Re-Launching LADT

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1. One announcer mentioned that it looked like Teo just wasn’t picking up the ball when Detmer was pitching. But it looked like they all couldn’t pick it up or just guessing wrong on every pitch. A few centercut fastballs just no swings on.

2. “Yamamoto allowed two runs, both in the first inning after a walk and double were cashed in, but also struck out three. The stuff was there for the right-hander, with his 95.4 mph fastball average basically right at his seasonal number, and he got eight swinging strikes in his relatively short time on the mound.

   With Yamamoto not yet stretched out, we’ll see what happens next week, whether he rejoins the Dodgers in a limited capacity — think part of a bullpen game — or gets one more rehab start”.

   “Brusdar Graterol started his rehab assignment with Oklahoma City and allowed a run on three singles in the fifth inning, with one strikeout. It was his first game in four weeks”.

   1. It’s coming together… slowly!

3. The White Sox are not only a disaster but a total disgrace to Major League Baseball especially being in a major market with a horrendous 31-109 record. Their fans deserve better than that.

   1. Jerry Reinsdorf is a complete fool. MLB should force him to sell.

4. I was thinking about next year’s OF. We could see Betts in RF, Edman/Outman in CF & Rushing/Pages in LF. Probably time to trade Chris Taylor but there’s room for him on the bench too.

   1. That OF is certainly possible, assuming that Rushing doesn’t suck in LF and AF refuses to meet Teo’s price.
      If Mookie is full-time in RF, then Taylor may be Lux’s platoon partner at 2B and also back up Max. Kike won’t be under contract and may have to seek employment elsewhere.
      Now that Lux seems to be fulfilling his potential, I’d like to see him have a chance to win the 2B job full-time. But that’s a matter for next season.

      1. I do believe that Lux can get better at hitting LHP.

         But, I also believe that Outman will return to CF against RHP only. I do not see him ever hitting LHP.

   2. 2025 will be CT3’s last year as a Dodger.

5. Thanks Mark for the relaunch! I know it was hard for you to deal with the “morons” because they took away the joy of what you do but they are gone. Now let’s enjoy what could be an amazing season of Dodger baseball!

6. I’m glad you will stop talking about the morons. Dodgers seem to be running on all cylinders. I also believe that one of our SP’s will rise to the occasion.

7. FYI: Lots of fans wanted CJ Abrams at the All-Star Break. It turns out that Miggy Rojas is Babe Ruth compared to him.

   First Half: .268 BA/.343 OB%/.831 OPS/15 HR
   Second Half: .178 BA/.239 OB%/.513 OPS/ 3 HR

   That’s why none of us run teams.

8. For the record, I didn’t want Abrams. Rojas was fine.

9. Mark, your relaunch of LADT has been a breath of fresh air. C.J. Abrams, you won’t hear that name anymore. All the dope fiends are gone.
   Book em

10. Excellent song!

11. Great article Mark! The Dodgers are peaking at just the right time. Clarity will come to the starting pitching in the next few weeks. I can’t help but think it’s all part of the plan. Find a way to rest your starters so they are fresh for the playoffs. Great time to be a Dodger fan!

12. Hello friends, I’m still standing, for short periods that is. But the old man and the dope fiend are beyond two steps of my front threshold. It’s about time for me to get readdicted to morphine again. The habit is the least of my concerns. But I’m tuff so dump right here on me, I can take it and love it to. Thanks to all for being friends. Special thanks Mark for being a most generous friend. I’m smelling a 2024 Dodgers championship. CHEERS.

    1. Good to hear from you Quas!

       Godspeed!

13. Mookie is a team man, he wants to win, he will always do what is best for the team and the best thing for the team is Mookie in CF, there is no free agent next year who is better than Mookie in CF nor is there one in the Dodgers’ minor leagues.
    It’s much harder to transition from RF to SS or 2B than from RF to CF, so Mookie should be the CF in 2025.
    Teo should in no way be offered a long-term contract, he is at the wrong age, the Dodgers must slowly begin to rejuvenate themselves.
    My OF for 2025:
    LF Rushing
    CF Betts
    RF Pages
    CT3
    Outman.
    In the future I would like this:
    C Smith
    1B Freeman
    2B Lux
    SS Freeland
    3B Bichette Jr
    LF Rushing
    CF Betts
    RF Pages
    DH Ohtani
    Cartaya
    Edman
    Outman
    Gauthier
    I add: I like the leadership and high baseball coefficient of Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers could prepare him to be the manager of the team in 3 or 4 years, in addition he has said that he would like to be on the team’s coaching staff when his days as an active player end.

    1. Mookie doesn’t like centerfield. Therefore mookie will not be playing center field for the dodgers next year.

14. Mark ,huge fan of LADT . Great job you do.I love our Dodgers way too much.It’s not healthy.But I am so glad LADT is alive and well.Thank you sir!

