RANDOM THOUGHTS AFTER THE FIRST 3 GAMES OF THE SEASON

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1. Glad of course we are playing baseball again. I continue use to be optimistic. That said, we could use a colon cleansing, an enema or whatever a team does to blow things out. Either we got off very slow or the Giants are way more giant than we thought! Giant pitching (AAA) made our hitters look whimpy. Time for our manager to shake the tree some. I am optimistic the Astros will inspire our guys but we should be 4-0, not 2-2. Our starting pitching, specifically Wood and to a lesser degree Urias, need to stop reading about new found velocity blah blah. They need to throw more strikes! Wood looked lost. I’d rather be nervous about the kids coming up than they guys who should be ready now!

2. In what is most likely MLB’s worst case scenario for the virus, 14 Miami Marlin players and coaches have tested positive for the Covid. Tonight’s game has been canceled and this puts a big “turd in the punch bowl” scenario with many unanswered questions about what to do next.

   The Marlins just finished playing three games against the Phillies, which now must make the Phillies even more concerned about being infected. Wonder what MLB will do now to get the Marlins back on the field?

   1. We knew this was going to happen.

      Masks are somewhat effective, but if a person is positive for COVID-19, and you are near them, there’s not a lot you can do about the micro aerosols which can stay in the air for several minutes. A clubhouse can be sanitized in a matter of a few hours with a sanitizing solution (chlorine, H2O2, or alcohol), and high-intensity UV light. Isn’t this why they have 30 players on the COVID Squad?

      Here in Indiana, cases are spiking, but we are also testing 2-3X more people than back in April and May. Deaths are spiking down (still). Many single digit days and it might have been Zero were it not for several outbreaks in nursing homes again. I think deaths in US are in large part caused by poor, junkfood diets and unhealthy obese people. We are the junkfood capital of the world. In Indiana, 53% of the deaths have been in nursing homes.

      Wear a mask – it’s can’t hurt you!

      1. Some of us figured it would happen. What’s astonishing to me is how many believed it wouldn’t. Apparently MLB believed they could deal with it. And, maybe they can. I admit I don’t know what’s coming. I only know you can’t stop it. Uncle Ellis taught us that.

         Tests only reveal what is going on. If everyone in America got tested today, the number of positives would be shocking to many.

      2. Masks become mandatory inside in Nova Scotia on Friday. We have had no cases in the past two weeks and only four in the three weeks before that brought in from outside the province. We presently have no known active cases. I think the mandatory mask edict is in preparation for opening schools in September. That is, to keep cases to a minimum. The premier also is concerned about people gathering for social reasons and not adhering to the guidelines that have gotten us this far. He keeps reminding us that it isn’t over until it’s over and that isn’t now. There is a long ways to go.

         Elaine and I had previously acquired masks in anticipation of this and have been using them to get used to them. For the protection masks provides for others we encounter it is the best investment we could make so inexpensively. There really isn’t all that much discomfort.

3. I had a post all written, stopped to have coffee and conversation with my wife, went to post and the thread was closed. Am the only guy to whom this happens?

   “THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE POLITICAL, IT IS ONLY AN OBSERVATION“

   I’m sorry you feel you have to preface anything you say with that. It isn’t necessary for me. And I agree with the sentiment that followed

   My already outdated morning post:

   “Maybe these Giants are not as bad as we thought.“. The first two games they were. The last two they looked like ballers to me.

   I’m not worried about Betts. Yet. In a small sample his splits say he hit ok in LA. He didn’t in some of the larger parks. Hard to know but his career was made in the AL East. Is he going to be the leader on the field for this organization until he’s 40? Not likely. But he is definitely an intelligent, hard working young man with enormous talent so I believe he will eventually earn his money. I think we have others, Bellinger, Seager, Muncy, who might put up the more impressive numbers, but I have no idea of their leadership abilities. Often those guys have the “intangibles”. We’ve all known those type of people – cool heads, always calm under pressure, come through in the clutch. From all accounts I’ve read, and from the Dodger management decision, I trust Mookie IS that guy. He’s fun to watch when he’s got it going.

