We Feel For You, Clayton!
I feel somewhat incredulous about the responses regarding Clayton Kershaw yesterday. I am not going to quote what many said word-for-word, but I am going to say that I don’t buy it. Many of you are talking like Clayton is just finished, and we should just accept that. To make…
I feel somewhat incredulous about the responses regarding Clayton Kershaw yesterday. I am not going to quote what many said word-for-word, but I am going to say that I don’t buy it. Many of you are talking like Clayton is just finished, and we should just accept that. To make that assumption, you simply have to ignore the facts, so I am going to serve them up for your consideration. Clayton Kershaw started 24 games this season and went 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He allowed 100 hits in 132 IP. The league hit .209 against him. He also struck out 137 batters. He was 2nd in ERA in the NL to Blake Snell.. He was an All-Star. Does that sound like a pitcher who is done?
“But he hurt his shoulder and was not the same when he came back!” I knew you would say that! Just like I knew a certain someone would stick up for his boy, James Outman, at the expense of the facts. I will discuss that later. Yes, Clayton missed a couple of months with an undisclosed shoulder injury, but in his last seven games, he was 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA (1.18 WHIP). He allowed 21 hits in 31 IP while striking out 28. He did walk 16 batters, which was a concern, but in his last start against San Francisco on September 30th, he pitched five innings, allowing two runs, and struck out five.
A month earlier, he also faced the Diamondbacks and also went five innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. Yes, he was not the same pitcher he was earlier in the season. The Dodgers were not counting on him to be any more than a “glorified opener,” going two, three, or four innings. He has shown that he is capable of that, and that was all they were asking, but he couldn’t deliver.
It wasn’t his velocity. In the eight games since he came back from the IL, his fastball was in the 86-89 MPH range. On Saturday, his fastball was in the 89-91 MPH range – he was actually throwing harder. It was his slider at 86-87 MPH (not enough separation from the fastball) and curve that was killing him. I think the problem was that Clayton was trying to be the Clayton of old instead of staying within himself and pitching as he did since his IL stint! He was trying to do too much.
Now, back to the Outman thing. Let me make it clear that I am in no way blaming James Outman for the loss. However, he had two balls that could have been caught with a high degree of difficulty. The one ball he did touch, and he even said that he should have caught it. He did not touch the other one, but he also said he was nervous and did not get a good jump on it. To think that it is a “reach” is beyond silly. If he had caught the ball that hit his glove, Clayton would have had double the outs that he did. He would have likely felt a little less “pressure” in knowing that his teammates had his back. Of course, it made a difference. Again, I know that James Outman is not a great centerfielder… probably not even the best one on the team, but this is not about “blame” – it is just about reality, and the reality is, “Even Ray Charles can see that!”
The Game 1 loss was a team loss because no one picked Clayton up. The Dodgers did not hit, pitch, or field, and Clayton bears the brunt of it, but tonight, they can right the ship. Last year, they won the first game and then got swept! Clayton will likely start Game 4, and even two innings will be great. Yes, he is not the pitcher he once was, and I believe that he needs shoulder and TJ surgery, but this is the hand he is given. Hopefully, the next start, he will not try and do too much.
Is Bobby Miller Ready to be the Ace?
He better be… We shall see!
Hopefully, Will Smith can stay hot!
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Discussion (107)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Same movie!!
Lead off hitter Carrol works a 3-2 count into a BB in the first inning to set the stage while Mookie flies out on two pitches. As a lead off hitter you gotta work that pitch count. Mookie knows that but sometimes seems to shrink on the big stage.
WOW. JDM missed on 2 center cut fastballs
Reggie- Mr. October
Mookie and Kersh-Miss Octobers!
Miller has to learn to throw his fastball up in the zone for K’s!
Gallen throws his off speed stuff for strikes. Miller can’t. Hard to tell what’s worse, our bats or our starting arms.
Mookie has not had a good post season since 2020. He needs to get off the Schneid. He is better than this, but considering the September he had, he has just continued his lack of slug and it has affected the whole offense. He is not squaring up any pitches. Get ready for spring training guys if this keeps up.
The poor starts by Kershaw and Miller may overshadow the lack of hitting but these first 12 innings with two runs is reminiscent of struggles last post season. Miller was so composed in his first season as a Dodger but the stage looked too big tonight. It is understandable. Hope the bats can make it up.
