In an important early-season divisional series, the third place Los Angeles Dodgers entered the hostile environs of the second place Arizona Diamondbacks. Entering tonight, the Dodgers trailed the snakes by one and a half games. Alex Wood got the start in place of blistered Rich Hill. Here’s how things played out.
The Dodgers struck fast with a two run shot by Corey Seager. He brought in the Dodgers’ latest leadoff batter, Joc Pederson. Before the Dodgers’ hurrahs died down, Wood gave back one of those runs on a leadoff homer to A.J. Pollack. It was starting to look like a dogfight tonight.
The snakes struck again in the bottom of the third, tying the game with two straight doubles. Andrew Toles later saved a possible couple of runs when he leaped at the wall to take away a ball right off the brim.
With two out in the fifth, the Pederson-Seager Express combined to score another run and break the tie,and out the Dodgers ahead 3-2.
Arizona roared right back in their half of the inning. They scored two runs on Wodd’s hittability and a two out passed ball (wrongly scored a wild pitch) by Yasmani Grandal. Pedro Baez, hitless so far, was called in to get the last out of the inning. One pitch and it was done. But it took Yasiel Puig‘s second great catch of the night to do it.
At the end of six it was the snakes up 4-3.
The Dodgers were determined to stay in the fight. They came right back with a double + extra base error from Yasmani Grandal. Andrew Toles then singled him home to tie the score.
Chris Taylor batted for Pedro Baez in the seventh, and he jacked one out to put the boys up 5-4. Yup, this one looked like it was going to come down to the last breath.
Ross Stripling was given the responsibility of the seventh inning. With one out, he gave up a triple to Paul Goldschmidt. on review, the Dodgers caught a break and the play was ruled a ground rule double. It was probably due to the ball momentarily getting stuck under the padding of the outfield wall.
Toles then caught a fly ball and gave third to Goldy when he threw a Steve Saxer all the way to the snakes dugout. The threat was shut down on another fly out.
But the snakes were not done. They came right back in the eighth with a double and a single, giving them men on the corners and no out. Well, there was one out…Stripling. He was yanked and replaced by Luis Avilan. Trouble was, the normally reliable Avilan couldn’t find the strike zone. He walked the next two snakes and tied the score with a big, fat, freebie.
The Dodgers weren’t done giving away runs. Sergio Romo came in and quickly balked in a run. At least the bases weren’t loaded any longer. And there was still nobody out! After yet another walk, Dodger Killer Goldschmidt drove the dagger into the Dodgers blue heart with a bases loaded sharp single. The snakes went up 8-5.
Down goes the Dodgers! Down goes the Dodgers! The fight was over.
After our Yasmani’s two error night, their Yasmani smacked a double to score two more and twist the dagger in further. Snakes 10-5. Romo was out and Josh Fields in. Did it matter? Nope. The snakes brought in two more. It was 12-5 and there was still only one out. When the smoke cleared, it was 13-5 and all that remained was the Dodgers’ final one, two, three inning.
And that’s exactly how they went down, losing 13-5.
For the Corey Seager Marching and Chowder Society: Seager’s home run was the furthest hit this year at snakes stadium. Sure, it’s early in the year, but Corey just set the bar higher for everyone else.
Deja Vu All Over Again: Chris Taylor, who homered tonight, hit his first career home run in snakes stadium last year. That one was a grand slam.
Alex Wood went 4 2/3 innings with 7 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk and 6 Ks. ERA 3.29
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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Can we say ‘Pitching is our problem’? Giving up runs is never going to help us win games. We had this game under control. Our hitters struck back and kept us ahead. Our pitchers did not. We can say Wood pitched adequately, but with giving up 4 runs early, it is not exactly a glowing outing. I won’t even bother to comment on the bullpen which seems to be in limbo and a major work in progress. Perhaps our starting pitching rotation is also a work in progress, but I don’t see where the progress will come from. This is it, as they say. If this it, it means our hitters have to hit even better than they’ve been hitting and outscoring most opponents by large margins to win games. Not really a realistic picture or possibility. How are they going to turn things around?
What a brilliant pick up Romo was. ERA is now over 11. You are supposed to win games when you are 3 outs from giving the ball to Kenley, not give up 9 runs. Pitiful, and totally unwatchable. This team has two chances of getting to the world series, slim and nonexistent.
I wonder what the gonzo poster who was here last year is saying about FAZ and the potential this season. I forget his name. Most people took exception to his style, as I remember.
If it’s Gonzo you’re talking I about I know him. He’s a good guy, long time poster. He’s one of the many who left for …… personal reasons.
Michael
The pitchers before Romo were almost as bad.
The one thing I can’t stand when a reliever comes in, is getting behind on the count and either give up a easy hit, or walk someone, and put them on base for free.
