The Best Win of the Year!

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1. And the hero was, wait for it………….Hanser Alberto. The favorite whipping boy of some here. Game was fun to watch, from the 7th inning on.

2. It was a fun entertaining game. I stepped away after it was 5-0 and did some stuff outside and came back in and watched it from the 7th inning on. Huge win. Good for Alberto, his biggest hit as a Dodger.

   The Cardinals have a pretty good one two punch in Goldschmidt and Arrenado. I always pined for both those players in Dodger Blue since watching them over the years in Arizona/Colorado.

   Wainwright has always been tough for us to solve over the years.

   Man is it fun to watch Freddy Freeman. I always knew he was a good player but it sure makes a difference when you get to see them play every day instead of 2 series a year when he was a Brave. Saw a stat on the Cardinals broadcast last night that he was 10 for his last 12 at bats.

   1. I told my wife we could watch a movie when we were down 6-0. Started the movie 6-2. Paused the movie 6-5 and did play by play over the phone with my brother in law who’s on vacation and didn’t have the game on the TV. It was awesome!

      I’ve also wanted Goldy and Arrenado. Settle for Pollock. Freddie is very good, so I won’t complain too much about Goldy. But, Arrenado would have been perfect for the Dodgers. We really missed out on Nolan.

      1. I would’ve loved Arrenado. He’s another local boy. There’s a street in Lake Forest actually named after him.

         https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nolan+Arenado+Dr,+Lake+Forest,+CA+92630/@33.6636497,-117.6560513,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x80dce9f1c4924cb3:0x1c5d55fda3214c5b!8m2!3d33.6636497!4d-117.6538626

         1. I really did not think that Aernado would hit as well as he has away from Coors… in retrospect, I would have traded for him.

            1. Roger Dodger loved Nolan. He would have been a great fit and he wanted to play for his boyhood team. Somehow AF managed to let SL get him with Colorado picking up a sizeable proportion of the bill.

               Didn’t make any sense at the time especially when he was hanging out for a move to LA.

               Even stranger was Bryant deciding to spend his Octobers watching the playoffs?

               The bench is still our biggest weakness, but maybe if Vargas gets the call then one of the BHG sits.

               Must be a couple of decent hitters we can source?

               Great confidence building win.

            2. People talk about the Dodgers bench being weak, but here they are with the best record in the NL, the leader in runs scored in the NL, and first in pitching. The bench surely can’t be chopped liver. I think many fans want to see Babe Ruth at every position.

3. I’m not sure what’s more impressive. Coming back from 6 down, or coming back from 5 down twice in the same game. This team has more fight than Michael Vick’s dog kennel.

   Evan Phillips is absolutely dominating this year, but Caleb Ferguson hasn’t even given up a hit yet this year. Kimbrel looked like his old self with his slowest four seamer checking in at 96.6! Those three were perfect for the last 3 innings against a team that ambushed Tony-G for 5 runs.

   Okay, so Doc’s a genius because he used Kimbrel in the 8th and Phillips in the 9th? Phillips got his first save of the year and Kimbrel got his 15th a few days earlier. How about when he pinch hit Alberto for Lux against a lefty when Lux has way better numbers against lefties than Alberto, who struck out and left two men on base? Was that genius? Hanser was later forced to face a righty and pushed across the winning run, platoon splits be dammed! I’m wondering why Hanser didn’t start in the first place since Waino has reverse splits.

   Freddie Freeman and Justin Turner have been two of the hottest hitters in baseball for the last 30 days. Justin is a notoriously slow starter. Is he back, for the rest of the season, vintage JT? Or is this just a hot streak with age catching up to him later? I think JT’s made an adjustment to hit more line drives and go with the pitch. He certainly looks like he’s playing that 16M option next year. JT loves the Dodgers and I certainly hope he keeps this up even if he’s blocking Miguel.

   Cody sure had a couple of big hits when it counted most. The swing is still very ugly. This is someone who’s due to make an adjustment.

   It was great having Alberto on the post-game interview. The guy is Juan Uribe all over again, and I loved Uribe. He’s a solid bench piece if he can get closer to his production from the last three years in the second half.

