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Tag: sports

  • How the Dodgers Should Play October

    How the Dodgers Should Play October

    Art by @snarshall

    At the beginning of the 2025 baseball season, Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman was asked how it feels to have so many injured pitchers on his team. “Not fun,” he replied. 

    He might have been predicting his bullpen’s performance in August. Also, not fun.

    Last year’s world champion Dodgers relied heavily on the bullpen. They needed to, since the starting pitchers showed up to the ballpark every night held together with pine tar. Remember the “bullpen games” that September, then in the NLCS against the Padres, and then in the World Series? 

    The Dodgers’ bullpen and the New York Yankees gave us a championship in 2024, and for that and Freddie Freeman we are forever grateful, blessed was the fifth inning of game five, amen.

    But that was then and these are the chaotic 2025 Dodgers, who can look like world beaters for a week and then get beat down the next. 

    We Dodger fans don’t have the luxury of dreaming about this October on 2024 terms. The odds of winning the division are in the Dodgers’ favor, but unless they catch the Phillies for the second seed and earn a first round playoff bye, the third seed means a 3-game wild card series against probably the Mets or Cubs. A short series could go sideways more quickly than the plan for Roki Sasaki.

    In a year where the bullpen has been shaky, the prospect of a short series makes rotation choices and role adjustments all the more crucial.

    The biggest adjustment the Dodgers need to make is painfully clear. It’s a jagged pill to swallow but it must be done.

    Shohei Ohtani should be the fourth starter. Clayton Kershaw should move to long relief. I propose:

    • Yoshinobu Yamamoto: The Ace. Game 1 starter vs. anyone.
    • Blake Snell: The left-handed counterpunch. Cy Young. Playoff tested. Has been great of late.
    • Tyler Glasnow: Dominant so far this month. Can take over a game, but when it goes south, yikes.
    • Shohei Ohtani: Has built up to this, has dominant stuff, thrives in the spotlight.

    That’s the group Roberts must ride to Trophy Town. They are all pitching well at the moment, and any of them can swing a series on his own. 

    Look, I’m a Kershaw guy. But for the first time in a generation, Clayton Kershaw isn’t – shouldn’t – be in the Dodgers’ postseason rotation. Instead, his value lies in the bullpen, and that’s not a demotion. It’s evolution.

    Kershaw has absolutely earned his place on this roster. But in October, you want dominant strikeout stuff on the mound if you’ve got it, which the Dodgers have in Yoshi, Zilla, Glasnow, and Sho. What the Dodgers do not have is stability in the bullpen, and Kershaw is perfectly suited to bring that. They don’t need a fifth starter, but they might need a left-handed long reliever who can steady things if a starter wobbles. That’s where Kershaw’s experience can make an impact most. Kershaw might not throw the first pitch of any game, but he could still throw some of the most important ones.

    The Dodgers’ bullpen has been middling to terrible all season, as far as contenders go. Tanner Scott is the nominal closer, but Roberts has openly wondered what to do with him since he seems to be healthy and throwing with velocity but can’t stop grooving fastballs down the middle of the plate. Scott has shared with reporters that he feels like “baseball hates him,” right now.

    In their defense, hitters love him right now. But feeling like the game hates you is probably not the best mental space for a closer to hold come playoff time. 

    Roberts will manage by feel. If Alex Vesia looks sharp, he could close. If Blake Treinen has command, he’ll take the eighth or ninth. If Michael Kopech can find the strike zone, he might even close a game on a given night.

    Don’t expect set roles. Roberts proved last year that he is the maestro of knowing how to play the right cards.

    In the post season he’ll pull the plug quickly if trouble starts. Kershaw could become the bullpen bridge Roberts trusts most.

    The Dodgers’ lineup is still a weapon, and after last week it looks sharper now than it did a month ago (fine, the Rockies make teams look good, but still). Ohtani is the MVP of the league. Mookie looks like Mookie at the plate again, and at short leads the league in defensive runs saved – you can read about his expanding HOF credentials here. Ohtani is the MVP of the universe but Freddie Freeman might be the MVP of this team. Will Smith (hoping he gets healthy quick) has had an unbelievable year. Teoscar Hernandez in the fifth slot is seeing the ball better and – lo and behold – his defense has improved the last few weeks. It’s great to see Max Muncy back in uniform, the lineup is much longer with him in the sixth slot, followed by Pages and Rojas or Kim. I like Edman batting ninth as a second leadoff guy. Alex Call off the bench has looked good.

