A Win for the Ages

We should have a new post up soon, but I’ll end my contribution on this one with what I just read in this morning’s Times:

Finish this sentence: The Dodgers will finish the season as …

Castillo: not World Series champions.

DiGiovanna: a $262-million team with a hefty luxury tax coming due and no World Series title to show for it.

Harris: champions of the National League — but not the World Series.

Shaikin: still waiting for their first parade since 1988.

Correction, Buehler is 6-1 at Oracle Park and has only allowed 2 HRs to the Giants. Scherzer is 4-5 against the Giants and has never pitched at Oracle Park.

Giants win again with a walk of single in the 9th. 2 down with 3 to play. Cardinals have announced that Waino is going to pitch the wild card game. If Dodgers go to wild card game, I am starting Buehler. Then have Max open the NLDS after they beat Waino.

Giants win,nothing more to say

Headline: DODGERS SWEEP PITIFUL PADS- Padres Crawl Away Winless to SF

AZ has left 9 on base now. I wish they had pinch hit for Bumgrabber in the 5th. They left a runner on 3rd then he went out and gave up the lead.

Did anyone else lose the Dodgers feed?

Get one of those outlines for real and the homicide detective is on the case. In all honesty, I would have never even been within 50 feet of the ball. I would be on a respirator in a lounge chair back in center field. Kid did a great job just getting there. He did not make the catch. Stuff happens. It was one play in a game where there were some really bad plays on the infield. Him missing that ball meant nothing in the over all picture. Frank Thomas has purchased the Field of Dreams site.

This one for you Badger.

https://twitter.com/DodgersNation/status/1443721758524129289/photo/2

Great to see the Dodgers, and Gavin Lux, have a sense of humor

Tonight’s Lineup:

RF Mookie Betts R

SS Corey Seager L

2B Trea Turner R

1B Max Muncy L

C Will Smith R

3B J. Turner R

LF AJ Pollock R

CF C. Bellinger L

P T. Gonsolin R

09/29/21 Los Angeles Dodgers sent LF Billy McKinney on a rehab assignment to Oklahoma City Dodgers.

The Dodgers and Cards will play at 5:10 pm PT at Chavez Ravine. It could potentially be up at Oracle Park, but this is assuming the standings remain exactly how they are.

Since trading for Trea and Scherzer, the Dodgers are 40-13. Only 6 teams have had a 53 game stretch like that over the last decade.

The Dodgers have gained 1 game in that stretch.

I have voiced concerns about players often and was not a huge Jansen supporter when he went through that rough patch early in the season. But I have never quit believing in Bellinger. And I have felt from the get go that when he got healthy, and I mean really healthy, he would start to at least make solid contact. Now since he changed his stance just before he had his ribs cracked for him, I saw some improvement in the fact that he was not striking out so much. He struck out in his first at bat replacing Lux last night, but that was after sitting on the bench most of the game. The second time up, he chased one pitch he had no chance of hitting, but when the next one came in the zone, he did not miss it. And it was not one of his high fly ball homers, this shot was a liner. As much as I have liked Chris Taylor over the years, he has been painful to watch hit for over a month. He an Muncy have had an extended period since August of a lack of production. Both of them have increased K ratios and multi K games. Muncy has 118 Ks in 486 at bats. But Max walks a lot so his OBP is 368 and his OPS just a tick under .900. Taylor on the other hand has struck out 165 times in exactly 500 at bats, has walked 60 times. His OBP is .343 and his OPS is .785. Hardly a player worthy of a 4 year deal at about 60 million like some are projecting he will receive. AJ Pollock is going to fall just short of the plate appearances needed for his opt out clause to kick in. So next year he will be playing for a base salary of 10 million.

The Dodger who really deserves a major tip of the cap is Kenley Jansen. I was one of the crowd who’d seen enough of him. I suggested that he never pitch on back-to-back days and never more than 1 inning. The criticism at the time was justified. He had a brutal 2 weeks in late July. He had 5 appearances, gave up 13 hits, 6 walks, and 10 earned runs with 3 blown saves. He’d lost the closer job. He looked pretty much washed up and there was little reason to trust him in critical situations.

And then he started to make changes. To his credit, he apparently listened to what coaches thought he needed to do to regain the form that many, including me, had thought was likely gone forever.

