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  • Week fourteen highlights, lowlights, and observations

    Week fourteen highlights, lowlights, and observations

    -Following the body blow delivered by The Snakes last night the Dodgers are now 61-35 and their lead in the NL West is down to 12.5 games. 59.2% of the season is complete.

    -Last weekend the Dodgers looked great against the Padres winning three of four. They came back twice in the first two games of the series last weekend. On Thursday, they were down 6-2 before pounding San Diego pitching for 17 hits on the way to a 12-7 win. 

    -Then on Friday, the Dodgers were down 3-nil only to have Teo Hernandez go full John Lee Hooker (boom boom). Ohtani pitched another great game, and the Dodgers won 4-3.

    -“We never give up,” Teo said after that game.

    -Then Dodgers became the first team to 60 wins this season hub by beating the Rockies last Monday night. Shohei Ohtani smacked his 300th career homer on Tuesday night, the 5th-fastest player to ever achieve that milestone. 

    -The Blue took 2 of 3 from the Rockies before hosting the Snakes Friday night and Yesterday. Sho skipped his start on Friday but homered (his 301st because, math is hard). Yamamoto gave up 5 runs in the 5th last night to have his ERA blow up to 2.49. 

    -Last weekend the Mets and Braves played a fun series, with the Mets earning a split. It was a missed opportunity for the Braves to extend their lead in the division, but the Mets decided to wake up and play some good baseball.

    -Look, if you are a major league baseball team there’s never a bad time for you to play good baseball.

    -Then again one gets the feeling that the season is going to be defined for the Mets in the next few weeks, as they decide whether to fight this one out or look to the future as the trade deadline approaches on August 3rd. 

    -Will they fight for a wildcard spot, or do the go full Alanis Morissette and choke down the jagged little pill that is selling off their players for the prospect of a better future?

    -The Tigers are in the same situation with Tarik Skubal. The 2-time Cy Young winner in the AL is pitching well again and is a free agent at the end of the year. He’s 29 years young so could fetch quite a haul for Detroit should they decide to trade rather than sign him or – worst case for Tigers fans – let him walk and get nothing in return.

    -The dilemma for Tigers management is that the team is 8-2 in their last 10, only 5.5 games back of division co-leaders Chicago and Cleveland, and play in a weak AL Central division.

    -If you’re the Tigers GM, do you keep Skubal in the hopes of getting into October and going deep into the playoffs against weaker opponents, or cut your losses now and trade him for 2 or 3 top prospects. Or better yet, a ton of cash from LA or NY?

    -Or do you try to lock-him in to a longer term deal, the way that the Dodgers did when they could with Kershaw?

    -After winning his first Cy Young award in 2011, a year in which he won the pitching triple crown (wins, strikeouts, and ERA) in only his second full season and at age 25, in 2013 the Dodgers rewarded Kershaw with a 7-year, $215 million contract plus a $500K signing bonus. At the time it was the richest contract ever given to a pitcher.

    -Kersh responded by winning the next two Cy Young awards, an a league MVP in 2014.

    -The 2014 year was the best year I’ve ever seen a pitcher have, not nicknamed Bulldog. Kershaw was 21-3 with 1.77 ERA and 239 K’s.

    -Also worth noting Kersh was Cy Young runner up in 2012 and 2017, and third in 2015.

    -The decline really began in 2016, albeit a year when he underwent minor back surgery and still posted a 1.69 ERA in 149 innings – he missed about half the season that year. He was dominant but not the workhorse the Dodgers depended on from 2011-2015. 

    -Other health issues started creeping up, and with it, his fastball crept down. Average fastball velocity fell from 94.2 miles per hour in 2015 to 90.3 in 2019. 

    -His numbers remained elite almost to the end of his career, but he was unable to stay on the field. 2018 at age 30, biceps tendinitis, back injury. 2019 age 31, back inflammation. 2019 is probably the first season we no longer had “peak” Kershaw.

    -The Dodges paid for Kershaw at just the right time, when he was already established as a dominant force and would be for the next 5 years.

    -Then around age 29 or 30, his body began to fail him. About the same age Skubal is right now.

