It Ain't Over!
Walker Buehler deserved better! He no longer has the ability to put hitters away like he used to, but the Padres dinked and dunked him and the Dodgers’ defense to death in the second inning when they scored six runs. If he was really lucky, he would’ve gotten out of the inning…
Walker Buehler deserved better! He no longer has the ability to put hitters away like he used to, but the Padres dinked and dunked him and the Dodgers’ defense to death in the second inning when they scored six runs. If he was really lucky, he would’ve gotten out of the inning with 1 or 2 runs… but he wasn’t! Tho of the most reliable defensive players for the Dodgers let him down as well. Walker and Dave Roberts had guts… it just wasn’t enough. There are no excuses… it is what it is, and the Dodgers have to win today. PURE AND SIMPLE – WIN AND KEEP PLAYING OR LOSE AND GO HOME! It’s all down to one game.
The Phillies are in the same boat—sinking. Like the Dodgers, they have the ability to come back. Already, Milwaukee has been eliminated, and if the Dodgers and Phillies are eliminated, it means that all the Division Winners are out. But not so fast. It ain’t over. I love Walker’s grit… his stuff is another thing. Today, it will likely be an opener (Ryan Brasier) and Landon Knack. Hopefully, he will bring his A-Game, but the Dodgers are going to have to bring out their big sticks.
If the Dodgers are to continue, Legends will be made in these next two games. That is the beauty of postseason baseball. Mookie showed signs of life. Freddie is playing on one foot, and Rojas is likely done. The only players they could call up are James Outman or Kevin Kiermaier to take Miggy’s place on the roster. That means Edman stays at SS. Next man up!
Shohei summed it all up:
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (63)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Heart of a champion.
That was fun, lets do it all again on Friday night!!!
You start Yama, Jack, or just run the Bullpen game back????
There is a game at Dodger Stadium.
I’ve said what I needed to.
Not sorry.
I agree, Roberts deserves credit; however, Roberts is just a piece of the consortium who established the pitching alignment for this “bullpen game.”
Look at the pitching box score, with the exception of Vesia who threw30 pitches , Roberts kept everyone else to an acceptable pitch count, with the day off tomorrow, they should all be available on Friday, wish all the Doc haters would look behind the scenes and see he has actually grown alot as a manager . Pretty much got all the high leverage guys ready to go if Yamamoto starts out bad . With Mookie getting on track, starting to feel pretty cool about Friday, just gotta solve Darvish somehow.
Well Damn, the offense showed up! Love Taylor to death, but you gotta start Paces on Friday, also make sure Kike is in there! For some reason I just feel better when he is in a playoff lineup, dude is made for it.
Ugh Taylor
How can you not love Max Muncy?
Everyone remember to breathe.
There will be a Game 5!
Cease and Desist!
Unleash the Kracken!
Mookie!!!
Division champ Phillies out
1. This team this year has responded well when they have their backs to the wall.
2. Three division winners are already done and two others (Dodgers and Guardians) are on the brink. This playoff format, for whatever reason, continues to be hard on division winners. We may have the Mets, Tigers, and Royals in championship series. Who had that on their bingo card?
3. Dodger position players as a group are old and not particularly athletic. Can’t help but wonder if that makes them more susceptible to injuries.
4. I think Dodgers need a philosophical change in their organization – win or lose in this series. Interested to hear Mark discuss this after the season. The Padres have a different approach to hitting – more contact, low strikeout totals, less emphasis on lift. The Diamondbacks have prioritized young athletic players with an emphasis on speed. Is it possible the bio mechanical approach to maximizing spin and velocity is contributing to the epidemic of pitching injuries on this team? It is a baseball problem but that problem is an epidemic, so to speak, in the Dodger organization.
5. Dodgers have had success against Cease. The most reliable part of this pitching staff has been their pen. I like their chances tonight. If their offense is as good as we think they will rise to the occasion.
Congrats to the Mets, but I have to say that getting 5 innings, 2-hits, and 1 run from Jose Quintana makes me think something is seriously wrong with how we assemble pitching staffs.
Freeman scratched from the lineup Muncy to 1B Hernandez to 3B Taylor to center
Another division winner finds themselves down 1-2 after Detroit beat Cleveland earlier today 3-0. Go figure!
5 words I can clearly hear ……..It’s time for Dodger baseball. CHEERS.
9:08 PM ET
Dodgers (98-64)
Padres (93-69)
SP Ryan Brasier R ( opener)
1-0 3.54 ERA
SP Dylan Cease R
14-11 3.47 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
3B Max Muncy L
C Will Smith R
2B Gavin Lux L
SS Tommy Edman S
CF E. Hernandez R
68° Wind 6 mph L-R
Will this be the last lineup posting in 2024?
I agree about Van Socyoc and Prior. And if this bullpen game works, keep doing it every game. I bet the bullpen doesn’t give up a six spot before the 3rd. We really need to navigate the first 3 innings a lot better than we are now.
Book em
I haven’t had much to add to the conversation for a while. The Dodgers ended the season with the best record in baseball. Despite all the arms going down.
Kersh
Glasnow
Stone
Bazooka
River
Sheehan
Grove having a disaster of a sophomore season
There was a guy with Buehler on his jersey who made some starts. But it wasn’t the guy we knew before.
We thought we’d get one or both of May/Gonsolin back. We got neither.
We lost Mookie and Max for nearly half the season.
Yet, they managed to have the best record in baseball.
All that said… every season comes to this point.
One game
Great teams find a way to win one game. And when they win that one they find a way to do it one more time. And then one more time. There is no tomorrow. Only today.
This game will have repercussions. Either way. Either it lights a fire in the belly of the clubhouse and puts the team on track to burn through the rest of the NL on the way to the WS or it becomes the catalyst for some major changes.
Like Mark, I’ll save my thoughts on that until it’s relevant.
Right now our boys need to dig deep. Grind. Find a way. Look at two strikes down the middle? Not today. Chase a ball 6 inches off the plate. Not today. Feel the pressure of the moment? Not today. Play baseball without passion? Not today.
Do I have a lot more thoughts regarding the future of the Dodgers? Not today.
There is only today.
The Dodgers rolled the dice on Glasnow and Yamamoto and unfortunately they did not pan out. Those are the 2 frontline pitchers needed to playoffs.
Had the Dodgers acquired Cease, we’d be in better shape, bc it would have blocked the Pads too.
Alanna Rizzo is not happy:
Yesterday, the Glendale Dessert Dogs played their first game and won 15-13.
Of note, Jake Gelof, Sean McLain (Reds SS little brother), and Zyhir Hope all played. We will talk about the AFL in due time.
It all boils down to this:
The Dodgers have the worst team ERA of any team left in the playoffs with a 7.27 ERA in the Division Series. The Phillies are at 6.23 (remember, they were the envy of all the playoff teams because of their great starting pitching?) The Padres are 3rd worst with a 4.50 ERA.
The Dodgers are 6th in OPS with .620, while the Padres are first with a .854 OPS. Now, this is just based on three games, and it could all change tonight and the 5th game, but they’re here because they can’t get anyone out, and all they do is make outs. That’s hyperbole, but not far from the truth.
If it keeps up and the Dodgers lose, I put this squarely on Prior and Van Socyoc!