Stumblin, bumblin, rumblin, Chris Berman’s favorite line. The football commentator would use that line to describe a team or player trying to cross the goal line. Sometimes this season for me at least, that is how it has felt following the Dodgers pennant chase. 
They have stumbled more than a few times this season, usually against teams you would think they should crush. The offense, especially when Mookie and Muncy were both gone, has been more than a little sporadic. Other times they have made quick work of the other teams pitching staff. They also have blown some big leads, which is very frustrating for the fans.
They opened a series against the Marlins, 12 games to go. Every game is important at this point with just a 3.5 game lead in the division. So, what happens? Bobby Miller happens. Miller is nowhere near the pitcher he was last season.
Injury? Mental stress? Who knows. But one thing is certain, his fastball this year is a BP pitch. Miller was sent back to OKC after the game along with Michael Grove who also did not look good.
Landon Knack pitched game two and did a decent job. He kept the Marlins withing striking distance and the Dodger offense did the rest. They would up with an 8-4 win that was very important since both SD and Az won. The bullpen pitched much better than they did in game 1.
Jack Flaherty, who has become the Dodger ace by default, pitched game 3. This game shall be forever remembered as the 50-50 game, and for the incredible single game performance of Ohtani. 3 homers, 2 doubles, a single, 2 stolen bases, 4 runs scored and 10 driven in. Unreal. None of his homers were cheapies either. The 50th, an opposite field shot, was well over the wall. But 49 and 51 were crushed high into the second deck.
So, the team opened its last homestand, 6 games with the Rockies and Padres. And since the Padres are home playing the White Sox, LA is going to have to take care of its own business.
Pads had to go 10 to beat the Sox. Sox scored 2 in the top of the 9th to tie it. Dodgers took care of business at home with a bullpen game against the Rockies Kyle Freeland who is their best pitcher so far. They get Quantrill against Buehler tomorrow and Sentzatela, who has missed almost the entire season on Sunday against Yoshi. If they win tomorrow, I think they should move Yoshi back a day and have him start the Padres series.
4 games ahead with 8 to go. Tied with the Phillies for best record, but Phils have the tiebreaker. Ohtani set another MLB record tonight. 14th game this year with a homer and a stolen base.
OKC dropped a 6-4 decision to Salt Lake. They have 2 games left in their season. Freeland was 2-4 with a homer.
Magic number now 5.
Kelly was wobbly. Again.
Hudson gave up another run.
Kopech is overpowering even if he gave up that leadoff homer in the 9th.
Ohtani is in The Zone .Hope he stays that way in the playoffs.
Good to see Pages keepping up his hitting. Mookie is slumping a bit.
Lets see what Buehler got today.
Rushing did not play the last two days. Is he in LA maybe waiting for a call ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
James Outman went 1-for-4 with a double and has notched at least one extra-base hit in five straight games. During the streak, Outman is 10-for-21 (.476) with seven extra-base hits and nine RBI.
I think the Dodgers would be a better team if Outman replaced Kiermaier.
BINGO!!
Outman starting in CF against a RHP and a pinch hitter against RHP if needed when an opposing LHP starts.
Edman this year against RHP this year and his career is not much better .221/.277/.325/.602
Or strictly a pinch hitter against RHP. But I like the above.
With 66 at-bats in September this is his slashline .333/.397/.667/1.064
Yes it’s a small sample, but we’re talking about Kiermaier with the Dodgers .164/.207/.273/.480 that’s worse than what Outman did this year. I told ya’ll so.
That’s not being a know it all, that’s saying respect my opinions.
Outman 4 for 5 with a home run tonight. Tick up that September slashline that I provided earlier today above.
There is a good chance he could replace Kiermaier on the postseason roster. He will most likely will be on the taxi squad that all teams are allowed to have.
👍 👍 👍
I’m still awake and they’ve updated Outman’s slashline for September with 71 at-bats and here it is .366/.423/.718/1.141
No he is not getting called up with 8 games to play.
I saw a portion of the Dan Patrick show yesterday, and they were talking about Ohtani’s incredible 50/50 season. Dan asked if there had ever been a greater season than that for an individual and one of his colleagues mentioned that Albert Bell had a 50/50 season, with his being 50 HR and 50 doubles. When Dan heard it was Albert Bell, he just poo poo’d that notion. I got to thinking, if one year Ohtani got 50 HR and 50 stolen bases and the next year he got 50 HR and 50 doubles, the argument would be which of those seasons was his greatest. I think Dan was wrong to diss Albert Bell’s accomplishment. I realize Albert Bell wasn’t the greatest of roll models, but 50 HR and 50 doubles in a season is incredibly awesome too!
