No Dodgers game tonight, so let’s enjoy a quick Youtube video.
Inside: Updates on Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier rehabs. Adrian Gonzalez returns to the team this weekend, and Joc Perderson is in trouble.
Beer review: From 10 barrel Brewing (San Diego, CA) raspberry sour Crush.
Enjoy and please remember to hit the “Like” button.
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:
There is an interesting article on Dodgers Way. Should Puig win the comeback player of the year?
Personally I think Wood should win
YF
I think Wood would deserve it more, because he came back from being injured last year, and had to fight his way back.
And his stats for a starting pitcher, are good enough for him, to win the ERA title, if he can get the innings in.
In his last game if he would have been allowed to pitch an out in the eighth, he would have had the innings in, to qualify.
But since we are being careful with our pitchers, he probably wont qualify for the ERA title.
Wood has much superior stats then he had last year.
And Puig’s problem last year, was more an attitude problem, because he wasn’t doing the work, he was supppse to do.
And Puig’s batting average, is not that much better, then what it was last year.
The biggest difference in Puig’s stats, are because he has been able to stay in the field this year, so he was able to play in more games and get more at bats, to hit more HRs, and have more RBIs.
In those two previous years, he went out twice in one year for a hammy problem, and last year he went on the DL once, for another hammy problem.
And part of the work Puig wasn’t doing last year, was the stretching he was suppose to do, to avoid having hammy issues..
Wood has to be in the Cy Young discussion as well, doesn’t he? Wood has an awesome record, low ERA, picking up the ball every fifth day all season long, and looks like he may finally need to shave in 6 years.
To poster in last blog, Taylor isn’t a rookie, so no ROY discussion.
In Popeye cartoons, was Bluto also referred to as Dumb Asshole? Brutus just seems to be more fitting for our Dumb Assshole in here.
Hey True, Why the nasty name calling? Nobody does it to you so why are you doing it here? Especially to Bluto. He seems to take the high road.
Hey Scott, Might it be time to some counseling.
This crap is not appropriated
Then just pay attention, Tim, you obviously have not been reading here too long. Or else you are trying to be funny, I love “seems to be taking the high road”, unless you are making a drug reference.
Brutus has deserved to have the scab picked at, trust me.
I have no beef with you Tim and let’s keep it that way. In that spirit, I will back off of Brutus (unless he proves worthy of it again). There how do you like that Tim, bet you didn’t see that coming.
True Blue,
I have no beef with you at all. I just hate the personal attacks with the name calling. A little ribbing here and there keeps it lively and us no our toes. The nastiness went away when Timmons left. Let’s keep it that way.
Trust me I have been reading here a long time. Maybe I just skip over the personal attacks and i just see the name calling. Either way you guys can work it out.
Kewl with me.
No keep up with the expletives and homophobia.
Good on you for that.
Some guys just can’t stand to get along. Way to go Brutus, you are consistent at least.
There ya go Jeff, now you can see what I was talking about.
UGH. Let’s all get together and have a beer. Oscar is in charhe
Drinking alcohol in uniform Oscar? It’s a violation of the UCMJ. At least it used to be. There are a lot of usta be’s.
I doubt a cartoon ever referred to a character as an asshole. I agree with Tim about Bluto. We sometimes disagree but I don’t find him to behave badly. Every now and then an ass does visit, but it ain’t him.
Ethier didn’t play yesterday. Looks like AGon didn’t either. Wonder why?
Tim Locastro is tearing up AAA. Batting .488 in his last 10, .389 for the year. I saw him at short in ST, he looked good. Not much power but with that average his OPS is high. He’s playing second base there and I’m sure he’s pretty good at it. Wonder what the plans for him might be.
Badger
That sounds like a pretty good rule!
Since we don’t want our men in uniform, acting out badly, and that rule would save many soldiers from getting themselves into trouble, by being in their uniforms.
They said that Agone would be joining the team in Detroit, but I don’t know about today, but he should be there, this weekend for sure.
True behave yourself, just because someone is different, that isn’t a bad thing.
That makes it more interesting on this site.
Badger
Ethier is going to continue his rehab, on the Dodgers AA team, the drillers.
Locastro has speed too! 30SB. Not to mention his ability to get HBP (30 as well).
IT’s a great 30/30 mark.
Locastro is 24, and I have read that while there are some 25 year olds in Triple-A that will make impacts on their respective teams, few significantly older should be considered prospects.
Hopefully Locastro gets some run next year. I wonder if the 60 will do him in this year.
I think he was acquired from Toronto for International Signing Space (I could be wrong) if that is right, then it’s another clever use of the Dodgers financial advantage (under the old system.)
Bluto
Stop reading while you are still sane!
You are not going to like the latest news!
What?
Oscar giving off the Hawaiian vibe complete with puka shell necklace and beaded bracelet. Enjoy, Oscar, if you like that beer, the second and third will be even better.
I would bet that Puka shells might have been the in thing, when Oscar was in high school.
I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and going with the Hawaiian vibe.
I had a puka necklace – in ’74 I think. It didn’t look like that. I think real puka shells are uncommon now.
Badger
I did too, and that I why I said that!
I guess the brain is out too, thankfully!
https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-los-angeles-dodgers
Badger
I saw that too, it is going to be interesting to see what happens.
