In 2016, my son was a Senior at Cardinal-Ritter High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their football team was picked to finish 5th in their conference before the season started. Stephen played middle linebacker his first three years, but in his Senior year, they switched him to defensive end (because… according to the coach), “they had no one else to play the position.” They started out 1-4, and the season looked bleak. After his first five games, my son had 13 tackles and no sacks – he had no one to teach him how to play D-End, but somewhere between game five and game six, he figured it out and had 14 solo tackles and 6 sacks in Game 6! And… the rest is history. The team “won out” and ended up with a 11-4 record and won the State Championship as he was MVP, All-City, All-Conference, and All-State. Somewhere after game 5, he put it all together and led the team to the promised land. He was the team wild man with his long hair flying all over the field. In the State Championship Game he led the team onto the field while waving the American Flag. They won 33-3!
I vividly remember 1988 and the magic that occurred that year for the Dodgers. Compare this team to the 1988 Dodgers and well, there is no comparison. Yes, they had Orel and a bunch of stuntmen. Kirk Gibson was injured, and all that was left was “want to,” desire, and smoke and mirrors. Tommy Lasorda was not the best tactician, but the players wanted to win for him… and they did!
The Dodgers have lost more days to the IL this year than any other team in MLB, yet here they are… in 2nd place in the NL West, just two games behind the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers have the third-best record in the NL, and yet Dodger fans are bitching and crying like last year and the year before that and the year before that, and blah, blah, blah. In the Andrew Friedman Era, this is something that I have heard every year. It really gets quite old, but many fans are under a delusional compulsion that they have “special” knowledge that somehow makes them uniquely qualified to run the Dodgers better than Andrew Friedman.
Most of this is not very well thought out, and baseball fans are anything but patient. However, patience is something that is sorely needed in baseball. Developing young players is anything but linear, and we also have no idea what players are going through personally. Some fans say that they are just “realists ” and are stating “the facts, and the facts are the Dodgers cannot win this year.” They evidently really believe that, but I call BS. The third-best record in the NL with the most days lost to the IL, some rookies and vets underperforming, and some of you have concluded that the Dodgers have no chance? Why even be a fan?
I try not to call people morons, but you brand yourself one with that kind of moronic thinking. The Dodgers are #2 in the NL in runs scored… just ten runs behind the Leading Atlanta Braves! The Dodger relievers, who were 29th in ERA a week ago, are now #26, and Daniel Hudson is back on the team after getting recalled. The Dodger starters are #17 in Team ERA. This is very uncharacteristic of the starters and the bullpen to be in this position, but help is on the way in the form of Jimmy Nelson in addition to Daniel Hudson. JP Feyereisen is making progress, as are Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot (who has not pitched yet this year).
This team that “has no chance” has four players in the All-Star Game: Betts, Freeman, Martinez, and likely Smith, and probably a fifth who may be the starting pitcher: Clayton Kershaw!
Starting Pitching
It is my opinion that the Dodgers have plenty of pitching in the system and should stay away from Shane Bieber and his ilk. Bieber is a Certified TJ Candidate. His velocity has dropped over 3 MPH in the past 2-3 years, just like Gonsolin. The Brewers are not likely to drop out of the Central race… in fact, they may be buyers, so Corbin Burnes is a pipedream along with Willy Adames. It ain’t happening! If you want to trade for a starter this season, you are going to pay dearly because so many teams are in the playoff hunt, and rational people know that if you make it to the playoffs, anything is possible. On June 30th last year, the Phillies had a 40-37 record and yet, were an eyelash away from winning the World Series.
Noah Syndergaard will be back, and no one has a clue what to expect, but he certainly was a solid #5 last season. What you saw earlier may not be what you get when he returns. The news is not all good – it is the opinion of some (myself included) that Tony Gonsolin will need Tommy John sooner rather than later! He has made a conscious effort to reduce his speed, but I think TJ is inevitable. Clayton Kershaw has shoulder soreness but received an injection, and the Dodgers are hopeful he will not have to go to the IL. Urias is back today, and Kershaw, Sheehan, and Miller can hopefully hold it together until one more pitcher arrives, whether that be Pepiot, Stone, Grove, Frasso, and/or Syndergaard.
