Just a few notes today. Following some of the amazing posts in the past few days, I indeed feel somewhat like a little leaguer as my writing is solely focused on the minor leagues and naturally cannot lead to much discussion. However, little league provided me with some of my best long-term memories, way back in the early fifties.
Minor league ball keeps me somewhat in touch with those memories where the game is still a game and not a business.
Landon Knack – MiLB Pitcher of the Month High-A Central
With the Loons, the 24-year-old right-hander went 3-0 in July with a 1.54 ERA in five appearances (four starts). He allowed 14 hits and one walk while striking out 37 in 23.1 innings and was promoted to Double-A Tulsa on July 31. Knack, 24, was selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of East Tennessee State University.
On Thursday Knack made his debut with the AA Tulsa Drillers. He didn’t miss a beat as he did not allow a hit until Ivan Herrera’s two-out single in the fourth. Except for an error his first three innings would have been perfect. He allowed but one hit, walked only one, and struck out six. Of his 72 pitches, 49 were strikes, some of which registered 100 mph on the radar gun at Hammons Field in Springfield.
Gavin Stone – MiLB Pitcher of the Week (July 26 – August 1)
Stone earned Pitcher of the Week honors in the Low-A West Division of MiLB on July 31 with a dominating appearance against the Modesta Nuts in which he threw six scoreless innings allowing only a hit and a walk. He struck out nine.
Stone was the Dodgers fifth-round selection in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of Central Arkansas University. The 22-year-old right-hander has a 3.79 ERA on the season over 59.1 innings pitched. He has struck out 81 and walked 20.
Three More UFO’s
Since my last post, the Dodgers have signed three more UFO’s bringing their total to 10. The new signees are left-hander Francisco Mateo out of the College of Central Florida and right-hander Garrett McDaniels out of Mount Olive University. The third UFO is left-handed pitcher Jack Dreyer out of the University of Iowa who is coming off TJ sugery.
Justin Time …
First baseman Justin Yurchak was recently promoted from the Great Lakes Loons to the Tulsa Drillers. At the time of his promotion, Yurchak was leading the High-A Central Division with a .356 batting average. He went hitless in his first three games with the Drillers but has erased that memory in the last two games in which he has six hits and five runs batted in.
Left-hander Justin Bruihl has found his way with the AAA OKC Dodgers. He started the season with the Drillers and was promoted to the OKC Dodgers after posting a 1.20 ERA and 0.67 WHIP with Tulsa.
He had two poor outings in early July resulting in eight earned runs. In his other 16 appearances, he has allowed one earned run and none in his last 11 appearances bringing his ERA down to 3.79. He has struck out 30 in 22.2 innings with the OKC Dodgers and walked seven.
Take Note …
Outfielder James Outman was recently promoted to the Drillers from the Loons. At that time most thinking was that Ryan Ward, Andy Pages or Brandon Lewis might be promoted before Outman. However, he had a strong July slashing .314/.442/.686 with an OPS of 1.128. He hit six home runs in 18 games and drove in 13 out of the lead off spot.
Outman who plays a good center field has suited up 12 times with the Drillers. He is slashing .333/.448/.688 with an OPS of 1.136. He has four home runs and driven in 12 runs while striking out 13 times and walking 10. On the season in the two levels, he has stolen 22 bases and been caught twice.
Andy Pages has surged back to life at the plate. He has 22 home runs, one behind the league leader and 65 runs batted in only two behind the league leader. A pair of streaks were extended for Pages on Thursday with a 1-for-2 night with two walks, as he’s reached base safely in his last 23 games and recorded a hit in his last nine.
Some of us were unhappy to see Keibert Ruiz leave the fold but we do understand the nature of the game. Many of us now see Diego Cartaya as the heir apparent to Ruiz’s role. That may well be true as he is a highly valued prospect who is now on the 7-day IL.
If it was not for Cartaya and the hype around him, the Dodgers have another catcher in the pipeline who may have been seen as a catcher of the future. He still may be that future catcher. He is not on their Top 30 Prospect List but I feel is deserving of such recognition.
Carson Taylor was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of Virginia Tech. In 50 games with the Loons, he has a triple slash of .280/.382/.429 and an OPS of .811. He has five home runs and 38 runs batted in while striking out 38 times and walking 32. This guy is a player. The 22-year-old switch hitter may well get a look-see with the Drillers before the 2021 season is over.
Jose Ramos has made it onto the Top 30 Prospect List. The information below is from that Top 30 list. It is the first time I have seen Ramos mentioned in the same breath as Andy Pages. Ramos will play the entire 2021 season as a 20-year-old.
The Dodgers signed MLB Pipeline’s top-rated international prospect in the 2018-19 class, Venezuela catcher Diego Cartaya, for $2.5 million and also found a bargain in that crop when they landed Ramos out of Panama for $30,000. He didn’t get a chance to come to the United States before 2021, making his debut in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League in 2019 and getting limited to Los Angeles’ Dominican instructional league program last year during the coronavirus pandemic. He has made up for lost time this year, crushing the ball for three weeks in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and continuing to mash following promotion to Low-A.
Five-foot-11 and 150 pounds when he turned pro, Ramos now checks in at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds and resembles Dodgers prospect Andy Pages both physically and in terms of tools. He features well-above-average raw pop from the right side of the plate and hit a couple of tape-measure blasts in the ACL before departing. He manages the strike zone and off-speed pitches reasonably well for a young slugger and has a chance to hit for average as well as power.
