The Dodgers just lost one of their best hitters to injury. The loss of Corey Seager can’t be understated for the boys in blue. The former rookie of the year shortstop strained a hamstring during the series against the Angels in Anaheim. The diagnosis was a grade 2 strain and it will apparently keep Seager out of the Dodger lineup for the next 4-6 weeks. The Dodgers are used to being without Seager at this point. They lost him for most of the season in 2018 when he underwent Tommy John surgery.
Losing Seager will no doubt create a big void in the Dodger lineup and possibly affect their odds of returning to their third consecutive World Series. Although according to the odds makers like usa online casinos think their chances of getting back to the Fall Classic are still pretty high. Even without Seager, the Dodgers are the best club in the National League.
Still, it’s a huge shame to lose his bat, especially now since he was just starting to hit. After a slow start to the 2019 campaign Seager was scorching hot. The young all-star was batting .425 (17 for 40) in the month of June. He was carrying an OPS of over .1000 and that’s after he posted an .852 OPS in May. Overall Seager was enjoying a productive season. He was slashing .278/.359/.468 with 8 home runs and 38 runs driven in. That was good for a 117 OPS+ and an .828 OPS in 270 plate appearances.
The Dodgers are naturally concerned about Seager’s health, and with his history there is no firm timetable. It’s likely he’ll be back in about 6 weeks or so but it might take a little longer for him to recover. At this point in midseason there is no rush to bring him back until he is fully healthy.
Not to worry though, the Dodgers have the depth to overcome his absence for a while. In the meantime Chris Taylor should get most of the reps at short with Enrique Hernandez getting some time there as well. I’m sure Justin Turner could play there in a pinch too. This will give the Dodgers some flexibility with their lineup choices.
Losing Seager again certainly sucks. He was just beginning to heat up. I don’t think this is an injury that is going to sink them in the short term. They have the backup pieces to get by for now. If he is out for an extended amount of time they could always look for replacements on the trade market as well like they did last summer when they acquired Manny Machado. Look at it this way, there were without Seager for nearly the entire season last year and they still won the National Pennant and made it to the World Series. They could certainly do it again if they had to. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Get well soon Seager.
Tough loss with Seager to the IL. Also will probably miss the All-Star Game. So unfortunate. They do have the depth, so they will survive again in the NL West. Maybe the IL is the only way the Dodger kids in the farm will get a chance to shine in the big show.
Wow, crazy start again for the Dodgers. Hill gives up a two-run dinger in the first, and a solo in the third. But JT and Beaty answer back, Beaty’s, a two-run blast. His first. Home Run Derby tonight. I heard the fan that caught Beaty’s 1st would not give up the ball…. what a jerk. I think they ended up getting it back for a trade or something. Maybe they gave him the left over Kelly bobbleheads.
How about that HR by Rizzo that hit the Chubby Cubbie Fan in the belly and bounced back into the field! That was hilarious.
Hill settled down and cashed in 7 innings. Even got an RBI single to boot!
Verdugo added to the game, both offensively and defensively. All we needed was Will Smith to join the party.. “Let the Kids Play!”…. whoops, sorry about that. Andy says the kids are not ready yet.
Did you catch the “Intentional Balk”? I have never seen that before, but what a great idea, as Cubs were trying to steal signs. Might see that more often.
Next two games televised! Whoo Hoo! Go Blue.
We will be happy to see Seager back in August and get into a hot streak in the fall. You can’t keep him down for long – he’s got too much talent. An August return would be ideal.
In the mean time, Chris Taylor is a plus defender at short. We have such a big lead in NL West, just get into the postseason with all our key pieces healthy and rested. That goes especially for Bellinger and Ryu. We need them both at their best to finally win the WS.
I cannot believe the Raptors won a championship before the Dodgers. This has got to be the year.
Gosh is Rich Hill fun to watch.
Cody Allen DFA’d. He’d be an interesting arm to bring in, if he’d accept a minor league assignment.
As per Kyle Glaser:
Dodger fans: Start paying attention to Devin Mann. Like, right now. Strong, physical, athletic, great at-bats, hits everything HARD, and the defense at 2B and 3B is there. He’s a good one. A very good one.
