That’s our agenda today, boys and girls!
Tony Gonsolin
So, now we know for sure that an “elbow injury” is likely going to keep Tony Gonsolin out for the remainder of the season. That’s all we know – there’s a whole lot more to know but at this juncture that Dodgers and/or Tony Gonsolin ain’t sayin’. That’s typical, not only for the Dodgers but also for many other teams as well, and why not? As fans, we would like to know all this, but there is no reason for the Dodgers to say. Why? Well, if opponents knew what the medical diagnosis was, they may be able to figure out which pitches would hurt the most and wait for that. Who knows.
Tony did not conceal the injury to the Dodgers. They knew what he was dealing with, and most likely, the trainers and medical staff cleared him to pitch if he could withstand the pain. I would also assume that Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache was also consulted. If continuing to pitch would cause additional damage, I do not believe Tony or the Dodgers are so stupid as to continue down that road. Maybe Tony just needs rest, but I would speculate that he likely needs surgery of some sort.
Part of why Gonsolin kept going out there despite not being “100 percent” is the fact that the Dodgers have struggled with having enough available rotation arms. They’re in better shape now, thanks in part to the role Gonsolin played in providing them with innings even while he was ailing. “I do commend him wholeheartedly,” said Roberts. “I think he’s continued to gain the respect of the guys in the clubhouse and never made an excuse.” So, Tony was a good soldier – he did what he could to keep the Dodgers afloat, and if anyone thinks Tony “knew” how bad he was going to pitch yesterday and yet went ahead and pitched, they do not even meet the threshold of being a moron. Tony has had innings before where he gave up 5+ runs and then settled back in. I have nothing but praise for Tony Gonsolin! I look forward to him making a full recovery and being back in the rotation next year!
Dave Roberts
It seems to me that some of you want to pin The Gonsolin Affair on Doc Roberts. Let’s think about that for a moment because you obviously haven’t! Does Dave Roberts make out the roster? No, but he does have some input! Does he decide on the rotation? It’s a collaboration between Andrew Friedman, Brandon Gomes, and the front office, as well as Mark Prior, Conner McGuinness, and others. Until recently, the Dodgers were limited to having to use Gonsolin. The training staff knew what was up, and so did all the coaches and the front office. Dave Roberts played the hand he was dealt, so there is no reason to shift any blame to him.
He has seen Tony struggle and then right the ship. We don’t know what Tony told Doc when he was taken out of the game after 3.1 innings, but we have seen him give up a handful of runs before and then settle down and pitch more innings. Doc knew he had a doubleheader the next day, so he would have loved for Toney to pitch 5 or 6 innings. The fact is he couldn’t. Quit blaming Doc – It’s like shooting the messenger!
Julio Urias
He’s back! In his last seven games, he is 5-1 with a 3.21 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP, but in August, he is 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP. In his four August games, he has gone five innings, six innings, and seven innings in his last two starts. That there is Ace-Like Stuff! Lance Lynn is also pitching like he is re-born, and Bobby Miller is Bobby Ice! Add in Clayton and Ryan Pepiot, and they are locked and loaded. I know Yarbrough can start too, but I like him as a bulk innings eater a couple of times a week! Gavi9n Stone will likely get a call back as he has a 2.77 ERA in his last five starts.
The Bullpen continues to shine. as the relievers just broke into the TOP TEN for the season and now sit at 3.85 for their ERA. However, since June 20th, they have been Number One in Bullpen ERA. Does anyone still want to chant that Andrew Friedman can’t build a Championship bullpen? This team is looking more and more like a team that can win it all.
Mookie Betts
During the offseason, there were many discussions about whether Mookie was a “superstar” or not. Whether he was or not should not have been the issue. Was he playing like one? In 2021 and 2022, he was not! I said that he had to start playing like a superstar… and he has done that! From the leadoff spot, he has hit 34 HR, 32 Doubles, and walked 70 times. His BA is now at .298, and his OB% is .394. His OPS is a Superstar-esque .989! Wow! He is playing like the Superstar that he is.
