What is it about August? The Dodgers just finished August winning 19 games and losing 8. They were one game better than Arizona. But August over the last several years has been one of their winningest months. since 2020 when they went 21-7, they have gone, 21-6, 22-6 and 24-7. They haven’t had a losing August since 2010.
Last August, Mookie Betts was unstoppable. He hit .455 with 11 homers and 30 driven in. He had 51 hits in 112 at bats. 21 of his hits were for extra bases. He only struck out 17 times. The only month he had a lower total was July when he struck out 11 times, but he only hit .305 in July.
The whole team was on a tear last August. While no one had that kind of month this year, Ohtani hit 12 homers. His BA was just .235. And quietly, the Dodgers have their winning percentage back over .600. Here is an Ohtani stat that might surprise you, his BAbip for August, .190. His tOPS+ 72. The lowest number since May when it was 97. The Dodgers outscored the opposition 146-109. +37 run differential. Second only to June when they were +40.
14 of the Dodgers last 26 games are on the road. They are 7 games over .500 on the road, and much better, 45-24 at home. The Dodgers seem to thrive in the dog days. This August is different in a sense, it is the first time since 2018 when they had some pressure applied. In 2018 they had to come from behind to win the division and they did not do that until game 163, the one game tiebreaker with the Rockies. One of the best games in Buehler’s Dodger career.
On thing this year’s team has shown is resilience. Considering all of the injuries, the bad starts by some key players, the slump of Will Smith, they have managed to play some of their best baseball the last four weeks. They get some help starting today with the rosters expanding to 28. Players over the next 26 games will be auditioning for a postseason roster spot. Fall is in the air, September is here. Let us hope they keep the train on the tracks and their opponents in the rear-view mirror.
Game Summary
This game was over after the bottom of the second inning. The only thing you can say about Wrobleski’s start is that he took one for the team. The D-Backs spotted something, and they took full advantage of it. As for the Dodgers offense, what offense? They got 9 hits, and 2 walks. But they struck out 14 times. They were 1-11 with RISP. When Austin Barnes is the hit leader for the day, you are not going to win many games. Edman had 2 hits and Barnes 3. Of the big 4, Ohtani was 0-4 with 3 Ks. Betts had a hit in his 2 Abs. Freeman was 0-2, and Teo 0-1. Kudos to Roberts for pulling his stars when the game was out of hand. Wrobleski’s line, 5.1 innings, 10 hits, 10 runs, all earned, 2 walks, 2 Ks and he allowed 2 home runs. Grove gave up 2 more, one was earned and Kike in a mop up role allowed the final 2. The Dodgers managed to touch Pfaadt for 3 runs, but the Arizona bullpen shut them down on 1 hit. The good news, they are still 5 games up and Flaherty is pitching tomorrow. SD won too, so they are also 5 back. The difference? SD has 2 less games to play than the Dodgers and Arizona. The Dodgers and D-Backs have 25 games left apiece; San Diego has 23.
Minor League Scores
OKC crushed Round Rock, 9-1. James Outman had his best game in a while going 4-5 with 2 runs scored and 3 driven in. OKC had 12 hits and 3 walks. Cartaya had 2 doubles and Freeland had one. Outman had a triple, his second of the year. Trejo (5) and Avans (34), had stolen bases. Lyles went 3 scoreless innings, he was followed by Gowdy, 1 inning, Rooney, 1.1 and he allowed the run, Lao, 1.2, he got the win. Henriquez and Hernandez pitched an inning each, both struck out 2.
Corpus Christi beat Tulsa, 4-3. Tulsa managed only 3 hits. Newell drove in all three runs with a 6th inning homer. Duran went 4 innings, gave up all 4 runs and got the loss. Great Lakes was shut out by Iowa, 2-0 despite outhitting the Cubs. Dodgers top prospect, Josue De Paula had 3 hits in 4 at bats.
San Jose beat Rancho, 5-2. Hope and Diaz each had 2 hits. Gutierrez went 4 innings, allowed all 4 runs and took the loss.
