The game is changing...
But I am beginning to wonder whether something different is happening in Major League Baseball in 2026. I think the pitchers, aided by an astonishing amount of information, may have gotten ahead in the arms race.
I wholeheartedly agree with Jeff's blog yesterday, entitled "So you don't think the Dodgers have a run-scoring problem?" Even Ray Charles can see that they do. Here's my theory as to why: Opposing pitchers now have a customized blueprint for each hitter, and the Dodgers’ power-oriented philosophy can become vulnerable when hitters refuse to take what the pitcher is conceding. Let's dig in...
THE PITCHERS HAVE ADJUSTED. HAVE THE DODGERS?
Baseball has always been a game of adjustments.
Pitchers adjust to hitters. Hitters adjust to pitchers. Then pitchers adjust to the adjustment.
Around and around it goes.
But I am beginning to wonder whether something different is happening in Major League Baseball in 2026. I think the pitchers, aided by an astonishing amount of information, may have gotten ahead in the arms race.
And some of baseball's biggest hitters haven't caught up.
Look around.
Mookie Betts is hitting .239 with a .705 OPS.
Austin Riley is hitting .222 with a .659 OPS.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is hitting .228 with a .732 OPS.
These aren't utility players trying to hang onto roster spots. These are some of the most talented hitters on the planet. Riley has struck out 168 times. Acuña, the 2023 National League MVP, is hitting just .119 against four-seam fastballs this year.
Meanwhile, plenty of hitters are doing just fine. Yordan Alvarez has been having an MVP season. Shohei Ohtani has a .927 OPS. Junior Caminero, at just 23, has an .895 OPS and is closing in on another 40-home-run season. James Wood has become one of the game's best young hitters, and Jackson Chourio continues to look like a budding superstar.
So this isn't simply a case of "pitching is dominating hitting."
Something more interesting is happening.
THE PITCHER KNOWS WHERE YOU WANT THE BALL
Think about the fundamental advantage the pitcher possesses.
The hitter doesn't know what's coming.
The pitcher does.
More importantly, in 2026 the pitcher also knows an extraordinary amount about the man standing 60 feet, 6 inches away.
He knows where that hitter does damage.
He knows where his bat slows down.
He knows which pitches he chases.
He knows his swing path.
He knows his launch-angle tendencies.
He knows which velocity bands give him trouble.
He knows where his barrels occur.
He knows what he does on 0-0, 1-0, 1-1, 0-2 and 3-2.
And somewhere in the clubhouse is enough video and Statcast data to practically perform an autopsy on every swing the hitter has taken for the past several years.
That has changed pitching.
Here's an amazing statistic: Earlier this season MLB reported that four-seam fastballs and sinkers combined were being thrown only 46.8% of the time, while averaging 94.4 MPH.
Both are extreme marks for the pitch-tracking era.
In plain English:
Pitchers are throwing fastballs harder than ever while throwing fewer of them than ever.
What's replacing them?
Sliders. Sweepers. Cutters. Splitters. Changeups. Curveballs.
Movement.
Movement.
And more movement.
WELCOME TO THE PITCHING LAB
Pitchers aren't merely being told, "Keep the ball down."
Those days are over.
Now it might be:
"Betts handles velocity, so don't feed him fastballs. Spin him."
And there's evidence for exactly that.
Betts has remained very good against four-seam fastballs, but sliders have increasingly bothered him. Earlier this season, he was slugging just .308 against sliders with a 28.6% whiff rate. Pitchers aren't stupid. If one door is locked, they stop knocking on it and walk around the house looking for an open window.
Austin Riley presents another interesting example.
Against sweepers this year, Riley has hit only .163 with a .279 slugging percentage. Against sliders, his slugging percentage has also been just .283.
So what do you suppose opposing pitching departments are telling their pitchers?
"Here's a fastball, Austin. See if you can hit it 450 feet?"
Probably not.
They are attacking the weakness.
Over and over and over again.
Until the hitter makes them stop.
AND THAT BRINGS ME TO THE DODGERS
The Dodgers have built an offense around controlling the strike zone and doing damage.
Generally, I love that philosophy.
I don't want nine David Ecksteins slapping singles to right field.
Home runs are enormously valuable because nobody can throw the runner out at home when the ball is sitting twelve rows deep in the pavilion.
But there can be a dark side to a power-oriented approach.
If hitters begin trying to hit home runs rather than trying to hit baseballs hard, pitchers can use that swing against them.
The pitcher doesn't have to throw you a pitch you can drive.
He can elevate.
He can bury a breaking ball.
He can sweep something away from your barrel.
He can tie you up inside.
And perhaps most importantly, he can pitch around the small section of the strike zone where your swing produces maximum loft and maximum damage.
If you refuse to adjust, he owns you.
And I think the Dodgers occasionally fall into that trap.
STOP LOOKING FOR THE THREE-RUN HOMER WITH NOBODY ON BASE
There are times when I watch this Dodger lineup and it appears everybody is trying to do damage.
Not get a hit.
Not move a runner.
Not shoot the ball through the opposite side.
Damage.
That's wonderful when you get your pitch.
It's disastrous when the pitcher refuses to give you your pitch.
The Dodgers' offense has fallen off considerably since its early-season performance. In August they have averaged about 4.1 runs per game with a 94 wRC+, ranking them in the bottom half of baseball offensively for the month. Interestingly, they have actually hit well with runners in scoring position. The bigger problem has been creating enough of those opportunities.
That distinction matters.
Maybe "clutch hitting" isn't really the disease.
Maybe getting traffic on the bases is.
A single.
A walk.
A double the other way.
A ground ball through the vacated hole.
A line drive over the second baseman.
Make the pitcher come back into the strike zone.
And suddenly that hanging slider you wanted three hitters ago appears with two men aboard.
Now hit it to Pasadena.
CHRIS SALE JUST GAVE THEM A MASTER CLASS
Thursday night's 1-0 loss in Atlanta was almost the perfect illustration.
Chris Sale threw a complete-game shutout.
Five hits.
No walks.
Eleven strikeouts.
He mixed overwhelming velocity with sliders and location, and when Shohei Ohtani was looking to do damage, Sale even struck him out chasing a 99.6 MPH fastball well above the strike zone.
Sale didn't spend nine innings challenging Dodger hitters to hit home runs.
He spent nine innings making sure they couldn't.
That is modern pitching.
It isn't cowardly.
It isn't nibbling.
It's intelligent.
Your strength is irrelevant if I never allow you to use it.
THE YOUNGER HITTERS MAY HAVE AN ADVANTAGE
This brings up another possibility.
Maybe some younger hitters are adapting more easily because this is the only version of baseball they've ever known.
Junior Caminero grew up in the Statcast world.
James Wood grew up in it.
Jackson Chourio grew up in it.
Pete Crow-Armstrong grew up in it.
They trained against high velocity, breaking-ball machines, pitch recognition technology and sophisticated data from the time they were teenagers.
They don't have to unlearn 15 years of Major League hitting.
That doesn't mean young players can't be exploited. Give Major League pitchers enough film and they will eventually find everyone's soft underbelly.
But the younger hitter may initially be more comfortable living in this world of 98 MPH fastballs followed by an 87 MPH sweeper disappearing toward the camera well.
The older veteran has another challenge.
He has to continually reinvent himself.
DON'T ABANDON THE HOME RUN
I'm certainly not suggesting the Dodgers start playing 1982 baseball.
I don't want sacrifice bunts in the third inning and announcers celebrating "productive outs."
The Dodgers should hit home runs.
Ohtani should try to destroy baseballs.
Muncy should punish mistakes.
Betts should drive pitches he can drive.
But there is a difference between hitting a home run and trying to hit a home run.
The home run should be the result of getting a pitch you can hammer.
It shouldn't dictate how you attack every pitch.
If pitchers won't give you the launch pitch, take the single.
Take the walk.
Shoot the outside pitch into right field.
Stay through the breaking ball.
Make them defend the entire strike zone.
Because once pitchers discover that you are willing to take what they give you, something wonderful happens.
They have to give you something else.
And eventually that something else might be the pitch you can hit 430 feet.
BASEBALL IS CHESS AT 98 MPH
Maybe that's what we're watching in 2026.
Not the death of hitting.
Not suddenly washed-up superstars.
Not necessarily bad hitting coaches.
We're watching another turn in baseball's never-ending evolutionary cycle.
The launch-angle revolution taught hitters how to do unprecedented damage.
Pitching departments responded.
They developed better pitch shapes. They learned which fastballs play upstairs. They created sweepers that disappear sideways. They optimized arsenals. They mapped hitters' swings down to inches.
The pitchers adjusted.
Now it's the hitters' turn.
And in the case of the Dodgers, I think the postseason may depend upon how quickly they figure that out.
Because October pitching isn't going to throw the Dodgers the pitches they want to hit.
October pitching is going to identify exactly what they don't want to hit...
…and throw it until they prove they can do something about it.
The Dodgers don't need to stop hitting home runs.
They need to stop letting pitchers know that home runs are all they're looking for.
You don't beat the algorithm by swinging harder.
You beat it by making the algorithm wrong.
There are no excuses, Dodger Blue Glasses, or spin here. As fans, we expect more. In about three more days, Will Smith will (allegedly) return, but Andy Pages will likely not return until the playoffs. The Dodgers need Pages, and they need Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker to return to a general facsimile of MLB-caliber players.
Teo and Kyle occupy typical power positions, and combined, they are Punch and Judy!
I do not have any confidence that Tucker and Hernandez will be anything but what they currently are... NOTHING! Bringing up DePaula on September 1st smacks of desperation, but it needs to happen. The lineup needs to get longer. It may all come down to the playoffs.
Yes, I am fully aware that the regular season doesn't mean everything... but it does mean something. If you aren't one of the Top Teams, you will go home. The Dodgers will be in the playoffs, but I have to wonder what the team will look like.
Can they adjust? The league has adjusted... can the Dodgers do the same? A Championship turns on EXACTLY that!
OKC Comets 5 – El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego) 4 – 10 innings
OKC broke through first in the 4th. CF Zach Ehrhard singled with 1 out. He proceeded to steal 2nd and scored when LF James Tibbs III hit the RBI single. JT III scored on DH Ryan Ward’s 2nd triple, for a 2-0 lead.
LHSP Jackson Ferris was pitching effectively for 5.1 IP allowing 3 hits and 3 BB, and 7 K. With one out in the 6th, he allowed a single, who was then caught stealing for the 2nd out. That was followed by three additional singles and a run.
But Ferris’ night was not done. He set EL Paso down in order in the 7th to reach 7.0 complete innings for the 1st time this year. In his last 3 starts, Ferris has completed 17.0 IP. He has allowed 2 runs in those 17 innings. Ferris finished 2025 well, and it looks like he is on his way to finishing strong again.
View post by @OKC_comets on X
After LHRP Garrett McDaniels pitched a scoreless 8th, OKC called on RHRP Jerming Rosario to close it down. The 2nd batter Rosario faced hit a game tying HR. After a 2nd out, El Paso hit another HR taking a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th.
In the bottom of the 9th, RF Ryan Fitzgerald hit a 1-out single. 3B Noah Miller followed with a single. After the 2nd out, 2B Alex Freeland clutched up and singled to tie the score and sent the game into extra innings.
View post by @HyeseongKimMuse on X
RHRP Nick Robertson entered the 10th. He got the 1st out, but the next batter singled home the placed runner. Robertson walked a batter but struck out the last two batters.
In the bottom of the 10th, PR Austin Gauthier was the placed runner. Ehrhard reached 2nd and Gauthier moved to 3rd on a FC and E5. JT III was IBB to load the bases. With 1 out, SS Hyeseong Kim also clutched up and singled in the tying run. Fitzgerald followed with the walkoff single and an OKC win.
