One of the many female artists (and trust there were many) on whom I had a boyhood crush, was the great country-western singer, Skeeter Davis. I loved her name, I mean how could you not love the name Skeeter? After reading some of the comments on Saturday and Sunday, I was reminded of her and her biggest hit song “The End of the World”, which goes in part(with apologies to the songwriter for the changes made by me) as follows:
“Why does the sun go on shining?
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Don’t they know it’s the end of the world?
‘Cause the Dodgers don’t know how to play anymore
Why do the birds go on singing?
Why do the stars glow above?
Don’t they know it’s the end of the world?
It ended when we lost last night
I woke up in the morning and I wondered
Why everything’s the same as it was
I can’t understand, no, I can’t understand
How the Dodgers even stand a chance”
Arguably, the Dodgers just finished their greatest regular season in history. Let that sink in for a minute. This year was the most wins ever for the Dodgers. Ever! Admittedly, the 1889, 1943 and 1953, teams had better winning percentages, albeit not by much, but they each played fewer games than the 2019 Dodgers. I’m not here to argue which was the better team. I’ll leave that to another day.
Apparently, according to some, the Dodgers were able to win this many games, with a manager who can’t manage, and who constantly makes the wrong in-game decisions. Dave Roberts is so bad that he doesn’t even know how to put his players in the best possible position to succeed. I’m also led to believe, this is, primarily, because he is totally incapable of making any decisions on his own and is merely a puppet for the front office. Shoot, anybody with half a brain and a remote control with good batteries, can do a better job than Doc. Several of you on this board, from the comfort of your family rooms, have made it known, that you can easily make better decisions than him. Case in point, why would he start Pollock in any of these games Yet, despite his foibles and incompetence, and I repeat myself, this team had the most wins ever!
If having a manager like Dave Roberts isn’t bad enough, the Dodgers were somehow also able to win this many games with players who are mediocre at best. And, to the extent they do perform, they are never clutch and for some reason (perhaps the change in the weather or the sun setting earlier in the day), they absolutely cannot perform in the postseason. It appears that the Dodgers front office, player development, analytics department, fitness department, and coaching staff are totally incapable of figuring out how to develop players who have enough stamina and skill to play beyond 162 games. Cause after that, the air rapidly goes out of the balloon. It’s my understanding from what I read, that this is the fault of the front office because they never acquire the right players, they are afraid to spend money and they can only build a team for the regular season. In any event, whatever the cause, I certainly hope they hire some nerds who can figure out how to get the Dodgers over that hump. If not, they should fire the whole lot!! But alas, and I repeat myself again, the most wins ever!
I mean, seriously, just take a look at Clayton Kershaw, arguably the best pitcher in Dodger history and certainly of the last decade in the majors. For 162 games, he’s okay. Not as good as he used to be, but he’s okay. Probably good enough to be voted into the Hall of Fame. But, once October rolls around, forget about it. He can’t hold a candle to the great Patrick Corbin, no way. I mean, take a look at Corbin’s first outing: 6 innings pitched, 3 hits, 2 runs 5 walks, 9 ks – that’s what a top of the line pitcher does in the clutch. I’m telling you, he’s great, definitely destined for the Hall of Fame. The Nats also have the invincible Max Scherzer, who in his only start this postseason pitched 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 3BB while striking out 6. I’m telling you, that’s just the type of pitcher we need. Let’s forget the fact that the Nats only squeaked by the Brewers Scherzer’s start because the world’s greatest closer forgot how to pitch and decided to imitate Kenley Jansen. That, and