These are the times that try men s souls
Thomas Paine wrote sixteen pamphlets entitled The American Crisis which summoned up the American revolution in the winter of 1778 as the Continental Army froze at Valley Forge: “THESE are the times that try men s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman .
Thomas Paine wrote sixteen pamphlets entitled The American Crisis which summoned up the American revolution in the winter of 1778 as the Continental Army froze at Valley Forge:
“THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated”
Of course, that was a lot more than a game, like baseball is. However, this game of baseball is very trying to a fan’s soul. Sometimes we forget it’s just a game. That’s easy to do. If you are given to scanning to baseball stats like I am, you have to sometimes be amazed at what is happening to different players and different teams. One could field a “Former All-Star Team” composed of players hitting below .220 with many being below the “Mendoza Line” of .200. It’s May 16th and look at this:
- Marwin Gonzalez – .218
- Kris Davis – .218
- Paul Goldschmidt – .214
- Gary Sanchez – .211
- Ian Kinsler – .209
- Edwin Encarnacion – .205
- Anthony Rizzo – .202
- Carlos Santana – .196
- Michael Taylor – .186
- Jason Kipnis – .172
- Jackie Bradley, Jr.
- Chris Davis – .170
- Kole Calhoun – .162
- Dexter Fowler – .146
- Matt Carpenter – .140
Many of those players are are .280-.300 hitters. How can that happen? There can be lots of reasons, but the fact is IT’S BASEBALL – STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS! IT’S A GAME OF STREAKS!
How is it that Joc Pederson, Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, Kyle Farmer, Austin Barnes, Kike Hernandez, Yasiel Puig, Tim Locastro and Logan Forsythe are all hitting below .238? Well, at least four of those players are not proven major leaguers and with the other four, all I can say is IT’S BASEBALL – STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS! IT’S A GAME OF STREAKS!
The fact that the Dodgers have only been outscored by 3 runs tells you that it’s just been a lot of bad luck. How can stuff like that happen? IT’S BASEBALL – STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS! IT’S A GAME OF STREAKS!
The bullpen failures, the injuries to starters and the collective inability to hit leave the Dodgers 9 games below .500. If you think the team will continue playing like this, you must be new to the game. How can stuff like this happen? IT’S BASEBALL – STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS! IT’S A GAME OF STREAKS!
These are the times that try mens souls… but this too shall pass! Blame FAZ if it makes you feel better, but the team won 104 games last year. This team is that bad now, but they aren’t THAT bad! They will figure it and the fun will start. PLEASE, JUST HURRY UP!
From Always Compete on the last Thread
Right now there is not much relief help down on the farm. Sborz has moved to AAA, and is progressing, but I think he was stymied by his desire to start. He still needs time, but he is not a high leverage reliever at the ML level right now. Joe Broussard is not nearly ready. The team is waiting for Garcia and Paredes to continue to improve at AAA with more high leverage opportunities. 32 year old Brian Schlitter is getting most of the save opportunities, and he is doing well enough, but is not not much of an upgrade to what the Dodgers currently have. Garcia and Paredes are on the 40 man, while Sborz and Schlitter are not.
.
Dennis Santana is currently starting at AA, and I know Mark thinks he can relieve at the ML level now. I think very highly of Dennis Santana, and believe he can be an effective #3 – #5 SP, and a very effective late inning reliever, potential closer. But I do not think he can be a high leverage reliever right now. ML hitters are a lot better than AA. He should get his first ML opportunity in September. He is not a difference maker right now, and IMO FAZ should not start his clock yet.
Vegas mentioned Donovan Solano above, and that is a huge question in my mind. One of the key reasons for that signing was the unknown about Corey Seager. Solano was considered a plausible substitution for the injured Seager if he needed some DL time. He played very well at SS and hit well in ST, but thus far has not been considered. I do not understand why not. He has done nothing but perform at OKC. Ryu can be placed on the 60 day, and held out until August allowing the organization to move some from the 40 man. Also at some point, the team is going to need to see what they have in Henry Owens.
.
At OKC this year –
Offensively – .352/.407/.459/.866 – 11 BB, 19K, 135 PA, 4 SB, 0 CS.
Defensively – 3 errors in 90 chances, 12 DP at SS; 1 error in 40 chances, 4 DP at 2B
.
ML Offensively Career offensively – 1168 PA, .257/.306/.331/.636 – 16.8% K rate
MINOR LEAGUE REPORT by AlwaysCompete
OKC was rained out yesterday, and have an off day today.
Tulsa – 8-7 win over Springfield Cardinals
Caleb Ferguson started and pitched well for 5.1 innings. He did allow his first HR of the season in the 3rd. However it was the 6th that was the problem inning for Caleb. After getting the first out in the inning, he allowed a double and then a single that went off his glove hand. There was apparently no injury concern, and he was allowed to pitch to the next batter who hit a 3 run HR. Caleb left with the lead and was in a position to win his 4th game. Corey Copping got into the 9th, and after getting 2 quick outs, he allowed back to back singles, which was followed by a 3 run HR to tie the game.
