We Will Never Mention This Again…

Trevor Bauer: We shall never speak of this again… well, at least not much or not very soon. The appeal process will begin and there will be a lot of machinations and posturing and misinformation. In fact, once the suspension was announced, I stopped believing anything. The MLB PR Machine has cranked up. We hear there may be a third accuser. Was there really a second accuser? You are free to do whatever you want, but I will not believe one thing the media or a blog says UNLESS I HEAR IT WITH MY OWN EARS. The misinformation mongers are out in full force at the behest of Rob Manfred and MLB. This is where the disinformation really starts. I can’t believe either side right about now.

There will be an appeal – we will see where that takes us, but after that, it is more likely that we see a lawsuit by Bauer served upon Manfred and MLB… if he loses. This is not going away easy or quick. It is likely to get really ugly. Then, there is the possibility that someone gets paid to say that “Yes, Bauer did that to me too.” Yes, that could be true. It could also be a lie. They do stuff like that in politics all the time. There’s a trial starting in a couple of weeks that may lay bare that kind of lying. Stay tuned… now quit talking about it! 😉 There is probably a lot we don’t know… and we don’t know if what we don’t know is even true. This has the potential of being the biggest debacle in MLB History! Thank you, Rob Manfred! Criminal Defense Attorney Sara Azari explains the problem with what Manfred just did. I will predict (without all the info) that MLB and Manfred will lose and be disgraced! Watch and Learn.

I for one, am sick of it, but it ain’t going away. I never cease to be amazed how with some people, as soon as they swear an oath, the truth stops! At any rate, at this juncture, we know what the Dodgers rotation is made up of and there is no Trevor Bauer on the horizon. Buehler, Urias, Kershaw, Gonsolin, Anderson, then Heaney, maybe May (in August), Pepiot, Miller, or Knack (the last three being long-shots, except Pepiot. The Dodgers are #1 in starter ERA and just .03 behind the Tigers in Bullpen ERA. The Dodgers are a half run a game ahead of the Mets in Team ERA at 2.14 – they have a 0.97 WHIP and the league is hitting .186 against the Dodgers. Heaney should be back, but Tyler Anderson has a 2.55 ERA. All of the Dodger starting pitchers have an ERA of 2.65 or below. Right about now, I am pretty happy with the Dodgrs starters and Anderson and Gonsolin have the promise of getting even better.

Tony Gonsolin throws too many pitches. That we know. He knows it too. Julio Urias used to nibble and throw too many pitches as well… until he didn’t. It takes time nd repetition. We have seen flashes of what Tony Catman can do… just give him time. I mean, my God, he has a 1.59 ERA. His WHIP is only 1.18, so lopping of a walk here and a walk there fixes the problem. Patience.

I am not saying that Ryan Pepiot is ready for the rotation, but last night, he went 6 innings at OKC. Here was his line:

• 6 IP
• 6 H
• 2 ER
• 2 BB
• 7 K’s
• ERA is 1.66

Maybe he is not ready to start, but he is ready to pitch out of the bullpen. That said, he will stay as a starter in OKC unless they need him if disaster strikes. If he can morph one of his breaking pitches into a weapon, then he will be a starter. If not, he will be an outstanding reliever. Speaking of outstanding relievers, should we not call the Dodger Bullpen, “The Nasty Boys?” I think it is appropriate as all their stuff is “NASTY!”

Minor League Notes & Notables

• Omar Estevez is struggling mightily with the bat at OKC (.108 BA). He might be someone the Dodgers work into coaching or a teaching position, but the door is closing on a MLB Career, absent a miracle.
• Justin Hagenman is unscored upon in 4 innings at AAA, with 6 K’s. He is a worthy arm, but there are lots of pitchers ahead of him.
• John Rooney, Mark Washington, Nate Robertson, and Austin Drury combined for a 2-hit shutout at Tulsa last night.
• Great Lakes improved their record to 9-10 last night as Eddys Leonard continues to heat up (2-5).
• Diego Cartaya (.167) got a double last night at Rancho Cucamonga. So far his hits have been few and far between. Jose Ramos continue his torrid hitting (.328/5 HR/1.103 OPS)