Step 1: You start out realizing that they do not need to be “fixed.” They may not even need “tweaked.” I think they could stand pat and still win it all… if things go right.
Step 2: Go back and read Step 1!
Now, I am not saying that Andrew Friedman may not make a trade or two. That will depend on whether certain teams make certain players available. However, he will not make a dope-fiend move. Burnes, Ohtani, Arenado, Cease, Bieber, and others are not going to be traded to LA. PERIOD!
The 2021 Braves went from sub .500 to World Champions just by some journeyman trades (Rosario, Duval, et al). The hitting is good… if not great (when everyone is healthy). The Dodgers are TOP 3 in runs scored and first in Home Runs.
Many of you wanted to get rid of David Peralta, and I said to be patient. It has paid off. He is hammering RHP and playing Gold Glove Defense in LF. Someone suggested that he hit against LHP too. NOOOOOOO! He does not historically hit LHP well, and he is 35 years old, so he will be best served not playing every day. LF is in great hands with a platoon of CT3 and David Peralta. Jason Heyward has been solid as a part-time platoon player as well.
Where the Dodgers need to improve is not at Catcher (leave Barnes alone) but rather at positions manned by rookies. This includes Miguel Vargas at 2B, James Outman in CF, and Jonny DeLuca in RF, CF, or LF. If Max Muncy goes on the IL as I anticipate, then Michael Busch, who has been white hot at AAA, will likely get the call. Whenever you have rookies in your starting lineup, you have growing pains. However, what you see now, may not be what you see by the season’s end.
Vargas and Outman both have underperformed… but not by a huge margin. If James Outman could cut down his strikeouts by just 10-15%, he might be OPS’ing near .900. That’s easier said than done, but 80 strikeouts in 192 ABs is not good in any league! He has to stop this downhill spiral. That is a 42% strikeout rate. On the other hand, Miguel Vargas strikes out at a 22% clip but is not aggressive enough. You can see the progress with him, and while I still think he will end up hitting .270+ this year, he will not likely supplant Corbin Carroll as ROY. It would be great if he could! I am not holding my breath!
In the current 2023 Season, hitting has not been the problem. The problem is that the Dodgers team ERA is in the bottom third of the league, but the mantra I am going to continue to pound is BE PATIENT! This, too, shall pass. Lately, the poor pitching has been a team effort – led by a bullpen full of arsonists. It seems like everyone is all over The Bazooka, but his ERA sits at 1.86. Almonte, Vesia, and Scott all have ERA’s over 7.00! It’s very deflating to a team to cough up the lead and lose is an understatement. Vesia and Almonte were lights out last year, and I can speculate what is happening this year, but the fact of the matter is: GET THE JOB DONE OR GO TO OKC! Scott will be gone today.
Daniel Hudson is on the horizon, but this will not fix itself overnight. He will need a few games, I suspect. Bullpen pitchers are very fickle – they are great one year and horrible the next. Maybe some teams are on to the Dodgers’ relievers’ pitch sequences. I don’t know, but just like Tyler Anderson was lights out last year with a 2.57 ERA, this year he sports a 5.80 ERA. Of course, most fans blasted Friedman for not signing him, but I haven’t heard much about that lately. It’s funny how that works!
What do you do? Trade the whole team? ERA does not tell the whole story, but it’s a pretty good indicator of how a pitcher is doing, and these guys are not doing well:
- Caleb Ferguson – 3.75
- Julio Urias – 4.39
- Justin Bruihl – 4.41
- Andre Jackson – 6.62
- Yency Almonte – 6.75
- Alex Vesia – 7.02
- Noah Syndergaard – 7.16
- Phil Bickford – 7.33
- Wander Suero – 8.10
- Michael Grove – 8.28
- Nick Robertson – 9.00
- Tayler Scott – 10.13
- Gavin Stone – 14.40
Not doing well is an understatement – the fact of the matter is they are pitching like chumps. This is an abomination! Mark Prior should have run out to the mound last night, torn their jerseys off of them, and set the jerseys on fire like the arsonists they are! Or maybe, the other teams have figured out the Dodgers’ sequence of pitching! Or maybe they are stealing signs – I have no clue, but something very strange is going on. This was the best pitching staff in baseball last year with a 2.80 ERA, and while some of the pitchers have changed, the roster makeup is not substantially different, but they are 21st in team ERA with a 4.49 ERA! Look at their ERA’s last year:
- Caleb Ferguson – 1.82
- Julio Urias – 2.16
- Justin Bruihl – 3.80
- Andre Jackson – 1.86
- Yency Almonte – 1.02
- Alex Vesia – 2.15
- Phil Bickford – 4.72
- Michael Grove – 4.60
Noah Syndergaard did not pitch for the Dodgers last year, but he joined the Dodgers to improve on his 3.94 ERA and try and get his mojo back. Is Mark Prior suddenly a dumbass? I doubt it! But something is amiss. You can’t trade the whole pitching staff, and I have to believe that this will work itself out… if I live long enough!
