You know this was a winnable game until the Dodgers brought in the middle relievers in the fifth inning again. The game was at least within reach but when you’re forced to use a parade of middle relievers starting with Ross Stripling in the fifth inning then you get what you get. And what the Dodgers got wasn’t good in their pathetic 7-1 loss to the Nationals on ESPN Sunday night baseball. Ryan Zimmerman’s two home runs were the difference in the game as the Nationals overcame a 1-0 deficit by scoring seven runs in the final four frames of the game.
The results weren’t surprising. I’m just annoyed that I actually have to waste an hour of my life recapping this crappy game. I wish I could just write Ross Stripling sucks, Walker Buehler green, Josh Ravin sucks, offense bad, Stephen Strasburg really good, Washington middle relievers also good. That wouldn’t tell the tale about this game, so I’ll actually go into my spiel.
Dodgers 1 5 0
Nationals 7 8 1
WP-Strasburg-14-4
LP-Stripling-3-5
HR-Zimmerman-32-33
The big news before the game was Strasburg’s 34 consecutive scoreless innings streak that he carried into the game was on the line. He was not going to break Orel Hershiser’s record, but man he’s been dominating. In the five starts since returning from the DL Strasburg has posted a 0.41 ERA with 41 strikeouts against 4 walks. I mean my word.
His mound opponent Hyun-jin Ryu tried his best to keep up with him, and he showed pretty good stuff. But of course by the fifth inning he had made nearly 100 pitches and was removed with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
But back to Strasburg for a minute, because he was dominant. Strasburg tossed six innings allowing just one run, three hits and striking out eight. Ryu allowed just three hits too, but couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning. At-bats from Matt Wieters and Strasburg (of all people) ran his pitch count up. He struck out five and walked two.
The Dodgers used speed on the base paths to help them score a run and break Strasburg’s scoreless streak. The boys in blue stole three bases (Curtis Granderson, Yasiel Puig, Justin Turner) off of Strasburg. The Dodgers scored their lone run in the second inning. Puig singled, stole second base and then came around to score on Logan Forsythe’s RBI double. The Dodgers wouldn’t score again.
After back-to-back walks in the fifth inning Ryu came out with two outs. Ross Stripling relieved him and got Jayson Werth to fly out to center to end the inning. He wasn’t so fortunate in the next frame. After a walk to Anthony Rendon and a single to Daniel Murphy, Zimmerman’s first home run of the game to left center field put Washington ahead 3-1. You could say the Nats made chicken strips out of Stripling.
Walker Buehler gave up an RBI double to Rendon in the seventh inning and Josh Ravin gave up Zimmerman’s second home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth. That put Washington up 7-1. The Dodger bats did nothing after that second inning. They had just four base runners from the fifth inning on. Five hits against the Nationals simply won’t cut it.
So the Dodgers fall to 96-53 and their lead in the NL West remains at 9.5 games over Arizona. The Snakes lost to the Giants in San Francisco so the Dodger’s magic number to clinch the NL West is down to just 4.
The Dodgers will travel into Philadelphia for a four game series starting on Monday evening. In the series opener Clayton Kershaw will draw Nick Pavetta with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 PM PST.
Let’s take care of business and sweep the Phillies for a nice road trip.
Phillies are not a push over actually. We are still not playing well.
One thing that I found worrying in this series is that we don’t seem to be able to hit the National’s newly constructed bullpen.
The National’s bullpen went from last in the league before the All Star Break, to number 1 in the league after the ASB. You read that right. We are now only number 3, and falling.
YF
I could say the same about the Nats, until the last game, last night.
After all we won the first game 7 nothing, and won the second game by one run.
And Stripling allowed that extra run in the second game.
The thing is Roberts wasn’t trying to win that last game, or he would have brought someone in, after Stripling allowed th first two hitters he faced, to get on base.
The Nats eventually did hit our bullpen. But we did not hit theirs. That is the difference.
If we are going to evaluate this series as a playoff preview, well the lineups don’t quite cut it because neither Roberts nor Baker played their best lineup. In terms of starters, neither team played their top 2 starters. That was the way this series lined up.
The only thing that one could reasonably be of use, in terms of evaluation, was how each side hits the other’s bullpen. Especially since the Nat’s got a brand new bullpen. The eye test and the
numbers tell me the Nat’s bullpen is superior to ours.
YF
You are right if you looked at the numbers.
I had read that the Nats new bullpen pitchers, were not doing that well.