    Here’s how the pitching blueprint would round out depending on if we end up as the second or third seed:

    • Third seed: Wild Card Series (best of 3). Yamamoto in Game 1, Snell in Game 2, and Glasnow available for a decisive Game 3.
    • NLDS (best of 5): Ohtani starts Game 1 or 2 depending on Wild Card usage. (Oh the spectacle of Shohei starting in October!) if we end up a second seed, Yamamoto gets game one. Yamamoto could return for a Game 5. Kershaw becomes the bullpen safety net if starters don’t go deep.
    • NLCS and World Series (best of 7): Yamamoto and Snell each start twice, Glasnow and Ohtani take the other turns. Game 7 is all hands on deck: Glasnow to start, Yamamoto and Snell in relief, Kershaw ready to eat innings if chaos strikes. Orel Hershiser is in the booth if we need him late in game seven to pull a Buehler.

    Kershaw’s shift to long relief isn’t about fading away, t’s about filling the role this bullpen desperately needs. He’s not the headline starter anymore; he’s the trusted arm Doc can call when the season teeters on the edge. Which may happen the first week of October if LA plays New York or Chicago in a short series.

  • Six Weeks to Glory, or Heartbreak

    This weekend marks the beginning of the final six weeks of the baseball season and a crucial set of games for playoff contenders. Looking at the rest of August for Lasorda’s Lounge favorites:

    Dodgers, Padres, and the Art of Mutual Loathing

    Having lost the first two of three to a mediocre Angels team (a win tonight would be nice…) we enter the weekend series with San Diego, a team that feels they were robbed last year and that believes in themselves this year, especially now that they share the division lead. After the Padres at home The Azul get four in Colorado, which could be a trap series if they don’t keep up the intensity because, guess what? We get the Padres next weekend too, down at PetCo. Every one of those games will be sold out. LA vs. SD has become one of the better rivalries in the game. The Dodgers close out August at home against a sneaky good Cincy team and the Dbacks, who always play us tough.  

    I like having a fierce rivalry so close to home, it’s about time the Padres stopped being a doormat and started caring. But as a Dodger die-hard it’s an interesting shift. The looks I get from people wearing Padres gear have been curious. I’m used to awkward pauses and sideways glances from dudes in Giants gear; lately, those guys just look away in shame. But Padres fans, they look me square in the eye and smile, as if they want to take something from me. As if they care.

    Good for you, Padres fans. Welcome to adulthood.

    The Mets Are Coming. Hide the Cheesesteaks.

    Your GO METS! comments have been working. The Metropolitans are five games behind the Phillies with six weeks ago, very much within striking range and certainly in the playoff picture. Tyler McGill’s return from the IL later this month should help them as they close out August with Seattle this weekend, then the Braves twice, Washington, Miami, and a big series with Philly Aug. 25-27. 

    From Cy Young to long sigh in Atlanta

    This season has not been kind to the Braves. Spencer Strider may be tipping pitches and 2024 Cy Young winner Chris Sale is about to return from a broken rib. They have the Guardians this weekend before the White Sox, Mets, Miami, and Phillies to close out August. On the upside my namesake might be the NL Rookie of the Year. 

    Pirates Eye Spoiler Role, Fans Eye Football Season

    Aside from Paul Skenes’ dominance (ignore his last start against the red hot Brewers), Pirates fans haven’t had much to look forward to this year. They are 29 games below .500 and 25 games behind in the NL central. But they have an opportunity to redeem themselves and play spoilers this month to contenders Cubs, Blue Jays, and Res Sox, with stops in Colorado and St. Louis. 

  • Betts’ performance this year has helped, not hurt, his case for the Hall of Fame

    Betts’ performance this year has helped, not hurt, his case for the Hall of Fame

    Original art by @snarshall

    Ahh, the weight of expectations.

    When a generational player suddenly looks mortal, fans and media search for explanations. This season, the Dodgers’ player raising the most eyebrows is Marcus Lynn Betts, “Mookie” to… well, everyone. 

    The eight‑time All‑Star and former American League MVP has hit poorly all summer, and his slash line (.238/.309/.370 through July 25) stands more than 170 points below his 2023 peak. Pundits have pointed to his transition from right field to shortstop and his age‐32 season as possible culprits. Yet those surface factors distract from what I believe is the most likely cause: at the end of spring training Betts suffered a mystery illness that caused him to lose 15-25 pounds in roughly three weeks.

    To understand Betts’ season one must understand how severe weight loss impacts athletic performance, how Betts has compensated through defensive excellence, and why his performance this season, though mediocre by Betts’ standards, further cements his Hall of Fame credentials rather than damages them.

    Athletes need muscles. Also, water is wet.

