There is a lot to unpack about last night’s game, but to blame Dave Roberts for putting in his closer in the 10th inning is just plain silly. If Blake Treinen did his job, Kenley would not have been needed in the 10th. Before last night’s game, Kenley Jansen had given up 1 run and 2 hits in his 11 appearances in May! Even after last night’s debacle, his ERA for May is 1.50. Now, I get that he is not good at holding runners on 2B and in fact, does not like it when a runner is there, but until last night, he was one of the Top Closers in baseball and the manager HAS to put him in to see if he can handle it. If he continually shows he cannot, then AF will have to get another closer who can (or a co-closer).
Kenley is still a work in progress in that he is no longer a “cutter machine” throwing nothing but cutters. He is still damn good, but walks too many – way too many batters. That comes back to bite you. Can he complete his “re-invention” or is this the “finished product?” I don’t know, but what I do know is that he has looked absolutely filthy at times (most of the time, except for the BB). If he can do it 11 out of 12 times, as he did in May, I guess I can live with an occasional meltdown. BTW, Uceta and White acquitted themselves well last night, and it would have been a different ballgame had Albert put 1 more MPH on that robbed HR.
More troubling to me is Blake Treinen, who look awesome and then suddenly is removed from his body by the invasion of the body snatchers and he pitches like the Cowardly Lion. I guess it is what it is. It is quite common for relief pitchers to have up and down years or even up and down parts of seasons. Craig Kimbrel, who has not been good since 2018, is now “lights out” again. Andrew Friedman has to resources to go out and get him if needed, but that time is not imminent!
When many Dodger fans look at Sheldon Noisy, they see a guy who needs to be back at AAA…. and he probably does, but I also see a guy that I believe will be a solid major league player for years to come. Matt Beaty went back to AAA and came back with a new (or renewed) sense of how to hit. Noisy can play all over and I believe his hit tool will play up, but right about now, he should play every day at AAA.
We know that Zach McKinstry and Cody Bellinger will be back tonight (at least that was the plan). Andrew Friedman seldom listens to me, but here is what I would do for tonight’s game:
- McKinstry and Bellinger replace Neuse and Peters, who are optioned to OKC.
- If Tsutsugo accepts an assignment to AAA, I believe the Dodgers can send him down to work on his swing (correct me if I am wrong). Either that or they can cut bait with him, but I believe he is worth a shot.
- The final move tonight is to call up 29-year-old, Rangel Ravelo, who is hitting .397 (1.240 OPS) at OKC. He has worked his butt off to make himself into a hitter and his RH bat would play well for the Dodgers. He deserves an opportunity and the Dodgers need his bat… or at least they need to see if his bat will play up at the MLB level. He is one of those guys who “got it” later in his career. This is his 12th year in the minors or playing overseas. He has about 85 MLB AB’s and could be a steal. Give him a shot, Andrew!
The Dodgers would have to clear a roster spot to activate Ravelo, since he is not on the 40 man roster. I could see a trade involving Reks or Raley (they are the same guy) to clear a spot!
Injury Updates
- Bazooka Graterol, Scott Alexander, and Jimmy Nelson could be back by next weekend, barring any setbacks as they are all throwing now. Adding those three the bullpen changes a lot!
- Tony Gonsolin is another week to 10 days away, but when he comes back as the 5th starter, the bullpen will be much stronger.
Dodgers Minor League Report
All four teams won last night!
- OKC BOXSCORE – Tony Gonsolin pitched 3.2 innings. Next time they hope he can go 4 or 5 and if so, he will be called up. Nunez got the win, striking out 3 in 1.1 IP and Kevin Quackenbush got his third save and is unscored upon this season. Ravelo, Raley, and Estevez all had 2 hits and Souza, Jr. hit his 2nd HR.
- TULSA BOXSCORE – Donovan Casey played CF (Kendall played RF) and was 4-5 , hitting his first HR. Aaron Noda hit his 7th HR and was 2-4. Mike Busch was 1-3, while Kody Hoese continues to struggle (.158). Andre Jackson started and went 5 innings, allowing 2 Hits and 1 Run to go with 7 K’s.
