Rants & Raves

Pitching matchups for the Pirates series. Game 1, Skenes V Yamamoto. Game 2, Keller V Sasaki. Game 3, Falter V Glasnow.

Any player and any team can have a slump. That’s nothing new, and I think it’s better now that it’s still early, since there’s plenty of time to make the necessary adjustments. What bothers me is why the hell do they swing at the first pitch? Working on the count worked really well for them before. It’s so frustrating to see Othani swing at the first pitch almost every time. It seems like all he wants to do is get an hour to spend with his daughter.

The Dodger roster investments have been in pitching and for good reason after what we experienced last season. The SP and BP crew will be managed carefully and slowly over the season, hence leaving rookies in games when they’re getting shelled. Even with our investments I am not super confident Snell and Glass will be around in Oct given their fragility.

I’m not concerned about losses at this point, but there are a couple of things that bother me. First is defense. Our starting outfield is avg which is not good enough in October.

Second is lack of professional at bats. slumping or not, I expect runners to be moved over, sac flies, etc. I think this years team will be more about pitching than mashing HRs, which means small ball. This is also how playoff games typically unfold. Muncy and Pages are poor in this area. I give them time to “find their swing” but a WS team needs players who grind at bats even when struggling. This is not a springtime only issue that goes away with time. It’s character and team ethos.

Preseason this team talked about a hunger and focus to win. So far I see too many misplays, running gaffs, and easy outs.

I know it’s early, but this team still needs to define itself vs listening to everyone saying their loaded.

uh, sign me up for Nolan. I’m not sure if Max will get to .200 !

Let’s compare:

Luis Robert Jr. 76AB 27K 10R 11H 6RBI 7SB 3CS 2HR .145BA .517OPS 53OPS+ -.01WAR

Andy Pages 81AB 23K 9R 13H 7RBI 0SB 1CS 4HR .183BA .650OPS 86OPS+ +.04WAR

Andy is getting better offensively and usually bats last or lower in the lineup than Robert Jr.. Right now it’s a clear choice to keep Pages and look for other ways to improve the team.

News from Internet:

Jay Jaffe had a chat:

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jay-jaffe-fangraphs-chat-4-22-25/

Mr. Burrito: I’m not whining, I swear. I get that any Dodgers problems, this year, are first-world issues. But I’m getting worried about Muncy and Pages increasingly looks like a 4th outfielder. Do they need another bat? And, if so, should it be Luis Robert Jr.

Jay Jaffe: I’ve been a little skeptical about Pages given his contact issues, and boy howdy have those resurfaced. He may very well be a 4th outfielder.Not sure yet what’s going on with Muncy but we’ve seen him go through funks before and he always seems to find his way out. Maybe the other Max Muncy is stealing his mojo.

Robert has been so bad for the past year-plus, I wouldn’t touch him with a 40-foot pole

md: What are your thoughts on the (mostly unhinged fan) scuttlebutt of trying to get Muncy outta there for Arenado?Friedman has kind of been on record saying he doesn’t like big midseason trades like that, right?

Jay Jaffe: I’m pretty lukewarm on Arenado at this stage, at least in terms of giving up significant talent for him. By all evidence he’s a league-average bat with a glove that’s still above average but no longer elite. That’s useful but not somebody I wanna pay $25–30M per year for

Allison: Is Luis Robert overrated or just mentally done on a terrible team?

Jay Jaffe: That’s a very good question. I wouldn’t discount the effect of being surrounded by a miserable situation but… even if that’s the case it doesn’t speak well of the player because there are plenty who can block that out and still perform well. What I do think is more likely is that White Sox are so behind the times that he’s not getting the proper intel for how he’s being pitched and how to adjust.

Per Geoff Pontes:

3B Jake Gelof hasn’t played this year he’s on the IL, with a bad right wrist tendon.

Josh Norris at Baseball America takes a look at Sean Linan’s new change ($$$$)

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/dodgers-rhp-sean-linan-riding-high-spin-changeup-to-huge-k-whiff-numbers/

“On April 18, three pitchers finished their outings with 20 swings and misses. The first was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers phenom who two years ago signed the biggest contract of any pitcher in history. The second was Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, a two-time runner-up for the Cy Young award.

