Except for one bad pitch, the Dodgers have been outstanding on this current road trip. They are currently 5-1 on the trip, with three to go in SD. I am not sure that home and away mean that much in 2020, except do like the last AB for a potential comeback. But there certainly is no fan reaction to build momentum upon.
The team is currently 7-3, and on pace to win 42 games. In honor of Badger, I will take the under.
The trip to Arizona may have some side effects that will have to be monitored. Corey Seager left Saturday’s game with a tight quad that may (or may not) have resulted from dehydration. He is listed as day to day. Mookie Betts injured his left middle finger. The X-rays came back negative, and he is also listed as day-to day.
Mookie found his stroke coming into the desert. He left Houston batting .200 with an OPS of .517, and is leaving Arizona batting .289 with an OPS of .880. Mookie went 7-15 with 3 doubles and 2 home runs. Corey continued his hot hitting, going 5-11 with one double and two home runs. Corey left Houston batting .320 with an OPS of .913. He is leaving Arizona batting .361 with an OPS of 1.119. Many of Mookie’s and Corey’s outs over the four game series were very loud.
The team bats came alive in Arizona. They scored 23 runs on 36 hits, including six doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs (eight different hitters). Contrarily, the DBacks scored 10 runs on 22 hits including 6 doubles and 1 HR. I know that it frustrates a lot of fans who enjoy bat to ball skills and producing runs, but this team is built on power, and has been for the last several years. It certainly seems to be an AF trademark with LAD. Like it or hate it, it is here to stay for awhile.
There definitely appears to be a lack of hitting behind the runners and moving the runner over. That became evident in the extra inning game. Even Corey Seager failed twice to move the runner to third with less than 2 outs by failing to pull the ball to the right side. And yet it was an Edwin Rios HR that won the game.
In Arizona, not nearly as much drama for the Dodger victories, but again most of the runs were generated by the long ball. I know Matt Beaty is somewhat of a cult warrior for his clutch ABs from last year, but IMO Rios is the guy that the Dodgers are favoring right now because of that prodigious power he possesses. He is also getting better as a defensive 3B, which should help keep JT stay fresh. Beaty is going to be that guy to come off the bench while Rios will get his chances to start. Unfortunately, Matt is not nearly as gifted defensively as are Kike’ and CT3, so he is not going to be the super utility guy. He is going to be the Manny Mota for this team. Zach McKinstry will fill the super utility player role.
Other batters offensive numbers:
- Max – 4-16
- JT – 3-15
- Belli – 1-14
- AJ – 4-15
- CT3 – 3-10
- Kike’ – 3-9
- Smith – 1-6
- Barnes – 0-6
- Joc – 2-12
- Rios – 2-8
- Beaty – 1-4
While the hitting came alive, the pitching was magnificent in the series. The transfer of the Ace moniker from CK to WB is still in limbo. It is going to happen, but NOT YET. Clayton pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up 3 hits. He allowed zero walks and registered 6 Ks. He threw 81 pitches. The starting pitching overall for the Dodgers was outstanding. Strip, Gonsolin, and Urias each pitched very well with Strip and Urias in a position for the win. Gonsolin was pegged to start game two and had to make the drive from LA to Phoenix to get the Friday start. Gonsolin went 4 scoreless IP, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk. He threw 63 pitches. His reward? A trip back to LA and the USC secondary site.
Strip seemed to run out of gas a little in the 6th inning of Game 1. Much of that was due to a 14 pitch AB to Starling Marte in the first inning.
Urias nibbled a little in the 1st, but something seemed to click because he began to pound the strike zone from the 2nd inning on. He gave up five hits and one walk so he was not dominant. But just has he has always done, he pitched well with traffic. He needs to continue to trust his stuff and not try to be so perfect. He has a good live upper 90’s fastball with good secondary pitches. He will stay a starter as long as he continues to be aggressive in the strike zone.
