It took 50 games, but the Dodgers are the first team to qualify for the playoffs. They marched into San Diego with a precarious 2.5 game lead and not playing very well at all. Game 1 in SD was a match up of probably the team’s two Aces, Clayton Kershaw vs. Dinelson Lamet. The Dodgers broke on top first with a walk, double and ground out to score a run. The 1-0 lead held up for 5+ innings before Trent Grisham sent a Kershaw fastball into the Right Field stands for his 9th HR on the year.
And then the 7th. Kershaw allowed a couple of ground ball singles (one infield) and was lifted by Dave Roberts. I think everyone has voiced their opinion as to how they felt about the move. I am also sure that Clayton let Doc know how he felt about it. It sure would have been nice to see Clayton work out of the inning, but Pedro Baez??? Just off the IL??? Against perhaps the hottest team in MLB that leads MLB in late inning wins??? Some questionable pitching and even more questionable defense and the game got out of hand. The Pads scored 5 in the 7th and win Game 1, 7-2, and move to within 1.5 games of the Dodgers.
Grisham certainly got a lot of flak for his apparent “showboating” after his HR. Muncy has had his share of slow trots and memorable quotes after his HRs. Puig had his share of bat flips, and sometimes they didn’t even reach the seats. So I did not have a problem with it. Let the Kids Play!! There was some discussion that he was showing disrespect to Kershaw. When Grisham was asked about it, he indicated that it was his biggest hit in his biggest game, and it came against CLAYTON KERSHAW. He did not feel he was disrespecting CK. He was genuinely ecstatic for his team. I do not know Grisham, so until he shows his word cannot be trusted, I will take him at his word.
The Padres were feeling great. They just beat the best team in baseball for their 8th consecutive win, and 9 out of their last 10. They beat the Dodgers Ace. They had Zach Davies as the Game 2 SP, who pitches very well against the Dodgers. The Dodgers were reeling having lost 5 of their last 8 and playing some very bad ball. They lost two out of three to the Rockies for their first series loss all year, and very easily could have been swept. They did win two of three against the DBacks, but it took extra innings against the 2nd worst team in the NL for the two wins. They split with the Astros after blowing a 5-2 lead in the 9th against the Cheaters. And now have lost Game 1.
Game 2 featured Zach Davies against the Dodgers Tony Gonsolin. The last time Tony pitches was as a long reliever when Dustin May was shelved after being hit in the foot by a batted ball from the DBacks DH, Josh Rojas. May was able to finish the 1st, but could not start the 2nd. The game became a bullpen game with Gonsolin finishing the final 5.0 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits (including a 2 run Carson Kelly HR). Would Gonsolin be able to come back after that outing? Would the Dodgers be ab.le to figure out Zach Davies?
While the Dodgers didn’t exactly own Davies this game, Gonsolin went on to pitch perhaps the best game in his life, in maybe the biggest game of his life. Gonsolin pitched a brilliant 7.0 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits, with ZERO walks. He did not have many swing and miss pitches, but he was efficient. He threw 90 pitches and looked like he could have gone another inning. But as Roberts so often wants to do, he summoned the bullpen. Early on in the season, this was an automatic. But lately…??? Caleb Ferguson entered the 8th and after striking out Jurickson Profar, he left the game with an apparent arm injury (more later). Blake Treinen comes in and retires Greg Garcia and Trent Grisham on 4 pitches.
There was no reason for Treinen not to come back out for the 8th except Doc wanted KJ to be able to come in and shut down the Pads for his 11th save. It wasn’t pretty. After KJ retired Tatis, Jr. on a ground out, Machado and Mitch Moreland both singled putting the tying runners on base. He then walks Austin Nola to load the bases with one out and a hot hitting Wil Myers coming to the plate with the winning run on 1st. KJ strikes Myers out on 3 pitches, and finally punches out Jake Cronenworth on 6 pitches to notch his 11th save, and put the Dodgers back to 2.5 games ahead of the Padres. It also took a little swagger away from the Pads.