- GL BOXSCORE – Clayton Beeter started and struck out the side in the first. That was his only inning. 6′ 8″ Cameron Gibbens has a 0.71 ERA and has struck out 27 batters in 12 innings. He looks like a man among boys (Literally). He should move up soon.
- RC BOXSCORE – Jake Vogel was 2-5 with 2 RBI and 2 Runs. He also had a triple. Diego Cartaya looks like he should be at AA or AAA, as he was 2-4.
Discussion (32)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Ozuna was arrested for strangling his wife and throwing her into a wall…..I think this A-Hole is going to get a long suspension at the least, maybe his contract rescinded and jail time to boot. This kind of behavior is totally unacceptable from anyone.
Ozuna arrested in Atlanta on assault and battery charges…family dispute..most likely domestic violence…guess it is a good thing AF did not go after this guy.
You can only plug the holes in the dam with the bullpen so long before things bust wide open. After Urias yesterday,the middle relief couldn’t keep the game close. The bullpen game without a fifth starter is killing us and will eventually hurt the four starters being used every fifth day. Gonsolin maybe the answer, but they have to careful with TB,CK,WB, and JU. Trevor Bauer and Julio Urias were not same pitchers under the present circumstances. I can’t believe we have nobody in the minors or AF could’ve signed a pitcher to get through this rough stretch without a fifth starter. What if Gonsolin sucks when he comes up and starts or gets hurt, what then? The Padres are for real and the Giants will hang around just to make things interesting for them. They love beating us,
Can’t stand Joe Davis and his constant repetition of the same stats every game and Eric Karros’s negative Dodger comments. He pumps up the Giants. You would think he never played for the Dodgers,
From True Blue LA this afternoon:
“Starting pitching has been the thread holding the Dodgers together this season, winding tighter and tighter to keep things together as the layers of depth were eaten away by various injuries. But on Saturday, everything unraveled for Julio Urías in an 11-6 loss to the Giants at Dodger Stadium.”
As I have said, when the Dodgers have won this year it has mostly been on the strength of starting pitching. When they don’t have it they don’t usually win.
Betts hit .230/.340.448 with 2 HR in May.
The combo of Peters, Raley, Neuse, Tsutsugo and Puljos hit .179/.261/.307 in 199 plate appearances, with a 34.7-percent strikeout rate.
The starters have gone 23 – 9 with a 2.65 ERA and a .0880 WHIP with 10.5 K/9 and 5.76 K/BB.
The bullpen has gone 8 – 11 with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.331 WHIP and 9/5 K/9, but 2.11 K/BB.
The bullpen has faced 722 hitters and given up 83 BB; the starters have faced 1128 hitters but only given up 59 BB.
But for the rotation this team is in big trouble.
Bauer, Kershaw and Buehler are 2nd, 3rd and 4th in bWAR. They only play every 5th day. It’s obvious where the strength of this team is right now.
Uceta settled down. That’s something positive.
Unrelated but want to know if I’m going to be able to get into a game to see the Cubs in June. Bought tickets however it looks like I can only get it if I’m vaccinated? And live in California??? Hopefully won’t have any issues.
Looks like BP. Vesia Uceta horrible location. Ugh.
I can’t wait to get some bullpen guys back. Tired of AAA guys.
Tsutsugo needs to go too.
Right down the middle BOOM. Longoria.
Damnit Muncy is a hitting MACHINE.
I’m pretty sure most of us could see that coming
You don’t bring in Vesia in with two men on when you know he’s gonna walk the first man and load the bases
but, but lets talk about potential. Talk all you want about potential and how great Vesia will be once he matures and gets accustomed to the big leagues. Blah blah blah…..dude ain’t ready, and neither is Tsutsugo. Who cares about potential, that’s for the minor leagues, scouts and the FO to figure out. Once you’re in the bigs it’s all about results.
yeah, it’s that damn road team advantage again!
