Rants and… Whatever!
In the seasons of 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, Julio Urias pitched a combined 161 innings. Just so we are clear, that is 161 innings in four years! He currently has 151 innings pitched THIS YEAR . I know that most of you Roberts Bashers would rag on Dave Roberts forever if Urias…
In the seasons of 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, Julio Urias pitched a combined 161 innings. Just so we are clear, that is 161 innings in four years! He currently has 151 innings pitched THIS YEAR. I know that most of you Roberts Bashers would rag on Dave Roberts forever if Urias looked gassed at the end of the season or in the playoffs.
QUESTION: So why were you so upset over Roberts pushing back Urias’s next start a day?
ANSWER: Oh, it’s just an irrational hatred of Dave Roberts. Nothing more, nothing less.
WHATEVER!
Justin Turner was called upon to pitch an inning in Sundays’ loss and many people lost their minds. By the 5th inning, it was clear to me that these guys were not going to hit. Of course, Roberts’s Bashers will say it was because he rested three starters, and find something deplorable about that. They call themselves Realists, but Roberts evidently is a pessimist and an idiot!
WHATEVER!
Speaking of Julio Urias, it appears to me that he has added 20 to 30 pounds during this season and that might cause him to be less effective at the end of a game. It’s a bear (not Michael) carrying around two extra bowling balls.
WHATEVER!
Kirsten Watson is actually very good! I really like her now. Actually, I really like to see people grow and she has. I mean she has come a long way. Good on her. She and her former NFL football player husband are very interesting people. I won’t get political here, but if you don’t share my same sentiment…
WHATEVER!
Why does everyone call our Ace, Walker? His name should be “Striker.”
WHATEVER!
I have no idea how Joc Pederson “tomahawked” that home run last night. However, I do have an idea of how he got so fat (yes, you saw it too). He stuffed twenty (maybe 820) too many cheeseburgers into his piehole. Actually, he may have dyed his hair to distract from his cheeseburger belly.
WHATEVER!
Maybe Dave Roberts had a plan with Milwauke playing the Giants and the Dodgers playing the Braves. Maybe some of you paniced because Roberts rested players. Maybe you have more inside knowledge about each player than I do.
WHATEVER!
“The Dodgers don’t came back later in the games to win like the Giants.” Nuff said!
WHATEVER!
“We can’t win with Kenley Jansen as closer.” He will blow another game at some point and many of you will lose your minds, but right about now, he’s as good as they come.
WHATEVER!
The Dodgers stand 1/2 game behind the Giants who have started to see the wheels fall off. It make a huge different when Mookie is healthy. What many of you fail to consider is that “stuff happens.” A player gets a migraine or another gets a touch of food poisoning, or maybe their groin or lat is a little sore. Maybe you can play through it, but sometimes a days rest stops a IL stint. No one has any clue what is happening physically to any player. If you thought Dave Roberts should not have rested three starters, you are not stupid, just ignorant. But, you can become stupid when you spout off because you are ignorant. Catch my drift?
WHATEVER!
The only shortstop I want playing for the Dodgers next year is Corey Seager! There’s not a SS in baseball, I would trade him for. He may not be the Defensive Wizard Lindor is, but he suits the Dodgers and he needs to stay a Dodger. Derek Jeter was not a defensive wizard but he was Mr. Yankee. Corey needs to be Mr. Dodger.
WHATEVER!
Cody Bellinger is inching ahead, but progress is not linear. I cannot predict when he will break out, but I can promise that you will be glad he is on this team before the season is over!
WHATEVER!
How many things have you been wrong about this year with the Dodgers? The bullpen, Kenley, Muncy, Betts, etc., etc., but you insist on blaming Dave Roberts for everything?
WHATEVER!
This is my 11-month-old granddaughter, Rey Skywalker (well, I call her that) and she calls me Obi-Wan. Yes, those are my Oakleys.
WHATEVER!
