What’s Up Doc?

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1. I’m not a fan of Roberts, (although I wouldn’t be sad if he leaves the team) but blaming him for the losses (OK, maybe once in a while he’s guilty) seems stupid to me. Roberts doesn’t pitch, Roberts doesn’t hit, Roberts doesn’t field, and I’m sure lineups aren’t entirely his decision, either. He has to pitch with what he has, he has to hit with what he has, and he has to field with what he has, with the players that he has! And I am sure that he is not the one who decides who to hire and who to trade….
   If the Dodgers don’t win the division this season, it won’t be their fault, It will be the Giants’ fault!

2. Yeah the Dodgers lost another 1 run game but they won the series and according to my calculation they are 23-10-3 so far this year in series win/loss/ties, on to the Mets (To quote Bill Belichick).

   What a magical night MLB had for the game last night in Field of Dreams game on Fox. Everything was picture perfect from the pregame to walk off HR. Hollywood couldn’t have wrote the script any better. It was cool to see the Hot Air balloon to cruise over the field during the game.

   1. I agree Zeke….magical indeed.

      I’m sure glad we don’t have the Yankees bullpen. Even the guy who closed last night-Britton- has an Era of over 6, and the prior two were only slightly better. Very discouraging to lose games like that just because you don’t have quality pitchers who can pitch one inning a game when needed.

      1. Before the season, many people held up the Yankees Bullpen as the best in baseball.

         Crow-Pie!

   2. Here’s the link. It was very cool!
      

      1. It was an awesome ending. Big time closer Hendriks gives 4 runs including two HR’s in the ninth. Major fail on his part, but Anderson bailed his ass out.

         1. Field of Dreams in my opinion was not worth watching and had near nothing to do with baseball. “if you build it they will come”…..I still don’t get it, but to each their own.
            I can’t say why, but somehow it’s still me believing Dodgers will win the division. And there really isn’t a lot of season left. It’s not like the batteries in my life’s existence can get fully charged however things work out where it shouldn’t matter at all. The Dodgers will always be my team. They were my parents team and I have memories of my father paying to park on lawns of neighbors to the Coliseum because families had to put their car somewhere. My field of dreams needs more on the menu in my pursuit of happiness to be successful than a sport that others perform. What Dave Roberts does or doesn’t do shouldn’t have any effect on my being, but it’s hard work being a fan, huh? Just rambling.

            1. Sorry but I won’t edit my worthless ramblings……not worth the effort.

3. Thinking about our bench, I wonder if we gave REKS a decent chance to show his stuff? He is killing it in OKL…and he only batter 10 times when he was up. I know he struck out practically every time, but are we ready to write him off after only 10 ABs? He does have power. Just thinking out loud….what do you guys think?

   By the way, glad to see LA giving Lux some 3B experience. This can only help to make him even more versatile.

   1. Only a fool would judge a player after 10 ABs in the Majors… but I am sure there are candidates.

      1. In the month of August he’s hitting .216 with an OPS in the .600s. He’s not the answer.

         The answer is our $300 million All World right fielder. If he’s not available, there’s a hole in our boat.

         If we play well we can win at .600, which will be good enough to get in the tournament. If the giants keep winning they will be tough to catch. That directly from the desk of Captain Obvious.

         That Field of Dreams game was a classic. It was like Costner scripted it. And maybe the best shortstop in the game isn’t anybody we’ve been talking about in here. Anderson belongs on the list.

4. I don’t like Roberts at all. I don’t care that he’s a good babysitter. He constantly makes mistakes managing personnel during the game. I’m not going to assume that JT’s groin was ready for a pinch hitting appearance or not, but it’s unacceptable that he runs out of bench when he needs it the most. Maybe he’s shouldn’t have pulled Pujols when he knew he had a short bench, eh?

   The Field of Dreams game was pretty cool. Those old White Sox uniforms are one of my favorites.

   Maybe the Giants are saving up for a historic meltdown which will make this season more special. I can’t help but think of the ’88 Dodgers when I see them steal wins at the end of games, but I must acknowledge that they are indeed a more talented team than that ’88 Dodgers team.

   Our one run and extras record is remarkably atrocious. They set that tone at the beginning of the year and haven’t been able to break out of it. It could be a statistical anomaly and it could also be bad managing. I haven’t seen any of our competitors have to bat a pitcher in the middle of the lineup in extras this year, but we have on multiple occasions. Is it just happenstance that we’re put in that situation?

   I’ve also never seen such a pitiful lack of production from anyone who isn’t a star. We keep calling up guys that OPS over 900 in the minors, but they hit worse than pitchers when they arrive. Are they all that crappy, or is our manager not good at getting these kids comfortable, or putting them in a position to be their best?

   On the bright side, we improved our record against >500 teams and handed Philly a couple of losses while cooling their hot streak. Now, we just need to whack the Mets over the weekend before coming home to face the Pirates. Another scheduling SNAFU screwing the Dodgers. Thanks Manfred!

   A week ago today, Trea Turner flew in to Dodger’s stadium but wasn’t cleared in time to start the game. Of course, we lost that game by a single run as well. Are you telling me that they couldn’t clear one of the best players in the game in time to start? Manfred being a dick again.

   The talk of the day a week ago was how to bench Belli to make room for the new guy. 7 days later McKinny is in the lineup and failing to come up with anything in a big 9th inning, two out, bases loaded spot. Belli’s numbers for the last 7 .292 /.370/.875 for 4 bombs! Baseball is crazy!!!

   1. B & P,

      You have some amazingly excellent takes, but your irrational hatred of anything Roberts impairs your judgment in that area. Carry on! Seek Help! 😉

      1. Thanks Mark, you have some great takes as well. This is not one of them. 😉

         1. Touche!

         2. Lol….nice rebuttal BP! I bet that even put a smile on Mark’s face.

   2. I second that….I don’t like roberts at all!! He has continually made very poor decisions with lineups…bullpen moves…and his in game thought process makes very little sense. You know before the game starts as to what your roster is and again it is up to the manager to put his players in the right position to have success. Robert’s has not done that which is supported by the won/lost record in close games and running out of position players late in games. It is very obvious and to the most knowledgeable fans that our POS manager has cost us dearly this year in the win/lost column and those of you who support him as a nice babysitter are ignoring the fact that the team needs to be playing more consistently and winning those close games. Those are the games the manager has the most impact and he has failed miserably in that regard.

