While the Dodgers are attempting for a series split in San Francisco, I’ll give you guys an update on some of the injuries. It looks like Scott Van Slyke and Chris Hatcher are both available but limited after their recent injuries. Van Slyke can pinch-hit and doesn’t look like he is going to be placed on the disabled list.
The big outfielder injured his lower back during the Dodger’s 3-2 ten inning win on Saturday night. He played just an inning and a half before needing to be removed from the game in the second inning. You could visibly see him stretching his back during a fly ball. In the second inning he was grazed by a pitch in the elbow with the bases loaded. He trotted down to first and then had to be removed from action. The official diagnosis was lower back stiffness.
As for Hatcher, he twisted his ankle while slipping on the wet mound after making a pitch in the eighth inning on Saturday afternoon. The game was originally rain delayed for 41 minutes before the game was finally started. The playing field was naturally in poor condition and the mound was wet. Hatcher actually struck out the side and earned the victory. Manager Dave Roberts said he could be available for one or two batters if needed on Sunday.
Meanwhile the rehab assignments for second baseman Howie Kendrick, and catcher Yasmani Grandal are both going well. They are expected to rejoin the club when they return home on Tuesday. The Dodgers open their home schedule on Tuesday afternoon against the Arizona Dbacks.
It is expected that the Dodgers will option infielder Micah Johnson back down to Oklahoma City once Kendrick and Grandal are back. However the club is considering keeping Austin Barnes on the roster. Although it remains to be seen who would get sent out to keep him. That could be Saturday night’s hero Charlie Culberson.
The Dodgers and Giants are currently tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the third inning at At&t Park.
SVS, every season is on the DL. We all knew it would happen again, but gee, after only 1 week !!!
Dodgers were winning 5 to zip. Then I took Monty (our dog) out back == came back in and it was 5 to 5. This is the second time this has happened.
Again Roger!? Why’d you do it???
Poor Cabbage Patch, his boy Kazmir was on his way to the NL Cy Young award, 4 IP 6 ER- great signing, print those World Series tickets.
The bullpen should pick him up though….LOL.
Meh….at least Badger’s team lost again. They’re 2-5 now. So far their FA pitcher signing and that trade for Miller aren’t creating that 30 win turnaround over last year.
I probably shouldn’t gloat too much when a team loses. That would make me sound a little like….well….you.
lol….another ugly loss……another opportunity for Truther to rear his ugly head. If the Dodgers go undefeated me might never hear from you again.
For as much as you reference Badger and I, do you dream about us too? We are flattered.
Truth, I agree
We all know we need the bp to go 5 today. We all know that means 4-5 runs too.
Howell looks done, and I thought this all of last year as well (not to mention the NLDS vs the Cards in 2014)
3 down, 1 to go Bobby…
He has always done better than I thought he would except for this year.
Blind Squirrels rock
#Dodgers bullpen in this series (so far) — 8 2/3 IP 12 runs 15 hits 5 walks. That’s a 12.46 ERA 2.31 WHIP
– Bill Plunkett tweet
Greinke like.
You forgot the number of HRs.
Like I said Truth, Blind Squirrels Rock and FAZ Rocks!
Holy Squirrel Shit, Batman!
As long as they hit the ball at somebody Blanton is pretty good. Got his ERA under 4. Howell at 54.00. That might go down.
Ok, 4 run 9th is needed. 4. I’ll take the under.
Ya True, you would think someone is really blind not to do anything about it over two years
When the Dodgers win, the miserable are silent. When they lose, they are almost giddy. I find it amazing that miserable people never flee the misery that is within them, and that they revel in the gloom more than they enjoy the happiness.
God, I’d kill myself first if my life were that miserable.
It’s just a bad game – next!
Lecture #42 from Mark.
You must have missed the other 100.
I was of the opinion all off season that the Dodgers were not as good as many of you were claiming they would be this year. Actually, it wasn’t just me, many of us had these OPINIONS that were attacked time after time by the FAZZkissers creating a divide between the “Your an idiot, FAZ is God, we will win the World Series” people and the “Darksiders”…..or, let me call them, “anyone else that has a differing opinion”……….
So far those differing opinions have a case….it’s not being miserable, it’s stating the obvious.
