Hard Decisions Coming Up
Kike Hernandez and Edwin Diaz will be back next week (barring a setback). Alex Freeland will have to go back to OKC when that happens... or be traded. That means the end of the line for Charlie Barnes.
Blake Snell will allegedly be back the second week of August. Who goes then? Brock Stewart, Emmet Sheehan, or Eric Lauer? Maybe there is an injury waiting to happen ...
But wait... there's Tyler Glasnow! Tyler Glasnow is probably looking at a late-August return, with early September possible if his back causes another interruption.
As of July 24, he was still throwing fastball-only bullpen sessions and had not yet advanced to facing hitters. The Dodgers want him built up to roughly five innings and 75 pitches, which ordinarily requires at least four rehabilitation starts. MLB’s best-case projection is that he could return near the end of August, but there is no firm date yet. At that point, Lauer or Sheehan could be the casualties, but there is still plenty of time for things to change.
Kyle Tucker has had several moments lately. Can he keep it up? Dalton Rushing is young... and learning. Sometimes it's one step forward and two steps back, but he still has a .797 OPS, and his defense behind the plate has kept the Dodgers #3 in Team ERA, although I'd like to see him get better. The Dodgers starters have the best ERA in baseball, and when Diaz gets back, the bullpen is suddenly very long!
By Mid-August, I think Doc Roberts will "Go to the Whip." Then it will be on! This team is the odds-on favorite to win the World Series, but back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back championships is rare and very difficult. This team has to defy the odds.
Book Update
On another note: my book is done. It is at the third editor right now, and the cover design is almost complete. I think this is likely it:
It is scheduled for a September Release on Amazon...
OKC Comets 8 – Sacramento River Cats (Giants) 2
OKC scored three in the initial frame. 3B Kiké Hernández singled with 1 out. LF Ryan Ward drew a 2-out BB. 2B Hyeseong Kim singled to score Kiké. 1B Matt Gorski doubled (2) home Ward and Kim for a 3-0 lead.
View post by @OKC_comets on X
LHSP Blake Snell started for OKC and increased his IP to 2.2 and his pitch count to 49. Snell has never been an efficient pitcher, so 49 pitches in 2.2 IP is not all that alarming. He allowed 2 hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out 3.
In the 3rd, Snell left a runner on 1st with 2 outs. RHRP José Rodríguez relieved Snell. Rodríguez threw a WP to his 1st batter, and the runner was now on 2nd. Rodríguez then gave up a run-scoring single.
In the 4th with Rodríguez still pitching, he got the first two outs but then a single, BB, and double scored a run.
OKC picked up 3 in the 5th when Kim drew a BB and scored when Gorski hit his 1st HR. RF Jack Suwinski followed that with a solo HR (20).
View post by @HyeseongKimMuse on X
View post by @HyeseongKimMuse on X
OKC opened it up in the 7th with 2 more runs. Kim and Suwinski walked, and with 2 outs C Griffin Lockwood-Powell doubled home both runners.
View post by @OKC_comets on X
· Kiké Hernández - 2-4, 1 run, double (4)
· Alek Thomas – 2-5
· Hyeseong Kim – 2-3, 2 BB, 3 runs
· Matt Gorski – 2-5, 1 run, 4 RBI, double (1), HR (1)
· Jack Suwinski – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI
· Griffin Lockwood-Powell – 2-5, 2 RBI, 2 doubles (2)
View post by @HyeseongKimMuse on X
View post by @OKC_comets on X
Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 8 – Tulsa Drillers 0
LHSP Adam Serwinowski had an off night. He did push it for 6 innings, but he gave up 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 BB. Three of those runs came on HRs.
In the end it did not matter, but it might have been a better experience for Serwinowski if he had come out after 6.0 innings and not come back out in the 7th. He gave up a BB and a 2-run HR in the 3rd, and a solo HR in the 4th.
View post by @TulsaDrillers on X
In the 7th, Serwinowski walked the first two batters and a run scoring double before LHRP Evan Shaw relieved him. Shaw inherited runners on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs and proceeded to give up a pair of doubles and a single for 4 runs. Two of the runs were charged to Serwinowski and two to Shaw.
Three Arkansas pitchers went into the 9th with 2 outs before 2B Sam Mongelli broke up the perfect game with an infield single.
Give credit to Arkansas for a brilliantly pitched game. They shut down a good offensive Tulsa team. Seattle already blessed with a top rotation, has LHSP Kade Anderson. He pitched the 1st 5.0 innings with 7 K. His AA ERA in 15 starts (77.2 IP) is down to 1.27. He has 115 K and 10 BB. He is an elite pitcher that has just dominated this year.
Lansing Lugnuts (A’s) 3 – Great Lakes Loons 1
The Loons had 3 hits on the night. One of those hits was a 2-out HR (12) in the first by SS Emil Morales. That was the sole run for GL. They were shut out the rest of the game with two doubles by CF Charles Davalan (22) and 2B Logan Wagner (18). The Loons did receive 4 BB, but struck out 10 times. They were 0-7 wRISP.
View post by @MLBPipeline on X
LHSP Zach Root started and went 5.2 IP. He issued 6 walks, and the walks contributed a great deal to the 3 runs.
In the 2nd, the first runner reached on E6. The next two batters reached on BBs. The run scored on a GIDP.
In the 3rd, with one out, the next batter walked and moved to 2nd on a WP. The next batter singled to bring home the runner. The runner stole both 2nd and 3rd and scored on a groundout.
Loons LHRP Matt Lanzendorfer got the final out of the 6th and pitched a perfect 7th. He registered 1 K in his 1.1 IP.
RHRP Davis Chastain pitched a perfect 9th with a K.
Ontario Tower Buzzers 9 - San Jose Giants 8
In the 2nd inning, 1B Easton Shelton led off by hitting his 31st HR moving him ahead of Manuel Pena who went 0-4 in their game.
View post by @dodgerslite on X
In the 3rd, 2B Javier Herrera doubled (7) with one out. CF Jaron Elkins drew a BB. Herrera and Elkins moved to 3rd and 2nd on a pickoff throwing error. Herrera scored and Elkins moved to 3rd on 3B Mairo Martinus’ SF. Elkins scored on a balk.
In the 3rd, RHSP Mason Estrada gave up a single and BB. A double steal put runners on 2nd and 3rd. With one out, a SF brought home 1. Now with 2 outs, he walked the next two batters to load the bases, and then gave up a grand slam.
Down 5-3 in the 6th, Martinus led off with a HR (13). RF Ching-Hsien Ko followed with a single and Shelton walked. SS Joendry Vargas singled to score Ko and Shelton to 3rd. Vargas was caught trying to steal 2nd but the throw to the plate to get Shelton was wild and Shelton scored.
View post by @dodgerslite on X
In the bottom of the 6th, San Jose scored 2 to retake the lead. RHRP Jhonny Jimenez was in his 2nd inning. He gave up a single, SB, and with one out, a second SB put the tying run on 3rd. Jimenez then walked the next batter. When the runner on 1st attempted to steal 2nd, Jimenez threw a WP with one run scoring and the runner moving to 3rd, and scored on an E5.
Ontario scored an unearned run in the top of the 9th. LF Brendan Tunink struck out but reached 1B on a WP. Tunink stole 2B and continued to 3B on catcher’s throwing error. Tunink scored on a WP to tie the game.
RHRP Accimias Morales pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th inning, while RHRP Jose Vasquez pitched a scoreless 9th.
In the 10th, Martinus was the placed runner at 2B. Martinus moved to 3rd on a WP. Ko walked, and after a K, Martinus scored when Vargas reached on a force out. Tunink walked, and Vargas scored when DH Oswaldo Osorio singled.
