The #1 Bullpen in Baseball

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1. 08/02/21 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned RHP Yefry Ramirez to Oklahoma City Dodgers. If Knebel is activated off the 60 Day IL ,someone will have to be DFA or someone on the 10 Day IL will have to be transferred to the 60 Day IL..
   Who might that be? The 26 man roster stands at 25 as of today.

2. Dodgers: Andy Pages Named to the MiLB Prospect Team of the Week
   by Brook Smith
   The Dodgers prospect list got a major shake-up this week at the trade deadline. With several big pieces moving out of the Top 30, there have been opportunities for guys to move up in the system and get a new opportunity. Andy Pages made the jump up to number 6 on the Dodgers prospect list.

3. The bullpen has the pieces to get it done if healthy. If he don’t ruin Bickford down the stretch Robert’s could call on him for big outs in certain matchups. Doc seems to really have confidence in him. Please no Alexander.

   Mitch white should take the current starting nod created by the Gonsolin injury. I like AF pushing Pepiot and Jackson to triple a. At least now you have some starting pitching options to bring up. Mb Kahnel is a possibility in September. Gonsolin is a quality pitcher but not with shoulder issues. For good reason he has no command. I don’t expect him back but hopefully.

   If tb is back how can he be built up to starter status? Ridiculous that Castro can be given 30 days quickly and move on by Mlb. Mlb should make a decision and move on. Mlb should just rule on their end and let the court do what they are going to do.

   I believe currently the Giants are just better than us in all areas: starters, bullpen, defense, slug. Once scherzer and kershaw are back that could change. In July our era was better but they have a full healthy rotation. Their bullpen just are not giving away games. If you look position by position we are not clearly better at any position. Normally cf would b but bellinger. U say Muncy but wade and ruf have put up incredible numbers. U say 3rd well Bryant/Flores give very good production. Second base mb but who is our second baseman if turner ever plays clear advantage dodgers. Pollock in left but now the giants have Bryant to move around that is close. Mookie in rf mb but not currently.

   Our pitching could save us in the end if if if happens. But will we run out of time?

   1. The Giants are not better on paper, or in reality. They are luckier. The season series in knotted at 8-8 head to head. If it weren’t for Kenly choking, we would be 11-5. They were lucky enough to play us when we were down. They have no chance when we’re full strength.

      You can look at this year’s stats, position by position and it might look a little closer, but let’s wait for the remainder of the year to play out. I’m thinking Grandpa Posey and Crawford might need a nap towards the end of the season.

      1. Estoy totalmente de acuerdo contigo B and P, si se fijan Gaussman y Desclafani ya no están tan dominantes como en la primera mitad comienzan a ceder más carreras y les está costando trabajo completar 5 entradas cuando ya tienen más de 80 lanzamientos, creo que no podrán aguantar el ritmo hasta el final de la campaña. Por parte de nuestros Dodgers, tendrán que ser más “intensos” jugar con más ” sentido de urgencia” diría Doc sobre todo ahora que casi todos salieron de sus lesiones.

4. I too think the pen is better than some might think. I am not however counting on Catman until we find out exactly what is wrong with his shoulder. One thing Andrew has proved to be a master at is manipulating the roster. He will find slots for the players he feel he needs to win. TM is excited to see Trea Turner as I think all here are. Nice debut for the Nats by Gray. Wish him much success against everyone but LA. I echo what Mark says. I do this for my love of the game and the Dodgers. I am not as knowledgeable about some facets of the game that maybe I should be. But at 73, this ol Bear is just a little long in the tooth to want to spend the time understanding analytics and some of the more complex ways of player evaluation. I spent a lot of time yesterday arguing with a friend about Bellinger. In my mind, he lost…..I hate to lose. One last thing, I talked with my sis the other day, she is a nurse at Harbor General in Carson. And as such see’s everyday the effects of Covid. She encouraged me to get vaccinated back at the beginning of the year when I was dead set against it. But it was offered in the building I live in. So I read all of the info I could on the vaccine they were using, Pfizer, and went ahead and got both of the shots. Only side effect either time was a sore arm for about 2 days. For a 73 year old, I am in pretty decent health other than the normal aches and pains from age, and arthritis that rears it’s ugly head once in a while. It was a choice I am glad I made. But that is me. Follow your own conscience and what ever advice your doctor gives you. I shall keep writing as much as I can when I find a Dodger subject I think you will enjoy. Have a great day guys, GO DODGERS!! Beat the cheaters!!!

   1. Hi Bear, would you be interested in doing an article on Dodgers who served in the military, including coaches (like Danny Ozark) and administrative staff (like Branch Rickey). I know he wasn’t a Dodger but I was very taken with the contributions made by Ted Williams. I would be interested to learn more about our Dodger heroes. Just a thought….

      1. I can do that. No problem…there are some interesting stories about ballplayers who served. I will even include Moe Berg. A catcher who became a spy.

         1. I haven’t looked it up, but another BP stat I’d be curious about would be Blown Saves and what I will call Blown Holds. The bullpen’s job is to protect leads or keep a game close, right?
            OK, I decided to look it up:
            Turns out that the Dodgers are not too hot–the 23 BS (heh) is only exceeded by the Phillies 25. The Giants are a bit better, with 20. The Rays have had only 13 and the Astros only 16.
            Among the top relievers, Jansen’s 5 BS is equal to Hendrick, Hand, Iglesias. McGee (remember him?) has blown only 2 saves, same as Kimbrel. The save % for both McGee and Kimbrel is 92, compared to Kenley’s 81.5. So Kimbrel might have been a nice to add, but too late for that.
            To me, all of this suggests that, when the playoffs come, Urias moves back to the pen.

5. I’m a fast reader and sometimes I miss things, but did you mention anything or any numbers regarding “blown saves?”

   It seems to me we have had more than our share of them, especially in the 9th inning, and especially when Jansen is pitching.

   So, my one thought is simply this, like you said, while our bullpen as a whole may be doing fine, one Kenley Jansen has the power and could keep us from winning our second WS if he is allowed to continue to close games in the playoffs.

   This is why I hope Bauer is back, so that we can move Urias back to the pen to close behind the big 4: Buehler, Bauer, Scherzer, Kershaw.

   I realize Urias has the most wins of all our starting pitchers but no one can deny the fact that his bullpen performances made the difference for us in winning last year. Unlike Jansen, He throws strikes and is drama free.

   In conclusion: I’m afraid to say this, but one guy could spoil it all and if Doc does continue to throw out KJ like he did recently, causing us to lose 3 very important games in a row, I hope he gets relieved of his duties too. The thought of Doc calling on Jansen to close out that one game winner move on playoff game against SD with us leading 4-3 is very very scary to me. I don’t want that moment to be in my dreams during the entire off-season.

6. That was a very entertaining write-up, Mark. Maybe you can write about about the value of getting Belli going as opposed to having him sit on the bench next.

   It’s hard to evaluate the bullpen just based on stats. Some will complain about ERA because a reliever’s body of work for a season can be ruined by a single bad outing. Some will look to into inherited base runners scored as metric, but not all inherited base runners are equal. One team could have a higher number of baserunners inherited on 3rd base whereas another team could have a higher number on baserunners on first. There’s just no great way to really quantify a bullpen without a lot of work, possibly making it a full time job.

   I agree that you might as well use ERA, it’s the gold standard for pitcher effectiveness and the brass tax for any pitcher is to prevent runs. As you mentioned, the Dodgers are top 5 right now on the year in bullpen ERA. That’s pretty damn good. Now, let’s look at some of those guys that contributed to that ERA who are definitely not going to be on this team come playoff time.

   Jame Sherfey 4.15
   Andy Burns 18.00
   JoJo Gray 6.75
   Nate Jones 8.31
   Mike Kickham 13.50
   Dennis Santana 6.00
   Edwin Uceta 7.64

   That’s a lot of junk in the trunk and none of those guys will see a post-season inning on the Dodgers.

   I’d would also like to point to a more qualitative approach. Surely, any bullpen that has to choose between Tony Gonsolin and Brusdar Grateral as the final piece has to be full of talent. After all Graterol, as we all know is a fire-breather who seems to throw 100+ without giving it much effort at all. He pitched 8.2 innings to a tune of 3.12 in last year’s postseason with a save to boot, in his rookie season no less. Let’s look how this bullpen shapes up with a few words on each piece.