Game 3 was supposed to feature Dustin May against a SD bullpen game. But Doc apparently changed his mind and decided to start The Bazooka, Brusdar Graterol, and bring in Dustin May later in the game. A four pitch lead off walk to Grisham was not how the game was drawn up. But a slumping Fernando Tatis, Jr. grounded into a double play, and Graterol struck out Machado on three pitches.
AJ Pollock got the Dodgers a 1-0 lead with a 2-out HR to CF in the 2nd inning. Graterol allowed a one out double to Wil Myers and was replaced by LHRP Adam Kolarek. Kolarek got Moreland to ground out with Myers moving to 3rd. Unfortunately, Kolarek walked Jorge Ona and that brought up LH hitting catcher Jason Castro. Bellinger was holding the runner on and Castro stroked a double to tie the game. After a Profar walk, Kolarek got Grisham to ground out.
The Dodgers got a gift with a Jake Cronenworth error on a Gavin Lux ground ball. After a fielders choice, a walk, and another fielders choice, the Dodgers had runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs and a badly slumping Max Muncy coming up. On a 3-2 pitch, Max lined a double to left field scoring one run and putting the Dodgers in front 2-1. This was a great AB for Muncy. He stayed back on a pitch to the outside, with head down and went with the pitch for the line drive double. With a runner on 3rd, Will Smith got an infield single when the pitcher fell down. That gift hit help make up for some of his hard hit balls that went for outs earlier on the season.
In the 5th, the Dodgers scored 3 more on a Will Smith double to left center that was deep enough to score Mookie and JT from 1B, and Cody Bellinger line drive single to left field. With a 6th inning HR by CT3, the Dodgers seemed to be breezing with a 7-1 after 6 innings and Dustin May cruising.
In the 7th, the never quit Padres got a break of their own with a Gavin Lux error to lead off hitter Mitch Moreland. May struck out Ona and Castro and looking to get out of the inning unscathed. However, Jurickson Profar hit a bomb of his own to get the Pads closer at 7-3. May allowed a one out solo HR by Machado and that was all for May. Victor Gonzalez came in and finished off the Pads in the 8th. After one out in the 9th, Gonzalez made his one mistake with a 2-2 HBP to Jorge Ona. That brought in Pedro Baez. I would think that as important as this game was that Blake Treinen would have been a safer choice after only throwing 4 pitches the game before. After getting PH Francisco Mejia to line out to CT3, Ona moved to 2nd on defensive interference. That brought up Profar who got an RBI single. The Padres were inching closer, and Trent Grisham was now representing the tying run to the plate. On the first pitch, Grisham popped out in foul territory to 3B Max Muncy. DODGERS WIN!!!
Dave Roberts is very well known as a players manager. In what many considered to be critical games, Roberts allowed two pitchers that have not had the best track record for the past week to close out games against the Pads. It took Jansen 28 pitches, but he left the winning run on base on Tuesday’s game. Baez, who is still not throwing with the velo that he had prior to his IL stint with a groin pull, was able to finish off the Pads in another unclean outing.
- Very ironic that on a day that Bear wrote about a lost art of stealing bases, Mookie stole 3 bases for the second time in his career.
- AJ Pollock’s HR was the 100th of his career (11th in 2020).
- Shortstops Fernando Tatis, Jr. is mired in a 2-27 slump, while Corey Seager is 0-11.
- Will Smith is proving to be a very prolific offensive catcher. For the month of September, in 41 PA, Smith is batting .444/.512/.722/1.234. He has 4 doubles, 2 HRs, and 7 RBIs with 5 walks and 5 Ks for the month.
- Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger both hit line drive hits into LF today. Belli has RBIs in back to back games after drawing the collar for the month of September before Tuesday’s game.
- Victor Gonzalez is showing that his ascent up the organizational chart last season is no fluke. He has been outstanding this year. In 11 games, Victor has accumulated a 3-0 record in 11 games and 17.0 IP. He has a 1.59 ERA and a sparkling 0.59 WHIP. He has 18 Ks against 2 walks.