View post by @towerbuzzers on X
With Vasquez pitching his 2nd inning, the placed runner scored when the leadoff hitter singled. With one out, the next batter singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Vasquez then induced a GIDP for the win.
· Oswaldo Osorio – 2-5, 1 RBI, double (2)
· Javier Herrera – 2-4, 1 run, double (7)
· Easton Shelton – 1-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, HR (31)
· Mairo Martinus – 1-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, SF, HR (13)
Discussion (58)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Mark, you’re a big man and full of confidence. I think you should be on the cover in some way. Just my 2 cents.
7:15 PM ET Dodgers (66-38) Mets (43-61) SP Y. Yamamoto R 10-6 2.78 ERA SP Nolan McLean R 7-6 3.34 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L CF Andy Pages R 1B F. Freeman L 3B Max Muncy L SS Mookie Betts R RF Kyle Tucker L LF T. Hernandez R 2B Tommy Edman S C D. Rushing L 76° Wind 9 mph R-L LINE LAD -157
Congratulations on the book's progress to publication. The cover looks great. Who is going to play you in the movie? I imagine some stars with production companies are already circling the story rights... But back to the Dodgers. Yes, this team is loaded. Over-loaded. Yes, the return of Kike probably means that Freeland will be sent down--or traded. (Yes, injuries can always change things.) I wonder: Would Freeland prefer a trade that keeps him in the majors to a ticket to OKC? A few small market teams, including the Royals and Reds, have good catching prospects that would upgrade the Dodgers system. And I still want a Rortvedt reunion. The Dodgers would miss Freeland, but Kim has been playing well in OKC, and Noah Miller is in the wings too.
Damn, who produces these new illustrations like the one today. It's GREAT. it wasn’t long ago when I was suggesting that Sasaki was a bullpen piece or should be working out his command woes in AAA. Boy, am I happy to be a dumbass? It seems like woking out his forkball / splitter dilemma unlocked his entire arsenal, added command and velocity. We’re seeing the guy we expected when we signed him. I watched the Mets broadcast as I like Ron Darling and Gary Cohen and like to get the opponent’s information and take on the Dodgers. They were very good. They have way more reverence for Kyle Tucker, than we have. Of course they were in the running to sign him before he signed with the Dodgers. We haven’t seen the same guy. Tucker must just love Citi Field. Cohen had a great line about Freddie Freeman. Cohen reported that Freddie has 2543 hits; it seems ALL of them against the Mets. God, Mike Estabrook is terrible behind the dish. He lost all 5 or 6 challenges and it could have been more. And his misses were of the whole ball off the plate. It seems the younger umpire who had experience with ABS in MiLB are just better. Pages could have had his 14 outfield assist on Jared Young’s double. Mookie has a tendency to get off bases and not let throws travel. He does it sometimes on steals, when he gets way in front of the bag and sweep tags. Had he let Pages throw travel, by straddling 2nd, they had Young. Mookie wanted to go get the easier to pick, short hop, instead of letting the ball travel and pop tag. These things happen so fast it’s instinct and habit, that is only fixed with a million practice reps. He’s been great defensively but he is not great at tagging runners. Maybe Miggy’s next lesson. I really understand why organizations don’t bunt more. Players are just shitty at it. I’ve never seen any “bunting stations” at any of the Spring Training complexes I visit. They went the way of the sawdust sliding pits. Chick’s did the long ball. Nobody’s heart is in it and the mechanics are horrible. I love the Safety Squeeze, If executed properly, it’s indefensible. I love that Doc tried it with Rushing. But the first order of business is to make a decent bunt that’s not tip early and bunt right back to the pitcher. And it seems basic rundowns are a mystery to MLB players. Too many throws giving the trail-runners an extra base due to lousy execution. I hate challenges on plays like Freemans slide at 2nd. Cohen and Darling made a great case that reply was never intended to correct the millimeters and nano-second plays but to correct the egregious missed calls. They are right. We were up 2-1 in the 8th and it felt like 5-1. We had the lead off guy on 7 of the 9 innings. RISP totals reflected that; Mets 0 for 3, Dodgers 1 for 13. Lots of traffic for 4 runs. Bear will like this one: When the 2 National League teams, the Giants and Dodgers bolted in 1958, it was anticipated that the Yankees would benefit attendance wise by being the only game in town. In fact, in 1958 and 59, the Yankees attendance went down. The Brooklyn and Giants National League fans did not embrace the American League Yankees. Seems they were waiting for the Mets in 1962.
