Actually Kike Hernandez is a cross between the Energizer Bunny and a Swiss Army Knife. He’s kind of a Swiss Army Bunny! He just keeps going and going and he has an assortment of ways to beat you. Last night, he didn’t get a hit, but he did make a great catch in RF and took a walk and scored a run. Of course we have seen him make plays…
Thursday night’s game was the official half way point in the season. So I thought it was an opportune time to look at what is right, or what is wrong, what can be fixed, or what doesn’t need fixing. With Thursday night’s win, the Dodgers are 53-28. That is a projected win total of 106. They will win 94 even if they go 41-40 the rest of the way. The…
That’s what THEY say. It was a ball that Grandal should have caught or at least blocked and then if he made a good throw, the runner would have been out. It was really two errors on the same play. If he makes that play, they Dodgers and Angels are probably still playing right now. Nevermind that there would have been no bottom of the 9th without Yasmani’s blast to…
It’s on Kenta Maeda. Kenta signed an incentive-laden contract with the Dodgers before the 2016 season. It’s a very “team-friendly” contract that pays for performance. I’ll spare you all the details, but the more games Kenta starts and the more innings he pitches earns him some very significant bonuses. That’s how Kenta makes his money and his agent gets a percentage of that money. Do you follow where I am…
On February 13, 2017, I wrote this: I have been telling you a few things over the Winter: Julio Urias is going to have a breakout year; Yasmani Grandal will come close to 40 HR; Willie Calhoun won’t play 2B due to horrible defense and lock of foot speed; Among Ryu, McCarthy and Kazmir, at least two will be contributors; and Cody Bellinger is ready. A few days later, I…
Yes, Ryu only went 5 innings. Yes, he threw 105 pitches (that can be either good or bad, depending upon your perspective). Yes, he gave up 8 hits. BUT, he only allowed 2 runs and gave up no HR to one of the best hitting teams in baseball in on of the best hitter’s parks in baseball. So, there is that! As bad as you think Ryu might be he…
Have you noticed that a few certain fans like to bang on Friedman and Company about trading away Cotton, Montas, Holmes, De Leon, Peraza and Schebler but fail to mention anything of value FAZ has done? ME: “Wow, Alex Wood is doing great!” FAZ-BASHER: “Squirrel! That Rich Hill really sucks, even he says so. FAZ is an idiot!” Schebler (.252) and Peraza (.258) are playing OK in a hitter’s ballpark,…
… which is precisely why they will keep rolling him out there. His mechanics and release points are all all over place, but he has figured it out before and I believe he will do it again. He has struggled mightily with his control as he was shut-down and then activated and shut-down again and re-activated due to blisters. It appears that the blisters are gone, but if he is…
Ladies and Gentlemen, you are witnessing history! Cody Bellinger is one of those rare talents who come around to a team, once in a lifetime. The thing is, the Dodgers have three of those talents… maybe four. Some of you are going to say “Yeah, but his batting average is only .261.” Yeah, and your momma wears army boots! This kid is the real deal, just like Clayton, Corey and…
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today reinstated outfielder Joc Pederson from the seven-day concussion disabled list and placed first baseman Adrián González on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to June 12) with lower back discomfort. Pederson, who missed 16 games due to a concussion, made three rehab appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, going 3-for-9 (.333) with two home runs and four RBI. In 35 games with Los Angeles…