Hindsight is 20/20
Vision is Rare
Foresight is often just luck
After last night’s bullpen meltdown, everyone is calling for the Dodgers to trade for an entirely new bullpen and gut the farm system to get Will Smith, Brad Hand, Filipe Vazquez, and Jose Leclerc… for starters. I will tell you right now that the odds of getting two of those relievers are none and getting one is slim. So, the odds are “slim and none.”
Pitching, whether it be starting or relief is problematic and hardly predictable. I can show you ten examples of where a key trade was made for a rotation or bullpen arm and the results were a disaster, but you can show me ten more examples where the results were great. That’s hindsight… even Ray Charles can see that.
When Houston acquired Justin Verlander at the waiver deadline in 2017, who knew that he would simply resurrect his career that appeared headed down the toilet? As Verlander hit his early 30’s he was “up and down” and in 2014 he put up a 4.64 ERA. In 2017, he had a 3.82 ERA with Detroit at the time of the trade, but after he came to Houston, his ERA was 1.06! Did anyone really think he would do that? Was it foresight or just dumb luck?
In 13 years with Detroit, Justin Verlander had a 3.49 ERA. With Houston, his ERA is 2.40 and he’s 36 years old. His WHIP with Detroit was 1.146, with the Astros it is 0.829! How can you see that coming? We might have a clue: the Astros allegedly have the best pitching analytics in baseball and Justin is now pitching to his strengths as well as hitters’ weaknesses. Was it just the system and coaching?
Remember Jim Johnson from 2015? “Yeah, Friedman was an idiot for trading for him!” Hindsight! It’s 20/20. I would submit to you that there was more evidence Jim Johnson would be a good reliever for the Dodgers that there was evidence that Justin Verlander would be Superman. From 2011 to 2013, Jim Johnson put us three straight years of sub 3.00 ERA pitching in Camden Yards (the best hitters park in baseball) and had back-to-back years with 50+ saves.
In 2014, like many relievers tend to do, he struggled, but in 2015, he put up a 2.25 ERA for Atlanta (another launching pad). The expectation was that he would be a solid piece for the Dodgers and that was a reasonable expectation. Well, we all know he as a disaster as he put up a 10.13 ERA for the Blue. However, the very next year, he went back to Atlanta and posted a 3.06 ERA over 65 innings. Go figure!
If Andrew Friedman trades for a bullpen arm RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW, he is going to pay an unconscionable premium. That is guaranteed. If you are buying in a seller’s market, you will overpay and overpay dearly. Cleveland will trade Brad Hand, if AF made them an offer they can’t refuse. Verdugo, Ruiz, and May would get the job done. Now, if Cleveland drops out of contention at the trade deadline, the price will be much more palatable.
Andrew Friedman may not always get the right guy… and the “Can’t Play in the Bright Lights of LA Factor” is something to consider, but I will guarantee this: He won’t make a dope-fiend move. I am pretty sure Sborz and Chargois have tickets back to OKC already. More internal options will be explored: Gonsolin? Maybe. Kasowski? Possibly! Remember that in another few weeks Julio Urias will pitch 5 to 7 innings as they slowly ramp him up. That also changes everything.
Rich Hill will also be back from a flexor tendon strain, which is not related to the UCL. However, maybe less stress on his arm would be good. He has volunteered to pitch in relief before. Could we see him in the pen? I think he is fully capable of re-inventing himself as a relief specialist. He will likely be back in 4 or 5 weeks.
Parting Shot
What Andrew Friedman is doing by stockpiling and growing the farm system will keep the Dodgers in the hunt for a World Series for many years to come. The Dodgers have been to the last two World Series … and lost! However, you can’t win if you don’t get there. Some of it is just pure, blind luck and having the stars align. The Dodgers are due for some of that and it all starts by just getting there.
Minor League Report by DC
Seven minor league starters pitched 33.2 innings giving up only 7 runs.
DSL Dodgers Bautista 2- DSL Marlins 3
Left-hander Christian Suarez started and pitched 5 scoreless innings on 4 hits with no walks and 5 strikeouts. In his 15 innings pitched in 2019 he has posted a 0.60 ERA and 0.73 WHIP with 14 strikeouts and 2 walks. Duany Gomez gave up all three runs in his 2 innings pitched while Axel Acevedo had 2 scoreless innings.