Around the League
Jean Segura was released from his minor league deal by the Orioles. The Braves signed lefty reliever, Tyler Matzek and assigned him to AAA Gwinnett. Orioles signed Adrian Houser, who had been in the Cubs organization. Nick Ahmed was signed to a minor league deal by the Padres. Rockies outrighted Noah Davis. The Dodgers recalled Andy Pages. If I had to guess, Wrobleski will be on his way back to OKC and they will call up Landon Knack. In his brief MLB career, Wrobleski has allowed 9 homers in 30.1 innings. The kid is not quite ready for prime time. His ERA is 6.82. Knack’s ERA is 3.00.
Flaherty takes on Eduard Rodriguez tomorrow. Rodriguez is 2-0, but his ERA is over 5. Then the Dodgers have a day off before facing the Angels. Win tomorrow, the lead will be back at 6 with just 24 games left. Padres are activating Tatis Jr. today.
I know this might not be popular, but what the hell. I love the Dodgers, and I love the game of baseball. Despite the fact that they have one World Series win in this amazing run of the last 12 years, I still have enjoyed every year of the run. I am old enough to know that winning a World Series or even a playoff series, is just not that easy. I don’t lay blame when things like injuries, or poor performance happen. I damn sure am not blaming the manager for a player’s inability to do his job. I am not going to blame the front office for that either. They get the players they feel will help them go deep into the postseason. I do not like the new playoff setup. I believe it favors the wild card round participants. I really believe the 5 off days do not benefit the teams who get the bye. And results of the two years it has been in effect prove my point. Of the six teams with a bye, 5 have not made it past the LCS. Only the Astros made it to the World Series. The one main thing that has skewed this season so badly is injuries. The rotation coming out of Spring training was pretty solid. Yamamoto, Glasnow, Paxton, Miller and Stone. By the end of May, Yamamoto would make two more starts. His last start was against the Yankees on June 7th. Miller was also out. The Dodgers were brining guys up from the minors on a weekly basis to make starts. Ryan, Knack, eventually Wrobleski. Buehler and Miller would be ineffective in their returns. Kershaw was a month or more away. So, when the deadline came, they got Flaherty. They had an awful month of July, and then in August, they got much better as they got healthier. So today, when a kid with 6 MLB starts get lit up, fans go bonkers thinking the world is ending. They want to place blame. They just can’t enjoy a winning team. Relax, it isn’t the end of the world. They have time to get healthier. And the D-Backs will either be 4 or 6 games back after tomorrows game.
USC defense has certainly improved. Big win for the Trojans.
I watched the whole game. Nice win, especially that last TD. How about that player for LSU getting called for targeting with under 2 minutes to play. That set USC up for the winning TD. Miller did a nice job, but the kid for LSU was impressive too.
I thought Brian Kelly got stubborn in the second half. He was pissed they only ran for 45 yards the first half and set out to fix that. “we need to rush the ball”
Nussmeier looked to me like he could have passed to 500 yards but Kelly insisted in pounding the rock.
And SC responded.
Great game and both quarterbacks were great and very accurate.
Nice to see Outman have such good day after the birth of his daughter. Is that “dad strength” or something?
I sure hope Outman bounces back to LA next season. Whether or not the Dodgers re-sign Teo, Outman could take over CF and allow Edman to play SS. A platoon of Outman/Pages is possible.
I hope Knack gets called up. He’s earned it, and should be considered for the postseason roster.
I like Betts at SS. It’s easier to find a good hitting OF than a good hitting SS. Edman has contact but very little power. I like him as a utility guy. Lux will need a platoon partner, Edman hits LHP in his career decent, there’s a platoon.
I’d like to see Betts at SS and the Dodgers get 2 good hitting everyday outfielders (That could include Teo) and let Outman play everyday in CF until towards the end of the season and if he can’t hit LHP at that point call up Pages to platoon with him and meanwhile at AAA Pages can work on being a CF. Or get a good hitting everday CF as one of the outfielders, I’m sure Outman can play a corner. CF’s are very athletic, that way if Outman can’t hit LHP and Pages can’t learn CF then they can platoon in a corner outfield position.
I’d love to see Rushing as Smith’s back up catcher (that is if he becomes a good hitter by then) with close to 50/50 playing time for both. That way neither get worn out towards the end of the season.
