Kimbrelized Again!

This article has 73 Comments

1. I do not think you can keep Kimbrell on the team. You have Graterol, Treinen, and Almonte coming back. Keep Vesia, Bickford, Martin, Price, and Almonte for the middle innings. Close with Ferguson, Treinen and Graterol. Use Phillips for the stressful inning.

   1. I would blame Roberts more. He is the one that puts him in.

      For me the Dodgers did not lose, Roberts lost.

2. Kimbrel can not put hitters away . Then he starts to nibble and the BBs pile up.
   Nothing you can do against that perfect bunt by Renfroe that totally caught everybody off guard. That happens.
   But then after the K he walks the next guy to load the bases. At that point some bad luck with the dunker right in front of Mookie and that was the ballgame. In typical Kimbrel way.
   Yes, he has had some bad luck but IMHO the WHIP tells the true story. Way, way too high to be an effective closer.

   If I am the Dodgers I give him until the end of the first week in September. Divison is all but locked up . If he can not right his ship until then I move Treinen or Phillipps in the closer role. Give them a shot to take that role and gain some experience (in the case of Phillpps, treinen knows how to handle those pressure cooker situations).
   If Kimbrel can not fix his woes he has no place on the postseason roster.

   So now that Duffy is probably out too for the year our options are getting slimmer in the starting rotation and /or pen. Hopefully May can fit right in there and be as good as he was before TJ. His rehab starts were very good, velo was there with even more movement than before.
   A rotation of Julio, Gonsolin, May and Kershaw would be absolutely fine. Though that two headed monster in NY will be a tough to beat in a best of 7 series if it gets to a Dodgers vs Mets showdown. Having to face deGrom and MS twice in such a short series could spell doom for just about any opponent.
   I know there are some injury questions around both pitchers but if they are on their respective games……well, tough to beat.

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

3. Mark –

   I agree with you on Kimbrel. While he claims he is going to “fix it,” that is looking more and more like a remote possibility and that the Dodgers will ultimately have to move onto other options. Or, at the very least they should have a “contingency plan” to do so. My question is when do you and others on LADT think the Dodgers start the process of moving on and who are the potential candidates? Seems like somebody should be having those discussions now…

   1. Tom. the front office and coaching staff has had to have some conversation about Kimbrel’s issues. It’s not like they all of a sudden happened. This has been the situation from the get go. He has lack of command, bad luck with soft hit balls, and some bad calls from the ump. It has all added up to where Kimbrel isn’t doing his job as closer. He is the worst pitcher in the BP and it’s been that way most of the season. I would feel more confidant in Bickford than Kimbrel. Although, Bickford has been HR prone this year, at least, he can throw strikes. I don’t think the Max Muncy approach is going to work in Kimbrel’s case. So, now he going to fix it. What the hell have you been doing up until now? He has nine clean innings 44 appearances. I never like this guy from the start of the season. Like MT says “relievers are a fickled bunch”. Kimbrel left fickled two months ago!

      My vote is for Phillips to close and use Treinen in Phillips’ current role. Once Treinen is back and is back to his old ways I would release Kimbrel. Addition by subtraction. Why? If he can’t close and he’s the worst reliever in the BP there is no reason to keep him on the team. His empty, ego driven demand that he go no more than three days without pitching would, therefore, be a non-issue.
      Carry on.

      1. Great post ted. Spot on.

4. Kimbrel after blown save: ‘It’s time for me to turn it around’ – No shit?

   I can’t believe this guy. He has the worst luck I’ve ever seen, but you’re all right. The walks need to stop.

   Not expecting a bunt with a one-run lead, the ghost runner on second and no outs is way beyond moronic. WTF was Muncy doing out there? JT makes that play every time.

   Yes, the good news is that Phillips looks up to the task of closing games. I give Kimbrel until Treinen is ready. If he can’t get outs by then, he can take the first train to DFAville.

