Actually, the saying is “Only fools and dead men don’t change their mind. Fools won’t. Dead can’t.”
But, I do.
Well… I have slightly changed my mind. It’s hard for me to do anything “halfway.” I am very competitive and started my water treatment career as an installer and then as a salesman. I was the #1 salesman in every company I worked for, and it wasn’t always because I was the best salesman, but I sold the most because I was relentless and would outwork anyone. If I do something, I do it with everything I have.
That’s why what I am about to do may not work. Maybe I will not be able to do it, but I am going to try because of what many of you have said, asked, and begged for. I was very humbled by what many of you said. Thank you for the kind words.
I am not going away completely. Instead, I plan to have a Dodgers newsletter, which will be released once a week. It will most likely be on Saturday or Sunday, but it could vary for some weeks. I will keep the thread open, and everyone can chip in all week. I will also comment but in a limited role. I’ll see if I can make it work, and if I can’t… well, I tried!
I just have to focus my time on other things right now. Sunday will likely be my first post under this standard. Let’s see how it works… or if it works.
We went to the Indianapolis Indians Game tonight against the Toledo Mud Hens and watched Trey Sweeney go 2-5, and Eddys Leonard (who is now a DH) go 0-3 with 2 Ks. Spencer Torkleson was 2-4. Ricky Vanasco pitched one inning with all zeros. We opted for a table for four, right here:
$90 Dollars a person gets a full buffet, including beer or wine and desserts. It’s a beautiful venue.
… and I got back in time to watch the start of the Dodger game.
Well, the road woes continue. Team is now only 2 games above .500 on the road this year. They are 1-5 on this trip with 2 games left. Offense is stagnant. Too many strikeouts again tonight. Lack of clutch hitting. Loaded the bases with Ohtani up, 0-14 at the time and he grounds out weakly. Then he homers with 2 outs and 2 on in the ninth, and the deep in a slump Will Smith makes the last out on a weak grounder to first. Considering the way he is hitting; Barnes should have got the start. Also, why let a .300 hitter, Rosario, not start the game. The starting lineup had four hitters at the Mendoza line or lower. I think next year, the Dodgers really need to alter their hitting philosophy.
M. Norris I totally agree with your last sentence. The long ball is nice but maybe baseball is changing and teams are looking to get more athleticism with small ball.
It would be up to RVS & the Dodgers brass to alter the team’s “hitting philosophy.”
I doubt they would do it, though.
They can always fire Von Shylock. Teams are already scouting and signing contact hitters. You can see it gradually getting back to what it once was. I remember reading Duke Snider’s autobiography. Rickey made Duke stand at the plate with a bat and would not allow him to swing. He then had to say whether the pitch was a ball or a strike. This was after he hit .292 in 1949. He struck out 92 times in 552 at bats. Guys now do that in half a season. Duke struck out over 100 times twice in his career, 101 in 1956 when he won the HR crown, his OPS that year was .997 and he walked 99 times. In 1957 he struck out 104 times. Still hit 40 homers, for the fifth year in a row, and his OPS was .955. Of course, when Duke played, strikeouts were a no no.
Bottom line is we pretty much have half an all star team on the DL, rag on Roberts all you want , but he has a half loaded six gun going into every game right, now,, both on offense and pitching. I mean think about it, everybody is starting to pile on Will Smith, but the dude is missing Mookie, Freeman and a healthy Muncy around him, he has zero protection! Those three players are gamechangers, we just have to tread water until they get back, same with the starting pitching, or lack of , which explains why the bullpen is a dumpster fire right now, dudes are totally gassed. Gotta hold the line and post positive stuff instead of all the downer BS. It’s easy to rag on the team , how about posting some hope and better days ahead? Going to steal Marks favorite word ,,anyone who says Fire Roberts right now is a Moron! Get the team to full strength , then judge. Unfair to Doc to trash him when he has one arm and one leg tied behind his back.