because of a ball that took a weird bounce in the outfield. Kershaw, on the other hand: Well he pitched 6 innings, allowed 6 hits, 3 runs 1 walk and 4 ks. Clearly, he sucks. I can’t explain to you why Roberts, Honeycutt or Prior can’t fix him and make him a better pitcher. How is it possible to rely on that quality of a pitcher to start any kind of meaningful game at this time of year. 2 batters hit by a pitch, that’s unfathomable!! Let me regress from my rant for a moment and acknowledge that this line of thinking ignores how baseball is a game of inches. Trea Turner’s ground ball barely scoots by JT (probably because JT is cheating in because of the possibility of a bunt by the speedy TT). Then, let’s look at Rendon’s 2 run double in the second inning. As good an outfielder that Bellinger is, it appeared to me, that he took an absolutely horrible route on that ball. Moreover, he started his jump awkwardly several feet away from where the ball hit the wall. Under normal circumstances that looked very much like a ball that Belli would catch 9 out of 10 times. Yet, baseball a game of inches. Had both those plays been made, we would be singing a different song about Kershaw. They weren’t and we aren’t. That’s what makes baseball the great game it is. The night before, the Dodgers benefitted from Howie Kendricks’ miscues. That’s how it goes. But then, I speculate on what could have been and that, unfortunately, doesn’t fit my narrative that the end of the world has arrived. It’s not just Kershaw, it’s the bullpen. Again, are we seriously passing off Jansen as a closer? That’s a ridiculous notion. No, what we need is someone reliable, like Josh Hader or Carlos Martinez or a serious lockdown guy like Roberto Osuna. That’s the ticket. Oops, I just checked the latest scores. Maybe we should forget about those 3 guys. And what was Roberts thinking bringing Squirt Gun Kelly into a game with an 8-2 lead. If ever there was a momentum killer, he would be it. Why didn’t he bring in one of his starters, like the genius manager Dave Martinez is doing.
And don’t even get me started on the offense. Bellinger, Seager, Pollock, and Lux. Come on now, everyone knows these guys can’t play. Flailing away at pitches that any average 12-year-old Pony League player can tell are out of the strike zone. Heck, from the comfort of my recliner, I can clearly see that they shouldn’t be swinging at those pitches. They should, like me, be able to see that those pitches are balls from the moment they leave the pitcher’s hand. See the ball, hit the ball, that’s all I ask. It’s very simple. Also, these players need to learn how to work the pitcher and get his pitch count up. Don’t swing at balls and make him throw strikes. That’s what I would do. I would swing at strikes only and further, only those that I can barrel up. I mean seriously, what’s the point of having RVS, Brant Brown and Adam Bates, if they can’t let these players know what they’re doing wrong. Hitting Strategist? What does that even mean? It can’t be that hard to hit a 98 mph fastball or a 90 mph slider, can it? With all the analytics and video available to them, these coaches should be able to tell Bellinger that he’s stepping in the bucket. They should also let Seager know not to swing at sliders in the dirt. I can’t understand why they don’t do that. On top of that, apparently, these players are selfish and they aren’t good teammates. Instead, they only think of themselves, swinging for the fences. Enough already. Frankly, they need to stop playing these guys and put in some real players like David Freese, Matt Beaty or Austin Barnes (doesn’t matter that he’s not on the roster). They know how to hit. Plus Doc, or whoever is giving him the orders, never put these players in the right spot in the line-up. He should bat them in right spots. I could go on and on and on, and on, but I fear this will never change, because, for the most part, our organization, from top to bottom, does not have a clue as to what they’re doing. Let’s face it, our team just can’t match up against the great Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg or Patrick Corbin. No way, no how. Heck, for the love of money, they can’t even hit the junk that Anibal Sanchez offers up.
