30 posts
Maybe now Dodger fans can put their brains back into their heads and think logically… or is that too much to ask? Two wins in one day! Some good things happened during the games, including the Dodgers coming from behind to win Game 1 and Gavin Stone’s Gem in Game 2 where he…
While it is clear that Yamamoto has some very filthy stuff, he finished Spring Training with a 8.38 ERA. In 9.2 IP, he allowed 15 Hits and 9 ER. He walked 4 and struck out 14. It also has been rumored that he is tipping pitches. I heard someone say, “ It doesn’t matter if he ‘s…
Some blogs like the shock value of a headline like: “ What is wrong with Gavin Lux? ” or “ When will the Dodgers trade for a real closer?” I prefer to stick to the facts. Just the facts… There is little doubt that this team will be special. The only question is: How Special ? It…
I really do. I also have an irrational fear of them. The Dodgers begin their postseason quest on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are fresh off of the Wild Card sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in what could likely be Craig Counsell’s last game for the Brewers. It is…
Pitching changes, lineups, and strategy decisions are subjective… VERY subjective. Additionally, second guessers are seldom wrong. I rarely question tactical decisions because I know that there are frequently underlying reasons. I think I was dead on in what I said about Caleb…
I don’t understand why it happens, but every time the Dodgers go on some kind of losing streak, the novice Dodger fans come out of the woodwork and proudly announce that Andrew Friedman and Dave Roberts are the problems, and they proceed to solve all the problems by getting rid…
After the craziness of the past couple of days… we are moving on. I have my opinions, and I do not care if you agree or not. In fact, I put my opinions out there so that you can disagree. Disagree with them all you want, but if you have a take and do not suck , that is fine. If…
There is an old saying in baseball that you can never have too much pitching, so it seems logical that Dodger fans want Andrew Friedman to pick up more pitchers. Some Dodger fans thought that Andrew Friedman would sign Justin Verlander or Jacob deGrom. He didn’t sign either one…
I had already started this blog post when Whistling Ranger (welcome to LADT) posted this: “I look for the Dodgers to concentrate on roster management in the offseason. There is extreme competition for the 40-man roster. Look for them to trade older players for younger, promising…
Let me start off by saying that I really don’t like to throw out trade proposals or enjoy reading them. Usually, people want to trade for an All-Star by giving up the bottom feeders of the prospect lists or a slumping pro. With that said, let’s go ahead and take a stab at it……
That’s what happens when you build such a deep pitching staff. What the Devil was Andrew Friedman thinking? He just assembled a cast of too many pitchers and was too easy on some and too hard on others… or at least that’s the rumor. Well, Caleb Ferguson isn’t happy with how long…
Baseball is a funny game. It is also a very frustrating one and can leave you totally discombobulated. There are more ups and downs than an elevator in a high rise in the Big Apple. Take the previous series the Dodgers played against the Phillies last week. They had so many…
Many of Dave Roberts’ decisions (or lack thereof) were questionable last night, but I am also of the opinion that players can make a manager look really smart or really dumb. Even Ray Charles could see that Tyler Anderson was not at the top of his game last night, but Doc…
Squat, Zilch, Nada. For guys like Tomas Tellis, Andy Burns, Eddy Alvarez, Jason Martin, and Stefan Romero, this is like a playoff game. They know that they have no chance… but who knows – it feels like it might (this is their thinking), so they are all in. In reality, they are…
On August 12, 1994, the MLB Players walked off and the player strike began. The strike ended 232 days later on April 2, 1995, making it the longest such stoppage in MLB history. Who is hurting? The fans. The same people they (both sides) are trying to keep coming to games…
Before I answer with my position, let me do my best to lay out some of the factors assuredly being discussed in the Dodger “war rooms”. Max Scherzer is a HOF pitcher who can still bring it at 37. He would be a front of the rotation pitcher even with the Dodgers. This year he is 7-4 with a 2.83 ERA and an exceptional WHIP of 0.886 in 105 IP.