We know he loves playing the infield, which could be part of his resurgence. I would not assume that 2B is where he should play, however. The Dodgers have a number of players who could handle 2B, including Rosario, Kike, Vargas, Busch, and Lux. Why not put Mookie at SS? He would automatically become one of the best, if not THE best SS in the game. I am sure that is a subject the Dodger Brass will consider in the offseason.
Finally, there is a lot of talk that JDM should be on the IL. Well, I will defer to the Dodgers medical staff. I don’t care if you did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night – that does not make you qualified to diagnose his injury. I mean, if they thought it would help, I am sure they would do it… and maybe they will. If not, there may be a reason why…
Down on the Farm
No, not Bob Evans!
- Busch & Vargas were both 2-4 last night – Vargas’s swing looks different…
- Shelby Miller pitched a scoreless inning, as did Ken Giles… hummm!
- Austin Gauthier is hitting .321 on the year with a .941 OPS split between GL and Tulsa.
- Diego Cartaya, with 3 BB and 2 Runs Scored is still at .185.
Mark, would you please tell my financial advisor the HE needs to start playing like a superstar. Because he certainly wasn’t in 21 or 22 either!
Get better Tony.
I miss the Dodgers of June when they weren’t very good and we had a lot to complain about. Now, they’re just boringly good. Heck even Robert’s will win manager of the month, even though we all know that with a decent manager we’d be 19-1 and not 18-2. And there’s no more crazy trade proposals from Bradley and no more scathing evaluations from Eric about how badly Robert’s handles the bullpen. Can’t criticize AF for blowing the deadline because Lance Lynn is gonna win the Cy Young and Kiki the comeback player of the year! And it will be just like the Dodgers to go and win the WS and ruin our off season as well! I may have to switch over to the Pads. Now there’s A LOT of complaining to be done there!
This is true. Hard to watch the games anymore. We only need 36 more wins in last 39 games to reach 112 wins for season.
Cassidy
Handling the bullpen is EXTREMELY important in the playoffs.
1) You know your 9 position players and 3 starting pitchers (maybe 4).
2) Playoff games are mostly tight games.
3) A LOT OR MOST playoff games are decided in the 6-9 innings.
All of what I just said means the manager can blow a game by using the wrong guy and the wrong guy at the wrong time.
I find the biggest job the manager has is handling the bullpen.
Good to have you back Eric!
Thank you. But I’m not back. If my name is mentioned I’ll post. Otherwise I’ve stopped posting.
There’s another Bulldogs and Penguins (asshole) here and he’s the 2nd main guy here. Mark being the 1st main guy.
It’s like a poor man’s Beetlejuice!
Who is it, Eric? Who’s the asshole?
(I think I know, but I guess I just like stirring **** up. It’s a weakness of mine)
I really appreciate how Mookie took Mark’s advice.
I just don’t understand why Miguelito didn’t listen.
Hate it for Tony, really good guy! Lot’s of players play through injuries and no one is to blame. It was plainly obvious he wasn’t even close to what he was last year pre-injury. Pray he gets healthy before next season, he’s a solid #4 if healthy. Barnes sure picked a good time to come alive ! Will is not hitting the ball at all like he’s capable and though Barnes ain’t going to sniff .250 he’s made some valuable contributions over last few games! I totally agree with Old Bear regarding Muncy. I think we have seen the last of Max hitting over .200. Lot of talk around Max going to full time DH next year. Why? His defense ain’t the biggest issue! It’s all the swing and miss stuff . I like him but Bush needs a chance! And if Bush isn’t in plans go get Chapman. Max doesn’t move runners and takes way too many first pitch strikes! Guess I’ll have withdrawals today with no game! Watch nascar and hope Chase Elliott wins! Hopefully everyone will be safe on west coast. On to Cleveland and keep it rolling! Don’t take them lightly, Tito is a great manager and they always have great pitching! We just faced 3 with the Marlins and it was tough! Happy Sunday everyone!
Interesting tennis match today to watch. Coco Gauff
go USA !!!!
And Djok and Alcaraz!
