Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler has pitched his way into the club’s rotation for the foreseeable future, manager Dave Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and other reporters Saturday (Twitter link). Although Buehler is a past Tommy John surgery recipient who hasn’t yet thrown 100 innings in a professional season, his workload isn’t the Dodgers’ primary concern at the moment. “Right now we need to win games,” Roberts said of a potential innings limit for Buehler, who has combined for 29 between the majors and minors in 2018. The 23-year-old Buehler is regarded as one of the game’s elite pitching prospects, and he has lived up to the hype during his first three major league starts this season. Not only has Buehler tossed 16 innings of 1.13 ERA ball with 10.69 K/9 and 3.94 BB/9, but he was on the hill for the first six frames of the Dodgers’ combined no-hitter against the Padres on Saturday. His emergence has been especially timely for an LA team that just lost starter Hyun-Jin Ryu until the second half of the season.
- Buehler and three relievers combined to fan 13 hitters Saturday, thus contributing to the Padres’ league-high strikeout rate (27.3 percent) and second-worst swinging-strike percentage (12.6). Padres manager Andy Green has seen just about enough, as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune relays. “It’s well-known that we’ve punched out way too much,” Green said. “We’re at a point in time with hitters here where your opportunity will pass you by if you don’t make an adjustment and start putting the ball in play. The opportunity will start going to somebody else. We’ll continue to churn if we can’t get the job done.” Thanks in part to their swing-and-miss ways, the Padres are off to an 11-22 start – their worst since 2012, notes Acee, who suggests they could soon promote high-end middle infield prospect Luis Urias. The 20-year-old Urias, who has slashed .298/.416/.417 in 101 Triple-A plate appearances this season, would perhaps give San Diego’s offense a much-needed jolt.
- Giants closer Mark Melancon threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Saturday and then informed reporters (including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) that he’s aiming to return from the 60-day disabled list May 25, when he’s first eligible (Twitter link). Melancon hasn’t pitched at all this season, the second of a four-year, $62MM deal, on account of a flexor strain in his right elbow. Nevertheless, the Giants’ bullpen has fared better statistically than it did in 2017, and fill-in closer Hunter Strickland has performed respectably in Melancon’s place.
- Diamondbacks righty Kris Medlen had an ugly outing Friday in his first major league outing since 2016, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits and four walks in a loss to the Astros. The veteran lost his 25-man roster spot Saturday when the D-backs optioned him to Triple-A in favor of righty Braden Shipley, per a team announcement. Fortunately for Arizona, whose rotation will go without Robbie Ray (oblique strain) for several weeks and Taijuan Walker (Tommy John surgery) for the rest of the year, an intriguing reinforcement is making progress. Righty Shelby Miller, who’s on the mend from the TJ surgery he underwent last year, could pitch in an extended spring training game next week, manager Torey Lovullo told Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic and other reporters Saturday. Miller threw live batting practice Friday – and that went “very, very good,” per Lovullo – and is slated for a bullpen session Tuesday.
Malencon has an opt-out at the end of this season. If he pitches half the season respectfully, do you see him opting out of the $14M annually 2019-2020 (2 years $28M) after this
Not a chance
No
Nope.
No, the market for relievers cratered this last season, and Melancon is damaged goods anyway.. I would honestly be surprised if any reliever gets a payday like his anytime soon.
Pretty sure miller, kimbrel and possibly a few others make a run at 30M+ next year
Chapman got 17.2 AAV, $86 million guaranteed.
Jansen got 16 AAV, and $80 million guaranteed.
Right now, these are still the 2 deals to beat, for Miller, Kimbrel, and possibly other elites.
They can “make a run” all they want, none of them are getting even close to $30M though.
Wade Davis got 17AAV as well. I think Kimbrel will top all three, probably back in Boston. Miller is tough to judge, since he is neither a starter nor a closer, but he is obviously a great reliever. I think he will end up around 15 AAV, unless the Angels get antsy and want to spend money.
I left out Wade Davis because his guaranteed $$ was nowhere near the other two— who both got 5 years — rarity for Relievers — & player opt-outs after 2019.
If Davis’ fourth year vesting option vests, he’d make $66M over 4 years. Davis is a tier below Chapman and Jansen (when Jansen was FA)
Wade Davis got 3/52. I don’t see how the hell the market cratered for relievers. Guys like tommy hunter got 2/18. Melancon isn’t going to opt out because he’s been hurt or not very effective with Giants. Not because of the lack of a market for relievers.
catering Or catered is what he meant to say. RP got paid early in the offseason and often
“We’ll continue to churn if we can’t get the job done.”
This comment is why Green is such a bad manager. In the majors, in baseball at any level, you don’t churn, you teach. These guys were all successful or they wouldn’t be there. Everyone goes through a slump. It is how the manager approaches the slump that teaches confidence. He is creating a bad culture in his organization. The biggest question to me is how long will the ownership put up with his mismanagement of those players?
Yet the D-Backs Have one of the best records in the game, thus rendering your comment obsolete
Yet he manages the Padres.
Baker the scolder gets scalded.
I’ll admit I was a fan of the Green hire at first. I like teams giving young managers a shot to prove themselves. But he seems to be wound too tight. That team is going to need someone in the mold of a Hinch or Boone. Maybe someone like a Josh Bard, once he’s put in some more time as a bench coach, would be a good option for the Pads. But they’ll probably botch the next manager hire too.
In the mold of Boone? Jessica Mendoza is available.
