If You Ain’t the Lead Dog…

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1. Cassidy, you said late on the last post that if Bellinger would have been pulled, and Pujols brought up, he would have to face a RH pitcher. Wrong. Matzek was just coming into the game and he would have to face 3 hitters. Since Bellinger was announced, he could be pulled back and either Smith or Pujols hit for him. We all over reacted because we did not know that Max had a tight hammy. Neither Orel or Joe or anyone else said anything about it. After I watched Roberts presser after the game, he said he did not find out about it until the 5th inning and he was told by the pitching coach. It turned out ok, but I doubt anyone in the ball park knew about it because they booed Bazooka like crazy and Vesia too after the Braves dingers. The Brewers starter, former Dodger Brett Anderson, had to leave the game after the second inning as he was hit by a line drive by Crawford. It hit him right in the shoulder. Lorenzo Cain helped them seal the win with a HR in the 9th. Giants starting staff is beat up. Gausman pitched tonight, Cueto is dealing with a sore arm, and Wood is on the Covid IL> Cueto was put on the 10 day IL, so he will not face LA this weekend. Price, Urias and Buehler going for LA.

   1. All of us didn’t over react but you and Eric were the leaders of the pack.

      1. SO what? Based on what I saw, it was a dumb move, especially since Graterol IMMEDIATELY gave up the lead. Later, after I found out what happened and the truth, I admitted I was wrong. So tell me you have never gotten pissed over a move Roberts made. Another thing, learn the rules. Even after he was announced as the pinch hitter, Roberts could have replaced Bellinger with a RH hitter, but because of the 3 man rule, the Braves could not pull Matzek.

         1. I know the rules. They’re not gonna use Smith there to pinch hit.

            1. But he could have used Pujols. And they could not have brought in another pitcher. So you were wrong saying Pujols would have had to face a righty. And don’t twist facts just to suit your narrative. I know exactly what I wrote. He used Barnes in a similar situation just last week, so why couldn’t he use Smith? It was late in the game, he could have pulled Barnes and sent in McKinstry or McKinney. And Smith could have caught.

            2. I call Shenanigans! They’ve used Will Smith as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning twice this year. There’s no data to support your claim that “They’re not gonna use Smith there to pinch hit”.

2. Good stuuf, Bluto. Thank you. That new 1500 was definitely strange. IIRC, Pages was #1 . . .

   1. Just tired of all the piling on with Roberts especially when it’s not deserved!

      1. Hey, Had I known that Scherzer’s hammy was barking, I would not have said a thing. But since no one on the TV broadcast had said anything about it, and it was not even reported until after the game, I was pissed when it looked like he pulled the guy for no reason and the first guy blows the game for him in the space of 3 hitters. At the time it looked like a really dumb ass move. Yes, I should have waited until the end of the game and got the full skinny. But in the heat of the moment, I got irate… so sue me.

3. It sure feels good to be in 1st place where we belong. It’s quite fitting being September 1, right as we enter the stretch run and right before we begin our final series against the hated ones in their yard. I sure hope we keep this streak going and I’m a huge Brewers fan tonight.

   Thank God Scherzer’s hammy was tight, I thought Doc was just being a moron again.

   Graterol was the hero a couple of nights ago getting out of a big jam and now he’s a skunk for allowing a home run to a good team. I guess Vesia and Bickford won’t have a post season roster spot either?

   Scherzer must be really happy to be a Dodger and in a pennant race. In six starts since coming over, he’s given up 5 runs total.

   So, Bellinger sits again against a lefty and Doc pinch hits for him when a righty is not pitching well in order to get a stud lefty into the game? Why not go with Will Smith right then with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd in a clutch spot late in the game where Will seems to flourish? You would make the opposing manager have to choose between leaving in a reliever that just gave up a walk and a single, or go with the fresh arm against the split. Predictably Doc makes the decision easy for Snitker and Belli faces a very good lefty defeating the purpose of sitting him against lefties. Then, he doesn’t do his usual double switch to get his best defensive center fielder into the game late and close.

   Barnes does just enough to be one of the best 2nd string catchers in the game. A huge homer last night breaks up the monotony of his usual “Barrels are Overrated” fist hits. But, most of his offense seems to come when it’s drastically needed.

   People have made a lot of assumptions during the long season. Kenley can’t pitch back to back or go multiple innings. Dodgers suck against teams >500. Can’t win close games, can’t come back. This team is squashing all of those assumptions lately. Another one run win last night against a 1st place team, the team is rolling. As I’ve said all along, health is the key factor with all of the Dodgers shortcomings.

