The Dodgers have gone almost the entire season without superstar slugger Cody Bellinger, but it appears he’s making progress in his recovery from a hairline fracture in his left leg. The former MVP has begun running, as he posted on Instagram on Monday (h/t: David Vassagh of AM 570 LA Sports). As Vassagh notes, that seems to indicate he’s closing in on a return.
The Dodgers haven’t gotten any contributions from Bellinger since April 5, and while they fared swimmingly without him for a few weeks, they’ve been mired in a downward spiral of late. Since beginning the season a white-hot 13-2, the reigning World Series champions have dropped 15 of 20 to fall to 18-17 and 2 1/2 games back of the National League-leading Giants. While Los Angeles has received great production from Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor, who have filled in for Bellinger in center field, they’ll certainly be thrilled to add the latter back into their lineup when he’s ready.
Bellinger opened this season just 4-for-19 over 21 plate appearances, but there’s no reason to believe he won’t rebound if he’s healthy. The 25-year-old has put up tremendous numbers since debuting in 2017, and after starting off slowly in 2020, he went on a second-half tear to help LA to a title.
I cant believe anyone is down on this team. they will be fine.
Exactly. No one can convince me that a team with this abundance of talent won’t be able to win that division/be around .500 all year. They are the most talented team I’ve seen in recent history and I don’t think there’s anyway this type to slide continues but baseball is a strange sport so I guess who really knows.
A team is as good as the record dictates, no matter the collection of talent. It all has to gel. And have a little luck.
See Minnesota Twins…
So a team that’s 0-1 is doomed? They play 162 let’s let some time pass
I’d be concerned if the Padres ran away with the division. The Giants aren’t real contenders
Honestly, If the Padres were gonna run away. They’d be gone by now. LA has been injured riddled and playing like crap for 3 weeks. They’ve had the shot. At this point la has to feel confident they just need to get healthy and stay close
Yeah and it remains to be seen if San Diego can sustain it over 162. If Hosmer, Cronenworth, Profar and Myers all regress to their career norms, that line-up isn’t too intimidating
Even if you think those guys will regress the Padres can still sustain success over 162 games. Guys like Machado, Profar, and Pham have all underperformed this year, so if regression happens then the Padres should be fine. Plus, the Padres have top prospects in the minors that could be called up in case the major league team struggles.
Why pretend that only the Dodgers have injury setbacks? The Padres and Giants have dealt with injuries as well, but the excuses seem to only come from Dodger fans, who, up until now, have claimed their team is so deep (payroll deep) they’re injury-proof.
“ Plus, the Padres have top prospects in the minors that could be called up in case the major league team struggles.”
Gore has stalled at AA and has control issues
Morejan needs/had TJS
Campusano has looked so bad in the bigs they sent him down trying to help the offense
Weathers is already starting in the majors AND already has had a dead arm this year
Who are these prospects coming in as Calvary?
Jeez Brewer. No one is making excuses for only the dodgers. Stop pretending you’re on some crusade. Everyone is banged up. There’s only 3 NL teams with a WP over 550. No team is 100%. Stop pretending dodger fans are any different from any other teams fan base. Including the Padres
The point is. This was SF and SD’s chance to bury LA. They did not. That has to be worrisome if you’re being objective. Do you actually think the dodger team will remain playing at this level for any significant amount of time? Was this not a chance to bury them 7-10 games in 2 weeks?
@Fred….What exactly is Cronenworth’s “career norm”?
@Before McCourt….Brewer may have been referring to your pointing out the team’s injuries, you’re seemingly trying to make excuses for a failure as if other teams aren’t dealing with injuries.
The fans’ bias that hinders sound reasoning has really been on display between both LAD and SDP fans on these boards for the last few months.
The issue with the Dodgers right now is their ‘pen walking far too many batters and Dodger hitters not delivering at the plate when men are on base.
CJ Abrams would replace Pham/Profar in left if they continue to struggle. He looked great in spring training and has been lighting up the minors so far.
Gore has some command issues, but would be a solid replacement if Weathers doesn’t stick as our fifth starter. Weathers had one bad start. Aside from that he has been excellent this year. His arm looked really good in his last appearance.
Campusano has never played above single a, so I don’t think anybody was expecting him to stay with the team once Nola returned.
Chance to bury them? I would say this was the Dodgers chance to bury the Pads and Giants, who are actually dealing with as many, and in the Padres case more, injuries.
Abrams might play 2nd too. Marciano and Thompson are also potential call ups.
