I am not sure they should be called UFO’s but on the other hand undrafted free agents are somewhat like unidentified flying objects. They don’t get any attention during the annual MLB draft but all of a sudden make an appearance when we least expect it.
Following the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, in which the Dodgers selected 19 players of whom 12 have been signed, they have signed seven UFO’s. (The deadline to sign 2021 draft picks is 2 p.m. PT on Sunday, August 1.)
Of note, the Angels have signed 21 undrafted free agents which by far the most signed by any MLB team. The Phillies are second with ten signings. The Dodgers currently are fourth.
The Dodgers most recent UFO signing is outfielder Gaige Howard who is a 2021 Southland Baseball All-Academic Second Team majoring in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration at New Orleans University.
Howard was born in Carlsbad, California and attended high school at Santa Fe Christian in Solana Beach. Following graduation from high school he headed off to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio for one year. From there he returned to California in 2018 and attended Cabrillo College, a community college in Aptos.
For the next three years he studied at the University of New Orleans and played baseball with the Privateers. Current Tulsa Driller, left-hander Bryan Warzek, is also a graduate from the baseball program at UNO. He graduated from New Orleans one year before Howard came on board.
With the Privateers Howard played 70 games posting a triple slash of.307/.422/.385 and an OPS of .803. He struck out 33 times and walked 48 times.
Howard, now 23, is a 6’1”/220-lb. left-handed hitter who throws right. Undrafted, I expect he did not know what his baseball future would hold, until three days ago. However, he had not given up on his dream.
“I’m really excited to be a Dodger,” said Howard. “Being able to play professionally is something I dreamed about since I was a little kid and I can’t wait for the opportunity to get to work.”
He feels he made a good choice in transferring to New Orleans and certainly earned his stripes. Like current OKC Dodger, Zach Reks , Howard earned a spot on the Privateers roster as a walk-on. Reks had a similar story with Kentucky.
“I’m thankful I got the opportunity to play at UNO and at a high level because it taught me a lot about how to improve my game and make great relationships with teammates. I’m really grateful to have had Coach Dean who gave me the opportunity to walk on and earn my role. He’s always been in my corner and has taught me a lot about the game and how to be a professional.”
In his Privateer career, Howard had a .422 on-base percentage. During his first season, he hit .330 and was third team All-Southland. Howard also landed on the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List twice.
“Gaige is someone we gave a chance to and he took advantage of it,” said head coach Blake Dean. “He worked relentlessly and I’m glad to see him get an opportunity at the next level. I know he will continue to strive to be the best he can.”
Welcome aboard Gaige.
We have another rainy day so outside work for me is rained out and Elaine has taken a friend for a medical appointment in the city so I will briefly introduce another UFO.
This UFO is perhaps my favorite so far but with bias. He is a Canadian boy from Barrie, Ontario. Having gone undrafted he is not a Larry Walker, Joey Votto, Russell Martin or Eric Gagne. However, Russell and Eric had slow starts so who knows.
As mentioned, catcher/infielder Max Hewitt was born and raised in the Barrie area of Ontario. He began playing T-ball at age five and finished his college career at Oklahoma State University.
Hewitt graduated from Eastview High School in Barrie in 2015 and for a year really had no baseball offers. That did not deter him as he trained and because of his age he was still eligible to play travel ball. During that gap year, he continued training in Toronto and also in New Lowell at Smith Brothers Baseball Central. New Lowell is a small town in Ontario.
In November of 2015 he did get a call. It was from Connors State College in Warner, Oklahoma, inviting him for a visit. Playing as an infielder he slash line was .436/.507/.564 with an OPS of 1.071 and 67 RBI in 60 games. His community college year in Warner opened another door for him, one of his choosing. He chose Oklahoma State University and immediately fell in love with OSU.
“I loved it for so many reasons, one of which was that all the team was in the same hall at the dorm,” said Hewitt. “It was so much fun and I got to do my favourite thing everyday. That fall we were playing scrimmages and inter-squad games that lasted 14, 16 sometimes 18 innings. It’s been awesome, it feels like home now.”
Hewitt, now 23, played four seasons with the Cowboys with a triple slash of .317/.431/.385 and an OPS of .816. He continued to walk more often than striking out.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from OSU and was not able to go home to Barrie for over a year and a half because of Covid-19. In the meantime he continued to train and realistically prepare for the 2021 draft.
“As in life, nothing in baseball is ever promised,” said Hewitt. “I know I won’t get drafted high, if I get picked at all in the 20 rounds, because I’m a senior. But it sounds like things are picking up and that there is a bit of interest from some teams.”
OSU had lost in the NCAA Tournament regional to UC Santa Barbara eliminating them from competition.
“I really wanted to win some more games; we all did,” said Hewitt. “But it is what it is. I just got back from an LA Dodgers camp and will be looking forward to the draft.”
Hewitt wasn’t selected in the draft but did stay on the Dodgers contact list. It will be another difficult climb for the 6’0”/192-lb. left-handed hitter who like the aforementioned Paige Howard throws right.
For his first three years at OSU he played as a utility player and was not able to lock down a starting role. Then to begin the 2021 season coach Josh Holliday needed a catcher. Hewitt, who had never caught, answered the call playing 55 games in his senior year. Both he and his coach were pleased with their decision to put him behind the plate.
“Anyway I can help the team,” Hewitt said. “Even now practice at second, third and short just in case something were to happen. Stay sharp at all those positions. It just so happened that we needed a role filled and I’m glad I’ve been able to step into that.”
“He’s just competing extremely well,” Holliday said. “He plays the pitches correctly, he prepares really, really good and cares a great deal about performing well — because he’s proud and he wants to win — and he wants to play for his team. He’s playing for the right reasons. He’s not scared. It gives him the courage to get up there and deliver.”
Hewitt is one of many young men who love to play, appreciate that they can and see the game as part of a bigger picture. There are kids watching, just as he used to.
I like playing,” Hewitt said with a smile. “I try to do my best every day at this school. To be able to get on the field and contribute like that — it’s a special feeling. It’s been a long time coming for me to be able to help the team that way.”
As for those kids, who chose to watch a non-conference baseball game instead of Bedlam basketball being held just a block away, he didn’t have to give them a minute of his time. He didn’t have to stand there and sign countless baseballs until he was the last player left on the field, but he said that he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Welcome aboard Max.
Feature Picture is of 2020 signed UFO, Robbie Peto
I will read the article later, but having just gotten up, first thing I had to do was check the scoreboard, hoping we didn’t lose to the worst team in baseball who have no decent pitchers. Well……we did….another 10th inning loss, as usual. Are you kidding me?
So why didn’t we get one lousy run in the 10th? I see three fly outs with Cody being one. At least he didn’t strike out….but then I look at the box score and I see he went 0-5 again! Sigh!
Yesterday I was called by someone here “semi delusional “ mostly for wanting Cody sent down to the minors not to return until he shows he can hit. Or in the alternative, at least platooned, so we don’t have to see him strike out against lefties. Now I admit, I previously have been on a trade Cody bandwagon all week leading up to the deadline. When I saw that wasn’t going to happen, I went to Plan B….send his stinking butt down. I don’t care how fast he is, CT3 can play CF very well snd CT3 has much better stats than Cody the past 2 years, so yeah, send him down and play the better man.
After last night, I hope I now have some guys who are willing to come out of the closet and agree with me on this. Even if you bat him 8th, his 0-4 can and will hurt you, especially with the pitcher next.
With Scherzer, Turner, Seager, and Kershaw coming back, we need to come in 1st place. We don’t want to take the chance of losing one game and being done. We have to act now and we can’t do nothing waiting and hoping this guy will all of a sudden start hitting. NO MORE EXCUSES…ACT NOW!
TM
President of the “Bench Cody Fan Club”
PS. I apologize for having to vent this early in the morning…..but I am soooooooo angry losing to those bums.
I totally agree with you. Cody is not helping the team offensive not one bit. He should be sent down or benched. When Trey Turner gets on the roster he or CT3 can play CF and one can play 2nd base. However, we know good old no managing DR will not bench him for any length of time. DR will let him bat leadoff remember that game or he will let him bat clean up what a joke for a manager.
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.
As Badger reports we’ve been discussion Bellinger’s swing all year. I mentioned very early on about his huge head dip from his upright stance to his launch position and how it causes his head and eyes to move. Geez, even Orel eventually pointed it out. Badger has talked about his bucket foot. His pull happy reluctance to cut his swing down. A couple of old coaches telling a former MVP how to hit. But we see that long complicated swing leads to timing issues. It leads to being inconsistent. When his timing is right, he can rake for awhile. When his timing is not, you get what you see this season, so far.
He isn’t going to change and certainly now now. And not in AA. If he decides to change things it would be in the off season for a make-over.
“ Watch him closely”. You think we haven’t. We’ve been talking about it for weeks. There’s nothing he can do in okc that he can’t do here. He’s not going to change. That is obvious. You know what else is obvious? Hitting at Oklahoma doesn’t translate to hitting in the Majors. I think he’s close.
Thanks for the info DC. I’ll watch for those guys.
Speaking of info, there is an interesting article in the Atlantic regarding the delta variant. I strongly recommend everyone read it.
Losing to the dbacks. Wow. What can you say? Another bullpen game, Gonsolin sucked, send him to okc, and the box score said another unearned run. Again with the defense? I didn’t see it, I bailed. Couldn’t watch some guy named Gallen, with mediocre stuff, continue to mow us down. Anybody notice the umpiring sucked again? Seager back with 2 hits, no runs and no RBI’s. Box score said Pujols with a stolen base? Cant wait to hear the explanation on that.
Another wasted opportunity. Well, maybe with the new players that will stop.
I agree he’s close. Close to sitting on the bench.
Might be, but that decision is in Roberts and the FO’s hand. All we do is comment.
I read the article in the Atlantic on the delta variant as suggested by Badger.
FYI. The Atlantic is owned by Lauren Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs and Lauren is a fervent leftist. And the article recommended is sponsored by the Zuckerberg Foundation.
The article has many great points on the transmission of the Delta variant, and cites experts who recommend that new mask mandates be extended even further. The article has a very scary color coded map which shows a lot of growth in cases of the delta variant. As someone who is vaccinated and relatively healthy, I will wear a mask when mandated by authorities only.
I also monitor the LA county public health data which shows covid hospitalizations have increased to 991 from a low of 212 on June 14th. This quadrupling of hospitalizations is worth monitoring but needs to be put into perspective. The peak for LA hospitalizations was Jan 7th with 8,098 or 8 times more than are hospitalized today.
Unfortunately, the delta variant is causing increasing cases and hospitalizations, and we should take necessary precautions based on our individual circumstances. But we are still in a significantly better position than we were in January.
I admit I’m hyperbolic on occasion but the Dodgers top of the tenth inning was one of the worst fundamental baseball AB’s I have ever witnessed. Smith on 2B, three pitches later there are 2 outs after both Pollock and Bellinger fly out without even moving the runner to 3B. McKinney then ends the inning.
Do you think AJ and Belli might take a pitch to see how this pitcher who has a 5.87 ERA might perhaps pitch himself into a jam? No, three pitches = 2 outs.
