Do you remember Linus, the character in Charlie Brown who always had a black cloud hanging over his head? That feels like the Dodgers right about now. We might as well listen to a little Meghan Trainor…
It’s pretty obvious that MLB hitters are looking to hit Yamamoto’s first pitch, and if not the first pitch, they are looking for certain parts of “The Zone” for a pitch. Yoshi was not bad last night, but he wasn’t good, and I think it was totally pitch selection and location. He threw 99 pitches, and 72 were strikes. Sometimes, you don’t want to throw as many strikes. Hitting against Yamamoto should be more difficult than it is. I think he will figure it out.
Jared Karros suffers from the same malady. Last night, he went 5 innings, allowing 6 Hits and 4 Earned Runs. He struck out 6 and walked ZERO. For the year, he has pitched 15 innings, struck out 17, and walked no one! That’s impressive, but hitters will figure that out. Sometimes, it’s better to be “effectively wild.” Karros needs to learn that… so does Yamamoto. Patience Grasshoppers.
We did see some signs of life from CT3 as he got a hit and drove in half of the Dodgers’ runs. Kike is still stone-cold, but the biggest problem with the lineup right about now is Freddie Freeman. He is hitting .259 and struck out 3 times last night. Is this just a slump or a permanent decline? He is 34 years old, but that would not seem to be the problem… to me. Maybe something is going on in his life that we don’t know about… or maybe it’s just a slump that will pass. Freddie at .259 is not what makes the Dodgers tick.
This is a slump – pure and simple. Knee-jerk reactions are almost always counter-productive. Maybe it’s over today… maybe it lasts 10 more games. The Dodgers will still win 100 games, and this is still the best time in history to be a Dodger fan. A friend of mine (who is a Cardinal fan) said to me yesterday, “Now you know what it feels like to be a Cardinals fan.” I replied, “No, I don’t because just like every year, we are going to win 100 games.”
Remember this losing streak because next month, they might go 26-4! Nothing to see he yet, folks. Move on…
I am also a Motorhead…
You may or may not know, but I am also a Motorhead; I love cars, but I drive a truck and have for over 30 years. My current daily driver is a 2019 Ford F-150 Limited. I typically keep a vehicle for 4-6 years, and I love my current one. It was a limited edition with the Raptor engine and is very fast.
Recently, I ordered the last of the naturally aspirated Mustangs to be built. It’s a 2024 Dark Horse with the 500 HP Coyote engine, but it’s two to three months away. This will be a car that I occasionally drive but I will just keep it in the garage, and the kids can fight over it when I am gone.
However, I am now planning on the replacement of my F150 and have decided what it is going to be. It might be a year, but here’s my next daily driver:
Discussion (29)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Right now who would you want up with the game on the line,after the first 4 hitters in the lineup? Would you want Joe Kelly or Brasier pitching in the 6th or 7th with the game on the line? Who on the bench do you trust to pitch hit with the game on the line?Which three pitchers would you trust to start and be effective throughout the playoffs and beyond? Really tough questions to answer honestly without any bias.
Drew Pomeranz Re-Signs With Dodgers On Minor League Deal
I think they need to move betts back out to rightfield get a shortstop and second baseman that can hit or even a third baseman. Get a better back up catcher that can hit too. Add a starting pitcher and a relieve and then they will be fine. Now people will say trade who well I would look at trading Muncy Taylor Rojas Kiki and Outman and some starting pitching in the minors. Get some hitters that are more consistent then what they have. They could have had Tyler Oneal or Elvis Andus at least he plays a good shortstop and can hit or what about whit merrifield wouldn’t he be a good number nine hitter and okay second base. Okay if you were the dodgers and say could get Tyler O’Neal Rafael Devers and say some relievers from the Red Sox or maybe they like Outman Muncy and Taylor go there wouldn’t that get the dodgers some better hitters then they have. They do that trade and look. So Betts goes to rightfield Freeman first base Ohtani dh smith catcher Devers third base Teoscar Hernandez lf Tyler Oneal or Andy Pages CF Kiki Hernandez second base Rojas shortstop. Then on bench you have heyward Barnes Lux Pages or Oneal depending on who starts. Or put Betts at second base and Rojas at shortstop something has to be done to get better 6, 7, 8, 9, hitters. Get something for Lux right now the Orioles are a better team then the Dodgers.
