Last year when Corey Seager went down with Tommy John Surgery, it was immediately known that he would miss the rest of the season. Thus, the Manny Machado trade. It now appears that Corey will be out a month… maybe less, so there is absolutely NO WAY the Dodgers are going to trade for ANY shortstop, let alone anyone named Lindor. It ain’t happening! Comparing last season to this season is like comparing apples to oranges.
Doc will keep rolling Kike and CT3 out there and in about 10 days, we will know the answer – the will either rise to the task… or not. Alex, JT and Cody are all hitting again as is Mad Max. And… as long as they don’t use him too much, Mr. Freese is pretty dang good. The Dodgers should weather this storm. The Dodgers have four players with and OPS over .900, which is considered “upper echelon” for hitters: Freese, Bellinger, Muncy and Pederson. JT could be there soon and Corey was also headed that way before his injury.
The silver lining to this is that Corey could be rested and stronger for the playoffs after missing a year and CT3 and Kike might get their swings back. That’s the best we can hope for, but even if they don’t the Dodgers have enough hitting to be fine. It appears that Matt Beaty and Freese will platoon at 1B… or some such thing.
At any rate, that was a very nice game last night against the team that is expected to challenge the Dodgers for the NL Championship. Frankly, I don’t think they will. Of course, the Dodgers are #1 in pitching in the NL with a 3.32 team ERA. They are also #1 in starter ERA at 2.84, while the bullpen is tied with the Cubs for #8 at 4.24. I would still like to acquire an arm or two, but I think the existing staff will improve. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. After all, Joe Kelly can’t get any worse… can he?
Dodger Rants and Raves
- The Dodgers drove Jon Lester’s ERA up to 4.08. He’s allegedly the Cubs ace. Since last year’s All-Star Game, Lester’s ERA is well over 4.00. Lester will be 36 in January and is owed $45,000,000 over 2020 and 2021. Methinks this contract will be a boat anchor on the Cubs.
- I still think Alex Verdugo is best utilized at leadoff. Just my opinion.
- Yasmani Grandal is hitting .283 with 15 HR and a .937 OPS for Milwaukee this year. He’s playing like the best catcher in baseball. PERIOD! I’m just saying… Bumsrap likes to rag on me, but right here, right now, he’s the player I expected. I’m glad for him. That said, maybe he’s someone who can’t play in LA.
Minor League Report by DC
DSL Dodgers Shoemaker 8 – DSL Indians/Brewers 7
Starter Benony Robles (18) and reliever Stivin Gutierrez (17) pitched a total of seven innings leaving with an 8-4 lead. Robles gave up one run while Gutierrez gave up three. Right-hander Alex Acevedo (18) pitched a scoreless eighth inning but ran into a buzz saw in the top of the ninth giving up three runs and leaving with two outs and a possible tying run on second base. Right-hander Carlos Rodriguez (20) picked up the save with a ground out for the third out.
Offensively the Dodgers scored in the third though the sixth inning with four in the sixth. Left fielder Juan Diaz(17) hit his first home run of the season in the fifth inning. DH Marlon Cairo (23) and shortstop Bladimir De La Rosa both had two hits and two runs batted in.
DSL Dodgers Bautista 1 – DSL Astros 3
Jermig Rosario (17) and Denverick Martines (18) in his debut pitched a scoreless three innings while Rafael Tua (17) and Heisell Baro (17) did not fare quite as well giving up a combined three runs in their five innings pitched.
At the plate the Dodgers had only three singles.
Great Lakes Loons 2 – Lake County Captains 4 (Cleveland)
In a rain shortened game the Loons came out on the short end of a 4-2 score. Stephen Kolek started for Great Lakes and gave up four runs in four innings. Two in the third came across after second baseman Jacob Amaya muffed a sure double play ball. The two in the fourth inning came on a single and a no doubter home run by Captains catcher, Bo Naylor. Mark Washington in his season debut pitched a clean fifth inning.
The Loons first run came in on a Luke Heyer home run in the third and the second on a Niko Hulsizer single in the top of the sixth inning. Unfortunately the game was halted at that point with one out and Loons on first and second with Jair Camargo at the plate.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 8 – Lake Elsinore Storm 14 ( San Diego)
Quakes pitchers Michael Grove and Wills Montgomerie were big contributors to the Storm hit parade giving up four and eight runs respectively over 5.2 innings. Sven Schueller and Bryan Warzek each chimed in with an earned run in their inning while Wes Helsabeck escaped further injury with a clean 1.1 innings pitched.