Romo gave up 5 runs. Stripling got the loss. Romo and Avilan gave the lead away. It was still 5-4 when Avilan came in. Romo completely let the game get away. Onus is on him.
You guys might need a little cheering up…
Or..
Maybe…
Yeah, those helped. I feel better.
Or maybe it’s the first cup of Peet’s.
Every team has these games. File it away and forget it.
Maeda against Ray today. Oh crap, another lefthander. I mean oh great, an opportunity to show we CAN hit left handed pitching. “Every challenge you experience is an opportunity for growth. Remember, like a baseball, the world is round, and the place that seems like the end could actually be the beginning of something even better.” Mostly plagiarized by Badgerdamus.
His handle was not Gonzo. I was referring to the over the top, know it all bravado of the guy. I think he lives in the midwest. He used to guest blog here.
The guy you are describing is Timmons.
Yeah, Timmons, the guy who won’t let Badger post on his blog….
Has he blocked anybody else over there?
How do you know you’ve been blocked? Have you tried posting?
He’s not here, yet some of you folks still find ways to heap insults at a ghost.
I’m not sure who he’s blocked, if anyone, but for sure I’d be blocking the Badge, TruBlu…and remember that guy, BOB? That dude was a nut.
I find there’s actually baseball talk there, and not too much in the way of personal insults.
patch, you asked so I’ll answer.
Timmons has bellowed his mountainmover bullshit for 20 years and finally, right here posted what it was he was convicted of, twice, (did you see it?) then made his melodramatic exit out of here, taking his conservative posters with him and announcing I would not be allowed to post there. How do I know this you ask? I’m not stupid, it happened. He’s not in my head, I just challenged his nonsense and wrong thinking enough that he first censored, then closed his site down, then came back, then ran away again. I never started any name calling, that was him and his sycophants, I just pointed out how wrong he has been since I first met him back in the 90’s. At first we agreed to disagree and actually got along. But that changed and he reacted with what he knows, bullying. He censored several who disagreed with him. I’m glad he separated and I have no desire to support his site. Those there can have him. It’s better for all now. I just wish those that were banished and those that left because of him would come back.
You asked. Now can we just move on?
Oh Jeff, yeah you are referring to the narcissistic The Stench or as he is known in the prison he served time in as The Catcher.
(He is trolling in here to see if we mention him. I guess we are giving that asshole what he wants, narcissists crave any kind of attention, just as long as they get some. I’m done referring to that egotistical moron).
Wow, the Blue has some real issues, and they go deep, from the Brass down to the minors. What they and many others saw as depth is, in reality, a very thin staff of pitchers to a very thin collective lineup of hitters. Yes there are a few gems, but few is the key, we lack a collective team of achievers. It’s really time to shake things up, the lineup should have a steady diet of Seager, Turner, Taylor and possible Forsythe, the rest are very questionable and need to actually earn a spot and then have to continue to earn a position each day, and each at bat. Grandal really has to be moved to a backup role, he ain’t all that or anything close to it. I’ve always been a Puig fan, but I think all three OF spots are up for grabs, pitty with the potential talent out there but it ain’t happening with these guys.
However, here is another train of thought to consider, is the constant platooning actually weakening the club and the contributions that players might be making if they knew they were going to be in the lineup day in and day out. Some players just don’t hit well if they are in and out of the lineup and being bumped around through out the order. The games are actually getting unwatchable from an entertainment standpoint.
One of the above options should be selected and stuck to. What the Dodgers are doing isn’t working, so it is time for some radical changes, but only if they commit to those radical changes and stick with it.
Everything (everything) you said makes sense to me True. I’d leave Joc in too. He’s young, and needs experience hitting quality left handers. He’s got 3 veterans there who know how to do it – AGon, Utley and Ward. Listen to those guys, change your approach (don’t try to mash everything, square the ball where it’s pitched) and I think he will eventually be able to do it. Benching our best centerfielder makes no sense to me.
Timmons is the guy I was referring to. He must be eating crow and telling everyone it is 2018 that will change it all.
Timmons looms large in your head. He’s like that ex you can get over.
Dealing in mediocrity, which is what FAZ does, CAN result in a winning season, even maybe a World Series appearance, but it requires a career year from one or more of your typically pedestrian personnel. There is only one reason why a club would choose to operate that way— lack of money. That was the way FAZ had to operate in Tampa Bay, but here in LA, he doesn’t have to buy day old bread and produce from the discard counter, and certainly not 73% hamburger for his clean-up hitter/Sunday dinner. I agree with the philosophy that it’s crazy to keep paying free agents the money they’re getting now, more better to grow our own through the draft and trade them when they get too expensive. But FAZ takes his Starving Student Philosophy a little too far. LA can afford and does deserve a better class of food on the table than he has provided so far. And it really would cost little more money. He really needs to quit wasting big bucks on crippled pitchers who MIGHT heal up and provide a super bargain. Most likely they will just keep on being injured and eating a lot more Dodger money than pitchers just as good who could have been obtained for the same or less money.
