Dodger fans as a whole are an emotional lot. They do tend to go off of the rails when the team slumps. I am guilty of this myself sometimes. But let the team hit a cold streak and the boo birds and naysayers emerge from the depths of one’s psyche, and the bad vibes begin. No player or front office person is immune. The finger-pointing and name-calling begin.
The blame first usually falls on the manager. Roberts has been the target of a lot of the criticism, with the team only winning one World Series with the run of success they have had. And that one came in a shortened season on foreign soil! Excuse me, Texas. They lost a game seven at home in 2017. In 2018 they never had a shot as the Red Sox were clearly the superior team. Then in 2019, they lost in an NLDS to a Wahington team that never gave up.
And the fans, as always, need a whipping boy. Roberts has been that. He has made some head-scratching moves in series play, and they have been well documented and run over the coals numerous times. AF has been targeted for not getting the super-stars needed to get them over the hump. Especially when the players he does acquire flame out when most needed. See Josh Reddick, Yu Darvish and Max Scherzer. Others simply suck from the get-go, Tyler White, Jeff Gyorko to name two.
Lately, the whipping boy has been Gavin Lux. That is understandable in a way. The kid is so talented and so hyped that any failure is magnified. In today’s game, he made an error on an easy chance that led to four unearned runs—putting the Dodgers behind the 8 ball for the fourth straight game against the Phillies. The Phillies hitters have taken every opportunity and cashed it in. They have clubbed the Dodger’s best into early departures. Lux redeemed himself a little with a walk to lead off the 8th and scored on a Betts double. But as much as the Dodger fielding has failed them, the Phillies defense has been stellar.
Not helping things are the continued struggles of Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger. JT and Betts have heated up some, Freeman is consistent, Trea Turner has been better of late. But without two of their better power sources, the team has suffered in clutch situations. And again, some vitriol has been aimed at both. How long can the Dodgers go with the amount of production Belli and Max are providing? Especially when Pillar is raking in AAA. Are changes in order? Indeed, a comeback or walk-off win would help the team’s psyche, and boy did they get one yesterday! That should certainly help Gavin Lux and maybe Belli.
Next up are the Diamondbacks for a four-game set. Do not kid yourself; this is not the same team they faced earlier in the season. They are 18-17 and have won 6 of their last 10. They have done it with pitching. Bumgarner goes in game one, and we all know how the Dodgers play against Left-handed starters. Then a doubleheader on Tuesday closes out with a day game on Wednesday before they head to Philadelphia.
So, although it is way too early to panic, there should be some concern. The starting staff right now is shorthanded. The bullpen has not been as sharp. The fielding has not been crisp, and the offense has it’s moments, but still is sputtering in clutch situations. One exception was Turner’s game-tying 2-run shot the other day. So keep the faith, do not lose your heads. The team you see on the field right now is not going to be the same 26 you see down the stretch. There will be changes. How many? Only AF knows for sure.
1. Nice write-up, Bear!
2. Hopefully, everyone sees what I have been saying about Michael Grove. He has a chance at starting but I see him as a closer.
3. When you see Belli hit that ball with such authority and then fly around the bases, how can you not root for the guy?
4. Gavin Lux needed that hit. That could change the trajectory of his season.
We all have opinions and I believe Grove can be a viable starter. He has a three pitch mix and needs to continue to improve on all three. Remember he made the jump from AA Tulsa. He definitely has a mound presence and didn’t lose his cool after Lux’s costly error and kept us in the game. Even with a small sample I like Grove much better than Pepiot as a starter from what I’ve seen thus far..
Thanks. It just came to me! LOL
Mark –
Agree on all your points! In particular, I think some of us need to rethink our views of Bellinger and Lux; they have loads of talent and are still young players. Bellinger is 26 and Lux is 24! Seeing both of their talent levels on display in yesterday’s walk off win has convinced me that we fans need to be more patient in their career development. I, for one, am going to be so….