I thought the Nats were smart to get almost all of their relievers from the American League, and I thought they were also smart to go after their guys early.
Because most teams in the National League, probably haven’t seen much of these relievers.
YF
At the beginning of the game, our guys were having good at bats, and they hit some hard balls, right at people.
But they didn’t continue to do that, throughout the game!
And once Ravin came in, I knew Roberts didn’t care about that game, because Ravin was never being considered, for the post season.
And remember in the first game, Stewart pitched two scoreless innings, and he was getting a lot of swing and misses, in those two innings.
And Dusty did play his best everyday line up, except for Harper!
I agreed with pulling Ryu. He was losing it and Roberts knew it and acted quickly. But!!!! Why does this guy go to Stripling, a reliever who has shown how weak and inconsistent he is, then goes to his rookie wonder who has an era of over 13… and who is looking to be sent right back down to the minors lickety split. We need these wins. My major complaint about Roberts is his stubborn fixation with players that are not doing very well. Leave them alone!! Go with your proven crew and get them ready for the coming fight.
Again, with Granderson? What’s with you, Roberts? What are you trying to prove?
First off, this was a game they were not expected to win. Strasburg is one of the better pitchers in the league. Second, Stripling is the long man in the bullpen and he has pitched well. He got out of Ryu’s trouble in the 5th. He never would have pitched the 6th had the Dodgers done anything offensively. So Roberts does what he always does and runs him out there for the 6th. He gives up 3. Dodgers still only down 2 runs. They do not score, the kid comes in and gets two quick outs and then a run. So the way they were hitting the game was pretty well over right then and there. They still are not hitting with men in scoring position or this game would have been much closer. And Jeff, Buehler is not going down to the minors. The seasons are over. He will be here until the season ends. They are seeing if he could make a contribution to the post season. The kid has wicked stuff. And he also has a great demeanor. They said the same things about Urias last year. He may be a kid, but he pitches like a veteran. Some bumps in the road are expected. They are 4-2 on this road trip. Philly is no push over, but they are not that great either. As for Granderson, you have to understand FAZ. They traded for this guy because of one thing. He has extensive playoff experience. And he has hit some of the pitchers the Dodgers will face if they advance to the NLCS, very well. Granderson has hit 9 HR’s in post season play, and driven in 29 runs. Roberts is not trying to prove anything. He is getting Granderson as much time and AB’s as he can because I would almost guarantee you that he will be on the playoff roster, that is why they traded for him. Now, they can sit him the first round against AZ, because that is probably who they will play, and use Ethier or someone else who actually hits the Diamondbacks. Believe it or not, that could be Gonzo, who hits a ton in Az. They would just play him at first and move Cody to left. More of a concern has to be the slumping Taylor. His batting average has dropped almost 20 points in the last 2 weeks. He is not squaring up the ball and has not hit well in a while. This loss does not bother me that much. Guys who will probably not be on the team in the playoffs like Ravin, and possibly Buehler just made the case against their being on the roster. Ryu cannot pitch in relief because it takes him too long to warm up, and don’t look now but McCarthy is coming back this week and they are talking about him as a long reliever. Lots of decisions to be made. All of those decisions will be made the night before the NLDS starts. Then we will see what the playoff roster looks like. I think Roberts is just doing what the FO expects him to do and that is try and give the whole team shots at making the roster. Some have no shot, Ravin, Verdugo, Farmer, Segedin, Thompson, and a few of the relievers besides Ravin, like Stewart most likely and Paredes. They might keep 3 lefty relievers and they might not. But guys with experience will be valued, you can bank on that. I also think that Pederson will not make the playoff roster unless he goes on an unbelievable tear the last 13 games. Relax, it is not like the world is coming to an end. They will clinch this week. Then Roberts can start to line the pitching staff up for the playoffs. We all know it will be Kershaw in game 1 and Darvish in game 2.
McCarthy coming back is good news. Stripling is bad news. We’ve got the bullpen already with Fields, Morrow, Jansen, Cingrani, Baez, and Watson. Did I leave anyone out? Beuhler will not make it.
Ethier over Granderson in LF any day. Ethier has worked hard to come back. His history here means something. Granderson means nothing to us. Agone also means something to us. If he’s healthy, he’ll see some time. Not too worried about Taylor. Keep in mind he’s played over his head all season. Let’s hope he’s got something left in the tank for the playoffs.
