This was a series the Dodgers should have won. They were sending out Landon Knack, Tyler Glasnow, and James Paxton against Logan Webb and 2 bullpen games for SFG.
The LAD starters were in their October form as not any of the three starters got through 5.0 innings. The closest and arguably the best of the three? Landon Knack. 4.2 IP allowing 1 run. He threw 76 pitches (49 strikes). He was pulled with a 2-1 lead. Anthony Banda was the first reliever of the weekend that saw 15 relievers in a 3-game series.
Each of the LAD relievers pitched in back to back games except Alex Vesia who only pitched in Game 2.
The starters went 11.2 IP, while the relievers threw 15.1 IP. The starters allowed 15 runs, while the relievers allowed 7.
- Anthony Banda – 1.1 IP
- Daniel Hudson – 2.0 IP – 3 runs
- Ryan Yarbrough – 3.0 IP
- Blake Treinen – 1.0 IP – 2 runs
- Johan Ramirez – 2.1 IP – 1 run
- Michael Petersen – 2.2 IP
- Evan Phillips – 2.0 IP – 1 run
- Alex Vesia – 1.0 IP
Not a good weekend for the vaunted LAD pitching staff.
BTW, Garrett Crochet went 7.0 IP against Colorado. He threw 88 pitches (69 strikes). He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, 0 walks, and struck out 11 in a no-decision.
STB mentioned that CWS turned down a LAD offer for Crochet. There is no way CWS is going to accept anything LAD offers without checking in with Baltimore. Atlanta, San Diego, and Philadelphia are all connected with some interest. This decision will probably go down to July 30.
The Dodgers averaged 7 runs per game. They had 31 hits including 12 XBH (8 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR). For the weekend they slashed a respectable .274/.333/.434/.767.
But the Giants average 7.3 runs per game. They had 37 hits including 22 XBH (17 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR). For the weekend they slashed .322/.377/.591/.968. They made mince meat out of the LAD pitching.
Randy Arozarena for the weekend – 4-11 (1 HR). For the month of June .291/.424/.468/.892.
Luis Robert Jr for the weekend – 3-14 (1 HR and 1 double). For the month of June .202/.290/.483/.773.
Paul DeJong for the weekend – 4-14 (1 HR). For the month of June .240/.273/.471/.744.
I have generally been accepting of the poor hitting from the Dodgers. I have long been a supporter of Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor even when they look as if they are not MLB hitters (I know obnoxiously so). Neither Barnes nor CT3 take an AB off. But when I see Gavin Lux barely break into a trot on ground balls, and on one occasion veer off to the dugout about half way down the line, that is when my disgust took over. I am sorry, but that is not acceptable. This used to be an automatic benching in the past. Now it is accepted by management? This is what Tommy Pham finds so objectionable. Apparently Lux has no fear of being benched or optioned. Does he feel entitled?
My support for Lux is gone, and until I see him bust his ass every play, I will not be accepting of his play. I understand players like Freddie or Mookie when they do not run full out as they are trying to save their legs. But they still run it out, and I have never seen them quit half way down the line. It is not as if he is Barry Bonds and hits 70 HRs. Lux has to rely on his legs, and if chooses not to then he is making a statement. And I do not want to hear about his ACL tear. That was 16 months ago and if it still hurts, grab a dugout seat. Bring up Andre Lipcius and let’s see what he can do.
Okay. I have vented. Now it is time to face the Dbacks. The pitching matchups have been reported:
- Tuesday – RHP Bobby Miller vs RHP Ryne Nelson
- Wednesday – RHP Gavin Stone vs LHP Jordan Montgomery
- Thursday – RHP Landon Knack vs RHP Zac Gallen
Tuesday will be a big game for Bobby Miller.
Lucky Landon gets his 2nd Ace in back to back starts. (Logan Webb and Zac Gallen).
The Dodgers were never going to DFA Chris Taylor. They owe him $20+ MM, he's a postseason gamer, he's beloved by his teammates, he's the versatile Chris Army Knife. Riding it out until he figured it out was always the move. Great to see him break out.
