ha ha ha
If you are going to give up fourteen runs in a game, the best possible time to do it is in the 9th inning of a cactus league game when many of the sold out crowd were already heading home and with names like Istler, Griggs, Paredes, and Hooper. What a hitting parade by the White Sox kids.
Night Game Notes:
- Until the nonroster folk showed up the real Dodger pitching staff pitched a gem of a game on Sunday night with Alex Wood leading the charge. This was the 3rd straight good start by pitchers trying to crack the season-opening rotation led by McCarthy on Friday, Ryu on Saturday, and Wood on Sunday. Wood got into trouble in the first but escaped with only having given up only one run and was smooth as silk the rest of his outing.
- Ross Stripling followed Wood and struck out the first two batters. He ran into a little trouble in his second inning but got out unscathed.
- Chris Hatcher did his best to get back in the bullpen game with a perfect inning that included two punchouts. Liberatore is looking like the guy who was dominant in the first half last year.
- I’m not sure if Bobby Wilson has a chance to usurp Austin Barnes as the backup catcher but he had a big day last night crushing a home run to left and followed that with a sharp single to left.
- Puig made a throw in the first that got Rick Monday complaining because he missed the cut off man, but I tell you what, the throw was on the money to 3rd, and he just missed nailing him. Sure the result was 2nd/3rd no outs but……..man that was a great throw.
- Forsythe sure looks great on the defensive side at 2nd base making a great play on the shortstop side going against his body to throw a slow moving Soto. His turns at 2nd have looked quick and clean.
Treasonist?
I’m enjoying the WBC but some of my fellow Americans might think I’m a tad unpatriotic because I simply can’t find it in me to root for the US team. Watching little countries bring down big countries has always made my heart smile. Of course, when a country like the DR has a lineup that looks like an all-star game with some future HOF talent in it, it isn’t exactly David versus Goliath, but it still tickled my fancy when Cruz crushed Miller in the 8th tonight.
Venditte doesn’t appear to be very good no matter which arm he uses.
Only in the WBC can the backup catcher on a major league team knock out the starting catcher on the same major league team. Rough way to get the starting gig.
Eric Gagne actually pitched well getting six outs. He was brought into a tough situation with the bases loaded and walked the first hitter but escaped with allowing only one runner to score. Could be a kick in the pants if Gagne really could hook up with a major league team after not pitching in the majors since 2008. Normally I’d laugh/scoff at his chances but after watching Rich Hill come back anything is possible.
Lindor hit two home runs for Puerto Rico tonight and the first was a monster shot
McCarthy stamps while regulars rake
Last night Brandon McCarthy and the Dodgers expected to be part of the opening day lineup laid waste to the Rangers. McCarthy pitched the best three innings of the spring among those battling for a spot in the rotation. Granted he did it against an AAA Texas Ranger lineup but it still had encouraging signs. Six groundouts and three strikeouts for all nine outs. Zero walks for a pitcher who couldn’t find the plate last summer.
Other Pitching Highlights:
- Brandow Morrow struck out the side in his bid to make the bullpen
- Julio Urias threw two shutout innings.
- Jacob Rhame did his best to separate himself from Josh Ravin by pitching a scoreless 9th, while Josh Ravin was the only blemish on the night giving up four hits and two runs in his one inning of work.
Hitting Highlights:
- The regulars Forsythe, Puig, Turner, Grandal, and Pederson went a combined 9 for 11.
- Puig hit two home runs and walked in his three plate appearances
- Forsythe was also perfect with three singles from the lead off spot
- Turner could only manage to get on base twice in his three at-bats
- Grandal was given four at-bats and got on base in three of them. Surprisingly two of them were singles.
- Gutierrez finally got on the spring board by hitting a home run in the 1st inning. That was however his only hit as he continues to struggle this spring.
Petty grievances
I once heard/read that only petty people have petty grievances. Petty be me
I find it amusing the things that somewhat intelligent people get their knickers in a twist about until I remember how twisted my knickers are.
I almost never forgave Sandy Koufax when I was seven when my brother told me Koufax loved basketball more than baseball. In my defense, I was seven.
I thought Robin Yount was a chump for 20 years because he wanted to be a pro golfer instead of a baseball player.
I could never root for Gary Sheffield for two reasons. Purposely making errors at 19 because they wouldn’t let him be the worst SS in the history of baseball. And for extorting the Dodgers in the Piazza deal.
Broxton for Matt Stairs
Moe Drabowsky for making the Dodgers look silly in the first World Series I ever listened to on the radio
George Sherrill for Ryan Howard. You had one job. One job only.
Davey Lopes for mocking Jim Bouton when he hit a home run off of him
Charley Steiner and Rick Monday because they don’t allow me to enjoy the one thing I used to enjoy the most, listening to a Dodger game on the radio.
