It is no secret that I am not too fond of the D-Backs. I lived in Phoenix for about 12 years. It’s a dry heat. I only moved there to be close to my daughter and my grandkids. But I was also lucky since Phoenix is in the trucking industry, a hub city. Which means several trucking companies have large terminals there, including the Phoenix based company, Swift Transportation. So, finding a job was pretty easy.
As a Dodger fan, I know that ballpark can be a den of horrors for Dodger pitchers. And with this current lineup of young athletic players, they are outscoring everyone else in the league. So, it was imperative that Flaherty keep their offense at bay, and that the Dodger offense be a lot better than they were on Sunday. Mission accomplished.
As I expected, Wrobleski was sent back to OKC after Sundays debacle, and reliever Michael Petersen was called up. When the Dodgers went into this series, I knew they needed to at least get a split and keep their 4-game lead. Evey game meant a 2-game switch. The Dodgers scored enough in game one, and then held off a spirited D-Back rally in game one for the 10-9 win. The bullpen got gassed that day because of Kershaw’s sore big toe, and he and Joe Kelly ended up back on the IL. You had to know that they needed as much length as they could get out of Gavin Stone on Saturday.
Gavin gave them enough, going 5 innings allowing 5 runs, 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4. He allowed 2 homers. The Dodgers had kicked off the game doing something that had never been done in franchise history. Ohtani, Betts and Freeman went back-to-back to back for a quick 3-0 lead. That disappeared in the bottom of the inning when Stone allowed an inside the park homer to Carroll. Az then got 2 singles and an error by Muncy allowed the runners to move up to second and third.
Gurriel then hit a ball that Teo deflected for a double and two runs scored. Two batters later, Suarez hit a sac-fly. In the top of the second, the Dodgers struck right back, Muncy and Rojas singled. Kiermaier got aboard via a fielder’s choice that featured an error by the pitcher, Kelly. Ohtani hit a sac-fly to score Muncy. After Mookie struck out, Freeman singled in Rojas. In the bottom of the third, Gurriel hit a homer into the left-field seats. It would be Az’s last hit.
In the top of the 5th, Lux doubled and Muncy singled him in with 2 outs. Stone set Az down in order in the 5th. In the top of the 7th, the Dodgers loaded the bases with 1 out. But Puk came in and struck out Kike and got Rojas to fly out. Arizona tied the game in the bottom of the 7th without a hit. Honeywell, in his second inning of work, walked Guilleorme. He was sacrificed to second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac-fly by Carroll.
In the top of the 9th, Smith singled, Taylor ran for him. Lux singled. Kike sacrificed them to second and third. Rojas hit a line drive that the second baseman snagged for the second out. Edman then singled to right scoring both runners. Phillips pitched a clean 9th, and LA won 8-6. Young Ben Casparius, who pitched a scoreless 8th, got the win.
Sunday’s game was a disaster for Justin Wrobleski, and he was sent down. But even after giving up 10 runs in the second inning, he showed a lot of grit by going back out and pitching into the 6th inning. He will be a factor next year, if he is not traded in some deal this winter.
I think today’s game was a statement game for the Dodgers. There was a lot riding on the outcome of the game. And they had Flaherty pitching against Rodriguez. If they lost, the lead was back to 4. If they won, they would win the season series and hold the tiebreaker, which they do not have over the Padres.
They answered and answered loudly. Freeman’s 2 run shot in the third inning gave them a 3-0 lead. D-Backs got one back. It stayed the same until the top of the 7th when they would score 3 again. With one out, Ohtani singled and then stole second and third. His 45th and 46th steals of the year. He had stolen his 44th in the first inning. Betts was walked intentionally. Freeman hit a sac-fly scoring Ohtani. Betts went to second. Hernandez, who went 5-5 on the day, singled off of the leg of Montgomery knocking him out of the game. Betts went to third on the play. Hernandez stole second and Smith singled in both runners.
