James Paxton is supposed to be the #5 pitcher, so I would not expect him to pitch every game as he did his last one. What you hope for his that he will grind it out and keep the team in the game. He did not have good command of his fastball, and the Padres were not swinging at his secondary pitches. They were waiting for his 4-seamers going over the plate. Even his pickoff throw to 1B kind of sailed.
Mookie opened the LAD 1st inning with a single. The Dodgers then proceeded to go 0-3 WRISP. Smith did draw a walk.
Manny Machado got one of those 93.2 MPH 4-seamers out over the middle of the plate and he put it into the left field stands. That HR generated a lot of fun after the play. The gentleman in the stands who caught the HR ball, came prepared with a second ball in his jacket pocket. After making the catch, he reached into his pocket, grabbed the 2nd ball and threw that ball back onto the fields. Unfortunately for the fan, the ESPN cameras caught it all, and he learned he was busted.
You Darvish was not exactly on top of his game either. The Dodgers looked alive in the 4th. Freddie opened with a double, scored on a Will Smith single to tie the score, and Max untied the score with a 2-run blast. But that was it for the offense in this one. The Dodgers had 2 walks (Kiké Hernández in the 4th and James Outman in the 9th) and 1 single (Will Smith in the 6th), were the only LAD baserunners after Max’s long fly.
Regrettably, Paxton’s four seamer was not close much of the time and he ended up walking 8. After Paxton walked the first two batters in the 6th Doc came out with the hook and brought in Ryan Brasier. Paxton was done for the night with 8 BB. Paxton’s best friend on the night was Jake Cronenworth who into 2 double plays to get out of jams.
Brasier walked his first batter to load the bases. Campusano hit into a double play, but Machado scored to make the score 3-2. Jackson Merrill hit a ball up the middle that Mookie made a terrific play to glove the batted ball, but his throw was wide and went into the Padres dugout. The score was tied.
J. P. Feyereisen entered in the 7th. Feyereisen immediately walked Bogaerts, gave up a hard hit single to Tatis Jr., and walked Cronenworth to load the bases. Feyereisen then popped up Machado and was within a groundball to get out of the inning. Mr. Irrelevant, Jurickson Profar, hit a booming double off the top of the CF wall to clear the bases.
José Azocar came in to run for Profar. Alex Vesia came in to relieve Feyereisen and IBB Ha-Seong Kim. Vesia picked off Azocar for out #2, and Luis Campusano swung wildly at a pitch way out of the strike zone to get the 3rd out.
Nick Ramirez entered in the 9th for his LAD debut. He could not be a LAD pitcher on this night without issuing a BB, which he was proud to do. He also allowed a single. On a fly ball to RF, Machado, the runner on 2nd moved to 3B. Ramirez then induced Luis Campusano to hit into a 3-6-3 DP to get out of the inning.
Earlier in the game, Jackson Merrill laid down a fantastic bunt on the 3rd base side that Max could not make the play. This was a great bunt, and I am not blaming Max for not making the play. However, I would be bunting on Max as often as possible, especially with guys at the bottom of the order. This was my point on CT on his 11th inning AB on Friday.
The LAD offense in total was offensive on this night, but it was downright horrid with the bottom four. All 6 hits (19 AB) were generated by the first 5 batters with Will Smith collecting 2, and also drawing a BB to reach base 3 times. Teoscar Hernández, James Outman, Kiké Hernández, and Gavin Lux were 0-13 with 2 BB (Outman and Hernández).
- James Outman – .173/.283/.308/.591
- Kiké Hernández – .200/.237/.200/.437
- Gavin Lux – .163/.226/.184/.410
- CT – .031/.162/.031/.193
- Miggy Ro – .250/.250/.550/.800
- Austin Barnes – .333/.455/.333/.788
Yesterday Badger said:
I still don’t get all the disapproval of Roberts. All managers get questioned by fans but none have the success rate that Roberts has. And by none I mean none. He’s win percentage is higher than 33 managers that are in the HOF.