   I’m not sure where the criticism about Pepiot’s “Other Pitches” is coming from. The only other pitch other than a fastball and the famous change-up that he threw was a slider…

   He threw 18 of them, 8 Balls, 7 Strikes (3 Swinging), 1 foul, 1 out in the field and 1 Hit (Bomb that should have been an out). So he made 1 mistake on that pitch the entire night.

   He threw 22 Changeups, 13 Balls, 6 Strikes (3 Swinging), 3 fouls. Throw that thing in the zone more often!

   Looks just fine to me. He gave up a homer on a hanging slider and a homer on a fastball. That’s all. He needs to throw more strikes and get ahead like most young pitchers.

   Sadly, the game was not lost in the 11th inning on a bunt, that should have been an out, a walk, and a bleeder. It was lost in the first inning on a homer that our regular CF would have caught easily.

   When the Dodgers play clean baseball, they’ll win almost every time. The barley HR in center that would have been caught by Belli and the bunt that would have been turned into an out by JT cost them the game.

   1. It was lost in the first inning when they legitimately had a chance to score some quick runs. But Smith hit a weak grounder to third and Turner was toast. They left 18 men on base. Yeah, Kimbrel was again dogged by bad luck. They also blew a chance on Gallo’s base running blunder in the 10th. Had he stayed at second, he probably would have scored when the next batter had a single. Kimbrel and Ferguson were all that was left in the pen. Had I been Roberts, I would have rolled the dice with Ferguson rather than Kimbrel. His stuff has been nasty, and he is yet to be scored on. They face a tough lefty in Lauer tonight then Burnes tomorrow. Stand a really good chance of losing the series. Oh yeah, they could have gained another game on SD.

   2. BP, I get your point about luck. But, at some point, with a large enough sample size, that argument just doesn’t hold water. I’ve known people who seemed like the unluckiest people on earth. “If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all”. Bad things just kept on happening to them. But after years of knowing them I came to a conclusion. They aren’t any more unlucky than anybody. They were constantly putting themselves in a position where bad luck finds them. Bad decisions. Poor planning. And when a little bad luck did find them, it hurt them vastly more than somebody who didn’t put themselves in those positions.

      Kimbrel isn’t unlucky. After this many innings. He just isn’t a terribly good pitcher. And when he does have bad luck, he’s put himself in a position for it to really hurt.

      Just MHO.

5. Pepiot (Gonsolin-lite) a closer?

   His command is sketchy. Going with 2 pitches? Maybe as a setup guy but hitters aren’t fooled by him these days. Middle relief till he figures things out.

   Where’s Miller? It’s time.

6. But if Phillips comes to close out the game, who will come in the seventh or eighth inning with men on base? According to me, he is perfect where he is.

   I trust Graterol more to start the 9th inning instead of the 7th and 8th and with men on base.

   The only other candidate I see would be Price to close the game.

   And I would like to know what version of Roberts we will see in the playoffs: The same one he had when Jansen and nothing was won, or the one he had in 2020 when Urias, and being champions?

   The good: That Muncy is finally waking up with the bat, despite the fact that almost everyone criticized him, including me.

   The bad: If Muncy was able to recover his level, why not insist with Kimbrel? He could get better too.

   Do any of you think that if the Dodgers are not champions this year, Roberts will continue to manage the team?

   1. Maybe the best bet is to do the closer by committee strategy. Brusdar is good with runners on because it’s usually either a K or a ground ball. Treinen was in Phillips role before Phillips was. Almonte has also been used in that role.

      Maybe Treinen goes back to being a closer, he does have 80 career saves and one of the best season by a closer ever when he was with the A’s. 38 Saves, 80 Innings, 0.78 ERA, 100 K’s.

      Price and V-Gone can also come in with runners on and have been used that way in the past. Ferguson hasn’t allowed a run so far in 19 appearances.

      Yes, please!

7. We heard the same talk about Julio couple years ago and Gonsolin a year ago about being bullpen material. Pepiot has the stuff to be a regular part of the rotation as a starter and perhaps close to what Gonsolin has done. A little more confidence in his stuff and some improvement in the slider. I believe it will come. A real key to the Dodgers success has been the development of their young pitching snd then trusting them with an opportunity. With Buehler out next year we need the starters.

