above the septic tank! Think about that one, if you will. Whenever Dodger pitchers are struggling, fans always want to trade for or sign some other pitchers because they think the grass is greener. The problem is that with most hard throwers, the arm is going to break down sooner than later. Do you want Ohtani? His arm is already broken… for the second time. Giolito? He had TJ in 2012 – he’s probably ready for another one. Aaron Nola had it in 2016. Lance Lynn has had it. By the way, if Kershaw resigns with the Dodgers, I would tend to think that Lance Lynn will walk, so at the end of the season, Andrew Friedman will likely try and “feel out” what Clayton wants to do in 2024. I have no prediction.
Jordon Montgomery also had TJ, and on and on… Most pitchers will have it. High velocity and high spin rates are hard on the UCL. I don’t know for sure that Julio Urias has a frayed UCL, but the signs are all there. This is one of the reasons that Andrew Friedman has resisted big, long-term contracts for pitchers. While I won’t say that the Dodgers will not sign a free-agent pitcher, I do believe that it will be rare that they tender a big contract to a guy like Lucas Giolittio or Shohei Ohtani. There are whispers that Jack Flaherty is a candidate as well. Blake Snell is interesting as he had it in 2020.
That said, he could sign Julio Urias, knowing full well that he needs TJ… at the right price and with opt-outs. However, with the obvious “bad blood” between AF and Borass, it is a long shot. Truth be told, years two to five after Tommy John are probably the best years to have a pitcher who has had the surgery. The Dodgers will get Walker Buehler back next year. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin will sit out the 2024 season in its entirety. Bobby Miller has the potential to be a guy who can pitch a long time without TJ as he has a clean, low-effort delivery.
I simply do not see the Dodgers signing pitchers who may need a TJ or a second TJ. There are better ways to allocate resources. Maybe Julio has mechanical problems – those can certainly cause the drop in velocity, but I happen to believe that the Dodgers would quickly fix those. I hope that is the issue, but doubt it. Next year, the Dodgers will have Buehler, Miller, Grove, Stone, Pepiot, Frasso, Sheehan, and possibly others, but right about now, the Big Three looks like Kershaw, Miller, and Pepiot, followed by Lynn. The Dodgers are easing Clayton back in, but by playoff time, he will be able to pitch seven innings.
Was Lance Lynn’s last outing just a blip or a glimpse into the future?
Are Julio Urias’s struggles a pre-curser into his future?
At this stage of the season, I think the best thing that could happen is for the Braves to sweep the Dodgers. Yes… The best thing! I want the Braves to think they are unbeatable, and I want that chip on the Dodgers’ shoulder to be the size of Chavez Ravine! The best teams do not always win! Intelligent people know that. Sometimes, you build the biggest victories upon adversity! Lately, the Dodgers have never been the underdogs. They were in 1988! Thirty-five years later, they will like be the same. One door closes… another door opens.
The only thing that has changed since the Dodgers’ last win is the fan’s minds!
“The Loss is Roberts’ Fault!”
Don’t be absurd! How many games do you win when you only score two runs? The fault was the lack of hitting. If the Dodgers had hit, Doc would have never had to put Vesia in, and I think DR did a great managing job. Of course, some of you like to twist the facts to suit your worldview of Roberts.
Bullpens are Fickle
Yes, they are. Alex Vesia had a 2.25 ERA in 2021 and 2.15 ERA in 2022. Don’t automatically assume that he will be bad in 2024, but Doc has to play the roster he is given. The Dodgers bullpen is still the best in the game! Since June 20th, they are #1 and I predicted when the bullpen was 29th in baseball that they would finish in the Top 10. They are currently #8!
You Better Get Used to the Platoons
I know that many on this site do not like platoons. Why? “Because that’s not the way they used to do it!” Ha! In case you haven’t noticed, the mound used to be higher, no DH was used, there was no pitch clock, hardly anyone threw 100 MPH, yada, yada, yada! The Dodgers re at the forefront of platoons because they work. The Dodgers take marginalized players and put them in positions of strength where they can succeed.
