About 12 percent of the world’s population is left-handed. The percentage of pitchers who toss from the left side is about 20-25 percent at any given time. This is one reason left-handed pitchers who can actually throw strikes and get batters out are so much in demand.
The winningest left-handed pitcher in major league history is Warren Spahn who won 363 games in his long career. That puts Spahn at #6 on the all-time wins list. Next is Carlton, 329, Plank, 326, Glavine, 305, Johnson, 303 and Grove, 305.
Lefties with more than 250 wins, Sabathia, Hubble, Petttitte, Moyer, Kaat and Tommy John. Carlton earned four Cy Young awards. Koufax and Kershaw have three. But Randy Johnson won five. Johnson also has more strikeouts than any other lefty, 4,875. Second only to Nolan Ryan.
Spahn missed three seasons because of military service, so like Ted Williams, had he just had decent years close to his best ones, his win total probably would have exceeded 400. Since he averaged 17 wins a year, you could add 51 wins to his total, or somewhere around that number. Spahn won 20 or more in 13 of his 21 seasons in the majors.
Eddie Plank had an ERA over his 17 year career of 2.35. Kershaw’s is 2.48, Koufax, 2.76. None of those other lefties are below 3.00.
James Paxton, the lone lefty in the Dodger rotation at this time, has a career ERA of 3.64. Of course in today’s game with 9 hitters in the lineup and no pitcher, ERA’s below 3 for one’s career are not realistic. Paxton only achieved that for a full season once, 2017.
Kershaw on the other hand has done that 13 times in his career with three of those seasons he had an ERA below 2. Koufax also had an ERA under two in three seasons. Had he not been injured in 1964, he might have earned four Cy Young awards in a row.
In LA as Dodger fans, we have been very lucky to watch two of the best ever pitch. You can only wonder with Koufax what might have been had he been healthy after his age 30 season. He could have easily won more than Sutton’s 233 wins. But it wasn’t to be.
Kershaw on the other hand, has had great success during the regular season. But he has not been able to match that in the postseason. His most productive postseason was 2020 when he went 4-1, helping the team win the Championship. He has pitched in 39 postseason games, with a 13-13 record and an ERA of 4.49.
Koufax pitched in only 8 games. He is 4-3 with a 0.95 ERA. In 57 innings he struck out 61 batters. The gold standard for wins in a World Series by a left-handed pitcher is 10, set by Whitey Ford.
Andy Pettitte of many teams has the most postseason wins by a lefty with 19. Glavine is second with 15, and Kershaw is the third lefty with 13.
The Dodgers have also been lucky to have several left-handed relievers who have been very good. You have to start with Ron Perranoski.
Perry took over as the closer for the Dodgers after Larry Sherry was traded to Detroit. Since closers were just beginning to become a prominent member of every pitching staff. And he was doing it in an era where starters were still expected to finish games.
A perfect example of that is the 63 World Series. In the four game sweep, Perranoski was the only reliever used, and that came in game two when he pitched 2/3rds of an inning in relief of Podres in a 4-1 win. Koufax and Drysdale both threw complete games in their starts.
Perranoski was a Dodger for 8 years, appearing in 283 games, saving 100 and winning 54. His ERA over that time was 2.56. Sadly he passed away in 2020. He also served at one time as the Dodgers pitching coach. Best year was 63 when he won 16 and saved 21.
Jim Brewer would be next. Brewer spent 12 years as a Dodger. He came over in a trade with the Cubs for Dick Scott. He is the Dodger career leader in saves by a left-handed pitcher with 126. Making him and Perranoski the only lefty relievers with 100 or more saves.
The 126 puts him at #5 on the all-time list. Brewer did not get many chances to pitch in the postseason. Since Brewer retired, most of the Dodgers closers have been right-handed.