The third? That would be Sean Linan, a 20-year-old Dodgers righthander who signed out of Colombia in 2022…””

per Dodgers Daily:

Still in swing school, James Outman had 2 hits last night for AAA OKC & has hits in 7 games in a row. He hit his 6th double of 2024 & has raised his Batting Average 46 points since April 11th.

He played some pretty rangy D out in Center Field in a VERY rangy ballpark in Salt Lake, so that part of his game has stayed intact on the ++ side of things.

Hopefully, he can continue to take step-by-step in creating swing mechanisms that create consistency in contact.

Ben Clemens Had a Chat

Ryan: Tatis is playing out of his mind right now. When he’s right is he the best overall player in baseball outside of Ohtani?

Ben Clemens: Gotta have Judge ahead of him, I think. Not that Tatis isn’t great, I’m a huge fan… but Judge has been the best-performing baseball player for years now. Ohtani might have more raw talent but c’mon, these hitting numbers, absurd

Robbie Boyfred: Nolan Arenado and Lara Nootbar for a package built around Bobby Miller and Andy Pages. Who says no?

Ben Clemens: oh man, getting the SoCal kids back to SoCal. I think the Dodgers would probably say no, depending on how Arenado’s contract gets handled, but I could see the Cardinals being unwilling to move Nootbaar given that he’s one of their best few players and they want to compete again soon. I think the value is at least in the ballpark of right, and probably I’d prefer the Miller/Pages side in a vacuum, so it’d just be about the contract and whether St. Louis is okay trading away more outfielders with huge potential. Their previous outfielder trades have gone mostly badly

Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes on Jakob Wright ($$$)

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/could-jakob-wright-be-the-dodgers-next-sleeper-pitching-prospect/#:~:text=It's%20still%20extremely%20early%2C%20but,by%20the%20reigning%20world%20champions.&text=Definitely%20some%20work%20to%20do,the%20ball%20comes%20out%20great.

“This new version of Wright is in stark contrast to his amateur career, when he mostly worked off a cut-fastball and the aforementioned slurvy breaking ball. Now, Wright is showing more power and a collection of pitches that all move in different directions. His new sinker, in particular, looks like it could be a welcomed addition to his arsenal. He threw it seven times in his first start, and it showed the ability to create sink and armside run with good velocity. ”

Per Morosi:

The Dodgers have played 25 games this season.

They’ve yet to have a pitcher start on “standard” rest, which is 4 days.

They are the only MLB team for whom that is true.

Dan Szymborski Had a Chat

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/dan-szymborski-fangraphs-chat-4-24-25/

Guest Are the Dodgers mediocre? A run differential of a barely over 500 team and a lot of their wins came against cellar dwellers like the Braves and Rockies.

Dan Szymborski No. I think people were too crazy about them — they didn’t have an over/under of 105 or something crazy — but they’re still an excellent team

Lord Thunder What’s longer odds … Luis Robert Jr. staying healthy enough to play in 120 games this season or hitting .250?

Dan Szymborski .250, just eyeballing it, I think he has to hit .like .270 now to finish at .250 And he’s played in 22/24 games, so he only needs to play 98 of 138, which is more liely I think

Fans are losing their minds over these early season losses. There are much more important things in life. It is after all just a game. They will make changes when they feel the time is right, and not before.

I think we should strongly consider trading him to the A’s for second baseman Max Muncy. Muncy is younger than Muncy so he has more controllable years. He only hit .176 in 21 games before being sent down so his trade value is low. Max is a better fielder than Muncy so he would improve the defense, and his salary is much lower than Muncy’s so that would help, too. Yes, trading Max for Muncy would be a win-win. Thoughts?

I think sitting Will Smith yesterday was a wise move sore wrist or not. Last season he was the best hitting catcher in the NL until the all star break. Again this season he’s the best hitting catcher. History has a way of repeating itself unless adjustments are made. The Dodgers I believe by design will give Smith more days off so hopefully he doesn’t wear down.

