Mookie Betts has a broken hand, and the sky is falling because the world has ended. Un… no! Betts had his hand broken by a 98 MPH fastball thrown by Dan Altavilla. This is baseball, and stuff happens. There will be no big trades in the immediate future. Sorry to break it to you, but Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers have a plan or six, and they will not make any dope fiend moves. In fact, this could be the best thing that happens to the Dodgers this year. I have often found that problems are opportunities in drag.
“What possible good could come from this?” Well, maybe Mookie Betts won’t be worn down and tired in October after resting for two months. Don’t get me wrong. the Dodgers will be looking everywhere for an SS or another bat, but they will make a calculated move that makes sense, and it will likely be at the trade deadline… not now. The Dodgers have two viable SS options: Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor. Kike can also play there, but it’s not his best position. Miggy Ro will likely start tonight. Sometimes, an injury like this galvanizes some players on the team. For instance, Gavin Lux doesn’t have to look over his shoulder for a while and see if Mookie is breathing down his neck.
I think it is easy to shuffle the lineup with the fastest player on the team moving up to leadoff. It makes zero sense to move one of the bottom-of-the-order hitters up. So, this is likely what we will see tonight as Cal Quantrill goes for the Rock Heads:
- Ohtani DH
- Freeman 1B
- Smith C
- T. Hernandez LF
- Heyward RF
- Rojas SS
- Pages CF
- Lux 2B
- Biggio 3B
At 30, Michael Peterson has never pitched in the majors but can hit triple digits. The Dodgers have tweaked his delivery, and he has a 1.61 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP at OKC. Michael Grove went on the IL with an Intercoastal Strain, which cost him about six weeks last year; Pederson may fill his role. JP Fetereisen is back, and we are all waiting for him to return to the form he displayed in 2021 and 2022, when he was virtually unhittable. Yamamoto’s injury (a rotator cuff strain), can range from mild to severe, depending on the extent of the damage. Mild strains may only cause minor discomfort, while more severe strains can lead to significant pain and loss of mobility in the arm. Of course, the treatment regimen includes rest, ice, and steroids, and later, it evolves into physical therapy. The Dodgers have not said how severe his strain is (nor will they), but I would guess he will be out at least six to eight weeks.
Clayton may be back in early July. Bobby Miller will be back this week, and Walker Buehler is still a work in progress. Kyle Hurt may be back this month, but Brasier, Kelly, and Max Muncy are still a ways away. Landon Knack will likely play a role as well. I would also think that we will see James Outman return soon and maybe Lipcius, but that will involve moving some vets. That may happen… but not just yet. This will be a process, and we shall watch it play out. The Dodgers have an eight-game lead and the Padres have their own problems. The Dodgers can put it on cruise control for a while, but you may see good things come out of this injury. Vargas will likely be back as well. Patience Grasshoppers!
time to play Vargas every day with Mookie out for the foreseeble future.
If games in June are that unimportant as we are regularly told and that the Dodgers will make the postseason not matter what put the kid in every day. I would even let him play some 3b to get his bat into the lineup. So what if he makes a few errors there ? We were not concerned with Mookie making errors at ss or Muncy at 3b.
With Rojas at ss, Lux at 2b and FF at 1b we still would have excellent overall infield defense.
Cartaya finally is showing again what made him a top prospect couple years back. But the Dodgers are only playing him 3-4 days a week and it is tough to get into a good ryhtm that way.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zero championships since 88. Bad luck continues. Ugh we are the Angels Lite. At least they won one in this century.
I thought the Dodgers won in 2020 and were cheated out of another in 2017. I could be mistaken.
The Dodgers have been in the playoffs for 11 straight years, and the Angles have been below .500 for 10 of those years. I think it’s illegal to use Dodgers and Angels in the same sentence.
2020 is legit. All the teams played under the same rules and the trophy sits in the trophy case. It doesn’t matter how you might feel about it. The league recognizes the title, and there is no asterisk. You have to get there to even have a chance. I get sick and tired of Dodger fans thinking it is so damn easy to win it all. These last 11 years have no equal in Dodger history. Comparing them to the Angels is idiotic. The Angels could not win crap if they were sitting on the shitter. They had two of the best players in the game and could not even make the playoffs. Their owner is a moron. The Dodgers of the last 11 years have won 100 or more games more times than they did the entire team history in Brooklyn. Including the most in team history, 111. I would rather see them get there and at least have a shot at winning than see them finish out of the playoffs year after year. You ask a fan of any other team who is consistently going home when the season is over if they would love to have their team do what the Dodgers have done.
