… or so said most of the people on this board! Throughout this entire season, I have read ad nauseum that the Dodgers do not have the team to compete with the big boys, namely Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, New York (both), and Houston. I disagreed then, and I disagree now! I prefer vision over sight! I saw what JD Martinez could be when re-united with Mookie and Robert Van Scoyoc, and even though Justin Turner is having a nice year as a DH, there was no room for him on this version of the Dodgers, even though he is hitting .286 With a .832 OPS and 16 HR to go with 64 RBIs. Frankly, I am surprised at his level of success, but he is a DH or 1B only – he is no longer a regular player.
I thought that Will Smith would continue to evolve as a hitter, and he certainly has. It takes a special hitter to walk more than he strikes out, and Will Smith is all of that. That is why I have suggested a position change for him. That is so as to keep his bat in the lineup. The only question is, “When do the Dodgers do that?” Someone has to be ready to take his place, and that is not imminent!
I told you that David Peralta would be a solid player for the Dodgers, and after a slow start, he has been a real asset both offensively and defensively. He is currently 3rd on the team with a .284 BA. Of course, he is a platoon player, only playing against RH pitching, but CT3 is a nice platoon partner for him. I suspect that he will generate more HR than he has to date.
I did not envision Jason Heyward having an .802 OPS, but I was hopeful that RVS and company could do to him what they could not do with Cody Bellinger. Isn’t it interesting that sometimes it just takes a different “voice?” I also said that Mookie needed to “step” up and be the superstar that he has been in previous years. He has done that and then some.
Max Muncy appears to be close to returning to his old self. It is frustrating to watch him at times, and I could see the Dodgers moving on from him over the winter, but I think he has a pretty good shot at hitting 40 HR this year. He hits them in bunches. It’s not likely Nolan Aernado will be traded, but they might look at Chapman or fill the spot internally (Busch or Vargas).
Before the season, I saw James Outman as a 4th or 5th outfielder, but at the end of Spring Training, I called for him to make the team and be the starting Centerfielder. He came out of the gate like his hair was on fire, looking like an All-Star. Then they discovered his Kryptonite, and he tanked for two months, leaving us wondering if he needed to go back to OKC. To his credit, he came back and is hitting .306 in July. While not a great Centerfielder, he is improving, and I would not say that he cannot be a very good Centerfielder in the future. He is very adept at evolving.
In his first 183 at-bats of the season, Red Sox Rookie Triston Casas hit .197 with seven homers and 19 RBIs. In his last 88 at-bats, Casas is hitting .341 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. Progress is not linear. James Outman has shown that, and so has Miguel Vargas (although there are some other circumstances at work there). By the way, Vargas was 1-4 with a double and is OPS’ing .956. I know they will call him back up, but it may be after August 1st.
Kershaw will throw a bullpen today and then likely be called up by next weekend. His last bullpen was “outstanding.” Noah Syndergaard will be back in the rotation soon and will be given a chance. I feel the same way about him that I did about Heyward! The Dodgers are not stupid, so they must believe there is a decent chance of success. All he needs to do is be a #5!
Julio Urias is struggling with his release point, but I also believe that he will get back on track. There is nothing to suggest that this is not just a bad streak. There may be some pause about Tony Gonsolin, but I also will ride with him. Bobby Miller is pitching the way he is capable, and Emmet Sheehan will show what he has today. After August 1st, this will be the rotation:
- Urias
- Kershaw
- Gonsolin
- Miller
- Thor
- Pepiot
There’s also Sheehan and Stone, so I really can’t see the Dodgers trading for a starter like Stroman, and if they trade for an Outfielder, it will be one that hits RH, not Cody Bellinger. I heard that the Nationals are open to trading Lane Thomas, and he is just the type of player to platoon with Heyward in RF. He is hitting .383 against LHP and OPS’ing 1.063 against them. The only problem is that the Nats do not have to trade him so it will be an overpay! I will not speculate who the Nats value on the Dodgers, but it would likely take 2 top prospects and another couple of lower ones.
By the way, Keibert Ruiz is starting to show his promise. After a slow start, he is hitting .306 in July and now has a .244 BA with 11 HR. He is still much better against LHP (.303) than RHP (.220). At some point, maybe he will stop switch-hitting!
The Dodgers have come out breathing fire, and whether they win today or not, this road trip is a resounding success, whether it be 8-2 or 7-3. The D-Bags are fading, and along with the Giants, they are both four games back and along with the Padres, they will all be “buyers” at the deadline. Today will go a long way in determining Emmet Sheehan’s immediate future! The Dodgers, as a team, are “Too Legit to Quit!“
Do the Freddie
Bear suggested that I post this:
Discussion (44)
Disagree, not disagreeable
So AF saying .