   On to a long road trip. Texas and Arizona. Gulp. Stay in your rooms and wear masks when you’re out and about.

4. I’ll just say that I was so bored watching last night’s game. The team did what any Ambien couldn’t do; it put me to sleep. i turned the tv off in the top of 8 and went to bed. Found out we lost at 5am.

   Obviously we’ll be in the playoffs, so there’s no reason to worry or get upset. But if they’re going to bore me, I’ll do something more productive, like sleep.

   To Norcal’s post: yes, the Marlins issue is quite serious, and IF we find out that some of the Phillies, who just played 3 games with the Marlins, have tested postive, then we have a serious mess to deal with.

   1. I sat through the anticlimactic 9th. Opportunity knocked then, it was set up for a dramatic finish. It was a lit match thrown into a lake. Fizzle.

      Yes, the Marlin situation. Is it an anomaly, or what some us feared would happen? As you know, I didn’t believe MLB would take the chance. I sure hope this works out.

5. Phillies game with the Yankees cancelled due to the virus

   1. And here we go.

      Didn’t take long did it.

6. That is a bombshell of news from Miami!! I just don’t get how people can let their guard down, especially pro athletes who make their livelihood from the game. The probability is that someone didn’t follow the rules of protection. I also found out that my 11 year old grandson tested positive. But here is a kid that is in day camp and we know kids have too much energy to follow the rules all the time. I’m sure he’ll be fine as he is a healthy lad with health care professionals for parents.

   Well, 2D2, I hear the same thing every year about Santana. He’s always not quite there, yet. We’ve got so many other arms, why even bother with him? Send him down. Wait till next year, or bring him back up when the bullpen starts to wear down.

7. Not concerned over the loss, but I sure was frustrated. Urias for all his talent was not attacking the strike zone. He continually nibbled. He got behind in the count, and when he came in with pitch’s, they got hits. Oh yeah, before Darren Ruf went to Korea, he was a Dodger for a minute or two. He came over along with former Dodger Darnell Sweeney when the Dodgers traded Howie Kendrick to the Phillies. He was released before spring training. Mookie looks frustrated. At least he does to me. He goes over to the bat rack after his AB’s and seems to stare out at the field wondering what took place. Seager is hitting the ball harder than anyone. And sorry Jeff,. I think Roberts did a really bad job of managing last night. He had 3 power hitting lefty’s on the bench, and left them there while Taylor and Kike flailed away at pitches they could not square up. The Giants did not even have a pitcher up in the pen, and Beaty, Rios and Joc sat. Bad managing. I cannot understand why Beaty has not even got an at bat yet.

   1. They got singles. On the telecast they showed the spray pattern and nothing was hit all that hard. I agree he was aiming at, and missing, the edges. I think he will be ok. We’ll know more when he faces a better lineup.

8. Thank you 2D2 for your article. Some thoughts from me that I definitely agree with you on.

   Not too concerned about Mookie or Cody’s batting. It will come.
   I hate losing to the dreaded Giants also. Good parody.
   I very much miss the minor league games. What a shame we lost them this year.

   Other observations, I still like Rick Monday’s analysis of the game being played.
   Do not understand leaving some good left hand batters on bench. But I am not the one making the decision and do not know the stories behind it. I am sure someone in the Dodgers organization knows a lot more than I do.

   Last, but not least, terrible news about the Marlins and cancelled games. Do they know how so many players tested positive?

   1. Saw something about 14 players and staff members.

9. A few thoughts:
   * The Dodgers have left 42 on base after 4 games. The next highest teams have left 26 on after 3 games.

   *Pederson, Bellinger, Muncy, Smith, Pollock, and Rios are hitting .000 with RISP.

   *Urias didn’t have command yesterday but more troubling to me is that he had no movement on his fastball. AAA players can hit a 94 MPH fastball without location and movement. Secondary stuff didn’t look particularly good either.

   *The Dodgers have to win games against bad teams like SF. Especially at home. They don’t have the season to figure it out – I hope they don’t look back at the last 2 games in late September and wish that they had won them.

   * The Dodgers’ starters weren’t particularly great against a very bad Giants’ lineup (except for Stripling). They play Houston next. Both hitters and pitchers will have to be better than what we have just seen.

   1. Urias didn’t have command yesterday but more troubling to me is that he had no movement on his fastball. AAA players can hit a 94 MPH fastball without location and movement. Secondary stuff didn’t look particularly good either

      All true, and yet they could not barrel up his pitches – all singles!

      I think that bodes well for him.

      1. I agree. He was changing speeds and moving it around, up down, in out. I’d sure like to see more movement (don’t know what his spin rate is) but 94 can be plenty if it isn’t grooved.

10. I have been enjoying watching baseball again. Going forward to make this safe for players, staff, coaches, and umpires every one is going to have to wear masks. If all players wear masks all the time the transmission will greatly be reduced. I wear a face covering while I snow ski above 9000 ‘ elevation and have no problem with breathing. Let’s get over this discomfort thing and protect our friends, family, and fellow people around us. We can beat this. I hope the players can be an example for all of us.

11. The most important thing is that we well may not have a season, which would be bad in several respects. Still writing as if we will have one, i will say that the Dodgers look to have problems. Maybe Kershaw’s return will ameliorate some of them, but this does not look right. it is not losing two games, it is a team which in the last two days didn’t look as if they were focused, nor did the manager. Maybe they need the Dodger Stadium crowds, but they will not be present this year, so they have to adapt.

    Urias has to be the dullest pitcher to watch, sort of like Pedro Baez as a starter. He takes so much time between pitches, and he rarely strikes out anyone. Still, one run in five innings is commendable, though I am still waiting to see him look like the pitcher we were assured he would be, when the Dodgers turned down all sorts of trades for proven talent to keep him instead. We need a big year from him, because our five-man rotation is not imposing without a solid #3. Then we have the lineup. Of course there is great talent there, but there is no proven hitter at catcher, who knows what Smith will hit, and we know that Barnes is at .200 at best. Then there is Kike, who was great in the game we won 9-1, but who came u p with the bases loaded and two out in the last two games, and grounded out mildly. He has never hit over .250. Taylor seems to be a .260 type hitter now We need Betts to get on base a lot, because if he does not, the rest of the lineup will not manufacture runs consistently.

    Finally, Roberts. i know that it is sort of silly to criticize the manager after four games, but I am starting to conclude that he does not have much a feel for managing the game. Oh, he has a college degree and is articulate, but that does not equate to game sense, just like some people with advanced degrees who play poker may not have card sense. In this kind of a season, with each game being more important, and where other managers are going to be taking out pitchers on a dime, Roberts may not have the best skills for making smart game decisions. We will see how this plays out, if we can manage to keep the season going.

    1. “Urias has to be the dullest pitcher to watch, sort of like Pedro Baez as a starter.”

       Thank you!!! I have been thinking this for a while. Urias might be good, or really good, but I am not excited to watch his starts as he takes forever between pitches!!

       1. I totally agree with Baez and Urias needing to pick up the pace. They put me to sleep. It’s bad for everybody’s focus, mostly defenders.

12. I’ve watched with some amusement and lots of consternation most every runner at first engaging in conversation with the first baseman with neither wearing a mask and at a distance of about two feet.

    And then we have the triumvirate of batter/catcher/umpire, with barely any distance between them and with one wearing no mask while the other two are wearing masks with lots of holes in them.

    Oh, and could someone inform these guys who are wearing masks in the dugout that the mask is supposed to cover your mouth AND your nose.

    I’m just going to enjoy the games while we have them. It’s possible we’ll get incredibly lucky and get through the season but if not I’ll take what I can get. Games 1 and 2 were great. Games 3 and 4 were very frustrating, but better than no baseball at all.

