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Things That Make You Go “What?”

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes finished the year 68-64 and will miss the playoffs for the first time (not due to COVID-19) since 2014. Scott Hennessey could be in trouble as the manager. The Great Lakes Loon’s season finale was rained out and will not be made up. They finished the…

By Mark Timmons2 min read22 comments
  • The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes finished the year 68-64 and will miss the playoffs for the first time (not due to COVID-19) since 2014. Scott Hennessey could be in trouble as the manager.
  • The Great Lakes Loon’s season finale was rained out and will not be made up. They finished the season 75-55. On Thursday, they start the playoffs against Lake County in Eastlake, Ohio. If they end up playing Ft. Wayne again, I plan to be there… again!
  • The Tulsa Drillers are 67-63 and have six games left. They will be in the playoffs – having qualified by winning the First Haf Division Title. The Playoffs will start on September 20th, with the opponent to be determined.
  • The Oklahoma City Dodgers are 75-60. They have fifteen games left on the schedule. OKC is in the battle for first place in the East and in control of their fate. If they win the PCL East Division, they will play Reno in a one-game playoff on September 30th. If they win that one, then they will play the winner of the International League in another one-game playoff on October 2nd. Stay tuned! OKC did put up 20 runs yesterday.
  • Emmet Sheehan was promoted to Tulsa and pitched 1.1 innings yesterday, allowing 1 Hit, 3 Runs, 2 BB, and 1 K. He was treated rather rudely. Of course, Frisco also treated every other Tulsa pitcher just as badly, as the Drillers gave up 18 Runs. Move on…. nothing to see here, folks.
  • Keone Kela pitched .2 innings and walked three while striking out 2.
  • V-Gon pitched one inning with a BB and a K.
  • You worry about the Dodgers’ last three hitters… but why?
    • Even with the last three hitters being the weak links, they are the best offensive team in baseball… by far.
    • Cody Bellinger has 55 RBI and is hitting .200, but is 4th in Runs Scored for the Dodgers. 4th! How does he do that? He has scored more runs than Will Smith, Max Muncy, Justin Turner, and Chris Taylor.
  • With a record of 96-43, the Dodgers clinched their 10th straight year in the playoffs. With that kind of record and with the kind of farm system Andrew Friedman has built, I am fine with whoever he puts on the roster. Many of you guys are smarter than him… I sure as hell am not! I’ll let him decide.
  • I am starting to believe that Leonal Valera might have a future as the Dodgers’ SS. Of course, if the Dodgers sign Trea Turner, he doesn’t.

Discussion (22)

Disagree, not disagreeable

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  1. Watford DodgerSeptember 13, 2022

    Sept. 12: INF Gavin Lux set for live BP

    Lux hasn’t played since Sept. 1 because of a neck issue that required a cortisone shot, but he has made considerable progress in recent days. Manager Dave Roberts said Lux was in the batting cage at Chase Field on Monday, doing “all baseball activities” and “feeling good.” The plan is for Lux to take at-bats at the Dodgers’ training facility at Camelback Ranch on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

    Roberts stated “it looks very promising” that Lux could be activated and play during the series in San Francisco this upcoming weekend.

  2. Watford DodgerSeptember 13, 2022

    RHP Tony Gonsolin (right forearm strain)

    Expected return: TBD

    Gonsolin came out of a Sept. 11 bullpen session “OK,” according to manager Dave Roberts, who said the right-hander was still feeling some soreness after throwing. Gonsolin is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Sept. 14 at Chase Field, and Roberts said he still believes at this time that Gonsolin will be an option to pitch in the postseason.

  3. Watford DodgerSeptember 13, 2022

    Another comprehensive win.

    Dodgers seemed to really click offensively when the “Brainstrust” finally decided to bat Freddie 3rd.

    Imagine how many wins we woulda had by now if we’d employed that order from the get go?

    Will Smith really does deserve a great deal of credit for answering the call to hit Cleanup – and Gavin Lux stepping up and having a break out year was massive in the first half especially.

    JTs second half, plus Max and Trayce coming good has made this an offensive juggernaut.

    Tyler Anderson has to Start in the Post Season.

    For me, Clayton only starts at home. I do not put him on a plane and run the risk of his balky back playing up.

    Any news on Tony’s Bullpen?

    Braves just dropped their third in a row….

  4. CassidySeptember 13, 2022

    Bottom feeders!

