Dave Robert’s selection to start Julio Urias in Game one of the NLDS was a landmark decision that essentially told the world that he had supplanted Clayton Kershaw as the ace of the staff. This was no slight to Kershaw, who continues to thrive as a Dodger starter and will undoubtedly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer after retiring. Urias’ durability is primarily the reason for the decision, as he can much easier come back and pitch game five of this series if it goes that far, unlike Kershaw, who now definitely needs his rest between starts. But there is another thing that is significant about the naming of Urias to this “Ace” status. He is a Mexican star on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Something that the team has wished to have ever since they arrived in Los Angeles in 1958.
Walter O’Malley understood that the Mexican American Community needed to be addressed. He knew his market and the demographics of Los Angeles, with a large Spanish-speaking population, primarily from Mexico (and understood that the proximity of Los Angeles to Mexico as well). He desperately wanted to tap into that market and find that one Mexican player that was a star. It was something he desperately wanted to cultivate. When you consider the origins of Dodger Stadium and the community that was displaced at Chave Ravine, it wasn’t a good start for the Dodgers with that community when they arrived. Because of those events, there were generations of Mexican Americans in Los Angeles that refuse to this day to attend Dodger games.
O’Malley was big on international expansion, and though Mexico was his prime target, it wasn’t the only international market that he wanted to enter. He sent his teams repeatedly to Japan on goodwill tours as well.
“Find me the Mexican Sandy Koufax,” he told his Latin American scout, Mike Brito. This was shortly before his death. “I tried to explain that it wasn’t easy. There aren’t a lot of arms that are electric like that.” But Brito, a Cuban-born scout with the Dodgers, searched for that talent south of the border, and much to his employer’s chagrin, he initially came up empty.
There were few that knew the ins and outs of the Mexican League in the 1970s better than Brito. A former minor league catcher in the Washington Senators organization. Brito was a Los Angeles-based truck driver still obsessed with baseball. He had meandered through the Mexican league region for a decade. Little did Brito know that his first break with a Mexican American player was right under his nose in Los Angeles, and he had found him before the Dodgers had even employed him as a scout. The year was 1976, and the 41-year-old Brito continued to play the sport he loved in an East Los Angeles Semipro Adult league. He could still hold his own as a catcher, and in this one particular game in Boyle Heights, he struck out against this mustachioed kid who threw a twisting screwball. It was there he found a young right-hander that would change his path and Dodger history as well.
That strong-armed right-handed pitcher was L.A. native Bobby Castillo. Castillo had been drafted by Kansas City out of Lincoln High School, but the Royals cut him, and he now played in the adult league for fun. Brito was working in the Mexican Leagues at the time, and he immediately convinced Castillo to play in Reynosa. It was there where he quickly started his ascendency toward the big leagues.
Al Campanis hired Brito shortly after in 1978 because he had introduced Castillo to the Dodgers, who took a flyer on the kid. His screwball was mowing down Mexican League hitters at an impressive clip. He sported a 19-11 record and 2.22 ERA at Monterey. By 1977 the Dodgers compensated KC, who sold his rights to them. As a 22-year-old, he had a cup of coffee in the big leagues, and in 1978 he bounced between Albuquerque and the big club. Castillo loved playing for his hometown team. Being a Dodger fan, playing for the blue meant a lot to him, and his Los Angeles roots played a big role in that. His best year as a Dodger was 1980 when he was 8-6 with a 2.55 ERA. He remained with the big club in the ’81 strike year, where he earned a World Series ring. During the off-season, Campanis dealt him to Minnesota, where he got a chance to start, pitching 218 innings and going 13-11 with a respectable 3.66 ERA. Castillo finished his career in 1985 with a short return back to the team he loved in Los Angeles before retiring from the game.
Castillo loved wearing that Dodger uniform. When he was traded in 1982, he said, “It’s going to be hard not to out that Dodger uniform again. They’ve all been great, even the people in the stands who booed. They booed great.” Castillo’s historical contribution to the Dodgers really had little to do with his playing career. It was his ability to teach that screwball to an up-and-coming, Mexican left-handed pitching prospect who was in need of another pitch. Brito and Campanis paired Castillo with Fernando Valenzuela in 1979 Spring Training first because he could communicate with the young man who was just 19 years old. Secondly, Castillo’s unusual screwball might be a pitch that he could teach the youngster. The tutelage worked. Valenzuela learned to master the pitch immediately and put it to use. So effective was the pitch that he passed Castillo immediately in the organizational depth chart.
