Bear said it best:
Rumors of Clayton’s demise were greatly exaggerated!
In the first inning, no one could blame you if you thought, “Uh oh, here we go again.” After a horrid opening day and a bad spring training, no one knew what to think, but he struck out three in the first and was masterful the rest of the way. His fastball hit 92.7 MPH at its fastest, but when his slider is biting like it did last night, he can have an 89 MPH fastball and dominate.
I think we will see him hit 94 MPH this year and the second off-season of Driveline and a season with Trevor Bauer. He still pitches like an Ace. Treinen and Jansen sealed the deal. The pitching staff looks extremely solid outside of Price and Nelson. Neither one pitched in 2020, so it could be rust or it could be difficulty in learning a relief role, but it’s probably both. They will need some time to grow into those roles. Be patient.
Rants & Raves
- The offense is just getting going but is awesome.
- Zach McKinstry = Kike Who?
- Speaking of Kike, he is hitting .111 (2 for 18) while Joc is 0 for 13 with 7 K’s! Ouch! Hopefully, they can turn it around.
Fun With the Family
We are in Ft. Meyers, Florida – It was supposed to be Naples but our Air B & B canceled at the last minute. However, this has been great. Last night all ten of us were at Cabo’s Mexican Grill for Dinner. Great Times!
Looks like you are having a great time in FLA, a good choice to go to have some fun these days.
I mentioned this at least twice previously, but I am not surprised in the least that Price is struggling. A player at his age doesn’t necessarily benefit from taking a year off, I think this is the case with Price. For personal reasons he decided to shut it down and possibly lose that special something that is required to compete at the MLB level, I think he is now paying the Price (see me working there).
Will he be awful? Will he have a small spark of his past glories? The answer could be yes to both. However I think a year on the beach may be his career’s final resting place.
Remember, the Truth Hurts
Truth Hurts,
Are you the same guy from Florida? The name is slightly different. Are you David?
Hell no, I’m from Idaho, thank God!!! Left Crazyfornia last year and have never looked back (well except to laugh at the stupidity that dominates the state).
The slider was working. Remember when Jansen could throw that unhittable cutter? That’s what Kershaw’s slider looked like last night.
I think I remember that Truth you’re talking about Mark. The guy that was bigger than you? This guy isn’t him.
Price may just need some time. Hope that’s what it is.
What’s the matter with Oakland?
Looks like a great meal there in the Florida, but not everyone appears to be enjoying it. The MMA fighter and the teenage girl look like they’d rather be somewhere else. Salsa too hot? Great looking family buddy. I envy you these many opportunities to be with them.
Shout out to Duke Not Snider.
5-1. Opening Day hairball is a distant memory.
The MMA Fighter is my son-in-law and he’s a pussy cat. He always looks mean. He actually teaches Brazilian Ju-Jutsu. He has my daughters’ back and worships the ground he walks on. Great Son-in-Law!
I would submit that anyone who teaches Brazilian Ju-Jitsu is no pussy cat.
Anyway, enjoy your vacation. I’ve been to Florida only once. The water there is far more inviting than the Southern California water I grew up surfing. It’s warmer in Florida. Much softer.
Back in the day I went to Orlando for a gig with the band I was with. Had a great time. Went to the cape and saw the alligators walking across the road. We were in the museum there checking out the capsules and stuff. There was a space suit on display and I walked up and turned to the people I was with telling them how totally cool it was, when I turned around, it was reaching out to shake my hand. Scared the hell out of me. There was some guy inside of the suit. One thing I remember about Florida and you can keep em. Biggest bugs I have ever seen. I came out of the shower in the hotel room and some insect was crawling away with my shower shoe.
They have bugs you have to shoot with a .45!
I grew up in So Cal. I also lived in Florida for 10 years. I prefer the beaches/water in California. In the summer in Fl when it is 95 degrees with 95% humidity with water temps in the 90s, the beach water is not even refreshing. Even as I have aged and become more sensitive to the cold water, I still prefer the cold CA beach water.
Good point Scott. I was there in late January. Was in the Caribbean in April. Have no clue what summer is like there.