I regurgitate, which means to repeat, (Slip Mahoney, Bowery Boys), I think the goal is to stay competitive until the past regime’s heavy contracts clear. Crawford, Ethier, Gonzalez represent $60 million. Then there are other “retained” salaries, subtracting Crawford, totaling around $20 million. We currently have around $60 million on the DL, and then there were the international signings, I don’t know, somewhere around $96 million, that have yet to yield much. This is no way to run an organization I don’t care how rich it may be. This shat needs to be cleaned up. I still say the target date for organizational autonomous stability begins in ’18, though even then it appears we still have retained salaries for the likes of AGon, Olivera, Kemp, Arruebarrena, and Sierra. Right now the cap totals for ’18 sit at $177mm. Yoiks.
I realized last year that for moneyballers to do their thing here it would require blowing a thick layer of coastal fog and constructing reflections of reflections. FAZ has succeeded in doing that as we have had a decent result two years running. It often has a feeling of a house built on a sand foundation, but as a fan I’m still hopeful it works. In the mean time? ….. I expect more of the same. Perhaps, like last year, we slip past every team in the West and get to the October roulette table again. Enjoy the ride.
(Slip Mahoney, Bowery Boys)= Leo Gorcey. I liked those movies. Remember Satch (Huntz Hall)?
Oh yeah. Question – “What’s a bookie?” Sach – “it ain’t a librarian”.
I have a few of their movies on DVD. They were pretty funny guys. The fights to me are hilarious because if anyone actually came at you like that, they would be on their back in seconds.
Jonah
If they want to go through there waver wires of players on the side, that is ok, but sometimes you have to pay for, what you need.
First off MJ. Name me one of their waiver wire pick ups in the first two years who made any kind of an impact. Their first trade last spring was made out of a need and netted us the never forgotten Bud Norris. Guys are put on waivers for a reason. They are not that good. And the other problem with waiver’s is that then a roster adjustment is needed. 2 pitchers in the BP have no options remaining, Avilan and Hatcher, and we all know who the fans want gone.
I think they got Fields and maybe Dayton that way.
But what I am saying is if they want to do that on the side no big deal, you just don’t only do it that way, especially for a large market team.
No. They got Fields from the Astros. Dayton was a minor league free agent after Miami sent him to AAA and he declared free agency. They can get those guys for peanuts usually. But it has been a long time since a waiver wire guy has had any impact on the Dodgers. Tepesch was a waiver wire claim last year, made a couple of starts at AAA and one really bad one in LA and was released.
Dayton was a trade.
Must have been a minor league trade….did not show up on his transactions,, but I thought he was traded for Chris Anderson.
If you mean Dayton, he was traded for Chris Reed.
A steal slightly less in magnitude than the Grandal one.
It is to early to make changes, but if this continues, changes will have to be made. No trades, the parts are within the system.
I like most of what FAZ does, but signing older players is a fault. Utley and Roma are examples. After 35 most player skills start to diminish. Yes, some do well after 35, but not many. When another team has given up on the player, I do not know why FAX thinks they can get another year out of them.. Agon is starting to lose it. SVS, Romo, and Utley do not belong on the team.
The second thing hat makes me mad is keeping those players who have no options. Avilan and Hatcher are two that comes to mind. Put the 25 best on the team.
Taylor is going to be another Justin Turner. He has changed his hitting. He has added weight and strength. Did you hear what the announcers said about his hitting. We know he can play defense. He has pop in his bat.
Agree about Taylor al. He looks very different this year. Get him in the lineup, now.
In the post steroid era the numbers on prime years for baseball players has changed. The wRC+ aging curves listed at fangraphs clearly has, believe it or not, decline starting at 26. Just google fangraphs prime years for MLB players and several research references are listed. It makes little sense to sign mid 30’s players to multiple year contracts, but that, for the time being, appears to be our modus operandus, which I deliberately deliver in second declension, for literary effect I suppose. I pretend a lot. Maybe you’ve noticed?
Maybe you should change your user name to ‘Walter Mitty’.
Jonah
I know pitchers need to adjust to an umpire’s strike zone, but was our relief pitchers throwing strikes, in that inning, that they went down?
The strikes they threw, the D-Backs hit.
jonah, are you suggesting I’m a a meek, mild mannered man living in fantasyland?
Eh???
I’m with you Schultzie.
Badger
Exactly the lack of steroids with most players, have changed the game, and that is why teams, don’t want to sign certain free agents, or give up the picks they have, for certain free agents.