“The market is still developing, as there are a number of teams still on the fence, but we expect that to crystallize more in the next week,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations. “We will be aggressive in our efforts to add to this roster, and there are different obvious and potentially creative ways to do so.”am will ‘be aggressive’ at deadline. So there you have it!!
The Dodgers are not moved to fear of missing out on possible trades because of a so called ‘deadline’ we’ve all seen Dodgers shake the baseball world more than once with a blockbuster multi team trade after any deadline. And if you think about it there is likely better options further down the road if the Dodgers choose to get fancy. But I don’t think they are likely to make a reset more difficult to start next season. Pat seems the wise move now as it proved so starting this season. Things are moving along pretty damn smoothly I’d say.
I’ll be very surprised if Friedman doesn’t add a starting arm to the rotation at the deadline. We need at least three quality starters for a playoff run. Quality as in giving up 4 or less runs in min 5 innings work. Kershaw is the only one I feel confident about. Miller’s got a shot, but I don’t think the Dodgers want to depend on a rookie if they can help it. They’re probably banking on Urias coming through. I don’t think the 3rd guy is on the roster at the moment. Another reason for a trade, Mark has previously pointed out. Too many prospects, not enough spots on the 40 man.
Great introductory taste in the big leagues for Sheehan. He should come away feeling he exceeded expectations and his future is very bright in LA. As any athlete knows there’s a de-loading phase in training and Sheehan is still very much still in training. He’s going to set a personal high innings very soon, so I think the team sends him to AAA shortly and reduces his innings per start. If he fine tunes the command, I think he still makes the post season roster. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing Stone get an extended second chance.
I watched Casey’s interview with Vargas. Interesting, he’s not making any mechanical changes, but rather hoping he’ll re-find his confidence with success down there. If that’s the situation, I’m not real confident he’ll be back this year. So far, the numbers are encouraging, but I don’t think it’s enough to disrupt the current splits they have going. I think they value defense and position flex at this point in the season- not Miggy’s strong points.
Been having a think, and if we want a deep run into the Post Season we’re gonna need another frontline Starter.
Now I know the obvious answer is that “they won’t trade him to the Dodgers”, but how about soon to be Free Agent Blake Snell?
If SD did trade him to us, it would only be as a Rental (we could sign him as a FA in the off season anyway).
There must come a moment soon where SD has to face facts and realise that this season is a bust and change direction and become sellers at the TD?
Everyone has a price, and surely if the Dodgers offered the best deal it makes commercial sense to trade with us?
I’ve always rated him, and I know his numbers this season are down, he has Post Season pedigree and would give us a much better punch in a short series.
I’ve looked around at the Starter Market and there’s not much to be had.
We need to trade some of our Prospects or lose them in rule 5.
Time to push some chips in.
What do you think of Cincinnati’s Matt McClain? He does strikeout too much.
BTW, while Mark suggests that “most of the people on this board” said the Dodgers “shouldn’t be here,” I thnk the opposite is true.
By “here” I assume Mark means n first place in the West, or among the prime contenders for the postseason and ultimately the World Series. My impression is that most of the fans here have always been more optimistic than pessimistic about the Dodgers. To me the biggest surprise is how Mookie has energized and stabilized the team by moving to the infield–a great validation of Friedman’s decision to offer than $300m+ contract to take him through his career.
So yeah, it’s good to be a Dodgers fan.
Can you imagine how the Padres fans are feeling?
Giolitto was solid today against the Twins. He threw five shutout innings, striking out 9. Gave up six hits and three walks–but most importantly kept them from scoring.
It was Graveman, also the topic of trade speculation, who lost the game, giving up 3 runs in an inning of relief
During the offseason, many of us here–you know who you are– were strongly pushing the idea that the Dodgers should make a bold run at the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds, a budding star who wanted out of Pittsburgh.
Seemed like a reasonable idea, because the OF then was Mookie and some question marks: Trayce, Heyward, Taylor and maybe the rookie Outman. (Peralta was signed later, probably because of the question marks.)
And because the Reynolds’ contract carried a few more years of team control, we knew the Pirates would ask a steep price. We amateur GMs advanced various trade proposals, often including Outman since the Pirates would need someone to replace Reynolds. And the Dodgers would probably want to sign Reynolds long-term, adding to the price.
But then the Pirates signed Reynolds to a $106 million extension through 2030, so he was out of the picture.
Anyway, Reynolds hit a HR against the Angels today. What surprised me was that it was only his 10th. Seems low, right? Shouldn’t Reynolds be playing like an all-star? Had an injury lowered his production?