    Standard medical guidance suggests that unexplained weight loss of more than 5% of one’s body weight, or more than 10 pounds over 6-12 months, is concerning and a red flag for more severe illness. These thresholds are important because the body’s energy stores and muscle mass are designed to support daily metabolic demand. Rapid weight loss signals that something has gone wrong with nutrient intake, metabolism, or both.

    In March 2025, just as the season was getting started, Betts got sick and blew through those clinical red flags. At the beginning of spring training he weighed approximately 175 pounds. Late in March he told reporters that an undiagnosed stomach ailment left him “vomiting for two weeks,” unable to keep solid food down. The sickness caused him to drop somewhere between 15 and 25 pounds in about 3 weeks. Remember, 5% weight loss in 6 months is concerning; Betts lost 14% in less than a month. 

    That would be like Will Smith, at 195 pounds, dropping down to 168. Guys like Betts, at 5’ 10”, 175 pounds and able to dunk a basketball, are lean to begin with. Unlike us desk jockeys, they fight to keep weight on, typically taking in 3,500 or more calories daily to keep up with the physical demands of their profession. But Betts’ body revolted against him. At the time, he described the sensation bluntly to reporters: “My body is basically eating itself…every time I eat anything I vomit.”

    In hitting, weight matters.

    Baseball is a skill sport, but it is also bio-mechanical. Generating bat speed and hard contact requires leverage and coordinated rotation of the legs, core and upper body. A drop in body mass means a loss of muscle, which in turn reduces bat speed, but also the body’s ability to absorb the stresses of daily play. Less muscle means less stored energy in the form of glycogen, the body’s internal blood sugar bank. Less glycogen means quicker fatigue and reduced peak force output. For hitters like Betts who rely on quick hands and a compact, powerful swing, even modest decreases in body mass can translate into slower bat speed and weaker contact.

    Statcast data from MLB’s Baseball Savant backs me on this. Before the illness, Betts routinely ranked in the top quartile of hitters in average exit velocity and bat speed. SI reported that in 2025 his average exit velocity fell to 88.3 mph, down 4.1 mph from his 2023 peak and the lowest of his career. His bat speed dipped to 68.8 mph, ranking only in the 11th percentile of MLB (although, Betts’ bat speed has never been great). Betts’ barrel rate (the percentage of batted balls struck with ideal launch angle and exit velocity) dropped to 5.5 percent, and his hard‑hit rate plummeted to 34.1 percent. 

    Can you blame the guy? He just lost 25 pounds three months ago. In retrospect, this was predictable. Of course his bat speed and power numbers were going to suffer.

    Q: But what about his age, or changing positions to shortstop?

    A: Get his HOF plaque ready.

    Look. 32 is not old by today’s baseball standards. Many elite hitters – and although his numbers are suffering this year, Betts is still an elite hitter – maintain high offensive production into their mid‑30s. Derek Jeter hit .330 at age 32 and remained above league average until 37. Betts’ body type and skill set (athleticism, plate discipline, contact ability) typically age better than sluggers who rely on brute strength. The rapidness of his drop from a .307/.408/.579 line in 2023 to .238/.309/.370 in 2025 suggests an external shock rather than a gradual decline. And his plate discipline remains excellent: his 2025 strikeout rate is hovering around 11%, elite for a modern hitter. Walk rate has dipped only slightly from 10.7% to about 9%. The elite mechanics are intact.

    So much has been made of the move to shortstop. SI speculated that “…the physical toll of playing short every day could be contributing to his struggles at the plate.” There is merit to the idea that moving to the infield from outfield adds wear and tear. However Betts’s hitting while playing short last year was solid, even though he was re-learning the position in real time. And re-learned the position he has. While his bat has struggled, Betts has become an above average, maybe excellent, shortstop. 

    According to Baseball‑Reference’s fielding metrics, Betts ranks second among MLB shortstops in total zone runs with 9 runs saved as of July 25th. Outs Above Average (OAA), a more advanced measure provided by Statcast, placed him in the 76th percentile, well above average. His throwing accuracy has visibly improved from a year ago. Baseball’s internal tracking labeled his range (as measured by Range Factor per nine innings) as 4.47, above league average. 

    Only a handful of stars – most notably Robin Yount in the 80’s – have played both the outfield and shortstop successfully, though Yount started as a shortstop and moved the the outfield, the “easier” direction. Betts has joined a very exclusive club and in doing so has built on his HOF resume.