It wouldn’t be any fun if we couldn’t guess, have opinions, speculate, complain etc. Otherwise all that would be left would be to wait for press releases and read Bears nostalgia posts
And enjoy the wins, David.
No games for two days!
I sure hope we don’t peak too soon. It seems in all sports the team(s) that get hot at the end carry that into the post season. I don’t know how to feel about Urias throwing 100 pitches in mid August. I wouldn’t mind seeing a maybe 70-80 pitch count limit from here out until we get to the playoffs.
Common @TM. He is our Ace and the game was tight all the way. Roberts pull him out of the game and then you got a mad Urias which is worst, in my opinion.
TM,
I would love some examples of teams who get hot “at the end” and carry it into the post-season.
The Nationals in 2019. Astros in 2017.
Thanks Cassidy!
Hopefully the Dodgers in 23!
Yep.
Common adage: It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Dodgers had a 111-win team that finished really badly, in part because of a weak bench. That Dodger squad weren’t just “cold” or “unlucky.”
This year’s team is built for a strong finish.
I ascribe to the wisdom of Branch Rickey: “Luck is the residue of design.”
Phillies in 2022 perhaps?
Yes
Matt Chapman is in 7th place for striking out the most this season.
James Outman is breathing down his neck!
So, is Shohei Ohtani!
Jahami Jones is striking out at 45% … and some wondered why the Dodgers never game him a chance.
Organizational Depth!
Chapman has been in the league a long time and will command a huge contract. He probably deserves a big contract. For value on the dollar, Busch and Chapman probably wouldn’t be at most a couple of win different. It’s hard to predict because Busch has no pattern up here. As far as comparing Outman to Chapman, Outman is a rookie. Hopefully his strikeouts go down. In the second half of the season they are way down from the first half. We all have our theories on running a business or an organization. I’ve always believed in building within in my company and if we needed to fill a gap, (not have anyone ready for a management position) go get somebody. I hope the Dodgers do what they can to keep Urias and Kershaw comes back for another year. I believe it would do our ball club very well down the road if we could get away from the penalties for a year and reset the luxury tax. We have a club that could rule the West with what we have now and take a look at needs at the trading deadline nest season.
Chapman’s current WAR is 3.4. His wRC+ is 118. Outman’s current WAR is 3.2. His wRC+ is 118, same as Chapman’s. One gets 12.5 million, the other gets the league minimum.
I’ve always like Chapman’s glove, but if there is any reasonable expectation that Busch will come close to that level of production – and I think offensively he can easily match Chapman’s – it makes more sense not to give Chapman his 12.5+ million AAV and go with with someone internally instead, either Muncy or Busch.
There is a TON of discussion about and around this.
How the real value of players is extracted in the early part of their contracts, while the big money comes later.
Slowly, slowly the PA is trying to change this.
I’m sure the PA is working to change it. It’s a bit of the last frontier; the one area where owners still have a modicum of control over players. Remember, this is less about fairness or coming up with workable policy solutions that solve a baseball problem, but it’s about power. The PA and owners are in a perpetual state of conflict – like Oceania and Eurasia.
I don’t know what the solution is. Currently, the market is distorted and inefficient, where young players (who are good) are underpaid, and older players that are hanging on are overpaid (Miguel Cabrera should’ve been out of baseball six years ago. He’s currently paid 31 mil).
I don’t know that simply correcting the market to enable controllable players to test the open market is the solution. That creates its own problems (ya know? Unintended consequences?). Why should a team invest years and millions of dollars in state-of-the-art development systems so a player can take their skills and leave as soon as they hit the MLB level? Also, the current system is the only way teams like Tampa Bay can compete – and they do a fantastic job of competing with limited resources.
The arbitration system is one way to address this that is already in place.
I think the best system is one that encourages teams to do what the Braves did and, to a lesser extent, what the Rays did with Franco. They bet on their young and talented players by signing them to long-term deals well before they hit free agency, and even their arbitration years. This does two things: it ensures the players stay with the team through their peak years, and, because the length of the contract would overlap some of their potential free agency years, the team gets them at a slight discount compared to the open market. They team is overpaying through the controllable years, but getting a huge discount down the line for those years the player would have signed a FA deal.