    -Here’s how the Dodgers fared in Kershaw’s later years:

    -2017, Kershaw is age 29 – lost* in WS to Asterisks

    -2018, age 30 – lost in WS to Red Sox

    -2019, age 31 – lost in NLDS to Nats

    -2020, age 32 – won in WS over Rays

    -2021, age 33 – lost in NLDS to Fathers (Kersh was unavailable due to injury)

    -2022, age 34 – lost to Fathers in NLDS

    -2023, age 35 – swept by Snakes in NLDS

    -2024, age 36 – won in WS over Yankees (unavailable due to injury)

    -2025, age 37 – won in WS over Toronto

    -So one could argue, the Dodger’s recent October success actually increased after Kershaw began declining from his individual peak.

    -The team shifted from being one that often needed Kershaw to be superhuman to one deep enough to win without requiring him to carry them every October.

    -No doubt, he was still a meaningful contributor, especially in 2020. But later championship clubs in 2024 and 2025 could absorb his age and injuries in a way earlier Dodger teams could not.

    -Thankfully after his Hall of Fame career, he finished with three rings, and walked it off with the last two.

    -I’ll ask again. If you’re the Tigers GM, do you keep Skubal in the hope of winning the pennant and a series or two in October or do you cut your losses now for the future?

    -Sign the old man, Tigers.

  • Week thirteen highlights, lowlights, and observations

    -The Dodgers are now 56-30 and their lead in the NL West has ballooned to 12 games. 51.2% of the season is history.

    -Earlier this week the Dodgers lead was eight games. It blew up this week thanks to four Padre losses and four Dodger wins in a row, with the blue taking 2 of 3 from the Padres last weekend. 

    -The NL East has gotten tighter. the Braves are 3-7 in their last 10 games, while the Phills have gone 7-3. Atlanta still has a 2 1/2 game lead going into this week against St. Louis and the Mets. The Phillies get Pittsburgh and KC. 

    -The Braves and Phillies don’t play each other again until the first week of September. Which is unfortunate. 

    -I realized yesterday that the Angels and Mets have nearly identical records, Anaheim at 36-51 and NY at 36-50. 

    -If the two teams merged and made the best team they could using both rosters from this season, would they have done any better?

    -My guess is taking into account injuries, and combining the best of the two pitching staffs, they’d only be a little bit better.

    -They wouldn’t be better than the White Sox, who seem to be for real and are still leading the AL central at the mid-way point of the season. 

    -Only Kansas City with 35 wins and Colorado with 33 are worse than the Angels and Mets across all of baseball. 

    -The upstart team formally known as the Oakland A’s have slipped into fourth place in the AL West. They are not in last place because they play in the same division as the Angels who are unwilling to let go of the cellar. 

    -The AL Central division leader is Texas, at 44-42 is barely playing .500 ball. 83 wins might win that division. 

    -Milwaukee is starting to separate themselves from the pack in the NL Central, which all of a sudden looks like a very strong division. The 3rd place Cardinals at 44-38 would be ahead of the Padres in 2nd if they played in the NL West.

    -The Rays have leapfrogged the Yankees to takeover the AL East lead. The Yankees have lost six in a row but still better off than the Red Sox, who have won only 37 games. 

    -I vaguely recall picking the Red Sox to win their division. I regret to inform you that the lucky astrology crystal ball I use to make baseball predictions turned out to be a snow globe purchased during a layover in Orlando International. Even I make mistakes sometimes.

  • Week twelve highlights, lowlights, and observations

    Week twelve highlights, lowlights, and observations

    -After pounding the Twins 12-3 last night the Dodgers have completed 49.3% of regular season games, and at 51-29 now enjoy a 9-game game lead over the second place padres. 

    -The Dodgers hit a minor skid last week but handled it like a championship caliber team. After losing two of three to the White Sox they pulled off three, one-run wins against the then first-place Rays, then ook two of three from the Orioles.

    -That is the mark of a team with character. Fall off the horse, immediately get back on and win five of six.

    -The Dodgers are the first team to 50 wins. No other team has more than 48.

    -Division standings can be deceiving. The Padres, currently at 41-37, would be tied for first if they played in the terrible AL Central. Those lovable last-place Angels, at 33-48, would be in fourth place, ahead of the Giants and Rockies, if their home was the NL West.

    -Sell the team, Arte!! Oops I’m sorry, it slipped out.

