DODGERS 2017 NEWS/RUMORS/AROUND MLB Thread

• “It’s getting to the point where everybody has to look in the mirror,” Dodgers starter Alex Wood said.

this coming from a guy afraid of his own shadow
a guy with an era of 7.36 in his last two starts
glass houses bkitch
stfu and pitch better you fucken girl

 

agreed
problem is he's given up 9 in his last 11 innings

 

i don't often agree with this howard cole guy
but this time he's spot on
roberts needs to quick fucking around with lineup experiments and start playing the best guys
period
you do remember winning, don't you dave?

Time for the Dodgers to play their eight best men
by Howard Cole | Forbes — 37 minutes ago



The Dodgers have fallen and they can't get up! Well, we'll just see about that.

The Dodgers can get up. The turnaround might start tonight in San Francisco. Or perhaps it's gloom and doom right up until playoff time. I have no idea. But I'm convinced Los Angeles has found themselves smack dab in the middle of a pennant race, and most teams respond by putting their best eight men on the diamond to meet that challenge.

You want your players to step up, Dodgers brass? Then go with the best, your eight best baseball men, and let the chips fall where they may. Starting behind the plate.

Austin Barnes: Catchers don't play literally every day, but five per week isn't a stretch, and it's time for Barnes to get those games. Maybe Yasmani Grandal is just beaten up, but whatever the reason, Barnes has surpassed him on both sides of the ball.

In fewer than half the at bats (184 to 397), Barnes sports a OWAR (offensive Wins Above Replacement) lead of 2.2 to 1.4 over Grandal, which given that it's a cumulative state, is substantial. The current backup is hitting .299/.414/.478/.892 with six home runs and 32 RBIs. He's producing an obscene .365/.481/.494/.975 versus right-handers, he hit .342 in August, he's at .312 in September and .321/.436/.397/.833 since the All-Star break.

Grandal's season line is .249/.302/.456/.758 with 19 and 51. He's been good for a .252/.301/.477/.779 mark vs. RHP, he managed a .216 in August, he's at .042 in September and is at .216/.272/.432/.704 in the second half. While Grandal is second in baseball in pitch framing, Barnes is only five spots behind him, and if you don't think the incumbent's league leading 15 passed balls is a problem, I urge you to think again. And Google Mickey Owen.

Grandal can use the break, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see him rebound to hit some big homers in October. But as of this moment in time, a switch to Barnes is the easiest call in the world.

Andre Ethier: The Curtis Granderson experiment isn't working. It might later; he might be a big-time contributor in the postseason, but if we're putting our best eight men out there to try to clinch a division, Granderson simply does not qualify. He's 36, he's played 132 games out of a possible 143 and he might just be spent. The .114/.262/.286/.548 as a Dodger would suggest as much, as would the .102 average in September and .167 post-ASG.

Andre Ethier hits a pinch hit home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

It's a microscopic sample size, obviously, but .308/.357/.538/.896 is a start, and Andre Ethier has never done anything other than hit, and beat the living crap out of right-handers (.304/382/.506/.888 in over 4000 plate appearances). You can talk to me about his not playing in two years, but if he's healthy and can swing the bat, and you have absolutely no functioning alternative, you damn well give this stick an opportunity. And spare me the complaints about defense. Ethier's already made two fine plays in left, while Granderson is showing his age in field as well as at the plate. Left is the easiest position in the game. Ether will handle it just fine.

FWIW: Ethier is a lifetime .290/.371/452/.823 career hitter vs. San Francisco and sports a .326/.401/.466/.868 at AT&T. He should be in the lineup tonight opposite Giants' right-hander Chris Stratton.

Chase Utley: I get that Utley is 38 and you have to conserve fuel, but six at bats in the last week while L.A. has faced mostly right-handers? His current .233/.324/.383/.707 vs. RHP tops Logan Forsythe's .193/.314/.264/.568, while the younger man is hitting .201 in the second half, down from his unexciting .249 first.

I'm not suggesting a straight platoon, necessarily, but a few more reps for the Silver Fox is in order. He should be in the lineup tonight as well.

Fab Five: Slumps be damned. Chris Taylor, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig play until the champagne party, which could be as soon as this week. All that's required is a thimble full of creativity and a dab of initiative from whoever it is who makes the decisions.

 

With the regular season winding to a close, Roberts said he intends to settle on a regular lineup, via Specetrum SportsNet LA:

“I think people gotta understand we’ve had Corey down for quite some time and now he’s back. We’ve had Cody down for some time and he’s been back for a little bit. Adrian has been down, so to have him in there once in a while to keep him fresh. To have Andre Ethier, who had a couple good at-bats but has been gone all year, to try to get him to be somewhat current, he needs to play. The catching situation has been good, and I think with the second base situation, trying to find a way to get Logan untracked. But also, Chase has earned opportunities. Now we’ve got everyone healthy. Now it’s trying to use these guys the right way. Like I’ve said over the course of the last two weeks, at some point we are going to make a decision to go ahead with essentially a set lineup. We’re not prepared to do that right now.”

 

Did you catch that about Ethier.
Do you guys wish we had Ethier available?
Because he is a better option than most of our others in LF.
I ask because only recently most here never wanted to hear from him again.
Much less have Dave give him yet another chance to play.
Yet here he is and hitting well.

We have lots of talent, not perfect talent, but talent nonetheless.
You cant give up on anyone because we have injuries all the time.
And those guys we have in the wings can sometimes come up big.
Most people did not want to give Chris Taylor the opportunity he has received.
No, we wanted them to sign Dozier... or some wanted villar
Instead we signed Logan. And if Logan does not fail and if Joc does not fail and if Trayce did not fail at backing him up, and if Toles is not injured and can back him up... we would have no Taylor.
And you guys would be bitching about giving him another try if all of a sudden we called him up in August to play 2B.
Shit, we wouldnt even have developed him to play CF.

 

here's to hoping they all beat up on each other and are winded for the postseason