Why compare Chapman and Outman?
Outman’s peers play in the OF. As a rookie, he is playing at a level close to veterans making up to $20 million per year. In terms of OPS, Outman ranks 19th among all outfielders in the majors–or 19th in a field of at least 90. The only rookie outfielders ahead of him are the Dbacks’ Carrol and the Red Sox’s Yoshida.
My only point in comparing Chapman vs Outman was to compare the strategy of paying for a free agent or looking within the organization for comparable production at a much cheaper price. I would say, offensively, Outman and Busch are roughly equal, and both are roughly equal to Chapman.
Defensively is another story.
Um, Jahmai Jones has had 11 plate appearances. Would you consider that a “runway.”
Yeah, some wonder why Miguelito was gift-wrapped 2B when he could have been competing and Busch, Jones and others. He had a pretty nice runway…. but never really left the tarmac.
And now Miguelito is back in the minors…
A somewhat misleading stat.
One reason Chapman has a lot of Ks is that he plays a lot and has a lot of AB.
Perhaps a better stat is Chapman’s strikeout percentage, which is .279 and ranks 17th in majors.
By this stat, Outman ranks 2nd (.320) and JDM 3rd (.313). Max ranks 21st (.271).
Since there is no Dodger game for the next two days, I might go back and watch some of my favorite games from 21-22. Like Scherzer’s 7 inning perfect game when he struck out his 3000th batter, or Albert’s first AB for the Dodgers and his first homer. Trea Turner’s two grand slams in a week. Alberts 699th and 700th homers at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers sweeping the Pads in a four-game series. Fun stuff. Or I might just do a Star Trek or Star Wars marathon. I have all of the movies on Blu-ray.
I recently discovered that there were a collection of Star Wars fans who painstakingly restored an original, unaltered version of Star Wars – without all the CGI add ons of the 1997 version. They used multiple sources, including an original 35mm film print, and went frame by frame, rescanning it and re-colorizing it. It took about a year to do it. It was all spearheaded by some English teacher in Poland or something. I’ve seen a few side-by-sides, and the Harmy’s Despecialized edition looks fantastic. I think it looks better than the Disney Blue Ray. Importantly, it doesn’t have all of those lame CGI inserts. Han definitely fires first in the confrontation with Greedo in the cantina.
Amazing what that an organization of dedicated fans can produce a better product than the Walt Disney Megacorporation. It’s analogous to a band of rebels defeating a hypothetical evil galactic empire.
https://youtu.be/EKYiISAYCm0
Pretty cool video. I ended up watching some of the original cast Star Trek movies on Paramount +. I still think Wrath of Khan and the Voyage Home, are the two best with the original stars. Both were directed by Nimoy.
Wrath if Khan is, hands down, the best Star Trek movie, IMO. … although Voyage Home is good as more of a quirky, humorous, less serious take. The original series had those as well (Trouble with Tribbles, etc. )
If you notice, you’ll see the duel with the Enterprise and the Reliant in the cloud nebula was an adaptation of the classic destroyer vs submarine WWII plot device. Think The Enemy Below with Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens. The original series did this as well. The episode, Balance of Terror was basically The Enemy Below in space – and actually probably my favorite Star Trek episode.
I’m not a Trekkie nerd, but I did grow up watching the original series on re-run – a lot. Growing up in SoCal, they always played the rerun on channel five on Sunday afternoons.
* Jake Burger was part of the lunch menu with the White Sox along with Oscar Colas. And he wasn’t very good. When he parted with Chicago on July 30, he was hitting .214. Since August 5th with The Marlins he’s hitting a cool .396. He was 5 for 11 against us this week end. Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, strikes again.
Kike was hitting .222 when he exited Boston. He’s hitting .282 with the Dodgers. He’s had a couple of errors but he has made some web gems at 3rd base.
They played last night’s game like they were double parked. 2:05. Nice.
