Justin Wrobleski (who is on a hard pitch count… and rightfully so) pitched an excellent 5.2 innings. Then, Evan Phillips came in, and in typical baseball fashion, when a guy is struggling, the Baseball Gods let the hitters kill him with a thousand cuts. No one hit him hard, but they just dinked and dunked him to death. Daniel Hudson experienced the same fate, and then Blake Treinen gave up the game-winning blast (and it was a blast). Dodger fans are going to freak out like they always do and say, “We need a closer – let’s gut the farm and get Mason Miller.“ Uh… no! “Fire Dave Roberts. It is his fault!” Silly… borderline psychotic!
There was some good last night:
- Justin Wrobleski – I am not trading the guy… PERIOD!
- Shohei Ohtani remains the MVP.
- Cavan Biggio showed out on offense and defense.
- James Outman showed that he is a damn good CF’er. If he could only hit!
- Gavin Lux continues to improve.
The truth is: The Dodgers will make the playoffs if they stand pat! They will! I am OK with a trade or two, but I am not OK with dope-fiend moves. I am OK with trading James Outman, Miguel Vargas, Andre Lipcius, Austin Gauthier, and Deigo Cartaya for Luis Robert, Jr. I am not OK with including any of our Big Arms in that deal.
Let’s not forget that Max Muncy and Mookie Betts will likely return in August. That adds two All-Stars to the team. A bunch of pitchers (you know who they are) are also due back. Sometimes, the best trades are the ones you don’t make! The sky is not falling. Last night was just one loss… not 12! Steady as she goes…
NO guarantees that Muncy returns and how either Betts or Muncy will perform at a playoff level. Too many holes for AF and BG to fill to make this a championship team. As the saying goes “Wait till next year”. I’m not drinking the Kool Aid.
There’s still time before the playoffs for some key injuries (or rash of injuries) to befall the present championship-contending teams ….maybe…. you never know.
But that’s the only scenario I would swallow the Kool Aid.
The Dodgers are #2 in runs scored in all of MLB without Muncy and Betts and going through most of the season with an underperforming bottom of the lineup (so far). They are 9 runs behind the leader (NY Yankees). They are #1 in OPS in MLB and it is conceivable that they will lead MLB in offense this year. There is no Kool-Aid, but logic tells me that Betts will be back and as good as advertised. Muncy is an unknown, but if you trade for a top third-baseman, what do you do if Max returns?
Now, Kike and Lux are heating up. The team with the best records in baseball score fewer runs than the Dodgers. The difference is the pitching, and we all know that the Dodgers have several pitchers in the IL who are possibly coming back sooner or later. The fact that these players are coming back does not mean they will be effective… we all know that. But, the same is true with making a trade… you never know what you will get. I think the Dodgers have enough to win it all… but they have to execute. It all boils down to that.
Yes, the Dodgers with the current roster (including Mookie and MM returning and playing well, same for Yamamoto) have enough to win it all. BUT for that to happen almost everything would have to go right for them. highly unlikely.
Too many holes on the team. Including the manager. Which was on exhibition again yesterday.
I am looking forward how t AF will play this in the next couple days. Should be no problem for the great chess master to once again show everyone else they are only playing checkers. Lol.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Dodgers are not as good as the Phillies even if we were at full strength. Their top to bottom lineup, their pitching staff and bullpen are superior to every aspect of the Dodgers.
I agree. But as we know in the playoffs a lot can happen. On paper the D-Backs and the Rangers had no business playing for the WS title.
So yes, the Dodgers very likely will be in the postseason and then everything is possible.
But you are right: There are teams that look to be much better than the Dodgers. Top of that list the Phillies. I agree 100% on that. Clearly the team to beat.
It doesn’t matter who the best team is during the season. The team that gets hot during the playoffs will win. I dispute that any team Phillies or any other when (if) the Dodgers get everyone back. The only position that is concerning is CF, hopefully that gets fixed by someone stepping up (Outman Or Pages) or we go outside the Dodger system. Again we do not have to make a trade. Remember in the playoffs we only will use four starters. There will be some outstanding young arms that will go to the pen. I wouldn’t be surprised if Miller and Buehler come back as relievers to finish this season and Brasier was nails last night in OKC. I have a simple question, Where are the Phillies better than the Dodgers? Shortstop and center field, where else when our people are back?
