Have you ever seen a player and thought to yourself, this guy is going to be a huge star? Outfielder Mike Marshall was that for me. Mike was born on January 12, 1960, in Libertyville, Illinois. He graduated from Buffalo Grove High School. Mike was drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the June amateur draft out of high school.
He was assigned to Lethbridge at the rookie league level in 1978 at the age of 18. He showed considerable promise and pop, hitting .324 with 12 HRs and 70 RBI’s in 65 games. He had an OBP of .395 and an OPS of .934. At 19 he was assigned to Lodi of the California Class A league. He was an even better .354 with 24 HRs and 116 RBI’s. He added 22 stolen bases and only struck out 15 more times than he walked. His OBP was .431 and he OPS’d 1.005.
They moved him to AA in 1980 at San Antonio in the Texas League. He again did very well hitting .321 with 16 HR’s and 82 RBI’s He struck out 11 times more than he walked. He only stole 6 bases, but his OBP was,423, and his OPS was .917. So naturally, his next stop was going to be AAA. You do that well your first 3 seasons and a team is going to notice you.
It would have been hard not to notice the 6’5″ 215 pound Marshall anyway. So in 1981, he went to the Dodgers AAA team in Albuquerque and believe it or not, had his best season yet. In 128 games he hit .373, had an OPS of 1.120, and OBP of .445. He slugged over .600. He hit 34 HR’s and drove in 137 runs. That earned him a call up to the Dodgers who were on their way to winning a pennant and a World Series. It was not an earth-shattering debut, as he hit .200 in 14 games with no HRs and one RBI.
Back at Alb to begin 1982, he played in 66 games, hitting .388 with 14 HRs and 58 RBI’s. He was called up to the Dodgers and hit .242 in 49 games. 5 HRs and 9 RBIs. He did have elevated K numbers, but stuff like that is expected at that age. He was 22 years old… and he would not return to the minors the rest of his career as a Dodger.
1983. He became the primary RF for LA. He played in 140 games, hit a solid .284 with 17 HRs and 65 RBI’s. His OBP was .347. He hit .133 in the playoff loss to the Phillies with 1 HR. In 1984, Mike hit. 257. His HR output increased to 21, but he had only 65 RBI’s again. He dropped his K’s to under 100, and his OBP dropped a few points. But he made what would turn out to be his only All-Star nod.
1985. His statistics across the board got better. .293 BA, .342 OBP, OPS of .857. 28 HR’s, 95 RBI’s. But he struck out 137 times. He would never top 100 again. His playoff performance against the Cardinals was a little better. He did hit 2 HR’s in the losing effort. 1986. The 26-year-old battled some injuries and only played in 103 games. His stats nose dived accordingly. .233 Avg. He did manage to hit 19 HRs. But his OBP and OPS dipped a lot.
1987. Mike rebounded nicely. But still only played in 104 games. But his BA improved to .294. He hit 16 HR’s and drove in 72. 1988, the Dodgers World Series year. Mike’s BA dipped a little to .277. But he hit 20 HR’s and drove in 82 for the champs. He hit .233 against the Mets and drove in 5 runs in the playoffs, and then hit .231 against the A’s in the series and had a HR and 3 RBI’s.
1989: Mike again battled some injuries, and played in only 105 games. His HR and RBI production went way down to 11 and 42. He hit only .260. So after the season, the Dodgers traded Mike and Alejandro Pena to the Mets for Juan Samuel. And I must admit at the time, I hated that trade.
Mike struggled with the Mets and was traded mid-season to the Red Sox in a deal involving minor leaguers. He fared a little better with Boston in 30 games hitting .286 with 4 HRs. He started the 1991 season with Boston but was released in July. He signed with the Angels, but played in only 2 games and was released in August. In 1992 he signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japanese League. He played 66 games there and retired from baseball.
Mike played 9 years for the Dodgers hitting .271 with 137 HRs and 484 RBIs. He played the outfield and some first base for them. He was one of those guys I kept waiting on to have a real bust-out year. It never happened. He had been one of their best minor league hitting prospects in years. Of course, in 1993, Piazza showed up and blew past them all.
Marshall got into managing in 2000 managing for 3 years in the Northern League. He then managed El Paso in the Texas League for 2 years. He was manager, team president, and general manager of the Yuma Scorpions of the Golden Baseball league in 07 and 08. After working as a manager and team president of the Chico Outlaws in 2010 and 2011, he was named manager and vice president of field operations for the San Rafael Pacific’s club for 2012.
Mike currently is the commissioner of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs. He is married with 2 children, Michael A. Marshall Jr., and Marcheta Kay Schroeder. He briefly dated Belinda Carlisle of the band the Go Go’s. He has 2 World Series rings. 1981 and 1988. Always thought the Moose would be the next coming. But he was pretty good when you get down to it. Injuries took their toll and he was done at 31.
A friend of mine went to HS with Marshall and says his biggest problem is that he is not very smart. I can neither confirm nor deny.
A lot of you seem to be hung up on Mitch White pitching to CJ Cron is the first inning last night.
CJ Cron is experiencing a “Coors Revitalization.” He is hitting .319 at Coors (he’s a .260 Career Hitter) and .235 on the Road. I have never heard of walking the pitcher in the first inning in a situation like that. EVER! Unless, of course, you are trying to prove a point that is not valid. You might walk him later in the game in order to get the other manager to think about pinch-hitting but you don’t there.
By the way, do you know who changes lineups more than Roberts? Kapler! From Yahoo:
“I just think it’s kind of intuitive that players who are veteran players who have some wear and tear are going to need a little bit more rest,” Kapler said after Tuesday’s win. “It’s not the same as dealing with a 24- or 25-year-old. From my own experience as an aging player, I needed more time between reps and I needed more down time. That’s just the natural way the human body ages, it’s part of it. These guys can still be great baseball players, but they need a little bit more down time.”
So, I can see Doc resting a catcher, a 37-year-old 3B, and a guy who has a bone spur on his hip… but that’s just me.
By the way, Senzatela had a bad April, but in May had a 3.86 ERA and in July was 3.46, followed by a 2.96 ERA in August.
