After Game 3 of this 4 game series, against a very good San Diego Padres team (their record not withstanding), I have been scouring the blogosphere to read about poor Dodger game management and poor game planning for this game. After all, it wasn’t a shutout. Lance Lynn gave up another HR and was pulled after only 6.0 innings. Ryan Brasier gave up a dinger as well. And how dare they with the audacity of bringing Yency Almonte back in after Saturday’s debacle.
Austin Barnes and Miguel Rojas in the starting lineup? How can they possibly win? Well we know how Scott felt about it…
”Loser lineup tonight behind Lynn, Barnes and Rojas back to back yet again. Gotta put the worst hitters in the lineup. Should be another L. Hope not.” Well at least he added the “hope not”,
but it is clear he did not think the Dodgers were going to win it. Final Score 8-2 Dodgers. I guess they can win with Rojas and Barnes in the lineup.
The Dodgers win as a team and they lose as a team. It is not due to one player or one pitcher: victory or loss. With all of their injuries, the Dodgers are in 1st place in the NL West, leading San Francisco by 4 games. Remember when some were saying, big deal about the Dodgers sweeping Oakland? Well, Oakland just swept San Francisco in a 2 game series.
Arizona has fallen off the cliff and are now 8.5 games behind LAD, and 1.5 games behind in the Wild Card race.
The Dodgers have the 2nd best record in the NL and are 6.5 games behind Atlanta for the best record in the NL They have the 4th best run differential in MLB.
The Dodger trade deadline acquisitions had another good game. Lance Lynn completed 6.0 innings, and had his 2nd quality start, giving up only 1 run.. If they do not hit solo HRs against him, they are not scoring. Kiké Hernández had a 3-hit game with 2 doubles, and Amed Rosario had a 2-run oppo HR off a lefty (Rich Hill).
With a RHP on the mound, Roberts sent up David Peralta to PH for Amed Rosario. And while it did not produce a run with that AB, it sure played out defensively when Kiké moved to 2B and made a fantastic play on a ground ball and throwing a strike to Freddie across his body. Peralta later singled and ended up 1-2.
Not everything was great. 6 of the 8 runs were a direct result of a HR, and the team was 2-12 WRISP. San Diego was 0-6.
So, for this game, Dave Roberts seemed to make the right calls. I guess he gets the credit for all of the good in this one, just like he gets all the blame when the team loses.
- Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are special. Both homered in Game 3. Mookie 1st LAD to hit 30 HRs in 2023.
- Somehow some way, the Dodgers beat a team with both Miggy Rojas and Austin Barnes in the lineup.
- AF/BG’s trade deadline deals have performed extraordinarily well since their trades. That is especially true for Kiké and Amed, although Lance Lynn has certainly mitigated concerns for starters going deeper into games.
- Kiké as a LAD – 35 PA – .333/.343/.485/.828 – 5 doubles, 6 RBI
- Amed as a LAD – 28 PA – .296/.321/.593/.914 – 2 doubles, 2 HR, 9 RBI
- Lance Lynn – 13.0 IP, 2.77 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .191 BAA, 13 K, 3 BB, 4 HR
- The Angels tried to make a run for it this year, but they seem to have fallen out of it at this point.
- Cincinnati is still in the hunt, but they have lost a chance at putting some distance between them and the others.
- Cubs have put themselves in position for a long WC run.
- NYM have seemed to quit on the season.
- San Diego still looks to be too good not to sneak into the Wild Card slot.
- NYY and Boston will not both make the playoffs. Will one of them? Will neither of them?
Tony Gonsolin gets another chance to show if he has turned the corner in 2023 in Monday’s matinee finale. This will be the final regular season game the Dodgers face San Diego in San Diego. The Catman will be matched against RHP Seth Lugo. Lugo has 11 games (1 game started) against LAD, 16.2 IP, with a 3.24 ERA, and a 1.020 WHIP.
08-06-2023 – MiLB Game Summary Report
OKC Dodgers 17 – Round Rock Express (Texas) 7
Ryan Pepiot stretched it out to 4.0 IP and 80 pitches. He pitched very well for 3.0 innings but allowed 2 runs in the 4th on 3 hits.
Matt Andriese allowed 4 runs in his 1.0 IP. 4 other OKC pitchers pitched 1.0 inning each.
The offense did the damage. 17 runs on 22 hits. Every OKC batter had at least 1 hit, while 6 of the 9 had 3 hits.
