Some people will say “Wow. The Dodgers have only won one of their last two games and they are six games under .500. OMG! The sky is falling. The world is ending. The Dodgers suck!”
I say: “The Dodgers have won five out of their last six games and are now only 4.5 games behind the first place Rockies.” I can’t tell you how to feel. I just know that a couple of weeks ago, the Dodgers were 9 games out behind the D-Bags and now the D-Bags have hit the skids and the Dodgers are playing better.
Five out of six games – four and half out of first. Nice progress… unless you like wallowing in the negative, If that’s the case, pick a new team, because these guys are winning the NL West. Book it!
That said, there are a few changes that I think need to be make. I think there are still wrong players are certain positions, Max Muncy has proven he has a nice bat, but he’s no Cody Bellinger at 1B… maybe nobody is. Cody is one of the elite defensive 1B in baseball. Period! Cody is the second best centerfielder on the Dodgers, behind Chris Taylor, who happens to be a very good shortstop too.
I just think it’s a mistake to play one of the best 1B in baseball and one of the best CF in baseball at other positions. I think CT3 should go back to CF and Cody should go back to 1B. That means Muncy goes to the bench and someone else has to play SS. Kike has already shown he can handle the position. Maybe not as good as CT3, but why weaken two other spot at the expense of another position? It doesn’t compute for me.
Donovan Solano is hitting .370 at OKC and has lots of experience at SS. From 2012 to 2016 he amassed over 1,000 major league at-bats… a few as a shortstop. He has a .256 career BA in the majors and could be a late-bloomer. He can be a backup at SS, but I believe the Dodgers are much better defensive team with Taylor in CF and Bellinger at 1B. Moving them weakens the team in my opinion.
Other Thoughts
- The Dodgers bullpen ERA is dropping – they are up to 19th. Believe it or not, the starters are up to 6th in MLB and Kershaw will be back in the next couple of weeks. To me, Ryu looks ahead of schedule – he was jumping and moving very well, in addition to throwing freely off of flat ground.
- Grandal (down to .255) needs to hit at #5 or #6, Matt Kemp needs to hit 3rd (.331). I would love to see Puig (who is heating up) hit higher in the lineup, but I am not sure his psyche can handle that.
- I’d like to see the Dodgers get a SS who can leadoff (Andrus?).
- Brock Stewart would flourish in the bullpen. His fastball is 2-3 MPH faster as a reliever. Just do it!
- Chase Utley suddenly looks old and feeble. Just my opinion.
- OK, the Dodgers need to win this series and cut the lead to 3.5 today.
Discussion (83)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I hope Joc succeeds, but this is what ticks me off about him. For three years he swung for the fences. It was either a HR or a strike out. He absolutely refused to adjust. He has to be the most stubborn person I know. He had an uppercut swing and never did adjust. This year it is starting to look like he may have figured it out. His swing is more level. He is trying to use all the field. This may actually help him hit left handlers. However, it does tell me a little about him. I think he is awfully self centered. I am not convinced he is what the Dodgers need. I think we can do better. However, there is something Joc and Baez must have on Doc and FAZ . Most clubs would of sent them back to AAA or traded them by now. I just cannot believe how many opportunities those two are getting.
Santana didn’t have his best stuff, but after giving up 3 runs in the first inning, he pitched 4 more without giving up a run. He will likely get another start or two, but he gutted it out for 5 innings. That’s not a bad thing.
Santana not off to a good first inning
I would love to have machado but I would not offer much in a deadline deal. Sign him as a free agent for sure. I hope Santana has a huge game tonight. If so, I would give him a major league start soon. If it goes well tonight I would start him instead of Stewart the next time around. Dodgerrick I would start Kiké because we don’t know what he would do if he had everyday action. I just prefer him over Muncy.
An already pretty darn good OKC Dodgers roster gets even better today, as Matt Beaty and Edwin Rios join the team. Both had been down with injuries to start the season.
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Beaty was the 2017 Texas League MVP after slashing .326/.378./.505 with Tulsa last season. He’s a .311 career hitter.
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Rios combined to slash .309/.362/.533 between Tulsa and OKC last year, hitting 24 home runs with 91 RBI.
An already pretty darn good OKC Dodgers roster gets even better today, as Matt Beaty and Edwin Rios join the team. Both had been down with injuries to start the season.
The really interesting reliever as starter experiment in Tampa continues:
In this upcoming series the Rays are going with relievers to start all 3 games vs. Orioles:
Romo
Stanek
Romo
Mark, the other day you mentioned you were meeting with some Dodgers brass. Any scoops you can tell us?