   1. It wasn’t genius to pinch hit Alberto for Lux but that’s the exact scenario he was brought in to do. Historically he has been a lefty killer so you have to give him some opportunities in those situations to see if he can get going and fill that role down the stretch or if they need to dip into the minor leagues for that. I know he hasn’t been great this year but there is time for him to turn it around. We also have a decent lead in the division right now so if not now when? If it’s October and Lux is still hitting like he is now I doubt that move is made.

4. * Give the guys credit for not saying screw it down by 6 early. It would be easy to coast and take the loss. The last 2 games show a lot of heart.
   * I like Weinwright. I like him calling himself old school and wanting to go 7 or 8 innings
   * There’s not a lot of SS playing better than Trea Turner. He hits .300 and is making all the plays defensively. He and Freeman can carry the mail.
   * Mookie and TT are showing completely different approaches at the plate with 2 strikes. Mookie wants a strike and takes close pitches. He gets a lot of bad calls. TT hits anything close. He doesn’t mind hitting a ball off the plate to right field. He’s a good bad-ball hitter with 2 strikes.
   * Jessica Mendoza asked the best question of the year when she asked why they continue to shift Freeman? The numbers must show it still works but left field looks like target practice for Freddie.
   * How many guys have walked their way to the Big Leagues.? Lamb’s taking too many hittable pitches now.
   * Alberto pinch hitting for Lux? Are we seeing early indications of a platoon at 2nd now?
   * I think I would have pinch run McKinstry instead of Barnes. McKinstry has taken over for Price as Bigfoot.
   * I have no doubt Phillips can close games. I like him in that role.
   Really entertaining game to watch and a great win.

5. I sure would love to see Miguel Vargas as much as the next guy. He’s hitting 295/387/497/884 in AAA as of today and has a career minor league slash line of 312/385/483/868. The guy can flat-out hit.

   Doc recently chimed in on the matter. He said that Vargas will get a call some time this year, “BUT” he needs regular playing time and isn’t going to come up to be on the bench. So, what does that mean?

   1) The Dodgers will bring him up regardless of playing time in direct contrast to Doc’s quote.
   2) Vargas will be called up if an injury occurs.
   3) Vargas will be called up and will be forced into the lineup for 4-5 games a week even if he has to DH.

   So, what’s the likelihood that Vargas is a good fit if and when he comes up? Over the last 30 days, the offense has shown signs of what was expected when the year began. Freddie is on fire. Lamb has been great in limited use. Turner looks reborn. Smith, T Turner and Lux have all been playing like All-Stars or borderline All-Stars. Even Muncy and Belli have been better than useless and Trayce Thompson has been playing like he should be in the lineup with a .261/.333/.478/.811. Mookie cooled off a little since the collision in the outfield, but basically, the entire team sans Muncy, Belli, and Mookie have an OPS over 800 in the last month or so.

   So, where’s Vargas going to fit? He’s not gonna play CF. Maybe he can play LF, he has 81 innings with little range in a very small sample size. He can play 3B with a pretty decent amount of errors, so he better be damn good with the bat to get him on the field in “The Show”. Is it worth it to DH him and stunt his development as a fielder? Is he gonna be a better option over somebody that’s currently on the roster when he arrives for the first time?

   The last prospect star hitter to come up with the big club was Gavin Lux. Their minor league numbers are eerily similar. The results have not been good for Lux until this year. Hell, Doogy was a pretty good minor league hitter and it took him a couple of years before he started producing with the big club.

   Lux
   .304 .381 .479 .860
   Vargas
   .312 .385 .483 .868

   Vargas is a right-handed bat. So, he isn’t a natural replacement for Muncy this year. When we lost Seager, the Dodger’s need for left-handed power was quickly resolved with the addition of Freddie Freeman. I can’t imagine where we would be without him. I think this signals that Vargas probably isn’t going to be called up to replace a left-handed power bat especially as long as Jake Lamb, who plays the same positions as Vargas, continues to hit. That’s probably why we’re seeing such a long runway with Belli and Muncy.