@paddy. Brewer has insisted on coming to every dodger thread of the last few weeks asking the same passive aggressive question
La is playing their 6+7th string OF’ers and they’ve had 8 relievers on the IL. I never negated any other teams injuries. I simply stated any team, no matter their preseason depth, is not designed to take that type of sustained injury hit to the same position(s)
Ok Brewer. You win. After the team went 13-2, followed by 4-14, that wasn’t a missed opportunity for the opponent to bury a very talented team early on. No one is worried if LA can run for 162 with SD. The opposite has been a question since the LCS
And sure. We won’t mention injuries. Let’s just say the dodgers have regularly had 3 rookies in their lineup and the majority of their current bullpen spent legitimate time at the alternative site last year. But It’s not injuries! The dodgers simply wanted to see how all of these minor leaguers would look against MLB pitching and hitters! Obviously they just wanted extended breaks for 1/3 of the lineup and most of the bullpen!
SD didn’t do it because they’re banged up too. That’s a valid point. That doesn’t mean they did not miss a chance. There’s just a reason it happened. Too bad they are playing the same mediocre baseball as LA, so in the end, this 4-14 stretch doesn’t matter. Now imagine if the Padres went 14-4 in that stretch? That’s up to 10 games more in the standings they could have gained with a stretch we’ve seen these Padres pull off previously! To anyone unbiased, that’s a missed opportunity
@dan. Never said weathers isn’t talented enough for MLB. I do wonder if his arm is going to hold up all year. Not talent wise, strength wise
Giants lost Yaz earlier (top ten in MVP voting last year), Cueto, Silver Sluggging second baseman Solano, LaStella, and are still competing. Meanwhile, Kershaw couldn’t get out of the first last week, and May is done for the year. Giants are 42-28 in their last 70 games. This production isn’t a fluke. Let’s stop pretending it’s going to be a walk in the park for the Padres and Dodgers. Padres are only 4-5 against the Giants. 9 games is a pretty large sample size to compare those two teams at this point in the season.
@ Before. You’re self-conflicted. Earlier in this thread you said: “If the Padres were gonna run away. They’d be gone by now. LA has been injured riddled and playing like crap for 3 weeks. They’ve had the shot. At this point la has to feel confident they just need to get healthy and stay close”
Now you’re recalling that comment and recognizing that all teams are banged up, especially the Padres who’ve lost 14 pitchers to injury this year) and the Padres didn’t have an advantage? Be consistent or your takes become lame
We’ve been hearing it for years from LA fans. Blessed with a team with the highest payroll and deepest resources, they’re now crying about how unfair it is that Tatis hit 5 weekend bombs on them, that a guy bunted on them down 13, and that a few of their players are hurt. And only that can explain the 5-15, because the team is just too good to play badly right? But fans are idiots. I guarantee you the players (despite their fans) are taking responsibility and not seeking excuses.
I think that is part of what has made the giants so resilient, they have built depth upon depth and made small trades and minor league signings all offseason and all season in order to shift and continually upgrade that depth knowing that if you can get the best out of a guy but if he becomes injured or has a setback you can move a guy up to take his place.
Insisted? I’ve been backpacking for a week without cell connection, so you must have me confused with someone else. But while I’ve been gone I see your parade of excuses has reached crescend0
Who?
Calm yourself Governor, it’s not going to be Los Gigantes….
San Diego has been playing like garbage. Until last weekend, Machado and Tatis are hitting in the low 200’s. Tatis has like 9 home runs, but they’re almost all solo home runs. Their best pitcher is only making spot starts. The fact that they’re in contention is only because the Dodgers are slumping. It’s almost certain the Dodgers will recover. History has shown they will. I don’t know if the Padres will.
Brewer hates the Dodgers lol. Probably because his team got knocked out by them 2/3 seasons and would have in 2019 if Hader and Grisham didn’t blow the wild card game. Dodgers being 1 game above .500 in early May is the worst thing you can say about this team? Lmao they’ll be fine.
As a Dodger fan, I can see several in the Padres system that I’d dearly love to have in our system. Take a moment to look and you can see for your self.
And it’s “cavalry”. Calvary is the hill on which Christ died for your sins. Big difference.
Read my comments they are defending players of all teams, including Dodgers, from negativity against them hey just because I won’t join your arroganne-fest against all things non-Dodgers doesn’t mean I hate the Dodgers. You want chat or just clones who think like you?
No Brewer. I’m not. You just don’t like my conclusion
This was likely the best chance for any NLW team to bury LAD. It’s a reasonable bet this will be the worst 2.5 week stretch they have for the next few years.
SD and SF absolutely missed their chance. I never said there was no reason they didn’t run away. BUT. They boat sailed. They don’t get a do over on those 18 games. I’d be a bit more worried if LA was 12 games back right now instead of 3. Why is that hard to understand, other than you’re a troll and have no interest in having an actual discussion?