Fans have said, “Trade for Bobby Witt” who is OPS’ing .699, yet some want to send Miguel Vargas back to OKC, and he is OPS’ing .680. You have no vision. Fortunately, the Dodgers do. Some saw James Outman get seven hits in his first 13 ABs and jumped on his bandwagon. It is great to see James coming back after a horrid month. The Dodgers need him in CF. He solves a big lineup problem. Progress is not linear. Give it time and watch and learn!
The Dodgers do need a power RH bat in the outfield – CT3 solves part of that, and Jonny DeLuca COULD be the final piece of the puzzle (but he has not shown that yet). Give it time! David Peralta has become a solid piece, as has Jason Heyward. Andrew Friedman will not make the dope-fiend moves some of you are requesting… nor should he. It would be nice if Austin Barnes could hit his weight, but even with Barnes as the backup catcher, I think this team, constructed as it currently is, will lead the National League in Runs Scored! Write that down! Does anyone want to bet against it? Put your money where your mouth is!
Andrew Friedman is not going to gut the farm. Yes, I know that only a small percentage of prospects actually become good MLB Players, but the Dodgers’ farm system is deep… especially with right-handed pitchers. Friedman may make a move or two, but it will be from a point-of-strength… not a move borne from weakness or irrational fear. A lot has not gone according to plan this year, but here we are: The Dodgers have as good a chance as any team to make it to the World Series. In a month or so, we will find out about Dustin May. I am just guessing, but I put his chances of returning at 50-50… at best! Walker Buehler vows to be ready in September. He is allegedly up to 90 MPH. We shall see!
Yes, I love the Dodgers, and while this team is not perfect, it is pretty damn good, and the potential is there to be much better. There will be some bad news along the way and some good news that maybe was unexpected. That is the nature of the game, but the cream rises to the top. I am hopeful every day, but in the end, I could be disappointed. I was last year! However, I would rather be miserable for a day than be miserable all season! I enjoy the process, and the Dodgers’ prospects of winning are as good as anyone.
Greetings From Alaska
I spent several hours yesterday on Glaciers in Palmer, AK as we took a helicopter tour that was simply incredible. This is my first time to Alaska.
Discussion (42)
Disagree, not disagreeable
@TM
Miller and Cartaya are my two untouchables. Anybody else among our top 10 prospects I would think about a trade.
My Nr. 1 priority would be a bona fide closer. Maybe the guy from Pittsburgh.
With him the pen would drastically improve with one move because it would give us 5 lockdown guys with him, Phillipps, Ferguson, Hudson, Graterol. You can shorten the game to 5 innings that way. Plus the guy is young and under control for a few more years.
What would the Pirates want and ask for ? Would Bush, Grove, Pepiot , Nastrini be enticing enough ? Maybe throw in a lower minor arm like Kopp or Karros.
Then I would see if May is able to return or Buehler reallly is ready for September return. If they both are or at least one of the two I think we would be fine in the rotation.
I do not see an ace , top of the rotation type of starter coming available.
Maybe expand that Pirates trade and bring back old friend Rich Hill to eat some innings.
Another RH bat with a high average and good OBP would be nice. Preferably a RF or ss.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, another crappy team wiped our butts last night. And some of you guys honestly think we have a chance against the elite teams in baseball like Atlanta and I’m even putting Philadelphia in this sentence? Phillies starting pitching has greatly improved and their bullpen has been lights out led by our former closer, Craig Kimbrel.
I hate to bang this drum over and over, but PITCHING, PITCHING, PITCHING wins in September and October. Do you really think we have enough- both starting and bullpen? And I don’t believe we are done with the injuries yet.
Dodgers now three back as D-Backs beat the Angels again. Infielder Jamai Jones opted out of his minor league deal with the Dodgers. Jones was hitting .292 at OKC but the Dodgers opted to go with Hernandez and Busch when they needed an infielder rather than open a roster spot for Jones. He should have no trouble finding a new home. He is 25 years old.
AI finally comes through in a field of import (joke), but this is a great read ($$$$)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/people-hire-phone-bots-to-torture-telemarketers-2dbb8457?mod=hp_featst_pos3
What can you do?
After that silly first inning full of weak contact hits, the team played pretty well.
Urias will need some time, but that first inning was almost one you laugh, shrug and move on from.
Just another note in defense of Max.
Although he is batting only .193, his on-base percentage is .325. So he gets on-base in nearly 1/3 of his plate appearances. This is lower than in previous years, but he is still seeing a lot of pitches and consistently picking up his walks.