At the plate the Quakes scored in each inning from the third through the seventh and did have 12 hits but also struck out 12 times. Donovan Casey had three hits while Nick Yarnell and Bryan Morales each had two. Jeter Downs hit his 11th home run, a two-run shot in the sixth inning.
Tulsa Drillers 6 – Frisco RoughRiders 1 (Texas)
The Drillers got off to a quick start with six runs through four innings courtesy of a Keibert Ruiz two-run home run in the second inning and three runs in the third inning on a Chris Parmalee double and a Christian Santana single. Zach McKinstry brought in an additional run in the fourth inning with a sac fly. Santana finished with three hits and two runs batted in.
Ben Holmes started and gave up a run in the first inning but no more over five innings on six hits and six strikeouts. Andre Scrubb and Chris Nunn finished the sweep of the RoughRiders with two scoreless innings apiece. Tulsa pitchers allowed just 2 runs and 18 hits in the three-game sweep.
OKC Dodgers 10 – Albuquerque Isotopes 0 (Colorado)
Dennis Santana started for the Dodgers and got plenty of early support. On his part he struggled a bit but prevailed giving up no runs but four hits and a season high five walks. He stranded seven runners in scoring position. The OKC bullpen of Joe Broussard, Zac Rosscup, Stetson Allie and Jaime Schultz covered the final four innings and allowed two hits, with two walks and six strikeouts.
The offense kicked into high gear in the first inning on a Will Smith home run. A gift run came home in the second inning on a bases-loaded walk to Blake Gailen. Things broke loose with a six-run fourth inning when seven consecutive Dodgers reached base. Cameron Perkins kicked off the festivities with a home run followed by a two-run single by pitcher Dennis Santana and a second two-run single by Zach Reks who scored on a sac fly by Will Smith. Connor Joe roped a two-run double with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning to complete the scoring.
Discussion (86)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Boy Howdy I knew I would trigger someone with that post and low and behold…..We have now established that you have no sense of humor. I can see we are going to get along swimmingly 🙂
Beaty looks like he belongs. However, he’s got 2 errors in his short stint on the team. They haven’t been devastating and a good club can absorb mistakes that are minor. I have no real opinion about him at 1B, yet. We need to see what he can do over time. Maybe he would be better in the OF, but we have a surplus of players there and few for 1B. Let the dice roll. Maybe Pollock will wind up there!
Mark, why are all of DodgerBlueMoms questions, good questions, but all of ours (59, BB, Bobby, Me) are moronic. You fall in love with the women on this board and treat us blue collar guys like imbeciles. 🙂
Question to the Board: Does Mark get Crushes on people, especially the Chicks???? lol
As per Kyle Glaser:
Dodger fans: Start paying attention to Devin Mann. Like, right now. Strong, physical, athletic, great at-bats, hits everything HARD, and the defense at 2B and 3B is there. He’s a good one. A very good one.
“When I was at Louisville I was a very reserved hitter,” Mann said. “I didn’t really use my body well, use my levers well. Then, when I got drafted with the Dodgers, we made a lot of changes with my lower half and bat path, just making sure I was tapped into all the power that I have and making sure I’m staying through the zone better. It’s paid off so far. I’m happy with the changes we’ve made.”
Mann’s power production stands in notable contrast to his past. He hit a combined 15 home runs in three years at Louisville. He hit only two home runs in 65 games last year after signing. Now, he’s tied for second in the California League in home runs.
Mark. I agree with your Verdugo comment in your post.
I also think if Grandal is the best catcher in the NL. One cannot deride him because of some poor playoff work, as you would have to include most of the team. All in all, the Dodgers should have kept him around for the short term.
Beaty is showing he deserves a real look see and stop sending him back to the minors. Will Smith the same. If he hits and plays better than the vets, he stays. I
The salary is going to start going up on joc in a year or 2. At some point the Dodgers are going to look to trade him before he gets too expensive. Hopefully, we can win a World Series before that happens. At his best he kills rh pitchers. He is so streaky and doesn’t hit lefties. I’m still wondering why they took the plunge on pollock. Injury prone, defense has slipped, stolen bases not there, ave power, streaky, wrong side of thirty, I don’t know just doesn’t really look like somebody AF would go for. He is a righty who could get streaky at the right time, good character guy I guess. Maybe it will become clearer down the road. As salaries go maybe he is a cheap free agent.