Been saying it for several weeks that Belli looks like a stoned skate-boarder in Venice and not a superstar ML ball player that some still think he might be. As someone posted earlier, either he doesn’t listen to coaching or cannot make an adjustment. .156 AVG, .259 OBP, .281 SLG. Horrible numbers that don’t deserve a start in the line-up. Doc—please sit his butt down and let him watch a game or two on the bench. Enough of the excuses that some post here that he’ll be alright and that he just needs time to work his swing, he missed a complete off season, he’s recovering from a broken bone in his leg……Yada, yada, yada- dude is completely lost and needs to find himself on the outside looking in. It’s time for Belli to find a way and not an excuse……
Doesn’t matter what happened yesterday. What matters is what happens going forward.
I agree with your first paragraph, and pretty much all of your post, that was a terrible display.
That was more than just Belli but damn if he didn’t swing about as hard as anyone possibly could when he simply needed a BH. So frustrating to watch. As I said yesterday, no adjustment. No situational awareness. No results. 3 pop outs and a strikeout?? If I remember correctly.
Terrible display from just about everyone outside of Taylor. Couple near misses that would have likely won the game. AJ’s near homer. JTs blooper that missed being fair by inches.
Again with Jansen in a 5-5 game in the 8th and proceeds to give up base runner after base runner and still nobody is warming up. I will never understand Roberts. Just never. It is like Jansen automatically is on a 7 batter plan no matter what. F the game at hand. Lets no hurt his feelings. I really don’t get it. Orel or Joe mentioned his baserunner vs innings pitched last night but I don’t remember what the exact numbers were. They were staggeringly horrible though.
AF did a great job with Duffy, Max and Turner. Not getting a closer, or just someone better than Jansen, could be regrettable in October. Kenley just isn’t a viable option and no……I don’t care in the least what his stats are. We are talking the worse team in the league by a long shot and he immediately gets into a huge jam. Of course, the issue is that this wasn’t an aberration but the norm for Jansen. A better team would have put 2-3 up on him last night.
Belli and Jansen need to see LESS game time and have quick hooks. I would MUCH rather see Beaty or Pujols hit that Belli. At least they look like they are trying to match the situation.
I thought AJ got all of that when he hit it Another pivot able moment was when Smith was on 3rd and Pollock on 2nd. Pujols hit up the middle caused AJ to have to freeze before talking off to avoid being hit, other wise he would have also scored on the play, and they would have been up 6-5.
Your post had me nodding my head up and down after each sentence.
I too believe Doc has cost us at least one WS with poor use of bullpen, and if things don’t change, he appears to be heading down WS2 lost mostly thanks to him and his loyalty to his players.
I wonder if someone told him to Not use Jansen to close last year because it doesn’t seem like him to bench his boy, Jansen. But he did and we won. I wonder if he can do it again this year? We may not have Urias in the pen so that is huge, but I hope Urias does get moved to the pen and deemed the closer again because he is good when pitching against lefties or righties. I don’t know if we have a bona fide closer not named Urias. Trienen might be next up or this guy coming back from injury. I don’t know about either…..but I do have faith in Urias…..none in Jansen. Like someone said, he always seems to have baserunners aboard when he pitches. Very nerve wracking.
As for Bellinger….I wonder how strong Doc is to put Belli on the bench and give him some time off to work with the hitting coaches, or go down to OK to work on his swing there. That way he doesn’t hurt us. Just do it, Doc!
Remember, AJ tried to go to right and move the runner over, he just got under it and it became a fly ball.
For getting just under it, he hit it far enough where it would have been out in 12 stadiums including LA>
I just saw the play where the stupid monkey got injured, what a beautiful image, I loved it!
And by the way, keep saying that Bellinger will be fine, as long as he continues to hurt the team by being an automatic out, it doesn’t matter, there’s still a lot of time, right?
You are speaking of course about Tatis. He has had problems with his shoulder, like Bellinger for quite a while. He will most likely need surgery after the season.
“monkey” is a very ugly term to use. People have lost jobs because they used it on air to describe a person. I am not “woke” but it is still offensive.
I missed it. Was the “monkey” referenced here a person?
Tatis
Cody Bellinger is mired in a horrible slump. No excuses! He may need to sit a couple of games… or maybe he needs to play through it. I seriously doubt that anyone with a degree of baseball intellect thinks that sending him to OKC would be helpful. He knows and baseball talent evaluators know that hitting AAA pitching means very little. I also find it preposterous that he doesn’t listen and is not coachable. He is talking about it all the time with the coaches and Albert. Look at his swing in 2018 and maybe there are slight differences, but it is substantially the same.
I am a big picture person. I do not get sky high when they win and I don’t want to jump off buildings when they lose. Yes, there was a trade, but neither Turner or Scherzer are with the team. Give it time.
I also find it hilarious that a guy who is one of only 4 managers in ALL OF BASEBALL HISTORY to have a winning
of over .600 is so ridiculed. He is .02 percentage points asay from have the BEST winning percentage EVER… and he’s an idiot? Hummm…
I think a lot of people are not speaking from their brain, but maybe with their heart… or some other part of their body?
If I heard you correctly, and I believe I did, you are saying people are talking out their ass. I agree, and feel I must add it’s not like you to dance around an issue like that. Bellinger is in a slump. That’s all it is. We can live with it. What’s more important than one guy’s slump is the team having to pitch bullpen games, a team that can’t hit a mediocre fastball from a guy with an ERA pushing 5 and a team that continues to give up unearned runs. The time to end all that is coming. I look forward to it.
Badger. Pujols knocked in the tying run with a single to right putting runners on first and third. Then on one of the pitches to the next hitter he just took off and stole the bag. Too many walks amigo. The pitchers were in trouble all night. My take on Bellinger is simple, besides being out of whack mechanically and his timing off, he looks like he has no confidence up there at all. As for Gallen, he kept them off balance until Taylor’s HR. My biggest take away was that they had terrible at bats when they had runners in scoring position. Leaving Taylor stranded at 3rd after his triple was just hard to watch, and it was 3 of their best hitters who stranded him there when all they needed was a fly ball. But the tenth? That was just hard to watch.
I see it a tad differently. I think he’s close. He’s fouling off good pitches more than he did. Yeah, his mechanics are weird, but they always have been. He’s the quintessential blind squirrel up there. Get a hold of one once in a while and two things will happen- 1. they will stop throwing it down the middle on him, leading to more walks and 2. the ball fly 400’ somewhere, giving him an improved slg % which, added to the occasional BB wil get his OPS over .800. Pliant design, quiet the whines.
Ok, that last part needs a little work.
Terrible at bats. Yeah, I agree. Against a guy other teams clobber.
I think it’s all a set up for a terrific finish. We got ‘em right where we want ‘em.
Exchange “a lot of people are” with “Roberts is” and “speaking” with “managing” and you just hit the nail on the head.
Roberts record is a byproduct of AF’s mastery of roster building. If you don’t believe me, ask Don Mattingly. Who, by the way, just took a one year extension on his contract with the Marlins. Something he was unwilling to do with the Dodgers. That’s a man learns and grows with experience apparently.
Hold on a second Mark…..He’s (Doc) been BLESSED with a management that has handed him some of the best players in the world to coach. I’m pretty sure even you Mark can be pretty successful giving this lineup to the umpire before the game:
Turner, 2B
Betts, RF
Seager, SS
Muncy, 1B
Turner, 3B
CT3, CF
Pollack, LF
Smith, C
Scherzer, Kershaw, Buehler, Urias
The main game decisions you may have to make is how you use your bullpen. For example, who will be your 9th inning closer? Jansen or ? And this is where over the years we have found Doc wanting. He is too loyal to his players and has no problem throwing them back out there when clearly they are in a funk or a rut….like Jansen 3 times in a row and Bellinger 20 times in a row…..
If you were the manager of a “super team” and had a high winning percentage, does that make you a good manager? Roberts makes horrible game time decisions, doesnt know how to put together a winning lineup and clearly doesnt have the backbone to do what is needed with struggling players. Seems he is better suited doing interviews about how they won last years WS while kicking back with his shades and mai tai in hands. The problem is exactly what you state = how can you justify firing a manager who has a high winning percentage and just won a WS. You can’t and that’s why unfortunately I dont think we will win another one. What I’ve seen all season is erratic relief pitching, sloppy defense and horrific situational hitting- not just Belli but anyone who steps in the box with a runner on third and less than 2 outs. I mean, could you ever imagine a worse record in extra inning games? To me, that is a true measure of management capabilities. Do you bunt the guy over to ensure one run? Try to steal a bag? Replace starting runner? Bring in same relief pitcher to start the inning but then another based on lineup? These are all critical decisions the manager must make but Roberts just does the same thing over and over with the same results = losing. The Dodgers of this year will score 20 runs one game and then get shut out the next. Simply put, they got complacent just like Roberts. I really hope I’m wrong and the new acquisitions turn things around but I see one team play good fundamental baseball with very little talent = SF Giants and another extremely talented team play terrible fundamental baseball = Dodgers. Not what I want to see, but just speaking the truth.
I agree he has a great record.But Mark,I don’t know how much coaching you have done,but what record do you think you could manage this team to.
Dodgers: Corey Seager Will Be Out of the Lineup Saturday
by Brook Smith
Corey Seager’s long-awaited return to the Dodgers went about as well as it could. After weeks off due to a broken bone in his hand, Seager was back in the lineup on Friday night in Arizona. Unfortunately, it did not result in a win. The Dodgers dropped the game in extra-innings, .
I thought the whole point of keeping him out so long was so he can play 6-7 in a row. “Doc’s words”. What a load of bullcrap.
Did they give a reason as to why he isn’t playing? Sigh…..
Lineups have not been announced. I have looked everywhere and have not seen that posted anywhere.
The more I read the comments on this site, the more I realize that a lot of the people with the most outrageous suggestions don’t actually watch the game.
As far as Belli goes, I understand it’s very frustrating. His “step in the bucket” approach doesn’t look right. But, if you go back to when he was one of the most dangerous hitters in the league and watch the tape, he was still stepping in the bucket.
Back in the 70’s it seemed like most players had a closed stance. In the 90’s everyone had an open stance and a big leg kick. There’s no one right way to get the job done, so I’m not gonna pretend that straightening out Cody is going to be an “easy button” fix for his problems such as not stepping the bucket. You can do a lot more damage than good trying to completely remake someone’s swing. See Joc Pederson.
I remember when Kemp was coming back from his shoulder injury. Now, he was bad by the Bison’s standards, but not “Cody bad” when he returned. But, he didn’t miss all of Spring Training like Belli, which also suggests Belli missed all the offseason as well.
It took Kemp quite a while before the shoulder loosened up and for him to start hitting like himself again. I remember him saying a he felt a pop right before he started hitting like himself again. They said it was the scar tissue breaking down, then his shoulder loosened up enough for the swing to work properly again. Once that happened, he started looking like he was back to his old self until the fateful ankle injury.
Back to Cody, without trying to rehash what’s wrong with his swing, I’m going to point out once again the unusual circumstances surrounding his recovery. You can choose to read and consider the facts, or just keep doing what you’re doing. And that apparently is, not watching the game, looking and the box score and being outraged.
He had no offseason with any sort of baseball activity. He didn’t swing a bat, instead he spent it doing whatever exercises to recover from his surgery that the Dodgers’ doctors and training staff advised him to do. He’s didn’t appear in a Spring Training game until the final week or so and only appeared in 4 games before the broken leg incident.
