The six Dodger all-stars won’t have to go far as the boys in blue open the second half schedule with a three game weekend series against the Marlins in Miami. The Dodgers enter the second half with the best record in baseball (61-29) and a 7.5 game lead over Arizona in the NL West. The first half of the season was one of the most enjoyable in recent memory. Well most of it, the first month kind of sucked, but the rest was awesome.
The woefully bad Marlins are in a different scenario. They’re mired in third place with a 41-46 record and sit 10.5 games behind Washington in the NL East. The Fish had won three in a row before the all-star break and are break even 21-21 at home. The Marlins are in the midst of being sold and many pundits expect for them to have another fire-sale ridding their roster of most if not all of their veteran players. Former Dodger Dee Gordon could be among the traded and even star slugger Giancarlo Stanton may be moved as well. You almost feel sorry for former Dodger manager Don Mattingly. Almost of course.
Dodgers @ Miami
Brandon McCarthy-6-3 vs. Dan Straily-7-4
Game Time 4:10 PM – TV-SNLA
The Dodgers will give the ball to Brandon McCarthy in the opening game. In his last start McCarthy pitched well against the Royals as he recovered from knee inflammation. He pitched well enough to win and I’m almost confident he’ll have a strong second half. Through 14 starts this season McCarthy is 6-3 with a 3.12 ERA. In 78 frames he’s whiffed 68 and walked only 22 while allowing 7.6 hits per nine innings pitched.
In two career starts against the Fish, McCarthy is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA. He’s allowed just one earned run in 15 innings against the Marlins. His last start at Marlin’s Park was a complete game three-hit shutout. The Marlins haven’t done much against McCarthy. They’re 18 for 81 (.222) with four extra-base hits against the lanky right hander.
McCarthy vs. Marlins
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | OPS |
| Ichiro Suzuki | 39 | 37 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | .297 | .333 | .739 |
| Dee Gordon | 12 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .333 | .333 | .750 |
| Marcell Ozuna | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .167 | .286 | .452 |
| Derek Dietrich | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .200 | .333 | .733 |
| A.J. Ellis | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .200 | .200 | .400 |
| Tyler Moore | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Vance Worley | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Christian Yelich | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .333 | .333 |
| Justin Bour | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| JT Riddle | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Tom Koehler | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 86 | 81 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 20 | .222 | .267 | .564 |
The Marlins will counter with Dan Straily. The 28-year old right hander might be included in a trade package sometime in the next couple of weeks. So far he’s had a strong campaign in 2017. He’s 7-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 18 starts. He’s struck out 97 and walked 29 in 103.1 innings pitched. He’s posted a 1.045 WHIP and allowed just 6.9 hits per nine innings. Straily was acquired via trade from the Reds back in January and has been a great surprise for the fish.
Straily has faced the Dodgers in four games, with two being starts. He’s posted a 7.20 ERA and a 1-1 record over 15 innings. However he’s also struck out 22 against just 7 free passes. In 10 career starts at Marlin’s Park, he has a 2.54 ERA and has struck out 8.1 per nine innings. The Dodgers are 8 for 37 (.216) against Straily with three home runs. Joc Pederson, Kike, and Yasiel Puig have all hit home runs against him. The Boys in Blue have an .823 OPS against him.
Straily vs. Dodgers
| Name | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | OPS |
| Joc Pederson | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .167 | .286 | .452 |
| Yasmani Grandal | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | 1.333 |
| Corey Seager | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .200 | .333 | .733 |
| Chase Utley | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 | .167 | .333 |
| Cody Bellinger | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| Chris Taylor | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | .667 | .667 |
| Trayce Thompson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Justin Turner | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .333 | .333 |
| Enrique Hernandez | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | 2.500 |
| Yasiel Puig | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | 2.500 |
| Luis Avilan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 42 | 37 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 13 | .216 | .310 | .823 |
The Dodgers have won nine of their last ten games coming into this series. They have a 22-18 record on the road. They’ve won six consecutive games and have a .678 winning percentage. Alex Wood is scheduled to pitch in the second game and Rich Hill will pitch in the series finale on Sunday.
