The Dodgers have an embarrassment of pitching as Andrew Friedman has stockpiled an incredible amount of depth at perhaps the most valuable position when it comes to postseason baseball. We’ve all heard the adage, “You can never have too much pitching”. I think Andrew Friedman is trying to prove that adage obsolete. He’s stashing pitching in every possible way. He has up-and-coming guys with minor league options that can be shuttled between the 40-man and active rosters and have reinvented the 60-day IL as a hybrid or extended roster to augment the 40-man.
As a result, there’s a virtual potpourri of Starting Pitching options that would make any GM blush. You could assemble 2 Starting Rotations that would compete with most teams in the league. This isn’t an exaggeration.
Just on the 40-man roster and extended roster that most call the 60-day IL we have…
Danny Duffy, Tony Gonsolin, Michael Grove, Andrew Heaney, Andre Jackson
Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Ryan Pepiot, Julio Urias (Walker Buehler won’t be back this year, and most likely next year, Trevor Bauer still exists and is possibly in play for next season.)
Miller and Stone are ready to be activated at a moment’s notice if it comes to that.
Worried about next year?
Kershaw will most likely be back and can be penciled in for 20 regular season starts and another postseason run.
Bauer is still technically under contract – can they really ban him for 2.5 years?
May, Urias, Gonsolin, and Danny Duffy are all under team control, with Miller, Grove, Jackson (for now), Pepiot, and Stone waiting in the wings.
It’s a ridiculous amount of depth that I don’t think any other team can come close to matching. That doesn’t include a possible return of Heaney or Anderson, although Heaney might need another year to really establish himself for a big payday. Why not return to the team that made you what you are today?
The Bullpen is no different, and there’s a ton of quality from injured former setup guys to guys with great stuff that the pitching gurus have optimized into legitimate weapons. Even the weakest link on the current staff (as of two days ago) is a former first-rounder (10th overall); Phil Bickford has five more years of team control. I certainly wouldn’t want to just DFA a guy with his talent, even if this year’s results are a little worse than expected.
Unfortunately, there’s a roster crunch coming. When a player comes back from the 60-day IL, you need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster and possibly the 26-man active roster (28 in September with a 14 pitcher limit).
Let’s examine the 60-day IL and the pending doom of the roster crunch to see what we could expect the roster to look like as we head into the post-season.
The Magnificent Seven
There are no less than seven very good Major League pitchers that currently reside on the 60-day IL. That’s one shy of an entire bullpen, two more than a five man rotation, or just over half of a regular season staff. Some are out for the season, and not-so-former Ace, Walker Buehler, will be out for next year as well, barring a return for a post-season push.
- Walker Buehler – This one’s easy. He’s not coming back this season, possibly next year, either.
- Daniel Hudson – Also an easy call. He won’t be back this year, but the Dodgers hold a club option for next season.
- Jimmy Nelson – Won’t be back this year unless something really crazy happens. But, like Hudson, the Dodgers hold a club option on him for next season.
- Blake Treinen – He’s just about ready to be activated, barring catastrophe.
- Tommy Kahnle – He’s on a rehab assignment right now and has appeared in three games so far. He’s gotten up to 97, so he’ll most likely be back at some point. I think AF wants to get at least some Return on Investment since he’ll be hitting the free agent market next year.
- Victor Gonzalez – He’s on a rehab assignment right now and is pitching well. This one is a coin flip for me. I think he’s better than Price, but he hasn’t pitched in so long; there’s a lot of risk in cutting a player in order to bring him back. Maybe an option to option, or option someone else.
- Danny Duffy – There’s a chance he comes back as a reliever this season, but probably a better chance he doesn’t come off the IL until the end of the year. Heaney and Anderson fill this same role if Kershaw, May, Gonsolin, and Urias are healthy heading into the postseason. Duffy is set to begin his rehab assignment, so you never know.
In summary, Kahnle and Treinen are sure things, and Duffy and V-Gone have a chance to return, but there’s no pressure on the Dodgers to make sure they do. The fact is they don’t have to activate all the pitchers that are “coming back.” It doesn’t make sense to activate a guy with the risk of shuttling a good pitcher to the minors and DFA someone else. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to get a guy like V-Gone healthy and waiting in the wings in case there’s another injury.
There is a caveat. The maximum rehab assignment for a position player is 20 days, 30 days for a pitcher. This means that Victor Gonzalez will, in fact, have to be activated before the end of the season since his rehab assignment started on August 16th. Ditto for Duffy.