Good for Baety, I was wrong.
Who was badmouthing Beaty? I want to know…
Mark
No, give me numbers. I’ve noticed that you have a bias against Joc. C’mon give me numbers.
I’m not trying to stir up anything but give me numbers.
If I’m wrong then tweak the lineup slightly no big deal.
Just my opinion against righties:
1 Turner 355 AVG 442 OBP 457 SLG
2 Freese 356 AVG 431 OBP 733 SLG
3 Bellinger 374 AVG 462 OBP and 716 SLG
4 Peterson 253 AVG 368 OBP 642 SLG
5 Taylor to break up the bottom of the lineup without Seager. Who cares?
6 Muncy 267AVG 376 OBP 513 SLG
7 Verdugo 273 AVG 333 OBP 430 SLG
8 Catcher whomever
9 Pitcher
‘Could Kelly get any worse?’ Sure. He could pitch more often.
If Joc leads off the game with a blast, then Verdugo will in effect be batting lead-off in the 1st. Of course, if he and Joc were hitting in reverse, then Joc could hit a 2-run homer in the 1st.
Actually hitting #2 might be Verdugo’s ideal spot. He’s got the kind of bat control that plays well at #2. Probably six of one and half a dozen of the other. At this point I’m just happy to see him hitting at the top of the lineup.
Those of you who want Verdugo towards the top of the lineup get your wish today.
Peterson
Verdugo
Turner
Bellinger
Muncy
Taylor
Beaty
Martin
Hill
I wonder if the Dodgers will rethink moving urias back into the rotation. He seems to be getting more comfortable in the pen. He could be a hader type very versatile. I don’t know how this fits with keeping him healthy. Is it harder on him physically to come out of the pen or to be in the rotation? I know the team thinks the way they are using him now is helpful. But, if they were to take the gloves off would the pen be more stressful? I just wonder if they are considering that. He has reverse splits at this point but it could solve the need for a lefty. I mean would you rather have him or Alexander? I am only talking about this season. A playoff rotation of buehler, ryu, kershaw, and hill would be pretty good. Of course, urias could be a dominant starter.
In the playoffs a bullpen of Baez, Kelly, maeda, and Jansen from the right side and Ferguson, urias from the left side would be pretty darn good if all were performing as capable. A lot cheaper that way so I am sure they are considering it. You might also throw stripling in there. Of course they could matchup with urias in the rotation if they felt it was necessary. What a tremendously talented staff. One really good reliever would make this pen dominate somebody like hand. Not just because hand is good but he would take the pressure off the rest which might allow them to relax and perform.
Thank you both, DC and Jorge for your input and I understand what you both said. I am sure the manager is thrilled for their players to move up. They do a great job in the minor leagues in my opinion. It was just a curious question is all and I appreciate the time you took to answer. Go Blue.
Question…….Mark, AC or DC…..How do minor league managers feel about their star players being brought up to play periodically for the big team? I know they want the best for their players and their main goal is preparing the players for that opportunity, but do the managers ever rebel against losing their players right at the minor leagues playoff time. This might be considered a moronic question.
Ranking the TOP DEFENSIVE OUTFIELDS in MLB by The Athletic:
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
We ranked the Dodgers infield the best and we could have rated their outfield as the best, too — if we rated them strictly off Defensive Runs Saved.
Cody Bellinger has been out-of-this-world good in right field. We made a mistake not including him among the best outfield arms. He’s saved 19 runs in the outfield this season, six with his arm (both best in MLB). Of the 32 baserunners who could have taken an extra base on a ball he fielded, more have been thrown out directly by him (7) than advanced (6). That’s outstanding.
He’s not the only good one.
Alex Verdugo has eight defensive runs saved spaced out across all three positions. Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson have done all right. The thing to consider is just how good they might be if A.J. Pollock was healthy. Pollock, normally highly-rated for his range and positioning, albeit with a poor-rated arm, actually cost them five runs before going on the injured list.
