This was all set up to be a great day. Tyler Glasnow dominated the Royals with 7.0 shutout innings. He gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and registered 9 Ks. He threw 85 pitches in 7.0 innings, which is right at 12 pitches per inning. For any pitcher, that is an efficient game, but for a strikeout pitcher, that total domination.
Tyler Glasnow's 2Ks in the 1st.
Unfair. pic.twitter.com/cJwXMxjkIH
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 16, 2024
Tyler Glasnow's 6th and 7th Ks pic.twitter.com/k0kEtzZWyx
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 16, 2024
Tyler Glasnow, 98mph Fastball and 84mph Curveball, Overlay pic.twitter.com/41vVZXzi9n
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 16, 2024
Then the Dodgers did what they needed to do in order to win. They slugged. The Dodgers 0-3 WRISP, so they needed that HR. The Dodgers hit three solo HRs. Shohei Ohtani started the scoring with this majestic lead off HR in the 3rd.
451 feet to the opposite field. 🤯
Shohei Ohtani is built different. 😤 pic.twitter.com/mY7msgDe2t
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2024
Shohei hit his 2nd HR in the 6th, and Freddie made it back to back. Freddie’s HR was his 10th. The Dodgers have now tied the Baltimore Orioles as the only teams with 5 batters with double figure HR.
SHOHEI OHTANI GOES DEEP AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/POt72l2rdm
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2024
Freddie Freeman follows Shohei Ohtani with a home run of his own! pic.twitter.com/uhdLvbcLXH
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2024
But it was the bottom of the 7th with two outs, a runner on 1st, and this happens.
This video of Mookie Betts taking a 98 mph fastball off the hands is absolutely heartbreaking. The sound the hand makes when the ball makes contact with the ball is disgusting 💔💔pic.twitter.com/dASGDJUqxC
— Baseball King (@BasebaIlKing) June 16, 2024
You knew right away this was going to be BAD. We learned after the game that Mookie broke a metacarpal bone in his left hand. If you wanted some good news on this, the fracture will not require surgery. It will need to be immobilized in a cast or splint. Every injury is different, so we have no real knowledge of how long Mookie may be out.
Just because I am curious, I found the following:
A professional baseball player can likely return to play as early as 2–4 weeks after a metacarpal fracture if they can comfortably swing a bat and field balls, and if early callus is visible on an x-ray. However, the time it takes to return to play can depend on pain and how long it takes to regain motion. According to one study, the average time for all metacarpal fractures to return to sport is 21.9 days.
Mookie will see the doctor (hand specialist) on Monday and we will learn more at that time.
We also learned that Yoshi Yamamoto has a strained rotator cuff. There is nothing torn. His injury needs rest. He is going to get shut down. I am sure we will hear more about the prognosis soon enough. But then we have no way of knowing whether what we hear can be relied on.
What we do know is that there is 32 days (24 games) between Monday and the first game after the All Star Break. We also know that there are 43 days (34 games) between Monday and the final date of the trade deadline.
I know the Dodgers are more than capable of multi-tasking, but the scouts, cross checkers, and baseball executives will be focusing on the draft (July 14 – July 16) over the next four weeks. That will give the buyers and sellers time to differentiate themselves in the ensuing two weeks following the draft (All Star Game).
What happens between now and the All Star break? Doc reported that Miggy Ro will be getting the bulk share of playing time at SS with Kiké getting periodic starts. After Sunday’s game, Doc advised that Miguel Vargas will be recalled, and will start in LF against LHP.
We know Bobby Miller will be officially recalled on Wednesday and start against Colorado at Coors Field. JP Feyereisen or Michael Petersen will be optioned at that time.
The injury will give Gavin Lux more runway. He is now up to 202 PA. We were told that Doc needed 150 PA. He is going to need to increase his OPS from .542.
Miguel Vargas will undoubtedly now get a better opportunity to produce.
The biggest question will be Bobby Miller. He did not look good in his rehab assignments. Maybe he does not get too amped for MiLB. We will learn more on Wednesday.
Open question – Does Landon Knack get called to start Friday? He went 2.2 innings (64 pitches) before getting pulled on Sunday.
BTW, I do not think anyone believes that the pitch that hit Mookie was intentional, but it sure would have been interesting to see Joe Kelly come to the mound to open the 8th instead of Daniel Hudson. You just never know with Joe Kelly. Joe is a little old school in that regard.
FWIW:
DJ Stewart asked umpire C.B. Bucknor to dust the plate after Bucknor missed 9 calls before the 3rd inning was over in the Mets Padres game.
Bucknor missed 20 calls in the game and is the lowest rated umpire this season.#Mets #Padres pic.twitter.com/hBBafjdnlO
— Umpire Auditor (@UmpireAuditor) June 16, 2024
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT
OKC Baseball Club 9 – Sugarland Space Cowboys (Houston) 2
Landon Knack started and went 2.2 IP throwing 64 pitches before being lifted. Is this a precursor to Knack getting recalled for a start next week for LAD?
Every OKC batter had at least 1 hit.
OKC scored in the 1st inning on a 2-out Andre Lipcius single and Trey Sweeney run scoring double.
Knack gave up a 2-out double and a game tying single in the bottom of the 2nd. With two outs in the 3rd and 2 runners on via BB, LHRP Alec Gamboa relieved Knack and got the flyout to end the threat.
Gamboa then proceeded to pitch 4.0 additional scoreless innings with 4 singles, no BB, and 4 Ks. I have written about Gamboa from the beginning of the year. I still think he has a chance of getting called to the Big League team in 2024..
OKC broke through in the 6th showcasing the new Dodger way. 3 walks loaded the bases with 2 out. Jonathan Araúz singled home 1 run, and Chris Okey slugged a grand slam HR for his 1st HR of the year.
💥 GRAND SLAM CHRIS OKEY 💥 pic.twitter.com/eY88POFWrN
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) June 17, 2024
In the 7th, Andre Lipcius drew a BB and Kody Hoese hit a 2-run HR (6).
