The Giants are breathing down the Dodgers ‘ necks. I think the D-Bags will fade (somewhat), but I fully expect the Giants to “sell out” for Shohei Ohtani. The Giants will be eager to “gut the farm” to stick it to the Dodgers. Prepare for it because I think it will happen. Hate them all you want – they just play baseball, and a 1-2-3 punch of Webb, Cobb, and Ohtani is formidable. Of course, San Diego and about a dozen other teams will have a say-so in where Shohei goes as well. I am not going to dwell on it or worry about it. What will be will do. The Dodgers are playing some pretty fine baseball themselves. Tanpa Bay and Atlanta are clearly the leaders in MLB, but the Dodgers are well-positioned.
The Dodgers relievers are marching to the Top 10 for this season. They moved up one notch to #20 after last night, but they have been TOP TWO since June 15th. It’s not where you start – it’s where you end up! This has been “The Tale of Two Seasons:” The bad bullpen and the good bullpen. I know we all rag on the umpires when they miss calls of balls and strikes, but the strike zone we see superimposed upon the TV by the batter is just a “rough outline” of it. It is by no means representative of the actual strike zone, so we can curse the umpires all we want, but that is not the real strike zone, and the ABS systems will also have their limitations – although I believe MLB is going to that – and should!
The Dodgers led MLB in team ERA in 2022 with a 2.80 ERA. The Astros were second with a 2.90 ERA, and the Yankees were third with a 3.30 team ERA. Things have changed dramatically in baseball this season. The Dodgers are 18th in team ERA with a 4.35 mark, while the Rays are #1 with a 3.71 ERA – that’s almost a run more than the leader last year. So, the scoring is up! The good news is that the Dodgers are just a half-run a game behind the leaders, but in the last 30 days, the Dodgers are second in all of baseball with a team ERA of 3.43!
I strongly disagree that the Dodgers have to sell the farm to get some starters and relievers. I call BS! This team is coming together! IF Andrew Friedman can add some pieces that will help, then he will… but quit trying to trade away Michael Busch and Diego Cartaya! Yes, he will be faced with some roster management issues after this season. Peralta, Heyward, Barnes, Muncy, Hernandez, Marisnick, Brasier, Bickford, and others may be roster casualties in order to protect the youngsters who become Rule 5 eligible.
Speaking of Jake Marisnick, he no sooner got his second hit as a Dodger than he pulled a hammy that is likely going to land him on the IL. His defense is elite in CF. James Outman will not be confused with a Gold Glover there. He is fast and athletic, but he has a ways to go. I have no doubt that he will get better! The Dodgers average more runs a game (5.4379) than any other teams except Texas and Atlanta, and they are close to them. The winning formula is to score more runs a game than you give up, and the Dodgers have a +1.2 run differential per game (on average).
So, with all the moaning and groaning and gnashing of teeth, this is turning out to be a pretty damn good team! There is still work to do, but I don’t get all the moaning about Muncy hitting 4th. This is not all on Doc. The brain trust has shown they believe in showing confidence and respect to veteran players, and they believe Max will break out of his funk soon and call this team for a month. Barrels are overrated, and where a player hits is overrated. An out is an out! Are runners only on base when the cleanup hitter comes up to bat? Hell no!
Michael Grove is evidently a slow learner, but learn he does. I admire his grit! The dude just never quits! Last night was the best he has pitched. He is a horse! Syndergaard will be back, but his leash is short – this is why they play the games. Miguel Vargas walked four times on Sunday. Last night, he was 4-5, and after three games and 13 ABs, he is playing like a man possessed to get back to a Ravine near you. I think he will likely be back by August 1st! It’s a small sampling, but he is hitting .462 with a .650 OB% and 1.188 OPS. His spirit is not broken!
Michael Busch continues to rake as he hit his 13th HR last night and is hitting .305 with a .998 OPS. He is playing 3B! I did not think he had the arm for it, but it turns out that he did… and does! Imagine this lineup with Gavin Lux back next season… but we’ve got a championship to win here first!
Minor League Notes of Significance
- Gavin Stone went six innings, allowed seven hits and 4 ER, but most importantly, he walked just 1.
- Jimmy Nelson pitched one inning, allowed one hit, and walked 1.
