111 posts
The Dodgers just finished off a seven-game sweep of their intra-division rivals from the North and South. The Giants and Padres don’t know what hit them. Both rivals moved in opposite directions at the trade deadline, but the results were the same. All L’s for the challengers…
A couple of weeks ago, I made the short trek from Indianapolis to Ft. Wayne, Indiana to see the Great Lakes Loons play the Ft. Wayne Tin Caps. I have to say that the Loons front office was simply amazing. Chris Mundhenk (President and GM) and Brad Tunney (Announcer and Director…
The Dodger’s former Ace, Walker Buehler, had arthroscopic surgery yesterday to remove a bone spur. They say that does not accept his return timetable. A bone spur could not have caused any of his arm issues either… right? Of course not. It’s just his arm! There is really no…
Eddy Alvarez fits the role of being a Dodger “Stuntman” perfectly. Hanser Alberto is a “stuntman” for LA in that he can play multiple positions in a backup role. So is Zach McKinstry. Austin Barnes is a stuntman for sure and even though he is a starter most of the time, Chris…
I tend to believe that in baseball as well as any sport “ what have you done for me lately? ” rings the bell loudly and that when a pitcher has a 6-0 record, a 1.59 ERA, and a 0.88 WHIP, he deserves to be called “Ace!” This is especially true when that same pitcher leads the NL…
Suddenly, the Giants are four games behind the Dodgers, who are tied with the Yankees for the best record in baseball. They both have a .720 winning percentage, but the Dodgers lead all of baseball in runs scored per game with 5.08. To me, that is an amazing statistic in light…
When the Dodgers went 1-2 in Colorado, all of the morons like Bill Plaschke and a host of bloggers wrote about “What we have learned about the Dodgers ” and a lot of other drivel. We heard that they had pitching problems and that they were “overhyped.” The only thing they really…
Dodger fans have watched Cody Bellinger for the past couple of seasons now and many have concluded that “ he doesn’t listen to his coaches,” “he is not coachable,” “he is stubborn ,” and many other superlatives that may come to mind. After less than 30 at-bats, they have…
There is no denying that Freddie Freeman is one of the best players in baseball. He is a stone-cold hitter and would really help the Dodgers, this year… but at what cost? Freddie Freeman will be 33 this season. Do you really want him blocking 22-year-old Miguel Vargas who really…
I continue to read about the sensational LAD prospects. Mark has the Dodgers as a top 10 MiLB organization while no major publication does. After the loss of Keibert Ruiz and Jo Jo Gray, the publications dropped them to mid-level (around 15). Certainly not bad, but also not…
Much has been written about the slow start of Gavin Lux’s MLB career. Mostly by impatient fans. Fans get excited about players when they read stat pages, and claim them to be a can’t miss player. Many are now talking about Andy Pages, Eddys Leonard, Miguel Vargas, Ryan Pepiot…
The Dodgers have built an organization that has no limit to its “window of contention.” It’s actually a giant door that feels permanently wedged open, with the talent in the minors and the win-now, win-tomorrow-too mindset of the front office. But as always, there will be…
The Dodgers were in this same position last year. They were down 3-1 to the Braves and won three straight games. I was confident that they could do that… LAST YEAR! I do not think they can do it THIS YEAR! If you have a great team, The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts…
First, to Badger. I love trade scenarios. I do not care how outlandish they are or how realistic they may be. I enjoy reading Bums trade proposals. I am not sure that I ever read one that was realistic, but they are fun. Bluto sometimes gives us scenarios from the baseballtradevalues.com site. They are fun for me. That is what blogs are for. Throw out ideas. To the best of
Being no-hit in baseball is humbling, humiliating, embarrassing, and in this case, it is a wake-up-call! Bear was right yesterday, these are not the 2020 Dodgers. This version is different from last year. Gone are the all-or-nothing bats of Kike and Joc who have been replaced by McKinstry and Lux. That has not been a problem. The problems is that the team has gotten poor production from Betts, Seager and
The cream is rising to top the top. The Catman is back, albeit, quite rusty, but his velocity was fine. Phil Bickford is settling in as a nice piece in the bullpen. Cody Bellinger is trying to regain his stroke as is AJ Pollock, after stints on the DL. Zach McKinstry is back and making an impact. But maybe the biggest news is that Mookie Betts is coming out of
Going into last night s game, Clayton Kershaw had the highest ERA I can remember at this juncture. His ERA was 3.33 before the game and 3.66 after he gave up 5 ER. However, his WHIP sits at 1.01 which is barely above his career average of 1.00. He is now 33 years-old and has started 369 games and pitched 2,403 innings with 2,603 strikeouts. He has 77 strikeouts in about
While I’m at it, let’s talk about Friedman for a bit. Where’s that vaunted depth I’ve heard so much about? Anybody with just a little bit of baseball knowledge could have seen that Dustin May would go down for the year, Gonsolin would miss significant time and that your number one prospect, Josiah Gray would get injured. Now’s the time to see that depth.
