The Dodgers were blanked last night by former Dodger Ricky Nolasco and it was quite embarrassing for all involved. So the Dodgers had to pick themselves up by the boot straps and start a new winning streak against another former Dodger hurler. It would be more difficult tonight with three of their biggest bats out of the lineup. Corey Seager, Yasiel Puig, and Justin Turner were all out of the lineup due to injuries. Seager is a nose hair away from landing on the disabled list, Puig has a sore hamstring and knee, and Turner is banged up as well. I’ve had enough of the stupid hamstring injuries. Please somebody keep Cody Bellinger wrapped up in bubble tape.
Thankfully the Dodgers did alright on Tuesday night in the second game of the Freeway series. Kenta Maeda perhaps pitched the game of his life tossing seven scoreless frames to pick up the win. This was his longest outing of the season since May 10. The Dodger bats finally woke up in the sixth inning putting a 4-spot on the board combining a Bellinger RBI single and a three-run shot from Joc Pederson as the Dodgers beat the Angels 4-0 to even the series.
Angels 0 5 0
Dodgers 4 4 0
WP-Maeda-6-3
LP-Chavez-5-8
HR-Pederson-7
Halo’s starter Jessie Chavez another former Dodger pitched just as well as Nolasco did on Monday night. Chavez didn’t allow a hit until the bottom of the fourth inning and tossed 5.1 innings allowing just two earned runs on two hits and struck out five. He also walked four and was removed in the bottom of the sixth. The Dodgers were able to get to the Angel’s normally reliable bullpen.
The Angels had something brewing in the top of the first when Eric Young Jr. singled and appeared to steal second base. The call on the field was out, but it looked via television replays that Young had beat the throw. The Angels chose not to challenge the play and Maeda retired the next two batters.
The Angels had another little rally in the top of the fourth when Young and Yunel Escobar both singled, but a force out, a Luis Valbuena strike out, and an Andrelton Simmons grounder ended that threat. There wasn’t many against Maeda tonight.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth. Chase Utley doubled over Young’s head to start the frame. After Forsythe walked, Chris Taylor’s fly out to center advanced Utley to third. With Bellinger due up the Angels called to the bullpen and brought in left hander Jose Alvarez. Bellinger showed his true baseball IQ by slapping an opposite field ground ball single through the hole at short (The Angel’s defense was overshifted) to score Utley and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
After an Austin Barnes ground out, Joc Pederson slammed a three-run home run that just got over the wall and the leaping glove of Eric Young Jr. Mike Trout probably catches that, but he’s hurt and Young is about 5’9 instead of 6’3. Thank god. The Dodgers go up 4-0.
That was about it. Maeda looked incredibly good. He was mixing his off-speed pitches which looked sharp. He was pounding the strike zone and hitting his spots. Maeda threw seven shutout frames allowing just four hits, no walks and striking out six. Honestly this was the best He’s looked all season. The very versatile flame throwing Brandon Morrow took it the rest of the way tossing two scoreless frames and striking out one. Oh and by the way, Morrow’s ERA is 0.00. The series continues tomorrow in Anaheim as Hyun-jin Ryu toes the rubber for the Dodgers. The Angles will give the ball to right hander Alex Meyer.
The Dodgers now improve to 52-27 and could improve to 2.5 games ahead of Arizona in the NL West if the Snakes lose to Philadelphia. The Rockies are currently losing in San Francisco and would be 5.5 back if they don’t rally.
It looks like Seager is going to avoid the disabled list as Dave Roberts reported that he ran some drills and looked almost 100%. The important thing is that Seager feels great and hopefully will be back sooner than we think.
Cody Bellinger watch: The super kid was 1 for 2 with an RBI single, and two walks.
Oh and Kike did this……
Maeda was excellent. In my evaluation I see evidence of what he can accomplish with extended rest between starts, as in 6 man rotation, but I risk pushback from the non-believers by suggesting that.
“Dylan Hernandez has exactly what the Dodgers need:
Another ace, a second closer, AND an All-Star outfielder.
That’s it.” Bluto
And I agree. With the fragile starters we have I have suggested a rotation that would give them extra time off allowing them to actually be available for 5-7 innings come October. Barring an unforeseeable collapse we will be playing in October again, and it would be an advantage to have all of what Hernandez asks for so a fifth year early exit is finally avoided. My crystal balls tell me a post season rotation of Kershaw, Wood and who the hell knows won’t be enough. Another ace after Kershaw and an 8th inning pushing everyone else forward to the 5th-6th would be a nice luxury. Will it happen? Perhaps.
