After 10 games, the Dodgers are 8-2. Not a bad start! First place belongs only to the Dodgers now.
- Clayton Kershaw, while no longer an Ace, is very, very good. Best #3 in Baseball!
- Andrew Heaney has made a lot of Dodger Fans eat crow.
- Gonsolin and Anderson are a nice #5 until the Catman starts to trust his stuff.
- Gavin Lux has made me eat crow.
- Cody Bellinger has made most fans eat an elephant. I was amazed at how deranged some were about him.
- Will Smith is headed to the All-Star Game.
- It’s great to see Edwin Rios seizing the day.
- Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner will battle for the MVP.
- The Giants are not that good… are they? Huh? Really?
Website Changes
We made a few changes yesterday and added and deleted some websites that I feel are important to your Daily Dodger Reading. There are some very interesting additions, let by Jeff Dominique’s LAdodgerChronicles. We also added ThinkBluePc.com, Dodgers2080.com, and DodgerPokeReport.com. I read most of these sites… some on a weekly basis, and some on a weakly basis. I only post here as I simply do not have the bandwidth to post elsewhere. I do scan some other popular websites, but if I read some of them every day, I would be stupider than I am… and we don’t want that, do we? I will not mention the dumb ones by name…
Also, at the top of the page, right below the LA DODGER TALK LOGO, I put the Links to the Dodgers Minor League Affiliates. Just click it and choose the affiliate to see that day’s BOX SCORE! I did not list The Athletic as it is a paysite that many do not frequent and some others obviously earned the right to go away. If you have any suggestions, do not hesitate to let me know.
This is a Busy Year
As most of you know, my real job is as President of US Water Sytems, but late last year I ceded the Day-to-Day Operations of the business to my son (COO) and wife (CEO-she’s 10 years younger than me). I am the Visionary and am deeply involved in new product development, R & D, and write most of the copy for the “Ask The Water Doctor Blog” and the website. I hired a Chief Revenue Officer last year, who has a successful background in private equity, and last week I hired a “real CFO” (we have used Contract CFOs in the past). He has been the Director of Finance for Indiana University for the past 6 years (all 7 campuses) and before that was the CFO for the 18th largest company in Indiana. This is my retirement and my family’s future. We have no desire to sell, but in our industry, private equity is paying 3 to 5 times sales for businesses. If someone wants to give us “stupid money”, then the family will have to make that decision.
We are currently in the process of acquiring a new Headquarters Facility. The building we are currently housed in is a 30,000 sq/ft facility that we rent. We are now buying a 72,000 sq/ft building to accommodate our growth and I am deeply involved with the design and buildout of the facility. It is the former World Headquarters of American Trans Air (ATA) which was bought by Southwest 13 years ago. It has been vacant since then (Owned by the Airport Authority) but was heated and cooled and is immaculate. It was all offices, but we only need 20,000 sq/ft of office space so the rest is being gutted and turned into warehousing. We are adding 4 truck docks and 6 overhead doors and I am in daily meetings with the engineers, architects, and designers. We plan to be in by November 1st. Life is never dull!
It’s the (blue roof) building on the Left. So, I am really busy, but I love the Dodgers and will continue to write as long as I can and am motivated to do so! On May 1st, my son and I are taking a truck full of Craft Beer Brewing Water Purification Equipment and a Booth to the National Craft Beer Show in Minneapolis. We will set it up and work the show with another sales guy who is flying in. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience because, at 69, I am certain, I will not be able to do this much longer… but I can do it now… and it is awesome! Craft Beer Brewing is our second largest vertical…next to cannabis and hemp. We have a saying:
“Water is Life
Beer is 95% Water
Therefore… Beer is Life”
This is the last time we did the show (Pre-Pandemic):
Life is Good! But I am Busy! That is a good thing…
Discussion (32)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Bobby Miller was taken out after 2/3 of the first inning because he was wild and went over his inning pitch count.
Cartaya went 0-5, now hitting somewhere in the .160 range. Not a particular good day for the Dodgers.
But hey, Giants lost both games of their double header at NY. So there is some positive.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Jansen looked as dominant as he was at his peak.
Went after our hitters , no nibbling .
When was the last time he pitched like that for us ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The good news is that Mookie is not injured!
Kenley!
Price with an explomaculate inning. Looked like he was going to blow up but got out of it.
Fried finds the edges with excellent stuff. Better at it tonight than Buehler was.
I’m staying up just for Jansen. Maybe. Might record it.
Well one guy pitched like an ace tonight! Looks like our only hope tonight is Kenley in the 9th!