5. Dodgers should bring back Lux and sent McKinney down.
   And no, there is not a lot of games left and there is not a lot of time to make up ground. not when the Giants are playing like they do for 2:3 of the season now. Dodgers have to win the close games or it will be the wild card game.
   Yesterday another prime example when we just could not get the big hit. Giants are getting those big hits all the time it seems.

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

   1. I was upset when Will Smith was HBP. He seems to be one of our best clutch hitters, so when we lost him, it was all put on a .200 hitter. I’m sure many here, including myself, lost faith in seeing a big 9th inning hit. But honestly, even with the umpire’s help we still couldn’t win. I’m going to check out Baseball Reference to see if they have a category, hitting with RISP. I want to see who are our best…..and our worst in this.

      1. Granted, umps “helped” in the 9th. But the incorrect call vs TTurner being safe was worse IMO. Would have been 1st & 3rd one out vs. man on 3rd two outs at the top of our order. Very possibly ( but who knows ) would not have needed said help in the 9th.
         I hate it when umps have so much involvement in the outcome.

         1. That was on the crew in NY and they did not see enough evidence to overturn the call. Replay gets it right most of the time, but this time they missed.

            1. I thought Joe & Orel did it right & looked VERY safe to me. Joe says “I will watch the ball & you watch the foot” ….. or maybe the other way around, but the result was when one called “foot off the bag”, it was clear if you were watching the glove that the ball was not secured yet. And I count NY as part of the “umps” anyway as they are making calls. Like noted other places I think the MLB at the top hates us.

6. 538 now has the giants as favorites to win the Division. By 1 game. But they don’t like them in the playoffs. We are still favored to be the NL representative. Guess they figure Mookie and Clayton will be back at 100%. Wish I firmly believed that. Maybe if I had a more expensive coffee maker I’d feel better about their chances this morning. This Mr Coffee brew isn’t cheering me up. It’s not bad coffee, it’s just missing the magic a Dalla Corte Mina Espresso machine might offer.

   1. That’s WAY out of my price range.

   2. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZKZXM4B/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=31a9f809bad56563dd57233a1af6b8e5&hsa_cr_id=5743561300901&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=f1f5062b-8520-4eb3-b296-e0e34dadb6ae&pd_rd_w=zMPLV&pd_rd_wg=0xcKN&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0_title&th=1

      Espresso on a budget. Pick one up, you can thank me later. This one is stainless steel and it’s similar to the one I own.

      Don’t cheap out with the aluminum one. Cooking with aluminum is linked to Alzheimer’s and we all know you can’t afford that risk!

      Try this coffee. It’s not expensive and it’s way better than anything you see in the stores. It has a very smooth flavor and almost no bitterness. The exact opposite of Starbucks.

      https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lavazza+super+crema&gclid=CjwKCAjwsNiIBhBdEiwAJK4khisZEowJ02_yrjRM-Js8a0FZbhPVKQ73Y5KVk_gzQtVXfIISEk-WaRoCccIQAvD_BwE&hvadid=174261948396&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9031541&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1433075915538041014&hvtargid=kwd-746475220&hydadcr=4824_9338503&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_26qdy8xm8i_e

7. In case you don’t get Houston Mitchell’s E-mails:

   https://www.latimes.com/sports/newsletter/2021-08-13/dodgers-pitchers-dodgers-dugout?utm_id=35316&sfmc_id=2505482

   1. Interesting read.

      I have a question about Garvey and his walk rate. Some guys, especially before analytics took over, just don’t like to walk. I think I recall some hitters fouling off bad pitches deliberately just to get another opportunity at a hit. I can remember my first Little League coach yelling “a walk’s as good as a hit”. I was 11 and knew that wasn’t true. By the time I was playing varsity, 5 short years later, it was probably true, but I didn’t buy it. Nobody who could hit wanted to walk. I bet Garvey was one of those guys. And there were no doubt others.

      1. I must have been born in the Dominican because I knew you could not walk off the island. The ONLY time I walked was when it was intentional.

      2. Manny Mota was the best I’ve Ever seen at deliberately fouling off pitches OBTW baseball doesn’t have a clock but the season does

         1. Tony Gwynn was the best at that skill I saw in person. The Panda was as good a bad ball hitter as anyone but he put them in play.

            1. Manny Sanguillen. Manny was a master at hitting balls that were balls. So was Clemente.

      3. A walk is definitely not as good as a hit. No one ever scored from second base on a walk.

         1. Don’t forget about Vladimir Guerrero. I saw him hit balls that bounced and balls that were damn near over his head

8. On our AAA talent was never expected to be anything more than a placeholder.

   Zach Reks has 10 MLB at-bats. Do I need to supply a list of stars who were hitless in their first 10 AB’s?

   Billy McKinney was simply a “placeholder” – he has 600+ MLB ABs and has a .221 BA and a .289 OB%. He’s 26 and athletic and there’s still hope… but it is fading.

   Luke Raley and Sheldon Noisy have about 60 ABs each and I believe both will be utility players.

   DJ Peters is hitting .161 with Texas.

   McKinstry is a utility guy and was sent back to AAA to get his stroke back, but is still injured – he hs not played the last 3 games.

   You have to go to AA and below to find the next wave of Dodger players and there are a few.

   Like many teams, the Dodgers AAA players are fringe players, AAAA players, and utility prospects. You have to look at AA and A to find the real jewels.

   Gavin Lux played 3B again last night (that might tell you something about JT) and will likely get the call tonight.

   1. There are guys you just KNOW are going to hit, (Verdugo), and others (Reks, Burns, Raley, Noisy, McKinney) that you know probably won’t. That said, I’m prepared to be proven wrong.

      1. I believe Noisy will be solid. Raley has a chance to be a 5th Outfielder.

         Burns is a AAAA player, as is McKinney.

         Reks is no more than a5th OF… if that.