The staff is stressed due to injuries to May, Urias, and Gonsolin, needing extra rest.
Speaking of Tony Gonsolin, he has experienced some fatigue… and has not bounced back as fast as usual. That could certainly be a bad sign (or not). In his last start, most of his fastballs were around 91, but I did see one at 93 MPH. I think he is making a conscious effort to trade speed for control. In the past, I have seen the fastball hit 95 or 96. Of course, when he first came up, he could hit triple digits, but he has traded heat for accuracy. If he can pitch six innings every 5th day as he did in his last start, he will be fine, but I am somewhat worried that he is headed for TJ!
Juan Toribio’s game summary was spot on:
Clayton Kershaw, despite not having his best stuff, allowed just two runs over six innings. Austin Barnes and Miguel Rojas showed signs of life offensively. David Peralta and Jason Heyward continued to provide a solid veteran presence in the middle of the lineup. Mookie Betts had another timely hit.
But as has been the case all season long for the Dodgers, all that good was quickly erased following another bad performance from the bullpen, which allowed six runs over three innings in the 8-4 loss to the White Sox at Dodger Stadium.
“Very deflating. It’s very deflating,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was clearly upset by the team’s bullpen performance this season. “Clayton pitched his ass off [even though he didn’t] have a whole lot as far as stuff. … We took a lead and we gave it away.”
–Juan Toribio
The hitting is not the problem, and it will get even better… of that, I am certain. Right about now, it is difficult to see how these arsonists can turn it around, but simply put, that is all the Dodgers can do. I have been watching baseball for sixty-plus years, and this is what I know: Nothing is as constant as change. A hitter or pitcher can look totally lost and then suddenly “put it all together.” Even Thor could do that. The Dodgers will make sure his blister is fine and then send him on some rehab starts. It might be August before we see him again. By that time, we may know what will happen with Dustin May. It seems to be there is a 50/50 chance he needs surgery… but stranger things have happened.
Phil Bickford may have been battling back issues all year – can he come back? What about Walker Buehler – he says he will be back in September. J.P. Feyereisen is a high-leverage reliever who, in his three years in MLB has held hitters to a .153 BA! His career ERA is 2.31. Injuries have been the problem. He is progressing, and we shall see. Michael Grove needs to pitch his ass off today, or he is in danger of going back to OKC. Andre Jackson has filthy stuff – kind of like J.P. Feyereisen, but it took J.P. until he was 27 to harness it. Jimmy Nelson is pitching again. Ryan Pepiot should return at some point. Hell, Gavin Stone may turn it around, according to some. It will be a big team lift when Julio makes it back! Then, what about Blake Treinen and Ricky Vanasco? All I can say is either trade the whole pitching staff or this:
Then there are Emmet Sheehan and Nick Frasso… but I am not going there today! Maybe this is the year where the Boys in Blue get into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth and then run the table. You never know in baseball, but I am going to enjoy the ride, and my blood pressure is fine.
I heard that Dalton Rushing was hit really hard with a backswing last night and later stumbled off the field after catching a pop-up. Let’s hope he is OK.
Let’s face the facts, this is not a very good Dodger team. Not one of AF’s and BG’s better efforts.
Let’s not forget what happened to the Nats in 2019 and the Braves in 2021.
They were under .500 at this point of the season and won the World Series. There is no road map to winning. Sometimes it boils down to “MAGIC!”
I seem to remember some in 1988…
Yes, but those teams and years are exception to the rule.
Those cinderalla stories do not happen too often.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Too many IFs for that to happen.
Yep, 1988 was magical.
Not just a hot streak. More magic than luck!
Orel is on my all-time LA Dodger team. and I’ve got Gibson on the bench, ready to pinch hit even though he couldn’t run.
I agree and said it before the season. This edition of the Dodgers in 2023 is a sligthly above .500 team. I expected them around 88-92 wins and it looks that prediction was not far off.
