Over their long history, the Dodgers have had several very good closers. One of the more successful when they were in Brooklyn was Hugh Casey in the 40’s. Hugh only recorded 49 saves, but back then the save was not a recognized stat. Joe Black was a reliever before they decided to use him as a starting pitcher.
Far and away the most successful reliever in Brooklyn though was Clem Labine. Labine would record 81 saves for the Dodgers, 69 of those came while the team was in Brooklyn. Clem also made some starts for the team, perhaps his best came in game 6 of the 1956 Series, a 1-0 win that kept the Dodger hopes alive.
Phil Regan had one of the most dominant seasons of any reliever in Dodger history. Regan only pitched two full seasons with the Dodgers. And then just 5 games with the team in 68 before being traded to the Cubs with Jim Hickman for Ted Savage and Jim Ellis. 1966 was Regan’s best season as a reliever.
Regan would earn his nickname, The Vulture as he would swoop in and get a win. He recorded 21 saves that season and win 14 while only losing 1. His ERA was a miniscule 1.62, by far the best of his career. The Dodgers had traded SS Dick Tracewski to the Tigers for Regan in December of 1965.
They traded for him to be a partner with LHRP, Ron Perranoski. It turned out to be a good decision since Perranoski had lost some of his effectiveness since his standout 1963 season. 1966 would be only the second time in his career with the Dodgers that he would record less than double digit saves.
Phil was born in Otsego, Michigan on April 6th, 1937. He lettered in three sports at Wayland High School. He spent one year at Western Michigan University before signing a contract with the Detroit Tigers in 1956. He would compile a 61-42 record with a 3.76 ERA as a starting pitcher before being called up by the Tigers in 1960.
He made his major league debut on July 19th of 1960 against the Washington Senators. He entered the game with the Tigers down 3-0. He gave up two hits in five innings of work, one of them a homer to Harmon Killebrew. He made his first career start against the Orioles in the second game of a doubleheader. He left with the game with two outs in the 9th inning, the bases loaded, and the game tied 3-3. Relief pitcher, Clem Labine, walked Jim Gentile to drive in the winning run, and Regan had his first loss.
Regan went 0-4 in his rookie season. He would get his first career win the next season against the Orioles. He went 10-7 in 1961 with a 5.25 ERA. After a 1-5 start to his season in 1965, he was demoted to the minors. After the season, he called the Tigers GM and asked for a trade. On Dec 15th he was traded to the Dodgers.
Phil Regan of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1966 season. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)
The Dodgers envisioned him as a reliever, so he worked as a late inning reliever. He would become Walter Alston’s go to guy during the season. His nickname, The Vulture, was given to him by Sandy Koufax. According to Sandy, he would swoop in late in the game and get a victory. In the series loss to Baltimore, he got into two games and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings.
The Dodgers were a totally different team in 1967. Koufax had retired. The starting rotation now featured Sutton, Drysdale, Osteen and Singer. The offense was not very good. They were last in the league at .236 in hitting. Regan was sharing time with Perranoski, who once again was the team leader in saves with 16, and Jim Brewer. Regan went 6-9 with 6 saved and a 2.99 ERA. He had started three games in his time with the Dodgers. He would only start one more the rest of his career.
Early in 1968 after five games with a 2-0 record, he was traded to the Cubs. Regan would spend five seasons with the Cubs notching 60 of his career 92 saves with them. His record over that time was 32-26 with an ERA of 3.44. He finished his career with the White Sox, pitching in 10 games in 1971 and going 0-1. He then retired at the age of 35. He was 92-81 for his career with an ERA of 3.84. He pitched one complete game shutout in his career and hit the only home run of his career in that game.
After he retired, he went into coaching. His first coaching job was at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He took the job simply because it was close to home. He was the head coach there from 1973-82. He won the Great Lakes conference title twice and the NAIA District 23 title twice.
In 1983 he became the Mariners minor league pitching instructor and an advance scout. In 1984 he was named their major league pitching coach. He earned a two-game suspension in 1985 for bumping umpire Darryl Cousins during a game with the Angels. He resigned his position with the Mariners following the 1986 season. In 1987, he joined the Dodgers, where he would stay for six years as their major league special assignment and advance scout. He was up for the Florida Marlins managerial opening in late 1992 but pulled his name from consideration.
