Dodgers go at Giants with short bench
Rich Hill needed to be activated and they conveniently used Rob Segedin paternity leave as the lever for getting Hill onto the rotation. In so doing they have shorted their bench which now consists of four players and one of those is the backup catcher who rarely gets used outside of catching.
This leaves the Dodgers Kike Hernandez, Andrew Toles, Charlie Culberson, and the aforementioned A.J. Ellis to man the Dodger bench.
Have to imagine a few pitchers will hit for themselves tonight even if they don’t remain in the game, and we will probably see a pitcher on the roster used as a pinch runner if the game is close.
That is right, Andrew Toles will be sitting today after hitting home runs on Monday and Tuesday in favor of the red hot Josh Reddick.
I’m sure that will work out, everything Dave Roberts seems to do somehow works out.
Adrian Gonzalez on a RBI mission
Gonzalez has driven in 11 runs over the last two games. Going into tonight’s game he’ll be trying to become the 7th LAD player to drive in at least three runs in three straight games. Strangely enough Andrew Toles will be trying to accomplish the same thing even though Toles has only driven in three runs per game.
The last player to drive in three runs in three straight games was James Loney, the other five were:
| Name | Strk Start | End | Games | HR | RBI ▾ |
| Ron Cey | 4/23/1977 | 4/25/1977 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Frank Howard | 7/27/1962 | 7/29/1962 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Eric Karros | 6/2/2002 | 6/4/2002 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Dusty Baker | 7/11/1983 | 7/13/1983 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| James Loney | 9/16/2011 | 9/18/2011 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
What is great about Adrian is that his 11 RBI would give him more than anyone but Howard and Cey over a three-game period and he did it in two games.
But Shawn Green is the king of RBI over a three-game span. At least he is the king I found, if someone has more than 14 over a three-game span please be sure to correct me.
Shawn Green drove in seven runs the day he hit four home runs. He then drove in one run the next day giving him eight in two games. He followed that up with six RBI, so over a three-game span, Shawn Green drove in 14 runs. If Adrian can drive in three runs today, he can at least tie Shawn Green for most runs driven in over a three-game span.
Add Walker Buehler near the top of the plethora of Dodger pitching prospects
The Dodgers number one pick of 2015 pitched his first professional game last night and everyone came away raving about his stuff. He only pitched two innings but his stuff showed why the Dodgers didn’t shy away from making him their top selection last year even with the arm concerns.
Baseball America checks in on Walker Buehler:
Walker Buehler, rhp, Dodgers. The former Vanderbilt star had Tommy John surgery shortly after the Dodgers made him the 24th overall pick in 2015. He got back on a mound in earnest on Tuesday, making his pro debut in the Rookie-level AZL against the White Sox. Buehler struck out three in two scoreless innings, and according to BA’s Bill Mitchell, who was on hand, Buehler’s fastball ranged 95-97 mph with a cutter in the low 90s and a tight curveball with plenty of spin. With the trade of Grant Holmes, Jharel Cotton and Frankie Montas to Oakland, Buehler could be looked at as the Dodgers’ No. 2 pitching prospect behind Jose De Leon, with Julio Urias graduating.
Dodger fans have already gotten a good luck at the future with 20-year-old Julio Urias and the future could be even brighter with at least three top arms still in the system. Jose De Leon is currently top dog but it doesn’t take much imagination to foresee that either Yadier Alveraz or Walker Buehler might have more upside than the talented De Leon.
Sometimes you hear the minor league mantra “grow the pitchers sign the hitters” or maybe the mantra is “grow the hitters sign the pitchers” but in either case, the Dodger farm system is doing very well at growing both.
Corey Seager is no top five MVP candidate
A few weeks ago I was wondering if Corey Seager could pull off a Fred Lynn and win not only the Rookie of the Year but also the MVP. He had a compelling case at the time but I don’t think many were taking the idea seriously, at best he was considered a top-five candidate. Since that column, Seager has been on fire and in my opinion is neck and neck with Kris Bryant for the MVP award.
The problem is that as hot as Seager has been Kris Bryant is just as hot. The problem for Kris Bryant is that his team is going to coast to the NL Central Division and whatever he does going forward is just padding stats, but whatever Cory does could have a direct correlation to how the Dodgers get into the postseason.
What everyone is noticing is that Corey Seager as a rookie is the main cog in the Dodger offensive explosion. He’s in the middle of everything that is good right now. As the Dodger rotation continues to falter, it has been the Dodger offense that has shoved their way into first place, and no one has done more of the shoving than Corey Seager.
As Joe Davis and Orel noted the other night, not only does Corey Seager have the counting stats the old school MVP voters love such as high batting average, he has the stats that the sabermetrics school drools over. At this point, he’s lock in step with Kris Bryant in fWAR. And he’s on a first place team that is overcoming all sorts of adversity.
