This Feels Like Rock Bottom

Just a few days ago, the Dodgers were 5-2, and now three games and 29 runs given up later, they sit at 5-5 – all of the losses coming at the hands of the Diamondbacks, who may or may not be a .500 club. Regardless of what their ultimate record may be, they’re young and exciting… and dangerous. Predictably and right upon cue, Dodger fans are moaning and groaning and lamenting how bad this team is. Personally, I cannot remember a Dodger pitching staff giving up 29 runs in a weekend. I’m sure it has happened – I just can’t remember it. If this is Rock Bottom, then I’m happy. Things could be so much worse.

The World Champion Astros are 4-6, while the runners-up are 3-6. The TB Rays are 9-0, and the Milwaukee Brewers are 7-2. No one is printing the tickets. The Dodgers are ten games into the season, and some fans are throwing in the towel. Unless the team is 0-10, then the only fans who are giving up on the season are the ones who (a) want to drive themselves crazy; or (b) are already crazy! Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail, and you will be neither.

There is reason to believe that things will turn around. You can be a glass-half-full person and talk about how bad David Peralta, Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas, Max Muncy, and Austin Barnes are, or you could be a glass-half-full person and talk about how the two rookies are doing well after ten games, both offensively and defensively, how JDM is starting to hit like he is supposed to, or how Jason Heyward is raising some eyebrows. A glass-half-empty person will talk about how suddenly Ferguson, Jackson, Thor, Bazooka, Almonte, Vesia, and Grove all have ERA’s of 4.5 to 14.73, while a glass-half-full person will talk about how Shelby Miller has pitched five scoreless innings or how Evan Phillips has been nails, and that May, Urias, and Bickford have all looked very good.

The truth is, the glass is not half full or half empty. The glass is refillable, and the Dodgers can refill it at any time, whether that be from the Minors, such as replacing Mike Grove with Gavin Stone or Ryan Pepiot (not sure where he is in recovering from his injury) or trading for another player or two with their prospect collateral in a month or two. The only thing imminent is that Grove might not get another start (or he may). It’s still very early, and if this is “rock bottom,” we are indeed fortunate. For the record, I am not saying it is.

The minor league shuttle for pitchers could start up as early as today. At the end of Spring Training, I wondered aloud if Yency Almonte had an injury, and I still am not convinced. Yency is out of options, but Vesia isn’t. Yency could be an IL candidate. There is not a shortage of other candidatesBryan Hudson has struck out 10 in 5 IP. Wander Suero has a 1.80 ERA, while Nick Robertson has a 1.50 and V-Gon sits at 2.45. Jake Reed, Jimmy Nelson, and Daniel Hudson could be ready soon. Of course, Tony Gonsolin is due back at any time. These are all MLB arms, and they will likely get untracked.

Thor worries me the most, but the fact is: they could replace him with Gavin Stone and not miss a beat. A few days ago, many were saying that Jason Heyward was done. Hitting .300 with 3 HR, they are no longer saying that. Yes, it is a small sampling – which is exactly the point! Now, we are hearing that Max Muncy is a boat anchor and that he has never been able to play 3B. Over eight seasons, Max has started 173 games at 3B. How would you know? 3B has always been an afterthought for him. Let him focus on it for a couple of months, and you might feel differently. The Dodgers re-did their infield and the weather prevented it from really “setting.” Of course, if you don’t have your feet, you don’t have much, but only Phil Jones has picked up on that.

I am going to submit that if you were good enough to look at a player and say they are finished or just ready to get going, it would be something that you pull out of where the sun doesn’t shine. You aren’t that good – oh, you may think you are, but I’ll bet no one is paying you for your analysis. So, you make a guess based on what you are seeing or even think you are seeing. Sometimes we can see the same thing and have a different opinion. It’s all a matter of perspective and bias!

Muncy, Peralta, Taylor, Thompson, and others will not have the latitude that Cody Bellinger did last year. This runway is shorter…much shorter. The next 30 to 40 games will write the story, but no one knows what the story is, after just ten games. This may be rock bottom, but then again, maybe it’s not!

Who thinks Milwaukee is trading any pitchers or their SS right about now? Bryan Reynolds would be an idiot to sign for what Pittsburgh is offering. Freddie Freeman has only driven in two runs – do you think that is going to continue? There is so much left to figure out. We just have to watch and learn.