The Dodgers feasted on new-comer Dillon Overton of the Padres making his major league debut. Rich Hill also feasted the Padres hitters as the Dodgers breezed to 8-0 win and continued their attack on the MLB as more home-runs commenced. Maybe the Dodgers were upset that Dave Roberts was suspended one game for yesterdays altercation with Padres coach Andy Green.
The Dodgers started the scoring right in the First inning as Logan Forsythe hit an infield single to score Chris Taylor to make the score 1-0. In the top of the fourth Rich Hill singled in a run to make the score 2-0. Rich Hill who has been working on his mechanics was breezing along at this point. In the top of the fifth, it seemed to come apart for Overton as Corey Seager and Justin Turner hit back to back home-runs to make the score 4-0.
Rich Hill finished the game with 11 strikeouts. He also collected two hits in the game. The game was all but over. The Dodgers decided to score more runs in the 7th inning. Austin Barnes started it with a single. Then Logan Forsythe hit a single. Forsythe also had two doubles in the game as well, finally panning out after the off-season trade to acquire him. With the bases loaded and two outs, Chris Taylor got in on the act and hit a grand slam to make the score 8-0.
Dodgers have 7 grand slams this season, 3 more than any other MLB team. Chris Taylor has three grand slams this year. Rich Hill ended up going 7 innings and he is beginning to find his groove. He is 5-4 and his era is 4.00 Brock Stewart pitched two innings of scoreless ball to keep the Padres off the scoreboard. Tomorrow the Dodgers will go for the sweep with Kenta Maeda on the mound.
James Moya
Hi I’m James Moya. I am an avid Dodgers fan. I graduated Cal State Fullerton with a Bachelors in Communications. I used to freelance at the San Bernardino Sun. I’m excited about this opportunity to write for LA Dodger Report to gain experience. I’m a straight shooter on my opinions and I hope to get some good conversations going. My dream has always been to report on the Dodgers because Baseball is the National Past-time. I hope you enjoy the ride with me.
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Good times. I think our hitters are in a very nice groove, getting walks and timely hits, not just the HRs although it’s the HRs that get all the attention. Seager is heating up. Hopefully Forsythe can stay hot and stay on the roster. Good to see Hill with only 1 walk.
(Now we can all start to worry about Bellinger being in the HR derby … Actually I am more worried about the FAZ making a stupid mid-season trade. Like I said many times, I prefer to stay as is and let our coaches work things out internally.)
Team is indeed playing well.
Hard to know how good Forsythe actually is. He’s coming off 2 good years in Tampa, but at 30 has only a .719 career OPS. We know he’s streaky, nice to see it when he’s on. Taylor and Bsrnes are solid role players. Our young organizational players are developing impressively.
Maybe I’ll be labeled a skeptic here, but I still don’t trust the arms in this rotation. I think FAZ will again try to bolster it. Gulp.
I agree. Can you trust McCarthy? What about if someone gets injured.
Almost too many highly developed prospects to use.
Better safe than sorry, even if the playoffs are luck.
Bluto
I am glad that Hill pitched well last night.
Of course I want to see what he does, against a more formidable team.
I hope he can start pitching like he did last year, and start doing that, consistently.
Like Badger, I can’t say I trust McCarthy, because of his injury history, and his mental issue, that seemed to crop up again, in the last game he started.
I hope that is only his knee giving him problems, but non of us really know, because the team keeps those things, to themselves.
I thought, and could be wrong, the knee was just an excuse to get him onto the 10 day DL.
It’s like the injury Maeda or Ryu “had”.
More to the point, with Kike, Taylor, Barnes, Calhoun, and Utley (yet), how much do we really need Forsythe?
Having too much talent is a good thing, duh!
Sorry you couldn’t figure that out….. Trading a surplus second baseman for a needed relief pitcher seemed to make sense to me. Guess I’m an idiot…
I dont think you’re an idiot Jonah. But then, some think I am so I may not be qualified to judge.