All of this amounts to the fact that 3 DFA’s can be expected in order to get V-Gone, Kahnle, and Treinen back onto the 40-man roster. Three spots will need to open on the active roster as well if you choose to add V-Gone, who can be optioned.
In addition to the 60-Day IL, we also have some pitchers that are on the 15-Day IL. Clayton Kershaw, Yency Almonte, and now, Tony Gonsolin. Yency Almonte hasn’t thrown a bullpen yet, but he’s just 28 years old, is having the best year of his career, and has three more years of team control, so you can bet they’re gonna try to get him back on the active roster at some point and it’s clear he won’t be a DFA candidate. Perhaps he’ll come back after Treinen, Kahnle, and V-Gone complete their tryouts.
So how does all of this shake out for the Active Roster heading into the postseason? First, there will need to be 3 DFAs to get V-Gone, Kahnle, and Treinen back onto the 40-man. There may be a loophole as it pertains to V-Gone and Duffy. If a pitcher suffers a “setback” or new injury, he can be recalled from his rehab assignment, remain inactive for at least seven days, and then start a new rehab assignment. This would take them through the remainder of the season if necessary. As a result, the Dodgers will have 2-4 DFA’s depending on the circumstances.
In addition to DFA’s for the guys coming back for the 60-Day IL, there will also need some space on the active roster (now 28, 14 pitchers). Let’s see how we can make room for six pitchers for 14 spots.
DFA Possibilities…
Eddie Alvarez was the most obvious choice. But, he was prematurely released in a surprise move ahead of the Mets series when they selected Heath Hembree from AAA. Now, that same Heath Hembree will most likely be DFA’d at some point. He is now a coin flip with the next candidate…
Jake Reed is most likely the next in line and another easy choice. In fact, he’s already been DFA’d several times in his career, but surprisingly has two options remaining and is controllable through his age 34 season – 2027.
After that, there are a few guys that are on the fringes of the 40-man roster. They’re somewhere between organization depth and legitimate prospects, but with more players needing to be protected from next year’s Rule-5 draft, they might think one or more are redundant pieces. This group includes Jorbit Vivas, Jacob Amaya, Andre Jackson, and Eddys Leonard. Maybe Amaya is safe since he’s depth at Shortstop with the risk of losing Trea Turner to free agency. Vivas and Leonard seem a little redundant, with Leonard slightly more useful. They recently passed on Andre Jackson in favor of Grove to make a spot start, which might signal his future demise.
Now that we have the DFA’s settled let’s look at the current staff and see how these six pitchers will fit in.
Current Roster and Pending Activations
Starting Pitchers
Tyler Anderson L
Andrew Heaney L
Dustin May R
Julio Urías L
Relief Pitchers
Heath Hembree R
Craig Kimbrel R
Chris Martin R
Evan Phillips R
David Price L
Jake Reed R
Alex Vesia L
Caleb Ferguson L
Brusdar Graterol R
Starting Pitchers
Tony Gonsolin R
Clayton Kershaw L
Relief Pitchers
Blake Treinen R
Tommy Kahnle R
Victor Gonzalez L
Yency Almonte
Danny Duffy L
- Clayton Kershaw will be activated tomorrow, and no roster moves will be needed with the expansion for September Rosters. On the position player side, Miguel Vargas is rumored to be added.
- Blake Treinen will be back over the weekend. Goodbye Heath! It was short but sweet. We’ve seen this kind of move from Andrew Friedman before. Remember when All-Star catcher Travis d’Aurnaud had an AB a couple of years ago?
Gonsolin, V-Gone, and Kahnle are all a coin flip on who’s next… - Tommy Kahnle – The easy call is to DFA Jake Reed and replace him on the roster. But, those years of control and options remaining might give him some life. Regardless, he’s off the active roster and he might slip through waivers this late in the season.
- Tony Gonsolin – Now, it’s downright hard. Gonsolin will be back for sure, but who gets the Axe? Jorbit Vivas is my guess, assuming Reed was already DFA’d. But someone has to go from the Active Roster. My guess is Martin or Graterol gets optioned.
- V-Gone – Doc recently said he’ll be activated at some point. Could it be that Andre Jackson gets the kiss of DFA’s death? On the active roster, Caleb or Vesia might get a rest with an option, kicking the can down the road as far as post-season options are concerned. Do you think they’ll dump Price?