.” Gavin Lux needed that hit. That could change the trajectory of his season.“
An 0-4 today will bring this comment back down to Earth where it needs to be.
But I get it….yesterday’s big win was electric….
Everyone has a good game from time to time, it could be that Muncy hits 2 HR and 5 RBI tonight and it will be said that he has already come out of the slump, to fall back into it in the next game, everyone can and will have or has had a great game or hitting streak, but the problem is that there is no consistency, Freeman is the only constant, you have to wait for luck before each game to see if someone will hit how they are supposed to … It is said that yesterday was a good game for Lux, but it’s the opposite, thanks to his error he almost cost the game.
And why didn’t Ríos play? How do you expect him to produce, sitting on the bench?
Jorge, your Padres are tied with us in first place, what do you think?
That crap team doesn’t worry me, I don’t think anyone cares… I don’t know why I read many comments before about how “dangerous” they are…
The Padres are a more dangerous team to us than the dwarfs from the wharf.
They get Snell back this week. Solid rotation, and they are playing well. Melvin is a better manager than Tingler. LA is percentage points ahead, so if the season ended today, Dodgers would win the division.
I have to admit, when I saw it was Muncy, Turner, Bellinger coming up in the ninth I was saying, “where the hell is Rios?”
Since 2017 only two teams have made it to the WS multiple times; the Dodgers and Astros. Both team have a 1-2 record (and Houston’s one win is tainted). With all the Roberts bashing, we need to keep in mind that maybe winning a WS is hard.
Like it or not, in the age of analytics (and every team now has a robust analytics department), evening the playing field even more. You will see teams that are at the top for a long time, like the Dodgers, but winning the WS is something that is really hard and also takes a degree of good luck.
It is like comparing Koufax and Kershaw. Kershaw was good to great for 15 years. Koufax was Otherworldly for 5 years. But Sanday had the benefit of a much taller mound AND there were no analytics to study a pitcher… or hitter for that matter. The good old days weren’t better – they were just different.
Anybody read Plaschke this morning?
Lux. What’s missing with that guy?
We know what’s missing with Muncy. Same with Bellinger.
Is JT over his hitting woes? Hope so.
Trea Turner. So many tools. Why isn’t he a 5+ WAR player? With him and Turner on the infield at the same time it’s a 0 win, or less, above replacement left side defense.
Starting pitching. Never mind.
5-5. Let’s start a run and match Houston’s 9-1.
Reds. What can be said about them? How about “well, you sure don’t see that every day”
Koufax. 54 complete games in two years. Analyze that.
It’s well before my time, and wins are kinda dubious for pitchers…..
How about old Denny McClain! He won 31 then 24 games concurrently!
And then got busted for coke!
Back then wins were important and the main stat used in contract negotiations of which they were usually very one sided. Fans today pooh pooh wins. But fans today care little for the history of the game. Koufax had as many complete games in one year as Kershaw has in his entire career. Chew on that a little. McLain was a moron. Chew on this too, McLain may have won 31 games, but it was 17 game winner Mickey Lolich who was the World Series hero. He was 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA against the Cardinals. McLain was 1-2 with a ERA of 3.24
Plaschke loves to feed into the average fans’ irrational fears and lives rent-free in their heads. Fear mongering and blame gaming sells fish wraps. I prefer Houston Mitchell. Here’s what he has to say:
When the Dodgers finished a sweep of the Cubs on Sunday, May 8, they were 19-7, up by 1 1/2 games in the NL West and on pace for 118 wins this season.
Since then, they have gone 2-5 and are 21-12, still in first place in the NL West, in a virtual tie with the San Diego Padres and on pace to win 103 games. There’s no doubt that over the last week, the pitching has been horrible. The lack of rotation depth has been costly. Even the guys you normally depend on look shaky. Max Muncy isn’t hitting. Every Gavin Lux misplay seems to lead to a bunch of unearned runs. The team did not play well at all.
Which brings us to my favorite part of every year when the Dodgers have a bad stretch of games: the inundation of emails and the posts on social media telling the world that this Dodgers team is no good and won’t make the playoffs.
