So as usual I am unable to wake up most mornings without hearing the news of a new Dodger going to the disabled list. Honestly it’s just a huge slog or merry-go-round of players going on and off the disabled list. The constant roster and lineup shuffling, and the hoards of injuries continue to be a daily routine for the Dodgers. I can’t keep up. Incredibly the club keeps on winning. It’s amazing. People say it’s a tribute to their “depth”. I just think the Dodgers have a lot of talent on the roster, especially their core group of players. It’s called talent, not depth.
So today’s latest injury related news had me cursing into my morning coffee. I only heard half of it while still trying to awaken on this Memorial Day. I heard “sc joint inflammation”. I wondered who that could be. To my horror it was left handed starter Alex Wood. Yes the Dodgers have placed the hottest pitcher in baseball on the 10-day disabled list with the aforementioned joint inflammation. That’s in the elbow I believe and it’s nothing to be trifled with.
#Dodgers selected the contract of RHP Brandon Morrow, placed Alex Wood on 10-day DL with left SC joint inflammation (retroactive to 5/27).
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 29, 2017
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Wood has been the Dodgers second best pitcher and one of the best in baseball over the last two months. He’s tossed 25.1 consecutive scoreless innings and has a 6-0 record with a 1.69 ERA in 48 innings pitched. He’s struck out 60 and walked only 15 while posting a 1.00 WHIP. Wood last pitched on May 26 against the Cubs. In that game he tossed five shutout innings allowing just two hits and whiffing eight batters.
The Dodgers have stated they are hoping that he only misses one start, but who knows. You know my opinion about all of this. None of this comes as any surprise to me. When you acquire injury riddled starting pitchers, they are going to get hurt constantly, and don’t be surprised when that happens. Of course there is an easier way of doing things, but the Dodger’s front office chooses to not acquire pitchers with solid histories of health. They prefer the hard way.
That’s fine because the club is still winning, but do not be surprised when the entire starting rotation sans Clayton Kershaw is on the disabled list once again. In the meantime the Dodgers have called up Brandon Morrow from Oklahoma City. We saw Morrow pitch back in spring training and he was awful. That’s because he is awful and has been cooked for years. I beg the Dodger management to not have him start and throw away a game. My hope is that he is just a roster spot filler for a week or two, but I fear he will be starting games.
The Dodgers also transferred Brock Stewart to the 60-day DL to create 40-man roster space. Maybe we can just have a bullpen day when Wood’s spot in the rotation comes up?
Is Bellinger for real?????
No. He’s a video game. That’s as large an all or nothing swing as I’ve seen since Joc Pederson.
We are a talented club, no doubt about it. That’s why we’re predicted to win 95 games.
75 pitches for Hill and I start worrying.
Badger
Hill is the one that gave the Cards their one run, so he isn’t as sharp, as he needs to be yet.
He is the type of pitcher, that has to have good command, to be successful.
Cody adjusts more then Joc did, in his first major league season.
And even now, Joc isn’t adjusting much at all.
5 innings, 1 run. Not a QS but it is all they expect out of him
Jonah
Thanks for your pitching, corpse!
I was just going to complement Puig on his single, but he has to continue to pull his stunts.
What stunt? Calling Taylor off the ball to right? Taylor has all of 5 games experience out there. It was an easier catch for Puig. Taylor would have had to backhand the ball…lighten up, he made the catch with ease.
Michael
It was an easier catch for Taylor, and that doesn’t even matter, since Taylor is the centerfield, out there!
It was a much easier catch for Taylor, and that is why we only saw Puig get in the camera, at the last minute.
You should stop making excuses for that bad behavior.
MJ, Taylor has been an outfielder all of 5 games. Puig has been one his entire career. He was closer to the ball at the end and he called Taylor off well before the catch was made. Taylor is far from being the general out there and he did the right thing. He let the experienced guy make the catch. The only one bitching about it is you. There was nothing said on the broadcast or the post game show. Get over yourself, you are not the behavior police. It was not bad behavior. It was a good catch, nobody was hurt, you did not see Taylor crying that Puig upstaged him. I do not see you giving Puig any credit for the great catch he made down the line yesterday, nor the one he made today. Plus he has 4 hits in the last 2 games.
