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Dustin May Dominates Arizona A Second Time

First off, how many bad umpiring games do we have to endure?  Ramon De Jesus was just another poor excuse for a home plate umpire.

Now to the game.  Are we witnessing the unveiling of a future dominant Ace?  Dustin May pitched 7.0 scoreless innings in the 2nd game of the year, throwing 84 pitches (56 strikes).  I know, I know it is only the DBacks.  On this night, he pitched 5.0 scoreless innings before he walked Geraldo Perdomo on 4 pitches to open the 6th.  Perdomo scored on a Josh Rojas double to break the streak.  May proceeded to strike out Ketel Marte, got Lourdes Gurriel Jr to pop up to Freddie, and got Christian Walker to ground out 6-3.  After 6.0 IP and 83 pitches, Dustin was done.  He came out with a 5-1 lead and then turned it over to the pen.

May has been clear in that he insists that he is going to go as hard as he can for as long as can.  He seemed to tire some in the 6th.  After the game he blamed himself for not staying ready between innings.  He called it bone headed on his part, and he will learn from it.

He still got his 2nd quality start of the year.  That makes 6 quality starts for the first seven games this season for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers got on the board in the second.  Max Muncy walked, went to 2nd on an infield single by James Outman.  Chris Taylor finally got a hit WRISP when he looped a single in LF to score Muncy.

The Dodgers then stretched the lead in the 3rd when Freddie hit a 1-out double that was originally scored a single and E-9.  McCarthy slid to cut off the ball that could have saved it from a triple,  Will Smith followed with a BB, and then Max hit a DP that the pitcher overran 1B and Perdomo’s throw went off Merrill Kelly’s glove for an error, and Freeman scored.  JD Martinez laced a double into LF and Muncy was able to score from 1B.  Okay, JDM is not a good baserunner as he got thrown out at 3B for the 2nd time in 7 games. But the Dodgers were up 3-0.

Will Smith’s hands are just so fast.  Two of his HRs came from inside pitches, one up at the top of the zone and breaking in on him.  His double off Merrill Kelly in the 6th was off a change that was inside and dropping.  He is such a gifted hitter. James Outman then singled Will home with 2 outs and a 4-0 lead.  Smith’s line drive in the 7th was another good example of hitting it where it was pitched.  Unfortunately the ball hung up for Jake McCarthy to make the catch.

Smith’s double was 96.7 MPH while Outman’s 2 out single was 107.2 MPH.

In the top of the 7th, Freddie hit his first HR of the season.  It was an oppo shot that we are used to seeing from Freddie.

Alex Vesia entered in the 7th with a 5-1 lead and try to make up for his last outing against the DBacks.  It is fun to watch Corbin Carroll run.  On a ball hit to Freddie in the 7th, there was no way that Alex Vesia was going to beat Carroll to first.  It was a good thing that the ball was hit hard so that Freddie could beat him to the bag.  Vesia is still having all sorts of problems this year.  After the Carroll shot (out), Jake McCarthy triples into the RF corner, and Gabriel Moreno doubles over the head of Outman in CF.

Yency Almonte came in to relieve Vesia and got a 5-3 ground out, walked Perdomo after going 1-2, and then an F-8 to end the threat.

Phil Bickford relieved Almonte in the 8th.  We learned after the game, that Doc did not want to use Bickford, but Brusdar Graterol had his back stiffen, and like he is always willing to do, Bickford took the ball, even on a night he was not supposed to.  He gave up a booming double to Ketel Marte to open the inning.  He got Gurriel to chase, but not before yanking a WP and moving Marte to third.   He then got Christian Walker on a swinging strike up in the zone on the inside part of the plate.  Finally he got Carroll to pop up to Smith, who almost hit Muncy with his mask.  Bickford was heating it up with multiple 97 MPH fastballs.  That is as hard as he has thrown in his career.

The Dodgers left the bases loaded with one out in the top of the 9th. It was a scary moment when Carlos Vargas hit Mookie in the head with a 97.6 fastball, that the umpire called a foul ball.   The Dodgers ended up 2-9 WRISP.

Evan Phillips entered the 9th in a save situation, and did just that with two fly outs to David Peralta in LF, and then got Kyle Lewis looking to end the game.

Dustin May was just nasty on this night.  To throw as hard as he does and have the ball move as much as it does…I am just glad that he is on the Dodgers.

James Outman continues to shine.  He went 2-3 with a BB, and is now batting .353/.522/.765/1.287.  Yes it is a small sample size, but he continues to look confident every time he comes to the plate.  .522 OBP is very impressive.  And it would be very special for a rookie if it were not for Miguel Vargas and his .722 OBP.  The Dodgers have 8 batters with >.300 OBP.  They have 6 batters with >1.000 OPS.   Yes, Yes, Yes.  It is a small sample size and against Arizona and Colorado.