Obviously, there’s a just a “smidgeon” of sarcasm in the above. For the naysayers, particularly those who are not as old as others on this blog, let me remind you about one of the great moments in Dodger lore. DC recently wrote a masterful post on Johnny Podres pitching a shutout to secure the Dodger’s first World Series title in 1955. That is, and always will be, one of the greatest moments in Dodger history. What you might not recall about that series, is that the Dodgers lost the first two games. Game one, Whitey Ford outdueled Don Newcombe as the Yankees won 6-5. The Yankees won game two by a 4-2 score, as Tommy Byrne threw a complete game and Dodger starter Billy Loes couldn’t get out of the 4th inning. It was the end of the world for Brooklyn fans everywhere. “Here we go again” and “We’re a team built to handle the National League, but we aren’t good enough to handle the mighty Yankees” were laments heard throughout the New York subway system. “Dem Bums,” beloved as they might be, just were not good enough. Despite the naysayers, some fans chose to keep on singing, “Mmmm, you’ve gotta have heart. All you really need is heart. When the odds are sayin’ you’ll never win, that’s when the grin should start.” “When your luck is batting zero… huh, huh, huh…get your chin up off the floor. . .huh, huh, huh . . . mister, you can be a hero . . . huh, huh, huh . . . You can open any door . . . There’s nothing to it!” And then, after a back and forth and very tense series, surprise upon surprise, the Dodgers won 4 of the next five games and showed that they were, in fact, very much good enough. I’m sure that when Johnny Podres and Roy Campanella leaped into each other’s arms it still ranks as one of the happiest baseball days, if not the happiest, for Brooklyn, and those still alive from that time look back on it with great fondness. No more “wait until next year.”
The world was definitely about to end. But, as the great philosopher, Yogi Berra
said: “It ain’t over until its over.” Then, with 2 outs, 2 strikes, Russell Martin
decided to get his chin off the floor and laced a double to the wall, scoring
two. 5 more runs followed and the sun
began to shine in my family room. The
Dodgers remembered how to play baseball.
And, Corbin, well maybe he isn’t
quite ready for the Hall of Fame.
We’re up 2-1, but make no mistake about it, the Nationals are a very good team and they’ll give the Dodgers a battle to the end. But, my friends, please remember, the Dodgers are also a very, very good team who won’t give up and will battle to the end. I definitely want them to close it out tomorrow. I also hope that Rich Hill pitches out of his mind, and throws another almost perfect game. However, if the Dodgers do lose this series, I’ll certainly be disappointed, but I’m here to tell you it’s definitely not the end of the world. Win or lose, I’m going to keep loving dem bums!!! A couple of days ago, DodgerBlueMom shared a wonderful poem written by Laura Ding Edwards. I end with a portion of that poem with a slight alteration:
“So breathe it in and let it out, allow the ebb and flow.
The Dodgers can win this way, they always do.
The Dodgers are Warriors you know!!”
Glendale lost again, 6-5 as Gerardo Carrillo went 3.2 innings and gave up 3 runs, but he did strike out 8. Omar Estevez was 2-4 (.300) while Jeren Kendall was 1-5 but had just 1 strikeout. That’s something…
Discussion (85)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The only question mark I have so far is why not Freese instead of Taylor with the bases loaded I think in the 7th inning.
I’m not picking on Taylor.
59, truer words have never been spoken.
If it doesn’t eliminate him, the 108 pitches that Scherzer has thrown tonight, could limit his effectiveness or the number of pitches he can throw, if he’s needed out of the pen on Wed. Of course the Dodgers could stage a rally tonight and eliminate game 5.
Game of inches
Max is filthy tonite. Can we??
Will we?
AC – Yout there looking forward to seeing you in South Bend Saturday.
When you see Stripling in the game you know the Dodgers are in trouble.
I CANNOT point the finger at Roberts over the pitching in this game.
Better should rain in order the game stop and scherser get out.. Jajaja
Maybe he should have left Urias in. 🙂
Who said Urias would not pitch tonight?
I want my ring with a big blue “D” on it
Some Dodger news:
Dave Roberts said there wasn’t “a whole lot of downside” replacing Pollock with Beaty in the lineup, but he hasn’t given up on Pollock.
Roberts said he’s confident rookies Beaty, Smith and Lux can handle the stage of the postseason.
Roberts wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Hyun-Jin Ryu pitching out of the bullpen if there’s a Game 5.
Roberts said he did not consider starting Martin today after his big game last night. “I feel very confident going with Will (Smith),” Roberts said.
Roberts said the biggest difference in this year’s offense from previous years is the ability of left-handed hitters to succeed against left-handed pitching.
Dodgers expect to see Max Scherzer empty the tank tonight. Stephen Strasberg threw a bullpen session today to prep for a Game 5 start, removing him as a bullpen option.
