yes, indeed he sucked last night. That happens when you try throwing harder you have less control. If he’s done I sure don’t know that nor do I believe that. The role of closer is to be perfect and some expect nothing less as they will surely let all know.

    1. That is so true, case in point, Babe Ruth, 1925, the Bambino, who was 30 that year slumped to a paltry .290 average with 25 dingers and 67 RBI’s His slug was .543 and his ops was .936. Before you start snickering, before that season, he had slugged over .600 for six consecutive seasons, and had OPS’d over 1.000 for those same six seasons. After 1925, they were all saying he was finished at 30, over the hill. He came back in 1926 and the slugging, the power and the BA all went back to being as good or better than they had been before for another 6 years. His OPS stayed over 1.000 until 1934, his last year in NY. Babe had a stomach ailment that season, they called it, “The Big Bellyache” But somehow at age 31 he came back better than ever. Granted, Babe was not your ordinary player, but big stars falter too.

33. Lolzzzz. Time Loves A Hero just started playing on youtube.

34. William asked: “Mark, some of those saves are “easy” saves; the Dodgers were up by two or three runs, Jansen got some outs. I have no stats on this, but does anyone know how many of these saves were one-run games when he came in late?”

    KJ has had 25 Save Opportunities:

    One run games – 13 – 9 saves and 4 blown saves
    Two run games – 8 – 8 saves
    Three run games – 4 – 4 saves

    Of his 21 saves, 12 have come with a 2 or 3 run lead, and 9 with a one run lead.

    In addition, KJ has two extra inning losses where he has entered with the game tied. He entered a third game tied and pitched the 9th. Max Muncy hit a walk off 3-run HR against AZ to win the game.

    Saves by team:

    Arizona – 5
    SF – 4
    Colorado – 2
    Seattle – 2
    Pittsburgh – 2
    Washington – 2
    San Diego -1
    Miami – 1
    Texas – 1
    Philadelphia – 1

    Blown Saves – Colorado, SF, Cubs, Oakland (one each)

    KJ’s last save – July 3 vs. Washington

    1. BTW, I am not passing judgment. I am only responding to Williams’s query on when KJ enters for his saves.

       1. That is meaningful information Jeff. Thank you.

    2. Jeff, thank you for taking the time to obtain and convey that interesting information.

       1. He is nice that way. Nobody is perfect. You get on a roll like Gagne did a few years ago, and everyone expects their relievers to be like that. That was perhaps the most unusual thing I ever saw out of a reliever.

          1. Oh come on Bear, no one expects him or any other closer to go 80 plus games without a blown save but honestly: Are you confident he will get the job done when he comes in to save a game ? I am surely not, never been since the 2017 WS. He is not a top notch closer any more. There is a reason the Dodgers finally and thankfully turned the game over to someone else in last postseason play. He had a good run for some time with us , excellent seasons but now he is cooked as a v´bona fide closer. No one fears him any longer. He is inconsistent to say the least.
             DR and the Dodgers would be wise to go after Kimbrel at the deadline and say good bye to Kenley after the season is over.

             Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

             1. Just to be clear, you are talking about the Craig Kimbrel that had a 4.50 postseason ERA in 2017, an 11.57 ALDS ERA in 2018 (and was removed as Boston’s closer), a 4.50 ERA in the 2018 ALCS, and a 4.15 ERA in the World Series?

                Oh, and are you talking about the Craig Kimbrel that has a 0.51 ERA this year, but in 2020 it was 5.28 and 2019 it was 6.53? Is that the Craig Kimbrel you are talking about?

                Is it “salted carmel” or butter pecan, because you love your flavors of the week?

          2. Do I have confidence in him? Not complete confidence. But if he gets the first hitter I am a little more confident. He lets the first guy get on and it is gut check time. We all know he is not the same guy, but they are paying him to be that guy. I believed at the beginning of spring that they should have brought in another pitcher with closer experience simply because trying to fill a hole at the trade deadline is not going to be cheap. How much do you think Kimbrel is going to cost in prospects? Have you considered the payroll complications? Jansen has blown 4 saves. But he has saved 21. Percentage wise, he is pretty damn good. You get 21 hits in 25 at bats, you are a superstar, you blow 4 saves out of 25, you are a bum and over the hill. He has saved 9 one run games. He is better obviously in games where he has a 3 or 2 run lead. He most likely won’t be back because I doubt they are going to give him 20 mil a season anymore. Let the front office make the personnel decisions. We fans have no idea what is going on behind the closed doors of the front office, and frankly even though we might think we know what is best, we do not. You do not have to fear a reliever or any pitcher to be successful against them, all you need to do is hit their mistakes. Jansen made mistakes and paid for it. He might come back and throw an immaculate inning or go on a tear and not give up a run for weeks. Then boom, he will have a bad game and everyone will jump on the Kenley is a bum bandwagon again. It is done and over with. Get over it.