Comments in blogs that accuse everyone of something when in fact it might have been one, it might have been two, it might have been the majority, but it was never ever “everyone”.
Bill Russell for hitting Reggie Jackson in the hip instead of the head
Pitchers who get upset at bat flips.
Hitters who bat flip on a home run and are still losing
AL pitchers who intentionally throw at hitters knowing how safe they are from retribution and that only their teammates will pay the price.
Fans in the first row who don’t defend the home turf against the visitors
Ryan Howard, Matt Stairs, Jimmy Rollins, Matt Adams, and Matt Carpenter. LHH who have sent the Dodgers home in October in the 21st century. It is getting beyond annoying.
To be honest, those are just a few, and if I dug deep they stop being petty and you’d wonder why Phil isn’t on some type of medication.
Upper cut
Travis Sawchik at Fangraphs recently put up an interview with JD Martinez that might change how you view baseball this year. Martinez was once a slap hitting outfielder who had failed to establish himself as a bonafide major league baseball player. He revamped his swing and has become one of the most potent hitters in baseball. He did this by eschewing the ground ball and trying to hit every ball into the air.
“People talk to me and I tell them straight up. I don’t bullshit,” Martinez said. “In the cage, I talk about it all the time. I’m not trying to hit a fucking line drive or a freaking ground ball. I’m trying to hit the ball in the air. I feel like the ball in the air is my strength and has a chance to go anywhere in the park. So why am I trying to hit a ground ball? That’s what I believe in.”
With his hands now free, Martinez demonstrates how he’s in search of a bat plane angle that will produce more balls in flight. He notes that statistics prove the value of a fly ball over a ground ball. In 2016, batters hit .241 with a .715 slugging mark and a wRC+ of 139 on fly balls versus a .238 average, .258 slugging mark and of wRC+ of 27 on ground balls.
Justin Turner is the Dodger version of J.D. Martinez. He revamped his swing to put emphasis on getting the ball in the air and pitchers have paid the price.
Right now the phrase “swing plane” is the 2017 mantra as more players are buying into changing their swing to produce more fly balls. Pitchers might be fighting back by elevating fastballs to counter the “uppercut”.
How this plays out will just be another reason to watch baseball in 2017.
Rich Hill reminds everyone he sucks in March
Rich Hill had his second lousy start this spring but compared to a game he pitched last March for the Oakland A’s he doing just fine. In that game, he walked the bases loaded and didn’t even get three outs.
I was curious so I looked up a few things. As great as Hill was last year he didn’t start out the season very good, getting pounded in game one and game three. Game two however, was brilliant and that was what he leaned toward for the rest of his season when he was able to take the mound.
Hill has had such a bizarre career that you actually have to go back to 2008 to find his last April starts that didn’t occur in 2016. He was horrible. Those five starts got him demoted and he didn’t see the majors again until May 16th, 2009.
After starting the Cactus league 5 -1 the Dodgers have lost five of six and are now 6 – 6 in Cactus league play.
Recently acquired Drew Jackson showed up in the box score and struck out in his only plate appearance.
Joc Pederson led off the game with his 3rd cactus league home run and now has a 1.000 OPS.
Brett Eibner and Trevor Holt continue to lead the offense. Both are trying to buck the odds and beat out Trayce Thompson for the job of backup outfielder or platoon mate for Andre Ethier.
Willie Calhoun got his first start at second base and was hitless in two at-bats. Jose Fernandez replaced him at second and took a walk. Fernandez now has three walks in eleven plate appearances. He doesn’t have a hit yet but he is showing the eye we heard about.
Trevor Oaks once again put up zeros in two innings of work. Oaks has now pitched in three games, going two innings every time, and has yet to allow a run.
CIA Emoticons
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щ（ﾟДﾟщ） < “Dear god why‽ )
٩(̾●̮̮̃̾•̃̾)۶
٩(͡๏̯͡๏)۶
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⊂(◉‿◉)つ
╯‵Д′)╯彡┻━┻ angry guy flipping a table (maybe my favorite)
◔ᴗ◔ – how I feel about Kershaw
Cody Bellinger – Sooner or later?
The general feeling is that Cody Bellinger is blocked and won’t see much major league action in 2017. Not everyone agreed with this.
Is he really blocked?
The Dodger top prospect plays 1st base and the outfield. Barring injury Adrian Gonzalez has a firm grip on 1st base and given he’s never hit the DL, that grip is solid.
Not so solid is the grip on left field by Andre Ethier / Andrew Toles/ Franklyn Gutierrez / Trayce Thompson / SVS.
Andre Ethier is having a great spring and looks completely healthy following a year in which he missed 99% of it due to fouling a ball off his shin in 2016 spring training and breaking stuff. In what was supposed to be a competition between Andre and Andrew, at the moment, Andre is kicking Toles butt.
