That means he is really not fixed – you can just see the momentum shift as he throws strikes and then throws balls. I hope, wish, and pray he is fixed, but he’s not. I hope to the Big Dodger in the Sky that I am wrong. He’s Kenley Jansen revisited. The Dodgers will rue the day they did not DFA him. He looked great his last time out as well as in the 9th inning, but then the Dodgers had to rely on Chris Martin to bail them out. Craig Kimbrel will break our hearts… if allowed!
I would have taken him out after the 9th inning, but I am not going to criticize Doc for letting him in. I am sure Mark Prior endorsed it as well. I just thought Kimbrel should have had the opportunity to build on another good inning. It was a decision that was made, and I will not second guess it like many fans who have never had to make such a decision but are quick to criticize Doc when Doc has so much more inside information than them. I guess it makes them feel important to criticize the manager who has the best record in baseball (All-Time).
I see fans say, “that was a horrible decision.” OK, when things don’t work, yeah, it did not work out. But was it a horrible decision, or did the player just not execute? It’s like some fans think Doc does things just to lose the game. That is really some horrible thinking. No, it is a total lack of thinking! I call it “immense moronism.” Of course, Doc wants to win every game, but he also knows that JT had a low-grade fever, that Gavin LUx had a stiff neck, and Caleb Ferguson had an ingrown toenail removed today. I made all that up, but it’s stuff you will never know, that Doc does, and yet you pretend to know better than Doc. GROW UP!
In the 2019 playoffs, when Kershaw gave up two back-to-back Home Runs, was that on Doc? Hell no! Many Dodger fans blame Clayton, but Doc did not throw a pitch. Clayton himself will tell you he messed up. It was on Clayton. If Clayton had executed his pitches, he was out of the inning. He didn’t, and that was that. You can blame Doc, but I blame Clayton. Truth be known, Clayton blames himself too. It was not Doc’s managing that cost the Dodgers the win; it was Clayton’s lack of execution.
Why did Trayce not start against the RHP, because we all know he has reverse splits? Was he tweaked? Was he sick? Was he tired? Does he have a bad record against Lopez? No clue, but I guarantee that Doc wants to win as badly as anyone. Actually, more because he has financial incentives attached to winning… to say nothing of his job. Very few of us have a clue of what inside information Dave Robert has access to, but many pretend they do…. because… well, because it makes them feel important!
When something goes wrong, we like to be able to blame someone. “IT’S THEIR FAULT!” Doc can put the players in a position to be successful, but the rest is up to them. AS Bluto reminded us last night, the Dodgers are on track to win the most games in franchise history… barring a total collapse. And… let’s not forget how they did that:
- Justin Turner, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger underperformed much of the season.
- Craig Kimbrel was a bust as a closer for much of the season.
- Walker Buehler blew out his arm and was never a factor.
- Clayton Kershaw was on the DL twice.
- Relievers were dropping like flies, but Friedman bought them cheap and stacked them deep!
Despite the adversity, here they are. The best team in baseball with one of the most criticized managers because… well… I think most of you understand that to have the best manager’s record, you have to be pretty dang good. Dave Roberts is not perfect, but he has made more right decisions more often than not, and in fact, has made the right decisions more than any other manager in baseball since he started managing. Yes, Andrew Fredman gave him a good team, and Dave Roberts managed it accordingly.
I also think that if you understood how much Doc collaborated with the front office, you would understand that the decisions you place on him are the product of the Dodgers’ Braintrust. It is a fact that the Dodgers have an “Inner Circle” composed of about a dozen individuals who make these decisions and “brainstorm” situations and solutions. Who is in that group? Here’s the list:
- Andrew Friedman
- Dave Roberts
- Brandon Gomes
- Josh Byrnes
- Jeffery Kingston
- David Finley
- Ron Roenicke
- Pat Corrales
- Chase Utley
- Matt McGrath
- Jose Vizcaino
- Sam Elias
… and coaches like Mark Prior, Josh Bard, Conner McGuiness, and Danny Lehmann can also be involved. It could be an informal meeting or a Zoom call with 12 to 15 people on the call, discussing game planning and strategy. So, when you blame Dave Roberts for many of your imagined failings, you are really blaming the Dodger’s Braintrust. I guess that makes you smarter than them all. Andrew Friedman could just fire them and save a lot of money by only paying you. Ha, Ha!