Of course, I would like to see everyone in the lineup every day, but I also want to see them healthy.
Sunday was a scheduled day off for Will Smith and we will never know if JT and Mookie were tired or a little sore (the Dodgers generally don’t share that). However, to assume the worst is very Dunning-Kruger!
I call BS. You could have rested them on separate days especially knowing ahead of time that Smith wasn’t going to catch on Sunday. Not everyone on the roster is 37 or has a hip injury. They wanted to rest players ahead of the Braves and Giants series and this is the price they paid for it.
Of course Kapler is going to excuse Doc, as they are cut from the same cloth, interviewed for the same position, worked in the same organization for the same people.
In seven days from now, we’ll know if it was the right decision. Since the regular season ends in October, we’ll still have just about a full month to play after our last meeting with Giants. There’s plenty of time remaining.
Gabe Kapler is an expert on rest, having never played anything close to a full season during a 12 year career even though he’s a “health expert”. What a joke! Talk about Dunning-Kruger.
Mark, I know (with all respects) that you are the Obi Wan Kanobi of this
blog, so I am little confused about your observation of “walking the pitcher
in the first inning.” The position that many Dodger fans (and myself) were
referring to was why did Roberts allow White to pitch to Cron (the first baseman) instead of walking him to pitch to Ruiz, the 3rd baseman. At the time of Cron’s first AB (in the first inning), he was leading hitter in the NL and AL for the month of Aug ’21 in BA, HRs and RBIs. If Roberts gives an Intentional Walk to Cron, he would have faced Ruiz who was batting .178
when he took his first AB. Walking the pitcher (????) was never a part of the above critique. Cron eventually hit a 3 run dinger in the first inning.
What were you referring to when you brought “walking the pitcher” into the conversation ?
Apppreciate your insights Mark.
Thanks.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401229008
I mistakenly referred to Ruiz as the pitcher. He is not.
My point is simply that you do not walk the bases full in the first inning… no matter what. That’s a move you save for later in the game when you might make the manager have to make a decision to pinch-hit for the pitcher.
CJ Cron was hot but he had a streak of 10 home games in Colorado which inflated his average. The fact is, he hits .235 away from Coors.
I do not believe many managers would walk a batter in that situation. It’s not smart at that point in the game.
The book on Cron is that he can hit fastballs and you get him out with breaking stuff. Mitch White threw a fastball right down Broadway. If White has thrown that same pitch to Ruiz, after walking Cron, it would have been a Grand Slam, and boy, would the Roberts Bashers have loved that!
The problem was not that Doc did not walk Cron, but rather the way White pitched to Cron. I put the blame on White and Barnes. We will never know what could have happened if they walked Cron, but that opens the possibility to a Grand Slam!
If I was setting the rotation for the next seven days for this extremely important week, I would not pitch Scherzer in the Atlanta series and have him start in S F on Friday on extra rest. A win in SF is a 2 game swing with less than 30 games left at that point. Then Urias and Buehler will also be the SF series. I would use a bullpen game on Wednesday against Atlanta or bring up Jackson to start the game. Also rosters expand to 28 on Wednesday and more pitchers can be brought up to facilitate that game from the minors. I realize all games are important to win, but time is running out to win the division and there will be no more games left against SF after Sunday, I’m not the manager or GM, but that’s what I would do. What would you do?
I was arguing the same with a guy on Friday. Midgets games are worth two, and when we win, WE KNOW they lost instead of this frustrating, “we win, they win, they lose, we lose” junk.
cheers
pb+
Good man pb+!One intelligent reply so far.
+1
Good call. Let’s see if our brain trust agrees with your assessment. I call your assessment- The People’s Choice!
TM
Andrew, great job……………sounds like the most strategic plan the Dodgers should follow………….the only semi-rational reason I can come up on why Roberts isn’t using his top 3 pitchers vs the Giants is that he has given up on winning the first place position in the NL west and he is actually trying to set up his pitching rotation for the 1 game playoff………………but if that is the case, we’re are “cooked” for this year. What other reason would he have for not starting, Juli, WB and Max vs San Fran ?
Mike Marshall’s swing was kinda similar to CT3’s swing. I hadn’t thought about it until this post and then I had to find some evidence. Take a look at this video from Game 2 of the ’88 WS at time 1:35 if you are curious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibO6lEjpHc0
I remember Mike Marshall as one of the better ones in a long line of promising post-Garvey 1B/OF prospects who never quite made it to star level (Mike Marshall, Greg Brock, Franklin Stubbs, Sid Bream,…).
Cheers — and thanks, Bear, for the post.
You are welcome. I really liked Marshall.
Was it hard for Bear to link the Go Go’s? I mean, technically it’s music.
It was in his Wikipedia page.. very easy. And remember, Kemp dated Rianna. And he was lambasted for that. Bo Belinsky dated Diana Dors, a Jayne Mansfield look a like with similar physical attributes.
Dodger fans like to complain about Roberts. Meanwhile the Mets players are now booing their own fans. All in all, I think we have it pretty good
In the spring of 1985 we traveled to Florida with our two young children and spend a day at Dodgertown.
Mike Marshall was Jamie’s (age 8 then) favorite player. Try as we may we could not get his picture of Mike autographed. When the players and coaches came in for lunch, I was able to speak to hitting coach Ben Hines. I explained we were from Nova Scotia and Jamie was really trying to get Mike Marshall’s autograph. Ben took the picture Jamie was holding, disappeared into the dining area and came back with the picture autographed.
We thanked him and I thought all was well. But not so with Jamie who had seen Mike’s autograph on other items such as cards. It seems as he went along Mike changed his autograph so Jamie felt it was not an authentic autograph.
This is what he was used to seeing.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/284318083883?hash=item4232adab2b:g:T18AAOSwpVlgt-Uk
This is what he got. Authenic but illegible to Jamie compared to the first one.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/353520178312?hash=item524f71d488:g:hCsAAOSw5LtguEWk
Most players autographs that I have seen in the last several years are impossible to read. Actual autographs I have where I saw the player autograph the item are my Duke Snider signed 8X10, and you clearly can read Duke’s signature. Rick Monday, Lucas May and Mike Restovich signed a ball for me in spring training in 2009. And my friend’s son, Kameron Loe signed a baseball card and a ball for me. Loe’s is the hardest to read.
