GAME THREAD D'BAGS/DODGERS NLDS

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by irish, Oct 1, 2017.

  1. DodgerLove

    DodgerLove DSP Legend

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    Honestly, I don't know how much I want to blame Kershaw for his struggles late in playoff games.

    We all know the post-season is a different beast. He's likely throwing max effort on every single pitch, facing the best teams in the league who have had ample time to prepare for him. By the time you hit that 90 pitch mark, you are completely gassed. I think this goes for most starters though, as we've seen several star pitchers struggle later in games, which is why the typical start in the post-season is much shorter then the regular season. You'll obviously have some of those anomalies as well, like Bumgarner's run a few years back.

    It's up to the managers to realize this and go to the pen earlier. I think some managers already do, but Dave needs to get on that boat real quick. A starter isn't going to pull himself, so if you trot him out there, of course he's going to try to pitch to the best of his ability but it's quite obvious that the stuff isn't there.
     
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  2. DBaxman

    DBaxman DSP Regular

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    The best thing about yesterdays game to me was the team brought their balls to the game. Some were bigger than others but they all brought em. I think VRP is on point about Hill, he has to go 6 innings for sure but vs this team it might be asking too much from him. Not sure how he's fared vs the dbags this year, but I do know LA had a losing record vs these bitches, losing the last 6 games they played during the 2nd half of the season. I'm feeling good about this series, that the mixture of vets and young players will prevail in this series.....and that alone may ignite the fire that we all saw this season from this team.
     
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  3. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    Went to bed so mad @ Roberts, had a dream I whipped his ass in a pay per view classic

    [​IMG]
     
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  4. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    Dave's boat, imo, is listing heavily...I know we won, and like NZ said, compared to the other aces from other teams, 4 is OK. BUT 4 HRs in the playoffs is really shaky...and they were howitzer shots too.
    Kershaw is capable of innings, and sets of innings, where he is simply brilliant.
    Untouchable. But I don't think he can sustain it as long as he used to be able to.
    Dave has to treat him as such, and not stretch him as long as he might have in the past. He is a dominant pitcher, but more hittable these days.
    The lay off, both team-wise, and his DL stint may be some of the reasons why he ultimately is vulnerable...but 27 dingers in an abbreviated season for him, can't he ignored. I kind of look for him to be better next time out...
    Great W, and Turner a force to be in awe of...Puig a madman and has made himself into a fearful hitter again. Seager making hard contact is a great sign.
    I do not get Granderson at all, and has " post season experience" is all well and good, but rather see Kinke or Dre out there, as I think they can at least make contact...Curtis, not so much.
    Guy can kill a rally, man
     
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  5. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    Dodgers have learned, 'You don't ever want to disappoint Chase'

    In early August, Corey Seager assumed responsibility for a decision more daunting than any double-play pivot or swing choice. He was entrusted with the responsibility of picking his double play partner's nickname for MLB's Players Weekend. The mandate came from none other than Chase Utley himself.

    "I said 'Corey, this really isn't my thing, so I'm going to leave it up to you to decide what they put on the back of the jersey,'" Utley said.

    Seager considered going with "The Man," the moniker that broadcasting great Harry Kalas bestowed upon Utley in Philadelphia. He talked to Utley's wife, Jen, and flirted with the idea of "Daddy," in mock reference to Utley's nurturing influence with Seager and the other young
    Los Angeles Dodgers. Ultimately, with input from his teammates, Seager opted for "Silver Fox," so that's the designation Utley wore on the back of his uniform. He wasn't especially thrilled with the nickname. But a deal's a deal.

    "At this point, I get it," Utley said. "I hear jokes pretty much on a daily basis. We'll be watching an old game from the '80s and guys will say, 'Hey Chase, are you playing in that game?' I take it in stride, but I can dish it back for sure -- especially to guys that I'm in better shape than."

    It's an extensive list. Utley, who turns 39 in December, was the 13th oldest player in the majors this season and the third oldest position player behind Ichiro Suzuki and Carlos Beltran. But with the exception of a worry line or two and the gray around the temples, he doesn't look all that much different from the UCLA kid who arrived in Philadelphia at age 24 and emerged as a driving force for a World Series champion and five straight first-place finishers from 2007 through 2011.