Kershaw did not throw a bullpen session today so he could be a bullpen option today.
I was listening to the local Astro’s radio broadcast today. A lot of hand wringing about the bullpen and not a lot of confidence going forward for a team with the best record in MLB and a 2-1 lead in the series. I guess pessimism is just universal.
I read the post today and cringed and have read all the comments and can’t say I’m any smarter or a more knowledgeable Dodger fan for having done so. This should be the best time of the year, sharing comradery as our favorite team goes for the glory. Instead we are picking apart others comments and making baseless accusations. So sad, and like many other regular commenters I just about have stopped participating. I’m going to enjoy this year’s team regardless and really don’t give a hoot if a few don’t like my opinions. Seems like a strange way to build a blog’s readership and participation though.
Some thoughts:
1) Joe Kelly is an overall average relief pitcher who came into the 2019 season with an above 700 career OPS against him and posted a 711 OPS against him in the 2019 season.
2) I’m glad Roberts is starting Beaty over Pollock. Pollock vs RHP 2019 season 743 OPS, Beaty vs RHP 2019 season 840 OPS.
3) Since this will be a bullpen game, I’m hoping Roberts plays the OPS splits with the bullpen and hoping he realizes that if there is a game 5 it will be after a day off, therefore everybody should be available to pitch today. Go with your best.
Lets wrap it up today so we don’t have to face Strasburg in a game 5.
Per Peter Gammons over at The Athletic:
“MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAMS, 2013-2019
Team Record Win %
Dodgers 671-464 .591
Indians 638-494 .564
Cardinals 635-499 .560
Yankees 634-500 .559
Nationals 632-502 .557
Red Sox 624-510 .550
Cubs 610-524 .538
Astros 602-532 .531
Athletics 590-544 .520
Pirates 584-548 .516”
A lot of wins.
The Cubs, Sox (twice), ‘Stros have won the Series in that period along with KC and SF.
It’s time for the Dodgers to win one.
So much for Grienke being the third part of the unhittable Astro threesome! Maybe not as unbeatable as people think! Tho the Yankee Astros series will be epic!
A couple of observations.
David Freese needs as many ABs as possible. However I was cringing as he was running the bases. He is hurting.
Secondly, you guys have pointed out countless times the East Coast bias from the various National Announcers.
When JT hit that ball out, it was greeted by silence from the booth, then a barely audible complaint from the sidekick about 7 runs scoring with 2 Outs.
I couldn’t help but think that there would have been a lot more excitement if it had been the other way round.
It was almost a feeling of anticlimax that I could feel.
Rich Hill tonight – then I’m guessing some Chicken Strip.
If we can get to Max early, and throw him off balance, we will be fine.
I’m glad that Doc listened to me and sat Pollock tonite. To those calling for Martin to start 2 days in a row, I don’t think physically he can do much of that
Today’s END THIS SERIES lineup:
Joc (RF)
Muncy (1b)
JT (3b)
Belly (CF)
Seager (SS)
Beaty (LF)
Lux (2b)
Smith (C)
Hill
Fun Fact, from Dodger writer Mike Petriello:
Russell Martin has such a long Dodger history that in his first LAD playoff game, he was the one who hit the ball that ended up with JD Drew and Jeff Kent getting thrown out at home on the same play, 13 years ago.
Sorry mom but Im not a fair weather fan just because I’m saying Pollock is in a bad place right now and maybe we should try someone else or that Freese is a post seasonnstud and we have to get his bat in the lineup. We haven’t won a championship in over 30 years and I don’t think it makes you a traitor or fair weathered to ask the question why. Doesn’t mean that I’m not rooting like crazy for each and every player and that I don’t think we can win it this year. I do and we can! I’ve already bought my tickets for game 2 of the NLCS!
There have been posters here who have correctly pointed out some of the flaws that the Dodgers have to work with in order to get through the playoffs and even get to the WS, let alone beat an Astros juggernaut. They aren’t any less fans than you or I, they are just critical thinkers.
