This was a full on bullpen game. Ryan Brasier started and after striking out Jung Hoo Lee on 3 pitches and Matt Chapman to fly out on the first pitch. After walking Jorge Soler on 5 pitches, he got Conforto to pop out. Brasier made quick work of the top three in the SFG lineup, and looked the best he has all year. 12 pitches/8 strikes.
Logan Webb came into the game having never lost to LAD in LA. and after the first two pitches were well outside the box, Mookie was 0-2. Mookie worked the count full and then dropped a single into CF. If HPU gives Webb that strike zone, it is going to be a long game for the Dodgers hitters, especially the strikeout candidates. Phil Jones talked about the ABS, and this was the poster game for the necessity.
After getting to 3-0, Ohtani went down looking while Mookie stole 2B. Mookie scored on a single by Freddie and the Dodgers were off and running. Freddie stole 2B, and Will Smith struck out looking, and Muncy swinging. None of the strikes were phantom strikes like those to Mookie. After the first inning, Webb did have 29 pitches, so he did have to work overtime in the inning.
Ryan Yarbrough relieved Brasier, and figures to be the bulk pitcher.
With a 1-0 lead and a runner on 3B, the Dodgers decided to play the infield in. It appears that the Dodgers do not believe the LAD pitchers will be able to hold down the Giant hitters, and perhaps a lot of respect for Logan Webb. Yarbs walked Yastrzemski and gets Patrick Bailey to K, but gives up a line drive single to Nick Ahmed and a tie game.
Teoscar Hernández got another of the not close phantom strikes. And another phantom strike high in the zone to Outman. Webb is too good of a pitcher to be getting these calls. After the Lux K, Phil Cuzzi should be suspended.
We need 🤖 umps NOW!!!! pic.twitter.com/rU59TfJoW6
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) April 3, 2024
Ryan Yarbrough is throwing BP to the Giant hitters. In the 3rd, 1st 3 batters:
- 2 MPH double
- 9 F8
- 6 single
2-1 Giants.
Webb continued to get extra plate in the 3rd with Kiké Hernández. After Mookie hit his 5th HR of the season, Freddie got another bad strike call before he doubled. Will Smith was the victim of the most egregious of Cuzzi’s call. The Dodgers are having to swing at anything in the 213 area code.
After Max doubled, and Teoscar drew a BB, James Outman hit a bullet down the right field line right into the glove of Wilmer Flores. If James Outman did not have bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all. He stung the ball at least twice on Monday, and then on Tuesday, 106.5 and 103.1 on a line that found gloves. Freddie gave him a pep talk when back in the dugout.
After Gavin Lux “spoke” to Cuzzi about his strike zone, he hit a double to score Muncy. Not to be outdone, Kiké, singled home both Teoscar and Gavin to give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead off the Giants Ace, and he was done with one out in the 4th and 96 pitches. 55 were graciously called strikes. It was probably closer to 40. I think Webb was giving it to Cuzzi. “You only gave me 6-9 inches off the plate. I needed a whole foot.”
It sure is satisfying to knock Webb out. I dislike Webb much more than MadBum.
After that 97.6 MPH Conforto single in the 3rd, Yarbs has turned it around and retired the next 8, and was only hit hard once, a 109.2 line drive that Kiké made a nice diving play to record the out.
But in the 6th, it was a bit different. Soler takes Yarbs deep, and Conforto and Flores single. Soler is one strong dude. Estrada hits a bullet that Muncy made an outstanding play on to get the force at 2B. However Conforto scored, and the LAD lead was cut down to 5-4.
With one out and a runner on 1B, Alex Vesia comes in to relieve Ryan Yarbrough. The first batter Vesia faced was Austin Slater who crushed a ball into LC that Kiké made another nice play at the wall. Vesia then struck out Patrick Bailey to end the inning.
In the Dodgers half of the 6th, Outman hit his third line drive, but this one found grass. That is five hard hit balls the last two games. He needs a couple more to drop to get that confidence back up. Unfortunately it did not come in the 7th with runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs. Outman has struck out only 7 times. Nothing compared to Max and Teoscar who have struck out 14 times. Then there is CT3 who has K’d 5 times in 12 PA.
Michael Grove relieved Vesia and breezed through his first inning. But as his trend, he struggled in his 2nd inning. He surrendered a single and issued a BB. After he got Thairo Estrada to pop out for the 2nd out, Doc went to Evan Phillips for a 4 out save opportunity. On his 1st pitch to LaMonte Wade Jr. he got a ground out 3-1 for the third out. Grove did not get the same calls that Webb got. See pitch 4 below. Granted he probably did not deserve the call, but neither did Webb.
Phillips got the first two outs in the 9th, but pesky Jung Hoo Lee singled to extend the inning. But then struck out Matt Chapman on three pitches to end the game.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was a hard fought bullpen game that the Dodgers found a way to win. The Dodgers had to battle both SFG and Phil Cuzzi. Ryan Brasier and Evan Phillips book ended the game with stellar outings. Yarbrough was shaky and not so shaky, while Vesia and Grove were…well Vesia and Grove. The Dodgers are now 2-0 against the Giants, and have now won both series at home this year.
It was fantastic to pin the loss on Logan Webb.
Mookie and Freddie continued their batting highlights. We are all still waiting for Shohei Ohtani to break out.
Tyler Glasnow will face off against 22 year old rookie LHSP Kyle Harrison. Harrison is the top LHSP prospect per MLB Pipeline.
The Dodgers have Daniel Hudson to close on Wednesday if necessary.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY
OKC Baseball Club 7 – Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies) 5
This was the OKC Baseball Club Home Opener. While the big league team was throwing a bullpen game, OKC Baseball Club thought they would do as well.
RHRP J. P. Feyereisen, RHRP Braydon Fisher, and RHRP Michael Flynn each pitched 2.0 innings. None of the three were particularly effective. They scored all five runs (three earned) on five of the 7 hits and 3 BB. After Flynn was lifted, the score was 7-5 which would be the final score.
LHP Stephen Gonsalves, RHRP Michael Peterson, and RHRP Ricky Vanasco each pitched a scoreless innings. However, none of the innings were clean. Gonsalves allowed a single and BB, but had 3 Ks. Peterson issued a BB, but had 2 Ks. Vanasco gave up a single and BB with 1 K. Gonsalves and Peterson had holds while Vanasco got his 1st save.
Both Michael Flynn and Braydon Fisher (got the win) were just assigned to OKC from Tulsa. This was Flynn’s first game in the LAD organization. He was at Arkansas last year (Seattle AA affiliate). This was 23 year old Fisher’s OKC debut. Fisher was the 2018 4th round draft choice out of Clear Falls, League City, Texas High School. He is 6’4” 180 pounds. It has taken him awhile, but he has finally reached AAA as a reliever.
Six pitchers, none overly effective, the team committed 3 errors, and yet the team got the win.
The big hitting star for OKC was Miguel Vargas. Miggy went 2-4 with a double, Grand Slam HR, and 4 RBIs. This was Vargas’ first career grand slam and his second 2024 HR.
Miguel Vargas launched a grand slam in OKC pic.twitter.com/Y5zMQwXWHu
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) April 3, 2024
Kevin Padlo went 2-3 with a double and a BB. Kody Hoese, who is showing all kinds of life thus far, went 2-4 with a RBI.
Andre Lipcius picked up a RBI single and is now 6-for-13 over his last three games and leads OKC with six hits overall to start 2024.
It wasn’t all hunky dory with the offense, as OKC struck out 14 times. However, they were a respectable 4-12 WRISP.
To me the best thing about today’s win was (a) knocking out an ace in Webb, (b) some outstanding defense from Kike and Max, and (c) Phillips shutting down some drama with the 4-out save.
Oh yeah, Mookie’s 5th HR was nice, but I’m kind of getting used to that.
Dodgersnation says this is the first time since 1892–not a typo: 1892–that the Dodgers have scored at least 5 runs in their first 8 games.
That’s a pretty impressive stat, and Shohei and the bottom of the lineup haven’t gotten untracked yet. How long can these Dodgers keep this streak going?
Jeff, I really appreciate the detail on Cuzzi’s strike zone, which was the worst thing about this game.