         1. Noisy looked like he could hit for a while. He’s 27 in December. I don’t think he belongs here. All of them are replacement players, who are fine for a few innings or a few days. When you have to play them every day you’ve got a serious problem. McKinstry can hit, he’s the one that should be in there, but, he hasn’t been right for a long time.

            No, our first team is World Series worthy. Our junior varsity isn’t.

      2. Interesting that you left Lux off the “guys you just know are going to hit” category.

         It seemed to me he was a can’t miss when in AAA looking to move up.

         1. I never had him there, but I remain hopeful.

            1. I did have him there. Still do. But I admit it’s taking him a few more at bats than I thought it would. His K rate (25.2) is higher than I expected. wRC+ (81) is lower. I still believe he will get there.

9. Slip sliding away.

   Forty seven games left and the Giants keep finding ways to win. No doubt, the Dodgers make the playoffs and if they get lucky, they can move through the playoffs and make it to the World Series. If they’re finally healthy and have the full team, they are pretty much better than any team in baseball. But a single game, some luck involved in that.

   I like Dave Roberts, not sure why people think he’s the problem. Beyond injuries, the Dodgers are an inconsistent lot with the bat. They had a shot until Will Smith got by the pitch.

   I realize you couldn’t keep Joc or Kiki, but there has been a huge drop off with the reserves. They simply haven’t delivered.

   As bad as all this is for the Dodgers, look at the Angels, two of best players, Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, stars with massive contracts have missed most of the year.

   Makes you wonder about high end, long term deals. But if you don’t pay the freight you won’t get the player. Not the best system. All in favor of the player, not the club.

   Where do the Dodgers go from here? Unless the Giants flounder and the Dodgers hit a couple of hot streaks, they enter the wildcard.They’re 7-3 in the last 10 games, still lost a game in the standings. MLB’s poor scheduling, they only play the Giants three games in September, all away. Hard to believe the Dodgers don’t host the Giants for three, big rivals and all.

   MLB should return to a 154 game schedule in order to give days off for teams going coast to coast. They won’t. Some players have suggested it might reduce injuries and that’s a reasonable argument. But the players won’t reduce their salaries and owners don’t want to give up the additional revenue.

   1. I think most fans would agree long term deals are ill advised. But, they keep giving them out, figuring I guess they’ll deal with the problem down the road. Gee, where else do we see that practice unfolding. Never mind.

10. The Dodgers bullpen has the 3rd best team E.R.A in the National League. As I’ve been saying the last few days the emergence of Bickford and Vesia has certainly made the bullpen better.

    Dodgers rank in the National League:
    #1 team starting pitching E.R.A
    #3 team bullpen E.R.A
    #3 team batting OPS

11. Keith Law Chat:

    Dark Knight: Dodgers have been giving Gavin Lux opportunities for couple years… do you see him more as a Carter Kieboom/ Biggio? or still someone who will be an above avg regular?
    Keith Law: Chance to be a star. Way better than those other two. Not even in the same league in tools or ability.

    Dark Knight: Andre Jackson just pitched well in AA and promoted to AAA. LA has Pepiot & Miller/Beeter that looks like they’ll be ready soon. Will LA use the Gonsolin model for these guys?
    Keith Law: I definitely would with Jackson, who is still ‘young’ in pitching experience (but not young for a prospect).

    Frank: The biggest issue to me with the whole Rocker situation is he now has to sit out another year. If the team that drafts a player doesnt want to sign him for medical reasons, then he should be free to go sign with whomever he wishes. Seems incredibly unfair to the player to force him to delay his professional career by an entire year.
    Keith Law: Hold on – that’s not accurate. He had the choice to submit his MRI to MLB, and thus to all teams before the draft. Had he done so, and any team drafting him then declined to make him an offer of at least 40% of slot, he would be a free agent. He declined to submit the MRI, and this is the consequence of that action. This mechanism of submitting MRIs predraft is not perfect but it better protects player and team than the old system. If a player chooses not to use that system, he must accept the consequences of that choice. The draft itself is a labor-exploiting farce, but this mechanism is one of the few aspects of it that does protect the player’s rights.

    Baseball America’s Top 30 Dodger prospects has:
    Bobby Miller at #1!
    Maddux Bruns at #12
    Jose Ramos at #29

    JJ Cooper chat:
    Mark (DC): Assessing the return on the Scherzer/Turner blockbuster — how should we be thinking of Keibert Ruiz? Potential franchise cornerstone, useful major league regular, somewhere in between?

    J.J. Cooper: Useful MLB regular who may make some All-Star Games. That would be a great return. He’s a C, so I would say there’s a little wider range of variance than there would be if Ruiz was an OF or middle INF.

    First draft assignments for Dodgers:
    The Dodgers have assigned pitchers & 2021 draftees Nick Nastrini (4th round), Emmet Sheehan (6th), and Antonio Knowles (13th) to the ACL Dodgers.

    On recent addition Connor Greene:
    https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1424829576157478925/pu/vid/476×270/yErQAQEkSQAx8DXX.mp4
    plus FB
    -Stays connected to rubber into front foot strike, holding good tension not allowing pelvis to drag/fly open
    -Arm flows up on time allowing arm to capture energy from the trunk accelerating
    -Arm on plane with rotation

    1. A lot of information there. Thanks Bluto.

12. I’ll ask again – who starts the winner takes all WC game?

    Max for me.

    1. Max or Butane. Those are the only two I trust in that kind of game. Since it would be at home, I like Buehler a little better. He has unreal numbers there.

       1. I give it to Big Game Bueller as well. He has a knack for showing up when it counts most. I would take him in a Wild Card game over any other pitcher in baseball. And don’t let Kenley anywhere near that game! Bueller for 6, Treinen, Kelly and Knebel to close it out. If Bueller struggles before 6, let Urias bridge that gap.

       2. Might depend on if those guys are trying to pitch us into the playoffs as a Division winner. If 538 is right, we won’t be eliminated until the last day.

