At the beginning of the season, the Dodger’s starting staff was a huge plus. Yamamoto, Glasnow, Stone and Miller were the big four. Miller was expected to build on his solid rookie season. Stone had been pretty impressive in his spring outings. Yamamoto and Glasnow were the new guys on the block. James Paxton was expected to be a passable fifth starter and the system was deep with prospects.
That protection went away pretty early. Miller never could find himself. Walker Buehler also expected to be in the equation. He struggled and was 1-4 in the first half. He was eventually placed on the IL and sent down to refine his mechanics. He gave up 10 homers in his first 8 games and he walked 10 men in 37 innings. Miller wasn’t much better. He went 1-2 in his first 7 games with an ERA north of 8. His walk rate was very high. He was placed on the IL.
Paxton had some problems of his own, but still managed to have a winning record. He was 7-2 through the first half. He walked a ton, and his K total was just a little higher. His ERA was a tick over 4. Yamamoto pitched very good and Glasnow the same until the offense cost him some wins with a lack of support. When Yamamoto went down in June, he was 6-2. Glasnow pitched only 2 games in August and was down for the year. The team was hoping Kershaw would come back, but CK left a start in Arizona with a sore big toe and has not returned.
Because of all that, they had to lean heavily on Stone, who would end up being the teams win leader with 11. Stone pitched in six games in August, and he too went down. The Dodgers ended up using 10 different starting pitchers this season, not counting the openers for piggy-back games or openers for the bullpen games. Wrobleski, Knack, Ryan, Hurt, all came up from the minors and pitched with varying degrees of success. Ryan was especially impressive. In his four starts he allowed just 3 earned runs in 20 innings of work. Then he went down with a strained forearm.
This forced the Dodgers into a situation where they had to trade for a starter at the deadline and they got the Tigers #2 pitcher in Jack Flaherty. Flaherty has been good, 6-2 3.58 ERA. His K rate is 3-1. If he has an Achillies heel, it is he has allowed too many homers, 9 in 55 innings. But as of now, he is the Dodgers Ace and will most likely start game one of Saturday.
The Dodgers now know they will be facing the Padres who beat Atlanta 5-4 to take the series 2-0. Atlanta got a homer from Harris late, but their big stars did not come through. Flaherty has been announced as the game one starter with Yamamoto pitching game two. Buehler or Knack will get game 3 in San Diego. Let’s hope LA is up 2-0 when they go down there. The big stars are going to have to live up to their reputations.
The Dodger pen has been worked a lot, but only two of the arms down there make me really nervous. Kelly and Hudson. Both have been knocked around at times this year. Hudson has given up 10 homers. You cannot do that in a short series. They will take four starters, Flaherty, Knack, Yamamoto and Buehler. That leaves 9 arms for the pen. Phillips, Vesia, Banda, Kopech, Treinen, Brasier should be locks. Henriquez has a very good chance of being one of the 9. I also believe because the Dodgers are very loyal to their veterans, that Hudson and Kelly will probably be on the roster. As of right now, those are all 13 pitchers who are on the roster.
Yesterday the Dodgers recalled Hurt, Frasso and Cartaya. Hurt and Frasso I thought were injured but it was just an organizational thing adding them to the 40-man. Neither one is on the IL. Kershaw’s roster status was changed. He is on the 40-man, but not the 28-man roster right now. If the Dodger pitching can hold their own, and the offense does its job, this will be a close series. They cannot allow the Padres to get large leads simply because the Padres bullpen is loaded with excellent relievers. Get the lead early.
Let us remember that when they had to, the Dodgers beat Cease and scored 3 runs late off of Tanner Scott. If Michael King starts against LA is should be game 3. Musgrove was injured in the Padres game last night.
This year is going to be different. SP will do enough to pass the game over to the BP while the offense carries the team to a WS championship.
Ohtani, Mookie and FF will have a great post season and one or two unsung hero’s will step up and deliver. Will Smith, Max Muncy or Teo will come to bat in a big moment and deliver.
There will be a parade down Figueroa Street in DTLA. Bank it!
Just curious, where in Norcal are you?
I’m actually now living in VA but over fifty years I lived in Modesto, CA.
Dang, I lived in Modesto for my entire life, then got some sanity and moved 4 years ago (away from all the Californication).
Went to Downey HS and graduated from Stanislaus State.
Wow, I went to Davis HS but both of my kids attended Downey HS. My daughter graduated college and took a job in the DC about ten years ago. She had a baby and we had to be close so we moved and don’t miss CA at all.