“ We’ve been hearing it for years from LA fans. Blessed with a team with the highest payroll and deepest resources”
Interesting. Because only the trolls claim la has had the highest payroll “for years”. 2021 is first time in 4 years! But don’t let facts stop your rants Brewer. Never stopped you before
It’s the Dodgers who have missed an opportunity to take advantage of Padres and Giants being decimated by injuries, you just have it backwards is all.
You seem really confused Brewer. The dodgers aren’t trying to keep up with the Padres. We aren’t trying to dethrone the champs swinging up.
It’s hard for you to admit your team dropped the ball- clearly. You could have gained 10 games on LA or more in a 2 week span. But you didn’t. Call it what you want. But la is still a decent bet to win 100. Can you really say that based on the Padres play? Not with a straight face
@ Before. We’re talking in circles. You’re saying the Pads/Giants should be taking advantage of the Dodgers while they’re down. And ideally, yes I’d agree. But with the those two teams (especially the Padres) dealing with equally substantial (if not greater) health woes, yours is just not a real-time take. If anything the Dodgers are missing out on the opportunity to shake the Padres and Giants while they are down and run away with the division. See it anyway you choose though, you’re a loyal-visioned fan I know.
Fred…lol, Giants aren’t real contenders? I guess they magically won those games right? Now on a more serious note, IF the Dodgers pitching and hitting were at full steam then everyone can say they should be leading the league in about everything, but facts are they aren’t, and facts are the Giants beat the Padres respectively so far, and facts are they are in first and are REAL people contending. Get a clue.
They need the Universal DH & a 60 game season.
Being a fan is not fun right now but we all know this. They have been in far worse situations the last 8 years.
Well, the 2018 Dodgers were pretty stacked but had to win a tie-breaker over the Rockies to win the West. Needless to say, they didn’t run away with the division, and although they made it all the way to the World Series, one game had the potential to alter all of that if they had lost. The point is, I wouldn’t bet against the Dodgers, but nothing is guaranteed, even for a team as built as LA. Anything could happen!
Really. It’s not like they’ve got BigAl ruining, I mean running, the team……..
I mean it’s the National League leading Cardinals. I want to point this out because it’s not going to be true for very long lol. I also am wondering what other people think about the Giants hot start and if others think it’s sustainable?
cards04, The Giants have a key 10-game stretch now: two at home against Texas, then an eight-game road trip with four apiece in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. They will then play seven out of nine against the Dodgers. If they do well in the next 10, they can maintain a 90-win pace even if they slip up against the Dodgers. It’ll be interesting to see how the Giants react to their first rough patch. The upcoming “soft” road trip would be no time for that.
Cey, personally I doubt the Giants can sustain this run but this coaching staff has had a great affect on their performance. And that leads me to believe the resurgence by the 4 vets will sustain. BUT, at some point I expect LA and SD to get it going. Losing May was huge, do you think the Dodgers will trade for a pitcher at some point. And the Padres pitching has been hit by injuries too. In my opinion, forget about the 4 SF vets, the Giants starting pitching is 2nd in ERA in all of baseball and THAT’S what I see is going to be unsustainable. Anyway, Cey Hey, what do you think?
Honestly, the giants run has been fueled by guys on the wrong side of 30, and some on the wrong side of 35. Many of those guys were on downward trajectories into 2020. I don’t know how anyone could confidently say they will maintain this output
Lots of games against the Dbacks and Rockies. They will have 10 with the Rockies after the trade deadline. Colorado will be an expansion team by then. They also have GM who will actively seek improvements at the deadline. Also, they have a really good manager. I live in the Philly area and Kapler was not the problem then and is better now. Three playoff teams can come from the NL West.
There’s some cheap wins in the NLW sure. But there’s 3 teams all feasting on those teams. Beating up Col is almost necessary for a team like SF to stay relevant
Like I said maybe the giants found the fountain of youth. It’s far more likely they’ll slow down over the next 5 months
Sd… really for all they hype they have not done a whole lot to impress. The dodger games were fun, sure. But they’re just hanging around otherwise. It will be interesting now for Preller.. he’s dealt a LOT of prospect capital the last few years. His system is extremely top heavy now. Will he have to tap again into the untouchables (ie Patino)? Or will prices prove too steep? Or can he further squeeze the sides and squeak someone out? This is when it’ll be interesting to see if Preller’s consistent overpayment in trades will backfire
It’ll be interesting there’s no doubt
Cey Hey, what few people in the media have pointed out is that Kapler essentially inherited his coaching staff at Philadelphia. His staff in SF has been hand picked by him and Zaidi. As BeforeMcCourt pointed out, many players were in fact regressing prior to 2020. Those same players have seen resurgent numbers in 2020-21. It has to be due to Kapler and his staff–its not some coincidence or a finding of a fountain of youth.