The Dodgers had only 4 hits with catcher Jenderson Jardines’ double the only extra base hit.
DSL Dodgers Shoemaker 3 – DSL Red Sox (2) 6
Seventeen-year-old Carlos Duran continued his hot start with 3 scoreless innings on 2 hits and 5 strikeouts. In his 16 innings this year he has a 0.56 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP with 7 walks and 18 strikeouts. Samuel Reuben pitched 2 scoreless innings while Jose Mendez and Juan De La Cruz gave up 3 runs between them. Isaac Rodriguez took the loss with 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Dodgers had only 4 hits, 2 by catcher Nelson Quiroz.
AZL Dodgers Mota and Lasorda were not scheduled.
Ogden Raptors 8 – Orem Owlz 11 (LAA)
Jeronimo Castro followed the pattern for the night with Dodger minor league starters and pitched 4.2 innings giving up 2 runs on 4 hits with 2 strikeouts. Ricardo Hernandez followed Castro and had perhaps the worst outing of his career giving up 5 earned runs while getting only 2 outs in the 5th inning. Hunter Speer, Darien Nunez and Reza Aleaziz pitched the last 4.1 innings giving up 4 more runs with only Nunez escaping with no runs.
Offensively the Raptors scored in all the even innings with one in the 2nd, 4 in the 4th, one in the 6th and 2 in the 8th but 8 wasn’t enough. Catcher Marco Hernandez had 3 hits and 2 RBI while Justin Yurchuk also knocked in 2 with 2 hits and Sam McWilliams had 2 hits.
Great Lakes Loons 0 – Fort Wayne TinCaps 6 (San Diego)
Niko Hulsizer got the call to the Quakes after the all-star game.
Left-hander John Rooney started for the Loons and extended his scoreless streak to 21.2 innings over 4 starts. In 5 innings he gave up only 2 hits, walked 2 and struck out 5. Rooney’s work was matched by TinCaps starter Joey Cantillo and going into the top of the ninth inning the teams were locked in a scoreless tie. Jose Chacin followed Rooney with a scoreless inning and Mark Washington continued with 2 scoreless frames. Things fell apart in the ninth as Nathan Witt gave up four runs before recording an out. Jasiel Alvino couldn’t stop the bleeding as the TcCaps scored two more for a 6-run inning.
At the plate the Loons had only three singles.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6 – Lancaster JetHawks 7 (Colorado)
Austin Hamilton started and went 4 innings giving up 3 runs while striking out 6. Sven Schueller and Connor Mitchell followed up with 4 scoreless innings. Connor Strain came on in the bottom of the 9th with a 6-3 lead. He left with an injury before throwing a pitch. Max Gamboa perhaps didn’t have sufficient time to warm up replacing Strain. In any event, when he walked off the mound the JetHawks came away with a 7-6 win , the last two runs scoring on wild pitches.
The Quakes struck first in the top of the 1st inning with a Jeren Kendall lead off triple and a Donovan Casey home run. They scored again in the top of the 4th inning to tie the game at three. Niko Hulsizer got his first A+ hit, a single scoring Connor Wong. Kendall tripled again in the 5th to drive in a run and scored on a Devin Mann double. A Marcus Chiu home run sent the game to the bottom of the ninth with the Quakes up 6-3.
Tulsa Drillers 2 – Amarillo Sod Poodles 1 (San Diego)
Drew Avans got promoted from the Quakes to the Drillers.
Edwin Uceta got the call for Tulsa and answered the call with 7 scoreless innings with 3 hits, no walks and 7 strikeouts. Andre Scrubb came on in the 8th inning and served up a home run to pinch hitter Peter Van Gansen to tie the score at one. He set the side down in order in the 9th inning.
Locked in a tight pitching duel, the Drillers scored first in the bottom of the third inning on a Cody Thomas double. Driving in Zach McKinstry who had reached on an error. Tied at one in the bottom of the 9th inning, Gavin Lux came through with a walk-off single scoring Christian Santana who started the inning with a HBP. Carlos Rincon’s ninth-inning single extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games, the longest this season for a Tulsa hitter. Santana, Thomas and McKinstry each had doubles in the game. Oddly, it was the 11th double of the season for all three.