I’d also like AF to get Sasaki if he becomes available AND go to a six man rotation for the same reason I stated about catchers, so the starting pitchers don’t get worn out. Possibly they’ll be able to work in their starts an inning or 2 longer than normal, putting less stress on the bullpen.
Well Mookie at SS is a question for next spring. But there is a power hitting SS who will be a free agent, Adames. Pages will stay in left if Mookie stays in the outfield. My guess, they will make a serious run at Soto. Barnes has an option for next year. It will be interesting to see if the Dodgers pick it up as a reward for his good play this year. Rushing is playing left field almost exclusively. Not sure if they consider him a catcher anymore. Sasaki’s team has not yet decided if they are going to post him. It is in their hands. Rushing did not even play today. Cartaya was behind the plate.
We can all speculate about what they might do in the off season but a big factor will be if they win the WS or not. What does bother me is when journalists start rumors about who a team is interested in. It just.gets.fans.hopes up and then disappoints. Regarding Soto there has been no reason to suspect we will go after him other than as a free agent every team will be interested. But will he stay in NY?
It doesn’t seem like a.good strategy to keep signing long term contracts.to veterans and block our prospects. If we win it all they could rebuild the outfield w Pages, Outman and Rushing and Mookie and Edmans. If we don’t then I would rather see.them keep Teo. He seems to fit in,he’s clutch and has played a good left field.
Mookie SS is decent MLB SS.
Mookie RF GoldGlove, Allstar (possibly MVP) MLB RF
Seriously, I think there are questions whether Outman can hit Major League pitching, period. He is going to be 28 in May of next year. It would be great if he could be the Dodger’s everyday centerfielder next season but he is going to have to show he can do that starting in spring training. IMO, he has not earned the length of rope you are willing to give him in CF next year.
I think the Dodgers essentially went to a six man rotation this year. I think there are less than 5 games this year where their starting pitcher has pitched on four days rest. Though they did not have six starting pitchers among their 13 pitchers with bullpen games and call ups they were able to keep pitchers on 5 or 6 days rest. With Ohtani on the roster as a hitter while also hopefully pitching next year the Dodgers can carry 13 pitchers plus Ohtani. Should make it easier to carry a long reliever and sixth starter, when needed. I think you are right that they will employ what amounts to a 6 man rotation considering Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Glasnow will be (hopefully) three of their starters.
I too would like to see Outman thrive. I don’t want to see Pages in CF.
Don’t think he will play there again.
After the LAD disaster, I turned on USC Game 1. Yes, it is LA Dodger Chronicles, but I have to give a big shout out for my Trojans. Alemany alum, Miller Moss lead USC to a big 27-20 victory over 13th ranked LSU. This is a game I would have attended if not for knee replacement surgery. Totally different defense, especially in the 2nd half. Very positive. Keep it up and FIGHT ON!
My thoughts exactly Jeff! Love the Trojans.
Ditto for me as well. I thought I had a fantastic day for sports watching. Well, the Dodgers ended that quickly. Still, the USC game more than made up for it. An exciting game that ended with a Trojan victory. For the first game under a new defense I thought they played well. Their tackling and physicality on defense is vastly improved. The offensive line has to get better though. I think it will as the season goes on. All new starters except for the center. Miller Moss was a cool customer in the pocket. He’s going to need improved line play against better defenses.
Well, that was an old fashioned beat down. Wrobleski is not ready for a pennant run but he sucked it up and provided some innings, took one for the team. Same for Grove. Would sent both guys down and call up Knack and maybe Peterson or even Henriquez if they think he is ready.
Need fresh arms for tomorrow, bullpen still overworked.
A win today would be absolutely HUGE. Would not only make it a 6 game lead over ARI again but decide the season series and the tiebreaker for us.Hope Flaherty has a good one in him today.
Ohtanis strikezone is like the Grand Canyon it looks like at the moment.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We can’t just blame this loss on the pitching staff, injured or not, ready or not. AZ are making a statement. The hottest team in the league with no sign of a cool off. In the 3 games we saw, AZ lead the Dodgers in runs scored, 29-21. Every lead we had was overcome because of their superior hitting. They are a handful. Scary. This is not to say we won’t win this series or still maintain our #1 seed position, but we are being challenged despite the poor first half of the season that AZ had. We couldn’t put them or the Pads away for good. All of this makes me nervous about entering the playoffs with a shorthanded staff. It’s difficult to visualize winning a title like this.
