All Hat – No Cattle!
There is an old saying “All hat, no cattle” which is an American expression referring to someone who is all talk but no action. It is also used to describe someone who presents the appearance of something they aren’t. It is similar to the British expression “all mouth and no…
There is an old saying “All hat, no cattle” which is an American expression referring to someone who is all talk but no action. It is also used to describe someone who presents the appearance of something they aren’t. It is similar to the British expression “all mouth and no trousers”. Watford Dodger can confirm the authenticity of that statement. In the Dodger’s case, it is “All Hit, No Runs.“
I don’t mean to be ungrateful, because the Dodgers did win, but here goes anyway: When a team gets 17 hits, they should score like 12 to 16 runs, don’t you think? Six Dodgers had 2 or more hits. Every starter except Bellinger and Alvarez had a hit. Of course, I know it was the Reds, but the Pitching was great, even though Gonsolin did not have his A-Game – it was sufficient to win and the Bullpen did their jobs, It just bugs me that the Dodgers got 17 hits and only scored 8 runs from that. I did not leave Great American Ballpark with confidence that the Dodgers could sustain a winning streak.
All I can say is that this is a weird season. Max Muncy (.155 BA), Justin Turner (.214 BA), and Cody Bellinger (.207 BA) are all struggling to hit, but that is not something that just plagues the Dodgers. Look at the list of players who are also doing poorly this season:
- Adam Duvall – .203
- Christain Walker – .205
- Javy Baez – .209
- Kike Hernandez – .209
- Salvadore Perez – .211
- Matt Chapman – .211 (Remember when many of you pined for him?)
- Juan Soto – .215
- Jesse Winker – .220
- Jorge Soler – .220
- Darin Ruf – .223
- Alex Bregman – .224
- Brandon Crawford – .227
- Byron Buxton – .228
- Corey Seager – .230
Many of those names were very good players in the past, even stars and superstars. There is something going on this year that does not add up. I do not know what it is, but it is very strange. Other players are doing OK, even if the power numbers are down due to the changes in baseball. Hummm….
The trip to Cincy was great – no hitches. My radar detector and Waze saved me a few times as we made the trip there and back in under 2 hours both ways – even with an unGodly amount of destruction… ‘er Construction! I got my Big Boy – It was wonderful, but no Skyline Chili. That seemed excessive to me for one night (maybe when I was younger). Besides, there is Skyline Chili in Indy. I met more Dodger fans than I ever have in the past, including Kevin Jensen and his son from AZ, who sat beside me. There were a ton of Dodger fans there wearing Blue. When I got on the elevator (Dodger shirt and hat on) in the Parking Garage, there were 8 college boys (men) in the elevator and the shortest one was about 6’ 5″ (the others were taller). I stepped in and said, “Wow, it looks like I picked the wrong elevator.” They all laughed and it was funny.
BTW, there as no sign of Troy from West Virginia.
Future Dodgers Down on the Farm – Tuesday Night
- Ryan Pepiot keeps knocking on the Dodgers’ door. Last night he pitched 6 strong innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 ER. He walked 3 while striking out 10. HIs 1.74 ERA says he is MLB ready and his 98 pitches say “I don’t need to be babied!”
- Garrett Cleavinger pitched 2 shutout innings and his ERA at AAA now sits at 2.00. Carson Fulmer also pitched a scoreless inning and his ERA is 1.95.
- Miguel Vargas hit his 11th HR (he was 2-4) and Mike Busch hit his 5th at OKC. He has been playing LF EXCLUSIVELY and will likely get the call sooner than some expect.
- Look for Jake Lamb next week. He was 1-5 last night (.295/.962 OPS)
- Landon Knack of Tulsa pitched 5 strong innings last night, giving up 2 runs on 3 BB and 5 K’s. He will likely move to OKC at some point.
- James Outman was 2-5 with 4 RBI on his 15th HR – a Grand Slam! He’s on the 40-man so he can be called up. He just doesn’t look like a “finished product” to me. He’s another LH hitter but he can play all their OF Positions. He’s fast, but it’s hard to say if he is “Cody and Gavin Fast” or not.
