So, all season Dodger fans have ragged the Dodgers’ “Botton-of-the Batting Order.” Specifically, they have been critical of Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, and Joey Gallo; however, that team they have been so critical of is poised to set a team record for wins. They are getting close, and the record should fall by next weekend. The question remains, “How much does it hurt the Dodgers to have Gallo, Bellinger, and Muncy, who are all true “three outcomes” players, at the bottom of the order?
Before you answer that question, you first need to consider how the Dodger lineup is constructed:
- The first hitter is an MVP Candidate who has 35 HR, 81 RBI, and .880 OPS and leads the NL in runs with 112.
- The second hitter is hitting .299 with a .816 OPS and 25 Stolen Bases – he has scored 93 runs and will bat in over 100 runs. He currently has 20 HR.
- The third hitter leads the league in batting and is second in runs scored. He is also an MVP Candidate and has a .405 OB% and a .921 OPS, and 20 HR.
- The cleanup hitter has 23 HR and 84 RBI, and a .352 OB% while OPS’ing .828. He is known for being especially clutch.
- The number five hitter is OPS’ing .803, but since July has been one of the hottest and most clutch hitters in all of baseball.
- The number six hitter is the former cleanup hitter who has had a bad season, but in the last 15 games, is hitting .322 with 5 HR and 16 RBI to go with seven walks.
- The number seven hitter is hitting .290 while OPS’ing almost .800. He is also a speedster.
- The number eight hitter is either Joey Gallo or Trayce Thompson. In 188 ABs, Thompson has 13 doubles and 12 HR to go with a .885 OPS. Gallo is OPS’ing .722 as a Dodger and, in 96 ABs, has 6 HR, four doubles, and one triple. He is OPS’ing .722.
- The number nine hitter may be the best defensive CF in baseball but has 26 doubles, 17 HRs, and three triples. He has stolen 14 bases in 16 attempts while OPS’ing only .644. He has scored 68 Runs.
Not many teams have better options at the number seven through nine spots, but no team comes close to the Dodger’s positions one through six. That is why they have scored 70 more runs than any NL team. Overall, it would be awesome to have .300 hitters in the last three spots, but the Dodgers have been extremely effective all season with the Three True Outcomes at the bottom of the lineup. The Braves and the Mets have holes in the middle of their lineup that you can drive a truck through.
The top six in the Dodgers lineup are the best in baseball, and the last three all have their moments. The truth is, “That’s all they need!” couple that with the best pitching staff in baseball, and this combination will be tough to beat… with or without Tony Gonsolin, Blake Treinen, and Dustin May. The biggest challenge for the Dodgers is the Braves (in my opinion), and they score fewer runs while giving up almost 3/4 of a run more per game. 105 wins and counting.
BTW – V-Gon pitched another effective inning for OKC last night…
Should May , Gonsolin and Treinen not be ready for the postseason the Dodgers pitching staff will be really thinned out. Especially the options in the rotation will be sharply reduced.#
We could look at an all lefty rotation with Julio, Clayton, Anderson and Heaney.#
No reliable bona fide closer too with Kimbrel being demoted from the closer role and his postseason status up in the air.
That for me is far from the best pitching staff in the playoffs.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IMO Urias, Kershaw and Anderson are 3 very good starters who get both left and right handed hitters out. A possible piggyback with Heaney/ Gonsolin is also a solid 4 spot. Then Phillips, Martin, Graterol, Vesia, Ferguson, Kahnle, Bickford and Price have been doing it all year!
If not the best in baseball it is certainly an excellent pitching staff.
Mark,
True we only look at our roster. But it would be interesting to look at the productivity of hitters 6-9 on other teams. But I think we already know the answer. And how many teams have someone like Lux batting 9th, even sometimes?
It looks like Kahnle may get strong consideration to be the post season closer. Last night he looked very very good. His changeup is a devastating put away pitch and I like the late-inning combination of Martin, Evans and Kahnle. Throw in a LHP like Vesia and the late inning pitching looks formidable.