- Victor is going to be needed, as one of my personal favorites, Caleb Ferguson, is probably done for the season. He has a reported “significant tear” in the UCL of his left elbow. No decision as to whether he plans for TJ surgery has been made. If he does decide, it will be his second TJ surgery. Since there is no decision, I do not want to speculate on what that decision will be. We can let this all play out.
- Josh Sborz has been recalled to replace Caleb.
- LADT favorite Zach McKinstry made his ML debut today and was struck out by Emilio Pagan. Playing in a pennant race against the 2nd best team in the NL, is not the same as ST. Lux has been looking overmatched all year, and Zach did as well on his lone AB. Hitting ML pitching is not easy. I am not sure that either will be making the post season roster. I think I would recall Matt Beaty to be a LH bat off the bench. CT3 can play 2B, making Lux and McKinstry unnecessary luxuries. Beaty is much more proven LH bat.
- On August 8, Jurickson Profar was batting an abysmal .098/.245/.171/.416. Since then, Profar has hit .333/.388/.541/.929 in 124 PA. He has hit the Dodgers very well.
- The NL West still runs through LA. The Dodgers are now 3.5 games up on the Padres with 10 games to play. By winning the season series against the Padres, the Dodgers get the first tie break scenario. If the Dodgers go 6-4 in their final 10 games, the Padres need to sweep their final 9 to tie the Dodgers with 41 victories and will be the #1 NL seed.
- The Dodgers traveled to SD and appeared to be very vulnerable after the first game loss. But as all great teams do, they pull it together and win the next two and win another series. If they do meet in the NLDS, it should be a very fun series. I do not like fun series. I want blowout wins.
The Dodgers jump on their charter and are heading to Denver. Weather projections for the four game series are:
- Thursday – Sunny – 88/56 – 0% precipitation – winds NNE 7 MPH
- Friday – Sunny – 87/62 – 0% precipitation – winds E 7 MPH
- Saturday – Partly Cloudy – 10% precipitation – winds – SW 8 MPH
- Sunday – Partly Cloudy – 20% precipitation – Winds W 8 MPH
Let’s hope the Dodger bats get hot in Colorado. And let’s hope that the team plays better against the Rockies than they did in LA. Julio Urias is scheduled to start Game 1, Clayton Kershaw Game 3, and Tony Gonsolin Game 4. Game 2 is TBD. Will Mitch White get a start, or will the Dodgers have yet another bullpen game? If a bullpen game neither Gonsolin nor May will be available to pitch. Will they let Victor Gonzalez or Brusdar Graterol pitch a little deeper? I would prefer to see White get the start, but that is because IMO the team is doing too many bullpen games lately. Walker Buehler is not projected to start until the Dodgers get back into LA.
Here is to LAD winning each of the final three series.
Discussion (111)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Well Mark you didn’t think much of Smith last year. Let’s give a Lux a chance to see what he can do next year. I’m not giving up on him just yet. This is just a weird year for a lot of good players!
One out left. Sborz doing a good job in a mop up role. Game over 9-3. Lead is 4 since SD did not play tonight. SD’s series against the Mariners will be played in SD instead of Seattle due to air quality concerns. Mariners will be the home team. Boston gets beat again by Miami. Down 2-0.
I hated losing Verdugo in that trade. I figured he’d be a really good hitter.
1. Betts RF
2. Verdugo LF
3. Seager SS
4. Turner DH
5. Bellinger 1B
6. Taylor CF
7. Muncy 2B
8. Smith C
9. Rios 3B
I can only dream!
I would trade Ruiz, Lux and Gray for Verdugo RIGHT NOW!
In response to Bluto’s question, my answer is that I would rather have Verdugo and Betts than Lux, Ruiz and Betts… but’s that just me!
I like Bellinger at 1B and Betts and Verdugo would make nice corner outfielders.
