Tonight is the Biggest Game of the Year

I would seldom say that, but the Dodgers and Giants are 9 and 9 in the W – L column and tonight’s game breaks the tie. Whoever wins will have the advantage for tiebreakers, home field advantage or whatever tie needs to be decided by their season records against each other. It may or may not be a thing… depending upon how the season ends, but it at least gives the winning team bragging rights and maybe a lot more. I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Remember when Dave Roberts was an idiot for resting Urias another day which set him up to pitch last night and set up Striker Buehler to pitch tonight? Now, who are the idiots?

Defense is Overrated

I don’t really mean that, but it got your attention. I do mean it within context. Someone posted yesterday that San Francisco was #3 in MLB defensively. There are lots of defensive metrics to prove just about anything you want, but if you go to Fangraphs, they have the Brewers rated #1 in Defense using a variety of statistics. Next are the Rockies, Cardinals, and Rangers. The D-Bags are #14. The Giants are #18 and the Dodgers are #26. Of course, I would like to see the Dodgers higher than that, but the fact that the Royals, Ranger, and Rockies are Top 5 should tell you that while defense is important, it’s not “all that!”

Would you rather score more runs or give up fewer runs. I’d like both, please, but does it make a difference? The Dodgers are #1 in the NL in runs scored. The Giants are #9. The Dodgers have given up the least number of runs in baseball and have the biggest run differential. The bottom line is to outscore your opponent whether you do it by pitching, hitting, or defense. Also, remember that due to injuries, the Dodgers have not had all the right players in the right places. It is a veteran team and by the playoffs, I think the defense will be much tighter with the players in their regular spots.

The Dodgers Won’t Sign Seager

At least they won’t sign Corey Seager before he becomes a free agent. Well, I suppose that if Andrew Friedman offered Corey Mookie Betts money, he would sign, but AF is not going to do that… nor should he. This is probably Corey’s only chance at a huge payday and that is what he has to do. You never know if some team has targeted him and is willing to break the bank, but he and his agent have to find out. I do hope the Dodgers sign him, but I think 8 years and about $250 million is the top.

Julio Urias is Not a Starting Pitcher

“Julio Urias is only a reliever,” said no sane person… ever! However, I do think he is tiring. He has pitched 395 innings in his 6-year MLB career and 156 are THIS season. They are going to have to skip a start or something to get him some rest. He could also benefit from a change of diet!

Here Comes Matt Beaty

Matt Beaty is hot. AJ Pollock is injured and may not be back until October. I like Billy McKinney. He has a good eye, he is athletic, has a great arm, but has just never hit with consistency. I don’t want to give up on him yet, some players just “get it” later (i.e.’ Justin Turner, Max Muncy, CT3, J.D. Martinez, Alex Castellanos, et al). Maybe Billy needs an IL visit and an offseason with the Dodgers hitting coaches. However, right-about-now, Matt Beaty is smoking hot at OKC (.471 BA/1.197 OPS. Matt Davidson also is smoking hot (22 HR/.284 BA/.997 OPS). I would trade Beaty and Davidson for McKinney and Pollock.

I Told You About Casty

Alex Castellanos is a player I have wanted AF to sign for a long time. He signed with the Reds before the 2020 season and got off to a great start, but then injury and whatever derailed him in the COVID-19 year. He ended up hitting .225. It has been entirely different this year. He is neck-and-neck with Trey Turner for the NL Batting title and is currently hitting .320/.376/.953 with 26 HR. He is 29 and will opt out of his contract after the season. This is one more chance for AF to get him. I like Casty a lot.

Joc or Kike?

Joc Pederson was loved by many Dodger fans, but the fact of the matter is that the Dodgers miss Kike Hernandez much more than Joc. Let’s look at the TOP WAR Players this year:

1. Vlag Guerrero
2. Marcus Semien
3. Fernando Tatis
4. Trea Turner
5. Bryce Harper
6. Jose Ramirez
7. Cedric Mullins
8. Carlos Correa
9. Max Muncy
10. Aaron Judge
11. Juan Soto
12. Shohei Ohtani
13. Matt Olsen
14. Rafael Devers
15. Xander Bogarts
16. Bryan Reynalds
17. Will Smith
18. Nick Castellanos
19. JT Realmuto
20. Jake Cronenworth
21. Jose Altuve
22. Jorge Polanco
23. Brandon Crawford
24. Yoan Moncado
25. Willy Adames
26. Manny Machado
27. Ozzie Albies
28. Brandon Lowe
29. Kike Hernandez
30. Freddy Freeman

Chris Taylor is #34, JT is #42, and Mookie is #48. Kike is hitting .258 with a .346 OB% and .811 OPS while playing stellar defense. The Dodgers could have really used him this year. I think he wanted an opportunity to start and AF could not promise that, but I hate it that he got away.

Finally, I Hope to see THIS One More Time

However, I am worried we will not…