The State of the Bullpen… and Dodger Pitching In the month of September of teams that are likely candidates to play the Dodgers in the 2019 Fall Classic, here is how they compare in bullpen ERA since September 1st: Dodgers – 3.28 Astros – 3.47 Yankees – 3.81 HR per 9 Innings Dodgers – .95 Astros – 1.52 Yankees – 1.59 BABIP – Batting Average Balls in-Play Dodgers – .242…
No, I don’t think you do! Here we are again, talking about the Absolutely Horrible Dodger bullpen (well I don’t think it’s horrid, but some of you do). Already there is talk that the Dodgers won’t win, that the bullpen is just terrible (should be “blown up”) and fans are planning what relievers the Dodger should add in the offseason. I thought it would be interesting to look back at…
1. Kenley Jansen is Fixed False. With his 8th Blown Save last night, he again demonstrated that he was lacking command and in order to get a strike, he throws some very hittable pitches. I was against the re-signing of Kenley Jansen and this is why. Big contracts to relief pitchers seldom pan out, but here we are and the Dodgers have to make do with what they have… and…
Let me preface this by unequivocally stipulating that I believe that Dustin May has a much higher ceiling than does Ross Stripling. Dustin May has had a great start, but has not yet faced any good offensive teams to establish his 2019 bona fides. May is a career starting pitcher and a sudden move to the bullpen could prove to be as problematic as it was for Walker Buehler. I…
Dustin May not only showed that he should be on the playoff roster, but he also showed he probably should be the #4 starter in the rotation. Tony Gonsolin has experience in the bullpen while Dustin May does not. Both should be on the playoff rosters. Both should be lethal weapons on the playoff roster. My only concern is that May now has logged 133 innings through AA, AAA, and…
Joe Kelly was a trainwreck early in the season, but when I last checked, he was pretty good. The Dodgers plan when they signed him was to change his grip and smooth out his mechanics. In case you have been hiding under a rock, it did not work very well… at least for a while. But, it’s how you end up that counts. They say that good things come to…
OK, you want to be “all in?” Let’s go dream: The Mets trade Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndegard and Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers for Keibert Ruiz, Tony Gonsolin, Ross Stripling and Joc Pederson. Maybe there is one more piece… It’s a salary dump for the Mets and the Dodgers save some prospects, including May in the deal. I really like Tony Gonsolin, but Dustin May is a player I would…
It seems to me that most Dodger fans believe that the only thing standing between a World Championship Trophy and the LA Dodgers are a couple of relief pitchers. Some say one, some say two, some say three. They often use the example of the 2016 Cubs who went out and got Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees as a two-month rental. The narrative is that Chapman was the missing piece…
When the Dodgers acquired Jimmy Rollins, I was pretty vocal that Corey Seager was ready and there was no need for Rollins to be the “bridge” to Seager. I still think Corey was ready a year earlier, but FAZ made him wait… and it turned out OK. FAZ had a plan of succession. In the Spring of 2017, I pronounced Cody Bellinger ready for the Show, but FAZ sent him…
I stole that from Jon Weisman (I steal most of my original material) – I hope he doesn’t sue me, but it seemed appropriate for today’s Rants and Raves: How many teams have an All-Star RF, who is also a Gold Glove 1B, end the game in CF for defensive reasons? That’s what makes him take the place of Mike Trout as the games best player (other than the fact…