One of the recurring complaints about the Dodgers is that the team seems to not play with a sense of urgency. Others say that the team lacks fire and that this is directly related to their manager. Dave Roberts is a low-key type of guy. That is his managerial style. Alston was the same way. Lasorda on the other hand was an in-your-face type along the lines of Leo Durocher. And there are many who have said that this team would probably have a championship or two more if they had someone who was more fiery and not so friendly to his players.
Of course, since fans do not know what goes on in the clubhouse or on the field, they are all guessing as to what goes on behind the scenes. Because we are all basically snoopy, we really want the whole story. That’s why exposes sell so well. I remember the uproar about Jim Bouton’s, “Ball Four.” He crossed the line, what happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse. His teammates on the Yankees were pretty pissed.
The Dodgers have had a few incidents of their own, the Sutton-Garvey fight that left Garv with a black eye prior to a game. Bill Russell giving a player what for in the dugout during a game. Milton Bradley melting down and tossing a water bottle at a fan. There were probably more we did not hear about. And of course, Lasorda, on National TV cussing out Doug Rau during a World Series game. The TV station did not broadcast what Tommy said, but a video of it came out much later.
Over the last several years there have only been a couple where the team was behind at this point in the season. And their lead in the division was never this close this late. By mid-September, they usually are on cruise control. Things are different now. They are not feeling pressure from just one team, they have two hot on their trail.
This homestand is a huge test for this team, and the organization. Forget the fact that the team has been racked by injuries to important players and forget that they spent well over a billion dollars in the off-season on just three players. The fans want the World Series win and they want the players to show that emotion and never say die attitude on the field. The hokey-pokey type dance they do when they get hits, that fans would see less of and more, yeah! Let’s win this thing.
As I see it, this week is a very crucial stretch for the Dodgers. They are not playing the slugs of the league, they have a 2nd place team fighting for its playoff life, a team over .500 who are trying to see what they have for next season, and a team tied for its division lead that has a load of young very talented players trying to prove themselves.
The Dodgers themselves are getting some important pieces back. Muncy and Edman, will no doubt be activated as early as today. The news came down a little while ago that Hunter Feduccia has joined the team in LA because Austin Barnes took a ball off of his toe in St. Louis yesterday and it was bloody and sore. And they are waiting on a CT scan to see the status of Freddie Freeman who jammed his finger on a ground ball on Saturday.
So, it definitely is the time to kick into high gear and show that urgency the fans feel is missing. Betts returned at the opening of the Brewers series. That was an important road trip. They could have had a 6-1 trip, but the pen and the offense had some bad days, so they were 4-3. They were extremely fortunate that over the weekend, the Padres lost 2 of 3 to the Rockies. The Diamondbacks were swept by the Rays. The lead is now 3 over SD and 4 over Arizona. Yep, time to kick it up a notch, and you are going to have to do it against some good teams.
I checked the records and the Dodgers going into this week are 29-27 against teams at .500 or over. 17 of those losses came at the hands of three teams. The D-Backs, Phillies and Padres. They will definitely have to be better than just above .500 against these opponents. They are much better at home than they are on the road, 38-22 home, 35-30 on the road. Of the 37 games left, including tonight’s, 21 of them are at home. They play 6 of their last 9 games at home. So, there is a good reason to feel pretty good about the stretch run.
But I also think it is time to show some fire and determination. Getting Muncy and Edman into the lineup can do nothing but boost the confidence of the players on the roster. For the first time in three months, this team is going to be at full strength in the field. Pitching is another conversation though. They are not at full strength and won’t be for at least a few weeks. If Glasnow comes back healthy and ready to go, and Yamamoto also, this team is much better equipped to make a run at a championship.
No minor league games tonight
Let’s tell it like it is. This is the weakest roster the Dodgers have had in several years. The neglect, arrogance, short sightedness of management has resulted in many losses this season. The misguided and boring obsessions with load management, lefty-righty matchups and .200 hitting utility players is a huge reason the Dodgers are struggling to stay in first place.
Management is sad, predictable and weak. If they get swept out of the playoffs again, heads need to roll, along with pink slips.
I disagree Scott. I think if they had not had the injuries they have, and the 9 starters they hoped would be in there every day, were, they would not have had to plug in Kike, Taylor, Heyward or any other player they picked up along the way. There is no way they could have predicted that Outman would be as awful as he was, the injuries to Mookie and Muncy. There isn’t a team in the majors who is not using load management with their pitchers. I do not think they needed to bring back Kike since they already had Taylor. As for left-right that is supposedly to make it harder late in the game for the opposition to bring in a pitcher simply for matching up. And that is not why they are struggling to stay in first place. They have lost more players to the IL than any other team. Lost WAR is 13.6. Higher than any other team, yet as of tonight, they have the best record in the majors. And the only reason the race is tight is because SD and Arizona have been playing way over their heads.
Then why continue doing load management when it clearly doesn’t work? Isn’t the reason for doing it to keep players off the injured list?
Not that I have seen. They mostly do it with players returning from the IL and the younger kids. They did it with Glasnow because he had never in his 5-year career pitched more than 120 innings, and he did that once. It might not work in your eyes, but to them it is working and needed.
Looks to me like management has been trying all year to position players for the playoffs. I’m not sure how much of the roster manipulation is kosher, but we know that Glasnow wanted to pitch and the brass said no.
I assume that teams fighting for the wild card wouldn’t have their best players getting as much rehab as the Dodgers do. I’m a little surprised that Freddie didn’t take another day or two off, but he likes to play and the division race has tightened.
