The 27th of July was the birthday of one of the most successful Dodger managers. Leo the Lip Durocher. Leo Ernest Durocher was born on July 27th, 1905 in West Springfield Massachusetts. His parents had immigrated to the US from Quebec Canada. His mother was a hotel maid and his father worked as a railroad engineer. He died not long after Durocher was born. His family only spoke French, so when Leo started school, he did not know how to speak English. The Durocher family lived two blocks from Rabbit Maranville. He taught Durocher the game of baseball and gave him a glove.
Durocher became a good athlete in high school and was offered a scholarship to Holy Cross. But he was suspended from school for hitting a teacher, and never returned. Leo became a prominent semi-pro player with many Springfield area company’s competing to have him play on their company teams.
After being scouted by the Yankees, Leo broke in to pro ball with the Hartford Senators of the Eastern League in 1925. He was called up for two games, and then spent 26 and 27 in the minors playing for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, and then the St. Paul Saints of the American Association.
He was called up to the Yankees in 1928. A regular player, he was nicknamed “The All American Out” by team mate, Babe Ruth. Leo was a favorite of Yanks manager, Miller Huggins, who immediately identified him as manager material because of his passion, ego, competitiveness and his capacity to remember situations. But his outspokenness did not endear him to Yankee management, and his habit of passing bad checks to finance his expensive tastes in clothes and nightlife annoyed General Manager, Ed Barrow.
Leo helped the Yanks win their second consecutive title in 1928 and then demanded a raise. He was sold to the Reds on the 5th of February, 1930. Leo played 3 seasons for the Reds, and was traded mid season in 1933 to the St Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals were more Leo’s cup of tea. His fiery style fit right in with the Gas House Gang. He was given #2 and wore that number for the rest of his career. He supposedly inspired the Gas House Gang moniker and helped the Cards win the 34 series. He was a vicious bench jockey and rode his opponents constantly. He was the captain of the team and stayed with the Cardinals through the 1937 season and then was traded to the Dodgers. The Cardinals received Joe Stripp, Roy Henshaw, Johnny Cooney and Jim Bucher for Leo. Durocher was never a great hitter. His career BA is .247 and he hit only 24 HR’s. But he was a leader on the field. In 38 and 39 he was the regular SS for Brooklyn. In 1938 , his first year with the Dodgers, he was named player-manager by team president Larry McPhail. They were a combustible combination, and like Steinbrenner with Martin, McPhail hired and fired Durocher a few times. McPhail was pretty open to spending and trading for stars. He added Dolph Camilli, Kirbe Higby, Billy Herman and he bought a young SS from the Red Sox, Pee Wee Reese. By the end of the 1941 season, Reese had impressed Leo so much at SS that he gave up his regular job so Pee Wee could play. Pee Wee would spend 18 years as a Dodger. McPhail picked up some pretty good pieces for Leo, and they went to the World Series in 1941. First time in 21 years. One of those pickups was free agent OF, Pete Reiser. Reiser was ruled a free agent by MLB because of some mess up by Cardinals president Branch Rickey.
It was during his first year as manager that Durocher came into his own. The most iconic image of Leo is him going toe to toe with an umpire until he was eventually thrown out of the game. He valued this kind of fire in his players, and it was during this time he coined the phrase, ” Nice Guys Finish Last” He honestly believed that. Leo was also notorious for ordering his pitchers to hit opposing batters. If he wanted a batter hit, he would simply yell, ” Stick it in his ear”. Durocher’s relationship with McPhail was tempestuous. McPhail was a heavy drinker, and he and Leo would argue and he would fire him, and then rehire him in the morning. McPhail’s leadership of the Dodgers ended when he joined the Army during WWII. His replacement was Branch Rickey. Rickey retained Durocher and the Dodgers engaged the Cardinals in the first playoff in NL history. Durocher also regularly clashed with commissioner, Happy Chandler. Chandler had taken over in 1945 and warned Durocher to stay away from some of his old friends who were gamblers, bookmakers, and had mob connections. All of these people Leo allowed a free rein at Ebbets Field. Leo was very close to actor George Raft with whom he shared a house in Los Angeles. He also admitted to a nodding acquaintance with mobster Bugsy Seigel. He encouraged card schools in the club house and was something of a pool shark.
Things finally came to a head when his affair with married actress Laraine Day came to light. This drew criticism from the Influential Brooklyn Catholic Youth Organization. In spring of 1947, Leo got into trouble again. He and George Raft supposedly rigged a crap game that Dizzy Trout was in and took Dizzy Trout for a lot of money. Chandler suspended him for association with known gamblers, and the Dodgers had to have Burt Shotton replace him for the 1947 season, which was of course, Jackie Robinson’s rookie year. Leo played an influential part in assimilating Jackie onto the team. He let it be known that he would not tolerate the dissent of players on the Dodgers who were opposed to Jackie’s playing with the Dodgers. He said he did not care what color a player was, if he could help the Dodgers win the pennant, he wanted him on his team. There was a petition going around the clubhouse against having Robinson play. Some of the players who signed that petition were eventually traded by Branch Rickey, most notably, Dixie Walker and Kirbe Higby who were sent to Pittsburgh. In 1948, Leo returned to the Dodgers, but his personality and bad results caused a riff with Rickey and on July 16th, 1948, Durocher and Giant owner Horace Stoneham negotiated a deal that allowed Durocher to manage the Giants.
Leo enjoyed a lot of success with the Giants, exacting some revenge when his 51 team beat Brooklyn in the playoffs. He won his only World Championship in 1954 when the Giants beat the Indians. As Dodger manager Leo went 738-565. close to .570 winning pct. He was 637-523 with the Giants who he managed until 1955. Then in 1966 he was managing the Chicago Cubs after a stint as a coach for Walter Alston’s Dodgers 61to 64, getting another ring in 63. He went 535-526 with the Cubs over a seven year run. In 1972 he managed the last 31 games for the Astros and then the entire 1973 season. He went 82-80. and 98-95 over all and then he retired. Leo’s over all total is 2008-1709. At the time of his retirement he was 5th over all in MLB history.
Leo worked a lot in television. He was a commentator on NBC for the game of the week for a while, he also hosted NBC’s Comedy Hour and Jackpot bowling. He played himself in the Red Skelton movie, “Whistling in Brooklyn”. He also appeared in episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies and The Munster’s. I remember that episode well. Herman wrecks the ball field. One of his line drives knocks the scoreboard down. The last scene in the show, Leo is walking with Crazy Legs Hirsch and a football comes flying into his hands. He asks Leo where the nearest park is, and Leo reply’s, don’t ask.
Leo was the first manager to win 500 plus games with three teams. He died on October 7, 1991 in Palm Springs. He was married 4 times. He is buried in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery. He was posthumously inducted into the Hall in 1994.
It was hard not to like Leo Durocher. I first remember him as the third base coach for the Dodgers. Always great to listen to him on an interview show. He apparently lost that coaching job when he criticized Walter Alston for keeping Don Drysdale in the clubhouse while Dodgers relievers lost the deciding playoff game in 1962 to the Giants. After that he co-hosted a sports talk radio show, and was garrulous and charming. Then he got the Cubs managing job, and turned them around to where it looked like they had the best team in baseball in 1969, but they were caught by the Mets, and Durocher is blamed for some of that, it is a fascinating story.
I read this autobiography. He says that he never actually coined the phrase, “Nice guys finish last,” to mean a general rule. Some writer was asking him about some manager who was in last place, and the writer said, “He’s a really nice guy,” and Durocher said, “Yeah, nice guys finish last,” not intending to intimate that all the nice guys always finish last. He wanted to point that out.
Roger Kahn, author of the great book, “The Boys of Summer,” had high regard for Durocher as a manager. In the book “Bums,” a very enjoyable oral history of the Dodgers written by Peter Golenbock, someone said that Durocher was the greatest manager he had ever seen in terms of figuring the strategy of how to manage that particular game. His problems came from being abrasive at times, consorting with some questionable people, and advocating a very intense style of play which often led to beanball fights with other teams.
When the Dodgers would go to Chicago for a series, Vin Scully would interview Durocher, and you could see the mutual regard. Durocher knew so much about the game, and had great insights into strategy and the various players. I guess that one had to take him for what he was, the positive and the negative. He was unique, and there are not really any managers and baseball personalities like him now, which is a shame.
Leo was not the only one gone over that. Duke Snider who was sold after the 1962 season to the Mets, had pleaded with Alston during the game to send Big D down to the pen in case they needed him. Drysdale pleaded his case too, but Alston stuck with Roebuck an inning too long and then brought in Stan Williams who was wild and they lost.
Another great oldie-but-goodie bio, Bear! I’ve really been enjoying them. Wasn’t Durocher involved in the infamous cheating scandal, where the Giants used a telescope in center field to tip off which pitches were coming? I think that Bobby Thompson eventually admitted that.
On another topic, is Seager now expendable for a trade? He will be a FA anyway. Seager for Kimbrel?
Thank you David, I enjoy writing them. Yes, the Giants were accused many times of stealing signs from CF. I doubt they trade Seager, and I do not think the Cubs would even want him with them getting rid of players now. Bryant is expected to be dealt tomorrow.
Funny how all the chatter about the loss to the Giants, and the Padres adding Scherzer just disappeared around the time AF all of a sudden jumped in and stole the Padres thunder.
The Scherzer trade should be official sometime tomorrow. They are checking the medicals and waiting for league approval. Turner will not be joining the team immediately as he is in quarantine and has to pass several tests before he can play. Knebel had a strong inning yesterday, giving up 1 hit and striking out two. When Turner does join the team I believe it will allow them to use Taylor as was originally intended, as a super sub. He can spell just about everyone on the team. I think the roster victims will be Raley, and McKinstry. Two of the relief corps will probably be sent down or placed on the IL> I think Gonzalez is still not healthy and he goes on the IL. Bickford and Vesia will be the bubble guys. Knebel easily fills a late inning role. Bench will be Beaty, Barnes, Taylor, Pujols and McKinney if they keep him. Of course tomorrow might bring some other changes.
What about Lux? Any word on his hamstring?
Supposedly on a rehab assignment in Arizona. Still a few days away.
I’ve been dreaming of Scherzer joining the Dodgers for years, especially when the Nats beat the Dodgers in their WS year. I seem to recall hearing that he actually wanted to be traded to the Dodgers years ago. Does anyone remember that?
Love the fact that AF wants to win now. And in this season where we have been plagued by injuries and the TB debacle, getting Scherzer and Trea Turner makes a great story line. Looking forward to the playoff run against the Midgets and Pads. Don’t know much about Duffy. That sure wasn’t on the radar. Do you think AF is done? I suspect not. We’ll see today!
Probably not. Duffy is 4-3 this year with a sub 3 ERA. Career wise he is 68-68 in 11 seasons, all with the Royals. In post season play he is 2-0. Since it will be the end of August before he is activated, he will probably be used as a spot starter and swingman, and probably in long relief if needed. His career ERA is 3.95. But most American League pitchers have higher ERA’s. His WHIP is 1.316. He averages giving up about 14 HR’s a year. But he won’t be there long enough to match that unless he is really lousy. Getting Knebel back is almost like getting a reliever in trade, and he can close also. I think McKinstry and Raley will be the first roster victims. Raley when Seager is activate, and McKinstry when Betts comes back. I think they keep McKinney for a while. I think they are keeping Pujols for sentimental reasons and because of his impact in the clubhouse and dugout. They all love Tio Albert. Despite going 1-16 he still is very good against lefty’s. Pollock is now 2nd to Turner in BA by .001.