A sampling:
“This team has shoddy defense and not enough hitting. They will be lucky to finish at .500″
“Worst Dodgers team of the last 10 years. Major changes need to be made.”
“This team won’t be making the playoffs this year, I guarantee you that.”
“I can’t believe you, or anyone else, thinks this team is good. Take off your blinders.”
That is actually a sampling of emails I received last year under similar circumstances. Last season, the Dodgers began 13-2 and looked like the best team in history. Then they went 4-14 and were suddenly 17-16. The emails poured in. The Dodgers ended up winning 106 games.
The 2019 Dodgers had a stretch where they lost six in a row, and another stretch where they lost six of eight. They won 106 games.
The 2018 Dodgers went 1-9 at one point and were 16-26 on the season. They won the division and went to the World Series.
The 2017 Dodgers went 2-6 at one point and at another time lost 16 of 17 games. They finished 104-58 and went to the World Series*. (*-Astros cheated).
And on, and on.
We have to wait and see. I get so many emails from readers filled with anger or sadness after losses. They call the team a bunch of losers and choke artists. But here’s the thing. We don’t know exactly how good, or bad, this Dodgers team is yet. They weren’t as good as they started the season. They aren’t as bad as they are playing now.
I don’t know if the Dodgers will win 100 games or just 80. You don’t either. If they make it to the playoffs, I don’t know if they will win the World Series. You don’t either. If following a team isn’t an overall enjoyable experience for you, then you may want to find something else to do with your time. It’s not worth the stress.
There are fans of other teams that haven’t made the playoffs in years. So, if you are angry or sad, spend some time with your friends. Hug your significant other. Play with your kids. Pet your dog. But you can still ignore your cat, because cats are evil and were sent here from an alien planet as spies.
“This team has shoddy defense and not enough hitting. They will be lucky to finish at .500″
“I don’t know if the Dodgers will win 100 games or just 80.”
You prefer to read that?
Nobody here has come close to that nonsense.
“But you can still ignore your cat, because cats are evil and were sent here from an alien planet as spies.”
Well, that has some validity.
By the way, did you bother to read Plaschke?
Yes… I read several… including the one on Bauer.
Great article by Houston Mitchell today recanting past years ups and downs. It’s gonna be alright. You know you have it good as a sports fan when the world is falling apart and your team is in first place! How is it Roberts fault that everyone is underperforming with the bat. And we’re 21-12 and in first place. When the weather and the bats heat up we will take off. Fun to see Pepiot in his 2nd start and hopefully he learns that he doesn’t need to overthrow his change up.
I believe sincerely that the cream will rise to the top. San Diego has far more talent than the Giants on paper. The Giants play as a team and continue to beat the odds. The Dodgers on paper should be nigh on invincible. But they have warts. And for another season they are being bitten early and often by the injury bug. I hate spiders, but I dislike the injury bug even more. The small irritating ones that sideline a player when he is on a roll. I also dislike carrying 14 pitchers and having a short bench. I also do not understand a hitter like Rios riding the pine and Muncy still swinging meekly at pitches he has no shot hitting.
Well said Bear.
I guess I got in a little late on this one. And do I have to read Plaschke?
Nope. I myself cannot. I do not have a subscription to that rag.
Yes, Cassidy. The local journalists are a must read.
But I live in South Carolina now! Thank goodness!
Plaschke has been named National Sports Columnist of the Year by the Associated Press four times. He’s a terrific writer. I don’t always agree with his take but I don’t need to to appreciate his skill.
When baseball fans predict, the baseball gods laugh.
The Athletic has a recent article about Grove and his start.
The Athletic is, in my opinion, well worth a daily visit but this article had some really nice insight into how the Dodgers pitcher development worked with Grove. From arm slot to general development.
I agree with that. Good writing there.
Greene looked a lot better last night than he did at any time last season.
I have Gavin and Brusdar in the same seat, they are both talented young men who have never played a full season in MLB.
