There is No Reason to be Upset!

Well, the Dodgers lost last night – for the first time in 10 games – and of course, someone must be blamed. “Dave Roberts should have never started Trevor Bauer” is a theme that seems popular today. Second-guessers are never wrong! However, I guarantee the decision to start Bauer was done by “committee.” The Dodgers front office sends Dave Roberts all types of data about everything related to the game and they also talk about it, so it you want to blame someone, blame the Dodgers Front Office and avbe Roberts.

Then I hear that this team is “just a bunch of AAA players“. OK, what’s the point? The Dodgers are 30-19 with one of the best records in baseball while they have a dozen or more players on the Injured List. To top it all, their Superstar, Mookie Betts has played like a AAA player and yet here they are… near the top of the heap! If someone had told me that the Dodgers would lose Bellinger, McKinstry, Seager, May, Graterol, Price, Gonsolin, Alexander, Cleavinger, Nelson, Price, Pollock, Knebel, and Rios for the season, or for months or weeks, I would have said: “Just wait until next year.” But, here we are, in the thick of the pennant race with Mookie Betts hitting .247.

The Dodgers performance this season has been nothing short of “extraordinary.” You aren’t going to like to hear this, but it is the Dodgers’ “depth” that has kept them in this thing. Now, maybe you were expecting Sheldon Neuse to be the next Babe Ruth or Mitch White to pitch like Dennis Eckersley. Maybe you believed Edwin Uceta should have been a young Trevor Hoffman or that Alex Vesia would be a lockdown reliever. You probably thought that anything short of greatness for these rookies would be a big “fail.” What you fail to consider is that while their stats may not look the greatest… collectively, they have had their moments and contributed. That’s why the Dodgers are 30-19, not 19-30!

“Depth” does not mean that a minor league player comes in and in the MLB player of the week. Usually, he is there to put his thumb in the Dyke to help keep the water at bay. They have done that, Luke Raley, Sheldon Noisy, DJ Peters, Mitch White, Garrett Cleavinger, Alex Vesia, Edwin Useta, and Keibert Ruiz may not have “eye-popping” stats, but they have had a hand in keeping the ship from sinking. Even Albert Pujols, who has done little to make us think he can still play, was part of a 9-game winning streak. Maybe just his presence is inspiring to some.

These rookies were “rushed” to the Show, and their cup of coffee will likely help shape what they are and will become. Progress is not linear, but right about now, as Dodger fans, we have to be pretty happy with how the team has performed after being devastated by injuries. Help in on the way, Bellinger, McKinstry, and the Bazooka could be back this weekend or early next week. Gonsolin is healthy and being built up as a starter. Joe Kelly is learning how to pitch without a mass in his shoulder, Gavin Lux is starting to get the hang of MLB pitching, and David Price is learning how to pitch out of the bullpen.

Right about now, Dodgers fans should not be bitching – they should be grateful at how well this team has performed under adversity. Then, considering that Mookie Betts is hitting closer to the Mendoza line than he is his career average makes the 30-19 record even more remarkable. Hopefully, Mookie can come out of whatever funk he is in. Most likely, it is an injury, but we don’t know for sure and the Dodgers aren’t about to tip anyone off. Some of the rookies that fans think have “underperformed” will use this opportunity as a stepping stone to something better.

Kudos to Max Muncy and CT3, who are playing at All-Star Levels. Max Muncy leads all of baseball in OB% at .455. and Chris Taylor is 6th at .408. It would be nice i the Dodgers could extend him, but the reality of the situation is that someone will likely give him 5 years at $75 million or something close, if he keeps up this pace. We will enjoy him while we can.

Dodgers Minor League Report

OKC did not play yesterday, but the other three teams won.

• Tulsa Boxscore
• GL Boxscore
• RC Boxscore – The Diego Cartya Era has begun. He was 3-5 with a double and a HR in his second game at RC.

Foo Fighters