The Dodgers slept walked through last night’s game against the Rockies, and as a result, they were one-hit by a very good road pitcher. Tonight they countered with their AAA phenom, Julio Urias, who so far has been a very bad road pitcher.
Tonight, however, Urias was wearing the home whites and pitching in Chavez Ravine. Here’s what happened.
1st inning
Rockies
A single, a double, and two strike outs. Here we go!
Dodgers
Back to back walks to Chase Utley and Corey Seager.
A grooved fastball on a 2-0 pitch was sent into the bleachers by Justin Turner to give the boys a 3-0 lead.
2nd inning Dodgers 3-0
1,2,3 inning for Urias.
3rd inning Dodgers 3-0
Rockies
Nolan Arenado with an RBI double. 3-1
Urias ended the inning at five strikeouts.
4th inning Dodgers 3-1
Rockies
Urias ended at seven Ks, but a pitch count of 86. Would the skipper send him out for the fifth frame?
5th inning Dodgers 3-1
Rockies
Urias out. Louis Coleman in.
Immediate Rockies rally.
Bases loaded, and Arenado came up.
Popped him up. 2 out.
Coleman out. Adam Liberatore in.
Cargo up. K (with an assist from third base ump on the check)
Dodged a big bullet.
6th inning Dodgers 3-1
Joe Blanton in.
Job done.
7th inning Dodgers 3-1
Rockies
Blanton gave up a homer to a scrub off the bench, to make it 3-2.
With a man on third, and two out, the Dodgers went to Pedro Baez.
Baez immediately gave up a base hit and the tying run.
9th inning Tie score 3-3
Rockies
Kenley Jansen in to hold the lead. He did.
Dodgers
Trayce Thompson went BOOM! A walk off home run!
Dodgers win! 4-3
The third time (on the mound) was the charm for the teenager, Urias. He gave up one run, on four hits, and struck out seven over four innings. The trouble was it took him 86 pitches to do it. The kid was throwing a solid fastball, and his curve was working as well. Looking forward to his next start.
Urias was pulled after the fourth inning and the two run lead was left to the Dodgers bullpen, who proceeded to bleed away the lead, one run at a time. The skipper gambled on pitching Jansen in the top of the ninth, and this time it paid off.
The Dodgers won with a dramatic, walk off home run that had everyone jumping around, but one important point to note about the offense is, besides Justin Turner’s home run in the first, the Dodgers did almost nothing with the bats.
Twitter took me on after Justin Turner’s three-run home run. Of course, it was related to my article from earlier today. About that, I will say this:
1. That home run did not make me wrong about the previous two months.
2. Butler, the Rockies pitcher, was Justin Turner’s personal whipping boy. Apparently, Turner hits that guy blindfolded, and he did it again tonight.
The home run pitch was a fastball right down Broadway for Turner. It came on a 2-0 count, immediately after back to back walks to the first two batters of the game. He sure better have hit that one out.
That said, how about that Thompson kid? The Dodgers now have two walk off home runs on the season, and Trayce hit them both.
Julio Urias went 4 innings with 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 7 Ks. ERA 6.94
Home runs: Thompson, Turner
Team with RISP: 1 for 3
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.
Follow Me:
“The home run pitch was a fastball right down Broadway for Turner.
That is was. 80% of baseball is 50% mental (ask Yogi) and sometimes something like that is what it takes to snap a guy out of a slump. I can’t say that JT has snapped out yet, but maybe it’s a step. Time will tell.
Rants and Raves
The most important thing is that the Dodgers are 3 games behind the Giants.
I see Greinke is heating up – 3 hit shutout!
I keep hearing that Roberts is horrible handling pitchers including Kershaw. Imagine how good Clayton would be if Roberts wasn’t ruining him. (sarcasm)
Urias is going to be on a pitch count, like it or not. I don’t, but the organization has made that decision and again… it is purely subjective. Don’t go all psychotic…
It’s going to be hard to justify not having Thompson start every game. Andre Ethier will be back next month. There’s time for this to play out, but Puig and Pederson could be odd men out at some point.
A sane person has to question whether Chase Utley is just regressing back to what a 37 year old does or is it just a slump?
The team we see now, may not be the team we see in September.
Will they give Austin Barnes an opportunity to play a few games straight?
The Dodgers are getting Jose De Leon ready… FINALLY! Last night: 3 IP – 0 H, 0BB, 6 K’s. He was smoking!
Then Carlos Frias pitched the next 6 innings and allowed 4 hits and 1 run for OKC.
Brock Stewart is 3-3 with a 1.12 ERA at Tulsa – just sayin’
Cody Bellinger is up to .291 at AA. Could they move him another level after the break?