I agree that AF will not make a knee jerk trade. He might not even trade for an infielder. But I doubt very seriously that Vargas goes into the lineup every day. And he will definitely not play the infield. Rockies have three of their starting pitchers on the IL, Freeland, Marquez and Senzatela. Their normal closer, Bard, is also on the IL. They have five position players on the IL including Rogers and Diaz. They just got Nolan Jones back. The Dodgers play them four, then two with the Angels at home before heading back out on the road for six, three with the White Sox and three with the Giants, who are also banged up. Arizona may have lost Carroll for some significant time since he was injured diving for a ball yesterday. Dodgers are still the class of their division and deep enough to overcome losses like this. The other teams do not have that kind of depth.
Totally agree with your Vargas prediction, and I remain baffled with what the FO are trying to do with him,
..or what they expect out of him.
DODGERS MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Justin Wrobleski throws 7 scoreless innings, reportedly promoted to Triple-A
Playing Vargas everyday is not going to happen. He is already dealing with nagging injuries. And sure Mookie will be 100% for playoffs. Why would a power hitter have any problems recovering? Just ask Vargas he can tell you how easy it is to heal and be back from hand injuries. I once had a freak broken bone in my hand. It hurt off and on for about a year. Getting swollen etc. I didn’t miss any time from work. All I had to swing was a pen.
I’ll happily eat my hat, But hopefully Mookie will be productive next year.
Will all due respect you aint Mookie Betts.
a hand is a hand
Professional Athletes heal MUCH quicker and better than an average Joe….not saying you are an average Joe…
Professionals have all kinds of therapy available to them, including Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers, tissue regeneration enhancers, and other wild stuff.
Next up.
Machado had the same injury last year and missed 14 games.
In the grand scheme of things this could be a good thing for Mookie…
I agree with what dodgerram says, if these games don’t matter and the playoffs are a crapshoot anyway, play Vargas at 3rd everyday to see what he has. Is his d any worse? Bring up some kids as well. Don’t worry until September
I am not saying that Vargas can’t play 3B, but I will explain why I do not think it will happen:
2021 – .936
2022 – .919
2023 – .936
Those numbers are Miguel Vargas’s fielding percentage at 3B.
Hard NO!
Let him play every day in LF.
For his minor league career as a 3B, his fielding % is .923. I do not want him at 3B.
You do not need him to play 3b everyday, just occasionally to keep him in the lineup regularly.
.923 does not look that bad. What is MM fielding % ?Kikes ?
And the way some treat regular season games/wins ; How many games could it cost the Dodgers if he continues with his .923 % in spot starts at 3b ? 2-3 games ? 5? How many games will Kikes non existent offense cost us ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, checked it out.
MM had a fielding % of .944 in 2023 at 3b.
Kike in very limited duty is at .962 for 2024.
So Vargas is not that far off from Kike and MM when it comes to fielding at 3b. Would make 2 more errors on 100 chances than MM and 4 more than Kike. IMHO that is not a reason to not play him occasionally at the hot corner since not every error hurts the scoreboard or even loses a game for you. And again: we are talking regular season games which the Dodgers and Roberts are known for to not play to win every game anyway in favor of the big picture.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’d be shocked if the team even played Vargas in LF in Colorado.
That OF is huge.
Almost a zero chance he gets any non-garbage time at 3B
He is fast, so I would not be afraid to play him.
Baptism by fire!
Probably , but not smart by the Dodgers and not backed up by stats and numbers.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Muncy’s fielding pct for this season, .978. A whole lot better than .928. Max has improved immensely. Vargas sucks at third. Max has only made 2 errors in 93 chances. You totally missed that.
No, did not miss it cause MM is not available at the moment. It is between Vargas and Kike for RH bats at 3rd. And I only mentioned MM´s 2023 numbers to illustrate the Dodgers can get by with an average or below average fielder at 3b for an entire season. So they should be able to do that with Vargas every now and then.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vargas is not going to play third period. If they need a RH bat there, it will be either Tayllor or Kike. Bank on it.
Rather than move Ohtani to the leadoff spot right away I wonder if the team should experiment with putting Heyward or Lux in the leadoff spot against righties for a week and see what happens. The team has an 8 game lead so they can afford to experiment. I don’t know who you would put in the leadoff sport against lefties. Vargas maybe? Whomever bats leadoff is going to get pitches to hit.
Ohtani is the fastest man on the team. Lux not so much after his leg injury last season. Heyward does not walk enough to leadoff.
AF ain’t trading right now!! mets, blue jays, and brewers would be arrested for sexual assault!! But, when, not if the mets get bad again, an offer for. Lindor would not shock me. Rojas will be more than adequate defensively!! And with some occasional rest he might hit enough to maintain! Now kiki should never see SS again! And Taylor can play there, but his offense will kill them! Does Biggio get some reps there?? Will Outman get recalled? I don’t think Pages should be platooned!! Give vargas a shot. if he doesn’t hit, call James up or hit the trade market!!