35. Those Orel Wan Kenobi bobbleheads they gave away are already being listed on Ebay. Lowest price, 41$ plus shipping. Highest price so far 100$ plus shipping. You have to really want one of those to pay that much for something that cost about 12 dollars to make.

    1. Looks like someone paid $130 for one.

    2. Maybe someone on here has one & can tell us where it was mfrd. If anywhere in Asia, likely cost more like $1.50 to make.

       1. I just looked on a couple of my Dodgers ones and they are all made in China, so 1.50 seems about right.

36. What a difference a day makes. That old song is playing through my head. Yesterday Will Smith came through with a huge home run and we were dancing in the streets. 24 hours later folks are so pissed and want to trade folks, send players down, fire the skipper but most hang KJ by his toenails,
    I sometimes have plenty of questions about Doc’s in-game decisions and lineups but not last night in game. (the conversation about playing thru injuries can wait for later) Doc went with a very predictable script that has a high probability of success. It set up perfectly; Urias was nails for 7, Treinen a great in his set-up role in the 8th and KJ in to slam the door in the 9th. Done deal. Folks can question KJ in that role until the cows come home but that has been the script. as he has become the closer again. I can’t second guess that. It didn’t work. Kenley tripped over the gas can and we lost. Elation to despondence in 24 hours. But that’s baseball. folks. I’d love to win every game and every decision to work out. So would the participants.
    I listened to the Giants broadcast team as I sometimes do as a break from the norm. I won’t do it again, soon, as Jon Miller is so friggin irritating. But I really like Mike Krukow. He was stunned by the Dodger crowd reaction to KJ with the standing “Boowation” (a word I made up). His comment was “Tough crowd, wow, what have you done for me lately, huh?
    We certainly have issues and problems and decisions to make but but I’m not going to slash my wrists, or Kenley Jansen’s, over last night.

    1. I disagree. It is not what have you done for me lately. KJ has not been a reliable closer since the 17 WSs.
       There is a good reason he finally was relieved of his closer duty during last years postseason run. And luckily so for the Dodgers.
       He had a relative good first half but he never was dominant . Always makes you nervous when he comes in cause you never know what you will get. Does he have command?Does he have his cutter moving?Velo? IMHO the man is done as a top notch closer for a while now.
       Better to accept it .For me last nights game was the final straw. Bring in somenoe else. Next man up.Treinen. Or trade for Kimbrel.

       Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

37. NOTICE

    Hi guys, I have really enjoyed writing for this site it has been a lot of fun. And I wish to keep it that way. I have spoken with Mark about this, and in order to keep the site a fun place to be, no personal attacks or name calling will be permitted. Mark does not have time to read everything every day, he has a business to run. We welcome your opinions. This is your forum. But if someone says something you disagree with, do that respectfully and civilly. Just because you do not agree with someone it does not mean you have to get nasty and start belittling that person. Most here are courteous, but sometimes the conversations become a little bit heated, and that is what we need to avoid. I have seen a couple of sites I used to post on go right down the tubes because things got out of hand. And one reason the Dodgers shut down the comments section on their web page was because of all the vitriol being posted. There is no desire to ban anyone, say your peace, make your case or counter argument and leave it at that. If name calling is seen, that particular post will simply be removed. And lets keep it to baseball and the Dodgers. No politics unless it is directly related to MLB or the Dodgers. Please. Lets keep it civil no matter how much you might disagree with a post.

38. Tonight’s lineup:

    SS Chris
    2B Max
    3b Justin
    C Will
    1B Matt
    CF Cody
    LF AJ
    RF Bill as in McKinney
    P Walker

    No Mookie Cody moved to 6th Justin returns

39. Looks like Tampa Bay is acquiring Nelson Cruz from Minnesota. (Jeff Passan reporting). No other names yet.

    1. Tampa moving two RH pitching prospects: Joe Ryan (#10 prospect) and Drew Strotman (#17 prospect).

40. Kenley fooled me into believing in him the last two years. Even in the Cheating WS he was one of the culprits that gave the Astros a trophy. And before you come back with the “they cheated” argument, he was basically a one pitch pitcher in 17, so the trashcan was not necessary. He has a blown save in a game that we wound up losing and was handed the loss in another game.

    In 18, he had the Coors field issue and was never the same. He had two blown saves in the WS that year.

    In 19 he had 8 BS and finished the season with a 3.71 ERA

    In 20 he faded down the stretch and you know the rest.

    Four years later, we’re still having the same conversations. Hardly a knee jerk reaction or what a difference a day makes, wouldn’t you say?