Ramos has lost some speed as he has matured physically but he’s still at least an average runner, and his instincts give him the possibility of staying in center field. He has split time between center and right field in 2021 and his plus-plus arm is a weapon. He recorded 17 assists in his first 78 pro games in the outfield.
Currently, with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Ramos in 12 games is slashing .400/.475/.760 with an OPS of 1.235. He has three home runs, 11 runs batted in and 11 of his 20 hits have been for extra bases.
Right-hander Marshall Kasowski has surfaced with the Dodgers in the Arizona Complex League. In 2.2 innings he has allowed one earned run while striking out six and walking one. Time is not on his side now so hopefully, he can get back to full-time service before the season ends.
I would discuss last night’s game but I might vomit in my coffee.
Nice coverage DC. I see Pages, Knack, Outman, Cartaya, Taylor, Bruihl, and Yurchak as being legitimate prospects. I do not know enough about the others…
Carson Taylor is the real deal. He really snuck up on me, but now I have watched him a few times and he is on an MLB track. He may be ready by the time Barnes is a Free Agent.
Taylor is currently not in the Top 30 Prospects. That will change.
Michael Grove went 5 innings for the Drillers last night and struck out 7 while walking zero.
He did give up 6 hits and 4 ER and his ERA is at 9.11. I am curious to see how this plays out.
Corey Knebel pitched an inning at OKC and struck out the side in 11 pitches. He’s ready. Dang, it would have been nice to have Nelson AND Knebel.
I say bring up the Quack. He has MLB experience and the big stage will not scare him. He cannot be any worse than what they have been trotting out there.
Nice work DC. Always love to hear about the kids. Hey, little league was fun. I only played one year, and we played 10 games. We went 8-0-1 and then lost 10-5 in the playoffs. I had a lot of fun, and hit .714. 15 hits in 21 at bats. Struck out twice and walked 5 times. I was hit once. Only had 1 HR. We played on a field with no fences. All the teams were sponsored by 7 Up. I was on the Yankees and I was 11 years old. Our pitchers threw one perfect game. 7-0 against the White Sox. That was the game I hit my HR in and got hit. A kid in my class who played for them told me he was going to hit me if I hit a HR off of them. And sure enough, next AB after the homer he plunked me. Our tie was a 5-5 game with the team that beat us in the playoffs. We won one game 1-0. And another, 22-1. Some of the best days of my life and great memories for sure. Those post game ice creams were great. Hey Mark, vomit in coffee is a bad thing.
OK, it’s a new day. Albert Pujols did his job… somewhat, but there was no clutch hitting.
It’s deplorable to get 11 hits and 2 BB and only score 3 runs. Pitiful! Talk to them, Roberty Van SuckSuck!
Better yet, hit them over the head with a chair!
Maybe… this is just who they are. Maybe they don’t have the character and guts in the clutch.
Post that Dave! That is Billboard Material!
The good news is that David Price is getting stretched out!
He looked good, was pitch efficient, but I question the using of his change up when it was the one pitch they were getting hits off of. And Barnes went to the well with it once too often. And both of the HR’s were off pitches right in the middle of the plate. The Ump was not horrible, but he did miss a few. And the ball that crossed Barnes up and hit him that was called a ball, it was a strike. But I think he was so busy trying trying to recover, he missed it.
About last night. I would have left Trea in the game after he pinch hit. Moved Muncy to first and put him at second. With a RH hitter leading off the 10th for the Halos, why in the world did Roberts put Cleavinger in there? I know Ohtani would be PH as the next hitter, but they could walk him. I would have rather seen Graterol pitching to Iglesias. They get the run, and then that pop up into no mans land that Muncy could not get a handle on. I think Turner would have caught that ball. But they lost the game before that. Stranding Muncy after a lead off double. Bad situational hitting. All Seager needed was a fly ball, and he pops out. I had a tough time getting comfortable watching the game as my knee is giving me fits the last couple of days. Then to lose like that, well, kind of takes the joy right out of the day. And Mookie not being able to finish was not fun either. Roberts said it is not something that is just going away. They will have to manage it as best they can. Trea will be in the lineup tonight. The Angel pitcher, Barria is 2-0 with a 4.02 ERA. They have faced him before. Mookie and Turner have homered off of him. Only Upton has taken Julio deep.
Our hope now is for home field advantage in the wild card game against the Pads or climbing in the standings the Reds. The injury bug has decimated our chances to win our a 9th straight division title, Our hope now is if we can have a relatively injury free roster for the playoffs. Andrew Friedman has done his part except a putting together a. quality bullpen. It’s sad when you have to bring in Clevinger into an extra inning games. Why didn’t Trea Turner start at second base if he was able to pinch hit and have Muncy play first. Use Albert in later innings to pinch hit.
Great read DC. The cupboards are not so bare in the minor leagues with some really talented players who will help in the future and help keep payrolls under control. Love this information.
Little early for that kind of thing. Look, if they are 4 back with 5 to play, I get it. But with 52 games left? Anything can happen, and it usually does. Turner is going to make this lineup look a lot different.
Andrew, Turner was not cleared of Covid protocols until about 1/2 hour before game time. So Albert started, and he drove in the first run in the first. Woodruff going for the Brewers tonight against Sanchez for the Giants. Their starting pitching is starting to show some cracks.
2 for 12 WRISP. Another extra inning loss. Seager 0fer. Taylor 1 for 5. Mookie?