If we compare games against same opponent, the Giants are 5-4 against the Padres. The Dodgers are 3-4 against the Pads. The Dodgers got swept by the lowly Cubs, and embarrassed by the Brewers without Corbin. Their schedule is going to get tougher.
Brewer must have forgot the Padres are 4-4 against those fantastic Pirates and also got swept by Milwaukee
He’s just really happy the AAA staff is gettin blown up and somehow thinks that justifies his stance on the actual dodger roster. If he’s not a troll there isn’t a troll here
What’s real funny is he was complaining at multiple dodger fans for going on Padre posts talking about LA. Yet he seems to be doing the same exact thing now. Funny guy
Before, I’m not defending the Padres, they’ve been subpar for sure, and not just because of injuries. But when you come in here (this Dodger article) and use injuries as thee excuse for the Dodger’s slide while dissing their competitors as old and lucky, seemingly ignorant of the fact that Mookie and many others just aren’t playing well, I just have to speak out.
Right now the Dodgers need some serious soul-searching. They’re fielding the best SP rotation (yes, even without young May) in baseball and are missing only one bat. Meanwhile they whine about Tatis and a team bunting 13 runs down (why, because they need runs?).
Clearly, the touted depth on that team isn’t what they thought it was. But there’s some quality people on that team (like Betts) that will turn the mood in the clubhouse around from one of entitlement to hungry for improvement, and if and when that happens they’ll start winning again. Meanwhile I guess we have to stomach the petty crying about how injuries somehow affect them more than other teams……
“Mookie and many others just aren’t playing well, I just have to speak out.“
YEAH Mookie is doing horrible. That 132 OPS+ instead of his career 135 OPS+. Now that’s a horrible slump!
And missing one bat? Hahaha okay buddy. Go look at the lineups during this 4-14. If you think they’re one guy short of 100% lineup, you’re drunk
Please enlighten us on the Giants that are on the wrong side of 35.
And when you’ve come up with those names research the 1983 Phils
Ok. Wrong side of 34 becomes Longoria, Crawford and Posey, with Belt at 33
Congrats. I didn’t bother to google the Giants ages and went off memory. Still doesn’t negate the point.
4 guys who were in downturns of their career have had a 30 game hot streak, and suddenly they’re a sure thing? Ok. Sure Dude, let me know how that turns out. I’ll take the over on 1.5 of those 4 giants slumping back to their 2020 or prior numbers..
Why the steady flow of negativity Before? Six-time all-star Posey has endured serious injuries, and now he’s mostly healthy again. Rather than ignorantly just calling his “downturn” age-related, maybe cut him a break and applaud him for working his way back…as you would want us to do with players on your own favored team?
Well, dude, since you’re resorting to immaturity, “made you look…nya nya nya”. Really BeforeMc? You theorize, I factualize, then you essentially expose yourself for lacking knowledge or what we dudes like to call “facts”. Try this, over the last 2 months (late 2020 and early 2021), the 4 players you refer to are hitting .263 in about 580 at bats. A typical full season for a full time player gets about that many at bats. Add in 40 doubles, 34 Homer’s, and 100 ribs. Again, those 4, essentially a full season of stats,, that represent approximately 60 games. But of course, we all know that 60 games mean little.
yep what I don’t think people realize is that 2019 posey was post hip surgery recovery posey and 2020 he was looking as good as he does now before opting out due to twins he adopted in the ICU and limiting exposure for them to covid – he said he was playing injured for at least all of 2018 and somewhere into 2017 so the last real healthy posey you have seen is 2016 when they were in the post season
Posey has always been a sure thing kid. He had hip surgery and it’s taken some time for him to readjust. Belt, Crawford, Longo, are all hitting the ball out of the park more frequently, but all across baseball batting averages are way down. Look at Muncie, Betts, Yelich, a lot of core players are struggling at the plate. Timely hitting and good pitching has put the Giants in the position they are in. These guys aren’t in the majors cause they suck, they can hit. Belt, Crawford and Posey are in walk years unless Giants pick up his option and know they have to put up or retire. This is fueling these older core players imo.
Balk, yes they are motivated and they should be. But their upticks don’t happen with the previous staff IMO. The current staff has got to be given a large part of the credit. It is not a coincidence IMO
Claude…well, I do agree this new staff has rejuvenated this team. They have a lot of different types of personalities too that create (sometimes) a good balance. In 2010, they were a bunch of misfits that went on to win it all. Now can this team replicate that season? Maybe, and to be honest I don’t really expect them too, but it’s nice seeing these vets smack around these youngsters! Lol
Really Claude, gonna just assume I was being malicious. I said made you look? And yeah I’m totally trying to pull one over on you 100% when I’m off by a year. Okay buddy.