50 homers and 50 doubles. I wasn’t aware of that. And it yes, it is quite an accomplishment.
If Ohtani is able to pitch next year, and I hope he is, we won’t see anything close to what he’s doing this year. But I would look forward to a quadruple double from him, wins, home runs, doubles and stolen bases. He’s already done it, and I don’t recall anyone talking about it.
He will finally have his chance to play in the postseason. Hope he keeps this up. Hope Mookie and Freddie join him.
The year Belle did that, he also hit .317. His slug was over 600 and his OPS was 1.091. He struck out 80 times. In fact, Belle only struck out more than 100 times twice in his career.
Wasn’t that rumblin quote originated by the legendary announcer Keith Jackson?
Pretty sure it was Berman. I really liked that guy.
Plaschke made the front page of the Times this morning. Along with a picture of Ohtani.
It was Berman. He used it a lot when they did the recap of all the games.
Hey Bear. Several of us have been discussing Ohtani’s strikeout rate the past few days. Most of us agree that it’s typical for power hitters to have a propensity to strike out a lot. You mentioned that Babe Ruth struck out a ton. I had heard he really didn’t strike out that much and it was misperception that he did so. I checked it out and in fact he only struck out about 13% of the time. He never struck out more than 93 times in a season. There was only one other season where he struck out 90 times. He walked at a 19% rate. Many of those were intentional. Of course, the pitching back then was completely different than what Ohtani has to face now. Most pitchers didn’t throw that hard and pitched much deeper into games. They actually pitched 3,4,5 times through a lineup. Whoa!!
With Ohtani, it’s not the number of strikeouts, but how uncompetitive he is on many of the third strike pitches he swings at. The pitches are balls (and not even close) right out of the pitchers’ hand. It’s surprises me that one of the greatest player ever would swing at such awful pitches. Like you stated Bear, it’s not a criticism but an observation.
Also, I would like to see Ohtani hit in the third or fourth spot in the lineup. But, it would cost him ABs! Personally, I would rather put him in a position to drive in another 20-30 RBIs than have a few extra ABs over the season. But, he isn’t as successful a hitter in those spots as he is hitting leadoff or #2. I checked it out and it’s true he hasn’t been as successful. First, he was on the Angels so RBI chances are not like they are with the Dodgers. Second, probably less than 20% of his ABs have been from the 3/4 spot. So it’s a small sample size. I have no complaints of Ohtani hitting leadoff. I just think he would produce more runs for the team hitting lower in the lineup. But, what about the stolen bases as a leadoff hitter? With him pitching next year I doubt he’ll being stealing anywhere close to what he is stealing now. I mean, he is damn near super human, but come on! Of course, AF and the analytics people will make the decision on where the numbers say he will hit. Just MHO.
Carry on.
You are right, Babe struck out 1330 times in 22 years. He had Gehrig hitting behind him and Lou was even better at not striking out, the most he ever struck out was 84 times in 1927. He averaged 59Ks a year and 599 at bats. Yes, the pitching was different because the mentality in the game wasn’t driven by analytics. The game was in its simplest form, see the ball, catch the ball, hit the ball. Players wore heavy wool uniforms, they did not stay in swanky hotels, they traveled by train and played in stifling heat and humidity. Of course, they never had to travel all the way across the country to play. Players today are more fit, eat better, have trainers and doctors at their beck and call. They have fitness equipment in every locker room. But one thing those guys had in spades over today’s players was an excellent knowledge of the strike zone. Striking out was considered a bad thing. Something no player wanted to do. It doesn’t carry the same stigma in today’s baseball. But it is also what makes the game unwatchable at times. Pretty sure Rockies fans, well the ones who are still watching anyway, were not too thrilled watching them strike out 15 times last night. I get the same way when LA strikes out a ton in a game or a series. My biggest gripe with Ohtani is his expanding the strike zone by swinging at pitches he can never hit. With just a little more discipline at the plate, he could raise his BA and OPS considerably. He is one of a kind, but he could be better.
Yep Bear, there is room for Ohtani to improve. I hate strikeouts. Wasted AB’s.
I get roasted a lot for complaining about strikeouts and BA. OPS is the king today. But just consider how much higher, how many RBIs and homers he might have if he had some modicum of plate discipline. He was pretty bad with RISP until this latest streak. He has his average up to .269 with RISP. It was .223. Mookie and Freddie have been slumping, Betts, .196 his last 14 games, Freeman, .196 his last 14 games. That puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the so-called big guns to produce. Think about it, 82 of the teams 220 homers hit by just two players.
Stop chasing. If you’re going to strike out, strike out swinging at strikes.