He then joined the Indians in the strike shortened 1994 season. In 1995, he was hired as manager by the Baltimore Orioles. The season started late and was shortened to 144 games. The Orioles went 71-73 missing the playoffs and finishing third. He was fired and replaced by Davey Johnson. It would be his only managerial job.
He would later manage in both the Dominican and Venezuelan Winter Leagues. He managed the Dodgers AAA team in Albuquerque for one season, 1996. From 97-99 he was the major league pitching coach for the Cubs, 97-98 and then Cleveland, 99. He retired from baseball during the 2020 season. He had been the pitching coach there after Dave Eiland was fired.
In 2023, Regan sued the Mets organization for age discrimination and wrongful termination after the 2019 season. The suit alleged a harassment and a hostile work environment. Regan is now 87 years old.
Dodger Game Summary
The Dodgers lost 4-3 to the Phillies. Gavin Stone got the start and went 4.2 innings giving up 9 hits and all 4 runs. Schwarber tagged him for a solo shot in the first inning. In the second, Marsh doubled and then scored on a Merrifield ground out. Meanwhile, Sanchez kept the Dodgers off of the scoreboard until the top of the fourth inning. Hernandez singled, then Pages singled sending Teo to third. Rojas came up and hit a ball to the second baseman, Stott, who only had one play, forcing Pages out at second while Hernandez scored.
Dodgers tied it up in the top of the 5th. Kike walked; Outman struck out. Barnes then hit a single sending Kike to third. Ohtani then hit a soft liner to center scoring Kike. Hernandez and Freeman then made outs and the threat was over. The Phillies retook the lead in the top of the fifth. Merrifield hit a fly ball to center field that Pages totally misjudged and lost. It went for a triple. After retiring Stubbs and Schwarber, Stone gave up a slow roller to short by Trea Turner. Rojas could not make the play on the speedy Turner and Merrifield scored. Bohm singled sending Turner to third. Banda was brought in to relieve. Stott hit a ball that Taylor at second had no chance of making a play on and Turner scored. That was all the Phillies would need.
With Alvarado on the mound in the 8th inning, Pages doubled to center field. Rojas followed with another hit, scoring Pages, but Rojas was called out at second trying for a double. The Dodgers challenged saying he was pushed off of the bag, but the call was upheld. Hoffman came in to close and got the last three outs in the 9th inning. Will Smith was the last out and he hit a long drive to right that was caught by Castellanos right in front of the wall. Stone took his third loss. Rojas drove in 2 of the three runs, Ohtani the other. Pages, Ohtani and Barnes, each had two hits. Barnes got his average up to .250.
Minor League Scores
El Paso 12 OKC 3 El Paso trailed 2-0 early, but then jumped all over OKC’s pitchers to score 10 runs over the last four innings. Joe Kelly pitched 1/3rd of an inning and was not effective at all. He gave up 1 hit, 3 walks and allowed 4 runs. He got the loss. River Ryan went 5 innings giving up 2 runs, striking out 6 and walking 2. The two runs came on a homer by Eguy Rosario. Avans, Cartaya and Owings had 2 hits each. Cartaya is now hitting .300.
Tulsa 12 Corpus Christy 5 Tulsa jumped out to a 5-2 lead after two only to have CC tie it with three straight one run innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the Drillers scored 2 to take the lead back. They then scored 1 in the seventh and 4 in the eighth for the total of 12. Lockwood-Powell hit two homers, and Freeland also homered. Freeland went 2-4 with 3 driven in. Lockwood-Powell was 2-5 with 4 driven in. Fernandez and Alleyne also chipped in 2 hits apiece. Chris Campos pitched the first five innings and got the win. He allowed 5 runs on 7 hits with 8 K’s and a walk. He allowed 2 homers. Sublette, Hobbs and Henriquez all pitched scoreless innings.
Fort Wayne and Great Lakes game was postponed due to rain and will be made up tomorrow in a doubleheader.