I thought the pitching would be better and the offense middle of the pack though. At this time it just looks the opposite so you never know.
Other than Mark my guess is the offense has overproduced expectations so far but will get worse the rest of the season while I expect the ptiching to get better . At least if we get some of the injured guys back.
Almonte and Vesia should not be used in big leverage situations for a time. Maybe even a trip to AAA to work on some things is in order.
Should we be still in the running by the trade deadline a bona fide closer and another reliable bullpen arm is surely needed.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who is BG?
Plaschke put out some dire details about this bullpen. I knew it was bad, but not this bad!
“Start with the bullpen, which entered the week ranked 27th out of 30 teams with a 4.76 ERA while routinely collapsing at the precise moment a game is on the line.
When the score is tied at any point from the sixth inning on, the Dodgers are 6-22. When the score is tied in the eighth or ninth inning, the Dodgers are 2-10. And in one-run games, the Dodgers are 6-8.
Because of the bullpen, these Dodgers are often smashed in crunch time, their surprisingly awesome offense startlingly nullified by a relief group that ranks 28th, giving up 35 homers. The bullpen gets beaten deep. This bullpen gets beaten late. This bullpen has beaten the swagger out of a team that for more than a decade has been built on such swagger.”
So what to do?
Plaschke recommends a true closer because the “committee” approach clearly ain’t working. Except to say it shouldn’t be Chapman (just as it shouldn’t have been Bauer!), he doesn’t get into specifics. Dodgers may be looking to Daniel Hudson’s return, but why trust a guy who hasn’t pitched in over a year? With some wishful thinking we might hope that guys like Treinen, Buhler and May might be well enough for a bullpen role in September and October, but what about now? Plenty of talent in OKC and Tulsa can get auditions Perhaps a guy like Knack or Hurt could surprise us. I sure thought Brusdar would have morphed into a badass closer by now, but that just doesn’t seem to be his destiny.
Plaschke also fondly recalls the stability that Alex Woods brought to the rotation. Yes, the Dodgers need another SP. Surely AF will be in the market. Giolito is almost certain to be dealt. In the next few weeks teams will be figuring out whether they are buyers or sellers (or both) and which pitchers to put on the market. Some names may be surprising because the demand for SPs will be high–and a team like the Guardians could get a haul for a guy like Beiber.
Brandon Gomes
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Brandon Gomes enters his sixth season with the Dodger organization and first as Executive Vice President and General Manager, after being appointed to the post on Jan. 18, 2022. Gomes, 37, becomes the 12th General Manager in Los Angeles Dodgers history. He originally joined the Dodgers prior to the 2017 season as the organization’s Pitching Performance Coordinator before serving as the club’s Director of Player Development in 2018 and its Vice President and Assistant General Manager from 2019-21.
Plaschke just needs something to write to meet his deadline, and he’s not even very good at that.
One pitcher – closer or not – is not the problem. The bullpen AS A WHOLE is the problem. Kimbrel was a disaster last year as a closer, but the bullpen collectively was one of the best in the majors.
I don’t know what the answer is, but I’m not looking at Plaschke for answers.
I saw Doug McKain tweeted something about picking up Joe Kelly. His peripherals are better than his current ERA. He’s getting paid 8.5 mil, though. Still, interesting idea.
Clayton gave up 2 in 6, not his best but good enough for the win. Don’t know of we can blame roberts for running Almonte out there for a 2nd inning, but how often does he do that? Who can you trust in that bullpen? Phillips,yes. Gonzales,maybe. Miller, maybe. Graterol? Most of the time when his head is screwed on straight! Almonte and Vesia look like they’re done! I would send Vesia back to okc more time, and give Almonte a bus ticket to anywhere but Los Angeles. Barlow from Kansas City is one I would like. Not Chapman! No way! Need healthy bodies soon or San Francisco might leapfrog us this weekend, and the padres are heating up
Has anything been said about why Adam Kolarek was DFA? Pitched good in minors. Called up- 2 Ks faced 5 hitters???
No room on the roster and Miller needed to be activated from the bereavement list.
Re Tyler Anderson, my son has a theory that perhaps he is struggling now because he isn’t working with Prior and coaching staff any longer.
Impossible to know, of course, but haven’t we all bought into the idea that Prior and his staff make pitchers better? That they perfect pitches and strategies? Syndergaard, who essentially replaced Anderson, certainly thought so–but he has been worse for the Dodgers than he was with the Angels.