Arizona got 2 back in the bottom of the inning for a 6-3 score. The Dodgers put the game away in the top of the 8th. with two outs, Taylor singled. Ohtani walked and Betts doubled down the line scoring both. After a wild pitch got Betts to third, Freeman crushed his second homer of the game to centerfield for 2 more runs. LA up 10-3. Singles by Teo, Smith and Edman plated the 11th run. Az would score 1 in the bottom of the 8th and 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the 11-6 final. Flaherty got his 11th win.
Some fans questioned Roberts bringing in Vesia for just one hitter in the 6th with 2 men on base. Flaherty had given up a single to McCarthy, struck out Pederson and then had Smith throw out McCarthy stealing. But Jack then walked two hitters in a row and was obviously out of gas. With the rookie, Del Castillo coming up, Roberts went to Vesia. Vesia struck Del Castillo out on a ball in the dirt and Smith had to throw to first to get him.
I believe the reason he sent Banda out to pitch the 7th instead of sending Vesia back out there was because the top of the seventh was a long half-inning and Vesia would have cooled off significantly sitting there waiting for the inning to finish. He probably trusts Banda more when there is no one on base to begin an inning rather than bringing him in with 2 men on. That was about the only criticism I heard today about the way Dave managed the game. Honeywell did get into some trouble in the 9th, and Kopech was warming up, but he got out of it, and the Dodgers won their 83rd game. Best in the majors.
San Diego leapfrogged the D-Backs and climbed into second place 5 games back. LA is 7-3 over their last 10, Az, 5-5 and the Padres, 6-4. Padres are 6 games back of the Dodgers in the loss column, but only 4 in the win column, thus the 5-game lead. The Cubs, who the Dodgers will play next week after the Guardian series, lost and dropped 3.5 games back in the wild card race. The Mets, meanwhile, are now just .5 games back of the Braves. The Brewers have the largest division lead, they are 10 games ahead of Chicago.
I was wrong when I said the Dodgers had a day off Monday, was looking at the wrong schedule. The 2-game series in Anaheim could be a trap series. The Dodgers need to take the Angels seriously the next couple of days. Arizona is playing a fading Giants team while the Dodgers play the Angels. Buehler went 5 innings and looked better than he has in quite a while. He did allow two solo homers. He also struck out six. Detmer’s though struck out 10. Through the top of the 9th, the Dodgers have struck out 15 times and managed only 3 hits.
The Dodgers took control of their game with the Angels in the 10th. Edman was the ghost runner on second. Muncy hit a ground ball to first, moving Edman to third. Rojas singled Edman in. I still love him in clutch situations. He has the best contact rate on the team. Lux PH for Taylor, and Kiermaier ran for Rojas. Lux hit a grounder to first, Kiermaier beat the throw to second and the Angels decided to walk Ohtani. Mookie hit a three-run homer and it was 6-2. Freeman singled and Hernandez made an out. Brasier got the Angels out without giving up a run. LA picks up 1/2 game on the idle Padres, 5 1/2 game lead now. Still waiting on the final in San Francisco. Giants ended up losing 8-7.
Minor League Scores
Round Rock beat OKC, 4-2. Hoese and Outman hit homers for the only OKC runs. Of more importance to Dodger fans were the re-hab appearances of Yamamoto and Graterol. Yamamoto pitched 2 innings allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. He made 53 pitches, 36 for strikes. Graterol went 1 inning, He gave up 3 hits and one run, he struck out 1.
Tulsa shut out San Antonio, 6-0. Rosario threw 5 scoreless innings and got the win. Tulsa pitchers allowed only 3 hits. Lockwood-Powell was 2-4, Ramos 3-4 with a homer and 2 driven in. Fernandez hit a homer and drove in 3.
Great Lakes did not play. Rancho shut out Visalia, 2-0. Visalia had only 3 hits. Visalia managed only 2, but one was a homer by Decker. Swan went 4 innings; Gonzalez went 2 scoreless and got the win.
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
Lucky to win this one. 16 SO is alarming. Kudos to Buehler and the Bullpen.