Rancho 11 Stockton 9 Rancho came back from an 8-1 deficit in the 4th inning to win 11-9 in regulation. They scored 10 runs over the last five innings. Stockton helped their cause with 4 errors. Kendall George was 3-6 and scored 4 times. McLain and Perez also had 3 hits each and McLain drove in 4. Three of them came on a triple. Decker had 2 hits and drove in 3 including the 2 winning runs on a single, that was turned into three bases on an error by the outfielder. Cabrera pitched one inning of scoreless relief for the win, his 4th. And Ruebeck got his second save.
Phillies probably the team to beat in the NL. They have a deep , potent lineup. 4 excellent starters and a lockdown bullpen with hard throwers from the right and left side.
Dodgers put up a good fight with the difference in the game that misplayed triple. Pages has to catch that ball and the inning ends scoreless.
Good to see Barnes heating up a bit. Since he is not going anywhere that is one bat less to worry about.
Cartaya increasing his trade value.
Ryan rather sooner than later will be up IMHO.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Phils at this point are the class of the league. And they only will get better when Realmuto gets back. Jays said to only be interested in trading their players on expiring contracts per MLBTR. Angels also per same source.
Dodgers need 2 starters plus one competent bat at the deadline.
Since we are facing a 40 roster crunch in the offseason anyway we should deal from strength which is pitching and catching prospects.
Looking ahead to 2025 we will likely have Glasnow, Yamamoto, Miller, Kershaw, Gonsolin, Sheehan, May, Ohtnai and hopefully Sasaki vying for 5 starting spots.
This should enable us to include guys like Wrobleski, Knack, Ryan in potential trades with the next wave of talented arms coming right behind them (Bruns, Kopp, Campos, Ferris and others).
On the catching side Smith is signed for years. Enables us to include guys like Rushing, CArtaya, Lirano in potential trades.
At this moment I would definetely go after Flaherty and Crochet on the pitching side and Arozarena and Pham for the outfield.
Should Yamamoto and Glasnow return healhy for the stretch run I would go after Flaherty. If one of them is not able to return I would go after Crochet.
If both Glasnow and Yamamoto are done we are cooked anyway.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The problem is that at this pt we need Wrobleski and Knack and maybe even Ryan just to have enough starters. Maybe by the deadline we will have Kershaw, Miller and Buehler and we can trade away pitchers but by that time the better trade targets will probably be gone.
I would go after the best starting pitcher available now if I didn’t have to give up Wrobleski, Knack or Ryan.. If we end up with too many pitchers that’s a better problem than not enough
dodgerram, the trade deadline is in three weeks. Will we know the status of Glasnow or Yamamoto by then? That’s the difficult situation that AF and his staff face. It could be a no win scenario for them. Regardless, I say no to Crochet. He’s more of what the Dodgers already have. A pitcher exceeding career innings pitched and a injury history. With the prospect haul to obtain him it’s too risky IMHO. As for Flaherty, I believe he is having back issues right now. Again, we have enough infirmed pitchers.
As far as a 2025 rotation I feel the available pitchers could be less than you have listed. I doubt May even pitches again and if he does it should be out of the BP. Gonsolin could possibly be another BP piece. Sheehan will probably still be recovering from TJ surgery, but may be available later in the season. Kershaw will most likely retire. You might have wanted to include Stone as he is having a breakout season. So, Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Stone, and Miller. Then there are the others that are close to being permanent members of a starting staff. The Dodgers will most likely need 10-12 starters to get through the season if history is any indication.
As far as position players I have no idea what the team is looking for. AF seems to pull off trades for players we had no idea the front office was looking at. Your thoughts are as good as anyone else’s.
Forgot Stone, my bad.
Makes it even better for 2025.
I understand you are reluctant to trade away starting pitching prospects but if you dont you very likely will lose some of them in the Rule 5 draft then.
Go Dodgers””””””””””””””””
Wrobleski is not rule 5 eligible yet. They will lose a few, they always do.
Kershaw is far from a lock to be back. He hasn’t even thrown a pitch in a major league game yet, and who knows how effective he will be when he does.
The Phillies are a powerhouse.
And it’s been are reported to be shopping for a centerfielder….