OKC Dodgers 5 – Memphis Redbirds 3 (St. Louis)
Tony Gonsolin got the start and pitched 5 innings with 2 runs, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts. Justin Grimm, Adam McCreery and Shea Spitzbarth combined for two innings with no runs although Spitzbarth had to strand two runners put on by McCreery walks. Spitzbarth then gave up a run in the top of the 8th drawing the Redbirds to within one run of the Dodgers. Kevin Quackenbush claimed the save with a clean 9th inning. The 14 strikeouts by Dodgers pitchers Thursday marked the eighth time this season OKC’s pitching staff recorded 14 or more strikeouts in a game.
Offensively Gonsolin helped his own cause with a RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd inning. They scored again in the 5th on a Connor Joe ground out and added two more in the 6th on a 2-run home run by Edwin Rios. Shane Peterson provided an insurance run with a home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to restore a 2-run lead.
Let the pitching auditions begin! We’ve been through this before, last season. A continuous run-through of our farm hands and arms and the acquired losers like Rosscup, Axford, etc. So far, it is only our farm that we are drawing from and that’s okay. We get to see who is there and what they have. But, they haven’t drawn on the cream of the crop, yet. They are still fooling with Ferguson, Chargois, and Sborz. We’ll probably be seeing Santana, Schulz, and Alvarez, and maybe McCreery. Fine with me. I’m not going to say that any of those players don’t have what it takes because they all have some talent, but the difficulty is mining it and producing it when your name is called. The only guy who has produced at some time is Ferguson and that’s why we have seen him pop in and out of the BP. But seemingly, he is not our answer. Who is? I don’t know. Aside from the names of Gonsolin and May who are not on our 40 man roster and may not be this season, I wonder who else we will see. AC? DC? Mark? Any secrets to be revealed? What might we expect from our farm?
I don’t mind them “fooling with” Chargois, Sborz and the likes. But, I would hardly call Ferguson “fooling with”. He’s 22 years old and has had a lot of success so far. He’s a keeper and is death on lefties. But, the point is you gotta know what you have and you have to give guys auditions so teams can see who they’re trading for. Sborz looked pretty good before he came in for that second inning. Same with Chargois. Either of them can be included in a trade for a better a more established reliever.
There will be many relievers available at the deadline. Some will be elite. Smith and Greene are closers on expiring contracts. Colome and Hand may become available for the right price. I’m pretty confident that we will get another arm that can close games. It’s our biggest need and Friedman always comes through at the deadline.
umm, no, Friedman doesn’t “always come through at the deadline”
last year’s bullpen ‘additions’ are exhibit A
Bobby, maybe ‘attempts to come through at the deadline’ is a better way of saying it. Last year, was a failed attempt. Doesn’t mean this year will be the same, plus we’ve got a different makeup for this team. Lots of new, clean blood. Krukow was very complimentary towards the Dodgers and the FO. He considers them the class of the league.
Pretty sure he acquired Manny last year. That’s coming through in my book since he was arguably THE BIGGEST TARGET at last year’s deadline. Darvish the year before, Hill and Reddick the year before that.
Pretty sure bullpen was a huge need for us and he got us Roscup, Axeford, and Madsen. That’s NOT coming thru in my book, and that is what cost us big in the World Series.
But, I do agree Hill was important for us. I was a HUGE proponent of getting Darvish, and he was fantastic in rounds 1 and 2, and un-fantastic in round 3.
Right now it just seems KJ doesn’t have “swing and miss stuff.” All three outs last night were balls hit to the outfield and thank goodness the Dodger brass had Verdugo and Garlick positioned correctly or else we would be discussing a blown save. Verdugo had a nice jump on the Posey hit to the outfield and off the bat I thought Belt’s batted ball was a base hit down the line (Garlick looks good as a defensive outfielder).
Chargois looked good with a lot of movement on his pitches and Sborz looked good the first inning but the second….well that’s a different story. Leadoff BBs are a killer.
Stripling looked pedestrian. This team needs Kelly to find his groove because teams are going to want a “kings ransom” for RP and I’m so torn to see AF trade guys like Ruiz, May, White for a RP that might not perform any better than what we have. I sure hope he can “fleece” someone into getting some talent where we catch “lightning in a bottle”and don’t give up too much.
Norcal, I’m glad you acknowledged Garlick. I’m really stoked to see him doing so well. Nice slash line in the early going….350/.409/.750/1.159 SSS qualifier. I think he just might be more than a 4th outfielder. He might just be our Brian Giles!
