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The Grandal Man Can! Catcher’s Three Home Runs Bests Padres

Yasmani Grandal

Friday night marked a significant achievement in Yasmani Grandal’s career. The Dodger’s switch-hitting catcher collected five hits and slugged three home runs to lead the Dodgers to a 10-6 win over the Padres. The win snapped the Dodger’s three game losing streak.

Not surprisingly Scott Kazmir was unable to give the Dodgers what they sorely needed before Friday night’s game, and that was some innings. Fortunately the Dodgers didn’t need him to because the Dodger bats came alive by scoring 10 runs on 14 hits en route to a 10-6 victory over the Padres to even their four game series at one game apiece.

Dodger lefty Kazmir only lasted three innings and was not effective allowing 3 earned runs on 6 hits striking out 5 and walking 3. Opposing starter Andrew Cashner wasn’t much better either. He only made it into the third inning and gave up 8 earned runs on 8 hits including three big home runs. The Dodgers seem to have Cashner’s number.

Padres      6 14 2

Dodgers 10 14 1

WP-Baez-2-2

LP-Cashner-3-7

HR-Grandal-10-11-12-Turner-13-Upton Jr. -15-16

The offensive fireworks were highlighted by Yasmani Grandal’s three home runs. The switch-hitting catcher went 5 for 5 with the three long balls and two singles and drove in 6 of the Dodger’s 10 runs. Grandal becomes just the third Dodger catcher (Mike Piazza, Roy Campanella) in Dodger history to hit 3 home runs in a game. To think he almost came out of the game after getting popped in the mask by a foul ball.

The Dodgers tried out a new center fielder as Andrew Toles was called up from triple-A and Carlos Frias was optioned to make room. The move made sense since the Dodgers were working with a short bench for days. The 23-year old left handed hitter was 1 for 4 in his MLB debut with a double. The Padres got two big home runs from Melvin Upton Jr. The first coming in the first inning before the chairs were warm.

The big story of the game was Grandal. His five hits and three home runs helped the Dodger offense wake up from their slumber. Justin Turner got the Dodgers rolling in the top of the first with a solo home run (13) and the Dodgers scored four runs in the first frame.

Grandal hit his first home run in the first inning off of Cashner with one man aboard. His second home run came in the bottom of the third inning, which was a three-run shot that put the Dodgers ahead by a 7-3 score. The third home run was hit in the seventh inning off of former Dodger Jose Dominguez.

Grandal now has 12 home runs and has raised his batting average to .204. The Dodgers scored 4 runs in the first and third innings and added single run tallies in the fourth and seventh innings. Howie Kendrick homered as well, and the Dodgers slammed five home runs.

The Dodgers bullpen had to come to the rescue again pitching another six innings. Since they optioned long man Carlos Frias down to the minors to bring up Toles, they had nobody to pitch in long relief. They had to stave off several San Diego rallies, including escaping a bases loaded jam in the fifth inning. Pedro Baez was able to induce Will Myers to ground into an inning ending 1-2-3 double play. Otherwise the game may have ended differently. Baez picked up the win himself, improving his record to 2-2.

Of course the Giants won again as usual. They win every night. So the Dodgers remain 6.5 games back in the NL West. The Dodgers (49-40) are still leading the wild card hunt by a half a game over the Mets. The Dodgers desperately need some innings tomorrow from Brandon McCarthy. He’ll counter right hander Luis Perdomo Saturday afternoon at 4:15 PM on Fox.

Scott Andes

Scott Andes: Longtime writer and Dodger fanatic

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Scott Andes
Scott Andes: Longtime writer and Dodger fanatic
https://ladodgerreport.com

102 thoughts on “The Grandal Man Can! Catcher’s Three Home Runs Bests Padres

  1. Before MT chimes in!!! Congrats to him and Grandal… Will the power surge continue??? I hope, but I think not. Is he still a passed ball waiting to happen??? You Betcha…
    Welcome to the bigs Mr. Toles…

  2. I hope Toles can take advantage. We will be auditioning all year. Step up and step in young men.

    Is Grandal’s insane performance a sign or an aberration? If I had to bet, I’d say look at his past to predict his future. But he does go on streaks. A couple of good weeks might mean he’s tradeable, which for the right deal I would do in a heartbeat.