While Robert has the most upside–and highest cost–I could see the Phillies got after Jazz Chisholm. (Belli has also been rumored, but he is now on the IL .)… But I think Jazz would be a good fit. The could even consider him batting leadoff, with Schwarber moving to the middle of the order.
The Phillies could also go for a corner OF and shift Brandon Marsh to CF. The March-O’Hoppe deal with the Angels has been a win for both teams.
I don’t recall a lot about the Dodgers from June of ‘66 to June of ‘69. I was busy during those years. Kinda f’d up for a few years after that. What am I saying, I’m still f’d up today.
I hope the Dodgers can both get back the players that have been lost to injury and the bench players can contribute more than they have. Improving all the existing weak spots cannot be done at the deadline. A starting pitcher, a reliever and a solid hitter would be ideal, but it’s my opinion if the players that were counted on when the season started don’t play up to expectations through October the Dodgers season will end with another L. I remain hopeful that this team, and team management, will get it together in time to make a deep run in the playoffs..
I was in AIT in June of 66 learning my MOS as a radar tech, spent 67 in Korea and most of 68-69 in Texas. Watched when I could, followed all the time in the Sporting News. I really miss reading that.
A difficult loss last night. It’s too bad the Dodgers have so many injured players right now. At full strength It would have given the teams a chance to see how they really stack up against one another. The current comparison gives Philly a look of a much more talented team than the Dodgers. Offense, defense, and pitching. If the Dodgers can somehow get all these injured players back before the end of the season I would think they could field a better team than Philly. Definitely more competitive than they’re showing right now.
The next couple of weeks should be interesting for AF and Dodger fans.
Carry on.
Yup, Ted, the Phillies look to be the class of the National League over the Braves. There doesn’t appear to be many weak hitters in their line up. And I like their pitching.
And I like Baltimore, with their young roster in the AL.
You mentioned wanting to see both the Phillies and the Dodgers match up at full-strength. Me too. I’m taking the liberty of re-posting something I wrote:
“We have 2 solid starting pitching staffs, and a couple of relief pitchers on the shelf:
Micheal Grove 15 day IL
Yamamoto – 15 day IL and who knows?
Walker Beuhler – 15 day IL and ineffective
Ryan Brasier – 60 day IL and 36 yrs old
Tyler Glasnow – 15 day IL. Probably or a rest
Clayton Kershaw – TBD
May – TBD
Gonsolin
Emmet Sheehan
Joe Kelly – RHRP. 60 day IL but throwing?
Graterol – RHRP. TBD”
“So between the injuries, subpar performances, some questionable roster management, and Doc, this currently isn’t close to the team we all expected. The question is how temporary is this mess? Can Mookie and the IL pitchers return and bail us out. Can AF pull some rabbits out of his hat at the deadline? Will we replace some of the bottom feeders?
And through it all we are miraculously still leading the Division.
Go figure.”
Nice feature Bear, on Phil Regan. Thanks
Any time Phil. I hardly remember him since I was away and, in the Army. But I always thought the season he had in 66 and Perranoski’s 63 season, were two of the best ever by Dodger closers. I know Gagne had all those saves, but both of those guys did it in pennant winning years. LA’s starting staff was so good in 63 that Perry only pitched 2/3rds of an inning in the World Series. The other three games were complete game wins.
From the Nos. 6-9 spots, the Dodgers rank in the bottom third of the majors in batting average (.216) and OPS (.625). They regularly use platoons at as many as three positions, but have still struggled to find much bottom-half consistency.
Pham and Rengifo would both be upgrades.
Pillar could be an option as well.
Send Lux down to OKC and bring up Lipcius for a look before the deadline. Or DFA Biggio and bring up Lipcius.
Jack Harris’ column mentions all the names we’ve been talking about here. He too hasn’t a clue what the team may do but his headline suggests the team may be bottom feeders in the trade market.
He does mention Muncy and a quote from Roberts saying the longer this goes on the harder it will be for Muncy to get his mojo back. Who knows how Betts will be when he returns. Broken bones in the hands can be tender for months. The team needs both those guys to compete for a pennant. And of course, they need starting pitching. A starting rotation of Glasnow, Yamamoto, Miller, Paxton, Buehler, Sheehan, Kershaw, and Stone looked like enough a few months ago. Looks invisible now.