The Dodgers are 5-2.  Starters are 5-0, while the relievers are 0-2.

Clayton Kershaw faces Madison Bumgarner on Friday night in the 2nd game of the series.

 

 

 

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Bobby

Vesia didn’t shut the door. Almonte was within a few feet of giving up the tying 3 run hr. Those guys need to get it together.

Bickford, after the base hit and wild pitch, was electric!!

Bobby

Also, was anyone able to see the Rancho game? If so, how did Maddux Bruns’ stuff look? I know he had 7k in 4ip, but I wonder how electric he looked as well?

Dionysus

I imagine it was quite good.

This is the best group of SP prospects I’ve seen.

Next 2-3 years should be fun.

OhioDodger

How long does Doc keep Muncy batting 4th or 5th?

Bumsrap

Muncy has pictures

OhioDodger

Well, he ain’t no 3rd baseman. How long is the leash on Muncy. If he doesn’t OPS .800 or better, he is a huge liability.

OhioDodger

In jest or not, Muncy to the Phillies makes a lot of sense.

Badger

Muncy is better in warmer air. And I thought he was doing fine at second. Better than what we’ve seen at third, that’s for sure. He’s still a DH on the roster I constructed.

Speaking of that, I’ve made it clear I’m no JD Martinez fan. He did it again yesterday, running into stand up inning ending 3rd out at third base. If he were Edgar instead of JD I’d be ok with him. He’s not and I’m not. Maybe he’ll change my mind later. But the question I had was simply this – why do we need a DH that can’t run, can’t slide and doesn’t play defense? Why not just have Outman. Thompson, Muncy, Smith on his days off, Heyward if he’s still here…. in other words have baseball players DH.

OhioDodger

Maybe we should have kept JT.

Dionysus

???

Bumsrap

I deserved the ribbing. However, I haven’t badmouthed Muncy for his slow start. Certainly not anything to gloat about. I originally said a few years back it might be better to sell high on Muncy than wait and sell low. Was I wrong?

Maybe hitting him 9th would take some pressure from him.

I am not against moving Rojas to third and for Muncy to share DH with Martinez. Muncy is a first baseman and DH. That would make Taylor SS.

Taylor is a backup middle infielder who can play outfield but shouldn’t until he hits again.

I wonder if Betts could play 3rd base?

I haven’t looked at Philadelphia. Maybe they could be the third team in a trade. Are the Yankees ready to go with Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza up the middle? Volpe is off to a slow start. That would make Gleyber Torres expendable but he is off to a great start. I’d put him at third.

The Yankees still have DJ LeMahieu playing 2nd base as well.

Last edited 11 months ago by Bumsrap
Bumsrap

He doesn’t want to leave and he has pictures

OhioDodger

AF with Bauer in their contract negotiations.

Bluto

Nineteen year old Thayron Liranzo has had a great Single-A debut last night.

There had been a bit off discussion here and there about Liranzo. Primarily on his swing and athleticism.

The switch-hitting catcher has gone 2-4 with a homer and two RBI

Also in that game, Maddux Bruns pitched well and showed of a new pitch,

“The night featured a new weapon in Bruns arsenal, a fresh changeup developed over the last offseason. This pitch assisted the young lefties’ efficiency as he allowed just three hits, all being singles with two being infield hits. Of all the outs recorded on the night, only two came from balls struck out of the infield. The vast majority of recorded outs on Bruns’ night came by strikeout or groundout with one GIDP recorded.n

The Quakes will continue their series versus the 66ers as fellow 2021 draftee Peter Heubeck takes the mound aiming to open the Quakes season with a winning streak.”

Last edited 11 months ago by Bluto
Badger

If Vargas was playing 3rd his name would be at the top of that list too.

OhioDodger

Perhaps the Dodgers should have Busch working at 3rd base.

OhioDodger

Thanks. Maybe we can get Matt Chapman next year when he is a free agent. Doesn’t help now, but, could secure 3B for 3 to 5 years.

Singing the Blue

I would guess that if they’ve never had Busch play third or short, both his range and his arm are suspect.

We already have a third baseman with no range. I’d much rather see Busch in left field if we’re going to have to move him off of second base.

Badger

“Just keep Busch around for a year to be next season’s DH???”

Yes. That’s an example of what I suggested earlier. He can hack. He’s team controlled. Put him to work.

Bluto

The manager has said Busch will get time at 3b.

patience is a virtue.

OhioDodger

How long can they keep Muncy batting 4th or 5th?

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