    1. I never thought that Grandal was a 200 hitter, but we really don’t know what he is, until he can hit comsistently.

      1. If he could hit consistently we would already know what he is, which he has not……he is not a prospect anymore and should have had it figured out by now…

    2. Badger
      Did you see Puig right next to Toles at the wall.

      Puig needs to be taken out of a game, for doing stuff like that.

      It is hard to do that now, because he is hitting, but he needs to have consequences for his behavoir.

      He continues to do this stuff, and has to be the center of attention.

        1. Wondering
          When your backing up another outfielder, your not up beside him on the wall, at the top of the wall.

          When have you seen Joc and Puig right next to each other, at the top of the wall?

          You stand back from the wall, in case the ball hits off the wall.

          1. I doubt Puig is trying to be the center of attention. He is a talented player who is trying to regain what he probably feels he has lost with his injury’s. He is playing very hard, and sometimes you can see his frustration when he fails. They both were tracking the fly and not looking at each other. It was Toles first game, and they have not played together before. As the CF he should be the traffic cop out there and let Puig know he had the ball. That did not happen, and they bumped. Not the first time it has happened in the majors and it won’t be the last. You look for Puig to make a mistake, and then you jump all over the guy and say he should be benched. Lighten up, he is playing hard, hitting better, and doing a good job. And oh by the way, he has the highest BA of any of OUR OF’s

          2. I’m not concerned about either of them. Puig has shown faulty route issues, but that’s fixable. I agree he looks like he is trying. For that, he gets my benefit of doubt. If he ever puts it together he’s potential 30/30 with 100 ribbies and +dWAR. He’s 25. Just now entering his prime. He should be lights out by 2018.

          3. Outfielders on both teams seem to be having problems with balls hit right at them, maybe more so in Dodger Stadium than in other stadiums–I don’t know. It seems to be visual thing rather than a judgement thing. Puig has tried it with glasses and without. Toles had at least one horrible break last night and other lesser ones, as did Puig.

  3. Badger
    I know you said they beat a bad team, but the Padres pitcher, had been pitching well since May, and has a good era.

    So hitting against that pitcher, isn’t an easy thing, so there hitting, was a good thing.

    Kazmir, and the bullpen pitchers, is another thing.

    1. MJ, Cashner gets hammered by the Dodgers. The last few times he has pitched against them, they own the bum. If you had been listening to Vinny’s broadcast you would know that. They beat a terrible team. And they barely beat them. Am I going to start loving Grandal because he has one good game? No, I think he will revert to what he has always been. A .230 hitter with some power and some obvious defensive woes, such as blocking pitches. He also is not a great game caller. As far as Puig and Toles colliding out there, first off, it was their first game together in the OF, the CF is supposed to be in charge out there and call the ball. Obviously they mis communicated. That is not Puig’s fault, or Toles. They were chasing a ball that was hammered. You need to lighten up on Puig.

      1. Michael
        I already knew that, but they did that against him mostly last year.

        Cashner is pitching much better this year, if you would have listened to Vinny!

        Vinny said that Cashner had been pitching really well, since May!
        And about Puig, that ball was hit to centerfield, not right center field.

        It wasn’t even close to right centerfield.

        There was no reason for Puig being in center centerfield.

        I could see a ball in right centerfield, but not on the center, of centerfield.

        If that ball hit off the wall, It would have been a problem.

        1. I was listening to Vinny the entire game. Pitching better??? 3-7 with an ERA north of 5..come on. They beat the crap out of the guy earlier this year. Puig covers a lot of ground, I have seen him make plays in right center a lot of times. If that ball was hit to straightaway CF, he never would have gotten to it. You are as overly critical of Yasiel as I am of Grandal. Cashner is a starters version of Baez. He throws BB’s that are hittable. The fact remains that the pitcher was a bum, and that it being their first game in the OF together, Toles should have called him off the ball……….but I doubt they had that communication thing going on.

