Well overall an interesting weekend. With the Padres playing as well as they have been, all the games have must win affairs for the Dodgers. They scored 9 runs on Friday. Jack Flaherty started his first home game as a Dodger. The Dodgers scored in the first on a homer by Freddie Freeman. His first since his return. Then they scored five in the bottom of the third.
With one out, Pages walked and then Ohtani hit a 2-run homer. Hernandez walked and Freeman doubled him to third. Smith then hit a little duck snort fly to right that scored Hernandez and Freeman. Cruz homered to get Pittsburgh on the board in the top of the 4th. In the bottom of the 4th, Heyward doubled. Pages and Ohtani made outs. Hernandez then singled home Heyward and LA was up, 7-1. Flaherty then gave up a 3-run shot to Bart in the top of the 5th and it was 7-4. Kike then hit a 2-run shot in the bottom of the fifth and LA led 9-4. It stayed that way until the 9th when the Pirates touched Hudson for a run. Flaherty got his 2nd win as a Dodger.
On Saturday, the starting pitcher was River Ryan. But before he took the mound, an important event was happening in Oklahoma City. Max Muncy and Tommy Edman made their first re-hab starts for the OKC team. Both had hits and were involved in scoring the first run for OKC, Max drove in Edman with a double.
It was also a weekend to celebrate some Dodger legends. On Friday, Dusty Baker was inducted into the Legends of Dodger baseball. On Saturday, before Ryan’s start, there was a ceremony to add Walter O’Malley into the Dodger ring of honor. Many former Dodgers were in attendance. It was great to see guys like Boomer, Kirk Gibson, Sandy Koufax and many others on the field. On Friday they also brought back Garvey, Cey and Reggie Smith back to pose with Baker for a photo of the four players who were the first Dodger quartet to hit 30 or more homers.
Ryan pitched a scoreless first in his start. The Dodgers once again jumped out to a lead with 1 run in the bottom of the 1st. Hernandez doubled with one out and then Lux, who was hitting cleanup, doubled him home with 2 outs. Ryan would pitch well and in the bottom of the third, the Dodgers scored 2 more to help the kid have a little breathing room. A couple singles put two runners on. With one out, Freddie hit a ground ball for an out, but Ahmed and Teo moved up a base. Lux then drove in both with a singled them both home.
Ryan had worked out of a jam in the top of the third. Taylor singled after a Grandal out, but Ryan picked him off. He then gave up singles to Falefa and Reynolds. He then got Cruz on a ground out to Lux. In the top of the fifth inning, with 2 outs, Ryan grimaced after throwing a pitch and was shaking his right arm. Taking no chances, the Dodgers pulled him from the game. Vesia came in to finish the inning. The Dodgers scored their fourth and last run on a Kike Hernandez homer in the bottom of the 5th. Pittsburgh would score their only run in the top of the 9th when Hayes homered off of Hudson. Kopech got his first win as a Dodger.
On Sunday, it was Matt Kemp Day as he signed a one-day contract to retire as a Dodger. Many of his family were there and there were video tributes from several teammates. Tyler Glasnow got the start. He set the Pirates down in order. In the bottom of the inning, with 2 outs, Freeman hit a ground rule double to left. Smith then doubled Freddie home. Rosario, making a start with a lefty on the mound, singled to right to score Smith. In the bottom of the second, Kike singled and Pages doubled. Kiermaier and Ohtani made outs. Teo then doubled to left scoring both of them. Dodgers up, 4-0.
Glasnow got an out. Bae then doubled. He retired Taylor on a fly to center. Then McCutcheon homered to right on a ball that barely cleared the wall. 4-2 LA. The game stayed that way, and the Dodgers missed chances to score in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings. Glasnow went 7 full and Banda came in to pitch in the 8th. Some asked why he was brought in with so many RH bats due up. Banda this season has reverse splits. RH batting only .200 against him, lefties, .210. Taylor got an infield single and then McCutcheon hit his second homer of the game for a tie.
Banda got Reynolds and Cruz and gave up a single to Bart. Joe came up as a pinch hitter and Grove replaced Banda. He walked Joe and then got Kiner-Falefa to ground out. The blown save by Banda was the Dodgers 29th of the year, most in the league. Pages got a double in the top of the 8th but was left stranded when Ahmed and Ohtani popped out and Teo struck out. Joe Kelly retired the Pirates in order in the 9th.