That Lefthander that Brito found in a dusty old field in Silao, Guanajuato became the greatest draw in Dodger history, but his signing almost never happened. In the ESPN 30 for 30 film “Fernando Nation,” the details of the Valenzuela discovery and signing were explained by Mike Brito.
“I went to (Silao, Guanajuato), Mexico, to watch a shortstop we were interested in. But I didn’t like the shortstop at all. He didn’t impress me a bit, but there was a young lefthander pitching that day against the shortstop. Twice he had the bases loaded against him with no outs, and twice he struck out the side. A young pitcher that age showing that kind of poise; that is something that we, as scouts, always notice. So, I forgot about the shortstop, and I went behind home plate and watched this left-handed pitcher. I was ready to sign him right there. I was impressed with his makeup. I told him my name is Mike Brito, and I’m a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He didn’t care. I thought, ‘Who does this guy think he is?’”
Fernando recalls the story differently. He really didn’t know what a scout was, and he didn’t care either. He just wanted to win. “I concentrated on my game; that’s it.”
Brito was able to get the kid to admit that he would be interested in pitching in the big leagues. That was enough for him. One viewing of his performance and he was on the line with Al Campanis. “I think we found the Mexican pitcher that we need in L.A., and he may be another Sandy Koufax. We offered him $125,000, and they countered by seeking another $50,000.” Campanis wanted to walk away, but Brito convinced him to move forward. “It was a good thing that we offered the extra $50K because the Yankees came in with a $150,000 offer.”
Valenzuela’s arrival wasn’t immediately noticeable. He didn’t arrive with great fanfare or attention.
In a 2012 interview that I had with former Dodger outfielder Mike Marshall, he said the following about Fernando in the early stages of his development.
“Quick story. I’m in Reno, Nevada and I’m 19 years old, playing for the Lodi Dodgers. It’s half an hour before the game and they tell us that we signed a kid out of Mexico, he’s 18 years old and he’s starting that night, and I’m playing 1st base. It was Fernando Valenzuela. He had hair down to about here (points to his shoulders). Big long black hair. He didn’t speak a word of English. He was from somewhere in Mexico and Mike Brito had signed him. He threw about 90 MPH. He had a curve ball. I think we got beat that night. It was nothing special. It was towards the end of the season.
“So, we went to Spring Training the next year, and Bobby Castillo taught him the screwball. And the next year, he went to Double-A in San Antonio, and it got a little more interesting. He still didn’t speak English… He’s 19 now, and Hershiser was also on that staff. All of a sudden, he is lights out. He’s up with the big club. He didn’t even go to Triple-A. Next year there are a bunch of injuries out of Spring Training, and this kid could flat-out pitch. With his screwball and changeup, he threw over 90. He’s a heck of an athlete, and he’s the guy. He had no fear. He pitched opening day at the last minute against the Astros. I think he struck out 12 or 13 guys and threw a 3-hitter and Fernandomania starts.”
“You know, to see him at 18 and then the changes at 19. It just shows you that one pitch, just one little change, can impact in a major way. And then to be Mexican, pitching in Chavez Ravine. The year the Dodgers won in 81. I got called up at the end of the year. To be part of that was amazing…it was special.”
So here we are, 40+ years later, and it has always been important for the Dodgers to have that Mexican star. Ismael Valdez and Dennys Reyes briefly did so in the 1990s. Juan Castro wasn’t a star but a steady defensive infielder as well. Adrian Gonzalez filled the role for several years. Now there is Julio Urias, the number one starter on what may be the best pitching staff in the game.
Urias has accomplished a lot in his six years with the club. The only 20-game winner in the big leagues in 2021, the closer in the Dodgers’ first World Series Title since 1988 in 2020. Now he had the lowest ERA in the league and is a surefire candidate for the Cy Young Award. Watching Urias mature as a pitcher makes me see some similarities with Fernando Valenzuela; it is mainly his poise and confidence. Valenzuela pitched until his arm practically fell off. His career was shortened by overuse, a common theme of pitchers from that era. Today, Urias is coddled and treated with care. His value is too much for the Dodgers to risk losing him for any extended period.