Nice post on Durocher. When I was growing up, he was iconic. Central casting’s idea of a baseball manager. Alston always struck me as boring, but I’ve since heard that he could be an intimidating presence in the clubhouse.
So what will the new lineup be pretty soon? Assuming that Belli’s wheels are healthy, maybe…
Betts RF
T. Turner 2B
Muncy 1B
J. Turner 3B
Seager SS
Smith C
Belli CF
Pollock LF
That is kind of amazing.
I think TT is the Dodger SS of the future, but the easiest move now is to leave the job to Seager. Trea has demonstrated a lot more versatilty than Seager. If Belli’s needs to stay at 1B for health reasons, then Trea plays CF and Muncy takes 2B.
Struck by a couple thoughts: Trea Turner is the kind of player we hope Lux could become. (I’m a little surprise the Nats insist on Lux too and maybe offer Harrison back. Who knows? Maybe they tried.) Also, Turner is a big improvement over my hankering for the speedy Starling Castro, who could have been acquired at a more modest cost. I wonder how long AF has been angling for TT.
I don’t think AF is done. Some of the bench guys could be included in a deal for an RP, perhaps even another big splash.
I think Lux was never in the mix with them giving up their two top prospects. AF is not done I would think. Knebel will be back soon, but I think he will add someone for the pen, maybe not a guy like Kimbrel, but Kennedy from Texas or someone like that. He still has some chips to trade. They can drop Belli to 8th and take all pressure off of him. Turner will not be in the lineup until his Covid stay is up. He is hitting .322 with 18 dingers and has close to a 7 War. They can slot him at leadoff and drop Betts to the 2 hole, or hit him second putting Muncy either 3rd or 4th with he and Turner alternating. Seager could hit 5th with Smith, Pollock and Bellinger following him. Also strengthens the bench with Taylor sliding back into the super sub role. He can give anyone but Smith a day off. I honestly think Raley, and McKinstry are headed for AAA . Raley could be DFA’d. They would have to release McKinney because I do not think he has any minor league options left. Jeff would know. As for Alston, stories say he was one of the strongest guys in that clubhouse and virtually no one would challenge him. Story about a bus trip to the airport in Pittsburgh where the players were complaining about the bus smoking and the trip taking too long, Alston had the bus driver pull over and told the team that if anyone had any complaints, they could step outside and take it up with him. No one did, and Frank Howard was on that team. All 6’7″ 265 pounds of him.
Both excited about the acquisitions and disappointed to see Ruiz and Gray go. I liked Gray’s stuff. With a DH next year Ruiz may have had a chance to play more but for now he’s blocked since we have to carry Barnes. I think Ruiz will be a star so the Dodgers better win it all to give up those two.
The question remains where do they play everyone. Not so fast casting Taylor back to super sub. He’s been great. Pollock has been excellent too. I’m a Cody fan but he’s a mess. If TT wasn’t on the Covid list I’d send Belli down to AAA to get his act together. He may be platooning down the stretch.
The infield will have Muncy, TT, Seager, and JT. The OF has AJ, CT3, Mookie, and Belli to choose from.
The trade does a couple of things. First, it protects them at SS next year if they lose both Seager and CT3. Second, it protects them if Mookie’s hip continues to be a problem and is worse than what’s being let on.
This is really the first time AF has emptied out the system. Yes, I know Miller and Cartaya are still around but our system has been drained. Lux for Kimbrel for the final piece?
If TB isn’t a complete idiot the Dodgers don’t need to do this although I would still love TT.
Ruiz is blocked like you say, and their system is loaded with live young arms and catchers. They signed a 17 year old catcher earlier this season who is rated very high. They still have Jackson, Beeter, Miller, Pepiot and others who have electric stuff. I absolutely believe Taylor will be back at super sub simply because he can do it better than anyone else on the team and he can spell them all except Smith. I think there are several on the roster now who have a chance to be off of the roster very soon, including Raley and McKInstry. McKInstry could probably use some time at AAA. He has not been the same since he got injured. Getting Turner allows them to be very patient with Bellinger. Padres have pivoted their efforts toward landing Berrios of the Twins. Yan Gomes being sought by several teams. Hell, I think they should trade for Harrison.
Writer on MLB.com predicting Dodgers will land Kimbrel.
Yes, Lux for Kimbrel makes sense, because the Cubs will likely lose Baez. I’d expect to see some sweeteners like maybe Mitch White or some minor league arms to make up for Kimbrel’s departure. (I hope we keep Graterol, and certainly Miller and Pepiot.) And it might be good for Lux to get a change of scenery. He’s from the Midwest; maybe he’ll feel more comfortable.
For that matter, the OKC outfield might all benefit from a change of scenery. Right now, I’d say that Pages and Outman are the most promising outfielders in the system. I wonder about the minor leaguers thinking, “Please trade me to a team where I’ve got a shot!”
Not sure why I’m writing like it’s a done deal. Wishful thinking, I guess.
When / if all batters are healthy:
RF- Betts
SS – Seager
2B – Turner
1B – Muncy
3B – Turner
C – Smith
CF – Bellinger
LF – Pollock
Bench
Pujols
Taylor
Barnes
Beaty
McKinstry
Starters
Scherzer
Kershaw
Buehler
Urias
Price – Gonsolin (Bauer?)
He never do nothing bad or wrong on the field.
Bullpen
??????????
Bauer won’t be back. I think McKinstry gets sent down and the keep McKinney. They would keep either Price or Gonsolin in the rotation with the other going to the pen. Bauer would be nothing but a major distraction, and personally, I think he is going to be charged, and if that happens, it will be a mess. Pen will be Knebel, if healthy and he has pitched very well in his rehab, Jansen, Trienen, Kelly, Who ever is not in the rotation between Price and Gonsolin. Vesia, for now, Gonzalez does not look healthy, Duffy when activated the end of August. And a possible trade for another arm might happen today. Raley is in danger of losing his roster spot. Since they DFA’d Peters, I think Raley or Reks could be the next victim.
I’m still in disbelief how MLB has do much power regarding possible I fractions by players. TB has not even been charged…..the facts are very dubious showing any guilt….and it sure looks like this is a set up involving two people who consented to rough sex. She even admits such in her texts. And for the life of me, the fact that she came back to his house a 2nd time after alleging he abused her the first time. SMH The only thing I see TB guilty of here is being stupid to get suckered in like this.
NEVERTHELESS, I digressed…..still can’t understand how, until and if he is convicted, he can’t be considered innocent and why should MLB interfere with the legal processes in place? I guess the players’ union gave MLB this power when they made their deal.
They had to allow the suspension and all the subsequent extensions of same. MLBPA is probably the most powerful union in sports.
What I don’t understand is this……why so much hatred for Bauer regarding this? I for one, am fairly conservative, but usually down the middle politically, and I didn’t want Bauer in the first place.
But after reading the facts of this case, I don’t hate Bauer anymore than I did, and as I see it, this was a private matter behind closed doors….in other words, none of our business! I don’t see why other people, even women, after reading all the facts (mostly texts made public) also agree, this is none of our business and that she certainly consented to have rough sex and admits she is trying to get in Bauer’s head to impress her best lover, Tatis, and her former employer, the Padres?
Her coming back three weeks later speaks volumes to me. MLB should not give any credence to her stupidity….let the courts determine Bauer’s guilt, if any. We are staying out of this mess..
Rant Over…..
Hate has nothing to do with it, and where does it say I hate Bauer??? The problem is two fold, the legal problem, and the fact that some of his team mates do not want him back. They have been playing without him for over a month. He has not faced hitters and probably will not for a while since his hearing has been moved back to the 9th. So just how effective would he be if he is just thrown back into the rotation. If he is not charged, then the MLBPA will most likely push for reinstatement. But I have little sympathy for a guy who is getting paid millions while he is not contributing to the team. I agree, MLB should keep their nose out of legal matters, but he is only one of 3 players who are on administrative suspension, Ozuna of the Braves and Castro from the Nats are the others. MLB takes this kind of thing very seriously anymore. They used to just try and ignore it.
TM – I couldn’t agree more.
Also – although he hasn’t been with us long, he is still a Dodger, one of our team, and one I was really enjoying watching. I’d be disappointed if I were him if my teammates had given up on me already.
Watford, I understand your point. But consider this, a lot of these Dodgers are just becoming family men. And some have young wives. Maybe they feel uncomfortable with a player who has admitted to some pretty kinky sex ideas, and the wives really do not want that kind of person around. I agree it should be innocent until proven guilty, and what someone does in the privacy of their own home is their business, until it gets spread all over the internet and social media and all the sordid details are there for everyone to see. A lot of people are crying set up. But no one except his lawyers have any idea what the facts are yet. And the hearing on the 9th has nothing to do with the charges or lack thereof. It is about the restraining order alone. So this thing could drag on into late August, or September, or later. And if he is charged, I would almost bet that it will not be a speedy trial. It will be messy, and the less the team has to do with it the better.
Bottom line of the entire Bauer fiasco is money. The woman is out for MONEY. Even though she has a degree in criminal justice, this has nothing to do with criminality or justice. Right now they are negotiating an out of court settlement, X millions for her and her lawyers. Right now it’s all about exerting maximum pressure on Bauer to that end. Chargers will eventually be dropped, she will not testify. Bauer will then have to admit he has “addictions” and get therapy and treatment , so he can be rehabilitated by MLB. Maybe start some kind of foundation to help abused minority kids or something like that. Dodgers will cut ties, I’m not sure how that works out, but in the end he ends up in Detroit or somewhere like that sometime next year. This whole things about money. Money for MLB money for the woman and money for Bauer, and unfortunately lost money for the Dodgers.
It’s not, nor ever has been a matter of legality or justice when it comes to MLB and Bauer.
FWIW: The team doesn’t want him back, TM.
I hope you are wrong, Bluto, when you say TEAM. I hope it is just a few players and not the team.
I was concerned some players were not happy with us getting TB in the first place, so I’m sure those guys didn’t want TB from the get go. But, everyone has to try to get along with whoever they have to work with. We all have people in our lives we kind of wish weren’t there, but life is about adapting and trying to make connections and trying to look for the good in people and not just the bad or the unusual. I know TB is somewhat different but I bet the guys who don’t want him haven’t even tried to reach out and connect with him.
lots of useless speculation and pontificating there, TM.
I’m just going on the word of informed reporters and the actions of the team.
HOTTIE Watney of the MLB Network reported that Corey Seager will be activated today and back in the Dodger lineup vs the Snakes. Man she is gorgeous!
Yes she is, and we are saddled with Kirsten Watson. I sincerely hope she is gone next season. Her interviews are lame, and she is not all that knowledgeable.
I totally agree Bear. She is boring and her voice is annoying.
Very annoying…I just wish Orel would give his mouth a rest sometimes. I still prefer Nomar. Harrison would be even more annoying.
I think when we have the Nomar/Joe team it is the best one we have to offer.
Not long ago, I proposed a trade. Kirsten Watson and Jerry Hairston for Heidi Watney. I think it was MT who said it was too one sided so I’d throw in a sideline hottie to be named later.
