In the most anticipated series opener of the season at home the Dodgers folded up like a beach chair. Amidst all the excitement and hype the Dodgers rolled right over getting beaten and embarrassed by the Yankees 10-2 in the series opener. The game and series has potential to decide home field advantage in the World Series and the Dodgers simply did not give much effort. It’s really not a good look for them.
Southpaw Hyun-jin Ryu who carried a 1.46 ERA and a 0.86 ERA at home coming into the game was rocked for seven earned runs on nine hits across 4.1 innings. He did strike out seven against one walk but also gave up three home runs. Meanwhile New York starter James Paxton limited the vaunted Dodgers lineup to just two runs on five hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out 11 and walked none while throwing 109 pitches. He was absolutely fantastic. Of course the Dodgers usually don’t score at all in the first five innings every night but I guess you have to tip your cap to Paxton.
The Yankees started the scoring in the third inning when Aaron Judge smashed a home run into the left field pavilions. Gary Sanchez followed suit with a solo home run later in the inning to pad the Yankees lead to 2-0. The big blast came in the top of the fifth, chasing Ryu out of the game. Consecutive singles from DJ LeMahieu, and Judge and an intentional walk to Sanchez set the stage for a grand slam from Didi Gregorius (the first of his two) put the Yankees up 6-1. The dreadful Dodgers bullpen gave up three additional runs in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings. Gleyber Torres homered in the sixth and Judge singled in a run in the top of the eighth. Gregorius hit his second homer of the night in the top of the ninth. The bombers hit five home runs.
The Dodgers did very little with the bats. They tallied just six hits and scored twice. The first run plated in the bottom of the third when A.J. Pollock’s RBI single scored Enrique Hernandez. In the bottom of the seventh Chris Taylor doubled to left and one later Hernandez doubled him home. At that point it was 8-2 Yankees. The Dodgers would lose pathetically 10-2. The Dodgers are still 40 games above .500 with an 85-45 record but should be ashamed the way they got destroyed tonight.
Players weekend is shaping up to be a huge bust. Those uniforms don’t do much justice either. The Dodgers look to lose embarrassingly again on Saturday on National television when veteran C.C. Sabathia takes the mound for the Yankees. The Dodgers will give the ball to rookie Tony Gonsolin. Please man up Dodgers.
Wow. This is exactly what I have been saying all season. The Dodgers have not had to face a powerhouse American League team. The National League is too soft, and too easy for the Dodgers. They got a good taste of what it feels like to get pounded…. a good taste of their own medicine, with no spoonful of sugar. Dodgers got a real ass kickin’…without a DH, even.
Maybe it was the uniforms that jinxed them. Poor choice of design. They looked like a bunch of Good Humor Ice Cream Men or Milkmen, and played like them too. Could not even see their names or numbers. Did not feel like a NYY vs. LAD traditional matchup, without the traditional uniforms. Even the scoreboard had those goofy nicknames, so you really did not know who was who. Probably worked in favor of the Dodgers, as we really did not know who to blame.
Ryu looked ragged. This is the most he has pitched in a season for quite a while, and it showed. No command. He threw a lot of strikes, but most in the danger zone. Bullpen could not calm the storm, and the hole was eventually too deep for the Listless Dodger lineup to dig out from. 15 strikeouts, as NY’s Paxton keep the bats silent with 95 MPH Fast Balls, mixed with 80 MPH Knuckle Curves. He had the Dodger batters off balance all night. At the end of the day, Paxton just outright, out-pitched our Ace Ryu. He made the Dodger hitters look silly.
I know it is only one game, but I have heard that a lot…. this season especially. They can still salvage the series, but this is not a good way to open a series. I hope Gonsolin and Kershaw can meet the challenge. Ryu and the bullpen certainly couldn’t…. even without Jansen.
they lost because of the ugly uniform
It is amazing how much money is wasted on rediculous, senseless promos. I know the Dodgers and MLB donate and support a lot of causes, but they could do a lot better. So many youth baseball programs are in dire need of uniforms. High schools struggle to afford uniforms for their teams… many times the kids are told to plead with their parents to foot the bill, or they cannot be on the team. The money wasted on those goofy looking uniforms, could provide uniforms for several needy youth programs.
Like I said, it seemed the Dodgers were wearing throwback uniforms honoring the legendary Milkmen, Good Humor Ice Cream Truck Drivers, or the Pooper Scoopers following the elephants in a parade. The Yanks looked like a bunch of “Keystone Cops”, but at least they remembered how to play baseball. If that was MLB’s intent, then they definitely succeeded. To add those rediculous “Nicknames” on their backs, AND on the scoreboard was icing on the cake. We had no idea “Who’s on First”, or anywhere for that matter.
To put on those clown suits, over the traditional, legendary battle uniforms, is a travesty. Did not even feel like a Dodger-Yankee rivalry game or an MLB game, and the Dodgers’ lackluster play fit the mold.
