The Dodgers arrived in St. Louis on Thursday evening, coming off of two losses in games they felt they should have won. Walker Buehler had started Wednesday’s game, and it became quite obvious early that Buehler is still not all the way back. After the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, Buehler walked the first three hitters he faced in the bottom of the inning.
The next hitter, Contreras, hit a shot to center field that Kiermaier caught and then fired a strike to Barnes for a double play. He then struck out Adames to end the inning. Then in the bottom of the second, he gave up a homer to Bauer leading off the inning. Mitchell struck out; Frelich then reached on an error by Ahmed. Ortiz grounded out to Freeman and Frelich went to second. Turang tripled Frelich home. Chourio then singled Turang in and the game was tied.
Buehler got through the third unscathed, but in the bottom of the 4th, he allowed his 4th walk. Mitchell then stole second and went to third on a ground out to Frelich. Ortiz then grounded to Kike who made an error allowing Mitchell to score. Buehler was through after 3.1 innings. Meanwhile the Dodger offense, like it has so many times over the last few weeks, could not score after taking an early lead.
Finally in the top of the 7th, they got something going. Ohtani, who for almost 4 weeks now has been slumping, struck out. Betts singled and Freeman singled him to third. Teo struck out and Rojas came up to pinch hit for Lux. With 2 strikes he lined a single to right to score Mookie. Then, as it all to often has happened lately, Kike popped out to end the threat. That was the Dodgers last gasp.
Brent Honeywell, in his second full inning of work, hit Ortiz with a pitch. Turang then sacrificed him to second. Phillips came in to relived Honeywell and allowed a single to Chourio. Betts over ran the ball as Ortiz scored. Phillips got out of the inning without any more damage.
But the Dodgers went 1-2-3 in the 8th. After retiring the Brewers in order in the bottom of the 8th the Dodgers had the top of the order coming up in the 9th. Brewers closer, Devin Williams made short work of LA in the 9th as Ohtani flied out, Betts struck out and Freeman grounded out to end the game.
Obviously Buehler is not really ready to resume his status as an elite starter. His stuff looks good enough to retire hitters, but there is very little swing and miss. Montas started that game for the Brewers. Over his career, the Dodgers were hitting over .300 against the guy but couldn’t do anything against him after the first inning. It is games like this that really frustrate the fan base.
They would lose the next day in equally frustrating fashion after falling behind 3-0, fighting back to take a 4-3 lead, only to see the bullpen, specifically Daniel Hudson, who for most of the season has been very efficient, implode. 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th for the Brewers and then Willams shuts down LA again.
The flight to St. Louis could not have been a happy one. Rookie left-hander, Justin Wrobleski was called up to make the start after the Dodgers put Glasnow on the IL with elbow tendonitis. Coming into this series, I felt they needed to win at least 2 of the 3 games. A sweep would have been great.
After the Dodgers could only muster a single in the first, Wrobleski walked the first hitter he faced. Contreras struck out and Winn was caught stealing, the 23rd of the year for Will Smith. Pham flied out to end the inning. The very hot Gavin Lux led off with a homer to put LA up, 1-0. After an out, Rojas doubled and the Kiermaier, who has been much better with the bat of late, singled him home.
Wrobleski gave those runs right back by walking Arenado, and then surrendering a homer to Goldschmidt. St. Louis would score single runs in the 3rd and 5th innings on homers by Winn and Pages. In the top of the 6th, Mookie homered leading off and it was 4-3. Freeman and Teo made outs. Then Lux, Smith and Rojas singled to tie the score. Smith was on third and Miggy on first, then Miggy stole second. Kiermaier then hit his first Dodger homer, a 3-run shot to right center. LA up 7-4.
Grove came in to pitch the bottom of the 6th and immediately got into trouble. He walked Pham, got Arenado out and walked Goldschmidt. Banda relieved him and wasn’t much better. Donovan singled, scoring Pham. Walker struck out for the second out. Pages then singled scoring Goldschmidt. 7-6 LA. Banda managed to get the last out and the damage was stopped.
Other than a Freeman single in the 7th, and Betts’s double in the 9th, LA could not do a thing against the Cardinal bullpen. But the Cardinals were stymied by the Dodger pen the last three innings also as Phillips, Kelly and Kopech allowed just two walks between them for the win. Kopech got his first save. Mikolas took the loss for the Cardinals.
