If you listen to the lyrics in the song ‘Sedona” by Houndmouth who recently surpassed the Jackson Five as the #1 record-selling group from Indiana, you will hear:
Hey little Hollywood
You’re gone but you’re not forgot
You got the cash but your credit’s no good
You flipped the script, you shot the plot
The Dodgers flipped the switch and flipped the script at the All-Star Break as they are playing inspired baseball these last two games. There were a lot of subplots to last night’s win:
Gavin and Kike Heat Up
Gavin hit a double and a home run while Kike did the same but was called out on the double (he was safe). This year, many players have struggled as pitching is dominating the game. Some players will figure it out while others will not, but I have the feeling that Kike, Gavin, and CT3 are here for the duration. When Mookie comes back, he may play SS against RHP, while Gavin plays 2B. Against LHP, Mookie will play 2B with Miggy Ro at SS. At some point, you have to trust and believe that your players will adjust, if only for the sake of clubhouse unity. If/when Mookie and Max come back healthy, this will be a different lineup! Biggio has not earned a spot. Could it be that it’s just starting to come together for Lux? Afterall, he is coming back from a devastating injury!
Outman Looks Lost, But not on Defense!
You have to love the way he caught that ball and the smile on his face after he jumped up. I hope that jumpstarts his offense. The Dodgers need JO in CF!
Former Red Sox Beats Former Dodger
The G.O.A.T. is Back!
Bobby Miller is Progressing
You Have to Love His Enthusiasm and Energy
Rolling on the River
See what I did there?
Will the Thrill
Finally…
- I do not think the Dodgers have to do much at the trade deadline. If they get the majority of their injured players and Bobby Miller back, they have already won the Deadline War, but watch for Vlad Guerrero, who played 3B against Last Night for the 4th time!
- Brent Honeywell looks to be a very good pickup so far!
- Evan Phillips has been in a bad streak lately. I think it’s a blip in the road, and they have the Bazooka coming back as well as Hudson (who has been nails), Treinen, Honeywell, and Vesia and Kelly. I don’t think they would even consider Mason Miller and Wrobleski and Ryan could fit nicely in the bullpen when everyone is healthy.
Discussion (33)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Dodger lead is 8 over SD and the Dirtbags. One week until the deadline. Exactly 62 games left. LA is 59-41. Probably won’t reach 100 wins for the fourth straight year and the 5th out of the last six. Still the second-best record in the NL. They are talking about players, but don’t expect them to gut the farm. AF will make offers that he feels make sense for the franchise. He also won’t go overboard for one player. If a big trade is made, I expect it to be some sort of package deal that brings pieces that he feels will improve the team. He rarely makes knee-jerk trades. He also won’t be bullied into a trade if say the Padres land some superstar. Brace yourself for some disappointment, because in all the years he has been here, he has rarely traded for a player the fans have clamored for. Mookie might be the one exception. I remember his first year, everyone wanted the Dodgers to go get Cole Hamels. Skubal, Robert Jr. and Crochet are the popular names being put out there by fans. I don’t think the Dodgers could match an offer by the Orioles if the Tigers indeed decide to trade Skubal. I also think the price the Sox are asking for Crochet and Robert Jr. are at this point, exorbitant. If AF can find a better deal for less, he is going to take it. I am not sure who will be gone except for maybe Biggio. On the pitching side I would believe Varland, Hurt, Nick Ramirez, Yohan Ramirez. Ricky Vanasco and Michael Petersen are all vulnerable to being DFAd or outright released. Hurt could end up on the IL. In a very short time, we shall see if AF and Gomes actually live up to what they said about being aggressive in pursuing GOOD PLAYERS.
It’s cleared and clearer as the deadline approached its going to be trade with whitesoxs for Luis Robert’s Jr Paul DeJong and Erik Feede and then pickup someone like Jack Flarethy or Scherzer for a playoff run. With Betts and Muncy coming back in august.snd then in off-season figure out the outfield and a third baseman and a backup catcher and a closer.
Very good series sweep against a good team.
Triple A tonight
Grove:
1 IP
0 H
0 R
1 BB
1 K
22 pitches – 16 strikes
Touched. 97mph on his 4 seam Fastball 5x’s
Graterol:
1 IP
1 H
1 R
0 ER
0 BB
1 K
20 pitches – 16 strikes
Touched 97mph on his sinker 3x’s
Mr. Phillips,
Let’s get the bad games out of your system now.
I’ve never considered Phillips a playoff-caliber closer anyway, but even so, his pitching now is worrisome.
Great series…Dodgers needed that.
Hope Miggy Ro is OK. Nice series by Lux and Phillips has probably lost his closers role to Hudson.
