When I was sticking up for the concept of playing Max Muncy, I never had any idea that he would drive in 5 runs yesterday. I’m glad that he did, but what about today? It’s one game. Yes, it’s progress, but it is a small sampling. I will be vindicated or indicted at the end of the year. As Ted R. said, we will see if I am pulling stuff out of where the sun doesn’t shine. I think you will find I am not because we have all seen this movie before. Max evidently just had some inflammation in his elbow that needed to settle down. The Dodgesr did not tell us if he received an injection, but I suspect he did. Hopefully he can keep building on his success.
Where Max was (in his head), it was probably hard to be optimistic and especially if it hurt when he swinged the bat. He took his OPS from .596 to .626 in one game. He will make it to .800 by the end of the year, if he stays healthy. Now, Will Smith is showing signs of life. How about Cody? Still, with all the offensive struggles, the Dodgers have scored more runs than any other team in baseball. They are #3 in doubles, #1 in bases on balls and #1 in OPS, even with the struggles of Cody, JT, Max, and Company. They are second in OB% which should tell you about the magnitude of the struggles of every team right about now.
The players will adjust and/or Manfred will mess with the baseballs again… bet on it. The only thing they need to do with the baseball (other than make it fly again), is put some built-in tackiness on it so that the pitchers can grip it better. I have seen too many pitchers who have no control with it and someone is going to get killed… with a quickness!
On the pitching side, the Dodgers are #2 in MLB with Kershaw and Heaney coming back shortly. Who stays and who goes? It is really hard to justify David Price in any capacity. Just DFA him already! Yency Almonte and Evan Phillips have been stellar. The Bazooka needs to learn to pitch, but I don’t know if I will live that long! Bruihl or Bickford will be the other odd-man-out. I have been watching Alex Vesia and he is very close to being dominant right about now. He’s just a tick off! The pitching should be good to great and I do not see another starter in the cards.
It seems like all the Dodger fans want David Bednar from the Pirates… and the Dodgers could get him, but they would pay dearly. Before 2021, Bednar was just some shmuck who then turned into David Bednar. Why not get the guy BEFORE he is that guy? The Dodgers probably have that guy in their system. It might be Pepiot or Stone. Mike Grove might be David Bednar in two years. I would not even consider trading for Bednar unless Kimbrel implodes.
Speaking of Kimbrel, Kenley has blown three saves and has a 3.51 ERA. He is 3-0 with a 0.94 WHIP and the league is hitting .174 against him. Sounds like the 2021 version. I’m still trying to figure out how to fix Belli!
Why not try it?
Here’s the question: Would Mookie Buy into hitting #2 or #3? I’d really like to see this lineup now that Gavin Lux is hitting .290 with a .373 OB%. I think Bums suggested it and it might be an interesting idea. How about this:
- Lux 2B
- Betts RF
- Turner SS
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C
- Muncy DH
- Turner 3B
- Bellinger CF
- Taylor LF
There is no perfect lineup and sometimes moving payers gets in their heads, but that is a lot of speed at the top of the lineup… just sayin’…
Dodger’s Minor League Report
- Andrew Heaney started for OKC last night and went 4.1 innings, allowing 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 BB and 5 K’s. He’s ready!
- Ryan Pepoit went the next 4.2 innings and allowed 5 hits, but just 1ER as he struck out 6 and walked Zero.
- Miguel Vargas was 2-4 with 3 RBI and a 3-run Homer, his 9th.
- Diego Cartaya went 1-4 with 2 RBI on a 2-Run HR. He also scored 2 runs and committed 2 throwing errors.
- Eddys Leonard doubled and was 2-4, playing SS.
- Cole Percival went 2 innings, allowed 2 hits, 0 ER and struck out 4. He got the win and is 2-0 with a 2.82 ERA. He is 23 and it seems like he has been at GL forever. What is he? I am not sure anyone has a clue.
- Jacob Amaya‘s early season progress has seen him regress back to the mean. His BA which once was .350 has slid back to .269. It appears he was who I thought he was: Good field, no hit!
- Brandon Lewis hit his 8th HR for Tylsa but he is still mired at .178.
- Leonel Valera was promoted 5 games ago to Tulsa and is hitting .375 at 3B.