I think Robert and Pepiot will soon be Dodgers.
Fine with me.
Can you add Bichette?
Is that just wishful thinking, Fred? What possible reason would the Rays have for trading a young pitcher whose last 4 games have been just fine and whom they control through 2028 at a nice low salary.
Their MO is to trade guys a little early if they are going to start costing money, salary-wise. That doesn’t apply here.
If you are actually being serious here, what would you offer them for Pepiot that would make them say yes?
Isn’t Pepiot having a rough season in TB?
5-5 with a 4.20 ERA. WHIP is 1.131. 91 Ks in 81,1 innings pitched. Has only started 16 games. But considering how the Rays have played, he has pitched decent.
Last 4 games (18 innings), his ERA is a fraction below 3.00 and he has 18 k’s in the 18 innings. Still walking a few too many, though.
My thoughts about Pepiot are several starts old so if he has been pitching better lately then it will be harder to get him. Still, the Rays might prefer a two for one pitcher trade given they are not in it this year.
Elfin is at the top of their list as a player who might be moved.
I’m actually concerned about Mookie. As you stated a broken hand can take months to completely heal and trying to hit major league pitching with a hand that isn’t 100% is a challenge. Maybe he’ll be ok come playoff time but I think we need to keep our expectations in check that he’ll be the same Mookie as before his injury.
A genuine concern for sure, but Mookie seems pretty positive he is going to be ok.
I seem to remember Reagan letting inherited runners score to tie the game, take away the win from the starter and then become the pitcher of record to get the win. Thus the low era and the name Vulture.
I remember the Reagan era. Not gonna talk about it here.
Could be, but that ERA is pretty impressive none the less.
Some news from around the league. Cubs signed Trayce Thompson to a minor league contract. He suited up for Iowa last night and had a hit in 4 at bats, he also scored two runs. Bellinger was hit in the hand by a 97 MPH fastball and will have tests today. He was immediately removed from the game. Kenta Maeda is being moved to the bullpen and most likely will not return to the rotation for the Twins. His ERA is above 7. Bo Bichette was removed from last night’s game. He is having problems with soreness in his right calf. Same problem that put him on the IL last month. Yordan Alvarez was pulled from last night’s game with tightness in his right hip.
RIP The great Shelley Duvall, owner of this ode to Bluto:
Well then go get yourself some of that olive oil
what?!?
Last season the Phillies and Dodgers had a combined record of 12-8 versus Arizona.
all you need to win in the playoffs and WS is to get there and have skill.
that’s it. Too much variance beyond that.
It is going to be a very interesting 19 days. You have to wonder if other teams will make early moves to get a jump on the good players.
My prediction: the expensive guys will go quickly to teams who will likely make the playoffs. A couple of the inexpensive guys will land here.
Our future rests primarily in the bats and arms that are already here. I don’t see Kiké or CT3 being dumped. Lux? I can see him being traded. Pages and Vargas? One will remain.
There’s still time. My prediction could change.
I agree with that assessment. Robert Jr. is going to cost someone a lot of talent if the Sox decided to move him. AF is not going to get caught in a bidding war.
Just read a story about Buehler on Dodger Blue. Unlike many pitchers who stay with the team or go to the team’s training facility when trying to work on their mechanics or other issues, Buehler is in Florida working with Cressy Sports Performance. He has been communicating with the Dodgers pitching coaches and has been throwing bullpens there. The idea was Buehler’s, and Roberts said the Dodgers are fully supporting him.
I’m trusting he is taking his time and will be back for the stretch run.
Cubs place Cody Bellinger on the IL with fractured finger.
Probably takes him out of the deadline trade discussion.
Definitely as does his contract. Broken fingers do not heal very quickly
Knack almost 40 pitches in one inning. It looks like it might be Kiké to finish this one.
3 straight times now we have held runners at third on a basehit with Ohtani coming up. All 3 times less than 2 out. The first time Ohtani singled the next 2 he struck out. 2 of those times we could have easily scored. With all the trouble we have scoring it seems we should be more aggressive. Once again we cannot put the ball in play to score a run. We are one of the worst teams in the league at situational hitting. Our philosophy is to hit homers. Will this change? No u have the same people in charge as last year.