Total embarrassment, MLB! Total embarrassment, Dodgers!
I thought the Dodgers looked like a cricket team. However the white batting helmets made me think of cannery workers.
As bad as the unis looked, the team actually looked worse.
Yikes, if that’s all we got for the American League…
??? true, True…. so true.
Listening on the radio, someone said they looked like Storm Troopers.???? Actually, they were beaten by the “FORCE” of the American League!
Not buying that, “Only one game” cop out. EVERY GAME is crucial! Especially the first one, which sets the tone of the series.
“BOINK!” #3
KERSH?
Dodger Bats: 0-6 RISP?♂️
Bad game, forget it and move on. You can bet the team has.
That ought to shut up the Jansen haters for at least a day.
You can’t be serious. Did you actually see the game? Wow, now I’m actually scared for you Michael. Please point out what so impressed you with GasKanley’s performance. Dude, didn’t throw one pitch that actually was in the strike zone, if I’m opposing manager I forbid anyone to swing at a pitch until there are two strikes, GasKanley would walk em all if they just let him. Trust me, other teams are taking notes for facing GasKanley in the post season, just wait for it.
I care less how he looked or where his pitches were. Not one single ball was hit hard against him and he gutted it out to strike out the last two hitters. The end result is what matters. Not pretty for sure, but they got the win, so what are you bitching about? Don’t worry about me there bud, I am fine.
If that’s what you want to roll with, knock yourself out. Yes, GasKanley got away with it yesterday, trust me, the playoffs will be a whole different story. Just wait for it.
You do scare me with your simple logic.
TrueBlue, while I saw what you saw in Saturday’s game, a lot of this Kenley drama could perhaps have been avoided somewhat had the Dodger offense did their job and it ended up barely just enough to win 2 to1 As I said in the past 4 games this team scored a total of only 9 runs and striking out 27 times in these past 2 games was unacceptable.
Boink! ?
“kersh”
True and Paul,
You know me…. no rose colored glasses here. My glasses are Dodger Blew.
Bottom line….Kenley stunk. Should have never been in that bases loaded, one out situation.
Janson was in survival mode. Either he gets the next two batters out, or he would be skewered like a pig on a spit, by the angry fans. What it does show that the potential is there. Every save situation should be survival mode, not just for him, but mainly for the team, and the pitcher of record.
Kenley has to believe in himself, and go with his strengths. Heck, he hit 95-96 in survival mode! Cut down on that hanging slider. Go into that save situation with the closer mindset, “1-2-3… No walks, No hits, No runs.”
Offense could help by getting a couple of insurance runs before the ninth. Offense has to cut down on KO’s and RISP. Way too many wasted scoring opportunities. I wish DR had a more stabilized lineup… right now, we do not know what his lineup will be until 2 hrs before game time. How can the players prepare, if they do not know if they are playing? DR has to go with his best hand, every game, and get them in sync for the October run.
True and BlueFan, yes my glasses are the same color. Off topic, yesterday I picked up a vinyl LP of a Jefferson Airplane live show that was their last as part of a “Summer of ’69” limited edition release, and it is on a real cool sky blue vinyl! Dodger sky is blue when things go the way they should but as far as what you mentioned about these revolving daily lineups, it’s somewhat troublesome because it will show its results come the PS when we play a team with more lineup stability. It all still goes back with Friday’s game being the classic example of Roberts and Co. feeling they have to change it up quite a bit because of a LHP going against them, and yet the same results over and over. As far as making it difficult for players to prepare and be in a rhythm you are exactly right on about that. IDK, but I honestly feel a team should have a lineup for the most part with guys who can be competitive against both hands of the pitcher. But it looks like the curse of the LHP still has been and will rear its ugly head
I hoped others see what I have been notice with GasKanley in particular. I’m sure if Michael is high when he watches the game or maybe should be. It is obviously a blind spot for him, for some reason his “20 million reasons” bullshit has him totally focused on money being the total indicator of worth and value as opposed to just watching and observing the results that are right in front of eyes. I don’t think he is going to change or understand it. Maybe pride, maybe stubbornness or “damn it, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it” attitude that is driving his devotion to GasKanley (or GasKanley is his lovechild, lol. )
At any rate, it really is time for Kelly to be the closer at this point.
Wow, did not take “Kersh” long, did it?
Another double digit (12) strikeout performance by the Dodger offense. But they were able to hang on for a one run victory.
Gonsolin did a fine job, but was also bailed out by some spectacular defensive gems.
Is Kelly shifting into playoff mode? That would be nice! He has had some pretty strong outings, recently. Baez was impressive too.
Jansen had us on the edge of our seats, I was ready to throw in the towel again, when he loaded the bases. Kenley bailed himself out of the jam, kicking himself into survival mode. It was do or die…. pitch out of the jam, or get booed out of the park. Adrenaline kicked in and Kenley blew away the next two batters. Gonsolin got a much deserved win.
