The Dodgers just completed their 23rd game in their 31 games in 30 day stretch. It was supposed to be 31 in 31, but a rain out in the first game moved it to 31 in 30. The team is 16-7 over that stretch. They have outscored their opponents 145-85 and a 60 run differential.
During this stretch of games there have been only 12 position players; the same position players that started the season. On this day, the first position player to find the IL was Max Muncy. Kevin Pillar’s contract was purchased to become the first position player to be added to the roster this season. But since he did not play in the game, there remains only 12 position players who have played in these 23 games.
The same cannot be said about the pitching. The Dodgers have used 8 different starting pitchers and 17 different relievers.
Clayton Kershaw started the first game of this stretch and then was placed on the IL before his next scheduled start. Alex Vesia and Phil Bickford are tied for most appearances from a Dodger reliever. (Edit Update: Vesia appeared in his 10th game in this stretch last night). Bickford was just optioned to make room for Ryan Pepiot and now Michael Grove. Bickford is no longer considered a high leverage option for the team, with the closest Dodgers lead at the start of an appearance in May up four runs. Bickford’s last six outings, beginning May 15, began with the Dodgers trailing by three runs, up nine, up four, down three, ahead by 10, and up by 11 runs. It seems the team has lost a little confidence in Bickford. Hopefully he will return from OKC with the same confidence as he had in 2021.
Notice that Andrew Heaney and Blake Treinen are not included in the above chart. Both hit the IL before this stretch started. Treinen is now on the 60 day IL. He is not expected back before the All Star break. Neither Heaney nor Kershaw are expected back before this stretch is complete.
What is the point? None of the pitchers are in the current serious discussion for CYA. I know it is early, but the point is that there is not one pitcher who is thus far elite. Although Tony Gonsolin has been pretty formidable. And yet they are playing at near .700 baseball over the last 23 games. Is that sustainable? Probably not. But what it does say is just how deep this LAD pitching is.
RELIEF PITCHING
STARTING PITCHING
The starters are 10-3 during the stretch, meaning the relievers are 6-4.
Justin Bruihl has been the most effective reliever considering ERA. But his 8 baserunners on in 5.0 IP is a 1.6 WHIP. He also has very rarely pitched in high leverage situations. Only two times has he entered in the 7th or 8th before last night, and neither outing was efficient. Two baserunners in 0.1 IP in those games. He was perfect in last night’s game entering the 7th.
The Dodgers are averaging 6.3 runs per game. Thus, while the pitching has not been elite, it has been more than good enough when they offense puts up runs. The positive outcomes need to have some caution attached. The Dodgers have played 5 teams during this stretch, and none of the five teams are playing at the .500 level: Cubs (3), Pirates (3), Phillies (7), DBacks (7), Nationals (3).
The schedule is put together, and teams do not get to choose who and when they play. And champions need to beat the teams they are supposed to. After this stretch of the final DBack game and three against Pittsburgh, the competition gets a little stiffer. The Dodgers will face NYM (4), White Sox (3), Giants (3), and LAA (2). Currently, only the CWS are sub .500, but only at 22-23.
Not to let last night’s game be forgotten, Tony Gonsolin pitched to his 3rd consecutive quality start. He still has a few too many three ball counts that drive up his pitch count. Even though he did not walk anyone, and had 7 K’s, he still threw 92 pitches in 6.0 IP, just over 15/inning. Averaging 15 pitches per inning will necessarily limit how deep Tony goes. Thus the team will need to rely on their relievers. Are the relievers getting a little gassed during this stretch? There are four relievers at OKC who will undoubtedly get recalled at some point in the next month: Caleb Ferguson, Phil Bickford, Garrett Cleavinger, and Reyes Moronta. Caleb looks to be just about ready. He pitched in back to back games yesterday and tonight. After an immaculate inning last night, he faced one batter and struck him out on 4 pitches.
Mookie hit his 14th HR, an opposite field job, on the 2nd pitch of the game. He also added a single, and is now batting > .300. Justin Turner had a 4-4 night including 2 doubles. It was his second 4 hit game in a little over 2 weeks. He also had a 3 hit game a week ago.
Your NL HR leader: @MookieBetts. pic.twitter.com/YWk4PVZho6
— MLB (@MLB) May 28, 2022
Gavin Lux had a single and double. His double was to dead CF off the wall and was off a very good LHP, Kyle Nelson. So I was a little surprised when Hanser was set up cold to bat against Joe Mantiply. I know the book says that Hanser should bat, but IMHO, Gavin deserved another shot at a LHP.
Gavin Lux vs Kyle Nelson#AlwaysLA
Double 🏃💨
Exit velo: 103.2 mph
Launch angle: 23 deg
Proj. distance: 416 ftThis would have been a home run in 18/30 MLB ballparks
LAD (3) @ ARI (2)
🔺 7th pic.twitter.com/jRSwx6VYDq— Would it dong? (@would_it_dong) May 29, 2022
While The Catman was outstanding, the relievers were also equal to the task. Justin Bruihl, Alex Vesia, and Daniel Hudson combined for 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 1BB, and 5 Ks. Hudson was especially effective. After Ketel Marte led off the 9th with a double, Hudson got Christian Walker to ground out 5-3 on the first pitch. He then struck out David Peralta on a wicked slider, and Jake McCarthy on a 97.7 MPH 4-seamer.
