As we head into the weekend, we’ll examine some of the current News and Notes as it relates to Dodgers Baseball…
The Dodgers are coming off a sweep of the Marlins and taking two of three to take the season series from the Brewers resulting in a 5-1 record during the 6-game home stand. The Dodgers outscored the Marlins 19-4 and outscored the Brewers 22-11. Next up, the Dodgers will be playing a four-game series against the Marlins in Miami before finishing the month and beginning the next with a three-game series in New York against the Mets. The Dodgers split against the Mets earlier in June this year, and a lot has changed since then. Walker Buehler gave up five runs and was taken out in the 3rd inning of game 3. Scherzer and DeGrom did not pitch for the Mets in the previous series.
The pitching matchups for the upcoming Marlins series are as follows:
- Friday – Anderson vs TBD at 3:40 PM PT
- Saturday – May vs. Alcantara at 3:10 PM PT
- Sunday – Urias vs. Cabrera at 9:05 AM PT
- Monday – Gonsolin vs. Lopez at 3:30 PM PT
It looks like Heaney, Anderson and May are currently lined up for the Mets series, but things can change if the Dodgers choose to promote a Starting Pitcher to continue the six-man rotation or not if the Dodgers choose to forgo the six-man rotation until Kershaw comes back after his scheduled sim game this weekend. The Mets will have the opportunity to line up Walker, deGrom, and Bassitt if they stick to their current rotation as scheduled.
Who’s Hot and Who’s Not
Offense
The Dodges have no less than seven players with an OPS above .900 in the last seven days.
- Trayce Thompson leads the pack with a homer and two doubles, four runs scored, and 5 RBI in 12 ABs.
- Joey Gallo has three hits in his last 9 Abs with a double and triple, three walks, four runs, and a couple of RBI
- Austin Barnes has two hits in 7 ABs with a solo shot
- Cody Bellinger is 5 for his last 16 with two 2B and a HR, two runs, and 4 RBI to go along with three walks and just one K.
- Trea Turner is 9 for 22 with a whopping eight runs scored and a couple of doubles to go along with 2 RBI.
- Justin Turner is 8 for 21 with a homer and a double four runs and 5 RBI, and 2 SB to boot. Freddie Freeman has 10 hits in 24 ABs, 5 runs and 6 RBI, and a pair of doubles.
Going Cold…
- Max Muncy has slowed a little regression with just 4 hits in his last 18 ABs with 5 Ks. He has one home run, 4 RBI and 1 Run in that span.
- Chris Taylor is still trying to get a feel for hitting with just 3 hits in his last 16 ABs with 8 Ks. He has a double and 2 runs scored, and 0 RBI to show for it.
Pitching
The starting pitching has been red hot as a whole during the last week. Six different pitchers started each of the six games played during that span.
- Tyler Anderson went seven allowing one run on five hits, three walks, and 6 Ks
- Tony Gonsolin went five strong innings but was pulled with a big lead.
- Heaney went six, allowing two runs while racking up 10 Ks.
- May’s Debut could hardly go better – five innings of 1 hit ball and a couple of walks while racking up 9 Ks.
- Pepiot made what is possibly his last start of the season and went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits with 7Ks.
- Urias took a tough-luck loss while the Dodgers were shut out of that game. He gave up two hits and one walk, and one run on a solo HR.
The bullpen has been mostly fantastic, with Graterol (2.1 innings), Martin (2.1), Phillips (2), Vesia (2), and Kimbrel (1) all scoreless in their outings this week.
On the other hand…
Bickford (3 innings) gave up three runs while vying for a spot on the OKC roster or the waiver wire. Price, Alberto, and Ferguson were the only other relievers to give up a run(s), with Alberto and Ferguson surrendering their first runs of the season.
Injury Updates
- Gavin Lux is on the bench nursing a Lower Neck/Upper back injury and is expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday.
- Clayton Kershaw threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and is expected to throw a 4-inning simulated game on Sunday. If all goes to plan, he could be activated against the Mets, or against the Padres in the following series.
- Yency Almonte still isn’t throwing off a mound, and his injury is taking a lot longer to heal than initially expected.
- Tommy Kahnle got his first taste of OKC rehab assignment last night, going one inning while surrendering two runs on two hits and a HR. He is expected to be back in around two weeks.
- Blake Treinen has pitched in four OKC rehab games so far and gave up two unearned runs the last time out on two hits. He is targeted for a Sept 2 return to the big league roster.