That OBP may not seem high, but it is actually 5th best on the Dodgers, behind Freddie, Will, Mookie and Heyward. He gets on base more consistently than JDM, Peralta, Taylor, Outman or any other Dodger.
Hit, SB, SB, GO or SF= RS
I am a Dodger Die hard. I like Roberts, yeah he’s made mistakes but who hasn’t? he’s better than many other managers just look at his record. Of course, there were many things he’s done that I’ve questioned and there were many where I said to myself, oh ok, I get it. Last year just about everyone blamed Roberts, hey! he’s not the one that got millions to hit a ball. The players screwed up, they didn’t do their job. Now many of the original players are gone, time to let some new blood take over. It’s a new beginning, let’s see what they can do.
Bottom line, you cannot lose games like this. Julio did them no favors, but in his defense, only one ball was hit hard. But walking two and hitting a batter is not good. This is not vintage Julio. That guy is not here. Bullpen did a decent job, but giving up that sixth run was a killer. Pitchers suck at holding runners. I read on an earlier post something about Will Smith not being good on those tags at home. Give some credit to both runners. They had little chance getting Witt. But Perez made a textbook slide, going to the outside to avoid the tag. Offense had chances and did not get the job done. Freddie got one hit tonight. He left some men on base.
Hoping to get a boost from Julio. Alas s he looks like he did before he went on the DL
KC was awful lucky, but Julio didn’t look impressive at all.
One good takeaway , the bullpen was pretty solid
Beautiful pics! I went on a cruise with my family years ago to Alaska. I didn’t do the helicopter ride to the glacier, but we did get close enough to one to see it … I think the term is “calving.” Incredible! It sounds like a thunderclap when a big ice cube breaks off. You can feel the cold all that ice gives off, even a couple of miles away.
I have a feeling a team is going to get Urias under market after this season. He’s not doing a whole lot to showcase his talents in his contract year, is he?
3-2 this week against 2 of the 3 worst teams in mlb. Not good.
It seems that they heard us
Hahaha
It will be an October killer
Stolen bases allowed is a big problem. it seems that the team has done nothing to stop it
Welcome back Julio!
I am not giving up on this game.
And perhaps the site could just be changed into a discussion site. No repetitive articles. Just open it up for posters.
sorry but two bad plays by Smith on defense
This a very weird start.
This looks like it may be a 3.5 hour long game with 10 pitchers used
It’s like a festival of poor opinions and wild conjecture today.
Mark, are you (can you?) going Salmon fishing?
I could see going for Arenado, if our pitching was in order.
1. Julio was solid like in the past
2. May was healthy and pitching strong
3. Pepiot wasn’t hurt and was pitching like a four or five
4. Syndergaard….. see 3 above
5. Bullpen was pitching more like last year
Seems to me we’re scoring a lot of runs. Pitching seems to be our need, but I don’t see a lot of answers at the trade deadline.
To the contributors; thank you for the many excellent observations and insights today. Phil Jones; you’re fantastic. Bear; your respect and humanism is deeply appreciated. Many other brilliant baseball minds write here. Great reading!! Curiously, all brought on by Mark’s insulting article “Your Reality Sucks.” Nice title. Punches us in face.
Mark: Why do you continue to treat your readers and participants as fools and call us names? I realize that you imagine yourself as an Ann Colter or Tucker Carlson style authoritarian and provocateur but your pompous invectives seem out of place…almost Trumpian. A great pen name for you might be Tucker Timmons.
However, the pictures of Alaska are wonderful. Soothing. Quiet and serene. It has me thinking that you might be less of a “carry a big stick” bully by using a visual medium and setting down the quill. Or in your case, setting down you’re mace.
You speak of “reality,” using the ‘88 championship as an example. Yet we all remember Bob Costas incredulity that that line up was even in a World Series. “Weakest ever” statement comes to mind? That year was a miracle; an anomaly; an outlier. And as Dodger fans we’ve had that miracle. Do you really expect another? Sure you do. I do too.
As I’ve mentioned before, your articles tend to be same each week, almost as if you’re writing from Dodger Talking Points. You take FriedmanSpeak, (half-truths), RobertsSpeak (deception and avoidance), a mysterious insider’s throw away thoughts and add the word imbecile two or three times and create TimmonsSpeak. You’ve probably written that article more than the Stones have played “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” in sixty years of concerts. Get fresh.