Very satisfying win. Only uh oh moment was the blast Piscotty hit that was ruled a HR until it wasn’t. Strange happenings in baseball. McMahon of the Rockies hit 3 HR’s last night and the Rocks still lost the game in extra’s. Nice to see that rocket off of the bat of Betts. Seager in a mild funk, but he is too good to stay there long. Bellinger still day to day. Bauer starts the game today which starts a little after noon on the coast. You should check out the alternate uni’s the Red Sox will be wearing on the 17th and 18th. The so called City Connect series with their new uni supplier. They are bright yellow with blue lettering. Commemorating the Boston marathon and Patriots day. The cap looks amazingly just like the UCLA Bruins baseball cap. Dodgers are set to unveil theirs in August. You can see the Red Sox uni on ESPN.com. The MLB team leader in HR’s so far…..the SF Giants. Latest on Tatis from the GM is that he won’t need surgery. To me, that is wishful thinking. The kid has a mild tear in his labrum.
The Dodgers Opening home uni’s look cool too.
Bellinger concerns me. He just doesn’t look right. And he has too many holes in his swing to chase like he does. He won’t OPS his career average .909 OPS swinging like he is. Maybe he just needs time. Hope so.
He probably will not be in the lineup today either. Wait until the home opener. No need to rush him. One thing I do like about Belli is that he is very coach able. I am sure he and Brown and Von Scoyoc are talking a lot. Those home uni’s with the gold trim look great. They do that for the Champs. Not sure what the ones in August will celebrate or what color they will be. But it has to be something directly associated with the city.
Badger, Bear, Mark and other assorted carbon-based Dodger-fan life-forms… I greet you.
Well, this team sure seems as ridiculously good as advertised, especially with the way Kershaw rebounded from that first start. Could Bauer could wind up being the No. 5 starter on this team? Fun to think so, anyway.
If Price continues to struggle, I expect him to be a team player and develop a nagging hard-to-define injury that will give Mitch White and others a chance to step up. Dodgers are just so deep I think that the 40-man roster could be split and augmented with a dozen prospects to create two teams capable of reaching the playoffs. Seriously.
That’s another reason that my heart goes out to the Padres and their fans. What a strange way to get injured…. Rooting for Tatis to make a full and speedy recovery. Dodgers need the competition.
I too am hoping Tatis has a full recovery. I say give him plenty of time to heal up. No need to rush back. And yes, Bauer could end up having #5 numbers. On this team that may not be as bad as it sounds. $40 million is a lot of money.
I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but Treinen had some late wicked movement in yesterday’s game and it was more than usual. If he can throw like that consistently, he will have a monster year. The umpire screwed him on balls called that were strikes on 1 at bat that led to a walk.
I know it’s early in the season, but the Dodgers have the 2nd best team batting OPS in baseball and the 7th best team pitching OPS. The bullpen is responsible for not being top 5 or better.
His stuff was really nasty last night. And that walk was on the ump. He was terrible.
I think Nelson will be fine. I think the Colorado air took the bite out of his breaking ball like it did for Kersh. That pitch was nasty all spring long. I look for him to bounce back in his next outing as well.
Treinen looked great. The guy that walked should of been called out on strikes twice in that one AB. At least four balls sliced the edges which were called balls. Yes, Blake could be a very effective weapon tjis year. KJ got the job finished but still doesn’t bring alot of closer confidence to the hill when he walks out.
To his credit, there was one on when he came into the game. The hardest hit ball off of him was the last out. With Kenley it is all about location and movement. If his pitches are flat, he is going to get hit hard. And he needs to throw more first pitch strikes.
Our pen could be historically good.
I look for the Dodgers to do what they did last year in run differential. Cincinnati after 5 games with a run differential of +24. Why would I think that’s weird?
“Our pen could be historically good.”
I hate to be negative, but that’s not going to happen. It will be the weakest part of the team. Decent to good depending on Doc.
Isn’t that the same thing you said last year?
Last year was a short season, short enough that any team could have ended up with the best stats. On top of that the Dodgers had a very friendly schedule due to the Chinavirus.
The bullpen playoff stats were not so good when they played better teams.
I tend to ignore last year’s stats for the reasons mentioned above. But that’s just me.