The bullpen was again tremendous with the exception of one Blake Treinen sinker that stayed up. Twelve different relievers took the bump with only three pitching in multiple games, and nobody going back to back. Baez (2.1 IP, 1 save, 1 hold); Brusdar Graterol (2.0 IP, 2 holds); Joe Kelly (1.1 IP, 1 hold). The Bazooka only threw 17 pitches combined in his 2.0 innings of work. During the Sunday broadcast, one of the guys mentioned a pregame interview that Alanna Rizzo had with Jake McGee who said that this team is so much different because of the number of LHRP they currently have. On most teams there is one maybe 2 LHRP, and they are quite often overused. That is not the case for LAD LHRP thus far. LHRP on the current active roster:
- Scott Alexander
- Jake McGee
- Victor Gonzalez
- Caleb Ferguson
- Adam Kolarek
Caleb Ferguson seems to be on the verge of becoming an elite late inning high leverage setup reliever. Is he ever going to get that chance to start? Probably not with the Dodgers. All of the Dodger relievers (sans Victor Gonzalez), look to be keepers. And Victor just not ready yet. I know that it was questioned as to why Victor Gonzalez came out for a 2nd inning on Friday. Gonzalez is considered a starter and was stretched out. The Dodgers wanted to see him go two innings, but perhaps the excitement of making his MLB debut was enough for his first outing. Not every decision is going to come up positive. I was surprised to see Victor stay and Mitch White optioned when CK came off the IL.
I do not remember who said it yesterday, but it was his opinion that Joe Kelly was the weak link in the bullpen. I was so hoping that Kelly would find a home in LA, but I cannot disagree that he does appear to be the weak link. Can he get it back? Sure. Will he? I have my doubts. He has no idea where that fastball is going, and very limited command of any of his pitches. The date to cut down the roster to 28 is coming up on Thursday, and Doc did indicate that it would be two relievers who would probably be moved IF MLB decides to go along with the roster reduction. There is a large contingency that is pushing to keep the rosters at 30. With the Dodgers depth, there is no team in MLB that can match the deep bullpen the Dodgers seem to have. They are not being overused, even when the starters are not going very deep. With 13 relievers, the starters will not have to go 8 or 9.
I know no fan base is going to be accepting of all players or receptive to all of the manager decisions. This weekend we seem to be focusing once again on the catchers. Apparently only offensive catchers are acceptable. With the potential offensive juggernaut, and the DH, the Dodgers can well afford to have the catchers concentrate on what they do best…call a good game, and catch. And in Austin Barnes case, frame. Many want Barnes gone. Funny thing is Clayton Kershaw does not agree with you. He loves pitching to Barnes. Now is AF going to listen to fans who like to criticize unless the team goes 60-0, or is he going to listen Kershaw? Don’t take too long to think about that. I am sure the Dodgers would prefer Austin to be somewhat offensive, but if he can call a game, receive well, and block anything in the dirt, he is doing his job as catcher. Smith has power, and has hit into a lot of bad luck this year, but he is not going to be that big offensive catcher everyone seems to want. But like Austin, he handles the pitchers very well.
I have read that many do not think the Dodgers have any top starting catcher in their organization. Many are already down on Keibert Ruiz. I am at a loss as to how a 22 year old who was playing at the highest MiLB level as a 21 year old is not considered a quality prospect. If you are looking for bat to ball skills, Keibert certainly shows that skill. He is an improving defensive catcher. Yadi Molina comp? Probably not. Plus, I am guessing (purely guessing) that Diego Cartaya is really considered the catcher of the future, but he is 2-3 years out.
The flavor of the month appears to be JT Realmuto. Fans apparently think that all you have to do is want a player and AF should be able to get him. I am sure that AF would not have to give up much other than a couple of lottery tickets to pry him away from Philadelphia (sarcasm alert). Since Sixto Sanchez and Jorge Alfaro were traded for Realmuto, I am guessing that at a minimum, it will require Dustin May. Sanchez is considered a slightly better prospect than May in multiple publications. The Dodgers are 7-3 without Realmuto. I am not giving up a future top of the rotation starting pitcher for JT Realmuto. Would the Dodgers be better than 7-3 with JT? Do the Dodgers have to have the best player at every position to satisfy some fans? Mookie Betts is an elite player who makes the team better. How many of you JT Realmuto fans have actually watched him enough to know what he actually does bring to the TEAM. Or do you just look at the offensive stats? With the Dodgers offense, I will take Smith and Barnes and let them concentrate on calling the game. This game revolves around pitching, and Smith and Barnes are a couple of good reasons as to why the Dodgers have such a strong pitching corps. The Phillies team ERA in 2019 was 4.53. It was actually better in 2018 when Jorge Alfaro was the primary catcher (4.14). Is Philadelphia (the team) better with Realmuto. Many could and do argue…NO.
