How to “Fix” the Dodgers

Step 1: You start out realizing that they do not need to be “fixed.” They may not even need “tweaked.” I think they could stand pat and still win it all… if things go right.

Step 2: Go back and read Step 1!

Now, I am not saying that Andrew Friedman may not make a trade or two. That will depend on whether certain teams make certain players available. However, he will not make a dope-fiend move. Burnes, Ohtani, Arenado, Cease, Bieber, and others are not going to be traded to LA. PERIOD!

The 2021 Braves went from sub .500 to World Champions just by some journeyman trades (Rosario, Duval, et al). The hitting is good… if not great (when everyone is healthy). The Dodgers are TOP 3 in runs scored and first in Home Runs.

Many of you wanted to get rid of David Peralta, and I said to be patient. It has paid off. He is hammering RHP and playing Gold Glove Defense in LF. Someone suggested that he hit against LHP too. NOOOOOOO! He does not historically hit LHP well, and he is 35 years old, so he will be best served not playing every day. LF is in great hands with a platoon of CT3 and David Peralta. Jason Heyward has been solid as a part-time platoon player as well.

Where the Dodgers need to improve is not at Catcher (leave Barnes alone) but rather at positions manned by rookies. This includes Miguel Vargas at 2B, James Outman in CF, and Jonny DeLuca in RF, CF, or LF. If Max Muncy goes on the IL as I anticipate, then Michael Busch, who has been white hot at AAA, will likely get the call. Whenever you have rookies in your starting lineup, you have growing pains. However, what you see now, may not be what you see by the season’s end.

Vargas and Outman both have underperformed… but not by a huge margin. If James Outman could cut down his strikeouts by just 10-15%, he might be OPS’ing near .900. That’s easier said than done, but 80 strikeouts in 192 ABs is not good in any league! He has to stop this downhill spiral. That is a 42% strikeout rate. On the other hand, Miguel Vargas strikes out at a 22% clip but is not aggressive enough. You can see the progress with him, and while I still think he will end up hitting .270+ this year, he will not likely supplant Corbin Carroll as ROY. It would be great if he could! I am not holding my breath!

In the current 2023 Season, hitting has not been the problem. The problem is that the Dodgers team ERA is in the bottom third of the league, but the mantra I am going to continue to pound is BE PATIENT! This, too, shall pass. Lately, the poor pitching has been a team effort – led by a bullpen full of arsonists. It seems like everyone is all over The Bazooka, but his ERA sits at 1.86. Almonte, Vesia, and Scott all have ERA’s over 7.00! It’s very deflating to a team to cough up the lead and lose is an understatement. Vesia and Almonte were lights out last year, and I can speculate what is happening this year, but the fact of the matter is: GET THE JOB DONE OR GO TO OKC! Scott will be gone today.

Daniel Hudson is on the horizon, but this will not fix itself overnight. He will need a few games, I suspect. Bullpen pitchers are very fickle – they are great one year and horrible the next. Maybe some teams are on to the Dodgers’ relievers’ pitch sequences. I don’t know, but just like Tyler Anderson was lights out last year with a 2.57 ERA, this year he sports a 5.80 ERA. Of course, most fans blasted Friedman for not signing him, but I haven’t heard much about that lately. It’s funny how that works!

What do you do? Trade the whole team? ERA does not tell the whole story, but it’s a pretty good indicator of how a pitcher is doing, and these guys are not doing well:

• Caleb Ferguson – 3.75
• Julio Urias – 4.39
• Justin Bruihl – 4.41
• Andre Jackson – 6.62
• Yency Almonte – 6.75
• Alex Vesia – 7.02
• Noah Syndergaard – 7.16
• Phil Bickford – 7.33
• Wander Suero – 8.10
• Michael Grove – 8.28
• Nick Robertson – 9.00
• Tayler Scott – 10.13
• Gavin Stone – 14.40