I’m proud of your vets for playing well for 150 at bats each. Clap clap. That doesn’t mean anything for 600 at bats each, which they haven’t done productively for years. So yeah, going into 2021, all of those guys were on the downturns of their careers
People here constantly claim players are going down hill at 30. And you’re coming at me for saying 33 and 34 year olds, including a catcher(!!), being the middle of an offensive resurgence screams “possible regression!” Really!? If it wasn’t your favorite team, you’d be saying the exact same thing. Call me what you want. You know my point is valid
Posey may be finally healthy and rebounding. Maybe he’s Salvador Perez, even tho Posey had one more subpar year compared to Perez before their “resurgence”. Or he’s going to follow the Mauer/Martin/yadi and most other catchers, and not have HIS BEST OFFENSIVE YEAR EVER OF HIS CAREER at age 34. Yeah. I’m the completely unreasonable one
I made you look, moron.
Well, a fellow Giants fan used to complain about the hitting coaches preKapler staff. I used to tell him it’s on the player to hit better and a coach can only do so much. But now with 3 hitting coaches and the new strategies/analytics, it must be coaching and player buy in. And I agree, it is fun to see the old guard playing well. It’s not just hitting either. They lead all of baseball in fielding–by a big margin. Starting pitching is 2nd in ERA for all of baseball. They have the most pinch hit Homer’s, rbis and hits. Dopes like BeforeMcCourt want to focus in the 4 vets and ignore these facts. Long story short, yes it is fun to watch.
You calling me “dude” was childish so I said “made you look…nya nya nya” in return. You had to Google to find ages, hence made you look. And you not only lack facts, you apparently lack reading comprehension skills. I used a 60 game base for stats BECAUSE that’s how many games were played last year by your team. And they won the title. So if that 60 game season was meaningful, then the 60 games of stats by the 4 in question should be meaningful. THAT WAS MY POINT Sherlock. Now I believe everyone had the same chance to win the Dodgers had so yes I do believe they deserve the title. But , as you say “clap, clap”.
Nice start for the Giants. I have to wonder if their starting pitching can keep this pace. Wood is good, but it seems like it’s a matter of time until he hits the IL. Queto seems to miss more time than not. Gaussman is solid, but can he keep it up? Maybe they all have healthy, solid seasons and the Dodgers and Padres scramble to try to keep pace. Giants are in a pretty good place financially, they could easily take on a contract for the right piece.
I think they regress a little> Heck, there’s no way Posey does this all year, right?
gausman and desclafani I have no worry about – webb started off shaky and is rising and cueto we will just have to see, he was money before he went on the IL so we will need to see if the last start was rust or what – wood should be good as long as they don’t stretch him too far – my main worry is sanchez who has good numbers but his peripherals haven’t been great
Not to worry Dodger fans…
When the leaves turn brown, they’ll be wearin the crown
Again
West coast vegetation is primarily evergreen or in LA’s case, concrete.
You obviously know nothing about SoCal…..
Other than Platanus racemosa (almost gone) what deciduous trees are you claiming to occur in SoCal?
The fatal flaw in your complaint Brewer is he did not say LA leaves would turn brown. He just said when leaves turn brown. That’s fall.
Yay for reading!
Updated prediction: Regardless of how things look, the Dodgers will not lose 120 games.
I gotta say, though, this team reminds me of the 1979 squad. That team was coming off back-to-back World Series appearances and went 79-83 despite finishing second in the NL in runs scored. A similarity is the ’79 team lost Reggie Smith for all but 64 games and this one losing Bellinger. They lost a ton of close games back then and through 93 games were 36-57 despite having the same cast outside of Smith (Don Sutton was right, Reggie was the best player on the ’77 and ’78 teams). I’m hoping they bounce back but there are signs they might not.
I predict high 90s win total.
Fantastic defender and insane power. However, I don’t think we’ll see him hitting for average that often. 2019 was fantastic, but will he do that on a regular basis? I don’t think so, but that’s just my opinion. Still, a player that gives you elite defense and 30+ home runs a season
Dixon, I agree re Bellinger’s batting average. To me, he’s Darryl Strawberry with a better glove. Nothing wrong with that. If he was healthy and producing, it would cover up some of this team’s ills. A concern is an up-the-middle defense. Smith is a good catcher but has had some difficulties in 2021. I don’t necessarily blame him and Barnes for all the SBs, though 39-of-47 is alarming. The bigger concern is 2b and SS. Lux has a good glove but has made some horrific throws. Seager is not a SS anymore. Ideally, Lux would swing to SS if Seager signed elsewhere. That’s providing Lux, which has not been the case. When McKinstry gets back, someone will lose at-bats. Seeing as how Taylor has been steady, gotta figure it will be Lux. I still like him but he needs to turn it around soon.
