I wrote this before Game three in partial response to MT’s comments. With the way my year is going, the Dodgers will win 25-0, Belli will go 7-7 with 4 HRs, and the team will go 15-15 WRISP.
Update – Well not quite as good as described above, Wednesday’s game had some definite positives. The Dodgers actually used two bunts to put the team in a position to score two runs. Maybe Doc did believe that he needed to try something new to try and shake things up. And then after another couple of weak ground balls to the right side, Belli took an outside pitch with a little off the swing and lined an oppo double. That is the kind of hit that can lift a player and turn things around. Hopefully, this will start something for Belli.
Tony Gonsolin was terrific. 4.2 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 8 Ks, and 1 walk. Unfortunately, he was not able to get Jurickson Profar to end the 5th so he could get the win. The bullpen was the star of the night once again. How about KJ coming in to preserve the shutout and to bail out Scott Alexander. Blake Treinen is gaining more and more confidence as the season progresses. He is absolutely looking more 2018 than 2019.
I am more than thrilled to see that the Dodgers were in fact able to manufacture a couple of runs, and still got a 3 run HR from JT. JT got his 2nd 3 run HR in 5 games. Belli got an oppo ground rule double. That is a good sign for progress. Not wanting to rain on the parade, but one game does not make a trend. Let’s hope that the team can work to continue the build on Wednesday’s game.
Now to what I originally wrote. Mark and others are free to castigate me for daring to say something that is obvious to me.
Mark is the eternal optimist, while I am more of a pragmatist. I will never surrender my LAD Fanclub card or my love for the Dodgers and the belief that they will win every year. But I am not blind. Something is not clicking with this team. I am also not an ostrich hiding my head in the sand thinking everything bad is just going to go away. It is not like the hitters are in a mini-slump. This TEAM has not hit well since Game 2, save an 11-2 drubbing of the DBacks on 08-01-20. Notice I said team…not Belli, not Muncy, not Joc singularly, but TEAM.
I said last year that I would withhold judgement on RVS until there were more results. Last year during the season, the team feasted on poor pitching and outslugged everyone in the NL. They also had good starting pitching. After getting to the playoffs, they floundered. They were not alone. 3 of the top 4 HR hitting teams all went down in the playoffs…Twins (1), Yankees (2), Dodgers (4). In the WS, the #3 HR team got beat (Assterisks), by the #13 HR team.
In the NLDS, the Dodgers had 9 HRs vs 5 HRs for the Nats, including 3 in their last 3 innings. The Dodgers were 5-37 WRISP, while the Nats were 8-35. The Dodgers scored 4 runs in the last two games, all directly from HRs, but were 1-15 with RISP. That one was a Max Muncy HR in the 1st inning of Game 5 after a Kike’ double. So other than the HR, they were 0-14 WRISP in Games 4 and 5, both losses.
That trend has seemingly seeped into 2020. If they hit HRs, they will score runs and generally win. But when they face even average pitching lately, the HRs dissipate. How many times do we have to see the same scenario play out in the post season. If you only count on HRs and cannot manufacture runs during the season, it is extremely unlikely you will be able to do so against superior pitching in a playoff series.
While the issue appears to be season long, I think that the five games preceding Wednesday are emblematic.
- Game 1 SF – Dodgers win 7-2. 4 HRs (resulted in 5 runs) – 1-8 RISP
- Game 2 SF – Dodgers lose 5-4. 1 HR (resulted in 3 runs) – 1-2 RISP (JTs HR) – 2 hits in game.
- Game 3 SF – Dodgers win 6-2. 2 HRs (resulted in 6 runs) – 2-5 RISP (Pollock & Betts HRs)
- Game 1 SD – Dodgers lose 2-1. 0 HRs – 1-8 RISP
- Game 2 SD – Dodgers lose 6-2. 0 HRs – 2-9 RISP
- Game 3 SD – Dodgers win – 6-0. 1 HR (resulted in 3 runs) – 3-4 RISP (and the one that wasn’t a hit was an Austin Barnes’ safety squeeze bunt to score a run).
I will agree that RVS worked very well with JDM and the results were very positive. Good for him. The same approach has worked for JT and Daniel Murphy. But that front leg lift and huge launch angle does not work for everyone. RVS never hit a lick in high school (much less college or professionally). How can he possibly know how to get a batter out of a slump when he was incapable of hitting period. Apparently, he only knows one approach to hitting. One size does not fit all. It is the good TEAM coach that can break down a swing and build it back up for what had been successful. Perhaps the Dodgers were so dependent on immediate video access that they no longer have, that without it, they cannot make the adjustments. I contend that RVS can be a successful personal hitting instructor for a player looking for a specific approach. I am not convinced he can coach a ML TEAM of different hitters.
