DISCLAIMER: I swore long ago that I would never write this… BUT, here I am doing it! I could not resist. Also, I am truly sorry if I offend anyone.
Many years ago, when my wife had a series of ice cream shops, she hired a new girl, and I asked how she was doing. Her response was, “She’s a mouth breather.” I was not initiated into that vernacular, so I asked what that meant. She said, “Look it up,” so I did!
The insult “mouth breather” implies that a person is unintelligent or foolish. While it’s technically a literal description of someone breathing through their mouth, the pejorative use suggests that they lack common sense or awareness. Essentially, it’s a way of saying someone is “dumb” or “stupid.” I am the master of saying things others are afraid to say. Let’s get right to it.
I don’t know Dustin May. He may be a very intelligent person, but when I watch him pitch, I see a “mouth breather.” If you say that you haven’t thought the same thing, you are a damn liar! Many people believe that those who breathe through their mouth are less intelligent because they didn’t know enough to breathe through their nose like a normal person. See, I don’t know if Dustin May has a 106 IQ or 163 IQ, but when you look like a mouth breather, you fail to instill fear into the other team. Mouth breathers appear to be dull and unintelligent!
Looks matter! I am a 72-year-old, six-foot-tall, 215-pound man. When I walk into a room, no one cares. However, twenty-eight years ago, when I first got married, we went to a party, and later on the way home, my wife said to me, “When you walk into the room, you scare the hell out of people.” Back then, I was 6’4″ and 265 pounds and believed I could whip anyone in front of me… and I acted like it. It was a bad optic for me. I thank her for breaking me of that habit! Looks matter!
I wish Dustin May were not a mouth breather. Some individuals breathe through their mouth due to various reasons, including nasal blockages, habits, or underlying health conditions. Nasal congestion from colds, allergies, or sinusitis can make breathing through the nose difficult, leading to mouth breathing. Habitual mouth breathing can also develop, especially in children with nasal issues that lead to a preference for breathing through the mouth. In addition, certain health conditions like sleep apnea, enlarged adenoids, or tongue ties can contribute to mouth breathing. At 6′ 6″ tall and with a blasing fastball that he sometimes can’t control, Dustin May would would scare the hell out of other players if he weren’t a mouth breather. Looks matter!
A Menacing May, not breathing through his mouth would be intimidating to other players. Stop the mouth breathing and act like a bad ass, Dustin!
Dodger News & Notes
- On another note, if Hyeseong Kim keeps this up, how in God’s name are you going to send him down? You’re not!
- Nick Sensel hit a Grand Slam last night at OKC and drove in 5 runs. Calm down – he’s hitting .172!
- The GOAT pitches today!
- Teoscar Hernández, who has been on the 10-day injured list since May 6 with a left groin strain, will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday and can possibly be activated as soon as Monday, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
- Roberts mentioned that he’s hopeful Tommy Edman will be activated for Sunday’s series finale against the Angels.
I don’t see Dustin May looking dumb at all. I DO agree he’s an unusual looking fellow with his curly long red hair but at least he’s restricted it to the back of his head where it used to stick out both sides of his cap ala Bozo the clown.
It does seem his stuff should make him; if not dominant then at least truly impressive. And he is quite effective but it just seems something is missing. Maybe better sequencing his pitches??
The Book of Moron says I must be an idiot because I see absolutely no reason to think Dustin May is dumb at all. In interviews, he comes across as thoughtful and reflective and candid.
I had not noticed May’s mouth breathing. I certainly noticed it with Caleb Ferguson. I suspect that the issue may be more about sinuses and airways than IQ.
May can be a frustrating pitcher because he has such wicked, unhittable stuff–but it’s stuff that he has trouble controlling, perhaps due to his long layoff. With Kershaw arriving and Snell, Glasnow and Sasaki due back, perhaps May will shift to the bullpen. But he’ll probably have a couple more starts to prove he belongs in the rotation.
