Mad About Max
For a run of six seasons from 2011 until 2016, Madison Bumgarner was a “horse” pitching over 200 innings each year. It culminated in 2016 when he was a key cog in winning the Giants third World Series in six years. In that 2016 season, MadBum pitched 226.2 innings during the…
For a run of six seasons from 2011 until 2016, Madison Bumgarner was a “horse” pitching over 200 innings each year. It culminated in 2016 when he was a key cog in winning the Giants third World Series in six years. In that 2016 season, MadBum pitched 226.2 innings during the regular season and an additional 14 innings in the postseason. When MadBum started that great run he was 21 years old and in 2016 he was 26 years. He has never been the same since.
Clayton Kershaw had a run about the same time where he missed 200 innings by 2 innings once or he would have had six consecutive seasons of 200 plus innings as well. Clayton has almost another full season stuffed into his career with 189 innings pitched during the playoffs. Clayton was also in his twenties when he did that.
Max Scherzer is a little different cat. He also had a run of six straight seasons with 200+ innings pitched, but he started later. Those six seasons were between the age of 28 and 33. Max has also pitched 128 innings in the postseason. Surprisingly, MadBum has just 102 innings pitched in the postseason.
We are discussing this because it appears that 37-years-old Max Scherzer is not going to be able to make his scheduled start today, due to continued “arm soreness” and of course, true to form, someone has to be blamed and that person is Dave Roberts. One fan commented: “Now they ruined Max Scherzer doing the same nonsense [as they did with Urias].”
For the record, I was not in favor of using Urias in relief, but I thought Scherzer coming in and closing out the game was fine… even necessary. Pitchers throw side sessions of 30 to 40 pitches between starts, and both Scherzer and Urias skipped their side sessions (with their blessing at managements’ behest) and respectively threw 13 and 14 pitches in a game. If 13 pitches “ruined” Max Scherzer then his arm is holding on by a thread and that in itself is reason enough not to sign him this offseason.
I believe that anything a pitcher does has an “effect” on their pitching, but I do not believe that 13 or 14 pitches in a game, while not throwing a side session can have a major impact on their performance. If anything, I believe it would be more mental than physical. But, many fans want to “blame” someone and Dave Roberts is their favorite. The fact of the matter is that Max Scherzer has been struggling his past several starts, On September 23rd, he went 5 innings and allowed 6 hits and 5 runs, and then six days later pitched 5.1 innings allowing 11 hits and 6 runs. In the playoffs, he has appeared to be solid at times, but not dominant. He hasn’t looked like Mad Max of old, except maybe during his 13 pitch relief stint.
Max Scherzer is 37 years old. He will be 38 next season. The odds are he will need Tommy John Surgery much like Justin Verlander did a couple of years ago and will miss a large part of two seasons. Pitchers in their mid to late thirties just start breaking down, which is why I would not re-sign Max Scherzer after this season unless it is on a sweet one or two-year deal. No Way. No How!
But, here we are today. If Scherzer can’t go, and it doesn’t appear he can, what do you do? Justin Bruihl also has a sore arm, so I would guess that Mitch White or Andre Jackson would get the call unless they want another LH which could be V-Gon, but I have no idea of his status and health. The Dodgers could rely on another “broken-down” mid-30’s pitcher, David Price to be an “opener” and see how many innings he can go – two would be amazing, three would be miraculous! However, if Striker Buehler is up to it, he should start today, because if you don’t win today, there is no tomorrow. Striker can cement his legend as a “big game pitcher” today. Let him go as far as he can… hopefully seven or eight innings and save the pen for tomorrow. Maybe Max can pitch 2 or 3 innings on Sunday. Maybe Julio as well.
Dodgerpatch articulated the winning formula for the Dodgers to win the NLCS:
In my opinion, it is absolutely essential that the Dodgers score more runs than the Braves if they have any hopes of winning. … but this is just my opinion.
Brilliant! That captures all the nuance. Jayne Cobb also summed up very succinctly how I also feel:
AF and Roberts had a plan for the playoffs. And it’s not the same plan as during the season. They are doing things they would never do during the regular season. As they should. They know what they are doing. That doesn’t mean it always works. Had it not been for that low-pressure system off the coast of CA, Gavin Lux would have walked off that game against the Giants. All the effort, planning, training, strategizing, adjusting and executing go to shit with a single gust of wind. Over 162 games, wind is not an issue. But in one, it determines the outcome. That’s the playoffs. Roberts is executing the plan. It’s the fans who are overanalyzing everything. This is baseball.
