Walker Buehler deserved better! He no longer has the ability to put hitters away like he used to, but the Padres dinked and dunked him and the Dodgers’ defense to death in the second inning when they scored six runs. If he was really lucky, he would’ve gotten out of the inning with 1 or 2 runs… but he wasn’t! Tho of the most reliable defensive players for the Dodgers let him down as well. Walker and Dave Roberts had guts… it just wasn’t enough. There are no excuses… it is what it is, and the Dodgers have to win today. PURE AND SIMPLE – WIN AND KEEP PLAYING OR LOSE AND GO HOME! It’s all down to one game.
The Phillies are in the same boat—sinking. Like the Dodgers, they have the ability to come back. Already, Milwaukee has been eliminated, and if the Dodgers and Phillies are eliminated, it means that all the Division Winners are out. But not so fast. It ain’t over. I love Walker’s grit… his stuff is another thing. Today, it will likely be an opener (Ryan Brasier) and Landon Knack. Hopefully, he will bring his A-Game, but the Dodgers are going to have to bring out their big sticks.
If the Dodgers are to continue, Legends will be made in these next two games. That is the beauty of postseason baseball. Mookie showed signs of life. Freddie is playing on one foot, and Rojas is likely done. The only players they could call up are James Outman or Kevin Kiermaier to take Miggy’s place on the roster. That means Edman stays at SS. Next man up!
Shohei summed it all up:
Win tonight and game 5 ANYTHING can happen.
We were snakebit in that 2nd inning….DAMN
Keep the faith. If Brasier can pass the ball to Knack putting up 1 or 2 zeroes I like our chances….
Then you got Yamamoto at home for Game 5….
We’ve done well vs Cease…
Maybe let Barnes start today?
I know I sound like a broken record, but I am confident that the Dodgers will win tonight. I am also confident I’ll be saying wait till next year if they lose. I’m going to enjoy tonight because tomorrow may never come. I’m a big Knack fan. He is raw and inexperienced, but we need him to be a beast. Now, who wants to step up and be a hero?
Book em
I’m not panicked; you’re panicked.
I missed the fact that Machado got into the running path, which was obviously done on purpose. The commentators and cameraman were so focused on Freddy, trying to field the ball off his knees that they can completely missed the fact that Machado was running on the grass and was doing so on purpose. That should’ve been something argued by the Dodgers at that time.
I’d like to see a little grit on the field tonight. There needs to be some elbow thrown as far as I’m concerned and some determination that they actually want to win this thing.
It’s not that I don’t have faith in the Dodgers, but how can I have faith in a team that seems defeated even before the start of the game?
Plus, with so many injuries, it’s giving too much of an advantage to a team that not only seeks and needs to win, but also wants to humiliate and they do so in every turn at bat and in every out they get…
The Dodgers have too many delicate pussycats, when what they need is a fucking lion!
I’m sick of so many smiles, hugs and kisses to every player from the opposing team that reaches base.
It’s still possible, remember when they were down 1-3 against Atlanta, and they ended up winning the World Series!
It doesn’t matter if Machado ran inside or wherever he wants, they still lost, enough with the stupid excuses!
It seems like Muncy and Smith need to adjust but are unwilling or unable to do so. Muncy has hit some balls hard but they’ve been right at a fielder but most of the time it feels like you can predict how the at bat will go. He looks at strike one, misses the next pitch and then they go up the ladder on him. It feels similar to when Puig was on the team and would have two strikes – here come the sliders away. Smith seems to be trying to pull everything. Until he tries to go the other way or up the middle the pitchers won’t have to adjust. I was impressed by Pages second at bat. He fought off pitches. Too few of the Dodger hitters seem to do so. Walker definitely deserved better. He didn’t miss many bats and needs to find a new pitch or something but his defense didn’t help him. Hopefully the team can jump on Cease early. If they get the win tonight the Padres will need to start another pitcher on short rest or pitch a guy they didn’t want to pitch tonight.
