The Dodgers took the day off, but as you can see, your trust LADR writers are still bringin’ the content.
When you’re finished reading Scott’s column from today, mosey on over to Youtube and check out our latest video talking a bit about the resurgence of Yasiel Puig and featuring a gluten-free beer review. Thanks in advance!
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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LA Times reports Puig is selling his house. I really don’t think he needs the extra 500k. . Is a big trade coming? Puig in Tampa or Texas? Is it Verdugo time in LA?
We shall see. Puig has been great. He seems to have matured. I don’t recall him overthrowing the cutoff man or being thrown out on the basepaths with two outs.
So if it’s adios Puig, c’est-la-vie. The energy you brought made the game exciting.
Puig lives in a $500K house in LA?? I think it is merely all his hard work with Turner Ward paying off, he is going to see a bigger payday. Now time for a bigger pad!
Check again, He is listing it for 2.3 million.
Read my post again. Puig bought the house for $1.8 million and selling for $2.3 million. I said Puig probably doesn’t need the extra $500k.
That makes sense. Couldn’t believe Puig was living in just a $500K house, had to be FAKE NEWS. I don’t imagine $500K buys much in LA.
I still think Puig is just “Moving On Up to the East Side”.
Doubt it. Verdugo pulled from starting lineup tonight in OKC, and Alvarez scratched from his start.
Wilmer Font has another great outing in AAA – 9 Ks, 2 walks over 6 innings. Third straight great start. I think he can go 6-7 innings easy. He’s our bridge to Kershaw’s return. Free Willy! (wait that didn’t come out right ….)
YF
Don’t get Jonah started!
Kyle Farmer being called up.
I think we have more than one trade in the works …. will we all be “pleasantly surprised”?
I can hardly wait.
Does that mean Barnes is calling his real estate agent right about Now?
He’s a pretty valuable trade chip. He could start for most any team…and be a potential .300 hitter with great framing skills. Keeps the FO from having to lose some of the top four. I’d prefer he stay but get why would be traded…
Maybe they’re trading Squirrel.
I think they may have Farmer be more of a utility guy.
I think that is why he played short, earlier in the season.
True…Barnes has been playing different positions and has been a valuable pinch hitter. That leaves Grandal without a backup
Barnes is a massive and very valuable trading chip.
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But Grandal loses his arb eligibility after 2018. I’m not sure Barnes won’t be needed/wanted at that point.
36-6 over the last 42 games. Amazing!
Need to go 6-2 to match 42-8 from 2013. I still think that team was better, but maybe this team is better.
That was a great team held back by Mattingly. No fight whatsoever after Hanley hit beaned ….
YF
That team and those players, were suffocated by Mattingly!
But I think it is more refreshing, having young players, and veterans, that are not prima donnas!
I use to like Hanley until what I saw what he did in Boston.
I like a player like Turner better!
That team rode Puig’s hot streak. This team is scrappier and gets contributions from more players. This team has more – here it comes – depth. I know we hate that word here, but it’s true. Once Hanley was out that team was done. This team can weather those kinds of setbacks better. It’s also better all around – offense, defense and both starting and relief pitching.
Well, I hope you’re right. It’s easy to say in July, while the team is on a hot streak. I remember that 42-8 team, and though I don’t recollect the exact lineups used during those 50 games, I doubt it was the same 8 guys night after night. That roster was pretty good as I recall.
It’s fun to be on top, and this far in front. But, we’ve seen this movie before. I want to re-script the ending.
Hi Badger – hope you are enjoying this season as much as I am.
The class of 2013 was an odd mix.
Luis Cruz was the surprise ticket, and Juan Uribe suddenly found his stroke. Kemp was pining over Ri Ri & only played half the games and was gone for the playoffs.
The “Shredder” was ripping jerseys, and SVS was still relevant.
The Ellis twins played most nights, and AGon had 100 RBIs.
Ethier & CC played the outfield & skip Shoemaker pitched better than many in our pen.
Jerry Hairston played a bit, as did Dee, Sellers & Fedex.
We turned a 9.5 game defecit into an easy Division win.
3 pitchers remain from that time, Kershaw, Ryu & Kenley.
Grienke gave us a great 1-2-3 but Cappy & Beckett were average.
Bellasario, JP, Jose Dominguez, Chris Withrow, Paco & Brandon League made up the Pen most nights.
Ricky Nolasco pitched well after a TD acquisition.
It wasn’t to be enough of course, and after beating Atlanta we lost to the Cards – when we lost Hanram.
It was the days of the Bubble Machine &
Lots of bouncing after a HR.