      2. Michael

        I like Puig, but his antics get old.

        He always wants to be the center of attention.

        Toles was getting all of the attention yesterday.

        1. It is not like Puig has only did stuff like this, for part of a season.

          It has happened over and over, and over!

          He knows what he is doing.

        2. Excuse me, but horse shit. That was not antics, that was a player going balls out to make a play he thought he could make. Lighten up, your criticism of his everyday play is getting old.

          1. Michael
            Puig not playng correctly is getting old.

            I don’t say anything bad about Puig if he makes a mistake trying to hustle to much, and over runs a ball.

            It is this other stuff.

            I don’t dislike Puig.

            And Michael I like you, so I don’t want to argue with you.

            But you dislike Grandal and make it a point to say anything bad about him, any chance you get.

            I don’t do that with Puig,

            I just want Puig to do well.

      3. Michael
        That ball was hit right in the center of centerfield, and
        maybe, slightly to left.

        It wasn’t even close to the right side.

        1. Like I said, you are beating a dead horse. The play is over, they won the game, give it a damn rest.

        2. We can agree to disagree, you have a problem with Puig and are basing it on what you call a need for attention. I think that is ludicrous. He has been playing hard, and yes occasionally he does do something dumb. But I seriously doubt he wanted to be the center of attention simply because Toles was called up. That is simply dumb.

          1. Michael
            I wrote something above.

            And I agree Puig is doing better this year, because of Roberts.

            And I never thought that Puig doesn’t hustle, like some thought, when he didn’t run right away, after he thought he hit a HR.

            Remember when Roberts benched him.

            I knew that Puig didn’t ran because he thought he hit a HR.

            I don’t say something about him, eveyday like you say something about Grandal, because Puig doesn’t do this stuff everyday.

            So give me a little break OK?

          2. Hey MJ, no problem, I know we all want Yasiel to excel. I just in my mind thought you were being a little over critical of the guy. As for Grandal, I really dislike him, and yes, I say rotten things about the guy and he has deserved it. Like I said, 1 good game does not a season make. Puig has 10 times Grandal’s skills. And he contributes a lot more to wins most of the time. He also might make a gaff one minute, and then wow the crowd with a great catch or throw someone out at the plate. My main point was that this was their first game together in the OF, the CF is supposed to be the traffic cop out there. Maybe Puig heard him and maybe he did not. But I cannot fault the guy for effort. He does not know how much range Toles has, or how well he plays the OF, so it was probably a one time thing. Benefit of the doubt. But thinking he is doing it for attention implies you are inside Puig’s head and know what he is thinking……..

        3. Hp Wolf,

          I don’t dis like Puig.

          Puig is easy to like.

          I have never said to trade Puig once, on this blog, because I do like him.

          And I think Roberts makes Puig want to play better.

          I dis like some of Puig’s actions.

          The same actions he has been doing for three years now.

          Like throwing the ball over the cut off man’s head.

          And not throwing the ball, to second, to keep a runner on first, from getting in scoring position.

          And he has tried to get in front of Joc , and catch a ball, that is clearly Joc’s, at least three times this year!

          I don’t think I am being harsh, because these are the fundementals of the game.

          And this isn’t Puig’s first year, and he continues to make these same mistakes.

          Puig isn’t a three year old.

          Sometimes, all of Puig’s great plays, get cancelled out, when he does these other things, that cost the team.

          I just expect more from Puig.

  4. A win is a win. But ugly. Kazmir again 2 steps back. giants make it look easy with half a team. These starting pitchers have lived down to their expectations. Is Toles our best minor league outfielder? Maybe so. Another “versatile” player. We have about 10 of those. “Versatile”=”Average”. Perfect for an average team. The suits are still shooting low. This team is another hangnail from going into the toilet.

  5. Toles is one of Andy’s Tampa guys, and he’s raked in the minors this year. I think he’s an upgrade on Venable, but clearly they don’t want to mess with Alex Verdugo just yet. We’ve got some kids in Ogden who are hitting–look for them in September. As the Roster Churns, brought to you by Guggs.