Yesterday, I brought up one of my all-time favorite Dodgers Brett Butler. I wonder if he could crack the lineup in today’s game. He was certainly not a HR guy. He never had double digit HRs for a season. Although, he did have a career OBP of .377. How about Ichiro? He had three seasons with double digit HRs with a high of 15. Not very productive for a corner OF. Neither fit into that high launch angle bucket. They were just flat out good hand/eye coordination hitters.
I know the development team was working on Keibert Ruiz’s swing and launch angle. Why? He consistently made contact. As he gets older and more physically mature, line drive doubles could become line ert RHRs. He is a see ball/hit ball type hitter. Leave him alone. He does not need to hit HRs. I know most here do not care for Austin Barnes, but he was a consistent .300 hitter in MiLB. His career MiLB line is .298/.388/.443/.831 in 2,685 PA. He also was a good MLB hitter in 2017 with a .289/.408/.486/.895 in 262 PA. Did he just forget how to hit, or is it he cannot hit the Dodgers way for the last three years.
This may be RVS’ 2nd year, but AF got the person who best embodies their approach to hitting. Time will tell if it is the right approach. Just as I did not judge his selection for 2019, I am not going to judge him for 19 games in 2020.
One player I cannot wait to see is CWS 2B uber prospect Nick Madrigal. Nick was the 4th overall pick in the 2018 draft. Mark is right that OPS is the big metric in today’s analytics. Madrigal is not going to have a big OPS because he has no power. He is a tremendous hitter for average. He will walk more than strikeout. Considering his college and professional career, he has walked 110 times and struck out 60. Professionally, it is 51 BBs and 21 Ks. So far in 2020, Nick is hitting .294/.333/.294/.627 with 1 BB and 2 K (18 PA). Is someone going to make the argument that Nick cannot play at the ML level because he has no power to boost his SLG %? I admit I am a little partial to Nick because he is another 2B from the Sacramento area who I got to watch a little in HS. Dustin Pedroia and Steve Sax are a couple of others.
Mark said:
“Fans all have a better idea about who should play where and when because they are much closer to the situation than Dave Roberts. They are in the clubhouse daily with the players and chat with them frequently. The fans talk to all the other coaches and medical staff about each player. The fans know if a certain player is dealing with some personal issue or nagging injury because they are around the players each day for quite some time. The fans communicate with the players frequently by cell phone, obviously because they have the player’s personal numbers.”
He did include a sarcasm alert. I dare say that Bill Russell, Glenn Hoffman, Davey Johnson, Jim Tracy, Joe Torre, and Don Mattingly all had access to the same information. What did that do for them? Got them fired, all without winning a championship. I will give you that at least Dave got the team to the WS twice. So are we not allowed to question the manager on his decisions? I may not have access to all that “copious amount of analytics spewed out by the nerds in that department,” so therefore I cannot have an opinion? Of course it is the players who are not executing. But it is the manager’s responsibility to get the team to be in a position to win. For all of Bruce Bochy’s issues, he never had the best team in the NL much less MLB, and he still has three rings for SF Giants WS champions. He knew how to get the most out of his players when it mattered. Let’s not forget that it was Bochy that got the Padres to the WS in 1998. He won the NL West with the lowly Padres 4 out of 12 years.
I am not naïve. I know there are many on this site and throughout the Dodgers blogosphere that would like to see Roberts fired. I am not one of them. I still do not know who would replace him. Plus, Bear is right, he is not going anywhere after signing his extension. But his rope is getting shorter and shorter
As far as the players go, until Wednesday, I saw no evidence that Cody is going to pull out of his funk any time soon. I am NOT in favor of benching him. But I am also not going to continue to beat my head against the wall by putting in him the #3 hole, where he can ground into DPs. Who is going to replace him? Because teams are not fearful of Cody right now, Mookie is not going to see much of anything. Now, lead off Mookie with Seager #2, teams are not going to pitch around Mookie, especially if he can become a base stealing threat. I would have been fine with 2019 version of Max in the #2 hole with Mookie leading off. Max was a terrific fastball hitter for 2018-2019, not so much this year. Maybe Max can get it together, but what if he doesn’t? At what point do you say we need to give Lux/McKinstry a shot at 2B and Rios at 1B. I admit I do not know what game number that is, but there has to be one. Right? There needs to be enough time to evaluate the change.
