It All Boils Down to this: Win Today or the Season is Over!

I can’t think of a more repugnant World Series than the Podres and the Astros.

This hurts.

It will be interesting to see how Andrew improves the team. We need a new 3rd baseman and maybe a new shortstop.

Cody Bellinger is and always has been a clutch post season player. Last year he was one of our better offensive players even coming off a poor season. He has gotten numerous big hits in the post seasons past and he should have been in the line up the whole time.

A former ROY and MVP who is just reaching his prime age wise and is STILL recovering from injury has the potential to be that player again. Wanting to get rid of him is just short sighted.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Different cast, same ole story. Starting pitcher pulled during a 5 inning shutout, overused bullpen, platoon disadvantage, and questionable roster decisions. But, how the hell do the bats go so cold?

Rest or rust? What was the need to rest so many position players at the end of the season when you knew there was going to be 5 days off?

The worst move last night was going to Vesia once Almonte settled in. Got to exploit that lefty, lefty matchup. We’ve seen it a thousand times before. And just to add insult to injury, reported miscommunication about Vesia being ready. How does “The Great Communicator” always seem to miscommunicate in the postseason?

Of course, a Dodgers postseason wouldn’t be complete without pulling a starting pitcher too early.

You have to wonder if Belli would have caught one or two of those balls in CF in that fateful inning. With a three-run lead and a cold offense, wouldn’t it be best to have your best defensive alignment in the field? Was Muncy a better choice at 3B than JT? To me, I think JT is a better fielder.

I’m not ready to speak to the offseason right now as far as the players are concerned, but you can get rid of the entire coaching staff except for Prior.

Harper was one of the guys that most didn’t want to sign. Same with Machado.

We are the Atlanta Braves that were under Stan Kasten: From 1991 to 2005 the Braves were one of most consistently winning teams in baseball. The Braves won a record 14 straight division titles, five National League pennants, and ONE World Series title in 1995.

As I’ve stated before the 2022 playoff roster was not constructed for a winning outcome? Why was Gonsolin ,May, Gallo, Bellinger Taylor ( injured) and Vargas on the roster? Our starting pitching lacked depth and our hitting approach with runners in scoring position was disgusting. AF needs a major overhaul of the 2023 roster.

Management will want some changes and I’m not sure Roberts survives this epic meltdown, but I am certain RVS will not.

The Dodgers need a complete new offensive approach and execution. Too reliant on HRs and not good situational/fundamental baseball.

This loss will take awhile to get over and like most of us here I’ll

do a post mortem analysis later, but for now I hope to never see Bellinger in a Dodger uniform again. I got over seeing Piazza wear a Mets uni, I got over Pedro Martinez wearing an Expos uni, hell Orel once wore a Giants uniform. Bellinger will not get tendered in my opinion. Doesn’t start in games three and four of a playoff game and you can get out form under a $17-20 million commitment is too easy of a decision for AF. Let him rebuild his worth in Miami or Cincinnati but for goodness gracious get him out of Chavez Ravine.

As for JT please call it a career and move into coaching but your playing days are over. Bat is too slow and it looks painful to see him walk.

More to follow but I look forward to seeing MTs, Evan’s and B&P off season projections

Subscribed to the LA Times for many years mostly to read the sports section. Discontinued that subscription many years ago mostly due to the moronic opinions of Bill Plaschke and Dylan Hernandez.

GOOD articles written by Plaschke and Hernandez? LOL. That’s a good one!

Pretty well said … frankly, I’m as frustrated as I have ever been in my life. The Dodgers aren’t the Dodgers anymore. There’s no real leadership on the team, Roberts doesn’t understand the importance of fundamentals, and the franchise, in general, has simply too much of everything. Too much money, too much talent, wonderful living conditions, and on and on. They are soft, have had everything handed to them … there just isn’t any grit anywhere. I miss Sandy. I miss Don. I miss Orel. I miss Steve. I miss Gibby. And I really miss Vinnie! Thankful and blessed to have those guys in my memory bank.

Wow, what a suckerpunch that was. Just finished watching it and feel sick to my stomach (and not because of the flu symptoms I suffer).

Two good articles by Plaschke and Hernandez in the LA Times, pretty much sums everything up.