      1. Michael
        I guess I’m like that about Puig, because he tryed to get in the way of Pederson making a catch, three times, this year.

        And he just keeps on doing stuff like that.

        And I think he knows better.

        Remember how he tried to get in the way of Joc catching a ball, when Joc is the clearly the one, that was catching the ball?

  6. I just read that Sborz at RC will now only go 4 innings per game the rest of the season. Are the doctors/scientists running baseball? He has about 80 innings so far. With this fear of injury, regardless of how good someone is, it will take 3-4 years to reach the big leagues. Just to get the innings up. THAT’S THE BEST GUY. This is all experimentation, I think. No one knows if these innings limitations have any effect on injury. It makes sense, but it is probably wrong. It will takes years for these experiments to play out. When it is all said and done, we should go back to letting the good ones run through the system at their own pace and take the chance with them. Sborz is 6’3″ and over 200 lbs, so he is not some waif. I guess it makes no difference. Syndergard of the Mets got pulled yesterday when
    his fastball went from 98 to 93. Tired arm in the 3-4 inning. These chuckers seem to be a fragile bunch. Unless they play for the giants.

    1. Not their choice, MLB asks, and the player either says yes or no…same with Pederson last year. Trout declined…

  7. Gary Sanchez. MLB #55

    Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 70 | Field: 45 | Overall: 55

    Five years ago, the Yankees had the top two catching prospects in baseball in the similarly tooled Jesus Montero and Sanchez. But Montero turned into a bust after getting traded to the Mariners and Sanchez seemed to be following in his footsteps as scouts questioned his receiving skills, work ethic and maturity. He turned it around in 2015, however, capping a strong year by making his big league debut in September and starring in the Arizona Fall League.

    Sanchez earned a $3 million bonus when he signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2009 thanks to two standout tools: huge raw power and an exceptionally strong arm. Both were evident in the Fall League, which he led in homers (seven) and throwing out basestealers (62 percent). Sanchez’s combination of bat speed, strength and loft in his right-handed swing allow him to drive balls great distances.

    Sanchez still can get overly aggressive at the plate, which hampers his ability to hit for average, and his receiving and blocking still need more polish. But he did show improvement in those facets of his game and played with more passion in 2015. If Sanchez stays behind the plate and realizes his power potential he could be an All Star.

    I want him. Give them Grandal.

  8. As bad as Grandal has been this year, let’s put a little perspective to it. Lucroy has 11 HR and 41 RBI and Grandal has 12 HR and 37 RBI… IN A HUNDRED LESS AT-BATS!

    Lucry is hitting .100 points higher, but less than 40 points higher OB%. Lucroys OPS is also 100 points higher. Now that Grandal is looking to break out… or has broke out, only an idiot would trade the amount of prospects needed to get Lucroy. I have been a huge Grandal supporter but lost faith after his horrid starts.

    My faith has been restored. Grandal is a good defensive catcher – I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SAY – the facts are otherwise. He has 6 PB ALL SEASON on a pitching staff where about 5 or 6 pitchers have no clue where the ball is going and the ace likes to throw pitches in the dirt.

    Personally, if it were me, I would move Grandal to Cleanup to get more power at the position. Grandal is 5th in the MLB in HR by catchers… in a lot fewer AB’s. As a matter of fact, here’s what I would do today:

    1. Toles CF
    2. Utley 2B
    3. Seager SS
    4. Grandal C
    5. Turner 3B
    6. Gonzo 1B (no power)
    7. Puig RF
    8. Thompson LF

    I still think Grandal will be a 25 HR guy… or more. I don’t know what happened to him, but it looks like he is back and I would move him to 4th to show my confidence!

    Not much time to post as we are in the Bay Area visiting my wife’.s family.

    1. I am sure glad you are not the manager. One good game does not a season make. Grandal might become a catching Rob Deer, but the guy will never hit for average.