Stone’s start was probably the best of any Dodger this season, and it followed an excellent Kershaw outing. Flaherty has been good, and soon we should see Glasnow and Yamamoto back. I am more pessimistic about Buehler and Miller.
I’m glad Edman will be playing some SS, if only to give Rojas a break and have KK in center. And I hope Feduccia gets a few starts while Barnes is out.
Don’t forget Stone’s complete game effort earlier against the White Sox. But I think the best was Yamamoto’s game against the Yankees. That was one hell of a performance.
Dodgers loooove UT guys and all that optionality, which is why they added Edman.
When Taylor comes back, who goes?
Maybe Heyward will strain an oblique….
Not Edman. He looked good tonight and I can see his swing is not the feeble kind. He’s fast and seems to be in control of who he is.
Definitely not Tommy. They have been pursuing the guy for several years. I can see them offering him an extension or trying to re-sign him after next year. He is only 29. Giants released Brandon Crawford.
You mean St. Louis released Crawford.
Yes, I did .
I think that their roster was much weaker last year. Injuries have depleted the roster this year but the team they put on the field tonight and their rotation of Glasnow, Yamamoto, Flaherty, and Kershaw is far superior to last year, in my opinion. They are tied for the best record in baseball in a year where they have lost more Wins Above Replacement than any other team in baseball, in fact nearly 45% more.
We are also getting a lot of help from our friends in SD and AZ. Imagine, if those two teams would have had a decent first half of the season, we would be in 3rd place now.
Good points on the lost WAR, NH.
Roster this year really much stronger withTeoscar instead of Peralta and Shohei instead of JDM. And with Lux’s bat coming to life, the middle-infield production is up and has enabled Mookie to shift back to RF. Over the past 30 days, Lux has hit to a .345 BA and 1.005 OPS.
It’s cute to think this but it’s not true.
I they were at 100% ( no injuries) this roster would be their best in years.
Dodgers have the best record in MLB. Enough said.
Lux’s journey is kinda amazing. 5 years ago he hit over .390 at AAA and was a top 5 prospect.
Struggled (those who downplay Pages or Outman should check his stats for the first couple of years) had a great 2022. Blew out his knee.
You don’t see that struggle and resilience.
Kudos for the org keeping the faith (and developing him)
It’s lovely to see.
Yes, I was always pulling for Lux. I did not see him as a SS, but he played very well at second. Nice to see him rip one over the fence tonight. He actually tied Muncy at 9 bombs, then Max hit #10.
The Dodgers did Lux, and themselves, a disservice by keeping him at SS all those years.
He debuted at age 21 in 2019, after Seager got injured. Based on the hype, I expected something special. But he was ordinary at best as a fielder, with a mediocre arm. A lot of fans saw it, but the brass saw something else.
They should have known then he was better suited for 2B–and not wait until this spring.
Lux caught fire at the right time, for the Dodgers and for himself. He was in danger of losing his job to Mookie. That still might happen if the Dodgers decide–or maybe Mookie decides–that Mookie should play 2B.
Lux, Edman and Rojas are all under contract next season as well–and that could delay Mookie’s move to the infield for another season.
I truly doubt he is going back to the infield.
Oh, I think at some point he will move back to the infield, but not at SS.
He was 9 points above average Bluto and hit 7 home runs. I wouldn’t say his 22 was great.
Only his second season with over 100 games played. Always been a platoon guy before that. Lifted his OPS 50 points from the year before. Who did they have in 22 to play second anyway? Turner had returned to SS, someone had to play there and Lux did a good job. Rather have MLB average than someone under.
Oh SUNSHINE,…..
The GOAT talking lovely. Wow!! Must have upped the meds!! Just kidding
One of my favorite words!
A conversation can be lovely.
A solution to a problem can be lovely.
Obviously a romantic partner can be lovely.
This book was a lovely read.
It works so well, and convey a deep meaning.
I have been one of the voices shouting for us to trade Lux and for him not to play SS. I got one of my wishes…glad I didn’t get the other one. Way to go Gavin….you have been the man this past month or so. Much appreciated. – TM
Was Alston really laid back. Didn’t he threaten to kick anyone’s ass who wanted a piece of him?
That happened in Pittsburgh. After losing a tough series to the Pirates, they were on the team bus headed to the airport. Traffic was heavy, it was hot and the bus had no A/C. The players were complaining and finally it all got on Walt’s nerves. He told the bus driver to pull over and stop, then he stood at the front of the bus and challenged any player who had a gripe to step off and take it up with him. He got off of the bus, but not one single player got off. And remember 6’7″ 270-pound Frank Howard was on the team. But Alston was normally pretty quiet and laid back. His nickname was The Quier Man. But he was also one of the strongest guys in the organization.
Thanks Bear.
You’re welcome. You know Walt was from Ohio. Darrtown. He was born in Venice Ohio. He passed away in Oxford.
Wow. I didn’t know that.
One man’s “quiet” is another’s “taciturn.”
I never had the impression that Alston was laid-back, though I suppose he might have seemed that way compared to guys like Durocher and Lasorda.
Nevertheless, that was his nickname. I remember Vin interviewing him at Vero a couple times. His answers were always positive, but that is baseball. You don’t say bad stuff on the air.
Have been reading the on going debate of Ohtani or Betts leading off. It is a moot point. If Ohtani wants to lead off, he will. It is not up to Doc.
I think it is much more likely Roberts/AF who have the preference.
I think they discussed it when Mookie returned. Mookie is a total team player. He was the one who suggested the move back to right because he felt that was where the team needed him the most.
No bad choice between the two.
