Minor Help on the Horizon?

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1. I loved how Rojas got in Miller’s face on the mound. Miller right now is pitching scared. He has no idea where most of his pitches are going, This is the second time he pitched in Chicago,with a large gallery of friends and family and got his ass handed to him. Watching him closely I think he is a head case,more mental issues than physical ones.Rojas will make a great coach and possibly a manager some day.

   1. Miller if healthy will come around eventually. He has too much talent not to. My point is that he had no business coming up when he had no command in rehab. The reason he was brought up is we had nobody else. We had to replace Buehler so who was it going to b? We r going to burn our bullpen up if we keep having games like last night.

      To porpoise boy. I said last night they have the worst hitting team etc. I did not make myself clear but I was referring to the White Sox.

      1. Doesn’t really change things. Honestly, no offense intended, but the expectations some “fans”have after every single game and series is ridiculous you included. And you saying you know WHY they brought Miller up when they did is
         ridiculous. There is no way
         you even have a clue except
         for guessing. They’re playing
         right now for October based
         on who they currently have. Which should make everybody happy because it seems to me like 90% of the so-called fans out there believe the whole “it Don’t mean a thing if you don’t have the ring” b*******. If that’s the case, why even give a single s*** about games against the lowly White Sox. We aren’t playing right now to beat the White Sox, we’re playing to be in the series and hopefully win it.

         1. I agree I don’t KNOW why they brought Miller up. I have no inside info. However, common sense tells u why. Buehler went through several rehabs. Doc said he still needs to work on some things and get the pitch count up. We needed a fifth starter I reason not a vote of confidence but try to find out. Didn’t go well. Yamamoto goes down. Who will fill in ? Knack is the obvious choice. Buehler goes down. Who is the choice? Miller has been bad in rehab but he has had several. Like most I understand rehab stats are rather irrelevant unless they aren’t. Who else can they put in there? Bullpen game over and over, mb Yarborough? Common sense tells me they go miller like it or not because they don’t have a good option. So miller tanks.
            For all the millions spent our pitching staff is injury, injury, injury. U would think we would have other options but if so what are they?

            As far as everyday expectations this is a blog. I just have an opinion like everyone else on this blog. On any given day we have 4 outs in our lineup. To this point our pitching and homers have carried us. Other teams are beat up as well. We usually have more depth than other teams. I don’t KNOW but I believe we will win the division. Our starting pitching is being stressed right now which will affect our bullpen. When we get to the playoffs the starting 9 will be most important. With the current players we will PROBABLY have another quick exit.

            I have been a Dodger fan my whole life. I have played baseball and coached it my whole career. I don’t agree with some people on this board but they have a right to speak. I don’t always take the company line but I THINK the Dodgers have the best organization in baseball.

            1. There is no common sense in your answer. As stated a million times on this site we don’t have all the information so everything and that means everything is speculation unless you work for the dodgers.

2. No need to worry about Miller just yet. Give him couple more starts and see if he can come around.
   Lux got a hit off of a LHP, Vargas got one off of a RHP. Good to see.
   Bullpen had to shoulder 11 innings at CHI the last two days and gave up no runs. Amazing. that is not sustainable without risking blowing the pen out. Hopefully Stone can give the Dodgers 6-7 innings today.

   Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!

   1. That is exactly my thinking no need to worry about Miller. His velocity is there,his pitch count is there, he just can’t consistently find the strike zone without getting hammered right now. Might as well work on it in The bigs if it’s not costing you anything. We’re not losing any ground in the standings, so I really don’t understand the rub with some.
      Cheers

3. Friend of mine suggested this trade:
   Crochet plus Pham for Knack, Wrobleski, Outman, Rushing, Karros.

   Would make that deal though giving up Wrobleski and Rushing would be hard.

   Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   1. Too much prospect capital to give up.

