Wake Me Up When September Ends

There’s not a lot to play for right about now… except pride, and hopefully, the Dodgers have learned that trying to win the division or having the best record is not the path to a World Championship. The Dodgers are resting players and peppering the IL with pitchers so as to have them rested come October, so wake me up when September ends. There’s nothing to see here, folks; move along! Well, I am slightly kidding, but what is going to happen this month is that players are going to get some much-needed rest. Doc took Julio out of the game last night after just 78 pitches. Rest! It doesn’t help him much in his Cy Young quest (15 Wins and counting), but the team is intent on keeping him fresh. There is a “cage fight” scheduled later this month between Doc and Freddie Freeman, and the winner will get to decide if Freeman sits out!

The Dodgers should have no concern with setting the all-time franchise record for wins. The Goal in 2022 is a World Championship, not setting the all-time win record. They tried that last year – how did that go? It’s been a fun season, but the icing on the cake is winning World Series. Some people say that Atlanta and the Mets look superior to the Dodgers. They probably thought the same thing about the Yankees, whom (earlier this season) I predicted would circle the drain. The Yankees are the oldest team in baseball. Their pitching was vastly overrated, and Stanton is a “potato chip.” This is a public service announcement from “Mr. I Told You So.”

READ MY LIPS:

• The Dodgers are #1 in Runs scored in all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #1 in Batting Average in all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #1 in OB% in all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #1 in SLG% in all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #1 in OPS in all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #1 in SB% in all of MLB and #6 overall in SBs.
• The Dodgers are #1 in team ERA is all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #1 in WHIP in all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #1 in Fewest Runs Allowed in all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #1 in Starting Pitcher ERA in all of MLB
• The Dodgers are #3 in Bullpen ERA but are due to get a plethora of relievers back shortly.

Interestingly, the Dodgers are #18 in Strikeouts! The Braves are #2 in strikeouts. Of the playoff contenders, only the Mets and the Cardinals strike out less (the Mets strike out 7.5 times a game while the Dodgers strike out 8.2 times a game). The Dodgers average 5.35 runs a game, while the Mets score 4.6. I’ll trade a few strikeouts for more runs any day.

It’s a free country, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I do have to question the thinking ability of anyone who really believes that any MLB team is better than the Dodgers. I won’t even say the Dodgers have the best player at certain positions, but I will say that Trea Turner, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and Freddie Freeman are all TOP THREE at their positions. As bad as he has been, Cody Bellinger is TOP 3 defensively in CF, and Gavin Lux is making a name for himself. I found it incredible that fans were ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater in the last game he played.

It appears the Dodgers are going to give Miguel Vargas an opportunity in LF. He will have to produce rather quickly, but I would like to see them give him all the ABs against LH pitching in LF over the ten days so that he doesn’t think he has to hit a 6-run homer to show his skills. This is an audition… make no mistake about it! Trayce Thompson needs to keep his eye on it, and the clock is ticking on Joey Gallo. Justin Turner has re-gained All-Star Status, and Chris Taylor is starting to get his swing back, while Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger are still waiting for that to happen. It might not happen, and if it doesn’t, the Dodgers will compensate accordingly – they have the pieces.

Many Dodgers fans are like Baseball Closers – they have short memories. It’s good to have a short memory if you are closer, but not so desirable in a fan. When the Dodgers lose a couple of games in a row, some fans forget how good the Dodgers really are, and they sometimes go Bat-Shit-Crazy. My job is to remind them!

Rants & Raves

• I think Mookie might stay at 2B until Gavin Lux returns. I have never seen a “shovel pass” from Betts to Turner like I saw last night.
• I really don’t know what to say about Blake Treinen – he only threw five pitches but looked superb, hitting 97 and 98 MPH.
• Danny Duffy, Tommy Kahnle, and Keone Kela all pitched for OKC last night. Duffy was good, Kahnle was bad, and Kela was ugly. V-Gon pitched on Friday and was very good. They are just getting the “feel” back – some are ahead of others.
• The Magic Number to Clinch the NL West is 12. It’s very early in the season to talk about that!
• The Dodgers could have Four Players in the Top 10 for MVP… Probably 3.
• Will Smith is establishing himself as one of the best LA Dodger Catchers of all time. No, I am not forgetting Campy (I said LA Dodgers). He becomes just the third catcher in Dodgers history to accumulate two or more seasons with 20 or more homers.
• It turned out that Blake Treinen was diagnosed with a partial tear in his right capsule and advised to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery (much like Julio Urias underwent a few years ago). Blake is not known for conventional wisdom and went another route. So far, it is paying off! Just last week, Dodger Fans finally found out what was really wrong, and it was VERY SERIOUS. If I were Andrew Friedman, I would absolutely want Dave Roberts to give the cryptic, evasive, and sometimes “dumb” answers that he does so I could keep my friends close but my enemies closer. Dave does that job perfectly, even if (as fans) we hate it!
• The Dodgers are allegedly giving Andrew Heaney extra rest and calling up Ryan Pepiot to pitch today as David Price goes on the IL with a wrist problem… maybe to never come off of it! Caleb Ferguson is listed as the “opener.” Monday, against the Runts, we have a matchup of TBD vs. TBD. Evidently, the first time twins have ever pitched against each other.
• I recently updated my Top Dodger Prospects (located at the Top Navigation Bar on this site. Feel free to agree or not!
• Gavin Stone has only pitched nine innings since August 1st. Maybe he has a tired arm… Maybe that’s why he hasn’t gotten the call. I wish the Dodgers would be more forthcoming about stuff! 😉