Let’s hope he has better impulse control than Strawberry did 😉
Hmmm, I wonder what you mean by that? 😉
Seag had a tough week or 2, he’s still a ss
I suspect he had something minor back or leg related but played through it for the team
Stop the hand wringing people
He hasn’t been good on defense for quite a while. It’s also possible Max Muncy has turned back into Max Muncy. He’s not going to be able to launch those high fastballs ever.
Tell you what I wouldn’t give Seager $300 Million plus that he is looking for next year. Dude is too inconsistent, true he was white hot in the playoffs/WS last year but he is not playing very well right now at all.
I don’t know about that, Seager is a really good player. I think he will get around $300 million given that Lindor just got $341 million. The bigger issue for the Dodgers is determining which players to give extensions to, as Seager, Bellinger, Kershaw, and Bauer will all be free agents soon and they will all get big deals.
I don’t want to ink Seager to 300+ either in all honesty
I don’t trust the body to hold up whatsoever the back half of a 10 yr commitment…. No thanks, he’s prolly only got 3 (not) great yrs left at Ss as well w the glove
Bellinger covers so much ground at CF. I agree that he’s too inconsistent at the plate. I doubt he’ll come close to the MVP season again but still manages to get some timely hits and is a power threat and dangerous on the base path.
I think blame to go all around for the Dodgers inability to throw runners out but catchers are definitely not doing their jobs with the throwing. Barnes has a lollipop throw to second and Smith’s arm while stronger is inconsistent. Both catchers bounce a fair share of their throws to second base. If Smith is not hitting he becomes a liability as both his defense and pitch framing is below average. You have to wonder about Smith’s hitting a little bit and if he’s reverting to the mean on a small sample size. If he can OPS back to above 0.850 I’ll take that but over 0.900 from select at bats from last two seasons may not be sustainable. We’ll see.
Missing Cody and the inconsistency of all the hitters except JT is not the only problem here. The bullpen is a crap right now. Why the FO trade Dylan Floro for a minor leaguer and Alex Vesia, trade for Cleavinger to fill the LHP BP after losing Mcgee and Kolarek is stupid. And Knebel is high risk, and Kanhle cant even pitch in 2021. Why not resign Mcgee and take Melancon. They both cheap and not a high risk. The FO overconfidence with their young guy they acquired in the trade and in the pool is unbelieveable. Except Mitch White though, hes okay so far, the rest? Ugh
Uhhhh… Gonzalez Treinen Jansen Nelson have been solid sir
So have Price, Knebel, and Alexander when healthy.
Gonzalez Treinen and Jansen are okay. Nelson? Not so much
…says the guy who thinks mitch white is their best reliever
May, Gonsolin, Knebel, Price, Kelly, Graterol is a ton of pitching injuries at the same time. I’m not counting Ferguson and Kahnle since it was known they’d be unavailable, and Morrow was a longshot. No one was complaining about losing McGee, Kolarek, or even Floro over the winter. Plus, Alexander has been fine from the left side (another guy now battling injuries). It remains to be seen if Bauer was a mistake. One thing’s for certain, he’s the last guy to be mouthing off about his disappointment. Leave the spokesman stuff to the real Dodgers.
@ Cey Hey “Real Dodgers”???? How many seasons does a guy need to have to be one? Bauer is a Dodger, and has a right to express his opinions/frustrations just like any other player. Heck, I’m glad he called them out. They’ve been nothing short of pathetic for weeks. Someone needs to light a fire under them and Dave sure isnt stepping up. He wants to be their best bud and keep it all smooth, they need an a$$ chewing.
How many teams can afford to lose 5 or more members of their bullpen at the same time? None
They went 13-2 when healthy. That’s what they need, health. I’m not pointing to the title. I’m pointing to earlier this year
Floro looks like a possible mistake right now I’ll give you that. But a lot can change over a full season. You’re upset the AAA bullpen is getting lit up after missing a year of development basically. It sucks, but it’s hard to fault LA for not expecting this degree of injuries.
Brad Hand was there for the taking and we passed????? Why? 1yr/10 mil, seems like a steal now.
The Padres have dealt with pitching staff injuries (and lost time) to Morejon, Lamet, Paddack, Weathers, Kela, Williams, Strahm, Altavilla, Adams, Guerra, Baez, Wingenter, Castillo, and Pierce Johnson. That’s 14 guys, makes the Dodgers look healthy by comparison. Yet the Pads are still up in standings, weird.
As for position players, the Pads have been without Tatis, Pham, Myers, Nola, Grisham, and Hosmer, who have all missed a lot of games. Dodgers look healthy by comparison but still trail the Padres, odd.
