Some people can’t stand prosperity. When August started, the Dodgers were 59-45 and two games up in the NL West. Now they’re 76-48 and 11.5 games up in the NL West. In yesterday’s Power Rankings from The Athletic, the Dodgers were ranked #2 behind the Braves in all of MLB. However, that changed slightly, thanks to Caleb Ferguson, who is certainly no fireman… more like an arsonist! Bobby Miller was saddled with his 3rd loss as Caleb got his 4th Blown Save! Caleb is evidently trying to pitch himself off the playoff roster. You can question the move all you want – maybe Doc should have left Bobby in – but he’s a rookie who has thrown 97 pitches, and if he had left him in and he got scored upon, the same persons who would criticize taking him out would have questioned letting him in.
Bruce Bochy is regarded as a genius because the moves he made in three World Series worked (for the most part), but the reality of the situation is that if a manager makes a move that works, fans seem to think that makes him a genius. In reality, when players deliver, the manager looks like a genius… because the players made him look that way. Caleb Ferguson has a way of letting the team down on the biggest stages. Next man up!
Bryan Hudson and his 8.10 ERA are also underwhelming. Hudson and Ferguson are but two of the lefthanders in the bullpen who seem more like arsonists than firemen. Caleb can pitch when there is a lead and no pressure but seems to crumble under pressure more often than not. Victor Gonzalez has not exactly inspired confidence, either. Alex Vesia has been up and down as well and does not exactly inspire trust. Ryan Yarbrough is a LH long man, but without Ferguson and Hudson, Vesia is not a reliable choice in the bullpen. There are 38 games to sort this out, and other than Yarbrough, which lefty has your confidence? There are none on the horizon, so it would appear that at least two of the following LH pitchers will have to be on the playoff roster:
- Bryan Hudson
- Caleb Ferguson
- Alex Vesia
- Victor Gonzalez
That’s kind of like asking how you would like to die: Would you rather be burned at the stake or hung? Not a good choice! There is still time for some of these left-handers to step up, but it is getting late. In my opinion, the Dodgers are in good shape with the righthanded pitchers.
- Ryan Brasier has a 1.11 ERA
- Joe Kelly (who may not be back)has a 0.00 ERA
- The Bazooka has a 1.53 ERA
- Ryan Pepiot has a 1.80 ERA
- Shelby Miller has a 2.40 ERA
- Gus Varland has a 2.45 ERA
- Evan Phillips has a 2.49 ERA
The Dodgers may be forced to go with Caleb Ferguson in the playoffs, but he makes me very nervous. While he has a decent 2.87 ERA, he has given up more hits than innings pitched and sports a 1.45 WHIP which is horrible for any pitcher, let alone a reliever! A gentleman who used to post here as “TheOldtimer” (R.I.P.) would say, “Under pressure, his sphincter gets tight!” Alex Vesia will likely make it, so as of today, we can see this playoff roster:
- Urias
- Kershaw
- Lynn
- B. Miller
- Brasier
- Graterol
- Pepiot
- S. Miller
- Varland
- Vesia
- Ferguson
- Yarbrough
- Phillips
That means that Walker Buehler, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, Yency Almonte, Blake Treinen, Jimmy Nelson, Tyler Cyr, Daniel Hudson, and Michael Grove are on the outside looking in. Some are injured and have no shot. Kelly could be out… who knows? Injuries could change the complexion of everything. It’s not time to panic, but it’s about time to figure this out.
Bobby Miller deserved a better fate last night. By the way, Bobby Miller is having a better rookie season than Clayton Kershaw did. This kid is special. But it’s up to Clayton to right the ship today! Ryan Pepiot will likely start on Thursday, with Bryan Hudson being demoted (again). I know that Dave Roberts said that Walker Buehler would only be used as a starter, but if can pitch, maybe he is an option out of the pen. Walker is very effective against LH hitters!
P.S. It sucks that the Dodgers could not blast Thor into oblivion. Thor has been a little better with Cleveland, but not close to good. He was flat-out “lucky” last night, as he should have been pounded! Mookie and Will did their share, but the rest of the team failed. Busch looked disadvantaged in his at-bats last night. I am sure he is pressing… but this game is results driven.
Dodger Farmers
- Miguel Vargas has rebounded and, after a 2-5 last night, has his BA up to .295. Whether he gets the call in September is the question.
- Gavin Stone pitched three innings in relief of Alec Gamboa (the opener). Gamboa is a 26-year-old LH who has had a nice season: – 9-1 with a 2.29 ERA. His walk rate is a little high with OKC, but on the year, his WHIP is 1.00. We could see Gamboa and Stone in September. Ken Giles and Shelby Miller also pitched last night for OKC.