    Hall of Fame voters also consider excellence over a sustained period. Betts’ eight All‑Star selections, seven Silver Slugger Awards, six Gold Gloves, three world championships and 2018 MVP provide a resumé few can match. Even in 2025, while his bat has suffered, he’s remained a team leader, has shown up every day with a smile, talks to fans and the media. He’s Mookie.

    When he eventually enters Cooperstown, the plaque will list his MVP award and his rings. It should also commemorate the season he lost 14% of his body weight, learned to play shortstop, and still found ways to help his team win.

    If the Dodgers win the last game of the season again this year, Betts will be a first ballot inductee. He should be, regardless.

    In a sport obsessed with numbers, context matters.

    Sources

    https://www.reuters.com/sports/dodgers-mookie-betts-out-lineup-vs-sox-could-return-saturday-2025-07-25/

    https://www.mlb.com/news/mookie-betts-battling-undiagnosed-illness

    https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/unexplained-weight-loss

    https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/unexplained-weight-loss-what-it-could-mean#

    https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44385494/dodgers-mookie-betts-dealing-illness-lost-15-lbs

    https://people.com/dodgers-star-mookie-betts-lost-25-lbs-from-mystery-illness-11702538

    https://www.si.com/mlb/mookie-betts-decline-inside-the-numbers#

    https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2025-fielding-leaders.shtml#

  • What if MLB adopted EPL-style relegation?

    What if MLB adopted EPL-style relegation?

    In the summer of 2020 – a surreal and, frankly, forgettable year marked by a global pandemic, our President’s seeming daily mockery of science (including the unforgettable question to Dr. Deborah Birx about whether we ought to try injecting disinfectant to treat COVID-19), and the tragic, untimely deaths of two of my heroes, Laker legend Kobe Bryant and Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart – my lifelong friend Chris and I, both devoted baseball fanatics, found ourselves drawn to a new obsession: English Football.

    With the start of the MLB season delayed until July 23, and the eventual World Series between the Dodgers and Rays played in front of cardboard cutout fans and artificial crowd noise at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, we looked elsewhere to fill the void (although the Dodgers’ win was spectacular). The highest level of English football, the English Premier League, aka the EPL, became a welcome distraction, something fresh and alive, during a time when so much of the world felt uncertain.

    (Side note: the World Series in pandemic year 1 was hosted at Globe Life Field. I am only just realizing this now, five years later. Conspiracy theorists must have been flipping out.)

    In more than 30 years of friendship, Chris and I have never rooted for the same team in any sport. In fact, like brothers from another mother, we often find ourselves cheering for each other’s rivals. Chris is a lifelong Braves fan, which makes our Braves-Dodgers matchups a natural battleground. He once tried rooting for the Padres, but I don’t think he could stomach it – and he knows better than to cross the line to the Giants. Some boundaries are sacred if you want to stay friends. Ask him his favorite college football team, and he’ll tell you: it’s whoever’s playing USC that week.

    At the start of our EPL journey, Chris and I set out to do something we’d never done before: pick a team we could both support. One afternoon over Zoom, we pulled up the Premier League table – essentially the EPL standings – and chose our club at random. We deliberately aimed for the middle of the pack, steering clear of the top three (too easy) and avoiding the bottom dwellers for fear of relegation. For the uninitiated, relegation means getting kicked out of the top-tier Premier League and sent down to the Championship League – English football’s version of AAA – for finishing in the bottom three. It’s one of the most thrilling aspects of the EPL and one of the most nerve-wracking for fans of borderline teams.

    Unfortunately for us, the strategy worked a little too well. We landed on Wolverhampton Wanderers FC – a team so steeped in mediocrity that their actual name, the Wanderers, feels like an apt description of their annual fate (though most people just call them “Wolves”). In the five years we’ve been supporters, the Wolves have mastered the art of staying squarely in the middle: never quite good enough to threaten the league’s top contenders, but never bad enough to get relegated. They don’t suck – but they’re not good either. To their credit, Wolves fans are known as some of the most passionate in the Premier League, even though the club has never won the EPL (they did win the Championship League in 2017–18, which earned them promotion to the top tier). 

    It’s been a fun ride getting to know the world‘s favorite sport. The athleticism, the drama, the spectacle – it’s all there. From August to May, the energy for EPL rivals what American sports have to offer. England – roughly the size of Alabama but with ten times the population – is home to all 20 Premier League clubs along with dozens more across the lower leagues. In London alone, a city roughly the size of Los Angeles, there are seven Premier League teams. Rivalries are fierce and stakes are high for passionate fans.

    Imagine if MLB teams played home games in Long Beach, Carson, Marina del Rey, Pasadena, Northridge, Whittier, and El Monte. How cool would that be?