- Ken Giles pitched in his second AAA game and looked rusty. He needs a couple of weeks, but this could be like a trade at the deadline!
- What does Devin Mann have to do to get a “look-see?” He’s hitting .315 with a .978 OPS playing everywhere.
- Diego Cartaya still is not hitting his weight!
- At the age of 20, Luis Rodriguez is finally showing signs of life. He is hitting .302 with a .359 OB% and little power (.776 OPS). He was 3-5 with 6 RBI last night
The Draft
The Dodgers are allegedly closing in on signing several players. They have until next Tuesday and they have to figure out how to spread their bonus pool among as many players as possible. How they have built such a great farm system with such a small bonus pool is nothing short of amazing! Look at this year’s Bonus Pool which MLB allots them:
Bonus pools by club
Pirates: $16,185,700
Tigers: $15,747,200
Nationals: $14,502,400
Twins: $14,345,600
Athletics: $14,255,600
Reds: $13,785,200
Mariners: $13,170,900
Marlins: $12,829,600
Royals: $12,313,500
Rockies: $11,909,800
D-backs: $11,084,300
Brewers: $10,950,600
Rays: $10,872,100
Orioles: $10,534,800
Red Sox: $10,295,100
Rangers: $9,925,300
Giants: $9,916,900
White Sox: $9,072,800
Cubs: $8,962,000
Guardians: $8,736,700
Mets: $8,440,400
Braves: $8,341,700
Angels: $8,328,900
Dodgers: $7,274,600
Astros: $6,747,900
Blue Jays: $6,529,700
Cardinals: $6,375,100
Padres: $5,416,000
Yankees: $5,299,400
Phillies: $5,185,500
Discussion (39)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Right now today, Dodgers up 1.5 on both AZ and the Giants. Many are now predicting that Moreno will not trade Ohtani, his attendance would take a huge hit, no matter who he gets back. Most pundits believe the Dodgers will target starting pitching, duh! There is also a huge belief that they will seek a power RH bat for the outfield.
Landon Knack pitched 4 shutout innings for OKC last night.
Miguel Vargas was 1-4 and it was a 3-run HR in the 9th.
Diego Cartaya – .187! Yikes!
Dalton Rushing hit his 9th HR
Putting in my penny thoughts here. If Ohtani gets dealt, and that is still if, SF makes a lot of sense. They have the prospect capital to get the job done. But there are also some who think SF’s biggest need is a full time CF, and Bellinger is high on that list. The Dodgers need starting pitchers who can pitch at least 6 innings or more. Maybe one more power arm in the back of the pen. A power RH bat off of the bench would be nice to. Face it, Barnes is not going to be moved from backup catcher to Smith, so the bench because of that is very thin. They are better when Mookie is playing either SS or 2nd base because he is very good at both spots. They have good outfielders who hit from the left side. Between the three of them they have 28 homers. Mookie has almost that by himself. But the other outfielders have shown little pop. Taylor plays all over so you cannot just call him an outfielder. But he seems to have rediscovered his home run trot.
As for Seager and Turner, they actually are pretty close fielding wise. Corey is having a great year with the bat, but he always could hit. Turner is experiencing what many free agents do when they sign large contracts. He is under a lot more pressure to perform in Philly. Defensively neither is as good as Rojas. Seager and Turner’s Fielding Percentage career wise, they are both about .970. Turner is .972. Turner has 8 errors so far this season and Corey 6. Rojas is a career .982 pct fielder. He has made 4 errors this season. As for sign ability, I think the Dodgers blew it when they offered Seager 250 million. In order to match what he got from Texas; they would have to pay him over 400 mil since Texas has no state income tax. Turner obviously wanted to be on the east coast. Made his wife happy and he has a lot of cash now.
The deadline will bring some surprises no doubt. It usually does. But I think there is going to be a lot more activity than the pundits originally thought. With teams faltering since the All-Star break, more and more fringe pieces are going to be available.
If you go and look at the top long term mega contracts in baseball, it makes you shudder, especially if you’re a GM. Even Trout’s contract looks a bit dicey considering the last 2 years snd the injuries. I wouldn’t want him now. Stanton is sinking the Yankees. Good on AF that Mookie and Freddie look like winners.