15. The Angels should have walked both of the MVPs so they could have faced …. oops, never mind!

16. Question for Mark. Didn’t Brent Honeywell have to pass through waivers to go back to OKC ? He has done a very acceptable job in our bullpen this year. Makes ya wonder with all these pitching injuries and lack of MLB ready arms, someone didn’t snatch him up ???

    1. Yes, he had to pass through waivers and I, too was surprised when nobody claimed him.

    2. Here’s the reason why:

       From MLBTR:

       “In 23 2/3 innings of work with the Pirates and Dodgers this season, Honeywell has posted strong results despite lackluster peripherals. His 2.28 ERA is nothing short of excellent, but the fact that he’s managing to prevent runs to that degree despite a microscopic 13.8% strikeout rate appears likely to be unsustainable, particularly if his whopping 89.6% strand rate regresses to a more typical figure. Even so, Honeywell figures to be as solid a bet as any to eat innings in a beleaguered Dodgers bullpen that was forced to use seven relievers after Kershaw departed in the second inning of last night’s game due to injury.”

17. Another question. Is Kody Hoese totally out of the Dodger’s plans for the future ? He seems to be a forgotten man ? Nobody mentions Emmett Sheehan for the starting rotation anymore either ???? I recall him having solid numbers .

    1. Sheehan’s UCL surgery earlier in the year will have him out until July-Aug 2025 at the earliest and he might not be built up to start until 2026. That might explain why people aren’t talking about him for the rotation.

18. Article about a horrible play by the White Sox involving 3B, Miguel Vargas, SS Jacob Amaya, and LF Andrew Benintendi, resulting in Vargas not allowing LF Benintendi to catch the ball, resulting in an actual black eye for Vargas and the Orioles scoring 3 runs. Vargas now hitting .122/.240/.195 in 25 games for the Sox.

    https://sports.yahoo.com/white-sox-reach-new-low-again-with-bases-loaded-collision-that-injures-miguel-vargas-002157386.html

    1. He is a trainwreck.

    2. Dude, just shut up with your dumb chest pounding. Go take your inflated chest pounding somewhere else.

19. I am glad to see Roberts sticking to his guns on “the best players will play”. He has quasi-platooned Muncy with Hernandez at third and Lux and Taylor at second. It will be interesting to see if it is Kiermaier, Pages,or Taylor who does not make the post season roster.
    I wonder if any of us had a five man rotation of Flaherty, Stone, Knack, Miller, and Buehler in mind for the stretch run in early September. Funny how these baseball seasons evolve.
    I think it is very possible that Betts and Freeman will both be fresher in October given that they have had more regular season time off than normal. It seemed to me that playing every day is a noble old-school notion that might not be in their best interests or the team come October. We shall see.
    Enjoyable watching this team come together to play their best baseball at this moment, Still a crapshoot in the post season but this team, even with the questions in their rotation, is better positioned to win in October than either of the last two seasons. When fully healthy the line up is deep, when rested the bullpen is also deep, and I like their ability to steal bases rather than simply sit around and wait for lightning to strike.

    1. Taylor is going to be on the Post-Season roster and he is going to be a valuable piece.

       1. I would agree. I think with Taylor’s versatility and ability to play center field that he will be on the roster and Kiermaier may be the odd man out.

20. The lack of love for Rojas is just unreal.

    1. But he is not hitting .300, and he doesn’t have 30 HR! 😉

       If you don’t include Mookie Betts, Rojas has the 5th best BA for a SS in all of baseball! (at least 250 ABs)

       I can actually see him being resigned for 2025, but my eyes are on Alex Freeland.

       1. There is a team option for 5 mil for Miggy next year. I am pretty sure the Dodgers will exercise the options on both him and Barnes. Freeland is at least a year or so away. He is not exactly lighting it up at AAA.

21. From MLBTR:

    Who says no? Bo Bichette + Davis Schneider to LAD for Dalton Rushing.

    That’s an easy no for the Dodgers, as Rushing is a consensus top-40 prospect in the game. I will admit that Bichette is tough to value. He put up 13.6 WAR from 2021-23 and was an All-Star and down-ballot MVP candidate. He’s only 27 years old in March. But he’s going to play fewer than 100 games this season and hasn’t had a star-caliber month since July 2023. His value took a big hit this year and I do not think he could pull Rushing.

    1. With Rushing moving to left field, I think the Dodgers see his future as an outfielder and maybe first baseman down the road. Freeman has 3 years left on his deal. But one thing I do not see is the Dodgers using an outfield next season of Rushing, Outman and Pages. I believe Mookie stays in right unless they decide to try the SS thing again. With Lux showing this much improvement, going back to second does not seem like an option for Mookie.

22. Another from MLBTR:

    The Dodgers could go into the post season with injuries to 2-3 of their best starters like last year. I know pitching injuries are on the rise, but do you think there might be organizational issues specific to LA?