98 MPH ON THE CORNER 🔥
Daniel Hudson shuts the door & Dodgers get the W! pic.twitter.com/7t3C76a9sQ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 29, 2022
The Dodgers complete the 4 game series tomorrow with a chance for another 4 game sweep against a divisional rival. Tyler Anderson will battle against Zach Davies.
Jeff, you painted an accurate picture of who the Dodgers are this year. Recovery from injuries could be all that is needed to tweak who they are for the better. If Muncy can’t get it going then Rios should be able to give us 80% or more back of the good Muncy.
I don’t expect much more from Kershaw or Muncy. I do think Pepiot and Grove will help this season as will a few other pitching prospects. I don’t have any gut feeling about Bellinger.
I, too, was surprised that Lux was pitch hit for. Nothing against Alberto but Lux has earned the right to face a tough lefty. I just chalk it up to Roberts ‘playing it by the book’ once again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. A sigh of relief when they won the game.
And yet another reason why teams wait until the trade deadline to make acquisitions. Two teams expected to move pitchers at the deadline, the Cubs and Marlins, are having pitching injuries pop up.
The Cubs placed LHSP Wade Miley on IL with left shoulder strain.
Don Mattingly told reporters that LHSP Jesus Luzardo’s recovery from his latest injury is “not as good as we would’ve liked.” Luzardo is sidelined with a forearm strain. Ruh-Roh.
Miami’s top pitching prospect, Max Meyer is also sidelined with ulnar nerve irritation. I am not sure what that is. The Marlins’ Cody Poteet (RHP) who has been inserted into the rotation temporarily to replace injured pitchers is himself put on the shelf for a muscle injury in his right elbow. Muscle injury in elbow? Ulnar nerve irritation? Are these other euphuisms for potential TJ surgery?
Juan Toribio is the LAD beat writer for MLB.com. I subscribe to his newsletter. I received this below in a recent newsletter. No, Bluto. It is not a paid subscription.
Juan Toribio – LAD Beat Writer for MLB.com
PHOENIX — On the fourth day of Spring Training, as the Dodgers were taking batting practice in one of the backfields at Camelback Ranch, Mookie Betts walked over to Freddie Freeman.
“Hey, if you ever need to talk,” Betts told Freeman, “I’m here.”
It was a quick message from Betts, but one that carried significant weight to Freeman, who had the toughest offseason of his career before ultimately signing a six-year, $162 million deal with the Dodgers and ending his 15-year career in the Braves organization.
“It’s almost not needing to talk, but knowing that somebody is there for you to talk to,” Freeman said. “It’s tough. We’re human. It’s been a huge transition and knowing that Mookie and all the guys have been there for me, it’s just been as smooth as it possibly can get in a situation like this.”
Betts can relate to some of the things Freeman has dealt with as he navigates through his first year in a different organization. After spending his entire career with the Red Sox, Betts was traded to Los Angeles in 2020. Though the outfielder was never opposed to changing teams, it was still difficult to leave the only organization he had known up to that point.
“It’s been great, it really has,” Freeman said of their relationship. “I think him coming from Boston and getting traded, my situation, he’s been in a similar thing and you kind of just hit it off and you have the same mindset in life.”
Though Freeman and Betts have spent some time together at All-Star Games, the two have naturally gotten a chance to know each other more personally over the last few months. When Freeman signed his deal in March, Dodgers reliever David Price told him he was “going to love Mookie” because of their similar personalities. As they have come to realize, the list of things they have in common runs just as long as Price and others told them.
Both take pride in being family-oriented people. Freeman always has his family around, as does Betts. They each take pride in putting in the extra work on the field, but don’t allow baseball to take over their lives off the field. And for being two of the biggest superstars in the game, they each prefer to fly under the radar.
“He’s just a friend of mine now,” Betts said. “We come to the field around the same time, our routines are very similar. We bat one and two, and we’re just enjoying the friendship.”
That friendship has included car rides to and from the ballpark, even on the road. Their wives, Chelsea and Brianna, have become friends, as well as their young kids, particularly Charlie and Kynlee. Occasionally, the two have decided to fly to cities together in order to keep their families close to one another.
“It’s just kind of been a bond that has been fun to go through with him for the first couple of months, especially when you know you’re going to be together for a while,” Freeman added. “We’re just kind of on the same page in all areas.”
On the field, it took them just 46 games to become one of the most feared duos in the Majors. In 2020, Freeman edged Betts for NL MVP, and the two are setting themselves up for another run in ’22, all while trying to lead the Dodgers to their 10th-consecutive postseason berth.
Whether they want the spotlight or not, both Betts and Freeman understand they’ll be the faces of the franchise for the foreseeable future, and their individual success could ultimately dictate how much team success the Dodgers have during their tenure.
“I have one job and he takes a lot of pressure off of me,” Betts said. “It’s just fun. It’s just fun knowing that I can get on base and there’s a really good percentage that I’m going to come around to score and help the team win. That’s just fun to be around.”
As they continue to develop their friendship and bond, Freeman and Betts hope that fun continues over, at least, the next six seasons.
My Editorial Comment – This is why you push to acquire high quality character players like Mookie and Freddie (Kershaw and JT), and let the others have the Trevor Bauer’s.
This is an interesting interview with Rob Hill, director of minor league pitching: