Baseball is such a crazy game. You can never predict it. For example, did you guys think that Scott Kazmir would shutdown the best hitting club in all of baseball on just five hits over 8.2 innings? I sure didn’t. I figured Kazmir would get lit up like a Christmas tree. Fortunately that didn’t happen. Instead Kazmir was dominant, and the Dodgers scored five runs off of a tiring Carlos Martinez en route to an impressive 5-3 victory and a series win. Don’t look now but the Dodgers have gotten hot. They’ve won six of their last eight games.
Kazmir was incredibly good. This was his best start since his Dodger debut in San Diego. Overall Kazmir tossed 8.2 frames of three-run ball (two earned), allowing just five hits and striking out seven. He walked just one and the only unearned run allowed was because Corey Seager committed his third error in two nights. Kazmir was so close to tossing his first complete game since 2014 that is was almost heartbreaking. With just one out remaining in the ninth inning he allowed a single to Randal Grichuk, and a two-run home run to Jeremy Hazelbaker. The late home run can be forgiven since Kaz was at 120 pitches.
Cardinals 3 5 1
Dodgers 5 6 2
WP-Kazmir-3-3
LP-Martinez-4-3
SV-Jansen-13
HR-Gonzalez-4-Seager-5-Hazelbaker-7
Speaking of Seager, he made up for his little bumble later in the game. Seager had two hits, driving in a run on a single in the fifth, and hitting a solo home run in the sixth. Adrian Gonzalez homered and drove in two as well as the Dodgers scored five runs on six hits. The Dodgers were 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left 4 men on base.
The Dodgers scored once in the fourth, three runs in the fifth, and one more in the seventh. The game started out as a nice little pitching duel between Kazmir and Carlos Martinez, until Martinez got gassed in the fifth inning and allowed three unanswered runs. The Cardinals scored their lone run in the fifth. The Dodgers took the lead first in the bottom of the fourth when Adrian Gonzalez bombed an opposite field home run. Martinez was throwing 100 mph heaters, and in the beginning the Dodgers were unable to catch up.
The Cardinals tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth on a two-base throwing error from Seager, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly from Martinez. The two clubs have played some sloppy baseball in this series. The Dodgers and Cardinals have combined for nine errors in the last two games with the gloveless wonders of Busch Stadium committing most of them.
With the score tied at 1-1, the Dodgers broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Martinez tossed 40 pitches in that inning as the Dodgers scored three times. Carl Crawford walks, and Kazmir follows with a bunt single to help his own cause. The Cardinal infield was unable to handle it which put runners at first and second. Martinez then walked Utley to load the bases. Seager’s groundball single into right field scores Crawford to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead! Justin Turner’s sacrifice fly plated another run, and Gonzo’s ground out plated the third run. Dodgers take a 4-1 lead!
Martinez was knocked out of the box after just five innings and four earned runs on five hits. Meanwhile Kazmir continued to dominate. His velocity was up and his command was excellent. Kazmir was nearing a possible complete game, which he hadn’t tossed since 2014 when he was with Oakland.
The Dodgers added one more run when Seager homered in the bottom of the seventh. That was way more than the Dodgers would need. In the bottom of the ninth, Kazmir was allowed to go back out despite his rising pitch count. He whiffed Brandon Moss for the first out. Yadier Molina grounded out to short for the second out. Then Kazmir ran out of gas. Grichuk singled up the middle under Kazmir’s glove. Pinch-hitter Jeremy Hazelbaker smashed a two-out two-run home run to make the score 5-3 Dodgers. At 120 pitches, Kazmir was taken out, just one out shy of a complete game. Kenley Jansen was brought in and he easily whiffs Aledmys Diaz for the final out.
Kazmir balances his books with his third win of the season, and Kenley picks up his thirteenth save of the year. The Dodgers win their 20th game of the season and improve their record to 20-17. They have now won three in a row and will go for a sweep of the Cardinals Sunday evening as Mike Leake will counter Alex Wood at 5:05 PM on ESPN Sunday night baseball. Keep it rolling boys!
Go Blue!