- Diego Cartaya (.191 BA) was 1-5 with his 18th HR – a two-run shot.
- Josue De Paula (still 18) was 4-5 last night (.288 BA) for RC.
Discussion (53)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Bellinger’s hitting is “Suspicious” How in the hell does he re-become a 300+ hitter after being soooo friggen terrible? The first memory of being a Dodger Fan is sitting in a barber shop in Van Nuys getting a Butch and on the TV Maury Wills stole his 82nd base. I’m sure there are a few examples of players getting dumped by the Dodgers and becoming MVP material including a few idiotic trades. What happened here? Was he advised by his ahole agent? Does he secretly hate LA and therefore purposely tank? Was he betting on other teams? WTF
In just approximately a month or so, Mookie’s BA has risen over 40 pts. To do that this late into the season with an already high # of PA’s ..is flat out INSANE!
19-3 in month of August. Any month when you when 20 or more games is special. Betts is playing great. Enjoying the season. Still think we end up with the #2 seed. Should be fun series with Red Sox and seeing some old friends (Turner, Verdugo, Jansen) and loathing at that bastard Cora. Thank god we don’t play on Sunday Night Baseball.
Magic Number is 24.
August 24th, 2023
Steven Strasburg is going to retire. He is battling a rare condition. He has not pitched in quite a while. Understanding is that he will be getting the rest of his contract paid to him.
So with one dinger, Busch goes from trash to smash. Hopefully he settles down now at the plate.
Busch doing his case no harm at all.
HPU foots tight zone
A good win with Mookie absolutely on fire.
Been saying NOhtani all the way and thank goodness this has happened now and not when (or if) we’d just inked him to a 10 year deal. This is exactly the reason you don’t put $500m worth of eggs in one basket.
With all the money coming off the books AF has so many directions in which he can Pivot.
Gonna be a really interesting off season, but I think we will see a premium third baseman next season, and personally I’d make a run at Snell, and try and resign Julio who I think enjoys being a Dodger.
Albuquerque 8, Oklahoma City 7
Tulsa 9, NW Arkansas 6
Fort Wayne 6, Great Lakes 3
Rancho Cucamonga 6, Lake Elsinore 4
Thursday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Justin Wrobleski) vs. Fort Wayne (Austin Krob)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Landon Knack) vs. Albuquerque (TBA)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (River Ryan) at NW Arkansas (William Fleming)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Chris Campos) vs. Lake Elsinore (TBA)
#Dodgers lineup for game 3 vs. Guardians
Betts 2B
Freeman 1B
Peralta LF
Muncy 3B
Heyward RF
Outman CF
Busch DH
Hernández SS
Barnes C
Ferguson LHP
That is why I have been saying no to Ohtani for some time, and that it would be better to try to sign Soto… And speaking of the one who many insisted on signing…
https://www.albat.com/eldugout/Equipo-de-beisbol-arabe-ofrecio-contrato-multimillonario-a-Shohei-Ohtani-para-dejar-MLB-20230822-0013.html
Supposedly a team from Dubai offered him close to 2 billion to play 3 months… I don’t know how real the news will be, but it involves Pujols too
Rain in Cleveland should be ending right about now. The power they give to this ground crew in Cleveland is pretty ridiculous. They very likely could have played the 9th and then had their break.
Betts is beyond red hot, ..he’s the SUN.
Miguel Vargas has bounced back from an 0-19 stretch and is now hitting .299 with a .402 OB% and a .867 OPS. It looks to me that his swing is shorter, and even though the Dodgers promoted Jorbit Vivas to OKC, Vivas is playing 3B right now with Vargas at 2B.
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Dave Roberts said he will use the rest of this game tomorrow as bullpen game. Ryan Pepiot will start the finale of series in Cleveland. #Dodgers #Guardians
The injury to Shohei changes the entire dynamic of his free agency. As a two-way player, his value is much higher. We all know that. He is an offensive force. But if he needs TJ surgery again, will it affect his swing? How soon after TJ surgery can he begin swinging a bat? Is swinging a bat going to affect his recovery as a pitcher? I am not a doctor, so I can’t answer these questions. I do know that this injury makes all of the 5 to 6 hundred-million-dollar contract talk a moot point. All teams who want the guy are going to have to make judgement calls as to his worth. At any rate, at his age, I am not committing 40 million dollars a year to a guy who only hits.