As I suspected, Ross Stripling is not injured. Ron Cervanka has a worthy read about it: http://www.thinkbluela.com/index.php/2016/06/07/friedman-ross-stripling-will-definitely-rejoin-dodgers-this-year/
This just in: Ray Charles reports that he can see Julio Urias is something special!
Mark
It looks physical with Turner, because he is behind on average fastballs, at times. And your right about the ball being right down the middle of the plate.
And almost any big leaguer, could smack that pitch.
Turner had an edge physicalogically with the pitcher, because Turner was hitting 700 against him. Maybe it is Turner’s eye sight.
Yes they are building up De Leon’s pitch count right now!
Mark
When will they start having Urias pitch into the seventh and eighth inning, so he is facing the order, the third time around?
Because that is when he will really start learning to pitch.
Congrats to the kid! Just lower the pitch count.
Got to give FAZ credit for something done right….Thompson has been a great pickup.
Yes, we must give FAZ credit for that one. But he still has a bunch of bad deals against him.
He sounded great, but how did he look?
Of course this will come across negative but my observations now after 3 starts.
I had heard that the kid (Urias) lives in the high 90’s. That is not the case. His most consistent fastball is 93. Far cry from 98. It also appears that when he over throws his fastball (hitting 94 mph) it sails high out of the strike zone. He has a good hard slider but will need to be able to throw it for a strike on a consistent basis. His arm motion is slower when throwing off speed pitches (change-up and curve) of which is going to be a give away once tape is out.
He has talent and being 19 can assume that there is opportunity to improve the fastball, throw the slider for strikes and correct his delivery on off -speed pitches. If he does not, than he will be just another pedestrian major league pitcher.
But what have the player development people been watching while he’s been pitching in the organization. None of this is new. Evidently Ray Charles holds the position of player development with the Dodgers.
Well it has been a case of the blind leading the blind up there in the FO.
Good one Michael!
Chili
They had an article on Urias, and Honeycutt, said he believed that Urias would throw harder.
Honeycutt said because Urias has really filled out, with the body of a man, that he thought Urias will be able to throw harder.
Because he is begining to be much stronger.
It’s negative if you base a conclusion deliberately off of a faulty assumption. I’ve never read anywhere that his fastball “lives in the high 90s.” “Touches” maybe, but every scouting report I’ve read for him indicates a fastball with good life and a fluid delivery that “sits” in the low to mid 90s.
The player development people in the organization are apparently blind for allowing a pedestrian pitcher to rise up in the organization. It’s yet another example of the sheer incompetence of FAZ that permeates the entire organization from top to bottom. Everything FAZ touches in any way is tainted and suspect. Everything about the Dodgers just sucks and it’s going to suck forever and Kershaw’s going to leave…and so on and so on.
I suggest you go read a whole bunch of independent scouting reports on Urias. Ben Badler is a good place to start. There’s also a recent analysis on Fangraphs……yeah, that’s that nerdy sabregeek site. It might hurt your eyes to look at that.
DP-
If you can read….(and hopefully it won’t hurt your brain to think.)
By Jeff Passan July 13, 2014 9:49 PM Yahoo Sports
MINNEAPOLIS – He’s 17 years old. That’s what gets everyone. It’s not Julio Urias’ 97-mph fastball, which is unforgettable because he fires it left-handed.
From another article written by David Hood 2/25/15…..
Urias showed velocity as high as 97 mph in a shorter stint (in this case the Future’s Game), though the pitch isn’t likely to make a significant jump from its present point as he ages (more on this later).
Another article written 2/23/15 in Phoenix written by Dylan Hernandez…..
The left arm unleashes 98-mph fastballs and has made the baby-faced Mexican teenager one of the top prospects in baseball.
Top Prospects: Julio Urias, LHP, Dodgers
2016 MLB.com Top Prospects: Julio Urias possesses plus or better stuff across the board with a lively fastball that can reach 97 mph
Do you need for me to reference more?
Even Mark had mentioned that Urias threw 98.
If you actually read my comment…..which at this point not sure you’re capable….When did I conclude anything?
Said that his fastball isn’t overpowering at 93. He needs to be able to throw his slider for strikes and he gives away his off speed pitches. Sorry, my observations after 3 starts. That’s why everyone (well actually just one guy as too many people telling you what to do is too much) should be vested in the young man. But they should be vested in all of their top prospects. It has already been stated that he was getting a lot of calls in the minors that he is not getting. Player development? His delivery is the same now as it was in the minors….player development? I didn’t mention FAZ once when referring to player development. That’s not on FAZ. Someone holds those jobs. Where have they been?
Do you know how many pitchers throw 93 mph? It’s much more than half.
So what pitch do all of these independent scouting reports say will be his out pitch in the Bigs? Please tell me.
It took me about a minute after using the Google keywords “julio urias scouting report” to find all the information I need (I skimmed through four articles that said the same thing). I’m not going to summarize them for you. Do your homework.