    There are no words strong enough to describe Doc’s ineptitude. How he setup the pitching was fine, until the 9th inning. On one hand, his hands are tied because he doesn’t have a better option after using Kelly for two the night before and using Treinen to get through the 8th. But, on the other hand, he would have just went with Kenley anyways, and I can’t blame him for that. You cut some slack because of Coors I guess. But after last night, he should be thinking real hard about using Kenley in that spot and the front office and training staff better be working overtime getting Nelson and Knebel back and some help like Eric’s been harping about all year. 😉

    The problem with Doc was what he said after the game and making a list of excuses for Kenley. No accountability anywhere.

    1. Great posts today B & P. I am so tired of listening to our POS manager. He has excuses for everything and his in game on how to use his pitching staff has been questioned from day 1. I know he is a yes man and takes his orders from above well but we need someone that can get the desired results (winning with the best roster in baseball) and stop making excuses when we lose. The training staff needs an upgrade….players out for extended periods of time that just doesn’t make sense….are we ever going to see Seager back in the lineup?….10 weeks for a fractured pinkie is ridiculous! Heading to the ballpark hoping for a BUEHLER shutout because I don’t think with our lineup we will score many runs tonight. FRUSTRATED but still HOPEFUL!!

41. Is it possible to get both a closer and a quality starter at the same deadline? Possible maybe, but not likely. For better or worse, Jansen is the closer.

    From my recliner it looks obvious to me – I think this offense has to carry the load the rest of the way. We have to score more than 5 to win, and by win I mean win it all. They don’t and we won’t. We can’t get 3 hits and expect to win. With Jansen as our closer there will be stretches like this. He’s past his prime. AC’s stats tell the story. He should not go back to back, he should not go more than 3 outs or 18 pitches and he needs larger leads to protect.

    STB, I think it’s just being realistic to say we need our first team lineup to go the distance. That isn’t giving up, that’s just being pragmatic.

    MP, don’t bite. They are desperate and trying to get you to swing at pitch in the dirt.

    1. Remember Badger when many of us said KJ has little chance and none if he went out there for more than one inning and never 2 days in a row? Well Dave slowly pushed that envelope and did both. KJ pulled it off and Doc kept getting more confident and cocky with him. I’m never been comfortable when he enters a close game but he’s proven me wrong a lot more than I anticipated he would. But I still don’t trust him. But who else has been groomed to take that role? Are we going to do the close by committee thing again?

       1. YEP!

       2. Yes, close by committee. What else can you do? Doc will have to show some finesse in order to pull it off. I changed my mind.

       3. Committee? Yes.

          phil you know enough about baseball to know some games are lost in the 7th and 8th. Let Jansen pitch to the bottom of the order when possible. I’d rather have Treinen face the most dangerous hitters.

42. Put up a for sale sign showing Bellinger, Miller, and Lux and you are going to get calls. I’d take the call from Seattle first.

    1. Miller? Bobby Miller?
       Why Bobby Miller?
       When Seattle calls, who are you asking for? And is it going to take all three of those guys?

       1. Haniger. Or a starter.

          But why would Seattle call? They’re still in it and playing well.

          1. Haniger and a healthy Kyle Lewis are the only players Seattle has worth looking at. No pitchers what-so-ever, right now.

             1. There’s Kikuchi. I don’t know him very well but Chris Flexen has good numbers.

             2. Those two are good ones.

                STB, why would all 3 Dodgers have to be traded in one trade to one team?

             3. Now that Kendall Graveman has fully converted to relief, he is very much worth considering. I do not pretend to know the cost. His 2021 numbers: 27 G, 30.0 IP, 0.90 ERA, 0.700 WHIP, 29K/6BB – 4.83 SO/W ratio, 6 inherited runners and none scored, 9 saves, 2 blown saves, 4 holds. Outside of saves, those numbers are superior to any LAD reliever. Closest:
                ERA – Jimmy Nelson 2.00; KJ 2.15
                WHIP – Jimmy Nelson 0.926; Blake Treinen 1.034
                SO/W – Blake Treinen 4.4

       2. Ask Mark, he’s the one who offered Miller up.

    2. I’ll take the next call from KC when the offer Merrifield for Lux and Uceta

43. KJ puede o no tener una mala noche contra equipos como los piratas, lo rojos o los marlins de Florida, pero NO contra los Gigantes o los Padres por todo lo que está en juego. Treinen genera más confianza como cerrados que KJ, me pongo a rezar cuando el releva.

    1. KJ may or may not have a bad night against teams like the Pirates, Reds or Florida Marlins, but NOT against the Giants or Padres for all the stakes are on. Treinen generates more confidence as closed than KJ, I start to pray when he relieves.

