SLEEPWALKING INTO THE PLAYOFFS
Will they be able to flip the switch? I still think so, but we have to wait and see. It is not a given. As you may or may not know, "switch flipping" is not an exact science.
The Dodgers are clearly in no hurry to flex their muscles. Wednesday night, they were still sleepwalking... well, except for Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, and Teoscar. It's obvious that Freddie is still battling an injury and Shohei is recovering, but this is what happens when you have won two Championships in a row. You think it's easy, and it's not. When the playoffs start, you will likely see a different team.
Thursday night, they looked listless again. OK, I am sure someone will tell me, no... "Don't trust your lying eyes." Yes, my eyes don't lie... but your heart might. Will they be able to flip the switch? I still think so, but we have to wait and see. It is not a given. As you may or may not know, "switch flipping" is not an exact science.
Friday Night, it was more of the same. 2-0 against a bunch of AAAA pitchers. I truly believe they can "flip the switch" in the playoffs, but that might be seeing with my heart and not my eyes. The good news is that Will Smith, Andy Pages, and Teoscar Hernandez look healthy, and the pitching was superb! If you are going to pitch like that, you don't need 5 runs! 14 Strikeouts and 0 BB. That is some dandy pitching... albeit to AAAA players.
Which brings me to another issue:
Can The Dodgers Trust Josue De Paula’s Outfield Defense?
BaseballAmerica just did a deep dive in JDP's defense and, "according to them, it's worse than I think." Here's an excerpt from the article:
Scouts from multiple organizations said that De Paula projects as a 30-grade defender on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. It’s not an athleticism problem, as, while not a speedster, he’s shown fringe-average speed in his brief MLB stint. His reads and routes, however, can be shaky. He’s not very rangy, either, but that would put him on even footing with Hernandez and Tucker.
The main problem for De Paula is that he’s yet to show he can be a reliable fielder on the balls he does actually get to. He struggles to catch the ball or even to pick it up when it’s slowly rolling. He has shown a knack this year for turning easy outs into hits.
They tend not to think so and present case-by-case, play-by-play reasons why. So... maybe he's not a lock, but to me, he makes more sense than Rushing.
Emmet Sheehan is on the mound tonight for the aaa championship
I will have that game on (MLB Network) tonight as the Dodgers play this afternoon.
I asked AI this question:
Who is the MVP this season for the Chicago White Sox?
The response:
For the 2026 Chicago White Sox, Miguel Vargas is the clear team MVP to me.
Through September 24, Vargas is hitting .251/.362/.482 with an .844 OPS, along with 33 HR, 31 doubles, 88 RBI, 101 runs and 20 stolen bases in 154 games. He also has a 135 OPS+ and roughly 5.3 WAR.
That is a pretty remarkable season, especially considering where his career stood when the Dodgers traded him. He's become a genuine middle-of-the-order force rather than merely a useful regular.
The strongest alternatives are probably Munetaka Murakami, with 32 HR and an .809 OPS, and Chase Meidroth, who has hit .268 with a .343 OBP while playing regularly up the middle. But Vargas has substantially more offensive value than either.
And there's a fun historical nugget: Vargas became only the third White Sox player ever with 30+ homers and 20+ steals in a season, and the first of those to also have 20+ doubles and 100+ runs.
So my White Sox MVP ballot would start: Vargas, comfortably.
For Dodger fans, that trade has developed a rather sharp little set of teeth.
I mention this simply because I was convinced that MiggyVargas would become a very good MLB player ("maybe not a superstar... but a very good player... maybe an All-Star"). I took a lot of heat and was mocked as many fans touted James Outman, whom I was convinced was an imposter. Retribution! I have had my share of swings and misses:
Misses: Andy LaRoche, Keibert Ruiz, Alex Verdugo
Hits: Adrian Beltre, Clayton Kershaw (well Duhhh), Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, James Outman, Miggy Vargas
BTW, this is only the 4th time in baseball history that both Chicago teams have made the playoffs.
Stuff
As you may know, I live in Indiana, and, interestingly, it ranks No. 1 nationally in the percentage of students leaving high school with college credit. Indiana Public Broadcasting described that as about twice the national average. Just an interesting FACT from the Heartland.
As you may also know, my wife opened up a Restaurant and a Bar this year. The restaurant has been a resounding success... the Bar? Not yet... simply because she does not want it to be a "Sports Bar." However, that's what the clientele want... She will (hopefully) figure it out. Here's a piece they recently did on the restaurant:
Discussion (55)
Disagree, not disagreeable
It's great that Miguel Vargas has figured it out. It's also great that Michael Busch has done well for the Cubs. It means we have talent that we can't use, and we know how to replace that talent that with different, more useful talent.
Busch helped us get Tarik Skubal (I'll take that trade), and Vargas got us Tommy Edman (I'll take that trade too). Vargas' bat may be better than Edman, but Edman, the 2024 NLCS MVP is basically a gold glover a multiple positions and likely fits better on this team.
Sounds like two win win trades to me.
I love prospects but honestly the Busch and Vargas didn't hurt us because:
I do not like Ohtani in the leadoff spot period. I don't care about his leadoff homers. He strikes out at way too high of a percentage. 150 times this season. 187 last year and 162 times his first year. His OPS is down 100 points. Betts makes more sense and has been hitting much better the last one and a half months. Doc is too damn stubborn about this left right left crap.
