I watched at least three near-future Dodgers last night and one recent past Dodger Hero. I watched the near-future Dodgers, Mike Busch, Jacob Amaya, and Bobby Miller with great elation. Let me tell you about that before I tell you about an old friend whom I felt a great sadness in watching.
The trio of Busch, Amaya, and Miller will likely move to Oklahoma City very soon, but I enjoyed last night’s Tulsa game immensely. I can see a scenario where all three of those players will be with the Dodgers in 2023. Bobby Miller started and went 5 innings, throwing 70 pitches, 47 for strikes. He allowed 3 hits and walked 1 while striking out 5. It was not his 100 MPH fastball that impressed me but rather his curve and changeup. He threw a lot more of the later than the former and looked masterful.
He could have pitched another inning, but the Dodgers are taking it a step at a time. Five innings is currently his longest outing after he went 4/2 innings in his last outing. He could still see The Show this season, although 2023 is more likely. However, it depends on how he masters this off-speed stuff. When he mixes it up like that he is simply unhittable. He struck out one batter on three straight 86-88 mph pitches. Watch this:
Miller faced off with Jack Leiter, who is the Rangers #1 prospect. The Drillers proceeded to do what they are supposed to do to pitchers- they drilled him!
I have always been impressed with Jacob Amaya on the defensive side of the ball. He has great range, a sticky glove, quick feet and hands, and a rocket arm. His bat was the question. I no longer question that! If the Dodgers do not retain Trea Turner, Jacob may very well be the Dodgers’ starting SS in 2023. Of course, that will depend upon how he does at the next level and we should find that out soon enough.
Mike Busch’s hit tool is MLB ready, but he too needs to prove it at the next level. He is improving as a 2B. I think he’s on level with Muncy (and Muncy is better than most of you think). He has quicker feet than I thought and while he could end up in LF or DH, I can see Mike as a 2B – a LH Jeff Kent! I don’t think Bobby Miller can be held back – he will be a starter in 2023 for the Dodgers, and depending upon a lot of circumstances, Amaya and Busch will also be there… maybe not as starters right away.
The Old Friend
It was bittersweet to watch Kenley Jansen come out of the Atlanta Braves bullpen and get a 1.2 inning win. No Hits, No Walks, 2 Strikeouts! he is 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA, and 8 saves in 8 save opportunities. He has pitched 13.2 innings and allowed 6 hits, and only 3 walks while striking out 19. His WHIP is 0.66 and the league is hitting .128 against him. He is hitting 96 MPH and looks as filthy as ever. Maybe filthier.
Andy McCullough of The Athletic wrote a great piece on Kenley Jansen on May 9th and I am going to share a lot of it. Yes, it is a paid sight, but content like this may make you want to subscribe to it as well (Molly Knight is gone). Kenley credits his great start with therapy:
Kenley Jansen began last Monday the way he tries to begin most mornings. Soon after he woke up, in a hotel room in New York, he meditated. He listened to music to enhance his focus. On the bus ride to Citi Field, seated beside his Atlanta Braves teammates, he did breathing exercises. Several hours later, he ended his night as he prefers, something few have ever done better: He closed out the ninth inning, collecting the 357th save of his career.
Jansen, who recorded save No. 358 on Saturday, turned 34 last September. In deference to his age, in recent years he has revamped his diet and his workouts to regain the velocity of his signature cut fastball. More importantly, Jansen believes, he has reconfigured his mind. Jansen credited an embrace of therapy and meditation as vital to his revival.
“I feel like I’m a better player than even the years when I was so terrific with the Dodgers,” Jansen said. “I feel like 2021 and 2022, I feel like a better version of myself from my younger days. Because I’m more equipped, I’m more mature now. I went through stuff. I faced adversity. And when you face adversity, you have to know how to deal with it. I dealt with it, and I overcame it.”
Jansen began therapy after the 2020 season. He had captured a title with the Dodgers that fall. It was an experience, he can admit now, that was “like sweet and sour.” He savored the championship. But he also found himself unmoored by how the World Series ended. Jansen had always envisioned himself collecting the final out when Los Angeles’ drought ended. Instead he watched from the bullpen as Julio Urías closed the show.
