About twelve or so years ago, I wrote a blog about Jason Repko, who was a prospect for the Dodgers. While I do not recall exactly what I wrote, I am sure that it was crass and inconsiderate. Well, Jason Repko’s dad read this blog and took me to task (and rightfully so). He cut me down very eloquently and said that I had no idea how hard Jason had to work and what he had overcome to get to where he was. I was crass and inconsiderate and took what he said to heart. I apologized and vowed not to be that way again. I realize how hard it is to get to play in The Show and know that I could have never made it and most of you could not have made it either.
Andy Dominique, Jeff’s son played in the majors and got a World Series ring from the Red Sox. In nine years in the minors, he hit .270 with a .354 OB% and hit 122 HR. All that work, got him into 9 games with 14 ABs in the majors. It’s damn hard to get there. Was it worth it? I’ll bet he thinks it was. He lived his dream and at age 22 he hit 24 HR with 102 RBI in the Sally League. Talent is important… and so is timing and luck. My point is that there is a ton of talent in the minors, but luck and timing come into play too.
I see fans say “This guy is bum” “Send him back to the minors.” “He’s horrible.” … and I cringe. Tyler Gilbert of the D-Backs is the most recent case-in-point. By no-hitting the Padres in a 7-0 win on Saturday, Gilbert became just the fourth pitcher in big-league history — and the first in nearly 70 years — to toss a no-hitter in his first big-league start. The Athletic has an exceptional piece on Tyler and his journey, written by Zach Buchanan. I will publish a few tidbits:
To fully comprehend the unlikelihood of what happened Saturday in Phoenix requires an understanding of Gilbert’s journey. It’s that he’s not just any rookie — or, conversely, that he could be just any rookie. He is not and has never been considered a top prospect. At this time a year ago, he was apprenticing under his electrician father. A Dodgers farmhand at the time, Gilbert had not been invited to the alternate site. “I was trying to make ends meet,” he said.
As he was making ends meet, it seemed entirely possible that his career could soon be meeting its end. The Dodgers didn’t protect him in the Rule 5 draft — not just the major-league portion, but the minor-league phase that only required him to be placed on their Triple-A roster. He was 26, had never reached the majors and seemed to have stalled out.
But the Diamondbacks had been following him. They plucked him away from their divisional foe in that Rule 5 draft and turned the longtime reliever into a starter. It was a flyer — the stakes are not high in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 — but Saturday it paid off in ways that almost no one would have predicted. A no-hitter in the big leagues? Many wondered if he’d even make it to the majors at all.
But not Gilbert.
“I knew there was never anything that was going to prevent me from getting to the big leagues,” he said Saturday night, a half-hour after he bequeathed his glove to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. “That’s something I really bought into, especially this year. No matter what. I was just so confident in myself. I know my stuff can play up here. There was never a doubt.”
Matt Hahn, a scout for the D-Backs had this to say about Gilbert:
“I watched Tyler improve every single season,” Hahn said. He looked on as Gilbert pitched to a 3.63 ERA at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2018 and then watched him post a 2.83 mark at the same level a year later. He watched him in the Dominican Winter League in between. He saw Gilbert add a cutter — a pitch the lefty threw 47 percent of the time Saturday — and then continuously improve upon it. “I watched a guy who was always challenging hitters,” Hahn recalled, “who always knew what he was doing.”
Ultimately, what happened was that Gilbert was switched THIS YEAR from being a reliever to a starter. At age 27 (he will be 28 in December) Tyler finally made his dream come true and he put it all in context:
“I’m happy to be here. I’d rather be doing this than pulling wires,” said the owner of just the third no-hitter in Diamondbacks history. “No offense, Dad.”
I’ll bet no offense was taken! I do not think Tyler Gilbert will be a great pitcher. He may not even be average, but he threw a no-hitter in his first start and that’s something no one here has ever done. If Darien Nunez and Edwin Uceta are bums, we are all pond scum or worse!
Progress is not linear or even predictable. Max Muncy, Chris Taylor and Justin Turner are living proof that dreams come true and all three were picked up off the bone pile. Muncy and Turner were cut and signed as free agents and CT3 was traded for one of the biggest draft busts in Dodger history, Zach Lee, who happens to be nice young man. Zach will be 30 next year and is out of baseball, but he at least, did make it to the show.
I root for guys like Billy McKinney, Luke Raley, and Zach Reks. There is still hope for them all, just like Tyler Gilbert, but at least they made it to The Show. That’s something very special. If you are perceptive, you can see that pitchers like Nunez and Uceta flash talent – it’s just a fine line between success and failure.
Dodger Rants and Raves
- People talk about Max Scherzers eyes and it a fact they are very different! Scherzer has a condition, called heterochromia iridis, which impacts the color of his iris. The condition affects less than 1 percent of people. Scherzer has one blue eye and one brown eye, and he said that the pigmentation of his eyes can even change. The shades of blue and brown fluctuate
- Cody Bellinger is slowly getting his mojo back. He has had some big hits and played a role in this winning streak. Sometimes, it’s one step forward and two steps back, but he is becoming a force again. Let that be a lesson.
- I agree that the Dodger defense needs to improve, but some of the mistkes were just plain wierd and likely never to happen again… like Trea Turner almost falling on his face trying to throw. Sometimes stuff just happens.
- The Dodgers, who have the largest positive run differential in baseball at +193, have won 10 of 13 games since July 31, the day after the Trade Deadline. Max Scherzer has been as good as advertised, allowing four runs over 16 1/3 innings (2.20 ERA) to start his Dodgers tenure.
- Trea Turner’s bat woke up and he went 3-4 with 4 runs scored. When he gets on, it’s hard for the Dodgers to lose.
- Look for the Dodgers to be tired tonight after the cross country trip late last night. This is where you have to suck it up. The Giants aren’t going away… yet, but one has to wonder how long they can keep this up. No offense.
- I have a friend who is a Giants fan who insists that Bruce Bochy never tried to win after each of his World Series Championships. He claimed that Bochy said “It’s too hard to go back-to-back. The team needs a year off from the pressure.” I have serious doubts that Bochy ever said that, but the results speak for themselves.
- Here’s what I want to know about Trevor Bauer: Did the latest woman who said Bauer choked and punched her have a record of saying that, or did she just say it now? That would tell us a lot…
- Who will the Dodgers put on IL to bring Mitch White back tonight?
- Lux was 2-4 at OKC last night and played 2B.
- Mike Busch was 2-5 with a double at Tulsa.
- Miguel Vargas was 3-5 and is still hitting over .300 and OPsing .911.
- Yurchak is still insane. He went 3-5 for Tulsa and is hitting .431 with a 1.119 OPS. Whew! Thta’s after 54 ABs.
- 20-year-old Eddys Leonard hit .295 at RC and was promoted to GL where he bis hitting .341 and playing CF. He mostly played SS in RC
- Jorbit Vivas is still hitting .318 at RC with a .925 OPS after going 3-5 last night.
