For the uninitiated, the saying, “Like a Bad Penny” refers to the idea that if you get a penny that is damaged, spindled and/or mutilated, it comes back to you. A few days ago, I said that we were seeing the “tip of the iceberg” and that there is a story behind the Dodger woes. It turns out that it’s the same old story. Players on the Dodger’s major and minor league teams as well as many players on other teams, are Catholic and are at varying levels of being religious. Blake Treinen and Clayton Kershaw are the only Dodgers who publically voiced their displeasure at the Dodgers honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who are a group that openly mocks Catholics. Yes, they do charitable work as well, but that is like stealing little old ladies’ purses and donating the stolen money to a charity. It’s just not right!
I enlisted the help of three other fans to see what we could find out, including an unnamed poster on this site. What we found out was very interesting. We found out that no one wants to talk about it. “I just play baseball. – I have nothing to say.” It’s like they have been instructed not to talk about it. We do know a few players were very upset because they spoke about it, but that has been silenced, after all, they are paid by the Dodgers or whatever team they play for, and it could be financially detrimental to them to speak out.
After Clayton’s performance, we can rest assured that he has put it behind him and is moving on… at least until the end of the season. What happens after that will finish this story. I have always felt Clayton would retire a Dodger – this is the first time that I m not so sure. I could see him spurning the Dodgers’ offer and playing out his last years in Texas (his home state). If he is as upset about it as I think he is, I could even see him saying, “Forget the Statue, and I am entering the Hall of Fame as a Ranger.” I am not sure he can do that, but you get my drift. I would not blame him is he did.
We have not heard the last of this. I wish we had. Some of you like to cancel dissenting opinions. Google is still interfering in the election process by deleting RFK, Jr. Much of the COVID-19 mandates and ideas that once got you kicked off Facebook or Twitter is now accepted as fact. Corporations routinely cave to the Woke Mob to their great detriment. Baseball should not be a part of the political agenda, but it is. The Dodgers are right at the top of the list. I believe it will come back and bite them in the ass! I used to love baseball as a respite from that lunacy!
Back to Dodger Baseball
Clayton Kershaw is one of the Top Cy Young Candidates in 2023. What an outstanding performance last night! If Julio can come back healthy and determined, that will be a dynamic duo, and Bobby Miller and maybe Emmet Sheehan can rise to the occasion as well. If just one of Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May can stay healthy, then the pitching might just improve. I am not writing Thor off just yet; let’s see what he does on his rehab assignment.
Daniel Hudson should help the pen (maybe not immediately), and there are others on the way. This is a playoff team – of that; I am certain… whether it be by the current roster or trade(s). Still, much depends upon the rookies, and they won with four of them in the lineup last night. Max will be back this weekend, and hopefully, a couple of the rookies will step up to the next level, but progress is not always predictable and at the same rate. It’s not linear!
- David Dahl had two hits in his OKC debut
- Daniel Hudson pitched 1 inning, allowing a hit and no runs, and 1 K with OKC
- Phil Bickford pitched 1 inning and allowed no hits or runs and struck out 1
- Gus Varland struck out 2 in his inning.
- Adam Kolarek elected to stay with OKC and also pitched a scoreless inning.
Discussion (38)
Disagree, not disagreeable
What would stroman cost? Bush,knack, and one of dodgers catchers? Having a very good year, but this is by far his best. Can he repeat next year?
Remarkable how both of these shut-out wins over the Angels were secured with bang-bang plays at the plate that required a video review. Nice throw by Peralta tonight, and Smith made another great tag.
Shohei struck out 12 but Freddie, one of the best hitters on the planet, managed to get that dinger. The Dodgers’ bullpen was ridiculous. Nice that they supported each other so well in this game. Hoping they start to support the starters better too.
Speaking of starters, baseball scribe Mark Feinsand says that the Cubs’ Marcus Stroman could be on the market because he is likely to exercise an opt-out in his contract. He’s having a great season and would not be cheap, even as a rental. By today’s standards, Stroman is a workhorse. He’s had 13 starts of 6 innings or more with 2 runs or fewer allowed. The next best are Cole and Bassitt with 10 such starts.
