You can’t make an alcoholic stop drinking, you can’t make a heroin addict quit shooting, you can’t make these guys clutch hitters, you can’t make the bullpen guys quit walking guys and giving up hits. You can’t fix people. You can’t fix teams. You can’t fix these Dodgers. They have to fix themselves. Well, they may need a little coaching, but I have a couple of words of advice to FAZ and Doc:
- Doc, quit changing up the lineup all the time. Let guys work their way in or work their way out.
- FAZ, I get you are grooming most of your best pitchers as starters, but Santana and/or Ferguson might just be what the bullpen ordered.
That’s all I will say about that. Just take heed! I know they read this blog. They really do.
There is a saying attributed to Ernest Holmes:
Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life!
Others have said “you get what you believe” and “you become what you think about.”
But, this is a baseball blog and I am not a doctor… however, I do play one on the internet.
LA Trip
I will make my annual LA Trip and be at the first two games of the Dodgers – Rockies Series May 21st and 22nd. Hope to see you there! I am there for four (4) days, but my schedule only allows me to see two games. However, I may go to the RC game on Wednesday, May 23rd.
Bullpen Talk
There has been a lot of talk about how the Dodgers failed to improve their bullpen last Winter, and right about now, even Ray Charles can see that. Right about now, the number one bullpen in the NL belongs to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The major difference in the team’s pen has been Brad Boxberger who has converted 11 out of 11 saves. He has a 1.80 ERA but a 1.33 WHIP which suggests he won’t keep up that save conversion rate, but until now, he has been very good. Most of the bullpen improvement has came from internal improvement and maturation of existing pieces.
Boxberger was acquired by trade and Andrew Friedman was familiar with him. He was/is an injury risk, and I get not paying Morrow $20 million, but I believe the Dodgers could have traded Jordan Sheffield for Boxberger. Sheffield is ranked higher than the prospect the D-BAGS traded for him (Curtis Taylor).
In reality, the maturation and improvement of the youngsters has created the improvement as much, or more than Boxberger, but Box has been a huge help. The D-Bags pen is 1.50 Runs better than last year, while the Dodgers pen is 1.2 runs worse this year. I am going to suggest that neither metric will hold. The Dodgers led the NL in bullpen ERA last year with a 3.38 ERA. The D-Bags bullpen ERA is currently 2.19. Totally unsustainable! Totally! Watch and see!
Nearer the bottom in Reliever ERA are the Colorado Rockies who spent big time on their pen… proving that you can’t buy a pen. The Indians led all of MLB in bullpen ERA last year with a 2.89. Right now, they are 28th with a 5.51 ERA. The Cubs are better after signing Morrow, but their existing bullpen parts have stepped up big time: Duensing and Edwards, Jr. have a combined 0.26 ERA and Strop has a 1.93 ERA. Wanna bet they keep it up? They won’t.
The point is: bullpens are fickle and the Dodgers pen has been awful while others have been great. They have been too good to believe, so don’t believe it either way. Other teams will get worse and the Dodgers will get better. Bank on it, but FAZ, think about some arms ar AA or AAA who are currently starters.
By the way, ask yourselves these questions:
- How many team could have their closer implode in April and survive?
- How many teams could lose their best hitter for nearly two months and survive?
- How many teams could lose their Ace and survive?
- How many teams could lose their best starter with the best ERA and win-loss record and survive?
- How many teams could lose their Gold Glove RF who hit 28 HR last season and survive?
- How many teams could lose the best Shortstop in baseball and survive?
- How many teams could lose the pitcher who was anointed the TOP YOUNG LEFTY in baseball in 2017?
- How many teams could have ALL THAT happen and survive?
… and yet, they are not dead. They are breathing and not out of it… yet! Some of it is just bad luck.. it happens, but it usually evens out. Give it time, my brothers and sisters. Some players will come back, others will step up and others will pick it up. Some may fall by the wayside. They have to heal themselves…and I believe they will. Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies…
This is a public service announcement brought to you by Brother Love:
By the way, My Buddy, Quinn was supposed to help me write this, but he got busy watching MLB.TV. He likes it a lot!
Discussion (65)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Why waste one more at bat on Muncy hitting .190 when you have Kiké available. Dumb! Dumb! Dumb! Talked about it before but hill needed rehab start after long layoff ! Another dumb move!
It is too early to pull the plug on Grandal and Clayton. You need to wait until they all come off the DL. If things are the same in July, I would certainly trade Grandal. We have too many young catchers coming to keep him. I would trade Hill in a heart beat. I have never liked him. In fact, I would trade him now. I would keep Clayton. Clayton may stay anyway because of health issues.