    -Speaking of the Giants last week they announced they are having a team garage sale and are open to parting with multiple heirlooms including Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, and four-time batting champion/defensive liability Luis Arraez.

    -So far Buster Posey’s era as San Francisco’s President of Baseball Operations has been a Giant disappointment (thank you, hold your applause).

    -The Dodgers coveted Willy Adames for years before the Gi-Aints swept in and nabbed him from Milwaukee. But he’s underperformed in San Francisco compared to his career numbers.

    -A thought is, take Adames, put him at short, move Mookie back to right where he belongs. I would push back hard on that. Given Mookie’s successful transition to short and Teo Hernandez’s pending return, I’d stand pat with what we have. Plus it’s not as if the Dodgers are struggling with Mook at short. Actually, they are excelling. Leave it be.

    -The interesting player to me is Arraez, who could be a hugely valuable asset in the post season if he would accept a part-time or bench role. Having a base-hit machine like him coming off the bench in the late innings could be a real advantage in October.

    -Or, DH him in the ninth slot on days when Ohtani pitches and bats leadoff, and you’ve essentially got two leadoff guys with close to .400 OBP back-to-back in middle and late innings.

    -Other notes around baseball. My Detroit Tigers are 12-4 in June and swept the White Sox last weekend. They lost a tough one to the Yankees last night and get another chance with them tonight, then get the Asterisks at home this weekend.

    -Michael Wacha, who wears #52 and might be that old, pitched seven scoreless on Monday night for Kansas City who beat the Rays 2-1. If the Royals played in the NL West…never mind, they’d still be terrible. But Kaufman Stadium is cool and I’m sad it might be going away.

    -The All-Star Game is around the corner and the player who has received the most votes in the NL and overall is no surprise: The Sho. The leading AL vote getter is…Judge? Trout? Alvarez? None of those slackers. It’s Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement. The All Star game is Tuesday, July 14th in Philadelphia.

  • Week 11 highlights, low lights and observations

    -Last night’s 4-3 win over the Rays helped maintain the Dodgers’ 8-game lead over the second place Padres. Roughly 45% of regular season games have been played. The pace is picking up steam now. 

    -I’ll be at the game tonight with a bunch of people from my office. But I’m looking forward to a beer and a Dodger Dog almost more than the game itself.

    -Tonight is soccer jersey night at the ballpark. I intend to get one and wear it even though it has a huge “Bank of America” logo on the chest. 

    -Thankfully I bank with B of A. If Wells Fargo were the sponsor, I would be seriously torn. I’ve been with B of A since before any of the Dodger players were born. It’s true, I looked it up. Freeman and Rojas were born a full four years after my first bill was paid by check back in 1985. 

    -I noticed the Angels also recently hosted a soccer jersey night. Makes sense with the World Cup going on. I’ve come to appreciate soccer since me and Chris adopted the Wolverhampton Wolves, formerly of the English Premier League, as a way to pass the time during Covid. 

    -The World Cup has started just in time, now that our beloved Wolves have been relegated from the Premier League to the Championship League. 

    -The Wolves are the Angels of English football. Great fans, lousy team, terrible management.

    -Of course I want the US to do well in the World Cup but my teams are Germany and England. English fans are tortured by their recent lack of trophies on the world stage but their fans feel like they’ve got a real chance this year, not only because their team is stacked, but also because they now have a German manager.

    -If you’re interested in learning more about the World Cup and need more entertainment in your life (who doesn’t?) tune into After the Whistle hosted by Brendon Hunt (plays Coach Beard on Ted Lasso) and Rebecca Lowe (EPL and World Cup Anchor). They are insightful and hilarious.

    -Five thousand Scottish football fans in Boston for the World Cup attended a Red Sox game yesterday. Bagpipes marching through downtown to Fenway Park, fans singing ‘500 Miles’ during the game. Pretty special.

    -I’m not sure would work at Dodger Stadium, but in Boston? Perfect.

    -Sorry for the diversion, back to baseball. Now that Tarik Skubal is healed up and pitching again, the Tigers are likely to trade him rather than let him walk. Teams generally don’t let superstars walk at the end of their contract without getting any compensation in return, unless they want to end up getting compared to the Wolverhampton Wolves. 