Can’t count on Buehler or Miller and Yamamoto is a huge question mark if he even returns in 2024.
There is no way the Dodgers can win it all. I’m sure you have seen the bottom of the lineup. Include that with DR decision making. NO WAY MARK.
AF and BG please don’t embarrass us by trading for Lance Lynn or Joey Gallo type players.
Yep to many holes to fill is correct. First that should be filled is Dave Roberts. He uses to many different line ups and can’t manage the pitching staff. I have been a true blue fan since the early 1950’s never seen a Dodger manager as bad Roberts. Dodgers will never win WS with him as manager.
They already did.
i still don’t understand taking lux out . he’s been on a hot streak. even against lefties. vargas ain’t hitting. outman ain’t hitting. heyward ain’t hitting. smith is in a slump. biggio finally got a couple of hits. freddie is out(godbless him and his family). taking out your #3 hitter and leaving a. bunch of .180 hitter’s in there? JW didn’t look good against the first 2 hitters in the sixth inning. i just thought honeywell would have been a better option. phillips looks like a beaten pitcher. i’m not smart enough to be in Friedman shoes, but we need an outfielder (maybe 2) and some bullpen help. I bet you Mark, Flaherrty( spell check) ends up a dodger. does look like miller is going to be any help this season!
Well, all I can say is that move did not work, but Doc has a ton of analytics that we don’t. However, this year LH Hitters are hitting .167 against Hader (who is LH with a low delivery) vs. RH Hitters who are hitting .260. This is a classic case of where if Doc leave him in and he strikes out, the second-guessers would be piling on and if he makes the move and it doesn’t work, they are never wrong, and by the way, 75% of the time any move they make will be wrong.
Should have never gotten to that point where Doc had to make that decision. Wrobleski got two outs and retired the most dangerous hitter in the Astro lineup. One out to go, let the kid pitch. He was under 90 pitches at that point. The bullpen imploded and the veteran arms lost that game and cost the kid his first MLB win. Offense did their part. You score six, you usually win. That homer by Biggio was huge. Treinen blew that. Let us hope that Ryan has better luck today. And Smith, well he needs to start hitting again. His spot in the order needs to hit.
The Dodgers haven’t played that well in July that’s a given. One can’t blame the starting pitching or hitting for the most part, we are scoring enough runs. The bullpen has been the issue. Bullpens and bullpen pitchers are hard to figure out but when we get Brasier and others back our bullpen will be as good as anybody’s in MLB.
Back in my coaching days when I took a new job some of the players would come up to me and bitch about the previous coach. My response to them is that if you were a better player the coach shouldn’t matter. Coaches get to much blame for losses and to much credit for wins. Sure we question moves but we don’t know the inside story. I can’t understand anyone complaining about Roberts with the record he has in his time as a manager. We all wish we had more championships but only one team is left standing and a lot of things have to go right, like well placed trash cans.
While I’m ranting I read where someone wanted Alex Cora as our manager. REALLY
Yep taking out the number 3 hitter. But if you remember he was batting 9th the night before. Hard to figure out what Dave Roberts will come up with. Pretty bad manager.
Graterol struck out the side in his appearance for OKC last night. Hope was 4-5 with 5 driven in during Rancho’s win. Miller gave up all six runs in OKC’s 7-6 comeback win in 3.2 innings. Bullpen shut down Tacoma the rest of the way. Just a bad loss last night, veteran bullpen coughed up a fur ball. Wasted a good night by Wrobleski and Ohtani. Biggio drove in 2. I will reserve judgement until I see what moves they make on Tuesday. They cannot stand pat.
Brasher, Graterol and Grove are do back soon. Who do you get rid of in the bullpen? Banda, a LHP, has been steady and gives the Dodgers another option besides Vesia. Yarbrough can pitch multiple inning but has been inconsistent as of late.
Honeywell has been very good but small sample size. Kelly has been ok and has a big contract. Hudson, aside from yesterday has been very good. Trienen has had some issues lately as has Phillips but are probably not going anywhere.
