Instant potatoes, instant coffee, instant whip, instant karma. Everything is instant and pitchers and all baseball players should also be instant. No waiting I tell you: INSTANT!
- David Price should instantly be a lockdown reliever
- Tony Gonsolin should instantly be an awesome #5 starter
- Trevor Bauer should instantly be an Ace and a 2.65 ERA is deplorable
- Cody Bellinger should have instantly hit several 8-run HRs
- Andrew Friedman should instantly trade for a couple of lockdown relievers
- Dave Roberts should instantly never make another decision that doesn’t succeed
- Joe Kelly should have instantly been unhittable after the removal of the large cyst in his shoulder
- AJ Pollock should instantly be relegated to the bench
- Mitch White should never give up a hit or a walk with his stuff
- Phil Bickford should never give up a run
- Noisy and Raley should have instantly hit .300 or better or they are not depth
Players don’t have to work, adjust and hone their craft. They are supposed to be able to show up and pitch a perfect game, hit a home run every at-bat, or strike out the side upon command. No one “grows” into a position – they simply instantly become everything that they can be and exactly what the fans want. [In case you have to have it spelled out, this is dripping with sarcasm].
The game is played by players who all happen to be human. Mookie has not been himself this season (maybe until last night), but we don’t know what is going on in his life. No need to even speculate, but it looks like he has put his Superman cape back on. Growing a team and especially a bullpen is a process, but I like what I am seeing and there are more prospects that could hit the show as well (Bruihl, Pepiot, et al). Injuries are a factor but things are shaping up nicely. Enjoy the ride… if you can. I know some of you just can’t (“Yeah, we beat that team but they are bad.“) Oh well, I enjoy it!
I also find it amusing (and also very sick) that some Dodger fans have such an irrational hatred of Dave Roberts… to the point of where they criticize him about roster moves or other stupid stuff. Stuff he has no control over. It has gotten to the point where I wonder if there is a drug for such irrationality? Dave Roberts has the second-best winning percentage of any manager of all time! Seriously, some of you think EVERYTHING that goes wrong is on Doc. Seek help! Doc ain’t perfect, but he’s pretty damn good! Does he make wrong moves? If a move he makes doesn’t work, then I guess you believe it is all on him. It has nothing to do with a player not executing!
Rants & Raves
- Do you realize that Kenley Jansen has only allowed 9 hits in 27.2 IP? Maybe that mitigates his 19 walks somewhat. 9 hits in almost 28 innings? That is insane! BTW, he is still an elite reliever!
- Let me give you a lesson: If you are going to trade for Giovanny Gallegos you trade Austin Barnes for him. You don’t give up prospects. Barnes could take over for Molina in the future and Ruiz takes over for Barnes. Write this down. Don’t make “dope-fiend moves!” You could also try Raley or Reks or another lower-level prospect. Nothing like Pages, Vargas, or Cartaya! No way! Are you insane?
- Maybe Gavin Lux just needs to hit #2. He has the speed and will see more fastballs if Mookie gets on. It’s a different mindset. Try it… you might like it!
- Kaybear hit his 8th HR in 82 ABs for OKC last night. You can’t just leave him there!
Dodgers Minor League Highlights
I can no longer do this. Not enough time. Sorry.
Discussion (34)
Disagree, not disagreeable
CK is 8-6…..ugh
Well we traded Ellis during the season on Kersh. I would have loved to see Ruiz up there
Interesting decision to send Barnes up when JT was available.
Interesting decision by Barnes to take a swing on that pitch when the Dodgers had the Closer where they wanted him.
You get what u pay for. And this rag tag lineup gets us a zero! And ok I’m taking Bickford’s place on the bus with Raley. Send me down! Amazing what can happen when you throw strikes!
Shut-out lineup
I love Luke Williams! He’s just a baller! If only Kersh could find another couple of mph’s on his fastball!
Souza looks like a keeper. He’s put some good swings on Wheeler tonight unlike most everyone else
In the year of the injury, our depth has been severely tested from the outset. We’ve lost key pieces but so have other teams. It’s a war of attrition and we need to keep bolstering our stock. At the end we’ll still have more than everyone else.
Now please be a savior, Souza.
Tonight’s starters – Kershaw vs. Wheeler
We’re without Muncy, Bellinger, Seager and Turner.