   Seager is making plays day in and day out and making it look really easy. I think this is why the defensive rankings hate him so much. He doesn’t look flashy, so the degree of difficulty never looks very difficult even when it is. He has a rocket of an arm and makes a lot of plays that other can’t. He seldom dives for anything, but his long lanky body gets to a lot of balls that smaller guys have to dive for. I’m also suspicious that all the shifting doesn’t help when he often is forced to play on the second base side of the bag. I really hope they find a way to bring him back into the fold next year.

   I’m really excited for the upcoming series. I hope like hell that the Brewers complete the sweep, but it might be sweeter if we come into their yard tied for the top spot. We have the best record in baseball today to go along with the best run differential. Enjoy it!

   San Diego is .5 games back in the Wild Card race right behind the Reds. San Diego gets the Astros next while the Reds face off against the Tigers. Oh, how I want to see the Padres fail.

   1. I want to see the cheating Asterisks lose every game from now until the end of time.

   2. Doc could have pulled Bellinger after Matzek came into the game. There is no rule that says the pinch hitter has to hit. Smith or Pujols could have been sent up to hit for him. I thought for sure he would do that, but he did not.

      1. Honest question, since Belli was announced as the PH, if they then pulled him, is he still available? Or is he out of the game at that point?
         cheers
         pb+

         1. Once he’s announced, if you hit for him he’s out of the game and can’t be brought back.

   3. never in doubt 😉

      this team is loaded

   4. So, Bellinger sits again against a lefty and Doc pinch hits for him when a righty is not pitching well in order to get a stud lefty into the game? Why not go with Will Smith right then with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd in a clutch spot late in the game where Will seems to flourish? You would make the opposing manager have to choose between leaving in a reliever that just gave up a walk and a single, or go with the fresh arm against the split. Predictably Doc makes the decision easy for Snitker and Belli faces a very good lefty defeating the purpose of sitting him against lefties. Then, he doesn’t do his usual double switch to get his best defensive center fielder into the game late and close.

      I’ll answer that. You don’t want to burn your only other catcher in case of injury to the starter. You will seldom see Smith pinch hit unless it’s really urgent. Same deal with Barnes.

      1. He did exactly that with Barnes last week. Barnes PH and Smith stayed in the game since he started it. And it was late in the game. He has also done that in extra innings games, so that dog won’t hunt. Plus he had Pujols on the bench too.

      2. Mark, you are so wrong on this one. Not only do they use Smith and Barnes to pinch hit late in the game, they do it often.

         Smith has made 14 pinch hitting appearances late in the game and Barnes has made 20. Together they’ve combined for a whopping 34 pinch hitting appearances and almost all are from the 7th inning on. Since they’ve played 134 cames total and have done it 34 times, the math says they do it a whopping 25% of the time, or once out of every four games!

         So, like I said. You have a clutch hitter in Smith on the bench and you don’t use him against a righty who’s struggling with a lefty warm in the pen. Instead you bring up a guy that you bench against lefties, ensuring that the lefty would be brought into the game.

         You talk about sight and vision all the time. Do you not have the sight to see that Doc has no vision?

         1. I am not saying they don’t do it. I am saying they don’t do it often and usually, it is late in the game.

            1. We should call you Doc as in Spin Doctor. Is the bottom of the 7th not “late”?

   5. I was confused about Belli pinch hitting rather than Pujols. Still am. What do you think the thinking was on that decision?

      1. Yes, same story. Are you telling me that they trust Albert less against a struggling right hander than they do with Belli against a very good lefty? It was a bad move.

         1. But they could not take out the lefty, Matzek….you have to face at least 3 players before you could get yanked. Matzek was just brought in to face the lefty Bellinger. Had Doc used Pujols to pinch hit for Belli, then Matzek had to stay in to face him (Pujols). The Braves could not have put in another pitcher to face Pujols. Remember, he has to face 3. Belli was his first.

            If it were me….I would have pinch hit for Belli with Pujols. I felt Belli was an automatic out.

            1. Here is the situation, ok? The sent Bellinger up to hit. Snitker countered by bringing in the lefty, Matzek. I too would have pinch hit for Bellinger, but not with Pujols, I would have sent in Smith, simply because Matzek’s best pitch is a fastball that hits the high 90’s and Smith has shown an ability to hit that pitch. Bellinger and Pujols have not.

