I am a realist
I do not see the glass as half empty or half full. I see what the glass is: simply a vehicle to show what is inside it. What's inside the glass is sometimes open to interpretation. Here's what I currently see inside the glass:
Justin Wrobleski is definitely a starting pitcher... moving forward for the Dodgers. However, he has pitched 126 innings this year, after pitching 36 and 67 innings in the past two years, respectively. In the previous two years, he started 8 games (combined). This year, he has started 20 games. He has done an amazing job! I love this guy... BUT, he is gassed mentally and physically. STOP IT! He has given up 19 HRs this year, with 11 in July and August. Put him in the pen and use him for 2 or 3 innings at a time. Damn! Come on, man!
Everybody hits, or nobody hits. This is maddening!
I see Kyle Tucker with these splits: 58 HOME GAMES: .196 BA/.576 OPS - 57 AWAY GAMES: .275 BA/.840 OPS - What am I supposed to think but that he wilts in the bright lights of Hollywood? Solution: He sits at home and starts on the road. Call up DePaula in September, but I do think it's more likely the Dodgers will call up Alek Thomas. Tuker has no business playing in Dodger Stadium!
I see the Dodgers' Closer being given every opportunity to redeem himself and not doing so, and I agree that Doc needs to keep running him out there, at least for a while, but he looks shaky! Here's the hard truth: Edwin Diaz used to touch 101 MPH at times while averaging 98.6 MPH on his fastball. Back in the day, his fastball was in the 98th percentile of all pitchers. His fastball now averages 96.4 MPH, but he no longer has that "extra gear" he once had, and it's now in the 80th percentile! You know that I am a big supporter of Andrew Friedman, but (along with Kyle Tucker) this is another big mistake by Andrew Friedman... It happens to the best of us, but these are big and out of character. Dodgerpatch vehemently said there is no evidence that ownership has pressured Friedman into making deals he might not otherwise make. I disagree - it's all over and there for everyone to see... if you want to see it. They are pushing for a "Three-Peat," and they may get it. Getting it and having made mistakes on Tucker and Diaz may not be mutually exclusive.
I see Mookie Betts struggling with his offense and repeatedly throwing low. Fortunately, our first basemen are adept at "picking it." Betts needs to get his OPS to .750... and bat 8th or 9th. Batting him 5th is bullshit, but Mookie Betts was not a mistake. AF got his money's worth. We all knew his contract would not age well... they can figure this out!
This team will look different when Will Smith and Dalton Rushing return. I see Chadwick Tromp is at OKC... AF buys 'em cheap and stacks 'em deep! There is nothing I have read that makes me believe this, except for Dalton Rushing's fiery personality: After PRP and Flexor tendon strengthening exercises, I think he will try to catch toward the end of the season. It's a risk that he will have to decide, but from what I know about him, he's up for it.
Tyler Glasnow looks to be ready soon... so does Ohtani. Gavin Stone is not far off. This team is loaded with arms. Not to worry about that! Ohtani will not close... unless it's a special situation for lots of reasons... some of which are that it is against the rules.
Blake Treinen will likely be back next week. No way to know if it's Good Blake or Bad Blake. We shall see...
Everyone is "gunning" for the Dodgers. They are still the favorites, but a three-peat is incredibly hard.
I see a team on cruise control. When does Doc "go to the whip?" Soon... Very soon!
The money is on LA, but it will be hard. Very hard. That said, it is possible. Let's roll!
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Mark Timmons Minor League Report
The Dodgers affiliates went 3-1 on Saturday night, with OKC winning a 1-0 pitching duel, Tulsa taking the only loss, Great Lakes staying hot in the second-half race, and Ontario jumping all over rehabbing Major Leaguer Yusei Kikuchi.
OKC Comets 1 – Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 0
This one belonged to LHSP Cole Irvin.
OKC scored the only run it would need in the 1st inning when RF James Tibbs III delivered a SF. From there, the Comets turned the game over to Irvin and the pitching staff. Albuquerque did not collect its first hit until the 6th inning.
Irvin went 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out eight. He retired 13 consecutive hitters at one point and became the first OKC starting pitcher this season to work into the 7th inning. It was his team-leading ninth quality start, and his ERA dropped to a PCL-best 3.36.
The defensive play of the game came in the 8th. Former Dodger farmhand Drew Avans stole 2B and advanced to 3B on an OKC throwing error. He then tried to score, but SS Alex Freeland threw him out at the plate, preserving the 1-0 lead.
The bullpen finished off the two-hit shutout, OKC's eighth shutout of the season. The Comets have now won 13 of their last 16 games.