I have a 2 hour layover in Denver so here I am.
I am in favor of getting a ss but not at that price.
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Elvis Andrus will allegedly play when the Dodgers play the Rangers in early June. He has 4 years left making his deal less appealing. How about Forsythe ( for luxury tax purposes) and a couple of lower tier prospects for him?
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Not a classic lead off hitter, but not bad.
Maeda san showing much dedication to Dodger bushido. At least in the last 2 games. But 2 in a row nicely pitched games is a good start for him. Dodger pitching seems to be perking up…and with it the Dodgers chances to get lucky.
The way Santana is pitching he is a possible # 2. Verdugo will be very good too. No way the Dodgers do that.
I would not make that trade, it seems too much for half a season….
https://lasportshub.com/2018/05/23/dodgers-continue-win-manny-machado-trade/
CK allegedly had a great bullpen session yesterday. 54 pitches. I also hear Santana may be up sooner than later. I think he’s ready.
Darn! Wasn’t just a week or so ago that the ship was listing and the band moved to the upper deck..
Everyone is pitching in and the results are making me happy.
Come on in Kersh when you’re ready and join the fun.
It seems to be popular to downgrade Pederson, but following tonight’s game He has the 3rd highest average of all Dodgers that played in tonight’s game! Only Kemp & Turner have a higher average. Taylor, Barnes, Bellinger, Hernandez, Forsythe, Puig & Muncy all have averages lower than Joc.
Maeda pitched a gem.
Pen looking better.
Rox flailing at everything.
Az spiralling downwards.
SF average.
SD making up the numbers.
The West is there to be won.
Big win tonight to get us back in the thick of things, BUT we still aren’t hitting like we should be. Only 6 hits, it would be nice to have a blowout once in a while.
OK, I have to get up at 3 AM to catch an early flight back to Indy. Great start of the game. The Dodgers should be 3.5 games back after tonight… if this holds.
Anyone still want to put Maeda in the bullpen?
Man, what a great start by Kenta vs. this lineup!
Apparently Roberts has chosen Muncy over kike, Locastro, and others. While I think Muncy could be a bench player I don’t think he should be a regular. Without seager now is the time to give kike 500 at bats. His strikeout rate is high but Muncy has 25 strikeouts in 75 at bats. For some reason Roberts continues to say how valuable kike is but doesn’t play him. He has power, he seems to make great plays on defense when he is in there. Is he not capable defensively? The wrap is he can’t hit right handers but his minors history doesn’t really determine that. Afterwhat he did in the playoffs last year he deserves a shot. He may prove mediocre but why not find out. We don’t have anyone with his ceiling. I like this lineup: Barnes c, Turner 3b, kemp lf, bellinger 1b, Taylor ss, Puig rf, kike cf, Forsyth 2b, when Barnes is out I would have Taylor 1 and Grandal 6 with Puig 5.
Holy heavens, AZ lost again. Now they know how we felt when we went like 1-17 last year.
If we can win this series today, we’ll be 3.5 out. 2 game swing on this game, so let’s get it!
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/launch-angle-isnt-for-everyone/
A’s DFA’d Wilmer.
Yasmani Grandal has helped to carry the team during most of the first 25% of the season. I would hate to see where the Dodgers would be without his start. Like he has in other seasons, he seems to go into prolonged slumps. I am not sure if that is because he has played in too many games or that is simply who he is, but he needs to rest more often, and give Austin Barnes more opportunities. One other potential benefit for Barnes playing more is that he is a logical leadoff potential. He has a .404 OBP, and has speed at the top of the order.
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With Barnes in lineup:
Barnes – C
JT – 3B
Kemp – LF
Bellinger – 1B
CT3 – SS
Puig – RF
Kike – CF
Forsythe/Utley/Muncy – 2B
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With Grandal in the game:
Joc – CF
JT – 3B
Kemp – LF
Bellinger – 1B
CT3 – SS
Puig – RF
Grandal – C
Muncy/Forsythe/Utley – 2B
Donovan Solano was acquired because he could play SS in the place of Seager if needed. Solano is a SS who can play other positions rather than utility players who can play SS. I do not think you mess with defense up the middle, and you need consistency up the middle. The Dodgers are already platooning at 2B which I do not like, but that is just me.
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1. Move Bellinger back to 1B. He can play the CF, but he is not a CF. He is a potential GG 1B. If we acknowledge that defense is critical, then move your best 1B back and minimize the miscues from infield throws.