Then he made changes, He adjusted. He scrapped total reliance on his cutter and added other pitches. He used a fastball with more velo. He broke out a nasty breaking ball and used it more. He changed speeds. These all made his cutter better and everything improved, but mostly his confidence.

Since August 6th KJ’s pitched 26.1 innings. All but 2, for only 1 inning (one was .1 inning and one 2 innings). He’s 3&0, with 15 saves with ZERO blown saves. He’s only given up 8 hits in that span, 2 earned runs, 34 K’s and 8 walks. His era is 0.68. That’s absolutely remarkable. We all know that our bullpen has saved our asses and KJ is has been the cherry on top. I no longer run for the tranquilizers when he comes into a game. What a reversal. He deserves a ton of credit for what he’s done.

The comments today are very comical to say the least, some of the best I have read in a long time, keep them coming. I didn’t realize we are so blessed to have so many “Keyboard” Hall of Famers that post here all the time. Most of us have played this game at some point in our lives, whether that was in little league, High School, College, Semi Pro, Beer League Softball, etc. but to come here and post some of these comments about that Lux play is just mind boggling. Now I know why I and others quit posting comments here anymore. I’ll just stay on the sidelines and laugh at you all.

I went to bed at 9:30pm. Not because I thought the game was over at 9-5 (but I did think that), but because it was bed time. I got up at 11:30pm, saw the Mlb app alert that we won, watched the highlights and thought “damn.”. Then I got up at 1am, had coffee, and started working.

But before I slept for 90 min or so, I watched Gavin Lux go all out and try making a spectacular play for the team. Major props to him for playing hard, while learning a new position. I have zero criticism of him and what he attempted last night. Let’s hope he’s healthy, because he’s become a left handed Trae Turner at the plate.

I say it every day. We’re at 102 wins, so we’ve done NOTHING wrong. If the Giants won’t lose, then there’s nothing we can do but get ready for a 1 game season next Wednesday.

Also, not mentioned yet: Kenley had his A game stuff last night!

Badger, you and I saw the video differently. I see as Lux jumps to catch the ball both feet are in the air. As he comes down with his right foot (I guess you call that his 1st step), his body turns to wall, and his second step has his left foot pinned against the base of the wall and he has no where to turn. If you slow it down and go frame by frame you can see it. He could not have avoided the wall. How many times has he experienced running full tilt to the wall to catch a fly ball? It was his 7th professional game as a CF and 2nd at Dodger Stadium. He has no idea how many warning track steps it takes running full tilt, and will not know until he plays the position for a while. IMO, last year’s NL GG CF, Trent Grisham, doesn’t get to the ball.

The ball hit off the palm of his glove, due to his inexperience in positioning, and he could not hold onto it. Did he misplay it? I say no, he just lacks experience in watching the ball go into the webbing of his glove. That will come.

I cannot dispute that Ken Griffey Jr, would have played the ball better. But he is a near unanimous 1st ballot HOF CF. I guess if you want to emulate a great defensive CF, Junior would be at the top of any list. But maybe we should give Lux a couple more games in CF before he can do his best Junior impression.

As far as Bo goes, he ran into NFL linebackers for a profession, and even by your metrics was a way below average defensive OF, who played all of 88 games as a CF.

As an aside, what 3 morons (and yes I mean morons) left Junior off their HOF ballots?

Video – https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/video/lux-exits-after-wall-collision?t=t119-default-vtp

Preston Mattingly, former Dodger farm hand and DM’s son was named Director of Player Development by the Phillies. Manfred said that the leagues # 1 priority is avoiding a work stoppage. CBA expires Dec 1. The sides have begun talking, but there is a grievance on the table right now that has to be addressed first. MLB is seeking expanded playoffs, some rule changes and the universal DH in both leagues. Question for some of you. Noah Syndergaard is also a free agent this off season. Would AF be smart to consider kicking the tires on offering him a deal? Signing Scherzer to me is a no brainer.

Watching the game last night , as we lost a 5-1 lead to fall behind 9-5, I thought that not only would this loss certainly guarantee that we would not win the division, but that this simply did not look like a team which would go far in the playoffs, even though we have a great record. We just have never looked like a great team, the kind with the stamina and opportunistic quality to get through the grueling playoff series.

