The Playoff Roster Remains in Flux If you have been living under a rock, then you may not know that the Dodgers clinched the NL West last night for the 5th straight year. They now have 98 wins and it’s a forgone conclusion that they will win more than 100 games. You have to love a guy like Rich Hill who is peaking just in time for the playoffs. I…
With just 10 games left until October 1st, when the season ends, the playoff roster remains a mystery. I think we all have a pretty good idea that certain players will be on the roster. Position Players Grandal Barnes Bellinger Forsythe Utley Seager Turner Hernandez Granderson Taylor Puig Ethier I left off Adrian Gonzalez because he is not anywhere near healthy. The Dodgers would love to have him on the…
Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reported yesterday that Alex Verdugo showed up late to Nationals Park on Friday, after the team already had its daily hitters meeting. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he didn’t learn of Verdugo’s tardiness until he was heading out to the field for the workout but would “address it” with him. General Manager Farhan Zaidi is on this trip with the team and said the same thing. “I…
Let me dispel a rumor: Curtis Granderson will be on the playoff roster. Bet on it! I don’t care if he hits .000 the rest of the way. He will be on it. The playoffs start new season and Grandy will be there. That’s why the Dodgers traded for him in the first place. Also, I think he will be ready! Here’s what I see in my crystal ball: Starting…
After losing 50 games in a row, Clayton Kershaw was called in to stop the bleeding and he did! He also got a walk, a hit and scored a run and made a great base-running play, with an aggressive slide, which you really don’t want him doing. The trainers immediately came out, but he seemed OK. I guess his warrior mentality won’t let him do anything less. Roberts took him…
A team that went 92-41 up through September 1st and then suddenly loses 9 games in a row can’t happen unless it is done deliberately. I have been considering this for a few days and I really believe that FAZ and Doc really want this team to peak at the end of the season. They knew the team was good, but they had no idea that they would run off…
Change #1 Of these four players, only one can be in the lineup at a time: Kike Hernandez Logan Forsythe Joc Pederson Curtis Granderson They are rally killers. Write those words down. Live by them! Change #2 Justin Turner moves to the #2 spot in the batting order. Corey Seager moves to the #3 spot. Yes, I know they want to split up the lefties, but Cody and Corey don’t…
All over the Dodger Baseball Blogs, fans are losing their minds about the lineups Dave Roberts is rolling out there. They are questioning his batting orders, substitutions, resting players and use of minor leaguers. Let me remind you that Dave Roberts was the NL Manager of the Year in 2016 and is the odds-on favorite to win it this year. So, is is likely that Dave Roberts has suddenly lost…
In a word, YES! I was against the acquisition of Darvish or Verlander because I felt both of their arms were about to fall off. Well, it looks like Verlander glued his back on but Yu Darvish has struggled mightily this year. Frankly, he looks no better than Ryu or Maeda… except that he pitches deeper into games…. well, except that he didn’t last night. In fact, last night was…
Anyone who suggests that the bullpen is somehow the problem hasn’t been paying attention. Even after the past two games, the Dodgers starting pitching and bullpen remain the very best in baseball. I am not a meteorologist but I do know that sometimes it is more humid than others. Barometric pressure, humidity, air temperature and other such things can create a good or poor environment for a pitcher. No excuses….