Taylor will be at 2nd today with a lefty going. There was a piece on yardbarker about Urias, they stretched him out to 95 pitches last night, but he only went 5 1/3. They seem to think he will be in Hill’s spot next week in SF so they can put Wood back in the pen. Games like last night make me want to puke.
95 pitches gets him 5.1 in AAA? That translates to what, maybe 4 innings in the Majors. Is he ready? I would think if he was ready, 95 pitches should get him 7 of 2.0 in AAA.
I agree. I did not see the box score, so I do not know how many K’s or walks he had. His BB to K ratio so far is abysmal. He had 9 K’s and 6 BB prior to that start.
Ok. just checked his stats. He has 15 K’s and 9 walks in 3 games, means averaging 5 K’s and 3 BB’s a game. Less than 5 innings on average a game. That is not going to cut it in the bigs. MLB hitters will rake him. He is being stretched out, but he is not being efficient.
Michael
But it is going to take Urias a little time to get major league Command of his pitches, so he won’t be vulnerable to major league hitters, and so he doesn’t throw to many pitches early.
That was precisely my point. He is not commanding his pitches yet, and 95 pitches to go 5 1/3 innings is awful high. And that’s against AAA guys. Big league players will wait him out even more and sit on that fastball of his. When he got hit last year, that was what happened. He does not have pin point control.
Thanks Michael
I couldn’t see the strike zone well, because I was in my bedroom, watching the game on a small TV.
Idahoal
I am very happy for Taylor because I hate when politics, come in play, with certain decisions.
I hope he can keep it up, maybe he can be the answer for Forsythe, down the line.
I wonder about Forsythe, because before that pitch hit his toe, he had already not played in a few games, because of certain problems that has come up, with him.
I would be concerned if we signed him to a longer contract, because of some of his injury problems, and his age.
Michael
He is also use to umpires giving him more of the plate, in AAA.
But he did start to pitch pretty well, after his first three games.
He has only pitched in 3 games MJ. Fact of the matter is, he is not ready. That kind of strikeout to walk ratio is not very good. He has a decent ERA, but he is not stretched out and why bring him up to only go 5 and put more of a strain on the BP? His last outing at 5 1/3 innings is his longest one yet. He has pitched 14 innings in 3 games, that is less then 5 innings a start. Everybody is trying to push this kid into the rotation like he is some sort of savior. He is NOT CK, nor even Fernando who at his age was MLB ready and a very smart pitcher. I do not think, nor will anyone who has eyes, that those numbers and his amount of innings translates to better numbers up in LA. Personally I think, and this is my opinion, that bring him up before he is ready is setting him up to fail. Major league hitters are far more patient and have a plan. They will wait until he makes a mistake and make him pay big time. He has great stuff and great potential, rushing him to the majors is in my opinion irresponsible and very stupid.
I am sorry a bunch of four and five pitchers, isn’t going to do the job, in the regular season, and especially, in the post season.
You need to have at least three pretty good pitchers, or it isn’t going to work, most of the time.
The only reason we got away with McCarthy, Anderson, and Kazmir going down, and got where we were last year, is because our young pitchers from the minors, stepped up.
And our players and there offense, also stepped up, after Kershaw went down.
Signing a bunch of average or less pitchers, with long injury histories, is no recipe for success.
And the pitchers they signed with long injury histories, were not even worth betting on, because they didn’t have, a high upside.
I thought Hill was different, but I thought they knew more then me, about Hill’s status.
And most of the good teams, have not made up there pitching rotation, that way.
The good teams, have at least three pretty good pitchers, that have mostly been reliable, in there pitching rotation.
And really we have had pretty good success, with the good reliable pitchers, that we have signed to multi year contracts, that were slight over pays.
The years Greinke was here, we didn’t complain about his contract, because he did deliver, when he was here.
And the same with Kershaw.
And really most of that time, we felt that Kershaw and Greinke, were two of the most important players, on the team.
And our good pitching, has mostly been why, we beat up the other teams in our division, and out of our division.
Most people believe that pitching is at least 80 percent of the game, if not more.
And that is why you can’t build a rotation with a bunch of four and five pitchers, with long injury histories.
I am surprised that more people are not more upset, about Hill.
I think all of us know that pitchers that throw a lot of curves, can put a lot of pressure on their fingers, putting the spin of the ball, to throw a good curve.
And Hill builds up a lot more friction then most pitchers, because his primary pitch, is different curves.
Hill did say that the blister he had last year, was not a normal blister he would usually get, and it was unusually big.
But how would he know, if that was the first time he was pitching, in the rotation all year long?
I think most people expected HIll to be good for 20-25 starts. Obviously it sucks that he’s missing starts already, but it’s only a blister and should be manageable. SHOULD.