White is still here and on the 26 man active roster. We will see Andre Jackson starting a game or coming out of the bullpen this coming week against the Pirates or Mets who is already on the 40 man roster. Another possibility is Tropeano who is not. The options are limited with no off days in the midst of a 13 consecutive game sdchedule and Urias on the IL.
Good morning, I agree with what you say about some players who are just starting in the big leagues, and if they are there it must be for something, surely they must have talent or they would not be there, you have to be patient.
I think the desperation of us as fans is that being in the middle of the championship race, we don’t want to give away more games for bad pitching, we believe and want that the Dodgers as a great team should have only stars. But it is true that even the great players, the baseball gods were also rookies at one time, they too were given the opportunity to play, and surely they also had a difficult start in their careers.
And speaking of the field of dreams, I read that the Yankees are the first team in MLB history to lose a game in Iowa … That made me smile!
Seager is due for a day off. Do you put Trea Turner at shortstop? Or do you keep him at second so he can continue to work on timing and get comfortable at that position?
I move Turner to Short when Corey needs a day. I don’t think one day out of every 7-10 is going to affect his ability to play second base.
I don’t think Turner is having trouble adjusting, I just think this is who he is. He’ll make some rangy plays and he’ll screw some up. Kind of like Gavin Lux. He’s not the Ozzie Smith that some assumed he is just because he’s fast. And he isn’t clearly better than Seager at shortstop.
Seager has a freaking gun of an arm that allows him to turn some plays into outs that other shortstops can’t. He has less range, but the arm makes up for a lot of that.
I think his internal clock is off. He seems to feel the need to rush throws when it’s not necessary.
It’s a good point. We make fun of these fringe guys but what they’re accomplishing is a total dream. I think we churn and burn a little too much but we trust our org to identify the keepers.
Vogel has started hitting some at RC. Good to see the kid get going .
Speaking of RC: Where is Cartaya ? Has not played in weeks now.
5-1 road trip to Philly and Mets and we can only shave one game of the Giants lead. Tough , tough division the NL West .
And why have they not disclosed the injury sustainded by Joe Kelly ? Very unusual .
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am rooting for that kid to work out. He’s supposed to be Trea Turner fast with good instincts in CF. He may be able to force Belli off the position at some point in time. He gets extra points for being from Huntington Beach. Man, if he was only Italian!
“ Man, if he was only Italian!”
I am…….what do I get?
More mozzarella on your pizza and a bottle of vino.
I clearly saw that he was out on Covid protocol. It was on the Yahoo sports page the day after he went on. The only thing I quickly find is this though.
https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/dodgers-joe-kelly-moves-to-il/
If true, he should be eligible for return Wed or Thurs
cheers
pb+
McKinney got a hit. But was it really?
I understand that there are gifted athletes that for whom everything comes easy. Somebody has to be the fastest guy in the league but does he also have to be 6’2” with 20/10 vision? I also understand there are guys who are just determined to outwork everyone else until they get their shot. Those stories are inspiring.
It feels to me like the Dodgers are going to need some help. I’m not sure where it’s going to come from but there are days off needed in late August. We are in a stretch of 22 games in 23 days. We have only 5 off days the rest of the year and end with 6 against teams that are, at this time anyway, in contention for a playoff spot. Does Scherzer need a blow? Does Buehler?
It’s still a long way off, anything can happen, but if with 4 games to play we still need to win all 4 to have a shot at the Division, and that’s basically what 538 predicts, we aren’t going to able set up the rotation for the first series against the Wild Card winner. We need to win the last 4 to beat the giants by 1 game. That will be fun. Work your magic Doc.
The Giants play 10 vs SD, I could easily see them going 5-5 6-4 vs them.
We have a shot to catch em; but even if we have to go the WC route I STILL like our chances.
Getting Kersh, Duffy, Kelly, Mookie and heck even Lux back is going to be key. Knebel staying healthy would be good.
The best is yet to come…
Who survives the dog days will win the West. Bochy was right. It’s a tremendous mental grind.You would think the Giants will hit the wall at some point. They can’t continue to win at this pace with their talent base. But it has been a magical season for them so far
Winning 5 of 6 on this East Coast swing was huge. They took care of business on two topics that fans were questioning, That’s a whole lot of winning against >500 teams and we improved our record in extras with back to back extra innings wins.
Giving credit where credit is due, Doc handled this last game admirably. No unnecessary double-switches. He pulled Nunez when everyone can see he clearly didn’t have it tonight and let Uceta take down a couple of innings with a big lead. He got Greene some more experience in his young career by allowing him to close out that last inning. He even gave both Mad Max’s a little breather taking Scherzer out an inning early with a big lead and Beaty got into the game to give Muncy a breather and he rewarded Doc with a batting practice moon shot late in the game.
Mookie will be eligible to come off the IL on Friday or Saturday depending on whether or not this stind was backdated. The last time he went on the IL, he had a cortisone shot, but it wasn’t successful in relieving the pain. This time, he had another shot, but word is that it was successful. I wonder if this will be enough to get him through the last couple of months of the season.
Thank God Bellinger is coming out of his funk. When he was doing his best Billy Mac impression, it was tough to keep rolling him out there. We don’t need him to be SuperStar Belli, we just need him to be more like last year’s Belli with excellent defense in Center and coming up with that one big hit each game as he’s been doing lately.
I love Trea Turner, but as you can see, he isn’t as good with the glove as people assumed he is. His defensive stats are only slightly better than Corey’s and defensive stats are subject to interpretation. It’s kinda like the difference in sports where you score a goal like soccer or football vs. a sport like competitive diving where you’re scored by judges. Defensive stats are largely decided by people who judge whether or not a play should have been made and the difficulty of the play. Of course, a shortstop that looks flashy will tilt the judges in their favor scoring a play as being more difficult than a similar play by a less flashy counterpart.
We’re officially on a roll, kind of. If we could have won that last Phillies game, I would feel more strongly about that statement. We still have a lot of players on the IL, this time mostly pitchers which brings us to a bullpen game today, followed by Price and White, both only getting into the 50’s with their pitch counts in their most recent outings. I really wish that Doc had a little more trust in Price to have already stretched him out to get to this point in the season.
I just want to clear up something. I do value defense but not at the expense of offense.
An example being that I would rather start someone like Beaty over McKinney because Beaty is clearly a better hitter than McKinney even though McKinney probably according to stats is better at defense.
Also I believe that the WAR stat puts too much emphasis on defense and not enough on offense. Plus as BulldogsandPenguins explained above, defensive stats are flawed.
I believe I understand what you’re now saying Eric. It appears to be a bit softer on the issue than it usta was.