2 more HRs from Buehler and you’re giving him kudos? I”m sure he’s not happy about that.
He pitched well
Kept us in the game. 5 innings and 2 earned runs. I’ll take it. It is not great but it isn’t bad. Just two bad pitches.
Definitely making progress.
Here’s hoping that Buehler makes the roster decisions hard. Miller too.
Among the active SPs, I’d put Buehler behind Flaherty and Stone. Of course we are hoping that Glasnow, Yamamoto and Kershaw come back strong–but there’s no guarantee of that. (Yamamoto’s latest rehab start was pretty meh.)
Here’s a sobering stat.
The Dodgers may not win 100, which may be seen by some as a “down” year.
It’s relative.
Well, as of right now this is the most wins a team with Ohtani on it has ever had. EVER. In the majors.
What a waste of talent.
And Trout! How can it be a down year if you have the best record in baseball? Anyway success for this team will be measured by a WS title. Fair or not
I’m thinking he meant a waste of talent UP TO NOW!!
Yamamoto looked a bit wobbly. Could not put hitters away, driving up the pitch count. He had one at bat with 17 pitches thrown , in the end giving up a double to the hitter.
IMHO he needs another outing at OKC .
Graterol too appears to need more rehab.
Dodgers can afford to be a little patient with both looking at the division lead at 5,5 games.
Buehler was solid but nothing more. Still have my doubts about him in the postseason rotation.
Now lets see what Bobby Miller can bring today.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s another sobering stat:
Michael Kopech has as many wins since joining the Dodgers as Miller and Buehler combined.
Sure glad they beat the Angels. They’re the Angels. We’re supposed to beat them. Beat the teams you’re supposed to beat and hold serve against the others.
It’s fun to watch this team’s offense when they get it going. Wouldn’t it be even more fun if all of them got it going in October?
And Yamamoto? Your guess is as good as mine.
I dunno, Kopech was a prized prospect as a starter.
So were Miller and Buehler.
Touche! Well said.
See what happens when I post before coffee?
I wish I could delete that stupidity.
Why are people worried here? Robots won’t steal your batteries.
Says you, last week a roving robot gang went thru our town and stole all the batteries out of every single car and truck. (robots were reported to have come thru the southern border)
Overall, I did see progress in Ferris’ game. He is improving, he just seems to lose command of the strike zone for brief periods of time. Batters recognize that they have to make him throw strikes. Also, the balls he throws, are not effective often times, they look like a ball right out of his hand, nothing to entice a hitter with, the hitter can decide very early to just lay off. His spray pattern (as Orel calls it) is just all over the place, if he can sharpen up his pattern he will become effective again.
I think Ferris’ contract is over after this season, if he can tighten things up the Dodgers will offer him a contract for a moderate price, otherwise he will be pitching in Oakland (Sacramento) next season.
For a while I assumed you were talking about Jackson Ferris….
Who is he talking about if not Jackson Ferris?
REally?
I’m lost. I was lost at robots and batteries and now am completely at sea.
Ferris Buehler dude
Holy shit
today sucks
i suck
I’m giving Walker more credit than others. It’s not just The Angels. It’s every baseball team on the planet trying to beat The Dodgers because it’s the Dodgers. Their pitcher decides today is the day to buckle down for the first time in 2024. Great. They have absolutely nothing to lose. It was their playoff game.
They are finding ways to win. The team karma and resiliency is at a season high IMO. As irritating as innings 3-9 were to watch, I knew they would not give up. And they didn’t.
Keep battling. Keep giving the starting staff innings to build on. Keep winning. 5 innings and 2 runs for Walker resulting in a W is a very good day for The Dodgers.
I agree with you. He gave up a 450′ shot to somebody, but the other HR was like 315′ right inside the foul pole.
He had way more swing and miss than any other game this year. Props to him, and let’s see how he improves next time out.
But 5ip of no hit ball by the bullpen? Fantastic!
O’Hoppe is an excellent young catcher who hit the bomb, and veteran Taylor Ward (a solid player) hit the other HR.