Many were looking forward to Miller’s return to the rotation with some hope he might find the same magic he had earlier in the year when he shut down St. Louis with 10 Ks. But this is not the same guy. He doesn’t even look like the pitcher he was that day, or last season for that matter. Despite scoring first again, the Dodgers never really mounted a threat against Andre Pallante. He pitched a very good game and kept the Dodger hitters off balance. With the Padres win over the Rockies, the lead dipped to 2 games. Az lost to the Rays, so they remained 3 games back.
We all watched today’s game with some trepidation. Most of us remember the dominant pitcher Kershaw has been for most of his career. But he himself has admitted that his stuff is not what it used to be. But I must say, what we saw of Kersh for six innings today should be shown to every person who believes that Max velocity and spin are the best ways to win.
What we saw was a pitching clinic. A 37-year-old future Hall of Famer showed everybody he is not finished. I have read many posts on here, especially after his first couple of starts that said, we have seen the end of Kershaw. I have always said, you don’t need to throw a ball through the wall to win. Great pitchers can win without great stuff. He threw 70 pitches over 6 innings. He only struck out 2, he walked 1 and gave up 4 hits. His only really stressful inning was the 6th.
I knew when he walked off of the mound after the last out, that he would not be coming out for the 7th. And naturally, there were posters almost immediately saying, why did Doc take him out??? He was only at 70 pitches! Well, my friends, after having driven cross country for so many years, and having spent many days in St. Louis and other cities in the month of August when the heat and HUMIDITY, can be stifling, I know exactly why he was pulled.
The humidity was at 70% plus. That is like walking into a sauna wearing all your winter clothes. It is hard to breathe, and exerting energy like a pitcher does, it can be exhausting. Especially after a high leverage inning like Kersh had. The good is they won a second 1 run game against the Cardinals, and they headed home on a high note.
Both the D-Backs and the Padres lost. Arizona’s third straight loss, and 2nd walk off loss in two days. Tampa was down to no bench players and used 7 pitchers to win in 12 innings. Former Dodger, Edwin Uceta got the win. Arizona had two runners thrown out at the plate in extra innings. The Rockies meanwhile beat San Diego, 3-2. Machado’s 8th inning bomb made it close, but Colorado held on to take 2 of 3. Dodgers lead over the Padres is now 3. They lead Az by 4.
The Dodgers Freddie Freeman will have an MRI tomorrow on his middle finger. Dodger fans should get their first look at Tommy Edman as he will be activated tomorrow. Max Muncy might also be activated a day early depending on what the MRI says about Freeman’s finger. Max was supposed to take some ground balls at first before his game at Las Vegas this evening. If so, they will have to make at least 2 roster moves tomorrow. I would not want to speculate just who goes, but I do feel the most vulnerable position player would have to be Nick Ahmed.
They could opt to send Andy Pages to AAA so he could play every day and then recall him come the 1st of September. The roster crunch we all expected is happening. By the way, the Reds picked up Amed Rosario off waivers. We have a nine game homestand coming up against three teams with winning record. The Mariners are in second place in the AL West, just 4 games back of Houston. The Rays after their win today, are sitting at 62-61. Out of the Wild Card chase it would seem, and then they get the Orioles. The O’s have the same record as the Dodgers, 73-52 and are tied for the lead in the AL East with the Yankees. Of course, that could change by the time they play on a week from Tuesday.
I believe this is about the most important home-stand the Dodgers have had this year. The good thing is that they have 2 off days in the next 11. But they have to win more than they lose on this homestand. 6-3 would be good. Anything less than that, well, you are just opening the door for the Diamondbacks and Padres. The Padres are in a stretch where they are playing 18 straight games. They play the Twins and Mets at home, go on the road for 4 in St. Louis, and three with the Rays. They then fly home from Tampa to play Detroit on Labor Day before finally getting a day off on the 3rd of September.
St. Louis and Detroit are under .500 but not by much. And Detroit has been playing very good baseball. So, their schedule is not that soft. The D-Backs have it a lot softer. They play Miami 3 in Miami, then go to Boston for three. They come home for a 7-game homestand against the Mets and then the Dodgers for a four-game wrap around series.
The Dodgers over the next two weeks need to play some of their best baseball. Pitching will be the key. Stone starts the first game with the Mariners on Monday against Woo, who is 5-1 with an ERA just above 2. Stoney is going to have to pitch as well as he ever has.
Minor League Scores
Rancho lost to Visalia, 8-1. The Quakes could muster only 4 hits, all singles. Six Quakes pitchers allowed 11 hits and 10 walks in the loss.
Great Lakes had both of their games in Lake County cancelled because of rain. No makeup date announced.