Anderson’s ERA is disappointing, but he also has a 3-1 record. Obviously he’s blown up a fews time, but his won-lost record is better than some teammates (like Reid Detmers) who have lower ERAs.
We all should remember that AF actually TRIED to resign Anderson for the $19.5 million qualifying offer, but Anderson opted for the security of the Angels 3-year offer. AF wanted Anderson back more than he wanted Belli.
I also wanted Anderson back, after his breakthrough all-star season, to brought back .
I don’t recall anybody saying, “AF should get rid of this loser,” but I do recall people here being pissed that Anderson didn’t take the AF’s offer. In fact, he was weirdly insulted for “not betting on himself,” as if he took the coward’s way out.
Not AF’s best effort? Last year almost this same bullpen minus a bad closer, had the second best era in baseball. People always want to blame Robert’s and AF. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the players. Our bullpen has been horrible and it’s up to them to be better!
But I thought read here some time ago that AF knows how to build a BP. Epic fail!
With Cease going vs Grove tonight we are looking at another lost series. And the hated ones are heating up just when they are ready to come to DS on Friday.
Could be in third place by Sunday in the division. But hey, still early, lots of baseball to be played…
At the moment it is more interesting to follow our minor league teams then the MLB team.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You must be fun at parties.
Well, the overly funny guys on parties usually lack a fair share of realism.
But hey, that is okay for those who think life is a daily party .:-)
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I choose to be an optimist….
Christ its not like we are 10 games under .500. One good week and a half and we can have the best record in the NL.
Reminds me of the days of Eric Karros and the early to mid 90´s Dodgers. They souded a lot like this too.
Still early, little run and we will take the Division, lots of baseball to be played…:-) Well , that was like a broken record back then and like the fil rouge for the team .
I know, I know, Dodgers have proven for the last decade they can turn it around but this season I am sceptical. Too many injuries to our starters, the rookies doing just okay , the bullpen in turmoil and too many bats hovering around the Mendoza line (in the case of Barnes can we call it the “barnes line” ?).
You say one good week and we could have the best record in the NL . True. Could happen.
But just as well 10 bad days and we could be almost out of the divison and maybe out of a WC too.
Everything possible still. For the better or worse. But the Dodgers better pick up their game soon.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are two logical fallacies that some here engage in. One is the appeal to authority. In other words, because of the position of a person, he must always be right. Of course, no one is always right. In the case of some, that person is Andrew Friedman.
The second fallacy is wishful thinking. When I studied logic, the statement was “thinking that it is so doesn’t make it so”. For example, wishing that the Dodgers’ bullpen was good, and its past success (the fallacy of anecdotal evidence) does not mean that it is good now, or that it will be good in the future.
John Adams famously said “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
The evidence is that the Dodgers have 4 relievers with ERAs under 3.00. That Michael Grove has an ERA over 8.00 this year and a BAA of .305. That only Kershaw averages more than 5.5 IP/start. That a rotation of Kershaw, Gonsolin, Miller and ? will not be competitive.
The evidence is that last night’s starting lineup included Austin Barnes (OPS .343 after a rare hit last night), Miguel Rojas (OPS .508), James Outman (K rate 41%), David Peralta (OPS .706).
The evidence is that the Dodgers brought in 5 relievers to pitch 3 innings and all but Graterol pitched poorly.
An optimist says that the glass is half full, the pessimist says it’s half empty. The realist reports how many ounces of water are in the glass. We need more reporting and less wishing.
It’s important to note that this “appeal to authority” fallacy should not be used to dismiss the claims of experts, or scientific consensus.
Appeals to authority are not valid arguments, but nor is it reasonable to disregard the claims of experts who have a demonstrated depth of knowledge unless one has a similar level of understanding and/or access to empirical evidence.
Obvs, it is entirely possible that the opinion of an Andrew Friedman can make mistakes, and we shouldn’t claim his or his teams’ evaluation will always hold true intrinsically. But we can’t just disregard his evaluations (or past success.)
That last paragraph is a cause for optimism, no?
If bullpen doesn’t give up that lead last night, Clayton was a lock to make the all star team. Hopefully he can Winn his next couple starts and make the roster. Could be his last as a dodger.
If all that is needed is reporting, then there would be no need for this site
This site thrives on the opposite of reporting, bravado and opinions.
We need reporting to both drive and offset.
I think, I’m actually not sure what you are/were saying.
I was commenting on Dodgerricks thesis and last line of that. ‘We need more reporting and less wishing’. I say there are plenty of sites that concentrate on ‘reporting’. This site is for opinions, wishing, guessing, complaining, etc
Thanks for clarifying!