Cleared for liftoff with Captain Kody Hoese! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/1cs4zUOPPK
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) June 17, 2024
In the 8th, James Outman hit a solo HR (6).
James Outman hit his sixth homer since being sent down to Triple-A
He has a .987 OPS since being optioned pic.twitter.com/8VlnHe02zF
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) June 17, 2024
OKC scored 9 runs. 7 were a direct result of the HR while they hit 2-9 WRISP.
Kyle Hurt was summoned to relieve Gamboa. Hurt got two quick outs, but then walked the next 2 batters. Hurt threw 19 pitches (8 strikes). Jack Dreyer was brought in to get the final out.
In the 9th, Jesse Hahn was called on to close out the game. He gave up a 1-out single and BB. He uncorked a WP putting runners on 2nd and 3rd. A ground ball out gave Sugarland a run, and Hahn got the final out to end the game.
- Kody Hoese – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (6)
- Jonathan Araúz – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1RBI
- Double – Trey Sweeney (14)
- HR – Chris Okey (1 – GS), James Outman (6)
Tulsa Drillers 7 – Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 0
Justin Wrobleski was my 2023 sleeper and he came out of nowhere to become a legit prospect. He started the season at AA in Tulsa. His first three starts were fantastic, and then he hit a rough patch of 4 games. In 19 IP, he allowed 15 runs, all earned. In the 6 games since, Justin has pitched 34.1 innings and allowed 5 runs, all earned. That is a miniscule 1.31 ERA and a fantastic WHIP of .933.
In this game, Justin pitched 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing 4 singles and 1 BB. He registered 4 Ks. He did not allow more than 1 base runner in any inning. Arkansas was 0-3 WRISP against Wrobleski. No runner reached 3rd.
Justin Wrobleski turned in his longest outing of the season & was dominant…AGAIN!
7IP 4H 0R 4K 1BB
Wrobo was still hitting 98 in the 7th inning, which goes to show his stamina we reference often. He's allowed just 5 earned runs in his last 34.1 IP, 27 Ks in that span. #dodgers pic.twitter.com/WPTXU9CxdX— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 16, 2024
The Drillers went scoreless the first 4 innings. They put up 3 singles and 1 walk. In the 5th, Brendon Davis hit a leadoff HR (6).
Damon Keith led off the 6th with a solo HR (1). With one out, Diego Cartaya doubled (5) and Brendon Davis drew a BB. Yeiner Fernandez reached on a fielder’s choice force out with Cartaya moving to 3rd. Then Tulsa must have shocked Arkansas as Cartaya stole home and Fernandez stole 2nd, making the score 3-0 after 6.0.
Ronan Kopp relieved Wrobleski in the 8th. He faced 3 batters and struck out all 3 on 15 pitches.
Tulsa put it away in the 8th. José Ramos and Diego Cartaya each hit 1-out singles. Brendon Davis walked to load the bases. Yeiner Fernandez hit into a fielders choice force out with Ramos scoring and Cartaya moving to 3rd. Alex Freeland was HBP to load the bases again. Taylor Young walked to force in a run, and Dalton Rushing singled to score two more, and end the scoring at 7 runs.
Logan Boyer was called in to close the game out, and made it interesting. With one out, he gave up a walk and a single. With two outs he walked the next batter to load the bases. However, Boyer got the last batter to fly out to complete the combo shutout.
- José Ramos – 3-4, 1 run
- Diego Cartaya – 2-4, 2 runs, double (5)
- Brendon Davis – 1-2, 2 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (6)
- Damon Keith – 1-4, 1 run,1 RBI, HR (1)
- Taylor Young – 1-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI
Cartaya called a shutout behind the plate, he threw a runner out, and he had 2 hits. That's the kind of impact he can have on a game. He now has hits in 4 of his last 5 games. A small spark can turn into a large explosion with guys as talented as he is. #dodgers pic.twitter.com/dxcbV6FGf8
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 16, 2024
2 guys I get asked quite a bit about their defense are Jake Gelof & Alex Freeland. Within minutes of each other, they both made really nice plays, Gelof from 3rd, Freeland from SS. Enjoy! #dodgers pic.twitter.com/hBRkKuLmy3
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 16, 2024
Great Lakes Loons 4 – Dayton Dragons (Reds) 2
Payton Martin started his 2nd game for Great Lakes, and pitched well. He allowed 2 solo HRs in 5.0 IP, both in the 4th. He issued 1 BB and registered 4 Ks. Payton left the game with a 2-2 tie.
Payton Martin just finished a really nice start for Great Lakes.
5IP 5H 2R 4K 1BB
FB had good life, commanded both sides of the plate, & both the top & bottom of the zone. Slider was tight & strategically located. Gonna be fun watching his progress through the org. #dodgers pic.twitter.com/GL1Zbgvf6g— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 16, 2024
Great Lakes scored the first run in the 4th with a Dylan Campbell BB, a SB, and 2 ground outs.
GL tied the game in the 5th with one out singles by Jordan Thompson and Noah Miller. Thompson scored on a Thayron Liranzo double (12), but Miller was thrown out at home on the play.
Jake Gelof led off the 8th with a BB. He stole 2nd and moved to 3rd on a Nelson Quiroz single. Gelof scored on a Jordan Thompson sac fly.
The Loons scored an insurance run in the 9th. Dylan Campbell walked and moved to 3rd, on a Chris Newell single. The pitcher had an errant pick off throw to 1B and Campbell scored.
Four Loons relievers each pitched a scoreless inning. Combined they allowed 1 hit, 1 BB, and registered 5 Ks.
- Noah Miller – 3-5
- Jordan Thompson – 2-3, 1 run, 1 RBI, Sac Fly
- Thayron Liranzo – 1-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, double (12)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 10 – Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado) 8
RC scored 10 runs on 18 hits. Every RC batter but one had at least 1 hit.
