EVER!
The Dodgers have scored more runs than any other team in baseball.
The Dodgers have allowed the fewest runs of any team in baseball.
The Dodgers are the Best Defensive Team in Baseball.
That’s a pretty good formula for winning. I tried to think of a better formula and couldn’t!
By the way, the Dodgers are Now #3 in Bullpen ERA as they have moved up from #9.
The Dodgers have not lost in August. They may never lose again… OK, I am getting carried away!
Tim Neverett is very underrated.
I like Kirstin Watson – She has improved dramatically since her unspectacular start… not as good as Alana, but good!
Has there ever been a better Dodger team? I do not think so.
Earlier, Muncy & Bellinger struggled, and many of us wanted them gone, but we were soooo wrong!
For those of you who think the MLBPA does not get involved in player movement, think again. There is a reason that the MLBPA is the most powerful sports union. Eight players serve on the Executive Subcommittee and are elected by their peers. This includes two Association Reps, two Association Alternates, two Pension Reps, and two Pension Alternates. Every two years, all 30 teams hold elections for their Player Reps and Alternates. This is a very close-knit group, and they communicate with their peers regularly. Only MLBPA Certifed Agents may represent a player.
Now, the union does not sit in on negotiations, but they do put pressure on players to take the best deal… because that is best for the union collectively. Now, a player can take less to play for the team he wants to play for (maybe a few million), but overall, the MLBPA wants the players to follow the money… and they generally do. Not many (maybe none) players would leave a substantial amount of money on the table to play for a team they wanted. The players have a limited shelf life, and $10 or $20 million dollars is a big deal.
If the Dodgers offered Trea Turner $275 Million, and the Marlins offered him $260 Million, he might actually make more by being a Marlin instead of playing California taxes… but would he want to play there? In most cases, the player will follow the money, which is a basic tenant of the MLBPA. Right now, if you look at WAR, Francisco Lindor is the #1 SS with a 5.0 WAR. Dansby Swanson is #2 with 4.8, while Trea Turner is tied for #3 with Xander Bogaerts with a 4.4 WAR.
If Turner finishes ahead of Lindor, he will seek more money than Lindor and Seager (who happens to be right behind Turner with a 3.7 WAR). The best thing that can happen is that turner finisher with a lower WAR than Lindor and Seager. That’s my 2 cents…
Remember when I told you the Yankees would not keep up their winning ways? Thank you very much.
Future Dodgers Down on the Farm
- OKC beat Round Rock 9-5
- Ed Rios was 1-4 with 3 RBI and a BB
- Miguel Vargas was 1-4 with a BB and 2 RBI. He is 4th in the PCL in RBI and all of the players ahead of him are at least 4 years older than he.
- Marshall Kasowski, Jake Reed, and Carson Fulmer all pitch a shutout inning.
- Jacob Amaya is hitting .216!
- Tulsa was beaten by Midland 6-2
- Landon Knack moved to 2-7 as he went 2.1 Innings, allowed 4 hits and 3 ER, walking no one and striking out 3. I don’t get it!
- When you only get 2 hits, you ain’t winning!
- Great Lakes shut out Peoria 6-0
- Diego Cartaya hit his 20th HR as he was 2-4. THis is the 4th game in a row in which he has homered.
- Jorbit Vivas was 3-4 with his 9th HR.
- Kendall Williams pitched 5 shutout innings for the win.
- Rancho Cucamonga won 7-4
- Dalton Rushing was 1-2 with a BB.
- Sean McLain was 2-5 as was Yeiner Fernandez
- Maddux Bruns went 3.1 innings, allowing 4 Hits, 2 ER and 1 BB while striking out 4
Dodger News & Notes
- Tyler Anderson goes for his 14th win this afternoon (morning in LA).
- Andrew Heaney just can’t get a break as he left last night after getting hit on his left arm getting a contusion!
- Dustin May is set to make his last rehab start today and then he should pitch next weekend for the Dodgers. I did not think he would be built up so fast, but it looks like he is set to pitch 5 or 6 innings.