Well it is a little after 7 on the east coast. 9 hours until the deadline. Who moves today??? Cubs keep trading? Most likely with Bryant and Kimbrel headed to new teams. Padres want Berrios badly. But I am glad we have Scherzer. His playoff resume is impressive. Some guy on twitter who is obviously a Padre fan was saying wow, you guys traded for a guy who’s ERA vs the Pads was about 11. Well, Scherzer only faced them once this season and was lit up. But over his career he is 4-2 against the Padres and his ERA just a tick over 3. He has allowed 10 HR’s in 13 games and struck out 119 Padres in 82.1 innings. He is 4-5 against the Giants, 2-4 against the Rockies and 8-0 against the D-Backs. Since he most likely will start Tuesday’s game at home against the Astros, he is 3-1 against them. He is 7-5 in the post season. Berrios is 0-1 in post season and has a 7-5 record this season with an ERA comparable to Max, but Max is 8-4.
I also agree Pads will acquire Berrios in response to us getting Scherzer. So that makes 4 of their SP’s acquired within the past 6 months.
Kris Bryant is no big deal anymore. Kimbrel….he still has value so he should help whatever team he is being traded to.
LA still has to wait 10 days to see Turner take the field and about 30 days to see Duffy take the ball, so in the meantime, let’s hope our walking wounded can come back and stay healthy. Scherzer alone is not enough to get us over the top.
Lastly, my biggest concern is Doc….his loyalty to his players and incompetence in using the bullpen has cost us a few WS already. If he expects to go with Jansen again, we won’t win it. My gosh, isn’t it obvious why we won last year?
Seager is supposed to be activated for tonights game. And Betts by Sunday. Turner has 8 more days in the protocol, and then he can be activated which puts him in the lineup the same night they are expecting Kershaw back against the Angels next weekend. Look for Raley and possibly McKinstry to be sent down, Raley could be DFA’d. Pitcher most likely sent down would be white, or maybe Bickford. There is also a chance that Gonzalez could go on the IL. He has not looked healthy, and as Jeff pointed out, plantar fasciitis is particularly painful and does not just go away with rest. Pujols has suffered with that for years. Adding Scherzer moves either Gonsolin or Price into the pen, and Knebel is on the verge of being activated too.
White will probably get the start in place of Gray on Saturday and Urias starts on Sunday or possibly a bullpen game to give him some much needed rest.
Could be, never can tell.
I’d move Price to pen. Gonzo is a better starter than him.
I agree
McKinstry to AAA and Lux to play 2b before TT is activated. Then Lux to the bench. I like him much better than McKinstry , especially on D.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!
Mckinstry is overrated and belongs at Oklahoma City. Too many strikeouts in key situations and poor defense. Just another AAAA player.
Nope, Berrios went to the Jays.
Wow. AF amd the Dodgers really are going for it. Like it.
Giving up Gray and Ruiz is tough but you got to give something to get quality. With Cartaya waiting in the wings the loss of Ruiz is tolerable.
Now go all in and get Kimbrel too. DJ peters has been DFA anyway. So him and a pitching prospect (Pepiot, Beeter anyone not named Miller) and it could be done.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I learned a lesson from two years ago….I didn’t want to give up Lux to get that great bullpen guy from Pittsburgh. Well, look how this has turned out….Lux has struggled for two years and who knows what he can become? No guarantee for sure.
Fast forward to today….yes Ruiz is killing it in the minors too…..just like Lux, and Lux was rated a top 10 prospect. Soooooo, just because Ruiz is killing it in the minors, much like Lux, there is no guarantee that translates to the bigs.
So, let him go….TURNER AND SCHERZER are both proven sure things.
All for giving Bellinger some time to get his stroke back but if he’s still struggling does he become a bench piece brought in for defense late in the game with Turner moving to short (sorry Corey but Turner’s better defensively)? Who would you rather have in the lineup Bellinger or Taylor?
Seager will stay at SS. He has not played any other position in the majors. Turner has played CF and could go out there if needed.
Agree he will be at short, at the start of a game. But in a close game nursing a one run lead do you move Turner to short and Bellinger to center ( taking Seager out)?
If Belli is not in the lineup already maybe, but Turner is going to be the 2nd baseman a majority of the time. Trade is taking a while to be announced as DC carefully looking over the medicals of the players they are receiving. Then the Dodgers have to notify all party’s and make arrangements.
The Dodgers for sure now seem like they are all in for this year. If so, they are out of time with Belli. He is an automatic out that they cannot have in the line up if they are going to make a run. Its time for Belli to go back to the drawing board with the swing and the mental approach and that needs to be done outside the starting line up if the Dodgers want to win. Can’t wait any longer for him to “come around. “
The era of 2 Turners begins.
Very exciting news to wake up to this morning. Always sad to lose potential stars of the future, but you gotta give to get.
It seems to me that much of our chances this season depend on the health of key personnel.
If I’m not mistaken the following are currently convalescing or recently returned to the fray,
Scherzer
Kershaw
Duffy
Mookie
Seager
Lux
Belinger
Turner T (Covid)
Graterol
Knebel
Kelly
Gonzalez
Nelson
Plus the long term casualties.
Seems an awful lot of question marks, but I guess other aspiring teams have the same problems.
There is also a slim chance that Bauer could also return.
What a great position that would put us in for the Post Season.
Think we might add Kennedy today.
The era of the 2 Maxs soon to begin also. What part of England are you from ? My recently departed in-laws from this earth were from Sussex. They were great kind loving people. Never butted into our affairs.
Wow, everyone is up bright and early today. I feel like a kid at Christmas. I’ve always loved Scherzer, with his weird eyes and his dirty stuff. He’s intense and is a warrior, a great addition even at age 37.
I was pretty shocked at Trea Turner coming in the same deal, but it makes a whole lot of sense. Doc already said that Seager’s going back to SS and Trea’s taking over at 2B. Of course that’s how they’re going to play it. TT is under control for another year and they don’t want to piss off Seags right before free agency.
Taylor is very valuable to this team as the Super Utility guy and will keep playing as much as a starter allowing them to give Belli a day or two off and some motivation to get this head and swing straight, Mookie time off to rest his hip, Turner and Pollock regular breathers.
Duffy gives them a veteran left handed option in the pen so they don’t have to rely on those lefty kids as much. I would be surprised if they get another bullpen arm at this point. With Scherzer coming and Kershaw coming back, these moves push two starters back to the pen that getting more and more loaded lately with Graterol coming back and Knebel about to return.
After watching this video about Bauer yesterday, I’m more convinced that Bauer won’t be charged…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzFctV0jxxI&t=1s
That isn’t to say that I’m convinced that he will be back this year. We already saw how Manfred reacts to political pressure, so my guess is that he does his best to kick this can into the offseason to give people time to forget about their faux outrage before Bauer comes back to pitch next season. He definitely doesn’t want Bauer on National Television in the playoffs and holding up that trophy.
I’ll be glued to the TV and the Web today to see if Andrew has another trick up his sleeve, or if Preller will now sell out the future and knee jerk a reaction to getting Scherzer plucked out his hand.
Here’s Joe Musgrove’s very unconvincing tweet regarding the Scherzer-Turner coup de gras. It really sounds like he’s trying to convince himself that everything’s going to be okay while pretended they’re not in 3rd place right now.
“It doesn’t change things, man. We feel like we’re better than that team, regardless. We feel like we want it more, we’ve got the pieces that we need. We’ve still got another day, so who knows what Preller’s got up his sleeve.”
Sure you do, Joe. You keep telling yourself that.
Hey Watford Dodger,
You put a smile on my face when you said you agreed with my analysis regarding the Bauer treatment. I figured my thoughts are in the minority and probably not appreciated by many….so hearing a fellow Dodger brother give me a big “amen” was refreshing. Thanks…
PS
I haven’t gotten to many “amens” screaming for Cody Bellinger to either be traded or at least returned to the minors to work out all of his batting issues. Can I get an “amen” for that? Lol
TM
Not a chance. Lets keep religion out of the argument….LOL
Lol….Bear, I just don’t understand why you can’t see the need for Cody to go down and work out his problems with Oklahoma instead of working them out (unsuccessfully) with LA.
Were you not embarrassed by his hitting yesterday afternoon? My Grandmother could strike him out with a high fastball.
No, he was not the only one who could not hit the ball, I have a lot more faith in his overall ability to be pretty good. Like I said the other day, his 162 game average is .269, 38 HR’s and 100 RBI’s with an OPS over .800. Yeah, he has holes, but I think the injuries have set him back more than anything else, and what makes you think the hitting coaches at OKC are going to spot something the guys in LA haven’t???? Sorry, he stays where he is.
To me, prospects are suspects until they prove they can play in the majors. I think a lot of McKinstry’s problems are directly tied to him being out for a while with an injury. He, like Bellinger, has struggled since he came off of the IL> Not everyone can be activated and do what Crawford did to us today. But McKinstry does not have as much value defensively as Belli does, so most likely he and Raley are sent down. Someone will have to be moved besides Peters. Who might be included in a deal today, who knows. Rockies say they are keeping Gray and may offer him a QO this winter.
Is Andrew Friedman done? Not certain. I can still see him adding a bullpen piece. Craig Kimbrel is still out there or maybe another reliever. I would start Tony Gonsolin over David Price. But if they’re done, that’s okay too as long as Corey Knebel is healthy and ready to go.
Kimbrel would put us over the hump as far as the pen is concerned.
Now that you moved Ruiz and Gray dont stop there.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Dodgers can make all the trades they want, however, Roberts handling of the bullpen will probably do them in.
I agree…..this has to be monitored by AF. They can’t let Doc bring us down just because he is stubbornly loyal.
And the era of two Turners.
This trade made sense having Turner included. His versatility is like a huge insurance policy. Gives the option to send Lux to AAA to get his s…. together and come back up in September. If Bellie has to stay on first Turner can go to center. He can spell Cori on ss and Muncy on 2nd.
Oh and I like how they included the other Max in the deal!
Yesterday, before the trade was being talked about, the Dodgers were 4/1 to win the WS. SF was 9/1, Padres 17/2. The money believed that once we get our starters back we are the better team. I agree with the money. Today? When these trades are announced those odds are going to change. We will be in the drivers seat gassed up with new tires.
I still don’t know why the Nationals are trading an All Star 5-7 WAR player for a few prospects It’s like they know something we don’t. Are they confident he will go back in a little over a year? Will they both go back? I don’t think so, but, I don’t know.
I think it’s safe to say Bauer is in the rear view mirror. You don’t bring that toxin back into this. This has the makings of something brilliant. The next 70+ games could be historic. This is going to be fun. Sure hope it gets announced soon.
Yes Turner played CF for a while, but he’s been a shortstop for 5 years. For better or worse Seager is the shortstop here. We have a Gold Glove in center. It’s go to be interesting how this plays out.
Wow, lots of activity on the blog so early in the morning. AF has really done an about face in how he likes to build a championship team starting last year with the signing of Mookie to a long term contract and then signing Bauer in the offseason. Now with acquiring Scherzer and Turner using their top two prospects to help complete Friedman’s most aggressive trade so far. And he may not be done. An additional BP piece will most likely be acquired i.e. Kimbrel or Kennedy. With all the regulars coming back from injury in the next few days and add in this trade, talk about an infusion of talent. It’s staggering.
William, I guess AF did what you were asking for in trading top prospects for superstar talent. The trade may or may not help much in 2022 depending on what happens between now and the beginning of next season. But, it appears that AF has been given the green light to win it all this year and not to worry about next season or the future. Giving up all that talent for two months of Scherzer and a year and two months of Turner could be questioned. But, how much is too much if you win the WS this year. That’s what the Cubs did in 2016. Five short years later they are trading a good chunk of that WS winning team away. I’m very happy with the trade but still surprised that AF did what he did. After going so long with no WS titles and finally winning last year why not go for it again this year. If not now, when?
