It’s easy to blame the Dodger woes on pitching… particularly “the Bullpen” and for most of the season and especially, the past 5 days, they have been the Dodger fans’ whipping boys. As much as we may want to blame the Dodger woes on the bullpen, we really can’t. That’s not the problem. Oh, it could be better, but that is simply not what is wrong with this team.
The Dodgers are ranked 10th in the NL out of 15 teams in Batting Average. Interestingly, the Diamondbacks are 12th. Of course, we all know that the Dodgers are #1 in Home Runs. They are 3rd in runs scored and in fact, they average 4.65 runs a game. The Cubs average 4.91 a game while the Braves score 4.90 runs a game. Only two teams in the NL average more runs a game than the Dodgers… and it ain’t by much.
“See, it’s the &%^#@*& pitching” – No it’s not. The Dodgers are #1 in team ERA in the NL with a 3.52 ERA – now the starters are are #1 with 3.27 ERA , while the bullpen is not as good with a 3.96 ERA – they fall in the middle of the pack (#8 out of 15).
The Dodgers average 4.65 Runs a game and give up 3.52 runs a game. They outscore their competition by 1.13 runs a game! Let’s compare that to the other NL teams b looking at their run differential:
- #1 – Atlanta Braves (67-51) Run Differential +94
- #2 – LA Dodgers (64-57) Run Differential +92
- #3 – Chicago Cubs (69-50) Run Differential +90
- #4 – Arizona Diamondbacks (66-55) Run Differential +72
To add insult to injury, the Giants Run Differential is -33 and the Rockies is -13. The Seattle Mariners are 18 games over .500 and have a run differential of -22! What does this all mean?
I won’t sugarcoat it. There’s no dancing around it. The Dodgers offense is TOP 3 in the NL, but with RISP, they are ranked #14 out of 15 teams. Only the Mets are worse! That’s all you need to know.
Translation: The 2018 Dodgers are a bunch of Choke Artists who cannot deliver in the clutch. They need to look in the mirror and say; “I am a choke artist. I suck in the clutch. I cannot get a hit when it counts. I am not worthy to be a Dodger, but if the Big Dodger in the Sky will help me get my act together, I promise to renounce my choke artistry!”
Dodger Hitters: Just shut up and hit… or go home. Choke Artists!
Discussion (61)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I have no objection. Puig started the physical altercation (with 2 shoves and a love slap). Huntley may have started it with his mouth, but you should not get suspended for trash talking. Puig has to get thicker skin.
Puig – 2 games
Hundley – $$
It sickens me to say this, but the Dodgers could learn a great deal from the Giants about putting the ball in play late in the game in order to put pressure on the defense, force miscues, and create scoring opportunities. Check out hitters Freeman and the Reds 1st baseman, sorry but can’t recall his name. Hitting late in the game with runners in scoring position is about sacrificing your personal statistics for the good of the team but analytics don’t generally account for this when future paydays are considered.
Dozier Verdugo or toles at the top of this lineup will set the table.
I think it’s a no-brainer sign Dozier not Macahdo, and keep Kershaw two Bullpen pieces that is my Christmas wish
As long as were talking new mgr. and pitching coach, I’ll go with Adrian and Beckett… Life time supply of tums for MT..
%$#@*&!$#^**(
Let’s hope this kick starts the hitters.
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Pitching dona Sterling job.
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Dozier is a keeper.
Keep Dozier until Lux is ready to take his place.
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I hope Kemp has ended his slump but a couple of hits doesn’t mean he has.
Easy win
Anyone else hold their breath on throws to Muncy? I keep expecting him to whiff in one of those rockets from Machado.
BREATHTAKING!
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It’s only the 9th inning and he had already run out of position players.
And why hit Maeda? Now he can’t use him to pitch. Down to 2 pitchers in the ‘pen after El Gasolino comes in.
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2 for 14 RISP; 15 LOB.
You can almost set your watch by it.
When the Dodgers went up 1 -0 and Ryu came out, I thought that the Giants had them right where they wanted them.
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It looks like a different reliever will blow tonight’g game – 2 on against Caleb.
Called it.
So is Kemp!
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Let’s get busy!
Manny is ready!
It sure looks like he feels a lot more comfortable batting 3rd.
Both Puig and Pederson have taken a lot of digs from this site but both are shining tonight. I said Ryu would do an XLNT job so I’m gonna gloat a little. now some killer instinct would be sweet.. C’mon Dodgers!