   Gonsolin – With the sore shoulder, I’m betting Graterol beats him out. But, his lifetime ERA of 2.65 is nothing to take lightly. He’s dirty and has a trick pitch that no one is familiar with.

   Duffy (L) – He was one of the best left handed starters in the AL this year before he went down. He could serve in that multi inning lefty reliever role and he likes pitching in the pen. His 95-96 MPH sinker and 4 pitch mix will play in the pen.

   Nelson – We’ve seen him a little shaky, but once he got going, he was unhittable mostly due to the nasty curveball. His fastball has enough heat to blow it by hitters when they have to respect that hook.

   Knebel – He’s been a dominant closer in the past and looked like he was picking up his past form before the lat injury throwing zeros in his last 6 games after a slow start in his first two games.

   Treinen – He had possibly the best year as a closer ever, just 4 years ago. He’s sporting a 2.22 ERA this year even after giving up all those cheap shift hits and he cranks that sinker up to 99 with a heartbreaking slider.

   Price (L) – He’s touching 95 after getting the cyst removed from his hand and he’s a former Cy Young winner.

   Bickford – He’s a former first rounder (18 overall) and he’s sporting a nifty 3.03 ERA is what is essentially his rookie season.

   Gonzalez (L) – Dirtiest lefty reliever on the team with a 2.70 ERA in last year’s playoffs and a true lefty killer with a career .175 BAA vs lefty hitters.

   Jansen – Box of Chocolates Jansen. You never know what you’re gonna get. When on he’s unhittable and when he’s off, forgetaboutit.

   But wait, there’s more…

   As I posted yesterday, there’s still some potential surprises in the Dodgers system they can dip into in case of injury. Guys like Quakenbush and Feliz have had great seasons in the past and the Dodgers have a track record for getting guys back to their peak form. Morrow and Kahnle still exist, so you never know what can happen. Guys like Vesia, Cleavinger, White, and Nunez all have great stuff and are coming along. You never know what progress they’ll make over the remainder of the season.

   There’s a ton of choices here and all of them are potentially better than what was available at the deadline sans Kimbrel and maybe Hudson. Would you really bump one of these guys for Tony Watson?

   I knew Mark’s list seemed like it was missing someone. Curiously omitted is our own legend, El Mariachi, Joe Kelly.

   Maybe Mark has him serving a suspension for the rest of the year after planting some darts on some cheaters or Padres or Giants. The bullpen is very good and very deep indeed. Some might call this kind of depth “Historic”. Let’s see how this shakes out.

   Regarding the pitcher who shall not be named. Until he’s suspended for the season, there’s going to be a chance that he comes back. Talk about game over! I was beginning to resolve myself to the possibility that we would not see the nameless one until next year. That was until Starlin Castro received just 30 games for his second offense for allegedly beating his wife. A reasonable person would think that getting rough with a hooker is a lesser offense than beating your wife, for a second time. But, we all know that MLB doesn’t necessarily hand out suspensions fairly. I mean, Kelly got suspended 6 games for not hitting a dirty, stinking, cheating Astro and Urias served time because his drunk girlfriend caused a scene and tripped herself. Adding that Manfred and the nameless one are definitely not good friends and you can see this isn’t something that can be reasonably predicted. But, there is a chance, and what a winning lottery ticket that would be.

   Here’ a bullpen stat worth noting. The Dodgers pen leads the league in holds!

   1. I did forget to put Kelly on the list, but I mentioned him and he is included. There are going to be some really good pitchers who do not make the playoff roster!

      1. Agreed, typical Dodgers 2 month tryout for the post season roster.

7. I got a question I can’t immediately find an answer for – how many bullpen games have we used this year and what’s our record in them?

   I thought at the beginning of the year our bullpen could be historic. Of course, it had Gonsolin, Price, Knebel Alexander and Nelson in it then.

   Kershaw is behind schedule and nobody is saying much about it. What they are saying about Duffy is September. How many more bullpen games will be needed this year? Picking up Scherzer is obviously huge, but with the loss of May and Bauer, the uncertainty about Kershaw and Gonsolin and Duffy not coming back until September, this team is still short starting pitching. White and Pepiot? Ok. That’s kinda scary, but, ok.

   I think we are going to have to score more runs going forward.

   Based on my reading on the vaccines, and the ongoing, but improving reluctance from a large group of, have to be careful here, stubborn Americans the vaccinated numbers are slowly going up. The effect on athletes is questionable but those questions have to be asked. Probably won’t be answered anytime soon but if there is a correlation all teams should suffer equally. Maybe those teams from stubborn areas could be more likely effected but I doubt we get any solid information on that before October. One day at a time, one week at a time.

   For what’s it worth I spoke with my sister-in-law, a Stanford Med School graduate on the front lines in Oregon and when I asked if we are headed toward a third booster she said “yes”, it looks likely. And why? We know why.

   1. I need a booster to get to the top shelf in my kitchen…does that count??/

      1. list of possible side effects discussed when the fda was debating the emergency approvals of the current drug therapy ( not an actual vaccine ).
         Guillain-Barré syndrome
         Acute disseminated encephaloymelitis (“Characterized by a brief but widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that damages myelin – the protective covering of nerve fibers,” according to NIH.)
         Transverse myelitis
         Encephalitis/myelitis/encephalomyelitis/meningoencephalitis/meningitis/encepholaphathy
         Convulsions/seizures
         Stroke
         Narcolepsy and cataplexy
         Anaphlyaxis
         Acute myocardial infarction
         Myocarditis/pericarditis
         Autoimmune disease
         Deaths
         Pregnancy and birth outcomes
         Other acute demyelinating diseases
         Non-anaphylactic allergic reactions
         Thrombocytopenia
         Disseminated intravascular coagulation
         Venous thromboembolism
         Arthritis and arthralgia/joint pain
         Kawasaki disease
         Vaccine enhanced disease
         NOTE: most actual vaxes go through a 5-15yrs test & approval process, these were done in a matter of a couple months.
         Only to say this is why it should be a CHOICE. Other than that, I do not care.

         1. And these are the reasons you won’t be get vaccinated?

            1. i MIGHT get vaxed someday when they have an actual TESTED REAL vax.
               Dude, pretty simple…. not a vax, you can call it whatever you wish, but clinically what they are doing is drug therapy. i did not bite when trump bragged we should & will not do it when #sleepyjoe says so. I am the one who can determine what risks I wish to take with MY life & this is not one of them.
               And there are PLENTY of degreed experts that agree with my take, but every time one of them speaks up, they are cancelled by the media and excoriated by colleagues to boot. Actual SCIENCE is dead/dying …… science is about questioning things and NOTHING is ever truly settled, as soon as someone says the science is settled, it ceases to be about science.
               You asked ….. so there it is.

         2. Note; mRNA development has been going on for over 20 years. This was not done over night. Research is done in 3 phases; basic, transitional and design related. If not for a longtime network of university labs, and decades of taxpayer funding in treatments for influenza and HIV, particularly by the United States’ National Institutes of Health, COVID-19 vaccines would have, as you say, been years away.

            1. Good luck.

         3. Most of those conditions are rare and transient.

            Here’s are two other stats:

            1. There have been 35,902,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US. Of those 629,927 died. That’s 0.017%.

            2. There have been 342,000,000 doses of the vaccine administered in the US. of that number 6,340 died (obviously not all died of the vaccine). That’s 0.0000185%

            Obviously, there’s no arguing what is the better way… if you want to live.

   2. I’m really not overly concerned about our fifth starter. Not when Mitch White’s ERA, WHIP and BAA compare favorably to Cueto and Wood on the Giants and everyone on the Padres except for Darvish and Musgrove.

      Look around the league at 5th starters and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by our options compared to our competition.

      Complaining about our fifth starter is like complaining about our Gold Glove, former MVP outfielder. It’s like complaining about stubbing your toe when you have cancer, covid and diabetes.