Striker Buehler Post-Game Interview:
I have an idea that AC and DC are going to have quite a writeup about the Dodgers Farm System after the season is over. I am told it will be the “Mother of all Farm System Reports!” A lot of really great things are happening down on the farm.
WHATEVER!
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Discussion (180)
Disagree, not disagreeable
SF seems to be finally experiencing its long awaited regression towards the mean. To take an example, Buster Posey was predicted to have a WAR this year of between 0.5 and 0.7, well below league average. Instead, his actual WAR is 3.9. That is 46% above league average. He hasn’t had a WAR this high in the past 5 years. The question is whether he will regress to his mean performance over the past few years. Odds are, yes, though of course, we don’t know for sure. But if you had to bet, you would probably bet by “selling short” on Buster – that is, betting that his performance will diminish by the end of the season. And that same logic applies to the Giants as a whole. They will probably return to the solid, but not stupendous, team that they actually are.
Mark,
I agree that Kirsten Watson has improved but I think you may be confusing her with a different Kirsten Watson:
Open on watermission.orghttps://watermission.org/news/benjamin-watson-blog/Afternoon guys. Great win last night. And not only did Mookie flash that speed, he showed his power is back again too. If you take the games just prior to his latest IL stint and the last few together, he is nails. He hit .256 in the first half. In the 14 games he has played in the second half, he is hitting .375 with 6 HR’s and 4 doubles. He has also scored 14 runs. Those of you who complain about Seager’s defense, check out my next post when it comes out. There is a surprise or two on there for you.
Trevor Bauer’s earning $38m this year and has provided 2.6 WAR
David Price is earning $32m this year and has provided 0.6 WAR.
Why is Price never criticised on here for his totally underwhelming performance?
The Dodgers have managed to pull within 0.5 game of the Giants despite all of the injuries and obstacles. I certainly have been a skeptic, but the Dodgers are finding ways to win some close games now. The Braves are a very good opponent and the series has been very tight. Hopefully the Dodgers can pull out another one before a day of rest.
The Giants series will be huge, but every game counts.
Thankful that Mark, Phil, Bear, Bulldog and others have maintained an optimistic and positive approach throughout the season. September and October should be great to watch!
Mike,
I agree with most of what you posted. Except about Beli. I think he will need another off season to fully recover from his injuries and surgery. Ok maybe we can win with him in the lineup, but I hope it doesn’t bite us in the playoffs against quality pitching.
What if we re-signed Seager but let Taylor walk? Trea could stay at 2b and Lux could be our super-utility man.
I want Taylor back but if I have to choose between him and Seager it’s an easy call.
Here’s another prediction. Belli is just about back. He’s been hitting the ball hard at an alarming rate lately with most of his outs a result of bad luck. My prediction is that he will be a key player in the Post-Season and will have his starting job back by then.
And Phil with a healthy Mookie and with TT and Belli if he can get on base we will be capable of stealing some bases down the stretch and playoffs and manufacturing some runs. Tougher playoff pitching will require that. It was very encouraging to see Mookie’s attempted steal before Seager double.
What a great baseball game. 2 very good teams toe-to-toe with a playoff feel to it. Great pitcher’s duel. Our bullpen was better than their bullpen.
* This is the line up we’ve all been waiting for. I previously said leave Belli alone and just play him but I’m okay with platooning him in center. You can’t beat his defense.
* Morton was great keeping us off-balance. Orel talked about what pitches Smith and Pollock were expecting from Morton (breaking balls) and when they didn’t get what they expected, they were both caught looking. Smith looked at 3 straight fastball strikes after being ahead 3 and 0.