Lux had the only Dodger hit in the 9th, and the game went into extra innings. With the ghost runner on 2nd, McCutcheon was struck out by Phillips. Reynolds then singled in Taylor. Cruz hit into a double play to end the inning. Rojas started the bottom of the 10th as the ghost runner. The Pirates left Bednar in to pitch his second inning of relief. Kike doubled to left scoring Rojas to tie the game. Pages walked and then Heyward struck out. Ohtani popped out making him 1-6 on the day and dropping his average to .298. His only hit was a 6th inning triple. With 2 strikes and 2 outs, Teo singled to right, Kike scored, and the Dodgers completed the sweep and finished with a 4-2 homestand. They picked up a full game on the Padres who lost a close game to the Marlins, and the Giants who lost to the Tigers. The D-Backs are now tied for second with the Padres both are 3.5 games back, and the Dodgers are tied for the best record in the NL with the Phillies who lost to Arizona.
It was a much-needed sweep and a must-win game. The D-Backs will be playing the Rockies for the next 3 days and San Diego will be playing the Pirates who head to San Diego. Dodgers need to concentrate on winning their own games and not on the scoreboard. Mookie will return to action tomorrow as the right fielder, and Buehler will make a start probably on Wednesday. Yamamoto will throw a sim game in St. Louis. At OKC, Muncy was 1-3 with a K. Edman was 0-1 with 2 walks, one of the walks drove in a run.
Minor League Report
OKC 3 Round Rock 0: Ben Casparius pitched 6 shutout innings. OKC got its first run on a bases loaded walk to Tommy Edman. He gave up 5 hits, no runs and struck out 8. It was his 3rd win. OKC scored another run in the bottom of the 6th and their final run in the bottom of the 7th on Lipsius’s 21st homer. Brasier pitched a scoreless 8th, striking out 2 and giving up 1 hit. Dreyer got his 2nd save.
Tulsa 4 Arkansas 3: Tulsa overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat Arkansas by scoring a run in the 4th and 3 more in the top of the sixth. Travelers scored their last run in the bottom of the sixth and Ortiz-Mayr made the lead hold up with 5 innings of relief. He gave up the last run by the Travelers. He allowed 2 hits and a walk and struck out 4. Only 2 of the Drillers runs were earned. They totaled 8 hits in the game with Miller and Young getting 2 apiece.
Great Lakes 8 Lansing 2: Great Lakes scored a win at home over Lansing with the win going to Payton Marting who pitched 5 innings allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits. He struck out 4 and did not walk anyone. Both of the runs were on solo homers. It was his second win against four losses. Campbell was 2-4 with his 8th homer and an RBI. Thompson was 1-4 with 2 runs scored, his 3rd homer and an RBI. Rodriguez and McLain also had 2 hits in 4 at bats and Rodriguez drove in 2. Romero pitched 4 innings of scoreless relief allowing only 2 hits and striking out 3.
Fresno is all over Rancho at home right now, 7-2 in the top of the 8th. RC has just two hits, Hope and Diaz. UPDATE: Rancho lost the game 9-2 and had just 3 hits. Hope had a first inning homer, his sixth. He also had a double and so did Diaz. Zazueta took the loss working four innings allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, walking 1 and striking out 7. Tiburcio went 1.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, he struck out 2. 1 of the hits was a homer. Cabrera went 1.2 innings allowing 2 runs on a hit and a walk, he struck out 2. Santillan pitched a clean 8th inning striking out 1. Yean pitched the 9th and gave up 2 runs on a hit and a walk and struck out 3. The hit he gave up was a 2-run homer.
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
The status of Ryans season ending injury was updated last night as a UCL strain. Still unclear if it can be treated without surgery at this point. Per MLBTR and Jack Harris at 7:40 PM Sunday night.
Might be better off to get the surgery now and be ready for ST 2026. That gives him 18 months to recover. He will eventually have to get the surgery anyway.
I would concur with that diagnosis doc.
Maybe all pitchers who join the Dodger organization should undergo TJ surgery before pitching any game as to not interfere with the lineup flow. Sort of like a factory operates, preparing the product the way they eventually want them.
Something has to be changed. This is ridiculous. I hope mlb gets serious about this.
Why is this MLBs problem? Shouldn’t it be each team’s responsibility to keep their pitchers healthy?
I believe it is the leagues problem too. The way the rules are now, most protect the players in some way. Like that bullcrap obstruction call last week against the Phillies. If it is shown that the 15 seconds between pitches rule has something to do with so many strains and such, it should be changed. Right now, the only evidence is that some pitchers, including Max Scherzer, have complained about it.