Midland beat Tulsa 8-4. The Drillers outhit Midland, 14-10 but could not overcome 4 Midland homers. Lockwood-Powell, 2, Miller, 3, Young,2 and Allyne, 2, had multiple hits. Harris took the loss.
OKC is leading Las Vegas, 6-3 in the top of the 8th inning. Neither Max Muncy nor Tommy Edman are playing tonight. Chris Taylor played LF and went 2-4. He is hitting .364 in his re-hab. Outman hit an inside the park homer in the top of the 8th inning. Lipcius, who had singled, scored also on the homer. The homer was Outman’s second of the game. Gamboa started but only went 3 innings. The OTHER Max Muncy is 0-2 so far. Tanner Dodson is now pitching for OKC.
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
Buehler on the bubble
And what are you basing this opinion on? Doubtful they would just cut Walker loose. Put him on the IL again? Maybe. But I believe he gets at least 2 more starts before they make any decision.
Both Buehler and Miller are on the bubble. Both have to show they can help this team. So far neither one of both has done that.
IMHO Buehler and Miller each get one or two more starts. If only the Dodgers do not have any other options at the moment. By then Glasnow and Yamamoto should be ready to come back and take those spots. At least Glasnow, Yamamoto might be a little more down the road.
Go Dodgers°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
I’d say at least one more. If he gets shelled, he might be shelved with Knack bumped into the mix.(Will Miller get another start?) I don’t see Buehler getting DFA’d… but unless something dramatic happens, I don’t see him on the ’25 roster.
I’m pleasantly surprised that Kershaw is pitching so well. I echoed the “vintage Kershaw” sentiment, but really this is Kershaw 2.0, with lower velocity, fewer Ks and more soft contact. More like Charlie Morton than the rejuvenated Chris Sale. (Fantastic trade by the Braves.)
Assuming that Glasnow and Yamamoto return healthy, the front five could be those two plus Kershaw, Flaherty and Stone. Right now I would trust Knack more than Buhler and Miller.
I’m basing it on the fact that when I drew up a potential postseason rotation, I completely forgot about him.
Buehler and Miller won’t give us anything for the rest of the season. Put them on IL and wish them well in street clothes. Maybe next year….doubtful, but maybe. It was nice knowing you two, but it now seems this year is not for you. -TM
Miller is under team control until 2030, he is not going anywhere. Buehler is a free agent. He will get a couple more starts, but he will be on a very short leash.
Buehler is pitching tomorrows game.
Bear good reports and your presentation has taken a major upturn since you’ve been the Man, here in Jeff’s absence. The “Meet Me in St. Louis” theme and jovial picture with Margaret O’Brien and Judy Garland is sweat.
Certainly nice to see Kershaw’s performance. His gotten better each outing which I think was what we were all hoping for. He had a very nice afternoon, showing why he is so great. He has really worked and his competitiveness was never in question. Just his pitches. Nice to see that occasional 92, just because. But he is knows his fastball is a secondary pitch now and has to be well located. He did that Sunday. He made big pitches when he needed to. The pitch to get the ball hit to Kike pitch on the double play, was a game changer.
I liked Doc’s timing, pulling the plug when he did. That one will again be criticized, but not by me. Kershaw’s still a work in progress and needed to finish on a positive note.
My problem with Doc is pulling guys mid-inning when there is no danger except perceived trouble. I like guys starting innings.
I was pleased he got Adam Hamari behind the dish. He was very good. He is highly rated and very consistent and accurate. It looked like he had use of the little strike zone on the TV screen.
He has a really solid approach; if the ball is on the plate, he calls it a strike. A pitch off the plate, is called a ball. Almost every time.
Please Barnes, throw the ball overhand to first on the swinging bunt, so it doesn’t sail off into the sunset.
Kopeck figured it wound’t be long before Kopech became a closer, in tight games. He just fits the profile. I love the fact that he isn’t afraid to make you question your career decision to play ball, when he sails one over your head or a 55 footer and comes back with paint. Not a comfortable at bat.
Keirmeier never hot dog’s a catch. Runs under it, 2 hands and secures the ball. Very nice to see.
Teoscar needs to be the butter and egg man. He gets so many RBI opportunities.
Nice win. Good came.
Now come the hungry Mariners who are in a playoff run like we are. Don’t sleep on their pitching.
I forgot; also a nice opportunity with the Mariners to see Justin Turner who is the every day first baseman.
