It’s Miguel Vargas Time

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1. Went to bed yesterday after the 3rd inning with the Dodgers down 8-3. Just watched the rest of the game on mlbTV.
   Wow, what a comeback! One of the bigger Dodgers comebacks in some time.
   Hopefully Roberts will end the Lux in the outfield experiment immediately. He is an excellent infielder but a well below outfielder. Both were on displays yesterday.
   Great to see that he did not take his defensive miscues from the outfield to the plate and kept on hitting and getting on base. Now 5th in the NL with his .304 average and a superb -376 OBP.

   Bickford should be sent down and Fullmer called up.

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

2. I wish they would leave Gavin Lux at second. No doubt, Miguel Vargas gets pulled up at some point this summer. But he needs to get regular at bats. I think that’s the issue. I’m not sure what you do with Max Muncy. Still not hitting. But Justin Turner’s bat has come alive?

   I think build up and expectations are part of the issue as to why people don’t feel great about the offense.

   Muncy may still have lingering issues, Cody Bellinger hovers around .200. Still, if you read box scores, that seems to be the case throughout the game. I can’t wait until the shift ends. Tired of seeing the rover in the outfield throw out a hitter at first base.

   Not sure what the Dodgers do at the trade deadline.

3. I would still leave Codi and Max in the if, not when category. They are just lucky they are on a team that has been able to carry them so far. When they plus JT and Barnes in lineup, it has to be a struggle. But JT showing signs of life . Hopefully he will take it easy on bases to avoid the next hammy strain.

   1. JT has been crushing the ball the last two weeks. That is why his average is up to .250.

   2. It would be fun to see Vargas–but then again I hope we don’t. I’d rather see Max’s bat come to life, and Belli’s too… and also see Lamb and Thompson continue to produce.
      The fact that that the Dodgers have a strong overall offense shouldn’t obscure the struggles of certain players. I would still argue that while the pitching has exceeded expectations–especially given the injuries–the lineup has fallen short.
      One reason Will Smith is getting so much action at DH –often batting cleanup–is that Max and Belli are still struggling. A couple weeks ago JT would have been on this list but he’s really come to life. It would be nice if Will could get a bit more time off.
      When Taylor comes back, who will get sent down, traded or released? And I forget…. are we expecting Edwin Rios back at some point?

4. Great Dodger win yesterday. 10-1 on the home stand and now going out on a five game road trip. CK should get the starting nod in the all star game, do the right thing Snitker.

   Lux is a second baseman and Muncy’s starts should be at 3B and DH; stop the of experiment with Lux in the OF. Trying to get Max playing time every day should not impact Lux’s playing time and the team defense shouldn’t suffer by playing him any further in the OF.

   Lamb and Trayce have shown up and AF should start contract extension negotiations with TT now. A lot of $$ potentially coming off the books next year but building a perennial line-up that includes Mookie, Freddie, Will Smith, TT sure looks good to me. Mix in the youngsters like Vargas, Lux, Miller, Graterol, Grove, Pepiot and others looks like a blueprint for another decade of great baseball for the Dodgers. It is my opinion that TT is the best SS in baseball and should be retained.

   Agree that Bickford is a weak link in the BP and it might be time to see Fulmer or one of the kids that have been touted here and on other Dodger blogs, or perhaps we hold the line until Treinen, Kahnle and May get back. Not sure anything needs to be done with the roster as AF prepares for the post season unless we can improve the bench with the subtraction of Alberto and the addition of someone else who offers more pop. He seems to be a great clubhouse presence so perhaps AF doesn’t mess with chemistry, but we’ll see in the next month or so.

   Love looking at the standings and seeing the Padres 8 games behind and the Giants at 12.5. Keep it going Dodgers!!!!

5. I think that throughout the series against the Cubs Dodgers they were always down on the scoreboard and ended up turning the score around, hopefully they can do the same against the Cardinals bullpen, which is not as horrible as Chicago’s, hopefully the team with the most runs scored can turn the score around, in case they start losing the game.

6. First off let me say that Anderson not making the All-Star team in my eyes is pure BS. The guy is 9-1! Nice comeback yesterday but it wasn’t pretty. And Wisdom’s error on a routine grounder to third was a key. Got them to 8-7 and then Turner knocked in the go ahead runs. How good is Freeman? He saved at least 3 balls thrown from being errors, including a couple by Lux. Who still has not mastered the easy throw to first. Lux is no left fielder, that is for sure, but with Taylor out, the options are limited. But is it just me, or would Trayce Thompson have caught both of those balls easily? Enough venting after a win. I am waiting for my new computer desk to be delivered. So Mark, I have one story in the que and will start finishing up the others after I get everything reconnected.