So, now he’s on the IL with a broken leg and a bum shoulder. How do you think his swing is gonna go? Do you think he was able to work on fixing his swing with his leg in a boot and a tight shoulder? He was out for just under 2 months recovering from the broken leg. He was rushed back with a minimal rehab assignment due to other injuries to multiple players and played in just 11 games before the hamstring goes after having back to back multi-hit games. Back to the IL.
After coming back again, he struggles getting back and as soon as he has a multi hit game, the hamstring balks again. This time no IL stint since the rest of the team is still pretty banged up.
He’s clearly gone through a lot this season, both physically and mentally. Most people that follow closely know that this is not ideal and is not indicative of what kind of player he is. A reasonable person can see that he’s clearly playing through injuries and then add in the frustration that one would experience after every time he starts to feel right, he gets hurt again.
He’s not a bad player, he wasn’t lost it. He’s playing hurt and he’s having a hard time getting his swing right because his legs and shoulder aren’t 100%. This is not his fault.
So what do you do going forward? In case you haven’t noticed, but Mookie is still out and McKinney is our right fielder. If you take Belli out, you’re going to have to put in someone else who probably hits just as crappy as Belli has been hitting, but without that gold glove defense in Center Field. If you watched the game last night you would know that he made another great catch that probably widens the score if anyone else was out there.
From where I’m sitting, I’ve seen Cody look like he was about to come out of his slump twice this year, just to get injured again. When Mookie and Turner arrive, you can send CT3 out there to play acceptable CF, but not on par with Cody’s defense. But, then CT3 won’t be able to spell JT, Mookie and Pollock, all of whom will need days to keep them fresh.
NorcalDodgerFan makes sense. Sit on the bench a couple of days, then roll him out there for a few. Rinse, wash repeat until he gets going.
Or, send him to the IL. Focus on the swing for a couple of days and then send him on a lengthy rehab assignment until he feels right.
You can do that once T. Turner shows up, COVID free and Mookie comes back and is able to play daily in RF. Until then, STOP YELLING IN ALL CAPS!!! It just makes you look like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum. And stop blaming the loss on the number 7 hitter that makes a gold glove catch in CF when you can just as easily spend your time and ink complaining about Gonsolin, who clearly isn’t right either.
How does going on for 20+ paragraphs making excuses about a shoulder and no spring training equate to not watching games?
Cody sucks right now. He is hurting the team being in the lineup. Those are facts.
There are better options that a .150 hitter than makes zero adjustments or at least ones that aren’t working
Jason,
So. with your thinking, the Dodgers might win the battle (the current game), but lose the War (playoffs).
Some have sight, some have vision!
I prefer to win the war and people with Vision.
The good news B/P is, if Cody is still slumping in 7 days, TTurner will be ready to play. Assuming Seager is still healthy, we then have options to replace Cody with a pretty decent defensive CF…..Turner or CT3. That way you just can’t hold your hat on…..”did you see that one nice catch Cody made?…….why are you just talking about his pitiful 0-5 again…..that’s all you ever want to talk about are his batting numbers. Cody is fast too.”
Turner, T…..CF or 2B
Mookie
Seager
Muncy
Turner
CT3…….CF or 2B
Pollack
Smith
Pitcher
We won’t need Cody to make that one nice catch or run fast around the bases (although you have to admit, he rarely gets on base)….Turner or CT3 can make it just as well. So in 7 days you won’t be able to say, “his replacement will be just as woeful as he is…” because as you can see….that won’t be true!
TM
Bullpen, how can a fan comment on the specifics of Cody’s swing without watching the game? The box score is not going to give them that information. What do they say that allows you to realize that they don’t actually watch the game? Just curious.
I’ve never had a problem with Cody stepping in the bucket when he swings. He’s been successful having that flaw in his swing. The big downside to that approach is his limited ability to go with an outside pitch to left field. But, he more than made up for it with his production.
You mentioned Kemp’s shoulder injury and recovery from surgery. Kemp’s injury was much more severe that what Cody dealt with. Kemp ran straight into a wall at full speed (I think in Chicago). The bricks always win. I don’t think Cody has the scar tissue issue that Matt had. With as hard as Cody is swinging it doesn’t appear so.
Your quote:
“Back to Cody, without trying to rehash what’s wrong with his swing, I’m going to point out once again the unusual circumstances surrounding his recovery. You can choose to read and consider the facts, or just keep doing what you’re doing. And that apparently is, not watching the game, looking and the box score and being outraged.”
I believe most on this site are aware of the circumstances of Cody’s recoveries. You have written about them over and over and over again. There was nothing unusual about them. He gets injured, recovers, and rehabs. I know he had no offseason to work on his swing and that when he would show a little spark of positive he got injured again. Your arrogant comment “you can choose to read and consider the facts, or just keep doing what you’re doing.” makes little sense. I read and considered your facts and they have no bearing on my opinion of Cody. I’m not ignoring his injuries or recoveries nor that his timing might be off. What I’m trying to express is it’s his attitude and approach that needs some rehab. That has nothing to do with his shoulder or leg or hamstring. Ok, let’s say his shoulder is hurting and not at full strength. Then why doesn’t he cut down on his swing to help allow the healing necessary to be at full strength? Make contact, drive in some runs or move a runner along. His numbers hitting fourth in July are .102/.175/.205. That’s a big reason the offense has been so erratic. Swinging from his heels no matter what the situation. So his shoulder being a physical problem I call bullshit. Timing off? Maybe. So adjust until he gets his timing back. With his leg injuries being an issue, again I call BS. When he is running full out in CF and making spectacular catches almost on a nightly basis then his legs aren’t a major issue. With his hamstring injuries it shows that some added strength and/or conditioning is probably needed. To use those injuries as an excuse for his hitting woes is weak at best. It’s hard to have it both ways. You can’t have leg problems and run hard or have shoulder problems and swing as hard as possible without wincing from pain. If he is in pain and not recovered properly then he needs to go on the IL as soon as Trea arrives. If it means taking the rest of the season off then so be it. Start healthy and strong next year. Do what’s best for your teammates and the fans.
Contrary to your ”know it all assumptions”, I watch almost every Dodger game and make it point to see each of Cody’s ABs. Why? Because I’m hoping for a turn around in his approach and for him to add much needed production offensively for the Dodgers. You may find this hard to believe but Cody had been until recently my favorite player. Now, I’m just tired of his selfish approach to hitting and lack of any desire to change. I started commenting about him two years ago on how he could be a top five player in baseball if made small adjustments to his hitting approach. Like not swinging too hard and going the other way when a pitch dictated. His all or nothing approach eliminates the maximum use of his speed on the bases and reduces the number of teammates he can drive in. Cody has been a very good player. With athleticism he should be a top five player and a slam dunk HOF’er. I like very good, multi talented athletes that strive to be great. Like Kobe and Tom Brady. Cody has that chance.
B&P, I usually enjoy reading and agree with most of your comments. You have all kinds of information and opinions. And, without a doubt you take the prize for volume. But it’s hard sometimes to get through your posts when you come off as a know it all, you have all the answers, and you know why everyone is thinking what they’re thinking There are no uncertainties with you. Just sayin”.
I’m exhausted talking about Cody. I’ve been doing it for over two years and have taken some heat for my comments at times. Which is OK. That’s what this blog is for. But, no more until it’s time to congratulate Cody Bellinger on turning his season around and helping the Dodgers win the WS.
Carry on.
Kemp ran into that wall at Coors Field.
Actually it was a fence.
Yes, left centerfield right where the fence is split. And part of it is screen.
Excellent rebuttal Ted, clap clap.
I’ve only been on this site for a couple of weeks and it is pretty obvious to me, half of the guys are okay with Cody working out his problems while playing in LA.
And the other half have seen enough and want Cody to take a seat, go down to OKl, get traded (me), or be platooned.
But I know we all agree on one thing….if Cody plays, we hope for the best and want to see the best, not some 0-4 with 2 Ks. No one walks around with a big grin on their face when Cody goes hitless, thinking, “I told you”…. because when Cody fails, our team fails. We all wear a cap that has the letters LA on it, not CB.
Just so you know me a little bit better, as a former retired attorney, I have always enjoyed a good debate…it keeps my mind stimulated and I think that is a good thing to ward off Alzheimers. Being on SS at 68, you think of these things….so I don’t mind jawing about the pros and cons of a player or a manager. However, I can assure everyone here, it means nothing to me if you don’t agree with me, you won’t hurt my feelings, and I am not writing my thoughts to win over converts to my way of thinking. It’s no big deal….this is merely a hobby, not my life. I enjoy the banter and the fellowship and I don’t think less of anyone who is opposed to my way of thinking and I don’t really like anyone more just because we may agree on most Dodger matters.
So, if you are upset at me because i was hoping to trade Cody or am hoping we bench him, know this, I’m not upset at you one bit. Your opinion and thoughts are important too…..even if I do believe they may be misguided. Lol
TM
Great post tedraymond. Like always.
Here’s a post I made yesterday and I haven’t changed my mind in 24 hours.
“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” or is playing poorly. It’s like Joe Kelly. If his shoulder was so painful why didn’t he get it treated instead of one poor performance after another. So, I’m done with any speculation and excuses for bad play based on unfounded speculation that he might be injured.”
Bellinger is getting dangerously close to Andruw Jones from years back. There comes a point where guys are so lost and just guess at pitches hoping they can run into one. My guess is that its now more mental than physical but not a mind reader so can only evaluate the results. Having said that, I agree that benching Belli will not be the answer to winning. As B&P stated, who else are you going to throw out there instead? As it stands, they are playing guys like McKinney, McKinstry, Raley, Beatty, etc in the OF because of other injuries. Are they really better options than Bellinger? At least Belli can play Gold Glove CF, steal a bag or two and has a reputation that pitchers need to respect. Instead, get the entire team to cut down on chasing pitches which is far worse than I remember compared to years past. Furthermore, if every player had the same appreciation for defense, we would probably be in first place right now despite Belli’s struggles at the plate. The focus should be on solving the real problem and its not Belli. Furthermore, the team is good even with Bellinger in the lineup as evidenced by their record. My concern is that when it comes down to tight games in the postseason, we will be exposed for poor fundamental baseball regardless of how many mega-stars we have on the roster.
Difference is, Jones came to camp out of shape as a free agent.
Defensively – no comparison and agree conditioning was a big factor. At the plate swinging out of your shoes at balls a foot off the plate…….
There’s just something missing with a group this talented and with such a horrible extra inning and one run loss record. It’s the little things that add up.
Last night. Runner on third with no outs with Muncy, Turner and Seager up. And we don’t score! Cost us the game. We’re horrible in that situation. Popping up and striking out! All the time! Moving runners over. Nope. Holding runners on. Nope. Hit and run. Nope. Stealing a meaningful base late in the game. Nope. Sloppy D. Yep. Relievers constantly walking batters. Yep. The little things add up. Especially in close games!
9 walks cost them the game. Along with some really bad hitting with runners in scoring position and just a wee bit of bad luck. AJ’s blast falling just short of being a granny. Turner missing hitting the ball fair by inches. And although it has not been brought up, last nights home plate ump was terrible. Gerry Davis’s strike zone was wider than my butt. The check swing strike call on Smith in the first was awful and wrong. Replay clearly shows he did not cross the plate.
Thanks for that visual Bear. I fixed it with a pictured fastball right up the wazoo. I feel better. How about you?
Anything I can do to help my friend. Butt is sore…but it will recover.
You’re a team player Fozz.
Was not talking just about Bellinger. He made bad calls on a lot of hitters.
I agree that the umpire sucked but didn’t want to flog that dead horse further. A big part of Belli’s problem is that is seems that every umpire in the league call’s every strike that grazes the top of the zone by an eyelash and calls every ball 3 inches off the black on the outside a strike.
The umpire part is true,
but how does that explain missing center cut fastballs
Interesting write-up, DC. Guessing with the limited drafts, these signings will become far more important to teams in the future.
As to the loss last night, Tony Gosselin, who was lights out Saturday, couldn’t find the strike zone. Created a mess. The Dodgers cannot afford to keep blowing games. They recovered, had a chance to win, failed to produce in the clutch again.
As to Cody Bellinger, I really do not believe that he will recover this year. Hope I’m wrong and there will be moments, but once Trea Turner arrives and with everybody back, Chris Taylor is going to play which means Cody will spend more time on the bench. Got to go with the hot bat and right now he’s hurting the team. The shoulder surgery, a late start in spring, then the leg fracture has a lot to do with his current play. no doubt messing with his head. I expect him to be pretty good next year. Get physically right, work on the swing etc.
The shoulder is nothing new, even last year it was giving him some problems. Now it’s fixed, but it usually takes a while to regain strength.
Basically, no one should give up on Bellinger, but expecting him to recover in the midst of a pennant race may be a bridge too far and somewhat unrealistic. The addition of Turner and the return of Seager and Betts probably changes the way the Dodgers move forward.
Interesting article in the Times today on what trading for Turner means to Seager moving forward. Will the Dodgers seek to retain Seager now? If they do, maybe they want him to switch to third, Turner move to DH. For now Turner will switch to second, play some short and a little center. He offers the Dodgers a dimension they didn’t have.
It’s a new day. So lets all smile and be happy. Nice write up. I love hearing about these guys who never give up on the dream. Never had that chance myself. But would not have mattered, I was not that good. I like most everyone here get frustrated when games like last night come along. But performance is squarely on the players. Putting his players in a position to succeed is on Roberts. It will be a bullpen game again, and my choice to start is easy. White…he did not pitch last night so he is fresh. I have not seen the lineup nor did I read anywhere that Seager was not playing, but I am pretty sure Dave is going to put Bellinger back out there hitting 6th or 7th. Right now my take is that part of the problem is the lack of production off of the bench. But they got 2 PH off the bench last night. Beaty and Pujols. McKinstry continued his struggles and is now down to .218. If anyone needs some AAA time, it is Zach. They used 8 pitchers last night. Kelly, Bickford, Nelson and Treinen were the only ones who did not walk anyone. Jansen will most likely not be available this evening. He walked 2 gave up a hit and struck out 3. But he was all over the place. By the way Badger, the unearned run was the automatic runner at second in the 10th. They played solid defense last night and Seager made a great backhand play and bounce throw to first. I do not know what the solution is to the offensive struggles. As for lack of fire, well I saw some frustration until Taylor’s HR. After that they all looked very into the game. The most frustration I saw from anyone came from Roberts. He was shaking his head while Catman was pitching. They did not expect that kind of performance. I do not know how many of you were watching the game, but I have never seen a pitcher short arm and bury as many pitches in the dirt as he did last night. He was never in control from the first pitch. Kelly pitching tonight for the Snakes. 0-2 with a 4.13 against LA in his career. Has allowed 6 HR to LA in 28 innings.
They make that unearned run? If there’s no error, it’s earned. It could go against the team. The staff didn’t hold, the opposition earned it.
Yep, that is the scoring and the pitcher still gets the loss.
Dude, you arguing against an established rule. The runner is placed on second base to start the inning. He didn’t earn the base, therefore it isn’t an earned run.
The pitcher still gets the loss because he let the other team take the lead. It doesn’t matter if the run is earned, or unearned. Every time the pitcher allows the other team to take the lead, he takes the loss if his team fails to tie or take the lead afterwards. This is all established.
I think that the focus on Bellinger, while somewhat warranted, obscures the real lesson of this game, which is, we do not have a good enough bullpen, and why did we not pick up a couple of decent relievers??
Gonsolin starts and gives up three runs in two innings. Then (I didn’t watch the game right through) we get to 3-2, and then Vesia gives up two runs. Then we battle back to eventually tie. We put Jansen in, in the eighth, not the ninth, saving Treinen. Jansen gives up a double, a walk, a single, and manages to get out of the bases loaded and one out situation, with the batter striking out on a high 3-2 fastball. After that singularly unimpressive effort by “our closer!,” Treinen pitched a good ninth, and then Nelson gave up the game winning hit. So we lost to Arizona.
How did anyone think that this bullpen was sufficient to win a title? Why did we not get somebody? This has been a problem all year. Now we are going to somehow try to win the division, and then the playoffs, with the worst bullpen of any contender in either league. It is not that our bullpen is terrible, it is just not very good. And imagine Jansen pitching in situations where we cannot afford to give up a run. Friedman did an excellent job in his pickups, but he unaccountably ignored a crucial need. And I don’t see how we can use Urias in playoff series as a reliever, as we only have three other starters, who pitches the fourth game? The only relievers I have some confidence in, in key situations, are Treinen, and to some extent Kelly, and they can only pitch one inning, apparently. What about the rest of the innings? Is it just bad luck that we are now 1-11 in extra inning games? We saw about six contenders make moves to upgrade their bullpens, and we just sat there and did not get one of them.
One of those runs belonged to Graterol. He started the inning allowing a runner, so Vesia came in. Van Meter doubled him in and then with one out scored on a sac fly. Right now I think the Dodgers need to concentrate on taking care of their own business.
Maybe Nelson, Kahnle and Knebel are the gets. They also got Sherfry and … Sherfry dont bother me. Yeah, I know, I used that already. I like it enough to use it again. We also got Morrow, who, like Bellinger, is any day now. And we have Gonsolin, who might could throw strikes for one inning if asked. And Price. I’m not so worried about the bullpen. My remedy would also include a 4 run lead in the 9th.
I started this post, ate some yogurt, then finished it. I notice Mark just posted something similar. Great minds. Neither of us have one.
With you, Badger, we never know exactly how much of your comment is totally humor based and how much is part fact and part humor.
With that in mind, I just want to inform you, in case you weren’t already aware, that apparently the Morrow experiment is finished. He will not be joining us.
And, as an avid reader of yours, I deeply resent the fact that you would interrupt a post for yogurt. I would think you would have more respect for your fans. Er sorry, that should probably read fan.
Well, I have half a mind to beat you up!
Gotta catch me first. Which I think for the first time in 20 years you probably could.
Kahnle is not expected back at all. They said maybe September, but that is not a lock.
I have a lot of confidence in the bullpen… if healthy. Just changing the names by trading players is not a guarantee of anything.
Tony Gonsolin had a bad game last night. It happens. Even after that, his ERA is still 2.78… So he is still a very good pitcher.
David Price will be going back to the pen when Max gets into town. He has been stretched out and is a solid innings-eater out of the pen. I read someone say “He is not the pitcher he once was.” No $hit Sherlock? That’s why the Red Sox paid half his salary.. . however, he can be very useful.
Jimmy Nelson is just getting back into it and he is very good as are Treinen and Kelly.
Corey Knebel will be back this week and he can close as well… just give him some time.
VGon will be better. I watched his running and jumping and I think his feet problems are abating.
Kenley can still close. I just prefer more than a 1 run lead.
Alex Vesia, Scott Alexander, Phil Bockford and Mitch White are solid… not spectacular.
Gonsolin and Urias will likely be in the bullpen in the playoffs, with Duffy in the rotation.
Then there is the Bazooka, who is still learning.
There are others, but that is the core of a good bullpen. The key is to get healthy.
The Dodgers lead MLB with a 3.21 ERA.
Their relievers are #9 with a 3.66 ERA – 0.10 points behind the great Milwaukee bullpen.
The bullpen is fine.
This is just a manifestation of your fear!
Very close to another saying which is “A coward makes a brave man braver”. Not sure who said it.
If anyone….TM… is hoping Bellinger will be on the bench tonight against Kelly…..think again. Roberts is analytic and probability driven. Bellinger is hitting .333 off of Kelly with 2 HR’s in 9 at bats. He will be starting. Pujols and Smith are the other two Dodgers who have homered against him. Muncy is hitting north of .600 against him. Belli will be in the lineup.,
I’m curious Bear…what was Bellinger hitting against that phenom from last night, Gallen, before the game began? (One of these days I will try to figure out how to use Baseball Reference like you do.)
And if this is why Doc would insert Belli is because of what he has done against him in the past, this is just another reason I’m not a Doc fan….whatever Cody did against Kelly was done in the past….the past Cody! Today’s Cody is a different guy. I doubt Kelly will be facing the past Cody tonight……but hey, I’m a Dodgers fan first and foremost….if Cody is playing, I hope he goes 4-4 with 2 HRs and 20 guys come on here the following day to tell me, “I’m glad you aren’t the manager.”
I’m okay with that knowing that we won. I’m a Dodgers fan…..I want us to win and I have no self esteem issues in which i just have to be right.
Hey TM, even if Cody winds up going 0-4 with 4 strike outs, I’m still glad you aren’t the manager.
As to how I feel about Doc’s being the manager………………………………………
Hi Blue,
Just curious….is it my “bench Cody” or “trade Lux” rally calls that has soured you on me? Something else?
You should know these two things about me before you make that call….
1. I was manager of my daughter’s 6-7 year old soccer team, having no real soccer knowledge or experience, and I led them to a respectable 5th place, out of 10 teams. I think our record was 4-5. I can’t recall, that was 25 years ago. FYI, I didn’t even know what “offsides “ was before I took the job.
2. I captained and played on a Men’s ALTA (Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association) tennis team that won the division five consecutive seasons.
So, what do you think now? Still don’t trust me?
TM
5th? If you had an understanding of analytics your team would have medaled.
My team came in first place every single year I coached anything and I won my fantasy baseball league every single year I played until my buddies kicked me out of the league.
I also coached soccer without knowing anything about it and still came in first, the only year my boy played that sport.
You’re the Terry Cheveaux to my Ricky Bobby.
“If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
I strongly believe in reversion to the mean, so TM, I’ve re-thought my position, and I feel you are eminently qualified to be Doc’s successor (based on your soccer coaching results, not the tennis success).
On the other hand, B&P, since you haven’t ever failed at anything, I’m afraid I can’t consider you.
I think eminently is a bad rap.
I have found the best way to fully appreciate people you don’t agree with is to ignore them and just nod your head while you’re doing it.
None of the Dodgers had good numbers off of Gallen, and if you want to know their stats against that nights starting pitcher all you need to do is go to the Dodger site, look at the preview where the starters are listed and click on that and the hitters history against the pitcher pops up. You do not need to go to baseball referrence, but if you do, it will not show the players history against a pitcher, but it does show the pitchers history against the team. Doc and the entire staff use not only analytics, but he uses the probability factor. He always has. And I am glad I am not the manager too.
If you were the manager you’d know all that and whole lot more. Obviously you don’t get that job unless you understand analytics.
TM
“I want us to win and I have no self esteem issues in which i just have to be right.”
Perfect person to say that to.
I have no self esteem issues like you seem to think I do Eric. I know exactly who I am, and I am not always right and say so when that happens. That being said, there will be no personal attacks on anyone’s person or character on this site. Your post will be deleted when that happens. This is a free shot. No more. Do not assume to know people you have never met. I look at the game and the stats different than you do and that is the difference between us. I respect your opinion, even though I do not agree. You respect mine, keep it civil, or find somewhere else to post. Simple as that. And yes I can do that. I have access to that page and Mark’s ok.