But names like McBean, Candelaria, Downing, Forster, Brett, Howe, Honeycutt, Liberatore, Avilan, Rodriguez, Vesia and Yarbrough, have been used in relief. There are many others, some made a modest impact, some, none at all. But in today’s game, the southpaw is a coveted commodity.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS
Player on the night – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes RHSP, Patrick Copen – 7.0 scoreless IP, 4 hits, 1 BB, 4 K. 76 pitches (48 strikes)
#Dodgers RHP prospect Patrick Copen was excellent tonight for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga:
7.0 IP (career high)
3 H
0 R
1 BB
4 K
76 P / 48 SCopen has now thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings and has allowed just 5 hits across his last 12.0 IP pic.twitter.com/xICMiVDZWX
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) May 15, 2024
Sacramento River Cats (Giants) 3 – OKC Baseball Club 1
Ismael Munguia homers hit a 2-out 2-run walkoff HR in the bottom of the 9th to give the Sacramento River Cats a 3-1 victory.
Jason Heyward opened a Major League Rehab Assignment, going 0-for-3 at the plate and playing five innings in right field. Heyward has been on the Injured List since April 3 with a lower back injury.
OKC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Drew Avans led off the game with an infield single. After Jason Heyward made his first rehab AB and struck out, Miguel Vargas doubled to score Avans. OKC was held scoreless for the remainder of the game, and only had two runners advance to third base over the final eight innings.
Starting pitcher Dinelson Lamet limited Sacramento to one run over a season-high 5.1 innings. All five hits against Lamet were singles, and he issued one walk to go along with six strikeouts. He began his outing by retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced.
Dinelson Lamet continues to pitch GREAT!
5.1 IP
5 H
1 R
3 Ks
1 BB
93-95 on the 4S & landed at very impressive 66% rate. Featured slider the most, however, and it had 40 inches of vertical break, landed close to 50% & had a 55% whiff rate. Today was impressive, ERA down to 3.33!… pic.twitter.com/rYqnbwulUj— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) May 14, 2024
Dinelson Lamet continues to pitch GREAT!
5.1 IP
5 H
1 R
3 Ks
1 BB
93-95 on the 4S & landed at very impressive 66% rate. Featured slider the most, however, and it had 40 inches of vertical break, landed close to 50% & had a 55% whiff rate. Today was impressive, ERA down to 3.33!… pic.twitter.com/rYqnbwulUj— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) May 14, 2024
Sacramento tied the game in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly by Turner Hill. Hill scored Braden Bishop who led off the inning with a single, stole 2nd, and moved to 3rd on a ground ball. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the ninth inning.
During his last three starts, Lamet has allowed one run over 15.1 innings. Lamet is a longshot starting candidate, but could also pitch his way onto the roster as a multi-inning reliever. At one time, Lamet was a top SP with the Padres.
Drew Avans reached base in three of four plate appearances, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, a walk and two stolen bases. Avans has hit safely in six of his last seven games, going 12-for-27 and has reached base in 20 of 35 plate appearances during the current road trip.
Avans also knows how to flash the leather.
Another catch to add to the Drew Avans highlight reel! pic.twitter.com/8TmJ6I7dOx
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) May 14, 2024
Miguel Vargas drove in OKC’s lone run with a RBI double in the first inning. Vargas has six RBI and three extra-base hits over his last two games.
Wichita Wind Surge (Twins) 6 – Tulsa Drillers 3
The Wind Surge scored a pair of 1st inning runs against Drillers SP Orlando Ortiz-Mayr. A single, 2 BB, and a 2 run single put Wichita on top 2-0 before Ortiz-Mayr could get the final 2 outs.
He pitched through traffic the next three innings, but got the side retired in order in the 5th. He left the game down 2-0.
Wichita’s Pierson Ohl pitched 6.0 scoreless innings, on 4 hits. He walked 1, but struck out 10 Drillers.
Ben Harris entered in the 6th, and his season long struggles continued. Before he exited the inning with only 2 outs, he allowed 1 run and left the bases loaded for Antonio Knowles. Knowles allowed a 2-run single, before getting the final out. Overall Harris allowed 3 runs on 1 hit, but 3 BB.
Wichita scored a 6th run in the 7th off Knowles.
Tulsa got one back in the 7th when Diego Cartaya slugged his 3rd HR of the season.
