-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.
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