When I was getting ready to move, my neighbors would come by and ask “Why are you leaving California?”, my response “California”, Their response “We totally get it, we are planning on leaving as soon as we can”
And yes, I don’t miss it at all.
Born in LA, lived there until I went in the Army for 9 years. Went to Mira Costa in Manhattan Beach. Lived here in Colorado for 14 years after living in Az for 12.
I’m a nervous wreck already. I hate the padres so much. Losing again to them in the first round would rip me up good. I know we can beat em. Big bats got to show up. Pen need to do thing and starters just need to keep us in it. Intensity, desire and focus. Get it done guys, come on.
Best test for the team. They had the best record in the majors and this time they need to prove they are better. Padres are an arrogant bunch. Time to put the rabid dogs down.
Flaherty and Yamamoto will have to be lights out for us to win. And what minor role player will step up to make a difference? Lux, Kike, Edman? Critical post season for Mookie. All hands on deck to beat a very good Pads team. Can’t wait!
That is one strange picture.
Has the postseason roster been announced?
It’s still 2 1/2 days until Game 1. My thoughts on how it might go: Mookie was slumping to end the season OPSn in the .600s the last two weeks, .391 the last 7 days. Freddie won’t be 100%, maybe for the entire series. So…. Ohtani won’t get anything to hit in Game 1, and maybe for the entire series. They will test Mookie and Freddie.
And the entire postseason will go like the last half of the season went. I don’t believe the starting pitching scares anybody. The Dodgers are going to have to score and score big.
Again I say, if the Dodgers can score 8 runs per game, they have a 50/50 shot at winning those games, lol
They averaged over 6 their last 20 games.
Sarcasm isn’t for everyone apparently
Post season roster will be announced prior to game one sometime Saturday. Freddie will face live pitching tomorrow. Yes, the role players are going to have to step up. Teo is also going to have to have a nice series.
I’ve been watching most of the games this week. It’s nice to see teams that have been the dregs of baseball for years improve with drafting and development of young talent. Baltimore emerged last year. This year we have Detroit and Kansas City. Milwaukee continues to quietly win year after year. Even the Mets came on strong this year and were able to make a playoff appearance. With today’s game they have chance to advance to the Division series.
These playoffs give the country a chance to watch so many young stars. KC has Bobby Witt Jr. Milwaukee has Jackson Chourio. He’s a 20-year-old LF who hit two home runs last night. Apparently, he’s not afraid of the spotlight that the playoffs bring.
The Orioles have SS Gunnar Henderson and C Adley Rutschman. As mentioned by Jeff D several times in the past, Henderson was drafted in the second round, pick 42 in the 2019 draft. The Dodgers decided that Kody Hoese (25) and Michael Busch (31) were better selections. “Just a bit outside”. The Orioles got both Rutschman (1) and Henderson (42) in an epic 2019 draft that should provide a strong foundation for the team for years.
Finally, the Padres have emerging superstar Jackson Merrill. Although he is playing with the hated Padres, he is a must watch AB for me. I mean guy was in high school three years ago and now he’s crushing major league pitching. He was drafted as a SS, but is now a GG caliber CF. He’s going to be a thorn in the Dodgers’ side for the next several years.
If you want to give your son a chance to be a MLB player, naming him Jackson might be a good start as Jackson Chourio and Jackson Merrill have shown.
The starting pitching hasn’t been that impressive so far in these playoffs. Tarik Skubal was outstanding for the Tigers, but I believe he’s their only reliable starter. They had to go to a bullpen game in game 2. KC’s Ragans had an effective six inning outing. Corbin Burnes has a strong 8 innings for Baltimore, but it wasn’t enough as KC prevailed 1-0. Michael King, of the Padres, came up clutch with a seven inning, 12 K performance in game 1. Hopefully, this lack of this overall dominant starting pitching will work in the Dodgers favor.
The Dodger starting pitching is going to be key for them. On paper it looks at least questionable and at best adequate. The offense has to step up in order for the team to beat the Padres and move on to the next round. And, somehow, their defense needs to be solid which has been an issue this year.
A real exclamation point on yesterday’s games was watching the Astros go down in flames. I hope Bregman and Tucker sign with other teams this offseason and Altuve and Alvarez are left with a much weaker team. Instead of resigning Teoscar I would like the Dodgers go after Kyle Tucker. He’s the whole package of offensive power, speed, and GG defense. And he will be only 28.