I do not know if Lux is an answer. But maybe he is. Same for McKinstry. Beaty got his chance, and did not do much with it. I do not believe he got the same chance as did Rios, because Rios has prodigious power. Beaty is more of a hand eye coordination – see ball/hit ball and sometimes for power hitter. With the LAD braintrust, Rios is going to get a longer look. The team is deep with a lot of options. When do you start looking at those different options? The point many of us are making is that while we still believe in this team, there are problems. To continue to ignore them and not make adjustments, makes me think someone else might be an ostrich.
I know Bear mentioned it, but I would be remiss if I did not congratulate JT on 1,000 hits.
I just happen to have the vinyl for Steppenwolf’s first album, and The Ostrich is on that album.
Discussion (112)
Disagree, not disagreeable
what just happened?
one game does not a season make – but – let’s hope that this is just the 1st of several Dodger wipeouts
Well that’s the end of the hand-wringing and finger-pointing, right? Right?
News Flash Headline : Ostrich Pulls Head Out!
Love the composure of Urias after giving up the first inning bombs to settle down, throw strikes and give us 6 good innings. This kid is gonna be a star!
Venture, it was an attempt at a little sarcasm.
Trade Barnes while he’s got value.
News flash headline: Roberts Bats Mookie Leadoff, Causes Homerun Frenzy!!!
Brilliant move by Roberts to bat Mookie leadoff!
moooooooooooooooooooookie! Only 3 players have ever had 6 3 homer games. Betts is one of them.
At the start of the year who had Barnes having a better offensive year than Belly, Muncy and Pederson through one third of the year! At the Mendoza line!
Finally this offense is listening to all our “expert analysis” and look what’s happened!
Don’t you DARE say anything bad about my hero, Austin Barnes!!!!!
Well the offense is back. Even Austin Barnes.
I think the entire Dodger lineup is sending a big middle finger to this board!!
I want some more of those AF mistakes like AJ Pollock.
He’s just gonna keep pounding it until you apologize Mark! And everyone is complaining about Julio but he’s pitching just like Kersh tonight!
Mark, Pollock said that one’s for you!
4 home runs in the 1st. The cardboard cutouts are really getting their money’s worth
Maybe that’s why Julio nibbles.
Yep. Betts Seager. Should have been, should now stay they way.
It’s Pollock. And I have no opinion on him.
Been saying since we acquired Mookie. Said it in spring training. And said it in summer training. BAT MOOKIE AND SEAGER 1 AND 2!!!
Now don’t deviate from this if a leftie starting.
I know some have commented but many of us have said from day 1 bat Betts at leadoff. Now doc apparently agrees. I love his reasoning we want essentially our best hitters get more at bats duh!! He didn’t know that based on his career, based on he said he wanted to bat leadoff, based on we signed him to a gargantuan lifetime contract. Another case of doc trying to inject some kind of ridiculous analysis to make himself look smart. Any guy off the street who halfway followed baseball would know Betts is one of the best leadoff hitters in the game. I am glad doc finally caught up.
Even if Betts goes into a slump you know if you just stay with him he will produce. It’s like him putting joc at first in the middle of the season just practicing in a pennant race. I just think it exudes an arrogant attitude with no respect for the game or opponents.
Last year the team improved dramatically in hitting with RISP and I seem to remember that most here were applauding RVS. Now, after 19 games, it’s time to get rid of him? Why did you wait so long? Why not just dump him after the first loss this year?
Maybe he’s giving those guys bad advice. Maybe he’s giving them good advice and they’re ignoring it. Maybe they’re trying to follow what they’re being told but for whatever reason haven’t been able to do so in 19 games. I do not think he uses the same approach for every hitter. As a matter of fact he’s been quoted as saying he doesn’t.
RVS may ultimately prove to be a lousy hitting coach but geez, give him more than 19 games. He did good work last year, at least most of you thought so. Belli, Max and Joc are hitting horribly this year. Should we DFA them before the game tonight? After all we’ve already played 19 games. Maybe we could bundle them in a trade for a good hitting coach.
Mookie leading off. Set it and forget it. Bellie will come around. He is to talented and young to give up on. Just his defense in center Is worth the price of a few early season bad at bats. Doc said Smitty was involved in a collision at home plate on the last road trip and is day to day. I think the bats will light up in the Angels series. Their pitching staff has problems again this year. Look for Max and Bellie to heat up in the August heat wave.
Go Dodgers!
Joe Kelly cult hero and true American bad ass!!
Roberts and RVS need to go soon and coaches will be lining up to take their jobs, we could poach anyone. World Series or bust for both, even though I know Roberts will get 2021 for sure regardless, not RVS though! Jeff’s point bears repeating; a terrible high school hitter can not manage a staff of ML hitters with a varying set of issues and problems. The experience of playing the game at high levels is needed, and as Jeff also said maybe he can transform one individual a la JD but not a group. A demotion to consultant would be wise, and the sooner the better.
Huge statement game tonight, let the Friars know it is our house and will always be our house.
Trade deadline fast approaching, Lux will be an in house acquisition but we need another bat badly to win it all.
Wow Mark you criticized a move by our lord and savior, Andrew “tar and feathers” Friedman. I agree Pollack was a mistake, would be nice if we could dump him on somebody, Friedman is a master manipulator and if anyone can get rid of Pollack it is him.
Rios deserves some more playing time, maybe a platoon with Muncy and some additional time at DH. This would be a great season to determine if his strikeout rate can be tamed at all, fear the long swing could lead to 35 to 40%, but if he could get it down to the 20s watch out league!!
Wow the future staff looks bright, in a few years Kersh could be on the back end of a fearsome staff. Kudos to our leader for his role in that one, and too all of our figureheads they truly knocked it out of the park with some of their deals and picks in regards to starting pitching.
I just read an article where he says now is a good time for SD to sign Puig, do you think the Dodgers could sign him? It wouldn’t be expensive, he could help, and in the playoffs he was always a good hitter.
Someone said that when a batter is in a slump, it is a good option to put him as DH, and if we talk about Bellinger, then who covers the outfield? I don’t think Taylor, Kike are better than Puig coming off the bench
Any news on Smith?
AJ is what I thought he was!
Bad Pickup, AF!
Betts – RF
Seager – DH
JT – 3B
Belli – 1B
AJ – CF
Max – 2B
Joc – LF
CT3 – SS
Barnes – C
Urias – P
Apparently Doc did hear me. Betts leads off and Seager #2.
Thank you bear. This is my first season. Sarcasm my friend.
Well if the Dodgers don’t win it this year and Belly, Seager, Kersh and Jansen suck again in playoffs r u getting rid of them as well? They’re more at fault than Roberts!
Kelly is not shy about speaking his mind, And when it comes to the Astros, most in baseball have tip toed around the issue ever since the season started, and none of the Stros have stepped up and said anything remotely apologetic for what they did. My hope is that they continue to suck this year and miss the playoffs. Still no word on how bad Smith’s neck is.
Joe Kelly calls out Astros and opens up about suspension
https://www.truebluela.com/2020/8/13/21366678/joe-kelly-calls-out-astros-and-opens-up-about-suspension-dodgers-mlb-news
Loved it philjones. Nice stories and good points. Your last sentence gets a “they should be”.
Now I will say what I did not say earlier:
If Doc does not win it all, I will be driving the “Fire Roberts Bandwagon” and I’ll go to the whip!
Excellent post Jeff (I assume this was yours) especially your opinion on RVS and the “one size fits all” approach to hitting. I have seen plenty of “coaches”, especially the private lesson guys who charge by the hour, who have a bag of tricks that they use to teach. They don’t care about what the player brings to the table. Their business is to “fix” shit.
I have told kids (and parents) for years to be very judicious about who and what you listen to. I encourage kids to listen to everything then take what makes sense and put it into their practice and see if it feels right and works. I encourage pitchers to fool around with all kinds of different grips and finger pressures while playing catch and during flat ground and see is they find something to try during bullpen.
Everybody appreciates a great kid who’s “coachable”. I contend that a kid can be too coachable and tries to please everybody. Here are 2 stories to support my contention
* I first saw BJ when he was a 9th grader when he hit a pinch hit salami to beat our very good varsity team that had 2 pitchers drafted. BJ went on to become a legend in our area. He was scouted more heavily than any kid I’d ever seen. He was drafted in the 1st round and signed out of high school. He got to an organization that then set about changing how he hit. It was their “organizational philosophy”. It always amazes me why an organization hunts for the best prospects they can find, sign them and set about changing everything.
