The first two games of the Dodgers/Brewers series were tough, back and forth affairs. Each team had come away with one win.
Mike Bolsinger was set to pitch against Chase Anderson. They are both old friends, and Bolsinger was Best Man at Anderson’s wedding. The big question was, which of the two would be the best man on the mound?
1st inning
Bolsinger started out in trouble, quickly giving up a run. The Dodgers then repeated their habit of scoring in the first. With two on, Trayce Thompson hit a single up the middle to tie the score. On an ill-advised attempt to score from second, Adrian Gonzalez was thrown out at home for the third out of the inning.
2nd inning Tie score 1-1
Bolsinger gave up another couple of runs to put the Brewers ahead 3-1. At one point Manager Roberts and the trainer went out to the mound to check on Bolsinger to see if he was injured, but he stayed in the game.
Dodgers
Howie Kendrick hit a solo home run in the Dodgers half of the inning.
Third inning Brewers 3-2
The Brewers scored two more to extend their lead to 5-2.
The Dodgers went bonkers in the third inning, scoring six runs – the most in one inning all season. Down 5-2, Justin Turner kept his hot streak going, and slammed a three-run home run to tie the game at five apiece.
With two on, Yasmani Grandal hit a double to left-center and scored two more. 7-2. Turner came up again and had an RBI single. By the time the dust settled, the Dodgers scored one more to make it 8-5.
6th inning Dodgers 8-5
Joc Pederson cranked out a solo home run to make it 9-5. Corey Seager followed with a double. Turner singled him to third. Adrian Gonzalez singled in Pederson. 10-5 – all with no out. That’s how the inning ended.
7th inning Dodgers 10-5
Brewers
Ryan Braun home run. 10-6
9th inning Dodgers 10-6
Adam Liberatore pitched the final two innings and kept the Brewers scoreless. He struck out the side in the eighth, and went 1,2,3 in the ninth.
On a night that looked like it would be an absolute disaster with an injured Bolsinger (postgame reports said he went out with cramping) and an overtaxed bullpen giving up runs aplenty, the offense stepped up to the challenge. Once again led by Justin Turner’s home run power, the Dodgers rallied and collected 14 hits and 10 runs. Adrian Gonzalez also had a big night.
With the exception of Ryan Braun’s 7th inning home run, the Dodgers’ bullpen (Hatcher, Fien, and Liberatore) settled in and kept the Brewers’ bats quiet. They combined to retire the final nine Brewers in a row.
Mike Bolsinger went 2 2/3 innings with 9 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, 1 K. ERA 6.83
Home runs: Turner, Kendrick, Pederson
Doubles: Gonzalez, Grandal, Seager
Team with RISP: 6 for 10 A good night!
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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How bad have the Dodgers’ starting pitchers been in June? Here are the non-Kershaw starter’s innings pitched in June, with the most recent game for each pitcher listed first:
Bolsinger: 2 2/3, 4 2/3, 5 1/3, 5
Urias: 5, 5 1/3, 4, 5
Kazmir: 4, 5, 5, 6
Maeda: 5 1/3, 6 2/3, 6 1/3
Wood: 5
Out of 16 non-Kershaw starts in June, no one has gone 7 ip. 3 games of 6 ip (Maeda 2, Kazmir 1).
We will kill the bullpen at this rate.
Something must change.
No Dodger rick — F&Z will find some pitchers in Mexico or Cuba or Sweden or South Africa or . . . sign ’em and bring them in.
I think Latos is available. I bet the White Sox would part with Shields, though his contract might give them pause. Padres are paying $11 of his $21. Honeycutt could fix him.
A few things:
1. Oscar, actually the score was 10-6, but I guess it really doesn’t matter, does it?
2. Of course Kershaw is part of the equation, but the Dodger pitching staff is 4th in MLB (right behind the Nats) and 2nd in WHIP (right behind the Cubs). Those stats are excellent, any way you slice it. Here’s what I see: In the next 30 days (at different intervals), you will see two or three of these guys: De Leon, Montas, Ryu, McCarthy, Cotton, Barlow, DeLong, Oakes or Stewart. There are a ton of options.
