The Post-Season Bullpen Will Be a Strength

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1. Great post DC and I will read it again this afternoon but I wasn’t ready for facts and logic this morning. I still want to stew and fuss over Jansen a little longer.

   1. Good early morning chuckle to start the day. Thanks Bumsrap!

2. DC – Keep em coming… I’m not a fan of all the analytics, but my glass is half full on our BP… Woke up this morning to see Kenley lost another, just when I thought he’s shown promise lately… I’ll not be going on any anti-Kenley rants just becuz…
   Maybe it’s time for a little ‘BP by Committee’.. Always liked that concept when you don’t have ‘that guy’… Kelly + Baez + ??

   1. That post sounded an awful lot like Mark.

      1. It was! 😉

         1. Me thinks it was Mark.

            1. Oops, sorry Mark. Read the author wrong with my bleary morning eyes. I really enjoyed it though.

   2. Tellez gets a tip o the cap for hitting a pitch out that he shouldn’t of even swung at.

      1. I disagree. KJ can’t throw a weak cutter in the “loop zone”. You can’t miss low and in, even off the plate, to a power lefty. That has been a fact forever. Nice piece of hitting but a very poor pitch.
         I’ll say again, Joe Kelly is will be the key to the bullpen in the playoffs as a closer. KJ can’t be trusted and will have his feelings hurt but it’s a production business and he’s lost his cutter.

3. Spin is the worst delusion. It takes a real situation and creates a myth. The Dodger BP has been nothing short of a house of chaos this season. Yet, the team has survived it. Not because there is a pitcher in the BP who can be counted on to come out and be lights out, but because of players like Muncy, Smith, Belli, & JT, the bats. The bats are big in Dodgertown. The rest is spin. No bats and we are nowhere near going to a WS even with a stellar rotation. That mateys, is no spin, but the truth. This BP, no matter who you put in there before or after the regular season, is not going to save us from anyone. It’s the bats, boys.

   1. The truth is: The Dodgers bullpen is in better shape than most other teams… even if it is not great. That’s FACT, not SPIN.

      It’s a FACT that the Dodgers have the best team ERA in Baseball.

      It’s a FACT that the Dodgers starter ERA is half run a game better than any other team.

      It’s a FACT that the Dodgers bullpen ERA is #3 in the NL.

      It’s a FACT that the Dodgers bullpen BAA is #2 in the NL.

      It’s a FACT that the Dodgers bullpen has given up the fewest Walks and has pitched the Second Fewest Innings in the NL. Washington is the only NL team with fewer bullpen innings, but their bullpen ERA is 2 Runs a game more than the Dodgers.

      It is a FACT that OF TEAMS HEADED FOR THE PLAYOFFS IN THE NL, the Dodgers have the #1 bullpen.

      The Cubs Kimbrel has an ERA just North of 5.00 and Morrow is done for the year. Derek Holland continues to be horrid. (BTW Nick Castellanos is on fire!)

      Brad Hand, whom every Dodger fan wanted has an ERA of 9.00 in August and has Blown one less save than Jansen.

      Those are ALL FACTS. The only thing spinning might be your head from FACT OVERLOAD!

      1. Fact, most of the BP has been rotated in and out of play the whole year. We started off poorly and that led all the way up to the Trade Deadline with most of us up in arms about the closer, the bridge, the long man, the loogy, roogy, and what have you. No one trusted anyone, especially Kelly and Yimi. It’s still an issue as we write. Facts don’t tell the real story because we interpret facts to be other than what they are, just some numbers. The real stability of this team are the bats and the starters. When those 2 units are working, we are hard to beat. ERA is low because of the rotation, Ryu & CK, mainly. Buehler right behind.

         Good pitching helps, so does luck. We have the talent, no doubt. But what if they fail this year, too, with all the bests that you write about? What will you say if they fall in the NL playoffs? It could happen. You’ll say ‘bad luck’, yet bad luck doesn’t have a number. Various camps sing various songs.

      2. The Truth and fact is : Kenley Jansen gives up leads and gives up home runs in bunches . Not a trusted reliever anymore.

4. Very interesting post DC, about Jansen, he better change things around or the Dodgers will be forced to either remove him from the closer role or as you said they could remove him from the playoff roster. Either move I think would destroy the relationship between Jansen and the Dodgers. Hope he turns it around.