The kid was a good listener and worked hard to make all the swing changes that were suggested. At the time, the popular approach was that stride and glide, slicing the ball technique taught by Charley Lau and Walt Hriniak. It didn’t fit this kid. He lost his stoke. Then his confidence. He never got out of AA ball.
* My best friend was a legendary high school coach who won 4 state championships in 11 years. His son, as a senior, was the state’s Gatoraid Player of the Year. He didn’t sign and went to the State college. At his first fall game as a freshman, his dad and I went to the game. At his first at bat, he looked entirely different. And he looked awful. After the game we talked about the change. Apparently in the cage right from the start of fall practice, one coach changed the way the kid hit having never even seen him hit outside and off live pitching. This coach, who I know from his playing days and he couldn’t hit, had perfected his approach to make them robots. Dad was livid and had some conversations with the Head guy, the kid went back to what made him successful and he had a nice career cut short by injuries. (sometimes a meddling parent is a good thing if he knows what he’s talking about)
Jeff, I too love Nick Madrigal. The White Sox thought enough of him to give him 6.5 million in 2018. He is just a good baseball player and has a little Mookie Betts in him without the power – yet. I watched him a lot with Oregon State and had a ton of drafted players and dudes like Adley Reichman, and Trevor Larnich. I think the Sox delayed Nick’s call up to save a year of free agency. But I saw him go 4 for 5 on August 2nd. Then he got hurt, sadly, and is on the 10-day with a separated shoulder. He, Tim Anderson and Moncada should make a great infield in the future.
* Doc is non-committal right now but how are Dustin May and Gonsolin not in the mix for more starts?
Good points Jeff, and since I am old school I could not agree more. As for us fans, the biggest difference between us and the coaches, managers, front office is that we pay for the privilege of stating our opinions, and they get paid period. They are the pros, so we as fans expect the best from them. And when the best is not forthcoming, we express our disgust and displeasure by raking them across the coals. Whether we know the circumstances for such lousy performances is not the issue. Fans have always expressed their displeasure. We do it peacefully (most of the time) on a blog. If we were in attendance at Dodger Stadium, the boooooooos would be ringing down from the old girls rafters. Athletes who perform at the highest level get criticized. Placing blame after the fact is something all fans are adept at. Let me tell you something I noticed last night, and it might be significant going forward. I saw smiles in the dugout after the bunts. I saw a huge smile, and what looked like relief on the face of Cody after he hit that ball down the left field line. That was what I was looking for. Some semblance of life in the Dodger dugout. Some sense of team. We can sit here and analyze without knowing what is going on behind the scenes because that is what we have done since the game became embedded in our hearts and minds. Some of us love the analytic part of the game. Some like the old ways better. All have opinions. If we were sitting home with no way to express ourselves we might all end up with ulcers! Another old style health issue caused by stress. Gonsolin pitched well. He looked like a sure fire future piece of the rotation. Personally, I think Ross Stripling is getting too much flak from everyone. He may not be the best on the team, but he has basically saved their bacon with 3 wins in his first 3 starts when all the aces on this team were not ready to go. One bad game and a close call do not deter me from saying that he has meant a lot to this club with David Price opting out. Had Price, Buehler, and Kersh all been ready to play and on the roster at the beginning of this, he would not have been thrown into the position he was. Fans forget fast. He did exactly the same thing a couple of years ago, but ran out of gas at the end of the year. Wood made one start and went on the IL. He was expected to be the # 5. SO you lost one of your weapons before you had played 4 games. The anxiety the fans are feeling comes from the shortened season. They will be done with the Giants after they go to San Francisco after the series with the Rockies next week. Done with the Giants with a month to go. That has never happened before. This season is an anomaly. Unlike any other year in baseball history. There will be some quirky things that will happen. My hope is that the Dodgers snap out of their offensive funk, get some solid performances out of their bullpen and become the team we thought they would be. I am really surprised though that no one has mentioned what happened to Smith last night. Even I failed to notice that Barnes took over behind the plate until Joe pointed it out. Smith had stiffness in his neck. Might have come from that shot he took in the mask from a foul ball. Oh, one last thing, Orel carried the cat jokes just a little too far last night. He just does not know when to shut up.