Thanks Phil. I have worked hard to come up with ideas for posts so there can be some conversation. Are you and I the only ones who believe pulling Kersh was a good move? Guys who have never been there just do not get how bad the humidity can get and how it really affects you. That is not an air-conditioned ballpark they were playing in. I remember one trip I made to Dallas, which also has very high humidity in the summer, it was 98 degrees outside, and the humidity was up around 100. Your clothes were soaked almost as soon as you stepped outside.
Yup Bear, we may be the only ones. That humidity just sucks the fluids and energy out of your body. I’m good with him ending on a positive note which should be a mental boost instead of a bone of contention. One inning isn’t going to matter on a grand scale to the bullpen, given the benefit to Kershaw. He’s not that far removed from major shoulder surgery.
Unless one has been through that, they have no clue just how draining that can be on your body. Kersh was soaked with sweat when he returned to the dugout.
suck it up and play
No more load management
no more coddling
#Suckitupandplay
Obviously, Scott, you have never tried anything physical in that type of weather. You have no clue. I have worked in that stuff many times and in a very short time you are very tired.
Well I’m not 6’3 and 250, and I have a debilitating disease. But if I was and making millions per year, I would suck it up and play.
Well Kershaw certainly would have and wanted to, but Roberts thought it would be better for all.
He was right.
I am not 6’3″ either I weigh a little more than 250, but I do not consider my diabetes debilitating. And when I was driving long haul, I did not have diabetes, nor was I over 250 pounds, and even then it would drain you. As for Kersh not going back out there, maybe they would like to have him around for the stretch run. He pitched his butt off and had a high stress inning in stifling heat. So, the decision to pull him was the right one.
Mine is debilitating. I’m switching to an insulin pump, after injecting 10 times per day for years.
But in regards to Kershaw, I’m sure pitching another inning or two would not have made his arm melt off. We all know now that load management does not work as evidence by the hoards of players on the injured list this year for the Dodgers.
That’s why I say suck it up and play
#Suckitupandplay
#NoLoadManagement
#stopcoddling
Well Scott, it was not Kershaw’s decision. The manager made it for him. And it was the right decision. Load management has not been proven as the cause for the rash of injuries around the league, not just with the Dodgers.
Sorry to hear that, Scott. Diabetes is no joke.
One other thing about Kiermaier and fundamentals ground balls to the outfield he will go down to one knee to block the ball. I’ve seen players come in nonchalantly and just reach for the ball only to have it skip past them.
Keirmaier damn near stole another HR. Hope the Dodgers keep running him out there.
An OF of Teo-KK-Mookie delivers superb defense.
Edman could be a platoon partner for both Rojas at SS and Lux at 2B.
He’s the perfect CF for little league coaches to show their players on how to smartly and fundamentally play the position.
Nice win, great job by the old man on the mound.
But still don´t get Roberts. CK was only at 70 pitches, doing very, very well shutting out the Cards for 6 innings. Team desperately needs innings from the starters and yet he takes him out. Another head scratcher for me. Yes, Dodgers won the game in the end but from a strategic and in -game managerial standpoint it was a bad decision IMHO.
Kopech topped out at 98 mph . Reason to be afraid the next big arm is injured ? The way things have gone with injuries on this team I would not be surprised to see him go down.
Lux is blazing hot. Keep him in that Nr. 3 slot until FF comes back. Speaking of: Hopefully not something serious. They said they will take some scans on Monday.
Bottom of the order from 6-9 went a combined 0-14. Almost to be expected when the lilneup came out. Muncy and Edman can not come back fast enough.
Who will go down ? My money is Ahmed DFAed and Pages being sent down though I would rather DFA Heyward.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, Kershaw should have at least started the 7th. And yes, keep Lux at 3rd in the order until Freddie comes back–and slot him between Teo and Smith later, with Max after Smith.
I’m impressed that Rojas continues to hit, but I’d be tempted to have Edman at SS to keep Keirmaier at CF. But the return of Chris Taylor will make for more difficult decisions.
Agree…Ahmed, Pages, JHey….all expendable. No big deal to not have any of these 3 on the roster now.
OK Ram. Let me explain this one more time. It was 82 degrees, but the humidity was up around 78. That makes it seem like you are playing in a steam bath. I don’t know if you have ever been to St. Louis in August, but it is a chore just walking around in that kind of heat. Kershaw had a high stress inning in the bottom of the sixth. They were ahead, no need to push it. As far as who goes down or gets released, they will wait until they see the results of Freeman’s MRI.
Come to the sip Mississippi and you can experience what humidity can do to your body.It makes a huge difference.