I hope sweeping changes will come to Chavez Ravine over this winter. Baseball Gods know they HAVE to come.

And it has to start up at the top with Friedmann and Roberts (who finally decided to play some small ball and Wow, it really worked, should have done it earlier and we might be still alive).

Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ya, well

Padres suck.

I hope they all get ball cancer.

Yes. I know. Saying that ain’t cool.

Not sorry.

Ball cancer. All of them Mo Fos. Every last one.

I’m not afraid of Karma.

Screw the Padres.

The difference between a bad haircut and a good haircut is two weeks. Seems the same follows for baseball teams.

Goodbye TT!!! Goodbye Belli! Goodbye Joey Gallo!

The bench sucked this year including Alberto. What was Doc suppose to do with the position players? Play Barnes over Smith? How about Gallo over whoever? How about Vargas over whoever? NO. I don’t blame Doc for the offense, there were no better options.

But you don’t take out a starting pitcher after only 5 innings when he has a shutout going and you are in a do or die situation. And you go with your best, the best reliever Phillips. Anderson for 7 innings and then Phillips for 2 innings if possible. If not possible and you need to fill one more inning with another reliever then so be it. This part is on Doc.

The main problem this series was the offense/hitting. The next problem was Doc.

Go Phillies!

Because this kind of sucks… That deal for Hader is now looking good too.

“BEAT LA” was their goal. Mission accomplished.

But there sure were some WTF?s in this series.

For starters, why did Gallo and Vargas make the postseason roster? What was the purpose? Was it because they look good sitting on the bench?

And why was Taylor batting against Musgrove, a righty? There must be more to the story of why Belli was sitting so much, even against righthanders.

Is this a sudden total loss of faith? He came into pinch hit for Taylor after Taylor surprised no one by striking out THREE TIMES. (Well, maybe 3 is a surprise. Twice wouldn’t have been.)

So yeah…. WTF???

Is there more to the story?

To understand what’s wrong with this once-mighty 111-win team, take a look at the Guardians and all their youth and enthusiasm. Promoting from within can add a lot of energy, and hunger, as opposed to trading for a guy like Gallo.

You know who else got outplayed this season?

AF did. He got outplayed by the Padres’ AJ Preller, who made some bold (and not-so-bold) moves to get Soto, Bell, Drury and Hader. Those moves paid off–and Soto really hasn’t done much yet.

Ever get the sense that the Dodgers believed their own hype? I do.

I’m left the tie impression that Bellinger will go untendered, and Trea will take a better offer elsewhere.

Congratulations Dodger’s for a great season. Once again a disappointing finish. Oh, well. However it was a fun game to watch until it wasn’t. As much as I dislike the Padres I was really impressed with the energy of their fans the last two games. Best of luck against the Philly’s.

Winning the World Series is hard.

The Padres doing us dirty sucks. A fucking lot.

This wasn’t Roberts. This wasn’t management. We just didn’t do it. We didn’t do it.

That said, there is criticism of management that is valid. I’m sure we will be exploring that subject.

After I have vomited out my guts.

Dry heaved out my heart. And my liver.

I’ll be ok in a few days.

Leif

.

No doubt a lot of factors in this series, but what I saw was one team desperate for victory. The other team sort of going through the motions expecting to win.

Hats off to those guys hungry enough to fight for it.

Not a Padres fan but a fan of what they brought to this series.

Go Phillies!

111-51 regular season, 1-3 post season. That and $3.50 will get you a cup of coffee. Like we seem to always say “Wait’ll next year!”

I am way too old and have seen this way too many times to get upset. The Dodgers were the best until they weren’t. So now you can start thinking about next year. I think Kershaw comes back to get to 200 wins. As a Dodger? Maybe. I also think there will be some changes in the lineup. JT’s bat was alarmingly missing. He was not catching up to fastballs, I think his run as a everyday player in LA is over. They need a top-notch defender at third. Max Muncy is not that guy. They will have to make a decision on Bellinger. I think that at this point there is a very good chance he will be non-tendered. He certainly is not worth 18 million a year. They are going to have to re-tool the bench. There will be changes in the pen for sure. They need a more balanced rotation. Hopefully May will be back and healthy. There will be no Buehler. Gonsolin can be a solid # 3. After that it is a crap shoot. I think Trea Turner is going to sign somewhere else and the Dodgers will look elsewhere for a long term solution at SS,

I called it all Anderson should’ve handed the ball over to Phillips to get it done.