      1. Yes, it is a lot BUT:
         Crochet would be that LH ace at the top or our rotation to neutralize some of those great LH hitters we probably will face in the postseason (Harper, Schwarber on the Phillies for example) and Pham is a lefty killer who brings a spark.
         Plus Crochet is only 25 years old too. If we sign Sasaki in the offseason we can take the loss of Knack and Wroblesik and Karro without a lot of pain. And we will get back Othani, May, Gonsolin next season too. So this trade would not worry me as far as our depth in starting pitching is concerned.
         With Smith signed long term and Cartaya righting his ship Rushing is expendable though he could be the next Konerko type hitter. He would be the one part in this trade who would make me uneasy.

         Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

         1. Sasaki is not even pitching right now. He is on the injured list. If? That is taking quite a chance. I would rather like to see what Wrobleski brings to the table instead of watching him flourish with another team. I would not trade Karros either.

         2. Is your friend a Sox fan? If so, he is engaging in some very wishful thinking. Non-starter.
            I could see Rushing (or maybe DePaula) included in a deal for Robert but not Pham.
            If this was the offer for Robert + Crochet, it’s closer to making sense.

   2. Almost every trade the Dodgers make they give up less in prospects than people think.

      I am pretty confident they will and would NEVER give up that much.

      Not too mention there is worry about Crochet’s workload

4. I will preface this with love the blog for many /many years.
   But, you said

   THAT’ WHY HE IS NOT GOING TO OKC and I happen to know a little about this! It pisses me off when I hear people with no knowledge of the situation say stuff that has no basis in fact.

   Well, if you have this inside knowledge,
   It Pisses me off that you wait to use this info to try and defend your argument.

   Share with the people.

   Maybe look at it this way, with NO inside info, my eyes and the stats of Millers current situation tell me he should be getting
   More reps in the minors.
   Not figuring it out up here and burning the bullpen

   porpoise boy,
   In response from an earlier blog,

   Yes, I believe Cole would not have come up after 2 starts in the minors, after being out since last year, if his numbers were as horrendous as millers in his rehab starts.

   Being from the NY area and seeing enough interviews with Cole . He is perfectionist and a big team first player.
   If he shit the bed like miller I would believe he would have told the big club he needed a few more minor league starts.

   Go Dodgers!!

   1. Did you see Cole last night?? Maybe he should have stayed in the minors….

      1. Maybe,

         I think the player and circumstances are different.

         He last pitched in 2023 . Don’t recall him doing much in spring training and didn’t go to his first rehab assignment until early June.

         Maybe not fully recovered maybe rust.

         I also won’t compare the white Sox lineup to one of the hottest teams in baseball right now.
         The Mets

         1. Cole has a 9.00 ERA and gave up 4 HR’s to the Mets 2 to a guy names Vientos…

            Like I said maybe he should have stayed in the minors….

            1. Maybe,

               I’m sure time will tell for both guys.

               Vientos is no slouch.

               He was a 2nd round pick and is having a great year at 24 yrs old.

               He would be a great option at 3b for the Dodgers if they could get him. The cost would be high.

               Looks like he may have the chops to be a good defensive
               3rd basemen as well.

         2. I appreciate your take on things NJ. We agree on a lot of topics and you obviously know your baseball.

            Yes, Vientos would be intriguing but unlikely to be available.

            1. I heard the same stuff about Baty from Mets fans….we’ll see…..

            2. STB,

               Thanks and respect your comments on the blogs as well.

               Matt,
               100% agree on Baty. He was the next coming of David Wright when he was in the minors.

               He was beat out for the position for now by Vientos

               Time will tell for both these 24yr old guys

   2. Utter nonsense

   3. Have you been to the optometrist lately? Just trying to check on what your eyes are telling you. How would Miller get more reps in the minors? He’s in the rotation here or he could be in the rotation there I don’t see how one or the other is more reps. And at least pitching in the show he’s actually pitching against the people he needs to pitch against prove himself.

      1. Maybe I wasn’t as clear as I should have been.

         I said,
         Millers current situation tells me he should be getting
         More reps in the minors.

