Some Days the Bear Gets You…

… and I am not talking about the Old Bear… Michael Norris. He’s not going to get me because I can outrun him! At least for 50 feet! I’m talking about “the Bear” that got the Dodgers the past two days.

I don’t even want to write a word of what happened in yesterday’s game for fear of throwing up in my mouth. Let’s just say it was a comedy of blown chances. The fact that Freddie Freeman hit his first home run in 17 years was amazing and that Will Smith was 3-5 after going 0 for 863 was also heartwarming. Of course, Gavin Lux was 5 for 4 or something close. FORGETABOUTIT!

Kershaw was back and threw 4 solid innings, he hit 92 MPH which means he has one more MPH in the tank.

Walker Buehler was placed on the IL with a “Flexor Starin on his Right Forearm”. Really? Does he have a tear in his UCL (the Dodgers will not tell us that) and will likely undergo some PRP injection(s). These things seldom end as planned. If we see him again this year it will be in September. I feel bad for him, but Dodgerpatch summed it up perfectly:

“I remember Buehler pitching against the Rays on that key game in the 2020 WS. I forget if it was game five. It was pretty close to a must-win situation.

Buehler threw straight gas. He blew guys away. I had a sense that he wasn’t trying to fool anyone. He was just saying “eff you! Hit this!”

It was impressive. It was a key performance. It gave us a WS win.

I was impressed, but also had an uneasy feeling. I remember thinking, ” He’s not pitching. He’s throwing.” I knew that this approach was unsustainable. Sooner or later he’d blow out his arm – again – or he’d simply lose the ability to blow guys away.

Not sure what his future is, but it’s an illustration of the inherent frailty of invincibility.

Hopefully, he’s not another Tim Lincecum, – another skinny kid who got his results from maximum effort and flamed out prematurely.“

Right on – we should have seen this coming! I missed it!

Dustin May will be back as a starter in a couple of months. He is similar to Buehler in his pitching. Maybe the Dodgers can ride him for 3-4 more years, but these fireballers flame out prematurely! Tony Gonsolin used to throw 100 MPH, now he hits 93-94. He increased his longevity immensely by doing that. Bobby Miller is trying to learn how to pitch under 100 MPH.

Trade for Another Starter?

I will not say “No” here… I will say “Hell no!” Before I say anything else, Andrew Friedman, “Just DFA David Price already!” The Dodgers have plenty of starters and this is now the time for Young Julio Urias to step up as the Staff Ace. He is no stranger to the big stage, being a 20-Game Winner last Season. Clayton Kershaw made his return and looked like a guy who has missed a month. He hit 92 MPH and should be able to give 5 or 6 innings a start. There is no guarantee that he won’t have to do another IL stint for the same injury in two months, but the Dodgers will cross that bridge when they come to it. Tony Gonsolin has been pitching very well and there is no reason he can’t spike his innings like Julio Urias did last year when he jumped from 55 to 186. Andrew Heaney will be back this week and you can either believe that what he did before and in his AAA start was either a sign he is ready or an anomaly. Then, there is Tyler Anderson who had a bad outing in his last start but who has a 3.07 ERA on the season and that is in 59 IP.

Mitch White is also stretched out and pitched 5 scoreless innings in his last start. I think we sometimes forget how good Mtich can be. Health is his only question. So right about now, this is the Dodgers rotation:

1. Urias 2.78 ERA
2. Kershaw – 2.12 ERA
3. Gonsolin – 1.58 ERA
4. Heaney – 0.00 ERA
5. White – 3.86 ERA
6. Anderson – 3.07

There are not many teams that can boast a rotation that good… and that does not include Ryan Pepiot and Gavin Stone whom I would consider calling up after the All-Star Break. Also, the Dodgers are being very cautious, but Dustin May will likely return sometime after the All-Star Game. I do not think the Dodgers need another starter… especially if Gavin Stone continues his progression. He is on a fast track and unlike many youngsters who battle control he can hit a BB on a birds nose! If I were Andrew Friedman, I would stand pat on starting pitching… at least for another month. No dope-fiend moves!

The Bullpen

I was against trading for Kimbrel, but now is not the time to give up on him. It’s obviously a mechanical thing and the fact he hadn’t pitched in 9 days is an excuse. He needs some time. I am not going to say he will be fine, but he has been though this stuff before and has overcome these mechanical issues. You have to let it play out. Daniel Bednar would be nice, but he has not pitched for a winning team in high intensity situations every night. That can be a challenge, but the biggest hurdle to getting Bednar is that you will have to overpay.

If the Dodgers want Bednar they may have to cough up Ryan Pepiot and Landon Knack… both of whom could be better than Bednar. Bednar is better today… but how about in August? Both Knack and Pepiot could be high-leverage relievers. Both could be quality starters, but I am more intrigued by them as relievers. Knack has 4 pitches but could ditch the curve or use it sparingly. Like Stone, Knack is a strike-thrower and he is 24… so is Pepiot! Their time is now.

Otherwise, the Bullpen is a lot more solid than you might thing after the 31 games in 30 days debacle. Look at this:

• Almonte – 1.17 ERA
• Hudson – 2.66 ERA
• Phillips – 2.22 ERA
• Vesia – 3.50 ERA, but his is getting hs old swagger back (watch and see)
• Ferguson – 0.00 ERA

Bickford and Bruihl have underperformed, but Treinen is now throwing, Moronta (2.25 ERA) ain’t chopped liver (that’s a lot of liver), and Kahnle, Duffy, and Victor Gonzalez should be able to pitch in the next couple of months. Michael Grove has the stuff… but not the control… yet. As much as I like Marshall Kasawoski, he is a AAAA pitcher… until he miraculously develops another pitch.

Was Roberts Outmanaged by Kapler?

Of course it is silly to think that. The Dodgers gave up just 5 hits to the Giants while the Dodgers got 13 hits yesterday. Yet, they lost 3-2. The Giants executed and the Dodgers did not. It’s easy for fans to blame the manager, but this falls squarely on the players. When the Dodgers loaded the bases (twice), the Giants pitchers executed their pitches while the Dodgers did not. PERIOD! End of story. The only good that came out of yesterday’s game was a breakout HR by Freddie, 2-4 by Luxie, and 3-5 by Will Smith. But in clutch time, they sucked! Pond Water!

I am very concerned about Justin Turner. Is this the end of the line for RedTurn2? Cody did get two hits, but Cody does so much more than JT all over their field. What is up with JT? Urias vs. Rodon today. Julio needs to take the Ace Mantle and make a statement! I will chalk up yesterday’s loss to the team being down about losing their ace. OK, enough already! Next man up! Let’s Ride!

Dodger’s in Waiting

• Zach McKinstry just keeps on keepin’ on. He was 3-5 with a HR (.344 BA/.909 OPS). What more does he have to do? Sprout wings and fly?
• Yadier Alvarez – 2.61 ERA. 10 IP/9 K/7 BB
• Carson Fulmer – 5th Save (2.13 ERA). He’s also a possibility.
• Jacob Amaya was 2-5 in striving to come back.
• Andy Pages – 2-4
• Clayton Beeter – 2 IP/2 H/0 R/3 BB/2 K
• Jose Ramos of GL – 2-2, HR2 BB. Could be next Dodger CF? (2 years)
• 18 year-old Jesus Galiz (C) – 1-1 with a 3 Run HR for ACL