    2. Yeah, you said 25 home runs and .270 last year Mark. I dont see him playing often enough for 25 and he sure as hell won’t hit .270. Passed balls are not a pitchers stat. Don’t try to pin that on them. He drops a lot of balls, always has, and his career CS% is below league average. This year he’s right at league average. At the plate? He should have “Blind Squirrel” on the back of his uni. We know you like him, but your projections are WAY off.

      1. I think he will hit closer to his career average of .230 or so, but he might get hot for a couple of weeks, then he will go back to what he is and always has been, a mediocre catcher with some power and serious defensive issues. San Diego unloaded the guy for a reason, so did Cincinnati.

      2. Badger
        I saw that the Dbacks traded there closer to the Red Sox.

        It is to bad that they wouldn’t consider trading Greinke to the Dodgers.

        I think moving there closer, shows they are difinitly out this year.

        1. Clippard could be next. Maybe Hudson. Greinke would be a tough sell, and since we had him and didn’t win, I dont see him coming here. Let him flounder in Phoenix – though I’m sure he’s living good in Scottsdale, not Phoenix.

        2. Red Sox need a closer because Kimbrel is injured with a torn meniscus. They also traded for Hill from the Brewers.

    3. The Dodgers need more players, that can hit for an average.

      The team has trouble just putting the ball in play, at times, with runners in scoring position.

      We have two other players, that hit HRs, but have trouble making consistent contact, with runners in scoring position.

      A player with a good batting average, gets hits much more often, then players, that hit HRS, but can’t hit for a decent average.

      In that extra innngs game, there were way to many strike outs, with runners in scoring position.

  9. Haters gonna’ hate, hate, hate ,hate, hate… cause that’s what they do.

    FLASH: Passed balls are a Catcher’s stat! Who knew? I suppose the catcher throws the ball to himself? I did not know that either,

    1. Mark
      When you get a chance, elaborate about the Dodgers owners, and about Friedman, like you brought up the other day, when you were in Rancho.

      1. No body wants to hear more about Friedman and the owners. They want to hear about moves to improve the team…..

        1. Michael
          It is about what the Dodger owners are feeling about Friedman, and his work.

          Even if Mark is a FAZ guy, it is still interesting to hear what is playing out with the Dodger owners, and the front office.

          Not all is right there, right now.

          1. I read about the FO from informed writers, not from some self indulgent person like Mark on a blog. I understand that some fans really think it is interesting, and that is fine. But what concerns me more than what the FO thinks of Friedman is performance on the field, And that should be the fans main bugaboo too. With the trade deadline and all star break looming, I want to see if this year Friedman finally pulls the trigger on something that actually improves the team. Until then, I am critical of anything the guy does, and of the front office for buying into the bargain basement theory.

      2. MJ,

        I fly back tonight – I’ll do it next week. Maybe I’ll write a blog like Scott has offered one day.

      1. I did not realize you were the critic of the world. I guess I should consult you on a regular basis. You probably are a fine critic anyway… likely oneof the best critics, because critics are persons who tend too readily to make captious, trivial, or harsh judgments – they are faultfinders.

        YES! You are a great critic because A critic is someone who has no discernible talent so he tries to make someone else feel as useless as he/she is.

        Well, not really. I’m fine with what I listen to, watch, believe and say and I won’t allow you to pull me down to your miserable level. Have a wonderful, miserable day!

        1. Mark, you are sooooooooooooooooooo full of yourself, and for your information I have a lot of talent in the field of music and sang professionally for years. You on the other hand think so highly that your opinion is the only one that matters. And you use Friedman’s game plan as the knowledge for this opinion. I am not miserable, I am pretty much fed up with mediocrity though. Harsh, sometimes, but usually with good reason. But when I am proved wrong I readily admit it. As for having a war of wits with you I decline because I refuse to fight an unarmed man…..have a great day……

    2. Why is a catcher, crouching and encumbered with protective equipment, expected to catch every pitch, no matter what, and it’s a Passed Ball if he doesn’t, but a First Baseman, standing unencumbered and more mobile, not given an error no matter how badly he botches the play? The error is always charged to the infielder who threw the ball, even when honestly the First Baseman should have caught it.

