The Master Plan Unfolds
Mark Timmons Weekly Newsletter – Sunday, August 4, 2024 The biggest problem Dodger fans (actually all fans) have is that they are fanatical. Well, Duhhhhh… That’s what makes them (me) fans. A fanatical person is motivated by an extreme and often unquestioning enthusiasm…
Mark Timmons Weekly Newsletter – Sunday, August 4, 2024
The biggest problem Dodger fans (actually all fans) have is that they are fanatical.
Well, Duhhhhh… That’s what makes them (me) fans.
A fanatical person is motivated by an extreme and often unquestioning enthusiasm, devotion, or zeal for something, such as a religion, political affiliation, saving the whales, or a dedication to a sports team… especially the LA Dodgers. They are so fanatical that they frequently engage in circular reasoning to justify their beliefs. There is no reason to accept their premises unless one already believes the conclusion or that the premises provide no independent ground or evidence for the conclusion.
Many fans also suffer from nearsightedness, which is a common vision condition in which close objects look clear but far objects look blurry. In other words, all we see is what is in front of us. We can’t see what might be in the distance. For the past few years, the Dodgers have almost always won the NL West by the end of August, and the only time they didn’t, they beat the Giants in the playoffs. Maybe we need to learn something there.
The Dodgers are 4-6 in their last ten games. By the way, the great Phillies are 2-8. The Diamondbacks and Padres are both 8-2 in their last ten games and 4.5 and 5.0 games behind the Dodgers, respectively. The Padres and D-Bags are playing their best baseball of the year. The Dodgers have yet to do so. This time last year, the Diamondbacks and Rangers were not even a thought, but they both ended up in the World Series. The Dodgers pitching is currently in disarray. The Dodgers are #9 in all of MLB in team ERA with a 3.79 ERA. The Braves are #1 with a 3.45 ERA, so that is not a lot of difference. The Padres are 16th with a 4.03 ERA, while the D-Bags are at #26 with a whopping 4.51 ERA. Yes, both teams made some deals and are getting players back, but so are the Dodgers. The Dodgers are still in the TOP FOUR of just about every offensive category, including OPS, BA, OB%, and Runs Scored.
Freddie Freeman is one of the best first basemen in baseball and a clutch hitter. His teammates also love him, and his absence is certainly a downer for the Dodgers. He will be back as soon as his son, Max, progresses, and I can see the Dodgers rallying with “Pray for Max Patches” on their uniforms when Freddie returns (figuratively or literally). Mookie Betts will be back, and look for him to have a slow start, only to come on with a vengeance! I think he will go back to SS with Rosario and Lux playing 2B.
In 2023, the Texas Rangers won the World Series while they were 21st in Team ERA (4.21). Their closers (Will Smith. Josh Sborz, Aroldolis Chapman, and Jose Leclerc were a combined 30 for 47 in save attempts and had a combined ERA of over 4.00 during the regular season! But they got hot at the right time. Josh Sborz had a 5.50 ERA in the regular season but a 0.75 ERA in the playoffs. “That is because Bruce Bochy is a freaking genius!” Right? I know someone is going to say that. Sborz had never pitched well before the playoffs in the history of his career, nor has he pitched like that since. But it happened. The Rangers even backed into the playoffs by losing the last game that would have clinched the division – they were a Wild Card!
The Dodgers have been playing like crap for several weeks… and Doc is showing no urgency. I am glad to see that. There is no urgency. Don’t worry about it. Let this play out before you pull the Fire Alarm or go to the whip down the stretch! As I mentioned earlier, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts (both All-Stars and potential MVPs) will be returning. Also, according to the Dodgers website, “Max Muncy, who has taken far longer to recover from a right oblique strain than initially expected, had a “breakthrough” in his recovery after having a chiropractor come in for a procedure that really worked, according to manager Dave Roberts. Muncy is set to participate in a simulated game on Aug. 8 at Dodger Stadium, a big step forward in what will likely be a lengthy rehab process because of the amount of time he has missed.” This team has the horses to win it all!