- Danny Duffy – I was shocked to hear he’s starting his rehab assignment. If he uses the whole 30 days, he’s come off for the 5-game series against the Rockies. Do they really want to DFA a player just to find out if Danny can pitch in a couple of games? I’m going to keep Duffy off the roster for this exercise. Barring another injury or someone completely falling off the cliff, I just can’t see him pitching this season unless the Dodgers already know who they’re going to DFA to make room for the next wave of Rule 5 guys.
I really don’t know if Almonte will crack the roster. It sure looks like he’s running out of time on the calendar to start and complete a rehab assignment. I think Almonte is out of options, so the Dodgers would have to option Martin or Graterol in favor of Almonte, and since you already had to option one of them for Gonsolin, both might have to wait it out in the minors until their ticket is punched for the post-season.
This is what the staff will look like when it’s all said and done…
The Final Product
Starting Pitchers
Tyler Anderson L
Andrew Heaney L
Dustin May R
Julio Urías L
Clayton Kershaw L
Tony Gonsolin R
Relief Pitchers
Blake Treinen R
Craig Kimbrel R
Chris Martin R or Almonte R or Brusdar Graterol R
Evan Phillips R
David Price L
Tommy Kahnle R
Alex Vesia L or Caleb Ferguson L
Victor Gonzalez L
Optioned
Brusdar Graterol R and/or Chris Martin R
Either Alex Vesia L or Caleb Ferguson L
Almonte and Duffy are off roster until the very end of the season
All of these pitchers are in play for post-season rosters. If we’re playing a team that’s better against lefties, we have the luxury to stack right-handers and vice versa for a team that crushes righties like the Mets. This pitching staff is going to be a monster for any playoff foe.
Now, I’m really wondering if they’ll dump Kimbrel or Price at some point. But, if you don’t have to, why not carry that depth for the postseason? This is the deepest 40-man roster I can ever remember.
Discussion (33)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Listen Carefully:
The Dodgers have lost Walker Buehler. The Dodgers may have lost Tony Gonsolin.
It makes no difference.
Dustin May is back, and Julio Urias is here.
Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller, and several others could have a say.
This team is too deep. Andrew Friedman has plenty of contingencies.
Oh, and this guy named Kershaw may play a role.
Danny Duffy: Write that one down!
The Dodgers have arms out the Wazzzzzooooo!
I still believe!
Alonso 1-11 for series. He looks baffled at times. Slow bat mojo got him.
If you believe today’s game gives you insight into the playoffs… you are wrong.
You guys worry too damn much about one game. Lets see where things stand in about 4 weeks when the season ends. Anything said now is pure speculation. The offense you are seeing now, and the pitching you are seeing now is not what you will see come playoff time.
Even though Lux screwed it up for Martin and Ferguson, it’s still their job to get out of the inning with no more damage done. Not a knock against those two, but still come playoff time.
Well if that’s our playoff offense there won’t be any parade in LA this November.
So, let’s get to Sugar, then!
Injuries derailed this team last season in the playoffs. It could well happen again. One more thing, in order to beat the best teams, you cannot make mental errors. Lux and Betts both guilty on that fly ball. Ferguson should be out of this inning with no runs. The defense has been a problem on this road trip. The fact that even if they lose this game, which at this point is very likely, they still have a winning trip. But plying this badly going into a stretch where they play the Padres, Giants, then the Padres again over their next 9 games, is not a good idea. Difference in this game, Mets have played clean baseball and capitalized on their opportunity’s.
Is Lux a Mets fan?
That Gavin Lux play was really taxing.
Martin deserved better. I like his stuff out of the BP. Lux needed to make the play on Marte with a little more urgency. Gotta charge that ball rather than playing back and waiting for the nice hop.
Trayce got robbed on a called 3-2 strike by the HP umpire. If he continues this .500+ OBP he will continue to play. I’m starting to dislike the Mets as much as I dislike the Giants and Cardinals.
After first saying that it would not be necessary, it is now being reported that the Catman is going to have his arm looked at. He has not progressed as they would like.
@Eric, as things are shaping out, Urias is not only our ace, but the only capable pitcher going 100 pitches. No way he get used in relief in the playoffs.
Eric – hope you’re wel and enjoying this marvellous season we’re having.
You know a lot more than me about Pitching, but I’ve read with interest that you and others here do not necessarily see Martin on the playoff roster.
I can’t believe the Dodgers traded for him, with the division already in the bag, to then only use him in the regular season.
He throws strikes and doesn’t walk anyone, so I see him as a lock for the post season.
B – nice job today. Enjoyed it.
Clayton looks rusty but good to see CT get a hit. Hopefully it will help his confidence going forward.