- Carson Taylor was 3-4.
- Diego Cartaya of GL went 2-5 (again) and is hitting .350 at High A with a 1.047 OPS. I plan to travel to Ft. Wayne later this week to see him.
- After going 2-5 last night, Jake Vogel of Rancho Cucamonga has seen his BA creep up over the past couple of weeks. He is hitting .236 and is fast as the wind. If he can ever hit…
- BTW, any trade proposals that include Busch and Pepiot will likely result in Federal Agents searching your home for Crack.
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Discussion (76)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Good for Trayce. Nice AB, nice hit.
I think Kimbrel should get a save when the Dodgers are up 4 runs. That makes it fair!
Got to give some props to AF. With all the injuries, he’s put together a very good and deep bullpen! Tho can’t believe they’re using Kimbrel over Price tonight to close!
I’m really happy for Trayce. I really liked him the first time round. That injury sure derailed his career. Maybe this is the beginning of a resurgence.
Sooooo….
Who is eating crow???
Well, well, well – Trayce Thompson 2 RBI Double.
It is what it is: A 2-Run Double. Have some crow with a dollop of whipped cream.
It’s a gift that I have! Tho any pitcher walking Bellinger should be sent down! I have 2 words for Bellinger. James Outman. Mark, you called it. Cincy pen! MVP of this game
Any more complaints about Freddie? I’d rather see Klay up there with a bat than his brother! And Eddie Murphy as well than Alvarez
Trayce Thompson will fit right in on this roster during his second stint in a Dodger uniform. So far he’s checked the offensive box with two K’s in two pinch hit trips to the plate. He was inserted in the #8 position for Alvarez so we can expect to continue to see not much offensively from the #8 position in the batting order.
Through six innings Bellinger has 4 runners LOB and Muncy has 2. Will they ever be an offensive force this year? Inquiring minds want to know, and I don’t mean an occasional pop, but a real force like Freddie, Mookie or even Will Smith.
I am watching 3 games tonight:
1. Dodgers
2. Great Lakes
3. Tulsa
I plan to change my setup so I can watch all 5 Games. I am using a VPN tonight to see the Dodgers. Can’t get MLBTV. Stinkin’ Blackout!
Bobby Miller gave up a walk, 2 hits and 2 ER in the first inning.
Then comes Kmuncy and Kbellinger at bat…
This game is over!
Miguel Vargas starting in LF for the first time tonight.
If he doesn’t fall down and break his leg within a week, I’ll guess he gets called up!
Just looked at tonight lineup and there was Muncy in the 4th slot again. When I looked to see how he does against Castillo lifetime I was amazed to find out he’s 0-11 with NINE K’s. What is wrong with Dave Roberts?
Duke and Belli.
I’m not sure Belli is now just a swift glove-first centerfielder with occasional pop. I’m not sure he’ll return to the form of a future HOF’er. But, right about now, I would be stoked if he would turn into Yasiel Puig.
Puig bust onto the scene and it seemed like nobody could get him out. He morphed into a useful piece with an attitude and an off-field liability. I have never scene a demise as steep as Cody Bellinger. Not even Matt Kemp’s dual injuries to shoulder and ankle produced such dismal results.
In my mind, with the new ball, you can compare OPS by subtracting about 50 points from what a player has done in his past. If Belli could get into the 750 range, I would be able to live with it. It seems to me he’s just a little too comfortable with his swing and won’t make the necessary adjustment. Pops and roll over grounders are indicative of a bad swing path. That can be fixed if you’re willing to put in the work and are open to it.
I’m wondering if there’s a communication problem between Belli and his hitting coaches. But, it’s obvious this isn’t working. It seems that he’s capable of still crushing balls, but he has to hit it about 2 feet in front in order to get the bat head on plane with the pitched ball.
