Heartbreak Hairballs at Petco

If the Dodgers had beat the Padres on Sunday, that would have likely crushed the Padres… maybe even ruined their season…and the win was within reach until Kenley Jansen snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. If you are a Padre fan, it was like Kirk Gibson hitting the home run in the 1988 World Series, but if you are a Dodger fan it was worse than death itself! That was a particularly bitter loss.

Let me remind you that I have recently told you a couple if things:

1. That Chris Taylor needed to keep playing to break out of his slump and it would seem that is the case. I am not going to say everything is hunky-dory right now, but he is trending that way. I am not going to rub it in too much, but I should, because some of you were very vociferous in your rants about him. I’ll just say “I hope you learned a lesson.” This is a damn hard game to play and even the good ones can fall flat on their faces… you have to give them time. TIME!
2. I also said that the Dodgers needed to start looking for another closer. Let me clarify: I don’t think that Kenley Jansen should be removed from the closer’s role, but he can no longer close out game-after-game-after-game. I think AF signed Joe Kelly thinking that he could be that guy, but he isn’t even close right now. Pedro Baez is close, but who else do you have to take his place?

I was (WAS) happy with the job Andrew Friedman did with the bullpen in the off-season. While not a huge Joe Kelly fan, I thought he might put up a 3.50 or 4.00 ERA and be a nice piece in the bullpen. I would kill if he could even have a 5.00 ERA now. I also knew that Urias and Stripling would likely be in the pen… at least for a time. Dylan Floro has been solid. I expected more from Scott Alexander and maybe they will get it. Caleb Ferguson will be back at some point and Tony Cingrani is close to a rehab assignment. I also see a lot of ability to grow for Yimi Garcia, but he needs to do it LIKE NOW!

The Dodgers need another bullpen piece who can also close. It’s easy to say “Craig Kimbrel” but it really is not that simple. During the month of May last year, Craig Kimbrel was as bad as Joe Kelly was in April. Alex Cora had a short leash on him the rest of the way. Then, there’s also the contract. On MLB.Radio yesterday the host had talked to Kimbrel’s agent and he is looking for 3 years/$46 million (or thereabouts). I am not sure that is wise on any planet. They flat out said that Kimbrel will not take a half-year deal.

It is also purported by Ken Rosenthal that after the draft, Kimbrel will sign with the Braves, as they are evidently willing to meet his demands. So, it would seem that Kimbrel is unlikely. The Dodgers could do worse than Kenley who has converted 12 of 14 saves and whose ERA sits at 4.67, but they might do better too.

I would have never re-signed Jansen and I was surprised that Andrew Friedman did. He generally doesn’t do that with bullpen assets. Where he has deviated from that plan has been where he has stumbled: Kelly and Jansen. Maybe Kenley should not be used back-to-back-to-back. Maybe it was a simple as having Strip pitch two and end with Baez. I don’t second guess because it’s after the fact and it’s a “guess” but maybe Doc will do that next time.

It wasn’t velocity, Kenley hit 94 MPH multiple times. It was “movement” or control… most likely both. Kenley has never been over 95 MPH since he signed his new deal. Again, he’s still valuable, but he needs a help… preferably a lefty. I think that his ERA will be below 3.00 but he can’t be overworked. His workload will have to diminish. The fact of the matter is that while the Dodgers lead MLB with 22 wins, they should have about 28… if they had a good bullpen.

Andrew is going to have to pull the trigger and get a couple of arms. I still say Joc Pederson will be traded as the Dodgers have plenty of LH candidates for LF: Beaty, Rios, Toles, Verdugo, et al. It makes the most sense and he could bring back a TOP arm. Who that might be, I’ll leave to AC to make the decision. He’s the bullpen master! You have to give up something to get value back. Shane Greene anyone? I doubt the Tigers would want Pederson in that deal… probably prospects.

