RANDOM THOUGHTS AFTER THE FIRST 3 GAMES OF THE SEASON
We have the first series under our belt and here’s a few observations: ● I thought they might, but alas, it doesn’t appear that the Dodgers will go 60 0. That’s a shame, as it would have eliminated all worry about making the playoffs. I guess 59-1 will have to do. ● If we win all our games 8-1, 9-1 or lose 5- 4, then it doesn’t appear
We have the first series under our belt and here’s a few observations:
● I thought they might, but alas, it doesn’t appear that the Dodgers will go 60 – 0. That’s a shame, as it would have eliminated all worry about making the playoffs. I guess 59-1 will have to do.
● If we win all our games 8-1, 9-1 or lose 5- 4, then it doesn’t appear the Dodgers will have to use Kenley Jansen in a critical situation until the playoffs. Hopefully by then, his strength will be built up and he can let ‘er rip throughout the playoffs.
● THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE POLITICAL, IT IS ONLY AN OBSERVATION. I thought the opening day picture of Bellinger, Muncy with their hands on Betts’ shoulder during the National Anthem on opening day was quite moving, no matter what side of the political fence you live on. I also liked the picture of Mookie Betts sitting by the Jackie Robinson statute, in front of the stadium.
● Mookie Betts has the lowest batting average of any starter. I’m okay with that. I feel relatively confidant he’ll rebound quickly. Just a petty little complaint (only because as a fan, I feel I have the right to do so), but I don’t understand why, after having Betts hit lead off virtually every “summer training” game, the Dodgers would switch gears when the season starts and bat him second. I may be daft, but I don’t think the hand with which a pitcher throws will impact his success at all.
● Bellinger is also off to a slow start. Once again, I’m okay with that. I think he will rebound quickly.
● It does not at all pain me to see the Giants have such a bad team. I know it won’t, but I do hope this malady plagues them for many years. That said, I hate losing to them more than to any other team.
● It appears that Alex Wood may be a weak link in the starting rotation. He did not look good in his first outing. I could see that, even though I was following the game on Gameday. 60+ pitches in 3 innings will hardly ever get the job done.
● Corey Seager is still hitting most everything very hard. For him to get a clutch hit off Tony Watson bodes well for games to come. It’s only 3 games, but he really looks locked in.
● Blake Treinen’s sinker is filthy. If he can throw that pitch with the same authority as he did in his first game, I’ll feel a whole lot better about our bullpen.
● Maybe, just maybe, Justin Turner will win the MVP award this year. Wouldn’t that be sweet.
● CT3’s collision with the Panda looked nasty. I’m glad Taylor did not get hurt any worse than he did.
● If Dylan Floro can keep this up, he will be a solid, if not spectacular, piece to the bullpen puzzle. Even if he never pitches in a high risk situation, the less we have to use those pitchers we absolutely want to rely on in non-critical situations, the better it will be for the Dodgers in the long-run.
● Dustin May belongs. He’ll have a few hiccups along the way, but he definitely belongs. 98-100, with movement coupled with a nasty slider, will play at the major league level.
● McGee appears to be improving. It seems as though the Dodgers will give him every opportunity to show he can help.
● When Kershaw comes back, it will be real interesting to see who the Dodgers send down. Do they put Wood in the bullpen and send down Santana or Kolerek? It will be an interesting decision.
● I think Dennis Santana will come around, but he’s just not quite there yet. If he continues to flounder, he would be one of the first pitchers that I sent down.
● I miss the minor league games. After a game like Saturday’s loss, I always looked forward to perusing the minor league box scores to see how our prospects did. I didn’t realize just how much I miss that activity, until after the Dodger’s loss.
● Fans, or no fans, Joe Davis does make watching a baseball game better. I agree with other posters about Orel Hershiser. He’s seems like a really nice man who you could easily spend an afternoon with. However, he just doesn’t add to much to the commentary for me. If I hear him say “If Pederson hits a 3-run homer run here, we’ll tie the game” one more time, I might throw my sock at the TV. No kidding captain obvious. He does, on occasion provide some good insight, but those times are far and few between. I listened to an inning on the radio driving home from work on Thursday. I like the sound of Charlie Steiner’s voice and appreciate his humor at times, but the lengthy pauses after pitches and the “Seager pops it up to second, (pause) back goes Yelich he’s against the wall and Seager has a home run” calls, frustrate my listening mind to no end.