      1. You have, I expect, heard of wild pitches, haven’t you? It’s the scorer’s call – if it should have been blocked or caught, it’s a passed ball – if not, it’s a wild pitch.

        1. If it hits the ground it’s a wild pitch. Passed balls are when the catcher should have made the play. Official scorers call on those that hit glove first. Maybe Grandal just gets crossed up more than anybody else?

          1. Badger
            I think Grandal has a lot of pass balls, and gets hurt a lot, because he is keeping his glove, in the strike zone, as long as he can, to get the pitcher the strike.

            Because he does this, it takes longer for him to react, to block a ball, or to protect himself..
            It seems like most catcher’s have there glove closer to there bodies.

            Grandal keeps his glove up front more, away from his body.

    3. Who knew?

      Apparently you didn’t:

      “My faith has been restored. Grandal is a good defensive catcher – I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SAY – the facts are otherwise. He has 6 PB ALL SEASON on a pitching staff where about 5 or 6 pitchers have no clue where the ball is going and the ace likes to throw pitches in the dirt.” The Sherriff of Bastardham, about an hour ago.

  10. “Grandal now has … raised his batting average to .204.” Big Deal. With the money he is being paid he should hit above .200 every day. As I said a week ago. Grandal hitting to CF is a nice change and possibly a sign of future success.

    Puig needs an eye exam. He is reacting like a person with decreasing depth perception. Major sign is misreading balls hit directly at you. Even just 4 or 5 feet to either side can be read accurately with failing depth perception but right at you is a major problem.

    “We’ve got some kids in Ogden who are hitting” Must be a hitter’s league cause Ogden has no Ps worth shit.

    SF with the best record in MLB. Now that sucks.

  11. 4:15 today?
    Thanks for posting today’s game.

    Last Vinny said something which I didn’t understand. He said Cashner has never won on the road. Maybe he meant Cashner has never beaten the Dodgers on the road.

  12. A little perspective about Grandal is probably in order. He was a highly touted prospect in SD who did so-so after he came up. He had a great 1st half offensively last year before he got hurt. He hasn’t been the same since his injury – query, is his injury still affecting his play?

    He has good power for a catcher and is potentially a plus offensive catcher, but hasn’t been this year.

    The eyeball test tells me that he is a so-so defensive catcher, but he is improving. He is not a great pitch blocker; he is apparently a great pitch framer (if you believe that is a thing). He has learned from Ellis and has improved as a game caller. He is not great at throwing runners out – in everything but pitch framing Ellis is a superior defensive catcher.

    He had a great game yesterday, but it’s just one game.

    All of this being said, I would not change catchers mid-season. It will mess up the pitchers and they need all of the help that they can get.

    Stay the course.

    1. He hasn’t passed my eyeball test. He is 27, prime year, maybe he will get it together. Very streaky. This is his 5th year at the ML level. 1400 PA’s, .235 BA, his 114 OPS+ is above replacement level. In 5 years he has a total dWAR of 0.9. That sounds rather pedestrian to me. I just think we could do better.

    2. Dodger rick
      Doesn’t Joc have the same type of injury that Grandal had last year?

      I know they happened in different ways.

      Grandal was hit by a pitch in his AC region, and Joc smashed into the wall, and hit his AC region.

      I read in Dodger com that Joc had a shoulder seperation.

      I also read about a shoulder seperation, and that is in the AC region, like Grandal had.

      But there are different stages of how bad a shoulder seperation can be, and Joc must just have a mild seperation.

  13. If s ball is in the dirt it is not automatically a passed ball – it’s a judgement call by the ump. Molina had 6 PB same as Grandal. The fact is that pitchers like throwing to Grandal – the pitchers don’t give a damn what critics say. Especially blow hard critics!

    1. Judgment call by the ump?

      “When a pitch is thrown that is not caught by the catcher and a runner advances, it is scored as a wild pitch (WP) or passed ball (PB) as per scoring rule 10.13.