To me the best pitching staff for the playoffs if everyone is healthy is:
First, I will list among the starting pitchers who should only start games based on stats and who have the stats to relieve. Then the relievers.
Kershaw (Has the stats to relieve)
Gonsolin (Has the stats to relieve)
Urias (Has the stats to relieve)
May (Only a starter)
Anderson (Only a starter)
Heaney (Only a starter)
Phillips
Treinen
Almonte
Vesia
Ferguson
I’m assuming 13 pitchers in the playoffs, unless I missed a rule change (There’s been many rule changes recently).That’s only 11 pitchers (Remember my two suggested trades). This is where the loss of Buehler hurts and the fact that if he is on, he is an ace starter. I’m not high on Heaney starting and I don’t want him relieving, so maybe he shouldn’t be on the playoff roster at all. But whatever we’ll see.
If possible, I like Urias or Gonsolin as a multi-inning reliever. But only if possible. Remember Urias in 2020 multi-inning relieving.
The others that have pitched this year, as possibilities to fill the remaining playoff spots:
Kimbrel – I love his career stats, but I don’t like his performance this year.
Martin – I don’t like his career stats or his overall stats this year. But he has excelled as a Dodger.
Graterol – I don’t like his career and 2022 stats against LHB, especially career against LHB.
Price – If you look at his overall career stats, there’s nothing special there for a multi-year All Star and Cy Young winner. Anyways, I don’t like his overall performance this year.
The others that have not pitched this year, as possibilities to fill the remaining playoff spots:
Kahnle – Better than average reliever, but nothing special. Similar career splits. If you can’t fill the final spot or two with someone better, Kahnle is useful.
Gonzalez – I don’t like his career stats against RHB. Too little innings pitched in the big leagues, in my opinion.
Duffy – I don’t like his overall career stats and against RHB.
As I said before, Heaney may not be a good choice for a playoff spot, but we’ll see. If Martin continues to excel as a Dodger then I’d probably go with him as one spot filled on the remaining playoff roster, but I wouldn’t be happy about it. Kahnle next, also wouldn’t be happy about it. Maybe Kimbrel will get his act together.
I would not go with Graterol, Price, Gonzalez, Duffy. But we’ll see.
All of this is just my opinion. I’m not saying I’m right or wrong and things can change. Also this is not a guess at what Doc and Friedman will do.
By the way, good article up top BulldogsandPenguins. We just have different philosophies and that is OK.
I wish the Dodgers would give Vargas a shot and put him in LF for a week and see what happens. He can’t do any worse than Taylor, Bellinger or Gallo with the bat. Maybe we strike lightening for the playoffs!
I seen enuf of Timmy.
Mookie takes Diaz deep and they be lookin’ for Doja Cat.
Corny AF:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRPU5x1c/
Kershaw on a pitch count = likely 5 or 5+ innings even though he’s been more cooperative passing the baton but he still is who he is. I expect him to show his greatness and hopefully quiet the so called fans who continue with negative comments. He’s probably the reason so many credit this organization with fixing pitchers careers. The purist Dodger start to finish and still proving what he is. Total respect!
Very much a bummer about Brusdar. He’ll get an MRI tomorrow and we’ll know more after that. With so many options, could it be that we can actually run out of pitching? I think not.
Just some thoughts
1. Gallo is conspicuous by his absence today. I do not see him on the postseason roster. Do not put it past Freidman to turn him into a pitcher.
2. I really think Vargas will make a difference. He might DH. He’s the RH hitter the Dodgers need at times.
3, It Sounds like the Bazooka is “wait until next year”.
4. I stick with Cody in CF for the rest of the season and post-season.
5. In the offseason, the Dodgers will have to decide whether to offer him arbitration or trade for someone like Brian Reynolds.
4:10 PM ET
Dodgers (90-39)
Mets (83-48)
SP Clayton Kershaw L
7-3 2.64 ERA 85.1P 15BB 88K
SP Chris Bassitt R
11-7 3.34 ERA 148.1IP 37BB 139K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Turner R
2B Gavin Lux L
CF T. Thompson R
LF Chris Taylor R
Clear-day
0% Rain
85° Wind 12 mph
Thanks for the catch OldBear. You should edit my articles before they hit the web and save me some embarrassment. 😉
You can add me to the list of Trace promoters, but we’re in postseason tryout mode. Some have a better shot than others at making a postseason roster and rosters will be adjusted series to series depending on the opponent leaving us with exponentially more second-guessing opportunities.