Actually, you’re the only one who claimed the Dodgers would suck and would have a losing season. Dodgerrick and Badger predicted the Dodgers would win in the neighborhood of 87 games, which wasn’t too far off from my predictions. I said, and still say, they Dodgers have the talent to win over 90 games if things come together and they click, but if things just don’t come together, then they could be in the 87 game range.
“were not as good as many of you were claiming they would be”, Cabbage, did your lenses expire? Can you READ?
I didn’t read SUCK anywhere in there, did you? SUCK would be 63-99 like the Phillies last year, I think I said 79-83, about 8 games less then Rick and Badger, and I believe Watford said he had 81-81, am I right Watford?
YOU on the other hand, have over 90 BUT WAIT, maybe 87! lol, I love it. Setting yourself up nicely eh? You also said you could see the Dodgers in the World Series this year, taking that back? OR you MAYBE do?
The thought of you being wrong is terrifying isn’t it?
Please do!
No joy in Mudville.
The games that the Dodgers have played against the Giants deserve comment. If posters comment after a loss, you claim they are “giddy”; you of course never comment “giddily” after an opinion of yours is “vindicated”. Enough with the personal stuff.
Observations are that Kazmir and Cueto both let their respective teams down, that the bullpen stunk (again) and that the Dodgers are still crummy with RISP.
Dave Roberts commented after the game today about the Giants:
“Look at their at-bats through the game, it was a hitting clinic. [Giants hitting coach Hensley Muelens] teaches team offense, guys getting them over and getting them in.”
The Dodgers are horrible thus far at situational hitting. They were what, 2 for 10 with RISP yesterday? In the Stripling game, they had 9 hits; the Giants 2 . How did that go? It’s not just knocking guys in, but making a productive out. It is a lost art in the Moneyball era when all that matters is “3 true outcomes”. The Moneyball attitude is that a walk is as good as a hit, which it is not; that a strike out is the same as a grounder to second that moves the runner over, which it is not.
Until the Dodgers play fundamentally sound baseball, they won’t be better than mediocre. The “talent” will win games against poor teams but not against fundamentally sound teams. Branch Rickey used to say that “Luck is the residue of design”. The Giants, as much as I hate them, aren’t just lucky – they do the fundamentals well, so they win more than the talent on the field alone would dictate.
Dodger rick at least Roberts said exactly what we need the team to do. They have been good at times, with people on base, but right now, they are already better then last year, on offense.
And the Giants won two games on HRs, and the Dodgers out hit them in those games, and the Dodgers are not suppose to be better, then the Giants, when it comes to hitting, so there is positive going on.
If you remember last year, the Dodgers didn’t score one run, in SF.
1. every team has some issues and things to iron out.
2. fans of each team are excited and dying at the same moment.
3. As Mark says over and over: Crawford’s salary and play have killed this team for a couple of seasons.
4. There is a shortage of solid to good major league pitching. So get use to uneven play.
5. The Giant and their manager just seem to get extra milage out of their players.
6. Some of us do not have confidence that F&Z can fix the roster during the season. Other fans believe they will. This point alone separates Dodger fans.
Unless your team is the Cubs right now, you probably have something to complain about. Every team has some issues. I like AC’s argument that the FO has to put the energy and financial resources to build a dominant bullpen. I’m inclined to agree, that spending the money on a solid group of relievers is one of those market inefficiencies that that Friedman is so keen to unearth. But the counterpoint someone astutely made is that Coletti tried that by signing League, Wilson and that other guy. They sucked. Johnson and Avilan were doing great for the Braves last year. They were horrible when they played for the Dodgers. As someone else pointed out, relievers are not a sure bet from year to year. Even a guy who throws 103 is not a sure bet if he gets suspended half the year for shooting up his garage. That’s why, when you look at salaries, even the top relievers aren’t getting very much. Who knows if they’ll just start missing with that slider the next year and stink.
To say the FO didn’t address the BP is one thing, but address it how? The BP blew it this series, but don’t forget that the Giants offense is pretty loaded. Where do they get good talent?