Kazmir surprised us all, and it was a nice surprise. What was not surprising is the fact that if a pitcher stays ahead in the count like Kaz did last night, they pretty much change the way they can approach hitters and set up their pitches. Martinez did the same thing until the 5th when he totally unraveled. That Kaz was able to do it through 8 2/3 innings was a testament to his desire to get better after all those bad starts. On the minus side, the offense still looked stagnant. that 3 run rally in the 5th was kept alive by Cardinal mistakes. Only Kazmir, Gonzo and Seager had hits. Turner did have a sac fly, and Utley continued to be an effective leadoff man by getting on base 3 times, HBP, walk and aboard on an error. Otherwise the offense was pretty non existent. Kike is mired in a bad slump and looks lost at the plate, and Grandal’s BA is slipping down to where I expected he would hit in the .230’s. But a win is a win. If they can pull off the sweep, their next 10 games are all against sub .500 teams. They could really make up some ground before heading to NY and Chicago.
I came close to saying that I thought Kazmir would do well yesterday and decided to stay quiet. His fastball is getting faster and all he needed to add to it was control and command. He should have more of last night’s games in that arm.
Wood has pitched well in LA so it would seem that he has the skills and only needs the command to follow him on foreign mounds.
20 – 17 to date. That trends to 87.56 wins. I will take the over.
Bum,
I’ll the the “way over”. It sure is quiet in here when the Dodgers win. Some people lose their reason for living, I guess! 😉
From Baseball America today:
Julio Urias:The Dodgers were already considering promoting the top pitching prospect in baseball and he’s done nothing to slow that train of thought. The 19-year-old lefthander extended his scoreless streak to 22 on Saturday, pitching six scoreless innings as Triple-A Oklahoma City beat Las Vegas (Mets) 1-0. Urias leads the PCL with a 1.25 ERA and has allowed just 21 hits in 36 innings. He’s struck out 39 and walked just eight. At this point, there’s not much more left for Urias to prove. The last teenaged Mexican lefthander to hit L.A. with this kind of hype was Fernando Valenzuela, who was 19 years old and 319 days when he was called up in 1980. Urias is 19 years and 277 days. Could Julio-mania be far off?
Cody BellingerBellinger, who missed most of April because of a hip injury, hit his first homer in Double-A Saturday, a game-winning grand slam in the 10th inning as Tulsa beat Arkansas (Angels) 6-2. One of the youngest players in Double-A at just 20, Bellinger clubbed 30 homers a year ago at high Class A as his plus raw power started showing up in games. The son of former Yankee Clay Bellinger, Cody is just knocking the rust off, and he has just 10 hits in his first 56 at-bats.
Urias is ready now. I don’t think anyone needs to come out of the rotation just yet – I do think he can be a spectacular piece for an already good bullen. JP Howell has struggled, but the Dodgers will give him at least another month. Liberatore has not given up an earned run although the secondary stats say he is not all that (1.32 WHIP, 4.32 BB_9, et al).
I think the Dodgers need to bring him up for next weekends series against the Padres.
Ryu is getting closer – I think we may see him by June 1st. McCarthy by June 15th. Have you ever considered the possibility that both could be traded? I still say Kendrick will be traded as well. SVS and Andre will both be back. I can’t see the Dodgers sending Thompson back down – he’s too versatile on offense and defense. Then, don’t forget Brett Anderson and Jose De Leon.
It’s likely that come the end of June or July, the Dodgers will have most players back healthy and no place for Anderson, McCarthy, Ryu (or Wood), Kendrick, SVS and Crawfish. That’s six major league quality players the Dodgers have to trade. What a haul they could get. Watch as the buyers become apparent…
First off, Urias may look ready, but rushing him is idiotic. He has never thrown more than 100 innings in any season. He is only 19. No need to throw him to the wolves yet, and the PCL is not the major leagues. Let the kid develop a little more. Trading Ryu, and McCarthy, while it might make some sense, is not happening. First off, no one wants McCarthy’s contract, which has 3 years 36 million dollars left. And he and Ryu both have injury issues. Kendrick was just resigned for 2 years, now, someone might want to trade for Howie, but he has shown versatility which this FO loves. You have pretty much an entire roster of interchangeable pieces. You have injury prone players, SVS, Crawford, who’s value is way down. You said someone would pick up Crawford if he was waived? No way…..They would be responsible for his contract which has over 30 million left on it. Unless the Dodgers pick up a large portion of that deal, CC is a Dodger. The ownership is not going to eat that much cash without some kind of a return. Brett Anderson is at least 3 months away from even throwing. So he is not even in the picture. Deleon has barely pitched at all at AAA. You did not mention Guererro, who has started re-hab games, he can play a maximum of 20. Guys who are struggling like Kike, should go down before any body else. Turner has been mediocre, Grandal is only hitting .234. Culberson will no doubt be the first casualty in any move as he is barely playing once a week. Utley has been nails..Pederson not very consistent, but improving. Puig has good days and bad days at bat, but his defense is off the charts. They have a 10 game stretch against losing teams after today……remember what happened the last time, a couple of weeks ago when they went into a tailspin against those kind of teams. The haul you speak of is not happening there bud. You are in a fantasy land if you think other wise……..that is not this FO’s modus opperandi. They like getting kids, or prospects, but none of the players you have mentioned they should trade would bring more than a bag of balls and some old spikes….