B7 | You can kiss that ball GOODBYE
Diego Cartaya sends one deep to put the Drillers on the board!Wind Surge 6, #Drillers 1 pic.twitter.com/v1xknbdeTF
— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) May 15, 2024
In the 8th, Alex Freeland opened with a single. Taylor Young followed with a BB, and Dalton Rushing was HBP to load the bases with no outs. Freeland scored on a strikeout passed ball. Cartaya singled home Young, and the Drillers were within 3.
After hitting a pull side HR in his last At Bat, Diego Cartaya stayed on a side arm fastball on the outer half and nailed it into RF. Atta Baby Diego! #dodgers pic.twitter.com/Cnhe4K62vP
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) May 15, 2024
Tulsa went down in order in the 9th.
Positive signs with Diego Cartaya getting 2 more hits including a HR, after a 3 hit game (including a HR) on Sunday. In 29 PA thus far in May, Cartaya is hitting .304/.448/.609/1.057. Looks like he is not ready to pass the torch of the #1 catching prospect to Dalton Rushing without a fight.
- Diego Cartaya – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (3)
- Alex Freeland – 2-5, 1 run, double (1)
- Dalton Rushing – 2-3, 1 HBP, double (5)
- Taylor Young – 1-2, 2 BB, 1 run
- Austin Beck – double (5)
Dayton Dragons 2 – Great Lakes Loons 1
The Loons were facing MLB RHP Brandon Williamson on a rehab assignment. Williamson allowed 1 hit, a Yunior Garcia double in his 3.0 IP.
Peter Heubeck started for Great Lakes. For the first 2.0 IP, Heubeck allowed one single and struck out 4 Dragons. But in the 3rd Heubeck ran into trouble. A allowed a leadoff single, got two out, but then gave up a double, and a 2-run single. He gave up a walk in each of the next 2 innings. Overall he allowed the 2 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks, and 6 K. But he left the game behind, and ended up losing the game.
Peter Heubeck was a 2 out bloop hit away from 5 shutout innings, and was impressive, nonetheless.
5 IP
4 H
2 R
6 Ks
2 BB
ERA on the year 3.27 34 Ks in 22 innings, so a ton of swing & miss & advanced understanding of sequencing. Also spikes his curveball, so has 12-6 bite.… pic.twitter.com/WdmhruhgoW— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) May 15, 2024
In the 4th, Noah Miller walked, moved to 2nd on a WP, and scored on Chris Newell’s RBI single.
Great Lakes had 3 hits on the night, including 2 doubles: Yunior Garcia (3), and Dylan Campbell (5).
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6 – Inland Empire 66ers (Angels) 0
Patrick Copen went 7.0 strong scoreless innings. He allowed 3 hits, with 1 BB and compiled 4 K.
Robinson Ortiz continues to improve in every outing. He completed the final 2.0 innings allowing a single that was erased by one of 3 Quakes DP to end the game.
Very efficient pitching from the two Quakes pitchers. Copen threw 76 pitches in 7 innings (48 strikes), and Ortiz threw 16 pitches in 2 innings (12 strikes).
RC scored the only run they would need in the 1st. Kendall George opened the inning with a single, and stole second. He moved to third on a Jeral Perez bloop single to CF and scored on a 2-out single from Sean McLain.
Perez homered in the 3rd.
In the 5th, Juan Alonso got a lead off walk. Kendall George singled, and with one out, Perez walked to load the bases. Joe Vetrano had a 2-run single.
In the 8th, the Quakes scored another pair of runs. Alonso tripled home one and he scored on George’s 3rd single.
- Kendell George – 3-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI
- Jeral Perez – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (3)
- Juan Alonso – 2-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, triple (2)
- Joe Vetrano – 1-3, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Another nice home win for the Dodgers in San Francisco. Half the stands are made up of Dodgers fans. I had a friend go to Monday’s game, and he said the stadium was at least half filled with LAD fans.
It’s been that way for years. You see a lot of Dodger blue at Giants games. SF fans are very fickle.
the well-named Alexander Albertus continues to impress it seems.
So does Hyun-Seok Jang. This is his first year pitching professionally so they will be careful with him, but how long before he gets to Rancho Cucamonga.
Jeff,
beyond Burns and the guy acquired from the Cubs, which lefties are you bullish on or are others you follow bullish on?
Let me look into this more. But one I am really hopeful for is Robinson Ortiz.