Passan and Hernandez are not scouts. Read carefully the other two description of his velocity.
Lots of pitchers throw 93. Kershaw’s fastball is typically 93. He must be pretty average…..or there are other factors that go into pitching at the major league level.
Urias throwing 94 does not indicate a problem. His velocity didn’t decline from 98. He doesn’t need to increase his velocity.
Stop making stuff up to complain about
Good for the kid. Was a nice job. Not going to beat the dead horse about too many pitches in such a short span. But unlike Mark, I agree with the pitch count limitations. Have seen too many good young arms ruined by over work. He is only 19. Pitchers of today are not like the ones I watched as a kid. They were true work horses, and they usually finished what they started. They also made a hell of a lot less money. Urias right now as a rookie is making more money than Koufax or Drysdale ever made in a season. Pitchers and all players now are an investment. Ruining your investment for the entertainment of your fans is bad business. And baseball is a business. There is less loyalty, more player movement, and less interaction with the fans than in years past. I love the game and I love the team. But baseball was a lot more fun back then. Now it gives you heartburn. I have never seen so many injuries. Mediocre players make unreal amounts of money. And fans pay through the nose to go to a game. Remember when Dodger games were on free TV? Now you have to purchase the service. It is all about the cash these days. So when they hold back a kid from over work, I can see the reason. By next year, he will be going deeper in games. But for now, be satisfied that you get to watch his development.
Michael
But we could never watch every game on TV back then, so there is a trade off, there.
When the Dodgers moved west, you got 11 games a year on TV. The 11 road games with the Giants. That dropped to 9 after the expansion. I went in the Army in 65, so the only games I got were the games of the week on NBC. When I got out in 74 I still only saw maybe a game a week. In the 80’s the Dodgers started broadcasting maybe 50 a year, which to me at the time was heaven. But remember this MJ, even when I got out of the Army in 74, it only cost 2.00 to sit in the pavilion. Parking was 2.00, a Dodger Dog 1.50, those frozen chocolate malts were a buck. Today a reserved seat in nosebleed territory is over 30 dollars…the pavilions are over 40…parking is 20……so you are out almost 70 bucks before you go in. Trade off> ?? I think it is the shaft, a family of 4 in general admission is out 140 before they park or get snacks….
Oh and by the way….I pay 109.00 a year to get the Dodgers on MLB.com. I also get every other MLB game from the comfort of my own home….the trade off for me is that national games carried by ESPN I do not get until they are over, and I do not get the Rockies-Dodger games because I live in Colorado
Michael N. Norris–I note that you mention that you only get the ESPN games after they are over. I live in Costa Rica and, of course, all games are out of the market area for me plus none of the ESPN games are delayed here. Like you, I pay $109 for the year.
Michael
I could get box seat, by the foul pole for four dollars and fifty cents, in 79 and in the early 80s. That was when the Dodgers touted that they had the cheapest tickets in baseball.
You sound like you are about my brothers age. He was 16 in 65, and he went to nam too. But I think he went a little later then you did. That parking situation is so out of hand.
I am 68. In Dec of 65 I joined the army. I used to buy loge seats for 8 bucks. I loved it up there. That was where I was sitting in 81 during Fernando’s start against the Expos in the playoff. Parking is ridiculous, and that all started with McCourt. But souvenir’s, and food is just as bad. 5.50 for a Dodger Dog, Garlic fries are 9 bucks……for a guy on SSA, way too much money for my blood. I do go to Coor’s field when the Dodgers are here in Colorado. I was behind home plate that game they came back and scored 5 in the 9th, and in LF the game before when Maeda pitched. The bleacher seats were 16 dollars.
Trayce Thompson should be playing everyday period. If Joc Pederson does not turn it around soon, Trayce is a good replacement. With Ethier on the horizon, Kike, Kendrick, SVS able to man LF, and Puig slated back in a week or two, the team has plenty of options. They are a team of multi-positional players. Seager and Gonzo are pretty much the only 2 guys locked into their position. Room for improvement? Oh yeah, especially at catcher.
Grandal and Puig for Lucroy and Braun, money as needed…
I would want to negotiate an extension with Lucroy before making the trade.
You are dreaming bud. They are not going to trade for Braun’s contract and a 25 year old OF for a guy in his 30’s Trading for Lucroy would be smart, but not for Braun and his reduced skills.
You did say this:
Michael N. Norris says:
June 8, 2016 at 8:07 am
Well it has been a case of the blind leading the blind up there in the FO.
I did, and I see your point, but not sure Wagner would sign off on adding payroll when they are basically eating close to 50 million on two guys plus all the wasted cash on the DL…but you might be right…..still think it is a no brainer not to happen….besides, Grandal is Fried Brains fair haired boy….
Always keep P T barnum in mind when considering what people might or might not do.
Wondering
Yes there is a sucker born everyday.