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2. I would have preferred to keep CT3 in CF and bring up Solano to play SS. That is what I opined when Seager went down, and I am still in favor of such a move. But…
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3. If the decision is to keep CT3 at SS, then bring up Locastro to play CF. Strong consideration should then be given to him batting leadoff. Because of the way Doc handles the bullpen, there is no way the team can reduce the number of relievers. So you cannot bring up both Locastro and Solano, and Muncy will have to be optioned, or somebody will need to go on the DL. I called for Muncy to be the LH hitting 2B before Chase was re-signed, but now that he is, he is going to stay on the 25 man, and Muncy would be the odd man out.
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4. An alternative to bringing up Locastro would be to platoon Joc and Kike in CF, and keep Muncy, which I would be fine with. But Muncy is not a leadoff hitter or 1B. Let him play 2B and 3B as a reserve. He should be able to shine in that role. Some have stated that Muncy may get solved by the pitchers, but then again maybe he won’t. Maybe he ca progress like Steven Souza did. Muncy is 17 months younger than Souza.
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Other comments:
Brock Stewart needs to start until Kershaw comes back. When he does, Stewart needs to make a transition to relief. He could be a legit late inning high leverage reliever. Brock could stay and be the long man in relief, but that really is the best place for Baez right now. Keep Pedro away from the bullpen mounds after the 5th inning, except in mop up.
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Austin Barnes deserves more starts at catcher, and Grandal needs a break.
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Elvis Andrus is on the 60 day DL, but is slated to come off mid-June. Plus he is in the 4th year of an 8 year $120M contract. If the Dodgers are looking for a SS for the future then I would wait and go hard for Machado next year. Andrus is good, I am just not sure he is 4+ years of $15M luxury tax good. I would not be in favor of that contract.
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I am not sure that Verdugo was exposed as much as he is a 21/22 year old that may take a bit longer to relax with RISP. There is little doubt that Verdugo is wound a little tighter than Seager or Bellinger, but he needs the experience and the confidence to succeed. He has a great ability to put bat to ball, better than anyone in the current farm system. But the next time he does come up, it should be for good. So let him stay down and work at AAA until there is a need for a full time CF. That may come at the trade deadline when some ML players should be moved.
Muncy does not have historical stats to indicate that he can keep this up. Doc gets criticized for not going with the hot hitter and now that he does with Muncy, he gets criticized. But, I agree, keep Muncy on the bench. He looks like a decent pinch hitter for now.
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I like Bellinger at first but he is not currently a clean up hitter. He is a #6 hitter at best right now.
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CT3 is playing great shortstop. He should stay there until Seager returns or the Dodgers trade for Machado.
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Kemp is being awesome but no need to start him more than 3 or 4 days in a row. He is making the plays in RF as well as LF..
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I agree, Joc’s defensive stats suck but he hasn’t done anything on defense that hasn’t passed my eye test. In fact, he has made a few good catches and has thrown out several runners with strong accurate throws. He needs to start hitting for power if he wants to be on the team next year.
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Verdugo should stay in OK for at least another month.
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Some players have better production with RISP than people realize.
Definitely would like to see Verdugo back, and in the lineup everyday. Forget about what he did in his limited chances with RISP. The kid is a contact hitter who needs only to be given an extended opportunity to adjust to MLB, and get relaxed and comfortable in his new surroundings. Let’s not forget that he’s still just 22. Have any of us forgotten what it’s like to be that age? And I’m sure that we’re all familiar with MLB stars who opened their careers with slow starts.
The good thing about having a deep farm system if you can trade prospects. Say what you will about the front office their recent track record in prospect traded is pretty good:
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Schebler: extremely empty 30HR season (100 wRC+)
Peraza: 72 wRC+ in 1000 PAs
Dixon: Called up today
Montas: Combined ERA over 6 between MLB and MiLB last year
Cotton: 130 bad innings and blew up his elbow
Holmes: Hasn’t pitched this year due to rotator cuff injury
DeLeon
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Outside of Heaney, There’s a pretty good case that the best player this front office has traded away is Miguel Rojas
A great look at another strong arm in the Dodgers system, Jesus Vargas:
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https://greatlakesloons.mlblogs.com/vargas-continues-to-chase-childhood-dream-with-loons-63d6856c4b42
The Dodgers’ offense has been, well, offensive. That’s why Roberts is trying to get more bats in the lineup. That’s why Bellinger in CF, Taylor at SS and Muncy at 1B. Look at the numbers:
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Muncy – 90 PA ,10 R, 5 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 13 BB, 25 K, .240 BA, .356 OBP, .507 SLG, .862 OPS (OPS is 2nd on team behind Kemp)
Pederson – 131 PA, 15 R, 7 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 17 BB, 20 K, .241 BA, .344 OBP, .384 SLG, .747 OPS
Hernandez – 122 PA, 12 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 14 BB, 34 K, .208 BA, .295 OBP, .425 SLG, .720 OPS
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If you were Roberts and your choice was to play Taylor in CF, Kike at SS and Bellinger at 1B or play Taylor at SS, Bellinger at CF and Muncy at 1B, Muncy is more productive offensively. Similarly, if your choice was to play Taylor at SS, Bellinger at 1B and a platoon of Kike and Joc in CF or to play Taylor, Bellinger and Muncy, Muncy would again be the better choice. At least for right now, Roberts’ decision is totally defensible.