- Victor Gonzalez has pitched in 2 OKC rehab games so far, going an inning and picking up a strikeout in each. He’s allowed a hit and retired all other batters he’s faced.
- Danny Duffy pitched a sim game so far in the Arizona complex league; he hasn’t yet been assigned to an affiliate to pitch in a Minor League rehab.
Thoughts on the Upcoming Series and More…
We’re going to see a lot of really good pitching over the next six games starting with TBD and The Marlins, whoever that might be. Alcantara will be looking for revenge in a Must See TV game on Saturday against Dustin May, who allowed one hit in five innings against the Marlins last time. On Sunday, Edward Cabrera will look to continue his hot streak of four games without allowing a run. The good thing is that the Marlins can’t seem to score runs on any kind of consistent basis as they are bottom of the barrel in that department, with only the Pirates being worse in the NL. The Marlins will have to make a roster move to cover that TBD or go with the old “Bullpen Game” on Friday. We finally get a break against Pablo Lopez on Monday as his stats show he’s merely human.
Since the Mets are lined up for Walker, deGrom, and Bassitt the series would have a playoff preview feel to it if it weren’t for the Dodgers wasting two of their top pitchers on the Marlins series. The good news is the Mets are horrible against Left Handed Pitchers this year, checking in at 18th overall. They’ll have their work cut out for them against Anderson and Heaney. More good news is that the Dodgers are the top offense against righties this season, and they’ll need to be against Walker, deGrom and Bassitt.
It seems like the Dodgers are trying to get players some rest while still keeping the pedal to the metal. 2/3rds of the outfield is in a steady rotation of play time vs. bench time while Lux is resting, nursing an injury, and seems to be in a semi-platoon with Hanser Alberto of late. Muncy, JT, and Smith get the most DH time, while Barnes started 2 of 6 at catcher this past week. Mookie finally got a day off, but Trea and Freddie are Dodgers iron men while playing just about every inning. It seems that Doc talks about getting Trea and Freddie a day in most interviews lately; it just doesn’t seem ever to happen though.
The bullpen is about to get a shot in the arm, with Treinen, V-Gone, and Kahnle inching closer to a return. The only clear-cut weakness is Bickford, but Kimbrel might have been given the kiss of death this week when we heard that he’s no longer going to be exclusively closing games. His last two outings have been better, but maybe too little too late. He only pitched one game this past week, and it was a blowout and his first 1-2-3 inning that I can remember. The time before, he wiggled off the hook to notch a one-run save, but not before allowing two runners to reach. With Almonte nowhere in sight, do the Dodgers pivot and let Phillips take over the closer role with the best stuff in the pen and little experience in the 9th? This would require that Treinen, Graterol, and possibly Kahnle take those high-leverage situations that Phillips excelled in. Treinen has the most experience closing games other than Kimbrel.
I’m not sure how to get all the injured pitchers back onto the roster. Kershaw is a sure thing, and so is Treinen barring a setback. V-Gone, Kahnle, and Almonte are not sure things to return in my mind, but Doc says they’ll all be back at some point. Kershaw will return when the rosters expand and will take the 14th pitcher’s spot. Treinen will take Bickford’s, but a corresponding 40-man spot will need to be created when he does. The same thing goes for Kahnle, V-Gone, and possibly Duffy. I just can’t see four guys getting the DFA before the season ends. The good news is that players who are DFAs in September will not be allowed on the post-season roster for their new team.
Kimbrell will have time to prove he’s worthy of a spot until Kahnle and/or Almonte are ready. There’s a risk in adding Kahnle/Almonte, not knowing if they’ll be more effective than Kimbrel. With four DFAs required to get all the injured pitchers on the roster and the uncertainty they bring with them by coming off an injury, it might just be better to let sleeping dogs lie, don’t stir the pot, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, leave well enough alone.
It is a four game series in Miami. They also play them on Monday. LA will miss Scherzer, he is scheduled to go on Sunday.
Oh, crap! My bad. Thanks for catching that. I should have had you edit. 😉
Fixed
Montas is now with the Yankees, not Mets.
Mets No. 3 starter is Chris Bassitt now, I think. Taijuan Walker also in the mix. The Mets will be tough.
Seems like every time he gets a chance, Trayce comes through. Nice to see Belli heating up, and the change of scenery seems to be working for Gallo.