Great post Bear… Back in the day I thought Brock and Marshall, WOW, we’re set for years!!!
MLB can be a cruel venture…
Well, yesterday was a sh– storm for sure!! It seems Eric, HBdodger, Nonic and dodger lover are picking up allies like a sequel to Walking Dead.
I feel sad that Bear and Badger have to fend off the Looney Tunes…
We will see how today goes along with a Dodger W…
P.S. Patience MT… Do Not throw gas on the fire…
Thanks Peter. I thought Brock was the second coming of Gil Hodges only from the left side. That faded fast. I thought Stubbs would be better than he was. Loney lasted longer than all of them. I never cared much for Bream, but they traded him early. Do not worry about me. I can handle myself. I think they are all entitled to their opinions. That is what the site is all about. But I also feel and pretty much know, that they are not privy to what goes on in the clubhouse. None of us do. They just simply dislike Roberts and will never agree with any move the man makes. End of story.
If talking about sports makes you sad. I’d hate to see how you would feel in a real crisis pj …
If ifs were fifths, we’d all be drunk. The game was very winnable last night IF we decided to pitch around Cron. No, he isn’t Babe Ruth, but he is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now and ever since the All-Star break.
This isn’t a case of Dunning-Kruger effect because even Ray Charles can see that once you fall behind to a hitter who’s slashing 382/444/818 in the last two weeks, with runners on second and third with two outs you have a choice to make. You try to sneak a rib eye past a starving jaguar, or you pitch to the guy who’s slashing 154/214/154 and play the numbers. It was inexcusable to pitch to Cron with first base open in that situation and they paid the price.
Less than two weeks ago, the Dodgers did the rest everyone strategy against the Pirates ahead of the Mets and Padres series and it worked out pretty well. So, why not try it again against the other team that you really own at home ahead of the Braves and Giants series? Well, this time it didn’t work so well.
It’s the end of August, which signifies the end of the “Dog Days”. Up next is the “Stretch Run”. No rest for the wary. Now, is the time to stop the nonsense of resting three of your best hitters in the same game and it probably wasn’t necessary to do so yesterday with an off day in plain sight on Thursday.
We managed just 3 hits yesterday against a pitcher that has been a punching bag historically when facing this team. Baseball is weird that way. At any time, just about any pitcher can pull a diamond out of their ass, which is why it’s so important to avoid that Wild Card game. Even with yesterday’s loss, there’s no need to panic with 32 games remaining and just 2.5 games out of the top spot.
On the bright side, one of those three hits was a rocket off the bat of Cody Bellinger who also came up with one of the best catches on the season. He hit the ball hard all series, but had little to show for it. You know he’s pressing, but luck will change if he sticks to the script.
Graterol was also impressive coming into a tough situation and leaving runners stranded. There wasn’t much of anything else to get excited about unless you want to count using Jansen in a lost game most likely making him ineligible to pitch today. Bad timing considering rosters won’t expand for another couple of days.
Since Mitch White will probably be optioned today, we’ll get another reliever added to the roster in time to help out ahead of tonight’s game where the “Big Three” are lined up for the Braves series. With the off day on Thursday and a bullpen game lined up for Friday with expanded rosters, we’ll have 2 of 3 available for the Giants series before we’re put in the position of another bullpen/opener game against the Cardinals with Andre Jackson available once again after serving his time on the options list. After that, we’ll be closer to getting Gonsolin and Kershaw back while converting bullpen games to piggy back games like you see in the early weeks of Spring Training. Hopefully, that will be enough pitching to get us through the next month.
I always felt Mike Marshall was “this close” to greatness, but never made it. Maybe with Skyhack as a hitting instructor?
Speaking of hitting instructors, for all those who still believe walking Cron with first base open would have made a difference I refer you to this stat – 3 for 30, 0 for 7 WRISP. 3 singles. 3 walks. Koufax doesn’t win that game.
I think Roberts senses an outbreak of team lethargy. Guys need time off. They’re getting it, but, in a few minutes it’s going to be time to turn it on again. I sure hope they can get it done.
My favorite memory of Mike Marshall was during a freeway series game at “The Big A”. He fielded a ball in right field and proceeded to launch it 15-20 rows into the stands behind the dugout on the 3rd base side of the field. It was quite possibly the worst throw I’ve ever seen on any baseball field.
Good write-up, Bear. Yah, I thought that Greg Brock and Mike Marshall would carry the Dodgers for years. Products of Albuquerque and too much hype. Marshall was productive, but fell short of unrealistic expectations.
Okay, I’m tired of hearing about resting players during a pennant race. After Sunday’s game, maybe they should have just rested the entire team. At home against the Colorado Rockies, a hapless team at best, the Dodgers, the team with the second best record in baseball, loses two out of three and fails to gain on the Giants.
Okay, some of you will make excuses, others will be critical. Being a realistic optimist, I will again point out the Dodgers are paying way too much money to players who are not consistently hitting the ball and obviously need lots of rest.
Where are the old time guys telling Dave Roberts they’re not taking a day off, what the hell is he thinking?
I don’t get the sit three guys thinking even early in the season and definitely not now. Every game counts.
Now maybe the Dodgers get lucky, they hit a couple of big winning streaks or the Giants falter. But right now it looks like the team needs to rest up the players for a one game playoff.
Playing the long game in a dwindling season doesn’t make much sense, especially knowing you have a chance to pick up a game. Probably wouldn’t have made a difference, the way most of the players are swinging the bat. So there’s that.
Then there is Cron. Hot bat and all. The strategy of pitching around him is sound, but the execution wasn’t. Best to walk him and go after the lighter hitter. The one who is not so hot.
Tonight I will drive 75 minutes to Dodger Stadium, hoping all the regulars are playing and, of course, hitting. If not, I will trudge back home with my Mookie bobblehead in tow, wondering if I shouldn’t have stayed home. Better to have rested than deal with the LA traffic and the crowds at the Dodger Stadium.