The Dodgers are in a very good position right about now. Even losing Tony Gonsolin for a couple of weeks won’t hurt. In fact, it will likely help him be fresh… providing there really is really no bad underlying injury… just a strain. The thing is: the Dodgers play the injuries very close to their vests, so we really don’t know. What we do know is that the arm injury was of the degree that the Dodgers training staff were willing to sign their names and sign off to it, so it is not a phantom injury. Tony Gonsolin has pitched 128.1 innings and needs 33.9 innings in order to qualify for the ERA title. He will not likely get that requisite number of innings, but he can still win the Cy Young. It all boils down to who does what the rest of the way. Tony is in the running, but so are Sanda Alcantra and Julio Urias. Tyler Anderson has an outside chance.
It’s time to accept that in a short playoff series, this may be the Dodgers rotation:
- Julio Urias
- Dustin May
- Tony Gonsolin
- Clayton Kershaw
That leaves Heaney and Anderson to eat some chunks of the game. The truth is, the Dodgers could withstand another injury to their staff. Gonsolin may be out longer than we believe. Forearm strains are frequently indicators that Tommy John is imminent. The Dodgers think they caught it early, so he may be fine, but you never know. They have so many arms coming back that it is insane. Dave Roberts will only use Craig Kimbrel for one inning from now on… we have seen that movie, and it won’t happen again, but Man-O-Man, did Chris Martin sack up or what? Don’t forget about Andrew Miller and Gavin Stone as well.
Andrew Friedman is intrigued by Danny Duffy in high-leverage situations. He may just get his wish soon. This team is loaded, and it would be awesome to take two out of three from the Mets. Andrew Heaney takes the mound tonight!
Enjoy!
Miguel Vargas is just getting his “man strength.” Watch out! No way the Dodgers trade this guy. He is going to be a star. Write it down.
I would have pulled him too. But a lot earlier than letting the bases get juiced. One misstep and it is a loss.
I dont know why he left him in to begin with but to let him throw over 30 pitches (when it was said that Kimbrel loses effectiveness at around 20-25 pitches anyway) is perplexing. even for Doc.
I know that Doc does manage to lose games but in a way it looked like that he was setting Kimbrel up to fail.
I also questioned his move to remove Price after only one better. Strange move when you are trying to give the pen as much rest as possible and only getting 4.2 from your starter.
ON a different subject: Dodgers can not go into the postseason with GAllo, Hanser, CT3 and Muncy and Barnes. that is 5 bats below or just above the Mendoza line, with 4 of those bats being strikeout kings to make things worse.
Against playoff caliber ptiching that spells doom.
Barnes is the backup catcher so he is safe and MM has come on a little lately but the other 3 ? Meh.
I´d rather have Rios , Busch and Vargas or Outman if the trend continues like it does with CT3, Gallo and Hanser.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
Price faced 3 batters last night I believe…..he gave up a double, a walk, and then got the last guy out.
Correct. But he made only 8 pitches.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!
You failed to mention Bellidud. Or as he is known to many, forever “Mr. Mendoza Line. We have Trayce. Bellidud can go play/fail with some other team.
Trayce Thompson will be 32 next season!
Take off Trayce’s 143 ABs with the Dodgers this year and his career batting average is .207.
Will he keep it up? Well, I hope so, but he is 31 and has never done it before!
I love Trayvce, but in 706 Career ABs, he has 33 HR and 96 RBI.
Cody Bellinger is 26 and has hit 150 HR and 408 RBI.
Where I am from the people who choose Trayce over Cody would be forced to ride the short bus.
I would keep Bellinger on the playoff roster. No way should CT3 be on the playoff roster. He really is not helping the team. I may not know as much or have as much information as DOC but I do know Trayce should be getting the bats that CT3 is getting. Don’t understand why DOC keep playing CT3 so much.
