Yesterday was the first game of the year that I did not watch an inning, but I did go back and watch the condensed debacle. It was about as bad as the Pacers-Celtics game I went to last night. My son-in-law is a a Celtics fan, so it made things even worse. He is also a Red Sox fan and is envious of the fact that the Dodgers are good…
I have to confess that when I hear this, I don’t just chuckle; I erupt into crazed laughter. I mean, how do you construct a team for the playoffs? Maybe you just need to commission someone to make a cyborg for all nine positions? Many fans who read here have been around for fifty, sixty, or seventy years, and most are conditioned to the way it used to be. Or…
No, not that Bear… the proverbial bear! I guess you are going to lose one-third of the games. It’s baseball… and sometimes it is maddening. The bottom of the lineup continues to be a problem. Vargas got a nice hit but now has to demonstrate that he can keep it up. Lux was 2-4 and is now at .203, but Teoscar is in a slump, having hit .219 in his…
Last year, the Dodgers anointed Miguel Vargas as the Dodgers’ second-baseman and gave him the job… no questions asked. It went horribly wrong! He ended up back at OKC in June. Two broken fingers, a damaged psyche, and a bruised spirit later, he is back, and this time, he is going to have to obtain a job with the big club the old-fashioned way. He has to earn it! This…
At first glance, you may have yawned when the Dodgers Front Office acquired Anthony Banda from the Cleveland Indians… I mean Guardians. He is a 6′ 2″ 221 pound LHP who has a career record of 8-6 with a 5.64 ERA in 120 innings pitched over parts of eight seasons… YAWN! However, with the advent of PITCHf/x tracking, we can see what Mr. Banda brings to the game, and if…
Some time ago, an unnamed fan said that “Michael Grove is nothing more than a trade chip.” Without belaboring the point, that was a serious lapse of judgment on his part. Michael got roughed up pretty good at the beginning of the season, but after the 10th of April, he has been nails. Only Ryan Yarbrough has more innings pitched out of the bullpen than Michael Grove. Look at his…
Every now and then, it is all about random stuff: Ambidextrous Freak Jason Gay in the Wall Street Journal has a piece entitled: This Amazing Pitcher Throws 95 MPH Right-Handed—and 93 MPH Left-Handed -Ambidextrous ace Jurrangelo Cijntje is no gimmick—he is a legit major-league prospect helping Mississippi State try to return to the College World Series His unearthly gift must be seen to be believed: a right-handed college pitcher, confident…
Elly De La Cruz has stolen 30 bases in 35 attempts, so it seems logical to keep him off the bases… right? Nah, that’s too easy – let’s have him get on base all five at-bats! Tyler Glasnow will have an occasional bad game. That was one last night. The hitters either show up en masse or they are no-shows. Chris Taylor got an “excuse me” hit on an 81…
Last night’s loss was all on Dave Roberts. He made the decision to only pitch the two call-ups from OKC and no one else! Well, of course, the front office was in on it, too, but if it makes you feel better, blame Dave. Of course, that is sarcasm, but with Snidley Whiplash pitching, the Dodgers just used their AAA pitching and rested the bullpen. BTW, Webb does resemble Snidely…
I love the Giants! Right! OK, that’s a damn lie! Gavin Stone has exceeded my expectations. I have always liked him but did not envision him in the rotation. He’s there and he’s good! JP Feyereisen is a Godsend and the bullpen remains outstanding. The offense generally rolls and this team is a juggernaut. Even Lux and Outman had hits last night. Down on the Farm OKC – Vargas drove…