But then, after we came back and won in very dramatic fashion, I thought that this might be the something which brings the team together with the emotional spark that the GIants have seemed to have all year. Maybe that is an overreaction, it was one game, after all; and if we were down four runs to a playoff team, we would not see the passive reaction by the other team that the Padres had from the bench.

So one should never make too much out of one win or loss. But if one were going to, this would be the one. It has seemed to me that the Dodgers, while they certainly root for one another, do not play with much fire. Some of that may be that the manager, unlike the manager of the Giants, rarely plays hit and run, or uses the squeeze play (I saw Kapler do it twice in a couple of weeks), things that keep the players constantly alert, and with the attitude that any run you can get across can be very important, not something that we can just wait to hit few home runs to overcome.

You can’t really argue with 100-105 wins, except that if you want to win more than the one title in the shortened season, you have to grind out every win you can, using all your weapons, and you have to be resourceful, not all or nothing at the plate. We can hope for the Giants to lose two of the next four, while we win all four, and then to beat them in a one-game playoff. Or we can be the home team in the Wild Card game, and then have to win two road series, plus a road World Series. I would like to hope that the great win last night was something more than just an exciting game which people will remember. I don’t remember exactly what was our playoff result in the year the four plus one home run game against San Diego occurred, but I don’t think that we advanced too far, even with that thrilling comeback. Still, I have this hope that this was more than just one exciting win which will not change our playoff position. Even if it is not, it was still a very nice moment in the season.

A little off topic, but . . .

https://www.sportstalkatl.com/braves-travis-darnaud-credits-joc-pederson-for-turnaround/

I criticize criticizers!

Any criticism of Lux is completely unwarranted and ridiculous. The kid busted his ass and his face and shoulder trying to make a really hard catch. It rattled around in his glove for a split second and he damn near caught it before he smashed into the wall. A fantastic effort for any centerfielder but especially someone new to the outfield. Anyone who thinks they could have ever done better, has delusions of adequacy.

Last night was the first time in years that I haven’t watched a game through its completion. It might be the next day on the DVR, but I watch all games until the end. But I was so pissed off last night after Graterol gave up 2 walks a double and single and again we had turned off the offensive spigot after the 2nd, as we’ve done too much lately. We let the Padres crawl into the lead. Scherzer was BP and we played like dog sh*t defensively. 6 1/2 innings of a lousy display of baseball for a team still trying to win the Division. I was discussed and pissed.

I went to bed.

I couldn’t believe it this morning. That will teach me a lesson I’ve professed for years. Never give up. I can’t wait to get my DVR fired up to watch the last innings.

I think that when the Dodgers go deep into the playoffs this year (I promise that I won’t jinx it!), we’ll look at last night’s game as a turning point. We won’t be thinking about Mad Max’s second poor outing in a row, or about Lux running into a wall, etc. We’ll remember the 7th throufh 9th innings, when Mookie ignited a fire storm, Max Muncy came out of his slump, Pollack showed why we got him from Arizona (despite his tendency to get injured), Belli woke up from his long slumber, and Corey showed why he was the series MVP and the Dodgers should sign him to a long-term contract. And, oh, yes, we’ll remember that KJ has reanimated himself after 2 heart operations and Covid and seems miraculously to have regained his HOF form. This is all assuming that we get passed the WC game, of course!

I posted this earlier. In case you missed it, here it is again:

On who watched Max Scherzer: I guess it depends upon whether you think it is more important to score runs or prevent runs.

Here’s the facts, folks:

With Smith Catching Scherzer: 34 Innings/12 Runs Allowed

With Barnes Catching Scherzer: 33 Innings.5 Runs Allowed

There is definitely more than a 0 percent chance Smith is on the bench in Scherzer’s next start!

So, in a Wild Card Game, would you still rather have Smith?

Tonight’s Giants-D’backs game should be epic.

Starting pitchers = Kazmir vs. Madbum

Graterol threw a lot of fastballs and sliders last night and like Scherzer “was clearly without his best stuff and control last night. I chalk it up to one of those nights.” Graterol had been doing a good job, improving game by game, getting outs, That he doesn’t strike out many players with his great fastball and you don’t like that that’s something else, but the guy was getting outs until he couldn’t last night because he too can have “one of those nights.”

For a moment last night I thought I heard the fat lady singing, but it turned out to be the neighbor’s cat.

