What has been the Dodgers main issue over the last several seasons? A lack of consistent offense. Even though they waltzed through the NL last season, there were times when the offense took the day or a couple of days off. When they scored last season, they did it in bunches. That trend has continued early this year. At 8-9, they are off to their worst start in several years.
They have lost three games by one run and won one game by one run. All of the other losses and wins have been by three runs or more. Some of the players are off to decent starts, and a couple are heating up. Freddie seems to have come out of the funk he was in against the Cubs over the weekend, and Max Muncy is looking more like 2021 than 22.
Outman has played well when he is out there. Vargas has not found his footing yet. Rojas seems to still be struggling with the aftereffects of his hammy problems. He is a guy who usually makes contact, but that has not been the case lately. Mookie has a good game, then seems to take more pitches than he should. Especially those right down Broadway.
Taylor except for a few at bats, has looked downright awful. He has five hits on the season, four of them are homers. Since his three-homer game, Thompson has not shown consistent contact. His average sits at .241. Five players are hitting under the Mendoza line. Peralta, Barnes, Taylor, Rojas and Heyward. They are still to reliant on home runs. Four of their six runs last night came via the long ball. Unlike last years squad, this team seems less likely to come from behind in the late innings.
But they lead the league in 2-out scoring. Now it seems Taylor is having some injury issues again and is a candidate to be on the IL by the weekend. And his replacement will have to come from AAA. Most likely it will be Luke WIlliams, who is playing SS at OKC. My take is that they need a spark from somewhere. And they need to move Freddie into the three hole where he hit most of last season. Move someone into the two hole behind Mookie who has a high OBP. And get Freeman more RBI opportunities.
The offense really misses Smith. Will’s AB’s are solid and he is perhaps their best clutch hitter when he is in the lineup. The sooner he is back, the better off the team will be. The good news is that the Padres have looked terrible. Soto is hitting below .200. But they get Tatis back this week and that can do nothing but lift their expectations and spirits. Make no mistake, this is not last years team. We all know who is gone and what they brought to the table. But this is the hand they have to play with, and until they decide, hopefully sooner than later, that changes are needed, it is all we have.
I think there are a few on the roster who’s positions on the roster are vulnerable. But they will be given a little more time to change the narrative. For fans, they hope that time is exceedingly short. Because to us, it gets late early. We are not a patient bunch. We hate losing, especially to teams we feel they should dominate. After this weekend, they do not see the Cubs again until next year. It would be very nice to win at least three of the four games.
Busch and Williams are tearing it up at OKC. The rest of the team is doing ok, but nothing spectacular. So if they need help, those are the two most likely options. If Taylor goes down, it will most likely be Williams, since he has more MLB experience, and he can play multiple positions, including SS.
Otherwise, we wait for the deadline. And then we have to see who is available and who would make a major impact on the team. I believe the most vulnerable position player is Jason Heyward. But he still has had only 23 at bats. Way too short a sample size to make a real judgement. But unless he really turns it around, Freddie Freeman’s friend or no, he won’t be with LA at the finish.
Discussion (41)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Near-term lineup?
Mookie 2B
Freddie 1B
JDM DH
Max 3B
Trayce CF
Outman LF
Heyward RF
Williams SS
One of the Austins C
Bench: Peralta, Vargas, Yonny, the other Austin.
Would a couple day soff help Vargas get back on track? Over the past 15 days, his offensive production has fallen off a cliff. Early in the season, his walk rate created a great and unsustainable OBP. But over the past 15 days, his BA is .154 and his OBP is .244 and OPS is .475. These numbers are remarkably similar to his underwhelming debut in 2022.
I don’t expect Vargas to get benched, since the organization was so committed to him. But at some point he needs to prove that he belongs in the lineup.
With all the uncertainty surrounding SS, OF, and now C, I think most of us were comfortable that Vargas would deliver a solid performance…. or even compete for ROY! Vargas’s struggles, I think, have been obscured by the injuries to Smith, Rojas and Taylor.
It’s early of course, but Vargas is trending in the wrong direction. Hope he turns it around soon.