8. Brusdar and Treinen are on rehab assignments right now. There’s no need to have Pepiot in the pen with all of the better options we have. Pepiot is a starter until he proves he can’t.

   But wait, there’s more. V-Gone made his first appearance in the ACL last night with a scoreless inning, allowing a hit and 2 K’s.

   I think we’ll be just fine without Kimbrel…

   Phillips R
   Treinen R
   Brusdar R
   Almonte R
   Martin R
   Ferguson L
   Vesia L
   Price L
   V-Gone L

   That’s still one too many pitchers for a 13-man staff with a 5-man rotation. Someone still gets bumped in the post-season when a starter gets moved to the pen.

   Then you still have Bickford, Moronta, Reed and Kimbrel?

9. And PS. AF signed Kimbrel, not Roberts. And Doc has promised us a WS win and he’s never let us down when he’s done that! I love V Gon. He’s been through the wars. If he’s healthy he’s a huge asset!

   1. I think he signed both Kimbrel and Roberts.

      I’m with you on V-Gone. Huge Asset!

      I still don’t DFA Kimbrel until September. I would have to have a contender pick him up and all the sudden he’s fixed like Joey Gallo.

      1. Joey’s fixed?

         Small sample.

         1. Very small sample, yes.
            Another HR was nice. But Gallo had no excuse for that Little League baserunning blunder. Yikes…..
            Interesting to read that Belli is being rested for a “mental reset.” (Perhaps it’s related to the ‘Dairy Queen jinx” that also derailed Tatis.) I hope Trayce gets more action….
            The roster crunch means Edwin Rios will stay in OKC longer, waiting for an opening. I’m almost rooting for a minor injury just so Rios comes back. He played 3B every day at OKC…
            Also hoping that Treinen is pressed into closer duty…

            1. My son noticed something when Max tried to check his swing, but the 3rd base ump called it strike three….
               Looked like Max held up to me. Max obviously thought so. But that wasn’t what my son noticed.
               The ump was pretty theatrical in making the strike call. Usually, umps are fairly businesslike in these judgements. But this guy “rang hm up,” as the cliche has it, with a lot of gusto…
               As a if playing to the Milwaukee.
               And they loved it, of course.

            2. Duke, I don’t think there is a place for Rios on the MLB roster this year. With Muncy playing a decent 3B and back on track in addition JT where’s he going to get playing time? I was a big Rios fan going into this season, but have soured on him because he can’t seem to stay healthy. Plus, he’ll be 29 in 2023. Depending on what JT and the team wants to do and maybe Vargas vying for a 3B spot I don’t see a reason to keep Rios. He might be moved in the offseason. It’s too bad because he is talented when available and a good teammate.

               It’s interesting that Cody gets a mental reset and Max didn’t. Not checking out recent stats I didn’t think Cody was doing that bad to require some down time. It could be some personal issues.

         2. Yeah, but he is making more contact now than he has in years. His BABIP is .300. He is hitting .279 as a Dodger with 3 long balls and 5 RBIs. Last nights running blunder aside, he has done pretty much what they hoped.

   2. No, AF did not sign Kimbrel He TRADED for him. AJ Pollock, remember????? V Gon is no where near ready.

      1. Totally agree on the VGon’s status Bear. He wasn’t right last year and so far this year hasn’t been healthy much. To expect him to be playoff ready would be a reach. The Dodgers have a strong BP when Graterol, Treinen, and Almonte return. If there are no further injuries to the BP I would let VGon continue to rehab at OKC and be ready for 2023. He’s undoubtedly a talented pitcher and I enjoy watching him succeed.

         1. Just read on another blog that V-Gone pitched a clean inning in the AZL.

10. The ghost runner is stupid.

    Kimbrel has the worst luck, a flipping bunt that shoulda been an out and then a duck snort to RF.