3. The Dodgers are currently 29th in batting average, but 16th in runs scored. Last year they were 19th in BA AND Runs. Think on that a bit! Puig will be back soon (I have no clue what he will do). Eithier will likely be back in August (or never), but Turner is hot and I think others will also heat up. It’s like I said: these guys know how to hit-for whatever reason(s) they got off to slaw starts. All except Kike are showing signs of life!
4. I think that by the end of July, Urias will be in the pen.
Nobody’s perfect.
Mark it on the scorecard as E-W
5. I see no one has rushed to sign Crawfish. Yeah, he had value and WAR and all that. While we are talking about it, does anyone really believe A-Gon is tradable without the Dodgers picking up a substantial amount of salary? I don’t… and physically I think his decline will be huge going forward. I would try and package him now. Yeah, he’s a great guy, good teammate, great defender and liaison to the Hispanic community and he’s also not a great leader, clogs the bases and is in steep decline. I don’t want to disrupt team chemistry but there are better options.
6. Some predicted that the Dodgers would not have a player hit 20 HR – it turns out the Dodgers have at least 4 that have a shot at it!
Ever time I mention trading Agon, people here act like I bad-mouthed God!
Good one Roger!
Mark
We could have said that about Turner when he wasn’t hitting. I never said that Turner shouldn’t play or should be traded.
And Agone was the one hitting, not Turner. I guess you pick Agone out, because of that trade. I never see you writing Grandal off, or any of the players that you like.
And Grandal is not only a problem offensively, he is a disaster behind the plate. Grandal can’t even get a grip on the ball, to throw to the bases right now.
And he has had so many pass balls, that if the other team puts a runner on first, Grandal almost automatically,
puts the other team’s runner in scoring position. And what is bad, is I am not exaggerating about Grandal’s defense. It has been that bad, these last few weeks.
Agone makes the other infielders better, and saves many errors, with the way digs out throws, and with the way he plays first base. He also brings stability to the team.
And he is a good team leader. He just leads more by example. And most people don’t see his leadership, because he does this more, behind close doors.
People respond more to what a person’s actions are, more then the rah rah stuff. Just like kids respond to there parents actions, much more then what a parent tells there kids to do. You are writing Agone off, way to soon.
He was hitting the ball better last night. And he will be hitting the ball harder at home, now that it is finally hot in Southern California. Anyways, Agone was hitting fine, away from Dodger stadium.
And by the way, I don’t dislike Grandal, but he is a mess right now. I think he is letting his lack of offense, affect his defense.
Easy Mark. It is only one win
HRs yes, batting average, no.
Conventional wisdom = The Dodgers pen will have a lot of tired arms in the second half.
Vision = The Dodgers may have the freshest arms in MLB after the break.
Vision?
How so?
A bunch of fresh arms are possible = Ryu, McCarthy, Montas and or De Leon.
Are Ryu, McCarthy, Montas and or De Leon going to the Pen?
Also, none of them have gone very long as starters so far this year.
With pitch count limits.
I don’t know if you have ever had major arm surgery – I have – twice. Your arm is never the same and it may take years to completely recover. It looks right now that Montas is nearing return and he could help, but looks to be better used in a relief role. His control with the Sox was suspect and he hasn’t pitched more than 4 innings in a game yet this year.
Last year with the Sox he started 2 games – 3 ip and 4 ip.
I am hopeful but not optimistic about McCarthy and Ryu.
DeLeon – I would really like to see him up with the big club but hasn’t he also been injured for much of the season? How stretched out is he?
Fresh?
Interesting perspective. I’m coming off surgery on my arm and it looks, and feels, far from “fresh”.
I’m as surprised as most at how effective this pitching has been. If not for the 12 blown saves, we would be right in this thing. I’m still hopeful it will go right down to the last week.
Badger
Remember excellent, accept in high leverage situations!
