GAME THREAD ROCKIES/DODGERS

*Puts Maeda in the bullpen*

Immediately let’s him throw 4 innings anyways and he gets shallacked the 2nd time through the order. Isn’t that literally the reason to put him in the bullpen?

Literally what the fuck?

 

Take back everything complimentary I wrote about Maeda.
Fuck him.
Could never trust his weak ass this long in a tight, more important game.
You get two scoreless from him...praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.
Some staff we've got going on now...

 

Other than that a pretty fun game for the Dodgers. Lol

 

I really do not see a place for Kike Hernandez on the postseason roster.

Kike: .244/.315/.439/96 wRC+

Even facing LHP, he is just barely league average. Not the masher against southpaws he once was. His defense, base running, and field awareness this season has been putrid as well.

Taylor can play SS, 2B, and CF as a back-up (or starter if somebody gets injured or falters). Yes, CT goes through periods of swinging and missing inside the strike zone, but he is clearly a more capable offensive player than Kike.

If Gavin Lux performs even close to the level Seager did in 2015, he will likely be given the opportunity to start at 2B (at the very least against RHP, maybe LHP too depending on how he fares in September).

That means Muncy slides to 1B, and will likely be backed up by David Freese...another guy who can hit both RHP and LHP off the bench or in a spot start role. This also solidifies Cody's permanent stay in the OF.

Speaking of the OF, Verdugo and Bellinger both hit LHP. Joc doesn't, but Pollock or Taylor are more likely to be his platoon partner than Kike is.

Add the fact that Beaty is a contact hitter, I like him in a PH role far more than Kike. Yes, Beaty is LH, but Freese can be the RH answer.

There are so many "Kikes" on this team now that are way better than him. Maybe he makes it as an emergency SS...but idk.

 

I didn't see how Kenta gave up 3 but my guess he was trying to throw strikes and induce contact w the team up by 10 maybe?

 

I'm not a roster guru, but I really don't see Kike deserving a spot. If they need an emergency SS, let Negron play and pinch run. He's just the type of random, fast, scrappy guy who could bring some magic.

Catchers
Smith
Martin

Infielders
Turner
Seager
Lux
Muncy

Outfielders
Bellinger
Verdugo
Pederson
Pollock

Utility
Taylor
Freese
Beaty

Pitchers
Kershaw LHP
Ryu LHP
Buehler RHP
Urias LHP
May RHP
Gonsolin RHP
Jansen POS
Baez RHP
Kelly RHP

Then you have a couple spots for Hill, Maeda, LOOGY guy whose name starts with a K, Sadler, idk. Opponent and health will be a factor.

 

Lux will have to stay on fire for the rest of the year for it even to be a conversation
Kike has playoff experience and Davey will go w that guaranteed

 

All I can say to that is I hope common sense prevails.
Even if Lux is not "on fire", Kike has a .315 OBP and a .439 SLG. He's horrible.

 

Kikè definitely will be on the playoff roster. And he definitely isn’t horrible.

 

.315 OBP
.439 SLG
96 wRC+

That is horrible, no?

There was plenty to compliment Kike on prior to this season. He reduced his K% in consecutive years and doubled his BB%. He had clearly improved in tangible ways, on top of his already proven track record of hitting LHP (lifetime 120 wRC+ vs. LHP, as opposed to 86 vs. RHP).

In a respectable amount of ABs, he put up a 3.3 WAR in 2018 and was 18 points above league average offensively.

Problem is, the Dodgers were quick to try him as an every day player because of this, allowing him to face RHP often...and that likely destroyed him. He had a long sample size of being an excellent platoon player+utility man (albeit an inconsistent one) and they went against their own wisdom.

Was it worth a shot? Perhaps. Like I said, he put up a 3.3 WAR in 460ish PA in 2018 and with his K's and BB's trending in the right direction, it was worth seeing if he was playable every day. He wasn't.
And he has not mentally recovered, it seems. Numbers do not lie. He has been putrid.

Taylor is a better Kike than Kike is and with the emergence of more guys who make contact off the bench, I'd say he's earned pine.

To add...
do not forget...
.190/.283/.324/67 wRC+ in 2016.
.215/.308/.421/92 wRC+ in 2017.

Now, did he still play solid defense and hit 3 HR in the NLCS? Yes. Is he capable, athletic, and pretty good when managed properly? Sometimes.

But there are more deserving players than a factually below average hitter.

Like I said, emergency infielder perhaps. Defense matters. But Taylor, Beaty, Freese, Lux, and others should be/will eat his lunch in the post. He belongs in cameltoe ranch taxi squad territory.

 

I think Lux would have to earn it but if he does he’ll get a spot I’d guess.

 

That's how I saw it.

Credit him for finishing the game and saving the pen arms after most of them were used on Sunday. Wasn't pretty, but he did his job.

 

Using Maeda's turn as a template, I guess Buehler was pretty good then.
Funny, I thought he flat out sucked, though. Got the job done, with the LAD juggernaut in full swing.
Pretty much a run a inning isn't fodder for complimenting any pitcher, imo.
But that's just me.
I see the bar being lowered more and more these days. Like "don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining ".
Guess that's what it's come to though.
As far as Lux goes, he definitely has the makings of a varsity athlete. And movie star. Happy for him, love that serious, no nonsense approach to field demeanor, like Beaty has, too. No dancing monkey bullshit.
But crazy me, shouldn't he have to have more than one nice game under his belt to replace someone just now ?

 

I'd really like to see a May/Hill tandem start in the post.
May's highest and best use is as a starter.
He can go 5 strong and Hill can piggyback him for 3.

Hard throwing righty, soft tossing lefty, and then match ups for the 9th.

Urias/Gonsolin would be a good one, too.

I actually prefer those tandem starters to Kershaw and Buehler but I know we live in reality and our top 3 starters are set.

 

I'd say his last 3 months of kiké is more what we seen and what we know him to be rather than his first 3 months which were horrible since july in over 100 pa 391obp/531slug/922ops and 140wrc+. It would be foolish to leave off one of our hottest hitters from the playoff roster. I'd rather roll the dice on kiké. Hes proven he can play in October. Unless ofcourse Lux goes on a godly tear than I would consider it. But I wouldnt hold kikés April-June stats against him hes been very good in his role his whole Dodgers career.