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It is very hard to watch the Dodgers. The starting pitching is not very good right now, Our relief piching is poor. The batting is horrible. In July we may need to clean house a little if we are out of it. Bring up the kids and let them play. We have outfielders and catchers in the minors. I would trade Kemp, Puig and Joc. Let Peters, Verdugo and Toles play the outfield.
I can’t stand it.
The key at bat for LA in the 11th was Verdugo’s. Runners on 1st and 2nd with the pitcher on deck and no one out. He had to at least move the runners over but K’d. No pinch hitters available on the bench for the pitcher, so if Verdugo made an out it would be 2 outs. Didn’t get it done. Coming into the game he was hitting .143 with RISP. Maybe not ready for prime time?
BOX’s first Blown Save!
Win or lose… Kenley is back!
This team is what it is – painful to watch. My question is; Will FAZ have the cajonies to trade the FA’s at the deadline (I.e. Grandal, CK), or are they just going to let them walk?
You can make a case for signing CK, but they (FA’s) all seem to opt out and go after the big money. Why can’t management do the same and maximize their return?
The Athletic (pay site and the only one worth it) has an amazing article on Walker Buehler today:
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“He’s just a ridiculous human”: Walker Buehler is a burgeoning star — and an iconoclast
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… and he is and he is!
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This guy is incredible… in every way!
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https://theathletic.com/345539/2018/05/08/hes-just-a-ridiculous-human-walker-buehler-is-a-burgeoning-star-and-an-iconoclast/
Smile!
Has anyone noticed Joc’s set up in the batter box has changed? Ever since he has been doing better his confidence has increased. So when he steps in you will see he raises his bat to the pitcher with his right hand while he adjust his cup with his left. I think he may be sending a message to the pitcher.
I’d rather watch that Rancho lineup than this big league team. Too bad the Rancho games aren’t shown on milb.tv
It gets worse… before it gets better.
He has pretty much pitched like I thought he would in his first game back. He doesn’t have the “feel” for his curveball and when he doesn’t they kill his fastball. He needs a couple more starts.
They should have left Hill on the DL. His ERA was 6.00 before that bomb.
Why does any Dodger pitcher pitch to AJ Pollack?
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DUMB!
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I send him to 1B… even if the bases are loaded. He is unconscious!
Dennis Santana has pitched 6 Innings, allowed 4 hits, 1 ER 0 BB and 11 K’s. His ERA is down to 2.12 and was just pinch hit for after 83 pitches in the top of the 7th!
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FAZ, Get him to the Show next week!
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THIS GUY HAS REALLY ELEVATED HIS GAME THIS YEAR. HE HAS TO BE TOP 3 AND WILL BREAK THE TOP 75 MLB PROSPECTS AT MID-SEASON! WOW!
Look at the lineup for RC tonight:
1. Lux 2B
2. Puig RF
3. Santana 1B
4. Wong DH
5. Kendall CF
6. Estevez SS
7. Bannon 3B
8. Casey LF
9. Bereman C
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P-Sopko
How about this blockbuster trade? The Reds traded catcher Devin Mesoraco to the Mets for Matt Harvey. The Reds will pay all of Mesoraco’s $13.125M contract, and the Mets will pay all of Harvey’s $5.625M contract. A few years back this would have been something to talk about, but now it is meh. Both players are free agents next year, and this will be their showcase and earning time. I don’t expect much from either player.
DODGERS REINSTATE RICH HILL
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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today reinstated left-handed pitcher Rich Hill from the 10-day disabled list (left third digit inflammation) and optioned right-handed pitcher Brock Stewart to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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Hill, 30, will make his fourth start of the season tonight against the Diamondbacks and his first start since April 14, after missing the last 18 games. He has gone 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA (10 ER/15.0 IP) and has struck out 16 batters against seven walks in three starts this year.
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Stewart, 26, last pitched on May 6 against the Padres in Monterrey, Mexico, where he gave up one hit in an inning of relief. In two relief appearances with the Dodgers this season, he has allowed one run in 2.2 innings (3.38 ERA) and has struck out three against one walk.
FAZ got the Dodgers under the lux tax so that is a win for FAZ. All the injuries and back sliding performances would have been pretty hard to foresee. This team is what it is. If things don’t get better pretty soon might as well start gathering the forces for next season. Have prospect tryouts. Still could be surprises this year, hopefully good ones not bad ones. Had enough bad ones to last a few seasons.
Nice article on Yu and his Cubs’ contract:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2774549-would-yu-darvish-becoming-a-126m-mistake-derail-the-chicago-cubs?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
i’m starting to think we should sign Bryce harper this offseason. Stanton’s contract is 13y/$325m. I don’t see why harper wouldn’t agree to 15y/$450m.
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Kershaw can opt out if he likes but if not we still have him another couple years.