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) June 30, 2024
Here are the latest trade rumors from @BNightengale:
▪️White Sox and LHP Garrett Crochet extension talks have stalled, so they plan to move him this summer. Half the league have already called about him. He has 2+ more seasons of team control left.
▪️The Dodgers proposed an… pic.twitter.com/Dyftzac4qr— Dodgers Tailgate (@DodgersTailgate) June 30, 2024
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT
Reno Aces (Arizona) 8 – OKC Baseball Club 2
The Great Lakes pitcher, 21 year old RHP Christian Romero started his 2nd game for OKC. He completed 5.0 innings but allowed all 8 runs, 9 hits, and 2 BB.
Deyvison De Los Santos drove in all eight of the Reno Aces’ runs. Reno initially grabbed the lead in the second inning on a RBI single by De Los Santos and Oklahoma City tied the score, 1-1, in the fourth inning on a RBI single by Austin Gauthier.
Austin Gauthier stays hot with a RBI single! pic.twitter.com/L20lLPAoge
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) June 30, 2024
De Los Santos connected on a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to put Reno ahead, 4-1. Then in the fifth inning, De Los Santos hit a grand slam out to center field for an 8-1 Aces lead.
Oklahoma City brought in its second run of the day on a RBI groundout by Hunter Feduccia.
Drew Avans drew a walk to extend his on-base streak to 24 games — the longest active streak in the PCL and OKC’s second-longest on-base streak of 2024. During the stretch, Avans is 30-for-101 (.297) with 10 extra-base hits, 14 RBI, 14 walks and 22 runs scored.
Kody Hoese recorded OKC’s lone multi-hit game, going 2-for-4. He had OKC’s only extra-base hit, double, and scored both of the team’s runs.
Tulsa Drillers 4 – Amarillo Sod Poodles (Arizona) 3
In the final game of a six-game series with Amarillo, the Tulsa Drillers were out-hit 12-4 Sunday afternoon, but the more important run column favored the Drillers. Tulsa scored three runs in the third inning without the benefit of a hit and overcame an early Amarillo lead to post a 4-3 win at ONEOK Field.
It was the 21st comeback win of the season for the Drillers.
Amarillo’s Ivan Melendez opened the afternoon’s scoring with a solo home run to lead off the second inning. It was the second homer of the series for Melendez and his sixth in his last 14 games.
The lead increased to 2-0 in the top of the third when Matt Beaty singled home Tim Tawa who had doubled.
It was a bittersweet afternoon for Amarillo starting pitcher Jamison Hill. Hill did not allow a hit nor a walk in two scoreless frames to open his outing, but he ran into difficulties in the third. Four straight walks to open the inning gave the Drillers their first run before a wild pitch tied the score. Austin Beck capped the three-run inning with a sacrifice fly that gave Tulsa the lead.
The first hit against Hill did not come until the first pitch of the fourth inning. Jose Ramos jumped on that initial pitch and lined it onto the grass berm in left-center field for his eleventh home run of the season, giving the Drillers a 4-2 lead.
#Tulsa Jose Ramos crushes his 11th home run of the season to put the #Drillers up 4-2 over the Poodles. pic.twitter.com/93s2CcYHFW
— 🇺🇸 DooM_Sal (@msalas24) June 30, 2024
Tulsa starting pitcher Kendall Williams held the two-run lead until the sixth inning when consecutive one-out doubles from A.J. Vukovich and Tim Graham made it 4-3.
Williams came within one out of matching the longest outing of the season for a Tulsa starter. The right-hander departed with two outs in the seventh.
Ben Harris got the final out of the seventh before the Drillers used an alert defensive play in the eighth to maintain the lead. With runners at first and second and no outs, Graham hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Taylor Young who was several feet off the foul line. Young was initially going to tag the runner going from second to third, but the runner stopped halfway to third. Young alertly threw to second for a force out, trapping the lead runner between second and third. After a rundown, pitcher Harris tagged the runner out to complete an unorthodox double play.