Is a Blake Treinen activation really “in play?” I guess we’ll know a bit more this week, but I’m just not sure the Dodgers should activate him after being on the IL nearly all season long. Activate Almonte, and Price and go with it. Bickford awaits an injury to be activated if necessary, but a BP consisting of Ferguson, Almonte, Price, Graterol, Kahnle, Martin, Phillips and Vesia , Heaney, and /or maybe May and Gonsolin with a starting rotation of Kershaw, Urias, Anderson and a “piggyback” start with May or Gonsolin and Heaney. That’s 13 pitchers assuming two of Treinen, May and Gonsolin remain on the IL and one is activated.
If you watch the interviews with Doc, he is leaning heavily towards bullpen by committee saying that it’s actually easier and more flexible to work that way. With this bullpen, I don’t see why that can’t work. I would certainly trust Graterol, Kahnle, Almonte, Treinen, Ferguson, Phillips and Vesia in certain situations.
Yes, Treinen is in play if he doesn’t have any setbacks, so are May and Gonso. Hell, even V-Gone is in play if it comes to that.
Bullpen by committe is dangerous. It takes only ONE of the guys to have a bad day and it will cost you the game in a tight one.
It CAN work but it is not the best way to go. Most of the times the team that wins it all has one or two dominant starters that get you deep into the game. Dodgers in 2020 had Walker and Clayton who did the heavy lifting with some help of Julio at the end.
I see a scaring similarity to last year when our starters where not very effective due to injury or overuse.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bullpen by committe is dangerous. It takes only ONE of the guys to have a bad day and it will cost you the game in a tight one.
What does that statement even mean? Closer by committee worked pretty damn good for the Reds’ Nasty Boys. Maybe you’re saying closer by committee is dangerous? If so, show examples. Otherwise you’re blowing hot air.
Every team has to use 3-4 relievers per game these days. Yes, all it takes is a guy to have a bad game, but that’s true for all teams.
“Most of the times the team that wins it all has one or two dominant starters that get you deep into the game.” So, go ahead and tell me what teams in this year’s race that meets that criteria. The Mets? They have the oldest two 1 and 2 starters in the game. Are both healthy? DeGrom didn’t look to good yesterday. Any others? Any teams with a pen that has 7-8 guys with a sub 3 ERA?
All year, you’ve been worried and concerned and here we are with 105 wins, hopefully 106 after today. Does that make any sense to you?
Good to hear that V-Gon could be back soon, and Almonte also. Treinen seems very iffy at this point.
Unless Treinen is back at 100%, I think closer-by-committee is fine. Phillips, Almonte, Vesia, Graterol–all are capable.
There’s no real weakness in the Dodgers’ lineup. The OF defense might be the best in MLB, and it’s excellent at 1B and catcher. But I do wish Lux would start making better decisions and better throws.
With the uncertainty surrounding Gonsolin and May, I’m less confident about the SPs. Urias, Kershaw and Anderson are good trio, but the Braves and Mets SPs are just as good if not better. Plus, the Mets have probably the game’s best closer now in Edwin Diaz.
And beyond the NL playoffs looms the hated Trashtros.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
First the Dodgers should set out to absolutely crush the fighting spirit of the Padres.
10 games remaining, 1 against the Cards, 3 in San Diego and 6 at home against the Rockies. We’ve been resting at least one key player in almost every game this last week and still have 105 wins, and a 5.5 game lead over the next best team. Just one more win, or Mets loss and we clinch the top seed in the NL. We would have to play 500 ball the rest of the way and Houston will have to win out the rest of their games and they would still fall short of home field advantage for the World Series. It’s been one hell of a historic season with this team going down in history as a top 10 team every assembled. This is something that should be celebrated, but there’s always those that want to pee in the punch bowl.
Keys to postseason success.