As baseball aficionados we all know who should play, who should play where, what the best batting lineup should be, how to “correct” batting stances, etc. We are all more knowledgeable than the Presidents of Baseball Operations, or the managers, or the pitching coaches, or the hitting coaches. We have all played the game, some at advanced levels. But to my knowledge, nobody on this site has ever climbed the
Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. I already had my article queued up and ready for publish before last night s come from behind walk off win. Zac Gallen is going to be a superstar in this game and he just shut the Dodgers down. But the 2020 Dodgers are relentless and have no quit. I think that is a tribute to Mookie, just as 1988 was a tribute
It was suggested that what the Dodgers need is a dominant closer and a dominant setup man. No mention as to who those players should be. But they better not allow a base runner as that is what is expected for Dodger relief pitchers. Below is the pitching line for the top closers (in terms of # of saves) in MLB for 2020. I dare say that if LAD fans
I do not think any Dodger fan can possibly disagree about the disappointment over the last three years. I use three, because realistically that has been the span where the Dodgers were in a position to win it all. Certainly Doc has had a problem of thinking too much in the playoffs. It was never more evident as it was in Game 5 of the NLDS. But the players have
I wrote about the possibility of a slow start for the Dodgers but did not predict one. I know Mark liked to chide me with that after the first two series. But 5-2 against arguably two of the worst 3 teams in the NL was nothing to brag about. The Padres played the same two teams and went 4-3. And now LAD gets to face the Rockies without having to
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
So, who is coming to help on Saturday when rosters CAN expand? The current 40 man is filled with players on the DL. How many of those are legit, who knows? Well I guess FAZ does. Another consideration might be how many of the Rule 5 eligible draftees do the Dodgers want to take a look at in September. Current Dodger relievers on the 40 man: Julio Urias
From the Dodgers point of view, it turns out that Murphy may have been a optimist. In a week where if something could go wrong, it did go wrong, and then wronger and wrongest! I have always maintained a glass half full attitude. The storm generally passes and it s never as bad as the glass half empty people say. Here s a little more about Murphy s Law: Fabian Ardaya of The
Yesterday Mark made a good argument as to why the Dodgers might want to stand pat. Today I would like to make an argument as to why the Dodgers should consider another move or two. I understand the thought that with how the Dodgers are built right now they can compete and win the NL West. I understand why many believe the team should stay as is and let the team
Well, that was fun . and much needed too. An offensive explosion never hurts a team that is struggling with hitting. If I had told you in Spring Training that Matt Kemp would be an All-Star (and maybe the heart and soul of the team), that Max Muncy would be leading the team in HR and OPS ing over 1.000 and Ross Stripling would be the Dodgers ace, you would have signed
In the last thread, Tylerdurden31 stated that “If it clear we are one if the best five NL teams. We could be the best right now (even after an abysmal start). Between now and October we will experiment, test, and look for new ways to get production. Occasional failures like today must be tolerated in order to locate the growth potential in our roster. Win games? That’s last year. This
Injury News Julio Urias, who has only been throwing off a mound for a few days, hit 88 MPH on the gun yesterday. He is set to thow a couple more bullpen sessions this week and hopes to pitch soon. The Dodgers are very encouraged. I would expect to see him pitching out of the pen this year. After hitting 88 so quickly, I would think he can find another
That sounds like a law firm, like Dewey, Cheatem and Howe . but it s not. Kike Hernandez I suggested this over the Winter and I am going to suggest it again: It s time to play Enrique Hernandez everyday! Yes, I know he has a history of not hitting RH pitching, but he also has a history of hitting some pretty big home runs off RH pitchers. This year, he has 91
Editorial Note I wrote this before the Buehler injury. The 2018 Amateur Draft is now over. All that is left is the signing of the draft picks. The Dodgers did not select a high school player in Round 11 indicating to me that they expect the top 10 to be close to the bonus pool + 5%. There will be some savings with picks #9 and #10 as
