DODGERS not meeting expectations

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by irish, Jul 4, 2015.

  1. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    a couple of things in the article stick out

    ◆ The Dodgers [have] the exact same record they had at the midpoint last season, [the same as] the team Ned Colletti put together a year ago.
    ◆ The Dodgers three-game [NL West] lead is due partially to the rest of the division being so utterly mediocre.
    ◆ Since jumping out to a 22-10 start, they’ve gone just 23-26.

    there are some here that say your record against <.500 teams vs. >.500 teams does not matter
    and while i respect that opinion, losing to shit teams like the mets -- with our ace and then closer on the hump -- should not happen
    used to be baseball 101 that you play .500 against the good teams and beat the teams you're supposed to beat... it appears this team can do neither

    Dodgers at the midpoint: being good doesn't meet expectations
    by Steve Dilbeck | Los Angeles Times — 2 hours ago

    The Dodgers have reached the halfway point to their season.

    Underwhelmed?

    They’re in first place, three games up, and yet something seems missing. They’re the most expensive team in baseball history and expected to be this super team. Instead, they’ve been more like a very good team.

    “I think we’re doing OK,” said Clayton Kershaw. “There’s a lot more in there for us to play better. I feel like we’re a little bit in neutral right now, but we’re also stringing some wins together. We’re in first at halfway point, so there’s a lot to be said for that.”

    The Dodgers are 45-36, which happens to be the exact same record they had at the midpoint last season. So it’s just as good as the team that Ned Colletti put together a year ago.

    Indeed, several of the numbers between last year’s and this year’s teams at the break are remarkably similar – ERA is almost identical (3.26 last year, 3.25 now), batting average (.256, .253), runs (340, 341). Home runs are up, (69, 102), stolen bases down (81, 15).

    That the Dodgers have a three-game lead is due partially to the rest of the division being so utterly mediocre. The National League West is almost begging for the Dodgers to run away with the division, and thus far, they cannot do it.

    Since jumping out to a 22-10 start, they’ve gone just 23-26.

    They’re not going to wow anyone playing sub-.500 baseball. Yet they have the third-best record in the NL, so it’s not like they’re a disaster. But compared to expectations, disappointing nonetheless.

    Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi were the keys to a major overhaul of the front office, and they immediately went to work reshaping the roster. Judgment certainly won’t be passed on a season’s first half, or any single season for that matter.

    But that doesn’t change the feeling that there is, or should be, a lot more to this Dodgers team than what’s been demonstrated during this so-so first half. They weren’t built just to win down the road, but to win now.

    “We’re a very good team and you know Andrew and Farhan are going to do everything they can to make us better,” said catcher A.J. Ellis.

    It’s nice the clubhouse has confidence in the front office. It would be even nicer if the Dodgers were approaching the team they are supposed to be.​
     
  2. KOUFAX0000

    KOUFAX0000 DSP Legend Damned

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    [​IMG]
     
  3. bestlakersfan

    bestlakersfan DSP Legend

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    Not meeting expectations is putting it nicely. They are fucking sucking balls compared to what they should be doing.

    The thing that pisses me off the most is that there is no fire or fun left on the team. All the guys with that attitude are gone and that is something intangible that can't be figured out in stats, numbers, analysis, scouting, etc. We need that, we need some fire and fun to be where we need to be. The stats are there, that's for sure, but the winning hasn't been.
     
  4. Dodgers99

    Dodgers99 DSP Legend

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    Frankly, i'm happy, if you told me in March that McCarthy and Ryu would combine to make 4 starts, and Bolsinger and Frias would make 23, and they would be in first place with a chance to go up by 4 on the 4th of July, I would have never believed it.
     
  5. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    the thing that pisses me off is not playing fundamental baseball
    if you get beat, fine... it happens
    but baserunning blunders, not moving runners over, etc are fucken infuriating
    almost like these guys have bought into the preseason predictions and think they can't get there on cruise control
     
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  6. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    true
    and if you had said turner would be our #3 hitter...
     
  7. BlueCrewFan_1965

    BlueCrewFan_1965 Well-Known Member

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    So, what's the common denominator? :whistle:
     
  8. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    :lefty-righty::ned:
     
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  9. Doughty8

    Doughty8 DSP Legend

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    Exactly.
     