   1. Yes, it seems like this would damage KJ and the Dodgers “relationship”. And while I like loyalty and extended chances to a player when he’s struggling, there is a time limit. And we’re getting there. KJ better figure it out pretty soon. I don’t want our post season success dashed because we don’t want to hurt KJ’s feelings. It seems like everyone sort of tip-toes around him not wanting to piss him off. We don’t need some selfish attitude about his role. Pitch better and it will be resolved. If he doesn’t he loses his job. It’s a production business and while KJ is frustrated, he needs to understand it’s really not about him. I hope he gets it going in the next month or so but, RIGHT NOW, he can’t be trusted as the closer. And I really don’t care about how many other teams are experiencing similar struggles. I care about the Dodgers.

5. Every day is a new opportunity, you can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again. That’s the way life is, a new game every day, and that’s the way baseball is. Bob Feller

   Thanks DC for your analysis. Good read.

   1. It was Mark’s analysis. That is out of my league. I am pretty much little league (MiLB).

6. I think Pete has hit the nail on the head.

   Baez and Kelly. That is it.
   They are the only 2 Pitchers that currently inspire any confidence when called into action.

   There are an awful lot of assumptions made about the ability of our Starting Pitchers to excel in a different, Relief role.

   I know you point to Opponents OPS, but really, when the BP Gate opens in October, and virtually any of our Relief Corps strides to the Mound, will any Dodger fan not be watching from behind the Sofa?

7. Well, if you want to look at this objectively, Jansen had a great night except for one pitch. There’s hope.

   There’s a lot to be excited about. Kelly and Beaz both got the job done. Will Smith is an absolute beast! They should just call him WTF because what he’s doing has never been done before. Muncy Walk Off – 5 Games in a row with a homer. We have a legitimate shot of having a 50 a 40 and a 30 HR guy. When has that happened? I could go on and on about this amazing team.

   Magic number is 15 with 10 games to play in August and a 20 game lead in the division. What’s the over under on clinching in August? We have the Yankees this weekend and all three games are nationally broadcast for all you out of towners! Friday-Facebook, Saturday-FS1, Sunday-ESPN. We have a nice chance to add some separation for MLBs best record, which we currently possess.

   And we’re doing all this with a roster that’s less than full strength. Have we ever been full strength all year?

   Okay, it really sucks that Jansen gave up that gofer ball, but the world didn’t end. This is a historically bad year for closers/bullpen and a historically good year for homers. He still has time to figure this out.

   1. Smith is hitting home runs with a compact swing which bodes well.

8. Koufax and Drysdale could solve our bullpen woes! Time for Kersh, Buehler and Ryu to follow suit in the playoffs!

9. MLB posted that Morrow of the Cubs is done for the year due to elbow issues. And Freidman had the balls to let him walk a couple of years ago, our bullpen savior. That’s it Andrew, your fired!!

   1. Minor league contract with the Dodgers next year.

10. I think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that Kenley won’t be on the postseason roster…
    I’m sure there will be alot of anti Jansen talk today… That will make me
    reminisce about going out to see Dodger affiliate San Bernadino play and having long lanky catcher named Kenley behind the dish catch my eye and reminding people of a guy trying to dance in a phone booth… Aw hell, M.T would have had him Bench-esque… Oh well, they switched him to the BP and the rest is history… He’ll be there in Oct…

11. Over the past several weeks, Roberts has said things that indicate the Dodgers are attempting to change Kenley’s approach so he doesn’t go back to well one too many times, like he did last night with the inside cutter. At times you can hear the frustration, but Roberts said Jansen will remain the closer and they will continue to communicate. Don’t forget the issue between Kenley and the catcher over pitch selection, earlier this summer. It became obvious they weren’t on the same page. Probably hard for a guy who has had so much success with the cutter to change his approach. He has been making changes, but falls back at times, which often leads to blown saves or messy ninth innings.

    But Mark is correct, the Dodgers are far better off than most teams, including other playoff and World Series hopefuls when it comes to the bullpen. Look at it this way, you could have the Angels bullpen. Or worse, their starting rotation.

12. I have to question the alleged great communication skills of Roberts if Kenley still isn’t getting the message that he can’t just throw his cutter over and over again and be successful. Sorry Kenley. 2017 called. They said your cutter ain’t like what it was back then.