         (Meaning more reps pitching in the minors instead of those same reps in the Majors)

         But the Same workload

         You stated :
         Might as well work on it in The bigs if it’s not costing you anything

         That’s were we differ which is okay.

         I believe it will cost us with overuse of the bullpen which could jeopardize an already fragile group of bullpen vets to injury.

         Blake/Hudson and Phillips have all been on the IR.

         And don’t want to overuse Veshi.

         Certainly not in June and July.

         Let’s see how it plays out.

         PS.
         My eyes are great,
         Thanks for asking.

   4. Why I do not typically share inside info:

      Because I don’t usually share it is why I can get it!

      Duhhhh!

      1. Then what the hell do we need you for?

         Only kidding, don’t you dare go anywhere

         Go Dodgers!!

5. Whatever is it with arm issues, MLB has no clue how to deal with the issue. Throw less innings, more rest, focus on limiting high stress innings, cut down the number of pitches during a game — still, none of it seems to be working.

   Back in the day, there were seemingly less injuries and pitchers were throwing more innings and more pitches during the games.

   But back then, pitchers weren’t throwing as consistently hard as they do today. Seems like every pitcher throws in the mid to high 90s. They train with weights, bigger and stronger. Then boom. Something snaps, pulls or strains. I’m just guessing that’s where the issue lies. Didn’t the team doctor tell the Dodgers that decades ago when they announced a weight training program.

   Now the way things are these days, no one is going back. Pitchers will continue to throw hard. Teams will adjust like the Dodgers with more pitching depth in their system. They’ll continue to fix the issues with new modern techniques. Life will go on.

   Of course Clayton Kershaw is sore. Was anybody really surprised? It comes with the surgery and the rehab.

   Yes, the Dodgers would love to acquire Crochet. Who wouldn’t? But if he is put on the trade market, the price would be high. Probably too high for the Dodgers.

   The only question I have about LA’s pitching depth is Yamamoto. Is this another one of those injuries that continues to linger. Look how careful the Dodgers were with him and he still got hurt.

   Arozarena? Why would the Dodgers want him.

   Bobby Miller will eventually round into form. Eventually. He just looks out of sync. Obviously not comfortable with his stuff and location.

   Okay, I would slow walk all the let’s trade a bunch of high level prospects. The Dodgers are leading the division by nine games. Not exactly like we’re five games behind and leaking fuel.

   Good write-up today, Mark.

6. It’s all about making us the best team we can be in October. And for me another big bat is the biggest need. I think the Dodgers will sign Sasaki. His posting fee will be high but his salary will not be. So next years rotation would be Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Glasnow and Miller. With May

   1. Gonsolin, Stone and Sheehan in reserve. Where are the openings for Knack, Hurt, Ryan, Frasso and Wob to break in? You just can’t sit on these guys guys. They’re ready. Not fair to them and an organizational waste of talent. I’m trading some of this talent for a big bat. Roberts Jr. An all star if he’s healthy, young and controllable. I’m taking the chance on him.

   2. That is 4 pitchers that we brought in.What does that say to our young arms. I guess maybe I have an attitude,but I like to have home grown starting pitchers.

7. All of baseball is still waiting to see who the sellers will be and who will be buyers. I believe the team needs at least one more starting pitcher to eat some innings. BP will be fine if Graterol makes it back, along with Brasier. I do think they need some pop off of the bench. Kike is not the Kike they thought they were getting. Taylor has showed some signs of being better, and with his contract, he is much harder to deal or release.

8. Mark:

   I, like NJ Dodgers, love the blog……. the best in the business. We’ve never met, but I think you’ve acknowledged that your “connect” inside the Dodgers is quite dated and you’ve also mentioned many times that AF runs a tight ship and doesn’t allow “loose lips.” I have reason to believe you’re doing what we all do…..speculating and guessing about many of your random musings. You don’t know the plan, but you like to think you do. Sometimes you’re right and sometimes you’re wrong.