- David Peralta can’t hit lefties;
- Kike Hernadez can’t hit righties
- Jason Heyward can’t hit lefties;
- Kolton Wong can’t hit lefties, and
- Amed Rosario can’t hit righties.
Actually, Max Muncy can’t hit lefties either, but it’s hard to platoon more than two or three positions. James Outman has reverse splits, and that is fine. In the past seven games, James is hitting .333 with a .414 OB%. I can see Miguel Vargas and Jonny DeLuca getting the call-up soon to provide more options. Vargas has been playing exclusively at 3B of late.
Will Smith is tired. He is worn down, and his offense is struggling. He likely needs a rest. Could we see Tucker Barnhart?
Never saw a report how Dustin Mays operation went. Is it for sure he will miss the entire 2024 season ?
If so IMHO the Dodgers should sign a top of the rotation free agent. My vote would probably go to Yamamoto who will be posted this offseason.
Letting stay Vesia in to pitch to Arcia was at least a questionable decision. But other than Varland there was no RH left in the pen.
Braves are a great team. They have it all. But in the postseason all bets are off. I remember 88 when the Dodgers lost all regular season games to the Mets only to oust them in the NLCS. But who will be our bulldog this year ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dustin had surgery on his Flexor tendon and also on his UCL. So, he now has two UCL surgeries. I would expect to see him Mid-Season in 2025.
I would not assume that he will be a reliever… but he might.
Buehler is coming back as a starter. He was throwing 92-93 a month ago…
Buehler is slated to pitch 1-2 innings today at OKC.
I will watch the game , hopefully he has a good outing. Dodgers could use him.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Buehler up to 96 today.
‘Will Smith’ is tired. Its a long grind for catchers.
I think Walt Aslton once had a quote like, ‘they give me the players and I figure out how to
play them.
And yes the game is a lot different now. So we have to move on. Platooning is what the Dodgers are going to be using,
And if you score 2 runs and go 1-10 with RISP you are going to lose a lot of games.
So 1 month to figure it out and see who will be ready and good luck in Oct.
FWIW, both Smith and Roberts told the OC Register’s Bill Plunkett that they don’t think fatigue is a factor in Smith’s slump.
But I do think the Dodgers should rest Smith before the playoffs. Barnhart was a solid pick up, but I hope Feduccia gets the call. He’s earned it.
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers designated hitter J.D. Martinez took batting practice at Dodger Stadium on Saturday as he works his way back from left groin tightness that has plagued him since late July.
The plan is for Martinez to head to Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Sunday, then join Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment in Sugar Land, Texas beginning Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. Martinez’s time in Triple-A could be brief if all goes well, as the team hopes to activate him during next weekend’s series against the Nationals in Washington D.C.
Saturday scores
Oklahoma City 7, Round Rock 1
Arkansas 4, Tulsa 3
Dayton 7, Great Lakes 6 (12 innings)
Rancho Cucamonga 2, Stockton 1
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Hyun-il Choi) vs. Dayton (Carson Rudd)
12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Walker Buehler/Gavin Stone) vs. Round Rock (Owen White)
4:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Ben Casparius) vs. Arkansas (Blas Castano)
6:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (TBA) at Stockton (TBA)
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Dave Roberts said Michael Grove will rejoin #Dodgers next weekend.
I think in the pen
I’m guessing the Dodgers let Urias walk.
His inconsistency and at times being totally awful should be enough for the Dodgers to move on. Plus, he may be hurt, which would explain the drop in velo.
Add to that, the Dodgers really don’t like dealing with Boras. I imagine that’s now risen to another level after the Bellinger comments and Friedman’s blunt response.
I can see the Dodgers pursuing a short contract with Flaherty and perhaps a longer one with Yamamoto.
I’m guessing Clayton returns, Lynn moves on. But with Buehler back and the young talent — Miller, Pepiot, Sheehan, Stone — Friedman will focus on pitching depth.
I’m still reading the Dodgers are very interested in Ohtani. Even with the arm issues, the bat plays up and they need a DH.
Adding a hitter like Ohtani would certainly add to the offense.
