2015 season dodgers game thread

[Neddy]

I checked him on fangraphs the other day and saw his tip was normal and the abnormal hr/fb rate was a departure from the norm.

I was still very upset at how he didn't back up 3rd base on Saturday. Ball goes into the dugout. Yellich goes home. Hechvarria goes to 3rd and scores on the next at bat.

he pitched fine outside of that but it was like wtf…out to lunch…not like him at all.

not that I am defending Kershaw, he is a pro afterall and he should be aware, but from my humble personal experience playing from little league and school ball, covering 3rd as a pitcher doesn't come as naturally as covering the first. as a young pitcher in my teens and pre-teens, unless we were intentionally trying to induce a play at third and anticipating, covering third was something that you had to react rather than be a reflex like covering the first or home.

[Quake Griffin]

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=2b&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=y&type=1&season=2015&month=0&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

damn.
havent noticed.
has Howie been bad on defense?

[Ranma]

Howie Kendrick is near the top of the standard defensive metrics with a high fielding percentage, but it is surprising to see his rating and ranking drop so low in the advance metrics, especially considering our front office supposedly have liked him for a while due to sabermetrics. Also, it's funny to see Dee Gordon atop the advanced rankings but near the middle in the standard rankings.

I still miss Dee and, to be honest, a big part of me still wishes we hadn't traded him even though we got a big haul for him, including Howie.

[Neddy]

Howie Kendrick is near the top of the standard defensive metrics with a high fielding percentage, but it is surprising to see his rating and ranking drop so low in the advance metrics, especially considering our front office supposedly have liked him for a while due to sabermetrics. Also, it's funny to see Dee Gordon atop the advanced rankings but near the middle in the standard rankings.

I still miss Dee and, to be honest, a big part of me still wishes we hadn't traded him even though we got a big haul for him, including Howie.

I don't, and I'll tell you why.

Howie in 10 years in the bigs, posted better than average OPS+ 70% of the time and this year is no exception. he is also hitting the long ball at the pace of his prime and well on his way to justify his spot in the lineup. Dee is hitting above 100 OPS+ for the first time in his career, and has failed more than 25 % of the time with his SB attempts. yeah Dee is right now looking about 0.020 points better in OPS, but he has not proven to keep his production deep into a season, and Kendrick has. I really don't care if Dee steals 60 bases this season, he will have more than 20 CS and in the end he still can't get on bases unless he hits. not a good formula for success. If and When Dee goes on a slump, you get nothing in return.

besides, Dee's advance stat stud-ness comes from the same sample size that made Kershaw lead the league in HRs per FB ratio. I just don't buy into the validity of that measurement.

[Quake Griffin]

Howie Kendrick is near the top of the standard defensive metrics with a high fielding percentage, but it is surprising to see his rating and ranking drop so low in the advance metrics, especially considering our front office supposedly have liked him for a while due to sabermetrics. Also, it's funny to see Dee Gordon atop the advanced rankings but near the middle in the standard rankings.

I still miss Dee and, to be honest, a big part of me still wishes we hadn't traded him even though we got a big haul for him, including Howie.

I don't, and I'll tell you why.

Howie in 10 years in the bigs, posted better than average OPS+ 70% of the time and this year is no exception. he is also hitting the long ball at the pace of his prime and well on his way to justify his spot in the lineup. Dee is hitting above 100 OPS+ for the first time in his career, and has failed more than 25 % of the time with his SB attempts. yeah Dee is right now looking about 0.020 points better in OPS, but he has not proven to keep his production deep into a season, and Kendrick has. I really don't care if Dee steals 60 bases this season, he will have more than 20 CS and in the end he still can't get on bases unless he hits. not a good formula for success. If and When Dee goes on a slump, you get nothing in return.

besides, Dee's advance stat stud-ness comes from the same sample size that made Kershaw lead the league in HRs per FB ratio. I just don't buy into the validity of that measurement.

