Enjoy the Ride!
Julio Urias pitched about like I thought he would play in his first game back from the IL. He was rusty and gave up a lot of soft contact in the first inning. The Royals got just one extra-base hit, but Julio was not sharp. That was to be expected. He was using all his pitches…
Julio Urias pitched about like I thought he would play in his first game back from the IL. He was rusty and gave up a lot of soft contact in the first inning. The Royals got just one extra-base hit, but Julio was not sharp. That was to be expected. He was using all his pitches but did not have command of them – kind of like what you would expect for the first game back after a long layoff! His fastball had life and was at 93.6 MPH frequently.
So many knee-jerk reactions yesterday, but one voice of sanity stood out, and that was Bluto:
“What can you do?
After that silly first inning full of weak contact hits, the team played pretty well.
Urias will need some time, but that first inning was almost one you laugh, shrug and move on from.“
–Bluto
Well said! Julio should return to his Cy Young form before too long. It’s all a process. In case you have never seen this game played before, it is a very strange game in that a pitcher can look horrible for a month and then be unhittable for six weeks. It’s a game of ups and downs, highs and lows. The key is not to get too high or too low. “On any given day….” You know the rest. To think that yesterday’s game means that the Dodgers cannot play against the top teams is moronic. All yesterday’s game means is that the Dodgers lost… yesterday.
We were told by Andrew Friedman that this was a “transition year” whereby some rookies would be introduced into the lineup. Some fans think it has been an abject failure and already want to trade Vargas and Cartaya. Many already thought Busch was only a trade chip. Player development is not linear, and it’s just fine that fans have different opinions about players. Many scouts and other baseball people have differing opinions, which is why Andrew Friedman values a multitude of opinions and has many advisors around him. The Dodgers still believe in these players.
The Dodgers have introduced seven (7) rookies into the lineup this year:
- Miguel Vargas
- James Outman
- Michael Busch
- Jonny DeLuca
- Bobby Miller
- Emmet Sheehan
- Nick Robertson
All have excellent potential. All need to improve… and there are more to choose from. We have seen James Outman burst onto the scene and look like Barry Bonds for a month, only to turn into Mario Mendoza for a month, but as the oldest rookie, he is showing the maturity to change and adjust. He is not going to be Barry Bonds, but neither is he going to be Mario Mendoza! I think we will see incremental improvement from him for the rest of the season. If you look at the stats of Busch, Vargas, and DeLuca, you can see that a two-game hot streak would carry them to the same level as Outman.
Will Smith is hitting .154 in his last seven games, while Max Muncy is hitting .181 in his last 30 games, but to think that Muncy is done forgets about his hot streak earlier in the season.
Right about now, the Rotation looks like this:
- Julio Urias
- Clayton Kershaw
- Tony Gonsolin
- Bobby Miller
- Emmet Sheehan
“But Kershaw and Gonsolin are hurt!” Are they? All I know is that they are pitching, and Dustin May will try and come back in July, while Striker Buehler will try and come back in September. If you believe Noah Syndergaard is finished, you could be wrong. I guess we just have to wait and see. Landon Knack went six innings at OKC last night and gave up three hits, 0 Runs, and struck out 7! Alex Vesia closed out the game with two hitless, walkless, shutout innings and struck out 2. Jimmie Nelson’s progress is slower, as he gave up two runs in 1 IP last night.
I think Landon Knack can be outstanding! He is MLB-ready! He might be better than any starter available on the trade market. Andrew Friedman is not panicking, and neither am I. Some of you want Bruce Bochy over Dave Roberts, but let’s not forget that Bochy won two World Series as a Wild Card! Maybe the Dodgers will also get that chance! No Dodger team has ever had a run this good. No Dodger team has ever had a Farm system so deep, and progress is not linear. I think you are in for a fun ride. I am not saying that the Dodgers will not make any trades, but the question is: “DO they need to?”
Feel free to have your own opinions – I do. I will continue to call people morons who deserve it. I call myself that on occasion. Yesterday, a commenter in what can only be characterized as a “hit piece” tried to put me down. He’s entitled to his own opinion, but he did state this:
“Somehow you’ve put together the most interesting Dodger site in spite of yourself.”
–Phillip Raven
Actually, it is calculated. This site was created over 20 years ago, and I vowed that it would not be like any other site. Game recaps are all over the internet. You can read a game recap anywhere. Many people have left this site as they are too thin-skinned to take any pushback. Some have left and taken like-minded posters who sing Kumbaya and affirm each other’s worth. Feel free to go there too. I get weary of this at times, but I am still here, and the way this site is run and the eclectic posters who are here are what make this site what it is: Edgy and unpredictable. Go to the other sites, and you will know what dysfunctional is.
I predicted Bob Melvin would be the first manager fired. I thought even Ray Charles could see that. I will continue to use cliches, and I am an eternal optimist. I do get some inside information (not from my barber) which is sometimes right and sometimes wrong. I get nothing from the Dodgers – not even pressbox seats and I was the first blogger to ever sit in the press box. Since Friedman has arrived, I get ZILCH! It has served me well, and I am the head cheerleader because this is the best time in history to be a Dodger Fan. If I am so horrible, why do people keep coming back? “Because it’s the Best Damn Dodger Blog on the Planet!” Thank you to all the dozens of contributors and thousands of readers. If the rest of you don’t like it… don’t let the doorknob hit you!
— Peace out, which is better than peace off!
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Disagree, not disagreeable
Well at least we can take solace in the fact that we aren’t Mets, Padres or Cardinals fans!
