Mikaela Mayer – someone to root for
For the first time in my life, I have an almost direct connection to an Olympic Athlete giving me someone to really root for. Her name is Mikaela Mayer and she is competing in the lightweight boxing division in Rio. It is not my connection it is my wife’s but I’ll take it. My wife is a fourth-grade teacher who taught Mikaela’s sister, and Mikaela’s other sister was Verdell’s student teacher several years ago. As a teacher and student teacher tend to do they developed a strong bond and we were invited to her wedding last summer. All the sisters came through the Woodlake / Hale / El Camino Real Woodland Hills school group of Elementary/Middle/High.
Even without the connection, Mikaela’s story is a great one. A gifted athlete she lost herself in high school but found herself again in a local boxing club on Shoup. Eventually, her boxing skills would take her to Northern University Michigan, to train with Al Mitchell. Her father had bugged Al Mitchell to train her but he kept refusing to train a female boxer. Her father persisted however and Al finally agreed to train her.
California across the country, to train with one of the world’s best boxing coaches in Marquette, Michigian – known for training amateur and professional champions – Al Mitchell.
He has said that when he saw the stunning California beauty he didn’t expect much from her in the ring. She had work to do and was unable to make the 2012 Olympic team, but that just made her work harder and now the one time model turned boxer is hoping to medal in Rio. People tend to underestimate beautiful people as not being tough. If you watch her this week, you won’t think she’s not tough anymore.
You can read or watch more video of her story here
First victory can be seen here:
Simone and Simone
Sometimes it is hard for me to root for the country with the largest contingent of athletes going against tiny little David’s but within the massive number of US Athletes, little stories become big.
Simone Biles proved that she was the best female gymnast in the world and did it in such a fashion that she’ll be talked about for years if not decades. Many times you end up seeing heartbreak but this time, the podium was exactly as I hoped with Biles on top and Aly Raisman right next to her. Aly getting the redemption she was searching for when they wouldn’t honor the tie for Bronze in London. Biles getting the biggest prize after three years of dominating her sport.
Simone Manuel won her swimming match in exhilarating fashion beating the two Aussie sisters. I have to admit I was rooting for the sisters to stand on the podium together but it turned out they weren’t even a medal factor, so if history was going to be made, I’m glad that Simone Manuel was the one making it, becoming the first black American swimmer to win an individual race.
I’ve always been struck by how a simple swimming cap makes everyone look the same no matter the race or ethnicity, but once you take the cap off, each person regains their individuality.
I’m still sad for Mara Abbott who did everything possible to medal in the road race only to have her legs give out seconds away after six hours of herculean biking. I can’t even imagine what that felt like for her at the end. Yet, for every Mara, there is 43-year-old Kristen Armstrong winning an improbable gold medal in the time trial.
With almost a week in, the Rio Olympics have once again provided me and my wife with hours of entertainment. It inexplicably makes me root for Goliath against multiple Davids because their stories are our stories.
I’ve never understood what makes an Olympic athlete tick, the ridiculous amount of sacrifice they make to be the best at their sport, but I’m glad they are out there. Smiles of relief, mixed in with either tears of joy, or tears of heartbreak, they make me smile, cry, and grimace, and it is good to feel something.
Merry Go Round Rotation
One day Rich Hill is pitching one day he is not. Over and over the merry go round goes, when Rich Hill will actually pitch no one knows. Might as well call him Scratch Hill at this point.
The Dodgers have had two constants in the rotation all year, Kenta Maeda and Scott Kazmir. Having Scott Kazmir in the rotation all year hasn’t exactly been a good thing but at least he takes the ball every fifth game. So far anyway.
Twelve pitchers have started for the Dodgers this year, but the two they need the most are not the one’s taking the mound. The Dodgers acquired Rich Hill to be the big arm they might need to help overtake the Giants and twelve days later he can’t seem to mend his blisters. Kershaw is starting to throw again, but we all know what happened last time, so holding our breath for a healthy Kershaw might just turn us blue.
At this rate, Julio Urias might make more starts than Clayton Kershaw. He’s only five behind right now and one is not trying for the second time to come back from a back problem.
Of the twelve starters to take the mound this year, we can write off Mike Bolsinger and Nick Tepesch for the year since neither are in the organization anymore. We can reasonably write off Hyun-jin Ryu and Alex Wood. At some point, Julio Urias won’t be allowed to pitch anymore, and that point is coming up. Brandon McCarthy is starting to scare fans with his lack of control after coming back from Tommy John surgery.