What a difference an All Star break makes.
what the hell is going on?? we want yarbrough gone. we want lux gone. barnes is awful, or not. we don’t think paxton can pitch anymore. Freddie is washed. joe kelly is not very good. Shows ho much we know ! Clayton will kick some ass!
Props to Paxton for hanging tough
As soon as I declared Lux a bust the other day, he goes 4-4 with two homers and two doubles and his OPS is finally over .600! Still a ways to go but looking up. I guess it’s that progress isn’t linear thing.
Reports of the demise of Gavin Lux now seem premature. Was Rojas hurt? Noticed that he was replaced by Biggio.
Yikes!!! What a start
I will respectfully disagree.
If Clayton pitches well on Thurs, I certainly don’t think management is that short sighted to think, ok now we’re good. We don’t need a starter.
I believe they will try to add a starter no matter what Clayton does off 1 outing
Are these coaches the same guys that said Miller and Buehler were ready?
Clayton is not at full strength. I understand his velo won’t change but he needs to get his pitch count up.
A 60/65 pitch limit is not full strength
85-90 pitches is and that takes a few more starts to get there.
I’m saying his start will not sway what they do before the deadline.
The cost of prospect and mlb capital will determine if they make a trade or not.
Once he can demonstrate 85-90 pitches then bring him up.
Arozarena would be a very nice p/u if the cost makes sense.
And as stated his past playoff history would be a much needed shot in the arm
It makes no sense that the Dodgers need Kershaw to show if his stuff will play up against an MLB team before the trade deadline .
Especially when his stuff has not played up yet in the minors.
Like Miller and like Buehler he is just not ready.
We certainly don’t need his 60-65 pitch limit and then have to bring in a reliever in the 4th inning, possibly already 3 runs in the hole.
He gave up 6 or 7 balls that were hit over 97mph with most of them going over 100mph on his last start.
After today we still have another 7 games without a break. The bullpen will be taxed as it is with the current guys we have.
Show 2 strong games in a row at AAA.
Then bring him up.
If that takes 2 or 3 more weeks then that’s okay. It will have built him up to hopefully go 6 innings and 85-90 pitches..
Let’s bring him back as close to full strength as possible so he can hopefully help us, not burden the bullpen because he is not fully stretched out yet.
We should be adding a pitcher, a middle tier pitcher who can give us innings no matter how Clayton performs on Thursday.
Some people are of the opinion that Clayton Kershaw will have diminished velocity. I went back and looked at his last start and his fastball average was over 90 MPH with it topping out at 91.6 MPH. He did throw 1 fastball in his last inning that was 87. but he also threw a 89 and 90 MPH one.
I think you will see him top out at 92 or 93 but if his slider and curve are working, he should be fine.
On Friday, he threw over 20 pitches in excess of 90 MPH.
7:10 PM ET ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
Red Sox (53-44)
Dodgers (58-41)
SP Kutter Crawford R
6-7 3.04 ERA
SP James Paxton L
7-2 4.38 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
LF T. Hernandez R
1B F. Freeman L
CF Andy Pages R
2B Gavin Lux L
SS Miguel Rojas R
RF J. Heyward L
3B E. Hernandez R
C A. Barnes R
85° Wind 9 mph Out
Dodgers signed Nick Anderson, RHRP, to a minor league deal. He was recently released by the Royals. One of the reasons CK is pitching against the Giants Thursday is so the Dodgers can get some idea if he is going to be effective with his reduced velocity against major league hitters. It is the last chance to evaluate him before the deadline and could influence their approach at the deadline. All pitchers have bad stretches, including the really good ones. A couple of bad outings by Phillips and guys are losing their minds. I remember the same type of talk when Jansen blew a few back in 2018. He pitched for LA for 3 more years and had 82 saves. Sorry Ram, trading four players for a closer is nuts. You add a hitter to the mix, and make the deal a little bigger, and it makes more sense. Arozarena hit 2 homers in New York yesterday, and another today. If they trade for an outfielder, he is my first choice. Speed and good defense. I think it is good that Az is winning and keeping the pressure on the Dodgers to keep pace. Now is no time to take your foot off of the gas. Bichette was placed on the IL for a calf strain for the second time this season. Doubtful AF would trade for damaged goods. Robert Jr. has his average up to .228 now and his OPS is just below .800. His power numbers are still down. But the Sox still are placing a high price for his services. Sox close to losing their 74th game today. Definitely going to be sellers.
JHey was just activated and Outman sent back to OKC. I’m really not sure we’ll ever see him in a Dodger uni again so you may have to adjust your roster/lineup situation to accommodate that.