On a lighter note—-And I know everyone is down on Ellen DeGeneres now–but in one of her concerts she asked. ‘Is anyone a Vegan? Don’t raise your hand, I know you are too weak’ Maybe we have to check who on the team is off dairy, meat etc… Just sayin’
1 – My review of “barrels” stat shows who is hitting the ball hard and who isn’t. Cody may not be striking out but he’s not making good contact either. Check out the stats per the link below:
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/statcast_leaderboard
2 – Rios has a hole in his swing. His K rate has been untenable in the past and this year he has struck out 7 times in 22 at bats which is too often. There’s a reason he doesn’t play more. There many who post here who complain about the all or nothing nature of many Dodgers’ swings but that’s exactly what Rios does.
3 – The Dodgers’ problem hitting RISP is nothing new. The thing is that it looked like they had solved the problem last year. They did – but just for 2019. They are hitting RISP as bad or worse than at any time in the past 5 years, with one important difference – they have a DH this year. No pitchers hitting with 2 on and 2 out.
4 – My point about Muncy and Bellinger – if they are #1 and 2 in plate appearances and they aren’t hitting, they need to move down in the order until they start hitting again – or maybe need a day off or 2 to get it together.
5 – Dave Roberts is a so-so manager. He is a good communicator and gets buy in from the players to the unusual way that the Dodgers have played guys the past few years so that makes him valuable. In the past, the manager was the field general who made the decisions about what to do and now, those decisions are so heavily influenced by the front office and its reams of data that managers no longer are sole or even primary decision makers. If Roberts makes a tactical decision during a game it is certain to be data driven and not the result of some tactical superiority, but it would be the same no matter who managed the team. I don’t see Roberts going anywhere.
6- The Dodgers had the best team in baseball in 1952 and 53 and were managed by a smart manager (Charlie Dressen), but Dressen liked taking the credit and wanted a multi-year contract so they dumped him and replaced him with a “company man” (Alston) who ran the team for 23 years on 1 year contracts. Alston was quiet and wasn’t out front taking credit for stuff and was willing to do what the team said and so he was successful and long-tenured. Dave Roberts is Walter Alston without the World Series victories to show for it.
7 – 19 games is 32% of the season. You can’t say it’s early – it’s not.
It was a good win.. The Dodgers do have this penchant for tacking on runs late, and they got four in the 8th, after only two in the first eight innings. So the hitting is still a serious issue. The really bright part was Gonsolin, who impressed me last year. He may not have great stuff, but he is a smart pitcher who rarely pitches badly, at least in my memories from his starts last season. Now it may be that the league will catch up with him, but I definitely agree with others here that he should be put in the rotation. He just seems to have a winning aspect about him, and stats cannot measure that.
Graterol looked great. Jansen was impressive. The bullpen has been our strength so far.. It is better than it has been for the last few years. I hope that if Treinen continues to do well, the Dodgers can re-sign him, but it is doubtful. I said before that I wish that they had taken the small gamble and signed him for a couple of years. f we lose him, the bullpen takes a step back.
As to Roberts, i am not much of a fan. But AC asks a good question, whom would you replace him with? I don’t think that he is any kind of great strategist, and he really strikes me as a corporate type, always saying upbeat things, not showing any great insight in whom to play, and where in the order. And while Hernandez is a likeable guy, I am tired of seeing him in the lineup so much, as he is a backup-type player who hits only sporadically. Roberts seems to love him. But the Dodgers are always concerned with public relations, and Roberts is the face of the franchise that they want. I would say that if the Dodgers end up getting knocked out early in the playoffs again, they should replace \Roberts–but they won’t. The only Dodgers manager i have reasonably liked her in the last few decades, is Torre, and he was certainly not perfect, but had a good idea of what he was doing, and did manage his way to five world titles, albeit with excellent talent. BTW, he was not fired here, he retired. I was not at all a Lasorda fan, so actually I have almost never seen a Dodgers manager that I have really liked. Maybe that is just me, or maybe we have not hired well in that regard.
I guess that almost any manager becomes tiresome to fans; there are very few who are universally loved. I have an affinity for smart strategical managers, even though some of them may not have the people skills one would also want. I liked LaRussa, and Earl Weaver, I also liked Gene Mauch, who was a very smart and inventive guy who had the unfortunate fate of being greatly blamed for two seasons, 1964 with the Phillies, and the year with the Angels where he took Mike Witt out and they lost the playoffs. But remember that he took the Phillies from an awful franchise to one which should have won the pennant, and that he did a very fine job with the expansion Expos, and that he won a lot of games with the Angels. I always liked listening to Mauch be interviewed by Vin Scully, who used to interview the opposing team’s manager at the start of any road series. He really knew the game, analyzed it at a higher than usual level..We do not hire that kind of manager, for whatever reason.