The patchwork rotation can’t get more than fifteen outs per start and this weekend they will be sending out three starters that just getting fifteen outs will be a victory.
Ross Stripling has been more than a finger in the dike, but Ross hasn’t gotten more than 15 outs since May 8th. Following Ross on Saturday will either by Brandon McCarthy coming off of two horrible outings or brand new 20-year-old Julio Urias. Neither can be expected to get more than fifteen outs. On Sunday Brett Anderson will be forced into the rotation making his first start of the year. Fifteen outs will be his max on Sunday. When/If Rich Hill ever makes a start you can bet he won’t be going deep since he hasn’t started in over a month.
Can the bullpen survive this type of rotation in the hot days of August?
Can a team yearning for Bud Norris actually be considered a postseason contender?
Can a team counting on a pitcher just returning from back surgery actually be considered a postseason contender?
Can a team counting on a pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery actually be considered a postseason contender?
Can a team counting on a pitcher returning from a herniated disk actually be considered a postseason contender?
Can a team counting on a pitcher who hasn’t pitched 100 innings since 2007 and already has 75 actually be considered a postseason contender?
The answer seems to be Yes. Nothing quite like Dodger baseball.
| Player | GS | IP | ERA | FIP | ERA+ | OPS+ |
| Kenta Maeda | 23 | 130.2 | 3.31 | 3.58 | 117 | 79 |
| Scott Kazmir | 23 | 127.2 | 4.44 | 4.34 | 87 | 104 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 16 | 121 | 1.79 | 1.65 | 217 | 32 |
| Julio Urias | 10 | 48.1 | 4.66 | 3.52 | 84 | 118 |
| Alex Wood | 10 | 56.1 | 3.99 | 3.25 | 97 | 92 |
| Ross Stripling | 9 | 59.1 | 3.79 | 3.41 | 102 | 87 |
| Brandon McCarthy | 7 | 33 | 3 | 3.61 | 130 | 55 |
| Bud Norris | 6 | 29 | 4.34 | 4.09 | 90 | 110 |
| Mike Bolsinger | 6 | 27.2 | 6.83 | 5.8 | 57 | 150 |
| Brock Stewart | 2 | 9 | 14 | 9.57 | 29 | 243 |
| Nick Tepesch | 1 | 4 | 11.25 | 4.88 | 38 | 175 |
| Hyun-jin Ryu | 1 | 4.2 | 11.57 | 5.48 | 36 | 214 |
| Brett Anderson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jose De Leon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trevor Oaks hurls seven-plus shutout innings for Oklahoma Dodgers
As the Dodgers play musical chairs with their rotation, Trevor Oaks wants to make sure they don’t forget about him by throwing seven-plus shutout innings. Oaks coming off one of his worse starts got twenty-two outs, gave up six hits and zero runs. The 2014, 7th round pick is now 13 – 3 on the season over three levels.
Highly ranked prospect Alex Verdugo is in a huge funk hitting just .143 over his last ten games. Those 10 games just happen to coincide with the end of the trading deadline. Willie Calhoun is hitting only .214 in August with one home run. Only one of the Tulsa Trio is having a good August and that would be Bellinger who has hit three home runs and possesses a 1.004 OPS in August.
Cuban bonus man Yasiel Sierra had another solid outing in relief going two innings once again. That was Sierra’s ninth straight two-inning outing since being moved from the rotation to the bullpen. Whatever they have done with Sierra is working as he is getting the job done in relief, after being extremely hittable as a starter.
Johan Mieses slammed his seventh home run in his last eleven games giving him 23 for the season. The hotter it gets in Rancho the hotter Mieses seems to get.
Can Corey Seager duplicate what Fred Lynn did in 1975?
The legend of Corey Seager continues to grow, and as the Dodgers inexplicably climbed back into a tie with the Giants for first place in the NL West the MVP chatter has started to grow. With good reason, because Corey epitomises to me what an MVP is. I’ve always been on the outside looking in on this debate because I’ve always felt the MVP was what it says, the Most Valuable Player not the best player, and in 2016 you can make a fairly good argument that Corey Seager has been the Most Valuable Player in the NL in 2016.
I was hoping to do this article without resorting to any talk of WAR this and WAR that because I didn’t want to write about WAR. But damn it, according to Fangraphs and their fWAR, Corey Seager is the best player in the NL. I’ll let others wax poetically about his fWAR.