I do blame Doc for leaving Kershaw in, especially against the righty. They had righty arms available. And of course we don’t know why he left Kimbrel in for the second inning. How many times has he done that this season. And I would not have brought in Price to face the guy who hit a homer against him last time. But we have the best record so that is that. As for Dodgerrams comments. I think Muncy has shown he is ready. CT3 gets a pass because of past performance. We know management will almost always go with experience. Gallo still has one more month to show what he can do. He is NOT batting under .200 here. Just like we will decide on Chris Martin on what he does going forward, not on what he did before.
And comeon!! How BORING would it be if all we posted was how great the team is.
Good preview of the upcoming Mets serie with an eye on the postseason in the NL.
I said the same thing couple weeks ago: If Scherzer and deGrom are healthy they are the big equalizer to the Dodgers superior depth and overall talent. Dodgers team is taylormade for the regular season but in the playoffs it is a different story.
Throw in the Dodgers woes in the 9th inning with Kimbrel being shaky almost every outing and the Mets definetely have an advantage there too. Both the Braves and Mets will be a tough opponent and hard to knock out. even for the best team in the regular season.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34481058/what-week-dodgers-mets-matchup-teach-us-potential-october-showdown
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw a lot of East Coast Bias in that article. Way less analysis and it seems that the way it was written, all the Mets have is Scherzer and deGrom. They must have mentioned “Scherzer and deGrom” at least 10 times in that article.
No mention of the Mets sucking against left-handed pitching and the Dodgers having the most left-handed pitching in the league? I thought it was odd that no one mentioned this. Last season, we had 3 guys in the conversation for Cy Young and look what happened. One of those guys was Scherzer.
deGrom is a beast. There’s no doubt about that. But, if you’re concerned about Dodgers injuries, why not deGrom?
The Dodgers are on cruise control. There’s less of a battle for best record than The Mets and Braves battle for their division winner. They may have to dogfight to the end like us and the Giants did last year. It’s too bad they only play each other 3 more times this season.
I’m really looking forward to this series that begins tonight. But, the pitching isn’t matched up in a way that it looks like a playoff preview.
Well, Dodgers injuries already have wiped out our ace in WB. Now TG on the IL. Kersh too and no body knows how he will come off it.
At the moment deGrom and MS are going well and doing their thing. So yes, I am more worried about our injuries than theirs though every pitcher is always just one pitch away from being under the knife.
History has proven that even one ace pitcher on a hot run can lead his team to the WS title. Mets have two.
There is no denying those two facts.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Mets are good, and I think the Braves might be better.
And that team from Houston is stronger still.
And the Yanks, and Cards and just about any contender can beat the best team.
It’s baseball, after all.
Seems strange that, after all their troubles this year, the Padres are still positioned for a Wild Card spot….
The Dodgers may be great…. but it won’t be easy.
To think: The Padres could knock ’em off.
I find the prospect of Scherzer and DeGrom thrilling if a Mets fan and terrifying if anyone else. But the Dodgers would face the Mets after 2 series? Right?
So, in theory Scherzer and DeGrom could have been used quite a bit on short rest. Or are there baked in rest days between each playoff round?
I’m much too lazy to look it up RN.
If the Mets get the other buy, where they sit right now, the Dodgers and Mets would play each other after one series, the Division series (5 games) with one less travel day.
There is a day off between the WC series and the DS, a day off in the NL between the DS and CS and 2 days off in the NL between the CS and the WS…
https://www.mlb.com/postseason
The second round of the playoffs should definitely be reseeded based on season records. The team with with the best season record should have more of an advantage. Second round we get Atlanta and Mets get Cards. That should be reversed.
100% agree. They do it in Football….
To me, it sure looked like Doc was making sure all the guys that he’s been resting in the pen got a chance to get some live action before the Mets series. But, why pull Grove so early? Oh, he must have some inside information that Grove has an ingrown hair on his big toe on his landing foot. Sounds like a crock of nonsense to me.
Kimbrell is slowly getting better. I was fine sending him out for a second inning. He got pinched like he usually does and gave up a couple of walks. Martin was fantastic. Another AF pickpocket.
I really don’t like that rosters only expand to 2 additional players. How do you go from the entire 40-man roster to just 2 extra players? Another short-sighted move by Manfred.
