2023, according to many, it is supposed to be a transitional year. In some ways, it has been. In others, not so much. Nothing has played out as expected. The only starting pitcher who was a starter out of spring training left standing, well leaning a little, is Clayton Kershaw. Syndergaard, traded, Urias, placed on admin leave, Gonsolin, injured and out until 25, Pepiot, injured and just returned. Grove injured and out.
In their place are three rookies. Miller, Sheehan and Stone. Miller has been pretty good, Sheehan has shown flashes, and Stone has yet to show consistency. The bullpen has been a revolving door. So, if you think about it, nothing has gone according to plan. But here we are, 17 games away from the end of the season, and they have a 13-game lead over Arizona. Arizona is in a tenuous position just .5 games ahead in the postseason picture. The Giants, and Reds are right on their heels with Miami only 1 game back. Should the D-Backs lose the game they are playing in NY right now, they will lose only 1/2 game in the standings, but the Dodgers knock another game off of their magic number.
The offense on the other hand has been pretty good. They have a 173+ run differential. They are second only to the Braves in runs scored. One concerning thing to me is that they are only 7 games over .500 against teams with a sub .500 record. But the good news is that they are 44-20 against teams over .500. Be that as it may, they have an excellent chance to clinch the division by Monday.
Freddie and Mookie are the obvious catalysts. There is one player who has not performed up to his expected levels. Will Smith. In that three-hole, Smith is an important hitter. Smith has been hitting .143 over the last 7 games. In the second half, he is about 22 points below what he did in the first half. His power numbers have dipped appreciably. His slug has dropped almost 100 pts and his strikeouts have already exceeded what he did in the first half in fewer at bats. Granted, he is hitting in a little bit of bad luck. He has hit some balls very hard, but right at someone. They need him to be at his best in the playoffs.
The role players have been good so far. Chris Taylor has upped his game lately and is now close to .240. He has supplied some power and stolen bases, and his defense has been very good. Hernandez has had some clutch hits since his return. Rosario has adapted to being a very good second baseman. Wong has three hits as a Dodger, two have left the yard. Rojas is a defensive whiz, and his hitting has improved as he became more aggressive. Even Austin Barnes has shown some signs of life.
As of today, the magic number is four. Arizona and the Giants are tied for second, 13.5 games back. Az is in a worse position than the Giants because they have played 2 more games than the Giants. Right now, the Reds, Giants and D-Backs, are in a virtual three-way tie for the third and final wild card slot. How weird would it be if they finish that way? My hope is that the Dodgers play good baseball for the next 10 games or so, and then turn up the heat and play great baseball their last seven.
They do have a double-header in Colorado on the 26th. So, they are playing seven games in six days. Besides auditioning for the post season roster, the scrubs will get a lot of playing time. Mookie, Freddie, Muncy and JD will most likely be chasing some numbers. Nine of the 17 games are against teams fighting for their playoff lives. Seattle has the third AL wild card spot, but they are only 1.5 games in front of Toronto.
But at the beginning of the year, who thought the Dodgers would be in such a solid position at this point in the season? Not many. Most thought the Padres would be right in the thick of things, not already eliminated from contention. I am somewhat surprised that the Giants and D-Backs are still in the race. Miami, who with their pitching would be a dark-horse team, are still in the race only half a game back of SF, Az and the Reds.
The Dodgers are currently 5-7 in September. If they manage to win 12 of their final 17, they will finish with 100 wins. Personally, I would just like to see them be over .500 for the month. I also want to see a little bit more length out of the starting pitchers. 5 innings just won’t do in the playoffs. One reason I like Lynn is that the guy is an innings eater. Obviously, we do not know what we are going to get from Kersh the rest of the way. With him, I will be happy if he goes five with little stress and then steps up his game in the playoffs. He is starting on Saturday, and I am keeping my fingers crossed.
There is going to be a lot of heavy lifting this season in the playoffs on the kids. From what I have seen so far, they do not look overmatched. I have to believe that as they gain more experience, they will do well, and might even surprise us some.