The kid is obviously ready now. Why waste his pitches down there. If he gets hurt let his innings count
Mark I was already thinking that Scotty will be traded, because of Thompson being younger, and being more athletic. And Scotty has been on the DL a lot, it seems, the last couple years.
“some people lose their reason for living”
You are consistent, I’ll give you that.
Kazmir had a great outing, that is true. He’s now 3-3 with a 4.89 ERA. He is averaging exactly 6 innings per outing. My predictions for his year remain the same. He will need more outings like this one to get his ERA down to 4. He will need to remain healthy to reach 180 innings. Though what the Dodgers do has nothing to do with my reason for living, I do wish him well for the next 3 years.
No, I haven’t considered Ryu and McCarthy as trade pieces. I haven’t thought of that for what I consider obvious reasons.
Urias is ready now? Do we really need him? I can see some reasons why people want to see him, I’m one of them, but is this the right time? I figured because of his lack of innings, and his youth, they would bring him along slowly. But, looking at our rotation…….. he might be the #2 right now. Is he ready to take the ball every 5th day for the rest of the season and into the playoffs? I doubt it. But what do I know.
Haul? For those guys? And you just said “Crawfish” is a “major league quality player”. I don’t believe you. You will say anything to try to convince. I’m not buying any of it.
Corey Seager is a natural. He’s one of our few every day players. He still makes a lot of mistakes in the field. I still see him as a third baseman. Plenty of time for that move. Puig is another natural and I look forward to the day he finally puts it together.
It’s still a ways to go until the trade deadline. We can try to anticipate what teams will need, but considering our history with injuries, we may need all of these guys to finish this season.
“I haven’t thought of that for what I consider obvious reasons.
I know, that damn myopia…
Crawfish” is a “major league quality player. I don’t believe you.
I did not say he had any value, but last I checked, he was on a MLB roster and if the Dodgers waived him, someone would pick him up… if only for pinch-hitting. So, I guess that makes him an MLB-Caliber or MLB-Quality Player by default. The facts are clear.
One other thing I want to mention. Team ERA is a good stat to consider, but WHIP is very important also. The Cubs pitching staff is #1 in WHIP, while the Dodgers is #2 in the Major Leagues! So, at some point you have to lay off the pitchers – because they have been DAMN GOOD and realize the problem is the lack of situational hitting. There is a lot of work to do there, but these guys have already shown an ability to come back that was lacking last year. The Dodgers are currently 20th in team batting average at .241. Is there a moron out there who thinks they won’t at least hit .261 as a team this year… probably higher? With all of the players coming back and the team settling in to Turner Ward’s system, they are where I thought they would be and poised to get a lot better!
I think the fact that the team is learning how to score runs, without always getting hits, is something, that was missing, and is valuable to the team. The offense, looks more productive, then in the past. And that is a good thing, because against a really good pitcher, that is on there game, it can be hard to get a lot of hits, or consistent hits, to score runs.
But of course timely hitting, is also a must, but that in its self, is not the only way, to score runs. Now if Turner can heat up, that would be great. He had that good sac fly to right, so he did do his job, some what, last night.
But Turner’s and Puig’s averages, dipped below 240, after not getting any hits last night. If Puig and Turner start hitting, and contributing to the the offense more, the offense, will get better, and the line up, will get longer. And Agone’s at bat last night, when he kept fouling off pitches, was a great at bat, and good example, for the kids in the line up.