I’m looking forward to this series with the Padres. On paper they have better starting pitching, at least a comparable BP, and slightly less offensive output.
Carry on.
Jackson Holliday too… though he didn’t prevent the O’s from a quick elimination.
I like how ex-OKC Dodger Trey Sweeney helped the Tigers beat the Astros, who were nearly saved by a scorching line drive by ex-Dodger Jason Heyward that, alas, was snared by Torkelson (I think) at 1B. I am of course happy that the Trashtros lost, but also heartened that the Tigers have turned to such a feel-good story.
A friend has predicted a re-run of the ’84 series, when the Padres beat the Tigers. Could happen.
I dread the Padres.
But at the same time, payback would be sweet.
Tigers beat the Pads in ’84
Tucker isn’t a free agent until after next season.
Opps. Thanks for the correction. I should have known better being that I wrote about him for a possible trade this past trade deadline. One of the positives for the trade was because of a another year before free agency.
Just another example of getting old.
Join the club. 😅
Padres announced that Cease will pitch game one for them. He will face Flaherty. No game 2 pitcher announced, but Musgrove has elbow problems.
Bear brought up Emil Morales yesterday as someone who might become a Jackson Chourio. While he looks to be legit, he does not give off the vibe of Jackson Chourio. He is 18 and spent the full year in the DSL as a 17 year old. His future value is rated a 50. He should increase to 55, sometime in 2025 making him top 100. But at 20, Jackson Chourio had a future value of 65.
Last January, San Diego also signed a 17 year old SS, Leodalis De Vries, who spent all season at low A and ended with an .802 OPS with a future value of 55, as a 17 year old. Dodgers top 2024 international prospect signee spent his full year in DSL, while Padres top 2024 top international prospect signee spent full year in the California League. Morales is 3 weeks older than De Vries.
Someone also brought up Josue De Paula. De Paula is a 19 year old who spent half the year in the California League and half the year in High A. He has a future value of 55.
Comparatively, Andy Pages had a high future value of 55 (dropped to 50), while Miguel Vargas had a high future value of 55 and Diego Cartaya had a high future value of 60 (now down to 45).
They have a long way to go to reach Jackson Chourio who at 20 hit 2 HRs in a playoff game.
Joendry Vargas and Eduardo Quintero both have a future value of 50.
All are expected to reach MLB, but none figure to be Jackson Chourio, Elly De La Cruz, or Vlad Jr.
I think LAD is going to continue to rely on free agents and trades.
Maybe Dodgers should have kept Logan White instead of letting him go to San Diego. Also, too bad O’Malley couldn’t have invested/partnered in Dodgers instead of SD.
Yeah, pursue superstars and develop everyone else.
This totally stupified me yesterday when I heard it on the national broadcast. Who on this blog would have ever thought the Dodgers would have more homegrown players in their starting lineup than the Padres?!!?!?!?
Preller is a ton of fun to watch as a GM.
The Dodgers don’t appear to have had any Bellinger Seager prospects for quite a while. Even when they have access to one (9 WAR Gunnar Henderson) they swing and miss. Yep. Free agents.
But we have developed some outstanding young pitching which will be the foundation of the franchise going forward
Did anybody really think we weren’t going to play the Padres?
For a 2 to 1 game, the Royals and Orioles game was a slumber party. The O’s looked like they drank embalming fluid before the game and their fans behaved like a Wednesday Matinee crowd at the Oakland Coliseum. They looked ready to go home. Bobby Witt was a Star again.
Good for the Tigers. I love the Asstros being out.
Mets – Brewers in a much more energetic environment. Front Row Amy featured a nice double-play. She can roll a pair. Nice to see another game for the Brewers.
That’s a really weird image atop this blog post.
Got it off of X.
I see that the Puds are once again restricting ticket sales to keep Dodger fans from attending their home games. What a petty bunch.
Bear, I had a busy morning and finally got around to reading your opening about the pitching woes this season. Unbelievable and a major topic for conversations this off season.
There’s a case to be made that despite all of the angst about Doc management, including my issues with in-game decisions, he is a candidate for Manager of the Year for winning nearly 100 games using 10 different starting pitchers.
I agree and Kelly and Hudson make me nervous too.
I would happily drop both from the roster and add Casparius and Henriquez.
One maybe but both unlikely because of loyalty to veterans, you mentioned.