I was wrong on one point. Muncy is only hitting .417 off of Kelly.
A big part of the loss last night is Doc’s propensity to roll out that reliever to start an inning after sitting down trying to get another out out of him. Twice, he sent his reliever out there to start an inning after he finished the previous inning only to pull him after the first batter reaches base. Both times, that guy scored. We don’t even go to extras if he just pulls the reliever and lets a new one start the next inning with a clean slate. He does this all the time and never learns.
The other thing that constantly kills us is all those shift hits. Stop shifting with two strikes! Stop shifting against right handed hitters! Righties have a propensity to go the other way to advance a runner. By shifting on righties, you’re assuming that every other team has the poor strategy of pulling everything no matter what, like our team does.
When there’s two strikes on a lefty, other teams will make contact going the other way like Brandon Crawford did against Price in the first inning on Thursday. When you shift, you are limiting your pitcher by having him pitch into the pull instead of using his full arsenal. When your pitcher just walked three guys in a row, it’s obvious to anyone with a brain that you can’t trust him to pitch into the shift.
I totally agree with you on all points covered.
This is what I was expressing in my earlier comment. Excellent comment. Like Bear, I agree totally with thoughts on the shift. It does seems like RH go to RF and take advantage of the shift as opposed to LH.
The constant criticism of Dave Roberts absolutely baffles me. Do his in game moves sometimes frustrate me, absolutely. However how can anyone argue with the results. I understand the argument that anyone can win with the talent he’s been given but that disregards the difficulties involved in the game of baseball. Additionally, lots of Managers have been given great talent and Doc’s results place him at the top of his craft. The following list says it all:
Casey Stengel, Yankees winning %, .623
Dave Roberts, Dodgers winning %, .611
Joe Torre, Yankees winning %, .604
Sparky Anderson, Big Red Machine winning %, .596
Tony LaRussa, A’s winning %, .594
Earl Weaver, Orioles winning %, .583
Bobby Cox, Braves winning %, .557
Walter Alston, Dodgers winning %, .558
Tommy Lasorda, Dodgers winning %, .526
I think all of us would admit all the names on this list had great teams with great talent. Doc is at the very top of this list. He will make mistakes of judgement but the results more than speak for themselves, and overall he does a great job or he wouldn’t have the results he has.
Hey TM
ESPN give you batter vs pitcher stats.
You can search for a player and on his main page there is a “Bat vs Pitch” link.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/batvspitch/_/id/33912/cody-bellinger
AWESOME B/P….thanks a lot….you are da man! (Bear is too!) I’m on it!
Hey, I’m impressed with your resume much more than mine…1st place in kids soccer with no prior soccer knowledge makes you a better candidate than my 5th place finish. But, you probably used analytics that Bear recommended I use. Lol
TM
PS….I hope I eat my words and Cody goes on a tear…I’m so tired of looking up SF’s arse in the standings. A hot Cody can change that I believe.
August will change that. And Cody will contribute.
My 2 cents on Bellinger, the bullpen and Doc.
You can talk all you want about Doc’s record but he has benefited greatly by a front office that has given him superior players. Another words it is the superior players he has had that has lead to his record. Another words a lot of times they win despite Doc.
The bullpen is mediocre and stats prove it. I don’t need to rehash this subject.
As for Bellinger. He will come around eventually, but there comes a time to bench him/send him to AAA when he is clearly hurting the team offense. That time will be when Betts and T. Turner are ready to go.
Meanwhile we failed to pick up a game on the Giants just like we did when we were facing the Giants. Failure to seize the moment.
Doc sucks. He’s Mr. Magoo bumbling through life and living off luck and on the backs of others. Even as a player, he was firmly mediocre and his claim to fame was single stolen base in a post season where he was so valuable he didn’t even get a single plate appearance. Even as a speedy defensive outfield, he didn’t have eye opening range and didn’t have much of an arm. He was a Punch and Judy hitter that could occasionally let out some extra hits or turn a single into a double. He was as one dimensional as a player as he is a manager.
The bullpen is debated on this more than Pigs or Belli’s swing mechanics. I know you’ve made it your thing to complain about it, but you’re curiously silent when they’re putting up zeros, and you always get loud when we’re having bullpen games and during the aftermath caused by them.
AC Points out that today that we’re 9th in the league in bullpen ERA. Even if we would have added Kimbrel, Rodriguez and Hudson at the deadline, it wouldn’t change that fact because you can’t erase the stats that were accumulated before they arrived. Saying that the only thing that matters is the body of work over the course of the year is akin to crying over spilt milk.
I say Shenanigans! When you’re 3 games back with 2 months and 1/3rd of the season remaining, the only thing that matters is future performance.
The bullpen has been the third best in baseball over the last 30 days and that is with several key pieces on the IL. It only gets better from here with the additions of Nelson, Knebel, Graterol and possibly Gonsolin. Not to mention Duffy, all of whom didn’t add much or anything at all to our recent 30 day dominance. It stands to reason that the bullpen is already fixed when you’re able to add that many quality arms to good 30 days stats that are obscured by overuse when it’s covering for 2-3 starters missing over the same time frame.
I have just two concerns for this bullpen going forward. Health and Jansen weak, frail, pitiful ego. I’m just glad that we appear to have another option if Knebel can come back into the frey. Sure it would have been great to pickup Kimbrell and send Kenley to the glue factory. But, there’s no guarantee that a Kimbrel signing doesn’t end up like the Axford signing a couple of years ago. I just pray that if anyone get’s hurt for the remainder of the year, it’s Jansen, after Knebel comes back of course.
I agree that you can’t bench Belli until Betts returns and Turner arrives. Even then, we’ll have to give JT and Pollock a day or two while mixing in some Belli bench time. But you have to keep giving him chances because he’s feared in the lineup when he’s on and he’s always great with the glove. If CT3 has to take over in the playoffs, you roll him out there as long as he stays hot. I have no problem at that time, but this constant bitching about an MVP player sounds like fingernails on the chalkboard.
It’s very irritating to fail to pick up games on the bumtown on the bay rivals to the North and the bastard children of one night stands to the South. But, have just a little more patience until we get our guys back and get going. 3 games is nothing to overcome with 2 months to play. I’ll worry about that 3 game lead with there’s 14 left to play.
If we can’t win the division with this superteam, it just wasn’t meant to be, or it was Doc’s fault. AF has done everything imaginable to create an All-Star team without giving the farm system the Bauer date-night treatment.
Other than the bullpen I agree with you on everything else. I kind of agree with you on the bullpen, but if the Dodgers have to still carry AAA relievers and Jansen is still around Doc will find a way to mishandle the bullpen. Part of the bullpen’s mediocre stats is Doc’s mishandling of the bullpen. I will admit that the bullpen is a little bit better than the stats suggest, but only a little bit, it’s still mediocre.
Pepiot promoted to AAA. Four players promoted to Tulsa. Knack and Gibbens were two of the players promoted.
Pepiot may be on the playoff roster!
Might be, never can tell. Got the letter today Mark with the check. Thanks.
I would say there’s a good chance to make the September roster. Anyone who performs in September is in play for possible playoff roster decisions. You can really ride a hot reliever in the playoffs.
I have a really good feeling about Danny Duffy and his trade makes a lot of sense for me.
AF knew there was only one closer on the market worth getting and the ChiSox, not learning from their past mistake of trading Sammy Sosa, the future face of the Cubs franchise that shares a city with them. They played Deja vu all over again and traded their own future Jose Altuve clone in Nick Madrigal to their cross town rivals.
The Dodgers did not have a match as the ChiSox were looking into Miller and Pepiot, but ultimately decided on Madrigal and a reliever with a lot of upside. Probably a good decision since Madrigal already has an impressive 317 batting average in 303 career ABs spread across his age 23 and 24 seasons. He is a sure thing with game changing bat to ball skills even if he isn’t too sexy in the power department. Miller and Pepiot have Ace upside, but you never know with the volatility of pitchers that haven’t pitched above the AA level and I’m pretty sure AF wasn’t too crazy about trading either of them.
With the Scherzer deal being discussed, Duffy made a lot of sense. With JoJo going to the Nats in the same deal, we lost our insurance Starting Pitcher and with Gonsolin’s suspect shoulder and lack of command and diminished velocity, insurance for the insurance was needed.
The Dodgers seem to love the idea of having a multi inning lefty in the pen. They’ve seen enough from Andrew Miller, Josh Hader, Drew Pomeranz and Zach Britton to know how valuable they are. Not to mention, it’s trendy to have one, so naturally the geeks upstairs are on board.
They loved Julio in that role last year, but 12 wins as a starter this season fully justifies his fixture in the rotation no matter how successful he was in the multi inning lefty role. You see, a dominant starter inherently has more value than any reliever.
They tried to turn David Price into that guy, but it didn’t work to plan. An inherent problem with Davis is that his first inning is his worst inning like many starters who take an inning to get going. Price’s recent interviews saying that he prefers starting says much more than those simple words. He obviously doesn’t want to go on public television to plead his case to start, but he doesn’t seemed thrilled to have a bullpen role on a team that needs starting pitching. It was one thing when the rotation was Bauer, Kersh, Bueller, Urias and May. It’s a different story now when he’s opening bullpen games.
Enter Duffy. Initial reports were that Duffy could be back mid to late August from his second flexor tendon strain this year. He might be ahead of that schedule if they choose to go the reliever route with him, but building him up until they need him is a solid plan and Knebel coming back soon and adding to the bullpen gives you a little more flexibility. He was excellent as a starter before and after his first flexor strain this year and has plenty of experience pitching in relief.
I would imagine that the plan for the starting rotation will be to have Scherzer, Bueller, Keshaw, Urias and Price continue on as starters with Gonsolin probably headed to the IL to get him to work on his command. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been clearly effective as a starter except for the fact that he never goes deep into ballgames. He’s only pitched through 6 four times in 30 career starts and has never recorded an out in the 7th inning.
Price, on the other hand, was a workhorse throughout his career. He’s just one year older than Kershaw so there’s no reason to think he can’t get back into that workhorse role again after sitting a year and a half and being used sparingly so far this season. He had a very solid season in 18 when the Sox whipped us in the World Series even though he was pitching with a cyst in his hand. The next year he was effective, but the cyst ultimately landed him on the IL and in for surgery to finally address the issue. Now, fully healthy and touching 95, he should absolutely be able to fill the 5th spot in the rotation. Especially now that Duffy is earmarked for that multi inning lefty role.
It’s kismet that Duffy arrives at this deadline to provide us with two roles that AF had the foresight of seeing. He provides the insurance to the rotation that we lost with the departure of Jojo and fills the multi inning lefty role that Price isn’t well suited for. He can also be brought in when rosters expand in September and make a spot start to give our guys and extra day of rest during the stretch run.
If you don’t believe in kismet, check this out…
https://dodgersway.com/2021/07/31/dodgers-danny-duffy-tommy-lasorda-ball/
Some thoughts on last night:
* Did I miss the new promo, when Dodgers pitchers walk 10 guys, everybody gets a free Jumbo Jack?
* Orel babbled on early about how sweet it would be to beat the Pads especially with Max on the hill. Win a game first.
