It was July 12, 2024, and the Dodgers had just been swept by the Phillies. Everyone, and I mean damn near “EVERYONE” was saying that the Dodgers were crap, could NEVER win, WOULD NEVER WIN, etc., etc. So, as I am prone to EVERY YEAR because this is what you do EVERY YEAR (You go batshit crazy when the Dodgers look bad for a sustained period), you act like you have never watched baseball before. You can only see what is in front of you. You have sight… but no vision! So, on July 12, 2024, I wrote this:
So, the Dodgers were swept by the Phillies, proving (according to some) that the Dodgers are a bunch of chokers and losers and will never win anything. I would say that if you believe that, you are probably jumping to the wrong conclusion. I can’t help you! It seems that most Dodger fans can look at this in one of two ways:
— Mark Timmons – July 12, 2024
1. This team is not good enough to compete for a World Championship. However, that would ignore the fact that the Dodgers have the 2nd best record in the NL behind the Phillies who (right now) seem to have everything going their way; or
2. The Dodgers have more injuries than any team in baseball and also have three players who are hitting at their worst… EVER! They have two All-Stars (including a player who was in the running for NL MVP) on the IL as well as a full starting rotation and more on the IL.
So, it seems that many fans will gravitate to #1. Why? They always assume the worst.. even if the facts don’t support it. “Damn, the facts… my mind is made up, and I can’t be confused by the facts!” Yeah, I feel you!
However, a rational person could say that the Dodgers are going through a rough stretch, and they have a huge number of players on the IL and a few underperforming players, and while it is not great right now… the cavalry will arrive soon.
This happens every damn year. The Dodgers stumble, and many fans lose their minds, saying they won’t win 100 games or make the playoffs… but then they do. However, in the last three postseasons, they have not done well. I am going to tell you why this year is different. This year, Dave Roberts is running a Country Club. The team is very good; after all, with all of the adversity, they still have the 2nd best record in the National League. But, this year is different in that the team is just focused on getting to the playoffs… not winning a set number of games. At some point in time… probably in August, these guys will have a team meeting, and everyone will unite around a common goal, and that is winning the 2024 World Series.
Dave Roberts said this: “They’re obviously playing much better baseball than we are right now. They’re clearly a stronger team at this moment.” He went on to say: “We didn’t perform well in this series. Our starting pitching, defense, base running, situational hitting, and getting hits— we were outplayed in every aspect.”
There is no avoiding the truth. The Dodgers were thoroughly outmatched by a Phillies team that currently appears superior in nearly every way. Los Angeles’ offense was limited to just five runs, and none of their starting pitchers lasted more than five innings, continuing a troubling trend from the past few weeks. Offensively, the Dodgers are without Mookie Betts, who was arguably the favorite to win the NL MVP Award before suffering a fractured left hand on June 16. They’re also without Max Muncy, who last played on May 15 due to a strained right oblique. Even with some inconsistencies, Muncy provides a constant presence in the middle of the lineup that allows other hitters to slide down in the order.
Those are reasons, not excuses, and the Dodgers need to play better. They will also get some injured players back, but who and when remains to be seen. The Dodgers will be players at the deadline; who they target and who they get are mysteries to us. With a seven-game lead over the Padres, the Dodgers do not feel a sense of urgency. Last year, the Rangers needed to win the final game of the season to win their division, and they lost. They backed into the playoffs, but that loss did not define their season. Getting swept by the Phillies in July does not define the Dodgers either.
I remember the 1988 Dodgers, who were 1-11 against the Mets in the regular season, but in the playoffs, that meant nothing. This team will be galvanized together soon enough, and you will see some spectacular play. Sometimes, these kinds of blips in the road end up forming the character of the team. It’s a process, and the Dodgers know what just happened. They will remember. This series was a strange one. The Phillies got some soft contact that turned into hits, and the way the game ended was emblematic of what this series was about. Patience Grasshoppers! In their last 44 games, the Dodgers are 22-22. This too, shall pass. Should they have traded this guy?
IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN, THEY WENT ON TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES IN 2024! There is a lack of urgency RIGHT NOW, and things are going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about, but at the right time, Doc will go to the whip, and you are going to see this POWERHOUSE rise from the ashes. Remember who told you!
In conclusion, I got some bad news on Friday. I knew that I had to have shoulder surgery, I just did not know how bad it was: I have to have a full Right Shoulder replacement, which is a big deal. I’ll get through it, but it sucks… at least for a while. I am still around – I just have other things to focus on.
Where’s Andrew Vincent Forte?
I’m ready
Mookie back in the leadoff spot today, Ohtani hitting second then Hernandez, Freeman, Edman, Rojas, Pages, Ruiz and Rushing with Kersh pitching against Quintana.
It’s interesting to see that Conforto has the second best batting average since July 3rd. The question is how sustainable is that. Does AF look for someone else? And if it’s not a real difference maker (someone like Kwan), is it really worth doing.
That’s what’s needed, to shake up the lineup a bit, I would only put Pages first and then Rojas.
If they don’t win today, at least there will have been a change, trying something different, I think is the right way
Nice to see those performances from Jackson and Wrobo last night, especially if Andrew decides he needs to use some of our excess young pitching in trades within the next couple of weeks.
These are the type of prospects that might appeal to teams if we want to go after Kwan, Clase, Duran (Twins closer), Duran (Red Sox outfielder), Fairbanks, etc.
The game finally reached the 5th inning, so that’s progress… Enough for today, now you can do what you’ve been doing: Playing like shit! No wait, they started right from the previous inning…
Man, you are miserable being a Dodger fan. Take up ballet!
So the Dodgers won 2 world series out of the last 10 (most of which they should have won, at least on paper)? Big deal. The Dodger’s biggest issue is BAD PITCHING MANAGEMENT, i.e., “let’s arbitrarily pull out the pitcher the other team can’t hit, and cycle through our pitchers until we find the guy who is off today and who can give up 6 runs (and the game).” This is no different than 4 years ago, when Roberts would bring in Flores with the bases loaded in the 7th, and have him give up 5 runs (usually only 2 of which he was charged with); only the pitchers’ names have changed. I fail to see why, seemingly, every single other team in baseball has every year better pitching performance than the dodgers; to me, the issue is clear – raise the bar for how the pitching staff is BEING MANAGED … and the result will be that the dodgers will win a bigger percentage of games against the quality opponents (e.g., Brewers? 0-6 this year; Astros? 0-3 this year).