  5. nonicnamebumfanSeptember 13, 2022

    Taylor starting to make good contact the last few days……….EL BENCHO

  6. BlunderfullSeptember 13, 2022

    Los Pobres.

    https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR5VPQmn/

  7. BlunderfullSeptember 13, 2022

    Yo. The Closer. He Bad.

    https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR54v9FK/

  8. philjonesSeptember 12, 2022

    Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman have been way more proficient hitters then any of us could have hoped for. Their consistency at the plate is unmatched by any home grown Dodger. Freddie has 180 hits as we all know. But he has only gone hitless on consecutive games, 8 times. and he hasn’t gone hitless in 3 straight games all season, playing every game.

    Trea Turner is even more consistent. He has 173 hits, and had one 3 game stretch when he went 0 for 9. He’s gone hitless in 2 games back-to-back only twice and has streaks of 26, 20 and 13 games with hits.

    That’s not exactly Joe DiMaggio but I’ll take it.

  9. Andrew Vincent ForteSeptember 12, 2022

    Los Angeles Dodgers

    @Dodgers

    For the third time this season, Freddie Freeman is your NL Player of the Week!

    Freeman had 12 hits in 22 at-bats last week, hitting .545/.593/1.045 with three home runs and two doubles, driving in eight runs and scoring seven times. He had four hits on Saturday, Freeman’s fifth four-hit game of the season. The three home runs last week matched Freeman’s total for his previous 43 games, during which he was still productive, hitting .325 with 12 doubles.

  10. Andrew Vincent ForteSeptember 12, 2022

    9:40 PM ET

    Dodgers (96-43)

    Diamondbacks (66-73)

    SP Tyler Anderson L

    14-3 2.73 ERA 154.2IP 30BB 117K

    SP Ryne Nelson R

    1-0 .00 ERA 7.0IP 0BB 7K

    Confirmed Lineup

    2B Mookie Betts R

    SS Trea Turner R

    1B F. Freeman L

    C Will Smith R

    3B Max Muncy L

    DH J. Turner R

    LF Joey Gallo L

    RF T. Thompson R

    CF C. Bellinger L

    In Domed Stadium

    NO Dodger League Games Tonight

  11. BlunderfullSeptember 12, 2022

    Mookie airing it out on the bases is some cool sheit. Coming around third at full gas is next level.

    He is a top ten athlete in any sport right now. There’s the ‘Five Tools’ guys and then there’s Mookie.

  12. EricSeptember 12, 2022

    Kimbrel vs Jansen: One gives up more hits but keeps it in the park (Kimbrel) the other gives up more homers (Jansen). The rest of the other important stats are almost identical.

    Which would you rather have? For me it’s Kimbrel.

  13. BlutoSeptember 12, 2022

    In case you have been so stressed you could not sleep because the Trade Simulator’s values had not been recently updated.

    I have great news for you. Prepare for a big sleep! The #s are updated!

    We’ve updated the numbers. Again.

    Teams have just passed the 85% mark of the season, which gave us an excuse to run the numbers again to estimate the offseason trade values for all major leaguers. A few notables: Ohtani went down (a little), Trout went up (back in positive territory). and popular trade candidate Sean Murphy went up even more.

    Ranking the Farm Systems by Trade Value

    Which teams have the strongest farm systems? Which teams have the weakest? Our list is sourced from a cross-section of outlets, and considers factors such as roster status, market demand for certain positions, and recent promotions.

    https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/ranking-the-farm-systems-by-trade-value/

  14. philjonesSeptember 12, 2022

    I don’t know if anyone noticed but yesterday the Braves scored 5 in the top of the 9th to take the lead over the Mariners only to have Kenley Jansen trip over the gas can and give up 2 homers for a blown save and a loss. I’m not rubbing it in but can we just move on? I have no traders remorse over Joc, Kenley, Pollock……….

    By the way I see all these lists with Lux projected as next years SS. Have I mentioned we need to sign Trea Turner?

  15. Jorge ValenzuelaSeptember 12, 2022

    “Technically” the Dodgers still don’t qualify this year, but really they qualified for this year since last season, and right now they’re pretty much already qualified for next year too!

  16. CassidySeptember 12, 2022

    Maybe the reason Bellinger has scored more runs is because of who hits after him. And the reason the others haven’t scored as much is who hits after them!