I don’t think we’re going to have Gallo, Belli, CT3 and Alberto in the same lineup in the postseason unless someone gets hurt. This was a semi-rest day I guess. Trying to get CT3 going and trying to knock off the cobwebs for Alberto. With just 35 games remaining, it’s going to be next to impossible to cough up the division lead and tough to lose best record at this point.
Grove looked pretty good against one of the worst offenses in the league for a guy we should just cut to bring in a bullpen arm we don’t need. He’s Mitch White 2.0 at worst and will rack up some frequent flyer miles over the next couple of years. This is a valuable role on any roster and still might develop into a very good pitcher.
The Dodgers prefer veterans in the post-season over inexperienced players. You don’t get any Randy Arozarena’s with this philosophy. It’ll be interesting to see if Outman, Rios or Vargas get’s the call to be that extra bench player in September.
I think Mark will improve his record to 500 on prospect futures. Vargas is the real deal. If I had to assign a comp, I would look no further than JT. A guy that’s gonna make a ton of contact and hit a lot of line drives. Hopefully, he’s gonna work as hard as JT to improve his defense. His power will show up as he gets his man strength.
James Outman is very intriguing to me. I sure hope he works out, but you never know. He’s 25 already, but that’s okay. Aaron Judge broke out in his age 25 season. Not every great player gets the call in their early 20’s. I actually prefer to let guys bake a little longer in the minors. I’m not saying he’s going to be Aaron Judge, but I think Brian Giles with more K’s is a possibility.
More likely, Eddie Rios gets the call in a couple of days. It sure looks like we have a lot of outfielders, but we also have a lot of third basemen for the time being.
I have watched Grove a lot this season, and while I am not going to look it up, I can tell you that the higher the pitch count for Grove, the higher the opponent’s batting average.
SMH, I’ll take your word for it. Just weird that everyone in the pen needed so much rest, then he used the entire pen ahead of the Mets series. Maybe that makes sense to you.
Interesting news on the business front…
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34479699/mlbpa-sends-union-authorization-cards-first-step-unionizing-minor-leaguers
They will get it done and the minor leagues will get raises.
The immediate impact will be that ticket prices will rise and attendance will drop.
Spoken like a true business owner!
That reads a lot more jaded and cynical than it is meant to. I think there’s a very good chance Mark is right, costs increases often lead to price increases. Whether they have to is debate for another board.
In the playoffs the Dodgers may need Kimbrel to go more than one inning. Roberts did that with Jansen several years ago. He he shows he can’t do it that’s fine. Can he get past the hurdle of 25 pitches and done? . Let’s find that out now and not when it really counts.
That is exactly what Doc was doing last night. He has tried it twice and failed. Kimbrel is a one-inning pitcher at this stage of his career.
I’m sure when the roster expands to 28 players, the extra 2 will be pitchers, forget Rios, Vargas, Outman et al, unless they can pitch as well, but even for that you already have Alberto.
It is true that many times we blame Roberts when things do not go well, but that is why we are fans, it is our job to criticize the manager, and that happens all over the world and in all sports.
And we can’t deny that sometimes Roberts is wrong, I mean, he’s not a God, he’s not perfect either, of course he also makes mistakes, why can’t we say?
And to those who believe that it was a mistake to put Kimbrel for another inning, I think it was good, you have to confirm whether or not you can count on him, if not now that there is a lot of advantage and against one of the worst teams, then when?
Dodgers Mets in a possible National League Championship Series and ESPN decides to broadcast SD-SF…. Who cares about that stupid game and those stupid teams!
Can’t be 2 pitchers. One has to be a position player and one has to be a pitcher when the roster expands to 28.
Correct!
Really? Who the hell made those stupid rules?
probably a Padre
Slow clap for Bobby.
Well done.
Roberts does make mistakes I agree, but CT3 playing most of the time over Trayce is not a mistake to me he seems to favor CT3 why I don’t know all those strike outs it’s horrible.