Jansen did not blame Urías. He did not blame Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. He did not, really, even blame himself. He had rebounded from his professional nadir in 2019, but he recognized he was not the best option in the highest leverage. The realization tormented him.
This is an outstanding article and I recommend that you read it in it’s entirity. Kenley still loves the Dodgers and says this:
“I want Kimbrel to be great,” Jansen said. “Now he’s starting his new journey with the Dodgers. I want him to be great over there. I want Chapman to bounce back from the adversity he has had with the Yankees and to be great. While I’m doing it, I’m looking at those guys. I’m pushing myself through those guys. I’m watching Hader right now, I’m pushing myself through him. When you see them do great, it makes you want to be even greater.”
Jansen believes his career could extend well beyond 2022. He smiled when asked about the Hall of Fame. He said he tries not to worry about it. He knows he has a chance. It will take several more seasons like 2021 to fortify his case — many years of breathing and meditating and talking through past trauma. On that front, the new horizons opened to him through therapy, Jansen is happy to chat.
“I’m not shy about that,” Jansen said. “I’m not feeling like I’m weak. I feel like I’m stronger.”
I miss Kenley Jansen and admire him greatly for what he has done and is doing. Getting help to fix problems is sometimes hard, but always rewarding. Maybe… just maybe… we have not seen the last of Kenley Jansen in LA. Maybe there is a reunion on the horizon! Stranger things have happened.
By the way, the World Champion Braves are 16-18 and have a negative run differential. They are not panicking, but most Dodger fans are losing their minds right about now as the Dodger sit atop their division with a 20-12 record and a 69 positive run differential. You are a bunch of nervous old ladies making up stuff at the beauty shop. Listen to the lyrics… you’ll get it!
Fact or Fiction?
FICTION: This is all on Dave Roberts. He pitched Buehler and Urias on Short Rest. That’s the ticket!
FACT: Buehler and Urias were both on regular 5 day rest! This is on them… not Doc
Fiction: The lack of offense is on Dave Roberts.
Fact: Even a moron knows Doc does not bat. This is on the players!
Using your rationale, Brian Snitker should be fired for going 16-18, but maybe some people go easier on old white guys. I sometimes wonder… No matter how you slice it, Dave Roberts has the best record and winning percentage of any manager in baseball today and of all managers in baseball history with over 900 games, Dave Roberts has the highest winning percentage of any manager – EVER!
I do not understand the compulsion to blame Doc for everything. No, he is not perfect, but the players have to execute and they haven’t been doing it. There is no reason to panic. Have you ever actually watched baseball? Look at the Braves last year. You know, the team that beat the Dodgers? It’s not where you are on May 15th. That doesn’t mean a damn thing! I do not get the blame game! It really makes me sick! In 1988, when the Dodgers won it all, the Mets owned them all year… until they didn’t! Yet, no one was calling for Tommy to be fired or blaming him. I think you need to look at yourselves as to why you feel the need to crucify Doc!
Dodger Minor League Highlights
- OKC DODGERS
- OKC won 5-1 (22-13)
- Miguel Vargas was again 2-4 and is now batting .311.
- Kevin Pillar was 2-3 with a walk and is now hitting .321 with a 1.073 OPS.
- Eddy Alvarez was 3-3 with 2 RBI and is hitting .290 with a .922 OPS.
- Robbie Erlin, Jon Duplantier, Carlos Zamora, and Marshall Kasowski, combined to allow just 1 run.
- Carson Fulmer got his 2nd save (1.80 ERA) in back-to-back games.
- TULSA DRILLERS
- Tulsa won 11-1 (19-12)
- Jacob Amaya was 3-5 with a triple (.337/1.190).
- Kody Hoese had another hit. His bat is looking much quicker.
- Bobby Miller was impressive as I mentioned above.
- Andy Pages was 2-3 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs.
- GREAT LAKES LOONS
- The Loons won 8-2 (18-14)
- Jorbit Vivas was 2-5 (BA up to .209).
- Eddys Leonard was 1-4 with a 3-run HR.
- Leonel Valara was 3-4 (.241)
- RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES
- The Quakes lost 6-4.
