Bad News – Good News!

Posted By on June 4, 2023

The bad news is that the Dodgers lost to the Yankees, setting up today as the rubber match. The Good News is that last night was a “breakout” game for Michael Grove. In his best-pitched game so far in his young career, he was dominant… except for two bad pitches to the same hitter. Sometimes certain hitters just have a pitcher’s number. Groves’ mechanics were in sync and his release point was consistent, which is why his velocity was nearly 98 MPH. There is a lot of upside to this guy. All he needs to be is a Number Five and there aren’t many Number Fives who have four pitches and throw 98 MPH!

The Dodgers were very patient with Grove – I have always been a fan, but they kept rolling him out even when he was crap. I confess that I lost faith in him. This is also why I have faith that they will “fix” Andre Jackson, who has some double filthy stuff!

If Michael Grove can build upon this outing, the Dodgers need not trade for another starter. They aren’t trading MIller, no one wants Stone and everyone will ask for Frasso, Sheehan and Ryan (two of them) in a trade for another starter. May and Buehlker are a crapshoot. Thor is as good as gone, but Urias, Kershaw, Miller, Grove, and Gonsolin are fine by me.

The Bottom of the Order

The Dodgers are not the only team with hitters who can’t hit their weight at the bottom of the order. Here were the batting averages of the 4th to the 9th Yankee hitters:

  • 4th – .167
  • 5th – .244
  • 6th – .237
  • 7th – .220
  • 8th – .210
  • 9th – .188

Jonny D Headed to LA

Jonny DeLuca is headed to LA a couple of months early due to Trayce Thoimpson’s oblique injury. Jonny DeLuca (“JonnyD”) is 6′ tall, 200 lbs., a RH Batter, and can play all three outfield spots. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 2019 out of Oregon, but of course, missed 20COVID-19. He will be 25 on July 10th. He has an above-average arm and is also an above-average runner. He used to be a switch-hitter but the Dodgers converted him. He is being brought up to do one thing: CRUSH LEFTIES. Even though he has a powerful swing, with prominent “Popyeye Arms,” he does not have the strikeout propensity of Joc Pederson or James Outman.

Gavin Stoned!

Last night OKC’s Gavin Stone pitched another ugly game. 4.1 IP/5 H/3 ER/6 BB/6 K. YIKES! Right about now, Gavin Stone’s value has plummeted! “What me Worry?” This stuff happens all the time and there are three outcomes:

  1. This is who he is and he fades into oblivion;
  2. He figures it out and becomes the pitcher many of us thought he would be; or
  3. He takes his fastball and Changeup and becomes a reliever.

Sometimes things are going on that we have no clue about, such as something in their personal life or maybe the team is telling them to throw something he is not comfortable with. Diego Cartaya was in a funk until recently (and he may not be out), but you have to look at the big picture

Dodger News & Notes

  • JDM is begging to play some LF – he got his wish last night. I would love to see him do that about every 10 days and let Will Smith DH.
  • Does calling up Jonny D move Heyward and DeLuca to LF and Mookie to SS?
  • How Bobby Miller does today will go a long way in his development!
  • I see incremental improvement with James Outman’s Defense in CF. I have confidence on the ball he misplayed early in the game he learned something. I really like his progression on defense. Both rookies are playing good defense and both are struggling offensively for different reasons. Stay the course and it will pay dividends by the playoffs.
  • Where’s Michael Busch? M.I.A. for 6 games.
  • Still tied for 1st!
  • The Texas Rangers are the only team not to have a Pride Night… HUMMM>>>>CK? Who thought it might end this way?
  • A buddy of mine called me and said, “I think Tayler Scott is a lot better than Phil Bickford. We should keep him!” I said, “You are an idiot, if you can tell anything after 1 outing, let alone 4 or 5 outings!” He came back and said, “Yeah, I know better!” It’s not about the flavor of the week – it’s about sustainability! Bickford has looked pretty bad at times, but he also is a horse… and maybe he is injured (more than we know.

This article has 104 Comments

  1. Julio Urías moves one step closer to return with bullpen session at Dodger Stadium .Next step is 3-4 innings facing Dodgers hitters Tuesday in Cincinnati

    The Dodgers starting rotation has been in flux for the better part of a month, but could get some stability back soon in the form of opening day starter Julio Urías.