13. Good Morning. Woke up to a new day, and a hope that the world will be a better place. Then I had to spoil it by reading the news. Nope, same old world. Container ship breaks in half in Japan. Some coach accused of sex crimes with a minor offs himself. Makes the taste of coffee a little more bitter. But there is the feel good story of the game in Iowa. I watched part of it. I did watch the entire in game interview with Costner. Cool stuff. And after that I thought, the Dodgers are my go to feel good story. Baseball makes the day better. On the days when there are no games, I am looking for things to do. Sometimes I read. I do research for stories I might want to do for the site. I practice new music, or work on writing a new tune. But baseball always makes the day better. I am old enough to realize the Dodgers are not going to win them all. And to think they will is unrealistic. We have been lucky these last several years that at least the team we root for has a real chance in the post season. This year has been their biggest challenge since 2018 when they were tied with the Rockies and had to play one more game to see who wins the division and who is the wild card. It is just not that easy to get there. The Dodgers 8 year run is second only to what the Braves did in the early 90’s until 2000. It is harder to get to the series. You have to beat good teams. And sometimes the best team does not win it all. Right now, the Giants are the best team in the majors. They go out there every night and find a way to win. same formula the Dodgers used last year and in 2019. They have solid pitching, a productive bench, a bullpen that continues to get the job done, And they have done it with some of their stars out for extended periods of time. And they have not had an extended losing streak. They played .500 ball for a while, but now they are streaking again. What the Dodgers need to do is take care of their own business and not worry about the Giants. That way they will make it to at least the Wild Card game, and so far it would be a home game at Dodger Stadium. They have to play with the players they have. No more August 31 trades that bring offensive or pitching help. On the 1st of September they can add 2 players to the roster. No more seeing how the kids can help during the stretch run. Remember, that’s when Seager got his first shot. At some point the Dodgers will either be healthy, or they won’t. Mookie will most likely wait until the offseason to have surgery if needed unless Dr.s advise him different. No matter what, they need to improve their record against good teams, because the number of games they have against bad ones are dwindling fast. They also need some late inning lightning. That has been missing this year. Urias on the bump tonight, time to start another winning streak.

    1. Well said Bear well said

14. From The LA Times:

    Josh Ritter, a Los Angeles attorney and a former prosecutor in the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. said this:

    “If you have a complaining witness who says they were assaulted, and they have physical evidence to back that up, and their story is trustworthy to the extent they can corroborate it by other evidence, I don’t see why they would hesitate to file, even given the seriousness of the person who is involved.

    So it is very curious to me that they would be waiting this long, unless they don’t feel it is that solid of a case.”

    https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-08-13/trevor-bauer-dodgers-leave-extended-rob-manfred-decisions

    1. I think I said yesterday, that he would be extended one more time before his hearing. If he doesn’t incriminate himself during the hearing, It’s time to close this out.

       1. Might depend on witness testimony. Who did she talk to right after this happened? What does the medical report, including the rape kit, say happened? It’s been months. They should have all they need.

15. We’re down 5 games to the Giants and the difference is their pitching has mostly shut down our offense head to head. We have 3 games left with them and will probably have to sweep at Oracle to catch them. Will our offense show up and give us some 5+ run games? And who will close?

16. Bill Belichick was fired from the Browns. Pete Carroll was fired from the Jets and the Patriots. Different fit, and people learn. Kapler was always considered one of the best minds in baseball; and had the Dodgers hired him as manager, he likely would not have been a train wreck. The Dodgers owners made their choice based on public relations, and “a great interview.” So now Kapler is going to be leading the Giants for years, and he is simply a better manager than Roberts; how do you think Roberts would do with the Giants’ roster? The Dodgers made a mistake, and now it may cost them for a decade.

    But Roberts has done well enough, though I think in some sense he has gotten the least out of the most. But of course the Astros cheated, that is true. On the other hand, why did he start Darvish over Kershaw in Game 7, when Kershaw ended up pitching four scoreless innings when the game was already essentially over? Why did he leave Kershaw in to give up two home runs to the Nationals when the Dodgers led 3-1 in the eighth? Why did he leave Kelly in to load the bases , and then give up a grand slam home run, when Kelly almost never pitched two innings, and when he was wild, could not adjust during an inning? That’s two more titles we might have won.

    But yes, Roberts can stay as long as he wants, but is that the point? There are people who spend every day attacking people in national office who have fixed terms. I will say that getting rid of Roberts would not solve anything, because we are likely to end up with a worse manager. Before him, we had hired the likes of Bill Russell, Glenn Hoffman, Jim Tracy, Don Mattingly. That was different ownership, of course. If we could hire Kevin Cash, I’d do it in a moment, but we likely can’t. We’ve got Roberts, and we have to have better players than our major competitors. Has Roberts ever won a playoff series when the Dodgers had the less talented team?

    This team has a fine record, but for once, there is someone in our division which is better. In the past, almost everyone in the division was bad, which made a division title and home field almost a guarantee. Let’s see how we do as a Wild Card team. I think we’d beat San Diego, and lose to Milwaukee, then wait ’til next year, except that we still have to face the Giants and Padres again. If one or both of them are better, all we can be is a Wild Card team again.

    This year’s team, as it was constructed, was probably the best team. But we had many injuries, though some of them to players who had a recent history of being sidelined for extended periods, including Seager, Turner, and Kershaw. and in the bullpen, Knebel and Nelson and of course Morrow and Kahnle. So it is not just all bad luck, though the Betts problems were very unexpected and unfortunate.

    The bullpen is better now, but it was not too good in the many extra innings game we lost, and Jansen has been about what he was the last few years, certainly nowhere near a great closer. This kind of record would have won the division for us in past seasons, but probably not this one. All sports are relative to the competition. UCLA football could have won national titles in 1967 and 1969, but with the benefit of some bad calls,, and a crucial injury, USC beat them. This cannot be viewed in the abstract; like if you get a certain score, you pass the Bar, no matter if some other people may have done better; they never even bother to tell anybody, all that matters is the necessary score. Not in sports.