Bellinger is built more like Ted Williams than the rest of those guys and hopefully won’t scroinge a hammy. Even Pederson, listed at 6’1″ 225 is built more like a football player. In the old days guys trained with a lot of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and running. They didn’t bench 250, they did 250 push-ups, they didn’t squat 300, they ran the bases 300 times. I lifted weights for football, but for baseball I lifted lighter weights once a week and did what was called a baseball workout the rest of the week – 100 swings a day, 50 pickups up a day, infield reps (50 grounders) and run the bases at the the end of practice. We would have a group of runners at home, a group at second and basically race one at a time – home to second, second to home, for about 15 reps. It was similar to wind sprints at the end of football practice. The entire practice was all baseball, no weight room training. As I recall, our daily workouts were modeled after what our coach learned from Major League instructors. Today’s trainers would be wise to look at what worked, and worked much better, 50 years ago.
Glad you mentioned that about Ted Williams. I guess most of the folks here never got to see him play. In my opinion the best all around hitter there ever was. And don’t forget he lost almost 5 seasons flying Corsairs for the Marine Corps. What would his records look like with those 5 seasons added to it? Yet he never mentioned it, he had his priorities in order. Every time I see a video of Bellinger, I say to my self that he looks like Ted Williams. I mean physical appearance, not necessarily swing.
I think you are both right about Bellinger’s body type looking somewhat like Williams.
The difference I would say is that Bellinger is quicker then Williams.
But I never saw Williams play, but I have never heard he was fast.
Wasn’t DiMaggio about Bellinger’s body type, but shorter?
As athletic as Bellinger is, it seems like it is a waste, to have him being a first base men.
And I know he plays in the outfielder but that is not his main, position.
But when he fills out, he probably won’t be as quick as he is now.
The Science of Hitting should be required reading of every young player. I wonder if today’s MLB instructors have even read it?
It’s the same game played with a new set of not so subtle nuance variables. I haven’t played, or coached in years, but if I did I would do it the way I usta did – a lot of stretching, a lot of running, a lot of calisthenics and a lot of repetition. It might be different if my team was stacked with guys 6’4″ 230 pounds, but I doubt it. I only know one way to play this game and swinging for the fences wasn’t part of what l learned, nor what I taught. I hit my share of home runs swinging the same way and batting .300 with a .400 OBP. All my guys could bunt and hit behind runners. Give me 9 guys that can do that any day. That’s the way it was AND WE LIKED IT! Saber dudes can take their launch angles and shove it up their longitudinal axis.
Time for my Geritol. Where’s my walker?!!
Jonah, he actually flew jets in the Korean war. F-9 Panthers. The guy never bitched about losing those years to service. He really disliked the media, and was not into taking bows. The only time he ever tipped his cap to the fans was after his last HR in the majors. # 521. Give him those 5 years at his average HR’s during that time, he would have 185 more HR’s at least. Would have been very close to Ruth long before Aaron broke the record.
Badger
I agree with both points you made.
The only pitcher that would complain about a six man rotation is Kershaw.
And people is going to want to give Kershaw every start they can if he is pitching well, to win all the games he pitches.
They are kind of doing that anyways, but this would give the pitchers a normal routine and allow them to stay sharp, in between starts.
There has to be an answer in between what baseball players did to stay in shape years ago, and with today’s practices.
Because there were not this many injuries back when, and most of those players, played everyday.
And not every player has the same body type either, so there is not one way to get in shape anyways.
I would say right now, Joc is not in his best shape, because he appears slower or he appears not as quick with his first three or four steps.
And like I already said, any time you pull something there is an imbalance.
And if it is a player is having hammy issues, they are either over working their hammys, or they are not strengthening their quads enough, to support their
hammys.
I think Roberts knows these guys all need time off. Look how he works the DL.