Old man? Really? I am twice as old as Kershaw is. He is a damn kid.
Article about Sasaki. Dodgers still big favorits to land him.
https://athlonsports.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/inside-dodgers/news/dodgers-news-injury-concerns-for-dodgers-free-agent-target-roki-sasaki-during-start
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks like he is going to delay leaving Japan for a while.
Probably afraid of coming to the Dodgers and then needing Tommy John surgery two months later. I’m kidding. Sort of.
Bear, I read somewhere that the rosters will expand to 28 toward the end of the season. Is that accurate and will it carry through the playoffs?
September 1 the rosters expend to 28. They only stay that way through the end of the season. Rosters are at 26 for the playoffs. But the roster can be adjusted after each round. Say you leave Knack off of the first-round roster, if you advance, you could place him on the roster for the second round.
2-1? I would have bet against seeing a W with that score.
But, I saw a masterful performance by an aging star. Youngsters, and coaches, take notice. You don’t need velo to get outs. You need guile and command. Simply put, you need to know how to pitch.
Freddie jammed a finger. Initial exams said nothing serious. Getting fingers jammed, as anyone who ever played baseball knows, happens. I’m assuming he will be back in a few days.
Teo in a week long slump. He’ll figure it out. Ohtani continues to puzzle. How can anyone be hitting .196 with an .804 OPS? That’s him in the last month. His OBP for that month is .285. Time to move Mookie back into leadoff? I would. He’s getting on at .379 since his return.
Kopech looks like the real deal. Obviously not every day and I would never use him back to back, but I wouldn’t use any pitcher back to back. Hudson doesn’t look right yet. He still throws too many down the middle.
It would appear the Dodgers have no 7 inning starters. The pen will continue to get overused. A problem? We shall see.
If you take your starters out after 70 pitches , pitching a shutout it is no wonder you do not have starters going 7+ innings.
😀
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!
Different era entirely Ram. Pitchers just do not do that anymore, if you want to blame someone, blame it on the analytics that show starters start getting lit up when the order comes around for the third time. CK is no different. He has 25 complete games in his entire 17 years in the majors. That is a shade over 1 a year. Koufax had 27 in a SEASON twice.
Drysdale and Koufax pitched a lot of games like that.
According to Doc, Kopech was a tad fatigued yesterday, after throwing in 3 of 4 days. Hence the fastball was near 97 instead of 100.
We won’t be seeing him today for sure. Hopefully Gavin Stone continues what he did last time, and give us at least 6.
Dave Vassegh reporting FF to the IL. Who will be the other move to make room for Muncy and Edman ?
My bet is Ahmed DFA. Buys some more time for Heward and Pages. KK IMHO should be a lock to be on the postseason roster.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We will have too many weak hitting utility guys in the lineup. Kiké is 9 for his last 45, Ahmed is barely hitting his weight. KK, like the guy, and he’s hitting ok since joining, but he, like Kiké, Ahmed, and even Rojas, who continues to surprise, are all bench players. I also see Heyward and Pages as bench players, as they bare both below average offensive players. We should not be seeing so many lineups with < league average OPS in the lineup. This puts that much more stress on the pitching. And now Freddie is going down? Gulp.
Edman and Muncy can’t get here soon enough. Sure hope they land ready to go.
“We should not be seeing so many lineups with < league average OPS in the lineup. This puts that much more stress on the pitching.”
I agree Badger, but some people here say put “better defense” on the field to take stress off of the pitchers. I’ll never, ever understand why ANYONE would take “better defense” according to flawed stats, over better offense. And to those who would, then tell me how “better defense” with less offense wins games, when you need to score runs.
I’ll add to it when you go with guys that have “better defense” according to flawed stats with less offense, you put more stress on the fewer guys in the lineup that can hit. It’s a loose loose situation. You put more stress on the pitchers and the fewer guys in the lineup that can hit. The damn team needs to carry their sorry asses.
But remember, AF is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.
What do you mean by that?
Sarcasm.
Ok, sorry about that. I’m bad at picking up sarcasm.
“It is your opinion that the defensive metrics are flawed, It is not a fact.”
It’s about as close to a fact as you can get.
The ball he catched that everyone is raving about, can you tell me for a fact Outman or Heyward for example couldn’t catch it?
The throw he made to home plate for an out, can you tell me for a fact that Outman and especially Pages who has a plus arm couldn’t have thrown out the runner at home plate.