Although, the Angels may finally move Trout this winter. I’m thinking he might be unhappy with the direction the Angels are going and that it’s likely Ohtani is leaving. But I seriously doubt that Arte would allow him to be traded to the Dodgers.
Mark help me with this, didn’t the Mets platoon a lot in 1969? I believe at first, second and third and right field for sure. I wasn’t a teenager yet but I was a huge fan. I kinda liked the Mets because of Hodges. Correct me if I’m wrong.
We are transitioning to a starting rotation made up of home grown talent. Young pitchers that are healthy, durable and cheap. Develop pitchers and spend on position players. That was the plan all along.
Nailed it Bob.
Not so sure about “durable”…
Buhler, May, Gonsolin Pepiot all home-grown and young–and not so durable. For that matter, the home-grown Kershaw and Urias are not exactly workhorses. Sure hope that Miller, Sheehan and Stone can stay healthy.
Pitchers get hurt a lot these days. Some say its because of emphasis on velocity and spin rates. The likes of Warren Spahn and Nolan Ryan are long past.
Deluca probably has a role with us in 2024. He needs a good offseason.
Good points by Mark. Long term contracts given to pitchers are generally a bad investment, especially as pitchers age. Julio has an ERA of 4.60 this year, after having a career ERA of 2.82 coming into this year, and an ERA of 2.16 just last year. This seems like much more than just an off year. Back in 2017, Julio had anterior capsule surgery on his shoulder. This injury ended Johan Santana’s career, and is more difficult to recover from than TJ surgery. It was amazing that Julio recovered from this injury to pitch so well. But the velocity decline and his poor performance likely indicate another injury.
A recent example of a risky pitcher contract was Stephen Strasburg. After helping the Nationals win the WS in 2019 (with an assist from the Dodgers), Strasburg signed a 7 year, $245 million contract. He was 31 years old when he signed the contract which was negotiated by Scott Boras. Many fans wanted the Dodgers to sign Strasburg. But good thing Friedman did not sign him. Strasburg retired last month and pitched a total of 8 games and 31 innings after signing the $245 million contract. Reports are that even though Strasburg retired early, he will still collect all $245 million, and the Nats were unable to get any insurance against injury under the contract. Sometimes I criticize Friedman for his moves or lack of moves, but this was another example of Friedman making wise baseball decisions.
David Peralta career against LHP .242. Better than Pederson and he is hitting .370 against LHP this season in limited AB’s. Kike is hitting .226 against RHP and .237 against LHP. Seven of his eight homers are off of RHP. Heyward hits .226 in his career against LHP. Kolten Wong hits LHP almost as well as he does RHP career wise, .249. Not great, but not horrible either. Rosario career wise hits RHP at .261. Not really all that bad. Muncy is not hitting LHP very well this year, but 10 of his 32 bombs have come off of LHP. For his career, Max is .001 higher against LHP than right. He has 50 homers off of LHP. So, although people say they can’t, most of them can hit pitchers who throw from the side they hit from. Roberts plays matchups. Sometimes it works and other times it does not.
Exactly! Good Post.
#Dodgers Lineup vs #Braves Charlie Morton:
Betts 2B
Freeman 1B
Smith C
Muncy 3B
Peralta DH
Heyward RF
Taylor LF
Outman CF
Rojas SS
Bobby Miller P
If I’m a Braves fan, I would be holding a broom in my hand while watching the game today.
Morton v Miller….favor Braves…..
But like always, we hope for the best…..but still remember, in the grand scheme of things, this game is pretty insignificant….right?
I mean in the grand scheme of things all baseball games are insignificant.
But even in the limited scheme of this season, these games are insignificant
What I see with Julio is he seems to short arm his follow through he needs to decelerate with a longer follow through, short arming puts more stress on his arm , just my opinion
When I see Julio, I think that he should lose some weight! 🙂
Right now, this year, I trust Brasier, Graterol, Miller, Phillips and Yarbrough in the bull pen. I do not trust Ferguson, Varland or Vesia. I would pitch Sheehan, Grove and Stone out of the bull pen in September to see if any of those three could help in the play offs.