More of getting fresh. Cliches. You are the master of cliches and you don’t seem to be able to express yourself without them. Goofy ones, too. Like today when you say: ”Write that down!” or “Put your money where your mouth is.” Junior High dares. Feeble, embarrassing…we’re all Dodger lovers and you come off acting like a Good Fella toughie. Yes. I expect more from your writing than threats and rants and capital letters. Also statistics, while useful at times, are mathematical cliches. Or crutches. You can be heavy on them at times.
Your optimism . Some might consider it childish. Others might feel it fits the Fake News moniker. My barber said you remind him of a Dodger version of Baghdad Bill. Personally I think Baghdad Bill was more humorous than yourself, and…more lyrical. Of course his “Reality” really did “Suck.” As the creator of LADT I was hoping you’d be a little more neutral, mature, sophisticated and objective; your expansive baseball knowledge should serve for more than cheerleading and spreading indoctrinating nostalgia. Interesting dichotomy; you love the Dodgers (especially the authority figures) but seem to hate Dodger fans (the plebeians?). There’s a hierarchy at work here. Perhaps that’s what you’re paid to do.
My favorite Timmons insight. Bob Melvin will be the first manager to be fired. I know it probably came from your “insider” but you said it early. Good show. Your theories about Ferguson requesting the closer’s role (and Doc buying in) and Prior’s patterns of sequencing were interesting but lacked enough details to be be anything more gossip. But thought provoking all the same.
Last thought. Somehow you’ve put together the most interesting Dodger site in spite of yourself. Should I say….good job?
As bad as Muncy has been he’s exactly the kind of guy who can get hot in October and carry a team. A lot of role players have carried the day in October. Though must admit I thought Max was gonna have o monster year this year. Been tough to watch.
The weather looks sucky.
Mark Timmons “everyone who disagrees with me is a moron”, etc. etc. etc. Rinse and repeat.
Maybe doc should bat Muncy 2nd. He’s going to keep him near the top of the lineup anyway. Mookie s probably going to lead off with a bomb, so muncy does draw a lot of walk’s which puts someone on base in front of Freddie. Just a thought. Would love arenado, just not giving Miller up in the deal
Just curious Quas, did you read my earlier post today about Max and his hitting stats? Clutch?
One thing about Max is time is on his side or at least my memory has that feeling. Many times Max was the hero in come from behind games. Being clutch at a certain moment has a lasting effect and only needs to be refreshed periodically or so for me. Maybe I hold on to my heroes longer than deserved sometimes yields great rewards. I’ve stood up for CK when many posters here showed their true fickle selves and I’m certain Kenley would of come in handy in 22. I want to be the fan that a player takes note of…….”when Quasi Speaks………..listens”. I’m a rumor in my own time.
The Dodgers have the trade collateral to get Aernado, but it would hurt:
The Cards would have to take Muncy in the deal.
Beyond that, it would take at least 5 of the TOP 15 Prospects. Who that might be, depends upon who the Cards value.
My guess is Cartaya, Busch or Vargas, Miller, Pepiot, and Rushing.
That’s a lot!
So, let’s review our starting pitchers pool while we have a chance….
1. Clayton…just had an injection, feeling sore, up in age, and a history of missing time. Doesn’t look promising….we re only half way into the season.
2. Gonsolin….this is not the TG we all came to know and love. If this guy makes it to the playoffs, don’t expect much.
3. Urias….this one is the most confusing because I don’t know where he is at this season. Has been inconsistent, and injured. 5-4 with a 4.39 ERA says it all. As of this minute, why would I feel good about him in the playoffs?
4. Thor….what reason do I have to be optimistic? I like him better when in street clothes. Why would he come back and be any different?
5. The Kids: Sheehan and Miller…..jury is still out. Sheehan looks to be stronger mentally, while Miller looks stronger physically. Not sure how they hold up under playoff pressure. Hopeful, but Unknown.
6. The Other Kids: Grove, Stone….I don’t see how these two should be a starter…maybe out of the bullpen for one inning is better.
7. Other? May, Pepiot, other?…..no comment because I don’t know what is going on to comment on. I don’t expect May to be back and have no idea about Pepiot.
Bottom line: pitching wins short series….based on this analysis, I don’t see us having much of a chance to win in the playoffs (especially beat the Braves or Phillies, not sure about Dbacks) UNLESS miraculously Kershaw, Gonsolin, Urias, and Pepiot are 100% healthy and ready to go.