“If you don’t like the defensive metrics surely you would agree that the eye test tells you that Kiermaier is a better defensive center fielder than any one who has played center for the Dodgers this year and that his glove, arm ,and even his bat have helped the Dodgers win at least one game.”
I don’t agree. Outman’s Glove for defense and better offense, Pages arm and better offense, and plenty of others bats at different positions have helped win games, more than Kiermaier has.
” I have not read any one on this site who has advocated ALWAYS playing the better defender in any situation.”
The only time they haven’t is at positions stars (Smith, Teo, Muncy) and superstars (Betts and Freeman) occupy and the advocation of moving Betts to RF permanently for “better defense” and assuming Edman is coming in to play CF eliminates Pages against LHP. A better option would be Betts in RF against RHP and Pages in RF against LHP with Betts at 2B against LHP because Lux needs a platoon partner. This could be what they go with when the roster expands, but we don’t know.
“But at this point I think you are beating a dead horse. You are not going to change my mind and I am not going to change yours. That is fine.”
I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind, I was agreeing with Badger.
I don’t know where you get Outman is as good defensively and offensively better than Kiermaier this year. Kiermaier is much better in center and this year Outman has been absolutely horrible at the plate. Last year Outman was better offensively but not this year.
I’m saying Outman is as good as Kiermaier defensively not better and I’m using career stats with upside.
It’s not worth arguing but no Outman is not as good defensively as Kiermaier and this year Kiermaier has more offensive upside than Outman. Next year Outman maybe the second coming of Mickey Mantle but this year I’m not sure he hits water if he fell out of a boat.
Have not seen that report of Freeman to the IL at all. Until they get the results of his imaging, that is pure speculation. My guess is Pages to AAA. With Edman taking over in center, he has no place to play.
Sasaki might delay his move to MLB.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This might be a good thing for the Dodgers. They have a lot of potential starters returning in 2025 along with some prospects that could be part of the rotation. Depending how that goes they may not even want to pursue Sasaki. Although, he will be on a rookie contract. If that’s the case then why not add him to the rotation. If he does decide to come to the US, I believe he is leaning strongly toward the Dodgers. With Ohtani and Yamamoto on the team it would make sense for him to sign with them. What a solid six man rotation they would have:
Glasnow
Stone
Ohtani
Yamamoto
Sasaki
And then a choice of the following for the last spot:
Gonsolin, Wrobleski, Miller, Flaherty, Frasso, Knack, Casparius ???
With all the injuries the starting staff has had the past couple of seasons, the question would be “would this be enough starters to get through the season?”
Looking forward to getting Muncy and Edman playing and seeing what their roles will be. And, of course, having Freddie return to the lineup ASAP.
You missed May and Sheehan.
And Jackson Ferris will be an option next year too if he continues to develop like he has done lately.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
Jackson Ferris looks like a different animal!
Missed Casparius also
Bear, I did list Casparius.
Dodgerram, I would be surprised if May ever pitches again and if he does it could be out of the BP. It’s a shame because his stuff was electric and fun to watch. I’ll never forget that one Manny Machado AB where May had him in knots after the swing. I think his body has difficulty holding up to the torque May subjects himself to while pitching.
As regards to Sheehan, the Dodgers typically have an 18 month window on returning from TJ surgery. Of course, everyone is different and it could be sooner. With their potential depth I would think there would be cautious with his return. He was very effective and I look forward to a successful future for Emmitt.
My Bad
Yes and the greatest of them all,Clayton Kershaw!How do you not even mention him!Are you that sure he is not pitching next year ! He certainly isn’t!
Remember, the more good pitching you have, the more of a chance you’ll be able to trade a good pitcher for a good return, either to fill a need or needs or good prospects.
Dodgers call up Fiduccia, Barnes apparently injured.
Rosario claimed off waivers by the Reds.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!
Feduccia is at Dodger Stadium, Barnes took a ball off of his big toe and after the game it was bloody and sore. An IL stint is not out of the question. Edman and Muncy are both back in Los Angeles.
Could be a different look as soon as tonight. I look forward to it.
I’m looking forward to Feducca getting a little PT under the right circumstances.
There are certainly some lofty and possibly unrealistic expectations for both Muncy and Edman.
Upcoming moves will be interesting and difficult.
For my money, Pages to AAA until expanded rosters is a no-brainer. The DFA of Ahmed is logical but he is a nice defender. Kike and Heyward appear to be safe with their popularity despite their .211 and .203 averages.
KK’s bat may seal his doom but he’s a phenom in CF.