As for the rest of the pitching….
Urias will be up at some point and he’s talent.
Then you just need to cobble the back half of the rotation with a healthy Stewart, Ryu, Maeda, Wood and McCarthy (who looks pretty good.)
That’s a nice problem to solve.
I’m a loner, but I worry most about Gonzalez. True a bunch of players haven’t quite hit their stride yet, but he’s not even getting the ball to the warning track.
Forsythe broke a toe! It’s a freak injury. It happened, he’ll be back.
Bluto
Non of those pitchers are top quality pitchers, and Stewart hasn’t been healthy that long, if he is healthy now.
This is the reason that most good teams, fill there starting rotations, with more reliable pitchers, that are better quality pitchers.
Not every decent quality pitcher, costs the same as Greinke and Kershaw.
When we first signed Greinke to that first multi year contract, he was well worth his money.
Yeah. I am not sure what your point is.
If your point is that the Dodgers need quality pitchers, but you define quality pitchers as better than what they have in Maeda, Ryu, McCarthy, Uriah, Wood and Stewart, then perhaps the overwrought cliche about green grass is due….
Bluto
I think Stewart will be good, as long as he can stay healthy.
But he hasn’t been pitching that long.
And of course I think Urias is good, but Maeda hasn’t been the same, since August of last year, it seems.
McCarthy can pitch like a number three sometimes, but he has never been a stable pitcher, but I do give him credit, for credit due.
I think Wood does a pretty good job, the first two times through the order, but he can’t face one batter more, or he gets hit hard.
Nice picture of a tanker being torpedoed. As to your point MJ, and I will address what you said in the prior post also. Forsythe has had foot problems in the past, including plantar fasciitis. So getting smashed in the biggie could not have helped and he is I think 30 now. As for your statement about the pitching, it is exactly what most of us have been saying since FAZ started signing the Invalid Bunch. One Ace, and 4 # 4’s and 5’s will not cut it. Last year, Maeda actually pitched like a #2. This year he smells more like that. I think they had better trade options than those free agents and they would not have cost top minor league talent. Of course I cannot be sure since I was not in the FO making those moves. But there had to be pitchers available who were on the last year of their contracts who were more viable options. It is funny because when he was acquired, Bud Norris was coming off a few decent games, but they stuck him in the rotation and the wheels came off the buggy. Hill getting blisters at this point in his career is puzzling. But why did they sign the guy when they knew he had those kinds of problems. Blisters are unpredictable. There are supposedly lots of different cures, Nolan Ryan used pickle brine, and the Dodgers used to have a trainer who mixed his own cure and it worked surprisingly well. They still make it in Torrance. Upset about Hill? You read some of the other sites and even the Dodger website and FAZ is literally raked across the coals for re-signing him. He gets something like 12.6 million this year. Over 16 next year and almost 20 in 2019. Too much money to a guy who in all likelihood will be lucky to pitch in 20 games. Kazmir had tightness in his hips again. On the plus side, Stewart will begin pitching BP’s in a couple of days. He should be ready to pitch in games in a month. Ethier not close yet, and Gutierrez to be evaluated after BP today.
Hey Michael,
I’m a frequent reader of True Blue and Dodger Dugout. Really like those Dodger sites.
Given that, which other ones would you recommend.
Obviously, I’m a little more analytically bent than you (not saying its better or worse), if that helps you in recommending.
Bluto
There is a bunch of sites listed on here, just below the last post.
I want recommendations, a lot of those are inane
I assume you’ve tried Dodger Digest. The writers are analytically pro FAZ. The posts are all over the map. They can be hard on new guys.
Dodger Blue is pretty good. I get emails from Yardbarker.com every morning and they get reports from all over. So I just check which stories are relevant. I actually get some good stuff off twitter when I check #dodgers on there.
Dodger Digest really stinks now. It used to be good when Mike P??? wrote it. But he didn’t want to put in a lot of time, so he partnered with 3 other (untalented) writes for awhile, till he went full time for some bigger company. They brought in a couple of female writers, one of whom is Scott’s sister, but the site has sunk down so bad I took it off my Favorites on my computer. It is truly unreadable. When they bother to write anything…
Jonah
That writter you talked about is on TV some times, he is in that field that give figures like exit velocity and that other stuff.
Michael
I have been saying this about the starting pitchers, for a long time too!
Even before I remember you, posting here.
I didn’t even think they were signing Hill this last year, because he would be blocking our young pitchers.
I thought because we had McCarthy, Maeda, and Kazmir signed, there wasn’t any room for another veteran pitcher.
And I thought they were only going to use their money for Turner and Kenley.
But of all of there signings, I thought at least Hill, had a much higher, upside to bet on.
But I assumed they knew more then the average person, about Hill’s problems.