    The left-hander threw a bullpen session on the main mound at Dodger Stadium, his second since landing on the injured list with a left hamstring strain on May 20.

    “He was good today. I would say probably about 80 percent, about 25-30 pitches,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He used his entire pitch mix, didn’t look like he was favoring [the left hamstring] at all.”

    Up next for Urías will be facing Dodgers hitters in a simulated game of three to four innings on Tuesday when the Dodgers are in Cincinnati. If all goes well there, he’ll be activated at some point during the series in Philadelphia next weekend.

  2. When the Dodgers signed Martinez as a full-time DH, I worried that Smith wouldn’t get the chance to DH. So if JDM plays a little LF and Will goes to DH, the Dodgers can really load up against lefties!
    Oh, but wait. There’d still be a hole in the lineup.
    That hole is named Austin Barnes.
    He used to be the best backup in baseball, but his offense has just disappeared. It’s sad because he’s been a vital part of the team, even called “captain” by some. His struggles tend to be overlooked because his playing time is limited. But his playing time needs to be limited because of his struggles. I hope he isn’t washed up–another year on his contract–but would the brass consider moving him to a coaching role?
    At any rate, here’s hoping that DeLuca adds some excitement.
    Hmmm….
    Mookie (Rojas) SS
    Freddie 1B
    Will C
    Max 3B
    JDM DH
    Heyward (Mookie) RF
    Vargas 2B
    Outman/ Taylor CF
    DeLuca/ Peralta LF

    The parentheses suggest late-inning substitutions and the slashes suggest platoons. Mookie could also continue to get spot starts at 2B. Pretty good UT guy. I’d give Freddie the edge for team MVP and Will as MIP–Most Indispensable Player. (We saw that during his concussion recovery.)

    Mookie may not be the league’s best RF–Acuna has been great–but he’s probably a top 3 outfielder. He and the next four guys are true all-star contenders.

    1. If the Dodgers played JDM and Smith together against tough LHP, they would not have to worry about Barnes. He will come back to his career average by the end of the season, but I will also remind you that the Astros won a World Series with a hitter at C like Barnes.

  3. JD came close to tying it up in the 8th with a near two run HR. I bet Yankee fans would have been very pissed at their manager had that happened for removing Cole after only 80 pitches.

    I too was happy with Grove save the two long balls he gave up. Looked very good all other times. I hope this DeLuca kid can platoon nicely in the OF and be that RHB we are all looking for.

    Can’t wait to see Miller tonight….I think we win. Oh, and glad the Braves were able to win at least one in Arizona.

    1. Cole cramped up so he had to come out. Boone had no choice. Loss is on the hitters for missing so many opportunities. They had plenty of chances. Something has to be done about the umpiring. The Jays manager got tossed last night after one of the worst strike calls of the year. Do the umps need a refresher course on positioning and where the effing strike zone is? Muncy had one called on him last night that was two baseballs out of the zone. The umpiring has been pathetic. Batters need to be able to challenge like they can at AAA. Who is this Washington guy at OKC? He was nasty last night.

  4. I’ve been calling for DeLuca to be called up since the offseason. Because I knew there was a hole in the outfield for a guy that can hit LHP good. Thompson has failed at doing that and anyone with a brain could have figured that out a long time ago. Why the delay?

    Anyways I’m glad it finally happened and Thompson set the bar so low that I’m confident DeLuca will do better than Thompson at hitting LHP. He’s crushed them his whole minor league career.

    It looks like Heyward has emerged as the best hitter among who I call the trio outfielders. The ones that can only hit RHP and they are Heyward, Peralta, Thompson.

    Since Heyward is the one that has emerged, this is what I would like to see and it’s not a batting lineup.

    DH Martinez
    C Smith
    1B Freeman
    2B Vargas
    SS Betts (or Taylor)
    3B Muncy
    OF Taylor (or Betts)
    OF Outman
    OF Heyward/DeLuca platoon

    And if Doc has the itch to use Peralta as a starter. Then Betts definitly at SS and a platoon of Peralta and Taylor in the outfield.

    As far as the pitching goes, I don’t want to touch that subject because it’s a mess. But I do want to say I like Bobby Miller and I wish him success at the MLB level.