You operate on blind faith. You live in a fantasy baseball world of blue unicorns and perpetual blue confetti, where the Dodgers will win every game, and when they don’t, you finger your blue beads, utter a Go Dodger Blue incantation and just believe they’ll win again tomorrow. When there is any grownup discussion on what the Dodgers should do to build on strengths and whore up weaknesses, you simply cover your eyes with your blue pom poms. You don’t deal well with facts.
Facts:
Kenley is done. He’s cooked. He’s blown saves in the last two WS, which cost the Dodgers dearly.
Bellinger and Seager can’t perform in the playoffs. We have enough of a sample size to make that determination. The Dodgers can’t win with those two as the nucleus of the team. The Dodgers need to trade Bellinger for Bryce Harper or Giancarlo Stanton in the off season. They need to trade Seager for prospects and go through a complete rebuild. Hopefully they’ll be competitive in about five years.
Those are facts. Facts are truth. You can’t handle the truth.
https://youtu.be/UXoNE14U_zM
2D2. Bravo. One terrific article and so true and needed. It is easy for some fair weather fans to be negative when things are not going in the direction they want them to, but if you are a true fan you can always find some positivity even in a loss which is harder and what I try to do. The team won last night in an exciting fashion. I am hoping the momentum carries over to today’s game. But, if not, there is always the next game. Another song comes to mind not for its lyrics but the title….Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey.
I don’t understand why you’re such a negative fan when you simply present the facts that our best players Kersh, Jansen, Belly and Seager have been great regular season players and have been poor post season players. And maybe that’s why we haven’t won a WS. Doesn’t mean we have to bench them or trade them. Doesn’t mean that we’re not rooting like crazy for them. Hopefully Belly has found his strokes again. He looked good last night. And hopefully Kersh comes in and closes out a victory tonight. And I don’t think it’s blasphemy to talk about should Beaty play over Pollock tonight. Just saying our best players have to play like it if we’re gonna win a WS. Dodgerrick is not the enemy just because he posts the statistics for our best players and says they need to play better
AC is right – I have always liked Kershaw and he ain’t Podres in the post-season. The Dodgers have to run him out there but he isn’t likely to be at his best when the chips are down. When I think of all of the Dodgers’ great post-season pitchers, I think of Koufax, Orel, Podres and others, but not Kershaw. He will be in the Hall of Fame someday, but this will always be a blemish on his record.
I never said that the Dodgers shouldn’t play Bellinger or Seager in the playoffs. What I did say is that they can’t rely on them to come up with the big hit. I also said that someone else would have to step up for the Dodgers to win. I never said that they wouldn’t or couldn’t win.
Belli had 2 hits in that 6th inning rally and his swing looked better. And Kike did come up with a big 2 run double. But Freese, Martin and Turner had the key hits. Freese has come up big in the post-season his entire career as has Turner.
The Dodgers have been in the post-season 7 years in a row – great. And that means that many of their players have a track record. I cited the stats yesterday. We’re talking over 100 PA for most of them so it’s not that small a sample size. And some of them come up big and some don’t. It’s a pattern.
Our host has pointed out for 2 years that the Dodgers haven’t hit in the last 2 World Series. It’s OK if he says it but not if I do?
I was going to write about what a gratifying win that was; how Martin, someone I have hated to see in the lineup, somehow rose up to get the biggest hit of the year. How Roberts somehow managed to figure out that Kelly should be taken out after three walks, a wild pitch, and a base hit with no one out. How Urias came up big, and how Freese is such a clutch player. But the tenor that because we won Game 3, this makes all the people wrong who have said some negative things about the franchise, is frustrating to me. Mostly because it will always give the ownership cover for the way they do things, an d it will always serve as an acceptance for the titles we do not win, even though we have 4 million in attendance, a very large media network, and profits galore for the ten or so people who have a share of this corporate ownership. That doesn’t give them one bit of impetus to change anything, meaning that how we are is how we will be, no titles or not.
