Around The League
Corey Knebel signed a minor league deal with the Angels. The former Dodger reliever is trying to make it back to the major leagues for the first time since 2022. He was released from his minor league deal with the White Sox earlier this month. Nick Nelson was outrighted to AAA by the Phillies. He went unclaimed after being placed on waivers.
A’s announced they are moving former Dodger, Ross Stripling to the bullpen. In a corresponding move, they called up 6’7″ RH, Joe Boyle to make todays start. Yankees will place Jazz Chisholm on the IL with a UCL injury in his left elbow. Chisholm has been excellent since he joined the Yankees. In his 14 games he has crushed 7 homers to hit the 20 mark for the first time in his career. He also is 5-5 in stolen bases for the Yanks. He has played 13 of his games at third base, which has been a black hole offensively for the Yankees.
Red Sox re-signed Brad Keller to a minor league deal. He chose free agency earlier today, but quickly re-signed with Boston. Marlins sent RHP Shaun Anderson outright to AAA. He cleared waivers after having been DFAd last week. Rockies outrighted RHP John Curtiss to AAA. He had cleared waivers after being DFAd.
Tigers re-instated outfielder Kerry Carpenter from the 60-day IL. Outfielder Ryan Vilade was optioned to AAA Toledo. LHP James Paxton was diagnosed with a partially torn calf muscle. It is doubtful he will return this season. The Nationals DFAd two players today, infielder, Harold Ramirez and RHP, Jordan Weems. Ramirez slashed .306/.348/.432 in 849 at bats with the Rays in 22-23. But he stumbled badly this year, he had a .268 BA, but his OBP was just .285 and his slug, .305. He was released by the Rays and signed a minor league deal with the Nats. Weems has piled up 136 innings since 2022, but his ERA is 5.03.
Angels claimed former Dodger, Nick Robertson off of waivers from the Cardinals and Brock Burke off waivers from the Texas Rangers. Both pitchers showed promise last year but have struggled this season. Robertson was part of the Cardinals return in the Tyler O’Neil trade. The A’s DFAd Kyle Muller. The Rays recalled Junior Caminero and optioned Curtis Mead to AAA.
Dodgers Re-cap
The Dodgers stretched their winning streak to five with a 7-2 win over the Brewers. The hit four homers, Ohtani, Smith, Lux and Pages. Smith and Ohtani’s were solo shots that gave LA a 2-0 lead. They scored 5 runs in the top of the fourth inning. Teo singled and Lux hit a shot into the second deck in right. Smith singled and Rojas doubled him to third. Kike hit a sac-fly scoring Smith. Pages then hit a shot down the left field line that hit off of the bottom of the foul pole for a 2-run homer. His first since May. That ended the Dodger scoring for the game. Brewers got one on a homer by Contreras, then scored another against Knack in the bottom of the seventh. Stone got his 10th win with 5 innings of work. Knack went the last four for his first major league save.
Minor League Report
Tulsa 3 Midland 2: Drillers won a close one today over Midland. The Drillers opened the scoring with 2 outs in the bottom of the second when Taylor Young singled. He then stole second and then third for his 37th and 38th steals. Jose Ramos then singled him home. They scored again in the bottom of the sixth. Chris Newell walked and the stole second, #2. Kieth struck out, but the catcher dropped the ball and had to throw him out at first, Newell went to third on the play. Lockwood-Powell then hit a sac-fly. Midland came back to tie the score in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the ninth, Lockwood-Powell singled. Davis hit an infield single moving Powell to second. Young was hit by a pitch loading the bases. After Ramos struck out and then Casey reached on an error by the SS for the 3-2 final score. Wepf got the win, Campos went 4 innings allowing only 1 hit 1 walk and striking out 2. Morillo went 2 innings allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk. He struck out 3. Kopp went 1 inning, giving up 2 hits and a walk and he struck out 1. Sublette blew the save as he allowed 2 solo home runs.
Lake County 4 Great Lakes 3: Lake County walked off the Loons in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Captains struck first in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly. The Loons tied it in the top of the second on Jake Gelof’s 7th homer. The Captains scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth, and then in the bottom of the fifth on a Burgos homer. Great Lakes tied it with 2 in the top of the seventh. Mongelli walked and Gelof slugged his second homer of the game. The game remained tied until the bottom of the tenth when with the ghost runner on second, Ramirez walked the leadoff hitter. A passed ball by Galiz moved both runners over and Burgos hit a sac fly to Vogel for the win. Copen and Cabrera went the first 5 innings and gave up the three runs. The rest of the pen pitched well.
OKC: There is a slugfest of sorts going on in Las Vegas right now. OKC leads the Aviators 8-5 in the bottom of the 5th inning. Gamboa started and went 4 innings giving up 5 runs, 4 of them earned. Outman’s fielding error accounted for the unearned run. Freeland and Trejo hit homers to lead off innings. Freeland in the first and Trejo in the second. Edman is playing CF and is 0-2 with a run scored. He also hit into a double play to Las Vegas SS, Max Muncy. Our Max is 1-3 with a single, a run scored and two strikeouts. So far Lipcius, Hoese and Cartaya have doubled Cartaya has 3 driven in and Lipcius 2. Former Dodger Ryan Noda is playing 1B and is 2-3. A’s Muncy is 3-3. Little is now pitching for OKC.
Rancho: Quakes are up 5-2 over Visalia in the bottom of the 8th. Decker is 2-3 with his 7th homer and 2 driven in. Hope is 2-3 with his 7th homer and 1 driven in. Meza also hit his 7th homer and is 1-3. Patick, Makarewich and Gonzalez have gone 7 plus and allowed 2 runs, 1 earned on 7 hits. Makarewich walked 6. They have 10 strikeouts between them.
Late Updates
Dodgers got no help from Colorado as they blew a 3-2 lead in the 9th D-Backs loaded the bases and won on a 2 out single by McCarthy. D-Backs remain 3.5 back. Padres beat the Pirates 3-0 to keep pace with the D-Backs. Braves up 4-3 in the 10th at SF with 1 out. OKC up 10-7 now in the 7th. Edman got his first hit. Rancho won their game,5-2. Braves beat the Giants 4-3 in 10. Giants now at .500. Wild card hopes sinking fast. Juan Soto had his first career three homer game giving him 33 on the year. Skubal won his 14th game in the Tigers 15-1 romp over the Mariners and the Marlins shut out the Phillies, putting them 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for the best record in the league, the Yankees won their 71st also, but have 1 more loss than the Dodgers who lead them by .5 games. Muncy went 1-5 with 2 K’s and was pulled from the game in the 7th. Edman was 1-4 and pulled at the same time.
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
I thought it was an odd move to start Pages in CF against a righty but Pages seized the moment. Not sure what his role will be when Edman comes back and Mookie in RF. He could be headed back to OKC. They could keep him around and play him in RF and Mookie at 2B against lefties.
Well, the plan for CF is pretty obvious to me. Edman has played CF in all three games at OKC, Max has played 3rd. Max is also playing against LHP. His start tonight was against a LHP for the Aviators. Both of those guys are going to be activated when the Dodgers return home next week against the Mariners, Rays and Orioles. Now, Knack is a likely candidate to be sent down tomorrow when Buehler is activated. He pitched 4 innings tonight. When Max and Edman are activated, most likely on Monday, LA will have to make some hard choices. Likeliest DFA candidate is Kiermaier. And I would think that Pages is a candidate to be sent down to AAA for this reason. Heyward is a gold glove defender, and a lefty bat. With Mookie playing right against all comers, Hernandez in left against all comers, and Edman moving into center field, Pages playing time is going to go down a lot. He is not a good centerfielder, but Heyward can play there if needed and they can bring Pages back when the roster expands in September. It moves Kike back into the utility role he is most suited for, and he can play all three outfield positions if needed. Brasier is also set to return next week. Honeywell is the odd man out. But like I said, they have some very tough decisions to make. They could end up totally surprising all of us.
Pages came through with the bat.
But he should have made that catch. It was not, technically, an error–but Keirmaier and Outman would make that play 90% of the time. And probably Edman too.
Bear, your analysis of the OF situation seems spot-on… but of course an injury can change things. Perhaps Knack takes Honeywell’s spot in the bullpen.
Knack in all likelyhood is the one going down today for Buehler after 4 ip.
Great job piggy pegging with Stone.
Lets hope Buehler shows something today and has a good game.
Honeywell should be available today for long relief if Buehler has another stinker.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Likeliest DFA candidate is Kiermaier.”
Then why the hell did you go back and forth with me about Kiermaier? Unbelievable. If you don’t understand what back and forth means, it means argue.
“Doc is not really consulted on trades and player pickups.”
And you know this how?
“By the way Eric, sacrifices and walks do not count as at bats.”
Duh, I’m not stupid.
They knew Kiermaier was a defense first player when they traded for him. Any offense they would get would be a plus. Very few managers are consulted about trades. Usually if they have that power, it is written into their contracts like it was with Buck Showalter when he was with the Diamondbacks. I went back and forth about Kiermaier because despite your objections to the guy, defense was the main reason they traded for him. And he did not cost them anything. Yarbrough was gone anyway. He did his job; he made a run saving catch, and he moved players into scoring position with bunts when asked. Most players on this team cannot bunt worth a damn except maybe Chris Taylor. Now there is going to be a real roster crunch. And it is common knowledge that Edman is being used as a centerfielder during his rehab. That makes Kiermaier expendable since he is retiring after the season anyway and probably would not have made the postseason roster. As for Rosario, Roberts explained the decision yesterday. The team did not see much runway for him to get any playing time. Despite the fact he is hitting .300, they do not consider him very good defensively at any position. Adequate at second, not great at SS, and adequate in the outfield. Might not make any sense to you or other fans, but that is why he is gone.
“I went back and forth about Kiermaier because despite your objections to the guy, defense was the main reason they traded for him.”
I’m done with Kiermaier with you. You did more than explain they traded for him because of his defense (duh I knew that because that’s all he’s useful for) and you were pushing his career offensive stats on me too.
Doc has some influence, don’t kid yourself. Friedman gave Doc a temporary toy (Kiermaier) to play with. Doc was a “defensive wizard” in CF back in his days. Doc wanted that “defensive wizard” toy (Kiermaier) that he saw in the store, in the bargain isle, to play with.
Doc was not a defensive wizard. He was good defensively, but not in Kiermaier’s class. He could actually hit some and steal bases. And players are not toys. AF drafted Kiermaier; he knew who he was. Kiermaier’s career stats are major league level. He is not some slug who never could hit. There is no clause in Doc’s contract that says he has any influence on player acquisitions.
I was upset seeing no glove, no coordination Pages in center. I felt bad for Stone. Sure enough, Pages did not let me down…another blunder out there. Honestly, we don’t need his bat now, which isn’t much anyhow…..I know he hit a small HR off the foul pole….big deal. We don’t need the stress he provides when in the field so hopefully Edman will be back soon and Pages could go make blunders in Oklahoma. -TM
Edman and Muncy will most likely be activated on Monday when the Dodgers come home. Since Pages has options, and September is only two weeks away, chances are so-so he gets sent down and then recalled on the first of September when they can expand the roster to 28.
Dodgers celebrated Nick Ahmed getting 10 years service time with champagne.
maybe that’s why they kept him on roster?
No, they kept him because they value his defense if they want to give Rojas a day off. He is a much better defender than Edman, Kike, or anyone else who plays SS on this team. He also has been a pesky hitter. He is hitting .268 with LA, close to what Rojas is doing. He could easily give Lux a day by playing second. Kike will back up Max. I also think that Taylor, even if he is healthy, will not be activated anytime soon. His numbers this year are way below what he has done in the past, and the players they have on the roster now are playing better than Chris did even when he started doing better.
Ahmed is a great insurance policy if Rojas gets hurt. He can also help if Max struggles.
Moving Mookie to RF improves the defense in both the outfield and infield.
Spot on Duke. If we have to DFA two people, it seems logical, now that Betts is thankfully back where he needs to be in RF, that Pages and KK become irrelevant…..assuming Edman is back up on the team. Ahmed is a handy knowledgeable guy who can plug in many places….keep him.-TM
Ugh. I would def take Ahmed over Taylor right now. .173 over his last 52 at bats with 19 strikeouts, 3 RBI, and that was an “improvement” over the first half. And he is not even close to being the defender Nick is IMO.
Former MLB player Mike Cubbage has passed away. He was battling cancer. He was 74 years old. He was an infielder and a coach. He started his career with the Texas Rangers. He was drafted by them when they were still the second incarnation of the Washington Senators. He was traded to the Twins when they traded for Bert Blyleven. He ended his career with the Mets in 1981. He would then manage in the Mets system for several years.
A couple months back, I thought the Lux might be packaged in a blockbuster… or maybe just dealt for prospects to make room for Mookie’s return to 2B. Lux, who entered Spring training at the top of the SS depth chart, had devolved into a platoon second baseman hitting near the Mendoza Line. He was one of the weak links at the bottom of the
Such a disappointment.
Then he spent the all-star break getting more lessons from his uncle, the batting coach. Then Lux caught fire.
Over the past 30 days, Lux has led the Dodgers with .347 BA, a.425 OBP and a 1.026 OPS. Today in Milwaukee, playing in front of family and friends, he launched an Ohtani-esque drive into the second deck. (Has Lux ever hit a ball that far?)
While Max Muncy should be back soon, I hope Lux will keep his promotion in the lineup. I also think he should get out of a platoon. If he starts to struggle, that’s an easy fix.
If I had my druthers….
Shohei DH
Mookie RF
Freddie 1B
Teo LF
Lux 2B
Smith C
Max/Kike 3B
Edman CF
Rojas SS
Who’s going to be Lux’s platoon partner? Because they’re not going to let him start against LHP. Don’t be surprised if Kiermaier and Ahmed get DFA’d when Edman and Muncy are activated and don’t be surprised if Betts comes in to play 2B against LHP and you see Pages in RF against LHP.
I see OhioDodger beat me to it about Betts at 2B against LHP and Pages in RF against LHP. Good call to you Ohio.
I am with Ohio and Eric on this one. Best solution for the Dodgers offensively and defensively is Mookie at 2b vs a LHP and Pages in RF.
Pages is excellent vs LHP and yesteerdays homer was vs a RHP. I rather have him on the roster than Heyward. If Heyward stays it is only because of his leadership role. But that will only take you so far in the playoffs. And we should have enough leadership from guys like mookie, Freddie, Smith, Rojas and yes, the manager.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!
Mookie is not going to be moving around. He might take a game off here or there, but with only 42 games remaining, it is very doubtful he gets moved back and forth. If you go by his splits, Pages should not play against anyone but LHP. If they want to platoon Lux once Max returns, and Max will face all comers, bank on it, he can platoon with Kike. As for Heyward, Pages can be optioned, and with only a couple of weeks left in August, he could be sent down and then recalled when Sept 1 rolls around. He would still be eligible for the playoffs. But in the playoffs, I want veterans in there and the best defense I can find. Muncy will face LHP simply because he has an OPS above .800 against lefties in his career. His BA against lefties is only .004 below what he hits against RHP. Plus, he slugs against both. 53 career homers off LHP.
Bear,I really hadn’t considered Kike as a possible platoon partner with Lux at 2nd. Interesting idea. One reason I didn’t consider it is I was convinced Rosario would be available to fill that role. I’m still surprised at his DFS. I hadn’t seen him enough at 2nd to notice he was a defensive liability, which Doc apparently said was the reason for the DFA.
Lux is racking now but he’s at .177 vs LHP. Kike is an improvement vs LHP at .230.
Not to cry over spilled milk but Rosario was hitting .327 vs LHP.
After what Doc said after the decision, I am not surprised at all. I was initially. Doc said the runway for playing time was just not going to be there with Edman, and Max coming back, and they love Ahmed’s defensive chops at SS. When you think about it, of all the players who have outfield skills on the 40-man roster, you have Outman, KK, Kike, Heyward, Edman, Betts, who all have played CF and are better defensively out there than Pages. It is my guess, I have to info to support this, but, when Edman and Muncy return, Pages will be sent to AAA simply because he is the only position player with options left. KK is probably vulnerable for being DFAd. Yes, Rosario was hitting well against LHP, but with no power to speak of. You look at his overall stats and he had the same number of extra base hits, 11, as he does against RHP. When Buehler comes off of the IL today, Knack or Honeywell are the most likely roster victims. I believe Knack will be sent down. When a 40-man roster spot is needed, they can move Hurt and Ryan to the 60-day. I also think they really want to see how Lux fares going forward against LHP. But if he struggles, Kike can step in.
No, no, no Eric. Don’t do this to Mookie….one position- RF. We have a slew of RHB who can spell Lux if a tough LHP. Kike, Taylor, Ahmed.
Send Pages to Oklahoma, say goodbye to KK….its that simple Eric. -TM
I hate to say it but none of those 3 guys Kike, Taylor, Ahmed hit worth a crap, because BA isn’t everything and none of them have BA’s against RHP that impress anyways. Kike’s having his ocassional hot streak right now, but he’ll be back to hitting like he was earlier in the year soon enough.
.337/.383/.488/.871 against LHP is hard to ignore except for the defense obsessed.
Not trying to be confrontational, just telling the truth.
No, you’re giving your opinion which you’re entitled to.
yes.
You keep saying obsessed. Not the case, just those who value that asset more than you do. And many of them are in the front office.
I already explained to you how I feel about that. In a perfect world I like guys that can hit and play defense, but if they don’t do both, I’ll take the guy that can hit better over the guy that plays defense better, because there’s not much diference in defense from guy to guy, but there is a lot of diffence from guy to guy in hitting for a lot of players. And if you think I would put Muncy in CF, you’re out of your mind. I didn’t say you would think that, it was just part of a point I was making.
