This year, it is different! The NL West is the best division in baseball. Every team, except for the Colorado Rock Heads, are above .500, and the Top Three teams all have legitimate shots at the postseason. The Dodgers have had a plethora of injuries that have stalled their ability to run away with the division, and they are going to have to play meaningful games in September. This is a good thing. They are not going to go into the playoffs on cruise control. I can’t wait… but I have to!
The Dodgers have now evidently decided that the shortstop position is the most important defensive position on the field – this is especially true when you have a healthy Miguel Rojas and Nick Ahmed (or is it “Nick Amed?” No, that is the other Amed… Rosario! I am so confused!). At any rate, it looks like Jason Heyward is the odd man out. Mookie Betts is now headed to RF! There is no doubt that Miggy Rojas is an elite SS, and (for now) it appears that Nick Ahmed, who is also a defense-first SS, will be the backup… for now!
Some fans thought there would be no way that Betts would go back to RF, but the stars just aligned that way. Jason Heyward can give him a blow in a blowout game, and while Jason has had some key hits, his bat is still nothing to write home about. Gavin Lux was dead and buried by many Dodger fans, only to pull a “Lasserus” and rise from the grave. Gavin Lux is now one of the hottest hitters in baseball! It is evidently all because of swinging harder. Fabian Ardaya wrote this in the Atheltic:
For months, he subconsciously worried about the state of his surgically repaired right knee; healthy as it was, he could never fully trust it. His front leg, the center of his swing, wouldn’t drive into the ground consistently to generate force. But for the past few weeks, he’s been letting it fly with abandon. It has been years since he’s taken hacks like this, even dating back to the best season of his major-league career.
During an All-Star break trip back to Wisconsin, he took batting practice with his uncle, Augie Schmidt, a former prep star and longtime Carthage College coach. Together, they looked back at his best swings. They were violent, looking to generate slug more than just putting the ball in play.
“He’s like, ‘Screw it. If I’m going down, I’m going down aggressive,’” hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said. “I think there’s some freedom in that.”
So, Lux is entrenched at 2B, at least against RHP, with Amed Rosario (a lefty killer) available on days Lux rests. Kike Hernandez is also playing much better, and Max Muncy is starting a rehab assignment that could bring him back in ten days or thereabouts. It’s possible that Kike plays 3B against LHP. Tommy Edman is also starting a rehab assignment, and as a switch hitter, he seems destined to play CF. He has been mostly “league average.” However, Katie Woo, who covers the Cardinals, thinks this is a great pickup. Here’s an interview with her:
So, Edman has another year of control and can play several spots. He’s another player who could benefit from the Dodgers hitting coaches. It’s likely that he will patrol CF for the Dodgers for the rest of this season. Harold Reynolds breaks down Edman’s role with the Dodgers:
At the time of that interview, Mookie was scheduled to play SS, but now he is headed to RF. That leaves Teoscar in LF and Edman in CF. What is the average year for Edman? .265 with a .726 OPS and 29 SB’s while playing a very good CF. His OPS+ is League Average, and I’ll take it! Suddenly, the outfield looks way better!
Here’s who Tommy Edman is… and you will see that he has a very good arm:
Last night, both Edman and Max Muncy started their rehab assignments for OKC. Edman was 1-3, and Max was 1-2 with a double and a walk. Mookie is not far behind. Walker Buehler will return this week, and I would not be surprised if Justin Wrobleski skips his start today to take River Ryan’s place, but so far, it appears that Landon Knack is the guy. I hate to say it, but this looks like another Tommy John. I hope I am wrong. Glasnow goes today… let’s see what he has. At any rate, Ryan Brasier is close to ready, and I would not automatically count out Bobby Miller. Frequently, a player learns most when undergoing adversity. Things can turn in a blink of an eye. I think by the end of this month, this will be the lineup:
- Ohtani DH
- Betts RF
- Freeman 1B
- Hernandez LF
- Muncy/Kike 3B
- Smith C
- Lux/Rosario 2B
- Rojas SS
- Edman CF (2nd leadoff)
Rotation: Glasnow, Flaherty, Yamamoto, Kershaw, Buehler, Stone, Wrobleski, Knack, or Miller.