Cole Irvin – 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
James Tibbs III – 1-2, RBI, SF; extended his on-base streak to 14 games. During the streak, Tibbs is 21-for-52 (.404) with seven extra-base hits and 16 RBI.
Ryan Ward – 1-4; extended his hitting streak to eight games. Ward is 14-for-34 (.412) during the streak.
Alex Freeland – Huge defensive play to cut down the potential tying run at home in the 8th.
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Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 6 – Tulsa Drillers 2
RHSP Christian Zazueta gave the Drillers four excellent innings, but the Tulsa bullpen could not hold things together.
Zazueta allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out six in 4.0 scoreless innings. He threw 71 pitches. Zazueta and Arkansas starter Ryan Sloan combined for 13 strikeouts through the first four innings.
Once Zazueta left, things went sideways in a hurry.
Arkansas erupted for five runs in the 5th inning, with Boston Smith's grand slam delivering the big blow. Carson Hobbs was charged with the first three runs and took his first loss of the season.
Tulsa's first run came from Joe Vetrano, who launched a 468-foot home run, his eighth of the season. It was Vetrano's second HR in as many nights and his third of the series. That qualifies as a no-doubter with room to spare.
The Drillers added their other run in the 8th when Jake Gelof doubled home Taylor Young. Gelof has now driven in a run in five consecutive games.
Christian Zazueta – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Joe Vetrano – HR (8), 468 feet; homered for the second consecutive game
Jake Gelof – RBI double; RBI in five straight games
Taylor Young – Multi-hit game; his fourth multi-hit effort in his last five games
Josue De Paula – Multi-hit game; his 35th multi-hit game of the season
Kole Myers – Multi-hit game
Tulsa remained only one game behind Springfield in the second-half North Division standings because Springfield also lost.
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Great Lakes Loons 7 – South Bend Cubs (Chicago) 4
The Loons continued their second-half push with another good offensive night, and Emil Morales supplied most of the late damage.
Great Lakes fell behind early, but Gio Cueto put the Loons in front with a two-run HR in the 2nd inning. It was Cueto's third home run in his last four games.
After South Bend tied the game, Nico Perez put Great Lakes back in front with an RBI double in the 3rd.
Then came Morales.
He doubled home a run in the 7th inning and added a two-run single in the 8th, giving him three RBI on the night and providing the insurance runs the Loons needed.
Starter Brooks Auger allowed three runs in 2.1 innings, but the bullpen slammed the door. Joseilyn Gonzalez delivered 3.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts, while Davis Chastain worked out of trouble in the 9th for his sixth save.
Emil Morales – 3 RBI; RBI double and two-run single
Gio Cueto – Two-run HR; third HR in his last four games
Nico Perez – RBI double
Joseilyn Gonzalez – 3.2 scoreless IP, 5 K
Davis Chastain – Save (6)
Great Lakes is now 63-46 overall and 27-18 in the second half, tied with West Michigan atop the Midwest League East Division second-half standings.
Ontario Tower Buzzers 9 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (LAA) 1
Well, this was fun.
The Quakes had Angels veteran Yusei Kikuchi on the mound for a rehab assignment.
The Tower Buzzers apparently were not impressed.
Ontario scored seven runs in the 1st inning, pounding out six hits and drawing two walks before the inning finally ended.
And Kellon Lindsey had himself a night against the Major League left-hander.
Lindsey tripled and homered off Kikuchi. The triple, his fourth of the season, drove home Eduardo Rojas. Lindsey later took Kikuchi deep for his seventh HR.
Abel Lorenzo also homered, his first of the season, while Joendry Vargas collected an RBI single.
There was another important development on the pitching side. Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen began a rehab assignment with Ontario and looked exactly like you would hope. Treinen worked a perfect 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.
Kellon Lindsey – Triple (4), HR (7), both against Yusei Kikuchi
Abel Lorenzo – HR (1)
Joendry Vargas – RBI single
Blake Treinen – 1.0 perfect IP, 2 K
Ontario offense – Seven runs in the 1st inning and nine for the game
The Tower Buzzers improved to 60-53 overall and 27-20 in the second half.
Players of the Day
Pitcher of the Day: Cole Irvin
6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K. It is hard to pitch much better than that.
Player of the Day: Kellon Lindsey
A triple and a home run are impressive enough. Doing both against a veteran Major League left-hander with more than 1,500 MLB innings on his résumé makes the night even more interesting.
Honorable Mention: Emil Morales
Three RBI, including two big insurance runs in the 8th, as Great Lakes remained tied for first place in the second-half race.
Dodgers affiliates: 3-1. Not a bad Saturday night down on the farm.
Discussion (49)
Disagree, not disagreeable
For the past six weeks this team can’t hit, the bullpen has collapsed, one of the worst defenses in mlb and a ton of baserunning mistakes. Only the starting pitching has been playoff worthy. The question is. Is this just a slump or is this who we are now? An average team playing poorly. I’m not sure any more
Ohtani had another shot at the earning that MVP award in a big moment this series. This time he failed even worse, with a double play. Pathetic
Well... the Brewers didn't get Skubal because they would not trade Henderson. I'd say they won the (almost) trade! So far, Skubal is our Number 4 or 5.
Our corner outfield fields below avg and performs worse at the plate.
Wrobo to the injured list with left forearm inflammation.
RIP Tommy John
4:10 PM ET Brewers (76-48) Dodgers (74-50) SP Logan Henderson R 6-2 2.88 ERA SP Tarik Skubal L 7-6 2.93 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L 1B F. Freeman L CF Andy Pages R 3B Max Muncy L SS Mookie Betts R RF Kyle Tucker L 2B Tommy Edman S LF T. Hernandez R C Ben Rortvedt L 84° Wind 5 mph Out
Good analysis today Mark. Your insight into Justin Wrobleski’s work load speaks volumes “he has pitched 126 innings this year, after pitching 36 and 67 innings in the past two years” There is a theory about young pitchers workload (Justin is 26) “young MLB pitchers (usually under age 25) who increase their total innings pitched by 30 or more from one season to the next face a dramatically higher risk of injury or performance regression” Wrobleski is way beyond that threshold, as Mark pointed out. He still has a very good 1.10 WHIP, despite struggling with giving up home runs. And that’s not new, throughout his brief career; 2024 8.4 homers / 9 innings, 2025 - 8.8 and 2026 - 7.9 homers / 9.
I am a total realist. Diaz has been awful, and maybe the elbow chips had something to do with that, but he definitely is rusty. Scott has been excellent most of the season. He stepped right up when they needed him the most and he has for the most part gotten the job done. Tucker is a bust. There is no other way to put it. He fidgets too much in the batter's box and never looks comfortable. Mookie is who he is right now, at some point he will probably move to second base if they find a SS. There is also a rumor they might pursue a 27-year-old Japanese 3rd baseman this winter. Teruaki Saito.
Again, with JDP? No happening, they have never called a position player up from AA in the middle of a pennant race who has done anything to help. Especially not since AF became the POBO. Alek Thomas maybe to give them some speed. As for Rushing, although he might be starting to hit, he has not tried throwing. On the Fox broadcast, Davis said something about them keeping him on the playoff roster as a bat off of the bench. If he can't throw? Ridiculous. Their best option is Smith coming back and Feduccia or Benny Biceps backing him up. Skenes is being held back. His fastball is down over a mile per hour.
I think Wrobleski pitched well yesterday. The first home run he gave up was on him but the second one was on the hitter who hit a good pitch. That ball was aided by a hot daygame. Wrobleski has already done his job. He was one of the bridges to get Glasnow and Snell back. He could be gassed or just having troubles with mechanics. I think Smoltz hinted at that yesterday. The Dodgers needed offense from the shortstop position when they chose to put Mookie there instead of second base. He probably gave them that offense more than their other choices. I like his chances to be much more productive from here on out. Next year he might be moved. Where? I don't know. I like Edman at second base. Maybe left field or yes, even third base. Smith has been Mr. Clutch, much like Justin Turner used to be. He has been missed more than we may realize. Tucker could add something from here on out but I think if he can be moved this off-season, he will be. If they have to eat some of his payroll it will be like paying Sirota $25M annually for the following three years. Ouch.
1) Yesterday, in a national tv game, Ohtani had a chance to show he's the MVP. the 7,8,9 hitters all got on vs Miz, so I thought maybe Miz was tiring a bit. Classic matchup, but Shohei failed in a huge moment. Freddie was no better. Great job by Miz, but poor job by our future hall of famers. 2) Thank god Glasnow is returning within the next 10 days. Time for Wrobo to take a vacation. I also hope Yama gets a week of 2 off to get ready for October, but I'm not sure we have opportunity for that. 3) Kellon Lindsey seems to be showing why he was our first round pick. Any ideas of his defense is as good as his offense? 4) Wow Ty Simpson looked way better than I expected yesterday. We'll know in 3 years if the Rams were geniuses or morons for taking him. 5) I admit I never really watched Kyle Tucker play in Houston or even Chicago last year. I just assumed, based on stats and the high pub he received, that he was an impact hitter. But his entire swing this year looks so uncomfortable. Most left handers have a sweet swing where the left hand comes off the bat towards the end of the swing. Tucker seems to hold on to the bat with both hands all the way thru. Maybe that's how he's always hit and apparently it's worked. But it looks awkward and obviously the results this year are horrible, and utterly embarrassing at home. This is not as bad as Andruw Jones level, but it's not much better. 6) You can't say a game on Aug 16 is a must win, but Tarik Skubal really needs to show who he is today. With a rested bullpen behind him, he needs to step up and even this series 2-2.