I am so over the righty lefty matchups. I am positive most of us on this blog played competitive sports at sometime in our lives. And I am guessing to a man that we all know that when you are in a zone, which may go for a 6 to 10 game stretch, it doesn’t matter who is on the mound, righty or lefty, you are on friggin fire, the ball seems like a basketball coming your way. I can’t believe how much we sit guys, just because of the matchups, who are on fire. Joc is a great example. Kid was on fire,yet he hasn’t played in 4 games. his next start will be cold, not hot. He isn’t the only one. Ride the hot horses into the barn Doc, come on! The way the lineups are coming out, you really wonder how heavily FAZ weighs into the daily lineup.
I agree with a lot of that, except for Joc: He simply cannot hit LHP.
He did in the minors and he has changed as a hitter. Time to take another look.
Run differential is, in my opinion, not a good measure of offensive success. It can mean that they score a bunch in a blowout and then loose several by one run and still have a good run differential. For instance, they can win a 10-0 blowout and then loose the next 9 by one run, and still have a positive run differential. RD is not the true measure of a good hitting or a clutch hitting team.
How likely is that?
It is just an illustration that shows RD is not a good measure of a good offensive team. If a team wins games by a large margin and loses games by a close score, it can have a losing record but a good RD.
Run differential is, in my opinion, not a good measure of offensive success. It can mean that they score a bunch in a blowout and then loose several by one run and still have a good run differential. For instance, they can win a 10-0 blowout and then loose the next 9 by one run, and still have a positive run differential. RD is not the true measure of a good hitting or a clutch hitting team.
Roberts is digging his own grave. He was a mediocre player and he is a mediocre manager.
Some (most) of Dave’s lineup and in game decision making throughout the year are just breathtakingly stupid.
I really think he would benefit from watching the game on tv in the clubhouse… if that was allowed.
Orel is slamming Doc as he homerishly can do.
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Translation: Roberts is a dumbass!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! You pinch hit for Kike who is on fire tonight just for the lefty righty matchup!?!? This is part of our problem. Way too many match ups instead of the gut test. Damn…Ride your man when he’s hot!
He has absolutely no feel for this game anymore. And he gave CT3 the green light with a 3-0 count… after he struck out the previous 6 times… just astonishing.
No way I let Taylor swing 3-0 but I’m not getting too upset about pinch hitting for a .217 hitter with a hot hitter.
Dear Dave Roberts,
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You sir, are a dumbass!
4 guys on base in the 5th – no runs to show for it. 1 for 9 with RISP after 5.
Don’t disrespect The Matt!
Bull Dozier!
I like this guy. I’d like to see him in Blue for 3 more years.
They can’t hit. Derek Holland is Cy Young, but so is everyone who pitches against the Dodgers.
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CHOKE ARTISTS
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Who be hatin’ on Ryu?
Come on guys, pick your damn pitcher up!
Dang, Ryu is dealing. How about some damn offense!!
Going all righties again. Stupid! Just makes it easier on the pitcher. It’s not Strat-o-matic. It’s real baseball. Stupid to sit Bellinger.
I know that we all say the same five things in different ways over and over again throughout the year.
But since this is primarily a cathartic exercise… I’ll happily say this again.
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Why is it that Verdugo, Toles, and Farmer get one or two chances to get it right while players like CT, Kike, Barnes, Baez, and Joc seem to get an infinite amount of chances?
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I personally like all the players mentioned (except for Baez) but have found it just utterly confounding.
Especially because I feel (like many of you on here) that the first three players mentioned… especially Verdugo and Toles… are exactly the type of (contact) hitters the team desperately needs right now.
2 innings, 0 for 4 with RISP. Rinse, wash, repeat.
Urias – 2nd inning. Did not finish the inning. 1 K, 1 HB, 2 R HR
R Turner D2?
CT 0 for 3!!! See what I did there
CTK–see what I did?
Urias – 1st Inning 17 Pitches 9 Strikes, 1 Hit, 0 BB, 1 K
Some here point out why the Dodgers are not a 110 win team. I agree with everything they say.
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For myself, I think the Dodgers will be fine, meaning I think they will get to the playoffs.
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I know that Machado started slowly with the Dodgers but I can see that for a couple of games he is hitting the ball harder. He is good and had a huge first half. It isn’t hard to believe that he will get as hot as Turner unless someone just doesn’t want to believe it.