I was taught differently. Simply put – take the outs they give you and steal one now and then and your opponent will have fewer outs to play with over 9 innings. I’ve seen that play out hundreds of times over my 60 years playing, coaching and watching baseball. Great defenses are fun to watch. Sloppy, lazy defenses, like ours tends to be, is maddening to watch. Seager had a lead runner hung out to dry and allowed him to get to third by choice. Colossal error. It’s like having a Queen in check and you don’t take the piece. Turner charged a slow roller and with plenty of time, bungled the play. He also bungled a tailer made double play. So far, I am duly unimpressed with his defense by the way. He’s the shortstop of our future? If so, he’s taking a hundred grounders a day from December to April.
I think it’s safe to say the Dodgers emphasize offense and pitching. Hope it remains strong the rest of the way because this defense isn’t going to win anything for us.
For sure on that Seager play. WTF was he thinking. Get that player in a run down, at least you get an out and nobody on third. Big mental error right there.
I agree that one of the worst things you can do is give the other team extra outs! But, I also think that this team is capable of playing good defense. Who’s job is to make sure that happens?
I also agree that people jumped on that Trea Turner bandwagon too quickly. I wouldn’t kick him off my team as the shortstop and he’s an acceptable alternative to Corey if he decides to walk. But, he isn’t heads and tails better than Corey defensively like many proclaimed before he ever played a game on this team.
See, sometimes I agree with you.
Eric,
Don’t be so defensive! 😉
lol – Nice wordplay.
He’s not being defensive, he’s being offensive. 🙂
Eric, I understand what you’re saying and I agree to some extent. I’m still a little old school in that I mostly value defense up the middle and I am willing to sacrifice some at the corners.
One of the things that make great teams great, is when they can exploit the simple truths with a player that outperforms the norm. Great defense at a corner while still having a big bat. Or a big bat up the middle while maintaining great defense.
The guys on this team that fit that mold are Mookie, Smith and Belli. Mookie and Belli are amazing defenders and both have great bats, but they are opposite in how they fit the mold. Mookie has a bat that is comparable for a corner position, but I wouldn’t say it’s otherworldly. But, his defense is for a corner is. Belli’s defense is good to great even for a center fielder, but his bat is way above what is expected for the position. Smith is a very good defensive catcher with a better bat than you can hope for.
Corey and Trea are average to above average defensive shortstops that both hit much better than what you would historically get from the position. Turner and Muncy are fine corner bats, but neither is Arenado or Mattingly with the glove. That just leaves Pollock who is a slightly above average left fielder with a solid corner outfield bat. You can do worse.
This brings us to your topic of conversation. Beaty’s bat vs. McKinney’s glove. Beaty’s bat is okay. He seems to have more of a knack for hitting when he isn’t in the starting lineup. He’s destined to be a bench piece that will have to work on his glove work to keep getting time in the field. He’s a below average defender wherever he plays.
McKinney’s got a very nice glove, but he doesn’t hit very well. Like Beaty, that is a recipe for a bench piece. Now consider that we’re talking about the defense a corner spot where you probably only get to touch the ball 3-4 times per game on average. That is a very low risk situation because there simply isn’t a lot of chances to screw things up. But, you’re also taking about the 8th spot in the lineup where you also don’t get a lot of chances to screw things up.
I could do the math to find out statistically which is more beneficial to the team, but I’m too lazy to crunch numbers to make a case between two bench players. The only thing I find that either player does extremely well is that Beaty seems to come up clutch when pinch hitting, especially with runners on. So, I make my decision based on that.
I start McKinney over Beaty until I have a chance to pinch hit in a situation where Beaty can drive in a run or two. Then I put Beaty in the field if the score is close, or if we’re still down. If we’re ahead by three runs, Beaty goes back to the bench and I try to ride the superior defense.
No point in complaining two hard about those two bench pieces.
BP Muncy has had a very good year defensively at first base! I think he leads the Dodgers in SDI
I know Cassidy that the numbers say he’s great, but my eyes just don’t see it. Go watch some old games with Donny Ballgame at first base. There’s no comparison. I’ve seen Muncy make some bad throws, I think he had one yesterday with a double-clutch. Those are the ones that might not make it into the defense stat pages. He also screwed that pop-up in the infield this week. Muncy is getting better for sure, but he’s nover going to be a great defensive player.
Lasorda said “great players aren’t born, they’re made”.
I was in high school in southern Illinois in 1953 when Bobo Holloman pitched a no-hitter in his first major league appearance with the St Louis Browns. He ended that year with a 5.23 ERA and never appeared in the majors again.
That was the year I was born!
Tyler Gilbert gave up 10 batter balls that were clocked over 95 MPH, but they found leather. I hate to say it, but he was lucky.
A lot of great men were born in 53! Better to be lucky………
Really? Name one. I was born in 1948. The year the Babe passed away. New cars were under 1000 dollars and you could get a loaf of bread for 15 cents. What I remember was my grandmother passing in February, and us moving to Nevada to a ranch in the middle of nowhere, 40 miles from Elko. I loved it, no running water, electricity, and an outdoor outhouse. Country living at it’s finest. Dirt floor in a 2 room cabin. It was just a lot of fun, and hard work.
Me! And well Mark too!
OK, sure of that?
You kinda have to be lucky to get a no hitter. The lowest team BABIP is higher than .260. So, more than 1 out 4 hit fair fall in. Tommy Davis told me 7 out of 10 line drives are hits. 10 at 95 resulted in outs? I don’t know what the stats say but that can’t happen often.
Well, good for him. Now he can settle in and regress. Nowhere to go but down from here.
It was bad luck that Kershaw got his no-no. It shoulda woulda been a perfect game but Hanley’s throw……It was luck it was against SD .
There’s a long list of mediocre pitchers that threw a no no. Didn’t Tom Browning throw two of them?
He threw a perfect game against the Dodgers at Riverfront in 1988 beating them 1-0. It is also the only one that was done on artificial turf. He had another no hitter broken up that season by Tony Gwynn. But the perfecto is his only no no. You look at the pitchers who have thrown them this season and most are not stars. Kluber of the Yankees is the closest to a big name pitcher you have. Joe Musgrove, Carlos Rodon, John Means, Wade Miley, Spencer Turnbull, the combined one the Cubs threw at the Dodgers and Gilbert. Not exactly household names. Probably the most impressive was the perfecto thrown by Don Larsen, a total journeyman pitcher who finished with a 81-91 record in 14 year career. Yep, a lot of mediocre pitchers have accomplished it. And the kid in Cleveland yesterday, McKenzie, a rookie had his perfecto broken up in the 8th.
Len Barker.
Good morning all. Nice end to the road trip after two nail biters. Light moment of the night was Beaty’s moon shot off of Drury. That thing was crushed. I know one person personally who played in the majors. Kameron Loe. He is the son of a good friend of mine who I have played music with many times, Pam Loe. She is now married to one of the best bass players I have ever worked with, Chad Watson, who toured with many artists back in the day.
He still works in So-Cal. Anyway, Kameron had a 9 year MLB career playing with the Rangers, Brewers, Mariners, Cubs and Braves. He finished with a 34-43 record and a 4.49 ERA in 322 games. His best season he won 9 lost 6. That was 2005 with the Rangers and his first full season. He pitched in the playoffs for the Brewers in 2011. He did ok against Arizona, but the Cardinals knocked him around in the NLCS. He started and relieved and has 4 saves to his credit. Big kid, 6″8″ 245 lbs. He was born in Simi Valley and went to Cal State Northridge. Drafted by the Phills in the 1999 draft, he did not sign and then was taken by the Rangers in the 20th round in 2002. He got suspended for using a banned substance for a while and went to Japan and played for the Softbank Hawks. I talked to him about it and he said it was really a dumb move, but he was injured and used marijuana to help ease the pain. He now lives in Phoenix, is married and founded Haloe Health-Intelligent Microcurrent Healing. What ever the hell that is. So far it has been pretty successful. Always wanted to play for LA but never got the opportunity. Nice guy and lived the dream.
I know quite a few. Ryan Klesko was a few years behind me in little league, but I spent some time with him because he was so good back then, he would play with the older kids on occasion. Mike Fyhrie and Brent Knackert both played on my high school team and I played on a couple of little league teams with Mike. Mike grew up in my neighborhood, so I know him pretty well.
I know quite a few kids that my son played with on various travel ball teams and in High School. We were pretty close with David Fletcher and Griff Canning, currently on the Angels. Jacob Nix – Padres, Tyler Megill – Mets, Jake Bauers – Mariners, Timmy Lopes – Brewers, Peter Lambert – Rockies. There’s a few that I know I’m missing. Those are just the one’s off the top of my head. Not to mention former pros who were instructors or coaches that I spent a considerable amount of time with in dugouts and pizza places after games. Wes Etheridge, Jr. and Sr., Craig and Stan Grebek, Jeff Holly to name a few.
I do know Wes Parker, we had a friendship going on back when I lived in Cali, have not seen him in years. My exe girlfriends son played with the Giambi brothers. I met Tommy Davis and the Sherry brothers when I was a kid, and I went to the same high school as former Dodger pitcher Joe Moeller, and we had to hit off of him in spring practice. But Kameron is the only one I keep in touch with now. Met the Duke once at a card show. Nice guy.
lol – I’ve had the luck of meeting a few wandering around Dodger’s stadium. I was on my way out to have a smoke and Eric Karros was walking in at the same time. He was nice enough to chat me with. My impression of him was that he’s one of the most intense people I ever met. And that’s when he was retired on leisure time.
We had a suite once and Ron Cey was assigned to it, so I got to watch an entire game while chit chatting with him. He was my favorite player growing up, so I took advantage of the time I spent with him. Same thing as Karros, he’s was a very serious and pretty intense for a guy that hadn’t played in 20 years. He struck me a being quite possibly shorter than his listed 5’10”. Karros looked bigger in real life than he did on the field. He’s a big guy.
I also ran into Vin once, and Nancy B Hefley on another occasion. Honestly, I was more excited to meet both of them than any player I’ve ever met. They were cut from the same cloth. Both were among the most gracious people you would ever imagine and both downplayed their greatness.
I ran into Magic in the halls one time as well. Just like you would imagine him. Larger than life smile on his face and he was surprisingly down to earth. Just felt like meeting any Joe at a dinner party.
When my son was little league age, we used to send him to “Cresse Camp” and I would hang out and talk to Mark quite a bit after camp on most days. At the end of camp one year, we got to go on a trip to Angels Stadium when Scioscia and Hatcher were there. We got to hang out with them early before the players even started their on field practice. Scioscia was very serious and Hatcher was a goofball. I see a lot of Tommy in Scioscia, but without Tommy’s sense of humor. Mike is a guy that could do motivational speaking if he wanted to. I was really impressed with the speech he gave to the kids that day.
Totally cool. I met Monday after a game at Camelback when Torre was managing the team. He signed a ball for me. He was really gracious and I told him I had sang the anthem for the 81 champs. He said when? And I told him the date, the score and what happened to your guy Cey that night, had his arm broken by the Giants pitcher and was out until the playoffs. He remembered the game. Mostly I have met country singers more than any other celebrity. Dwight Yoakam, Ernest Tubbs, TG Shepperd, and many others, I was doing shows with them at the time. I did meet James Burton once at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood. He played lead guitar for Elvis and Rickey Nelson. We talked music for well over an hour. The guy is an awesome guitar player and has a Fender Tele model named for him.
Yep, I’ve met some rock and rollers along the way as well. Screamed into some microphones even. Mostly punk rock and alternative types. Even spent some time with guys like that in apartments, hotel rooms and back stage. No one that worked with Elvis or anything like that. My wife and I are both huge Elvis fans. We have a lot of his records and have a few Elvis Christmas ornaments for the tree.
T.G. Shepperd worked with Elvis for a while. Elvis gave him a tour bus, helped with his recording contact and even gave him some of his personal jewelry to wear. He was wearing a diamond ring of a piano when I met him. Had something like 60 diamonds in it. He was going to get me Elvis’s autograph on a piece of sheet music to a song I loved hearing Elvis sing, and that I used to do. Elvis passed before he could get back to Memphis. The song was Long Black Limousine off of his From Elvis Presley Blvd in Memphis album.
Padres are close to signing Jake Arietta. They are desperate for starting pitching. Tatis Jr. hit 2 dingers last night in his return and played RF. Light moment of the night was when Beaty took Drury deep with that moon shot in the 9th. At 443 feet, 1 foot shorter than Smith’s game tying blast on Saturday. Dodgers got in early this morning, so they will most likely not take batting practice today. Pirates starter is lefty, Stephen Brault. 0-1 with a 3 ERA. That means Tio Albert will most likely be in the starting lineup at 1st. If they decide to give Seager the night off, they can plug Taylor in at SS and keep Turner at 2nd. Muncy could move to 3rd and give Turner another day, but I think they stick Max at 2nd and put Turner at SS. Taylor can move to one of the corner outfield spots along with Pollock. Back to a 7:10 start time for you west coasters. 8:10 for me here in Colorado.
Which as usual for a still working dude here in CO, means that I will most likely not see the end. I always hope for “early goodness” during the West Coast games. But I also watch the rest of the game in the AM ….. unless they lose.
cheers
pb+
Being retired, I do not have to worry about getting up tomorrow. Nothing on the old agenda.
I will be right there with you after 12-31!
cheers
About defense, Wes Parker was one of the best defensive 1st basemen the Dodgers have ever had. But, he was a mediocre offensive player until he had 4 good seasons in a row hitting better than .270. Prior to that he was always around the .240 mark. He had his best season in 1970 hitting .319 and driving in 111 runs. He never hit for much power, and finished with 64 career HR’s in a 9 year career. He called it quits at age 32 in 1972 after the season. His reason was simple, he said the game was not fun anymore. Wes committed 45 errors at 1st for a .996 fielding pct. And only 4 more while playing the outfield. He was an excellent outfielder. He was more valued for his defense than his bat, but occasionally he rose to the occasion. He had a HR against the Twins in the 1965 Series. By contrast Karros had 111 errors in 14 years, 103 of those with the Dodgers in 12 years, but was more valued for his offense. His career fielding pct is .993. Garvey, who won 4 gold gloves to Parkers 6, finished with 81 errors at 1st and a .996 pct. At 3rd it was another story, 47 errors in 191 games and a .922 pct. Obviously he was moved to keep that bat in the lineup. In 5 seasons, Bellinger has made 8 errors at 1st and 8 in the OF. 5 in CF, 2 in RF and 1 in LF. He also has a .996 pct. at 1st. Just a little comparison for y’all. Oh yeah, the guy who spent the longest time as a starter at 1st, Gil Hodges, made 126 errors at 1st in 16 seasons. A .992 pct for his career. Pretty decent.
Defense is just as important as offense and pitching, in a season where most games are against inferior teams, you can hide-make-up with offense and pitching but in October when the teams are of a similar level the games are closed most of the time, with few runs, that is when the defense acquires great relevance, good defense is essential and can be the difference. This team has to correct the defense and avoid SBs because when you face a team of similar level the thread will break at the thinnest, the weakness will be evidenced and it will bite you.
Dodgers Claim Evan Phillips
By Steve Adams | August 16, 2021 at 1:01pm CDT
The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Evan Phillips off waivers from the Rays, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Tampa Bay designated Phillips for assignment over the weekend. The Dodgers have yet to formally announce the claim.
In his 1 appearance, Phillips showed off a fastball that sat right around 96 mph but did not miss a lot of bats. His slider and change-up, however, did miss quite a few bats in those brief 3 innings of work. Despite bad numbers, Phillips did put up good strikeout rates with the Orioles in 2019 and 2020, something that likely appealed to the Dodgers.
Seems like LA is just looking for a body with some MLB experience and a decent fastball.
But I can understand….without Urias, Kershaw, Gonsolin, Bauer, and Duffy…..we are hurting big time.
I think T Turner will improve at 2nd by the end of the year and be fine for the playoffs. JT has lost some range and his arm can be an issue. Seager is average at SS but I think he’s played great since he’s been back except for the brain freeze yesterday. Everyone else is above average to very good defensively. We’ll be fine. Our pitchers definitely need to do a better job holding runners on. Now we know why Mookie wasn’t stealing any bases earlier this year! If he can get somewhat healthier we have some ability to steal some post season bases. TT, Belli, Mookie and even Pollock steals some bases! We’ll need to manufacture some runs post season. Phil, you’re in charge of that
I’m on it!
From the Dodgers Nation
“Yet, here in the middle of August, the Dodgers have committed an unsightly 68 errors on defense and allowed 60 unearned runs, tops in baseball.
Last night in New York, the team was officially charged with only one error, but the sloppy play we saw earlier in the season reared its ugly head in a big way. By the estimation of Dave Roberts, at least 4 outs were left on the field behind Max Scherzer, costing the ace the opportunity to pitch into the 7th or even 8th inning.”
* I see Jason Repko occasionally. I coached against him in high school. Great kid. Great family. I mentioned his name to John Shoemaker once when I talked with him. John had high praise for Jason. He’s back in the hometown with a lovely family.
* Scherzer is such a craftsman. He got through tons of early traffic when we forgot how to play defense for the first 4 innings, especially with a big lead. Despite the forced extra pitches due to these lapses, Max’s pitch count was 4 over par for his 6 innings. What a pro. I love his laser, in-game, focus.
*Orel and A-Rod should have a talk-off. You’d think both got paid by the word.
* I’m like Lou Pinella when it comes to pitchers. I’m not interested in any excuses. It’s completely unacceptable to be unable to throw strikes with a 7 run lead. Nervous? Work it out in Tulsa.
*Maybe I’m wrong but rest days would be fewer and farther between for the healthy regulars down the stretch. And never multiple regulars at the same time. No panic. Just urgency. This line ups rolling. Why screw with that?
* I’m actually going to enjoy this competitive run down the stretch more than I have enjoyed what we have done in the past in September. First, I never like multiple September call-ups. Now that’s fixed. Second, I hated how the regular’s playing time and competitiveness was sacrificed. It became “try-out” time for the youngsters. Do that in OKC. I hated the multiple line ups and unpredictable playing time with no competitive incentive going into the playoffs. And while I hated that, I was likely wrong, as it didn’t seem to effect our success in the post season, especially last year. But I just didn’t like to watch it and never thought it was a good way to prepare for the playoffs.
* I wish I have photoshop skills. I would love to put Ted William’s face in place of Tatis’ with that pin wheel celebration chain in the dugout. Can you imagine Ted wear that? Or Bob Gibson or Drysdale looking at that from the mound. I’ve come around some on the celebrations and players “having fun” but to me this stuff as way over the top. Another reason I can’t stand the friggin bush league Padres.
* I hope the boys can overcome this swell schedule and muster the energy to keep the pedal down tonight. This is the reason players, in days gone by, took greenies.
Tatis is a joy, IMO.
When you write:
Nervous? Work it out in Tulsa.
Do you not understand that you’re not addressing the problem of nerves?
I am sure they are having fun. I could do without all the hyper-grandstanding with the spinning clock and all that bullspit. Tatis is a stud for sure, really do not care for his antics.
This is why the Pads will become our major rivals in the future and not the Giants.
Giants team personality is just like the Dodgers, low key/all business.
The Pads are the show offs, the young punks flexing their muscles, the perfect villains.
And by the way, I may be the only Dodger fan who feels this way, but I have no problem with their so-called grandstanding. The games are still decided on the field and I hope we beat the hell out of them every time we play them, but they bring some extra color to the game which I happen to enjoy, even if it’s the bad guys who are doing it.
I’m with you. Tatis is talented, but he makes Puig look modest by comparison. A perfect villain like STB says. Maybe. Don’t like his “alleged” involvement in the Bauer case or looking back at the catcher setting up. That’s cheating in my book, so he’s basically an Astro as far as I’m concerned. I hate that guy and his stupid hair and his stupid dance at third and the stupid wall clock. Go ahead and pimp your homers, leave the other stuff in the trash can where it belongs. I hardly watch NFL anymore, the over the top end zone celebrations are part of the reason.
THAT is the reply I was looking for. Tatis & Munchado …. easy to hate, much easier than Posey/Crawford or any other two midgets you could name.
That spinning clock shit? Ridiculous. I have thought that Scherzer is glad it was us and not them. He does not seem the kind of dude that would fit into that clubhouse.
cheers’pb+
You really think the nerves under the lights in NY City and LA, are the same as they are in Tulsa? WOW. I assume since Phil has played MiLB he understands that the nerves in the lower levels do not compare to the nerves at ML level. The expectations really start to peak at AAA. I remember my son getting hammered by a player and coach for not scoring on a single from 2nd base. The coach chewed on him and said that these players that are one step below the ML need every RBI they can get and you just cost him one. From that point on, he went into a big funk because at AAA was the first time that expectations were so high, that the nerves were a major factor. He eventually got over them. He was traded from the Phillies the next year. I remember my son telling me his nerves in Boston were so tightly strung, and did not compare to Pawtucket. In his debut at Fenway the stadium was standing and cheering Aaaaaandy, Aaaaaaaandy so loud that Francona and players came out of the dugout to look at the crowd. We were watching and knew there would be one of only two outcomes. He would either strike out or hit a HR. Unfortunately he did the former. He told me that night that if he saw that same pitch in Pawtucket he would have hit it 400+ feet. We watched kids who were stars in college never get out of A Ball because they could not handle the pressure. Some kids hold the bat so tight that their fingers turn white. Some get over the nerves, some do not, but do not tell me that nerves are the same in Tulsa as they are in LA or NYC.
On more then one occasion I’ve seen on this site people lamenting how someone from 60 years ago would play the game today. CC Sabathia’s take on this subject;
Retaliating after someone on my team is thrown at. People call that kind of thing old-school baseball; they mean it as a compliment, and I appreciate it. Those same people complain about guys doing bat flips after hitting a big home run. Bat flips don’t bother me. You beat me? Fine. Celebrate. You’re worried about the guy flipping his bat? Worry about throwing a better f—ing pitch! If you don’t want to see someone pimp a home run, don’t give it up. And when I beat you, when I strike you out with the bases loaded, I get to dance and yell. If you don’t want to see me yelling and cussing as I walk off the mound, don’t strike out. Simple rules. We’re not showing each other up. We’re enjoying the moment. Baseball is boring too much of the time. The game needs to change, and I don’t mean using more data to shift guys on the infield. I’m talking about the way people say, “He played the game the right way” when what they mean is “He played it the white way.” What they mean is they don’t like the flair that Black and Hispanic guys bring to the field.
Looks like CC and Mr. Bauer view the game the same way.
They realize that they are entertainers, not undertakers.
Show some life out there on the field. As long as they are willing to have it go both ways, I’m all in favor.
Cannot blame us older guys for liking the game the way it was played. I understand that the new kids on the block think differently. Celebrating is one thing, throwing it in your opponents face is something else, and I will give you an example of a Latin and a Black player who would have put any of those guys right on their ass if they did that then or now, Juan Marichal, and Bob Gibson. I think the bling stuff is a little over the top. But that is just me. The game has changed a lot. And despite what many think, I am not sure it has been for the better. There is nothing worse than seeing a catcher have to do the ole move to keep from blocking a runner at the plate. The only time he can do that is if the path of the ball takes him into the runners path. That is just my opinion and I am sure there are some who concur, and others who do not. That is why this forum is here.
The Buster Posey and Chase Utley rules are a couple of the worst things that happened in baseball. The funny thing is that the two players that got hurt were both doing something stupid.
Totally agree. I remember Dave Parker steamrolling a Dodger catcher at home plate in LA. Cannot remember who it was, but I think it was Boomer, Yeager. I also remember Scioscia getting hammered like that too. But he got the guy out.
One of my most favorite times playing ball was when I had a play at the plate. I was blocking the plate as the ball and the runner came to me at the same time. I held on to the ball as I was knocked down. The runner was out and I broke my toe. Heard the runner lament that he couldn’t believe we had gotten him out. Great fun. So yeah, I liked the hard slides and such. Unfortunately there is to much money in the game now.
Seemed kind of “off” that he would say doing it the white way though. I mean, if you want an even more conservative approach about “playing the game right” all you have to do is look at Asian ball. We really are somewhere in the middle of the “argument”.
I know playing a night game and then returning home to play tonight was not easy on the boys, but they at least did pick up 3 hours, so that had to help.
In addition, I’m glad they didn’t play yesterday afternoon in that oppressive heat. Remember, they didn’t do well Thursday in Philadelphia when playing a day game after a night game. We may have only had 2 runs had we played in the afternoon.
But I’m not saying we should kick some Pirate butt tonight because I do believe it is going to be close with our bullpen having to get heavily involved. Here’s hoping whoever pitches today is focused and confident, unlike Nunez last night. He looked wide eyed and wanting his Mommy to comfort him. Can’t blame him….New York can be intimidating. Even Scherzer was in trouble just about every inning he pitched, but some how managed to get out of trouble for most of them.
I believe we will win the NL West, even if it comes down to the last game of the season.
We need to win out vs. SF and hope for the best in the other games.
Hamels may help but I’d like to be 3 back by September. Rotation is a little thin right now.
Taylor is so good he can be Mookie while Mookie’s out. Looking forward to Lux’s return. Tired of these bench bums.
I’d like to be 3 back by TONIGHT.
Have you met the Mets?
So CC is saying that baseball traditions are racist? Don’t show up your opponent is racist? Sportsmanship is racist?
I get tired of everything being called racist if a “POC” doesn’t like it.
Vince Lombardi famously said “When you get to the end zone, act like you’ve been there before.” Doing something good is good enough. Hitting a HR or getting a big K speaks for itself.
I was taught sportmanship by my Dad. I believe in it. Gloating and showboating is not being a good sport. Why is that racist?
THANK YOU! Kind of what I was getting at without saying it above.
cheers
pb+
When Dodger fans called Max Scherzer for a curtain call and he obliged, was he showing up the opponent? Was that a lack of sportsmanship? At one time it was considered that. Now curtain calls are a tradition.
Different era’s, different traditions.
I guess in the future we’ll have guys flipping the bird and pulling out there wang and we’re supposed to be okay with it, following that logic.
Interesting that that’s what comes to your mind.
Tonight’s lineup:
SS Trea
2b Max
1b Albert
3b Justin
LF AJ
CF Chris
RF Billy
C Austin
P Justin Bruihl
No Cody or Corey against the leftie
Should I even bother tuning in? Well, Andre Jackson is going to debut. Might as well make him uncomfortable taking him out of his starter’s routine like they did with JoJo. No need to reassess that strategy. Did I mention that I hate openers?
I am a 69 year old white dude with no problem with Tatis’ antics. He is a great player with great skills. He is fun to watch. I never considered race to be a factor in how I watched the game. I do not like him solely because he is a Padre. That is not the same for Machado who I despise. For those with a problem with Tatis and the SD dugout after a HR, I assume none of you had a problem with Joc and his little hop and skip and exaggerated low five with Dino around 3rd after a HR. On one of his HRs this year, he did the Tatis dance around 3rd, and Chicago loved it. Or Max Muncy as he stands at the plate, flips the bat, and admiringly watches his HRs. How about the bubble machine in the dugout after a HR? The Braves and their selfies?
