I said it when Roki Sasaki was struggling…If not Roki, who? He finally started to pitch with more confidence and he put together a string of positive starts. Yes, there were those who forgot about his previous four excellent starts and instead focused on his CWS start. He is a back of the rotation pitcher. He is not an Ace. There is still time as he is just 24 years old.
Then there is the other back of the rotation RHSP that many do not care for, Emmet Sheehan. Comments like he should not pitch to batters a third time through, or 4 and done. Sheehan is all of 26 years old, and has accomplished 6.0+ innings multiple times this year and in his career. He is a back of the rotation pitcher. He is not an Ace. Was not drafted to be and is not expected to be.
The difference this year over last year is the number of HRs allowed. But consider that he is in the 90th percentile for Chase and 85th percentile for Whiff. It is not his stuff. It is his command. He has had it on multiple occasions, but he is struggling with it thus far. With his ability for chase and whiff it is probably a mechanics issue, not stuff. How does he get it back? He pitches.
I have had a couple of really good conversations with my son this past week. He is not a big LAD fan and he loves to argue with me. He knows I like Sheehan and he decided to watch Sunday’s game, just to argue with me. But he surprised me. He said there are going to be a lot of fans criticizing Sheehan, but he liked what he saw. For five innings he dominated. He made a horrible pitch for the HR and it looked like it deflated him. Then he told me, “I don’t think fans understand just how hard it is to try and pitch a shutout.”
With the LAD lackluster offense, Sheehan may have thought he had to pitch a shutout for 6-7 innings. While he did not experience stress with runners on base in the first five innings, it was the stress of trying to be being perfect. One bad pitch ended the day for him. Of course it should not have, but he is a young back of the rotation pitcher trying to stick in the LAD rotation. He knows Glasnow and Snell will be back. He is not making millions. He is just above MLB minimum. He is not going to make the big $$$ unless he sticks in a rotation.
Go back and look at Yamamoto’s early season struggles when he was not getting any offensive help. On May 12 he gave up 5 runs in a 6-2 loss, and the next start he lost 1-0. His last four starts have been extra special, but he got a lot of run support…5 runs, 9 runs, 9 runs, and 7 runs. How different might it have been if he was getting his early season run support? Yama is an Ace and is being paid as an Ace.
So if not Sheehan, who? River Ryan? IMO Ryan is legit, but he may be more suited to be a high leverage reliever come the end of THIS year. He has 55.1 total AAA IP. 32.0 IP with 7 starts this year. That is 4.5 innings per start. He is not fully ramped up yet. Close, but not yet. After Ryan, there is NOBODY.
Sheehan is having a better year over many proven SP. He would be #2 for the Cubs only behind Imanaga. He would be #3 for Milwaukee and NYM. #3/#4 for a number of teams. But he is with the Dodgers, and Dodger fans want pitchers who can qualify for top of rotation status.
Just like I stuck with Sasaki, I am sticking with Sheehan.
- Eric Lauer – 4 starts, 22.1 IP – 3.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .228 BAA, 5 BB, 17 K, 5 HR
- Emmit Sheehan – 13 starts, 64.1 IP, 4.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP. .244 BAA, 17 BB, 72 K, 12 HR
- Roki Sasaki – 12 starts, 62.1 IP, 4.76 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, .246 BAA, 24 BB, 64 K, 11 HR
ACL Reds 4 – ACL Dodgers 2
The Reds scored 4 off SP Jose Taveras in the 1st inning. In 3.2 IP, he gave up 5 hits and issued 4 BB.
The Dodgers did not have a hit in the first four innings. In the 6th, they scored 2 runs with a double, error, BB, and single. They got their 3rd hit in 7th. LF Leider Padilla had a double for the only XBH. No hitter had more than 1 hit.
DSL Reds 4 – DSL LAD Mega 2
RHRP Nehemias Valdez had a good 2.0 innings of scoreless pitching. No hits or walks and 1 K. For 2026, 4 games, 4.1 IP, 1 ER allowed, 1 hit, 1 BB, 3 K.