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· James Tibbs III – 2-3, 2 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI
· Ryan Fitzgerald – 2-5, 1 run, 1 RBI
· Ryan Ward – 1-5, 1 RBI, Triple (2)
Will Smith went 0-3 but also did this:
View post by @HyeseongKimMuse on X
Tulsa Drillers 5 – Midland RockHounds (As) 3
Tulsa scored 1st in the 2nd. With two outs, SS Elijah Hainline drew a BB, stole 2nd, and scored on DH Joe Vetrano’s double (10).
View post by @TulsaDrillers on X
RHSP Christian Zazueta was on the mound to start this game. He threw 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one base runner. In the 3rd, Christian gave up a BB, a SB, and a run scoring double, before getting the final 2 outs of the inning.
Tulsa put up a crooked number in the 5th. 2B Taylor Young led off with a triple (1). With one out, LF Josue De Paula reached on a fielder’s choice as Young was scoring the go-ahead run. After JDP was picked off, 1B Griffin Lockwood-Powell singled and moved to 3rd on 3B Jake Gelof’s 20th double. Both runners scored when CF Chris Newell slugged his 22nd HR and a 5-1 lead.
View post by @TulsaDrillers on X
View post by @TulsaDrillers on X
Zazueta pitched two more additional innings, allowing just 1 runner.
RHRP Christian Ruebeck relieved Zazueta in the 6th. He pitched 2.0 scoreless innings, with 3 BB and 3 K.
Continuing the game with pitchers named Christian, LHRP Christian Suarez entered in the 8th. First two batters reached on singles. A WP moved the runners up. The first run scored on a throwing error, and the 2nd run scored on a GIDP. Suarez allowed 2 runs, but only one was earned.
RHRP Carson Hobbs followed Suarez. He pitched a scoreless 9th, allowing 1 base runner, earning his 2nd save.
· Griffin Lockwood-Powell – 2-4, 1 run, double (13)
· Chris Newell – 1-4, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (22)
· Taylor Young – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, triple (1)
· Doubles – Joe Vetrano (10), Jake Gelof (20)
Great Lakes Loons 3 – Lansing Lugnuts (As) 2
RHSP Cam Leiter was making his 2nd Midwest League start, and it was not what he expected. The first batter he faced reached 1st on E3. The second batter reached on catcher’s interference. A strike out, walk, strike out loaded the bases with 2 outs. Of course, the run scored on a WP.
Leiter allowed a one out walk and single, but then dialed up a GIDP in the 2nd. He retired the side in order in the 3rd, and his night was done. He was at 57 pitches, so he wasn’t really efficient.
The Loons did not have a hit in the 1st three innings. In the 4th, CF Eduardo Quintero drew a 1-out BB and scored on SS Emil Morales’ 2-run HR (19).
View post by @Bnicklaus7 on X
With RHRP Robby Porco taking the mound for a 2nd inning, the first three batters in the 6th reached base on a walk, double, and a walk to load the bases. Porco struck out the next batter. Porco was lifted for LHRP Matt Lanzendorfer with the bases loaded and 1 out hoping to nurse the 2-1 lead. The first batter grounded softly back to the pitcher, and all Lanzendorfer could do was to get the out at 1st, and the score was tied.
In the 7th, DH Jaron Elkins doubled and moved to 3rd on a sac bunt from 2B Eduardo Guerrero. Elkins scored on a single from 3B Mairo Martinus, taking a 3-2 lead.
RHRP Davis Chastain pitched a clean 9th with 2 K for his 9th save.
View post by @AustinBru99 on X
Great Lakes had 3 hits. 2 of them were XBH. Jaron Elkins double (4) and Emil Morales HR (19). Okay, Martinus had the third hit, and RBI single.
View post by @msalas24 on X
Stockton Ports (As) 6 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 0
RHP Joel Cruz was the opener for this bullpen game. The first batter he faced reached base on an error. The next batter singled, and after the first out, the next batter hit a 2-run double. Cruz walked two more batters before getting the final out.
In the 2nd, Cruz allowed a 1-out single, and a 2-out BB. He thought he got the third out, but the team’s 2nd error scored another unearned run.
RHRP Accimias Morales followed Cruz. He finished 2.0 innings, allowing 1 unearned run on 3 hits, 1 BB, and a 3rd error.