Scherzer messed with the wrong ump today:
Phil Cuzzi
“ Scherzer is the third pitcher in MLB to be ejected for foreign substances since the rule was revised in 2021. Seattle’s Hector Santiago and Arizona’s Caleb Smith each were ejected during the 2021 season after failing foreign substance checks. Cuzzi was the umpire who made the call in each of those situations as well. ”
-SI
Suddenly the Dodgers are relying on Yonny, Luke Williams and Austin Wynns to get through a game. (Wynns was not on my radar at all when the Dodgers signed him.)
The Dodgers are a game below .500, which strangely seems about right, given the various problems and ups and down with this team. Here’s my take:
–So the most troubling news, to me, is the concern about Smith’s concussion–that he is still several days away from being activated. (Nothing against Austin Wynns, but I’d have rather seen Feduccia get a promotion.)
I certainly approve of the caution. I also wonder if the concussion concerns could hasten Smith’s transition to 3B or another position. Back at catcher, he’s bound to take more foul tips off his mask and helmet. Is this part of the internal discussions? |
–Then there’s the SS situation. Losing Lux sucked, of course. But Miguel Rojas is proving more fragile than expected. And Taylor is hurting too. I was expecting Luke Williams to get called up–but now there’s Yonny too. A few weeks ago I mused that Mookie had become “the emergency SS”–and we might really see him there! Or he’ll come back to play 2B….
–Which isn’t a bad idea, because maybe Vargas needs a little rest and re-set. Alas, Mark’s favorite ROY candidate is back in a slump, hobbling down that runway with a .191 BA. His OBP is still high at .381, but that’s the result of his freakish walk numbers early in the season. The bat is cold, so maybe it’s Mookie time….
–Hey, can Mookie pitch? The bullpen, which many of us thought would be a strength, was been weakness. Vesia and Almonte have really struggled. Phillips is now hittable. Miller looked great until today. Syndergaard took the loss today but pitched pretty well.
Now for some good of that glass-half-full news….
JDM and Max have stepped up in the middle of the lineup. JDM picked a good day to come to life, helping Kersh to his 200th win. Max is doing what Max does: hitting bombs and getting walks. His BA may be .237, but three walks today lifted his OBP to .400, topping Outman, Freddie and Mookie. His OPS is up to .993, trailing only Smith’s 1.095 (in 20 fewer ABs.) And Outman, pressed into the leadoff role, has continued to produce, even if he (and some teammates) were victimized by shoddy umpiring.
Jayne is certainly right that the Dodgers are fortunate that the Padres are off to a pitiful start.
Re: Hondo
Wow, I didn’t expect to come back here this evening and not see Hondo answer my simple two requests of him. Especially seeing how passionate he is to tell others, especially Mark, how wrong they are in theirs. I was really looking forward to reading the TRUTH from his keyboard…..but alas, my request was ignored.
The fact that he ignored my request for him to tell us his thoughts, his opinions, and his plan for success tells me all I need to know about him……it is easier to throw rocks at others rather than duck while some are throwing them at you.
Be well, Hondo…
TM
Another good effort by a starter wasted by an inconsistent offense and a very shaky bullpen. It is really hard to watch.
With the new playoff format we don’t have to be the best team over 162 games. Is there hope the Dodgers can come in to the playoffs hot on a wildcard and then get lucky ?
I have been wanting a young awesome shortstop and willing to give up a lot for one but what if Williams is that guy? He is not a top 30 prospect. He is already 26. But he had a good year offensively last year and was hitting .375 .455 .696 1.151 at OK.
Could he be a late bloomer like Max Muncy?
Taylor hurt. Rojas hurt. Lux hurt. Williams makes them all Wally Pipps.
Another game ending on a bad call by the umpire,that didn’t lose this game though
Nothing good to say about the offense or the Bull pen, so I won’t beat the dead horse
All I can say, is extremely frustrating. But hey, at least we don’t have those ugly patches on our uniforms like the Mets do.
Injuries, lack of consistent offense, and meh defense aside, it is this team’s shockingly bad relief pitching that will keep the Dodgers struggling to stay afloat for awhile — and maybe for the rest of the season.
Well at least our offense and bullpen have finally reached a level of consistency!
Thank god we have the Lakers then Kings after this
Heyward is just a late inning black hole. I’ve seen enough! And maybe Vargas should go back to his spring training hitting strategy!
The Dodgers are fortunate that the Padres are also off to a slow start. Their lineup is almost universally ice cold. They get Tatis Juicer back soon. At least we have a few guys who are hitting the ball. Arizona isn’t for real.
But looking around the league, there are some teams off to really hot and cold starts.
The Braves are for real but they aren’t going to win 120 games, so they will cool down. The Pirates, well… their fans should enjoy the last two weeks because they likely won’t have much to enjoy the rest of the season. The Phillies have been ice cold. Brandon Marsh has been their best player (former Angel) so far. Trea has been Trea. When they get Harper back I expect them to quickly get into .500+ territory.
We are 1 1/2 games up on the Padres. That’s really all that matters. A hot or cold start means very little. The Braves aren’t going to continue to win at the current pace and the Dodgers and Padres aren’t going to continue to lose at the current pace.
If the Dodgers are within 3 games of 1st place in the division by the AS break, that is this “working”. I agree that his is a “transition” year. There is a reason AF hasn’t traded away his minor league assets. He believes they can be productive MLB players and likely several of them will be stars. We just don’t know which ones yet. And you can’t know unless you let them play. And even with the guys that are up now and the ones that are ready in AAA; we have a load more in AA and A ball.
Transitions can be painful. But I have full faith in the process. I also think we have a good shot at winning the division and am certain we will make the playoffs. As Dodger fans we are very spoiled that our “transition” years we are still a very competitive playoff caliber team. For most franchises, transition years usually last for 2-3 consecutive and involve sub .500 records and no playoff appearances. As good as the Braves are, you can’t forget they lost over 90 games each season between 2015 and 2017.
There isn’t another franchise in baseball that can equal what the Dodgers have done for the last decade.
We are often so laser focused on the Dodgers we don’t pay attention to what’s going on across MLB. The only thing that matters is where we are in the division. And we haven’t lost ground to the one team I consider a threat (The Padres).
The Dodgers will figure it out. Moves will be made, as usual, to address issues as they arise. I agree that Vargas needs time to get healthy. I’d like to see Bush get some at bats in his absence. Let’s let the kids figure it out. We have a lot of them who need opportunities. Let’s give them their shot. And I’m sure we will be in a good position come the trade deadline. Where we have even more opportunity to address issues and improve.
We all need some perspective.
Note to Betty, I used your meatloaf recipe to cook my first solo dinner.
Thank you very much Bobby for what you said about me way up at the beginning of the comments. I very much appeciate it. You can’t imagine how much I appeciate your comment after all the punches I’ve taken. You picked me up after I was hit by a car and took me to the hospital.
Thank you.
Martinez in the starting lineup? Very interesting! Didn’t he hit 2 bombs yesterday? Not a doc bash, just interesting, very interesting! At my son’s game. He’s head coach at a division 2 college. Almost as nervous as when he played. Very proud dad, other son does radio in Charlotte. I’m very blessed! Go blue!
DODGERS RECALL YONNY HERNÁNDEZ
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated infielder Yonny Hernández and placed infielder Miguel Rojas on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Hernández, 24, appeared in 12 games for the Diamondbacks last year, recording two hits in 24 at-bats. He has been in the Majors parts of two seasons with Texas (2021) and Arizona (2022), batting a combined .198 (33-for-167) with five doubles and six RBI, while playing three different positions and recording a .977 fielding percentage. The Venezuelan native was hitting .308 (4-for-13) with two RBI in four games with Triple-A Oklahoma City. During Spring Training, he appeared in 18 games, batting .273 (9-for-33) with three doubles, one triple and two RBI. He was acquired via trade from the Oakland Athletics on December 15, 2022 for cash considerations.
Rojas, 34, played in 11 games for the Dodgers this season, hitting .125 (4-for-32) with one double and three walks. He is in his 10th Major League season, and he is a .259 (738-for-2851) career hitter with 140 doubles, 39 homers and 269 RBI. He was acquired on January 11, 2023 from the Miami Marlins in exchange for infielder Jacob Amaya.
To Bumsrap
Great post on the 2-wolves!!
And how true that is.
I am now looking forward to see how many guys we can put into the lineup at one time (5 last night) that are hitting below .200 and still win.
I wonder of one of your stat guru’s can check the records and let us know:)
So…who wants a Bud Light!?!??!?!
To Hondo (and others)
A call out on personal attacks!
I really do not understand the vitriol that is directed Marks’ way. He provides an incredible platform that is unmatched for us fans to discuss, argue Dodger baseball.
Luckily, a while back, the majority of us agreed to avoid political editorials and positions so we could keep this site from going into a death spiral.
I would like to make the same proposal about personal attacks!
Mark does make generalize statements about “moron’s” etc. but doesn’t usually callout any particular person – unlike some of you.
Opinions and disagreements are to be expected and provide entertainment value to most of us as we look forward to accessing this site on a daily basis during the season.
If Mark (and/or others) says something moronic (of course I have never been grouped under that title) “LET IT GO”.
The need to denigrate others is something that is unfortunately now part of our society (not a good thing), and is one of the negatives of hiding behind a computer.
DISCLAIMER – I have never corresponded with, talked with, or meet Mark – BUT I do know this is the only blog space I go to as the majority of us are here for the right reasons – which is to be part of the Dodger fan base when most of us no longer or never did live in the LA region.
1. I would not mind seeing Outman at leadoff. Put Mookie at #2 and Freddie at #3.
2. I think Vargas needs to go on the IL for 15 days and let that thumb heal. You can see it hurts him to swing the bat.
3. Call up Busch and let him play 2B
Tuesday scores
Albuquerque 13, Oklahoma City 10
Wichita 4, Tulsa 2
Great Lakes 6, South Bend 3
Rancho Cucamonga 7, Fresno 6
Wednesday schedule
9:05 a.m. PT: Tulsa (Nick Frasso) vs. Wichita (David Festa)
3:05 p.m.: Great Lakes (TBD) vs. South Bend (TBD)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Robbie Erlin) at Albuquerque (Jeff Criswell)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Maddux Bruns) vs. Fresno (Blake Adams)
Congratulations to Clayton Kershaw with his 200th win. What a terrific accomplishment by a great Dodger pitcher. It was done with a masterful performance.
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday there were 186 postings many by disgruntled fans who want AF fired, Doc fired, everybody replaced. There is so much negativity and some very odd opinions. Everybody is entitled to their opinion but the naysayers come out of the woodwork after a couple losses. A win seems to quiet everybody until the next losses.
Mark 4/13/23
“but it just makes sense to me that they are not going to add significant salary at the deadline”
Me too.
This is a TRANSITIONAL YEAR. Like dodgerrick and Jayne Cobb said yesterday. AF did not go all in last winter to attempt to sign expensive free agents and I hope he doesn’t change his mind on that this trade deadline, unless a deal too good to pass up drops in his lap. I’ve seen enough bargin basement, reclamation projects now to last me awhile. But we all need to relax.
Dodger fans are spoiled as hell. We are used to and want to mop up in the division every year and win every game. We think the 111 win season is now par. If many had their way, we would sign the most expensive all-stars we could at every position. We would blow away the luxury tax ceiling and pay outrageous penalties to buy the best team on paper.
But that isn’t possible nor sustainable. The Padres are trying that tactic now and it might work short term. But down the road those long term, 30 million plus contracts are not sustainable. Enjoy it while it lasts.
We have opted to used the talent we have built in the minors. Outman and Vargas are the start for position guys. We will see plenty of young quality arms get a chance. May is still young. I think Buehler and Gonsulin will be mainstays for awhile.
There are certainly areas to complain about. Perhaps unwisely we have filled in the holes with developmental projects the JDM, Heyward, Peralta, Rojas, Thor and Shellby Miller. CT3 has been amazingly shitty. The veterans have been inconsistent, including Mookie who hasn’t played close to superstar status.
Doc has earned some legit criticism is his past, but he has his strengths. Both have been discussed ad naseum. Who’s better; Sparky or Doc. Roberts is a clown. He can’t motivate adult professional players? He needs to go!
Doc is NOT the problem. And he’s not going anywhere. Norcaldodgerfan pointed out some very questionable moves by AF over the years. Many I agree with. But “ friedbrain, Hondo? Really?