Lux:
I said it before the season and I’ll say it again: “with the lineup that the Dodgers have, this year you don’t need Gavin to be a star, just put him in 2b and put him in spot #9 in the lineup.” , so he has his first full year in MLB and can find stability on both sides of the game.”
Like any player and more so someone just starting out will have their dark moments and their bright moments, Lux will heat up, at some point in the season and that’s when Doc must resist the urge to move him up the line up, just leave him in the spot #9, just let him play last he’ll be fine.
Graterol:
The same goes for Brusdar, just let him have his first full year in MLB, have his first 55-65 IP season, find the right situations for him, resist temptation and don’t put him in high leverage situations, this year the It doesn’t have to be Kenley, just let him play his first full season.
It is the Betts, Freeman, Belli, Muncy, Kimbrel, Kahnle, Treinen, Hudson, etc, etc who should be required to bring this ship to fruition, not a couple of guys looking to have their first season complete, both are rough jewels, they have to be polished in the proper way so that they become a diamond.
Ok.
Let it be.
I think somebody else said that once.
Yeah, he was pretty famous too.
There have been many here concerned about the depth of the rotation. Without Bauer (and I would be surprised if he is back this year, if ever) the rotation of Kershaw (on the DL each season since 2016), Urias (who is not the same this season), Buehler (ditto), Gonsolin (in 33 career starts, he has thrown 147 innings, or 4.45 IP/S) and Heaney/Anderson is not the quality of rotation that the Dodgers have had in the recent past, nor does it give great confidence in how it would perform in the postseason.
Those who say that help is on the way from the minors are overly-optimistic about the readiness of the farm to contribute this season. The likes of Pepiot and Grove are on pitch limits and may or may not actually be able to contribute this year.
I assume that Friedman et al are going to find a starter from another team at the deadline, but see Jeff Dominique’s 5/14 article about who will likely be available at the deadline. It may well be pretty slim pickings. Also, look at his plot of the next few weeks of games and the gaps in who will be available to start and it’s pretty tough.
I don’t think that the Dodgers are “bad” or that they will miss the playoffs, but they aren’t the juggernaut that many projected them to be either.
Well stated Rick.
Not a juggernaut. Not yet anyway. It’s still possible.
The Dodgers have been on an incredible run over the last 9 seasons. 3 pennants, 1 World Series title. 8 Division titles. Not many 9 season runs in Dodger history come close. The 47-56 team won 6 pennants and one World Series. They had one near miss, 1951 and 7 Hall of Famers on the team at one time or another. And those teams did not benefit from air travel and plush hotels. Nor did they have the training staffs or resources that his team has. But they continue to draw a lot of comparisons to the Braves teams that won 14 division titles in 15 years but won only one World Series. It is just not that easy to even get to the series anymore. Those old Dodger teams simply had to be the best in the league for 154 games and then face the AL’s best. Today’s Dodgers have to win their division or go in as the wild card like they did last year, then win a division series, a league championship series and then they can play the AL champ. And as we have all seen so many times over the years, the best team does not always win. The team playing the best baseball at the time is the one who wins. There is plenty of time to get their act together and plenty more games with so so opponents to improve their record. Time to sit back and enjoy the ride, or pull your hair out. You decide which.
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1526023027015794689?s=20&t=MytDphq34Wz6O3SEaC17hA
Did everyone see this?
It’s ironic. While we were watching the Dodger game at a restaurant we could see the Angel game on a TV off in the distance. We were joking how much it looked like Pujols was pitching (it was Patrick Sandoval). Not much later, well… Pujols WAS pitching.
And we didn’t sign the guy who was the answer to our bullpen depth! And he was right under our nose. Well AF missed this one!
If you are talking about Kenley, he would not have signed unless he was the closer and Kimbrel also wanted to close.