The problem is that Banda and Honeywell are out of options and would have to be designated for assignment and would be claimed through waivers and you would lose both unless you made a trade before the trading deadline July 30 at 6PM ET.
… and there will be more injuries.
Absolutely. The way Roberts and the Dodgers are running this bullpen right into the ground I have zero doubt about that.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Roberts has little choice. We both know the starting pitching has not been getting the job done. No length from the starters, you are going to burn out your pen. Until you get those guys going at least six and keeping the offense in the game, you are going to burn up your pen. Roberts mistake yesterday was not letting the kid finish the sixth. He does that, Phillips enters to a clean inning.
Two very flawed teams made the WS last year. Its all about getting hot in October.
Wisdom!
Facts!
Lot of holes to fill, I agree with Bear wait until the deadline is passed to see how this plays out. We will soon see what moves Andrew and Gomes come up with. To quote the great Tom Petty “The waiting is the hardest part.”
We should not look for a 3rd baseman, we already have a perfectly good .223 hitting, 30% striking out, mediocre fielding one now. He and Mookie and a whole list of pitchers we all HOPE will come back healthy will save the day. Sorry, our chess playing AF has set up Roberts with a crappy roster which only magnifies his bad decisions in crucial times. Luckily it is a crapshoot in the playoffs and Cadaveran Biggio, and some of these other junk heap players will get hot and save us.
Only thing that matters in a crap shoot is luck so what’s everyone worried about about. Either we get luckiest or we don’t
Can’t blame Roberts, front office or players not performing can only blame bad luck which is the perfect excuse for losers
Truth!
…and the most perfectly convenient narrative to absolve the Dodgers management and/or players from any blame or accountability when they fail in the playoffs.
So, using that same rationale, Luck has no role in baseball. You can hit a 110 MPH Exit Velocity ball right on the screws and you are out, but not unlucky, right?
The Astros four runs off of Phillips had nothing to do with luck, right?
Maybe Luck is not the right word, but this time last year, the Rangers and D-Backs were not even an afterthought.
A wise man wrote this:
Baseball has an element of luck that other sports don’t have because the hitter doesn’t have directional control of a baseball. You can aim for right field, for example, but you can’t aim for x feet away from the fielder. You can hit a perfect line drive – if it’s at a fielder, it’s an out. If it’s in a gap, it’s a double or triple. Or you could hit a slow roller by accident and if it happens to be in the right spot, you get a hit. There’s not much a player can really do to control which of those outcomes occur. In basketball and football, there are still lucky plays, but the players on both teams have a lot more control over the outcome because they are more “controlled” sports.
You also see the luck element in results. If the Warriors play the Mavericks in a bunch of 5 game series, the Warriors are going to win every single time (barring injuries, etc). If the Astros and A’s play a bunch of 5 game series, the Astros would win the majority, but the A’s would win some as well. The end results of baseball games and series do have more randomness than basketball or football, at least. It’s also why the best teams will have a lower winning % in baseball than those sports and why we can project Cleveland vs Golden State in the finals now with a decent amount of confidence, but can do no such thing in baseball. I can’t say about hockey or soccer or other sports.
Luck does not determine everything and you want as much talent as you can get, but luck is very much involved! Of course, when things don’t go our way, we love to cast blame and some fans do not want to be confused by the facts.
..and “bad luck” is the most convenient narrative for the apologist of mgt and players to COPE with playoff failures by lecturing the fans for being “confused”..and scolding/shaming them for having championship expectations.
I am a diehard dodger fan… Their weak
Bullpen scares me. Gave up 7 run the other night…. Is this the group they’re gonna go all the way with???. The bullpen continues to be a disappointment!!
Kelly just returned.
Brasier is about ready and looks great.
Graterol looks great.
Grove is ready.
No, this is not the bunch that they will have in a couple of weeks. Graterol and Brasier did excellently in their re-hab games. Grove has even looked good. There will be a trade or two. I would not count on Miller or Buehler at this point since both of them are getting lit up at AAA. They do need Yamamoto to come back soon. But I would think they will get at least one starting pitcher in trade. Padres just traded for RHRP Jason Adam from the Rays, who seem to be in full trade mode. Go get Parades.