- Yunior Garcia (age 20) was 5-5 with his 4th HR for RC last night.
Miguel Vargas & Devin Mann
This is not Political… it is Sad!
We can’t come together unless we can laugh at some of these jackasses.
When you watch the video of the angry Muncy giving hi fives to everyone. I see him not holding back with his ‘injured’ arm. So maybe a good sign that this is behind him
Some fans have allegedly heard him say he might not be 100% until next year and get fixated on that. Obviously, he has improved.
I’m betting that homer and double made his elbow feel a whole like better. That and the cortisone shot.
As I said yesterday, it was a very fun game to watch. 11 runs with just one bomb! On 12 hits no less. It was very efficient in the scoring department. The strategy to take a lot of pitches from a pitcher who is historically wild worked well. Dylan Cease is nasty, but he has problems finding the plate and the Dodgers know how to punish guys like that.
It sure felt like Max Muncy was the missing link to a struggling lineup that made it long enough to be very scary again. He started the game by having a 9 pitch K in his first AB which lead to a 21 pitch first inning. That set the stage for a short outing from Cease which makes all the difference in the world.
Before the game, I did a little eye roll with Muncy starting at second base and Lux in LF. It’s not my favorite defensive alignment, but it was good enough to get the job done. I’m not a big fan of Muncy in the field. When he is, I prefer the plays 3rd base and think he should just trade off with JT at the hot corner most of the time.
I don’t mind Lux in LF. He’ll mess up a play from time to time, but he’s athletic enough to make some plays that others won’t. I think it’s a wash and that Lux will eventually be a great outfielder if needed.
Speaking of Lux, he’s starting to get his mojo back. When he first came up, he had the swag. Now, it’s a little more subdued. With confidence, that swag will propel him into a hitting machine like he was in the minors. I really do think Lux will eventually become what Trea currently is.
I did the math on Mark’s bold Muncy claim. If Max can OPS around 890 for the rest of the year, he’ll finish with that 800 OPS. I think that’s doable with a normal baseball. We’ll see what happens, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities.
Freddie Freeman has been in a bit of a slump lately. But, he sure snaps out of slumps in a hurry and I think we saw that yesterday. Look for Freddie to heat up, just as Mookie is starting to cool down.
The lineup that Mark posted as well as the lineup that Bums posted yesterday really isn’t far off from the current one on most days. Lux is essentially batting leadoff, he just has to wait for everyone else to hit first. Once the lineup turns over, he usually hits right in front of Mookie. The big difference is that both Mark and Bums lineup has the three rabbits in a row. I’ve said all year that Freddie should bat third and let Mookie and Trea bat before him. They don’t listen to me. Maybe now that Mark and Bums suggested it, they will.
Caleb Ferguson is quietly looking excellent through his recent 3 outings coming back from AAA purgatory. Vesia looks a little burned out. After getting into trouble, he sure settled in. He needs to bring that mindset to the start of the inning. I also like how Hudson battled back. He’s been a great pickup and is an ideal setup guy.
It’s unfortunate that so many pitchers go down so often on this staff. There’s so many good, live arms that can’t seem to stay healthy. I can only imagine what they’ll look like if they can manage having their best pitchers on the roster at the same time.
Next up, the hated ones! Always a fun weekend series. I’m blocking out my schedule entirely like I often do anyways. Buehler, Urias and Kershaw. It looks like Joc’s gonna get a couple of days off this weekend. Let’s see if Buehler can keep in the yard tonight. My new smoker is arriving today. Maybe some ribs will be on the menu for Saturday’s game.
the top 3 in our order are the least of our problems it literally doesn’t matter who is hitting where as long as those are the first 3 hitters. The top 3rd of our lineup is the most productive in the NL. The R, L, R makes a lot of sense and if push comes to shove I’d rather Freddie get an extra AB than Trea.
Wow, that’s a lot of opinion there. So, let me ask. Why does R,L,R make a lot of sense with the first three as opposed to L, R, R, L which is proposed?
Plate appearances per game by lineup position…
1 – 4.65
2 – 4.55
3 – 4.43
4 – 4.33
5 – 4.24
6 – 4.13
7 – 4.01
8 – 3.90
9 – 3.77
As you can see, you don’t get an extra AB by batting one spot higher. You get one extra PA every 10 games, on average.