Jose Meza who was overwhelming ACL pitching was promoted to RC. He got his first full season A Ball hit. It was his first double.
Logan Wagner was the big bat for RC in this one. He went 4-5 with 2 HRs, a double, and a single. He was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Wagner is a 20 year switch hitting 3B. He was the Dodgers 6th round draft pick in 2022. Is he a prospect? We do not know yet.
The pitching was not much to write up on, so we can pass on it.
- Logan Wagner – 4-5, 3 runs, 3 RBI, 2 HR (6), double (8)
- Samuel Muñoz – 3-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, triple (4)
- Jesus Galiz – 3-5, 1 run
- Josue De Paula – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI
- Juan Alonso – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (4)
- Double – Jeral Perez (12)
ACL
Joendry Vargas breaks out the "Soto-Shuffle" right before SMACKING a deep fly ball for a double in the ACL game today.
BA – .358
OPS – .997 pic.twitter.com/snknTQXKaQ— ∞ The Infinite Dodger ∞ (@InfiniteDodger) June 16, 2024
I wasn’t able to see the game as my time zone would have kept me up all night. Not a good idea for me. When I looked at the results online and saw the headline about Mookie, my heart dropped, more for him than me. He was having a very good year and helping to lead this team to another division championship and playoff appearance. Not saying those hopes are dashed but we’ll see how this team comes together to deal with it.
Glasnow is back, I see. 9Ks. This gives me some confidence for the pitching staff. Without him dominating, we are kind of weak.
Rotator cuffs can be tough. Most pros know that preventive exercise routines should be followed regarding rotators cuffs but I wonder how many neglect this important aspect of conditioning. I bet Yoshi will learn something from this as we know he is a stickler for conditioning and alternative forms of it. Movement and mobility are the most important aspects for an athlete (or any human being for that matter), and not muscle mass.
Nice to see Shohei respond with his ALL.
I knew it was bad as soon as I heard the ball hit him. I am old enough to have seen injuries to key players totally ruin a team’s season. Koufax was out long enough in 62 for the Giants to close in and finally catch LA. Even though Sandy came back at the end of the year, he was not himself. In 64 he went down again, that time the team had no chance of being competitive. Pedro Guererro went down in spring training, and they never did get a decent replacement for him. Already the blogs are filling up with knee jerk trade ideas. Fan Sided suggests a trade with the Brewers for Adames. Not the worst idea, but they think a one for one of Knack for Adames would get it done. I doubt that. One poster on another site said the Dodgers will now be forced to go after Lindor or Bichette. Neither of those guys is having a great year. I think the Dodgers are not going to rush Mookie back. They want this to heal fully. I remember Matt Kemp coming back too early in 2012 after tearing up his shoulder hitting the wall at Coors field. He was nowhere near the same player. Roberts supposedly said yesterday that Vargas would also be in the infield mix. I don’t see that happening. I believe AF will not just do some knee jerk deal, but I could see him trading for someone like DeJong. Decent SS, with some pop. He has more homers than Mookie or Lindor, 14. But we will just have to wait and see how this all plays out. One thing is for sure, the top four in the lineup will definitely look different for a while.
I don’t expect a “knee-jerk” deal, but I assume AF & his minions have been actively monitoring the SS market in anticipation of moving Mookie to 2B. DeJong is an obvious possibility. Would a deal for DeJong really be a knee-jerk reaction?
I hope this injury means that Lux will wind up seeing both lefties and righties. If Lux can prove he should be a full-time player, he might be a keeper–or his trade value will increase.
Miguel Vargas is recalled. Will he get ABs this time? He can’t help the SS situation, so this move is a head-scratcher.
It still baffles me that the Dodgers front office and farm system has failed to produce a quality young SS in recent years–unlike about a dozen other teams. Yes, the Dodgers draft low and thus couldn’t get guys like Witt or Henderson. But what about the international market? The front office, it seems, had been counting on Lux for these last few years despite the obvious questions about his arm. The Brewers were able to pick up Joey Ortiz (in the Burnes deal) as an eventual heir to Adames. Could the Dodgers have landed a rising prospect?
With Elly De La Cruz rising to stardom, would the Reds be willing to deal Matt McClain?
The Dodgers could have had Henderson instead they drafted Busch and Hoese. They also could have drafted Bichette they got Lux. Joey Ortiz was available and the Dodgers picked Vogel. I do agree with you I would love to see AF pull off a deal for McClain. I’m sure there are a couple of arms that would get it done.
We also passed on Volpe of NYY to take Kody Hoese.
The Dodgers amateur scouts are not very good at finding and drafting good SS. They also lack the ability to find elite OF talent. They focus on versatility and slug. There is no way that the Dodgers should have passed on Henderson or Volpe to grab Hoese. Even though both have more slug than Hoese will ever have.
The best SS prospect closest to MLB right now is Alex Freeland who is 22 and playing well at AA. I hope he sticks at SS. He will give the Dodgers an option.
Noah Miller is a defense first SS at Great Lakes. Both Miller and Sweeney are Jacob Amaya types.
Joendry Vargas is more of long term project, and while he will continue at SS, some believe he will eventually end up at 3B. He is a Corey Seager 6′ 4″, and at 18 there may still be some growth in there.
Further down the line is Emil Morales at the Dominican Summer League.
A lot of 2B types, but outside of Vargas, Freeland, and Miller not a lot of potential SS.
The Dodgers do have Matt McLain’s brother, Sean, who is at RC, but is not a close comparison to his brother. STB and I were dreaming about a Matt McLain trade to LAD at the 2022 deadline. AF never called us, so it did not happen.
Miguel Vargas is a contact first hitter, but he was added in a year that the Dodgers were unable to give large international bonus $$$. The big bats were gone. I hope he gets a legit shot to play LF. I like Jason Heyward, but he certainly does not represent the future of the LAD OF, nor do Chris Taylor or Kiké Hernández, and we will never know if Vargas is or isn’t unless he gets a chance. What do they have to lose? A further slide down the return value in a trade? The potential benefit is certainly worth the risk.
McLain is still on the IL and has been out all season. I do not see how a trade for him would benefit LA this year.
It will not help the Dodgers this season. Never intended to imply that. If I did I apologize. But McLain does give them a viable SS for the next 5 years. He is controlled thru 2029. So if he is available, AF has to take the call. He is a local kid (Orange County – Irvine) who went to UCLA.
I am not sure why so many are afraid of sticking with Miggy Ro at SS while Mookie is out. Mookie did not break a hamate bone. He does not need surgery. It hurts like hell, but they just need to keep it immobilized so that it will heal properly. I do not know where these 6-8 weeks are coming from. Since it is all conjecture until we know for sure, there is not a prognosis of a fractured metacarpal that I have read that says 6-8 weeks. Some have come back from a similar fracture in 3-5 weeks. Dodgerrick where are you? What do you think? I wll go by your prognosis over what we hear from the Dodgers.
Even if it becomes 6-8 weeks, I am still fine with Miggy Ro at SS and Lux at 2B. Kiké can fill in as needed at either 2B or SS. There is no reason to trade for a SS now unless CWS is going to give DeJong away. So…next man up. Suck it up LAD. You supposedly have great depth. The Dodgers have the depth to stay 8.0 over SD through the end of the year, no matter how long it takes for Mookie or Yoshi. Although I would not balk at a Garrett Crochet trade.
The Dodgers survived quite nicely without Seager from April 30, 2018 to July 20, 2018 (Machado’s first game with LAD). They went from 4th place, 8.0 games back in the NL West, to 1st place, .5 game up in the NL West during Corey’s absence. The Dodgers played 41-28 with CT3 as the primary SS and 38-28 with Machado as the primary SS.
Now if Bo Bichette becomes available at the deadline, AF is going to need to consider it. I cannot see Toronto moving Bichette in June or early July. The earliest will be after the All Star Break.
“there is not a prognosis of a fractured metacarpal that I have read that says 6-8 weeks. Some have come back from a similar fracture in 3-5 weeks.”
This is what Roberts said during the postgame presser. He said Mookie broke his metacarpal, (metawhatever, his words lol) and it would be 6-8 weeks, but not needing surgery. 6-8 weeks seems a bit long for no surgery, but yeah who knows with the Dodgers and injury reports.
Good post Jeff. Finally a cooler head prevails. I just knew Mookie’s injury would start a firestorm to sign just about anybody perviously mentioned and some that weren’t. I just as soon see the Dodgers overpay for a non-upgrade like Adames and get it overwith.
Once again, I’m completely amazed at the lack of respect for Miggy Rojas. The guy is more than adequate and perhaps an upgrade over Mookie at short with the glove. He’s hitting .278 and an 8% K rate. Yeah, he doesn’t slug and I can live with that, in spades.
Why does everybody want to overpay for temporary help when we don’t need to?
Badger has mentioned he has a sore leg and is 35 but I haven’t seen a decline in his play. He can cover it more then adequately, with Kike and CT3 filling in as needed.
What am I missing here?
I don’t think you’re missing anything Phil. Your point is valid. I’m looking at his age, his career OPS (.668) and the value of his ability to play all infield positions. What an asset as a utility guy. He’s having a good year so far and though I expect it to continue, I do not expect him to maintain a .799 OPS.
Miggie is the man!
When Betts is placed on the IL later today, the Dodgers will have 14 players on the IL. Only two of them, Betts and Muncy, are position players. By comparison, the Giants have 9. Arizona may have suffered a significant loss yesterday; Corbin Carroll was injured making a diving catch. No team is immune. Teams that win weather the storm. Atlanta lost their best player, Acuna for the year. Betts will likely be back in 6-8 weeks.
time to play Vargas every day with Mookie out for the foreseeble future.
If games in June are that unimportant as we are regularly told and that the Dodgers will make the postseason not matter what put the kid in every day. I would even let him play some 3b to get his bat into the lineup. So what if he makes a few errors there ? We were not concerned with Mookie making errors at ss or Muncy at 3b.
With Rojas at ss, Lux at 2b and FF at 1b we still would have excellent overall infield defense.
Cartaya finally is showing again what made him a top prospect couple years back. But the Dodgers are only playing him 3-4 days a week and it is tough to get into a good ryhtm that way.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are the Dodgers not using CArtaya at DH too?
Yes, they do. But he still only gets 3-4games a week. Puzzling why they do not use him more at DH.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I asked this before, but maybe it was early. So now that it’s mid-June, I’ll ask again: Has Kody Hoese figured things out??
I’d ask how his defense is at 3b, as I haven’t watched him play 3b. But I”m wondering how much runway we give Biggio at 3b (so far, I’m not impressed), and try the 2 guys in AAA.
Just when it looked like the Dodgers were going to get some pitchers back from injury, all hell breaks loose. Yamamoto goes on the 15 day IL. He was joined by Michael Grove on the 15 day IL with a lat issue. Joe Kelly, who was shown throwing a BP season, goes from that to two days later going on the 60 IL. He won’t be missed by me. The team calls up RHPs JP Feyereisen and AF reclamation project Michael Peterson. Checking out Peterson’s stats it looks like he has control issues in the past which he has corrected this year. He looks like a real longshot. Again, Dodger drafted and developed prospects are ignored while some previously injured and/or career minor leaguer gets the call. Noted.
So, Glasnow is cruising along with an efficient and dominating pitching performance. Ohtani hits a couple of bombs. Of course, with no one on base. And Freddie follows up Ohtani’s second HR with one his own. It’s a beautiful day for the Dodgers. Until it isn’t. In the 7th inning Mookie gets his hand crushed with a 98 MPH pitch and now will be out 6-8 weeks. I agree with Bear in that I would keep Mookie out for as long as it takes to fully heal. There is no reason to rush him back. The Dodgers are going to win the division with or without Mookie. Worse case is that they will be in the playoffs.