Let’s not forget the 105.5 mph pitch thrown by closer Ben Joyce.
Angels have some interesting talent…but that team has a lot of problems too.
Angels suck ruby begonias. Only the White Sox are worser in the AL. And yes they would love to beat the Dodgers. Every team would love to beat the Dodgers.
105.5? There is no .5 in mph. It’s 105 or 106. In this case it’s 106. I don’t know who this guy is but he should schedule an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in the coming months.
What’s the weather like?
It’s hot! Damm hot! Real Hot. Stationed in Poontang hot. Hottest things in my shorts. I could cook things in it. Crotch pot cooking. It’s born on the sun hot!
Shoutout to Adrian Cronauer.
Going to be 100 in several places for the next several days. I’ll be poolside, in the water, under an umbrella, back in the pool, back in the shade. Becks NA on ice.
I wish we could head down to the beach, but kids and work.
It is really hot today and should be through Friday.
BUT!
Arizona has like 100+ days of 100+ degrees.
That’s fucking bonkers.
Carbon emissions.
Carbon emissions ?
Yeah, sure.😀
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s some emissions for you,…….. Pfffffffffffffft
?
fart humor?
👍
*That’s about as entertaining of a baseball game as you’ll ever see, last night. It had it all. A tight pitching dual. great middle relief, a battle of closers, 100 mph fastballs like walking in the park and clutch hitting.
Mookie and My Man, Miggy Ro, do it again. Some very knowledgeable baseball folks here still refuse to give Rojas the respect and credit he has earned and still maintain he’s nothing more than a “utility player”. They can’t wait for next year when we can get real SS, a guy like Adames. Aways a knock on the guy; needs to rest, couldn’t hit, too old. The lack of respect he gets here is remarkable.
*Buehler pitched well, which is super positive moving forward. Great duel with Detmers. Walker was again victimized by the home run. He just doesn’t seem to get away with mistakes. I set out to research why. His fastball seems to be the problem and he lives “thigh high” with that pitch. Even when not center-cut, thigh high gets hit. More at the top or bottom of the zone, works.
His velocity is back to where it was prior to TJ, but it’s lost movement. It’s hit at a .367 clip. His other pitches are more effective, especially his cutter, which I think he hung last night for a dinger. His changeup has been horseshit, but he never throws it. That pitch could keep hitters off his fastball. He could rally use that pitch now days, if he could improve it and threw it way more often. But he gets better every outing.
And the bullpen was great last night and well managed by Doc.
*How does anybody hit Joyce and 105.5? I slowed him down, frame by frame and his arms speed and the violent whip is unbelievable. How his arm doesn’t shred is amazing. It’s may be only a matter of time, sadly. Aroldis Chapman has thrown hard for a very long time. He does it differently with core rotational strength and gigantic separation. Joyce does it with violence. He certainly has a strong base but his arm speed is extraordinary. The whip and flexibility of his arm is like nothing I’ve seen. Nolan Ryan powered the ball through the strike zone. Joyce whips it to the zone.
*Kopeck’s came in and his first pitch of 97 and it looked like Slo-Pitch. Then he too hit 100. You’d better get that front foot down and be ready to pull the trigger with these boys.
*So Washington does the correct thing and walks Shohei, for Betts. I think it just pissed Mookie off. He seemed more then pleased with that homer.
What a game. This game had everything.
*Here’s what it didn’t have. Hey Ted, not beat a dead mule, but did you watch the Dodger pregame? On my TV, I got a Kirsten report prior to the first pitch about Ohtani’s return. No Dodger lineup, no Angels defensive alignment and no umpire info. Nothing, nada.
Bottom 1, they showed the Angels batting order. There was never a graphic showing of the Dodger line up or any defensive lineups. And none of the umpires were ever mentioned.
That’s just not adequate information for interested fans. Literally every other broadcast has that basic information except the Dodgers. I guess it’s a secret.
A lot of people take a lot of people’s posts the wrong way and I’m not talking about blatant posts. Blatant posts are another subject.
