Come on Man!

• Right now, the Padres look better, but of course that can change.
• The Padres have the better bullpen.
• The Padres seem very good defensively.
• The Dodger defense looks shaky, very shaky.
• The Padres’ defense is top of the class, the Dodgers’ defense, not so much. 
• The bullpen will not hold up over 162 games.
• Roberts will wear out the rest of the bullpen.
• Dave Roberts just does what he is told.
• Best BP in baseball? Hardly ……….. KJ can’t go on back-to-back nights, Treinen can’t get people out, Graterol looks horrible, Gonzales doesn’t know where the strike zone is, Price looks done and Nelson should get his DFA tomorrow.

Those are all quotes from this site over the past couple of days. No names will be mentioned to protect the _________________ (you fill in the blank). Most… if not all of that is just silly drivel and knee-jerk reactions. It’s way too early to proclaim that Rios or Beaty is crap. In fact, I am going to address each and every claim above – which are opinions, but opinions based upon a very small sampling. Opinions are also like… well nevermind!

• Right now, the Padres look better, but of course that can change. – Look at the standings. Nuff said!
• The Padres have the better bullpen. – Who decided that? 20+ games into the season and we know?
• The Padres seem very good defensively. – Most errors in MLB! Wrong!
• The Dodger defense looks shaky, very shaky. Your opinion…. not fact!
• The Padres’ defense is top of the class, the Dodgers’ defense, not so much. – Even Ray Charles can see otherwise!
• The bullpen will not hold up over 162 games. – From a person who said the bullpen would not hold up last year.
• Roberts will wear out the rest of the bullpen. – World Champion! Sour grapes!
• Dave Roberts just does what he is told. – So Andrew Friedman is the idiot? The facts say otherwise! Very Weak!
• Best BP in baseball? Hardly ……….. KJ can’t go on back-to-back nights, Treinen can’t get people out, Graterol looks horrible, Gonzales doesn’t know where the strike zone is, Price looks done and Nelson should get his DFA tomorrow. – Yeah, one game proves all that. LOL!

Last night’s game was a great game with two heavyweights going back and forth and it had an ending we did not like. That much is true. The Dodgers are still not hitting on all cylinders. We have some players injured and some out of sync. We have some pitchers learning and adjusting to their new bullpen roles. Yet, the Dodgers are 15-7 and have the largest run differential in baseball. Predictably, many fans are calling for Dave Roberts head on a platter, because of course, when a player (hitter or pitcher) doesn’t execute, we all know it is the managers fault! Somehow it all comes back to the guy who just won a World Championship. WOW!

I was hoping that the Dodgers would have won last night and split the series, but I guess that is too much to hope for. We are 22 games into the season and everything is a small sampling. The bullpen is a work in progress. Jimmy Nelson and David Price are pitching in new roles. The fact that they have not been perfect should not be surprising. It is still early. You can blame it on the bullpen, but the real problem was the hitting… or lack thereof! The Dodgers left a total of 42 runners on base! 42! They should have won the game by 10 runs.

Yes, the Padres won the game and the series, but did you know that they had just one extra-base hit? Tatis’s Home run! There is a degree of luck involved in baseball, which is why you cannot make proclamations after 22 games. As you get to the 50 or 60 game mark, you start to get the picture. Blame it on whatever – Doc, the bullpen, whatever, but the real problem is the lack of timely hitting. Mookie is playing but is not right. Cody is not playing. McKinstry and Lux are injured and CT3 is still dinged. Rios does look lost, but sending him down now may not have the effect you want. Raley and Noisy are green and Beaty is slumping.

This is baseball. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .241 (.634 OPS) and Nolan Arenado is hitting .253 (.739 OPS) for the Cardinals. That proves both of them are bums and their manager is an idiot, using the reasoning many of you are applying to the Dodgers. Liam Hendriks has a 4.82 ERA – send him back to AAA! Alex Colome’s ERA is 5.63 while Rasiel Iglesias is at 6.75 (I did predict that, but it’s early). Craig Kimbrel is lights-out! My guess is that most of that will change. This is baseball. I am sure you have watched it before. Do not take leave of your senses… especially after just 22 games. 5 out of 4 people struggle with math, but I think that means there are 140 games left!

Andrew Friedman is building a bullpen for the playoffs. That bullpen will likely include Tony Gonsolin, maybe Joe Kelly, maybe Mitch White and several others. I saw a lot of good in Jimmy Nelson yesterday. Give him time. Ever Garrett Cleavinger got my attention with his 97 MPH heater. Bullpens take time to build. What looks to be the best today can crumble tomorrow. Watch and see! By the way, I would not be surprised to see Mitch White tonight!

Let’s Dial Down the Chippiness!

Can we agree to disagree without attacking each other? That is not a question. It is an order! Quit trying to “one-up” the other guy! Make your points but keep it civil.

We Have the Technology

So maybe we don’t call all balls and strikes electronically, but what about a half-dozen challenges a game? It’s immediate and does not slow down the pace of play. They could implement it immediately.

Don’t Worry…