    1. I am slightly claustrophobic, but I can breathe with these.

       

       They keep you cool too.

       https://www.mission.com/collections/cooling-neck-gaiter-masks/products/cooling-compact-gaiter-mask?variant=32616289927261

       1. I’m handing over my wallet to that guy.

13. Dodgers are continually hitting behind in the count. With the exception of Seager, everybody is taking strike one which often turns out to be the best offering they are going to see. They adjusted in the 8th and 9th and were more aggressive early. Pitch counts don’t matter with the Giants as they throw a new guy every inning. Get the first best offering and let it eat.
    Where’s Beaty?

    1. I agree with that. Nomar said it best a few years ago “if you aren’t ready for that pitch don’t step in the box,”. A get it over strike one fastball is the best pitch you will see in this at bat. You just can’t let pitchers get away with that. Barrel that thing up a few times and it’s pretty much guaranteed you won’t be hitting behind in the count much all year. Seager’s hitting .400 on first pitch swings. Hello. Anybody on the team watching?

       Good point about the giants. I hadn’t thought of that. And they won’t be the only team using a lot of pitchers. Looks like it’s an expanding template.

14. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride!”

15. I also want to know where Matt Beaty is. One of their better clutch hitters last year and he has yet to leave the bench. Kike is what he is, and that is a super sub, not an everyday player. He failed in that role last year, and he has not shown bupkis since the first game. Muncy is streaky. Has been since he arrived. Hot for the first two games, he has looked very mortal the last two. I think Betts is pressing a little. Once he relaxes we will see who he really is. Seager has always been the most aggressive Dodger. Baez and Urias are suffering from Maeda syndrome. Fear of working fast and attacking the strike zone. Urias has poise, but he also looks like he is totally bored out there. Makes me long for oft injured Rich Hill and some fire on the mound. Only Buehler makes any noise out there. Where oh where is McKinstry? Guy is a gamer, and they need someone like that. Right now, I would start Beaty or Rios at first and slide Muncy over to second. Anything is better than what they are getting out of Kike. Oh, and since you have not hit since opening day, lose the stasch. As for the outbreak on the Marlins, so far they are the only team with that kind of an outbreak. Their game with Balt was cancelled because they are still in Philly. The Yanks, Phils was cancelled because the Yanks were set to occupy the same clubhouse Miami did, so it needs to be totally re-sanitized. Neither the Yanks or the O’s have reported an uptake, and they are waiting to see how the tests on the Phillies come out. Better play much better baseball the next 9 games. None of their next 3 opponents are pushovers, and the Padres are much improved.

16. Max Scherzer gives up 7 runs in last summer camp appearance and 4 runs in the Nats opener. Urias didn’t look so great yet only gave up 1 run.

    How much has a shortened summer camp affected the players? Let’s see how things shake out over the next 2 weeks

    One thing I wonder about. Usually you want to wait around 60 plate appearances before before making changes. How long can you wait with a 60 game schedule?

    1. If we’re using 2.7 as the conversion number, about 22 at bats is the answer to your question.

    2. 30. My .02 on that. I do not think you can linger too long. Belli and Betts are already close to 20 AB’s but they are stars who will figure it out. Someone like Kike, and Taylor, who have never been regulars on a permanent basis, you look for good at bats. When they quit looking good, time to switch. Kike is hitting .333. But of his 6 hits, 3 came in the first game. in his last 13 AB’s he is 2-13. Muncy is at .250, which is close to what he hit over a full season last year. Mookie is 3-20 with 4 K’s, one ribbie and no extra base hit. He does have one steal. As a team they have hit 4 homers, with Muncy having 2, Smith one, and Kike the other. The offense that was hitting on all cylinders the first two games, despite leaving a ton on men on base, has dissapeared the last 2. The most telling stat to me, and what also shows me they should be 4-0 instead of 2-2, over 4 games, they have left 42 runners on base! That is totally amazing that such a great hitting team has been inept at getting runners home.