    Just my 2 cents.

  5. It’s better to leave it there for 2 reasons.

    1 To show the world the crap I get here.

    2 To show the world how assinine some posts are.

    Man I’m telling ya.

    1. No wonder why I get confrentational sometimes and Mark has threatened to ban me. Not because I want to be confrentational but because of this kind of crap.

  6. Saturday scores
    Reno 9, Oklahoma City 6
    Tulsa 8, Wichita 1
    Great Lakes 10, Beloit 0
    Inland Empire 6, Rancho Cucamonga 1

    Sunday schedule
    11:05 a.m. PT: Tulsa (Landon Knack) at Wichita (David Festa)
    11:05 a.m.: Great Lakes (Yon Castro) at Beloit (Zack King)
    12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Matt Andriese) vs. Reno (Bryce Jarvis)
    2 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Chris Campos) vs. Inland Empire (Michael Darrell-Hicks)

    June 5), the Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League start their seasons on Monday.

    Reply

      1. Could Busch be injured? He has missed several games. But he also has not hit the same since he went back down. Maybe they are just giving Mike a breather.

  7. * I too thought Grove pitched way better than his line showed. 2 pitches to Jake Bauer made all the difference. But I liked his stuff, his mound presence and competitiveness. Tough match up facing Cole.
    * I thought this game was overmanned and the decisions made by Apple Computers. Cole pitched great but when he exited after 6, Spring Training broke out. Every predictable pinch hit scenario went into effect. Doc made sure everybody got their letter including Barnes and Thompson to face a LHP.
    * Doc hopped out of that dugout like his ass was on fire for that pitching change with 2 outs in the 9th. I guess the computer started pinging with a red alert with Bauer coming up against Scott. That move led to a homer by Cabrera off Gonzales. But Doc some cool air time on National TV.

  8. You get crap because of a lot of other stuff you have said, I am simply saying it aint that easy. You and I can’t do it, so why rag on a guy who earned a MLB contract on his performance last year? Yeah, he stunk up the joint most of this season, but, he had capital in the bank based on the success he had last year. The Dodgers make the personnel decisions, not the fans, they kept him on the roster and gave him a long leash. Just because you felt he wasn’t worthy of a roster spot does not mean the Dodgers didn’t. Johnny DeLuca is a prospect. You love the guy, that’s cool. But just because he has hit well against minor league lefthanders, that he is going to have the same success in the majors. If he does, great, if not, he will be back in AAA that quick. Quit being butt hurt because people do not agree with you, and if you feel unappreciated and picked on, leave. You won’t be missed.You may not have said you were glad Thompson got hurt, but you implied it .

  9. Eric,

    Just because LeDuca hit lefties in the minors does not mean he will hit them in the bigs… but we are going to find out. If it were that easy, then LeDuca would have already been here because AF has about 10,000 Times the Sabermetric Firepower as you. Not being disrespectful, but saying that whatever stats we have, he has about 10,000X that!

    1. Exactly. And Thompson earned some leash with what he did last year. His injury will most likely keep him out for at least a couple of months. Bad break for him, he was just starting to hit again.

      1. Actually, Eric, contradicting what Bear said above about “if you feel under appreciated and picked on, leave. You won’t be missed”

        You would be missed, so don’t leave. I like your takes, even if I don’t agree with them.

        Ignore that absolutely idiotic comment by Bear. Clearly he’s having a bad morning and taking it out on you. You have every right to tell him in a nice way “Go F yourself”

      2. Thanks Bobby, but I am not having a bad day. I get tired of his bellyaching about how he is abused. But he and I both have a right to say what we want. You might miss him, I would not One other thing, I can delete anything he says or that I say, and I have done that to myself several times after I cooled down. But this is different to me. I like Thompson and felt he deserved a chance. Most likely, he won’t be back.

      3. Thank you Bobby you’ve always been kind to me.

        I just hope Mark sees this and sees I’m not in the wrong. Many times not in the wrong.

        I’m about done. Bear must have had a brain injury in the past or maybe not and just stupid AND CONFRENTATIONAL.

        Yes the first CONFRENTATION was you Bear.

