When Andrew Friedman said this was a “transition year,” he wasn’t kidding. The Dodgers rotation at the beginning of the season looked like this: Urias, Gonsolin, Kershaw, May, and Syndergaard. All but Kershaw are gone, and he is not even a shadow of himself. Lance Lynn looked like a stud pickup at the trade deadline, but it was evidently “smoke and mirrors” as the league figured out what the Dodgers did to tweak him and adjusted. To those of you who think Lance Lynn will be a Dodger next year, all I can say is you are smoking something that is illegal in all 50 states!
Right about now (as we wait and see if Walker Buehler can come back this season), the Dodgers starters look like this:
- Bobby Miller
- Ryan Pepiot
- Emmett Sheehan
- Michael Grove
- Gavin Stone
The Dodgers may have Walker Buehler back, but that is not a given. Can the five pitchers listed above be counted on to carry the team? I’ll give you a “definite maybe.” It is starting to appear to me that Clayton Kershaw, Lance Lynn, and Ryan Yarbrough could be listed as starters and pitch two or three innings, and then the bulk guys would be the “Kiddie Corps.” Bobby Miller and Ryan Pepiot give me some confidence, and to some degree, so do Sheehan, Stone, and Grove… in two to three-inning stints.
Yes, this is the “transition year, but I do not think even Andrew Friedman envisioned this. They have the rest of the month to figure it out. I warned you there would be some losing streaks, but even I thought Clayton and Lance would be relevant. They aren’t! The Bazooka, Ryan Brasier, Shelby Miller, and Evan Phillips are as good as they come. The rest, including Vesia, Gonzalez, and Ferguson (all lefties), are sketchy, but Caleb Ferguson is the one I trust the most (ouch).
Yency Almonte (hold on) could be back (but not likely), as could Joe Kelly. Jimmy Nelson is a long shot, and it appears that Blake Treinen is shut down. This is the hand the Dodgers have been dealt! I am going to enjoy the ride. Gus Varland could become an excellent reliever… but not in 2023. The Dodgers have about three weeks to figure this out, and conventional thinking will not get it done.
Maybe it’s “Bullpen Games” throughout the playoffs. Crazier things have happened… haven’t they? Have they? I am not sure! But never say “never.” It’s always darkest just before dawn. I am going to enjoy this ride… however crazy it may be! You should expect the unexpected! It has already happened and will continue to happen.
Ryan Pepiot starts the Kiddie Corps Movement tonight! He went five innings last time… let’s go six tonight! Lance Lynn is a stand-up guy. Here’s what he said after the game.
“Once you go over 30, who gives a s—? I’ve had years where I don’t give up any and I’ve been way worse of a pitcher. That’s the crazy part about this game.”
— Lance Lynn
On another note, Police are asking for eyewitnesses to come forward in the Julio Urias investigation. TMZ says that “Julio Urias was seen shoving a woman into a fence at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday before he was arrested … multiple sources tell TMZ Sports.” It doesn’t sound as “cut and dried” as it was initially described.
Down on the Farm
- JDM was 1-4 with a BB and 3 RBI for OKC.
- Miguel Vargas (3B) led off and was 1-2 with 4 BB.
- Jimmy Nelson faced four batters and failed to get even one out. Time is short…
- Playing 1B, Dalton Rushing hit his 15th HR, a 2-run shot!
- Kendall George continues to hit, as he was 2-5 last night for RC.
- Josue De Paula was 3-4 with three runs scored.
- Jake Gelof was 1-4 with 4 RBI and hit a 3-run HR.
Let’s win one with the Kiddie Corps then roll into 2024 with a lean mean roster.
I would rather see a slight slump now than in the first week of October. The offense is sputtering again. Mookie has not had a hit in four of the last five games, and he drives the bus. Freddie hasn’t hit a double in a week. So, neither are at the top of their game right now. You can bet they both know it and are working on solutions. You try to live up in the zone, and you are going to get hammered. That is what happened to Lynn. One thing I like about the guy is that he stands up in front of the media and takes the heat.
Angel Hernandez is one of the worst umps in the majors. He consistently makes really bad calls when he is behind the plate. Him and Quinn Buckner should both be fired. The umpiring this season has been atrocious.
You want to fire CB Bucknor who is awful. Quinn Buckner is an ex-NBA player.