Forget any trades for a SS. Rojas and Kiki can cover the position until Mookie’s return. Could this provide CT3 a opportunity to stay with the Dodgers? Certainly, AF won’t call up any prospects to help. Oh wait! Miguel Vargas has been called up. Hopefully, Vargas can take advantage of a platoon in LF and force the Dodgers to either play or trade him.
Yesterday, it felt like half the 26 man got moved to the IL or has been called up.
It’s never easy for this team.
Carry on.
Would Trey Sweeney be an option?
Sweeney is not on the 40-man roster. As a matter of fact, there are no spare infielders on the 40-man who are not in the majors. Sweeney has shown some pop, but he is hitting .237 in a hitter friendly PCL. Lipcius is not on the 40-man either.
In a word — No! Not this year.
I have been writing about Michael Petersen all season. He started off hot, and has not really cooled off. I had no knowledge of him before this year. He has virtually come out of nowhere. He would not have been my first choice, however I am anxious to see how he pitches at the MLB level. I would have recalled Kyle Hurt, or given LHRP Alec Gamboa a shot. He is a multi-inning reliever much like Michael Grove was considered to be. Jack Dreyer is also close to deserving.
But if there is a LAD MiLB reliever deserving of the call up, it is Michael Petersen.
So we lost another starting shortstop and a #2 starter. Who on the depth charts are “next man up” for these spots? Well, it isn’t the starting shortstop at AAA who is hitting .238 and for replacing a #2 starter forget it. The hesitation on Knack seems apparent and Casparius? Who’s he? Peterson, Wrobleski? Peterson has been in the minors for 9 years so he’s got that going for him. Wrobleski is a decent AA reliever but so what?
Rojas until the deadline seems like the play and with the pitching names mentioned I look for even more bullpen games going forward. This team is going to need to score.
If any team had a #2 sitting in MiLB, he would already be on the roster. The Dodgers are not going to find a Yoshi Yamamoto in their system, MLB ready or otherwise. The Braves did not have a Spencer Strider in their organization. NYY did not have a Gerrit Cole in their organization. It is next man up.
Did you know who Emmet Sheehan was before he was called up last June from AA? Justin Wrobleski is a SP and not a reliever. He is pitching at the top of the Texas League. He is probably the #2 or #3 pitcher in the Texas League this year, and top LHSP.
#2 IP (67.2)
#4 ERA (3.06)
#3 WHIP (1.03)
#3 BB Allowed (13)
#2 HR Allowed (2)
Nobody knew who Gavin Stone was until 2022, and 2 years later he arguably the best LAD starter thus far in 2024. Maybe not best in talent, but certainly in results. And no I am not comparing Justin Wrobleski to Gavin Stone, then again I did not think that Stone would have been as good as he is turning out to be.
Wrobleski is pitching much better at AA than did Bobby Miller.
He is the #6 LAD prospect in BA’s most recent list, #9 Keith Law (Athletic), #10 Kiley McDaniel (ESPN), #10 Baseball Prospectus, #11 Fangraphs, #15 MLB Pipeline. Baseball America currently ranks Justin the top pitching prospect, ahead of Kyle Hurt, Landon Knack, Jackson Ferris, River Ryan, Nick Frasso.
Here is an article on Wrobleski coming into the 2024 season.
I am certainly not the only one who thinks Wrobleski has a future in the LAD rotation.
There are reports that indicate Wrobleski is getting moved up to AAA. Another step closer.
Thanks for the info. I was more or less speaking rhetorically, as in who is he in relation to being able to help in an emergency, which the Dodgers have now. Does he have the wherewithal to step in now and give the team 5 innings of 3 or less earned?
I mentioned the next in line shortstop is hitting .238 at AAA. That shortstop is Trey Sweeney and I think we all know he isn’t coming up. Neither will the other youngsters you mentioned. It’s the bench for now. Andes is gonna love this.
I have had Vargas at third for 3 years now.
Are Gonsolin and May scheduled for appearances any time this year? Knack, Miller, Kershaw, Casparius, Peterson, Wrobleski, we got plenty of pitchers as long as we’re scoring 7 a game.
Good discussions in here this morning. I appreciate the dialogues.
In an emergency? Yeah, I think Wrobleski can help. He is more long term than a short term fix. Miller, Knack, Hurt, Kershaw. Those are the more immediate short term solutions. I still want Garrett Crochet, and I do believe he will be available. In his last 9 starts he has thrown 53 innings, with a 1.36 ERA and 1.94 FIP, 11 BB and 76 K. That is Ace Like. The Padres can have Dylan Cease. The Dodgers should trade for Crochet.
Good discussions in here this morning. I appreciate the dialogues.
+1
Costly series with the Royals. Losing Yamamoto and Mookie in three days is a blow. I hate it when I see guys get hit on the hands.
Jeff, you commented about possible retaliation had Kelly been on the mound. It is a very interesting question. I was think exactly along those lines but quickly put it aside as Hudson took the mound. Likely a very judicious decision.
But I also had a similar thought after Ohtani and Freemans back-to-back-jacks. In my day, before the umpires were put in charge of policing such matters, the next hitter would have needed to wear catcher’s gear to the plate, get in the back corner of the box and hopes the touched up pitcher hits you in the ass and not your head. New day and probably for the better.
Glasnow was awesome. Was very economical and limited the Royals to 3 hits. Despite losing Mookie and casting a gloom over the game, all things look good when we win.
Not to be Debbie Downer, but Glasnow still doesn’t get consistent run support from the Dodgers when he pitches. He damn near need to throw a shut out when he pitches. In fact, in his wins the opposition has only score 1.7 runs per game.