I loved watching Tim Anderson hit his walk off in the Field of Dreams game, with his bat flip and skipping to first. Was he showing up Zack Britton or celebrating a win? After the game, Anderson said; “The fans came to see a show, and we gave them a show.”
Was Kirk Gibson’s fist pump in the ’88 Game 1 WS walk off HR unsportsmanlike? Was he trying to show up Eck, or was he celebrating a win? It is fun. It is a game filled with personalities. I think one of the problems with this year’s team is the absence of the two biggest kids on the bench for the last several years: Joc and Kike’. Where is the personality for the 2021 team? Hopefully it will be Mookie going forward, but it is hard while he is not playing.
One of the greatest celebrations I watched was Tiger Woods chip on the 16th at the 2005 Masters. Was he showing up Chris DeMarco or was he celebrating with Stevie Williams? The gallery loved it and played off of Tiger’s reaction. Tiger changed the game of golf with his fist pumps. I loved watching Tiger make those great shots and celebrate with Stevie. It is a different era.
BTW, I am also just as fine with a Corey Seager non-descript trot after his HRs.
I get it Jeff. But it is different strokes for different folks. I think their whole HR celebration with all the bling and the stupid spinning SD is totally bush league. I admit that Tatis is a talented ball player. I do not consider his HR trot as showing up the other team, but the bling? That is a little bit much. The Dodger bubble machine? Totally innocuous. Same thing with the Phillies silly HR hat. Machado is a jerk, and unfortunately he is mentoring some of those guys. I never liked Machado even before he came to LA, I lost all respect for the guy after his actions in the NLCS against the Brewers. Bat flips have become the norm anymore, they do not offend me at all, and Muncy has never looked at the pitcher and stared. He flips the bat and rounds the bases. The only time he ever reacted to a pitcher was with Bumgarner and he got into it over the go get it out of the water thing. The Dodgers HR celebration now is a hug from Tio Albert. Sometimes players cross the line. SD rubbed it in the Dodgers faces and started all of this a couple years ago. I have steadily despised their team more over the last couple of years. Even after their former manager Andy Green left. He and Roberts had some testy moments. All in all, celebrations are what they are. I just do not like theirs.
Bear, with regards to bling, did you feel the same way about Verdugo? With all of his bling, he has very strong neck muscles.
Bubble machine is innocuous to you (and me), but what about the other team and their fans? To them, maybe that crossed the line.
Could be, but MLB banned it after about a month. Maybe it is time to ban the bling. Verdugo wears jewelry like so many players do. Guys like Mays and Aaron would have never done that, but most MLB players today do. Turner wears a small cross, and Mookie has some bling he wears too. I think the jewelry thing is a little bit much. But it is accepted around the league. So are the other celebrations. Does not mean I like it or will I ever. And you and I both know, Big D, Gibby and Marichal would have set him on his butt his very next at bat. They would have done the same thing to any player who did something like that.
Any Hawaiian restaurant recs?
Which Island?
Maui
Mama’s fish house
I look at most things logic first. I don’t mind a bat flip or a fist pump or when a pitcher screams or points to the air or whatever when they get a big out. But, there is a line and that line is that crap Tatis does at 3B and the “Clock and Chain”. I don’t think we need to start a contest to see how far it will go. Cartwheels around the bases? How about twerking at home plate?
By the way, I like Trevor Bauer, the pitcher. But, I can’t stand his antics on the mound either. The Conner walk and the sword is really over the line as well.
Continue down the Billy McKinny path, or cut bait and sign Adam Eaton? Both are good defenders and neither are hitting much. Or is that just swapping spit.
I thought about that myself but I’m inclined to think it’s just more of what we already have, except that McKinney is younger so probably less likely to get injured.
Old friend Yoshi Tsutsugo has just been activated by the Bucs. I’d rather have him in right field tonight than McKinney.
That guy was not around long enough to be a friend. I hope he has the same kind of luck in a Pirate uni that he had in LA. Which is none.
Bear, you’re sounding kind of grumpy this evening.
Don’t wish anything bad on Yoshi. You know what they say about karma.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t get into the game.
He is not starting with Bruihl on the hill. As for grumpy, no, not really. I just never considered that guy a Dodger. And he was awful. Screw Karma. do not believe in that crap.
Do you believe in the laws of physics? Action, reaction. That’s karma.
Nope, I do not believe in Karma. And I never studied physics, so I really do not care.
What’s up with all of this resting guys. Tonight’s lineup looks horrible. It use to be that guys would play all the time unless injured, with just a few days off throughout the season. Nowadays Doc babies his players. Hello, we are 4 games back of the Giants and the clock is ticking.
They got in early this morning, around 4. Most everyone on the team is tired. Barnes, Pujols and Pollock did not play yesterday so they are fresher. And it is the Pirates. Chill. Jackson has been recalled from OKC and will be in the pen tonight..supposedly. Bruihl gets the start.
You don’t feel the urgency?
I’m definitely not excited about Jackson and Bruihl.
I am not playing. The team got in at 4:15 this morning. That means none of them were in bed until maybe an hour later. No, I do not feel urgency. The team they are putting on the field tonight is better than the one they are facing. The Pirate starter is 0-1 with a 3 ERA. They traded their best player, Frazier at the deadline. Hayes and Reynolds are probably their two best players. Bruihl has had one bad game since he got here, and he most likely will only go 1 inning. Mets playing the Giants tonight. As long as the Dodgers take care of their own business, they cannot control what the Giants do. I have been through this many many times Eric. I saw the Dodgers make up 10 games on the Braves on year in about 2 weeks. 4 games is nothing compared to that. And that happened in August. Relax, you are going to have a stroke if you worry about this stuff too much. Try being 4 ahead with a week to play and losing. I have seen that too, 4 back with 40 plus games to play is nothing.
Bear
Do you think I haven’t seen anything? I’ve been following the Dodgers since the world series of 1977 so I’ve seen it all too.
Being 4 games back with 44 left is not a cake walk like you are making it out to be.
Did I say it was a cakewalk? No, I said it was not that big of a deal. And I got over 20 years on you watching this team. Yeah, you have seen a lot, but you have not learned yet to roll with the flow. You are getting all worked up about a game on August 16th with a team that has lost 76 games. I am less concerned about the Pirates than I am about this team being healthy and ready for a stretch run. Pirates have 2 players in their starting lineup over .270. The rest are pretty mediocre. We view the game with different eyes. You have your opinion, and that is fine. I just happen to think the opposite.
I shared the other day that Rick Monday said that as long as you’re one game back for every week that’s left you feel like you’re in a good position to make up ground.
I wouldn’t be comfortable with a 4 game lead with so many to play.