LA now 15 games up on the Padres, I think they become sellers at the deadline. 2 games ahead of Milwaukee for the best record in baseball. I can finally watch Lakers basketball again with LeBoring James heading to Philly to play for the Sixers.
Saturday Dodger Affiliates' Schedule 4:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Christian Zazueta) at Arkansas (Ryan Sloan) 4:05 p.m.: Great Lakes (Brady Smith) at Lansing (Tucker Novotny) 5 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) at San Jose (TBA) 6:37 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Sacramento (Carson Whisenhunt) "Brady Smith, the Dodgers’ third-round pick in 2023 and now 21 years old, makes his High-A debut on Saturday after posting a 3.88 ERA in 19 starts for Class-A Ontario, with 104 strikeouts (37.5 percent rate) and 27 walks in 65 innings".
I like the book cover.
The Dodgers are 3rd in Team ERA, but #1 in WHIP and have the lowest BA against them of all MLB teams.
I believe Lauer gets moved. A playoff contender will come calling. He doesn’t deserve going down,( don’t know if he has options), so i think he gets traded. Klein is the one who I believe goes down. He could use some “fine” tuning. As far as Kiké goes, he should have the opportunity to help the Dodgers win another championship! Sasaki was fantastic last night! But before we get all giddy over him, it was the Mets. Not taking anything away from his performance, he was really good, but we all know he can revert back to his old self at any time. But boy he’s nasty when he’s “good “ Saki! Met’s catcher is rumored to be available and I saw a rumor that the Dodgers may have interest if Will is down longer than anticipated. As someone stated, umpire was pretty inconsistent last night. Several challenges won, and several more that could have been challenged. Looks like Soto is quickly becoming the Mets DH. Dude can hit. But his play in the field is slowly coming to an end. TUCKER! He’s back! Ok I’m kidding. Nice swing though. More like that please! Still don’t understand keeping Pages in the 2 spot. 6,7,or 8 seems like a better fit to me. Teo had a couple of cheap hits last night. I guess he’s a happy guy this morning. I would be happy if he didn’t chase balls out, I mean way out of the strike zone! They need his bat to come around! Pulling for Nick Robertson. He went to high school about 35 minutes from where I live. Has the arm that’s for sure! Anything less than a sweep is unacceptable! A 7-2 road trip? Absolutely!
Roki is proving a lot of people wrong on this site. Maybe it's his new monstrous size glove or maybe he is just finally learning to how pitch and throw strikes and using his 100 plus fastball with his two disappearing splitters. I was one of the few who said you must be patient with the YOUNG man.
No one can question what Kike brought to the Dodgers through the years but I don't see the value now over one of the guys in AAA or AA. Despite all the negativity here on Kim, he is a better all around the diamond defender and has speed He improved his walks and K numbers while hitting.300/.700 at OKC. Besides him I can see Erdhard, Tibbs, Miller or the two studs at Tulsa being more productive than Kike Hernandez. Maybe I'm dead wrong but I can't see the value of a 36 year old journeyman over the talent we have in the farm. That said, I hope he proves me wrong and kicks ass contributing to the Threepeat.
Safe journeys. Remember to look right and not left when crossing the street.
Who was it who said Mark couldn't go 10 days without posting? HA!!. Anyway great to read your stuff.