I’ve always liked India (the player, I’ve never been to they country), but if you add him and Rooker, you are making a fairly porous defense even worse. You might feel that the added offense would make up for that, but I have some concerns.
Although he would definitely cost more than India, I’d much rather get Paredes from Tampa because he’s a decent fielder and can play both second and third, depending on the availability of Muncy.
As expected:
07/21/24 Los Angeles Dodgers activated RF Jason Heyward from the 10-day injured list.
07/21/24 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned OF James Outman to Oklahoma City Baseball Club.
Randy Arozarena with another home run in the Bronx today. AF you have a great relationship with Tampa Bay. I want him. Put the deal together.
Inspired one moment, conflicted the next.
Looking for a button for all that ails the Dodgers. Do you punch the blue for pitching, the red for hitting or the yellow for relievers. The deadline is near. Maybe you punch all three. No easy answers. No right answers. But definitely some wrong ones.
Mark correctly states that these are uncharted waters for Skubal and Crochet or any other young pitcher. There is no knowing. It’s pretty much a guess and crossed fingers, maybe an educated guess, but a guess nonetheless.
So no one has the answer to any of these questions. Will Kershaw be able to help in the fall? What about Yamamoto. Buehler is back and the Dodgers can try to get a handle on where he’s at and can he make a difference in the playoffs.
I thought it was interesting that Roberts explains the Dodgers are trying to figure it out and really don’t have an answer either. Does help come from inside the organization or from outside. Do they need starting pitcher. Yes they do, but will it come from Kershaw, Buehler and Yamamoto?
Do they go all in on Crochet? Good Long term investment, but will he have enough in the tank this year to help them to the finish line. I can see Crochet getting traded, but not Skubal. Why would Detroit want to trade him?
Maybe the Dodgers go with a trade for Jack Flaherty or someone like him to add depth and help them now and into the fall.
As for a bat, who will actually make a difference? One thing you don’t see anymore on this site is people yearning for Nolan Arenado. He was once the rage and the player who would put the Dodgers over the top.
Not everything works. Andrew Friedman doesn’t always nail it, no one does, but he gets enough right to again put the Dodgers into position to make the playoffs and have a shot at the title. His signing of Teo can be considered brilliant. I pretty much like all the moves his winter. Yamamoto, Ohtani and signing Clayton for another season or two. Okay, he guessed wrong on Lux at short.
Score one for Plaschke. He doesn’t take himself all that seriously. He writes what he does to create discussion. Well, folks it’s working.
Atlanta placed Fried on the 15-day injured list Sunday, retroactive to July 18, due to left forearm neuritis.
“The 30-year-old was expected to make his first start of the second half in the upcoming series against the Reds early this week, but the forearm issue will instead send him to the injured list. Fried will be eligible to be reinstated in early August, though it wouldn’t be surprising if his absence extends beyond that given the nature of the injury. Dylan Dodd was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move and could have the first crack at filling Fried’s rotation spot”.
1. I would not waste the prospect capital needed to get a top reliever. Cartaya, Kopp, and Knack for Tanner Scott is a ridiculous overpay but I may be wrong. They have Vesia, Banda, and Yarborough from the left side with Kelly, Brasier, Grove, Graterol, Hudson, Treinen, and Phillips from the right side. Maybe even Honeywell if early signs are any indication. This does not even count the young starters who could transition to a bullpen role in playoffs. I would not waste prospects who could be used to bring in a middle of road starter or bat for another bullpen arm.
2. The increase in pitching injuries over the past few years changes the calculus on acquiring a top flight starter. I tend to agree with Mark in that depth of good starting pitching is becoming more important than the quality of a single pitcher. Give me a starter like Flaherty, Fedde, or Eflin at a lower cost than trading for Skubal or Crochet. Dodgers will certainly be involved in the bidding for those two but their farm system may not be deep enough to win a bidding war.
3. Kike’s post season history with Dodgers and Red Sox may be a reason they keep him around for post season. Some guys seem to have that slow heart beat and deliver in those moments more frequently than others. If I had one big post season at bat and were choosing from Heyward, Pages, Vargas, Taylor, Lux, Kike, or Biggio, I would take Kike. Hopefully that is not the roster of choices come October but you get my point.
4. Pages is an example of a guy who just needs to continue to play. I am glad they keep running him out there. He has respectable numbers for a 23 year old who basically had a cup of coffee in AAA and missed most of last year. He is not a center fielder but if we acquire a center fielder, he and Hernandez in the corner spots with Heyward as a 4th outfielder is fine.
And Devers and Rafaela..
Surely someone in some Red Sox forum will be saying: Teo would look good in white and red, and he won’t cost much since he will be a free agent… Do you think the Dodgers will trade him for a couple of prospects?