Every GM has made their share of questionable moves, including AF. It’s a tough business projecting and predicting how a human being is going to mature and perform in the future.
But this fan base is so spoiled it can’t deal with a rebuild or a transitional year without blowing a gasket. The planet is about to blow up! Until today, after a win.
I think we need to settle down and reevaluate what’s going on here. I’m way good with 85 to 90 wins from this group. Try to make a wildcard spot and see what happens. I’m afraid before then half the fan base will have run off the ship like rats.
In the meantime, reset the cap and enjoy seeing all the young players try to make a name for themselves. Enjoy the greatness of Kershaw and Freddie.
If I’m AF I would not be a seller this year. Our depth at catcher is one area to get more quality pitching. I would prepare to pay Urias and Smith their market value.
In summary – Get under the cap and get after using the young homegrown talent, now gaining experience and fill in with quality players with the money we will have available for 2024. Bauer’s money alone will help.
I thInk part of the transition is to change how we approach the game. Contact is more valuable. Speed is back. We currently have 3 stolen bases this season. We still rely too much on the home run. The game is changing. We need to change our approach and talent to be competitive in this new game.
3:10 PM ET
Mets (11-7)
Dodgers (9-9)
SP Max Scherzer R
2-1 4.41 ERA 16.1IP 14K
SP Noah Syndergaard R
0-2 5.63 ERA 16IP 17K
Confirmed Lineup
CF James Outman L
1B F. Freeman L
DH J. Martinez R
3B Max Muncy L
RF J. Heyward L
2B M. Vargas R
LF D. Peralta L
SS L. Williams R
C Austin Wynns R
Partly-cloudy-day
0% Rain
71° Wind 7 mph Out
I look forward to watching Heyward’s play in the first inning on ESPN web gems. It might be showing in the Dodger clubhouse on a loop when he arrives for today’s game.
Lost in the giddiness over another great Kershaw appearance was the Dodgers inability to score runs.
3rd inning, runners on 2nd and 3rd, two outs – 0 runs
4th inning, runners on 1st and 3rd, two outs – 0 runs
5th inning, bases loaded, one out – 0 runs
7th inning, runners on 1st and 2nd, one out – 0 runs
The only runs scored other than by HR was in the 8th.
Just reading over Bear’s article, I was reminded how hard it is for a MLB team to be consistently good. It’s hard to be good in any season, let alone the run the Dodgers had. Luck is certainly the residue of design, but still, things have to fall into place in the right ways, and from a lot of moving parts, for a team to be successful.
Everything seemed to come up roses for the Dodgers last year. Everything kind of just clicked. I remember the same thing in 2017. The number of 9th inning come-from-behind victories seemed really uncanny to me. It was like the old guy in Caddyshack who couldn’t miss.
Then lightnings strikes.
https://youtu.be/gzYZOr8boh0
There’s elements of this team that are good, great even, but those good elements go missing some nights, or those elements don’t really seem to come together at the same time.
If Dodger fans here are upset, what do you thing San Diego fans are doing? I was just looking at their roster, and truly, that starting rotation is really not that impressive aside from Darvish … and Darvish has a reputation for falling apart. Snell has not been good since SD got him. Their second best pitcher is Seth Lugo?
Preller spent a boatload to assemble an offensive super team, and it’s not working out, and it’s not enough to overcome thin pitching.
Oh, and BTW, in my personal opinion Outman is not a 4th or 5th outfielder. He’s a 6th or 7th outfielder and should never have even made the team …. and Roberts is a terrible manager … and AF should be fired for that Brett Anderson QO. IT’S ALL THEIR FAULTS!
Great performance by Clayton Kershaw!
Dodgerram said it well. We are blessed to get to see Kershaw every fifth day!
Clayton overcame a three base error, and delivered 7 shutout innings when the team needed it.
I don’t like him going 105 pitches for the game, and 32 pitches in the 7th inning, but the bullpen has been shaky.
Hopefully, his next start is not impacted by the stressful 7th inning.
For today, let’s celebrate the 200th win for Kershaw and another masterful performance. He joins Verlander, Greinke, and Scherzer as the only active pitchers with 200 wins, and he is 4 years younger than the others.