I nominate Wrobleski.
We are fortunate to watch Kershaw all these yrs. He is a great pitcher and a classy human being.
Why do even our own announcers insist.on saying Glasnow is getting an extra day of rest and we’ll probably see a bullpen game? Glasnow will pitch on Thur on normal rest, he has gone either 5 or six days in between starts all season. And why do we need a bullpen game when Knack has pitched so well? They could see this day coming for 2 weeks and could have lined him up to pitch tonight.
Yeah Dave, I was wondering that myself. Knack seems to be a logical 6th starter when needed to give Glasgow an extra day. I hate Bullpen games so I would like to see Knack just start and go from there. Maybe he’s the opener?
Joe Davis said Doc likes the bullpen game for health concerns for the staff. I get that but Knack’s your guy to fill in.
First time I’ve had the misfortune to see the Giants City Connect uniforms. I can only assume the lettering fading out at their portions, represents ground level fog with stuff poking up above it. And they’re awful. Especially the helmets. They look like something out of a toy store.
At least they tried to do something different, although I think they would have looked better in black with a black helmet.
Our current City Connect uniforms show a total lack of imagination. Why even bother? And the sneak preview I have seen online of the new one to be introduced this year (if it’s actually accurate) is basically an off white uni with confetti splashed all over it.
With so much to draw on here in SoCal, this is the best they could come up with? Although I do love the LA inside the D on the right sleeve.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GNXZRx_bcAEZqcp?format=jpg&name=small
Knack pitched 5.1 innings on Sunday. I do not see him starting tonight. I would suspect that Yarbrough would be the bulk innings guy in a bullpen game.
thanks Jeff. I missed Knacks outing on Sunday. My bad
Knack also has to be down for 15 days after his last assignment.
of course the team could fake an injury…..
Oh, didn’t know that rule. Makes sense.
Kershaw is on a HOF list of most post season losses:
Tom Glavine 16 218.1 IP
Greg Maddux 14 198.0 IP
Clayton Kershaw 13 194.1 IP
Justin Verlander 12 226 IP
Bullpen games. I don’t think anyone likes them, but apparently the organization feels until they have the 6 man rotation in which they have confidence, a bullpen game will be the way they go. There are a couple of pitchers in that group capable of multiple innings.
10-2. As every game against the lowly giants should go.
It would be desirable to have men on base when Ohtani goes 440’.
Glavine and Maddux 30 post season losses. I guess that explains why the Braves won only one WS in their run.
We have discussions as to why CT3 should be gone or James Outman should be exiled to OKC. Meanwhile real life hits us between the eyes.
https://www.milb.com/news/wife-child-of-tampa-bay-rays-prospect-blake-bivens-reportedly-slain-310350932
Despicable act. Only cowards use weapons on the weak.
If this is real life, don’t wake me up tomorrow.
Not to get too political here, but this sort of horror is far more common in the USA than in countries that have common-sense gun laws.
But the American political culture, unfortunately, tolerates such triple homicides and even worse, much worse.
Because of “rights,” they say. And “freedom.”
And profits, of course.
Follow the money. The blood money.
It is not the gun; it is the moron holding the gun. Some people should not be able to own a gun. I have six, I know gun safety, and I know to never point my weapon at someone unless I intend to use it. The only reason I own weapons is personal safety, and do not say let the police take care of it. Average response time on a 911 call is about 10 minutes. You can be dead in two.
Torino on the squinting Jeral Perez:
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/jeral-perez-dodgers-prospect-hot-start-single-a
Love beating the Giants, and the bigger the score, the better. Ohtani’s HR was a definite moon shot.
Mason Miller anyone?
Bleacher Reports has an article out identifying who they think are the 10 teams (based on need and prospect capital) who should attempt to get Miller.
For 1-5 he actually suggests the trade package it might take.
He lists the Dodgers as number 5 and suggests Rushing, DePaula and Hurt and then says the A’s could do better from other teams.
Considering how inconsistent relievers tend to be, I’m going to cast my vote in the No Thanks column.
Here’s a link. Any comments?