Maybe playing this way now will get it out of their system in April rather than October. Read the back of their baseball cards–things will work out. It’s a long season.
Too early to panic and the roster does not suck. But there are certainly reasons for concern. After the top four in the line up with Will Smith in line up, the next three hitters struck out 560 times, combined, last year. And that is before we include Kike Hernandez and Chris Taylor who have been declining for two years. The concern with Muncy, Hernandez, Outman, Taylor and Hernandez is not an over- reaction to a small sample size of at bats. This is who they have been for a while. I can excuse Lux (a year away from the game) and Pages (first week) but the bottom half of this line up has some issues that may be endemic. With the amount of time that the top three figure to be on base, a guy who makes more contact in the 5 or 6 hole might make more sense. I don’t see Heyward as that guy but it will be interesting to see if line up construction changes. And that is not to blame Roberts for this at all. He is not striking out six times with the bases loaded. Shortening your swing in situational hitting does not seem to be a part of the organizational philosophy. My concern is that those issues have hurt the Dodgers for the last two or three post seasons.
The starting pitching is going to take a while to sort out. Other than Glasnow there are a lot of question marks. Though Glasgow’s injury history is concerning. I do believe that there are enough answers among the these 7 starters to fashion a good four man rotation for post season. BTW, I am not counting on either May or Kershaw in that group.
Of all the free agent signings this past off season, the signing of Joe Kelly surprised me the most. Especially the money they gave him. Brasier was great last year but the variability of relievers from year to year may explain his decline. He looks like the pitcher the Red Sox released. Not sure what the finished product will look like in the pen but I do believe that this FO will figure the pieces out and Dodgers will have a very good bullpen by end of June. Though their performance this last week has been a dumpster fire. A clean inning has been a rarity.
Frustrating to watch for sure. I think this division will be closer than many think. The Diamondbacks and Padres (with Cease on board) are going to be very competitive. Still think the Dodgers win the division but a competitive three team race in September would be more fun to watch and may provide better preparation for the post season.
Roster doesn’t suck but team is not cohesive right now.
Some tough decisions need to be made.
If they don’t believe in some of these guys, replace them.
Championship calibre team my ass!!!!! Keep dreaming .smoking whatever you’re smoking, or drinking the Dodger’s Kool Aid . Right now this roster Sucks!!!! Pitchers can’t throw strikes and hitters strikeout way too much with runners in scoring position.. Very disheartening for all the money that was spent in the off season.
Eighth inning put the Dodgers 12-11 record on full display. Walk Mookie, Ohtani and Freeman and and get your outs from other Dodger hitters.
Hernandez with three Ks and left the bases loaded three times and then Muncy predictably Ks.
Horrible home plate ball and strike umpire and the game was already over but lux looks at two strikes center cut and swings at a pitch out of the zone once it releases the pitchers hand.
Wash, rinse and repeat. Too many Ks and horrible hitting w/ RISP. RVS hasn’t a clue how to fix anyone.
LOL
The OF alone struck out nine times!
Too many good players? Outside the big four.
T Hernandez eh
Muncy eh
Rojas, Barnes, Outman, Lux, Pages, Kike, Taylor-Yuck!
ok! either RVS has some pretty stupid students,or maybe the teacher needs a new job! 10-12 strikeouts a game? i’m not panicking! i’m pissed! braves backup catcher (who was a dodger) hits 3 homers in y game? dodgers don’t have 3 homers total on the bench!! mookie , ohtani,and freddie could hit when they got here! other than will smith who has he made better?
I like the Mets strategy. Just walk the top of the order and make somebody else beat them.
Interesting that you think Freddie might have something going on.
I have thought from his first game in ST he hasn’t looked as comfortable as normal.
I wondered if he might have some sort of injury.. I iremember his saying how beat up he felt after the first game.
Either way we need him badly. Hr is the glue that binds it all together.
No need for panic, this early – too many good players.
say, how valuable is barnes? sorry i should not have said thar ! my finger got loose!
still not worrying, right?
If Lux doesn’t start elevating the ball, he’s going back to OKC. Right now he’s just a soft ground out to 2nd base machine.
Right-hander Kyle Hurt has been placed on the Dodgers’ 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including the Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya). Hurt’s placement is retroactive to April 17. Left -hander Nick Ramirez was called up from Triple-A to take the open spot on Los Angeles’ 26-man roster.