I wonder how they could prove it is the 15 second.clock. I remember hearing someone from Driveline saying there was.an optimal time between pitches though.
Increase the time and fins another way to shorten games.
Pretty sure the powers that be in the MLB main offices are more than a bit concerned about all the injuries. Losing young star players to injuries, not only affects their team, it affects attendance. People come to see guys like Ryan and Skenes pitch. Baseball is all about the money.
They haven’t been serious?
Pitching matchups in Milwaukee. Game 1 Kershaw-Peralta, Game 2, Stone-Rea, Game 3, TBA-Montas, Game 4, TBA-Myers. All of the Brewer’s starters are RHP.
I don’t know who TBA is, but he sure gets a lot of work on this staff
It’s funny, never seen that guy pitch a single game. You can pencil in Buehler for game three.
Am I on double secret probation? It takes hours for my posts to be “approved” and then finally posted. I must have hurt Jeff’s feelings or something.
I experience delays for “approvals” whenever I err in typing my name or email in the boxes. Maybe that’s happening to you.
No Blue, Jeff is still recovering. I get to them as quickly as possible, but I am not on here 24/7.
Just curious, so everyone gets their post approved by a moderator before it is allowed to be posted? If that is the case, I got to hand it to you and Jeff to have such a constant role in monitoring this site, it must be exhausting and tedious. Keep up the good work, I guess.
Blue, you will have to ask Jeff why your stuff goes into moderation. Most of the posts are approved instantly. I get alerts on my phone for each message posted on a post I have written. Not sure if it is the same for Jeff. I would think that your email is not registered on the site for them to go into moderation. I cleared your last two posts as soon as I got the message on my phone.
Monday, Monday…
Can’t trust that day…
River Ryan sure looks like a top-tier talent. I wanted him for the playoff bullpen. Hopefully this injury is a minor detour on a long, successful career.
Landon Knack, called up to replace Ryan, seems more like a mid-rotation talent. (I have dealt Knack in several of my blockbuster fantasies, particularly the ones for Corbin Burnes.) Some people complain about Knack’s weight and seeming lack of fitness. But if Knack can stay healthy, he’ll prove to be more valuable than the more fragile pitchers.
Right now, the rotation shapes up in some order of Glasnow, Kershaw, Flaherty, Stone and Knack, with Buhler in the wings and Yamamoto due a bit later. Could we call see Bobby Miller and Wrobleski again?
That’s a pretty impressive group of SPs, even with Ryan joining May, Gonsolin and Hurt on the long-term IL. (Who am I forgetting?)
The Dodgers really didn’t “need” to sweep the Pirates, but it sure felt good after alls the sputtering that turned the West into a real race. When Mookie, Max and Edman arrive, the Dodgers should be primed for the playoffs.
Nick Frasso is not on your list either. And a kid at AAA, Ben Casparius.
Emmet Sheehan! That’s who I forgot.
And I guess we’ll see Frasso someday too…
You forgot Ohtani the pitcher too. 😉
And let us also hope the Dodgers can get Sasaki.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yeah… that Ohtani guy….
This may be a false choice, but should the Dodgers sign Sasaki or Teo?
And we know that AF like Willy Adames.
Last winter I thought the Dodgers signing both Shohei and Yamamoto seemed a bit gauche and greedy. I thought, how about the veteran lefty Imagawa instead of Yamamoto?
As it turns out, that might have been the better move.
I’m already wondering what is going to happen with Teoscar after the season. Will they sign to a big contract or let him go like they did Trae Turner?
Who knows why Turner left. There have been stories from both sides. Turner wanted to play on the East coast, Dodgers never made an offer. They sure would not have made the same offer the Phillies did. San Diego supposedly offered more, just like Boston did for Teo. Here is the thing, Teo will be 32 when next season starts. So, what would be a fair deal for him and for how many years. Lowball him and you risk offending the guy. At his age, anything over 4 years is a huge risk. And which Teo are you going to get? The one who hits close to 30 bombs and drives in 100? Or last year’s windmill that struck out 211 times. He is better this year but still has 138 strikeouts in 452 at bats. 3/90 would not be out of line. But I think his agents will want more.
And the Dodgers must consider other outfield options other than Teo. He simply can’t be the end-all-be-all at his position.
Imanaga is 9-2 with an ERA just above 3. But I can tell you exactly why they signed Yamamoto, and why they might try and sign Sasaki. Age, Yamamoto is 25. Imanaga is 30. Yamamoto is a better pitcher overall.