    San Francisco Giants and is doing broadcast work for TBS in the postseason. Ryan Howard hit .192 in 27 minor league games with the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies this year and has almost certainly reached the end of the line at age 37.

    And then there's Utley, dispensing insights or hunched over the video equipment in search of some miniscule clue that might make a difference in someone else's game. He's constantly in motion -- flitting back and forth from his locker to the batting cage, the weight room to the video room in the quest to find the slightest of competitive advantages.


    During Utley's peak in Philadelphia, reliever Chad Durbin observed that Phillies players made sure to run out balls and tend to the fundamentals because they didn't want to "disappoint Chase." Almost a decade later, Utley's influence permeates the Dodgers' clubhouse in a similar manner.

    "He's kind of the quiet leader of the team," Clayton Kershaw said. "I think everybody looks up to him and wants to play the right way to please him. There's a level of accountability he creates within the team, just by doing what he does, that's huge. He's one of the best teammates I've ever been around.

    "People talk about chemistry and creating a winning culture, and nobody can really put a finger on what it means. I can't even put a finger on what that means. But I know that's part of it in some way -- to have a multiple All-Star and a World Series champion who shows up early and works like he does every day. The presence is felt, for sure."

    Chris Taylor has camped next to Utley in the dugout during games and says Utley has the "best baseball IQ I've ever seen" when it comes to predicting pitch sequences or ferreting out pitch-tippers. "He's never just casually watching the game," Taylor said.

    Last spring, Peter Gammons wrote about how Utley once dressed up like a bat boy and delivered fresh balls to home plate to remind the umpire that Kershaw was being squeezed and needed those borderline calls. Utley did it discreetly, in a way that would get his message across without embarrassing the umpire or eliciting a confrontation.

    Reliever Brandon Morrow has two stories: One reflects Utley's attention to detail, and the other speaks to his trickle-down influence throughout the Dodgers organization.

    Morrow began the 2017 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and one day the coaches were stressing the importance of fundamentals. They made it clear that certain transgressions simply wouldn't fly with the big club in Los Angeles.

    "Maybe the manager was exaggerating a little bit, but he emphasized, 'Those guys up there want you to pay attention. If Chase wants you to put on a pick play and you're not ready, he's gonna chew you out,'" Morrow said. "Even the coaching staff is putting the fear in people's head that Chase is watching."

    Morrow received a firsthand glimpse of Utley's observational skills in July, when he was studying video and noticed that several camera angles were available at Dodger Stadium that he had never known existed. Morrow shared his revelation with Utley, who immediately commandeered the computer mouse.

    "Chase says to me, 'Hey, do you want to see something?'" Morrow recalled. "And then he shows me how I was changing my grips very slightly with different pitches -- maybe by an inch. Five percent of people might pick that up, but he wanted to share it because it might help me from telegraphing a pitch down the road. He makes everybody else bear down on the finer details that he pays attention to, and he's enlightened people on what those details can mean."

    Justin Turner and Corey Seager. It's that blue-collar, grinder, laser focus. When you're playing in a city like Los Angeles, with Hollywood and all the celebrity, I want to have that blue-collar type ballclub."

    Veteran leaders come in all types. While David Ross earned raves as the lovable, avuncular leader of the 2016 World Series-champion Cubs, Utley has always been hesitant to share much of himself for public consumption. Some fans and baseball watchers will always regard him as a villain for the 2015 takeout slide that tore up Ruben Tejada's knee, and parents had reason to cringe when Utley dropped a profanity during the Phillies' 2008 title celebration. But each time Utley returns to Philadelphia, he has to step out of the batter's box and tip his helmet to the crowd to acknowledge the cheers raining down from the stands.

    Roberts' use of the term "blue-collar'' has an edge of irony given the Utley mystique that extends all the way to his attire on team charter flights.

    "He has the really pressed white shirts, the European-cut pants, the black shoes and the hair," Roberts said. "He reminds you of James Bond."

    Unlike Sean Connery, who begat Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and several other successors, Utley knows the movie version of his career will end whenever he plays his final game. He accepted certain realities upon leaving Philadelphia for Los Angeles and came to grips with the idea of logging 350 plate appearances rather than 600. As the only Dodger with a championship ring, he's feeling a particular sense of urgency this fall.