17. “Maybe the giants are better than we think they are. “ Somebody just said it and could be if those guys believe they can win, they will.

    Urias is not 24 yet, with 189 innings of experience. I’d say give him a few minutes before we pass judgment. I like the guy. Always have, though I traded him for Hamels a few years ago.

    I’m not worried yet. Every team goes through bad stretches. The Nationals started well under .500 last year and it worked out ok for them. Of course they weren’t playing under the 2.7 exemplar. That changes a few things, but after the first series we are tied for second in the Division.

    I think it’s important to send a message to the league and the message we just sent is “we’re not really that good” which will create overconfidence in our opponents. It’s called Badger Ball. Set ‘em up by looking like a skunk, then rip ‘em up when you get ‘em on the field.

    Ok, I made that up. There is no such thing as Badger Ball. And everyone in baseball knows how good this team is.

    1. A great man once said, unfortunately I forget who, ” On any given day, any team in the league can beat the other” . Well the so called weak A** Giant AAA team outplayed the division chumps the last 2 days. And sorry my “old” friend Badger, Urias was about as impressive has a 1/2 pound trout. Yeah, he is a kid, I get it. But May and Gonsolin with less experience look like they care more than he does. The shackles may be off, but they flashed a stat last night on him that to me is very telling. As a starter, his ERA is over 4. As a reliever, it is in the low 2’s. I just do not trust him to give them any length at all. OH yeah…. too many high counts, and too many walks.

       1. I think it’s way too early to come to any definite conclusions but over the long haul maybe Urias’ future is as a reliever. Again, too early to reach that conclusion, but maybe that’s where it ultimately goes.

          Another name to add to the list of “trades we were better off not making” . Kluber to the IL with a shoulder problem. Expected to be out at least a month.

18. Doc has no feel for the game. He will manage this season like a 162 game season. Our bull pen could be very elite. However, I have no confidence Doc will manage it correctly. I just am not a Doc fan.

19. There are a lot of good comments that I would like to also comment on.

    Bear said: “Not concerned over the loss, but I sure was frustrated. Urias for all his talent was not attacking the strike zone. He continually nibbled. He got behind in the count, and when he came in with pitch’s, they got hits.” That is exactly what I warned of on my last column. If Urias was going to learn anything from Wood, it was to attack the hitters. Urias has been nibbling at the strike zone since he has come up. He got away with it in MiLB because MiLB hitters want to hit and they are aggressive. MLB hitters will take the walk and wait for the mistake.

    For all his talents…either he does not have all that talent or he does not believe that he does. As a starting pitcher, I cannot remember one game where he dominated. Mark likes Urias and maybe he can remember one.

    William said: “I am still waiting to see him look like the pitcher we were assured he would be, when the Dodgers turned down all sorts of trades for proven talent to keep him instead.” I have been saying that since 2016 when the Dodgers were reportedly into long discussions with the White Sox for Chris Sale, and they balked because the White Sox insisted on Urias. What would the chances have been in 2016/2017/2018 had the Dodgers had Chris Sale? The one caveat for me is I do not know who else was included in the deal, but they had apparently agreed on the other parts, just not Urias.

    I do not blame this loss on Urias. He may be boring, and IMO he is not an Ace in waiting. Anyone who nibbles like he does and does not have the command of a Greg Maddux, is not an Ace. Kyle Hendricks certainly does not overpower hitters as does Scherzer or Verlander or Cole, but he did throw a three hit complete game shutout on 103 pitches for the Cubs opening game. He had 9 K’s and ZERO walks. Interesting that the two games the Dodgers won, the pitchers attacked the Giants hitters and there was one inconsequential walk by Jake McGee in the Game 2 blowout. The two games they lost the pitchers nibbled and the two starting pitchers issued 6 walks in their five innings. The two losses were due to a bad offensive approach from a supposed elite offensive team.