These are games we can win but we don’t because of a lack of clutch hitting. Well, that and a less than defense. We scored 2 earned runs in 10 innings. That sucks. Roberts hasn’t had a clutch hit all year and is the worst fielding manager on the team. He just sits there and expects everyone to do it for him.
I am as lowwwwwwwww as I’ve been in quite some time. I went to bed with us up 2-0 after 4 innings, seeing the Giants lose in 10 innings, I was pumped.
But as I was laying there with my eyes still opened, I had these bad visions of them not scoring any more runs, and only getting 2 runs and losing 3-2 in 10 innings. I tried hard to dismiss that “negative” thinking reminding myself that we are the World Champs I am showing such little faith in. Don’t they deserve more respect than me thinking they will lose at home to a mediocre team minus its two huge superstars knowing the Giants lost?
But I couldn’t dismiss that thought all night and when I woke up, I just didn’t want to pull up the scoreboard for “fear” of what I was going to see. I don’t think my nervous system can take any more disappointment. So, I busied myself for 30 minutes, collected myself, drank a cup of coffee, fed my deer and cats and pulled up the scoreboard………..
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Again? And the punches to the stomach keep on keeping on…..playing .500 baseball, win one, lose one, just won’t end. We did only get 2 runs in 9 innings….we did lose in the 10th inning…..but hey, be positive TM, we scored 3 runs, not 2….and Jansen even pitched a scoreless inning.
Maybe it’s time i lower my sights and start to think about that one game playoff with probably San Diego where we might get to face Snell again and their top bullpen. That way, playing mediocre baseball won’t disappoint me so much because it is expected. Win one, lose one, win one, lose one. Oh boy…..can’t wait!
A very dejected and numb,
TM
PS. I probably won’t be around here much today….it hurts too much. If you want to talk with me, go to Big Blue Interactive, website for the NY football Giants.
You guys amaze me. 52 games left, and you already are talking wild card. And you call yourself a fan? Give me a break. I have seen them comeback from larger deficits. And Trea Turner has not played a full game yet. The guy is hitting .322. One of the top hitters in the majors, let alone the NL. He is going to bring a solid bat and a lot of excitement to the team. Not only that, he can run. The infield with him manning second is solid all around. Turner had a double last night, Taylor got a hit in the 10th, Seager drove in the 3rd run, and even Muncy, who has been striking out a lot ripped a leadoff double. That pushes Taylor to CF, with Mookie iffy, Belli will be in RF, and Pollock in LF. The defense is pretty good with that bunch out there. Bellinger ripped one to right last night and has been having better at bats. If there is an issue, it is the back end of the pen after Treinen, Kelly and Jansen. Bickford has been ok. Graterol better of late, but still cannot put away hitters with 2 strikes. Cleavinger, well, I have no trust in him to get the job done at all. Vesia can be nasty, but he loses his control for some hitters. Nunez has shown flashes. But I want experienced arms down there. That is why I want to see a guy like Quackenbush called up. He is not going to be intimidated by the atmosphere. These kids sometimes look like a deer in the headlights. Re-enforcements are coming. At least by the end of the month. After this weekend, the next road trip will be telling. Games against the Phils and Mets, top 2 teams in the east with the Phils climbing into first with a win over the Mets last night.
Seek help.
Me or TM? I get help…first cup o Java works wonders.
Not you Bear! One loss out of 162 and TM is dejected and numb? You would think he would be used to losing, being a NY Giants fan and all. 😉
Totally agree. My best friend is from Brooklyn, but lives in Lancaster now. Was a Dodger fan until O’Malley moved the team, but he is a die hard Giants and Rangers fan. Back when I watched pro football, I no longer do, we had side bets on who would be better, Rams or Giants.
Trea Turner and Max Scherzer were on a team in 2019, that was 58-52 with 52 games to play. Lest we forget about it, they went on to win the World Series. It was a very flawed team, and it had virtually no bullpen, but they got the job done.
The Dodgers are now 65-45. Hummmm… Too many Drama Queens here!
It’s way too early to be depressed!
100% correct!
Aren’t you the guy who was gonna vomit in his coffee!
Yes, but I moved on.
Or just finished your coffee?
Great article! I love hearing about the kids in the system. Outman and Pages could be studs.
I turned off the TV as soon as Cleavinger came into to the game. Maybe we can not use the guy who keep blowing extra innings games in extra innings?
I think the hook was a little quick with Price. He opened the inning with a groundout and gives up a homer on a change. Just three pitches into the inning and he gets pulled? C’mon man!
Thank God for Will Smith’s miraculous recovery! His legs apparently were rested just enough to get an AB and enter the game to catch, for Kenley Jansen no less.
Don’t they know that Kenley sucks because of Smith? He didn’t last night, although he had no idea where the ball was going on some of those pitches. Only 4 cutters out of 12 pitches, maybe he’s onto something!
Injury, urgency. I wish we had half as much urgency as we have injury.
Roberts said that Betts’ injury is something that is “not going away.” – Thank you Captain Obvious!
Cody Bellinger has a 4 game hitting streak, his longest of the season. Thank God for small miracles.
Doc says Betts will be back in the lineup on Aug 8, so I guess we won’t see him until Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Morning Bulldog. Yep, If Roberts had read the stats and seen that all 3 of Cleavinger’s losses up to that point had been in extras, maybe he might have passed him by. A lefty against a RH hitter with a runner on second and no outs??? Recipe for a run. 11 straight extra inning losses. Had they won half of those, they would be a game up on the Giants instead of a game back. Frustrating as hell. Especially when they lose those kinds of games to the worst teams in the league.