Another thing: The D-Bags BrainRust spent big to bring in a Top #1 and #2 starter. So far, that is a miserable failure. Shelby Miller has a 6.74 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP and at times just looks lost. Zack Greinke has NEVER pitched so poorly. He has a 5.26 ERA and 1.49 WHIP as the league is hitting .303 against him. He is hitting .333 – maybe AZ should consider moving him to the outfield.
OTOH, Smardzjia and Cueto both have ERA’s under 3.00. They look to be solid editions. However, both have histories of poor second halves. I think Greinke and Miller will improve (unless they are injured and I’m suspecting both are concealing ones), but I think the Giants Top Pitchers will regress! It should prove to be interesting. I have always worried about Zack’s ability to stay healthy as he ages.
Mark what do you hear on De Leons sore arm. He’s missed 2 starts now in the rotation and news about him seems hard to come by.
I worry about any pitchers ability to stay healthy. I think it’s especially troubling for those who have a history of injury. And it’s those pitchers in which FAZ appears to have keen interest.
I don’t know what is wrong with Miller. I watched Friday’s game and he looked very good for 5 innings. Then he tripled off the center field wall and appeared gassed in the 6th. Miller is only 25, already with 610 innings of 3.44 ERA. He will get better. And those who might think Greinke is going to finish the year as he started are in for a rude awakening. The Dbacks are better than they have looked. And as we know the Cubs will not finish with 124 wins, the Dbacks will not finish with only 70. It’s a long season.
Badger I was going to ask you what happened with Greinke, in his game against the Giants, this week. Did he pitch that badly? And what was he doing wrong, when he got hit?
Just now saw this MJ. Greinke is missing his spots. Badly. Very un-Greinke like. I think his arm is ok, but how would I know?
Nice, friendly banter this a.m. Another good win. Taking nothing away from Kazmir, the Cards are going down that slippery slope. Too many missing pieces. Wacha has regressed big time. They couldn’t sign the outfielder. They are starting to remind me of the Angels. Kazmir’s fastball and control of it were the difference, from the little that I saw. The controlled fastball is still the best pitch in baseball. It sets everything else up. Forget 2 seams. Just the old fashioned fastball. Last night Kazmir had one. Let’s hope it continues. I hoped 66 would start a streak. Oh well. He is now married to Harper with the “Let’s Make Baseball Fun Again” deal. Silly. But whatever works. If Puig won a batting title, I would be more supportive. Maybe.
Nice to read some original thinking for a change on this site. Post more often Mark. All the same ole same ole negative crap on this site is just tedious.
thank you!!!
Dodger patch where have you been?
The Dodgers won’t trade Van Slyke – they don’t have another 1B to back up Gonzalez on the 40 man roster and Bellinger isn’t ready and won’t be called up just to be a back up.
If McCarthy and Ryu are able to pitch to their old levels, this would be a great problem to have but I agree with Badger – no team is going to be lining up to trade for guys just coming off of major arm surgery (except for the Dodgers, and we already have them). It may mean that Wood or Stripling become trade bait.
The pitching numbers don’t look so good if you back Kershaw, Maeda and Jansen out of the equation. The Dodgers “Big 3” have an ERA of 1.79 and a WHIP of .764. The team has an ERA of 3.41 and a WHIP of 1.11. The non-Big 3 pitchers have an ERA of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.31. The trend is a good one as those numbers were far worse a week or two ago but the fact remains that the back of the Dodgers’ rotation has been inconsistent, as have all non-Jansen relievers.
The Dodgers will have a crunch on the major league roster when the walking wounded start to return. Most teams send down players with options in favor of vets that don’t have options to whom they owe lots of $$. Unless the Dodgers can find takers for Crawford, Ethier, Utley, Kendrick, Kazmir, McCarthy or Ryu, I predict that many of the younger guys who are currently on the 25 man roster won’t be there in a month or two. I agree that the Braintrust will look to trade some of the vaunted “depth” if it can, but wonder who will want most of the “depth” that the team has acquired.
I agree that the team’s situational hitting has been a problem but it was a problem last year too with the same group of players, so I didn’t expect much else. Frankly, most of this year’s roster is not hitting as well as they hit the past 2 or 3 seasons – maybe McGwire (who preached plate discipline too) wasn’t the problem.
Dodger rick, both Utley and Howie, can play first, as well as Grandal. I know Howie is the only rightie, but there are plently of players, that can give Agone, a day off. Scotty has been injured, quite a bit, in the last couple of years, especially for a part time player. And Ethier can’t be traded, unless he aproves of the trade.