Of course, the horse is outta the barn…
Muncy.
I like this Estévez si much. he is good for dodgers hitters.
Yes Will Smith again. I love good hitting catchers.
Harvey’s Wallbangers!
M V P
As I said a month ago: this is the best player I’ve ever seen in a Dodger uniform (I became a fan in 1983)
Urias did a really nice job of recovering! Why didn’t Doc let him finish the 6th? He had plenty left in the tank. I will be miffed if Floro does not retire Arenado… Got him! Boy, Arenado is having a year similar to Muncy and Bellinger.
Painful watching Urias with absolutely no rhythm at the start of games — it is a concerning pattern
Doc has announced that tomorrow is going to be another bullpen game. Most games in Colorado turn out to be bullpen games and we’re about to play four games there, not even using a regular starter for one of them.
It seems to me that our bullpen could be pretty much wiped out during this series. How about bringing up guys like White and Gray and seeing how many innings they could give us? It might help save the bullpen a little bit. I’d rather see how many innings I could get out of White/Gray than to use Sborz for an inning here or there.
With his three hits today Alex Verdugo is up to .326/.381/.511 .
We were very lucky to trade for Mookie and then be able to extend him, but the Sox didn’t exactly give him away for nothing. Yes, we do that trade every day and twice on Sunday, but they got themselves a very good ballplayer.
Is the game televised tonight?
It says there is no media for it!
Okay folks, blisters! Why isn’t WB using what was learned about blisters from Rich Hill??
I thought Hill developed a methodology that was successful for blisters? How come we have to relearn what has already been learned?
I’d like to see Urias go 6 plus today. Pollock will a post season regular probably rest day. A keep Kike fresh game. Hopefully Big Mac will find some playing time the next 10 games.
Where’s Pollock? He’s hitting .391 against Freeland!
Cole Percival:
Still only 21. Sounds interesting
Muncy 4th again ?, Against a lefty?.. why???
I feel so bad for Caleb Ferguson. As a huge fan of Caleb’s, my opinion was that last year he was great, but I felt, a wee bit overused and he ran out of gas at the end of the season. This year I had very high hopes for him as he developed another pitch and was one of the best relievers in the Bullpen and now this misfortune. Prayers for him for a successful surgery. We will miss you Caleb.
Today’s game in Colorado:
Mookie
Seager
JT (DH)
Muncy (1b)
Smith
Belly
CT3 (2b)
Kike (LF)
Rios (3b)
Urias
Caleb Ferguson will have Tommy John surgery next week
Does any player have more walks than K’s than Will Smith(min 100 PA)? Just wondering because I can’t find anyone in either League.
The Dodgers signed another college pitcher for their development staff. Yes another 6’5” 220 pound RHP out of UC Riverside…Cole Percival. If that name sounds familiar, it might be because he is the son of former AS closer Troy Percival. Cole was a 31st round draft pick of the DBacks in the 2017 draft but decided to honor his commitment to play for UC Riverside and his father…UCR Head Coach.
Cole does not project to be his father’s clone, but with the LAD development team, who knows. Here are a couple of scouting reports for Cole:
Perfect Game Scouting Report
Cole Percival, RHP, UC Riverside (R-So.)
Coming off a lost year to injury, Percival looks healthy and figures to anchor the UCR rotation as the Friday starter. Listed at 6-foot-5, 220-pounds, Percival has added a bit of mass since high school and still has some room to add weight. The son of former long-time Angels closer, and UCR head coach, Troy Percival, Cole has some similarities in the delivery and profile. With a big leg kick, Percival generates pretty easy velocity, working at 91-94 and touching 95 mph in two looks this fall. He’s shown feel for both secondaries, a 78-80 mph slider that gets swings and misses and an 80-83 mph change with sink and fade. Percival is one of the top college arms in So Cal for the 2020 draft.