If Brooklyn had Sandy and Double D in their prime in the fifties the Yankees and Stengel would have been an afterthought The Bums just never had the pitching back then
Very true, at least not as good as the Yankees had.
Monday. Trash day. Also have an appointment with my VA rehab doctor for cortisone shots in my knees and shoulders. Being an old athlete has its disadvantages. My dad never played sports, never exercised and lived to 91 without a single injection into any joint. Nearly all my joints are screaming at me. Was it worth it? Well, I’d do it all over again so yeah, I guess it was worth it.
Ok. Trash day. Gotta deal with that.
Did you make any money from it? Old Gino evidently didn’t.
Pick ‘em odds today but so far 61% of bets are on Milwaukee. No travel day might something to do with that. Also, Kershaw just doesn’t carry the fear and respect he usta did. 8 runs O/U, 91% of bets are on the over. I’ll take the Dodgers and the over for 20 push-ups.
Nice Dodger win. I suspect that the Pirates have had a gut-full of Teoscar for awhile.
The injury to River Ryan has really bothered me. That, in addition, to Graterol’s hamstring injury just this week.
I’m not sure of River Ryan’s fate but I know what it looks like and he’s done for the year.
To me, the pitching injuries, especially elbow injuries, are ruining the game.
I was really looking forward to the Skenes / Ryan match up. When Ryan got injured, I turned off the game and felt sick for the kid. It’s just hard to watch all the hard work, the hopes and the dreams get washed down the drain, for 2 years.
It’s sort of like the NFL. A guy is on the turf with a blown ACL and it’s a “back after this commercial break”. Upon return to the action, the victim is off the field and after a sideline report, the game goes on like nothing ever happened. In the meantime, this poor player is facing pain, surgery and a long, grueling recovery and rehab. You can’t get around the house and your friends and family have to wait on you. Plus the doubt that goes through his mind concerning his future.
But Hoo-Hum, next man up.
Same with blown elbows and Tommy John. Dustin May is a forgotten man. He went from being a valuable, top of the rotation dude, to an after thought. It may be the same for Gonsolin, Buehler, Miller, and Sheehan.
Football players know it’s part of the game but that doesn’t make it easier.
I’m not sure pitchers believe elbow injuries are inevitable for them but maybe they do. Maybe they are resigned to the fact that they will throw as hard as they can, for as long as they can, and deal with the consequences, now days. They’re just going go let it eat until it blows; you take your money and run?
Ryan blaming it on the pitch clock is odd. Hasn’t he pitched his entire career in the minors, with a pitch clock? What’s different now.
I contend he was never properly prepared and stretched out in the minors and never built up pitch counts and arm strength. It’s double edge sword. They baby these kids along in the minors and save their injuries for the big leagues, I guess. Low pitch counts and minimal innings are preventative measures in the minors. I question whether that is good preparation for pitchers, with the demands of the big leagues.
And then the is the question of wear and tear of the ACL at high velocity with high spin rates. An Arm is just not made for the wear and tear of today’s pitching? Or can it be addressed with new training methods and new medical procedures?
And are the Dodger just unlucky with the number of injuries to their pitchers or are they doing something wrong. Are we just snake bit?
I don’t know. But I know it’s interesting. And it’s going to have to be figured out.
On a slow day, I looked at current injury totals for all 30 teams, just trying to stumble on information about organizations and injuries. The Dodgers lead MLB with 13 players on the IL now, followed by the Red Sox with 12. As we know we’ll get some guys back soon. The Cards and Rays have the least IL players with 5 each.
What I’m more interested in is the number of pitchers who are “Out Indefinitely” or “Out for the Season”. And how many of the players suffered from elbow injuries?
The clubs that lead in “Out Indefinitely” or “Out for the Season” are the Dodgers and the Brewers with 9 pitchers each. The Orioles lead in elbow injuries with 6, followed by the Dodgers and Rockies with 4 elbow cases.
The Cubs, Royals, Phillies, Cards and Rangers have NO elbow injuries.
Is that luck or are those teams doing something different?
The Mariners have had the most stable rotation for the last few years. Their starting rotation of Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller is on about their 3rd year together. They are very solid and just don’t miss starts. Woo had a 15 day stint with elbow soreness and that’s it for the group. The starting cast has a minimum of 24 starts for each of the last 3 seasons. This season they are at 24, 24, 24, 24 and 23 starts collectively, and counting. A nice, long, reliable starting rotation. They do have 2 relief pitchers down with TJ, Kowar and Brash. But no starters, for 3 years or so.