Not doing well is an understatement – the fact of the matter is they are pitching like chumps. This is an abomination! Mark Prior should have run out to the mound last night, torn their jerseys off of them, and set the jerseys on fire like the arsonists they are! Or maybe, the other teams have figured out the Dodgers’ sequence of pitching! Or maybe they are stealing signs – I have no clue, but something very strange is going on. This was the best pitching staff in baseball last year with a 2.80 ERA, and while some of the pitchers have changed, the roster makeup is not substantially different, but they are 21st in team ERA with a 4.49 ERA! Look at their ERA’s last year:

• Caleb Ferguson – 1.82
• Julio Urias – 2.16
• Justin Bruihl – 3.80
• Andre Jackson – 1.86
• Yency Almonte – 1.02
• Alex Vesia – 2.15
• Phil Bickford – 4.72
• Michael Grove – 4.60

Noah Syndergaard did not pitch for the Dodgers last year, but he joined the Dodgers to improve on his 3.94 ERA and try and get his mojo back. Is Mark Prior suddenly a dumbass? I doubt it! But something is amiss. You can’t trade the whole pitching staff, and I have to believe that this will work itself out… if I live long enough!

The staff is stressed due to injuries to May, Urias, and Gonsolin, needing extra rest.

Speaking of Tony Gonsolin, he has experienced some fatigue… and has not bounced back as fast as usual. That could certainly be a bad sign (or not). In his last start, most of his fastballs were around 91, but I did see one at 93 MPH. I think he is making a conscious effort to trade speed for control. In the past, I have seen the fastball hit 95 or 96. Of course, when he first came up, he could hit triple digits, but he has traded heat for accuracy. If he can pitch six innings every 5th day as he did in his last start, he will be fine, but I am somewhat worried that he is headed for TJ!

Juan Toribio’s game summary was spot on:

Clayton Kershaw, despite not having his best stuff, allowed just two runs over six innings. Austin Barnes and Miguel Rojas showed signs of life offensively. David Peralta and Jason Heyward continued to provide a solid veteran presence in the middle of the lineup. Mookie Betts had another timely hit. 

But as has been the case all season long for the Dodgers, all that good was quickly erased following another bad performance from the bullpen, which allowed six runs over three innings in the 8-4 loss to the White Sox at Dodger Stadium.

“Very deflating. It’s very deflating,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was clearly upset by the team’s bullpen performance this season. “Clayton pitched his ass off [even though he didn’t] have a whole lot as far as stuff. … We took a lead and we gave it away.” 

–Juan Toribio

The hitting is not the problem, and it will get even better… of that, I am certain. Right about now, it is difficult to see how these arsonists can turn it around, but simply put, that is all the Dodgers can do. I have been watching baseball for sixty-plus years, and this is what I know: Nothing is as constant as change. A hitter or pitcher can look totally lost and then suddenly “put it all together.” Even Thor could do that. The Dodgers will make sure his blister is fine and then send him on some rehab starts. It might be August before we see him again. By that time, we may know what will happen with Dustin May. It seems to be there is a 50/50 chance he needs surgery… but stranger things have happened.

Phil Bickford may have been battling back issues all year – can he come back? What about Walker Buehler – he says he will be back in September. J.P. Feyereisen is a high-leverage reliever who, in his three years in MLB has held hitters to a .153 BA! His career ERA is 2.31. Injuries have been the problem. He is progressing, and we shall see. Michael Grove needs to pitch his ass off today, or he is in danger of going back to OKC. Andre Jackson has filthy stuff – kind of like J.P. Feyereisen, but it took J.P. until he was 27 to harness it. Jimmy Nelson is pitching again. Ryan Pepiot should return at some point. Hell, Gavin Stone may turn it around, according to some. It will be a big team lift when Julio makes it back! Then, what about Blake Treinen and Ricky Vanasco? All I can say is either trade the whole pitching staff or this:

Then there are Emmet Sheehan and Nick Frasso… but I am not going there today! Maybe this is the year where the Boys in Blue get into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth and then run the table. You never know in baseball, but I am going to enjoy the ride, and my blood pressure is fine.

I heard that Dalton Rushing was hit really hard with a backswing last night and later stumbled off the field after catching a pop-up. Let’s hope he is OK.