His O-Swing% (outside the strike zone) is 26.4%. His O-Swing Contact% is 51.4% His Z-Swing Contact % (inside the strike zone) is 81.6%.
Just think what this guy would be doing if he was more disciplined. He could finish with 60 home runs and 150 RBIs.
That said, what a fantastic year he is having.
A lot of things are different for Ohtani now that he is out of Anaheim. The biggest thing as far as I’m concerned is he’s not pitching so all he has to think about is hitting. The second thing is he’s in a considerably better lineup. I think I’d hit him second or third. On this team hitting everyday he’s stil going to get over 650 plate appearances as long as he’s up in the first inning. The fact he has 122 RBIs leading off is a testament to this team. He’d have even more batting behind Mookie and Freddie.
I put this on an older thread so no one will probably be blessed to see it, so I will paste it here for all to see. it concerns next year’s lineup. Cheers.
It seems obvious to me the Dodgers want to make “older” Mookie happy, so he should be at 2B and definitely not SS.
As for who plays SS…this is a bit challenging because I want Edman in CF….so Rojas + who else? I don’t want Rojas playing full time, so maybe 120 games is best for him, seeing that he is older. So, I suppose if you don’t want to add a new player, you can re-sign Kike to platoon with Rojas. You lose in defense when you do that. Edman obviously would be the perfect supplement, but if you take him away from playing CF to play SS, then you can play Outman in CF assuming there is a RHP on the mound.
Okay, let’s move on to RF. I propose Pages and Outman to share the job and if Edman is playing SS to give Rojas a day off against a tough RHP, then Outman plays CF and either Pages can play RF or add another LHB to play RF, with Pages on the bench. Do we even have some LH outfielder in Oklahoma?
I sure hope we extend THernandez in LF. Besides being a clutch hitter, he is the ultimate team player and a very positive guy to have in the locker room. Don’t let him go.
Lastly, what to do with Lux? Either he is a back up or you look to trade him.
Is this all clear? If not, let me know. -TM
USC gave it away Bear! How do you give up a 60 yard run with a minute to go to a team that can’t throw it? Pathetic!
KARMA
POLICE
Their defense dominated the second half until that run. And they were () that close to stopping Michigan. There were some missed calls by the refs that hurt USC. There was a horse collar tackle that was not called. But on the road, losing by just 3 to their first Big 10 opponent, it was a very close and good game.
The two main currents of thought on this comment log are:
This makes sense for a team like Colorado or Atlanta, but COME ON!
Anything less than 60-60 is just disappointing for Ohtani! TIC
Why is it a bad thing to say the guy could be better? He strikes out too much on pitches he could never hit, or like tonight, he jumps back on a pitch that was not even inside, instead, it was right over the plate. So did Lux and Edman. If the guy had more plate discipline, he would be much more dangerous.
Maybe not getting the bye would be in the team’s best interest? Maybe not.
SMALL SAMPLE SIZE WARNING ($$$$)
“In fact, the National League teams who have received byes under the newish system have lost all four Division Series since, two apiece by the Dodgers and Braves…
That 3-5 series record of the bye teams isn’t a large enough sample size from which we can draw conclusions, but it has stirred annual discussions about whether the rust induced by not playing a Wild Card series offsets the advantages…
— the extra rest that allows banged-up players to heal and managers to optimize their rotations. Intuitively, that explanation may make some sense, but it is not supported by the data. As research by Dan Szymborski last year showed, in postseason matchups since 1981 where there existed a notable discrepancy in rest, with one team having a layoff of four or more days facing an opponent that had two or fewer days off, the teams with more rest went 24-11 in their next game. It’s an advantage.”
Every time buehler pitches the defense sucks. Buehler was part of that sucking but lux continues to play like a junior high player. Another first inning screwup on a popup. Grade schoolers make that play. I don’t know where his head is at but it is not in the game.
White Sox lineup tonight has 6 starters with OPS under .550, including our own Miquel Vargas. Wow! Dodgers starting 7 guys with OPS’s over .820
Buehler blows 2 fastballs by Tovar then hangs a curve. Looks like it might be another gotta score 8 night.
Another October without 4 capable starters.
Yamamoto
Flaherty
Gonsolin
Knack with a short leash
Not that I’m saying that’s a good 4 for the playoffs, but I would say better than last season.
Buehler just unable to consistently execute pitches. Plus subpar defense again. Buehler, lux, and Teoscar just not sharp. The umpire totally incompetent thus far. Gonna take 8 or more.
If Roberts is going to put Hudson in a game in that situation I have no sympathy for it. It’s dumb.
Pitching to Blackmon was the real mistake.
Could not have been more predictable