But the offense sucked too.

Didn’t even take it 5. Get the F out of here you BUMS.

I hear the Marlins need a third base coach. ROBERTS???

At least we didnt have to face deGrom and Scherzer!

Choke or joke? This has to be the worst Dodger loss I can remember. The corporate Dodgers have been defeated. Whose blood will run in the streets?

Utter embarrassment

Fuk me DEAD!

Just get us to extras. I’m doing that praying hands thing!

Betts turner freeman . It CAN be done.

Well the 300 mil crapshoot hasn’t worked. Next year lets try the 200 mil crapshoot and sneak into the playoffs as a wild card. It worked this year. No Bellinger, Kershaw, JT, TT, Kimbrel, and Heaney. This team needs a reset! Let the kids play

Good luck against Josh Hader in the ninth.

Time to start talking about free agents and roster building for next year.

And the best reliever on the roster Phillips is now finally in the game when the game is already over.

Roberts sucks

This is on Doc. Anderson should have gotten the sixth and then we use Martin in the seventh or later. But having said that it would have been nice to score

More than just one run with the bases loaded sand nobody out. I’ve seen enough of JT- he’s done.

Let’s see what the former Junkyard Dogs can do now !

LETS GO DODGERS

Damn it don’t give up it ain’t over. 2 runs ain’t sh!t.

Should have kept Anderson in less chances for the bullpen to cough it up.

Big assist from the home plate ump. Two different zones all night long. He kept Musgrove in the game with his huge zone. The Dodgers pitchers didn’t get that same zone.

That was a mistake pitch. Why would they speed up his bat? He was late on the fastball.

Oh shit!

This is the end if the Padres get the lead with how bad the offense has been

With a 3 run lead in the 7th. Belli should be in CF. Just sayin.

Taylor should not get another ab this October!

Damn the Dodgers had a chance to put the game away right there.

At this stage it becomes a game of attrition. Pitching will typically neutralize good hitting. Gotta grind ABs and look to take advantage of mistakes. Pitching, defense and exploiting opportunities on offense is the best recipe for success in a series likes this. Gotta compete, which is what both of these teams are doing. If you’re expecting offensive domination from either team, this is not the series for that.

Yes. He is at the edge.

But, where will Martin be ?

The hitting is still not there yet but at least they scored two runs.

Oh no Graterol is warming up hopefully Anderson continues to do good.

Why would Taylor and Thompson think they were going to get a fastball with 2 strikes???

My goodness, the Guardians walked off the Yankees!

Good start!

Let’s Go Dodgers!

Tyler Anderson looks sharp!!

Seattle v Houston. Jesus.

Can Bregman pitch? Altuve?

Yes. It’s at that point.

For the Record:

Win or Lose, I am a Dodger fan. I bleed Dodger Blue.

If you do not love the Dodgers through thick and thin, you are an apostate!

You will be dealt with harshly by the Big Dodger in the Sky!

Dodgers forever.

No matter what !

I’m gonna bet San Diego has a fat lady sing the NA before the game tonight but it ain’t gonna work. I hope they do that as it will only motivate the Dodgers to go to work. Wake up Dodgers! Break whatever the postseason curse is that is witching baseball. I’m talking mostly to Mookie who had better be the sparkplug to ignite the Dodgers back on the field. Don’t let me down!

GAWDDAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!

If the Dodgers lose to that shitty team, I’m done.

Now the new shitty team would be the Dodgers.

10 years going to the playoffs, and all for what? To always lose.

If they lose against those clowns, the shame will be too much, and we are tired of the same result every year.

Every day you read the same thing, that they are the best, that the best players broke their winning record, the best minor league players, that is the best time to be a Dodgers fan, leaders in many categories, but when will the ring?

I will not blame Roberts, it is true that he does not make the decisions alone, he does not throw, he does not hit, he does not run, he does not field, that is the responsibility of the players, of the ”super stars”

But for some reason, he can’t win, maybe he’s a good manager, but it’s not for this team, maybe it’s time to make changes in the office, in the management, in the coaching staff, something must be done now!