RHRP Dailoui Abad relieved Morales in the 6th. The first batter singled and stole 2nd. With one out, Abad hit a batter. The two runners pulled off the double steal. Abad walked the next batter to load the bases and struck out the next batter. He was about to get out of the mess he created, but RHRP Camden Wimbish was brought in. Unfortunately for Abad and Ontario, Wimbish walked the first two batters he faced scoring two more.
After Wimbish got the 1st two outs in the 7th, RHRP Jose Vasquez replaced Wimbish, and got the final out of the inning. Vasquez pitched a scoreless 8th.
Ontario loaded the bases in the 9th with nobody out, but a strike out and a GIDP kept the shutout intact.
Catcher Francisco Espinoza was the only Ontario batter with 2 hits. 3B/SS Caleb Johnson doubled (5) for the only XBH.
Discussion (124)
Disagree, not disagreeable
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Great topic Mark. And a good take on it.
I’ll give you mine.
I’ve seen nearly every Dodger at bat this season and though my approach at the plate is rooted in older generation philosophies it’s not that difficult to see what it is the Dodgers are teaching. Launch angle and exit velocity, creating high slug %. At times it’s worked quite well.
I do understand, to catch up to 98 mph fastballs you have to have a quick bat. But there’s short and quick, think Mike Trout, and there’s long and strong, think Javier Baez (8.7’) Giancarlo Stanton (8.4’) The shortest swing? Luiz Arráez, 4.7’. Be quick, but don’t hurry. KNOW THE STRIKE ZONE. Don’t chase.
Pitchers do have the advantage now. And they no longer fear injuries. They will still get paid millions and the team will pay for the reconstructive surgery that will add a few years and several million to the bank account. They will continue to throw harder and spin faster.
But there are ways for hitters to catch up.
I don’t know if it’s true anymore but somebody once told me 7 out 10 line drives are base hits. Ted Williams said in his book to keep the bat in the plane of a pitched ball a slight uppercut is needed. There are a few other things in his book that I believe are still relevant today. 77 squares. Get your pitch. Know the zone. Hips lead. Slight uppercut. Wait, wait, wait then quick quick quick. Eliminate doubt. I believe these principles still apply.
It IS possible. But not the way the Dodgers have been doing it. They are chasing and they are doing it with slow bats. Maybe they are fatigued. I warned about this. Many of them are 30+. That’s a marker age in this game. It’s been a long HOT summer. In my opinion, everybody, including Shohei, after strike one (or before against 100 mph fastballs) should shorten up, try to barrel it either up the middle or the other way. Exit velocity on a barreled 100 mph fastball, even to the opposite field, could take a line drive in the alley to the fence.
I think it’s past time, for some of these guys anyway, to change their thinking. Change your thinking, change the results.
This team is in serious trouble.
Random thoughts: 1) Although the Dodgers are saying Shohei's knee only affects his pitching, I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't also affecting his hitting. Either that and/or the bicep issue which has been mentioned a few times. 2) Many of us have wondered why JDP wasn't immediately promoted to OKC when Thomas was promoted. Maybe the plan all along was to bring him to L.A. on 9/1 and they felt there was no need to move him twice in quick succession. 3)We seem to be developing more hitters with good bat-to-ball skills which will hopefully carry over from MiLB to MLB. JDP, Sirota and Davalan are prime examples of players whose strike out and walk totals are just about identical. 4) I love the above video of 2025 14th rounder Davis Chastain, a reliever now at GL. If you watch all three pitches in the video, you'll be reminded of former Reds favorite Johnny Cueto. I hope we see him in L.A. one of these days. 5) Assuming that Shohei will not be a post season starter this year and that the rotation for the playoffs will be Yamamoto/Skubal/Snell/Glasnow (in some order), that leaves the following 18 possibilities for the 10 bullpen spots. I don't expect post season pitching to be a problem: RHP Sasaki Henriquez Phillips Stewart Sheehan Stone Halvorsen Hurt
LHP Scott Vesia Dryer Lauer Wrobo
Currently injured but possibly available in Oct Ohtani Diaz Treinen Klein Bubic
If T'eo can't hit lefties, what exactly does he do for the lineup?
