Are the Dodgers Doomed?
NOTE: We are running two blogs today. This one and the MiLB Blog by Jeff.
The six losses in a row were embarrassing, but last night's game was more than embarrassing. It was humiliating! The Dodgers were 11-0 against Merrill Kelley, who allowed nearly six runs a game against them. Last night, he held them to one run. Then the Dodgers got two runs off Taylor Clarke, who makes $1.5 million, and Brandyn Garcia, who makes the MLM minimum. After Roki Sasaki pitched a solid game, giving up just 2 runs in 6 innings, Edguardo Henriquez (MLB Minimum guy too) shut down the D-Backs in the 7th inning... with the Dodgers clinging to a 3-2 lead.
In the 8th inning, Tanner Scott ($16 million) needed 24 pitches to retire the side with bases loaded. Then, Edwin Diaz (best known for cockfighting and his 11.00 ERA) and his $14 million salary came in and promptly gave up a 2-run home run to win the game for Kevin Ginkel ($2.7 million). For one, I am ashamed to be a Dodger fan. The Dodgers were beaten like rented mules! Seven losses in a row is pathetic.
I liked what Andrew Friedman did in Tampa Bay... he did more with less. When he came to LA, he started out doing the same thing, but over the last few years, the Dodgers have become "pigs" and pigs get slaughtered. Andrew Friedman is now doing less with more! Here is how the Dodgers rank against every other team in baseball with the Luxury Tax included:
The Dodgers' payroll and Luxury Tax are more than double what the D-Backs happen to be. Maybe you would enjoy watching the Lions and the Christians in ancient times in an arena, but I'm not into that. The Dodgers are pigs and pigs get slaughtered. Let's look at what they are paying certain players:
Mookie Betts .233 BA/.682 OPS - $30.4 Million
Kyle Tucker .244 BA/.719 OPS - $57.1 Million
Teoscar Hernandez .252 BA/.727 OPS - $19.9 Million
Blake Snell - 0-1/12.00 ERA on IL - $31.3 Million
Tyler Glasnow - 3 Wins, on IL - $27.3 Million
Edwin Diaz - 1-1/11.00 ERA - $21.1 Million
You have to be a certified moron to pay that amount of money to the above-listed players and get such awful production. I hate it! That's more than the annual payrolls of 16 teams! This is why we likely are not going to see a lot of baseball next year. This has to change. Even if the Dodgers were winning, I'd be embarrassed! But the fact that we are losing is also embarrassing, and it proves we are stupid. Come on, man!
Discussion (91)
Disagree, not disagreeable
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Luke Fox is back.
AA LHP to keep an eye on. I think Jeff likes him.
Using the mute button again!!
One week in a 6 month season doesn’t mean much. I still like our chances against anyone else.
Don’t panic. It’s just that our Dodgers are a bunch of good guys and they’re all hurt that everyone is blaming them for ruining baseball. So they let the other teams win a few meaningless summer games to quiet the uproar. But come October our bullies will return and squash all the hopes and dreams of those less fortunate. In AF we trust
8:10 PM ET
Dodgers (69-47) Diamondbacks (62-55)
SP Y. Yamamoto R 11-7 2.76 ERA SP Brandon Pfaadt 6-1 3.66 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L CF Andy Pages R 1B F. Freeman L 3B Max Muncy L SS Mookie Betts R RF Kyle Tucker L 2B Tommy Edman S LF T.Hernandez R C Hunter Feduccia L
In Domed Stadium LINE LAD -201
Tough matchup tonight
David Vassegh @THEREAL_DV Tarik Skubal goes on Monday. #Dodgers Blake Snell will start on Tuesday vs #Royals
Will Klien has bone chips in his elbow. No decision as to what the plans are. Even with the nanoneedle, the earliest he could return would be the playoffs.
The last double was by Alex Call August 2 against Boston. The last triple was by Tommy Edman July 22 against Philadelphia.