    So the Dodgers may have had their fine run, not done quite enough with it, and now it is a new era, where Roberts ‘ lacks, comparative only to the best managers, become more damaging. That is what I think, and we’ll watch it play out. And the arguments about the manager or coach not giving up the home run, or fumbling the ball, or missing shots, is always the case, but it obscures the importance of the coaching. The manager does not hit home runs, either, or pitch shutouts,, or make great defensive plays which saved us from being eliminated in the NLCS last year. But they say that while a great manager might only win two or three extra games (not insubstantial, actually), a bad manager will lose at least 5=10 that the team should have won.

    I think that Roberts certainly is not a bad manager, but he is certainly not a great one. And when the margin for error becomes much less, this can be the difference in a championship season, and a decent but disappointing one, where we get to see our rivals parade around. The Giants have won three titles in the last 15 years, we have won one, in a shortened season. We have had some very good teams, but not won more than the one title. Some of that has to be due to not having great managers, unless one wants to think that it is just bad luck, and cheating.

    1. https://www.dodgerthoughts.com/2021/07/27/dave-roberts-dodgers-manager-hall-of-fame-record-be-kind-on-twitter/

       1. I think people what they want to see… even when it is not there.

    2. Pete Carroll RUING ‘SC football for a while for sure. And took off when things got “hot” to boot. Screw that guy. But nice post & observations.
       cheers
       pb+

       1. Huh?

          1. HUH? Screw Pete Carroll, he ran a shoddy program with very little oversight & IMO he is the reason they got sanctioned by the NCAA. Then when the announcement was made, he immediately left for the HAWKS instead of remaining to try to do some damage control. F him.

             1. I say F the NCAA and their ruling. Pete Carroll was and is an exceptional coach and that is what he’s hired to do.

             2. of course you would say that

    3. Everybody who has looked at the impact of a manager has said it’s minimal at best.

       As 538 wonderfully noted:

       Criticizing baseball managers is a pastime as American as baseball itself.

17. Good points William. But I believe Kapler’s team would not be doing what it is doing without resurgent performances by veterans in their walk years who have not been good for a while. This is Crawford’s best season in years. Same with Belt, and he had been out with injury until last week. Then he hits 4 HR’s over the weekend against a very good Brewers team. Posey, who had not played at all last season, and was injury prone the 2 seasons before that gets healthy, plays no more than 3 days in a row and is having his best season in years. All of their starters are MLB retreads. Two of them, Desclafani and Gausman pitched out of their minds for the first couple of months. They got a resurgent Wood on a one year deal, and Webb, a young pitcher, has pitched better than expected. Only Cueto has been so so. But lately, their starters have shown cracks in their armor, and the bullpen has been heavily used. McGee blew a save against the D-Backs the other day, and had Walker not made 2 crucial errors in the 9th, they might have lost that game. The biggest plus for the Giants has been the play of their bench, and the young guys they have called up. When Crawford was out, Estrada stepped in and hit over .350. Wade Jr. has done an excellent job. What Kapler has done is instilled a we can do this attitude in his clubhouse. The team is loose and not feeling any pressure. Why should they? Every time the Dodgers have gotten close, something has happened to keep LA from closing in. Does that make Kapler a better manager and a genius? No. I think the genius label is thrown around entirely to liberally. Stengel was a genius with the Yankees and a clown with the Mets. Years before he took over the Yankees, Joe Torre was a bust in Atlanta and with the Mets. I disagree with a lot of the moves Roberts makes, but I am not privy to the same information that he is. None of us are. I saw so many posts yesterday angry because he did not use Turner to pinch hit in the 9th. Forgetting that had they done that, and tied the game, Turner, who could probably have hit, was not fit enough to play the field and no other outfielder was on the bench. Smith had already hit for Barnes, so a pitcher would probably have had to play the outfield. Things like that go into the decision making and he felt keeping the option of Turner being available for the Mets series was more important. Only time will tell if losing that game yesterday has a huge impact on the season.

    1. Bear, thanks for the comment. I did not get to see the whole game, but weren’t we down to three bench players for the game? If so, shouldn’t Roberts have bee very sparing with their use? Of course, he could not know that we would have the bases loaded in the ninth. But didn’t he take out another starter when he didn’t have to, so ended up with no one left?

       Even more important, you are down to the last out. If you make the out , the game is over, it doesn’t matter what else might have happened. To not make the out, means you tied the game or went ahead. I would have used Turner , and then worried about the defense, tried to make do. McKinney made out, so what good did it do us? Put the pitcher in right field, at least with right handed hitters up , and hope it doesn’t hurt us. Or move someone in the infield to the outfield, and put the pitcher on the infield, where he might be used to fielding ground balls. I’ve seen teams move a pitcher to the outfield for a batter, and then move him back to pitcher. I realize that you cannot do it with the new three-batter rule, but the concept is just that the managers did not fear their pitcher playing outfield for a batter or two. I would far rather have had Turner up to maybe give us the lead than a .215 hitter. Just my opinion, and not hindsight. I will just ask rhetorically, would we have wanted to do it that way in the last game of the playoffs? If Turner gets a hit, we take the lead ,and then the pitcher in right field drops three fly balls and we lose, it still was worth the gamble.

       1. With Turner out, they had 3 on the bench, Beaty, McKinney and Smith. Smith getting hit was the worst kind of bad luck since he has been their most clutch hitter for most of the month. That it came down to McKinney was also bad luck. But you have to think in the law of averages, even a slug like him runs into one once in a while. I would rather have seen someone like Lux up in that spot. But he is still at AAA. I think they are still too lefty heavy off of the bench, and other than Pujols, they have gotten little power off of the bench. One reason they really miss Rios, Kike and Joc. I felt they should have added at least one bat along with Turner at the deadline. But starting pitching was the obvious need. I also believe that once Turner gets accustomed to his surroundings and the team, he is going to take off offensively and bring a lot of excitement to the team. But even with the injuries to Betts and Turner, the other players on the team are going to have to step up their game. Taylor has had a bad road trip so far, Muncy had a couple of key hits, but was ofer yesterday. Pollock keeps hitting, Belli just missed a game tying HR off of Bradley. But the entire team has to start hitting on all cylinders.

