Timing is Everything

Story on MLBTR about the balls that are tacky already being tested in AA. So maybe next year. Went to see Top Gun Maverick yesterday so I missed the game. I did watch the highlights later. Nice to see Lux have a good game. Dugout looked really loose despite the troubles over the last week and a half. LaRussa getting hammered for walking Turner with 2 strikes.

If anyone has noticed or anyone cares Dellin Betances, former Yankee ,former Met has been added to the AAA Oklahoma City roster from the ACL team roster.

Mark, I hope you are correct in your estimated figure for Max’s final OPS. It means nothing but positive things for the Dodgers, the fans, and more important…you. Lol. I missed Max’s first two ABs so when he came up the third time and they mentioned he had struck out earlier I thought well that’s not good. Then he got a hit and then the HR and I thought “Timmons!” I was, of course, happy with his performance. But, as you said it’s only one game.

The Lux idea is kind of happening now, except he’s hitting ninth. I know Lux would get an extra AB each game, but why not leave well enough alone. But, with Lux leading off talk about speed at the top of the lineup. With Taylor and Bellinger eighth and ninth and if they can get on base ahead of Lux, Betts, Turner, and Freeman what a track meet that could be!

It’s hard to believe the Dodgers are still near the top in hitting and runs scored in MLB. And that the pitching is highly ranked considering all the injuries that have occurred. I think it is a reflection on the quality of MLB right now. The hitting is down everywhere. Hence, you would think the pitching would be outstanding which I don’t think it is league wide. Baseball seem to be out of sorts right now. We can all thank Boob Manfred for that.

Time to get on track Freddie Freeman. That double was a good start yesterday. Continue to make me terribly wrong Max Muncy. Loved LaRussa’s 1970’s managing moves as did Max. Enjoyed watching Grandal struggle both offensively and with the glove. Keep it going Will Smith. Continue to hope for more consistent contact from CT3 and Cody. Taylor seems to be either hitting out of his mind or can’t make contact to save his life.

I’m a Bill Mahar fan and watch him weekly. His “New Rules” segments have been very funny and spot on recently. I disagree with him on a few things and surely represents what was liberalism in the late 20th century.

Carry on.

As I said yesterday, it was a very fun game to watch. 11 runs with just one bomb! On 12 hits no less. It was very efficient in the scoring department. The strategy to take a lot of pitches from a pitcher who is historically wild worked well. Dylan Cease is nasty, but he has problems finding the plate and the Dodgers know how to punish guys like that.

It sure felt like Max Muncy was the missing link to a struggling lineup that made it long enough to be very scary again. He started the game by having a 9 pitch K in his first AB which lead to a 21 pitch first inning. That set the stage for a short outing from Cease which makes all the difference in the world.

Before the game, I did a little eye roll with Muncy starting at second base and Lux in LF. It’s not my favorite defensive alignment, but it was good enough to get the job done. I’m not a big fan of Muncy in the field. When he is, I prefer the plays 3rd base and think he should just trade off with JT at the hot corner most of the time.

I don’t mind Lux in LF. He’ll mess up a play from time to time, but he’s athletic enough to make some plays that others won’t. I think it’s a wash and that Lux will eventually be a great outfielder if needed.

Speaking of Lux, he’s starting to get his mojo back. When he first came up, he had the swag. Now, it’s a little more subdued. With confidence, that swag will propel him into a hitting machine like he was in the minors. I really do think Lux will eventually become what Trea currently is.

I did the math on Mark’s bold Muncy claim. If Max can OPS around 890 for the rest of the year, he’ll finish with that 800 OPS. I think that’s doable with a normal baseball. We’ll see what happens, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities.

Freddie Freeman has been in a bit of a slump lately. But, he sure snaps out of slumps in a hurry and I think we saw that yesterday. Look for Freddie to heat up, just as Mookie is starting to cool down.

The lineup that Mark posted as well as the lineup that Bums posted yesterday really isn’t far off from the current one on most days. Lux is essentially batting leadoff, he just has to wait for everyone else to hit first. Once the lineup turns over, he usually hits right in front of Mookie. The big difference is that both Mark and Bums lineup has the three rabbits in a row. I’ve said all year that Freddie should bat third and let Mookie and Trea bat before him. They don’t listen to me. Maybe now that Mark and Bums suggested it, they will.

Caleb Ferguson is quietly looking excellent through his recent 3 outings coming back from AAA purgatory. Vesia looks a little burned out. After getting into trouble, he sure settled in. He needs to bring that mindset to the start of the inning. I also like how Hudson battled back. He’s been a great pickup and is an ideal setup guy.

It’s unfortunate that so many pitchers go down so often on this staff. There’s so many good, live arms that can’t seem to stay healthy. I can only imagine what they’ll look like if they can manage having their best pitchers on the roster at the same time.

Next up, the hated ones! Always a fun weekend series. I’m blocking out my schedule entirely like I often do anyways. Buehler, Urias and Kershaw. It looks like Joc’s gonna get a couple of days off this weekend. Let’s see if Buehler can keep in the yard tonight. My new smoker is arriving today. Maybe some ribs will be on the menu for Saturday’s game.

When you watch the video of the angry Muncy giving hi fives to everyone. I see him not holding back with his ‘injured’ arm. So maybe a good sign that this is behind him