8. Yankees Cole to Covid IL. Shea Spitzbarth, who was in the Dodger system his entire career until 2020, called up by the Pirates. Angels called up #1 prospect Joe Adell. Tauchman outrighted to the minors. Josh Hader on Covid IL> TM, the Giants did win over the D-Backs last night, but it was not easy. D-Backs put up 8 and lost in extra’s. 11-8. Giants starters are starting to show some cracks, they got to Desclafani for 5 runs in 4.1 innings and scored 3 more off of the pen. D-Backs pen is atrocious, so losing in 10 was no surprise. But at least they put up a fight and made the Giant pen pitch 5.2 innings. Lakers signed 4 guys who played for them before, Howard, Ariza, Bazemore and Ellington, none of whom is under 30. Only Lebron, Westbrook, Davis and Gasol were on the roster after the trade and all of their free agents. Caruso has already left on a 4 year deal to the Bulls.

9. Interesting, Mark.

   I’m having a difficult time forgetting the three blown saves by Kenley in one week, two against the Giants in an important series, basically the difference in being where we are and not in first place. But yes, the bullpen overall has been good.

   The Giants keep winning and the Dodgers have managed to find a way to lose games they should win, the errant throw in San Francisco, the inability to get a runner home from third with no outs or one out, the poor record in extra inning games —- more games are lost than won.

   At this point I’m not sure what to think. I expected the Giants to fade in July, but that hasn’t happened. There are some cracks in their starting rotation, teams getting to some of their top starters, still, somehow they seem to be able to overcome it. Will it last? It’s getting later with each passing day and they seem to be hanging on. Maybe it’s their year. Unless, of course, the Dodgers go on a couple of runs, extended winning streaks. Certainly capable.

   As to Trevor Bauer, I’ve moved on. Not sure if his return would be a good thing or a huge distraction and media circus.

   At this point, when will Clayton Kershaw return? That’s the biggest question. If the Dodgers make the playoffs and can get past the wild card or win the division outright, I have no doubt LA can win another World Series. Best team moving forward.

   At this stage, not a lot of faith in Jansen. Hope for the best, but he struggles at times with control. Walks are one of the biggest factors in late rallies in MLB.

   If the Dodgers make the playoffs and if Kershaw’s healthy see Urias as a key option in the bullpen. Duffy could become a starter or a long reliever in the final month.

   Hey, pretty good effort by Jo Jo Gray in his first Washington start last night.

10. JoJo Gray with 5 innings for the Nats yesterday giving up just one run in his debut there, Keibert still not with them .
    Pages has been a house on fire lately.
    Giants find ways to win games every way possible just as the Dodgers find a thousand ways to lose. Difference in the standings . 3.5 back now. Have to empark on a winning streak soon.

    Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!

    1. Jo Jo Who?

       I’m far more interested in Turner, Scherzer and Duffy. Two of that three aren’t cleared to play yet.

       Andy Pages. 20. A ball. 2023. Best tool? Arm. He’s a few minutes out. Pepiot. 24 in a few weeks. AAA 5 IP, 12.6 K/9. Is he the lightning we’ve been looking for?

       1. I’m excited about Puig and Pepiot. Glad Jojo had a solid start, takes the sting out a little bit for the Nats, a team that I don’t hate. But, I’m with you. It’s time to move on from Jojo and K-Bear. I hope they have long careers just under All-Star level.

          I try to think of the trade of trades like a divorce. They reason they cost so much? Cuz, they’re worth it!

11. Astros changed their starter for tonight, opting to Lance McCullers Jr. 8-2 with a 3.23 ERA. Only 4 Dodgers have a history against him. Albert, 0-15, Betts 2-5 with a RBI, Turner and Taylor 1-2 each. Correa is the only Astro who has done damage to Buehler, 2-2 with a HR. Buehler named NL Pitcher of the Month. Former Dodger John Axford was traded the other day, players who were in the minors can be traded. And the price Milwaukee paid for Axford?? One dollar. Axford is on the Brewers active roster. Tonight’s rematch with the Astros will be the first time fans have been in Dodger Stadium to see the two teams since game 7 of the series in 17. To say fasten your seatbelts as a sold out Dodger Stadium raises the decibel level to previous unknown heights is an understatement.

    1. Do you know who they originally were scheduled to pitch?

       Looking at their last week starters, this is who they had:

       Monday….Garcia
       Tuesday…McCullers
       Wednesday …odorizzi
       Thursday…off
       Friday…Valdez
       Saturday…Greinke
       Sunday…Garcia
       Monday…off
       Tuesday….?? ( now McCullers)
       Wednesday……tentatively….Odorizzi

       So, were they trying to sneak somebody in who they thought would match up better against us, but had a change of heart and decided to go back to the normal rotation? Just wondering….I can be OCD like this….

       1. I think it was Garcia. But not sure, I saw the original matchup on the Dodger site, and then did not think about it until I saw this on there today. Odorizzi is pitching tomorrow against Scherzer.

12. Mark, I too noticed the absence of (hopefully) Joseph (not Joe) Kelly from you list of pitchers.
    My list, if the playoffs started today, would be:
    CK, Striker, Scherzer and Urias who pitches in relief when a 3rd starter isn’t needed
    Price, Treinen, KJ, and Nelson. I’m adding Kelly.
    Knebel and Duffy who I have never seen but I’ll take your word for it.
    That’s 11 and Gonsolin would make it 12, but I’m not optomist based on no evidence what-so-ever. So, that’s 11 without him.
    That leaves Vesia, Cleavenger, Alexander and V-Gon to fill 1 or 2 roster spots. All lefties which we need. For me, it’s Vesia and Cleavenger in that order.
    Alexander, if healthy on the taxi squad and V-Gon last. I’ve seen him struggle too much this year to trust him despite his post season success.
    I think we can win with this group but they need to do their jobs and execute.
    This could all change after we see Knebel and Duffy. Bickford is intriguing but he’s earned a job for me. But I could see him replaced for a left handed arm.

    1. Phil, if the playoffs started today Duffy, Gonsolin and Kershaw wouldn’t be on the roster.

       1. I got a chuckle after that one. That color is coral, not pink!

          It’s fun to speculate on the post-season roster. My bullpen will be…

          Knebel
          Treinen
          Kelly
          Morrow
          Kahnle
          Feliz
          V-Gone
          Price
          Duffy

          My rotation will be
          Bueller
          Scherzer
          Bauer
          Urias

       2. Yeah, you’re right, Badger. I misspoke. So not “today”. I meant when the playoffs start knowing that a lot can and will happen between now and then. I was basing my roster obviously on a healthy CK and Duffy and spoke about Catman. You got me.

          1. I want the same basic group you do Phil. Hopefully we get to see this roster at 100% from September to November. If we do, we will be in great shape to win another championship.

13. I have to admit that I find it odd that most of you are very proVax and that Covid is such a bad thing that people should get a drug that hasn’t been studied, the companies have no liability in a court, and that really hasn’t been working all that well.

    I need this experimental injection to STILL have to wear a mask apparently, STILL can get Covid BUT my symptoms MAY be less IF I get it. This is for a virus that many people WITHOUT OTHER ISSUES report are fairly mild. I know a dozen or so people that had it. Not one of them said it was that bad. Almost no children have died from Covid unless they have other issues such as Leukemia or something serious, but yet we are going to mask up 6 year olds all day again. Mind boggling.

    However, when LA picked up Turner while he is ON THE DAMN Covid DL, everyone here assumes he will be back on day one after his 10 days. That was all I read. He is eligible on this day so we can move this player here and yada yada. Go back and look. I never saw one concern. I don’t think I read ONE thing where anyone said.

    oh my. I hope he is OK.
    I hope he can still play at MLB level
    How could AF trade Ruiz for a guy that could drop dead since he HAS Covid.

    Think about that. This awful, killer disease that I need this vax for is sooooooo bad that a guy can go play MLB right after his arbitrary time period is over. I think that if some of you put down your TV remote, all would be better. Not perfect but better.

    Hopefully, after the midterms, Lord Fauci will again revise his position and his flock will be free again. You that have the vax WERE free for what……a week or two of no masks before they grabbed that right back from you?

    Doubtful as he is celebrity #1, a media darling, has freakin children’s books written about him, with a ton of power and no really accountability and who gives that up?

    As to the bullpen, again stats are stats but outcome is outcome.