My song parody for the day, with apologies to Gordon Summer who wrote the song, is a very weak take on the Police’s “I Can’t Stand Losing You.”
We came so close so many times today
And I guess it’s all true what the people say
That games are played on the field and
you can’t call them in
Even when you out hit the other team by ten
I guess you’d call it luck
But I’m not prepared to see them win
Because, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing to the Giants
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
All our fly balls died at the warning track
And our pitchers can’t find the plate with a map
I don’t see the point in letting Woods play
Why oh why doesn’t Roberts listen to what I say
You can see he has no confidence
To keep bringing him in just makes no sense
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
I can’t stand losing to the Giants
3 innings was all Wood had before we said goodbye
Roberts it seems like you don’t care, so I won’t cry
And you’ll be sorry when we’re 3 games behind
When all this guilt will be on your mind
The pressure to win will then be oh so high
So please be willing to swallow your pride
Because, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing
I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand losing to the Giants!!!
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Disagree, not disagreeable
Phillies game with the Yankees cancelled due to the virus
I’ll just say that I was so bored watching last night’s game. The team did what any Ambien couldn’t do; it put me to sleep. i turned the tv off in the top of 8 and went to bed. Found out we lost at 5am.
Obviously we’ll be in the playoffs, so there’s no reason to worry or get upset. But if they’re going to bore me, I’ll do something more productive, like sleep.
To Norcal’s post: yes, the Marlins issue is quite serious, and IF we find out that some of the Phillies, who just played 3 games with the Marlins, have tested postive, then we have a serious mess to deal with.
I had a post all written, stopped to have coffee and conversation with my wife, went to post and the thread was closed. Am the only guy to whom this happens?
“THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE POLITICAL, IT IS ONLY AN OBSERVATION“
I’m sorry you feel you have to preface anything you say with that. It isn’t necessary for me. And I agree with the sentiment that followed
My already outdated morning post:
“Maybe these Giants are not as bad as we thought.“. The first two games they were. The last two they looked like ballers to me.
I’m not worried about Betts. Yet. In a small sample his splits say he hit ok in LA. He didn’t in some of the larger parks. Hard to know but his career was made in the AL East. Is he going to be the leader on the field for this organization until he’s 40? Not likely. But he is definitely an intelligent, hard working young man with enormous talent so I believe he will eventually earn his money. I think we have others, Bellinger, Seager, Muncy, who might put up the more impressive numbers, but I have no idea of their leadership abilities. Often those guys have the “intangibles”. We’ve all known those type of people – cool heads, always calm under pressure, come through in the clutch. From all accounts I’ve read, and from the Dodger management decision, I trust Mookie IS that guy. He’s fun to watch when he’s got it going.
On to a long road trip. Texas and Arizona. Gulp. Stay in your rooms and wear masks when you’re out and about.
In what is most likely MLB’s worst case scenario for the virus, 14 Miami Marlin players and coaches have tested positive for the Covid. Tonight’s game has been canceled and this puts a big “turd in the punch bowl” scenario with many unanswered questions about what to do next.
The Marlins just finished playing three games against the Phillies, which now must make the Phillies even more concerned about being infected. Wonder what MLB will do now to get the Marlins back on the field?
Glad of course we are playing baseball again. I continue use to be optimistic. That said, we could use a colon cleansing, an enema or whatever a team does to blow things out. Either we got off very slow or the Giants are way more giant than we thought! Giant pitching (AAA) made our hitters look whimpy. Time for our manager to shake the tree some. I am optimistic the Astros will inspire our guys but we should be 4-0, not 2-2. Our starting pitching, specifically Wood and to a lesser degree Urias, need to stop reading about new found velocity blah blah. They need to throw more strikes! Wood looked lost. I’d rather be nervous about the kids coming up than they guys who should be ready now!