      4. Piss off Eric, yeah, it was confrontational because I did not like the way you worded it. That is my choice. I am far from having any kind of mental problems, but you have a serious I get butt hurt when people disagree with me problem. I am also far from stupid. If you are done, leave and shut the fuck up. And it is spelled CONFRONTATION not confrentation.

  10. I am not removing my post simply because what I said I meant. I have never played the game above high school. I know I do not possess the same skills Trayce Thompson does. Thompson earned a 2023 MLB contract on the strength of the season he had last year. Eric may not have said he was glad Trayce got hurt so DeLuca gets called up, but that was the impression one gets because he has been beating DeLuca’s drum since spring. Eric has a right to say what he said, that is cool, I have the right to disagree with his post and give my reasons. Is DeLuca the answer to the Dodgers problems against LHP? I doubt it. If he can hit MLB lefties, well great. But AAA pitching and MLB pitching are two entirely different animals. You ever try to hit against an MLB pitcher David? I did. When I was playing HS ball, our coach had Joe Moeller pitch to us. I heard it, I did not see it.

    1. What does hitting against major league pitching have to do with posting anything here?And why is that a ‘thing’? I had problems hitting little league pitching so what!!! I thought when Bulldogs left we would be done with attacking posters when you disagree. But I guess not.
      Although I would ban any post that says AF knows things we don’t. I put that in the useless information file.
      Like saying that someone batting .430 at the end of April will be ‘regressing to the mean’ and not be batting that at end of year

      1. Simply my opinion David. And the point is, it is not easy, not many are good at it. I just totally disagree with the guy, End of story.

  11. I actually feel a little badly for TT….he did do well last year, and then he hits 3 HRs in one game early this year……and then….crash….thud!

    I agree with Oldbear in that his performance last year did earn him some grace period this year…two months at least. It looks like it took an injury to finally seal this deal, so let’s see how it all plays out.

    I’m not wearing “DeLuca Socks” today nor have I bought any. I’m expecting to see what I’ve been seeing this year with Outman and Vargas. Some good days….some not so good days. Speaking about Outman, I sure hope to see the good days return….he’s looking more like the Cody Bellinger of the last two years with our club.

    Count me in as happy we added JDM , Heyward, and Rojas to our team this year. Yes, you heard me correctly….Rojas too. I Like them , a lot.

    TM

  12. Yes, guys get contracts for what they did last year, or what they did in Spring training, Or what they did in the past(Like Thor). So teams take a gamble and sometimes in works out(Heyward) and sometimes it does not(Thompson). So by now the DFA list across the league is getting filled up with players that did not ‘work out’. So teams have to decide when to cut someone loose. If they don’t think they have someone better then the player lasts a little longer. An injury forces the teams hand. And I don’t think anyone roots for an injury. So we can’t stand Machado, but no one would want to see a player injured.

  14. Like Mark wrote above, I actually loved watching Grove yesterday (except for 2 pitches to that one dude). At worst, I’d like to see him in a multiple inning role. Other friends of mine who don’t follow the minors as much as I do texted me “wow does this kid look a lot like Walker Buehler or what!!”

    Good news on the minor league front: Sheehan looks spectacular and should be bumped to AAA and Maddux Bruns looks much better since moving up to High A.

    I didn’t go yesterday, due to work crap that came up. But hey, it all worked out as I didn’t have to see a loss AND now I’ll go today and see Bobby Miller. As good as Grove looked, Miller may be here to stay so let’s see how he handles the Yankees on ESPN in a front of a full, loud house!

  15. In response to Bears comment above “Something has to be done about the umpiring. The Jays manager got tossed last night after one of the worst strike calls of the year. Do the umps need a refresher course on positioning and where the effing strike zone is?”
    Few noticed, since we won Friday night against the Yankees, but Hunter Wendelstedt missed 19 pitches in that one. He called 15 strikes on actual balls, a lovely 67% accuracy rate. Hunter Wendestedt is a 25 year MLB veteran. He now runs the umpire training school that his father Harry started. Seriously, he runs a training school for umpires! He’s officiated an All-Star Game, 2 Wild Card Series, 4 Division Series, 4 league Championships Series and a World Series. And he’s dead shitty.
    And he’s not alone. Some of the 10 new umpires in MLB are terrible. I’m not interested in any challenge system or refresher courses. It’s just past time for the ABS.