I would gladly trade K Bear for Hand and Cimber right now. That trade would be equal to what the Indians gave up for Hand and Cimber last year. I don’t consider that a King’s ransom. With a 10 game lead in the division and the best record in baseball with Seager and Pollock and now Hill on the DL, I think we have the option to remain patient. No need to panic.
The fact is we don’t have a single bullpen guy who can consistently come in and shut down an inning including Jansen. If we want to win a championship this year we need another closer especially if Jansen can’t turn it around. It doesn’t look like Kenley is the same pitcher. He’s throwing 2-3 mph slower with less movement and less control. Not a good sign. Swing and miss stuff is critical for closers and he is far from that right now. I understand relievers are the most inconsistent baseball player positions and that’s why we have to get a proven top of the line guy. Again I reference the Cubs in 16 with Chapman. I say we have to make this move and if it costs us one of our top 3 prospects and another top 10 guy then that’s the price you have to pay to win THIS year. AF has made the big moves before at the deadline to get the best available players but the question is will he do it for a bullpen guy which goes against his nature. We’ll see!
I was not in here yesterday due to a busy schedule and did not see any comments on the older threads about the tension between Roberts and Honeycutt during the beginning of the 2nd inning on Wednesday night. It seemed like Roberts was annoyed with Honeycutt while he was on the mound trying to decide on who to bring in to replace Rich Hill. Honeycutt also appeared to stay away from Roberts for the remainer of the game. Did anyone else see that ? Does anyone think that there is something going on between them? Just curious.
I noticed that Roberts seemed very annoyed, but didn’t realize it was directed at Honeycutt. Maybe Hill had warned Honeycutt he wasn’t right and Honeycutt didn’t pass the info on to Roberts promptly. Just a wild guess on my part, even assuming that Doc’s anger was directed at Honey in the first place.
Bill, I do not think there is a problem. I also saw the incident. Honeycutt is older and may be hard of hearing, like I am. Honeycutt always sits on the bench. Doc sits by the dog out steps. They were communicating from the mound to the dugout. I just think Honeycutt did not hear who Doc wanted to pitch the first time they talked.
What did you say? 😉
The bullpen has been a relative weakness most of the last several years. It was true with Colletti at the helm and has remained so.
The Braintrust did well 2 years ago, adding Watson and Cingrani. The other seasons, not so much. Last year’s additions were a disaster (Rosscup, Axford and Madden). They have to do better than that this season.
To Jeff from above. Sborz and Shaggy are on the 25 man now. Sborz will probably be returned soon. Shaggy will be the most closely watched. His ball really moves. His problem has always been command. Santana, Schultz, McCreery , and Stewart will be up in September because they are on the 40 man. I also expect to see Rosscup added to the 40 man at some point and get a September call. If I were AF I would not promote Alvarez. Yes he cost a lot of money and has a good arm. But he has no heart, and the Dodgers are never going to recoup what they paid. It is time to move on. Trade him for a couple of lottery tickets and open a spot on the 40 man. Of those identified for September callups, only Santana figures to be in the long term Dodger plans. Reliever or Starter??? We will wait and see.
The two MiLB relievers I think have a chance this year are Jordan Sheffield and Marshall Kasowski. Since Sheffield has become a high leverage late inning reliever, he has been outstanding. In 25 games covering both RC (15 games) and Tulsa (10 games), he has pitched 29 innings and has a 1.86 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. The WHIP is high because he has 16 BBs in those 29 innings. He has only allowed 10 hits. He also has 43 strikeouts. He has converted 10 out of 11 save opportunities and all three in AA. Once he masters command and control, he will be a longtime fixture in the LAD bullpen. Kasowski was unworldly last year with 111 Ks in 64.2 innings spanning three teams; Great Lakes, Rancho, and Tulsa. He was 5 out of 6 with save opportunities. This year he is simply very good with 24.1 IP and 41 Ks. He has a 2.22 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Neither Sheff or Kasowski have given up a HR while at Tulsa this year. Sheff did allow 2 at RC, but that is no shock as the ball flies in those Cal League yards.