"Tyler Glasnow’s next and likely final minor league rehab start is scheduled for Wednesday (expected to be roughly five innings or 75 pitches). Once he clears that threshold, he is expected to be activated from the injured list to rejoin the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation".
Sunday Dodger Affiliates' Schedule 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Tyler Gough) vs South Bend (Ethan Flanagan) 4:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Jackson Ferris) vs. Albuquerque (Jack Mahoney) 5 p.m.: Tulsa (Patrick Copen) vs. Arkansas (Adam Leverett) 5 p.m.: Ontario (Cam Leiter) at Rancho Cucamonga (CJ Gray)
Today is an important game with the Brewers. The season series is tied 3 games to 3.IF we finish with the exact same record as the Brewers for a bye or home field advantage throughout the playoffs,head to head series winner is the tie breaker. Today's game is one of the reasons we traded for Skubal. Will he come up big?
I consider myself a realist too. I believe that position comes from decades of my life experience along with witnessing human behavior. I agree with most of what you said this morning Mark. I think Wrobo needs a few weeks off and I don’t believe they will bench Tucker unless JDP comes up and pulls a Baez, which I don’t see happening. I think the team sticks with both him and Diaz until the regular season ends. The Glasnow, Skubal and Snell additions should anchor the starting staff but I am not clear what the playoff bullpen will look like. This offense continues rumblin stumblin and fumblin along at idle. Will it gear back up in September? We all hope so, but for the time being this sure looks like a .500 club.
Thanks for another distracting farm report, Jeff. Always see reasons for optimism... As for another distraction... I think Mark Walter's financial maneuverings are pretty interesting. It looks like he bought the Lakers only to flip the franchise for a tidy profit in less that a year. But that doesn't make sense, does it? So I can't help but view a Kushner's involvement with suspicion, particularly given the DOJ's investigation into Walter. There is a helluva lot of very shady stuff going on in the oligarchy these days, including the decriminalization of money laundering. Did anyone here vote for a kleptocracy? And nothing seems sillier than the conjecture that, if AF leaves the Dodgers, Shohei would follow him... the way Decoy follows Shohei, I guess. This Dodgers are looking vulnerable right now, but this juggernaut was built around Shohei, and the process was aided by his massive deferrals. Shohei's epic endorsement value is connected to the winning ways of the Dodgers. It seems pretty clear that he's the reason the Dodgers have Yamamoto and Sasaki, and I don't see Shohei screwing them over, or leaving other teammates in the lurch either. I'd rather just worry about whether he'll be back as a two-way superstar down the stretch and into the playoffs. He'll be needed.
Two winters ago, AF made two prominent free agent deals that didn't live up to expectations: Conforto and Tanner Scott. We are getting a better Scott this season, but I still think he has much to prove. Last winter, AF tripled down with a ridiculously humungous deal for Tucker and also fat deal for Edwin Diaz. Pretty sure that both of these signings -- which ostensibly, per AF, were at better prices than the midseason deadline market--set records. With an AAV of $60m per season, Tucker set a record for the highest AAV for a position player, and second only to the record for unicorns. Diaz, I think, set a record for relievers. Yeah, sure... Scott is improving, and we have our fingers crossed for Tucker and Diaz. But I don't see these deals as really "anomalous" behavior. Previously, AF set records in signing Shohei and Yamamoto. Fortunately, those worked out... All considered, k I have a hard time believing that it's more economical to sign free agents over the winter than making deals at midseason, such as the blockbuster for Skubal. Anyway, it is what it is. Tucker, I guess, was supposed to provide the offense that would might obscure the regression from the older guys around him. Instead, he's down near the slumping Mookie, but with less power and less value on defense. The "let's be pigs" ethos now has me remembering something a hotshot real estate developer told me decades ago: "All the little piggies get to eat. But the hogs get slaughtered." Will the Tucker contract will prove to be the Dodgers' comeuppance? Or the Diaz contract? Or the blockbuster for Skubal? How about the failure to land Mason Miller, thus enabling the now-surging Padres to get him? So much drama ahead!