A’s Closer Mason Miller Landing Spots amid MLB Trade Rumors, Red-Hot Start to 2024 | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report
I am already off the Mason Miller trade. I would not trade Rushing, De Paula, and Hurt for Mason Miller.
I have scaled down my sights to St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley. The last reliever named Ryan I was campaigning hard for was Ryan Pressley. I think Helsley gets traded this summer. The Dodgers could use a lock down closer like Helsley. Will AF make an offer commensurate of his talent? I am guessing no.
If the Cards don’t get going soon, their whole team might be available. Not only aren’t they performing, they’re old. Probably time for Mo to step down.
How about: Vargas, Cartaya, Geloff and Hurt for Mason Miller?
Hurt may have closer potential, but perhaps only Mason Miller has Mason Miller potential. Getting Miller would be a big upgrade that shifts Phillips back into a set-up role.
I’d rather not give up Rushing or De Paula either, but with Smith locked up for many years, a catcher is expendable. Plus, Shohei has DH covered, so perhaps De Paula is best suite for LF–if not a trade.
The underachieving Vargas is still probably the best ML-ready bat in the system. And the A’s love Geloff’s brother; perhaps they could be like the Naylor brothers in Cleveland!
Any deal for Miller would be a whopper because ofe his obvious talent and the years of team control on his contract. The A’s would rightly require both quality and quantity back. I could see a five-for-one deal easily.
Helsly seems like a good target too.
But I’d prefer AF hunting for bigger game.
AF is not going to give up four players for a closer, especially not 2 of their top 5 prospects. When Hader was traded to the Padres, they got two prospects and two players with MLB experience. If AF trades that many prospects, it will be for a bat.
I can’t think of a trade less in line with Friedman’s history or philosophy.
100% agree.
Agreed. AF is not going to trade 3 top 100 prospects for a relief pitcher. Zachary Rymer is infamous for his outlandish trade suggestions. I cannot remember one where I thoguht there was equal value for both teams. He throws s*** against the wall to see if anything sticks. It doesn’t. But he has made a little niche for himself. Good for him. The problem is they are so outlandish, there is no entertainment value for me.
Seems like the kind of deal that Preller would have a hard time resisting, except for the fact that he has a good closer.
So true.
I actually low-key admire Preller for his never-ending aggressiveness (and his ability to constantly rebuild his prospect system.)
But Mason Miller is not just “a relief pitcher.”
Right now, he is THE relief pitcher, clearly he best closer in the game. He is to the closer role what Shohei is to the DH.
Assessing “equal value” is what the market is for. Programs like “trade simulator” may be helpful for small deals, and the “top 100” lists have a limited purpose. (I assume AF’s list is different from whatever MLB.com or Baseball America puts out, and he has a better vision of how prospect fits into long-range plans. )
There’s no way of assessing what the A’s would want for Miller without an offer.
The relief pitcher with an arm injury waiting to happen. He is the flavor of the month and not worth three of the Dodgers top five prospects. AF does not make trades like that.
I would want to get a young player that would be more involved throughout a game in exchange for those players.
My apologies. The following link really doesn’t belong here because it’s basketball-oriented.
Maybe the Lakers could draft all of these guys. Might be better than what they have.
I have zero idea what to do with the Lakers. I just shut up and pay them my season ticket money like a puppet yearly.
I know I want James gone so the other players don’t feel they have to defer to him.
There are doctors you could see for that. 🙄
Roster moves:
Elieser Hernandez added and will start tonight’s game. Has pitched decently for OKC this year.
Eduardo Salazar – also added for tonight. Has been pretty awful at OKC. Don’t bother to unpack, Eduardo.
Varland – optioned
Crismatt – DFA
Churn and burn with starters too…
I need to find an article by a good sportswriter that explains how the Dodgers will use a Eliser Hernandez as opposed to a Landon Knack. And Eduardo Salazar? It doesn’t seem like he’s the latest Prior project.
Sometimes it feels like the Dodgers just need a warm body to take the mound. Why not appoint a sixth starter?
All considered, I’d also have prefered Dinelson Lamet…
15-day rule. Knack has to spend at least 15 days at OKC before he can be recalled. Lamet is not on the 40-man and would have required an open roster spot. No sportswriter needed.