    I thought they were instructing him to throw his slider more. Kershaw has gotten over his hyper competitive stubbornness and has learned to adapt to his age and lower velocity. Either Kenley does the same or he’s demoted to lower leverage situations, which there will be a scarcity of in the playoffs. This has to be solved. The Dodgers won’t survive those blown save situations against the Astros like they do against a terrible team like the Blue Jays. It’ll just be another repeat of 2017 where the Dodgers cough up a bunch of furballs and Dodger fandom will be waiting in vain for another championship.

    Let’s hope Maeda is more aggressive in his relief role. Let’s hope May is a quick study on how to throw to major league hitting and doesn’t leave pitches over the plate. Let’s hope Kenley stops shaking off his catcher and throws a freaking slider when he’s told and stops throwing a cutter that’s 3 mph slower and doesn’t cut over and over again.

    Mark sugar coats this bullpen. The Dodgers CAN NOT WIN the WS against the likes of the Astros or Yankees with the bullpen as it’s currently constructed. Ok, I backtrack a little on CAN NOT, but the team is at a severe disadvantage.

    Mark’s ERA argument conspicuously omits what the bullpen does in high leverage situations. How reliable is the bullpen when it counts the most? Here’s an interesting article that explores that question.

    https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-best-bullpens-in-baseball/

    The Dodgers are decidedly second tier when it comes to their bullpen performance in higher leverage scenarios. Baez has been reasonably dependable, and Kelly has turned the season around, but this bullpen still hasn’t been sorted out, and even if you have a cadre of starters jumping in to take bullpen roles, how wise is this when they haven’t had experience doing this during the regular season?

    The Dodgers are doomed.

13. The bullpen in October will be fine because Mark is speaking it into existence. Works for me! Hell, I don’t have any better ideas, except use Buehler and Ryu every other day as closer in October.

    The race is on now. Who gets to their magic number first? Belly to 50? Muncy to 40? Joc to 30? JT to 30? Smith/Seager to 20?? Kenley to 10 blown saves??

    Anyone going to the big series this weekend? I”m debating Sunday but I won’t cry if my tickets sell at a crazy high price. Plus I’d rather see NY in October anyway.

    1. Going Friday and Saturday with my kids. Hope for two W’s

       1. it’s gona be an awesome atmosphere. I went in 2004 when the Yanks were in town, and the loudest I ever recall Dodger Stadium getting was when Gagne struck out A-Rod. Place was just rocking!

14. I’d like to think Dodger pitching will be the edge they need to get over the postseason hump and win it all. But I haven’t really seen anything that makes me think it’s an odds on probability. I’m no expert but pitching hasn’t dominated the PS since 2014 when Madbum had his run. I can only hope and wait and see what happens. The thing is, even Koufax got whupped in 66. I don’t see any Koufax’s or even Hershiser’s on this staff. The Dodger starters seem to like the comfortable confines of Dodger stadium and not so much the roadies. But someone could stand up yet. Maybe a Larry Sherry or 2 in the staff?

15. I have respect for statistics, but I know that they can paint a misleading picture as well. Overall bullpen ERA is not a great measure of bullpen strength going into playoffs. Sometimes a team can get knocked out of some games early, and then have to use the lowest people on the bullpen, sometimes those who are not even on the roster now, and runs are piled up. What I would most look at, is the back three in any bullpen. In the playoffs, if the starter is hit early, the manager is likely to use an extra starter in relief, if the game is still winnable. They don’t usually do that in the regular season, they have mop-up men in. The Yankees still have the best back three in baseball, in Ottavino, Britton, and Chapman. The Astros, as you point out, have had some injuries, but now with the Greinke addition, have more room to use a starter or two in the bullpen. And Osuna may not be an admirable person at all, but I think he is better than our closer, whoever it might be.

    Our bullpen’s back end is Baez, Kelly, and Jansen. They can be moved around, but then one worries about Jansen’s psychological state, because he seems to get very upset if things are not just as he likes them. He was unhappy when the Dodgers briefly had Chapman. Demoting Jansen to the set-up role has its own risks, but probably is better than the alternative of leaving him in the closer role. And of course that still puts him in a crucial position. If the Dodgers are up a run going into the 8th, he can lose the lead just as well from that inning, if his cutter doesn’t cut. And Kelly has not closed this year, he didn’t close last year. It is a different role. He is doing very well of late, and probably would be worth trying as closer, but it is no sure thing. And is either of the two capable of the five-out save? As to Baez, he has been pretty reliable, but I’m not completely sold on him in high-pressure road games, but we have to hope he will continue to be effective.

