The Grass is Always Greener…
above the septic tank! Think about that one, if you will. Whenever Dodger pitchers are struggling, fans always want to trade for or sign some other pitchers because they think the grass is greener. The problem is that with most hard throwers, the arm is going to break down…
above the septic tank! Think about that one, if you will. Whenever Dodger pitchers are struggling, fans always want to trade for or sign some other pitchers because they think the grass is greener. The problem is that with most hard throwers, the arm is going to break down sooner than later. Do you want Ohtani? His arm is already broken… for the second time. Giolito? He had TJ in 2012 – he’s probably ready for another one. Aaron Nola had it in 2016. Lance Lynn has had it. By the way, if Kershaw resigns with the Dodgers, I would tend to think that Lance Lynn will walk, so at the end of the season, Andrew Friedman will likely try and “feel out” what Clayton wants to do in 2024. I have no prediction.
Jordon Montgomery also had TJ, and on and on… Most pitchers will have it. High velocity and high spin rates are hard on the UCL. I don’t know for sure that Julio Urias has a frayed UCL, but the signs are all there. This is one of the reasons that Andrew Friedman has resisted big, long-term contracts for pitchers. While I won’t say that the Dodgers will not sign a free-agent pitcher, I do believe that it will be rare that they tender a big contract to a guy like Lucas Giolittio or Shohei Ohtani. There are whispers that Jack Flaherty is a candidate as well. Blake Snell is interesting as he had it in 2020.
That said, he could sign Julio Urias, knowing full well that he needs TJ… at the right price and with opt-outs. However, with the obvious “bad blood” between AF and Borass, it is a long shot. Truth be told, years two to five after Tommy John are probably the best years to have a pitcher who has had the surgery. The Dodgers will get Walker Buehler back next year. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin will sit out the 2024 season in its entirety. Bobby Miller has the potential to be a guy who can pitch a long time without TJ as he has a clean, low-effort delivery.
I simply do not see the Dodgers signing pitchers who may need a TJ or a second TJ. There are better ways to allocate resources. Maybe Julio has mechanical problems – those can certainly cause the drop in velocity, but I happen to believe that the Dodgers would quickly fix those. I hope that is the issue, but doubt it. Next year, the Dodgers will have Buehler, Miller, Grove, Stone, Pepiot, Frasso, Sheehan, and possibly others, but right about now, the Big Three looks like Kershaw, Miller, and Pepiot, followed by Lynn. The Dodgers are easing Clayton back in, but by playoff time, he will be able to pitch seven innings.
Was Lance Lynn’s last outing just a blip or a glimpse into the future?
Are Julio Urias’s struggles a pre-curser into his future?
At this stage of the season, I think the best thing that could happen is for the Braves to sweep the Dodgers. Yes… The best thing! I want the Braves to think they are unbeatable, and I want that chip on the Dodgers’ shoulder to be the size of Chavez Ravine! The best teams do not always win! Intelligent people know that. Sometimes, you build the biggest victories upon adversity! Lately, the Dodgers have never been the underdogs. They were in 1988! Thirty-five years later, they will like be the same. One door closes… another door opens.
The only thing that has changed since the Dodgers’ last win is the fan’s minds!
“The Loss is Roberts’ Fault!”
Don’t be absurd! How many games do you win when you only score two runs? The fault was the lack of hitting. If the Dodgers had hit, Doc would have never had to put Vesia in, and I think DR did a great managing job. Of course, some of you like to twist the facts to suit your worldview of Roberts.
Bullpens are Fickle
Yes, they are. Alex Vesia had a 2.25 ERA in 2021 and 2.15 ERA in 2022. Don’t automatically assume that he will be bad in 2024, but Doc has to play the roster he is given. The Dodgers bullpen is still the best in the game! Since June 20th, they are #1 and I predicted when the bullpen was 29th in baseball that they would finish in the Top 10. They are currently #8!
You Better Get Used to the Platoons
I know that many on this site do not like platoons. Why? “Because that’s not the way they used to do it!” Ha! In case you haven’t noticed, the mound used to be higher, no DH was used, there was no pitch clock, hardly anyone threw 100 MPH, yada, yada, yada! The Dodgers re at the forefront of platoons because they work. The Dodgers take marginalized players and put them in positions of strength where they can succeed.
- David Peralta can’t hit lefties;
- Kike Hernadez can’t hit righties
- Jason Heyward can’t hit lefties;
- Kolton Wong can’t hit lefties, and
- Amed Rosario can’t hit righties.
Actually, Max Muncy can’t hit lefties either, but it’s hard to platoon more than two or three positions. James Outman has reverse splits, and that is fine. In the past seven games, James is hitting .333 with a .414 OB%. I can see Miguel Vargas and Jonny DeLuca getting the call-up soon to provide more options. Vargas has been playing exclusively at 3B of late.
Will Smith is tired. He is worn down, and his offense is struggling. He likely needs a rest. Could we see Tucker Barnhart?
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Discussion (58)
Disagree, not disagreeable
If I’m a Braves fan, I would be holding a broom in my hand while watching the game today.
Morton v Miller….favor Braves…..
But like always, we hope for the best…..but still remember, in the grand scheme of things, this game is pretty insignificant….right?