Methinks Bullpens are fickle
By the way, Mark, when I say trade chip, I mean a Dodger trade chip.
Nice job by Brasier.
OKC wins 1-0 on a Kole Calhoun homer. 7 pitchers used in a bullpen game. Tulsa loses 3-2, Great Lakes wins 8-3. Rancho up 4-1 at home in the 6th inning.
Freddie takes Shoei deep. Bullpen arms pitching well. Brasier getting ready to make his Dodger debut.
Graterol announced as opener
comment in jail
If Freeman gets three hits tonight, he has 2000 for his career. Personally, I would rather see him get that particular milestone at home on Friday against the Trashitos. Get two tonight, drive in a few runs, then the 2000th on Friday. Works for me.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Mookie who only wants to hit home runs and doesn’t steal bases would relinquish the lead off spot?
I think Freddy who runs the bases well, and gets on more than anyone else on the team would be perfect in the lead off spot. He’s in a slump right now, but normally is much more consistent and not prone to hot and cold spells like Mookie.
That way, a lot of those leadoff home runs for Mookie would become two run home runs.
The problem is, I don’t think Mookie would like it, and Roberts isn’t the type of manager to demand it
Seems to me if the other teams weren’t using the DL like the Dodgers are they would be complaining about it
Michael Grove vs Ohtani……
Yikes….I don’t like that match up one bit. If we only scored two runs against their mediocre starter last night, tonight could be harder. Where is Max Muncy when you need him?
By the way, anyone else not happy with how the Dodgers are able to shuffle pitchers back and forth like they do? Why does MLB allow for this?
Tuesday scores
Oklahoma City 10, Las Vegas 5
NW Arkansas 6, Tulsa 2
Great Lakes 2, West Michigan 1
Rancho Cucamonga 3, Lake Elsinore 1
ACL Dodgers 1, ACL Giants 3
DSL Dodgers Mega 13, DSL Braves 9
DSL Dodgers Bautista 15, DSL Nationals 5
Wednesday schedule
3:35 p.m. PDT Great Lakes (Ronan Kopp) at West Michigan (Troy Melton)
5:05 p.m. Oklahoma City (TBD) vs. Las Vegas (TBD)
5:05 p.m. Tulsa (River Ryan) vs. NW Arkansas (TBD)
6:30 p.m. Rancho Cucamonga (Jared Karros) vs. Lake Elsinore (Jagger Haynes)
9:38 PM ET
Dodgers (40-33)
Angels (41-34)
SP Michael Grove R
0-2 8.10 ERA
SP Shohei Ohtani R
6-2 3.29 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
DH J. Martinez R
LF D. Peralta L
2B M. Vargas R
3B Chris Taylor R
CF James Outman L
SS Miguel Rojas
Clear-day
0% Rain
75° Wind 8 mph Out
I say again
NOhtani
DukeNS – see above for rationale
Okay Bear what I am tired of is this team plays flat as soon as they get down in a game it’s over. That’s a reflection of your manager and clubhouse who is the leader. It used to be turner Pederson and Hernandez since those three left now what Kershaw Urias and Betts. Can you see my point compare those leaders in the clubhouse which one would run threw a wall for there team. I would want the first three guys. That’s what this team is missing a leader maybe they should have kept Justin Turner to be the leader because they sure miss him when they go on these losing streaks. There’s got to be something done about Roberts. His teams play like he looks in the clubhouse and dugout confused like a French bulldog like what should I do. Let me call up stairs and see. That’s what I am tired of you need a guy that knows how to coach baseball fundamentals an snit listen to the guys upstairs. And to get good players the dodgers will have to trade some of these young players but you even said it bear there just not that good. Other teams are getting better results from guys that com up from the minors. So your telling me then it the minor league system that was saying we have all these stars when we didn’t have the guys and now we find out there not ready. Yikes!!!!
DODGERS RECALL MICHAEL GROVE
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled right-handed pitcher Michael Grove and placed right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller on the injured list with neck pain.
Grove, 26, returns for his second stint with the Dodgers. On the season, he is 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA (27 ER/30.0 IP) and 30 strikeouts. He has been with the Dodgers two seasons, and he is a combined 1-2 with a 6.37 ERA (42 ER/59.1 IP) and 54 strikeouts. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft out of West Virginia University.
Miller, 32, last pitched on Thursday night against the White Sox, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. On the campaign, he is 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA (8 ER/30.0 IP) and 31 strikeouts in 25 games. He has allowed 12 hits in 30 innings, holding hitters to a .121 batting average against. He is in his 11th season in the Major Leagues with St. Louis (2012-14), Atlanta (2015), Arizona (2016-18), Texas (2019), Chicago (2021), Pittsburgh (2021), San Francisco (2022) and Los Angeles (2023) and he is a combined 39-58 with a 4.14 ERA (372 ER/808.0 IP) and 675 strikeouts in 192 games (132 starts). He was signed by the Dodgers on December 1, 2022.
The downside to Otani is that pitchers break. A 10 year $500MM contract means that you are paying $50MM for a DH if he can’t hit any more. A bad idea.
I suggest they make a big trade get a Leftfielder third baseman shortstop and starting pitcher keep the four good guys and you trade anybody else to get better team and clubhouse team plays flat. If I were the Dodgers I would go get kiki back from Boston guess where he is playing 2nd base wouldn’t that be great to see him back in the clubhouse and at second. Being that fire back to the team where the game is fun.
I believe the Angels gay pride night was June 7 and they did honor the disgraceful sisters.
Ohtani isn’t going to be traded. The Angels are playing better than they have in many many years.
Ohtani is leading the Angels in the following categories.
Batting average
Home Runs
RBIs
Stolen Bases
Runs
OBP
Slugging
OPS
Hits
Wins
Games started
Quality starts
Strikeouts
ERA for any starter with more than 12 innings pitched.
Unless they are more than 8-10 games out of the last playoff spot, it’s not an option.
Arte is already hated by Angel fans. He’d be crucified. Run out of town.
Fans want the Angels to make the playoff and resign Ohtani. And they’re willing to roll the dice. Even though resigning him is unlikely.
The smart move would have been to trade him this offseason. After the Angels missed the playoffs last year. They didn’t do it. They are now stuck. They will likely be buyers at the deadline. They have no choice but to go all in.
I said we CAN sign him not that we should or will. I think AF has all the info that we don’t to make that decision. What Ohtani is doing this year is insane. He leads mlb in OPS and lowest BA against in pitching! If anyone is worth a huge paycheck it’s him. Somebody is gonna pull the trigger.
Blunder,
You say we need 2 more bats. But the trade you propose makes it WORSE. We lose 2 hitters and get one in return. So now we are needing 3 more hitters.
Nice job by Kersh, He stopped the skid. Bad news is that the Mayor of Anaheim invited the Sisters to the Angels Pride night which I believe is tonight. So the Dodgers back in the soup again even without their own help. Satire or not, someone is going to be offended. Just the way the world is nowadays. I love the game for the games sake. That is why I still watch. I am not religious although there was a time when I was. But I can see where people who have deep faith would be extremely offended. My sister, although not a Catholic, was very offended. Stick to baseball. Will this affect the Dodgers? Probably less than most would think. I do not think that the attendance is going to suffer greatly, nor do I think Kershaw deciding to end his career in Texas would really hurt them that bad. Kersh fans would be pissed, but I always felt he would go where he felt the most comfortable. And Texas makes a lot of sense since it is home and he would be closer to his family all the time.
Vargas still can’t hit the 95+ fastball
Can’t we find someone on either side who isn’t 80 years old, corrupt and a sexual predator? How low we have sunk!
For the record, I have to say this:
I believe that the current President is unfit for office as I also believe the most past President is also unfit.
We shake it up & trade Mookie, Will & Stone for Ohtani. Everyone wins. The whispers about Mook are out there, eyes don’t lie.
Why not? We get all we need to dust the Snakes.
1. By definition, satire is the use of humor, exaggeration and ridicule to expose and criticize one’s beliefs or actions. Whether you agree with object of the satire does not change the fact that it is satire.
2. I read up on the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence because I knew nothing about them. I thought the Dodgers were allowing them to perform their satire during Pride Night. Turns out they were there to be honored on Pride Night for their charitable works with marginalized communities in the LA area, especially the LGBTQ communities.
3. I certainly understand and support Kershaw’s right to criticize the Dodgers for honoring them. I also support the two Catholic nuns who credit this organization for the charitable work that they have done to help people in the LA area. To compare them to stealing money from ladies and giving it to the poor is a bit over the top.
4. There are differences of opinion on this blog on the Dodgers and on this subject just like there are undoubtedly differences on the Dodgers about this. But I still doubt that it has lead to a fractured clubhouse and a losing record for the last five weeks. Nothing in the post seemed to support that. Other than they occurred at the same time which may make it a coincidence.
5. Anyone disagreeing with an opinion is not trying to cancel dissent. I agree with G. Sometimes inserting right wing talking points into the post like woke mob, cancel culture, anti vax issues and imprisoning Biden get us off on the wrong track.
Having said that, thanks for the website. I enjoy reading the different baseball opinions and the analysis. Go Dodgers!
I love how you say there’s no place in baseball for this but manage to make the first half of your article a right wing diatribe. And Kershaw can’t go into the Hall a Ranger even if he wanted to, the Hall gets to override that. Stop with the fear mongering.
In our society today, tolerance no longer means to put up with something you believe to be false. Tolerance now means that you’re supposed to accept every belief as true. But all beliefs can’t be true because they are mutually exclusive-they teach the opposite.
With the Dodgers present situation so fluid with so many moving parts, predictions for this team mean nothing now. But for sure we now know the fate of this team relies heavily on so many rookies. Among them, we got 2 SP’s and at least 2 position players that must grow up fast if the Dodgers are to make any noise by the end of the year. That’s living on the razor’s edge. ..but fun to watch.
CK with another masterclass pitching performance last night. I hope rookies Miller and Sheehan paid close attention to how Kersh handled his 7th-inning adversity.
It’s funny how the leftist media types–who are pro/Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence/trans/LGBTQ (or whatever)–describe that group’s mocking of Catholics as “satire.” …mmm, yeah.
Rookie Busch came thru with big RBI. But rookies still 1-14 in game. Yesterday’s game not anything to get giddy about like ‘turning it around’. Finally a complete pitching performance. But if they had scored three we would be moaning how rookies not coming thru. You don’t win many games by scoring 2 runs.
OK a win is a win
I agree 100% with the first half of your comments. No place in baseball for this! I love the game and the Dodgers, but the actions of the front office was not what the game or fans needed. They need to keep special interests and politics out of the game so we as fans can enjoy the game for what it is.
Loved Kershaw’s performance last night.
Thanks AVF for the update. Is upcoming draft supposed to be a talented and/or deep one. The pitcher for LSU looks like he could start in mlb right now.
MLB Draft bonus pools are out, and the Dodgers in 2023 will have much more to spend on amateur players than in recent years. This year’s draft will be in Seattle in and around the All-Star Game, which will be played at T-Mobile Park. The draft will begin on Sunday, July 9.
Jim Callis at MLB.com and Carlos Collazo at Baseball America have all the details on the 2023 draft bonus pools, which are the total of every pick within the first 10 rounds of the 20-round draft. The Dodgers’ bonus pool this year is $7,274,600, up a whopping 72 percent from last year’s pool of $4.2 million.
This year, the Dodgers lost two free agents who received qualifying offers, with Trea Turner inking a $300-million deal with the Phillies, and Tyler Anderson signing with the Angels. The Dodgers get two picks after the fourth round in the 2023 draft, which are back-to-back and have slot values of $942,700 in total.
There’s also inflation, with slot values up this year roughly 9.88 percent from the same picks in 2022.
The Dodgers, like last year, see their top draft pick drop 10 spots for spending more than $40 million over the 2022 competitive balance tax threshold. This year, that means pick number 26 (which has a slot value of $3,065,000) becomes the 36th pick, with a slot value of $2,362,700.
Oklahoma City, Great Lakes, and Rancho , three Dodger minor league affiliates won first half division titles. Tulsa is tied for first with Arkansas with 5 games remaining, In the Dominion League team Dodger Bautista is 12-0 and loaded with top notch International players. The future looks bright.