Yep, it makes absolutely no sense to use Cleavinger in that situation. It also made absolutely no sense to put TT back on the bench after pinch hitting in a close game where defense matters. If he was at second base instead of Muncy, we don’t give up that second run and tie in the bottom of the 10th.
I think Cleavinger will eventually become a weapon in the pen, but can he really be counted on in the post-season? Time to end the tryout and bring up Quackenbush.
47 guys on the 40 man roster with a whopping 7 guys on the 60 day. Only Knebel is expected to come off this year. We’re gonna have to cut bait on a couple of guys on the 40 man for Knebel and Quakenbush. My hit list starts with…
Scott Alexander
Sheldon Nuese
Luke Raley
Zack Recks
Edwin Uceta
I don’t think Roberts can THINK that far in advance nor do I THINK he has stats like that at his disposal. I’m sure he didn’t know that about Cleave. Just like I’m sure he wasn’t THINKING when he didn’t remove Pujos for Turner after he pinch hit. Why would you keep a .322 hitter who is a great fielder on the bench for a guy going on 50 and was probably spent after 3 at bats? Yep, Muncy to 1B, Turner to 2B and they don’t score that last run.
“You gotta THINK……THINK about what you’re trying to do to me….THINK! “
-Negative TM
Bellinger got another hit; Jansen pitched a scoreless inning; Price went 5+….
-Positive TM
Nice Aretha Franklin reference.
“It’s way too early to be depressed!“
I don’t think you have a clear understanding of depression. Time has nothing to do with it. It’s a state of being. Is it a sad day or are you experiencing a chronic mental illness. It varies from one person to the next, and because words we use to describe emotions vary it can become quite difficult to evaluate. Is it depression or disappointment? Is it emotional or a chemical imbalance?
I suggest 200 words comparing and contrasting depression and disappointment. Show your work in identifying and clarifying your conclusions.
Roberts says Mookie’s injury is not going away. I don’t know about that. Seems like it’s already gone a long way and may go further. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say this team needs Mookie. And Seager. And Muncy. Both Turner’s. Maybe Bellinger.
Complaining about our pitching is useless when you score 2 runs in .9 innings which happens way too often! This all or way too often nothing offense is the key issue. The magic just isn’t there this year with this group even with the injuries. The Giants have had a ton as well. Tired of that excuse.
Where do you Dodger optimists get the Kool Aid you’re drinking thinking the Dodgers can win another division title? I would like to get some. I’ve been a Dodger fan since 1956 when I was kid and have seen a lot of disappointments. This 2021 team doesn’t have the urgency and balls to win another division. Too many injuries, distractions ,bad fundamentals, poor clutch hitting , missed opportunities to advance every time the Giants lose and a bullpen that can’t be counted on night in and night out to get the job done. I hope I’m wrong but I might need some of that Kool Aid you guys are drinking to change my mind,
AVF with the talent the Dodgers have things can turn around just like that. They basically have an All Star team of position players. If they weren’t as talented as they are I could see your points. My post below expresses my frustrations and disappointment, but I still watch every game and believe that the Dodgers can overcome the vastly overachieving Giants by the end of the year. But, they have to stop pissing away these winnable games that are sitting in their laps. Mark mentioned the 2019 Washington team and they had a god awful BP. So there’s that. We’ll see what happens.
Or, possibly we are “smoking” our koolaid. Known to brighten the day.
Damn these loses are pain full. Very good starting pitching wasted. Poor clutch hitting. Bad fundamental defense.
Questionable use of BP. Failure of BP. Rinse and repeat. Difficult to watch.
Eleven years left on Mookie’s contract and at 28 is already breaking down. With his size and athleticism I’m surprised to see this happen. AF and the ownership has to be devastated at the possibility of a huge amount of nonproductive dollars being wasted. A sad deal. It would be nice to know what the actual injury might be. Roberts (FO) said it was a hip pointer a couple of weeks ago. Day to day, week to week, out for the season. Who knows with the Dodgers.
Yesterday there was a lot of talk about which team or which players are better between LA and SF, I think the difference between both teams was very clear last night.
Muncy had a chance to drive in a run in the first, just when it was needed, but he struck out, and then a deep fly and a double.
Seager had the chance to drive a run in the in the fifth and couldn’t either, but then in the eighth a deep fly to center.
The difference between the two teams is that SF does hit the deep fly, the opportune hit or the hard ground ball between first and second, enough for the runner to score from third with less 2 outs.
don’t look the difference in the numbers or the statistics, It is in the efficiency of one team and the inefficiency of the other.
And if you’re still wondering why Pujols was in the lineup …. He drove a run and then put a runner on third with only one out, he did his job!
What you really should be wondering is what the heck is Bellinger doing in the lineup!
But give credit to Anaheim’s potent offense, they beat one of the best bullpens in MLB.
100%, Jorge
Our starting lineup is, on paper at least, a most impressive lineup. Adding Turner to it every day makes it even better. We must win the close ones with those guys because a bench that includes McKinney, Reks, Beaty and a 41 year old Pujols is just not that good.
Knebel is about ready and I’m assuming he takes Cleavinger’s place, though I don’t know that. Might be a continuation of the musical chairs bullpen. Kershaw and Duffy not available for a month hurts, Gonsolin out, Nelson out, Bauer invisible, this squad is hurting. Maybe it’s time to test these minor leaguers I keep reading about here.
Teams usually are not as good as they look in a win nor as bad as they look in a loss. I think Plato said that.