But the bullpen was good enough in the playoffs. Julio Urias should get a big THANK YOU.
I think you misspelled Trumpvirus
Ranking the 3 parts of the team:
1 Offense – Great
2 Starting Pitching – Good
3 Bullpen – Decent to Good depending on how Doc handles it.
Yes I ignore defense.
“Yes I ignore defense“
I guarantee you pitchers and managers don’t.
Maybe because it is.
Got to side with Badger on this one. The pen this year looks to have the marks over the perfect storm. It really could be historic. Of course things change, and sometimes go bad, but if it is the weakest link in the chain this team will be hard to beat.
“but if it is the weakest link in the chain this team will be hard to beat.”
I agree. This is a good team that will be hard to beat.
Part of the reason that is true is because the last 1/3 of the game will be locked down by our pen. I could be wrong about that. I’ve been wrong before. Once in ‘66, again in ‘78. I also will admit to initially not giving Friedman the credit he deserves.
I also agree with Badger this bullpen is good, and as good it is now, just think how good it can be once Tony Gonsolin and Brusdar Graterol return. And to a lesser degree, Garrett Cleavinger, Alex Vescia and Brandon Morrow can also be available before the years end to provide some meaningful inning out of the pen. Just hope everyone stays healthy.
I think they’re holding Morrow back till the second half of the season like they did in 17. If he comes back healthy and can give us anything like 17 then this bullpen could be the best we’ve ever had. Looking forward to seeing Graterol’s improved slider. I think he’s been working with Bauer or Buehler. If that improves and he can throw a four seamer as May is doing then he could be our lock down closer for the next several seasons. It was the bad Kenley last night. No velocity and no location. Tho his cutter did have some bite to it. I think we just have to live with the inconsistency of Kenley this year.
WTF? I came here to check on my favorite political blog and all there is is baseball talk!
Kenley Jansen is turning into Jeff Shaw right before our eyes. We have better options to close out games, but we have to stick with Jansen because of ego? I’m not too concerned because he’s getting outs and there’s quality arms backing him up and / or stepping into save situations when needed.
It was nice to see Clayton pitch well against that AAAA team last night. I still like him better when he’s sitting 93-94 and wish he could get some of that back.
I’m wondering if DJ Peters already has a plane ticket in hand, or it he’s just going to drive from AZ.
I really like that our 3 best pitchers are lined up to take on the Nats this weekend. Bummer that half their team has covid.
I’m loving Lux and McKinstry right now. Shiny new toys. How much ground did Lux cover on that last play? Wow! That kid’s athleticism is off the charts!!!
I’m way more optimistic about the bullpen. Here’s why. The pen has given up 11 earned runs so far. 8 of those earned runs came from 4 games at Coors. And 8 earned runs came from two pitchers that didn’t pitch at all last year and all or part of the previous year. So, it basically comes down to Price and Nelson and guess what happens if they don’t get better? They won’t be pitching in games with the big club. Gonsolin, Graterol and Kelly are all on the IL and others are awaiting call ups. There’s so many options and when you have the best record in baseball, you can afford to allow guys to work through things.
It’s really hard to complain about a team with the best record in baseball.
You know I agree about Lux. As his confidence grows, he is going to improve. His power will arrive shortly.
We have so many great arms in the pen already, and the names just mentioned that we haven’t seen yet is certainly a big part of the reason I’m so high on them. I liken the pen to special teams in football. They will have a huge say in how the team finishes. I realize it isn’t likely all of them will have career years, but if they are all good, in my opinion the integrated effort could result in great.
What do think of what’s happening in Georgia B&P? The Braves are 0 and 4. (just messin’ you).
You mentioned our games coming up against the Nats and their players with covid. Do you know how many players are down with the virus? I know Scherzer pitched yesterday and Strasburg is pitching tonight, but the Nats have not announced any of their pitchers for the 3 game series with the Dodgers.
They have about 10 guys. They recalled a bunch of players yesterday. Guys who are out……Gomes, Corbin, Avila, Hand, Lester, Harrison, Mercer, Bell, Schwarber out with Covid, Harris for a blood clot. Replacements….They recalled 9 guys, only a couple you would recognize, Lucroy and Kieboom. All of the others I have never heard of.