Now, Jansen has to enter the game with an adrenaline rush, for every save opportunity… take no prisoners. That is a real “closer” is paid to do.
I can only hope the Player’s Association gets with MLB during this coming off season and DEMAND that these ludicrous at best uniforms are never forced upon them again! Honestly, MLB invaded player’s privacy as far as I am concerned. As far as Saturday’s game is concerned the Dodgers could have avoided this 9th inning drama had they bothered to do their job offensively.. In these past 4 games they have scored a total of 9 runs in in these 2 games with the Yankees they struck out 27 times! THAT WON’T get it done come the PS and WS.
Yes Paul, let’s hope the cricket uniforms are a thing to just be forgotten and never seen again.
The Dodgers due indeed go into offensive hybernation against the better teams, and some of the crappy teams as well. Yankees have exposed them, Bellinger is really struggling as of late, many Ks and just swinging at some total garbage high fast balls.
You know something True? I don’t care what you think of my opinions. Could care less and I do not get high. I know that the pitching in the post season has to be better. We all know that. I look at the end result. Was Jansen great yesterday, no, did he get the job done and secure the win. yes. It wasn’t pretty and Jansen is obviously not the same pitcher he was a couple of years ago. As for the 20 million reasons, you really believe they are going to not use him? That’s not my logic there bud, that’s fact. They have no one on the roster they trust enough right now to do his job, so they are going to keep running him out there despite what you or anyone else thinks. My logic is not the problem, the problem is that you think you are better suited to decide what is right and needs to be done than the people who actually control what does happen. Get over yourself. You are like the rest of us on here, nothing more than a fan. Not the all knowing poo bah you think you are.
Ah this a place for people to post their opinion, maybe you have forgotten that Oh Lord. Let me splain something to you Lucy, people post their opinions, then others post their opinions, people chew on those thoughts and have a discussion sans the undies in a bunch. I love Lucy! Hope that cleared the concept up for you Lucy. How fn serious do you take yourself? Whatever that answer is , throttle the opinion of yourself back about 80%.
And yes you do care what I think of your opinions, or you wouldn’t let it bother you so much. You really should consider getting high, you seem like a person that could actually benefit from it.
since I dubbed you a “know it all”, it has bugged the shit out of you, so your attempt to bend that back to me, is actually quite funny (not to mention unoriginal). Keep on dreaming, Oh Lord, you are becoming my hero. Gosh this is fun, do you hire out to do parties?
Keep that level of discourse high!
Nah, I just think I will let you ferment in your unstable mind.
LOL, very strong Lucy, very strong
Flashback to the red Sox series.
If the team OPS’s .600 then it doesn’t matter about bullpen or if Roberts pulls Hill too early.
Very true. If the team doesn’t hit they won’t win
Well, the Yanks came to play. The Dodgers did not. Would have been a Bronx Sweep, had the Dodgers not escaped game 2 by the skin of their teeth.
The two starting pitchers that the Dodgers will be depending on heavily in October, Ryu and Kershaw, serve up 3 early dingers each. Yanks rock the Dodger’s House with a total of 9 HR’s in the series. The Dodger bullpen, mediocre at most.
Dodger Offense only manages a total of 5 runs…. the Yanks collect 16. Yankee bats pounded out 29 hits, the Dodgers eked out only 19 untimely knocks. Dodger bats struck out a total of 39 times! Add to that, an embarrassing 2-16 RISP. It does not matter how many times the Yanks struck out, or how many RISP, because the Bronx Bombers were able to answer with enough runs to make that irrelevant.
When you witness play like this, it is hard to believe that the Dodgers currently have one of the best records in baseball.
Really no excuses for this dismal performance, cannot even blame those rediculous uniforms. Well, maybe you can blame me for going to game 1. Naw, you can blame Smart and Final for giving me some free passes. The best thing Friday night were the Dodger Dogs! Not looking forward to October. All I can see is another disappointing outcome.
Sorry Dodger fans, just my honest opinion. I want them to win as much as you do, but I just don’t see it happening.
SPOT ON ! Everything ya say here is right on the money! The Yankees dominated the Dodgers in EVERY category! Imagine, though, Dodger pitching served up 9 HR’s in these 3 games, which is 4 MORE than the total number of runs scored by Dodgers. And did ya see that 9th inning effort last night by Dodger hitters? Unacceptable, acting totally dis interested. Dodgers to play the winner of the WC game and honestly, it would be best for Dodgers to get beat in the 1st round of playoffs instead of embarrassing us all with a 3rd straight WS loss.
Welcome to postseason baseball Dodgers. Dodgers should have been swept this series, we all know it. As you know, I and a few others have been voicing concerns that the Dodgers are not built for the postseason, with the main culprit being the bullpen. The Yankees just shined a spotlight on the Dodgers and their deficiencies both on the mound and at the plate.
