The sky is not falling and the end is not near, but I think the Dodger Brass should have a new “End Game” and that end is to figure out who to close games instead of Kenley Jansen… and before we even get started, don’t say “Craig Kimbrel” because he could be a step down from Kenley. Kenley’s latest blown save and subsequent win is a microcosm of his last…
OK, this is going to be the last I ever speak of this.. well, that’s a lie – I probably will speak of it again. However, Las Vegas now has the Dodgers and Astros at +600 odds to make the World Series. The Yankees and Red Sox are next in line with +650 and +700 odds while the Phillies and Cubs are +1000. So, I have a problem when people…
Sunday afternoon Ross Stripling was not fair – he was just very good, so since his nickname is Chicken Strip, he is fowl and this should be a reminder of how very good he was before the All-Star Break last season. I would say his pitch tipping is behind him and he could be a very solid piece in the rotation all season. His ERA dropped to 2.92 as he…
I wrote a post on slow starts by the Dodgers, and while I did not predict there would be a slow start, history tells us to expect it. When the team got off to such a fast start (8-2), comments like “What slow start” were readily made. I indicated that I was happy with the fast first 10 games, but I also cautioned that it could not last because: a)…
I told you a few days ago that there would be peaks and valleys. That was not some genius idea I had… that’s just baseball. One day, no one can beat you… a week later, everyone can beat you. It happens, it’s maddening, fans hate it, but it is just reality. I don’t get caught up in the “the game.” I look at the big picture and in the BIG…
Landry is one of those guys who keeps us a bit off base with his name, which is Simon Meaux Landry. From all reports it seems he goes by Meaux, as in “Mo”. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 22nd round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi. He grew up in Ponchatoula, Louisiana and attended high school in his…
The strength of the Farm system is unquestionably the pitching. It is not even close. The breakdown of the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects is: 12 – RHP 2 – LHP 4 – Catchers 5 – SS/2B 4 – 3B/1B 3 – OF Baseball America pretty much resembles MLB Pipeline’s prospect list except BA includes reliever Josh Sborz, and OF Carlos Rincon, replacing Braydon Fisher, Marshall Kasowski, and Leonel Valera….
I watched OKC last night and while Clayton Kershaw was obviously a little rusty, he was throwing free and easy. While they don’t show the radar gun in AAA, it looked to me that Clayton was around 90 MPH. He’s ready and I think he will be pitching for the LA Dodgers in 5 days. If Edwin Rios can hit at the Major League level (I am not convinced he…
It has already been established by Doc Roberts that left field, first base and catcher will be manned by a platoon. Well, actually, catcher is not so much of a platoon but rather a way to keep Barnes from being overworked, so Russ Martin will catch about 3 days a week or something thereabouts. Since Right-Handers make up about 70% of the pitchers, that means that at 1B, Max Muncy…
It must have been painful for some of these free agents going through contract negotiations the last couple of years. Led by AF, most teams are not all that keen on signing over age players/pitchers to long term $100MM + deals, and the players’ agents are having a rough time talking their clientele into accepting a deal much less than what they originally believed would be available, but probably closer…