Look at all the trades AJ Preller has made that resulted in a multitude of titles! Right?
Also, Trader Jerry has won it all many times… 😉
With all due respect since I know how much you think of AF: But the Dodgers under AF have only won 1 title themself. And that was in a 60 game season when the injury bug that has gotten to the Dodgers almost every other year was held in check due to the less amount of games and stress.
And even then we came awfully close to being eliminated by the Braves , down 3-1 already.
So I do not think AF has done that much better of a job when you reduce it to WS titles. Especially when you take the money the Dodgers have spent since AF arrived. Yes, Padres the last few years have spent big dollars too but not to the avail as the Dodgers.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Since Friedman took over the Dodgers, no team has won more than one World Series… and the Dodgers are one of them.
The Dodgers have put up the best record in MLB in that period and have never finished with less than 91 wins and has averaged 100 wins a season. One constant is that the playoffs expanded dramatically during AF’s regime. In fact, when the Dodgers won in the shortened season, MLB expanded the playoffs to include 16 teams. The Dodgers have won the only World Series where there were 16 teams in the playoffs. It is now 12.
… and before someone comes back and says that the Astros won 2 – No, they did not. They won 1 and cheated their way to another.
Nightengale and MLB news claiming on X that the Dodgers and Yankees are in a bidding war for Parades. Since the Yanks are in the same division as the Rays, one would think they would prefer to deal with the Dodgers. We shall see. This seems to be heating up. Padres sent 3 prospects to the Rays for Adam.
That would indicate to me that MM is done for the year.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
..or at minimum, it indicates they’re not sure he comes back this year.
They absolutely need to get Parades. Doc just said Muncy is stagnant and no timetable for return. I wouldn’t count on muncy helping us this year.
When I consider the source… I have doubt! 😉
You were right on!
Just to many holes to fill.
And to try to fill those holes with top tier replacements would decimate the top prospects we have.
And we honesty don’t have enough top tier talent to replace all the holes.
(other than a pitcher or 2, there really are no top tier players available at this point).
The best talent available is what we currently have on the IR
If some return and come back strong, great.
Maybe get a different fringe guy or 2 if you don’t like your current fringe guys
Flaherty would be the pitcher I would look at as a rental:
Who could easily be your #1 or 2 starter.
No to moving Ferris/ Wrobleski/ Ryan or Depaula .
Use the 300 plus million you invested in players and coaches this year and make it work.
Start mixing and matching some of the AAA players , maybe a player or 2 thats worth a look at AA and the returning injured players and put a competitive, aggressive and fundamentally sound team out there
Go Dodgers !!
PS
In the off-season go find your CF / SS /3B for the next 5 yrs through FA or Trade.
If you want to trade for our future CF in the offseason it will cost you prospects then too. So I would trade for Robert jun. now. We have a need there now , do not wait until the winter. The cost in prospect will be just as high.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!1
Dodgerram.
If Robert’s is your guy then yes do it now.
Im just not sold on him.
I would definitely take a flyer on him but only if the cost did not include one of the top prospects above.
I would prefer Cody if I had to trade now, cost would be cheaper as a possibly rental, but he may not be all in coming back.
Now,
In the never gonna happen realm:
I would take 2 of these 3 in the off season and get a defensive 1st centerfielder.
Soto
Bergman
(Bichette or Adames)
And if you take Adames over Bichette we can get all 3 with no Prospect Capital.
Spend those billions Walter’s
Then I would use some of that prospect capital to sign Flathery and Robert Jr. (if Cody is gone) but not my top 4 prospects.
Bradley,
You are rubbing off on me.
Go Dodgers!!
Do not look at our lineup for todays game if you do not want to throw up in your mouth. That is THE worst lineup I have EVER seen for the Dodgers. At least on paper. A 300 million plus payroll. Freakin unbelievalble.
Poor River Ryan. Probably has to pitch a shutout to have any chance of winning .
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It looks about the same as yesterday when they put up six runs only to have the bullpen blow it.
No Smith today. Sure, we can hope for an offensive explosion. But I do not believe it. I would rather bet on us being no hit than again 6 runs like yesterday.