   1. He’s deserving but you can’t have the entire Dodgers staff represented and the fact that you have to have one guy from each team complicates things. Somehow Carlos Rodon didn’t make it either and he’s been better than Anderson.

      1. Better? That is your opinion. 9-1 to 7-4. WHIPs are pretty close with Andersons being .002 better. Rodon is deserving, but to say he is better than Anderson at this point is a stretch.

7. Wow, can you believe we’re just 5 games from the All-Star break? I sure hope they don’t put it on cruise control and coast into the break. Let’s keep this ball rolling.

   It’s impressive enough to come from 5 runs behind, but to do it twice in the same game is beyond huge.

   I’m not in the Lux never in the outfield camp. He almost single-handedly lost the game yesterday, but he’s also made some plays that few others make. I like the maturity he showed by not letting those misqueues affect his bat going 2-3 with a couple of walks, a couple of runs, and an RBI.

   So, Bickford is the new stain on the team? He was very good last year, but he’s more than doubled up his ERA this year. 7 of the 17 ER he’s given up have come from just 2 outings. He’s not as bad as the Small Sample Size indicates.

   Fulmer absolutely needs a shot. He has a sparkling 1.56 ERA and nice WHIP hovering right around 1. But, you need to make a corresponding roster move to add him to the 40 man roster. Who goes?

   Managing the 40 man is an art as much as it is a science. Carson Fulmer, Dellin Betances, Miguel Vargas and even Jason Martin are all deserving a shot this year and all will require a cut from the 40 in order to get that chance. That doesn’t even account for 60 day IL guys that will show up at some point in Buehler, Duffy, May, V-Gone, Kahnle, Treinen. That’s 10 guys to try to find spots for.

   Andre Jackson was recently added to the development list, so maybe they’re trying to fix him. Alvarez, Amaya, Leonard, Vivas, Outman, Moronta, Grove, Cleavinger, Bruihl are all in the minors and are taking up 40 man spots. Are we going to cut all of them to make room for all the 60 day IL players and guys that are performing in AAA?
   That’s without mentioning Miller or Stone who may or may not be needed.

   I not ready to give up on Bickford yet. Maybe a trip to rest at AAA, but not to DFA land. After all, he was last year’s Carson Fulmer.

8. Good points BP. I never use Lux in the outfield unless there is absolutely not a qualified outfielder available. I am even a little leery of him at second. It was an adventure over there yesterday. Freeman saved his bacon. I cut Moronta and Clevinger. Clevinger is redundant, Ferguson is a better version of him, and Moronta is just taking up roster space. They are talking now that Treinen will be back in about a month. Doubt AF does anything outrageous at the deadline. Braves just picked up Cano from the Padres.

   1. I thought the overthrow of Freddy was directly related to the fact he had been in the outfield earlier where a throw in is a completely different monster.

      1. Then adjust your thinking as soon as you change positions. He is supposed to be a pro. Those throws should be easier.

9. Unsure if there are many podcast listeners here, but I do listen (walking dog, to and from work, working out, TMI?)

   Today’s Tony Kornheiser show has Passan on. It’s a wonderful conversation about the tragic state of starting pitching, how we got here, why we’re here and why changing the paradigm may lead to Patch’s favorite windmill, unintended consequences.

   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tony-kornheiser-show/id1148650883?i=1000569533980

   The opening interview with Michael Wilbon is also, IMHO, a listen as they discuss the world of AAU basketball which is also moving, sadly (very sadly) into a world where only more and more those with means and access can benefit.

   1. Unintended consequences – foolishly Quixotic or existentially axiomatic?

      I can’t bring myself to consume the product of a sports personality when they’ve built their brand around being as obnoxious as humanly possible. Korneiser/Max Kellerman/Colin Cowherd. I used to listen to sports commentary. Can’t do it anymore. …. and when you watch that fantastic documentary on Steve Bartman (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1908471/) and watch that clip at the time of Kornheiser calling him “meat” it makes you a little disgusted when you understand what that reclusive person had to endure, in part because people like Kornheiser have to have edgy takes. How ’bout a Clif Notes version.