You wrote:
We are one of the worst teams in the league at situational hitting.
based on what stat? I checked last game and they were right in the middle of the pack.
Last I looked at baseball reference they were 19th. Today is not helpful.so they are at the bottom half of the league if that makes it better.
Yeah. That’s better. They are definitely not the worst, and regressing to the mean will help assuredly.
The Dodgers are not an aggressive team. It’s frustrating to watch. Having a field manager who’s more of a camp counselor does not help.
We need a new centerfielder.
Outman is a mess.
Jays just put Kiermaier on waivers. Doesn’t help much with the bat, but one of the best center fielders in the game.
Back on a line drive. I learned that in Little League
This team just looks off. Maybe playing Detroit will help turn it around. If not, go home, rest up, and come back ready to play better.
Yep. Teo with a Tootblan.
Wow! A sweep! You mean to tell me the best team in MLB swept the Dodgers easily? Who could have seen this coming? Actually everybody.
I think this makes them now what, 14-16 over the last 30 games? Ive never seen a club so unconcerned with winning ball games. Winning is secondary to the Dodgers.
But this is great right? The multiple .200 hitting utility players in the lineup every day, the walking wounded, 15 pitchers on the injured list. The lack of concern. Why worry? Why make any changes? Just keep doing the same thing every day. Keep rolling out the same guys day after day after day after day. Got that 7.5 game lead over San Diego. Just put on cruise control until October when they can be swept out of the first round.
Gotta do more openers! More bullpen games! More appearances from Journeymen relievers. Give more At-bats to Biggio, and Taylor, and Kike, and Lux. (Lux homered today! Ha! His avg is now up to .210! What an all-star!) 5 Whole hits today! What a team effort, and you can really feel the fire from this club. They wanna win those ball games, no question there.
Don’t need any base-running, or that pesky situational hitting. Why bother? We just slug slug slug.
Maybe all 20 players on the injured list will be back and full strength by August. Just gotta keep praying and hoping and crossing our fingers they all come back. No need to add any difference makers at the trade deadline, just get us one more .215 hitting utility player, you know for the versatility! Gotta pick up another reliever that’s had at least 2 tommy johns. This is so great! They’re on pace for 87 wins. Fantastic!
Obvously I’m being sarcastic here, but this team is headed for rock bottom. and that is coming soon. More losing on the way. Enjoy it! (I’m talking to you Bluto) 😉
22-22 over their last 44 games. Scott, this is not going to be the same 26 players come August 1st. Changes will be made.
Just ignore him, Bear.
He’s just looking for attention.
It’s value-less content.
Your content has no value Bluto.
I’m telling it like it is.
Totally disagree Bluto. Listen to the man….and learn. -TM
I can’t see the Dodgers making any big changes other than a couple of players. Who would want Taylor, Kike, or Biggio? Lux, what could he realistically bring? We are not dealing from strength here. I can see the FO making some stabs at mediocre players, but productive players? The only luck the Dodgers have had is the poor play of the Padres that keep them behind us. But, if this drought continues, the odds may change. This is a very boring team to watch.
Kinda agree. Beyond the fact that Kershaw, Graterol and Muncy are on the 60. That means at a minimum three spots need to be opened on the 40
i guess if Muncy’s return is really in question, and there is no reason to think it is, then really it’s one position player and maybe what? An inning eater to get to when Yamamoto returns?
maybe a better Kike? Maybe I would like to see it, but it’s marginal at best
I still think Arozarena and Eflin will be AF’s big move and maybe DeJong to pair with Rojas at short
I think that would be great.
If Arozarena brings his A game, it could be great. And I think DeJong makes a lot of sense.
So, assuming good health for Mookie and Max, maybe…
Ohtani DH
Mookie 2B
Freddie 1B
Dills C
Max 3B
Teo RF
Arozarena LF
Pages/Outman CF
Rojas/DeJong SS
I’m assuming here that Vargas would be part of the package for Arozarena, and Lux part of the deal for DeJong…and Fedde.