With this trade bringing Turner over many are concerned about what to do with our team MVP Taylor. I think it’s an easy call. Seager at SS, Trea at 2B, Muncy at 1B, Taylor in CF, and have Bellinger platoon with Pollack in LF. To have your most productive player become a bench player is nonsensical. Cody has been given plenty of opportunities to get his act together and has failed. Platoon him the rest of the season and let him fully recover from his injuries and surgery in the offseason. Then he can start 2022 healthy and ready to go. If I was Taylor I would be pissed to see them march out Cody to see him continue to be unproductive game after game meanwhile, after the this trade, Taylor doesn’t even know if or where he is going to play. To do that would almost assure that Taylor will sign with another team in the offseason to play everyday and at one position. And more important, Taylor is by far more productive right now for the Dodgers.
Winning an MVP and having a career OPS of .882 means that at this juncture, Cody will not be platooned. His career OPS is the best of any active Dodger, so there is that!
Got to stick with Belli and hope he regains the magic of his MvP season or at least be respectable again. With the addition of TT and the return of Cory and Mookie the Dodgers can afford to carry him until he starts to hit.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
When Smith is catching I do not see why they just do not put him in the 8th spot.
Seems a no brainer to me. BUT NO, he gets one hr, and doc has him bat CLEANUP? wth?
There is that. But, that’s in the past. Apparently, the pitchers he’s facing now don’t really care about his past accomplishments. I wouldn’t surprised if they are thinking “this guy was an MVP and has a career OPS of .882? It can’t be”. His swing has more holes than a slice of swiss cheese. I think it’s a slap in the face of Taylor and the team as a whole. With reinforcements coming I guess they figure they can carry him eighth spot and take advantage of his defense. Bellinger better start hitting soon dodgerram. Mookie only signed a 12 year contract. Go Dodgers!!!
Irrelevant numbers and misleading.
What have you done for me lately? Not much….
2020 OPS……. .789
2021 OPS……. .556
Nearly 400 at bats between the two years.
The guy should be sent down…..if you can’t do that, platoon him……please don’t make us watch him strike out against a LHP ever again this year.
I know, I know…
“But but but TM, he won the MVP 3 years ago……why do you care so much about what he doing this year or last year? 3 years ago TM he won the MVP….the MVP, TM….show some respect for the guy! And besides, he has been injured a lot the past two years, I’m sure he is having a hard time hitting the baseball because of some injury he is having to deal with. “
Well, if he is still recovering from some injury, why can’t he go down to the minors to fully heal and work on his issues there?
“Why should he go to the minors to get it fixed, TM? He’s a former MVP, for crying out loud, TM…..his lifetime OPS is .882…..doesn’t that mean anything to you, TM? …show some respect! “
Well I am glad AF does not listen to you. Which makes you irrelevant. A players history has a lot to do with why they are letting him try to work through it. Last season was an anomaly. He was one of their better players down the stretch and after being under the Mendoza line for quite a while he finished at .239 with 12 HR’s and 30 RBI’s. He had a good series against the Padres and Brewers, he struggled against the Braves and in the series, but he hit the game winning HR in game 7, then Kike dislocated his shoulder for him on that arm bash. Even with that, he managed to homer in the series and make some fine defensive plays throughout the playoffs. Him robbing Tatis was one of the best plays all year.
But but but…. wtf are you talking about TM?
3 years ago was 2018. He won the MVP 2 years ago. And LAST year, 2020, he OPS’d .927 in August and .795 in September/October, 1.179 in the NLDS and .875 in the NLCS. He was off in the WS, and this year, coming off injuries, he’s had one good month, June, where he OPSd .827.
We can afford to nurse him along, but that most certainly won’t be done in the minors.
If it’s me I put Muncy at first Turner at second, Corey at short, Turner at third with Pollock, Bellinger and Betts in the outfield. Taylor plays somewhere every night as this deep roster gets a few innings off over the next few months.
I for one, tend to agree with you, TM. I think Belli should not be in the line-up right now. There are less than 60 games left in the season and The Dodgers are sputtering offensively no doubt. They need to win now. Belli’s career OPS means very little to the current need to produce runs and wins. His lack of production this year is more relevant IMO. The reasons for this might be valid but that does not mean Belli should be in the line up when the Dodgers have so many other talented guys they can put out there instead, especially with Seager and Betts coming back and the acquisition of TTurner. Did anybody think Belli was going to get a hit yesterday with bases loaded and 2 out against that lefty? 3 pitches and go sit the hell down.
At what point do they say enough is enough? .099? I want Belli to succeed and hope he snaps out of it, but there are not really any signs of that such as hard hit balls, barreled outs etc. He’s got some fundamental problems…. more than a slump. His ABs have been short and anti-climactic. He should be in the 8 hole against RHP only for now. Build a 4 game lead in the NL West and then there is some breathing room to throw him a lifeline.
On this day in 2004, the Marlins dealt Brad Penny, the winner of two World Series games last season, 1B Hee Seop Choi and southpaw prospect Bill Murphy to the Dodgers for Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota and Juan Encarnacion…
And by the way, I wasn’t worried about SD assholes having Scherzer, nobody cares about them!
We still need a closer! We cannot let that slip by, in the excitement of the big trade. Kimbrel is going somewhere. All we have to trade for him is Lux, is that enough? We can learn from the last two seasons, when we essentially lost to Washington because we did not have a reliable closer, and then we won the title because we still did not have one, so we used Urias in relief. We know that big games are going to come down to having to hold the one-run lead in the ninth, and who is going to do that? If we cannot obtain Kimbrel, I don’t think there is another high-end closer we can get. I have been surprised that in the last few years, we have not gotten one, we seem to have some kind of wish to never upset Jansen.
I am not intimately knowledgeable about the minor league talent of other clubs, but it does seem that teams like the Yankees and the Padres keep being able to make deals without giving up anything significant in prospects. San Diego has almost built an entire team on acquisitions, and they are still sitting there with their top four or so prospects. So are the Yankees, and I would not be surprised if they landed Kimbrel, because Chapman has been struggling. If San Diego were to get him, look out, because while Scherzer is a big addition, we still have to close in the late innings, and we would not want to face Kimbrel in extra innings, vs. whoever we put on the mound, in the battle to get the automatic runner in from second base.
I like your idea about Kimbell to the Yankees. I could really see that happening, and and the Yankees getting the deal done.
I was just reading a MLB trade rumors article on the trade. He mentioned that Scherzer joins Buehler and the soon returning Kershaw to provide a strong top three for the playoffs. Also, mentioned that Price and/or Gonsolin would be available to pitch a game four if needed. And the Dodger pitcher tied with the most wins in all of baseball, Julio Urias, not mentioned at all. How do these people get jobs as baseball writers or analysts? Like I’ve said in the past we have some of the most informed baseball people writing on this site than the majority of the “professional” media that covers the sport. Good for us!!
It’s finally here. Friday, the trade deadline is just 5 short hours away. Oftentimes, we don’t hear about a last minute trade untils hours after the deadline passes, but all this madness is going to end soon.
Yesterday was the craziest of days as no one saw this blockbuster of blockbusters coming. I’m still pinching myself in disbelief and the baseball pundits all agree that this is a real game changer. Most of the experts are saying that the Dodgers got the best pitcher and best bat available in one trade and some are questioning whether the Nationals got enough in return. It really does seem surreal and the added oddity of snatching Scherzer from the Padres is icing on the cake and a pile of cherries on top.
The thing I find most fascinating about all the activity in the last couple of days is the Giants failure to make any kind of move one way or the other. After Scherzer came off the board, Berrios’ price tag is rising faster than gas prices and the Giants, Padres or Yankees are going to have to dig deep like the Christmas shopper going to Ebay for that special toy they missed out on at the box stores.
The trade of all trades wound up being firmly grounded in reality. The Nats traded an expiring asset in Scherzer and lined up a tippy top prospect crown jewel and holy grail, a catcher with great, if not elite, bat to ball skills.
Friedman played it perfectly with a prospect they didn’t need, already having a catcher with more power, better defensive skills and much success at the highest level. He insisted that Ruiz was much too valuable for a bat first catcher currently destroying AAA pitching and hidden from MLB pitching careful not to expose his true trade value. He got them to bite and set the hook dangling a coveted and young starting pitcher with a ton of upside and all you have to do is include your shortstop that won’t be sticking around awaiting the forthcoming rebuild.
When it was all said and done, there were no fantastical slumping very young, former MVPs or former 1st round draft picks involved. Andrew is too savvy to plug and hole while creating another.
For those who think a career utility man is going to displace an MVP center fielder just because of a slump, you’re not grounded in reality. This trade allows the Dodgers to use their super utility man as a super utility man and give a breather for slumping players to take a day to figure out how to get back on track. You won’t see a Belli/Pollock platoon unless Belli flops over the next two months. Which makes little sense anyways the way that Pollock has been destroying both righties and lefties this year.
The Giants are now firmly stuck in quicksand. Without the Dodgers bailing them out in the last two series with late bullpen collapses, they would look like a sinking ship. Lucky for them, the Dodgers gave them 3 games across 2 series after the 8th inning. If not for those mishaps, the Giants would have lost all 4 series coming out of the break and would possibly be thinking real hard about selling out and stocking up for their next run. Now, in no man’s land, they are stuck between not selling and bolstering their farm knowing that a one game battle royal against the Padres is looming in their not too distant future.
Thanks for some sanity. Poor TM is borderline delusional.
B&P your definition of reality must be different than mine. Reality deals with what’s going on in the present, not the past. The “reality” is Cody is hitting .160. The “reality” is he hasn’t made contact in 47% of his ABs (walks/K’s). The “reality” is this is not a slump. It’s been going on for 2 1/2 years. Yeah, I think Taylor should be available to give a breather for a slumping player. That player is Cody Bellinger. And, you’re right again in that Cody shouldn’t be platooned with Pollack. I wouldn’t say Pollack is destroying all pitching. He’s splits are .290/.298 which is very good but not destroying. So, yeah, he shouldn’t share playing time with Cody.
If someone gave your a choice of a player with a line of .160/.256/.290/.566 or a player with .280/.374/.487/.861 which would your choose to play everyday? I mean come Penguin. To quote John McEnroe “you can’t be serious”. Time to let go for the rest of the season with Cody’s playing time. Let him heal from injuries and surgery.
The reality is that he was injured. And shoulder surgery is not that easy to come back from, just ask Matt Kemp./
I hope the Dodgers extend Trea Turner as quickly as they extended Betts.
I hope Seager moves to third or first next year and is re-signed at a mere mortal salary. But they are over the CBT this year and if they want Kershaw, Scherzer, and Taylor back next year it will be hard to also sign Seager. I assume Jansen won’t be back.
Let’s trade Bauer to the Angels as a salary dump and not expect to get much back.
Bum, you’ve provided me with an epiphany. Let’s throw in Bauer with Kirsten Watson and Jerry Hairston in the trade for Heidi Watney.
Starlin Castro suspended 30 days by MLB for violation of the Domestic Abuse clause. He will also be released by the Nats.
Anybody else concerned as to why MLB has not approved this deal? What is holding this up? None of the other deals were held up like this……just wondering. Yes, ever since the Warren report, I’m conspiracy sensitive.
The Dodgers are not going to have a $275 mil payroll next year. Hard to see us re signing Seager. And can we get out of Bauer contract next year.