      …and to address today’s article, we just witnessed yesterday the “unintended consequences” of putting a player in left field who isn’t an experienced outfielder. Vargas is not a natural fielder anywhere on the diamond or the grass and now you’re gonna plop him in left field and expect that he’s gonna be the answer to the right handed hitting outfielder shortage? I like my description of Vargas I’ve used before – he’s Willie Calhoun without the tree trunks.

      1. Nobody ever accused Calhoun of getting better in the field, but I read just over the weekend the Dodger management feels Vargas is making some definite strides, both at third and also in the outfield.

         I saw one video of him going back on a fly ball over his head and he looked very natural doing it. I’m not giving up on his becoming a viable fielder at one or more positions within the next couple of years, but if not…………………..
         Thank goodness for the DH.

      2. Wouldn’t Lux’s adventures in left be intended consequences?

         The team knows it’s not his ‘natural’ position, but wants to have versatility (thus he needs time in LF so his instincts and comfort don’t dissipate) and wants his bat. They made the educated guess they could live with the fielding loss, and they were right?

         1. They didn’t think that far ahead. They just put him out there and told themselves, “I’m sure it’ll be perfectly fine.” If there’s one thing this organization lacks it’s foresight.

            1. Sarcasm, right?

            2. If it’s me commenting it usually is.

      3. “he’s Willie Calhoun without the tree trunks.”

         Willie stole 11 bases in 7 minor league seasons. Vargas has stolen 40 in 4 seasons. Clearly, Vargas is MUCH faster and more athletic. Vargas is an above-average runner.

         Here’s a good overview of Miguel:

         I perceive that you are just trying to get my goat:

         1. I remember when Hanley went the Red Sox and they tried to put him in left field. It was high comedy.

            It’s not the speed or stolen base ability I’m comparing, it’s the futility on defense.

            Bring Vargas up and put him out there. Just don’t forget to cue the appropriate music.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg

            1. I like this one better:

            2. Drugs are bad

         2. My post is in jail

            1. … as you should be for dissing my boy, Vargas!

10. Good post today Mark. I think Vargas, as well as Stone and Miller, will come up in September barring an injury. He is deserving and I think will have a starting lineup role next year at third base.
    Lux should be used sparingly in left field. His position is 2nd base and will likely inherit the short stop position next year. No dope fiend moves to sign a 30-40 million dollar SS.
    JT I see as a player coach next season. Rios DH next season.

11. Hey Eric. I read your apology from yesterday this morning. Not necessary, but I appreciate it. We are all entitled to a bad day occasionally. It’s all good with me. Please, keep posting your stats and opinions. I look forward to reading them. And don’t hesitate or be shy about criticizing my posts. I know it’s sometimes deserved. We all can’t always be right like Mark. Lol. Take care.
    Carry on

    1. I thought I was wrong once… but I was mistaken.

    2. You mean stat. OPS, that’s it. 😉

       1. BulldogsandPenguins

          What’s better in your opinion than OBP and SLG which equals OPS? I look at other stats of course. But my opinion only is that OPS is the best stat.

          1. After you look at OPS, go look at all the other stats. The biggest flaws with OPS is that it treats OB% the same as SLG% and that it says a walk is as good as a hit. So, it isn’t clear enough to use as the only means of comparison, which holds true for all stats.

             I especially don’t like it for relievers because they often walk hitters to setup a double play, or they pitch to contact to try to just get outs with a big lead. Since they pitch such a small number of innings overall, it really hurts that statistic, and it doesn’t really tell you how good of a job their doing.

             David Price is an example. His ERA is 3.38, but his OPS against right-handers is somewhere in the 900’s (with close to a 400 BABIP).
             His record is 0-0, and has 3 holds and 1 blown. He’s pitched in 21 games and held opponents scoreless in 14 of them. He’s given up a single run in all of the others except for a single game where he gave up 2. The team is 14-7 in games that he pitched.

             So, if you choose to only look at OPS, he looks like a horrible pitcher. But, if you look deeper, he’s doing his job.

             1. All those stats that you mentioned in the second to last paragraph have other factors involved in those stats.

                The pitcher after you can effect your ERA.
                Holding opponents scoreless same thing.
                Giving up only 1 or 2 runs same thing.
                I bet if you look Price has been bailed out by other pitchers behind him.

                The team being 14-7 in games Price has pitched in doesn’t tell me anything about him. So the offense may have scored enough runs in those games to win those games. Or the overall pitching was good enough in those games. Or both. What does that tell me about him?