There is a lot to unpack about last night s game, but to blame Dave Roberts for putting in his closer in the 10th inning is just plain silly. If Blake Treinen did his job, Kenley would not have been needed in the 10th. Before last night s game, Kenley Jansen had given up 1 run and 2 hits in his 11 appearances in May! Even after last night s debacle, his ERA
Well, the Dodgers lost last night for the first time in 10 games and of course, someone must be blamed. Dave Roberts should have never started Trevor Bauer is a theme that seems popular today. Second-guessers are never wrong! However, I guarantee the decision to start Bauer was done by committee. The Dodgers front office sends Dave Roberts all types of data about everything related to the game
Tuesday, the Dodgers return to the scene of the crime, as they take on the Houston ASStericks in Trash Can Banging Stadium. Clayton Kershaw goes against hired mercenary, Zack Greinke. I hope they beat him like a rented mule. This should be retribution. If there is baseball justice, all the ASStericks will collide behind 2B on a popup and have to be taken to a local hospital or funeral homes .
What? You thought I was talking about Gonsolin, McKinstry, Alexander, Pollock, Graterol, and Bellinger? No, I am talking about Michael Bear Norris! What else would I be talking about? Bear will be back soon and then this place will return to normal. OK, so it s not normal who cares? Oh, and all those players will likely soon be back and things will be normaler for the Dodgers. Here s was OKC s
The Dodgers Bullpen moved from #7 to #6 in bullpen ERA among all MLB teams. If this doesn t impress you, then you are unimpressionable. A few short weeks ago, they were #18! Right now, their bullpen ERA is 3.53, but they started the climb when it was 4.47. In my opinion, the TOP BULLPENS have ERA s below 3.00 and right about now, here are the TOP Bullpen ERA s: #1
The Dodgers have amazing depth in their system, both at the major league level and the minor league level, so it leaves me a little puzzled when I hear fans berate the depth or lack thereof. Of course, those who do not believe in the depth are also puzzled when I say the depth is amazing. What s the disconnect? Why did the Dodgers bring in players like Albert Pujols and
When the news came out that Albert Pujols was a free agent, I immediately wondered if Andrew Friedman would consider signing him, but then I heard that he was insisting upon a starting position, I immediately dismissed it. There was no way Albert would start for the Dodgers except maybe a spot start or two and as a DH when the Dodgers play in AL parks. Well, evidently, he could
Let s get one thing straight: Andrew Friedman is the President and GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is his responsibility to oversee anything that is connected with Baseball Operation. For the sake of this blog, Andrew Friedman is responsible for building the Dodgers Bullpen. To date, most Dodgers fans are saying that he built a deplorable bullpen. I have heard one fan say it was an average bullpen. They
Since last Friday, when the Dodgers beat the Padres 11-6, they have played five more games and scored one less run than they did in Friday s game. When you average two runs a game, you are certain to have a sub .500 record and the Dodgers are 2-3 in those games. It s a testament to their pitching that they have won any of those games. They won one game 2-0
Last night, Noisy was quiet, Raley was hitless in two AB s and Rios continues to look lost. With just four hits in twenty-nine (29) at-bats, Rios is in danger of being optioned. There s no room for underperformers. That is just one of the cold, hard facts. The Dodgers will still give him some time, but Edwin is going to have to earn it, just like Zach McKinstry has earned it. Zach just continues to do the little things well. He is 4th on the team in AB s, so one would have to conclude that his i
After I went into the Army, it was hard to follow the team other than in the paper and the Sporting News. And especially when I went to Korea. Stars and Stripes was usually a couple of days or more behind in the scores. When I came home, and later got married, we would go to games whenever I came back to Cali on leave. Or we would go to the AA games in El Paso.
We are only 10 games into the season, so everything we are seeing is a small sampling, but right about now, everything we are seeing is spot on to what we believed this team could achieve. The Dodgers could have believed all their press clippings and came out of the gate slowly, but they came out snarling and ready to defend their title. They are now 8-2 and very well