What would the team era be without Kershaw in it? Probably below the medium. I saw RC play at SJ last night. 66 is #29 now. But he stinks even at A level. Hitting 3d playing RF: 2 K’s; 1 blooping single. Boo’d every time up. The first strike out, he flailed at a high fast ball. The second K, he swung and missed at a curveball in the dirt 8 inches off the plate. The thought occurred to me, though, that the A level is where he belongs and should stay the rest of his career. He can fart around all he wants there. Even these pitchers have no fear of him, and they challenge him. With great success. The RC pitcher, Sborz, from U of Virginia, looked good. A different style of pitching: all over the strike zone. Not one pitch in the same place in a row. Sometimes, effectively wild. Gave up 1 hit and 0 runs in 5 innings. Hit 91 on the gun. He might be ok. Always good to beat the giants at any level. I don’t like the way they plan to baby Urias. The team needs him to fill a spot. Let him go 5 innings or 80 pitches every 5th day until someone better comes along. I don’t trust McCarthy. His head is too far up his celebrity ass. I used to like him, but he has gotten too cute for my taste at a huge expense to the club. Who cares about expense, right? The Nats come to town on Monday. A good test, though the Padres beat them on Sat. Why can’t anybody beat the giants?
Point well taken on Kershaw, although most teams ERA’s would be higher without their ace. I wondered why Puig was playing all his rehab games at Rancho in the “hitter friendly” California League. He should be hitting .400. Anderson is another in a long line of first-round pitchers who’ve been flops.
I’m afraid McCarthy is coming whether we like it or not but I’m not expecting much; I just hope he doesn’t block De Leon from getting some starts.
Chris Anderson came on in relief last night. Looked lousy. 29 pitches to get through an inning, with one run scored. Walks, wild pitch. Looks like he is on a downhill track to be out of the organization. Another #1 pick with nothing to show for it. He’s been as high as AAA, but struggling at A now.
Anderson and Lee are busts and on the way out. The old FO did a lot of good, but they also had some bad whiffs!
De Leon and Montas have healthy and fresh arms.
Anderson, Ryu and McCarthy – If I had to guess, I would say that if one makes it back this year, that would be good. Two would be excellent and all three would be insane.
As you get older, surgery is much more difficult to recover from and if you have a world-renowned specialist, you have a much better chance. That said, Tommy John had a great career after surgery, but some never come back and others come back as good as ever.
I just know we have 5 to 8 really good arms that I believe are MLB ready and that should help a lot.
I also have a feeling that Cueto, Shark, Peavey and Cain will not be nearly as good the second half. Cueto is famous for running outta gas!
Tommy John was a sinker ball pitcher, and he actually got better, after his surgery.
I forgot about this guy:
DODGERS RECALL FRIAS
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today recalled right-hander Carlos Frias from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned right-handed pitcher Mike Bolsinger to Triple-A.
The 26-year-old Frias, who will be making his first big league appearance of 2016, last pitched on June 12 for Oklahoma City vs. Nashville, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and throwing 77 pitches in 5.1 innings of relief. In seven minor league games (five starts) this year, Frias has gone 1-3 with a 4.60 ERA, including two rehab starts with Double-A Tulsa as he recovered from an oblique injury. The native of the Dominican Republic made his Major League debut in 2014 and has gone 6-6 with a 4.66 ERA in 32 games (15 starts) with the Dodgers in 2014-15.
Bolsinger, 28, has gone 1-4 with a 6.83 ERA in six starts with the Dodgers this season.
That is good news.
Frias will only help in the pen. If he is going to start he will be another 4 inning starter – and he was never any good the 3rd time through the lineup anyway.
they need another starter and fasts!
Yeah, Frias can go 3-4 innings if need be, so he’s well needed right now! next 2 games are Maeda and Kersh, so the pen SHOULD get somewhat of a break.
Good insight on Sborz, B17; thanks! He’s had good stats, but I wondered how his stuff was really playing out. Meanwhile, the guy who I think is our best offensive guy coming up, Willie Calhoun, has been on fire recently! If he can play an adequate 2b, we have a stud on our hands. Otherwise, LF it is.
Watching giants tampa on tv now; hopefully we can finally gain a game back today!
Frias? For where? The BP? Hopefully NOT as a starter. Based on past results he does much better in relief. If he starts expect another 5 inning pitcher.
I will agree, a bit, he is better than Bolsinger but not by much but wss.
You can’t always look at past stats, especially for younger players and pitchers – many often GET IT in their late 20’s. So, the Frias we had may ultimately not (or may) be the pitcher we get!