Will Atlanta let Fried complete his perfect game?
Maybe we can get Alex Verdugo back.
.333 BA
.395 OB%
.639 Slg%
1.034 OPS
2 2B
3 HR
8 RBI
Yes, Patch’s favorite team lost both games of the double-header. Sorry Patch.
Anyone know why Bobby Miller only pitched 1 2/3 innings tonight? He only had given up 1 run, per the stats
So the Dodgers are exploring field naming rights for Dodger Stadium. Dodger Stadium will always be Dodger Stadium but they will be partnering with some company to grant field naming rights. Pepsi field at Dodger Stadium, Union 76 Field or Farmer John Field as some examples.
Also exploring a patch to wear on the uniforms with a company they partner with much like the NBA. This was approved in the new CBA.
What do you guys think with the field naming rights? I don’t like it, but the “bean counters” want more revenue and I guess I can live with it as long s they NEVER call Blue Heaven on Earth anything other than Dodger Stadium.
Maybe the midgets luck is running out finally. Call goes against them in extra innings and they lose in 10. Way to go Mets!
Mets beat San Fran 5-4 in the first game of a doubleheader.
Oh shit, we get our first taste of the lefty starting pitcher lineup.
Denzel Washington visited the Dodgers clubhouse. He asked Kimbrel what does he throw and Kimbrel responds “By ’em”.
Giants lose in extras. Maybe their luck is beginning to run out.
Tonights line up. Betts RF, Freeman, 1B, Turner, SS, Turner, DH. Muncy, 2B, Taylor, CF, ALberto, 3B, Barnes, C, Lux LF.
The Dodgers’ rotation, once the dust settles, should look like this:
1 Buehler
2 Urías
3 Bauer
4 Kershaw
5 Andrew “MadBum” Heaney and all the others.
Kershaw is a good No.2 and a great No.3, but from No.4 he will face 4+ ERA guys and win most games, today’s Kershaw will go most times 5-6 innings and he will allow 2 or 3 runs scored which will lead him to win a lot of games, last night’s game is a good example.
Mark, the improvements to the site are fantastic. All (worthwhile) Dodger and baseball info and news links on one site. Awesome. Congrats on the growth of your company and the new building build out. I, also, appreciate stories about family owned small businesses becoming successful. And, especially, with a product that is so important in impacting the quality of the water we consume.
The Dodgers have been so much fun to watch while on this winning streak. It seems everyone is contributing sans Betts and Muncy. Fortunately, with the team’s talent and depth their play hasn’t been a determent. Muncy seems to take way too many pitches when he is in slump. Most hittable pitches he doesn’t swing at and with that has lead to eight walks (24% rate) so far. He did the same last year at the beginning of the season. But, like last year he will eventually get back to hitting bombs. With Mookie it might be his limited play during the spring. But, like I mentioned there is plenty of talent to cover for them while they get it together.
Freddy is so much fun to watch. Just a quality ballplayer and human being. Sorry to see Seager leave, but I’ll take Freddy all day everyday.
Very happy to see Gavin Lux have some early success. I have been a fan of his. My expectations for him haven’t been as high than many on this site. It looks like they are finding playing time for him right now. He had huge success in his minor league career so many thought that he should be a star right out of the gate. He had some frustrating moments when he first arrived, but he battled and worked his way through those issues. Covid didn’t help his cause either. Anyway, if he can continue to improve he should find a regular infield position by 2023/24 depending on what happens with Trea (I think he returns to the East coast) and with Muncy’s contract ending in 2023. He doesn’t need to be a star. Just a solid ballplayer and good teammate.
Good for Cody!! Continue on his current path maybe looking at 30+ HRs and 90-110 RBIs if he moves up in the lineup. Strikeout rate down to 33% and BA to .278 so that’s a good sign.
The starting pitching and the BP have been outstanding so far. There should be lots of juggling with the staff once May 1 rolls around and the rosters are reduced.
Leading the league in stolen bases. Who knew? Well, I think just about everyone. They’re finally taking advantage of their speed. It’s so refreshing to watch them score runs in bunches without having to rely on the home run. I think the long ball will improve as the weather heats up and the hitters fine tune their timing.
And then we have the Giants. As much as I dislike the city and their teams I have to give the Giants props for continuing to win baseball games. As mentioned above, It’s amazing to see the everyday regulars and compare them to the Dodgers and it’s not even close. So far, their pitching is doing well, but I don’t think their depth is there if injuries or ineffectiveness becomes an issue.
Carry on.
