Sean Newcomb is left-handed and almost no-hit the Dodgers once this year. The other time the Dodgers faced him, they lit him up. Which Newcomb will they face today? Maybe it’s not which pitcher they face… maybe it’s what approach the hitters take and you will see a different approach because there will be different hitters tonight. Most likely this will be the lineup: C – Grandal (You don’t take…
Now that the regular season is through, we can begin to speculate as to what will make up the NLDS roster. It really shouldn’t be that difficult for 23 of the 25 players, but those last two will surely draw some scrutiny. IMO the givens: Starting Pitching (4): Clayton Kershaw Hyun-jin Ryu Walker Buehler Rich Hill Bullpen (8): Kenley Jansen Kenta Maeda Alex Wood Pedro Baez Scott Alexander…
We should know the answer by later in the afternoon (EDT). The Dodgers will play: At the Brewers in the Wild Card game; At the Cubs in the Wild Card game; Verses the Rockies in Game 163; or Verses the Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS. It could take me until this evening to explain it all, so we will just wait and see what happens, but the best…
Pitchers and hitters don’t progress from one stage to another in a straight line. That’s what we would like, because we like predictable. We like things neatly arranged and sequential, but baseball player development happens so differently… and sometimes, so maddeningly different than what we like, that we are frequently frustrated beyond belief. This time last year, Striker Buehler, who was then named “Walker” Buehler, was stinking up the joint…
I like contrarians. They keep us thinking. Sometimes we end up supporting a player more vociferously than may be called for. Think Bums and Joc, Mark and Grandal, MJ and Toles, and of course me and Wood. Most of us have been frustrated with how this season has unfolded and have made some disparaging comments regarding FAZ or Doc, or players such as Joc, Wood, Puig, Dozier, CT3, and lately…
I always use that title once this time of year. This is where legends are made and you never know who will step up when you least expect it. What better legend to feature that one Sanford Koufax, as his protegee goes tonight. If New Orleans is really The Big Easy, then St. Louis is The Big (It Ain’t) Easy for the LA Dodgers. With just two weekends left in…
Last night had a happy ending, but it looked bad for a while as Rich Hill gave up 4 runs in the first three innings. He threw 103 pitches. 75 of which were strikes, and his curveball was amazing. It really was a good outing and the two HR were (in my opinion) just one of those things. Hill pitched a strong 6 innings and kept the Dodgers in the…
Alex Wood didn’t have his best stuff last night, but he pitched well enough to win against anyone except maybe Jacob deGrom, but only two things went wrong: Certain players choking with RISP AGAIN; and Total game mismanagement by Doc Roberts. I like Meada in the pen… but only Doc thinks he’s a closer. I think Roberts used the bullpen backwards. Maeda should have pitched in the 6th and 7th. …
Right-hander Gerardo Carrillo was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent on July 5, 2016. The native of Guadalajara, Mexico received a signing bonus of $75,000. He has already climbed into the Dodgers MLB Pipeline prospect list ranking No. 27. He played in the Dominican Summer League during the 2017 season recording a 2.79 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in 14 appearances, 10 of them starts. He struck…
This is what MLB Players live for. This is where legends are made and failures are lamented. This is why they play the game. This, my friends, is called a Pennant Race. May the best horse win. No Snakes allowed! I have said for quite some time that this Dodger team is built for the Post-Season. I might add that it is also built for a pennant race… that is…