Just as changes were made in the lineup, due to the poor results, there should also be changes at a responsible level, not only the players should bear the blame, and it is very evident that something is not being done well, something is not working, It is time for changes, not only of position and order at bat.

If they lose against those assholes, no more for me, it’s over!

Until Dodgers are champions again, I just hope I’m still alive by then

Let’s all calm down with who blame for the Dodgers performance so far in this series. With the two favorites in the NL knocked out of the playoffs the Dodgers have a smoother road to the World Series if they can win the next two games. Let’s watch, root, and hope for a Dodger victory.

Carry on.

Joe Torre was a ‘terrible’ manger for about 12 years. Then came to Yankees and somehow was the best ever. And what about Mattingly. Why couldn’t he win with Marlins??

So what was Roberts ‘biggest’ problem? Bat Trea first or second. Boy what a dilemma

What changed?

9:37 PM ET

Dodgers (111-51)

Padres (89-73)

SP Tyler Anderson L

15-5 2.57 ERA

SP Joe Musgrove R

10-7 2.93 ERA

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

CF T. Thompson R

LF Chris Taylor R

2B Gavin Lux L

Partly-cloudy-night

0% Rain

68° Wind 5 mph L-R

NO Bellinger in the lineup against a right hand pitcher

Oh my God, The Braves got knocked out. The Dodgers have a chance at avoiding both the Mets and the Braves. If they are not knocked out themselves.

Those are for the Dodgers tonight!

Phillies play us next week.

We will win tonight.

And I’m tired of all the blame Roberts BS.

Player X gets 3 hits and drives in 5…. He’s the hero

Players X goes 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts and it’s ……..”Freaking Dave Roberts!! He needs to go!!”

Our pitchers did their job. They were great. Out bullpen has been stellar. Why doesn’t Roberts get credit for that? Our hitters sucked. They aren’t sock puppets controlled by the manager. They have to hit the ball themselves. They didn’t.

It’s frustrating. I get it. But this over analysis and Roberts blaming is just lame.

Hit the damn ball. Simple as that. And Roberts can’t do that for them.

And to add to that the #’s 5 and 6 seeds in NL could be in NLCS! 111, 101, 101, 93 possibly could mean nothing now! But I still have faith in our Dodgers!

The 6th inning of the Phillies/Braves game.

Maybe a hit batter (not overturned on replay)

A flare hit. A soft-grounder. A broken bat.

Not a single hit, I believe, over 80mph exit velocity.

Who said the MLB playoffs aren’t total crapshoots.

I have seen this movie and heard these same complaints many times before. Maybe the script changes and maybe the Padres pull off the huge upset. And it would be huge. They are fired up and motivated to slay the dragon from the north. So far, they have outpitched, out strategized and definitely brought their defensive game into play. But as always in sports, the best team does not always win. You look back at all of the Dodgers World Series year and the only season they were the best and won was 2020. Some say it isn’t a real championship. But that is bull. All the other teams played under the same rules and in front of zero people. The Dodgers pulled off the win. And they had to come from being down 3-1 against the Braves to do it. But in 55, 59, 63, 65, 81, and 88, all the other teams were better on paper than the Dodgers. I think the 5-day layoff affected this team a lot. I also think that the holes that have been there all year, aka Bellinger, Taylor, and after the deadline, Gallo, have done nothing to change the narrative. Only Muncy has shown much improvement. Roberts started Thompson against Snell because he favored the matchup, but Thompson has not shown all year since he came over that he can hit lefty’s, which is strange because one of the reasons the Dodgers made that deal was that he was killing lefties at AAA. Joey Gallo was 2-5 against Snell with both of those hits being homers. Personally, I would have gone with Gallo over Thompson. So now it is a game at a time. Tonight is the most important game of the year. They need to play flawless baseball. Something they have not done these first three games. Pitching failed them last year. This is on the offense.

“…Hell…when a man’s lights are about to go out…THE FAT LADY CAN’T SING IF IT’S NOT OVER!”

https://kikliko.com/the-fat-lady-cant-sing-if-its-not-over

Never Fear!