By the way, TT is hitting .249 with an OPS of .688! He’s got a long ways to go to “normalize”! And Seagrrhas had a great year so far this year but he was very pedestrian his first year in Texas. A.245 BA and an OPS of .772. So we’ll see long term how that works out.
Trea Turner has started to turn things around. He has been his normal self the last couple of weeks. He is one hot streak away from getting his averages closer to the mean. By the end of the season, I expect his numbers to normalize.
I honestly believed the Dodgers let Seager walk because they intended to sign Turner longterm. I would have been ok with either. Letting both walk was a mistake in my opinion. It has been and will continue to be.
Huge Corey Seager fan here!
Will all those posters who insisted the Dodgers sign one of the big 4 shortstops last off season please raise their hands. Maybe some of the best moves AF makes are the ones he doesn’t! So far he’s 2 for 2 on big long term FA deals. And he should be arrested for stealing Freddie!.
I’ve been saying for a while. Ohtani will be a Giant. Padres will make a run, Machado or Soto offered to a third team. Prospects to the Angels.
But the Giants make most sense. Moreno is an egotistical asshat. He will never send Ohtani down the road. Or to a division rival (Seattle). We will be dealing with a pretty formidable Giants team as the season goes on. The Giants are like that stray dog who won’t go away. No clue how they won 107 a couple years ago. But they did. I think Ohtani will be a POS by the traid deadline. As I’ve taught my son, the Giants win because they hate their grandmas and kick puppies. So will Ohtani.
That’s my prediction. I could be wrong. Call me out if I am.
Jayne
Shintaro Fujinami saying his goodbyes to fellow team mates in the A’s clubhouse. Reported by MLB Trade Rumors that he has been traded. I can see AF doing that “under the radar” type of trade. Wonder where he’s going?
Like I said before, no way will Ohtani be a Dodger. If I’m the Angels, I’m telling Ohtani to step up and let them know he is history. Then, I’m asking any team interested to give me at least their top 5 prospects, and at least three players on the current big league roster. Ohtani, like someone said, is actually two players. Urias is pitching himself off the Dodger roster. Looks a little fat and out of shape. Glad Dave left him in. Saves arms. On to Texas. Go Dodgers. As far as Muncy goes, I don’t think he will be a Dodger next year.
Tyler O’Neill anyone??
Keuchel evidently has an opt out this Friday. He’s having a decent year in AAA so if he opts out I can see AF taking him on.
Julio is making the Dodger decision much easier this off season. If we don’t resign him and Kersh retires, that leaves a lot of $ on the table to sign Ohtani. Really disappointing outing today and if Julio doesn’t regain his ace status, that’s puts a big dent into our October dreams!
Every time Urias has a game like this, he loses several million dollars. Even Boras cannot spin a plus 5 ERA into gold.
Scott Boras might be a hard ass as a negotiator, but Urias isn’t giving him a ton to work with this off-season. His ERA is now over 5.00. I think we were speculating before this season he could get a 10/300 …maybe. Performances like today are gonna cost him literally tens of millions of dollars in potential future earnings. He’s lost a tick or two off his fastball from a couple of years ago, too.
1. I think we are going to live with Muncy for the rest of this year. Though I share the frustration with some on this sight. He has had 732 at bats since the elbow injury and has 231 strikeouts. His average during this time is .193. Though his OPS is fine, that is just one data point. I believe in analytics as a tool but Muncy has either walked or struck out in 371 at bats since start of 2022. That is a ton of at bats with no contact. Walks and singles are treated the same in OPS. But walks do not drive in runners from second or third. I agree with Phil on his frustration with Muncy. Furthermore, when Max gets hot he does not carry a team for a month. His hot streaks are a matter of a few games unlike Martinez, Freeman, Smith, or Betts.
He is still a better option than anyone else we have and it is clear the Dodgers value his upside, work habits, and his presence in the clubhouse. (And he just homered to cut it to 7-5.)
2. Keeping Turner and Bellinger at 30 million or so would likely mean either Outman/Heyward and Martinez would not be on this team. I would take Outman and Martinez at 12 million combined over Turner and Bellinger. And if my memory is correct, the Dodgers did offer Bellinger a year at 17 million.