Excellent writeup MT. I agree as well with bringing Kimbrel back for the second inning of work. Why not? He did his job in inning one so why not let him continue. If successful, it would help with his confidence. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Back to throwing too many noncompetitive pitches. He seems to have a concentration issue. It’s a shame for Kimbrel and the team. He appears to have good stuff, but can’t consistently throw strikes. With the lead the Dodgers have I have no reason to complain about what the front office/Roberts decides to do or not to do. I believe any questionable moves that are made in order to get dialed in for the postseason. It’s time to sit back and enjoy the rest of the season.
Carry on.
Mark: Thank you for this post. I’ve been accused of being a Doc lover. Actually I am wins lover and he has given us wins at an unprecedented pace. It has been said that anyone with the Dodgers’ talent would win at the same pace. In the past I have pointed out that other Managers with teams of great talent have not won at the same pace as Doc’s team. That argument has never gotten a response.
Two days ago it was argued that Doc’s post season record comes under suspicion. I replied to that point with the following post which was buried as a reply and got no response:
“Doc has only been involved in 6 post seasons, not 7. Hopefully #7 will produce what we all want. I really think an argument can be made that if Kershaw’s pitches in Game 5 of 2017 weren’t being stolen, we probably win that game and the series. Unfortunately we will never know. But it is hard to believe one of the best sliders of our time got no swing throughs in that game. So if we eliminate 2017, Docs’s teams have been to the WS 2 out of 5 and won 1 out of 5. If we include 2017 and assume they would have won, he has been to the WS 3 out of 6 and has won 2..
Tommy, a very good Manager got to 4 WS and won 2 in 21 years. Yes Doc has had better talent. I have used the argument of others who have had great talent but not as good a regular season winning record as Doc. Let’s use the post season example of Sparky Anderson, managing the Big Red Machine or Bobby Cox managing a team with 3 Hall of Fame Pitchers. Sparky managed the Reds for 9 years, got to the WS 4 times and won 2. During Cox’s incredible 14 straight division champs, they got to the WS 5 times and won 1.
I have a sneaky hunch that when Doc has that length of time in the seat, his record of WS appearances and wins will stack up with the best of them. As I said earlier, we will just have to agree to disagree.”
It would be great to hear an argument against this.
Finally, a sarcastic comment about Doc pulling Grove yesterday was made and finished with “sounds like a crock of nonsense”. That certainly implies that poster (and he is not alone) feels many of those decisions are made without any reason which defies reason. The facts are very obvious and as I said, we will have to agree to disagree.
Roberts is a company man. He is a part of an organization … a system. He manages the decisions on the field in real time with prior collaborative input. He manages the personalities on the roster and allocates playing time with that in mind. He is the company PR spokesman when speaking to the media.
He works for what the Dodgers have built, and we can’t complain too much about the results because the Dodgers have had the best run in team history under Roberts and AF.
However …
He’s not a smart in-game tactician. He’s just not. He implements the overall strategy – The Plan – on a macro scale, but the small subtleties of the game as they occur just escape him. He does not see and observe on a micro level like a Billy Martin, who, for all of his instability and combustibility, was a genius at the little things, and through observation could direct a small adjustment that had the potential to have a more substantial impact.
I totally blame him for that 2019 loss against the Nats. He made dumb decisions, and yes, it’s easy to be an armchair manager … but they were dumb decisions. He continues to make dumb decisions, and, no, I don’t mind him sitting guys or playing guys, because he does have to manage the overall workload of his team – to keep some players fresh and other players sharp over the course of a long season. I think he does that pretty well. He’s not good at reacting to the game as it develops.
We take the good and the bad. He’s good at some facets of managing, bad at others.
I chuckle over the fact that we are still talking about Kimbrel getting squeezed at the plate or getting unlucky. If that’s how we cope, then fine, and I don’t care so much if Roberts puts him out there against the Marlins with a 20 game lead, but let’s not kid ourselves.
“Kimbrel” was trending on Twitter and some of the responses were hysterical. I don’t even think The Great Dodger in the Sky can help Kimbrel at this point.
https://twitter.com/poppafloppa/status/1564435427049689088?s=20&t=jkJNwcUaHByIsTqs37kOlA
Well said. Twitter is garbage.
my post is in jail
I posted bail!