Please let me reiterate… As much as I am a Dodger Fan through and through (You may not believe it, but it is true), I refuse to make excuses and sugar coat everything. I am tired of going into the post season with all these visions of grandeur. Why fill myself with false hope, only to be devastated after the dust clears, and I see the Dodgers licking their wounds on the battlefield after the bloody defeat. I would only be lying to myself.
True Blue pointed out that the Dodgers have indeed been exposed many times this season, and just recently by the Yanks. Look…. I do not care what those damn numbers say, or how many victories the have. They have way too many holes.
Their starting pitchers are not as good as they think. They are gassed, get off to poor starts, give up early leads, and they run out of bullets by the fifth inning. They have a tendency to give up the dinger all too often.
The relievers have been a disaster from the get go. Sure they have their moments, but overall they stink. They cannot put out the fires, they too, give up the dingers, adding to the deficit for the lackluster offense. Even their (so called) “Closer” serves up several “boinks”. To add to their miseries, they are also tanked, due to overuse, because of the inability of starters to get past the 5th-6th inning. They do not have reliable middle relief, or setup man, and most of all, they no longer have a bonafide, lights out “Closer”. The bullpen is unreliable, and is their biggest “Hole”.
The offense may have a ton of homers, some exciting come-from-behind victories. and a few blowout victories, but untimely hitting has produced too many KO’s, RISP/LOB.
Defense has been shady, at the most inopportune moments.
Both Offensive and Defensive shortcomings are caused by the constant shuffling of the lineup, and defensive assignments. Nice to have versatility, but more important to have consistency. Like the old saying, “They may be the Jack of all Trades, but they are a Master at None!”. Just as an infielder needs to master their position, the batter has to master his role in the batting order. “Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Moe” does not work, in my book.
I refuse to set myself up for another bout with PTSD at season’s end. I will not let the Dodgers spoil my Christmas again…. I can walk away and say, “I knew this would happen”, and be done with it. On the other hand, if they do, someway manage to take the crown, I can be surprised, and happy!
It is just too late to make any notable, positive impact changes to this roster, to make the World Series Crown a reality, this season.
Spot on, Bluefan4ever, stated very well. We both love the Dodgers, we both see numerous holes in the roster, we both are not living with our heads stuffed in the sand. The only possible turnaound in the bullpen could be making MAJOR role changes. STicking with the same old same old is going to get us the same old same old for the third year in a row. I Actually don’t see the Dodgers advancing in a 7 game series in the NL, they possible survive a 5 game series, if their offense goes crazy hot. However, a 7 game series is only going to completely expose their problems. GasKanley was completely fortunate to hang onto the save he got in this Yankee series. Just imagine what would have been the result if the silly Yankee batter hadn’t insisted on bunting two balls foul and handing GasKanley the first out in the inning. I don’t see too many teams (okay no teams actually)giving away a freebie out in a 9th inning again. GasKanley was all over the place, in another at bat he was given two very high strikes by the ump (remember the pitches they were about 5 inches high), so in reality that was a second out that was handed to him. Without the help from the bunting player and the blind ump, GasKanley is pulled and the Yankees go on to win that game, probably by 2 or 3 runs in fact.
I think we all now realize how bad the NL is compared to the AL, as you recall months ago I mentioned that the quality of play in MLB is very very weak, it is masked by the amount of HRs being hit against very weak pitching MLB-wide.
“Baba-loo, Baba-loo” – Rickey Ricardo
It is funny… MLB got what they wanted, they juiced the balls because they believe that is what the fans want to see. It is no wonder why teams have relied on the shift so heavily. The Dodgers being one of the teams that use it excessively, because they know the opposition is swinging away like batting practice, with these Dodger pitchers. How can you blame them… The batters bought into it, and are swinging for the fences. Forget manufacturing runs, forget beating the shift, forget team offense. Batters find it more important to pad their HR stats, then to put guys on base or move runners along. It is obvious with the outrageous number of strikeouts, pop outs, LOB, GIDP, and RISP.
Leadoff homers or HR’s with nobody on are nice, but you just take them when you get them. Main objective should be to get on base, and create havoc. Put the pressure on the opposing pitcher.
That is why Kershaw laughs and says, yeah I made a few mistakes, and they knocked them out of the park. A pitcher should never laugh about giving up dingers, especially on 0-2 counts.
Especially that lolly pop curve right up in the middle of the plate he threw to Judge.
Every fan should NOT be expecting a World Series title.
That would be totally ridiculous.
I can’t imagine any fan on this board EXPECTS the Dodgers to win it all.
Who and what are you talking about?
Wait a minute Bluto. Shouldn’t we at least expect one ring during friedmans tenure?
Scott, Scott, Scott,
You are missing the whole point, fans should be happy if their team just finishes above .500, and ecstatic to make the playoffs, after that fans should expect nothing more. You see sports isn’t about winning, it’s the playing of the game that is what really counts, stop this nonsense about winning championships, you need to just set your standards much lower and savor the occasional victory. You should be pumped that the Dodgers did salvage one win against the Yankees, anything more is just silly.