   6. Tienes razón B and D, la división está en juego a partir de ahora en una carrera parejera de 28 o 29 juegos contra Giants, creo que no será fácil pero al final terminará por imponerse la profundidad del roster de Dodgers.

4. A slight correction on the Baseball America clip. Eddys Leonard is 20, not 21. He will turn 21 on November 10th. It doesn’t make much difference. Just sounds better to be 20 at the High-A level.

   With Duran I think the Loons now have four 20-year-old players.

   1. Just sounds better to be accurate, IMO!

      Keen eyes.

5. Bluto, your Blogosphere posts are excellent. LADT has to have the most informative and thorough home team minor league coverage in baseball. I glad Mark included it today from yesterday’s post.

   The article on Will Smith was interesting. He became my favorite player in 2020. He never seems to be afraid of the big moment. It’s awesome to see him come up with so many clutch HR’s and base hits. He can be frustrating at times with his catching technique and his taking first pitch, right down the middle strikes. But, it works for him and his overall approach has been successful.

   I to was ready to launch my remote against the fireplace with the Scherzer removal. I was already thinking of my post for tomorrow’s LADT. Then I heard a voice (it sounded like Mark) on my shoulder telling me not to be a moron and wait for the facts to be presented. So, I did. Winning the game helped ease the disgust and anger. I didn’t hear Doc’s explanation until this morning and it was all good. Max’s communication with the coaching staff that was relayed to Roberts which dictated his decision. Roberts’ disposition was confident during the press conference as opposed to the anguish he shows when he has made one of his gut decisions that backfired. Anyway, it’s all good.

   It looks like the Giants may have hit the wall offensively and their starting pitching is crumbling. Hopefully, by the time they get it figured out the season will be over and the Dodgers will win another division title.

6. I would think most managers would prefer not having their resting catcher as the go to pinch hitter off the bench. Once he’s used in that capacity, you no longer have him as a catcher.

   Graterol needs a grip change. If that 100 mph pitch was spinning three things would happen – it would slow down to 97, it would move 7-9”, it would be more difficult to hit. Scherzer should him how to throw a change. His is one of the best I’ve seen.

   1. And I think that decision is correct in almost all cases. Not valid if carrying a third backup, but just imagine you send your backup catcher in & he gets HBP to the point he is then out of the game, it is just too risky. Though a harder decision with Smitty since he is a ++ catcher when it comes to his offense. Time for CT3 to learn another position. 🙂
      cheers
      pb+

      1. Every team has an emergency catcher JUST IN CASE. It used to be Kike’. I do not know who it is now.

7. I’m thrilled to be wrong!

   Just before the trade deadline I suggested the Dodgers keep their powder dry and not trade their valuable assets, the team seemed to be snake bitten (injuries, Bauer, etc). Then AF pulls off the trade with the Nationals! I clearly see why I’m not the guy to make these calls! Max and Trea have ignited the Blue Crew. Never been so happy to be so wrong!

   1. sometimes you gotta say what the fuck

      1. Sometimes you gotta say:

         “I’m just a dumb fan, maybe I (we) shouldn’t rush to judgment.”

         I say it all the time.

         1. All those brain cells I destroyed during my decadent years? Sure wish I could get them back.

            None of us know how it will end, but it’s not that difficult to look at this team and say “damm, these guys are good”. You can bet fans of other teams out there are saying it. We have the best record in baseball with Kershaw, May, Bauer, Gonsolin, Nelson, Ferguson, Rios, Alexander out, some guy named McKinney in, Mookie missing for weeks and Bellinger OPS’n in the .600’s. The rest of this year is going to be fun. Then, the Rams are up, followed by the Lakers. It’s good to be an LA fan!

         2. Maybe you should apply that rule to politics as well.

            1. I think I do.

8. Mark/Bear,

   There’s another mistake I made. This one isn’t writing JFC. It’s in the part of today’s post.

   Could you please change FROM:

   Question: Genuine question regarding your view of AF being damaged by the Bauer signing: What was the extent of the dodgers FO’s knowledge of all the despicable stuff he was up to?

   Jay Jaffe: I’m skeptical, but maybe he just needs a change of scenery. Not really sure what happened given the collection of tools he had.

   TO

   Question: Genuine question regarding your view of AF being damaged by the Bauer signing: What was the extent of the dodgers FO’s knowledge of all the despicable stuff he was up to?