Any explanation for Howie's poor defensive metrics?

I pretty much agree on the Dee commentary. He will slump and he will come down to earth because he only hits his way on.
But we were supposed to be getting the whole package in Howie. Why are his defensive metrics so poor according to fangraphs? Or is it nothing to worry about? Small sample size?

[Neddy]

Howie Kendrick is near the top of the standard defensive metrics with a high fielding percentage, but it is surprising to see his rating and ranking drop so low in the advance metrics, especially considering our front office supposedly have liked him for a while due to sabermetrics. Also, it's funny to see Dee Gordon atop the advanced rankings but near the middle in the standard rankings.

I still miss Dee and, to be honest, a big part of me still wishes we hadn't traded him even though we got a big haul for him, including Howie.

I don't, and I'll tell you why.

Howie in 10 years in the bigs, posted better than average OPS+ 70% of the time and this year is no exception. he is also hitting the long ball at the pace of his prime and well on his way to justify his spot in the lineup. Dee is hitting above 100 OPS+ for the first time in his career, and has failed more than 25 % of the time with his SB attempts. yeah Dee is right now looking about 0.020 points better in OPS, but he has not proven to keep his production deep into a season, and Kendrick has. I really don't care if Dee steals 60 bases this season, he will have more than 20 CS and in the end he still can't get on bases unless he hits. not a good formula for success. If and When Dee goes on a slump, you get nothing in return.

besides, Dee's advance stat stud-ness comes from the same sample size that made Kershaw lead the league in HRs per FB ratio. I just don't buy into the validity of that measurement.

Any explanation for Howie's poor defensive metrics?

I pretty much agree on the Dee commentary. He will slump and he will come down to earth because he only hits his way on.
But we were supposed to be getting the whole package in Howie. Why are his defensive metrics so poor according to fangraphs? Or is it nothing to worry about? Small sample size?

he still performs at a decent level defensively, it's not like we got Steve Sax throwing for first base and landing it on upper deck.
Defensive stats require a very large sample size to make a reasonable judgement, a half a season is not going to give you an accurate picture but even if what's shown so far is who Howie has become, I would guess the father time is finally catching up with him at least on the field. I am not so worried about that tho. we have a logjam in infield the way we did last year with the outfield. next year, we will still have Turner/Seager/Oliveras/Gonzo/****/Guerrero still in the mix, and Sweeney/Torreyes in the minors. I just don't see us resigning Howie, and Jimmy will probably just retire.
althougn last mornings conclusion of the suspended game was directly impacted by him losing the ball in the sun, it wasn't Jose Conseco bad... it happens.
for this year, Kendrick is still doing just fine.

missing Dee is understandable, he was a very likable kid, with Magic-like smile on his face in every interview. great story of a home grown player too. but I get very frustrated watching players who can't get on base unless they hit, a la Juan Encarnacion/Juan Pierre types... or the entire current Seattle Mariners.

[Quake Griffin]

How electric were Kershaw and Greinke this weekend?


I'm excited to see my main man Brandon Beachy get back into the fold. His first start left a lot to be desired but hey, it was his first time throwing against ML hitting in nearly 2 calendar years. I still believe in this guy.

tomorrow he starts in Atlanta….where it all started for him. Should be great.

[Neddy]

How electric were Kershaw and Greinke this weekend?


I'm excited to see my main man Brandon Beachy get back into the fold. His first start left a lot to be desired but hey, it was his first time throwing against ML hitting in nearly 2 calendar years. I still believe in this guy.

tomorrow he starts in Atlanta….where it all started for him. Should be great.

his performance today was.. Meh.

glad for his Meh inspiring performance tho, I think this will prompt the front office to finally make a damn move for the rotation.

I expect at least one major addition via trade market. I hope his name is Cueto and we don't lose Seager or Urias.

[Quake Griffin]

How electric were Kershaw and Greinke this weekend?