                “The biggest flaws with OPS is that it treats OB% the same as SLG% and that it says a walk is as good as a hit.”

                How does OPS treat OBP and SLG the same and why does it matter at least for pitchers? A high OBP tells me a pitcher gives up a lot of hits and walks, but you gotta look at batting average against to make sure it isn’t just a lot of walks and a high SLG tells me a pitcher gets hit hard. And a walk is as good as a hit (a single) except when a runner is in scoring position.

                “I especially don’t like it for relievers because they often walk hitters to setup a double play”

                That doesn’t happen enough to a single particular reliever. That’s more of a team thing.

                “or they pitch to contact to try to just get outs with a big lead.”
                Same thing.

                The slash line that includes OPS isn’t perfect and I don’t know any stat that is perfect. But again, in my opinion OPS is the best stat.

                What stat or stats in a combination do you think is best for pitchers and why?

             2. OPS is a terrific stat. Mookie still leads the Dodgers despite his recent slump.
                For pitchers, I like WHIP.
                And both of these stats basically honor the maxim that “a walk is as good as a hit.”
                And more often than not, that’s true.

12. * I’ve got a little exercise I want you to try at home that will be fun for the neighbor kids, as well Move your clothes dryer out on to the driveway and open the door. Then pace off 60 feet. Grab some baseballs and try to throw them into the dryer. Pitches that touch the edge don’t count.
    That’s Chris Guccione’s strike zone. He typically isn’t terrible; he’s just small. If you follow the umpires, he just has a dinky zone. Guccione’s zone really got to Urias yesterday. It took away his focus. He got pissed and and pouted as he felt he was being screwed. It showed it in his body language and performance. It’s an area where he still needs improvement and maturity.
    When an umpire has a tight zone, a pitcher just has to adjust. You can’t continue to throw the same locations, expect different results and complain about the fact that the pitches are called balls. You have adjust and get more of the plate. It’s counterproductive to do otherwise. Urias reluctantly did that, walking only one, but his effectiveness was compromised.
    * Guccione seemed to finally opened it up some after the 17th run had scored. He graded out very poorly on the night with 14 of 57 called strikes, actually balls. But Urias didn’t seem to get any of that early.
    * What a shitty umpiring crew this is with Guccione as Crew Chief. Both Navas and Additon were terrible behind the dish earlier in the series. (bring on the ABS please) Jose Navas couldn’t be hidden anywhere. He sucked again at first having 3 plays reviewed. 2 overturned. He damned near had the hat trick on a 3rd review. The Freeman out call was amazingly bad.
    * Rod Serling should have done the intro for this game.
    It was a weird game for sure. It was like 3 games in one. After the 3rd inning there were 17 runs scored and we were 2:10 into the game. I’m glad I didn’t have dinner reservations. We won the 2nd three inning game 1 to 0 with Almonte, Fergy and Vesia stopping the bleeding. We tied the last three inning game, for the win but did it oddly.
    * This was a miserable game to manage, bullpen wise. But Doc did the Doc-Thing in the third, 3 inning game. I have zero idea why he did his mid-inning pitching change from Vesia (at 24 pitches) to Price. If anything, I would want to start an inning fresh with Price. That switch was odd and more odd, it left Graterol as the last man standing in the pen for the final 2 innings., as Phillips and Kimbrel were declared not available. If Graterol’s recent injury cropped up, maybe Doc was going to pitch the 9th?
    * Lux is not a Swiss Army knife. He’s earned the job at 2nd. I’m not sure how to involve Alberto on D or get AB’s. Same with McKinstry. And I don’t care. Does Alberto need more innings to get his “letter”?
    Same with Muncy. He’s clearly lost an everyday job, for me. He can split time with JT at 3rd or Lux at 2nd if he needs a day. I would not waste the DH consistently to get Muncy at bats. Some are finding hope that he’s turnibg it around. Well, I can’t wait any longer.
    I might get a hardy serving of CROW by season’s end if Muncy turns it around and I’ve given reducing his role. But right now, I’ve seen enough. I’ve eaten crow before and would do so happily if Muncy turned it around. I don’t have that long of a leash.
    * The everyday lineup looks simple to me: Lamb / Thompson for now, although that platoon may be a problem with Thompson’s reverse splits, Belli, Mookie, JT/ Muncy, Trea, Lux, Freddie, Smith / Barnes.
    As MT mentioned, I would strongly consider Vargas coming up to DH. Don’t burden him with a defensive position, just hit. I’m betting he can hit better than .170.
    Well, Willie was correct again, “All’s Well that Ends Well”.