I know it is fashionable to criticize the manager. It is a fan’s right. I am as guilty as most, especially when it comes to the postseason. But when the team is off to a 7-3 start, the manager must be making some good decisions. Not all, but most. Can’t we give Doc a little credit.
Finally, it was a strange day for the NY Mets. Not only did they lose again (now 3-7), but Yoenis Cespedes decided he was not going to show up at the stadium for the game. He did not advise anybody about his plans. When the team sent someone back to the hotel to check on him, they saw that the hotel room was empty. Like Elvis, Yoenis had left the building. Sometime during the game, Cespedes and management finally communicated and Cespedes has decided he is opting out. I cannot see too many teams jumping at the chance of signing Cespedes as a FA next year. Thor is already out for the year. Edwin Diaz continues to slide as an elite reliever. How many were pining for Diaz last year? 2019 ROY and all world 1B Pete Alonso is hitting .175/.298/.250/.548 with 1 HR and 15 K in 40 AB this year. Brodie Van Wagenen is going to have some sleepless nights when the Mets are sold.
Today’s music is brought to us by Russ Ballard. The title is what I expect to see a lot of from the Dodgers especially in October. WINNING. My favorite version is from one of my favorite bands, Santana.
Discussion (81)
Disagree, not disagreeable
1 game back. Some kid named Lumet pitching tomorrow. Never heard of him. May will need to go a little further in this start. Strip, who I trust more than anyone so far, goes on Wednesday. Setting up for Kersh to open the SF series. Then the 1st place Rockies arrive. Me, I move Seager into the top 4 in the order. He is far and away their best hitter right now. He is even crushing his outs. Turner after a slight resurgence in Az, is not hitting the ball well at all. When the meat of your order goes 1-16, with 7 K’s, you are not scoring much. Too many men left on base, too little clutch hitting. And where pray tell was Rios during all of this”? Safely on the bench twiddling his thumbs.
And that friends and neighbors is why I hate the shift. Had Muncy been playing straight up, that bleeder would have never gotten into the outfield and Machado would have been at third instead of scoring a run. Game would have been tied on Cody’s blast. But Buehler had control problems all night. He was missing more than he was hitting. He was behind in the count and it cost him. But another pet peeve is trying to pull every thing when they are giving you the entire left side of the infield. For Pete’s sake, bunt once in a while. Move a man over. Take a pitch the other way. This is where all that saber metric crap galls the hell out of me. And another thing, why in the hell do they take pitches right down Broadway instead of swinging at them???? Yes, these are not last years Padres. Their a much better team and they have some really decent players. Can’t put this one on Doc. Betts finger was still swollen. And he is day to day.
6 for 32 with 10 Ks. Buehler with an ERA over 5.
We need Buehler to be better and go longer and we need Betts. This isn’t yesterday’s Padres. They have a different look. An intense look. We didn’t match that intensity.
It often feels like this team is playing like there is still plenty of time. And, actually there is. We are good enough to win many games with this attitude, but can we win many enough? Probably. But we do need everybody playing to their ability level to do it. 5 of the 10 who played tonight have an OPS at or below .705 and yet we still have ML lead in run differential. I find that impressive. How do we do that? Well, pitching is how. We lead the league in ERA, though it went up tonight. We are third in runs scored behind SD and Atlanta.
So far, this is no runaway season for the Dodgers. Tomorrow will be the 20% mark of games played for this shortened season and the Dodgers have competition. They certainly have the club to remain with the pack, but do they have the stuff to separate themselves from the pack on the field, not on paper? As a fan, we say yes, but this has nothing to do with how the games workout.
With a key injury or slump to the batters, the chemistry changes. With pitching mistakes, games unravel. We just saw it with Buehler and Graterol, 2 pitchers most have confidence in. Just a bit of wavering is often enough to lose a game and in this season, the pressure is on from the getgo. The machine is not yet oiled properly. I would love to see a winning streak of at least 4-5 games to pick this team up and propel them in the right direction. Yankees won 7 in a row. CWS won 5, Cubs won 4. Nothing shows you domination like winning streaks. Those who think this rotation are WS calibre will need proof of this during the season. Without sustained winning streaks, distinction will be elusive. I can only hope the rotation will come together and that the batters will step up when the pitching falters.
I don’t know what the fascination Doc has with wild man Kelly. But Doc got lucky there.
This team has a completely different feel without Betts.
Another base running blunder. That play was a good one but the coach should have seen it coming.
Another opposing starter goes farther than ours.