If Lux was a strictly platoon player at 2nd and you subtracted his 6 for 38 against LHP, he’d be hitting .280. Edman’s a career .277 hitter vs LHP so maybe that’s a solid platoon at 2nd as well as playing center?
Again, assuming Edman’s lives up to the hype of his return.
And I see absolutely no benefit adding CT3 to this mix. See ya next spring Chris.
A lot of good thoughts Phil. It will be hard to be patient while the IL players adjust to playing MLB after such long layoffs (Muncy and Edman). The last couple weeks of the August should give the team an idea who to select to finish strong in September and into the playoffs. I expect a lot of juggling of lineups and playing time the next couple of weeks. It should be an exciting finish.
It looks like Arizona is cooling off. The Padres have come back to earth as well. I still feel confident that the Dodgers can win the division. Especially, if the starting staff can stay/get healthy by Sept 1st.
Ted, nothing new with lots of different lineups and juggling in September for the Dodgers. This time it’s due to injuries and seasons before due to trying to rest players and run a “tryout camp”. I’m awaiting news on Freddie. We can’t have more bad new on the injury front, can we? We have really pissed off the Baseball Gods.
The way the season has gone injury wise the word “can’t” doesn’t seem to be a possibility. It’s been “when”.
I’ve been a Dodger fan 60+ years and I can’t remember such an avalanche of IL visits. If it wasn’t bad enough, AF traded for a player on the….IL. A first for me.
Let’s enjoy the rest of the season. No matter who ends playing for the Dodgers.
Ted, he did that in 2017. When they traded for Darvish, he was on the IL and unable to pitch.
Hello Ted,
Arizona has lost a few tough ones lately but they won today and even though they were swept by tb they came back from big deficits to tie in the 9th only to lose in the bottom of the 9th and 12th innings. They have a lot of fight and I credit their manager. Plus they just have a terrific lineup. Our ex teammate Joc Peterson is having a heck of a year and clutch on top of it. They have a strong rotation and helped their bullpen at the trade deadline with Puk who has dominated. Bell came over and caught fire immediately. The dbacks and pads have been good and lucky. We face that tb later this week I think so we need to b playing well. A good series late in the month could put the dbacks on their heels or….
“Again, assuming Edman’s lives up to the hype of his return.”
He sure has been hyped. I don’t see what the hype is though, around .255 BA and around .700 OPS since his rookie year, but if you use him as a platoon player against LHP you get better results, you get an above average hitter, although he’s had falling stats against LHP every year since his rookie year, and last year .250 BA .731 OPS and that’s average stats.
Even average is so much better than they have been getting out of guys like Taylor, Kike and such.
You’re right.
I’ll take it, because I have to, because the trade deadline has passed.
He is going to be a Dodger next year too.
Where has there been any hype for Edman?
Hello Phil,
Lux 3-5 yesterday. 3-3 vs rh pitching 0-2 vs lefties. I think right now he needs a platoon partner. If everything is the same next year mb he would get opportunities vs. lefties. A minor miracle we won yesterday with Ohtani, teo slumping, lux against lefties, and kike, kk, and Ahmad mostly zero not even a threat. I know Ohtani got a big knock. Fortunately Rojas has been hot.
I just read that….
suck it up and play
Matchups for Seattle series. Game 1, Woo Vs Stone, Game 2, Miller Vs Buehler, Game 3, Gilbert Vs Flaherty.
Braves just lost Austin Riley for six to eight weeks with a fractured hand. Ketel Marte of the D-Backs placed on the 10-day IL. He got hurt the other day.
Man, the Braves lost their best pitcher and hitter. And now Riley goes down. Sounds like a Mookie injury. Tough to happen so late in the season.
Two players spotted on the field working out early today, Justin Turner taking early BP and Freddie Freeman working with Dino Ebel, there has been no, and I repeat no indication he is going on the IL as of now.
Boy would that be welcome news!
Per Jack Harris Ahmed’s locker has been cleaned out and Andy Pages is packing his up. Peg David V Barnes has a fractured left toe and played 7 innings with it. I had a sprained toe and caught with it not fun. Barnes is definitely a tough dude.
That move doesn’t surprise me, figured it would go that way. Nick A is a pretty slick SS but Rojas is doing so good it made NA expendable. I personally am glad to see Edman in CF, and I hope it’s permanent right through us winning the WS.
