This is Why I Always Believe
No two people are the same. We all have opinions, proclivities, and prejudices. We are biased, trained, taught, and simple… while complicated. We are human. We are Dodger Fans. I have been through the bad times and the good times. I have had my heart broken many times. I have…
No two people are the same. We all have opinions, proclivities, and prejudices. We are biased, trained, taught, and simple… while complicated. We are human. We are Dodger Fans. I have been through the bad times and the good times. I have had my heart broken many times. I have seen defeat snatched from the jaws of victory! I have seen the Dodgers lose when they should have won, but I have also seen them win when they should have lost. That was very sweet! … and it was actually worth it!
Yesterday, several Dodger fans said they were not going to watch the game. I can’t blame them. I get it. The Dodgers have recently almost been unwatchable. They have the best starting pitching in baseball, but lately, their hitting, especially with runners in scoring position, has been atrocious. They can’t jump out of a boat and hit water. Last night, they were not great when hitting with RISP, but they did manage to score seven runs and beat the Indians…. ‘er Guardians.
Like all Dodger fans, I have been upset with their play. But, I am a Dodger Fan and I will be there Win, Lose, or Draw! Since Andrew Friedman arrived in LA, we have all gotten spoiled. Most fans think the Dodgers should win the World Series every year… and that is the goal, but it is not reality. Twenty-nine other teams are standing in the way. Some have no chance of winning, but beating the Dodgers is their World Series, and the ones that have a chance seem to rachet up their play when they are battling the Dodgers.
The Dodgers are the only team in MLB, where every team has fans who chant “Beat LA, Beat LA.” They don’t do that to the Yankees or the Giants – Just the Dodgers. The Dodgers are a superteam and their fans expect “super results” which is not always realistic.
The Entire Unveiling Ceremony
Last night, the Dodgers unveiled a statue in honor of Sandy Koufax. I case you missed it, it is worth the watch. You don;t see this stuff every day.
Here’s a short Bio:
Who is the G.O.A.T?
If you say Clayton Kershaw, you are looking at the entire body of work of either pitcher and placing longer overall performance over four “otherworldly” years that will never be duplicated. If you say Sandy Koufax, you are placing more weight on quality than quantity. Both arguments are flawed. The above picture is the G.O.A.T.S – Clayton and Sandy. One pitched with a 15 inch mound in a deader-ball era with no analytics and a larger strike zone. One had four years that were the best ever, while the other had 14 years that were pretty dang good. Both are legends. One is in the Hall-of-Fame, the other one will be. One has a statue while the other one will have a statue after they retire… and it will likely co-incide with his HOF Induction. We are lucky to have had them both! Co-GOATS! They are each one of the few players who can get called by their first name and everyone know who they are. I liked this Twitter Exchange:
Oh… and the Dodgers Won the Game!
You can never proclaim the Dodger’s offense to be “back” but last night was a step in the right direction. Freddie Freeman had 3 hits, while Cody again had 2. Max Muncy was 1-2 with two walks, and Gavin Lux had a beautiful RBI Triple that was a “clutch hit.” JT had his 17th double and drove in 2 runs. The only run that scored was on a ball that Max Muncy tried to use a skillet to catch. The “easy out” clanked off his glove and a run scored. Julio Urias struggled during the first inning and then put on his cape and proceeded to mow the Indians down. The bullpen of Price, Bickford, and Moronta did not allow a hit in their one-inning stints. Bickford was hitting 96 MPH for the first time this season, so maybe he is finally rounding into shape.
We have joked about Tony G being the Dodgers’ ace, but of course, with Buehler out it is Julio. Today, Andrew Heaney joins what looks to be a 6-man rotation (maybe or maybe not)
- Urias
- Gonsolin
- Kershaw
- Anderson
- Heaney
- White
The Dodgers’ starting pitching (even without Walker) is #1 in all of baseball and the Dodgers are 2nd in team ERA at 2.89 (Yanks are #1 with 2.74). There is a lot of reason to believe that the Yankees cannot keep up that pace while the Dodgers will actually improve. It starts with this.
Next, the Bad News…
Mookie Betts who wasn’t hitting anyway goes to the IL and Zach McKinstry takes his place. I would not be surprised to see Jake Lamb take the place of Eddy Alvarez (who really hasn’t had a chance), because the Dodgers could use someone with some thunder in their bat. Stay Tuned!