This is my take on Rojas and it shouldn’t be taken like I hate Rojas it’s just reality.
Rojas is 35 years old. At that age you’re in decline.
Rojas has a career slashline of .260/.312/.358/.670 The BA is slightly better than average, the OBP is below average, the SLG is bad and the OPS is bad.
He’s doing better than those numbers this year and I’m glad and if he keeps that up he deserves to start at least against RHP because there’s a better alternative against LHP and it’s Betts at SS and Pages in RF, but apparently Doc doesn’t think so and you know how I feel about Doc. It’s hard to ignore Pages .337//.383/.488/.871 against LHP. This is what Rojas is doing this year against LHP .247/.299/.382/.681 But it doesn’t matter because of Doc.
So the reality about next year is there’s going to be a lot of better options due to Rojas’s age and career stats. The odds of him duplicating what he’s doing this year against RHP is less than 50%.
This is what Rojas is doing against RHP this year .309/.341/.429/.769 and those are good numbers, so I give him credit for that and I hope he keeps it up.
Is OPS is mainly what it is because most of the year he batted so far down in the order and also does quite a bit still.
What? 🖕
Some knowledgeable baseball folk. a “utility player”.
I know who you are referring to.
I’m looking at it from a Dodger prospective. Who were the up the middle starters at the beginning of the year? When Lux went down, who stepped in at short? When that guy went down ….. we’re now down third string.
I give Rojas his due. He is now the Dodger shortstop. But I can pretty much guarantee he will go back to his bench/utility role as soon as this season ends. In the meantime he’s the not every day starting shortstop for our Los Angeles Dodgers.
You are absolutely correct, Badger, I’m talking about you. You may give Rojas his “Due’ recently but it’s been hard for you to do even that. You’ve just never liked the guy and that’s fine. I’ll like him for the both of us.
I really don’t give a rat’s ass what the Dodgers do with him next season. He might make a nice backup for some high priced addition, if they choose to go that way. Everybody just seems to know, however, through mental telepathy maybe, that he’s reached his expiration date. I’m not convinced. But again, I’ll worry about that next year.
I applaud the guy for an exceptional year defensively, offensively and as a leader. I just don’t understand the negativity and the resistance to credit his play.
In the meantime, he IS the every day starting shortstop for our Los Angeles Dodgers and I’m damn glad he is.
Well, I never said I didn’t like Miguel Rojas. I like him a lot. Especially with what he’s done for the team this year. I’ve been clear about that. But he’s a career 84 OPS+ player. How many starting shortstops in today’s game have an OPS+ lower than that? How many have more career dWAR than career oWAR? I can think of only 2 and neither have ever been All Stars. Rojas has a higher OPS this year than he’s had in 4 years. He only has 284 plate appearances this year. Why? Because he’s not a starter, that’s why.
I agree we are lucky to have him. But make no mistake, the Dodgers don’t view him as a starting shortstop. Hes there out of necessity.
You can have the last word on this if you want it.
Chapman is a free agent this winter, just saying.
Assume you’re referring to Matt, not Aroldis, but what are you suggesting?
Sign him to play third? Shortstop?
Sorry Phil, I missed the first couple of innings. I thought the game started at 7 or so, but not the case. Start time was at 6:40. I guess the Angels want to get the games over as soon as possible.
Speaking of the Angels, what a slug and disinterested player Anthony Rendon is. Moreno signs him for 7 years and $245,000,000. He’s played 254 games in almost five years. Rendon stated last year that baseball is not a priority for him. It’s just a way to feed his family. His family must be very healthy. Moreno and Rendon deserve each other.
Ted, great line about the Rendon family’s appetite. He’s a dog and I’m happy he didn’t like the bright lights of the LA Dodgers.
You’ll have an opportunity to see the Dodger pregame info tonight, I hope. I’m going to watch the Angel’s broadcast for a change of pace.
Let me know how it goes.
Posted below.