   Without doing any research I believe the front office has, in the past, sent down Joc Pederson, Vesia, Puig, Outman, Grove, Sheehan and others to get more time, to get more AB s or innings pitched away from the big lights etc. If they’ll create a “phantom injury” for WB so he can re-set both mentally and physically (and learn to pitch differently) I see no reason they can’t do the same with Bobby Miller.

   I want him to succeed as much as any other Dodger fan, but his two outings since coming off the IL have been bad. Last nights poor outing resulted in another BP game. They can’t keep doing that since we all know what the definition of insanity is. I think you’ve told us on many occasions.

   No reason for the confrontation and no reason to “spike” the football if you’re right. I certainly won’t if I’m right. Miller, and more importantly the Dodgers, could benefit greatly if Miller worked out his mechanics, his sequencing, his control and his overall pitch quality/effectiveness in OKC rather than the big leagues. Will it happen…..maybe not, or maybe it will. Doesn’t matter who is right and who is wrong as long as the end result is a win for Bobby Miller and the Dodgers.

   1. ……They can’t keep doing that since we all know what the definition of insanity……
      I’m pretty sure that saying really only applies when things are not working. We are something like eight games up in the standings. So things are working at some level. By that definition to do something different than what’s working is the definition of insanity.
      Cheers

   2. Norcal,

      Well, you are not right!

      I do not have the direct access I used to but I still have connections that I listen to.

9. Feyereisen is a nobody.

   1. He used to be…

10. Um is Rich Hill any where or Zack Greinke need some inning eaters these guys will pitch seven innings no problem just like Paxton does Or third baseman played with the Giants and last year with the Diamondbacks just until Muncy comes back because Biggio sucks now I know why the Bluejays let him go speaking on them why nit go get Justin Turner just need him to play thirdbase and pinch hit. These guys would be bettee then the minor league guys or who we have playing.

    1. Rich Hill and Greinke are both still free agents. Hill was 8-14 last year with an ERA north of 5. He is 44 now, and well past being an effective pitcher. Greinke was 2-15 last season with the Royals. His ERA was north of 5. He is now 40 and well past his best seasons. 2019 was his last good year. JT has been hitting better of late, but he is not playing the field much. He has played 5 games at third for Toronto and the results have been bad. He is mostly a DH now and he would not be that with the Dodgers. Those are the stats Bradley, not dissing your choices, just showing why they are not a consideration.

11. It’s always entertaining when Mark–the great wise uber-sage of All Things Dodgers–tries to educate us simpletons about what AF will and won’t do.
    Funny, but I seem to recall some folks here arguing that AF would never pay more than $500 million for Ohtani. Remember the Nohtani movement? Good times….
    Anyone, or us to opine about what the Dodgers front office SHOULD do and what he WILL do are very different things.
    If the Dodgers truly want to position themselves to win the World Series, they have a rare opportunity now to add two young, potential superstars in Robert and Crochet–and both on below-market contracts.
    Now, that’s not saying that AF will outbid the Phillies or Braves or ???. But the Dodgers certainly could.
    Heck, our great and wise Yoda claims that the Dodgers lost Brandon Drury to the Padres two seasons ago because the Reds insisted on Miguel Vargas, so no way! Vargas is gonna be a star!!! But since then there’s no question that Drury has been a much better player than Vargas. Oh well. (Maybe it’s all because Drury, unlike Miguelito, doesn’t have a short torso and long limbs. Yeah, that must be it….)
    Is Robert injury-prone? Maybe. But maybe the Dodgers feel they can help Robert stay healthy and get back into his epic ’23 form. They did due diligence on the oft-injured Glasnow and so far it’s working out.
    What would a talent like Robert cost as a free agent? A lot. He is five years younger than Teoscar, and widely considered more talented, capable of contending for a gold glove in CF while hitting 40 HRs. AF signed Teoscar for one season at $23.5 million–and Robert would certainly command more. But the AAV of Robert’s contract for the next 3.5 seasons is about $18-19 million.
    So no wonder Phillies fans love the idea of Robert slotting behind Harper in the batting order for the next 3.5 seasons, and no wonder Braves fans hope he could replace Acuna this year and fortify the lineup for years to come.
    Why the hell would the Dodgers want a player like Robert when we can root for an bargain-basement OF of Vargas-Outman-Pages?
    As for Crochet, he’s earning $800,000 this year but should do well in arbitration. But he could be the lefty the Dodgers want in a six-man rotation with Kershaw in the twilight of his career.
    Some people say that AF is conservative by nature and won’t swing big deals. But I think the deal for Scherzer and Trea Turner was pretty damn big. Robert + Crochet would be bigger still, in part because they are young talents who could impact the team for years.
    My guess is that the Phils will snag Robert, in part because I’m more convinced that Phillies management is more daring and more interested in actually winning rings. There’s a reason that the mascot is a Phanatic.
    Am I suggesting that the Dodgers management is not as interested in a championship? Yes, I guess I am. They want to win–but they want to win on their more conservative, corporate terms . They are more interested, I suspect, in building the Dodgers eventually it global brand, and always being a top contender–and hoping to catch some breaks.
    Can this approach eventually lead to a championship? Sure. At some point the Dodgers will catch some breaks. But I’d rather see the front office be more aggressive.