The strike zone was horrendous. Nothing consistent. At least be consistent on both sides is my opinion. If you squint hard enough you can kind of see Grove as an actual bullpen piece. Going to take a lot more work to get there.
With everyone used, I’m assuming we’ll see Joe Kelly tomorrow, depending on how deep they let Glasnow go. The downsides of these bullpen games. 5 relievers used, but Yarbrough gave some bulk.
Kike is a better outfielder than infielder in my opinion, great game for him. Lux at times looks lost at the plate and other times he squares up and seems to be an MLB hitter. Less strikeouts from the bottom of the order would help here. All in all, great work from everyone. A true team win. Get the sweep and have a happy flight to Chicago.
Mookie is on another planet right now. Hes the real superstar of the club.
I guess if Sheehan was available he would have been the sixth starter instead of the bullpen. The fact that they used a bullpen game even though they have an off day on Thursday just shows they really are utilizing a six man rotation. Otherwise this early in the season they don’t need more rest and if they did they could have used the off day for that. As it is the off day gives them another 5 days between starts.
Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Grove
Strikeouts didn’t count with that guy behind the plate. Offense kinda stalled after the 4th. Shohei continues to drop, but RBIs from 4 different players. The Dodgers beat their ace in a bullpen game. Take that giant fans.
Yes, 5 days rest is the plan. It’s a long season and none of these guys are the workhorses of yesteryear.
Not pretty but a W all the same. MLB really has to do something about the strike zone. And they need to do something about some of the umpires. Angel Hernandez comes to mind along with Cuzzi, who is awful. I will be heading home next Thursday morning.
Voters in Jackson County Missouri rejected a tax increase that would fund renovations for both the Chiefs and the Royals stadiums. Both management teams expressed frustration with the process and said the future of both franchises in Kansas City could be in jeopardy. Voters seem tired of funding stadiums for billionaires.
Fans pay for everything don’t they. Can’t build self honoring pyramids without them.
“I dislike Webb much more than MadBum”
He must have keyed your car or something. 😀
Good recap Jeff!
Thanks for the pitch track shots to illustrate the poor umpire calls.
Nice win by the Dodgers to overcome some bad calls and win a bullpen game against the Giants’ ace. Mookie is on fire!
Phil Cuzzi. He tried his best to ruin the game. How does this guy call such a terrible game as a 20+ year veteran ump? The newer umps seem to have a better grasp of the strike zone than the old vets. Cuzzi’s rating has him with an “extreme pitcher favorability” with a second highest rating. No kidding! That was apparent last night. What a joke and an embarrassment for MLB. Angel Hernandez is rated neutral which I guess means his incorrect calls don’t discriminate against the pitcher or hitter. Again, another long time vet umpire who should have been fired years ago.
Otherwise, this was a somewhat exciting, close game. Phillips did a nice job to close it out and he looks like the closer for 2024. It’s always nice to beat the Giants. But, to beat their ace with a bullpen game was even sweeter.
What’s the deal with Brusdar Graterol? He apparently didn’t do much, if any, off season throwing or working out. So, he comes up with a sore shoulder to supposedly delay his start to the season for a couple of weeks. Now, he’s just went on the 60 day IL. He really made a big improvement last year. To be that irresponsible in the off season is hard for me to understand. Why would he do that? With all the fantastic additions the Dodgers made in the offseason one would think Graterol would be highly motivated to get to work before Spring training and ready for the season. When I see him during the game in the dugout laughing and clowning around, it just rubs me the wrong way. I was a big proponent of trading for Graterol after Minnesota (I think) refused him in part of a trade. His progress has been a bit slow, but he seemed to have put it together in 2023. I’ve been a fan. Until now.
Glasnow on the mound tonight. I really enjoy watching him pitch and expect good results and another Dodger win.
Carry on
It was Boston that refused the trade from Minnesota as part of the three-way Mookie Betts trade. They were concerned with his medicals. It was resurrected when the Dodgers decided to trade for Graterol in a separate deal:
Los Angeles Dodgers traded RHP Kenta Maeda, C Jair Camargo and cash to Minnesota Twins for RHP Brusdar Graterol, RF Luke Raley and Future Considerations.