They (with a weaker roster than ours to begin with) are without Harper and Segura, their 2 best hitters.
Logic says the final score should be 1-0 in 12 innings.
The baseball gods, forever laughing at us, will probably produce a 10-8 final score.
Tonight’s winning Lineup
CF Mookie Betts R
SS Gavin Lux L
2B Chris Taylor R
1B Matt Beaty L
LF AJ Pollock R
3B Z. McKinstry L
RF Steven Souza R
C A. Barnes R
P C. Kershaw L
Padres just got swept by the Rockies. They are now 4-13 in their last 17 games. Remember when they were “obviously” better than the Dodgers? We forget how long a season is and how many different chapters there are for each team 🙂
Snell gets shelled again and Pads lose in the ninth . Are we the only team that cant beat him up?
Barnes is a .230 career hitter. But I have seen far worse hitting catchers who were outstanding defensively carve out long careers. Jeff Mathis comes to mind. Barnes is signed through next season. The pitchers love the guy, so not sure he would be a trade chip. I think 2023 will be Ruiz’s first full big league season. He will get some time later this season and for sure in 2022. Especially if the start giving Smith time in the infield. Smith could well back up Turner somewhere down the line. Rios is out until sometime next year so anything is possible. I think AF has some idea’s about adding to the team.
Miguel Vargas has been promoted to Tulsa. Yhostin Chirinos has been assigned to the Loons. Chirinos is 20 out of Valencia, Venezuela.
Barnes is not good enough to keep around as a 3rd catcher on any 26 man roster, DH or not. It seems to me like an optimal time to trade a catcher and I’m sure AF can pick a pocket for a quality reliever, maybe not a big name closer, but someone that’s capable of pitching in high leverage situations.
Ruiz is not the guy to trade for a reliever. He’s the kind of prospect you trade in order to get a big name difference maker type, like the Mookie example above.
If you think that the pitching staff likes him, or he’s a great guy has anything to do with anything, you weren’t paying attention when they traded AJ Ellis. I think Barnes has a better chance of being traded at the deadline than Ruiz, unless we get an offer we can’t refuse.
No brainer that Jones was cut to promote Souza JR, his number was coming soon anyways as Graterol is getting close to returning. SSJ is a an all or nothing type hitter capable of a lot of homers and strikeouts without the walks. Maybe he can crush some lefties and play some D.
Raley in the outfield with that horrible bat, or Beaty in the outfield with that horrible glove? That’s like throwing a knife into the air and trying not to catch it by the sharp side. I agree that Beaty is another trade candidate, but he actually has more value to this team than Barnes. Beaty has a propensity to be a good pinch hitter, especially in the clutch, and can play adequately at first base. If Ruiz is ready, Barnes is very redundant. You trade redundant to improve in other areas.
Raley will go down again in a couple of days when Belli comes off the IL. Maybe sooner when Muncy comes off. He’ll be fighting for a spot on the 40 soon enough. I’m still scratching my head as to why he was recalled instead of giving Recks a shot. I think it’s because he’s on the cut list and they wanted to give him another shot before ultimately having to make that decision.
Price is another trade candidate and a good opportunity to get some money back. But, he’s also insurance in case a starter goes down. I can see a scenario where Price joins the rotation with Urias getting the Maeda treatment to slow his innings count.
This team is so freaking deep and so talented 1-8, it’s going to be tough to improve it at the deadline. Sure, a guy like Kimbrel can improve the pen, the same could be said about Eric’s flavor of the month.
Fat Albert has been a Godsend, a David Freese with more clout. I love how he’s playing, hustling, smiling, having fun and destroying baseballs. I sure hope he can keep this up. But, there’s no denying he wouldn’t benefit by going with a salad once in a while.
IF (and that’s a big if) there is a season next year, there will definitely be a DH in the NL. That means we could have Smith, Barnes and Ruiz all on the same 26 man roster and give both Smith and Ruiz plenty of playing time. Another reason that Kaybear should get some reps at first base and Smith at third base. With each of those guys having a second position plus the DH, that allows us to keep both of them, even if, for whatever reason, Andrew doesn’t want to trade Barnes before his contract is up at the end of next year.
