It’s not a secret that the Los Angeles Dodgers catchers have not been successful in throwing out runners trying to steal bases for quite some time. This year, Will Smith has given up 13 stolen bases while throwing out 10 of the runners, which isn’t bad, but in 2023, he allowed 72 stolen bases while throwing out just 19 runners. So far this year, Austin Barnes has allowed seven stolen bases and thrown out ZERO runners. Last year, he allowed 63 stolen bases while catching just eight runners. Not very good!
So, are Barnes and Smith weak-armed catchers who can’t throw out runners? Well, if you just look at the stats, you might come to that conclusion. However, I don’t think that is true! “What do you mean? Figures don’t lie!.” Maybe they do… if you don’t consider all the circumstances. I’ll just cut to the chase and tell you what I believe: The Dodgers really don’t care about shutting down the other team’s running game. They focus on keeping runners off base and from scoring.
Now, I don’t have any inside information that has articulated that fact. It’s just what I see. I think the Dodgers pitchers are trained to focus on the batter they are pitching to and to forget the runner (at least to an extent). You can focus on holding the runner close, or you can focus on the hitter, but it’s hard to do both. If you can get the batter out, the runner goes away. Don’t split your attention! Just get the batter out. Smith and Barnes don’t have “cannon arms.” However, in my opinion, most of the bases are stolen from the pitcher. This is my opinion – what’s yours?
Walker Buehler says it’s going to take time after missing almost two years. Well, Duuuhhhh!
Down on the Farm
We will start at the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, which played at Visalia. Brian Perkins was there and snapped some photos. The Quakes won 3-2 as Samuel Munoz accounted for all three runs with his first HR. Yean got the win with a inning where he allowed no hits or walks and struck out two. Here’s the photos:
Thanks to Brian.
OKC BASEBALL CLUB – OKC won 7-4 as Knack got the win (5.1 IP/4 ER). He struggled but ate up innings. Matt Gage (LHP) now has 3.2 IP and 6 Ks. Miguel Vargas was the star of the show with three hits and 5 RBI, including a Grand Slam. I think he’s about to get the call. Lipcius also hit his 10th HR.
TULSA DRILLERS – They won 9-6. There is a lot to unpack here: Diego Cartaya was 3-4 with 3 RBI, an HR, and a double. Is this a breakout or just blind luck? We shall watch! Austin Beck is taking to AA pitching like a fish to water. He is now hitting .294 with a .923 OPS. Keep an eye on him. OTOH, Jose Ramos is now hitting .198 with a .656 OPS. Wrobleski went five innings and allowed 3 ER while walking ZERO with 6 ks. Lao got the save with 2 Ks.
GREAT LAKES LOONS They lost 4-3, but Liranzo is finally heating up as he went 3-4. Karros went 3, allowing one hit and 0 Runs, but he walked three while striking out 4. His ERA sits at 1.59
No games in the DSL or ACL.
This loss is on Roberts. He didn’t get them to hit. It’s all his fault.
It’s on to San Fran tonight, where we hope the Giants get stoned.
Let’s get Vargas and Heyward up and give Outman and if he’ll accept an IL stint, CT3, a break. Not sure what to do if he won’t buy into that though?
October wouldn’t be straight forward, San Diego are better this year, but we’d be throwing our best Starters against them. Not sure Darvish has the makeup for the Post Season.
I bet there’s some holding of breath going on with the Shoehei “back tightness”.
Anyone see the leak of the new City Connect jerseys?
https://uni-watch.com/2024/05/13/dodgers-city-connect-jersey-apparently-leaks/
Will have to see the tie-ins and the hats.
Pretty sure the speckles represent the color scheme on the seats within Dodger Stadium…
I don’t think the team has a high priority about SBs or preventing them.
My perception is that any outs they get through CS are a bonus, and that the Dodger pitching is good enough at getting outs / run prevention to limit damage from SBs.