No, he wasn’t. But check his stats, he had a higher BA, .214, OPS, .806 and almost as many HR’s as Max Muncy playing the same position. His OPS+ is higher, 120-113. And he hits lefties and righties pretty equally. Muncy has been awful against LHP this season, .124.He does not walk as much, but he gets more hits. He also has more homers, 9-8 against lefties. And he did most of that damage in Chicago. The change of scenery has served him well though. Meanwhile on the southside of Chicago, Bad Bad Leroy Brown, aka Cody Bellinger is hitting .326 with 20 bombs, 63 driven in, 17 bags and an OPS of .939. I am so happy for him. I knew he was better than he had shown the last couple of years as a Dodger.
Just for the record, Bear, Cody plays on the north side of Chicago, but he is certainly having himself one hell of a season.
Poetic license…..song writers prerogative! LOL
So, you’re telling me Bear that you disagree with my comment that Burger “wasn’t very good” with the White Sox because he has better numbers then Muncy? I assume this is an attempt at humor. I find it funny.
I wasn’t comparing Burger to Muncy. I have my own complaints about Muncy, and they are exactly your complaints about him. It would not bother me if he was down a new career path in 2024. Yeah, Burger was hitting .214 with the White Sox. Just what I said. I don’t think that’s very good.
You brought up Burger’s .806 OPS. I have previously commented about my problem with OPS rewarding home runs so guys like Gallo look like Ted Williams spastically in a three-outcome world.
I’m sticking by my comment that Berger wasn’t very good with the Sox but now he’s hitting much better with the Marlins and 27 dingers, which was my original point.
No, he wasn’t very good. I was just pointing out his stats that is all. He has definitely improved that is for sure. And he has clubbed LA pitching pretty well. .333 four homers and seven RBI’s. .214 sucks. .196 sucks more. The only reason I brought up his OPS is because so many quote Muncy’s as his biggest value to the team. Oh, he is hitting .196, but his OPS is over .800. Too me, just another worthless geek stat. I have and always will use the eye test, and the eye test tells me I do not want Muncy at the plate down one with two men on and two out in the 9th inning. 80% of the time, he is making the last out.
I’m glad the Dodgers got the double header in yesterday. As forecast, Southern CA is getting dumped on. It’s been raining steady since early AM today and the eye of the storm hasn’t even reached CA yet. We should be getting high winds in a few hours.
Sucks for Tony G. The one aspect of Dodger management over the last few years that has confused me is how they manage injuries. At time they are super quick to put somebody on the IL. Other times they seem to avoid it at all costs for reasons that escape me. And we know we are never being given the whole story. I hope Tony isn’t headed for TJ.
We will need the kids to continue to step up.
As far as natural disasters go and the first real tropical storm to hit SoCal since 1939, I’m a bit underwhelmed.
It’s rain.
If TG needs surgery, unless is TJ which has a long recovery, I would see that as a plus. If this has been going on for a while, then it solves the problem.
I think he’s just fragile. A couple of years ago, it was his shoulder, and he was doing lots of PT exercises in the off-season which helped a lot. Then last year it was the dreaded forearm. Now it’s his elbow. Some people just aren’t built like Nolan Ryan or Verlander.
Knock on wood. It isn’t been bad this far but the eye of the storm isn’t suppose to hit near LA until later tonight. The eye brings all the wind. I certainly hope it continues to be mild.
I don’t think there’s an actual eye. Hurricanes break up quickly when they hit landfall and/or colder water. SoCal is getting the residual energy from a quickly dissipating hurricane/tropical storm. I keep on checking weatherunderground.com. At first it was .33 inch/hour from 1-5 pm, then it was .25 inch/hour from 2-4. I don’t think the total rainfall is going to be much over an inch. That’s a lot, but we had a couple of storms like that over the Winter.
Surf was good early @ HB Pier. Pack of seals all over it. Long groundswell lefts that were showing yesterday. Rains getting heavy & feels like the winds are coming (currently 25-35 kts). Humid af too.
Monday the sun comes back and we clean the mess up.