   Avatar Jay Jaffe: I don’t have an answer to that but that doesn’t mean the Dodgers shouldn’t have done better due diligence. His misogyny was well-documented via his online behavior but beyond that, if a reporter can find out about the sealed court records in Ohio, so can a sleuth working on behalf of a team.

   1. Fixed

9. When Scherzer was pulled last night I really missed Alanna, pre-pandemic. She would have poked around and told us exactly what the story was. Obviously Joe and Orel didn’t have a clue but had no way of finding out.

   When Max was removed, my thought was to take a look into the dugout when they next had a shot over there and see what Scherzer looked like. If Doc had just gone up to him and told him that 6 innings and 76 pitches was just fine and he could relax and watch the rest of the game, we would have seen a shot of Max going crazy, destoying water coolers and choking out his manager. When I saw Max moving around and talking to his teammates I assumed that he had pulled himself but that it wasn’t anything serious. Voila! Suspicions confirmed.

   Max has already told Doc not to touch him during games. You think Roberts would dare pull him when he was pitching so well and had only thrown 76 pitches? The answer is no. Without Max having told him that he was done, if Doc had pulled him under those circumstances it would have been enough for him to decide not to re-sign here next year. Max is in control, and Doc knows that.

   1. Totally agree with all of this. Once I saw Max just hanging out and talking to everyone in the dugout, I know he had no problems getting pulled.

   2. That is exactly what I thought when I saw Max moving through the dugout. He was done for the night, and chances are better than not that he pulled himself. I had no idea what was wrong or why he was pulled, but after 76 pitches, I never thought Doc pulled him because his pitch count got too high, or that he wanted Graterol in that spot. I thought at the time that it was most prudent to wait to hear the explanation, and we heard. For me it is a 162 game season. Some fans get all exasperated on a game by game basis. As was true last night, some get exasperated on an inning by inning basis.

      1. Even when Doc wins and the team jumps into first place, some people still have to criticize him.

         He will never be able to do anything right – EVER!

         1. Sure he will Mark. He does every year. Some people just pick a position and stick to it no matter what the facts say. They have alternative facts, most of which are just misguided opinions made up in their own alternative universe. Doc keeps winning. Ignore the doubters.

            Over/under – Bellinger OPS’s .750 for the month of September.

10. Another GREAT GREAT win last night against the poor Atlanta Braves. I’m sure they are leaving discouraged again. Oh well, I actually do feel for their fans….maybe it’s because I live around many of them here in Atlanta.

    What can you say about Mad Max that has not already been said? I guess we picked him up because we lost Bauer and Kershaw was injured. I wonder if we would have went all in had we still had Bauer. What do you guys think? I think so, but not sure….

    It was great seeing us score runs with little seeing eyes ground balls instead of the big HR. That had to hurt them even more. As for Graterol, it is beginning to look like he needs to work on that fast ball. It seems good opposing hitters are hitting it more. And again, Barnes plays his one time a week and makes his presence felt. I don’t think Scherzer pitching even greater is coincidental to Barnes being his catcher. I think Barnes just happens to be a very gifted catcher who handles the pitchers beautifully. No disrespect to Wonderful William meant at all.

    First place…wow…we have been swimming upstream for months and we finally made it. Thank you Milwaukee Brewers. You guys are very formidable…I hope you beat the Astros before we do. On to San Francisco where I hope we don’t leave our hearts.

    TM

11. Ok I’m not going to feel bad about wondering why Sherzer was taken out early, even some of the Dodger announcers were. The Dodgers always take their time relaying information on a players injury status, turns out he had a tight hamstring. Also, on the heat of a pennant race and you see your main horse get taken out early with no explanation, of course your going to wonder.

    1. He went 6, threw close to 80 pitches. We won. It’s all good.

12. * Badger, I think you’re on to something with Graterol learning a change and backing off some to get some movement. Even with a change up he needs fastball movement. He can experiment with some grip changes, finger pressure and position, moving his thumb, moving the ball out on his finger tips more. There are plenty of things to try that make a good winter project.
    * I agree that Alanna would have been like a dog on a pot roast finding out why Scherzer was pulled.
    *Through all of the second guessing, assumptions and questions about who should pinch hit and who should pitch, last night was a great baseball game. Two teams competing at a playoff level. We are playing some exciting baseball. I’m really enjoying the ride. More when we win but this stretch is really good stuff.

