Tomorrow at about 3 PM EDT, my brother (a Reds fan) and I, along with another US Water Systems employee who is also a Reds fan will pile into the Rocket Ship and head to Cincinnati. It’s an employee entertainment perk, so I can write it off. 😉 I call my Ford F-150 “The Rocket Ship” because it has a 450 HP Raptor Engine and a 10-Speed Transmission. It does the 1/4 Mile at 102 MPH and goes 0-60 in 5.0 seconds. Well, that was before I added the Tune Chip that added an additional 217 HP. It’s a lot faster than that now! 😉 I admit that I am a hot-rodder at heart! But, I have a good Radar Detector!
At any rate, we are headed down I-74 from Indy to Cincy. If I leave at 3 PM, I’ll beat the 5 PM Cincy rush hour traffic and arrive at Great American Ballpark by 5 PM when the gates open, so we can see BP. We are sitting up 8 rows from the field behind the Dodgers Dugout. In LA these seats are Big Bux. I got these three for $202.00 TOTAL!
When we get there, we will have to have a Frisch’s Big Boy. They have two Big Boy Restaurants at the Ballpark and I will fight anyone who doesn’t think these are the best. Well, maybe not anyone.
I might just have to get some Cincinnati-style Skyline Chili. A 5-Way of course:
I am going to get these guys back on track and if I can’t do it, my younger brother who outweighs me by 120 pounds will do it. He is one strong son of a gun. My son is having all four of his wisdom teeth removed tomorrow or he would be going too.
At any rate, I will be there and give Dave Roberts everyone’s well wishes and encourage the team to quit acting like choke artists… and quit hitting Muncy and JT in any Major League Park.
Trayce Thompson
The Dodgers are famous for taking a player like Trayce Thompson who has great athletic ability and does fill the void as a good defensive right-fielder but who cannot jump out of a boat and hit water, and turn them into a .300 hitter. OK, I just made all that up! Lately, the Dodgers have been famous for taking a team that many thought was the best offensive team in baseball into the Little Sisters of the Poor.
By all accounts, Trayce Thompson is a great guy – it’s just that he is one of those AAAA players: Too good for AAA, not good enough for MLB. Trayce has accumulated 640 Plate Appearances in MLB during his career and has an OPS better than Max Muncy, Justin Turner, and Cody Bellinger. Shoot, Doc will probably bat him cleanup. He will fit right in with the Dodgers. Still, at 31 there have been players who suddenly put it all together. Let’s hope and pray that’s what happens with Trayce. Mind you, I am not predicting it… it’s just wishful thinking.
I still say this:
- Fire the hitting coaches
- Call up Miguel Vargas
Do something – even if it’s wrong!
With gas prices the way they are I saw Sammy Hager driving 55.
Dodger Poke Report – 6-20-2022 Editions
I could not get RaC to load! I’ll try later.
Discussion (24)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Great job Mark…..even though Roberts didn’t listen to you regarding Muncy and JT, we still had enough to win easily.
I think I even saw you in one of the highlights that showed all the Dodgers fans standing up behind the dugout.
Too bad you are only going to one game. I’m not sure why you couldn’t stay for the entire series, seeing its a tax write off for you. Oh well, it’s not my business to know.
I hope TraceT surprises us this time around, but like you, I’m not expecting it. Later….
TM
Well, we made it back at 5 minutes to 12:00.
It was a great game. They said there were 18,000 there, but about 5,000 were disguised as empty seats and another 4 or 5,000 wore Blue. I’ll give you the highlights tomorrow. It was great to meet Kevin and his son. I also met quite a few other Dodger fans.
Meant to say unluckiest team ever. ( right after
Oakland )
Guess when we win it’s good luck, and when we lose, more bad luck.
What’s skill got to do with it ?
Why do we have the highest payroll if it’s all luck ?
Dang, Cincinnati has got to be the in luckiest team going.
My son Alex and I were lucky enough to meet Mark and sit next to him and his crew during the game! We are from Gilbert, Arizona and my son and I are on a post-graduation road trip before he gets on with life. It was our first visit to Great American Ball Park… what a great experience! We took Mark’s recommendation and got a Big Boy and a Skyline Coney. The Dodgers didn’t disappoint (tonight at least) and Freddie had a great game. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mark and chatting Dodger baseball with someone else who bleeds blue! Tomorrow we head back to the desert aka the Dodger’s home away from home… (if you have ever been to a Dodger/Diamond Back game in Phoenix you know what I mean… but I will be a faithful LA Dodger Talk follower from now on!
Thanks for binging the good luck Mark. I fully expect you to follow them throughout the road trip at least until your mojo wares off.