You need a long man. Stripling has been that guy all year. He has the same won-lost record as Baez, has given up less homers, has a higher strikeout to walk ratio, and a better WHIP. Matter of fact he has a better WHIP than Baez, Avilan, Stewart, Ryu, McCarthy, Darvish and Ravin. Now, depending on who they put in the rotation for the playoffs, my guess is Kershaw, Darvish, Hill, and Ryu, because Maeda can warm up quicker and might be the long man. Wood has had success as a reliever and he might even be out there. And although you and I might favor Andre, it is more than obvious the FO is making sure Granderson has every opportunity to make the post season roster. I think Andre is more athletic and a much better defender, but what you or I think makes no difference. Anytime a player drops that many points off his average in a 2 week period, he is slumping. Taylor has played over his head most of the year, but this is not the time to be slumping. He might be out of gas. He has never played this much in his career. Same thing happened to Seager last year. He was gassed by the playoffs. I am far more concerned with the lack of clutch hitting and the RISP over the last few weeks. They still are not driving those guys in. They stranded 9 runners in yesterdays game. Now they had 5 hits and 4 walks and Seager was hit by a pitch. They were 1-13 with runners in scoring position. You do not win games when that happens. They had their chances and did not come through, so now the onus is on the pitchers to protect a 1 run lead. And that in the major leagues does not happen very often. So even though he got the loss, it is not all on Stripling.
The 6th was very predictable, I told my wife prior to it starting that Stripling would get lit up. I actually told her he would walk the first batter, told her second batter would either walk or get a hit, the third batter would hit a 3 run HR. I can’t prove it to ya, but it did happen. Stripling just doesn’t make it in high pressure situations, he is Baez with a longer last name.
On a positive note, I think many of our current starters will become our bullpen in the playoffs, it’s pretty obvious that we have a very weak situation going on out there in innings 6 and 7.
A big concern is that in a playoff series, we are going to have to face Max and Barbara Strasberg. Yes we have great pitchers to face them, but our offense all but disappears against those guys.
This Reddickson thing is going to be our death, I’m afraid. Instead of gettting Reddickson ready for the playoffs, what about getting someone else ready for the playoffs? When I saw the lineup with Reddickson and The Seizure batting back to back, I knew we were in for a severely challenging evening to score runs. Then you throw in Forshyte, holy shniekies! Yes Forshyte drove in the only run with his hit, errrr, out that was an error on the CF, but come on folks, this Forshyte thing ain’t working and won’t work in the post season.
I think we have the talent, I’m not sure it can overcome some very poor managerial decisions on the line-up card.
One more thing, the MLB has to adopt computerized calling of balls and strikes, last nights dismal umpiring has to be a nail in the coffin. Calling balls and strikes has become one of the most lacking part of officiating in all professional sports. It is so bad and so inconsistent that something has to be done before the next season begins. Plate umps, as a whole, have no credibility and are really distorting the game to obscene levels.
Firstly they should have never made Ryu skip his last start, these pitchers need to pitch every fifth day to keep their good command, and that is why Ryu should have pitched against the Giant’s, instead of Maeda.
Secondly Ryu was obviously tiring, so after he walked the pitcher, Honeycutt or Grandal should have went out to Ryu to give him a blow.
These kind of things have come back and haunted us, in the post season.
The times that Kershaw has had the first two batters get on base in the seventh innings in the post season, Honeycutt or the catcher, should have went out to Kershaw, after the first batter got on base, to give Kershaw some rest, or to just help Kershaw slow the game down!
And if Kershaw is allowed to pitch into the seventh inning in the post season this year, I would take him out, if the first batter gets on base.
But last night like I already stated, someone should have went out to Ryu to give him a blow, after he walked the pitcher!
And if Roberts was really trying to win that game, he would have never allowed Stripling, to pitch to Zimmerman.
I would have had Stewart come in and pitch that next inning, because he pitched two scoreless innings, in the first game, and the Nats were not seeing him well, he got quite a few swing and misses, in that two innings.
Stewart didn’t start the season on time because he had soreness in his arm, and that is why I don’t think he did as well this year, but he looked good against the Nats, in that first game.
And Michael is right, this was not an important game to Roberts, and if anything Dusty wasn’t smart to let our players get such a good look at Strasburg, so close to the post season, as well, as their top bullpen guys.
That umpire last night, was giving Strasburg more of the plate then Ryu, and the umpire also let the crowd change is strike zone, and if he thought he missed a call, he would try to make up for it.
And even if an ump doesn’t have a good strike zone, it is better that they stick with the same strike zone to be fair to the hitters, and pitchers.