       1. Thanks for translating. Right on José!

44. Just to be clear, you are talking about the Craig Kimbrel that had a 4.50 postseason ERA in 2017, an 11.57 ALDS ERA in 2018 (and was removed as Boston’s closer), a 4.50 ERA in the 2018 ALCS, and a 4.15 ERA in the World Series?

    Oh, and are you talking about the Craig Kimbrel that has a 0.51 ERA this year, but in 2020 it was 5.28 and 2019 it was 6.53? Is that the Craig Kimbrel you are talking about?

    Is it “salted carmel” or butter pecan, because you love your flavors of the week?

45. I am not a KJ fan, but I will give you $20 million reasons why he will be here this year.

    I read all of the moaning and growing and anger and upset and laugh my ass off! You are looking at the prunes, I am looking at the dinner.

    If someone was dropped here from outer space, they would assume that the Dodgers would have the first draft pick in the Amateur Draft next year. The fact is, they have the second-best record in baseball.

    Silly old women! 😉

46. If you are going to trade, go big or go home.

    1. Kaybear Ruiz, Bobby Miller, Tony Gonsolin, and Jacob Amaya to St. Louis for Jack Flaherty.
    2. Gavin Lux, Luke Raley, and Edwin Uceta to KC for Whitt Merrifield

    I’m keeping Bellinger.

    1. I would trade for Castellanos to fill the outfield hole before Merrifield. And neither will cost Lux.

       We’re a little spoiled with Corey at SS. Don’t you remember the revolving door before him. I’m keeping lux in case Corey and CT3 bail. He’ll do better than the revolving door we had before Corey.

       1. Casty (whom I wanted a year ago) has a hairline fracture.

    2. No way I trade k bear or bellinger. I trade lux but it has to be something good.. castellanos would be fantastic IF you could get him.

47. I’m keeping both Bellinger and Lux.

    We can get a starter for prospects.

    It looks, and feels, worse than it is. We are 10-7 in July. 6-4 in our last 10. I say again, we get our offensive shat together, get a starter, get Knebel and Brusdar going, we will be there to the end. We don’t hit we don’t win.

48. What’s the Mookie update? I’m thinking they don’t want Seager to start this game because they can’t afford a no rehab assignment 0-fer with all the other 0-fers in the same lineup. Everyone comes back healthy tomorrow?

    I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again. You have to win some of the 2-1 games along the way. That’s what a Championship team is made of.

49. Some semi-random reactions as the McKinney Era begins……
    –Dodgers have to stick with Belli. Of course. Even when he’s hitting like Lux, he can win games with his glove and legs. Will he ever be an MVP-calibre guy again? I’d be jazzed if he’s back up to All-Star level. Could be one of those guys who looks like a future Hall of Famer but then he’s not. Fred Lynn and Dale Murphy come to mind.
    –Dodger fans are really counting on Seager to come back strong. We remember Seager as the post-season MVP, but in 2021 he wasn’t killing it before he was hurt, so methinks we shouldn’t expect too much. He might be league-average, which would at least be an improvement over Lux. The uncertainty surrounding Seager, Belli and Betts–widely considered the Big Three of the Dodgers lineup–is an argument to nab Kris Freaking Bryant. Against lefties, Bryant could replace Albert at 1st. He could spell JT at 3B and any OF as need be and provided extra oomph when there’s a DH Bryant grew up in Vegas and attended the University of San Dieog. If everything works out well, he might want to stay in SoCal long-term.
    –True, I think, that Alex Wood left because Dodgers wouldn’t guarantee an SP role. Fair, I think. Not sure of timing, but getting Bauer didn’t help them win back Wood. I was OK with Wood moving on to create room for May, Gonsolin, Price, Gray. (Again, more mystified that AF let Jake McGee go.) Was losing Wood an unintended consequence of signing Bauer? Not sure. But it obviously was not the worst unintended consequence… Ugh!
    –So that brings us to the matte of pitching. With Nelson, Knebel and Graterol expected soon as reinforcements, I’m not sure that RP is a great need. Then again, a package for Bryant AND Kimbrel… well, that would be a showstopper…. Go big or go home, right?
    –As for SPs, I like the idea of getting Jon Gray to pair with Jojo. His debut wasn’t terrible–a learning experience. Work those corners.

    1. 1. Signing Trevor Bauer had no impact on signing Alex Wood. Wood signed with the Giants a month before Bauer signed with the Dodgers.

       2. The Cubs want whoever gets Bryant and/or Kimbrel to take Heyward’s contract as well. 2 Years/$44 Million.

       1. I guess you can always have a very expensive 4th outfielder for a couple of years.

    2. Wood signed with the Giants about 3-4 weeks before AF signed Bauer, but even without Bauer Alex wasn’t going to be assured of a starting role here.

       1. If Wood would have signed with us he probably would have just got hurt anyway

50. And Beaty is a Dodger because he can’t defend, he can’t hit for average and he has no power? We have to do better than that! But then again compared to Bellinger he’s a hit machine!