One benefit of Shohei batting first is that he’ll have a better shot at a 50/50 season. Not really important for the team’s success, but I’d still love to see it.
But it would also be fun to see him batting with Mookie and Freddie on base too.
36 games left; he needs 11 homers to do it. He would have to get hot very fast.
A very satisfying win.
Stone was spectacular, and Lux and Max came up big. Edman, the new guy, singled and stole a base. Seems a good fit for the “second lead-off” role.
Edman is slated for SS tomorrow, so Kiermaier must be back at CF.
Today’s lineup might be what we should expect in the postseason:
Shohei DH
Mookie RF
Freddie 1B
Teo LF
Lux 2B
Smith C
Max 3B
Rojas SS
Edman CF
That’s a deep lineup. On a postgame show, somebody suggested that Max batting 7th is like having “a second cleanup hitter.”
And if the Dodgers want to put their very best defense on the field, perhaps….
Teo Kiermaier Mookie
Edman Rojas Lux Freddie
(pitcher)
Smith
Bear, do the teams get 26 players or 28 for the postseason roster?
A big shoutout to Stone. It certainly looks like he’s achieved a milestone in his career and should be heading in the same direction with even more confidence. Maybe he is our new ace. He should definitely be on our playoff lineup.
And, looks like Max is ready to play ball. The HR is his thing. He is an RBI man. It’s pretty amazing the Dodgers trying to pull it all together with new players at the end of a season. That is rare.
I’m just not a fan of fiery speeches and public confrontations by managers to motivate players. All that shit should be handled behind closed doors, in the clubhouse. I have never seen a fiery pregame speech or an ass chewing have any baring, once the game starts.
It might be fine in the movies, the way you do it in a Win One For the Gipper, but in the real professional world, that shit is not a motivator.
I can’t help but remember high school football. We were shitty. The Coach was shitty, but he had some fabulous pre-game pep talks that had some guys pounding lockers and snorting shit out their nose. And that lasted until the first quarter when better team punched us in the mouth. Kind of like the Mike Tyson quote about every opponent having a game plan til you pinch them in the nose.
Different players are motivated for different reasons. I played for personal pride. I didn’t want to embarrass myself. Others played for their big egos. Others play angry and resentful. Others loved the game and had fun. Some are cerebral others instinctual. And some need a kick in the ass. And you better know your players and trust your leaders. You want to lose your team? Embarrass them in front of the public or in the press.
How do any of us know what goes on in the Dodgers clubhouse? Do you think Freeman or Mookie or Smith or Teo don’t give a shit? Because they aren’t fiery enough? Do you really think that a Doc giving Freddie Freeman an ass chewing, would be a good thing?
I wasn’t paid to be a cheerleader. I was paid to play baseball, the best I could, day in and day out. I much prefer a professional approach where everybody knows what it takes to win. A team with character, not psychopaths. And, as a team player, you realize that if you do your job and your teammates do their job, you have a great chance to win. Winning is an abstraction. It’s a by-product of everybody doing their job, working together, and picking up a teammate.
I love passionate players but it better be real and not playing to the crowd. I was always suspicious of the friggin Rah-Rah guys, who ran into the wall when the ball was 6 rows deep. All sizzle and no steak.
If you are one of the critics who miss the Billy Martin’s, Tommy Lasorda’s and Bobby Valentine’s, good for you. But if you really think that makes players play better, you’re wrong.
I just saw in the box score that Outman hit 2 home runs Sunday, both of them were against LHP. 👍
Ooops I didn’t mean for this to be a reply, It’s late at night. lol
One of them was a 2-run inside the park homer.
I just watched the video right now. 👍 It’s too late this year, but if Doc lets Outman start everyday in CF next year (but Doc does Doc stuff) and gives him a long runway on a loaded team and Outman siezes the moment like he did last year, it solves CF and it allows the higher ups to use Edman as a utility guy or a platoon partner with Lux, because Kike will be gone thankfully. As we talked about before, I think Edman is an upgrade over the misfits we’ve had because of the injuries, plus Kike and Taylor. I’m hoping the higher ups find a team that needs a utility player and trades Taylor in any kind of deal. I think Rojas is under contract next year too and I think Rojas is just having one of those years that a player has sometimes when they over perform expectations and if they keep him I’m hoping he’s just a utility infielder. I hope the higher ups give Pages a chance next year at one of the corner outfield spots and they get a GOOD platoon partner for him. If the higher ups do all of that, it will leave only one spot to fill if or when Teo leaves and Betts fate will be determined whether he’s going to play RF or SS. If Teo stays, Betts will be at SS. If Teo leaves, the higher ups will have to find either a GOOD everyday SS or corner outfielder. That would be a loaded team. It’s just what I would like to see next year.
DH Ohtani
C Smith
1B Freeman
2B Lux/Edman
SS Either Betts OR a GOOD hitting SS
3B Muncy
OF Outman CF
OF Pages/ AND a GOOD hitting corner outfielder
OF Either Betts OR a GOOD hitting corner outfielder
Bench: Barnes if he’s under contract (Rushing is in the mix with LF experience), and Rojas. That’s 13. And obviously 2 of the platoons will be on the bench.
Eric, I know you think Doc as the final say on all of this, but he does not. The front office also has a huge say in the 9 guys they put on the field. Outman’s career stats against LHP show he actually has a higher BA, .240-.229 against LHP, but his OPS is .635-.779, He has 1 career homer against LHP. But that is not to say he won’t get chances against LHP in the future. They do love his glove out there. The front office relies on the metrics. And the metrics say he doesn’t hit lefties for power. But we will see. They may go an entirely different direction next year. There are several outfielders who will be free agents, and with Sasaki delaying his entry into the majors for at least one more season, I could see them making a play for an outfielder.