Ironically, I said to a buddy yesterday before the Angels game that I didn’t understand why Ohtani is still pitching at this point. Angels are out of it. He’s had issues off and on for a few weeks. He could give the fans one hell of a ride chasing 61. Why take the risk?
I’m sure that was his call. He’s a competitor.
Just heard the Ohtani news.
Tell me if I’m right. TJ surgery requires a 12-18 month recovery period. And perhaps that period is less for a designated hitter. In any case, Ohtani will likely be out for a part or all of next year. Seems to me that the equation has changed, and that the Dodgers and other teams are going to have to reevaluate before making any decisions.
With the suspended game resuming today and then a full game to follow………do the Dodgers get an extra player like they would on a traditional doubleheader?
It appears that Shohei Ohtani will need his second Tommy John Surgery.
This changes everything and is exactly why I was fearful of singing him as a two-way player.
FACT: Respect is earned. It is not given.
I am writing this in response to this:
“You might also recall someone suggesting here that Mookie didn’t really deliver “superstar” performance, even though he hit a career-high 35 HRs, deliver gold glove defense, etc etc.”
Anyone who thinks Mookie was delivering “Superstar Performance” in 21 and 22 fails to understand simple math!
2021: .264 BA/.854 OPS – Not Superstar Numbers!
2022: .269 BA/.873 OPS – Not Superstar Number!
2023: .300 BA/.995 OPS – Superstar and MVP Numbers!
In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Mookie played at a Superstar Level. He did not in 2021 and 2022. Quit embarrassing yourself by pretending that he did. In 2021 he had injuries and in 2022, he underperformed! In the 2023 offseason, he did something about it. He trained harder, put on weight, and re-dedicated himself to being the best. Why did he do that? Because he did not perform as a superstar in 21 and 22.
It worked, and he is now AGAIN performing at Superstar Status. I felt that Mookie was better than how he performed in 2021 and 2022. Evidently, he did too. So he changed!
Why is that so difficult to understand?
LATEST NEWS
Aug. 23: RHP Blake Treinen (right shoulder) headed to Triple-A Oklahoma City for rehab assignment; RHP Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgery) still throwing to hitters; RHP Tony Gonsolin’s (right forearm inflammation) MRI pushed back
The day after going to the Arizona Complex League for a rehab assignment, Treinen is headed to Triple-A Oklahoma City for another rehab assignment in the hopes of a September return. Manager Dave Roberts said that he’s still classifying Treinen’s return as a “long shot,” and that he likely won’t be 100% when he returns.
While Treinen moved out of the Arizona Complex League, Roberts said that Buehler will remain in Arizona for the time being, as he’s throwing to hitters but has yet to throw more than an inning.
Gonsolin was scheduled to have an MRI for his right forearm injury on Wednesday, but it was pushed back to later in the week.
Wow, huge Ohtani news. Angels announce Ohtani has torn his UCL and won’t pitch the rest of the season.
In alumni news, Trayce Thompson homered and doubled today to go with a diving web gem. Nice to see
Is the lineup “shorter”?
Heading into the 111-win season, there was a lot of chatter that the Dodgers had one of the greatest, longest lineups ever, with a former MVP batting 8th. But Belli didn’t deliver. He was terrible. And through the first half of 2022, Max, JT and Taylor slumped badly. Somehow that team won 111 games–but in the postseason Trayce Thompson supplanted Cody. (You might also recall someone suggesting here that Mookie didn’t really deliver “superstar” performance, even though he hit a career-high 35 HRs, deliver gold glove defense, etc etc. Yet somehow that team won 111 before collapsing in the postseason.)
The current lineup is certainly much weaker when Smith sits and Barnes plays. Huge drop in offense. And of course JDM is missed. But I’d argue that Outman, Peralta and Heyward are exceeding expectations. On offense, Rojas is what he is.
But I think the perception of imbalance in this lineup also reflects just how spectacular Mookie and Freddie have been at the top. They form one of the best lead-off duos ever. Another factor: the perception that Max is stinking up the batter’s box. But while his average is low, his production is solid, as reflected in HRs, RBIs and runs scored.
Like to get Mark or Bear’s opinion or anyone else. Doesn’t our lineup seem much shorter than in the past couple of years? Especially without Martinez. After our four top players in the lineup the consistency doesn’t seem to be there. Losing the Turner’s Bellinger before he hurt his shoulder, the lineup seem lethal from 1 to at least 8. I don’t know the answer but we could use better and more consistency from Martinez down. It’s real noticeable when they give Smith a breather. Do you guys feel it’s more noticeable this season? I interested in your thoughts.
