I am a realist

I do not see the glass as half empty or half full. I see what the glass is: simply a vehicle to show what is inside it. What's inside the glass is sometimes open to interpretation. Here's what I currently see inside the glass:

• Justin Wrobleski is definitely a starting pitcher... moving forward for the Dodgers. However, he has pitched 126 innings this year, after pitching 36 and 67 innings in the past two years, respectively. In the previous two years, he started 8 games (combined). This year, he has started 20 games. He has done an amazing job! I love this guy... BUT, he is gassed mentally and physically. STOP IT! He has given up 19 HRs this year, with 11 in July and August. Put him in the pen and use him for 2 or 3 innings at a time. Damn! Come on, man!

• Everybody hits, or nobody hits. This is maddening!

• I see Kyle Tucker with these splits: 58 HOME GAMES: .196 BA/.576 OPS - 57 AWAY GAMES: .275 BA/.840 OPS - What am I supposed to think but that he wilts in the bright lights of Hollywood? Solution: He sits at home and starts on the road. Call up DePaula in September, but I do think it's more likely the Dodgers will call up Alek Thomas. Tuker has no business playing in Dodger Stadium!

• I see the Dodgers' Closer being given every opportunity to redeem himself and not doing so, and I agree that Doc needs to keep running him out there, at least for a while, but he looks shaky! Here's the hard truth: Edwin Diaz used to touch 101 MPH at times while averaging 98.6 MPH on his fastball. Back in the day, his fastball was in the 98th percentile of all pitchers. His fastball now averages 96.4 MPH, but he no longer has that "extra gear" he once had, and it's now in the 80th percentile! You know that I am a big supporter of Andrew Friedman, but (along with Kyle Tucker) this is another big mistake by Andrew Friedman... It happens to the best of us, but these are big and out of character. Dodgerpatch vehemently said there is no evidence that ownership has pressured Friedman into making deals he might not otherwise make. I disagree - it's all over and there for everyone to see... if you want to see it. They are pushing for a "Three-Peat," and they may get it. Getting it and having made mistakes on Tucker and Diaz may not be mutually exclusive.

• I see Mookie Betts struggling with his offense and repeatedly throwing low. Fortunately, our first basemen are adept at "picking it." Betts needs to get his OPS to .750... and bat 8th or 9th. Batting him 5th is bullshit, but Mookie Betts was not a mistake. AF got his money's worth. We all knew his contract would not age well... they can figure this out!

• This team will look different when Will Smith and Dalton Rushing return. I see Chadwick Tromp is at OKC... AF buys 'em cheap and stacks 'em deep! There is nothing I have read that makes me believe this, except for Dalton Rushing's fiery personality: After PRP and Flexor tendon strengthening exercises, I think he will try to catch toward the end of the season. It's a risk that he will have to decide, but from what I know about him, he's up for it.

• Tyler Glasnow looks to be ready soon... so does Ohtani. Gavin Stone is not far off. This team is loaded with arms. Not to worry about that! Ohtani will not close... unless it's a special situation for lots of reasons... some of which are that it is against the rules.

• Blake Treinen will likely be back next week. No way to know if it's Good Blake or Bad Blake. We shall see...

• Everyone is "gunning" for the Dodgers. They are still the favorites, but a three-peat is incredibly hard.

• I see a team on cruise control. When does Doc "go to the whip?" Soon... Very soon!

• The money is on LA, but it will be hard. Very hard. That said, it is possible. Let's roll!

• According to The Athletic: "The sudden sale of the Los Angeles Lakers has raised questions about whether Mark Walter, the CEO of Guggenheim Partners currently under federal investigation, will shop the Los Angeles Dodgers next. It has also spurred interest in the “key man” clause in star two-way player Shohei Ohtani’s contract, which would allow him to opt out of his deal if Walter or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman left the organization.
  
  But it appears Ohtani plans to stay put, sale or not.
  
  Even if Walter were to sell the Dodgers in the near future, Ohtani is unlikely to exercise his key-man provision and opt out of his contract, according to a league source with knowledge of Ohtani’s and his agents’ thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about it publicly."

Mark Timmons Minor League Report

The Dodgers affiliates went 3-1 on Saturday night, with OKC winning a 1-0 pitching duel, Tulsa taking the only loss, Great Lakes staying hot in the second-half race, and Ontario jumping all over rehabbing Major Leaguer Yusei Kikuchi.

OKC Comets 1 – Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 0

This one belonged to LHSP Cole Irvin.

OKC scored the only run it would need in the 1st inning when RF James Tibbs III delivered a SF. From there, the Comets turned the game over to Irvin and the pitching staff. Albuquerque did not collect its first hit until the 6th inning.

Irvin went 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out eight. He retired 13 consecutive hitters at one point and became the first OKC starting pitcher this season to work into the 7th inning. It was his team-leading ninth quality start, and his ERA dropped to a PCL-best 3.36.