    The walks do have to stop….

    1. Oh, the walks will stop Matt. You can’t walk anyone or have bad luck when you’re not in the game. There’s an app for that! Problem solved.

11. Do we believe Roberts has really put Beli on notice?? Basically what he has said is its great that you can field, but we need you to hit. We’ll see

12. I don’t have a problem with Doc sitting Belli. But, last night it bit him in the ass. Lose the battle to win the war I guess.

    All season, Belli has taken one step forward, two steps back. I feel bad for him. It’s good to get some bench time or AAA time to take pressure off and work on the adjustments that are having a hard time sticking when playing every day.

    With that said, he should have been brought into the game with a one-run lead to protect. Just like Muncy should have been taken out of the game with a one-run lead to protect. Doc had a lot of options to improve the defense behind Kimbrel. After pinch-hitting for Lux, with no reason to do so, Hanser struck out, something that Lux could have handled all by himself.

    You already knew you had to defend a one-run lead, why not keep Lux in the field? Bad decision number one.

    Hanser enters the game at second base. Muncy still at 3B and CT3 in CF and Thompson in LF taking over for Gallo after pinch-hitting for him. Is this really the best defense you can put out there? Bad decision number 2.

    Doc had plenty of options here. He should have taken his worst fielder out of the game in Muncy. He could have put Belli in CF and in Muncy’s spot in the order, moved CT3 to second and Hanser at 3B. Or, he could have dissolved the DH and put Turner at 3B. Or, he could have done his job and had Max play up with the home team playing for a tie, the bunt was obvious to everyone except for Max and Doc.

    1. Belli’s OBP is awful: .261.
       His bat-to-ball skills are weak. He strikes out nearly four times as often as he takes a walk.
       He’s a terrific fielder… but the Dodgers don’t lose that much with either Chris Taylor or Trayce Thompson out there. They are damn good. (For that matter, so is Outman, though I doubt we’ll see him again this season.)

13. The Kimbrel experiment needs to be over. He had his chance and “we can’t take it anymore!” There are enough arms to figure out how to get they last three outs in most games. I say cut bait with Kimbrel, “set him free”. I really hope that Cody’s bench perspective helps him find the light. A game saving catch by CT3 was beautiful to watch. He looks to be able to be very solid when Cody needs his bench perspective. Let’s get our ducks in a row for October. Go Dodgers win this series, then the next one…….

    1. I think Cody robs that home run ball. Taylor didn’t even try.

       To CT3’s credit, fantastic catch to save us a chance to win the game.

       1. Cody makes that diving catch look routine. Wouldn’t have even had to leave his feet. Might have had to slow down at the end.

    2. How bad is Kimbrel luck; if Taylor doesn’t make that catch, Vesia loses the game and Kimbrel doesn’t have to come in. Yes he is very unlucky.

14. The Los Angeles Dodgers reinstated Edwin Ríos from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Room on the 40-man roster was created Monday when Tony Wolters was designated for assignment.

15. * After a shaky 1st, Pepiot looked to be settling in nicely. Then Yellich quickly changed that in the in the 5th. Critical inning after we had just taken the lead and the kid couldn’t get it done.
    * The third time thru with Woodruff is really amazing. He goes from Cy Young to Sayonora just like that.
    * I’m with BP on some questionable moves. So in the 11th with Renfroe up, I’m think “bunts in order” to get the Ghost Runner to 3rd with one out. But wait, nobody bunts anymore, especially the DH in the 5 hole. So we play the infield back and don’t take away the bunt. Guess what? Renfroe bunted for a hit and became the winning run. How are you not protecting that with Muncy in?
    * What bothers me most about Kimbrel is the non competitive critical pitches. He doesn’t just miss on 3&2 by a little. It’s 2 feet outside. Personally I’ve seen enough. He can’t possibly turn things around enough in the next few weeks to earn my trust in the playoffs. Keep him around for mid game relief until Treinen and Graterol are back and give him a bus ticket.
    * He could use some of Price’s accuracy. He’s throwing it where he wants to lately and it leads to his effectiveness. The pitch to Adames’s end of 7th, hit the target up and away perfectly.
    * I would love to see Phillips and Treinen at the back end down the road.
    * I’m a big fan of the TV camera shot from center field the last 2 nights. Just to the left, In the first row above the “Giannis Bobble Sun 9/11 “ sign, sits the cutest couple. Hoping for 3 nights in a row.