Ranking 25 College Baseball Players To Watch In 2020 Summer Ball (Baseball America)
23. Cole Percival, RHP, UC Riverside
Sharks (San Diego League)
Percival has a powerful arm like his father Troy Percival, the former all-star closer and current UC Riverside coach. Cole was off to a solid start in 2020 at 1-0, 3.38 and will look to build on that this summer. He’s one of a handful of players in the San Diego League that’s the son of a former big leaguer, including Quinn and Wyatt Hoffman, the sons of Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman.
Baseball America 2020 draft
Ranked #373 prospect in 2020 draft
A top draft prospect in high school, Percival fell to the D-backs in the 31st round because of his strong commitment to UC Riverside to play for his dad, Highlanders coach and former all-star closer Troy Percival. The younger Percival missed all of 2019 after a freak injury where he suffered a stress fracture in his elbow falling down a flight of stairs, but he returned at full strength this spring before the season shut down. Percival throws his fastball 92-94 mph with angle and sink from his long-limbed, 6-foot-5 frame. It’s a plus fastball when he stays on top of it, but he occasionally gets around the ball and it loses its effectiveness. Percival complements his fastball with a 78-82 mph slider that shows average potential and a usable, if inconsistent, 79-81 mph changeup. Percival pitches from the stretch full time and has below-average control because he struggles to repeat his delivery. As such, most evaluators project him to the bullpen. Percival has added velocity every year and stands to gain more with a move to the bullpen. While not considered a potentially elite closer like his dad, Percival’s body and stuff project well as a big league reliever.
Welcome to The Los Angeles Dodgers, Cole Percival.
Forgot to mention that Pollock deserves congratulations for hitting his 100th homerun.
After a doctor’s appointment I came home yesterday to watch the game and a Spring Training game broke out. 14 pitchers used in one game. It is a new day.
Congrats to the Dodgers on clinching and winning that important series with the Padres
Great recap and analysis Jeff D. You covered all the bases.
Some thoughts on yesterday:
* Adrian Marejon throws 2 different change ups. One is very unusual. He throws a true knuckle ball, with the usual 3 fingertips on the ball but throws it hard. The grip scrapes the speed. He doesn’t try to make it flutter and dance like a regular, soft toss, K-Ball. He doesn’t push the pitch or short stride like a normal K-Ball either. I’ve seen knuckle curves, spike knuckle curves, splitters that come out dead but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a true knuckle ball grip, thrown with fastball arm speed, used for a change up. Pretty unique.
* I missed Nola and his ultra cool target chest protector, yesterday. Castro’s not very good and lacks the equipment as well.
* I’m sick about Fergie. You just never know.
* Dear Santa – for Christmas this year please bring me the Automated Balls and Strikes System to MLB next spring.
The ninth inning of the second game in that series may have been the most important of the season. Roberts put Jansen in to hold a two-run lead, after two awful efforts before, and then the one clean inning with a seven-run lead. And misplay or not, the bases were loaded with one out, four batters later. One well-placed hit between the outfielders, and three runs score, and we are a half game up, and Jansen would not be closing any more games. But Kenley reached back and got the two strikeouts, and now we are three and a half games up, and should have the best record in the league at playoff time, though it does mean less than in most years. If Jansen goes on to pitch well in the postseason, that one effort will have been crucial.
Great to win that series from behind, though there are obviously still concerns. Buehler’s ability to pitch even close to last year’s form, is definitely in question. It was heartening to see May back in there, and he did pitch pretty well, but gave up two home runs and three runs in four-plus innings. Baez is not particularly reliable, but Roberts will use him a lot, he always does. Unless we explode with many runs, we are going to be seeing a lot of very tense 7th to 9th innings, trying to hold on to small leads. But for right now, we can bask in the big wins in the last two games.
One general question for anybody: Do you think that Smith is really as good as he looks right now? I know that Mark has now compared him to Buster Posey, wouldn’t that be great? Is he another Posey or Bench or Fisk? Of course we don’t know. I was expecting him to go back down to around the .260s, which would still make him very valuable, but is it possible that he somehow has quickly developed into a legitimate hitting star? If so, then we have reached another level in terms of the strength of our lineup, even with the disappointing years which Bellinger and Muncy have had.