Our friends over at Numberfire believe that the Fish have the best chance of winning the opening game as the Dodgers only have a 52.23% chance of winning. Those odds decrease for the Marlins from 59.18% in game 2, and then 55.15% in the series finale.
Ever wonder who the Marlin’s man is? Check out this interesting video on the man who seems to be in the front row at every major sporting event wearing his Miami orange. The guy even has a bobblehead of himself. You won’t believe how many games he’s been to over the years.
Well here we go. 72 games left 30 of next 36 games against sub .500 teams. The Dodgers could come out of this stretch uncatchable. Winning 25 of those games is not beyond reason. Especially if the team comes out swinging. No matter what, Az has to be 8 games better to just tie. Makes for a daunting task for the Snakes. So addressing the weakness’s on the team becomes essential. You do not want to totally screw up the chemistry they obviously have, but a few tweaks are in order. 1. Bullpen: Jansen and Baez have been pretty solid. Morrow has filled the gap when Fields was having some issues. Fields has looked better lately. So the problem is Lefty relief is iffy. They seem to be gearing up to address that with rumors flying about who is on their radar. 4 names in the mix so far. All are decent, some would cost more than others. So we will wait and see who they zero in on. Stripling and Stewart are very well positioned as long men and a spot starter if needed. Hatcher is on the DL and pretty much out for quite a while. His injury is not responding to treatment. Avilan has been very pedestrian. He needs to go, Romo has stunk up the joint for the most part and also should be shown the door. Dayton a reliable #2 lefty if his injury allows. There are a few guys in the minors who might get a look. Broussard and Younginer come to mind. 2. The Bench: To me, and this is my opinion, this is where a real upgrade is needed. Utley probably on his last ride through, has been solid after a horrendous start. He is more needed as a veteran presence than anything else. But he still has skills. Barnes has been a great surprise and has the best average of any bench player. Now comes the bad. I love Trace Thompson. He has power, speed and is one of the more athletic players on this team, BUT, he has not figured out MLB pitching yet. His sub Mendoza line BA does not bode well in a playoff series. They need a spark plug kind of player in this spot. And now for Kike. His value lies in his ability to play multiple positions. And I actually like the kid. He has occasional power, and is a decent fielder. He hits lefty’s at a .250 clip and 7 of his 8 homers are of LH pitching. Conversely, he is lousy against RH, hitting below the Mendoza line against them. He must there fore be judged on his over all performance which is in any sense of the word…..mediocre. The 8 starters on the team have performed well, and by starters, I mean the guys who are out there the bulk of the time. LF Taylor, playing way above any expectations with occasional power and he brings speed. CF, Pederson has always been sort of the poster child for not reaching the heights they thought you would attain. But since he has come back from the DL, playing much better and the power is back. RF, Puig. the perennial target of fans ire because of his history. At this point in time, the average is not what most would want, but very respectable for a hitter in the 8 hole. Defense is as great as always. Still occasionally throws to the wrong base, but not nearly as often as in past years. Power seems to be back, and he is driving in runs. 1B: Bellinger, the biggest and best surprise of the year. Power, and finesse at the bag and in the OF. Has been as advertised. 2B Forsythe: After the injury’s and bad stretch it seems like he is finally settling in, which for the Dodgers is great news. SS Corey, kid has not regressed nor been hindered by the sophomore jinx. K rate is a little high and a couple of holes were exposed just before the break, but Corey adjusts quickly. 3B Turner has had a great first part of the season. Sometime over the next week or so he will have enough AB’s to qualify for the batting title. Last Dodger to win a batting title……….Tommy Davis in 1963. We will see over the next 17 days if they improve this bunch any.
Michael
If you are going to mention what a part time player’s batting average is, your not being consistent, if you don’t mention what Forsythe is hitting against righties.
Forsythe is hitting 183 against righties, and he is getting consistent at bats, unlike Kike, and Kike has a better OPS then Forsythe has, too.
And Kike’s OPS is not much lower then Puig’s OPS, and Puig is also getting consistent at bats!
Kike’s OPS is 760, and Puig’s OPS is 777, and Forsythe’s OPS is just over 700.
And although Joc has been hitting better lately, he has still not been able to get his average up to even 250, and this is Joc’s third year, and he has never been able to bring his average up to 250, for a season yet.
And once again, we have to have players on this team like Kike, because both Joc and Puig, are not hitting lefties!
Puig is hitting 171 against lefties, and although Joc is doing a little better, Joc is only a little above the Mendoza line, against lefties too!
And most anyone is going to expect more from an everyday player, who is getting consistent at bats, over a part time player, that only gets at bats, here and there!
And most everyone on this team, has helped to get the team, where they are now!
We do need an arm or two in the bullpen, and especially a leftie, but it would be great if we could get a leftie reliever, that can get both lefties and righties out.
Because although Baez has been better this year, I don’t have a lot faith in Baez, when he has to come into a game, with runners already on base, and I am not sure Baez has a lot of faith in himself, in these situations, in games either!
Britton would really be a game changer, if we were able to get him!
And I think from Puig to Kike to Taylor, that most of the players on the team has made an important contribution to the team, in the first half of the season!
Let’s hope this continues with all of our players.
I don’t like Platoons, but they have seemed to work this year against lefties, and Joc and Puig have not done anything, to change that!
I hope the team can sweep Mattingly’s Marlins, to start the first half strong!
Like I said MJ this is simply my opinion. The difference is this. They traded for Forsythe to play the position every day. Kike has never been thought of as a everyday player and he is not going to supplant either Puig or Pederson as the primary starter at either of those spots. Yes, he hits lefty’s well. Puig and Joc do not. In Joc’s defense he only has 34 at bats against lefty’s. A very small sample. Kike has 104 at bats against RH. Puig is hitting RH pitching at a 280 clip and 15 of his 16 HR’s are against RH. Since the majority of starters are RH, you could easily sit Puig against lefty’s and his stats would be exemplary. His OBP vs RH is .346 and his OPS is .874. Kike’s against lefty’s is also excellent. But Kike’s career average is only .239. Yes, Joc is in his 3rd year. And he has never hit .250. But he hit .241 last year, raising his average 15 points with out a power loss. He hit over .260 the second half. The last 24 games Joc is hitting over .300 raising his average to .241 and has 7 HR’s in that span with his OBP at .437 and OPS over 1.100 during that span. In his last 33 games Kike is hitting below .150. Puig over about the same time is hitting .270. Both Joc and Forsythe spent extended time on the DL so their overall stats are skewed a little. Point is Kike is good against lefty’s , Puig and Joc kill RH. So play Kike against LH and the same with Forsythe. Utley and Barnes can sub against RH since Barnes is doing well against everybody. But no matter how you look at it or cut it, Kike is a sub and in his 4th MLB season. Joc improved the 2nd half last year and has been improving over the last month. His power potential is what separates him from Kike and his defense is also what keeps him in the lineup. Like I said, I like the kid, but he is more expendable than either Joc or Puig and considering the fact that Forsythe was acquired to play 2nd regularly, his stats against RH not withstanding, he is going to get the bulk of the at bats. Same for Joc and Puig. That is just the way it is. Dodgers have players who can replace Kike easily. Puig and Joc not so much, at least not at the big league level.
Joc and Puig are not killing righties, to be killing it, they would have to be slugging 600s, against righties, and they are not.
And Kike must be killing lefties, because he is slugging in the 600s against lefties.