Yes, the Dodgers couldn’t get much for Taylor, Kike or Biggio. But they could get plenty for their prospects.
Actually, I think the Dodgers might be able to get DeJong for Lux straight up.
Lux was solid in ’22 and could certainly bounce back with that change of scenery stuff. He isn’t eligible for free agency until 2027. DeJong is in the final year of his contract.
If the White Sox don’t deal DeJong, they get nada.
Actually, this would be a great deal for the White Sox–so the Dodgers should expand it to include a pitcher and maybe an outfielder…
Probably changes will be made, but highly unlikely it will be enough to drastically move the needle on where this team is headed by October.
Adding Mookie and Muncy move the needle. Mookie should be back by the second week of August at the latest. Muncy is a bigger question mark and the one reason I think they look for at least one power bat. Who that might be, I do not know, but they have the resources to go get one.
When I reference “changes,” I mean trades or acquisitions, not IR players coming back.
My favorite post again Scott. You are clearly one of my favorite authors here. If that means anything to you….
This fish stinks from the head all the way down.
Why do fans continually blame Dave Roberts when it is his players not performing night after night? He has to play the hand he is dealt, and right now this team is really banged up. Guys are playing out of position, Vargas and Pages. Underperforming, name anyone in the bottom four of the lineup. Missing because of injury, the list is long. The team that took the field tonight, is not the team that will step on the field come August 1. I would be shocked if AF did not make at least two big trades at the deadline. He might even make more.
You forgot to mention the big guns at the top of the order failing miserably with RISP.
It depends on what you mean by “big trades” as to whether or not AF can accomplish this by the deadline.
He almost has to do something drastic or this whole year could go south. One of the biggest offenders, especially the last three games was Ohtani. He came up several times in position to do real damage. He drove in one run while going 3-10 with 4 strikeouts. His lone run scoring hit was a single. Freddie also had a bad series. Hernandez hasn’t hit a homer in 17 games.
Yes, he needs to do drastic things to save this season, but doing it is the hard part because, as you already know, it takes two to tango for the Dodgers to consummate that needed big trade(s).Much easier said, than done.
When he has wanted to get it done, he has. Scherzer-Turner, Darvish, Machado. And there are teams out there who value some of the Dodgers minor league talent, especially some of their young pitchers. As long as he has the backing of ownership, he can pretty much pull the trigger on any trade that is possible. I doubt he would pay the price for Robert Jr. since it is said to be very high, and the Sox already rejected one offer for Crochet. I think there is more pressure to win this year than at any other time in his tenure as the President of baseball operations. The Rays have been a frequent trade partner as have the White Sox.
No kidding Bear, Ohtani has been miserable. And that is really the point of my concern with this batting order and position players. If the Dream Team at the top of the order doesn’t hit, and hit for power, we’re toast.
We all know it’s a team game. Everyone needs to step at some point and produce.
With this team once in a while everybody produces, typically with the long ball, and we get all excited. The next time the top hits, usually the long ball, and we all get excited. Once in a blue moon, the bottom hits at all, and we all get excited. But lately, nobody hits, particularly the long ball and nobody gets excited. Too many holes in this line up and too much reliance on slug for us to win. And we ain’t.
He seems to have reverted back to what he was doing at the beginning of the season, not being patient and getting a pitch to drive when runners are on base. He rolls over on the ball way too much and chases those inside pitches he can never hit. You make a mistake, and he usually crushes it, but he missed a few this week. I also hate watching Hernandez with RISP. He is one of the worst on the team in driving those guys in. Hitting down by the Mendoza line.
I thought the head of baseball operations is Friedman, not Roberts.
Exactly. Fans want a scapegoat, blame it on the guy who built the roster. Too much faith in too many mediocre players. Why Biggio I will never understand other than he hits lefty, and they are righty heavy right now. Pages has been so so for more than a month.
Picking up on yesterday’s post regarding Brecht and Baseball Prospectus, NOW the Fangraphs mock is up.
HS SS Kellon Lindsey Trea Turner is referenced (both are white SSs, I guess. Gosh I hate COMPING)
The great Keith Law sez that because of poor competition it’s hard to project Lindsey’s offensive upside.