But for them to say right now, that Hill is going to have to pitch in the bullpen, I think they knew something before he couldn’t even pitch, in his first regular, game.
He wasn’t pitching well in spring training.
And in Bleacher Report last year, they had a very good article, about blisters.
And Nolan Ryan would slice off the top skin on his fingers, that he used, where blisters would form.
And once he did that, no blisters will form on the skin, jus below, the top skin.
I have tried to find that article again, on Bleacher Report, but they have all of these different
publications, they use.
And I already predicted that Kazmir would never be able to be healthy, to pitch.
MJ
I’d be VERY skeptical about bleacher report. Many of their ‘columnists’ are just people like you and I, and not writers who research and
Cite sources.
The only Nolan Ryan remedy I can find widely reported is:
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/oct/06/health/he-blisters6
Bluto
Thank you too, for your info!
MJ, here’s the genesis of the finger slicing cure by Nolan Ryan:
In 1979, Sports Illustrated’s Bruce Newman wrote a profile of Ryan, then in his final season with the Anaheim Angels. The story begins with Ryan, perhaps the most durable pitcher of the liveball era—a man who would go on to throw more than 5,000 innings and dial up mid-90s heat into his mid-40s—taking a surgeon’s scalpel out from his locker.
“Ryan went about his work slowly,” Newman wrote, “drawing the blade painstakingly down each of the fingers as if he were peeling grapes. With each stroke the knife shaved away a layer of the pitcher’s skin, removing his fingerprints, as if Ryan were a thief determined to leave no clues behind.”
This is quite the compelling image, and not simply due to the otherworldly pain tolerance that it must require to casually shave your own fingerprints off with a sharp blade. For Ryan, minor self-mutilation was better than the alternative: blisters forming on the tips of his pitching fingers.
Earlier in his career, after a DL stint, a Mets trainer had told Ryan to try drying his fingers out by soaking them in pickle juice, but that didn’t work. What worked was the scalpel. So he took it out before every start of his career.
Jonah
Thank you so much!!!
In the article I read they talked about the different layers of the skin, and told the science of the different layers of the skin too.
But thank you so much, again!
Good points MJ. I never was in on Hill and I never will be convinced that his signing was anything but a desperation move by FAZ. He is an old journeyman pitcher who thinks he is better as a starter than a reliever. He has not even won 40 games in 13 big league seasons, and he was signed to be the Dodgers #2 starter. He has a history of injury, he pitched in exactly 8 games after he was acquired at the deadline. 6 during the regular season and 2 playoff games. He had a couple of good games and a couple of stinkers, certainly nothing that would make him worth 48 million over 3 years, but we the fans were fed the manure that he was the best free agent out there, and the best arm available, and our #2. Blister Boy is a bust. Yes it is early and maybe they get some return on the investment. If they are really lucky, but this guy cost them 3 minor league prospects, and 48 million dollars. He should be out there every 5 days period, if he is not, it is a stupid signing and a bad trade.
And they use a rodeo gel too.
And I would add anhydrous lanolin, available in any decent drug store… Lester Hayes (remember him???) used to buy it by the gallon.
Rodeo Gel is the stuff invented by Stan Johnson, ex Dodger trainer.
How To Treat, Cure, and Prevent A Finger Blister – Baseball Pitchers Baseball players (mostly pitchers) often get blisters on the fingers of their throwing hand. These finger blisters that pitchers get are caused by the repeat friction that the finger incurs when throwing a baseball.
There are many theories, remedies, and superstitions on how to treat, cure, and prevent the finger blisters that pitchers get from throwing the baseball.
Here are some ways to treat, cure, and prevent a finger blister for baseball pitchers:
Pickle Juice – Nolan Ryan used to soak his finger in pickle juice between starts to prevent and heal any finger blisters that he had or felt coming on. This has been one of the most common answers to how to treat, cure, and prevent a finger blister and is now one of the old baseball remedies for finger blisters.
Super Glue – Using super glue is a way of pitching with a finger blister. It really doesn’t do much in preventing or curing a finger blister, but if a blister is still present on the day you have to pitch, super glue provides a protective layer that may prevent the blister from getting worse.
Antiperspirant – A lot of pitchers will use antiperspirant with aluminum chlorohydrate as an active ingredient to prevent and treat finger blisters. The aluminum chlorohydrate is rumored to toughen the skin, which will prevent and help heal finger blisters.
Stan’s Rodeo Ointment – Created by L.A. Dodger head trainer, Stan Johnston, Stan’s Rodeo Ointment is catching on as a way of curing and preventing finger blisters of pitchers.
Jonah
They actually have stuff called liquid band aid, on the market too.