Around and stuff:
Old friend Jharel Cotton’s most recent outing is representative of his season. Good, bad and the ugly. After a bad first two innings that saw him give up two runs, Cotton seemed to get back on track. The rookie’s changeup that seemed to be missing over the past month had returned to form. What transpired in the sixth was just plain ugly as Cotton’s run of good pitching lasted a grand total of three innings when he then he gave up a grand slam to Cam Gallagher.
Cotton has allowed four runs or more in nine of his 18 starts this season as he fell to 5-10 with his ERA ballooning to 5.92.
Schebler was activated today after a DL and rehab stint.
Jose Peraza worked on a swing tweak with the Reds hitting coach and is 20-for-53 (.377) with a .419 on-base percentage, seven RBI and seven runs through his past 18 games.
One time fan trade target Mike Leake has really fallen on hard times:
A year after posting a 9-12 record with a career-high 4.69 ERA, Leake is 7-11 with a respectable 3.88 ERA. His ERA is quite deceiving, though, because he has not been decent since May. He started the season with nine consecutive quality starts, posting a 5-2 record and 1.91 ERA in that span. Over the next 15 starts, though, he has only four quality starts. He was 1-3 with a 4.30 ERA in June, 1-3 with a 4.76 ERA in July and 0-2 with an 8.80 ERA in August. He gave up eight runs in 4 1/3 innings Tuesday night in the loss against Boston after giving up four runs in five innings in his previous start.
Leake has a no-trade clause and, even worse for the Cardinals, three years and $53 million remaining on the five-year, $80 million contract the team gave him after the 2016 season.
The great Eric Longenhagen has an updated top 10 Dodgers prospect list:
1. Walker Buehler, RHP
2. Alex Verdugo, OF
3. Yadier Alvarez, RHP
4. Yusniel Diaz, OF
5. Jeren Kendall, OF
6. Mitch White, RHP
7. Starling Heredia, OF
8. Will Smith, C
9. Keibert Ruiz, C
10. Dustin May, RHP
FanGraphs also had a nice writeup on LoCastro in their Fringe Five:
Tim Locastro, 2B/OF, Los Angeles NL (Profile)
Locastro first appeared among the Five in July of 2015, shortly after having been traded to the Dodgers from Toronto in exchange for an international bonus-pool slot. At the time, he was much more fringe than prospect. The infielder had been selected in the 13th round of the 2013 draft out of leafy Ithaca College, a school whose most recent major leaguer, Glen Cook, recorded 40.0 innings and a -0.7 WAR in 1985, a year that marked not only his rookie campaign but also his final season. Whatever its virtues, in other words, Ithaca hasn’t proven much as a “baseball factory.”
Locastro, for his part, has proven to be a pretty useful ballplayer. The combination of contact skills and defensive ability that first earned him a place among the Five remain. Currently, however, he’s exhibiting them not for Division III school or Cal League team but rather the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate. In 82 appearances for Oklahoma City, he’s produced walk and strikeout rates of 6.1% and 13.4%, respectively, plus a .181 isolated-power figure and 10-for-11 stolen-base record. The 168 wRC+ mark he’s posted would place second of all qualified Triple-A batters — ahead, for example, of power-hitting Rhys Hoskins, who was just basically given Philadelphia’s left-field job. Despite sliding a bit down the positional spectrum as he’s ascended minor-league levels, Locastro appears capable of still providing positive defensive value.
Leake cost two teams quite a bit.
The Giants traded one of their top outfielding prospects for Leake.
And that prospect has had two good seasons, for the Reds, if he is still hitting well.
He would have been a much better addition to play leftfield for the Giants, but I just can’t remember his name right now.
And that no trade contract handcuffs the Cardinals.
Although Leake was better last year, but the Cards defense was not very good.
Hey Oscar which is better: this raspberry beer or that gluten free one which you said also had a fruity taste?
Reality check on our starting pitching, after recent observances:
Darvish is not our #2 and Hill is not our #3. ONce Kershaw returns and we must realize and admit the legitimate role of Wood.
1 Kershaw
2 Wood
3 Darvish
4 Hill or Ryu (Ryu has been much more dominant as of late, Hill looking very hitable and walking way too many, I just don’t trust him for the big time show in post season.)
Welcome back, Gonzo.
Gonzo at first base translates to O’Foc on the bench. Tonight’s tinkered with lineup is a small taste of what will come this post season.
Damn, I just love Chris Taylor, that boy is a ball player, thru and thru. Put him wherever you want and he will get the job done. Hell, he probably could take Hill’s spot or one of our bullpenners.
You know why guys like Fields and Hatcher wear those beards? They’re afraid Dodger fans will recognize them out of the stadium….
Jonah
Good one!
I like this lineup. Forsythe after AGon is smart. Forsythe is not slow and they are giving better pitches to him in hopes of a GIDP. Although not getting good pitches wasn’t Forsythe’s problem but never mind. Best thing is Joc batting ninth means he’s benched if it’s a NL game.
YF
Ever since Forsythe stopped trying to over work his counts, he has hit .
I mentioned previously that Forshyte took way too many pitches and many called third strikes. He has finally started to actually start looking to get hits and shazaam what do you know, he is hitting. Funny how that happens
True
That was so obvious with Forsythe, but the more his batting average went down, I think he was trying to get walks, but it is good to see him start hitting.
Wow. What a great sacrifice fly.
Gonzalez’s first AB was something to believe in.
Forsythe playing well. Get Joc or Grandal going next?!?!!!?