* “Guess Hitting” seems to be the excepted approach now days. How many times do you hear “he was looking for something else?” Maybe guys are forced to guess these days due to difficulty recognizing more pitch shapes and higher velocity. Maybe hitters choose to look for a specific pitch or specific location now even with 2 strikes. I don’t know. I remember a time when this approach wasn’t as acceptable. When you got to 2 strikes, all bets were off and it was “see ball – hit ball”. You’d set for a fastball and adjust to everything else. Now, strike outs are no longer a sin and “Guess Hitting” seems to be an accepted way to hit.
* When right, Treinen’s stuff is just nasty. The turbo sinker at 97 with Mr. Snappy mays for a quick, uncomfortable at bat.
* I agree with Mark about Urias’ weight. He needs to be careful in the future, along with V-Gone, not to eat their way off the mound.
* Not to be an old sap but seeing Mookie capable of scoring from 1st on Seager’s double practically brought tears of joy to my eyes. Just thinking all that he’s been through physically compromising his skills and now seeing again capable of playing to his level is just wonderful. It is such a mental grind when your body can’t cooperate. It’s so good to see him really be Mookie. I was on pins and needles with every stride around the bases.
Same with Bellinger. How difficult must it be to come to the yard every day in a good mood, be a teammate, grind it out with optimism when you’re hitting .170? That can’t be a lot of fun.
* I have no plans to take back my prediction when we were 5 back that we’re going to win the Division.
* Great match up tonight. I hope we continue to come to play every night.
I was reading a Braves site and they’re all complaining about MLB allowing the Dodgers to basically field an all star team. For having a former MVP platooning and batting 8th. The most hated team in baseball! Them’s our Dodgers!
Last week I was told I was crazy by suggesting that Clayton may be in the bullpen, but as MP said, Clayton is not stretched out. He has not pitched in over 2 months and he is still a week or two away. I doubt that he is capable of more than 3 or 4 innings at a time in September.
Optimism with a Touch of Reality.
The Giants seem to be stumbling and the Dodgers with the exception of the Colorado series seem to be moving forward, a half game behind.
Mookie is definitely back, but will the hip hold? Looks like it may. Good to see the Dodgers score runs without the ball flying over the fence.
Clayton Kershaw’s rehab is picking up steam. He will probably be able to toss five or six innings in late September and into the playoffs, unless he hits a setback.
I don’t get the deal with Kirsten Watson. She’s been good. I get missing Alana Rizzo, but all is good. Time to move on.
I’ve said this before, actually several times, but the Dodgers are better with Corey Seager. Definitely going to need to re-sign him. $300 million seems a bit extreme. Not sure any free agent will get that this winter, but baseball economics passed logic and common sense years ago. The Dodgers should make the best offer. Case closed. But I do remember some here wanted a guy named Lindor. How do you like him now? Glad he’s a Met.
Yah, Trevor Bauer won’t be back. Time to move on. The Dodgers, no doubt, anxious to dump the remainder of the deal. If he gets a one year suspension, seems likely, according to many experts and insiders, case closed. Baseball and the Dodgers hate these kinds of optics. I don’t blame them.
Then there is Cody Bellinger. There will be moments, but don’t expect him to return to his old form, his shoulder was an issue last season, but 2022 — he’s back. The at bats and swings are looking better. He can certainly help the Dodgers in September and the playoffs if he continues to improve.
Glad to see Kenley using multiple pitches and finding the strike zone more. The Dodgers bullpen is very good. But, no I won’t forget the three blown saves in one week, but I am hopeful moving forward.
I still want to see more consistent hitting, especially with runners in scoring position, but I’m pretty much saying what everybody in the Dodger booth is saying.
If the Dodgers can win the division, I like their chances for a repeat championship, front line starters and bullpen being the key. A rotation with Buehler, Scherzer, Urias and Kershaw sounds pretty good.
One final thing. The Dodgers should re-sign Scherzer. LA is better off with him, that’s obvious.
Well I’m sure July was our worst month because Roberts screwed up. And because AF doesn’t know how to build a bullpen.
I wrote this on 8/6 concerning the records of the Dodgers and SF up to that point.