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we have enough young position players that we wouldn’t need to add anything else besides harper–maybe we could trade an OF for a 2B at some point.
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up until now I have never taken any harper-to-la toalk serious but I was just looking at his numbers and even with an unusually low batting average, his OBP & SLG% are both ridiculous. I mean, he’s barry bonds lite and only lacks the baserunning speed and elite defense of trout to be considered best player in baseball.
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I’ve never paid any attention to his being a “jerk”–he’s a true talent outlier and has probably been talked trash to his entire life. i’d talk some back too at a certain point.
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where would he play? wherever the hell he wants. kemp has been a pure bonus this year but maybe we could move him to the AL by the break or offseason. give Verdugo LF. trade puig. CF could be taylor/joc/toles.
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I don’t think the Yankees could afford him. are the angels real players?I think he’s tired of Washington. where else could he go? SF? I guess. hard for me to think of many other spots for him.
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maybe i’m just bored but dude is 25. he would only cost money. after a [potential] disaster of a 2018, he might be the only move that could truly move the needle. all-star, MVP, hall of fame. the question is is any one player on a baseball team really able to will his team to a championship. if I had to bet on anyone doing so for the next 15 years, it would probably be him.
Tonight starts a 2 game series with Arizona, not huge but6 games out will be better than 10. Hill goes tonight and he will either pitch a shutout for 5 and turn it over to the pen or go 2 or 3 innings leaving with the Dodgers behind and I have no idea which Hill will show up.
The lineup changing as much as it does and the way the players are in than out is not the way I like to see the Dodgers play. Roberts main responsibility as the manager is to play the players that give the team the best chance to win, whether it’s the FO, Roberts, or a combination of both, that does not happen. Whatever, it’s time to change that approach
When Puig returns why not play the following lineup every game until Forsythe and Turner return.
Locastro 2b
Verdugo cf
Taylor ss
Bellinger 1b
Kemp lf
Grandal c
Puig rf
Farmer 3b
Bench
Utley
Pederson
Hernandez
Barnes
When Forsythe and Turner return Turner is back at 3b and send Farmer to OKC. If Locastro is playing well at 2b it won’t matter Forsythe will again start and Locastro will go back to OKC.
One other point, if in the next 2 games the Arizona pitchers hit any of the Dodger players will Roberts please let the Dodger pitchers do the same to the Arizona hitters.I’m sure one player on the Dodgers ( Utley ) will be only too happy to point out that player.
I think we’ll be lucky if he has a Gary Pettis career.
I agrede with AC on Heredia. I am not a fan, but he’s young and you never know. Diaz and Peters look to be keepeers. Diaz is so smoooooth. Peters is Jayson Werth as has been said a million times. Then, there are Verdugo, Toles, Pederson, Kemp and Puig. This is what is called a logjam and the fact of the matter is: Chris Taylor is the best defensive CF of the bunch!
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I would not jump to the conclusion that he has regressed to the old Chris Taylor. In 2016, Ender Incaiarte hit .291, but he missed a lot of April and hit .216 in May. By the middle of June he was still in the .230’s. He ended up OK.
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If Doc believes CT3 is the leadoff guy, then I am fine with leaving there. Other than Verdugo, there aren’t many better options.
Shame it’s not the Dodgers
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https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/588584002
Just found this site this year and thank god I did as I had become disenchanted with other Dodger sites, and the constant rhetoric about everything but baseball and my true passion our Dodgers. I have been a diehard fan since a child, only pausing for the first half of the 81 season when I sadly bought a Houston Astros trash can after they won the first half. We all know how that turned out.
Anyway, First off thank you Mark and also AC/DC, for keeping this site predominantly about baseball and our team and devolving into other sites where commenters continually get completely off topic and team related comments get lost in the nonsensical talk.
Also thanks Mark and AC/DC, your articles are thought prevoking, and good reads, even when I disagree. They have helped me immensely get through this frustrating season so far. I am diehard, always have been and always will be, my moods are dramatically effected by this team. The bottom line is that during the offseason I am much better person, friend, and boss. LOL The truth.
On to baseball, this year has been a struggle to say the least. I agree with everyone above that we need to shake it up and quickly. I am just a fan and by in large feel good about what FAZ has done, but sometimes I feel like I am being sold a bill of goods. Hearing Friedman in Monterrey during Saturday’s broadcast left me a bit put off. I just wanted to feel a little more urgency, and accountability. Maybe that is just for fans, but one game away to this current display is troubling.
The pen needs more shake up, Cingrani is not right, agree on DL, forget Fields in low leverage his stuff currently belongs in AAA immediately or maybe Houston will give us Alvarez back? Alexander or PV better choices right now, if somehow Alexander has gotten right in 10 days what a boon for the pen. Baez to low leverage absolutely.