I know there are disapprovals out there. There are some who blame the manager and front office for everything. It is not the players who are the problem, it is AF who did not get the right players, or Doc who did not play the right players. How dare Doc bat Mookie leadoff in the playoffs last year. Everyone knows he has to hit lower in the lineup for the playoffs. And if Mookie is not getting on, then Freddie is not going to hit to make Mookie look bad, and Doc should have known that.
So I partially understand where you are coming from. But Doc’s winning percentage is largely resultant on the team AF has given him for the regular season. But just because Doc and his coaches have better information than we fans do, that does not absolve them from having their decisions questioned.
I understand why he took out Yarbrough on Friday knowing he is going to need him as the bulk inning reliever in an upcoming bullpen game.
I understand why he left Paxton in even recognizing that he was having real problems trying to command his fastball. His bullpen is like a sieve right now. Very few relievers can be counted on getting outs. The Dodgers do not have a Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta, or Robert Suarez in the pen.
I questioned why Doc sent up RH batters to PH for LH hitters to face LHRP Wandy Peralta. Peralta owns RH batters. He has not given up a hit against a RH batter all year. That was also evident in Sunday’s game when LH hitting Shohei Ohtani slugged a 108.6 MPH single off Peralta and Freddie followed that with a 96.1 liner to 2B. RH hitting Will Smith who was not retired all evening, meekly grounded out 5-3.
I questioned why CT3 did not bunt in the 11th inning on Friday’s game. I was not questioning CT3 playing, but he has 1 single all year in 36 PA up to that point, and 17 K. Jackson Merrill who is hitting north of .300 laid down a great bunt in Sunday’s game for a single. Taylor? Well he did not K, but he popped out to 1B in foul territory, when his job was to move the runner to 3B at a minimum.
I would love to understand the true reason for both of those moves. Even the LAD announcers questioned Doc for pinch hitting RH batters against Peralta. It is these types of decisions in the playoffs that get fans scratching their head as to why he makes the decisions he does. I will say it again. It was not Roberts’ fault for losing any of the last three playoff series…2021 NLCS, 2022 NLDS, 2023 NLDS. But if the Dodgers are going to rely on the computer making the decisions, then what is the purpose of a game decision making manager.
That being said, I reserve the right to question the decisions he does make. I doubt that I will get a meaningful answer, but it doesn’t negate the question.
With respect to the bullpen, might it not be the right time to promote Landon Knack or Kyle Hurt to be inserted into the spot for Bobby Miller? AF’s decisions are more pressing now than Doc’s.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT – 04-14-2024
OKC Baseball Club 14 – Round Rock Express (Texas) 5
The offensive onslaught from Saturday carried over to Sunday. After tying their season high with 12 runs on Saturday, they scored 14 on Sunday. After dropping a doubleheader on Wednesday, OKC has beat Round Rock 4 straight.
The Dodgers threw a bullpen game in this one, using 6 pitchers.
OKC jumped out to a 10-0 lead after 5.0 innings. For the second consecutive game OKC put up 8 in one inning.
In the first inning, Andy Pages slugged a solo HR, his 4th HR of the season.
Andy Pages is on ANOTHER LEVEL right now
He just ended a 13-pitch at bat with his fourth homer of the year, and this one was a bomb. 110 mph off the bat, travelled 406 feet. #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/8CpEDnIQv6
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) April 14, 2024
In the third, OKC drew 4 BB to get their 2nd run.
OKC blew it open in the 5th. The inning started with a pair of BB to Miguel Vargas and Ryan Ward. Kevin Padlo doubled home both runners. Andre Lipcius matched Pages with his 4th HR of the season for the team lead.
Andre Lipcius sends this one back to OKC!
He goes deep for a second straight game and makes it 6-0 in the 5th inning! pic.twitter.com/QtG7iRIxBf
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) April 14, 2024
Now up 6-0, Chris Okey doubled and Chris Owings singled with Okey moving to 3rd. Drew Avans singled home Okey, and Andy Pages hit a 3-run HR for his 5th of the season.
Andy Pages is on ANOTHER PLANET right now!
He goes deep again! His second today and fifth in seven games! pic.twitter.com/P0cd5WNt5t
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) April 14, 2024
Lipcius tripled in the 6th and scored on a Chris Okey SF.
