All Season, I have been telling everyone who would listen that it is not important how you play in April. It is not how you play in May and June. It’s not how you play in July and August. It’s also not how you play in September. What it is all about is getting to October. Only then is it about how you play. How you play in October is what legends are made of.
… and yet, most fans wanted to throw out Gavin Lux, Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor, Kike Hernandez, Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler, and now… Joe Kelly… based upon how they have done in certain months like, April, May, June, July, August, or September. Of course, some have come to the conclusion that they were wrong about Kike, Gavin, and Rojas.
It seems that everyone’s favorite player to want off the roster right about now is Joe Kelly and I also have to say when I see him, it scares me too. However, in cases like this, you have to rely on vision… not sight. The first thing you have to know is that Joe Kelly is a “little crazy,” and I mean that in a good way! If one of the Dodgers players gets hit, Joe Kelly is quick to have his back and put a pitch in the ear of the enemy! He is an assassin. Other teams also know this, and it acts as a deterrent, but also know this: Joe Kelly has 60 IP in the postseason… some good, some bad, but in three World Series, he has a 2.03 ERA and a 0.825 WHIP. His post-season ERA is 3.45, but if you throw out the three games he appeared in early in his career as a starter, it is below 3.00… and ladies and gentlemen, that is why he is here!
How many pitchers do you know who can hit triple digits and have a hammer curve that makes the hitters look silly, boy, does his fastball move! It makes hitters fearful of digging in. Joe tends to pitch really well or really poorly. Look at his ERA’s for the year, month-by-month:
- March – 21.60
- April – 2.61
- May – 0.00
- June – Out
- July – 1.80
- August – 7.71
So, I don’t care how he pitches in August. I care what he does in October. Last year, Bruce Bochy, had Josh Sborz who had splits like this in his ERA:
- March/April – 1.08
- May – 8.31
- June – 0.55
- July – 15.19
- August – 5.79
- September – 14.54
In the ALCS he had a 0.00 ERA. In the ALDS, he had a 1.50 ERA and in the World Series, he has a 0.00 ERA. It not how he pitched in August or September, but rather how he pitched in the postseason and all told, he threw 12 innings and allowed 1 Run. Yet, most fans persist in not seeing past the noses on their face! They think they know more than Andrew Friedman, Mark Prior, and Dave Roberts, even though they have about 5% of the information those guys do. Does anyone wonder why I call them morons? Geeez!
Many fans complained that the Dodgers were just built for the regular season and not the post-season even though even Ray Charles could see that they were so good that they were on cruise control in August and September, having nothing to play for. They simply lost their edge as humans are prone to do. This year, it is different, as we enter September, it will be a Dog Fight and I am betting on the Junkyard Dogs in Blue.
The Dodgers have quite a few of these dogs, including Joe Kelly, Chris Taylor, Kike Hernandez, Teoscar, and hopefully, Max, Freddie, Mookie, Shohei, and Gavin will join that JYD Club in October. This year is different, but the morons always jump to the wrong conclusions… that’s just what morons do. Still, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball and are five games up on both the D-bags and Padres! This is the best time – EVER – to be a Dodger fan.
X-CITES
Update on Shadrack
Here he is at 8 weeks:
Here he is at 11 Weeks:
Will Joe Kelly make the postseason?
I hope not. I hope that other relief options prove superior.
Who should make the bullpen? Who is high on Roberts “trust tree”?
Kopech, Phillips, Treinen, Hudson, Banda, Vesia, Brasier have all performed better than Kelly this season. I assume that Graterol, when healthy, would also rate higher. Then there are guys like Knack, Grove and probably Miller, assuming he doesn’t crack the starting rotation.
The competition for the starting rotation could shift a couple guys to relief roles.
Yamamoto (triceps) will throw a bullpen session Sunday and have his next rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.
“Yamamoto began his rehab assignment with Oklahoma City on Wednesday, when he allowed a solo home run and struck out two batters across two innings while throwing 31 pitches. He has been on the IL since mid-June due to a right rotator cuff strain, and he didn’t begin throwing bullpen sessions until early August. Yamamoto is aiming to rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation in mid-September, and he’ll need a couple more rehab starts without suffering a setback before doing so. In the 14 starts before the injury, he went 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 84:17 K:BB over 74 innings”.
