Last night the Dodgers dropped their fifth game in a row, and fifth recent – with one more contest remaining – against the suddenly rampaging Arizona Diamondbacks. That said, don’t despair, Dodgers fans, because there are some bright spots to be gleamed from last night’s loss.
First off the proverbial bat, is the fact the Dodgers lost a very winnable game. Yes, that’s good news. They looked nothing like the lost blue wanderers who were mercilessly pummeled 13-0 the night before. They went toe-to-toe with the hottest team in the National League, and very well might have won, if not for a couple of boneheaded moves – one on the field, and one from the dugout. That dugout one is probably not the decision you’re thinking.
Lesson 1: Hyun-Jin Ryu is the real deal. The Korean southpaw moved one giant step closer to making his case for a spot in the playoffs starting rotation by holding the powerful Snakes to only one run over six innings. Unfotunately, he gave up a home run on one mistake pitch. Ryu is consistently pitching opponents very tough, and he kept his ballclub in the game while the Dodgers’ offense chipped away at Zack Grienke.
Lesson 2: The offense is coming out of its doldrums, slowly but surely. Yasmani Grandal accounted for the Dodgers’ lone run with another solo home run, and Adrian Gonzalez is beginning to hit the ball with more frequency. Andre Ethier showed a very good eye for the ball last night with a single, a walk, and a sharp line drive that was caught. All bright signs. The Dodgers had a very good chance at knocking Grienke out of the game in the fifth, but they were undone by that bonehead call I mentioned earlier. This one from the skipper.
Yazmani Grandal hit his home run to open the 5th inning, and that was quickly followed by back to back singles from Ethier and Gonzalez. The Dodgers were in business with a run in, two on, no out, and the lousiest hitter on the team – Logan Forsythe – due up next. Forsythe has done ABSOLUTELY ZERO to show any reason to think he should be allowed to hit with the game in the balance. Which brings me to…
Lesson 3: Logan Forsythe has no business with a bat in his hands and the game in the balance. I understand this time of year is about auditions, but Forsythe has auditioned for a month at this point, and he is the last batter that even the most clueless Dodger fan would choose to bat in that spot.
Yet, with Grienke on the ropes, a much-needed confidence building win on the line, and a bench full of hitters, Dave Roberts stupidly allowed Shleprock Forsythe to bat. The result was a rally-killing double play, and Grienke and the D-backs all breathed a huge sigh of relief (and giggled) over the idiocy of Roberts’ decision.
While we’re on the subject of boneheaded plays, the other game-killer came in the seventh inning, when Cody Bellinger singled to lead off the inning, but was thrown out at second on an ill-advised attempt to steal. Combined with Grandal’s strike out, it became another rally killing double play. What was Bellinger thinking? Forsythe wasn’t batting.
Lesson 4: Pedro Baez may have pitched his way off the playoff roster last night (unless a miracle happens). The Dodgers and D-backs were tied at one run apiece going into the 10th inning last night, when the skipper sent Pedro Baez out to the mound. Lots of folks were doubting the decision, but I think this was the right one to make.
The Dodgers need to know if Baez can overcome the heat and control a high-pressure situation. That’s what he’s going to have to do in October, and this was the perfect opportunity to see if he could get the job done. If Baez gave up a run – or worse – the Dodgers would be one step closer to knowing, and if he rose to the occasion, Baez was one step closer to gaining much-needed confidence. It was the right move.
Baez walked the first two batters he faced. They later scored the winning runs, albeit on a throwing error by Justin Turner, but the walks ultimately did Baez and the Dodgers in.
The game was lost, but the Dodgers were not manhandled. If not for a few stumbles, they might have won. And that, Dodger fans, is about as good as the news has been in these parts for a while.
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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I think we witnessed some things, not sure if you can say we learned a few things. The things I watched showed me the same old same old, I’m sure MJ saw something else and will correct me however.
Give me Puig every damn day, enough platoon in RF.
Give me Utley or Barnes at 2B and permanently banish Forshyte, that dude is just one large rally-killer game after game.
How many pop-ups can Turner possibly hit in series after series. I know this may blow some away, but he really needs to be moved down in the line-up, he is killing us right now.
No more Granderson in the line-up please!!!
No more Baez, period!!!!!!!
This team has become very unwatchable, if you are wanting entertainment value.
Sorry but Ethier has to do more than just work a great walk, he has to either start making a difference or sit and watch.
Turner is not the problem. The biggest problem is Taylor is sliding down again, Seager is not in the lineup, and they are not playing crisp baseball. Those 2 runs should have never scored. That ball was hit right to Turner, and his throw was totally misjudged by the so called great catcher behind the plate. As for Granderson, Forsythe and Baez….I totally agree. I am stumped why Utley was not in the lineup against a RH any way.
True
I don’t have an issue with most you said.
I think it is much better to give Puig a day off, against a leftie, because he has been terrible against Lefties this year, and emphasize how bad Puig has been against lefties, Puig has been worse against lefties, then Forsythe has been against righties!
About Granderson, he certainly shouldn’t be hitting second, but since he owns Scherzer and Strasburg, I would like to see what Granderson will do at the back of our line up.
