After the trade deadline passed, many Dodger fans were extremely irked that Freidman and his GM, Gomes did not acquire the kind of impact player they desired. Instead, he tweaked the roster and sent two players, Outman and May, out of town. May is a free agent at the end of the season, so he is just a rental to the Red Sox. But they sent the Dodgers two young outfielders, one of whom was part of the Devers trade to the Giants. For Outman, they got an old friend, 33-year-old, Brock Stewart who now is part of the back end of the bullpen. Outman was being used mostly as a defensive replacement, so his bat, as anemic as it has been, won’t be missed.
But feeling this way about his moves or non-moves is nothing new. It started when he first took the job in November of 2014. Andrew almost immediately began reshaping the roster to his idea of what a winning roster should be. He ran a small market team in the Rays and built a winner that eventually went to its first World Series in 2008. His teams went to the playoffs 3 more times before he left after 2014. In Los Angeles though, he was not the GM. Guggenheim named him the President of Baseball Operations. That meant he was in charge of everything baseball. He hired former A’s employee, Farhan Zaidi as the GM.
His first trade of note shook up the roster. He traded Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas to the Marlins for Austin Barnes, Kike Hernandez, Chris Hatcher, and Andrew Heaney. He immediately flipped Heaney to the Angels for Howie Kendrick. A week later, he traded Matt Kemp and Tim Federowicz to the Padres for Yasmani Grandal, Zach Elfin and Joe Weiland. Although Kemp really had not been the same player since he crashed into the outfield wall at Coors in 2012, I really disliked this trade. I was a bit biased I will admit because I do not like players who use PEDs, and Grandal had already received a 50-day suspension for that earlier in his career.
It had been written that Kemp had become a clubhouse cancer, much like Hanley Ramirez was thought to be. I do not know if it was true or not. What I do know is true is that Matt resisted the move to left field after being the teams center fielder for so many seasons. AF, as we began to call him, did not stop there. To many of us fans, it seemed like he was signing almost every mediocre free agent pitcher on the market.
Brandon McCarthy got a 4-year deal for 48 million. Was he worth that? Not in my eyes, he was 52-65 for his career when he signed. LA would get just 11 wins from him in his 3 full years with the team. In fact, in year one, he got 3 wins and pitched in just 4 games before hitting the IL for the rest of the year. Over the next 2 seasons, he pitched in just 29 games. He traded Elfin to the Phillies for Jimmy Rollins. He signed Brian Anderson, another pitcher with a sub .500 record to a 1 year 10-million-dollar deal. Anderson was at least serviceable starting 31 games, winning 10 and losing 9. He started one game in the NLDS against the Mets and gave up 6 runs in 3 innings.
The team actually regressed a little winning 92 games, down from 94 the year before. Freidman’s first move was to hire a new manager, Dave Roberts. Not many fans were down with this, in fact I think most wanted the other finalist, Gabe Kapler. But Andrew hired Doc and continued to mold the team the way he wanted it. He gave Andreson the QO and then re-signed him. His first trade of the winter brought Micah Johnson, Frankie Montas and Trayce Thompson to LA. He shipped Scott Schebler, Jose Peraza and Brandon Dixon to the Reds, who sent Todd Frazier to the White Sox. Only player in that deal who would spend any time in LA was Thompson.
Once again, he stockpiled pitchers. Names like Scott Kazmir, Brandon Beachy. He signed Japanese star Kenta Maeda to a very team friendly contract. Maeda would immediately join the rotation. He let Greinke and Rollins leave in free agency, but brought back Utley, who he had traded for late in 2014, and Kendrick. He signed arms all the way through spring training. Some would be released, others sent to AAA as depth pieces.
His second draft class in 2016 netted future big leaguers, Gavin Lux, Will Smith, Mitch White, Dustin May, Luke Raley, Cody Thomas, Zack McKinstry and Tony Gonsolin. Plus, a couple of guys who had a cup of coffee in the majors, DJ Peters and Jordan Sheffield. His deadline trade brought Rich Hill and Josh Reddick. The Dodgers would eventually lose the NLCS to the Cubs, and they had the lowest total, with the exception of the pandemic year, wins at 91 of any of the teams Freidman has built.
Every year Freidman and whomever his GM is, Zaidi et al, does basically the same thing. He loads up on pitching, for the Dodgers and for the farm system. He builds as much depth as he can. He signs both position players and pitchers, starters and relievers. As an example, just look at the players traded or signed after 2016. First, he traded Carlos Ruiz for Vadal Nuno III from the Mariners. He traded Kendrick to the Phillies for Darren Ruf and Darnell Sweeney.