Bobby Castillo passed away too soon at the age of 59 in 2014 of cancer. He had been on the Dodgers alumni speakers bureau and community services team. Mike Brito died in July of this year. He signed many Latin American players over the years, including Ismael Valdez, Antonio Osuna, Juan Castro, Dennys Reyes, Victor Gonzalez, Karim Garcia, and Yasiel Puig. Many of us remember him for his Panama hat and radar gun that was in the inground dugout seats that Dodger Stadium used to have before Stadium upgrades. He was named International Scout of the year in 2014 and has been the recipient of the Tony Gwynn Award.
I would like to be able to express my opinion about the Mexican players and the scarcity of them in the big leagues, but I prefer not to comment on anything, so as not to get into trouble, but I think it’s a shame that due to lack of, or greed, or lack of intelligence and stupid owners, it is that there are no more Mexican players in the United States, but it is not for lack of talent, in fact there are excellent pitchers here, and I think there are not many power hitters, but with a fielding worthy of a gold glove
Gonsolin gets ball in crucial Game 3 for Dodgers
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Dave Roberts said Chris Taylor will start in LF and Trayce Thompson will start in CF vs LHP Snell
Watch all the sky is falling fans come out of the woodwork today. No, we weren’t going 11-0 in the postseason.
This was always going to be hard. We haven’t played our best ball and its tied 1-1. We are fine….
So Watchung Trayce was disappointing. His second AB. I think 5 pitches. He was just looking fastball all the way. Darvish threw him, what looked like all flat, sliders. And finally struck out again. It seemed the guys who got hits were looking for off speed and were able to adjust, but not him
Watching Mookie go ofer before finally getting a hit was much more disappointing. The guy is making a ton of money and he is supposed to be the offensive catalyst. So far, he is very disappointing
I agree with you Bear.
Thompson, Bellinger and Mookie have been disappointing after two games. Mookie was given a gift hit on the OF miss by Grishom and Bellinger has a check swing bloop hit. Trayce looks lost. JT came up in an RBI situation AB with runners on 3rd and 1st with no outs and promptly strikes out. I think he otherwise has a bloop base hit to RF. Not good!
Dodgers scored three runs last night all on HR’s. The Dodgers have had streaks where they have been all too reliant on the HR for runs rather than manufacturing runs with a timely base hit or sac fly. That happened again last night.
I think they’ll jump on Snell and get into their BP quickly on Friday and all will be right in the world
Games 1 and 2 were really good playoff games.
Intense, close, missed opportunities, clutch and non clutch pitching. Makes for a good series.
Great article Evan. This is a reason that I want Jacob Amaya to succeed. The only thing better than a Mexican kid from Mexico, is a Mexican kid from LA. What a star he would be.
Last night was a disappointment. You just can’t give your opponents extra outs. It will more often than not, bite you in the ass. We play clean baseball and we just might have won that game.
I really do wish that Clayton would turn in a gem in the postseason for once. He goes on stretches during the regular season where he’s unhittable for streaks of games at a time, but never in the postseason. I guess we’ll have to wait for the next series to see if he’s up to the task.
I also couldn’t help think what the hell is Muncy doing at 3B? Maybe I’m wrong, but in my eyes JT is a better fielder and it’s not really that close. After a week of rest, is there any reason to sit him in favor of a worse defender? This really irks me. Just put your best players in the field.
What the hell is with the announcers? It sounds like they’re actively rooting for the Padres. No impartiality whatsoever.
I would really like to see the Dodgers go with Gonso in the next game to break up all the lefties.
Almonte is ridiculously dirty.
It was good to see Treinen get back out there, but he was a little rusty and gave up a bomb. The bright side is that he was getting it up there at 98 in his first outing back from the IL.
Graterol did his job, Trea Turner’s defense is greatly overrated. A routine play that turned into a run and a loss. The hardest hit ball off Graterol was the out to end the inning off a 92 MPH slider. Everything else was a groundball. He’s a ground ball pitcher.
Kahnle was a ridiculous as Almonte.
There were plenty of baserunners, jut couldn’t get that big hit with runners on. It was pitiful watching them get 4 free passes and 11 hits and only coming up with 3 runs, all solo shots.
Gonsolin gets ball in crucial Game 3 for Dodgers
LOL – I think I was writing mine while you were posting that. Cheers!
In case anyone forgot we were shut-out 2 of the first 3 games last year VS SF in the DS and wound up winning the series.