Do you know who has the highest on base percentage on the team? Let me give you a hint. He’s very fast and plays 2B and LF.
Having consecutive right handers in the lineup, isn’t as bad as having consecutive left handers. That’s because left handed pitching is more devastating against left handers than right handed pitching is to right handed hitters.
In a vacuum, I would also like to have Freddie bat more than Trea. But, when you consider that it would only happen once in every 10 games, I think the difference is negligible. I think it would be more valuable to have more fast guys that get on base a ton in front of Freeman because he has a knack of making contact to drive them in with two outs.
Ultimately, Lux has leadoff hitter written all over him. The time may not be now. Maybe it happens once Trea leaves. But, it sure seems like his profile is perfect for an old-school leadoff hitter.
… and some guys have reverse splits, so do you treat them as the opposite?
Actually you get one extra at bat after 7 games (7×4.65=32.55 vs. 7×4.55=31.85). But your main point is still valid.
So what will it take to keep Trea in LA.He looks happy.He is playing great.We certainly need him for the future IMO.Why are we not trying hard to sign him before everyone can talk to him.
W
For me it is where the $$ can be best spent. Lux can play shortstop and Busch can play second next year. The team gets younger. If Busch can’t make it at second the Dodgers have Taylor and Muncy.
The money they would save by not re-signing Trea doesn’t have to be spent in 2022. 2023 might find a better free agent for that money.
Bednar would help but I am intrigued with many of the Dodger pitching prospects who while not necessarily being the answer for closer might wind up being paired with another starter and eliminate the need for a short reliever in that game.
That’s my dime a dozen opinion.
Trea will get a deal close to what Corey Seager did.
He is a Florida guy, so if he could play there, he might want to take a flier. Florida does not have a state tax, so he could take considerably less to play for them. I have no clue what he prefers, but I have heard that.
If LA paid him $300M and year, he could take $40 Million less from a Florida Team and make more money. There are just 2 questions:
1. Does he want to play in Florida and
2. Does Florida Team want him and can they afford him?
Oh… the Dodgers do not see Lux as a SS. When was the last time he played there? Exactly!
I’ll assume Lux last played SS when neither Seager or Trea were on his team.
Mark, I hope you are correct in your estimated figure for Max’s final OPS. It means nothing but positive things for the Dodgers, the fans, and more important…you. Lol. I missed Max’s first two ABs so when he came up the third time and they mentioned he had struck out earlier I thought well that’s not good. Then he got a hit and then the HR and I thought “Timmons!” I was, of course, happy with his performance. But, as you said it’s only one game.
The Lux idea is kind of happening now, except he’s hitting ninth. I know Lux would get an extra AB each game, but why not leave well enough alone. But, with Lux leading off talk about speed at the top of the lineup. With Taylor and Bellinger eighth and ninth and if they can get on base ahead of Lux, Betts, Turner, and Freeman what a track meet that could be!
It’s hard to believe the Dodgers are still near the top in hitting and runs scored in MLB. And that the pitching is highly ranked considering all the injuries that have occurred. I think it is a reflection on the quality of MLB right now. The hitting is down everywhere. Hence, you would think the pitching would be outstanding which I don’t think it is league wide. Baseball seem to be out of sorts right now. We can all thank Boob Manfred for that.
Time to get on track Freddie Freeman. That double was a good start yesterday. Continue to make me terribly wrong Max Muncy. Loved LaRussa’s 1970’s managing moves as did Max. Enjoyed watching Grandal struggle both offensively and with the glove. Keep it going Will Smith. Continue to hope for more consistent contact from CT3 and Cody. Taylor seems to be either hitting out of his mind or can’t make contact to save his life.
I’m a Bill Mahar fan and watch him weekly. His “New Rules” segments have been very funny and spot on recently. I disagree with him on a few things and surely represents what was liberalism in the late 20th century.
Carry on.
I don’t think intentionally walking a guy with 2 strikes on a 1-2 count is 1970’s managing moves. I think it was a 2020’s managing move as it made no sense whatsoever except for trying to get a platoon advantage having a lefty face a lefty instead of finishing off a right with 2 strikes on him.