Turner can also play first and I remember talk in the past of having Ethier do a few games at first. Even Alex Guerrero when (if) he comes back. So if they want to trade Agon, they can.
You want to put Guererro’s lead glove at first? Insane…..and there is no position for that guy to play..he needs to be traded…..
Just saw video of Bellinger’s grand salami. Cleared the fence by about 40 feet. Kyle Farmer wears #17. Good number. RC is going off right now. Kyle Garlick, the other Kyle, is now leading the league, I think. No way will the suits put Urias in the bullpen. Maybe they should. But they won’t. With the ups and downs, no real ability to plan, pitch counts in bullpens, there is too much uncertainty with the pen. There is no reason to think the kid gloves will come off soon.
I can see Urias coming up for some spot starts. Maeda is going to need more rest. He is not used to pitching every 5 days.
We are going to have some extras by July that need to be traded. Ethier will stay and I certainly hope Thompson stays. Kendrick, SVS, and CC look like trade material to me. Then the pitching surplus. They just need to figure out their 5 best starters. I really like Stripling. He just needs to be aggressive in the strike zone. He does not trust himself and trys to nibble. Experience will help him.
We just need Turner to start playing the way he is capable of playing. What in the hell was Pederson doing trying to bunt. At times I think Pederson and Puig look great and then again I say to myself, what in the hell are you doing. They just need to be consistently good. I think we have a good coaching staff.
I wonder if the Yankees would be interested with MCCarthy, because he pitched well, for them before, and they need starting pitching. And he only has two years, left on his contract.
I wouldn’t trade Stripling, because he is young, and he will pitch much better, with the more experience he gets. I just hope that Ryu will have his 93 fastball, when he returns.
And if he is the same Ryu, why would you trade him, before seeing how well he pitches, that rest of the year. He is a good pitcher, and he is a number two, if he is the Ryu, of old.
Some of you are still very negative on the Dodgers. We played the Mets and Cardinals and are winning. What is wrong. Enjoy the wins. Dodgerrick, we have at least three other guys (Grandal, Utley, and Kendrick) who can give Agon a rest.
Some who post here complain that when the team loses, those of us who are deemed “negative” pile on and that it isn’t reflective of what the team can do.
Others complain that when the team wins, the “negative” posters disappear.
Now, if the team wins, we are supposed to assume that all of the team’s problems have suddenly disappeared? Or that the so-called “negative” posters should just shut up (or disappear, as Mark puts it) after a win?
I just don’t get it.
The team’s manifest problems are still present, even after a nice win last night against the hated Cards;
1 – back end of the rotation is iffy and inconsistent, and the Braintrust’s answer is to sign several broken down pitchers (McCarthy, Anderson, et al) and call it depth
2 – the bullpen is inconsistent but the Braintrust doesn’t believe in spending on the ‘pen. Last year’s ‘pen was a tire fire but we have the same bunch back except we now have Blanton instead of Nicascio
3 – the situational hitting is bad and has been bad for the past 2 seasons.
These problems don’t go away with a few nice wins. They don’t disappear by firing Mattingly in favor of a more “rah rah” manager. They are still here even though the team has canned almost all of the coaches. Even if Fidel Castro let all of the baseball players in Cuba leave and the Dodgers signed them all, the team would have the same troubles.
To fix the problems would require changing the roster, and not just by signing more “depth” players. But the Braintrust is made up of small market types who have managed their rosters in the past with constant roster churn. Develop players, and when they become good and you can’t pay them any more, trade them for more prospects – wash, rinse and repeat. So every few years, you get enough good players that you compete, but then you can’t afford the good players any more and you trade them for more prospects.
Just wait – Kershaw can opt out after 2018 and he will. If he is making $32MM now, he will want more – do you think that the Braintrust will pay it? Jansen is a free agent at the end of the season – he will be gone, unless the team trades him before that for prospects. And yes, there is a possibility that even Cory Seager will be allowed to walk, although even small market SABR-run teams usually pick a player or two to keep long term (like Evan Longoria on the Rays).
PS – sure, Grandal or Utley could play 1B for a game or two, but if Gonzalez requires more time off than that the team will need a realy 1B – and by the way any non-Gonzalez 1B currently on the active roster doesn’t play the position well.
