I don't drink Kool-Aid
When I read stuff like the Dodgers don’t have the pitching to win or that Tyler Anderson should not even be on the team, or that Muncy and Bellinger should go to OKC, and it is past time for the Dodgers to make changes, I just shake my head and call the perps out. At best, it is…
When I read stuff like the Dodgers don’t have the pitching to win or that Tyler Anderson should not even be on the team, or that Muncy and Bellinger should go to OKC, and it is past time for the Dodgers to make changes, I just shake my head and call the perps out. At best, it is a nonsensical, knee-jerk reaction. At worst, whoever said it, might need to be buried in a shoebox after an enema. Did I say something wrong? Look, I am not passive-aggressive like some who smile in your face but are backstabbers. I say what I mean and mean what I say (at the time). Am I ever wrong? Of course, I am, but I do get my share of “right!” I have no problem saying the same thing to your face that people say behind my back.
I have been doing this blogging thing for over 20 years. I have a pretty good following – some of the biggest Dodger websites get less traffic or about the same amount of traffic that LADT does. I could monetize it with ads, like most other sites and make a few thousand a month, but I don’t. I do it because I like it and I do it for this Dodger community. If you don’t like my style, you can leave and then I’ll leave too. But, if you like different perspective, then drop a comment or two. I love hearing from you.
My first blogging memory was being castigated by Dodger fans who had spent a lot more time following the game than me about Adrian Beltre back in 1997 or 1998. That’s when he was first called up, and I predicted he would be a Hall-of-Famer. I wasn’t wrong. But for years they told me I was.
I called Clayton Kershaw the next Koufax long before he was.
I championed Andrew Friedman when he was hired and was treated like a pariah. There were knock-down drag ’em out fights all the time, but I “got” what Andrew was doing. Most fans didn’t and it was pretty bad in the beginning. They finally came around when there was nothing else for them to do.
I said Cody Bellinger was ready when everyone else said he was a year away.
Ditto on Corey Seager.
Full disclosure: I did predict Andy LaRoche would be an All-Star 3B! (we all make mistakes)
I have never been high on Gavin Lux, but I have tried to be. Right about now, I see potential, but wonder if he will ever harness it. Mike Busch is breathing down his neck. As you already know, Busch was promoted to AAA and hit a HR last night. Will Smith 2.0?
Everyone has the right to an opinion and to express that opinion. I have no problem with that, but when I read irrational, just plain idiotic predictions that the Dodgers are not built to win and all the rest of the drivel, I am not going to stand down. If you are going to comment, just do what Jim Rome say: “have a take and do not suck!”
Every person must choose how much truth they can stand. Some cannot handle the truth. They cannot handle reality. Maybe this is not the site for you. The Dodgers lost four games in a row before winning the past three, and some fans just lost their $hit! In the power ratings, the Dodgers only dropped to #2 in them. They were still #1 in the NL.
The Dodgers have a lot of pitchers on the shelf right about now. Andrew Friedman prepared for that – some will be back. Some won’t. The news about Tommy Kahnle, Blake Treinen and Victor Gonzalez does not sound encouraging. It makes no matter – there are plenty more. Stack ’em deep!
ATTENTION DODGER FANS: This is a damn good team. I would not trade this team for any other team in baseball. The Dodgers prospects of winning are better than 29 other teams. But, they are not perfect. Dave Roberts is not perfect. Andrew Friedman is not perfect. Rob Manfred is perfect: A Perfect A-Hole! Andrew has built a team that will compete for a Championship this year and moving forward. That’s all a fan can ask. Luck, and the Baseball Gods sometimes have a different idea. Deal with it. It doesn’t change a thing!
Dodgers Notes & News
- You cannot use “Hanser Alberto” and “glove” or “defense” in the same sentence. But I love his bat and the dude can pitch (not)!
- Edwin Rios is “demanding” more playing time by shutting his mouth and letting his bat do the talking.
- David Price is back – Let’s hope the Price is Right! We will probably see a couple more moves today, but since Tyler Anderson ate some innings… maybe not.
- No matter how you malign Tyler Anderson, he has been all the Dodgers could have hoped for… and needed as the #5 or #6 starter and swingman… so far!
- I am not happy with Muncy and Bellinger – neither are they, but I would still play the…, for a while. It is not set in stone.
- I wonder why AF DFA’ed Shane Greene – I think someone will pick him up. Probably Farhan!
- Mark Kertenian’s Go Fund Me Account is up to $130K of the $150K neded.
Dodger Minor League Info
- OKC scored 13 runs as Mike Busch made his AAA debut by going 2-5 with a walk and hitting a 2-run HR. Miguel Vargas hit his 5th HR and is hitting .317 with a .932 OPS. Jake Lamb, Kevin Pillar and Eddy Alvarez remain white hot! I would love to see Alvarez! Carson Fulmer continues to shine at the back of the bullpen.