   I think we’re going to have to wait a little while before we see Vargas. Maybe he gets a stab at LF, but it won’t be a platoon. His most likely path to the majors is if JT gets injured, or if they really have to shuffle things around if TT gets injured. I just don’t see another fit with Jake Lamb on the roster.

   1. Have you actually watched Vargas play? I’m curious, as I haven’t, except for the usual highlights, which are all positive at bats (obviously)

      Who is a good comp for him? I know Mark said Piazza, for the way he can go opposite field.

      1. I’ve seen him play 3B, but haven’t seen him play in the outfield yet. I don’t see that he’s necessarily a bad fielder. But, I haven’t seen him charge a bunt and I see a high error rate. Maybe I’ve seen him play 7 or 8 games total.

6. Wow! A great comeback and I missed it. Here in Jersey, I’m quite often up until after 1am following the games. For some reason I went to bed in the 7th inning last night. Oh well, it was a pleasant surprise when I woke up and checked the game results. It was also nice when I saw that the Rockies came back from a 3 run deficit twice to beat the Padres and give the Dodgers an 8.5 game lead.

   Go Dodgers!

   1. Totally agree: The best win of the year.
      Did anyone NOT make a contribution in the those last three innings???
      Jerry Hairston made a point about Alberto–that he’s a good contact hitter IF he gets enough ABs to stay sharp. I would have prefered to see Lux stay in the game, but it worked out.
      Just heard that the Dodgers have had a league-leading 26 come-from-behind wins. The three latest comebacks–one falling just short–is really an encouraging sign for a team that last year lost so many one-run games and had a poor record in extra innings. Yeah, these might be statistical flukes–but maybe not.
      Last season, AF pulled off the Scherzer-Trea blockbuster. We knew Scherzer was in play, but getting Trea was a bit of a shock.
      Now I wonder if AF will target another duo, such as Castillo and Drury from the Reds.
      Or hey, how about an SP and DH from the Angels?

      1. The Dodgers tried to sign Ohtani twice and failed both times. Are they gonna do it one more time via trade, or after another year or so, as a free agent.

         The plus, he’s a Starting Pitcher and a DH. The minus, if he gets injured, you lose your DH and Starting Pitcher.

         He won’t be cheap to sign long-term. It’s gonna be an easy argument to make that he should be the highest-paid player in the game. What’s that gonna look like? 50M per year? Would it be better the sign 2 $25M players?

         Ohtani pitches usually pitches on 6+ games rest. So, you have to juggle your other starting pitchers to accommodate him.

         It will be fun to see how the Ohtani saga plays out. Almost as fun as watching Trout waste his entire career playing for our Red Headed Stepchild to the South.

         1. I d go after him when he becomes a free agent. Dodgers will get rid of some huge contracts and should be able to go after him aggressive.
            In another move I would try to bring that young Jap fireballer Sasaki to Dodger Stadium soon.

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

         2. I think the two main reasons we didn’t sign Ohtani when he came from Japan were:
            1) Couldn’t offer him an opportunity to DH (no NL DH at that time)
            2) Billy Eppler had developed a great relationship with him when he was still in Japan

            No way I would trade for him. That would take our entire farm system.
            On the other hand I’d be really in on him in free agency, but we need to remember that Eppler has a new home which happens to be the only team that may have less payroll restrictions than the Dodgers.

            I doubt that Steve Cohen would let himself be outbid by anyone, so we can only hope Ohtani prefers low key L.A. to the hustle and bustle of N.Y. He may be one of the few players out there who doesn’t make his free agency decision based on money.

            1. Yep. The DH and Eppler were the keys to bringing Ohtani to the Angels. And yes, it could come down to whether Ohtani prefers SoCal to NY–and many do.
               If it’s only about $$$, Cohen may have the advantage. But the Dodgers would still pay plenty and offer a better chance to win.
               I have to think AF landed Trea because the Nationals knew that, for whatever reason, they wouldn’t be able to sign Trea long-term. What will Arte Moreno do if he knows Ohtani plans to leave? Perhaps Arte has already decided he can’t afford another Trout-sized contract. Could the Mets compete with the Dodgers in terms of an offer?
               I don’t think it’s hard to imagine a blockbuster for Ohtani, mixing some veterans and prospects. Anderson’s value is probably at its peak now, so how about him plus marquee prospects like Miller, Vargas, etc. And if the Angels wanted to dump Rendon’s contract in the deal, well, it’s all negotiable.
               Maybe we’ll be revisiting this during the 2023 trade talks. But it could happen sooner.