Gonsolin may get a chance to relieve, if he stays healthy. He had a good 5.0 inning outing last night, but he is no Brad Hand or Will Smith, and I do not just mean that because he is RH. I fully expect Gonsolin to be added to the 40 man at some point and be called in September. He will get an audition for a playoff reliever, but we all saw how that worked for Buehler. I am guardedly optimistic.
I also do not understand some of the negativity (not referring to you, Jeff) towards Caleb Ferguson. When fans set perfection as the standard, it is hard for any player to achieve that level of success. Ferguson turns 23 next month and some are ready to jettison him to the bullpen pile heap? Less than 3 years ago he was pitching in Rookie League and finished the year at Great Lakes. He is just learning how to be a reliever (less than a year).
If AC is driving the Caleb Ferguson Bandwagon, I have shotgun.
Me too. I will be the pistol-packing Mom.
With MT and DodgerBlueMom at my side, I am ready to drive this bandwagon all the way to a November downtown LA parade.
A marriage made in Blue.
AC I totally agree with you Caleb Ferguson is still young and still learning all he needs is time do not give up on him yet.
AC, as I said in my post, all of these relievers have some talent, but is it going to show up when their name is called? In particular, Ferguson has not been nearly as effective this season as in the past. I was almost sure he would make the rotation if he continued to produce as he did, but he has not. His command is not where it should be. This doesn’t mean he won’t improve. Maybe it’s just a hurdle he’s experiencing, one that he needs to overcome in order to be considered for a permanent role. So far, I don’t see anyone else that is close. I’m hoping for a surprise or two, really I am. That surprise has been Garlick and to a lesser extent, Beaty. They’ve been nice callups, maybe ala Muncy.
Hill just can’t seem to stay healthy plus what is a minor injury to most players becomes a long, drawn out affair for him. I love his stuff but he cannot be counted on for endurance and the Dodgers probably should let him walk next year as his salary is prohibitive for an oft injured player. Urias will be the guy to take his spot but that leaves the BP in further cloudiness as he was the best bridge to Jansen we had. If Kelly stays the course, he can cover, but how can we have much confidence given what we’ve seen?
I do not disagree with you. That is why I believe the best option is to trade for an elite reliever. I think your question was what might we expect from our farm, and I just gave you the best there is (IMO). There are no secrets. The dark horse for me would be Jordan Sheffield. But if the Dodgers are going to become a more elite bullpen, they will need to trade into it.
To say that Alvarez has “no heart” and that the Dodgers will “never” recoup their investment in him is a bit presumptuous. He might never live up to his potential, and may seem a hopeless case as things stand now, but unless I could get more than a couple of “lottery tickets” in return, I would hold onto him as long as possible. “Hopeless” can sometimes transform into “encouraging”, and there is no logical way to predict whether it will or will not.
We are just going to have to agree to disagree on Alvarez. He has been placed on personal leave on multiple occasions. After getting his $16MM, he came to camp way overweight in 2017. But for me, the tipping point was when he walked away from his team last year in the playoffs because he was not getting a start. He came back for the next playoff series, but I heard it from a source who advised me that it was his agent/adviser who had to talk him back. I do not care how disappointed you may be, you never walk out on your teammates. It wasn’t exactly that he was tearing up the league. He has gone from 59.1 innings (2016) to 92.1 innings (2017) to 55.1 innings (2018) to 3.2 innings (2019). That is 210 innings in 3 years as a starter. Sure doesn’t look like he is pushing himself to me.
He is older than Caleb Ferguson who busted his behind after TJ surgery to make it all the way to MLB at 21. Some on here do not see value in Caleb Ferguson, but I will take 25 Caleb Ferguson’s before I take 1 Yadier Alvarez. I do not wish anyone a bad career. I do not care if he turns it around. I just do not want him with the Dodgers. Again, you do not walk out on your teammates because you are not getting a start in a playoff game. The same source told me that Alvarez does not have the focus or concentration to be a starter, and does not have the mental fortitude to be a reliever. So what is he?
I can deal with the busts in international signings or FA signings or busted draft picks as long as they put in the effort, but I cannot support a player with all the apparent talent that Alvarez has and not put in the time and effort to succeed. No thanks, I will pass.
I love Ferguson but he’s basically a one pitch fastball pitcher. He can’t consistantly throw his curve for a strike. I just see the potential if he develops a third pitch. He’d be a star with a nice slider. Similar to Kersh when he first came up. It was his development of the slider that put him into superstar status
I still like Fergusson, Schultz and Stewart.