Plus I wrote “on paper”.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the Dodgers do score well early in the game, it will be mostly due to Arrighetti being a sub-par SP.
But all our ‘hottest’ current hitters in there today
Mark this line up is horrible. No matter how you look at it. May as well face the facts this is a terrible team.
2:10 PM ET
Dodgers (62-44)
Astros (55-49)
SP River Ryan R
0-0 .00 ERA
SP S. Arrighetti R
4-8 5.65 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
LF T. Hernandez R
2B Gavin Lux L
RF J. Heyward L
3B E. Hernandez R
1B Cavan Biggio L
CF James Outman L
C A. Barnes R
SS Nick Ahmed R
In Domed Stadium
Not sure what to say. Uncertain of the next move. Need another bullpen arm, maybe a starter. Could use another hitter. But no question and Cassidy said it, the key to winning it all is to get hot in October. I’m sure the Dodgers have a wish list, but no easy path forward. Can you really count on Muncy? Will Yamamoto return? He says he will. Buehler? Who knows.
They do have relievers returning. Part of the problem is they’ve ridden the relievers hard because the starters don’t go deep into games.
I’m sure the Dodgers won’t give up top prospects. They’ll work around the fringe to add here and there.
I like Flaherty.
Maybe they make a deal no one sees coming.
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jacob Meador) vs. Lake County (Trenton Denholm)
4:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Ben Casparius) vs. Tacoma (Michael Mariot)
4:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Kendall Williams) at Frisco (Winston Santos)
5:35 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Cam Day) at Inland Empire (Riley Bauman)
6 p.m.: ACL Dodgers vs. ACL D-backs , Game 1
Funny to see this posting by you a couple of years ago:
Sort of reminds me where we’re at now.
Posted By Mark Timmons on June 18, 2022
The Oklahoma City Dodgers’ 4A Affiliate, the Los Angeles Dodgers, continued to be unable to get a clutch hit, even on a night when Cody Bellinger got two hits, including a 2-Run HR, again leading us to wonder for the 37th time this year “Is Cody Getting his MojoBack?” I would rather not say! The Dodgers combined to strand 26 runners on base on a night when the hitting was worse than the TV announcing (which was atrocious).
Max Muncy looked good in his first game back and went from Mad Max to Bad Max. Justin Turner has become JustCan’t TurnonaFastball, and Eddy Alvarez can’t hit his weight. Bellinger is not doing well, but Muncy and JT are pure boat anchors right about now. I would call up Martin, Vargas, and Lamb from OKC. Turner and Muncy have to stop pulling the will over our eyes. JT should retire and Max should run with scissors. Enough already!
Lineup
T. Turner SS
Freeman 1B
Vargas 3B
Bellinger CF
Smith C
Lamb/Taylor LF
Betts RF
Martin DH
Lux 2B
It can’t be any worse than what they have now. Unless Muncy has an injury, the Dodgers may have to DFA him and Justin Turner. It’s Time! Bellinger is OPS’ing almost 100 points higher than them and is a Plus Defender. There is still hope for Belli. Mookie has been either hot or frozen and Freddie is not Freddie… yet! The good news is that the pitching is fine. THat no one can jump out of a boat and ht water is maddening. Andrew Friedman may be forced to trade the Farm for a RH Hitter. Shoot, I’d take a lefty like Andrew Benintendi! He can hot lefties as well.
In case you have forgotten, it was I who recommended that the Dodgers sign Joc Pederson in the offseason. Right about now, Andrew needs to do something… even if it is wrong! Call up Lamb, Vargas, and Martin with a haste!
Thank you!
Notice that I did not suggest in trading away the Farm.
That team ended up winning 111 games after the bad stretch. I have also learned that there will always be bad stretches, and I try not to lose my mind over it anymore!
I’m sure I’m not alone in noticing that in this projected lineup Mark had Vargas playing 3B and batting third., between Freddie and Belli.
Even though Miguelito has never, ever been a personal favorite of Mark’s.
Yep, that was just a cool, calculated opinion based on solid baseball analysis, and zero emotion.
As I write this, we are still waiting on the Dodgers to make a significant move. So far, AF has landed 17-year-old Moises Bolivar, while the Padres, Phillies, Yankees, Orioles and Mariners have all bolstered their rosters.
In an interview, the Phils’ Dombrowski suggested the Angels may well have gotten an “overpay” for the closer Estevez, a rental, because of the Phillies desire to win NOW.
Would AF consider an overpay to win now?
Maybe just a minor “dope-fiend” move?
I’m recalling how, a couple years back, AF lost a hot-hitting Brandon Drury to the Padres and instead counted on untested rookie Miguel Vargas to bolster the lineup down the stretch.
Drury helped the Pads advance to the playoffs and beat the Dodgers, while Vargas batted below the Mendoza line–yet still made the playoff roster and then anointed as the the Dodgers’ second baseman in Spring training.
Meanwhile, Drury landed a nice two-year contract for his achievements.
And AF wouldn’t have had to “trade The Farm” to get Drury. He just would have had to outbid the Padres
Interesting that Feinsaid has the Dodgers as a frontrunner for Snell (?!?), Lane Thomas and DeJong. All could help. But how about Tanner Scott?
It’s true that Phillips got a bit unlucky yesterday on those soft-contact hits.
But when Phillips is on, he is missing bats.
SF would want DePaula, Ryan, Wrobleski, Anze Kopitar, and Anthony Davis if they gave us Snell.
Not holding my breath on that one.
Duke: please stop with the Drury helping the Padres to beat the Dodgers in the post season. He was 1 for 11 in that series. You have blown this horn too many times.
I have always liked Miguel Vargas’s skillset, but he has not yet lived up to it. I am nor “hung up” on him like you are on Brandon Drury!
I’ve heard from a great source that has seen it, Brandon Dury is an asshat. Now I heard this about two years ago. Maybe my source just caught Dury’s attitude when he was having a bad year. When I see his name that’s what I remember
Seems like every time they get 20 games over .500 they have to lose a few.
Another offensive player option lost to another team. Parades to the Cubs.
Wow , anxious to see what AF/BG do at the deadline. Is Joey Gallo available?
Yep. With Max out, Paredes would have helped. (Is Rengifo a possibility?)
The fact that neither the Dodgers or ChiSox have announced any significant moves has me wondering if they are talking about a blockbuster..
And the A’s still have Rooker and others.
Despite what Feinsand says, I have a hard time imagining the Giants dealing Snell to the Dodgers.
Has anybody else noticed Will Smith’s swoon since the 3-HR game?
His BA is down to .256–21 points below…. Austin Barnes!
Maybe Feduccia should give him a day off. If we’re going with the B team, get Hunter in there!
Odd that the Cubs made this trade for Parades. Wonder if they will keep him or move him.
7 K’s in 3 innings
they are going to waive biggio, then resign him! big move baby!!
Battle of Aces today!!
I am certain that Andrew Friedman would like to have many of the players fans have propounded. There is one problem:
I do not think he will trade the following players:
1. River Ryan
2. Justin Wrobleski
3. Jackson Ferris
4. Josue DePaula
5. Dalton Rushing
6. Joendry Vargas
7. Zyhir Hope
I think they would trade any other prospect including Miguel Vargas. The problem is that the TOP 7 are who the other teams are asking for.
I’ve got a much shorter list than you:
DePaula
Ryan
Wrobo
I think anyone else could go in the right trade and I’ll be very surprised if Rushing is still in the organization this Wednesday.
Gavin Stone
Of that group, I think Rushing and Hope may be the most tradeable. Of course, it all depends on the return. (Ryan sure does look like a keeper.)
If Skubal is really in play, any could be dealt. He’d immediately slot ahead of Glasnow as the team’s numero uno ace.
Rushing is unlikely to push Will out as catcher–which is why I keep hoping Rushing would be taking grounders at 3B.
And if the Dodgers offer Pages in a package for Robert, and the ChiSox demand Hope instead, I don’t think AF walks away.
The deadline is still two days away. Several contenders have done some meaningful shopping already. And the Dodgers have landed Moises Bolivar.
Like all nervous grasshoppers, I must endeavor to be patient.
And Outman homers to break up the no-hitter!
Nice to see.