This Padres team appears ready. They’ve been building this for a few years now. As we used to say in softball – you gotta score with them to play with him. Maybe sounded better on a softball field.
Defense has always been important to me. I don’t understand thinking to the contrary.
Graterol throws too many balls. With stuff like just that pound the strike zone.
I guess I should clarify something. If I really need to clarify this. Barnes is a fine BACK UP catcher. You know, someone to give Smith a day off here and there when Smith needs that day off here and there.
1 – I don’t get the dispute over Austin Barnes. This is his 6th season in which he has seen time in MLB. In 3 full seasons he has 1 good one but in the last 2 seasons he has .205/.619 BA/OPS and .203/.633. He has a weak arm – he’s a plus framer. He is a backup and nothing more at this point. Smith might be a major league quality starter or he might not be, but there is no way to find out unless he plays. He has more pop and a better arm than Barnes and it makes sense to see if is the real deal or not. In any event, Smith is in no way going to be worse than Barnes but might well be better.
2. – I don’t get the argument that defense doesn’t matter. If the way to win is to score more than the other guy, you can prevent runs and you don’t have to score as many to win. The Dodgers were 1st in defensive runs saved last year. This has to do with several things including positioning and shifting, but the Dodgers have plus defenders at several positions. My guess is if you can’t field you won’t play regularly on this team unles you are a full time DH and the NL adopts the DH permanently.
Remember who was catching when the Nats beat the Dodgers like rented mules last season in the playoffs.
Did you conveniently forget that?
Get Buehler outta there!
Look, if Smith keeps hitting like that, then he is the man, but until tonight, he has not shown it.
Like I (and others) have said since Smith came up last year, just let the kid play! Give him the job, bat him 8th (or 9th now), and let him play!
We have so many itchy finger managers on this board who can’t stand young players not hitting .350 as soon as they come up. Yet we praise late bloomers like CT3, JT, etc.
Let the kid play, and stop whining about Ruiz and Cartaya 3 years down the road.
And that’s why Smith plays over Barnes ALL day long!!!!
And stat cast likes Smith better than Barnes at pitch framing. And Barnes has a below average arm. I think Kersh can survive throwing to Smith
Sorry Jeff but if Rios, Beaty or Smith we’re as bad defensively as Barnes is offensively they’d have to put a glove on one of their feet. There just Isn’t any place on a championship level club for a bat as Barnes’s.
Beaty made a great defensive play…
Eric,
Again, learn to read. I did not call you stupid. I said that what you said was stupid… and it is. Do you want me to explain why? I also gave you the opportunity to walk it back. We all misspeak!
That was an awesome throw by Will Smith to nail the runner!
Joc has not been playing a lot, but when given a shot at leading off tonight, he is making Doc take notice and maybe keep him there. Joc wasn’t given time to get his timing or rhythm. Will Smith needs to take note. If he wants to play more, HIT MORE! I am re-thinking the lineup. Maybe Joc needs to be there. He just made me a believer!
Ahhh, a Joc HR to lead off the game. Feels like old times!!
Smith vs. Barnes – I have no problem giving them somewhat equal playing time but as someone mentioned above, you need to let a guy stay in the lineup for a few consecutive days so he can get into some kind of rhythm.
Mark you say they are being alternated so they can be well rested. These aren’t two 40 year olds at the end of a 20 year career. I think they would be fine if each of them played three or four days in a row. If by doing that, one or the other got hot, he would get the majority of playing time with the other one inserted into the lineup to give him rest once or twice a week.
Any word on Mookie’s injury? Hopefully the swelling has gone down somewhat today and we see him in the lineup soon.
Astros just signed Chase De Jong. No word yet if he goes to Houston or the secondary site.
I am looking forward to see what Jo Adell can do with LAA. MLB debut should come tomorrow. He is one OF prospect I am really looking forward to watching.
I guess Beaty could have played LF today instead of Pollock and Rios at 1B, I’d be good with that.
I just really think Beaty, Smith and Rios should get the opportunity to show us what they got. We’ve seen Barnes, Hernandez and Taylor (I do like Taylor though) and there’s got to be better.
I don’t know if Im sold on Beaty over Rios. I like Rios’s bat more. But both guys over Taylor and Kike against righties
Count me out on the argument that catchers just need to be good defensively. That’s the old way of thinking. I don’t like automatic outs, never have never will. I hated the old way of thinking that the center fielder and shortstop just need to be good defensively. Remember when Doc played for the Dodgers in center field and Izturis played shortstop, I hated them and their automatic outs.