  18. Lineup Betts, RF, Freeman, 1B, Smith, C, Muncy, 3B, JD Martinez, DH, Peralta, LF, Vargas, 2B, Taylor, SS, Outman, CF. Miller, P.

  19. “During his last start, I thought I noticed a label on Noah Syndergaard’s uniform waistband that said, “Best if Used By 2020.”

  20. I plan to catch a game or two in Cincinnati on Tuesday and maybe Thursday.

    I am starting in place of Barnes! 😉

  22. 7.05 PM ET

    Yankees (35-25) 3rd place AL East 6.0GB
    Dodgers (35-24) 1st place tie NL West with Arizona

    SP Domingo German R
    3-3 3.98 ERA 54.1 IP 53K
    SP Bobby Miller R
    2-0 1.64 ERA 11,0IP 9K

    Confirmed Lineup
    RF Mookie Betts R
    1B F. Freeman L
    C Will Smith R
    3B Max Muncy L
    DH J. Martinez R
    LF D. Peralta L
    2B M. Vargas R
    SS Chris Taylor R
    CF James Outman L

  26. In not so great news;

    Andy Pages (No. 67 in @Keith laws preseason top 100) underwent surgery last week to repair a torn labrum, sources tell The Athletic.

    Suffered the injury in his first Triple A game after posting a .925 OPS in Double A. On track to be ready for spring

    1. Bad news and a tough break for Pages. But he might crack the roster next spring with a good showing. Busch has not played in a while.

  27. The Dodgers need another consistent bat in the lineup at the trade deadline and another starting pitcher. They have Urias Kershaw and who else in playoffs Gonsolin and two Rookies I don’t think so. Your going against better lineups in the playoffs like the Braves Brewers and don’t forget the Padres. You better have pitching or we will be home.like last year. And if I recall we had a hard time beating that Arizona team when they came to LA to play so there not scared to play us they could be like how the Padres were last year sneak in and knock us out. Dodgers need a outfield that can hit better then Taylor Peralta and Thompson a backup catcher that can hit better then Barnes and another starting pitcher with playoff experience to pitch in playoffs over two rookies in Stone and Miller that will get us threw the season but what about the playoffs. So look at teams that are going to be out of it. And go what player would look really good in Dodger Blue. Could be a player from the Reds or Royals or As or Pirates or Twins or Whitesoxs. They need to do something to hit lefties or that’s going to hurt the Dodgers in the playoffs.

    1. Stone is in the minors. Miller will probably not be in the rotation come September. Urias will be back, and hopefully so will May.

  28. Maybe we can trade Thor to a pitching starving team for a bona fide RHH bat.

    /beingfunnyoff

  29. They will have to wait until the deadline to see who is available Bradley, and then, they have to weigh the cost for that player. One thing we know for certain is that AF is not going to overpay. Also, there is no one on the Royals except maybe Salvador Perez who would be of much help.

  30. Not getting any help from Atlanta so far, D-Backs ahead in the 7th. Rosario hit a go ahead grand slam in the 9th with 2 outs. AZ loses.

  31. OKC wins in comeback style scoring 4 in the bottom of the 8th. Freitas with a 2 run double puts game out of reach for Reno.

    1. Bear, both him and Karros’ son are really doing well.

      What do you think about both prospects?

      1. Good bloodlines. Always hard for a kid to live up to his dad. Very few can do that. Karros’s kid is a pitcher. Nevin is 21. Let’s see if they move him up to AA.

      2. There was a point in time when the Dodgers had the sons of 5 former big leaguers if I remember right. Including the sons of Manny Mota and Tim Wallach.

  33. Second time Graterol pulled that shit
    We know he’s a great athlete, especially for his size, but he’s not a damn miracle worker

  34. Graterol Graterol, como en cuenta de 0-2 le pasas un lanzamiento al centro del plato?

  36. I know I never batted against major league pitching—but Taylor has. He needed at least to swing at one pitch in this situation in 7th inning. Just guessing fastball for some reason and couldn’t pull the trigger on any pitch.

    1. I always get totally frustrated when they sit there and look at three pitches and strike out without ever swinging a bat. You are supposed to protect the plate with 2 strikes.