On another note: OF/1B prospect James Tibbs III since the All-Star break:
.320/.453/.544 .997 OPS 155 wRC+ 18.2 BB% 14.5 K%
With roster expansion coming he's gotta be at the top of the list, but he wouldn't help the vs. LHP question
Good to know going forward. If our pitching staff can continue to give up one run a game then we can be a .500 team.
Just think. When the Dodgers win the WS this year, we will be the most surprised fans in all of baseball!
I'm posting this again:
There it is. The Grand Poobah of Dodger Fan Policing has spoken.
Apparently, because the Dodgers have won World Series championships, have a great farm system, employ a brilliant front office, and have Shohei Ohtani, everyone is now required to sit quietly, smile pleasantly, and applaud whatever happens on the field.
Lose three straight? Applaud.
Score two runs in 27 innings? Applaud.
Veteran hitters look completely lost for weeks? Applaud.
Make the same mistakes over and over? Shut up and admire the 2024 trophy.
Because, you see, past championships apparently function like a lifetime warranty against present-day criticism.
What a spectacularly silly argument.
The Dodgers themselves don’t operate that way. Andrew Friedman doesn’t walk into the office and say, “Gentlemen, we won the World Series, so no need to evaluate anything for the next five years.”
They analyze EVERYTHING.
Players.
Coaches.
Swing paths.
Pitch selection.
Defensive positioning.
Bullpen usage.
Roster construction.
Strength and conditioning.
Biomechanics.
Mental preparation.
Probably the launch angle of the clubhouse toaster.
But let a fan question whether the hitting approach is working and suddenly we’re dealing with heresy.
“YOU CAN’T QUESTION THEM! THEY WON TWO WORLD SERIES!”
Give me a break.
Successful organizations stay successful precisely because they refuse to worship their own résumé.
And yes, sometimes fans say stupid things. Fire Roberts after every loss? Ridiculous. Everybody suddenly lacks grit because they went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position? Usually nonsense.
But pretending that every criticism of a struggling team is merely another tired “trope” is every bit as intellectually lazy as the criticism you’re mocking.
Here’s another trope for you:
“Real fans never criticize the team.”
That one might be the dumbest of all.
I’ve followed the Dodgers long enough to celebrate greatness AND recognize garbage baseball when I see it.
Those two thoughts can actually exist inside the same human skull.
The Dodgers can be one of the finest organizations in baseball...
AND be playing badly.
Dave Roberts can be a World Series-winning manager...
AND make a bad decision.
The coaching staff can be highly respected...
AND fail to solve a problem.
Great players can be great players...
AND stink for a month.
This isn’t complicated.
Championship banners are accomplishments.
They are not gag orders.
So tomorrow, if somebody mentions body language or chemistry, I promise not to faint.
But if someone tells me I’m not allowed to criticize today’s Dodgers because yesterday’s Dodgers won a trophy?
That’s when I start checking their body language.
Because usually they’re typing from a very tall horse.
I played baseball until I aged out of American Legion. My Dad played in the minors for three years with the Dodgers and then in the Pirates organization. I coached high school baseball for a couple of years and when I discovered I could make a lot more money umpiring JUCO baseball my coaching career was over. In short I’m not an expert on baseball so take this observation as such. It seems when the dodgers are going well the see a lot of pitches.They don’t chase as much and foul off a pitchers pitch. I haven’t analyzed it but since the all star break it seems as though they get up there hacking with the exception of Muncy. In my view it doesn’t have a lot to do with swings or hitting philosophy. When I was playing my Dad would tell me to look for a pitch in a spot early in the count. If you don’t get that pitch don’t be afraid of having a strike called. When you have two strikes protect the plate. I’m old so this is old school. I don’t know the pitch count of the opposing pitchers in the last week, month or couple months but it seems they are low. Go Dodgers
Combined record of the Dodgers remaining opponents is 392-427. Padres and Marlins only teams at .500 or better. Marlins are exactly .500 and Cardinals are 1 game under.
Ugly times that's for sure, maybe we can finally put to rest the cliche "Doc will just crack the whip" and everything will turn around.