    There just is NO statistical argument to make that Jansen is a quality closer. All you have to do is watch the games WHEN IT MATTERS. He is a mess. He misses spots routinely. Walk way too many hitters. Makes way too many non-competitive pitches. Gives up too much contact. Can’t hold runners on.

    Jansen’s stats are like the guy who hits 30HR but 28 are solo shots late in blowout games. Who cares. What do you do when there are RISP late in games when it matters?

    I think that the pen gets much better with Kershaw and Max in the mix. Of course. IF Bauer was to return, then even more so.

    As long as Roberts/AF keeps using Jansen in tight games with little to margin for error, LA will give away more games. Especially, when Jansen gets to his 4th or 5th batter and there is still NOBODY warming up.

    This is going to be a fun team to watch down the stretch as they get to almost full strength. Losing Bauer is a big blow but one I think they can overcome. Adding Max certainly helps, and who knows if AF gets him if Bauer is there, but wow can you imagine Bueller, Scherzer, Bauer, Kershaw as the playoffs 4?!!

    Hoping Bellinger can get it together but I don’t have a lot of hope. I wish he had the heart of Barnes or Taylor. I don’t know him of course but the lack of change just says that he doesn’t. I could be wrong.

    On paper, the Giants are not even close to a better team. In real life, they have over preformed at a historic level in my opinion. Outside of Posey, they don’t have ONE player that starts in LA or SD but yet they are on top into August. When and IF the Dodgers can get healthy, I think that slowly changes and LA wins the west by 4-6 games but who knows.

    Going to be a fun one tonight and tomorrow. I wish I could be there!! Crowd should be wild.

    1. Thanks for that. Yeah, I do not see why people are not more concerned about the “glorification” of the career pencil pusher Fauxci. A doc yes, but one who has spent approx 50yrs being a glorified pencil pusher determining where monies would go.
       cheera
       pb+

    2. You keep saying it hasn’t been studied and you are wrong.

       The way out of this is clear.

       1. Your opinion, and not a very educated one. Though you think differently.
          Whatever dude, I really do not care. And if Mark had not made it one of his discussion topics, I would have completely stayed away from my own educated opinions.

          1. That’s kind of a self-serving platitude-type shallow argument:” I’m educated and you are not.”

             It’s long on hyperbole and short on substance.

             1. Sure, I will type a novel next time. My reply was as complete as his comment was. But WE ALL KNOW, you have your faves on here & your choice.
                Your site, your subject Mark. I have posted LOTS of verifiable info on the virus and like the TB sitch ( which you cannot find me commenting on for quite a while ) I really have no interest in posting that same info over and over. If you declare this is now the “covid info central site” I would be happy to post REAMS of verifiable info all by people who have lots of letters after their names including one of the original designers of the tech used. What’s the use? Frankly, I would think Badger who spent time in a “war” that our govt refused to win, and lied to us about on a daily basis through kennedy, johnson, nixon ……. I find it quite strange about all the trust of our govt. And I do not care WHO is selling the swampland, I ain’t buying no way, no how. ‘Nuff said.

             2. Ordinarily I might be offended. But considering the source, I’m not.

                Hopefully we can get this done as a country in spite of how badly we’ve handled it.

14. So, it sounds like we are all in agreement here….Jansen should not be our closer……..yet he is!

    I wonder how AF feels about this? Does he really tell Doc what to do if he feels strongly about something? Or does he let Doc manage while he GMs?

    1. Jansen will be given opportunity to do his thing over the next few months. The path to failure is clear for him – back to back innings, back to back games 20+ pitches. Avoid those three scenarios and see how he does.

       1. Exactly. Pick KJ’s spots with those restrictions and see where we are in 2 months. We have other effective options than KJ for Doc and the wizard behind the curtain, to use.

          1. You bet we do……..They call him……Julio Urias….aka, The Ice Man!

             1. Julio is a starter for the remainder of the season. What’s being talked about here is Jansen sharing the closer job with Treinen, Nelson, Kelly, and maybe Knebel.

15. I have never posted a word about covid I will say this. People can do what they want as long as it doesn’t effect me. The neighboring county and my county are having a flood of new covid cases flooding the hospitals. The vaccination % of the neighboring county is 47%. Folks can get into hospitals again for needs that have been put off for months. They are again above capacity and many health care workers have had enough. They are finding something else to do and it’s very difficult to find replacements. The vast majority, of these hospitalizations are unvaccinated folks under 39. They aren’t dying but they are very sick with plenty of respiratory issues. It will be very soon that the Governor will require make again as mandatory while in public. I don’t want to do that. I also have a medical procedure on hold while the unvaccinated take up all the hospital space. I’m 70 and may die from any of the listed afflictions mentioned above. I on’t believe I got and chip from the vaccine of will grow a 2nd head or something. At this point I see no reason NOT to be vaccinated to lower the cases. I look at it as a civic duty to help arrest the spread and allowing this stuff from mutating into a form that kills and can’t be controlled.
    I might be spewing the company line for many doubters but I wasn’t abducted by aliens and brainwashed. I don’t distrust the science or my doctor’s advice. You could tack me if you want with a chip or use my cellphone. It’s not that interesting. I just personally don’t understand at this point all the resistance. It’s infringing on my person freedoms at this point.

    1. Great post Phil…..adds balance here.

       I don’t have as many answers as i do questions and I’m not medically trained and I have no political party affiliation, but I have one simple question to ask the people who absolutely refuse to get vaccinated (the anti-vaxxers):

       1. What do you make of the over 3 million people who have died in the world due to this virus, and the almost 900,000 Americans who have died?

       I have a few friends/family not to mention my Pastor who recently died of this virus, age 53. What exactly are you trying to say?

       Thanks…I will be watching for any answers you care to give.
       TM

    2. I will take that for 1000 Alex.
       My reason is that I should not have my life turned upside down because A LOT of fat, very sick people have died. And frankly IMO, MOST deaths were from those on deaths door and covid just gave them a slightly early nudge. CDC has verified that ONLY 6% of all deaths can be attributed to Covid alone. And that is 6% while the survival rate is over 99%. That’s why.
       On avg the dead have had 2-6 co-morbidities, and fully 94% had at least one. The most common one is morbid obesity. So whomever is insisting I get this experimental drug therapy because very fat, sick people MIGHT DIE ( even among that group, the morbidity rate is around 10% so even 90% of the seriously ill recover ) I am going to call bullspit.
       I only typed this as you asked for some reasoning behind some people’s decision & since I commented on this, I thought I owed you that. And lastly, though really not one of my reasons but a simple truth is I live in a very rural area of western CO, work from home even b4 all this mess for 20yrs and frankly, rarely am around groups of people on top of all my actual reasons.
       cheers
       pb+

       1. Thanks pb.

          If I can add a word after what you said….if you care to further respond, isn’t this Delta variant going after much younger people who are not fat or sick?

          I guess all the fat, sick people are either dead or vaccinated.

          Thanks again….
          TM

          PS. Love your handle.

          1. Cheers dude, the handle was attempt by a coworker to denigrate me back in 88 or 89. He said “who do you think you are, PORPOISEBOY” ( lifelong surfer, though now stuck in CO but the skiing is grand ). So I just turned it around and said “yes, yes I am porpoiseboy” 🙂
             As far as delta goes & Great Britain is already experiencing this, yes Delta seems to come in like a lion, because IT IS more transmissible ( i.e. much easier to catch ), however is it already appearing MUCH LESS deadly. And that is how virus’s mutate. They almost ALWAYS become more transmissible and less deadly, it is their evolutionary survival mechanism. If they kill the host it is not a stretch to say they suicided themselves. Kill the host, kill the virus. Virus’s look for a “sweet spot” where they are easily transmissible but almost never kill their host. And note I said almost never, not never. Think the common cold, or even better since they are screaming “as transmissible as chicken pox”. SO? Almost no one dies from a cold though it happens, and almost no one dies from chicken pox either. Heck, when I was a kid when some other kid in the ‘hood had the pox, your mom would take you over there to catch it. They had “chicken pox” parties for cryeye. The thinking then was, get it now when you are a healthy kid and get it over with.
             cheers
             pb+

16. I’ve never talked about these 2 subjects here until now and I will keep it short and get to the point.

    1) I don’t trust the government and especially one that is controlled by the Democrats, so no thank you to a Chinavirus vaccination.