    Back to Jansen, I think that hoping that he somehow regains 2017 form, is very optimistic. And not only does he blow saves, but it is on home runs, so that there is no warning, in terms of putting men on base. And of course we have no one behind him. The Astros might use Verlander for a batter or two to get a save in the Series, if necessary, or another starter. We used Kershaw once in a crucial game, for one out, but that approach is very rare for us, and we only have three reliable starters, all of whom need four days of rest between starts.

    It seemed to me , and to many others, both fans and pundits, that the Dodgers needed to fix the bullpen at the trade deadline. But we chose not to do so, apparently because we felt that the price was too high for Vazquez, and we didn’t really want any of the other ones. So here we are. Last night was mostly good; Taylor’s return is very important, so far Smith keeps doing very well at the plate, Buehler pitched well. But one of the most important needs going into playoffs is a top closer. We do not have one. We have not all year. We cannot afford to lose playoff games where we have a one-run lead going into the 8th inning. There’s not much we can do about what we have now. Jansen has to be in there somewhere, but where? Last night, Roberts said that “Kenley made 20 pitches, 19 of them were good pitches, the other one was good, too, but they just hit a home run off it.” That takes positive talk to a very high level. It also shows that Jansen is likely to be out there again in the closer’s role, and will likely have a couple of good innings to make some think that he is getting it back, only to lose another save later on. My guess is that unless he blows two more saves in the regular season, Roberts will keep him as closer throughout the playoffs, unless he blows more of them there.

16. Let’s look at what could happen in the playoffs:

    Game 1: Kershaw starts and goes 6 like he always does.

    In the pen, you have Kenley, Baez, Kelly, Maeda, Urias, Hil, May, Gonsolin, Sadler, and Stripling.

    I could dig that.

    1. It looks pretty good when laid out like that. But it begs the question as to which of these Roberts uses, assuming that he doesn’t use some of them for just one batter. Ideally , of course, you’d like to have one for each of the last three innings. The real key in your list is Hill. If Hill is back, we make a big step up. If Hill could somehow get back to starter form, we are much better off. If he can only relieve, then of course the question is whether he can adapt to that role. So many starters need an inning or two to get settled in, and Hill always seemed to find his groove about the fourth inning or so. But I like him a lot, he is smart and very competitive.

17. Just another thought on yesterdays Alston-Snider article.
    It was the Duke who was in the bullpen who called argued to convince Alston to use his roomy(Drysdale) in the ninth inning. Next year the Duke was traded to the Mets.

18. Why not use Jensen on eight inning as setup and Kelly as closer? Kenley needs to get all that frustration out of his head and regain confidence, what can be lost?

19. It’s very mellow today…
    Soon it will be Carlos time..
    P.S. There hasn’t been too many if any Dodger managers I haven’t liked…Only one I was indifferent to was Billy Russell…

    1. Pretty much have the same feeling towards Dodger managers. Though I have to admit, I couldn’t stand Joe Torre. I felt he was as overrated as they come.

20. The Dodgers’ pen allows the highest percentage of inherited runners to score in all of MLB (42%). They are 7th worst in blown saves (22). They have only 50 holds (league average is 62; Yankees are 1st with 91).

    What’s remarkable about this is that the Dodger bullpen has not been taxed. Not only have they pitched only 402 innings in relief (28th in MLB), the average leverage index when a reliever enters the game is below 1.0, meaning that Dodger relievers usually enter a game in non-stressful situations.

    You can spin the numbers all you want – yeah, on paper, the bullpen ERA is OK and the WHIP is good. But what the other numbers show is that they aren’t clutch. They allow inherited runners to score more than any team in MLB; they blow saves and don’t hold leads.

    The rotation has been a strength all year. The starters pitch deep into games and usually pitch well, masking the weakness of the bullpen. They won’t be able to rely on this in the post-season. Relievers will have to pitch well in pressure situations like they HAVEN’T all season.

    And of course they will – wishing it were so will make it so.

    1. Rick… I agree with your post. You used numbers “Facts” that are more likely to paint an accurate picture than those used by MT.
       Mark I really appreciate your posts and this site, but you make “knee Jerk reactions” too, just like the rest of us, and cherry picking stats that prove your point while leaving out relevant ones. Even you have said that ERA isn’t a good measure for BP effectiveness and then you use it to make your case.

       I know that our BP has some good numbers compared to other BPs, but that is not the important point. It is that all BPs are down this year and when you compare to bad, even tho better, we are still bad. Think of what our record would be if our BP was really good. When determining our effectiveness we need to compare to a good standard not a bad one.