Dodgers Expected To Activate Blake Treinen This Week
August 30th, 2022 at 9:44am CST • By Steve Adams
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/dodgers-blake-treinen-activate-injured-list.html
I think part of what Mark said up top was directed at me. So:
“Doc can put the players in a position to be successful, but the rest is up to them.”
That’s the thing I point out most of the time (If not all of the time) when I “complain”. That sometimes Doc doesn’t do that. And right now the Dodgers have a comfortable lead for best record. So when I “complain” it is about Doc possibly doing it in the playoffs.
“So, when you blame Dave Roberts for many of your imagined failings, you are really blaming the Dodger’s Braintrust.”
Not with bullpen moves. No way the braintrust can determine pitching matchups in real time.
—————————————————————————————-
I was fine with Kimbrel pitching a second inning yesterday. With the Dodgers lead for best record, the more innings for Kimbrel the better to see if he can get on track for the playoffs. And for my own reasons I want to see a little more of Vesia and a lot more of Martin, and of course Treinen and Almonte when they are back, just to see if the injuries are fully gone/if the injuries are effecting their performance.
Dodgers are number 1 in team batting and pitching OPS, number 1 in team starting pitching ERA, number 3 in team bullpen ERA (Hint hint why I talk about that).
This is a great team overall.
Eric: Doc is obviously the final decision maker. But please understand when Mark is referring to the Braintrust on pitching decisions, he is referring to Doc’s coaching staff, who are there in the dugout providing input to real time pitching matchups. I said a few days ago that my opinion is that Prior is the best pitching coach in baseball and is also backed up by very good assistants. My belief is that Doc goes to them on all pitching decisions and heavily relies on their input. That’s kind of all I need to know to provide confidence in what will happen. So when anyone mentions a “Doc proof bullpen” they are really saying a “Doc and his pitching coaches proof bullpen”.
Yes, this is a great team overall, and that includes the Manager.
Yes whoever is responsible for taking a pitcher who has not done so good in the past with other teams and turning them around for the good, I give them high praise. Mark Prior most likely or whoever it is. I hear you on pitching decisions.
Eric,
It was not directed at you, but if you want it to be, it can…. 😉
OK sorry about that.
I beat AVF posting the lineup… 😉
Miguel Vargas = RH Freddie Freeman!
did anyone see Houston Mitchell’s article in the LA Times? He shows how the
Dodgers have fared against pitchers from the other likely NL playoff teams. Read and enjoy:
deGrom– 0-4
Scherzer–5-5
Fried–2-2
Nola–2-0
Wheeler–2-2
Wainwright–7-5
Musgrove–0=5
Darvish–2-5
That’s an overall record of 20 wins and 28 losses vs. the Dodgers. The Dodgers are a REALLY good team. You shouldn’t be so worried about who they play and who pitches against them. They are quite capable of beating anyone.
Go Blue!
So as I’ve said as a fan and poster here, Alls Well that Ends Well. If the outcome is positive it didn’t matter how we played.
But as a coach, I don’t actually believe that. I want to see good performances.
I never coached to WIN. Winning is a product of your players playing well. If you have good players and they execute well, your chances of winning are good. Sometimes some dude just shoves it up your nose or a batter hits your best pitch out of the park. They get paid too.
To me, winning is a Journey. Not a Destination. I played that way too. You do your best but you expect to do well in big situations. Failing to show up in post season is unacceptable if you prepared properly throughout the season and you are healthy.
It’s a long season. It’s hard to be motivated sometimes especially with a big lead and when Doc is trying stuff. But I’m not satisfied with 2 infield errors in one inning, or failing to hit a cut-off man, or failing to back up a base. Hustling and doing what’s expected takes no talent and should be the minimum standard.
I am concerned about left field and our difficulties with LHP. I would like to see Vargas and maybe Outman get a look but there is only room for 1 call up. And while that’s doable, it doesn’t help us much for the playoffs this year. I’m pretty sure Thompson, CT3, and Gallo will be out there and not a rookie call-up. And you know Bellinger will be in center for his defense, speed and base running and the hope that he will occasionally run into one.