beautiful puppy! Well it’s not only Kelly some(a lot) want gone. saw stuff this morning and last night, throwing Clayton away too. Let Kershaw decide himself when it’s time to go. He won’t let pride get in the way. He’s been too good for too long! He doesn’t need the money. He has nothing to prove to anyone! He’s simply one of the best ever! When he says he’s done, i’ll believe him. When he says he can still pitch at a high level, i’ll believe him! … As for Joe, love the guy! He wasn’t close to sharp last night. In his defense, he was thrown in there earlier than usual. And not every single reliever is an all star! Banda got rocked last night! We throwing him out too? The d-backs hit the ball, period! And if you didn’t notice, so do the dodgers! That was the lineup we’ve been yearning for! i know they want to keep guys fresh, but that’s a killer lineup! And i can’t state it enough, Rojas has been a Godsend for this team! …. Tonight the dodgers need to beat their ass again! Winning the 1st 2 would be a huge advantage! Puts the pressure back on the d-backs! … Friars 6 out in the loss column.. Pick up a couple more and they’re out of the NL West conversation! But, they are dangerous. Especially if Darvish gets back. … Stone is rock solid tonight! We usually take care of business with Kelly! Hopefully the lineup is the same! Knowing Doc, i won’t hold my breath! lol
I agree with you wholeheartedly about Kershaw. Best left handed pitcher in this millennium. His number will be retired by the Dodgers. I agree with Mark about Kelly. I remember when Kelly plunked Ramirez (Hanley) essentially handing the playoff series to the Cardinals. One can’t tell if Kelly hit Ramirez on purpose but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. Rather he should make the playoff roster or not is a decision the Dodgers will make. Sometimes hitters will get real comfortable at the plate and everyone in the lineup seems to be Ted Williams. In a situation such as that bringing in someone who is a bit wild and throws really really hard and doesn’t mind pitching tight could be the answer to getting the opponents a little less confident in the batters box.
Agree with you on Kershaw. He is a Dodger legend and the greatest pitcher of his generation. The Dodgers have been very deferential to Kershaw regarding his future with the Dodgers. It will be interesting to see if that deference extends to putting him on the post season roster if this inconsistency continues. That decision is a ways away for sure but IF Glasnow, Yamamoto, and Flaherty are fronting the rotation it is fair to say that Stone is the most deserving pitcher for the fourth starter in a playoff series.
Definitely would not equate Banda’s performance with Kelly’s performance. Banda took the ball for the third consecutive game which is very unusual for a reliever in the regular season. In my opinion, Banda deserves a ton of respect and credit for taking the ball. I’m pretty certain his teammates and manager feel the same. Kelly was actually warming before Kershaw was pulled and it should not matter whether it was the second inning or the sixth inning. They were asking him to take down two innings, if he could. He needed nearly 50 pitches to get five outs, threw more balls than strikes, hit two batters with two strike pitches that bounced in the batter’s box, and balked in a run because he forgot how many disengagements he had in an at bat. Left the game with two runners on base and game tied. Vesia was also in the game a lot earlier than expected and he got all four batters out. I think Kelly was brought back because of his post season success much like Kike and Chris Taylor (though Taylor was not “brought back”). I get betting on Kelly’s upside in playoffs but if he continues this lack of success that decision becomes more difficult. I wonder if he is a candidate for an IL stint given this reliever crunch.
“Ben Casparius is also slated to pitch for Oklahoma City on Saturday, piggybacking with the left-hander Gamboa. We’ll see if that holds after Clayton Kershaw injured his big toe on Friday night in Phoenix, forcing the Dodgers to use seven relievers to cover the final eight innings”.
where’s Landon Knack? he’s been great !
Knack pitched 4 innings in relief for Oklahoma City this past Wednesday, so he won’t be available to be called up and pitch till next Tuesday the 3rd. My guess is Wrobleski gets called up Sunday to start against the Snakes pushing back Flaherty to start Monday
The Knee-jerk reactions are predictable and silly.
Some think the sky is falling.
To others, it is blue!
From MLB Trade Rumors:
Given the longstanding nature of the injury, it isn’t necessarily clear whether or not Kershaw will need to be placed on the 15-day injured list. Kershaw and Roberts both stated that some testing and evaluation will need to happen before a decision is made, and the Dodgers have some extra time to monitor the situation since Kershaw wasn’t scheduled to pitch until next Friday. L.A. is expected to call up Justin Wrobleski for a spot start on Sunday, and the team has an off-day on Thursday, giving Kershaw more opportunity to rest.
This isn’t just about Kershaw, this is about our completely overworked bullpen.
Let Kersh shit for 10 days, because we need bullpen arms NOW. We cant’ keep throwing more bullpen innings than starters’ innings and not expect more outings like what Kelly and Banda gave last night (they’re wiped out and should not pitch again until Monday)
First for pitchers it’s 15 days. Before calling out people especially icons, learn the rules. If you are inferring that Kershaw is a selfish player and puts himself in front of the team you need medication. Kershaw has nothing to prove to anybody, and still had shoulder surgery and went through the whole rehab process. I’ve had both shoulders done and those were the worst by far of the 15 others I’ve had and I’m not close to being a professional athlete. I can’t imagine the rehab. Why he did it probably is known to a few but a good guess is the love for the game and staying with the Dodgers instead of the Strangers shows his devotion to the team.