Need to correct something Mark posted.
Sandy Koufax, the actual GOAT, will not be pitching against the Angels.
Clayton Kershaw will be.
Keen observation Mark. When I was a younger man, I noticed a rather attractive girl. When I mentioned her to one my buddies, he told me her name and says ” ya, but she’s a mouth breather” And as I continued to check her out, she stood around looking cute yet kinda dumb with her mouth open all the time. Crazy but true. I imagined she had bad breath too. That’s all I got to say about that. Lol
Maybe Dustin tore his esophagus because he’s a mouth breather. All I know is he’s a Dodger, therefore I am a fan. Not a huge fan, just a fan. If he continues to eat innings, Doc will continue to pencil him in every 6 days. A win win for everyone.
Book em
He’s pitching for a free agent so he better wise up. The contract likely won’t be from us. We don’t have a longterm stake in his future so we’re best off trying to get innings from him, ride him hard. In a year he’ll be replaced by Ryan or Stone or Hurt.
When I think of May at his best, I remember 98mph and the inside float against Machado. It was a swing and a miss!! I remember batters having angst with his pitches. I don’t see that anymore. Whether it’s the new him or he’s working better command and less mph. The problem seems to be his command. I saw a bunch of 86-88 breaking stuff. I think he had a gaggle of strike outs so that’s good. The walks and occasional tater tot always has me on the edge when he pitches. I can also mention if the offense went on offensive when he pitches, it would make his life easier. Because of this and my blue heart, I have hope he will continue to eat innings, get more help from his team and learn to command his power pitches.
Decision time coming real soon, probably by next week with Teo and Edman ready to return from the IL. Kim???????????????????
Kim yes, Outman no
To accommodate both Edman and Teo, the Dodgers need to move two players.
Outman should be sent back to OKC, where he’ll be just a phone call away in case of another injury to an outfielder.
Who would be the second player?
For a long time, a lot of us have been hoping that Chris Taylor, “the 26th man,” gets shipped out, one way or another.
Now I find myself defending Taylor.
Conforto is the guy who should be shipped out.
I thought Conforto was a smart signing, but after 45 games he simply hasn’t delivered.
Meanwhile, Andy Pages has played himself into a full-time role, and the arrival of Dalton Rushing will diminish Conforto’s value as a lefty-swinging bat off the bench. Rushing can also help out in LF if necessary.
Taylor’s defense and versatility is more valuable that Conforto’s lackluster bat. Unlike Conforto, Taylor is a worthy “fourth outfielder” who can also help out in the infield.
I use to think management would give Conforto ample “runway” partly to prove that he is worth his $17 million contract. Now I hope the front office realizes that Conforto doesn’t fit on the new, improved Dodgers.
Time to turn the page. Eat part of Conforto’s contract and deal him for a prospect.
I like this reasoning.
I’d add, too, that Conforto is not a good outfielder. LF is his only position, which makes his signing a little curious for a team that values positional flexibility.
And I don’t buy the notion that he won’t be moved or benched because of his 17 million dollar salary. The overriding consideration is, and should be, who makes the team better now. Only a bad GM would play or keep someone simply to justify a bad investment.
Everyone wanted to dump Muncy, but he’s hit a couple of dingers and is over .200. If he hits. 235 with a 17% walk rate with 20 homers the rest of the year that’s vintage Muncy and justifies his salary.
However.
What that 17 million represents is a proven MLB track record. I think for that reason it will be hard to release him, especially for a rookie with two games under his belt.
The Dodgers have evaluators. If they think Conforto’ s bat has slowed due to age, then they’ll make the appropriate decision, but as much as I’m excited for Rushing and Kim, they could just as quickly go in a funk, or the league figures them out.
We’ll see.