Ruiz is so young and hitting so well right now that I would be very hesitant to trade him before we see what he has at the major league level for a full year. Assuming we get our injured players back, I don’t see what kind of need we have that would be worth trading Ruiz for.
We know that the Dodgers have tried to alter his swing to get more power out of him. They have done that but he still doesn’t strike out. 89 plate appearances, 8 homers, 12 strike outs. Those are excellent numbers in any league.
The kid has future all star written all over him! Ruiz
Mark
The reason why I said Cartaya or Pages or Vargas for Gallegos is because I believe that is what it would take to get the trade done and the trade simulator agrees.
If all it takes is Barnes or Raley or Reks then the trade should be done NOW ASAP.
Some people think the Cardinals will be in the playoff picture at the trade deadline, but I don’t think so (I may be wrong though) and that’s why I brought up Gallegos name. The other reason why I brought up his name is because I am picky when it comes to relievers and I can’t find a reliever I like on a last place/near last place team.
Bluto,
On Ruiz: I am not saying that AF will not trade him, but I certainly would not trade him unless the payback was huge!
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs notes that Ruiz “swings at far too many pitches outside the zone, but he is so often able to get the barrel there that it hasn’t mattered, and he’s a .299 career hitter in spite of this.” He also states that Kaybear has baby soft hands and is a great pitch framer and receiver, is slow to exchange the ball but has a very accurate throw. Those are “fixable” flaws.
He is still only 22… almost 4-years younger than Will Smith. I am of the opinion that Ruiz will ultimately be better than Smith and Smith could move to 2B or 3B. Barnes and Ruiz would be a nice tandem. It won’t happen this year, but it could happen next year.
I am keeping Ruiz.
Plus he is a great kid!
Segura and Harper out with aches and pains. Segura had groin tightness and Harper a stiff back. Have always liked Souza’s bat. I hope he is more successful in LA than he was in AZ.
Nice win although the ending was a bit bizarre. Only the catcher, umpire, hitter and pitcher knew there were 2 strikes on Realmuto. None of the fans knew, and on my TV it showed the count as 3-1 not 2-2. Anyway, nice to see Mookie have a nice game like that. Me, I trade Beaty to an AL team where he can be a DH. He definitely is not a very good outfielder. Taylor I love. The guy just rakes and plays hard. Lux is a work in progress, and I see improvement in most area’s. I still think he takes too many pitches that are right down Broadway without moving his bat. I like Bickford’s grit. The kid settled down after Prior went out there. Nice job by the pen. Urias got jobbed a little because of the errors. But he still has that one inning where he seems to lose his control for a little while and leaves pitches center cut. Kelly is starting to look like the guy who pitched against us in the 2018 series. Dodgers will have to find their hitting shoes today if they want to beat Wheeler. Finally, do not expect much help this year in any form by the D-Backs, they are just a horrible team. They have some talented players, but the vibe in that clubhouse seems to be what can go wrong next. 21 straight road losses Baseball is testing a system in one of the lower leagues where infielders cannot play on the grass, and only 2 infielders allowed on each side of the diamond. I think if this increases the action, MLB will implement it soon. According to the web site, Dodgers are only carrying 4 infielders. 7 are listed as outfielders.
See Phil, Doc is reading up on your posts! When Mookie starts stealing some bases then we’ll know that he’s 100%
All that you say is right but you do not apply it with Gavin Lux, with him you have a very short strap, when he has a bad series then you are trading him. Gavin Lux will be the SS / 2B for the next 10 years.
Another good win last night. It is awesome to be back to real baseball with the house loaded with fans. It seems like we’ve waited for this forever. It seems almost laughable now playing in front of cardboard cutouts and Dieter providing all the crowd noise. It’s been a long journey.
* I hope MLB is researching the reasons behind the spike in soft tissue injuries as diligently as they researched the use of foreign substances by pitchers. The injury deal is bad for the game, in so many ways. I want to see Harper play. I want so see Bellinger and Muncy play. The fans all get cheating when the stars of the game can’t play.
* Smith and Mookie would benefit from ABS. They seem to get more poor strike calls.