So, why is that? Is Seattle just lucky? Do they train and prep differently? Do they throw more flat ground or long toss? Do they ice? Is it weighted balls? Do they run? Do they drink Margaritas more, between starts?
Or, are they doing what The Dodgers do? Is it blind luck?
I don’t have any answers but it is certainly something to analyze for the future of baseball, by people with more resources and information at their fingertips than I do. Like MLB.
“The Cubs, Royals, Phillies, Cards and Rangers have NO elbow injuries.”
Some good points Phil. I would definitely be studying the above teams to see how they are preparing and maintaining their pitchers.
Back in the day, it was not unusual to see the starting pitcher in the dugout with a jacket on between innings. I haven’t seen that in a long while.
I don’t think it would be a bad idea to add 5 seconds to the pitch clock. May not be the answer, but it can’t hurt to try it.
OhioDodger – yes back in the day you saw warmup jackets between innings, Kershaw would wrap his arm in a towel. I might have said “grab a jacket” to my pitchers 1000 times back in the day.
I also demanded long sleeves for pitchers if there was a chill in the air, especially night games.
Over 75 pitches, everybody iced before they cooled down. They don’t do that anymore. I guess they found it wasn’t beneficial.
Pitchers ran. Especially the day after a start. I don’t know who runs anymore. Maybe some do? We used surgical tubing before it became popular and worked with 3 lb weights for flushing the arm. Were threw a lot but didn’t pitch as much from incline during the season, depending on a couple of factors. That was all individualized. But flat ground work is way less stressful on an arm then Incline work. And it builds repeatable mechanics and arm strength.
I’m not in any clubhouse anymore so I don’t know what the routines are. I see a lot of training toys in bullpens in Spring Training. And use of weighted balls. I never used those.
The current school of thought that’s generally accepted is spin and velocity being the culprit.
And luck.
Blaming the pitch clock is a bit of a cop out. Buehler had both his TJs before the pitch clock. Ohtani had one before and one after. It’s not like there was never a TJ surgery before the pitch clock
No one is blaming the pitch clock as the sole or main reason for the increase in pitcher injuries. But it is possible it is a contributing factor and should be examined and possibly tweaked.
All things need to be considered.
Isn’t DeGrom coming back from TJ surgery?
In 2014, deGrom had rotator cuff tendinitis, 2016, he underwent surgery on his ulnar nerve in his right arm which had plagued him most of the year with tingling and numbness. In 20018 he hyperextended his elbow. In July of 21, he felt tightness in his forearm, and he went on the IL. Later that month he felt soreness in his elbow, an MRI revealed inflammation, but no structural damage, but he did not pitch the rest of the year. In 22, his last year with the Mets, he had a stress fracture in his right scapula. In June of last year, he underwent TJ surgery. He threw a bullpen on Thursday. The Rangers expect him to return in September.
When degrom was on he was in a class of his own
deGrom is now 36. I doubt he gets back to what he was. But he could still be very effective.
This was silly, do people really not think MLB and the teams that comprise it haven’t spent millions researching arm injuries? Hundreds of millions?
There’s a book that is often cited on this board that details a good portion of it.
Do people really think any team has “figured” anything out?
Pitchers have never thrown harder, with more spin and torque. This is known.
Pitching is not a natural act. This is known.
Pitching leads to arm injuries. This is known.
Getting or avoiding arm injuries are not universal. Almost nothing is.
Just asking questions that have already been answered is a waste of time.
It’s my time. What do you care? Lighten up Bluto.
did you miss your morning coffee, Bluto 😀
Ohtani can look so bad at the plate and the next pitch hit it 479. He can be spent on a pitch away and just wrist it 100 mph. He did it yesterday on a pitch away. Ohtani wrists allow him to pull the ball down the right field line, for a triple. That’s impossible. Not many players can do that.
Rojas makes hard plays look so simple.
Aroldis Chapman is really is a specimen. He can be up and down but how many 36 year olds throw 103? It’s a pretty short list.
So, we got Joseph tonight. This is what he can do. A hundo and a slider from hell.
Seattle has 3 guys in the top 12 in innings pitched and nobody in the top 12 in strikeouts. Maybe they are a pitch to contact team.
Who’s Joseph?