I figure Verdugo and Calhoun will likely be the excess depth that is traded. Taylor has earned his roster spot and is controllable. Forsythe was traded for so he ain’t going anywhere. It would appear we have outfielders o’plenty so I look forward to a Verdugo/Calhoun/Sheffield for Colon trade by the end of the month.
For Colon? FAZ will pay them more than that…. Forsythe’s contract is up this year, so that makes him probably harder to trade but a little easier to let go of…
The Braves released Colon, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mets brought him back, for the rest of the year, with there pitching problems.
I wish we had a more sure handed set up guy.
I know Baez’s has been better this year, but I still don’t think he is quite there!
He had that bad inning against the Reds, and he lost some of his confidence that day.
We wouldn’t have won that game, if Kike didn’t make that catch.
Badger
Did you watch the Dbacks play last night?
I saw that Greinke pitched last night.
Wasn’t meant as a diss to you Jonah. Simple observation. Good problem is too much talent, bad problem is too little talent.
Don’t take things so personally, don’t look to be offended. Roll with the flow.
It is odd that Michael hasn’t been on here.
Hopefully he is having a good time and nothing else is going on, with him.
I don’t always agree with him, but I do wish everyone well.
He probably got a picture of Bluto that he’s using as a target…
Jonah
He did say he was a gun person.
I am not at all.
But I do have one of those signs in the window, that I am the most vulnerable in.
It says never mind the dog, beware of the owner.
And it has a picture of a hand holding a gun..
A friend gave that to me.
I don’t own a gun and I have never shot more then a BB gun.
“I have never shot more than a BB gun.” Consider yourself fortunate.
Michael is still around.
Greinke did pitch MJ. He won again. I didn’t see it but have a buddy coming by today to watch the game. And we have an important series against them coming up. Greinke is pitching Thursday against TBD.
Badger
Yes I saw the action from that game this morning, and saw Greinke pitched.
I still like Greinke, but I don’t want the Dbacks to make the post season, and I want us to beat them, next week.
I am excited to see that series next week.
I know we are facing two of the DBacks lefties, but I didn’t look to see if it was a three or four game, series.
But since you mentioned Greinke was pitching Thursday, it must be a four game series.
We’re off tomorrow.
The dbacks are a good team. I’ve seen them often enough to know that. If Pollock, Tomas and Shelby Miller could remain healthy they could be a very good team. They are not, even on their best days, a better team than the Dodgers. But I bet nobody wants to face them in a crucial series.
Jonah
Maybe he went home for the holiday.
As if I was anything more than a dope posting under the name of a pathetic (yet funny) Animal House character.
I don’t think anyone considers you a dope, Bluto, just different. And aren’t we all????
Want to see what Willie Calhoun looks like? Very unimpressive as far as looks go, but maybe he’s a ballplayer. Here he is hitting a home run in a recent game:
http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?sid=t238
Now I think I know why Badger champions him.
We know where most of the criticism of Calhoun came from. Just by considering the source you can dismiss most of it. He’s got 15 doubles, 5 triples and 3 stolen bases so obvious he can run. To think otherwise is just dumb. His r/l splits are almost equal. The knock on his defense may have been legit but by all accounts the young man is working hard on improving. His fielding % is acceptable and his range factor is decent. The fact he cares and is working hard is good enough for me. Well, that and a .922 OPS.
He may be able to overcome his weight problem while he is young but by the time he is thirty, we’re looking Prince Fielder. I would trade him if I could get a decent return.
Jonah
I don’t know where you got that video of Calhoun, but he has lost a lot of weight.
Badger
He might be the best hitter of the three, but with good power.
“We know where most of the criticism of Calhoun came from.”
…You mean every scouting report one can find on him?
No. Calling the bellicose bully out on all his errors got me (and many others) blacklisted several times from his suppressive circus.
Scouting report? Anyone can read a scouting report from 2 years ago, which we all have done and obviously some are clinging to. I’ve read more current reports. I’ve read his current stats. I’ve read what his coaches in Oklahoma are saying about him. You guys don’t want to get current that’s your choice, and what you choose to believe is your own reality. I’m used to it from many, but I don’t have to buy it.