On Bauer.
is anyone on this board well-versed with salary insurance? Could the team’s exposure to this kind of transpiring be protected?
Yeah, I think every single person on this site except for me said that about the Dodgers payroll this year and you see how that turned out. When will you ever learn silly rabbit, trix are for kids and Trevor Bauer.
Let me tell you something else. Don’t believe the media about anything ever. Everyone can speculate as much as they want about Bauer not being welcomed back into the clubhouse and all the nonsense about the Dodgers not wanting to have a guy like that on the team.
If it makes baseball sense to get rid of him, they will. If it doesn’t, they won’t.
If Bauer came back into the clubhouse in a couple of weeks, after settling out of court and tells his teammates that he was stupid for getting setup and he didn’t do anything to her other than some good old fashioned slap-ass. Who do you think they’re gonna believe? Some crackhead Padres fan MLB groupie or their Cy Young award winning team mate?
How do you think the players want to be treated if they screw up in a big way in the future? I think most people on this site have never been in a locker room before and having ever heard men talking about their sexual exploits and adventures. And if you can imagine how bad that gets, women are worse when they get together.
Stan Kasten downplayed the situation and the Dodgers were going to keep rolling Bauer out there to start until MLB put him on Admin leave. Doesn’t that tell you how the Dodgers think about this situation? Right now, Bauer is under contract for next season and his trade value is as low as it possibly can be. Do you really think AF is just going to trade him? Do you really think they’re gonna just get out of his contract and let him walk without getting anything in return?
I think the Turner move provides insurance and leverage when negotiating with Seager. Now, Seager has to see if he wants to stay with the Dodgers. If not, we at least have that option. If the leverage gets AF a hometown discount, you bet he will sign him.
This team is not run by a bunch of nice guys. They are run by the biggest “Wolves of Wallstreet”. They will lie, cheat and steal and bend all the rules if it makes them money. Investing an additional $50M in payroll is not a problem if they think they can get an additional $80M in revenue. Remember that the Dodgers owners also own half of SportsNetLA, so if they make the Dodgers more popular, they get more money in subscriptions and advertising. They can afford to lose money here to gain more money there.
And if you think bringing back Bauer will turn off their fan base, you are greatly mistaken. The last time they played at home, the camera panned to the Dodgers faithful in stands. I couldn’t help but notice those Cholos still wearing Bauer jerseys while drinking $12 Micheladas double fisted on a packed weeknight game with no giveaway buying $100+ tickets on the secondary market filling the largest capacity stadium in the league while pumping enough Bud-Light to drown a heard of elephants.
Get off of Twitter and Facebook where everyone is fake and constantly outraged and you’ll begin to see the real world again.
Damn Bulldogs, you got it all figured out. I don’t even need my “Easy Button” anymore. I appreciate it.
Blah. Blah. Blah.
Who am I going to give more credence to?
Beat reporters/informed sources or some guy posting as BulldogsandPenguins?
Could the reports be wrong? Of course, but they’re still a better resource.
edited to remove politics
No offense, you’re a fun read but you’re not an informed one.
Thanks! I’m glad to provide some fun, that’s the goal.
While I’m not as “Informed”, I am well researched. I’m sure those “Informed Sources” and Beat Reporters are getting a lot of inside info I’m not privy to in those Zoom meetings.
I might be a reporter or beat writer if I wanted to take a pay cut, but my true art is the ability to distinguish fact from B.S. and to read between the lines and follow the logic.
That isn’t to say I don’t get a perspective from the inside from time to time. After all, I did do IT consulting for over a decade and the Dodgers were one of our clients. I also coached for a decade and won a “JO’s” championship which is basically the biggest MLB amature recruiting tournement in the country. You do the math, maybe I still talk directly to minor leaguers and some that made it to the majors and I’m just not naming names.
Your instinct to believe the people who sensationalize their content to generate clicks to increase ad revenue is probably the right move. Keep doing that. Dismiss me as just another Joe because of the name I post under, sound instincts indeed.
Not dismissing!
I like reading your posts.
Just trying to contextualize when you try to refute or denigrate info/people who know more than you and I.
BTW: Molly Knight is leaving The Athletic. I am pretty sure you’re not a fan, but others are.
I’m a fan of her leaving the Athletic. Maybe they decided they should be a sports rag again.
Very well said B&P. I don’t always agree with what you say but this you hit a homerun with the bases loaded.
Cholos? Why not just call them beaners. Pretty cold Bull Pen
I’ve eaten at “Tacos Los Cholos” in Anaheim. I’ve never eaten any place called Beaners, so naturally I thought it was an acceptable term. Now go pretend to find something to be offended about. Geesh!
Pujols
Kershaw
Scherzer
Price
Turner J
Betts
Jansen
Not sure many teams have ever had 7 possible HOF performers at the same time?
Bring back Pederson before the trade deadline and add another 😉
I remember Vin getting a thrill out of watching Durocher fire the ball to first from short. Leo had a great arm. Seeing him as an older coach made me think about how hard it is to see a formally athletic young person within an old body.
Bums, hard to platoon a guy hitting .300 with a guy hitting .240 and OPS ing over 150 points higher. I love Joc as well and still wearing his jersey to Dodger games but it’s not gonna happen! No Berrios to Pads! Big blow for them!
You read all I said but not the;)
Berrios going to the Blue Jays
F-yeah! Laughing at the Padres right now.
Perfect. It couldn’t happen to a better bunch of guys. I think it’s Jose who is our resident Padre hater. Looking forward to his profane-laced response. Preller has officially been put into his place….third.
What happened with the Giants? They don’t think their ragtag bunch is going to continue in first place do they?
I like the Scherzer/Turner trade. Pitching is my concern and I wanted Scherzer (and Kimbrel). Not counting Taylor as a regular starter, I always thought 2B was our hole offensively (I think Bellinger will get it together eventually), so Trea Turner is as they say icing on the cake. Plus, out of the 4 guys the Dodgers traded, Ruiz is the only one I am high on. I just hope Friedman can get both Scherzer and Turner to stick around for awhile by extending them.
I don’t know about all of you, but I have seen enough of David Price to conclude he is nothing like he was during his prime and his stats show it too. .289/.352/.428/.780 is not good.
I’m hearing that Seager may be activated today and in the starting lineup. If so that would be great.
Any chance Friedman gets Kimbrel? I hope so because our bullpen in general, more specifically our closer is not very good.
Tough crowd. Price is 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA and almost 4:1 K to walk ratio with a ton a weak contact shift hits leading to an unsightly BAA. If it weren’t for the two out shift hit that scored two runs yesterday he goes 5 innings and gives up two. Against Colorado he pitched 5 innings of 1 run ball before giving up a solo shot in the 6th then a walk and Bickford lets the runner score with two outs. The previous start was 4 innings of one run ball in Colorado.
It think you assessment of his demise is greatly exaggerated.
Braves picking up bats – Duvall (would like see in Dodger blue and Rosario -decent pick up with Acuna out.
This trade with The Nats is not final. What is the hold up? Any inside info?
Waiting on medicals, and MLB approval. No problem. A lot of moving parts. Panda traded for Rosario.
Thanks Bear.
You didn’t disappoint Bear. Great write up on Leo the Lip. Keep em coming. your posts make my mornings.
* I view this latest transaction as as a “fresh start”. We’re at a point where the noise from outside the Club House can’t impact the team, negatively. While the announcers, media and fans focus on how many game we can win at Az and the Astros and where we are in the standings, and all the outside noise, it needs to be much more simple. PLAY BETTER, one day at a time. Each guy needs to refocus and improve his play every pitch, every at bat, every inning. It’s time to stop pissing away games.
* Before Price’s start yesterday, I said I’d be okay with standing pat. Wow, was that a cranial-rectal inversion. My bad.
* Not only will Max help us down the stretch but maybe more importantly, it keeps him from the Giants and Padres. A win on the field and psychologically, said Mr. Obvious.
* V- Gon needs to B-Gone. Along with Graterol. Buy em both a big, nice lunch and send them down the road. Okay, V-Gon might be hurt but Graterol just seems lazy and not committed to reach his potential.
* As I have mentioned before, I’m tired of speculation that a guys is hurt, when he’s playing shitty. Maybe he is. Maybe not. If he’s hurt, go on the IL. If not, I’m going to assume that any player out there is healthy enough to be an improvement over his substitute. And since there is no transparency. I see no reason to assume a guy is hurt because he doesn’t “look right”. It’s like Joe Kelly. If his shoulder was so painful why didn’t;t he get it treated instead of one poor performance after another. So, I’m done with any speculation and excuses for bad play because a guy might be injured.
We can be patient with Graterol. He’s not even 23 yet and has already seen parts of 3 Major League seasons. All he needs is something that spins down. 2 seamer would work, cutter would work, change up of course would work. He’s here because he can throw 100. If he wants to stay here, and I assume he does, he needs something to throw for strikes behind that 100 mph.
Something is wrong with VGon. IL him and figure it out.
I expect something else before the end of the day. Maybe like a sandwich or nachos.
Or maybe his mental well being is suffering Phil? V-Gon was huge for us last year. I’m not giving up on him just yet. As much rope as Bellinger is getting we can wait on V-Gon. But I’m concerned about how much Graterol wants it!
Can I just say that it’s great to have smart and aggressive GMs in the NL West.
I mean the Giants/Padres/Dodgers are going to be good not only this year, but for years going forward.
It’s awesome.
Farhan is a brilliant talent evaluator!
Gammons:
Deep organizations have prospects at the top well known. The Yanks didn’t touch guys they consider undealable:Vope, Peraza, Dominguez, and have Schmidt up in weeks. Dodgers have Diego Cartaya, Pepiot, Miller, Knack, Jackson they did not want to trade.
Bluto’s comment:
Jackson?!?!?!?!?!!
Yeah, Andre Jackson. He has electric stuff and looked really good a couple of times this spring.
Kimbrel to White Sox! If not us then good to have him out of the NL.
Take a few minutes to read the whole text and then take the “test” at the end……
The population of Earth is around 7.8 Billion.
For most people, it is a very large figure to imagine.
However, if you condensed 7.8 billion in the world into 100 persons , and then into various percentage statistics,
the resulting analysis below is relatively easy to comprehend.
Out of 100 :
11 are in Europe
5 are in North America
9 are in South America
15 are in Africa
60 are in Asia
49 live in the countryside
51 live in cities
12 speak Chinese
5 speak Spanish
5 speak English
3 speak Arabic
3 speak Hindi
3 speak Bengali
3 speak Portuguese
2 speak Russian
2 speak Japanese
62 speak their own language.
77 have their own houses
23 have no place to live.
21 are over-nourished
63 can eat full
15 are under-nourished
1 ate the last meal, but did not make it to the next meal.
The daily cost of living for 48 is less than $2.00.
87 have clean drinking water
13 either lack clean drinking water or have access to a water source that is polluted.
75 have mobile phones
25 do not.
30 have internet access
70 do not have conditions to go online
7 received university education
93 did not attend college.
83 can read
17 are illiterate.
31 are Christians
25 are Muslims
16 are Hindus
7 are Buddhists
7 are other religions
16 have no religious beliefs.
26 live less than 14 years
66 died between 15 – 64 years of age
8 are over 65 years old.
If you have your own home, eat full meals & drink clean water, have a mobile phone,
Can surf the internet, and have gone to college, You are in the minuscule privileged lot (in the less than 7% category)
Among 100 persons in the world, only 8 can live or exceed the age of 65.