Harris got the final out in the eighth before turning things over to Lucas Wepf for the ninth inning. Wepf retired the Sod Poodles in order, including two via strikeouts, to close out the win and pick up his first save at the Double-A level.
It concluded a successful two-day stint for Wepf. He got his first Double-A win in Tulsa 10-6 win on Saturday night.
- Damon Keith – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI, double (4)
- Home Run – José Ramos (11)
Great Lakes Loons 12 – Lake County Captains (Cleveland) 10
The Great Lakes Loons appeared to be heading for a fifth straight loss after trailing the Lake County Captains 8-0 after three innings. The Loons responded by scoring 12 runs to down the Captains 12-10.
Lake County scored four runs off seven hits, all singles in the first inning. Jackson Ferris only recorded two outs, tying his shortest career outing.
The Captains grabbed two runs in the second, off two singles and a walk. Jeisson Cabrera threw a wild pitch and committed an error. Lake County added two more in the third, Angel Genao doubled home a run, getting a hit in each of the first three innings.
Down 8-0, the first three Loons reached base. Josue De Paula walked which was followed by a Dylan Campbell double. Chris Newell next-up, rocked his 20th home run of the season. He is the first Midwest League player to reach 20 homers and the sixth Great Lakes Loons player all-time to get 20.
In the fifth inning, Great Lakes tallied eight runs, the most in an inning this season. Jake Vogel doubled and was followed by an RBI single from Noah Miller. The next four Loons reached. De Paula walked, Campbell reached on an error, Newell walked, and Thayron Liranzo singled. A Jake Gelof sac fly pulled Great Lakes within one.
After Lake County’s third error the bases were loaded for Jake Vogel, who ripped a two-strike two-out go-ahead single up the middle. Noah Miller followed with his second single of the inning that was errantly thrown in from left, letting two runs come home making it 11-8.
In the middle innings, Kelvin Bautista pitched for the Loons, retiring all nine he faced.
In the seventh, Great Lakes added a run, and Lake County plated two. Kyle Nevin singled home a run, and the Captains attained five walks, scoring two. Livan Reinoso struck out Cooper Ingle stranding the bases loaded.
Brandon Neeck worked a six-out save, extending his scoreless streak to 7.2 innings. Lake County only had two runners reach in the final three frames.
- Noah Miller – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Josue De Paula – 1-2, 3 BB, 2 runs
- Chris Newell – 1-3, 2 BB, 2 runs, 3 RBI, HR (20)
- Thayron Liranzo – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run
- Jake Vogel – 2-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (3)
- Double – Dylan Campbell (15)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5 – Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego) 4
The Quakes got a huge assist from Mother Nature in Sunday’s ninth inning, as they rallied from behind for a 5-4 win over the Lake Elsinore Storm at The Diamond.
Tied at 4-4 in the ninth, a two-out pop-up on the infield off the bat of Samuel Munoz was lost in the sunny sky by Lake Elsinore third baseman Alain Camou, as Sean McLain raced home to give the Quakes a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Joseilyn Gonzalez fired three innings of scoreless relief and earned the win as he recorded the final nine outs.
Rancho led 2-0 against Storm starter Isaiah Lowe after just two innings, as RBI doubles from Jesus Galiz and Munoz gave them the early advantage.
The Storm tied the game against Rancho’s Roque Gutierrez, as he surrendered a two-out, two-run single to J.D. Gonzalez in the fourth, making it a 2-2 affair.
The Storm took the lead against Waylin Santana in the sixth, as Jose Sanabria and Chase Valentine collected two-out, run-scoring hits for a 4-2 lead.
Rancho chipped away though, getting a run in the seventh on a Wilman Diaz RBI groundout, then another in the eighth, on an RBI groundout from Alexander Albertus, evening the game at 4-4 against eventual loser Will Varmette, who surrendered the game-winner in the ninth.
Eriq Swan is slated to throw for Rancho on Monday.