Sorry, Michael, my damn curiosity made me run it down. It’s actually an American LST,
LST-1169 Whitfield County, which was sold/given to the Greek Navy after VietNam, used for several years, then sunk for practice (?) by the Greeks. It was hit by several missiles before two submarine gave it torpedos. Here’s the link: http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/161169.htm
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/161169s.htm
I believe in pitch counts and innings limits for young pitchers. I also believe that the timetable is different for different players. Some, signed out of high school can be ready by the time they are 22 years old; others may need a couple more years to get their full strength. But nobody learns to get Major league hitters out in the minor leagues, it can only be learned in the big show itself. And I would like to reiterate that, given the way they do things these days, Major League teams need a larger roster, at least 28 players. That would both make it easier to cover the ever increasing injuries we are seeing, and perhaps even help alleviate some of those injuries. We’re likely looking at a maximum of $2MM payroll increase in cost to each club. That’s peanuts. If it saves the career of one player, it’s worth it…
I have been doing an almost daily statistical update – the problem with Dodger starting pitching is that they have a bunch of 5 inning pitchers. This causes the team to go go the ‘pen too quickly and in the long run the pen wears down.
Our non-Kershaw starters average about 4.7 IP/start. Our pen is in the top 5 of IP again. Hatcher and Stripling are projected to throw about 100 innings in relief and guys like Maeda about 140 as a starter. (Hill is projected to throw less than 80 but he has been on the DL twice already.)
You can certainly argue that the reasons for this are the result of the Braintrust’s philosophy:
1 – Starting pitchers are overvalued. They just aren’t that important, I guess, except for aces. Otherwise they are interchangeable parts. The Ghosts of Dodgers Past with 3rd and 4th starters who could be relied upon to take the ball every 4 or 5 days and pitch 6 or 7 innings (Reuss, Hooton, Osteen, et al) might disagree.
2 – Since starting pitchers are overvalued, anyone could do the job! If they are injured, it doesn’t matter – it’s just “depth”. On those occasions when they are actually healthy, they can pitch, but they won’t pitch many innings to avoid reinjury.
3 – Quantity is more important than quality. They’d rather have 10 guys who allegedly can start games (and pitch 4 or 5 innings) than 5 really good guys.
4 – The roster isn’t 25 – it’s 40. Run the shuttle between LA and Oklahoma and try to find some players who can stick. Use the DL liberally – it doesn’t really matter.
As long as Friedman et al are in charge, expect more of the same.
Good points Rick. Those of us who lived through the years when the Dodgers always had 3 or 4 good starters, remember the big 2 or 3 going 7 or 8 most of the time. Even the 4 and 5 guys could be counted on for 6. You named a few, but remember guys like Leary, Belcher, Doug Rau, Rick Rhoden, who I loved to watch pitch, and many others who just went out there every 5th day and dealt. Ismael Valdes, who had some wicked stuff was decent as a starter, and ended up being a BP guy later in his career. They have 3 guys at OKC right now, besides Urias, who have MLB experience as starters. So they do have quantity, but the quality is definitely lacking. Especially with what we have seen of Maeda and what seems to be a serious case of regression. Maybe he should not have ate all that ramen this winter.
Yeah, thanks rick. We’ve actually known that for a while, the debate about which is what caused some guys to splinter off to a new FAZsite. Some out there like what FAZ is doing, others, like Freudy at Dodger Therapy, and many here, have been saying wtf for about 2 years now.
You are spot on about the 40 man. We should had oughta keep about 15 pitchers there if allowed cuz we’re gonna need all of them to carry this club through October.
I found Dodger Therapy to be a wasteland.
One guy writing, almost never body engaging.
I can talk to myself for mostly the same effect.
I read it just for the writing. Posting there became pointless.
Calling them 5 inning pitchers is actually high grading most of them.
Gotta set the bar high for them. It’s a motivational tool.
Here’s a motivational tool for them…
But don’t forget, you can pitch 100 innings and accumulate more WAR than a guy who hits 35 home runs, scores 89 and drives in 108. It pays very well to be a part time starting pitcher.
I like this line from Shaikin’s piece today….
But if the injury had happened to Bumgarner’s nemesis, Yasiel Puig, wouldn’t Puig have been ripped for disrespecting his teammates by engaging in a dangerous activity during the season?
Yeah. But Puig hasn’t accomplished anything near what Bumfugger has. I’m sure there are thousands of giant fans saying he’s a flipping idiot. And they’re right. But, they still love the guy for what he did for the organization. Not so much love for Puig.
To the optimist, the glass is half-full. To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty. To the pragmatist, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
The pessimist also realizes someone may drink or spill the water and if no one does anything at all it will simply evaporate.
Two pessimists were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking at its top. An optimist walked by and asked what they were doing. “We’re supposed to find the height of this flagpole,” said one, “but we don’t have a ladder.”