Another frustrating effort against the Padres. On the bright side the defense was outstanding. One incredible play after another. Too bad it didn’t help the team to beat the Padres. The offensive for the series was troubling and the Padre pitchers seem to rise to the occasion when facing the Dodger hitters. The Dodgers were 1 for 19 with RISP. In that respect, they are playoff ready. Without the T. Hernandez grand slam things would have been even bleaker. The team only managed six runs and 13 hits in the three games. They struck out at a 26% rate. On to SF and hopefully some offensive medicine against the 24th ranked staff (4.51 ERA). Right now the Dodgers are ranked #3 in MLB and #1 in the NL with a 3.17 ERA.
Walker Buehler’s progress may be a slow one which is totally understandable considering he hasn’t pitched for almost two years. It’s not only the physical recovery, but the mental aspect of it all as well. Walker is a smart guy, he knows how to pitch, and has access to some of the best coaching to get himself back on track. Will he return to his previous dominance? I doubt it. But, he certainly can become an effective pitcher again. Fortunately, for him, the Dodgers, and the fans this team will allow him a fair chance to be a successful MLB pitcher.
Betts, Smith, and Pages hitting has cooled some in this series. That was to be expected considering how hot Betts and Smith were. Mookie hasn’t hit a HR since April 12th. He hit six in the first 16 games and nothing since. That’s just crazy.
I think the stolen base success by the opponents can be attributed to the pitchers. I agree that the Dodger approach is not to worry about the SB. If that’s the big criticism of Will Smith and Austin Barnes then so be it. Smith more than makes up for it with his offense and Barnes doesn’t play that much. They, also, successfully guiding the pitching staff.
Blaming the poor offense on Dave Roberts….. I am not going to go there. Right Mark?
I’m looking forward to watching Gavin Stone tonight. It’s fun to see him and other Dodger pitching prospects come up and have success.
Carry on.
I have no expectations with Buehler. He will either be good, bad or meh. I am hoping for the best, but he has to be a pitcher… not just a thrower.
This is the best offense in baseball, but as I always say, Everybody hits or Nobody Hits.
Just using the eye test I would say that Will has worked hard on improving his release time and accuracy. Much better this year. Austin Barnes not so much.
Good to see Cartaya have a good game. He needed that. Badly.
Hopefully this is the turning point for him.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Dodger bullpen entered 2024 with a 3.66 ERA through April 30, good for 11th in MLB. They’ve lowered that mark to an MLB-best 0.92 ERA in May, giving up three runs over 29 1/3 innings in the month.
Alex Vesia hasn’t given up an earned run since April 10.
Among Dodger relievers, he’s second in innings pitched (18 1/3), ERA (1.47) and strikeouts (20).
I am not worried about a loss to the Padres in May, and they only play them 5 more times, twice at the end of July, and three times in the last week of the season. I for one do not think Vargas is getting called up. The reason? He is an outfielder now. Heyward is going to replace Outman; Vargas can’t replace Taylor if they decide to cut him loose simply because he is an outfielder and nothing else. They would need someone like Taylor who can play multiple positions. The only way Vargas gets called up this season is if Pages suddenly goes into a full tailspin, or one of the other outfielders gets hurt. With both Kike and Teoscar on one-year deals, his time will come next year when he most likely will be the full-time left fielder. As for Buehler, his return has gone about as expected. He was missing the plate a lot in his minor league games. And as has been stated, he is not going to find his control right away.
Vargas in addition to lf can play 2b or 3b if really needed. Maybe not above average but he can.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not a chance he displaces the Lux and Rojas platoon, and he is not very good at third. He is an outfielder period. Move him somewhere else and it stunts his development as an outfielder. His bat is great at AAA. He hasn’t proven he can hit MLB pitching yet. Forcing him into the lineup makes zero sense.
Playoff pitching stops good offense. We did not have playoff pitching last year and were never in it. If healthy our pitching will matchup. What is the difference?
Right now the padres are attacking our offensive weaknesses. Until the last bat or2 Mookie only saw outside pitches.