We know what we have in Austin Barnes so why not let Will Smith catch 80% or more of the time. Lets see what Will Smith can do when given time to get in a groove. Last season he was given time and put up a productive .253/.337/.571/.907 line. I don’t have any reason to believe he can’t do that again IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY.
The lineup is already out.
Pederson RF
Muncy 2B
Turner 3B
Bellinger CF
Pollock LF
Seager DH
Taylor SS
Beaty 1B
Smith C
Considering Bett’s injury and being careful with Seager I like these 9 guys. Especially like Beaty and Smith getting starts. We got too many good productive guys on the team to waste 2B on either Taylor or Hernandez, I say keep Muncy at 2B PERMANENTLY. Open 1B up for Beaty.
I can’t believe you’re still harping on that” one bad pitch” Treinen made. I criticized Roberts for intentionally walking to 133 better to load the bases, which put unnecessary extra pressure on Treinen, and oh my God it was as if it was sacrilegious to criticize Roberts because “what manager hasn’t made mistakes.?” Treinen is going to be an asset to the Dodgers.
A great article about the Dodgers in The Athletic today by Molly Knight. Writing about Betts she said “He injured his middle finger Sunday — perhaps gesturing to Red Sox management for trading him away?” Classic.
Anyone hear of the lineup posted yet. Thanks.
Good morning Quas and stay safe. I think many of us get a sniffle, a headache, a sore throat, etc and worry to ourselves, oh no I may have the virus, at least I do. But it passes as I hope your sore throat does too.
I am thrilled with the Dodger’s start of the 2020 season. In all aspects, I see good results or a positive future with the players, some doing better than others right now. But our weak links, if there are any glaring ones, will improve in my opinion. As also a Caleb Ferguson fan, when he was first brought up, I am very happy he has done so well.
AC, again, I never get tired of saying this, but good write-up. All of our writers are great and we are lucky to have such a talented group of them, posters included.
Woke up this morning with a sore throat reminding me just how easy it can be to connect to an unwanted virus. With the many precautions the world has been taking it’s my guess this covid-19 virus is somewhat more aggressive than the so-called common cold as being contagious. I have to admit I let my guard down Saturday to attend a dear friend’s ‘celebration of life’ and took the passed bottle a few times. I’m not thinking that I contacted covid there but the sore throat told me how simple it is to overlook the seriousness of it’s threat. For me I’m sure it’d be a death sentence as my superman days are long in the past. So now I’ll keep my guard up and will not forget and please all, do the same.
My post from yesterday included:
“I have gone from a Joe Kelly advocate last year to someone who only wants to see him in meaningless situations, if at all. He has such a live arm and that riding fastball can eat up a right hand batter. I saw him as valuable piece as a set up guy or closer. So this winter he supposedly made improvements to help his command. Really? He’s worse. A 98 mph guy that can only command that breaking ball. (But 15 straight?) He’s a head case that I can do without.”
With our current staff, if the roster is reduced to 28 (which I doubt will happen), Joe Kelly would be the first guy on the “see you later” list. Mark Prior has no chance of fixing this guy.
Random Thoughts:
* Kelly is clueless but far from the wildest ever. Ryne Duran was mentioned but his strikeout to walk ration was about 2 to 1. The legendary, career minor leaguer, Steve Dalkowski was the wildest I ever saw. Even warming up, his 100mph fastball broke boards in the bullpen. In his career, he had 1324 K’s and 1236 walks. Almost 1 to 1.
* I am looking forward to the Paddock – Buehler match up big time.
* I sadly watched Otani yesterday before he was pulled in the 2nd. Maddon left him out there for 40 pitches while struggling in the inning. Now he’s had another MRI. Even with his big fastballs, he refuses to want to throw it. That splitter is hard on arms and he may be facing a 2nd TJ. His future is not going to be on the bump.
* I hope, as we all do, that Mookie can play soon. I don’t want to lose to the Padres. I have learned to dislike them more than any opponent. And the reason is Manny Machado, who I think is an overrated “showboat”. I can’t tell you how happy we didn’t sign him and got Betts instead.
* I think our starters ARE WS caliber.
* I don’t think Lux adds anything to this team, this year. He’ll get his time when some players move on. Please, we don’t need that “try-out” camp mentality again with this short season by trying to get him in the lineup.