Since it is just a crapshoot, maybe Roberts just fired them up for the wrong game. I know he is very inspiring. Thought all in all Walker pitched pretty well, just poor defensive decisions killed him . Muncy’s 3 outcomes aren’t working.
The Padres seem to have built a roster to make them better for the crapshoot’ how is that possible? Friedman plays chess while Preller plays checkers. Hope we can pull one off the next two but does look grim. We are enjoying the best Dodger baseball ever.
I hear people say that Friedman knows how to build a roster for the regular season but can’t build a playoff roster. How do you do that? It makes no sense! I think it boils down to a couple of things:
1. Approach to hitting; and
2. Approach to pitching.
If the Dodgers lose to the Padres, I have a very thought-provoking blog coming up on these two subjects.
We are enjoying the best Dodger baseball ever.
The postseason now is just a glorfied tournament. You very well may have all 3 divisions winners gone by tonight.
Face it,it IS a crapshoot….
That said we will see you Friday night in LA!
Yes. Yes. And, yes.
The Dodgers have only three problems so far:
1. They can’t hit;
2. They can’t pitch; and
3. They can’t field.
Other than that, all is fine!
lol, that is for sure
Hey, Claude Osteen! We could sure use Claude Osteen right about now. I will always remember how he came through in game 3 of the ’65 series after Don and Sandy got beaten in games 1 and 2.
I was also thinking about how we were down to the Braves 3-1 in the ’20 NLCS and came back to beat them. Of course, that was the covid year and games were played in the bubble.
It’s not impossible, but…
We’ve had MANY 2 game winning streaks during the season.
Couple weeks ago we lost a heartbreaker to SD and came back and won the next 2.
KEEP. THE. FAITH.
The kid from ETSU just may surprise yall tonight!
I swear what I tell you is a true story, (I’ll try to make it short):
I was assigned to Washington D.C. for 3 year period between 2014 and 2016. I had this assignment dealing with border issues with foreign counterparts. There was a guy that flew in from Kuwait (where he was assigned at the US Embassy)that was going to brief us on Customs matters in the Middle East. I had not pay much attention to his name but should have recognized it.
Into the room walked the spitting image of Claude Osteen. Long story short, it was his son Eric.
He was a really nice guy. We had lunch that day and he told me stories of family bbq’s at their home in Brea, CA where Koufax and Drysdale were flipping burgers and telling dirty jokes with his dad. He grew up mainly in Texas where his father was traded (remember the Jimmy Wynn trade?).
Ok, back to playoff baseball. I’m hoping that as the series gets longer, the bats wake up as the guys see the same pitchers over and over. Cease is certainly hittable. We get to game 5 and there will be Darvish again.
Perhaps Casperius is the arm that shows up today to give us 3-4 innings of solid relief.
The Dodgers absolutely build the team to win the regular season. They prioritize quality positional depth (Kike, Rojas, Taylor, …) which overcome injuries that every team faces over the course of the long season. Unfortunately, depth does not pay dividends in the playoffs bc these players are on the bench. The alternative strategy is to sacrifice high quality depth for players who can perform in the playoffs.
— we’re getting no power or clutch hitting from 3/4 infielders: Lux, Muncy, and Rojas.
Id counter that with what is SD getting from Arraez Croneworth and Boeagerts?
Margins are slim, someone was going to be up 2-1 at this point, but this aint over yet.
Burn the Ships at this point boys!!!
… and who are those players?
Tatis, Merrill, and Machado are performing. Ohtani, Muncy, and Betts are not
The Padres have hit 8 HR. The Dodgers have hit 4.
The Padres are supposed to have less swing and miss, and more basehits, but they’re homering more.
You can’t fire the players who are choking so you have to fire the coaches… if this keeps up. Hopefully, it won’t!
Bullshit If you don’t win in the regular season you aren’t in the playoffs.
You don’t think the Madres were trying to catch us and win the division in the West? Ridiculous
I will add to that that attitude is what I would call sports writer attitude. The attitude that you’re smarter than the guys that play coach and actually run baseball.
