Getting No-Hit May be the Best Thing That has Happened to This Team

Being no-hit in baseball is humbling, humiliating, embarrassing, and in this case, it is a wake-up-call! Bear was right yesterday, these are not the 2020 Dodgers. This version is different from last year. Gone are the “all-or-nothing” bats of Kike and Joc who have been replaced by McKinstry and Lux. That has not been a problem. The problems is that the team has gotten poor production from Betts, Seager and Bellinger. Of course, injuries have been a part of it, but that is no excuse. The mantra is “next-man-up!” The next man up has also not delivered. I happen to think that will change, but change is hard.

This 2021 version of the Dodgers is not the same as the 2020 version – that much is true, but when they are back to full health… which is not far off, last night’s embarrassment could be the impetus to change. We know these guys can hit and score runs – they have done that better than any other NL team. They are #1 in runs scored in the NL. The problem is that some nights, they simply show up and sleepwalk through the game. It’s something you can see or at least “sense.” Last night, I went to bed in the 4th inning (which is about the 5th or 6th time I have done that) because I was certain that they were not going to hit. When I got up today and saw the no-no, I was not surprised.

This problem is not a lack of talent. It’s a lack of resolve. It involves changing your thinking and as a result, your mindset. The Dodgers can put up runs line no other NL team, but it seems like it is feast or famine: Everyone hits or no one hits! These guys have to change their thinking. They have to realize that “I can make a difference in this at-bat” and feel the need to do so. I am not in their heads, but it may involve a change in visualization. Successful athletes in all sports can visualize what happens before it happens and that helps make it happen. 50% of this problem is 80% mental.

Last night’s no-no can be a “stepping stone” or a “stumbling block”. This is the choice the Dodger hitter now face. “you were no-hit… what are you going to do about it?” I say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.” Mookie and JT need to have a “players only” meeting and challenge the entire team to get better. It’s not one big thing… it’s a dozen little things:

• Hitting the other way
• Laying down a bunt when the other team shifts
• Not always trying the pull the ball
• Stealing a base
• Hitting behind the runner
• Threatening to steal to disrupt the pitcher
• Focusing and visualizing what you want to happen

Those things don’t always work, but if they work only 20% of the time, it will impact games. Some have asked why Turner was not playing last night or why Price was pitching. It’s easy to tell you why Price was pitching: BECAUSE HE HAS TO! He is learning a new role in the bullpen and he has to pitch as much as possible if he is going to be a factor down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Why Justin Turner did not play is something we will probably never know, but to somehow put it on Doc is pretty ignorant. He could have felt sick, maybe his knee was tweaked, maybe he was a little tired, or maybe it was his planned day off. We don’t have the inside information, but Dave Roberts does. This team is very, very good, and capable of scoring lots of runs. Witness their 13-2 start. Maybe that start caused this malaise. There is such a thing as a “World Series Hangover.” They have played well in spurts and poorly in other spurts.

Dave Roberts can literally “push the button” and get them to focus and play better, but the key is: DO NOT DO IT TOO SOON. I think it will cure itself. These guys will wake up and win the NL West GOING AWAY! In six games, they will be at the halfway point. This is a horse race and they are almost at that halfway point. They don’t have to do what Calidoscopio did in the Breeders Cup in 2018, when he went from last to first, blowing the entire field away, in what may have been the best horse race ever. The Dodgers are just 4.5 games back. That can be made up in a week!

So, I do not see doom and gloom. I do not think the bullpen is bad and I give little credence to those who only comment when things are not going well. It’s a knee-jerk reaction. This team will get hot down the stretch and win it all, just like Calidoscopio did, because they are thoroughbreds… maybe right about now, they need to act like junkyard dogs!

Tomorrow, we have another real treat from Dodger Chatter. Stay tuned!

Dodger Minor League Player Notes

• Kaybear was 2-3 and walked twice.
• Scott Alexander and the Bazooka each pitched an inning and gave up runs. Alexander is getting close, but they are working with the Bazooka on some new stuff. Bazooka might be down for a while.
• It was good to see Jacob Amaya go 3-4 with a BB. He has been struggling.
• 6′ 7″ Mark Washington continues to dazzle at Tulsa, He is 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. He has a 94-95 MPH fastball, a nice change, and a decent slider. The rap on him in the past is that he walks too many batters. He has solved that problem this year and could move up rapidly. He pitched 1.2 hitless innings last night, striking out 3.
• Brandon Lewis hit his 10th HR of the season at RC. Watch this guy.