Do You Still Not Get it?

This article has 68 Comments

1. It seems that SF is already running out of patience with Zaidi, maybe he and Preller will have to start looking for work together soon. While the Dodgers will be enjoying the parade after winning the World Series…
   That would be hilarious to watch!

   And speaking of the bullpen, why not give Dellin Betances or Pedro Báez a chance? They have experience, they could help give the starters some rest, there is too much advantage over SD…

   1. They won the West last year…..

      Everyone was singing his praises…..

      What have you done for me lately?

      1. Giants were surreal last year. LaMont Wade set some sort of record with late-game hits that tied the score or put the Giants in front. This year he’s struggling like Muncy.
         I don’t begrudge the Padres going all-in for Soto, Bell, Hader and Drury. Getting that talent cost a lot of talent, of course, but it should mean that the Pads will be duking it out with the Dodgers for the next three seasons.
         If they can get to the World Series just one time, it will be considered a success. If the Dodgers DON’T get to the WS, we’ll consider it a disappointment. And some of us will consider it a failure if the Yanks beat them in seven.
         We are lucky to be Dodger fans, obviously. I was watching an AF interview today and he hemmed and hawed when a reporter asked if these July deals were getting more expensive. The expanded wild card, he said, could have affected the price.
         But we can make an easy comparison between what the Dodgers dealt to get Scherzer and Trea versus the Pad’s bigger package for Soto and Bell. We’ll be able to judge these deals better in a few years, but right not it sure seems like the Dodgers made the better deal, even is Scherzer moved on to the Mets. The way Trea is playing–and the way the Dodgers are playing–I expected he’ll take the big money to stay and play for a winner for the remainder of his career.
         2024 lineup:
         Betts
         Trea
         Freeman
         Smith
         Vargas
         Cartaya
         Lux
         Outman
         Belli
         Yeah, I’m just going to assume that Belli won’t get back All-Star form.

   2. Please, not Baez! I fall asleep between every one of his pitches.
      Cheers

   3. Betances and Báez haven’t been all that great so far in the minors. They have better options. Not to mention, there’s a roster crunch coming. If you use one of them, you have to cut someone else who’s already on the roster. Everyone already on the roster have better stats in pro ball than either of them have in the minors.

2. I’m looking forward to seeing if Vargas gets a shot to play 3b to see how his defense is.

   1. I’m curious too. Maybe they’re working on his defense during pre-game.

3. Mark –

   Thanks for the background and your insights on AF and his management strategy. I think you may have correctly identified the driving factor of the Padre ownership group namely Peter Siedler, namesake of Peter O’Malley – “there is a lingering sentiment of resentment within the O’Malley and Seidler families about losing the Dodgers and not being able to buy them back.” The name of the San Diego ownership group is the “O’Malley Group!” I am sure it is not a coincidence….

4. I can’t argue with most of this. I’m glad we didn’t give up the entire farm as the Padres did in order to get Soto. They really emptied the tank and still lost to the Rockies, at home, with their ace on the bump. Ouch! That’s gotta hurt. Soto and Bell each had two hits. Maybe it would have been a different outcome had Tatis been in the lineup.

   Hopefully Gallo, turns it around like Trayce Thompson did. But man, the dude looks like a ballplayer. A football player that is. The Niners lost their tight end with an ACL injury. Maybe Gallo should put on 20 Lbs and go help them out if he can’t find his bat. He already looks like Adonis in a baseball uniform.

   Kershaw’s back flared up again. Time for a month-long trip to the IL. Hopefully he can come back with a vengeance just in time for the home stretch. We all knew this was a possibility when he resigned this offseason. Fortunately, the Dodgers already have too many pitchers and can absorb this kind of unfortunate event. Man, I wish he would have gone under the knife all those years ago when he first hurt his back. What could have been?

   Outman has 6 hits in 14 ABs, good for a 462 batting average. He also has 7 K’s! He started off really strong, but now he’s headed in the wrong direction. Good first callup, it won’t be his last. He could click, or he can flame out. But, there’s no doubt that Vargas is the real deal. I was disappointed that he wasn’t in the lineup yesterday.

   Other than the homer in his first game, Chris Martin has been outstanding. He just might be a real steal.

   The bullpen has their work cut out for them with Kershaw going down. They had to pick up 5 innings yesterday and the starting pitchers aren’t going very deep before Kershaw’s injury. A tired-looking Gonsolin is up next in a pressure-packed start against the re-tooled Padres to start the series tonight and 75-pitch Heaney is starting on Saturday. Tyler Anderson went just 5 innings last time out, hopefully, he can rebound. The Padres will counter with Manaea, Clevinger, and Darvish. Will the Dodgers let Heaney go a little further and risk injury?