The Dodgers have come back from the dead before. Why not now! Suck it up Boys.
Book em
Many past Dodger world series winners had pitching heroes. 1955 had Johnny Podres, ’59 was Larry Sherry, ’63 and ’65 were Koufax, 1988 was Orel. I don’t see a pitching hero on this team.
You forgot 2020, Urias.
No one gave us a chance down 3-1 to the might Braves.
Stick with these guys they might shock everyone and win this thing.
People have commented on Muncy’s approach. Well part of it is not swinging at pitches out of the zone ( which I guess is everyones idea). Of course in playoffs you are facing guys who throw more strikes. So that presents a problem for him.
It all boils down to this:
The Dodgers have the worst team ERA of any team left in the playoffs with a 7.27 ERA in the Division Series. The Phillies are at 6.23 (remember, they were the envy of all the playoff teams because of their great starting pitching?) The Padres are 3rd worst with a 4.50 ERA.
The Dodgers are 6th in OPS with .620, while the Padres are first with a .854 OPS. Now, this is just based on three games, and it could all change tonight and the 5th game, but they’re here because they can’t get anyone out, and all they do is make outs. That’s hyperbole, but not far from the truth.
If it keeps up and the Dodgers lose, I put this squarely on Prior and Van Socyoc!
Yesterday, the Glendale Dessert Dogs played their first game and won 15-13.
Of note, Jake Gelof, Sean McLain (Reds SS little brother), and Zyhir Hope all played. We will talk about the AFL in due time.
I don’t blame Prior. I believe Henrique’s gave up 3 runs in the 10 -2 blowout (annd clearly wasn’t ready for prime time), and if Rojas flips the ball to Lux, San Diego scores maybe 2 runs last night.
Alanna Rizzo is not happy:
The Dodgers rolled the dice on Glasnow and Yamamoto and unfortunately they did not pan out. Those are the 2 frontline pitchers needed to playoffs.
Had the Dodgers acquired Cease, we’d be in better shape, bc it would have blocked the Pads too.
The Padres gave up 4 good prospects for Cease, including RHPs Drew Thorpe (who made his debut this year/3-3), Jairo Iriarte (100 MPH Reliever), and Steven Wilson (Steven Wilson is a 27-year-old rookie with a very captivating pitch profile. His primary offering is a riding, mid-90s fastball delivered with good extension and from a low vertical approach angle. His breaking ball is a bullet slider that he honed with the help of technology). They also got Samuel Zavala, regarded as one of the best pure hitters in the 2020-21 international class. They gave up a lot, and I am not sure the Dodgers could have matched (healthy) players.
I haven’t had much to add to the conversation for a while. The Dodgers ended the season with the best record in baseball. Despite all the arms going down.
Kersh
Glasnow
Stone
Bazooka
River
Sheehan
Grove having a disaster of a sophomore season
There was a guy with Buehler on his jersey who made some starts. But it wasn’t the guy we knew before.
We thought we’d get one or both of May/Gonsolin back. We got neither.
We lost Mookie and Max for nearly half the season.
Yet, they managed to have the best record in baseball.
All that said… every season comes to this point.
One game
Great teams find a way to win one game. And when they win that one they find a way to do it one more time. And then one more time. There is no tomorrow. Only today.
This game will have repercussions. Either way. Either it lights a fire in the belly of the clubhouse and puts the team on track to burn through the rest of the NL on the way to the WS or it becomes the catalyst for some major changes.
Like Mark, I’ll save my thoughts on that until it’s relevant.
Right now our boys need to dig deep. Grind. Find a way. Look at two strikes down the middle? Not today. Chase a ball 6 inches off the plate. Not today. Feel the pressure of the moment? Not today. Play baseball without passion? Not today.
Do I have a lot more thoughts regarding the future of the Dodgers? Not today.