Most Defensive Runs Saved – 2019 Outfields
Dodgers: 28
Twins: 23
Rays: 21
Astros: 21
Giants: 17
Brewers: 16
Seager getting the injury prone label. He kinda looks fragile. Dodgers need to get him healthy and robust. Want to see the ball jumping off his bat and blasting holes in the fences…the way it used to.
I’m with you on Barnes. I wouldn’t miss him if someone was willing to take him for a setup guy. Catching is a need around the league and he’s serviceable. It’s not that I hate him or anything. He’s kinda like the invisible man for me this year. He does just enough where he’s not in the cross hairs, but not enough to get noticed. Will Smith can step right in to fill his shoes.
As far as Lindor goes, of course you can use a guy like that. He’s elite. But, to put him at second base is a disservice to him and the prospect cost will be huge. The bullpen is the glaring need and Muncy is going to play second base most of the time when Pollock comes back as long as Joc and Alex continue to hit.
I coach little league with another guy who has a really big heart.
Last weekend our leadoff batter had a big day with several huge hits. Our #8 hitter struck out in every at bat. My buddy comes over to me after the game and says “Next game I’m switching those two players in the lineup. I noticed our #8 guy crying after that last strikeout. He needs a shot of confidence so I’ll bat him leadoff. Our leadoff guy had a great day at the plate so he’s already feeling pretty good about himself.”
As I was trying to process his logic, it suddenly dawned on me that this was a total Dave Roberts move. As an outside observer, it sure feels like Roberts is thinking “Kike and CT3 need to know I believe in them so even though they strike out every at bat, I’m going to bat them leadoff. Verdugo’s been performing well, but I need to make him feel like he has more to prove so I’ll continue to slot him lower in the lineup than even the OKC callups…”
You don’t trade the main catcher on the league’s best pitching staff.
He doesn’t have to hit much, but I think he will raise his BA. His OB% is .322 so that’s not horrible.
I don’t think Barnes will be traded. I suspect the dodgers will try to keep three MLB level catchers to allow for the inevitable injury.
This year it is Barnes and Martin with Smith riding the insurance shuttle. Next year Barnes and Smith with Ruiz on the shuttle for injuries.
With smaller more athletic type catchers I suspect we will stay with a 60/40 tandem if possible as we expect to play deep into October every year.
Tulsa Drillers All-Stars:
This year’s game will be played at Tulsa’s ONEOK Field on June 25 and will include some of the top prospects in Minor League Baseball, including eight players from the hometown Tulsa Drillers.
The eight Tulsa representatives who will play for the North Division in the contest are Keibert Ruiz, Gavin Lux, Cristian Santana, Zach McKinstry, Cody Thomas, Chris Parmelee, Dustin May and Shea Spitzbarth.
We expect Ruiz, Santana, May, Thomas, Lux to be all-stars. I am most pleased when a Zach McKinstry, Chris Parmalee and Shea Spitzbarth get recognized. When we read game reports McKinstry and Parmalee always seem to be in the middle of something. Shea seems to be on the edge, pitching well, but not yet quite consistent enough. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2015 out of Molloy College.
Grandal is a shocker. He has never been this consistent. He has had streaks. It appears he is another who can’t handle the bright lights but more power to him except against the Dodgers. As far as lindor you are right we will not get him. But why, he is a fantastic player, rh, can hit and run as well as play defense. He is a player every team would like to have long term. He wouldn’t have to replace seager but be in addition to seager. Would you rather have him at second or kike and Taylor? He might not be receptive to that but he might AF would know.
Probably nobody would want him but if they did I would include Barnes in a trade for a reliever. Will smith may never hit but he might. Sorry to say I have given up on Barnes. I trust AF to make the right decision on bringing smith up. AF is not going to rush smith but Barnes is another one we could trade and never miss.
Lester is no more an ace than kershaw is. They are both very good but their best days are behind them. I give kershaw props for hanging tough last night. Bellinger had a great game and nice to see him break out again. This is a preview of two potential World Series teams. The cubs don’t have any excuses except we’ll the Dodgers.
Yes, Grandal is having a good year. He is very good except when he is not. Same with Joc except for the catching a throw thing and BABIP.
The biggest plate of crow that I have ordered up several times has to do with Muncy. I am now a believer. No more trade high thoughts; he is a keeper.
Lux still has a chance of appearing in games for the Dodgers while Seager is out IMHO.