Joc hit well in September and October last year, which only consistented of 88 at bats.
And Joc didn’t play in more then six games in July, because he was on the DL at that time, last year.
And Joc didn’t hit well in August, and he had more at bats in August, then he had, in September and October combined, last year.
So he hit well for little over a month last year, in the second half, if you look at his splits in those months.
And Joc didn’t start playing in June this year, until June 13, and he only played in four of the six games, in July.
The point is that when Joc wasn’t hitting well, and when he had to go out, Kike was helping the team, win games then.
And Joc is basically a platoon player, because he has never hit lefties well, in the majors.
He is just on the good side, of a platoon, because there are more rightie pitchers.
I hope Joc continues hitting, but he may not hit for a while, just like Kike, or anyone else.
Puig is different, because he has been back and forth, against lefties.
And Puig can hit 250 in his sleep, and I do know that Kike hit 300 for a season, but Joc hasn’t hit 250 after two years plus, so how can you knock Kike.
Bottom line, all of the players have made a mark, on this team, and we are hitting lefties better this year, and that isn’t because of Joc, or Puig.
And Roberts has been giving Puig at bats, against lefties, to see if he could start hitting lefties, but he hasn’t yet.
By the way, a .528 slugging pct is pretty damn good.
Michael
Kike is slugging 600 against lefties.
Logan is slugging 225 against righties.
Logan is slugging in high 500s against lefties.
Puig is slugging 250 against lefties.
Joc is slugging 350 against lefties.
So all these players offensive stats, are about the same, when you look at their splits, and the at bats, they have had.
Especially when you realize that Logan is only hitting 183 against righties.
I would bow to Kiki, but for me he just doesn’t pass the eye test. Sometimes he looks like me playing shortstop
Ray
I agree with you about Kike playing short.
I was just comparing the offensive stats, of all of these guys.
I myself, prefer Kike in the outfield.
But if you look at all of these players splits, they are not much different.
I expect more from players, playing everyday and getting consistent at bats, then I do, of part time players, getting at bats, here and there, and that was what was brought up.
MJ, I understand, but really, I do not care. Kike is what he is, and that is a talented bench guy who can play multiple positions. But he is not the player Joc is. Joc has more power, better OF defensive skills and is improving as this season goes on. I quoted what he has done over his last 24 games and he obviously has been better over that period than Kike. We can argue this all day long and nothing you point out changes his stats. Kike’s slugging is skewed because all of it is off of lefty’s. You can expect more all you want. I get that, but the team is happy with what Puig and Joc are doing. Puig is slugging .528 against RH. Kike is slugging .324 vs RH with more AB’s against them than LH. So by that logic, Kike should sit against RH pitching period. He has 12 extra base hits against RH, but 2 less hits in 18 more at bats overall. Kike has more at bats than Joc. Joc has more hits than Kike, so don’t go using that Joc plays more excuse. Roberts plays Puig and Joc over Kike because they give the Dodgers a better chance at winning whether you agree or not.
Michael
Then I guess Joc’s numbers are skewed because he basically plays against righties, and because the numbers you are talking about is a very small sample size, because that is not even a month, of at bats!
Kike might have played more then Joc, but he doesn’t get consistent at bats, like Joc does, and that makes a big difference!
And Puig is slugging 350 against lefties.
And Roberts plays Kike over Joc against lefties,because that gives the team a better chance to win.
The Dodgers don’t prefer him out there….if they did he would be starting
Michael
Kike is on this team to hit lefties, because Joc doesn’t hit lefties well.
And he has played over Puig against lefties, at times too.
I never said that Kike should hit against righties, but sometimes Roberts let’s Kike hit against righties, just like he lets Joc hit against lefties, sometimes.