- Damon Keith was 2-5 with 2 RBI (.351 BA/1.075 OPS)
Player to Watch
Tanner Dodson relieved Bobby Miller yesterday and pitched a perfect inning… striking out two. He has a 11.68 ERA and is a 25-year-old thin RHP. Why watch him? Well, the Dodgers traded Luke Raley for him, and up until now, he has been a two-way player. He is a switch-hitter with just 25 AB’s last year and a fastball that toughes 100 MPH. That’s why! I could write about him, or you could just watch and listen to The Dodger Poke Report:
Discussion (31)
Disagree, not disagreeable
What I learned today: Kike is batting .169, Verdugo .212, and Seager .234. I cried my eyes out for nothing.
What I learned today:
Dave Roberts is only successful because Andrew Friedman gave him such a good team, but the problem is the roster. The bullpen is not good enough, and the Dodgers should have signed the guy who coughed up the game for the Phillies. The starting pitching and the lineup is not good enough. Muncy, both Turners, and Betts are not very good.
But Dave Roberts is a bad manager because Andrew Friedman has given him such a great team.
… and that is just one person’s take. I am mildly amused by such drivel.
Roden tried out for Dodgers rotation today.
SF Giants say hi.
Exhale, breathe, relax drink a beer. They win. YAY.
Important series for the growth and development as a player for Lux, first the laziness play from days ago, from that play he will never take anything for granted and today’s game a mistake of his was costing the game but then, showing a lot of character , temperament and personality, he grew up in the face of adversity and with his bat he led the team to victory, before he had achieved an important BB that became a run scored with Mookie’s double.
Important series for Gavin Lux for his growth as a player.
Gavin and karma are even today.
Good for him.
William what did you think about Robert’s decision to put Taylor in motion trailing by a run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and a runner on third? You say he’s not a good game time manager but that was a gutsy, game-winning move. Good for Doc and good for the Dodgers.
Fantastic win! How fitting for Lux to win the game with a 2 run double after it looked like it was lost because of his error. Way to go Gavin.
Go Dodgers!
Glad to see that I could stimulate them to a win. 🙂 This might get things turned around, but some in our lineup are going to have to get above .200, and wouldn’t it be nice to have somebody over .300? The bullpen pitched well, which is encouraging, as they have been hit hard lately.
Redemption!
Ok Gavin, were you? Lux and Bellinger deliver! Could that possibly continue?
Greene looking good!!!
Take note of how that base was blocked and next time go in full blast spikes first.
As a former ump, I never allowed an infielder to block access to a base. It may be “legal” but it’s just wrong.
Nice to read an encouraging report from the farm while the big club seems headed for another defeat…at least while I write this.
This game illustrates the importance of defense. Lux’s (latest) error opens the door for Philly–while Camargo makes a great play to start a DP. A rally killer.
Oh well.
Meanwhile, the Halos are up 2-1 on an Ohtani HR and excellent pitching from Sandoval….. (Another hit for Ward, but his average has dropped to .382.)
Hard to believe, but I now wonder whether Anaheim will finish with a better record than LA.
I haven’t enjoyed the last few days. But I’m kinda done listening to Dodger fans complain.
This reminds me of a great scene from the HBO movie “Too Big to Fail”. A Goldman Sachs employee was complaining about how awful he felt about the situation (the financial crisis). Lloyd Blanfein (CEO of Goldman Sachs) looks at him and says “You just got out of a Mercedes S500 to go to a meeting at the NY Federal Reserve. Not a damn Higgins boat on Omaha Beach”.
90% of the fans in MLB would kill to be where we are at. Regardless how bad we feel this week.
Thank you for the kind words yesterday Mark, Singing The Blue, Bluto.
Wash, rinse, repeat. Same story different day.
Oh man, what a frustrating weekend. Another Miller Lite, then.
Once again, the defense fails. 4 unearned in the kids debut. He should have been out of this with only 33 pitches thrown in 2 innings. Lux. Again. Head out of ass kid.
Muncy often looks clueless.