    1. Yellich got ALL of that. Big time bomb.

       What’s happened to Yellich? He’s on a slide last couple seasons.

16. Rangers Fire President Of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels
    By Steve Adams | August 17, 2022 at 11:35am CDT

    The Rangers are dismissing longtime president of baseball operations Jon Daniels, Ken Rosenthal and Levi Weaver of The Athletic report (via Twitter). Texas announced the move shortly thereafter, adding that general manager Chris Young will now oversee all baseball operations decisions and processes. The move comes just days after the organization fired manager Chris Woodward.

17. Braves signed Michael Harris III to a 8 year extension. Braves also traded for Tyler White and sent him to AAA Gwinnett, A’s released Elvis Andrus……..Elvis has left the building!

18. Enough rope? I’d say! Kimbrel is strange fruit so cut him down. I for one don’t want to look at that scene anymore. I’m not going to say Roberts is a bad manager but the points made that he should of protected the one run lead are valid. Actually after the fact it has the appearance like it was written for a bunt by Roberts. We are all spoiled by the way Dodgers have played the season for the most part. I’m sure it’s the same with Roberts and we should of won, It’s easy to analyze the loss after the fact but it also should of been considered before. At any rate Kimbrel can’t cut the mustard, That’s the biggest glare.

    1. You know they are not going to do that, neither are they going to try an untested pitcher at this point with such a huge cushion in the division.

19. Somebody is going to fix Bellinger – I hope it is the Dodgers.

    1. Agreed. He won’t play the rest of his career this way but the light bulb may not go on until he’s in a different uniform.

       I still wish he’d look at video of his high school at bats. He looked much better back in those days.

       1. But he never hit a HR in HS!

       2. He needs to watch video of 2017. Then he needs to realize you can still hit the ball hard without that long swing. Pitch recognition classes too. He consistently chases balls out of the zone. Chris Taylor needs to sit in on those classes too.

          1. What you do is set him up in the batting cage and fit him with a shocking dog collar and nail him everytime he swings at a bad pitch.

             1. Exactly Team K leaders……Bellinger 116 Taylor 114. Muncy 99. Pitiful.

             2. Bat speed gear @ Dodger Stadium shows Belli’s lost a fair bit of bat speed. How do you fix that?

             3. I don’t know, but at his age, it has to be mechanical or physical, and those can be fixed… maybe not during the season.

                I don’t accept that a 25-year-old loses bat speed without an injury or mechanics.

             4. There you go!

             5. Fred Lynn lost it practically overnite. Won that MVP/ROTY in’75. Then a run of injuries and a .270/20 dinger guy the rest of the way. Good glove too. Baller.

             6. https://www.mlb.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-statcast-bat-tracking

                Trayce top bat speed?

20. @Duke Not Snyder

    Was this the umpire?
    https://mobile.twitter.com/Cut4/status/1093632235608199169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1093632235608199169%7Ctwgr%5E5fa6b989491fc2bbd57c711a60c88d84802774c3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2019%2F02%2Fumpire-dancing-strikeout-call-video

    1. Need that guy in the majors

21. 8:10 PM ET

    Dodgers (80-35)
    Brewers (62-53)

    SP Tony Gonsolin R
    14-1 2.24 ERA 116.1IP 105K 32BB
    SP Eric Lauer L
    8-4 3.64 ERA 118.2IP 116K 42BB

    Confirmed Lineup
    RF Mookie Betts R
    SS Trea Turner R
    1B F. Freeman L
    DH J. Turner R
    LF Chris Taylor R
    3B Max Muncy L
    2B H. Alberto R
    CF T. Thompson R
    C A. Barnes R

    In Domed Stadium

22. I’m not sure where or how V-Gone is far from ready. How many rehab appearances does a reliever need?

    1 then 2 days rest
    2 then one day rest
    3 then two days rest
    4 no days rest
    5 one day rest

    That’s 5 outings and 11 days.