    1. Tried your exercise, Phil. All I did was chip a lot of paint off the dryer and aggravate my wife.

       The neighborhood kids, who already think I’m strange, have now had that opinion confirmed.

       Muncy – there is hope for Max. His exit velo has gone from a low of about 83mph in May to over 95 in July. His walks and strike outs are both up by about 3% this year so that isn’t ominous. The one thing I find amazing is that his BABIP is .186. Maybe you or B&P could tell me if that’s anywhere near a normal number. It seems ridiculously low to me and it’s way below his norm. I’m willing to give him a little more time.

       1. STB – sorry about your dryer.
          Maybe some flowers and a nice dinner out can patch things up with your wife.
          Yeah, Muncy’s BA with balls in play is .186, as you mentioned. The league average is is around .300. He’s actually only been above that one time, in 2018. BAbip measures how effectively the defense turns balls into outs. His ground ball % is up and he pulls too many pitches into the shift. Exit velocity is negated when you hit it straight to defenders. Did you see Stanton last night for the Yankees damn near kill Story with a 110 mph liner – for an out. Dusty Baker’s said he doesn’t care much about exit velocity, he cares about hits.

          1. Still better to have a higher exit velo. Increases your chances of the fielders not reaching the ball. Max will definitely be helped when the shift is gone.

    2. I have noticed Julio’s poor demeanor on the mound a lot more this year than in previous years. You are right he needs to adjust and not pout and shake his head when things don’t go his way. Harder said than done as I am sure it’s quite easy to lose your temper. They fouled off a lot of pitches and he threw 45 out of the 59 pitches in the first inning. You could tell he was gassed both emotionally and physically after only getting 3 outs.

       1. Part of Julio’s demeanor can be traced to Lux botching those two fly balls in the first.
          The highlights I saw carried the Cubs broadcasters. The color guy even laughed a bit when his partner said something like, “Lux doesn’t look comfortable in left.” Very true, but it’s not like this was Lux’s first game out there….

13. Tyler Anderson is a “feel good story.” he deserved to make the All-Star Team. Tyler Anderson had a shot at making the All-Star Team, but only in a vacuum. It is a case of “bad timing.” Let’s look at who made the team:

    1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
    2. Tony Gonsolin, Los Angeles Dodgers
    Tony has an 11-0 record and a 1.62 ERA and Clayton is 6-2 with a 2.40 ERA and he was a sentimental favorite, so there is no way Anderson would bump one of them off the team.

    3. Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins
    Some think he is the best pitcher in baseball. He has pitched 130 innings with a 1.73 ERA and a 0.913 WHIP. Anderson is not bumping him.

    4. David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
    Every All-Star Team needs a closer and he’s among the best in the NL. No way Anderson deserves it over Bednar.

    5. Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers
    This one is closer than you might think. Burnes has a 2.20 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. Anderson is 9-1 with a 3.15 ERA, 20 fewer innings, and a 1.029 WHIP. Burnes deserves it over Anderson.

    6. Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds
    This is one you could argue about.. except for the fact that the Reds have to have a representative. This is close, but he is the only Red who deserves it.

    7. Edwin Diaz, New York Mets
    1.78 ERA , 70 K’s in 35 IP, and a 1.78 ERA. I have to go with Diaz over Anderson. You need closers in an All-Star Game

    8. Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
    Anderson and Fried are close but Fried has an ERA a half run less. I can’t argue with it.

    8. Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers
    Josh Freaking Hader – Nuff Said!

    9. Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals
    0.73 ERA, 37 IP, 54 K, 0.676 WHIP. I can’t argue because Anderson has a 3+ ERA

    10. Joe Mantiply, Arizona Diamondbacks
    Every team has to have a player – 1.83 ERA and a 0.874 WHIP.

    11. Joe Musgrove, San Diego Padres
    8-2 with an ERA 1 runs better than Tyler and a better WHIP. Sorry

    That said, it’s still possible…

    1. I completely agree. I was more pissed about Julio, until yesterday. ERA is still the name of the game for pitchers. WHIP, Wins, OPS, BAA are all important, but limiting runs is most important. Sorry Eric, but OPS is way better for hitters than it is for pitchers and it’s still flawed for hitters.