- Samuel Munoz – 2-5, 2 RBI, double (5)
- Oswaldo Osorio – 2-5, 2 runs, 2 doubles (9)
- Doubles – Jesus Galiz (9), Cameron Decker (3)
I hate losing to the Giants, that being said, there were some good things that came out of the weekend. Taylor had 3 hits in 4 at bats including a homer and a double. Although Heyward only had one hit, it was a triple that scored two in the big 11th inning of game 2. He only struck out once in the series, but he hit several balls very hard, just at someone. Freeman and Ohtani combined to go 4-22 with 2 doubles a homer and 3 RBI’s. Your big guns have a weekend like that, you are not going to win many games. Muncy coming back will stretch the lineup out. Also, I do not understand giving Smith a day off when they have Monday off and he just seems to be regaining his stroke. 4-10 in the series with 4 runs driven in. The pitching will work itself out. Giants changed their approach and were hacking from the first pitch instead of being selective. They should have won game one, two bad pitches cost them the game, they were never in game three.
Muncy coming back isn’t going to help the pitching. It could be a long summer and it started in San Francisco. Glasnow, Yamamoto, Buehler, Miller, Stone, Paxton, Kershaw – when healthy is there a better staff in baseball? But….. all of them need time off.
I think the offense will be fine. Hopefully CT has righted himself. Kiké will be a .200 hitter with the occasional extra base hit. Freddie needs time off. Mookie and Muncy will return and do what they do but both may be somewhat reduced initially. I’m still hopeful Lux will be replaced and my choice for that remains Bichette. We need starters, whether from the system or trade we need a couple of guys who can eat innings in August and September. Getting them now would be preferable but I don’t expect that to happen. 4 weeks to the deadline.
Put this series in the rear view. Win 6 out 10 the rest of the way. The West is still ours. I don’t see us f’n that up.
If Lux should be benched for not running out a ball but isn’t whose fault is that? The manager!
Lux is the poster boy for playing the game passively. He seems to accept failure as if it was preordained.
Even his batting stance seems passive. Looks like he’s hiding in the closet with a broom hoping the burglar won’t open the door and find him.
The happiest guy to finally see we were leaving San Francisco is Andy Pages!!
In 14 games and 36 AB’s in June, Taylor is hitting, .278/.333/.528/.861 with 2 HR. Encouraging if he can keep it up.
The Lux show is getting old. Put him in a trade for someone useful.
Good amount of positive press about Wepf.
Dodger Blue says the Dodgers are looking for an impact starting pitcher. I agree. Staff is thin and there are too many question marks about the guys who are injured.
Per Plunkett:
#Dodgers have lost a lot of talent to the IL. With a big lead in the division though, GM Brandon Gomes says the focus as the trade deadline approaches is on “bigger-picture moves.
Exact words follow:
“I think right now it’s kind of evaluating how this group is playing. It’s still quite a talented group,” General Manager Brandon Gomes said. “Make sure we’re playing well and not having to step on anybody too much. But a lot of it will be wait-and-see on that front.
“We’re fortunate enough to be in a good spot in the division right now. So that will dictate a lot of it. So depending on how things progress – do we have to make moves that are more focused on the now or can we continue to evaluate and focus on bigger-picture moves?”
Augie Garrido, my favorite college coach not named Rod Dedeaux. While the approach would not be accepted at MLB, the message is clear. My son wanted to play for him in the worst way.
Will this approach work for today’s Dodgers? No. Way too many comfortable multi-millionaires in today’s game.
Toronto reportedly plans to place starter Yusei Kikuchi, catcher Danny Jansen, reliever Yimi García, designated hitter Justin Turner, and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier on the trade block, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale also wrote that the Blue Jays still want to make one last run with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
How can you blame them. That is their core. Why not give it one last shot. Of course one can say never, but if they are not being made available, AF is never going to offer what will be needed to get Bichette out of Toronto. He will live with Rojas/Kiké at SS, Mookie at 2B for 2024, and wait to sign Willie Adames next winter.