Agree 100%..
Well, I am glad it is not my job. He has to satisfy all of the fans. And right now the drums of dissent are beating at a rapid pace. I will tell you one thing, if I was Kershaw, I would be pissed. This pitching staff beyond a couple of players is a joke. It is not even close to being championship caliber. Everyone keeps saying it is early. And there are 94 games left. But you can lose the division in June just as easily as you can lose it in September. Even as bad as the Sox’s defense was last night, the Dodger offense did not take advantage of scoring chances. Freddie and Mookie popping out on first pitches that nobody could have hit solidly. Martinez had a bad night at the plate, Outman needs to go down. The offense has too many holes at the bottom of the order, especially when Barnes is in there. Yeah, he got a hit last night, big whoopee. For most of his at bats, even when he was playing every day when Smith was out, he couldn’t hit an 80-year-old ladies fastball. I am totally surprised though that Roberts even said something negative about his guys publicly.
So long as the offense is scoring runs, I’d continue to put Outman out there. Roberts has already reduced his playing time but letting him face ML pitching is the only way he is going to learn to play at this level. This is the down side to playing rookies; they need to fail in order to learn. We can also see why AF signed both Heyward and Peralta; just for this type of scenario.
Totally agree with your Outman take. He hit rock bottom a few weeks ago, and has been “reworking” his swing since then. Now he’s accepting mere light contact in exchange for trying to limit his astronomical K’s. But the Dodgers are desperate for better results NOW, so he should not be doing this HERE, ..but in OKC!!
Curious there are no calls today to fire the bullpen coach.
Or DFA someone.
Well, IMHO Scott is pretty close to deserving a DFA .
Batting practice pitcher.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fire Bard? Why? It sure isn’t his fault. They DFA’d Kolarek, someone else will follow pretty quickly. Roberts hinted as much today.
Was a joke Bear!
High-A: Catcher Dalton Rushing was placed on the injured list one day after getting hit in the helmet by a backswing.
Wednesday scores
Salt Lake 6, Oklahoma City 3
Springfield 6, Tulsa 2
Great Lakes 2, Wisconsin 1
Rancho Cucamonga 11, San Jose 7
Thursday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Ronan Kopp) vs. Wisconsin (Cameron Wagoner)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) vs. Salt Lake (Chase Silseth)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (River Ryan) at Springfield (Connor Lunn)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Jared Karros) at San Jose (Manuel Mercedes)
Did anyone really believe that Outman was going to cut down on his strikeouts once he made it to the show? He struck out at an alarming rate in the minors. I’ve never seen him as a starting outfielder.
James Outman struck out at 30% in the minors… so it has jumped up 12%.
Several fans took exception to me calling JO “a 4th or 5th outfielder.” I probably was not wrong!
I have his great start, but said he would have to sustain it. He hasn’t.
I think he ends back in OKC soon.
So now the Outman lovers will say “Vargas should go down too – If my player has to go down, so does yours!”
😉
I hope i’m wrong, but Busch is another one that i struggle to see making enough contact in the show.
Almonte needs to go! Bear totally agree. Barnes is absolutely the worst hitter I have ever seen on the Los Angeles Dodgers! I do believe with some Friedman magic this team is a playoff team. It’s not negativity, it’s reality, this team needs a right handed bat. (Not a .200 hitter) and bullpen help. Too bad Zac Grenke isn’t a catcher, cause he’s a better hitter than Barnes! Mark was right about peralta, and heyward has been a pleasant surprise. Need muncy to start hitting above .200 and Taylor to make contact!
Barnes is horrible that is for sure. His catching abilities do not outweigh his light bat. I know he is Kersh’s receiver of choice, but it weakens the lineup. As for being the worst hitter ever you have ever seen, I saw Andruw Jones when the Dodgers had him. He was the absolute worst for me. And they were paying him a ton of money. Barnes has one year left on his deal. Marlins need a catcher badly. Ship him back where he belongs.
I am asking again. Did anyone see anything on why Kolarek was DFA. He only faced 5 batters , with 2 K’s and had been doing OK in minors. You mean there was no one else who deserved to be sent down or DFA??
Already had three other lefties in the pen, Ferguson, Gonzalez and Vesia. Not about his performance or who deserves to be sent down instead of him. He was just signed after he was DFA’d by some other team earlier this year. They were not going to carry four lefthanded relievers period. They needed the spot for Miller. He had no options left, so he was the odd man out.