Awesome player and awesome win!
What’s wrong with us!
Starting things off with a nice thoughtful dialogue and then Bam,
let’s use the compliment technique to try to tear someone else down. Not necessary but I guess some thrive on being unkind for breakfast.
Looks like there is a strong possibility Mookie is starting at SS today.
Eric brought this up a week or so ago, and I agreed with him then: let’s keep Outman at leadoff.
Sure, he’ll strike out 30% of the time, but he gets on base, is fast, and makes things happen. I think he can be a Joc type leadoff hitter.
Vargas is striking out more lately. Perhaps it’s his thumb; perhaps he’s pressing because he’s struggling (normal for a rookie).
I may show up for today’s 12pm game, if anyone else is going??
Good article and good analysis Old Bear….thanks for that.
I agree with Mark….let’s not platoon Outman and Thompson and give them 20 games whereby they play against everyone….and then analyze. I know 20 games isn’t much but it’s a starting point. Use Perralta and Hayward off the bench or if Betts plays 2B.
I have been wanting Smith to try 3B or LF for a year because I don’t want the rigors of playing catcher to affect his hitting. He is one of our best hitters so we need to protect that. Plus, we have a ton of minor league talent that plays catcher.
Kershaw is frigging amazing….he and Urias are the only “given” in my book.
Great game by Clayton. So happy for him for his Nr. 200. And moving up on the all time SO list.
We are really blessed to see this man pitch every fifth day. Hope he stays healty.
The emotion he showed after striking out that Mets batter to end the 7th , priceless. Maybe some of his determination rubs off on his teammates . some could use it.
Vargas clearly is hampered by his thumb. Kid will be okay when he is 100% physically. His defense is better than anybody could have expected.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!1
Here’s some Imanol Vargas highlights:
Don’t know if many saw Shawn Murphy’s post late last night? Bottom five of our lineup last night: .192 .186 .171 .125 .045 and CT3’s .125 on the bench. Now that’s consistent! And some are blaming Robert’s for being .500? Can’t believe he has us that high!
They aren’t pitching to Dalton Rushing at GL. Last night he walked four times and came up once with the bases loaded. He doubled to clear them. He was playing 1B.
Kyle Nevin went 4-5 last night and is hitting .524 with a 1.273 OPS at RC. He already has 5 doubles. He is a candidate to move up as well.
At Tulsa, Pages is batting .400 , but LeDuica is at .205. Vivas is at .366 but he only plays 2B (think Josh Harrison). Ramos is at .355 and Cartaya is off to a slow start at .214.
Landon Knack went 5 innings yesterday and allowed 1 Hit. His ERA is 0.69. He’s headed to OKC soon. It looks like the combination of better training and better nutrition is paying off. He has four pitches and could be in the rotation this season.
The fact that the Dodgers signed Wynns instead of calling up Hunter Feduccia (which involved putting him on the 40-man roster) has been a subject of debate.
How does Hunter feel?
Well, he hit a HR, went 5 for 5 last night, and is hitting .407 with a 1.363 OPS.
With Will Smith’s concussion issues, maybe he gets a look-see soon. Move Will to LF.
Look at this:
1. Betts SS
2. Freeman 1B
3. Smith LF
4. Martinez DH
5. Muncy 3B
6. Vatgas 2B
7. Outman CF
8. Thompson/Peralta/Heyward (figure it out) RF
9. Feduccia C
Early Dodger game today against the Mets starts at 3: 10 ET for those who are expecting a night game.
Prediction: One of Kershaw’s curveballs will be the Pitching Ninja’s pitch of the day. Just a massive break, and so much slower than his fastballs and sliders. (Kerveballs?)
I fully expect Kershaw to be back in ’24. He has plenty left in the tank, and he’ll want to play with Ohtani.
Great to see JD Martinez break out. We’ve been waiting for this. He had the worst K rate on the team before today.
And Outman picked up another two hits, while Max got one hit and three walks. Keep on keeping on, lads.
Hats of to Kersh. He put on a show for those punk ass Mets. Talent. Experience. Determination. Makes me PROUD to be a Dodger fan.