It isn't but we got away with it, also have to remember HR Hatcher hasn't pitched very much lately which is great to us here and in the stands but not good for Hatcher. To me Clayton's 2 seamer is flat and getting pounded not so much tonight but all season. The league has decided that swinging at the 1st pitch is too vital so he has to start changing it up and maybe going ball 1 more often. Thank God for the offense.
Now that Dodger Stadium has become a bona fide homer dome, feared power hitters like that sizzling .196 ss, Jose Reyes, make any game reachable it seems. Even if the best pitcher in bb is on the mound. Doesn't matter. Especially when he's allowing- count 'em- four dingers. Bad performance for Brett Tomko, even. Everybody has got their theory as to why...but mine is if you aren't going to throw any sliders, or simply do not have one that night, then you have to go to the Charlie well way to often. He's good enough, or great enough, or offensively lucky enough to win, which counts utmost, but glad it was Wheeler, and not deGrom, etc. That's two games in a row where we score big early, then hope the opponents don't catch up while they rake from the middle to late innings. As long as we win, it's fine. But aside from the W and unusually torrid raking, I hated this game. Really concerned ( maybe needlessly I admit) that Clayton is on a path to allow about 40 HRs. Seems grotesque, and not reality. Maybe projections blow, idk, but we use them all the time when it's positive, like how many Cody might smash this year. Could turn on a dime, but sooner or later, something gives, if it continues. Also, does it appear to anyone else that when a slumping player like LoFo, finally hits the ball, Dave invariably sits them the next game? OTE][/QUOTE]
And I was told that Taylor could be worse than Braun in the OF. Taylor could be as blind as Bill Cosby with 1 arm and still be better than Braun in the OF
I'd like us all to join hands and bow our heads to say a prayer. "Dear gods of baseball, may last night be the last time we see Chris Hatcher in a Dodgers uniform. Amen"
Amazing how good he has been as a Dodger. I thought he was a mediocre utility player when we first got him and his improvement has been incredible.
Soon, hopefully. Ravin and Morrow are both better options. Not to mention that Broussard has been rolling this season as well, I'm interested to hear more about him.
For us, felt the same before they showed a willingness to move him back into the OF. In general, I think he´ll get his shot whether it´s with LAD or somewhere else and that the hard work will have paid off. Even if he has to DH
This concerns me. He has 18 on the year and we are not even at the allstar break. He had only 8 all of last year.
IIRC, Kershaw said before this season that he´s now only concerned with being at the tip top of his game in the post season, that all that matters to him is winning the WS. So if that means he´s dialing it down notches in the reg-season so that he has gas in the tank for the post and/or so he doesn´t put so much pressure on his back in the reg-season..I´m OK with that. Wise, old, successful starters have been doing that for a long time..some younger ones like Bumgarner as well. If he´s only gonna give us all-star level in the reg-season, but turn it up to hall of fame level in OCT..maybe that´ll work? The other way hasn´t..not for him personally, and not for LAD. This season´s shaping up as one that offers a new base from which LAD is working from..they finally have real competition in the division after years of blowing the doors off. Have Kershaw just sort of sleepwalking through the reg-season instead of going with his old berserker style. Kenley hasn´t blown a single save or bitched up with any reporters. Maybe it´s all adding up to new results at the end of the season?
Yeah, I don't think the increased amount of HR is because he is dialing it down. I just looked at the stats, he is 7th in the league at HR given up this year, and I was incorrect, he has given up 17 not 18. Still the alarming part of this is that all the guys that have given up the most HR all have huge ERA's. In the top 10 all have ERA's of 4+ except Kershaw which means he is getting lucky IMO.
Guys, I think it's my fault. I follow some of these players on Instagram and they've sucked. I followed Turner and Pederson when they got injured, and Clayton as well. I stopped following them though. He'll be good next start.
I agree, im just worried that the level of batter increases in the playoffs. Those solo shots may not be solo shots come October.