51. Will Smith should have been an All Star.

52. Who’s closing?

53. Third times a charm!

54. Doesn’t matter the outcome having Jansen pitch the ninth was the wrong decision.

    1. Told you it was a bad decision.

       There’s two people on this team that I hate it’s Doc and Jansen.

55. Horrible missed third strike call! Brutal for Jansen! There’s just something special about this Giant team!! They just refuse to lose! They are certainly the better team right now!

    1. Yep, They are going to be 3 back, but I disagree with throwing Jansen back out there. I would have pulled him after the double. He had faced 3 hitters. This is just totally unacceptable. Letting him stay in there and give up 4 runs is unconscionable. But the offense is to blame too. I would have let Buehler finish the 8th, and then use Trienen in the 9th. But hindsight is 20-20.

       1. Agreed, Trienen is effective throwing 9 pitches last night and 7 tonight yet never sees the 9th and DR stays with Jansen who can’t make a walk free appearance, I’m convinced he has something over Roberts to keep the closer role, the past is OVER, time to move on and time for a manager that knows how to use his pitching staff.

56. What a joke! Leaving him in as long as he did was criminal.

    1. I would have to agree. If they were calling for Roberts and Jansen’s scalp after last night, after this they are going to call for them to get rid of both of them. They won’t of course, but the fan base are going to be really livid.

57. Jansen has to be removed from this role. I don’t care what his numbers are. Even Joe and Orel play it up that its going to be a ride when Jansen is coming in……..with a 2 run lead!

    1. I agree totally. You can’t be loyal to a player to the detriment of the team
       And that’s exactly what Roberts is doing. That’s how Finger pointing is started and dissension in the Clubhouse

58. Taking bets on Bellinger’s 0 for streak. Can he get to 50?

59. Not much to say, if you watched the 9th there isn’t a need for an explanation, it’ something you just had to see to believe.

60. KJ was robbed on the non check third strike call, but he is utter garbage. Some can claim he shouldn’t be booed but he is utter garbage right now and Doc’s “pussy footing” around by using him again to re-gain his confidence or some other BS reason shows why Doc managerial skills are just so-so.

    Bellinger with another 0-4 night with a BA now at .151. He should be booed also. Can’t wait till tomorrow’s post where we know who will claim we’re all not to believe our eyes, that it’s all OK in Dodger land and we’re all crazy. Cite me all the career stats you want but KJ should not see a close game opportunity for the future. Our closer is Treinen. KJ is utter garbage.

    1. it’s all Robert‘s fault. What is Jansen going to say no I don’t want to come in
       That’s what managing is all about you put the best people in the spot that they can succeed. And yes he’s garbage right now stinking garbage but that’s for Roberts to understand

    2. After this debacle, I think they have to consider trading for a certified closer, or pull Jansen from the role. To hell with his 20 mil salary. Easy for me to say. I have defended Kenley before, simply because he has been so good for a month or so. But this? Blows 2 when they have a chance to tie, and then this kick in the gut when they can get back to within one, and instead, it is a 2 game switch. Now they have to hope the Pirates play out of their minds and beat them a couple of times in SF. Next weeks series in SF is going to be huge. At this point, they have to sweep, and to do that, they need another top of the line starter ASAP. SF is not going away anytime soon, and the Padres picked up a game on them too. And I blame Roberts for this too. He could have brought Bickford in instead of Trienen and then used Trienen to close. I think also checked swings should be reviewable. At least after the video showed the bat clearly went through the zone.

61. Well, that sucked.
    The best argument for the Dodgers to go get Kimbrel is being made by Kenley..
    Sad, because he looked so good early in the season.

62. Well hell. What a revolting turn of events. You take a great start by Butane, and then Jansen totally screws it up. Yeah, they got jobbed on the check swing call, but that did not cost them the game. What cost them the game was Jansen not throwing strikes when he had to. He was all over the place with his last 4 hitters, and Roberts left him out there. Lasorda would have been out there chewing the scenery after a performance like that. 1 blown save is acceptable, 2 in a row, not so much. 3 is a trend. I don’t send him back out for a save with anything less than a 3 run cushion, and even then, I am limiting him to 3 hitters. No more than that no matter how good he might look. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory two nights in a row. Thanks a lot Gas Can.

    1. Agreed 100%. Lasorda would have KJs ass on the bench sitting right next to him for the next week.

       Add Ed Hickox (or whatever his name is) to the list of horrible umpires. Names on the list include Andy Fletcher and Angel Hernandez. How you can miss a check swing third strike that was so obvious is beyond me. These umps are scored for performance and should be suspended for horrendous calls that are obvious.