Because Roberts is doing a disservice to Granderson, and the team, by hitting Granderson second!
Even when Turner wasn’t hitting at the begining of last year, Roberts was right by keeping Turner is his usual place in the line up, and he stays there as far as I am concerned!
And a true I guess you missed Ethier hit last night!
The thing I differ with you about, is that the Dodgers couldn’t keep the pace they were on, in a 162 season, so that is where we differ.
Also the change in the team has more to do with Cody and Corey being out one after another, then most everything else.
when agone came back the whole thing went to hell .. we where winning ..so dont change it if ant broke ..i said that back then .. i am a either fan ..but we dont need him now …
Ethier is playing because he is the longest tenured Dodger and he was out with an injury. Puig should be out there everyday because he is the best defensive outfielder on the team and he hits righty’s better than he does lefty’s. Greinke should have been candy in his hand. Ethier is in his last days as a Dodger. He will not be resigned this winter.
Well as far as Bellinger’s steal attempt being a bone headed play, I do not think so. He got a great jump and he was out by this much (). Now Taylors attempt to advance to second in the 9th down two runs on a medium fly to the CF, that was bone headed. Letting Granderson hit, when the guy has not hit since he has been here, oh yeah, he has 4 homers and a double, but nothing else and he has struck out 20 times. He should have bunted Taylor into scoring position, then there would have been no ill advised attempt to advance. Yeah, Ryu did a good job, but the offense sputtered once again, and after the game Grandal said he was glad this is happening to the team. They needed the challenge. Well right about now all the fans need a very strong bicarbonate of soda. Oh, and Baez, should be banished to a far corner in the bullpen and play with his tinker toys because that guy is a gas can waiting to happen. Throw strikes MORON. Walks kill you. An aside on Grandyman bunting, last time he tried it he looked worse than Rich Hill trying to hit. Makes ya wish they traded for Martinez instead.
Aha! That was the play I was originally thinking about. Dang my memory!
I think everyone is fatigued and rotating players into starting positions as auditions has its price – losses. I dont think the losses are hurting the Dodgers in terms of record but they may well be hurting them mentally – and that’s a BAAD thing. Winning so consistently is as much about skill and luck as it is about mojo.
Rounding AGon into readiness by playing him is good but when playoffs begin Bellinger is the 1B and AGon is the savvy bat off the bench. Utley deserves to start at 2B, Taylor in LF unless his collapse continues – he’s NEVER played a full season before. Puig is the starting RF, Kike in CF unless Joc comes alive. Love you Joc, but it ain’t looking good, buddy!
I don’t think we’ve hit rock bottom yet if there are players saying I’m glad this is happening. That’s what other bloggers do and what they’ve done for weeks (not here I know). I don’t see us hitting rock bottom until people start pointing out the Dodgers’ record and their +/- against playoff teams. This team is an embarrassment now and we will see how they do against the Nationals. Grandal needs to sit.
I don’t think we needed to see Baez last night to know what we have in him. The jury came back with a verdict long ago. He cannot be trusted in high leverage situations EVER! He doesn’t throw nearly enough strikes for me. I would have already started auditioning other guys for those situations.
I don’t think we should panic until Corey is back in the line up, and has been back for a while, and we still are losing at this pace.
But I do think there was a lot of good in these last two games, because our number three and four starting pitchers, almost pitched as well, as the Dback’s number one and two starting pitchee
Because our starters had us behind in games, before we even hit, in the one bad period, for our starters.
And although our offense hasn’t been as good lately, they were still hitting, in that series that our starters pitched so badly in, against the Dbacks, and this was after our starters had us pretty far behind, before we even hit!
And Oscar I think this was well thought out, and I agree with most everything you highlighted, in this thread!
Guys,
sorry about the downtime last night. Our hosting provider was having some network issues. But it looks like the problem is resolved.
Scott, can you please have them do the same thing for Dodgers
ha ha Tim, I wish I could
Well Yasmani Grandal is proving what I said about him all year. He is a rally killer. That all or nothing hit the ball over the wall mentality has showed up so many time with men on base, he tries to pull the ball all the time and hits weak ass grounders right into the shift. The situational hitting that was so good for so long is non existent right now. Granderson is Reddick 2.0. Other than the first few games the guys at bats are a nightmare of futility. Thank goodness that Cody Bellinger runs as fast as he does. His hustle should resonate to all his team mates. Oh, and one last thing. It is so frustrating to watch these guys let pitches right down the middle of the plate and then swing at pitches they could not hit with a railroad tie. And when they get behind, I do not have the confidence that at this point in time that they can come back.
The Dodgers need to get mad. I see no emotion out of these guys what so ever. They act like they are going to waltz into the playoffs. I do not see that happening unless they get their collective heads out of the anus.
Michael
All of that is true, and Roberts needs to get his act together with these line ups too!
He isn’t helping with these line ups!
Unwatchable baseball. You can’t win if you do not score. 2 runs in 3 games? Please. Pitchers did their job the last two games, hitters need to wake up, and Kike Hernandez should not get another at bat all year, neither should Granderson who has totally sucked.