We will be facing mostly veteran pitchers come playoff time, except for the Cubs staff which has some youngsters on it and Miami, which has several. The Phils, Giants, Brewers, and D-Backs have some veteran arms at the front of their rotations. Our kids are going to have to step up their game. And the offense is not going to be able to take a day off. The RISP numbers are going to need to be better. A trip to the World Series is not going to be easy. But, if all the pieces fall into place, it can happen.
Dad and the Happy Bride Sept 16, 2006
Magic Number to clinch the West stands at 2 with the Giants and 1 with the Snakes. The Padres are booking early tee times in October,
I love it. The more the Padres lose, the bigger the smile gets on my face.
Pads have won 3 in a row…..they may not lose another game this year and sneak into the playoffs.
In addition, they don’t have Rich Hill any longer to throw out there and get bombed. I was always happy to see him pitching in a Pads jersey.
Actually, Hill is still on the Padres roster. He was not claimed on waivers. And they have not released him. Padres have to climb over three teams to make it in. They have only 13 games left to do so, and they are 4 games back of the Giants. They are 6.5 back of the two teams tied for the third and final spot. They are not sneaking anywhere. The have the Rocks for 3, 3 with St. Louis, 3 with the Giants in SF and they finish the season in Chicago against the White Sox.
Both Dodgers minor league playoff teams stayed alive in their postseasons on Friday night. Another playoff-bound team had a milestone win, and Tulsa finally snapped their long losing streak.
Player of the day
Jared Karros came up aces in his first postseason game as a professional. The Great Lakes right-hander struck out six in five scoreless innings in a winner-take-all playoff game on Friday. He allowed only two hits and one walk, and never more than one batter reached base in one inning.
Karros has an active scoreless streak of 14 innings and has allowed only one run in his four games since joining the Loons. Counting his final two starts with Rancho Cucamonga, Karros has allowed only one run in his last 29 innings, with 25 strikeouts against only four walks.
High-A Great Lakes
Great pitching and a couple of timely hits lifted the Loons over the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) to win the Midwest League East Division Series in three games.
Dalton Rushing had an RBI double in the third inning, and Alex Freeland had an RBI double in the fourth inning. For Rushing, it provided a nice contrast from earlier in the game, when he thought he walked on a full-count pitch but instead was called out of strikes. The demonstrative Rushing put his hands on top of his head in disbelief, but luckily for Great Lakes did not add to his team-leading total of five ejections on the season.
Nice win last night. Muncy is one RBI away from 100. Miggy hit a two-run shot and Outman hit his 20th becoming the 11th Dodger rookie to do so. Freddie is in one of his mini slumps. Miller pitched well, but not great. He needs to be better at shut down innings against the better teams, but he got his 10th win. Phillips got a save. Ferguson still scares me when he comes in with runners on base. He just cannot get a clean inning. Peralta scratched with back spasms. Congrats to both Great Lakes and Rancho, who both advanced to their respective league championships. Jared Karros was especially good in his five innings for Great Lakes. Michael Busch returned to action for OKC last night and had a double. Around the League: Shoei Ohtani’s locker has been cleaned out at the Big A. An announcement is expected today from the Angels as to the reason. Ohtani has not played since September 3rd. Could be he is getting surgery on his arm. Story on Google news today about Machado, and basically it says that his attitude and work ethic are not the best. It vindicates the Dodgers not re-signing him after the 2018 season. Several players who have played for San Diego have said that the teams’ superstars have their own work agenda. Not good for team unity.
Friday scores
Playoffs
Great Lakes 2, Fort Wayne 1 (Loons win series 2-1)
Rancho Cucamonga 11, Inland Empire 6 (Quakes win series 2-1)
Regular season
Oklahoma City 6, Tacoma 2
Tulsa 8, Corpus Christi 3
Saturday schedule
5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Mike Montgomery) vs. Tacoma (Tommy Milone)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Kendall Williams) vs. Corpus Christi (Valente Bellozo)
Happy 17th Anniversary to my daughter Carrie and her hubby Mark. You can see my son Josh’s image in the mirror behind us. They were married in Vegas.
