With the Yankees being TKO’ed by the Red Sox, the slate is set. The Red Sox play the Astros while the Dodgers play the Brewers. Many Dodger fans didn’t think the Dodgers would be one of the last four teams standing…. but here they are! Think about this: The Dodgers are one of the TOP FOUR TEAMS IN BASEBALL! I think that the Dodgers will be one of the last…
Arizona Fall League – 2018
The Arizona Fall League began play yesterday. The league was founded back in 1992 as a way to give young minor league players a way to extend their season without playing in winter ball or traveling long distances. It is often described as a “finishing school” giving a bevy of young players not only an opportunity to extend their seasons but compete against elite players and continue to work on the…
Onward and Upward!
For six straight years, the Dodgers have been NL West Champs. For three straight years they have won the NLDS and headed to the NLCS. From this point on, it’s really World Series or Bust, but this 2018 version of these Milwaukee Brewers are tough… and opportunistic. While we are at it, let’s no forget that the Atlanta Braves, even though they just burst upon the scene, they were pretty…
Keep The Faith
I don’t know how to react to last night’s game. There was so much bad that happened and a lot of good. It is easy to concentrate on the 2-out walk to the pitcher followed by a grand slam HR. However, Buehler followed that by retiring the next 10 batters, including 4 strikeouts. It is entirely plausible that without that walk to Newcomb, the Dodgers shutout the Braves for third…
Can The Dodgers Sweep the Braves?
Sean Newcomb is left-handed and almost no-hit the Dodgers once this year. The other time the Dodgers faced him, they lit him up. Which Newcomb will they face today? Maybe it’s not which pitcher they face… maybe it’s what approach the hitters take and you will see a different approach because there will be different hitters tonight. Most likely this will be the lineup: C – Grandal (You don’t take…
Nine to Go
Continued and persistent rumors of the demise of Clayton Kershaw seem to have been greatly exaggerated. Is this the game where Clayton may have actually recognized that he is no longer the early version of himself, and now must become a finesse pitcher? There is nothing wrong with being a finesse pitcher, but it just may not sit with him very well. In Game 2, he was extremely efficient. He…
10 More!
In the Dodger’s clubhouse, next to Justin Turner’s locker is a whiteboard that people observed after last night’s game. It simply says “10 Wins!” That’s the simplest way to write down the understood goal of winning the World Series. It takes 11 wins in the postseason. After last night, there are 10 to go. No more, no less. It’s that simple… Simple… but not easy! The thing is: these guys,…
Now To The NLDS
Now that the Dodgers are in the NLDS, I thought I would take a look back to see how they got here. While I never gave up hope, I absolutely had my doubts. I had concerns about how the team was structured, and in game management. It became apparent that the primary focus for the front office was to get below and stay below the competitive balance tax threshold. If…
Dodgers 3K Play-Off Plan
Actually, the Dodgers don’t have a 3K play-off plan, at least that I know of, although they would take it if it happened. Perhaps I should say when it happens. We have all heard of 3M and 3D as well as 3R which is a recycling motto – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Some of us will remember another 3R. For those too young, the 3 R’s referred to reading ‘riting and ‘rithmetic …
Projected 2018 Dodgers NLDS Roster
Now that the regular season is through, we can begin to speculate as to what will make up the NLDS roster. It really shouldn’t be that difficult for 23 of the 25 players, but those last two will surely draw some scrutiny. IMO the givens: Starting Pitching (4): Clayton Kershaw Hyun-jin Ryu Walker Buehler Rich Hill Bullpen (8): Kenley Jansen Kenta Maeda Alex Wood Pedro Baez Scott Alexander…