Got it. Thx.
This seems to be the Dodgers Way. Do small-market teams have such flexibility?
Small-market teams do not have that kind of depth, but under the rules they could do the same thing.
Guys, I am going to be filling in for Jeff while he is on his cruise, and when he is otherwise indisposed. So, if you have a story you want to read about, or a player or specific Dodger team, leave your suggestions here and I will get on it. Thanks
How about your top 10 National Anthem singers at Dodger Stadium.
Good idea. I can tell you who # 11 is………..me…LOL.
Damn right
Found this photo, brought back some memories.
One thing I really miss from back in the day, matchups between staff Aces. Koufax-Marichal, Drysdale-Gibson, Koufax-Spahn, Drysdale-Sanford.
Andy McCullough’s recent talking point is that outside of maybe, just maybe, Zach Wheeler, there really isn’t a traditional ace. Kershaw, as the book title implies, is really the last of that kind of pitcher.
Lux has been hitting the ball well.
It’s been awesome to see!
Maybe Lux hit into bad luck tonight,,,, but the bottom four of the lineup tonight–Teoscar, Lux, Pages and Outman–had zero hits and just one walk (by Outman) …
At least the Dodgers continued their streak of holding opponents to 4 runs or less. But four was plenty tonight.
Offense was pathetic. 5 thru 9 in the order, 0 for 18 with 7 SO
Teoscar did crush a ball that Matos made a great catch on.
Speaking of lefties:
Maddux Bruns has really been performing of late since coming out of extended Spring Training:
Overall in 2024 his ERA is down to a microscopic 0.71 with another fantastic, scoreless outing for Great Lakes today:
4.0 IP
2 hits
0 runs
1 BB
7 Ks
His last three outings combined:
0 runs
44.2 K%
9.3 BB%
Great news. Always want those top picks to pay off.
Could he help the big club now?
Yes…if, say, he was packaged with Vargas and ??? plus another ??? to the A’s for Mason Miller
Never happen. AF is not going to trade three prospects for a relief pitcher, and the A’s would want more than that for a guy with as much team control as he has.
Again… Mason Miller is no ordinary “relief pitcher.”
AF invested hugely to get exceptional talent in Shohei and Yamamoto. He swung for the fences.
If the Dodgers front office decides that Mason Miller is an exceptional talent who could help them in several Octobers to come, why not make an exceptional offer?
Certainly the A’s will deal him at some point, perhaps even this season. The franchise is in disarray, on the move and has no real chance to make the playoffs in the next few years. They won’t want to pay what Miller will earn through arbitration. They could position the franchise better with three or four good prospects.
It’s not a matter of if, but when.
It does not matter Duke; AF doesn’t make those kinds of trades. And his track record shows he has never traded for a closer. He hasn’t needed to.
Worst umpires
1.Hernandez. Of course
2.Bucknor. Yep
3. Hunter Wendelstedt
“Our biggest riser this season, Hunter Wendelstedt might be the worst umpire behind the place in the majors. His accuracy rate of 92.6 percent is the lowest among regular umpires, and his CCAx is also the worst at -40.6. Translation: he gets a ton of calls wrong and has no business behind the plate. He also missed calls by a lot. In June, he missed called a strike that was low by 5.56 inches. It was the worst miss on a low pitch this season.”
The calls blown calls should be put up on the screen. There is no excuse for how bad Wendelstedt was tonight and all season. He should not be a MLB umpire. It is time for MLB to grade these guys and send them down to the Minors where there is an ABS system so they can learn what a strike is. Suspend them. With pay? WHo cares. The umpire has to know that he is being suspended because he cannot tell a strike from a ball. There has to be consequences.
The saving grace about Willson Contreras’ broken arm is that the ABS will be in MLB sooner rather than later.
Maybe a story grading the umpires?
We can look into that; umpiring has been a big story this year.
Any idea why MLB doesn’t institute the ESZ?
MLB needs to fix the umpiring problem ASAP.
Amen. It’s an embarrassment.
Totally agree. The ABS cannot get here soon enough.
I’m not at all worried about the big “regular season” picture — but Muncy and Pages have batting averages that are sinking fast. I want to see Pages “adjust back.” He still looks hitterish to me, but the K’s are mounting.