* There’s too much scoreboard watching in the booth. Win a game. first
* It was announced that with a bullpen game coming up, no relief pitcher would be extended. Even if they were being effective. Like Treinen. Doc wants to save that pen for tomorrow. So after Gonsolin’s pitiful start only Bickford went 1.1 innings.How about spending some bullets to win this game and let tomorrow take care of itself?
* Bellinger needs to retooling his swing this off season. As mentioned by others, I have seen no adjustments except moving about 2 inches off the plate. I’ve heard all the stats and excuses. He’s hit his way for a long time. But it’s stopped working. He was 0 for 5 agin, leaving 4 critical runners left on base.
* Don’t laugh. I would have strongly considered bunting with Bellinger in the 8th after Smith’s walk and Pollock’s single with no outs to get to McKinney and Albert. Move the runners.
* Muncy is fun to watch hit. He has a great eye and approach. I like his swing, especially with 2 strikes. He took the outside fastball the other way for a single. Just a beautiful swing. He has great balance staying on the pitch. His lack of head movement is something to copy. His head moves forward a little but it does not bob up or down. That keeps his eyes on the ball. I hear that’s important.
* Without McKinney’s great catch the 6th, that inning could have been a back breaker.
* Am I dreaming or are more guys beating the shift? Beaty and McKinney both did. Why would anybody shift on McKinney anyway?
* Back to the 1st and 3rd strategies. Joe and especially Orel needed to talk less about the pitch selection and tell us where the infield was positioned with 1st and 3rd, one out, top 9. The TV didn’t show it. Are they in at the corners, DP depth in middle or everywhere? In all the way to cut down the run? It’s important. If the infield is in, the double play around the horn is practically impossible. so I don’t go on contact and run into an out. Keep the 2nd and 3rd alive for 2 runs. Turns out they were at DP depth everywhere. We had the contact play on as we should have but Smith hit into a 5-4-3 DP to end the inning.
* We certainly make things interesting, I’ll say that.
Got a question for you phil. Cody is 6’4” with obviously long arms. He stands straight up and right on the plate. I’m assuming he swings a 34” bat.
I just did a quick analysis in my living room using advanced analyptics, a tape measure and a LS 34” C271 Pro Stock I picked up at Vero. It was Mark Grudzielanek’s. I put an Optimum Insurance folder and a 3”5” card on floor (17”) and standing approximately 12” from my home plate I could, with the far end of my sweet spot, easily reach an outside corner strike. I’m 5’9” now (usta was 5’10”). It’s important to note I could only barrel real strikes, not the strikes these guys think they are seeing. Using my advance arithmetically accurate data, what would you recommend Cody do tonight that could help him barrel strikes.
Close his eyes?
Badger – Maybe Cody could benefit, as you have, from an advanced analyptic. Always mades me feel better. Don’t forget to bend your knees and back off that envelope.
Figured you’d appreciate the analyptic reference.
I think a change to a 33” 30 oz LS U47 maple bat with EXOPRO finish, which creates a beautiful mirror like finish and guarantees extra hardness (and who wouldn’t want that?) would catch him up to those fastballs on which he’s late. You can even get bats made to the half inch now.
He’s late. Lighten up Cody. He’s long. Shorten up Cody.
Excellent points, Phil.
I also get frustrated when the announcers do not show or point out the infield positioning with a runner at third base. Especially in the ninth inning of a tie game!
Dodgers just played horrible baseball to lose that game last night.
Bases loaded and no outs and Smith strikes out.
Runner on third and no outs and not able to score Taylor.
First and third in the ninth in a tie game and Smith hits into double play.
Amazing to me that the Dodgers refuse to bunt in the go ahead run in the ninth inning. The infield must have been playing back and shifted against Smith. It is a shame that MLB players do not know how to bunt a baseball. Especially when the Dodgers struggle so much with runners on third and less than two outs. Only Barnes seems willing to bunt in those situations.
Not sure if it is simply ego or lack of work ethic, but frustrating that a professional player will not maximize his skills.
RCD – the players could do it with proper mechanics and a willingness but it’s not up to them. It’s an organizational philosophy. It’s not something they feel is important. It’s the same with other elements of small-ball and trying to manufacture runs. If they felt it was statistically valuable you can bet they would work on it as part of player development. You think it’s valuable. I think it’s valuable. I think it’s winning baseball. The organization obviously doesn’t.
I think players agents should remind them that adding 50-100 points to your OPS will add a few million to your bank account. A bunt single once a week would do that.
Well said, Phil!
Here’s the other two guys to Tulsa Bear.
Brad Tunney – Loons Play-by-play announcer
@brad_tunney
A lot of exciting movement in the #Dodgers system today… here’s what’s happening in Great Lakes:
Landon Knack, Cameron Gibbens, Jose Martinez, and Justin Yurchak promoted to Tulsa.
Hyun-Il Choi, Aldry Acosta promoted from Rancho. Edward Cuello added from Tulsa.
Thanks,,,Giants jump to a 1-0 lead off of Greinke in the 2nd. Wood pitching for SF.
I’m glad to see Cameron Gibbens get promoted to AA, I am high on him. 0.95 WHIP and 17.0 K/9 this year/career in the minors.
Corey not in the starting lineup SS Taylor, 2B Muncy, 3B Turner, C Smith, LF Pollock, CF Bellinger, 1B Beaty, RF McKinney, P White. No one in D-Backs starting lineup has more than 8 HR’s. First 5 in Dodger order all in double figures,
Dodgers by more than 2 and over 9.5 total runs.
The Dodgers won’t look offensive tonight, they will BE offensive.
THAT’S the spirit!
According to MLBTR, although not naming any particular source, AF when discussing the “big trade” with the Nats was intent on holding on to Pepiot, Miller and Knack.
I guess we can conclude that Andrew valued each of those three more than he did Gray. With Pepiot and Knack promoted today I would guess that Miller won’t be far behind, and possibly Cartaya also.
I think Doc Roberts should take Crash Davis’ advice and scare the shit out of his player – “Just a bunch of lollygaggers!”
For all the Doc Roberts fans, can someone point to an example other than his winning percentage? Is Mattingly a good manager? He was last year when the Marlins were winning and was NL Manager of the Year. Bochy couldn’t win in SD but got 3 WS in SF. Was he a bad manager in SD and then became good as soon as he arrived in SF? Its easy to say “a guy is good because he wins or bad because he loses”. Instead, point to the great decisions he makes that enables his team to win ballgames.
Bob Melvin had bad teams in Seattle for a couple of years and was canned, one winning season out of 5 with Arizona and was canned. In 11 years with Oakland, he’s been Manager of the Year 3 times. Is he a good Manager?
Joe Torre could not win with the Mets or the Braves, he went to the Yankees, and it got him in the hall. Was he a different manager? Nope, he had better talent. Casey Stengel could not win with Brooklyn, goes to the Yankees and he is a genius. Goes to the Mets and he is an afterthought.
Yes, I think Melvin is a good manager because he will sit guys when needed, change his lineup significantly if the team is struggling and manages the bullpen well. When Treinen was in Oakland in 2018, he closed and Trivino was set up guy even though Trivino wanted and was capable to do the job. When Treinen struggled the following year, Melvin switched to Hendricks. Both moves were successful and I’m sure weren’t very popular with players involved, but he made moves in an effort to win. Everyone can see Jansen is struggling mightily with a major lack of control ever since the AS break. I dont agree with home booing. Jansen is still a solid reliever and gave a lot to the organization. He is just not WS champion closer material right now and not the best option on the team from my perspective. He did the same with Victor G who was lights out early in the year but then lost it at some point. However, Roberts kept trucking him out there in crucial situations with other options sitting in the pen. Why not give him some easier innings until things look right again? Roberts is well-spoken, yes-man and probably not going to get any DUI or sexual harrasment charges. For that, I need to give him credit. But, man get at least a little backbone if you are going to manage in the big leagues. I just hate when he barks at the umps only after his players get upset and then makes a big demonstrative show. Say what you think, not what someone else wants you to think.
At the end of the fifth inning, with the score 2-3, Roberts had in the bullpen available and line them up: Nelson in the sixth, Kelly 7, Treinen 8 and Jansen 9, had the best of their bullpen to fight that game but sent again Graterol in the sixth inning and then Vesia, he put the OKC bullpen, in and you know what happened.
Just started reading today’s post, got as far as Jorge’s comment regarding
“ the monkey ”. Jorge your hate for the Padres and hate for people who play for the Padres is pretty disgusting, in my opinion. Not that my opinion would matter.
To refer to Tatis as the monkey is a bit over the top and makes me think you are the uncivilized one. Get it together man. Leave those comments at home, please. We get you don’t like the Padres but you don’t have to embarrass yourself every time you mention it.
Just want to add a second to your comment Bobo. Completely agree.
It’s fine to dislike a team, even to dislike a city, but to make it so personal and to call out a guy that I think you must be very jealous of just demeans you.
You’re welcome here as a Dodger fan, but please leave the hate off this site.
I wish people on this site would stop getting so offended. I guess the term monkey could be used as racial slur towards black people. In case you haven’t noticed Tatis Jr. ain’t black, he’s Latino. Ironically enough, Jorge Valenzuela is probably also Latino. Put two and two together and you can reasonably assume that Jorge didn’t mean it as a racial slur.
Even more ironically, Bobo is the name of a very famous monkey and I’ve never heard of a single human being named Bobo. So change you’re freaking screen name because I think it’s a racial slur.
So stop being offended you bunch of Karens and let some shit go. A couple of days ago someone here thought Cholo was a racial slur. Stop reading the New York times you sissies.
By the way Jorge, Tatis Jr. reminds me of the Angels rally monkey, I just never said so until now. Next time, just refer to Jr. as that little bitch instead.
Bobo Olson – middleweight boxing champ in the 50’s
Just one of a few that come to mind.
Sorry that we’re annoying you by asking for less hatred.
Bobo Chang, Bobo Lewis, Bobo Norco, Bobo Stenson, Bobo Brazil, Bo Bo Derek.
Eminently. Bad Rap. Think about it.
Sorry, skipped over your earlier comment when you challenged me.
Are you per chance referring to Eminem/Bad Rap. I’m not into rap at all, but some actually think he has talent. I wouldn’t know.
I will give you that one Badger. See, I admit when I’m not right if you can actually prove it!
But, like I said, Tatis is Latino. It isn’t a racial slur for a Latino to call another Latino a monkey.
It’s still ironic that one of the people complaining about has a monkey’s nickname. You have to give me that.
Bobo Newsom.
I accept your apology. You should fully support hatred when it’s deserved. Jorge doesn’t deserve it. Tatis does.
Bobo was his nickname and that was before everyone got so offended.
And in the spirit of good will, I accept the apology which you will never offer.
I’m just extremely fortunate to visit a blog with a man’s man like you as one of the most frequent commenters. And although you piss me off a lot of the time, I do appreciate your baseball comments. Always good food for thought. Your social commentary not so much, but sometimes you gotta take the bad with the good.
I find a nut every now and then on the social stuff. It isn’t my fault everyone is brainwashed by the media constantly telling everyone how the most diverse nation is also the most racist.
I fully support Jorge’s hatred for those losers down south. They completely disgust me with that clock on a chain and their constant barking at our team. Then they cry like little bitches when they have to get out of the way of a fastball.