- If Joey Gallo can hit a few HR and play the defense he dos in LF, the Dodgers could deal with his three outcomes. They just need to see more big flies!
- Gavin “Freaking” Lux. I really like him… but not at SS!
Discussion (23)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I certainly hope Trea sticks around.
But if he leaves, Lux could very well be the solution.
His improvement has been pretty stealthy. I did a doubletake when I read that he is 5th in the NL in OBP at .374. I had to look it up, and it’s true. On the Dodgers, only Freddie is getting on base more often at .398. Smith, Mookie and Trea are 3,4,5.
The sample size isn’t huge but isn’t small either. If Trea leaves, Lux could slot between Mookie and Freddie in the lineup.
So….
Mookie RF
Lux SS
Freddie 1B
Smith C
Max 2B
Vargas 3B
Belli CF
Rios DH
Outman/Trayce LF
Nothing lasts forever, and streaks end, this one was ended by some very good pitching on the part of the KC Royals. On to Milwaukee, Brewers are no pushovers. The Dodgers will face 3 of their best pitchers, Lauer, Burnes and Woodruf. They will see, Urias, Pepiot, Gonsolin and Heaney.
Michael sure knows his Singers.
At least we know Kimbrel pitches just as badly behind as he does ahead!
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
Now watch us score three in the ninth
* I am really enjoying this team and try to appreciate what I’m seeing every game. We also have the horses for a short series. The 116 win Mariner team was built for the long haul more than a 5 or 7 game series. And then there is the fate of the short series when an 0 for 12, which would be a bad 3 games in season becomes, becomes magnified.
* Andrew Heaney features a sinker, curveball and Bigfoot change up. I sure hope he can stay healthy as I love how he gets outs. But am I missing something? Like his change up? He’s a 2 pitch guy. 2 good pitch guy. To me that makes him a logical bullpen piece for the playoffs. He’s pitch in relief before and that looks like a solid role for him. What am I missing?
* Kansas City is an interesting study regarding player evaluation and development. I followed their draft closely in 2018. That year, they went for nothing but college pitchers with their first 4 draft picks. The took Brady Singer with the 18th pick out of Florida. He had been projected as high as #! the year before but fell to 18 with what might have been a signability issue. With 4 picks in the 1st round, they followed with Jackson Kowar, also from Florida, with the 33rd pick, Daniel Lynch from Virginia 34th and Kris Bubic, from Stanford, at 40. All 4 are still in the organization and none have become a dude. None have a career ERA under 4.2. There’s still time but the Royals focus on college pitchers, at least in 2018, didn’t pan out. Maybe they were overrated, injured or not developed but this just shows what an inexact science scouting actually is. Can’t miss college pitchers, miss.
* Trea Turner might be tied for 3rd place in WAR behind Lindor and Swanson. Both great shortstops but neither have the toolbox that Turner does. He will be expensive. I don’t care, pay the man alot for a shorter duration.
* I couldn’t be happier to see Max get it going. His BA has increased about 20 points in 2 weeks. I’m glad Doc stuck with him. But I wouldn’t have. And I’m not about to apologize for calling for him to sit or go on the IL. It’s a production business and he didn’t produce for 100 games. If we were in a tight race in the division, there would have been less leash for a guy killing us in the middle of the order. Especially with Bellinger and Gallo’s strikeouts and batting averages. Max should be very indebted to Doc / the wizard, for being so loyal. He’s swing great right now and that little dance step in the box seems to work.
2-0 KC, Anderson a little shaky today and Singer is pitching like I thought he could.
Bringing fans together to boycott is about as hard as getting a Dem and a Republican to agree on anything. Isn’t happening. I care less about setting the record for wins in a season. I want them to get home field all the way through the playoffs, a bye in the first round, and win their last game of the season. Anything less will be a disappointment for all Dodger fans. I worry less about records and more about the end result.