       1. Limiting runs is very important it’s the name of the game for pitchers, but where can you tell me that the pitcher is not or most likely not getting lucky doing that?

          1. Eric, when I look at a player’s stats, I look at everything and then come up with an opinion. I look at their BR page and splits page and I look at their statcast data on Baseball Savant. I don’t know how many ways to tell you that I don’t think there’s one good stat.

             If I see that Exit Velocity is high, BABIP is low and FIP is high, I might come to the conclusion that a pitcher is lucky.

             Take Kimbrel for example
             K Rate – Awesome
             Walk Rate – Bad
             HR / 9 Great
             H / 9 Bad
             WHIP Bad
             FIP Great
             ERA Bad
             Ave Exit Velo Bad
             Hard Hit Rate Bad
             xwOBA Very Good
             x ERA Very good
             X BA Great
             x Slg Very Good
             Barrel % Horrible
             K% Great
             BB% Bad
             Whiff % Great
             Chase Rate Ave
             FB Velo Very Good
             BAA is a career high
             BABIP is at a career high
             OPS is 720, but way worse against lefties and way off his career norms

             Conclusion
             He’s much better than his ERA and Walk Rate suggests. It looks like he gets pinched and then he gives up solid hits. I predict a rebound in his number barring injury.

             I checked BR Stats, Career Stats, Splits for this year, Career Splits and Statcast from Baseball Savant.

             1. I must be getting old because I can’t absorb that many stats for each relief pitcher on the team. Can you give me your opinion on who are the black holes/worse relief pitchers on the Dodgers team, based on all your stats that you look at? I’m curious if you disagree with me. Because this whole thing started when you said I only look at 1 stat, which is not true. Am I wrong in saying that right now based on who is on the active roster that Bickford and Price are the 2 worst relievers on the team?

                On Kimbrel:

                “OPS is 720, but way worse against lefties and way off his career norms”

                Yep everything there I already knew.

                His .379 SLG on the year tells me that he is not getting hit hard. His .259 BA and .341 OBP are telling me he is giving up more hits and walks than I would like. I could also look at his WHIP or the combination of H/9 and BB/9 for that, but why bother when BA and OBP already tell me that.

             2. Eric, look at what you just said “His .379 SLG on the year tells me that he is not getting hit hard. His .259 BA and .341 OBP are telling me he is giving up more hits and walks than I would like.”

                You can’t tell those things from OPS because it lumps them together. You had to look at BA, OBP and SLG individually to see what his OPS means. If the OBP was 300 and the SLG was 420 you would have come to a different conclusion. That’s what I meant about OPS treating OBP and SLG the same.

                To answer your question about the relievers, there are no black holes. They’re all good and worthy of a spot on the roster. If you forced me to pick two guys to cut, right now it would be Bruhil and Moronta barely edging out Bickford. The reason is that Moronta seems to wear out quickly, needs to go on vacations to AAA. Bickford was very good last year and is controllable for several years. It just looks like something is a little off with him and he might return to form. Bruhil’s K/9 doesn’t do it for me and nothing really stands out about him. But, they’re all effective to some extent.

             3. Bruihl and Moronta aren’t on the active roster right now. But you did mention Bickford as one of the worse on the active roster right now. Could the other be Price?

                OBP and SLG being treated the same doesn’t bother me. I look at both of them, but when I see a pitcher with a .700+ OPS and better yet a .800+ OPS I see something is wrong right off the bat. Then I look further to find out what. That’s when I look at OBP and SLG.

14. First thing, thank you tedraymond for the communication back and forth between us. I made a mistake a couple days ago and I’m glad for the communication between us.

    I’m glad norcaldodgerfan is in the same camp with me on Hanser Alberto a .221/.231/.338/.568 slash line is not good. And his 1 year and a partial year in his career that he did very good against LHP is not showing up this year, as he has a .241/.241/.315/.556 slash line this year against LHP.

    Tyler Anderson is a good example to show how the win/loss record stat is not a good stat. Anderson’s record is 9-1, but his slash line stats don’t match that 9-1 record. He has a .232/.273/.394/.667 slash line, that is solid/good, but almost high enough to be considered above average only. He’s not Tony Gonsolin or Clayton Kershaw good, but he has been good this year. Yes I know he almost had a no hitter and I’m not talking bad about Anderson, I like him, I’m just showing how win/loss records can be deceiving.