    1. Exactly Phil. Orel could show him the thumb trick you’re talking about on two seamers and Scherzer throws what appears to be a palm ball. That’s the one my grandfather taught me and frankly after several attempts I was throwing it for strikes rather easily. I think it was Nomar I first heard say Major Leaguers can turn around a bullet. Graterol is getting straightened out way too often for a guy throwing 100. High and tight low and away, change speeds, change locations. Wise up kid. Work on your weaknesses.

       1. I like that comment that “big leaguers can time a bullet”. Great contrast between a power “thrower” like Graterol and a veteran “”pitcher like Scherzer. Max uses his mind and stuff to be a swing and miss guy while the other isa “Bazooka” who doesn’t miss bats. The youngster has time to learn how to pitch. It’s nice to start with 100mph.

          1. That’s what it was. Time a bullet.

             “It’s nice to start with 100.” That got me laughing. He doesn’t know where it’s going because until now it never mattered. “Here, hit this” and nobody could. That’s why they’re not in the Big Leagues Bazooka.

13. Things certainly look much better for the Dodgers than they did two weeks ago! At least a tie for first going into the big series with San Francisco. A lineup which now looks much like we had anticipated it to be. Some aren’t hitting as well right now, but the lineup top to bottom is very dangerous. And Pollock is much better than he seemed to me to be for much of last year, and the first part of this year; he is getting clutch hits, and playing very well in the outfield.

    The Scherzer and Turner deal was superb, and that is why we had to make it, even if we gave up Ruiz and Gray. We apparently are not getting Bauer back, and Kershaw is still very iffy, so Scherzer has been immensely important. The bullpen is better than it was, and we will hope that it is effective in the playoffs. I still am not as confident as if we had Hader, or McGee, whom we did have, but hopefully it will be enough.

    Obviously, it is immensely important to win the division. That would mean we would play the Wild Card game winner, no easy task if it is the Giants; but then we would get Milwaukee, which is probably our most dangerous foe in the playoffs, with a home advantage. if we were to be the Wild Card team, we would have to face Milwaukee in best of five (it is absurd that the Division Series are not best of seven) as the road team.

    The one negative right now , besides a short starting staff, is Bellinger, who very well may be not nearly as good as his early seasons showed. But we always hope that he will somehow fix things, because he is a great centerfielder, and has all this power, when he make s good contact, which is unfortunately rare enough.

    As to Roberts, I think Counsell and Kapler and Cash are better, but others may disagree. We’ll likely see one or two of those matchups in the playoffs.

    I will miss Seager, if indeed he leaves. I would want to see us keep all of the free agents except Jansen, who admittedly has looked good in his last few games, and to sign Trea Turner. But it is o course unlikely that we could do all of that. If we signed Turner, we could probably afford to let Taylor leave, though we would miss him, too. Versatile and smart players are always important, and we have a few of those.

14. Why all the talk about why Scherzer was taken out of the game so early? It is not our problem, we are not managers, we are not even team partners nor do we belong to the office, they know what they are doing, or they do not know and will pay the consequences. We’re just fans, we don’t know many things, but please can’t you enjoy a damn game without having something to criticize? The Dodgers won, but it seems like it doesn’t matter …. According to you, which manager would have done the right thing last night? Who wouldn’t have been wrong? According to me, bad decisions lead to losses, so the worst manager would be the one with the most losses, and as far as I remember, the Dodgers have the best record, and if that means Roberts is the worst, I don’t want to imagine how they would want to kill the managers from other teams …. With the exception of those whores from SD…

    1. Jorge, it is irrational. Probably a disease. They can’t help it!

       Every game they have lost has been his fault and every game they won was in spite of him.

    2. EXCEPTION NOTED 🙂 and agreed with

15. Dodger Killer SF Wimer Flores was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring Thursday and will miss the weekend series.

16. If you have a hankering. You can watch the Milwaukee versus Giants game on YouTube for free

    1. Freaking Austin Slater a 222 hitter hits a leadoff HR for the Gnats. I hate that team.

17. I have an assignment for anyone who really likes to dig into stats.

    How many times this season has a catcher been pulled from the game for an injury. And while you’re at it, please break down the inning that it happened in each case.

    To me, not using Will Smith in that situation last night because Barnes might get injured in the next couple of innings is absolutely……….. (Mark, please fill in one of your favorite words).