He has 7 wins. In his wins the Dodgers have averaged 6.7 runs per game. In his loses we have scored 1.67 runs per game. He has three no decisions but the Dodgers won 2 of those games. In the one loss, the Dodgers scored 1 run.
Now, maybe he pitches on days where the Dodgers face other Aces, but we don’t support his efforts.
We had a whopping 5 hits yesterday. As we love to do, 3 of those were homers. 3 guys got all the hits with the other guys going 0 for 19. So, nice to win but???
Hey Bum, you asked a couple of days ago for a critique of Ohtani’s swing. You mentioned my analysis of Bellinger moving his head all over the place while the ball was in the air.
Well, that is NOT a problem for Ohtani. For a tall guy with a pretty erect spine angle, he doesn’t bob his head. His head is still and on the baseball throughout contact.
What I did suggest is that he swing at strikes, especially early in counts. Get a good pitch and don’t miss it. He did that yesterday. I think the first homer was on a 2 & 1 count and the second 0 & 0. He didn’t take “his” pitch. He let it eat and didn’t get forced out of the zone after taking strikes.
HPU, Ryan Additon’s strike zone yesterday was great. Umpire Scorecard had him with 7 misses. I saw ONE. Teoscar caught a break in the 8th on a true strike called a ball. Nice to see some accuracy back there.
Things should get interesting with Doc’s platoons until the All-Star break.
Thanks for reminding me Ted that Grove was also added to the IL, making it 3 guys.
Of course. The troops took a lot of casualties against KC. But, reading Jeff’s comment below at what Atlanta was hit with injury wise. Damn. This pitcher injury issue is incredible this season. I hate to see it. It’s not good for the game.
I remember Drysdale going years with minimal run support. At the time the Dodgers didn’t have that great of an offense. And, it was especially weak when he pitched. He could have won dozens of more games with average run support. He averaged about 15 wins and 12 complete games a season. An intimidating presence on the mound. Big D.
I remember a classic story about Big D. Evidently, he had flown ahead of the team because he was pitching the first game of the next series. While at the hotel, a reporter came up and told him that Koufax had thrown a no-hitter. Deadpan, Big D asked if he had won the game.
Drysdale had a much better offense on paper behind him than Koufax because his bat was a little better than Koufax’s.
Glasnow was great!! He has been really most of the year with the blemish the home run ball. When he gives up a run he must feel like he is beaten. When he has the curve working along with the dominant fastball a hit would be a surprise.
our offense is our offense. Everyone goes up there swinging as hard as they can on every pitch. While Ohtani, teo, Muncy can slug with the best of them lux, kike, Taylor, and the rest need to have a better situational hitting strategy. But they do not. Kike, lux, Ohtani tend to pull off pitches. Yesterday Ohtani stayed on and through the ball. Lux frustrates me. He doesn’t hit the ball away can’t hit an inside pitch doesn’t have any power. Strictly a 9 hitter who should be traded.
How comfortable would Bobby Witt have been if Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale were pitching? Or how about the first LH batter facing Randy Johnson?
I don’t think Doc would have sent Kelly out had he been available. So, yeah, Hudson was the better option.
What I noticed about Ohtani’s at bats on the home runs was that his lower half was quiet. No bailing out and flailing at the pitch. His front foot went straight up and straight down and he drove the ball deep.
Thanks Phil for answering my question. I’ve seen golfers bail on swings and hit the a mile. Sometimes it takes a good eye to see the good when the swing looks on the wild side. That’s my opinion about Othani having what I call a wild side to his swings. It works.
Atlanta has now lost a fourth SP. Spencer Strider, Huascar Ynoa, AJ Smith-Shawver, and now Hurston Waldrep. They have also lost Acuña for the year, and Michael Harris has just gone on the IL due to a hamstring issue. Where would they be if it were not for Chris Sale. Great AA trade. Or Reynaldo Lopez. Great AA FA signing.
Former LAD 1st round pick in 2014 (#22 overall), Grant Holmes, has finally reached MLB. He was traded to Oakland in the Rich Hill/Josh Reddick 2016 deadline trade. He made his debut for Atlanta yesterday and pitched 3.0 scoreless innings in relief on 2 hits, 0 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Good for Grant.
I’m not that concerned with Yamamoto. Things like this can sometimes be a blessing. The Dodgers are going to the win the division in all likelihood. Better this happens now than September, and better now to address the possible root causes of rotator cuff injuries through prevention than later. As mentioned somewhere else here, there are specific exercises that are prescribed to strengthen the shoulder, particularly those that deal with overuse combined with imbalances created with a specific movement – i.e. throwing, swimming, etc.
Much was made of Yamamoto’s unorthodox exercise regime, including the javelin throwing and all that, which makes for good content for sports writers to write about, but I don’t think that it necessarily follows current physio best practices. Gonsolin had to go on a shoulder strengthening program, and it helped him. Rotator cuff exercises often focus on external rotation and targeting the infraspinatus, which is often the weak link in throwers and swimmers.
I’m not concerned about starting pitching. Miller, Yamamoto, Kershaw, and possibly May will be back at full strength and hopefully peaking in October, and all the Dodgers really need is 3-4 stud starting pitchers. Glasnow, Yamamoto, Miller (if he pitches like he did his first few starts before the injury) can definitely anchor a playoff starting rotation, and Stone is emerging as the real deal. Seems like he’s getting better and more comfortable with each start. I’m not sure about Kershaw. If he can get his FB velo to 91-92, then yeah, he’s an option. May is probably a longshot as a SP, but I can see him pitching some key innings as reliever in the playoffs.
Not concerned about the relief corp. I don’t understand Graterol’s deal, but I still expect him back at some point after the ASB. The playoff relief squad could/should include Phillips, Hudson, Kelly, Brusdar, Treinen, Vesia as the core group, and that’s a pretty solid core group, IMHO.
