The Playoff Roster Remains in Flux
If you have been living under a rock, then you may not know that the Dodgers clinched the NL West last night for the 5th straight year. They now have 98 wins and it’s a forgone conclusion that they will win more than 100 games. You have to love a guy like Rich Hill who is peaking just in time for the playoffs. I heard an interview with him yesterday and he said that he would do whatever Doc wanted to help win, whether that be as a starter or in the bullpen. Then, he goes out and pitches lights-out last night… even driving in a run!
There still are a few things to be decided as to the playoff roster. Barring any injury setbacks, Andre Ethier has earned a roster spot, and barring a miraculous recovery, Adrian Gonzalez will not be on it. Neither will Josh Ravin, as he is now on the 60-Day DL. Most Dodger fans think Pedro “El Gasolino” Baez has earned a spot off the roster, but I think he will get another shot or two before the end of the season and how he pitches then will determine his fate.
Ryu and Maeda will both make the roster barring any physical setbacks and Brandon MCCarthy will be given two or three opportunities to pitch out of the pen. How the audition goes will determine his fate. He can certainly hit the high 90’s out of the pen. I have no opinion as to whether he can do it or not, but I think Doc will give him the opportunity to make the roster. Yippie Ki-yay!
Ross Stripling and Brock Stewart could be the odd men out if McCarthy, Ryu and Maeda all make the roster, and I am certain Ryu and Maeda have already made it.
Cingrani, Watson and Avilan all can’t make it… can they? A real dark horse is Walker Buehler who could get a couple more opportunities and just needs a spark of confidence to establish his major league career. I don’t expect it, but it’s possible. If the Dodgers use 12 pitchers, this could be it:
- Kershaw
- Darvish
- Wood
- Hill
- Morrow
- Jansen
- Watson
- Avilan
- Cingrani
- Maeda
- Ryu
- McCarthy
We shall see how the next few games play out. As it stands today, El Gasolino is the water boy.
Oh…
Discussion (15)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I can still make that pick at 1B. Farmer is not a 1B!
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You have to be swiping up at the ball. Your glove can’t be stationary!
After giving up 5 runs in his first 8 innings with Oakland, Chris Hatcher has thrown 11 straight scoreless innings. The Dodgers could use a guy like that!
😉
What makes you think that he would have pitched that way for LA?
Nothing. I don’t think he would have…
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Just being incredulous. 😉
Tonight’s unusual lineup:
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1. Taylor CF
2. Seager SS
3. Hernandez LF
4. Puig RF
5. Forsythe 3B
6. Barnes C
7. Farmer 1B
8. Culberson 2B
9. Ryu P
Are they playing at Camelback? Why sit Cody when JT is already out? Farmer at 1B? Tells me a lot about AGon. Culby at 2B? Hard to believe Forsythe needs a rest. Oh well it just might work as MadBum has been off lately and Ryu is fighting for a spot in the playoff rotation.
Maybe it takes Ryu longer to get loose, but let’s consider what “could” happen. The Dodgers are leading 2-0 in the 4th inning with 2 outs, when Alex Wood loads the bases and it appears he has “lost it.” Kenley Jansen and Hyun-Jin Ryu get up in the pen and Jansen comes in to shut down the threat. He pitches 1.1 innings. Ryu, who has continued to warm up, comes in after the next inning and pitches three innings with Brandon Morrow closing it out.
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In the playoffs, you have to do stuff like that!
Good morning, I read this report and I found it very interesting ……
https://www.truebluela.com/2017/8/5/16101678/dodgers-payroll-roster-service-time
Somebody spent half their life compiling that!
Ok, we took care of the first order of business, now let’s get right mentally and physically. Please Doc, don’t trot out the day after celebrating, spring training line up so we get our butts handed to us by Bumgarner. Keep your foot on the pedal, we only have a week or so to get it somewhat right before the real stress starts. I’m not talking about going full out for the last part of the season, but last year we totally mailed it in on the last couple of series with horrible line ups, and I think that cost us offensively in the play-offs a little bit. Get some continuity going so guys can start grooving again. Put Puig down at #8 when we hit the play-offs, that would be a start. The guy just wrecked it batting in that spot this year.
yeah, I also heard that because of Ryu’s surgery, it does take him a while to get loose. Hence it’d be tough to have him as a bp guy.
If Ryu does make it, perhaps he starts, and Wood or Hill becomes the guy who can get loose quicker and give us multiple innings in multiple games.
Fields will be on roster. MCCarthy will not. Buehler has a shot at replacing Ryu out of your 12. Reading Honeycutt’s quotes makes believe they don’t truly believe Ryu can get himself loose quick enough. Barring a rotation change putting Ryu on NLDS roster would be a courtesy. Let’s remember if they play AZ, Goldy absolutely owns RYu and JD owns lefties in general.
Hawkeye
If the Dbacks own any pitcher on this team, it is Maeda!
And they have owned Maeda, even when he was pitching really well, in his first year,
on the team.
I know they hit Ryu in the first series, of the last two series we played the Dbacks, but I believe Ryu pitched much better against the Dbacks, in that second series at Dodger Stadium.
And I also believe everyone of our starters, pitched badly against the Dbacks, in that first series, when we faced them in Arizona, in late August.
I have also read and heard, Honeycutt say that it takes so long for Ryu to get ready to pitch, and because of this, it would be hard for Ryu, to pitch out of the bullpen.
But I wouldn’t under estimate Ryu, trying to find a way, he can make this post season roster.
Ryu has really shown so much this year, with the way he has came back.
He has almost became that same pitcher, he once was, and no one saw that happening.
The fact that Ryu’s father played rugby, must have given Ryu that mental toughness, that he has shown, this year.
But like you mentioned, Arizona is just one possible series, the Dodgers may play in, so these different match ups, may give our different pitchers, different ways, to make the post season roster.
If we play like we want to, and continue to play into the post season, different pitchers, can pitch in these different series, according to the way they match up, with these different teams.
And I agree we need to give Buehler more chances to gain confidence, so he can feel more comfortable, so he can pitch with better command, and maybe give us, another option, for the seventh or eighth inning.
Arizona did not beat Kershaw, Darvish, and Wood. I’m a big fan of Ryu, but Goldy has incredibly good numbers against Ryu and Ryu is better against righties than lefties so I don’t see bumping him ahead of 3 guys who are used to pitching in relief from the left side. Short series I don’t see him getting on the roster. NLDS would be slightly different. I think Ryu is a much better pitcher than Maeda and in a 5 man rotation I would take Ryu over Maeda 100 % of the time. However, like you said he has trouble getting loose quickly. Also the Dodgers pen has been struggling from the right side and I think they want Maeda to help solve that since his numbers are good against righties.
Hawkeye
I was talking about these last two series against the Dbacks, and we didn’t throw our top pitchers, against them.
Hill was the only top starter, that pitched, in these last two series, against the Dbacks.
I agree with everything else you said, I don’t know if Ryu will pitch in the bullpen, either.
But I wouldn’t count him out in the post season, if we play further, into the post season, like you said.
But didn’t Ryu get hit by Goldy, as well, as the Rockies, at the begining of the season, and Ryu is not that same pitcher now.
I saw the different match ups, for Kershaw in the post season, on the MLB Channel, the other day, and the only team that has given him a problem, is the Cards, like you already know.