Some of his signings would make it to the Dodgers, several just went to the minors. He signed Rich Hill. Wilmer Font and Justin Turner were next. In January he re-signed Jansen. He did not make any trades at the baseball meetings. Guys like Madison Younginer, Henry Ramos, Tyler Holt and Steve Geltz were depth pieces at AAA. His first trade in 2017 that affected the major league roster, was trading for Logan Forsythe to play second base, sending young pitching prospect, Jose De Leon to the Rays. Another impact free agent signing brought Brandon Morrow in to help out the bullpen.
In April he signed Max Muncy as a free agent. Max would not pay dividends until he joined the team in the majors in 2018. He is definitely one of AF’s better free agent signings. At the deadline, he traded for three pitchers, two left-handed relievers, Cingrani and Watson, and Yu Darvish for the starting rotation. This is the way he works and has since he took over the team. To expect him to veer from what he is comfortable doing is not exactly being realistic. He has traded for stars at the deadline, but not once has he exceeded making what he feels is an equal return.
He did the exact same thing this year and got roasted on social media. He also got heat on most of the Dodger blogs. I learned a few years ago that this is simply the way he is going to work. Has he made mistakes? Obviously, we all do. Hill may have been good, but Reddick was a total bust. Tyler White? Please, but as Jeff pointed out to me, he did not cost them much. I think one of his biggest wins was David Freese. Freese played great for LA. Another was signing Albert Pujols. Pujols was under the Mendoza line with the Angels and was shown the door. AF took a chance and signed him. He might not have been great, but many times he was clutch. He became Tio Albert to his teammates and the fans. Even after he left, he got an ovation for what he had done for the Dodgers when he returned with the Cardinals in September. How many opposing players would ever receive a standing ovation after clubbing two homers against the Dodgers in an 11-0 blowout? Albert did, simply because Dodger fans loved the guy, and he hit #699 and #700 in the same game.
Andrew definitely marches to his own drummer. It is best we try to accept the way he does business than to expect large deviations from it. He has built a veritable dynasty. The team is built for the long haul. The team as is is as talented as any of his prior squads. Like many of the seasons recently, the team has been plagued with injuries to key players especially the pitching staff. We, as fans, have been lucky to see the longest stretch of success, especially during the regular season, in Dodger history. Yes, we all would have loved a couple more Series wins. I am pretty sure that Guggenheim and Freidman wish the same.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT
OKC Comets 12 – Salt Lake Bees (LAA) 10
Max Muncy (1), Chuckie Robinson (5) and CJ Alexander (12) each hit home runs as the Oklahoma City Comets defeated the Salt Lake Bees, 12-10.
After being held to 13 total runs through the first five games of the series, the Comets offense broke out for 12 runs in the series finale and started the scoring in the first inning when Muncy connected on a solo home run out to left field. OKC went in front, 2-0, on a sacrifice fly by Austin Gauthier.
The Bees then scored four runs in the second inning to take the lead. Oklahoma City went back in front, 5-4, on three straight RBI knocks by Muncy, Ryan Ward and Alexander. The Bees knotted the score at 5-5 in the fifth inning before OKC regained the lead in the bottom of the inning by scoring four runs, including a two-run double by Kody Hoese and two-run homer by Robinson.
Salt Lake added two runs in the seventh inning before Alexander belted a three-run homer out to right field to extend the Comets’ advantage to 12-7. The Bees rallied with two outs in the ninth inning, scoring three runs before bringing the potential tying run to the plate, but the Comets held on for the win.
Max Muncy played his fifth game with the Comets as part of a Rehab Assignment, going 2-for-3 with a home run, double (1), two RBI and two runs scored…Muncy is now 5-for-6 with three RBI in his last two games after starting his rehab assignment 0-for-9.
CJ Alexander led the Comets with three extra-base hits and four RBI as he went 3-for-5 with two doubles (13) and a home run. He homered in a second straight game to bring his season total to 12 home runs.
OKC connected on a season-high eight doubles as 11 of the Comets’ 13 hits went for extra bases. The eight doubles were the most for an Oklahoma City team in a game since June 16, 2018, against Las Vegas.