Well said.
Injuries have taken their toll, and still are, but it is
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Discussion (148)
Disagree, not disagreeable
There were 10 teams with better records than the Braves, and the Braves have outplayed two of them, proving it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. I think most of us know that. And the Dodgers, after an historic and odd year, finished with a whimper. I don’t hold anyone but the players responsible. The Dodgers are a Formula 1 car that had a few broken parts then ran out of gas at the finish line. It happens.
I am not sure about Trea Turner. I think Mark’s comment about him having some knucklehead in him is accurate. He’s not a second baseman, that’s for sure, and I have doubts he’s any better defensively at short. We may find out next year. Betts wasn’t right for months. Hopefully what is wrong with him will be fixed this winter. We obviously missed Muncy. Justin Turner is a DH, Bellinger will be back and be great agsun and I think Kershaw is likely done, certainly as a frontline starter. What’s he worth now? Certainly not $30 million.
I have no interest in the World Series, but I think Houston will roll Atlanta. It’s now officially football season for me. Go Rams. I’m a Pac 12 guy and I saw a chart yesterday that said even if Oregon wins out their chance of making the playoff is 2%. One loss in this conference is apparently enough to eliminate it. I think that’s evidence of a Midwest/Southern bias. But, as is often said, it is what it is.
Today is the hardest day that I have had as a Dodgers fan, many times I have been eliminated, but whenever that happened clearly the opposing teams were better, today is the first time that a team that was clearly inferior has eliminated me, just He was better in a short series than anyone can win, I guess now we pay those times we won with a much inferior team in 1988.
This defeat is very tough because the chances of winning everything were very good since there was no team better than the Dodgers but they couldn’t show it on the field of play; It will also take a long time for the team to integrate a list of the level that was had in 2021, the Dodgers will continue to have good teams but like 2021 it will be very difficult to match.
One big irony to the end of the season.
The last game was played in Atlanta. Where the all star game was supposed to be played until Roberts, the Dodgers and others complained about the Georgia voting bill. Now the World Series will be played in Georgia.
Yes, Thank You for hosting this site Mark. It will be a strange off-season. An expiring CBA, potentially adding the DH to the NL, and so many free-agents that we’ve been rooting on for a long-time.
Thanks to the GREAT MARK TIMMONS!!!!!!!!!!
Have no real interest in the WS. Turning my attention to the NFL and more specifically the Rams. Going to Sofi tomorrow to watch them Beat the Lions.
The loss to the Braves stings a lot but our boys ran out of steam. AF is going to have to get creative and make some very tough FA decisions. Have the legal team work to void Bauer’s contract so that money can be used to keep our own FAs and make a trade or two to further build out the bench and bolster the minor leagues.
He will also need to assess whether or not CK and Scherzer are viable options next year. I’m highly skeptical CK can pitch next year now knowing he had the plasma rich injection which is a pseudonym for “Tommy John surgery.”
I’ll let this pain subside and then offer my two cents on what I think AF should do later. While the Dodgers have deep pockets they probably can’t or won’t commit to signing CK, CT3, KJ , Seager and Scherzer.
Many tough decisions ahead but the one thing I’m confident with is the NL West title will for the foreseeable future go through LA and not SF or SD
Props to Walker Buehler he really stood up and made no excuses. Really proud of him
A very frustrating game and series against the Braves. Atlanta outplayed us for the series and deserves the win. Rosario outplayed every Dodger player, and Matzek was great. This was a winnable series for the Dodgers, with the blown save in game 2 and the lack of hitting throughout the series. But the Dodgers best players did not perform, and the injuries caught up with the team.
Anything less than a World Series title for this team with this payroll is a disappointment, but I am thankful for an exciting season overall. Let’s not forget some of the best moments this year:
106 win regular season
Great playoff series win against the Giants.
20 game winner in Julio who was great in a starting role.
Walker Buehler with a Cy Young caliber year.
Kenley Jansen with a great bounceback year and a great postseason.
Treinen had a great year and was one of most unhittable relievers in the game.
Taylor was an all star, had a walkoff home run against the cards, and great series against the Braves.
Will Smith stepped up and performed like an all star catcher.
Pollock had a huge year, his best as a Dodger, and contributed in the postseason.
Muncy was an MVP candidate for most of the year.
Betts, Seager, Justin Turner had solid years.
Trade acquisitions Scherzer and Trea Turner were great additions for the regular season, even if disappointing in the playoffs.
Pujols showed great leadership and his homer in St Louis was epic.
Bellinger had awesome game winning hits against Giants and Braves in playoffs to help forget the regular season.
Kershaw is still my favorite Dodger ever, and pitched until his arm almost fell off.
And thanks to the LA Dodger Talk group for entertaining and intelligent baseball discussion!
I’m glad Kenley finished with two K’s. If that was his last outing as a Dodger I’m glad he finished that way.
Strange season. I don’t think any team has ever won 106 games and feel like they weren’t 100% clicking. So many injuries. The team almost got there still. I thought we were going to pull it out in the 7th.
Kudos to AF for bringing in the guys to win. I wish the two Nats would have shown up in the NLCS. I don’t know what next years roster will look like. That’s what makes it sad.
They gave it a battle, and I thought we might pull it out in the seventh, but Matzak was unhittable, by us. We certainly did not disgrace ourselves, with players getting hurt in every game, but it’s a very disappointing way to end a 106-win regular season, to an 88-win team, with all their fans jumping up and down.
We gave away the second game, and you can’t afford to do that. And we had some players who just didn’t hit at all. And we have had some trouble all year putting together scoring innings when we don’t get 15 runs or so. No one scores big in every game, but we did not really maximize our chances in some key games. But even with all of that, had we had the fourth starter, whether Kershaw or Bauer or even May, we might have done it. But three starters down the stretch ,and then a wildcard game, and a grueling five-game series as road team, made it too difficult for our starters, none of whom pitched to their abilities in the series.
It’s always very tough when the season ends, and there is no more baseball. And we cannot just look to next season to be better–unless we make some great moves in the offseason, which is certainly not impossible. Thanks for all the great discussions this year, an d a group of largely very decent and knowledgeable fellow Dodgers fans.
The hitting just wasn’t there.
Losing Muncy and Kershaw was big.
Oh well saves us the embarrassment of being annihilated by Houston. We just didn’t have the team with all the injuries to beat a hot Houston team like that in the World Series and I would’ve hated to lose to them
To be a gentleman and I’ll congratulate Atlanta. But there’s no way in hell they would’ve beat us if we were even at half strength
Some of you whiners who call yourself Dodger fans yet bitch about everything are pathetic. We are lucky to have such a great organization to root for year after year. You are the real losers, not the Dodgers. Disgraceful.
Game went as scripted. Guys fought and made it competitive, and I’d expect nothing less from this team, but in a season of perpetual obstacles it was just too much to overcome. Probably the most frustrating 106 game winning team you could ever hope to root for. I’d gladly do it all over again, but hopefully they fix some things.
TT : the INVISIBLE MAN of postseason play.
Hats off to Snitker.
We didn’t hit, we didn’t win.
Betts, Seager, Turner 0fer. 14 Ks, 2 for 10 WRISP.
The All or Nothing Gang whiffs its way into the sunset. See some of you next year.
That sucked every inch. It was ours to win . Treinen did a monumental job to keep up in , give the team a HUGE LIFT, then they threw it away with three strike outs. F*ck me DEAD!
Kenley, man. Captain Comeback. Heart of the order (the real heart) coming up.
Dang, we want to mow the Dodgers – looks like it could be the Braves
– Astro Fan
We guessed wrong for all three outs. Albert guessed fastball, got breaking.
Souza guessed breaking and got fastballs.
Mookie guessed breaking and took two fastballs.
Finally guessed right , but missed fastball for strike three
Lets give the pitcher credit for a great job done
Two more shots. It ain’t over til it’s over!
I would have put Lux or even Barnes infor Souza. He would have at least HIT THE BALL.
Microcosm of the season. Three outs to just hit a bloop single and tie the game. That Pujols opportunity had storybook ending written all over it. Ah boys…