Bummer about Betts simply because he was in the conversation for MVP, but, again, better now than September. The MLB regular season is a grind. If Betts’ forced vacation keeps him fresh at the end of the season, then consider it a blessing.
I don’t think there’s a better top six lineup in baseball when Muncy is healthy. Yeah, the remaining three haven’t been good, but I’m not worried yet. Lux is starting to get some good at bats. Pages, after his swoon, is hanging in there, although I liked Outman’s defense a little better. I don’t know what to do with CT3. The Dodgers will continue to play him and trust the process, I guess. Heyward’s a solid glove and clubhouse guy who, if he gets a key hit or two in the playoffs, was worth the signing (think the David Justice character in Moneyball).
All this talk about how the Dodgers can only build a successful regular season team, but AF can’t/won’t build a “team for the playoffs” … I don’t even know what that means. It’s a sentiment that sounds nice to the cynic and the pessimist, but has no clear definition and, subsequently, means nothing. I’ll give Scott a pass because he’s totally insane LOL (although apparently I love him), but it’s an example of something that just gets repeated and eventually accepted as a truism by all.
Oh, and Scott. You have to accept that our love affair was but a brief dalliance; a fling, and that my one true love will always be Andrew Friedman.
I’ve also noticed that Lux has been swinging the bat much better the past 3-4 weeks. He’s had a lot more hard hit outs as well. Seeing more hard hit balls (base hit or out) is a great sign.
We all (or at least most of us) know he’s a much better hitter than his current .210 BA and sub-.600 slugging %. Now, with Mookie out for 2 months, would be a great time for him to show it.
Today we learned that Lux is second only to Smith wrisp
I keep hearing he’s hitting better lately but in his last 37 plate appearances he’s OPSn .493.
Patch,
your love affair with Friedman is like stolkhom syndrome. But I’ll never let you down and Friedman always disappoints every year. This year is no different with multiple mendoza hitting utility players in the lineup every day, overhyped prospects who can’t hit their way out of a paper bag, scheduled load management losses, and the usual rehteoric how the Dodgers are doing great, yet have not played well for most of the season.
Last year I was one of the only posters over here who told it like it is, and by June had correctly predicted the Dodgers would be immediately knocked out in the NLDS. They had no pitching last season, as I recall, and everyone kept telling me how great they were, and how they were going to steamroll into the World Series. After watching and writing about the Dodgers for many years, including the entirity of Friedman’s tenure and it wasn’t hard to predict the Dodgers folding up like a beach chair in October. Friedman’s teams are soft, and usually choke under pressure.
This stolkholm syndrome extends to a lot of aspects of Friedman’s control. For instance, Gavin Lux, who is a dreadful hitter, has an OPS+ of 55, and has been hovering around the mendoza line all season. He’s hit poorly and been generally unproductive for most of his career, yet I still read many people thinking he is going to break out any day, and will magically figure it out. Yet he continues to stink up the Dodger’s lineup day in and day out. That’s the worst part of the Friedman era, allowing non-performing players almost endless rope while other teams cut the dead weight from their rosters far earlier than the Dodgers do.
Even Jeff is starting to come around on how stubborn Friedman is, and is recognizing his obession for utility players, weak hitting prospects and postseason embarassments.
It’s too bad you have to learn the hard way, again. For another season. But who am I to tell you not to enjoy postseason exits, underperformances. Please enjoy, and don’t let me get in the way of your man crush. after all, Gavin Lux is a future hall of famer, and the Dodgers will have a lineup featuring Lux, Kike, CT3, Cavan Biggio, Miguel Vargas, and maybe even Barnes. Talk about a murders row.
The next time you are at wallmart, keep the cashier in mind, as you and I may just see him in Dodger blue during those scheduled load management games. Friedman is always after those diamonds in the rough.
Scott. First, I am not coming around on AF’s obsession with utility players. I have been there all along. That does not make me anti-AF. There is a lot more to like about AF than to not like.
Second, which of the next 6 games will the Dodgers win. I know that you have advised us that they will lose 5 of the next 6 so that your 3-6 prediction will materialize. So which of the 6 are you pointing to for a Dodger win. I think you need to keep selling the Dodgers short. They seem to take offense with your predictions and play better. 😃
Why do you think I do it? Every time I complain, predict they will lose, they come back and win. You can thank me later.
As for Friedman I would say it’s 50-50.
With u on lux. Playing better than I expected on d but just pathetic on offense. Been saying for a long time that u r not going to win with 4 outs in your lineup. Put lux, Kiké, Taylor, Heyward, Barnes biggio not a .240 hitter among them. Probably the only one capable of .240 is Taylor who is hitting .100 now but I would rather take a chance on Taylor as the rest. At least he has a little speed and might get a homer along the line and he plays d. I was hoping biggio might have something but he can’t hit it out of the infield.
A welcome side benefit to the ending of our love affair is that I can go back to clowning on you all the time, which is one of my favorite pastimes.
You know, when I’m feeling particularly stressed and need to decompress and find solace in silence and solitude; when I need my own Walden Pond, I think to what Thoreau would have done in our digital age. When I want to go someplace where I will neither see, nor hear, nor read, nor experience any trace of any human being … I just go on over to ladodgerreport.com.
LOL. I feel better now.
As a pessimist who predicts doom and gloom – doom and gloom meaning not making it to the WS series – you’re also astute at leveraging the odds to support your point of view. As it is now calculated, even a team that wins the division and has a bye (top seed) has only a 25-30% chance of making it to the WS. To actually win the WS is obviously much lower.
So, when you start braying about Friedman being this evil supervillain who must be fired because the Dodgers get bounced in the playoffs, you have about a 75% chance of being right. Those are pretty good odds, but they have nothing to do with Friedman.
This also applies to all the fallacious thinking that I’ve read here that insists that if the Dodgers don’t win it all and don’t reflexively blame the GM, then you’re not a true Dodger fan. You have a 3/4 chance of being bitterly disappointed, I’m sorry to announce.