We have a reluctance to play rookies, yet I see rookies making an impact with other teams. At playoff time, I didn’t give a rats-ass about rookies or veterans, I want the best players on the roster. This generation seems to have youngsters far more ready than ever. To me, talent trumps playoff experience. Both Casparius and Henriquez look more reliable to me than the 36 year old Kelly with 13 years experience. He can be Cy Young or Sayonora.
Phil, these pitchers are on the 40-man who are not injured and are eligible for the playoffs. Brasier, Banda, Buehler, Casparius, Flaherty, Grove, Henriquez, Hudson, Kelly, Kershaw, Knack, Kopech, Logue, Miller, Phillips, Treinen, Vesia, Wrobleski and Yamamoto. That is the pool they can draw from. Frasso and Hurt are listed on there, but both are injured. Brasier, Banda, Buehler, Flaherty, Henriquez, Hudson, Kelly, Knack, Kopech, Phillips, Treinen, Vesia and Yamamoto are all on the current 28-man roster which has 15 position players. They might keep Grove over Kelly as a long man.
These are my picks for the 26 man, first round roster, Bear, that I posted Monday:
I don’t anticipate any surprises for the 13 position players for the first round.
I see:
Kike and CT3’s recent hitting has solidified their spots, if they were ever in jeopardy.
Starting pitchers:
Relief staff: (2 surprises here, but I favor)
Kelly has good numbers lately, but he makes me nervous. Same with Hudson.
I personally would take Henriquez and his stuff over Kelly.
I would love to see Casparius on the roster. We will find out soon. They have no left-handed hitting outfielders.
You should probably remove the description “not injured” from Kershaw.
Not on the IL and listed as such on the 40 man. We all know about his toe, but if they get past the Padres, he could be activated for the LCS.
I wouldn’t bet on it.
Neither would I, but as long as he is not on the injured list, it is possible.
I would rather they go with Casparius and Henriquez over Hudson and Guano Joe.
How sad to see how much most of you are worried and, above all, how much that shitty team scares you. Remember that they are the ones who have to prove that they are what they have always wanted to be: The best team!
After 2022 and 2023 it don’t take much to scare me.
same. I’ll be bringing 5 days of blood pressure meds to game 1
Know the feeling.
Jorge, that shitty team won 93 games and owned us during the regular season. They have a solid bullpen and starting staff. They were first in the league in BA, and they strike out less than any other team. Yes, they have to prove they are better, but two years ago they eliminated the Dodgers very easily. Most of their hitters are contact type guys and they have one of the better defenses in the majors. I am not worried; I just know they are a very good team, and the Dodgers are going to have to play flawless baseball to win.
WARNING: Self-important post.
Dodgers open as a slight favorite over Padres. -135–140 money line, Padres at +115-+120
For the series:
Nice jinx
Further jinx?
I’m predicting the Dodgers in 3.
Brent Strom will not return as the pitching coach for the Diamondbacks. He, Mike Fetters and Dan Carlson have been removed from their positions. 11 players in the minors have elected free agency, including former Dodger Justin Bruihl.
On the Dodgers website there is an article about which team (Dodgers or Padres) has the advantage position by position and a prediction on which team wins the series. The only surprise to me position by position is LF. The writer thinks Profar is better than Teo, I disagree. He also calls 2B advantage Dodgers, I don’t think there is an advantage for either team.
The writer predicts the Padres win the series in 4 games.
Dodgers pull flip-a-roo.
Yamamoto will start Game 1 (and be ready for Game 5), and Flaherty will start Game 2
If my math is correct they could use YY on 5 days rest or Flaherty on 4 if they get to game 5. That gives them 2 options since they seem to not want to even consider using YY on 4 days rest.
My wife and some of her girlfriends got tickets for game one hope she brings us some luck, I think I’m going to go fishing up to Piru see if I can catch a few bass.
I went to the Dodgers/Phillies playoff game years ago got stuck in the bottom parking lot, it took me an hour and a half to get out of the stadium, I decided no more playoff games for me.
Wow Devin Williams just didn’t have it at the worst possible time
A common Dodger game for the Mets. Do nothing for eight innings and then explode for some crooked numbers. Wow, what a dramatic HR for the Mets and crushing loss for the Brewers. Williams had been out until the end of the season. He didn’t look anywhere near his dominating self. Good for baseball having a Phil’s – Mets series.
Another division champ crashes and burns in its opening round. It’s an epidemic. Lets hope it doesn’t continue!
That is a big 10-4.
I’m sure the networks are happy about the NL playoffs, they are getting all of the big cities, plus some interesting inter division rivalries
It happens. Hader was the loser against the Tigers.