Gallo has a good shot at a left-handed bench piece and defensive replacement if he can hit at all, so I don’t flush him down the toilet just yet.
I think we need to continue rolling CT3 out there at least a few times a week to try to get him right since he’s had a lot of big postseason moments, especially coming off the bench in the past.
We need to find AB’s and defensive innings for Vargas to see if he can Randy Arozarena his way into postseason stardom. Let’s not make any assumptions about his defense until he gets an opportunity to show it to us.
Belli is by far the best defensive Center Fielder on the team. Let him bat last, take a walk, a HBP, or an infield squibber to get on base and possibly steal one or two. Every now and then, he’ll crush a mistake. Give him a couple of days off each week to let him know there’s other options.
Hanser is unfortunately an unneeded spare part at this point. CT3 can do what he does. I’d rather have Vargas right now. If Vargas chokes the rest of the season, the decision is an easy one. If he excels, it’s also an easy one.
If I’m not mistaken, the only reason we even have Bazooka is that the Red Sox wouldn’t take him as part of the Mookie trade (didn’t like his medicals), so in order to make it happen we took Graterol.
Last time on the IL it was a shoulder problem, this time an elbow inflammation. I’m thinking we won’t see him again this year and he’s young enough that maybe someone should be thinking about surgery of some sort.
Maybe Reed is leading a charmed life. All of us figured he’d be the second (after Hembree) to be dfa’d, but other guys keep getting injured. Maybe Reed was just meant to be this post season and will turn into one of the greatest post season stories ever…………………………………..or not.
Graterol back on the IL with an elbow issue.
DODGERS RECALL PHIL BICKFORD
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled right-handed pitcher Phil Bickford and placed right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, retroactive to August 31.
Bickford, 27, returns for his fourth stint with the team and he is 2-1 with a 5.14 ERA (28 ER/49.0 IP) in 51 games for the Dodgers this season. He has been in the Majors parts of three seasons with Milwaukee (2020-2021) and Los Angeles (2021-2022) and he is a combined 6-3 with a 4.26 ERA (48 ER/101.1 IP) and 110 strikeouts against 32 walks in 109 games. He was claimed by the Dodgers last season on May 3 from the Milwaukee Brewers. He was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft out of College of Southern Nevada.
Graterol, 24, returns to the injured list for the second time this season and made four appearances (4.1 IP/0 ER) since returning from the injured list last Monday against Milwaukee. The Venezuelan right-hander has appeared in 41 games for the Dodgers, and he is 2-3 with a 3.02 ERA (15 ER/44.2 IP) and 39 strikeouts. In parts of four seasons with the Dodgers, he is a combined 7-6 with a 3.65 ERA (45 ER/111.0 IP) and 89 strikeouts. He was originally signed as an international free agent out of Calabozo, Venezuela on August 29, 2014 by the Minnesota Twins.
DODGERS ACTIVATE CLAYTON KERSHAW, RECALL MIGUEL VARGAS
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw from the injured list and recalled infielder Miguel Vargas from Triple-A Oklahoma City when the Major League roster expanded to 28.
Kershaw, 34, will make the start this afternoon and returns from the injured list since being placed on August 5 with low back pain. The nine-time All-Star is 10-0 with a 2.19 ERA (24 ER/98.2 IP) and 108 strikeouts in his career against the Mets. On the campaign, he is 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA (25 ER/85.1 IP) and 88 strikeouts in 15 starts. In his Hall of Fame career, he is a combined 192-87 with a 2.49 ERA (704 ER/2540.0 IP) and 2,758 strikeouts in 394 career games. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 First Year Player Draft out of Highland Park High School.
Vargas, 22, returns for his second stint with the club after having his contract selected on August 2. He went 2-for-8 with two RBI in two games for the Dodgers. With Triple-A Oklahoma City, he is hitting .304 with 32 doubles, 17 homers and 82 RBI in 113 games. The Cuban native has been with the Dodgers five minor league seasons, and he has hit a combined .313 (504-for-1612) with 49 homers and 265 RBI in 410 career minor league games. The Dodgers’ Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year in 2021, slashed .319/.380/.526 with 23 homers and 76 RBI in 120 games between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa in 2021. He was originally signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent on September 7, 2017.