  10. F YOUK

    F YOUK DSP Regular

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    Agon?

    He did this to the Red Sox as well
     
  11. MZA

    MZA MODERATOR Staff Member

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    You really don't like Adrian, don't you?
     
  12. IBleedBlue15

    IBleedBlue15 DSP Stud

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    Lol
     
  13. doyerfan

    doyerfan MODERATOR Staff Member Moderator

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    I'm happy with the team as well but expectations is a hard word for me.

    On one hand, expectations were a 93-95 win team and right now the pace is right at 90 which is slightly below expectations. And sure, that can be attributed to the injuries but also, the point of constructing a team, and something we've praised the FO for, is creating a team with enough depth to handle that. So far so good. Reason that is important, well the Cards/Giants/Nats have all had bad injuries happen.

    I will say that the team has been consistent though. I believe the Only team left that hasn't lost 4 in a row. The team hasn't gone on a crazy winning streak and kinda just wins a couple series here, loses one, wins a couple, and so on. The lack of a big winning streak makes it seem sorta boring and just humming along. I don't know if that's good or bad, but does seem to alter perception. Although, I do believe that if the team had a couple more wins but had more hot/cold streaks people would think the team was too hot/cold.
     
  14. BlueCrewFan_1965

    BlueCrewFan_1965 Well-Known Member

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    :laff::fuckoffyankees:
     
  15. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    I cant stand our team from an entertainment standpoint.
     
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  16. Shack

    Shack DSP Regular

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    Think our speed is really hurting us. More dps and less rbi opportunities. We were first in swiped bags last year in the NL. A shitty BP and no speed doesn't play super well in the postseason. Gotta say Zack gets the ball game one and I'm not shitting on Clayton at all that's just the way it should be. Anyways when you consider the speed, BP, losing ryu, McCarthy, and puig part of the year....we are still in first, first in homers, first in obp, first in slugging, close to first defensively, and our staff produces the most strikeouts in the nl. That plays in the postseason. And a strong farm plays for the future. If not sold 100% on our chances this year I'm happy with the way things are looking going forward. Kemp for grandal FTW
     
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  17. FerrariF2004

    FerrariF2004 DSP Regular

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    I am tired of 27 years of mediocroty, so my expectations ate a little higher. The best record all time belongs to the cubs at 116-36, a winning percentage of .763. So at this point I expect the dodgers to be to be about 60-21 or 61-20. Anything less is a failure. Fire DBB
     
  18. F YOUK

    F YOUK DSP Regular

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    He just seems to bring that padre tradition of excellence everywhere he goes and was the on field leader of a Red Sox team that got Francona fired and put the team into a tailspin so bad they thought Bobby V was the answer.
     
  19. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    One of the "common denominators" is a undependable BP, which is what we had last year...and the FO hasn't done really any big fix there at all. We all ooh and ah at Wilson and League's DFAs, and say how great that all is, but Garcia, Libatore, Baez (fuck Hatcher all together), etc. aren't exactly the answer to it all. I know we are fifth in the NL BP stat wise, but what I see on the field, and have all season sporadically, is guys that can go out there and fuck up anything. I don't see the pen "rounding into shape" as we are told...I guess I expect to much; could be. Maybe the second half the real moves happen. Maybe acquisitions and trades and guys come up and all that...there's always those hopes.
    But we don't /won't make any moves now because whatever the situation, even with SP, we are still in first place. we are getting it done, even with Frias and Bolsinger, Mattingly at the helm, and touted superstars who go into extended maxi-slumps quite often. And actually, pretty boring, too.
    Looks like another par year for the team...stay on or near the top, maybe win the NLW, and lose like little faggots in the post season. Like forever...
    Yawn. We are always "just good enough" to get that far...like forever.
    So, WTF is new?
     
  20. back2back x 2 + 1

    back2back x 2 + 1 DSP Legend Damned

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    leadership. shmeedership. AGon had a .321 average, 42HRs, 203RBI and .895OPS in a year and a half there. also picked up a gold glove. that's more than enough on field leadership for a group that had already won titles
     
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