   This is going to be such a fun series to watch. We better stay hot, or it’s going to be miserable on this site. With 2 days off next week, we probably don’t need to call up Pepiot and use another option on him. May lines up to make his debut against the Brewers on the 15th of August.

   The dog days are here and Roberts seems to be resting his players with a comfy lead in the division, in all of baseball for that matter. We’re on a hot streak even with a Red-Hot JT going on the IL and it looks like Muncy might have turned the corner. Please don’t platoon Vargas. Let’s see what he can do. Now is a good time for the top of the lineup to get hot and show the Padres who’s boss.

   The matchup I want to see most this weekend is Vargas vs Hader. It’s going to be a long day waiting for this series to start.

   Patch’s favorite team is now 4 games under 500. Why can’t they just be good? Maybe Farhan isn’t the genius everyone thought he was. In his first year, his team finished with a 475 winning percentage, 483 in the short season, then what looks like a BALCO resurgence to 660 last year. Now, he’s sitting at 481 with 6 teams ahead of his in the Wild Card race even with an additional Wild Card added this year. He hasn’t improved the farm system and has an aging team. He’s a stats guy, he doesn’t seem to see the big picture.

   Watching Gabe Kapler meltdown and get kicked out was a highlight for me. He was an underachiever as a player and is an underachiever as a manager. But, he walks around like he owns the place, and has done nothing to justify the sort of confidence he exudes. It’ll catch up to him at some point.

   1. My favorite part was when Trey Turner did the head tap right to the Giants dugout! To me, that made him worth at least another 10 to 20 million in whatever contract they decide to offer him. That ‘s the kind of attitude I expect from a leader on my team!
      Cheers

      1. Right! I love it. It’s funny when a reliever acts like he just closed out the world series when he finishes an inning while still losing, about to be swept in your own house, in a four-game series, against your biggest rival, about to be 21.5 games behind the division lead. Easy big guy!

   2. Maybe we’re paying Farhan too

5. Mark, nice analysis post trade deadline. I agree about Preller’s most likely failed attempt to keep the Padres relevant. I don’t get why he doesn’t look up North to observe and learn what the most successful organization in the last decade is doing to reach that stature.

   I hadn’t realized that Preller has been with the team since 2014. The Padres had built up a nice farm system up until a couple of years ago and then the prospects got moved or didn’t pan out. He signed Hosmer to an overvalued contract thinking that the team would need some veteran players to go with all the young stars they were developing. Look how that turned out. A Carl Crawford experience. Wil Myers has one good season and immediately Preller overpays with a contract that he has been trying to unload before the ink dried. Now with the addition of Soto, Drury, and Bell to the offense along with a slumping Machado and still to start rehab Tatis will it be enough to be successful in the playoffs? They added Hader who has had a terrible July by any standards and traded their closer Rogers. So, addition by subtraction? Preller adds no additional starting pitching and replaces his closer. That usually is not the way to construct a team for a championship. In the postseason it’s pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Look North.

   I wasn’t wanting Soto for the cost I was reading that it would take to get him. And with some reports saying Corbin had to be included as well. Ah, no thanks (Price). Enough of bailing out teams with their bad contracts. It appears that for the Dodgers to make a significant trade in the future they are going have to overpay with more and better prospects. The days of teams accepting lower tier Dodger prospects are over. This started with the Scherzer, Turner trade last year. Top two prospects. I couldn’t see AF repeating that scenario again this year. Even for the talented Soto. I don’t know what the trade simulator calculated the Soto trade, but it seemed to me that Washington got a lot of talented A and AA prospects and an injured, once highly regarded pitcher. For the Dodgers to trade all those MLB prospects along with Lux and then have to sign Soto long term it’s was too much. I’d rather sign Trea long term and keep the prospects. As Mark stated, as a collective group (including Turner) they will be better in the long run than Soto alone. And more affordable.

   *The Gallo trade I still don’t get. His negatives are career long as opposed to a season or so. Sure, he may be a GG caliber OF, but I don’t like all the K’s that come with him. We have that aspect of the game right now with Cody, Max, and soon to be returning CT3. Last night was a preview of what we’re going to get.
   *It looks like Max is sticking his head out of the dark hole and like what he sees. Hopefully, he will build on that. His swing and timely look better. But, we’ve seen that a couple of times this season.
   *With a lefty going tonight for SD it should be Vargas time. I really like his presence while hitting. Confident without the Tatis cockiness. Has it been mentioned as to who decided for him to steal third? It hard to believe it came from the bench and even more unbelievable he did it on his own. Did anyone from the press had ask DR about it after the game.
   *Mark, I think some solid predictions on the future Dodgers. That future looks bright and should be fun to watch.
   Carry on.