I think your daughter got your looks… because someone sure as hell took them!
It must have been her!
😉
Gee, thanks Mark.
I think that as soon as the Dodgers clinch, Freddie, Mookie, and Will Smith should have about three days off.
Nice update on the current situation. The Machado news proves I’m not a baseball expert. I always thought Machado was a great player and a huge asset. Now I realize that I only see him when he plays against the Dodgers and he’s always inspired to be great against his old team! I wouldn’t mind his defense, arm and hitting in a line up. Problem is his head is part of the deal too! I stand corrected on Machado!
I disliked him the minute he made that dirty play against Milwaukee in the playoffs. Then he totally disappeared in the World Series. He is a world class ass.
AF said this is a transition year and many things had occurred to enforced that route. Gavin Lux injury is one of those freak things that promote the eventual use of Mookie Betts in 2B.
I wrote this back in january 3 days after we traded for MRojas:
[QUOTE}
Fallito
January 15, 2023 at 12:54 pm
I also believe MRojas will be our SS. Being from Puerto Rico, I have seen Miguel a lot. He has deceptive quickness, sure hands and a strong arm. He covers a lot of ground. He also is a gamer and a great teammate. All of that qualities are perceived and solidify the eye Test. But the main reason for me is shifting MMuncy out of 2B. Je, maybe you see for a couple of games how awful will be Lux/SS & Max/2B combination and will surface how important defense is.
[/QUOTE]
Those were the days when only a very few perceived Rojas as an starter SS. Nowadays people want a SS that hits 30hr’s and had an OPS of .900. I bring this because Rojas is one of the many east coast players who had a very productive baseball trajectory but goes unnoticed by west coast fans.
Yes, it would be nice if the Dodgers finish with a hundred wins and close out September on a roll.
As for Will Smith, maybe it would be best if the Dodgers go without a specific DH in 2024 so they can use Smith more in that role and give him a break from catching. Maybe that helps keep his bat fresh, but that means the Dodgers need to find a solid bat who can produce and play in the field. Will just looks tired.
A case in point, Freeman makes it to third with no outs. You’ve got to make contact in that situation. Will whiffs and here comes Muncy. Another K, then Martinez, who swung at a ball three feet off the plate, then punched a single into right field to score the run. Important moment in that game.
Apparently, Shohei is packing up. An explanation coming today. The Angels were caught flat footed. What? They didn’t think reporters would notice.
Then there is Anthony Rendon. The Dodgers should be thanking Hollywood every day for pushing the former National into the arms of Artie Moreno. He mentioned yesterday again that he’s been thinking about retirement for the past 10 years. Not the kind of player you want.
Although Ohtani is a great hitter and a very good pitcher, although one with a bad arm, maybe the Dodgers would be smarter to sign the other Japanese pitcher and maybe Blake Snell. Probably less money, then go find another hitter. Still less money.
Nice write-up, Bear.
Rendon is such a douche. $114m left for three years and he isn’t sure how committed he is. Character matters when giving long-term deals.
Next one for Dodgers should be Japanese ace and possibly Will Smith extension. Wouldn’t mind a little two-year deal for Buehler too.
Shohei Ohtani Out For Season With Oblique Strain
The Angels have placed Shohei Ohtani on the injured list with an oblique strain, the team announced to reporters, including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. This marks the end of his season.
And so his days in California end, I doubt he will sign with the Dodgers next season
We don’t need Ohtoni and his large investment. Use his money wisely to buy 2 or 3 productive players in 2024.
Bang!
My son was at the Angels game last night. He said the crowd was booing for half the game. He said there was even a round of chants “sell Arte sell”. Ohtani clearing out his locker seemed to have taken the team by surprise. Or they completely mishandled the situation from a PR point of view. For fans to find out that Ohtani is done for the season from reporters on social media commenting about his empty locker is just sad. Angels are just a hot mess in every way. I can’t help but wonder if Ohtani emptied his locker without any notice to make a point.