Notes from Internet:
FanGraph’s Ben Clemens had a chat:
Sultan of Seitan Asked: Andrew Heaney. Are the Dodgers just that good at development that he’s going to fulfill his promise or was his last start going to be his best start of the year?
Ben Clemens Answered: He had two starts better than his last start (at least by Game Score v2) last year
6.1 innings against the Astros with 10 k’s, no walks, and two hits. And 6.2 against the Rays, 4 hits, 10 k’s, 1 walk, no runs. So he’s definitely capable of some impressive numbers. I like what the Dodgers have done to harness his breaking ball, but the frustrating thing about Heaney has never been that he isn’t capable of a great performance
It’s the consistency… Give it a little time.
RTJ asked: Is Bellinger Back? High Babip, but hard to completely fake 2 HRs and a couple doubles early on, right?
Ben Clemens answered: Kind of depends on what you m ean by back, if you’re asking whether he’s back to 2019, I don’ think so the thing that made him so interesting when he was at peak was that his strikeout rate just vanished. That hasn’t been the case this year. But I’m encouraged that he’s making loud contact again and doing so without wildly expanding the zone.
The Sultan of Seitan also asked: Gavin Lux. Best Post Hype Sleeper this year?
Ben Clemens answered: I think so, but that’s a generous definition of sleeper. He’s a really good hitter, to the point where the Dodgers were willing to let him play centerfield with no experience to get his bat in the lineup
and that was last playoffs. I think that rumors of his post-hypeness have been greatly exaggerated
Eric Longenhagen posted video of the Dodgers Edgardo Henriquez:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If8VZj1Hg3A
Jay Jaffe took at look at Heaney:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-sweeping-success-of-the-overhauled-andrew-heaney/
Jaffe also took a look at Jackie Robinson and the progressive nature of Dodgertown:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jackie-robinson-and-dodgertown-a-haven-of-tolerance/
Dodgerheads YouTube video featuring Michael Grove (Editor’s note: one thing they touched was Grove’s change in his “spine angle”. I found that bit amazing!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe81vAlZc78&t=4s
Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes chat:
Eric (Brooklyn) asked, How would you rank/compare Kyle Harrison with Maddux Bruns and DL Hall?
Geoff Pontes: It’s Harrison, Hall, a gap and then Bruns. The latter looked great in his season debut but there’s still some kinks to work out as we saw the other night. Hall there’s just significant health questions even if it’s the best stuff on the planet. Harrison’s low release and movement give him the opportunity to be one of the world’s best eventually.
Josh Thomas is a great follow on Twitter, he also has started to write wonderfully about prospects for DodgersDigest.com.
His writing can be found here:
http://dodgersdigest.com/author/jokeylocomotive/
Amongst his observations of late:
Between 2021 and early 2022, Gavin Stone has struck out a stellar 45 batters in 25 2/3 innings, while walking only six, and posting a 2:1 ground out/air out ratio. All together, it makes for a starter’s aptitude, repertoire, and effectiveness, and possibly a gem of a find whom the entire league passed on repeatedly, something they might regret.
Lael Lockhart, a 2021 9th round pick out of Arkansas, utilizes a four-pitch mix, with a low 90s fastball that is reportedly touching 95 at times, as well as a slider, curve, and a splitter. Having cut his teeth in the SEC, and doing so for one of the most cutting-edge baseball programs, Lockhart is among the more polished pitching prospects who have recently entered the system, and he could be a relatively quick mover.
Institutionalized?
Anybody watch Alanna Rizzo defend Clayton Kershaw’s competitiveness after Chris Russo questioned it on HighHeat?
Bobby Miller pitches for AA Tulsa tonight .Click on DODGERS MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATES at the top of the page for updates and box scores on the current four minor league teams. A new feature Mark has instituted.
* I don’t go out of my way to critics umpires but it sure seems to me Mookie and especially Will Smith get behind in counts on outside pitches clearly off the plate. Mookie is currently taking too many hittable pitches, and getting behind. But Will is just getting screwed. I wonder what he’s saying back there to warrant such shabby treatment? He’s such a nice guy.
* We’re hitting .357 in the 9 hole. Tell me again that you enjoy watching pitchers bat.
* I see some Kurt Gibson in Freddie Freeman. That choppy, quick flig of the hands for an emergency’s hang in there, swing to stay in the count. No style points just toughness.
* Graterol, I believe, is the closer in waiting. He had some misfortune last night and made a couple of mistakes. He has a tendency to get impatient and frustrated if the don’t take the bait on his chase pitches. He seems frustrated they didn’t K and throws a hittable strike. Some mature Patience can fix that. Not so sure about his straight fastball even at 100.
Hudson has had 3 Tommy Johns. What would be going through you mind to endure that? And do look at your Mechanics?
This line-up just comes at you in waves. This is maybe the best line up to watch in a long time. And everybody’s not clicking yet.
Congrats Mark. Your life trajectory is actually very inspiring. You should write a book or something. 😉
I’ll mention again, because it bears repeating, that Freddie is a great fit with the Dodgers. He’s humble, grateful, accessible – a consummate professional. He rarely has a wasted at bat. He always gets a good rip at the ball with a short yet powerful swing and goes to all fields. There are going to be a lot of “Fre-ddie … Fre-ddie” chants for the next few years.
My concern with Mookie is not just that he’s in an offensive slump, but that his defense has declined significantly this year and last. Players get in slumps all the time, but when the defense also suffers, that’s in indicator that there’s something physically going on.
My hot take –
There is still something significantly wrong with Mookie’s hip that we don’t know the extent of. As we saw with Bo Jackson, these types of injuries don’t get better. His defense and his baserunning ability as measured by BsR has declined every year since 2017, dropped off a cliff last year, and hasn’t recovered.
Could it be a good idea to put Trea as the leadoff hitter? And put Betts a little lower in the lineup, at least while he’s getting his groove back (if he ever does) The same thing they did with Bellinger…
I’m proud of you Mark. Go Dodgers
I just watched a postgame interview with Freddie and I really feel a lot of emotion from him. He loved being a Brave and also loves being a Dodger. He said he really appreciates the fans here making him feel so welcome and it’s making his transition a lot easier.
Blake Treinen’s arm is “barking” a little bit. Won’t be available during the Braves series. Ouch! Won’t require an IL stint – famous last words?
I noticed that Kershaw was dotting a lot of 91’s and 92’s yesterday. I’m very encouraged. Can he pick up another MPH and start touching 93 regularly? Did PRP fix him? The season is early, it’s still a bit cold at Dodger stadium. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the velo might just climb a little more. I’m not ruling out the possibility of another CY Young if that happens. Wouldn’t that be something?
All these interviews with Freddie makes me wish that he would have come up with the Dodgers. What a great guy.
Cody Bellinger is an amazing talent. So is Mookie.. Sooner or later he catches fire. Thought Clayton Kershaw would slip a little. He’s still in build up mode. The expectation is probably six good innings, turn it over to the bullpen.
Good start to the season after a couple of bumps in Colorado. Are the Giants that good? We’ll see. San Fran is using a different formula, trying to catch lightning in a bottle. It worked last year. But a lot of work and luck goes into making that work. The Dodgers had a lot of young talent to build around. Still the foundation. Adding talent like Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner to the mix is the difference between good and great.
I still believe the Dodgers need to sign Turner long term. One of the most exciting players in baseball.
Impressive. Congratulations.
First place alone. .800 winning %. On pace for 129 wins. That should do it.
Good luck with acquiring the building for your new headquarters. It will be quite an undertaking.
Hell yeah, Mark! I’m so proud of you. I love to see small businesses succeed especially ones built with blood, sweat and tears. Great job!
Wow, Kershaw sure lost it fast. That was surprising as he seemed to be cruising right along.
Matt Olson is a beast. Props to Alex! If you’re gonna lose Freddie, you might as well land Olsen, eh? Just like is was smart for AF to acquire Trea.
I noticed Miguel Vargas got a start at second base recently. He should probably spend some time there the way things are going.
I feel the same way as Watford. No Agida watching Kimbrel. Yes, the bullpen is very good!
It’s incredible watching the offense put up a huge inning almost every day. Max Fried will be a huge test today, being left handed and all. I wonder if Hanser will get a start.
After watching Kershaw run out of gas last night, I can’t help but think back to the perfecto that wasn’t. It makes me think that he probably wouldn’t have kept it going and that the repercussions could have been worse in yesterday’s game.
Kershaw is now 2-0 in two starts. Great start to the season. I hope he holds up. Bueller up next.
We make a good team. You continue working hard making the pure water for great beer. And I’m retired just sitting on my butt drinking beer! OK, my work with Bellinger is over. Can I now move my negative energy onto Mookie and get him going. When we send Mookie down it will probably be to Tulsa because I don’t think he could start at OKC. Not with the way Pillar, Noda and Martin are hitting!
Will you be changing the color of the roof from Carolina to Dodger blue?