         3. It’s a good question; do you break the bank for a Soto or Ohtani or sign a couple of Freddie Freeman types for the same or less money? Paying +400 million for a player just seems to much to me.

            1. Hard to get more bang for the buck than Freeman. Good example.

         4. It’s a good question; do you break the bank for a Soto or Ohtani or sign a couple of Freddie Freeman types for the same or less money? Paying +400 million for a player just seems to much to me.

         5. With the $ we have coming off the books, my first priority would be signing Trea Turner, assuming he could be persuaded to stay on the West Coast. I think some fans are ignoring just what he brings to the dance.

            1. I’m with you 100% philjones. As Doug McKain from Dodgers Nation YouTube channel suggests, it would be nice to get a deal done during the All Star festivities. TT won’t come cheap. I’m thinking 8/$300. Got to pay him a tad extra to help cover those California taxes. I’m on the sign Trea Turner bandwagon.

            2. I really like how Trea Plays the game. He’s very solid defensively and he makes a ton of contact and turns a lot of outs into hits with his wheels. That said, I think Gavin can play SS and I think we haven’t seen the best Gavin yet. I think they’re very similar players.

               It’s a bit of a luxury to have two shortstops up the middle. Just like it’s a luxury to have two capable catchers and we see where that went when we shipped K-Bear out of town as a trade ship like I predicted with the emergence of Will Smith. With this is mind, there is NO WAY the Dodgers are going to match the top offer for Trea. It just doesn’t make business sense to do so and they showed that same line of thinking when they let Corey walk.

               It would be a different story if they didn’t already have Lux. So, the only way Trea stays is if he decides that the Dodgers offer is plenty for him and all of his offspring can live on for the rest of their lives. Some just want to make all the money, others want to be paid fairly and compete for rings.

               Trea brings a lot to the dance, but I think Lux can bring the same moves that Trea brings.

7. Mark is right about Cartaya, they aren’t pitching to him. In his first 2 at bats last night 8 straight balls, none close. He needs more seasoning but he has a chance to be special. His size may require a position switch.

   1. Reminds me of Konerko who was a catcher too but eventually moved to 1b.
      With the DH now in place it is a smaller problem as back then to keep those kind of players fresh.

      If they dont pitch to him move him up to AA soon. For his further development he needs to be challenged.

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

   2. Salvador Perez has had a very long and successful career and is still going strong at catcher. He’s 6’3″ 255.

      Konerko was moved off the position as a 19 year old in High A. Not gonna happen. Cartaya is a catcher. With the DH in the NL, there’s little reason to make such a move if you have an acceptable backup. The Dodgers have 2 other catchers on their top 30 list.

8. For the record, I gave credit to Doc for using Kimbrel in the 8th and Phillips in the 9th. But I questioned if the decision was just a situational thing. Or a permanent/going forward thing.

   Phillips is our best reliever this year according to stats, he deserves to be the closer if that is where he wants to be.

   I think Kimbrel may be coming around/turning a corner. His stats in the last 14 days are really good.

9. I wonder how brilliant Doc would have been if Kimbrel had given up a run in the 8th? And Alberto seems like a great guy and a great teammate but let’s face it, his bat has been a train wreck. 61 OPS+. I wouldn’t platoon him with Muncy or Bellinger, much less Lux who’s hitting lefties pretty well.

10. 7:15 PM ET

    Dodgers (57-30)
    Cardinals (48-43)

    SP Tyler Anderson L
    9-1 3.15 ERA 91.1IP 77K

    Confirmed Lineup
    RF Mookie Betts R
    SS Trea Turner R
    1B F. Freeman L
    C Will Smith R
    DH J. Turner R
    LF Jake Lamb L
    3B Max Muncy L
    CF C. Bellinger L
    2B Gavin Lux L

    Clear-day
    0% Rain
    93° Wind 5 mph R-L

    07/13/22 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned RHP Jake Reed to Oklahoma City Dodgers.
    07/13/22 Los Angeles Dodgers claimed RHP Jake Reed off waivers from New York Mets.