6. Please god no Pedro Baez! Like watching grass grow. Not a Kapler fan , but I was impressed yesterday how he stood up for his player. Would love to see more of that from roberts. Dodgers begin tonight with a 14 game lead in the loss column, so unless we get swept this series division is a done deal! I really believe Vargas should get more at bats than gallo . He will be much more valuable in playoffs. I get gallo is a very good defensive player but how many swing and miss guys do we need. Lastly, can’t count the number of times I listened to vin scully on the radio when the game was on tv. There will never be another one like him! Those Sunday afternoon s on my patio were so nice. I live in Virginia , dodger fan over 60 years. My 2 sons took me to dodger stadium in 2018 for my 60th birthday. The dodgers gave me a jersey with 60 & my name , it’s one of my prized possessions I met Tommy lasorda, Ron cey and don newcomb. Wanted to meet vin but missed him. Let’s go Dodgers!

   1. I wasn’t impressed with Kapler’s outburst while “defending” the player that was clearly the instigator. The Dodger’s “Wolfe of Wallstreet” mic bump to the head is such a tame celebration compared to everyone else in the league. Just look south for examples of over-the-top celebrations. Who needs to defend 6’3″ 215 against 5’9″ 180 (Yeah right, soaking wet while holding a 5-gallon Sparklets bottle maybe) who was obviously the aggressor?

      I get it, it gets heated when you think you’re one thing, but your record says otherwise and you’re about to lose 8 in a row against your rival. But, Kapler was WAY OVER-THE-TOP as was Garcia. It was a low-class moment for a Giants team that’s clearly circling the drain. There are two more 3 games series between these rivals remaining on the schedule, all in September. The Giants might only be in a position to play spoiler by then. Wild Card dreams are slowly slipping away.

      1. Bulldogs and Penguins, I got the impression that the SF pitcher started making fun of the Outman boy after striking him out, the following I didn’t get to see because the television went to commercials. But I suppose Mooky intervened afterwards in defense of the boy.
         They were clearly frustrated by the sweep and wanted to snag some of the Dodgers players.

         1. lol – Could be. I didn’t see Mookie intervene. Garcia actually turned to Mookie and taunted him.

7. So what if the Padres win a world series or two in the next 3 years will these still be bonehead moves? Even if they return to being irrelevant I think any Padre fan would take that given what they’ve been through. People need to stop comparing the Dodgers to the Padres they are two different animals. Dodgers are built for longevity which is ideal obviously but the Padres will never compete if they don’t make moves like they did even if it’s for a shorter window. They could also sign Soto long-term (not out of the question at all) and then they would have 2 young studs to build around for the next 10+ years. I think they are in a better spot than a lot of you are giving them credit for. Their plan all along was to horde prospects and then trade them for Superstars. It’s literally the only way they can compete with us. Still glad we didn’t trade the farm for Soto, I think depth is super important but in a 5 game series between Dodgers and Padres it’s now a coinflip basically and if I’m a Padre fan that’s all I can ask for.

   1. Well, it depends on how you define bone head moves. San Diego is 5th overall in attendance this year. Well ahead of San Francisco, so their fanbase is recharged. Selling tickets, merch and beer is still the name of the game. Good for them if they can maintain that momentum.

      At the same time, they’re spending more than they ever have. If they get some deep playoff runs, they’ll make more money allowing them to keep investing in players and payroll for a couple of seasons. But, Meyers still has another $20M year under contract. Darvish, 37 still has another $18M year. Snell, 31 will have another $16M year. Hader and Soto will get big arbitration raises. Clevinger, Bell and Manaea are all free agents. How are you going to replace them with no money and no prospects? Tatis didn’t fix his shoulder, maybe it holds up after not playing all year, maybe it doesn’t. Then what? What happens when Manny opts out after next year?

      There’s a good chance that this team, right now, is the best it’s going to be over the next three years. I think they’re going to be a great rival for the rest of the season. It’s going to make the rest of the season that much more fun. Tatis and Soto are elite talents and great hitters, but both have holes in their games. Tatis makes a ton of errors at shortstop in between flashy plays. Soto, sometimes looks lost in the outfield and there’s plenty of room to get lost in San Diego’s park. But, their lineup will be fearsome at the top. Their pitching and defense, not so much.