Long term, I like Outman as a left fielder and not a center fielder. If the Brewers really like Lux, maybe the Dodgers can get Sal Frelich from the Brewers for Lux. I would love for them to acquire Alex Thomas but don’t think Arizona trades him to LA. But I agree with the need for a center fielder.
Braves were in the same situation that Dodgers were in now and they managed to tie the series with a huge win. When you consider the Phillies and the Braves 1 through 26, they are both more talented than LA. Dodger’s biggest advantage is in the bullpen but falling behind early makes the bullpen less impactful.
Stage too big for Mookie? Miss October!
Now Michael?
Dodgers just don’t have a bench. Using Wong to pinch hit tells the story.
Too many platoons. Now the second pieces of the platoons might have to hit against the other armed pitcher.
Betts and Freeman have been awful.
Outman is having a series for the ages, in a bad way. Error last night and failure to take the walk last inning when the pitcher was giving it too him.
And I am sorry this ump has been awful, he is giving both sides of plate and low to D’Backs but not us. Hard to hit when ump is going outside zone so much. Look at pitch track
When your two best starters and two best hitters are this bad, you won’t last long in October.
Lynn is going in game 3. Hold on to your hats. Same thing as last year, offense is stagnant. Not taking advantage of chances. I would not have hit for Rojas, he is hitting .500 and is more of a contact hitter than Wong.
Agree
The last three years our hitters have shriveled under the lights of the playoffs. Not sure why that is?
Kind of sense we need an Austin Barnes start behind the dish just like Doc did in 2020 when Grandal couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. Smith has looked horrible.
Dave Roberts need to get his thumb out of his ass and light a fire under these dam dodgers.
Doc goes to the mound to pull Kelly… Kelly while smirking says something to Doc as he starts walking off…
Doc disapproves and immediately turns around to get in Kelly’s face with a scowl…. and says something…
Interesting.
Offense? Where’s the offense? The Dodgers offense have a long history of not scoring runs at Dodger Stadium in post-season games, especially in recent years. 1966 ws Dodgers only scored 2 run in the entire ws ; 1978 ws final game, Dodgers scored only 2 runs; in 2017 ws final game, Dodgers scored only 1 run in (5-1) lost to the Astros; in 2018 ws final game, Dodgers scored only 1 run (again, in another (5-1) loss; in 2019 nlds final game Dodgers scored only 2 runs in final loss. 2021 and 2022 very little offense in those post-seasons series and game 1 of the 2023 NLDS series 2 runs in game 1 and game 2 as of the bottom of the 7th inning. So, will someone please if you can expain why the Dodgers offense doesnt show up at Dodger Stadium in post-season games?
If the Dodgers lose, and it’s looking likely, there should be no bitching about Doc’s management in this game. All of his moves to include the use of the BP and pinch hitting of CT3 and Hernandez (scored 1 run) have been perfectly managed.
If we lose it’s a result of Miller not being able to land his off speed stuff and the absolute futile offense of Mookie, Freddie and Will Smith. While no other Dodger with the exception of JDM set the world on fire this game, Mookie, FF and Will had multiple opportunities to be a hero with a timely hit w/ RISP hit but came up zero on the big stage. Wash, rinse and repeat just like last year.
I so want to be wrong and have Mookie or FF get a walk off to win the game but to this point the Dodgers have played uninspired baseball.
The playoffs have been described as a crapshoot. Well as Dodger fans all we’ve gotten is crap!
Looking like déjà vu of last year.
Let’s hope Lynn can go 3 full innings in game three.
Even with Miller’s early game struggles, the Dodgers pen kept them in the game, and the bats just didn’t come thru.
…especially the “big” bats.
We’ve seen this script before, …beyond tiresome.
Only 2 words come to mind…
CHOKE JOB!
4 runs in two games. Outman is a strikeout machine. Mookie and Freddie couldn’t hit a wiffle ball the last two games.
I don’t want to hear about Kersh. Even if he had gone 9 and given up 3, we’d have lost. Same tonight.
Our offense is gone. It’s on them. 5+ runs a game. Be we scored 4 in 2.
It’s not Roberts. It’s not the kids. We didn’t hit. And we have about a 10% (I’m being generous) chance of pulling this off.
Just facts.
This team is just too laid back from the manager to the players