We are in MUCH better shape right now. I figured we’d split in LA, play 2 solid games in SD and see where we come out.
Is there 2 less likable players than Grisham and Machado, my gosh.???
I cant STAND those 3 guys.
And yes the annoucers suk, totally pro SD.
You must have forgot about Tatis and Correa
Say what you want about Machado but I would take him on my team any day of the week. He has been the best player in the series so far and just seems so locked in offensively and defensively. All the jibber about him not being a leader is horseshit. It’s obvious he is the leader of that team and he does it by his play on the field.
Totally agree with you KP. I think I was the lone voice here in 18 when he at least showed some much needed attitude while we were rolling over to Boston.
What a player. Don’t throw him anything over the plate and let him walk if necessary. Thought we might’ve learned out lesson from 19 looks this season.
Soft hands and a cannon of an arm who hits for power and average. Not many of them out there.
Agree Watford, the bastard is great, but no one takes him away from him. He’s not the type of player for the Dodgers’ identity.
All true, but as the leader of that team he also influences the team culture, and the team culture is a lot like him – arrogant, disrespectful and whiny all at the same time – a little bit like the typical Dodgers Digest reader
As good as he is, and you can’t deny that, I’m glad he’s not on the Dodgers.
100% screw that guy. He’ll fade in short order…
Maybe with a bit more attitude we’d have won a couple more WS in recent times?
Just sayin
Machado called Tatis out last year about his behaviour.
Sounds like a leader to me.
Meantime the Dodger faithful loved Puig and his pathetic showboating and antics.
Sounds like a bit of hypocrisy to me.
True test of a leader is how he acts when things DONT go well. Its easy to be a leader when things go right and all is merry and bright. When things go South true colors come out and we’ve seen that time and again. So Hypocrisy>>> No….
Machado aint that guy, sorry.
When he was a Dodger, he was no leader. He is also one of the reasons Tatis is a punk. It is ok for them to be demonstrative, but let a player on the other team do it and they whine. Happened last year when Bellinger robbed Machado of a homer, and Graterol threw his cap and glove in the air. Machado went all nutzo pointing and threatening. Until Muncy and the other Dodger regulars came out of the dugout and pointed back. That’s leadership. Oh by the way, Machado’s production when he came to LA fell a ton from what he was doing far from the pressure of a pennant race. He has turned things around for himself in Dago. A lot of money thrown at you will do that. but he is still a jerk.
Puig was the victim of too much fame too early and little knowledge of the culture he was thrown into. He was also an immature kid. He had no mentorship while with LA and that I put on management. The one player who seemed like he could communicate with him, Juan Uribe, was traded. But there is absolutely no denying his talent and tools and the excitement he brought to the Dodgers. His antics were something a little leadership could have nipped in the bud. He also had a mercurial temper.
Good point!
I was fond of Puig because he was a character, but I’m glad he’s gone. The Dodgers are a better team with him not on it – mostly because his immaturity was detrimental to the team culture. Drama is never good for an organization that needs to be focused on more important things.
Yeah I especially like his spiking tool
Really/ Really a great player who in the 2018 World Series got exactly 4 hits, all singles ….when he was a Dodger. Unsportsmanlike spiking of the oppositions first baseman in the NLCS against the Brewers. Team leader>? Team asshole is more like it.
So who is the leader over there?
Maybe the guy who with his team a game down to the much fancied divisional rivals , who’d beaten up on them all year, on their own patch, took their Ace deep in the first inning to set the yonr for the evening?
Maybe the guy who when he saw his pitcher on the wrong end of a diabolical call from the HPU, (not mentioned by anyone today) and then get taken deep, rather than stand by the third base bag shuffling his feet in the dirt, came out fighting, marching down the line to give the chump a verbal volley and make sure the injustice had been noted and had better not happen again!
He then proceeded a GG performance at 3B. We coulda certainly done with some of that.
I think your right Matt, a leader does show up in adversity.
The Fox boys know who the leader is over there even if some here can’t see it. The cameras never leave him.