There is only today.
https://youtu.be/VrKEVZcSxNM?si=HRQvZGmEQPgCQdNP
Amen… avoid the Abyss
I agree about Van Socyoc and Prior. And if this bullpen game works, keep doing it every game. I bet the bullpen doesn’t give up a six spot before the 3rd. We really need to navigate the first 3 innings a lot better than we are now.
Book em
9:08 PM ET
Dodgers (98-64)
Padres (93-69)
SP Ryan Brasier R ( opener)
1-0 3.54 ERA
SP Dylan Cease R
14-11 3.47 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
3B Max Muncy L
C Will Smith R
2B Gavin Lux L
SS Tommy Edman S
CF E. Hernandez R
68° Wind 6 mph L-R
Will this be the last lineup posting in 2024?
Maybe… maybe not!
Indecision may or may not be part of my problem.
5 words I can clearly hear ……..It’s time for Dodger baseball. CHEERS.
Another division winner finds themselves down 1-2 after Detroit beat Cleveland earlier today 3-0. Go figure!
Freeman scratched from the lineup Muncy to 1B Hernandez to 3B Taylor to center
Congrats to the Mets, but I have to say that getting 5 innings, 2-hits, and 1 run from Jose Quintana makes me think something is seriously wrong with how we assemble pitching staffs.
Quintana has a career ERA of 3.74. He was 10-10 this year with a 3.75 ERA, but in the playoffs, he is not scored upon in 11 innings. Riddle me that! 😉
1. This team this year has responded well when they have their backs to the wall.
2. Three division winners are already done and two others (Dodgers and Guardians) are on the brink. This playoff format, for whatever reason, continues to be hard on division winners. We may have the Mets, Tigers, and Royals in championship series. Who had that on their bingo card?
3. Dodger position players as a group are old and not particularly athletic. Can’t help but wonder if that makes them more susceptible to injuries.
4. I think Dodgers need a philosophical change in their organization – win or lose in this series. Interested to hear Mark discuss this after the season. The Padres have a different approach to hitting – more contact, low strikeout totals, less emphasis on lift. The Diamondbacks have prioritized young athletic players with an emphasis on speed. Is it possible the bio mechanical approach to maximizing spin and velocity is contributing to the epidemic of pitching injuries on this team? It is a baseball problem but that problem is an epidemic, so to speak, in the Dodger organization.
5. Dodgers have had success against Cease. The most reliable part of this pitching staff has been their pen. I like their chances tonight. If their offense is as good as we think they will rise to the occasion.
Division champ Phillies out
I thought Dave Dombrowski was a freaking genius!
Mookie!!!
Unleash the Kracken!
Cease and Desist!
There will be a Game 5!
It’s only the 5th inning
Now it’s the 7th!
Everyone remember to breathe.
My breathing has been fine! 😉
How can you not love Max Muncy?
Ugh Taylor
Well Damn, the offense showed up! Love Taylor to death, but you gotta start Paces on Friday, also make sure Kike is in there! For some reason I just feel better when he is in a playoff lineup, dude is made for it.
Look at the pitching box score, with the exception of Vesia who threw30 pitches , Roberts kept everyone else to an acceptable pitch count, with the day off tomorrow, they should all be available on Friday, wish all the Doc haters would look behind the scenes and see he has actually grown alot as a manager . Pretty much got all the high leverage guys ready to go if Yamamoto starts out bad . With Mookie getting on track, starting to feel pretty cool about Friday, just gotta solve Darvish somehow.
I agree, Roberts deserves credit; however, Roberts is just a piece of the consortium who established the pitching alignment for this “bullpen game.”
I am not a Roberts hater or lover, but please!!!!!!. The hitters HIT, the pitchers pitched!!! It was an easy game to manage.
He absolutely deserves credit.
There is a game at Dodger Stadium.
I’ve said what I needed to.
https://youtu.be/gAMjyYE_etk?si=-KKvzMEWe_wOfbw6
Not sorry.
Heart of a champion.
That was fun, lets do it all again on Friday night!!!
You start Yama, Jack, or just run the Bullpen game back????
Bullpen game