Kody Hoese went 2-for-4 with two doubles (17), two RBI and scored a run. He has hit safely in five straight games (7×16) and in nine of his last 11 games (13×38).
Chuckie Robinson hit his fifth home run of the season and finished the game 2-for-3 with a double (9), home run, two RBI and two runs scored…Robinson is batting .405 (13-for-37) and has 12 RBI over his last 10 games.
Ryan Ward reached base four times, connecting on a RBI single, drawing three walks and scoring a run.
Other doubles – Justin Dean (10), José Ramos (2)
Tulsa Drillers 1 – Midland RockHounds (A’s) 0
Roque Gutierrez was brilliant for 7.0 scoreless IP. He gave up one single and one BB in his 7.0 IP.
Jerming Rosario and Antonio Knowles each pitched a scoreless inning.
Unfortunately, the Midland pitching staff also pitched a 9 inning shutout. In the 10th, Zach Ehrhard was the placed runner at 2nd. Nelson Quiroz singled and Ehrhard scored. Knowles pitched a perfect 10th for the win. Quiroz had 2 hits, and was the only Drillers batter with a multi-hit game.
Fort Wayne Tin Caps (San Diego) 5 – Great Lakes Loons 2
Maddux Bruns was not able to replicate his last start. In this one, Bruns pitched 1.2 innings, allowing 5 runs (3 earned). He issued 2 BB and registered 3 K. He needed 49 pitches in his 1.2 IP.
Six relievers followed Bruns and did not allow a run. They allowed 2 hits, 3 BB, and compiled 9 K.
The Loons scored their 2 runs on a Wilman Diaz 2-run HR.
Frank Rodriguez hit his 4th double.
Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado) 3 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2
The Fresno Grizzlies broke a tie game in the eighth, taking a 3-2 win over the Quakes on Sunday evening.
Just moments after the Quakes tied the game in the eighth, the Grizzlies took the lead for good, giving them four of six in the series over Rancho.
Mairo Martinus tied the game in the eighth off eventual winner Brady Hill (5-3), as his two-out RBI single plated Jaron Elkins to even the game at 2-2.
In the ninth, Fresno retired the side in order to close out the game.
Quakes starter, Marlon Nieves, pitched 4.0 scoreless innings. It was Nieves’ 2nd consecutive scoreless start. His last start was 4.2 innings. Combined, the Quakes pitchers only issued 1 BB.
RC will send Jesus Tillero to the mound on Tuesday night against the Storm at 6:30pm.
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
Well, count me among those fans who thought the Dodgers should have traded for a closer. I like the Stewart trade but in addition to that move a reliable closer would have been great. We saw again yesterday that the Dodgers currently do not have this player available. Treinen again was shaky. No one knows when and how Scott will come back. Yates ? Unreliable too all season long.
Kopech still on the IL. Same for Graterol.
IMHO closer was and is THE biggest black hole on this team.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel like this is emblematic of the short-term obsession fans sometimes have.
Right now, the Dodgers need a “reliable closer” because…..
Because they want the certainty of Blake Treinen from last year, or Tanner Scott from the end of last year. But instead of waiting to see if Treinen returns to form, or if Scott does, fans just want a new closer.
“What if Treinen doesn’t shake his shakiness”
Well, what if the new closer isn’t effective?
The team has plenty of closers, just chill until they start closing properly.
I think fans just want a reliable reliever to close out games instead of the drek we’ve had all season.
“But instead of waiting to see if Treinen returns to form, or if Scott does, fans just want a new closer.”
waiting to see? It’s August 4. The season is almost over. How long should we wait to “see” if Tanner Scott returns to form? He’s been bad all season. When is his “return to form” going to happen? Sept 28? October 1? Next season? Treinen has been injured all year, and has just returned from the IL.
It’s not April or May, it’s August. The club shouldn’t be waiting. They shoould already have a plan B.
THis is my point.
Oh ok.
Sorry then, maybe I misunderstood.
No!
My fault!
Somehow the 2nd part of my response was deleted so it came across as incomplete and incomprehensible.
The second half was suppose to be:
Fans want solutions even if the team already has solutions on the 40/26.
They have experts! They have biometric data. They have performance data. They have history.
We? We fans? We just want results and we don’t even want to remember how well the team did last year, let alone over the past decade.
I know it’s part of being a fan, but it’s very short-sighted. IMO.
Or we go totally backwards, and start off with the bullpen, and give the starters innings 5-9??
Let us know when you come back to Earth, Bobby.