In the play offs I would go with Kershaw, Miller, Lynn, and Pepiot for my starters. That leaves Urias for the pen. Some thing is wrong with Urias. I would not consider Buehler for the play offs.
I read the post from yesterday about pitching in the playoffs which we will be fine if Buehler comes back that would give us four starters in playoffs with Urias going to injury list because something is wrong you would have Kershaw Miller Buehler and Lynn and Pepiot as your starters and then a strong bullpen those starters just need to go five innings in playoffs and then turn it over to the bullpen. Only team that has better starters is Atlanta but I think LA bullpen is better then Braves and in the post season it always comes down to pitching and the late innings for a win. So we will be fine. Just don’t think Urias will be in playoffs this year. And pretty much a free agent. So will we even see him again in dodger blue again. Not if he has tommy John surgery. There going to have to sign a free agent pitchers next year a starter. And I think their eye is on Blake Snell.
IMHO they will have to sign two starters if Julio leaves.
Snell and Yamamoto would be my choices.
They just said Walker was at 94-96 mph with his fastball today. Great news.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Getting Buhler back could be great, but will he have enough time to get into a groove?
There’s a lot of FA pitching talent. The Dodgers should sign one or two. But I hope one spot in the rotation is reserved for Pepiot/Stone/Sheehan/Grove/etc. They might be able to cover two spots.
Walker with 2 perfect innings today at OKC. 24 pitches. ON TV they did not show the velo. Maybe someone can check it. But he looked really good with his mechanics.
Not Stone pitching.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!
I think I heard it was 94 to 96
His very first pitch of the game was 96. They said during the broadcast that he was sitting at 94 with his fastball.
Without a healthy Martinez we are a likely first round exit, he changes the complexion of this lineup.
Also Will Smith needs rest, just not right, hope we use September to give him ample time off, maybe even DL him with second seed locked up.
Auditions for playoff roster begin now. Wake it up FO/Robert’s, I don’t want to be disappointed again.
Stone pitched 6 innings of 1 hit ball after Walker, striking out 7 while walking only 1. He looked exceptionally today.
Vargas 3-4 with a BB and a HR.
Dodgers have run into a buzzsaw this weekend. Braves look invincible . They are clicking on all cylinders. Hopefully they will cool down a bit when the playoffs roll around. If they keep this up they will win it all.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vargas played LF today and Hernandez was at third. Of more concern right now is Muncy’s injury during todays game.
SpokaneBob said it perfectly in my opinion. With Buehler coming back from TJ the only way I see them signing a free agent pitcher is if Kershaw is not back. Miller, Sheehan, Pepiot, Stone and Grove all have MLB experience and Knack, Frasso, and Ryan are knocking on the door. It would be malpractice to block them for another free agent pitcher or two. In fact, they have enough depth to use one or two of them in a trade for a young position player at a position of need. AF has shown a willingness to spend on top of the line talent – Betts and Freeman, for example. If Ohtani can still DH with his current UCL issue or repair, I think the Dodgers are more likely to sign him than less likely. It fits with their philosophy.
While it would have been nice to play better this weekend against the Braves, no harm no foul. The Braves are clearly a really good team and are better than the Dodgers in their starting rotation and the depth of their line up. But, if those two teams do meet in the NLCS, you can almost flip a coin. Braves will be slight favorites just as the Dodgers were against the Padres last year. All in all, if the Dodgers end up facing Atlanta in the NLCS I think it will have been a great year considering the injuries to Buehler, May, Gonsolin, and Kershaw and the ineffectivess of Urias.
The hitters on the playoff roster seem pretty well set – the current group with JDM in and Busch out. However, the 13 pitchers selected will be really interesting. I am guessing they go with Yarbrough and one other left handed reliever but Ferguson, Vesia, and Gonzalez leave a lot to be desired. The right handed relievers with Phillips, Graterol, Kelly (hopefully), Brasier, Miller seem set. That leaves six other spots – Kershaw, Miller, Lynn are locks and if Urias is not injured, he would be a fourth. Buehler would be the fifth depending on his progress, of course, leaving Pepiot, Sheehan, Stone, Grove or a third lefty for that last spot. My point is that I would choose stuff over handedness and I like Pepiot in that role with his change up and fresher arm this year.