Friday scores
Oklahoma City 11, Sugar Land 2
Tulsa 7, Amarillo 6
Great Lakes 4, Lansing 3
Lansing7, Great Lakes 5
Rancho Cucamonga 8, Visalia 6
Saturday schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Hyun-il Choi) vs. Lansing (Jacob Watters)
5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Landon Knack) at Sugar Land (Brandon Bielak)
5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Braydon Fisher) at Amarillo (Jamison Hill)
6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Payton Martin) vs. Visalia (Jose Cabrera)
Team Dodger Bautista won again today in the DSL and are now 20-0
7:15 PM ET
Dodgers (46-35)
Royals (23-59)
SP Julio Urias L
5-4 4.39 ERA
SP Daniel Lynch L
1-3 3.96 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
C Will Smith R
DH J. Martinez R
2B M. Vargas R
SS Miguel Rojas R
LF Jonny DeLuca RHo
CF James Outman L
3B Y. Hernandez S
Rain
54% Rain
81° Wind 11 mph L-R
Max Muncy has always been a favorite of mine. He can hit some bombs and he plays hard. But let’s face it, since he was injured in the last game of the 21 season, he has not been the same player. He has played 200 games since then. His BA is an accumulative .192, His OPS over that time, .745. His OPS + 103. His defense at third has been somewhat shaky. He will make a great play and then boot an easy one. But amazingly he has the same number of errors right now as Arenado. But at this point in time, Max needs to turn his season around. He is on a pace to strike out 144 times. About the same as last year. The most he had for his career, 149, he walked 90 times so his OPS was .889. He is simply not the same guy at this point in time. He takes too many pitches. He is swinging at pitches he used to let go by. He has not really hit a lot of balls hard. It might be time to cut ties with the popular Max.
In reality there no longer is two leagues. The race for the pennant is watered down and has less meaning as does the World Series. Being the best team doesn’t get you the championship, one third of it is talent, one third is luck and the other third is timing. MLB has evened the playing field to give all teams a shot at a ring. The team hurt most by this design is the Yanks so the design isn’t completely flawed. But taking it to a point of wild cards allows losers to win it all. In 2021 season Dodgers were the wildcard. Even though Dodgers had the 2nd best record in baseball I don’t feel we had the right to be there as the Giants had already eliminated us and then we eliminated them. So the two best teams in baseball didn’t do so swell in 2021. Thusly for me it’s now all a ‘race for the division’. The regular season has to mean something. But then again maybe it doesn’t. Okay, I’ll be quiet now.
I say the dodgers go after Arenado from the Cardinals and Flarethy get two player this year then sign them long term it might cost you Muncy or Taylor and pitching but look at what the dodgers could have for the next four years in Betts Smith Freeman Arenado oh yeah would do that and aig free agent outfielder and a backup catcher in off season an dodgers will be right in the hunt next year. I like Muncy but it might be time to trade him to get a good player and some pitching for the playoffs but we still need a second baseman that can hit because Vargas is terrible hitting. Maybe go after Shoop from the tigers he is a second baseman and has 22 homers this year for the Tigers that would be an upgrade at second and third base at deadline.
Mark. amazing photos. Always wanted to go to Alaska and do some fishing. Alas, just like Hawaii, never been in my budget. I am sometime this year or next, going to go to Kansas City to see the Negro League Museum. Since I will obviously not get the chance to go to Cooperstown, this is the next best option. At exactly the half-way point in the season, the Dodgers are two games back. Not a bad place to be. They are scoring a lot of runs, but they need to shore up the defense some. And as for holding runners on base, they are the worst in the league. Arizona looks to be for real. But they still might slip a bit. Their strength is in their young pitching staff. Some of their younger players are doing very well too. Carroll was injured the other day and is day to day with a shoulder problem. How much it affects him remains to be seen. They called up Lewis yesterday. He was the Mariners prospect that they finally gave up on. As for the Dodgers, some of the help is going to come from within, like Mark stated. But I do think a couple of minor trades will be made at the deadline. They have plenty of prospect capital and AF will deal for what he thinks the team needs at the deadline. I don’t think they need a SS. Mookie and Rojas are doing fine there. The only thing Adames leads Rojas in is HR’s and RBI”s. His BA is now .199. More Muncy like than anything else.