And yes there is obsession.
“there’s not much difference in defense from guy to guy”
Kiermier/Outman vs Pages in CF? I can understand your point about wanting the best hitter but defensive plays can change an inning/game/series (i.e., Nettles at 3rd base for the Yankees vs the Dodgers).
And yes, both KK and Outman will not be on the team soon but Edman will be replacing Pages in CF.
Guys are good defenders until they are not, then they move to another position or become a DH. Kemp was a gold glove caliber CF who could also hit. After his encounter with the wall at Coors, he was never the same defensively. Moved to left and then right fields. His defensive runs saved went in the minus direction. Joc was a pretty decent centerfielder. Now he doesn’t play the outfield at all. He is a DH. Guys like Rooker, have never been very good defensively. Furillo and Snider were superior defensive players in their day who could also hit.
I am not sure about this. Are we talking about post-season? When they are facing the best pitching staffs in baseball? I would argue that the 8-9 hitter are more apt to help win a game defensively than offensively in the playoffs. Whatever you get out of them offensively is a bonus.
Just my opinion.
Exactly.
Yes, you are definitely entitled to your opinion but I think you need to see the bigger picture here. Personally, I don’t think it matters much who plays these last few games of the regular season….what I care about is the postseason.
I do not trust Pages both with the bat and especially in the OF…honestly, I think I can field better than him and I’m 70 years old. But I was a very good instinctive OF in my youthful days. But I digressed. Let’s look at Kike’s post season numbers:
72 games
179 at bats
BA……..274
SLG…….542
OPS……893
RBI……..29
HR……..13
compare these numbers with Pages’
At bats……351
BA…………248
SLG……….390
OPS……….698
HR……………9
RBI………..35
So what conclusions can you draw if any? Here are mine…
Kike’s light shines brighter in Prime Time
kike has more HRs in half the at bats
kike’s OPS is outstanding; Pages less than okay
kike post season numbers rise from regular season
So ask yourself this….knowing this post season resume of Kike, do you really want to see Pages take his spot in the lineup? Also consider, playing in the post season means you will be facing top pitchers only….no cream puff 4/5 pitchers from bad teams that get killed. Unlike the regular season, Pages would be facing much better pitchers every game. Kike has already shown he can hit these top pitchers…again, do you really trust Pages to do such? And don’t forget, he’s in the OF…do you really want to see him running down a ball? Not me….he looks spastic in doing that. How discouraging could that be for our pitchers? For our fans?
But like I said….you are entitled to believe what you want to believe….no big deal to me. What is a big deal to me is what can we do better to not go one and done? -TM
Kike is only one of two Dodgers to ever hit 3 homers in a post season game. The other, Chris Taylor. Kike drove in 7 against the Cubs, CT-3 had 6 against the Braves. They are the only Dodgers with multiple home runs in a post season game. Corey Seager hit 8 homers in the postseason in 2020. Also, a Dodger record. Much rather see Kike up in a post-season game than a rookie like Pages.
In the 8th and 9th inning, when protecting a lead, I’m sure our relievers would very much appreciate a strong defense behind them. Get the lead with offense, protect the lead with defense. That’s how it was done yesteryear.
But many things are different now. All players could bunt and hit and run back then. Even Mickey Mantle could bunt. In ‘56 he beat out over a dozen bunts by the end of July. He won a batting title doing it. He was so good at it he would do with two strikes.
There are no Mickey Mantle’s in today’s game. None. 20 time All Star, GG, double digit steals 6 times when stealing bases wasn’t really emphasized. Bellinger could have won a batting title against the shift if he knew how to bunt. He didn’t. But I digress.
Defense is obviously important. It’s apparently less important to those teams that emphasize slug. That said, I think the Dodgers value up the middle defense. Acquiring Ahmed, Kiermaier, Edman and Kopech strongly support that premise.
Pads and dbacks keep winning. Both 9-1. Can they keep that up? Common sense says no,of course not. There are no .900 teams in baseball.
Mickey Mantle was a proponent of bunting his way out of slumps.
The amazing thing about Mantle is that he basically tore his UCL in the 51 World Series. He never had it repaired. He played all those year with pain in his knees, and still won the triple crown in 1957. Just think how good he would have been had he been healthy his whole career.
And sober!