Or, I really do wish we had a sarcasm tag.
it might be the edible giving me unique ideas
Vesia should be the closer. He has been a stud.
I have to agree with you on that. But like many luxuries in life, the cost was extremely high. If AF wants to take a chance, Ryan Pressley is out there as a free agent.
I understand AF tried to get a big named reliever but he thought the cost too high. Oh well…..he knows more than me so I trust him on this.
Lets look at this from the other side of the coin-
Miller is rehabbing as a reliever and is looking good,
Sasaki, if he comes back, may be available as a reliever,
Kopech should definitely be back,
Trienen needs time to get back to where he needs to be,
Vesia looks like he could step in and fill the closer role if no other option steps up,
Stewart is fine,
Casparius is looking good,
Sheehan can probably pitch some as well,
Scott…who knows which one comes back from injury…maybe the good one.
I can go on if you want me to. But I’m thinking you are getting my point.
TM
PS. We’ve won 2 WS under AF….THANK YOU!
I do not agree that other than the Mason Miller trade the cost would have been extremely high. Especially looking at the Duran, Bednar and Helsley trades. Dodgers IMHO could have matched those offers rather easily.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope the Dodgers at least pushed up the price that the Padres paid for Mason Miller.
But even more so, I wish AF had landed Miller–and kept from the Dodgers’ most dangerous rival.
The price was high not just because of Miller’s talent, but the fact that he’ll be under team control thru ’29. How often does such a talent and contract become available?
Did the Padres pay too much for him and Sears? I don’t think so. De Vries may be the game’s #3 ranked prospect, but he’s only 18…so who knows? Is he really a lot better than the Dodgers’ 18-year-old Emil Morales? Or aren’t they both just “suspects” at this point. So many “top prospects” fail to live up the billing–and one turned into Wander Franco.
Imagine that AF landed Mason Freaking Miller and his 104 mph heater instead of flipping Outman for Brock Stewart. (Remember when AF flipped Calvin Beeter for Joey Gallo?)
What might a Dodger deal for Mason Miller have looked like?
For “top prospect,” start with DePaula. Add Morales because he’s a SS like DeVries. Add Bobby Miller and Kendall George, two top draft picks. Or something like that.
Certainly there’s the risk of injury–there always is.
But every Dodger fan who thinks Preller was a fool to spend so much on Mason Miller should be nervous if the Dodgers have to face him in the playoffs.
Ram, I have to believe that Freidman and Gomes have access to far more information than we do. Maybe the prospects the A’s got for Miller were exactly who they wanted. Same with Duran, Bednar and Helsey. Mets did not pay a lot for Helsey, but maybe AF did not think he was worth what the Cardinals were asking. Mets gave up 3 pitchers in their early 20’s.
Could have most likely, but AF did not think any of those guys was worth what they were traded for. As for Bednar, after that historically bad debut with the Yankees, I think they dodged a bullet.
I c why AF is loading up on future outfielders. Conforto will be gone. Teo is a trade candidate after the season. K king n no d. I was one of the ones who wanted him back. His attitude n clutch hitting was so key. He has reverted back to the norm or less. Hopefully, he will recapture at least for this year. Pages is having a really good year but he is a rf hence a future teo move. Pages has plenty of room for growth. Swings at everything, bad baserunning, defensive lapses. So, Af is getting the future of ready with Sirota, hope, Tibbs, Quintero?, George, the other guy in trade E something plus their draft guy. Sorry, can’t remember names but he is stacking up for the near future.
His injury has been the cause of his regression. Hasn’t been the same hitter since return from IL
Depaula
18 scoreless innings in a row. 3rd lowest runs scored in the month of July.
The Dodgers need to hit. They hit, they win. They don’t, they won’t.
Roberts thinking about dropping Betts in the lineup. Ohtani, Smith, Freddie works for me. Hopefully Muncy’s return will help.
Note to Ohtani: the opposition is willing to walk you. Take it. Then steal second.
As far as possible closers don’t forget Wrobleski.
Great GM, just wished he would’ve brought in Joe Maddon to manage.
Roberts has probably cost us a ring or two.
Maddon has to be one of the more over-rated managers out there. He went to two World Series, won one and lost one, His career winning percentage is barely above .500. He won when he had good teams, otherwise not so much.
Roberts has won more rings than Maddon.
Has Roberts managed any team besides the Dodgers?
Not sure Maddon is all that and then some, but do agree Roberts may have been a hinderance in the past.
