Singer Ray Stevens is given credit for writing the phrase “There is none so blind as he who will not see” in a line from the song “Everything Is Beautiful” which was released in 1970. I actually think someone said it long before Crazy Ray.
Now, I am not proclaiming that everything is beautiful in Dodgertown, but it is looking better. Houston Mitchell said it best:
My name is Houston Mitchell, and I can’t believe some people are already giving up on the Dodgers.
In the previous newsletter, there were four polls designed to get a sense of how a majority of readers (there are enough readers of this newsletter to fill Dodger Stadium with people left waiting to get in) really feel about this team. The really unhappy people email frequently and are seldom supportive of the team. So, do a majority of the fans feel the same way?
Well, if you are a fan of Dave Roberts, you’ll be happy to note that most people do not think the sky is falling. Most readers remain solidly in Roberts’ corner, despite those who tell me “Every Dodger fan wants Dave Roberts to go.”
- It made me mad when some moron said “Michael Grove is nothing more than trade bait.” Some people can only report what they see. I am not the only one who felt that Michael Grove could be a very useful bullpen piece, but I took some heat for defending him. Now we are seeing how useful he can be: He can pitch multiple innings or get a starter out of a jam. I am also leaning towards Gavin Stone being in the bullpen.
- Alex Vesia is also looking much better now that he is using his slider more and has a better mix of pitches. He now has a 2.19 ERA. He needs to get his WHIP down a little. It is 1.30, but all he has to do is walk a couple fewer guys.
- I could not (for the life of me) understand why fans thought the Dodgers needed a closer like Josh Hader or David Bednar. Evan Phillips is better than either one. Check out their stats. Well, he wasn’t last night. Evan was rusty last night, had poor control, and walked a tightrope, but he has the guts of a cat burglar! He did not have his control and yet made it work. His ERA is 0.93! Not bad!
- James Outman won the game with a pinch-hit double. I thought Doc should have brought him in earlier to pinch-hit for Kike, but it turned out that Doc made the right decision. James is going to be fine doing what he does: Hit RH Pitching. He will most likely platoon with Kike or Pages, but he might hit more HR than last year! James is a great guy!
- Freddie, Shohei, Will, and Mookie are locked in. Teo and Max are doing what they are supposed to do. Kike is working his way back, and Miguel Rojas has been amazing.
- Gavin Lux and CT3 are still struggling… That’s all I will say right now. They need more time…
- Andy Pages needs more time, too. Fastballs are his Kryptonite. But, I expect him to stay up for a while. If Heyward comes back, I would keep Pages over Taylor! There, I said it!
- What a jack by Ohtani! Just WOW! The hardest hit ball by anyone in 2024!
Minor Leagues
- OKC – It was quite the game in Albaquacky last night, where the balls have wings. If Ohtani had hit his home run there, the ball would have traveled 600 feet! Crismatt went 1.1 innings and gave up 7 hits and 7 ER. Blake Treinen came in and got one out, then proceeded to give up 3 hits and 3 ER. The OKC Baseball Club, with no name, was behind 13-3, but OKC came back to score 9 runs in the 8th and won 17-3. Miguel Vargas was 3-6 with a HR and 2 RBI. Sweeney, Lipcuis, and Feduccia all had 3 hits as well. Kevin Gowdy closed out the game with a scoreless 9th (quite an accomplishment at Albaquacky). Gowdy has a 2.61 ERA – we will likely see him soon enough along with Treinen. Games played here are a joke! BOX SCORE
- TULSA – Buehler goes tonight. BOX SCORE
- GREAT LAKES – Postponed – They are playing in Ft. Wayne, but with my A-Fib back, I do not feel like walking.
- RANCHO CUCAMONGA – Kendall George raised his BA to .263 by going 2-5. Jerel Perez is turning heads as he is hitting .327 with a .470 OB% and 1.066 OPS, after he went 2-4 last night. DePaula was 3-5 as was Gelof. Hope was 1-4 but still is hitting over .300 and OPSing over 1.000. BOX SCORE
Discussion (25)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Should Michael Grove be traded?
Maybe. It all depends on the return, doesn’t it?
Certainly I wouldn’t put him on a list of “untouchables.” I don’t understand why any Dodger fan would get their boxers in a twist over the suggestion that Grove could be trade fodder–unless it’s Grove’s dad and he just bought season tickets.
Here are the untouchables: Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Smith, Glasnow, Yamamoto. Huge contracts . Let’s add Bobby Miller for his ace potential. All of these guys would be very hard to replace.
Then there are high-flying prospects who we want to hug: Rushing, De Paula, Jeondry Vargas… Anybody else??
At the farther extreme, there is the untradeable: Right now, Chris Taylor seems to fit that description. Who would want to acquire an overpriced guy who leads the league in swing through pitches down the middle? If AF could figure out a salary dump, perhaps it’s possible.
Like the vast majority of players, Grove would not be hard to replace. He does not profile as a potential ace, like Bobby Miller, and not a potential closer, either. He’s a long reliever, maybe a 5th starter. He’s not a lefty, which would raise his value a tick.
I’m left to wonder which players are on AF and the rest of the brain trust’s wish list. AF will be doing some shopping this summer…
Karros misspoke tonight when he said Smith had never had a 5-hit game. Smith was 5-6 in game three of the 2020 NLDS against the Padres. He had two doubles among his hits, and he drove in three runs in the rout of the Pads. If Pages keeps this up, Dodgers will have a very tough decision to make when Heyward comes off of the IL. Of course, it will be a while since Heyward will need some rehab games. But I see both Outman and Taylor at risk.