Smith high fastball while Freddie and Muncy expanded the zone. Rojas, kike, Barnes, outman just can’t hit. Pages n lux? Lux struggles with inside pitches. Pages not sure looks like low inside otherwise meh.
Vargas mb the overall better hitter than most I just named so he will be up. I remember when the Philly Harper couldn’t handle up and away. Kershaw just kept dotting that spot. That is playoff pitching.
Vargas has not proved he can hit in the majors. Miggy Ro has had just 67 plate appearances, but he is a career .257 hitter. With his glove you do not need a whole lot more from him. Barnes career .219, is hitting exactly at his career average this season, again with limited, 39, plate appearances. Pages has been in the majors exactly 3 weeks. He will either adjust to what the pitchers are doing or get sent down. Right now, he is holding his own. Everyone wanted Kike back, and that is what they did. So far, he has 88 plate appearances, and like anyone used sparingly, he has not gotten into any kind of flow at the plate. How can anyone expect Lux to miss as much time as he did and magically start hitting like he did prior? He has shown flashes and is getting more comfortable in the box. The playoffs are 120 games away. Let’s see what the team looks like in late August before making any judgements. They still have the largest division lead of any team in the majors. The Padres only play them five more times the entire year. They will have to rely on other teams beating the Dodgers to catch them. Also let us wait and see what moves they make at the trade deadline to fix the holes they now have. Fans always crack me up when they gripe about one series loss in May.
It is so funny u helped make my point and I said much of what u did. Everybody goes into slumps. This is not one series in May. Mookie and smith are slumping. Partly because they are pitching them differently there is an article on fangraphs about how they are attacking Mookie. He is either going to adjust to the outside corner or they will keep pitching him there.
Lux and pages the jury is out. Lux should come around but agreed he needs more time. But Barnes, kike, Rojas, Taylor last 2 years not likely to change they are who they are. Outman is better than what he is showing but it’s tough to have 3-4 outs in the lineup. The bench is very weak offensively currently.
“Playoff pitching stops good offense. ”
This isn’t TRUE. What is this based on??!??!?!
Most games are of “normal” to “above normal” scores.
Based on last years Dodger offense. Did u c it?
If I counted right in 41 playoff games last year. 31 times one time scored 3 or less runs. Several scored 4. Team eras are not 3 or less. Pitching is the key in the playoffs.
Oh. You think that it was pitching that did in the Dodgers.
I thought it was more their bats just going cold.
I am not sure how I could prove my theory to be right.
That said, I think in the regular season the average runs scored when above average games play each other is the same as runs scored in the playoffs.
Vargas will be up soon enough. They cannot keep him down much longer.
Gavin Stone never proved he could pitch in the majors until he did.
James Outman proved he could hit MLB pitching… until he couldn’t.
It’s a crazy game, but nothing is so constant as change.
Sometimes, one little tweak can lead to great success.
However, the clock is ticking on both Taylor and Outman. The fat lady is humming.
I could see an outfield of Vargas, T.Hernandez, Outman and Pages mixing and matching.
Heyward will be back, and he definitely is in the mix, that is one reason I do not think they bring up Vargas. Nope, not this year. If he does come up, I think they will wait until the roster expands in September to 28. Then they can play him and see what he brings. Will he hit? No one knows, and he isn’t even the best hitter at OKC right now.
He might not have the highest average, but I think he is the best hitter in OKC. Shoot, he is TOP 5 in OPS in the PCL and #1 on OKC, # 2 in the PCL in RBI, #2 in doubles, and #1 in walks. #38 in Strikeouts. The Dodgers need a player like that. Someone whjo can put the ball in play or walk.
I value your opinion, I just do not think he is a better option at this point, and he hasn’t proved yet that he can hit MLB pitching. If he does, great. If not, well, he is just another prospect that did not pan out. They do not need another RH bat at this point. What they need is Smith and Mookie swinging like they did earlier.