Did Cody really get his double by going against the shift or was he late on the pitch. I thought it was the latter.
AC, I could not agree more about your article. The team has a hitting problem, not just certain players. Good stuff. As far as last night’s game goes, Gonsolin was terrific as you say, and I loved the small ball and so would Phil I believe. Barnes , Cody and Taylor showed at least some of the players know how to bunt or beat the shift. I just wish AF and Doc would read your write-up.
We’re fans. It’s our right to complain and let the Dodgers know how to run their team. Of course we know better! Belly and Muncy aren’t the only stars struggling this year. Lots of cases including Yellich and Rendon. But that’s the incredible thing about Mike Trout. Wow. I think he goes down as one of the 10 greatest players to ever put on a uniform if he stays heslthy
Nice victory for the Dodgers last night. Gonsolin looked awesome and should replaced Stripling in the rotation. In realty, he will probably return to USC. Let’s hope not. Like with Kiki, the Stripling experiment, unfortunately, should be over. I really like both players, but they have been given ample opportunities and have failed to solidify their starter status. Very disappointing.
I don’t understand why Rios has not been given an opportunity to replaced Muncy at 1B. Occasionally, he gets to play there. But, with Muncy struggling Rios needs to play more right now. I know Max had a finger issue, but he is just not seeing the pitches very well. That used to be a strength of his. And, I don’t think a finger affects your eyesight.
I know hitting is down all over baseball, but some of these stats are crazy for many star players. Some posters insist that everything is all right because our stats are still better than most everyone else. Whether it’s hitting or starting pitching we are near the leaders in the NL or MLB. So, quit complaining. It’s all good. Ah no, it’s not all good in my opinion. I think fans here who do complain (even though the team has a winning record, scoring a lot of runs and hitting many HR’s) are doing so because the team is underachieving in many areas. Hitting with RISP has, again, become a major problem. The starting pitching has not been very good. This just reminds us of our failures in the postseason recently. Those failures were due to lack of hitting with men on base and the bullpen. Starting pitching was, overall, good enough. Now, our bullpen seems to be a strength, but starting pitching is off. I and other “complainers” see this and think that what’s happening now could lead to another failure in the postseason.
Sure, the Dodgers are doing good relative to the rest of the league. But, I don’t really care about that. What I concern myself with is that as talented as this team is most of that talent is wildly underachieving. I don’t expect all the hitters to be hot at the same time or the starting pitchers to go 7-9 innings and allow no runs. As Mark would say “you would have to be an idiot to think that”. It’s not realistic. In the last five years I have felt that each years team was the best in LA Dodger history. And, I believe that this year. If we had won a World Series or two recently then I think much of the concern and complaining would not be happening. That’s why the Astros’ 2017 WS cheating was to devastating to Dodger history, players, and fans.
So, let’s hope that the bad becomes at least good because if it does it won’t matter how the rest of baseball is playing. We will destroy the best they have to offer.
what Rudy and OC said above
Meanwhile, despite how bad we have looked, we could be in 1st place 14 hours from now
Nice to pick up a W. Let’s get another. Now, comments on starting pitching.
It’s time to let our horses run. Kershaw (okay he can stay), Stripling (wonderful person) he needs to be traded or go to the bullpen for long relief. Alex Wood (always liked him) isn’t getting people out. I feel two of these three could/should be traded. Just do it. Gonsolin showed yesterday he needs a slot. His pitches miss bats. Not so much for Kershaw (he’ll stay), Stripling – be great elsewhere, Wood – all I can say is we tried.
Gonsolin, White, Grey your time is now. Smart guys need to figure this out!
As others have been preaching, put Mookie in the lead-off spot and keep him there.
