El Gasolino: An Explosive Subject
I think it was DodgerRick who coined the moniker El Gasolino in reference to Pedro Baez. He has also been called The Human Rain Delay because an infielder can make a sandwich and drink a beer between pitches. I also call him Dumb because you can t get major league hitters out with a fastball as your only pitch unless you can throw it 120 MPH! The offensive explosion caused by
I think it was DodgerRick who coined the moniker “El Gasolino” in reference to Pedro Baez. He has also been called “The Human Rain Delay” because an infielder can make a sandwich and drink a beer between pitches. I also call him “Dumb” because you can’t get major league hitters out with a fastball as your only pitch unless you can throw it 120 MPH!
The offensive explosion caused by El Gasolino last night is something that is going to occur with great frequency unless and until he learns another pitch (slider, cutter, curve, changeup) and can pick up the pace between pitches. He has a 97-99 MPH fastball and he doesn’t have a clue where it is going when he throws it. He simply cannot put it where he wants and inevitably, in almost every at bat, he lays one right out in a hitter’s wheelhouse.
Pedro Baez CANNOT make this team (write this down, Doc). He needs to go back to Tulsa or OKC and learn another pitch. He should also be forced to wear a “shocking dog collar” and at 20 seconds he starts getting a slight shock until at 30 seconds, it becomes a full blast! A slider or a cutter would help him so much, but if he keeps just throwing the fastball, you are going to see explosion-after-implosion. He HAS to learn a new pitch and pick up his pace. He can’t make the team the way he is. End of story.
Ryu pitches today and after Walker Buehler’s impressive debut last night (2 IP, 1 H, 5 K, 0 BB), it is still within the realm of possibility that Buehler could win the 5th starter’s spot. A lot of it depends upon Ryu, but I don’t think Buehler needs to pitch to any more AAA hitters. After all, that is mostly what he faced last night, and you see how he toyed with them. He needs to pitch against the big boys. These last two and half weeks will tell the tale. His stuff was nothing but electric and has lots of late movement. Really, Ryu should stay in extended spring training or go to the pen.
Walker Buehler is ready! Forget sending him down – the Show is where he needs to be. This isn’t a 19 year-old Clayton Kershaw. Walker is 24 and ready. He was dialing it up around triple digits last night. He could be the third straight Dodger Rookie of the year, with Alex Verdugo winning it in 2019! I’m just not sure the Dodgers can hold Kay Bear off until 2020… Maybe Verdugo and Ruiz are Co-ROY’s in 2019?
Training Camp Notes
- If the Dodgers keep an 8-man bullpen, these are the locks: Kenley Jansen, JT Chargois, Scott Alexander, Tony Cingrani, Adam Liberatore, Ross Stripling. There are just two spots left and I think Josh Fields (who has not pitched so as not to wear him out so quickly) will get one spot. They will try and keep Times New Roman, I mean Font! He is a larger Font… but I digress!
- In the 7th inning last night, Joc Pederson had a nice hit by going with the pitch and hitting it the other way to start the Dodgers rally.
- Take note: Rich Hill usually pitches horrible in Spring Training. He has changed up what he is doing and looks to be in mid-season form after pitching 4 strong innings. I look for him to pitch deeper into games this season with his blister issues evidently in the rear-view mirror.
- I can’t say enough what a special player Kike Hernandez is. He has a flare for the dramatic and just plays wherever you put him. He’s the Dodgers Swiss-Army Knife. I do not understand the disdain some Dodger fans have for him.
- The cuts should start today.
UPDATE:
AC Posted It But Here’s the Non-Spell Checked Version of the First Camp Cuts From Dodger Insider
The first trimming of the roster occurred Saturday night after the game, with the Dodgers optioning INF/OF Tim Locastro, LHP Henry Owens, RHP Dennis Santana and RHP Brock Stewart to Minor League camp.
The club also reassigned the following 16 non-roster invitees to Minor League camp:
- C Keibert Ruiz
- C Shawn Zarraga
- INF Matt Beaty
- INF Drew Jackson
- INF Edwin Rios
- OF Yusniel Diaz
- OF DJ Peters
- OF Henry Ramos
- OF Travis Taijeron
- RHP Zach Neal
- RHP Yaisel Sierra
- RHP Joe Broussard
- RHP Daniel Corcino
- RHP CC Lee
- LHP Brian Moran
- RHP Brian Schlitter
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (45)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I think the thing that keeps Joc in the running for a job in the Dodgers outfield is his prodigious power. My guess is that the Dodgers are reluctant to part with that power as long as they feel he has a decent chance of finally harnessing it. I’ve always been a big Joc fan (probably as much as Bums), and as such I’d love to see him succeed. But with all the talent that the Dodgers have in the outfield, he is going to have to put it together soon, or he will become history, at least Dodgers history.
–
As for Baez, I’ve been a fan of his too. I always remember that he didn’t convert to pitching until 2013. But that was 5 years ago, and it’s time that he came up with a secondary offering or two, to keep my patience from running out. And he’s no longer all that young. He turned 30 today. Happy Birthday Pedro.
I think Joc went the opposite way twice on Friday night. One was caught at the warning track. It appears to me that he’ putting the work in. He just may have to keep putting the work in at AAA until he’s there. I didn’t get to see today’s game, but it appears someone on the opposition got lit up today by the Dodgers hitters.