    2) I want the Dodgers to win another championship and Trevor Bauer makes the Dodgers chances better, therefore I want Trevor Bauer back pitching for the Dodgers.

    There, short and sweet.

    1. 1. But Trump was responsible for developing the vaccine and VP Harris said she would not take a vaccine developed under Trump.; and

       2. I agree, but what bout the Players?

       1. 1) I love Trump, my opinion is that Trump is the best president in my lifetime and the best since the founders, BUT I still don’t trust the government and won’t get vaccinated.

          2) I don’t trust reporters/the media and believe the reports about the players not wanting Bauer back to be both overblown and false.

          1. I’m curious Eric. You don’t trust the government. Neither do I a lot of the time. But “the Government” is who, exactly? The Dems? The Republicans? The House? The Senate? Your state gov? Everybody?
             Without putting words in your mouth, it seems like your “government” mistrust keeps you from getting vaccinated. Why would the “Government” perpetuate such a hoax and to what end?
             My very last mention of covid on this baseball site, by the way.

             1. It’s easy to the why, PhilJones. Moderna, Pfizer and J&J are all multinational pharmaceutical companies, so all you have to do is follow the money. The vaccine is not free. It is being paid for by our tax dollars. The government invested a shit-ton of money in contracts to purchase a guaranteed number of doses of the vax to motivate those companies to stop other projects and prioritize this one. The big payday is for the companies to export those vaccines around the globe.

                The China News Network reported on a new study that vaccinated people have a 25x higher survival rate than non vaccinated people. Non-vaccinated people have a 99.999% survival rate. The 25x higher rate basically turns that number into 99.99925 for math purposes, that will amount to an additional 2.5 people survive per million people infected. With a population of 328M in the United States, the success of the vaccination would amount to 820 Americans saved from this glorious vaccine!

                And that is why some people don’t trust the government. As far as Donkey vs. Elephants? That’s like choosing between the gallows or the guillotine. Just try to pick the lesser of two evils.

             2. PB, you forgot to mention that we’ve all been injected with microchips.

             3. Two great reads:

                1. Dinesh D’Souza – The United States of Socialism
                2. Mark R. Levin – American Marxism

             4. philjones

                I don’t trust the whole government. But I have voted for the lesser of two evils my whole adult life (the Republicans). The only times that I have voted for a person who I have actually liked have been Pat Buchanan (in the Republican primaries) in 1992 and 1996 and then Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.

17. I don’t know what the best way to measure a bullpen is, but it is certainly not ERA. Because unlike with starting pitchers, their part of the game does not start at the same point. Come in with a 7-1 lead, walk two batters, get taken out and both score, and your ERA for that game is over 18. Come in with a 10-2 lead, pitch two scoreless innings, and your ERA is 0. What is the context? Oh, one may think it evens out, but I would focus on how the bullpen does in close games, and particularly in the later innings. We have all these bullpen games, with six or so pitchers pitching one or two innings. Actually, you can lower your bullpen ERA with these, because you are using so many different pitchers. But it wears out the bullpen, too.

    We are 1-11 in extra inning games. Those were all lost by bullpen pitchers. Yes, not scoring enough in the extra innings is a big part of it, but I have seen great bullpens, like TB’s last year, or KC’s in their championship year, hold for many innings; although of course there was not the amateurish rule about the runner on second. But better bullpens win these, and ours does not. Isn’t that more important than how we are in ERA?

    And then of course the focus must be on the closer. Do we have the fifth best closer in baseball? Not close to that. Have we had that for the last three years? No, we rarely even use him in key moments of playoff games. So with that, how do can we rank our bullpen among the best?

    We do have some good arms, and I could see the bullpen becoming a strength. But I could also see it letting us down. I do not have too much confidence in it, and not much in Jansen. We will see, of course, and hope for the best. And it will depend on how well Roberts uses the bullpen, as compared to the other managers whose teams we will face in the playoffs.

    1. This is exactly correct and why I say the eyeball and results test is sooooo much more meaningful that pouring through stats of ERA, inherited runners scored, etc.

       Do you get results that help the team win? Yes or no.

       With Jansen, in the role that they want and pay him to be in, the answer is absolutely not.

       Hindsight but should have kept McGee.

    2. Excellent read, William. You make several great points.

       I agree…you can’t call us the 5th best bullpen just because our composite ERA is 5th best. Too many other factors should be considered…..you gave several other factors already so, I won’t be redundant.

       READ WILLIAM’S post above to get wisdom people.

       TM

18. I have to think Bauer is pitching enough to remain stretched out should he be able to return.

    I will get a booster shot without hesitation.

    Someway somehow America needs to get to 75% vaccinated.
    “A coward dies a 1000 deaths, the brave but one. ”
    That quote should get a few engines revved up.

19. I know lots of people who did not get the vaxx. It’s their option. I got the first shot, but not the second (due to a severe reaction, my doctor advised me not to), so it is not clear if I am or am not vaccinated. Here are a few points to remember.

    1. Normally, it took about 12-15 minutes of exposure to COVID-19 to overcome your immune system and start the disease. With the new Delta Variant, the transmission time is as little as 5 seconds. There is also no indication that it is any less deadly.

    2. I have had COVID-19 TWICE (as in 2 times) and you don’t want it.. especially if you are my age.

    3. Masks do very little to prevent you from getting COVID-19. What they do is prevent you or any person with COVID from spreading it as readily. Masks don’t protect you. They protect others.

    4. Even if you get the vaccine, you can transmit it to others and you may even be sick, but not as sick and not as dead!

    1. Wow you sound just like Birx/Fauxci ……. trust but verify at THE LEAST.
       “not as dead” ……… so over a 99% survival rate without co-morbidities and your are worried about dying? and post mortems done on those who are vaxed and then died have found the spike protein in every organ in the body? you accept being a GMO ? hmmmmmmm

       1. Could not agree with you more porpoiseboy. And there is the myth about all those deads due to Covid 19 when the CDC now admits the PCR test can not even distinguish between the flew or Covid19. Accordingly they now are saying only 6% of deaths are directly related to Covid19. All other deads are diretly caused by other deseases , the average death around 83 years. Wow, but Fauci and those other “experts” trying to make us believe this is the most deadly virus ever.
          One more point:There is no excessive death rate to worry about . We are still well within the expected death rate if you espcially take into consideration that population is getting older and older.
          And there is a reason that mrNA vaccines have never ever made it to the market in 20 years before Covid19 suddenly arrived. Miracoulsly Pfizer, Moderan and Biontech were able to “invent” that vaccine within a couple of days ( there are interviews were the CEO of those companies have said exactly that).
          One last thing: The absolute effectiveness- e.g. the effectivness for the individual- not to contract the virus by Pfizer/Biontech is about 0,73%. This according to their own studies. The effectiveness not to get a serious case of the virus is a lot lower than that. In their own study 9 out of about 22.000 of the placebo group got a serious case, while 1 out of 22.000 of the study group caught a serious case. Do the maths and then tell me there is a good reason for YOU individually to agree to take a shot of something like that. long time side effects totally unknown to boot.

          I will watch this thing and how it plays out over the next few months and maybe then I decide to get the vaxx. Maybe not. I will never agree to be forced to take it. My body, my decision.

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

    2. Mark, the interesting thing about your case is that you migh5 be absolutely f8ne with one shot. There is a line of thought currently that people who have had Covid( with associated antibodies) and one shot are as good as people with 2 shots and no Covid history. Unfortunately for you, there is no trials data to definitively say your good to go. Are you still having issues getting the ok to travel to Amsterdam?

       1. I am working with the Indiana State Health Department and my Doctor to get a variance. We will see.

          BTW, my wife and son have not gotten the vaccine… but probably will. My brother waited until yesterday, but he has lots of health issues to say nothing of the fact that he weighs 120 pounds more than me (and I weigh 230).
          
          That me on the left, my son in the middle and my (not so) little brother on the right!

          1. He doesn’t look 120 more than you……especially how much taller you are.

    3. There are a ton of sicknesses that I don’t want to get. There have always been a ton of sicknesses I don’t want to get.