I'm excited to see my main man Brandon Beachy get back into the fold. His first start left a lot to be desired but hey, it was his first time throwing against ML hitting in nearly 2 calendar years. I still believe in this guy.

tomorrow he starts in Atlanta….where it all started for him. Should be great.

his performance today was.. Meh.

glad for his Meh inspiring performance tho, I think this will prompt the front office to finally make a damn move for the rotation.

I expect at least one major addition via trade market. I hope his name is Cueto and we don't lose Seager or Urias.

It's killing me to watch him struggle as he gets back on the mound. I have absolute faith in him that over time Beachy will return to his 2011/2012 form. Unfortunately, with the injuries to Ryu and McCarthy, we truly don't have a whole lot of time for him to get his stuff together. It's put up or shut up time.

So it hurts but I am a fan….so I hope he can get it together before before it's too late.

Looks like Crawfy will be back. The only thing worse than that is the thought that our team looks like we're planning to play him and bring him back into the fold. With the way that Ethier has played this year, I don't want to see much of Crawford even if he is healthy. $20 million pinch runner if you ask me.


last….the suspense over who we will deal for at the deadline is killing me. Hurry up and don't deal Seager, Urias, DeLeon or Yadier Alvarez. Holmes and Anderson and Lee should be made available (i think this is consistent with what Ranma was saying…not sure…either way i think we're on the same page).

[Quake Griffin]

btw.


With Joc's struggles as of late.
anybody down with putting Puig into the leadoff role and batting Joc 6th? I would say 2nd but Howie looks to be getting back into the swing of things there.

I think it could help both of those guys get their bats going. Not a fan of Yasiel trying to clean up for us.

[Ranma]

Looks like Crawfy will be back. The only thing worse than that is the thought that our team looks like we're planning to play him and bring him back into the fold. With the way that Ethier has played this year, I don't want to see much of Crawford even if he is healthy. $20 million pinch runner if you ask me.

If we're going to play Crawford, I'd do it at the expense of Puig in the immediate and short-term. Obviously, Puig is the most valuable player among the trio of himself, Ethier, and Crawford, but maybe it will light a fire under Yasiel to be more mindful of his approach. Puig could use more at-bats over the entirety of the season, so this would be a temporary measure, but I'd like for him to realize that his playing time is not guaranteed. This not-so-subtle message should serve as a wake-up call for him.

With Joc's struggles as of late.
anybody down with putting Puig into the leadoff role and batting Joc 6th? I would say 2nd but Howie looks to be getting back into the swing of things there.

I think it could help both of those guys get their bats going. Not a fan of Yasiel trying to clean up for us.

Given what I said above, I'd be more inclined to give Rollins another shot at the leadoff spot with the caveat that he be made to understand that he should be actively changing his approach to batting. Instead of hitting fly balls all the time, Rollins should try to draw more walks, bunt, and maybe hit grounders more. Admittedly, it's not really a good idea, but I believe Rollins may be more capable of that role than Puig. To be honest, Puig at the leadoff spot makes more sense than Rollins, but I'd like to implement the aforementioned disciplinary action against Yasiel.

last….the suspense over who we will deal for at the deadline is killing me. Hurry up and don't deal Seager, Urias, DeLeon or Yadier Alvarez. Holmes and Anderson and Lee should be made available (i think this is consistent with what Ranma was saying…not sure…either way i think we're on the same page).

Yeah, we're on the same page but I'd like to hold onto Zach Lee, myself. By no means, is he untouchable but I'd like to see what he can do under Gabe Kapler and the new front office's new programs, if possible. Also, I believe Lee may be in consideration as an internal option to fill out the starting rotation this season. I'd like to see him get a legit shot at the opportunity. The need for starting pitching may have just been elevated with a possible injury to Brett Anderson in tonight's game against the Braves.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DodgersViews/status/623653223589642240[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/molly_knight/status/623645816822087681[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

Yea. I could see Zach being called up to make a start.

what about Julio Urias?
I'd give him a shot.

we're in a little bit of trouble here. A few broken (not literally) arms and we're looking pretty desperate right now.