Aristotle followed Plato’s quote with a team’s ytd record is not as good or as bad as it may indicate.
The Dodgers just need to follow Sinatra’s famous quote and do be do be do.
I like Trea at 2b this year and ss next year.
I could live with that.
Good quotes.
Thanks DC for the update on the kids in the minors. Looking forward to any of them coming up to the bigs especially Cartaya.
It looks like Mookie is still not 100% and the injury gets aggravated when is is running. He plays great at second base and there is limited running involved there. Unfortunately Turner’s is requesting to be stationed in the infield and is ok with second base primarily and moving over to short to give Corey a day off. Unless they use Muncy in left field he will be on first. If I was writing out the lineup it would be a lot easier if Turner would be the primary center fielder and Mookie on 2nd. Then next spring we will see who’s on first and what’s on second.
I don’t know, 3rd base.
The inability to get a runner in from third with less than two outs again was costly last night. Three times the Dodgers failed in this situation, a theme that is going on all season.
DR has to do something about this problem. Immediately.
Go dodgers!
What would you suggest the manager do with a team of highly paid super stars that manage to go 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position against a pitching staff that is ranked 23rd in MLB?
One suggestion would be to use a bunt /squeeze play on some occasions. When was the last time you saw that from DR?
Go dodgers!
I would suggest that players are instructed to either bunt, look to hit ground balls the other way against the shifts, or choke up with no strikes to try to put the ball in play with a runner on third and less than two outs. Brandon Crawford intentionally hit a ground ball down the third base line with bases loaded to beat the Dodgers. Last night Iglesias intentionally hit ball to right side in tenth inning to beat the Dodgers. The Dodger hitters seem way to focused on hitting a home run or on launch angle with runners in scoring position. I am not sure if they do this because more home runs mean more salary, or if this is the dictated hitting approach of Roberts and Friedman. But very poor execution in these situations is costing them games, and the manager needs to change the approach.
So you are suggesting we bunt, choke up with two strikes and hit to the opposite field.
Where have I heard that before?
Obviously not gonna happen in this organization. It’s all or nothing with this group and it’s got nothing to do with the guy who makes out the lineup card.
Your beef is with upper level management. Take it up with them.
Some people don’t get it.
Yesterday’s game among other games too is a good example why I would like to see T Turner in an RBI spot in the lineup like 3rd/4th/5th. What good is it for him to get on base when nobody can drive him in. We do lead the league in getting on base (OBP), that’s not the problem, we have the so called “table setters” for all you old fashioned baseball types.
What can I say about the bullpen and Doc’s handling of it that I haven’t said before. What can I say about the need to build a proper bullpen that I haven’t said before. What can I say about Friedman not valuing the bullpen as much as offense, starting pitching, defense that I haven’t said before. Nothing, so I will leave it at that.
So, enlighten me how you build a bullpen. I want to know, and I want you to articulate how to do that because here are the TOP TEN Bullpens:
1. San Diego – 2.91 ERA
2. Tampa Bay – 3.02 ERA
3. San Francisco – 3.26 ERA
4. Miami – 3.45 ERA
5. Cleveland – 3.50 ERA
6. Los Angeles – 3.64 ERA
7. Milwaukee – 3.66 ERA
8. New York Y – 3.66 ERA
9. Oakland – 3.67 ERA
10. Boston – 3.70 ERA
Explain to me how the best bullpens are built. I want facts, not talking points.
It’s all about the three batter minimum rule now. Guys who are good against both sides of the plate with a few that are dominant.
Again, using ERA is meaningless.
It matters WHEN you give up those runs.
If your ERA is under 3 but you have given up 12 blown saves, who the hell cares about your ERA?
Also again, its like a guy that has 30 HRs and 28 are solo shots in meaningless spots in games. Blowout wins or losses when the other team has their worst pitchers (of position players) in. Who cares? So he has 30 HRs and maybe 34 RBIs
Or the QB that ends up with 400 yards for the day but lost 41-17 and the other team didn’t even press or attempt to defend the WRs in the last quarter of the game. Does anyone throw that guy in the MVP talk? Hell no.
Again, anyone can roll out stats in reams but eyeballs and results matter. That really all that matters.
The bullpen is inferior to the rest of the team and the weakest link. A guy like Jansen as your closer screams that from the mountains. I don’t even see how its debatable at this point.
How to build a bullpen? Ummm get guys who are good and not career injury cases for one. Take a chance on some of those guys now and then but coming up to half your bullpen roughly? Get guys who don’t walk people. Hell, I think most of us could at least live with a guy that gives up a few too many hits but walk after walk? Cmon. Throw the Fing ball over and make someone earn it.
“ The bullpen is inferior to the rest of the team and the weakest link”
Thank you Jason my point exactly.
Great article, DC. Always interesting to hear about the minor league players who are earning their way towards the big leagues. Definitely some promising performances from Knack, Outman, and Pages and also many others. The minor league system still seems deep, despite losing so many top prospects via trades in the last two years,
It has been very discouraging to watch the big league team squander so many close games with lackluster efforts and poor execution. A payroll of $280 million and losing 8-10 top prospects over the last two years, and the major league team is well behind in the division race. The feeling I get is a team playing without urgency, playing selfishly, and lacking the team chemistry to battle in close games. If the Dodgers can’t even muster one run in the last 5 innings of the game last night against AAA pitchers like Sandoval, Quijada, Sellman, and Warren, then they deserve to lose. And the chances that this overpaid lineup will produce in an elimination game against the best pitchers in baseball are slim.