A guy who has been banging on Lux all year long now says that…”I think Lux may have stayed down after he dropped it to get sympathy instead of booing.” You really honestly thinks Lux games it like that? If that is an opinion, what is it based on? Exactly how many games have you ever seen Lux play, and when has he ever done that?

Then he goes on and states that…”No doubt, he should have caught it and then used his glove to brace up against the padded wall.” Really? Is that how you do it? Then he says…”And just for the record, I admit, that was a tough play that only great outfielders can make.” Can’t have it both ways. He either misplayed it so badly and then laid down to get sympathy, or it is only a play that only a great OF can make. Gavin Lux is not a great OF. He has played all of 7 games as a CF (6 in MLB), and last night was his 2nd in Dodger Stadium.

I have no problems whatsoever about opinions on a player’s ability, a manager’s decision making ability, or front office machinations. But when you start to question a player’s character, you better be able to back it up. If you think that Gavin Lux stayed down for sympathy to not get booed, that is not an opinion of ability but one of character. Now support it.

Okay, it was a great comeback. There was a lot to like, and some things that just frustrate the hell out of you. They at least got some clutch hits early and got Max a 4 run cushion to begin the game. But you could tell he was struggling with location right from the outset. He looked nothing like the guy who pitched 7 perfect innings against them a little over a week ago. And like Nomar opined, he did not have that put away pitch. Give the Padres hitters some credit, they recognized and took advantage. I think Scherzer will be fine. He is too good to let stuff like that affect him the next time he pitches. He will go out to the pen and work his butt off. Errors happen. But errors on balls that should be caught and are routine plays are the most galling of all. Seager and Taylor made those last night. Taylor screwed his up on the transfer to his throwing hand. Seager just miss played an easy grounder. Both contributed to extending the inning when the pitcher needed outs. Taylor is a better outfielder than infielder at this point. Taylor has become a strikeout machine. Too much so for a player of his type. His K percentage is ridiculously high. He has been a Dodger for 5 full seasons. His K totals? 145, 178, 115, 55, 165. Those are 30 HR power hitters who make little contact numbers. The problem is he is not that type of player. Those totals are way too high for a utility player. And the criticism is right. He never changes the plane of his swing. Some will look at the 55 K’s and say, oh that isn’t so bad. It is when you consider they happened in 185 at bats. Almost a third of the time. I like Chris. Always have. But as a reserve, not a guy they have to count on for big hits and everyday play. As inconsistent as Kike could be, He never struck out at the kind of rate Taylor does. This season he has 60 less K’s than Taylor, 2 less HR’s and is batting just 6 points lower. He also has a 4.4 WAR compared to Taylor’s 2.9. Taylor has 11 errors, but only 2 in the outfield, Kike has 8. 4 of those coming in CF, the only outfield position he has played this season for the Sox. Taylor is a free agent. He is probably going to get a 4 year deal somewhere. I do not think it will be in LA.

Good morning guys. Yes, I shut the game off when they were down 9-5. Not because I am not a true Dodger fan, but simply because most of this season when they are down 4 runs, they have not come back. Last year, different story. But I was on my computer doing some research and listening to the game on the radio. A lot easier than watching. But I went back and watched the 8th and 9th when the game was over. The difference between the game in 06 and this one is that that game, they did it off of a Hall of Fame reliever. After getting HR’s from Kent and Drew off of reliever Jon Adkins, Bochy brought in Hoffman, who had not blown a save to the Dodgers in 5 years. Rookie Russell Martin hit Hoffman’s first pitch over the left field fence to make it 9-8. Marlon Anderson, one of those late August trade acquisitions came up to hit. Anderson jumped on Hoffman’s first pitch and hit it over the right field fence. Hoffman then retired the next 3 hitters to get out of the inning. But the Padres scored a run in the top of the 10th off of Aaron Sele when Josh Bard, who is the Dodgers bullpen coach, tagged him for a run scoring double. Bochy did not like using Hoffman 2 innings in a row and replaced him with Rudy Saenez, who also pitched for the Dodgers a couple of times. Saenez walked Lofton, bringing up Nomar, who then hit a 3-1 pitch deep into the pavilion for the win. So it was a four plus one. What a lot of people forget is that Anderson’s HR was his second of the game, and the 6th of the game for the Dodgers. He and Furcal had hit solo shots earlier in the contest. So Garciaparra’s shot made it 7. Last night Pollock had 2 and their total was 6. A lot of similarities and it was cool that Nomar was in the booth calling the game. With Roberts and Bard, who were on the other side that night there too.