Try to keep your sanity and perspective – nothing is as constant as change, and most knee-jerk reactions are simply wrong. Enjoy the run. Also, there should be no question about who should lead off. You want your best hitter there because, statistically speaking, he will get more ABs in that spot, and more ABs mean “more opportunities to impact a game.” Welcome to analytics.
I Told You So…
On Friday, Garrett Crochet went 2.1 innings and allowed seven hits and 7 ER while giving up four home runs. His ERA is now at 3.65. He was the “Flavor of the Week,” for which many Dodger fans pined. He may ultimately be a stud starter, but he was not going to do it this year. Yet, many of you wanted to gut the farm for Crochet. To me, it was pretty clear that he had too many innings on his arm this year without any history of that whatsoever. Tarik Skubal is still doing very well, but he was never going to be traded.
Indiana State Fair
We went to the Indiana State Fair yesterday with three of my granddaughters, and the nine-year-old finished second in a talent show that involved about 40 contestants from all over the State (she was the youngest by far but has a set of pipes). She will be famous someday. Remember the name Tallulah Salimeno. Actually, she says her “stage name is “Tallulah Jane.”
She sang “Shallow” and knocked it out of the park. I have to get it to YouTube, and then I can post it.
Discussion (42)
Disagree, not disagreeable
By the way, I am not implying that Rosario is a bad guy. Maybe immature?
I thought Elvira retired. Check out the Brewers official scorer sitting behind home plate wearing the blue shirt. Beautiful eyes she has watching CK dealing. Welcome back MB! Nice oppo SO!!! 40/40 looking good.
VIVA AZUL!!!!!
You know, some posters are just too stupid to post here.
I have determined who they are. If your post evaporates, you will know that you are dumber than a doorknob!
Deal with it!
Welcome home Mookie, Damn did we miss you.
Kiké Hernández this year:
.191 avg, 45 Ks, 15 RBIs in the first half
.278 avg, 18 Ks, 11 RBIs in 20 games since
A big difference: The glasses he started wearing after learning he had astigmatism
“Once he put the glasses on, he’s seeing it a lot better.”
Dodgers RF Mookie Betts, for the second straight year, declined to stay with the team in the supposedly haunted Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. He’s at an Air BnB. He doesn’t like ghosts.
I can tell you for a 100% certainty why Rosario was DFA’ed:
Attitude!
“I’m a .300 hitter – I should play every day.”
Just like Torres of the Yankees: A Selfish “Head Case” and a cancer in the clubhouse.
The Yankees tolerate it. The Dodgers don’t!
Seems that Andrew’s plan includes having the best defense possible. Leads me to believe that our bench will be Hayward, Ahmed,KIke and Kiemaier. I would have kept Rosario also for the platoon at second base but what do I know. I hope that Lux can take advantage of this opportunity to become a full time player. I think going into the playoffs we will have 8 everyday starters with no platoons. With the bench providing the “regulars “ with rest and late inning defense. Sounds like a plan to me.
CORRECTED LINEUP
8:10 PM ET
Dodgers (69-49)
Brewers (67-50)
SP Clayton Kershaw L
0-2 4.38 ERA
SP Freddy Peralta R
7-6 4.02 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
2B Gavin Lux L
C Will Smith R
SS Miguel Rojas R
3B E. Hernandez R
CF K. Kiermaier L
In Domed Stadium
agree AVF! Teo should Not be hitting below Smith. love Will , but the way he’s been performing, could be a first inning rally killer! just got that update Bear. that’s better
8:10 PM ET
Dodgers (69-49)
Brewers (67-50)
SP Clayton Kershaw L
0-2 4.38 ERA
SP Freddy Peralta R
7-6 4.02 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
LF T. Hernandez R
2B Gavin Lux L
SS Miguel Rojas R
3B E. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
In Domed Stadium
Teo should be batting 4th,Lux 5th and Smith 6th
one thing from an earlier post. Rosario might be a better hitter than Chris Taylor , but there’s no comparison to Taylor’s defense with Rosario.