They can’t get urias out because of the bullpen game. He has to give innings. Most teams get a pitcher hurt they call up a pitcher. We don’t have anybody to call up.
San Diego May lose but they come back from 3 down in the ninth. They keep doing things that championship teams do. They do have depth with lamet and clevinger out they just put the next one in. At this point they will be hard to catch.
Urias not on target today…they get one back, he gives up 2.
Doc, get Julio out of there. He has zilch!
Dodgers Injury News: AJ Pollock Heads Out on Minor League Rehab Assignment
by Clint Pasillas
The Dodgers added to the dump of good news on Saturday when it was revealed that outfielder AJ Pollock would be in the lineup for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, an LA minor league affiliate.
The news was actually dropped by the Quakes on Twitter.
Pollock is big in the Inland Empire! https://t.co/Kei3v8A9RK
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) May 29, 2021
Pollock has been out since May 14 after re-aggravating a hamstring strain he suffered in Anaheim against the Angels. Earlier this week, Dave Roberts said he was uncertain of how many at-bats Pollock would need before re-joining the Dodgers. Chances are fair that he can be back with the team before they head out on a 6 game road trip.
On the season, the veteran outfielder has a .277 batting average with 4 home runs and 17 runs batted in over 32 games. When he went down with the injury, he was in the midst of a 7-17 (.412) hot streak with a 1.382 OPS over his last 8 games.
With Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry rejoining the active roster on Saturday, Roberts will need to get a little creative with who the team sends down to create a spot for Pollock. Currently, the Dodgers have been carrying 14 pitchers out of necessity while they play with only a 4-man starting rotation.
Betts isn’t injured, yet he sits again.
Today’s Lineup:
RBI HR SB
M. Muncy2B 44-159 27 11 1 .277
J. Turner3B 49-178 27 9 0 .275
C. BellingerCF 4-19 2 0 0 .211
W. SmithC 36-132 17 5 1 .273
A. Pujols1B 23-116 17 6 1 .198
M. BeatyLF 22-78 22 2 0 .282
Z. McKinstryRF 16-54 14 3 0 .296
J. UriasP 4-20 3 0 0 .200
Dodgers: Dave Roberts Confirms Next Steps for Injured Reliever Jimmy Nelson
by Clint Pasillas
There’s more good news on the health front for your Los Angeles Dodgers. It looks like injured reliever Jimmy Nelson may only miss the minimum 10-days on the injured list. The right-hander hit the IL last week after experiencing forearm soreness following his first start since the 2019 season (albeit as an opener).
He shut down his throwing briefly, but now Dave Roberts laid out what the next week will look like for the reliever. Spoiler, it includes throwing.
Jimmy played catch [on Thursday]. I think he’s planning on getting off a mound on Sunday. And we’ll set up a potential live batting practice on Tuesday, and if that goes well, then hopefully we can activate him on Friday or Saturday.
After a rocky start, Nelson has been a key contributor in the Dodger bullpen. In 16 games, he’s posted a 2.41 ERA with an even better 1.83 FIP over 18.2 innings pitched. While he’s struggled a bit with command (11 walks), his big fastball and curveball have combined to strike out 30 batters.
The Nelson update came on a day where Roberts confirmed the returns of Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry who are both joining the team today as they play game three against the Giants.
They were able to score our two best relievers of the moment, Treinen and Jansen, you just have to take your hat off, today is another story and a new opportunity to win the game, turn the page.
* 2 nights ago Treinen and KJ are the toast of the bullpen. Last night they gave up 5 earned. Just when you think you have this game figured out………..
* My knit-picky take from last night that makes me shout at my TV – Beaty has played in 53 big league games at first. Can somebody coach him up? After fielding a grounder, Do Not transfer the ball to the throwing hand unless he plans to toss to the pitcher covering? Keep the ball in the glove on a 3U. Don’t make an unnecessary transfer. It may sound picky but it pays to eliminate any possibility of a dropped ball during an unnecessary transfer. Little things can matter.