#Dodgers Lineup vs #Braves Charlie Morton:
Betts 2B
Freeman 1B
Smith C
Muncy 3B
Peralta DH
Heyward RF
Taylor LF
Outman CF
Rojas SS
Bobby Miller P
David Peralta career against LHP .242. Better than Pederson and he is hitting .370 against LHP this season in limited AB’s. Kike is hitting .226 against RHP and .237 against LHP. Seven of his eight homers are off of RHP. Heyward hits .226 in his career against LHP. Kolten Wong hits LHP almost as well as he does RHP career wise, .249. Not great, but not horrible either. Rosario career wise hits RHP at .261. Not really all that bad. Muncy is not hitting LHP very well this year, but 10 of his 32 bombs have come off of LHP. For his career, Max is .001 higher against LHP than right. He has 50 homers off of LHP. So, although people say they can’t, most of them can hit pitchers who throw from the side they hit from. Roberts plays matchups. Sometimes it works and other times it does not.
Good points by Mark. Long term contracts given to pitchers are generally a bad investment, especially as pitchers age. Julio has an ERA of 4.60 this year, after having a career ERA of 2.82 coming into this year, and an ERA of 2.16 just last year. This seems like much more than just an off year. Back in 2017, Julio had anterior capsule surgery on his shoulder. This injury ended Johan Santana’s career, and is more difficult to recover from than TJ surgery. It was amazing that Julio recovered from this injury to pitch so well. But the velocity decline and his poor performance likely indicate another injury.
A recent example of a risky pitcher contract was Stephen Strasburg. After helping the Nationals win the WS in 2019 (with an assist from the Dodgers), Strasburg signed a 7 year, $245 million contract. He was 31 years old when he signed the contract which was negotiated by Scott Boras. Many fans wanted the Dodgers to sign Strasburg. But good thing Friedman did not sign him. Strasburg retired last month and pitched a total of 8 games and 31 innings after signing the $245 million contract. Reports are that even though Strasburg retired early, he will still collect all $245 million, and the Nats were unable to get any insurance against injury under the contract. Sometimes I criticize Friedman for his moves or lack of moves, but this was another example of Friedman making wise baseball decisions.
Deluca probably has a role with us in 2024. He needs a good offseason.
We are transitioning to a starting rotation made up of home grown talent. Young pitchers that are healthy, durable and cheap. Develop pitchers and spend on position players. That was the plan all along.
Mark help me with this, didn’t the Mets platoon a lot in 1969? I believe at first, second and third and right field for sure. I wasn’t a teenager yet but I was a huge fan. I kinda liked the Mets because of Hodges. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I’m guessing the Dodgers let Urias walk.
His inconsistency and at times being totally awful should be enough for the Dodgers to move on. Plus, he may be hurt, which would explain the drop in velo.
Add to that, the Dodgers really don’t like dealing with Boras. I imagine that’s now risen to another level after the Bellinger comments and Friedman’s blunt response.
I can see the Dodgers pursuing a short contract with Flaherty and perhaps a longer one with Yamamoto.
I’m guessing Clayton returns, Lynn moves on. But with Buehler back and the young talent — Miller, Pepiot, Sheehan, Stone — Friedman will focus on pitching depth.
I’m still reading the Dodgers are very interested in Ohtani. Even with the arm issues, the bat plays up and they need a DH.
Adding a hitter like Ohtani would certainly add to the offense.
Although, the Angels may finally move Trout this winter. I’m thinking he might be unhappy with the direction the Angels are going and that it’s likely Ohtani is leaving. But I seriously doubt that Arte would allow him to be traded to the Dodgers.
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Dave Roberts said Michael Grove will rejoin #Dodgers next weekend.
Saturday scores
Oklahoma City 7, Round Rock 1
Arkansas 4, Tulsa 3
Dayton 7, Great Lakes 6 (12 innings)
Rancho Cucamonga 2, Stockton 1
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Hyun-il Choi) vs. Dayton (Carson Rudd)
12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Walker Buehler/Gavin Stone) vs. Round Rock (Owen White)
4:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Ben Casparius) vs. Arkansas (Blas Castano)
6:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (TBA) at Stockton (TBA)
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers designated hitter J.D. Martinez took batting practice at Dodger Stadium on Saturday as he works his way back from left groin tightness that has plagued him since late July.
The plan is for Martinez to head to Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Sunday, then join Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment in Sugar Land, Texas beginning Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. Martinez’s time in Triple-A could be brief if all goes well, as the team hopes to activate him during next weekend’s series against the Nationals in Washington D.C.
‘Will Smith’ is tired. Its a long grind for catchers.
I think Walt Aslton once had a quote like, ‘they give me the players and I figure out how to
play them.
And yes the game is a lot different now. So we have to move on. Platooning is what the Dodgers are going to be using,
And if you score 2 runs and go 1-10 with RISP you are going to lose a lot of games.
So 1 month to figure it out and see who will be ready and good luck in Oct.
Never saw a report how Dustin Mays operation went. Is it for sure he will miss the entire 2024 season ?
If so IMHO the Dodgers should sign a top of the rotation free agent. My vote would probably go to Yamamoto who will be posted this offseason.
Letting stay Vesia in to pitch to Arcia was at least a questionable decision. But other than Varland there was no RH left in the pen.
Braves are a great team. They have it all. But in the postseason all bets are off. I remember 88 when the Dodgers lost all regular season games to the Mets only to oust them in the NLCS. But who will be our bulldog this year ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!