Minor League Report by Dodger Chatter

Great Lakes Loons 4- Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 1 (Milwaukee)

The Loons came away with a 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon and a three-game sweep of the Timber Rattlers on the heels of their previous three-game sweep of the Beloit Snappers. They have now reeled off a nine-game winning streak, the longest in the Midwest League this season and one of the longest in the country. Good pitching and some power fueled the win.

Zach Willeman made his season debut with the Loons and pitched as expected. He toiled for four innings giving up four hits and no runs while walking two and striking out two. Drew Finley, in his season debut, followed Willeman picking up the win and tossing two innings of shutout ball on two hits while walking two and striking out one. Jasiel Alvino also pitched two innings and made things a bit interesting in the seventh inning but shut the Timber Rattlers down on one run. Nathan Witt earned the save pitching a clean ninth inning with one strikeout.

The power came from Niko Hulsizer and Dan Robinson who both had two hits and a solo home run. James Outman also had two hits, one of them a double.

Following the game the Loons hit the road for a six-game road trip starting against the Kane County Captains on Monday.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes  2 –  San Jose Giants 4

Victor Gonzalez started  for the Quakes and  had another good outing. He pitched 4.1 innings giving up a single run on five hits. He walked one and struck out five. Ryan Mosely followed Gonzalez and had an uncharacteristic outing in two-thirds of an inning allowing an unearned run on one hit, three walks, a wild pitch and a Jeter Downs fielding error. Max Gamboa came on  in the sixth inning and gave up a solo home run to the Giants second baseman, Kyle MacPherson.  Gamboa pitched two innings with all six Giant outs coming as strikeouts, five of them swinging. Jordan Sheffield finished up with one inning in which he allowed one hit, one walk and struck out two.

The Quakes were held to five hits. The only extra-base hits were a double by Devin Mann and a home run by Brandon Montgomery.

Tulsa Drillers 9 –  Corpus Christi Hooks 8 (Houston)

The Drillers played the game as Los Petroleros and the Hooks as Los Raspas. Both teams take part in Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversion which aims to celebrate the local Hispanic communities. Los Petroleros will return to ONEOK Field on August 1-2.

Tulsa had one of those games. They scored nine runs in the first three innings only to hang on for a 9-8 win. Yordy Cabrera went 2.2 innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out two. Relievers Shea Spitzbarth with 2.1 innings pitched and Michael Boyle with three held the Hooks scoreless on one hit. The interesting part came in the top of the ninth inning when Layne Somsen gave up three runs  but did get the final out for the 9-8 win.

On offense the Drillers struck quickly when shortstop Gavin Lux led off with  a home run in the bottom of the first inning. Tulsa did get some easy runs after a single and four consecutive walks brought in two more runs while a Jared Walker single plated runs four and five.

In the bottom of the third inning lightening struck again. DJ Peters hit a lead off home run on the first pitch of the inning. Two more runs scored courtesy of a Hooks error and one more on a Gavin Lux sacrifice fly.

OKC Dodgers 11   –  New Orleans Baby Cakes (Marlins) 9

The Dodgers had one of those games too where they went into the tenth inning after having had a five-run lead. Daniel Corcino started and did not pitch badly. He gave up two runs in 4.2 innings pitched and was followed by Joe Broussard who pitched a solid 1.1 innings without giving up a run. Jaime Shultz had a second consecutive difficult outing giving up three runs without recording an out. Josh Smoker inherited two runners, both of whom scored in addition to one counted to him. Kevin Quackenbush pitched two innings on one hit. Josh Sborz pitched the tenth  and eleventh innings giving up a tying run in the ninth and two in the tenth that did not totally erase the four run lead the Dodgers had built up in the top of the tenth inning.

Offensively the Dodgers had 11 hits, seven of them by Kyle Garlick and Cameron Perkins. Garlick had three two-run home runs among hits four hits while Perkins had two home runs among his three hits. Each had a home run in the top of the eleventh inning.