Did you happen to notice how the Dodgers reacted when the Giants plunked our two best hitters in the same game? They handled it the right way, like men. No barking, no crying. As a matter of fact, I was a little bothered that we didn’t retaliate. But, that’s how you do it. You either rush the mound or your pitcher takes care of it. You don’t bark and cry like a bunch pansies.
Then you have that little bitch send his hooker over to setup Bauer. You even had him get caught looking back at were the catcher was setting up. He also does a little sissy dance at third base on a homer because the bat flip isn’t enough. He spends more money on hair bleach and eye black than I do on my car payment. He deserves to be called a whole lot worse than a little humanoid like mammal. But, Jorge has to be careful not to offend a bunch of old men?
Because they’re from Latin countries doesn’t mean they’re not black there’s plenty of black Latinos. In case you haven’t noticed Tatiis is half black .
OBTW my Mexican friends definitely think CHOLO is a racial slur
I don’t know where you grew up, but where I’m from its definitely not accepted
I was born in El Monte and spent a lot of time around Cholos in Santa Ana in my teen years and know the owners of this restaurant from the travel ball days…
https://www.elcholo.com/
I’m willing to bet I know a lot more Mexicans than you especially since my brother’s wife are Mexican and one of my best friends from work is Mexican, born and raised in Downey and can’t speak a lick of Spanish. But the proof is in the pudding. You wouldn’t have a bunch of Mexican restaurants around Southern California with the name Cholo in it if it were offensive, especially in this day and age.
In other words, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. BTW, I’m as brown as any Mexican you ever met.
Just like to say how happy I am that we’ve finally left politics and Covid behind and are now arguing about race and insults.
Welcome to LA Dodger Talk.
That’s a coincidence I was born in LA, moved to El Monte when I was 10 years old. I went to El Monte high school I was one year behind Fred Lynn. I understand the word cholo it’s not offensive if it’s said among friends. It’s the context in which it makes it offensive
Half of the contacts list in my phone have Spanish surnames, so I would be willing to bet that I know as many Mexicans as you do or more. That’s really not the point though is it. We can agree to disagree but don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about
You went to school with my brother. He was there when Freddie was there.
The context when I said it was when the camera panned to the guys wearing high white sox, Dodgers jersery’s (Bauer Specifically) and neck tattoos.
We can agree to disagree, but I still don’t believe that you checked with your Mexican friends about the word cholo or that you had a previous conversation about it.
Like I said, this is California the land of the outraged and with Latinos actually being the majority, there wouldn’t be a bunch of Mexican restaurants with that name if they were truly outraged. Your Mexican friends are certainly not representing the norm.
I would literally greet them as cholo and they would respond with Gringo and then I would give them shit about them being a wedo compared to me. These guys were F-Troop bangers in Santa Ana. If it was offensive, I would have had to fight the whole Burri, never mind.
I agree Bulldogs and Penguins people get offended too easily.
Gonsolin to the IL – more shoulder inflammation
Raley and Graterol optionned
Cleavinger, Uceta recalled
Scherzer activated.
Predicted.
Hereby acknowledged.
Bullpen, I am not easily offended, not by what you said or by what Jorge said. It’s pretty reasonable not to refer to people with such disregard and disrespect as Jorge did with his comment.
If you are someone who doesn’t think so you are certainly in titled to that. I think it’s a bit below the spirit of this blog. That’s my opinion.
I do not read The NY Times, and you probably don’t actually know what Jorge meant when he referred to Tatis as the monkey.
Furthermore, I have never heard of a person called BulldogsandPenguins, but am not going to whine about a name change.
LOL. Sorry I came at you so strong, but I find it ridiculous for grown men to get offended at that remark. If he would have called him a donkey he would have been fine apparently. Or would that have offended Democrats.
Then we have an Einstein in the crowd that says Tatis is half black. Shenanigans! We all know who his father was and his mom looks like a Latino.
I wonder if Orel was offended being called Bulldog or Cey offended at Penguin. Everyone is such as blow hard sissy these days for complaining about being offended. Suck it up buttercup.
Notice, I do not use racial slurs on this site. I am expressing my opinion that one Latino calling another Latino a monkey isn’t a racial slur.
Jorge, next time call Tatis Pequeño mono to confuse the offended old white guys on this site.
Full Disclosure. I’m a very dark Roman Italian. People have confused me for being Mexican, Arab and even Black my entire life. I don’t own a white privilege card. My grandparents had heavy accents and when they immigrated, they came here, worked and got ahead for future generations regardless of the discrimination they faced.
The thing about Italians, you’ll never convince them that anyone is better they are. The UEFA Euro Championship was a perfect example. We own our stereo types. The Italians in the crowd dressed up like Mario and Luigi, the Pope, Roman Legion and fat chefs with long mustaches. The Italians don’t get offended because they know they are the best.
I suggest you all take all take a page out of their book and consider your own race the best, have confidence, lose the white guilt or whatever you have and stop getting so easily offended. In other words, grows some balls, or at the very least, stop sitting on them.
Tonight’s lineup:
SS Chris
2b Max
3B Justin
C Will
LF AJ
CF Cody
1B Matt
RF Bill McKinney
P Mitch White
DISGUSTING lineup!! Hoping we find a way to bash some HR’s as that is usually the only way we put up some crooked numbers. Dbacks are the worst team in the league so we need to win these next 2 games. Hopefully we can avoid another close game at the end….otherwise our POS manager will make the wrong decisions resulting in another one run or extra inning loss!
Yep, disgusting alright, and they won the game.
Does Somebody know why Seager is out from lineup?
From Doc’s own mouth. Seager played over a four hour game yesterday. That’s why.
SO WHAT!!! He probably said he didn’t feel 100% so let me rest today. BTW they have off days on Monday and Thursday next week! The training staff needs to go! We need our best in the lineup to win the division.
Thank you! But we live in a soft society where a Latino can’t call another Latino a monkey. How do you expect some kid in his twenties play after a 4 hour game, after an 8 week vacation?
Corey missed 11 weeks somehow so I guess that grueling game of baseball last night took its toll on this very fragile body. Such a shame as I really like Corey as a ballplayer but with missing almost 50% of regular season games over the last 4 years I am ready to move on with Turner as our SS going forward.
I’m a huge Trea Turner fan and would rather have him here next year than Corey, but you should take a look at how many games Turner has missed in his career. Probably better to compare them on some other level rather than games played. They both have a poor record on that one.
“I’m a huge Trea Turner fan”
So…. can we call you Lumpy?
Yes, you may call me Lumpy if Bear is willing to give up that nickname. We don’t want two Lumpys here.
I’m not calling him Lumpy. The last guy who did got knocked out. You don’t want me to get knocked out, do you Lumpy?
Was not a nickname there STB, was a slur…..and I planted his butt when I came into second. But U can have it as a nickname if you wish.
So what.We played 6 softball games back to back in 100 degree weather in regional play.Grow some.
Doc said that was the plan all along. Let him play a game and see how he felt and give him the day off. He will be back in the lineup tomorrow along with Betts.
I hate the lack of urgency of Roberts and some players
Giants edged the Astro’s today, 8-6. Old friend Yimi Garcia gave up a 8th inning HR to Yastrzemski. Greinke lit up for 6 runs, but did not get the loss.
Good for the Giants. As much as I dislike the Giants, I HATE the assstrikes even more!!
I dislike the Asterisks a lot, except when they can help us by beating the Giants.
The Astros can’t force us into the Wildcard Game, Richie. I was rooting for the Giants today, as difficult as that was.
Correction, I was rooting for the Astros today, because the Giants’ winning can force us into the wildcard game.
I do not want to see us in the wild card. Win the division and let the Pads and Gnats duke it out.
I was rooting for a 20 inning tie.
Bullpen, my final comment on this,
I’m not offended, so you can stop insisting that I am. You seem to know everything about everyone, but in this case you don’t. I expressed my opinion that I thought Jorge’s comment was inappropriate. I am sorry you were so offended by that.
STB, you are confused. People say hateful things on this site all the time. Everyone opened their mouth when they thought it was racist. Hatred and racist are two different things. Say what you mean and mean what you say. I’ll apologise when you’re right.
Daniel Estrade hats the lack of urgency by Roberts and some players. Are you going to get offended now?
I’m mostly offended by your typo. It’s “hates” not “hats”. I like some hats, I dislike others. Some I dislike very much, but I don’t hate any hats.
People hate too easily. They go directly from neutral to hate. There is a very wide spectrum in between.
I had a favorite 45 years ago – Hats off to Larry by Del Shannon. I played it over and over. Drove my dad nuts. That and Lion Sleeps tonight. Actually, a lot of things I did drove my dad nuts.
Ruined the whole post dammit.
I think hating or being offended by typos is an example of hating too easily. People make typos all the time, surely unintentionally. The Padres intentionally earn their hate by acting like assess. Is an ass an acceptable mammalian adjective to use? Or is there a protected group that takes offense to that particular mammal? There’s me digressing again.
Is being offended a form of hate to discourage? After all, do you not feel hate when you’re offended by Jorge calling Tatis a monkey? Effectively calling himself a monkey in the process since they’re both Latino. Dan, digressing again. When you feel hate do you not inadvertently direct that hate back towards the source?
I think we should all be offended less in order to stop spreading hate. It might even be considered best practice to ignore what offense you and just move on in the best interest of not spreading hate, of course.
Helvetica, Arial and Times New Roman walk into a bar…
Bartender yells “Get out of here! We don’t serve your type”.
I don’t know Jorge, but he often seems pissed off. I don’t abide calling someone a monkey.
That’s funny right there. Jorge really dislikes the Padres. Name calling of any kind is not really something any of us should abide. I have had nicknames for most of my adult life. I have never really took offense because I knew they were not hung on me because I was disliked. I have been called Bear since I was stationed in Germany and it was because I snored very loud at the time. When I was in Korea, my nickname was “Chowtruck” The reason was that when we were on the tac-site manning our missiles, sometimes later in the evening the guys would get hungry and order some food sent up from our rear area. This was in 1967, and the NCO club would not send an order unless it totaled 3.00. When I was there, that was no problem. Now, there are a couple of times when I have taken offense simply because I was being called something I considered offensive. I was playing a softball game at Ft.Bliss and the second baseman on the opposing team kept calling me Lumpy. In referrence to the fact that I was pretty big at the time. There was not much I could do except ignore him. But one at bat I hit a ball in the gap and I timed coming into second so that me and the ball arrived at about the same time. I went in standing up, lowered my shoulder and knocked him one way and the ball the other. While he was lying on the ground I simply said, Lump that. He did not say another word the rest of the game. The only time I have ever lost my temper and actually belted someone was when a drunk in our club kept calling me Baby Huey in referrence to the cartoon character. Other than those two occurrences, I am ok with it.
Best story you’ve ever written Bear. Thanks for sharing. I thought you had that nickname from the gay community, thanks for clarifying.
Thanks, they are all true, when I was at Ft. Jackson waiting for my shipment to Germany, the guys in the transit barracks called me Tiny. Again because I was not. But it never took simply because I never saw any of those guys again after I shipped out. When on the tac site, we all slept in the back of the mess hall, so privacy was not the order of the day. Of course, my exe wives called me a lot worse.
Maybe y’all can write a list of the all the words you get offended by and post them so we know what words not to use for the future. I didn’t know calling a Latino a monkey was offensive.
Can you call a white player a monkey, or does it only apply to non-whites?
This is all so confusing. Provide a list please. Don’t do it willy nilly, make sure you put in some research like you did about innocent people getting incarcerated. I want to get it right the first time.