WOW! That feels like the Dodgers just lost 20 games in a row and have the worst farm system in baseball!
Did I say that they just lost? Or that the farm system was bad?
Read the words that I wrote and don’t inject your own meaning or agenda.
To respond to rick’s concerns I will say the same thing I said this morning. The difference between what Oakland and the Dodgers have to work with amounts to over $100 million. Without the common sense of a salary cap, the small market teams are forced to rely on subsidies and keen development. Only Kansas City has made it work. The odds of Oakland or Tampa or, name any small market team, winning a championship are slim or none. Theo and the Cubs are the model. Their payroll is $168mm. Tampa’s payroll is $65mm. Look what Theo has been able to do with that extra $100mm. I hope FAZ is as good. We won’t know for a while.
I won’t respond to Mark’s drivel.
Exactly Badger!
While I realize you might be right, really right Rick, the comments you made above seem overly negative. The Dodgers are not trying to beat par; they are trying to beat other imperfect teams.
Who do the awesome Cubs have to back up their first baseman?
One quick fix the Dodgers could make to immediately improve the team is to stop starting Crawford in LF and stop using Kendrick anywhere except 2nd and 1st to give Utley and Agon a rest. Basically use three old guys to play two positions.
Do you have confidence in this team Bum?
Howie Kendrick is 32 and a career .291 hitter. Carl Crawford is 34 and a .291 career hitter. They can both hit. Together they make over $31 million and we don’t need either one of them. But since they are both here, how does a manager give them the number of at bats needed to allow them to earn their money? That’s the challenge as I see it. Crawford needs 400 at bats to do it. Kendrick needs less. But both have to play. Both are paid starter money and both have to play. Kendrick has a better chance. All his at bats do is keep Kiké on the bench and Johnson in the minors. Crawford? Good luck getting to 400 when Ethier and SVS get back.
I again refer to the odd roster makeup we have here.
We have both been critical with the makeup of the roster Badger. Ethier was signed before Puig was knocking on any door to be the RFer so it may have been assumed that Ethier would have been the RFer through the life of his contract.
The Dodgers needed a LFer before the TRADE more than they needed a 1st baseman. So, before things played out, having two left bats with big contracts with Kemp in CF was okay but after things played out it is a gross use of payroll to have two left side bats with huge paychecks that are LFers.
Also, who new Kemp was going to break an ankle or bust a shoulder.
I have never been sold on Kike’ or Guerrero or Johnson so for as long as Utley plays young and Kendrick is used only to give Utley and Agon a rest, my main gripe is that Thompson isn’t given LF to lose.
If there is any truth to SVS and DeLeon being enough to get Hamel, then I worry about FAZ having what it takes to make the Dodgers Great Britain Again. See what I did there?
Dodgers Great Britain Again? No. I don’t get it.
FAZ has had 2 off seasons to improve the roster. I don’t see an improvement. At the beginning of the year I had them about 7th in my Power Rankings. Ethier and SVS going down didn’t help. Losing Anderson didn’t either but frankly I thought he would be easy enough to replace. I don’t know. This team just doesn’t inspire. Not yet. If the offense kicks in it could get exciting. I think they can win the Division if all goes right. Still don’t see them getting past Chicago.
There is a baseball cap out that says “Make America Great Britain Again” It is an attempt to mock Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan.
Oh. Haven’t seen that hat. What does it mean? Maybe Trump’s policies would set us back 250 years? That might be true if he actually had any policies. So far, nothing but insults and buffoonery.
You are giving Scotty way to much credit, when it comes to first base. I believe Ethier, could learn to play first, and play first, as well as Scotty, and Ethier is a much better hitter, and is a lefty.
Maybe so, but Ethier hits left, the same as Gonzo, and you are not going to rest Gonzo vs a RHP…..Ethier needs to be healthy first, and then they can figure out what to do with him…..anything else right now is all supposition….
I mentioned Howie above, and someone else mentioned Turner. Everything is supposition here. And Scotty is out much more then Agone, so how is he going to be there for Agone.
Turner can also play 1B
Idahoal I agree with all you have said. We are already doing better, then last year. I have seen improvement in a every game they have played lately. And it looks to me, that they are playing more like a team, then before. And that they have a game plan, on how to attack the pitcher, they are facing.
The Dodgers were 24 – 13 after 37 games last year and they are 20 – 17 now – but they are better than last year?