    Which brings me to my third observation. This one from philjones who said: “Dodgers are continually hitting behind in the count. With the exception of Seager, everybody is taking strike one which often turns out to be the best offering they are going to see.” I have been watching Mookie and he consistently takes that first strike. He is constantly in the hole. The same is true with Muncy. First inning wanting to get on base is one thing. But with runners on base, the hitters need to attack first strike, and they are not. As fans we have learned that the most important pitch is 0-0, Strike One. Yet the only one who seemingly pays attention to that is Seager. Corey wants to hit that first pitch that the pitcher wants to be a strike and he can attack. Seager is no different than other hitters, once he gets 0-2 he will chase, but he will at least have given a swing to a potential mistake out over the plate.

    Most have said that Doc mismanaged at least Game 4. I cannot disagree with that. His obstinacy in using Kike’ for every inning for all four games is head scratching. I think that the only two people other than Kike’ who think that he is the next JD Martinez is Doc and Mark. After his game 1 heroics, Kike’ has gone 2-13 with 4 K’s. Game 3 with the bases loaded against RHRP Rogers. He was already 0-3 against RHP on the day. The team plays horribly all day and somehow claws itself back into the game, loads the bases for Kike’ to face another RHP. How does Beaty not get called in that situation? Second guessing? Not me on this AB. I thought Beaty was the perfect guy to come up and hit in that situation. Interesting to note that Doc sent Austin Barnes to hit for Joc against LHP Wandy Peralta.
    By the way, who is the emergency catcher? It used to be Kike’. What would have happened if Will Smith got injured in the 9th inning?

    Doc gave the 2B job to Kike’ last year, and he failed to take advantage. It looks like the same for 2020 as Kike’ has started all four games at 2B and played every inning.

    Anyway some very good comments.

    1. To coin a phrase from one of my favorite fellow posters, AC, “Spot On!” I hope the decision to bat Hernandez in the last two games with bases loaded, was not favoritism. Really did not understand his explanation after the game for doing it. Kike, *sorry can not figure out how to use the accent*, is an excellent sub as is Taylor and others. Hurry back Lux, sorry.

       1. I do not think Lux is the answer right now. He did not look ready in the 3 exhibition games. Me, I move Muncy to second, and put Rios or Beaty at first. Especially against RHP. Letting his 3 lefty’s rot on the bench while Kike and Taylor barely made contact is moronic. Beaty was one of the better clutch hitters they had last year. He had numerous late inning hits. He hit over .300 with runners in scoring position. Roberts reinforced my belief that is is a terrible in game manager. But we all know he is going no where.

          1. Not right now, Bear, but when he is ready. And focused. Worth a try anyways in my opinion. But, your suggestion is a good one and more plausible for right now.

20. I played a lot more basketball than baseball (city league until I was 42), and while I was never a “shooter,” I was a “scorer” and I was a “rhythm scorer.” Once I got a certain “rhythm” I was good for 7-9 shots straight. I just had to get a rhythm. I’m that way in ping-pong too (still at 67), in that I am a rhythm player. It sometimes takes me for five games to get there, but when I do, I’m hard to beat.

    I think some players are like that too. They just need reps.

21. Wow! Kike is hitting .333 and leading the team in RBI and Runs scored.

    Tough crowd here!

    1. He also is 2-13 with 4K’s and no ribbies since his big first game. . Sorry this is a what have you done for me lately crowd. I like the kid, but I have never ever considered him an every inning, every day player. And considering the situation, Doc made a BAD decision to let him hit.

    2. Because he was outstanding in one game and pathetic in three? He did not come through when he was needed. 10 runners LOB in last two games. What would Beaty have done? We will never know, because Doc stayed with Kike’.

22. On Julio: He has never been afforded the opportunity to really pitch deep. At the first sign of trouble, he gets pulled. I would have liked to see him pitch into the 6th, but at least they let him go five.

    Hopefully, they will now let him pitch.

    However, he has pitched 5 to 6 innings a dozen times.

23. I have no problem with him pitching, but he needs to attack the zone. All the trouble he got into last night was because he was behind in the count to so many hitters. He is about as aggressive as a guinea pig.

    1. It’s hard for me to know if he was not attaching the zone or if it was just because his control was off. I am awaiting his next start.

       1. Then you were not watching the game. It was easy to see he was aiming the ball. He has done that since he first arrived. He has never been a pound the zone pitcher. May on the other hand, attacks the hitters like they are trying to steal his lunch money. Urias has close to 200 innings in the bigs, and that is the one thing I have never seen him do. Attack. High pitch counts also were CK’s bane when he first arrived. I remember how frustrated I would get watching him nibble at the outside corners.

          1. Most pitchers do come up and nibble around the edges, because they were successful doing so in MiLB. The difference is that CK learned to attack and Urias has not. Will he ever? I would love to see what he can do if he trusted his stuff. Again I cannot remember any start where he dominated. I agree with Mark that Urias has not been afforded the opportunity to go deep into a game, but Julio needs to wear some of that responsibility because he has not pounded the strike zone. Is he a top of the rotation pitcher or a #4/#5 or a reliever? I do not think he is being held back as much as he is not pitching enough 0-1, 0-2, 1-2.

          2. Are we talking about the same guy?

             He threw 78 pitches and finished 5 innings. The goal of all starting pitching is to average 15 or fewer pitches per inning. 78 is very close to that. I just checked his game logs for the last few years. Last year he started 8 games, pitched in relief in 29 others. 37 appearances. 4-3, with 4 saves, 7 holds and 1 BS. His ERA for the year was 2.49. His ERA after this “unimpressive” start is 1.8.

             The man is only 23 and has 5 surgeries – 4 on his eye and 1 anterior capsule surgery in mid ’17, at age 20. Yes, it would have been nice to see him fully recovered and throwing 170 innings as a 22 year old but the Dodgers wisely decided to be cautious. 37 appearances, 79.2 innings on a team that won 106. He’s in the rotation now, and, so far so good. 78 pitches, 1 earned over 5.

             Yeah, tough crowd.

             1. I am a Bear. we are always tough, especially when we get frustrated watching some guy with as good stuff as Urias has. I do not like walks. I do not like high pitch counts and against a team that has as weak an offense as the Giants have, I am stuffing the ball down their throat. With Wood it looked like bad control and no fastball. With Urias it was just nibble nibble nibble…..Yeah, he got away with it. Against a better hitting team., he is getting raked.

             2. We’ll see.

                And everyone knows bears are all hit no field and can’t throw strikes. All they throw is fish.

24. Kluber has a torn muscle in his shoulder. He is being shut down for a month before he even tries to throw again. Chances of him co0ming back this season are slim. With Verlander on the shelf, and Greinke out of the way, Dodgers will face Valdez and TBD in the Houston series.

    1. Then we should win both, right?

       1. Depends, Dodgers have always struggled with pitchers they have never seen. Valdez is a rookie. I have never seen TBD pitch.

    2. I was a damn good fielder. And I can catch fish as well as fly balls, hard grounders to first, and have even tagged out a runner coming home that would have been the winning run. I still say if he tries that nibbling crap against some good hitters, he is going to get schooled.

25. Really happy to see Alex Verdugo suiting up for the BoSox…
    Ahhhh Sweet Monday… A day off from the rigors of LAD Beisbol…

26. Urías has always struggled with command. I have never really seen him dominate. I hope to see him dominate this year. When pitchers dominate they tend to have a low pitch count. Urías may be within the pitch range per inning but he always seems to struggle to stay ahead in the count. Ryu is a dart thrower strike, strike, strike with location. Kendrick 103 pitches for 9. I think one of the reasons Urías is 4,5,6 innings is struggling with command.

27. The great thing with Ryu especially last year he got batters to swing and miss with his change up out of the zone a lot. So far Urias isn’t getting anyone to nibble at his off speed stuff out of the zone. He needs to throw his change up more and pound that first pitch fastball for strikes. Still say he’s a future ace!