Here’s a look at Man-Ram’s swing analysis. at 0:26, you can see he’s hitting the ball right in front of his front foot.
With Belli, it seems he’s at least a foot further out when he makes solid contact. Dude is just messed up. I think it’s mental and not physical. He will be a good to great hitter again one day. Just don’t know if it will happen anytime soon.
Worse than Belli and his problems is the fact that Muncy keeps batting 4th. The easy fix is to let Lux bat leadoff which pushes Max into the 5 hole. But, does that really matter when this switch only alters the first time through the lineup. Is anyone that’s currently further down a better option?
This lineup would look a lot better with Mookie and Rios in it and with Muncy on the IL. Muncy, JT or Belli really need to break out right about now unless we expect Freeman and TT to keep getting 3+ hits per game.
I agree Mark. This is really a strange year.
I’m slowly changing my mind on the odds we sign Trea. He’s going to demand one massive contract. We all know that. But looking at the state of SS in MLB and … well, wow! It’s bad. Seager and Lindor aren’t playing terrible in general. But for guys who singed MASSIVE contracts they are. In one or two years we’ve gone from a league with a pile of incredible offensive shortstops to a league with maybe 3 or 4. There is like $1 Billion in dead money out there dedicated to long term deals for shortstops who are barely hitting. The Dodgers really only have two choices.
Offer Trea enough to keep him in LA (and that price has likely gone up)
Work with what we got in the system.
Free agent market will be empty at SS. And if Boston does trade theirs (He’s under control until 2025) they will want an entire farm system in return.
Here is my question:
Are we to assume this strange trend this year among hitters will continue? Are we really to believe all these star players simply forgot how to hit? Are Corey Seager and Alex Bregman really .230 hitters? Will they purge whatever dark magic has possessed the Rawlings baseball? Will things return to the mean next year? The year after? Ever?
The Dodgers know what they have in Trea. The question is will AF pony up for a THIRD massive contract. That’s not in his nature. But what other options are out there? I believe the odds are going up. I would have put them at 10% before the season. I’d say it’s now 50/50. Whatever variable that has changed the way the ball is being hit is making it very hard to predict how a player will perform based on past results. That’s not a good thing if your a MLB GM.
At least it’s not just the Dodgers who are having star players play like bush league chumps. It’s all over the league.
Speaking of SS… Former Dodger farm hand Jeter Downs is making his MLB debut for Boston today. He was hitting a hefty .190 in AAA. When was the last time a guy got promoted while hitting .190 in the minors? That’s how strange things are today. Also, Jeter is a jerk. Was one of only a handful of players that I’ve seen move through Rancho Cucamonga who was entirely unpleasant. Rude to kids. Arrogant. He’ll probably get eaten alive in Boston.
When and why this Scrub Romero will play?
“All mouth & no trousers” is how I’d describe some of the Keyboard Warriors we get on here from time to time.
Hard to know what to make of the Dodgers currently and going forward this season?
These couple of Trayce & Romero acquisitions could suggest that AF is keeping his powder dry for something bigger down the road, or could it possibly mean that in a month’s time, if things look bleak both injury (Mookie, Walker, Clayton, Max) and form wise ( Cody, JT, Max – the heart of the lineup) are still in the doldrums, with no sign of things turning around – could he consider looking longer term, and becoming sellers, and seeing what talent we could bring back. Could he consider that there’s too much to fix this year?
Lots of payroll coming off next year, with young controllable coming through – he could add some useful pieces and tool up for a big run next year?
Not saying I’d do it, but would AF think like that – or is he always going to try and win all every year?
Could really bring back some nice pieces for Trea and CK and possibly Kimbrel?
Just throwing it out there….
Four-time MLB All-Star Dellin Betances is in OKC and has joined the OKC Dodgers
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I predict 8 K’s between Muncy, Bellinger and CT3 against a very tough pitcher. I want to be wrong, but the “swing for the fences” and eschewing any attempt to go the other way (despite the situation) is the RVS approach to hitting. Perhaps Freddie, TT and Will can lead us to win #2 in a row.