May and Miller both let their emotions get to them when on the mound. Can’t see either one of them as future Dodgers.
kim ? no wY in heck he shouldn’t stay! if he ends up hitting .275 for year he’s a substantial improvement over Taylor! Pinch hitter. pinch runner. excellent 2nd baseman. the outfield defense will come. if they can release Barnes, they won’t have a problem doing the same to Taylor. i know, the money owed. well if you improve by eating some money, so be it! … Dustin may was not even close to pitching well last night! they say a turkey will drown in a rain storm by looking up at the rain. Good thing it wasn’t raining last night in dodger stadium!! Frustration has no place on the mound! …. 19 thursday. 2 runs last night. move on . … Decision time this weekend! who stays and who goes?? AF has big time choices to make. hate to see anyone cut. but , baseball careers don’t last forever…….. Wow aren’t those NBA playoffs exciting? Just kidding. Couldn’t pay me to watch the NBA anymore! Not a very good product anymore!
May isn’t the same pitcher he was 2 years ago. With the lower arm slot he has lost 3-5 MPH on the fastball, has lost movement on the sinker, and has to rely on the sweeper which is not, at this point, an elite pitch. He is still really recovering from major surgery and I don’t know how he will look in a year, but at this point he is just so-so. He may never be the pitcher the Dodgers hoped he would be. Injuries are a horrible thing.
My picks to get sent down and or DFAd, Taylor and Outman.
Taylor and Barns have a better chance of getting another ring if they are replaced by Rushing and Kim. Both young players will benefit from the experience gained during the season and be forged into better players for the postseason.
Agreed, unless someone else goes to ‘injured’ list
Friday scores
Oklahoma City 8, Round Rock 2
Tulsa 6, Northwest Arkansas 5
Great Lakes 11, Lake County 4
Rancho Cucamonga 9, Inland Empire 2
ACL Brewers 8, ACL Dodgers 7
Saturday schedule
Lake County (Dylan DeLucia at Great Lakes (Luke Fox), 3:35 PM PST
Northwest Arkansas (Ethan Bosacker) at Tulsa (Jackson Ferris), 5:00 PM PST
Oklahoma City (Sean Linan) at Round Rock (Cory Abbott), 5:15 PM PST
Inland Empire (Peyton Olejnik) at Rancho Cucamonga (Logan Tabeling), 6:30 PM PST
For more detailed recaps,stats,schedules, standings and box scores for Dodger minor league teams go to the top of this page and cIick on MINOR LEAGUE AFFLIATES.
I think when Edman comes back, CT3 will be DFAd. This makes me sad, but baseball is a meritocracy. Because baseball is a meritocracy, I believe Kim will stay at second until he plays himself out of the starting rotation. This means Edman is taking CT3s position and is a big improvement.
I would play Edman on a 5 day cycle, Start in Left, Start in Center, Start in Right, Start at Second, then have a day off. Every other day off, I would have him replace one of the outfielders in the 7th inning. Essentially there would be 4 starting outfielders. When Playoffs begin, the best 3 outfielders are the starting outfielders. Baseball is a meritocracy.
I would use Rushing in a similar way with Will Smith. I would have Rushing start between 30% and 40% of the time. On his days off he should replace Smith in the 7th inning. Doing this they would both be fresh at the end of the year and catch about the same number of innings in a year. This of course anticipates, Rushing performs as a starting catcher and does not play himself into a backup roll. Baseball is a meritocracy and the best performing catcher starts in the playoffs.
I would have Rojas start about every 4th or 5th day for Mookie and be a 7th inning replacement for Mookie at the mangers discretion. This would keep Mookie fresh for the playoffs and give Rojas the reps he needs to be sharp for the playoffs.
I would use Kiki to start about every 4th or 5th day for Muncy and be a 7th inning replacement for Freeman. Again, this would keep Muncy and Freeman fresh for the playoffs and give Kiki the reps he needs to be sharp for the playoffs.
Of course everything depends on the game. If the game is close and the dodgers are behind, Roberts might not want to make any 7th inning replacements.