Good stuff on the youngsters, DC. I like to try to keep up with the new young faces.
Certainly a tough loss and hard to believe we lose another extra-inning game. A timely hit by us would be a nice change. The bloop was tough luck but it shouldn’t have come to that.
I don’t understand the Cleavenger move at all.
Beyond the loss, Mookie’s injury is a big-time concern. What’s the true diagnosis anyway? Is it a hip pointer, which I doubt? A flexor strain? Or an impingement? None are a day at the beach but an impingement takes forever to heal on it’s own and surgery can be the best treatment w/ recovery 4-6 months.
I’m no doctor, in fact I’m not much of anything today, but from what I know, and impingement will get worse and can damage the cartilage. Untreated hip impingement may lead to hip osteoarthritis and eventual hip replacement.
I stole Mark’s line from awhile back that when some people get a hangnail they think it’s cancer. So, I don’t want to be that guy. I’m sure the Dodger medical folks are all over the proper treatment but the first question is “can this get worse with continued play?” If it won’t get worse with use than it’s a matter of pain management and pain tolerance.
I wonder what the problem is?
Same deal with CK. Forearm inflammation? Again, I’m no doctor but when I’ve had inflammation, I’m given anti-inflammatory meds and the inflammation is gone in a short time. CK has been out how long? I hope this is just a nice long break to get healthy but he may be getting rested and healthy for what?
Did AF make the deals he did knowing CK and Mookie might be done?
Yeah, I mentioned the other day that 2 months is a long time to wait for inflammation to calm down. That’s why Mark is saying what he’s saying. This sounds like more than inflammation. But, we’ve got Hamels and Duffy to take his place. Gulp.
Same with Mookie. Hip pointer? Really? I had one of those my junior year in football and it hurt like hell. But, I could still run. I missed a couple days of practice and played the rest of the year. The way Mookie is hobbling I fear your impingement diagnosis is more likely. If that’s the case he’s gonna need an off season and extensive therapy. Hope I’m wrong.
You are not!
Most on here only know this from history, but I lived it! In 1951 the Dodgers were 13 games up on the Giants in early August. The Dodger manager(guess who?) said “The Giants is dead”. Regular season ends in a tie. Playoff comes down to a final game. Anyone remember “The shot heard round the world” and Bobby Thompson? The 4 game lead is not insurmountable!
BANG!
Winer, Winner, Chicken Dinner!
1951 huh? 70 years ago?
So if I hear you right, all we gotta do is steal signs. Win the giants and Asstros way?
No thanks.
One game at a time.
Charlie Dressen…..years before a Giant’s manager had questioned, is Brooklyn still in the league?? Just before the second division Dodgers knocked his team out of the pennant. The Manager, Bill Terry.
I was listening to MLB Radio today on one of my trips to Lowes or Menards and heard that the Yankees were the 2nd worst hitting team in MLB with RISP… right ahead of the Pirates. The Yankees were co-favorites with the Dodgers at one time and they have had their wheels fall off. The Dodgers are still in it, but it seems that the Big Dodger in the Sky may be angry with Guggs and Company for trying to “BUY” a championship. I do not think that is the Dodger way.
Consider what has happened:
1. Dustin May (possible ROY) goes down with TJ.
2. Tony Gonsolin (another very good rookie pitcher) has had shoulder issues most of the year.
3. Corey Seager (World Series MVP) has missed significant time.
4. Cody Bellinger (former MVP) has missed major time with shoulder surgery, a broken leg, and hamstring issues and has yet to get untracked.
5. Jimmy Nelson who has looked devastating out of the bullpen has missed a lot of time and is gone for the year.
6. Corey Knebel (another very solid bullpen arm) has been injured for three months and is now ready to come back.
7. The Bazooka has missed significant time because he is a dumbass or maybe injured (U pick).
8. Clayton Kershaw (the Franchise Player) has had extended forearm tightness, which is a symptom of a torn UCL.
9. Mookie Betts (former MVP) has been injured all year and just as he was getting going, his hip becomes a problem.
10. Victor Gonzalez has not been healthy most of the season.
11. Supersub Edwin Rios has been lost for the year. He had the best HR Ratio in MLB.
11. Gavin Lux has underperformed and is now injured.
12. Trevor Bauer (Cy Young Winner) is in MLB Jail and may or may not return.
13. Kenley Jansen is in need of a brain transplant.
I know some of you are upset that the Dodgers do not divulge injuries, but what you have to remember is if Dave Roberts said “Mookie Bettes has a right hip impingement in the blah, blah, blah region” other teams trainers would determine that their pitchers need to throw him down and in fastballs, because it causes too much pain to hit them (this is just a poor example). Shutting your mouth about injuries is the best policy, even if we fans hate it.
OK, with that said, I am ready for tonight’s game. I will be on the deck and have a cigar, Cabo Wabo, and my Best Friend, The Mighty Quinn. He’s a Dodger fan and he will eat a Giants fan, but he usually spits them back out because they taste so bad!
Is Lux still injured? That was a long time ago, wasn’t it? I assumed he went back down to the minors or at least to visit some sports psychologist, preferably not the one treating Cody.
I feel pretty confident the Dodgers will win today and probably score plenty of runs. Today is their day to win. The problem though is they score 2 runs one game, they score 8 runs the next day;Total of 10 runs, but only one win. That is the story of this year. Few runs one game, plenty of runs the next. I would be happy with 4-5 runs every game and probably win them both.