If you are over 65 years old, be content and grateful. Cherish life, grasp the moment.
You did not leave this world before the age of 64 years like the 92 persons who have gone before you. You are already the blessed among mankind.
Take good care of your own health. Cherish every remaining moment. —- How lucky we are.
And, if you think you are suffering memory loss, read this:
Anosognosia….. Very interesting.
In the following analysis the French Professor Bruno Dubois Director of the Institute of Memory and Alzheimer’s Disease (IMMA) at La Pitié-Salpêtrière – Paris Hospitals addresses this subject in a rather reassuring way:
“If anyone is aware of his memory problems, he does not have Alzheimer’s.”
1. I forget the names of families ..
2. I do not remember where I put some things ..
It often happens in people 60 years and older and they complain that they lack memory. “The information is always in the brain, it is the “processor” that is lacking.”
This is “Anosognosia” or temporary forgetfulness.
Half of all people of 60 and older have some symptoms that are due to age rather than disease.
The most common symptons are:
– forgetting the name of a person,
– going to a room in the house and not remembering why we were going there,
– a blank memory for a movie title or actor, an actress,
– wasting time searching where we left our glasses or keys …
After 60 years most people have such a difficulty, which indicates that it is not a disease but rather a characteristic due to the passage of years …
Many people are concerned about these oversights hence the importance of the following statement:
“Those who are conscious of being forgetful have no serious problem of memory.”
“Those who suffer from a memory illness or Alzheimer’s, are not aware of what is happening.”
Professor Bruno Dubois, Director of IMMA, reassures the majority of people concerned about their oversights:
“The more we complain about memory loss, the less likely we are to suffer from memory sickness.”
Now for a little neurological test. Only use your eyes —- make sure you have your reading glasses on ……. if you can remember where you put them.
1- Find the C in the table below!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
2- If you have already found the C, then find the 6 in the table below.
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999699999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
3- Now find the N in the table below.
Attention, it’s a little more difficult!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
If you pass these three tests without problem:
– you can cancel your annual visit to the neurologist.
– your brain is in perfect shape!
– you are far from having any relationship with Alzheimer’s.
I just saw that the other day. Don’t remember where. But I passed with ease. I think.
I couldn’t even find the 9’s and the M’s! What does that mean?!!!!
See an ophthalmologist
It means you are Simone Biles & quit too easily.
She has mental problems, and did not take her medicine with her to Tokyo. So maybe she had a good reason to withdraw. Unless you are in her shoes, you should just keep quiet about things you do not have all the information on.
Very cool, Fred!
Yesssssss! Alzheimer be gone! And stay away……..
Though I found fairly easily, finding the C was hardest for me. But I have crap eyes & wear contacts. I have been praying for cataracts so I can get my medical to pay for lens implants.
CONTACTS SUCK for me, and I do wear glasses about 1/3 of the time, but I am too active for glasses most of the time.
Kimbel goes to White Sox
Felicitaciones Bear, gran trabajo en esta narración sobre Durocher a mediados de los años 60 comencé a seguir a mis queridos Dodgers con todas las limitaciones en materia de comunicación de aquella época, prácticamente solo era prensa escrita por México, y recuerdo a Leo manejando a los cachorros de Chicago, un equipo eternamente perdedor que a juzgar por la distancia y casi nada de comunicaciones solo tenía tres elementos activos buenos Leo, Ernie Banks y Ron Santo era agradable ver información de ellos en fotografías de la revista deporte ilustrado y despertó en mi mucha simpatía que con tu excelente articulo me recordaste aquellos momentos mágicos de mi adolescencia.
White Sox got Kimbral.
Darn, the Phillies got Kennedy, who is left?
Relief pitchers are going here and there, and we have not gotten any. Are we really going to go into the postseason with this relief corps? Perhaps we did all we could in the Scherzer and Turner trade, and we do not have any left that we would trade and who would have value. I would have liked Hudson, at least, as part of our deal. Right now it looks like we are going to be mixing and matching, as usual.
Baez is a big acquisition for the Mets, as Kimbrel is for the White Sox. Virtually every top team significantly improved their roster.
Maybe you missed it, but we acquired two starting pitchers and Knebel is coming off the DL. That effectively makes three additions to the bullpen.
Bear states above that the players don’t want him back. I assume that is from The Athletic article where an “unauthorized” player made that claim. The article also claims that this is backed up by the “fact” that no player has publicly supported Bauer.
So which is it? By the very definition of “unauthorized” the players have been told NOT to comment, which makes sense. So by not commenting when they are told not to they are not showing support? A lot of mental gymnastics there that could take Simone Biles place in Tokyo for that one.
Some of you probably believed the “reports” that “many” were upset with Justin Turner for coming on the field to celebrate the WS win last year after a positive test. That was bullshit. Only the media guys were “upset” and not the players and this article could be as well.
I agree that many guys may be turned off by the whole thing and the point that many are young guys starting a family and that Bauer may not reflect their values. Who cares though? This is a work environment. Not a group of friends playing Thursday night softball.
I think that those same players, being young, healthy, rich young men know that trappings that are out there in SOME women and also probably know that Bauer fell for it. So maybe some can sympathize. Maybe not.
Bottom line……media is not the Holy Grail and what is written is not necessarily true. It could be. It could not be. WE DON”T KNOW!!!
None of us know the facts of this case. I would assume that the Dodgers have some insight into what is going to happen and planned accordingly with the Max pickup. Who knows though, that move could have been planned before all this with Bauer.
As to Bellinger, has anyone really seen ANY adjustments in his offensive “game”? What he is doing is NOT working and I personally haven’t seen anything that leads me to believe that he even realizes it. I would ASSume that there are coaches and players in his ear offering advice, film study, etc.
I am not going to go study stats but just my eyeball stats tell me that Belli has been more off than on over his career. Of course, his 1st half 2019 was amazing but really is a huge outlier 2+ years later now.
If injury is the excuse/reason, then fine. Sit and heal. With this move the Dodgers are deep enough to sit Belli for as long as he needs and heal. Taylor and T. Turner more than make up for the absence of Bellinger, and quite honestly, Taylor DESERVES to play everyday and not just from an emotional Rah-rah level but from a production level. Taylor is the much better player TODAY. Sorry, but I don’t care what Belli did years ago. By that rational, Pujols should be starting everyday.
With Kimbrell off the board, the Angels are apparently shopping Iglesias. Not sure Arte wants to trade with LA, but that would be a good move for the Dodgers.
Jason…..lifting my glass up in the air to applaud your words on BOTH accounts.
Obviously, if you have read a few of my posts, I echo your sentiments regarding both Bauer and Belli. And if I may add this, one of them is playing great and one is playing like crapola. Why would any fan be so supportive of the player making 16 M who is playing like crapola, and be so down on the 40 M dollar player who plays great practically every game he pitches? Makes no sense to me…..unless you believe the word of a lying gold digger s**t who likes to air out private dirty laundry in hopes of getting rich!
Was it also in the The Athletic?
I was referencing the Mike DiGiovanna article.
But two articles is twice one!
Let me check my math on tht.
I’m a little torn on the White Sox picking up Kimbrel since I’m rooting for them to make it to the World Series. I guess at least we won’t have to face him until then.
So, Starlin Castro gets 30 days for beating his wife, a second offense and Bauer is in limbo for 30 for allegedly being rough with a hooker? Tatis Jr. loosley involved with no bad press and in the lineup every day? That’s fair.
The stretch run will be fun with the super team that AF assembled against the perennially lucky, overachieving arch rivals to the North and the Red Headed, no class, bratty step child to the South.
Now three games back, what’s the over-under in days before we reclaim first place? 1 week, 10 days? 2 weeks?
Talent will be trickling in over the next week. Seager today, Betts on Sunday, Max during the Astros series and hopefully Trea just has a little COVID and will be here soon. I almost forgot that CK will be back a week from today and Knebel some time in between.
For all the worry warts out there. The Scherzer / Turner deal is official.
Once again. Scherzer, Turner, Mookie, Seager, Kershaw and Knebel will all be joining the team within a week.
Once again though, we don’t know that facts of the case. To make a leap or mildly suggest that Tatis should be out of the lineup or even getting bad press is extremely unfair to him.
He screwed what appears to be a team fluffer. So what. That doesn’t mean that he had anything at all to do with any of the Bauer situation. Maybe he does but until there is proof, NOTHING should happen with Tatis.
When the facts are known, then everyone should get an appropriate response.
Thanks for posting that B/P.
See what the Warren Commission did to me…..made me look for a conspiracy through every “unpopular” transaction.
Giants pushing hard for Story?
Not really understanding why. They have Crawford who is having a great year. Of course they want Story’s bat and there are other positions to play on the field but taking him from Colorado to SF is quite the change in hitter’s park.
Story is a great player for any team to grab but it just doesn’t make sense to me. I guess it depends on what they give up but I can’t see other teams not giving more that what SF’s need/give up ratio is
They got Bryant instead. Rockies unable to unload Story.
The story said un named source. And it was repeated on several blogs. I really do not care. The Dodgers do not need that kind of toxic player in the clubhouse, and like I said, the hearing on the 9th has nothing to do with the criminal case, it is about the restraining order. This thing could stretch out for a long time.
The thing is Bear, you don’t know if he’s a toxic player in the clubhouse. In fact, it sure looked like he was getting along swimmingly before this thing went down. I would think that getting rough with a hooker that literally asked for it isn’t frowned upon as badly as say someone beating their wife. Hell, Ardolis Chapman choked his girlfriend and shot a gun 8 times and he was hated so much in the clubhouse that he was traded for prospects, then resigned again once he was a free agent. And he’s been there ever since.
But trust the media!!!
The same media that had Giants fans up in arms as they reported that the Bryant deal was for Bart and Wade Jr. LOLOLOL
Again, lets wait for facts
Okay, lets take toxic off the table, they do not need that kind of distraction.
MLB network reporting the dodger nats trade is official
Gibson and Kennedy to the Phillies. Yanks getting Heaney from the Angels. Straw traded to the Indians from the Astros. Harrison and Gomes to the A’s,
I think that the solution to improving our bullpen may very well be right under our noses but was dismissed without any serious consideration. When TM said that his grandma could strike out Cody Bellinger I was intrigued. TM, can you provide more information?
What is her WHIP? (2021 and career, please)
Does her fastball have significant swing and miss velocity and movement ?
Would she be willing to be patted down by the umpires when coming off the mound?
Is she willing to throw at opposing players to protect her teammates, and deal with the subsequent batter who charges the mound?
How is her pickoff move?
Is Boras her agent?
Will she be able to see the catchers signals or will they often be crossed up and risk injury?
Is she capable of leaping over the third base line on the way to and from the mound?
What is the spin rate of her breaking pitches?
Can she bundt? 😉
Please provide answers TM and maybe we can take advantage of this opportunity before other organizations hear of it!
Lol… of course, I was talking about my Grandmother in her prime….not when she was old and wrinkly.
Can she bundt? What a crummy question. It’s one Betty Crocker might ask.
Kris Bryant goes to Giants
Giants get K. Bryant
Soria goes to the Jays. Marisnick to the Padres. So far, Dodgers have not addressed the pen and the deadline has passed. Could be some deals submitted but not announced.
Lester and Happ to the Cardinals.