This is my outside the box take. Please state your own opinions and be kind.
I’ll speak up here again to state the case for keeping Taylor and unloading Conforto instead:
Reason one: Pages has earned a full-time job. Soon, the best OF alignment will read Teo-Edman-Pages. (Putting Pages in CF and Conforto in LF is weaker both offensively and defensively. )
Reason two: It follows that Conforto, who is producing disappointing Taylor-like offense, will be relegated to the role of a bench player–specifically, as left-handed pinch hitter who is earning $17 million.
Reason three: When Rushing isn’t in the starting lineup–which will be most of the time–he would also be a lefty swinging pinch-hitter. Conforto is thus the backup lefty pinch-hitter.
Reason four: Conforto is not an ideal “fourth outfielder” because of his defensive limitations Both Taylor and Kike can play all three OF positions well. In fact, Taylor has replaced Conforto for defensive purposes, and he’s still often used as a pinch runner.
Finally, there is the morale factor to consider. Cashiering Barnes was a difficult but, I think, wise decision to give Rushing the opportunity he earned.
But why unload the versatile, long-serving Taylor instead of Conforto? Neither are producing much offense–but Taylor helps the team in many more ways.
All things being equal–and I think the ledger clearly favors Taylor–the Dodgers owe some loyalty to Taylor and none to Conforto.
A lot of that sounds right.
Kike bats right, and Max left. A platoon, or semi-platoon, makes sense.
I’d be more inclined to make late-inning substitutions in blowouts. I wouldn’t want to lose Freddie’s bat in case of extra innings. But yeah, it makes a lot of sense to get him off his feet. In a recent blowout, Roberts removed Freddie and Mookie and–surprisingly–Pages.
My preferred lineup/roster/depth chart:
Shohei DH
Mookie SS (backed by Rojas, Edman, Kim)
Freddie 1B (backed by Kike and Max)
Teo LF (he prefers RF, but I prefer Pages there…backed by Taylor, Rushing!)
Smith C (backed by Rushing)
Max 3B (backed by Kike)
Edman CF (backed by Taylor, Pages, Kike, Kim)
Pages RF (backed by Teo, Taylor, Kike)
Kim 2B (backed by Edman, Taylor, Kike)
I’ve dealt Conforto to a non-contender for a prospect. Had to eat about $12 million in salary–but Pages had turned Conforto into an overpriced benchwarmer anyway.
Being nice is not a requirement at LADT. Most are nice and respectful but if you’re not, I have no problem taking off the gloves. But I gotta tell you Todd, your take is really good. Thanks. I don’t often go out on a limb, but Kim is staying put.
Book em
Question: Kim doesn’t have a two way contract. Consequently it would cost the Dodgers the same amount of salary money whether they DFA Taylor, Rojas or whoever. So money isn’t the issue. Is this analysis correct?
I think that’s true.
But I also think that $$ is rarely a deal-breaking concern for Dodgers management. If they need to eat some salary to put the best team on the field, they will do that.
Duke, I’m pretty sure that’s how it plays out. To me it comes down to Conforto or Kim. If you want an average to below average outfielder the Dodgers have Conforto or Rushing. You let Conforto go he gets paid playing golf. The Dodgers (until Barnes) have shown their loyalty to their veterans, obviously Barnes didn’t have much left in the tank. Taylor can lay down bunts, play above average defense and is a good base runner. I think Taylor and Kim are more valuable to the Dodgers than Conforto.
Tonight’s game was a mess, of course.
Nice to see Kersh back…but mostly a mess. Shohei goes 0 for 6? Come on…
Very nice game from Rushing if we put aside the botched pickle. He threw out his first baserunner–and looked quick and strong when he did it. Plus he had a couple more hits, and his first RBIs. With all respect to Barnes, the upgrade is obvious.
So let’s consider an alternative lineup in this game:
Smith starts at C and Rushing replaces Conforto in LF. And of course Kim starts while Rojas sits.