To quote Vince Lombardi “what the hell is going on out there?” I can’t remember the last time the Dodgers have been thoroughly dominated by an opponent offensively like the Phillies have done these past three games. I don’t follow league stats much anymore so I checked on the Phils hitting average this season. And, there they are. The Phillies are the #1 hitting team in baseball right now. That takes a little sting out of the beat downs the Dodgers have received the past three days. Now watch a minor league call up, Grove, shut them down today. Good luck Mr. Grove.
Carry on.
Phillies (17-17)
Dodgers (20-12)
Michael Grove R
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Trea Turner R
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
DH J. Turner R
CF C. Bellinger L
LF Chris Taylor R
2B Gavin Lux L
Partly-cloudy-day
1% Rain
84° Wind 9 mph Out
You make it seem like Kenley is different today and it’s not like that, Kenley is at the same level as last year, in 2021 he was very, very good, he just had that damn week after the ASG.
If the umpire had correctly called that swing against the Giants, Henley would have finished as the NL saves leader, his ERA would have been about 1.88 and the Dodgers would have been the division champions, Kenley had a tremendous season in 2021, the Dodgers they knew that’s why they wanted him back.
As for Kimbrel, his last start was the best and that indicates that the guy is starting to get ready, remember that in the ST he only had 4 IPs, in his last start he looked really dominant only that Max’s error extended the inning .
We’re winning the pennant and we’re winning the WS this year! Book it Danno!
Hey give the Phillies hitters credit. They jumped on the Dodgers best and beat em. Then their bullpens almost gave up two of those games. Dodgers had a chance to win the first two and the offense did not finish the job. That is not on Roberts. Even though I gave him crap the other day. As for the roster construction, that is on Freidman. Roberts works with the parts he is given. Carrying 14 pitchers weakens the bench. Both catchers were in the game last night and if one of them went down, the Dodgers would be in a world of hurt. Pillar is playing like an All Star at AAA. Bring him up.
Roberts is almost a red herring. I have said many times that I think he is a poor game manager. I don’t think he is as good as Melvin and Kapler, and that will show up. The Dodgers could win with him, and have, except that they have never won a world championship in a full season with him.
The problems are the roster. I was very disappointed when we did not sign Knebel, who was getting back to his best form. He has eight saves so far. Treinen being hurt is bad luck, but you can never have too strong of a bullpen, and we need one. Unless Kimbrel is effective for the entire season, our bullpen is not good enough, and it will get worse as the season progresses. Some minor league players are not going to save us.
The starting pitching hangs on a thread, whether Kershaw can pitch a whole season, and Urias can somehow pitch as many innings as normal young starters. So far, neither is likely.
It is possible that the lineup is not good enough. Turner and Muncy could be rapidly declining. Betts is such a likeable guy, but the last two years, he has become an average hitter at best. Will he ever regain his past form? Trea Tuner is not much. Twice the other night Philadelphia pitched around Freeman, our one good hitter, to get to Turner, and he made a weak out both times. There is no way he should be batting third, except, who else should, besides Freeman? Who should bat fourth, besides Freeman? There are holes throughout this lineup.
I will be very surprised if we win the pennant, much less the World Series. We have too many question marks, and the lineup seems to have the opposite of synergy, it seems like individual players getting up one at a time, with no manager to play an aggressive and player-involving style. No team is perfect, of course, but right now the Yankees are much better, the Brewers and Padres are probably better, and the Mets, if DeGrom can come back. Maybe the Phillies are better, they have Knebel, Hand, and Familia in the bullpen, better than ours, probably, and their lineup looks better right now.
It is a very long season, but I don’t think that we are as likely to put everything together, as we are to fray even further. We should make the playoffs, and that always gives you a chance, but unless we somehow make some kind of great trade, we do not seem to have enough starting or relief pitching to win in the playoffs; and we really need Betts, at least, to get back to star form, since I doubt that anyone else in our lineup will. And getting back to Roberts, not only did he probably lose the game on Thursday, by inanely calling for a safety squeeze twice , it gave Philadelphia momentum. Nothing in sports exists in a vacuum. Now maybe after I write this, we will win ten in a row, but I would be surprised if we ever look as good as we did to start this season. After I wrote this, I saw that we are still substantial favorites to win the pennant, so maybe the oddsmakers are still correct on this assessment.
I wish more fans would just admit that we all get in a bad mood when our team gets beat like a mule. Every team occasionally gets beat like a mule, now and then. Every team, even the best in the league. And it sucks to watch. No strategy from Doc could overcome an error (that should have ended the inning) followed by a hanging curve that set off the early warning systems for ballistic missile defense at NORAD. Or the other meatball Julio tossed up after the ump blew an obvious 3rd strike. That HR ball probably triggered some UFO calls into local authorities. Nothing terrestrial could move that fast!
Julio had a bad night. Period. Not a “rest” issue. Not a manager issue. He had some bad luck followed by some really bad pitches. Which the Phillies took full advantage of. 8 runs on the board and Doc couldn’t have done a damn thing about any of that.
My son started the first game of a tournament yesterday. Pitched great for 3 innings. No hits, 4 or 5 strikeouts. Struck out the first 2 in the fourth. Then lost his control. Completely. Hit, walk, error. Bases loaded. He walked in a run. Coach pulled him (100% correct call). Next pitcher got a pop out. 4 innings, 1 run. They won the game. But my boy was very much pissed at himself. Nobody likes being pulled with the bases loaded. But sometimes you go from hero to zero, in a millisecond. But that’s baseball. As a player you must understand you’ll have bad days. Bad innings. Even the best make errors. It’s just part of the game. Have to learn to accept that.
Fans need to do the same. This won’t be the only bad week the Dodgers will have this year. Hard to watch. But this is part of the game. Even for the best teams.
Most fans should have leaned that in little league.
Sorry to break this to you Mark, but there would be Dodger Fans beating up on WHOEVER was Dodger Manager unless he won a WS EVERY YEAR. Anything short of that, he’s gonna get second guessed and disrespected by somebody. Even more so if he presents an unshakably easygoing demeanor and an exasperatingly infinite patience with his players. You state his win loss numbers which CAN NOT be refuted. Good on you. It’s a shame you don’t stop there . I’m gonna stop there.
Mark … I rarely post, but I’m here everyday, so hope you’ll let this one through. I understand your defense of Roberts, I really do get it. As a 76 year old Dodger fan from birth, I have played at every level, from Little League through the college ranks. I have also coached my kids and grandkids. So my opinion, is at least from someone who has been involved. Doc Roberts is a good guy. In my opinion, a decent ball player … not great, not outstanding … decent. As a coach/manager, I see him as a friend, somewhat of a motivator, and good at keeping the team together … the players seem to like him. As a game decision maker, he is weak. Here’s what I mean. Does he get more things right than wrong, of course. But when the tough strategies need to be envisioned and then employed … he either doesn’t get it, or he misses it. I grew up with Walt Alston … he wasn’t perfect either. But there was a reason that he insisted on one-year contracts for himself. He enjoyed being in the battle, making the decisions that might be unpopular, and living with the responsibility of those calls. A true leader … like him or hate him … a true leader none the less. Not many of those guys around these days!
Rest four days five days six days. As John McKay once said after reporters thought OJ Simpson had too many carries and what he thought about it. “Hell, the ball ain’t heavy! Say what you want about Bauer off the field, but he was a warrior on the mound.
Good for Kenley! Utilizing that curve into his repertoire really has raised his level.Dodger forever! He took more grief from Dodger fans than he deserved. Apart from those couple of Giant games after the all star break, he had a fantastic year in 21. Great player, person and teammate! As for Braves, they are just following last years strategy. Below .500 into August, then ride the hot streak through October for a title. We should try that!
If you look at the past Dodger schedule this season, this is the first time that Buehler and Urias would have pitched on 4 days rest between starts because of days off. If you look at their prior stats both are more effective with an extra day of rest. When facing a Phillie lineup that can mash, that would have been more of a formula for success. If Grove couldn’t have pitched Friday night, then a bullpen game was in order. I’m going on the record saying the Dodgers will not win the West unless they obtain a ligit starter and put Muncy on the IL with some minor at bats to straighten himself out. He is a rally killer. The minor league pitchers they will parade up here need more seasoning and are not ready for prime time.