“When I was at Louisville I was a very reserved hitter,” Mann said. “I didn’t really use my body well, use my levers well. Then, when I got drafted with the Dodgers, we made a lot of changes with my lower half and bat path, just making sure I was tapped into all the power that I have and making sure I’m staying through the zone better. It’s paid off so far. I’m happy with the changes we’ve made.”
Mann’s power production stands in notable contrast to his past. He hit a combined 15 home runs in three years at Louisville. He hit only two home runs in 65 games last year after signing. Now, he’s tied for second in the California League in home runs.
Well, kind of a disappointing outcome in game 3 versus the Cubs. Darvish spanks the Dodger offense, giving up just one run and two hits, but struck out 10 Dodgers in the process over 7 innings. Buehler out-pitched Darvish, shutting the Cubs out for 7 innings, striking out 6, and yielding only 2 hits.
Alex Verdugo hammered a 459 foot HR off Darvish, but that is all the Dodgers could muster. In the eighth, Kiké, belts a single, but made a huge mistake getting picked off while dancing off 1st. That could have been the insurance run they needed, as Freese and Taylor would follow with singles.
Then, Kenley blows the save and loses the game in the ninth, hitting Bryant with his first pitch, then serving up a meatball to Rizzo for a two run shot.
Poor Buehler…. A wasted quality start by the dormant Dodger offense, and Jansen.
Yep, that says it all about last night’s game. Concur with ya Bluefan.
Buehler is on a roll. The last few outings have been very impressive.
DR. GasKanley Jansen was in the house. It makes sense though, Pedro was blowing hitters away in the 8th so obviously it was time to bring in Gaskanley. These stupid ass formulas, geez!
True Blue,
Totally agree. Not every situation is a Jansen save moment. Leave Baez in, in the ninth…. he was pitching fine. “If” he gets into trouble, then bring Jansen in. “If” Pedro closes out the game, he “earns” the Hold and Save. Especially since Jansen pitched the game before.
This place is dead
Jansen’s ERA is 3.45, he is 2-2, with 5 HRs allowed. Let’s face it, this is not dominant. I don’t know what is wrong with him but I think the team needs to go another direction. I cringe now when he comes in with less than a 3 run lead because I know he gives up HRs early in his performance. It is downright discouraging to say the least and yes Baez could have been left in.
Package, you just do not understand the system. Jansen is the closer for the duration of his contract. Period. Whether we as Dodger fans like it or not. He is the man as long as he is under contract. And yes, he has 2 losses and 3 blown saves. But he has 20 saves. So he has been effective way more than he has been lousy. Quit expecting perfection out of the guy and you won’t need a bi-carb so much. Baez has not pitched more than one inning all year. To expect him to do that in a one run game, well, that’s asking a lot. Jansen’s biggest Achille’s heel seems to be that if he walks a guy, or in this case plunks one, he gets a little un-nerved. The biggest problem was not hitting Bryant, it was the fact that the first 2 pitches to Rizzo were BALLS> So then he has to throw a strike. The pitch was inside, but instead of being low, it was about waist high. Bad pitch. It happens. I feel bad for Buehler, lost a win on that one. But I also blame the offense for not helping the pitchers out at all. too many K’s. Kike’s bone headed base running did not help either. He would have scored when Taylor got his PH single. Having Seager out does not help the offense a whole lot because we are now subjected to having to watch Taylor and Kike flail away aimlessly at pitches they can never hit. Both Kike and Taylor striking out over 25 percent of the time. Amazing thing is that the team leader in that dubious category is Muncy. But his contact rate is much higher than those two guys. Heading back home today so will not be on here for a few days. Have fun watching Friedman’s circus. They need to bolster the pen. But do not expect a major name to be added until maybe the deadline. They are mentioned prominently as the front runner for Hand, if the Tribe makes him available. Be well Pack….I know you are passionate. Just worrying about stuff you cannot control can make you crazy…I know…..
Michael, I mentioned this very issue on another blog about the inept offense last nigth. Still the K’s are coming all too often and at the wrong times. Yes, Kenley served up another one but even if he does in this case, it should have never cost the team the game had the offense showed up last night.
GasKanley, Man of a Tight Rope