I’d say Kershaw has cost us a ring or two as well if we’re gona start blaming folks.
I wouldn’t blame Kershaw, Scherzer nor Darvish.
Disagree on Darvish. He sucked in the World Series. Did not even make it out of the second inning in game seven.
So you are forgiving the Trashtros and blaming Darvish?
I think the cheaters cost the Dodgers a championship and cost Darvish a lot of money on his next contract.
The Dodgers, I think, would have made Darvish a very nice offer if he’d won Game 7.
And Scherzer copped out and didn’t even take the ball in a crucial game.
Yep, he pleaded that his arm felt dead, yet he bitched that Roberts wasn’t using him enough.
Darvish blew 2 series games in 17. He was pitiful
Never would have got to many October’s without Kersh
100%. He was the best pitcher of this generation until October
His October numbers are skewed by a couple of really bad games. But the last postseason when he was really active and not injured, he went 4-1. He wasn’t bad every October. You take away the game where the Astros cheated, and his ERA for that series alone would have been much lower than the 4.02 it ended up being.
And then to the point of this portion of the thread, Dave Roberts would have won 3 rings and the Joe Maddon nonsense would stop.
Exactly
Giants have released Austin Barnes who was there on a minor league deal. I wonder if this is it for him or if he’ll find a new home for the 2026 season.
If not, I hope we see him back here as a coach.
🙄
Teams realize the importance of timing more than ever since wild card spots were expanded– the idea being to be healthy and playing your best baseball in Sept.
For our Dodgers, I tend to think the pitching, both starting and bull pen, will be fine. Yes, there have been more injuries than typical but the Dodgers also tend to sign higher-risk players. Regardless, it seems like we’ll have plenty of arms and we’ll simply ride whomever is hottest.
The bigger issue in my opinion is it feels like several position players got “old” at the same time– Betts, Freeman, Teoscar. Add to that an injury prone Muncy (elbow, knee, thoracic, …) and Tommy Edmund (this was the Cards experience too).
AF can’t replace those players, they simply need to player better.
Well Freddie just got a lot younger last week! Teo has had a bad quad which is a tough injury to get over. And Mookie will be an MVP of one of our post season series. I’m a believer
You’re right, it’s great to see Freddie back to being Freddie. Such a professional. I gotta believe his approach during his slump help others.
Agree. Next up, Teo and Mookie
Just got back from the doctor, I have to start getting injections in my left eye for MD. Caught it early so might not have to do it for long. Good chance Edman ends up on the IL today. Roberts implied that in his presser after the game yesterday. Glasnow against the Cardinals tonight.
Glad to hear you caught your MD early. My mother-in-law has been getting shots for years and doing ok.
Thanks Sam.
Me too Bear. Eye shot every 3 months. 10 so far and no further degeration. I’m off the grid for now with a bladder issue. Been in the hospital since Wednesday so it’s day six today. They are flushing my bladder with tons of saline solution to try to get some bleeding stopped that I had. I hope to go home soon and then get a medical procedure to find out exactly what’s going on with my bladder. So I haven’t been in the loop with much posting. But I enjoy what I’m reading and it certainly a busy time after the trade deadline. I hope to be back posting soon when they find out what’s going on. Anyway bear good luck with your eye and it works.
Thank you, Phil., I talked to a friend of mine who lives in Lake Havasu City. He started getting the shots, but was diagnosed late, so his vision is basically crap. All I wanted to know is what to expect when I go in. Hope everything gets a lot better. After spending close to six weeks in hospitals last Dec-Feb, I know it is not fun.
Sorry to hear this Phil. Getting a diagnosis can sometimes get frustrating. Hopefully, that process will determine what’s going on and get things healthy again. I had noticed that you hadn’t post for a few days so I had a feeling something might be wrong.
Take care of yourself.
Phil –
Take care and best wshes for a speedy recovery. I always read your posts because I learn things from you even at my advanced age (79). Have had my share of physical setbacks and still cling to my Dad’s advice….”Life is a series of adjustments; the key to being happy is….MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT!”
Most likely. Need to get Edman and Kike healthy for October.
I can do without Kike. He hasn’t been all that great this year. I know he is a monster in the postseason, but I would prefer someone with much better bat to ball skills than Kike. Guys gripe about Conforto, but Kike isn’t much better, hitting .195.