It was good to see IL pitchers like May and Gonsolin in the dugout and cheering the team on, happily fraternizing with the starters. I hope to see them back in action next season as our newcomers are not yet ready for primetime and Kershaw looks to have one foot out the door. Is that his good foot or bad one?
They can hit, but those runs today came off of a rookie with 6 games experience. I doubt they would have scored that many off of Flaherty.
Guess we will find out today
Agreed. They put up 14 against three pitchers who will not likely pitch for Dodgers in post season – Wrobleski, Grove, Kike. So the cumulative run total is deceiving for sure. Though I am impressed with the DBacks line up especially considering Walker, Marte, Moreno are out. They would be a handful for sure.
That is one long paragraph buddy. I had a difficult time with it. But maybe that’s on me.
This has been an odd year. A fractured pitching staff with a lengthy catalogue of who’s not there, Mookie out for weeks, and playing three positions, Muncy absent, Freddie having what for him is a down year, Smith in a long slump, Lux slumping half a year, the Outman disappointment, who’s on short, it’s a long list of what has gone wrong for this team.
And yet there they are with the most wins in all of baseball.
In my opinion to even suggest firing the manager of this team is nonsense.
Yeah, it was too long, so I deleted it. The gist is, some think Roberts will get fired if the Dodgers get bounced early in the playoffs. I am not so sure. I think this has been his best managing job since he took over considering all the hurdles with injuries and the fact that they are the only team in baseball with a winning percentage even close to .600.
Except for yesterday Wrobleski has done a fair job keeping us in games. What’s a shame is having to use him to begin with. The Dodgers great pitching depth was never there. Frasso, River Ryan, Kershaw, Buehler, May, Gonsolin, and I probably missed a few were hurt before the season ever started. To expect any of these pitchers to come back was high odds. Indeed Kershaw made it back to only be hurt again with another different injury. If I were Arizona I would send my medical staff to help get him back into the rotation. Kershaw is a sure fire hall of famer but the organization keeps putting him in the biggest games and he keeps…. At this point Buehler seems to be trending up. Nothing can be done now but before next year to turn this injury trend around. The first step might be to move on from its injury prone inventory.
unless something drastically happens we are going to start the playoffs with miller, flaherty, and stone, mb Buehler. Probably still an upgrade over an injured Kershaw, miller, and Lynn but certainly won’t matchup with the pads or dbacks. This is based on “hope” from Roberts. Well hope is not a strategy. Our offense is certainly capable but need the stars to be stars. Even amongst all the injuries the Dodgers are at the top in wins a credit to Roberts. Again we are set to win the division. Unless our starting pitching drastically improves with ace production from Glasnow/yamamoto we will be a decided underdog in the playoffs.
From yesterday’s loss there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that the Dodgers got thoroughly crushed in early in the game. As mentioned above, Wrobleski is not ready for prime time but he did savage 5+ innings which kept the BP at a minimum. The good news is that a team that has a high scoring game typically has a low offensive output the next game. Let’s see if that holds true today. But, we’re talking Arizona here. Having scored 29 runs in three games you would hope Arizona comes back down to earth scoring wise. I like Flaherty’s chances.
For being such a great hitter Ohtani goes through stretches where is swings at so many uncompetitive pitches which leads to strikeouts. Especially, with runners on base. This is the same with Teoscar. The AB Teoscar had Saturday with the bases loaded was really bad. I know it’s not the case, but it was like he wasn’t even focused for the critical moment in the game. The final pitch was a foot outside out of the pitcher’s hand and ended a good two feet outside. Both players have been incredible offensively for the Dodgers, so I’m not being critical. I know power generally comes with strikeouts. But, it’s the widely unhittable pitches in those strikeouts that they swing at that is troubling for me. In the playoffs throw away AB’s like that can’t happen. Every run is hard to score and is important. Making contact and putting the ball in play with men on base cannot be an option. It HAS to be the expectation of not only Ohtani and Teoscar, but the entire team!
Carry on.
I didn’t understand it at the time, and I’m even more baffled now about the decision to trade one of our best first half starters, James Paxton? He’d be rather useful at this moment.