    In that situation, what is most likely to happen, Belli getting a hit off a difficult southpaw, Barnes getting injured in the last couple innings, or Smith knocking in a run. I don’t think it’s even close.

    Always make sure that you have someone on your team who has put on catching gear in the past and could stumble through a couple innings if need be. After that, especially in the late innings, use your catcher if he’s your best pinch hitting option in a close game in the last few innings.

    1. I’ll bring up another issue which would preclude many managers from pinch hitting Smith: Rest! Catching is hard and Gabe Kaplar rests Buster Pusey every third day… no matter what. Smith catches about 5 days a week. Rest is a factor. Pinch hitting is not that taxing but injury is only one issue. What if the game goes 16 innings? You can talk about McKinstry catching ( that’s who it would probably be) but you probably ain’t winning with him. Boy, I have never seen a manager as vilified as Roberts. People stay up late trying to figure out how to discredit him. It’s actually becoming comical.

       1. My comment wasn’t directed at Doc because I think most managers would keep their second catcher on the bench . I just disagree with that strategy .

          The game might go 16 innings? How many 16 inning games have there been this year? 15? 14?

          1. One 16 inning game and the Dodgers were it.

       2. You forget how much everyone hated Mattingly. I saw him bashed every day.

          1. I did dislike Mattingly. I had a photoshopped image of him on a pirate ship and posted it every day, saying Mattingly has to walk the plank.”

             But I did not second-guess him much. I thought he was a pompous ass and did not like the way he ran a locker room (I was there). He was also a former Yankee which is why I disliked Torre too.

18. Interesting tidbit from the Milwaukee Giants game. Milwaukee’s got three sub 2.50 ERA pitchers, Woodruff, Peralta, and Burns
    The last time that happened was 1985 with Hershiser, Welsh, and Valenzuela
    Also Milwaukee was the only team to have three starters from their staff in the All-Star game this year

19. It’s amazing people can be so critical of people criticizing the manager of a baseball team. That’s what fans do, That’s why they call them fans .” fanatics “
    It’s just a sport it’s not life and death.
    Second guessing has always been there in sport and always will, that’s part of what makes it fun

20. Seams SF Will win today.

21. Yeah it looks like Estrada put the nail in the coffin Daniel.

22. I rarely criticize Roberts. But last night I did. And that is on me. It was ill timed and I did not know the circumstances. But as a fan, in the moment, I was extremely pissed off when the lead was surrendered three hitters into Graterol’s appearance. It was a knee jerk reaction. Same reaction when he left Bellinger in to face a lefty when he said the day before that Bellinger would not be playing against lefty’s. And I felt that way because he had 2 RH bats on the bench. In hindsight, I should have waited until the game was over. But I am not going to apologize for my emotions getting the better of me. Had they lost, and I held that in, today would have been a miserable day.

    1. You’re only guilty of being a passionate fan
       like myself and I would say pretty much all of the posters on this site

       1. Thanks, I know I am, and sometimes it gets the better of me. They go into SF tomorrow tied. And SF’s staff is in a shambles right now. And we won’t face Webb who went 7 innings today. Won’t face Gausman either.

          1. Gausman has been struggling more than Cody these days.

             1. Desclafani is hurting too. He left his last game because of a bad ankle.

          2. Esa expresión de nuestras emociones es el reflejo de la pasión con la sentimos el juego y el cariño que tenemos todos nosotros con nuestros Dodgers. La moderación de unos y la tolerancia de otros ayudará a este blog.

       2. An old buddy of mine who lives in the bay area is going to the game tomorrow. I hope if he runs into any rough types on the way, that they’re on the San Francisco Payroll not to hurt anybody. That city has become a joke!!!

          1. Haven’t been there in years. Last time I was there I was delivering a load out to Richmond. Oakland is a real toilet too. But about as bad as they were, Detroit looks like a disaster area. Denver is starting to get like LA, but will never be as bad. Traffic at peak times is a mess. And they have a couple of loops that keep you from having to drive into the downtown area. You can get to the 70 west and east by using the loops. But if you are headed north into Wyoming, you are stuck using the 25. A few years ago, and I remember this, a Dodger fan was stabbed to death not far from the stadium up there in SF.

          2. $300 a month NOT to commit crimes …… I guess criminals not “criming” DOES pay.
             cheers
             pb+

             1. Could be as much as 500 depending on how many priors you have LOL. Really no laughing matter though!

    2. I have no problem with criticizing Roberts – it’s part of the game, but some people look for and invent stuff to criticize. I guess it is a compulsion they cannot control.

