The Pacific Coast League (PCL) has historically been one of the most challenging leagues for pitchers in professional baseball. Here’s why — and how it affects both pitchers and hitters: Why the PCL is Tough on Pitchers: Effects on ERA & Pitching Evaluation: How It Affects Hitters: The Dodgers no longer own the OKC Comets, and I believe that the advantages of being in OKC (closer to LA in case…
Sean Linan. He is a 6-foot-tall, 185-pound RHP who is 20 years old and pitched last night for the Great Lakes Loons. His rise from the backfields of Colombia to the bright lights of Triple-A is a testament to both talent and timing. Signed by the Dodgers in 2022, Liñan toiled in relative obscurity for much of his early career, fine-tuning his arsenal in the complex leagues. But by the…
The season is a little over halfway completed, and I have seen enough of Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates to last a lifetime! Tanner Scott leads MLB in blown saves with six. He is the Dodgers’ closer and lead arsonist. Kirby Yates has struck out 42 hitters in 27 IP, and he still can’t win a close one… but dang, he sure can lose them. Alex Vesia should be the…
The Good The Bad The Ugly In all seriousness, the Dodgers are just sleepwalking… and going through the motions… and that is what they should be doing with a seven-game lead. They say, “You can’t just flip a switch.” Yes, you can!
All Dodger fans are wondering if the Dodgers will make any trades at the deadline. I will give you a definite “Maybe.” However, do not look for anything significant. They won’t try to replace Max Muncy, and they won’t trade for a starting pitcher (at least a prominent one). They will work in the margins. Conforto is still not on solid ground. Ruiz is an AAAA player. Someone could take…
The Dodgers tend to play down to the level of their opponents. The White Sox are so bad that even the Dodgers, who sometimes excel at playing down, could not play that badly. The only problem with Jerry Reinsdorf selling the team is that he should have been forced to sell it and level the playing field immediately. This team is so bad that Miguel Vargas is the star. Dustin…
Yesterday, I was supposed to have carpal tunnel and elbow surgery. The Doctor and the hospital showed such a high level of incompetence that I punted. I was all in… until I saw their lack of preparation and understanding, and I walked away. I did get my back procedure approved, and after that is my right shoulder surgery (labrum, rotator cuff, and maybe TJ). Then it’s the carpal tunnel. But…
The Dodgers are the most dominant team in baseball right about now, but I am always looking forward to what will happen next year and beyond. Next year could bring some BIG CHANGES for the Dodgers. Let me list what I think they will be: The Lineup will look like this: Utility: Kim, Feduccia, Outman, ??? The key to this is Dalton Rushing, whom the pitchers love to pitch to…
It is very frustrating to watch Dustin May because he frequently either throws a strike or an unhittable, non-competitive pitch that is two feet off the plate. Last night, he threw 84 pitches, of which 46 were strikes. That’s not good, but what is worse is how much those pitches that were not strikes missed the zone. Instead of throwing those pitches, he should have asked the umpire to just…
I happen to think he can… However, the league will not sustain it. If anyone can pull this off, it is Clayton Kershaw! But the league is always lookiung for a chink in the armor or an advantage. First of all, what can he continue to do? He can keep pitching well and getting outs, but sooner or later, with a fastball between 87 and 89 MPH (He did throw two…