The ‘98 storm had way bigger waves (15-20’) and beaches had heaps of bamboo & whatever. Spectacular sights as it was warm and sunny.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRWGPDvR/
I saw a fun video of perfect lefts breaking inside Long Beach harbor. They’re only about 2 ft but they were just perfectly peeling all the way across the beach.
Busch was pulled today in the 5th inning. No reason given. Sheehan has an ERA of 1.13 in OKC.
Well, it may be just rain, but there is a lot of it and flooding everywhere. Not to mention the 5.5 earthquake in Ojai.
As far as Matt Chapman, I’d rather go with Michael Busch.
Managers are not perfect, but Dave Roberts does just fine. Julio certainly is pitching better and they’ll need him to step up in the playoffs.
No question, Mookie is playing like a superstar and an MVP. Not to mention his versatility.
I’ve said this before, but I wish the Dodgers had kept Justin Turner, the face of the Dodgers along with Kershaw the past few years, a fan favorite and a very solid player who can play multiple positions,including second base. He’s having an excellent season and delivering a lot of clutch hits for the Red Sox. Yah, I know, the money and all, but why quibble?
Impressive defense, especially Kiki with the play on the final out.
Heckuva play by Kike.
Good example of a play that Busch, with his arm, simply couldn’t have made.
JT is not playing third base at all. He is DHing and playing some first base. Yeah, he has 20 homers and is hitting pretty well, but his range at third was not that great his last season here. His only spot on this team would be DH. And JD has filled that role for less money. I think the Dodger brass had decided that his time in LA was over right after the season ended. He has almost played as many games as he did last season and he is having a bounce back year. But his performance in the last two postseason series, might be part of the reason they moved on. In 21, he was 4-38. He hit one homer and drove in one run. He was 1-20 against the Giants and 2-10 against the Braves with no RBI’s. And he up until then had been one of the best post season hitters in team history. Then last year, he went 2-13 against the Padres. His time has simply passed. He is doing all of that for a team that has zero chance of making the playoffs. With his injuries over the last several seasons, they just felt it was time to move on.
Los Angeles Dodgers optioned RHP Ryan Pepiot to Oklahoma City Dodger
That’s according to MLB app dodger page .
Sorry to see that I was hoping to see more of Ryan
If the Dodgers land Ohtani, they will probably be content with Max or Busch at 3B.
If not, then Chapman would be an excellent Plan B.
It baffles me that some people here think Busch might be better than Max at 3B. Because Busch’s arm has always been suspect, he is only learning 3B this season, while Max has been playing a not-sucky 3B for years. Max is not a gold glover, but is there any reason to think that the Dodger coaches would rate his defense below Busch’s? Busch is better suited for 1B (taken!), 2B or LF. And DH, of course.
Chapman’s GG-quality defense effectively improves every pitcher, and his strong righty bat would helps balance the lineup. I doubt the Dodger brain trust or the pitching staff think the difference between Chapman and Busch–or Max, for that matter–would be just a couple games in the win column. Chapman, unlike Busch, is also a proven major league hitter. For all we know Busch could be Miguelito 2.0–a lot of talent, a lot of hype, but still a work in progress Again, ask the Dodgers pitchers who they would want at 3B–Max, Busch or Chapman. The answer would be unanimous.
In other news, there is a report that the Cardinals are keen on adding Julio as an FA. Julio’s future with the Dodgers, I suspect, may depend on the next couple of months. If he’s a postseason hero, the brass may feel they can’t let him go. Decisions, decisions.
Oh, Pepiot should be back very soon, This move was just to get the roster back down from the 27 allowed for doubleheaders.
Lots of unknowns with Busch. He appears to be limited as 2-tool player – batting avg and power. But a better read on him may be forthcoming as smoke signals suggest he may be brought up very soon.
All time great tennis today between Djok and Alcaraz. Brutal conditions. Djok wins 7-6 in the third even though it looked like he would tap out in 2nd set. What a warrior!
I’m really enjoying Quarterback. Bit like the Golf version, Full Swing.
Gotta be a Baseball one in the pipeline….