Get the pitchers healthy. Right now, Kersh, Anderson, Urias look strong. This is probably the best three in the postseason. None are overpowering, but all are extremely effective. Contrary to popular belief, Tony G, May and Heaney are all very good pitchers and all are on track to be available in the postseason. Tony is scheduled for a rehab start on Tuesday, May has a back-ache, but is supposed to be available for the DS and although Heaney has given up a lot of homers recently, he still has just a 3.06 ERA and 97 Ks in 64.2 innings. He’s a very good pitcher.
The bullpen is ridiculous, “Bona-fide closer or not”. It sure looks to me like we have several pitchers that are comfortable pitching the ninth inning. Yes, it would be better to have Edwin Diaz lock down the ninth, but you still have to have guys that can cover innings 6-9 in the postseason. No one else has as many options.
Last year, the Braves won the World Series and Will Smith was their closer. He has 5 saves this season. They did alright with a guy that wasn’t really considered a “Bona-fide closer”. He also had a 3.44 ERA last year. The Dodgers have 7-8 relievers to choose from that have an ERA < 3.00. As previously stated, there's very little to play for right now, so our pitchers will not be taxed getting ready for the postseason. So, there's a good chance they'll be healthy enough to take down most of the game once the post season begins. The hitters need ABs to stay sharp. There's a fine line between rest and rust, especially with a week off between the end the of the regular season and the start of the postseason. Everyone has their opinions, but I think it would be better to keep the hitters sharp by playing them. I would go with the A lineup for today and tomorrow, give a couple of guys rest during the Colorado series. Let the players decide whether they need a day or not. I'm not a big fan of sitting Lux in favor of getting CT3 more playing time right now. I would rather see Lux out there every day and get him going. He's been much better than CT3 against lefties and righties all year. Just leave him alone and stop with all the platooning. The same can be said with Trayce and Gallo. Just let Trayce play. Gallo, CT3 and Hanser can come in with a lead to get their ABs. I'd much rather see a set lineup and let guys get used to playing together and get the good hitters hot before the postseason begins. Mookie RF - R TT SS - R Freddie 1B - L Smith C - R Muncy DH - L JT 3B - R Lux 2B - L Trayce LF - R Belli CF - L Just leave it alone now... Here's the NL Playoff Hopefuls hitting splits (OPS): Dodgers vL 771 / vR 789 Cardinals vL 809 / vR 731 Braves vL 786 / vR 751 Phillies vL 772 / vR 730 Mets vL 714 / vR 752 Padres vL 703 / vR 695 Brewers vL 665 / vR 752 The Cards hit lefties much better than righties and the Brewers hit righties much better than lefties. The Padres are neutral. The Braves and Phillies hit lefties better than righties and the Mets hit righties better than lefties. With the lefties mostly healthy in the first round, it would be really lucky to play the Mets, Brewers or Padres. Hopefully, by the second round, May and Gonso will be ready to go against the Braves or Cards.
I don’t know what your opinion is about Vargas, but that boy reminds me of Beltre, Vladimir, Bonds, Sosa, Miggy, when they were young and started their careers in the big leagues, young, thin, innocent, happy to play, as how the others looked at the beginning. I think Vargas is the next Latino star, which the Dodgers haven’t had since… Beltre? Puig cannot be considered since, well, we all know how that ended.
Enjoy the first of at least 300 home runs in a Dodgers uniform!
And that postcard of Pujols at first base with Vargas will be historic, the one who leaves next to the one who arrives!
You forgot Adrian Gonzalez. One of the main reasons that trade was made was to bring another Latino star to LA to try and bring the fans back after McCourt. Lets see how the kid does next year. I have not been impressed so far.
Bear – please expand your take on Vargas.
It is simple. He looks like what he is. A rookie trying to make an impression on the powers that be in a short period of time. He has played in 12 games, has 39 at bats and 7 hits. He has walked once and struck out 9 times. A little less than 25% of the time. He has not made a lot of hard contact. At this point in time. I see nothing special about the kid. Granted, it is a small sample. Calling the kid the next Beltre is way premature in my mind. I was more impressed with Outman’s short time in the majors as he flashed a A type defensive skills and some power. Vargas has done nothing so far to make me think he should replace anyone on the post season roster. He is a prospect, and until they prove it over time in the majors, all prospects are suspect.