To be fair what he said was that Faith and family came first and then the job of baseball. It’s bad enough he doesn’t seem engaged let’s not be like some politician who only tells half truths. I have no problem with a guy who kicks ass and says faith and family come before baseball. Which is what he did. I do have a problem however with the effort he seems to put into playing the game of baseball.
To be fair, I would also point out that the guy who makes a big deal about his Christian faith sure wasn’t walking that talk when he grabbed the shirt of a heckling fan and threatened him. That earned him a richly deserved suspension.
What would Jesus do? Not that.
I don’t give a damn if he’s a believer or an atheist. The point is that he shouldn’t be prioritizing his self-professed “faith” over his family or his livelihood. If he was a truly spiritual soul, his faith should be shaping his behavior in every endeavor.
That said, Koufax did ask out of Game 1 of the ’65 World Series because it conflicted with Yom Kippur. (I’ve read that it was written into his contract.) He went on to pitch in Game 2, and threw shut outs in Games 5 and 7, winning the MVP. What a mensch.
Anyway, it’s hard not to think that Rendon got his big contract and hasn’t really shown much commitment since then. (Thank goodness the Dodgers didn’t sign him–and remember, Justin Turner said he was willing to move to 1B just in case.)
Rendon has said that he doesn’t feel he needs to prove himself to the fans–that is, the people who are ultimately paying his salary. Pretty disrespectful; no wonder he gets heckled. And of course he has also said the season is too long.
But it’s mostly Rendon’s hypocrisy that has made him probably my least favorite player. Definitely makes the all-jerk team.
Darrin Ruf, who was a Dodger for all of about 20 minutes, has not retired yet, but he has joined the coaching staff of the University of Nebraska Omaha baseball team. Wish him well. Padres get Darvish back tonight. Pirates moved Bednar out of the closer’s role.
I think ex-Angel Darin Erstad coaches the Cornhuskers baseball team at Lincoln. He punted for the Cornhuskers before he concentrated on baseball full-time.
Bear, you mentioned that Phoenix was a trucking hub with several trucking companies based there.
I’m not sure when you were last there but the number of new shipping distribution centers is staggering. It’s like they drop them from the sky, ready to do business. 100’s of loading docks in each. all the big national players are there; Amazon, Dick’s, Daimler, Boeing, Ball, Lennox, UPS, all the major box stores.
They line the newest westside freeway, the 303 running north-south, which runs from about the Anthem area north, runs into an interchange with the 60 to Wickenburg and Vegas, and hooks up with the 10, just east of Buckeye. It’s a perfect location to go east to Phoenix and west to L.A.
When I last counted there were 30 huge distribution centers up and running or under construction.
And there are even more taking over the farm land around Luke A.F. B. There’s talk of moving Luke south. I hope not, that’s where I get a bird’s eye view of the F-35’s and the F-16 coming and going.
I through you might be interested in this since you worked in and out of there for 12 years.
I have driven through several times when I went to see grandkids still living there. My oldest granddaughter is now a nurse and works at Arrowhead Hospital. Spent 2 days there once when I had pneumonia. The first company I worked for there was Doudell trucking. They have a terminal in Long Beach also. Then I worked for Marten Transport for a while. They just have a yard to store their trucks. I worked out of the Ontario terminal. I was on the 11-western states team. I worked for JB Hunt for about 2 1/2 years. Their terminal is out in Goodyear. Swift had the largest terminal when I was there. I spent the last 4 1/2 years working for Duncan & Sons. Mostly hauled containers out of the LA ports and some from the railroads. Then they got some long-haul contracts, and I jumped to that for the last two years I was there. Their terminal is out in Buckeye, which has grown considerably since I left. I also worked for 3 years driving a cement truck for Cemex.
This discussion on Rojas fascinates me. He saved The Dodgers’ ass when Mookie went down. He is AUTOMATIC at shortstop and Mookie was not even close to that.
Rojas has been so good Mookie went back where he belongs in right.
What else could we ask this guy to do LOL? He has been amazing. One of the most clutch hitters on the team and gold glove defense. Great leader.