Dodgers’ biggest question mark right now seems to be closer. The answer may not be between the RPs.
Heading into the playoffs, there should be six possible starters: Urias, Gonsolin, May, Kershaw, Anderson, Heaney.
Among those six, I see two potential closers: May and Urias.
Urias did it before, brilliantly closing out the last championship.
And May, of course, has just wicked stuff.
I doubt they use Julio in that role this time. He is way more valuable as a starter. Who would you trust more, him or Heaney? Anderson will be in the mix. But they will use a 4 man in the playoffs. Also, you and everyone else are assuming Kersh will be totally healthy. That is what they thought last year and he went down right before the playoffs.
Haven’t seen a lot of Heaney thru the years. Last couple outings he seems to be throwing heaters up in the zone. Ball looks flat, dingers are flying. Is he losing it or does he always live on the edge? Earlier this season he seemed to be going with the curve for his out pitch.
Heaney has always had trouble with the long ball. But his heater moves a lot and it isn’t flat. When it is up in the zone though, it is very hittable. The reason I used Heaney as an example is simply because he has not pitched a lot due to various ailments.
I’d do that if the Mets will use DeGrom and Scherzer to close as well. When in the history of baseball has a team taken a top 4-5 Cy Young candidate and put him in the bullpen for the playoffs?
Yeah, I fixed it.
Now let me fix this. There’s no way in hell Urias is going to the pen. There’s a snowball’s chance in hell that May does.
The Dodgers already have options for the closer’s role. If Kimbrel falters my gut feeling says that it will be closer by committee. Kimbrel, Phillips, Treinen, Graterol, V-Gone and Price are all options depending on the game situation.
I think Kimbrel will get the bulk of the closing duties in the remainder of the regular season if he starts to turn things around. I would imagine that Phillips gets some opportunities as well, to get him used to the 9th inning.
The postseason schedule might dictate a 5 man rotation for the DS and CS series. So, Heaney or Anderson go to the pen as a long reliever. All gloves are off in the WS where you only need 4 starters. I’m not sure they’ll want 2 lefty long men at that point, but I guess it depends on who they play.
Not having Kimbrel exclusively close makes sense. Phillips and others will be used to see how they respond. A PhillipsTrienen or Trienen/Phillips for the 8th/9th innings would not be surprising. But depending on matchups others will certainly be in play.
MLB announced there will be a four-game series in Korea in November as part of their world tour.
“I don’t come here to sit on the bench and collect a paycheck. I don’t believe in that. No one in this world comes to work and just sits there. If they did, they’re not going to keep their job, you know?” On #Dodgers Iron Men Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner.
Although a little rest would not hurt them at all
On a recent broadcast Joe Davis said Freeman doesn’t want a day off until they clinch.
That speaks volumes of what is inside the skin of Freeman. Not while important business is in need of completion. Lets all know they need to bring their ‘A’ game. The Braves sure screwed up letting that guy slip threw their grasp! Thanks Braves, We owe you one. The check’s in the mail.
Marlins Designate Jesus Aguilar For Assignment
By Steve Adams | August 26, 2022 at 1:36pm CDT
The Marlins have designated first baseman Jesus Aguilar for assignment, general manager Kim Ng announced to reporters (Twitter link via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald).
D-Backs activated Reyes Moronta.
6:40 PM ET
Dodgers (86-37)
Marlins (54-70)
SP Tyler Anderson L
13-2 2.73 ERA 135.1 IP 107 K 28 BB
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Turner R
2B Chris Taylor R
CF C. Bellinger L
LF T. Thompson R
In Domed Stadium
Friday’s Minor League Schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Emmet Sheehan) vs. Fort Wayne (Jackson Wolf)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (John Rooney) at Arkansas (Emerson Hancock)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Bobby Miller) vs. El Paso (Pedro Avila)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Justin Wrobleski) at Visalia (Jose Cabrera)
Miami has not listed a starting pitcher for tonight’s game, TBA.
RH Tommy Nance, 0-1, is listed as Miami’s starter;
Can someone clean this up for B&P’s sake? I believe his time on site is limited.
CURRENTLY READS:
Max Muncy has slowed a little regression with just 4 hits in his last 18 ABs with 5 Ks. He has a home, 4 RBI and 1 Run in that span.
Should read:
Max Muncy has slowed his regression a little with just 4 hits in his last 18 ABs with 5 Ks. He has a home-run, 4 RBI and 1 Run in that span.
You’re OCD, aren’t you?
And I think it could just as easily read “Max Muncy has showed a little regression…” The assumption is that Muncy was hitting at an unsustainably torrid pace recently, and that he is regressing towards the mean.
I made so many errors on this post it’s not funny. No excuses, I’ll do better next time.
It seems to me that Max has “shown” a little regression. Had his regression “slowed” there would be little regression at all. Seemed like a spelling error only.
Maybe folks can just give you a pass and let some shit go. Not everybody needs to be a junior English teacher, correcting poster’s work, BP. I got your message without picking fly shit out of the pepper shaker.
Actually, you’re right. I flubbed this. It should be “shown a little regression,” not “showed.” … and I got the gist of what B&P was saying.
OMG.
What is wrong with people?!?!!?
If you don’t think the edits are worthy, just ignore the post!
To B&P:
It’s all good!
And you said half-a-week ago you’ll be occupied with more important stuff.
Don’t you believe in the English language? Shouldn’t words mean something? Maybe language accuracy and meaning to you are like Walmart trifles to be discarded at your earliest convenience, but I’ll be darned if I’m going to stand idly by while someone makes horrendously erroneous and ill-conceived editing suggestions.
Dodgerpatch’s instinctual move to sarcasm is a small-time fave of mine.
Anyone know if we’re going to go after this guy? I see Friedman doing this:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34464005/cuban-teen-luis-morales-declared-free-agent-mlb-expected-get-record-bonus-pitcher-source-confirms
Why don’t you show us how it’s done Bluto? OCD and just downright grumpy!
?
Fixing how something reads, while doing it politely is now considered grumpy?
What, do you live on the other side of Sesame Street from where Oscar’s trash-can is?
Funny thing is what you wrote doesn’t fix it at all, doesn’t make sense in the context of what Muncy has been doing
Disagree.
Muncy’s recent uptick has been his regressing to the mean.
That regression has slowed in his last few (suboptimal) at-bats.
Could whomever is reading this, please add it to my other comment instead of “approving” it.
In statistics, regression toward the mean is a concept that refers to the simple fact that if one sample of a random variable is extreme, the next sampling of the same random variable is likely to be closer to its mean
We understand what it means.
He had been hitting .320 for the month of August. His career batting average is .231. In the last week he’s been hitting .220. His most recent hitting trend suggests he was in the midst of regressing to the mean from his previous hot streak.
Norm Macdonald was just awesome, although a lot of these jokes (I believe) were written by others.
Not to undervalue his delivery, nor his writing participation (this last sentence is in case people are thinking the first sentence was too grumpy.)
He’s so damn funny.
So, I at least got the picture right!
I think the time of playing roulette with Cuban players is gone.
I think that’s been gone for a while as far as the Dodgers are concerned. Who actually stuck as an MLB player from the Dodgers spending orgy on Cubans? Puig was the only player who had an impact. Hector Olivera … goodness. Those were some definite swings and misses in AF’s early days as GM.
I don’t know who’s worse. The Marlins lineup or Angel Hernandez. Neither should be in mlb.
Is this a case of Doc not caring if the Dodgers win this game or did he put Bickford in to try to win this game?
This is why I wanted a Doc proof bullpen for the playoffs
And Price too.
El pitcher Bickford es un desastre
Eric, we have a twenty game lead. You can’t use the same 3-4 bullpen guys every game and wear out your pen for October. You have to use your entire bullpen. This is the end of the line for Bickford. We will have a deeper pen for the playoffs.
Yeah, but Bickford with a one-run lead? You try to save the bullpen by using Bickford, then you wind up using the guy you should have used instead in the 10th.
Looks to me like he was giving him a chance to sink or swim.
And so far it looks like he’s sinking
Yes, it looks like the end of the tryout for Bickford. I thought he was bringing Kimbrel then, he is bringing him now
Well, Kimbrel threw a 123 inning, LOL!
and our jinxerTNeverrett said, 7/9 of an immaculate inning, LOL!
Well if we’re playing the Marlins in October then Kimbrel is our closer!
Surprising amount of complaining
If it’s me you’re talking about, I wasn’t complaining. Read my post again.
No worries, B&P. It was a fine post and much appreciated. Even Ozzie Smith bobbled a ball on occasion and got burned on a judgement call.