U R so right, brain fartiris. My really bad.
Do the kiddies have what it takes right now? Most likely not but we’ve got a punchers chance if the offense rolls. Mookie and Freddie will need monster October’s to bring home a WS title. It should be fun! And if not we always have Robert’s to blame for it!
whether the kiddies have it or not, that’s what we got. So like others have said we have to enjoy the ride, no moaning, have fun
Watched Freddie take two pretty good strikes (considering Angel Hernandez was the HP umpire) and then swing and miss a nasty slider. Got to be better, but he and Mookie have carried the team since the all-star break so I’m just hoping he gets a re-set and gets it going again.
Sad to say, but it appears as if the Dodgers are going to have to win games with their bats and probably not with dominant pitching. I thought we had enough pitching when the season started, but with the injuries to Gonsolin, May, the mysterious shoulder injury to CK, the arrest of Julio, the ineffectiveness of Syndergaard, and the inability of Reyes, Freyersien, Nelson, and Treinen to bounce back from injury coupled with a greedy Eduardo Rodriguez has left the cupboard a bit bare. Walker would be a great add even if he’s only used an opener for 2 or 3 innings.
August was great, September has started rather slow. In many ways this season has been more enjoyable than others where we advanced deep into the post season. While the bar is always going to be set high for the Dodgers, this transition year has proven we indeed have a deep talent acquisition/developmental team in place, the pipeline to the big leagues is filled with potential big leaguers and we should have $$ to play in the free agent game this off season.
Still want to win the WS, but the graduation of players to the big leagues goes to prove we are the preeminent organization in MLB and I won’t apologize for my Dodger homerism er…..exceptionalism.
* Can I say taken to the woodshed today without Matt and Bear blowing a clot?
* 6 hits by 3 players and Lynn’s obvious struggles made for an ugly game. Can I say ugly game? Is that okay?
* Seriously, Kolten Wong .164/.476 and .143/.714 with the Dodgers is the best we can do at DH, from a 28 man roster? WTF
Ebb and flows of a season man.
We arent playing well right now, but geezus christ man just enjoy where we are at.
These games mean little to what will happen in October.
These games are indicative of the state of Dodger starting pitching. Gonsolin, Urias, and May are unavailable (and were largely ineffective). The rookies have also been largely ineffective. The wonderful month of August has been an outlier.
Starting pitching ERA by month:
March/April: 4.22
May: 4.60
June: 4.33
July: 6.18
August: 3.57
September: 6.31.
Starter ERA/WHIP (on the season)
Pepiot: 0.00/.600
Stone: 14.40/3.00
Kershaw: 2.61/1.065
May: 2.63/.938
Miller: 3.80/1.141
Urias: 4.60/1.159
Lynn: 4.95/1.300
Gonsolin: 4.98/1.223
Sheehan: 5.40/1.357
Grove: 6.75/1.615
Syndergaard: 7.16/1.446
In October, who do you trust to start a big game? Kershaw has a sore arm but has the experience to navigate his way through a lineup. Miller has pitched very well of late. But Lynn has allowed 12 HR in 40 IP and is pitching worse.
Sheehan and Grove have mostly not pitched well. Pepiot has, but it’s a very small sample.
I trust Kershaw, Miller, Pepiot, Lynn, Sheehan, Yarbrough.
Teams go thru ups and downs, look at the mighty braves they are on the verge of being swept by the Cardinals…at home….. giving up 10 and then 11 runs.
Strider got rocked yesterday. The brewers lost to the Pirates….
Im content where we are at right now. Enjoy the ride…
I trust, but verify!
Hey Matt, that’s again for advice on what I should do and telling me to “enjoy where we’re at”. Allow me to repost my comments from yesterday. Please read it carefully and look for spots where I wasn’t optimistic about this team going forward. Try this time to skip the part about taken to the woodshed that you previously reacted to. To me that’s getting beat, which we did. Thanks for the tip. I had no idea there were “ebbs and flows to a season” MAN.
yesterday’s post:
“After a hot streak and great team wins we are struggling. Losing 4 of the last 5 with the starting pitching taking blows is not what we hoped to see. The Braves took us to the woodshed. And Urias being a dumb-ass adds to the distractions.