    -I think he ends up in one of three cities. First and most obvious choice, LA. Current Dodgers management likes injured Cy Young winners, and have the resources to lock Skubal into a four or five year deal immediately after pulling the trigger on a trade. Our farm system is stacked with top prospects the Tigers can use to fill spots or for trading chips later. And there’s something about having a big lefty in the Dodgers rotation. Koufax. Valenzuela. Kershaw. Skubal. He fits. 

    -Second possibility: Seattle. They are looking like a playoff team again. Their entire starting rotation is right handed. What a boost it would be for that team to land Skubal and balance out that rotation with one of the top lefties in the game. Also he played college ball at Seattle University. Just saying. 

    -Finally, less likely here but…Atlanta. Yes the Braves already have Chris Sale. But Spencer Strider is hurt again. Trading Skubal for 3-4 top prospects could make sense for both teams and would make the Braves a very scary team come October. I’m not saying I would give up a ton of prospects if I were the Braves. But it could happen and the thought of having Sale and Skubal to counter a lineup with big left handed bats in a playoff series – Ohtani, Freeman, and Tucker, for example – has got to be enticing for Braves management. 

  • Blame me and my friends for the Dodgers’ success

    Last week I wrote a column for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, titled “Blame My Friends and Me For Dodgers’ Success.” I’m not sure if I’m allowed to repost the entire thing here so I’ll just drop the link. 

    https://open.substack.com/pub/ibwaa/p/june-5?r=qd3je&utm_medium=ios

  • Week ten highlights, lowlights, and observations

    Week ten highlights, lowlights, and observations

    -At 42-26 the Dodgers have now played nearly 31% of the schedule and have built an 8 1/2 game lead in the West. 

    -After splitting four against the surging Dbacks, and then taking two of three from the Angels, the Dodgers stole a win from the Pirates last night once Paul Skenes left after six. We’ve got the pirates again today and tomorrow, both games at 4:10 PM and then move onto south Chicago for a much improved White Sox team this weekend, who incidentally beat the Braves last night with a rookie playing his first major league game hitting a walk off homer in the 10th inning

    -Brayden Montgomery, with 30 friends and family sitting in the stands to see him play his first game in the show, hit a two run opposite field bomb in the bottom of the 10th to win it for the Socks. You’ve got to see him rounding the bases, the kid barely knows what to do. Grinning from ear to ear, looking up as if to wonder, “Is this real?” he rips off his batting gloves rounding third and gets mauled by his teammates at the plate, some of whom he presumably just met earlier that day. 

    -All this against the Braves’ closer Iglesias, who had given up just one run all season, and no homers. Until yesterday.

    -Stuff of legend right there. One of the many things that I love about baseball. You never know when the magic is going to happen. 

    -This is a small blip in what has been a great season for the Braves, with Acuna Jr. playing like the all world player he is (let’s hope the hamstring MRI he’s getting today is negative), Michael Harris hitting out of his mind (he should start the All-Star game), Matt Olson playing like, well, Matt Olson, and Dodger nemesis (nemesi?) Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley playing like the solid veterans they are. 

    -And they’ve got world championship caliber pitching with Cy Young candidate (again) Chris Sale, plus resurgent Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, and Grant Holmes. 

    -The Braves’ pen has been solid with Tyler Kinley and Didier Fuentes. Robert Suarez and Iglesias have been lock down in the back end of games. Until Young Mr. Montgomery’s 10th inning homer last night. 

    -Might we have another Braves – Dodgers post season looming? Maybe. It’s a little too early to be talking about that. But with the Braves enjoying a nine-game lead in the NL east, it’s hard not to imagine a Braves-Dodgers division series or NLCS come October. 

    -Schedule this week through Sunday. All games pacific

    -Today at PNC Ohtani v. Jones, 3:40

    -Thurs at PNC Wrobleski vs. Kelller, 3:40

    -Thurs Rush at The Kia Forum, 7:30

    My guess for pitching in Chicago

    -Friday in Chicago Sheehan 4:40

    -Saturday in Chicago Sasaki 1:10

    -Sunday in Chicago Yamamoto 11:10

  • Week nine highlights, low lights, and observations

    -At 40-22, the Dodgers have now played 38% of their games this season. One hundred games to go, and they’ve built a 7 1/2 game lead in the NL West.