Remember all of the guys pulling for the Dodgers to re-sign Tyler Anderson? He is 4-2 with a 5.53 ERA. His K ratio is less than 2-1. Heaney is doing a little better in Texas, 5-5 4.38 with a K ratio over 2-1. And many have called for them to re-acquire Kike. Kike is hitting .229 with 6 homers. He has played most of his games, 53, as the Red Sox SS, He has 14 errors. Rojas has 4. Adames 7. Kike, since his first season in Boston when he hit .250 with 20 long balls has been more mediocre than good. I ‘ll stick with Rojas and Betts.
I started paying attention to the Royals pitching in 2018 when they had 4 first round selections. They chose to use all 4 picks on college pitchers. Obviously, all highly regarded from quality college programs. The hope was polished, experienced pitchers to quickly make a solid starting rotation.
Brady Singer was a dude at Florida. He was projected as a possible #1 pick after his junior year. But sign-ability questions got in the way and he fell to the 18th pick overall, which was considered a steal. He debuted in 2020 as a starter and has since gone 23 and 27 with a 4.37 era.
Jackson Kowar, also from Florida, went in the 1st round too, at 33. He made his debut in 2021 as a starter and was moved to the bullpen after going 0 and 6 in 8 starts that year. In 3 years his ERA is 9.83.
Daniel Lynch was one pick later, at #34 in the 2018 draft out of Virginia. He remains a starter for the Royals who we will see tonight. He had his debut in 2021 and is 9 and 22 with a 5.11 ERA in 3 season.
Kris Bubic was the Royals 4th, first round pick at #40, out of Stanford. He is currently on the 60 day IL. He had his debut in 2020 and is 10 & 28 with a career 4.85 ERA.
I know it’s early in their careers and progress isn’t linear, I’m told. There’s still time.
But so far all 4 experience college stud pitchers, all drafted in the 1st round, have been underwhelming. You really can’t miss on a 1st round pick. It appears the Royals missed 4 times in the same draft.
Their pitchers have losing records because the don’t win much but you have to wonder about their player research and development when 4 college studs have failed to produce as expected.
Mark –
Agree that the Dodger’s shot at a World Series title are as good an any team in baseball.
Agree that some opinions on LADT are “not well thought out.” But, it is a public forum and people often do not know what they are talking about in public forums. I saw this on a regular basis as a Mayor 30+ years ago. Personally, I prefer the old adage….”it is better to keep one’s mouth shut and appear to be stupid – than to speak up and remove all doubt!”
I am actually enjoying Dodger baseball more this year than last year watching the young talent show what they can do and see how they adjust to the challenges of MLB.
Keep up the good work on LADT!
Good article Mark.
Hope you are enjoying Alaska. We were there for 10 days recently and loved it! Although we did not get to experience a glacier helicopter ride, it sure looks awesome.
You make several good points about the Dodgers. Considering the level of injuries, especially to the pitchers, they are in a good position with the 3rd best record in NL. Even with the injuries, they are 10 games ahead of the Mets, Padres, and Cardinals who were projected playoff teams. The Dodgers have lost a whole starting rotation to injury already this year with Urias, May, Gonsolin, Pepiot, Syndergard, and Grove all being hurt. Thankfully, Kershaw has been great, while Miller and Sheehan have been very helpful in solidifying the starting rotation. Miller seems a little immature, and Keith Law spoke about his troubles performing well with runners on base. It seems that every team has the immediate green light to steal on him and he gets rattled. But his stuff is great, and he can learn to hold runners and handle adversity with experience. I would like to see the Dodgers keep a tighter leash on him in the 5th and 6th innings. Almost all of the runs against him have been in those innings. I understand that he needs to learn to work through those situations, but not against divisional opponents like the Giants.
Hudson looked good yesterday and he will be a huge benefit to the bullpen. With Phillips, Hudson, Ferguson, and Graterol, Dodgers have 4 solid backend choices in the bullpen and several other options who can hopefully step up like Almonte, Nelson, Gonzalez, and Brasier.
I could see adding a RH bat like McCutchen, maybe a SS, or a reliever, but for the most part the existing roster is talented enough to win the division. A possible big move would be adding a quality 3B like Chapman who is a FA next year or Arenado and moving Muncy to 2B. This would provide a RH bat with great defense at 3B.
Overall, the Dodgers are on pace to win 92 games and are still favored to win the division, so things could be a lot worse!
Nice pictures Mark. Alaska is awesome.
* Interesting explanation about Will’s triple ruling. You just assume that a fairball destined for a hop into the stands is a ground rule double. Not so in KC. It’s in play off the net. I’ve never seen that before.