Badger, Seattle’s starting staff are all a tick above average in fastball velocity;
I looked it up and here are the staff’s velo and K’s per 9 innings:
Gilbert- 96 (8.7 K’s per 9 innings), Kirby – 96 (8.8 KL’s / 9), Castillo – 96 (9 K’s / 9), Woo – 95 (6.7 K’s / 9) and Bryce Miller – 95 (8.1 K’s / 9). So they aren’t exactly soft throwers. And the average K’s for starting pitchers appears to be 6.21 per 9 innings. So all are in the high side of that. But your point is well taken.
A few stints ago with the Dodger’s, Joe Kelly’s inconsistency earned him 2 different names. It might have been on Mark’s blog.
The wild-child that had scared control issues at times was – JOE
The pitcher we saw last night, with the heat seeking, arm-side running fastball at a 100 and the snappy slider was thrown by – Joseph.
I thought more folks here were familiar with the 2 different personalities and results.
I apologize for assuming that and not being more clear.
As has often been pointed out, today’s starters throw at full throttle for the entire time they’re out there and most concentrate on combining high spin rates with high velo.
My question to you Phil, since you’ve been around a long time and saw the guys of yesteryear who were considered great pitchers, is would those guys be as successful today facing today’s hitters with the analytics available to them (the hitters).
If the answer is yes, why doesn’t some brilliant pitching coach take some of his guys and train them to be “old time” pitchers. Train them to pace themselves, be pitchers instead of throwers, and take advantage of their pitching skills that don’t relate directly to velocity and spin rate?
If the answer is no, those old time guys wouldn’t have careers today, then please ignore everything I said above.
Good question STB. My answer is “yes” a pitcher can certainly be successful with average velocity which is now a tick over 93. Ironically, in his youth, Kershaw threw harder than most but the average velocity was closer to 90 when he debuted 17 years ago. So his 91 today may have been the league average back then.
High velocity allows a pitcher to get away with more mistakes. A center cut fastball at 93 can get ripped and the same location at 98, is a swing and miss. I still see pitchers who paint the corners and don’t give in, who are successful.
Plus batting averages seem to be higher on fastballs than off speed pitches, now days. Hitters can time a bullet. There is more success on speciality pitches like Skene’s 95 mph “splinker” or Skubal’s change or Treinen’s slider.
Back in the day, we knew that power arms had “rising” fastballs that physics said weren’t possible. When spin rate technology became a thing, we got the explanation.
Spin is the thing to miss bats. And spin is proving to be hard on an arm.
Craftsmen from back in the day could still be successful but it’s harder given the technology available to hitters.
And when you attend a college or high school game with scouts present, what’s the first gadget they reach for, still? You got it, a radar gun.
STB. it’s also fun to think about how Bob Gibson, Drysdale, Nolan Ryan, JR Richards and previous generations of Aces would have performed with the aid of pitching labs and advanced technology, common today. How would their stuff look with new pitch shaping?
Probably pretty spectacular assuming they would have been willing to use it.
There was a recent series at TheAthletic about how it’s now all about missing bats.
that’s a marked different philosophy than “old time.”
you miss bats by changing planes (horizontal and vertical) and throwing it fast.
the thinking is to control variables. If you swing and miss you can’t really get on base (dropped 3rd strike I guess) but if you make contact you can.
I guess the contrarian in me is always looking to at least try something that everyone else has tossed aside.
The only guy in MLB who throws a knuckleball these days is Matt Waldron of the Padres. He’s not going to win the Cy Young but he’s having decent success. WHIP of 1.16 and 8.2k/9.
I guess what I’m saying is that if everyone is trying the same strategy, there might be some advantage to doing things differently because the opposition might not have prepared for that.
Wasn’t familiar with the Joseph moniker. I have heard him referred to as Mariachi Joe when pitching well and Guano Joe when he stinks.
Mary’s husband
Heard of him. Never met him. Handyman, right?
carpenter.
Yeah. I know. But, carpenters are handy.
Conrad?
Author of Heart of Darkness?
Have no idea who Joseph is, they are facing Freddie Peralta.
Pretty sure he was talking about one of last night’s relievers who is sometimes referred to as Joseph Kelly or just Joseph. And he was freaking nails last night.
You are probably right. Ya know, Eric thinks you are Mark.
I’d slit my throat if I was that supreme narcissist. Mark and I don’t get along at all, I won’t even partake in his mental illness.
Was not meant for you. I was referring to porpoise boy. Eric thinks he is Mark.