For now, however, Hurt will become the 10th different pitcher on the Los Angeles injured list, as the Dodgers continue to search for healthy arms to fill innings.
Yamamoto hasn’t been as dominant right out of the gate as some had expected, but based on these stats, he’s not all that far away.
https://twitter.com/BlakeHHarris/status/1781710281540063402/photo/1
Wow. How short is a fans memory. Last season, with a team that would eventually win 100 games, with far less talent than this team, they were 11-11 at this point in the season. They did not start the turn around until about the 28th of April. at that point in the year, they were 13-13. From then on, they would go 87-49. Their longest losing streak was 4. And in August, they were almost unbeatable. Many players did not get going until mid-May or later. Outman started off hot, cooled down, then got hot again. Freeman is a professional hitter. Nobody is feeling worse about his start than he is. The bullpen was awful early and got better. Injuries took their toll during the course of the season. They have already lost Miller and Sheehan. But most of their main competition in the division are having major issues too. Wait until the 50-game mark, by then you will have a much better idea who this team really is. We don’t need Buehler to be an ace. We need Buehler to be effective and give them some depth from the starting side so the pen doesn’t have to work so hard. I would rather see them winning later in the year. They don’t need to crush the division. They need to get better at situational hitting, cut down the K’s in clutch situations, and not try to strike out every hitter. Pitch to contact, and let the defense do their jobs.
Saturday Dodger’s Minor League Schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Peter Heubeck) vs. West Michigan (Colin Fields)
4:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Elieser Hernández) vs. Sacramento (Spencer Howard)
4:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Kendall Williams) at Wichita (A.J. Alexy)
4:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Patrick Copen & Carlos Duran) at Inland Empire (Barrett Kent & Logan Britt)
4:05 PM ET
Mets (11-8)
Dodgers (12-10)
SP Jose Butto R
0-0 .75 ERA
SP Gavin Stone R
1-1 6.14 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
3B Max Muncy L
CF James Outman L
RF Andy Pages R
2B Gavin Lux L
C A. Barnes R
71° Wind 5 mph Out
At what time should we beginn to worry ?
A lot of question marks sorrounding this team at this stage of the season already.
Just like last year a lot of uncertainty around the rotation. Injuries plus a Yamamoto who has not been what was expected yet. I am positive he will be dominant because he has the stuff some time but not sure when this will be.
Top heavy lineup is an understatement. Not the way to be successful in the postseason if this trend continues.
Can not count on your top 4-5 batters to be at the top of their game in the postseason. We saw that the last couple of seasons what happens when your top dogs go into a slump and no one else can pick up the slack.
Bullpen is giving up a lot of runs too. Due to the injuries and subpar performances of the starters they look overworked already and it is only April. Makes them ineffective and increases the risk of injury.
Not a lot of help in the minors too. Vargas has gone into a slump and there is not much else who could help . Pitching and hitting.
Again, not worried yet but there are some red alerts already flashing IMHO.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This team is not fun to watch.
Bat Shohei cleanup or something.
Phantom DH someone.
Make a trade
I am not concerned with wins and losses at this point in the season. Also, not worried about Freddie. I am curious, however, about this team’s identity, which is formed over the course of the season and, mostly, by overcoming adversity. My hope for this Dodger team is that they develop a toughness and resilience. I have not seen signs of either yet. Instead, there are small things that concern me. For example, with Yamamoto, I expect him to have a learning curve but I don’t like hitters taking advantage of his first-pitch fastball. With all the intel we have, I expect the Dodgers to be one step ahead of hitters, not one step behind.
We have a Maverick Hybrid and a purely electric car. The dedicated electric system/line isn’t really needed depending on your driving pattern.
The Maverick is amazing.
Thought you had ordered a Ford Lighting a few years ago. Did you change your mind?
yeah, can’t stand any mustang without a v8. muscle car s are beautiful but rare anymore
love fords! is that a v8 mustang?
move freddie back in #2 spot! freddie has to get going and i believe he will. teo #5 spot. now 6-9? million dollar question. max is looking more and more like the .196 max. hope he figures it out. boy i hope we don’t see any lefty pitching fot a while.! will the dodgers ever pound left handed pitchers? hard to lose to teams that we should be beating! it’s baseball , and the best team doesn’t always win. gotta admit, the kinda baseball the dodgers are playing is not fun to watch! but the great and powerful oz(mark) says be patient! so i will. grandson doing good i hope mark!