I was hoping against hope that Muncy might revert to the .250/.260 hitter of a few years back — seems like that might have been a mirage — lots of strikeouts on balls out of the zone.
Outman is hard to figure out. It seems like he crushes one or two balls every start, but 75% of them are foul and he has had some bad luck on the 25% that stay fair.
Lux looks better, but to my eyes, he is still a little off-balance and is not using his lower-half to generate power, seems all arms to me.
Would be great if Heyward comes back and returns to last year’s form.
No complaints, just some observations — love the pitching and the recent fielding. This team should only get better as the season proceeds 🙂
Muncy is what he is, inconsistent, but when all is said and done, he will OPS over .800, hit 30 bombs, drive in close to 100 and strike out 140 plus times. He still chases way too many pitches that are out of the zone.
So, he has trade value.
Some other teams would probably love to have him, but I doubt LA trades him.
Solid post Bison.
On Outman. How many clearly foul scorched line drives does he have this year? It seems like quite a few. He’s out in front of that pitch that is in his sweet spot, which is in and down a bit. What to do about that? Maybe practice hitting everything back through the box? That’s what I practiced and taught. My experience tells me it very seldom happens that way with live pitching but it does help to keep line drives in play. If Outman could get half of those long drives to land fair, and learn to connect with those outer half strikes he whiffs on, he could maybe hit .270 and OPS closer to .800.
With the Hunter Wendelstedt embarrassment noted, the box score tells the story on this one:
Bottom of the order 0 for 15. Mookie with another error. Smith a passed ball. Team 0 for 5 WRISP. Hernandez and Salazar pitched fine, 3 earned in 8. Chalk it up to another team dud.
I believe games like this show the team’s weaknesses. They won’t necessarily affect a record over 162 games, but in a short series against the better clubs?
Mookie’s error is more because of Muncy cutting in front of him just before the ball got to him than anything else. Had Max not done that, Mookie would have thrown the guy out. The error did not figure in the scoring.
I believe the play you are referring to, though absolutely was an error by Mookie, was ruled a hit. And it did figure into the box score as it added 9 stressful pitches to that inning. The unearned run came later in the game and frankly I don’t recall exactly how it happened, I only know that it did. Though passed balls are not ruled as errors, if a run scores as a result of one it is ruled unearned. That may have been how that last run scored. Maybe you or someone else can help with that.
Unearned runs and team 0fers WRISP can knock teams out of the playoffs. It’s important to clean that up.
I watched the replay three times, Muncy cut in front of Betts just before the ball got to him. It was ruled a hit, but it was then changed to an error. Joe and Orel both disagreed with the change. The extra pitches did not bother Hernandez and did not lead to a run. The unearned run scored in the 8th when will Smith allowed the runner to get into scoring position on the passed ball.
I thought Muncy stopped just short of cutting in front of Betts. He clearly distracted him but the play was markable.
I agree Fred. Muncy didn’t block his vision. Mookie saw the ball all the way and just bobbled it.
We simply saw it differently. They did change the call from a hit to an error. But it still was no harm, no foul as the error did not figure in the scoring.
Perhaps I missed it, but I would argue that, after Koufax–arguably the best pitcher ever– the Dodgers’ greatest lefty was Fernando.
I know that Kershaw is a lefty, but even he didn’t achieve what Fernando did in his prime. Unfortunately, injuries limited the period of his Absolute Greatness, but Fernando will always shine bright in Dodger lore.
Certainly he is one of the most beloved Dodgers, as was illustrated when Vin “injured” is rotator cuff before throwing out the first pitch and summoned Fernando to relieve him.
Chills. I got misty-eyed.
I would disagree wholeheartedly. Fernando was a very good pitcher, but he isn’t in Kershaw’s class. Career ERA is 3.54. 2074 Ks in 17 years, Kersh, 2.48 ERA, Kersh needs 56 Ks for 3000. Each has one no-hitter. Kersh has three Cy Youngs, Fernando one. Kersh won 20 or more twice, Fernando, once. The only stat where Fernando has it all over Kersh is complete games, but it is a different game now. Fernando does not have HOF numbers. Kersh will most likely be a first ballot HOF. Kersh is a career Dodger, Fernando spent 11 years with the team and pitched for five other organizations. Fernando is most famous for his rookie season, by comparison, the Dodgers nursed Kershaw along. Yes, he is beloved, but look past that and check his record, it is just average.