We need Keekay. He’ll replace Ruiz, who is currently the weak link. Freeland might stay when Kim gets better. No other roster pieces seem likely to be added. Still a bit thin, even with Call.
I personally disagree. The only thing Kike brings to the game right now is defense. His splits are terrible. He is hitting just .185 against LHP. He should be pounding lefties. He is barely over .200 against RHP. Ruiz brings speed. Kike does not.
Freeland > Kike
And so are Edman, Kim and Rojas.
The Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran right-hander Lou Trivino.
I like Trivino’s stuff. Still needs refinement, but there’s something there for me.
And I’m an idiot in these things.
Still no announcement on Edman, but a decision should be coming down shortly. 5 hours until game time.
Has to be Muncy unless it’s Luken Baker.
Baker was assigned to AAA. Edman to IL, Muncy activated.
Who on earth is Luken Baker??
Picked him up off of waivers from the Cardinals. 28-year-old 1st baseman.
Why? Career minor leaguer. No chance at 1b or dh. Just curious.
You would have to ask Andrew why. Me, I am stumped.
Per David Vassegh Muncy has been activated Edman to the IL
Yankees signed Maeda to a minor league deal.
Wow that was a rather familiar first inning
Glasnow has no breaking ball. Yet
Ok. He found it. It almost bounced over the catcher’s head in the first but he rediscovered it in the third. I wonder if maybe he wasn’t warmed up yet.
I asked AI how many times some version of the following was said here:
“Friedman and Gomes have access to far more information than we do”
The answer was 1,209,117 times
Did it also mention Friedman and overpaying a billion times?
I checked it again and it just said “too many to count.”
Worst umpire I’ve seen this year, calling strikes six to eight inches out of the strike zone, im shocked Muncy was able to keep from getting ejected
Stewart deserved better. Three runs is a bit much for this offense to overcome. Remember a couple months ago when the pitching was struggling, Badger would say we need 8 to win the game. Now we can’t get 8 in a series! Shocking how bad it is.
Yeesh — that was some serious crap luck: a bloop, a seeing-eye groundball single, and then with 2 outs, another bloop.
Good fight by the Dodgers in the 9th — Max’s AB (lefty on lefty) was excellent. And man, what a catch by Nootbar — that was quite the game-saver. Sorry they lost, but those last few innings were entertaining,
Pads lost to the D-Backs who got an excellent outing by Pfaadt..
Pretty much.
Dodgers needed help in that lineup and did nothing to improve it. Look at the last several games no runs scored. There were players out there but they didn’t want to trade minor league guys to get them. I say now Phillies are the team to beat pitching and a lineup that can hit.
Brewers are actually ranked ahead of the Phillies in the power ratings.
Next year bring Bellinger back to play centerfield or left field move Pages to rightfield trade teoscar get a every day decent centerfielder okay maybe look for a free agent second baseman and Kim and edman are your utility guys Play them in infield and outfield. And you have Rushing three good bat’s on bench maybe it is Kendall George that impreses in spring traing and starts in centerfield flanked by bellinger in left and Pages in Right just improve second base who could be a free agent there hmm.fans would love to see Bwlli back now that he’s hitting again.
Bellinger can opt out of his contract, and the way the Yankees have been playing, he might. But it is very doubtful that the Dodgers would give him a long-term deal. Which he obviously will be seeking. If the Dodgers do anything in free agency, my guess is that Bellinger would not be high on the list. They might try and swing a trade for someone like Duran, or they might pursue Tucker. Bellinger is having a better year than he did last year in Chicago, he has already hit more homers, 20-18. His BA, .278, is higher than any of the outfielders the Dodgers have on the roster right now. Pages is down to .275 right now, his OPS is above 800 and he is a 3.2 WAR player right now. He will be 31 next season, so maybe some decline can be expected. What I do like about Cody’s game is that he has struck out just 58 times in 406 at bats. Pages on the other hand has struck out 93 times in 408 at bats. One thing Bellinger is that no outfielder presently on the team is, a very excellent center fielder.
the way it looks now with Teo, Mookie and Conforto the Dodgers should bring in Tucker to be the middle of the lineup bat who strikes fear into opposing pitching staffs.
Tucker, Pages plus a true CF . I do not want Belli back. It is the same thing as with an ex -girlfriend or wife. There were reasons the relationship did not work.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How many years will it take to sign Tucker? That might be a problem.
Bummer!! Glasnow looked good. Bullpen and offense let us down again.
Time to shake up the lineup.