This is what I want to write about.
There is no doubt the Dodgers would be in a much different position without him. Game after game you can look at what Corey Seager has meant to the team, key hits here, moving the offense along, providing solid defense, leadership, never wilting when the going got tough, always consistent. When Grandal, Turner, and Howie were trying to find their way Corey was there to give the team some offense. While cleanup hitter Adrian Gonzalez struggled with his power, Corey was there to keep the team afloat. When the starting pitching could barely get 15 outs, Corey added his bat to Grandal, Turner, and Howie to make sure they scored enough runs anyway.
Seager is starting to remind me of Fred Lynn who won the 1975 MVP, ROY, and Gold Glove with an outstanding season. They are both doubles hitter who turns their doubles into home runs enough that while not known as a home run hitter, home runs are definitely part of their game. Lynn led the league in doubles with 47, and of course, Corey Seager already has 31 doubles so far this year.
Let’s take a look at them head to head:
| Player | | | OPS | | | OPS+ | | | XBH | | | fWAR |
| Lynn | | | 0.967 | | | 162 | | | 47-7-21 | | | 7.1 |
| Seager | | | 0.888 | | | 139 | | | 31-3-21 | | | 5.6 |
Yes, Fred Lynn had a much better offensive season, but it is a testament to the season that Corey Seager is having that he’s even in the conversation with one of the greatest ROY seasons in history. Corey could match that fWAR(dammit) by the end of the season.
All this is still premature and I hate to even bring it up, but if Seager has another consistent final seven weeks, and the Dodgers win the NL West, I can see a Fred Lynn scenario.
Jharel Cotton almost perfect, credits Nashville pitching coach for new found success
Jharel Cotton was traded on August 1st to the Oakland A’s, and in his second start for his new organization pitched the greatest game of his career coming within one out of a perfect game. It was also probably the greatest game pitched in the minor leagues this year.
Baseball America did a small write up:
Jharel Cotton, rhp, Athletics. Cotton, part of the package that headed to Oakland for Josh Reddick and Rich Hill, came within one out Tuesday of a perfect game against Triple-A Round Rock before veteran Doug Bernier tripled in the ninth. Still, the Virgin Islands native finished with a one-hitter and a career-high 12 strikeouts in Nashville’s 3-0 win. Cotton now leads the PCL with 136 strikeouts in 112 2/3 innings. Cotton said he has worked with Nashville pitching coach Rick Rodriguez on his mechanics and now feels like he has more deception.
“Well, last night I was feeling sick and I woke up with a cold this morning. I took some DayQuil on an empty stomach, and it was the same thing again. It took my mind off the game itself, so I wasn’t anxious or nervous for the game all day because I just wanted to feel better.”
Before Cotton was traded by the Dodgers, MLB had ranked him as the Dodgers 13th top prospect.
The game that Vin Scully got a little ahead of himself
I only have one Greg Brock story and it is very ingrained into my brain. In 1983 Greg Brock had the misfortune of replacing Steve Garvey at 1st base. The iconic Dodger left for San Diego as a free agent, and 1st base was handed to Greg Brock. Brock had put up massive numbers in the minor leagues slugging 44 home runs in 1982 and was expected to provide power to the 1st base position.
Brock got off to a good start but was really starting to hit in May moving his OPS up to .938 on May 15th. On May 17th Brock walked five times giving him ten walks in the past four games and moving his OBP over the .400 mark. The best was yet to come as on May 18th Greg Brock put his best stamp on his rookie campaign.
In the fifth inning, Brock hit a grand slam to give the Dodgers a 7 – 1 lead but it was in the 8th inning I’ll never forget the call by Vin Scully. Brock came up and slugged a two-run home run and Vin Scully exclaimed: “that Greg Brock has arrived and he won’t be going anywhere for a long time”. Now it is very possible I don’t remember the quote correctly but what I do remember is thinking that if Vin Scully says that Greg Brock has arrived than he has arrived.
But he hadn’t. The would be the best game of Greg Brocks career. That would be the high point of his season. His OPS after that game was a .989. He would end the season with an OPS of .739 even hitting a low point of .676 on August 3rd. Not only had Greg Brock not arrived he would be gone by 1986 when he was traded for Tim Leary and Tim Crews. Brock may not have helped the team win any championships during his short run, but Tim Leary sure did.