Dodgers do not need Danny Jansen. Yimi Garcia has elbow ulnar neuritis and is on the IL. Kevin Kiermaier? They have that in James Outman. Justin Turner? Maybe as the next LAD manager. I cannot see trading prospects for a 39 year old DH. And for those that remember him as a 3B, for 2024 – 56 games (51 starts) at DH, 9 games (9 starts) at 1B, and 5 games (4 starts) at 3B. He played complete games twice at both 1B and 3B. The plus side is that he could be a hitter coming off the bench for the playoffs. Maybe this year’s David Freese?
LHSP Kikuchi is probably a 160-170 IP per year. This is the 2024 Lance Lynn acquisition. A back of the rotation pitcher. This is more likely what AF/BG will acquire because they do not want to trade any of their prospects before their 26th birthday. And they will get their PR machine (no team has a better PR BS team) to spin it that the Dodgers got the best pitcher available at the deadline.
Crochet is going to be traded. CWS has said so much as soon as Crochet said no on an extension. I have no clue as to who will trade for him, but I honestly do not believe it will be the Dodgers. Maybe Baltimore. San Diego will offer more. The Dodgers will come in 3rd place…again.
My choice for a trade with Toronto is RHRP, Trevor Richards. He is basically a 2-pitch pitcher, a 4-seamer and a hellish change. He throws the change about 61% with a .118 batting average against (BAA) and a 30.8% whiff rate. He throws his 4-seamer about 39%. His BAA is .169 and 14% whiff rate. He is in his free agent walk year. He is making $2.15MM. This is the type of reliever that AF is most comfortable trading for.
I asked Blake Harris the following question for his Monday Mailbag.
Jeff Dominique — Any updates on injuries to Maddux Bruns, Ben Casparius, and Jared Karros? Both Bruns and Casparius are on the IL. Karros is listed as active, however has not pitched since June 9.
Blake’s response:
Minor league injuries are tough because unless it’s really something major, they don’t share a lot of information. So sadly, there’s not really much news to pass along. Same with Zyhir Hope, who we haven’t seen since the end of April. Hopefully these guys return soon!
That is the answer I expected, but I was hoping that he may have had more inside info.
We are just not going to get any injury info for MiLB players. I guess that is better than the bad information we often times get on the MLB players.
Trying to name players they might go after is all guess work anyway. The Dodgers have not been very open about who they might be targeting at the deadline. I mean, how many of us knew anything about them trying to trade for Rodriguez until after the deal fell through. I was totally taken off guard when they made the trade for Rosario and for Kelly and Lynn. Nats are DFAing Eddie Rosario since they called up their number one prospect. He is having a really bad season. Under the Mendoza like. Even though he has 7 homers. Robert has his avg up to .205. But he went 1-6 in their loss to the Rockies. The game went 14 innings.
Excellent vent.
If Bichette isn’t in play, I’d be fine with DeJong. He’d be cheaper and he’s having a better year. I’d rather have DeJong on the roster than Lux, who I think would head to Sox in the deal.
And surely the Sox will deal Crochet, who reportedly has shown no interest in signing an extension.
What would Crochet + DeJong cost?
And I doubt that the Dodgers have rejected the idea of Robert,
FWIW, Taylor has hit to an.861 OPS over the past 30 days. Here’s hoping he can keep that up.
Over the same period, Lux has hit to a .605 OPS.
Not long ago, I was concocting trade scenarios to dump Taylor’s salary. But he’s a lot more versatile than Lux, and Lux’s contract is much easier to deal.
And it’s interesting to read the critiques here of Lux’s body language.
I had figured the Mookie-Rojas-Lux mashup at the keystone might work well, assuming the Lux would deliver on offense. Batting near the bottom of the order, the job is to get on base. For the full season, his OBP is a dismal .270.
And I was really optimistic about Lux. Before the season started, I marveled about the potential of the new offense, because…
Shohei> JDM
Teoscar> Peralta
Lux > Rojas
In fact, Rojas has been far, far superior to Lux. In fact, their offensive numbers could be reversed, and we wouldn’t complain much about Rojas because of his defense.
Seriously, the deal for Rojas might have been AF’s best ever in terms of return. I wish the best for Jacob Amaya, but I’m not sure where he’s playing now.