Yamamoto threw a Bullpen Session yesterday, and if he recovers well, he will start a rehab assignment and likely return in late August. Ryan Bassier and Brusdar Graterol are nearing ready, as is Michael Grove, who fills the Ryan Yarbrough Role. Tommy Edman, Walker Buehler, and Miguel Rojas will also return soon, with expectations remaining low, but you never know—this is baseball.
When Mookie and Freddie Return, I think you will see the alarm sounded, and Doc will go to the whip! I have a feeling this is going to be a fun September with no Cruise Control allowed! Oh, and BTW, Jack Flaherty looked pretty dang good last night. He is a horse. I thought his arm was ready to fall off a year ago, but it turns out it was all mechanical and training-related.
I think Heyward and Pages will platoon in RF. Tommy Edman and Kevin Kiermaier will patrol CF with Teo in LF. James Outman will be the odd man out.
In September:
- Betts – SS
- Ohtani – DH
- Freeman 1B
- Teoscar LF
- Muncy 3B
- Smith C
- Lux/Rosario 2B (definitely a L-R Platoon)
- Heyward/Pages RF
- Keiermaier/Edman CF
Rotation:
- Glasnow
- Flaherty
- Yamamoto
- Stone, Wrobleski, Kershaw, Ryan, Knack, Buehler (pick ’em)
I am not counting on Buehler or Kershaw, but neither am I betting against them. If I had to bet, I would bet that at least one of them would turn it around. Evan Phillips has been too good in the past, and I think this is just a bump in the road for him. He will be back and better for this. This is uncharted ground, and I am eager to watch it play out. To sum this all up, the Padres and D-Bags are playing their best baseball now. The Dodgers’ best baseball is yet to come!
P.S. Jeff Dominique is a very smart guy. Some of the people at LA Dodger Chronicles thought I was disrespecting Jeff with what I said earlier… Jeff knew better. Jeff understood that I was disrespecting the Morons on his site (yeah, I have plenty here too). I read what Jeff lays down. He’s as astute as they come, and I wish him a quick recovery from his knee surgery. I also appreciate 2demeter2 and the Grizzly Bear.
Rants & Raves
- Gavin Lux is up to .240 and climbing, and Kike Hernandez has bounced up to .208 after his 3-4 night.
- Cavan Biggio remains a very useful ballplayer, but his lack of hitting will soon cost him his job.
- Michael Kopech is on the path to being a lockdown reliever of the first degree!
- I see a IL stint for Stone. He needs rest, but when Graterol, Brasier, and Grove come back, who else goes down? Ryan and who? Honeywell is looking good too. This is a good problem to have…
- Kike can close too… 😉
- Today, we go Rollin’ on the River!
- I’ll be back next Sunday… Carry on!
X-Cites
See you next Sunday..
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Discussion (198)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Still do not like Ohtani leading off no matter what the stats say. Muncy and Edman combined for a run at OKC tonight. Edman was on with a single and Muncy doubled him home. Both should rejoin the Dodgers in about a week with Mookie back on Monday. Shohei has a .275 avg as a leadoff hitter. He has a .287 avg and an OPS over 1.000 in the 2 hole. .960 as a leadoff hitter. Betts is a .296 hitter in the leadoff spot and has 228 homers leading off. He is just as capable of opening a game with a homer if not more than Ohtani. Mookie is at .307 in the two-hole. I rest my case for Mookie leading off over Ohtani.