    I think this has more to do with not activating guys until September so our cuts don’t wind up on a postseason roster. That and the fact that the bullpen is doing just fine.

23. Confucius say: Dodger Fans never happy; in Spring, want Summer, in Summer want Fall, in Fall, want World Series.

24. Kimbrell has not dominated any inning since he became a Dodger!
    Phillips has, many times.
    Bring Kimbrell into a stressful place early in a game so he can find his way back.

25. Roberts didn’t rule out using Bellinger in a platoon situation if he doesn’t find his stroke.
    “At some point, I’m going to put the guys out there that give us the best chance to win,” he said.

26. I just turned on the game. Who’s calling play by play? Where did the best analyst, Nomar, go? It’s sad to see an iconic organization such as the Dodgers have its’ announcing positions become a part time job. It was Vin’s unique gift of being able to describe a game and you thinking he was doing it just for you. Now, not so much. I have a feeling Joe Davis will be gone after this year. Because Joe Buck has moved on from Fox Joe will become their #1 announcer. That means Saturday baseball game of the week (I think), the World Series, NFL featured game, and the Super Bowl when scheduled for Fox.

    I believe this guy did some games earlier this year. He’s seems decent and has more energy than Davis. To bad he is stuck with Eric Karros. Note to Dodgers: Pick a pair and leave it be.

    1. Not sure what you are watching, but Joe Davis and Nomar are indeed broadcasting this game.

27. Not sure where you are watching the game, but it’s Joe and Nomar.

    1. Well, Glaze3 I was having what some might call a senior moment. Except this was a senior hour. Going into the bottom of the ninth I realized Fox Sports 1 was televising the game as well. Instead of entering the channel number I used the guide and saw Dodgers-Brewers and hit enter while not paying attention to the channel. Because Karros was doing the analysis it never occurred to me that Fox was covering the game too. Bottom line this is not an unusual occurrence for me these days. I still believe that Davis will full time with Fox after the season with Buck going to wherever he went. With what these guys make at the networks Joe can work a lot less and make way more.

       I don’t remember seeing a post from you in the past. But, coming from me that doesn’t mean much. Welcome to the fray and letting me know what’s what.

       Another high wire act from Kimbrel. Let’s hope he can improve and keep his job. He held a one run save for a first this year. Next, a clean inning would be nice. Roberts currently on TV and talking his nonsense.

28. The Catman is baaack! Awesome performance! Is Kimbrel closing?

29. Watching the first home run last night, I thought Bellinger would have snagged it. Sorry to see Taylor act afraid of it.
    Gonsolin looks great.

    1. People keep saying this and forgets Chris had a broken foot jumping trying to rob a Homerun, just 2 months ago.

30. No Kimbrel tonight!

    1. Uh, oh yes there is. He is coming in to protect a one run lead in the 9th. Hold on to your butts. Fergie gives up a run for the first time. Offense again missed an early scoring chance.

31. Can anyone remember a RH Dodger pitcher having a better year than Tony?
    14 or 15-1… 2.22 ERA?

32. So that took some guts for Roberts to make that call. And we thought Jansen gave us heartburn! Gonsolin deserved that win!

33. Gonsolin is awesome. My favorite pitcher. Figured he would be a good pitcher after putting up an under .600 OPS his first year.

34. Dellin Betances has decided to retire.

35. Tony G. 15-1 2.12 ERA….Awesome

36. RHP Edgardo Henriquez, who left his last start with what appeared to be an elbow injury, was officially placed on the IL today.

    Rancho’s game notes stated he’s done for the season—a very unfortunate end to the 2022 campaign for one of the Dodgers’ most exciting young arms

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