They haven't scored double digits in runs since July 2nd when they beat the Padres 12-7. Heck 12 runs would take about 2 weeks at this rate. Hopefully they can win the series and go home for 9 games and turn this around.
This team has no fire. None at all. There is nothing to get excited about, and they are just going through the motions. There are 26 games to play, and if the scores right now stand, they will lead Az and SD by 8 and 8.5 games. Atlanta is losing 1-0 in the 7th to the Rockies, but I expect that won't stand. Milwaukee plays the Rangers on Sunday night baseball. This team is not fun to watch at this point and has not been for quite a while. They will probably win the division, but getting the bye is getting less likely every day, which means they would have to do it the way they did it last year and play a wild card series. So many keep talking threepeat, I worry about them making it out of the playoffs. Every team that is in the race is playing better than they are right now. Maybe some infusion of youth would work. The Reds put a couple of players on waivers, maybe LA should try that with Teo. Might light a fire under his ass. He still chases pitches he can never hit. Ohtani has been just as bad.
Here's why I don't think Tibs is in the equation for a call-up this year:
Next year, they have to protect these players: 1. Josue De Paula, OF No decision here. He has to be protected after this season, and there is essentially zero chance the Dodgers expose him. FanGraphs lists his Rule 5 deadline as December 2026. In fact, this is one reason I think calling De Paula up in September makes sense. You're putting him on the 40-man in November anyway. CBS Sports made exactly that point this week.
2. Christian Zazueta, RHP I would call him nearly automatic as well. FanGraphs has him as a Dec. 2026 Rule 5 guy, and he's now one of the better pitching prospects in the organization. I think they protect them
3. Adam Serwinowski, LHP Also Rule 5 eligible this winter. He's 22, already in the upper minors, and has enough starting-pitcher upside that I wouldn't dare expose him. Baseball America specifically identified him before the season as becoming Rule 5 eligible after 2026.
4. Jackson Ferris, LHP This one has become more complicated. Ferris was once one of the better pitching prospects in the system, but his Triple-A season hasn't gone particularly well. FanGraphs nevertheless confirms his Dec. 2026 eligibility. Would somebody take him in the Rule 5 Draft and keep him on an MLB roster all year? Absolutely. A 22-year-old, 6'4" lefty with his pedigree would be catnip to a rebuilding organization. I'd protect him.
There are several more:
Patrick Copen RHP Luke Fox LHP Hyun-Seok Jang RHP Nico Perez INF 2026 Logan Wagner INF Joe Vetrano 1B Wyatt Crowell LHP Carson Hobbs RHP
The Dodgers can't afford to protect Tibbs3 until 2027 when they have to.
3 more days until we can sit Teo and bring up DePaula to play LF!!!
Yes, the offense is anemic more often than it should be given the talent level. However, i am more concerned about the BP in the playoffs.
Last year, Roki emerged as a high-leverage ace in the first few rounds. In the WS it's all hands on deck with starters being available, but the Dodgers need to get there first.
It's fair to say our offensive output will not improve much given the caliber of pitchers we'll face. I don't think Doc has anyone he can really trust in the BP-- every game will feel like a white-knuckle ride.
Vesia, Philips, Henriquez, Stewart, Dryer, Treinan, and Lauer holding a 2-1 lead in 7th and 8th innings against the Cubs, Brewers, Atlanta, Padres, Phillies? Hard to feel confident.
Tanner Scott or Diaz in the 9th? Even less confident.
Hopefully someone will emerge as a lights-out, swing and miss closer over the next few weeks. Roki was great last year but this year he has a propensity to give up the HR which doesn't play in October.
MT, this is a fantastic article and analysis of today's hitting woes. There are so many top tier hitters that are having a terrible time dealing with the way the pitchers are getting them out. A lot to consider.
When I started reading your article the first thing that popped into my mind was this change in pitching strategy affecting older veterans more than the under 25 crowd. Apparently that's the case. You clearing explained the reasons why that might be.
With the Dodgers' aging vets having trouble getting consistent and productive at bats in the past couple of months this could be one of the reasons why. Makes sense.