Can anyone explain the rationale behind it, other than getting 17 year old infield prospect Moises Bolivar?
Starting Pitching, starting pitching and more starting pitching. They break and you can never have enough. We are trying to win the World Series this year, why trade for a 17 year old who is years away from helping?
I think because Paxton was not fully healthy. In fact, he’s only pitched 11 innings for Boston since the trade.
I think we got rid of him before he broke down, but yes he was solid for us.
Now we’ll see what Wrobleski is made of. Stone recovered from a tough first season. Trojans are bigger, stronger and tougher. First time in a long time we won a 4th quarter against a good team. Lynn certainly passed his first test. That is a good LSU offense.
He was sent back down after the game and Petersen was recalled.
The rationale was Paxton wasn’t going to pitch often and was going to leave at the end of the season. They received something rather than nothing.
AZ uses a platoon at DH and the combined stats of that tag team is impressive. 90+ RBI, 25+ HR, Very high OBP, $ vs. $$$$$ cost.
What?
Compare their DHs’ combined revenue from our DH’s revenue. Then this conversation stops.
Because Ohtani is an MVP and they have a platoon?
I’m not even sure what the conversation is?
I read it differently.
I do not see it as a comparison to Ohtani, it’s simply a statement saying the dbacks are getting a lot of production (over 4 WAR so far) for not very much money (around $10.5 million). Very astute actually.
Yes, but DHs are replete and roster space is not.
the D-backs are great and well run, but needing 2 DHs for that WAR may not be the most efficient path.
i haven’t researched at all, so very possibly wrong. But the value of roster spots is important.
Maybe I read it wrong but Grichuk is listed as the RH DH and he plays both right and left field so roster spot is not really an issue.
Wrong again!
Thanks Badger for correcting me.
I like the way that Arizona has put their team together. The Grichuk and Peterson combination has been really productive for sure. But in fairness, Ohtani’s ability to pitch at an All Star level (hopefully next year), his willingness to defer his salary, and his marketing footprint make it an apples to oranges comparison.
James Outman followed with the bases still loaded and challenged two called third strikes during his at-bat that were both overturned before he connected on a bases-clearing triple to extend OKC’s lead to 7-1.
Will MLB have a challenge next year?
I’ve been calling for it. Challenge strike 3 and ball 4. One of the problems would be it would add a LOT of time to games and increase embarrassment. Can’t have more of that now can we.
My position was and continues to be, just put in the ABS System (is it Hawkeye?) and leave it be. No challenges, no rules of what and when and who can challenge, no 2 strike zones in play simultaneously. Just get it right. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Why make it simple when you can make it complicated. So sayeth Mr. Manfred.
How about full ABS innings 1,3,5,7 and extra innings.
Challenge system innings 2,4,6,8, 9 and on alternate Thursdays.
Perfect!
Ok by me Phil. I just sense MLB might just crack the door open at first.
Totally agree. It has done wonders for Pro Tennis, however it we would have never had one of my favorite players, John McEnroe.
It really is stupid to have the technology and not use it. Maybe I would feel differently if the umps did a better job, but from what I have seen most of these umps are really really really bad at calling balls and strikes. Funny how the MLB made a bunch of changes to bring baseball into the 21st Century but won’t budge on adding the calling of balls and strikes to those advances. Honestly, what could be stopping the calling of strikes by computers?
Yes. That would be the sensible thing to do. IMO. However, Manfred will screw it up.
Nice start to this game. Building up Rodriguez’s pitch count is the way they have done it for years. Flaherty looks pretty good.
Nice to have a reliever come in that’s better than your starter. We have squandered chances today. We need our pitching to win 1 out of 4.
We always whine about the umps and their ever changing strike zone, but so far today I’ve not seen this home plate ump miss very many pitches at all.
It’s amazing to see, actually.
Once again we do nothing in the middle innings. Frustrating not adding onto leads. Against this team we need to do that
They did score in the sixth, which is a middle inning.
No they didnt
I wonder how the fans and the folks here would react if the Dodgers won the World Series and then failed to make the playoffs the next year. Ala the Texas Rangers. Would the afterglow last a whole year? I would be disappointed, but having a recent WS title in my back pocket would get me thru one rough year. Now if they missed a second straight year, I would start to get bitchy.