What concerns some of us is the offense by Max, Joc, Barnes, Cody is anemic right now. You highlighted Mookie’s .223 average in 218 AB’s as an example but right about now I would take Max, Joc, Cody all hitting .223 as opposed to .176 (Max), .180 (Joc), .171 (Cody) and .179 (Barnes). Those averages are flat out horrendous
What also is frustrating is watching hitters take strikes right down the middle and then swinging at strike 3 in the dirt. Yes, I know hitting a baseball thrown by a ML pitcher is hard and because it is so difficult everyone cannot do it, but it’s not just the results that are so alarming it’s the approach that is so frustrating. Hopefully Cody’s oppo double will get him going, but Max looks like he can’t read any pitch and when he swings he misses and K’s. Is he the player the A’s released or is he the player of 2018 and 2019? Was Joc traded because AF knew he had value and was going to regress to what we are seeing?
19 games does not define a season, but when the season is only 60 games it very well might portend what this team is. A a poorly developed offensive team lacking a balance between contact hitters aka table setters and hitters who are good WRISP vs. HR hitters which very well might mean too many L’s in the loss column at the sake of trying to hit the long ball.
I do try and stir some things up at times… and it works! 😉
Still, as fans we only know what we see and what the Dodgers want us to know, for example:
1. We don’t know why Lux was late to Spring Training, but Doc does.
2. We don’t know why Walker Buehler was late as well, but Doc does.
3. We don’t know if Cody Bellinger is having girlfriend-trouble, but Doc does.
4. We don’t know which players are mentally struggling, but Doc does.
5. I would sit Max Muncy, but there might be some reason not to, that Doc knows about… or not.
Doc may not be a brilliant tactician, but he is a great communicator with his players… and they love him. I heard an interview with Rich Hill a few months ago on MLB.Radio and he even loves Doc.
Prior to the Andrew Friedman Era, I was very critical of the Dodgers and criticized Mattingly, Torre, Colletti, and others. I hated the deal for A-Gon, and still do. I was immediately on the same page with AF – I saw what he was trying to do… actually “doing.” The signings of McCarthy, Anderson, Kazmir were just a “bridge” to “growing your own pitchers.” I was ridiculed by many including Jeff (not AC), but I knew what was happening: He was building a “machine” and he is still building it. He has given Dave Roberts a good team and in Roberts 4 years he has averaged over 98 wins, including 106 last year.
AF made his share of mistakes, like the International signings, but the mistakes he made have not hamstrung the Dodgers. The Dodgers were cheated out of a World Championship or most of you would feel entirely different with the curse off our backs.
I was very high on this team before Spring Training – I believe it is the best Dodger team I have EVER seen. Why would I change my opinion after 18 games? Cody and Max have been mired in slumps. In July and August of 2017, Mookie Betts hit .243 and .223 in a total of 218 AB’s. Cody has 76 AB’s. I happen to think anyone who wants to trade him now needs some condescension or at least, some medication.
Yes, I am a positive person, but if you look at the overall situation of this team, there’s a lot to be positive about. After all the complaining and gnashing of teeth, the Dodgers are 1 win behind the A’s for the most wins in baseball. They play them soon! I just find it humorous that fans can come up with such a negative spin on things.
Last night was just a stepping stone – everyone is not fixed. Max is struggling, but the Dodgers are leading MLB in ERA and are almost 2 runs better than anyone else in the NL! That is a devastating pitching staff. I am not saying that they are back (because they were never gone), but last night was a big step in the right direction.
Tonight, they need Julio to pitch like Gonsolin did last night.
Good commentary, and thank you for the defense of the fans. Just reading the comments there are some really smart and knowledgeable fans who comment on this forum. And they really don’t deserve Mark’s condescension. Anyway I hope the Dodgers can regain a confident winning attitude and put together a long winning streak. It was a really a joy to see a couple well executed and productive bunts this evening.
Good thoughts, AC. I like you more when you show your annoyance unlike our former host who always wears rose colored glasses and glosses over the most obvious missteps and calculations of the FO, regarding them as ‘holy’.
I love JT. He has put the team on his back almost every year he has played here with his clutch hitting and his aggressive approach to everything, yet still maintaining his gentle nature even when he gets hit at the plate. He is still the heart and soul of this team and the fate of the Dodgers still rests with him as long as they are playing him.
I think Seager can be that type of player along with Mookie. Neither give up and both have a lot of poise and talent. It bodes well for the future. Joc, Belli, & Muncy, do not bode well for the future. All have talents, all have problems. When you are invested in Power, you are trapped, even though you have some victories, you remain trapped and limited. It will always be a tug of war with these players as we see it play out each year. I am convinced that the Dodgers will not win the WS this season and will continue to struggle like they have until they change their approach to the game and balance the Power. The HR is sexy but it is not essential to win a WS.