All of that is of course true, and that many strokes of misfortune would derail most teams. But even with all that going on we have still been in position to win games and we haven’t. Blown saves, poor defense and lack of clutch hitting … considering how many we’ve given away I find it encouraging we are still in this thing. This is an amazing team. I still think we’re going to win the Division.
And then there was this.
1993 San Francisco Giants
In Barry Bonds’ first year as a Giant, he had a mustache. That wasn’t the only thing that went wrong for the Giants.
On July 22, they led the Atlanta Braves by ten games, but the Braves were in the midst of a 49-16 stretch that also saw them go 28-9 at one point. Combine that with the Giants stumbling to a 20-18 finish, and the recipe for failure was set.
The Giants won three in a row, then lost to the Dodgers, while the Braves won, making the Giants one game short. 103 wins, a third MVP from Barry Bonds, an excellent pitching staff led by John Burkett, Bill Swift, and super-closer Rod Beck, and the Giants were unable to capitalize and unfortunately sent home.
And this.
1962 Los Angeles Dodgers
One of most legendary pitchers in Dodger lore, Sandy Koufax, was unable to stem another collapse, this time to the Giants of San Francisco.
Paired along with Don Drysdale, the Dodgers again seemed to cruise to another pennant, but unexpectedly lost a four-game lead with ten games to go starting September 22. They lost eight of their next ten, including their last four and found themselves in another three-game playoff for the pennant.
No Robby Thomson miracle this time, but this time the Giants found a way to score four runs in the top of the ninth to take a 6-4 lead (winning runs by Matty Alou and Willie Mays) and ultimately win.
1962, yep, all that happened. But remember, Koufax went down with circulation problems in his finger. He pitched in 3 games at the end of the year, but was clearly not the same pitcher. He pitched in only 6 games in the second half, and was 1-3. And only one of those games came before his injury. His ERA prior to the injury, 2.15. After it was 6.48 and he only pitched 16 innings in those games. He finished at 14-7. Most of the load was on Drysdale and Podres. Since the playoffs were considered part of the regular season then, his loss in game 1 was his 7th of the year. He pitched one inning and gave up 3 runs in the 8-0 loss.
Something a little different to tonight’s lineup:
2B Trea
1B Max
RF Mookie
SS Corey
3b Justin
C Will
LF Chris
CF Cody
P Julio
Dodgers are 64-33 in games that don’t go into extra innings.
Pollock is the first to get a rest with Trea Turner batting leadoff. I actually love this lineup and defense.
TT 2B
Muncy 1B
Betts RF
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Smith C
Taylor LF
Bellinger CF
I prefer having a left hander in the two hole with a speedy leadoff hitter. He get’s in the way of the catcher on throws to second. He can pull a ground ball through the hole created on steal attempts. Muncy also takes a lot of pitches, giving opportunities to steal a base. If he could only pull a ball if Trea winds up on second with no outs.
Mookie, Turner and Seager all profile well for a 3 hitter. They are all the best hitter on you team, if it weren’t an all-star team like we have here. So why not bat them 3, 4 and 5? I really like it. Belli would be a perfect cleanup hitter if he wasn’t hitting like Mendoza’s replacement player.
Smith, Taylor and Belli round out 6-8. Can’t get any better than that. I hope Cody keeps his hitting streak in tact.
I guess Pollock will enter at some point when Betts goes down, then it’s musical chairs and anyone’s guess how Doc will manage to over complicate the defensive alignment. I would image he would put Pollock in left, CT3 at second, TT in CF and Belli in right just to screw with everyone.
At least we don’t have Joe Maddon batting the pitcher 8th. What an idiot. Brandon Marsh is the only lefty in the lineup facing Urias. Marsh has reverse splits hitting lefties better than righties this year.
For all you Quackenbush fans, he’s coming!
Wallach dfa and claimed by the Angels.
Nunez to IL.
9 minutes ago, Quackenbush’s contract selected by the Dodgers.
Belli will be mostly sitting against lefties.
CT3 will play 2nd, 3rd LF and CF.
Kershaw’s scans are clean. Soreness only. I repeat, soreness only.
Now you’ve decided to believe the medical stuff they’re throwing out there?
It is what it is, we’ll see him when we see him…………………….or not. And that’s why AF is signing every starter who ever put on an MLB uniform, just in case.
And just to make sure we have a catcher to catch some of these guys, we’ve just signed Tony Wolters to a minor league deal.
I want the duck whistle concession if Quackenbush hits it big.
And for your evening enjoyment.
Let’s see if this makes it through the spamanator.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1424144173477732352
A quick video comparing Pages to JT at the plate. Amazing similarities.
When Corey Knebel get the the call up from AAA ,which I’m thinking is going to be this week, he will be the 26th Dodgers relief pitcher this year. The record is in 2018 we had 29 relief pitchers make an appearance. Knebel I think will be closing many games in the next three months.
You must mean moves because has has been on the 26 man roster already.
DODGERS SELECT KEVIN QUACKENBUSH
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Kevin Quackenbush and placed left-handed pitcher Darien Núñez on the injured list.
Quackenbush, 32, appeared in 30 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, going 1-5 with a 0.61 ERA (2 ER/29.1 IP) with 33 strikeouts. He has only allowed an earned run in two of his 30 appearances while recording 14 saves in 15 chances. In his Major League career, spanning five years in San Diego (2014-2017) and Cincinnati (2018), he is 13-15 with a 4.38 ERA (101 ER/207.2 IP) with 186 strikeouts. He was acquired by the Dodgers as a minor league free agent on May 5, 2021.