       That does NOT mean I have always ran around like an idiot wearing a mask that does basically nothing. Getting shots that are tested on the population getting them, and believing the people on the TV that lie to the audience routinely about the small stuff, let alone the big stuff.

       That does not mean that we mask up our kids with germ magnets over their face all day, ruin millions of kids lives that will NEVER recover from the “distance learning” experience, or put untold amount of people out of business.

       All brought to you by the people that think no matter what happens in the world it somehow is a result of manmade climate change, anyone and everyone that isn’t slightly tanned is a white supremacist, and the giving them more power and control over your life will somehow help the people.

       Amazing how many people buy this crap over and over and over and listen to a fool that can barely make a complete sentence as their “leader”

       You have to be blind to not see the politics in this from the HIH, CDC, WHO, The White House and state and local governments. But yet, so many people just keep sucking it up.

20. Which has been worse, Dodger late inning offence or late inning relief pitching?

    1. It depends upon the time of the season.

21. Dodger Nation quotes Robert’s as saying the team needs to play with more urgency. Lol you think duh!!! My lord he is the one who created the lack of urgency. It wasn’t to long ago he said you can’t go out and play like your hair is on fire for 162. Well mb some of those games they just pissed away because they wanted to c what they had. How about continuously resting players who just had a day off or who are hot. SMH glad to c he is now on board.

    1. Or not bunting, stealing bases, having guys put runner after runner after runner on with nobody warming up, giving away games to the team you are chasing by trying Jansen again and expecting something different, and on and on.

22. August 3, 2021
    Reks was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Tuesday’s game against the Astros, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

    1. Oh joy.

    2. Great…..

       10 at bats, 7 strike outs, .000 BA

       But I know….too small of a sample size, but still……

       1. Can’t wait till T Turner is activated, it will be one less AAAA player to deal with on the active roster.

23. DODGERS RECALL ZACH REKS

    LOS ANGELES

    – The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled outfielder Zach Reks and optioned right-handed pitcher Yefry Ramírez.
    Reks, 27, will be recalled for the third time in his career and has appeared in six games for the Dodgers this season. He has spent the majority of the season in Oklahoma City, batting .312 (62-for-199) with 12 homers and 38 RBI in 53 games. In 309 career minor league games, he has batted a combined .303 (334-for-1107) with 47 homers and 183 RBI. The Chicago, IL native was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 10th round of the 2017 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Kentucky.

    Ramírez, 27, made his Dodgers debut Sunday, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He is now 1-10 with a 6.19 ERA (63 ER/91.2 IP) and 91 strikeouts in 31 games (13 starts) in his Major League career spanning three seasons and stops in Baltimore (2018-19), Pittsburgh (2019) and Los Angeles (2021). In his minor league career, he is 43-39 with a 3.75 ERA (278 ER/667.1 IP) and 679 strikeouts in 152 career games. He signed with the Dodgers as a minor league free agent on March 25.

    1. Well, they had an open spot on the roster, why not use it.

       1. I could name at least half a dozen players that spot could have been used better on.

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

          1. Go ahead name them

24. I was in the Army, I got more injections than I can count and had no say in it what so ever. But I never questioned it simply because the Army knew more about what kind of ailments were waiting for me in some foreign land than I did. If Y’all are worried about a little prick in the arm that has for the most part not harmed most, y’all are nuts. Try getting the vaccination that they gave over seas for Hepatitis. 1 CC for every 20 pounds of body weight. I weighed 220 at the time and got 11 CC’s right in the ass. 5 in one cheek, 6 in the other, try sitting on a hard seat of a deuce and a half with that for 2 hours. Not only did I not get sick, the lumps eventually went away. I am 73, have diabetes and I am at high risk for Covid. But I have not caught it. And I beg to differ porpoiseboy, not everyone who has died from it are fat and old. A lot of young people died too, including a friend of mines 30 year old granddaughter. So unless you have facts to back up that bullshit, just keep the crap in your mouth and off of your postings. Lakers just got another old guy signing Carmello Anthony to a one year deal.

    1. Average age of death is about 83. Not A lot of young people have died it from it, only very few. Young people sadly die sometimes. due to various cases. Even because of the flew. This is called general life risk. You have a better chance to get hit by a bus when you leave for office in the morning than Covid. Do you stay at home all time because of it ?

       For about 99,5% of population Covid is no factor. Yet politicians and some so called experts, most of them on the payroll of the big pharma companies, call it the worst virus ever. Urging each and everybody to get a totally untested (speaking long term) genetically based pharmaceuticum. Hey, if you feel saver taking it is perfectly fine with me. I just don´t want anybody to force that thing on me by taking away some of my fundamental rights of a human being. And sadyl that is what is happening in this absolutely mad world.

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

       1. “Average age of death is 83”

          Average of what? People who have died of Covid?

          1. Not “of” but “with” Covid.

             Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!

             1. “The average age of death is about 83.” That’s what you wrote.

                Not sure I know exactly what you’re referring to but it sounded crazy to me so I looked it up. Of the 600,000+ who have died of Covid, 57% of them were 75 or over. 28.5% were over 85. There’s no way your statement is accurate. And if you’re wrong about that, what else might you be wrong about?

                Evidence of the age of misinformation is manifest right here.

             2. I cannot answer to Bear so here are the actual stats as of today.
                85+ 29.6%
                75+ 57%
                65+ 79.3%
                50+ 95.23%
                From today.
                Also do not forget that almost ALL of these 94%+ had an existing illness defined as something that could/would kill them. That is why they call it a co-morbidity, though IMO most “covid deaths” should actually have covid listed as a co-morbidity and the pre-existing listed as cause of death.
                Not sure why you shut the world down for people who have spent most of their lives overeating, getting morbidly obese, and living unhealthy lifestyles. Because the CDC says that being obese TRIPLES your chances of dying or being hospitalized.
                cheers
                pb+

       2. Also, that 83 WAS the world wide avg age about a year ago. Actually was 82.3. Remember how bad Italy was & they have the oldest population or 2nd oldest in the world. But hard to find just for the USA as that is not they way I could find posted anywhere. They separate into age groups which is fine, but does not give an idea of the avg overall. There could be A LOT in the 85+ group that are well over 90 and they would help bump the overall up. Truth is there is no way to know since if the greatest percentage of deaths in each age group is at the top end of that age group, the number could be more than you would think just looking at age group breakdowns.
          cheers
          pb+

       3. Wait. So 95% were over 50, That includes all those above that. You can’t just add up all the numbers because that would be over 200%

    2. You would lose, and your post is going to be removed, so eat that hoser.

    3. Saw your stats PB, thank you for that update.

25. Isn’t it fun to have an opinion, and to be able to express it, oh wait!
    Duck and cover !
    Actually freedom of expression runs rampant on this site.
    Thank you Mark. I think it’s good for us.
    (in-spite of the monkey business)

26. I do not check span every day, but I noticed that several posts were marked as “spam” that should not be. Usually, it is a long post that does it. If so, just post “I am stuck in Spam” and that will alert me to get you out of jail.

    1. Maybe some of it you should just leave in spam.

27. Off to bed – alarm set for 3am

    Don’t wanna miss this series with the Asstros

    You guys have been a little behind us all the way on the Covid Curve.
    The vaccines have broken the link between number of cases and deaths and hospitalisations here in the Uk.

    Delta was a nuisance but we are well on the way out of it.
    The country is open with no restrictions – no compulsory mask wearing – although advised in crowded areas such as buses or the Underground. No curfews and no restrictions. It’s been a wonderful
    Couple of celebratory weeks, and the number of new cases is actually going down even though we are now totally free.

    We have the same arguments – to Vax or not to Vax – it’s a personal choice. No point worrying what others are doing if it’s beyond your control.
    There is no plan B – and at some point soon you will all need to move on together, vaccinated or not.

    You guys will be at this point in a few weeks time.

28. Lets keep it to baseball alright. All this posturing about Covid is about as relevant to tonights game as dandruff.

29. Update on Ozuna. Fulton County has decided not to proceed with the felony aggravated assault strangulation charge against him. But they are proceeding with a couple of misdemeanor charges of family violence battery and simple assault. Both carry sentences of up to one year jail time. Matt Shoemaker released by the Twins.