I don’t think Rushing will see much action in the outfield, especially with Teo and Edman due back. But I hope it happens to give more reps. In blowouts, I hope he replaces Freddie at 1B. At any rate, the option of Rushing in LF makes Conforto all the more expendable.
9:10 PM ET
Angels (18-25)
Dodgers (29-16)
SP Tyler Anderson L
2-1 2.58 ERA
SP Clayton Kershaw L
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
SS Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
RF Andy Pages R
3B Max Muncy L
CF E. Hernandez R
LF M. Conforto L
C D. Rushing L
2B Miguel Rojas R
67° Wind 8 mph Out
Lineups are subject to change
NO Will Smith
I’m more concerned that Kim isn’t in the lineup…
Smith has earned some rest, and Rushing should build up his experience in the majors…
With Teo and Edman due back soon, this is a chance for Conforto to show he deserved that $17 million contract.
Unless he does something spectacular, Conforto could soon move to the bench.
The Dodgers activated LHP Clayton Kershaw and optioned RHP Ryan Loutos. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers placed LHP Blake Snell on the 60-day injured list.
Todd,
An interesting take and hard to argue against, but I don’t see Roberts doing multiple late innings replacements, unless games are blowouts. Or Ok Late inning defensive replacements ok, but not just to rest someone. The one that I WOULD disagree with is using a rookie catcher as a late inning replacement. That position too important and don’t think pitching staff going along with that.
I’m betting unfortuantely that when Teo and Edman come off the IL,Kim and Outman get optioned back to AAA Oklahoma City unless there is another IL situation and Kim stays.
I agree with this opinion, as much as I would hate to see Kim go down, I think he will get more starts in center in OKC to increase his versatility and continue working on his pitch recognition. Some posters are worried about loyalty to Taylor but he’s struggled for 3 years now. As for getting rid of Conforto that’s a bad look for future free agent signings. Have a bad month after signing and just as you start hitting again you get cut loose. Conforto will most likely have until the All Star Game to get everything ironed out.
I like the Conforto takes. CT3 does have more value than he does. Cut your losses. We made a mistake on Conforto, albeit we made one on Taylor too. Conforto, Ct3 or Kim? What will they do? Stay tuned for General Hospital L.A. Did Kim convince the boss? Or will Michael and Chris with their big money stay in town. The big Dodger in the Sky will give us an answer soon!
Book em
The Orioles announced that manager Brandon Hyde has been fired. Third base coach Tony Mansolino will become the interim manager, while the coaching staff was further shaken up since Major League field coordinator and catching instructor Tim Cossins was also let go.
I’m kind of excited to see how the 20 year old does in oKC tonight. That would be a great story this season.
Are we seeing the end of CK. Hopefully not
Well. I think we have our answer. Conforto and Muncy start against the lefty, and Taylor on the bench. So I think he goes tomorrow or Monday—-Unless Pages goes on IL
How long are they going to trust Yates? Frankly he sucks.
You don’t need to worry anymore.
The over use of the BP is really gonna be an issue going forward.
Yeah, I would pretend something pulled too if I looked that bad.
Mark was right on Yates.
Teo Hernandez (groin) went 0-for-1 with two walks and played four innings in right field to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
“The Dodgers announced that Hernandez would require a rehab assignment before being activated Friday, and he returned to game action one day later. Hernandez could remain in the lineup with Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, when he’ll likely serve as the designated hitter”.
where’s honeywell?
It’s probable that Yates will be joining the Dodger’s array of pitchers on the IL. He should stay there because he STINKS!!!!!! Another blown opportunity to win last night’s game when we kept fighting and taking the lead into the 8th inning.
The Dodger schedule for the next 29 games is tough with all teams with winning records and a depleted starting staff and overused bullpen. Let’s see where we stand after this.
Shohei Ohtani increases to 50 pitches in latest Saturday bullpen session