63. What was Roberts trying to do tonight? Give Jansen a shot at redemption? Even I know you don’t pitch Jansen two days in a row. And now instead of redemption he’s got a closer that has blown three straight saves. I guess he can just keep putting him out there until something good happens but that doesn’t sound like a great managerial strategy to me.
    Robert has some serious issues to deal with and they aren’t all due to injuries.

    1. Dave is a players manager, that is what he does best. He strokes egos. But tactically, he is mediocre at best. But do not look for AF or Roberts to make any knee jerk reaction moves even though they might be justified. Last night was bad enough, but this? This is just way too much for the fan base to be ok with. This season is going to hang on them going on a run like they a few years ago. They are going to need some help from other teams, and make some hard decisions about some of their own players. But I know one thing, repeating is going to be a lot harder if they do not get Betts back in the lineup every night and soon.

    2. Roberts is a woke yes man piece of shiit
       I lost all respect for him when he said I haven’t read the report but I agree what I’m seeing so far. Talking about the All-Star game moving from Atlanta
       In my opinion his father, a marine is probably rolling over in his grave
       And now he’s putting his personal relationship with a player in front of the team

64. You also have to give props to the Giants. They’re the better team!

    1. At this point I would have to agree, and for the first time since Bochy left, they have a much better manager. Kapler will get a lot of votes as manager of the year. And at this rate, we might be a wild card team at best.

       1. F——-k the Piss Ants it’s easy to beat a team that keeps beating themselves

65. What was that all about, staying close to Giants or restoring KJ’s confidence? Well it didn’t work. Would love to know who’s idea this was. Where was Kelly ? What about his confidence ?
    Hard to watch, hard to understand the rational.

    1. Extremely hard to watch. And as much as I hate to say it, I have now totally lost confidence that Jansen can close effectively. It is gut wrenching to watch him pitch. You are on the edge of your seat all the time, and no matter what his numbers might say, they have meant nothing his last 3 outings. You can bet both Jansen and Roberts are catching hell on Twitter.

66. why am I getting this sinking feeling that Zaidi was the real brains behind the Dodgers success and now he’s doing the same with the Giants? He’s got the right guys in the right places and we keep picking up dud after dud. Hope this isn’t a long-term trend!

    1. Well, he was the one who pushed for both CT3 and Max Muncy.

67. Belli Watch:
    Season – .152/.269/.255/.524
    Last 30 games – .136/.248/.223/.471
    Last 15 games – .073/.175/.127/.302
    Last 7 games – .038/.167/.038/.205
    For July he has 5 hits (1 HR) – .081/.183/.129/.312
    He is now 0-27 against SFG pitching, with 5 walks. .000/.156/.000/.156

    KJ Watch:
    Season – ERA 3.05, WHIP 1.30, SO/W ratio 1.69, 21 saves, 5 blown saves
    Last 30 games – ERA 3.21, WHIP 1.39, SO/W ratio 1.72, 16 saves, 4 blown saves
    Last 15 games – ERA 5.14, WHIP, 1.79, SO/W ratio 1.88, 8 saves 3 blown saves
    Last 7 games – ERA 12.71, WHIP 3.35, SO/W ratio 1.17, 1 save, 3 blown saves

    Those are not championship performances.

68. verdaderamente siento una gran pena por KJ y un enorme coraje conta Roberts por su pobre gestión y no me queda más que asimilar desde ahora que SF es mejor equipo que nosotros, sin embargo ni con Doc a cargo del equipo hará que disminuya mi cariño por nuestros queridos Dodgers.

    1. Todavía disfruto del éxito del año pasado

69. I’m sitting in the uber lot at Dodger stadium waiting for a ride. Definitely a memorable game. Such an unnecessary loss.

    Let’s Buehler hit to them yank him. Treinen threw all of 7 pitches. The entire stadium was yelling no when he put Jansen in. Taylor threw to the wrong base. He throws to first the game is over. He had plenty of time. The ump blows strike three and he leaves Jansen in forever. Just brutal.

    This team has built its record on the Dbags and Rockies. Very mediocre against the rest.

    1. Treinen threw 8 pitches on Sunday, 9 pitches last night, and 7 tonight. 24 pitches – Faced 8 batters got all of them out.
       KJ threw 13 pitches on Sunday, 27 pitches last night, and 33 tonight – 73 pitches – Faced 19 batters, got 8 out. All over the same three games directly after Treinen pitched brilliantly.
       I wonder what all of the computer printouts will now say who should close.

       1. Excellent points Jeff!
          Roberts setup the whole game to have Kenley pitch the 9th after throwing 27 ineffective pitches last night. The last two games Kenley has given up 7 runs in one total inning pitched, and the Dodgers have held the Giants to 2 runs over the other 17 innings. No reason not to have Treinen get the last 5 outs, or at least leave 9th for Treinen. And no reason to leave Kenley in the game to pitch to Wade in a tie game instead of having a lefty ready in the bullpen.
          Dave is just not very good at in game pitching decisions.