I’m excited to see Jackson’s debut. I’m not excited about using an opener. I hate all the resting too. You can rest when you’re up in the standings. Especially for a couple of young guys.
Same with this opener nonsense. They manage this team like a bunch of spoiled children.
Agree. These guys are athletes. so they should be in better shape than the average Joe. and they’re only playing a game, that lasts a little over three hours ,and half the time they’re sitting down. It’s not like they’re digging ditches, or stoking boilers
At Dodger Stadium tonight. Hopefully not to see a nothing following an all yesterday. Ned predicted a 3 homer game with TT being one of them. We’ll see! Looking forward to seeing Jackson and if he can throw strikes!
Could be another long night for the offense with another ridiculous lineup….Barnes, McKinney.,Pujois, pitchers spot.
44 games and counting and yes there should be some urgency or we will be playing a one game playoff. Yes we do have the #1 run differential but we have seen too many times to have a dud game offensively after 10-15 run outburst.
Nunez and Uceta to OKC. Feliz and Jackson called up. Padres getting beat so far by the Rockies, 5-1 in the 5th at Colorado.
Cole Hamels placed on the 60 day IL effectively ending his season. He recently suffered another undisclosed arm injury that has derailed his comeback efforts.
Wow, that’s pretty crazy. These guys throw around millions like a marine throws around singles at the strip club.
He was on a one million dollar deal. SO pocket change. SD loses to the Rockies 6-5 on a walkoff. A T-206 Honus Wagner 1909 card sold for 6.6 million today. Beating the record by nearly a million. A 52 Mantle Topps rookie sold for that a couple years ago.
Is this umpire call strike happy enough?
Jackson five, five strikeouts were Andre just the beginning
This is a subpar team we have to beat them I don’t care what time we got to bed. I’m sure we got eight hours sleep come on guys pick it up
Come on when I was a young man I worked hard jobs and rarely got eight hours sleep I mean come on these guys are playing a goddamn game
When I was 19 I worked all day carrying the hod, Then came home got cleaned up went out and played a softball game
If you’re a baby you’ll never get used to it and that’s what they treat them like babies
Yeah, flyin coach is tuff!!! Lol Maybe if they paid these fellas a few million, they could get motivated better after an all night flight. THIS GAME ISN’T OVER YET.
Carrying the hod is one of the hardest physical jobs you can do
These guys have the best nutrition best trainers and physical therapy in the world. How did they do it years ago when nobody would come out of a lineup unless they were hurt. The more they handle them with kid gloves the more kid like they will be
Did you walk to school uphill both directions?
Get over yourself, buddy.
What has that got to do with anything. Have a take and don’t suck.
By the way how is Olive Oyl Bluto ?
Who are you referring to I never called you buddy I was just giving you my opinion that’s all it was
I was talking to Bluto so get over yourself.
Mets 3 Giants 2 5th inning. Jackson wiggles out of another jam. 4 scoreless innings. The kid has poise for sure. Best thing about tonights game, Orel is not there!
Jackson did a great job! His off speed stuff was very impressive. He couldn’t command his fastball tho. I thought he had more giddy up on his fastball . He sat at 92-93 most of the night.
So far another nothing following an all!
Jet lag Cassidy. It happens.
It’s happened way too much this year Bear
Those are the facts we’ve all seen it. Just the facts ma’am just the facts
Wow! Jet lag defense and jet lag offense!
7th inning stretch was the most cheering we’ve done all night!
Billy McKinney I take it ALL back!!!!
I love Big Barrels- I cannot lie!
Sounds kinky
Chicks dig the long ball.
I have always been a Doc supporter, but totally disagree with the spring training lineup tonight. Just got back from a great road trip and you sit Smith, Bellinger and Seager st the same time. This is a total trap game, and we made the pirate starter look like Cy Young. You kind of see a pattern over this season. We all get pissy when we can’t beat the Padres or give a few away to the hated ones, but how many times this season did we lose to the bottom feeders on the nights the Giants won? A handful of them were because of our weak lineups, and a game lost here and a game lost there and you look up one day and we are 4 games out. Don’t get me wrong, I know you gotta rest guys, but sometimes Roberts sits a guy for a rest day when the dude is on fite, like Will Smith. This game has trap game written all over it,
Yet they won it Roger. Just like they won a couple of games everyone thought they would lose against the Mets, and now they have won 3 one run games out of the last four. Like I said, y’all need to wait until the game is over, then if they lose, rip the lineup.
We win a nothing game! We win a nothing game!!!! And thank you Dave for starting McKinney against my wishes. And for overmanaging and pulling Graterol mid inning for Treinen. And trusting Kenley to close it out. In fact Dave just stop listening to me from now on!
I do not think he overmanaged. Graterol had made 20 pitches, and he is not all that effective against lefty’s and Moran has some pop. Took Treinen one pitch to get the out. So it all worked out. Padres dropped 7 games back of the Dodgers and are in danger of being overtaken by the Reds for the second wild card.
I don’t think Dodgers are playing any “nothing games” until they have clinched the division and avoided the wild card. Really happy for Andre Jackson and McKinney, playing a big role in this win. And Muncy delivers again.
Also happy, sort of, for Yoshi, who made it interesting at the end.
But geez, another 2-1 win? Seems like it’s either blow-out or a nail-biter. Kenley always makes me nervous.
Oh, and I guess congratulations are in order for Cole Hamels and his agent. Nice non-work if you can get it.
As to Mark’s question about whether Bauer’s accuser’s history, I suspect Team Bauer long ago hired private investigators to examine these matters.
You guys should really wait until the game is over to bellyache about Roberts and his lineups, sitting a player and assorted other gripes. They won. That is the most important thing. Kept pace with the Giants, gained ground on the Astros and no one got hurt. They have no control over what the Giants do and they need to take care of their own business.
Dodgers back to having the second best record in the majors. They would be leading any other division but the NL West.
Mark, I remember that Jason Repko piece you wrote and his father’s reply. It was a sobering moment for a lot of us. When you consider the hours of work to get to that level, it is staggering. I think I mentioned my wife’s cousin, Jonathan Loaisiga of the Yankees. The kid has a million dollar arm and can hum up the velo to near 100. But he went through the TJ process and years of rehab to get there and we all know it can all disappear with one pitch and another arm injury.
Jonathan’s younger half brother, Mike, was a shortstop, signed by the Dodgers. He was a well thought of prospect and he entered the Dominican Summer League with high hopes a few years back. He never panned out, couldn’t even approach the Mendoza line in that League and was a total bust defensively. The number of hours he put in aside from within the organization but with personal trainers and coaches were immeasurable.
My point. The game is hard. Only a few achieve and get to the highest level. Sitting back and criticizing is pretty easy. Those guys are human and I think our fandom gets in the way at times and we can easily forget. Nothing said here is earth shattering, but I catch myself from being overly critical for these very reasons.
Thanks Evan!