* Barnes would hit better if he actually swung the bat. He takes too many hittable pitches. The Dodgers won’t be the first team to win it all with defensive minded catchers.
* It was way cool to see CK so happy after his outing yesterday.
3 things lead to maximizing a pitcher’s consistency; balance, posture and alignment. CK’s alignment to the catcher’s mitt was so good. As Orel reported “that leads to staying behind the baseball”. Driveline is great at stressing that stuff.
Big games starting tonight!
Fun game to watch. CK pitched well, and got out of trouble the one time he had multiple runners. Cody scraped his new stance and went back to the old and immediately felt comfortable. Well, he should have never switched in the first place. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Sound advice. Kelly is having his troubles, that is for sure. But the wildest pitcher ever? Not even close Jefe. I recall a guy named Duren who would routinely throw his first warmup to the backstop just to scare the crap out of hitters. Kelly has shown flashes while a Dodger, he has also had some scary moments. But he is getting paid less than Treinen per year. It seemed like Betts jammed his finger on the swing. It did not look like he had pulled a tendon. Jammed fingers swell up pretty fast and are painful for a few days. There was a mandate from ownership to get under the threshold. It was even printed in the Times I think. But salaries are only part of what they spend. This team spends a lot of money on player development. And except for some hiccups with their Cuban signings, they do well in the International market. I have decided I really dislike the cutouts. They are to say the least, tacky. But Will Smith did something pretty cool. His homer into the pavillion took the head off of one of those cutouts, so he got in touch with the person who bought it and sent him the bat he used to de-decapitate his cutout. Pretty cool of Smitty. As for the catchers, the only ones who are concerned are the fans. Doc and AF seem to be ok with what they are getting. With a little luck, Smith would be hitting over .300. He has one of the highest hard hit rates in the league. Barnes, not so much. He has struck out at almost a 50% rate. It might be time for a little Ruiz.
Not sure what is actually overspending when it comes to baseball today. Guessing there will be major changes in the luxury tax going forward. Can’t imagine the union allowing that to remain in the current form.
No question Artie Moreno saved the Dodgers from making a really bad deal. Never understood why the Dodgers wanted to make it in the first place other than dumping Joc’s salary and opening up an outfield slot.
Keyshaw was really good yesterday and he was hitting 93, something he didn’t do last year.
The more I see Mookie Betts play, the more impressed I am. He can just beat you in so many different ways.
I’m a bit worried about Mookie’s hand/finger injury. X-rays were negative indicating no fracture, but if it is a finger tendon it can be quite painful and linger for some time. Hoping it’s just a sprain, but Doc has a history of downplaying injuries only to hear a couple days later in his presser when he announces someone is going under the knife.
I’ll anxiously await an update today and hope it is nothing serous.
Interesting, thought provoking post this morning Jeff
Kelly is paid a lot of money and has the stuff of a closer. I have a feeling the problem is in his head. Can Prior get through to him? We wait to see. I have hope.
It would appear that we really don’t need offense from our catchers. It would be nice, but when the other 8 guys in this juggernaut hit we can beat anybody, and beat them by a liberal margin. Yeah, I said liberal. It’s a positive image. Both Smith and Barnes projections are believable and it’s my opinion we should look for them to manifest. I’ve posted them before, no need to regurgitate, which means… ah, you know what it means.
“the starters will not have to go 8 or 9.”
7 innings feels like a complete game these days. My take on starters is simply this: throw strikes, average 15 pitches per inning and be strong for 100 pitches. I don’t think that’s asking too much. Pitchers for decades could start 40 games throw 150 pitches each time out. Ok, today’s pitchers are throwing their arms to the backstop …..so they can’t throw 90 anymore? Spin it, spot it and let your fielders make plays behind you. We currently have several starters capable of going 5 and keeping us in the game. Hopefully they build up to 6-7 innings by September. Our bullpen is deep. We have an abundance of riches, from the 30 to the 40 to the exchequer that bankrolls this operation. We’ve played meh ball so far and are on pace for 42 wins. (I got 40 AC). I hope you all realize how lucky we are to have THIS team and to be allowed to watch it during a pandemic.
We are blessed. For the moment anyway. Enjoy it while we can.
We’re favored (duh) -136, 71/2 runs. We win 5 1/2 to 2.
I haven’ seen Chris Paddock pitch yet, but today’s Buehler/Paddock machup might be really fun to watch
Let Will Smith play! Enough of this Realmuto crap. And even more enough of trading Bellinger for him.