Geez, wake up Scott!
“Peace and Love” – Ringo Star
Expect?
Of course not.
Hope for? Yes.
Appreciate the opportunity? Definitely.
Enjoy the increased likelihood? Without a doubt.
But winning the World Series is hard, depends on luck, health and skill and there are 29 other teams!
I dont think luck has much to do with it Bluto, perhaps a little bit. Talent, health, skill, management yes. But if the Dodgers win 10 consecutive division titles and I cant speak for anyone else. But I expect one championship during those ten years. and that’s not unreasonable. Expecting greatness from your club gives them more accountability to do the same. If the fans dont expect greatness then why should the team?
Scott and Bluto,
I agree, we really should expect a ring, but unfortunately all we can do is Hope. As it is now, a WS championship is nothing more than a pipe dream. Who knows, that dream might come true, but I would not bet on it, especially with this Front Office. As long as the fans keep filling the stadium, and forking over the green, they do not need a ring…. why waste the money?
But, Bluto, there are a lot of deserving Fans, just like Scott, that naturally would expect the WS Championship, and you can’t knock them for that. I am happy just hoping for one. To expect one would be too much for my heart to handle.
Of course we can knock them for that.
No team’s fans should expect a World Series victory.
ANY fan that expects a World Series title has serious entitlement issues.
That said, IMO, every team’s fans should:
Expect their team to compete or have a clear pathway to competing.
Have a short/medium and long term vision
Try to make money/increase the value of their franchise.
Hire smart people with a plan.
Beyond that it is mostly luck.
Process is more important than Outcome
Bluto,
I somewhat disagree, only because Dodger Fans pay a lot of money to see their “Millionaire” ballplayers “WIn”!!
It would be like paying top dollar to see a Rolling Stones Concert. For what those tickets cost, I would expect a memorable, spot on performance. I do not think anyone went to that concert expecting to see a bunch of 70 year old men trying to simulate being the Rock Stars of the past, and saying, “Awe, that’s alright. They are old and did their best”.
It is bad enough Dodger Fans have to pay $20 for parking, $100 for a ticket, $7.50 for a plain hot dog, $17 for a beer. Then these fans have to watch these players perform like amateurs?
Your four points which fans should expect? Well IMO, the Dodgers have failed at all four.
HI Bluefan,
That response is a little self-defeating.
The Dodgers are nearing 4mm paid attendees to their games. I’d say that is irrefutable proof they are succeeding.
Each of those attendees is paying for parking and tickets. There’s no deficit of demand. The fans are not only satisfied they are enthusiastic.
It’s the market proving a point. Nobody is forcing fans to attend games, but they are. In droves.
If that’s too quantitative, then the qualitative would show via Farm System rankings, record this year and recent past that the team is also succeeding.
Bluto,
Self defeating?… NO.
Reality?…. YES.
You say exactly what I have been saying. The Dodgers ARE succeeding at the gate. I do not dispute that. They are playing the market, and YES…. they are ”Winning”. The fans continue to come to the games in droves, and are spending money. So, why waste their time chasing a darn trophy? They are making millions, so why do they have to put out a viable product? The players are making millions, whether they bring home the trophy, or not. Why should they care? They certainly play like they don’t care on several occasions. How can you not get pumped up for an interdivisional rivalry?…To a team that has the potential to send you fishing without a pole in October.
Now, if the fans did not come, then you can bet their ass, that they will be scrambling to put together a winning team that can bring home the championship. They would get the message that the fans expect a WS Trophy, or they will not come to the ballpark, period…. end of story.
Bluefan:
We are not saying the same thing.
My point is that fans are coming out because the team is succeeding on the field and off.
Your point is that the team is succeeding because the fans are coming out
Scott,
You are changing the argument to one of probability. On aggregate if a team gets to the World Series ten times, then yes they should be expected to win one. I’d expand on that to say that if a team gets to the World Series ten straight years and doesn’t win, that team would still be defined as great. Really, really great.
My point was more specific. Every year no team, no matter how good, should be expected to win the World Series.
Whatever….
You can shuffle the words around any way you want, but at the end of the day, it all says the same thing. Yes, we agree the Dodgers are succeeding, revenue wise. Why they are doing well at the gate, we can put our own little twist on it. You have your opinion, I have mine. Bottom line, “What have you done for us lately?” Six straight NL Western Division Titles, two straight losses in the World Series. Last World Series Title in 1988? Apparently there are a lot of fans who are satisfied with that. There are some who are not, I being one of them. To each its’ own.
Just like saber-metrics. You can twist the stats around any way you please, as long as it validates your decision making. The problem with stats, it does not take into account, “What have you done for us lately?”
Hey BlueFan4Life, this paragraph of yours is a great summary of it all here..