Learned something on MLB’s Phillies broadcast today. Verducci is Joan Hodges, Gil’s wife, nephew.
Ohtani pulled from his start after 26 pitches. Arm fatigue. If that issue persists, his only value to any team will be as a hitter.
Game is called for tonight rescheduled for tomorrow 9 AM and then tomorrow’s regular scheduled game.
In case you missed it the Giants went through 10 pitchers in today’s game. They basically use a two-man rotation.
https://sports.yahoo.com/webb-and-cobb-and-a-bullpen-mob-is-the-giants-unconventional-pitching-plan-helping-or-hurting-in-nl-wild-card-chase-231710699.html
‘….JT’s done with the glove…’
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8FXEgmj/
Why do we have our RH lineup in against a RHP?
What?? Tarp on the field.??? Means if there is a long delay, Kersh is not coming back out for this one.
Not looking good if the weather radar is correct
A lot of ugly OPS numbers in this Cleveland lineup. Kersh is back livin at 90 mph on his fastball. Hopefully he can build that back up by October.
Is it just me, or does Outman get a bad strike call almost every at bat ?
Usually a back door breaking ball well off the plate.
Well I guess that’s why Kiki is starting over Busch tonight! Does Robert’s get any love when a move works out or just grief when it doesn’t?
Doc will have to come up with some lefty he can trust in higher leverage situations, or not. If he can’t trust any of them, the brain trust needs to find his best RHRP who has the best splits against LHB, at least to pitch out of jams. It’s unconventional but in those situations you go with your best option., even against the book.
Multi inning closers of yesteryear came in and were effective against any hitters, left or right.
LADT complains when Robert’s takes a starter out and similarly complains when he leaves one in.
I just checked Baseball Reference.com. Caleb Ferguson has the highest leverage index in the entire bullpen – higher than Phillips or Graterol.
League average for inherited runners scoring is 32%. For Ferguson it’s 35%. Phillips 11%, Graterol 28%, Almonte 18% (in low leverage work), Brasier 0%, Vesia 33%. There’s a reason that Phillips gets the toughest assignments.
Ferguson’s numbers have taken a significant dive in the 2nd half. His WHIP before the All Star Break was 1.206 – since then it’s 1.977. OPS against was .611 before the break, .856 after. Your eyes do not deceive you – he’s getting beat up lately. August has been the worst – his OPS against is .987 in August – it’s like it’s Mookie or Freddie up there when he’s pitching.
But what choice does Roberts have when he needs a lefty? It’s not like bringing in Vesia or Gonzalez is a better option right now.
I was shocked. I say shocked when Miller came out of the dugout for the 7th. Then when Roberts pulled him with 2 on. That is exactly how old school managers did it for decades.
Unfortunately, the bullpen did not do the job.
Noting the Dodgers are about 4 and a half back of the Braves I would be playing every game to win. Roberts should keep his pitchers on a tight leash. Including the bullpen.
DODGERS MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Dodgers minors: Blake Treinen begins rehab assignment,
Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen pitched in his first game of the season on Tuesday, starting a minor league rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League.
Treinen struck out his first two batters faced and induced a flyout in a perfect first inning against the Cubs at Camelback Rancho. It was the first game for Treinen since undergoing right shoulder surgery in November to repair his labrum and rotator cuff.
Tuesday scores
Albuquerque 9, Oklahoma City 6
Tulsa 7, NW Arkansas 4
Great Lakes 5, Fort Wayne 2
Rancho Cucamonga 10, Lake Elsinore 1
Wednesday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Adolfo Ramirez) vs. Fort Wayne (Henry Baez)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Mike Montgomery) vs. Albuquerque (TBA)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Kendall Williams) at NW Arkansas (Tyson Guerrero)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Jared Karros) vs. Lake Elsinore (Jose Reyes)
7:10 PM ET
Dodgers (76-48)
Guardians (60-66)
SP Clayton Kershaw L
11-4 2.48 ERA
SP Xzavion Curry R
3-1 3.24 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
DH Max Muncy L
LF Chris Taylor R
3B E. Hernandez R
CF James Outman L
2B Amed Rosario R
SS Miguel Rojas R
81° Wind 10 mph Out
Caleb seems to perform better when he gets to start his own inning. When he comes in with men on base he tends to sh*t the bed. Not cut out to be a leverage guy it seems. Thought Doc should have pulled Miller after the 6th.