23. https://www.foxnews.com/us/san-francisco-pay-people-not-shoot-gun-crimes
    Here is a link to what I was referring to

    1. What is happening to this country? If I didn’t know better I would think I was in the middle of a nightmare Saturday night live show, or the twilight zone

       1. I don’t know I think crime/violent crime is a serious issue. Why not try different things see what works?

          Then again, if this is just an attempt to find other ways to funnel money into an economy. I guess that’s problematic

          1. Apparently it has worked before.

             And pushing money into the economy also works. I heard it in Econ class nearly 50 years ago – “money is like manure, it does no good to let it sit in piles, it needs to be spread around to be effective.” Still true today.

             1. For every action, there is a reaction. Money drives the economy, but the reaction is inflation. Be careful of what you wish for.

             2. I’m not talking about printing more money. I’m talking about taking existing money and creating jobs with it.

             3. These guys make more money in a day off of drugs than the stupid San Francisco government is going to pay them. They’ll take that money and still do what they do just look at Seattle and San Francisco and that will give you a lot of faith in the policies that they come up with
                All they’re gonna do is divide the public, what do you think the hard-working people Are gonna think about paying thugs and calling it a job

             4. “The idea has been tried before, notably in the California communities of Richmond and Stockton, and has gotten the desired results. A 2019 study in the American Journal of Public Health created the idea with “55% fewer deaths and hospital visits, 43% fewer [gun] crimes.,” though ironically, “unexpected increases in nonfirearm violence” in smaller percentages.”

                Makes no sense to me but somehow it’s worked before.

24. Bear, I recall the Dodgers going in to San Francisco in September of 1959. A 3 game series with the pennant at stake. We swept and went on from there.

    It would be great if you could provide some details about that weekend.

    Thanks

    1. I will check it out Bob

    2. Hey Bob, I found it. On Saturday, September 19th, 1959, the Dodgers played a double header in San Francisco. This was because they had been rained out on Friday. On that day they were 1 1/2 games back of the Braves. Roger Craig started game 1 against Giant lefty, Johnny Antonelli. Craig would pitch a complete game in the 4-1 win. Wills, Pignatano and Craig drove in 3 of the runs, the other was unearned. Only extra base hit was a double by Carl Furillo and he scored a run. The Giants made 3 errors. Wills was 3-4 and scored 2 runs hitting in the 7 hole. Craig struck out 4 and walked 4.

       Game 2. Don Drysdale started against Giant lefty, Mike McCormick. The Giants scored 1 off of Drysdale in the second inning, and McCormick held the Dodgers scoreless until the 7th when they got to him for 5 runs. The Dodgers got 2 doubles in that inning, one by Demeter, who had 2 hits, and the other by Charlie Neal off of reliever Jack Sanford, that plated 2 runs. Gilliam also had 2 hits and drove in 2 with a 7th inning single. Chuck Essegian drove in another with an infield out. Sherry gave up 2 runs in 1.2 innings of relief, Chuck Churn picked up the save by pitching a scoreless 9th. The Braves lost that day and LA was tied for first with 6 games to go.

       Game 3. Johnny Podres got the start against Sam Jones. Duke Snider got the Dodgers on the board first with his 23rd HR in the 2nd inning. They scored another in the 4th knocking Jones out of the game. They scored 2 more off of Al Worthington in the 7th. In the 8th inning, Podres ran into trouble and was replaced by Sherry who walked a man and gave up a hit. There were 2 outs. Koufax relieved Sherry. The Giants were down 4-1. Koufax walked the next 3 hitters to force in a run. He then struck out PH Jose Pagan to leave the bases loaded. The Dodgers scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th off of McCormick and then Stu Miller. Clem Labine pitched the 9th inning and they won 8-2.

       The Braves did not play that day, so the Dodgers were up a half game. They had to fly to St. Louis after Sunday’s game..Deja Vu huh? They do the same this weekend, They lost game 1, 11-10 and fell a game back as the Braves swept their doubleheader. Won game 2 3-0 again behind Craig. They went to Chicago for the final 3 games of the season and won game 1 in 11 innings, 5-4, putting them up a game. Hodges hit his 25th to win that game. Then they got beat 12-2 behind Podres. On the last day of the season, Craig pitched another complete game win over the Cubs 7-1. It was his 11th win of the year. That ended the regular season with them tied with the Braves.