But this team’s core hasn’t changed. This is a confident, resilient club and if any team can regroup from all the adversity, it’s this team. There are always peaks and valleys but this team has had more peaks than I certainly predicted. I said we’d win 85 to 90 games coming out of spring training, which seems like a lifetime ago. I never saw the success coming, that we’ve had. Doc should be skipper of the year. This team has great synergy and gamers that I think will get hot again entering the playoffs.
I think Urias’ subtraction could actually be a blessing for AF and Doc. He was fat and flat. He’s been ineffective and a problem in the making come playoff time. Can anybody say they have any confidence in him facing the Braves, Phillies or any playoff team, for that matter? I don’t. So he has taken the burden off from making hard decisions about his role. I’ll take our young guys especially Miller and Pepiot now and be happy about it. It’s great opportunity and this team knows the bats have to get going to support these kids”.
Ok Phil, why don’t you read what I posted as well, please.
I agreed with everything you said EXCEPT being “taken to the Woodshed”
Now the Braves ARE being taken to the woodshed by STL….
For the record, “taken to the woodshed” means “GETTING BEAT!”
Isn’t that what happened?
Actually, they were beat like a rented mule!
I do not even remember replying to that post. I must be getting senile,
Who are you?
Get off my lawn!
😉
6:40 PM ET
Dodgers (84-54)
Marlins (72-67)
SP Ryan Pepiot R
1-0 1.29 ERA
SP Braxton Garrett L
8-5 3.86 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
DH Will Smith R
2B Amed Rosario R
3B Max Muncy L
LF Chris Taylor R
CF E. Hernandez R
SS Miguel Rojas R
C A. Barnes R
In Domed Stadium
Transaction
Triple-A: Ryan Pepiot was recalled by the Dodgers to start Thursday in Miami.
Wednesday scores
Oklahoma City 8, Sugar Land 6
Springfield 5, Tulsa 2
West Michigan 6, Great Lakes 5
Rancho Cucamonga 6, Visalia 2
Thursday schedule
3:35 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jerming Rosario) at West Michigan (Troy Melton)
4:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Kyle Hurt*) at Sugar Land (Rhett Kouba)
4:35 p.m.: Tulsa (River Ryan) at Springfield (Tekoah Roby)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Patrick Copen) vs. Visalia (Denny Larrondo)
*Oklahoma City is expected to use an opener before turning to Kyle Hurt for bulk innings on Thursday. Hurt has started only once in his first five games in Triple-A, averaging 3⅔ innings per appearance.
I think Jason Hayward should play everyday
He hit left handed pitching well last night so sit Muncy and play kike or Rosario at third.
Excited for our young pitchers
How many of them will pitch well enough to earn a spot in the rotation.
Heyward’s been excellent in a platoon. Maybe Dodgers just want to stick with what’s been working. Ironically, Heyward has seen a lot of action in RF because Vargas wasn’t working at 2B. I do not think AF’s “transition year” planning counted on Mookie playing so much 2B at this point in his career.
Today Roberts had Kike take Outman’s place in CF. He could have put Kike at 3B and sat Max. Outman has somewhat funny splits: He’s competent against both lefties and righties, but 17 of his 18 HRs have come against righties. Max has the lower BA and OBP, but he flexes his power against both. At any rate, Max has scored three runs today, so it seems like he made the right decision.
I felt a bit of relief when I saw that Pepiot gave up a single to Bell. Seven great innings from Pepiot, and now Ferguson enters with a 10-0 lead… Nice
Poor Austin Barnes has hammered the ball both times with the guy on 3b and both times he hit at-em’s
I sure hope Pepiot is allowed to pitch until he gives up a hit. … Five perfect innings.
Now that Pepiot has given up the hit Roberts can let him give up 7 or 8 runs before pulling him.
Pepiot has a heart.
We need that.
Pepiot’s performance is the best thing that’s happened for the Dodgers lately. Suddenly looks like we can cheer for two rookie starters in the postseason.
Pepiot this year way better than last season – didn’t expect it, glad for the surprise.
I’m encouraged with Pepiot’s last two big league starts. He has cemented his place in the starting rotation
Betts seen leaving on crutches, X-rays negative, that is a loss we cannot afford and would disrupt our postseason chances big time.
He fouled a ball off of his foot. Now, if he needs a couple of days, give it to him. Don’t make him play until he is 100%,
Next man up for the kiddie corps! Gotta make a believer out of dodgerrick!