The leader, and the main reason they are even where they are is Bob Melvin. Period. Look, as a player, Machado is one of the best. He makes big defensive plays and he gets clutch hits. As far as our defense, the only bad plays came from SS Trea Turner who blew two easy ones. Muncy had no shot on that slow dribbler by Kim. Graterol made the defensive play of the game with his great pic and throw to nail Kim at the plate. A little more offense and the game would have gone the other way. You get their ace on the ropes, you need to finish him off. As to why they show Machado so much, well I have no clue. They sure did not show his ugly mug in game one after he struck out.Oh yeah, our guy took their acre deep too. As a matter of fact, we got their ace 3 times. And the ump missed calls on both sides so I am not too amused by Machado standing up for his pitcher. Our guys do that too.
A leader is a guy who berates an Ump??? Ok got it.
A leader is a guy who sulks when things don’t go his way….Ok got it…
A leader is a guy who says I’m no Jonny Hustle…ok got it….
A leader is a guy who cheap shots guys…..ok got it….
You can have your leader.
Look Machado is having a career year and their team was barely above .500. Its a series but Ill take the guys in Blue, you can take Manny cheap shot….
Totally concur.
I have read reports that he’s “matured”.
The fact that he called out Tatis in their clubhouse last year kinda echoes that reporting.
He didn’t call out Tatis in the clubhouse. He did it on the dugout steps in front of the entire stadium and cameras, and it came amid a Padres team that was in complete collapse. When players are yelling at each other in the dugout amid a total team implosion, that tells me there’s a dysfunctional clubhouse, no leadership and no healthy team culture.
Yeah, I guess it’s leadership in a way when you feel you have the stature to call out a teammate, but it seemed almost performative – like Manny making it about Manny, and I think it should have been done discreetly and out of the public eye (in the clubhouse).
Frustrating game last night. The Dodgers had their chances to score runs, but couldn’t come up with a timely hit with runners in scoring position. The Padres BP has been impressive so far as has the Dodger BP. As in most playoff baseball it’s the small things that can make the difference between victory and defeat. As much as it hurts to say it, Machado was the MVP of the game. His hitting and a couple of outstanding plays with the glove were the difference in the game.
I agree with B&P (this has got me concerned) about the announcing crew sounding like Padre fans. At the end of the game would have thought that they had won the World Series. AJ is awful at best. They go on and on about the Padre players like the entire team were All Stars. I Don’t know what it is about the national media and the bias and hatred they have for any Los Angeles team. It was the same bullshit with the Rams last year. Yeah, they won the Super Bowl, but…. The Dodgers won the World Series in 2020, but…
I watched some of the Astros game on Tuesday and sat there thinking how pathetic the 41,000+ fans in the stadium are to support and cheer for such a corrupt and cheating organization. I see Bregman, Altuve, Gurriel, and others that should have been ban from baseball for life still playing and it pisses me off. As much as I think the Dodgers will play the Yankees in the World Series it would be awesome if they played the Astros and swept them in four games. And then tell that bow tied piece of crap Ken Rosenthal he’s not welcome to interview any Dodgers after the victory. I’ll never forget him for writing the lead article in the Athletic after the Dodgers’ 2020 WS victory about the Justin Turner covid situation and not about the first Dodger world championship since 1988. And then it turned out to be a false positive, no one got infected, and was a non story in the end. The publisher didn’t allow any comments to the article which really a chickenshit thing to do. I wrote to the publisher expressing my anger on what Rosenthal had done, but, of course got no response. By then the Athletic knew it was a non story and typical of the media today refused to accept responsibility or apologize for their inaccurate article. Again, typical national media bias against the Dodgers. My cancellation of my Athletic subscription followed shortly thereafter.
Carry on.
I did the same with my Athletic Subscription after that.
Ted, it seems that this unfavorable bias towards our team is a trend on the Spanish-language television stations that we see in Mexico, but they overflow with praise for the Atlanta and NY Yankees, (especially those of Caribbean descent).
I propose to start a campaign to make them notice their marked bias in favor of any rival in turn for the Dodgers.
But above all I wish with all my heart that our team win the world series and rub them in the face as happened with the asshole announcers of the NY Mets.
“As in most playoff baseball it’s the small things that can make the difference between victory and defeat.”
This is demonstrably true, and why playoff baseball is awesome and heartbreaking at the same time. Over a 162 game sample the Dodgers were clearly the superior team. Over a 5 game sample anything can happen.
Reminds me of:
There’s a very fine line between stupid and clever.
I don’t care about the announcers bias or Machado’s attitude, I am concerned about the Dodgers. Worried, yes. To be eliminated by Padres would be so humiliating. If we don’t play like we want to dominate we may not.