Grove and Graterol two other potential bullpen arms going forward. Grove seems more capable of multiple innings.
I wonder if Wrobleski has ever relieved?
Wrobleski probably has. Most pro pitchers have.
And I’d argue that it shouldn’t matter all that much, assuming he enters at the start of an inning and not with runners on base.
As a lefty, he’d be competing with Banda and Vesia, who obviously have more experience. Assuming all are healthy–no guarantee of that–I doubt that Wrobleski wouldn’t make the postseason roster.
But who knows? Some of us here though Rosario and Heyward would both make the postseason roster. Now Rosario is a Red and Heyward is an Astro.
FWIW, I’d give Knack the edge over Grove. Knack is kind of the Rodney Dangerfield of the pitching staff. By the numbers, he has outpitched Buehler and Miller but doesn’t have their potential.
If the Dodgers are not built for the playoffs, which teams currently are? The Vegas oddsmakers must be stupid because even they don’t know.
ODDS TO WIN 2024 WORLD SERIES:
Los Angeles Dodgers: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
New York Yankees: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Philadelphia Phillies: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Baltimore Orioles: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Joe Kelly OMG. Come on people. The Dodger brass knows what Kelly is capable of in Oct. They know what Kike is capable in Oct. They know what CT3 is capable of in Oct. And these are only our scrubs. They are playing 4 d chess while everyone else (the morons) are playing whoops… with themselves. Relax and enjoy. I am parroting now, what a great time to be a Dodger fan!
Book em
I don’t think questioning Kelly’s viability as a piece of the Dodgers post season relief corp is an over-reaction. Maybe he turns things around and is a part of the post season roster or maybe he continues this inconsistency through September which makes that decision more interesting. I agree that he should not be DFA but I do wonder if his name has come up as a possible IL candidate . His post season success as a Dodger is definitely a factor and in that consideration, if it is close between Kelly and another reliever, he may get the call. I don’t see a reliever in that bullpen right now (including Graterol) who I would keep off the post season roster so that Kelly could pitch. Dodgers may see it differently but I don’t think it is a slam dunk.
Certainly not an overreaction.
Kelly is a set-up guy. The Dodgers have a lot of set-up guys, and several have pitched better than Kelly this season. And that’s before we consider a starter like Miller who could shift to BP duties.
Who gets left off the roster so Kelly stays?
Not that I don’t enjoy Joe’s feistiness and mariachi jacket…
Oh yes, come on people…. Let’s all worship the Dodger brass. They are geniuses who play 4D chess! And we are mere fans with moronic opinions. We are not worthy!
Remember, these are the same geniuses that had Miguel Vargas and Joey Gallo on the post-season roster in ’22–and didn’t that work out just great?
(Apologies to Dano if your comment was sarcasm and I just didn’t get it.)
8:10 PM ET
Dodgers (81-54)
Diamondbacks (76-59)
SP Gavin Stone R
11-5 3.33 ERA
SP Merrill Kelly R
4-0 3.98 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
C Will Smith R
2B Gavin Lux L
3B Max Muncy L
SS Miguel Rojas R
CF K. Kiermaier L
In Domed Stadium
I don’t consider Joe Kelly a great postseason pitcher. Maybe early in his career he was. But He has thrown 14 innings for the Dodgers in the postseason and given up 10 earned runs in the last 5 years. His biggest appearance was against the Nationals in the 10th inning of the deciding game 5 in 2019. He gave up a grand slam to Howie Kendrick that ended the Dodger season. I thought the Dodgers overpaid to bring back Joe this year for $8 million. He is a fan favorite and a great personality, but I would not want to put Joe in a crucial spot in a playoff game.
Agreed. Forgot about his giving up the Grand Slam to Kendrick. Personally, he would not get close to a post season roster this year if it were up to me.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced on Saturday that Clayton Kershaw will head to the injured list with a bone spur in his left toe. The veteran southpaw left his start against the D-backs at Chase Field on Friday with toe pain after allowing three runs, including a homer to Corbin Carroll, in just one-plus innings.
“There’s so much swelling, he can barely move around with it,” Roberts said.
Kershaw, who made his season debut on July 25 after rehabbing a shoulder injury, has made seven starts this season, posting a 4.50 ERA with 24 strikeouts across 30 innings.
Right-hander Ben Casparius has been recalled from the minors to take Kershaw’s roster spot, and Plunkett adds that left-hander Justin Wrobleski is set to be called up when rosters expand tomorrow to start tomorrow’s game. That could leave Wrobleski in position to take over Kershaw’s spot in the rotation relatively seamlessly.
The argument for Wrobleski taking over Kershaw’s spot seems to be that both are lefties.
But Knack has outpitched Wrobleski, Buehler and Miller.
Could Miller or Buehler relieve?
Certainly a consideration.
Just as a rose is a rose, pitching is pitching.