Syndergaard knows the Dodgers are a great fastball hitting team. So, after giving up three runs in the first three innings, he changed his strategy and began using his off-speed stuff more. Result, less hard-hit balls, more soft contact, and the hitters did not adjust. Muncy hit three balls very hard, not one of them fell for a hit. I felt Miller was done after six. He should not have been sent out for the seventh inning. I trust Ferguson more when he starts an inning than when he comes in with men on. I also think the Dodger catchers, usually Smith, when Miller is pitching, should immediately head out to the mound after he gives up a hard-hit ball or a walk, and get his head back in the game. He seems to lose concentration. The kid has great stuff. He needs to have a tougher mentality set. Shelby Miller could be back soon. Treinen might even make it back. But if they do not, I trust Vesia more than I do Ferguson. I think the reason Gonzalez has not been very efficient or effective is simply because he is not pitching much. 38 games left. D-Backs getting hot again. From Cleveland, aka, the mistake by the lake to Beantown next. They need to win four of the next five at least.
Gonzalez was huge for us in 20 and pitched well in some big moments. I still have some hope for him to pull it together this year.
Growing pains for Miller.
ESPN ($$$$) has an look at one aspect of the Dodgers’ hitting program, weighted bats:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/35712396/the-los-angeles-dodgers-offseason-secret-weapon-weighted-bats
* Some losses sting more than others and yesterday’s loss left a bad taste in my mouth solely because we let Syndergaard have a quality start. I thought we’d knock his ass off the mound and run wild. We kinda did. For 3 innings.
* Our top 4 were 5 for 15 but 5 – 9 forgot how to hit with 2 days off. 1 for 21 was a surprise I didn’t expect.
* Like Orel, I thought something special was in store for Bobby Miller. His stuff early, was awesome. Then in the 4th he went from Cy Young to Sayonara. He hasn’t figured out yet how to minimize the causalities and stay away from a big crocked number. He got it back the next 2 innings and went 3 up, 3 down, which was nice to see. I love his stuff and his make up and he’ll figure it out. His line became worse as Ferguson was horseshit.
* Just one of those days and we have had few.
But I thought we would feast off Noah and I’m disappointed that we missed an opportunity.
Let’s hope CK brings it today.
Every time Caleb Ferguson comes in, I get nervous. His lack of consistency is problematic.
I’m sure Michael Busch feels like he’s auditioning for next year. What they need to do in 2024 is give him the opportunity to start and allow him to get comfortable. Maybe then he performs at a high level and earns a starting position. Building confidence is the key and I think he can play, given fair opportunity like the Dodgers accorded Miguel Vargas.
With JD Martinez out the Dodgers need another hitter in the line-up, that’s obvious. Not just a mix and match hitter, but somebody who is in the line-up everyday. Not sure who that would be so I guess it’s a mix and match line-up until Martinez returns.
Love Bobby Miller’s stuff. The more experience, the better he will get. Amazed how many really good young pitchers the Dodgers have in the system.
Since the team went to Guardians as their name, shouldn’t Groot be the mascot? After scoring early, the Dodgers just couldn’t get untracked last night and Thor was better, but not great.
No question Diego Cartaya has had a season to forget, but with a couple of adjustments he should get back on track. I still believe he has big upside.
Happy Kershaw day, lets get a W!!
Nothing to see yesterday except we hit into some bad luck….
Surprised Doc let Bobby go out for the 7th . Even more surprised he let him stay in after he gave up that bullet up the middle after getting the leadoff batter.
Too bad the ball was dropped on that stolen base attempt. Would have been the second out and wiped the bases clean.
At that stage Doc really should have taken Bobby out. Was at 90 plus pitches already and At worst he gets a no decision. Now he got tagged with the loss and a bad feeling despite pitching a very good game overall.
Ferguson is either lights out or he gets hit hard. Young man is very inconsistent still. Bad luck Rojas could not turn that ground ball into an inning ending dp. Game of inches, if the ball comes up a little faster he will turn it probably.
Dodgers need Treinen and Kelly to be available for the playoffs for those high leverage situations.
I would rather have a lockdown RHP than a lefty like Hudson or Ferguson only because they are LH.
Buehler could be the ace in the hole for us. If he is ready to give us 2-3 innings, be it as an opener or somewhere in relief that would be a difference maker.
Young kid dePaula is doing fantastic at RC. Only thing missing is the power but experts say his swing is so good and natural that the power eventually will ccome.
Cartaya this year is boom or bust. 25% of his hits have gone for HRs but his K rate is flat out horrific. Swing is long and vulnerable to high velo.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
I don’t know, this isn’t second-guessing, as soon as Miller gave up that first hit in the 7th I verbally said Roberts should pull him right then. Seemed like the right time to me.