8. Nice job Mark. I will readily admit that I was one of those who scratched my head when AF made some of his initial moves. Most fans do not like it when favorites leave town in trades. I was a huge Matt Kemp fan, and Dee Gordon was the only player on the team with any speed. I also could not understand why they let Hanley walk. But I am nothing more than a fan. Reacting to what I believed at the time were really dumb trades. The pitchers he signed, Kazmir, McCarthy and Anderson, all did very little while they were Dodgers. Kazmir did win 10 before his injuries popped up again. Anderson won 10 also, then he went on the DL. McCarthy won 11 games……but it took him 3 years to do it. He went down the second month he was here. I am still not a huge fan of metrics and the way they evaluate players, but AF’s system works. The Dodger farm is producing as many if not more than the system did in the 70’s when it seemed like almost every year, some young kid was supplanting a popular regular player. 4 straight ROY’s in the late 70’s early 80’s and then the string of 5 in the 90’s. They just keep on churning out players, Maybe the only real failure in his reign is the lack of success from the rash of Cuban players they signed. Only Puig contributed much at the major league level. Preller is one of those GM’s who is under pressure to win now. I am pretty sure that is why he unloaded as many young guys as he did for Soto and Bell. Only time will tell if it was the right decision, or a knee jerk move. The Padres have some talented young players. But they have very few veterans on their roster who are leaders. Machado certainly does not fill that role. Hosmer may have, but the Dodgers have Mookie, Freddie, JT, and Kersh, all veteran’s who have been there and done that.

9. Mark: An outstanding analysis. Andrew Friedman’s teams (since he took over in 2015) have a record of 634 wins and 399 losses. That’s good for a .614 winning percentage. That winning percentage produces 99.4 wins/year. Pretty incredible.

   What most people on this site fail to recognize is just how hard the game is and how hard it is to keep winning. As I’ve said before, winning is really all that matters in a sport. Winning the World Series is the ultimate prize, but getting through the post season gauntlet requires skill and luck. Any team can get incredibly hot for a several week period.

   I do find it interesting that B&P uses a bad winning percentage to criticize Kapler but will not give credence to an outstanding winning percentage to credit Doc. Quite the double standard.

   AF is the best at his job and the results absolutely support that. I don’t support him blindly and the human side of me does question some moves. However in the final analysis, the good far outweighs the bad. Same is true with Doc. One small example of Doc that has gotten no comments on this site is the fact that he has dealt with a decimated (injuries) bullpen and continues to manage that situation getting wins.

   I will end by saying once again we are so fortunate to root for an organization run by AF and a team managed by Dave Roberts.

   1. JayB, you misread what I wrote. I was criticizing Farhan for the winning percentage, not Kapler. No double standard here as I credit our winning percentage to AF.

      I criticized Kapler for being an underachiever as a player and a manager.

10. Interesting write-up today.

    I certainly can understand members of the O’Malley family being unhappy with the sale of the Dodgers so you are right about that. Peter O’Malley says he has no regrets. But if I had done that, I would certainly have regrets.

    He was concerned about growth in corporate ownership in baseball and felt he couldn’t compete. He became frustrated when he pursued an NFL team and wanted to build a football stadium at Chavez Ravine as a potential solution. All this was opposed by the LA City Councilman who had the coliseum in his district and it became a big political fight, which O’Malley lost.

    He obviously didn’t read any of this correctly. Former GM Fred Claire’s book is enlightening. Claire felt the Dodgers were a few million dollars short of acquiring a player here and there who could put the organization over the top.

    O’Malley could have made that happen by simply raising ticket prices, but he was concerned about affordability. Budget and payroll was always front and center. A modest increase in ticket prices would have done the trick. He could have increased sponsorship. There was very little sponsorship at the stadium back then. Then corporate ownership began to wane after he sold the team and the Rams left town. Even Fox couldn’t wait to sell the team. They claimed they were losing $50 million a year.

    So, I’m guessing some family members believe they were denied an opportunity to run the Dodgers. I’ve often wondered if Walter O’Malley would have sold the team under similar circumstances?

    I thought Peter O’Malley had put up some money to help purchase the Padres.

    So, yes the Padres want to get to the World Series and win and the push is hard to make it happen. AJ Preller is obviously the type of GM they need. Not about the future. When the family looks back, there is probably not only some regret, but anger too. Looking at what the Dodgers have done, both on the field and financially, it’s understandable. They probably think what could have been. The new Dodger ownership group got this, which is why they overpaid Frank McCourt for the team.

    Remember how people reacted when they heard the sale price? What? These people are crazy. I’m sure the O’Malley family was stunned.

    For the Padres, the future is now and next couple of years. Hey, they’re selling lots of tickets.

    The Dodgers are on another level. The Angels found that out, so did the rest of baseball. I recall reading a piece years ago when the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman, big market blended with an incredibly smart ownership group and the best operations people in the game —- scary.

    The Dodgers are in it for the long haul and that means having a great development system. The Padres want and need to win now. Like the Washington Nationals and other MLB teams, there is a window. The Dodgers have no window.

    1. sbuffalo –

       Thanks for the background details regarding the O’Malleys and why they sold the team. Some of it I was aware of but had forgotten; other information was new to me. The O’Malleys deserve credit for coming to LA and bringing the Giants to SF (except in Brooklyn). I remember as a kid in the 1950s the only access to MLB were recreations of games from the east on KMPC radio; the Saturday TV game of the week with Buddy Blattner and Dizzy Dean; and, TV coverage of the World Series.