I don’t like what I’m seeing from all the outfielders except Mookie. Last night, for example, Trayce, CT3, Gallo and Belli were 1 for 11 with 7 K’s. And this wasn’t against a quality staff. Thompson is killing RHP but nobody can hit LHP. I’m not referring to one game. I am not comfortable with the bottom of our order especially against playoff pitching.
Unless CT3 gets it going, I’d suggest that despite his experience and versatility, he wouldn’t make my playoff roster. Since he returned on August 5th, he’s hitting .185 with 30 K’s in 65 AB’s. That’s pushing a 50% strikeout rate. I might take my chances with Outman or Vargas if CT3 doesn’t get better.
For the next 30 games, I’m looking for somebody who can hit LHP. But for now, All’s Well that Ends Well”.
Well said, Phil. I enjoy your coaching perspective on the game
7:10 PM ET
Dodgers (89-38)
Mets (82-47)
SP Andrew Heaney L
2-1 1.94 ERA 41.2IP 12BB 62K
SPTaijuan Walker R
10-3 3.37 ERA 117.1IP 35BB 88K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
3B Max Muncy L
DH Joey Gallo L
2B Gavin Lux L
LF T. Thompson R
CF C. Bellinger L
C A. Barnes R
Partly-cloudy-day
6% Rain
79° Wind 14 mph R-L
My Lineup has some added info.
You outdid me…
Taylor’s K rate has reached epidemic proportions. I see no light on the horizon. He continues to chase pitches he cannot square up. Hate to tell you this Dodgerram. but of the five guys you mentioned, the only one on the bubble I see is Gallo. Muncy, CT3, Barnes and Hanser are making the team. No way they bring a rookie into a pressure packed playoff scenario. As much as I like Vargas and Busch, they have about as much chance of being on the playoff roster as me. Rios is a real possibility. He has been there before. Jorge, MLB makes the rules about the roster limits. 14 pitchers and 14 position players. And do not even bring up Bellinger. His defense is what he is in there for. And he is simply the best out there.
Rating of player skills is not a definite science, however……………………………………
Baseball America has just published their year end “Best Tools” list for AAA.
Their choice for the best DEFENSIVE third baseman – Miguel Vargas
They also picked him as best PCL batting prospect, but that was probably to be expected.
Wow, that’s high praise for his D!
Make that Best Defensive 3B in the PCL, not the entirety of AAA. They did it by league.
Still, that’s very good news–and a bit surprising.
Roster moves:
Bickford and Grove to OKC
Eddy Alvarez dfa
Reed and Heath Hembree to LA.
Hembree’s stay is sure to be a very short one.
JayB, it seems like the only time you comment on this site is to talk about Doc. I’m not taking the bait. You want to run cover for him like Mark? Be my guest.
I’ll just leave this right here…
https://www.google.com/search?q=dave+roberts+questionable+moves&sxsrf=ALiCzsZz6DD8uR883EkBSFvKjOZ1tRZptA%3A1661893469300&source=hp&ei=XXsOY9miDLDXkPIP7qq96Aw&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAYw6JbSK3Pmu_4SSTqfavdSk1fupIcYS5&ved=0ahUKEwiZxYvPu-_5AhWwK0QIHW5VD80Q4dUDCAk&uact=5&oq=dave+roberts+questionable+moves&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBAgjECc6BwgjEOoCECc6DQguEMcBEK8BEOoCECdQygRYygRglQloAXAAeACAAY0BiAGNAZIBAzAuMZgBAKABAqABAbABCg&sclient=gws-wiz
Here’s one of my favorites…
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/six-dave-roberts-moves-in-game-5-that-were-head-scratching-at-best-malpractice-at-worst/1lloesxdfzr9q1iizjhzxmyzj2
At Citi Field for my 20th MLB ballpark visit. Beautiful park with an exceptional front door that is a rotunda and an excellent museum to the Mets.
Weather right now is beautiful with a subway that was packed with baseball and US Open tennis fans.
Go Dodgers!
I’m so envious, NCDF. Are you doing any other stadiums on this trip?
Just Citi Field on this one
Why so many gloom and doom comments?
We will roll-over these Mets .
Let’s GO DODGERS!!
Win4Vin
Wow, way to start off playing like a bad Little league team. Just give them a two run head start, at least.