No DSL LAD Mega hitter had more than 1 hit.
- C Robert Saucedo, double (3).
- CF Helvin Mendoza, double (2).
- DH Jose Rivas, double (2).
DSL LAD Bautista 16 – DSL Royals Fortuna 5
German born LHSP Tom Apfelbaum completed 3.0 scoreless innings. He allowed 2 hits, 1 BB, and 2 K.
CF Rubel Arias is thus far proving he was worth the hype. Will it continue? Can he emulate Eduardo Quintero?
- CF Rubel Arias – 3-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, 1 SF, triple (1)
- 3B Adrian Del Cid – 2-4, 2 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI, double (2)
- 1B Oliver Chapman – 2-5, 3 runs
- RF Jeibert Rondon – 3-3, 2 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI, double (1)
- C Haram Hernandez – 4-6, 2 runs, 4 RBI, double (3)
- LF Jhosman Theran – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (2)
Discussion (70)
Disagree, not disagreeable
That is speculation and imagination more than deduction.
A large percentage of money is from Guggenheim Partners is wonderfully vague, quite possibly incorrect and probably irrelevant.
There’s definitely no definite responsibility to other investors! That’s wonderful speculation presented as fact.
Interesting you elide over the other sports assets Walter and company are assembling.
As predicted:
06/16/26 Los Angeles Dodgers designated 3B Santiago Espinal for assignment.
06/16/26 Los Angeles Dodgers activated 2B Tommy Edman from the 60-day injured list.
10:10 PM ET
Rays (41-28)
Dodgers (46-27)
SP Drew Rasmussen R
6-2 2.71 ERA
SP Justin Wrobleski L
7-2 2.95 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
CF Andy Pages R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Mookie Betts R
3B Max Muncy L
RF Kyle Tucker L
LF Ryan Ward L
2B A. Freeland S
C C. Robinson R
72° Wind 9 mph Out
But, insider intelligence is what we expect from you.
Asking too much?
Hey I wasn’t even thinking about it until you mentioned it. It made sense to me. I took a look at the ownership group, there’s quite a few, with Guggenheim owning 27%. And some in that group are getting old. Take a look some time. All things considered, and there’s a lot to consider, nationally, internationally, locally and bifocally. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to cash out. Do I expect it? Not really. Just something else to think about.
PJ,
I saw one of Puigs once. He had thrown it away.
It listed about a dozen hitters and had stuff like this:
#13
LF – S3R (meaning Straightaway – 3 step R)
CF- D1L (meaning Deep – 1 step L)
It went on for each OF position. That was a long time ago. I’m sure it’s different and better now.
Super fun game yesterday. In fact, I had a great few days watching tons of baseball between the College World Series and MLB.
Nice to see Tucker get a couple of knocks and 3 RBI and my man, Miggy Ro with the game winning homer. Nice pitching especially the back end. A tidy 2:36 game. I loved the Ray’s safety squeeze.
2:36 was a lot better than the college game Sunday with the Cinderella Troy knocking off Ole Miss 12 to 8 in an agonizing 3:46. Almost a 4 hour game. I smoke an entire pork-butt almost while that game was going on.
Yesterday’s OU win over Georgia, 4-3 was a great game.
I really enjoyed the Dodger broadcast with Boog Sciambi and Rossie. Boog can be a little controversial but I really like him. Great information and sense of humor with Rossie who is the opposite of a Joe Buck or even a Joe Davis. No Slick-Willie, just an unpretentious baseball-man describing the game.
They seem to be guarded like the nuclear launch codes but I’d love to see one of those little positioning cards that defenders pull out of their back-pockets. I wonder how they concisely tell players where to position themselves. Like a quick numbering system. Like 3 steps right of a straight-away position.
Has anybody here ever seen one of know how they work?
I hope Worbs keeps up the good work today.