* Wow. Mookie takes a center cut strike 2 and swings and misses a hittable strike 3 in bottom 4. His swing and miss rate last year was extremely low. Now it’s not. He was some sort of factor and had impact almost every game last year whether at bat, base running or defensively. I’m still suspicious that he is injured despite reports he’s not. I may be reading too much into his current play but he also seems to be lacking the passion and joy he displayed in his game. I’m sure he’s pressing but he doesn’t look like the same guy. I can’t wait for him to get it going.
* I liked Jake McGee when he pitched for us. No nonsense country hardball.
* That catch was Tsutsugo highlight of the year.
* Peters, swing the bat. If I had 14 K’s in 26 at bats, I’m not taking a called strike 3. I’m getting a hack in case I run into one.
* Lux has 4 career stolen bases in 83 MLB games. With his speed, thats a crime.
* Posey is a class act. No bat flip, no bullshit. Hit it out and run the bases.
Poor Doc. He keeps trying to put square pegs in round holes. Kelley is a closer only. How about if Doc writes on the blackboard 100 times—
I WILL NOT USE KENLEY TWO DAYS IN A ROW and
I WILL NOT USE KENLEY IN A NON-SAVE SITUATION.
It hasn’t worked in the past, it didn’t work last night and it won’t work in the future.
DODGERS ACTIVATE CODY BELLINGER & ZACK MCKINSTRY
DJ Peters and Sheldon Neuse Optioned to AAA
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated outfielder Cody Bellinger and infielder/outfielder Zack McKinstry from the injured list and optioned outfielder DJ Peters and infielder/outfielder Sheldon Neuse to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Bellinger, 25, missed 46 games after being placed on the injured list on April 9. He played in five rehab games with Oklahoma City, going 4-for-20 with two homers and three RBI in the rehab assignment. Prior to the injury, he appeared in four games for the Dodgers, batting .211 with a double, triple and two RBI. The 2019 National League MVP has been with the Dodgers five seasons, batting a combined .273 with 99 doubles, 123 homers and 320 RBI. The 2017 National League Rookie of the Year was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of Hamilton High School.
McKinstry, 26, was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain on April 23 and missed 33 games. In 17 contests with the Dodgers, he slashed .296/.328/.556 with three homers and 14 RBI. He batted .316 with two doubles and three walks in five rehab games for Oklahoma City. In six minor league seasons in the Dodgers organization, he has hit a combined .271 (336-for-1242) with 30 homers and 149 RBI across five different levels.
Peters, 25, appeared in 18 games for the Dodgers, batting .192 with two doubles, one homer and four RBI. In five minor league seasons, he has hit .269 (463-for-1723) with 92 homers and 272 RBI. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of Western Neveda College.
Neuse, 26, batted .172 with three homers and four RBI in 28 games for the Dodgers. He was acquired from the Oakland Athletics on February 11 in a four-player trade that involved the Dodgers getting Neuse and Gus Varland in exchange for left-handed pitcher Adam Kolarek and minor league outfielder Cody Thomas. Neuse has played in 53 big league games, hitting .211 with four doubles, three homers and 11 RBI.
Read on another site where it is indeed DJ Peters and Sheldon Neuse who have been sent down. Tsutsugo survives round one of the impending moves. Doubt he survives the next wave with Pollock and some RP’s coming back. Going to have to accept a minor league demotion if he wants to stay in blue.
I’d be surprised if they traded or designated a player for Ravelo.
Can anyone go to the 60?
You have the game on the line and you are relying on 2 guys hitting below the Mendoza line? Please. They have played well, but they did not last night. Uceta and White were fine. Tsutsugo could not hit water if he was immersed in it. Neuse may be good at AAA, but he has not impressed me at the plate, but his glove is MLB caliber as long as it stays in the infield. Mookie would have caught that ball. Taking Taylor out was a dumb move. He is one of their more consistent hitters. Walks kill you. And they killed Treinen and Kenley last night. Today is a new day. Belli back. Lets win one for the Bear.