“Eric, I know you think Doc as the final say on all of this, but he does not. The front office also has a huge say in the 9 guys they put on the field.”
I don’t think Doc has the final say on everything. “The higher ups” that I mentioned in my post means the front office. But Doc has a say in some things, he is the manager.
The front office gets the players with input from Doc (he is the manager, they don’t ignore him) then I think they give him the analytics and then he makes the calls in the game.
Input maybe, but not much. They look at the strengths and weaknesses before they ever look which direction they might want to go. They knew they needed starting pitching depth, so they got Yamamoto and Glasnow. He always is in control during the game, not like Friedman is on the phone telling him who to put in the game. But they go a lot by matchups, which is why Heyward was pinch hitting in the 8th. The final player acquisition decision is always made by the front office. The manager has zero say in who gets traded or signed.
I hated Lasorda.
Why is that Jeff? Just wondering.
Lasorda always projected this larger than life attitude with little subtlety. He did win 2 WS, but his later years didn’t impress me. I felt like he was living in the past and the game passed him by.
Agree!!!!!
Lux has carried this offense for over a month now. Great job to work himself out of the year long slump. That oppo homer was a thing of beauty.
And the next at bat he worked himself from being behind in the count 1-2 working the walk. Hopefully he can keep that up.
Great game by Stone too.
And welcome back to the Muncymator!
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not to throw Dodger Orange Drink on everyone’s excitement over this “new” lineup, but the Dodgers only had 4 hits last night (I know they got 5 walks), 4 hits is not going to cut it in the playoffs. They didn’t win last night because of their pathetic offense, they won because of a superior effort of the stating pitcher. Sorry for the buzzkill but let’s be realistic. Currently, we have some real problems scoring runs and preventing runs.
They’ll need 3-4 players to get hot offensively if they can expect to have a deep playoff run. Don’t care who it is, but the anemic offense and lack of hitting with RISP will be disappointing if it continues.
Where has Will Smith’s offense gone?
I saw it on sale at a local Costco yesterday.
What a loser Dodger organization. Best record in baseball right now, in spite of a staggering amount of injuries. 10 of 11 division titles and what should be 2 WS championships if not stolen by Assstrots in 17. AF is top 2-3 executives in baseball and Dodger organization is regarded as tops in baseball by most all other executives. The real losers are the “fans” on this site led by some guy named Scott who constantly whine and complain how bad things are. Enjoy the ride and root for this ttalented and great group of guys we have on this Dodger team! There is a team down the freeway worthy of all your bitching. Go “root” for them
Amen Brother or Sister Cassidy That’s all I have to say. Wanted to echo those statements, especially about Andes but I couldn’t and wouldn’t waste the time. And Mr. Defense Don’t Matter Eric too. It’s sickening to see how much complaining there is about this team especially when they lose one freaking game, yet very quiet when they go on a roll. Heaven forbid if they lost three or four in a row. Everyone wants Doc’s and AF’s head! The season is long and a grind. There will be as many ups as there are downs. Patience is a virtue and as a true fan you have to ride the ebbs and the flows of the season. Yeah, I hate it as much as all of us here when they lose and I get just as disappointed with some of Doc’s decisions or when our players aren’t playing to their potentials. But I remain patient and wait to see what happens when it matters most – October!
“This is the weakest roster the Dodgers have had in several years” Would love to go back at the beginning of the year to see what he thought about it before the season started but I don’t have the time. It’s no wonder why his website, which I also frequented daily is no longer relevant. If all you have is negative things to say or always complain about, go find another team to root for or complain about. Sheeeesh!
I totally agree. And some have a very unhealthy dislike of management.
“And Mr. Defense Don’t Matter Eric too”
Nice of you to put words in my mouth because that’s not true.
You’ll never get it, I can tell by what you said.
Why is it when I offend someone with something that I say that should offend them I get words put in my mouth and you’re not the only one to do that.
That was suppose to say shouldn’t, not should.
Hahahaha ……. That’s funny! I started reading the post and not looking at the name and I got down about half a paragraph when I go is this a Scott post? hahaha
Nice Job!
Will Smith is physically tired and beat. He needed a trip to the IL to recover but the tight race didn’t allow it. Now with Barnes hurt and Fedducia with ZERO MLB time, there is no break in sight. He’s lost his bat speed and his legs. That inside fastball that he used to punish is now a jam-sandwich foul ball. We need to live with that. He’s a stud and giving it his all.
Nomar said last night that several things could be causing Will’s slump, but what he sees is his left shoulder is opening up too soon. He also had some problems earlier with a sore leg from a foul ball earlier in the season. His mechanics at the plate are just a little out of sync. He is also probably pretty tired and sore.
It’s hard enough hitting major league pitching— imagine trying to do it when pretty much every appendage is black and blue from foul tips, and the legs are dead from squatting behind the plate for nine innings in the summer heat. A few days off would probably do wonders.
Speaking of Nomar, I really enjoy the few times a year that they use him as an analyst. He says just enough and yet adds so much to the broadcast. He is not afraid to be criitcal of a player or the team’s in game strategy.
I totally agree with you and much prefer him to Orel, who just talks to damn much.
Um, Dodgers are 5th in MLB in both runs scored and runs prevented.
Whatever it takes MMB. Now you complain about HOW we win? I told everybody before this series – Don’t Sleep on Mariner Starting Pitching!
They can’t hit but they can pitch and that’s what we saw last night.