The Big Dodger in the Sky will smile down on the Boys in Blue tonight. Vin Scully, Tommy Lasorda, Gil Hodges, Tommy Davis, Bobby Castillo, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campenella, Junior Gilliam, Duke Snider, Mike Sharperson, Walter Alston, John Roseboro, Big D, & Maury Wills are all sitting together, providing the power for this one.

Tyler Anderson is going to show us why he will get the Qualifying Offer and then Tomorrow, Ace Urias will show that Game 1 was an anomaly!

The Dodgers will score 16 runs in the next two games.

Unleash the Kracken!

COURAGE TRUMPS FEAR… EVERY TIME!

Austin Barnes 667

Max Muncy 364

Gavin Lux 333

Trea Turner 308

Will Smith 231

Freddie Freeman 200

Mookie Betts 182

Cody Bellinger 167

Trayce Thompson 111

Justin Turner 100

Chris Taylor 000

Those are the batting averages of the position players. You say why not OPS instead? Because the Dodgers are in need of base hits.

As you can see it’s not Muncy, Lux, and T Turner along with Barnes too that are at fault. Besides Freeman’s 1 home run, it’s the rest of the position players who are at fault. And if you didn’t notice, besides Freeman’s 1 home run, 2 of the 3 superstars at the top of the lineup have done didily squat, along with the number 4 hitter Smith. Let alone most of the 6-9 hitters.

On a side note, I don’t think Gonsolin is fully healthy from his injury. But I don’t have his medical records so it is a guess.

On the starting pitching side of things, obviously Gonsolin is the worst so far, followed by Kershaw with a not so stellar outing.

On the bullpen side of things, not that it matters because of the shitty offense, Treinen has the worst stats, followed by the 2 suspects that I talked about, not wanting them on the roster but who are the alternatives? Nobody. Heaney 1.67 WHIP, 3.00 ERA, 250 batting average against along with a home run given up, what’s new with that. Then Graterol 1.50 WHIP, 286 batting average against, who was lucky to get out of his inning without allowing a run. But the rest of the bullpen has been FANTASTIC.

I’m scared of what is coming (The end). Hopefully I am wrong about that.

The Dodgers problem is they are not paid enough. If they were paid more, they would play better and win.

I’m telling you now and not after game 5 that I told you so. Dodgers win!

As I’ve mentioned, if you go 1 for 13 in July nobody notices. 1 for 13 in the playoffs and you’re a goat. We are currently raising a flock of goats:

Betts .182, Freddie .200, JT .100, Thompson .111 w/ 5 K’s. Lux is hitting .333 but didn’t start. The strike out rate is 31%. With Runners in Scoring position we’re hitting .120 scoring 9 runs in 27 innings with 3 home runs total.

You can credit the Padres pitching or our poor hitting. Or both. Either way we’d better turn this bus around in a hurry.

I don’t have much interest in Philly playing the Padres and Houston winning it all.

It would be nice to have Roberts go all Lasorda on them in the dugout and get in some guys faces and tell them to earn their f****** paychecks! But yeah, that’s not going to happen. Sigh.

I’m with Matt. I think, I mean I fully believe, that we win today and then tomorrow will be a fantastic Game 5 with Urias.

Just win today, that’s it.

I don’t see jumping on Gonsolin and pitching in general This game was the LEAST runs they scored against us so far!! If we scored 3 runs we would be posting that the pitching is carrying the team. If we pitched this BAD in game 2 we would have won that game. Hell they only scored TWO runs against us.!!! Clearly 1-50 with RISP isn’t going to cut it. I agree on Muncy- just up there looking for walks and taking fastballs down the middle.

And it seems just like when Darvish failed in the big games (cheating or not) Trea is playing himself off this team and I don’t see any serious attempt to sign him going forward

Dodger bats going silent late in the year has practically become a meme by now. Every freakin’ year they seem to forget how to hit in October. I can’t wait to hear Mark’s take about the front office if they lose tonight but I’m thinking this might be a coaching staff thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love Doc but don’t forget his record is great mostly because he was given a great team yet, he can’t seem to motivate the boys in October. Perhaps a change is needed in the near future if we lose this year and next.

Tony Gonsolin has a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 9.45 and 17 strikeouts in 7 appearances in the postseason in his career.

I’m game one the Dodgers went 3-8 hitting with RISP in games two and three they went 0-17 and that sums it up completely.