70. Wow! Those numbers are sobering. Makes you wonder. WS hangover or better scouting or coaching staff not able to help or???? Age may be a factor with Jansen but Bellinger? He is struggling so badly now it seems counterproductive to keep putting him out there and letting him sink lower and lower. I know they need all hands on deck now but maybe getting him away from these consistent frustrations should be considered.

    1. Bellinger may need a AAA stint. Hard to do with Mookie MIA again. Belli had no ST, fractures his leg, and has been lost since he’s been back. How about dropping a bunt down when you’re down two runs.

       1. I agree it might do him a world of good. With the deadline coming, I make a pitch for Mitch Haniger of the Mariners. Solid defender and a total offensive upgrade. My biggest hope is that Mookie can come back and play like yesterday. Also, instead of Kimbrel, who is going to cost a ton, maybe they should consider Iglesias of the Angels. They are going no where and he would not cost as much. Braves look like they will be hanging on to Morton. But of they can get Scherzer, and the price is not too ridiculous, I think they should pull the trigger on that.

71. Been about an hour since that mess ended, and I have had some time to cool off. But it does not change the fact that I am totally disgusted at this point. But as to nonambumfan’s assertion that the F the piss ant’s it’s easy to beat a team that beats itself. Well it is also hard to beat a team that takes advantage of mistakes. And that is consistently what the Giants have done time after time this year. And right now, injuries cannot be an excuse. The Giants are missing 3 of their starting infield, and a guy who figured to be one of their best all around players. One thing they definitely have over the Dodgers right now is 2 pitchers who alternate closing, and better starters at the end of the rotation. Dodgers again had DeSclafani on the ropes and let him off. First 3 hitters get hits, and then the next 3 make outs. They still are not doing well with runners in scoring position lately. Bellinger, when in a spot in the lineup where his 2019 bat is really needed, is not there. I agree, if he is nothing more than defense, put him in the 8 hole, Maybe he will get lucky and find a nut because he is simply the weakest link in the chain right now. I have no confidence in guys like Neuse. Why should I? What he did at AAA means nothing up here, all you need to know in that equation is that not one single AAA call up has been above the Mendoza line when called up to the big club. The Giants? Their replacement SS is hitting well over .300. They are getting much better production from their scrubeenies than we are. And also important is the fact that Roberts is being out managed by Kapler. I would not wanted to have been in that clubhouse after a loss like this if Lasorda was the manager, but you can bet ol pal Dave will be in there stroking their wounded egos. Who strokes the fans? Not my ego that is hurting I will tell you that. It is having to watch a meltdown like that twice in a row. All the euphoria from the Smith bomb two games ago is long gone now. I just feel like someone ran over me with a truck. Right now, my feeling is they have to sweep the Rockies and do it convincingly. Price, Gonsolin and Gray have a lot on their shoulders the next 3 games. They all need to go as deep as possible with good results. Go into SF on a roll. If not, this team is going to be battling to stay in second. Getting Betts and Seager back will help.

    1. Point taken. I was letting my anger get the best of me
       I’ve been a dodger fan for the last 60 years like you, and it just boils my blood to see them lose like this

       1. Well you being a fan for 60 years puts it in a little bit different perspective. I’m glad you told us that cuz it gives a little more context to your comments. Hats off to you for being a loyal fan for so many years.

          1. We both have been watching them more than 60 years, and I will put this in a little context for you. In the 1962 playoff, game 3. Dodgers ahead by 2 in the ninth, Ed Roebuck was in his 3rd inning of relief had problems in the top of the 9th. Alou singled, and was forced out at second on a ground out by Kuenn. McCovey pinch hit and walked. Why Alston had not removed Roebuck by now no one knows. He was obviously gassed. Bowman pinch ran for McCovey and Felipe Alou walked to load the bases with 1 out. Roebuck STILL in the game and Alston had Williams warming up in the pen. Here is the kicker, Duke Snider and Big D himself had pleaded with Alston to let Drysdale warm up and relieve if needed. Alston said no, Big D was going to start game 1 of the Series against the Yankees. You also have to remember that Koufax had been ineffective in his return from the DL with finger issues and had lost his last 3 starts. Anyway, Mays came up and hit a line drive back to Roebuck who managed to knock the ball down and hold Mays to a single. 4-3. In comes Williams. Cepeda hits a sac fly and the game is tied. Alou goes to third. Mays goes to second on a wild pitch and Williams walks Bailey loading the bases again. Williams walks Davenport giving the Giants a 5-4 lead. Larry Burright then makes an error on a grounder by Pagan and it is 6-4. Billy Pierce pitched a perfect 9th, and got his only save of the year. Last nights game was the same kind of nightmare, and except for McKinney’s double, they went down meekly in the ninth. And who was their final chance? Not Mookie or Turner or Seager, someone you could depend on. Sheldon Neuse. A rookie batting a whopping .169 at the major league level. Hopping he would run into one off of a veteran like Jake McGee is wishful thinking. And it also told us that Mookie was not even available to take an at bat in such a crucial spot. If he cannot hit, not field or run, what the hell is he doing still on the roster?

72. Those responsible for the defeat are 50% Neuse and the other 50% the Umpire.
    If Neuse stretches at 2B as a first baseman to catch Taylor’s ball is out and the game ends 3-1, Neuse is terrible at defense. If the umpire decides correctly, it is the third strike and the game is over 3-2.
    This time it would have been a very ugly save game for Janse but it would have been a save game after all.

73. That game was an INSULT to Dodger fans. This board’s going to be burning up tomorrow. Some of these guys were already hot about The previous fiasco but this one takes the cake.

74. OK, now that I’ve seen the highlights, or lowlights, it’s clear that the Dodgers got screwed by the 1st base ump.
    But, as Roberts pointed out in the post-game interview, they also screwed themselves on that forceout. Muncy failed to stretch–but also Taylor failed to make a crisp throw. Poor fundamentals. Ugh. More examples of defensive weakness even when there is no error.
    Still, a bit more second-guessing is in order on the RP situation….
    Treinen got two outs with seven pitches.
    So why not have him pitch the 9th? He couldn’t have been tired. We know Kenley has been struggling, and Treinen has plenty of experience closing.
    This is the latest of example of a Dodgers practice I simply don’t understand. For all the talk about “pitch counts,” and all the “bullpen games,” Roberts will routinely yank a reliever after one efficient inning. (Sometimes talk about starters in terms of innings, sometimes in pitch counts. Why?) It’s especially maddening, of course, in a situation like this, when Kenley could use anday off. Instead it’s “get back up on that horse, Kenley. You’re our guy!”
    Whether or not AF makes a big move (Kimbrel), Dodgers need to rethink this stuff.
    The “high leverage” reliever position is all the more critical now with the new rules for extra-innings. Pitching with no outs and runner on second is a lot different than nobody on. Two or three “closers” may help. Getting Kimbrel may do it.

    1. Muncy was not the second baseman on that play, it was Neuse. Muncy was playing 1st. I doubt they pony up what the Cubs are going to ask for Kimbrel. But I think Iglesias of the Angels might be available and cost less. He got his 20th save the other night. They also need a bat…Not some AAA bat like Neuse, Reks, or Raley, someone who can actually hit MLB pitching.

75. Since they won the first 4 against SF, they are 3-6 against them. They have 54 games left and SF has 56. They are 4 losses down in the lost column and 2 losses down on the win side. They have only 6 games left against the Giants to make up the ground face to face. They are going to have to hope some of the Giants opponents can decrease those numbers before they play them. The need to sweep Colorado simply because the Giants are playing one of the leagues worst teams, the Pirates in the series before the Dodgers get there next Monday. Then they really need to put the hurt on the Giants in SF where they are 3-0. There is time left to catch and pass, but not a whole lot of time. If they are going to do it, they are going to have to get some real help ASAP. Most likely by a trade since what they have in the minors is proving to be zilch.

76. I’ll tell you why Doc brought in Jansen to close it out:

    I am certain that the Dodgers Front Office and Roberts wanted to see what Jansen could do and they found out.

    NOTHING!

    He will be removed as closer today and Friedman will be looking for a new closer. For a while it will be closer by committee.

    Kenley has had a very good season, up until the All-Star Game. In fact, he was All-Star worthy, but we have seen this before and right about now, it is Kenley’s fault that the Dodgers are not in first place. He evidently can’t handle the pressure of a high leverage situation.

    Goodbye to the Closer role. Welcome to mid-game relief.

    Now, Friedman is going to have to overpay for Kimbrel. Will he be willing to take Heyward in the deal? If so, it will cost him less in player capital.

77. Two absolute pitching Gems were wasted by Buehler and Urias.

    The closer role has to be resolved. I think they can be fine with Buelher, Urias, Kershaw, Price, Gray, and Gonsolin as starters… especially if they could get Cole Hamels to sign.

    I was able to live with a blown save now and then, but these last three have sealed Kenley’s fate. Give him a mop!

78. How about Ruiz, Miller, Hoese (he’s from near Chicago). and a couple of prospects like Reks, and Amaya for Kimbrel, Bryant, and Heyward?

    It would drive the payroll way up.

79. Parting Shot: Will we get the Kimbrel of THIS year or the last two years? You never know….

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