Ryan Ward finished the scoring with a 3-run HR (4) in the 7th.
Ryan Ward crushed a three-run homer for OKC pic.twitter.com/DUbCVTRa6p
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) April 14, 2024
With an 11-0 lead, Tanner Dodson became the third OKC pitcher. After completing a scoreless 5th, but loaded the bases with 3 BB in the 6th. Alec Gamboa relieved Dodson and surrendered a SF for the Express’ first run.
Round Rock got a pair of 2-run HRs in the final two innings. One off Gus Varland and one off Drew Pomeranz.
- Andy Pages – 3-5, 1 BB, 3 runs, 4 RBI, 2 HR (5)
- Drew Avans – 2-5, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, triple (3)
- Andre Lipcius – 2-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, triple (1), HR (4)
- Miguel Vargas – 1-2, 3 BB, 2 runs, double (5)
- Kevin Padlo – 1-3, 2 BB, 1 run, 3 RBI, double (4)
- Chris Okey – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (2), Sacrifice Fly
Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 9 – Tulsa Drillers 2
After a good start to 2024, Kendall Williams was smacked around in his second start. He pitched 3.1 innings, allowing 8 runs on 10 hits and 3 BB.
Michael Hobbs finished the 4th inning for Williams and a scoreless 5th. Hobbs finished with 3 BB. Ryan Sublette completed 2.0 scoreless innings allowing a single with 2 K. Logan Boyer struck out the side in his 1.0 IP.
Juan Morillo allowed a single and a run scoring double in the 9th to complete Arkansas’ scoring.
Tulsa scored on a José Ramos HR (2) in the 4th, and a pair of doubles from Brendon Davis (2) and Yeiner Fernandez (2) in the 7th for their 2nd run.
José Ramos was the only Driller with 2 hits.
Tulsa has lost 4 consecutive games to Arkansas, and 5 of 6.
Great Lakes Loons 12 – Lansing Lugnuts (A’s) 4
After a slow offensive start for GL in 2024, the Loons have now scored 12 runs in 2 of the last 3, and a total of 32 runs in their last three games. After two outstanding starts on Saturday, the Loons got another excellent start from their Sunday starter. Christian Romero pitched 5.0 innings, allowed 1 unearned run, 1 hit, 3 BB, and 4 K.
The Loons scored 3 in the 2nd, 1 in the 3rd, and 4 in the 4th for an 8-0 lead after 4.
In the third, Dylan Campbell singled. Luis Rodriguez reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to 2nd on an error. Luis moved to 3rd on a groundout. Nelson Quiroz singled home Rodriguez. Jake Vogel and Alex Freeland each drew a BB to load the bases and Kyle Nevin singled home a pair.
Dylan Campbell homered in the 3rd.
In the 4th, Nelson Quiroz opened with a single. With 1 out, Alex Freeland doubled and Quiroz scored. Kyle Nevin singled home Freeland, and Chris Newell slugged a 2-run HR.
The Lugnuts got their 1 unearned run on a 2-out E-5 (Freeland).
In the 7th, Dylan Campbell and Luis Rodriguez each singled to open the inning. Campbell stole 3B and scored on a ground out.
In the 8th, Freeland singled and reached 3rd on a SB and WP. Kyle Nevin and Noah Miller both walked to load the bases. All three runners scored on Dylan Campbell’s double.
Jonathan Edwards relieved Romero and pitched a perfect 6th with 1 K.
Livan Reinoso lost total control in the 7th. He opened the inning with a K but a WP put the batter on base. That was followed by a BB, WP, and BB to load the bases. A 4-6 force out scored a run. Another BB and the bases were loaded again. A 2-run single brought home 2 and Reinoso was done for the night. Kelvin Ramirez struck out Will Simpson to end the inning.
Lucas Wepf entered in the 9th to close out the game. He retired the side in order. In his first 3 games of 2024, Wepf has pitched 6.0 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 1 BB, and registered 7 K.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and Stockton Ports (A’s) were rained out for the second consecutive game.