The Dodgers have Smith and Cartaya to slot in the long range catcher spot and therefore I would include Ruiz in a package for Hand. More needed? Would one of Jordan Sheffield and Marshall Kasowski be enough? Both?
Can we please stop saying we need something without saying what we are willing to pay for it other that something as nebulous as a kings ransom?
If the rotation as soon as next year will be Kershaw, Buehler, Maeda, Stripling, Urias with maybe Maeda replaced with one of White, Gonsulon, or May, do the Dodgers trade any of Maeda, Stripling, May, White, or Gonsulon?
I agree with you guys on Ferguson. Right now he is a one pitch pitcher. He has a good curve, but not consistent. If he develops a slider, and polishes his curve, he could be lights out. He is the kinda person you need to keep around. He will be really good .
The Dodgers catch a break with Trevor Story going on the IL, and Nolan Arenado potentially out for a couple of games due to a toe contusion from a foul ball. But I get a chance to see Brendan Rodgers take over SS for Trevor. Brendan is my favorite non-Dodger prospect, and has been since he was drafted 3rd overall in 2015. Bo Bichette is right behind him, and Casey Mize rounds out my top 3. They are going to miss Trevor in Colorado next weekend as well.
I just hear that Frankie Montas of the A’s has been suspended for 80 games for being a bad boy.
Judge is hitting lead off for the Yankees today. A power hitting lead off hitter for the Yankees; imagine that.
Montas PED 80 Game Suspension
Now we have it figured out!
AC, speaking of prospects, in your opinion, who’s the better “prospect”, Garlick or Beaty? Who likely has a better, longer future in mlb? I’m guessing Beaty can really only play 1b, and maybe LF? Garlick a pure outfielder? Neither can do both, ala CT3 and Kike.
Who sticks? Garlick because he’s a right hander?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Public Relations
June 21, 2019 (323) 224-1301
DODGERS RECALL INF MATT BEATY
RHP JOSH SBORZ PLACED ON IL
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers today recalled infielder Matt Beaty from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz on the 10-day injured list with lower back soreness.
Beaty, 26, returns after being sent down yesterday afternoon. The infielder has appeared in 23 games, batting .286 (16-for-56) with one homer and nine RBI. He has been with the Dodgers organization since being drafted in the 12th round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of Belmont University. In his five minor league seasons, he is a career .308 (438-for-1421) hitter with 34 homers and 215 RBI.
Sborz, 25, made his Major League debut last night, tossing one inning, allowing three runs. This season, Sborz has made 25 appearances for Oklahoma City, going 2-3 with a 4.91 ERA (16 ER/29.1 IP) and 37 strikeouts. The former Virginia Cavalier has been with the organization for five seasons, compiling a record of 22-20 with a 3.48 ERA (134-for-346.2)
Ah, So that’s why he had a bad second inning last night.
C Diego Cartaya assigned to AZL Dodgers Mota from DSL Dodgers Bautista. He is playing tonight.
That didn’t take long.
Former Dodger and current A’s pitcher Frankie Montas suspended 80 games for PED use.
Total BS call on the ump to kick out Turner. Home plate ump is all over the place tonight.
Jacob Scavuzzo signs with the White Sox. I am hoping for the best for Jacob.
Wow! I hope we pick him up.
Wow!! A complete game, 111 pitch, 16K MASTERPIECE. He deserved it. Frankly I’m surprised DR didn’t pull him sooner.
Buehler. Beaty. Wow.
Thank you Mr. Beaty!!!!
A Beaty Bop ends it! How cool is that. Don’t let the kid get hot!
Now that’s how you do it. No need for bullpen and a true ace performance. Buehler is the kind of pitcher you need in the playoffs. He has dominant stuff and an attitude to match. Now if urias can meet expectations we have 3 dominant starters along with the all star probable starter in ryu. Wow on Beaty! I would slow mo buehler and urias to September. I believe the Dodgers will keep both fresh and ready. Put stripling in the rotation and give extra days rest for the starters. Best starting rotation hands down. If the Dodgers can keep the rotation healthy and fresh we won’t need much bullpen. So glad buehler got the win!
We have had two Yasiel Sierra sightings in the AZL.
Nothing wrong with our bullpen tonight!