The Cron at bat again. The guy has 97 hits and has struck out 91 times. Here’s a tip, with first base open throw him breaking balls at his ankles. What he hit was a 93 mph belt high cookie. The mistake wasn’t pitching to him, the mistake was the pitch.
Here’s something else to consider, the Dodgers have won 17 of their last 21 games. They’ve done it with a 6 cylinder pitching staff operating on 3 cylinders. They’ve done it with Mookie mostly not there, Bellinger a shell of his former self, Seager and Muncy not at 100% and some guy named McKinney OPS’ing .650. While some of you continue whining about 1 at bat in a shut out I’m thinking – wow! what they’ve done during this stretch is damn impressive.
They have a grueling week coming up against two first place clubs. 4 of 6 under these conditions and I’m a happy camper.
Get healthy and finish strong.
I think I mentioned execution. The problem with assuming that a pitcher, especially a young pitcher, can throw breaking balls at his ankles is good in theory, but doesn’t always work. The Dodgers, according to Dave Roberts, were pitching to Cron’s weakness, but the pitch drifted back over the plate. So yes, the pitch was in the wrong location, that’s obvious.
As to whining, I’m merely pointing out the obvious, the Dodgers lost two of three games to a poor team at home and failed to pick up ground to a Giants team losing two out of three on the road to a good Atlanta team.
Maybe you’re right, the team needs to rest the players more. Maybe they will bounce back and get hot or maybe the Giants stumble.
But as Orel and Nomar said the other day, it’s make or break time. I’m probably more concerned about winning the game at hand. What happens tomorrow hasn’t been written. Look to the future, yes, but not at the expense of the present.
Great minds create memes.
Average minds discredit memes.
Small minds post memes.
-BulldogsandPenguins
* I was having a very nice Sunday until I watched the Dodger game. I’ve been around the game for a very long time and I understand the game. I’m not one to panic or make too much of a loss. I understand the nature of a long season. I’m even keel and that worked well as a player and a coach.
* Yesterday’s game was different and very frustrating for me. We didn’t compete. The lineup wasn’t competitive, the players didn’t compete and Doc didn’t compete. I can handle losses but not like yesterday. I didn’t like anything about Sunday’s game except Bellinger’s catch. We layed an ostrich egg. We had all the intensity of a Sunday afternoon Co-Ed softball game. Was anybody ready to play? Even Trea Turner loafed.
* The game was poorly managed and poorly played at a time when we all knew we could gain ground on the Giants. But we didn’t show up. We let Senzatela dominate us for 7 innings. We got 3 hits and SHUT OUT against the Rockies pitchers. Taylor’s foul flyball out, Belli’s K and JT’s pop up, bottom 7 with 2 runners on, ended the only threat we mounted all game. How can that be with this lineup?
* Let’s start with Doc’s (or the Wizard behind the curtains) line up. 3 regulars getting rested at once with 32 games to go. Doc / Wizard seems more interested in giving guys unnecessary rest right now than competing for the Division title. I get Smith not catching a day game after a night game. But JT looks okay to me and got 6 innings of “rest”. Please Doc, find another game and time to give him a blow. Doc had it worked out to let Mookie get great rest too, for all of 6 2/3 innings. I guess he feels he needs to let McKinney get his 2 strike outs in, before pulling him. What’s the emergency getting McKinney and his .199 average in consecutive starts in right in the throws of a pennant race?
* I have been very patient and complimentary of Doc’s management., especially with a 3 man rotation. But not Sunday.
* Why on earth pitch to Cron with a base open in the 1st, with Ruiz hitting .171 behind him? Honestly, that set the tempo for a very poorly managed and poorly played game. When you game planned against the Rockies right now, who would you say is the guy you can’t let beat you? Obviously Cron. I guess Doc missed the meeting.
* Doc wasn’t responsible for the poor play but he let things get out of hand. White obviously didn’t have it. No fastball and his so-so breaking ball was getting too much plate. 3 Runs, 6 hits and 72 pitches to get through 3.1 innings. I would have never sent him out for the 4th. Graterol who should have started the inning and ended up pitching us out of a jam. I think Doc enjoys the strut out mid-inning to make pitching changes. He’s done a lot of that lately.
Kelly was horseshit. Story had to be sitting on a breaking ball in the 7th, for a double, because Kelly can’t throw a fastball for a strike. He can only get the breaking ball over. He’s back to “Joe” the head case. Why Shane Greene next, who promptly threw one to the backstop to allow Story to score. Is he the best guy we have in that spot? Those 2 more runs pretty much put this baby out of reach for any possible comeback the way we weren’t hitting. It was throwing in the towel.
* Doc’s criticism aside, the biggest problem is that our offense is like a water Spigot. It’s either flooding the property or completely shut off. 3 hits and no runs against the Rockies pitching is a total joke.
* Urias could have started Sunday but I guess we saved him for the Braves. We opted for another bullpen game by starting White. That moves Urias, Striker and Max for Atlanta. Then for the Giants looks like a bullpen game, Price, and Urias. Had Urias started Sunday, it’s Price, Urias and Striker for the Giants. We piss away Sunday’s game and and weaken our rotation for the Giants. Maybe CK comes back with zero prep and it’s the “miracle on grass”.
* Piss poor effort for a team in a pennant race and an extremely noncompetitive effort by everybody.
* The next 7 games with the Braves and Giants will determine the Division winner. We can’t win it next week but we sure as hell can lose it. But if we are going to play like this we have no business being in it anyway.
Well written Philjones. I agree with you 100%. Back to back Sunday games against the Mets and Rockies at home and we did not come to play, Embarrassing!!!
This was just what most of us said yesterday and we get a reply from the leader of this board who says we all have psychological problems, so I am curious on what replies you will get. I imagine none as some people get called out and ridiculed and others get a free pass.
I remember a conversation between you and Badger a while ago that said “You know as well as I do Phil, games can be lost in the 6th inning just as well as the 8th or 9th inning.” Well it just so happens yesterday’s game was lost in the first inning. That’s how I saw it and don’t feel any different today then yesterday.
The conversation you referenced was about bringing in a less than reliever to face the top/middle of the order in the the 6th and 7th. Teams relying on analytics recognize that and are adjusting. That’s the reason for The Opener, in case you didn’t know.