Dodger record for 2021:
April 16-11 .593
May 16-11 .593
June 17-9 .654
July 14-12 .538
August 2-1
The Giants record for 2021
April 16-10 .616
May 18-10 .643
June 16-9 .640
July 15-10 .600
August 4-1
So, if the Giants match their worst month of July at .600 (32-21) in the remainder of the season they end up with a 101-61 record. For the Dodgers to exceed that then they need to go 37-16 which is about a .680 clip. Can the Dodgers accomplish that? Absolutely!! They need everyone to stay healthy and play almost everyday to maximize their talent to winning. A day off here and there. No need for giving the bench playing time.
So, lets’ see what happened as of the end of August.
SF had a 19-9 (.679) record. Wow! Their best month of the season. We must be at least 6 games behind!!
But wait. Holy crap! The Dodgers had a 21-6 record (.777). By far their best month of the season. And, are only 1/2 game out of first place.
When one takes a few steps back and looks at the whole month of August it’s damn impressive. And yet if we went back and looked at the entries and complaints on this blog on a daily basis you would think we were playing .500 baseball. Hey, I’m as guilty as anyone. We lost only six games with a depleted starting staff, several of our starting position players in and out of the lineup, and Taylor, Bellinger, Seager, Muncy, and JT slumping toward the end of the month. Kudos to the bullpen for compensating for the above issues the team had to deal with. Talk about stepping up to meet the challenge!
With continued good health of our position players and hopefully having Kershaw and Gonsolin returning it should be enough to put the final exclamation point on the division race. We are basically tied with SF. So, it’s game on for September.
Dodgers Acquire LHP Andrew Vasquez from Twins in Minor League Trade
The trade deadline might have already passed, but that doesn’t mean the Dodgers can’t still do some wheeling and dealing. They did just that on Tuesday afternoon as they snuck in a deal just before September, which has postseason roster implications. The Dodgers reportedly made a deal with the Twins and traded catcher Stevie Berman .For the moment, Vasquez is not on the Dodgers 40-man roster. He has not pitched in the big leagues since 2019, and that lone outing did not go well for him at all. But in 42 innings with Triple-A St Paul this year, he struck out 68 batters and kept his ERA down to a manageable number.
What a difference a pitch makes. It seems like Kenley has finally resolved himself to his own fate of not being Mariano Rivera. He spoke about using other pitches in his interview yesterday and it’s been all the difference in the world. Is he fixed? Or, is he setting us up for disappointment? I’m starting to trust him again. I probably shouldn’t.
Bellinger, my favorite player right now mostly because everyone is piling on so much, hit the ball hard three times again last night, but had just one crucial hit to show fo it. He almost took off the glove of Freddie Freeman last night. Of course, it always comes with an obligatory strikeout.
Treinen is an absolute stud. Mowing down the top of the order in the 8th. The bullpen just keeps getting better and better.
The Dodgers have really been cleaning up their defense recently and it shows. The close games are starting to turn into wins and the bats are really stepping up late in the game. They’re finally waking up from their slumber during a year of injuries and misfortune.
Sorry Mark, but “Striker” isn’t sticking. And you should see a doctor about that aneurysm…Whatever! 😉
Corey Seager bobblehead night tonight. Hopefully we see some more bobblehead magic like Mookie had two days ago.
September rosters expand to 28 today. Another Manfred screwing the Dodgers rule. Could you imagine how suddenly healthy we would be if they didn’t change that rule?
Scherzer v Fried tonight. It’s going to be another nailbiter. Fried has been good, but less than dominant this year. Mad Max looks like he’s on a mission since coming over from the Nats. I think I’m gonna get out of the house and watch the first part of the game out tonight. Me and wifey are getting a little stir crazy.
The pitching matchups for the Giants series are currently TBD vs TDB, TBD vs TDB and TBD vs TDB. Remember when Roberts was saying it’s just another series? Like a teenager, if his lips are moving, he’s lying.