I hated the green hiring
I was pissed they extended him; instead of grabbing asmus
Yeah it’s getting ridiculous with the sheer lack of plate discipline amongst the entire team. I thought when they hired that new hitting coach who preached a “high-OBP” approach it would help with these problems, but so far it’s been a disaster. Is nobody listening or does Green just not care? They look like AA guys out there swinging at pitches in the dirt.
To be fair, what managers say to the media isn’t particularly instructive, and Green isn’t the hitting coach.. And also, generally when a player reaches the major leagues he should be relatively close to a finished product, so the problem is systemwide. The prospects, in the majors and otherwise, are still really young, and plate discipline can increase with age, at least a bit. But yeah, they swing and miss a lot, even for young major-leaguers and the problem isn’t any better in the minors. As a person who played baseball until high school because I couldn’t lay off a breaking pitch, I can’t fathom how hard a skill this is to learn at the professional level. Most players who come into the league with poor walk rates generally never get great, although many do improve.
It doesn’t help that the two hitters they have with the best plate discipline – at least as far as drawing walks – aren’t playing right now, although Myers strikes out a lot too.
The two players they have with the best plate discipline are Hosmer and Headley. Both are playing, although Headley is nothing more than a PH.
The major league manager establishes the hitting philosophy of the organization. That was why he hired his friend to be his hitting coach.
Coredo has cleaned it up some bit renfroe is number 1 for the worst
The major league manager is an administrator. The hitting “philosophy” of an organization is established by a much larger cohort of people on the field and in the front office. They then have to hire a manager with buy-in. Green isn’t Connie Mack or something. Managers don’t control anything as much as you think.
And some teams are actually calling the shots from iPads. That moneyball thing.
Yeah, I don’t understand why they aren’t just using an abacus or something. Damn technology.
No, the majors isn’t about learning, it’s about refining. Learning fundamentals of baseball is minor league stuff – Greens job is to get the most out of the major league team.
Fact is, he’s been dealt a dud hand by Management who have failed to put together a competitive product.
You refine what players do by teaching regardless of the level. That is what coaching is. If you can’t help them refine their craft, then you are not a coach.
His comment that he will keep churning is the antithesis of coaching. It tells me that he has no clue how to find the coaches to teach the skills or to instill the confidence necessary to play at that level.
If you are churning, you are losing.
What I find interesting is that you think that a team that added Hosmer, Galvis, Headley, Ellis, and has an emerging Villanueva, Pirela, and Cordero, somehow has been dealt a dud hand. That is a good lineup that is being mismanaged.
Wait, did you just imply Galvis is a positive addition?
Very little teaching goes on in the majors according to just about every colour guy you ever hear on tv.
Left field: you are out of it. They hired a new batting coach who helped the Phillies last year. He will get fired before Andy. How can you blame the manager because paid professionals can’t put the bat on the ball? Ridiculous.
This is what I’m thinking will be the likely outcome if things don’t get any better. They’ll fire yet another hitting coach and will look for another one this offseason. I believe they have an assistant hitting coach as well, so maybe he’ll get shown the door too, or reassigned somewhere else.
Or, even better, a top-down evaluation of the entire system with an eye to where the breakdown in teaching is being missed or if different levels are not on the same page with regards to the way to do things. It can be tough, in the low minors the goal is instruction and as you move up the ladder those teams are trying to compete for fans and pennants too.
Stairs is Green’s friend and his handpicked hitting coach. His success or failure is Green’s responsibility and I am sure that ownership will hold Green to the fire over the team’s lack of hitting and pitching. Ultimately it is his responsibility.
You’ve looked at the pitching staff, right? The 1939 Yankees couldn’t compete if they had the current Padres pitching. When your staff ace is a junkballing lefty who was almost out of baseball a couple years ago there’s not much to work with.
It is not entirely his fault, but if you are a manager, you should help your players adjust their swing or something to help them get on base more. You can’t just say “if you get out, we’ll keep churning” and expect players to improve. You need to be able to work with your struggling players, especially with such a young roster that is only beginning the end stage of a rebuild, competing. If you are a manager, you need to be able to do more than write a lineup card.
Buehler………Buehler………..Buehler…….
Kid was throwing gas last night.
It’s tough being a Padres fan sometimes…
I like and feel that Andy will do a great job once the “rebuild” is in full effect but I don’t think he’ll last that long. Honestly at some point people get tired of losing. The poor guy has been delt a terrible hand and the garbage pitching staff doesn’t help. I’m on board with the current roster minus a couple guys. My main take away is either fully commit to the tank or try and win. But trying to win with that staff is ridiculous. It’s just frustrating.
I like the Padres as much as the next fellow but aren’t we spending an inordinate amount of time on this truly terrible team?
Where were you when people spent weeks talking about the Marlins?
If Melancon had any dignity, he would retire now before he humiliates himself and infuriates the fans any further. If Bochy has any sense, he will let Strickland continue as the closer as long as he performs well and only use Melancon in very low leverage situations. I don’t expect any of that to happen.
You would walk away from 50 million dollars rather than continue to try to help your team win? That’s…odd. Obviously Melancon isn’t going to retire and he’s trying to get back to health. His arm or shoulder might be shot, and at that point the Giants will have to make a decision, but who knows; he’s been written off before and they have enough invested in him that they may as well see what he has left.
It seems like Melancon was broken from day 1. 1st game as a Giant Bum pitches near flawless, hits a home run and what happens in the 9th? Blown save. He has never been “right” as a Giant. I was happy when he signed, then I looked deeper into him. Soft tossing (for a closer) the years and money… I wish him the best, for him and the team, but not holding my breath.
The sooner the Giant’s find an effective closer to replace Strickland the better.