    -I figure the Dodgers need to win at least 93 games to win the division. They’ll do it if they go 53-47 the rest of the way. 

    -I try not to bore you guys with all the “Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player to ever live,” stuff, because you can get that anywhere. But, Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player to ever live.

    -What he’s done in his career is unprecedented and what he’s doing this year is… I don’t know what to call it. Extraordinary? Phenomenal? Sick? As of today he’s hitting over .300 and leads the league in on base percentage. He’s also 5-2 with a 0.74 ERA, one inning short of qualifying among the league leaders.

    -He’s on his way to his fourth consecutive MVP award, the Dodgers have won two championships in the two years he’s been on the club. He’s kind to opposing players and loves his dog. 

    -Sure, things can change quickly. Baseball is finicky. He could nosedive into a season-long slump or suffer a freak injury. How many guys miss six weeks because they slice a finger cutting an orange (happens every Spring training) or slip getting in the shower (Freddie Freeman last year)? 

    -But the $700 million contract he signed two years ago, most of which will be paid out after the contract expires, seems like a pretty good deal for the Dodgers at this point.

    -Of course, any single player on any roster is only as good as the players around him. The Dodgers have made sure to surround Ohtani with the best players available, allowing him to thrive on the mound and at the plate.

    -Still, he was an MVP with the Angels, when he wasn’t always surrounded by the best players available, aside from Mr. Trout. 

    -Speaking of the Angels, the Dodgers get to play them for three games at home this weekend. The last time the Dodgers and Angels played a weekend series, the Dodgers modified their season run differential by +30. 

    -Angel fans want owner Arte Moreno to sell the team. But to be fair, the position the Angels find themselves in is not all Arte’s doing. 

    -It’s not as if the Angels haven’t spent money on players. They’ve spent on the wrong players. And they’ve had some of the worst luck of any franchise in North American sports.

    -The Angels have endured horrific tragedies with the passing of Nick Adenheart and Tyler Skaggs, while playing in the shadow of Donnie Moore. It’s dark and horrible and unthinkable that any of that happened. Young people, especially professional athletes, are not supposed to leave us that way.

    -Then the bad signings. Everybody points to Anthony Rendon, who is the polar opposite of Shohei Ohtani, below average on the field (when he’s on the field) and generally grumpy, going so far as to suggest there should be fewer games. Ernie Banks (“Let’s play two!”), he ain’t. 

    -But don’t forget these other misguided spending splurges, in rank order from worst to barely tolerable, with Rendon holding the top spot: 2. Josh Hamilton: 5 years, $125 million in 2012; 3. Justin Upton: 5 years, $106 million in 2017; and as much as I like the guy, 4. Albert Pujols: 10 years, $240 million in 2011. All yielded zero playoff wins for the Halos. 

    -The latest and perhaps greatest offense is Arte Moreno’s claim that Angel fans don’t care about winning. Earlier this year he quoted an “internal fan poll” that revealed winning isn’t in the top five things that fans care about, allegedly. 

    -It probably doesn’t help that the other team in the Angel’s geographic region is the Dodgers, who have been run so successfully for so many years, now with eight world championship banners and seeming unlimited resources. 

    -Of course now that I’ve written this, watch the Angels go out and smoke the Dodgers three games in a row this weekend. 

    -I’d be very disappointed if that happens, but I wouldn’t be shocked. Because that is how baseball works sometimes.

    -Dodgers v. Angels at Chavez Ravine this weekend, start times: Friday, 7:10, Saturday 7:10, Sunday 1:10 pacific. 

  • Week eight highlights, lowlights, and observations

    -Following last night’s 15 run outburst against Colorado the Dodgers are now 35-20 and have played 34% of regular season games.

    -The Blue are 8-2 in their last 10 while the Padres have gone 5-5. That has provided a little cushion, but 3 1/2 game lead in late May is nothing. 

    -The Dodgers do tend to score runs in bunches, our run differential is the highest in baseball. And the bullpen has been lights out. It’s been good to see Mookie swing the bat well. 

    -On the other (Shohei’s) hand… let’s hope the baseball gods see fit to prevent an injury after Sho got plunked yesterday. Watching guys get hit in the hand, wearing pads/armor or not… it makes me squirm.