Grow up dude, it’s a blog with people throwing out opinions, you don’t have a corner on the market. I just was observing what many were missing, it seemed. So I guess you are good with getting 4 hits in a game, whatever it’s your funeral.
Nice to see Stone being dominant against any opponent. At this point in the season, overall you could say that Stone has been our Ace, he’s had a relatively consistent season and hasn’t had to go on the IL.
Woo was great last night right up until Lux took him deep. He then hit Smith, and boom, he was gone. Kelly and Phillips did a great job last night.
Did you check Woo’s stats? The guy has been one of the best pitchers in the majors since he came up. 5-1 record, ERA just a smidge over 2. He just doesn’t give up a lot. It was a pitching clinic until the Dodgers got to him for 1 on Lux’s homer. Seattle has very good starting pitching. Dodgers will have a tough time with those guys.
The complainers only check the boxscore. The Mariner’s have arguably the best starting pitching rotation in the MLB. Woo was dealing. Even the players said his fastball was one of the best they’ve seen all year. But 4 hits is 4 hits and 2 more than the Mariner’s got. This whole series is going to be tough on the Dodger’s hitters. It all comes down to outpitching them and getting the key hits to score more than they do.
Maybe the fact that they were facing one of the best pitchers in the AL had something to do with that? Woo is filthy and is indicitive of the type of arms they will see in the postseason.
“Currently, we have some real problems scoring runs”
When you have Edman and Rojas at the bottom of the lineup for “defense”, if the top of the lineup doesn’t produce, then yeah. Although Edman is a little bit of an upgrade over the worst hitters on the team we had and still have and Rojas is hitting better than expectations, and that can change in a heartbeat and he has no power. A big blow to this offense was the dissapointment of Outman and who knows what lies ahead for Pages with his great stats against LHP, instead we have no bat Keirmaier and average Edman. That’s a good nickname for Edman. lol
” and preventing runs”
If you’re talking about the pitchers I agree. But Glasnow and Yamamoto should be back and Braiser and Treinen should be back for the bullpen.
The foundation is there to win it all still. Just the few dissapointments.
Yes Edman and Rojas are mainly in for their defense. What is the alternative? We currently don’t have any better hitting options. I believe it is only acceptable to play a defensive liabililty if he is OPSing over .800. Muncy is a good example. Although, his defense is not horrible at 3B. Right now, the Dodgers don’t have that option. We have a collective bunch below average to average OPS players vying for playing time. Taylor, Kike, Edman, Heyward,and Kiermaier. Taylor and Heyward need to go away.
Yep I agree Edman and Rojas are the best options as starters because there are no better alternatives right now. I agree about your list of average and below average players. I just wish when rosters expand Pages gets called up and he plays RF against LHP and Betts plays 2B against LHP and then Betts goes back to RF against RHP. At least that would add a good hitter against LHP instead of an average or below average hitter as Lux’s platoon partner.
That would be my plan.
👍 great minds think alike or whatever that saying is lol.
I watched the game last night, read the box score this morning. Of the 11 players in the box for Seattle, 7 had OPS’s in the .600’s or less. Dodgers were 4 for 28, 0 for 1 WRISP. Interesting, don’t you think?
Stone, 7 IP, 90 pitches. Against the Seattle offense, he did what was necessary. He threw strikes. I hope the rest of the staff took notice.
This team is better with Muncy and Edman. Don’t f with it. With the occasional night off for all them, stick with this lineup the rest of the way.
It doesn’t matter who leads off, though I would go with Mookie. If Ohtani wants to lead off, he will lead off. It feels to me he is the LeBron James of this team. Much quieter of course, but he’s the leader. And why wouldn’t he be? He’s the best baseball player on the planet.
It’s my opinion the Dodgers are the best team in the NL. They just need to stay healthy and slam their way to October. Glasnow, Yamamoto, Flaherty, Kershaw, Stone, Buehler/Miller/Knack/Wrobleski…. I really like our chances going forward.
Badger – what you said 👍
Did anyone know that Max Muncy is 9th all time in Dodgers home run history??
He’s right about Piazza and Pedro Guerrero, and he’s 7 behind Carl Furillo for 8th.
i didn’t realize that, good observation Bobby. Of course, HRs is one of those funny stats, the parks have changed, the ball has changed, etc etc. Still an ineresting factoid you posted.
Muncy passed Piazza and Guererro last year. He is 7 behind Furillo. He should get close to Carl this season and pass him easily next year. Next target would be Kemp at 203, then Garvey, 211.
The game last night had something for everyone. If you like a pitching duel then the first six innings were for you. If you like the Dodgers scoring enough runs late to win the game then you got your wish. A little HR power? Gavin Lux and, of course, Max Muncy provided that. It was like old times! By old times I mean earlier this season when the team had a deep and healthy lineup. Not, the recent lineups full of utility players trying their best to keep the team competitive. When it was all said and done, the Dodgers came away with a 3-0 shutout against a weak hitting Seattle team. Just what a division leading team should do!
It appears that Gavin Stone has returned to dominance after a couple of shaky starts. This should put an end to the fear that Stone would need to be put on the IL in order to manage him to get through the playoffs. What does he do? He allows two hits and strikes out a career high of ten! Last year he pitched 131 innings. Now he is at 128 innings. With his next start and probably reaching a new high in innings pitched. Will his arm fall off? Will he instantly become mentally fatigued? Or maybe, he will use what he has learned this year to continue his very successful season. You know, how to actually pitch and manage his talents to get through the season and finish strong. But, will Dodger management allow this to happen? We’ll see.
Gavin “frickin’ Lux. I remember when he first came up to the Dodgers. He had been the minor league player of the year in 2019. The expectations from Dodger fans were over the top. He would be the next Dodger Rookie of the Year and a future Hall of Famer. Until he wasn’t. After a late season call up in 2019 and a HR in the NLDS against Washington, he had a rough time in the shorten season in 2020. He only played in 20 games and hit a sad .175 with a horrible .596 OPS.
In 2021 Lux played 59 games at SS in the place of Corey Seager. Lux, also, played at all three OF positions, 2B, and 3B. He was basically a player without a position. But, through all that he had a decent offensive year and provided some good production at the bottom of the order. But, many fans were disappointed with Lux. Where was all of the Hall of Fame results?
In 2022, the team was still trying to make Lux an outfielder. To be kind, he was never going to be a major league outfielder. He had a similar offensive season as in 2021. Fans continued to be down on Lux and many were suggesting he be traded. I wrote several times I would be happy if Lux could develop into a solid, every day 2B who could provide plus offense.
With both Seager and Turner signing free agent contracts with other teams, Lux was penciled to be the fulltime SS in 2023. We all know what happened.
Again, in 2024, Lux was to be the Dodger’s SS. That didn’t happen. The Dodger front office decided right before the season to move Mookie to SS and put Lux at 2B. As the season progressed, Lux’s defense at 2B improved and was solid. Offensively, he was awful. I thought his swing was odd. Phil Jones and Badger confirmed that his swing was a mess. Many wanted him traded or even DFA’d. I wouldn’t have been too upset if he had been traded. Well, all those who wanted him gone, how do you feel about it now? Foolish? All it took was for Gavin to get away from the one approach Dodger hitting coaches and some time with his uncle during the All Star break. Wow! What a difference! He’s currently the Dodger’s best hitter and seems to be getting better and better. Good for Gavin… and the Dodgers. Hall of Famer? No. A solid, everyday second baseman? I think so. And, I’m good with that. I’m sure the Dodger front office is as well. Even though they did their best to hinder his development for several years.
Carry on.
It was a fun game to watch, and sorry to those who do not care about it, some really solid defense out there from a first baseman playing with a fractured digit.
Yeah, I forgot to mention the defense. I thought the game was entertaining and the Dodgers won. What’s not to like?
Great post Ted. I am too excited about Lux’s turnaround. And I too think he’s a solid defender at 2nd, now. Like you said “Hof’er – NO”, but his bat now plays.
For the rest of this season, I’d like to see him platoon with Edman at 2nd. As I mentioned yesterday, without his at bats against LHP this season, he’d be hitting .280. He may eventually hit LHP, down the road.
I especially like how he overcame his throwing yips. And I’m going to credit Miggy Rojas for that. He now transfers the baseball from glove to throwing hand exactly like Miggy, on routine plays. He doesn’t tie up his arm, throwing from his shirt pocket.
He will never be “nifty” around the bag as he just doesn’t have great feet. But he’s come a long way and overcome lots of mental baggage. I’m really happy for the kid and he’s playing with a renewed confidence.
Thanks Phil. It’s always nice to have a player overcome so many hurdles and become successful. I thought we had that with Outman, but feel off a cliff offensively this year. Curious about his future.
Definitely glad about Lux, I still think that Lux wasn’t 100% recovered from his huge surgery last year. I think he finally got healthy, someone got in his head that he actually was healthy and needed to commit to the idea of “not playing injured” and let it loose. I had an ortho surgeon tell me, This doctor was the ortho guy for the Cal Bears football team BTW, that he firmly believed that recovery from a big ortho surgery was a minimum of a one calendar year of recovery time. After that time, you actually can start to get some idea of how the player was going to do. He said he could do great work but if the player could not get over “not playing injured” it didn’t matter what miracles of medicine he had performed. Thanks doc, you helped me tremendously to get back on the field and get back after it.
MMB, I totally agree. That was a massive, gross injury and it takes the time you mentioned to get over the hump physically and longer mentally. I saw him in spring training and he was still hobbling on that knee. Nice to see him back with the help of his family helping him hit.
Guys, I just wanted to let you know that there will not be a new post tomorrow. Have a dinner I need to attend this evening. But I will post the minor league results and the game results, and you can post on that tomorrow. I am researching a couple of others that will be ready in a couple of days.
A friend of mine (not someone who comments) sent this to me, this AM.
Apparently the remark came with baby cries.
I do not know of any morons here at LADodgerChronicles. We do have a lot of fans with different opinions, and are all welcome. I will be proud to host all those labeled morons on LA Dodger Talk.
I’m confused. Was this a quote from your friend, or did your friend see that comment somewhere and relayed it on?
In my opinion only, I’d love to see less idle speculation and opinion posited as fact, but it’s Jeff D’s show!
From my friend, it was in today’s LA Dodger Talk commentary. I do not go to the site.
The quote was from Timmons on LADT. He was doing his usual narcissist bloviating.
Sorry Bluto, but without idle speculation or opinion posted as a fact, there would be a little reason to have a blog. Everyone here knows that their post contains nothing but their “facts” and want to contribute to the discussion or create some dialog. As you know, you’re not required to read each post. And you’ve been on this blog long enough to know who you enjoy reading and who you don’t. We know who has a tendency to complain when they lose and disappear when the Dodgers win. I occasionally fall into that group.
I read the post. It was written by Mark, and what Jeff posted is entirely accurate. I was a bit pissed at the remark. I do not believe this site is full of morons, but it is definitely more tolerant.
Timmons has unresolved issues. Along with the fact that he is just an asshole.
I profoundly disagree with this.
You can take things that occur:
Freeman’s hairline fracture, Honeywell clearing waivers, Pages being optioned. And comment on those.