I do not blame Doc, many do. But players are paid to do a job, and many on this team are not doing what they are paid to do. Biggio is just holding fort until Freddie come back, which could be on the next homestand. His son is improving daily. Muncy is taking grounders and finally swinging a bat. Rojas, Betts and Muncy all doing a sim game at Dodger Stadium next week. Next year, I suggest that AF does what he did in prior years and sign some MLB bats to be at AAA for emergency’s, so you do not need to pick up the Biggio’s of the world, and when guys like Kike and Taylor stink up the joint, you have multiple options BEFORE the deadline.
The team has been at full strength under DR as manager before and he has been horrible. So what makes you think he will manage any better?
Horrible? You’re kidding right? Horrible teams do not win 111 games. Horrible teams do not win 100 games in 5 of 6 full seasons. I never heard a more horseshit statement in years. His teams have won 816 games since he took over in 2015. Get real. He is human like everyone else, he might make a bad decision now and then, but his teams play hard for him. You don’t know what in the hell you are talking about.
You are not watching the same Dodger team I have been watching the last 11 years.We have been spoiled.We expect to win every game and when we lose it’s Dave s fault.He has done a good job.We will always find fault no matter who is the manager.I have always liked Dave a lot.But he is not perfect,only Jesus Christ has been.
Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that he doesn’t anticipate Freeman (personal) playing during the three-game weekend series against the Athletics, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
“Freeman is set to come off the family emergency list Saturday, but it’s unlikely that he will return to action as he spends time with his family. Cavan Biggio will continue to start at first base for the Dodgers in Freeman’s absence”.
Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Buehler (hip) will make one more rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
“Buehler has struggled mightily in his last two rehab outings, giving up eight earned runs in 7.1 innings while striking out nine batters and walking five. His next outing will most likely be his final appearance in the minors, regardless of his performance, though he could be relegated to the bullpen if he’s unable to turn things around”.
Bobby Miller has been scratched from his scheduled start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday night. Jack Harris of the LA Times reported the team is being cautious with Miller as he had some adductor tightness following a bullpen session earlier this week.
The dodgers have always had a low team batting average with runners on base— even when they have won over 100 games in a season. Other teams have exploited this weakness. This is so-called Dodger baseball!
Remember 2022 season? Dodgers won 111 games, but their team batting average that year was 0.280– tied with the Nationals for LAST PLACE!
Wrong Mickey. In 2022, the Dodgers team BA was .257. Second in the National League. The team’s OPS was .775, first in the National League. They were second in slugging and first in OBP. They also were first in runs scored, 3rd in home runs and first in bases on balls. Washington hit .249 that year and was 7th in the league. The Dodgers combined OPS+ was 115 that year. DCs was 98. So, your stats are wrong. You do not lead the league in runs scored without doing a lot of hitting with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers are hitting .251 with runners in scoring position this year. By the way, if you are hitting 0.280, that is really .280. You would be scoring a ton of runs.
Will Mark stay or will he go now?
If he stays there will be trouble…
If he goes it will be double…
Well I sure hope you stay Mark.LADT has filled my time with enjoyment about the greatest baseball team.I have spent thousands of hours reading opinions about our beloved Dodgers. Mark you have a talent , because this is by far the best blog that I read.You have the most well rounded readers,folks from all over the world,all occupations,very knowledgeable and very helpful and just good people. Thank you Mark!
Very glad you are trying to stay involved with your site. You have a very special talent and please try to share it.
thank you mark!!!!! Stone has hit a brick wall!! Agree Bear! why is a .300 hitter sitting and all the “LA .195ers” playing? I’m not sure it’s philosophy or the fact that their bench players are bad. Edman and Freddie will help. Mookie, if healthy will be a beast! Max? don’t know. that’s why the Edman, Rosario acquisition is so big. KK, not much there other than a glove. Heyward looks awful. kiki has maybe one good game every week. Pages looks like he is non engaged. is james still on the roster? …Bottom line, health and a bad crew of utility players are killing this team. Never thought i’d say this, let Barnes catch the next 2 games. Give will a nice break. … once again Mark thanks!!! These early morning reads are why i love this so much!! Go Dodgers!! Get healthy soon!!!!!!!!