They could have their six man rotation and still let Kershaw pitch every fifth day. Basically the other pitchers would have a 7 day rotation or take turns skipping a start. Look at the rotation below. Kershaw is number 1, the other 5 are whomever you want:
1-2-3-4-5-1-6-1-2-3-1-4-5-6-2-1-3-4-5-6-1-2-3-4-5-1-6-2-3-4-1-5-6-2-3-1
I think it’s workable but Bluto will probably correct me. I did not take unscheduled days into consideration. Most pitchers are amenable to having an extra day or two between starts…
I agree. I think I would show Kershaw the math that prove his numbers wouldn’t be effected the rest of the way by taking an extra day off. Again, we should win the West and without the midgets involved we should win it going away. This team’s goal is World Series or bust. A well rested Kershaw is vital if that goal is to be achieved. I still say he will be given his turn on the DL-go-round. Maybe August?
Badger
Remember I said Joc looks slower, take a look at his defensive stats, this year.
What do you think?
I can’t even figure out what that math is. My only comment on this 6 man rotation idea, is that we’re basically getting that with everyone sans Kershaw being churned on and off the DL.
Using the DL in this matter also allows the bullpen to keep the remaining 25 man spot.
I think.
Bluto
Starting pitchers like nothing more, then a having a regular routine, and that is what this would do.
And this might keep the starters sharper, then the ten day DL.
I think I agree. Not sure.
What are you basing that on MJ?
Your own thinking or something you’ve read?
I see the Cubbies have DFAed Dodger favorite, catcher Miguel Montero for criticizing Jake Arrieta. What was he thinking???? Nobody’s going to trade for him at his salary so he seems a cinch to be released. Likely someone will then sign him but not likely the Dodgers.
Jonah
Montero deserved to get released just for hitting that grand slam off Blanton, in the post season!
And now that I think about it, I am glad the Dodgers didn’t resign Blanton, for the same reason.
Not sure how many games Cody has played in but I’m guessing 54. If he has hit 24 HR in 54 games, how many is he on tract for this season in total? My math puts it a bit over 60. Is that right? Probably won’t happen but nice to think about….
Jonah
Your math sounds fine, because I believe I have heard the baseball announcers mention Cody, and the number 60, in the same sentence.
Some good stuff on FanGraphs from a recent Dave Cameron chat.
The first two are my favorites:
Matt: Most likely reason the Dodgers do NOT get to the WS: 1) Another frontline SP, 2) A dominant setup guy, or 3) Young bats regressing (Taylor, Bellinger, etc…)
~
Dave Cameron: The playoffs are mostly random
~
~
Alex: Can you see the Dodgers working a 3 team trade where they add a SP while flipping one of their many SP to another buyer?
~
Dave Cameron: I doubt it would be that complicated. I could see them doing a Ryu for someone better than Ryu deal with less control, like the Cespedes/Lester trade a few years back.
~
~
John: Would it not make more sense for the Dodgers to enter a buyer friendly 1B market (Yonder, Adams, Duda) and keep Bellinger in the OF? Only really competing with the Yankees there (for a 1B)
`
Dave Cameron: You just named three LH hitters. I think they’d prefer a RH.
~
~
primantis: I hate how the Dodgers are clearly manipulating the DL. Why aren’t the other teams complaining and getting MLB to disallow it?
12:45
Dave Cameron: Because this is the primary reason the DL was reduced to 10 days to begin with. The Dodgers previously were just doing this by optioning guys to Triple-A after starts; this is less weird than that.
~
~
BB guy: Verdugo has a 17 game hitting streak, Calhoun hit another HR yesterday. What are the Dodgers going to do about promoting them?
~
Dave Cameron: They’re going to trade them. They already have too many position players.
~
~
Sean: Why would Maeda, a well-paid, seasoned starter, stand for the quasi-swingman way he’s being used in LA?
~
Dave Cameron: “Hey, we’re going to move guys around so that we effectively have a 7 man rotation, and everyone is going to take turns making up injuries or pitching out of the bullpen. This will keep you healthy, hopefully, and you’ll get to pitch in October.”
~
~
Quinn: Re: Maeda: you make a good point, but the way Maeda’s contract is structured means he stands to lose $10 million or more each year he’s not starting; I could see him (or perhaps his agent) requesting a trade if the Dodgers don’t move him back to the rotation eventually.
~
Dave Cameron: I would imagine the Dodgers and his representatives have already talked about re-working the incentives.
Now that’s some good stuff. I agree with all of it, which is what makes it good.
Bluto
I agree with the first two statements too.
And probably most of the statements.
I have never seen such wildly enthusiastic baseball fans before.Better have someone check your pulse….