It Ain't Over

I’ll deal with whatever happens after it happens. I know the Dodgers could be swept, and most of you think that will happen. I also know that they could win out. It’s hard to hold out that hope right about now, but it is still within the realm of probability. Many Dodger fans are blaming Andrew Friedman, Dave Roberst, Robert Van Socyoc, and anyone else who moves for being down 0-2 to the Diamondbacks. Feel free to blame someone – that is what we do. We attach blame to every damn thing. It’s somebody’s fault! Hang the MF!

By the way, RVS’s star pupil (JDM) is the only Dodger who is hitting. If the Dodgers are going to win Mookie, Freddie, and Max are going to have to hit their way out of the wet paper bag they are in. Someone said they are tired. Hell, they had a week off. They should be fresh as a daisy. You can rest in the offseason. Man up! It’s win or go home.

If life were only that simple! Some morons are saying that Andrew Friedman does not know how to build a pitching staff. There is no dumbass vaccine! Like he should have known that his former 20-game and 17-game winner would pitch like crap and then take it out on his wife. He should have known that Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May were going to have to have their arms surgically repaired and that Ryan Pepiot would miss most of the season with an “oblique injury.” He did build the best bullpen in baseball despite a boatload of injuries. You have to be a lunatic not to understand that when you sign a long-term deal with any starting pitcher, you are playing Russian Roulette. The Mets signed two of the best starters available (Scherzer and Verlander), and how did that end up? Cohen is still choking on the money he had to cough up.

Maybe he should have signed Tyler Anderson again, but the fact of the matter is that if you look at last year’s starting pitcher free agents, most were flat-out busts, including the pitcher formerly known as Thor. Ohtani’s arm already blew out (again). Look at the LIST: Do Sonny Gray (age 34), and Jordon Montgomery (age 31). Marcus Stroman, Alex Wood, et all inspire confidence… right? There are pitchers who have had Tommy John (once, twice, or more) and those who will. The Nats signed Stephen Strasburg for a billion dollars, and he effectively never pitched again, being a boat anchor on the team’s ability to move forward.

I went back and looked at some recent history in the playoffs and World Series. I can see some patterns. It is harder to get to the World Series than ever, but one thing is certain: you have to get out of the Division Series in order to advance. Even Ray Charles can see that!

2014- The last time the Giants won the World Series, they played as a Wild Card, beating the Pirates in a single Wild Card Game. They then beat the Reds three games to two in the NLDS and the Cardinals four games to three before sweeping the World Series. Madison Bumgarner was out of his mind, pitching 53 innings in the playoffs.

2017 – The Astros won the AL Division Series over the Red Sox three games to one. Then they beat the Yankees four games to three and finally beat the Dodgers to win the World Series four games to three. It is established that they cheated in every series along that journey.

2018 – The Red Sox were a juggernaut and played only three teams to win the World Series. They lost just one game in each series. There were rumors of cheating, but nothing was established.

2019 – The Washington Nationals won the World Series. They were the Wild Card and beat Milwaukee in the Wild Card (one game). They then played the Dodgers in the Division Series and beat them three games to two. Next, they swept the Cardinals four straight games and advanced to the World Series which they won four games to three over the Astros. They rode Stephen Strasburg so hard that he has never pitched again.

2020 – The Dodgers won the World Series for the only time in history that a team has had to play four rounds in order to win. There was no Wild Card Game. Instead, it was a three-game series, which the Dodgers won 2-0. They then beat the Padres 3-0 in the Division Series and the Braves 4-3 in the Championship Series. They finally beat the Rays four games to two. Some people think that this was somehow tainted, but the fact of the matter is that with four rounds, it was the most difficult.

2021 – The Braves won the World Series after beating the Brewers three games to one in the NLDS and the Dodgers four games to two in the NLCS. They went on to beat the Astros four games to two in the World Series.

2022 – The Astros won the World Series four games to two, after sweeping the ALDS and the ALCS. What is notable is that they did it with a 39-year-old pitcher and four youngsters. One was 28, another was 27, and two more were 25.

The times, they are a changing. The Wild Card round was initially introduced in 2012 as a single-game playoff between two wild-card teams in each league, with the winner advancing to the Division Series. With the adoption of MLB’s new collective bargaining agreement in November 2011, baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced that a new playoff system would begin within the next two years; the change was ultimately implemented in 2012. Under the format adopted in 2022, the Wild Card game became a “best of three series.” The Division Series is a best of five, with the Championship Series being a best of seven.

As we know, this means that the division winners have up to a week off before having to play a best-of-five series with the Wild Card Winner. The Dodgers came out flat last year against the Padres, and they appear to be doing the same this year… but as we all know, it is not over. Back in the day, a team played the regular season, and then the two League Winners played the World Series. It’s a lot more difficult now with all of the rounds that have to be played. However, none are as difficult as 2020 due to the extra round. Also, remember that the Asstros cheated their ass off in 2017 and stole a title that should have been the Dodgers.

I don’t know who will show up tonight – we know that the Dodgers can hit, but will they? You can talk about the pitching all you want, but with even a little hitting, the series should be 1-1. A lot of you are talking about pitching, but who would you get: Dotel? A lot of you wanted him. How did that work out? The long-term answer is to sign an occasional free agent, make an occasional trade and grow your own, which is exactly what Andrew Friedman is doing.

Next year, Walker Buehler will be back to go with Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, Nick Frasso and others. They do need a lefty, but I doubt Kershaw is the one. You just have to understand that most of the pitchers who will be on the market are ticking arm bombs – Signing a free-agent pitcher is truly a crapshoot!

Arizona Fall League

Yenier Fernandez continues to shine with a .353 BA and a 1.182 OPS. I do not believe he has caught a game as he is playing 2B and SS exclusively. Jake Pilarski pitched an inning yesterday and struck out two while walking none and not allowing a hit. Here’s what MLB says about Fernandez:

An infielder/pitcher on Venezuela’s 2015 Little League World Series team, Fernandez later moved behind the plate and developed into one of the best catchers in the 2019 international class. Signed for $717,500, he had his pro debut delayed a year by the pandemic and came to the United States in 2021, when he hit .355/.414/.488 and reached Single-A at age 18. He had to share time at that level last season with Diego Cartaya and Dalton Rushing, but showed his versatility by playing a nice second base while finishing sixth in the California League batting race at .292. 
Fernandez has an unusual profile for a catcher, with his hitting ability his standout tool and his athleticism outshining his physicality. A right-handed hitter, he recognizes pitches, manages the strike zone and puts the bat on the ball more easily than most players his age. He won’t ever be a slugger, but he did drive the ball in the air more frequently last season and has a quick, compact swing that could translate into 12-15 homers per season if he gets stronger. 
Close to an average runner, Fernandez is quicker than most backstops and moves well behind the plate. He continues to improve his receiving and blocking with experience and his fringy arm strength plays up a tick thanks to his fast release and accuracy. He can develop into an average defender as a catcher and also handles second base well, a la Dodgers backup Austin Barnes, and there are scouts who think Fernandez might have more upside at the latter position.

— MLB.com

More on Trevor Bauer

Finally, Trevor Bauefr has been exonerated! Period. Imagine how the team would look with him as a starter! The media has portrayed him as an asshole, and baseball players are fearful of being associated with him because of how all of this was handled… rather”Mis-handled!” The media mob is very effective at making you believe the narrative they propound. Sometimes it is true, Oft times it is a damned lie! Here’s more video about the scumbag who accused him: