It s Not Too Late to Save the Season
Only July 14, 2018, the Cardinals had lost two games in a row to the Cincinnati Reds and looked lifeless. The St. Louis Cardinals have always thrived on continuity. Bill DeWitt Jr. has owned the team since March 1996, and he has had two managers in that span: Tony La Russa, and then Mike Matheny replaced him in 2012. Under DeWitt, the Cardinals have won 10 division titles and made the postseason 13
Only July 14, 2018, the Cardinals had lost two games in a row to the Cincinnati Reds and looked lifeless. The St. Louis Cardinals have always thrived on continuity. Bill DeWitt Jr. has owned the team since March 1996, and he has had two managers in that span: Tony La Russa, and then Mike Matheny replaced him in 2012. Under DeWitt, the Cardinals have won 10 division titles and made the postseason 13 times, winning the World Series in 2006 and 2011.
But on July 14th the Cardinals had a 47-46 record and the team was underacheiving, so on that day, the Cardinals fired Mike Mathenay as manager. They also fired John Mabry and Bill Mueller as hitting coaches. It’s pretty rare to fire a manager with a winning record mid-season, but that is excatly what the Cards did. In 2008, the Brewers did the same to Ned Yost when they slumped late in the season, and they turned it around and made the playoffs.
I have been a big supporter of Dave Roberts until recently, but you already know where I am going with this: You can’t fire the whole team, so you have to fire the manager. This 2018 version of the Dodgers is the most talented team in the NL and they are playing uninspired baseball with no sense of urgency. It is not too late to save the sesason, but FAZ needs to act quickly.
Dave Roberts is a nice guy, but for some reason, the team is not responding. It is time for a change. I can’t say that Roberts has “lost the clubhouse” because I’m not there. Beat writers will say he hasn’t, but their access depends upon not writing stuff like that. I am just writing what seems to be logical. This team is too good to be playing this bad.
If the Dodgers keep up doing what they’ve always done, they will be deemed insane! STOP THE INSANITY! Fire Dave Roberts, Turner Ward, Brant Brown and Luis Ortiz and bring in a new manager and hitting coach. Yes, it’s a drastic move, but firing Mike Matheny, who is a respected baseball manager was drastic too, and since that time, the Cardinals have been the hottest team in baseball.
Sometimes you just have to change for changes’ sake. Do something even if it is wrong. A few players may get their feelings hurt, but they can get over it or get out. It’s time to put up or shut up! The season can still be saved and the Dodger can make the playoffs… where they will flourish, I believe. But they have to get there first. It all starts with Dave Roberts. Chase Utley could be part of the change… not necessarily as the manager, but a part.
Who would the new manager be? Haselman? Hershiser? Shoemaker, Saylor. How about Raul Ibanez or Jose Vizcaino from the Front Office? I don’t know. I just think a change is needed… if only for changes sake.
P.S. It’s never fun to fire people and I don’t take it lightly. Doc is one of the good guys and he is a fine father and husband. It hurts to have to say this, but I think it is necessary. If the Dodgers don’t fire him, I doubt they make the playoffs… and that is sad, because this could be the end of the 31-year drought! This team is built to win a World Series!
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Discussion (76)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I apologize to the board for being so pessimistic this last few weeks, too diehard I guess. The way we have lost games has been tough, especially late with leads.
Anyway despite trying to be less pessimistic, I still remain realistic and therefore I am pretty convinced this is not our year. So, i ask the question, if in the next week when we face two doormats, we don’t gain any ground; how about we become sellers? AC or Mark or anyone, what could we acquire for a Machado, Kershaw, Puig, Ryu or Wood? I imagine a haul? All huge assets to any contending team, I realize it would not look good to fans, but the future teams would reap the benefits from such a move. Please comment.
Tough to waste a great outing by Buehler but Flaherty was dealing too. As bad as it looks an off day before 3 with the Pads and 2 at Texas (have to win 4 out of 5, right?) before getting Az at home for 4. They play the Snakes 7 more times and the Rocks 6 more times. That’s where this season will be won or lost, I will give them a 50/50 shot with the glass half full of course. Doc has a bunch of streaky hitters plus JT and Manny. If a couple get hot, ride em! Cody at 1B, Dozier at 2B, Puig in RF and Grandal at C should be in there most days. Mix and match Max, Joc, CT3, Kemp and Kike, Barnes plays on Sundays. That all changes Sept 1st, they could call up a lot of players but Toles, Verdugo, LoCastro and Farmer will all get some time and a few arms like Banuelos. The starting pitching has been pretty good just settle down the bullpen and get some hitters hot and who knows? A good long hot streak might save some jobs! As long as it’s possible, I will root for it.