So why keep Vesia over Kolarek?
Who knows. Vesia has a longer history of success with the team. Kolarek does not.
1. Vesia is 5 or 6 years younger. Kolarek is close to 35.
2. Career ERA 3.73
3. Career WHIP – 1.27
I stayed with the Yankees v Mets game and recorded the Dodgers on Espn2.
Great Yankee – Mets game and pitcher’s dual early with Verlander and Cole. HPU, Bill Miller was an adventure. His strike zone is gynormus, until it isn’t. But there were 2 replays that illustrate how different the game has become with replay. The first was a tag play at 2nd. There was multiple views questioning where the glove got to the runners chest before his hand got to the base. Literally looking for a finger touching, with the glove 1/2 inch away, maybe. Safe. That set up the next call; one I’ve never seen before. The second baseman straddled 2nd base to hold the runner on. Nothing looked unusual but Bill Miller popped out from behind the plate hollering “VIOLATION”. He called the 2nd baseman for violating the no-shift rule. No Shift! By straddling the bag, the second baseman’s right foot was on the left field side of the bag. Since the rule has the line from home to center right down the middle of the base, this was technically a violation. And Bill Miller saw it and called it. The guy can’t see a strike from a ball but he sees and calls that. It’s like he was waiting for the right situation to pull that rabbit out of his hat. He’s technically correct but is that really in the spirit of the rule? About 5 minutes of my life wasted while these reviews happened. And after multiple conversations about the shift violation, the penalty is a ball on the hitter. So much for speeding up the game. A 3:17 minute game in 10. And Bill Miller allowed lengthy delays for no reason.
* I wonder if it’s illegal to use Spider Tack on an oven mitt to stay on the base?
* Jessica Mendoza said that injuries are the difference between Dodger pitching from last year and this year. and the personnel is basically the same. That’s actually not true. Between injuries and diminished performances, thereA have been plenty of different personal. I posted yesterday:
Dodgers 2022 vs 2023 as of 6/13/23
Name / 2022 stats / 2023 stats
Alex Reyes – missed 2022 / 60 day IL, out for 2023
Blake Treinen – 1.80 / out for the season
Daniel Hudson – 2.22 / out for the season
Jimmy Nelson – missed 2022 / 60 day IL
J.P. Feyereisen – 0.00 ERA Tampa Bay / 60 day IL
Tyler Anderson – 2.57 / gone to Angels
Andrew Heaney – 3.10 / gone to Texas
Chris Martin – 1.46 / gone to Boston
Tommy Kahnle – 2.84 / gone to NYY
Adam Kolarek – 4.58 @ Oakland /ust called up from AAA
Urias – 2.16 / 15 day IL
Buehler – 4.2 / 60 day IL (out until Aug – Sept at least)
May – 4.5 / 60 day IL (out until Aug – Sept at least)
Stone – MiLB / 14.40
Pepiot – 3.47 / 60 day IL
Bickford – 4.7 / 7.33 & 15 day IL
Fergie – 1.82 / 3.91
Andre Jackson – 1.86 / 6.62, just sent to AAA
Vesia – 2.15 / 6.61
Graterol – 3.26 / 1.95 (until last night)
Although Urias on IL, I would add his ERA before that–4.39
Had to be up before dawn this morning. Went to bed when the Dodgers were in the lead. A rare time where I’m glad I missed the second half of the game. I don’t even want to watch highlights.
Ugh
Like Mark said, what the hell happened? It’s not abnormal for a relief pitcher to go from lights out to terrible one year to the next. Happens all the time. But for nearly ALL our lights out relievers from 2022 to go from studs to bums? Inexplicable.
I’m guessing that Friedman is very concerned. When the bullpen is imploding and is ranked 27th in MLB, it’s cause for concern. Mark is right. It may all work out. The Dodger bullpen years ago was terrible. Then turned it around in July. Then again, I think everyone should be concerned. The blue sky may be falling. No doubt Friedman will be dealing in hopes of plugging the holes
Jones was toast Bear. Barnes has never been a big league hitter! If they had a couple guys producing more that aren’t right now, ok, keep Barnes for Kershaw. But honestly, i never thought Barnes was all that great behind the plate. I wish he was, seems like a great teammate.
Jones was one of the worst free agent signings they have ever made. Barnes was a decent hitter for a while, he just has not gotten back to that level. He hit well enough in 2018 to pass Grandal on the depth chart. And he gets points for getting the hit that knocked Snell out of game 6 in 2020. But this year, he has not shown any of that.
So, what are we doing with Jonny DeLuca? As far as I know, he’s still with the big club but not playing. He’s 2 for 8, in 4 games, all but 1 AB (which was a mop-up AB vs Kody Clements in a blow out) against LHP. It seems obvious he’s destined to platoon and pinch hit only against LHP. The platoon vs RHP seems set with Heyward, Peralta and Mookie (perhaps Outman when Mookie’s in the infield). Against LHP it’s usually been Thompson / Outman w/ his reverse splits, CT3 and Mookie.
So here’s my thought. Since Outman is spiraling downward why not give DeLuca a shot in his spot and see what the kid can do with some PT. As I mentioned before, it’s time for James to play in OKC. And it’s time for DeLuca to get off the pine and not waste away on the bench. Hell, maybe he should see some RHP? I can’t find his MiLB splits vs RHP but it appears it’s just assumed he only plays against LHP. Could be a self-fulfilling prophesy. And we just love the platoon.
Ok you win! Enjoy everything you post! Been a dodger fan for 60 plus years, don’t like to pour it on a guy when he’s down, but it’s time to look for a new backup catcher. All we as fans want is for our team to be the best. I honestly don’t feel management has done that this season. Not saying Friedman hasn’t done a good job, he has with Mookie, Freddie, Will Smith ,Bobby Miller, etc. the Alvarez thing, nobody’s to blame for that. It’s the bargain basement deals that never work. And if we’re waiting to pounce on Ohtani, well I don’t want him for the cost. 500 million dollars will get you 3 very above average players. If he goes down for Tommy John, wow! Fix the bullpen and get a big bat!
Not trying to win anything, just pointing out the obvious. I was wrong about the year Barnes passed Grandal on the depth chart. It was 2017. He hit .289 with 8 bombs that year. He hit .205 in 18. But if he was hitting closer to his career .217 and showing occasional power like he has in previous years, then he would be more valuable. His hits this season have been few, 9, and far between. He has no homers and only 5 runs driven in. He has struck out 21 times in 92 plate appearances. I know Mark believes Vargas will be close to .270 by seasons end, he would have to go on an unbelievable run the next 96 games to raise his average close to 50 points. I think it will be hard for him to get to .240. Bellinger activated from IL by the Cubs.
Mark said .300+ and Vargas can roll out of bed and hit .270
10:10 PM ET
White Sox (30-39)
Dodgers (38-30)
SP Dylan Cease R
3-3 4.38 ERA
SP Michael Grove R
0-2 8.28 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
DH J. Heyward L
LF D. Peralta L
2B M. Vargas R
CF James Outman L
3B Chris Taylor R
SS Miguel Rojas R
Partly-cloudy-day
1% Precipitation
67° Wind 9 mph Out
I think Grove has pitched better than his numbers indicate. I hope he settle down, get some breaks and post some innings to help the bullpen. I’m looking for a better performance tonight.
Phil –
I agree with you on Grove. It looks to me like he has good stuff, control and presence on the mound; but he is learning the nuances of pitching in the Big Show. I would prefer him the starting roatation this year than Thor. He reminds me of a young Nathan Eovaldi when he pitched for the Dodgers in 2012. We sure would like to have Nathan Eovaldi these days.
June 14: 3B Max Muncy day to day with Grade 2 left hamstring strain
Muncy went in for an MRI on Wednesday, which revealed the Grade 2 strain. The third baseman won’t be placed on the injured list, however, as the Dodgers will play with one less position player over the next few games. Manager Dave Roberts said he hopes to have Muncy back in the lineup on Saturday against the Giants.
If Muncy’s hamstring doesn’t get better over the next few days, the Dodgers will reassess what they do with him. In his absence, Chris Taylor will serve as the Dodgers’ third baseman.
I dislike them playing a player short. Backdate his IL time to a few days ago, call up Bush, and put Max on the IL. He of the .191 BA.
To Mark’s post above about Outman.
1) If Outman is a 4th or 5th outfielder then Vargas is a 4th or 5th 2B.
2) If Outman should go back to the minors then Vargas should too.
3) Outman had an extremely good April, Vargas hasn’t done jack shit.
4) I said in the offseason 2 things: Outman is more ready than Vargas for MLB and Vargas needed at least another half year in the minors. Both turned out to be right. See Outman’s excellent April.