       I am also not as sold on starters going to the BP and being immediately effective. Not every pitcher can make that transition and be effective. It is a different ball game and hard to predict what will happen.

       Our BP still doesn’t meet the smell test, sometimes it stinks.

21. Remember how it was “Game Over” when Gagne would come into a game?

    1. With Jansen is Game Goner !!!

22. The weakness is the bullpen, as it is for several teams, not just for Dodgers, I can live with that. What really is very FRUSTANT is to see the total lack of ability to hit the opposite side, last night when Bellinger came with a 2 on base and not outs, he had open third base and could not hit for that side, resulting in doubleplay and killing the possible rally.
    I was talking to a friend who says Bellinger should be MVP, but I think it should be Yelich, since he does know how to hit for the whole field, unless he is also played with a special formation, which I don’t know

23. For what it’s worth the Dodgers are 19th out of 30 teams in save percentage and below both league’s average.

24. Kenley did not lose the game, Muncy won it. Patience. Stay positive.

25. Mark in your scenario above, when Kershaw goes 6 – I’m afraid I don’t dig that.

    That’s 6 Starters in the Pen. Relieving is a different skill, perfected with time and experience.

    That is a huge leap of faith.

    1. Look how many times a starter pitches out of the pen in post season games. There’s plenty of starters that do just fine with minimal adjustments. Give May a few more trips out of the pen and he’ll be fine. Urias is fine. Hill’s done it before, he’ll be fine. Gonsolin has been a reliever longer than he’s been a starter, he’ll be fine. Maeda has shown he’s better out of the pen, as with Stripling. It seems that Bueller a couple of years ago and May this year are exceptions to the rule. This is no a leap of faith at all. Adjust, or watch the post-season from the your recliner. It’s that simple.

26. Come playoff time I’d be pretty happy with middle relief of Kolarek, Urias, Maeda, Baez and Kelly. The key will be if Jansen can close and the answer right now is no! So right now it would be closer by committee

27. A question for Ac/Dc

    If the organisation is obviously so good at developing Starting Pitchers, and Position Players and Catchers, why is it we have so few Relievers in the pipeline?

    1. Because relievers are less valuable?

       It’s a good question (Watford’s)

28. The only thing Kenley lost was Buehler’s great outing. Disappointed but today is another day. Also I hate it when the fans boo their own players. Tacky.

29. Jorge, what is very frustrating, besides that FRUSTANT, is you pulling out of a clear BLUE sky and a certain part of your anatomia that Yelich deserves the MVP because Belli can’t use the whole field…
    We had folks at Guantanamo Bay that used that similar approach to break people down…
    Watford my Man, I think we do have some closer types in training… M.T. could expand…
    P.S. Dodger Mom keep up that Positive Mental Attitude… and say a quiet prayer for Belli and his hitting deficits…
    for

    1. No way, Bellinger should be MVP because he plays 1B and outfield. Yelich only plays outfield.

       WAR – Yellich 6, Bellinger 8

       Then the most compelling argument is the Brewers suck and will likely miss the post season. Usually, MVPs are selected from playoff teams. I mean, how VALUABLE can you be if your team sucks?

       1. Well, imagine how bad they would be if Yellich weren’t on the team. I think we need to let the season play out and see where the two guys land. A Triple Crown for Yellich would go a long way towards an MVP.

30. peterj, What deficits?, lol. He can hit to other fields also and beat the shift. It will be a good fight to the finish for mvp between Bellinger and Yelich and maybe a few others. May the best man win but rooting for my Dodger player, Belli. Also I miss AC and his comments. Saying a silent prayer for him and his family that they will find comfort and peace in this trying and sad time.

    1. Aren’t we all Mom…
       Good to see Carlos checking with his positive vibe…

31. I’m also surprised to see everyone here jumping on the Joe Kelly bandwagon.

    He still isn’t good. His WHIP this year is in line with his career average and is almost 1.4, too high for a late inning reliever.

    His leverage number is .95, meaning that most of the numbers that he does have are in below average pressure situations. (Compare that with Pedro Baez who has a leverage number of 1.4 meaning that most of the time when he comes in the game is on the line, or Jansen who’s leverage number is over 2.0.)

    In short, people are ready to make Kelly the closer when he mostly hasn’t pitched in high pressure situations all year.