The Dodgers do NOT have too many outfielders. They have too many MEDIOCRE outfielders.
Tough one to watch… definitely feels like a low point of the season.
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Hopefully this series forces the “brain trust” to bring up Verdugo, Toles, and maybe also Farmer for the next series and send CT and Austin somewhere… anywhere but here.
And in my best Bill Tobin impression where he said “who the hell is Mel Kiper anyway?” I say “who in the hell is Alexander and why is he pitching the 8th inning of a one run game that your team
Needs to win.”
Oh that’s right the guy that has to pitch because the FO didn’t acquire BP help at the deadline.
Team can’t put bat to ball, and still they keep their player with the best bat to ball skills in the organization, Alex Verdugo, at AAA.
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Machado, who I still want the Dodgers to sign, looked terrible in the 8th. Over-swung for strike 2, and then chased a pitch out of the strike zone for strike 3.
But it doesn’t matter, because no one hits with RISP.
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I didn’t think removing Buehler was the wrong move. He had already thrown over 100 pitches, and quite frankly, if the Dodgers can’t go to the pen in that situation, they might as well throw in the towel now.
The vaunted FO, yea that same FO that some laid on this blog acquired Alexander and Koehlet in the off season. One has not pitched at all and the other has been so so at times but mostly crappy.
This is the same FO that has acquired in the past players like Granderson, Latos, Johnson, Darvish, allowed Floro and Zach Neal to leave to reacquire them later for some ML players, signed Kazmir and McCarthy to $48 million dollar contracts but let Morrow and Watson walk.
There first year they traded young talent in Dee Gordon to get Grandal but rather than trade Keekee and/or CT 0 for 3, Joc, Puig and maybe others while they had some trade value they hang on to them and allow a logjam where Verdugo and Toles can’t come up. Enough of the compliments about the FO and yet Doc has to receive the blame. This is a top down failure and the FO is just as responsible for this mess as is Doc or anyone else.
Call me crazy but Puig, CT 0 for 3, Barnes, Joc, Keekee, Woods would all be posted on revocable waivers and can always be pulled back if the talent in return wasn’t good to replenish the farm.
Dodgers will start hitting Bombs again in the next juice cycle.
You guys know what’s going on right??
Enjoyed our efforts in the 9th off Hicks
At least they didnt get no hit. Thats a positive
Season calling it
I”m glad tomorrow’s a day off. I don’t want to see Dodger baseball for a bit
are we on candid camera?
Oh what a shock; Manny Machado NOT clutch yet again
They pulled him too early in Denver and they lost. Pulled him too early tonight and Alexander blows the lead. The kid hasn’t even thrown 100 innings this year. F’ing Stupid!
I don’t understand how he hit that pitch out. That dude has to be crazy strong or something
Bring in a reliever – give up the lead. It HAS to happen.
Between Acuna, Soto, Buehler and Flaherty this is a pretty solid rookie class this season, and that’s just the NL. And Tatis and Guerrero Jr have yet to get their shot. The Cards know how to draft and develop young arms as well as anyone in the game.
Let the kid pitch!
Nothing tops off a sweep like getting no hit. The cardinals have the best young pitching in the game. However, we seem totally inept versus 3 rookies. The best one Reyes on the dL. The silver lining is if we were to somehow make the playoffs and he can control his emotions buehler is a no.1. When was the last time we had a pitcher who could get carpenter out much less strike him out 3 times.
no hit for 5 innings; 9 Ks
Ok guys, easy on the hater-aide. Is this a Dodger site or one of the pod casts with a bunch of bandwagoners jumping off and trashing everything from the sun not coming up to hating Doc’s mother, Yes we are in a rut right now, but don’t forget the schedule. We have played playoff contending teams for about 2 weeks without a break, and without Kenley for most of that time. The D-Bags have played mostly cupcakes for a week or so but that will change. They have a tough schedule the next few weeks, including a four game series with us at Chavez Ravine. Just read an article where between us and the D-Bags and Rockies we have the easiest schedule from here on out. Let’s just see how this plays out. Step away from the ledge, it’s gonna be ok.(Words from my buddy Uncle Ned on Roggin & Rodney today)
Glad the Cardinals have there next Chris Carpenter for the next 15 years
That’s some elite level pitching right there.