Maybe now Dodger fans can put their brains back into their heads and think logically… or is that too much to ask? Two wins in one day!
Some good things happened during the games, including the Dodgers coming from behind to win Game 1 and Gavin Stone’s Gem in Game 2 where he became the 13th pitcher in MLB to go seven scoreless innings while striking out 7 and walking zero. Finally, Andy Pages got some hits.
Miguel Vargas hit his first home run of the year.
I have said that Miggy is a guy who can hit .300 and also hit 30 HR (not every year, but he has that potential). They better start him again today!
I loved what Daniel Hudson did in shushing the crowd. He has the guts of a cat burglar!
Alex Vesia is a Lockdown Reliever and many of you wanted him gone! HA! That’s why you do what you do (run your mouth) and AF runs the team!
Here’s part of the reason Kike is on the team:
Now, let’s get Miggy some at-bats.
Everyone is saying that they wouldn’t have won without CT3’s bunt, but it was the error that made it successful. Bunting seldom works. We just remember the ones that were successful. It’s selective amnesia!
James Outman is OPSing over 1.000 at OKC, but his underlying stats are alarmingly Joey Gallo-esque: 11 strikeouts in 22 AB’s. That is really troubling! He won’t see the light of an MLB day as long as that continues.
Discussion (27)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Here is a list that Newsweek put out this week of the best players at each position THEY believe will be traded. C Elias Diaz, Rockies. Hitting .299, 33 years old and a free agent on the worst team in baseball. 1B Pete Alonso Mets, another rental player. Not having his best year, but a power threat for a contender. 2B. Luis Rengifo: Angels Hitting .343, solid defender. Has one more year of control. If LA decided it needed a 2B, he would be a great fit, but would Moreno trade with LA? SS, Bo Bichette: Blue Jays. Not hitting at his normal level yet, but with the Jays struggling, they MIGHT go into rebuild mode. Has one year of control left. 3B: Alex Bregman: Astros. Bregman is another rental player. Having a down year across the board but would bring a nice return to the Stros. The only outfielder listed is Tommy Pham. White Sox. Cheap contract, playing very well on a really bad team. Obvious trade fodder. SP: Tyler Anderson: Angels. Having a good rebound year on a bad team. ERA under 2.50. Might be better pitchers available, but he will most likely get traded. RP: Tanner Scott: Marlins. He is one pitcher I think the Dodgers should target. High K rate and a lefty to boot.
Gallen of Arizona out with hamstring issue after 6 pitches tonight.
Todays rumors I just read Bear and Mark the top five guys that the Dodgers are looking at too improve there team.
1. Randy Arozaran LF Tampa Bay
2. Tyler Oneal. Rf or LF Boston
3 CJ Adam’s and Lane Thomas that would be SS and RF
4. Connor Joe Rf Cf Pirates and used to be a Dodgers
5. Bryan Delecruz CF Lf Miami
Oh and of course Maaon Miller and your favorite old reliever and good Dodgers Jansen from the Red Sox see both O’Neil and Janesn will be free agents so they would take who ever the dodgers would give them. So you think I didn’t do my research in this if they got Jansen Oneal CJ Adam’s and Lane Thomas bam problem solved better hitters then what we have now in 7,8,,9 slot. A outfield of Oneal Thomas and Teo Heennandez yeah I would take that in the playoffs.
Hudson former Dodger reliever just gave up 2 homers to the Cubs. 4-4 tied in ninth.
Jorge Lopez looked like he has some nasty stuff. Mb attitude is slowing him.
Wednesday scores
Oklahoma City 6, Albuquerque 1
Tulsa 6, Northwest Arkansas 5 (10 innings)
West Michigan 2, Great Lakes 0
Lake Elsinore 5, Rancho Cucamonga 4 (10 innings)
Thursday schedule
3:35 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jackson Ferris) at West Michigan (Dylan Smith)
5 p.m.: Tulsa (Justin Wrobleski) vs. Northwest Arkansas (William Fleming)
5:35 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Cam Day) at Lake Elsinore (Sam Whiting)
6:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Landon Knack) at Albuquerque (Tyler Danish)
Mets To Designate Jorge Lopez For Assignment
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/05/mets-to-designate-jorge-lopez-for-assignment.html
AF should sign him!