You say I am bashing Kike, and that is most likely true. But I have said over and over I like the kid. I am bashing the fact that he is not all that good against RH. Just like you bash Puig and Joc for being sub par against lefty’s . So what? I would like it a lot more if we were getting the Kike of 2015. That kid was fun to watch. Watching him now is painful. He flails away most of the time. I wish the Puig of 2013 was what we see everyday, instead we get that some days and others not so much. And where in anything I posted did I say that you said anything? I was quoting the splits. Joc gets far fewer opportunities against LH than Kike does against RH. That is fact not fiction. And kiddo, if Kike does not get consistent AB’s , who’s fault is that? Mine? I am just stating the obvious here. Based on the splits, he should not hit against RH and Joc and Puig should sit against LH. But you are fooling yourself if you think he would be all that playing every day. His value as I have stated a number of times, and you refuse to see is in his versatility not his bat.
Bottom line is this MJ…….Some one who knows a lot more than you or I makes out the line up card every game. The names on that card are the guys DR thinks give the team the best chance to win. If he thinks Kike is an option that game he will play. If not he sits…..
Perfectly stated
Speaking of lineup:
Taylor LF
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Bellinger 1B
Forsythe 2B
Pederson CF
Grandal C
Puig RF
McC P
Basically our “A” lineup.
Michael and MJ need a room.
He can’t wrap his head around the fact her favorite game is beating a dead horse…
So you are calling Michael a dead horse?
trying to start trouble, eh???
I am so proud of Puig!
That one was for you Mattingly!
Puig was even surprised, that he hit that out.
I think that is Puig’s biggest clutch hit, since the first two seasons
He had a look of a little boy, once he made it into the dugout.
He was not surprised in the least MJ.
Never happen. She believes what she believes and I disagree. I could care less that Kike is very good against LH. He sucks against RH and that is my point
Bluto
There is no reason to worry about what Kike is hitting, and that is my point.
Kike is on the team to hit lefties, and he is doing that, to pick up for Puig and Joc against lefties.
Why get upset about a part time player, that is picking up for the players not hitting lefties!
And every player on this team have provided what the team, has needed!
It has been a different player almost every time!
Nobody is worried about Kike’s hitting.
The point is he’s not platooning with Joc, nor with Puig. He’s a reserve OF.
I find with Pederson and Toles, you seem to have odd inverted presumptions that go against what (as Michael correctly points out) those that know more about baseball than we do are effecting.
Toles was a platoon player. Pederson was not.
Obviously when Pederson rests it’s against lefties, but let’s not try to overthink what we clearly see happening.
Bluto
Read Michaels first post!
He is complaining about Kike, and he constantly complains about Kike!
Joc is a platoon player, and that is the truth.
He has not hit lefties, since he has been in the majors.
No you better re think, because that is the truth!
Why get upset about Kike, he is helping this line up for the players, that don’t hit lefties!
And Joc and Puig don’t hit lefties!
Why knock a player, that is doing what his favorite players, are not doing?
Kike is slugging 600 against lefties, who cares if he is only hitting 250 against lefties!
Before this game tonight, Joc was only hitting 250 against righties.
And Joc is no more an everyday player then Toles was, and that is the truth.
And if you read more carefully, maybe you would have read what Michael said about Kike, in his first post!
Bluto
The truth is that you like Joc, and if you read Michaels first post today, you would have seen, that Michael was knocking Kike!
And saying Joc only gets days off against a leftie for a rest, is not true, so you are showing your bias there!
MJ,
How do you define platoon player?
You totally miss the point. I was not complaining. I pointed out his pluses, which you obviously did not read and then I touched on his minuses which you took to be slander. Everything I wrote is the truth. His over all stats are MEDIOCRE unless you think a .214 batting average is all that. And the post itself was not aimed specifically at Kike. Kike does his job when he faces lefty’s, I get it. But as much as I supposedly bash the kid, you do the same to Puig and Joc all the time or you say something like, well the pitcher he hit the homer off of was a AAA pitcher. That’s moronic. You have passion, you love the team and you think Kike is a good player who deserves more playing time and credit for his play vs LH. I get that. My personal opinion is that he is more replaceable than Joc or Puig who bring skills to the game that Kike does not. The Dodgers have a lot of players who have Kike’s skill set. Not many have Puig’s. And Joc is improving over the last month. I will say this, they miss Toles, but as for his being an everyday guy, well we will find that out next year.