      The difference comes down to whether or not the ball could have been handled with ordinary effort. If it could, then it’s a passed ball, otherwise a wild pitch. One specific hard and fast rule to use is that any pitch that hits the ground prior to getting to the catcher is always a wild pitch. Also note that a strike (swung at by the batter) may be a wild pitch. If there is a wild pitch or passed ball, but a runner is thrown out trying to advance, then no WP or PB will be scored, even if other runners advance. The others runners advance is deemed to be on a fielder’s choice.”

      I’ve never seen a pitch that bounces away from the catcher, advancing a runner, called a passed ball. But apparently you have.

  14. Food for thought:

    “You differ from a great man in only one respect: the great man was once a very little man, but he developed one important quality: he recognized the smallness and narrowness of his thoughts and actions. Under the pressure of some task that meant a great deal to him, he learned to see how his smallness, his pettiness endangered his happiness. In other words, a great man knows when and in what way he is a little man. A little man does not know he is little and is afraid to know. He hides his pettiness and narrowness behind illusions of strength and greatness, someone else’s strength and greatness. He’s proud of his great generals but not of himself. He admires an idea he has not had, not one he has had. The less he understands something, the more firmly he believes in it. And the better he understands an idea, the less he believes in it.”
    ― Wilhelm Reich, Listen, Little Man!

    Joc’s injury: AC joint is a delicate and complicated joint. If it is simply a strain, it can heal well, however if cartilage has been damaged, the spacing in the AC joint isn’t able to be maintained and complications arise that inhibit full healing, surgery required to remove damaged cartilage and spacing must be created by shortening the collar bone. If part of the damage is described as a “bicep impingement” occurs that is a whole other complication, usually (always) resulting in surgery.
    Soooo, unless he has just a slight strain, he really has a problem. They can do a temporary bandage by injecting the shoulder, but once it wears off he will be back to basic issue. Don’t be surprised if Joc has surgery in the off-season.

    1. Shoulder injuries are complicated. Often, once you tear something in there, it’s never quite right. Since we fans seldom get accurate information early, we don’t know how serious this is now, nor do we know the ramifications down the road. To make other plans is probably wise.

      Like the little guy quote. Wilhelm was 5’2″, so he knows from where he speaketh. I made that up.

    2. True Blue

      I think it is a mild one, because they expect Joc to be back, just a little after they start playing baseball again.

      Like you said, and I read, it can be just slighty bruised tissue, or worse.

  15. Michael Norris,

    At least I am full of myself while you are full of something else. If they gave you an enema they could bury you in a shoebox !

    Who is unarmed? Don’t bring a buck knife to a gun fight!

    1. You’ve used that shoebox quote many times. You need some new material. I can probably help you with that. How about this:

      “If they gave you an enema, you’d fit in an A cup.” Insult accomplished and nobody has to be buried.

      Gun fight? What do you know about a gunfight? Have you ever been in one?

      1. He is so full of himself there is no room for the feces………..Not worried about his empty insults…..result of playing with himself as a child…..

    2. Not even close moron. I am loaded for bear, so don’t worry about who would win. You are absolutely full of yourself and your opinion is full of a lot of something else. Your brain should be in the Smithsonian to show how huge a fat head really is. By the way……..even if I crapped it would be smarter than you ….. plenty of years as a soldier, so my gun is always loaded and only a moron like you would bring a knife to a gun fight, and buck knives are for pussies……..I carry a Bowie.

  16. You are one bad man who likes to brag how great he is. Never have I said such stuff. What are you trying to compensate for?

    1. I have never said I was great. I said I had a talent, something you obviously lack, and therefore could not possibly comprehend. I have no need to compensate for anything. people who actually know me, know that. You on the other hand need to throw what you consider a superior knowledge of the inner workings of the Dodgers out there for all to see. Fine, that is your prerogative. I have no problem with that. But we who beg to differ have the same right. I happen to disagree with you on a lot of things. As far as being bad, well I stand my ground when backed against a wall if that means anything. I do not back down from a fight, but I never start them either. You believe what you like, makes not difference to me, but I reserve the right to disagree.