Case-in-point: CHRIS CARPENTER
Age 22 – 5.09 ERA
Age 23 – 4.37 ERA
Age 24 – 4.38 ERA
Age 25 – 6.26 ERA
Age 26 – 4.09 ERA
Age 27 – 5.28 ERA
Age 28 – Missed season due to TJ
Age 29 – 3.46 ERA
Age 30 – 2.83 ERA
Age 31 – 3.09 ERA
Age 32 – Missed most of season with surgery
Age 33 -Missed most of season
Age 34 – 2.24 ERA
Age 35 – 3.22 ERA
Age 36 – 3.45 ERA
He is a case-in-point for being a late developer and coming back from surgery. He was never Clayton Kershaw, but he had a great career, overcoming early issues and surgeries.
Where baseball fans make their greatest mistake is looking at what is… not what could be.
That said, I am not predicting Frias will be Chris Carpenter (I have to add that clause because Badger will say “well you said Frias would be as good as Carpenter and you were wrong.“), but he could become a whole lot more useful with experience and his 96-97 MPH Fastball.
Understood and he does have a very good fastball but he uses it too much. What are his secondary pitches? As a SP he goes 5+ innings and has a .300 + BAA. Lefties love him with a 340+ BAA against.
Frias is already 26yo and has been pitching for 10 years with varied results. Carpenter had TJ surgery at 28 and after his recovery got a lot better. Perhaps the surgery had something to do with it? Maybe he changed his arm slot, or moved on the rubber? IDK.
If you use him for an example, I’m not willing to wait two years. By then we’ll have other pitchers up with a much higher ceiling. In the meantime, there must be somebody else on the farm to give a shot to.
I believe Frias is just coming up to give them another long man in the pen. He has had some success in that role.
I think I would take Cueto’s second half over most of our “fresh” arms, who are mostly untried, rehabbing or innings-limited. But maybe Kazmir has been saving up for a second-half surge.
Here is what I think that people are missing about Agone. Agone has been a much different hitter, away from Dodger stadium this year.
On the road, Agone is hitting just under 340, and his power numbers, are also a better. 24 of Agone’s 32 RBIs were hit in, in away games. And Agone has also hit 14 doubles away from home, this year too.
And 4 of Agone’s 6 HRs, were also hit on the road. Even Agone’s slugging percentage, is better in away games. It is just under 500. And Agone’s has a very good OPS away from Dodger stadium this year.
Agone has a really good OPS of 906, away from Dodger stadium this year, and that is very good. Agone has had a little more at bats, away from home too, but the splits are pretty even.
And I believe that Agone’s bat, began to warm up, last night. And I think he will start hitting the ball hard at Dodger stadium, like he has, in games away from the stadium this year. Because it is finally getting hot in Southern California.
And if Agone’s back was bothering him, he should start feeling better, because of the weather change. Because most people with these type of injuries, always seem to feel better, when the weather gets hotter.
And also with this weather change, it a little easier to hit a ball out of Dodger stadium, especially in day games. And if you remember in SF, Agone did hit an opposite field HR, to give the team the lead, but he also hit a ball, up against centerfield wall in SF. And that ball, was hit harder, and hit farther, then Agone’s oppo HR.
I think some are just jumping to a conclusion, about Agone, being done. Because if you look at Agone’s splits, of home, and away, he looks like a great offensive player, away from Dodger stadium. And looks like a Mendosa candidate, in games at home.
A-Gon OPS:
2009- .958
2010 – .904
2011 – .957
2012 – .806
2013 – .803
2014 – .817
2015 – .830
2016 – .741
Do I have to graph that. A-Gon was a .900 OPS guy for a while. Then a .800 OPS guy for a while. He is now most likely a .700 OPS guy. The decline is real and will get worse.
1B is a power position and A-Gon currently ranks #16 out of 22 MLB first basemen.
And MJ, I never said it was YOU who wanted to bench Turner. Don’t take everything personally, but you can take this personally:
The Dodgers dumped Kemps’ salary and got Grandal – a prospect without taking on salary. They gave up prospects while taking on salary in THE TRADE so that’s silly to compare the two. I am on record as saying I would give Grandal until the end of June. I know he is struggling, but I have seen a few flashes lately.