If anyone has noticed or anyone cares Dellin Betances, former Yankee ,former Met has been added to the AAA Oklahoma City roster from the ACL team roster.
That’s awesome. Maybe they’ll fix him too. That’s a pretty big name right there. And a pretty big dude standing at 6′ 8″. He’s also pretty old at 34 years of age and has pitched about 13 innings over the last three years. He was incredible before that.
Daniel Hudson is older… and shorter!
That is true. He’s the same age as Jansen and Kimbrel.
Story on MLBTR about the balls that are tacky already being tested in AA. So maybe next year. Went to see Top Gun Maverick yesterday so I missed the game. I did watch the highlights later. Nice to see Lux have a good game. Dugout looked really loose despite the troubles over the last week and a half. LaRussa getting hammered for walking Turner with 2 strikes.
I agree about it being a 2020’s move. In the 1970’s what they would do, if they didn’t want Trea to ‘beat you’, would be to throw three straight out of the strike zone to see if he would bite. If not then he gets the ‘unintentional-intentional walk
Yep. The good old days. I also hate that you can just put someone on. I like that the pitcher had to throw 4 no matter what. Another stupid rule that did nothing to make the game better.
NEWS FROM INTERNET
The Great Jay Jaffe goes deep into Tony Gonsolin:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/tony-gonsolin-is-the-latest-dodgers-starter-to-dominate-hitters/
Keep in mind, Dodgers 2019 18th round pick Jeff Belge. Whilst not a popular prospect name, he is now in after finishing a rehab assignment at Camelback. In his first appearance for the Loons, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out 3. Reliever with what looks to be that backspinny FB. Even though he’s a SIRP, he’s a favorite of someone I follow on Twitter.
Baseball America looks at 25 intriguing players in the Dominican League. ($$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/25-pitching-prospects-to-watch-in-the-dominican-summer-league/
Accimias Morales, RHP, Dodgers “…stands out for size (6’4”, 190) and starer traits…. Sound delivery and advanced pitchability.
Luciana Romero, RHP, Dodgers “Venezuelan RHP. FB started upper 80s, already in 90s. Projectable growth and feel.”
Ben Clemens had a chat:
Steven: I’m sure it’s been asked before, but do you think Buehler is just bad now? I try to be rational/optimistic but I’m terrified every start he makes now. Looking at his stats it really just seems like the four seamer that’s getting consistently hammered, but he hasn’t eliminated the pitch from his repertoire so is that just a non-option? As for Muncy, he’s definitely still injured and went on the IL/is doing rehab starts. I’m not concerned about him moving forward until he puts up bad numbers while healthy.
Ben Clemens: I’m worried about Buehler, and I have been for most of this year. I think his fastball is just not getting the shape and command that it used to. I agree with you that it really does seem to be just a four-seamer problem, but that used to be a really big part of his game, so it’s a tough thing to just trim back. I think the solution is just that he needs to pitch through it and rediscover his best fastball That’s a very unsatisfying solution, I know. And it’s not like he’s been terrible. But I think that it’s getting hard to watch him pitch and think ‘yeah that’s a dominant starter’, and it’s b/c of the fastball
Guest: What’s going on with Max Muncy? Has one of the weirdest slash lines you’ll see with .150/.327/.263 buoyed by a 20% BB rate. Obviously a .183 BABIP is impossible, but his batted ball quality is also way down
Ben Clemens: Still hurt, I’d guess?
Ben Clemens: I think if you’re going to allow teams to carry 14 pitchers, you should just not let position players pitch at all, but I’d prefer 13 or 12 man pitching staffs and letting position players pitch… I see why they have the rule, though… Otherwise you say ‘okay only 13 pitchers’ and the Dodgers say ‘hey have you heard of this hot new hitting prospect, Tyler Anderson?’
In case not noted elsewhere Maddux Bruns has been on the DL since June 1. Presumably or reportedly a shoulder issue.
