It's Only One Game…

However, the 2023 Version of the LA Dodgers should at least stifle the “Wild Imaginings” of “the Lunatic Fringe” part of the Dodgers’ fanbase who feel that Andrew Friedman should have an All-Star at every position and another All-Star as a backup, or the team is doomed to lose every game. Yes, it’s only one game, but the Dodgers made a statement. One game is a microcosm, and pretending it is a macrocosm is silly!

We already hear the Muncy-Bashers saying, “Max struck out five times – Get rid of the bum!” This is the part where Badger predicted I would call some fans “idiots.” Max strikes out a lot, but tonight he might hit three bombs. It’s a long season – in case you do not know, there are 161 more games left in it! Mookie and Max look out of sync, while Smith, Freeman, Outman, Peralta, and even Rojas look in mid-season form. We also saw that Miguel Vargas is not swinging at baseballs unless you put them in the strike zone.

Julio Urias struggled early as he was only throwing strikes and getting too much of the zone, but he settled down and pitched six strong innings. Phil Bickford, Shelby Miller, and Yency Almonte each pitched a scoreless inning as the bullpen did exactly what they were supposed to do. I usually don’t do game re-caps here – you can find them all over the web, but since this is the first game, I am a little more excited.

Last season, the bottom of the lineup was a “black hole.” It was mostly famine, with an occasional feast! Even Gavin Lux struck out at an alarming rate for someone who hit a few HRs. Then there were Cody Bellinger, Trayce Thompson, Joey Gallo, and others who kept Dodger Stadium well-ventilated! Miguel Rojas is a hitter who does not walk much and also does not strike out much. He puts the bat on the ball, and the ball is in play. He also has a knack for getting the big hit. I cannot for the life of me figure out why so many fans want to trade for another SS… probably because they play too much Fantasy Baseball and have no regard for defense!

I saw Jason Heyward hug James Outman when he hit the HR. Maybe that’s his role. David Peralta is a professional hitter, as is JDM – we saw JD shorten up and just place the ball to RF when it was essential to drive in another run to break the D-Backs spirit! This could be contagious. Correction: It will be contagious! There will be changes (there always are), such as Mike Busch and maybe Andy Pages at some point, but this has to play out.

Gavin Stone will be up soon enough, but tonight it’s the Dustin May Show. I shall be watching intently. I think this is his year to bloom. One final note: we saw what Will Smith can do if he stays fresh. He is going to have to DH occasionally (when a tough LHP is on the bump), and JDM will have to play LF. JD like that anyway!

Down on the Farm

The Oklahoma City Dodgers start their season tomorrow vs. the Tacoma Rainiers at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, with Gavin Stone given the starting assignment. I doubt that he will be at AAA long. Mike Busch is joining him there, as is Devin Mann, Yonny Hernandez, Hunter Feduccia, Drew Avans, Luke Williams, Steven Duggar, Bradley Zimmer, Jahmai Jones, Justin Yurchak, Ryan Ward, and Michael Reed. The Rosters are not finalized, so I will not speculate who plays where. Currently, Bobby Miller is on the OKC Roster as well.

Tulsa, Great Lakes, and Rancho Cucamonga all start their season on April 6th. I will have the final rosters in the upcoming days. Remember that if you have the MLB Package, you also get the Minor League Games as well, and I will be watching Gavin Stone. Gametime is at 7:05 CDT or 8:05 EDT.

Cover Photo Credit: MLB/LA Dodgers