Just been catching up on all the posts from the past couple of days after a rather messy weekend, when after months of Lockdown, I certainly let the brakes off. Feeling it today, but was good to have some fun.
Have got to say that the way LADT is working now, with different writers pitching in (sorry), is excellent and getting better and better.
Michael’s post was outstanding.
It took me back to a different time, and a better place, much like Harold’s.
Have to say that both Jeff and Rob are very fair in their analysis of all things Blue.
Looking forward to the Padres series as this will be a decent test, then the league leading Rockies.
Good to have Baseball back even if different without the crowd atmosphere – just hoping that Covid doesn’t spoil things.
My opinion
Kershaw looked good last night but resurrected and the Ace he used to be, I’ll hold judgement for a few more starts.
With runners on second and third and with 2 outs Roberts puts Escobar ( batting 1.33 ) on first with the walk setting up an out at any base which I understand but with Walker due up why not pitch to the batter hitting 1.33 instead of by passing him to pitch to Walker who is hitting 2.96, if Walker and Escobar had been in reverse batting order and Roberts walked Walker to get at Escobar, even if Escobar gets the hit I’m behind Roberts 100%.
BTW, Thank you Arte Moreno for being an egotistical jerk! We kept Joc and Chicken Strip!
Enjoy your season, you Wannabe!
… and yet, overspending has never been the path to success. The Yankees have tried it. The Dodgers tried it. I totally disagree that “the Dodger’s main interest in the last few years has been to lower their payroll significantly. “ I think their main interest is to spend money wisely in player development. AF is not afraid to spend money. He signed lots of International Free Agents and that did not work out, He signed Joe Kelly to a fairly large contract. He signed Treinen to a $10 million dollar deal. He signed Betts to a record deal.
The Dodgers are not afraid to go over the Luxury Tax Threshold, but the fact of the matter is that it is better to put your money in player development than it is to just pay insane market prices for players. The Dodgers likely have the largest player development staff and have first-class facilities for them. They spend millions, probably tens of millions more than most other teams, and the results are apparent.
We saw a resurrected Clayton Kershaw who looked like the Ace he used to be. In another couple of games, Striker Buehler will be built up to 7 innings as will Julio Urias. Dustin May and Gonsolin can hold down one spot and Ross Stripling has a career 3.49 ERA (1.18 WHIP). Name a rotation better than what the Dodgers have THIS year. The Dodgers are 7-3 and the pitching is the absolute best in baseball. There is no questioning that. They lead MLB with a 1.84 ERA. Cleveland is at 2.35, almost a half run behind them. The Nats have a good rotation, but Strasburg has some injury issues and I do not believe their depth can match the Dodgers. I like what we have… including our catchers. Realmuto is not a leader of a pitching staff. You will get better offense at the expense of an increased ERA. No way, Jose!
” know that it frustrates a lot of fans who enjoy bat to ball skills and producing runs, but this team is built on power, and has been for the last several years.” Absolutely, and that’s been my biggest sigh of relief thru the first few weeks of the new season. They had me wondering a little following the SF and Houston series because it seemed a lot of healthy looking shots were falling shorter than we’re accustomed to. Feeling better after leaving Arizona with pretty much all the usual suspects getting in on the act. Personally, it’s not the most enjoyable way to watch baseball, but we’re fully invested in it, so gotta go with the flow. I’m just encouraged with what Seager and Betts have been doing. Between them and Turner, I better like our chances of being multi-dimensional in the post season than we’ve been in the past.
On a side note, for the first time this year, I caught Verdugo against the Yankees battling a 3-2 count for what seemed 15 pitches. Fun to watch and a little sad I can’t see him do it in a Dodgers uniform, but the Mookie consolation prize is proving very rewarding. It’s a little strange watching a Dodgers player work the bases so frequently and aggressively, but it’s great to watch. It’s a new wrinkle for our team that I think might make a difference this post season.
Indeed, AC, I think Kelly is the weak link in the BP. Except for very brief stretches last season, he has not shown any command of his stuff. He might be the wildest pitcher I’ve ever seen. I can’t recall anyone wilder, more dramatically challenged, than him. The only redeeming quality is his velocity, but I still maintain that this was a bad decision by AF to acquire him. Our new acquisitions look to be far more disciplined and promising than Kelly.