Regardless how the Dodgers season ends, I’m glad the organization is run so well. I feel bad for Angels fans. Reminds me of a scene from the movie Rounders.
https://youtu.be/SQLv32k9c8s?si=6UR3d27ARSaghxAb
A’s South
After Phil Jones noted the contributions of Rojas as a great fielding SS, he adds a 2 run HR last night to give the Dodgers the lead. Rojas has been a valuable piece to the puzzle this year and deserves credit in stabilizing the defense. A lot of contributors to the Dodger success this year.
* Lovely picture from the 2006 wedding Bear.
* I think this was definitely a year of transition, as predicted pre-season. Nothing could predict all the injuries to Lux, May or Gonsulin. No surprise on Thor. But this was always going to be a new and different team with all the players who were not returning for 2023.
Look at how many new faces we’ve seen. Many by design like Outman, Busch, Miller, Pepiot, Sheehan, Stone and Vargas. We needed to see these guys and they needed to get a look and an opportunity. Outman became our everyday centerfielder. Miller is now our ace and we’ll need Pepiot in the playoffs. The veterans we added was a big transition and Peralta and Heyward have been pleasant surprises. We got a more predictable line up after the break but I don’t know how anyone could view this season as anything but a transitional year.
AF knows better now the future of our prospects as Dodgers or elsewhere. For the health and morale of the prospects, this had to happen.
What’s really the story is how successful this team has been. I never saw it coming. AF did a marvelous job and Doc should be the National League Manager of the Year. It has little to do with what happens in the playoffs.
* Falito said “Those were the days when only a very few perceived Rojas as an starter SS. Nowadays people want a SS that hits 30hr’s and had an OPS of .900.”
Funny you mentioned that. Just yesterday I posted similar thoughts.
Me “ If we all remember correctly there was a raging argument when Seager was a Dodger about him having to move to third or continuing to play shortstop. A good size vocal faction wanted to move him to 3rd base claiming he was a liability at short and we needed an upgrade. The usual bogus analytics were tossed around showing he just didn’t cut. Folks said just move him, regardless of what he wanted to do, like he was a chess piece. I guess the Ranger were easier graders. Trey Turner was an athlete but not a great shortstop. And he wanted to go east, which was fine for the money he wanted. Now we have the best defensive shortstop of all three (in Rojas) and there is again a vocal minority that wants to run his ass down the road because they claim he can’t hit. We have a history of wanting a different shortstop. In reality a shortstop that doesn’t exist.”
You called it Falito, some here want a wizard at SS who fields 1000, gets to everything laterally, charging and going back on pop-ups, hits 30 homers, 30 steals bags, has a high OPS and is a great clubhouse guy. The only guy who can come close to that should be our 2nd baseman next year with Rojas at Short, Mookie Betts.
Pretty nice starts by both young pitchers last night, Bobby Miller and George Kirby. Both hit a wall after the 5th. I’m telling you, that’s a self-fulfilling prophecy now days.
* I thought Miller’s pitch sequencing was unusual as the game went on. He sailed through 5 with the heater and change up combo. It worked like a charm working up and down. Suddenly, it seemed to me that they made an adjustment in the 6th, breaking out the breaking ball. It wasn’t good but they were bound and determined to use it. He got down in counts with the curveball and gave up the triple and single. Earlier the only mistake he made was the a fat 0 & 2 curve served up to Suarez. I swear I’d live with the 100 mph heater up and the change down and put that curve on the shelf until the hitters showed I needed it.
* I’m hoping Kerch can hold up. Bryce Miller is a nice young RHP for Seattle.
* Sadly we get Malachi Moore behind the dish and he is horseshit.
Thanks, at least her hubby now is a decent guy and makes her happy. Her first was a jerk.
Magic number down to 1 to clinch the West with the Giants and Snakes as the Giants lost the first game of a doubleheader today 9 to 5 to the Rockies.
What a sh***t show in San Diego! Manny wins Douche bag of the year, with Tatis runner up. I believe Tatis and Soto are gone after the season. Melvin might want his old job in Oakland back! Hope Clayton pitches well tonight, hopefully he can lay any doubt to rest. Why isn’t Barnhart on this team? Am I missing something?