On Wednesday, Michael Busch made his fourth start (two each in AA/AAA) of the year in left field. He hadn’t played there as a pro before this year, but did play 35 games there his junior year at UNC. To my unknowing eyes, this is the Dodgers doing their variability thing with him being able to spot or move to LF or 1B in addition to 2B
Baseball Prospectus says Walker B’s FB ‘ain’t right’ ($$$$$)
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/75133/walker-buehlers-fastball-aint-right/
“That’s a huge dropoff in spin rate from April to September 2021, totallying over 300rpm. Which, anecdotally, is around the mark of how much raw spin rate you’d expect a pitcher to lose if they swore off the sticky stuff….. Part of the reason he was able to create that good FB ride, was his elite spin rate…”
Thanks, Bluto… and yes Buehler has Fastball Problems.
Give me some solutions… 😉
Yes, I’m sure any solution provided by a dodo posting as Bluto is sure to work.
Let’s leave it to the people who know stuff.
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Dave Roberts said Clayton Kershaw might pitch on Saturday instead of Sunday. #Dodgers #Giants
Makes sense, he’s been sitting and Julio could use an extra day.
It’s only one game so I wouldn’t proclaim Max “fixed” just yet. But what I really liked was that he went oppo on both the double snd the homer. That to me is the best sign! And I predict that we will see Lux’s OPS rise as his natural power begins to show itself.
Muncy has been a damn good hitter for several years. And not just a hitter, but an on-base machine. The biggest slump of his career coincides with his return from a serious injury. Impossible to know if he’s really turned the corner now. But he is an emotional competitor so thank you, Tony LaRussa, for getting him fired up.
Lux leading off?
Seems like you’re trying to fix something that ain’t broke.
Mookie is the best leadoff hitter in the game right now. (Who is better?) He gets on base, he’s a great baserunner and he’s clutch. Trea is faster–and perhaps Lux and Belli too– but I doubt any can match Mookie’s uncanny instincts. (Lux has made some real baserunning blunders this year.) It’s great that Lux has been hot and lifted his BA and OBP, but until we have an actual track record of success Lux seems fine late in the order, as kind of the “second leadoff man.”
To Lux’s credit, he seems to have cured his biggest problem: The stats now show that he’s hitting both righthanded and lefthanded pitching. (The OPS is .730 vs. southpaws and .739 vs. northpaws.) Last season, Lux was often benched in favor of Pujols against lefties. Assuming this trend holds, this lifts Lux into a true everyday player.
And he could well be the everyday SS next season if Trea chooses to leave.
Clearly, the biggest problem on offense for the major’s highest-scoring team has been Max’s slump. The lineup would be ridiculous if Max and Belli hit anything close to their capabilities. Justin Turner’s decline, I think, was to be expected.
When they said Gavin looked like a deer in the lamps and blah blah blah I said I’ll say it again just put him 2b and 9th in the line up and let him play last he’ll be fine this year he just has to stabilize, gain confidence and become a major league player, when he gets into a hot streak resist the temptation and don’t move him in the lineup, leave him ninth in the batting order, next year will be another story and It can be the first or the second.
Trea Turner, in April my eyes told me that Trea wasn’t playing defense at the usual level so I went to B-R
and indeed the information said that he was playing negative defense, so I read an interview of Doc where he said that Trea was playing with pain and that he had offered to rest but Trea did not accept and said that he wanted to play every day.
In May and to this day my eyes told me that Trea was playing tremendous defense, making difficult plays making them seem routine, then last night I remembered and went to B-R again and indeed found that his defense had improved a lot, now he is in 0.0 so he has reversed the negative defense and from now on he will start to put up a positive defense, that tells me that Trea is already healthy and is playing 100%, you can see that with the glove and with the bat, remember that in April was hitting up to .250, he is a great player and one of my favorites in MLB, Trea and Gavin will make history in the next few years with the Dodgers.
Los Angeles Dodgers
@Dodgers
The Dodgers reinstated RHP Craig Kimbrel from the paternity list and optioned RHP Mitch White.
Great job Mitch, you just pitched one of the best of your career. Now, go to OKC.
He knows he will be back.
I only watched the last couple inning of yesterdays game.
I had no idea La Russa intentionally walked Trea with TWO STRIKES to get to Muncy.
What a moment for Max. I hope he builds on that.
I would say that tonight is the most important start of Walker Buehler’s career!
Huh? On a Friday in early June?
Yep. It’s huge!