3. Encouraged by Stone’s start last night. El Paso is a hitter’s dream and he fared pretty well – especially his 6 strikeouts and just a walk. Seems to have turned a corner.
4. Great to see Vargas go back to AAA and respond so quickly. Been on base 9 of his last 10 ABs with five hits and four walks. Seems like LA is still going to add a right handed bat but I suspect Vargas will be back once the trade deadline passes and things become clearer.
5. Urias’ inconsistency continues. During this stretch the Dodgers need him to pitch like an ace. With Gonsolin’s durability and velocity raising concerns and three rookies behind him they need one guy in the rotation they can count on for length and effectiveness. Why they are going to need another starter even if Kershaw is back soon and effective.
Bear’s been nice to me ever since he became my part time season ticket holder partner.
Ok so now 2 hits since break for Max
The O’s Jorge Mateo is a guy I wanted the Dodgers to consider over the offseason.
Kind of the new Andrelton Simmons–great glove, bad bat–but with blazing speed. Super exciting. I thought the O’s might be willing to deal him with top prospect Gunnar Henderson taking over SS.
The O’s have many other top infield prospects, and so I hope Mateo stays on their radar. Like Rojas, he’d be glove-first SS but a threat to steal every time he gets on base. He’d win games with his glove, arm and legs.
And Outman just hit it out, man.
So lucky!
On a positive note, Muncy has had 2 nice at bats today
And PLEASE. don’t say except for 1st inning Urias pitched a good game.
Julio’s back on vacation!
“Quit trying to trade away Michael Busch or Diego Cartaya!”
So declareth the Book of Moron.
Why not trade them to fill more pressing needs? How are they going to help the Dodgers win the championships this year and in the near future?
Busch may have a lovely swing, and he crushes Triple A pitching, but he still is a player without a position. He gamely filled in at 3B when Max was hurt, but he still doesn’t have the arm for it. Game, but mediocre at best. We were told he could play LF, but I don’t recall even seeing him out there. He played 1B in college, but Freddie’s got that locked down.
Except for DH, Busch’s best position, allegedly, is 2B–but now it looks like that could be and should be Mookie’s for years to come. And if Mookie actually shifts to SS, then 2B would go to Lux. Or Vargas. Despite his struggles, it still seems that the Dodgers’ brass has more faith in Vargas than Busch.
Wait a sec…. Is Mark saying the Dodgers should keep Busch but deal Miguelito?
Say it ain’t so!
With all respect, what’s the point of hanging on to Busch while his value diminishes as an aging minor leaguer? Why not flip him (or Vargas) in a deal for a front-line pitcher or a strong righty bat like Lane Thomas? Busch would probably welcome the opportunity to play for a team that could use a slugging 2B.
As for Diego, he is still ranked as the Dodgers’ prospect Numero Uno despite his recent struggles. That was the same status Keibert held when AF packaged him with Josiah Gray (and two lower level prospects) for Scherzer and Trea. Did anyone here disapprove of that deal?
Diego could bring a nice return, and he is expendable because (a) Will Smith should be the Dodgers starting catcher for the next 5-7 years and (b) Dalton Rushing might actually be a better catching prospect than Diego. Many rival GMs might prefer Rushing. (And behind Rushing are younger catching prospects earning raves.) Certainly Rushing is hitting better than Cartaya now–and that’s why I hope Rushing gets training at 3B. (He should be blocked at C and 1B.) .
Obviously, any deal should be judged on the return. But it’s foolish to think of Cartaya and Busch as “untouchable.”
* I didn’t realize Ohtani lives in Seattle in the off-season. The Mariners have a big Asian presence in the Northwest and a solid history with Asian players and not just Ichiro. I wouldn’t count them out and they have some $ for an extension. It’s going to take it all.
* I really enjoyed listening to The Orioles broadcast team yesterday. I like to do that as a combio. I really like Ben McDonald. He’s easy to listen to and provides great insight. He was a great pitcher and knows his business. He’s great on the CWS and the Orioles games.
* He mentioned that the Dodger starting line-up had 12 silver sluggers and 13 gold gloves out on the field. And folks are lobbying for all kinds replacements at the deadline. I’m with Mark. This is turning into a pretty nice team.
