Yesterday, we discussed “standing down” at the trade deadline because of many problems with this 2018 version of the Dodgers. While they are officially in first place in the NL West, they look like a flawed team… and they are! But guess what? So is every other team. It is my opinion that this starting rotation is as good as any in baseball… from top-to-bottom, especially if they are healthy. …
Three weeks for the trade deadline and rumors without knowledge continue to excite or anger baseball fans across the country. It is fun to read other fans takes on their teams and how their prospects line up with others. I was really enjoying Brewers’ fans takes that Keston Hiura should not be included in any trade for Manny Machado, but the Dodgers are silly for not including Verdugo or Ruiz…
… AND SOME OF THEM MIGHT NOT BE POPULAR. It was said that the entire Dodger team watched Walker Buehler throw a simulated game yesterday – he’s not just another arm. His stuff is electric and he should ready to start next weekend against the Angels. I have heard that he likley will not have a cap on his innings this year (within reason). I expect to see him log…
… when the Dodgers could have traded for Cole Hamels for SVS and JDL? (Neither do I, but some insist it is true.) … when every Dodger fan wanted Sonny Gray? … when Dodger fans wanted David Price? … when Dodgers fans were upset that Zack Greinke was not resigned by the Dodgers? I remember… …when FAZ signed Anderson, McCarthy and Kazmir? … when FAZ got Barnes, Hernandez, Grandal, Taylor,…
With the Dodgers epic struggles early this season firmly fixed in the rear-view mirror, the fan expectations are lukewarm… at best. However, here the Dodgers sit, tied for first place with the D-bags and I tend to like it that fans are not too excited (I like it a lot) because conventional wisdom is frequently wrong. Don’t get me wrong – the 2017 Dodgers weren’t bad, but they were a…
The Good News While the Dodgers couldn’t jump out of a boat and hit water last night, the good news was that Rich Hill is rounding into form and becoming the type of starter the Dodgers thought the were getting until he turned into the Poster Child of Blisters. Thanks to Laser Technology, Rich Hill now has a bionic finger (I just made that last part up because it sounded…
Right now, I trust Yimi Garcia, Pedro Baez, Scott Alexander and Company about as much as I trust a fox to guard the hen house. However, in baseball, many other sports and the stock market, it is best to see what can be, not what is. You don’t buy a stock hoping it will stay where it is. You don’t get a player who already has a high value unless…
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…
Willie Calhoun has regressed immensely since the trdae to Texas. He is hitting .276 with a .321 OB% with just 6 HR in 300 Plate Appearances. Everyone knew he couldn’t field – now it appears he can’t hit. Some former Dodger prospects are showing their worth: Andrew Heaney and Zach Eflin are OK starting pitchers. Victor Arano is pitching well in relief for the Phillies. Scott Schebler is having a…
Just to clarify – yesterday I did not say that Stripling was the Dodger’s Ace… yet! Just that he could be by the end of the season and a lot of that depends upon how he pitches the rest of the way. Unlike Alex Wood who was often hitting 97 MPH early in the season last year, which was totally unsustainable for him, Strip is usually 92-94 MPH with an…