    1. You may think you are a comedian, but you are my puppet. I pull your strings and you speak on cue.

       Some days soon, I will make a post dedicated to all the stupid shit you have said! 😉

       It will be a long blog!

       1. Touchy, touchy.
          Tell me: Does the Duke Not Snider puppet have long arms and legs like Miguelito?
          Seriously, that is just about the wackiest theory I’ve ever seen advanced for why a player has been deemed unsuitable to play the infield. Does not seem to be a problem for long-limbed gents like Elly De La Cruz and Oneal Cruz.
          My own theory is that the Dodgers brain trust tried him at 3B in the minors and at 2B in the majors and just decided he’d be better off out in LF. Why it took them about seven years to figure this out is a mystery, since they must have known the length of his sleeves and inseam.
          Can’t wait to read the greatest hits of my stupid shit

    2. Great post.

12. I think Tommy Pham negated his chance to become a dodger a couple of weeks ago! That proposed trade earlier in the site Was way too much to give up for a pitcher and a hotheaded middle of the road outfielder. I don’t see AF giving up top prospects for a picture who might not make it through the season. I like the ideal earlier in the week, but the more I read the more I realize he may be on a limit the rest of the season. I still believe the Dodgers have enough starting pitching to cover the season. I’m still more concerned about the bench and left field. Although Taylor has Has started to play a lot better, Kiki still continues to struggle. And Biggio Is still useless. I would love to see the Dodgers, maybe go after Tyler Ward from the Angels. Doubt that ever happens though not going to see A Machado trade at the deadline. I’ll be shocked if KK and Taylor are aren’t still on the team postseason! Though one needs to go, maybe both!

13. 8:10 PM ET

    Dodgers (50-31)
    White Sox (21-60)

    SP Gavin Stone R
    8-2 3.04 ERA
    SP Erick Fedde R
    5-2 3.05 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    DH S. Ohtani L
    LF T. Hernandez R
    1B F. Freeman L
    RF J. Heyward L
    CF Andy Pages R
    2B Gavin Lux L
    SS Miguel Rojas R
    3B E. Hernandez R
    C A. Barnes R

    76° Wind 13 mph L-R

    Teo is back, but unfortunately Barnes is in the lineup

    1. Smith can use a day; he will probably catch all three games in San Francisco. He has hit the ball hard, but in bad luck.

14. Fun thought: When Betts gets healthy, have him play third against right handed pitching and second against right handed pitching. Muncy should get back around the time Mookie is ready to go. Rojas has been solid at short.

15. The Robert rumors are cooling down a lot since it seems the Sox are less inclined to trade him than they were because of his performance so far. The fact is his value in trade is probably at its lowest point in his career. They would be better served prospect wise to trade him after he has proved he is healthy and performing at a high level. It makes the most sense all around. I personally do not think Pham hurt himself with his outburst. If anything, it shows the guy wants to win. Sorry John why would Mookie play third against RHP when Muncy crushes those guys. Makes no sense.