30. Sorry TM, lineup is out, Bellinger in the lineup hitting 7th before Pollock.

    1. And he is in RF. MOOKIE is at 2B

       1. I like this lineup but I would rather c bellinger in center. If everybody is clicking it is an all star lineup.

31. It’s OK to discuss stuff, but let’s keep it civil. Most of you have. It’s good to see differing points of view, but I will not let it devolve to insults and name calling. Stop it!

32. 2b Mookie
    1b Max
    3b Justin
    SS Corey
    c Will
    CF CT3
    RF Cody
    LF AJ
    P Walker

    1. Our current best 8 guys are in there today. I have a feeling we are going to score a lot of runs today and go on a winning streak and the offense will get even better when Trea Turner is activated.

       1. What about the bullpen?

33. Anyone else have butterflies in their stomach for this big game against the cheaters?

    Please don’t lose LA…..pretty please!

    All our love and hopes going out to our boys,
    TM

34. Wow, that lineup looks as long as a Knock Out count in Bauer’s bedroom.

    Cody’s in right, I guess for a few reasons.
    1) Out of over 300 games in the outfield for CT3, only 4 of them have been in RF
    2) Cody’s arm is stronger
    3) Less running for Cody

    I guess the Dodgers don’t think highly of DRS. AJ Pollock’s DRS in CF is better than CT3 and CT3’s DRS in LF is better than Pollock’s.

    MT, I also had the metallic taste in my mouth from Moderna. I don’t have any flu symptoms today, but the metallic taste persists.

    Badger, If you understood math, you would realize that you can’t estimate that the average age of those who died with COVID based on the numbers that were given. So, you can not definitively state that the age is under 85.

    Bear, if you corrected everytime someone misused a word, missed punctuation or generally failed at grammar in all the posts on this site, you would need to hire an assistant.

    This year, I hate the Giants, Padres and Astros in that order. The top spot never changes for me. Even with the cheating, the Astros are a classy ballclub compared to the Padres. But that’s like comparing COVID Classic to the Delta variant.

    1. Probably trying to spare pollock a bit. The way pollock is hitting don’t want his hammy to act up. This will be a real test for pollock against the McCullers slider.

35. F.D.A. Aims to Give Final Approval to Pfizer Vaccine by Early Next Month.

    I now have sufficient confidence in White.

36. Well actually, LAD was #6 in reliever ERA going into today:
    SD – 2.89
    Tampa – 3.06
    SF – 3.39
    Miami – 3.41
    Cleveland – 3.57
    LAD – 3.59
    Boston – 3.62
    Cubs – 3.63
    Milwaukee – 3.63
    A’s – 3.73

    They are actually closer to 9th than they are to 4th. I do not believe ERA is the gold standard for measuring relievers. The algorithm Mark suggested might work, but I will leave that for the software engineers. BandP is closer to being able to design that algorithm than me. I believe in numbers, and I will audit it. But I will leave the design to others. But for now, I guess the stat Dodgerick provided a couple days back can suffice – LAD is 20th in bWAR at (-2.2), between Seattle and Pittsburgh.

    IMO, when talking about relievers, I think most are concerned with late inning high leverage situations rather than those coming in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th…as many LAD relievers do in their bullpen games. Who cares what Garrett Cleavinger or Alex Vesia or Brusdar Graterol or David Price do in those early innings as long as they do not let the game out of hand. And for the most part, the bullpen games have not been the problem. The most relevant statistic measuring late inning high leverage situations is blown saves, where the Dodgers are 29th at 23. Only Philadelphia and their 25 blown saves have more. They have the 4th most reliever losses and only the 14th most reliever wins.

    Other metrics:
    WHIP – 9th
    BAA – 6th
    BB – 13th most
    K – 16th most

    The LAD bullpen has pitched the 22nd most innings. Of the ten teams above, only the A’s and SF have pitched less. SF relievers have pitched 374.1 while LAD has pitched 376. This is a testament to how consistently deep into the games Buehler, Urias, Kershaw, and Bauer have pitched. SD starters are a mess, so they need a deeper bullpen, and they have one. They improved with the addition of Daniel Hudson, while LAD improved the starting rotation with another pitcher who can go deep: Max Scherzer.

    One other metric many stat nerds look at is SO/W ratio. Of the seven teams above that are pretty much guaranteed a playoff spot (LAD, SF, SD, Milwaukee, Boston, Oakland, Tampa Bay), the Dodgers are tied (with Boston) for 6th/ 7th with a 2.41 ratio.

    Tampa Bay – 3.32
    SF – 3.12
    SD – 2.92
    Milwaukee – 2.59
    Oakland – 2.54
    LAD & Boston – 2.41

    We all know that ERA is derived by multiplying the number of earned runs by 9 and dividing the product by the number of innings pitched. We also know that the first run in an extra inning is considered unearned. The Dodgers are 1-11 in extra-inning games, which your eyes should tell you that their late inning high leverage relievers are not very good. If we add one earned run for each extra inning loss, the Dodgers bullpen drops to 10th in ERA. In my thinking, it was the reliever that allowed the run. It is only due to a definition that MLB considers the run unearned. For me, when judging a bullpen in late inning high leverage situations, I consider it earned. It is a rule that puts a runner on 2nd with no outs, not a defensive lapse.

    I believe that Danny Duffy could start in September, but will be the multi-inning reliever during the playoffs. He will be this year’s Julio Urias. Whether he will be as effective, we will have to wait and see.

    I am not about to guess who will be the 8-9 LAD relievers in the postseason. Who knows who will be healthy or hurt. I agree with those that say we may have seen the last of Tony Gonsolin for 2021. I do not believe he has been healthy all year. I also do not believe that VGon is healthy. I am not comfortable that Graterol came into the season with the right attitude (WS hangover), and he is not ready for a repeat this year. He is talented, but he is going to have to develop that second breaking ball/off speed pitch and wait until next year (IMO). Jimmy Nelson has to stay healthy.

    I do not care about relievers who we know will not be on the roster come October, and what their numbers do for the team metrics. The Dodgers have 6 relief pitchers who have more than 25.0 IP, and the Giants have 5. I use the Giants, because that is the team they are chasing. I have also excluded Zack Littell from the Giants list, because the team has moved him to MiLB. The team that BandP said would be trailing LAD by 4.5 games by the end of July. Oh well. ☺

    In order of IP:

    LAD
    Blake Treinen – 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, .196 BAA, 4.08 SO/W, 3 saves, 3 blown saves
    Kenley Jansen – 2.90 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, .187 BAA, 1.71 SO/W, 22 saves, 5 blown saves
    Victor Gonzalez – 3.16 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, .241 BAA, 1.72 SO/W, 1 save, 1 blown save
    Phil Bickford – 2.51 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, .210 BAA, 3.09 SO/W, 1 save, 2 blown saves
    Joe Kelly – 3.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .196 BAA, 4.57 SO/W, 1 save, 1 blown save
    Jimmy Nelson – 1.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, .141 BAA, 3.73 SO/W, 0 saves, 1 blown save

    SFG
    Tyler Rogers – 1.98 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .232 BAA, 3.56 SO/W, 11 saves, 5 blown saves
    Jake McGee – 2.23 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, .168 BAA, 6.71 SO/W, 23 saves, 2 blown saves
    Jarlin Garcia – 2.70 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .150 BAA, 3.83 SO/W, 1 save, 1 blown save
    Jose Alvarez – 2.75 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .208 BAA, 2.70 SO/W, 0 saves, 0 blown saves
    Dominic Leone – 1.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, .157 BAA, 2.80 SO/W, 0 saves, 2 blown saves

    The Giants have added Tony Watson, while the Dodgers will be adding Corey Knebel and Danny Duffy. Score one for the good guys.

    I still do not believe VGon is healthy, and I hope will not be a playoff reliever option unless every doctor says he is healthy.

    The above Giant relievers ERA, WHIP, BAA, SO/W, and saves/blown saves are all better than LAD (in total), but not so much that I would be overly concerned except to when it comes to shutting down the game. The Giants will give Jake McGee the majority of save opportunities in the playoffs. Kapler can see who has been successful. Any close late inning 1-run save opportunity will go to McGee, while Rogers will get the 2-3 run lead save opportunities.