Remember, AF is playing Chess, we’re playing checkers. don’t understand it either! but that’s why i’m sitting in my kitchen , and AF is sitting in his office at dodger stadium! maybe his defense? maybe they might let Lux play more against lefties? They just cut a .300 hitter! They kept 5 .200 hitters! Who knows! lol! Excuse me 6 .200 hitters, Max will be back soon! But thank goodness Mookie is back!!
Don’t like this move:
Dodgers Designate Amed Rosario For Assignment, Activate Mookie Betts
hope so. pretty much like Will lately. You might be right about him being MVP. But it’s quite possible he’s not the. MVP on his own team!!
Looks like Brook and Dirk Dingler. The team is shaping up nicely for the playoffs. No more injuries please.
Go Dodgers
yeah, i ain’t the smartest guy in the room, but personally i believe Doc pulls guys a little early. not criticizing, just my opinion. …. So in a week or two Edman is ready. Mookie is in right. Teo is in left. Edman is in center. Does Pages go down? Now Doc ain’t gonna want Heyward gone! And i think Jason should stay over Pages. But what about Kevin K.? His defense is way better in center field compared to Pages! So if Edman goes to the infield to give Max or Rojas a breather, who you want in center field? Heyward, KK, or Pages? I’ve said earlier, Pages never looks engaged to me. Doesn’t mean i think he’s lazy on defense, just not a center fielder. I thought earlier in the season Kiki might be in jeopardy of being shipped out. Now with Taylor not a sure thing , i believe he goes nowhere. And if it comes down to Ahmed , Roario , Kiki, and KK, who stays? Is it a possibility Heyward could. be gone? like i said earlier, if it’s up to Doc(probably isn’t) heyward won’t go anywhere. … Everyone was bitching earlier about the bottom of the lineup (me included). And lately there has been traffic on the bases at the bottom. BUT, Ohthani isn’t bringing them in! Maybe Teo should lead off! lol! i don’t know about everyone else, but give me Mookie at the plate with runners on! He’s not trying to hit everything 500 feet!
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Sunday in an interview with Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that he expects Muncy (oblique) to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list at some point during the Dodgers’ next homestand, which begins Aug. 19.
“Out since mid-May due to a significant right oblique strain, Muncy finally reached the last stage of his recovery program by kicking off a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday. He started at third base and played six innings in the field while going 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and an RBI. Though Muncy is back in the lineup Sunday at designated hitter for Oklahoma City, he’ll presumably get in a few more games at third base and potentially even at first base during the upcoming week as he works to regain his timing at the plate. Assuming he avoids any setbacks with his oblique during the rehab assignment, Muncy should step back into an everyday role in the infield right away once the Dodgers activate him.”.
no way Mark!! come on, how did you pull that off? she was beautiful in her younger days! You probably call your pool the Blue Lagoon! …. Teo does it again! But lost in all the excitement, Banda blows a win for Glasnow. But, it shouldn’t have come to that! Ohthani left “50” men on base yesterday. seriously, they need him to drive in runs somehow. a lot of swing and miss lately. The dodgers as a whole are leaving a lot of men on base, too many! For my money , i’ll take Freddie or Teo in rbi situations every time! Kiki was big yesterday! Just a little shaky at 3rd. …. Don’t understand removing Kevin K. and pinch hitting. Ahmed just to bunt. KK laid down a nice bunt earlier. Also, things worked out, but wasn’t it kind of early to jerk Rosario? I know , left-right matchups, but sometimes shouldn’t you wait a little longer to start yanking players? that left-right matchup usually comes back around. Oh well, i’m not getting paid to make those decisions anyway. Just my 2 cents worth. 3 out of 4 would be great in Milwaukee. Too bad the “Meatloaf “ song wasn’t 3 out of 4 ain’t bad! RIP “Meatloaf “!!!
Dont look now but the Dodgers are tied for the best record in the NL…….