28. I just have to say that Kepler outman aged Roberts in game 4 at every turn. The obvious of not pinch hitting for Kiké twice. It was much more kaplerdid pinch hit and get the right matchup. Solano an ex dodger killed us both games they won. Kapler used his pitchers just right to get the matchups. Roberts wants rhlh but in the case of turner Kapler went to a left on Muncy and then turner is better against righties then you got bellinger. Then, kapler brings in coonrod against 3 righties knowing that Roberts wouldn’t pinch hit for pollock. Kapler has a plan to make things happen and Roberts let things happen. So Roberts works himself into a righty vs kolarek. I should have taken the time to go point by point but Roberts was same ole Roberts. I want him to get it done but he never acknowledges a mistake so I think we will have to overcome his weakness if we win the big one.

29. I think we need to see Urias as a work in progress. As already pointed out by others here, he is only 23, has had multiple surgeries, and had control issues in the past. And he’s also had a few issues in his personal life. I particularly remember him trying to nibble around the corners when he first came up. Let’s not forget that only a few years ago, he was widely thought of as a rising star. There was a lot of excitement around him. I believe that the talent is still there. However, he needs time and seasoning to find his way, particularly learning to trust his stuff and attack the zone. That means taking some risks. However, that’s hard to do in a short season, where each loss counts as 2.7 losses. That creates a sense of urgency and pressure. And there’s also the Covid weirdness to consider, which can’t help but have some effect on the players. It is not an ideal situation for a young man to find his legs. Despite these pressures, I think he can thrive, given more time and experience. That means he’ll make some mistakes, and the Dodgers hitters will need to pick him up. And that means that they need to start hitting more consistently. What a strange season! As I said before, “It’s going to be a bumpy ride!”

    1. I think nibbling at his age with his stuff is a good thing. His 189 inning WHIP is 1.291 which is actually not bad. Certainly doesn’t suggest control issues. Last year it was 1.079, which is good. He’s in the rotation so, we will see where this goes.

30. It is simply silly to criticize Julio after 189 IP.

    Right now, here are Julio’s underlying stats after not quite 200 IP:

    Walks per 9 IP – 3.6
    Strikeouts per 9 IP – 9.0

    Compare that with Clayton Kershaw’s stats after a little more than 200 IP:]

    Walks per 9 IP – 4.5
    Strikeouts per 9 IP – 9.1

    ERA after around 200 IP:

    Clayton – 3.52
    Julio – 3.14

    WHIP

    Clayton – 1.354
    Julio – 1.291

    By any metric you want to use Julio Urias nibbles less and is better than Clayton Kershaw, so why can’t he get even better? Clayton did!

    The haters of Julio don’t have a leg to stand on.

    I wanted to post this last night, but our power was out from 3PM to 1AM.

    1. Good stats. Thanks.

       Of course there are questions about Julio because of the time he has missed due to injuries. As we know, injures can derail a young player’s career. Look no further than the Dodgers own pitching coach. We don’t know that Julio’s shoulder will hold up. But he’s young and the youthful can heal fast. The Dodgers have been cautious and actually continue to be as he only threw 78 pitches his first time out. It will be interesting to see how long they might keep him on a pitch count of less than 90 pitches as for a while we have that expanded roster with extra pitchers. For a while I think the Dodgers will take 5 of 1.8 from everyone on the staff.

       Now, about the bats. I get why Doc decided to leave Kiké in. I wouldn’t have done it (Rios or Beaty gets a shot) but if I had managed the Dodgers last year I really doubt the team would have won 106. Maybe he was thinking of matchups for later, maybe he was thinking of extra innings, I don’t what he was thinking, I only know he WAS thinking. I’m not as critical of Roberts as some, but, come on man. Yeah, it’s early, but it’s already 2.7 times early so let’s see who has it and who doesn’t. Doc, you’re the “play the odds guy”. Why do you have these extra LH sticks if you don’t intend to use them?

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