You can voice opinions, but case them thoughtfully.
This happens a lot.
To your latter point, it’s 100% true. I don’t need to read every post and I definitely do not. There are some people whose posts are just headache inducing to my cabeza.
I saw it posted on Mark’s site.
Correction: I am Moron #1 on this board. I am Exhibit A.
I also am going on Saturday because I really want this Lakers Showtime shirt:
Timmons recently wrote this in one of his posts:
There is no Dumbass Vaccine!
Evidently there is no Pompous Ass Vaccine either.
Timmons definitely has some unresolved issues.
Thankfully he kept the site going so his ass kissing peeps stopped posting here.
I don’t think it’s in best form to discuss Mark here, but OhioDodger’s post struck me.
mark would post the stupidest stuff: about the COVID vaccine causing soft tissue injuries, about him knowing Bauer would sue MLB, about Keibert Ruiz, about that silly LGBT whatever sister of tolerance nonsense.
really moronic stuff.
people in glass houses may not see the glass.
Should Mark be allowed to make unsolicited remarks about the commenters on my site? Or should I be able to respond?
Timmons was out of line. No need to respond. He has just shown what a true ass hole he is.
If he wasn’t so repetitive, he’d be more interesting. His shtick is so tired and useless. I have his site listed on my newsreader and get the headlines from his posts. I never visit his site but I think I will remove him from my reader as I don’t need to hear his psycho babble at all.
Including the head moron who just retired?
Just a little note regarding some individuals that you may run into in life. This little list pretty much nails the individual you are all referring to (skip it if you are not interested):
At least five of the following traits must be exhibited to meet the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
This was taken from Psychology Today, not my words, but just a thought to consider when you run into some “difficult” people.
Peace and Love, Y’all
Go Dodgers!
Good stuff. I wonder if Psychology Today got this straight from DSM-5? I don’t have a copy anymore.
This is the exact same thing he said about my site. I believe he used the term “third graders” and also morons.
Scott, I check your site often. Would be great if you can get it rolling again. I think you are a bit over the top with your criticism of AF and Doc at times. However, unlike some unnamed posters out there, I believe they do warrant some criticism. They are not above reproach. Sometimes we have to realize that baseball today is not the game we all grew up with.
Thanks Ohio. I’ve been really busy with work, but I’m going to try and write more often. I had thought of retiring, but I’m going to stick around for a while.
Looking forward to it.
I love the Dodgers, but, I don’t drink the blue Kool-Aid. And unlike many posters, I can see that AF is not a boy genius and Doc is a stooge.
Nothing against you Scott, but why not just post your thoughts on here. No way you can give the info that Jeff and others give on here about the whole organization and their affiliates. Certainly there are many knowledgeable posters here that will engage you intelligently and at times critically. Isn’t that what you want?
The Braves have to be close to LAD in terms of injuries. They have now lost All Star 3B Austin Riley for at least the rest of the regular season, and maybe the entire season due to a broken hand after a HBP.
And they have not been able to overcome as the Dodgers have and may miss the playoffs. I guess as suggested by some here, Atlanta needs to blow it all up and start again!
“And they have not been able to overcome as the Dodgers have…”
So the fate of Glasnow and Yamamaoto are still very much up-in-the-air, and NOTHING has been decided yet because we’re many weeks away from the end of the season, ..yet you can definitely declare the Dodgers have already “overcome?”
Well they do have the best record in baseball! What more do you want?
Guys,
I have a scheduled interview with Ned Colletti on Friday. I’ll be posting the interview on my site once it’s finished. Also interviewing will be Sports Artist Dave Hobrecht.
To make this a bit more fun, I’m willing to take a few questions from you guys that you want to ask Ned. Be serious though, nothing about snakeskin boots.
I think I can take at least a few, so if you want to ask Ned anything, let me know what you’re question is here, and I can ask him.
Oh man, good for you! Ned is a great listen, whenever he speaks.
Always ask Ned about our Bears this year!
Was he a Giants double agent all along?
I always loved listening to Ned’s interviews when he was GM
Ask him if it’s true that the only reason the McCourts hired him was because he didn’t ask about operating budget during the interview process.
You may need to word that differently. But about the McCourt hiring process and if he knew his operating budget would be as limited as it was.
Still burns my ass that the scalawag McCourt came out smelling like a rose and rich.
Hey Bear. No there is a topic for a future post. The McCourt years. What happened. How it happened. How did the Dodgers become the victim of a scalawag.
Jaimie who I always thought of as the brains of the outfit settled for 185 mil and Then Frank gets a $2 billion offer. That guy had to be one of the luckiest men in the world
The skank cheated on Frank with the chauffer, but got screwed in the end. Her lawyers dropped the ball.
I will so some research Ohio.
Doesn’t McCourt still own the parking lot at Dodger stadium?
McCourt is in a partnership with the Guggenheim partners for ownership of the parking lot. the Dodgers lease the parking lot from the partnership, McCourt gets $7 million annually for his share of the parking lot lease, he has no say, he gets no extra money if the parking rates go up. He does retain some piece of future profits if the parking lot is ever redeveloped. I’m not 100% sure about this, but I think I read the Dodgers signed a 99 year lease for the parking lot. So basically the Dodgers control the parking lot
Incredible! Thanks Keith for your response.
Good one Bluto
Scott, I would like to ask Ned how much did the teams he had, use analytics compared to today, and along those lines how much imput did Ned have in the day to day line ups compared to todays teams. Thanks for letting us in on this.
This is great, because Colletti does have some access to how Friedman runs things.