“Walker Buehler pitches into 5th inning in 5th minor league rehab start
Walker Buehler allowed five runs (three earned) in the offensive haven in Triple-A Albuquerque. When he might return to the Dodgers remains to be seen”.
Well lookie here, Pages has the 3rd highest OPS on the team.
Yeah, I know, no one has to say it, lol.
Still, ..he’s an intriguing talent.
I went to tonight’s game and Knack looked in command with the exception of the two out rally the Nats mounted against him.
I was a big fan of Kanck in ST and thought he would be in the rotation instead of Stone. His command and change-up plays in the big leagues.
Great to see the offensive outburst and this is my first in-person game watching Ohtani and his contact with ball off the bat sounds so much louder than anyone else in the line-up. He is absolutely amazing and the best hitter in baseball.
I quite appreciate Cassidy both owning the in-game commentary, and going FROM:
Knack…falls apart!
TO
I like his composure and makeup.
Maybe a lousy home stand was just what the Dodgers needed. They’re making the same team that rolled over them last week look bad this week. A good start by Knack, Paxton kept the score close and the bullpen has shy down the Nats. The bottom of the lineup appears to have awakened. Freddy seems to be perking up. Aggressive base running and fairly solid defense.
Still need the starters to start going deeper into games. Some of the bats still need to wake up. The offense is starting to look like what was expected of them. I would like to see more stolen bases as it seems like there are some good base runners on the team. Yoshinobu really needs to step up and have a good game tomorrow. This team still has some issues that will need to be addressed by the trade deadline. The last 3 games have been fun to watch as the potential of this team is beginning to come together.
Pages looked pretty good against the fastball tonight!
Knack may not have the best stuff of all our young pitchers but I like his composure and makeup. And what do you know, the bottom of our lineup may win a game for us! How good is a healthy Will Smith!
Wow! Knack gives up a homer and falls apart! Trust your stuff and throw strikes! A young pitchers learning curve. At least he got out of it without a crooked number
Graterol (shoulder) has stopped his throwing program due to his arm remaining sore and manager Dave Roberts stated Wednesday, “It’s going to be a long program” to get him back, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Cubs To Place Cody Bellinger On IL With Fractured Rib
Let’s see if Landon has the Knack!
Credit Roberts for trying to make something happen by sending T Hernandez and pinch hitting Outman. It happened.
6:45 PM ET
Dodgers (14-11)
Nationals (10-12)
SP Landon Knack R
0-1 3.60 ERA
SP Jake Irvin R
1-1 3.13 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
SS Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
3B Max Muncy L
LF T. Hernandez R
CF James Outman L
2B Gavin Lux L
RF Andy Pages R
70° Wind 11 mph
The Giants scratched Blake Snell from his scheduled start today and will place the reigning NL Cy Young winner on the 15-day injured list with a left adductor strain, retroactive to April 23, per a team announcement.
orel is not even in the same ballpark when it comes to annoying as nelson. he thinks hes cute and funny. well he ain’t! you could put 90 % of play by play guys in a bag , shake it up, drop em out andd no one could tell them apart! it’s that bad!
Give Corbin some credit for pitching well. It has been a rough 5 years for the guy. Dodgers usually just hammer him. But he pitched to the corners, kept the big hitters at bay, and went as far as he could go. Good for Outman, and lets not forget Rojas then driving him in. Phillips is just a gutsy pitcher. Many would have folded under that kind of pressure. He wasn’t missing by a little, he was missing by a lot. I have never seen Karros that tongue tied before. Nelson is as annoying as Hershiser.
Wednesday Dodger Minor League Schedule
10 a.m. PT: Tulsa (Ben Casparius) vs. Northwest Arkansas (Mason Barnett)
11 a.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Gabe Emmett) vs. Lake Elsinore (Jose Luis Reyes)
2:35 p.m. (doubleheader): Great Lakes (Jerming Rosario & Jackson Ferris) at Fort Wayne (Emmanuel Pinales & Jagger Haynes)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Walker Buehler) at Albuquerque (Thomas Ponticelli)
Buehler will make his fifth, and potentially final minor league rehab start.
Double-A: Left-hander Ronan Kopp, who had a 2.99 ERA with a 35.8-percent strikeout rate (and 16.7-percent walk rate) last year with High-A Great Lakes, joined Tulsa from extended spring training.
Both Outman and Pages struggle with the fastball. That’s not a good long term prognosis. I’m surprised by Outman because he has a compact swing. Lux looking like the 24 version of 23 Vargas. I’m shocked. He must lead the league in 80 mph groundouts to the second baseman. But let’s give him through May to figure it out. At least he’s playing a lights out defensive 2nd base. Paxton turning out to be a darn good #5. Just needs to cut down on the free passes. I still like Stone as a starter.
I had some contractors working on the Pool House today and these two just strolled up:
118.7. Wow.
Big hit by James Outman.
Dodgers in first place. Still April. Long season ahead.
Yes, the air is lighter in Albuquerque and the ball tends to fly.
nice win last night. but for 5 innings dodgers made corbin look like tom glavine! Mark, if the dodgers do give up on lux, could rojas be permanent SS with mookie moving back to 2nd? maybe sweeney gets the call as a backup? just wondering. couldn’t watch the game due to blackouts rule ! i’m 5 hours away from DC ! got to see highlights on mlb network. steven nelson must have naked pictures of someone in the front office! at least mendoza wasn’t in there with him! dodgers had the best ever, now , well i’ll watch my words.
dePaula is special, only the power is lacking at this stage of his career. But still only 18 years old.
George is lightning fast with a good eye for the strike zone. Those two are the most exciting prospects the Dodgers have these days.
Hope Knack can continue his good work he showed in his debut tonight.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Impressive HR by Gauthier