Dodger rick that stat is decieving about the Dodger’s record last year, at this time. Because what teams did they play, and beat, at this time, last year?
Tell me how it is deceiving – what was the composite W-L record of last year’s opponents after 37 game and this year’s?
What were the teams stats after 37 games compared to this year’s?
Don’t just make assertions – let’s see some evidence.
Some people’s comments on this board are just not worth reading. Others make some great insightful comments. Makes for a fun balance (especially when you’re drinking or taking a hit)
Wood v. Leake today. We’ve already won the series, so I won’t be too disappointed if we lost today, but a sweep of a good team, after splitting 4 vs the NL Champs, after winning 2 of 3 at Toronto means we’re really playing some good baseball.
This Kyle Garlick dude seems to be the real deal down there. I wonder if/when he gets promoted, but if he does, whos job at Tulsa would he take?? Tulsa has some big hitting prospects for us
Also, anyone have an update on Frankie Montas? That’s potentially a huge bullpen piece as well once he’s back
Dodger rick Last year, the Dodgers only had a winning record, against teams, with a losing record. And that does make a difference, especially when it is only a four game difference, at this point of the season.
Bobby why can’t everyone else, see it that way?
Michael Norris:
OK, here’s a couple of things:
1. Jose De Leon was shut down for a few days after experiencing some forearm tightness. They say it’s nothing. I have nothing to add. We will see what he looks like when he comes back.
2. Brett Anderson is already soft tossing and many think he will be back in July. He’s not “three months away from even throwing.” STRIKE ONE
3. You said someone would pick up Crawford if he was waived? No way…..They would be responsible for his contract which has over 30 million left on it. Unless the Dodgers pick up a large portion of that deal, CC is a Dodger. WRONG! If the Dodgers waive him, they have to pay all of his salary except the major league minimum. STRIKE 2
4. no one wants McCarthy’s contract, which has 3 years 36 million dollars left In case you have been living under a rock Jeff Smardzija just signed a 5 year/$90 million dollar deal. Smardzija’s career ERA is 4.03 with a 1.269 WHIP in 1,048 IP. Brandon McCarthy ‘s career ERA is 4.13 with a 1.289 WHIP in 1,012 IP. Yet, no one wants McCarthy’s contract of 3 years and $36 million? THEY ARE THE SAME GUY… especially now that McCarthy has his TJ out of the way. Where do you get this stuff? STRIKE 3 – YOU ARE OUT!
HAVE A TAKE AND DO NOT SUCK!
Great comment Mark. Unfortunately, my eyes seem to get blurry when comments are not broken up into short paragraphs and that was the case with Michael’s comment. I am getting old I guess. You misspelled Michael’s name. I think Michael scolded MJ for doing that.
Bum I had a good excuse for that, and Mark does also start with a M.
MJ, Michael and I aren’t the most cordial with each other in here and every once in a while I travel to my lower self to tease Michael about something he has said when he was in his lower self.
Bum I was messing with Mark.
Bum this to me, is not about the front office. It is what Roberts, and the team is doing, in spite of what the front office has done.
There is a big difference between Samardzija and McCarthy – namely, McCarthy is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Per the link below, major league pitchers who undergo TJ have a 25% chance of never pitching in the majors again and a 25% chance of not pitching 100 innings in the majors again, so McCarthy has a 50% chance of making a contribution after TJ.
So no one will want him until he proves he is really ready to be a competent major league pitcher give his salary.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/tommy-john-surgery-success-rates-in-the-majors/
There is a 56 million dollar difference. Even Ray Charles can see that
Yeah – the difference is that Samardzija is 5 – 2, 2.88 with 56 ip in 8 starts for the Giants this year and McCarthy is 0 -0 with 0 ip for the Dodgers this year.
Dodger rick the teams we had already played last year, at this time, outside of the National league west, were the Marlins, the Mariners, and the Brewers. And I believe at the most, that only one of those teams, at that time, had a winning record, so that does make a big difference. And I believe that the Mets and Cardinals, as well as the Bluejays, all have winning records.
Rome is burning…
And what do we do if we’re in Rome? Wondering.
Mark ended his post with the expression,”Have a take, Don’t suck”. That was a frequent saying on Jim Rome’s radio show several years ago. He was not a nice guy but it was an interesting show, all call in participation. I guess you could call it a radio blog. You had to be sharp, thick skinned, and merciless to dare call in.