Dodgers hVe the better batting average in the three games, both teams have 23 hits, Dodgers have drawn ten BBs and the Padres have received eight. Dodgers have scored nine runs the Padres ten.

It’s all about hitting with RISP

Have read quite a few websites today. Besides the obvious hitting woes everywhere there was also agreement -rightfully- about our lack of starting pitching, having to overuse the pen.

Some of us brought this up weeks ago when it was almost clear that neither TG nor DM would be ready in time to fill out the rotation. Those voices clamored for Bobby Miller and/STone to be brought up and see if they might be able to assume that role. Both kids had done well , very well late in the season Both have the stuff to be effective.

But no, Dodgers did not want to start the clock on the kids. Yeah, better to not start the clock then maybe have a better shot in the playoffs because one or both kids might be lightsout pitchers. Not saying they would have been, but they have the stuff .

Now we have to endure Catman labouring around for 1plus inning and DM not even being in a game yet.

Yes, I know, pitching was good enough to win all three games so far but still not a good decision by the Dodgers.

Same as Vargas on the postseason roster and then not trusting him to at least pinch hit.

Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are not done. Go Dodgers.

First team to three wins, not two. These guys have been there before. We’re still going to the WS!

The Stars Need to Come Out, – Didn’t happen

The Starting Pitching Needs to be a lot better; – Didn’t happen

The Defense needs to tighten up; and – Didn’t happen

The Team needs a leader to step up. – Didn’t happen

These last couple of games have been like a bad dream. Better yet, a bad joke. If you were watching the game with me, you could have sworn you were watching with Andrew Dice Clay!

I feel disgusted. After watching this team steamroll the Padres all year, we’re now a game from elimination with all the players looking flat. More like scared little sissies. Now Trea is basically injured, so his bat probably isn’t going to be too hot going forward.

Jayne Cobb has it right. Hit the fucking ball!

The things that pissed me off the most last night?

Muncy watching two fastballs right down the middle, then swinging at one high and away.

Gavin Lux getting screwed by the ump on a called strike that should have been ball 4.

Barnes getting pulled after having two hits. Who does that?

Trea not stealing a base, instead breaks his finger diving back to the bag.

Trea shitting himself on defense, again.

Gonsolin stinking up the place.

Everyone swinging for the fences.

This is our 2020 Braves series. That team looked lifeless those first 3 of 4 games. Same thing here.

This is what ignites. This is what gets us going. THIS is what it will take.

We win tonight and send this series back to LA for game 5.

Looked it up.

The Padres traded a SS prospect named Victor Acosta for Drury.

Hey, maybe Acosta will be a superstar.

And maybe Vargas and Gallo will lead the Dodgers to victory!

Trying to stay positive, folks.

Roberts bashing again? Are you kidding me. So far the blame rests squarely on 1-4! First and second and no outs and they deliver nothing. Second and third with no outs and they get one in. Yea, Roberts sure screwed up there. Either tour stars are stars or you go home! Still gonfident tho because Roberts guarenteed a WS!

After we won 111 games, honestly, I thought the post season games would be anticlimactic and I’ve noticed my enthusiasm descending during the bye week up until the present. I haven’t watched one inning of this series. Of course, I live in the East, so a game starting at 9:37 or 8:37 EST wouldn’t end till after midnight, which is still way past my bedtime (around 10:00-10:30 pm). If I can’t see the conclusion I’d rather just wait to watch the highlights in the morning.

The point I’m trying to make is this- even a fan like me is “flat” so why can’t the team also be flat….the hitters basically are, not the pitchers. I was not surprised seeing Gonsolin have problems knowing that he hadn’t properly pitched his way back from his injury. But maybe the hitters while on the bye week just lost that momentum, while teams like Philly and Padres were building such. We all know how important momentum is when entering the playoffs.

So, rather than be upset and find fault with somebody ….for now I am choosing to rejoice in this amazing season of 111 wins and say, “to hell with the playoffs” and concentrate fully on rooting my New York Giants on in the NFL. But that’s me….I’m sure many reading this won’t agree and are probably picking up rocks thinking me to be a blasphemer. Oh well, I can’t please everyone.

Go Dodgers….just become I’m flat, don’t watch on TV, and expect little, doesn’t mean I still don’t root for them when they play.