Much has been said about Bochum as a manager. I think he has a below .500 record. He has managed some bad teams. But when he has had the talent he knows how to take the team to the title. I thought Texas was the worst team we lost a series to.
This is where doc makes me nervous he starts overmanaging. Why put a rested Vesia in for 1 batter with all the lefties coming up? Then put an overworked Banda in for the lefties after brasier. So now we have no lefties available. I mean Banda does a good job but we r lucky to get out of it.
btw great clutch hit for Smith! We definitely need him to get hot!
Bochy is below .500 in his career. Dodgers have never played Texas in the postseason. If you are talking about the series they played them earlier this year, they outscored Texas 18-8 in that series even though they lost 2 of the games. Over the last 5 seasons, they have a winning record over the Rangers.
Yes talking about this years series. Out scoring Texas 18-8 kind of makes my point. Not impressed with them at all.
What do you mean?
Dodger ”fans” here after a decade of unparalleled success just this season almost lost their minds over: the giant fans wearing Mickey Mouse ears, Cavan Biggio, the lineup structure and Gavin Lux struggling after major knee surgery!
Some of them also dreaded (and loved to predict) the team falling to a Wild Card slot! gasp!
if the team missed the playoffs?!?? It could get catastrophic! They might call for a cleaning house of the Front Office at the least!
LOL. Yep. Most would lose their minds.
You have to love the way this team hits with two outs. Mookie delivers. Last 4 runs have come with 2 outs. 4-10 RISP today. Taylor is up to .180
Freddie Freddie Freddie!!!!!!!!
A well rested Freddie is looking like the Freddie I remember at his best. He has been totally awesome at Arizona in his career.
btw Taylor started that rally and I am glad we have him. I said so way back before today but he started the big rally. He can play quality d everywhere, has some pop, and can steal a base. As long as he is making contact he is very valuable. Right now he is making contact.
Next year sign Addames at shortstop and sign Teoscar keep Betts in rightfield and Edman plays utility role centerfielder second base and short and you have Pages as the fourth outfielder no need for taylor Kiki Barnes or kiermeier replace those four guys. Oh and you still have Miguel Rojas to sub sll over the infield. And there probable have to sign two free agent starting pitcher snd maybe a closer.
Another West title! Big time win and statement to the upstarts. We want our October revenge!
I happen to love the SS that Rojas plays, smooth fielder, makes a very quick exchange from glove to hand. There is nothing to not like about his game. Yes he’s is getting older but he actually seems to be getting better. They should ride this horse for another season and not make any dumb trades to get another SS. Any SS prospects in our system?
I could live with a Rojas and Edman at SS.
The Dodgers have a 5-million-dollar team option on Miggy for next year with a 1-million-dollar buyout. I think they bring him back. He is a bargain at 5 mil. The player he was traded for, Jacob Amaya, has been released twice and is with his third team, Chi Sox, since the trade. Miguel Vargas has totally gone in the tank since the Dodgers traded him to the White Sox. .173 BA, White Sox have lost 107 games this year. Ya think Luis Robert Jr. cannot wait to get traded?? White Sox with this epically bad year have fallen under .500 for their 124-year existence. They are now 9,584-9598.
Taylor is under contract for next season. He is owed 13 million on that deal. Barnes has a 3.5-million-dollar team option contract. With the way he has played this year, I would venture a guess that they will exercise that option and bring Barnes back for one more year. The reason, none of the catchers at AAA except maybe Feduccia, are ready to play in the majors yet. Feduccia will probably be a rule-5 candidate this winter. Kiermaier says he is retiring. I think Edman and Taylor can more than cover his departure. I do not think they will re-sign Teo unless they can get him on a three-year deal. He is probably going to be offered a longer contract. He could get a 100-million-dollar deal from someone. Boston wanted him last year. Who backs up Edman in center? He surely is not going to play every game out there. And it won’t be Pages. He sucks as a center fielder. These are the starting pitchers who will be available next spring, Yamamoto, Ohtani, Miller, Glasnow, May, Knack, Wrobleski, Gonsolin, Casparius. Kershaw has a player option for next year. So, if he wants to come back, he can. I think they at least make Flaherty an offer. It is unknown if Sasaki’s team will post him this winter. Free agent starters this winter. Corbin, Charlie Morton, Burnes, Freid, Flaherty, Hendricks, Bieber, Quintana, Severino, Heaney, Kikuchi, DeSclafani, Cobb, Wood, Buehler, Perez, Pivetta, Paxton, Williams, Lorenzen, Clevinger, Means. Blake Snell can opt out of his deal with the Giants. Same with Derrick Cole of the Yankees. Closers, Jansen, Kimbrel, Chapman, Bard, Sewald, Estevez, Minter, Holmes, Scott, Garcia, Leclerc. Hudson, Kelly and Treinen are all free agents this winter. Since they are working out Rushing in left field, I have a feeling he will get a long look out there in the spring. They still need a natural center fielder.