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Verdugo was exposed early and couldn’t hit with RISP to save his life.
I’m also good with Verdugo in CF if they think he’s ready. He could be a good #2 hitter.
Vegas
Kemp is not a big liability on defense in the outfield, but every other outfielder on this team have been a liability with their bats, including Puig, until just recently.
And Puig has not hit lefties at all, in the last couple years.
But I would play Kemp and Puig everyday, and move Taylor to center.
But that leaves us with two positions, without a bat.
Because Kike is not hitting lefties well this year, or righties, but when Kike does get a hit, it is usually with power, unlike Forsythe.
I would bring Solano up to see what he does, because I don’t think Muncy can play second, like some have suggested, and we don’t know what Muncy will do, once other teams start adjusting on him, anyways.
Like your comments Mark. You should never make two moves to salve one problem. Move Cody back to first. If you believe Verdugo is a major league prospect, then put him in CF. give him a chance to play on a regular basis.
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Stripling and Beuhler certainly can be starters. Stripling can also pitch out of the pen. When they are all back healthy, I hope Kershaw, Wood, Maeda, Ryu and Beuhler are the starters. I have very little faith in Hill.
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Utley is starting to hurt the Dodgers on the field. I hate to see him go, but the time is coming. Forsythe certainly is not what we hoped for. I think there may be a better answer at AAA. I am just not sure who. Barnes is the one I would like to see at second on a full time basis, but what do we have for a back up catcher. Ruiz and Smith are at least one year away.
I like Muncy but he is not a great 1st basemen especially short hop throws. Moving CT3 to SS has caused a defensive problem in CF: both Kike and Joc are lacking there. Kike is not a regular, he is a valuable super sub who hits LHP well. I see a few options:
1) Call up LoCastro to play CF-he is tearing up AAA, plays other positions including SS and has speed.
2) Let Muncy play 2B instead of Utley. Chase can be on the DL but also in the dugout and clubhouse.
3) Call up Solano, move CT3 back to CF and Muncy to 2B.
4) Bring back Verdugo and stick him in CF, but he has to hit LHP.
Roster options: Put Chase on the DL for awhile or carry 1 less pitcher. Use the minor league shuttle with Liberatore, Paredes, Venditte etc. to effectively still have the extra arm. This addresses the 2 problem areas: 2B which has not produced and either CF or SS created by Seager’s injury. I assume that is why they picked up Solano before the season so why not use him? Also Verdugo and Joc are the same player except Verdugo can handle CF better. That’s why he was sent down, to get regular reps. I don’t want to see Joc put Puig on the bench either that is silly. I like Kemp’s bat in the lineup but he is not Puig in the OF.
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When Kershaw comes back let Stewart be the long man in the bullpen replacing Stripling and or Hudson. Chargois has filthy stuff but needs to work on his control, like the arm but needs better command. When Hill comes back he should go to the bullpen too where his stuff will play up and his blister issues minimized.
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The Dodgers gained ground on every team in the division yesterday. They really need to suck it up and win today’s game to take the series and keep lady mo going. Please Doc don’t give away a game with silly lineups and bad pitching moves. The off day Thursday should keep all of the arms fresh. Nobody that is hitting needs a day off!
Agree that Cody should be at 1st. Should Solano move Taylor or should Verdugo move Cody? And who would you drop from the 25 man roster?
Bellinger back to 1B and Taylor back to CF are the right choices.
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Stewart doesn’t impress me.
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Solano at SS makes some sense. Bat him 8th.
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Sad about Utley but I agree. He looks worn down.
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Forsythe needs to be fined every time he feebly watches a 1st pitch strike zoom past him. What’s the matter with that guy?