The outfield was a problem when Mookie was at short and on the DL. Now the outfield is strong AND the SS position as well. Give me some Rojas all day long.
100%
The Rodney Dangerfield of SS. I just can’t get no respect. I love Miggy. He is clutch.
Yep…. Worth remembering that Miggy has far exceeded expectations. AF got him to be the backup, nothing more. But the Dodgers’ brain trust overestimated Lux’s ability to play SS–and Miggy seems to have new life in that aging body. Playing as well as he has ever played.
That said, the clock is ticking…
It would not surprise me if AF angles for either Adames or Kim.
Amen
I’ve been a Rojas fan since the first with the Dodgers. I was sorry to see him go to Miami. He has been a team MVP with his play, coaching Betts, and overall leadership. I know, what about Ohtani? Of course, but Rojas has been the ultimate team player. If they don’t go after a full time SS, then bring him back.
Watching the game. I’ve seen enough of Miller for 2024. 😝Try again in 2025.
I know I am splitting hairs here but thanks for squeezing Bobby on the first batter of the game ump. He gets screwed out of two strikes. A barely hit batter and a Rendon 70 mph garbage 2 rbi hit. The guy cannot get a break.
But don’t worry Bobby! The offense will take the night off to build up your spirits! I feel sorry for the guy.
There’s no other alternatives in RF that’s better than Rojas at SS except Pages against LHP. Rojas is there against RHP because his stats against RHP is good. Apparently he’s there against LHP because Doc does Doc stuff, stupid stuff.
For the most part I want to see positions filled by players that have a chance to be in that position for 5+ years. I love that Rojas makes good contact and plays good defense. I’m also intrigued by a guy like Alex Freeland who could be the shortstop for 10 years. I can see Edmand and Rojas sharing shortstop next year until Freeland is ready.
I would like to see Betts play third against lefties and RF against righties and gradually be the full time third baseman. That would leave innings for Pages, DePaula, and Outman next year.
As Rojas is discussed, let’s not forget there was a time when Barnes, Rojas, and Taylor couldn’t buy a hit. Those memories shape our current thoughts.
Bum, I want to respectfully disagree with your comment that there was a time when Barnes, Rojas and Taylor “couldn’t buy a hit”.That would be the case for CT3 and Kike. Less so for Barnes, who’s had a nice year with his limited opportunities. But not Rojas.
I will post their numbers
Season BA / OPS
Kike – .215 / .619
CT3 – .177 / .556
Barnes – .266 / .650
Rojas – .288 / .739
By Month:
Rojas had 1 poor month – he hit .182 / .490 in July. That was sandwiched in between 2 excellent months; .323 / .803 in June and .349 / .824 in August.
Kike’s best month was August at .273 / .790 but .154 / .523 in May and .167 / .532 in July.
CT3 has had 1 decent month, June .278 / .861 and 4 bad months. In March and April he was .06 / .251 and July .173 / .606. He’s better lately.
In summary, there was really no month that Rojas “couldn’t buy a hit”.
That’s the end of my defending Miggy Ro for today. Thanks
Don’t know if you’re still here Phil but here’s last night’s umpires and their assignment yesterday. Umpires: HP: Brock Ballou. 1B: Adrian Johnson. 2B: Junior Valentine. 3B: Ramon De Jesus.
I guess July stuck in my mind.
Or maybe 2023 with a line of .236.290.322.612
Phil I think you’re talking about this year and Bumsrap is talking about a previous year or more.
Doc just announced that Yamamoto will be pitching next Tuesday at home vs the Cubs
Oh I forgot to mention this in my only other post about Rojas and Pages. No analytics will say Rojas should be blocking Pages from playing against LHP and I supplied the slashlines. So that right there should tell you that the front office DOESN’T CALL ALL THE SHOTS. Doc has a say about who’s starting, bullpen changes and in game tactics. I do believe the front office gives him the Analytics, but it’s up to DOC whether or not he uses them. I’m sure Doc uses some but not all of them. Doc is not a robot in the dugout getting signals in his robot brain from the front office.