Kershaw’s career post season cumulative: 13 W 13 L 4.49 ERA
Valenzuela’s career postseason cumulative: 5 W 1 L 1.98 ERA
For those that think success is all about the post season and not the regular season, then …..
Kershaw has had many more opportunities it is true, and he hasn’t pitched like an Ace all of the time, but they are in no way comparable.
Imagine Elieser Hernandez yesterday morning. “Today I start for the Dodgers with an opportunity to make a statement for my career. I’m starting at Dodger Stadium. All I’m asked to do is go 5 or 6 innings with 3 runs and I’ve done my job. You never know but with this line up, I should get a major league win.” Not so fast Bucko.
You can’t let guys like Webb get out of innings like the first. Muncy and Teo have to come through there, with the bases loaded. You have to put your foot on his neck with that opportunity. But we didn’t and Webb did what he does.
We didn’t score and we didn’t make plays.
Hernandez gave up a seeing eye single and one bad pitch to Yaz, and Book em Dano.
I like Hernandez. He threw well and deserved better.
The strike on Ohtani, top 3, was practically rolling. He would need a croquet mallet to hit that. Hunter Wendelstedt is so bad. How does he stay in the League.
So let’s project life with a challenge system in place, last night. How many challenges do you get? It won’t be enough with Hunter back there.
Just put the ABS System in, with NO challenges and get it right on every single pitch.
I broke down Lux’s swing frame by frame. Just pitch him away. He strides in the bucket and block rotates early, opening up. Shades of Bellinger.
So I got to thinking, we’re down 4-1. If the Giants bring in a LHP, our potential pinch hitters are Rojas (.258), Kike (.220), Barnes (.219) and CT3 (.071). Bad thought.
One slight correction. Hernandez’s start was in SF, not Dodger Stadium. I was really impressed with him. Had the same look I see with Pages, like nothing was going to faze him.
So even Lux says he’s pulling out too far when he swings and stepping in the bucket. If he knows, the coaches know and we know, why can’t he fix it?
Good observation. I’ve noticed the same thing with Lux on occasion and the result is often a rollover ground ball. Some of them are actually barreled but most of them are fielded. Joe and Orel commented on it too. Stepping in the bucket has been a common error since Abner was a minnow. A lot of left handers do it as moving toward first is natural for them. Even Ohtani does it. I’m sure the hitting instructors are aware of it. When Lux starts stepping toward the pitch instead of toward right field, those ground balls will become line drives with possible launch. That kid has all the tools to slug. I think he’s close.
We could try sending him to his room every time he hits the ball on the ground to the right side.
STB – thanks for helping me with the geography from last night. It just looked like my usual family room to me so I don’t know where the hell the games is.
I have a friend who’s an old college coach and to emphasis NOT pulling the ball he would park his truck at SS for his RHB’s and visa-versa with his LHB’s. If you hit his truck, you were in deep doo-doo.
I never liked the drill as I valued my vehicles too much.
These guys make enough that they could buy you a new truck.
Emmett Sheehan had UCL surgery yesterday. Why did it take so long? Asking, not criticizing.
Also no word yet on whether it was a full TJ.
Sheehan had UCL surgery yesterday. No word on whether it was a full TJ but he’ll miss the rest of the season.
I am not sure why, but my post that was published last night with the picture of the Kershaw Bio book cover book cover did not get posted to the top of the page. Instead Southpaws remained at the top. I am having this checked out. Every time I have something done to the site, I get problems. The change that was done was discussed in the Kershaw Bio post. I am giving Bear access to my site. I have no idea why that would create my problem, but the problem was not there before.
Okay, it looks like I fixed it my self. I lost a couple of comments that were on the post. But all but a couple of comments were on the Southpaws post anyway.
Giving Bear access definitely leads to problems. 😎
Hardy har har. I am not going to be doing anything but posting stories.