This is a no-excuse league, but two broken fingers caused at least some of it. He couldn’t swing a bat most of spring training and then broke another finger a few weeks later. Brandon Gomes says that not only did the injuries derail him, but he also developed bad habits in doing so. I think that is behind him now, and he has just turned 24. His play in LF is improving each day.
I totally understand that, just like I know that Buehler and Lux need time to get back in sync. But because he is just 24 and they will have at least three openings on the roster for outfielders come next year, I think he stays where he is until at least September. There is no need to rush him up to the majors.
1. Fair to conclude that Dodgers don’t prioritize holding runners given their history. Small sample size but Will Smith seems to have improved his ability to throw out runners. Austin Barnes is limited by his throwing arm.
2. Agree that it is not a given that Walker Buehler becomes a solid #3 in this rotation. It is just as likely that he is not as effective as Stone, Miller, or Paxton. All outcomes are possible though I would be shocked if he pitches as he did in 2021. Glad that Dodgers are able to give him enough rope to find out.
3. Still a lot of questions on what the Dodgers can expect from Taylor, Lux, Hernandez, Outman, Barnes, and Rojas at the plate. That is almost half of their 13 position players. Over half if we include the adjustments Pages will have to make. Barnes and Rojas are valuable enough defensively and as leaders that they are safe. Lux deserves more time given the circumstances.
Hernandez has had an OPS below .300 for three years running. Taylor seems completely overmatched and Outman is not far behind. Is Gauthier a potential utility player at the MLB level? He has played four different positions in four games for OKC. Could see a scenario where Vargas and Gauthier get a look before the Dodgers go outside of the organization.
4. I think the Padres are a legitimate post season threat barring more pitching injuries. A front four of Darvish, Cease, King, and Musgrove would be formidable in a series.
Buehler has me worried; but, after TJ surgery, velocity returns first, and, then control. He has enough velocity; now, we’ll see about the control.
MLB has announced that it has officially reached a deal with Roku to broadcast Sunday games. The first game of the new multi-year deal will be this Sunday May 19. The only Dodger game included is on September 1st against the Diamondbacks. All games will be free.
9:45 PM ET
Dodgers (27-15)
Giants (19-23)
SP Y. Yamamoto R
4-1 2.79 ERA
SP Jordan Hicks R
3-1 2.30 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
LF T. Hernandez R
2B Gavin Lux L
RF Andy Pages R
CF James Outman L
59° Wind 10 mph Out
Ohtoni back in the lineup
Last year Dodger David Peralta, who signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs this offseason, has opted out of his contract and elected free agency, per the minor league transaction log.
Sign him
You forgot your sarcasm quotes.
Agree on Peralta. He had a good few months before playing the rest of the season injured
I know it’s only May, but I feel like the Dodgers lacked intensity and grit in that series with the Padres. Typically, I would not care except that we have a history of showing up flat in the playoffs. Our pitching is fine, even Buehler, but the Dodger hitters seemed to lack intensity. I can’t quite put my finger on the issue except that our roster is all “good” guys, which includes Roberts.
I suspect the front office has noticed the void. I expect a shake-up trade over the next few months.
“But it’s the week long lay off after the end of the regular reason while the wild Card games are on that effects them , not the lack of intensity”
There’s a lot to like in recent years about the make-up of this Dodgers team — no “troublemakers” (that I know of), no dissension, no clubhouse factions, just a relaxed “nurturing” environment for everyone. But from the outside looking in, the vibe seems too “nice.” Does this team have the right players with the grit, and junkyard dog, ..and/or “nastiness”.. to overcome the heightened adversity in the playoffs?
Everyone speculating on logical “in-house” moves when Heyward comes back next weekend–like what happens then to Taylor, Outman, Vargas, Gauthier, Lipcius, etc., etc. But I just have a gut feeling Heyward’s return instead prompts the Dodgers to make a big, unexpected move that will shake up this roster.