I looked it up.
Nope, no long-term injury.
The 106-million-dollar-man has played 85 games, and is second on the Pirates in ABs at 328. He’s played to a .757 OPS, with a .259 BA and .324 OBP. With 10 HRs, he’s on pace to finish with about 17.
I assume that Outman is earning the major-league minimum—but his stats are remarkably similar.
He’s played to a .752 OPS, with a .241 BA and a .330 OBP. With 12 HRs, he’s on pace for about 20.
It’s impossible to know what Reynolds might have done with the Dodgers, of course.
But I’m glad the Dodgers didn’t make that trade.
Okay Dodgers go and get Montgomery DeLong and Tyler O’Neil for Pepiot Busch and Thompson there a realistic trade a infielder that can help and a outfielder that can help. Either that or Stroman Wisdom and Happ from cubs.
So if Mookie is going to play second and Lux comes back next year at short( or switch the two around depending on Lux’s knee) then that seems to make Vargas available.
So if we are making up impossible trades I would send Outman and Vargas to the Cubs for Bellinger. And throw in some young pitcher.
Starting pitcher two at deadline a better hitting shortstop and a platoon right-handed hitting outfielder that’s what we need at trade deadline. Let’s see Adamme would improve hitting shortstop and how about Jessie winkler from the Brewers since most think we can’t get Yerich who by the way leads off for the Brewers so for those that said he can’t hit anymore why is he the leadoff hitter then with trading with Brewers they will want some major league talent so how about Busch pages and stone. Fair trade let’s look at what I said dodgers need a everyday shortstop that can hit check that off a platoon outfielder um get that with winkler or Yelich check that off okay now we really want to make a splash in starting pitching so we get Sherzier back from the Mets and Robertson reliever for the Mets we need both if those guys. And then we look at the cardinals and flip a coin either Montgomery or Flarethy from the cardinals oh an the have an outfielder there by golly named O’Neil so we use propects to get those pitchers and another outfielder. So we added two outfielders two pitchers and one shortstop and didn’t lose any of our players just moved pieces around and added for the playoffs these players to what we have.
Scherzer
Montgomery
Yelich
Addames
O’Neil
Robertson
DeLong
We lost these prospects
Pages
Stone
Busch
Vargas
Leonard
Rivers
Thompson
Pepiot
I think that’s what the fans want add so players with experience in the playoffs and then see what we can do in the playoffs
Is there anything more fun than using a fake name to post 3-team trades before the trade deadline?
Comicon maybe, but other than that….
Dodgers GET:
Civale SP 25.9
Renfroe OF 0.6
Juan Brito 2B 8.7
Jake Madden 2.7
Angels Get:
Busch 2B 18.3
Frasso SP 9.3
Guardians
Grove SP 10.6
Ward OF 24.6
Miguel Rojas has 0 homers.
He should not start another game for us.
Dodgers go 6-3!on the road trip with the starters era at 6! What!!!!!!
Damn, maybe Barnes IS a problem.
Nothing will change in the NL West standings as both the Midgets and Snakes both lost.
So I guess this is the Muncy when he is BACK. Grand slam and three Ks
He knows Emmit is headed out after this. Saving the bullpen! For what? It’s the fifth inning! We’re still in this game!
CK is probably to be activated soon to take Sheehan’s spot in the rotation.
Still need to send him down, he shouldn’t get another start. Clearly not ready for the big leagues. Appreciate that he came up when we had injuries but he’s not ready.
Giants down 6-1 in the 9th inning, D-Backs losing by one run in the 7th. Hope those scores hold and we can come back in this one.
To the tune of Tequila Sunrise. It’s another Dodger dud Sunday, stretching out way to damn long.
Rangers pounding the kid tight now. Get him out of there Doc.
You can’t be a one pitch starter in the big leagues especially with no command! When he’s sent down he should only be allowed to throw off speed stuff and learn to develop his slider, slerve and change up. And Mark, Max isn’t waiting for his mid March deadline. Tho another K with runners second and third with one out! Frustrating
Barnes fouling off pitches! Oh well, we’ll get em next time!
Sheehan just punched his ticket back to AAA. All his walks scored. Self-inflicted wounds!
Stone or Knack may get the call, but Stone may be the one because he is already on the 40-Man… depending on how he does today.
Wouldn’t Ward be a better trade target for the Dodgers since he plays Leftfield for the Angels. Renfroe would be more power and could play Rightfield and pinchit off the bench that would improve the bench in the playoffs. I wish they would get a backup catcher from someone to that catcher that won the mvp at allstar game from the Rockies and like Gurchick would improve the bench for playoffs and keep the core players for the dodgers.