But, don’t put Cholo on the list. It’s not a derogatory term any more that the term low rider.
And if we’re going there. I don’t want to hear about anyone having Spaghetti with meatballs, Chicken Alfredo and Pineapple on Pizza. As an Italian, I find all of that more offensive than calling me a Goomba or assuming I’m in the Mafia or that I’m related to someone in the Mafia or that I know people in the mafia, which I cannot confirm or deny.
Just for fun, here’s a couple of definitions from Urban Dictionary, the best place to define slang terms.
Cholo
A cholo is term implying a Hispanic male that typically dresses in chinos (khahki pants), a wifebeater sleeveless teeshirt or a flannel shirt with only the top buttoned, a hairnet, or with a bandana around the forehead, usually halfway down over the eyes. Cholos often have black ink tattoos, commonly involving Catholic imagery, or calligraphy messages or family names.
Goomba
Sicilian or immigrant Italian term of endearment, used to mean a close friend
“Hey goomba I love how you dance the rumba
But take some advice paisano, learn-a how to mambo.
If you’re gonna be a square you ain’t-a gonna go nowhere.”
Dean Martin, Mambo Italiano.
Monkey
The best Animals in existence and the rulers of the universe
Random Person- Who has the higher chances of becoming the rulers of the universe, Monkeys or Humans?
Random person2- Obviously monkeys
Which definition is the most racist?
It’s amazing what the Giants produce offensively with their talent level versus us! Posey is the only guy on their team that would play for us!
I’m rambling and cranky more that usual today. I don’t usually share medical information on the Internet, but with things the way they are, I will this time.
I got my first Moderna Jab on Thursday evening. I slept like crap all night and it felt like someone punched me hard in the arm. I’m a big guy 6′ 260 on a good day, and don’t normally bruise or acknowledge pain easily. I’m 53 and still bench 300. I’m a fat guy, but not a soft guy.
Anyways, I got up at the just before the crack of dawn with crappy sleep, either from the vax, or from the excitement of the trade deadline with sand in my eyes, chills, muscle aches and all the other symptoms of a mild flu including a super highway from the farm to the sanitation plant. I must have been the side effects from the jab because it certainly wasn’t my Tagliatelle with Genovese meat sauce with beef and pancetta that I ate that night right before getting poked, not in a good way. Is it ever a good way for a man to get poked? I digress.
Although I slept like a rock last night, I’ve had more of the same today.
So, I went a year and half through the pandemic, only wearing a mask when required at the box stores, never got sick and as soon as I do the right thing, doing my part to move towards the goal of herd immunity, against my better judgement, I’m sicker now than I have been since all this nonsense started. Well maybe doing my part, or trying to get ahead of King Gavin’s upcoming restrictions on the unvaccinated. Tomato, tomato I guess.
Just another reason to not trust the government and the bullcrap that the media keeps pushing like how everyone and everything is racist. I can’t believe people will feign outrage at a fellow Dodgers fan, a brother who just likes to express his disgust at that despicable team to the South of us. Jorge is Mexican, as in lives in Mexico. He probably doesn’t get all the brainwashing about fake racism that we get in the States, so cut him a break.
You have to understand, you’re fake outrage and offense is just as offensive to some of us as the offense you claim to have. So who’s offense is more valid? Is it racist of you to assume that your offense is of greater value than mine?
Stop getting so offended and stop letting the media control your mind. Speak to other people and understand that others have the right to their opinions.
Okay, there’s my apology to those I’ve offended the last two days. Next week I won’t have an excuse. And hopefully tomorrow, I’ll be back in the normal routine of having other things to do besides writing long posts on this site.
Well, just my normal amount.
I’ve heard some medical people say that your symptoms, while not normal for most, have been experienced by some, but usually go away in a few days. They say your immunity system is just very excited which can cause these symptoms….which I guess is not a bad thing. So, it sounds like what you’re experiencing is not unusual and should dissipate after a few days.
I hope this helps, B&P. I’m sorry you have to go through this.
TM
PS Should have gone with Pfizer. (Big grin)
I was holding out this whole time for JJ because I only wanted 1 stabbing. I went with Moderna over Pfizer because the fake news says Pfizer isn’t protecting people from the Delta variant.
Thanks for your concern. Belli’s swing is looking better today.
Seager not playing is simply the way Roberts and the Dodgers do things anymore. 4 hour game, first game back They want him for the long haul, not one game. And he can still come off of the bench in a clutch situation. Who would you rather see coming off of the bench, Seager or McKinstry? Tatis to 10 day IL. Mookie will be back tomorrow.
A good throw gets Vanmeter at second. We probably won’t see a good throw from right until Mookie gets back.
That Bunt attempt by Mitch White was pathetic. I want the DH.
That’s not an extreme reaction considering both runners scored. At least he didn’t hit into a double-play like a DH might have.
I’ve always wanted the DH since day one that I started watching baseball.
Some really strong comments today as I read through these posts., so I’ll pass on commenting. How nice is it to see Scherzer, Kershaw and Buehler in the dugout chatting it up! Max is such a tough nose competitor and looks great in Dodger Blue. Can’t wait for his compadre Trea Turner to join in, and hopefully a healthy Betts. That would surely lengthen the lineup and produce more runs, you’d think. Gonsolin hasn’t looked good all year, hope if he comes back it’s just bullpen, doesn’t seem like he’s physically able to start.
Nice start by White. Only mistake came after he walked a hitter and boom, a HR. But other than that, nice outing. They are at least getting some hits.
Another close game with the last team en mlb. Unbelievable. 3 runs in a inning and after that nothing. Be careful to come to the late of the game in a close run, surely we are going to lose. I don’t see passion in this team right now. They must go out to eat the last team but they lost game insted
They are the worst team in baseball why can’t we kick their ass?
Pray this doesn’t go into extra innings…..
Great news for Jorge. That little bitch landed on the IL this time. Can’t just keep getting cortisone shots I guess.
Hey BullPen, would you mind telling me why you finally got the vaccine? Honest question with no judgement involved. Just wondered what your reasoning was, if you’d care to share that.
Let me guess: The Delta Variant which everyone who is not vaccinated will get… unless they crawl into a hole and stay there. It is 1,000+ times more contagious than the last one. To put that in perspective, it took about 15 minutes of exposure to get the initial COVID-19. This variant may be more contagious in 5 seconds.
Exactly!
Mark, i bet you have a photo of Fauci hanging up in your bedroom….
I explained it in the post. I was holding out for the JJ vaccine. I was actually scheduled to get it about a month before my son’s wedding. I was going to get it because I didn’t want to be forced to wear a mask at the wedding. The day I was scheduled, I woke up with either a sinus infection or a mild case of COVID like I have now. I felt pressure behind my eyes, had some fatigue and a lot of post nasal drip which intensifies my smokers cough.
The cough lingered until about 4 days before the wedding, been fine ever since. I didn’t want to get the vax until I was fully healthy. I never missed any work or anything, so I still think it might have been a sinus infection. I never felt as bad as I do the last couple of days.
Anyways, the wedding came and passed, had some burnout and didn’t want to the vax too soon after what Mark experienced (in case I had covid and not a sinus infection) and I didn’t want it to get in the way of summer fun day on the 4th of July. I always had it in the back of my mind that I would eventually get it, but I didn’t want to be the first in line. Circumstances just kept dragging it out for me. I know I could have gotten the antibodies test, but I hate going to the doctors when I’m sick, I’m certainly not going to go around other potentially sick people to get tested if I don’t have to.
I’m a little concerned that the recent uptick is coming back and so are more restrictions. I don’t trust my governor to support freedom for people to make their own choices and I don’t want to get punished by having rights taken away by not getting vaccinated. The way I look at it is that once the vaccine became available it is everyone’s personal right to choose whether or not they want to get it or risk getting sick. But the other side of me wants to be selfless and do it for the greater good of trying to reach herd immunity to get it to go away. I also thought, if a ton of people are gonna die from taking the vax, I might as well be one of them instead of living on into a dystopian future.
The last couple of weeks, I’ve been checking back to see if anyone around had the JJ shot. It just isn’t as widely available as Pfizer or Moderna. So, I went with Moderna and here we are today.
There you have it. I shared the entire thought process of what kind of thoughts swirl around in my demented mind. It even gives you insights into my political views that I’m not some crazy anti vaxxer or insurrectionist. I’m just distrustful of the media and government, a by product of growing up as a punk rocker in the 1980’s Huntington Beach.
On a more serious note. I am mostly teasing and joking and my writing style is to mock and poke fun at things. Sometimes I get more frustrated than mad, well sometimes mad too. But, I don’t dislike anyone on this site. It’s not my style to ask forgiveness for offending anyone, as I really think most people are just following the herd instead of thinking rationally. I just try to be rational in an offensive way.
This is a reply to your earlier post BP. I understand in the context that you put it. They used to call me pinche gavaucho and I would come back with pinche cholo or essay. It was said in jest and we both knew it
But if I walked into a joint with a friend, and said let’s not sit next to those cholos over there, I would Definitely be looking for trouble
I hope you feel better soon BP
I guess is “Pinche gabacho”
“and said let’s not sit next to those cholos over there, I would Definitely be looking for trouble”
You are right!
Twitter had the right idea when it originally limited comments to 68 characters.
In baseball it matters how you finish. They stalled for a couple of innings and then came on strong late. Thank you JT and Tio Albert for the clutch hits and a 8-3 win. Padres lost again.
Okay, it is now 2:41 Am, I am heading to the lake to get in some line time. And here is my last take until later today. Last night 8 different players had hits, 7 of them had multiple hits. The only starter without a hit, McKinney. Cody ended up 2-5 with a run scored. I know they were infield hits, but it still looks like a line drive in the scorebook. Other than his final at bat where he struck out, he made contact which is an improvement. Long way to go yes, but at least it is a start. He also made a great play in CF and that boys and girls is the main reason he is still playing. The oldest guy on the roster drove in 2 runs and one of those hits barely made it over the fielders head. Albert is a marvel. Now hitting .240 over all and better than that as a Dodger. Cleavenger still has not proved to me that he is ready for prime time. He has some good stuff, but he hangs one now and then, and .210 hitters are not supposed to be the ones you expect to hit one out. Ahmed has been a pain in the Dodgers neck for several years. I thought White did a good job, and I also think Dave should have left him in to finish the inning. If he is stretched out next season, I could see him as a starter easily. Give the opposing pitchers credit sometimes. Gallen and Kelly both did good jobs. Kelly was a little shaky at first then settled down and got pulled when he walked a batter. Unfortunately for him, the reliever hung a cookie and Turner robbed the cookie jar. News on Tatis is not really great for SD. There is a possibility he might need season ending shoulder surgery. If so, that is a huge blow to SD who also lost Paddack the same day. About a week to welcome Trea Day. Coolest thing on last night’s broadcast was watching Scherzer hold court with Buehler, Barnes, Kershaw and Dave and the coaches and also Tio Albert laughing and talking to the hitters. Great time to be a Dodger fan. 3 for sure Hall of Famers on this team, Pujols, Scherzer and Kersh.
Yeah….we won!
Belli got two hits….
The bullpen was almost flawless except for two pitches.
It’s all good….well, almost….Giants won! Ugh!
The Pads are in trouble with the Reds breathing down their necks for the second wild card and the trading deadline has passed. Darvish has not been the same pitcher since the enforcement of the sticky stuff.