Ryan sure has been impressive.
well , lux ain’t going nowhere!! I’ll be happy to eat crow!
A resurgent Lux just might be our trade deadline acquisition. His offensive re-birth and an injured Rojas keeps Mookie at SS.
Having said that, they still need an impact bat in the OF. Pages, Outman and Hayward don’t inspire confidence.
Kudos to Lux’s uncle for helping him get his swing back. Kudos to Lux too.
With that amazing revival, here’s a no-trade lineup to consider, assuming Mookie and Max both return healthy….
Mookie CF (yes, in centerfield)
Freddie 1B (deja vu)
Shohei DH (more RBI opportunities)
Teo LF (he’s scary hot)
Max 3B (for that right-left rhythm)
Smith C (slumping now; he’ll be fine)
Lux 2B (with no platoon–let him cook!)
Heyward/Pages RF
Rojas/Ahmed SS
Mookie solved the SS problem. He could return and solve the CF problem too. He is not a super UT guy; he’s super-duper.
Fingers crossed on the returns Max and Rojas. (I feel much more confident about Mookie.) The way Lux is hitting, perhaps he bats fifth and Max moves to seventh.
Understand that I still want to make trades to improve the lineup and pitching staff. If the Dodgers land Robert, he plays CF. But if not, who would be better than Mookie?
And if the Dodgers deal for Rooker, he can play LF with Teo shifting to RF. If the Dodgers land Lane Thomas, he plays RF with Teo in LF.
Given the uncertainty around 3B, I’m still hoping the Dodgers could snag Rengifo.
And I still want Tanner Scott too. Maybe Vargas + ??? could get it done.
lol Doc gonna Doc. Can’t wait to hear the excuses for him this time.
What the freak goes on in “pea brained “ Doc’s head?
Ryan gets Alvarez out and then gets lifted for Vesia to pitch to a RH hitter. It defies logic, common sense, being in touch with where the team is at, building confidence in a young pitcher etc.
Makes no sense and I’m now on the it’s WS championship or bust for Doc to stay. Might be time for some new blood in the Dodger managerial ranks.
More bonehead moves like this and he will lose the team for certain.
You might want to rethink that last baseless statement…
Roberts is a F”n MORON for bringing in a lefthander to face a right hand batter with Ryan having the game under control.
I think the pitch count at 91 was the reason. It is evidently 14 or 15 pitches more than Ryan has ever thrown as a professional. Ryan started the year with shoulder soreness. The way he is pitching, they will need him healthy. I understand that bringing in a lefty to face a right hander might be a concern but I get him removing Ryan at that point.
Though the bullpen now looks in need of an acquisition, they should be adding Graterol, Brasier, and Grove soon. Add those three to Hudson, Treinen, Kelly, Vesia, Banda, Yarbrough, Honeywell, and Phillips – using prospects to acquire a reliever seems like a luxury. They can rest some of these overworked bullpen arms using an IL stint and be set up for October. If they can’t get a Flaherty or Eovaldi or a starter like that then pivot to a reliever.
I would like to see them get a legitimate center fielder like Lane Thomas. He has started to hit better of late though he still is hitting in low .200s vs. righties. A pseudo platoon of Heyward and Pages in right with Thomas in center and Teoscar in left would be an improvement. If the cost for Robert is not too crazy I get acquiring him but there are some serious questions (injury history and current performance) that make me hesitate on Robert.
One of the difficult things that teams face at deadline is what to make of slumping or resurgent players. If we can expect a player like Lux to be slightly above league average the rest of the way, that is huge. I am not counting on Muncy and was hoping for Isaac Paredes. Mark’s explanation about the guys that AF won’t trade makes more sense when you consider the price for Eflin, Arozarena, and Paredes. Seems like the Dodgers could have made better offers.
Where would this team be without these rookies who have carried this rotation? Stone, Knack, Wrobleski, and Ryan have been beyond expectation. If they are real confident that Yamamoto returns, maybe they don’t feel the need to add a starter like Fedde , Kikuchi, etc.. They seem to be in the tier below Flaherty and Eovaldi.
At last, some sign of intellect!
all valid points
No doubt the pitch count was a factor.