Again true. Knack optioned; Buehler activated. Both Ahmed and Kiermaier in the lineup today. Montas doesn’t exactly pitch like an ace. Glasnow’s next start pushed to Saturday.
*The Brewers ballpark looks like a challenge for outfielders. The lighting looks dim on TV and the ball seems hard to pick up. Teoscar had trouble on about 3 fly balls and had had trouble picking the ball up, leading to interesting routes. The one that fell in front is just a tough read. Big ass swing and the ball right at him off the bat, but 70 mph. Very tough read.
*Pages gets a lot of grief for his sub par defense in center, but he’s really had a nice rookie season. I think he’s going to be a good MLB player. He’s a right fielder for now and maybe could develop into a centerfielder with time. So, does he have a future with the Dodgers next season? It seems we’re in pretty good shape in right for a while. He might find a home elsewhere this winter but I think he’s destined for a good career with another organization.
*Mookie’s return seems to have inspired the bats.
*I’d like to see Tommy Edman actually play. He’s sort of anointed as the centerfielder, and a backup at short, like Rojas, Ahmed, Mookie and Kike aren’t enough insurance. But he’s the heir apparent in center and I hope he delivers.
*Stone’s homer to Contreras was on a pretty good pitch, I thought. It looked down and in to me with one look and was a nice piece of hitting. It didn’t seem like one of the center-cut jobs he’s been trying to avoid. Contreras gets paid too.
*I liked the ump camera. It takes a few pitches to get oriented but once you do you get a feel for how fast the game is. You have to pick up the ball, read spin out of hand, recognize location and track the pitch all in .03 seconds. Oh yeah, and hit it with a stick. It’s an amazing skill, hitting a baseball.
Phil, been watching the games at OKC. He has been making all the plays. He looks very natural out there.
Another player at OKC that’s could help, is Trejo. He played in the big leagues with Colorado has been in OKC all season and has put together a nice year. I doubt he sees any time as a Dodger but when we were going through a lot of players at short, second and third I was hoping he’d get a look. I believe second and third are his stronger defensive positions. When reading that people were suggesting giving a huge haul of prospects, my hope was he would get a look. I guess the front office had other plans. The Dodgers now have the best record in the major leagues so the front office must know what there doing.
John, Trejo was signed by the Dodgers as a minor league free agent July 1st. 2 days after he was declared a free agent. He played 67 games for the Rockies this year and hit .143. He hit .232 last year in 82 games. He has played 29 games at OKC, mostly at second base, and is hitting .296 with 3 homers. Not on the 40-man roster.
That’s very good to hear.
Not a fan of the camera on the umps mask. Don’t like the movement. Kind of why I do not play video games that involve driving or a lot of movement. Makes me sick to my stomach. Weird, I know.
The umpire cam took some getting used to for me too. I wouldn’t want a steady diet of it
I didn’t care for it. Having umpired for several years I can say it doesn’t look at all look like that. You need a still look to get a real feel for it and it’s impossible to pick up spin with a camera. Similar to a hitter, an umpire has to recognize spin as well.
And remember, the strike zone isn’t where the ball is caught. It’s over the plate. I did get a kick out of seeing Major League catchers moving their glove a foot into the strike zone. Reminded me of some 16 year old kids who were still doing it and when I asked them about it they would often tell me they learned it in Little League. Major League catchers making Little League moves. Hilarious. And apparently, with some ML umpires, it works! Embarrassing.
I can’t figure it out either, Badger. I think catcher framing and “stealing strikes” is overrated. I think catchers can lose strikes by stabbing at close pitches and carrying them out of the zone. Especially if the pitch is on the other side of the plate then where the target was. But yanking a close pitch into the strike zone should not affect a quality HPU.
I know HPU’s who, even at the good high school level, will scold catchers who yank pitches to the center of the plate. They flatly tell the catcher that, that act will cost them close strikes. It’s basically showing up the HPU and you know how that plays at every level. The fans get deked and start bitching at the HPU, on the pitchers that are clearly balls. Some inexperienced coaches as well.
Sticking close pitches on the corners is one thing but yanking balls back into the zone is another.
But you’re right, where the catcher catches the baseball should have nothing to do with balls or strike calls.
I used to tell them when they move the mitt back into the strike zone they were letting me know they didn’t believe it was a strike.
The older umpire who trained me, a former AA umpire, said to call the pitch as if the catcher wasn’t even there. Was it in the strike zone when it crossed the plate. Period. ABS knows the answer to that question.
That was my biggest beef about Grandal. He might be a great framer, but defensively, he was a mediocre catcher. Chances of him having a passed ball were really good. And he was a rally killer.
