Turns out, it WAS a train! Be careful what you wish for (Kenley Jansen) – you might get it! Kenley sure has had some dramatic losses for us this year. I blame his Doctors – they said he could pitch. It was obvious he could not! Malpractice is what it was! According to Ken Gurnick of Dodgers.com, Jansen may have been too amped up: Jansen said he was so excited…
Most of you probably don’t believe it, because the Dodger bullpen has been awful many times during this season, but it went from awful to deplorable when Daniel Hudson, Ross Stripling and Kenley Jansen went down. Of course, Kenley was the biggest loss and there’s no way to replace him. That will likely come to an end tonight as if Kenley is approved by his Doctors to play again. In…
Friday night’s game was nice, but it’s just one game. The starter did his job, the bullpen did theirs (it’s a lot easier when it’s not close) and the hitters certainly did theirs. Kemp and Machado are coming out of their slumps and the Dodgers are still two games back of the D-Bags. These guys now need to build some consistency (which is breed with confidence) and start a winning…
2018 has been a season full of challenges and in no small part, the challenges were created initially by the decision the Dodgers made (and still denied by them) to not exceed the Luxury Tax Threshold (“LTT”). Many fans don’t agree with the decision, but on every level, except my RFL (“Rabid Fan Level”), I agree with it. I actually thought they would get below it in 2017, but it…
That the Dodgers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory is obvious. However, the implosion of the bullpen (Chaggy in particular) is a symptom, not the disease. The symptom manifests itself when the disease is active. The disease is “FailureToScoreRunsItis.” Last night, Dodger hitters left 12 runners stranded (combined). At the trade deadline, FAZ acquired two of the biggest bats on the market in Machado and Dozier. Add in a…
I can’t complain about the pitching changes last night. It all boils down to Rosscup not doing his job on lefties. Some will complain about taking Maeda out and they will be the same ones who complained when they left him in. Rosscup doesn’t belong. Axford looked like he does. His first outing was horrid (the worst of his career), but he overcame another Joc Pederson outfield gaffe to shut…
Except for bad pitch selection (4 fastballs) to his last batter, Rich Hill was again terrific. No blisters = a very good pitcher. This is the pitcher the Dodgers are paying for and if he keeps it up, he’s a bargain! Blisters have been his kyrptonite! The bullpen was very good again: Floro, Alexander, Chargois and Jansen handled a hot A’s team. Oakland has the 4th best bullpen ERA in…
I have identified ten (10) Dodger players who are most vitally important to the Dodgers winning the NL West, NLDS, NLCS and World Series. It’s not Manny Machado – he will get his. It’s an adjustment, but he will be fine, great! It’s not Brian Dozier – if Doc lets him play everyday, he will put up MVP-type numbers the rest of this season. It’s not Clayton Kershaw – I…
A couple of days ago, when the Dodgers won 21-5, I reminded you that you should not get too high – that it was only one game! The 14-0 debacle last night is also only one game, but if I were you I would be very worried right about now. Losing to Verlander 2-1 is no shame, but losing 14-0 with the offense being MIA is a sign that these…
21-5 is nice, but it’s the same when the Dodgers win 1-0. It only counts as one win. It’s the same when the Dodgers lose in the 16th inning because Kike is a horrible pitcher! You can’t get too high when you win, or too low when you lose. A win is a win and a loss is a loss – no more, no less! But damn, it is fun…