       2. As long as you are playing the what if game, what if JT tore his groin while batting, and he was out for the year? JT who seemingly is chronically injured, could tear his groin with his swing. He has had prior groin issues in the past. In 2018, Hyun-jin Ryu tried to pitch with a groin strain and tore it and was out for nearly three months. Was this one game worth that risk? What if he hit the ball and could not run to first and got thrown out from the outfield?

          I know some here are adamant in their belief that the Dodgers will catch the Giants. I do not share that belief. I remember in late June when the Dodgers were down by 4.5 games, and a certain someone said that the Dodgers would be up by 4.5 games by the end of July. They are 5.0 games back now, August 13. I understand all the what if scenarios. If KJ doesn’t blow three games in a row, if Walker does not make the errors, if Josh Hader had been available when the Brewers pen melted down without him, the Dodgers would be in 1st. But that is not reality.

          There are not enough head to head games left with SFG to make a difference. I agree with Badger that this team follows Mookie. Winning two out of three against a first place team at their yard, without Mookie and JT, with three bullpen games. Those are not bad results. The Giants are playing not only lucky but good. Over their heads? Maybe, maybe not. I certainly believe LAD was lucky at last year’s NLCS with the Braves very poor base running (thank you again Marcell Ozuna). But good teams take advantage of good luck, and last year LAD did. This year it is the Giants turn. I agree they have not had a bad run all year, and maybe they are due. But IMO, it is far more likely that the Dodgers will be playing a one game WC game against SD at Dodger Stadium.

          Like others, I do not agree with everything that Doc does. But this game was not on Doc. Most everyone blasts him for his poor bullpen management (as I have on occasion). But the last three games (all bullpen games) he navigated the bullpen very well. I am not sure that a mistake was made. Many of you are quick to complain, but doesn’t he deserve credit when his decisions work out? If you want to pass out blame, blame it on bad karma for the snake bit year the team has had.

          If you want to blame it on someone other than the players, blame AF. He is the one that chose to not put JT on the IL. So the team will continue to play a position player short. But even if JT was put on the IL, who is going to replace him? McKinstry could be hurt again, and he has not been very productive since he was optioned. Since optioned to OKC, Zach is batting .118/.318/.294/612. I would guess it would be Sheldon Neuse. For August, Noisy is hitting .333/.366/.450/.816 at OKC. But we all know that those AAA numbers do not translate to success at the ML level. For the year with LAD, he is batting .169/.182/.323/.505. Agreed that McKinney is not much better offensively, but he is a glove first OF. Neuse has not been successful with LAD offensively or defensively this year. Pujols came out because he made the last out of the inning and the new pitcher (Vesia) came in to that spot in the lineup. Both McKinney and Beaty PH for pitchers, and Smith PH for Barnes. That was the bench. That is what Doc was given. JT was not available.

          This was not a Kirk Gibson scenario. LAD is not in the WS, and will need a healthy JT (and Mookie) to get there. This one game is not going to be the difference, and if it turns out to be, I will blame it on other games that the Dodgers should have won, not one that they could have come from behind. That is something they have not done all year, and yet did so last year. This is a different year.

          1. Padres are being chased by the Reds, and with the problems they are having, I am not sure they are yet a lock. Tatis may well be back, but not at SS. I think his being in the outfield is going to be iffy. That being said, the Dodgers have to take care of their own business.

          2. Just read this Jeff, though it was posted a while ago.

             I agree that the Dodgers aren’t likely to catch the giants without everyone back. I expect Mookie to be out, and that condo it, but I still don’t trust the giants are that good. We still have some if’s, with Kershaw and Turner, but if those guys get back we have enough to make it to the tournament. At this point that’s good enough for me. Considering what this team has been through to make the playoffs would be impressive. And once there we know what to do.

18. Dodger Lineup:

    1. T-Turner 2B
    2. Muncy 1B
    3. Smith C
    4. Seager SS
    5. Pollock LF
    6. Taylor 3B
    7. Bellinger CF
    8. McKinney RF
    9. Urias P

    No JT!

    1. It’s players. Always. You have the best players you’re going to win more than you lose. You won’t always win a series, as in baseball anything can happen in a few days. A lot of ifs with this year’s team and they all add up to IF we had all the players on this roster healthy, and available, nobody in the NL could beat us.

    2. Roberts had said it would either be today or tomorrow to get him back in the lineup. Hopefully he can come off of the bench if needed.

19. OK, all you medical experts. Doc says that Mookie’s problem is a bone spur tied into the hip. He’s received an injection, the pain has subsided, but still no timetable for a return.

    Is a bone spur in that location only going to be fixed by eventual surgery and is that surgery major or minor?

    1. Since I play an MD on the Internet…

       On a scale from Corey Seager to Bo Jackson, It’s minor compared to either. Bo broke his hip and it was also dislocated caused by impact and lost all of the cartilage surrounding the hip joint. That’s about as bad as it can get.

       Corey had labrum repair caused by a misshapen bone. Trimming a spur is less invasive than both of Corey’s injuries. It only takes 2-3 months recovery for a pitcher with bone spurs removed from their elbow to begin pitching again.

       As far as Mookie goes, if he handled it now, he would be done for the season. If he waits it out, it will fit neatly between the end of the season and the beginning of the next, but would potentially trim a month off his normal offseason routine.

       I think this is good news to know what it is. But, it’s unknown if they can keep it in check for the rest of the season. Squirt some more cortisone in there, rub some dirt on it and get going again!

       1. https://www.advancedortho.net/info/hipscope.php

          1. Still sounds scary to me. But athlete get the best surgeons and medical care in the world. So that is a comfort

          2. Thanks guys, now the next question is whether we can believe what Doc is telling us.

             I happened to see Mike Lowell on MLB tv this morning and he was mentioning that you don’t want to hear the word arthritis associated with any hip problem. That pretty much ended his career, even after an operation.

             I’m feeling, as I did before this diagnosis, that we can’t really count on much from Mookie for the rest of the year but what little we might get from him is still worth delaying the possible surgery until after the season. Hopefully they act quickly this fall and he’s ready to go, good as new, by spring training. Still looking forward to having a healthy Mookie and a healthy TT in the lineup at the same time.