When a team gets to the playoffs, they do not need five starters. They can win with three and a good bullpen. Many fans are not fans of the “opener,” but it is proven to work. I have heard the names of Greinke, Quintana, Eovaldi, Montas, et al. being mentioned. Probably not! Most of those are not better than what the Dodgers have.
Instead of jumping to conclusions which are usually of the DOOMSDAY VARIETY, let’s see what happens with Heaney and Kershaw. I agree that Bauer’s appeal process will keep him out all year, but we do have Pepiot, Grove, and Miller… and others!
There is a lot that can happen before any moves need to be made. Who saw the Scherzer move coming last year?
Kershaw and Heaney will throw bullpens this week.
I think Heaney will not make any MiLB starts but rather build up back in the majors. The same with Kershaw.
If you can get 3 or 4 innings when they come back, it’s better than many alternatives.
That’s if and when. In the mean time I’m ok with putting Pepiot and Grove in the rotation for now. Better than White and Jackson if you ask me. Give them the job with a vote of confidence. The worst that can happen is another bullpen game.
DODGERS RECALL CALEB FERGUSON
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled left-handed pitcher Caleb Ferguson and optioned right-handed pitcher Michael Grove.
Ferguson, 25, joins the Dodgers for the first time since 2020 after missing the parts of the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Ohio native made six rehab starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, going 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA (6 ER/4.2 IP) and five strikeouts. Prior to his injury, he was 10-5 with a 3.93 ERA (49 ER/112.1 IP) and 140 strikeouts in 96 games (six starts) over three seasons with the Dodgers. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 38th round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft out of West Jefferson High School.
Grove, 26, made his Major League debut yesterday against the Phillies, tossing 3.2 innings, allowing four unearned runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Prior to joining the Dodgers, he was 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA (5 ER/16.1 IP) and 22 strikeouts in five starts for Double-A Tulsa. He has been with the Dodgers since being drafted in the second round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft out of the University of West Virginia. In his minor league career, he is a combined 1-10 with a 6.60 ERA (102 ER/139.0 IP) and 183 strikeouts in 47 games (45 starts).
Well, another bullpen game arm. Haven’t seen the last of this I reckon.
Dodgers (21-12)
SPTony Gonsolin R
3-0 1.33 ERA 23K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Trea Turner R
DH Will Smith R
3B J. Turner R
2B Max Muncy L
CF Chris Taylor R
C A. Barnes R
LF Gavin Lux L
Clear-day
0% Rain
69° Wind 5 mph Out
is this the first time Smith has DH’d this season?
I approve. But I also approve of him getting hot. He seems overdue.
We Dodger fans are indeed spoiled and I suspect we are also guilty of buying into the hype. Certainly Lux had been hyped to the hilt–and that’s one reason for the disappointment. Has any franchised produced more ROYs? Even short of winning the prize, we’ve been treated to some spectacular debuts in recent years: Puig, Pederson, Seager, Belli, Smith… So when Lux came along with even more hype we expected something spectacular.
The big game-winner may or may not represent a breakthrough. But it has to help Lux build his confidence. (And Belli’s two-strike triple was huge too.)
Another reason we believe the hype: The fact that the Dodgers helped transform seemingly marginal players like Justin, Max and CT3 into All-Stars. So when Sheldon Neuse came down from Oakland, we were thinking he might be the new Max Muncy…. Oh well… But Neuse is back in Oakland and playing well.
Speaking of Oakland…. somebody is going to pick up Montas before too long. He pitched great against the Angels recently, but it was against Detmers’ no-hitter.
In interviews Roberts makes it sound as though both Kershaw and Heaney will be back sooner rather than later–weeks, not months. So not worried….. yet.
This is Smith’s 2nd time at DH this year.
Nice win, Another save for Kimbrel with a little drama there though.
Yeah, a Save. Ugly line, but a Save.
Find a way to beat the teams we’re supposed to beat. Great job by Gonsolin, 6 innings, 92 pitches. Keep doing that out of #3 and maybe, just maybe….
TBD and Anderson. Let’s score 2 touchdowns and a field goal today.