Craig Kimbrel’s reasons for being on the Paternity list are not clear and we do not deserve or need to know if it is a private matter… and it evidently is private. I am not speculating or anything except to say that maybe he needs our thoughts and prayers as a member of the Dodger Family!
He was just interviewed with Kirsten Watson and he seemed quite happy. Baby and mom were doing fine and he was smiling away.
10:15 PM ET
Dodgers (37-20)
Giants (30-26)
SP Walker Buehler R
6-2 3.84 ERA 61IP 52K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Trea Turner R
3B Max Muncy L
C Will Smith R
DH J. Turner R
CF C. Bellinger L
LF Chris Taylor R
2B Gavin Lux L
Clear-day
0% Rain
66° Wind 12 mph Out
Bobby Miller on the mound for AA Tulsa tonight
Cross your fingers Buehler got himself a clean inning He even got a swing and miss on his 4seamer
Who would’ve thunk it Turner the burner
It sucks that Mitch White got sent down because I like his career stats.
Speaking of stats I finally found minor league OPS against stats for pitchers. The only Dodger pitching prospect that stands out with good career OPS against stats is Bobby Miller.
Gavin Stone has only emerged this year. Prior to this year not as good but decent. But he would be my second favorite pitching prospect behind Bobby Miller.
Miller got hit hard at Tulsa today.
I am a little disappointed in him after he looked so good in ST.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!
He still has good stats on the year including this game. And last year he ended up with great stats. His overall career minor-league stats are still very good.
Boy could we use Joc’s .900+ OPS in our lineup. Plus he could give Freddie a break now and then at first base!
Could use Kike’s bat. Stripling’s arm. Kenley’s cutter.
Teams move on. Fans should too.
PS: But Joc and Kike were super fun!
But then what do I do with my Joc jersey?
Now who was talking about Lux’s natural power?
I hate to say this but I’ve been looking at the Dodgers career pitching stats and most of the bullpen has their flaws that other managers can expose just like Kapler just did with Justin Bruihl.
Well at least we now have 2 pitchers worse than Buehler!
Another Meh outing for Buehler. His fastball is getting crushed. Joc burns them again. I hate losing to the Giants
Maybe Ferris needs a day off… heh heh.
If his troubles continue==remember, he was supposed to be the ace we’d turn to in the playoffs, not our No. 5 pitcher–then someone like Frankie Montas looks more and more attractive.
Right now, Montas’ ERA is at 3.06, about a run better than Buhler’s. His WHIP is at 1.00 and the BAA is at .211. Really solid numbers on a crappy team. Plus, Montas was really good last year.
To me he qualifies as “proven” and a playoff-caliber starter.
No, the Dodgers don’t need him, but in addition to Buhler’s struggles, I’m concerned about (presumed) fragility of Kershaw and Heaney. I’m not against seeing what more Pepiot, Grove, Miller, Knack and Stone may have to offer–but I’d package at least one those guys (Grove and/or Knack, maybe) in deal for Montas. If I’m not mistaken, Montas is under contract for next season too, which would increase the asking price.
In other news, Mookie seems to have suddenly cooled off. That won’t last.
Oh, just saw the news about Buhler’s elbow….
Perhaps a blessing in disguise. Hope he rests up and gets well…. and maybe the quest for reinforcements will kick up a gear.
If I understand it correctly, the new contract has tighted rules to how often a team can send players back and forth from the majors to minors.
With Buhler now likely to take break, my first assumption is that Mitch White would be summoned back. Or do the new rules make it more likely that someone else would get the call?
Last season White was on a yo-yo between LA and OKC. I wonder if a guy like him hopes to get traded to a franchise where he’d get more of a chance…. like maybe White + ??? + ??? for Montas
Elbow discomofort !
Well, maybe those of us who said something was wrong with WB medically might have been not so far off.
Fingers crossed he does not need TJ. But more often than not elbow discomfort is the precursor to TJ.
Too bad Bobby Miller has shown no progress at Tulsa after he looked so promising in ST vs the Angels.
Go hit hard yesterday again at Tulsa.
Hopefully WB comes back soon along with Dustin May. Dodgers pitching staff is showing more and more cracks lately.
Could it be Stone times soon ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!