Unless th8ngs change very soon, Lux has played himself off the team (both offensive and defense). McKinstry will not get enough at bats (to bad). Pederson will be the 13th.
I think that this will be the roster of position players:
1. Smith
2. Barnes
3. Bellinger
4. Muncy
5. Seager
6. Turner
7. Rios
8. Pollock
9. Beaty
10. Taylor
11. Hernandez
12. Betts
13. Pederson, Lux, McKinstry – Pick one
15 Pitchers:
1. Kershaw
2. Buehler
3. Urias
4. May
5. Gonsolin
6. Kelly
7. Baez
8. Gonzalez
9. Floro
10. Trienen
11. Jansen
12. Graterol
13. Kolarek
14. McGee
15. Wood
Alexander is left off.
THE 2020 BIOFREEZE LOS ANGELES DODGERS FOUNDATION RUN PRESENTED BY UCLA HEALTH SHIFTS TO VIRTUAL EVENT FEATURING LIMITED-EDITION WALKER BUEHLER RUN BOBBLEHEAD
Amid pandemic, LADF challenges runners to go the distance to tackle homelessness, education, health care, and social justice
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) announced today that the annual Biofreeze Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Run Presented by UCLA Health will shift to a virtual run experience for 6,000 participants November 8-15, 2020. Dodger pitcher Walker Buehler will be featured as its third limited-edition LADF run bobblehead, making it the only Dodger bobblehead to be offered in the 2020 baseball season. The pivot from a live run in September to a virtual event in November complies with safety recommendations of the CDC due to the coronavirus pandemic, encouraging fans to stay safe and healthy while continuing to follow social distancing guidelines.
“Together, we’ll run the distance to improve education, healthcare, homelessness, and social justice for all Angelenos,” said Nichol Whiteman, Chief Executive Officer of LADF. “While we would love to connect in our traditional style, LADF will not waver as we improve health and education outcomes for youth who simply need a chance. With the incredible support of our partners Biofreeze and UCLA Health, runners across the city will push themselves to healthy limits to help amplify our mission.”
Runners will participate in the distance of their choice (5K or 10K) and join an online runner community and social media week. A special drive-thru packet pick-up will also be held at Dodger Stadium on November 7 where runners can pick up their Walker Buehler run bobblehead, Dodgers ’20 tech shirt, finisher’s medal, race bib, LA RUNS swag, and enjoy sponsor giveaways.
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UCLA Health also returns as Presenting Sponsor and will pivot their popular health activations to giveaways for runners at the drive-thru packet pick-up and offer health and wellness content to engage families at home.
“UCLA Health has been working closely with the Dodgers Foundation to quickly adapt to the challenges of live events and support of our community throughout the pandemic,” said Becky Mancuso-Winding, Executive Director of the UCLA Health Office of Community. “We are thrilled to partner with the Dodgers Foundation on this first-ever virtual run and provide wellness content to all participants.”
The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power joins as Weekend Sponsor.
Net proceeds from the event will benefit the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation as they tackle the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness, and social justice for all Angelenos.
This run is open to all ages, all levels, and all athletic abilities. Registration information, along with all virtual race details, is available online at Dodgers.com/Run.
About the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation
ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation is bigger than baseball with ambitions to be the city’s premier charity. We envision a city where everyone regardless of zip code has the opportunity to thrive. We are tackling the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness and social justice for all Angelenos. Since 1995, we have invested more than $30 million in programs and grants to nonprofits, and fundraising has increased by 1,000% since 2012. That growth has enabled us to do more.
Visit LADF online at www.dodgers.com/ladf, follow them on Twitter, @DodgersFdn, Instagram, @dodgersfoundation, and like them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesDodgersFoundation.