In the home half of the 9th, PH Zach Reks reached 1st base on a fielding error. RF Luke Raley and CF DJ Peters followed with singles to load the bases for 3B Connor Joe. Joe promptly singled to score Reks for the walk off win. Raley and Joe each had 3 hit nights. Angelo Mora (3) and Raley (8) each slugged solo HR’s. Not to be outdone, C Keibert Ruiz extended his hitting streak to six games with a 3 run HR (his 4th). Ruiz Is 9-23 during this streak.
19 year old catcher Keibert Ruiz is slashing .284/.341/.422/.764 at Tulsa in 2018. He is also growing as a catcher defensively. He still needs to build up his arm strength, but is improving, throwing out 25% of would be base stealers in a small sample (20 attempts). Ruiz is currently rated the #2 catching prospect in MLB Pipeline and #48 overall prospect. He is only behind Indians 22 year old catcher prospect Francisco Mejia (#13 overall prospect). Ruiz should crack a few top 20 mid-season prospect lists this summer.
The Drillers are now 20-17 and reside alone at the top of the Texas League North Division.
Rancho Cucamonga – 5-4 loss to Stockton Ports (A’s)
Zach Pop relieved losing pitcher, Jason Richman (1-4), with one out in the 8th inning of a 3-3 tie. Richman left the bases loaded after a walk and 2 singles before Pop was summoned. Pop surrendered a run scoring infield single and sac fly to give the Ports a 5-3 lead going into the 9th. After a Connor Wong single and Omar Estevez double, the Quakes put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, but could only push 1 across and fell a run shy in their loss.
Tony Gonsolin started and went 4.2 IP (94 pitches), allowing 3 runs (2 earned), 3 hits, 2 BB, and 7K. Offensively Connor Wong and Omar Estevez had 2 hit games. Donovan Casey hit his 2nd HR, a solo shot in the 7th, temporarily tieing the score 3-3.
Great Lakes – 10-5 Win over Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays)
Great Lakes won their 2nd consecutive game. They have split their last 10 games, and are showing some signs of life. 20 year old RHP Edwin Uceta started and went 3.0 IP, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits, with 1 walk, and 5 K’s. Andre Scrubb won the game, but allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, 1 walk in 1.1 IP. Dan Jagiello and Devin Hemmerich followed with 4.1 shutout innings to preserve the victory. A trio of Loon players had 2 hit nights; CF Brayan Morales, 3B Jared Walker, and 2B Eric Peterson. Carlos Rincon (3), Starling Heredia (3), and Jared walker (6) each hit a HR. Every batter except Mitchell Hansen had at least 1 hit.
Today’s Starting Pitchers
Tulsa – Logan Bawcom – Recently re-signed and making his first start of 2018.
RC – Dean Kremer
GL – Jesus Vargas
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (75)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Per The Athletic: “In the 118 full seasons since the first modern World Series in 1901, just eight teams have reached the postseason (or finished in first place) after falling below .400 after a quarter of the season had elapsed. That’s a rate of roughly one in every 55 teams, or a 1.8 percent chance of overcoming such a prolonged slow start.”
This season has gotten so bad DC has left the reservation!
Dam spelling checker. It is Baez.
I agree with all of you on Joc and Barz. It is not all their fault, but they have to go.
Good assessments here of ownership, FAZ, and Doc. But damn it, the guys with numbers on their jerseys need to start playing real baseball.
Another pointless thought but we’re we close on Verlander or was his acquisition too much against our front office’s philosophy. Did the money he had left blind them to what he had become again, an Ace with electric stuff.
Per Dodgers.com:”According to Elias Sports, the Dodgers’ 16-26 record ties the fastest a team has gone 10 games under .500 after winning 100-plus games the year before, equaling the 1986 Cardinals, who finished 79-82.”
–
The Dodgers are making history!
Watching all these games the last six weeks, I keep thinking of the Seinfeld episode where George realizes that every decision he’s ever made has been wrong and he decides to do the opposite of what he’s always done… and when he does, good things start happening to him.
.
At one point George says : “It became very clear to me sitting out there today, that every decision I’ve ever made, in my entire life, has been wrong. My life is the opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have, in every aspect of life, be it something to wear, something to eat… It’s all been wrong.”
.
I think it might be time for Doc, Farhan, and Friedman to come to this same realization and start living by the same philosophy.
.
I wait with baited breath until Baez and Pederson are shipped to the North Pole Eskimos!
As much as it hurts, I agree.
–
Last year was our year!
I share your pain, but the Dodger’s ain’t going over the Luxury Tax threshold this year. No way, no how.
Thank you AC, articulate and right to the point. I realize ownership and Todd care most importantly about the bottom line and never will have to answer to the gp. However I have to believe pressure will mount and 2019 money has to be spent right?
God just hurst that 5 and 4 over the last nine would have put us 4.5 back. Oh well
Fourth worst winning percentage in MLB. I’ll “warm up” to AC’s idea that this “crap show” is on ownership and not FAZ. I’ve been haranguing FAZ for the last couple of weeks but maybe my frustration was misguided and perhaps this mess rests solely on the shoulders of ownership and secondarily the players.