This I know:
1. A large percentage of the money has come from Guggenheim Partners.
2. Mark Walter is 66.
3. Mark Walter has 100% control of the Dodgers
4. He also has a fiduciary responsibility to Guggs shareholders.
5. He isn’t going to be there forever.
6. Ohtani & Yama are in their prime and Japan is a huge revenue source.
7. If they win 3 in a row, their price may be the highest ever.
8. The above is the power of deduction and reasoning. Give it a try!
BTW, This is just my opinion, not insider intellegence.
Teoscar Hernandez could begin a rehab assignment as soon as the weekend of June 19-21 if he continues to progress.
“It is human to err.”
That’s true. But if you really want to f*** it up you need a computer.
I think it’s probably doubtful too. But it is possible.
I’m saying I don’t trust there won’t be more sore arms going forward. I’m also saying rather than face him twice in a postseason series I’d rather Skubal was with the Dodgers.
The source is reality! They’ve bought a bunch of assets! And never sold one! Not even that stupid eSports one.
What kind of question was that?
Perhaps some don’t consider the following as assets? Maybe they are thought of as incidental purchases?
The Lakers, The Dodgers, Chelsea FC, the Sparks, that team in Germany, Cadillac’s F1 team.
I am not grumpy. I am a realist. And realistically to me anyway, he is still a kid. My kids are still kids to me, and they are all 40 or older. Ryan does have a lot to prove. He has pitched 56 total games in the minor leagues at all levels. He is not dominating the league, far from it. He has nice stats over 7 starts. How many pitchers can you name who with just 7 triple A starts under their belts advance to the majors and dominate MLB hitters? His total experience in AAA is exactly 14 games, with a 3-1 record. He had surgery less than 2 years ago. And you expect him to just pass over guys like Sheehan, who have more experience than he does? You sir are delusional. And quite wrong. He hasn’t proven anything at any level yet.
You sure are a grumpy ol man aren’t ya? He’s not a kid as far as prospects go….he’s older than Sheehan! You implied he wouldn’t get a shot this year and we all know he is going to get some starts. He has nothing to prove in the minors at this point and they have to see what they got. Now get back to cussing out the kids for playing on yer lawn ol timer.
4.0 innings last time. I say free the bats.
Not true. He pitched 4.innings in his last start. The time before that, he did pitch 6.0 innings and gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. Shehan has gone at least 6.0 innings in five of his 13 .starts. All five were quality starts and in 4 of the five the opponent scored 2 or fewer runs in his 6.0 innings. Sheehan has done nothing to deserve going back to OKC.
Opinions are cool. That’s what this site is all about. Second guessing and hindsight, not for me. It is human to err. I admire the man who doesn’t shy away and goes balls out for what he believes will work. Regardless of the consequences or criticism. AF comes to mind…Tucker, and Kevin Cash…Snell. You can’t win or innovate without taking chances. Oh, I have an opinion too. AF will not trade the farm for Tarik or anyone else. And he could give a rat’s behind what team gets him. He just hope’s his foresight in cobbling this team together will win a 3rd championship in a row!
Book em
I think they paid for the Laker franchise, the the Laker brand, and the value the Lakers’ organization will be worth once it’s back to being dominant, not just for a “mediocre team”.
They also bought a mediocre Dodger team in 2012 but realized what the Dodger franchise and Dodger brand was worth and what it could be once it was run properly.
I”m not so sure they’ll sell the Dodgers so soon. The deferred money is actually making the Dodgers money right now in escrow, so it’s a win win situation. It’s not a giant lump sum that’s due out of the blue in 2033-2043.
“They are building an asset group.” Source?
“what in the world makes you think they would sell the Dodgers?” A Mark Timmons’ opinion.
Walter wildly overpaid for a mediocre Laker team. Their percentage valued the Lakers at $10-$11 billion I believe.