No way in hell AF trades for Lindor. He has 238 million dollars left on his deal. And except for his power numbers, Miggy is outhitting him by more than 60 points in batting average. Lindor has been a flop in NY. He is overpriced, and not all that productive.
8:40 PM ET
Dodgers (44-29)
Rockies (25-46)
SP James Paxton L
6-1 3.92 ERA
SP Cal Quantrill R
6-4 3.30 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
RF J. Heyward L
SS Miguel Rojas R
3B Cavan Biggio L
2B Gavin Lux L
95° Wind 15 mph Out
I like this lineup
Like that they split up Ohtani and FF at the top. Bottom 4 hitters are weak but with the current roster probably as good as we can do vs a RHP.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rojas is not weak; he just does not have a lot of power. His OPS plus is above league average. Lux, Heyward and Biggio not much over the Mendoza line, but Heyward is one of those guys who can all of a sudden get hot.
They should have split those guys a long time ago. But, they didn’t want to make Freddie mad.This gives them the opportunity to do it and save face. That is one of my beefs with Robert’s. He is too nice of a guy who won’t make the hard decision. Separating freeman and Ohtani may not work out but teams will think before they start a lefty opener or bring in a lefty just for freeman and Ohtani. This is my fear in the postseason they will start Kershaw or buehler whether they deserve it or not. It may not matter injuries may decide.
Ridiculous. Freddie doesn’t care where he hits in the lineup. The guy in the first five in the lineup with the lowest BA against lefties is Ohtani. Lefties are not a problem this year. They are hitting 30 points higher against LHP than right, .276-.246. They also have a winning record against lefties. They face two during this series. Hernandez, Freeman, Smith, all have averages against LHP over .270.
I called that yesterday. I was pretty sure Ohtani would slot into the leadoff position. He has speed, power, and a high OBP and OPS. Breaking up Freddie and Shohei makes a ton of sense, and Smith makes a lot of contact.
If you play Vargas everyday in left field are you platooning Hernandez and Heyward in right?
Vargas is not going to play every day, and Hernandez is not going to be platooning with anyone.
Vargas will only play against left handed pitchers.
Miguel Vargas I told you that it would be your opportunity in June, that opportunity has arrived, take advantage of it!!!
Against LHP maybe, but he is not going to be the regular left fielder. Heyward will play right against RHP, and Hernadez will be in left. Vargas will start when there is a leftie. He definitely won’t be playing the infield.
That Rockies lineup is sad. Six guys at or below the Mendoza line. Just walk Stallings every time
Stallings .240 career hitter. .660 ops
Just like the guy from kc who hit the granny was batting a robust .180
We can find their strengths lol
Rojas 2-2 how can we lose?
OK, I went back and read what Roberts said, and he said that “Vargas will join the infield mix.”
Now, unless he misspoke…
Yeah, you misread that.
He’s playing LF, mostly against lefties. Roberts also agains said he believes Miguel Vargas is a Major League caliber player. They sent him down to keep playing every day and working on improving his defense.
Let’s shake this up.
Let’s be a little more aggressive and forward thinking with regards to this roster .
By mid – august it will be as though you made a late season blockbuster move when you get back Muncy and Mookie
Out with the current bench that’s listed tonight.
Barnes/ Kike and Taylor and probably add Biggio.
Let’s bring up the AAA group for the next 6 weeks and see what we have.
Worse case they stink as much as the present group.
A best case they actually provide a spark to the team or at least add value to be included in a trade prior to July 31st.
Take your pick of Owen’s,
Lipcius, Hoese, Outman, Gauthier, Vargas.
And yes , Hunter becomes the back-up catcher.
If you’re really concerned with loosing Barnes IR him for a spell. His poor defensive and offensive performance does not warrant his taking up a roster spot. Pitchers love him? There big boys, find a girlfriend.
He catch’s maybe twice a week when they have no off days and once a week normally. He won’t play in the playoffs and he is not a guy I want coming off the bench in the late innings to tie or win a game. I know he is a team leader on a team that really doesn’t have a vocal general. So IR him or retire him so he can be around the team.
With that said, would love to bring him back as an advisor or coach after the season .
Yes I know they won’t do this but what if? Doing the same old junk gets you the same old results. Great regular season but no championship.
A spark of young , hungry, aggressive energy can make a huge impact .
Go Dodgers!!
Two chances:
1. Slim
2. None
That would make the Dodgers:
2 words:
Short- cited
That’s 2 words right?