It’s my belief that Willie Calhoun will be a useful Major League player. I think there are more than a few Major League teams who would love to have him. Oakland and Tampa come immediately to mind.
Hmmm….narcissistically self referential much? Does your insight (i.e. – wishful thinking) transcend the cold hard reality of the scouting reports compiled by people who do this for a living…and are up to date (refer to Bluto’s links below)?
And speaking of clinging. My goodness! This thing you have for Timmons. You’re going to hold on to that until your dying breath. It’ll be like Orson Welles whispering “Rosebud.”
“My goodness!”
Tight panties grandma?
The stats don’t lie. You of all people should know that. He’s improving by the measure of numbers and his own manager’s proclamation. I shall remain positive. We will just have to wait and see.
I don’t read Timmons bullshit anymore. That would be you. I referenced him(not by name, again, that would be you) only because of his continued negative biased opinions on certain players. He’s the only blogger I know that bad mouthed Calhoun because of his body type and early reports on defensive questions. Timmons said he wouldn’t make it because he couldn’t run and couldn’t field. I think he’s wrong. And apparently you don’t agree with me. We’ll see. Maybe he disappears. Right now he’s only a prospect, – a Top 70 prospect. That will have value to somebody. I think he’s traded.
I think everyone knows the scouting report on Calhoun:
Major league bat.
Not even minor league glove.
The most recent reports I read think he’s a DH. Not even a LF. But why leap to judgements. The team doesn’t need him.
Trade him as a valued prospect or continue to try and let him develop into an acceptable 2B.
You’re quoting an outdated report.
No, I’m not.
Why would you presume that?
Because it didn’t match what I read.
I dunno, that seems quite brash and brazen Badger.
You read one thing, and instantly everything you hear to the contrary is “outdated?”
For the sake of letting information flow and not leaping to conclusions here are the “current” reports I’ve seen on Calhoun:
Keith Law on 6/30:
Christian: Any update on Willie Calhoun’s defense? Bat is certainly holding up fine
Keith Law: This sounds like wishful thinking. He’s almost certainly a DH.
Eric Longenhagen on 6/27:
Jon: Have you heard anyone talking about Willie Calhoun‘s defense improving?
Eric A Longenhagen: No
Jon Sickels’ blog on July 2:
’ve followed Calhoun as closely as any prospects, and I’ve yet to find a single source report that his glove is anything but ‘unplayable’. It sounds like he’s actually not putrid in LF, so my guess is that’s where he plays. That or DH for an AL team. But it really doesn’t sound like there’s anyone in pro ball who’s willing to give him a chance at 2nd, or at least who’s willing to go on the record
For reference, according to Fangraphs, the worst defensive second baseman in the majors this year are (starting with the worst) Daniel Murphy, Jonathan Schoop, Jonathan Villar, Starlin Castro, and Jason Kipnis
Brash? Brazen?
I don’t think so. But, I could say you’re a defeatist. Go ahead, give up on him. Others have.
Hasselman says he’s working hard and showing signs of improvement. That’s good enough for me. His stats say he’s improved his fldg % from .921 to .974. His range factor, as already mentioned, is average. He’s only been playing organized ball for a couple of years and he’s OPSing over .900 at AAA. I’m a glass half full guy when it comes to Calhoun. I say trade him in a package for a bonafide starter if you don’t plan to use him.
Can anyone explain what just happened with Turner? Gameday said he grounded out to the pitcher to the second baseman to the shortstop to the first baseman????? (1-4-6-3) What did they do, throw the ball around the infield while Turner slowly walked toward first base?
haha. Ball tipped by the pitcher to the SS, who threw to 2b (But Seager beat that throw), and then over to first to get Turner
We do have blocked talent and a surplus. But I just don’t trust the FAZ track record on trades for vets. It seems they target way too much on some players and do their best to ignore conventional wisdom, thus ending up with head scratchers.
I think we have enough and I think Dayton will turn it around.