And maybe that shouldn’t bother me, but it does, because I have followed and rooted for the Dodgers for a long time, and I think that the ownership is underachieving in terms of winning some championships, which we used to do. In ’59, we won it all; in ’62 we had the best team but somehow lost in the last game of the playoff against SF. In ’63, another title. In ’65, a wonderful season and a title. In ’66, a great pennant run, but we lost the World Series. We had a front office which was not given any large amount to spend, but which was able to identify and trade for key players to put us over the top, and which shot for a championship in virtually every season. Those were our glory days, in my opinion. Just to note, this front office, which certainly has done very well in some aspects, made its two big pickups of the offseason, Pollock and Kelly. Maybe that was all they could spend under the ownership’s self-imposed cost constraints, but even so, do those look like the kind of improvements which would turn a team which lost 4-1 in the World Series to Boston, into a championship club this year?
This team is not even close to the bidding for best Dodgers team in history unless it wins the title. That is because the playoffs are its own genre; and a franchise which wants to win titles has to build a team which not only wins a lot of games in the regular season, but has enough top pitching talent and a few great offensive players, to get through the playoff gauntlet. That we won a very big game last night does not suddenly make all the decisions which have led up to this roster, correct, or well designed to win titles. No franchise or ownership or manager should be judged on one season, but they can be judged on a series of seasons.
It will obviously be a tough game today, because Scherzer is great when he is on, and because we don’t know what Hill can give us, and because Urias cannot pitch in relief today, meaning that we will need big efforts from others on the staff. And if we lose, it’s one game to win the first series of the playoffs, and we know how good Strasburg is. And if we can win this series, we will probably get the Braves, and then the Astros or Yankees. Actually, watching the game last night, I mused about how difficult it is going to be for our bullpen to stand up in a long series, if Kelly is not usable, and Jansen pitches only sporadically. But we’ll just have to go on ahead with what we have, and hope that it is enough. If not, we’ll go on to next year, as we have done. One of these days, we will have to win at least one title (why not shoot for more?), to validate an opinion that all the critics are foolish and short-sighted, and that this is the best franchise in baseball, and not just because the stadium is pristine and the fans are devoted. Anyway, let’s see if we can get the win today, rest our staff, and have Buehler ready to open against the Braves, instead of Kershaw, which would be a big help.
It would be very nice to see Hill pitch the game that ends the season for Washington.
Nice post 2D2. And I too initially thought it was Mark. First off if I recall correctly, Mark previously began counting down from 11, and also the reference to Skeeter Davis and the accompanying music made it appear to be a Mark post.
What most impressed me about the comeback last night were all the 2-strike hits. Couldn’t help but believe that we wouldn’t have seen a strikeout somewhere in there in 2018.
As for Pollock, I have to believe a large part of the reason he’s in there is because he provides superior defense over Beaty., and because he’s capable of picking it up when least expected. If Alex Verdugo was available I’d start him, but then again, so probably would Doc.
Nice piece today by Pedro Moura in The Athletic, about Russell Martin for those of you with a subscription. I’d consider providing a link, but can’t paste it from my phone (unless I can, but don’t Know how).
Not sure what anyone else saw, but I felt Kenley’s pitches had some decent movement to them last night. Hopefully that’s a good sign.
After Martin hit the HR last night, a thought quickly passed through my mind: “Did we just find our Steve Pearce?” That thought was then followed by another one: “I wonder if Doc will sit him next game?” I’m curious what others think, should Russ Martin start tonight? I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision, but I tend to want to roll with the hot bat, especially if it is a veteran.
I’ve been a big supporter of AJ all year. He delivered since coming of the DL to a tune of about 850 OPS, which is what they brought him in for. Not to mention, some very big hits against some very big arms. But, right now he is lost at the plate. Sure, he can break out at any time. At the same time, he can continue sucking like Kike did all last post season. This is where Doc must earn his paycheck. He needs to have his finger on the pulse and know when to sit a player to get him to calm down and let the game come to him, or know when to keep rolling a guy out there like Belli and get rewarded with a couple of hits.