If Andre was to win the job (and I suspect he will) what are his prospects? Going back to 2010 – 2016 we can do a quick Baseball Reference Play Index and look for any LF with at least 400 PA with at least an OPS+ of 100 who was 35 or older. We find five players who have done this. Soriano three times, and Raul Ibanez twice. The best they could do was an OPS+ of 123.
It is very possible that Andre Ethier will join this leaderboard at the end of 2017, but it also just as likely that he doesn’t. In 2014, Andre was fighting injuries and posted a mere OPS+ of 97. He followed that with a very healthy and productive 2015. Two of the last three years Andre has not been healthy.
I would not be betting on Andre seeing 400 plate appearances in 2017 with an OPS+ > 100.
Player HR OPS+ PA Year Age BA OBP SLG OPS Pos Alfonso Soriano 34 114 626 2013 37 .255 .302 .489 .791 *7D/H Alfonso Soriano 32 118 615 2012 36 .262 .322 .499 .821 *7/DH Raul Ibanez 29 123 496 2013 41 .242 .306 .487 .793 *7D/H9 Alfonso Soriano 26 104 508 2011 35 .244 .289 .469 .759 *7/HD Marlon Byrd 23 100 544 2015 37 .247 .290 .453 .743 *79/H8D Matt Holliday 20 107 426 2016 36 .246 .322 .461 .782 *7H3/D Raul Ibanez 19 103 425 2012 40 .240 .308 .453 .761 *7HD9 Carlos Lee 18 117 653 2011 35 .275 .342 .446 .788 *7*3/DH Raul Ibanez 16 111 636 2010 38 .275 .349 .444 .793 *7/HD3
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 3/5/2017.
Andrew Toles is supposed to be next up on the depth chart. Toles shocked the baseball world last year by flying up the minor league ladder after taking the 2015 season off. He was so good that eventually Dave Roberts was forced to use him in the postseason in LF instead of Howie Kendrick. Andrew Toles could eventually find his way into being the LAD starting left fielder against RHP. As much as I enjoyed Toles last year I do think he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock is Andre Ethier’s contract. If healthy Andre is going to be the starting LF even if Toles is his equal because they can only carry one of Andre or Andrew. The hard place is Cody Bellinger. Toles might be an adequate left fielder, Cody Bellinger could be a star. He might be able to hold off Cody for a few months, but I’m not sure he could do it for the whole season.
The other three players on the LF depth are all right handed hitters who would play against LHP.
This is my guess for the 2017 season. Andre Ethier will win the job to start the year but injuries will get in the way of him being productive and eventually he’ll hit the DL. Toles will get the call-up but between Toles being meh, and Bellinger hammering in AAA, the Dodgers eventually give Bellinger the call and he takes the LF job and holds it the rest of summer and 2018 to boot.
For some reason as I watched the Mariner / Dodger game today, a vision flashed before my eyes, and that vision was Andrew Toles playing for the Mariners.
Cody Bellinger puts his skills on display
With Adrian Gonzalez ailing, and headed out to represent Mexico in the WBC, Dodger fans are going to get to see a lot of number one prospect Cody Bellinger. I suspect they will like what they see.
Today, Cody put some of his skills on display. In his first at-bat, he struck out on a high strike and looked like a free swinging little leaguer. Later in the game with runners on 2nd/3rd, he took a smash headed into RF and instead of a two-run single turned it into an out. He followed that defensive gem with a nice two-strike bullet up the middle to plate a run.
He continues to look comfortable in a major league uniform and is maybe just an Andre Ethier injury away from being the starting left fielder. At some point, I think the Dodgers will want to inject Cody Bellinger into the lineup and while Andre has looked good this spring, he’s now 35 and might be considered a high injury risk. Headed into spring it was believed that Toles would be fighting Andre for that starting gig, but Andre seems to have stuffed Toles, and it looks to me as though Cody Bellinger would get the rebound should Andre fail to get his feet off the ground.
Plenty of time for Toles to get his get turned around but it might simply be a case of the superior talent winning out even if he does.
Other Thoughts:
20-year-old Julio Urias tossed two shutout innings and what does it say about Urias that this was a ho-hum appearance? Any other 20-year-old doing this in spring training would be a big story, but at this point, you expect this from Urias.
Ravin can’t afford to many appearances like this if he wants to beat out Chris Hatcher for a spot in the bullpen. Three-run home runs aren’t just one mistake, that is three base runners in one inning of work.
The Mariners played a horrible defensive game
Yasiel Sierra does look like Ramon Martinez
I felt bad for AJ Ellis after hearing he was hurt and would miss his chance to represent the US in the WBC. He seemed very excited that he had been picked for the US squad.
Couldn’t help but watch Sopko and feel the California League Pitcher of the Year had replaced Chase De Jong in the Dodger depth chart.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 