We seem to have a pitching problem. I know it’s early, but the signs are there. Feyereisen? OMG. Paxton, 8BB!! I can’t recall ever seeing a pitcher give up so many. Are we always going to rely on the batters to save us? FO seems asleep.
“Are we always going to rely on the batters to save us?”
Yes. 6 starters and 1 important reliever are on the IL. This team is built to score and they must do it to win. Every team they play will be out to “slay the dragon”.
If every move Doc made worked they might win 120 games instead of just 102, which is his average over 10 years. And if AF should get credit for the wins… let’s bark at him when the players he chose fail.
The Dodgers aren’t the only team using analytics. They all are.
It’s my suspicion only left handed hitters practice the bunt. And the Dodgers? With a runner in scoring position they are going to swing away. Yeah, I too would bunt the runner over with a sub .200 hitter up. But do I expect the Dodgers to do it? No.
Actually, I would say 2 important relievers are on the IL. Treinen and Graterol should both make major contributions if healthy.
Good point. I forgot about him. He’s the invisible man on this team. Do you know when and if he’s expected back? BR has him projected at 25 innings.
Were you asking about Treinen or Graterol?
Treinen.
The also seem built to fail to win a WS.
Explain this please, Jeff.
Nice article great breakdown on Roberts
Getting strong Devin Mann vibes from Lipcius.
Jeff, Merrill did not bunt. It was a checked swing with the ball barely hitting the end of his bat. He did not do that on purpose.
You and I saw it differently, but the point remains. Muncy cannot charge slow hit balls whether they are bunts or checked swings or whatever. I would bunt on him all day long. And it does not dismiss my opinion that CT should have bunted in the 11th inning on Friday. You dislike strikeouts. I dislike that LAD hitters go up looking to hit the ball 500 feet, and not understanding that a 50 foot batted ball will get the job done. Situational hitting. The Dodgers do not practice that.
Watched the replay a little bit ago, he checked his swing and the ball hit off of the end of his bat. No way anyone could have picked that ball, even Mookie or a guy like Chapman. Even the ESPN guys commented about the checked swing single. Merrill himself was laughing at first base. I also think they should try and move men over. I get just as frustrated as you when they try to just drive the guy in from second instead of moving him over where a fly ball scores the winner. Explains why their record in extra inning games is so frippen bad the last several years. Max is no great third baseman, but he is in there strictly because he has no where else to play, and they like his bat. If nothing else with a man on second in the late innings, shoot the ball to the opposite field.
WTF is the manager for? Has Doc ever ordered a bunt be laid down?
I totally agree w you about the right to question, the FO, the manager, a players’ inability to be willing to adapt. It doesn’t mean we are haters, it means we are thinking and analyzing and wanting to learn. And also about not expecting a forthright answer, but not getting andwers raises more questions!
Not a fun game to watch. The Dodgers vaunted offense has sputtered in recent days and they have now lost 3 of their last 4 games.
Still winning at over .600 so a few April stinkers aren’t much of a concern to me. And I generally wait for 100 at bats to evaluate hitters. All the bottom of the order guys have a ways to go before they reach that marker.
What may be a concern going forward is the pitching. Something doesn’t look right about those guys.
I never worry until September. I just hate losing to San Diego or the Giants at any time. They could have easily swept this series.
Outman hit the ball hard but the defense made good plays. His outs have been different than the others that were hitless.
Hitting the ball hard is good, but it doesn’t guarantee you a spot in the lineup.
Does not guarantee a spot, but Outman’s BABIP is .219. At some point those batted balls are going to fall in. You have to look at him in totality. He strikes out a lot and whiffs at balls in the zone. He always has and always will. When he hits the ball he hits it in the sweet spot (93rd percentole), mostly barrels (61st percentile) and hard hit (57th percentile). He does not chase (56th percentile) so he is in the 72nd percentile in BB rate.
He is a streaky hitter, so I do believe he deserves to stay in the lineup. That .219 BABIP should be at or around .300.
Gavin Lux does not chase. And that is the only offensive # above 43rd percentile (Whiff %). He barrels in the 1 percentile, because he cannot go lower. He has 0% barrels. Hard hit percentile is 22, and sweet spot percentile is 21.