“Both Offensive and Defensive shortcomings are caused by the constant shuffling of the lineup, and defensive assignments. Nice to have versatility, but more important to have consistency. Like the old saying, “They may be the Jack of all Trades, but they are a Master at None!”. Just as an infielder needs to master their position, the batter has to master his role in the batting order. “Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Moe” does not work, in my book.” And it does a great job of explaining why Dodgers won’t be the last team standing in October. But what really is shocking, as much as Dodger pitching has served up the long ball at the most in opportune times this staff has allowed 155 HR’s so far and only the Cardinals in the NL have allowed but 1 HR less at 154. I find it just amazing to see this particular stat to be honest.
Pitching for SD series: May-Lauer , Buehler-Quantrill , Maeda-TBA. Looks like LA is going with a 6 man rotation the rest of the way.
What just happened?
The second to last place in the NL West Padres, spank the division leading Dodgers.
I thought the Little League World Series was over. I thought I was watching one of the consolation games between two winless, eliminated teams.
How did the Mighty Dodgers do it?
13 KO’s. 1-10 RISP. 9 LOB. A costly Little League type error by Pollock that allowed 2 unearned runs to score. Dustin May robbed of a victory by his own teammates. Dodgers get two HR’s, but with nobody on base. Sound familiar?
Hummm…. This is a team that has the best record in the Majors? This is a team that Fans think will win the World Series? Has reality set in, Dodger Fans?
Pretty pathetic, if you ask me. Come on, Dodgers! Sheezzzz….
BlueFAn,
you expect too much. Don’t expect the team to not make little league plays. You should never expect a simple toss over the cut off mans head to squirt into the dugout, thru the legs of an All Star 3B. Just be glad you got to see the little league play that cost the Dodgers the win, please adjust your expectations for God’s sake, after all this is only the majors. Remember when you were just glad that Grandmal made it thru a game without letting a passed ball go to the fence? REmember when you thought a reliever could make it thru an inning without allowing runs? Please don’t put that much pressure on the players, they are only making 20 to 30 million dollars a season and they can’t deal with the pressure of playing this complicated game.
Geez, some people with their high and unrealistic expectations. I expect more of you BlueFan, clean up your act!
??
How foolish of me True Blue. These Prima Donnas deserve a little respect. After all they are Millionaires, for Christ’s Sake…. make far more money than me, that’s for sure.
But, to tell you the truth, I sometimes look at this Dodger Show just like one of those dumb reality shows, like Real Housewives, The Kardashians, Jersey Shore, etc. People getting paid, and getting rich and famous for doing nothing…. those “Reality Junkies” keep watching those shows. And making them richer and richer.
Reality Show Junkies should get a life, just as some of these overly optimistic Dodger Fans should.
Pollock got the error, but Turner totally missed a throw he should have caught, and May missed making a basic baseball play and did not back up third on the throw. Big bats are all slumping. Muncy and Bellinger have both been under .240 for a month. May at this point is a 5 inning pitcher. Get him out after that.
You are right, Michael. Total defensive lapse on all parties, but should have never happened, if Pollock made a decent toss to third. He caught everyone off guard on a very simple play that a 10 year old could pull off. I think these pros take things for granted, and assume that a routine toss would not go haywire, as it did.
Another 5 inning pitcher? Seems that is the norm with the Dodger pitching staff. Could it be their training/conditioning regimen? Maybe they need to work harder to avoid the 6th inning meltdowns. Maybe the coaches and trainers need to rethink their workout processes. Dodger starters do not have the stamina to throw over 80 pitches, or make it through 7 innings. Definitely does not work, when you do not have a bullpen to carry them to the finish line.
Muncy and especially Belli have looked bad at the plate. Even JT has struggled, at times. Pederson has been a basket case…. I wrote him off long ago. Could their power hitters run out of gas already? Maeda, Ryu, Muncy, Belli, Kershaw, and Pederson, all sucking air down the stretch. Kenley has been out of gas all year. Key players who must be relied upon in October. Things are looking grim, to say the least.
PItchers are running into trouble the third time thru the line-up, thus 5 innings is maxing out.
Belli has reverted to post season form, striking out constantly over the last month. He can’t even make a good out, just swing and walk back to the dugout carrying the bat. So we are seeing failure on most of the batting order, are they all cold or has the book been made on them by the rest of the league? My money is on the latter, now the question is can the Dodgers adjust to the book and start hitting again?
However, none of us should expect anything, just be glad they played well for the first 4 months of the season, that should be enough for all of us, be reasonable and drastically lower your expectations.
As of opening day, we all have 209 million reasons why we should be content with these results, did I get that right Lucy?