And sorry. I totally disagree with what you cite as bad behavior. I think you have no clue what went on out there and only see what you want to see, never the big picture. Puig has been a model citizen and player. He has made some mistakes out there but not nearly as many as last year and the years before , and you are griping about a routine fly ball……
I am starting to get a bit concerned with all of Cody’s strikeouts. Reminds me of Joc 2015 now. It’s either a K, BB, or HR.
He hasn’t tried bunting down the 3rd base line since his first week; hope he isn’t falling in love with the hr swing and all the pub that comes with it.
Hopefully he’ll adjust
Bobby
He did walk three times in that one game this weekend, but we will have to just wait to see , I guess.
As Joe said, Cody is only mirroring what he was in the minors, high strikeouts a 270 or so average and power. He will probably never be a consistent 300 hitter. Swing is too long.
Morrow had a horrible first game at OKC, I believe, and then has been pretty solid. Not quite sure why this is the “latest worst move in history” according to Scott and others. Let’s see what he’s got over the next week or so.
Plus, he can’t be worse than Romo
Bobby
Thanks!
I thought I read that he was just hit the day before, but I don’t know much more then that.
Morrow isn’t and hasn’t been a starter in quite some time.
I think he looked quite good today, stuff wise.
Everything looks good, outside of Gonzalez still looking suboptimal. There are signs even there though.
Just a good team playing good ball. Really good pitching.
Bluto
Does Morrow normally throw his fastball at 98, or was that last pitch, just a bunch adrenaline, because he was pitching in the majors again?
No clue whatsoever.
But the breaking pitch at 90mph and down was also solid.
Morrow has always been in the high 90’s He threw a few around 100 in spring. He last pitched at OKC on Thursday and was tagged with the loss even though he did not give up a hit. 2 errors sunk him.
This is such an interesting line or two:
People say it’s a tribute to their “depth”. I just think the Dodgers have a lot of talent on the roster, especially their core group of players. It’s called talent, not depth.
Bluto
With the way they have been winning, what can anyone say.
Well, some might say Gonzalez is suboptimal.
We’re playing well. The good teams do that more often than not.
They have to treat Wood with care. I don’t think he lasts the whole season and I don’t think I will be proven wrong on this. We are playing well and let’s see what Ryu’s got on his term in the de facto 6.5 man rotation.
Bellinger will be exposed, yes, but I think the difference between him and Joc is that Cody’s swing is more natural and he also has tremendous opposite field power. Cody’s been able to hit LFs with power too, more than Joc.
I hope Cody does not enter the home run derby this year. But he’s a rookie and likely his agent won’t let him pass up the chance.
Wood said the move is just being smart. It is nothing major. He did not inform the Dodgers he was hurting when he first came over from the Braves and it lead to bigger problems. He says he will miss 1 start.
I don’t think you can characterize Wood as “injury riddled.” If you want to criticize the FO for their tendency to look for value in pitchers with an injury history, then McCarthy and Hill make for better examples. Are you saying it was a bad idea to sign Wood? I hope not.
I don’t follow depth versus talent argument. All depth means is that the team has a lot of talented players.
The above argument is really not true when you look at it objectively. The “core players” you are referring to: Gonzalez, Kershaw, Puig, Pederson, Turner, Kenley..haven’t been the ones carrying this team or responsible for their current good play. It’s been the guys like Bellinger, who shouldn’t really be playing at the MLB level yet, Taylor, who was the product of a minor and derided transaction, Wood, a product of another derided transaction, McCarthy, a solid bullpen, a solid starting pitching staff seven deep. good backup play by Barnes.
..and of course Grandal’s pitch framing. 🙂
In other words….depth.
BTW…A big word of appreciation to those here who have served.