    1. Dude, go check Kelly’s game logs. He’s been on a tear for a couple of months now. You have to remember that the Dodgers changed him at the beginning of the season. It took a while, but apparently it’s worked.

       1. Dude, check out the leverage that Kelly has faced in his appearances per game per Baseball Reference.com:
          https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=kellyjo05&t=p&year=2019

          He has faced high leverage situations twice in August. In general, he has not been at his best in high leverage situations and hasn’t been used that way much since he ignited in April.

          1. He’s been in exactly two high leverage situations in August and you’re ready to write him off as not very good in that role? I’m confused also by your willingness to look at his aggregate WHIP, which indicates what he was doing at the beginning of the year as opposed to weighing more heavily what he has been doing lately, which reflects the improvements he’s made.

             In other words, you expand the sample size when it supports your argument, yet at the same time contract it when it supports your argument, your primary argument being that Kelly is not a good pitcher, has never been a good pitcher, will never be a good pitcher and should not have been signed.

             The Dodgers didn’t sign Kelly for his career numbers any more than they signed Rich Hill for his career numbers. They saw him first hand last year in the WS and were impressed. The Dodgers, after all, seem to be pretty good at recognizing raw talent and maximizing it – in the minor leagues, and also apparently with veterans.

32. This idea of just demoting Kenley Jansen (not Jensen) automatically solves our problems is ludicrous. Let’s forget that Baez’s peripherals are worse than Jansen’s(not Jensen). Let’s forget that Baez’s numbers in high leverage situations aren’t great and say we demote Jansen(not Jensen). Do
    people really think making him a setup man or middle innings guy solves anything?
    ~
    Until the postseason arrives the Dodgers bullpen with feature Jansen I’m some role. Would it have been better that he gave up a dinger in the 8th or 7th ? Does anyone really think they’re going to start using Jansen(not Jensen) like Yimi?
    ~
    Whether he’s the closer or not come postseason they will have to go to him at some point. Between now and then he needs work to see if he can get his command back. The pitch last night cut just fine. Unfortunately he missed his spot in the hitters happy zone. I’m no more confident when I see Kenley than anyone else on this board. That’s why I wanted Vasquez but people need realistic about the current situation. Kenley is going to be given plenty of opportunities to fix things before the closer role is handed over to Kelly.

    1. I like Jensen. I believe he’s teammates with Peterson?

       1. Peterson and Jensen will be on the WS roster at their designated positions they have been playing all year. Peterson in the OF, Jensen as the closer. There is no alternative for Jensen. We live and die with him. Next year, all bets are off.

    2. I’m with you. I like that theyre pulling him back little by little. Other guys will get some saves before the end of the year and we can make the adjustment later. I’d kick that can down the road until it’s absolutely necessary to make a change. We’ll see who steps up.

    3. “Until the postseason arrives the Dodgers bullpen with feature Jansen I’m some role. ” —–In not I’m—-

       Just goes to show that we all make mistakes.

       1. Yes, it is always dangerous to comment on someone’s spelling or grammar because it always seems to create instant mistakes.

          That said, for those who can’t remember the difference between then and than, please figure it out.

       2. We do. Especially on a iPhone in a dentist’s office with no wi-fi. Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw have been on the Dodgers roster longer than anyone on the roster. Lord knows I’ve spelled Pollock wrong a million times when he first became a Dodger. After a decade I think I will get it right though. I hear guys calling him Jensen on Dodger Talk too. For some reason it drives me crazy.

33. Whoever the hell Jensen is but please bring back Janson!

    1. No, it’s Jansson!

34. I don’t care that Kenley didn’t speak with the media last night. What bothers me more than that and giving up the HR was that he wasn’t at home plate celebrating with his teammates when they won. He did make a statement saying that he was happy that he has teammates that continue to pick him up and he wants to do the same for them. I don’t know. Maybe it’s customary for him to have hit the showers but I would have liked to have seen him there greeting Mad Max after his dinger.

    1. Especially since Max saved his bacon. What would it have been like if we had lost in extra innings??

35. Last night I saw in Roberts something I had never seen him when Kenley doesn’t do the job, he was always like: “Ok it’s just a bad game”, but last night it was different, his face was of frustration and disappointment after he went out to say the politically correct thing.
    Kenley has 6 BS and is on his way to finish with 8 or 9 something totally unacceptable. For the hierarchy of Kenley and the 20 games of advantage, he will surely be given the rest of the season to solve it. If the team had only 3 or 4 games ahead, Kenley’s situation would be very different, I don’t know if he was still a closer.