It’s up to us. If it’s too expensive then we stop going to games snd buying merchandise. That’s why I stopped going to Laker games
2:10 PM ET
Dodgers (79-33)
Royals (47-68)
SP Tyler Anderson L
13-1 2.72 ERA 122.1IP 97K 24BB
SP Brady Singer R
5-4 3.49 ERA 98IP 100K 22BB
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
SS Trea Turner R
1B F. Freeman L
3B Max Muncy L
2B Gavin Lux L
LF Joey Gallo L
DH Chris Taylor R
CF C. Bellinger L
C Tony Wolters L
Partly-cloudy-day
0% Rain
88° Wind 6 mph L-R
May, Miller and Sheehan all starting Minor League games today.
No, I do not think the Marlins will offer Trea a substantial contract, and I doubt he would accept.
I was just using that as an example.
However, the Union does a great job for the players. The owners are just as culpable as the players for driving up prices. The only way they come down is if someone starts a new league.
That is not as Crazy or as Far Out as it might seem. It would take a big Investment up front, but you could start with about 8-12 teams regionally. Eventually, the league can be expanded to 36 teams in 3 regions.
Secure the land and build stadiums with a 20,000 to 25,000 capacity. Do it in cities that have Minor League Teams, like Indianapolis, Buffalo, Memphis, Des Moines, OKC, Nashville, San Antonio, Charlotte, etc. Form an IPO for the league and secure funding for the league. The league owns the stadiums, and then a local group can buy the team. In the process, you could wreck MLB’s monolopy.
Have a hard salary cap and make baseball affordable. The 30 owners have a monopoly, and it is ripe for the breaking. MLB’s model is unsustainable.
Today, we’re on pace for 114 wins. That’s close, but no cigar, for the best regular season record. I fully expect a lot of rest down the stretch run with little competition within the division and a 6 game lead, as of today, for the best record and home field advantage. I don’t think it’s reasonable to keep playing at our current clip. But, we’re also going to get a lot of very high-quality pitching coming back soon.
I’m wondering if Barnes will be coming back for the day game after a night game to give Will a breather. Or, if they’re actually going to let Wolters catch today.
I love watching all the videos about Tatis’ PED suspension. But, it’s pretty annoying how some frame Tatis as a player that everyone loves. I seriously can’t stand this guy. He’s probably my most hated player, even more so than Manny or Correa. Now, knowing that he’s a cheat, I like him even less, hate him even more and hope for his ultimate demise. People generally don’t get caught the first time they do something. It’s more than likely he’s done steroids before.
I give the guys that played in the Steroid era more of a pass. Pretty much everyone was roiding back then, so I think the pressure to keep up with their peers was a lot greater than it is today. Not to mention, back then, you can get performance enhancers at your local GNC. Now, everything is so monitored and locked down, you know you’re cheating by engaging in this activity. It’s a selfish act, especially for a player that already signed a contract making him one of the highest paid players in the game. Again, this tells me that he’s done this before.
It’s going to be interesting to watch what happens with Trea Turner’s decision in free agency. MT, do you really think the Marlins can afford Trea? Trea was fortunate enough to be traded from the Nats before their complete implosion. Do you think he would what to possibly repeat that with the Marlins for the next 8-10 years? With the Dodgers he should get annual opportunities to play in a World Series and play with possible historic teams for the remainder of his career. Also, he’ll have an increased probability of winning batting titles and MVP awards thus establishing his legacy as one of the greatest shortstops ever. Atlanta may be a player if they don’t or can’t sign Swanson. But, Swanson is from Georgia so he’s most likely going to come to terms with the Braves. The Yankees have a hot prospect ready to play SS for them plus they have some costly contracts on their books now. That’s assuming they resign Aaron Judge who is a FA. So, where is the Dodger’s competition for Turner going to come from? Hopefully, Trea will decide to stay with the Dodgers. It would be a huge loss.
Yeah, old Max has made a great deal of us look like fools in our desire to cast him off and not pick up his option for next year. Roberts spent more than half a season playing Max in order to get him back on track. And right now he has become a roaring locomotive on that track. Fortunately, the team was playing at such a high level that they we able to carry Max while he figured things out. I didn’t want him banished, but given a week to ten days off for a mental break. With Cody I had come to resign myself to the fact that he was a tremendous OF and baserunner who would hit an occasional HR and be a .220 hitter. Not that my opinion matters, but I’m OK with his production.
