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

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.