AND HE”S A SHORTSTOP
And he’s getting better
His current run is ridiculous, let us look at how ridiculous he has been:
Corey is 29 for 57 with four doubles, three home runs and has a triple stat line of .509 | .556 | .737.
Other notable offensive numbers:
- For the month of August Corey has an OPS of 1.054
- Since May he has not had an OPS below .890
- He’s 3rd in the league in BA at .324
- He’s 10th in the league Slug% at .544
- He’s 9th in the league in OPS at .923
- He’s 3rd in the league in runs scored at 86
- He’s 2nd in the league in hits with 158
- He’s fourth in the league in total bases with 265
- He’s 3rd in the league in doubles with 35
- He’s 6th in the league in adjusted OPS or OPS+ with 147
- He’s 7th in the league in runs created at 99
- He’s 6th in the league in extra base hits at 60
Now I’ll agree that none of these particular numbers stands out at you and says MVP, but in the aggregate, you have an incredibly consistent hitter who is combining average with power without any stretches of infallibility along with a rookie shortstop. This stuff has never been done. No rookie shortstop has ever done what Corey Seager is doing that had enough at-bats to qualify for the batting championship.
| Player | OPS+ | PA | Year | Age | OPS |
| Corey Seager | 147 | 533 | 2016 | 22 | 0.923 |
| Charlie Hollocher | 134 | 588 | 1918 | 22 | 0.775 |
| Bobby Grich | 127 | 528 | 1972 | 23 | 0.773 |
| Nomar Garciaparra (RoY-1st) | 123 | 734 | 1997 | 23 | 0.875 |
Rookies r Us
Dodger rookies continue to pound the baseball helping the Dodgers route Madison Bumgarner and the Giants.
Segedin hit a home run in his first at-bat against Madison Bumgarner, giving him two home runs in two games. Segedin isn’t doing it against the lousy lefties either. Two weeks ago when he collected his first hit it was against David Price.
Toles came into the game late and still managed to hit a double and home run, also giving him two home runs in two games.
Seager simply hit his 35th double, two singles, and a walk, getting on base four times.
Adrian Gonzalez is no rookie but he is just as hot as the rookies, Adrian drove in three more runs giving him 11 RBI in two games.
The pitching was the same old story. The starter barely went five giving up three runs. The bullpen pitched four great innings, and the offense slugged their way to another victory.
It ain’t your normal recipe for success but whatever the Dodgers put in the oven it is coming out tasting like victory.
Dodgers could use a little right-handed help tonight
As you try to figure out who is going to play tonight one constant keeps on showing up, the Dodgers are short a right-handed hitting outfielder.
Chase Utley has been sitting against LHP, so if you move Howie to 2nd base as has been the case, you have three outfield spots that need to be filled.
Hard to imagine that Josh Reddick would get one of those spots given he has historically been awful against left-hand pitching, and so far he’s been awful in August just facing right-hand pitching. Facing the best left-hander in the NL, not on the DL doesn’t seem like it is in the cards.
Next up is Joc Pederson, and while Joc has been hitting, he still struggles mightily against left-hand pitching.
You know Mr. Hernandez is going to play somewhere, probably CF or RF. But that still leaves two spots open. Rob Segedin could grab one of those spots or he could go on paternity leave. But let’s be optimistic and write Rob into the lineup in LF.
That still leaves a spot in RF. Do they let Toles play against the LH, he doesn’t have enough of a history to know if he can or cannot hit left-hand pitching.
Trayce Thompson and SVS picked a bad time to be hurt. Puig picked a bad time to be made an example of.
Everyone is giddy coming off the greatest game of the year but now things get real. They face the team they must beat to win the NL Western Divison. Too many games exist between now and end of the year against the Giants to win the division without beating the foe chasing you.
Can they do it with a patchwork rotation and one hand held behind their back as they try to accomplish this with the best right fielder in the organization playing in AAA.
Maybe
Jose De Leon keeps throwing his panama hat into the ring, and the Dodgers keep throwing it back at him
Jose was already on a hot streak but tonight he may have outdone everything he had already done to get noticed by the Dodger front office. Tonight Jose threw six no-hit innings and ended up with seven one-hit innings, no walks, and ten strikeouts.
That is about as good as you can do.
Over his last four games, Jose has now pitched 27 innings, struck out 32 while working only 2, and giving up seventeen hits. In his last two games, he has struck out 20 in 14 innings, walking zero, and giving up seven hits.
It is not like the Dodgers don’t need pitchers and it has been a bit befuddling to me that they continue to use what they have instead of turning to DeLeon. I mean the rotation ERA in August is over 6.00. They rarely pitch five innings. The worse that Deleon could do is already what they do on a daily basis.
The rotation is so shaky that right now the three pitchers scheduled to go against the Giants are:
Tuesday – Kenta Maeda – solid
Wednesday – Rich Hill is supposed to make his Dodger debut. He hasn’t pitched in any kind of a non – simulated game since July 7th. No minor league re hab games, just a simulated game. Good luck with that.
Thursday – ha ha – Brett Anderson is scheduled. So far Brett has made two starts. He has been bombed in the first inning in both starts giving up five and four runs respectively. Even worse he has left both games with two different injuries.
On tap would be Bud Norris who not only is battling a bad back but looks to be bad Bud Norris again. Following him could be Scott Kazmir who has admitted to a boatload of physical ailments. So both these options are hurt and pitching kind of crappy when they do take the mound.
Leftover, are rookies Ross Stripling and Julio Urias. It may be time to add a 3rd rookie to the list. At least until some of these injuries heal or they can start pitching better.
I understand the 40 man roster is tight, but come on, does anyone really think Casey Fien should be holding Jose De Leon from making important starts right now? Maybe the front office feels they can simply cobble a group of pitchers together until Clayton is ready or Sept comes around. Maybe they think the offense and bullpen can continue to shoulder the load of the worse rotation in baseball in August.
Doesn’t seem like a great plan to me.
Schebler & Peraza torment team that traded them to no avail
They both have hit a home run, and they both have hit a double so far this series. In total, they had 14 hits, while driving in six runs, and scoring six times. It did seem that Peraza was on base every time in the three games he played.
Yet the Dodgers still won the last two games of the series thanks to the great pitching by Urias and the offensive explosion today.
| Name | | | Atbats | | | Hits | | | RS/RBI | | | DBL-HR |
| Schebler | | | 15 | | | 5 | | | 1/3 | | | 1/1 |
| Peraza | | | 15 | | | 9 | | | 5/3 | | | 1/1 |
Last winter in the biggest trade the Dodgers made they sent Scott Schebler, Jose Peraza, and Brandon Dixon to the Reds but they didn’t get back any players from the Reds. Instead, the Reds sent Todd Frazier to the White Sox, and the White Sox sent the Dodgers Trayce Thompson and Frankie Montas.
It will take a few years to sort who got the most from this deal, but as it stands right now the Reds have a starting right fielder and a starting shortstop. For a while, neither of them had a place to play but when the Reds moved Jay Bruce, they immediately brought up Scott Schebler and inserted him into right field against both right-hand and left-hand pitching. Schebs quickly paid dividends by blasting a dramatic walk-off home run in his first game back.
Peraza had to cool his jets because Brandon Philips was proving hard to trade. Zack Cosart was playing well so instead of letting him be a utility player on the big club they let him get full-time at-bats in AAA. When the Reds traded Bruce to the Mets they acquired minor league 2nd baseman Dilson Herrera, which tells me they expect Peraza to be their shortstop of the future. Last week Peraza was promoted up to the Reds and has played shorstop the last three games against the Dodgers.
Trayce Thompson did good work for the Dodgers hitting in spurts, mostly against left-hand pitching. Frankie Montas kept breaking ribs and eventually Montas and his 100 MP fastball were sent to the A’s for Josh Reddick and Rich Hill.
Eventually Josh Reddick might hit, and eventually, Rich Hill is going to take the mound. Yet, for these four games Scott Schebler and Jose Peraza were the only two players in the winter deal doing anything at all.
“I just love hitting in this ballpark”
Adrian Gonzalez exclaimed after hitting his 3rd home run today, leading the Dodger explosion over the Reds.
It should not have surprised anyone:
- He had after all already hit five home runs off of Homer Bailer.
- Adrian destroys Great American Ballpark.
- Adrian has crushed this year in day baseball with a triple stat line of .390 | .445 |.561 and that was before he hit three home runs today. Can’t wait to see those numbers tomorrow morning.
- Plus I said he’d go on a home run streak five days ago.
In the end, the Dodgers hit seven home runs, falling one short of tying the record of eight set May 23rd, 2002. That was of course the Shawn Green game where Green hit four home runs. In that game Green only drove in seven runs, Adrian drove in eight today.
Lots of stuff happened today:
- Toles and Segedin become just the eight duo rookies to hit back to back first jack in MLB history.
- Seager / Adrian went back to back in the same innings as Toles and Segedin
- Three rookies hit a home run in the same inning.
- Adrian hit three home runs and drove in eight runs
- Adrian / Grandal went back to back becoming the first Dodgers to have three separate back to back jacks in the same game.
- Seager had a boatload of hits
The one thing I noticed was that when I rewatched I noticed that when Seager / Adrian went back to back that they put in a new pitcher between Seager’s jack and Adrian’s jack.
Later in the game after Seager got a hit, they put in a new pitcher just before Adrian went boom again. Heck of a way to greet a new pitcher each time.
What a game
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 