Can someone explain to me why McKinisty doesn’t start over Alvarez? What does the latter have to make him better?
Great to see us getting 17 hits, especially with the 9-1-2-3 hitters all bunching them together.
Great win…..but I am really getting excited about the Atlanta series coming up.
TM
And I have to agree with so many here. That Freeman guy is a major disappointment. Why can’t he hit home runs. I’m sick of all the doubles and triples!
Also, Tony Gonsolin is kinda good at the whole pitching stuff.
Worst start of the year. 9 and 0.
Trea, Freeman and Lux.
Let’s be honest about who’s picking up the team.
With Mookie out, these are the guys who grind. Do what has to be done.
Let’s build off that.
Vargas is the most talented bat to ball player in the system. He’s a pure hitter. And he will have power. Which might take a while to develop on the MLB level. But we need hitters. Grinders.
Lux, Trea, Freeman and Vargas.
That should be our first 4. At least until Mook comes back.
Come in AF!
You feed your lions. You beat your horses.
Let’s get the meat out.
AB AVG HR RBI SB OPS
154 .305 17 36 2 1.086
Those are TThompson 2022 AAA stats. Not bad at all.
So …the Dodgers are looking for a right handed bat who plays a decent right field?
SO-TO … SO-TO… SO-TO!
Make the trade happen. Bumsrap can work out the details – though that would mean a four team mega deal to get Joc and Mitch Haniger.
The Dodgers on Monday placed pitcher Caleb Ferguson on the 15-day injured list on Monday with left forearm tendinitis. The move was retroactive to Friday, which means the earliest the left-hander could be activated is July 2.
Ferguson has let to allow a hit in his six appearances with the Dodgers this season, pitching five scoreless innings, though he has walked four and hit a batter. It’s his first time back in the majors since September 2020, after spending a year and a half rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery.
He last pitched last Tuesday against the Angels, retiring both batters he faced to end the seventh inning.
6:40 PM ET
Dodgers (40-25)
Reds (23-43)
SP Tony Gonsolin R
8-0 1.42 ERA 63.1IP 60K
Confirmed Lineup
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
LF Chris Taylor R
CF C. Bellinger L
DH J. Turner R
RF Eddy Alvarez S
2B Gavin Lux L
Clear-day
0% Rain
92° Wind 8 mph R-
Mark,
Did you consider or do you have thoughts about the Ford Maverick?
Max is still batting cleanup today and Alvarez is in RF again. Fun!
I am going to Hotlanta this weekend with my childhood and long time friend.He is a huge Braves fan .. I have been to about 10 games ,one against the Big Red Machine,another against the Astros in the Astrodome.The last Dodger game I attended was was the year I got married .The best thing I ever did.God has blessed us so much and I am not speaking of money.I can’t,wait to see my boys.
Even here in So FL we can get 5 ways. YUM
How about this?
Against LHP:
LF – Alberto
CF – Taylor
RF- Thompson
Against RHP:
LF – Lamb
CF – Bellinger
RF – McKinstry
All or RH Outfield.
Problem solved!
Very underwhelmed by the acquisition of Thompson. Would prefer an outfielder who can actually hit. Trace can field though. I heard the plan was to platoon him with Alvarez. Which means Alvarez would get the bulk of the playing time with most pitchers being RH. Sorry, that won’t work. Alvarez is a nice story, but not a very good MLB player so far.
Now I need to go to Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank today and get that burger, fries, and hot fudge lava cake.
Thats a good ballpark.
Ill be in Atlanta for the weekend series. I’m sure it will be a Zoo, they jacked up prices b/c its Freddie and the Dodgers. Hopefully it inspires our guys to play good ball..
Bring us some wins from Cinnci.
That’s a hell of a truck, Mark! Go and give Doc some hell.
Over here we still have a couple of Bob’s Big Boys. I’m not sure if they’re exactly the same, but it’s worth the drive to Norco to go and get that Big Boy. We used to have one done the street from the house where I grew up. My dad loved hamburgers and that was one of the go to places where we would eat out, which wasn’t very often.
They were trying to re-open one close to where I live now in Huntington Beach, but the city wouldn’t let them put a Big Boy out front so we got a place called Mama’s on 39 instead. It’s an independent and it’s always packed, but I’m not a big fan. I would have rather had the Big Boy.
I hope you save some room for some Skyline Chili at the park. Maybe around the 7th inning.
Enjoy the game Mark. Tell Roberts to stop batting Muncy 4th and maybe not at all .JT needs to take a seat too. Ask him why haven’t they DFA David Price? He is taking up a much needed spot on the now 13 man pitching roster. Also Mark Prior is doing an excellent job as pitching coach, maybe he can take over the duties also as hitting coach too.