5) I never said Outman would win rookie of the year, but you said Vargas would. Good luck with that he’s probably at the bottom of rookie of the year candidates.
6) I’ve noticed your continued comparison of Outman and Vargas while I’ve just been reading and not posting. You said I’ve been the one comparing Outman and Vargas and you weren’t. Yeah right.
Just pointing out some things.
Yeah Mark!
What did I tell you?
“If my player has to go back so does yours. “
That prediction came true.
Their stats are basically the same. Easy prediction because it’s true.
What the fuck is going on here?
Running conversation between Mark and Eric as to which rookie has been misjudged the most. Neither has lit the joint up. Vargas has been ok, then not ok, then ok again. Outman has been spiraling down for a while, but has not struck out as much the last few games. He also has not hit a homer in over a month.
Eric, you need to go back and re-read what I have said, unless you do not comprehend English. I wrote this today:
Vargas and Outman both have underperformed… but not by a huge margin. If James Outman could cut down his strikeouts by just 10-15%, he might be OPS’ing near .900. That’s easier said than done, but 80 strikeouts in 192 ABs is not good in any league! He has to stop this downhill spiral. That is a 42% strikeout rate. On the other hand, Miguel Vargas strikes out at a 22% clip but is not aggressive enough. You can see the progress with him, and while I still think he will end up hitting .270+ this year, he will not likely supplant Corbin Carroll as ROY. It would be great if he could! I am not holding my breath!
Vargas is not going to win the ROY, but I am not calling on either player to be demoted. I have repeatedly said that I hope Outman will get it together. I like him. I root for him.
BTW, in the last 30 Games, James Outman is hitting .155. It is .133 in the last 7 games.
Vargas is doing better than that, but not a lot! However, if the Dodgers send one down, it will be Outman!
Re-read what I said. It’s about what you’ve said in the past including your predictions and your comparisons (that continue on and on. Not what you posted today only) and what I said in the offseason that turned out right.
Oh, I did not know the season ended that night.
Phil, you were asking above about Jonny D’s minor league splits.
Last year it was about .310 to .240 and this year roughly .350 to .270 in about half as many at bats.
So yes, there is a marked difference, but at .270 he wasn’t exactly helpless against righty pitchers.
Enough. Off to sleep, again.
Another thing I got scolded for is when I said in the offseason that Grove and Jackson are nothing more than trade chips. Well guess what.
Yeah, you were wrong! They are so much more than that.
Explain.
What’s wrong with calling a player a “trade chip”?
Every player is a commodity in this business. They are all valued at different levels, and exchanged for what is perceived as fair value by the respective parties.
If you can get a Mookie for a Verdugo and a couple of lesser prospects (Jeter Downs, Connor Wong) you do it. Connor Wong is probably glad he was a chip in the Mookie deal. Now he is Boston’s starting catcher. Willie Calhoun is probably glad he got flipped for Yu Darvish. I suspect there several Dodgers prospects who would welcome a trade to a team that could provide them with a better opportunity. Who is the next Luke Raley?
When AF makes an offer for Giolito, and he is asked about Grove or Jackson, he won’t end the conversation.
Actually our record is pretty good considering all of our injuries and that half our team would be slotted into the suck category, including 4 of our prized rookies.
They are just unwatchable lately. Get behind and can’t hit.
Christ Aytor
??
Taylor for MVP!!!!!! Hahaha
The Dodgers vaunted top-of-the-order has lately not batted base-runners home.
Now they’ve got their chance to come through in the 9th and win the game.
It was Mookie’s walk that cleared the way for the win. A gutty, talented AB.
So how ’bout that bullpen now?
Did not stink up the joint this time. And Caleb came up big.
Shelby Miller, Almonte (!), Phillips and Ferguson combined for 6 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out 9.
Nice that Taylor scored the game-winner after the huge slam.
Now if only Grove could unlearn that gopher ball…
That was more like it.
As much as Phil Jones cannot stand Dontrelle how about Mendoza? She is terrible.
In the 11th inning with CT3 on 3rd and Rojas on 1st with Mookie hitting while fouling off a boat load of pitches she said, “I’m surprised they haven’t sent Rojas yet to avoid the DP.” Horrible analyst comment……..if the White Sox were going to try and turn a DP on a ground ball by Mookie with CT3 at 3rd he scores the game winning run. There were no outs and with a runner on 3rd and in scoring position already there was no need to steal 2b. I think Joe Davis was somewhat stunned by her analyst comment as he offered nothing in return.