  17. BulldogsandPenguinsSeptember 12, 2022

    Look how dirty Ronan Kopp is…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O7R34mLQB8

  18. BobbySeptember 12, 2022

    Seems like we celebrated too soon!

    https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34578975/los-angeles-dodgers-clinched-postseason-berth-yet-mlb-cites-mistake

  19. BulldogsandPenguinsSeptember 12, 2022

    I would imagine they keep Rushing at catcher unless there’s a reason not to. Someone will have to play 1B eventually, so Cartaya and Rushing have a fall back position built in. Power hitting left handed swinging catchers are unicorns. They don’t come around very often. But, let’s not forget how impressive Cartaya has been and the fact that he’s actually younger than Rushing.

    Valera isn’t going to play much shortstop at the Major League level, unless it’s to give Trea or Gavin a day off. With 170 K’s, he has utility guy written all over him. Gavin was once the number 2 prospect in all of baseball as a shortstop. If you think he can’t play short, I have a bridge you might be interested in.

    Yes, Heaney gives up some bombs and they seem to come in bunches, but when he’s not giving up the bombs, he’s striking everyone out. He’s got lefty long man written all over him.

    I’m a little disappointed that they aren’t giving much playing time to Vargas, especially in the field. It sure looks like they’ve already made of their minds regarding who will be on the postseason roster as far as position players go. Captain Obvious says that the guy with the least amount of playing time, who is also a rookie, will draw the short straw.

    James Outman had an outstanding season so far in the minors. His .294/.393/.579/.972 slash line is the best I can remember since Gavin Lux’s .347/.421/.607/1.028. Outman is 25 years old. Gavin did it as a 21 YO. Jason Martin just turned 27 and he put up a .283/.373/.566/.939 playing entirely at AAA, smashing 31 bombs. Like Outman, he bats left handed and can play all three outfield positions. I think this may have earned him a Spring Training invite next year. Belli better work hard this offseason. It’s not entirely out of the question that he doesn’t make it to Spring Training.

    Is anyone celebrating the fact that the Dodgers have an “x” next to their name in the standings? 10 seasons in a row making the post season and all I got was this lousy t-shirt! Champagne will remain on ice until they lock up the Division.

    San Diego’s grip on the Wild Card is fleeting at best. Now, they’re just 2 games ahead of Milwaukee and 1.5 games behind the Phillies. As much as I like whipping them like a rented mule, I would get more enjoyment watching them miss out on the playoffs entirely.

    The Braves don’t have quite the same magic that they had last year after losing two in a row to the upstart Mariners while trying to hold their lead on the Mets. Julio Rodriquez absolutely crushed an 83 MPH looper from Kenley to the tune of 117.2 MPH off the bat. Ouch! That ball was out of the stadium before Julio finished his backswing. They have to remove the dent out of the scoreboard today. Suárez followed it up by depositing a 93 MPH cutter into the stands to walk it off. Kenley’s ERA is now higher than Kimbrel’s.

  20. Mark TimmonsSeptember 12, 2022

    2025 Dodgers Lineup:

    1. Betts RF – R

    2. T-Turner SS – R

    3. Freeman 1B – L

    4. Smith 3B – R

    5. Cartaya C – R

    6. Lux 2B – L

    7. Rushing DH – L

    8. Vargas LF – R

    9. Ramos CF – R

    Bench – Busch, Valera, Pages

  21. BlutoSeptember 12, 2022

    Probably should have been at high-A all along, but he should have high confidence now.

  22. Andrew Vincent ForteSeptember 12, 2022

    Catcher Dalton Rushing, the Dodgers’ top draft pick this season, was promoted from Low-A Rancho Cucamonga to High-A Great Lakes on Sunday, in time to join the Loons for the Midwest League playoffs.

    Rushing, selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the draft in July, 40th overall, was a hitting machine in his time with the Quakes, hitting .424/.539/.778, a 225 wRC+ with 11 doubles and eight home runs in 28 games, with as many walks (21) as strikeouts. The 21-year-old reached base in all but one game with Rancho Cucamonga.

    Rushing started 15 games at catcher for the Quakes, plus five games at first base and seven at designated hitter. “We really believe that the catching outcome is going to be possible and a path he can do,” Dodgers vice president of amateur scouting Billy Gasparino said in July after picking Rushing. “We like his strength, we like his athleticism. We thought he could hit with power and control the zone.”

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