A. Tatis’s contract has 11 years, 324 million left on it. He is going nowhere unless the Pads eat a huge piece of that. Also, not many teams would like his attitude. Although he has transitioned to RF, he isn’t worth the money he is getting. B. Soto is a free agent after 24. If the Padres have no intention of resigning him, then trading him makes sense. He has a better attitude than Tatis or Machado, and in my opinion, he is the better hitter. Get him out of that dyslexic clubhouse, and he will blossom.
TIL:
In 1968 Bob Gibson’s innings pitcher per game:
7, 7, 9, 9, 12, 11, 8, 9.2, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 11, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 10, 8, 9, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 9
Now you understand why MLB lowered the mound…
9:40 PM ET
Dodgers (89-57)
Mariners (81-66)
SP Clayton Kershaw L
12-4 2.61 ERA
SP Bryce Miller R
8-5 4.05 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Martinez R
LF D. Peralta L
RF J. Heyward L
CF James Outman L
SS Miguel Rojas R
In Domed Stadium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9V9L_V3KU4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ExN2k1BWIA
Krsh ist innng. 2 walks . Top speed 89
kersh. Ist innng Top speed ==89
If he is effective at 89 and gets people out, it is no big deal. He had a rough first couple of innings but settled down. We will need him in the playoffs. Hill barely touches 90 most of the time. If Kersh’s slider and curve are working, he is still hard to hit.
I don’t know if its some rarity, but Heyward 4 hits without run scored or RBI?
Heyward doubled three times and was left stranded all three times. He lined out the one RBI chance he had. He was stranded on third after his 4th hit. I have seen it happen a couple of times. Especially in well pitched games.
Kershaw gave the Dodgers four shutout innings against a quality, motivated team. All considered, I’d call that a big plus. And Sheehan was excellent. And Brasier might be the best acquisition of the season.
I too noticed how Heyward had zero runs and zero RBIs despite hitting three doubles and a single. Strange.
Here’s a weird fact: Max has now driven in 100 runs–for the first time in his career– although his BA with runners in scoring position is .197. How does that happen?
Also, one of Outman’s charms is his ability to get hit (or nicked) by a pitch. He’s now been plunked 12 times, which is the same as Freddie–but Freddie has had about 150 more plate appearances….
I find myself wondering whether, with the pitching staff stretched thin, the Dodgers might want to carry an extra arm (perhaps Hurt) for the postseason and leave a bat behind.
Congrats to the Dodgers on their 11th straight post season appearance. What a run they are on. My playoff expectations to win it all are relatively low this year, but anything can happen in playoff baseball. It’s a great time to be a Dodger fan with the best ownership, front office, coaching staff, player development in all of baseball.
CK wasn’t overpowering but he did pitch 4 innings. Just hope he is crafty enough to pitch through his diminished velocity and get important outs in the post season. As for the remainder of the season, Dodgers need to get the SP aligned for the post season, make some final decisions on the roster (does Kyle Hurt make the team?), stay healthy, get some much needed rest, keep the freaking Giants from making the playoffs and win that playoff bye.
When October hits we need 11 victories to win it all. Can they do it?………………….I certainly hope so.
Didn’t someone say that Hurt not eligible for playoff roster?
As for Muncy RBIs. I guess when Mookie and Freddie an Will bat 1-2-3, you get a lot of RBI opportunities. Plus all those homers really help.
It would take an act of the commissioner.
Congratulations to the 2023 Dodger Western Division Champions!!!! Great game and the after game celebration was fun to watch!
If Max could only hit 250! Don’t look at the batting average and the other numbers look great. He may very well be designated hitter next season if dodgers don’t sign ohthani. Miller, Buehler, Pepiot, Stone or Sheehan and a lefty , if it’s Clayton that’s ok with me! If not Clayton, Jordan Montgomery would fit right in. I believe we are poised to make a deep run, but we could also be in for a first round disappointment. Dodgers consistently have trouble against lefties, Doc might just maneuver the pitching like he did in 2020, this is by far his best coaching job. Heyward was awesome last night! Even against lefthhander. Hint!