9:10 PM ET
Pirates (56-59)
Dodgers (67-49)
SP Paul Skenes R
6-1 1.99 ERA
SP River Ryan R
1-0 1.72 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
LF T. Hernandez R
1B F. Freeman L
2B Gavin Lux L
RF J. Heyward L
3B E. Hernandez R
C A. Barnes R
CF K. Kiermaier L
SS Nick Ahmed R
81° Wind 6 mph Out
Ohtani should not be leading off. With his power, he should be the 3-hole hitter. Mookie, Freeman, Ohtani, Hernandez, Muncy, Smith, Lux, Edman, Rojas. Not a bad batting order. Ohtani is losing so many RBI chances as a leadoff guy. If he was batting down in the order, he might have 100 by now. Arizona and San Diego are hot right now, but teams rarely stay as hot as they are for two months. Dodgers need to just take care of their own business and not watch the scoreboard. Nice ceremony for Dusty last night. Walter O to the ring of honor tonight, and tomorrow, Matt Kemp signs a one-day contract and retires a Dodger. Mookie is a team player. He knows playing RF benefits the team the most right now and puts the best defenders on the field.
King T better bring the heat in tomorrow’s newsletter. Can we get a sneak preview?
Betts, Muncy & Edman will be a bolt of talent injected into this team.
Maybe it’s just me, but Pages doesn’t seem “engaged “. He’s definitely not a center fielder. Mookie in right.(whatever), he goes to 2nd when a left handed pitcher is on the mound. Heyward is more than average in right field. Ahmed ? gone. Kiki? stays. Taylor? ghost injury. Kevin K? Here’s the tough one. center field is so important, and KK is a fantastic center fielder! but his bat is almost nonexistent. If Edman is healthy, really no need for KK. Rosario? .300 hitter and mediocre defensive player. I agree , Pages probably not on playoff roster. Barnes? nothing there. …. The friars are good. but! the ball sure has been bouncing their way last couple of weeks! Sooner or later that will stop. Hopefully it stops before they rake first place away!!
Who will the 3 Dodger bench players with Barnes be when Betts,Muncy, and Edman are reinstated from the IL? Interesting decisions. It’s between Rosario,Kiki,Taylor,Heyward,Pages and possibly Rushing.
Friday scores
Round Rock 7, Oklahoma City 6
Arkansas 2, Tulsa 1
Lansing 8, Great Lakes 4
Rancho Cucamonga 5, Fresno 3
Bobby Miller struck out six in his 4⅓ innings in his first start in 13 days. He didn’t allow a run nor a hit through four innings, but walked two and allowed two singles in a three-run fifth. Miller walked four on the night.
Saturday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Orlando Ortiz-Mayr) at Arkansas (Brandyn Garcia)
4:05 p.m.: Great Lakes (Wyatt Crowell) vs. Lansing (Luis Morales)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Ben Casparius) vs. Round Rock (Ryan Garcia)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Samuel Sanchez) vs. Fresno (Bryan Mena)
Max Muncy and Tommy Edman are expected to start rehab assignments Saturday with Oklahoma City.
Giants option Camilo Doval, might not be a bad pickup for future.
Well it looks like this may be the team we go to war with.
Ohtani
Betts RF
Freeman 1B
T. Hernandez LF
Munch 3B
Smith C
Edman CF
Lux/Rosario 2B
Rojas SS
Buehler could rejoin the rotation during a four-game road series against Milwaukee that begins Monday, with Thursday being the current target,Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Buehler made what is assumed to be his final rehab start Thursday, tossing 5.1 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City and yielding one run on one hit with five Ks. The 29-year-old got up to 85 pitches and shouldn’t be expected to have a pitch count. The right-hander hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers since June 18 due to right hip inflammation”.
Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts moved from right field to a middle infield role before landing on the injured list due to a left hand fracture in June. He is set to return from the IL on Monday but will be moved back to right field, per manager Dave Roberts. MLBTradeRumors.com
10:10 PM ET
Pirates (56-58)
Dodgers (66-49)
SP Mitch Keller R
10-5 3.20 ERA
SP Jack Flaherty R
8-5 2.80 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
LF T. Hernandez R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
2B Gavin Lux L
SS Miguel Rojas R
3B E. Hernandez R
RF J. Heyward L
CF Andy Pages R
74° Wind 7 mph Out
Good sign. Just checked the Oklahoma City roster and Max Muncy is officially on a rehab assignment there.