Jorge, you just had to ruin a nice post by mentioning those two roid freaks/losers in the same breath as Beltre, Vlady and Miggy. Vargas definitely looks like he might be the real deal. Hopefully, we’ll find out next year for sure!!
VIVA AZUL!!!!
It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble.
It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.
MARK TWAIN
Words to live by. Reminds me of a certain former Dodger that has a WAR of 1 on the nose for the season.
I presume that you are talking about Alex Verdugo. I would still love to have him.
Rumor has it that he does not like Boston or Fenway. Not sure what that is all about, but he is a .260 hitter in Fenway and over .300 on the road. On the right team, I still say he wins a batting championship.
There is more to this story, that we may find out later.
Nope, guess again.
Alex is a solid ballplayer. He definitely doesn’t suck. But, he’s far from elite. He might be an all star a couple of times before his career is over and might have a chance at a batting title when he’s 100% comfortable with who he is. He’s Todd Hollandsworth with a better arm.
It’s not Ruiz – he has a 1.4 WAR and next year is likely his “break out year.”
I give… who?
Joc Pederson. WAR is 1.
4:10 PM ET
Cardinals (89-64)
Dodgers (105-47)
SP Adam Wainwright R
11-10 3.38 ERA 184.0IP 49BB 138K
SP Michael Grove R
0-0 4.66 ERA 18.1IP 7BB 18K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
DH J. Turner R
3B Max Muncy L
LF Joey Gallo L
2B Gavin Lux L
CF C. Bellinger L
Clear-day
0% Rain
89° Wind 8 mph Out
DODGERS MINOR LEAGUE REPORT
Oklahoma City is eliminated from reaching postseason after fourth straight loss
Sunday schedule
11:05 a.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Ryan Pepiot) at El Paso (Matt Waldron)
Yency Almonte: .2 IP 2H, 2 H, 1 K.
Wow. Andre just screwed Pujols into the ground with a Bugs Bunny changeup. That kid is going to be a great reliever.
I agree as long as he gets command of his fastball first.
B-P give us a hint on that 1 war player you were talking about
It’s not Josiah Gray, Pollock or Grandal
Just tied the franchise record for wins and top seed in the NL. The only thing remaining for the regular season is eliminating the Astros from best record overall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQWk7l8Su2U
Belli has looked good the last two games. Let’s hope it is a step in the right direction. How about two great defensice plays from Gallo?
Congrats to Michael Grove and (first MLB win) and Andre Jackson (second MLB save) .
Grove looked very confident in his stuff this time out. Fun to watch. No game tomorrow.
It’s clear Grove has passed Pepiot in the MLB pitching prospect list for the Dodgers. He has good stuff, is confident, decent control and looks ready to continue his maturation at ST and is a possible SP and in the rotation next year.
Congratulations on 106 wins again, and counting. Of the 100-win seasons in Dodgers franchise history, four have come in the past six seasons. Included in that stretch was the 2019 Dodgers setting a franchise record with 106 wins, which was then tied last year. The 2022 Dodgers are on pace to win a franchise-record 113 games. That’s remarkable and a tribute to the entire organization. This team is extremely fun to watch.
Grove looked great. Now I’m rooting to get Gonzo back for some inning and perhaps a long shot with Treinen. His stuff could be really important. But when push comes to shove, I see no reason we can’t win this thing with the staff and line up we have right now. Watching Kershaw lately increases my confidence.
B-P….. Joc Peterson ?
YEP
YEP
I want to join others on LADT in congratulating the Dodgers on what will be the most successful regular season in franchise history. Now, I know we all believe that winning the World Series is essential in making this the most successful season ever for the Dodgers. But, as a fan who has made LADT a daily read I want to thank those contributors who offer a positive and informative perspective on the season daily – Mark, BP, Phil, Bear, Ted, Duke and others. It is a pleasure to enjoy the long season with you….