Sure, there are high expectations. Sure, the Dodgers can always shore up weaknesses and improve the team to maximize their chances, but also consider how difficult it all is. The Braves were loaded. I thought they were the best team in the NL, but they got burned by injuries and now they might not make the playoffs.
“Lux is terrible. AF won’t get rid of him because he’s bad. He’s stubborn! He can’t draft!”
The Dodgers might have to move on from Lux. No, he hasn’t hit. Does he deserve a long runway? Well, consider his prospect status. He was the 2nd highest rated prospect after Wander Franco. He was given a FV rating of 60 by Fangraphs. He was described as a future “perennial All Star.” He hit .390 with power in AAA in 2019.
Also, he hasn’t played in a year, which was a whole year of not being able to see MLB pitching. I don’t think the development curve can be interrupted like that without setting progress back.
I’d give him more time.
“AF didn’t get a real SS. Why didn’t he get a real SS!”
Oh really? Like who?
“uuuuuh …. ummmm … ”
Yes, go on!
“Dejong?”
Yeah, no. He sucks. Good glove. Can’t hit. We already have that in Miggy Ro.
“Uh….Uh…Adames!”
No. Hits for power, but his total offense is a bit of a mirage. Great glove, though. Not a snowball’s chance in hell the Brewers trade him while they’re leading the division, at least not without a king’s ransom.
“Lindor!!!
Just stop. The reality is, no one was on the market. No on IS on the market. A few of you were advocating the Dodgers trade for Anderson a couple of years ago. LOL.
“It’s cuz Friedman can’t draft!”
LOL! Where to begin? We could start with the Dodgers 2016 draft, which ranks as one of the best of all time. Every year the Dodgers are ranked at least in the top 10 farm systems, and usually top five. Every year, they draft at the bottom of the order. The Orioles are great at developing players. It helped that they sucked and got good draft positions.
“The Dodgers offense is terrible. They can’t hit with RISP! It’s cuz Friedman values Slug! He drafts Slug. Slug!…Slug! It’s all slug! They don’t practice fundamentals like in the olden days!”
Uh, don’t look now but the Dodgers are tied for 3rd in all of baseball for batting average with runners in scoring position. They’re 3rd in home runs. There are seven teams that strike out more than the Dodgers.
So, no. This narrative that Friedman, because of his blind spots, has created a flawed offense with holes that has a dysfunctional attraction to hitting with power at the expense of situational hitting is factually incorrect. It’s what you call, a “narrative.” It’s not true.
The best was a comment I saw that blamed Friedman for that bad Pages slide. OMG, that was hysterical.
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/dodgers-unveil-second-city-connect-uniforms
The reasoning behind all the things they attempted to do is great, the salute to Vinnie, something from the Brooklyn days, etc.
But the execution is a total blah and the confetti look is ridiculous.
There is so much about LA that they could have used, and this is what they come up with?
The one thing I really like is the LA inside the script D. Otherwise, a total waste of time and concept. Just one person’s opinion.
Ahhh, I just forwarded the news with an editorial. 😍
Jim “Clickbait” Bowden has come up with a trade which gets us Crochet, Jeff.
Dodgers get: Crochet, Robert Jr, Kopech
White Sox get: Frasso, Wrobleski, Hurt, Payton Martin, Rushing, Pages, Emil Morales.
Believe it or not, the Trade Simulator says we’d have to add Sheehan or Ryan plus Joendry Vargas to make it a viable deal.
Although the Simulator takes salary and years of control remaining into account, I don’t think it factors in injury history which is why this deal is totally ludicrous.
Anyone here ready to make this deal, even forgetting the extra players I added at the bottom (so just the way Bowden lays it out) ?
Not a chance. Pages is outplaying Robert Jr.
I saw that and laughed out loud. A lot of people at my Starbucks office saw me and looked over to see if I was okay.
There is no way that deal gets done. There is no way Jim Bowden would have made that trade.
I am still unsure as to how this love affair of Luis Robert Jr. has been gaining strength. He will never stay healthy enough to warrant any kind of significant trade. If Atlanta trades for him, or Philadelphia, good for them. Pass. And that is a hard pass. Kopech? The Dodgers have better options at OKC and Tulsa.
Garrett Crochet and to a lesser degree Paul DeJong are the only CWS players I would be interested in.
What’s with the fascination with Crochet? I mean, he’s good …and young. The Dodger are kind of loaded with starting pitching … not that you can’t have too much starting pitching. Assuming Paxton leaves after this year, that still leaves the Dodgers with nine potential good starting pitchers next year. Even if Buehler leaves that’s still 8. Ok, Ohtani’s done pitching, that’s 7. Kershaw retires, that’s 6. And then the Dodgers have a bunch of near MLB ready talent in in their farm.
I believe Miguel Rojas will bat leadoff to disrupt the less the lineup. Hoping this time Vargas has more at bats.
Wrong, I called this earlier today, Ohtani, Smith, Freddie then Hernandez. Ohtani led off a lot when he was with the Angels. Vargas is roster fodder. I think he will see lefties and nothing else.
You mean AF’s obsession with utility players like Betts, Freeman, Ohtani, T Hernandez, Glasnow, Yamamoto, Muncy, J Turner, T Turner and on and on
I think overall Teoscar has been a good signing, but he is hitting around .224 with guys on base. Despite having 51 rbi, he sure has left a ton of runs out there as well
He does love to SO and is chasing the league lead. But he has been instrumental in winning many games for the Bums and leading the team in RBIs is nothing short of amazing.
I STG if I read one comment along the lines of:
“Losing Mookie could be a good thing”
It’ll be a new low.
They played well tonight. 3 hits for Ohtani out of the leadoff spot, 3 for Miggy and Freeman was on base 6 times, 5 by walks. They beat the Rockies Ace. The get a leftie tomorrow, Gomber, and another in game four, Blach.