You want Edman as the everyday starting CF. Career .265/.318/.406/.725 slashline? Wow you certainly don’t care about building the best offense you can get. You want Rojas a guy who is aging and is hitting over his head this year with a career .260/.312/.358/.670 slashline.? You want Barnes with his career .223/.324/.340/.665 slashline.
Your philosophy right there screams, who cares about scoring runs, lets catch every ball that is hit and try not to allow any runs, that will get us to the promise land.
Remember all those misfits the Dodgers had to start because of injuries right around and after the trade deadline? You’re asking for that to come back next year.
Those 3 slashlines averaged in BA and OPS is .249 BA and .687 OPS you want that at 3 positions everyday? And none of them are homegrown Dodgers. A matter of fact those 3 guys would be blocking Rushing, Pages, and Outman. Think about it before you ask me how they are blocking them.
Read what I said Eric, I said Edman is not going to be out there every day. I did not say I wanted those guys; I am just telling you what will probably happen. Barnes is just fine as a backup, nothing more. He is one of the better catchers in the league. As for Rojas, depending on what they do as far as free agents go, they could opt for Adames, Miggy is one of the best defensive SS in the league. Read the whole post. It is not my philosophy. I am just telling you that those guys have affordable options, and the Dodgers will most likely exercise both of them. You say I want them. That is not what I said. Rushing is learning a new position. Hernandez would be blocking him if they decide to resign him. Edman, well he is going to be the replacement for Kike. He is a utility guy basically. Pages is blocked by Betts as long as Mookie stays in right. We won’t know until spring if he is going to move back to the infield. Outman, well, he is going to have to cut down on his strikeouts and show all over again that he can hit major league pitching. And despite what you might think, he got plenty of chances before he was sent down. He was playing almost exclusively against RHP, and his slash line was abysmal. 20 hits in 135 at bats? Please, don’t tell me he did not get a fair shot. .148/.255/.267 OPS was .520 None of us knows what the team will look like next spring. There will be moves, maybe a trade or two, and some free agents brought in. Rushing will get a long look in spring, but just because he hits AAA pitching pretty well, doesn’t mean he is going to do the same in LA. None of those guys you say I WANT, are everyday players. I know that better than most, but they still have value, not to you maybe, but to the organization. There is no way I see them going into next season with an outfield of Rushing in left, Outman in center and Pages in right.
And that my friends is how you answer your worst loss of the year to your closest antagonist. Boo Yah!
Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom!!
Back to back. Trojans and Dodgers. What a Labor Day weekend!
Flaherty gave us the biggest start of the year today. AF hit a home run at the deadline!
Agree
kopech n edman not bad either!
3 out of 4 and from a 4 game division lead over the D-Backs to a 6 game lead and the tiebreaker. Nice series win.
Now, if we can continue to get Glasnow and Yamamoto healthy to go along with Flaherty and Stone I think we’ll be set. Unless Buehler and Miller completely dominate in their next few starts I am skeptical they can gets outs in a “pressure packed” environment that we’ll see in post season baseball.
Best record in baseball!
Honestly, one of Yama/Glasnow might be acceptable, slotting Flaherty to #2, Stone to #3, and Miller/Buehler to #4.
Whoever loses the #4 job might miss the playoffs.
I would trust Buehler because he has pitched those kinds of games before. If he can harness some command of his pitches, I would put him in there in front of Miller.