       They also deserve credit for striving to keep ticket prices down so families could enjoy the game in person. That was certainly a big deal in my family with five boys. We got to see a lot of Hall of Famers in the early days of Dodger Stadium when the Angeles played their home games there too. Unforgettable memories that I retain as an old man.

       I can understand their disappointment in not being able to be in the same ownership role they once had and their contributions to building one of the preeminent franchises in MLB.

11. I mention veterans like Baez and Betances and any other veteran who is in the minor leagues, because of the experience that they already play in the minor leagues, but more than anything, because of starting the clock of the youngsters, I remember the problem that Kris Bryant had with Chucago, and I thought if they don’t use them this season, they’ll have one more season of control, I really don’t know how that works.

    But on the other hand, it would be a perfect time to see so much young talent and start to shine, now that there is no pressure in the standing

    1. Well, I’m with you on not starting the clock on the youngsters. But, Betances and Baez aren’t looking very good so far in the minors. Carson Fulmer is actually looking much better as far as non-roster players go, but he doesn’t have the experience that Petey and Dellin have.

       Right now our bullpen is
       Almonte -R
       Bickford -R
       Ferguson -L
       Kimbrel -R
       Martin -R
       Phillips -R
       Price -L
       Vesia -L

       Bruihl -L, Moronta -R, and Reed -R are in the minors and Brusdar -R, will probably be back within a week and Treinen is getting closer.

       We should be fine if nobody else slips on a banana.

12. And let’s not forget to give a big shout out to Time Warner Cable for the Dodger success! Ouch!

13. B&P: impossible to argue with someone who is NEVER wrong. Yes I misread what you said. However it still points out how you only give credit to the roster architect.

    You have an astounding lack of understanding how any organization truly works. It takes an entire team.

    Your unyielding opinion of Doc blinds you. According to you a Manager is totally unnecessary. Or is it just Doc??? I don’t know why teams spend all that money on an unnecessary position.

    If AF gets credit for a winning percentage then by definition all beneath him share in the credit.

    I honestly don’t know why your arrogance bothers me so but it does.

    1. JayB. Doc’s bumblings are well documented. I think I shared a link with you of a google search that contains a seemingly endless number of articles that documents them much better than I have the motivation for. You want to die on that hill, go for it. Otherwise, you’re reaching by saying that I have an astounding lack of understanding how any organization truly works.

       Yes, it does take an entire team, not just a team on the field or the manager. But AF as the architect of this team gets the most credit. If you win in the postseason with an underdog, you deserve to be called a great manager, especially if you do it multiple times. If you come up short multiple times when you’re the favorite, you deserve to be questioned even if your regular season record is outstanding. After all, they don’t give trophies for having the best record.

       I spent 10 as an IT Consultant, and as so, I worked for an extremely large number of companies in my professional career. From small non-profits to large fortune 500’s. I’m sure I know a lot more about how organizations work than you do. See, I’m right again.

       I certainly don’t mind my arrogance bothering you as much as you want to let it. It’s a blessing to be right all the time, so maybe just stop arguing with me. Some people get my sense of humor and others don’t. I’ve learned long ago that you can’t please everyone, so I don’t try.

       And yes, sometimes I do intentionally try to get under other people’s skin. I like to finish what other people start. If you come after me personally, like you just did, expect a response. I didn’t say anything about Doc today, but somehow you have to bring it up and criticize me for it. You’re attacking me, not the other way around. I’m simply responding to your abuse.

       My initial response to you was just to correct you, it was a polite response to your misinterpretation of what was written. It happens all the time. But, then you have to go full Eric mode and start insulting me because you can’t get over that I don’t agree with your take about Doc and winning percentage. Now, I’m going to call out just how little effort you have in forming an opinion.

       You said Doc is a great manager because he has a great winning percentage. Then you said that it’s the whole organization that contributes to that winning percentage which contradicts the only point you made in why Doc is a great manager. Great job!

14. You could cook an egg waiting for Baez to deliver a pitch. No thanks. I would rather give Carson Fulmer a chance over those two guys. All the things you said about O’Malley are true. But there was also the fact that none of his kids had any interest in running a baseball team, and he was worried about the exorbitant estate tax they would have to pay if he passed, and they inherited the team. The ticket prices were kept low simply because his dad felt that the Dodgers should be affordable for everyone. Low-income people too. Today, that is not the case. For what someone pays per game now, I would be able to go to maybe one game a month. As far as attendance goes, the Dodgers are still the only MLB team averaging over 40 thousand a game. With 31 home games left, they are at 2,404,890. An average attendance of 48,097 a night. Padres are averaging 36,847, almost 12,000 a night less. Dodgers have a real shot at pulling in over 4 million fans this year. Add in the concessions and parking, they are making huge money. I think AF made it very clear, they are not going to mortgage their future for just one winning season. They are in for the long haul.