The optimist walked back to his truck, got a wrench, came back, loosened a couple of bolts, and laid the pole down on the ground. Then he took the tape measure from his belt, took a measurement, announced, “Twenty one feet, six inches,” and walked away. One pessimist shook his head and laughed, “A lot of good that does us. We ask for the height and he gives us the length!!”
Alternate punch line:
See? I told you some damn fool would do the work for us if we waited long enough…
love it
Alternate punch line: “See? I told you if we just stood here long enough, some do-gooder would do the job for us…”
Great comments today!
A scientist at the LA observatory told us the glass is actually full. Half of the water is liquid, the other half is gaseous.
I found this interesting – 6 of the hardest hit balls this year were outs. Only 1 a home run.
http://m.mlb.com/statcast/leaderboard#exit-velo,r,2017
I thought Taylor’s 110 would be on there. It isn’t. Impressive, yes, but didn’t make the list. Puig is there. A lot of the same guys. Aaron Judge looks like a stud.
I’ve made several posts today and I can understand if someone thinks I’m talking too much, but losing my postings is not necessary, just say, “Stop”. One of those lost was about the ship Scott pictured in his posting and I did a lot of research to find out about it, so I’m going to try to recreate that one.
Sorry, Michael, but that’s not a tanker. Actually it’s the retired U S Navy LST 1169, USS Whitfield County, entering service in 1953. It was sold/given to the Greek Navy in 1977 where it served until 2004 when it was sunk in war games, as the picture shows. It was hit by ship to ship missiles before catching torpedoes from two submarines.
Off to dinner. Chinese food at the Jade Palace in beautiful down town Florence Colorado. Home of 5 prisons. Including the Federal lock up where the Uni bomber is. He will not be dining with us.
Sorry, Michael, but that’s not a tanker. Actually it’s the retired U S Navy LST 1169, USS Whitfield County, entering service in 1953. It was sold/given to the Greek Navy in 1977 where it served until 2004 when it was sunk in war games, as the picture shows. It was hit by ship to ship missiles before catching torpedoes from two submarines.
Been there. My step-son was in Fremont. That’s in Cañon City, which is a sh*thole. He’s now in Olney Springs. Haven’t been there yet but looks like a wasteland. That part of Colorado is land Kansas said no to.
Canon is right up against the mountains…..east of here it is very flat.
Have everyone seen the line up?
The only regular players that are playing, are Puig and Joc.
Let’s see if Puig who is hitting 080 against lefties this year, will get a big hit batting in the fourth posistion, against this leftie.
And the team just had a day off, before last night’s game.
Can’t post, must be blocked.
1. Enrique Hernandez (R) SS
2. Chris Taylor (R) 2B
3. Justin Turner (R) 3B
4. Yasiel Puig (R) RF
5. Scott Van Slyke (R) 1B
6. Joc Pederson (L) CF
7. Austin Barnes (R) C
8. Brett Eibner (R) LF
9. Kenta Maeda (R)
Any prediction on score? I think they will.
Badger
What kind of pitch was that, that Maeda throw, that the Dbacks player hit out, the first time?
The Dbacks always hit Maeda, they were the team that hit Maeda the best last year.
Maybe this is why this is the line up.
This front office has made our starting rotation, weaker and weaker.
Friedman is wrong about the starting pitching.
We won last year, despite the starting pitching they brought to this team, from free agency, not because starting pitching isn’t important
Did you hear that Pence got injured, yesterday?
Kike looks to be rounding into form.
Maeda settled down.
Can they score another run?
Bluto
The Dbacks have always hit Maeda hard.
It almost looks like they know every pitch, that is coming.
yes, the exit velocities are scary.
Nobody throwing in the pen though.
I have been blocked from commenting for the last two hours. I don’t mean by Scott, I mean by their software. Lots of comments today and I assume the server got overloaded and shut down. I lost 4 or 5 good ones…
I have been blocked from commenting for the past two hours. Maybe I am still…
I have been blocked from commenting for the last two hours. Might still be blocked.
MJ, I think the pitch was a nothing ball designed to fool the hitter by starting over the center of the plate and staying there.
I did not hear about Pence.
I’m liking Taylor more everyday. Can he hit right handers? Let’s find out.
Ray would walk everybody if they let him.
Joc doesn’t appear to be learning. His at bats have stunk.
That 2nd strike was a dreadful call. I don’t even think the Diamondback catcher tried to frame it, and it was still called.
Quite like Barnes and Kike’s ABs this game.
Thanks
Keep these stories coming.
Why, why, why replace Kike with Gonzalez?
New post up top guys, you will love it…… 😉
Maeda Sucks this year.
Maeda has been sub-optimal since the All-Star break last year.