          3. “The most exciting new use of hip arthroscopy is to treat a problem called femoroacetabular impingement, which is the removal of painful bone spurs around the hip.”

             Hmm. Where have I heard that before?

             Depending on the damage already done, this can be shaved down with arthroscopic surgery and Mookie can be back in a month.

             1. Nice try Badger. Here’s an article that describes femoroacetabular impingement and it doesn’t mention bone spur anywhere in it. Those are two separate afflictions.

                https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/hip-impingement#:~:text=Hip%20impingement%2C%20or%20femoroacetabular%20impingement,and%20can%20lead%20to%20arthritis.

             2. You work entirely too hard just to insult me.

                The quote was from what Mark posted.

                And there’s this.

                https://www.joshuaharrismd.com/blog/understanding-the-3-types-of-femoroacetabular-impingement

                Hip bone spurs. Impingement.

                Back to ignoring you.

       2. Google says ……..
          Treatment Options
          Hip arthroscopy: Arthroscopic hip surgery is becoming more common, and the removal of bone spurs can be performed arthroscopically. …
          Open osteoplasty: Another option is to make an incision over the front of the hip and remove the bone spurs under direct visualization.

20. I once had a bone spur on my brain. They said I needed a frontal lobotomy but I thought they said a “bottle in front of me”. My mistake…

    1. Are you SURE they did not perform it without your knowledge?
       Asking for a friend 🙂

       1. Huh?

    2. I believe you exact quote was “I already have a bottle in front of me”. 😉

21. So let me say I have nothing personal against Billy McKinney. Probably a very nice guy and would be a good fourth outfielder for a second division team………………………..but not for the 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers.

    Beaty, who is a far better hitter than Billy is sitting today, probably because he’s somewhat of a butcher in the outfield and I’m guessing the Mets outfield is not a small area to cover.

    So here’s my solution.
    Sign Yasiel Puig who is currently playing in Mexico and who at this point would probably be willing to accept a salary slightly smaller than the parking lot attendant in lot 3 at the stadium.
    Yes, he’s a bit of a flake and he doesn’t listen very well, and he’s been somewhat of a disrupter in the clubhouse in past years. None of that matters at this point because we have so little of the season left, we’re 5 games behind the Giants and we want to win the division and avoid the wildcard game.
    Puig is as good a fielder as McKinney. Puig is as good a hitter as Beaty. Two for the price of one. Problem solved.

    If my experiment is a total disaster, either from a production standpoint or a behavior standpoint, cut him loose and you still haven’t lost much money. I have no idea why Andrew is the GM and I’m sitting here typing this, and not even getting paid for it.

    1. Lock your doors. The men in the white coats are converging on your house as we speak.

       1. Well, ask yourself who you’d rather see up there with the bases loaded – Puig or McKinney?

          1. Puig, and I think he would be so grateful to be picked up by a major league team, that he wouldn’t act out. But what do I know. I know I wouldn’t like it if he was picked up by the Giants or the Padres
             Oh yeah I keep my doors locked when I’m at home and I only peek out the curtains

             1. Don’t worry. Looks like there’s at least 3 of us. They won’t have enough straight jackets for all of us.

             2. Yeah right, he wouldn’t act out. I would welcome him regardless. He was always someone I would stop and watch for. I still love that guy.

22. I found this:
    Michael Busch

    – Walks (OBP) is Solid / Needs to cut down on his SO’s

    69 GP – 294 AB – 55 BB – 99 SO – .375 OBP

    – Has not hit well at Home in Tulsa / Has hit well on the Road

    H: 45 GP – 164 AB – 30 R – 36 H – 8 2B – 0 3B – 4 HR – 18 RBI – 30 BB – 55 SO – .220 .363 .341 .705
    A: 34 GP – 132 AB – 26 R – 34 H – 8 2B – 0 3B – 9 HR – 20 RBI – 25 BB – 44 SO – .258 .389 .523 .912

    – Hit RHP pretty well / Hits LHP poorly (SSS)

    RHP: 228 AB – 59 H – 11 2B – 0 3B – 12 HR – 32 RBI – 38 BB – 76 SO – .259 .382 .465 .847
    LHP: 68 AB – 11 H – 5 2B – 0 3B – 1 HR – 6 RBI – 17 BB – 23 SO – .162 .352 .279 .632

    – Streaky hitter ( Will rake for a month, then go cold for a month )

    M: 23 GP – 88 AB – 18 R – 23 H – 7 2B – 0 3B – 6 HR – 13 RBI – 16 BB – 30 SO – .261 .398 .545 .944
    J: 21 GP – 75 AB – 11 R – 13 H – 2 2B – 0 3B – 0 HR – 1 RBI – 15 BB – 29 SO – .173 .326 .200 .526
    J: 25 GP – 93 AB – 21 R – 27 H – 7 2B – 0 3B – 6 HR – 19 RBI – 18 BB – 26 SO – .290 .431 .559 .990
    A: 10 GP – 40 AB – 6 R – 7 H – 0 2B – 0 3B – 1 HR – 5 RBI – 6 BB – 14 SO – .175 .277 .250 – .527

    1. Streaky.

       He will fit right in.

23. I would take a flyer on Yasiel. I still believe the guy has a lot of talent and he is not that old. He has pop, which neither Beaty or McKinney have, and how stabilizing would Tio Albert be to a guy like Puig who probably has admired Albert’s game for years. And as stated, he would not cost much. Red Sox designated Marwin Gonzalez for assignment. Schwarber activated. Oh Yeah, Matt Kemp is available also, but I am not sure they have a uni that large.

    1. He can borrow Albert’s.

24. For all those that thought SFG was a possible pursuer of Seager next Winter, Brandon Crawford just signed a two year extension for $32MM.

    1. I’m assuming they’ll try to bring back Bryant. Maybe they go after Semien or Baez to play second. Or maybe Crawford is willing to move if they can sign a Seager, Story or Correa.

    2. That is a surprise. I think their next target is Posey. They have a replacement in house for Belt, Wade.

       1. I agree. Surprised. The first player I thought of for them was free agent to be Semien. He’s making $18m now and could probably be signed by the giants. He’s Farhan’s kinda guy. giants will be players for free agents going forward. They’ve got the budget and SF is great place to live if you have the money.