15. Well JayB what IS arrogant is that only you seem to realize how hard the game is and how hard it is to continue to win. Thanks for enlightening us.

    1. After all these years of winning, I forgot how hard it was. I’m so glad JayB is around to remind us.

16. I am reading that it is still possible to make trades

    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/august-trades-minor-league-players-waivers.html

    1. Yes, but the quality of players traded is severely diminished. Sure, we can trade a guy like Betances for other non-roster guys and minor leaguers, but they aren’t going to move the needle. Bradly Jr. is a recognizable name, but he’s been really bad of late. The Rockies claimed Dinelson Lamet, so they can work a trade for him and pick up the money owed, or the Brewers can not trade him, eat the cash and he sign with any team as a free agent if he refused to go to the minors. Neither of them will help the Dodgers.

17. AF did not make the move that I would never forgive him for. That being if he went for Carlos Correa and if that happened my life long Dodgers and I would of come to an end. Correa is the living proof Manfred isn’t qualified for the position he holds. The both of them ride in the same car and I wish it would crash. Both of them should not be allowed in any ballpark and can kiss the ass of Buck Weaver. I would be happy to dig up Weaver’s grave for them to do just that, That’s exactly what needs to happen before I could forgive them. Can you tell which side of the bed I woke up on? But I go gotta visit someone who is stiffing me for some money and collecting it shouldn’t be on me. That’s his job so I’m pissed that I have to do it.

    1. You go Quasi ! And good luck collecting…. that really sucks you have to do it.

    2. Not me, if Trea Bolts, I would welcome Correa with open arms!

18. Thanks Mark, for the great insight and foresight! The Padres look good on paper but let’s see how they perform under some pressure. As we all know, it’s extremely difficult for one player to carry a team and the Padres have several players that have not performed well in pressure situations such as Machado, Myers, Grisham and of coarse, Darvish. I also agree that Gallo is the epitome of low risk high reward. If he doesn’t work out there are several options to counter with in September and October. Price may have a decent ERA at the moment but is it a result of garbage time appearances against weak lineups ? I think we’ll soon have better options not to mention better teammates. And yes !! Chill on the Kimbrel thing, people! If he doesn’t improve VERY soon then I guarantee you he won’t be the closer come October. Just ask Jansen !! In AF I trust (in the baseball world) and Doc is certainly a benefactor. Not sure if Doc would be as successful in other organizations. Can’t wait to see the tribute to Vin tonight and the rest of our games against SD. Go Blue !!!

19. Let me see if I can do a better job of articulating my points for B&P and Cassidy (and any others).

    1. I have an extreme hangup with people calling for DR’s head and failing to give him any credit. That is what I meant when I said people may not understand how hard this game is and how difficult it is to win at an average in the high 90’s regardless of talent given.

    2. I have made the point numerous times that many very good (great) managers had incredible talent and yet failed to win, either in the regular season, or the post season, at as high a rate as Doc. Yet there has never been a response to that argument.

    3. I have, in the past, given credence to Doc’s making wrong decisions. The best decision makers in the world only make right decisions 7 out of 10 times. I really don’t know if that applies to a baseball game, but I suspect it does. That is based on watching baseball for over 70 years and seeing some of the truly great ones (Stengel, Sparky Anderson, La Russa, Alston, LaSorda, Bobby Cox, etc) make some really bad decisions. I am probably older than most on this site. I started rooting for the Dodgers as a 5 year old. I have seen them play in person in 12 different parks going all the way back to Ebbets Field. I have seen them play under countless Managers going all the way back to Charlie Dressen. Again, that doesn’t make me an expert but certainly gives me broad perspective. I have tried to inject some of that perspective in my few posts. So yes, I fully admit I am partial to Doc and the results his teams have produced. Does that make me blind to his shortcomings? No, but it does allow me to overlook some questionable decisions and be thankful for the end results.

    4. The ultimate objective of a baseball team is to win. If you believe that, credit has to be given up and down the line in an organization if that team wins at a greater rate than all others.

    5. B&P, I complimented you a few posts ago when I said you were smart. I appreciate your work experience. I have owned businesses generating over $100MM in annual profits and employing thousands. That doesn’t make me an expert by any means, but certainly gives me a firm understanding of organizational structure and the need for talent up and down the organization, especially in positions of leadership.

    6. Andrew Friedman cannot be given credit for assembling great on field talent but ignore his decision about who manages the team.

    B&P, I am sorry for any insults. You appear to be a good guy who obviously spends a great deal of time and energy contributing to this blog and I, for one, appreciate you. For what it’s worth, I agreed with your take on Eric’s analysis re the bullpen. Hope we take care of business this weekend.

    1. Maybe you don’t know, Doc almost ran over me in his little golf cart in Spring Training after blowing through a stop sign, just one of the many reasons I can’t stand the guy. He’s an arrogant turd and everything that comes out of his mouth is yes man jargon or baseball acronyms that laymen don’t understand. I don’t believe he’s capable of original thought. I see him hop on every bandwagon social issue and get the impression that he’s ingenuine. On the positive side, he seems to manage egos well. This essentially makes him Phil Jackson complete with someone else’s playbook ala Red Beaulieu from The Waterboy.

       Doc being good is something I will never agree with, we can agree to disagree on that one. For what it’s worth, I appreciate your takes on this post, but don’t agree on Doc.

       1. Amen, Brother !! Bandwagoning social warrior along with the other idiot Kapler and their puppet master, Manfred. Far cry from the teachings of our great yet imperfect country by Vin Scully. Review the entire audio of Rick Monday’s rescue of the American flag or his advice to us on Memorial Day or the anniversary of D-Day. RIP Vinny and thank you for your attempts to unify us instead of dividing us.

          1. Yes, sir! I did hear the Rick Monday audio earlier this year again. It makes you tear up.

20. Well Eric and JayB you both got off lightly. B@P once threatened to kick my butt if he ever caught me wondering out of my mother’s basement! B&P did I win our disagreement because you resorted to personal attacks and physical violence?

    1. Probably

    2. In reality, I confused you with Comrad William.

21. The same reasoning that you used with Eric last night. Chin up Eric. Don’t let the big bad wolves get to you! And I agree with you JayB. I think Roberts is a good manager for this club and evidently so does AF. So I’ll go with his evaluation over all the brilliant minds we have here at LADT!

    1. I don’t care because I cleaned his clock. Power makes people become assholes and he certainly has become an asshole since writing articles here just like the other asshole that writes articles here who thinks he’s a bear and can’t stay out of other peoples business.

22. And I too would like to list all my worldly qualifications and accomplishments but they are too few to fit into a complete sentence!

23. Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw was placed on the injured list with low back pain on Friday, a day after he exited a 5-3 win over the Giants before the fifth inning. The club activated infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor from the IL, recalled right-hander Reyes Moronta and optioned outfielder James Outman in corresponding moves.

24. AF definitely has some room for mistakes due to a pretty solid track record. However the Soto fiasco has to be something he learns from and acts better moving forward. Juggernauts indulge at every turn and let money make up for any errors. Soto was our opportunity to do that and we sadly let him go acting more like a small market team in my mind. Mark laid the absolute best case scenario for the prospects we kept, likely very little of that will come to ferition. Prospects are wildcards, and predicting their outcomes is like day trading.

    Furthermore we let one of our enemies take him from us, while giving in my mind a bunch of questionable prospects. AJ aka Sun Tzu was the one playing chess this deadline, not our field general.

    Anyway we move forward, and we shall see how this really plays out. I hope I am wrong, the next three World Series winners will indicate what is real. Second best teams are not remembered and being competitive yearly is not either. Winning titles is and the Dodgers with their money and resources should be indulging every deadline, especially when we are talking about all time greats.

    Well go Dodgers, get it done, devastated again by seeing Kersh walk off the mound yesterday, however might be for the best if he can make it back this season. But sadly time is against us in regards to Lefty.

    1. History is not on your side with regards to selling the farm.

       I realize that all prospects are not going to make it, but Cartaya and Vargas are special, and while neither will equal Soto’s WAR, they will combine to surpass it.

    2. You got to know when to hold ’em,
       Know when to fold ’em,
       Know when to walk away,
       And know when to run.

       Every gambler knows
       That the secret to survivin’
       Is knowin’ what to throw away
       And knowin’ what to keep.
       ‘Cause every hand’s a winner,
       And every hand’s a loser,
       And the best that you can hope for
       Is to die in your sleep.”

       The Padres knew what to throw away and the Dodgers knew what to keep. The Nats are idiots, probably could have received a better deal by selling Bell and holding Soto for the offseason or the next deadline. They didn’t know when to fold them.

    3. So maybe great, but his personality does not fit our team at all. Surprise more people haven’t noticed that although some have. All we need to do is sign Trey Turner!

25. 10:10 PM ET

    Padres (61-47)
    Dodgers (72-33)

    SP Tony Gonsolin R
    12-1 2.41 ERA 104.2IP 96K

    Confirmed Lineup
    RF Mookie Betts R
    SS Trea Turner R
    1B F. Freeman L
    C Will Smith R
    2B Chris Taylor R
    3B H. Alberto R
    DH M. Vargas R
    LF T. Thompson R
    CF C. Bellinger L

    Clear-day
    0% Rain
    79° Wind 7 mph Out

26. DODGERS ACTIVATE CHRIS TAYLOR, PLACE CLAYTON KERSHAW ON IL

    LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor from the injured list, recalled right-handed pitcher Reyes Moronta, optioned outfielder James Outman and placed left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw on the injured list with low back pain.

    Taylor, 31, returns from the injured list after missing a month with a left foot fracture. He has played in 74 games this season and he is batting .238 with 19 doubles, six homers and 27 RBI. He made two rehab appearances with Oklahoma City, batting .429 (3-for-7) with two homers and three RBI. He has spent parts of nine seasons in the Major Leagues with Seattle (2014-2016) and Los Angeles (2016-2022) and he is a career .259 hitter with 85 home runs and 336 RBI. He was originally drafted by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 2012 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia and was acquired by the Dodgers on June 19, 2016, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Zach Lee.

    Moronta, 29, returns for his fifth stint with the Dodgers and he is 0-0 with a 4.67 ERA (9 ER/17.1 IP) and 20 strikeouts in 16 games this season for the Dodgers. He is in his fifth Major League season, and he is a combined 8-9 with a 2.89 ERA (48 ER/149.2 IP) and 182 strikeouts against 81 walks with San Francisco (2017-2021) and Los Angeles (2022). With Triple-A Oklahoma City, he was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA (3 ER/10.0 IP) and 17 strikeouts in 11 games. He was signed as a minor league free agent with the Dodgers on March 12, 2022.

    Kershaw, 34, heads to the injured list for the second time this season. He pitched yesterday, tossing 4.0 innings, allowing two runs before exiting in the bottom of the fifth inning with low back pain. The nine-time All-Star is 7-3 on the season with a 2.64 ERA (25 ER/85.1 IP) and 88 strikeouts in 15 starts. In his Hall of Fame career, he is a combined 192-87 with a 2.49 ERA (704 ER/2540.0 IP) and 2,758 strikeouts in 394 career games. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 First Year Player Draft out of Highland Park High School.

    Outman, 25, appeared in four games with the Dodgers and he batted .462 (6-for-13) with one homer and three RBI. On Sunday in Colorado, he became the first player in Dodger history to record three hits, a homer, three RBI and two runs scored in his Major League debut. The Sacramento native began his season with Double-A Tulsa, hitting .295 (77-for-261) with 17 doubles, 16 homers ad 45 RBI. He was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on June 29 and he has appeared in 22 games for the OKC, hitting .225 (18-for-80) with five homers and 24 RBI. In four minor league seasons with the Dodgers, he is a combined .256 hitter with 69 homers and 212 RBI. Last season, he was an Arizona Fall League All-Star, slashing .284/.422/.552 with three homers and 11 RBI in 24 games for the Glendale Desert Dogs. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft out of Sacramento State University.

27. I started losing it during the clip of Kevin Costner’s speech. Well, that was a good cry. We miss you Vin!

28. The Dodgers let their bats speak as to their resolve.

    1. If this is a preview of playoffs Dodgers, everyone else is screwed.

29. So this is the new rivalry! Any more thoughts Mr Musgrove? And by the way you and your era would make make our team if we went to a six man rotation!

30. Juan Who?? Manny who??? Padres still suck. Their pitching still does not match up to the Dodgers. Nice hitting. No homers and they score 8 runs. Love it. I am not going to lie, I teared up pretty hard watching the Scully tribute. Grew up listening to Vin. The man is sorely missed. I also admit, I have never really warmed up to Joe Davis, I still think he sounds too much like Joe Buck, whom I cannot stand.

    1. Yeah, eight runs and no homers…
       The other day, the Angels lost 8-7—and every one of their runs came on solo HRs.
       That had to be some kind of record.

    2. Bear & BP –

       Me too…..I have teared up more this past week than I have in a long time. I guess Vinny really became a lifelong friend!

       Price is looking good; with the uncertainty about Kershaw and Price’s playoff experience, he may become an important piece in the playoffs this year.

       I am not sure who I enjoy watching them lose more – the Padres or the Astros!

31. Agree with you on Joe Davis. I don’t think he’s a bad announcer, but it does seem that he takes his game right out of the Joe Buck playbook.
    I have to say other than Vin,…still choking up every time I see his face or hear his voice…. ,
    The only announcer that I ever warmed up to was Don Drysdale

    1. I turn the voice off sometimes during a Dodger broadcast. I can’t stand to hear Joe Davis’ lame background stories on players. Also I ‘m wondering which laugh is more annoying, Kamala or Jessica’s laugh. Tough decision.

32. Dont look now but David Price is having a nice season.

    1. And Moronta struck out 4!

       1. When he throws strikes he can be effective. Its when he loses his control…..

          1. Price or Moronta? 😉

Comments are closed.