    David Vassegh
    @THEREAL_DV
    Blake Treinen is throwing another bullpen session here at Busch Stadium. Pitching coaches, Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness are among the personnel watching. #Dodgers

11. The Dodgers recalled RHP Reyes Moronta and placed RHP Brusdar Graterol on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, backdated to July 11.

    1. Man oh man, our pitchers are dropping like flies this season.
       Just when the Bazooka was firing on all cylinders his shoulder acts up.
       Too bad.

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

    2. I’d like to know more about Moronta, like what was his injury that kept him out of baseball for 2 years. What effect did it have on him going forward. Is he truly healthy now.

       I say all this because he has excellent career stats against both sides of the plate. If the injury is fully gone and had no effect on his career, he can be a major player in the bullpen.

       1. Moronta had a torn labrum and capsule in his right shoulder repaired!

          1. That sounds like two major things.

             Sounds like he may not be the same as before that.

12. Got my new computer desk put together, surprising that it looks like the picture. SO back on my PC and able to do research for some posts again. I thought the Dodgers would have played earlier than they are because after the game, they need to fly back to LA.

13. I’m not freaking out about Bazooka. It seems like the Dodgers ship guys to the IL right before the break every year to give them a rest. Bazooka has led all relievers in games and IP. Doc used him for a 2 inning save his last time out. It could be that with just 3 games remaining before the break, it was a good time to rest him. He’ll be eligible to come back right after the Giants series, effectively missing just 6 games.

    I don’t understand why Doc is given so much love for having Phillips pitch the 9th and Kimbrel in the 8th. My bet is that this isn’t permanent. Phillips has been used all year to face the best part of the opposing lineup, like how Treinen was used before he went down. Phillips picked up his second save in his career. Kimbrel has 15 this year. This could have backfired bigly and it probably didn’t affect the outcome of the game as Kimbrel was dealing.

    If you asked me, it was an unnecessarily risky move. Kimbrel has a past of not doing well in non-save situations and Phillips has little experience pitching in a save situation. It was the wrong move that worked out right. A Mr. Magoo move.

    The good news is we may have an option if Kimbrel continues to falter. But, in a one-run game, was that the best situation to find out what you have?

    1. I think with the totality of the circumstances, Doc had to try Phillps one -time and I am confident that the Dodger Brass were part of that decision. It was likely discussed a few days ago.

14. Giants placed Jake McGee on release waivers.

15. Don’t forget who told you all back in 2020 that Gavin Lux will be the last Dodger to ever wear #9!

16. Game is over!

    1. That’s what you said last night! Pads giving you an all star present! Or presents!

17. Tyler Anderson! Hands down the biggest surprise for the first half of the season, with Evan Phillips a close second. He has been outstanding and although he is signed for one year @ $8 million, he is line for a big payday next year.

    Where would the Dodgers be without his performance? That’s why AF is the best GM (team president) in MLB and the combo of Pryor and McGuiness are most likely the best pitching coaches in MLB.

18. Almonte, Phillips and Anderson! Letting Seager walk and signing Freddie I think AF deserves a little something extra in his next paycheck. Not to mention the throw in from Washington in the Scherzer deal last year!

    1. He is doing his job and he gets a pretty hefty paycheck as it is.

19. These guys on the mics are definitely Cardinal employed.

20. It’s looking like a good job by Doc handling the bullpen today. He used his second best reliever in the seventh, best reliever in the eighth and probably using Kimbrell in the ninth. If he didn’t have Kimbrel he would’ve used his two best relievers in the last two innings. And I am OK with using Kimbrel in the ninth because Kimbrel has been good in the last 14 days and he has been one of the best closers in the game during his career. And that goes for no matter what happens in the ninth.

21. I’ve been hard on Kimbrel this year,but I’ve gotta give him credit for hanging in there and not getting frustrated the way Kenley most likely would have

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