While I remain bullish on Mason Miller–he looks like the best closer talent in years, perhaps ever, and came up last season as a starter–I’m really not that worried about the bullpen. The Dodgers should handily reach the playoffs with the bullpen resources that they already have.
The Dodgers have tremendous pitching depth, including several guys in the minors who would make the rosters of other ML teams. This includes both relievers like Vanasco and starters like Knack. If Kershaw comes back, Gavin Stone could be moved to the pen. Dustin May is expected after the all-star break, and it’s probably better to ease him back as a reliever. If the Dodgers decide they really need another lefty, perhaps they can trade for Tanner Scott, or perhaps Wrobleski could be promoted and moved to the pen. And it always seems the Dodgers find a tarnished gem that could be polished. Last season, it was Brasier; this season, maybe Banda.
How deep is the pitching? Consider: Michael Grove has been a stalwart in the pen this season, pitching in 22 games. That is second to Vesia’s 23 appearances and just ahead of Hudson’s 21. He’s pitched a lot better than his 5.40 ERA suggests; a couple of bad outings can do a lot of damage to a reliever’s ERA.
Anyway, Grove has been a go-to guy this season–but it’s hard to imagine him being one of the 13 pitchers on the playoff roster, unless the staff is really ravaged by injuries. Righties who might wind up in the pen for the playoffs: Phillips, Treinen, Graterol, Kelly, Brasier, Stone, Knack, Bobby Miller, Buhler, May, Hurt….
Yes, some of these guys are injured–but most should return. Miller and/or Buhler and/or Stone could end up starting.
As for lefties, Vesia has been terrific and Paxton could shift to the pen. Yarbrough has been fine but he could be squeezed out, especially if the Dodgers add Tanner Scott or ???.
Those two hits Heyward got today kicked his average up to .225. Watch out for J-Hey. The man has skills, and when he gets a little more playing time, he is going to be a force. Both of those balls were scorched.
Mets are a mess.
Vargas now showing he can provide a spark at the bottom of line-up.
Uh-oh ..time to sit him again for awhile. 🙂
Big for Vargas right there! Bottom four did some damage today. Keep it rolling!
Miguel Vargas needs the aggressiveness of Andy Pagés and Andy Pagés needs the patience of Miguel Vargas
Dodgers will get Bichette and Arozrana from the Ray’s watch thats why they will play Vargas some more then use him as trade bait.
That’s messed up; Vargas battles back after down 0-2, fouls off a few, takes a few (good eye), works the count full and gets rung up on a pitch that was a ball out of hand, in the air, across the plate, in catchers glove, etc. I’ve heard/read Bear say it: bring on the roboumps—not sure if I’m there yet but the past few games have been shyt, for both Mets and Dodgers. It almost coincides with the Angel Hernandez news, like his boys are showing solidarity by being equally inept…
Quick hits:
-An assessment on the Dodgers still seems like a futile exercise; too many moving pieces; pitching staff still unset despite some solid contributions; unbalanced lineup. This is not the team the Dodgers are going to the playoffs with; the core, yes of course, but I can’t see Friedman and his boys standing still before the deadline….
-with all due respect to pugilist Marco Antonio Barrera and Stephen Curry, a new Baby Faced Assassin is on the scene and it just may be Gavin Stone. After some serious growing pains last year, this season he’s shown a steely demeanor with that stone cold disposition, pun TOTALLY intended. Whether he’s having a rough start or mowing down hitters, Stone has the ability to stay even keel and move on to the next batter; Bobby Miller, and maybe Sheehan a little too— take notes….
@Bear
-It’s been a month or so but wanted to thank you for answering my oldest Dodger alive question after the death of Mr. Erskine. I realized after asking that the answer probably needed some research so I appreciate it…and the rabbit hole I found myself in by then reading a bit on Tommy Brown, Fred Kipp, Jim Gentile and Bob Aspromonte. Thanks again…
-and yeah, that George/Tammy miniseries has been in queue for me for too long, I need to watch it. I love Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon is always solid. I’m still relatively new to country and I’m still learning, but something about George Jones makes me keep looking up his catalog. I read somewhere that in the 70s someone asked Sinatra who’s the best singer in America, and he said after himself, The Possum was the best …
Cheers….