Don’t want to curse anyone over what may appear as nonsense but I watch a number of Royal games live. I remember posting perhaps two years ago about how good Witt looked. Again it’s early for him. When watching OKC, Freeland looked much like Witt. The ball seems to explode off of his bat and his defense is much better than average. I’d love to see them get a good hard look.

Does anyone really think we will have Noah Davis pitching meaningful innings come October?

Sometimes you gotta lose a battle or 2 to win a war.

To put things in perspective if we close out the game in Texas and Chicago like we should have, the team is 18-7 and the best record in the Bigs.

162 folks…..162….

Wednesday scores

Oklahoma City 6, Salt Lake 3

Tulsa 7, Northwest Arkansas 2

Lake County 4, Great Lakes 0

Rancho Cucamonga 12, Inland Empire 3

Thursday schedule

3:35 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Patrick Copen) at Lake County (Jackson Humphries)

5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Jared Karros) at Northwest Arkansas (Ben Kudrna)

5:15 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Sean Linan) at Inland Empire (Francis Texido)

5:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Justin Jarvis) at Salt Lake (Dakota Hudson)

For more detailed recaps,stats,schedules, standings and box scores for Dodger minor league teams go to the top of this page and cIick on MINOR LEAGUE AFFLIATES.

Rehab start #4 in the books for Tony Gonsolin for AAA Oklahoma City last night.

5.0 IP / 4 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 2 BB / 3 K

79 pitches (50 strikes)

When is it time to start worrying about homerless Max Muncy and strking out 31 times in 73 At bats with a .178 BA and .529 OPS? We have to also remember he was hitless in the 2024 World Series striking out 10 times in 16 at bats.. Is Max at the end of his career with the Dodgers? Is it time for the Dodgers to start considering other options? Chris Taylor is now the 26th man on the roster,should Max be relegated to the 25th man on the roster? Just everyone’s thoughts about what I see.

Credit to Roberts. Moving T. Hernandez up in the batting order allowed him to get 4 RBI’s.

Workman, i think he was a rule 5 player, and he was a SS playing another position, they showed little patience either in having chosen him and/or in having released him…

That’s the difference between these organizations, some make decisions without a plan and others like the Dodgers, where there’s always a plan.

I just finished reading the article on the MLB Rumors page, I hadn’t seen it.

Snell you later

“The Dodgers catcher was out of the lineup on Wednesday despite the team having an off-day Thursday. The Dodgers were also off Monday of this week, and Smith was out of the lineup this past Sunday.

Smith told David Vassegh of AM570 radio that he has a sore wrist after banging his wrist on the play at the plate tagging Ian Happ in the 6th inning of Tuesday night’s game”.

Dodgers have shut down Blake Snell. Reportedly he did not feel good after his last throwing session. He will get imaging when the team returns to LA. Per MLBTR

How would you like to be Workman, the kid who played third for the Cubs last night. Kid goes 0-3 with 2 errors and gets DFAd because the Cubs signed Nicky Lopez to a big-league deal.

I don’t know anything about races like the Grand Prix or Lemons or whatever it’s called, maybe because that’s not a sport, but hey, nobody cares… But I think in those races they have to do two or three laps before starting the race, right? It’s warming up, what matters is at the end, in the last laps, here it’s the same, this is just starting, they are just getting warmed up… Patience, I assure you, or almost certain that there will be no trades this week or next month. Maybe there will be on the trade dateline. So stop insisting on wanting to get rid of Muncy, Taylor, Barnes, Rojas, Pages and company, they are there for a reason, they are part of a team, they may not be the most important parts like an engine, a transmission or the spark plugs, but they are the cables, bolts or… I don’t know what else, it was a stupid example, but I think you understood.

And by the way, and with all due respect, but… Nobody cares about the fucking Padres!

7:00 PM ET MLB NETWORK

Dodgers (16-8)

Cubs (15-10)

SP Ben Casparius R

2-0 4.11 ERA

SP Matthew Boyd L

1-2 2.01 ERA

Confirmed Lineup

DH S. Ohtani L

SS Mookie Betts R

RF T. Hernandez R

1B F. Freeman L

2B Tommy Edman S

CF Andy Pages R

LF M. Conforto L

3B Miguel Rojas R

C A. Barnes R

62° Wind 8 mph R-L

Padres lose 6-0 to Detroit this afternoon.

hi

Thr morons at other blogs are losing their minds…

As morons are prone to do.

I find it hilarious… now that they are no longer here.

“Saturday marked Blake Snell’s first bullpen session since he was placed on the 15-day IL with left shoulder inflammation. Snell told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya that he will need at least one more bullpen and simulated game before exploring a rehab assignment, but as for the first step, Snell left his initial bullpen session feeling “way better”.

Last night’s piching lines:

Kershaw 3IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 4K 60Pitches 33 Strikes at AA Tulsa

B. Miller 5IP 2H 2R 2ER 5BB 3K 1HR 95 Pitches 51 Strikes at AAA Oklahoma City

Tuesday scores

Oklahoma City 4, Salt Lake 3

Northwest Arkansas 9, Tulsa 7

Great Lakes 9, Lake County 3

Inland Empire 10, Rancho Cucamonga 4

Wednesday schedule

11:05 a.m. PT: Rancho Cucamonga (Aidan Foeller) at Inland Empire (Chris Clark)

3:35 p.m.: Great Lakes (Eriq Swan) at Lake County (Michael Kennedy)

5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Chris Campos) at Northwest Arkansas (Ethan Bosacker)

5:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Tony Gonsolin) at Salt Lake (Caden Dana)

Matt Sauer was expected to piggyback with Tony Gonsolin for the Comets. It would be the fourth and possibly final rehab start for Gonsolin. But the Dodgers might have major league pitching needs in Chicago that could supersede these plans.

For more detailed recaps,stats,schedules, standings and box scores for Dodger minor league teams go to the top of this page and cIick on MINOR LEAGUE AFFLIATES.

With almost a 400 million dollar payroll and we have to throw a bullpen game tomorrow against the Cubs. Bring up Gonsolin to start the game.

Fucking fuck fuck

Welp.

Methinks the Dodgers deserved to lose that one. Nearly stole it. One out away–and then Tanner Scott gives up the HR. Oof.

I’m wondering why, in the 10th inning, Roberts didn’t walk Happ to set up the double play. Yes, it would bring up Tucker–but so what? He’d be coming up in the inning no matter what. Plus, Happ was swinging a hot bat–and the Cubs just needed one run.

Seems like a tactical error.

Kershaw starting for Tulsa tonght in his second rehab appearance.

According to manager Dave Roberts, the Dodgers will “piece it together” and use a bullpen game Wednesday in Chicago versus the Cubs.

7:40 PM ET

Dodgers (16-7)

Cubs (14-10)

SP Dustin May R

1-1 1.06 ERA

SP Shota Imanaga L

2-1 2.22 ERA

Confirmed Lineup

DH S. Ohtani L

SS Mookie Betts R

RF T. Hernandez R

1B F. Freeman L

CF Tommy Edman S

C Will Smith R

3B Max Muncy L

2B E. Hernandez R

LF Andy Pages R

61° Wind 10 mph Out

So Roberts managing blunders starting to show up, bottom of lineup –worse than ever–. Guys we traded doing great, pitcher injuries popping up again.

That’s why team struggling so much this year—wait—We have most wins and least losses of all 32 teams

Bobby Miller pitching for Oklahoma City tonight, if anyone cares.

By the time the trading deadline comes Taylor’s contract will be minimal. I hope he starts hitting and he’s worth keeping but at deadline might make sense to open up the roster spot if the spot is needed.

The reason the Dodgers traded Lux was

#1 – He was never going to hit LHP, so he was a platoon 2B or LF

#2 – This is the main reason: The Dodgers really like Mike Sirota.

We shall see if that shakes out.

Sirota is hitting .343 with a .996 OPS at RC.

Let’s see what happens when he moves up to RC.

I hate putting Miggy on the discard list since he is a good fielder and huge clubhouse presence. Just hope he gets the same offer Crash Davis got at the end of Bull Durham. Would make a great bench/infield coach. We have to bring up the stud catcher and a replacement for Max so we can groom them. Even Feduccia’s I left handed bat would be a nice relief against tough RH pitchers for Smitty..

1. Muncy, Barnes, Rojas, Keekay & Taylor are certainly toward the ends of their Dodger tenured. We decided to opt in to Barnes and Rojas so we clearly value their veteran contributions. Muncy is still a big league 3B, Keekay we had to run it back, and Taylor’s nearing his expiration date.

2. I agree about the bullpen but the goal is to rotate in a lit of fresh arms throughout the year, either injury returns [Gonsolin. Graterol, etc ] or prospects [Frasso].

3. We should know how to approach the playoffs this year. Watch for about one month out, when everything we do seems aimed at October.

From the Dodger’s Official Page:

RHP Blake Treinen

Injury: Right forearm sprain

IL date: April 19 (15-day IL)

Expected return: TBD

Status: Imaging revealed a low-grade sprain; manager Dave Roberts expects Treinen to only need rest and rehab for now, but he’ll be evaluated further. (updated April 20)

Love seeing Busch, Lux and McKinstry doing good. We are getting old and replacing Max, Barnes Miggy, Kike and Taylor should happen soon. Also, we are wearing out the bullpen. Nothing will be left for the playoffs. We do the same thing with smith every year!

Just noticed that Mark overlooked an owner who should sell his team…

Arte Moreno.

I thought Lux was ideal for hitting 9th for the Dodgers.

The game my wife and I saw in OKC last Thursday against Tacoma, Drew Pomeranz came in and threw the ninth against the Coments. I thought he looked sharped. I remember him from some time ago. I saw that today the Cubs traded for him. Just throwing it out there.

Just checking into the Marriott/Broadway in Long Beach.

I’m here until Friday, then heading to Valencia.

AF never said he wouldn’t be a player come the trade deadline. He said he didn’t want to be a buyer but maybe a seller is his intent. Let the teams hungry for pitching overpay for our tradable pitching depth. We are deep enough to not overpay for a rental at the deadline. AF could be looking to add to our plethora of top tier young talent. We shall see.

Book em

Oops- no game today. SAT!

Where is tonight’s game being broadcast?

It’s way early, but if one is so inclined they will find I predicted that the Lux trade will not age well. I realize the return has looked good so far but we gave up on Lux to early in my unprofessional opinion.

Good outing by Buehler today.

That’s one guy I wish we brought back….maybe in July…..

Glasnow (lower leg) is expected to make his next start Sunday versus the Pirates, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Banda is definitely NOT on the bubble. He is out of options and can’t be sent to the minors, has a rubber arm and can basically pitch every day which is extremely valuable, and was dependable in the playoffs last year (3-0, 1.13 ERA). He’s also been pretty solid this year (let’s not overreact because he has an ERA of 4 in 9IP. . I don’t see any way he’s not a part of this bullpen barring injury.

Condolences to the Catholic’s among you on the passing of the Pope. A win is a win no matter how close the game is. Smith is one of my favorite players on this team. More Sac flies than any other player in the last several years and lots of clutch hits too. Much better at it than Grandal. LOL. Saw a blurb on Yahoo sports saying the White Sox are interested in Outman. At this point, I do not see a Sox player I would be interested in a trade for Outman. Arraez injured in a collision during the Pads win yesterday. Angels won the series with the Giants 2-1.

Correct call on Will Smith as hero.

Good on Brent Honeywell!

Assuming Kopech, Bazooka, and phillips are healthy,(Evan seems fine)., Yates can be part of a “MONSTER “ pen! Trienan sounds vdone to me, although i hope i’m wrong. Garcia is not for long on the dodgers. I thought all 3 starters pitched well in texas! Glasnow just had some cramping issues. If Snell comes back soon, and Gonsolin gets back as well, not to mention Clayton, the rotation is the best in the majors! i’m still concerned about the offense! Barnes had a hit ! his second of the season. Conforto thru 9? not too good! Bringing another .200 hitter ( Robert) doesn’t sound like the cure!