But is there much of a difference between 91 and, say, 96? Especially when you lose the righty-righty matchup.
Red Sox claim Yohan Ramírez off waivers from Dodgers
“Ramírez was the most-used reliever in his 2-plus months with the Dodgers, pitching in half the team’s games, before getting designated for assignment on Thursday. He joins James Paxton in Boston”.
I don’t know what you think, but if you think Doc took out River Ryan for Alex Vesia because he just wanted to, you are a moron or just have an irrational hatred of Doc for whatever reason.
Ryan, like Wrobleski, is on a pitch count, and you are a dumbass if you think the Dodgers are going to tell you that!
You don’t bring in a left hander to face a right handed hitter especially that Vesia has been awful lately. That was a Moronic Move!!!!!!!!!
100%!!!!!! Can’t defend and to do so only shows the “rose colored glasses” commentary we see often. On the post game show, Jerry Hairston a paid Spectrum employee, was critical of Doc’s move to the BP. Ryan had two outs and should have gotten one more batter.
Hairston played MLB baseball, knows the game more than us and at great peril was very critical of Doc’s decisions. I’ll put more stock in his baseball acumen than some keyboard warriors we read from time-to-time here.
Do you seriously believe that? Really?
We have a 6.5 division lead. We had two of the best five players in baseball gone this past series. We won one, blew another one. These young arms coming in and dominating should be a bright light to all Dodger fans. They are on a pitch count so our bullpen is getting gassed but we have found two guys that three years ago nobody knew Banda and Brasier. Come the first of September our bull pen is going to be great. Grove will be back etc. It’s a great time to be a Dodger fan.
Good: Well we won 1 game in Houston, could’ve should’ve won 2. Was 1 more that I was expecting. I hate the Astros and Minute Maid Park if it’s still called that.
All 3 rookie pitchers being exposed to a hostile playoff environment. Stone has pitched well all year, Wroblewski and Ryan are keepers and pitched their asses off. All 3 are keepers. Lux looks like he has turned the corner offensively and is playing great defense. Barnes with a 13 game hit streak. Now we need Will Smith to heat back up but he is probably worn out catching, hope they can move him out of that position down the road.
Head-Scratchers: Doc running to the bullpen on Saturday, admits he pulled Wroblewski too soon and turns around and does it on Sunday with Vesia but with a different result. Watch the game and don’t follow the pregame computer script print out. Eerily similar to many of the playoff defeats over the last 8 years. Seems like he really struggles managing the bullpen. No wonder they are gassed come October.
Ugly: 42 Strikeouts in 3 games setting a franchise record. That is not going to get it done in October.
Trade deadline: Who the hell knows what Friedman and Gomes are going to do.
My thoughts and opinions and .02 cents is all which mean nothing.
Off to San Diego for 2 and Oakland for 3.
Wow. You guys call Roberts and Friedman morons? Seriously! Chill a little and enjoy the ride. What do you think the Rangers fans were thinking this time last year? The Phillies are way better than the Dodgers? What does that have to do with playoff baseball in October. Exactly. Nothing. When the Series arrives, the hottest team will win. Period. I hope it’s the Dodgers.
Get Robert
Book em
Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Muncy’s rehab progress from a strained right oblique has been “stagnant,” Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
“Muncy was shut down from swinging for much of mid-July due to lingering soreness, and the third baseman is again feeling discomfort despite recent medical imaging coming back clean. The 33-year-old remains without a clear timeline for his return, but it seems as though he won’t be rejoining the Dodgers in the near future”.
With Muncy at best a 50-50 shot of being any help this year, I’ve got to believe that Andrew will trade for someone who can play third base. I don’t see him going the rest of the year (and possibly the playoffs) giving that assignment to Biggio and Kike. We have no clue if we’ll see MiggyRo or CT3 back this year and they wouldn’t be the ideal fix at third base either.
They’re supposedly interested in Tommy Edman, who has played every position except catcher. He wouldn’t be my first choice but might be better than the incumbents.
Maybe we’ll be surprised and AF will get someone nobody was expecting. We absolutely need a third baseman.
Rangers getting C Carson Kelly from Detroit. Pads lose, LA wins, lead back to 6.5.