Marvelous Max continues to put up great numbers….HRs, RBIs, OPS.
Why would anyone want to get rid of him? Extend him now……whatever he wants, give him.
And then trade for Cody Bellinger so that we don’t have to hold our breath every time Outman is running to catch a ball.
Sheehan needs to find his release point. Has now walked three in one inning pitched.
Might find himself being sent down with a Landon Knack call-up. Appreciate what the young man has done for the big club and he has a very bright future but he just might need to complete finishing school at OKC a bit more.
I read a report somewhere that Mookie has made it clear he wants a permanent shift to the infield. And I expect the Dodgers brass will accommodate him.
My guess is that it would be 2B, with SS as a possibility. Rojas and Taylor can cover SS this season, and Lux will be back next year. Pretty sure that both Rojas and Taylor would still be under contract next season.
Anyway, this has me hoping that Vargas plays a lot of 3B and LF in OKC. If he gets his talent in gear, he could come back in a platoon with Max and as an LF option.
It’s also possible that Vargas could be dealt, though his performance this year has damaged his value. Still, another team could be covetous. If the brass thinks Lane Thomas is the right guy for RF, Vargas could be joining his Keibert and Gray in DC…..
BTW, Houston Mitchell has argued that JD Martinez is one reason why the Dodgers shouldn’t trade for Ohtani. The Ohtani trade won’t happen, but it’s silly to see JD as an obstacle. JDM has been very good at DH, but Ohtani has been great–about 200 OPS points higher. If the Dodgers were angling to acquire Ohtani, they would also be exploring potential trade partners for JDM.
Hey, weren’t some people here predicting that we’d start seeing JD out in LF?
Seems that people only point out the predictions that actually come true.
I said a few days ago, that we need one of, if not both of, Muncy and CT3 to wake up.
One good, one to go!
Indiana native and Dodger legend, Carl Erskine, was awarded the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award today in Cooperstown. He was unable to travel, probably because he is 96 years old, so the award was accepted by his son, Gary. He did thank everyone on-screen in a pre-recorded video. The O’Neil award was in recognition of his contributions to the game and society after his retirement from the game. Congratulations Oisk! If anyone belongs in the Dodger Legends of Dodger baseball circle, it is Erskine. So far, the Dodgers have basically ignored their Brooklyn roots in their choices of players chosen for the legends of Dodger baseball. Only one Brooklyn player, Don Newcombe, has been so recognized. Dodger legends like Reese, Robinson, Erskine, Gilliam and Campy are not there. Neither are Snider or Hodges. Only Snider, Hodges and Newcombe have been honored with their own bobbleheads. Hodges got his second one after his election to the hall. Campy and Reese are in a double bobblehead depicting his night at the coliseum. And forget the stars they had prior to the 40’s. Wheat and Vance, both Hall of Famers have not been honored. Never forget your roots.
* As we all speculate about what we need to add or trade by the deadline, the Dodgers are 11 & 3 in the last 14 games.
* Will Smith has evolved into a great player. I remember some here who speculated he’d be a .220 hitter. I always like his swing and predicted much better. I’m glad to be right.
* And Mookie and Freddie can ham and egg it like few can. When Mookie has a poor game at the plate, Freddie has a great game. And vice versa. In 2 of their 3 losses since July 3rd, the pair went 0 for 7 and 1 for 7. Otherwise one or the other has a good game.
* Freddie had an 0”for in consecutive games last Sat and Sunday. Prior to that, his last 0”for in consecutive games was June 23 and 24. Almost a month ago. In his last 21 games he’s at .372 / 1.175 with 10 doubles and 23 RBI.
During the same period Mookie’s hit .356 / 1.208. This is Ruth and Gehrig.
I plan on spending less time wondering who we need to acquire or trade and just appreciate the run we are on, led by Freddie and Mookie.
* Orel dropped a great statement yesterday that we all need to remember. When Prior made a visit to Bobby Miller, Orel was describing what Prior was likely saying, “It’s something positive. If you start that conversation with the negative, you lose your student”
From my experience those are words to live by.
* I hope Emmet has a good start.
* For all the folks wanting a pitcher by the deadline, Giolito starts today for the White Sox at Minnesota.
Been adding something to your water Mark? Barnes hitting .400 is comparable to Sammy Sosas head shrinking! Too far gone! Like the 2 hall of fame guys today. Did it the right way! Billy Wagner belongs! Jeff Kent belongs! Andruw Jones belongs! Put them in! Maybe Barnes gets nicked by a couple of pitches today! Don’t hurt him! Just clip his jersey. Isn’t Muncy emergency catcher? Go blue! Broom time!