Earlier, some were talking about “supermodels.” I have never dated a upermodel and have been married for 27 years, but this was taken 29 years ago and I have no more to say:
where’s that hit with all the runners on?
Forearm tightness—Usually means end of season for pitcher. So next announcement probably Tommy John for Ryan. And back in 2026
make the man an offer!!!
not defending knight. just saying he was better than big percentage of coaches he coached against. more of an x & o’s guy than most. Managers today don’t have to do as much coaching as say 20 years ago.
Congrats on your granddaughter’s achievement Mark!
You could make two statistically arguments regarding the place where Ohtani should bat in the order.
Batting behind Betts and Freeman would arguably give him the best opportunity to drive more run. At least a near 40% probability he comes up to bat with runners in scoring position.
Conversely, batting Ohtani lead off could be interpreted as the Dodgers having more faith in Freeman’s ability to hit in the clutch (higher probability of driving those runs). Wonder what their respective RISP look like.
Veteran left-hander former Dodger James Paxton had to be helped off the field after five pitches of his start against the Houston Astros. Paxton seemed to injure his right leg after he stepped awkwardly in an attempt to leave the mound and run to cover first base.
i used to tell guys when bobby knight coached , if you gave the ten best coaches in college basketball the identical 10 players, knight would kick their butts 90% of the time. Baseball isn’t like that anymore. analytics are ruling the game. who is the best manager in the game? Doc? not in my opinion. .. aaron boone? nah. .. counsel? maybe, but i don’t know. .. is there a clear winner? nope. ..Not criticizing Doc, he is loved by his players. who would replace him? it takes an army to coach a mlb team these days. Bochy?? old school type for the most part. The best? nah. Who is it? Shelton in pittsburgh? Lovello? Thompson in philadelphia? Hyde in Baltimore? .. is there a clear winner?? probably not. it’s a whole new game!
River Ryan has an elbow injury and will miss the rest of the season. Knack has replaced him on the roster. He will most likely be transferred to the 60-day when Muncy or Edman are recalled. Report per MLBTR.
Like the line up, Mark. If it were up to me (and fortunately it is not) I would also have two platoons with Lux/Rosario and Muncy/Kike. If Roberts really meant what he said about the best players will play, it is hard to justify Muncy at third against left handers instead of Kike.
Rojas may get a day or two off each week at short and Smith the same behind the plate.
Yamamoto seems to be the most important question to be answered now. If he is healthy and the Dodgers have Glasnow, Flaherty, and Yamamoto fronting their playoff rotation then they have as good a chance as anyone to get to WS. But with the way the injuries have gone this season, there is no telling.
In 2021, from the Dodgers 40 man roster, seven pitchers have thrown a pitch this season for the Dodgers, Phillips , Treinen and Versia have logged the most time. The catchers are about the same. Lux and Muncy are the only infielders. Lux didn’t play much and Muncy played first base. Mookie and Chris Taylor are the only listed outfielders. In three years the Dodgers did a complete transition and continued the whole time of winning divisions. That is due to making great use of their farm system by either developing them to play for LA especially pitchers or making a trade. Sprinkle in a few free agents and this is the best team in baseball for a minimum of the past ten years.
4:10 PM ET
Pirates (56-60)
Dodgers (68-49)
SP Bailey Falter L
5-7 3.87 ERA
SP Tyler Glasnow R
9-6 3.54 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
LF T. Hernandez R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
2B Amed Rosario R
SS Miguel Rojas R
3B E. Hernandez R
RF Andy Pages R
CF K. Kiermaier L
88° Wind 8 mph Out
Something that has been bugging me since I started reading Dodger blogs,(about two years), is the dogging that Dave Roberts receives. I think every employee wants a boss that will always have your back, doesn’t humiliate his employees in public and is an excellent communicator. Roberts has these three qualities and they are geniue. People can see through a poser. From the outside looking in, it appears that he respects the opinions of his coaches and isn’t afraid of using analytics that many believe will give the team the best chance to win. What the Dodgers have done this season is nothing short of sensational overcoming injuries especially to the pitching staff, and losing for extended period of time a legit MVP candidate and a third baseman that is almost automatic to hit 30 homers in a season. Dodger fans in the future will be talking about this era in Dodger baseball for a long time.
why not make an offer? 3 years with an option? sure other teams will offer more, but he said he would love to be in dodger blue! Maybe not every player is all about the money! … proud grandpa Mark! you make all grandpa’s proud!! Got 7! whew!!! keeps me young!!!