36. Today’s sweep lineup:

    Pollock
    Muncy
    JT
    Belly
    Seager
    Kike
    Joc
    Martin
    Maeda

37. Some of the “Knee Jerkers” have accused me of being one too. Let me remind you that I have consistently and continuously predicted that the bullpen would be fine. When you guys jerk your knees and I respond, you are still the knee-jerkers, not me.

    IR-A or Inherited Runs Allow Percentage isn’t a perfect statistic for evaluating relievers because it’s obviously easier to strand runners in certain situations. For instance, it’s easier for a relief pitcher to strand a runner who is on first base with one out than it is for him to strand a runner who is on third base with none out. However, over the course of the season, those circumstances typically even out, and the game’s better relief pitchers usually allow the lowest percentage of inherited runners to score.

    I have no idea of knowing when Doc brought in a reliever. Were the bases loaded or was the runner on 1B? Obviously, we don’t know, unless we want to go back and recap every AB. I don’t. You guys cherry-picked a couple of stats that are no more perfect than the ones I use, so I call Bull Shit!

    Imagine how great our starters would be (and they are already a half-run better than any other team) if the relievers did not allow as many runners to score. I know this and it is also a FACT:

    1. The Dodgers have the best pitching in baseball.
    2. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball.
    3. The Dodgers have the biggest run differential in baseball, by over 40 RUNS!

    All teams have flaws, but the Dodgers have fewer flaws than any other team. Some of you just like to bitch! In fact, if you can’t bitch, you don’t show up. For several years you have told me how bad the team is and yet they got to the World Series the past two years and are likely to get there again as the team is even better,

    Do you want some cheese with that whine?

    1. I’d like to add, when a reliever comes in with a big lead and runners on base, his job is to get outs, not strand runners. I agree that it is an imperfect stat and most stats are imperfect when evaluating relievers. I don’t even think whip is all that important for relievers since a lot of them are effectively wild. They may allow baserunners, but not runs.

       My main concern for this bullpen is all the blown saves. Kenley isn’t automatic anymore, and we don’t have anyone else that has experience closing out games consistently. It doesn’t look like anyone is going to get that experience this year. Maybe Gonsolin will be used in that role. Maybe all these starters will translate into an elite post-season bullpen. Who knows?

       Mark is being overly optimistic about the pen. That’s fine. He’s got his opinion and he makes some good points. Others also make good points to the contrary. As they should because the bullpen is somewhere in between good and crappy. But, it sure isn’t killing us, is it? Still on pace for 106 wins even though we’re having open tryouts in August.

       Sure it would be fun to put the best team out there every night. Sure it would be great to set a record for most wins in a season. But, Doc is playing for October as he should. And playing for October means trying to get your closer right because you don’t have a lot of alternatives.

       Anyways, just adding my two cents.

    2. Be more selective about describing those that disagree as “whiners’. I could say that you whine by disagreeing with me.

       The Dodgers are playing great this year. The offense is less inconsistent this year – they grind out AB, hit better with RISP, wear out opposing starters. All of the rookies that have contributed – Verdugo was largely expected, but Beatty, Garlick, Rios, Smith have been great. So Cody and Pollock haven’t come all of the way back, no one can doubt their talent or the possibility that they will continue to improve as the post-season approaches.

       The starting pitching has been great. Maeda has been good for a 5th starter, but Kershaw, Ryu and Buehler are as good as any team’s top 3, including the Astros. I love that the management is letting them pitch deeper into games .

       In fact, the hitting coaches have done better than anyone could have hoped. The way that the teams is managed on the field is different since Zaidi left, and as smart as he is, I think it’s for the better.

       But the ‘pen isn’t good. Call me a whiner won’t change that. The fact that the Dodgers are the best team in baseball won’t change it either.

       My concern is that the weak ‘pen will be the reason that they fail in the post-season. It’s a risk. i expected management to do more to fix the problem then to trade for a mediocre LOOGY. That doesn’t make me a whiner; it doesn’t mean that I don’t think that the team is the best in baseball. But it is grounds for concern.

       I don’t wear rose-colored glasses. The fact that I want the Dodgers to have a good bullpen doesn’t mean that they do.

38. I think too much is being made of Kenley’s pitch selection causing him to think too much. Overthinking causes mechanical issues which in turn leads to location issues.

    He can still bring his cutter at 94 and maybe could consistently do it with a tweak or two. He looks really good at times and then… there’s that ONE PITCH!