       They flew to Milwaukee and won the first game of the best of 3, 3-2 with Sherry getting the win. After the flight to LA that night, they won the next game, 6-5 in 12 innings on a walk off single by Carl Furillo. It was Furillo’s swan song as a Dodger. He had only 10 at bats and 2 hits the next season before he was released. He never played again. And there you have it in a nutshell. Hope that works for you.

       1. Great customer service Bear, nice to read the details.

25. Well, the Giants pulled back into a tie with the Dodgers today. I am certain someone will try and blame it on Roberts.

    1. Well, some here might argue that had Smith pinch hit for Bellinger the giants would have lost today.

    2. And I am certain that you seem to be a little obsessed with this . Sorry to say , but it is really getting old.

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

26. DODGERS SELECT ANDREW VASQUEZ

    LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Andrew Vasquez and optioned right-handed pitcher Ryan Meisinger to Triple-A. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred left-handed pitcher Scott Alexander to the 60-day injured list.

    Vasquez, 27, was acquired on Tuesday in exchange for minor league catcher Stevie Berman. He appeared in 33 games for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints, going 4-0 with a 3.61 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. The former Los Osos High School standout made his Major League debut in 2018, appearing in nine games, going 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA with the Minnesota Twins. His last Major League appearance came in 2019 and he is a combined 1-0 with a 10.80 ERA (6 ER/5.0 IP) and five strikeouts in 10 games. The Southern California native was originally drafted in the 32nd round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft by the Twins out of Westmont College.

    Meisinger, 27, was claimed Tuesday from the Chicago Cubs and did not appear in a game with the Dodgers after being recalled on Wednesday. He went 0-0 with a 12.27 ERA (10 ER/7.1 IP) and six strikeouts in seven games for the Cubs. The right-hander has made stops in Baltimore (2018), St. Louis (2019) and Chicago (2021) and is a combined 2-1 with a 7.26 ERA (25 ER/31.0 IP) and 30 strikeouts. In 171 minor league games, spanning six seasons, he is a combined 14-13 with 23 saves in 24 chances and a 2.68 ERA (81 ER/ 272.0 IP). He was drafted by the Orioles in the 11th round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of Radford University.

    1. Stevie Berman is a favorite of DC. He is certainly going to get a better shot with the Twins than with LAD. The Twins are devoid of much quality catching outside of Mitch Garver. They do not have any of their top catching prospects in their Top 30. I wish him well in Minnesota.

       I wonder how many MLB players have come out of Westmont. Westmont does have a decent baseball program, but it is a small Christian College located in Montecito, just south of Santa Barbara. I know of a couple of players who went there out of high school a lot of years ago. Good experience and good education, but not much exposure to baseball scouts.

       1. Upon further review, after declining a KC 44th round draft pick in 2011, Andrew played the next three years for UCSB, a very good baseball program. After a fantastic freshman season, Andrew was rather pedestrian in his sophomore and junior years at UCSB. He was not drafted after his junior year, and transferred to Westmont. He was fairly successful at Westmont. He has always been a strikeout and ground ball pitcher.

          Basically this was a trade of a 32 round LHP for a 31st round catcher. A couple of late round picks getting some love.

       2. Stevie has been a favorite of mine since he first arrived with the Loons. I have always felt he is coaching material maybe in the Austin Chubb mould.

          He had little chance of play time in the Dodger system.

    2. AF is going threw the scrap heap of pitchers like a knife threw hot butter lately. I am surprised how many pitchers he is bringing in who have not done anything good in recent history. Apparently the Dodgers are not happy with a few of their own pitchers at the moment (Bazooka, Nunez, Uceta, White ). Of all those guys they brought in I thought Feliz looked the best. Had good velo and movement on his pitches and is doing well at AAA at the moment. Also has the veteran experience.

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

27. I see nobody’s is betting on Bellinger.

    Who here would trade Roberts for Kapler?

    1. Depends on if I was looking for a guy who could steal a base or a guy who could advise me on dietary subjects.

28. For those of you fearing that two catchers aren’t enough in potential late inning pinch hit situations, we should call up Beaty. He’s our emergency backup third catcher. He can pinch hit, too.

    1. I would think he will get a call sometime this month. There will be a lot of roster shuffling.

29. Dodgers will not face ANY of SF’s front line starters. Season series tied at 8-8. Someone will come out of this in first place.

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