DODGERS PRESS RELEASE
CLAYTON KERSHAW, WILL SMITH NAMED NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STARS
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and catcher Will Smith were named National League All-Stars, joining teammates Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez in the Emerald City who were all voted in as National League starters on Thursday. For the fourth straight season, the Dodgers will have five or more representatives at the game and have the third highest total of players going to Seattle, behind the Atlanta Braves (8) and Texas Rangers (6).
Kershaw, 35, will make his second consecutive and 10th overall trip to the All-Star game, which will tie him with Pee Wee Reese for most appearances in franchise history. The Texas native becomes the 74th player in Major League Baseball history with double digit nods to the All-Star Game and the ninth pitcher ever, joining Warren Spahn (17), Mariano Rivera (13), Tom Seaver (12), Roger Clemons (11), Steve Carlton (10), Whitey Ford (10), Randy Johnson (10) and Juan Marichal (10). In his last start on Tuesday, he earned his National League leading 10th win of the season and his 207th win of his career, which is two away from tying Don Drysdale for second all-time in franchise history (209), with 6.0 scoreless innings on one hit and two strikeouts against the Rockies. On the season, he is 10-4 this season in 16 starts and holds an ERA of 2.55 (27 ER/95.1 IP) with 105 strikeouts against 24 walks. In 16 seasons with Los Angeles, the left-hander has a record of 207-91 with an ERA of 2.48 (738 ER/2676.1 IP), 2,912 strikeouts and a 1.00 WHIP. He is currently 21st all-time on the Major League strikeout list and only needs 88 more to become the 20th player in Major League history with 3,000 strikeouts. Last season, he made his first career All-Star Game start, pitching a scoreless inning in front of his home crowd at Dodger Stadium.
He has made seven Midsummer Classic appearances, and he is 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA (3 ER/7.0 IP) with three walks and five strikeouts.
Smith, 28, who was edged out by Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy in the Phase 2 Fan Vote, will earn his first ever All-Star Game selection as a reserve. In 61 games with the Boys in Blue this season, he is batting .276 with 12 homers and 41 RBI and is among leaders on the team in batting average (2nd), runs (39, T-4th), hits (59, 4th), total bases (106, 4th), home runs (4th) and RBI (41, 5th). Having played in the 2020 World Series and the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Smith will now represent the National League in the Midsummer Classis, ranking among the National League catchers in various categories, including home runs (3rd), RBI (3rd), batting average (2nd), hits (6th), slugging percentage (.495, 2nd) and on-base plus slugging (.892, 2nd). while he leads the league in runs (39), on-base percentage (.396). In his five big league seasons in the Dodgers, Smith has slashed .264/.363/.501 with 72 doubles, 84 homers and 271 RBI in 419 games.
The 93rd Midsummer Classic will be hosted by the Seattle Mariners and played at T-Mobile Park and will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage in the United States. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game, while Univision will provide Spanish language coverage on radio. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.
Good for Smith. Long overdue! Hopefully Kersh is healthy and can start again.
Failed road trip is an understatement! Dodgers were just awful. They need to go into the weak teams home fields and at least take 2 of 3 games. Today’s game was painful to watch. Gonsolin is not right. I don’t think he will make it through the season. Yesterday, Urias looked fat and out of shape. Dodgers need to come home and beat up on the teams coming into Dodger Stadium starting with the Pirates, and go into the All-Star break being confident that they can win the division and go on from there.
Old friend Jo Gray is an all-star
Josiah Gray is the Nat’s representative? Good for him. Having a good year. Had to be somebody, right?
Brent Rooker is repping the A’s. He’s a guy that I used to think the Dodgers should pursue as a righty outfield bat, because he suddenly seemed to unlock his first-round talent. But my son tells me he’s now batting around .240, but with an OPS still around .800…. Who else is out there? (The wildest speculation I’ve read is that the White Sox could put Luis Robert on the market in hopes of a Soto-like return. I sure don’t expect it but if not….hmm.)
I wonder why Jahmai Jones decided to opt out of his contract with the Dodgers. He was playing pretty great at OKC but perhaps he felt the brass wouldn’t give him a fair shot, what with Busch and Yonny preferred.
Haven’t heard what his plans are. I assume he can just sign with another team.
In other news, Ohtani make the all-star game again as both DH and pitcher.
Yeah, I think the Dodgers will be interested.
The Book of Moron has included some fun declarations, such as,,,
–The insistence that Gavin Lux should become the Dodgers centerfielder
–The objection to the liberally used term “superstar” being applied to Mookie Betts, who is now preparing for his 7th all-star game and on pace to slug 44 HR while playing RF, SS and 2B…. which could put him on the path to another MVP.
–The prediction that Miguel Vargas, such a bright and shiny object, would be ROY and eventually win some multiple MVPs. And that his defense is “stellar,” while Dave Roberts summed it up as “OK”.
Clearly, progress is not linear.
Often it isn’t even progress
Jake Lamb was released by the Angles. Rosenthal and Hembree got released too. Evan Phillips belongs on the All-Star roster. Matt Andriese pitched six innings of one run ball last night for OKC. Calhoun had 2 hits and is now up over .300. Busch had a triple and is hitting .317. Ward slugged 2 homers. Feduccia hit his 7th. Meanwhile Austin Barnes continues to hit just a hair above .100. Feduccia is hitting .310. Tulsa plays a doubleheader today because they were rained out yesterday.
Ok The small market teams are playing small ball and doing pretty good, do the Dodgers switch gears from long ball to small ball, we all know the chick’s like HR , but they don’t pay the bills.
OKC are fantasy numbers. No indication for Busch, Vargas and Outman. Heck, let’s bring up someone who isn’t hitting at OKC and try that. Our record today is actually pretty amazing considering how many guys on our roster have had horrific first halves.