They’ve committed hundreds of millions of dollars for under performing players in recent years. Maybe, Guggenheim wants to cash out and let the new owners deal with the remaining bad contracts and deferred payments. Then use the proceeds to get the Laker team back to a championship caliber team. Letting LeBron move on would be a good first move for next season.
The ownership group just bought the Lakers, what in the world makes you think they would sell the Dodgers?
They are building an asset group.
“If the Dodgers do that trade, it tells me that they are going to sell the team.“
Aren’t you the one that said they would? Made sense when I read it. Three in row World Champion, new CBA cramping their style. Dump it and quadruple your investment.
Not sure what you are saying here Badger, other than nobody knows what the future holds.
Got that right. Heather Lockliving Next Door.
I don’t believe the Dodgers had the collateral to acquire Miller. DeVries was a Top 5 prospect. Those are coveted.
With Sirota and DePaula, the Dodgers do have the collateral now, it is going to take at least one. Maybe both.
If the Dodgers do that trade, it tells me that they are going to sell the team.
In defense of Cash, it’s purely 2nd guessing. We have no clue what Snell would have done and if Snell stumbled the second guessers would have been on him like stink on a goat. Second guessers are never wrong.
Their offense without Acuna is very vulnerable right now. Sale is about their only solid starter.
I get where you are coming from, I simply disagree that the Dodgers will even consider trading for him. AF has never overpaid for a rental. It is highly doubtful he does it at all. I am not concerned with the Yankees, Braves, Phillies or anyone else. I have no control over who they might acquire or not. Padres won the deadline last year and still lost.
She fine tho
Yeah, this should be the farewell ride.
Happy for him too
Bear, EVERY competitive organization, no matter where their system ranks, has the resources to make the trade that they feel they must make. There are a number of creative ways to make things happen.
I can see the Braves going all in for Skubal especially with Spencer Strider being shut down for the next month or so.
A. AF won’t trade for him simply to keep him from being traded to another contending team. He did not do it for Miller, and he sure won’t change his stripes for a rental who is going to cost a ton in player capital. B. Detroit is 9 games back, 12 games under .500. Unless they go on a real serious run, they are not going to be back in the race anytime soon. They play the Astros the next two then a weekend series with the White Sox, who are leading the Central. Skubal is set to pitch Fridays opener. C. What will it take to land Skubal? That is the question. The Phillies farm system is ranked 16th. Yankees are 20th, Braves 28th. None of those teams you mentioned have the prospect capital to make a deal. Now, if they trade talent on the roster and under team control, maybe. The Padres are way down on the list too. Milwaukee has the best farm system in the majors according to Bleacher Report. If they get serious about winning it all, it is concievable they would trade for Skubal. They did it before with Sabathia.
Correct, some team will jump out of the gym for him, especially with a possibe lockout looming?
Ohanti, Yamamoto, Skubal, Snell in the playoffs.
Prospects are cooler, parades are cooler….
We still have no idea what will be needed come September. Things happen. Things have already happened and things will continue to happen.
Many are assuming Snell, Ohtani, Yamamoto, (Glasnow?) and Sasaki will be 100% until November. I don’t assume that. Currently the team has Lauer and Sheehan, both with ERA’s over 4.5, pulling up the back of the rotation (actually Sasaki is in that group as well) so everyone is pitching only once a week, something I’ve been petitioning for a couple of years now. Maybe the staff will cruise through the summer, Glasnow and Snell will return, maybe Stone, maybe Ryan, maybe Phillips, maybe Diaz, maybe maybe maybe.
In the meantime Skubal is traded to Milwaukee, Philadelphia, San Diego, or Chicago. Actually there are a number of teams that could use an ace in October, some may not even be in contention now.
I’d just as soon he was here.
Make no mistake, this year is about the 3peat. Whatever it takes.
I think Miggy will retire. He would be blocking one of the kids.
Yes, LA’s hitters can be a maddening bunch. Way too many RISP left on the bases.