Flip the switch? How about some bat flips? Pitching has been great. Yamamoto had one rough inning the other night. Glasnow was completely dominant for almost 6 innings. Probably tired a bit. Skubal looked like a 10000 dollar lawn mower in a small backyard last night! Snell? No worries! The worries? The lack of hits with runners on base! The base running isn’t anything to write home about either. Kike hadn’t seen second base in so long he ran right into an out trying to get there! Call? He’s been a decent 5th outfielder. But he adds very little value to the team. He has fairly good at bats, but he usually goes back to the dugout just like he went to the plate, hitless. No knocks on the young man, he just isn’t any kind of impact on offense. Dalton? Could he play first base if Freddie goes down? That’s the only reason I can think of for him to be on the playoff roster. If I need a left handed pinch hitter, I’m going JDP. Plate discipline and control is off the charts! If Dalton can’t play defense, JDP is the one I want. Rojas? Doesn’t matter. He’s been so valuable to the Dodgers. Sorta the backbone of the team. Still ain’t convinced he’s retiring! There’s a lot of hits in that lineup. They need to get some with runners on base! The pitching will give them a chance to get back to the World Series! So hitters, turn the switch up from dim to bright!! The pitchers are waiting on you to catch up!
Agree totally Bear! Some of his swings are beautiful! Some are ugly as hell! Instead of warning track outs, how about some line drives?
“bruised and bloodied team, stumbled to the finish of regular season”. Kevin Baxter, sports writer covering Dodges for LA Times. Regarding the importance of the bye: “I think we all know why it’s important, a lot of us are kind of limping toward the end, a lot of aches and pains here” Freddie Freeman.
Seems obvious to me. Not to others apparently.
As mentioned already, last night the win was accomplished with pitching. The top of the lineup was 0 for 11, Ohtani 0 for 4 with 3 Ks against some suspect pitching. The team 0fer WRISP Will 5 days rest help this group? Who knows.
When I was in education I used to follow the stats regarding K-12 rankings. It’s always about funding. Duh. California used to rank high until they passed the Prop 13 tax initiative in ‘78. It’s been in the toilet since. There are a few states that are always in the top 10. Indiana isn’t one of the them. Sorry Mark. Women lie, men lie, numbers don’t. Forget who first said that. Wasn’t me. The states always at the bottom? The south of course.
Again, sorry, don’t much care about restaurants in Indiana. I’ll never eat there. But, congratulations on your wife’s success Mark. Any Macallan in that bar? You can get it from Andrew if you want it. Do you have two restaurants now? Seems to me I remember another one from a few years ago.
Today? UCLA Maryland, USC Oregon with a Dodger game sandwiched in there. Should be entertaining. Watching football games I used to do pushups for points up until I was about 60. Gave that up. Still do a few, but not in the hundreds anymore. Snell today, bullpen game tomorrow. SF’s bags are already packed. Have been for a while. Two rather meaningless games to finish up. Should be low scoring affairs. O/U today 7.5. I’ll take the under.
Yikes, if Ohtani wants to challenge a strike call where the pitch is completely in the strike zone, that is NOT a good sign.
I kind of like the dude who DH'd all last week. We scored more runs when he played.
Mark's posting of that epic scene from LOTM reminded me of this equally good (if not even better) scene from Mann's Manhunter:
I think the switch has already been flipped.
Why was Vargas a miss? He wouldn't have gotten playing time with the Dodgers.
The Phillies and their $320M roster is in danger of missing the playoffs
4:05 PM ET
Dodgers (98-62) Giants (65-95)
SP Blake Snell L 4-1 1.86 ERA SP Matt Wilkinson L 1-3 3.65 ERA
Confirmed Lineup SS Mookie Betts R DH S. Ohtani L C Will Smith R LF T. Hernandez R RF Kyle Tucker L 3B Miguel Rojas R CF Andy Pages R 1B E. Hernandez R 2B Tommy Edman S
61° Wind 9 mph Out LINE LAD -292
Starting pitching already in top form for the playoffs. Bullpen looking a lot better now than a week ago with Diaz coming back nicely and Roki switching to the pen. ONly concern is the offense. But if the starters continue to pitch like they have all year we are the team to beat still.
'You can't hide your lying eyes. ' great Eagles song. Oh and what's more human than heart and soul? I don't think anybody expects JDP to play defense. Just have a productive at bat. As for Miggy, Kim & Kike late inning defense. The OPS of these 3 is irrelevant. This should be Kike's swan song with just pinch hitting duties and defense. Same with Miggy. Kim will be pinch running and defense. Will the stars align? We shall see. Book em
Nice write up on your wife’s restaurant. The food sounds awesome.
As to the switch we will find out soon enough. Hoping Snell’s issue is a non-factor going forward.
Ok. I have it figured out. The Dodgers obviously in a cash flow crunch. Rushing on IL receives his full MLB salary, so pretend he is auditionong for playoffs and activate him. Freeland sent down and we save 3 days of MLB pay (plus other expenses) and save about 15K. There you have it.
Can I claim JDP as a hit. He will figure out LF. I love our team and all the vets but I am so excited to see these young stars taking over. Gotta believe 28 brings about a lot of changes for Dodgers and a much reduced payroll. Hopefully going for a five fingered ring ceremony. GO OKC!
Emmet Sheehan is pitching for AAA Oklahoma City tonight at 10 PM ET in the National AAA Championship game in Las Vegas on the MLB Network. It is a one game, winner take all. Hopefully he makes the playoff roster.