According to a post by Vassagh about 10 minutes ago on X, Freeman will play despite having a hairline fracture. He also said Ahmed will be DFAd and Pages is being optioned to AAA. Chris Taylor will play at Rancho tomorrow and could be back by the end of the week. Muncy and Edman are expected to be in the lineup tonight with Edman in center. He will supposedly play SS tomorrow.
Edmans first game with the Dodgers is at SS, that surprises me, I guess he will be spot starting there to keep Rojas fresh? I can’t believe AF doesn’t keep me in the loop on these type of things.
If Ahmed doesn’t get claimed I wonder if he’d take a minor league
assignment, it would sure be nice to have him as an insurance policy in case something were to happen to our middle infield
Doubt he will get claimed. I can see him agreeing with the Dodgers on a minor league deal. The real crunch comes when Taylor is supposedly activated later in the week.
Keith, he is going to play CF tonight. SS tomorrow.
Thanks
His first game is in CF. Tomorrow is supposed to be at SS, probably to give Rojas a day off and get KK into the lineup in CF.
Sad news for me. We have no need for CT3. We have enough utility guys and .200 batters (not hitters).
My sentiment too.
Barnes officially to the IL with a fractured toe.
He played 7 innings at catcher with that yesterday. Might also explain the poor throw he made in the 9th inning.
I’ve heard numerous Dodgers say they think Barnes is the toughest guy on the team. I’m guessing he wasn’t thrilled to be put on the IL but squatting for nine innings with a fractured toe can’t be easy.
Depends on the toe. Buddy tape it and get back in there. I once a played a football game with a fractured fibula . Oh wait, that was Jack Youngblood. I played video games. And it was just a sprain.
I am really looking forward to seeing what Edman brings. He’s batting 9th. And Muncy is in the lineup too. Actually so is Freeman. I see….. 7 runs.
I was liking the idea of hitting Edman 9th because he is a base stealer. Then I realized that Shohei only hits homers so it really doesn’t matter.
How about a lineup that has Lux hitting 5th and Max hitting 7th? And you can’t even argue with that.
Can’t argue it, but I never thought I would see it.
Is it going to need to be a Badger game
I apologize for criticizing Barnes for his throw to first on the swing bunt and sidearming it. He had a fractured toe and wasn’t as likely to set his feet and get on top of the throw. My bad.
Tonight’s lineup vs the Mariners and Woo. Ohtani, DH, Betts, RF, Freeman, 1B, Hernandez, LF, Lux, 2B, Muncy, 3B, Rojas, SS, Edman, CF, Stone, P.
As much as I love doc, I still think he’s being bullheaded about not flipping Ohtani and Betts
Same here
Betts batting lead-off should be a no-brainer.
JT is going to get a huge ovation tonight.
Hope Raley doesn’t feel left out.
JT is probably one of the top 5 favorite LA Dodger players of all time. If a vote was taken today, you’d have to include Koufax, Kershaw, Fernando but I’m thinking JT would be in the top 5. Maybe Orel, Kemp, Garvey and Eithier would be in there also, but considering recency bias, my money would still be on JT for the top 5. Am I forgetting anyone?
As my son pointed out to me, age of voters would play a big part in the results.
Good list. Add Kirk Gibson.
When in doubt, always add Kirk Gibson.
Kirk would be ahead of Turner for me, just on the WS HR alone not counting everything else he did for the make up of the 1988 team
Dbags up T9 9-4
My bad. Thought of him earlier but forgot to add his name to my post. He absolutely ranks right up there.
Top 5 is tough. Koufax, Drysdale, Kershaw, Fernando, and Wills for me. The next 5 has to include Sutton and Mike Piazza.
How about 5 pitchers and 5 position players.
Koufax, Drysdale, Fernando, Kershaw, and Orel.
Gibson, Garvey, Cey, Turner, Eithier.
Koufax, Drysdale, Kershaw, Sutton, Orel. Snider, Hodges, Campy, Piazza, Wills.
Orel had 1 special year, but I’d go with Drysdale over Hershiser.
Here comes the dreaded 5th inning for Stone
He made it. Now it’s shutout time.
Anyday
Stone has been fantastic tonight so far.
Great to have our lineup back and healthy again.Is it too late to bring Rosario back?
Being old school I love seeing a good old fashioned pitchers duel.
That is one ugly Mariner lineup! We need to get Miller and Buehler pitching in this series
Buehler is pitching tomorrow. Flaherty is pitching Wednesday. D-Backs won, SD winning in the bottom of the 8th.
It’s a Gavin squared show.
I don’t think Stone wants to be the game 4 starter even if everyone is healthy.
We got Joseph tonight.
👍