Shakeup in the NL West
Some people will say Wow. The Dodgers have only won one of their last two games and they are six games under .500. OMG! The sky is falling. The world is ending. The Dodgers suck! I say: The Dodgers have won five out of their last six games and are now only 4.5 games behind the first place Rockies. I can t tell you how to feel. I just know that
Some people will say “Wow. The Dodgers have only won one of their last two games and they are six games under .500. OMG! The sky is falling. The world is ending. The Dodgers suck!”
I say: “The Dodgers have won five out of their last six games and are now only 4.5 games behind the first place Rockies.” I can’t tell you how to feel. I just know that a couple of weeks ago, the Dodgers were 9 games out behind the D-Bags and now the D-Bags have hit the skids and the Dodgers are playing better.
Five out of six games – four and half out of first. Nice progress… unless you like wallowing in the negative, If that’s the case, pick a new team, because these guys are winning the NL West. Book it!
That said, there are a few changes that I think need to be make. I think there are still wrong players are certain positions, Max Muncy has proven he has a nice bat, but he’s no Cody Bellinger at 1B… maybe nobody is. Cody is one of the elite defensive 1B in baseball. Period! Cody is the second best centerfielder on the Dodgers, behind Chris Taylor, who happens to be a very good shortstop too.
I just think it’s a mistake to play one of the best 1B in baseball and one of the best CF in baseball at other positions. I think CT3 should go back to CF and Cody should go back to 1B. That means Muncy goes to the bench and someone else has to play SS. Kike has already shown he can handle the position. Maybe not as good as CT3, but why weaken two other spot at the expense of another position? It doesn’t compute for me.
Donovan Solano is hitting .370 at OKC and has lots of experience at SS. From 2012 to 2016 he amassed over 1,000 major league at-bats… a few as a shortstop. He has a .256 career BA in the majors and could be a late-bloomer. He can be a backup at SS, but I believe the Dodgers are much better defensive team with Taylor in CF and Bellinger at 1B. Moving them weakens the team in my opinion.
Other Thoughts
- The Dodgers bullpen ERA is dropping – they are up to 19th. Believe it or not, the starters are up to 6th in MLB and Kershaw will be back in the next couple of weeks. To me, Ryu looks ahead of schedule – he was jumping and moving very well, in addition to throwing freely off of flat ground.
- Grandal (down to .255) needs to hit at #5 or #6, Matt Kemp needs to hit 3rd (.331). I would love to see Puig (who is heating up) hit higher in the lineup, but I am not sure his psyche can handle that.
- I’d like to see the Dodgers get a SS who can leadoff (Andrus?).
- Brock Stewart would flourish in the bullpen. His fastball is 2-3 MPH faster as a reliever. Just do it!
- Chase Utley suddenly looks old and feeble. Just my opinion.
- OK, the Dodgers need to win this series and cut the lead to 3.5 today.
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (83)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The way Santana is pitching he is a possible # 2. Verdugo will be very good too. No way the Dodgers do that.
Maeda san showing much dedication to Dodger bushido. At least in the last 2 games. But 2 in a row nicely pitched games is a good start for him. Dodger pitching seems to be perking up…and with it the Dodgers chances to get lucky.
I am in favor of getting a ss but not at that price.
–
Elvis Andrus will allegedly play when the Dodgers play the Rangers in early June. He has 4 years left making his deal less appealing. How about Forsythe ( for luxury tax purposes) and a couple of lower tier prospects for him?
–
Not a classic lead off hitter, but not bad.
I have a 2 hour layover in Denver so here I am.
Mark, the other day you mentioned you were meeting with some Dodgers brass. Any scoops you can tell us?
The really interesting reliever as starter experiment in Tampa continues:
In this upcoming series the Rays are going with relievers to start all 3 games vs. Orioles:
Romo
Stanek
Romo
An already pretty darn good OKC Dodgers roster gets even better today, as Matt Beaty and Edwin Rios join the team. Both had been down with injuries to start the season.
An already pretty darn good OKC Dodgers roster gets even better today, as Matt Beaty and Edwin Rios join the team. Both had been down with injuries to start the season.
`
Beaty was the 2017 Texas League MVP after slashing .326/.378./.505 with Tulsa last season. He’s a .311 career hitter.
`
Rios combined to slash .309/.362/.533 between Tulsa and OKC last year, hitting 24 home runs with 91 RBI.
I would love to have machado but I would not offer much in a deadline deal. Sign him as a free agent for sure. I hope Santana has a huge game tonight. If so, I would give him a major league start soon. If it goes well tonight I would start him instead of Stewart the next time around. Dodgerrick I would start Kiké because we don’t know what he would do if he had everyday action. I just prefer him over Muncy.
Santana not off to a good first inning
Santana didn’t have his best stuff, but after giving up 3 runs in the first inning, he pitched 4 more without giving up a run. He will likely get another start or two, but he gutted it out for 5 innings. That’s not a bad thing.
I hope Joc succeeds, but this is what ticks me off about him. For three years he swung for the fences. It was either a HR or a strike out. He absolutely refused to adjust. He has to be the most stubborn person I know. He had an uppercut swing and never did adjust. This year it is starting to look like he may have figured it out. His swing is more level. He is trying to use all the field. This may actually help him hit left handlers. However, it does tell me a little about him. I think he is awfully self centered. I am not convinced he is what the Dodgers need. I think we can do better. However, there is something Joc and Baez must have on Doc and FAZ . Most clubs would of sent them back to AAA or traded them by now. I just cannot believe how many opportunities those two are getting.