* Great aggressive send of CT3 by Dino, bottom 4, on Zack’s double. I also loved the hit & run in the first that led to a run. Putting Lux in motion got him to 3rd on JT’s nice single up the middle. Will got him in with a ground ball. That does is not score a run if Lux wasn’t running. That is how the Skipper can manufacture runs when the players execute! I love aggressive baseball.
* The bullpen, the last 2 nights, has shutout the Phillies, holding them to 2 for 20 w/ RISP. Seriously, Doc sent Bickford (Jeff Spicoli) out there for the 8th in a 1 run game? My mind went into a 2nd guess red alert. Despite 2 walks, the kid struck out 2 and wiggled off the hook. The confidence to go to him after a very poor previous outing, in a higher leverage situation, is what the players like about Doc. He didn’t move the kid to the doghouse. Players appreciate Doc having their backs and sticking with them. Sometimes it fails but Doc wasn’t afraid to take that chance last night.
* Like his signing or not, if you aren’t moved by Alberts “try-factor”, check your pulse. Don’t think the players don’t notice and appreciate the 41 year old’s hustle, knowledge and a million other things he brings to the clubhouse.
Toni Gonsolin is an excellent No.5, only right now he is in spring training mode, in about two or three weeks we will see a more real version of Gonsolin.
Dodgers Select Steven Souza, Designate Nate Jones
By Mark Polishuk | June 16, 2021 at 12:45pm CDT
The Dodgers have selected the contract of outfielder Steven Souza Jr., and designated right-hander Nate Jones in the corresponding move.
More to come…
No Harper or Segura today. Hope they are fine soon, but nice for us not to face them today.
Quick poll:
The odds of Ruiz being traded this year are:
A. 100%
B 99%
C. 98%
D. None of the above
What’s sarcasm?
Everyone above is correct about Lux. He could easily have 1 infield hit a game with the way they shift on him.
More importantly, I was beyond impressed the way Bickford fought back and stopped that potential 8th inning rally. I really hope he grows from this. He has really good stuff, and he could be that random pickup, ala Muncy/CT3 that we stole. And the fact that he was the Giants former #1 pick, and chosen ahead of Buehler, and stunk it up for them, but now is helping us? It’s that much sweeter!
And when are they going to school Lux on stealing a base? Dude is the fastest Dodger from what I hear & watching bears that out.
With Lux’s speed he should try to bunt for base hits against lefties. The lineup is deep enough the Dodgers don’t need everyone to try to hit home runs.
Sometimes I think that Doc reads / posts on this site the way MT defends him. Could it possibly be that the team wins despite his bone-headed moves because they have the deepest, most talented roster? Mattingly had a pretty good winning percentage until he started managing the Marlins. Was he a good manager before, but now he isn’t?
8th inning, walk, SB, walk. Phil Bickford sucks! K, K, Groundout. Nevermind.
Remember when people wanted to cut Joe Kelly? Nice job against the top of the order yesterday.
Some guys look like they need more seasoning but will eventually find it. Lux is / was that guy. Even when he was sucking, you can see the tools. The speed and the athleticism. Raley is not that guy. Even Ray Charles can see that. Change my mind.
Three plus lockdown innings by the pen in a close game last night. The Phillies offense has been pretty good this year. They aren’t bad like the Rockies and D-Backs bad.
Baseball is weird. It sure looked like the Giants would lose and the Padres would win last night. One of the great things about baseball is you’re never really out of it in any given game.
Hey, hey, hey…It’s Faaaat Albert! Nice couple of knocks, but he’s still fat. Did you see him run as fast as he can to get to that pop-up on the infield? I thought I was looking at myself on a treadmill.
So, I guess it was time to put Belli back on the IL. It was retroactive since he’s been on the bench and unused for the last 5 days, he’s eligible to come back for the second game of the Padres series in five days.
Mookie is back! I’ve heard that a few times recently. Is it true this time? Don’t look now, but his OPS is approaching the 1.0 mark in his last 7 games.
I remember someone saying that Barnes should be a trade chip. I remember the same person suggesting an IL stint for him in order to get Ruiz’ bat up here.
Lux will eventually be a top of the order hitter, but I’m not sure that time is now. Remember, he’s a rookie for all intents and purposes having missed the cutoff by just 8 ABs this year.
7-1 in their last 8. What will people complain about today?
I see a little of CT3 in Jacob Amaya’s swing.