Seager jumps past Karros and Brock on LAD Rookie home run leaderboard.
With those two home runs last night Seager leapfrogged past Eric Karros and Greg Brock into fourth place on the LAD rookie home run leaderboard.
Only Mike Piazza, Joc Pederson, and Frank Hondo Howard are now in front of Seager.
| Player | HR | Year | Age | PA | OPS | Pos |
| Mike Piazza (RoY-1st) | 35 | 1993 | 24 | 602 | 0.932 | C |
| Joc Pederson | 26 | 2015 | 23 | 585 | 0.763 | CF |
| Frank Howard (RoY-1st) | 23 | 1960 | 23 | 487 | 0.784 | OF |
| Corey Seager | 21 | 2016 | 22 | 474 | 0.889 | SS |
| Eric Karros (RoY-1st) | 20 | 1992 | 24 | 589 | 0.730 | 1B |
| Greg Brock (RoY-7th) | 20 | 1983 | 26 | 543 | 0.738 | 1B |
| Yasiel Puig (RoY-2nd) | 19 | 2013 | 22 | 432 | 0.925 | OF |
| Raul Mondesi (RoY-1st) | 16 | 1994 | 23 | 454 | 0.849 | OF |
| James Loney (RoY-6th) | 15 | 2007 | 23 | 375 | 0.919 | 1B |
| Ron Cey (RoY-6th) | 15 | 1973 | 25 | 595 | 0.723 | 3B |
If you don’t think a rotation that can’t get 15 outs a game isn’t problematic, think again
The Dodgers have made 112 starts in 2016 and in 51 of those starts the rotation has gotten a maximum of 15 outs. In those 51 starts, the team is 22 – 29. If you drop it by one out, meaning a pitcher has not been able to go at least five innings the numbers get quite ugly.
Let’s break it down:
- 1 out – 1 win – the Bud Norris back game
- 8 outs – 1 win, 1 loss
- 9 outs – 1 win, 1 loss
- 10 outs – 1 win
- 11 outs – 2 wins
- 12 outs – 2 wins, 9 losses
- 13 outs – 2 losses
- 14 outs – 4 losses
- 15 outs – 14 wins, 12 losses
Less than 15 outs the Dodgers are 8 – 17, and 25 games of this nature are simply too many games of this nature. Some may say that the role of the starting pitcher is evolving as the bullpen keeps becoming more and more important, and this may be true, but you still need to get at least 15 outs to provide your team with the best chance of winning.
Evidently the best scenario is for the pitcher get either 10 or 11 outs. The new winning efficiency. In games, the Dodger starters went at least four innings but not five innings the team is 2 – 15. Ouch
The complete list provided by Bref:
Good odds that if/when Rich Hill takes the mound for the first time he won’t get five outs. We aren’t sure right now that Brandon McCarthy will ever get five outs again this year. When Brett Anderson gets inserted into the rotation fifteen outs will probably be his max for a few starts.
Obviously, a team that is 63 – 49 is doing great work when the starters can get at least 16 outs. The math says they are 41 – 20 in such cases. That is how you lead the wild card race and are breathing down the backs of the Giants. To keep this pace up, it would behoove the rotation to start having more games of at least 15 outs but I’m not sure this rotation as it is stands, will be up to the task.
Get well soon Mr. Kershaw
Brett Anderson finishes up 3rd rehab game and looks ready to join the beleaguered rotation.
Normally you want a pitcher who hasn’t pitched since last October to get around four or five rehab starts but Brett Anderson is already doing what everyone else is doing in the Dodger rotation.
Getting fifteen outs or less.
Given the state of the rotation, it would make sense that they simply slot Brett into the rotation since he can probably do right now what everyone else is doing. Brett has pitched very well in his three rehab games going from 3 to 4 to 5 innings.
His overall rehab numbers are 12 innings, 14 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, and 11 strikeouts. Ideally, you’d want Brett to make at least one more rehab start but given that the Dodgers are giving someone a start who hasn’t even pitched since July 7th they probably don’t have that option.
At least with Brett we don’t have an arm issue that he’s coming back from. He had back surgery in early spring, and once his back was good to go, he started throwing again. Brett simply needs to get his arm strength and conditioning back up to par. A healthy and fresh Brett Anderson could really give this rotation a shot in the arm. Heck by Sept he might be the best pitcher in the rotation.
That may or may not make you feel better.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 