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About UCLA Health
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Again, thank you, AC, for your breakdown of the series between the Padres and the Dodgers. My thoughts this morning are with Caleb Ferguson who must decide what his best approach should be going forward and with Joc Pederson in a family emergency which does not sound good.
I agree with some that Cody needs to play first, to shore up and sometimes save, a lot of errant throws from being errors and allowing base runners. I also think that CT3’s speed makes him the best replacement for Cody in CF.
I think that Grisham showed disrespect for Clayton on that homerun and, to me, seemed like a hotdogging scene rather than kid’s play. Just my opinion for what it is worth.
That said, congrats to the Dodgers for a hard-fought series win. Now to Colorado.
Great summary Jeff! It’s nice to win 2 out of 3 against, ostensibly, your main rival in their home park. I hope this gives the team a much need confidence boost and deflates the Padres for the balance of the season.
Victor Gonzalez has looked very impressive and will be a nice fill-in for Caleb F. With McGee, Gonzalez and Kolerek (and Wood) we have some solid lefties in the pen that can be used in high leverage situations. I would be inclined to limit Alex Wood to low leverage situations.
Don’t look now, but Seager is in a mild slump. 5-30 over his last 7 games. No matter what, Fergie is not going to help this team any more this year no matter which treatment he decides on. Wish the guy the best. Grisham’s action was not the first time this season that a Padre hitter has done that to a pitcher. And I believe that it was Tatis. Being young and exuberant is one thing. Breaking baseball’s unwritten rules is another. And that one is do not show up the other teams pitcher. When Max and the Bum were going at it, Bum started it by yelling at Max to run. And Max did not stand at the plate and take 10 seconds to get to first base. I have seen some pretty good fights come out of that kind of stuff. As a player and a person I respect Dave Roberts a lot. He took what ability he had and made a career out of it, and he had a pretty good one. His claim to fame is a stolen base that helped propel his team to a improbable win. I think he is a great communicator. He lets his players know where they stand and what he expects. And it that sense, he is very much a players manager, just like Dusty Baker. But as an in game strategist, he leaves a lot to be desired. I do not know if AF and he talk about the lineups, or who should play when. And to tell the truth, it only matters to the players on the field. But, his constant shuffling, has to be just a wee bit nerve wracking on the players. Yep, he is going to get the blame when they lose, and especially if his decision has a direct effect on a close game. This series could very easily had been a sweep by the Padres. And very easily a sweep by the Dodgers. His decisions affect all aspects of the game. And pulling a pitcher too soon, or too late can have some bad consequences. I personally do not care if he was stroking Kenley’s ego or not, but not having some one up and warming behind a guy who had been struggling over his last few outings, to me is just not smart managing. It cost him in the Astro series, and it almost cost him in game 2. It almost seems to me like he is afraid to take that guy out of a game until, like he did in the Astro game, it is too late and the damage is done. But for the foreseeable future, we are stuck with him. But I agree with Mark. If they get to the series and lose again, it is going to be very hard for AF to have an argument for keeping him at the helm. Since I live in Colorado and am privy to this stuff, it should be noted that over the last 5 games, all in Denver, that their starters have been pitching very well, and only giving up around 2 runs a game. but, they are 2-3 in those games. Bad bullpen. Dodgers need to put it on the starters early.
I heard on MLB.Radio today that the Braves lost $200 Million Dollars in the second quarter. The Braves are the only publically traded company, so they have to report their financials. I would imagine that most other teams are also hurting. I think that this is very bad news for Free Agents and Minor Leaguers as well as lots of other MLB employees. It also gives the MLBPA a lot less leverage. This could be brutal.
Nice write up and I love the blow out games too! SD Game two, was a sphincter tightener with Kenley flailing around. Did you notice his angst with Pollock in center when that bloop dropped? I was so happy for us all when he escaped!
Did anyone else notice that it looks like Cody has eased back a hair in the box? Maybe 2-3 inches back?