- The Tulsa Driller hit 9 HR after Mike Busch was promoted. Brandon Lewis is waking up (finally) – he hit 2. Pages got his 4th and is also looking good, but Kody Hoese is going crazy. His bat looks lightning quick and he was 4-5 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs. He hit 2 HRs. Can he keep it up?
- The Loons lost but Eddys Leonard continues his roll – 3-4 last night.
- At Rancho, Fresno beat the Quakes, but Cartaya was 1-3 with 22 BB. Luis Rodriguez was also 2-4.
- Goodbye Melvin Jiminez – I think this is the end of the line.
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Discussion (92)
Disagree, not disagreeable
From Mitchell’s Mailbag:
“In my quest to give you a variety of voices to hear from, once again here is a Q&A with Times Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris.
Q: Let’s start with Clayton Kershaw. He is on the IL again, which has become a yearly tradition. With Kershaw and Andrew Heaney out, the fears of a lack of rotation depth are manifesting. Do you foresee a trade for starting pitching at some point, or will the Dodgers just ride this out? And if another pitcher goes down, what happens?
Harris: At some point, a trade for another starting pitcher — especially of top-half-of-the-rotation caliber — could make sense. I’m just not sure it’s right now.
The Dodgers are hopeful that Clayton Kershaw will be back as soon as (or shortly after) his 15-day IL stint is up. He played catch Sunday and is slated for a bullpen on Wednesday, making a quick return seem feasible. Andrew Heaney has also started throwing again and will begin bullpen sessions this week, putting him on track to return sometime in the next month or two (a return date hasn’t been finalized, but he’s moving in the right direction).
As long as neither suffers a setback, the Dodgers know their rotation won’t be limited in the long-term. Because of that, I wouldn’t expect them to be in a rush to force a trade now.
That said, this stretch has revealed the shallow nature of their pitching. Managing absences in May is one thing. But if they have more injury problems later in the season, or in the playoffs, a lack of depth could haunt them.
So yes, at some point, it would certainly behoove them to evaluate trade options (especially since they should have some more financial flexibility from the Trevor Bauer suspension). But unless there is a deal now that they can’t pass up, such a move might make more sense closer to the trade deadline.”
I think that column sums up precisely what I was trying to say regarding Dodgers pitching. Does that mean I’ll be buried in a shoe box along with Mitchell and Harris? Maybe. In the mean time I hope we can just have conversations about the team without being insulted regarding our takes. Also I guess we could have some fun and just make sh*t up. Seems to be a very popular theme around the blogosphere.
Mark, I appreciate what you do. You do a great job getting the conversation started. The reason I was drawn to this site is because you have a no nonsense style and often write about perspective that others don’t. Yeah, sometimes you go out on a limb and you’re right, and other times you swing and miss like Bellinger on a fastball 6 inches off the plate and outside. Overall, your analysis is closer to reality than a lot of guys that get paid for it and you don’t sugarcoat it. I find it refreshing.
Sure, sometimes you throw out your shoulder patting yourself on the back. But, that’s okay too.
When I was watching the last couple of games, I thought that Lux could easily match Turner at shortstop defensively. His bat isn’t there yet, but Busch looks more like Trea Turner’s replacement than Lux’s. Amaya won’t be the shortstop next year, we’ll see what happens after that.
Speaking of Lux’s bat. .258/.342/.351/.693 isn’t half bad. His defense is great when he isn’t having brain farts and he’s coming up with some big hits in crucial situations. He looks pretty good compared to…
Alex Verdugo .213/.252/.323/.575
Enrique Hernandez .180/.253/.278/.532
Keibert Ruiz .262/.316/.346/.662
It was great to see Anderson rebound after pitching batting practice in the first inning. Just what the doctor ordered to rest a weary bullpen.
I remember about a week ago when people were imagining that Betts was still injured.
Cody decided to forget how to hit again and rub his bad luck off on Muncy. Both will eventually go on tares and carry the team at times. Cody is like Kelly Leak in the outfield, so I have a lot more patience realizing that Center Fielders with pop are like unicorns. Muncy, on the other hand, is adequate at best in the field. He needs to hit!
I’m still very excited about Pepiot. The strike throwing will come eventually. It may take a while. But, there’s no denying that his stuff is filthy. No, he is not a reliever.
Another day game today. I do like the day games as it gives a break to the nightly baseball season routine.
Wow, Hoese is coming along in a big way. I don’t know why people are so quick to label guys as a bust. Hearing about Vargas is like watching the news. It’s the same story every day. All he does is hit, hit, hit. He’s a sure thing, as is Busch.
Hopefully the boys in blue bring their brooms today behind Walker.
What is the point of a post like this Mark? You are the one that comes off as a drama queen and someone who is very confrontational in general. I agree with most of what you say about people overreacting but that’s the nature of being a fan. It seems like you post something like this a couple times a season (in between your annual post stating you are done posting).