Kemp hurt his ankle on the last day of the season & Ethier could only PH.
Losing Hanley was a disaster.
Michael Wacha sorted us out after that.
2013 was my last visit to Chavez Ravine & I saw Ryu beat the Reds.
So, you are correct, some very good players there, but the catalyst was Hanley coming off the DL at the same time as Puig mania broke out.
I know you feel the FO has swallowed the olive at the TD these last few years, so it will be interesting to see what the next 3 days brings us.
Hope life is good pal.
Kemp was recovering from his surgery that year. He was no where near being ready and probably came back too soon. Han Ram getting plunked in game 1 sunk the Dodgers because he was the hottest player on the planet going into that series, And the bull pen stunk.
Kemp actually hurt that ankle in a game against the Nats early in the year on a aborted slide attempt home. It bothered him all year after that.
Hey W. Great to see you here!
Oh, yes, I am enjoying this season. It’s been quiet from my midget and dback friends. I don’t call them and rub it in they way they do with me. Maybe I should. I’m choosing to stay calm until the playoffs.
I see something different about this group. They play very well together. I do however think a few of them will settle down some. It’s another October year for us
Don’t be a stranger.
Patch, I doubt we hate the word and we know this team has a lot of talented players who are backed up by a stacked minor league bunch. But we have depth at starting pitching too, but do you trust all those guys down there? Hill is an injury waiting to happen, Ryu is not really recovered fully from his 2 years of inactivity. Maeda is not the Maeda he was last year. That guy was reliable. This one is very iffy. McCarthy is another walking wounded candidate. Wood has been the only real solid piece behind Kershaw until his last outing. Hill has been good the last month, But keep your fingers crossed on all of them. The bull pen has saved the starting staff.
http://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-trade-news-luke-farrell-acquired-royals-cash-considerations/2017/07/28/
More garbage for the dumpster Watford. He is John Farrell’s son. ERA in 1 big league game this year is almost 19. So another fine pick up by our vaunted front office doing their due diligence to get us a difference maker……whoooppppeeeeeeee.
Verdugo and Alvarez scratched from their starts tonight……trade winds blowing????
Here are some guys on the 40 man I think we could cut and not miss at all. Hatcher, Kazmir, Freeman, Eibner, O’Brien, Thompson and Van Slyke.
I was hoping O’Brien would get it together for us. He’s got some pop. But, it ain’t happnin for him. Is he still here?
I would encourage everyone look at the 2013 roster again that Watgord just posted, and that bullpen, and then imagine Roberts coaching that team.
We had Kershaw-Greinke-Ryu. Capuano pitched ok as a 4 and better than Ryu and Maeda today.
That bulllen could easily have been better than what we’ve got now with better coaching and usage.
Ellis at catcher is a big step down but he was above average in the post season.
I think Roberts has been doing a great job with less talent than Mattingly. Even with HanRam down I think Roberts takes that team to the WS.
Interesting thought. The Kershaw/Greinke teams were very good. So close.
I don’t know about less overall talent. Every player, but Forsythe, in this year’s starting 8 has an OPS+ over 100. That’s pretty stunning.
I do know that the hallmark of the team was Hanley (189 OPS+) and his ribs really did the team in. Who knows how far they would have gone without the Joe Kelly pitch.
Don’t underestimate how bad the bullpen was.
Oh I don’t. 2014. Game 4. Scott Elbert. 13.5 ERA. 2.25 WHIP. Mattingly leaves Kershaw in rather than going to the LOOGY. I remember the conversations about getting a LH reliever. Didn’t happen.
Yes I understand the bad bullpen arguments and stats, but Roberts took basically the same 2015 bullpen Mattingly had and turned it around to number 1 in the league less than a year later, with the same pitching coach. I think bullpen performance has a lot to do with the manager.
Also, in 2013 I remember wanting Jansen to close, not League, in the second half of the season. Or more precisely, use League and Jansen both in high leverage situations regardless of inning. League was not bad actually, and we would have been in front of the curve by using our “closer” in earlier situations. Mattingly was not the right man to get people to make sacrifices for the team or to make snap baseball decisions. The bullpen usage all year, and during Mattingly’s entire tenure, were full of headscratchers and the worse were due to his indecison.
Another reason the Dodgers may be inclined to get under the luxury tax in one of the coming years, and thus not go after Verlander:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/newest-cba-diminish-biggest-spenders-draft-picks/#W2sfw1WBJsfRzKLp.97
Howie Kendrick to Washington: https://twitter.com/ToddZolecki/status/891122210009743360