Yeuh has mentioned many times that he thought one of the reasons for the inconsistency of the players is the rotating lineups and such. The days of running the same 8 out there everyday are long gone. That is not the way the organization does things anymore. They value versatility more than anything, thus Kike, Taylor, Freese, Gyorko, Belli, Turner, Muncy, Negron, Beaty, Rios, Martin all those guys play multiple positions. That is what they value now. Pederson, Verdugo, Garlick, Seager, Pollock and some others do not. Smith has played some first base and we all know about Barnes versatility. So I wanted to see how many games each has played. Seager, Kike, Taylor, Pollock, big cogs in the machine missed more than a couple of weeks with injury as has Verdugo. Most games played, Bellinger 128 of the 133. Muncy 127, Turner 122, Pederson 121, Seager and Verdugo, 106, Kike 105. Those are the only guys with 100 or more games played. Taylor has been in 96. Pollock only 61. Beaty and Martin have been in 71 and 69 respectively. The only other player with as many as those two is Barnes at 71. I feel like Belli and Muncy might be feeling the effects off a long season. Add in the close to 20 spring games they all played. They are getting rest regularly. But only each player could tell you how the season is affecting them physically. The way the old game was played is long gone. We will in all probability never see the 8 regulars running out there every game again.
No successful organization runs the same lineup out there every day.
Not one.
It’s as out-dated as RBIs and sacrifices.
Really sad. The game is a bit boring without it. Hard to say whether these changes were for the good, or bad. It certainly has diminished the entertainment value, IMO. Sounds like a good survey to undertake. What do the baseball fans really want? Old School baseball (play your best eight offensively and defensively, productive situational hitting and base-running), the way it was intended to be played, or Saber-metrics (shifts, matchups, launch angles, numbers, etc.)
I’d probably lose.???
Blue, The one thing I would question about what you said is who decided old school baseball was ‘the way it’s intended to be played’?
Jimbo,
I am definitely not an expert on Baseball. Maybe Michael N. Could chime in with his expertise.
I believe Baseball began in the United States around the early 1800’s. Abner Doubleday was the so-called inventor of baseball. I am sure that Mr. Doubleday did not envision the use of defensive shifts, saber-metrics, the abandonment of hit-and- run, run-and-hit, art of stealing bases, and use of steroids. When he developed the rules of the game, I do not think he intended for a 3rd baseman, playing short right field, or entire left/right side of the diamond left unattended. I think he created infield assignments 1B, SS, 2B, ect.) for a reason, just like a game of chess starts with all chess pieces placed in assigned places on the board. I do not think that he envisioned ballplayers juicing up to introduce the interests in the longball to the game. The art of manufacturing runs was lost ,and ballplayers and fans got caught up in the “Feast (HR’s) or Famine (KO’s, Pop-ups, etc) philosophy. Baseball existed way over 100 years, until the steroid era, which opened the door to Saber-metrics, and the boring game of baseball, that it is today. Some say that the steroid era saved the game… I think it destroyed it. That is just my own personal opinion, nothing more.
How do you feel the game should be played? What is your take on baseball, as it is/was intended to be played, and what it is now? Just curious.
Bluto, that may be somewhat true but they don’t usually have to dramatically shuffle their lineups on a daily basis, especially when a LHP goes against them. and they don’t sit the hot bats just because of the hand a pitcher throws with. But today’s game is different from yesterday’s for sure in the manner in which it’s played.
I’m not sure you’d lose.
The game is much harder to watch, IMO.
I think we’d both be sad about how many people would vote for:
C. Don’t care
Dodgers had vengeance on their minds tonight. They must have got my memo! Somebody is listening!
What a superb performance by Buehler… 8 innings, 11 K’s, 0 runs, and just 4 hit allowedThat, coupled by an offense firing on all cylinders. Exactly what I would expect the team with the best record in MLB to do to a cellar dweller. This Dodger team is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or “A Box of Chocolates… You never know what your gonna get!”
Have the Dodgers found their new “Closer”? Martin, 0.00 ERA!
6 innings not 8. Sadler pitched the 7th, Ferguson the 8th and Martin the 9th.
Whoops, typo. Thanks Michael.
good to see that Mr. 20 Million Reasons was left out of the game, I always like it when he sits.
Hey Martin at least is getting outs and not giving up runs, rather foreign to out bullpen.
I figured that might be what it was Blue. He did pitch a hell of a game. And for once the hitters were not trying to hit everything out of the park. Cody’s double down the left field line was a great thing to see.
The game has changed a lot. But so have football and Basketball. Hockey, all have evolved from what they were originally. Football featured the running game and little to no passing in it’s infancy. Basketball was more a defensive game when it was young. Is today’s game better? Depends on the fan. I remember the old advertisement MLB had for a while that claimed, “Chicks dig the long ball” . And in fact, home runs are exciting. Just watch the reaction in the stands to a long out. Growing up when I did, the game was played a lot differently. Blue named a lot of the functions of the game and fundamentals that have become almost extinct. Rarely do hitters bunt and pitchers do it simply to move runners over. My thinking is that if hitters bunted more, the shifts would be less drastic. Even learning how to go the other way, take that outside pitch and punch it down the line. Cody did a great job of that for his double. But they do it rarely and thus you see so many pop outs, strike outs and weak dribbles right into the shift. I liked the game better back when there was more strategy, starting pitchers went longer, and hitters knew a thing called bat control. Maury Wills, who was never a great hitter and made himself, like Ozzie Smith did, into a decent hitter, was one of the most exciting players ever to wear the blue. That kind of player is rare in today’s game.