FAZZkisser 101, sign up early, Dr. Cabbage Patch’s class is filling up………
2015 Dodger bullpen ERA- 3.91, 18th in MLB- IP 467 (HORRENDOUS)
Second Half
Dodgers bullpen ERA- 4.33 ERA, 22nd in MLB- IP 214 (HORRENDOUS)
2014 Dodger bullpen ERA- 3.80, 21st in MLB (HORRENDOUS)
Second Half
Dodgers bullpen ERA- 3.89, 22nd in MLB, IP (HORRENDOUS)
#Dodgers bullpen in this series (so far) — 8 2/3 IP 12 runs 15 hits 5 walks. That’s a 12.46 ERA 2.31 WHIP (HORRENDOUS)
Wrong, we have HAD something to complain about, your clearly not in touch with reality.
Dodger patch, Ned kind of signed relief pitchers like Friedman has. Ned signed former closer’s, hoping they would come back, and be like they were, when they were closing. The same idea, where relief pitchers, that had a bad previous year, would come back, and be better, the next year.
At least an Englishman won the Masters
Maybe he can pitch?
Probably. That’s where they play soccer, right?
Agree with most everything patch said. But, technically Chapman isn’t suspended for half a year, only 18.5% of the season. Heck that’s just two trips to the DL which much of our roster will probably get before the season is over. I wish he were here. When he comes back, over 80% of the season remains. Jansen and Chapman? Wow. Yeah I know, Jansen wouldn’t like it. He’s probably gone in ’17 anyway. He’s been really good for 6 years in a row. This will be 7. Will FAZ take a chance he’s Mariano Rivera? Rare air.
Badger I don’t believe that about Jansen. And him sharing the close up duties with Chapman, wouldn’t lower his value. A team knows he has always been a good closer, sharing won’t come in the way.
And Kenley said, that that wasn’t true about him being mad. Orel said that Kenley and Chapman, would feed off each other. And that would make them even better.
And I wouldn’t want someone on the Dodgers, who wouldn’t want to get better. That wouldn’t be a team player, if someone got mad, because they had to share duties, that would make the Dodgers better.
I am more upset that Cueto and his delivery, and the timing of delivery, fooled Puig, Barnes three times, and Joc two times, and that is why Bochy left him in the game. And a few other Dodger hitters, were fooled too.
Just because his delivery is faster, that doesn’t mean he is throwing harder. He was throwing a 90 mile fastball, and he should have been hit harder, throughout the game. And Kazmir’s performance, was even worse.
Kazmir is probably a four or five, and I would lean toward five. It is always hard to see the team start so well, and then, don’t do much after the good start. Once I saw that JP was coming in, and went and took a shower, because I couldn’t watch.
JP has given up six straight hits, since the first game. And what I noticed with Kazmir, is that he constantly gets behind on the count. He did the same thing in SD, in the first four innings, and he was lucky to not give up, more then one hit, in that game.
The Dodgers, and there offense, has done much better this year, and especially against the Giants. I believe that last year, the Dodgers were not able to score one run.
A deceptive motion can be more effective than pure velocity. Witness Luis Tiant and more recently Hideo Nomo.
Snider I know it can, that is why you don’t look at the delivery. You just watch the ball, coming from the hand, and be ready, especially if you know a pitcher, might do that.
That is easier to handle then a pitcher, that throws a change up, with the same delivery as there fast ball.
And big league players, have to deal with the latter, all the time. Utley and Cory had no problem with Cueto, about that. That is why I was so frustraded that they kept on falling for that.
MJ,
If you think Kenley wasn’t offended by the possibility of losing his job to Chapman, then I think you are pretty naive about the competitive spirit of an athlete. Of course, he is going to SAY he’s OK with it, but ultimately, if he sets up for Chapman and Chapman gets 50 saves and Jansen get 5, do you really think it won’t impact his next contract? Really? Do you really believe that?
Mark no, because teams already know what he is capable of doing, and has a consistent record. I thought you like team players. And Friedman told Kenley, this was a way, to help with Greinke leaving. This would make a game shorter.
I’m pretty sure Kenley would not have been relegated to only 8th inning duty. If we had acquired Chapman, they both would have closed. Match-ups would have dictated who pitched the 8th inning, not feelings or worries about whose insecurities crept up that day.
Kenley may not have gotten his 30 saves, but both he and Chapman would get over 20 saves, with amazing ERA’s, whip, K’s, etc, and anyone who knows anything about baseball knows that GM’s this offseason would have known the situation Kenley was in; hence his value would NOT have dropped. GM’s aren’t idiotic enough to ONLY look at saves when paying a guy
Bobby I think that that is just common sense about Kenley, and no offense to Mark.