Robles to the Red Sox, Soler to the Braves from the Royals. Seager will be activated tonight and be at SS,
What a hectic trade deadline. Dodgers did not trade for a reliever so maybe they feel with Knebel coming back, they will be fine. Have to wonder who gets sent down when they activate Seager and Scherzer. Dodgers have 58 games left, the Giants have 60 and the Padres have 57. It is going to be a sprint to the finish. Have to beat up on the bad teams, and be a little better than .500 against the good teams. Giants just got Tony Watson from the Angels. Late trades trickling in.
Remember the trade yesterday, three of the four players traded were on the 40 man roster. Scherzer and Turner take up two spots Peters was on the 40 man and DFA and Duffy takes that spot. It leaves one opening for Seager to be activated from the 60 Day IL and take the last open spot on the 40 man roster.
Man what a failure by the Rockies not to get something for Story. I guess they felt the comp pick was more than they were offered? Can’t see that but who knows
Bryant a good move by SF
SD has to be sitting there wondering WTF happened?
Would have liked to see the Dodgers get some bullpen help but maybe Knebel is that guy for nothing. I hope so. Or maybe there is something that isn’t announced yet. MLBTR keeps crashing so I hope that is the case. I personally don’t have any confidence in Jansen on the mound in a must win, go home game closing out a win, even with a 3 run lead.
Braves just picked up Rodriguez from the Pirates.
I think all the deals have posted. Last one was Rodriguez to the Braves.
The same questions being reiterated here today. Nothing has changed. And why Tatis? What if he did the exact same thing to her? It’s ok when a Padre does it but not ok if a Dodger does?
“I’m not going to look at stats (facts) but I’m going to offer up an opinion”. Thanks Jason. We’ve had quite enough of that for several years running. Bellinger is in a slump. He had a good month in June, I know you don’t know that, but he did, his OPS in the last 14 days is .447, but in the last 7 days it is .824. Again, those pesky stats that get in the way of making sense, but it looks to me that he’s struggling with consistency. I do exactly what Roberts is doing, keep running him out there. I bat him lower in order, but I don’t bench him. Still plenty of games left to figure it out. If he doesn’t by October, then you can bench him.
Of course I will offer up an opinion.
I don’t need to pour through stats to tell me that many players just aren’t that good. I likewise do not need to pour through stats to tell you that many players are good.
Do you really have to study statistical stat pages to know that Bueller, Acuna, Trout, etc are good players.
I can watch the games just fine and see when someone can’t hit the ball off a tee and who can find ways to make things happen.
Bellinger is the former of that scenario and Taylor is the latter.
Jansen is exhibit A. Good stats but there are few people that trust his ability in a game that matters with little to margin of error. Certainly is not lockdown even with a sub 2 ERA not long ago.
BUT go ahead and use your stats and let me know how much better Bellinger is that Taylor. Not in 2019 but today and THIS year. I’ll wait………
I could care less that a guy can bang out 30 solo HR’s a year and 25 of them are when it doesn’t matter. Show me what he does when it does matter. Stats don’t show you the true player always.
Bellinger is lost. Is he a lost cause? I don’t know but this has been going for a LONG time with almost zero noticeable adjustments and improvements. If he is making adjustments, those are not working either. Is it the coaches, him, or is he just not that good with the bat and had a Puig like splash for a while there? I am assuming you’d in favor of bringing Yasiel back since he was also really good years ago?
I’ll take Taylor walking up to the plate with the game on the line every single time over Bellinger because with two outs, and the winning run in scoring position, Bellinger would still be swinging at everything and trying to hit a 5 run homer when a BH is all that is needed, even if all the infielders are playing in short right. Hasn’t really worked for years but maybe it will this time, or next time, or the next time. The Gamblers Mantra. The next hand, the next pull, the next game…….thats when it all turns around!! Rolls eyes…..
Dodgers just welcome sherzer ant turner in team’s oficial Twitter ‘
I m thinking the reason we didn’t trade for a closer is the plan is to have Julio Urias fill that roll when we get to the playoffs. Worked out pretty good last year!
I pray you are right with this….it makes total sense, right?
Jansen’s playoff resume I do not believe is impressive….certainly not like Mr Ice, Urias.
Well, you would be wrong, he is 1-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 18 saves. 78K’s in 56.1 innings. His WHIP is 0.834. Only 17 walks. And only 6 HR’s. Urias is 6-2, 2.79 ERA, WHIP 0.853. 39 K’s in 38.1 innings and 9 walks. He has given up 5 HR’s and he has 1 save.
Sigh! I knew I should have went to Baseball reference first…..
I was wrong; you are right!
Overall, he has been pretty good.
He’s been really great in the 5 NLCS GAMES, but not so great in the 3 WS games (2017, 2018, 2020).
NLCS ERA TOTAL: 0.89
WS ERA TOTAL: 4.40
But I still don’t trust him…..I trust Julio!
Point taken. I do not trust him all that much either.
Well pretty uneventful deadline for boys in blue ! 🙂
In Jansen we trust! Right?
Nope! Leave my name out of that list….
AV Forte – I live in the suburbs of London, 15!minutes into the heart of the City by train, in Watford, in the County of Hertfordshire.
So good to hear of your relationship with your in laws. It doesn’t surprise me at all. My in Laws are great people and likewise, don’t get involved in our stuff.
I think it is the English way – quite reserved, and not wanting to cause offence. We are a very tolerant nation compared to our neighbours in Europe.
Hope you’ve managed to convert your wife to Baseball.
I took mine to Chavez Ravine, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.
Nice to have you onboard – where are you from?
I’m from North Haven Connecticut, an East Coast boy. My wife unfortunately is not a sports’ fan but puts up with me and my love of the Dodgers and staying up till 1 and 2 in the morning East Coast time to watch a game .We’ve been to LA a number of times and enjoyed beautiful Dodger Stadium.
Keith Law implies that Cartaya has/had passed Ruiz as a prospect.
I found that interesting.
He was rated ahead of him defensively when he was signed.
Giant fans all pumped about Bryant coming to SF, The Dodgers have totally shut him down this season. He is hitting .115 against LA with 1 HR. Only has 3 hits in 26 at bats. He struck out 11 of those at bats.
SF plays a few other teams other than LA.
I understand that, but he has been in a slump.
@FabianArdaya
The Dodgers claimed Chad Wallach off waivers from the Marlins. Catcher depth for their 40-man after trading Keibert Ruiz.
The Dodgers activated IF Corey Seager from the 60-day injured list.
It looks like Corey took Gray’s spot on the 26 man active roster after the trade left an open spot.
Finally!
I would have liked to see the Dodgers get a bona fide closer at the deadline and there really was just one elite closer and the White Sox paid a premium in Nick Madrigal to get him and they also gave up a useful bullpen piece. That’s a huge haul!
Daniel Hudson was in the next tier and the Padres got him. He’s not really a closer anyways, but has thrived as a setup guy. Richard Rodriguez is solid, but he’s not a 99 flame thrower. More of a ground ball pitcher.
Scherzer is going to push a guy from the rotation back into the bullpen (Gonsolin?) and Danny Duffy is effectively a bullpen add.
Let’s look at what this staff would look like in the postseason
After the rotation of Scherzer, Bueller, Kershaw and Urias we can pick our bullpen out of…
Jansen
Knebel
Treinen
Kelly
Nelson
Duffy
Gonsolin
Price
Graterol
V-Gone
Bickford
And that’s without even considering Vesia, Alexander, Cleavinger, White, Sherfy and Nunez.
I think we’re in pretty good shape. Could you imagine if Tommy Kahnle appears in September when rosters expand? I’m not starting any rumors, but I’m not counting him out yet. (Probably more of a dream than rooted in reality).
Neftali Feliz struck out the side in his last AAA outing on just 11 pitches. He’s making a comeback folks!
Any Brandon Morrow sightings?
Dammit Andrew, why haven’t you figured out how to get 8 closers in your pen at the same time!?
Tonight’s winning Lineup vs the Snakes:
HITTERS H-AB RBI HRSB AVG
C. Taylor2B 97-347 55 16 9 .280
M. Muncy1B 82-297 61 22 1 .276
J. Turner3B 103-350 59 18 0 .294
C. SeagerSS 39-147 22 4 1 .265
W. SmithC 69-265 48 14 2 .260
A. PollockLF 72-246 37 13 4 .293
C. BellingerCF 26-162 21 5 2 .160
B. McKinneyRF 43-204 21 8 2 .211
T. GonsolinP 2-11 0 0 0 .182
I was wondering why it was taking you so long.
I have the 4 grandkids over the house and things are a little crazy.
Taylor 2B
Muncy 1B
Turner 3B
Seager SS
Smith C
Pollock LF
Bellinger CF
McKinney RF
Gonsolin P
Welcome back Corey, no pressure, go bat cleanup. Pretend like we didn’t just trade for your replacement. You have a spot on this team if you want it.
I root for the White Sox in the AL because they share Camelback Ranch and I can see games there as well as LA. And because they drafted and brought up Nick Madrigal who I followed throughout his college days at OSU. He’s a nice young player with plus bat to ball skills. I think if he is healthy off his hamstring injury, he could have competed to lead the AL in hitting someday. Now that can’t happen. I was sad to see him traded along with Codi Heuer, who I like as well, for the Sox to make a big splash with Kimbrel. I hope it works out for both teams but I hate to see “Nicky Twostrikes” moved. And a fan should never get too attached to a player.
Phil, you and I have previously spoken positively about Nick Madrigal, and I agree with your assessment. He is a batting champion in the making. He will probably never be fairly evaluated because his OPS will never be that great due to his lack of power. But he is a hit machine. Like you, I think Codi Heuer will be a decent reliever, who could at some point be a late inning guy. He needs to command his FB more like last year. But relievers are fickle. Good one year, not so much the next, and so on. Chicago improved here as well as Ryan Tepera is an improvement over Heuer.
With Cesar Hernandez to take over at 2B, and the back end of the ChiSox bullpen of Hendriks and Kimbrel, you must be smiling as a White Sox fan.
Looks like Jacob deGrom is shut down for at least two weeks. The Mets are looking at a September return to the rotation. The Dodgers will face the Mets 7 games over the next three weeks, and will not have to face deGrom.
The Nats currently have 24 on their roster. It would appear that maybe both JoJo Gray and Keibert Ruiz could join the roster for the remainder of 2021 to get that ML experience. Good luck to both.
It was fun reading all of the anxiety displayed on Twitter because MLB had not announced the Scherzer/Taylor trade. All of the sports journalists kept saying it was a done deal, and that it will get finalized. You just know that the hang up was Scott Boras trying to get everything he could for Scherzer to waive his no-trade clause. I don’t blame him. Maximize your assets.
I certainly understand the Adam Frazier and Daniel Hudson additions for the Pads. I am not sure I understand Jake Marisnick. I guess it is for emergency for if Trent Grisham gets injured. I would have thought he would have been a better fit for Houston who now desperately need a CF.
Kris Bryant is a good addition got SF. I am assuming he will replace Jason Vosler, and that improves them. The cost for Bryant was inconsequential. Greg Amzinger on MLB proved why you should never believe what you read on Twitter. He announced on TV that Joey Bart and LaMonte Wade Jr. were the return for Bryant. Harold Reynolds just destroyed him for that one.
Am I now allowed to say what a failure Jerry Dipoto was this trade deadline? I was told to be patient because Dipoto had a lot of other moves to counteract the idiocy of trading Kendall Graveman. Abraham Toro, Diego Castillo, and Tyler Anderson does not make up for the loss of Graveman THIS YEAR. Oakland improved their team for this year, and NYY and Toronto should very soon bypass the M’s trying to catch the A’s for the second WC team. I feel for their fans.