The defensive play of the game came in the 8th. Former Dodger farmhand Drew Avans stole 2B and advanced to 3B on an OKC throwing error. He then tried to score, but SS Alex Freeland threw him out at the plate, preserving the 1-0 lead.

The bullpen finished off the two-hit shutout, OKC's eighth shutout of the season. The Comets have now won 13 of their last 16 games.

• Cole Irvin – 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K

• James Tibbs III – 1-2, RBI, SF; extended his on-base streak to 14 games. During the streak, Tibbs is 21-for-52 (.404) with seven extra-base hits and 16 RBI.

• Ryan Ward – 1-4; extended his hitting streak to eight games. Ward is 14-for-34 (.412) during the streak.

• Alex Freeland – Huge defensive play to cut down the potential tying run at home in the 8th.

BOXSCORE

Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 6 – Tulsa Drillers 2

RHSP Christian Zazueta gave the Drillers four excellent innings, but the Tulsa bullpen could not hold things together.

Zazueta allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out six in 4.0 scoreless innings. He threw 71 pitches. Zazueta and Arkansas starter Ryan Sloan combined for 13 strikeouts through the first four innings.

Once Zazueta left, things went sideways in a hurry.

Arkansas erupted for five runs in the 5th inning, with Boston Smith's grand slam delivering the big blow. Carson Hobbs was charged with the first three runs and took his first loss of the season.

Tulsa's first run came from Joe Vetrano, who launched a 468-foot home run, his eighth of the season. It was Vetrano's second HR in as many nights and his third of the series. That qualifies as a no-doubter with room to spare.

The Drillers added their other run in the 8th when Jake Gelof doubled home Taylor Young. Gelof has now driven in a run in five consecutive games.

• Christian Zazueta – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K

• Joe Vetrano – HR (8), 468 feet; homered for the second consecutive game

• Jake Gelof – RBI double; RBI in five straight games

• Taylor Young – Multi-hit game; his fourth multi-hit effort in his last five games

• Josue De Paula – Multi-hit game; his 35th multi-hit game of the season

• Kole Myers – Multi-hit game

Tulsa remained only one game behind Springfield in the second-half North Division standings because Springfield also lost.

BOXSCORE

Great Lakes Loons 7 – South Bend Cubs (Chicago) 4

The Loons continued their second-half push with another good offensive night, and Emil Morales supplied most of the late damage.

Great Lakes fell behind early, but Gio Cueto put the Loons in front with a two-run HR in the 2nd inning. It was Cueto's third home run in his last four games.

After South Bend tied the game, Nico Perez put Great Lakes back in front with an RBI double in the 3rd.

Then came Morales.

He doubled home a run in the 7th inning and added a two-run single in the 8th, giving him three RBI on the night and providing the insurance runs the Loons needed.

Starter Brooks Auger allowed three runs in 2.1 innings, but the bullpen slammed the door. Joseilyn Gonzalez delivered 3.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts, while Davis Chastain worked out of trouble in the 9th for his sixth save.

• Emil Morales – 3 RBI; RBI double and two-run single

• Gio Cueto – Two-run HR; third HR in his last four games

• Nico Perez – RBI double

• Joseilyn Gonzalez – 3.2 scoreless IP, 5 K

• Davis Chastain – Save (6)

Great Lakes is now 63-46 overall and 27-18 in the second half, tied with West Michigan atop the Midwest League East Division second-half standings.

BOXSCORE

Ontario Tower Buzzers 9 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (LAA) 1

Well, this was fun.

The Quakes had Angels veteran Yusei Kikuchi on the mound for a rehab assignment.

The Tower Buzzers apparently were not impressed.

Ontario scored seven runs in the 1st inning, pounding out six hits and drawing two walks before the inning finally ended.

And Kellon Lindsey had himself a night against the Major League left-hander.

Lindsey tripled and homered off Kikuchi. The triple, his fourth of the season, drove home Eduardo Rojas. Lindsey later took Kikuchi deep for his seventh HR.

Abel Lorenzo also homered, his first of the season, while Joendry Vargas collected an RBI single.

There was another important development on the pitching side. Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen began a rehab assignment with Ontario and looked exactly like you would hope. Treinen worked a perfect 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.

• Kellon Lindsey – Triple (4), HR (7), both against Yusei Kikuchi

• Abel Lorenzo – HR (1)

• Joendry Vargas – RBI single

• Blake Treinen – 1.0 perfect IP, 2 K

• Ontario offense – Seven runs in the 1st inning and nine for the game

The Tower Buzzers improved to 60-53 overall and 27-20 in the second half.

BOXSCORE

Players of the Day

Pitcher of the Day: Cole Irvin
6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K. It is hard to pitch much better than that.

Player of the Day: Kellon Lindsey
A triple and a home run are impressive enough. Doing both against a veteran Major League left-hander with more than 1,500 MLB innings on his résumé makes the night even more interesting.

Honorable Mention: Emil Morales
Three RBI, including two big insurance runs in the 8th, as Great Lakes remained tied for first place in the second-half race.

Dodgers affiliates: 3-1. Not a bad Saturday night down on the farm.