[Ranma]

I'd love to see Julio Urias called up right now to give him a taste of Major League Baseball. He couldn't do any worse than the options we've been throwing out there. However, I read somewhere that the team is still inclined to take it slow with him even though a scout quoted in the same piece said that he was ready right now. I'm hearing that things are lining up for a September call-up and possible bullpen work for the postseason.

[Ranma]

his performance today was.. Meh.

glad for his Meh inspiring performance tho, I think this will prompt the front office to finally make a damn move for the rotation.

I expect at least one major addition via trade market. I hope his name is Cueto and we don't lose Seager or Urias.

It's killing me to watch him struggle as he gets back on the mound. I have absolute faith in him that over time Beachy will return to his 2011/2012 form. Unfortunately, with the injuries to Ryu and McCarthy, we truly don't have a whole lot of time for him to get his stuff together. It's put up or shut up time.

So it hurts but I am a fan….so I hope he can get it together before before it's too late.

Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register (7/21/15)

“The biggest thing is we feel this is going to be the best thing for him,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Beachy’s demotion. “He’s going to have a chance to continue on. Honestly, I think this is what we wanted to do from the beginning. We just got caught where we needed a starter. At that point, he was the best guy for that. We still felt like he needed a couple more starts before we started thinking about using him.
...

“That’s just a matter of time and I think we’re pretty confident that’s going to get there. Brandon’s really tough on himself which is OK. He wants to be perfect, he wants to be really good – which is good. But we also want him to give himself enough credit to say, ‘Hey it’s going to take a little time’ also.”

Dodgers Demote Pitcher Brandon Beachy to Triple-A Oklahoma City

If we're going to play Crawford, I'd do it at the expense of Puig in the immediate and short-term. Obviously, Puig is the most valuable player among the trio of himself, Ethier, and Crawford, but maybe it will light a fire under Yasiel to be more mindful of his approach. Puig could use more at-bats over the entirety of the season, so this would be a temporary measure, but I'd like for him to realize that his playing time is not guaranteed. This not-so-subtle message should serve as a wake-up call for him.

Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register (7/21/15)

Mattingly said he would probably start Crawford in Wednesday’s afternoon game and give Yasiel Puig the day off. …

Dodgers Demote Pitcher Brandon Beachy to Triple-A Oklahoma City

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/alannarizzo/status/624315967745605632[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

congrats to Donald and his wife.

Please tune into the game right now if you have the chance.
It's important.

[Ranma]

congrats to Donald and his wife.

Please tune into the game right now if you have the chance.
It's important.

Curtis Granderson broke up Kershaw's bid for a perfect game to start off the 7th.

[Quake Griffin]

congrats to Donald and his wife.

Please tune into the game right now if you have the chance.
It's important.

Curtis Granderson broke up Kershaw's bid for a perfect game to start off the 7th.

My boy text me right after the top of the 6th, "someone's perfect through 6."

I immediately cursed him out like wtf are you doing.

the next batter was Curtis Granderson.

Cliffs:
- It's my friend's fault.

[Ranma]

My boy text me right after the top of the 6th, "someone's perfect through 6."

I immediately cursed him out like wtf are you doing.

the next batter was Curtis Granderson.

Cliffs:
- It's my friend's fault.

Take it easy on your friend. Maybe it wasn't his fault, after all. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted out about the perfect game right before the 7th. He used to be the Yankees' beat writer for Newsday so maybe he has a rooted interest in the other NY team playing the villain role.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JonHeymanCBS/status/624378244670857216[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/JonHeymanCBS/status/624380205075984385[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/624396847352803328[/tweet]

[Neddy]

how about Ian Thomas today?