And here is a Rome show classic:
http://deadspin.com/5873900/an-interview-with-jim-everett-about-teeny-tiny-jim-romes-departure-from-espn
Nero fiddled while Rome burned – that is another way of saying that things could go badly but some people would just ignore it.
Dodger rick at this time last year, the Dodgers had only played these teams, outside of the National League West, the Mariners, the Brewers, and the Marlins, and I believe maybe, one of these three teams, had a winning record, at that time, but I don’t think any of these teams, had a winning record, at the end of the season.
Same guy?
Well, if you don’t count the multiple surgeries, games started and innings pitched, one could possibly confuse the two.
The logjam will lead to other GMs low balling us. I’d still keep a short leash on Wood and Kazmir, and more than likely Stripling runs into a rookie wall in a few months, if not sooner, the way he pitches. I like him but thats what I see. I’d like to see Zach and Bolsinger get some chances, against bad teams at Dodgers stadium, maybe that’ll lead to some offers for them. I don’t think McCarthy, Ryu or Anderson comes back on schedule – just my feeling.
Kazmir’s fastball was very encouraging. I really want him to do well so he opts out.
I think our bullpen may be stabilizing a little. Having Montas and Urias potentially available for late season is totally worth looking forward to.
I don’t see how anyone can compare this year’s BP with last years. Now we have Blanton and Coleman instead of Tsao, Surkamp, Coulombe, Huff, Peralta, Nicasio and Santos. How are we NOT better???
Every team has problems. It does not matter who you are. Is our starting 5 perfect? No. Name me one major league that has a perfect starting 5. I swear, some of you would not be happy if we had an entire team of all stars. There is a lot of failure in baseball. Most hitters fail 66 to 75 % of the time. We can pick on any player when they fail because they fail quite often. Hey, the Dodgers are playing pretty darn good right now. Be happy.
The Dodgers are 6-4 in their last 10. 11 teams are 6-4 in their last 10, including 4 in the NL West. We’re playing ok. I’m looking for that win streak. That will make me happy.
Badger Remember everyone was afraid, of what was going to happen, when the Dodgers went on the last road trip? Badger it is about the teams, that they have been playing.
Cafardo says that there are 10 teamns that could manage a trade for Trout. ( http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/baseball/2016/05/14/trading-mike-trout-isn-that-crazy-idea/VqWCLn7izDfKTdMqb9LUsL/story.html?event=event25 )
The Dodgers of course but we know that isn’t going to happen with our FO Nerds, but he also lists the Giants. Can you think of anything worse that could happen to us?
A lot of teams mentioned there Wondering. I don’t see us trading what it would take. That goes against everything FAZ has showed us they care about. A deal for Weaver or Wilson is more likely than a deal for Trout.
As for the midgets getting him, that would surprise no one. But, what would it take? My gut tells me no way the Angels do it, but if they do – a National League team makes the most sense. That or the Yankees.
So, in response to Dodgerrick I posted:
WOW! That feels like the Dodgers just lost 20 games in a row and have the worst farm system in baseball!
Dodgerrick next wrote:
Did I say that they just lost? Or that the farm system was bad?
Read the words that I wrote and don’t inject your own meaning or agenda.
Uh, Rick, I did not say that you said they just lost or that you said the farm system was bad.
I did read your words and said they made me feel like we had a horrible farm system and just lost 20 games. I have no difficultly reading what you wrote. It was just such a downer that I said it made me feel like that. You are assuming facts not in evidence… Maybe you didn’t read what I wrote.
Hey Mark, Samardzjia is paid 5 for 90mm and McCarthy is 3 for 36 mm . That is a difference of 30mm. McCarthy for 5 would be 60mm at the same length, hence 30mm . Or 36 from 90 is 54 at the current length. Nothing equals 56. Even Ray Charles can see that
7×8 = 56. So does the square root of 3,136. Which, like a lot of the hot air in here, is not germane to any exchange of relevant information. Hey Tim.
Anybody know a guy named Trevor Brown? Posey’s backup. He has as many home runs in 43 at bats as our catchers have in 2016.
Cain has looked good in his last 12 innings. I hope it’s temporary. Peavy looked good last night. If those two get it together – Yoiks.
On the radio the Dodgers sound pretty good
Even you can see that!
lolz, good one Mark