Would two closers co-exist in LA? Sure, if they were both making $11mm. And that ain’t gonna happen in FAZ Angeles.
I can appreciate where truth is coming from. It would not surprise me if this current experiment doesn’t work. I would be surprised to see them finish below .500 but at or just above it seems absolutely possible to me. Perhaps as the season goes on the team will find it’s identity. Games and series like we’ve just witnessed are going to happen to teams that have gone through the changes this one has. And there will be more changes as the season goes on. I look forward to watching the evolution. If it works, it could be spectacular. We could have the ROY, the Cy Young Winner, the Comeback Player of the Year, Manager of the Year, and the league MVP. Or we could have none of that. No matter the outcome, it’s going to be interesting.
Badger that would happen for at least one year, if they got Chapman. So they don’t mind paying a little higher, if it is only one or two years. I think Kenley and Chapman, should make close to the same kind of money probably.
This is the Dodger team that ws built, warts and all. They’re going to hit, and given decent health, I really like their lineup. Seager is a stud.
This isn’t a playoff caliber pitching staff. Kershaw is Kershaw, everyone else in the rotation is a question mark. I mean Scott Kazmir isn’t a number 2 starter on a championship caliber squad. If you’re going to cheap out in the rotation , at least have a strong bullpen. This bullpen, once again, isn’t good. Why would it be? It’s the same crud from last year with Joe Blanton and Coleman. Getting the ball to Jansen will again be difficult. Once the Chapman deal fell apart, FAZ made no real effort to improve the bullpen. So they must expect internal improvement. Good luck, I’m not as high on Garcia and Baez as other and the LOOGY situation is a tire fire.
What I’m waiting for, is what this staff will look like in a few months. Perhaps Ryu and McCarthy will be back. What will Sierra and Montas bring? Will Faz use their minor league depth to acquire anyone?
You Had, that is a really good point. Most good teams have either a really good starting rotation, or a really good bullpen, and some teams, are lucky and have both.
Just the front office’s actions in the off season, showed they knew, that the Dodgers needed a stronger bullpen, to make up for Greinke’s loss.
The best thing, is to have a good starting rotation, and a good bullpen, and I think a team like the Dodgers, could have both, with there resources.
And after all, pitching is at least 80 percent of the game, so it should treated like that, when building a team.
I think we are going to be fine.
So we drop 3 of 4 here. The Giants do not look so good either. In a long season, I think maybe NONE of the NL West teams are any good.
So I still like our chances for winning the division. But I would do a few deals at the deadline to get deep this post season. Otherwise we’re looking at a log jam of borderline starter talent next year. AAAA outfielders and No. 6/7 starters who are “waiting” to be “convert” to relievers lose trade value in a blink of an eye.
None of those awards will mean squat if we have to watch the Giants win another World Series.
On pace for 93 wins and a terrible team. What will they decide to do?
Cubs on pace for 135 wins. That would be a record.
Have to give it up to the Giants. They came back from large deficits twice. We should have knocked Cueto out early. We got suckered with quick pitches? Ridiculous. He had nothing on his pitches.
There is much work to be done with this club.
Badger you are so right. If they would have had better at bats, against Cueto, early, and knocked him out, it would have been a different game.
I could not continue to watch Puig and Barnes, continue to let Cueto, and his 90 mile fastball, trick them, with changing the time of his windup.
He would speed his wind up, up, and throw the ball in the dirt, and Barnes and Puig, just swung at the balls, in the dirt. And if Kazmir, hadn’t pitched Pence so carefully, after getting two outs early, and walked him, things could have been different for a while.
Kazmir had a five run lead, there was no reason to walk Pence, with that lead. Kazmir is more a number five, and like I have said, there is no way that he is going to opt out, after this year.
The front office gave him, to good of a contract. Kazmir might be fine, against the lesser teams, but not against a good hitting team, especially if he continues to get behind on the count, and doesn’t keep his pitches low.
He is the type of pitcher, that has to have precise control. And he constantly pitched behind on the count, in SD too, for the first four innings. And Badger that was a funny comment you made about Blanton.