I was thinking the same thing about Julio when he was walking in to the dugout during his last start. Lucky the uniforms aren’t made from corduroy. That would generate some serious heat from the friction.
It looks like the pitching is lining up like Price, Urias, Bueller for the Giants and Scherzer starting the Cardinals series on Monday against the Cardinals. Could this lineup for a Kershaw/Gonsolin piggyback on Tuesday the 7th?
I have a feeling that Kershaw and Gonsolin won’t be slow to build up their innings this time. I sure hope we’ll see some vintage Kershaw when he comes back with all that extra rest.
Thanks to Mitch White and Andre Jackson for filling in. I don’t think we’re going to see much of them for the rest of the year.
I have the impression that Urias loses concentration a bit when someone makes a error, and I think remember that he commented in an interview that he was coming for the Cy Young this season, and with DeGrom practically out, Julio has a good chance of winning it, with this I mean that if the office sends him to the bullpen to take care of his arm, he could get upset and not be as effective this year, be so close and not achieve it … Of course, the team comes first before the player, maybe It would not be the best decision, at least not this season, but I totally agree that he should be taken care of at this point in the season.
And I think Bauer does not return this year, I already lost hope of seeing him in blue again, but at least he did something good, thanks to his ” action ” is that Scherzer came to Dodgers, if not, I doubt that he was in Los Angeles, and if not, he would be in SD or SF …. So we have something to give thanks to Trevor!
Who knew??? With an incompetent DR at the helm we are a 1/2 game out… Despite a lack of intensity we are gaining ground…
Oh well I’m just mimicking MT and oh by the way, great post MT..
So I’m wondering what the boyz will come up with today??
Dodger fans, enjoy this run and I wont say it’s over but I faintly hear the Fat Lady gargling!!!
Farm system 2021: some top guys traded, recent draft arms continue to develop, many interesting guys pop up after a lost 2020. Hoese main disappointment but far more surprises than flops.
Kristen Watson is definitely getting better. She speaks with more enthusiasm. I still prefer Heidi Watney.
WHATEVER!
Oh, I do have a thought about JULIO URIAS.
I too am concerned about all these innings and how his arm can hold up to such. With Kershaw and Duffy coming back before the playoffs, wouldn’t it be wise to move Urias to the bullpen? That way you save his arm from having to pitch long stretches (5-7 innings) to probably just one inning at a time.
Buehler
Scherzer
Kershaw
Duffy
Price/ Bullpen
Needless to say, if somehow Bauer returns too, then for sure we can move Urias to the bullpen. We would have 4 studs, which is all you need for the playoffs.
What do you think?
In Tulsa last night the top three hitters had 10 hits, 8 runs, 8 RBI.
James Outman 3/3, 2R
Michael Busch 4/6, 3R, 3 D, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Miguel Vargas 3/5, 3R, 3 RBI
Gus Varland might be another Justin Hagenman. Varland is on a bit of a hot streak over the last four games. . Would like to see him strike out a few more hitters.
Pay Corey Seager.
GREAT GREAT COMEBACK WIN LAST NIGHT!
I went to bed when we were down 2-0. To wake up to see we came back to win and the Giants lost their third in a row….joy, joy, joy! Is that their first losing streak more than two games?
Anyhow, Buehler kept it close; the bullpen was amazing; and we finally got timely hitting to unseat Morton and their bullpen.
Mookie is definitely a difference maker. With him in the lineup, we are so much better. Duh!
Great to see Cody get a very important base hit that helped us tie the game on a sac fly.
Corey Seager is so clutch…please pay the man, I don’t want to lose him.
We won even without Marvelous Max and Wonderful William getting a hit. That shows me how wonderfully deep our team is and that there are many possible players to step up when these two don’t. I love it.
I sure hope we win tonight with Scherzer because after him, it gets dicey. Go LA.
TM