Don’t be an idiot Jonah! You take yourself and this blog way to fn seriously. Damn dude, relax and don’t work so hard at sounding whiney and butt ass hurt at every opportunity. I bet you have never been accused of having a sense of humor, eh?
Puig, that’s why you don’t even consider trading a guy with all those tools. Yes, there will be some “morons” that will say his value is currently high so it must be time to trade him. No No No, his value is high, so ride that horse to a championship.
I spoke up because, like most of us here, I can get into all the arguments I want without any help from anyone else. I too am guilty of sometimes encouraging a spat here and I always feel guilty about it. Your criticism is accepted as deserved. Michael and MJ get kudos for their perseverance, but I get discouraged easily from trying to change someone’s mind when they feel that strongly. Guess that makes me a coward too….
MJ is good people. She is a passionate fan and I appreciate that. We will never agree on some things and that is cool. I am more old school and things like BA, RBI’s HR’s and wins mean more to me than OBP, OPS, WAR and all that other cyber metric crap. I do not care about splits, nor do I care if some bench rat is not getting as many AB’s as my starting 8. My test is the eye test. I trust what I see rather than some stat. Kind of like the old scout Eastwood plays in Trouble with the Curve. It is easy to see that Puig still chases that low and outside pitch. It is easy to see that they have been getting Corey out on that down and in breaking ball. Those are the things I notice. McCarthy leaving his pitches up was more to blame for his giving up runs than wildness. We see the game from far different perspectives. What I see as making a criticism of performance she sees as knocking a player. But does she not do the same? Anyway, her opinion of players is what she believes to be true. BUT she only gets upset when I knock Kike. Not Grandal, or Barnes or anyone else. She has a thin skin when I say anything about the banana man.
This is my final post about Kike. I like the kid. But lets cite a few things. #1. The only reason he made the team out of spring training was because he had experience in the OF and Taylor did not. Taylor was outstanding in spring. Kike was not and coming off last years debacle he was lucky to make the team. #2. Kike, like it or not, is not one of the 25 best players on the 40 man roster. If any of the guys on the DL, Ethier, Gonzo, Toles, were healthy, Kike would be on the bubble for sure. They are not sending Taylor, or Bellinger down, they are not cutting Utley or Forsythe. Nor are they likely to send Puig or Joc down. Now if any of those guys were healthy they might consider trading Joc or Puig or Thompson to clear space. Purely speculation because they are not in that position. Kike gets reps. He has more ABs than Joc. You get more AB’s by producing when the manager calls on you. Since the beginning of June, that production has not been there for Kike. Yes, he hits lefty’s pretty well, and Joc and Puig do not. Since a majority of the pitchers in the league are RH, his opportunities will be at the mercy of the manager. But beyond all that, he is, and has always been considered since he joined this team as a Super Utility player. As such, his job is spelling those who play MORE regularly, and doing it competitively. Barnes is the same kind of guy, multipositional, some power, speed, and a competent back up anywhere he plays in the field. The FO values those kinds of players. And if you look at OKCs roster you see more than a few of the same. Against LH, Kike is a better player option than Joc or Puig. Against RH Joc and Puig are a better option than Kike. Just like Utley is a better choice than Forsythe against RH. Every player has weaknesses’ and strengths. And some are blessed with natural tools. I applaud Kike’s work ethic to try and be a better player. That is a great trait. But this year, at this point in time, not 2 months ago, he is not getting it done at a high level. Maybe that changes, maybe it does not, but the fact remains, he needs to produce when called on. Been a while since he has done that.