If you haven’t seen the post-game interview with Doc, Dylan Hernandez started off with…”Dave, you batted leadoff and went 0-6 with 4 strikeouts in the 4+1 game, how much nicer is it to be on this side of things…?”

Pretty funny, Doc took it well with a smile. He said it definitely reminded him of that game.

There is literally a 0% chance Smith is on the bench for the wildcard game…..ZERO.

Fun Game. Especially impressed with the O of course, but the relief corp minus bazooka was awesome & Kenley w/ the one more than immaculate inning was quite the throwback.

Interesting trivia I found about last night’s game.

>>>The late power burst was reminiscent of a Sept. 18, 2006, game between the teams. The Dodgers hit four consecutive homers in the bottom of the ninth to tie it, and Nomar Garciaparra’s two-run homer in the 10th gave them an 11-10 victory that put Los Angeles back in first place.

Garciaparra was at the ballpark Wednesday night. Roberts was a player on that 2006 Padres team.

“It certainly reminded me of that night. A lot of the same vibe,” Roberts said. “To be in this dugout is a much better feeling than to be in the visiting dugout.”cheers

pb+

A lot more after that incredible comeback last night! If the offense comes back then I like our chances But you’re right. We need to tighten up the defense. In the playoffs you can’t afford to throw a game away.

I’ve replayed the Lux gaff a few times. I call them as I see them. This is similar to a wide receiver going over the middle – you know the collision is coming, catch the ball first, then cover up. Catch and cover. Lux dropped the ball 2 steps before hitting the wall. The ball was already on the ground rolling away when he did his Academy performance face plant. Tape don’t lie. He’s got the skills to play any position on the field. Maybe he’s not quite ready for first team centerfielder.

Great comeback? Yeah, sure. But the fact is, in a pennant race with our ace on the mound we gave up 8 earned and made 2 more errors, 3 if you count the Lux drop, which I do but nobody else likely does. I’m old school, ball goes in your glove you make the catch … Seager and Taylor.

The question must be asked – does this look like a team ready for a playoff run?

Wow, last night was amazing! That’s entertainment!!

Almost as entertaining was coming here in morning to read the comments. Y’all sound like a bunch of Nancy’s. They sky is falling one minute, best team in baseball the next!

I can’t believe the negative comments about Lux not pulling in that ball. What the hell did you think was going to happen when he’s only played like 10 games ever in the outfield?

Wouldn’t it be great if Bellinger started hitting like himself again? It’s pretty crazy that the recent golden boy goes down and Belli picks him up with a HUGE game tying home run. This is why baseball is the best sport. Anything can happen.

Man, it would have been so much sweeter if the Giants would lose. It’s like everyone in division wants the Giants to win it.

A lot of harsh words for Brusdar. Do you realize that he’s hasn’t been scored upon in 8 games prior? His last game, he was credited with stopping the bleeding with 1.2 perfect innings. Everyone lays an egg from time to time. Mark already cut him from the postseason roster.

Lux’s injury made Doc’s job a lot easier.

Pollock is arguably the Dodger’s best hitter. Let that sink in for a while!

I’m still holding out for some magic, a fairytale ending for a very strange season. As long as there’s games left, I refuse to concede to the thought of the wildcard.

The Cardinals finally lost. The only thing undecided in the NL is the West Division Crown and the top Wildcard.

The Blue Jays took one back from the Yankees and the Mariners are a half game up on the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays finish their season against the O’s, The M’s get the Angels, The Red Sox get the Nats and the Yankees get the Rays. They’re all bunched up within 2 games of each other. It’s possible to get a 4 way tie for 2 spots. What will the tie breaker look like?

No one complains about Roberts when he isn’t stinking it up. I haven’t seen any unnecessary double switches in quite some time. Less unnecessary mid inning pitching changes as well. Maybe he’s finally learning how not to over manage. His interviews have even been better lately, except for when he said Max has done enough to secure the Cy Young right before the game (not a good look to dismiss teammates Julio and Walker). Kiss of death!

Wow! Did I go to bed too early!!!!!!!!’ I think with a lot of others! Down 9-5 in the 7th and I put my head on the pillow. If only the Giants would have cooperated!!!!!!