First BP old buddy, the final series with Colorado is 6 games not 5. And Y’all are putting the cart before the horse. The Mets have to get there first. Same with the Dodgers. The playoffs are always a crap shoot, and the best team does not always win. How many times since it was installed has the wild card team won? Two of the Giants 3 World Series wins were as the wild card. In the Rockies only World Series appearance, they were the wild card. The Dodger offense, despite the inclusion of 5 hitters at or below the Mendoza line, Muncy, Barnes, Gallo, Bellinger, Taylor. Is still the best offense in the league. Right now, the worst of the lot is Taylor. To quote Lasorda, he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. His confidence has got to be at its lowest point of the year. His K rate has escalated exponentially, and he hasn’t hit a ball on the screws for a hit in days. Bellinger and Gallo, who looked like they had turned a corner on the last homestand, have 2 hits between them on this road trip. One thing about Belli, he has not let his troubles at the plate affect his defense, which is still stellar. One move I make immediately is install Thompson in left every day. Probably will not happen. Gallo has hit Bassitt well. He, Belli and Muncy have all homered against him. Kersh has pitched well at Citi-Field. But he will no doubt be on a pitch count.
I think the Gallo experiment should be concluded. Put Trayce in LF everyday and be done with it. What more does he need to do? As for Gallo being a GG outfielder? Not impressed at all with his defense. Trayce exceeds him in all areas of the game. For the postseason I would let Cody remain the everyday CF. With Gallo and Taylor out of lineup the team should be able to accommodate Cody’s lack of offense. But, who knows. Maybe he will catch fire in the postseason. As for Taylor he has September to get his act together. How can a major league hitter swing and miss so many pitches for such a long period of time? My thinking is that CT3 will be ready for a hot streak come playoff time.
And when he gets hot he can be a monster. The question is if and when might this happen? For this reason I would have Vargas on the postseason roster. He can always DH with Muncy if necessary.
As for which pitchers make the playoff roster will be interesting to watch. Remember the first few years of the AF regime when they failed to put together a decent BP. It probably cost the team a couple of World Series victories. Talk about over compensating. But, a nice problem to have. I agree with B&P that the Dodgers have the personnel to staff two MLB teams right now. What an amazing accomplishment by this front office.
Heading back home after spending a couple of days in San Diego. Beautiful city, but the traffic has become insane like LA. It’s going to be 108 at home. Yikes.
Carry on.
* Awesome game This looked like playoff baseball. It was fun to see 2 pitchers go about their business in 2 completely different ways. deGrom blowing gas from pitch #1 at 101 and Anderson finessing for soft contact. There was a robbed homer and Edwin Diaz looking like his old self.
* You work to keep the game close and get deGrom out of the game. You finally get to their pen but then you get Ottovino and Diaz. You know how teams feel when they face our bullpen. Diaz looks like the Mariner Diaz last night.
* I liked Doc knowing runs would be hard to come by, and put the game in motion, stealing with Trea and Freddie. Good baseball.
* I need to see more out of Gallo very soon. Outman can do what he’s doing at the plate, and we had he and Belli back to back at the bottom again. I’d split these 2 up by playing Thompson actually. I still like Lux in the 9 hole.
Filthy stuff by Diaz. Trea K’d out & missed by about a foot or more low and away. Nasty.
Diaz looks ready.
dodgerram: Max Scherzer post season stats: 128.2 innings, 7-6 record, 3.14 ERA. WHIP 1.1. Certainly good numbers but not great and certainly beatable. Any of our starting pitchers are more than capable of matching (and surpassing) Max’s performance. DeGrom is a different story and will require a great outing by anyone we use against him. Kind of got that last night. Also, DeGrom does lose games.
Once again, Doc gets the blame re usage of Scherzer. He flamed out saying he had a dead arm also and said he was underused. Can’t have it both ways Max. Walker probably starting suffering with the elbow injury towards the end of last year. Remember he wasn’t himself for most of September and into the post season.
Excellent analysis of our pitching situaiton. Nicely done, B&P.
We got a preview of what it will mean to face the Mets come October. Anderson went toe to toe with deGrom but Mets pitching was just too much for our offense. Too many guys who do not hit their weight in the lineup at the same time vs a pitcher like deGrom and Diaz who is the best closer in the game this season.
I really hate to face this Mets team in the postseason.
Dodgers clearly are the best team in the regular season but the playoffs are a different beast and IMHO the Mets are better equipped for the postseason than any other team in MLB with their two aces and that closer. Their offense is just good to score enough runs.
Oh, and Matt, that is not being negaitve or a glass-half -empty view, it is called realism.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Danny Duffy struck out all 3 batters he faced in the 6th inning with AAA Oklahoma City last night.
Cassidy