Saturday scores
Round Rock 3, Oklahoma City 2
Arkansas 6, Tulsa 3
Great Lakes 5, Lansing 4
Rancho Cucamonga 8, Fresno 2
Justin Wrobleski pitched into the sixth inning and allowed only two runs, but also walked five to go with his five strikeouts.
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Payton Martin) vs. Lansing (Grant Judkins)
11:35 a.m.: Tulsa (Jerming Rosario) at Arkansas (Reid VanScoter)
4:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Ben Casparius) vs. Round Rock (Tim Brennan)
5 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Christian Zazueta) vs. Fresno (Albert Pacheco)
Roberts said Landon Knack will be called up from Triple-A on Sunday, to pitch out of the bullpen for now. Knack started for Oklahoma City on Tuesday, striking out eight in 5⅔ innings.
What will the Dodger playoff bench be that includes Barnes? Anyone like to respond?
If AF lets Teo walk at the end of the season he’s stupid! Yeah i said it, STUPID! he means so much on and off the field. Make an offer!! he wants to stay there. make it happen! …..
Teo would be stupid to sign now. If he keeps this up, he might get a 5-Year/$125 Million Deal and AF would be really STUPID to do that now. It makes no sense to sign him now unless you could do 3 Years at $75 Million, and if he takes that and leaves $50 Million on the table, Teo is too stupid to play for the Dodgers!
Ryan had just eclipsed Stone in the rotation. (imo). praying it’s not tj! … Vesia gets angry every walk he issues, yeah , we get pissed too!! lol.. ….. Why is Kopech not pitching the ninth? just curious. …. If AF lets Teo walk at the end of the season he’s stupid! Yeah i said it, STUPID! he means so much on and off the field. Make an offer!! he wants to stay there. make it happen! ….. Absolute fantastic catch by Kevin K. last night! plus a hit. ……. Umpire’s strike zone was awful last night. (both teams)…..Ohthani was non existent last night. Happens more than we notice. Hell, Teo may be the MVP on the dodgers! …. Quietly the Brewers are getting closer to the best record in the NL. Maybe Counsel isn’t as great as everyone thought! just saying. …. Here’s hoping Walker has figured it out! Sure could use him down the stretch. ….. Is it possible there’s some injury threat (career ending) bringing Yamamoto back this season? ….. Finish the sweep today. tough 4 game series starting tomorrow.
Something that River Ryan said that I read this morning makes me wonder about the relationship of the pitch clock to arm injuries. He alluded that having that short time between pitches was affecting him. Makes me wonder though I don’t know the answer whether throwing 10 pitches in say 3 minutes versus 5 minutes has a great effect on some pitchers arms. Whether a few extra seconds between pitches actually might make quite a bit of difference for some pitchers as it relates to injuries.
Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Buehler (hip) will return to the Dodgers’ rotation Wednesday against the Brewers, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
“Buehler was initially targeting a start Thursday, but he’ll instead face Milwaukee on Wednesday for his first MLB appearance since June 18. Buehler threw 85 pitches in his last rehab start and shouldn’t be on a pitch count. Before going on the injured list, the 29-year-old logged a 5.84 ERA with a 31:10 K:BB across 37.0 innings”.
Yamamoto (triceps) will throw a bullpen Tuesday and then rejoin the Dodgers during their three-game series against the Cardinals
“Yamamoto has completed multiple bullpens and, assuming all goes well Tuesday, will advance to facing batters for the first time since going on the injured list June 16. The 25-year-old is still multiple weeks away from pitching in a game, and it’s likely he’ll require a minor-league rehab assignment. Yamamoto worked up to 30 pitches in his most recent bullpen session”.