    After yesterday’s game Phil Bickford and David Price’s stats on the year took a hit again. Bickford .768 OPS against and Price .853 OPS against. Both bad. Price extremely bad. Those two are the black holes in the bullpen at the moment. When a couple guys that are good, that are on the IL right now come back, I hope Bickford and Price are the 2 guys that lose their spot on the team. Just to clarify, I’m not talking bad about our bullpen, but there is always, no matter what, room for improvement.

15. Eric, Price had a bad start to the season and a hiccup yesterday but his 5 previous appearances were very good. His velo is way up and I think there’s a place for him now in our bullpen. Eric, can you do an analysis on bottom 2 relievers on each NL team. Their combined era and combined OPS against righties and lefties. I think that would give you a better appreciation fo r the depth of our pen even with all the injuries.

    1. Oh I know there are a few guys on the IL that are good and getting them back will improve our bullpen if the corresponding moves are right.

       I guess I’m a person that always looks for ways that would improve the team. I got into a lengthy discussion with Bulldogs and Penguins that required looking up stuff and a lot of thought and time flew by. I know what you are getting at. That a lot of other teams have worse bottom 2 relievers and that maybe the case. I guess it goes back to the first sentence in this paragraph, the better the team the better chance at winning it all.

16. Seems like Dylan Hernandez has some big issues with Freddie Freeman.

    1. Dylan Hernandez has always struck me as a very angry guy……………………about everything.
       If he picks a fight with Freddie, he’s probably not going to win in the arena of public opinion. Not that he cares.

       1. https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-absolutely-destroys-la-times-reporter-over-terrible-question/

    2. Dylan Hernandez has issues.

       He got thoroughly ratiod.

       https://twitter.com/dylanohernandez/status/1542934068299304961

17. Hanser might be the best cheerleader in baseball! But at some point either he hits or goes. More at bats for lamb,Thompson,. Still like Kyle farmer in blue again. Let’s go to St. Louis and smack cards in the mouth. Just hope wainwright isn’t in series rotation . Still hope Clayton gets the start, heard some guys complaining about it, doesn’t have the numbers to deserve. The start. We’ll look back through the years at some of the starters the fans voted in and their numbers. Case closed!

18. … and then there is this:

    Dodger Stadium concession workers threaten to strike All-Star Game

19. Dodgers in talks with the Reds about Castillo per Morosi.

20. I used to believe that Pete Rose had been done wrong and that never betting against his team was harmless. But he was in position to blow through their bullpen on the games he had $ on wasting games he wasn’t betting on. So six of one and a half dozen of the other he threw games the same just the opposite way. He brought it on himself. A great player but not great for the sport.

21. 1. Dylan Hernandez is a fool;
    2. Freddie Freeman does not suffer fools very well; and
    3. 1 + 1 = 1 Too Many REporters in the Dodgers Clubhouse.

    If I were Freddie, I would ask for Hernandez to be banned from the Clubhouse, Dodger Stadium, LA County and Planet Earth!

22. Congratulations Mark! I got a US Water Systems ad on my Youtube feed.

    US Water DROP Home Protection Valve.

    1. It’s a cool product.

    2. Here’s a video on Cannabis that I totally screwed up last week. We have to re-shoot tomorrow. I called George Clooney… George Cooney among other things… It’s a blooper reel. What a dumbass!

       https://vimeo.com/728952757/69b80452ee

       1. Sounds like a Brandon press conference.
          LOL!!!

23. It has been reported that AF has inquired about the Red’s Castillo.

    The same reporter said that the sun came up today.

    Ray Charles said he saw that!

    1. Isn’t that Brandon Gomes’ job?

       I’m sure they checked in. “We want Miller and Busch”, okay Piss off then. How about Grove and Amaya?

    2. I reported that earlier. Morosi is the source of the info, and it is also on MLBTR now. Talks are preliminary

24. Earlier there was a great conversation about stats and which ones are best.

    Like everything in life, there is not ONE THING or ONE STAT that defines everything.

    Here’s my take:

    Hitters (use these 3):

    1. OPS
    2. BA
    3. WAR

    Pitchers (use these 3):

    1. ERA
    2. WHIP
    3. OPS

25. Is Ian Happ worth considering? Is he a better fit than Thompson or Lamb?

    1. Nope. Not close to the defender Thompson is.

26. Thank you Bear

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