25. As much as I criticize MLB, they got the Field of Dream Game right. A wonderful event and way fun to watch. Storybook ending.
    I can look to fix plenty of blame for last night’s loss. To me, it’s pretty simple.
    We got 3 hits and failed to score the tying run in the top of the ninth with the bases juiced. End of story.

    1. Three hits to go along with 8 walks and only 1 run. Pitiful. Short bench doesn’t help. I’d say to cut a pitcher, but there aren’t any hitters worth bringing up. At least not until Lux get’s his act straight.

26. Way to go for Cory he didn’t try to pull the ball. Smith might have made contact with that hanger if he hadn’t tried to pull it

27. That was absolutely a GREAT at bat from Seager. He sure has looked good, I think his fielding is also been above what it had been before he went down IMO. Whatever rest he got, it sure did him good.

28. 1 – bone spurs are usually arthritic, so there is an arthritic process there that’s already started. even if the spur is easily removed, Mookie is young to have an arthritic hip. puts a cloud on the future for sure.
    2 – the Crawford resigning is a big risk for the Giants, even for 2 years. he has lost a step in the field – range factor is down, and his offensive resurgence is a huge surprise. his career average OPS is .722 and it’s .904 this year, by far his best year at age 34.
    3 – not just “NO” but “NO!!!” to Puig. have we learned nothing these past years?

    1. I think it’s great they signed Crawford. Great for us for the reasons you mentioned.

       Gotta trade Mookie before his 5 and 10 rights kick in. Get out of that contract. Or, you run with it knowing you’re gonna have to eat the last couple of years. Paul Konerko had a long career and you can always move Mookie to second base.

       I love Puig. Maybe he would loosen up that clubhouse. I would love to see those throws from right again.

    2. Researching bone spurs I was definitely thinking the same thing
       All we can do now is hope for Mookie there is a lot of years left on the contract

       1. When players are traded does anybody know what the team physical consists of, seems to me they would MRI or CAT scan all the major joints. Especially when you’re paying $365 million

          1. The physicals are extensive. And each player has to pass a physical when they come to spring training. This condition was obviously not diagnosed until now. And it was not seen last year. So it has developed into a problem this season. And before he signed that extension to his contract he had a physical.

29. My son played quite a bit with and against this pitcher for the Mets. I remember him being a goofball as a kid and teen. He could always bring it though. He kinda lived in his big brother Trevor’s shadow. It must feel good for him to be having more success at the major league level than his big brother.

    This kid had all the confidence in the world. I never saw him pitch an exceptional game, yet in his mind he knew he would be a pro some day. I’m happy for him to be living his dream.

30. Stay out of Belli’s way McKinney

    1. Yeah, that was too damn close.

31. Muncy already has 1 more hit than he had the entire series in Philadelphia. Turner showing off his speed again. It is so much fun watching that guy run.

    1. Turners the Baryshnikov of baseball

    2. Turner is the Baryshnikov of baseball

32. The reason McKinstry has not been playing the last few days at OKC is simple. He is with the big club on the extra player list they have when traveling. Lux 0-3 at OKC tonight with 2 K’s. Through 6 Round Rock and OKC tied at 0-0. OKC with only 2 hits. Santana and Bemboom.

33. I think Roberts did not really want to pull Urias once they had scored, but Beaty was already at the plate so he was stuck with the move. Considering how well Knebel pitched in the 6, and Graterol so far, it is not going to affect the outcome yet.

34. Aaron Sanchez released by the Giants.

35. This is a perfect example of why Doc is an idiot.. There was no reason to pull Graterol. Doc always over manages.

    1. It was not pretty that is for sure. And Doc almost always plays the percentages, this time it burned him. If it cost us the game, there will be a huge uproar. Tying run scores when Smith cannot catch a high pitch. Hard to watch. All those runs charged to Bazooka and Bruihl. Giants up 4-0 in the first inning against the Rockies.

       1. And there it is. I hate Doc. He messed up with Beaty and Messed up with Graterol. He’s a damn fool. Pulls Graterol too soon, leaves Bruil too long. Not obvious to him that you shouldn’t put a rookie in the bases loaded situation in a tight game.

          Instead of conserving his bullpen, he’s now wearing it out.

          1. Bruihl had to face Alonso, but I also think he should have pulled him against O’Neill. But hindsight is always 20-20.

    2. Who is the idiot?

       Man, you need some serious help.

       1. 2 bloop hits. Sucks, but that’s baseball.

          I recommend indica for those who have lost their minds over that inning

          1. Not losing my mind, but that kind of stuff is hard to watch.

             1. Yep, that’s baseball. But that’s all they’ll get.

             2. Yes it is!

                Not a hard hit among them.

          2. BANG!

       2. Yeah right. The baseball gods agree with me with the irony of your post.

          1. You need some serious help!

             The baseball gods think you are a dumbass!

    3. Yep could sure sense it when they pulled Bazooka out what was going to transpire.

36. Doc Sucks!!!

    1. Moron!

37. I thought Graterol should have remained in the game. But Graterol is no sure thing, and quite frankly the Mets didn’t exactly knock the cover off the ball.

38. 10 more strikeouts tonight. Taylor gets his 3rd hit of the night. Walks will kill you. Dodgers scored 3 on sac flies and are only 1-5 with runners in scoring position. Some fan in the stands shining a laser light in Muncy’s eyes in the 9th. Not cool at all. Jansen in for the 9th, so he needs to get 3 outs with no drama. Giants up 5-2 in the third in SF. Jansen K’s Alonzo to send it to extras. Time to flip the script. Smith hits 2 run HR in the 10th. Maybe the script is being flipped. Hold on to your hats, Jansen coming back out for the 10th. Jansen gets the win, 6=5. They break the curse of extra inning loses.

39. I do not suffer fools well,

    B & P is saying some of the stupidest shit I have ever heard!

    Dink and dunk and lucky hits.

    Yeah, morons will blame it on Doc!

40. I smell another one run game coming up……

41. I am shutting this down because I cannot stand stupidity!

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