😉
Great road trip so far and now one more chance to get a sweep!
Tough matchup for Dodgers today facing a LHP on Barnes day. Not the best Dodger lineup and highlights the need for RH hitting even if just role players like Vargas, Thompson, Mann or Marisnick.
The 4-9 hitters are batting 208, 196, 244, 226, 250, and 108.
The 7-9 hitters have combined for 2 HR and 22RBI on the year and that’s mostly Deluca in his 36 AB this year.
If Dodgers find a way to win with this lineup, they are really on a roll!
Saturday scores
Oklahoma City 2, El Paso 1
NW Arkansas 5, Tulsa 1
Lansing 2, Great Lakes 1
Lake Elsinore 22, Rancho Cucamonga 4
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Justin Wrobleski) at Lansing (Jose Dicochea)
12:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Kyle Hurt) at NW Arkansas (Drew Parrish)
1:15 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Christian Romero) at Lake Elsinore (Miguel Mendez)
4:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) vs. El Paso (Nolan Watson)
Mark, Ilove to read your passion and daily reminders of how this team is better than you think. You are at times a voice crying out in the wilderness, and it seems like no one is listening.
I would love to see Will Smith be able to play another position if that is possible…. probably not. But I am concerned about the wear and tear of his body playing catcher so many games. Many of the real good catchers who can hit usually do find a place, if not a position, then the DH. At the very least he could DH and give JD a game off.
I’m not a believer in Thor Power so I will have to see it to believe. I am also not a believer in Outman being an outstanding outfielder. Just Okay may be the best to expect.
Miller has rebounded nicely…. I’m impressed.
I hope and pray Cody doesn’t end up in San Francisco. I don’t mind if he is a Yankee, but I’m not hearing any rumors NY is interested.
2:35 PM ET
Dodgers (57-40)
Rangers (58-41)
SP Emmet Sheehan R
3-0 4.91 ERA
SPMartin Perez L
7-3 4.84 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
DH J. Martinez R
LF Chris Taylor R
3B Max Muncy L
CF James Outman L
SS Miguel Rojas R
RF Jonny DeLuca R
C A. Barnes R
In Domed Stadium
Interesting point on the two losses and Barnes.
Also, while I know it probably will not happen – a new catcher at the deadline should be consider if we really want to upgrade the team. I do not have any names to offer, other than “anyone” would be an upgrade. Any rebuttal about pitcher preference etc are just excuses to not making a hard but correct decision.
Even if it meant not pursuing Otani, if made available it would be incredible if we could get Arenado.
I also agree that this year has been more interesting than previous years with seeing all the younger player getting chances.
Last, as a very infrequent poster, I really thank everyone that does post, as with many others this is the one site I pretty well read everyday.
No matter what great to see Justin Turner an Cody having good years. Does Trayce Thompson fit into plans as righty platoon even though he failed in that role this year??
Just for the record, Austin Barnes was the starting catcher with our only two losses after the break. Coincidence? He probably will be catching today’s game.
Ending a written piece with an MC Hammer reference is certainly a rhetorical choice.
Totally agree with you Mark.
Been amazing the adversities we’ve had to overcome so far, especially in the Rotation.
As I’ve said before, I’m enjoying this season more than any in some time.
To watch these young players take their opportunities has been incredible.
There’s definitely more enjoyment in watching homegrown players succeed.
We are very fortunate to have Mookie and Freddie tied up for a while, and if I was AF I would be talking to Will about an extension.
JDM might wanna come back for another year. He seems to be enjoying himself.
Havnt entered the Arenado debate as i simply do not see it happening but he is my favourite player not on the Dodgers and would love to see him in Dodger Blue.
I think Doc for the most part has done his best job of managing this year! Still not 100% sold on some of his pitching decisions, but he’s done an excellent job with this team. No to the Kike rumors! Don’t need another .220 bat. Renfroe? Yes absolutely! Pham and Canha? Not really, but if Taylor is out for an extended period, another right-handed bat would be a priority. I do think a starter is more urgent than most. I’m in agreement with you mark from earlier, I don’t think he’s 100% healthy! Julio is essential to the success of a playoff run. I believe Clayton will be a beast! Miller can be if he can control his emotions! Syndergaard? Who knows, but a short leash is vital. Can’t roll him out there knowing he’s not going to make it through 4 innings! Walker frickin Buehler could be the wild card! Freddie is on another planet! I know Braves are happy with Olsen, but I’ll take Freddie every time!