Brusdar’s been pretty sturdy until now. Seems like every pitcher gets injured these days. His absence could create opportunities for Hurt, Vanasco and others…
I’m always optimistic when the Dodgers deal for a reliever, in this case Ramirez. I Perhaps Prior and his staff can teach the old dog a new trick, just like they did last season with Brasier.
Another case in point: old friend Tyler Anderson had a really good start for the Angels, unlike his entire ’23 season.
Plus, Ramirez went to Cal State Fullerton. Go Titans!
It really was as bad as it looked. Phil Cuzzi gave the Giants an extra 1.46 runs over the Dodgers. For just SF, they received +0.51 runs. The Dodgers? They lost -0.95 runs. Cuzzi missed 4 strikes that were called balls. While the report card did not comment on all four, the two that were most impactful on run expectancy were:
· Evan Phillips 2-2 pitch to Patrick Bailey in the 9th that was a strike called a ball, and;
· Ryan Yarbrough 2-1 pitch to Mike Yastrzemski in the 2nd that was a strike called a ball.
Since Cuzzi was calling just about anything a strike, missing on only 4 strikes that were balls was 97% accurate, which is average. So no plaudits for Cuzzi on this. But 82% accuracy for balls that were called strikes was outrageous. That is 6% less than average. But they were even close.
See scorecard:
Below is a twitter picture depicting what that person believes Cuzzi ‘s problem was. I will let our resident umpire, Badger, advise us on the accuracy of that twitter comment.
One of the best comments I read:
I’m a Giants fan, and last night I was saying “we can’t blame Cuzzi for this one”. He was atrocious. I don’t normally feel sympathy for the Dodgers, but Will Smith and Gavin Lux had the bats taken out of their hands a few times. Maybe it’s his own version of competitive balance?
(Emphasis mine).
Jacob Amaya was DFAd by the Marlins.
I really like Jacob Amaya’s actions at Short when he was in the Dodger organization. And I was disappointed when he was traded away. But I’m afraid his ship has sailed as a Dodger prospect. Rojas struggles for respect as an everyday shortstop because he hits .237 with NO pop. Well that’s Amaya in spades. In 7 years in the minors, Amaya has hit .254/.752. He has 9 MLB at bats. He’s only 26 but does he really need an 8th season in MiLB? And he has no future with the Dodgers as a middle infielder despite his great glove. He needs an organization where he will get a chance so I’d be disappointed for the kid if the Dodgers pick him up.
Some thoughts on last night:
*Michael Grove might be a one inning guy.
I’ve never paid any attention to Jorge Soler before, but he is a physical dude. He needs to be the first guy off the bus
*Outman needs to burn some incense and do some Pedro Cerrano rituals. He’s been snake bit lately and finally got one to drop. Just keep swinging.
*Kike dove and barely missed the liner in the 3rd and it didn’t stop him from repeating the act in the 5th with a great catch. Sometimes a short memory is a good thing.
*Max had a great pick in the 6th to get a chance at a double play. Lux looks more comfy throwing lately but he made another interesting turn. Pivots at 2nd have never been his best thing. He finally showed a nice cross over pivot but the Tim Lincecum overhand relay to Freddie was unique. He seems to prefer dropping down on his normal throws to first, which is fine but the 12 – 6 spiked relay is another story.
*Right-on Tedraymond, Phil Cuzzi is horseshit. I love the analysis today of just how terrible he was last night. And I think X was easy on him.
You can live with close pitches off the plate called strikes as long as it’s consistent and players know the umps and can make adjusts. But fastballs 6 inches off the plate should not be a strike.
*The usual cast of characters on my HPU list continue to be employed despite being shitty year in and year out. Rob Drake, Buchnor, Diaz, Angel, Eddings and Marquez must get poor post-game reviews consistently, but nothing happens.
*I do agree that some of the younger umps are very good. Alan Porter, Quinn Walcott, Jeremy Rehak, and Pat Hoberg come to mind.
*At the top of my Horseshit List is Hunter Wendelstadt which is ironic since the family business is teaching umpires. Maybe he needs some refresher training at Daddy’s School.
