After a productive NL Wild Card Series against the Reds (two homers, four RBIs), Shohei Ohtani has gone just 2-for-25 (.080) with two RBIs, five walks, and 12 strikeouts in six games since the beginning of the NLDS. So, yesterday Ohtani hit five rounds of batting practice on the field at Dodger Stadium in an effort to break out of his slump. Shohei rarely hits on the field, opting instead to hit out of spectators’ view in the batting cages located in the bowels of Dodger Stadium. Hopefully, that will break the slump. Fortunately, a few teammates have picked him up, and Mr. October is hitting .571 in the NLCS!
Shohei played the beginning of him NL career for the lowly Angels who always watch the playoffs at home and rarely have a winning record. Hitters have lots of meetings and practice and the same is with the pitchers. Shohei may be close to being Superman, but he’s still just one player, trying to do two jobs. I don’t think pitching and hitting are sustainable all season in the future. I am not sure how you balance it, but I will say that if Ohtani focused on hitting, he would be even better offensively than he has been in the past: Think “Triple Crown.”
I have a feeling we could see Clayton Kershaw today or tomorrow. The Brewers are like a cornered animal – they are dangerous and you don’t know where they might strike. The Dodgers need to come out tonight and just step on their throats. Do not let them feel any hope. Three teams have come back from a 0-2 deficit in the NLCS, and just one team has come back from a 0-2 start in the ALCS. Only one team in MLB history has come back from a 0-3 deficit – the 2024 Boston Red Sox with the thief Dave Roberts.
Tonight’s game is the most important one of this series – either Milwaukee will realize they are on life support or they will start breathing again. The Dodgers need to come out with bats blazing, and Tyler Glasnow needs to pitch the game of his life – NO PRESSURE!
The Farm
The Arizona Fall League is in full swing. Payton Martin pitched two innings and allowed one hit and one BB to get the win. Logan Wagner was 0-3 at 1B. The Glendale Desert Dogs (which the Dodgers Prospects play for) have two wins against three losses. Many Dodger players on the roster, including Josue DePaula, have not played. They are either injured or coaches are working with them one-on-one. It has been rumored (but not confirmed) that the Dodgers are converting DePaula to 1B, so as to take over for Freddie Freeman in 2028 (Freddie will be 38 at that time). DePaula should be close to ready in 2028, but you never know.
Duke was discussing the Mookie Betts trade, which certainly looks like a steal right about now. However, Mookie is signed through 2032, when he will be 39 and make $33 million. I can see that the contract will eventually need to be eaten at some point. I thought Mookie would play SS for a year or two, but I can see him there at least three more years before he moves to 2B.
However, it should be noted that the Prospects traded for Betts were Top Dodger Prospects, but not Top MLB Prospects. Jeter Downs and Conner Wong were never Top 100 Prospects by Baseball America, and Alex Verduge was ranked #35. Friedman swindled the Red Sox. I think it is vital that the Dodgers hang on to as many top prospects as possible. The only way I would trade some is if I were getting another Top Prospect (who has maybe graduated to MLB). Let me give you an example: The Nationals could certainly use a good catcher with a power bat. They are in a rebuilding phase, so how about this kind of trade:
Dalton Rushing, Zyhir Hope, and Alex Freeland for James Woods. Maybe Jackson Ferris would have to be included, but James Woods could be a stud in RF for the Dodgers for a long time. That’s the only way I would trade these types of prospects. I’m not saying the Nats would do it. Just spitballing!
Breaking News: Dodgers Winning Another World Series Could Lead to Extended Lockout
JP Hoornstra penned an article for SI.com, which states (in part):
“The Dodgers’ $350 million payroll (per Spotrac) figures to be a key data point in the collective bargaining negotiations looming after the 2026 season.
— JP Hoonstra
The expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association is expected to be met with a lockout on the owners’ part. The owners have for decades tried to use collective bargaining to implement a salary cap that fixes how much of revenues go to players, and are expected to do so again.
Why should MLB institute a salary cap for the first time? The Dodgers might have some input into that question.
If the Dodgers win the World Series again, writes ESPN’s Jeff Passan, “MLB owners — who already were vocal publicly and even more so privately about Los Angeles spending as much as the bottom six teams in payroll combined this year — will likely cry foul even louder.”
Is what’s good for the Dodgers bad for the baseball industry? That’s what Passan believes owners will try to argue.
“Already, MLB is expected to lock out players upon the agreement’s expiration,” Passan wrote. “Back-to-back championships by the Dodgers could embolden MLB and add to a chorus of fans who see a (salary) cap as a panacea for the plague of big-money teams monopolizing championships over the past decade.”
It’s simply not true that money buys championships. If that were the case, the New York Mets ($342.4 million payroll, second in MLB) would have made a World Series under owner Steve Cohen. The New York Yankees ($305.2 million, third) would not be enduring a 16-year championship drought.
The Milwaukee Brewers ($121.7 million payroll, 22nd), Seattle Mariners ($164.3 million payroll, 15th) and Toronto Blue Jays ($255.3 million payroll, fifth) still have a chance to knock off the Dodgers this month. That’s hardly a picture that points to the need for a salary cap.