Of course the winner of the week was LAD. Not just because of the great trade for Scherzer and Taylor, but Seags is back tonight, Mookie will be back Sunday, Knebel probably next week, and Kershaw not far behind. Don’t sleep on Danny Duffy as a LHRP for September and perhaps the post season.
I know Mark and BandP are not worried about the bullpen, but that just reeks of homerism to me. The bullpen is:
Tied for 1st in blown saves with 23 (5 more than SF and SD).
9th in ERA
12th in WHIP
7th in BA
17th most Ks
17th most BBs
And they did this with having the 22nd least IP for a bullpen. AF was never in on Kimbrel. KJ has been and will continue to be the closer. Maybe for the playoffs, AF will direct Doc in another direction. If LAD had the same number of blown saves as did SF and SD, they would be 2 games ahead of SF and 7.5 ahead of SD. 23 blown saves for a championship caliber bullpen???
They have 7 walk off losses. They have a 1-10 record in extra inning games, and are 13-18 in one run games. That just screams the bullpen is a weak link or the management of the bullpen is. Or maybe both. Band P listed a slew of potential relievers. Out of that list, which ones can be counted on in back to back games in a high leverage situation during the playoffs. There was a funny little comment on Twitter. Trea Turner doubles, steals 3rd, and scores on a sac fly. Max Scherzer throws 8 shutout innings. 1-0 in the 9th and the gate opens and out comes KJ. Oh No!
The bullpen is mediocre at best. It is not a strength. The offense is going to need to score a lot of runs to make the bullpen inconsequential.
Are they the best team in MLB? Absolutely!! I truly believe they are, and that they will overcome the bullpen deficiencies. I just do not believe hiding my head in the sand and say that they have a great bullpen when every metric for analyzing a bullpen reads mediocre. I hope KJ saves every critical game from tonight to a WS championship, and I have to eat crow. But I think it is more likely that someone like Julio Urias will have to come in and shut them down. I still believe that VGon has plantar fasciitis, and needs more time on the IL.
I am laid up for the next 4-6 weeks with achilles tendonitis and a bad high ankle sprain. I generally walk 6-8 miles per day, but not now. So I will have a lot of time for reading and writing.
I don’t think the bullpen stats tell the story. The current bullpen has changed some names. The postseason bullpen will have more name changes. When u get our best bullpen functioning it will be a good one with of course the nail biter Jansen at the end. I am hoping that we can minimize Jansen like last year. The last game Jansen had fire and stuff. He just looks like he doesn’t come with fire every time. If knebel is back and Nelson can stay healthy while finding the strike zone we have improved. I wondered if the sticky has hurt Nelson? He can’t seem to get a grip. The guy who is coming on is Vesia.
Instead of limiting yourself to commenting, why not submit a Post to Mark. I’m sure a NO won’t hurt your feelings and it could help Mark have a new Post up daily.
Are you referring to me?
I’m going with old age on that one. For some reason I thought I was replying to BulldogsandPenguins.
I thought there was one of your subtle meanings that I missed. I thought it was funny.
Thank you Jeff for pointing out with stats that our bullpen is mediocre. I keep saying that and keep getting blowback from others. It’s nice to have someone look at it realistically.
9th overall is still the upper third of the league
3rd overall in the last 30 days is trending in the right direction
During those 30 days, Nelson, Knebel, V-Gone, Graterol spent considerable time on the IL
Kenley is a choker and even with his choke games we’re still top 3 in the last month
If we’re top 3 with all those issues in July, we have a shot at being the best when it counts the most
Every bullpen can put up a good streak. It’s about what have you done in the long run.
The bullpen is mediocre but it doesn’t suck.
The bullpen is definitely the weak link of the team according to stats.
Also when does it count the most? We are three back of the Giants, I think it counts the most all the time. As I said before what have you done in the long run.
Jeff – Get well soon and stay away from the LAD medical staff…
Great assessment and I firmly believe in our team…
Let the race begin… Go Blue…
Freakin Gallen can’t pitch against anybody else. Looks like Cy young against us!!
Come on man, time to get TM’s granny warming up in the pen!
I know, you’ve heard it before from me…. CT gets two strikes on him and write it down, K. Twice tonight.
We simply can not afford to lose games to the Serpientes.
Dodgers need to start feeling the urgency.
Come on man !
I agree. You would think this team would be pumped up after what AF
did for us. But no they come out flat and play like a bunch a little leaguer,
they’re taking Gallen for. granted and not taking a.two strike approach
Gallen has pitched well against LA. The last time he faced them he went 7 scoreless.
Typical Gonsolin. No command. U just can’t depend on him!!! He is just as likely walk everybody as get an out. This is nothing new u r constantly on the edge of your seat wondering if he will ever throw a strike. I wanted him traded but nobody wants him. Mark tells me about his era which is good because guys like Bickford clean his mess up. I know he can pitch a good game but tonight is just as likely.
12 straight innings shutout mb more. Shutout by the giants and now this. Turner needs a day off but we have no bench. Playing the worst team in the league. We have to get gallen out get pitch count up.
Taylor and Turner. Turner looks like he doesn’t want to hit the ball. Lots of looking.
Turner had a tough day in SF yesterday, and Taylor’s only hit was a squib single. Neither has hit the ball hard the last couple of days. Only Pollock was making solid contact yesterday, and no one has this evening.
What an emotion swing over the last 48 hours. Everyone so upset by the loss to the Giants yesterday after the euphoria of the win the night before, and then thinking the Padres were getting Scherzer to him becoming a Dodger this afternoon. And getting Trea Turner also just made the day something special, and now, they are flatter than a pancake in Arizona. Fortunately, the Asterisks are ahead of the Giants and the Rockies are beating up the Padres, who lost Tatis to a shoulder problem. I think the under the radar move was getting Duffy. He allows them to have a longer bullpen, which they can use. Bellinger’s struggles continue. No real help down at AAA. They have given up 7 walks tonight. Walks killed them yesterday, and are killing them tonight. Plus all the runs the Giants got yesterday were with 2 outs. If they are going to win tonight, they will most likely need to beat the D-Backs pen.
I agree with you on Duffy.
Yup, after the solid trades and improvements made by AF and team, watching this game is a downer,
( although Granterol did make a nice play ), time to turn it off and go read some Louis L’amour.
Now that SF and SD are getting beat badly it is time for us to come from behind and win this game.
Why does Roberts, with the scoreboard so close, put the OKC bullpen in?
Tomorrow is supposed to be a BP game and he has to have someone to pitch.
Taylor ALL DAY
Where would we be without CT3
Hitting with less than two strikes CT is a demon. Now we need a sac fly, or more.
yeah, there’s no way CT3 gets benched in this new loaded lineup in favor of Bellinger or Lux
Agreed.
Tatis leave after hurting the same shoulder he dislocated earlier this year.
They come all the way back on a pinch hit single by Pujols. Leave 2 more on as Taylor grounds out. Jansen in. And naturally, Jansen loads the bases on a double, walk and a single. This guy is just not reliable right now. They should have got a closer. Both Giants and Padres losing, and they might not gain any ground…pitiful. Jansen strikes out Walker and Kelly with the bases juiced without giving up a run….Hallelujah, Muncy, Turner and Seager due up in the 9th.
Why give up games by having Jansen in with NOBODY warming up?
Can we not try to win a winable game today and worry about tomorrow then?
Jansen is awful regardless of if he gets out of this.
Anyone else hear the kid screaming in the background encouraging Kenley?? LOL
Kid has a set of pipes, It is Roberts biggest fault, too much faith in his players. And he trusts them to finish things off.
Well into extra innings. They never do anything easy. 1-9 in extra inning games, they need to change that tonight. Giants and Padres lose.
Smith has left 7 men on base tonight.
I think that is 1-11 in extras.
1-10.. 13-19 in one run games. Well, can’t blame this one on Jansen. But 10 walks>>>????? Please. This game was lost by the offense who when they finally started getting on base, could not get the big hit. Gonsolin was in trouble from the first pitch. The bullpen was ok, but not stellar. I feel bad for Nelson who gets the loss. I really dislike the extra inning rule. Miss another chance to gain ground on the Giants and the Padres. OK, I am throwing in the towel. Tonight what I saw in Cody Bellinger’s ab’s was a hitter who has no confidence at all when he is at the plate. I am at the point where even though his defense is stellar, he needs to be benched, or sent to AAA to try and figure out what he is doing wrong. He is trying more not to strike out than to just hit the ball hard. Unusual for Smith to struggle as bad as he did tonight. All he needed to do was get the ball in the air. But what killed them was leaving Taylor at 3rd after he got there with 1 out. Muncy, Turner and Seager went down and could not score him. They stull have a week before they get the other Turner in the lineup. Mookie should be back on Sunday and that will help a lot. But a bullpen game tomorrow???? Not good. They need to win the next 2 games.
I now wish we had a Kirk Gibson type player on our club that would after a game like this, go into the clubhouse and tell DR and staff to leave and do some serious ass chewing…
OK I feel better now…
We’ll get em tommorow..
When TT is activated, if by then, Belli has not found his swing, he must be sent to OKC to look for his swing, he is hurting the team and himself. When he’s on time with the 95+ fastball then call him.
And I want to say that Belli is my favorite player.
I love Belli, but he has bottomed out. He needs to go down now. Turner will not be available until the 7th or 8th of the month. Sometime during the Angel series. Bring up Davidson, he has some serious RH pop and has been hot.
Cuando volvió en ese juego en SD me gustó lo que vi, me gustó su swing y su AB y luego vino la serie contra los Cachorros y fue muy bien, pensé que Belli lo está haciendo muy bien pero luego hace cosas que tienen sin explicación, un día tiene las manos más arriba, otro día más abajo, un día da el paso con el pie más largo, otro día más corto, no es capaz de mantener y repetir la mecánica de bateo, ha hecho tantos cambios que ahora está muy confundido, antes cambiaba en cada juego ahora cambia en cada AB; No puede llegar a tiempo con la bola rápida porque da un paso muy largo con el pie y por eso lleva tiempo girar la cadera y las manos se quedan atrás y todo ese tiempo que perdió la bola ya está en el receptor. Debería dar un paso corto, girar las caderas rápidamente y luego sus manos encontrarán la pelota.
He has to go to the minors to work calmly.
Every day this team finds new ways to lose baseball games that they should win.
Embarassing display yet again.
I see no fire, nor urgency no nothing. Not on the field, not in the manager.
You would have thought this team got energized by that big trade, ownership showing them they are willing to spent tons of money to win another title this year and then they come out totally flat. Gonsolin was horrible from the get go setting the tone. Offense could again not come up with the big hit or at least a productive out when needed.
If they continue to play like that even with reinforcments arriving they will not win the division.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
I listened to a radio interview with Andrew and he said he had been trying to acquire Duffy for a while. He said when he gets healthy he will be stretched out for the rotation possibly by September. If that happens would the rotation be Kersh, Max S, Walker, Julio, and Duffy. That would be one of the better rotations in the league.
Finally people on this site agree with me on Bellinger. He needs to go to Oklahoma City and completely change his hitting mechanics. You can’t have a slightly open stance and stride toward first base(stepping in the Bucket) instead of striding toward the pitcher. Impossible to hit that way. His swing is under the ball and missing center cut fastballs at 92 miles an hour. Watch him closely when he is at bat. His head is also moving when he does that. He is either very stubborn and won’t change or the hitting coaches are morons not to see this, He is hurting the team by being in the lineup.