Terrific summary of an important series with the Padres who have moved the needle up a few notches on the rivalry thermometer. I have no problem with players watching their home runs leave the park, but I cannot recall seeing a hitter turn his back on the pitcher while continuing to stand in the batter’s box, yelling into his own dugout, then taking almost 10 seconds to reach first base — I have never seen Muncy do that, not even Puig with his exaggerated bat flips. I do have a problem with that demonstration as did several of the Dodgers players and coaches.
The Dodgers infield defense is significantly better with Cody Bellinger at first base; he deftly picked several throws that would have been questionable for Muncy to field. Put Chris Taylor in CF, Bellinger at first, Muncy/Hernandez at second (Turner and Seager handle the left side of the infield).
Dodgers hitters not seeing Clevinger in this series will benefit the Padres when/if they play Dodgers in post season.
Friday starter for Dodgers. If Ferguson goes on 45 IL would the Dodgers add Josiah Gray to the roster and give him his first ML start? More likely Bazooka pitches first inning followed by Alex Wood, et al.
A nit – didn’t Ona move to 2nd on defensive indifference rather than interference?
I too have no issue with what Grisham did. Plenty of Dodgers, including Mad Max have done it… Get over it already! Like Jeff said, “Let them have fun!”
I think that some of you are bothered by decisions Doc makes with players, which are sometimes for reasons you are not privy too. For instance, in letting Baez pitch in high leverage situations is as much about building up a player’s confidence than anything… and confidence is one of the most important things (if not THE most important thing). Not everything works, and when it doesn’t, it’s easy to blame the person who made the move or moves.
We have become a country of “Blame Culture” and that certainly carries over into sports. I give Doc a lot of credit for Dodger’s success and of course, he gets some of the blame when it fails. There is one goal this year and I fully support Doc in its pursuit. If the team fails, then it will be hard for me to understand how he can continue on – you can’t fire the players. So right now, I enjoy the ride and I will save the blame for later.
It is a real shame about Caleb Ferguson. I know that there are treatments available, such as PRP injections and the like – I am not sure what the time-frame is on recovery, but I doubt it’s a couple of weeks. It seems like inevitably, he will undergo the knife again, but I hope not! We love you Caleb!
Will Smith is now officially the best-hitting catcher in baseball. I like him in the 5th spot. What a revelation and testament to Dodger player development! Baseball America projected him as a backup and said he might hit 8-12 HR, but his hitting was questionable. He was drafted for his defense. What a turnaround!
Great write up Jeff. Very good stuff. I see a lot of trolls on the Dodger stream on Twitter. Used to be a lot of Giant fans, but lately it has been Padre fans. And they consider Dodger fans crybaby’s. At least that is the way it sounds. We bitch too much when we lose, and Roberts gets a lot of flak on there. One had the audacity to say, hey, you can talk when you finally win a World Series. I replied by telling him the Dodgers have 6 on their resume, how many do the Padres have? Fans can get chippy.. And there are times when I get as chippy as the next guy. As for Grisham’s homer off of CK, well, he Cadillaced a little too much, and since Roberts was a bit perturbed about it, I would think most of the Dodgers felt it was disrespecting their ace. And it was not the first time it has happened this year. If I remember right, Tatis did it to some other pitcher a couple of weeks ago, and there was some push back then. Oh well, we are in the playoffs for the 8th straight season. And we get to play the first 3 games in Dodger Stadium.
Thanks for the great summary, Jeff!
Good to remind us also of the things that are going right. Do you think the Padres’ blogs have as many critical posts as we do? I suspect not. Expectations have everything to do with it. They are probably ecstatic with how well their team is doing, and overlook the flaws, because they are outperforming expectations. We came into the season as the favorites to win it all, but have been burned so often in the playoffs that we turn negative every time something goes wrong. That having been said, there are a lot of insightful comments on this blog, many of which are justifiably critical. I’ve learned a lot by reading regularly. Finally, I think we should dedicate this season to “Winning Ugly!” If we do win it all, it’s not necessarily going to be pretty along the way. We don’t need to be perfect, just better than the other teams at those moments when it counts.