You really do not want to see CT’s percentiles.
Outman is clearly different from those two.
Until the BP gets its act together I think this is going to be a reoccurring theme with the Dodgers. I agree with STB that Treinen and Graterol are both needed to help the BP be successful. I’ve seen enough of Vesia to think that a new LHP is needed. If things don’t change with Vesia by the trade deadline he may be replaced. His pitching sequence has become too predicable. Brasier has regressed as well. Such is the life of a reliever.
It’s very disappointing to see Bobby Miller go down so early in the season. It’s hard to be a fan of a pitcher these days because there is no long term (maybe a season) before they break down. They were discussing it on The ESPN telecast last night and had no one had a conclusive answer to why pitchers are having such arm issues. My thoughts are that the science is so advanced and revealing that it is pushing the limits of the human arm to the point where it starts to self destruct. Maybe, the science should be used to compliment the talents of the pitching arm while not subjecting the arm to major injuries. High velocity is not interesting anymore because damn near everyone throws in the high 90’s plus. They mentioned last night that a surgeon had come up with a procedure ( a brace?) that could reduce the recovery time to 10 months instead of 18 months. So, instead of learning how to pitch without throwing 100 MPH let’s improve the surgical procedure. I mean, tens of thousands of “pitchers” have done it in the past without throwing in the high 90’s.
It’s similar to analytics with regard to exaggerated shifts and hitting approach. Sure, it might help win a few games. But, for the baseball fan it was boring as hell. Who wants to watch the three true outcomes ALL the time? I’m a long time (1956) baseball/Dodger fan. I think it was in 2018/19 that I was ready to stop watching Dodger baseball. I was tired of watching an at bat that was most likely a walk, strikeout, or HR. Like many things in our world I felt it was a race to the bottom where the strikeout was considered an acceptable outcome. What happens on the field when a hitter strikeouts? That would be nothing! No sacrifice bunts to advance the runner or beat a shift. Steal a base? Uh, no thanks. I know the stats prove this was a winning approach, but it was ruining the game. Thankfully, the shift is no longer allowed and the stolen base has returned.
Sorry for the rant for things that have been addressed by MLB. But, this arm injury issue has brought up things from the past that I thought was ruining baseball. Hopefully, a resolution can be found for these talented pitchers that are subjecting their arm to certain destruction. If not, we may never see a no hitter or a 200+ innings pitcher again.
Carry on.
There was a no-hitter pitched this year by Ronel Blanco of the Astros five games into the season, but 200 inning pitchers are going to be few and far between. Some experts think that teams should start stretching starters out again. I concur.
Something else was alluded to Ted – velocity gets the scouts attention and if a pitcher can hang around long enough they will get generational money whether they pitch or not. And there’s a lot of not circulating among pitchers all over the league and especially in Los Angeles.
14 walks. Really?
I think they should fire Mark Prior.
(just kidding but isn’t that the solution to poor player performance? Fire the coaches or Manager?)
What an ugly game in general.
Brian Knight’s brutal performance yesterday and his tight ass north and south zone didn’t help but he also had some inconstant corners too. But he can’t touch Mark Carlson’s ineptitude behind the dish in the Yankees – Guardians game where he missed 20 pitches and had a 76% accuracy rate on called strikes.
*Doc got all the could finagle out of Paxton. Lots of double play help. But he left Feyereisen in too long. He obviously didn’t have it. Aside from Hudson and Phillips, there’s not much to like about this current bullpen.
*Muncy damn near failed to make a tag on a cold runner on the early steal attempt. Just go to the base with the tag, Max. That’s the runner’s destination. Don’t reach for the runner. I’m telling you, tags are a lost art.
*Whatever happened to taking a strike when your is down 3 in the 9th?
*I certainly learned way more about designer baseball cleats than I’ve ever wanted to know, from Eddie Perez. That might be his best deal. Back in the day black Kangaroo shoes were state of the art and white laces were considered bush. All black and the clubby shined them. In the early 70’s colored shoes, like the Phillie’s red shoes, were introduced. Of course the A’s had the white shoes ahead of everybody. Now you get the player’s life story and legacy on his shoes.