    1. But also, Vargas’ made one of the WORST slides into 2nd I’ve ever seen. He began the slide waaaay too early!

  38. It’s now becoming painful to watch Outman bat…or in some instances, carry a bat.

      1. So much for being aggressive and taking control of your destiny.

        Watching guys watch strike after strike drives me crazy too.

        Oh, and also watching our bullpen walk guys who end up scoring runs drives me crazy too.

      2. Agree totally Striking out looking is dumb. At least try to hit the damn ball. If they lose this game and the series, it was still a great three games. Kersh pitched great, Miller pitched great, Grove deserved better with only two bad pitches. They could have just as easily won three.

    1. With the passing of Roger Craig, there are now only two remaining members of the World Series-winning 1955 Dodgers that are still with us: Sandy Koufax and Carl Erskine.

      Art Schallock is the oldest living player and the last member of the 1951, 1952, and 1953 Yankees.

  42. It’s also painful watching Dodger players getting picked off.

    Dodgers are currently playing sloppy baseball.

  43. Poor fundamental baseball by the Dodgers. Playing the infield in to prevent a run from being scored and both CT3 and Vargas went to 1B to get the out instead of going home. Was it the right play?

    Grateral has to eat the ball instead of throwing into RF. Horrible play.

    Will Smith cannot get picked off 1B, simply can’t happen, shouldn’t happen.

    In spite of that Miller looks awesome.

    1. I watched both plays and Vargas had no shot at home.. maybe a slight chance if he “barehanded” the ball.

      Taylor had maybe a slight more chance…

  44. Bear I am in full agreement with you about the umpires. I have long been in favor of an electronic strike zone.

    1. I have never been critical of Roberts, but I am now beginning to wonder if some of the mistakes I’ve been seeing lately are the result of what may be becoming a fundamentally unsound team.

      However, I do not believe that Vargas and CT3 were incorrect in going to first base instead of home. In both cases, going home would NOT have gotten the runner.

  45. Combined sloppy play, lifeless bottom order, and meh bullpen – all catching up with this team.
    Dodgers better level their listing ship SOON!

      1. Yes, the top order was poor today. But most of the time, they’ve carried the offense in spite of a season-long ineffective bottom order — which was still not good in this game.

      1. They’ll start losing ground to the other top teams in the NL. The Betts/Freeman/Smith/Martinez four-some can’t continue their recent torrid offensive pace all season long, and thereby mask the (so far) meh pitching and bad bottom order, ..so as to keep this team near the top of the NL standings.

        1. Bottom of the order, 6-9 had 3 of the four Dodger hits. 2 of them by Peralta. It will change as the season goes on, and some guys who are on the roster now, will not be there come September.

  46. Playing in the shadows….I got what I expected….a low scoring game.

    I was encouraged when I saw the Yankee starting lineup….no one was scary good…a few are good though.

    I figured with our scary good 4, we would outscore them. Guess I thought wrong…..but of course, I didn’t expect their .193 hitter to park one in the bleachers.

    My 2 cents on the Vegas slow roller….I think he has at least a 50% chance of nailing him with a good throw and a bare handed pick up. Mere speculation of course, but I did apply physics to the equation. That’s right, I computed the length needed to score from the moment Vargas touched the ball to the possible velocity of the ball thrown to Smith. (Big grin)

    TM “Einstein”

    1. That was possibly a “rookie moment.” Just like James Outman a couple of games back when he overran the ball with backspin. He will know better next time and I believe he will make that play. If Vargas had barehanded it, he had a shot. It had to be a perfect throw, but that is part of the rookie maturation. In September and October, we shall see the results. Both players are key to the Dodgers’ success.

  47. I just bought tickets to the Cincinnati – Dodger Game on Tuesday. My son, my son-in-law, my brother, and his son (all employees of US Water Systems) are going.

    WE are 4th row behind 3B and the Dodgers Dugout. In LA, these are $200 tickets. In Cincinnati, they cost $90 each. It’s a Company trip! 😉

    1. At least at Tuesday’s night game you and your family won’t have to sit through a Thor’s pitched game with Gonsolin on the mound,

      1. I am going to try and go on Thursday too – it’s an afternoon game.

        Cincy is only 90 Minutes from Indy.

        1. Kershaw will be pitching on Thursday. Thor is suppose to pitch Wednesday’s game.

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