A lot of Dodger fans are in an uproar because the Dodgers, over the past few years, have done exceedingly well in the regular season, ONLY TO GET BOUNCED IN THE PLAYOFFS! Then they like to say stupid stuff like, “Andrew Friedman knows how to build a team for the regular season but can’t build one for the playoffs!” What a stupid thing to say! Actually, it is not stupid… it is really, really stupid! Speaking of stupid, how about all the fans who thought Bobby Miller was a head case who had forks sticking out of his skin? Are you starting to understand why I call them morons? They think they have some special knowledge, but they are simply fools.
What a way to join the 40-40 club? %0-50 is not likely… but it is possible!
I am not pronouncing Bobby Miller “fixed,” but he sure looked a whole lot better last night. This is why I cannot tolerate the moronic drivel and why I ran them off. Yes, I am mean… and they are stupid! Nuff said! So, back to my theory: It’s not that Andrew Friedman doesn’t build playoff teams; it’s that he builds teams that are too good and have nothing to play for because you are on “cruise control” due to running away with the division which creates complacency (humans play this game, not robots) around the playoffs.
This year’s version of the Dodgers was also Too Damn Good (unlike what many naysayers said), but then FATE (the injury bug) hit the team and made them have to scramble. They are now in a pennant race. Look how they have responded! I know many of the morons are not happy with this turn of events. They have lost their purpose in life, which is to criticize Roberts and Friedman… Oh well, they can also criticize me for saying mean things about morons.
Disclaimer: No morons were harmed in the production of this blog!
From the Dodger’s Official Page:
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (right triceps tightness)
Expected return: Mid-September
“Yamamoto is scheduled to throw a bullpen session this coming Monday Aug. 26. If all goes well, he will begin a rehab assignment on this coming Wednesday Aug. 28. He will throw two innings in the rehab start. The Minor League affiliate he will rehab with has not yet been determined, according to manager Dave Roberts.
Yamamoto previously threw a sim game on Aug. 21, throwing two innings. He played catch prior to the series opener against the Rays on Aug. 23 and came out of it feeling good, added Roberts”. (Last update: Aug. 23)
Last night with Oklahoma City, Dalton Rushing had a double and an RBI single, and has reached base in all 16 games in Triple-A batting .309 with an OPS of .934.
I’m not a huge compare stats guy. But ops seems way down across the league this year. The FO is pivoting to pitching, speed, & Defense. If pitchers continue down the path of high heat and spin. Hitting will suffer. Will small ball return? All the basement GM’s are myopic. The Dodger Front office is always racing to stay ahead of the curve. Kudos to them.
Book em
Juice up the ball and get some much needed offense back in the overall game.
Make every pitch thrown over 98 mph a ball
I’m glad you’re back, Mark. Give ’em hell!
Mark, thank you for the link to this version of “This Train…” I had never seen this video and it hit a home run! Happy Happy music with regular people. Loved it. Thank you again.
We are witnessing something truly amazing. Shohei Ohtani 40 homeruns and 40 stolen bases. Yes, he’s the best player in the game. This is really fun, but I get it, the Dodgers are in a close race in the NL West with Arizona and San Diego. Too close for comfort for some. Hey, there have been a lot of injuries along the way, pitchers at times, dropping like flies, and no doubt that’s a factor in trimming the lead to four games.
But, Mookie is back and so is Freddie. Now they have Edman, Kiki is making an impact, the pick-up of Kopech, other relievers returning and yes, Miller seemed to be turning a corner.
Hopefully, Yamamoto and Glasnow return healthy. It is what it is, but there are more positives than negatived.
Okay, to one of Mark’s points, I’m not sure how some keep assessing blame to Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman. Or even why they would assess blame. Injuries happen.
I do believe the Dodgers need to take a deep dive on why LA pitchers end up with so many injuries. Even Nomar and Orel point out that all the effort to limit innings and pitches in the minors isn’t working. Pitchers are still getting hurt at an alarming rate. Maybe it’s how hard young pitchers throw today. I’m sure the entire organization is focused on finding an answer.
There is always a hard throwing pitcher or two who is able to avoid arm and shoulder issues. Perhaps it’s genetics.
Or perhaps it’s weights and strethening programs. A few years back I was sitting near the field and I was stunned at how big Mike Trout had become. He’s a massive human being. Then I look at Freeman, lean in comparison. Maybe all that muscle leads to physical breakdowns, pulls, strains and tears. A sad thing for Trout.
But as to the Dodgers season, depth may save the day. Nice to have a productive farm system. That doesn’t just happen. It’s takes a plan that involves the entire organization.
People should just sit back and enjoy this amazing run of success, spanning years.
As for injuries, maybe its just the body pushing more than is sustainable. Back in the day, athletes didn’t work out as much. It seemed the only people who really lifted weights were weight lifters. Just look at all those old videos of baseball players, track athletes, golfers etc. So of course the performances are better, but the body breaks down. That was the appeal of steroids. Better performance now and worry about consequences later. So young pitchers throw harder and harder. If they make it its worth millons of dollars. Even for a few years. So back when I was growing up in the 1950’s, two guys I remember was baseball player Ted Kluzewski-He had to cut off his sleeves because he was so ‘muscular’. And wrestler Killer Kowalski-another big muscular guy. If you can find their photos today, they look almost puny compared to even a typical 100 meter sprinter of today
Bobby Miller did look much better last night! The only thing that concerns me is his 100 mph fastball. Other teams are teeing off on it. his off speed stuff was very good. But overall very good outing outside of 2 pitches. (homers). But have you ever seen a guy talk to himself as much as he does? When i said earlier his biggest issue was mental, i didn’t mean he was a head case. Just that he was fighting himself at times. Maybe over thinking a bit. The talent is there. He just needs to control his emotions while he’s pitching. The emotions he displays after a shutdown inning? Hell yeah! …. Probably a good thing Max needed a rest last night! lol. ….. It was good to see ohtani hit that bomb last night! But even better to have the “bottom of the lineup “. getting on! maybe now we can quit talking about the “bottom “ and just say the dodgers have a good lineup 1-9! ….,. Looking forward to Clayton tonight!! …. Finally. It’s been a lot of fun these past couple of weeks.! No politics, no nasty, no bitterness, no sh*t! Just baseball! Quantity doesn’t matter. Quality does! Thanks Mark!
Mark, I’m heading to Scarsdale New York for a family gathering with my 4 amazing grandkids. I am unable to post the confirmed lineup, but this will probably be close to the actual lineup for tonight’s game:
9:10 PM ET
Rays (64-64)
Dodgers (77-52)
SP Taj Bradley R
6-8 3.55 ERA
SP Clayton Kershaw L
2-2 2.63 ERA
Expected Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
2B Gavin Lux L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
SS Miguel Rojas R
CF Tommy Edman S
74° Wind 9 mph Out
Have fun
First of all I am impressed by the content level of y’all. You guys get it. Now. I think MLB is on the right path. Move forward and at the same time revert back a little bit to the way the game used to be played. I know analytics and medical advances say otherwise. But I think they realize that some of the things players did in the old days still work. I may be reaching but I’m good with that. I mean the Dodgers are bunting more wow. Can’t hurt. Especially in October.
Book em
Ohtani one handed homer to give us the lead