I know many have a problem with Machine Gun Kelly but I love the guy. Tough as nails, doesn’t give a damn, “just give me da ball and stay out of the way!” Sure he can be inconsistent, but you could say that about every single one of our bullpen guys. Joe wants the ball and gives it his all, every damn time. Give me a roster full of guys with the Machine Gun Kelly attitude.
I remember him. The Hero’s Journey!
Wait, that was Joseph Campbell.
Never mind.
Mookie has been activated and Rosario has been DFA.
We just couldn’t handle a .300 hitter on the roster.
Needed to keep all those guys hovering around .200.
Wow, what a jaw dropper. I thought a Lux / Rosario was a terrific platoon.
I absolutely don’t get this one.
Me either. Lux/Rosario was a great platoon. Should have optioned Pages.
That came out of nowhere. MLBTR thinks Kike’s hot streak has a lot to do with it and, sorry Eric, they like Ahmed’s superior defense.
They have Rojas for superior defense. Makes zero sense.
I can see another contender picking Rosario up and him having some key hits against us down the road.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rojas is starting. Ahmed is a better backup. Rosario basically is more suited for second base. He might, but who needs him? Padres, D-Backs and Giants rosters are pretty set right now. We don’t play the Giants again, there are four with Arizona at the end of the month and they don’t play San Diego until the last weekend of the season. Unlikely he goes to an NL West contender. Braves released Eddie Rosario the other day. Soler has been hitting a ton for them.
WTF is this ? unbelievable, a versatile .300 hitter DFAed .
Or is this a mixup with Nick Ahmed ?
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really doesn’t matter as he would be gone in the next two weeks or so when Muncy and Edman come back.
Although, I would have kept Rosario and optioned Pages.
Should have kept Rosario and optioned Pages.
I’m with you OD
No mix up, reported on MLBTR. They alike Ahmed’s defense and Kike has been on fire, so that saved his roster spot.
Friedman playing chess again while all others are playing checkers. 😙
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is possible to be bad at chess.
You are preaching to the choire.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
No E in choir Ram.
I thought Nick Ahmed would get the DFA. Great glove but can’t hit a lick. I believe Ahmed Rosario is more versatile with his ability to play some OF.
in AF we trust?
Who knows, very surprising move. Ahmed is by far a better defender and therefore a logical choice when Rojas needs to rest. Rosario, even though he plays more positions, is not really a great defender.
It’s called favoritism. They like Kike. Rosario is not a favorite of the front office.
I was surprised as well given that the Lux and Rosario platoon at second seemed like a great fit. The Dodgers have two more roster moves to make among position players in the next week. My guess is that they intended to DFA Rosario at some point in the next week and with four right handed starters in this Brewer series and maybe 2 to 3 more in the Cardinals series, Rosario was not going to be used much. Other teams were not competing to obtain Rosario from the Rays given that the Dodgers acquired him for a pitcher they had signed to a minor league contract in the spring and not on their 40 man roster. Chris Taylor would be a logical platoon partner with Lux when he returns. The most interesting decision, to me, will be whether Kiermaier or Heyward is on the active roster when Edman returns. Maybe Kike plays third, Edman plays second and Kiermaier plays center versus left handers until Taylor returns. Maybe Kiermaier or Heyward gets some back tightness and goes to the IL until September 1st.
I would not count on Taylor returning at all. They really do not need him with Kike and Edman on the roster. Edman is going to play CF most of the time.
I hope you are right Bear. I am ready to move on from Taylor. It would be stupid to take AB’s and playing time from a more deserving player because of their loyalty to Taylor. Or his ill advised contract.
I can’t figure this one out.
Trade for a player, and then promptly DFA him?
I get that Rojas’ need for rest won’t be often, but he will need rest and why not have a bat in reserve for both keeping the miles off Rojas, but also having a bat on the bench?
No!
Not until he assembles a team that wins it all over a 162 game season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How many times has he done that already? They have proven they can win a 162-game season. Perhaps you mean a division and then all of their playoff series? They have tied for the division once, finished second once, and won every other year he has run the team.
Winning a WS after a 162 game regular season.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not that easy Ram and you know it. Just getting to the series is a gauntlet. And you run into a team that is hot, you are toast. Dodgers not the only team to suffer that fate twice in the last two years. Happened to the Braves too.
Tonight’s starting lineup. Ohtani DH, Betts, RF, Freeman, 1B, Hernandez, LF, Lux, 2B, Smith, C, Rojas, SS, Hernandez, 3B, Kiermaier, CF, Kershaw, P. 1-6 not bad if Smith can pick up the pace.