Future Dodgers Down on the Farm (The Cavalry)
- Mitch White will likely make his next start in LA as he pitched 6 shutout innings for OKC last night. He allowed 3 hits, and walked nary a batter.
- As if on Cue, Mike Busch went 3-4 with a double and a BB.
- Jake Lamb was 2-3 with 2 RBI and 2 Runs Scred while taking 2 walks and hitting 2 HRs last night (his 13th and 14th). Jake is calling! Hello, Answer the Phone, Andrew!
- Wichita again got “Stoned” as Gavin went 5 strong innings, striking out 11 (2 BB) and allowing 3 hits (0 Runs).
- Leonal Valera accounted for both runs (Tulsa won 2-1) with a 2-run HR. After hitting .211 at GL, he is hitting .356 at Tulsa. Go figure!
- Diego Cartaya was 3-5 with 2 doubles for GL.
- Luis Rodriguez and Damon Keith both were 2-5 with a HR for RC.
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Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
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Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
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Discussion (34)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Well, you’re right, Jake Lamb is knocking at the door, we’ll see if anyone answers. I would think they need to take a hard look at this point.
Mitch White obviously has worked his way into the starting rotation discussion. Very impressive to say the least.
It will be interesting to see what Andrew Heaney brings today. He certainly dominated in his rehab starts.
Losing Mookie is concerning, but as of late, he hasn’t been much of a factor for the offense. This team will now revolve around Trea, Freddie and Will with hopefully more contributions from Cody and Max. Could Justin be primed to take off? One last hurrah. That would be helpful. Maybe Lamb adds to the mix.
The Dodgers look pretty solid in the rotation, certainly very good in the bullpen. The pitching trade market seems thin and the cost in prospects will be high. Maybe they focus on a hitter, another solid reliever just to add to the depth.
Don’t look now, but the Giants are only three games back. Somehow, some way Farhan seems to be able to put together a team without star power that finds a way to compete.
Sweeping the Dodgers certainly gave them a boost. A three way race until the end?
Looking forward to the return of Dustin May, although I think his return will be built around two or three innings in an outing. Definitely a big factor in potential playoffs.
Thanks for the continued updates on the minors. Saves me looking it up.
For those that took the day off, you really missed a good game. Besides Muncy’s brick glove, the boys in blue acted like heros and put the hurt on the team formerly known as the Indians.
Julio is starting to look like his old self. I saw a lot more 94’s and 95’s than I’ve seen in quite some time. After two walks and the Muncy error, he set down all but hitters the rest of the way. It’s hard to believe he’s just 4-6 on the season with that sparkling 2.56 ERA.
Of course Freddie Freeman will be fine. He’s been one the best hitters in the game for his entire career, but he’s all the sudden gonna suck now? Everybody except Barry Bonds has slumps.
Of course everyone’s favorite whipping boy, Cody Belli got the scoring started by leading off the inning with an oppo single. Another multi-hit game as he singled again even though he thought he didn’t.
Of course, JT and Max contributed with JT hitting a big double and a couple of RBI and Muncy reaching base 3 times.
Of course, everyone in the starting lineup had a hit for this anemic offense.
They sky isn’t falling afterall…
I would hate to just outright Eddie Alvarez, but would certainly like to see a resurgent Jake Lamb rather than let him walk onto another roster.
Has Diego earned a promotion to the Tulsa yet? High A isn’t enough of a challenge for him so far. In just 12 games he’s .356/.482/.644/1.127 and is looking like Mike Piazza all over again. Just send him to Tulsa and give the guy a challenge. At this rate, he can take over for Barnes next year and he can split time with Smith at DH when the other is catching.
Happy Father’s day to all you fellow child raisers here on this site. I tip a beer to all of us today for the sacrifices you made for your kids. I know all too well that our offspring is a lot like our favorite team. They bring us great joy, but sometimes just feel like a pain in the ass. Cheers!
We have houseguests over the weekend. Yes, they’re fellow Dodgers fans, so we’re planning our day around the game. I’m eagerly waiting to see Heaney come back and K everyone. I hope he can pitch more than 2 games in a row this time.
It’s getting closer to a Dustin May return. Yes, he’s going to throw to hitters this coming Friday! He’s got to do that a few times before going onto a rehab assignment where the plan is to BUILD HIM UP AS A STARTER!
Happy Father’s Day !!!