*Tedraymond, we’re sure hearing a lot of arm issue CAUSES, but not many solutions. How about Coney’s comment when they were discussing prevention, and he diverted to describing the new elbow surgery that knock off 8 months off of the recovery time, like that’s some kind of a solution.
But the discussion that young pitchers aren’t going to take anything off that heater and hard breaking balls, is a correct one. Velo gets them signed. The scouts pay attention to velo or we wouldn’t see every scout break out a Jugs Gun, first thing when they scout any pitcher.
If a scout makes a mistake on a kid who throws 96+ it’s part of the business. If he turns in a Jaime Moyer and he stinks, the scout will never live it down. They want velocity.
And Bear, I’m in the camp that thinks more throwing instead of less may be a better approach. That’s less incline work at max and more throwing and arm exercises using “toys” like weighted balls, javelins, flex sticks, long toss, and flat ground work that builds up arm strength. Pulling the plug at 85 pitches isn’t working in avoiding injuries. Geez now when a pitcher gets to 100 pitches, even the broadcasters are questioning it like the guys arm is going to fall off right before our very eyes.
Maybe more throwing and less pitching is better. That was my approach as a coach and we had few arm problems. But we never had guys at 95+
Otherwise, maybe arms have reached their max and there is no avoiding injuries. Just put steel cables in as an UCL and keep chuckin.
I agree with the throwing you’re talking about. Another thing I heard Ryan Dempster on the MLB network is that pitchers don’t run as much as they used to he also sounded like he wasn’t much of a fan of weighted balls either.
We have heard that Blake Treinen is out due to a bruised lung. Well, not true. When the Dodgers returned home from Seoul, Treinen had an MRI that revealed fractures to his fifth and sixth ribs. That was nearly a month ago, and we are learning about that now???
“Treinen’s revelation comes two weeks after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the reliever had not suffered a setback in his recovery and was merely dealing with “residual” soreness from the bruised lung.”
Bobby Miller injury per Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic:
Emmet Sheehan was slow started due to “general soreness”. He was then put on the IL due to forearm inflammation. I guess that defines general soreness.
Now, Emmet Sheehan injury per Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic:
I am guessing that Sheehan will not be available at all this year. I am not sure that I can believe anything more positive coming out of Dave Roberts’ mouth.
So what should the fans believe about the injury status for?
· Walker Buehler
· Bobby Miller
· Blake Treinen
· Emmet Sheehan
· Clayton Kershaw
· Dustin May
· Brusdar Graterol
· Nick Frasso
· Tony Gonsolin
· River Ryan
· Justin Chambers
· Wyatt Crowell
· Eriq Swan
· Damon Keith
Those are the ones we know of. What about Payton Martin? He was fairly dominant last year at Rancho, and we have no idea what his status is thus far in 2024.
I”ve seen spy movies where more information is made public.
Martin is in extended Spring Training.
I know, but why? Why isn’t he pitching for RC or Great Lakes? And how much is he participating in extended ST? Hsve you seen reports? If so, please share.
He posted this on Twitter a couple of weeks ago.
Looks like the Dodgers are working on his pitch arsenal
https://x.com/martin_payton/status/1777466344277168482
I have long said my biggest problem with Roberts is his mouth. Oh” he is just a little sore” then out for 3 months. I don’t believe anything he says. And it is embarrassing to keep hearing him say World Series or we failed. How about just winning a playoff game. Or if they failed then who’s to blame. Is he? Just do something before anointing yourself.you said we don’t have peralta, matsui, and Suarez. Except for Suarez why not both were available and relatively cheap.
Pitching. It appears there is gonna be a lot of games this team is going to need score 7-8 runs. To do this 6-9 is going to have to get it going.
Did Gonsolin and May get the 10 month surgeries?
Great to see Busch doing well!
just needed a shot.
Trammel. He must have some skills, though he’s not showing it. 35th pick in the draft.
Team schneid. It happens. Shall we blame Roberts?