Now that makes sense Pop. As a September call up to give the big guns a blow prior to the playoffs, yes, especially with neither Stone nor Knack expected back soon. Stone has a lot more experience than Ryan and a good track record. They get Phillips and Stewart back soon, so the BP will be bolstered.
I agree Duke. And, yes, it is nice he did it against the Padres. May was so much fun to watch when he first came up. The movement and velo combination he had was ridiculous. I’ll never forget the strikeout of Machado where the pitch was headed for the inside of the plate and ended about two feet inside after Manny swung. It looks like Manny got his payback last night.
Best case scenario for us is that Detroit gets back in the race and keeps Skubal. It’s not that we need him, the issue is adding him to Phillie, Brave or Yankee rotation
Concerning a River Ryan callup in the near future? According to Athletic Dodger beat writer, Katie Woo, the Dodger front office wants Ryan to remain at OKC to continue to build up arm strength and more important continue improving his overall physical health. He has been injury prone in the past, so the team wants him get stronger overall for the long term. The current starters are doing fine right now and there is no need for Ryan to be called up.
Some more consistent offense would help the starters pitch with less stress.
Not at the moment.
Rojas has said if the Dodgers repeat, he might come back. So, with any luck he won’t be missed at all.
Then Dodgers plan to slow play Ryan. But I have heard they bare looking to use him sometime this year. My guess, when rosters expand in September.
Thou shall not covet…. And not just your neighbor’s wife 🙂
Check your history guys. AF is not going to overpay for a rental. Every deadline deal he has made has not cost the Dodgers top prospects except when he traded for Scherzer and Turner. Not Darvish or Machado. It is extremely doubtful that LA will make a deal for Skubal period. Oh, the experts seem to think so. But they have not been right many times in the past. Especially when Detroit is still in the AL Central race.
May beat the Padres. Wheeler beat Miami.
MLBTR is reporting that Espinal will be DFAd again.
He is a free agent again at the end of the season.
We don’t call people crazy here when they voice their opinion, and my opinion is unless something major happens to one of the pitchers NOW IN THE ROTATION, he is not being called up. There is no reason for it. When Snell is ready to return, and he is now on a throwing program, Lauer will most likely be the odd man out. Who are you going to put Ryan in for? Ohtani? Yamamoto? Ryan is being stretched out so you certainly are not going to use him in a relief role. By the way, he is a kid to me and most of the older posters here. He turns 28 in August, that still gives me 50 years on the kid. Just because he has pitched 6 innings in his last couple of starts at AAA does not mean he is ready to go six against MLB hitters. It is only 7 games since he came back from surgery. They will slow play him.
I can’t wait till they traded for Skubal and y’all lose it lol
Ya, a Skubal won’t include DePaula AND Sirota, and it may not include either.
Jeff Passan and others on ESPN.com last week opined what it would take to get Skubal, the rental, and neither DePaula or Sirota were in that proposed deal.’
I’d guess they know values and comps more than we do.
He’s not really a kid at this point he should be pitching in the big leagues. He’s also pitched at least 6 innings in his last few starts, you’re crazy if you don’t think we see him this year. It’s a matter of when not if.
If the goald is to threepeat Skubal would be a great addition. Best starter in the game not named Skenes IMHO.
Its not that the Dodgers desperately need him but I would hate to see him end up on another contender like the Braves, phils, Yanks, Padres, Brewers.
IF he is healthy and costs one of dePaula or Sirota plus some other pieces I would be tempted to do a trade for him.
Skubal is NOT worth either Sirota,DePaula or Morales on an individual basis. There are some here that are trade-happy for NO apparent reasons.AF/BG will do the right thing come the trade deadline.
torn on Skubal. If he is right there is no better pitcher in baseball.
Would not give up both Sirota and dePaua for him , would not include Morales with either one of them.
Only Sirota or DePaula with other parts. it would be only a rental for probably damaged goods and that is not worth ThAT much.
Lauer was really good after giving up 3 early runs.