Problem with your solution is this. A. Outman and Vargas are the only two out of the six players you listed who are on the roster. B, in order to add any of the other four, you are going to have to get rid of four players. C, Feduccia, Hoese, and Gauthier have no MLB experience at all. Lipcius has 35 big league at bats. They do not have a player named Owens, so I am assuming you are talking about Chris Owings. Owings has played in parts of 10 seasons. He is a career .239 hitter with no power. He hit .160 last year for the Pirates. And finally, it is not that easy to win a championship. But most fans do not accept that. If you get the bye, you need to win 11 post season games. Anything can happen and usually does. Hernandez and Taylor have both been instrumental in post season wins. How much experience do the guys you are suggesting they replace them with have??? Barnes is not a bad defensive catcher. In over 3000 chances in his career, he has made only 26 errors. He has only 16 passed balls in his career. Grandal had more than that in one year. Barnes is also an excellent pitch framer. His only short coming is throwing out runners. And oh, how soon one forgets, Barnes caught four of the six World Series games in 20, he was behind the plate when Urias struck out Adames to end the game. He also got the single that knocked Snell out of the game. And it would be short sighted, not sited. Leave the roster building to the guys who actually know what they are talking about.
A and B.
Got your 4 , Barnes/ Taylor/Kike and Biggio.
C) the 4 players who have no mlb experience, now is the perfect time to get some.
Owings , numbers seem similar to a younger and now current Chris Taylor Before he figured some of it out. For at least awhile
Yes he is older, I have no problem flipping him with Chris Taylor to see what he can do. He is demonstrating very good numbers in AAA. Warrants a look.
Barnes 2020 is not Barnes 2024. Keep him in the wings if you can and give Hunter a shot.
Finally.,
That’s why we post, to provide ideas, yea this one is a little aggressive if a couple of changes occur great if not we move on. But the roster needs and will change
Trades are also part of roster building as well.
So Leave the roster building to the guys who actually know what they are talking about.
Go Dodgers!!
Does Biggio even want to hit the ball? He looks at strikes right down the middle as if he doesn’t want to swing the bat hoping for a BB. Swing the freaking bat dude.
Interesting how over the last 3 games, Pages has batted at least 3 fly-outs to the warning-track at deep-center or right field.
It seems his power is pull, but not so much straight-away or oppo.
More work in the weight room!
He’s working on it. 🙂
Valid point,
If the Dodgers are going to follow the RVS art of hitting, they all need some serious weight training.
Only Hayward, Tescar and Will hit the weight room hard
Go Dodgers
How the hell do you know this or have the nerve to say this?
I suggest you respond in a more respectful manner moving forward.
To answer your question I have spent a large portion of my life in strength and conditioning.
I research athletes workout routines including the Dodgers.
I’ve have played 4 yrs of baseball and football in high school and 4 years of football in college.
Respect all the posters my friend
Go Dodgers!!
I suggest you respond in a
more
respectful manner moving forward.
To answer your question I have spent a large portion of my life in strength and conditioning.
I research athletes workout routines
including the Dodgers.
I’ve
played 4 yrs of baseball and football in high school and 4
years of football in
college.
Respect all the posters my friend
Go Dodgers !!
The new guy at shortstop is better than the old one
Biggio swinging a bat pains me.
I’m not havin Cavin or Gavin. Why would any rh pitcher throw Teo anything but a low and away slider?
Biggio looks like he can catch it but can’t hit it out of the infield sad to say. I was hoping.
How could any pitcher throw teo anything but a slider. I know they dont feature a slider. The yankee series was just a matchup advantage teo. Fastball/ changeup. About 2-20 since the series.
I hear ‘ya.
Biggio with a hit? You done it again Cassidy! Keep bad-mouthing the bottom-order guys. It works!! Lol
The Rockies are clearly avoiding Freddie’s bat, to instead take their chances with Teo’s.
Teo once again can’t lay off the slider against righties.
Wash.Rinse.Repeat
Wow,
Will needs to add another couple of plates to the bench bar.
3 shots to the fence
Go Dodgers!!
Has more to do with the dimensions at Coors than it does with his weight training. Balls hit to right center there or center field often die just before they get to the high wall.
Great offensive game and super job by Paxton.
Wow,
Feyereisen really struggling.
A Tough 2 yr investment.
I hope for him he figures it out. Don’t believe it will be with the Dodgers.
I can’t remember a game where so many balls were hit so hard off the same pitcher over 2 innings .
I believe
7 of the 10 batters he faced hit the ball over 97 mph.
In the 9th inning alone 5-7 batters he faced hit the ball over 100mph. Ouch
Go Dodgers!!
Have never seen anything in him to suggest he’s a dude.
In 21 he was very good and in 22 he was never scored upon before he was hurt.
Great team win and they did not hit a single homer. Works for me. Ball was not flying well in the Colorado heat. It has been very hot here. This is their first game without Mookie. Let’s give it a few more weeks before we heap the criticism on the team.
It was in the high 90’s in Indy yesterday. My pool is at 90 degrees with the heater off. I topped it off and got it down to 89.