* Karros accurately predicted that if we don’t improve defending the running game we will be exploited in Oct. Again, basic single bottom 6, with 2 outs, becomes a run with a stolen base. All 3 KC runs were aided, in some fashion, by a stolen base.
* So I’m thinking during the game, some fans are clamoring for a new shortstop along with a right handed power bat, a bullpen piece, and a starting pitcher. No problem.
As far as SS addition , who and how much? Rojas is hitting .235 and playing good defense which would be appreciated by many fan bases, CT3 plays good D and Mookie can play there more then adequately in all phases. I’m not sure of an urgency at SS.
As for the bullpen piece, Daniel Hudson looked great last night. He and Evan Phillips look like great back-end, high leverage guys to me.
* Tim Neverett, on a ball to Mookie, called a strike. said all the HPU had to do was follow the catchers mitt to see the ball was outside. So the ump isn’t watching the ball? He’s watching the catcher’s mitt? If the HPU watches the glove to determine ball or strike, he shouldn’t be.
* It’s hot as hell here and I got my yardwork done early. I had time to fiddle around with some Dodger stats just for yuks to see if stats back up stuff I’m seeing.
Theory One – Mookie is a lethal ambush hitter but not a typical lead-off hitter:
Mookie is batting .270, raising his average 10 points last night.
Mookie is indeed a good ambush hitter. His BA leading off a game is .314
He’s hitting .313 swinging at the first pitch on an AB
He’s hitting .326 when ahead in the count
As the AB progresses he doesn’t do as well hitting .212 with a full count.
While hitting .324 in the first inning, he drops to .185 in the 8th and .182 in the 9th inning.
Like the league, his average drops drastically behind in the count.
.208 with 2 strikes
So Mookie isn’t a prototypical lead-off hitter you expect to see a lot of pitches. He is better early in counts and early in games. Last night he was great anytime.
Theory Two – Muncy takes too many pitches.
Muncy is batting .189
.152 swinging at the first pitch. It doesn’t happen often, for good reason.
.153 leading off an inning
.157 behind in the count which he often is.
.137 with 2 strikes – frequently after at least one taken strike
His most numerous at bats, by a mile (122) got to 0 & 1, he’s hitting .139 after he’s 0 and 1.
.254 ahead in the count. .259 ahead 2 & 1.
Like Mookie, his average drops like a rock in later innings; .071 in the 8th and .125 in the 9th.
While the entire league hits worse behind in counts, Max is especially shitty. Yet he continually takes strikes and hits behind in counts where every hitter struggles, especially Max.
* Interestingly damn near everybody preaches the importance of strike ONE. Many claiming it’s the “best pitch in baseball”. It might, but in my world, the most important pitch in baseball is 1 and 1. I’m more concerned that the pitcher throws 2 strike out of the first 3 pitches.
The difference in batting average between 2 and 1 and 1 and 2 is 150 points so 1 & 1 is critical. To me, it’s a green light special for a hitter as the pitchers doesn’t want to fall behind. Muncy is hitting .133 on 1 & 1. Mookie .167. Those are wasted opportunities. Muncy notoriously takes that strike so often I’m ready for a brain aneurysm.
Good win. And certainly interested in Urias’ return.
I posted some time ago about the underachievers. Based on past performance it was possible some or all could improve. Peralta has improved his BA 80 points. Rojas 40 points. Heyward 50 points. There is still a little room for improvement. There is still a lot of room for improvement with Muncy and Taylor. Losing Lux really hurt. This team can score runs.
Recent pitching makes me optimistic and help is on the way.
Optimism. Pessimism. Realism.
Why is it that you and some other posters always discredit other users because they do not agree with your assessment of this years Dodgers chances to win it all ?
There have been years the Dodgers certainly had better chances than this season. MOF for the last 7-8 years they were my odds on favorits every year. But not this year. Whats wrong with that ?
IMHO there are about 5-6 teams I see with better shots to win it all than the Dodgers.
Braves (my clear cut favorit). Rangers. Yankees. Astros.Blue Jays. Phillies.
Still I root for my Dodgers every inning of every game.
So for your own sake please stop with calling fans names and belittling them only because they think there are other teams with better shots to win it all this season. There is nothing, absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. nice pics. Enjoy your trip. Always wanted to go there but this dream probably will never come true for me.