I usually watch the recaps on the NL games. Last night May (SL) and Wheeler (PHL) were both outstanding. Wheeler shut down SD and we are all happy for May. STL and PHL will be tough to deal with in a short post season playoff series. Sanchez is right up there with Yama and if May continues to put it together, they both will give us trouble. Of course we still win, but it ain’t gonna be easy.
Totally agree with Mark – Skubal isn’t worth losing our top prospects. Pick up a 2nd level pitcher at the deadline for a lot less.
Espinal goes again.
We don’t need Skubal,period!
Edman is due back.
Who goes?
Espinal or Call. Everyone seems to love Call, but he is OPSing .683, and Espinal is .650. Flip a coin. Edman can play IF and OF. Call is just OF, and Espinal is just IF. Both will be gone when Kile comes back!
Miggy doesn’t hit em often,but he hits em when they count. He will be sorely missed next season. Hopefully the Dodgers reward him with a coaching job that will help young players develop. In my opinion he was the best offseason signing.
No knees jerking all over the place today!
Lauer did exactly what he needed to do: 6 IP/3 Runs.
What do the Dodgers need Ryan or Skubal for?
Glasnow and Snell are also part of the picture.
… and no complaints about the bullpen.
Some of you evidently have never watched baseball before, but sometimes it is maddening… and then it passes.
It was good to see Kyle Tucker get a BIG HIT. Now, maybe he will be worth $30 million a year… Oh, wait, he makes $60?
Mike Sirota and Josue DePaula are both hitting very well at AA Tulsa. Both are OPSing over 1.000 with BAs north of .330! Has any Dodger hit that well there? The closest recent Tulsa Drillers hitter was Miguel Vargas in 2021. He won the Double-A Central batting title and hit .321 for Tulsa, but his OPS was .909, not over 1.000.
Based on Tulsa records and recent Drillers seasons, there does not appear to have been a Tulsa hitter in the Dodgers era (2015-present) who finished a full Double-A season above .330 with an OPS above 1.000. Vargas was the closest combination of average and impact.
What’s interesting is that Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota are threatening territory that very few Tulsa hitters have approached simultaneously:
De Paula has spent much of 2026 around the .330 mark with elite OBP skills.
Sirota arrived in Tulsa after posting a ridiculous .325/.478/.602 line in Great Lakes.
What makes Mike Sirota and Josue De Paula interesting is that they are combining elite average with elite on-base ability, something Tulsa rarely sees from players this young. De Paula was even named Texas League Player of the Month this season, underscoring how unusual his production has been.
For perspective, if De Paula finishes 2026 around .330/.430/.600 (1.030 OPS), it would likely be one of the greatest offensive seasons by a Tulsa Driller in decades. Sirota has enough power and on-base skill that he could join him in that neighborhood if his Tulsa numbers hold.
Now think about this: Detroit will want at least one of DePaula or Sirota… or BOTH… for Skubal. That’s why I say no! I also think that Sirota and DePaula will both be TOP 10 MiLB prospects before the year is over. These guys don’t grow on trees.
I feel both Sheehan and Sasaki are so close. It just seems they can’t overcome that first bit of adversity in 5th-6th inning. They don’t have to throw shutouts. Seven innings and 3 runs is a win. More mental than stuff. Need that “dog” Wrobo mentality
A bit more, from the Sporting News:
Cash likely took most into account the success major league hitters have when facing pitchers a third time in the same game. According to Baseball Reference, Snell has allowed a .742 OPS the third time he faces hitters in the same game for his career. In a small-sample size (24 batters) against righties in 2020, Snell allowed a 1.072 OPS the third time, per ESPN (for context, Snell has allowed a .664 OPS to batters overall in his career). Coming to the plate was the right-handed hitting Mookie Betts, who has seven regular-season hits off Snell in his career from his time in Boston.