You’re such a troll. Hosmer has played in 34 of the Padres 35 games.
Wil Myers? 34/35
Pham has played in 32/35
Tatis missed 10 days. Grisham missed 9 games
Paddack has 6 starts. Kershaw leads the league.. with 8. So he’s 1 start behind the majority of the league’s pace
Kela just went on the IL. Weathers didn’t even go on the IL.
I can keep going. Basically everyone I’ve looked up sans Nola didn’t miss more than the minimum. These are a lot? You’re a joke
Meanwhile, the reason the dodgers injures are impactful is because they are centered in two spots, the OF and RP. The Padres have not had that issue. Yet, the Padres seem to have been near full strength most games. Interesting when facts get discussed, isn’t it?
Before, you only follow the Dodgers so it’s understandable if you lack the facts about other teams to substantiate a point. Many of the “games played” by Hosmer, Pham, Myers were pinch-hit or pinch-runner games, they’ve been on the bench a lot dealing with injuries. Pham was stabbed and not ready at the start of the season. Paddack missed 2 starts, thanks for making my point? Nola broke his hand. Tatis had a partially dislocated shoulder. The Pads have been without 14 pitchers, is there another team in baseball with that situation? I’m not including Clevenger etc… Stop crying about the Dodgers injuries, it’s unbecoming of a team wishing to be recognized for being 1/3 season champs. Lux and Betts and Muncy and Seager and the catchers and the rest of the team just need to suck up the fact that they’re without a few of their mates and start playing better so the rest of us can get a break from the whining Dodger fans. Honestly, I prefer you boasting rather than crying..
@Before. You said “the Padres have not had that issue” Let’s discuss facts. yes. Fact: their entire starting OF was hurt, all at the same time. Myers is still nursing knee tendonitis and missing games. Fact, 11 of their 14 injured pitchers in the last month have been RPs. 11. Eleven. You’re bordering on delusional in your comments now, and going to great lengths to make excuses for la’s bad play.
@Brewers Such a troll….. Give it up, you’re only making yourself look bad.
“ Many of the “games played” by Hosmer, Pham, Myers were pinch-hit or pinch-runner games, they’ve been on the bench a lot dealing with injuries.”
Dude. You’re trying to use the same excuse for the Padres that you claim is BS for the dodgers to say. Just give it up. You could have buried la and you didnt. I’m not worried about la rebounding. Are you worried about the slumps from your stars everyone called before hand? Mhm 2020 looks mighty irregular for a bunch of Padres…
And I’m delusional!? I looked up the games played for all these horrible Padre injuries, and only 3 of the 10 guys I checked even hit the IL and 2 of them missed the minimum.
You’re the delusional one buddy. On another teams thread, just trolling
And you want facts? I gave you facts. Your players aren’t hurt like you claim. I didn’t even bother to vent the pitchers. But I’m sure your full of it there too
I would have preferred to have kept Floro but I think the bullpen is fine and starting pitching more than fine in general. Bigger issues are hitting and defense.
Overall hitting stats are not that bad but not as good as previous seasons. Also it is inflated by a handful of great offensive output games that skews the average. The median would be a lot worse.
Defensively again fine but definitely not as good. Dodger catchers are getting exposed a bit with both Smith and Barnes throwing runners out at less than 20%. Steal rates are up significantly against the Dodgers. Dodgers have already had a few games where they allowed a whopping five steals in one game. Some of these games look like Little League games with the obligatory steal second base without a throw on third and first situations. Kanley holding runners on? Fuhgeddaboudit. This just can’t happen at the MLB level and needs to be addressed.
I’m going to disagree in that Mookie has not provided great production. He’s hitting .214 vs LHP and has struggled mightily with RISP. I’d still take 8 Mookies on my team any day but so far great is not an adjective I’d use for his production.
Mookie has a 132 OPS+ in a lineup that has been ugly most of the last month. He’s not the root of the problem, even if you can nitpick something you don’t like
He’s a lifetime 135 OPS, so he’s below his average, hence not great production. I never said he was the root and not really nitpicking. Just disagreeing with the article that classified his production as great. I’m pretty sure Mookie would be the first to say he hasn’t been great so far.
Below his average while being 35% above league average. That still means above average.
So his 3% drop in production is what you think is slowing down the dodgers?
Cmon
@ Before, nowhere above did anyone make the claim that Mookie alone is what is slowing down the Dodgers, so you’re argument is again, with an internal foe.
What has slowed down the Dodgers is lack of scoring, and the responsibility for that is on everyone, I’m sure Mookie would agree.