This is the quote I had in mind: “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”
But I find out it wasn’t Barnum but H L Mencken who said it. That’s life….
Got that right, Mets traded for Kelly Johnson…..AGAIN!
I was wondering should have Howie made a better play on that ball that hit the wall, against Urias?
I didn’t see that really good. If Grandal’s throw would have been lower, they would have got that runner at second, and no runs, would have scored against Urias.
Here’s video, you make the call…
http://m.mlb.com/col/video/topic/8877456/v787657483/collad-arenado-hits-a-long-double-to-plate-lemahieu/?c_id=col
Wondering thanks!
I thought that ball was hit higher off the wall, but it wasn’t. I bet a good outfielder might have had a chance, but it was hit hard.
That ball that was hit to Utley was really hit hard, and it jumped up, at the last minute.
An experienced OF which Howie is not, might have made that play, but even Ethier, who is LH would have had a hard time timing the ball which was hit pretty hard. Give Arrenado credit. He crushed that pitch…
He sure did. I think I only questioned that, because Howie was out there, and got turned around a little, on that ball.
Very happy for Julio…Showing a lil improvement every start and now if he would get rid of that damn dip between his cheek n gums…
I’m always looking in the rear view mirror at Tulsa especially when my Blue is struggling and that is one helluva roster… As MT noted and I’ll add, the kids are clambering for recognition and a spot…
The crowd was pretty excited last night at the game in support of Urias. The 7 k’s didn’t hurt that whatsoever! As with any rookie in his first few starts, don’t look at results or the box score, look at the flashes of elite talent. With him, there’s many flashes. Now as he grows and puts it all together, we’ll see better results.
There was a comment on the last thread about the 2016 payroll being down $85mil from the 2015 payroll. While that statement is true, it’s quite misleading. The payroll of the team on the field in 2016 isn’t much lower than the payroll of the team on the field in 2015. The majority of the difference is we’re not paying as much money to guys not on the team, like Kemp, Haren, Dee, Brian Wilson, etc. That’s dead money weight that came off.
Obviously Greinke’s salary coming off the books was big, but that was also replaced a bit by Maeda and Kazmir. Turner did get a raise. I believe Howie is paid less this year than last year. Rollins salary is gone, and replaced by a rookie’s salary.
It’s fun to bash the front office at times, but please do it with complete facts and not misleading statements in an attempt to prove a point. I believe we’re still a top 2-3 payroll, if not the actual top payroll.
The highlights I saw showed a lot of swings and misses on fast balls sailing high out of the strike zone. The Rockies are one of the best hitting clubs around, and for them to swing that way indicates that the ball has movement that speed doesn’t show. Of course, if they didn’t swing ,they would be called balls. 86 pitches in 4 innings isn’t good. At 12 batters, that’s 7+ per batter. I know there were a few hits ,etc thrown in, but still a lot of pitches. He does have swagger, though. I don’t know if that’s good. He should take a quieter approach, but what 19 yr old does? Maybe Kershaw. He reminds me of Kid Fernandez of the Marlins in his approach. Not bad. Just no Tommy John, please. I also noticed that he has that pudgy Fernando look. I hope weight won’t be an issue. BTW can we grab a hitting coach from the Rockies? All of those guys can swing the bat. Smart hitters, with some power. Another BTW: the Phillies have 2-3 young pitchers having more success than Urias. They use the curveball a lot. Pitching with no expectations has to be easier. The closer leads MLB, I think, in saves.
Michael Norris
Kudos to you for hammering away at the current state of baseball which is mediocrity on the field and exorbitant prices to see it. What happened?
Being retired happened. When I go home to LA to visit family, we try to get to at least 2 or 3 games. Now usually there are 4 of us. Brother, sister, and My nephew, or one of the aunts. For a premium game, you pay close to 50 bucks up in general admission. That is 200 dollars right there. Of course we split the cost on treats, and buy our own souvenir’s. That is one reason we like going on a night there is a giveaway. Usually the bobble heads. I have a pretty good collection now. Sometimes you can get a parking pass when you buy online at a reduced rate, but not all the time. Last year we decided to go see the Dodgers high A team in Rancho Cucamonga. I highly recommend it. It cost 13 dollars for a box seat right behind home plate. The kids play hard, and it was a great experience, and there was FREE PARKING
Nobody bit on Alex Guerrero (Sorry about that) so he can sign with any other club now (or even the Dodgers for that matter) for league minimum. Someone will probably sign him. I assume that since his contract stipulations have been fulfilled, he is off the rosters and his salary is guaranteed, the Dodgers could sign him to AAA. I think that would be a good move on both their parts.
Why? He has no position. He belongs in the AL where he can DH. The Dodgers have a GLUT of infielders, and he cannot play the OF worth crap….cut the cord and let him go..he was a bust.