I give Roberts and Mookie a lot of credit for putting him back in right field. Everything just seems to flow with that lineup.
Lux now a fixture and an offensive weapon at 2B and that has been so fun to watch.
Does anyone else love watching a ground ball going to the left side when Rojas is at short? He is AUTO-matic and a great teammate. Please start him regularly.
With Kike’s resurgence there is no need to rush Muncy back, if not platoon with him as he gets back into a groove.
Things are looking up! It will be interesting to see how quickly Edman settles into center field. But with Mookie in right it just isn’t that big of a deal. There are many options.
It’s my opinion, and I hope Phil will forgive me for saying it, shortstop is a younger man’s position. Rojas is the best shortstop we have, but I believe he will need days off in late summer and early Fall. Fortunately we have Ahmed to share innings with him. I believe shortstop is well manned. Not much offense but so what? We have plenty elsewhere.
Nerd stuff:
I present for your perusal, an article from Fangraphs which attempts to calculate how much potential WAR all of the MLB teams have lost this year to the IL.
Not surprisingly, the Dodgers are at the top of the list. What did surprise me is that they were 40% worse off than the next team (Atlanta).
The article’s author explains how he calculated the numbers. All in all, if you’re into numbers, this is a worthwhile read.
Turns out that KC, Detroit and Toronto have been the most fortunate teams with regard to lost WAR this season. That should make Tiger and Blue Jay fans even more upset with the fact that neither team will make the playoffs.
a great read and testament to the entire Dodger organization
Yeah, good find Jefe.
“There’s no plausible way that they could have fully utilized a healthy Glasnow, Stone, Yamamoto, Kershaw, Miller, Buehler, Gonsolin, and May simultaneously.”
Sure they could. A rotating 8 man rotation could redefine pitching rotations in MLB. I’d love to have seen it anyway.
Meanwhile, what else is new:
AZ up 4-0 after 1 vs Colorado
SD up 3-0 after 1 vs Pitt
I like it. It keeps us on our toes and forces us into playing meaningful games!!
Yep. Coasting into the playoffs the last 2 years has not been a recipe for success.
Good point. A tight Division race to the finish could be a good thing.
Still, I’d rather win it with a week to spare.
Neither was fighting it out with the Giants until the end.
Just hope for hitting and pitching.
Colorado led their first two games and lost, maybe they have a comeback this time. Pirates are just playing really bad since we swept them.
If enjoying the Dodgers team and line-up seemingly rounding into form isn’t enough good news for you.
If the Dodgers having a (the?) top record in baseball also isn’t enough.
MLB Pipeline just released a podcast about the Top 100 list (reranked post draft) and towards the end there’s something of an ode to the Dodgers.
““I’ll round out the top five real quickly by mentioning the Dodgers.. but since the season has started, they’ve added Josue DiPaola, River Ryan, who unfortunately is Tommy John surgery now, Alex Freeland and Jackson Ferris are all guys who jumped on to the top 100 list. They’ve added four top 100 prospects, none of them via the draft because they don’t ever pick high either. The Dodgers are working on their magic again.
I bet a year from now that they might rank even higher than five because they have an incredible group of teenage talent, hitters Joandre Vargas, Emil Morales, Eduardo Quintero, Lindsey, this year’s first-round pick, and Zaheer Hope, who are all on the rise, and all those guys could push for top 100 prospect status once they get going in full season ball. So the Dodgers are up to their usual tricks.”
From MLB Pipeline: Breaking Down The New Top 100, Aug 14, 2024
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-down-the-new-top-100/id906717198?i=1000665342724
This material may be protected by copyright.
On July 1st. Phillies 55-29. Dbags 41-43. Welcome to the crazy world of MLB. Should be a wild ride to the WS in the NL!
On that note, Bluto, here’s ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s Top 100 from today:
#16) Dalton Rushing
#24) Josue de Paula
#46) Eduardo Quintero
#56) Alex Freeland
#66) River Ryan
#75) Emil Morales
#105) Justin Wrobleski
Wow, Buehler’s stuff looked soo much better than before.
It’s so terrible that Kiermaier is on this team sarcasm alert. I knew he was a good outfielder but I didn’t know his arm was that good.
Kiermaier is starting to pay dividends. Whoever says defense doesn’t matter needed to c that last play. Could have turned the game and Buehlers outing.
Props to Barnes. He made an excellent catch and tag on the Kiermeier throw and later made a good play on the swinging bunt in front of the plate. I don’t think Smith makes either of those plays.