Tyler Oneal sure would look good in a Dodgers uniform and shows he hits pretty well at Dodgers Stadium. That would be a nice pickup for the playoffs. And wouldn’t cost that much since he is a free agent at the end of the year. They should even try to add all star Duran he looks good in centerfield.
Yesturday Bobby made a good point about the Dodgers possibly resigning Teo and the cost based on how he does in October.
I initially thought the Dodgers didn’t have any performance induced contracts. There are a few.
Only a few are strictly performances based
Teo/Max/Taylor and Gonsolin
1 for games played (Barnes)
And for pitchers with injury concerns payouts for games pitched.
(Kershaw/Paxton and Gonsolin)
There are a bunch of player and or team options as well as signing bonuses and deferral payouts.
(Mostly the stars)
-The stars do NOT have any performance bonuses.
That includes
othani/betts/freeman-smith/ Glasnow and Yoshi)
Here is what it looks like by player
Chris Taylor-
Nothing in 2024 ,
But in 2025:
$1 million-bonus if he does 1 of these
-525 AB or
– selected an AllStar or
-Wins Silver slugger
Max Muncy –
-Annual incentives, couldn’t find specifics
Teoscar-
-MVP bonus payout for
-Top5= 3 million or
-6 thru10 = 2 million
-Wins silver slugger=1 million
Keshawn- 2025 escalators, no specifics
But for 2024-
– 2 million for 6 starts
-3 million each for 7-8-9 starts?
-4 million – 10 starts
Paxton:
2024 escalators
2 million + 600k each for (6-8-10-12-16)
starts
Another 1 million each for 18th and 20th start
Gonsolin:
2024 escalators
-2 million + additional 500k for each start at 14-16-18-20-24-28
-1.125 million for winning the CY or
625k top 3 or
500k for 4th or 5th
And the last but not least
Austin Barnes:
For Games played:
-Bonus of 50k for 65 games played
– 75k for 75 games
-$150k for 80 games
-175k for 85 games
One of the more exciting games of the year last night, nice to win the series but would even be sweeter if we can sweep them tonight! Unfortunately the game is on Sunday Night Baseball and we have to endure Eduardo Perez on broadcast.
Agree with Mark that Wrobleski is a real gem, I sure hope he doesn’t get traded at deadline.
The Redsox have a nice 1-2 punch with Jarren Duran and Rafeal Devers and there starting pitcher last night was very good.
Sunday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Peter Heubeck) at Lansing (Jacob Watters)
12:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Kendall Williams) at Northwest Arkansas (Mason Barrett)
4:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Ben Casparius) at Round Rock (Jack Leiter)
5 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Wyatt Crowell) vs. Lake Elsinore (Isaiah Lowe)
I was worried that if Kike or Taylor had a good game at bat, some people would start saying that they were “starting to get into a rhythm” and that would be enough for them to no longer want to trade, to think that it would no longer be a good idea to trade. A good game does not mean a good season!
Plaschke is pushing the panic button:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2024-07-20/trade-deadline-feels-like-panic-time-for-dodgers
Whatever he says is generally the opposite. He’s a gifted writer who is stupider than a bag of hammers!
Shohei Ohtani weighs in on Dave Roberts:
https://dodgersnation.com/shohei-ohtani-has-nothing-but-praise-for-dodgers-manager-dave-roberts/2024/07/20/
Phillipps is starting to worry me a bit. Mason Miller would be great but what would he cost ? And would the As trade him to begin with ? Tanner Scott definetely will be traded but there is going to be a lot of competition from other contenders.
For Mason Miler would this offer be good enough? Rushing, Knack, Ryan or Wrobleski plus Henriquez (who himself is a fire baller and potential closer ) ).
For Tanner Scott: knack plus Cartaya plus Kopp ?
I still would like us to get Crochet and Robert jun.
Good to see Kike and Luxy getting big hits.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111
A couple of weeks ago, JohnSmoltz talked about bullpens getting burnt out and the need for teams to have a reliever who could pitch multiple innings a couple if times a week. Can Honeywell be that kind of pitcher?
A Betts/Rojas platoon makes sense, except Betts wanted to be at SS only so he could learn it and not have to keep flipping back and forth. With him being out for 6-8 weeks I’m not sure flipping back and forth is where we are headed.
Guerrero? now that’s interesting! Honeywell? hell yeah! Ramirez? hell no!!!!!! phillips looks like he needs a break!!! Trienan? Solid!!!! Joe? ok for his first time back!!! Vesia and hudson available today. Would love to see Braiser back soon. .. Mark, if honeywell continues to pitch like this, could he be a “closer” ? he’s got the stuff!!