What is wrong with Mookie Betts?
Injury? Funk? Whatever it is, it’s slowing down the Dodger offense.
Just doesn’t seem like he’s seeing the ball well. Roberts says he 85 percent healthy. Not seeing him wince when he swings. He just swings and misses a lot. Maybe he’s pressing.
But we’ve seen this before with other players.
Good to get Bellinger and McKinstry back. Not expecting Cody to be Cody right away, but his defense will help. His place in the line-up will create some chaos and concern for opposing pitchers. Zack can definitely help.
Dodgers sent out tickets for the rest of the season, good to return to some sense of normal. Full capacity again.
Who goes down today? Doc already said it will be two position players.
I think the easy decision is Peters and Nuese since they both have options, but I like Nuese’s three bombs. Since, Pollock, Graterol and Nelson all come back next week, another position player will have to go as well, bringing us to Yoshi inevitable demise.
Between Nuese, Peters and Tsutsugo, I would probably cut bait on Nuese and Tsutsugo first. I like Peters’ defense, baserunning and right handed bat, so I would wait on him until Pollock returns.
I agree with norcaldogerfan on Nuese. He can play below average all over, doesn’t really help us. I’ve seen mess up plays at every position he plays so far. It’s time to send him down. With CT3 and ZMack on the roster, he isn’t needed at all.
I’m dead serious about bringing Ravelo up. He’s played a lot of 3b, 1B, OF in the minors and really hasn’t had that much of look in the majors. The time is now, while he’s hot. Maybe the solution is to tell Fat Albert that he needs a DL stint to send him to the fat farm to lose a little weight. Cut bait on Yoshi or Raley to make room on the 40 man.
Only one problem with today’s post. “Noisy can play all over”…………err maybe not OF. He played that hit by Longoria horribly and as the baseball god seems to do often, a hit ball will always find a poor defensive player at the worst time.
I think we’ll see Peters and maybe Bickford or Uceta sent down buying AF and Doc another week or so to sort out the returns of Bazooka, Alexander, Pollock, Nelson and Gonsolin and what to do with Tsutsugo (who doesn’t look to contribute much)>
What’s wrong with Mookie. Is it a funk or is it an injury? He simply doesn’t look the same right now. The swing appears late (is it the shoulder), is it timing, is it his back? If Mookie could return to form with the additions of Cody, McKinstry and Mad Max the NL should look out because the Dodgers appear ready to explode. The Padres are for real and will be very formidable. The Giants are not for real and will fade.
You jinxed Kenley and Treinen yesterday “Is there a better back-end of a bullpen than Gonzalez, Treinen, and Jansen?”
Bring up Ravelo now while he’s hot! Seriously, the dude is hitting close to 400 and half his hits are extra bases and he has more walks than Ks. Have some balls and make that bold move now.
We win the bullpen game, then lose with Bueller on the bump. Go figure, baseball is weird.
Pujols almost got the job done, just a couple of inches short – That’s what she said!
Cameron Gibbens 27Ks in 12.2! Bring him up!
Today will be like Christmas with Bellinger and McKinstry coming back. Pollock, Brusdar and Nelson are about a week out.
TsuTsuGo needs to tsu tsu go back to the minors and work on that swing / timing. Do it now, or wait until Pollock comes back next week?
Ahh, Memorial Day Weekend. The unofficial start of Summer. Going to the store soon to see what kind of expensive post-covid meat to burn on the grill, or smoker.
I would keep Peters over Tsustugo every day and twice on Sunday. But I get it that Peters needs AB to improve and with the return of Bellinger hw probably wont get it. Last night was a tough L, no way around it. Especially when Treinen and KJ gave up the big runs. They pitched so well the night before and then so them implode the way they did was hard to swallow.
On a side note regarding Tulsa: When will Yadier Alvarez be ready to play ? I always thought he was the best arm talent I ever saw in live action. If he really wants to turn it around by putting his heart into baseball he still could be a major factor down the road.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!