Also Granderson took he very long time getting to that ball hit into the leftfield corner, and because he took so long, he allowed Werth to score.
Roberts should have put in a defensive replacement in left, because not only is Granderson not that great on defense, he has a terrible arm, and the Nats knew that, and that is why they sent Werth home!
On the exact same type of play with Werth running from first in the post season last year, Toles and Corey threw Werth out with this exact same play, and they threw Werth out, by quite a bit last year!
I think we only get like this, because this was a nationally broadcasted game, and it always seems like these broadcasters want any team to win, over the Dodgers!
Ryu got the first two hitters in the 5th. Roberts obviously thought he could get through the inning. But his pitch count as per normal was high so Roberts brought in Stripling who got the last out without giving up a run. The 6th was all Striplings and he was facing the heart of the Nationals order. He walks Werth, who is one of those guys who sees a lot of pitches, gives up a hit to Rendon, and then battles Zimmerman and throws a cookie. Zimmerman does what all good power hitters do and sends it into the right centerfield stands. Stripling gets the next 3 hitters out with no more damage. At that point they are down two runs, what do they do? NOTHING> The offense did not produce a thing after that second inning run. They play like that in Philly and they will lose no matter who is pitching. You don’t score, you do not win. That’s what happened during the losing streak. 2.6 runs per game in that stretch while the pitching staff was giving up over 5. They are playing guys to see if they will contribute during the playoffs. All these guys are auditioning for spots on the roster. They care less who we fans want to see out there. They are seeing who is going to join the party. Oh, they will clinch this week, and a sigh of relief will settle over Dodger Land. But for the last couple of weeks, it has been an audition. Those not going to the dance, yet to be decided. But there are some locks. Ravin, Thompson. Segedin, Verdugo, Farmer, who for some reason has not even gotten a pinch hitting chance, Culberson, Paredes, those guys pretty much have no shot. Pederson is borderline, and probably will only make it if he goes on a tear. Barnes might even end up as the starting catcher as bad as Grandal has been. Grandal is what I said he was way back in April. He is streaky, and he is about as clutch as crabgrass. He is now down close to where I thought he would be. He is no .270 hitter like he was for most of the year. He is a .240 hitter with some power, little defensive skill and he leads the league in passed balls……..again….
Based on what I’ve heard and read, I think we may be seeing Barnes and Grandal more of a catching platoon.
Nice look at some minor league top-liners and an under-radar guy by FanGraphs:
http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/a-minor-review-of-2017-los-angeles-dodgers/
I have heard and read the same Bluto. As for the kids in the system, Ruiz has been well known most of the year. Beaty had some really good games the last couple of weeks and we have heard nothing but good stuff about Verdugo. I believe he will make his case in the spring. Joc Pederson is going to have a put up or shut up spring. He will either be with the team when they break camp next year, or he will be in another uniform. Buehler will get a long look. If anyone in the rotation falters and he has a good spring, there is a chance he will be there next year. Urias will not be ready when spring starts and probably will not be ready until mid season at least. And it will be Kersh’s year to make his decision whether to opt out, or stay. A lot of guys on this roster now will be gone. Including guys like Segedin, Culberson, Thompson, and if I had my way, Kike Hernandez. His continuing flirtation with the Mendoza line is getting old. Forsythe I would not bring back because Taylor can move over there with ease. Toles will be back, Ethier, Granderson will be gone. They have plenty of offensive players in the system to replace them with. Toles, Puig, Verdugo, and possibly Pederson give them a decent outfield. They might trade for a RH hitting OF. Especially if they put Taylor at 2nd and trade Thompson, who at this point does not look like he is going to reach the potential he showed when he first arrived. I think that back injury took a little momentum away from him. I would give Barnes every opportunity to be the everyday catcher. Grandal has neither his defensive capability’s nor his bat control. He is pretty much an all or nothing bat. And Barnes playing most games could come close to double figures in HR’s. If Ruiz is the real deal, we will probably see some of him in spring. Kid has mad skills. Gonzo has a year left on his contract. I expect he will come to spring and see if he can play full time, or if his back will not allow him to continue his career. If that happens, I fully expect Gonzo to retire. If he can play, and is capable of coming close to his prior stats, then that is a plus. And it allows Bellinger to step in in LF or CF if needed. Some of the relievers will no doubt be cut loose. They love Cingrani’s stuff, Watson has experience as a closer, Fields, when right is very tough to hit, Morrow, simply on what he has done this year I would re-sign him. Avilan, Stripling, and Stewart are not above being cut loose. Kazmir, McCarthy, are still under contract and could be used in long relief rolls. I jettison Kazmir and eat his contract. It will be an interesting spring. Of course if they manage to get into the World Series, then it will be interesting to see how many pieces they keep, and who they decide to get rid of.