    I would look at it on a case-by-case basis. Tyler Glasnow has held up about as well as I thought he would. I’m surprised Yoshinobu Yamamoto suffered a serious injury, given his track record, and the Dodgers never pitched him on fewer than five days rest. Those are the key guys they’re missing right now. Both were offseason acquisitions and I’m skeptical that the Dodgers got them and then quickly broke them somehow.

    As an organization, the Dodgers have been hit especially hard by Tommy John and other major pitching injuries. In mid-August, Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times wrote, “Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said the organization has launched a thorough review to determine if there is a common thread to the causes of such injuries and if there are better ways to prevent them in the future.”

    Gomes cited the many variables in trying to assess this rash of injuries, but also said, “I don’t think this is all that unique.” The questions are whether the Dodgers have been drafting and acquiring pitchers who are more prone to injury, and whether there are traits they’re developing for that increase injury risk. On the outside, I couldn’t begin to make those assessments.

    In a sense, there’s an obvious trait that every organization develops for – velocity – that increases Tommy John risk. The Dodgers have shown a lot of variance in team average velocity by year, and they don’t seem any more into it than any other team.

23. 9:38 PM ET

    Dodgers (84-55)
    Angels (57-81)

    SP Bobby Miller R
    2-3 7.25 ERA
    SP Griffin Canning R
    4-12 5.19 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    DH S. Ohtani L
    RF Mookie Betts R
    1B F. Freeman L
    LF T. Hernandez R
    2B Gavin Lux L
    CF Tommy Edman S
    3B Max Muncy L
    SS Miguel Rojas R
    C A. Barnes R

    89° Wind 8 mph L-R

24. It was me that wanted CJ Abram’s, and I would take him as our SS going forward in a heartbeat.

    I can’t remember who it was, but someone once said that “Progress isn’t always linear”.

    Time to put a line through Miller and Kershaw for 24, and for Kershaw for good. Money could be better spent elsewhere.

    Miller needs a mental reset. Kershaw is a distraction and is better taken out of the equation.

    1. Watford how can you call yourself a Dodger fan and speak that way about possibly the greatest pitcher to ever wear Dodger Blue! Absolutely no respect! I simply don’t get it.The last several years he has bad injuries.You look at his stats .They are awesome.Do not give up on Clayton.YOU ARE not the only one.

    2. Kershaw is signed for a $5million salary in 2024 and 2025. With the current Dodger payroll of $325 million before luxury tax penalties, the money paid to Kershaw is a drop in the bucket. Clayton is unlikely to pitch in the playoffs this year, and is hardly a distraction. He came back from injury prematurely and has made 7 starts of which the Dodgers have won 4. He is not the same Kershaw, but he has provided innings when the Dodgers needed a starter. I appreciate having Kershaw on the team as long as he can help.

    3. I actually think Miller is very close.

       With Kershaw, it depends upon his big toe, but it doesn’t look good.

25. Laughing my ass off reading all the posts from other sites, literally one game away from a great victory they are ready to run Doc, Miller, Freidman and the babys bath water out of town. Gonna steal the Moron tag from you Mark for just a bit, where do these ‘fans ‘ come from, I hope they realize that just like Taylor, Kershaw, and Walker , Miller is auditioning for a spot on the playoff roster, Doc and the front office HAVE to put him out there to see what they have , if he turns the corner , great, if not he’s done. All about performance. As Roberts said, we are just going through the process of seeing who sticks and who doesn’t , pretty simple,

    1. I am not going to name names, but one former poster has suggested that he just wants offensive players, and defense should not be a factor. He also implied that Rojas is the reason Pages is not playing because Mookie is in right field instead of at SS. It is insane that some fans think they know better how to run a team than the people who run the team for a living. As fans, anything we say is only an opinion.

       1. He is a legend in his own mind, which is why I sent him and other packing. I do not play well with fools.

26. Maybe it’s because I have a soft spot for the poor Angels, but I’m not that bothered by a beatdown like today. Losing a close game on errors or bad umpiring would bother me more.

    The best news from today was the revelation that Yamamoto will be pitching next Tuesday. He should have four starts to tuneup for the playoffs.

    The second news–not good news–is that Bobby Miller showed no signs of progress, unlike Buehler the day before. I’ve been hoping that Miller might at least be good enough to be considered for the bullpen. (I’ll resist the urge to include him in a blockbuster offer for Tarik Skubal.)

    Maybe Canning pitched the game of his life, or maybe the Dodgers offense was just misfired. Maybe both.

27. Why are you here???

28. A bit of Nostalgia for what we have been missing

29. Eric,

    First of all, you demonstrate your incompetence by not being able to count. You said that there were about 10 commenters. There were around 28 different posters today… well it was 27 and a dumbass! Maybe you never learned to count, and for that, I am sad for you. But at least you understand what you are.
    
    Now, go away and never come back. I hereby banish you into cyberspace!

    1. Thank you!

30. Dude, get the f out of here. It’s been really nice without your constant drivel.

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