    1. A lot like Yimi lately.

    2. This is a perfect example of how you spin things. Kenley did indeed throw the errant pitch even though he could have thrown a different one. It was his MISTAKE. Kenley makes too many mistakes and has continued in recent years to make them. There is no one save for yourself that thinks Kenley is the closer that he was some years ago. He’s not finished, but his days as lights out is.

       1. I have no clue what you are trying to say.

          Of course, he threw the pitch. He missed his mark. If he had thrown a different pitch, would he have hit it?

          1. Exactly.

39. That is why I still get upset that the Dodgers didn’t sign Vlad Jr. in 2015 when they spent all that money on international signings, and Vlad was the top international prospect.

    1. why didn’t we? I forget exactly what happened

       1. Maybe he did not want to sign with the Dodgers.

40. Wagensmack is dominating us so far tonight!

41. Don’t know this for sure, but didn’t the Dodgers fire a bunch of their international development people a few years ago after coming up short with a lot of their Cuban prospects. In fact, the name escapes me, but I believe the Dodgers signed a young Cuban outfielder in 2015 who they preferred over Guerrero. Think he’s still in the organization somewhere in single-A.

    1. Yes. They canned an entire group who were put under investigation by the MLB. Could you be thinking of Heredia?

42. Magic Number 14

43. UNBELIEVABLE

44. Had to feel good when Law took the mound for the 9th. Good for Kike. Seager is going to lead the league in doubles the way he’s going.

45. I told them, since the series against Arizona, Corey looks better with his swing, every day he looks better, more comfortable, he has found his swing.

    1. It’s mind boggling scary to think what this lineup can be when he’s on. He might be our best player; we just don’t remember because he’s been gone for so long!

       1. This is why I keep saying it’s the BATS that are the most important element of the Dodgers. Without them, the best pitching won’t win games. Our BP held up tonight, but our bats bring it on home. A sweet ending, no doubt.

          This weekend is going to be exciting………….

46. Hawkeye, I think you hit it on the nose with Heredia. If we had signed Guerrero, my best guess is that there would be no discussions about Seager moving to 3B. Guerrero would be the heir apparent.

    Can’t believe another walk-off. As exciting as these games are, I’d prefer that the Dodgers just pile up a bunch of runs throughout the game. Don’t know if this stuff will work in the post-season.

    With Yankees coming in for 3, the Dodgers now have a 2 game lead for home field. I also suspect that the winner of this series will get the tie breaker if both teams end up in a tie.

    And by the way, neither team is a lock to even get into the WS. Either one of them could get knocked off in the Division or Championship Series.

47. Although he didn’t get the walk-off hit, it was really good to see Cory Seager in the middle of this comeback. I’m hopeful that he may finally be on the verge of a breakout that will include a display of power beyond all of his doubles.

48. I have been critical of the Dodger’s defense in the past, but there is an interesting article on Dodger’s Nation that seems to prove me wrong https://www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-amongst-best-and-most-improved-defensive-teams-in-mlb/2019/08/22/
    No one will read this tonight, so I will repost it tomorrow.

    Off to LA tomorrow to see the Friday and Sat games with my kids and grandson. Looking forward to two Ws.

    1. Campy – great find.
       Did not realise how much we had improved Defensively.

       Cody’s 24 runs saved is incredible. Surely he is the MVP.

       Also, didn’t know how much we had benefited from The Shift.

       I guess when you support a team it’s easy to dwell on the negatives, especially as you don’t see every other team’s woes.

       I suppose that gets to the heart of what our Leader is saying lol.

       Enjoy your trip with your son to Chavez Ravine.

    2. The defense was bad there for a month. Joc was butchering 1st base, Max had a bit of a jump in errors during the same period moving around the diamond, Pollock just came off the DL and was looking poor on defense. It became contagious. They seem to have settled back in and are playing good defense again.
       ~
       Nice job by the pen tonight.

       1. The defense seemed to stabilize itself with the Negron/White additions. It was like night and day and also moving Joc away from 1B helped too. They were one of the best defensive teams earlier on until Taylor/Kike/Freese got injured.

49. 12 Walk Offs is amazing.
    Pleased for Kike on his Bobblehead night, and as others have said, getting Corey firing will be like having a new player.

    When Verdugo comes back, there are gonna be some really tough decisions.

    I like Beaty – he is a real gamer.

    1. I cannot remember a better Dodger team.

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