Personally, I would sit him for a game and maybe bring him in to pinch hit. Now, if you sit him, who plays in his place? Beaty has been a nice piece this year, but is hardly a difference maker. He’s also bad with the glove. He’s also NEVER faced Scherzer before. CT3, on the other hand, is a good defender and has had some past success against Scherzer. On the other, other hand, Max has some splits that favors lefties. Kike has sucked against Scherzer. Managing is not easy, even with AF’s computer telling you what to do. But, the computer doesn’t talk to players and read in between the lines to make a judgement whether or not they will be at their best during a particular game.
Thank you 2D2 for writing this. I had a very snarky response on Saturday to the “fact driven” posts about how Bellinger, Seager, and Pollock, should not only be benched but get traded in the off season. But I decided to let it go and let the “fact providers” go after the players, Doc, and AF. I do not question their “fandom” (if that is a word). I harken back to a comment made by someone I consider a true fan with an emotion that I believe many have. Paraphrasing…”I choose to believe the Dodgers will not win the WS because the disappointment will not be as much as it would be if I believed they would win and lost. If they win, I can be happy in that moment.” There is not a game, series, season that goes on that I do not in my heart of hearts believe the Dodgers will not win. I always believe they will win, and I get disappointed when they do not.
I loved philjones comment yesterday; “It’s really fascinating to read the posts from people who forget that the game is played by human beings and not robots. It’s 2 games folks. 0 for 8 in July wouldn’t raise an eyebrow but in a short 5 game series, it’s blown up like a bomb. Pollock and Belli aren’t trying to suck. Believe me, it’s not lack of character, or Doc or AF. Bellinger didn’t start stepping in the bucket 2 games ago. It’s baseball. One loss and folks are running off the ship like rats.” Then we are told that no, only “FACTS” are important. Phil’s comments are more important for me than “fact-based” comments as he played the game at the professional level. He knows what it is like to succeed, but more importantly to fail at that level. My son called me this weekend to tell me about his new job, and we were talking about some of the comments that were made after Friday’s loss. He laughed at me and asked why do I let those kind of comments get to me. They are fans who love the game and their team, but in all honesty, they have no idea what it is like to face a ML pitcher 60’6” away throwing 98 and then dropping a slider 84-85 away. To them it is easy to see that they are swinging at bad pitches. The ML pitchers know what Corey is going to swing at, and only Corey can work himself out of that, but he cannot do it on the bench. He has to recognize it. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t but he still is better than most SS in MLB as it is. He mentioned Seager as he knows that Seager is my favorite MLB player. But it is true with every batter in the game. Every batter has a weakness, and MLB pitchers will exploit it. The best of the best pitchers will own the batter.
Dodgerrick is someone who I like and respect, and at times was the lone non rose colored glasses poster here. He has always commented and countered Mark and me with class and a solid argument. But what I found telling is that Rick’s favorite player (or at least he has hinted at it) is CK and when he mentions that players like Belli, Corey, AJ, and Kike’ are bad in the playoffs and provides “facts” for that position, he fails to include commentary that his favorite has blundered in the post season and based on “facts” should not start another Dodger post season game…ever. That is utter nonsense just like sitting Belli, Corey, and AJ are. They are a key hit away from being a hero and not a goat. They are all a huge reason for a 106 win season, and they do not suddenly forget how to play when October comes. Do they press? Probably.
During last night’s game the Russell Martin bashing came through loud and clear… until a two run double and two run HR. For all those bashing Martin, is he still allowed to play? Lineups are very easy to put together AFTER a game or AFTER a solitary AB.
Like you 2D2, I will be disappointed if the count of year’s between WS titles moves to 32 years, but I am going to love every pitch, every AB, until there is no more.
I like Pollock and when he’s locked in, he hits the ball hard, but I agree he looks lost at the plate. That could change in a second. Maybe he’s pressing or the ball looks the size of a pea. Bellinger had really good swings yesterday. He looked a little lost earlier, maybe he was pressing. Hopefully the game won’t get rained out, which would muck up the entire schedule. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Kershaw in a relief role today. Good column.