- Michael Busch – 3-6, 2 runs, 1 RBI
- Miguel Vargas – 2-5, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Pat Valaika – 3-6, 2 runs, 4 RBI, double (7)
- David Dahl – 3-6, 2 runs, 3 RBI
- Hunter Feduccia – 3-4, 2 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI
- Bryson Brigman – 3-6, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (9)
- Steven Duggar – 3-4, Sac Fly, 2 runs, 3 RBI
- Ryan Ward – 1-5, 3 runs, double (24)
Here's a look at the night of Ryan Pepiot. Heavy ball, catch play, flat work, long toss, pen, bump. Pepiot stretched to 4 innings, gave up 2 & had 3 Ks. He touched 96.4 on the 4 Seam, 2476 on the spin, changeup had 36 inches of vert & slider had 49. Change had 35% whiff! #dodgers pic.twitter.com/qqrkCjfLZw
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) August 7, 2023
Ryan Pepiot's line tonight:
4.0 IP
5 H
2 ER
2 BB
3 K
10 whiffs
23 CSW%
80 P / 50 S pic.twitter.com/zvfUI2C3Gg— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) August 7, 2023
Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota) 10 – Tulsa Drillers 9
Starter Ben Casparius was given a 4-0 and 5-1 lead but he could not keep the Drillers in front. Tulsa got 3 more in the 3rd to take an 8-6 lead. Unfortunately Aldry Acosta and Antonio Knowles gave up a pair of runs each, enough to give the Drillers the loss.
Key Performers:
- Austin Gauthier – 2-5, 1 run
- Jorbit Vivas – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (21)
- Yusniel Diaz – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Diego Cartaya – 1-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (15)
- Carson Taylor – 1-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 3 RBI
Great Lakes Loons 13 – Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego) 3
Juan Morillo was the Great Lakes opener and Jerming Rosario followed. Morillo gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 1.0 IP. Rosario pitched 4.0 innings and gave up a single run on a solo HR. Four relievers pitched a scoreless inning apiece to complete the rout.
Key Performers:
- Yeiner Fernandez – 3-4, 2 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI
- Nick Biddison – 2-3, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (1)
- Griffin Lockwood-Powell – 2-4, 1 BB, 3 RBI, double (15)
- Chris Alleyne – 2-5, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI
- Jake Vogel – 3-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, HR (2)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7 – Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado) 2
Chris Campos started and completed 4.0 scoreless innings. 1 hit, 1 BB, 6 K, 51 pitches (37 strikes). Five relievers pitched one inning each to complete the game.
Wilman Diaz was the offensive star with a 3 hit night including 2 HRs.
Key Performers:
- Wilman Diaz – 3-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 2 HR (5)
- Josue De Paula – 1-3, 2 BB, 2 runs
- Jake Gelof – 2-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, triple (1)
- Joe Vetrano – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (2)
- Luis Rodriguez – 3-4, 2 RBI, double (9)
#Dodgers 2023 second rounder Jake Gelof picked up his first career Single-A RBI on a triple pic.twitter.com/XsYbUT6wa5
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) August 7, 2023
I posted this just before this thread was released. Here it is again……
The major question for me in this moment is what will Yarbrough’s role be? Starter or reliever? As of this moment, Urias, Gonsolin, Lynn, & Miller are locks at starting. Then, there is the choice of Grove and Sheehan, but Yarbrough has a fair amount of starting credentials and would also be an interesting choice because of his pitching style. What do posters think?
Yarborough seems like a good fit to split games with Gonsolin. Righty/ Lefty, Gonsolin doesn’t go deep into games because of his pitch count. Gonsolin for 4 or 5 and Yarborough for 3-5.
Bulk pitcher
Good one Jeff thanks,
Can’t I rage about a dumb loss?
Lynn put on a pitching clinic. When you get a great starting pitching performance, it’s so much easier to win. Puts much less stress on the team. You can see how important starting pitching is in the regular season and postseason.
Bullpen games are still stupid.
Almonte still sucks.
Go Dodgers
Nerds.
You can rage at a loss all you want. You would not be alone. Just not at the people who disagree with you. They just have a different opinion than yours.
My Loss rage is never directed towards them. Only towards the Dodgers. maybe a little at Bluto though
Why do you hate progress? The era of the starting pitcher is dead. I can’t wait till MLB allows teams to expand the roster to allow 30 pitchers. There’ll be a pitching change for each batter. I can’t wait!
Almonte was good for a while. Prior and the Dodgers probably see the potential to be good again, so they’re going to keep putting him in games so he can find it again. … until they decide he can’t.