Núñez, 28, is 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA (5 ER/7.1 IP) in five games (one start) for the Dodgers this season. He has split the season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, going a combined 5-0 with a 2.55 ERA (10 ER/35.1 IP) and 55 strikeouts. In 64 minor league contests, he is 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA (27 ER/104.0 IP) and 167 strikeouts. He was originally signed by the Dodgers as a minor league free agent on April 16, 2018.
If it walks like a duck…
The Dodgers signed C Tony Wolters to a minor league deal and he has been assigned to OKC. Wolters is a former Rockie, and was released by the Cubs earlier this week. Not much of a hitter, but a solid defensive catcher. Team USA loses to Japan in Olympic baseball. Brewers 2 SF 1 in the top of the 5th.
That may have been the worst play I’ve seen since we had 2 guys thrown out at home plate on the same play in the playoffs
Horrible baseball execution. Someone has to take charge on an IF pop up and direct the players as to who’s catching it. Is that Julio, is it Smith?……….. it doesn’t matter but someone has to take charge. JT’s lack of athleticism defensively is starting to show up with increasing frequency.
Julio pitching like crap with 60+ pitches through 3 IP. This team needs a heart transplant.
This team needs a testicle transplant.
At least augmentation.
We have never been a good defensive club. We win games by bludgeoning pitching staffs.
Everything appears to be going the giants way. So far. Game should be over In Milwaukee. It isn’t. We should be leading in this game. We are not. This team is too good not to hit. Things will change.
Thanks Cody…..for nothing!
Pffft…..what a waste…….
Vesia has allowed one run in his last 11 appearances, Joe Davis just mentioned, but who does the genius bring in last night in an extra inning game with a runner on 2B? Cleavinger…. doesn’t take hindsight to know that was a huge brain fart by Doc.
LOL. Exactly.
Of course, you KNOW that he was available.
He pitched tonight why wouldn’t he have been available last night? Do you KNOW if he wasn’t?
See below
Josiah Gray with 10ks today……..against the Braves!! No Acuna, but still impressive.
Amazing to compare the Giants and Dodgers. Man for man their roster is inferior in almost very way and at every position…….but they have what we don’t. HEART and the ability to get timely hits. 10th inning they score three runs against the Brewers who fortunately also three runs in the bottom of the 10th.
11th inning the Giants play sound fundamental baseball and ground out behind the runner to get the go ahead runner to third who then scores on a basehit and then follow that up with 3 more runs. If that had been the Dodgers we would have seen three “swing from your ass swings” trying to get a HR rather than play fundamental baseball.
I’ve defended Doc forever but I’m starting to grow weary. Trea Turner is the real deal.
BOMB
Nice edit!
You bet, wouldn’t want you to call me out now that he has his avg. up to .174. Was Vesia not available Friday night? You posed a question on my post asking sarcastically if I knew he was available. Do you know he wasn’t?
I have no idea. There are 26 players on a team and on any given night someone can have a migraine, upset stomach, etc. I don’t get those memos. He may have been available… or not.
Bellinger bomb. Hopefully that gets him going.
Jajaja Bellinger..MVP jajajaja
Good news Dodgers tied the game. Bad news the extra innings comes
Giants just winning in a fantastic game
Bazooka 102
Haven’t the Giants been like that for a decade plus now. Heart and finding ways to win.
I don’t mean the last few as they rebuilt but those WS teams were not even close to the best teams in the playoffs and they went in and won 3 times. Maybe they just teach that in their system.
I don’t know but I know this LA team doesn’t have it. Haven’t really seen it since 2017 or that crazy streak in whatever year that was. 15? 16?
You must have been in quarantine last year. Sorry you missed it.
So much love for Taylor. I wish we had 40 guys that played like him.
Anyone speculate on a contract for him and what he gets from LA and maybe on the open market?
3/23?
5 years/$75 Million
And that guys is why you do not make statements until the game is over. They showed plenty of heart. And they won. Jansen a 10 pitch save. Belli has a 5 game hitting streak. Taylor will get a deal for close to 10 mil a year, say 3/27 or more.
I think CT will get 4 years and at least 50 mil, and we’ll be the ones to give it to him.
It’s universally said that 1 WAR is worth about $8 mil. CT is already over 3 WAR this year and the season still has 2 months to go. At that rate 4/50 would be a bargain.
Time to extend Trea Turner and Chris Taylor. They can split what we recover from Bauer’s contract!
That would be great for the Dodgers but why would they do that? Both will get huge paydays soon. I m sure the Dodgers would extend them in a heartbeat, but they have to want it as well.
The Dodgers have four players, with all the skills, who can do everything, offense and defense, in one game: Mookie, TT, CT3 and Belli (when he is well) and a player who has all the tools to get there to sit down to eat at that table: Gavin Lux.
You might be right. Like Cody, I think we should platoon both players to keep them away from going 0-4 with 2-3 Ks. Maybe they have a chance to hit a “mistake” from a mediocre RHP.
Well, we won. I figured so….we seem to lose a big disappointing game and then come back to win the next.
I see I spoke a wee bit too soon…..after Cody strands second and third with one out hitting a pop up to 1B, he then jacks one to tie the game. I saw the replay….it looked like the pitch he hit was lower than the usual ones that get him out. Cody could extend much better when low…can’t do when higher.
And then I see Jansen had another shut out inning with only 9 pitches. VERY NICE!
Now I’m definitely not surprised we won with those two contributing. It sure helps….