There were a lot of “firsts” last night: The first walk-off win was the kind of thing that can galvanize a team. Mike Grove pitched his first great game, and (someone else said this), “Looked like Buehler.” Not bad for a guy who is just trade bait. Disclaimer: I don’t think that, and most baseball people don’t think that. Watch his interview after the game. Shelby Miller, who has been…
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 of players such as Muncy, Taylor, Peralta, Heyward, and others. It’s actually comical to see how little many of them…
Just a few days ago, the Dodgers were 5-2, and now three games and 29 runs given up later, they sit at 5-5 – all of the losses coming at the hands of the Diamondbacks, who may or may not be a .500 club. Regardless of what their ultimate record may be, they’re young and exciting… and dangerous. Predictably and right upon cue, Dodger fans are moaning and groaning and…
Dustin May may be the Dodger’s best pitcher before the season is over. He did not have his best stuff or pinpoint control last night, but even when he is “off,” he is still extremely hard to hit. His “bad stuff” is better than most pitchers’ “good stuff!” Actually, the entire starting staff is pretty good, with an ERA of 1.76! Dustin May’s stuff was electric, however., as he is…
I was traveling to San Francisco yesterday, so I was pretty out of the mix, although I did watch most of the game yesterday. I overdid it big time with my back – so much so that I am not able to fly to LA tomorrow. I walked over 5 miles and paid for it last night. It is slightly better today, but I am going to have to get…
It’s pretty obvious to me what Andrew Friedman is doing. I was going to say “trying to do” but no, he is actually doing it. He has all but PROMISED the 2B job to Miguel Vargas, and he has four older guys (Taylor, Peralta, Heyward, and Thompson) fighting for two positions in the Outfield. I believe that he believed that introducing one rookie at a time was the way to…
Eight games into Spring Training… and James Outman is seizing the day. Of course, there are three weeks left, but if it ended today, James Outman would be in the squad. All he has done is hit the ball, run the bases and play excellent defense. In other words, he has done EVERYTHING! James Outman was a dark horse to make the team, but so far, he is forcing his…
Disclaimer: What follows only applies to those that say this really silly stupid stuff. Do you really believe that the Dodgers will have a poor offensive lineup? With Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and JD Martinez? That also means that you don’t think anyone else will step up, right? No rookies. No non-roster invitees. Not Miguel Rojas. Nobody… because everybody sucks! Here is what we have heard…
Yesterday, Dave wrote this: “Last year you posted your stats predictions for the season. As it turned out they were pretty accurate. So looking forward to that again. But I think we need to wait until end of Spring training for that.” So, I am going to do it a little differently this year. I am going to it now, and I might revise my predictions at the end of…
Pinkie Problems The first casualty of Spring Training occurred a few days ago when Miguel Vargas took a bad hop to his right pinky finger, which caused a hairline fracture. Since he is a RH hitter, his right hand is not his bottom hand, and he would likely play if it were the playoffs or an important game, but he will likely miss a couple of weeks. He thinks he…