Thats fair but did you feel the same way after we were shut out 3 of the first 3 vs SF last year.
Lets keep the faith!!
Once again the unwillingness of laying down a bunt in a key situation bit the Dodgers .
Second and third one out in the 6th with TT up. Why not have him bunt here ? All the speed in the world on the bases with Belli and Mookie plus the fastest guy in t he game at the plate. And TT can lay down a bunt. Should have tied the game right there at the least. ONe inning later first and thired , JT strikes out and then Lux hits into the inning ending DP. Padres were conceding the run with both MM and the 1b playing back. Even an average bunt ties the game. Thats two easy runs given away. In close playoff games vs a dominating bullpen like the Padres you can not affort it.
Other than that and the result a great game
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why was Muncy only on first base after hitting the ball over RF head ball rolls up the wall? Poor baserunning by Muncy and it cost the Dodgers a run. Poor execution on several small things = L for Dodgers last night.
Roberts announced that Gonsolin starts game 3, and Bellinger will be on the pine with Thompson in CF and Taylor in left. As to last night, 9 men left on base, 0-8 RISP> That is why they lose. Bases loaded, no outs, JT K’s, and Lux hits into an inning ending DP. Chances all over the place and the only runs they score are on homers. Mookie’s ill advised steal attempt with no outs did not help either.
Lux hits into a double play because Muncy didn’t read the ball off the wall correctly and never made it to second. I have to disagree with you on Betts steak attempt. The Mets ran a lot on Darvish. I didn’t see a problem with him running with no outs. It was right out of the old Dodger playbook with Wills. Steal second, move to third on a groundout and score on a sac fly. The Dodgers had there chances but 0-8 with RISP just doesn’t cut it.
Great if you make it. And Soto played Muncy’s ball perfectly. He would have been toast at second. The ball was hit too hard. It was all on the offense.,Lux hit into a DP because he never changes his approach, he always is trying to pull the ball.
Yes it’s great if you make it. It’s also great to play small ball. Nothing ventured nothing gained. We agree to disagree. That’s baseball and part of the fun.
I am going to go out on a limb and predict that the Dodgers will not lose today .
San Diego didn’t beat the Dodgers, the Dodgers beat the Dodgers. Discipline and on a mission? They didn’t pack that for lunch yesterday to take to the park. Maybe they’ll take it down to Petco. Shouldn’t let Padres rally another step forward. JT needs to put his heart back inside his chest. Hope they’re doing drills at this very moment and put together a solid plan for these next two games. Losing makes my joints hurt more, my head gets cloudy and food doesn’t taste as good.
Amen! Giving games away to Padres is horrible. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Small ball could of made the difference yesterday.
Dodgers need to take a run at a time when that opportunity presents itself. I guess everyone knows that. Come on guys.
Haha
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjqRt3vgjYT/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
* You know, it’s okay to score after the 3rd.
* Darvish was a bitch. 2 blatantly missed strike cost him. We all know the differences in ave by count. 2-1 versus 1-2 is 150 points. Chris Segal will expand the rivers but no strikes up for him.
* Betts and Lux are in pull mode, again. You have to take Darvish junk oppo.
* Safety squeeze may have been in order with Lux in the 6th.
* For all my tag comments, Kim makes great tags. Moves his feet well, straddles the bag and lets it travel. That’s the only way he got Betts. If Kim sweep tags there, Betts is safe.
*Graterol ’s play to home was unbelievable. A big strong athlete. He might have caught the homer yesterday.
* I haven’t spent much time projecting to next year but something now just jump out. Almonte just looks like the future closer. Bitch on LHB and misses bats.
* Treinen was rusty but nice to see him back. Nasty stuff.
* As I mentioned, Will Smith will have to be huge behind the big three.
* Well, sometimes you just get beat.
* I’m not sure I take Belli’s glove off the field and keep Thompson in striking out 50% of the time. I put CT3 in for Thompson, personally
Play better.
Dodgers were 6-3 at Petco this year. I like our odds.
Agree, i knew everyone would be jumping ship after 1 frigging game.
Yall can anoint Manny and the Pads all you want, I’m sticking with this team.
No one said this would be easy….i knew this series would be a dogfight, but we WILL prevail. Maybe this is our 2020 Braves series….