The more you comment, the more obsessed with me you clearly are Brewer. Edging on stalker. You do not have to reply to every comment I have here, to other people
My comments fit right into the conversation. Yours on the other hand, look like a kid pulling the fire alarm hoping someone saw you
Finally, no. The lack of scoring is not the issue. But you don’t know the team so you don’t know that! The real issue is the bullpen. It’s ok, you’ll figure it out eventually
He’s been better than Machado or Tatis in 2021. Defense matters, and 11 errors and a .880 fielding percentage is horrible defense, regardless of which advanced metrics you use. I love Tatis’ talent, but let him produce before calling him a great player. Manny is at 98 OPS+ and is leaving men on base by the truckload.
I’m not a Padre fan but Tatis has a 145 OPS even with his abysmal fielding.
Most of Tatis’ errors came on the first week of the season right before he went down with a shoulder injury. His defense has been solid since coming back.
Wouldnt call 5 errors in 20 games solid. Not as horrific as earlier, but certainly enough to be a serious concern if he doesnt improve. Move him to first, Hosmer has the worst footwork of any 1b I have ever seen. And he somehow doesnt catch far too many catchable throws.
Cey, I agree Betts has been great on defense this year and defense matters. But to your point, so has Machado been brilliant on defense. And in many ways, the year Betts is having is very similar to Machado’s. They’re hard-hit rates show some bad luck, and portend a turnaround soon on offense… Though Betts is ultimately the better hitter no doubt.
Actually, I just checked on Betts hard-hit rate, and he’s ranked 152 in MLB. Machado is ranked 11th, so it’s Manny that’s been very unlucky.
They’re exactly the same! except Machado is producing 30% less than Mookie
But other than facts and stats, exactly the same!!!
calm down boy, and learn something for once: baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/statcast
I’ll say it, so far Mookie has been disappointing. Yep, it’s still early but he’s come up in clutch situations and simply has not delivered. He’s striking out more. Chasing more. And still not hitting LHP, similar to last year. Defense is still great but the bat needs to live up to $365mm expectations. Still early but along with many other Dodgers he needs to step up his game if the Dodgers are to have a chance in making another deep playoff run.
The last time I tried posting on this site they posted every comment twice, so I looked like an idiot. Trying again after a couple of years so let’s see…
I am a huge Mookie fan. He’s quickly become my favorite player since he came to LA. Right now though, it’s a pretty soft .260 or so and that’s not the superstar he’s supposed to be.
Takes one hell of a player to get on base 38% of the time when struggling
And mookie is doing this With horrible lineup protection. Part of the reason this lineup is so deadly is, at full strength, there’s no easy outs and it can open a floodgate at any spot of the lineup
The 2021 team has not been 8 deep with all star caliber hitters for most of the year. Which is the norm. The fact Mookie is doing as much as he is doing speaks to his talent. Teams are able to pitch around him and he’s still 32% better than the league and only 3% off his career mark
Betts will be fine, he’s a HOFer. The big questions are with others in the lineup
Yea la’s future is directly tied into the success of DJ Peter, Sheldon Neuse and Luke Raley
Remember when Bellinger was going to take Trout’s title? He’s a great player but c’mon, no one is close to Trout. Everyone is looking for the next big thing and they all get left in the dust eventually. Donaldson, Yelich, Betts – all great, but none are in Trout’s league. Now it’s Tatis, but we know how it’ll turn out.
Someone will take the title from Trout sometime within the next several years, and that person will be Ronald Acuña, Jr.
Nah, nobody was saying that save a few sloppy articles to get clicks
I hope I’m never forced to see another Raley or Peters ab the rest of my life
I’m not anxious to see Rios flail at another ball again either.
Here we go with the posting my comments twice again. What a crap app
Seems like Raley hasn’t seen many breaking balls the way he handles breaking pitches. It’s either knee buckling take for a strike or swinging and missing while not coming close to hitting the ball. Peters can’t catch up to the high heat even if you throw it three times in a row. It’s frustrating watching these terrible ABs because you essentially know there is little chance of these guys getting on base. You have to figure that there are better options out there. Just giving ABs away when they’re in the lineup.
Why this article in the first place? It’s not exactly breaking news. To paraphrase, it’s merely saying what we all know. Bellinger is returning soon, as planned. Ok. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
What’s next, an article saying water is wet and the sky is blue
I’m waiting for the article that says’”Pollack out 4-6 weeks with xxxx injury”.
Nah it’s the article that discusses your inferiority complex with the dodgers
It was, mccourt?? Where in the article was Brewer88 mentioned. Have you not realized yet that every time you post you prove that your comments are inferior? Put a McCork in it.
he’s obsessing over me apparently, and anyone here who has an opinion or facts that don’t fit into his blue myopia. Happens to him frequently.
well put