*For the 500th time, bring on the ABS.
“For the 500th time, bring on the ABS”
No.
Yes
No
This is one of the few times I agree with Patch.
It is coming whether we like it or not.
Just so it isn’t included in a “challenge” system. Just use the damn technology for crying out loud!
Depends on who’s commissioner. Manfred is retiring by 2028.
They’ll have to pry the ump mask out of Joe West’s cold dead hands.
How many hundreds of games in history have been decided by the umps? Pretty clear that it’s a shit ton from what we see daily now that we can basically see the true strike zone. Every missed called pitch changes the sequence for the pitcher, it changes what the batters looking for, it changes everything.
except that the strike zone is not supposed to be a one size fits all. Which is why every umpire has a different strike zone. Some stand right behind the catcher, some stand between the catcher and the batter. Umpires are all different heights and see the zone differently. Most of them get it right, or are at least consistent. That’s all I ask for, just be consistent on both sides with it. The zone is supposed to be a judgement call from the home plate umpire and at his discretion.
It’s not easy calling balls and strikes, when you have 100mph pitches coming at you and a split second to make a call. But most do a decent job of it.
The ump the night before was actually pretty good. Like REALLY good.
Here’s a thought. Rather than reinvent the wheel, why not just promote good umps? Demote the bad ones?
“But the umpire union would object!!! It’d never happen!! NEVER!!”
Ok. Maybe. But they’re going to be perfectly ok with being replaced by robots? LOL. I dunno about that.
All the umps can basically be the Sigourney Weaver character – just repeating what the balls n’ strikes robot says.
Cuz yer smart … occasionally.
lolz, more proof of how much you love me Patch
For once I didn’t insult you. Don’t get all mushy on me.
You love me. Just admit it
Seems to me that Cuzzi was showing favoritism to Webb and the Gnats. All the bad calls went against the Dodgers. If he was really that bad, the calls should have gone both ways. A sad excuse for a major league umpire. Again, there is no accountability.
Why would he do that?
Interesting, because the last game he did at Dodger Stadium he was widely PRO-Dodgers.
I do not think Cuzzi was pro Dodgers or pro Giants. My point was that he is a horrible umpire. What you have above seems to show that as well even if it was in the Dodgers favor. Brandon Belt was a 2 bWAR player last year with Toronto, and he cannot get a job this year. Maybe if umpires were subject to dismissal for abject bad umpiring after the season, we might get better umpires.
I agree Jeff. He isn’t biased. He’s just horseshit.
Well, no doubt he is not a good umpire.
“I do not think Cuzzi was pro Dodgers or pro Giants. My point was that he is a horrible umpire.”
That’s the key point. You don’t need to conflate it into something that, taken to its next logical step, suggests something deliberate or conspiratorial.
“Yeah, Cuzzi got in deep with some bookies who threatened to break his fingers if he didn’t, ya know, help them out a little bit.”
Occam’s Razor.
Yankees sign Bickford to a minor league deal..
The bottom line is, MLB has the ability and technology to fix the umpire problem and they continue to drag their feet and allow crap like last night to continue.
There are two sides to this issue.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a study as to whether there is a correlation between pitch type and/or ball movement and/or pitch speed and/or pitcher handedness in relation to batter and how those factors relate to umpire call effectiveness.
I think the way a pitch acts between pitcher and batter has a lot more to do with bad calls than umpire prejudice against any particular team.
Jason Heyward went on the IL. Taylor Trammell onto the 26 man. Okay Taylor, make your case.
And everyone wants to trade for Adames. SS is not a need for the Dodgers. We have it covered.
I forget who advocated for a Witt trade, but the below is a light hearted, waaaaaaaay too early response:
Most HR as a shortstop so far in 2024:
Mookie Betts 4
Miguel Rojas 2
Bobby Witt Jr. 2
We have more pressing issues than SS. I would be looking more towards improving the outfield and bullpen.
?
Lamet to the rescue!
I wonder how Miguel Vargas feels about this move for Taylor Trammel….
??
So maybe Lamet is a keeper…. Works for me.
Nice to see Shohei break out, but he still trails Rojas in HRs.