Todays line up….oh, you are going to love this…….Taylor CF, Turner 3B, Bellinger 1B, Puig RF, Barnes C, Granderson LF, Utley 2B, Hernandez SS, Kershaw P………Granderson>>>???????? again???? the guy couldn’t hit my dead grandmother. The first 5 are interesting. Seager must be getting a planned day off. Kike against a RH pitcher????????/Please the guy sucks against righty’s .
This lineup makes no sense. If anything we should played this line up last night, and played last night’s lineup tonight.
I guess Roberts thinks he can experiment since he’s got Kershaw on the mound …. but if you do that why not give Taylor a rest and play Ethier in center?
You got that sh.t right. This is supposed to be Seager’s last day off. Puig is hitting over .350 on the road trip, but has been bad in the 4 hole. Hernandez has never met a RH pitcher he could hit, Granderson is hitting .113 since he joined the Dodgers. Utley I agree with since Forsythe cannot hit RH’s either. I would rather see Ethier out there in LF. Taylor led off the game with a inside the park HR, and Turner hit one over the wall to follow, but they have not done anything since.
WOW! The Padres DFA’d Hunter Renfroe. That guy has some serious power. He ever gets control of his strikeouts, he will be a serious threat from the right side.
That was really surprising!
Michael
The Padre didn’t DFA Renfroe they recalled him!
Actually they did both. I saw the transaction on the MLB site. They must have rescinded the move, but it definitely said designated for assignment.
Kike Hernandez’s suck factor is about 9.5. How bad this guy is against RHP is unbelievable. He has zero value at this point in the year. He should not be on the playoff roster.
Michael
Kike is hitting righties, about the same as Puig is hitting lefties.
And Kike is on this team, because he hits lefties well, and he is slugging in the 570s against lefties, and OPSing in the 900s, against lefties.
And the team needs Kike, to hit lefties, because we have players, who can’t hit lefties, like Puig hasn’t all year!
Point is MJ, he is not hitting anyone right now. He hasn’t hit lefty’s, and he damn sure cannot hit righty’s Grandal, Granderson, Kike, Pederson, none of them are doing a thing. So basically none of them should be on the playoff roster. You are paid to hit all kinds of pitching. Keeping any player simply because he is pretty good against one type of pitching is rather dumb in my book. The team as a whole is hitting lefty’s better. Puig is an exception. But he is killing RHP. I care less that Kike has a 1.0 WAR……Especially when that WAR is based on what he does to LH pitching. When was the last HR he hit? When was the last time he got a hit in a clutch spot? Grandal is the same animal with more power. He kills RHP. But his overall production sucks. Why do I bitch about a part time slug like Kike? Because for the last month or more, he is an automatic out. So is Grandal. Don’t believe me? Just watch a replay of Grandal’s pitiful AB against the Phillies closer.
Michael
The point is Kike is a part time player, and he isn’t getting consistent at bats
He is far from being the biggest problem on this team
He only had two at bats tonight!
Puig had four at bats, and struck out and hit into a double play, and left three runners on base.
Kike is needed against lefties, because of players like Puig , who haven’t done a thing against lefties all year.
And Kike does hit Lefties, and when someone is OPSing in the 900s, they are killing lefties, just like Puig, is doing against righties.
And Kike isn’t getting consistent at bats like Puig is, and Puig still can’t hit lefties.
Your always have double standards when they are your favorite player, so your arguments, are not based on the numbers, or the true facts.
It does matter about what he does against lefties, because that is why he is on this team!
And more is always expected from a player, playing everyday, getting consistent at bats!
Granderson and Forsythe are both almost playing everyday and getting consistent at bats.
Granderson is only 10 for 83, and hitting one hundred points under the Mendoza line!
Forsythe and Granderson let pitch after pitch go by, and are always ending up, getting two strikes down, and they are not good hitters.
It is hard enough for good hitters, to hit with two strikes, let alone, these two challenged hitters.
I didn’t even bring up Grandal, but Grandal has done far more for this team then Forsythe has!
Grandal carried this team for two months, at the begining of the season, and he didn’t play tonight!