    Of all the elements that make the EPL exciting, relegation might be the most intriguing. Teams are ranked from #1 to #20 based on their performance throughout the season. At the end of the year, the bottom three teams are relegated – demoted to the lower-tier Championship League. In the event of a tie on points, rankings are determined first by goal difference, then by goals scored. If teams are still tied (a rare scenario), a playoff match may be used to decide who stays and who goes. (Note: Unlike some other leagues, the Premier League does not use head-to-head results as a tiebreaker.)

    To fill the vacancies, the top two teams from the Championship are automatically promoted, and the third spot is decided through a playoff among the next four highest-ranked teams. This constant movement means every season brings fresh blood to the Premier League – and under-performers get bounced down to the “minors,” keeping things competitive…and unforgiving.

    The repercussions of relegation are staggering. A demoted EPL team can lose £50–100 million in annual television revenue alone. Star players often depart for top clubs in other European leagues, and fan morale takes a serious hit. On the flip side, promotion is one of the most lucrative and transformative events in sports. Newly promoted clubs gain access to Premier League TV money, commercial opportunities, increased ticket demand, stronger recruiting power for star players, and a heightened profile with fans and media – the list goes on. The system creates constant pressure: win to avoid relegation, or win to achieve promotion. Or, if you’re my beloved Wanderers, just stay mediocre enough to keep your seat at the EPL table.

    What if MLB adopted relegation? 

    Imagine the Braves and Rockies, not battling for a playoff spot in September, but fighting to remain in the major leagues. A late-season White Sox road trip to Boston or New York suddenly carries more weight in Chicago. And consider the AAA teams jockeying for promotion – the Toledo Mud Hens could become the unexpected darlings of the baseball world.

    Of course, there are financial realities that keep Durham Bull dreams from becoming major league policy. MLB television contracts are negotiated locally and regionally, unlike the Premier League’s centralized national deal, which makes revenue sharing among clubs more feasible. Major league salaries are astronomical compared to those of minor leaguers – though in theory, that disparity could serve as a powerful motivator to avoid relegation. It would require a complete overhaul of the minor league system. The EPL does offer a safety net for demoted teams, with a portion of shared revenue continuing to support them post-relegation. MLB could implement a similar model.

    EPL standings are based on a point system: 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Major League Baseball doesn’t have ties (or crying!) so I created a similar system, awarding 3 points for each win and subtracting 1 point for each loss.

    For example, the Detroit Tigers, currently with 59 wins (59 × 3 = 177 points) and 38 losses, earn a total of 139 points (177 – 38 = 139). In the EPL, the bottom three teams, roughly 15% of the league, are relegated at season’s end. Applying the same percentage to MLB’s 30 teams (and rounding up), five clubs would be sent down.

    As the 2025 season resumes following the All-Star break, here’s how my MLB table stacks up:

    TeamWinsLossesPoints
    Detroit Tigers5938139
    Los Angeles Dodgers5839135
    Chicago Cubs5739132
    Milwaukee Brewers5640128
    Houston Astros5640128
    Toronto Blue Jays5541124
    Philadelphia Phillies5541124
    New York Mets5542123
    New York Yankees5343116
    Boston Red Sox5345114
    San Diego Padres5244112
    San Francisco Giants5245111
    Seattle Mariners5145108
    St. Louis Cardinals5146107
    Cincinnati Reds5047103
    Tampa Bay Rays5047103
    Texas Rangers484995
    Minnesota Twins474992
    Los Angeles Angels474992
    Kansas City Royals475091
    Arizona Diamondbacks475091
    Cleveland Guardians464989
    Miami Marlins445181
    Baltimore Orioles435277
    Atlanta Braves425373
    R – Oakland Athletics415766
    R – Pittsburgh Pirates395859
    R- Washington Nationals385856
    R- Chicago White Sox326531
    R- Colorado Rockies2274-8

    The Athletics (oh, the poor, long-suffering A’s fans), Pirates (PNC Park is beautiful – their lineup, less so), Nationals (their ownership earned this), White Sox (a big-market team with a tiny budget), and Rockies (remember that Dante Bichette/Larry Walker commercial with the floating ball?) all face relegation.

    Meanwhile, the Tacoma Rainiers, El Paso Chihuahuas, Sacramento River Cats, Nashville Sounds, and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (best baseball name ever??) are among the AAA clubs vying for a historic and profitable promotion to the majors.

    Could this actually happen? No.

    Would I want to see it? I’m torn. But one thing’s for sure: it would make September baseball a lot more interesting.