I disagree about any game being lost in the first. But an Opener for White is probably a good idea. Let him start by facing middle bottom hitters.
Yes that was the conversation I referenced, it was awhile ago and couldn’t recall it off the top of my head earlier. I am over it and ready to move on to Atlanta and the Giants. Your probably right about the game being lost in the first but it sure felt like that after the first inning and the lineup we trotted out there. Just frustrated by not taking advantage of gaining a game on the Giants, I appreciate your baseball knowledge and posts as always.
For SF, it will be Price, Urias and Buehler.
Looks like we will miss Gausman, unless SF bumps him back but Milwaukee is solid.
Another excellent post philjones. It would be interesting the reaction to the Cron first inning AB if Joe Davis hadn’t mentioned not walking Cron intentionally. What concerned me was the poor location of the pitches from White. I think there had been two previous pitches that Orel commented on their “playing with fire” location for someone like Cron. And, sure enough, the third pitch was hitting tee offering. Not often do we see an intentional walk in the first inning. Usually, there is a starter and/or a catcher that would know about Cron’s recent streak and who was batting behind him and pitch accordingly. They should attempt to get the batter to chase outside the zone. If no success with that approach then he walks. So, I think Barnes should have done a better job guiding White through the AB. Bottom line, it was a failure on communication by Barnes/Roberts and execution by White. And because of the Dodgers lack of offense it didn’t make a difference anyway.
I know there is a lot of criticism of Roberts in the past including myself. But, recently I’ve concluded that the FO is controlling all pregame decisions including lineups and setup the pitching routine during the game. So, the FO seems responsible for pre game and game decisions. But, that’s just speculation on my part. As usual Roberts postgame remarks were sad to watch. He’s even having trouble using clichés anymore. When Ms Watson (who seems to be improving) asked Dave about his overall perspective of the game he came across as a defeated and lost manager. One that isn’t responsible for player decisions before and during the game. He, also, can’t control for the lack of execution by the offense. It has to be a frustrating situation for him. Only 31 games left to start acting like a championship team.
He also got very testy when questioned about using JT to pitch in the game. He even went so far as to ask the reporter who he would have used.
Totalmente de acuerdo con usted Phil, no encuentro una descripción más precisa que le descrita en su post.
Si puede leer Ingles, porque’ no responder en Ingles? ??? Me gusta Espanol, pero aqui todos hablan Ingles.
No te corresponde a ti cuestionar … simplemente acepta lo que es.
Vengeur, no leo ni hablo en ingles la página me es traducida en automático en mi PC, investigue si a usted le pueden traducir de español a ingles.
Wow Phil…..you really unloaded some steam here……but I can’t find fault with anything you said except the 7th inning possible rally that got quenched abruptly.
The three guys who made out:
CT3- has been struggling of late….he probably needs the rest
Belli- batting .170 ….nuff said
JT- he’s been struggling lately too.
Too bad Doc couldn’t have found a chance to get Wonderful William in there. He seems to be our most clutch hitter. If anyone could hit a 3 run HR at that time, it is him. But, such was not meant to be. Too bad for us.
But, at least Doc got Betts, JT, and William a day off.
TM
There is some good news, the Giants are playing the team with the 3rd best record in the National League for 4 games starting tonight. That team is the Brewers.
I was looking at stats today like I always do and if it wasn’t for the 3 batter minimum rule the Dodgers would have an absolutely dominant bullpen, depending on the way Doc would handle the bullpen under that condition. We have a few guys that have extreme splits, who are absolutely dominant against one side of the plate and yet bad against the other side of the plate. Again, if managed right, without the 3 batter minimum rule our bullpen would be absolutely dominant, like best in the league dominant.
I don’t want to rehash what happened in this last series with the Rockies, but losing 2 out of 3 to a team that is that bad is frustrating.
Sorry if you hadn’t noticed. The bullpen ERA is 4th overall on the season and 1st in the last 30 days. We’re already “best in the league dominant”.
I’m talking really dominant like way better than the 2nd best team BulldogsandPenguins.
Milwaukee should be tough but didn’t the Giants just beat them 2 of 3 in Milwaukee ? As I recall, their two wins were comeback wins, and the one OF misplayed the final out that would have won it for the Brewers.
Maybe a split is the best we can ask for….but hopefully we win 2 of 3 from Atl.
That was 2 weeks ago. Milwaukee has been playing well, and their two best pitchers are facing the Giants the first two games.
Yes Eric, it is very frustrating to lose 2 out of 3 to Co. Imagine how it could turn out if the Dodgers are a wild card team and have to win 1 game against a team much better than the Rockies. They had better win their division and not get stuck in a wild card situation.
Simplemente no hicimos lo que por obligación tendríamos que hacer para lograr cazar a los Giants.
Ahora comprendo amigo! No es facil apprender una lengua extranjera. Yo por ejemplo trataba muchas veces apprender un poco de Espanol, sin mucho exito!
The Giants claimed Jose Quintana off of waivers from the Angels. They had an open roster spot with the release of Tyler Chatwood. Ruiz called up by the Nats. Syndergaard on the Covid IL list. Lux got 2 hits in OKC’s win yesterday. McKinstry hit a HR, his 3rd. Gonzalez got the win, but only pitched 1/3rd of and inning and had a blown save. Quackenbush got his 15th save. Feliz pitched a clean 1,2 innings with 3 K’s. Souza also had 2 hits. Liput also had a HR.
Question:
When Buehler was drafted everyone (I mean the informed crowd) knew he needed Tommy John? Right? Or was it a surprise?
Second Question:
When he was drafted was he projected to be an ace, or more of a middle-rotation guy, or was there little projection because of the elbow issues?
I followed Buehler at Vandy. He was not the Ace of the Vandy staff. That was Carson Fulmer who was drafted #8 overall by CWS.