Yes, Glasnow pitched very well. But the offense is a tough watch.
Just too many struggling bats.
Stewart was really unlucky in the 9th.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A strike-out specialist, and a season-long cold bat. Nothing changes until the top 2 in the line-up stop floundering at the plate. And a “line-up change” won’t fix it.
It’s the best team in October that wins the WS. Not the beginning of August. Freddie seems to have figured it out and I have every confidence that Teo and Ohtani will too. Fingers crossed with Mookie. I could care less what our regular season record is,just give me three series wins in October.
If Ohtani hasn’t solved his strike-out problem, and Betts hasn’t found his “star batter” form again by the end of September, then they’re not gonna flip a switch and get it right in the playoffs. And if Ohtani/Betts aren’t fixed, then the Dodgers are toast.
Although i admire your optimism that would be one heck of a turnaround. As it is this team may make the playoffs but imo they will not make the WS. To many K’s, no lineup adjustments etc. Hopefully they will figure it out.
It’s been a heck of a turnaround for Freddie as it was for Muncy and Pages. There’s just no way that Ohtani doesn’t get going again
Jack Harris’ column today is, in my opinion, spot on.
Betts, Ohtani and Teo have to start hitting.
It’s pretty simple really.
And Harris gives voice to something others around baseball, and me here, have alluded to: what’s different this year with these two? It’s obvious isn’t it?
It feels somewhat miraculous this struggling team is still in first place. There’s plenty of time for several potential outcomes to happen. I still believe in this team. When the time comes they have to perform, I believe they will. As a Dodger fan, what else can I believe?
it would also help if they got some help. Conforto, Rojas would not be starting for most teams,just hope Friedman and Smith can continue to carry us. Checked the stats at baseball reference . Com they dont paint a pretty picture. My heart tells me you are right, the data tells me another story Badge.
Dodgers were the best offense in baseball for 3 months. Then a bad month. My money is on the 3 month team showing up by the end of August
If only AF would have listened to me about our bullpen needs and went for it like the Yankees did, we’d be…… worse off! I guess that’s why only one of us is cashing Guggenheim checks.
Another frustrating loss for the Dodgers.
An excellent outing for Glasnow. It’s good to see Roberts allowing a SP to go deeper into games. The announcer, Steve Nelson, proudly announced that this was the seventh time this season a Dodger starter had pitched into the seventh inning. Wow, seven times! How times have changed.
Our $700 million dollar man looks more like a $700 player. He’s turning into another three outcome player. It isn’t productive or fun to watch. AF has to be freaking out watching Ohtani, Mookie, Teoscar, and Conforto continued failings at the plate.
I saw a list of projected MVP candidates with Ohtani at the top. Do the experts even watch the games? Five other players, the usual suspects, are listed with the odds of winning the award. Will Smith? Not even mentioned. Again, do these writers watch the games or read a box score?
Carry on.
MVP might be decided as late as September.
We can only hope this team figures out how to finish. I still believe they will.
There is no way, as of right now, Shohei should be MVP.
Granted there’s 8 weeks left, and he can easily win this going away, but he needs to swing at less garbage and try making a bit of contact !!
Take the walks. They’re being offered. Oblige.
Observations from last night’s game. A. Gray OWNS the Dodgers this year. 2 starts, 13.1 innings pitched. 9 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts 1 earned run. 1-0 record. B. Ohtani has become a strikeout machine, and not on the mound. 138 for the season so far. He swings at pitches he cannot hit. Most of those are low in the zone or wide and low. C. Good pitching beats this team every time. One thing I noticed last night was that they did not work the count at all. Way to much weak contact on first pitches. Pages back to moaning and groaning when a pitch is called a strike that he does not believe it is. HPU Ramon De Jesus should be fired immediately. His strike three call on Betts on a pitch that was six inches below the zone was absolutely awful. Worst HPU I have seen this year.
It’s clear plate umpiring won’t improve. Not this year anyway.
I believe the pitching will be better than middle of the pack, where they are now, but not better enough to finish higher than middle of the pack. Too late for that. But a little better will be enough, IF the offense wakes up. If they don’t, pitching won’t matter, as evidenced by last night’s game. The Cardinals aren’t the Brewers, Phils, Pads, Mets or Cubs. You score only 2 against them and whatever series you’re in it will be a short one.
The Dodgers know this. They all know what needs to be done. When will the doing begin? Soon, we all hope.