Ya know something MJ, you sit there and make excuses for his consistent bad play. I do not care if he is getting at bats or not. Puig is producing. Hernandez is not and I have told you a hundred times, I do not have any favorites on this team. If I did it would not be Puig, more someone like Bellinger or Turner. I hammered Pederson, Grandal, Granderson, Forsythe, and Kike because not one of them is doing the job, as for Puig, Roberts has the stats the same as we do. He should know Puig is not doing much in the 4 hole. He has kept tinkering with the lineup and made things worse in my book. Kike is supposed to hit lefty’s. He has not done so in quite a while. He is hitting .200 this month with 5 hits in 25 at bats. He hit .152 in August, and .190 in July and .188 in June. He has not hit over .200 since May. That’s pitiful. He has more at bats against RH and is hitting .161 against them. He is only hitting .257 vs lefty’s. That is not killing them. All his homers except on have come against lefty’s but he has not hit one since August and he only hit one then. For his style of play, he strikes out way too much. He has no business being in the lineup against RHP. Kike is not needed at all. Puig has a better batting average against lefty’s than Kike does against RH. Puig also has a higher OBP vs lefty’s than Kike does vs righty’s. Hernandez is not doing the job. He is pretty much an automatic out. I would NEVER start him against RHP. The guy is just not that good and has not been for almost 2 WHOLE YEARS!!!! I care less what he did before, he is doing nothing now.
Well the 2 homers did not hold up. Kershaw staggers in the 6th and gives a grand slam. Heard that tale before. The offense went to sleep after the 1st inning…..
Joc WAR 0.4 Kike’s WAR 1.0
Why get upset over a part time player!
Kike and Taylor are our only guys, who play short, when Corey has a day off.
But Taylor is playing center.
Kike just came back from his Grandfather’s funeral.
I do not care if he came back from a carnival. And Culberson can play SS too. Difference is Puig is hitting close to .260 with 26 homers and a bunch of RBI’s Kike has not done squat in a LONG time. Pederson is not even playing and at this point has played a lot less then normal for him. Kike has zero value. Granderson and Grandal are right up there with those guys. None of them has been worth a damn in September. There is no excuses for any of them. PERIOD>
Michael
The point is, Puig has done nothing against lefties, and because of that, we need players on this team, who hit lefties.
Puig is hitting below the Mendoza line against lefties, and slugging in the 300s, and OPSing in the 500s, against lefties.
And Charlie is hitting against righties at the major league level, lower then Kike.
Joc was given three seasons, to prove he could hit, while playing everyday, and getting consistent at bats!
And he couldn’t even hit 100 in the second half this year, and when he was sent down AAA, he hit 150 playing everyday and getting consistent at bats, in AAA.
And they even gave Joc a chance to prove he could hit, after only hitting 150 in AAA, but Joc did more of the same!
And Joc has never hit 250 or above, in three seasons, and that is more chances then most players get, on a team like the Dodgers!
Joc has been given chance after chance, and that is the truth!
Joc is not even in the conversation. I doubt he makes the playoff roster. We were talking about Kike and only Kike. You brought the other two into the equation. Not me. Forsythe is a better option than Kike any day and he is pitiful too. Kike may have better power, but Forsythe has a higher OBP. Kike is not and has not been doing the job. He had 8 homers by the end of June. He has 3 since, so where is his so called excellence against LH? In 177 at bats since the start of June, he has exactly 32 hits. He has 7 homers and 16 RBI’s in that time period and his batting average is so far below the Mendoza line you can’t see it with a telescope. He sucks PERIOD and at this point in time so does Granderson, Grandal, and Pederson. What ever confidence the Dodgers once had in Joc is pretty much shot. But at his best he is far and away a better player than Kike.
Joc got the chances because he was drafted by the Dodgers and was a top draft pick. He had the tools and more potential to be an impact player. If you understood anything about the game you know a team is going to give those guys more chances to succeed than some slug they traded for.
My final word on Hernandez. BA last year .190…BA this year so far …208…..excuse me, that is lousy. He has not done a thing the last 2 years. Oh he played well the first couple of months, since then he is well below the Mendoza line. Puig had a bad game, Kike is having ANOTHER bad SEASON. I care less that he has a 1.0 WAR. What my eyes tell me is that the guy could not hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle. His versatility in being able to play multiple positions is the only thing keeping this slug in the majors, and even that is strained to the breaking point. Sooner he is an exe Dodger, the better off the team will be.