* Grove got competitive in the bottom 2, by finding his cutter. He was throwing it like 3% for the season and last night he went to it a lot (23%) and it was his salvation.
Nice find by Will Smith.
* Rojas’ actions on routine ground balls is somewhat unusual and very effective. He doesn’t gracefully flow to the routine ball like the acrobats. He has great feet but sits on the routine ball just a little, and has an unusual transfer. He snatches the ball from his glove and sprikes his arm up into a throwing position very quickly. He “Gets it out, gets it up and gets it in the air”. It looks funny, but it works great.
* Muncy pulls the ball practically every time. After Will’s double 3 inches from going out of the yard, Max hits the first pitch off hits knuckles for a broken bat in roller to third for an easily out. Just a terrible unproductive at bat.
* I plan on continuing to moan and groan about Max in the 3 or 4-hole. He finally lucked into his 1st RBI since the break on a poor play by the first baseman. Now he’s 1 for 20 with 8 K’s and an RBI, since the break.
* I appreciate the braintrust showing confidence and respect to veteran players, like Max. It’s showing confidence and respect in the fact that he still plays every day and not benched or platooned. I hope he breaks out as well, while hitting in the 8-hole. Call him the 2nd clean-up hitter.
Got hand it to the Giants, who keep overachieving while the Pads keep underachieving. Farhan has done a great job–and that includes backing out of the Correa deal. Correa has been pretty bad for the Twins.
Could the Giants land Ohtani? Would Moreno choose SF over other offers just to stick it to the Dodgers, as Eric Karros suggests? He could, but the smarter business move would be to take the best offer–and Giants’ farm system is pretty weak. …
Too bad about Marisnick. He was hoping to be that righty bat the Dodgers needed, but now at the worst possible time he can’t prove his worth. So DeLuca gets another chance. AF, I suspect, will pivot to a veteran at a low cost for the stretch run.
But the priority is still pitching.
Hey, how about Busch + ?? for Giolito + Joe Kelly? That would be fun.
Are the Dodgers using the cutter as their new “sweeper”?
I read that Grove has started using one, and it’s also the pitch that Brasier credits for his recent success.
Anyone read or hear anything on this?
I also am quite confident Moreno will NOT send Ohtani to the Dodgers unless we pay 3x what SF or someone else will pay.
Agree with Jorge above that if the Giants are good, it’ll make for a fun next 2-3 months, just like 2021. And if they get Shohei?? Bring it! It’ll be even more fun.
Perfect world scenario: 1) SF guts their crappy farm to get Ohtani, 2) SF fails to make the playoffs or they do make it but we beat them again in the playoffs (my personal wish), and then 3) Ohtani leaves SF and signs with LA.
Come on. Barnes and Muncy would be a dynamic bottom of the order duo! It would ensure any homers Mookie hits would be solo’s. Come to think of it, last time Muncy hit third, he had a pretty good game. Robert’s might be on to something! I think Mann and Busch and a few young arms will be gone at the deadline. And a catcher
You guys got your wish – Max is not batting 4th!
Tuesday scores
Oklahoma City 7, El Paso 6
NW Arkansas 5, Tulsa 2
Lansing 2, Great Lakes 0
Lake Elsinore 9, Rancho Cucamonga 8 (10 innings)
Wednesday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Kendall Williams) at Lansing (Joelvis Del Rosario)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Landon Knack) vs. El Paso (Pedro Avila)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Ben Casparius) at NW Arkansas (Andrew Hoffmann)
6:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Chris Campos) at Lake Elsinore (Jose Reyes)
1:05 PM ET EARLY GAME
Dodgers (55-39)
Orioles (57-37)
SPJulio Urias L
7-5 4.35 ERA
SP Dean Kremer R (former Dodger in the Manny Machado trade)
10-4 4.59 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
3B Max Muncy L
DH Will Smith R
LF D. Peralta L
RF J. Heyward L
CF James Outman L
SS Miguel Rojas R
C A. Barnes R
The Angels should definitely unload Ohtani at the trade deadline, but the Dodgers shouldn’t decimate the farm system to acquire him. Perhaps the Giants will, if he, indeed becomes available.