Great post 2D2. Until I saw Idahoal’s comment, I had no clue that it wasn’t a post by Mark. You should get into ghost writing. 🙂
That was a very sweet victory last night. I agree with you Bobby, let’s get this finished tonight because we don’t want to see Strasburg again if we can avoid him.
I like the positivity and I’m hoping for an excellent Dick Mountain outing and a Dodger victory, but I’ve been one of the harshest critics of AJ Pollock for good reason. He looks completely lost at the plate and needs to watch from the dugout to get his head right.
He is now 0-11 with 9 K’s in 3 games. He must sit. Beaty comes off the bench, as a rookie no less, and puts the ball in play. Perhaps AJ is “pressing” trying to earn his FA signing with his first time in the post season as a Dodger. Call me a “negative Nellie/Debbie Downer” if you want but I’m also a realist and right now AJ’s spot in the line-up is a “black hole.” Time to see what Beaty can do.
Oh, and hey Mark, what a great win by your Colts! I had that game on in the background and was stunned!
Meanwhile, my Bears suck
Negative opinions are one thing. Negative outlook on life is one thing. But stating facts which cannot be denied cannot and should not be equated with negativity. Perhaps some people don’t agree with that.
I didn’t get to watch the first 6 innings (had to take my mom to LAX so she could fly to London and join Watford at a pub somewhere). But listening to Charlie and the radio guys on 570, and even 710 with Jessica Mendoza, they both said Ryu really settled down quite nicely. He only threw 75 pitches, so clearly could have gone much longer if we didn’t get our rally going. Great job by him in a huge Game 3.
I still think aside from Martin and the 2 out hits, Julio Urias coming in with bases loaded and and nobody out and only giving up 1 run was massive. Kept the game in our favor, and he he was absolutely on his game. Granted Howie Kendrick’s stupid base running mistake didn’t hurt!!
With Hill and 80% of the staff expected to go today, I would be very impressed with our team if we go in and take the series in DC with Scherzer on the mound. It’d be a big statement game for sure. And as fun as it would for baseball to have a game 5 of Strasurg-Buehler, we sure as hell don’t want to see it!
2d2 – Awsome.
The squad is like the kids I work with.. The Squad is powerless over their negativity and my kids drugs n alcohol. ..
Why don’t we end this thing in Wa.
P.S. Cassidy I go with the lineup I’m given.. I can’t call anyone and I’m sure I’m not gonna sit n bitch all during the game.
All day baseball again today. Might as well call in sick!
Say what you want, but Pollock needs to sit. Start Beaty or someone else. There would be no pressure on them. I guess when you strike out you don’t hit into a double play, but it seems they could not do any worse
Give it to them 2D2 – they deserve it.
I watched the Colts win at Arrowhead last night and when I got to the suite, I turned on the Dodgers on the Big TV. It was a great night! BOO-YA!
Love your article 2D2. I thought Mark wrote this article until I went back and looked. It is hard to be around people who are always negative. I do not imagine many of the negative people will post today. They only post after a loss. I thought Ryu did a good job of keeping the Dodgers in the game. He did not have his best stuff, but he battled. So did Kershaw in the second game.
Today we have Hill. I am always amazed watching him pitch. He competes. He is not the most talented pitcher, but he gives it his all. You would love to have Hill in a foxhole with you.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I love your subway reference. You can go back 100 years, 500, 1000 and people are still the same.
What a great win last night, it was magical. What team scores 7 runs in one inning all with 2 outs?
I really like Kike and CT3 off the bench. They both have a knack of doing big things in that role.
Pollock looks lost at the plate. Each AB, he takes a strike that probably isn’t a strike and then gives away the AB. He’s getting pinched and not reacting well to it at all and he doesn’t look close to figuring it out. He was signed to do damage against elite pitching, but isn’t doing anything at all.
Kenley looked sharp last night. Cutter was cutting and he had some velo on it. Kolarek is Soto’s kryptonite.
What the hell happened to Kelly? Did he get enough work in last night to find his control? That was really ugly.
I can’t wait to see Scherzer tonight. Looks like a mismatch, but I like our chances.