TM

If we assume the Dodgers prevail, the recent performances have revealed some striking weaknesses in this 111-win team.

One example: Taylor steps to the plate in 6th inning with a runner on and the Dodgers trailing by one. Snell is out, and Taylor is facing a righty reliever.

Seemed to me like a logical spot to have a lefty pinch hit, either Gallo or Belli. Neither, sad to say, would be great choices…. but isn’t this what a platooning team does?

Taylor wound up hitting a weak comebacker to the pitcher.

Neither Gallo or Belli ever entered this game. And we still haven’t seen Vargas. Remind me… why did he make the roster?

I made a point previously but perhaps I tried to post it after the dreaded words “Comments are closed.” Pardon me if I’m repeating myself.

At the trading deadline, AF added Gallo. If his bat started to come around, he was perceived as an upgrade to Lamb. (A big “if,” it now seems.) Inhouse options like Outman , Rios and Busch seemed to get zero consideration.

There was another bat on the market, a guy who was having a career year: Brandon Drury. Did AF make an offer? I have no idea. But the Padres’ offer was accepted–and this was after the blockbuster for Soto and Bell.

So the Pads added 3 formidable bats and the Dodgers added a formerly formidable one.

The Gallo deal was, as they say, a headscratcher. It made sense as an experiment, perhaps, but what if the experiment fails? The Pads were not experimenting in landing Drury. Surely AF could have made a better offer. But perhaps AF figured the untested Vargas could be the solution.

So consider: Instead of a bench with Gallo and Vargas, it could be Drury and Outman/Rios/Busch.

After an 111-win season, it’s come to this: Roberts has some tools he doesn’t want to use.

With RISP the Dodgers are now what in this series ? 1-eternity ? But Roberts still has them swinging for the fences instead of some situational hitting, putting the ball in play, taking the extra bat, stealing a base now or then.

Runner on third, one out, TT up. Again Roberts refuses to have him bunt (and TT CAN bunt, for a hit or on a safety squeeze) and again we do not score.

No fire , not on the bench and not on the field. Going threw the motions. We are looking at yet another huge disastrous postseason under Roberts.

And if we had not gotten back from the dead in 2020 after being down 1-3 to the Braves we would be standing around with totally empty hands. But hey, best record in baseball, best team in the regular season rahrahrah. That is what Roberts is living off.

Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The problem was the dodgers we a red hot team winning almost every game

ROBERTS Took his foot off the pedal. It really did not matter if they won or lost. So what happened is they lost the fire and can not get it back. A manager should never ever relax or let his team relax because you have a large lead because you get lazy and start to lose and you may not ever get to the winning ways

If Roberts has any skill at motivating his players (and he should—he’s the manager) he needs to use it now. They are as flat as a pancake. Look at them in the dugout. No fire at all.

What good is a manager if he/she can’t take action to get the best from his players? Yeah, I know the old jazz about the players are professional and are paid accordingly, etc. , but if that is the case why have a manager? They could just make all their decisions from their suites. I, like most of you, own a business and manage people. I make business decisions on behalf of the company but I also work with, talk to and try to motivate my staff, especially when we are having a rough go of things. Seems to me that’s what a good manager needs to do, regardless of the type of business.

I’d like somebody to tell me what the problem is. Are the guys just tired, exhausted from an 111 win season ? Are they injured, run down or lacking motivation? What’s going on ? Do they think the Padres, who we all seem to hate and disregard, are going to roll

over ? What’s happening ? Is their manager smarter than

ours? Or are the Padres just getting lucky (and for the record I don’t believe in luck ) or are they just better than us?

Not intending to be negative, but yeah, I’m worried. Maybe we got this, but today I will be wearing a life jacket.

The Padre bullpen has completely shut down this offense. Come to think of it, the only pitcher that have hit off of was Clevenger. That’ll have to change and fast. Backs against the wall for the first time in 2022.

Aside from the impotent offense, I can’t figure out why Roberts is so quick to give up the DH. (And Barnes had two hits before being lifted). It didn’t cost him the game, because the spot didn’t make it to the plate, but it could have.

Will the real Los Angeles Dodgers show up tomorrow? Hope so, the clowns masquerading in those Dodger blue unis are not the same guys I saw all year.