After Game 6, Cash said he didn’t want Snell to face Betts, Corey Seager and Justin Turner for a third time. All season, that’s the way the Rays have operated. ESPN wrote that Snell only faced 34 hitters a third time in a game all season, and because Cash has confidence in his “whole damn stable of guys who throw 98” out of the bullpen, it’s generally worked to pull Snell early.
Great for Dustin May!
He’s gone through a lot. So glad the Cards are rolling with him and his talent.
Especially nice that he did it to the Padres
The Athletic did a fairly deep dive on Cash’s fateful decision a full two-months after the fact. Pretty interesting report by Andy McCullough.
Oh, I should be clear that I don’t know for sure whether Marla’s analytical son was involved in the strategy. But the Rays and especially Cash were getting a lot of heat, and maybe she was just wanted to mount a loyal and lonely defense.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2266092/2020/12/17/fellow-skippers-reflect-on-kevin-cashs-blake-snell-decision-in-the-world-series/
Dustin May pitched a complete game 3-0 1 hit shutout against the Padres tonight. He lost his perfect game on a walk to Tatis Jr. His no -hitter was lost when Machado singled.
Not a chance, why push the kid? He is not needed right now. They have six starters and everyone knows his role. Kid has pitched just 32 innings in 7 games. That is 4.5 innings per game. It would be a waste to call the kid up now. His time will come, but most likely not this year.
We die-hard Dodger fans surely remember that bizarre World Series moment when Devil Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled Blake Snell in the 6th inning of a game he was absolutely dominating. Snell, a Cy Young-winning ace, had struck out nine and allowed only one hit–and Cash decided, to Snell’s dismay, that he should come out.
Almost everyone I know thought it was a TERRIBLE, STUPID decision. Most baseball fans, I’m sure, agree.
The exception was my friend Marla, who I’ve mentioned before. Her son was in his rookie season as an analyst with Rays. (He later joined the Blue Jays’ brain trust.) Marla defended Cash to the hilt, because I assume that her boy was was part of the staff that persuaded Cash not to allow Snell go through the lineup for a third time. Cash was sticking to a plan. A dumb plan, I think. But a plan.
This kind of cold mathematical analysis, I submit, ignores human factors like the adrenaline of pitcher on a roll in a big game, as well as the nerves of opponents on their heels. The analyst trust the mathematical model over gut instincts. The Dodgers were delighted to see Snell come out. They quickly took advantage, wound up winning the game–and Cash’s decision went down in infamy.
Now, most of us grew up when many starters collected more than 200 innings in a season, while Koufax would rack up more than 300. Today a 200-inning pitcher is a rarity. Complete games , once fairly common, are now rarities. We see pitchers pulled from games after five innings with regularity.
If Roberts had not been at his daughter’s college graduation, would he have stuck with Sheehan? Maybe. Would he have pulled him a little earlier? Maybe. We’ve heard a lot in recent years about how many pitchers struggle in “third-time-through-the-lineup” phase because batters are better prepared and pitchers have already displayed their tricks. That is one reason why starters just aren’t throwing as many innings as they used to. Another is the fear of injury from the wear-and-tear of high velocity.
I’m not worried about Sheehan. He did great for five innings. But then that third-time-through seemed to bite him. Is there a pattern there? I don’t know. All considered, I’m less concerned about Sheehan than I am about Jack Dreyer’s recent first-time-through struggles after his excellent rookie season.
If Snell and Glasnow and their ace-caliber arms come back healthy down the stretch, they figure to join Yamamoto and Shohei at the top of the rotation. Wrobo, Sheehan and Sasaki might all go the pen. (I’m also rooting for River Ryan and Gavin Stone to come back and make their marks.)
Jeff is right that we spoiled Dodger fans want our pitchers who are top-of-the-rotation aces.
And that’s why guys like Jeff Passan speculate that the Dodgers might land Tarik Skubal for a package than included Emmit Sheehan.
Free River Ryan! Considering his first couple of starts this year were probably a two or three innings. He seems built up now.
Lauer gave up 3 in the first and nothing after that. He held the line until the offense got untracked.