Heyward crushed a ball that was caught. He has done that a lot, and remember, he missed a lot of time. He also is a great glove man. It was Kiermaier’s first game as a Dodger. He got two at bats, a little early to criticize the guy. He might not be a great hitter, but his career avg stands up pretty well, and he is retiring after the season is over. He wants to go out with a winner. Outman got hit by a pitch that loaded the bases for Ohtani, who immediately grounded out to end the threat. For those who like these things, JT, in his first home game as a Mariner, hit a grand slam. By the way, he looks weird in that city connect uniform of theirs.
Double-A: Pitcher Jackson Ferris was promoted to Tulsa.
High-A: Pitcher Maddux Bruns was activated off the injured list.
He was tagged for 2 runs and pulled early. Bruns that is. Rockies did LA a favor and beat the Padres. But Az won again, now only 4 back, and the Dodgers play them a wrap-around 4 game series in Arizona Labor Day weekend. Hope we are at full strength by then.
… You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille(Mark)With four injured children and crap in the field
I’ve had some bad times, lived through some sad times
But this time your hurting won’t heal… (Unless Blog continues) etc,
Source: LyricFind
Nice!
GROAN!
Reasons to be optimistic:
1. Betts is coming back. He might be our heart and soul.
2. Muncy’s coming back. We’ve not only missed him; we never found a replacement for him.
3. Freeman will eventually return.
4. Yamamoto should return. He has to.
5. Relievers Grove, Brasier & Graterol are on the way.
6. Trade acquisition Flaherty pitches tonight.
7. Edman hasn’t suited up for us yet.
8. Glasnow is our #1
9. Phillips looks better
10. Kopech is the goods
From the Dodger’s Official Page:
Edman, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Cardinals on July 29, will participate in a simulated game at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 8 before going on a rehab assignment to play in the field. Edman’s previous stint was interrupted by his sprained ankle, and he had only made appearances at designated hitter. (Last updated: Aug. 2)
Guessing this means 8/16ish
who goes when edman comes? who goes when mookie comes back? who goes when Max comes back? if it comes down to Ahmed and kiki, i’m keeping Ahmed. Biggio goes. Rosario can play 2nd,ss,outfield, and is hitting .300! kiki goes! Taylor probably not coming back? now we have kevin k. and heyward. same player. lots of decisions ahead. need a win tonight!! Rockies beat the Friars but we couldn’t? wow just wow!!
Outman will be optioned back to AAA when the first player comes back. Biggio will likely be DFAd. Kiermaier and Heyward are going nowhere. Now if Rojas also comes back, then you have a real roster crunch. Kike could be on the bubble. But one thing is for sure, the bench is a whole lot deeper than it was.
Dave Roberts said ” Yamamoto will throw his first bullpen session since landing on the injured list today Aug. 3 while the team is in Oakland”.
I can’t remember the team playing so poorly. Ohtani has no backup with Freeman, Muncy and Mookie out and they can be aggressive with him
Lux and Teoscar are the only bright spots as the showed last night.
Never loved Roberts. Terrible pitcher manager, lives veterans too much but he can’t control injuries, bad pitching and poor situational hitting. Outman was the same as CF Kiermier but younger and faster
Both suck as hitters but Outmandisnt cost anything.
Hey Mark, Why don’t you select a group of regular civilized commenters and exclude all others? I, for one, seldom comment but I enjoy your articles and the opinions of some of the adult contributors. This doesn’t have to be an “either/or” situation. It’s your site and you have a right to control it.
Because without spending a lot of money, tech-savvy people know how to get around it.
I might he a troll but I’m definitely not tech-savvy.
I agree and relate to this. Why let the few trolls ruin a good thing? The majority of the commenters provide value. I read the forum because of the quality of the content and comments from experienced posters, but when trolls take over that quality greatly diminishes. So, why allow them to post in the first place? I see no value in allowing trolls to take over the platform and overwhelm the comments section with their hate and discontent.
Mark, every minute you spend dealing with these trolls is valuable time that could be better invested. Why allow the few rotten apples to waste your time? Allow the platform to be overwhelmed with their negativity? Take away valuable time from your busy schedule? Ruin the quality of the content?
The ability to post is not a right, it is a privilege that should be earned. After all, this is a privately owned website.