All considered I would much prefer that Treinen or Phillips be ready to close out games. Kimbrel just had a clean inning against a very weak team, so he still makes me nervous. We don’t know, however, if Treinen will be 100% and I don’t think Philips has much closing experience. I see Graterol as the closer… of the future, but not now.
The argument for using a stud starter in relief–which is exactly the high-pressure role Urias played in 2020– comes down to the notion that how you finish is more important than how you start. I would NOT have Heaney close because of the HR risk; if he started and gave up a dinger or two the offense can make that up.
I’m not sure if May is capable of pitching two days in a row, but look at this way: Why have May start once in a 5-game series as opposed to closing out two…or even three? Anderson or, yes, Heaney could start instead
Again, just suggesting options in case Treinen/Phillips/ Graterol don’t provide the solution for Kimbrel. A lot of this will come down to who is healthy.
Today’s overtime victory was very satisfying. Everybody in the lineup got a hit, and Muncy’s double in the 10th kept his streak going. Some excellent pitching and defense as well.
Another big game for Mookie, who oddly seems to be overshadowed these days by Freddie and Trea. (I recall the kvetching here whenever Mookie is in a slump–often while playing hurt.) Goldschmidt is a lock for MVP, but those three guys should all get some votes. Who is the most valuable Dodger? A case could be made for each of these guys, and Gonsolin as well.
With this game Mookie lifted his OPS to .895, just about 24 points below Freddie and 50 ahead of Trea. He leads the league in runs scored and the Dodgers in HRs–by a wide margin–even though he missed 18 games with injuries, which has obviously put a dent in the “counting” stats. Plus he keeps making web gems. A true SIX-tool player, because of his instincts and smarts.
In other news, did I hear a report that Arte Moreno will put Ohtani on the market before he sells the Angels? I’m honestly not sure if I heard that right…. But it’s still fun to fantasize what kind of offer AF might put together. The Dodgers don’t need him, but they are in a great position if they WANT him.
They won the game, get over it. Yeah, Bickford has had a tough stretch, and Eric, it is not Doc not caring about the game, it is Doc trying to show his guys he believes in them. With a close to 20 game lead, he can do that. Bickford will not be a part of the Dodgers pen in the playoffs. At Rancho, Duffy threw a 1-2-3 first inning. Never seen so much complaining about a team with a lead as comfortable as this. Except maybe in 17 when they were up by plenty and then had an 11-game losing streak in September.
My post wasn’t a complaint. Read it again. It was about the playoffs.
Still unclear whether Moreno (or a new owner) will put Ohtani on the market this winter, But FWIW, a writer for CBS Sports places the Dodgers as the most likely destination, followed (in order) by the Mets, Cardinals, Yankees and Rangers.
“The Dodgers have been enamored with Ohtani dating back to when they tried to sign him out of high school. He chose to play professionally in Japan instead…. Top executive Andrew Friedman is no stranger to making blockbuster trades, and his best-in-show player development apparatus has once again armed him with a war chest of top youngsters to offer to the Angels. The Dodgers could dangle some combination of catcher Diego Cartaya; righties Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, and Gavin Stone; and infielders Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch. The one potential snag in a Dodgers pursuit is if the Angels elect against moving Ohtani to their biggest geographical rival.”
Sound reasoning, I think. My guess is that a buyer would find the Angels more attractive if the franchise had four or five good young players under contract for years than with Ohtani guaranteed for a single season.
With the Dodgers, Ohtani would probably join Urias, Gonsolin, May and ??? in a 6-man rotation, and he’d be half of a DH platoon. (He’d get a bit more rest than he gets with the Angels.) And when he’s not in the starting lineup, he’d be a hell of a weapon off the bench.
Aug 26, 2022
@FabianArdaya
Dave Roberts said Chris Martin was completely unavailable to pitch with what he called an arm issue, and he was trying to stay away from Brusdar Graterol and Caleb Ferguson, which explains the reliever usage. Also said Phil Bickford just needs to pitch better in that spot.
Last night James Outman hit a walk-off three-run homer to complete OKC’s first cycle since 2011!
He goes 5-for-5 with a homer, two triples, a double and 6 RBI.
His second 6 RBI game in 3 days!
Outman had quite a night last night! Hitting for the cycle with 2 triples and a walk off hr! More productive than Bellinger’s month of August!
I can see Outman taking over for Belli next year if he doesn’t get his act together. They say that Outman had a complete swing overhaul and he’s close, but not where they want him to be.