The Dodgers can simply acquire him next winter, which will only cost them money and a lot of it.
They continue to be linked to Ohtani (they tried to sign him out of high school) and again when he became available to MLB teams, but they didn’t have the DH so he signed with the Angels.
It’s been reported by numerous sources, the Dodgers really want Ohtani, who will generate a lot of money through marketing and sponsorships for whichever team ends up signing him.
Still, the Dodgers have needs and anyone who thinks they will stand pat at the deadline doesn’t understand the situation. They could definitely use a starting pitcher and a right hand bat wouldn’t hurt.
Even if Artie Moreno decides to put his star on the trade market, it is doubtful he would send him to the Dodgers, no matter the return. Maybe the Giants or Yankees or the Mariners. But not the Dodgers.
Lucas Giolito might be a nice pick up. No one should be counting on Walker Buehler to return and anchor the post season run. Although he’s throwing 94, he’s still coming off a major injury.
Although the Dodgers are scoring lots of runs, Max Muncy is still a major problem. Hitting a pathetic .187 and piling up strikeouts with runners on. Yes, he’s hit 21 homers, but the Dodgers need more contact. Okay, Nolan Arenado isn’t available or is he? But a right handed third baseman might be a possible move.
Although second guessing is part of baseball, even Andrew Friedman and company no doubt, wonder if they made the right move here or there, the Dodgers could have kept Justin Turner (second or third) and held onto Cody Bellinger. That was a choice and they made the wrong call on both. Still, you have to give them credit with JD Martinez and the previous season with Anderson. Thor was a total failure. It’s not easy making tough decisions. Good thing the Dodgers have a strong farm system with some good young pitchers.
Interesting that Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser both noted the recent draft by the Dodgers focused on contact hitters, saying strikeouts are no longer in vogue.
First off, I would like to apologize to all of you for my gruff attitude the last several days. We are in the midst of a Reac inspection for HUD certification in my building. It is a giant pain in the ass we need to go through every couple of years. It helps us keep the certification, without which, we could not afford to live here. So, I apologize to all I might have offended. Now to baseball. Last night was an enjoyable game. Always is when the Dodger offense is hitting on all cylinders. The O’s defense last night was pretty porous. Which highlights the need for good defensive players despite some here thinking otherwise. If your offensive WAR is great, and your defensive WAR sucks, you might be a DH. Max Muncy is just painful to watch. Last night he was abysmal. The only reason he got on base at all was Mookie beating the throw home. Max has sunk below .190. I personally think he needs to sit a few days. But I am not running the team. I wonder who they recall when JM hits the IL later today. JM is Marisnick. DeLuca or Vargas???????
On ESPN they have a few trade scenarios for Ohtani . Among them the Dodgers.
Package of Stone, Pepiot, Nastrini, Rushing , Sheehan plus dePaula. Insane.
I hope the Dodgers are smarter than that.
Let someone else sell the farm for a possible two month rental.
Wilman Diaz promoted to RC and went 3-5 with a sb in his first game there.Played 2b and made an error.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And speaking of Ohtani and the Angels, Moniak, the former #1 pick who the Phillies gave up on, is tearing it up. Good for him. And it’s going to be interesting what happens with Bellinger at the deadline. Got to believe the Cubs are going to deal him. I thought the Yankees would make a play for him but they are in free fall.
As for Muncy, of course it matters where you hit. Hitting behind Betts, Freeman and Smith, there’s going to be way more opportunity with RISP. How much longer do we have to see Max pop up, roll over on a ground ball to first and strike out in crucial AB’s? I love Muncy and I thought he would have a huge year this year, but outside of a 3week hot streak he’s been abysmal! At least for now, he has to drop to the bottom of the lineup. And Mark do you ride with Muncy to the bitter end even if he continues to crater out? When do you call uncle? And good on Vargas. Shows a lot of character.
I personally hope Ohtani gets traded to SD, so they dry out their farms.
And maybe I’m the only one, but I like that SF is playing well, that rivalry is necessary, it is a true rivalry, and not the one that the clown assholes proclaimed themselves. Ohtani is a great player, but no matter how good he is, a single player does not make a team champion.
I believe that LA, in case of making a trade, it will be for pitching and perhaps a hitter for the bench