    -MLB’s Ken Rosenhall is a terrible on-field reporter IMHO but a very good baseball analyst. In his latest pod he listed teams whose stock is on the rise and whose is falling. One the rise: Phillies, Cardinals, Nationals, Brewers. Falling: Cubs, Tigers, Angels, Rangers, Mets. In between: Orioles, Twins, Blue Jays.

    -I was in Kentucky last weekend and got to go to the Louisville Slugger museum and factory, where 80% of major league baseball bats are made (we visited *a few* bourbon distilleries in the area as well). It’s an active factory, they were making bats while we were walking through the place. And I got to hold Babe Ruth game used bat. Pretty cool! 

     

  • Week seven highlights, low lights, and observations

    -At 29-18, the Dodgers have now played 29% of regular season games. 

    -Like everything else as I get older, baseball seasons seem to progress more quickly than they used to.

    -The Azul are back atop the NL west, barely. This 1/2 game lead will be tested starting tonight in San Diego. 

    -This past weekend was “rivalry” weekend and as such, the Dodgers should have been playing the Padres rather than the Angels. If you were to ask 100 Dodger fans, which team is our biggest rival, I’d bet 90 would say either the Padres, Giants, Yankees, or Blue Jays. The other two teams in the NL west plus and the Angels might claim the other 10 votes. Might.

    -A week ago, I would have bet against the Dodgers being in first place today. They were fresh off  Saturday and Sunday losses to the red hot Braves and then lost Monday and Tuesday night against the Giants. And then out of nowhere the bats woke up, the pitchers beared down, and the Dodgers win Wednesday and Thursday vs. SF and then destroy the hapless, hopeless Angels over the weekend. 

    -The Dodgers vs. Angels run differential in favor of the team that actually plays their home games in LA was an insane +28 for a three game series. And it was good to see Ohtani swing the bat well. After getting an extra day off mid-week, Shohei had six hits over the weekend including three on Sunday. 

    -The Mets took two of three from the Yankees last weekend. Sunday was the first time in two years the Mets won a game when losing after the 8th inning. The Mets were 0-96 when trailing after eight, including the post-season, since October 2024.

    -Philadelphia has completely turned things around since Donny Baseball took over as manager on April 28th. Since then the Phillies are 14-4 and now have a winning record at 24-23. 

    -Talking about winning records, there are five teams in the American League at .500 or above, two of them being the White Sox and the A’s. So if the regular season ended today, the White Sox and the A’s would be in the playoffs.

    -I love the A’s home alternate uniforms, bright yellow with Sacramento in script across the front. Not sure exactly why. I just dig ‘em.

  • Week six highlights, low lights, and observations

    -At 24-17, the Dodgers now sit in second place. 25% of the season has passed.

    -Yes, second place. We’ve been here before this season, but having been beaten in two of three by the Braves this past weekend, it now feels a little bit different.

    -Scoring runs was a challenge this week. In the six games since last Tuesday The Azul put up 1, 12, 3, 2, 2, 3, a total of 23 runs while giving up 31.

    -Mookie is back and that is something to be optimistic about. On the other hand it’s not as if he’s been an offensive juggernaut. In fact, he hasn’t been the Mookie from pre-2024, that is, hitting around .300 with 30 homers, since… 2024.

    -Last season he filled the gap at shortstop like the Hall of Fame player he is, becoming one of the top defenders in the league at that position. Now Roberts needs to ask Mookie to do the improbable again: play gold glove shortstop AND hit like the Betts of old rather than like old man Betts. And I say that as a 58-year-old with a desk job who has played catch once on the last five years.

    -Besides if anyone can pull off something improbable, it’s Mookie Betts. He’s an incredible athlete and seems like a good human and I’m rooting for him.

    -Meanwhile in Metsland they are calling up prized prospect AJ Ewing, who was hitting .327 in AAA Syracuse. They need something to unlock the offense that scored 5 runs in three games in Arizona over the weekend.

    -If Jose Soriano pitched every game for the Angels, they’d be 30-10 rather than 16-26. What if he wins the Cy Young for a 4th or 5th place Angels team? It could happen. Paul Skenes won while pitching for the last place Pirates in 2025.