    Neither AF nor Doc have moved away from KJ. Anyone who thinks that anybody but KJ was going to be the closer going into the stretch was not being realistic. Let Treinen, Knebel, or even Joe Kelly have a shot at closing. Taking away the first game that Kelly pitched this year, his numbers are 1.98 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, .160 BAA, and .474 OPS. He certainly deserves a chance.

    Bottom line for me is that the Dodgers bullpen is not great. They are good, and probably good enough to win it all as long as the starters get innings and the offense shows up. But my big reservation is that the Giants have a closer they can count on, while the Dodgers do not, and apparently no desire to make a change.

    1. That reads a lot like fake news.

       Thanks AC, that was an awesome analysis.

    2. Good info. Thanks Jeff.

       Agree about the extra inning score keeping.

       In reading the stats about saves and blown saves there is an unofficial stat called a “Hold” that tells a story we don’t see when reviewing numbers like those posted above. I think that’s a mistake. If it isn’t a save situation there should be no Blown Save. If a reliever fails to hold the lead it’s a blown hold. If it were up to me I would add the Hold stat to a middle relievers record. Only the guy gets credit for a Save should be charged with a Blown Save.

    3. I do agree in some respects but AF burn up the bullpen because we didn’t have any starters. We needed a starter 2 months ago so AF threw a bunch of milb relievers as a fix. Then, at the deadline they decided we needed a starter. I applaud him for getting scherzer but I believe he was playing checkers instead of chess when the Dodgers did not have enough quality depth. Well mb he did look ahead but was satisfied where we were.

       I agree the bottom line is we can’t trust our closer or treinen or Kelly. We have got to get our starters deep and our offense clicking. We won last year without Jansen because doc was able to work around him. We may not b able to work around him this year. If Bauer comes back we could. AF was not going to drop a guy making 20 million and could have been selected as an all star. Just as with doc we have Jansen like it or not.

    4. Great analysis, Jeff!
       Unfortunately the bullpen ERA increased tonight with the two run HR from Victor.

37. 08/03/21 Los Angeles Dodgers placed RHP Edwin Uceta on the 10-day injured list. Right back strain.
    08/03/21 Los Angeles Dodgers recalled RHP Brusdar Graterol from Oklahoma City Dodgers.

38. Well, Doc may trust Jansen in a tight game, but even though I am not from Missouri I am a show me kind of guy. He just lets too many guys get on base. Then some games, he looks like the old Jansen.

39. At the risk of being a name caller, it would sure be nice to see machine gun Joe Kelly pitch to one or two Asstros tonight.

    1. No problems with that name Bobo. Mad Bum facing the Giants tonight. Some people have been calling Kelly Mariachi Joe after he wore that Mariachi jacket to the White House.

40. Eddys Leonard hit a two-run home run in his first at bat with the Great Lakes Loons tonight. This guy is a player. He will play the entire season as a 20-year-old.

    Hyun-il Choi five strong innings in his Loons debut. One earned run, eight strikeouts and no walks.

    1. Trade them both for Kimbrel.

       Ok. Too late. Sorry.

41. Slow start. Figures.

    Just read this in the Atlantic:

    “The White House has rejected a nationwide vaccine mandate—a sweeping suggestion that the Biden administration could not easily enact if it wanted to—but a no-fly list for unvaccinated adults is an obvious step that the federal government should take. It will help limit the risk of transmission at destinations where unvaccinated people travel—and, by setting norms that restrict certain privileges to vaccinated people, will also help raise the stagnant vaccination rates that are keeping both the economy and society from fully recovering.”

    I like it.

    1. Of course, Trump was wrong not to do it. The fact is, they know they can’t.

    2. It is bad enough that we are still enforcing remnants from 9/11 after 20 years. Like sheep we still take off our shoes and belts, while listening to unmotivated TSA employees tell us when we can fly.
       Now Biden wants to use no-fly lists to punish the unvaccinated. Apparently, even punish those who have already had the virus, and developed natural immunity.
       Our country was founded by patriots who sacrificed and risked everything to fight for their independence. As Patrick Henry once said, “Give me liberty or give me death!”
       And yes I have been vaccinated, but it was my choice.

42. Bottom of the fifth time to go to work feel the urgency

    1. Well so much for that,come on guys,recognize that slider

43. So far the Dbags are doing their job, so now
    Let’s Go Dodgers.
    We might have a second baseman problem.

44. Best line up , same result: 0 Runs. For now

45. And the Covid beat goes on brought on by???
    Alot of good stuff in between the crapola…
    1-0… they’re killing me…
    I’m giving the bronze to Jason…

46. Buehler grinding it out. Same ole offense no matter who is in the lineup. McCullers is really tough a rh kershaw slider slider slider. Home plate umpire helping at critical pitches. Seager rolling over on first pitch again but not striking out like Muncy, turner,smith. These are the games the giants have been able to win the dodgers just can’t seem to get over the hump against good teams. 9 more outs but now our bullpen has to hold.

47. Ok then, the win for Treinen !

48. What’s with Muncy? His worst AB all year? That was simply sad.

49. Have we never seen a slider before!

50. After that terrible Muncy AB, I was almost certain the game was over, but when I see Victor Jansen (Or Kenley Gonzalez) come into the game, I knew the game definitely was over!
    And I say it right now, not tomorrow when we know the final score of the game.

    I wish they made me look bad and end up winning this damn game!

51. Much better ab’s by Houston. We’re chasing out of the zone all night long and no solid contact Just another disappointing performance in a blah month! All or nothing with nothing against decent pitching. We won’t be seeing Arizona’s staff in the playoffs!

    1. The hardest hit ball of the night for Dodgers was Walker Buehler.
       He had only Dodger hit over 100 mph, while Astros hit 6 balls over 100MPH.
       Disappointing game, and shows what can happen in a wild card game against a good pitcher.
       But another game up tomorrow, and need to win the division to avoid elimination wild card game. Dodger have lost 9 of last 15 games in crucial stretch, and need to turn it around.

52. Orel says, “ Dodgers are coming up flat “ well you don’t say. How frustrating is this. The
    A-team out there tonight looked pretty overwhelmed.

53. Cody Bellinger is hapless and helpless at the same time. He’s a shell of his former self.

54. The bigger the game the bigger the disappointment! The Dodger bench is just pathetic. Maybe the worst in baseball!

55. Thanks @Therealten for the following quote:

    Dodger Nation quotes Robert’s as saying the team needs to play with more urgency. Lol you think duh!!! My lord he is the one who created the lack of urgency. It wasn’t to long ago he said you can’t go out and play like your hair is on fire for 162

    As if I need more ammunition to prove my point that Roberts is too laid back. Who wants their manager to say something like this even if he is thinking it??? Tonights game was as intense as it can get in the regular season and we laid (yet another) goose egg. Roberts sets the lineup and has Cody and his .150 batting 7th with red hot Pollack batting 8th. Does Pollack come through in the 8th with two on/two out? Who knows but these are the type of calls the manager makes along who to bring in from the bullpen that can put up zeros. Worst visual of the night = Maldonado sitting at second base laying out with peace sign after being out dead to right if it weren’t for more sloppy baseball with dropped ball. Man, I’m so frustrated I just needed to vent. Thanks for giving me the channel. End on a positive note = tomorrow is another day and that’s the great part about baseball. We get to see Scherzer represent The Blue and I’m confident he will come with a mission.

56. Dodger offense is pathetic, we won’t be seeing the Snakes or Rockies in the playoffs

57. Yeah, Scherzer will probably come ready to play. He will need some offense, I sure hope he can hit .

58. At least you boys can go to bed.

    I gotta long day ahead.

    Feel like I do after a Post Season defeat.

59. In other news from Chavez Ravine, Trea Turner will be flying into Los Angeles on Friday, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com. Friday will be the 10th day after Turner’s positive COVID-19 test, meaning his minimum quarantine period will have elapsed. But at this point, it’s unclear if he will be immediately activated by the club.

60. A quality performance against the Ass tros would have been partial redemption last night ,not just talking about before the game. To get shutout makes it even worse. Another game off the clock , if they have hopes of winning their division.

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