Hudson seems to be what his numbers of the last few years say, average to below average, keep Stewart up when Hill comes off tomorrow instead of him. I doubt that will occur because I realize we need #6 starter just in case. However that is not where he can help us the most. ( Mark has hammered this point and the numbers don’t lie.) Will Ariel Hernandez get a shot sometime soon, at least in AAA? I know he may be lighting in the bottle, but with his electric stuff, might be the Jolt this pen needs.
Offense looks okay if our hitters can revert to close to their career norms and we can get Turner, Puig and Forsythe back by the end of next week and then jettison the 4A bunch of Muncy, Locastro and Farmer.
I have not added much, a lot of agreeing with what has already been said, however I feel we have a run in us if we manipulate the roster and create some urgency now. Starts tomorrow, a two game sweep would be huge!!
Starling heredia is 0-7 tonight!
I agree with the premise. There are no external fixes that are available. This is going to have to be remedied by the team that FAZ has put together, and hopefully the return by Hill/Puig/Forsythe/JT will provide positive results. I have no idea when or if Kershaw will be back. The same for Urias.
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I also agree there has to be changes. The first change I would make would be to take CT3 out of the leadoff spot. It isn’t working. Puig is due back on Wednesday, and I am assuming that he will become the RF. Verdugo has to play, so I am guessing that he will be the CF, and that Kemp will be the primary LF, with Joc relieving all three. Joc has certainly earned the right for more play. If the Dodgers are going to climb back into this, then Doc has to play the three that are playing the best more than the 4th. Forget the righty lefty thing, and let the best ball player play.
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Who gets moved down will be telling. Who gets optioned when Hill comes off the DL on Tuesday? I am guessing Stewart. He needs to drop back down to continue to start “just in case”. I have always agreed with Mark that Stewart’s best option is to relieve, but for now, he just became the #6 starter. When Puig comes off DL on Wednesday, I would predict that Muncy is optioned. Locastro offers more in positions and speed. When Forsythe comes back, I am guessing that is when Locastro is optioned. And finally when JT is back, that is when Farmer is optioned unless there are other injuries. I do not believe that it is a good idea to move CT3 back and forth from SS and CF. Leave him at SS.
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One positive in Sunday’s AAA game was that Alexander actually got three outs with no baserunners, all on 3 ground ball outs. That is the Alexander the Dodgers were looking for. Can he do it again?
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One other change I would like to see is pushing the minor league players. Players like Santana, Sborz, Diaz, and Lux all deserve to be moved up a notch. Let’s see what they can do at the next level. It isn’t good for morale or confidence if they are moved back down, but they need to play to prove whether they are real prospects or not. Toronto is talking about calling up Vlad Guerrero Jr., a 19 year old currently in AA. I do not know if they will, but it is being discussed. If the Blue Jays fall out, I would guess that he would be called up for the experience. Let him play even if he does not play well. That is exactly what Houston did with Bregman, and what Boston did with Benintendi in 2016. Then they were ready when their teams were once again competitive. The Dodgers have a chance to do that with Verdugo.
What has happened to DC?
1. I think we always learn and change. I think they will too. Too much left or right is not good.
2. Agree
3. Agree
4. Agree
5. Agree and Disagree
1 – If you don’t like Roberts’ “different lineup every day”, you don’t like the Braintrust. He’s carrying out the mandate to use stats to alter the lineup to suit the opposing pitcher and a number of other factors. I’m more old school – a platoon or 2 is OK but find a bunch of players and play them.
2 – Enough with a million utility players. Find some guys who are really good at something rather than guys who are so-so at a lot of things.
3 – They were never going to make big changes this off-season. They just won 104 games and wanted to get under the luxury tax. They also assumed that everyone would play like they did last year. This was a mistake. Guys like Taylor – he had a season that was an outlier. Wood had a career year. So did Jansen (maybe). Bellinger has to adjust in his 2nd season in the league. Puig had his best season in 4 years. You can’t bank on a career year every year.
4 – Alexander and Koehler were experiments. They haven’t worked out yet. I guess they might later. The thing is that Baez and Fields are know quantities and they planned on relying on them too much. I would try some of the arms in the minors. They couldn’t do worse. DL Cingrani. Move Baez or Fields to lower leverage situations. See if there’s someone else who can pitch.
5 – The Dodgers aren’t “surviving”, in answer to your questions. they are 4 under .500 after 21% of the season is gone; in 4th place and 8 games out of 1st. That doesn’t sound like surviving to me. The pathetic Giants have been almost as injury prone as the Dodgers and they are 4 over .500 and 4 games ahead of the Dodgers.