Thanks Mike. I guess there are a lot of fans who are too young to understand old school baseball. Hitting to the opposite field is a lost art. I just do not understand why hitters persist on pulling right into the shift, looking for the long ball HR, instead of bunting or hitting to the open field. Bat control has given way to launch angle. The science of stealing bases, and running the bases is also a lost art. Coaches do not teach productive hitting and base running anymore. Way too much emphasis on HR’s. Everyone in the batting order is swinging for the fences, yet not too many teams can field a lineup of 8 legitimate HR hitters. You have to have hitters who can set the table for the RBI guys, and understand that that is their role in the line-up.
HR’s are nice, don’t get me wrong, but to not take full advantage of defensive alignment of the shift, the shift unfortunately will remain a huge part of today’s game.
When I first started learning the game, we had fundamentals drilled into us every day. Go with the pitch, don’t always try to pull the ball because you will open up and all of a sudden you are hitting the ball weakly instead of squaring it up. When I was hitting, and even at a young age I did this, I always concentrated on hitting the ball hard. When we did not have enough for a game, we would play games like over the line, or hit the bat. I used to throw tennis balls off of the garage because it was a great way to increase your reaction times. You never knew which way they were going to bounce either. I always stepped into the pitch. I watch Joc and some of these other players trying so hard to pull the ball and opening up way to soon. Anything right down Broadway, I would never let get by me. I played in a softball tournament once, it was when I was in the Army. Fast pitch tournament. I went 9-9 in the 3 games and all of my hits went to left field because they were pitching me on the outside corner. I just stuck my bat out and flicked them over the 3rd baseman’s head. I was surprised they kept pitching me out there every game. During batting practice I would do that after we got through with the bunting drills. Just try to go the other way. Not that hard if you practice.
Exactly, Michael… all they got to do is practice. Look at batting practice today, all they do is play HR Derby. I saw the Dodgers the do that in Camelback too. Joking around trying to see who could hit the furthest.
With 96-97 MPH pitches, all they have to do is stick the bat out there and pop it to the opposite field over the infield…. they don’t even have to swing from their heels!
Oh well. Makes too much sense, I guess. Old school fundamentals are the thing of the past.
The reason is that defenses and pitching are too good.
Every pitcher would rather a hitter with home run power try to go the other way than hit a home run.
You need three singles to replicate one home run. Defenses are precisely aligned and pitchers pitch with those alignments in mind.
As for stealing, there is no way to make the case it’s worth the risk unless you can be very sure you will make it. Like they steal of third against Buehler by Machado
Dodgers have not announced pitchers for the series in Arizona. But the D-Backs are going with Kelly, Gallen, Ray and Young. SD is going with a BP game tonight and Wingenter is getting the start against Maeda. Hill, Stripling and Urias all are throwing in games this week. Urias in AZ, Strip at Rancho and Hill is slated to do a 2 inning up and down session. Roberts said that the pressure of the MVP race has gotten to Bellinger and he is not doing the same things at the plate he did early in the season. Roberts has talked to Cody about going back to the philosophy he had at the beginning of the year about just trying to be a great hitter, and let the rest fall in place. He feels Belli has put too much emphasis on the long ball. The decision to either call up Lux or not has not been made yet. Barnes and Rios, Garlick and a couple pitchers most likely will be recalled on the 1st and some of the IL guys will be back. Verdugo has still not done any baseball related activities, so I would not expect him on the 1st.
Guys, Check out my interview with Brett Tomko
https://ladodgerreport.com/interview-brett-tomko/
IT’s long Scott, but you got some good content out of Tomko.
His point about Jansen’s, had he been available at the deadline, value was interesting.
The stuff about working when you don’t have your best stuff was a little generic, but gave good insight into his competitive character.
Well, coupled with Maeda’s slow start, the Dodgers manage eek out three runs and hang on until the 8th. Their woes at the plate continue, as they regress back to a miserable 3-12 RISP, and double digit KO’s. A dinger given up by Pedro Baez in the 8th, and another Jansen meltdown in the 9th, which included a leadoff double and an “Air Mailed” wild pitch, allowed SD to tie the score, forcing extra innings. Padres gift two runs to the Dodgers in the 10th. Not to be outdone, the second run via “Air Mail”. Sadler comes in for his first save, and bails out Jansen….. Jansen gets another blown save, and steals another win!!
The only way to keep Jansen out of the equation is to have a 5 run cushion going into the ninth. When will DR and Friedman realize that Kenley no longer has it. They have to come to terms, and admit that Kenley can no longer handle the duties of the official Closer. Sorry to say, Dodger fans, but without a “Closer”, the Dodgers might as well put in for an early vacation.