    "It all comes back to what's most important for me, and especially at this point of my career, it's to win," Utley said. "That's what satisfies me the most. I've kept my body in pretty good shape, but I recognize the fact that I'm 38, and I don't feel like I did when I was 25. As much as I don't like to say it, I'm not as good as I was when I was 25. So I try to do everything I can to make the guys around me better players. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But that's my goal."

    Regardless of what happens in the postseason, Utley can bask in a solid final act. He's playing for a 100-win team in his hometown and passing along wisdom that will endure whether he's working in the Dodgers' front office three or four years from now or home coaching his two sons' Little League games.

    Seager continues to file away those scraps of guidance and insight every day. He felt the Utley influence upon arrival from Triple-A ball in September 2015, and their cross-generational bromance has only grown stronger.

    "I've had my moments where he said something to me -- not in an attacking way -- and you feel bad because you disappointed him," Seager said. "He's able to do it the right way, without screaming and yelling and getting in somebody's face, and I think that's the perfect way to keep a team moving in the right direction.

    "You don't ever want to disappoint Chase. That's a good word for it. He sees everything, even when you don't think he's looking."








    Roberts disappointed Chase last night.
     
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  6. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    Agree 10%.
    Kid is just starting to rake...a smaller guy who can power it right out.
    I'm easily as concerned about him AB as any other slugger they've got in their lineup.
    Wish we had this kid.
     
  7. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    Edit: Evidently, I didn't proofread this...that's 100%...lol
     
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  8. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    the shot of him trying to explain things to honeycutt was not fun
     
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  9. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    mom was saying the same thing
    but in fairness, didn't the dbacks give up quite a bit of talent for a couple of months?
    not saying i wouldn't gladly switch places but at the time it seemed like a great addition w playoff exp and veteran grit
    i was actually really excited about grandy but its over and dave needs to stop putting him out there
    we had a pretty nice outfield at the time as well
    time to throw the corpse out there
    :shrug:
     
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  10. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    looking for Rich the witch
     
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  11. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    this just might be a mr bongloader post lol
     
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  12. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    Lol The funniest stuff because about 99.9% of DSP was anti-Jay Bruce @ last year's trade deadline, I remember it well.
    Obviously, I'm not about follow others over the cliff in regards to Granderson..not yet..not after a single playoff game where LAD was way out ahead from the jump.
    However, to be frank, I probably wouldn't feel any different if it were a close game and he were struggling because 1 game is 1 game and realistically I just can't expect everybody in the LAD lineup to get hits every game.
    But if Granderson hadn't OPS'd .925 over the last 2 weeks I'd feel different for sure.
    Yasmani is sort of different, hasn't done much in a long while..however, realistically, I don't expect Doc to make a QB change this late.
    Everybody's favorite player is the backup QB.
     
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  13. VRP

    VRP DSP Legend

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    I agree with this, but also think if not even Kershaw can be trusted to go more than 6 they probably should've got a third legitimate reliever at some point
     
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  14. VRP

    VRP DSP Legend

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    Would you start Grandy or Ethier in Game 3? Genuine question
     
  15. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    Who's going Game 3 for the Snakes?
     
  16. VRP

    VRP DSP Legend

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    Greinke
     
  17. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    From what I see, Grandy has literally faced Greinke more than any other pitcher in his career and to poor results, .666 OPS ( devilish numbers..whoa)
    And Ethier has a career .586 OPS against Greinke over 11 plate appearances.
    Gonna ride with Grandy
    Factor in Grandy's more productive season and late season surge
     
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  18. VRP

    VRP DSP Legend

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    I don't think you're wrong, just think Grandy's approach, especially right next to Grandal in the order, is problematic. It's very un-SABR to say but their strikeout rates and lack of ability to make productive contact is concerning. Thankfully Joc's off the roster or there would be three of them.
     
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  19. Fall Winslow

    Fall Winslow McRib

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    It is concerning, but the makeup of the roster isn't their fault. We've got who we've got. Would I like to see Barnes in there every game, like everyone else..sure. Likely to happen this late? Probably not. I think the move to bench the QB would've happened in August or early September. Maybe the right move, if they want to tinker and separate them, is to have Grandy lead off, that way he can see more fastballs in front of our 3 main guys. Taylor in the 5 spot would lengthen the order a little. We'll see
     
  20. rube

    rube DSP Legend Staff Member Administrator

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    Dodgers Pick up Darvish Watson Cingrani
     
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