Wow. I totally thought this was a different discussion.
Michael
Here is my problem when you were complaining about Kike.
You were complaining about Kike hitting 250 against lefties, but that is exactly what Joc was hitting, against righties.
Joc’s strength is hitting righties, and Kike’s strength, is hitting lefties.
Joc has a little better OBA against righties, then Kike does, against lefties.
But Kike is slugging in the 600s against lefties, and Joc is slugging about 545, against righties.
Kike OPS against lefties is 900 plus, and I believe Joc’s OPS against righties right now is 1000 plus, because Joc has been producing more lately against righties, like you said.
Kike doesn’t have good numbers against righties like you said, but that is not why he is on this team!
Kike is mainly on this team to hit lefties, and even if he is only hitting 250 against lefties, he is still slugging in the 600s against lefties, and he has an OPS over 900, against lefties, so Kike is doing his job.
And the reason that Kike is needed on this team, is because Joc has never lefties well, and Puig has not hit lefties well at all, this year.
And Roberts has given Puig a lot of at bats, and starts against lefties, hoping that Puig would come around and hit lefties like he has in the past, but Puig has not hit lefties well at all, this year.
My point is Kike is doing his job, if he is OPSing in the 900s, against lefties.
And the truth is Kike is not the only player on this team, that hasn’t hit both lefties, and righties well.
Totally agree with everything except Kike’s job description. He is on the team because he plays MULTIPLE positions. The fact that he does hit lefty’s is a plus. He is not on the team to simply hit LH.
How about them Russians
Badger
Unfortunately the Russians are doing their job to well!
They need more platoons.
Now this sounds more like the FAZ we know and some of us don’t love…. (I do give him some credit for what he’s trying to do. My biggest complaint is I don’t think he evaluates talent well)
The Dodgers are purchased the contract of lefty reliever Brian Moran from the the Atlantic League’s Bridgeport Bluefish, the Bluefish have announced. Moran will report to Double-A Tulsa. The 28-year-old Moran posted a 2.32 ERA over 19 1/3 innings with Bridgeport, striking out a terrific 33 batters and walking nine. He was also throwing 93 MPH there, Driveline Baseball’s Kyle Boddy recently tweeted. Though Moran has never pitched in the Majors, this won’t be his first stint in affiliated ball — he was a seventh-round pick by the Mariners in the 2009 draft and spent several years in Seattle’s system, then briefly pitched for the Braves’ Triple-A team in Gwinnett last year. Overall, Moran has fared well at the Triple-A level, with a 3.69 ERA, 2.7 BB/9 and a tremendous 11.9 K/9 over 105 innings spanning three seasons.
Jonah
Remember last year when they added Fields and Dayton at the trade deadline?
They went after Dayton, because he had a high spin rates, on his pitches.
Because they say pitchers who have a high spin rate, are usually harder to hit, even if their velocity, is not that high.
This front office look for pitchers that have high spin rates, and pitchers that cause hitters to hit and miss, a lot.
He has been doing exactly that since spring. Go check OKC an Tulsa’s rosters, there are some long in tooth guys mixed in with the kids.
Can’t understand why FAZ doesn’t bring up Verdugo and maybe Calhoun to see if they’re real or not. Unless he’s already made the decision that they’re tradeable. I’d much rather he try to upgrade the 25 man, I wouldn’t cry if any of these were moved to upgrade:
Joc–Kike–SVS–Thompson–Forsythe–Romo–Hatcher–Hill-Maeda–Kazmir-Agon–McCarthy
It’s not that I don’t like all these guy, it’s just that they’re not quite as good as the others and I would be OK with upgrading them. But we know how that goes, remember Reddick?
I’m not attached to any of those guys jonah. But FAZ is. And with the success this team is experiencing they will likely only tweak things. Yeah, I remember Hill/Reddick. I remember Latos/Johnson too. Maybe they’re due to get a deadline deal right.