So far, Heaney doesn’t look like he’s ready for the pressure. Hope I’m wrong and he strikes out the side
Big sigh of relief, got lucky with the Mets playing Little League also
Cool, just one!
Captain Barnes
Heath Hembree?
Yep. 11 year vet. Pitched for the Red Sox in the 18 Series
Home run ball is starting to become worrisome
Oops….. concerning
It’ll be nice to have Miguel Vargas in LF next year, and not the “swing and miss’ brothers we have in the OF now.
Vargas is not going to be playing left field next year.
3B
Who said this was an important, playoff preview.
Jake Reed with zero saves is in as the closer
Embree with the win,Reed with the save.
Heartwarming to see the emotion from Reed
Great game by Lux
Doc sure is a genius today!
I don’t see genius today.
I see Blind, Dumb Luck!
😉
Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers are just showing off now Jake Reed for the save.
This win almost seemed disrespectful….
“We’re so good, Mets, that we’ll turn a close game on the road over to a couple of guys we just called in from OKC.”
Nice to have Lux back. And Trayce just keeps hitting…,
On the downside, Heaney still gives up HRs…..
Stat check: As measured by OPS of qualified players, Dodgers rank first in the MLB at catcher, SS and RF, and Freeman is second to Goldschmidt. Lux is 4th at 2B.
Among all outfielders, Mookie is second to Judge. (Since returning to the Dodgers, Trayce’s OPS would be among the leaders.)
Who are Hembree and Reed? How did these guys get brought up? Why qualified Reed to close? I know Kimbrel pitched yesterday…but certainly they had someone more worthy than Reed, didn’t they?
Of course, I’m glad he saved it.
Strange use of the BP in the 9th but it worked out so all is good. What a crowd, felt and sounded like a playoff crowd. Clearly the Mets fans want the Mets to be what the Dodgers are and they were into the game from play ball.
Love the Citi Field experience, Long Island Railroad from
Penn Station to the game was east but very crowded with Mets fans and US Open Tennis fans and getting back on the LIRR out of the stadium was quite the experience.
Would highly recommend NYC for Dodger fans if it’s on your bucket list.
Thinking I may go to the NLCS is the Mets make it.
But I really dont want to deal with the obnoxious Mets fans.
I was there in the NLDS 2006 I believe, when we got 2 guys thrown out at home plate on the same play…..brutal but that was then.
This team is special. Hope you enjoyed it!!
Well, FWIW, Doc said there wasn’t anyone more available. 4 bullpen pitchers, the thing was how to jugle them.
Doc also mentioned that he used Reed last because he was the one who would have been able to go multiple innings in case it didn’t end in the 9th.
I’d rather be lucky than good.
I don’t think that’s true
It IS ALWAYS better to be lucky than good.
Miguel Vargas was pulled out tonite on the second inning and is heading to New York to join Dodgers in the taxi squad!
LAT’s Jack Harris reports that Vargas would be a call-up.
I hope it’s more than the taxi squad.
So what would you have done Mark? Phillips in the 8th to face the heart of their lineup. Reed comes in to face the bottom in the 9th. Why would you risk any possible injury tonPhillips coming back for a 2nd inning in the rain?
I am not second-guessing – it is just bizarre.. But it worked….
So Doc brings in a new call-up in the ninth to save the game. the guy does his job and Mark’s comment is “I’d rather be lucky than good”. Wow! how about acknowledging that Doc put the right guys in the right positions at the right time and they won the game. How about Buck? Any comments about him? He seems to be everyone’s manager of the year.
Doc has the best winning percentage in the history of baseball. Period!
And meanwhile, Outman hits for the cycle…AGAIN.
Unreal.
Of course I hope that Belli and Gallo and Taylor stay healthy…. of course I do!…, but I would mind seeing Outman come back up either.
And Belli once again pops up with the bases loaded and one out. So next year you can pay Bellinger 20 mil or Outman 200 K to play CF. LADT keeps whining and Dave Roberts keeps winning!
If they don’t re-sign Bellinger, I doubt they put all their eggs in the outman basket.
Think Brian Reynolds of Pittsburgh. Andy Pages, Mike Busch, and Emmett Sheehan…