Yep I can see it too.
Lux, Outman, Grove and Sheehan for Arenado. Let Max play 2B.
Betts SS
OhtaniDH
Freeman 1B
Smith C
Arenado 3B
Muncy 2B
T Hernández RF
Heyward CF
Vargas LF / Pages
Why would they trade for Arenado and give up four players for a third baseman who is not playing up to his standards? He is hitting .270, but he only has 2 homers and 20 driven in. His OPS is barely over .700. In his prime maybe, but he is now 33 and not worth that many players. I don’t think that they lack fire at all. They faced two pitchers who threw great games. Give credit where it is due. They sure won’t make any major trades until at least the All-Star break, and maybe not even then. The Arenado to LA ship sailed a long time ago.
The old Nolan would be awesome, but stick a fork in Nolan. He ain’t what he once was.
Besides, Lux and Outman have very little value.
I love that trade. Would hate to c Sheehan go. Don’t think the Cards would like. Don’t need a second baseman or centerfielder with Gorman and nootbar Grove May or may not help their pen. They might start him. Sheehan not proven and injured but would entice them. Getting rid of salary might make them jump.
Arenado’s current OPS is .703. That matches Juan Pierre’s career OPS.
Arenado has underperformed and is aging but at the end of the year his numbers will likely go up. Like Bear I think the boat has sailed but I don’t think we would be losing much except for Sheehan.
Hicks barely meh thru 5 innings, and he went over 90 pitches, yet the Dodgers only mustered 2 runs on him.
And we’re well into this season, and Freeman clearly ain’t swinging the bat like he’s done the last 3 seasons.
Smith is sinking like a stone
1-22 u got him going lol
Yup, he sure did! Now 2-23 w/the game-winning hit, hehe.
That was a hard hit grounder by Ramos ..BUT.. Mookie nonetheless misread it and awkwardly “short-legged” his dive at it. ..possibly a big moment in the game ..would’ve saved a run had he made that play.
Is there anything that freeman can do right now?
Ok gang, got a tight one in extra innings at the Dumpster Fire by the bay. Before y’all pile on about Docs bullpen decisions from the 10th on , don’t forget, Phillips is unavailable, Brustar is a ways away, and it would be foolish to trot Treinnan out for another inning this early in the season, we need him in October. Like Vasseghe and Colleti keep preaching, what the Dodger bullpen looks like right now will be totally different come September and October. We need to see who sticks and who doesn’t, even if it costs us a few games to find out.
Great come from behind win with the Pen doing a great job and Will being Will.
JPF’s got some nasty stuff.
It’s kind of sinking in with the Madres series over the weekend and playing the Disaster by the Bay ,Boys tonight, (which by the way , living in Paso Robles Calif is hell for a Dodger fan, seeing a few more Dodger flags, but still a big Giant and 49er town, and the Giant fans are probably the most arrogant dudes you ever came across., ) I realized , and I think all of us old school baseball junkies on this site need to come to terms with. We can analyze the players and their shortcomings game to game , especially during a loss, and roast Doc all night long on a rotisserie spit, but we have to be aware that in most series we are going to get that teams top 3 rotation guys. And don’t be fooled for a moment thinking these teams ain’t fired up with the Dodgers coming to town, we are going to get every teams best shot, look how fired up the Padres were over the weekend,,and the Giants tonight. This is their measuring stick to see how good they are. So get used to it, we got a HUGE target on our back all season long, which personally I’m digging it because it will give our guys way more edge cone playoff time. And hell yes we need more of that!
Roger –
I agree with many of the points you made especially that we have a big target on our back and will get every team’s “A” game and that this should help us come playoff time! Not only are the other teams’ fired up to play the Dodgers but their fans are too. Makes for a very interesting and entertaining baseball season!
Woke up to see Will Smith the hero. Just as I called it! How good is our bullpen right now. With more arms still to come. Once again AF has put together quite a group, despite our early misgivings. The Giants closer is just nasty.