Boy, the Dodgers are starting to turn things around. So is Gavin Lux. He sure is proving me wrong, and I am very happy to be proven wrong here. I hope he can keep this up and show us for once what the scouts were talking about when they deemed him to be the greatest prospect of all time. It’s only taken 5 years.
I think it’s possible the Dodgers are going to be ok, at least for the rest of the regular season, but they are going to have to win the head to head games with SD and AZ.
If the Dodgers can advance to the NLCS (assuming they win the division) and show us all that they can win a playoffs series, which they haven’t done in 3 years, then I will stop my calls for an organizational shakeup and wanting everyone fired. If they can show they can adjust. If they get to the NLCS, I’ll shut my mouth. (boy wouldn’t Bluto be happy lolz). Kidding Bluto.
on a separate note, don’t understand why they had to dump Rosario, a .300 hitter. Hilarious to me that they claim they have no playing time for a .300 hitter, but have wasted hundreds upon hundreds of at-bats on Mendoza line hitters the entire season. What logic. Only the Dodgers.
I hope everyone is doing well over here.
Hey Phil Jones what does your book on David Rackley say. So far he’s been horrible behind the plate.
This is the end of the line for Buehler. It’s a shame.
He has no command of secondary pitches. That’s fixable, but super-ugly when you are trying to work through that against a first-place team. They might give him one or two more starts to see if he can regain his feel, but it sure looks like wishful thinking from what we have seen (before and after the IL stint).
The play by Ahmed didn’t help Buehler and the Ump not giving anything on the corners. But the Brewers were teeing off on his pitches.
Just no rhythm no command. His stuff looks a little better at least his fastball up in the zone. Honestly, I know he has been more effective but I am on the fence about Kershaw. Neither inspire confidence. Kershaw is always about a pitch away from a big inning.
Kersh has pitched great in his last two outings. Only a Kelly bomb cost him a run last outing
Kershaw did pitch great the last game. Effective against the Phillies. Idk just seems like a struggle. But, rooting hard for him.
They brought Buehler back too soon.
Sad to witness this.
Buehler didn’t help himself with 4 walks but Ahmed’s error led to 2 unearned runs. Keke didn’t help right there but I don’t think he had a play at the plate.
There is not a lot of rope left in this season to give Buehler many opportunities to find “it”. There are 5 starters (including Knack) who are ahead of Buehler in the rotation at the moment and Yamamoto is due back by start of September. You could also make a case for Wrobleski being a better option at this point than Buehler. I do feel badly for Buehler and it is tough to see him at this stage of his career.
This is now officially one of Badger’s games: we score 8, we win!
Weird game. That’s baseball.
thats going to be a new entry on Google
“Badger game” a baseball game where the starting pitching stinks, so the offense will need to score eight runs or more if the team is going to have a chance to win the game.
😀
Well a lot of people had a bad game tonight. 5 0fers, 4 unearned, and home plate ump that didn’t know his ass from his elbows. Buehler was kinda awful but he deserved better.
Put this butt ugly in the rear view and move on.
I hate to say it we better look for two outfielders and a shortstop in the off season either by trade or free agents. Because the year Teoscar is having he is going to go where they will pay him either New York San Diego Boston or LA who needs a leftfielder that plays every day. I don’t think they keep both Outman and Pages they could keep Pages and Rollings and DePaula. Now that Betts will be in rightfield keep him there and Lux at second base. So at shortstop go and get free agent from the Brewers that will be checked off. And go and get free agent outfielder Tyler O’Neil if the Red Sox don’t resign him the Dodgers need to grab him to play left field and one of those three outfielders wil platoon in left with him probable Pages. Now centerfield there’s a nuce centerfielder named Dylan Carlson played with the Cardinals got traded at some time to the Devil Rays he will be a free agent so the dodgers pick him up good glove a decent bat. They then have Heyward retire so will have a outfield group of Betts. Pages, O’Neil, Carlson, Rollings. Okay an in Addames Muncy Lux Freeman Smith and dh Ohtani utility Rojas, Taylor. Just how I see the Dodgers look like next year with Teoscar walking and they get better cibtat hitters and a more every day outfield andmaybelike one platoon outfielder based on how well they hit lefties or righties. I put Taylor as with the team. Because they will keep him for one more year plus he can play anywhere. Mostly they need a centerfielder that can hit and play defense and maybe they use Pages and Outman to trade them for a centerfielder like Buxton with the Twins. And the guy Rollings I think next year will be his year plus they can have him catch and play the outfield too.