Lineup is getting longer and longer!
Next week, we’ll see Muncy batting 7th at 3b, and then the Rojas/Pages/Edman/NickAmed/Kike/whoever group at 8/9.
Just got an email from Jeff, Make Mine Blue, he is going to get on his computer later today and check out why your comments have been going into moderation. He is feeling better guys.
Thank you Bear, I think many months ago I pissed Jeff off about something, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was or really don’t care at this point to try and remember. Maybe I will be let off the leash for my good behavior.
Good to hear Jeff is recovering, any surgery is a risk. I lost my dad to knee replacement surgery, believe that, any time you get opened up something can go wrong. There is no such thing as a simple surgery.
Jeff is not one to hold a grudge.
Red Sox suspended Jared Duran for 2 games for the homophobic slur he shouted at a heckler the other day. He apologized, but Sox felt they needed to suspend him.
No minor league games tonight.
@Badger, did you see the note that Kike’s “resurgence” may be due to corrective glasses?
I did. Made me wonder why it took so long. Maybe a few others should get their eyes checked.
Timmons has an interesting take on why Rosario was shown the door. Attitude.
He has shown none of that in LA. Pure hearsay. Guy has been a model teammate, twice. Never gripped about not playing either.
Making stuff up like “attitude” is classic for that blog.
Does he invoke body language?
Mark had predicted that Rosario would be on the playoff roster, and I agreed.
Then he said Rosario was DFA’d because of his attitude–and suggested he had learned this from a Dodgers source.
“That’s all I can say.”
Could be true.
And that’s all I can say.
Perfect managing by Doc.
Kike got on base, and Doc had Kiermier bunt to get Kike to scoring position, with his top hitters coming up.
Shohei failed (not shocked), but wow, welcome back Mookie!!
You’re right Bobby.
That’s it.
Interesting that you consider it perfect managing, given the result.
Wouldn’t perfect managing have Kiermier at least try to get on base so another runner would have scored with the ensuing HR?
This post is 10000000000000% filled with hindsight bias, but does speak to the way the game is managed currently.
Odds of Kiermaier getting on are very low.
That’s kinda my point. Low odds are better than zero, which is what comes with a sacrifice.
Odds of scoring with a runner at 3rd and less than 2 outs are pretty high. Higher than the 10% chance of Kiermaier getting on base.
Kiermaier’s OBP is .233, so it’s almost a quarter of the time. Not 10%.This is migrating into a different conversation. It’s about wasting outs with a sacrifice when your lineup isn’t built to go station to station.Kiermier got on base and scored before Ohtani’s HR. FWIW
There really is no right answer. It is all subjective.
Yeah, totally agree.
All philosophy and percentages.
I think for October purposes, it’s a smart decision. I hope we do this more and try getting single runs in whenever we can, as opposed to waiting for someone to jack a 3 run shot.
Not bad for an old man throwing 90mph. Can we get Kamala to replace this Joe as well?
Keep the politics off this site Cassidy.
So if Joe Kelly has inherited 14 runners, and now 8 have scored, that tells me perhaps he should just come in to start an inning?
Yikes!
Wild man Kelly strikes again!!
Why in the hell did AF sign Kelly?? He sucks..
Contreras was struck out.
ABS please.
Yep. Bad break for the Dodgers. ABS can’t get here soon enough. I still do not want to see Kelly in the playoffs or high leverage innings. Even medium leverage innings.
Great job by Kershaw!!
Yes. Very encouraging.
Docs gonna “just keep running them out there” he needs to just go on the il. He will have 1 good inning out of 5. Front office loves him I guess. 9 million for 20 t innings.
As of this moment, the Dodgers are tied with Baltimore and Cleveland for the best record in MLB at 70-49
Definitely time to consider firing the front office that is considered, by its peers, to be the best in baseball.
They should make the playoffs, but before the crowing, let’s see first if the Dodgers can avoid an embarrassing 3rd straight 1st-round playoff exit.
Mookie. Kershaw. Shohei.
Suddenly, all is right in the world….
My favorite play of the game was Mookie holding Chourio to a single when he bounced that fly off the wall. I love watching Mookie play any position, but he is special in RF.
Snell had his no-hit bid broken up in the seventh by Ozuna. Padres, 2-1 and D-Backs, 5-4-win squeakers with both teams scoring late. D-Backs came back to beat the Rockies. They scored the tying run on a wild pitch with Pederson at bat. Then the go-ahead run on a single. Braves and Giants are into extra innings.