Agree with a lot you wrote. But disagree on starting pitching for next year.
IMHO we should sign two starters. Snell and Yamamoto would be my choices. Can not have enough pitching.
Julio will leave very likely. May and Gonsolin will be out all year probably too.
That would only leave us with Kershaw (if he stays), Miller, Buehler . Plus the kids STone, Pepiot, Grove, Sheehan.
If you sign Snell and Yamamoto the rotation would be sick with depth. Or use 2 of the kids to bring in a top position player.
Bobby Miller 6 scoreless today. Looking like a bulldog.
Will Doc trot him out again for the 7lth ? We will see.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Honestly, I think 96 pitches is too much. And I think 7 innings is too much….especially for meaningless games, except maybe pride.
Losing Buehler, May and Gonsolin is enough in one year.
Stone pitched well his last call-up.
Today – 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K , 80 pitches
Hmm, playoff possibilities, multiple scenarios…
Miller sure looks like an ace today.
One mistake and Olson punishes it. But he keeps his composure and gets the 3rd out. 7 excellent innings by Bobby Miller vs the best lineup in baseball. Now bring it home for the kid, bullpen.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come on pen show some pride, we need this win badly, disagree about the harm a sweep can cause.
That was a playoff at bat: Miller vs Acuna.
Both teams look tired, scrapping for everything.
Phew, thank you James!
Way to go dodger’s, needed this victory badly. Salvaged one!!
Ozuna the key guy Braves batter who lengthens their line-up. He’s exceptional this year.
We need JDM back to do the same.
Miller! We have talent. This month will be determine which of our young arms are playoff ready. Period.
Walker looked good.
Dodgers are in good shape.
Root hard for a Phils/Braves match-up in the NLDS. Upset special.
Today was one of the absolute worst umpired games I have seen all year. The home plate ump was awful. That third strike call on Freeman was as bad as the call on Mookie the other night. New Yorks replay center was awful two. A couple of calls held up that were totally wrong.
Worse was the 2nd called-strike where the breaking pitch dropped to the middle of Freeman’s shin – THAT ONE shocked even Freddie. If it gets any worse, MLB umpiring will torpedo the league.
The strike three call was worse. You rarely see Freeman get emotional in anyway, but he got in the umps face on that strike call. ABS can not get here soon enough for me.
If Buhler’s idea for a Rookie Pitcher of Year Award catches on, Bobby Miller would be a contender.
Before the Braves series, there was some concern about the Dodgers “peaking too soon.” That is no longer a concern. The Braves are very tough.
What I like is that Miller keeps improving. He could be peaking at just the right time.
Speaking of rookies, Outman delivered again, with one run, one hit and an RBI. But he contributed to all three of Dodgers’ runs. After walking in the 5th, Outman used his speed to score from first on Rojas’s double. By drawing the throw home, Outman enabled Rojas to take second base–and Mookie singled him in. In the 8th Outman singled in Heyward.
On a day that Freddie went 0 for 4, the bottom of the lineup–Outman and Rojas–really came through.
Speed kills, JO has it.
Rookies playing well, relief pitching worries me especially our late inning options outside of Phillips.
I deserve a title this year as I have suffered with this team for a long time excluding the 2020 mini title. I also have lost a ton on them through my bookmaker, Fan Duel. For example I bet them in games 1 and 2 of this series but of course not today, I have unbelievably bad luck. Large sums of money lost on them over a long period so the least they could do is provide me a real title.
If you are betting on a team that consistently wins over 60% of their games and you’re losing tons, maybe you need to stop or change your strategy. Just bet on them to win 60% of the time.
And yes, Miller is sure a breath of fresh air right about now.
Whether good or bad, it’s funny how a rookie has now become the “stabilizer” among this team’s SP’s.
The Miller kid is pretty good, huh.
Just saw (with some surprise) that Outman was voted NL Rookie of the Month for August.
His OPS was .890 for the month.
Headline in Dodgers Nation:
“Walker Buhler Opened Eyes In First Game Action in 450 Days”
I sure hope pitching with his eyes open will help.