    1. Yeah, the Sox may not get the offer they hope for, unless Robert suddenly heats up. The deadline is weeks away so that could happen.
       But if I owned the Sox, I’d still be hoping that Robert could be the centerpiece of a rebuilt team. His talent far exceeds the worth of his team-friendly contract. Dealing Crochet and keeping Robert could be the better option.
       But how about DeJong? He might be the only decent SS on the market, assuming that the Jays keep Bichette and the Brewers refuse to deal Adames (as they should).
       DeJone would be just a rental, but I’d rather have him on the Dodgers’ roster than Lux, who is now relegated to a platoon role at 2B. When Mookie returns, he could play 2B full-time while DeJong and Rojas share SS (with some UT duties).

16. Bear another brain fart on my part. Mookie plays third against lefties with Lux at second. Mookie play second against right handed pitchers and Muncy play third.
    I need a proof reader

    1. Pretty soon we’ll have Mookie pitching

17. Greinke I believe would pitch much better if he’s chasing a ring. More importantly he would be a guru to all of our young pitchers. Everything I read about Greinke is he’s very intelligent and analytical. I think he’d be a great sign

18. Good lord, this 2b for the White Sox has looked brilliant defensively this series!

    I want a SS like that.

19. Grienke is toast! Rich Hill is old! Maybe Ramon Martinez is available! lol. Barnes just blew out my candle!

20. someone should rescue Benetendi!! He has never been this bad!

21. Gavin Stone is an all star!

    1. Could be!

22. So Stone gets through 8 innings on 93 pitches..
    Sure hope he comes out for the 9th.

23. Gavin is in the running for the Cy Young

    1. If he keeps this up!

24. Great job Gavin Stone!!
    Can u believe Doc left him in to go over 100 pitches and complete a game?
    I don’t KNOW why but I believe that 2 inning masterpiece Miller threw last night might have had Doc trying to save the bullpen. Nah!
    3 runs in 3 games. Great pitching!!
    Now beat the Giants!! Ohtani stay hot!!

    1. When was the last time a Dodger pitcher had a complete shutout game.

       1. Walker Buehler blanked the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 25, 2022..

25. Stone stayed in because he was sailing and never walked a batter while pitching to contact.

    He would not have stayed in many more pitches…

    Nor should he have. Stone now has 89 IP.

    Last season he had 132.

    He is likely going to need some rest at some juncture…

    1. Maybe. But then again, maybe not.
       Stone is basically pitching every 5.5 games, and the Dodgers soon could go to a six-man rotation soon. The workload seems manageable.
       Not long ago, 200 IP was fairly common for frontline starters. If Stone can pitch 180, that would be great. He isn’t a power pitcher like Miller, so I assume there’d be less strain on his arm. (To me he seems like a poor man’s Maddux, and I mean that as a high compliment.)
       Glasnow is up over 100 IP now, and should set a personal best with just a few more starts. Certainly it seems that the surgery fixed his chronic ailments.
       Stone is the single best surprise of the Dodgers. season. He has stepped up in a big way.

26. It’s nice that Ohtani set a new record with RBIs in 9 straight games…. but doesn’t that record seem a tad thin?
    I’m hoping Ohtani can push that record higher and higher.

27. Stone’s ascension is the #1 feel-good Dodgers story so far this season.

28. I think any concerns about Lux’s arm can be put to rest with his throws on the SS side of 2nd base in the last 2-innings. Both excellent fielding and throwing plays.
    Now if he can just get his BA &OPS up to respectable levels – maybe say .250 and .700.

    1. Those were nice plays.
       But I’d be shocked if the Dodgers ever try to shift Lux back to SS.

       1. Dodgers very likely not, but maybe plays like that convince another team he can play ss. Enhancing his trade value.

          Go Dodgers!!!!!!!

29. Stone All-Star Game starter…..

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