I’m not sure it’s Doc’s lineups. A couple of years ago on Backstage Dodgers Doc was talking with a new call up don’t remember who. Bob Geren came into the office and gave Doc a lineup card and said here’s tonight’s winning lineup. Since that time I’ve always believed the front office was in charge of the lineups. Also I think Betts is playing right field right now and doesn’t want to bounce back and forth between the infield and outfield. Next year might be a different story. Pages is just a bench piece right now, I agree he should be getting some playing time but he’s not moving Betts out of right or Kiermaier or Edman out of center. I do believe Teoscar could use a couple of days off but I think Taylor would get the playing time.
I have no idea what you’re talking about you gave one example. Have you not read how much Betts is a team player?
Yeah, it is pretty well reported that pitch strategy and line-ups are driven by the analytics team. Not even AF.
No, you greatly overestimate Robert’s decision making freedom
Stupid people will be stupid people.
And you have 0 examples that he makes out the lineup
The theory has always been that the starting lineups for the Dodgers are based on the analytics. Doc might write the names on the card, but I doubt he makes the decision alone. This team lives on analytics. There are cases where they might put a guy in the starting lineup who has had significant success against a certain starting pitcher. Analytics are also the reason a player like Kiermaier will be pulled immediately when a left-handed pitcher is put into the game.
I gave an example towards the top of all of the posts. There’s no way analytics says Rojas should be blocking pages against LHP. That’s on Doc. Betts at 2B and Pages in RF against LHP. It doesn’t happen because of Doc. Duh.
It’s fairly obvious what is happening with the roster. Pages is window dressing. Taylor is In a platoon with Lux. Muncy and Keke are a platoon and Kiermaier and Edman are a platoon. Edman also gives Rojas a day here and there. Betts is not going back to the infield unless there’s an injury. The writing is on the wall as it has been since the time Pages was sent down. I’m pretty sure the analytics have far more to do with making the lineup than Doc does. You’re a Doc hater that’s fine but there’s a reason he’s been the manager for 10 years.
What is your point? I already said Doc goes against the anylitics sometimes.
True, but irrelevant
Do you mean because Doc is not doing that? If so, I already mentioned that. Doc does Doc stuff stupid stuff.
I have no idea what you are now focusing on. I’m only stressing that Roberts has almost no power with lineups and pitching strategies.
This is widely reported and well-known.
Really give me proof.
Ok Phil. Dodger lineup posted on the Dodger broadcast a couple of minutes before the first pitch. Then showed the Angel pitcher’s stats for the season.
Let’s try again in 25 Bobby.
How do you get hammered throwing 99 against a crappy team?
What stuns me is almost all the hard contact comes off his 4-seamer.
and when it’s middle down.
perhaps (and I know nothing) he needs to just hammer the top of the zone like Verlander.
Early night tonight.
i have never seen a guy with his velocity who can’t use his fastball. Homeruns over and over on a 99 mph fastball. Has no clue where the ball is going. He cannot be on the playoff roster.
Edman has been all I thought he would be defensively. I thought he would run more but mb the ankle not a 100percent. Offensively he seems overmatched batting lh. He is basically a league average hitter who swings at a lot of bad pitches lowering his obp. Our stars better hit in the playoffs.
Yep, he’s a league average player, but he’s better than Kike, Kiermaier and Taylor.
You got that right.
Facing one of the league leaders in losses and looking like a AAA squad. This is the stuff that concerns me about a playoff series. They just don’t show up ready to play sometimes.
EXACTLY.
Have a bad couple of games in the playoffs and it’s over.
It’s why the playoffs are a crapshoot for every team.
One bad start last year sunk LA. They never recovered after Kershaw was lit up in the first inning of game one. And it never helps if your best players go ofer.
And here we are all hoping for Kershaw to be ready for the playoffs.
Such wisdom!!
It’s deflating for the fans. The team probably shrugs it off.