Thanks Bear.
Double mutant variants B.1.427/B.1.429 are on the rise in the Bay Area. It’s said these variants are more infectious and more deadly.
They are depressed because MLB took the all star game from them. Did anyone hear about that?
And awarded it to probably the most white city in the United States. Denver’s black population is about 6 %. And Colorado has some of the strictest voting laws in the country. Oh well, that is weak kneed Manfred for you,
Should have gone to Milwaukee.
Should have gone to the City with the largest percentage of Black Businesses, who is going to lose 100 Million+ due to this: ATLANTA!
Watch and see: This will blow up in Manfred’s stupid face!
It should have gone to Atlanta. 😉
Nope. Just because of that tomahawk chop b.s. it should never go to Atlanta.
If it was to leave Atlanta, and it did, I think it should go to where Henry Aaron played most of his career.
I used to hate the Tomahawk Chop. But, now that cancel culture is targeting it, I love it! The Seminoles do it to.
NOBODY outside of Atlanta likes that obnoxious chant.
And please, can we stop it with the “cancel culture” tag line?
First in-person game in a long time, a very long time. So glad baseball is back and we can go to a stadium and enjoy.
Weather is beautiful in Oakland today and looking forward to Bauer dominating today. Although the pre-game is small there is blue everywhere at. Oakland Alameda County Coliseum or is it Oracle Field or MCAfee Stadium or Ring Central Stadium?
So glad we have Dodger Stadium to call our home and not some corporate name tag!
ITFDB!
That’s awesome! I”ll be at the Ravine Friday, and like you, I can’t wait to be back at a stadium in a very long time!
Austin Barnes is the DH?
Betts resting his back?
Either a testament to the team’s depth, or accepting the game as a trap game.
Ryu:
7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
Sborz:
Scoreless inning.
Maeda:
6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Sborz lost their first game, so a little redemption today. Betts nursing a sore back.
Another home plate ump that doesn’t know a strike from his balls.
This is one of the worst home plate umpires I can remember. He is so inconsistent that batters can’t adjust
Offense stagnant today. Turner’s on base streak in jeopardy. Corey Seager has not hit a ball hard since his first AB of the series. Chris Taylor is on fire.
Today we honor the nearly 3 million Americans who served in the Vietnam Conflict. These heroes risked their lives to fight the most evil form of government man has ever known. They should have been fully supported by our government and home front. They should have been welcomed home as victorious heroes. Unfortunately, they were not. All too often they have been mistreated, mischaracterized, and maligned by our mass media and In popular culture. The lies and disgusting disrespect these American servicemen and women received is one of the most shameful episodes in this nation. Today as we honor their sacrifice and service we should also ask for their forgiveness. They bravely served when called. We owed them MUCH better when they returned. Thank you to ALL who served. Your service is not forgotten nor forsaken by those who love this Nation.
I agree. They are NOT suckers or losers!
…and whoever said that?
Thank you.
That’s me on the left.
They didn’t give McKinstry a hit on his bunt. That has to be a hit because Taylor wasn’t called out until he came off of the base.
It was a hit. I’m sure it will be changed.
Awesome curve from Knebel to get them out of the 7th inning. If that is how Bauer pitches without his best command, we have something to look forward to.
Lux and McKinstry overmatched against Diekman! Just seems like a lazy day for Dodger bats today. Bullpen has to save the day
Very nice gesture Mark.
I agree. Very thoughtful.
Jansen makes me nervous.
Why is Jansen on the mound?
Why not let Gonzalez to finish the game?
I don’t usually blame Roberts, but today I do …
Thanks Roberts!!
Dodgers left way too many ducks on the pond — they should have 6 or 7 runs. I am hoping this early-season “experiment” with Jansen will remind Doc that Jansen is not a closer anymore. Bullpen by committee is the way to go this year with all the different options out there..
Back to the concept of the weakest link and the bullpen,
I think we just experienced the weakest link in the bullpen.
Yep.
Jansen back to back- please Doc never again. If you left Gonzalez in the team would be showering right now!
Yep.
Now that was a win pissed away! Bauer must feel like he’s back in Cincy!