The lower payroll owners can build an interesting team using early draft picks. They could edge towards competitive if they didn't lose those picks to free agency. But that's how big payroll owners are able to also have access to those elite picks, eventually.
The process starts with owners who want to amuse themselves with ownership and pinch pennies and ends with ego driven multi-buillionaire against multi-buillionaire.
I'm being overly harsh.
Maybe.
Saturday Dodger Affliates' Schedule 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Isaac Ayon) at Dayton (JP Ortiz) 5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Aidan Foeller) at Corpus Christi (Andrew Taylor) 5:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Emmet Sheehan) at Salt Lake (Joel Hurtado) 6:45 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) at Lake Elsinore (TBA)
Wow!!! What team would you change places with? My confidence in the winning it all isn’t any different than a month ago. I do worry about Will Smith. He’s steady presence on the field and behind the plate is a great influence on the entire team. If I wanted to be political which is taboo on this site as it should be, could it be the trump factor. The Dodgers haven’t been very good since that visit.
Simply it was unwatchable and bad fundamental baseball, which they have been doing a lot. Ohtani caught stealing again, Edman picked off of first. Bad routes to balls, see Teo. Ohtani with a GIDP in a clutch situation. Freddie beat out one of those to score the first run. LA leads the majors in GIDP with 97. Cmon guys, how about a few clutch hits mixed in? Doomed? Maybe not, challenged, definitely. At this point last year, they had a 67-49 record and were just 3 games in front. At this point last year, they had 26 games remaining against their in-division foes including 6 against Az and 6 against the Padres. This year they have 2 left against Arizona, 3 against the Padres, 3 against Colorado and 7 against the Giants, who no longer have Arraez, Roy, Ramos or Chapman who will most likely need season ending surgery. Every team goes through slumps. In Between those 7 Giant games they play the Padres 3 in LA before heading to SF to finish the season. I still have to believe there is enough pride and game left in these guys to win the division. Best record? They are 3 games back of the Brewers and behind the Braves for the two spot. If that is the case at the end of the season, they would be a wild card team again. And right now, Az would be in the wild card along with the Cubs and Phillies and all three of those teams would be a challenge for LA. Right now, if they played Az, they would probably have to play games 1-2 there since they are losing the season series 5-6. Not sure exactly how that works. They were 2-4 against the Cubs, and are 4-2 against the Phillies.
I think we need Scott to come back and warn of the end of the world.
That usually works for us every year.
Probably not doomed, but borderline mediocre! Base running. Situational hitting. Bullpen(walks). Catching (injuries). Lack of power. And to me,my biggest pet peeve is? Refusing to take a walk! Especially when a pitcher can’t find the strike zone! These are getting paid to win. Bases loaded , 2-0 counts, and they never seem to take. I know they can all hit, but the main objective is to win the damn game! A bases loaded walk scores a run the last time I checked. It’s a little different if they are up 2-4 runs, but they’re struggling to drive in runs! For goodness sakes, take the walk if the pitcher wants to give it to you! Love Teo, but I hope he isn’t back next year. Now how will this affect Andy? His mentor, his buddy, his rock. I don’t know but I think we’re all a little tired of Teo swinging and missing so darn much. Station to station , no steals, bad choices on the bases, not even looking at the base coaches! I’m sure it will pass, (it better!) . Diaz is very cocky for a guy who can’t get anybody out! Maybe Phillips would have been a better choice last night? I know , that’s why they signed Diaz, but geez, guy can’t throw strikes, and when he does? Long gone!!! Tanner ain’t the “ the great” Scott at the moment either. Henriquez was sharp last night. Can we expect more of that? I hope so. I feel better now. Hopefully we all feel better tonight!
It has always been my opinion,it's NOT my money,so I DON'T care what they spend each year.It is the long term contracts that really bother me. Most of the Dodger owners are multi-millionaires or billionaires and they ONLY want to win and DON'T care about luxury taxes because the Dodgers are grossing a billion in revenue. The major issue I have is,we are NOT getting any younger on the MLB roster which will be a problem in 2027 and beyond.