This is the Dodger’s Lineup tonight:
1. T-Turner SS
2. Freeman 1B
3. Smith C
4. Muncy 3B
5. Taylor LF
6. J-Turner DH
7. Bellinger CF
8. Alvarez RF
9. Lux 2B
What a unique concept and shock!
I like B&P’s lineups.
Moving up Lux could add energy and sliding Muncy down a bit is fine. Turner, Lux, Freddie, Smith–those are the most consistent hitters right now.
Folks in this discussion group (myself included) don’t mention Belli as much as we used to. Are we now resigned to the notion that Belli, who once looked like a future Hall of Famer, is now just a swift glove-first centerfielder with occasional pop? Overpaid too. I used to think he would at least get back to all-star caliber form. But my pessimism is growing.
I am more optimistic about Max eventally returning to form because he’s had a longer record of consistent production than Belli. Max is a grinder. The fact that Max is visibly frustrated shows how much he cares. I wonder: How much does Belli care? Some people, regardless of their field, become satisfied with a certain level of success. Others have that burning ambition to get better.
The fact that a Freddie chant erupted in Cincy just underscores the Dodger’s national following and groups like Pantone. Plus, Freddie, like Mookie, is a chant-able. By contrast, the chant of “Darrrrryl” (as in Strawberry) never had a positive vibe.
Freddie has kicked things up a notch since I labeled his performance “subpar.” So now I’m hoping to have the same effect on Belli.
It would have been funnier if you said the lineup looked crappier on paper than Charmin after a BBQ buffet.
The sad thing about the 17 hits is that 50% of the runs came on 24% of the hits and 25% of those hits didn’t get past the pitcher. 😉
Me and Karros think alike. If you take out Kimbrel’s worst 20% of his appearances, he would sparkle as well.
I guess the Dodgers broadcast team are being programmed with the Front Office propaganda. Never sacrifice an out when you can swing from your heals and earn that strikeout trying for something better than a single run? Okay.
Well, Kirsten knows better than we do after all that baseball she played while playing college volleyball.
* I’m thinking since Muncy can’t hit but we love his walks that we should sign a player like Eddie Gaedel. I like that better than Stephan Romero.
* Yesterday’s line up on paper (Charmin) looked crappy to me (see what I did here?) Then they go out and get 17 hits. This team’s feast or famine scoring is mind boggling.
* Pre game, Karros said Mahle was better than we think, pointing out that If you eliminate 3 of his poor starts he has a much better ERA.
You know if I could just throw out that 82 I shot on the US Open, I would have been right in the hunt.
* I’m seeing more miscommunication between the center and right fielders causing collisions. Both in the MLB and college. Are we in a point in the season where the fundamentals from spring training are forgotten? I don’t get it.
* Congrats to Eddie Alvarez who executed the Dodgers FIRST sac bunt of the year. For me, a truly sad stat for a team that’s struggles to consistently score runs. And I’ll be damned, it worked. Eddie’s (hitting .176) sac moved Turner to 3rd worked nicely for Lux’s sac fly. This was when the game was still tight and padded our lead.
* The sac left a bitter taste in Karros’ mouth, who like many, distain small-ball. He said “There’s a time for it but I hate sacrificing outs”. I guess this was THE time for it Eric, unlike a million other times when we just banged away.
* Kirsten pointed out the Alvarez “will be fine” after his poor right field exhibition because “he’s a world class athlete.” So was MJ.
* Hey Zeke, I too saw the graphic breakdown of averages in our line up. As you mentioned, 4-5-6, is .199, LAST in MLB. Muncy in the 4 hole @.155, Belli @ .200, JT @ .214 (toss in Alvarez @.176). Moving CT3 to the 5 hole is supposed to be an answer to break up this group. He’s hitting .249 with 6 homers and 25 rbi with 82 Ks. I like CT3 but he’s not exactly what I would expect from the Dodgers meat of the order.
We’ve become comfortable with mediocrity.