Looks like we have another angel Hernandez umpire today
Vargas wuz robbed!
That was a nice at bat by Vargas, and the idiot called him out on a pitch that was high
Baseball is updating Josh Gibson’s career records, and he is now the all-time leader in career BA, slugging, and OPS. He also is now the single season leader with a .466-mark, highest slug, and OPS. Gibson was considered one of the greatest hitters ever, and he displaces several baseball legends with those stats. Ty Cobb, Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth. He is rumored to have hit over 800 homers in his career, but that mark cannot be verified.
05/29/24 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned LHP Nick Ramirez to Oklahoma City Baseball Club.
Wednesday schedule
8 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Chris Campos) at West Michigan (Jaden Hamm)
5 p.m.: Tulsa (Jared Karros) vs. Northwest Arkansas (Luinder Avila)
5:35 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Payton Martin) at Lake Elsinore (Jose Luis Reyes)
6:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (TBA) at Albuquerque (Tanner Gordon)
Mookie at 2b today and Rojas at ss ?
Why flip them again ?
go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!
4:10 PM ET
Dodgers (35-22)
Mets (22-32)
SP James Paxton L
5-0 3.49 ERA
SP David Peterson L
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
2B Mookie Betts R
DH S. Ohtani L
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
RF T. Hernandez R
CF Andy Pages R
3B E. Hernandez R
SS Miguel Rojas R
LF M. Vargas R
77° Wind 7 mph Ou
I’m probably wrong but a thought, Taylor is playing more to show case him and see if anyone would want to trade bad contracts or put Taylor with a prospect. Seems they have him playing all over the field. Just a thought.
Great pitching already knew that. When healthy our pitching staff measures up. The wins yesterday were great. Every Dodger fan loves that. A bit of situational hitting in which a bunt was used by Taylor. He only bunted because he would probably strike out if he hadn’t. Which brings me to the real problem.
All us people who go crazy when we lose one so now we win 2 and we r happy. I submit it is not about 1 loss or even a losing streak it is about this roster construction. On any given day we have 4 outs in the lineup and mostly cannot put the bat on the ball. 2 wins does not change that. The change on offense has to come from 7,8,9.
The Dodgers are committed to teo ( not platooning a guy making 23 million) and Muncy, and of course Ohtani. They are going to strikeout. But u can’t have the rest striking out. Taylor is now a defensive player, baserunner, bunter but does not fit the roster we have. Kike can’t hit righties can play d. One of those have to go. Put Vargas in the lineup n c if he can put it in play. Platoon Kiké, Taylor, Heyward in cf if they are on the roster. Rojas can b infield sub. Go get a quality hitter who can put it in play.
whether it was a good bunt or bad bunt, i thought it was the play of the game!! without it they lose. But prior to that same ole Taylor!! It’s a shame because of how valuable he is defensively. We say Barnes is so important calling a game, but Chris can play anywhere and play excellent defense! Shame his bat didn’t stick around with his defense!! …. Paxton has a chance to pick up his 6th win today. So far won – loss record his great! Just need more consistency! ….. The starting pitching and bullpen will be healthy and strong very soon! Just need more offense!….. Mark, haven’t seen , but why did Vargas come out after the homer?
Brilliant pitching. Bats still pretty quiet. 5 runs in 18 regulation innings. We could have lost both games if not for our staff. Let’s get on another 5 run per game stretch. Vargas and Pages have to play every day and see what we have. I’d platoon Heyward and Teoscar in right for time being. T is lost against RH slider
It is not about bunting per se. It is situational smallball that many of us want to see the Dodgers use more. Yesterday was a prime example when to use it. It was the absolute correct decision to have CT3 bunt in that situation. If Heyward would be able to bunt (somewhere they said his last bunt was 2018) he should have laid down a bunt right after CT3 when there were still 1st and 2nd with no out. Sure you do not have Shoei or Will or Muncy bunt in that same situation but CT3, Barnes or Kike ? Sure, 100 percent sure.
On the internet there are some articles that rate the success rate of a bunt anywhere between 40-60 percent, considering situation, pitcher and hitter. So no, you are not right, that a bunt seldomly works. Correct answer: It depends.
Good to see Vargas get that dinger. Now lets write him in the lineup card today too, Doc.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!