  17. Wow – I step away to run an errand with my wife and the site disintegrates into a lot of name calling and insults.

    I like the Dodgers. I like thinking about them, watching them, talking (and sometimes) arguing about them. Why all of the vitriol?

    1. Mark takes Vitriol because he thinks it helps him stand up straight.

      Nationally televised game today. Why? Who knows. Maybe it’s regional. Anyway, on tv so, look good.

    2. Just tired of his high horse act is all……he is a legend in his own mind…….and barking up the wrong tree…..no doubt face to face he would be all hot air….

      1. You’ll get used to it.

        He’s not all hot air. He weighs about 260 so there is some ample compass to him. A lot of it looks like a severe reaction to shellfish.

        1. Lighter than me….I come in at 275….no reaction to shell fish, always been big. But a lot smaller than the 427 I used to weigh…..never get used to blowhards, but that is just me. Most of the guys I have met on these sites are decent people. Just the ones who seem like they are self centered get my goat……..ok by me, I am not afraid of a good tussle……

    3. You think this is bad, you ought to go on Dodgers Nation. That is where the real name calling lives. Dodgers.com has its bad guys too, except on there, they bleep out the bad words…

  18. Since Badger is a vegetarian he drinks cactus juice – it makes him the prick that he is!

    I’m actually about 245 lbs., but it’s spread over 75 inches.

    I have never been in a gun fight… nor do I want to be.

    You just get back from me what you give. If it has no basis in fact, then I’ll call you on it. You talk crazy – I’ll talk crazy back.

    I’m sure there are many people who can kick my ass… I just haven’t met them yet and I have walked among the baddest of the bad!

    Michael Norris wants to disable my keyboard so it’s like his wisdom? I guess that would make it a fair fight – he could just spout his bullying, bombastic, senseless drivel and no one would call him on it. Me? I hit bullies in the mouth!

    1. Good luck with that. Not a chance in hell you would ever connect. I do not bully people, you do. As for being bombastic, not really, I am opionated, and some what bull headed, but I know my faults. I do not claim to know it all, never have, My arguments have weight from my point of view, to you they do not, fine I accept that, and some of the things I have posted to you, I was being sarcastic, such as the crap music thing, but you chose to take offense which a narrow minded boor like you will do when someone does not agree with you. As for a fair fight, I would meet you any time and anywhere. I could care less how tough you think you are. I said once before I do not back down from anything or anybody, and I would bet I am a lot older than you, so I have seen as many so called bad men as you and more. But you have your own little world you live in. I will continue to disagree until events prove me wrong, and if they do I will gladly admit that I am wrong. Grandal becomes what the FO thinks he is, fine I will eat crow, does not mean I will like the guy. I really would love to see you try and hit me in the mouth though….hospital stay for you ……..trust me…..

      1. I am only 62, you talk like you are 85 and demented, but in those 62 years I have never seen a blowhard like you who says he will put someone in the hospital ever (I MEAN EVER) do it!

        Women talk! Sorry Miss, I don’t buy what you are selling!

  19. You see, there’s a good example of why you come across so miserably. Your first line, an attempt at humor or you just being a jerk? Hard to tell. Calling someone a prick is not funny, it’s name calling, it’s mean spirited, it’s provocative and it’s what you do. You want it to be clever use the word prickly. See the difference? You come across as a blow hard bully because it comes naturally to you, you don’t seem to care care so you don’t even try.

    1. He is an over blown self indulgent ass…Pure and simple, you disagree with his point of view, and you are the bad guy. I from now on am not going to post on anything he writes unless it is a personal attack on me. I could care less what he thinks of my opinion. That is not the way it works. He loves this front office and he cannot understand why all the fans do not embrace their philosophy. Fine, not my problem, but I like production at the major league level. And I do not like their bargain basement approach to putting players on the field. That’s my take. Period. It is great to have a good farm system, but they also need to be contributing to the team on the field. Until they do that they are nothing more than prospects.

    2. You are like the little kid who sucker punches his brother and then his brother retaliates and gets caught. You are so disingenuous!

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