Pitching has been really unpredictable this year (more so than usual) – across the league. Maybe some pitchers have a hard time with the pitch clock. Who knows?
With his strong start yesterday, Lynn moved himself off the very bottom of the ERA standings among qualified pitchers. Funny how a change of scenery (and working with Prior, perhaps) can turn a season around. Kike and Rosario have been outstanding, too.
Maybe AF actually knows what he’s doing … and Dylan Hernandez and Plaschke truly are hacks.
Gotta love Lance Lynn and his pitching style. Take notes Gonsolin, Sheehan Miller, all the other young guys. That’s how you pitch. He’s agressive throws strikes, comes right at the hitters. He doesnt give them a comfortable at-bat in the box.
Good for him and for the Dodgers. as of right now, he’s probably on my postseason rotation, if it were up to me.
BTW Plaschke and Hernandez are not hacks. They just call it like they see it. No blowing smoke.
I agree with some of this Scott. Lynn put on a clinic. Starting pitching is important. We’ve had it in the past years. We haven’t had it this year. We didn’t get what we wanted at the deadline. But this team has grit and I appreciate it.
I am not crazy about bullpen games but to say they’re stupid misses the point. Sometimes they are necessary.
I don’t know if the numbers of the acquired players will remain that high, it’s doubtful, but what I see are players that fit, and for that I’m grateful.
Pepiot might actually be able to start a few for us. Buehler might be able to pitch some bullpen innings. This is very good news. This staff will need all the help it can get.
I still believe this particular Dodger team will win with scoring. Winning 3-2 will be rare.
I thought I read that if Buehler came back it would be as a starter. Guess he would be part of the dreaded bullpen game. How about a Buehler/Yarborough teaming.
I think what was said was Buehler might be used as a swing man, so, yeah, Yarbrough/Buehler might be a great 7 inning match.
“he’s improved in recent weeks, cutting out the misread fly balls and throwing mistakes that plagued him earlier in the season” – Jack Harris speaking of James Outman in this morning’s Times.
Yeah, that’s exactly what I saw. But it would seem Outman is making progress in center field. He kinda looks like a bigger Bellinger out there.
Keekay has been exactly what we needed. Glad he’s back.
Dodgers are 7-2 against the Pads this year. Almonte gave up a meaningless homer. He got the job done.
If you’re talking about last night it was Brasier and Lynn who gave up the homers. Almonte gave up only a single.
Had to re-look at the title of this website. Thought I was inadvertently reading LADT. Seemed like Mark Timmons had wrote it, ugh. Roberts is a clown, an absolute buffoon, and shouldn’t even be allowed to manage his sock drawer.
No, I am not Mark Timmons, but he is not the only one who thinks Dave Roberts does what is asked of him as a Dodger manager. He has the best winning percentage of any manager in MLB history with more than 1000 games (.627). Yes, yes, yes, he has been given a great team. So did Buck Showalter, Joe Girardi, Bob Melvin, Tony La Russa. How did they work out? Like it or not, the modern day manager’s job is to keep peace in the clubhouse and be a good communicator. That is what Roberts does. There is no longer the need for the Sparky Anderson, Tommy Lasorda, Smokey Alston, Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, Jim Leyland. Gene Mauch was one of the best baseball minds in all of MLB, and how many championships did he win?
Look at what is going on in Chicago with the White Sox. The players that left could not be happier. Keynan Middleton absolutely blasted the CWS culture.
The players on the 2016 roster who were part of the 111 win team.
The team has changed dramatically since Roberts was hired. This year the team lost JT, but reacquired Kiké Hernández from that 2016 team. And somehow they keep winning even with the massive injuries they have had this year.
You do not like Dave Roberts. Okay, but my point remains. If he gets the blame for the losses and not the players, as happened on Saturday night, then he should get the credit for the Sunday win, and not the players. Both statements are wrong.
We will never know, but IMO, if Roberts was managing SD, Tatis Jr. would still be SS and batting leadoff. That would make for a happier clubhouse. With a happier Tatis Jr., they would be a better team. The importance of today’s manager.
And yes, I prefer AF over every other PBO/GM in MLB. I guess I have that in common with Mark as well.
They both make mistakes (and some doozies), but they lead the winningest organization in MLB, and that should remain for some time.
Quality comment! Thanks!
Didn’t see the word moron used today. Might have missed it.
The win value of managers has been posted numerous times. You might have missed those too. It happens. Bottom line? It’s the players. If they come through the manager appears to be a genius. If they don’t, some blame the manager. This has been going on for quite a while.