Bohely was talking at least two years ago about the salaries and to see the plan come to fruition at the expense of the “die hard” fans is frustrating. I literally watch every Dodger game (some on DVR) but haven’t watched the last two and don’t know that I’ll watch again anytime soon. Astro’s got better, Yankees got better, hell the Giants went out and got Longoria, Jackson and McCutcheon. Might not work but they didn’t stand pat. Dodgers acquired Koehler and Alexander and not much else. Why is Joc is still on this team, why is Baez not in OKC? Considering the regression of CT3, Barnes, Hernandez, Puig, a BP that is absolutely horrible, this off season just might be a complete rebuild. Harper, a healthy Seager, Lemahieu would be a good start.
Thanks for your honest post
This continual use of Baez in critical game situations is bordering on absolute arrogance. It is almost like, “I don’t care what anyone else sees or believes, I am going to keep throwing him out there until he proves me right.” FAZ needs to grow a pair and just take it out of Doc’s hands and option him…to Great Lakes, although that may be unfair to Great Lakes fans. He should be done as a Dodger, and I have never ever ever felt this way about a Dodger, and I have felt this way since 2014.
.
I may feel the same way about Joc being in the #2 spot, but I come back to … if not Joc, who. Maybe they try Puig in leadoff and Taylor in #2. Do something different. Quit being stubborn (arrogant?) and continually throwing out lineups that do not work thinking that maybe tonight it will be different.
.
The top two in the lineup got on base 2 times combined during the game. Batters 3-6 got on twice each. It is time for CHANGE. 1-4 against the Fish. 0-4 against the Reds. 1-2 against the Pads (last three games). At some point you have to ask “is this who we really are? ” If the conclusion is no, then where are the problems? It is either the players, the field management, or the front office management.
.
I do not actually blame FAZ. I blame this on ownership. There is no doubt that ownership dictated to FAZ to get the salaries down this year. They can say it was so they could reset the luxury tax, but that only matters if they plan on going over it the next year. If not, who cares. It appears Todd Boehly got his way. The team is under the luxury tax, and maybe the team is now going to be in a position to unload high cost talent, and then get the #1 draft pick. The losses will have an insignificant impact on the P & L, so Boehly’s return on investment is still safe,so what does he care? But forcing a trade of Kershaw could have some negative impact, so I think he is safe. At some point, Mark Walter needs to turn this over to Magic who knows how to win Championships, and tell Boehly to go count coupons. If he is afraid that his investment will not get a higher return, then buy him out, and let sports people run the organization.
.
I have been a staunch supporter of FAZ, the ownership, and Doc all the way through. But yes, I am disgusted with this team right now.
Andrew Friedman was quoted in the Times the other day as saying that teams don’t look to make trades in May and that’s a fair point. Changes, if they come, will come from promoting guys from the minors. This is especially true for the bullpen.
–
The problem with this is that most of the guys in the minors aren’t on the 40 man roster so that if they promote someone they either have to put someone on the DL or DFA them. The Braintrust won’t want to DFA the likes of Baez and probably can’t trade him either. Maybe DFA Hudson or Venditte?
Something has to change, yes. The longer FAZ waits though (they don’t have a history of moving fast), the more desperate the situation becomes, and the higher the probability of doing something they might regret.
Start planning for next year, this 2018 team is in total disarray – too much needs changing.
This is an inane comment, but I am going to make it. Can we punt Baez to the moon, for all that has went right in the Last four years, well three, he has been pure torture. And Roberts and this front office’s fascination with him makes me even more sick. They owe us this for the 2018 debacle. I really believe it will be cleansing no logic to that statement just a stance against suckage.
And that’s why you don’t have Joc in the number 2 spot… just pitiful. You have to get the runner over to second base in that spot. And if you don’t think the hitter coming up can do it… you have to put in a hitter that can… or that will at least try.
Forget putting him in the lineup… I wouldn’t even let Joc drive the team bus at the moment.
The Dodgers fell behind right away and that sealed their fate. They have only 4 come from behind wins all season. They have allowed their opponents to come from behind 10 times already. They have no walk-off wins. They have allowed 2.
–
Since 5/5, they are 1 – 10. They have scored 33 runs in the last 11 games and given up 61.
–
Something has to change.
Pathetic!
In the cellar at .381
Damn, Turner with a 10 pitch at bat in the 7th, fights off 3 or 4 pitches, gets the guy to 3-2, gets a base hit. Was anybody in the dugout taking notes? This is what’s missing this year, quality, grinding, scuffling at bats. That was our MO last year. What the hell happened? I know Turner Ward didn’t just suddenly turn into a pumpkin at midnight and became a bad hitting coach. Some of these dudes ain’t listening to what he is preaching.
Dead serious question… Is Baez related to someone in the front office or have blackmail material on Roberts?
–
Otherwise, how does he keep getting more and more chances to fail in meaningful spots?
Wow what just happened here in the 6th????