Throw in the fact that no team has won back-to-back championships in a quarter-century, and any attempt to use the Dodgers’ success to justify a salary cap is merely a cherry-picked data point that benefits MLB’s cheapest owners.
Get those owners in a negotiating room, and the least convenient facts to their argument will carry little weight. The Dodgers draft well, have enviable stability in the manager’s office and executive suite, and signed their closer for $760,000 — less than two other teams were willing to commit.
None of those components of the Dodgers’ success has anything to do with their player payroll. Expect the players’ union to remind baseball’s small-market owners of those facts in a year.”
Lets win today!!!!
And a 3PM local start time sucks for local LA fans….
Good for the Uk fans tho!! Although I’m in Spain for a lil R&R.
Few glasses of Sangria and some nice Tapas before a midnight start time here.
I know it won’t make me popular to say this again l, but Kershaw (my favourite Dodger of all time)) is in danger of becoming a distraction is I feared he would.
Emmet Sheehan is a far better bet to do the piggy backing, or Wrobo for that matter. We also have Caspa. After his showing coming outta the Pen against the Phillies he shouldn’t be on the roster. Any one else would have been jettisoned .
Doc couldn’t bring himself to remove him after his one inning high wire act in game 3. Was anyone really pleased to see Clayton coming out for another inning?? And he got torched and everyone felt bad about it, especially the great man himself, and once again we saw Clayton trudging from the mound looking very disconsolate. A sight we have all seen too often. No more please.
I’m reading commentators suggesting he should start a game 4 should we win tonight!! I mean, WTF!!! This is the NLCS against a dangerous opponent. Just win.
The only time I wanna see Clayton coming outta the Bullpen gates is in a laugher in game 4 of the World Series with a 3-0 lead
to pitch the 9th inning. Now that would be cool.
He is not a reliever as he’s shown, he’s a Starter who’s had a great season, but unfortunately we have 4 Studs filling that role, and better options in long, and definitely Short relief.!
All the BP arms are well rested including Roki. Show no mercy.
Kershaw was 11-2 This season, let him start Game four. He isn’t much behind the other starters. The big guy has earned the right to start game 4. If a pitcher with a record of 11-2 this season a HOF pitcher for the same ogainzation then that shows a lack of loyalty. I realize that I be the only poster that thinks Kershaw should start.I would bet a large amount of money against Kershaw won’t start, but I would hope I lose the bet. I think the Dodger’s players and fans would love to see him start and walk off the hill with a playoff clinching game.
No love for Yoshinobu Yamamoto after his masterpiece? Damn.
Lots of people on this blog praised Yamamoto after his last start. In fact, I wrote:
The Dodgers are not going to allow Glasnow, Ohtani, and Snell to pitch complete games… nor should they. High spin rate and high velocity make guys more prone to injury when adrenaline is pumping in high-leverage situations. Yamamoto has six pitches and can get by without the 98 MPH fastball more easily.
That’s the rear-view mirror. I’m looking out the windshield!
6pm pretty sweet for us east coast guys
Im an East Coast guy. 8PM is better all the way around….
Based on the first two games of the National League Championship Series, here are the total aggregate batting averages and OPS for the Dodgers’ 1-4 and 5-9 lineup spots.
Dodgers’ 1-4 aggregate stats
The Dodgers’ top four hitters have struggled to find consistent offense, though Freddie Freeman has been productive.
Combined Batting Average: .152 (5 hits in 33 at-bats)
Combined OPS: .480
Dodgers’ 5-9 aggregate stats
The bottom half of the lineup has been more productive, notably hitting three of the four Dodgers home runs in the series so far.
Combined Batting Average: .243 (9 hits in 37 at-bats)
Combined OPS: .732
What Snell and Yamamoto did was historic. No one should” expect” another pitching performance as dominant. After all, this is THE series to see who goes to the World Series and with an 0-2 record the Brewers will be at the height of focus. Their talent level is the highest or they wouldn’t be here, the data has been exhaustively studied, and the “luck” – if you believe that applies – is at a premium.
GO GO GO DODGERS!!!!
Blue Jays laid it on the Mariners last night. So far, no home team has won in these LCS battles. Let’s hope the Dodgers break that trend tonight. I trust Glasnow a lot more now than I did a month ago.
My wife surprised me with reservations at a new hot restaurant/distillery at 6 PM tonight – I have tried to train her to do this around the Dodgers, but she is untrainable.
https://hardtruth.com/
So, I will be watching the first few innings on my phone. Thankfully, she is better company than you guys. 😉
Change it to tomorrow….
Family first. Waited 1.5 hours to watch game with son pre-recorded. Was worth it.
6:10 ET
Brewers (97-65) (0-2)
Dodgers (93-69) (2-0)
SP Andy Ashby (opener)
0-0 4.26 ERA
SP Tyler Glasnow R
4-3 3.19 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
SS Mookie Betts R
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
2B Tommy Edman S
RF T. Hernandez R
3B Max Muncy L
LF E. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
74° Wind 8 mph Out
Today is my 79th Birthday. In past years there have been Dodgers post season victories that have made my day even better. I hope that the boys in blue do it again today.