Bauer seems to meet his end in the 7th inning. Both games he gives up HRs. Is that on Roberts, too, leaving him in past the 6th inning? Just a thought.
Perhaps the Jansen fantasy will get a different look now that Roberts has his memory jogged. But, maybe he doesn’t have a memory. Hmm. Some people don’t and I know some. They can’t remember the same situation even when you explain it to them more than once.
I served from 1965 to 1974. Never went to Nam simply because of my MOS> I was a radar tech in a missile unit. But I have nothing but respect for those who did go. Bad end to a great road trip. But they are a different team without Bellinger and Betts in the lineup.
And Jansen closing!
#&%@!*€ bullpen!!
We had plenty of chances. Offense swallowed an olive too.
Oh well. Oakland was going to win one sooner or later.
Going 2-21 had something to do with plus leaving the bases loaded 3x didn’t help either. If we had come through a few more times KJ would never been in the game. We end up with a record of 5-2. That’s .714 PCT and 115 wins. I’ll take that anytime.
Kenley Jansen has struck out one of the first 15 batters he has faced this year, walking four.
We won 2 road series to start the year. In the big picture, that’s a fantastic road trip.
It’s better that Kenley gets a shot to close now, and eventually lose that job, than later.
The bigger worry is Belly’s leg and Betts’ back. But again, it’s better we deal with this now rather than later.
No worries, Bobby. We’ve got plenty of ammunition to cover Belli and Betts and the Dodgers have many options for closer. Way too early to worry bout a thing. Let’s see what we get at 20% of the season played. They are just getting started.
Well, I was hoping Jansen would come back strong this year and that certainly isn’t the case. How long will it take before he loses his job as closer? I felt uneasy as he entered the game. That quickly turned to dread when I saw the radar gun report 90 after his first pitch. Treinen on the bench watching, waiting with a day off tomorrow.
Another loss by the decision maker Doc. Another loss that involved Nelson. Didn’t we establish that Jansen shouldn’t close? I guess Doc didn’t get the memo.
I hate to gloat but everything that I have said about the bullpen and Nelson and Doc has come true so far. I’m only saying this because I’ve got several disagreements about this subject.
I definitely wouldn’t gloat
I would rather see the Dodgers win and be wrong.
You probably won’t have to wait very long for that Eric.
I am high on Gonsolin and Gonzalez. Unfortunately Gonsolin is on the I L and Doc wasted Gonzalez today on one batter.
So far? Nelson has pitched 2 innings and though his ERA and WHIP look horrible, he’s struck out 4. I think I’d give him a few more hours before I close the book on him. Jansen? He’s a different story. I’ve said it before, not 2 days in a row. Not anymore. He may have been able to do that in the past but not now. His stuff just doesn’t pass the eye test. Not yet anyway. Close by committee. It’s time.
As I mentioned earlier I went to the game and am home now. Didn’t record the game and was wondering if Orel or Joe mentioned anything at all about Dino putting the brakes on Seager on the double by JT (I think). Play was right in front of me and Seager would have scored. Watching it live I couldn’t believe Dino stopped Seager.
Might not have made a difference since KJ looks pedestrian once again.
Got the same impression on TV. And why did they not sent him on that fly ball by Pollock ? Yes, could have been close, but why not risk it ? They were up a run by that time so what you gonna lose ?
Very crucial decisions by the coaching staff today that cost the game eventually.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aaron spent 13 seasons in the majors playing in Milwaukee. 11 as a Brave, and 1 as a Brewer. If MLB really wanted to honer Hammerin Hank, they would have moved the All Star game to Milwaukee. He spent 9 in Atlanta and the last time I checked, he never played in Denver.
Yes, todays game should have been a win if our batters would have come threw just once with the bases loaded.
However: The Dodgers still could have won it if they had a reliable closer. There will be many more games that go like that, games that are close and the offense can not put the other team away. Playoff games often go like that.
I DO NOT WANT TO SEE KJ TROT OUT AGAIN IN THIS SITUATIONS! He no longer is a reliable closer. When will Roberts finally accept it for good ?
Dodgers probably should be in the market for a high leverage closer come trade deadline.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1