Hondo is an adherent to the Ted Lasso school of perpetual positivity and happiness.
Sorry to hear about your feelings on Roberts. Unfortunately, he’s going to continue being the coach for the foreseeable future, so your only recourse is to seethe on the internet. But alas, you can’t seethe on LADT because you were banned.
Dave Roberts is the Dodger’s manager Patch, not coach 😉
Whatevs. I like saying coach.
know-it-all.
A couple of days ago I posted a link to a story about a 19 year old Korean high school pitcher named Jang Hyun-Seok, who is expected to come straight to the U.S. rather than enter the Korean league draft.
Yesterday the word was out that he’s had three MLB offers.
Today, Daniel Kim, an ESPN source based in Korea, states that he’s on the verge of signing with the Dodgers, who picked up over a million in international signing money a couple of days ago by sending two pitching prospects to the White Sox.
This is the description on Jang:
“Jang is a 19-year-old pitcher at Masan Yongma High School in Changwon, South Korea. Listed at just shy of 6’3 and weighing in at 198 lbs, the hurler was the favorite to be the #1 selection in the KBO draft, which takes place on September 15th. Jang boasts a fastball up to 97, along with a slider, sweeper, curve, and a changeup:”
We’ve had some great success with Korean pitchers in the past, Chan-Ho Park and Hyun Jin Ryu, to name a couple.
To get a 19 year old who throws 5 pitches and has already hit 97 on the gun sounds very intriguing…………if Daniel Kim is correct that we’re going to sign him.
Maybe the second coming of Bobby Miller, but 5 years younger.
Cool. His curveballs looks 12-5ish.
Is there a link?
Great info, but easy on the “second coming” stuff.
Please, Bluto, allow me my superlatives.
I’m convinced! He’s the Cho-Sen one!
See what I did there?
Well done.
Thanks, STB, for the info.
That’s awesome. Let’ see!
Lol
Drop your glove and get into a [bad] boxing stance and get suspended 6 games
???
he utterly embarrassed himself the other day.
I assume that both Anderson and Ramirez were suspended for 3 games for fighting and Anderson got the extra 3 games for losing the fight.
Haha
As I was watching it all play out, I was sorely missing Howard Cosell, although Tom Hamilton acquitted himself very nicely.
Anderson threw the first punch. It missed. Ramirez got less time for actually landing the second punch.
Boy Gonsolin stinks. Now I almost want to take back what I said yesterday. Now I want a bullpen game.
Padres put seven balls in play that inning. Five of them had exit velo of 100 mph or higher. A sixth was 97.6 mph…
Per the great Eric Stephen:
Tony Gonsolin hasn’t been right all year, he’s had trouble recovering between starts, the Dodgers won’t say specifically what physical things he’s dealing with, and he just has to go out and wear it every 5 or 6 days. What a brutal season
Interesting.
Since then, no balls in play with exit veto 100 mph plus.
UNTIL Juan Soto laced into a single.
I gotta say, the team is great. Even with dumb bullpen games. There is no quit in this team, and the chemistry in the clubhouse is fantastic. What a team!
Remember Tommy used to say that? lolz
I think it was, “What a f*****g team!”
lolz right, mine was the PC version
Nice win today. Although I am worried about Gonsolin.
Orel likes to tell the story about when he first came up and Tommy took him aside and told him he was being too timid out on the mound and said “I’m naming you bulldog, now go out there and act like one.”
Gonsolin always has that look on his face like he’s expecting the game to cave in on him, and this year he’s usually right. He needs to look and act much more agressive on the mound. Since Tommy isn’t around to do it, maybe Lance Lynn can have a few minutes with him and kick him in the rear end.
The talent is there, but the attitude is missing.
Yep. He doesn’t seem like he cares that much when things start going wrong.
He needs a lot less kitty and a whole lot more junkyard dog that’s for sure
I’m sure he cares. It’s just part of his personality not to be demonstrative, but yeah, it’s not a good look to have kitty associated with your persona.
Someone needs to teach him to scowl.
I think he’s fully aware something is very wrong.
Are you assuming that it’s something that won’t be made worse by continuing to start every 5 days or do you think the team is so desperate for starters that they’re willing to risk further injury?
With the addition of Yarbrough, and the return of Kershaw and Pepiot before long, they can certainly now afford to send him to the IL if need be. It will be interesting to see if they actually do that.
I’ve expected that since he came back from injury. That was a sprained ankle he got from walking off the field. Kept him out a couple months. I’ve been waiting for elbow news.
Hey at least he went 6