Baseball America pre-draft Scouting Report – 2015 Draft Scouting Report
Buehler had a busy summer last year. After helping Vanderbilt win its first-ever national championship, he pitched briefly for Team USA and was then named co-MVP of the playoffs in the Cape Cod League, as he helped Yarmouth-Dennis to the championship. His start to his junior season at Vanderbilt was delayed by elbow soreness, but he’s pitched well since rejoining the Commodores rotation. At his best, Buehler has four above-average offerings. He throws his fastball in the low to mid 90s, though it doesn’t have a ton of life. That, in addition to his clean arm action, allows him to pound the strike zone, but also makes it a bit easier for hitters to square the pitch up if he misses in the zone. His curveball and slider both show promise and he has a good feel for spinning the baseball, but they run together at times. He gets good fading action on his changeup. Though at a listed 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Buehler is taller than teammate Carson Fulmer, he isn’t very physical and also lacks ideal size for a righthander. Scouts have more confidence that Buehler will be able to remain in the rotation, however, thanks to his deep arsenal, athleticism and more polished delivery.
MLB Pipeline Pre Draft Scouting Report –
One of three potential first-round picks from Vanderbilt, Buehler had an exceptional summer, sharing playoff MVP honors in the Cape Cod League and pitching well with the U.S. collegiate national team after helping the Commodores win the College World Series. Those wanting to see that carry over to this spring had to wait, as Buehler was slowed early with elbow soreness, but was getting back to full strength as his junior season unfolded. Buehler has a deep repertoire featuring four potential solid-or-better big league pitches and the ability to throw all of them for strikes. His best offering is his 90-96 mph fastball, and while he sometimes gets caught in between his curveball and slider, both can be weapons. His changeup similarly varies from inconsistent to effective. Buehler could have been a Draft pick in the top two rounds out of a Kentucky high school in 2012 had he been signable away from Vanderbilt. The biggest knock on him is that he’s just 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, but he had been durable prior to this spring. His athleticism and sound delivery should allow him to remain a starter.
He had elbow soreness in his Junior Year. He pitched a lot the year before. So the smart baseball gurus thought TJS was very possible. I think the Dodgers believed it from the beginning. Based on the two above scouting reports, I do not believe that Walker was projected to be the level of Ace he is. Both scouting reports seemed to indicate that multiple scouts did not think he would stay in the rotation. However, most believed he would, but none went on record as Ace level.
Both Buehler and Fulmer were being measured against Sonny Gray who was drafted 1st round (#18 overall) out of Vandy in 2011.
Thanks much!
None other than our own Dodger Chatter wrote this after Buehler was drafted:
https://thinkbluela.com/2015/06/meet-dodgers-first-round-draft-pick-walker-buehler/
It was no secret that Striker had elbow issues before the draft, but I once read a quote by Billy Gaspirano right after the draft where he said that Buehler and Funkhouser could have an impact AS SOON AS THE NEXT SEASON.
However, Buehler signed under slot, so I don’t know who knew what… when>
I remember that article. I was not surprised by what Gasparino said. LAD Super scout Marty Lamb had been scouting Buehler since High School. I think Marty knew him better than any scout. I am convinced that Gasparino, AF, and Farhan knew that Buehler needed surgery, but were not afraid to take that risk on a pitcher deemed top 10. So they had to wait a year plus. What I think caught many by surprise is that Buehler’s fastball ticked up in velo (3-5 MPH) after the surgery.
It is hard to get top ten talent when drafting south of #20 every year, but sometimes talent drops. With Walker Buehler it worked. Two years later it was Jeren Kendall who was rated the best college hitter in the draft and a potential 1/1 going into his junior year. He dropped to the Dodgers and they took a chance. That one did not work. I was also upset when Shane McClanahan, another potential top ten talent was passed over in 2018. Dodgers selected HS pitcher JT Ginn (Pick #30) and the Rays immediately jumped on McClanahan (Pick #31). Three years later, McClanahan is in the rotation for Tampa Bay. Ginn is now struggling at A+ for NYM. The draft can be cruel.
They knew he needed Tommy John surgery when they drafted him. What I’ve read that Andrew thought he would be a top of the rotation starter based on his make-up.
I keep reading how bad LAD is against LHP, and I am certain that thought crossed my mind as well. But going into today’s games I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Dodgers have the best record against LHP in MLB. They are 24-14 (.632). There are three other teams north of .600: Oakland (.612), Atlanta and White Sox (.611).
The Dodgers are 58-35 against RHP (.623). The Braves are also very good against LHP, and the Dodgers will throw one lefty at them (Urias) and two RHP. The Braves are 48-45 against RHP.
I have no idea what that all means, but I am not about to cave because LAD is facing two LHSP. There are numerous commenters throughout the blogosphere who are already counting on two wins for the two Braves lefties. I think that is the true definition of a pessimist.
Good reminder of Mike Marshall Bear.
I guess my favorite recollection is the home run he hit in the 1988 WS. We might not have needed it with Hershiser on the mound but it sure gave us a comfort zone.
World Series performance: Marshall scored in the sixth inning of Game 1, pulling the Dodgers to within one run at 4-3, but his big game of the series came the next night. In the third inning of Game 2, the Dodgers rallied for a 2-0 lead before Marshall blew the game open with a three-run home run off Storm Davis for a 5-0 lead, more than enough support for Orel Hershiser.
Thanks DC, I saw him play a few times and a couple of times that I went to games he homered. Just missed catching one in the LF Pavilion. I did catch a Joe Ferguson double that bounced over the wall. I was in the front row out there and caught it with my Gil Hodges model first baseman’s mitt. The only in play ball I ever touched.
MLB.com had a list of the prospects they felt could help the contenders. They seem to think the Dodgers should call up Pepiot and use him in relief. I thought it was an interesting take. His stuff plays well and he misses bats. They discounted his rough start in AAA. Roberts is getting hammered on Twitter like always. It is amusing to read some of the comments fans post there.
We’re all this worked up over a hundred win team and defending WS champion. What if we were Met fans? Now that would be fun reading!
I’m not worked up. My BP is 111/84.
I don’t get worked up. I just say what I think and I think some people are dumber than a bag of hammers!
However, that is their right!
The best comment of the Year was made by Marcia (but went over their heads):
“If not for the Dunning Kruger Effect, this blog would not exist. And Mark would miss out on the entertainment!”
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!
Marcia,
Are you any relation to Dodger Blue Mom?
The Giants starting staff just took a huge hit. Both Cueto and Wood placed on the Covid IL list. Both were slated to start against the Brewers this week. Giants forced into using a bullpen game tonight with Alvarez starting.
Tonights lineup. Turner 2B, Muncy 1B, Betts, RF, Turner, 3B, Pollock, LF, Seager, SS, Taylor, CF, Smith, C, Urias P. anyone have a problem with this line up????? Didn’t think so. Oh yeah, Braves have 6 guys in the lineup who have 20 or more home runs, Albies, Soler, Freeman, Riley, Swanson and Duvall, Oh by the way, Bellinger will only start against RHP the rest of the way according to Roberts.
They will if the Dodgers lose!
It will be Doc’s fault.
Was it his fault last year when he said”this is our year” and it was?
You cannot compare last season to this year. It was truncated, there were no fans in the stands. Muncy, Bellinger and Pederson did not hit all that well all year. Seager, Pollock, Betts all had excellent seasons. They were clutch, had numerous late come from behind wins and all of the games were in their own division and the AL West. Easy schedule since only the Padres in the west played well.
Yep, as usual someone will blame it on Doc.
By the way, most of those guys, except Trea Turner, and Smith and Pollock have been slumping most of the month. Betts is not included since he was on fire just before he hit the IL, but has only played a couple of games since.
I smell a hot streak coming on.
Ojalá Mark, confió en tu olfato.
I don’t post much as I don’t like fighting with people I don’t know, I can do that easily in person with family, friends or coworkers instead of people I don’t even know over the internet. As it turns out that is what mostly goes on this blog and is quite the turnoff really. If your name is not one of the main contributors you get called out and ridiculed for having your own opinion, I thought that’s the purpose of a blog but it ends up being a Sh** Show instead as today’s topic and comments continue.
I never have once blamed anything on the manager as I am highly aware that the decisions that are made are done by the front office, manager, and coaches. My comments never once said anything about Dave Roberts so I wish you’d choose your words a little more careful instead of just lumping every poster into a category so callously.
I didn’t mean your article Bear, need to clarify that, your articles are great. Just the comments about yesterday’s game is what I should have said.
You never do Zeke and thanks for the kudos, I appreciate it. Some posters do blame him for everything from the pandemic to anything else you might imagine. Just being facetious. Some people just love to argue Zeke. And arguing on the internet is something they just love to do.
I don’t blame Doc when we lose and it is not his fault. If he starts the 8 best guys and handles the bullpen correctly, then whatever the outcome I don’t blame him.
I like today’s starting lineup. These 8 guys are the best we have.
I agree Eric but how often do we play our best 8? Handling the bullpen correctly is never a sure thing but lets stay positive and get a win tonight and a loss by the gnats!
Well the problem is that you blame Roberts if a reliever doesn’t deliver but never the credit when they do. And you have no inside information about the players and what injuries or other issues they have which may affect how they are used.
It’s more complicated than that Cassidy. That is a blanket statement you made.
I think Cassidy reduced it to its simplest form.
Not the first time someone called me simple!
Eric, what actually does it mean to “handle the bullpen correctly?” Follow your stat model? Or, is it based on results? Pitchers were successful, therefore, the bullpen was handled correctly? Pitchers were not successful, therefore, Doc didn’t handle the bullpen correctly? Is that how it works?
Also, what do you mean by start our best 8 guys? Should players never get a day off? Also, if Will Smith for example, is banged up and needs a day or two to recover, should he still play because statistically he is one of our “best 8 guys”?
2demeter2
I’ve already said that I understand about injuries. So if Doc doesn’t start one of our best position players due to injury then I understand. The gripe I’ve had recently was about McKinney starting over other better guys that were not injured.
As for the bullpen, it’s complicated to explain what I mean by handling the bullpen correctly. If I tried to explain it I would be typing forever. A quick answer would be using guys the right way according to OPS splits.
Here are my 9 best position players for 8 positions. Rest is possible having 9 guys for 8 positions. But resting more than 1 of these guys the same day is unnecessary and shouldn’t happen.
Smith
Muncy
T Turner
Seager
J Turner
Pollock
Betts
Taylor
Bellinger
That is simply your opinion Eric based on what you feel. You have no info as to injuries or anything else. So you are basing this on your gut, and nothing else. The manager has far more to go on than you do.
The last 30 days: Muncy is hitting .216, J.T. comes in at .202; Bellinger is hitting a hearty .183 and McKinney a whopping .162. Not going to get much done with that production. And yet their record during that time is 20-6. Head scratcher that is.
Had such high hopes. While he didn’t have a bad career, there were constant visions fo him hitting 34 home runs with 137 RBI like he did in Albuquerque. Thanks for the nice memories Bear!
Well we owe it to our great pitching staff! Even the loss of four of our best 6 starters from the beginning of the season.
And having AF on your side doesn’t hurt!
DODGERS ACTIVATE EVAN PHILLIPS
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated right-handed pitcher Evan Phillips from the injured list and optioned right-handed pitcher Mitch White.
Phillips, 26, has been sidelined with a right quad strain since August 20 and has appeared in one game for the Dodgers this season, recording the win in 2.1 innings of relief on August 19 against the Mets. On the year, he is 1-0 with a save and a 3.38 ERA (2 ER/5.1 IP) in two Major League games. He has spent parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues, going a combined 2-3 with a 7.13 ERA (47 ER/59.1 IP) and 71 strikeouts for Atlanta (2018), Baltimore (2018-2020), Tampa Bay (2021) and Los Angeles (2021). In his minor league career, he is 19-20 with a 3.76 ERA and 306 strikeouts in 187 games. He was originally drafted by the Braves in the 17th round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of UNC Wilmington.
White, 25, suffered the loss yesterday, allowing three runs in 3.1 innings against the Rockies. On the season, he is 1-2 with a 3.49 ERA (15 ER/38.2 IP) and 41 strikeouts in 18 games for the Dodgers. The former second rounder out of Santa Clara University is 2-2 with a 3.24 ERA (12 ER/41.2 IP) in 20 career MLB games.
Thats the Best lineup we can put in . I think……seams Atlanta hit a Lot of homeruns
Yes they do. DJ Peters hit his 8th HR of the season, 7th with the Rangers. He has a higher BA than Bellinger, not by much, and one less HR. I wish him nothing but success.
Absolutely Bear, I wish nothing but the best for all the X dodger players. It’s hard to make it in this game, And it’s always good to see a young man succeed. Just not against the Dodgers lol
Parece que los Giants perdieron 2 abridores por covid, por lo tanto tendran juegos de bullpen conta cerveceros, creo que si nosotros nos aplicamos contra Atlanta podemos ir a San Francisco 1/2 juego arriba. El corral de ellos ha sido muy efectivo este año pero con esta situación del covid quedará muy agotado para el resto de la temporada regular y si no aprovechamos esto para alcanzarlos, ya no lo haremos este año.
SF Giants: Los Giants perdieron a sus próximos dos probables lanzadores abridores antes de su serie contra los Cerveceros, con Alex Wood dando positivo por COVID y Johnny Cueto sintiéndose enfermo.
Brewers jumped out to a 1-0 lead over the Giants who are having a bullpen game tonight.
Well, the good news is Tony and Clayton supposedly had great sessions during the sim game today. It sounded like Tony needs to do a bullpen session then go make a 3 inning minor league rehab start before he’s activated. Clayton needs a pen then a 2 inning sim game before he bullies Doc into taking him off the IL. Smash them together and you have a starter. Smash Price and White together and you have another.
Doc gave himself some wiggle room regarding Belli and lefties saying that he might not do it every time we see a lefty and “for now” this is how it is. He says he can use those days to get stronger and work on his mechanics. This is good motivation for Belli. Hit or sit. Hopefully CT3 can crush those lefties while Belli’s out.
No sooner than the words got out of Joes mouth, Muncie is 2 for 32
AND BOMBA
Will the thrill hits one too. Brewers up 2-0 on the Giants .
Mookie bobble head BOMBA !!!
And kudos to Will the thrill, I like that Bear
A few years back I had an opportunity to ask Mike a number of questions at a public event. He was owner/field manager/general manager/groundskeeper/consessionaire/ etc, etc… of the San Rafael Pacifics, a new independent league team at the time.
Mike was surprisingly very open and he expressed remorse about how he was perceived as a player but admitted that he could have given a better effort and played through some of the injuries. I found him to be a very personable fellow and he spoke with positivity about the Dodger organization and the Lasorda years.
He had just given a presentation to area residents about the new league and was marketing the game and his team to a crowd made up of primarily Giants fans. He loved the Giant-Dodger rivalry and he talked a lot about it and the the dust up he had with them during the ‘88 season. If I remember correctly he homered in extra innings after Roger Craig had twice walked Pedro Guerrero intentionally to face Marshall. Mike took umbrage and after hitting it out, gesterured quite vociferously at Craig as he circled the bases. It is seen periodically on Giant-Dodger rivalry video clips.
I’ll have to dig up my notes on that event. I believe it was in 2012. I’d have to disagree with Mark though because I actually found Marshall to be quite quit witted and knowledgeable of the game. I think he would be quick to admit he was a bit of a rock head when he played, but maturity hits us all at different times I suppose.
I also chatted with his wife as well and gave her a photo I had of Mike, Shelby and Steve Sax celebrating an NLCS win against the Mets after Shelby caught the final out of game I believe. About a week later I received the photo back in the mail and it was signed by Marshall with a very nice note. It is framed and now displayed in my office.
The energy is biiiiig different
Ya think the Dodgers are reading this column.?
NOT!
Timmons, COVID didn’t diminish your sense of smell! Especially with the Dodgers! Can you please start sniffing around my investment portfolio!
Before anyone wants to blame Roberts or Muncy, it doesn’t matter, Urias isn’t going to pitch more than 5, or possibly 6 innings anyway.
This is the 5th Inning, 1 out
I have to believe had he gotten out of the 6th clean, he would have gone back out in the 7th. But the 2 HR’s made the decision to remove him easy.
The home plate umpire tonight is an embarrassment. His strike zone is atrocious. A couple of those calls against Mookie bordered on being only a strike to a snake. Pitiful, His evaluation at the end of the season would be something I would like to read. HR’s biting LA in the butt tonight. Braves have a ton of power on their team.
Seventh inning …. If the braves tie or win the game, don’t blame Roberts for taking Urias out of the game please !!
2 days in a row reading a lot of nonsense about blaming Roberts
Have to agree. They put way too much blame on the manager, and not the players. Giants lost.
Hopefully Dodgers can hold on to this one as Giants lost.
Was that a save or a scare Treinen just got? 1.5 GB, let’s go.
Nah, he knew he had it all the way………..
Whew!!!! That’s all I can say, very exciting game
Definitely puckered me up, to say the least
Nice that Mookie’s mom was sitting in the front row, to see him Homer on his bobble head night.
Great win. Treinen had to wiggle off of the hook and he did it! All the scoring on HR’s. 30 games left. 1.5 behind the Giants who have one more game to play than the Dodgers do and it will be Thursday against Milwaukee,
Can you imagine this Brave power lineup with Ozuna and Acuna! Another base running blunder tonight! Fundamentals not a strength for us! Let’s hope the Giants finally run out of magic!
I think he was trying to get in a rundown so Seager could score. But Seag’s never moved off of the base and Smith was a dead duck. He probably should have just stayed at first. Ozuna is pretty much in the same boat as Bauer. But they seem to be close to pressing charges against him. And not wishing anyone bad luck, but I for one am glad Acuna is not playing. That guy rakes.
Keibert Ruiz 1 for 4 today
Mark, thanks for the kudo. Alas, no, I am not related to DBM. I sure wish I’d had the chance to meet her.
OKC lost to Las Vegas 6-4 Bibens-Dirkx got the loss. Lux, Beaty and McKinstry had one hit each. Lux drove in a couple of runs. Tony Wolters hit his 2nd HR. None of the other minor league teams were in action. Keibert Ruiz went 1-4 in his DC debut. Josiah Gray got knocked around by the Phillies, giving up 6 runs in 4 innings and lost his 2nd game. DJ Peters went deep for the Rangers. He was 2-4.