“Thanks to injuries and some lackluster performances from their bullpen, the Dodgers fell two spots in the most recent ESPN MLB power rankings. They entered the week at No. 3, and fell to No. 5 after the trade deadline failed to solidify their group of relievers”.
Via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez:
“The Dodgers welcomed Brusdar Graterol back on Monday, after he had spent the entire season rehabbing a shoulder injury, but then promptly placed fellow reliever Blake Treinen on the injured list with hip discomfort. The following day, on his eighth pitch of the year, Graterol suffered a hamstring strain that might end his season. The Dodgers’ roster has been in flux for quite a while, and it is most evident in their bullpen. Two key injured relievers — Treinen and Ryan Brasier — are expected to rejoin the staff in the next week or two. But the Dodgers have struggled to get any continuity late in games and don’t currently have a defined closer. Since the All-Star break, their relievers have posted a 4.59 ERA, 19th in the majors”.
good call Mark , if i need to throw up, i’ll watch CNN or fox!! PLAY BALL!!!
MLB will play a regular-season game for the first time in Tennessee next season, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced today. MLB Speedway Classic ’25 will pit the Braves and Reds at one of NASCAR’s most popular tracks on Aug. 2, with a baseball diamond being built across the track and infield at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Nobody like NASCAR anymore, so Let’s Play Ball!
OK – Let’s cut the Politics.
Problem is Bear he LIED about his service, multiple times and got called on it yet he kept lying…..
Vance didnt lie about his….
Also not for Tampons in the boys bathroom….but….
Lets go back to this one….
Big one tonight, get right game…
Thursday scores
Round Rock 7, Oklahoma City 2
Arkansas 2, Tulsa 0
Great Lakes 5, Lansing 0
Fresno 9, Rancho Cucamonga 3
Jackson Ferris impressed in his Double-A debut, allowing only a run on four hits in 5⅔ innings, with three walks and four strikeouts.
Friday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Peter Heubeck) vs. Lansing (Wander Guante)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Bobby Miller) vs. Round Rock (Adrian Sampson)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Carlos Duran) at Arkansas (Logan Evans)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Isaiah Coupet) vs. Fresno (Sean Paul Linan)
.
Walker Buehler looked much better last night as he went 5 innings. His fastball was 93-96 and he hit 95 MPH in his last Inning. There is hope. His next start will be in the Bigs
In a twisted sort of way, I’m glad the D-Bags and Madres are pushing the Dodgers instead of the 10 or 12 game cushion we usually have this time of year , just coasting with no urgency. Notice Doc is calling guys out way more than he used to, which is good. I would rather have us in a tight division race going to the playoffs than just cruising, keeps everybody sharp.
Well, someone finally did it. I was told I talk too much. Unfortunately, I agree with the guy! There are times when I just do not know when to shut the eff up. My bad. Some posters just bring out the worst in me I guess.
Matt you and Bear are right on the money. The Madres are just the flavor of the month. I think there is no way in hell the Dodgers miss the playoffs. The FO and Robert’s know this and are strategically setting the Dodgers up to succeed in Oct. Learning they’re lesson from the last two years…instead of the Gallos and Lynn’s of the world, they got bat to ball defenders and Flaherty and Kopech. Everyone else is coming back now or soon. And will be fresh for a Sept. and Oct. run. Might be brilliant. We can only hope.
Book em
Baseball America ranked the MLB Farm Systems:
12. Los Angeles Dodgers
Top 100 Prospects: Dalton Rushing, C (36); Josue De Paula, OF (50); Alex Freeland, SS (97).
2024 Prospect Success Story: Alex Freeland, SS
Los Angeles dealt away a pair of its better prospects in Thayron Liranzo and Jeral Perez, but the Dodgers still have a group of intriguing prospects. Dalton Rushing leads the way, but lefty Jackson Ferris has made strides and low-level outfielders Zyhir Hope and Eduardo Quintero head a promising next wave.
Previous preseason ranks
2024: 10
2023: 3
2022: 8
2021: 9
2020: 3
2019: 10