GoDodgers!
Hoping you get to celebrate a W
Happy Birthday Bob
You’ve been posting here a long time.
Thank you Watford
Can’t remember when exactly when I started, probably around 1999 or 2000.
I hope we all enjoy this post season and get to watch our Dodgers repeat as World Champions. Best to you my friend.
Happy birthday, bud.
Thanks Brian
Happy b-day, Spokane Bob! Libras rule! And you get another Dodger W as a present.
Now it’s up to Shohei to close out a sweep. The Dodgers are Goliath, but I don’t think the Brewers are a David. A fine team, but obviously overmatched. …
Great to read that the Dodgers have gotten De Paula a 1B glove. Seems overdue considering the mediocre reviews of his OF ability–especially compared to OF peers like Hope, Sirota, Quintero, Tibbs, etc. (Tibbs has also played 1B, which is great because De Paula could be the next Cartaya.)
As for the Mookie trade….
Will he age gracefully and still produce at age 39? Impossible to know, but many all-time greats still delivered quality play in their later years. At any rate, the risk was always baked into the deal–and AF thought it was worth it. Pretty common with long-term superstar deals these days..
And did any of us know that Mookie was really the Dodgers’ shortstop of the future? That’s the cherry on top.
Thanks Duke
We enjoyed the game.
This ump has been the worst ump we’ve seen in this series if the box on the TV is any real indication. Both in calling close balls strikes and close strikes balls.
Weren’t there some on here even halfway through the season that we’re still wishing that Mookie would go back to right field?
No question. They evaporated!
In preparation for the inevitable complications from the rest of the league and calls for a cap, I wanted to share this chart. I hope it works
file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/c7/07/D13FD4F0-FD07-434A-8D57-CE7FB5EC58D9/GnOInifXcAA4gwr.JPEG
Ohtani does not need a jump start. What he needs is better pitch recognition and a much more disciplined approach at the plate. His triple was a fluke. He barely made contact with the ball. He hasn’t really crushed a ball since the series with the Reds. But they are up 3-0. He can concentrate on pitching tomorrow and end this.
Sorry, it did not work. Here is the bottom line: dodger player salaries are at 52% of revenue if you don’t add the luxury tax . That is not at the top of the league. Some will complain the our revenue is high due to the market, but the other 5 teams sharing the three largest markets are not creating the revenue the dodgers are. Not enough credit goes to staff and ownership success in other areas (marketing, draft, development, etc.) . This is not just about spending more, though the haters will boil it down to that.
The Lux Tax is going to be about $150 million, so that is significant.
What I always think about when it comes to complaint that the Dodgers “spend too much” is that ALL the teams are owned by multi billionaires. Companies, families or partnerships. They could spend more money on free agents, they simply do not. The Yankees and Mets have been mega spenders and they didn’t get in/didn’t go far. The Mariner and the Brewers are smaller market teams and they DID get far in the playoffs.
So really? It’s not about a simple as more money = championships. If that were true wouldn’t there have been multiple repeat champion teams in the last 25 years? It’s all about an entire baseball organization being outstandingly managed. The Dodgers are, many others are not.
Plaschkes latest article in the LA Times just gave the Brewers and everyone else some great bulletin board fodder. What an idiot.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-10-16/dodgers-best-team-postseason-history-nlcs-brewers
Mark’s proposed trade for James Woods is an intriguing idea.
I wonder what other players should be on the Dodgers’ shopping list.
The Nationals are NOT trading James Wood. Keep dreaming!
Big night for the bullpen! the much maligned bullpen was fantastic last night. the best part? no base on balls were issued by the 4 relievers! The starter wasn’t bad either! …. Tonight is it! ohtani has an opportunity to keep this incredible run going! I look for him to pitch 7 strong innings. Who knows, maybe he homers. i’m sure that’s some kind of history if he does. …. I believe Pat Murphy has pulled every single strategic move he can with his pitching staff. openers, starters, relievers, it’s worked to a certain extent but it’s falling short. I’m not sure ge shouldn’t have started Miseroski instead of the opener, but it’s his choice not mine! Murphy is a great competitor as a manager. he is adamant in defending his team as he should be. i don’t buy into the “average Joe” stuff he preaches though. that’s a very good team. Lot of the media questions what’s wrong with the lineup and their “slumping “ at the plate. DODGER PITCHING!! that’s what’s wrong! ….. End it today! don’t give this Milwaukee team any air! they are still dangerous. … If they do end it today, that will give them a chance to be very rested and fresh for the world series. I thought playing Seattle would be the best way to go. But i kinda like playing the first 2 on the road, getting at least 1 win and finishing it in LA! Either way is fantastic! But, finish the job today first!!
Cant argue with any of this!! Spot on.
Can’t argue with any of Murphy’s pitching moves. They score 1 run in 2 games, that’s not going to win any games.
We scored a few flukey runs off them last nite