Again, well written.
The Ohtani struggles at the plate are a repeat from a stretch last season. The obvious problem area for the Dodgers right now is hitting. Ohtani isn't doing that right now. Like I've said many times in the past why would any pitcher throw Ohtani a four seamer other than high in the strike zone? Sweepers, sliders, and curves down and away or down and in. He feasts on weak pitching because they have trouble with location. Excellent pitching usually leads to a ofer with a 2-3 K's. The greatest hitter in baseball? I disagree. Especially when he is in the rotation (which is understandable). The most dramatic? Yes. With his high exit velo and long distant HRs.
As long as the starters stay healthy I don't think Ohtani should pitch. With Skubal, Snell, Yamamota, and Glasnow they should have plenty of firepower throughout the playoffs. The team need all his focus on hitting a baseball. Not him pitching and hitting a baseball.
Carry on
Agree on Ohtani! He’s actually more frustrating than Tucker right now! In one ab, he took a center fastball in the middle and swung at the next pitch that was completely a non competitive pitch. We know he’s the best on the planet, but geez! Teo gets 2 hits as bad as he’s been. Another Ofer for Ohtani? But he’s not alone. 9 hits. 9 walks. A hit batter. 2 stinking runs? Skubal was fantastic, again. Bullpen was good. Somebody switched the Dodgers’ wooden bats for whiffle ball bats!
What's wrong with Ohtani? He looks absolutely lost in the batter's box. Is it that he that he wants to get back on the mound and concentrating on pitching and he forgot how to hit? He leaves a lot a men in scoring position,striking out way too much and left hand pitchers are getting him out with ease. We need his bat more than we need him ptching right now. He is one of the many reasons that the offense has gone cold.
Shohei Ohtani is batting .129 (4 hits in 31 at-bats) with 0 home runs and 0 RBIs over his last 8 games played through August 28, 2026.
Chastain has a funky delivery... He has some of that Nestor Cortez stuff going.
yep.
It's pretty amazing.
But even for dodger fans. Even after two consecutive World Series wins. Even after three World Series, in less than a decade, the recurring top farm system, the most highly regarded for an office, the best player in the league right now starring for the team!
Even with all that, in one day we can still encounter calls for the manager to be fired. For the hitting coach to be fired. For the team not to care. For the team to be lacking motivation. for the team to be lacking grit.
All the tropes, in just one day.
Well, almost all the tropes, at least we didn't read about body language or about team chemistry.
But maybe that'll come tomorrow.
Maybe they'll snap out of it if I don't watch tomorrow. Gonna leave to surf around game time. Was going to do that today, but thunderstorms moved in. Maybe it's MY fault. 🏄🏄🏄🏄
Rays beat the Padres, so LA is still 9 games ahead of them. Braves are now tied with LA for the bye but hold the tie breaker after beating Colorado 2-1. D-Backs beat the Giants in the first game of a double-header. They will either be 8 or 9 games back pending the outcome of the nightcap. Brewers won to go 3 ahead of LA. PCA hit 3 homers today and is now the odds-on favorite to unseat Ohtani has the NL MVP. He has 36 bombs now, just 4 back of Schwarber for the NL lead.
For those of you who are unhappy with Alek Thomas in center field, your problems have been solved. The Mets just put Luis Robert Jr on waivers. He'll cost a hell of a lot more than Thomas and probably won't provide any more hitting, but I know some of you have been asking for him for a couple of years now.
Poor guy, imagine playing your entire career with a crappy White Sox team. You finally get traded to the Mets who most certainly are playoff bound and what happens? The Sox make the playoffs and the Mets go nowhere.
Players get the glory, managers get the blame
It’s officially LADT time. The fire Dave Roberts calls are out! I love it! I forgot that Roberts was the one who signed Tucker, Diaz and Teo. And why can’t he keep 3 quarters of the lineup from swinging at balls 2 feet off the plate. How about giving him credit for our amazing pitching staff instead?
Starting to think of some kind of curse is going on. Has anyone seen any Voodoo priests with Dodger effigies running around lately?