Friday scores
El Paso 7, Oklahoma City 2
Springfield 3, Tulsa 0
Great Lakes 5, Cedar Rapids 2
Rancho Cucamonga 17, San Jose 5
Saturday schedule
4:35 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Peter Heubeck) at Cedar Rapids (Connor Prielipp)
5 p.m.: Tulsa (Kendall Williams) vs. Springfield (Max Rajcic)
5:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Ben Casparius) at El Paso (Carl Edwards Jr.)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Cam Day) vs. San Jose (Ubert Mejias)
wasn’t criticizing Kevin K. just. stating a fact. dude doesn’t hit much. love his defense! this team needs offense, and with alm half the lineup out, it sucks not having those guys. Granted heyward smokes one now and then, but he’s still a .200 hitter. Bear, who would you pick ? Ahmed who is an excellent shortstop, or kiki, who can play defense, just not like Ahmed. Ahmed is hitting .230 compared to kiki ‘S .190.
I know you asked Bear, but I’m going to throw in my 2 cents worth.
Once Edman is back, if I had to remove either Ahmed and Kike from the roster, I’d keep Kike.
I’m guessing if we had a vote blog-wide, the outcome might be split down the middle but I choose Kike because of his greater versatility and because of some of his past heroics in the post season.
I wouldn’t argue with anyone who picked Ahmed, though. I’ve always appreciated his play when he was messing us up with the Dbacks.
It would be a tough choice. Kike has versatility and Ahmed does not. But the way Kike is hitting, I want a little more production at the plate. And his post season heroics are a thing of the past. Taylor’s are more recent than Kikes. Besides, it was Kike who dislocated Bellinger’s shoulder during the LCS in 2020. That was his last playoff homer as a Dodger.
im just thinking when mookie comes back if he plays 2nd, Ahmed is much better at shortstop than kik. if rojas is done , Ahmed is very very valuable. Why trade for Rosario if you ain’t gonna play him? nothing wrong with keeping kiki, but Ahmed can pick it at shortstop.
Max Muncy To Play In Sim Game This Week
By Mark Polishuk | August 3, 2024 at 12:13pm CDT
Speaking of long-term injury absences, Max Muncy has been out since mid-May with a lingering oblique strain, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told media (including MLB.com) that Muncy is set to take part in a simulated game on August 8. According to Roberts, a visit with a chiropractor helped Muncy finally have a “breakthrough” in overcoming the ongoing discomfort in his oblique. Muncy’s return can’t come soon enough for the injury-riddled Dodgers, as the third baseman was posting his usual solid numbers — nine homers and a .223/.323/.475 — over his first 167 plate appearances of 2024.
Roberts said All-Star Mookie Betts (fractured hand), third baseman Max Muncy (oblique strain), infielder Miguel Rojas (forearm strain), utility man Tommy Edman and possibly utility man Chris Taylor (groin injury) will all participate in a simulated game planned for Thursday at Dodger Stadium. All five are currently on the injured list and will face pitchers brought in from Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.
9:07 PM ET
Dodgers (63-47)
Athletics (46-65)
SP Jack Flaherty R
7-5 2.95 ERA
SP Mitch Spence R
7-6 4.47 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
LF T. Hernandez R
2B Gavin Lux L
C Will Smith R
RF J. Heyward L
3B E. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
1B Cavan Biggio L
SS Nick Ahmed R
75° Wind 9 mph Out
The Dodgers aren’t expecting Freeman back this weekend. However, manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Oakland that he could return during the upcoming series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Yamamoto (shoulder) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Yamamoto has been sidelined since June 16 with right triceps tightness and the bullpen session was his first since being placed on the injured list. Manager Dave Roberts said afterwards that he was “excited about his (Yamamoto) command and velocity.” Yamamoto has no exact timetable for his return, but if he’s able to continue to progress without any setbacks, he could be activated from the 60-day IL in the next month or so”.
Betts (hand) and the Dodgers are targeting a return to the lineup during their next road trip, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
“Betts has been out since mid-June after suffering a fracture in his left wrist/hand and he took batting practice with the team Wednesday. The Dodgers will begin their next road trip Aug. 12 in Milwaukee with a four-game set with the Brewers before they’ll play three games in St. Louis. If the timeline remains true, Betts will likely begin a rehab assignment in the coming days”.