My allusion to Realmuto and his acquistion, is meant only to highlight the glaring need for a 2 way catcher on the team. We were hoping Martin would supply that last season, but he’s in his declining years. Barnes is a proven liability offensively, and he is not very good at throwing out base stealers. Smith still has to prove himself worthy of starting unless the team truly doesn’t care about offensive production. If that is the case, why speak of Ruiz in future terms? He has not demonstrated a significantly better offensive production in the minors, as Smith has, so he still remains a kind of work in progress. Smith should get most of the work until AF decides either that he can live with Smith and his weak bat or he auditions Ruiz THIS season. If Ruiz can prove he can hit, out future catcher will be found. If not, he or Smith will be trade bait. They held him out of all trade talks and he was one of the more popular players that teams wanted. I see no reason to really keep him and Barnes. Time to make the decision? Probably not, because the team is winning in spite of this weakness, and indeed it is a weakness. They let Grandal walk who was miles ahead of any of our catchers offensively. They just don’t like to pay someone when they’ve got cheaper options waiting in the wings. I’m not complaining about Grandal not being signed again. Just that they have not addressed this issue properly yet.
The Dodgers main interest in the last few years has been to lower their payroll significantly. This has significant effects on the makeup of the team. When you’ve got max players like Mookie and CK on your roster, and upcoming negotiations for Seager, Belli, etc., who will be asking for a lot, will the Dodgers be able to maintain a lower payroll and not pay luxury taxes, or will they pull out their checkbook and spend? The question comes to mind, ‘how much profit is sufficient for a company like Guggenheimer who have other business interests that generate revenues to make from their baseball venture? Baseball is not just a business. Teams want to win and winning generates more revenue. If they want to squeeze all of the profits they can out of the Dodgers, there will be some tough decisions made in the next couple of years. But I think they can afford to make less and still sign some top tier studs unless this pandemic has impacted their operations dramatically and they must scale back their spending. Maybe someone in the know can respond to this question.
Lux, it seems, is in a precarious position. By many accounts, a promising rising star, but we have not really seen that from him in his time with our team. Transitioning from minors to majors is the last and final test of a talented minor leaguer. And, with our utility team of Kike and CT3, with McKinstry in the wings, all able to play and probably start at 2B and the outfield, how is Lux going to crack the lineup except through an injury? He was also mentioned in trade talks last season, with teams insisting he must be included in any trade talks. I can understand AF’s reluctance with the performance that Lux turned in last season in the minors, but look how the situation has unfolded this season. He is the man out. He didn’t meet expectations last season when they called him up and he flubbed his chances this season with not being focused and ready to play. I’m not writing him off, just pointing this out.
I am not as optimistic about our rotation as it stands presently as AC is. Certainly we have arms that can go, but I don’t see the kind of dominant pitching that I’ve come to see in Dodger starters in the past. CK proved last night that he is still our ace, but our aceness ends there. The rest of the staff still need to prove that they can be dominant. Stripling, our most successful SP, so far, 2-0, has never been a dominant pitcher and has always declined somewhat in his starter role in the past. I’m happy to see him start, but he still has to prove himself durable in his effectiveness. The trio of young arms, May, Gonsolin, and Urias, have lots of potential but no one looks at them as proven starters, even the FO didn’t have May and Gonsolin penciled in at the start of the season. But if we are talking about a WS calibre rotation, we don’t have it, yet. We let 3 of our starters go. Why? MONEY!!!
Post-game presser:
Clayton Kershaw – “It was fun to be back out there. I missed it.” He said that his back got better fairly quickly. He felt a lot of relief and thankfulness for the outing. When asked about the changes for the increased velo, CK gave a lot of credit to his health and strengthening during the offseason. No mention of Driveline like KJ had done. Overall, CK said he was thankful for playing baseball again.
Dave Roberts – Mookie hurt his finger on a swing. It swelled up very quickly and significantly. They did do x-rays and they were negative. He is day to day. When Doc was asked about whether Driveline should be given credit for the uptick in CK and KJ, he responded a tentative maybe, but gave his staff the bulk of the credit. His staff worked with both pitchers on their body and positioning and mechanics. With respect to Corey, he had a good day. Today was recovery and treatment. Best case scenario, Corey will DH tomorrow. He is also listed as day to day.
Cody Bellinger – He has scrapped his “new swing” and is back to how he hit last year. He feels good at the plate. He just needs to get his timing back. He feels comfortable with where he is at. Like Kershaw, Belli is excited to be playing baseball.