Agree, it was going to be a dogfight and thats what it is.
However, if you know it is a dogfight with runs at a premium who got to take them when they are on a silver platter.
I put this on Doc.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LoooooL – jumping ship!!
Acknowledging a great player on another team is jumping ship now.
Man
That is not what was said. They are talking about all the negativity after one loss. Machado is a very good player. And probably the best the Pads have. He is also a monumental jerk.
Nobody is jumping ship.
Nobody is anointing Manny or anyone else, unless it’s you anointing the Dodgers. But they still need to win two more games.
Just called supporting the teem and having a positive outlook. Power of positive thinking is a great way to live….I also know one game doesnt make a series….
Concerning the article up top, the best players should play no matter what they are and the stars will prevail no matter what they are. PERIOD.
I’m scared about this series.
Don’t believe in the power of positive thinking. What I think isn’t going to make a bit of difference how our guys play. I believe in results and yesterdays speak for themselves.
I’m saying, guys need to play better or they won’t win. I believe that’s a positive statement not negative.
Don’t believe wishful thinking is going to cut it. But rooting for guys in Blue nonetheless!
Is it really negativity expressing an opinion that the team needs to do better tomorrow than they did yesterday? I’d rather they did than didn’t.
For those “Fire Doc” folks, here’s what he has planned for tomorrow, in case you want to start screaming a day early.
Gonsolin starts. May is stretched to 60 pitches and may follow him. Not definite.
Barnes starts at catcher. Smith at DH.
Belli and Lux ride the pine.
CT3 in left. Trayce in center.
Muncy at 2nd.
And the front office had nothing to do with it. 100% Docs doing.
I would guess that the front office had more to do with it than Doc did.
They’re the ones with the numbers.
Frustrating loss.
Machado can play. No doubt about that. But I agree with Bear. He’s a giant tool. I didn’t hate Barry Bonds simply because he was a Giant. He was an awful person. Even before he went on the juice and became The Hulk. Watching him lose the lowly Angels in 2002 (his only WS appearance) was very satisfying. Machado isn’t at that level for me yet. But he’s heading there.
Machado can play, no one denies that. He wasn’t that kind of player for us though, and one of the reasons he was not even considered for resigning was that I am not Charlie Hustle comment and his unsportsmanlike attitude during the playoffs.
A compilation of Manny being Manny, just to refresh everyone’s memory.
To be fair, I won’t be overly critical of his attempts to break up plays at 2nd base if we lionized Chase Utley for doing the same thing. The other stuff … he’s a douche. …that whiny face after the Donaldson tag … LOL!
https://youtu.be/cbA2H_Plwlw
Post lost in the ether
Its back
I don’t want to say all the lineup moves smack of desperation… but benching Belli and Lux to load up with right-handed hitters against Snell underscores the weaknesses in this vaunted 111-win team. Add to that the fact that Vargas sat while Barnes pinch-hit for Belli, and Taylor’s struggles with Ks all season.
It’s surprising that this team, with all its success, has entered the playoffs with so many position players–Belli, Gallo, Vargas, Taylor, etc– playing beneath their potential. Sad to say, but Roberts was right to have Barnes pinch it: he made decent contact while Belli looks like a K waiting to happen. Vargas would have been a roll of the dice–but didn’t he make the roster because of his bat? (Or is it really just his legs?)
The hope now, clearly, is that the righty-loaded lineup will get to Snell early.
Perhaps Roberts and AF remember when Snell, with the Rays, dominated the Dodgers a couple postseasons back before Kevin Cash, mindful of the analytics, lifted him after two trips through the lineup. The Dodgers were grateful and went on to beat the Rays.
So what happens this time if the Dodgers don’t get to Snell early?
My guess is that Bob Melvin , unlike Cash, would keep Snell in until he shows some weakness.
We’ll see…..
Another thought: Right now, don’t you wish AF had found a guy who mashes lefties instead of Gallo? Seems that they counted on Vargas, with all his potential, to be that guy….but so far he isn’t mashing anyone.
1. The Dodgers have played these matchups all year – that’s how they play… and they won 111 games doing it. It;s not a weakness. It’s a strength.
2. Yes, several players have underperformed.
3. Vargas is not fast. He has above-average speed.
4. Vargas was never (and I mean NEVER) counted on to do anything this season.
5. Evan Blade – Great Blog!