I forget who Colletti was the PR person for in the Giants organization but you could ask about Friedman vs. that former boss in San Fran.
Great. I will be looking forward to reading it. Since he already commented on it in his book, I would like to know how close was he to getting CC Sabathia in a trade and later as a FA? Did he think he had a chance to convince McCourt?
How difficult was it to work for McCourt?
Good questions Jeff. It’s actually going to be a video interview and will be published on my site.
Dave H. Just released an amazing Dodger art book which he collaborated with Ned on. This may be the motivation I need to start writing again.
Ask how the Manny Ramirez deal came about. I loved Manny
Today Dave Roberts said there will be some “difficult conversations” on how they go about activating Chris Taylor when he’s ready to return.
He noted there’s a few different arguments for players and ways it could go.
To me, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Heyward go. Limited versatility in the field, the leadership angle is abated by Freeman, Betts, Kershaw and Smith. He has one job, hit RHP, and he’s not good at it: wRC+ vs RHPs = 81.
For a corner OF you need more.
That said, I doubt CT3 provides more!
A week ago I posted that Heyward wouldn’t get cut, but looking at things today, if they really want CT3 back before September 1st, then I see it coming down to Heyward, and KK. Heyward can DH or play RF, we kinda have that covered pretty good, KK can play CF, if they need the versatility of Edman to cover another position on the field when needed.
Did you see that HR that JHey hit tonight? A thing of beauty it was. Very few players have the kind of power swing he has and the body to back it up. If they are smart, the Dodgers should part ways with CT3. He’s made plenty of money and will have a nice life.
KT3 needs to go away. He is a fly in the ointment.
Well, maybe Heyward should stay….
🙂
Taylor needs to go away.
Oy — I feel for Buehler. His mind is writing checks that his body can’t cash. He knows what to do, but he just can’t do it (yet).
That’s the jolt that the team gets with Betts and Muncy back.👍
This is the most I’ve ever seen Doc get fired up. lol. Maybe I’m forgetting something.
The Dodgers back to back homers:
Muncy welcome back!! No doubter
lux stay hot!!
WB 0-2 seemingly on every hitter then 3-2 then walk or hit. Can’t finish hitters and non competitive pitches
will smith such a good start in the first half and just brutal in the second half
teo cold as ice which means kkkk…
umpire Buckner awful
edman just made a spectacular play at ss
vesia Mr 3-2 on every hitter
phillips back on track. Good 1-2 punch with Kopech
if someone on the current 26 man has to be dfa it’s got to be Heyward
our defense has really gotten better with kiermaeier, edman, Betts, rojas
what if Betts, Ohtani, freeman, smith, Muncy,teo had their best months in September/october? Would that be too much to ask?any professional can get hot for a month or 2.
Taylor or Heyward need to go.
Heyward isn’t going anywhere. 4-8 as a PH with 2 bombs.
Like I said Heyward should be dfa if there is one lol. Took a page out of Cassidy’s book!
I would rather see Taylor go bye bye.
They were not back-to-back. Lux homered, Smith made an out and then Max homered.
That’s why I’ve said before. I think Heyward would be a good pinch hitter. Power off the bench instead of Kiki off the bench or Kiermaier. You can also include Pages off the bench when he’s not starting against LHP. See mine and OhioDodger’s conversation up above on how to squeeze pages in.
Pages would not be a good pinch hitter, and his defense would only play in RF, and he isn’t going to play for Mookie.
Betts is versitile. What if the team needs a home run from someone that can hit LHP good late in the game and it’s up to Rojas or Edman and for that matter Kike and Kiermaier. What are you going to do? Pray to God to make a miracle happen? Bear Bear Bear. Did you read mine and OhioDodgers conversation quite a bit above about Betts and Pages? By the way, I’m liking OhioDodger, he agrees with me about Pages and he said some things that needed to be said about Mark. I don’t have a problem with Mark, but I don’t have to like him and that’s coming from the one that probably took the most hate from Mark after saying “I think Vargas needs at least another half year in AAA”. I said that in the offseason between 2022 and 2023 and then when I decided to defend myself he escalated things. Here’s Vargas’s slashline since going to the Sox .096/.213/.173/.386 and overall slashline this year .179/.270/.317/.587 and career slashline .188/.284/.340/.624 and I remember Mark saying .300+ BA and 30+ HR’s from Vargas.
Yes, I read it. Pages at some point might become a decent hitter. Right now, he should only play against lefties. I do not think he is a good enough hitter at this point in his career to be coming off of the bench as a pinch hitter. He definitely is not going to be used as a defensive replacement.
I knew C.B. Bucknor was bad but he’s been taking it to Angel Hernandez level tonight on balls and strikes
He was awful, someone ought to write the commissioner’s office and complain.
Forget about Pages. He tried and so did Outman.
Bucknor should be fired!
I guess you don’t like platoons.
Nobody really likes platoons. Of course, sometimes they are a necessity. Betts, Freeman, Ohtani, Smith and Teo and even Muncy, should not be platooned. You might disagree on Muncy, but he has an OPS of .800 against LHP. His OPS against RHP is a little higher. Edman hits both almost equally, but his OPS against LHP is higher. The reason Edman is going to play a lot is because he brings speed and great defense at every position he plays. They will take what they can get with his bat. Rojas is also better against LHP, but he does not do badly against RHP. Lux crushes RHP and can’t hit lefties. He is the only real platoon guy.
CB Bucknor has to be the worst ump in the majors. I have never seen a worse strike zone. Buehler should have thrown a wild pitch into his mask. He is already blind. Might have knocked some sense into that idiot.