*Trayce Thompson is AF’s “throw it up against the wall” player for 2022. AF continues to amaze.
*Will Smith is a machine. I believe he would have had two HRs on Friday if they were playing in Dodger Stadium.
But, they weren’t. So yesterday he hit one 430+ feet just ot put his stamp on the place!
*Freddie Freeman was hitless yesterday, but made an incredible catch. He continues to be awesome!
*KC is so overmatched it’s kind embarrassing to watch at times……NOT
Carry On
Mark –
Thanks for your explanation about how the MLB players association inserts itself into individual player negotiations. I accept your explanation that “its all about the money!”
As a young baseball fan, I supported the players association in the beginning. Over the years, however, I seen baseball strikes; World Series cancellations; a fight against steroid testing; season delays; etc. and my resentment of the players association started and grew.
Now, as an old baseball fan realizing they interject themselves into individual player negotiations for the sake of the “almighty dollar”, I guess I have to accept that too.
I am not against the labor movement! I grew up listening to my labor organizer father talk about how his union (AFL-CIO) fought for a fair wages, safe working conditions; retirement benefits, etc. so I know the importance of unions.
But, IMO the MLB players association today has no correlation to my father’s union and they have and will continue to do damage to the game I love. I am sad about that….
The only other team in the NL to top 100 in run differential is the Mets at 127. Dodgers top that almost double that with 251. The class of the AL is Yankees at 204. A pretty good tell. And Yankee Stadium is built for runs more than any other. Many (probably most) HR’s hit there would only make the warning track in all other parks.
This is really fun. If we win today we will have 40 wins at home and 40 wins on the road. What a well balanced team Andrew has built. We have a great shot at surpassing 116 wins if we keep playing like we have.
The Brewers will be a good test, the Mets even better.
Good thing we won’t have to play the Pirates again
And we’re doing this without 2 of our 3 best starters snd three of our best relievers! Depth of talent created and developed by AF and crew is crazy good! Hard to give Gallo too many ab’s when Thompson going so well! He’s an every day player on any other mlb team and right now middle of the order guy!
If the Dodgers lose the series against the Brewers, I won’t bother, as long as they help them qualify and keep the PEDres out of the playoffs
We will probably see another sweeping this afternoon and then take on the brew grew for 4 games. I’m thinking Dodgers will win the series and as cool as it would be for another sweep it’s just probably asking for too much. Teams aren’t supposed to play this good. So it has to come to an end, or does it? The odds vs the gods vs the Dodgers I don’t think I could take that bet anywhichway. But I will hope Dodgers continue with their custodial chores and take it on home. It’s time for historical baseball! That’s it! Do it for Vin!
Best team ever if we win our last game
MLB.. El contundente mensaje de Manny Machado a Tatis Jr. tras arrojar positivo a sustancia ilegal.
Manny Machado, compañero en Padres de Fernando Tatis Jr. habló acerca de la suspensión d campocorto por uso de sustancias prohibidas.
Manny Machado sobre Tatis:
“Él no ha sido parte de nuestro equipo en todo el año, y hemos llegado tan lejos sin él… Todavía tenemos el mismo objetivo, que es tratar de hacer una Serie Mundial y tratar de traer un campeonato a San Diego”
MLB.. Manny Machado’s forceful message to Tatis Jr. after testing positive for an illegal substance.
Fernando Tatis Jr.’s Padres teammate Manny Machado spoke about the shortstop’s suspension for use of prohibited substances.
Manny Machado on Tatis: “He hasn’t been a part of our team all year, and we’ve come this far without him… We still have the same goal, which is to try to make a World Series and try to bring a championship to San Diego.” ”
It seems that the problems have already started in the circus and with the clowns!
Mark, As for Yankees, You said that about the Giants last year. You make so many predictions, some of them have to end up being correct. LOL