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I said that Kemp, Muncy, and Taylor should be benched. By saying that, it should be obvious that I would be happy with 90 wins. A great team doesn’t typically bench players that have lots of at bats.
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MJ says I don’t care about the Dodgers, that instead, I only care about a couple of players. I have been rooting for the Dodgers since 1955. Players have come and gone and I have had favorites that I have pulled hard for. It started with Duke Snider and it has included others including Wills, Cey, Russel, Mota, Loney, Sweet Lou, Drysdale, and Pederson to just mention a few.
Is this the Jeter era? Did Donnie Baseball order the hit? One of the budding stars in the game drilled in the elbow by a 97 MPH fastball on the games 1st pitch.
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https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/ronald-acuna-jr-hit-by-pitch-leading-off-game/c-290497832
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I am a bit worried with Puig in the lineup tonight (pending the inevitable suspension) that they throw at him or at least come inside and try to rile him up. Maybe that’s what the team needs but I don’t like basebrawls. I would have sat him tonight, hope he proves me wrong.
A good brawl may be just what this team needs!
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Hundley was trying to incite Puig – let them try again.
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They can bring Clayton in from the pen for one pitch to drill Posey then. Clayton will do it!
Taylor, Kike, Barnes y Kemp in line up?? Roberts make the line up which more opportunities to LOOSE
it is acceptable that THE BATTERS HAVE FAILED BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT IN THESE FIVE PARTIES LOST IN THREE THE BATTERS HAVE GOT THE TEAM FORWARD AND THE BULLPEN HAS LOST IT
And just search for HR thats the problem
The Home run had been a team strategy. If you looking for honerun you wont hit the ball for contac.
Thats the problem. the same thing that has happened with the loose pitchers trainer who do not want to teach the pitchers to be pitchers and only looking to launch at high speed but do not know where the ball comes. in the same way loose batting coaches do not teach you to punt for contact and just search
And you can’t ignore the “contributions” of Dave Roberts. Just learned that Kike, who just has to play today since he’s hitting .169 since the Break, is playing 1B!
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More on the bullpen, courtesy of TrueBlueLA:
” Dodgers relief pitchers have a 6.63 ERA, second worst in the NL, in August. Starters have a 2.68 ERA this month,…”
The run differential tells the story. They win the blowouts and lose the close ones. The reason? It’s the offense with RISP and in high leverage situation and it’s also the bullpen in the same situations. They don’t pitch well in close games. The Dodgers are 3rd worst of 30 MLB teams in blown saves with 22. Dodgers’ pitchers are 5th worst in NL in OPS against in high leverage situation per Baseball Reference. They are 4th worst in NL in late and close situations.
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It’s a deadly combination – they can’t hit in the clutch and they can’t pitch in the clutch either.
Doc has the answer to hitting LHP! Today there is not a LH hitting player in the lineup, including Ryu.
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Will the Giants drill Puig? After the Acuna fiasco on the games 1st pitch by the Marlins today, maybe!
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What is the over/under on starts before the next Ryu injury? I will say 3.
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Old friend Brandon McCarthy announces his retirement after this season.
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Who steps up to blow the game in the 9th inning today?
Baez.
Interesting post Mark, didn’t know we sucked that bad with runners on base. Part of it seems to be when we have multiple guys in scoring position we strike out instead of putting the ball in play, either by sac fly or scoring ground ball. This seems to be what separates the good teams from us right now. Your right, most of the line up deserve the label “Choke Artists” until they can prove us wrong. Your right, just shut up and hit the damn ball! We are making ordinary pitchers, who we should be batting around like a pinata,look like Cy friggin young. Very frustrating to watch the offense right now. I have heard Roberts time and time again talk about how he doesn’t believe in team meetings and all of the rah rah stuff, instead he talks to guys individually. With that said, I wish he could of at least have a hitters meeting and go over what you just pointed out. Have a productive out and move the runner over for God’s sake. We all know when you start adopting that grinding approach, which we had alot of last year, good things happen. Strike outs do nothing except frustrate the process. In our case, alot of frustration.
I have been posting quite some time that there is no clutch in this team. The only one who even resembles that is Turner and he has not been this year so far. What’s even worse is in critical situations we can’t even make contact. These are major leaguers they have got to change their approach period.