The trade deadline is always fodder for talk about who won, who lost, who made the greatest improvement to their team. The Dodgers were heavily scrutinized for their lack of big moves this year.
The last two seasons, the Dodgers did make big trades, acquiring Yu Darvish in 2017 and Manny Machado In 2018. While they are both only one player, neither move proved to bring the Dodgers their much sought-after World Series ring.
There is no guarantee that had the Dodgers given what the Pittsburgh Pirates had asked for in return for their closer Felipe Vazquez, that that would be the move that brings Los Angeles a World Championship. The Pirates reportedly asked for Gavin Lux, the Dodgers future at second base. According to Andrew Friedman, President of Team Operations, the Dodgers made an aggressive offer in return, but the Pirates were unwilling to budget in their request for the Dodgers’ top prospect.
Second base has been one place where the Dodgers are mixing and matching a player to cover the position. It makes perfect sense that they would not want to part with the man who may be at that position for many years to come. While Dodger fans are pining for that move, the last two season have shown that the big move doesn’t necessarily bring the ring.
The Dodgers decided that they would rely on who was already on the squad to help bolster the bullpen in October. How that looks exactly remains to be seen, but now with the promotion of Dustin May, it leads one to think that he could be a part of it.
The Dodgers need another arm for the starting rotation with Ross Stripling and Rich Hill both out with injuries. Tony Gonsolin and Julio Urias did a great job in Denver with their combined effort against the Rockies, but now it’s May’s time to make his Major League debut.
Friedman stated yesterday to reporters that May will “probably” make more than one start with the Dodgers. “We’re not thinking beyond tomorrow night right now and just giving him an opportunity – meaning that we don’t have everything mapped out right now. We don’t need to right now”.
Manager Dave Roberts on May and his future this season with the team, as told to MLB’s Ken Gurnick – “We’re going to take this opportunity now to see guys in different roles to give us a better idea of how it might look in October. every opportunity is an audition for young players. (May has) earned the opportunity to pitch here and for us to put our eyes on him is very important. As the days go on, it will be more clear for the role of Dustin and a lot of our guys.” Roberts did not rule out May moving to the bullpen come October.
For his part, May isn’t focusing on October. “If the time comes for me to move to the bullpen, I’m 100 percent down with it. At the moment right now, I’m just focusing on my start, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Yesterday, Dennis covered why May is such a prized prospect, and why his call up has long been awaited. May will face off against Eric Lauer, a 24 year old lefty with a 5-8 record and 4.52 ERA, and 81 strikeouts in 99.2 innings of work. Game time is 7:10 PDT.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
Cannot wait to see this kid do his thing. I like the nick name he has gotten. Gingergaard…pretty neat. They showed him arriving in the Dodger club house on the broadcast last night. Boy is pretty tall. He towered over Roberts. Lucroy DFA’d by the Angels, and old friend Trayce Thompson cut loose by the tribe. He had 24 dingers at AAA but was hitting about .220. With them getting Reyes and Puig, there was no chance he was making it back to the bigs.
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He’s got closer stuff. Have no clue of his mental makeup. Hope it’s there.
This, to me anyway, is a dart being thrown. We didn’t hit the “target” on the 31st. We are going to win the West, so Andrew and Roberts will be constructing a post season staff between now and then. I expect the Top 3 to have innings reduced starting soon. August is a brutal month in a baseball season. Bear doesn’t like hot tubs in August. I believe there is no such thing as inappropriate jacuzzi time. Buehler, Kershaw and Ryu must be well rested for the post season. I’d like to see each of them going 7 in October. To do that, they must get time off between now and then.
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Something you should check out on the Dodger web site there Scoop. There is a new top 30 list. Surprise, Kendall is not on the list and there are some new names I have not seen or heard of. Their two top picks this year are both on the list, Hoese and Busch are 8 & 9 respectively. Luis Rodriguez, their top international signee is also on the list at # 25.
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You and I have discussed this before Bear. The order of the names on the prospect list will change, sometimes by the week, over the course of the season. 5 years ago Zach Lee, Chris Withrow and Alex Guerrero were in our Top 5. Before that Allen Webster, Nate Eovaldi, Garrett Gould and Alfredo Silvero were at the top. I read the scouting reports, I look at the stats, there are 2-3 each year I follow more closely than the others. Most, and by that I mean nearly ALL of them will fall by the wayside or be traded. If we have 1 or 2 a year that make the big club, and are GOOD, the system has done its job. Right now I like who all the others like – Ruiz, Lux and May. Everybody else in my estimation could have been used for a new closer. I felt that strongly about the need.
Never before have I felt quite like I do now. Bear will remember that out of the 6 years we’ve been to the playoffs there have only been a couple I was confident in the team being able to finish it. The Hanley rib injury year and the year we had home field. Last year I never really bought into Machado. I didn’t much care for him as a person. Too self centered. By the end everybody knew Boston was better. Early I thought this might be the year. Then the bullpen issues. I really felt Friedman would do what whatever it took. I was wrong. At the moment my confidence level is not sky high. Houston went for it. They are now better. Will they be better in October? Who knows. There are also a couple NL teams that could peak in September and give us a run. I wish I felt more confident about our pen. Perhaps May is good enough to send a starter down there. Most starters have the stuff to pitch one inning. But the first inning is a lot different than the last inning.
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In case anyone wondered, and I would guess they have not, Barnes is 3-16 at OKC since he was sent down. The other catcher on the roster besides him and Ruiz is on what they call the temporary inactive list. Kids name is Ben Moore. Another question is who rides the AAA shuttle to OKC when May is activated today> ? My guess, JT Chargois. Everyone else is essential unless they 10 day IL someone. Nice to see Yimi squirm out of a jam last night.
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No, in this heat I am not using a hot tub. They may have missed their targets, but they feel pretty confident they will have it figured out by playoff time. I have no doubt they will get that. Ryu is not starting against the Pads this weekend and his spot would have been today. He is probably starting the Cardinals series on Monday, so he will be on 7 days rest.
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Bear, he pitched on Wednesday in Coors
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Damn, I keep doing that. It seemed like a Sunday! Oh well, we know DR will rest those guys. That’s been the MO all year…who do you think gets demoted today when they activate May?????
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I agree with your prediction of Chargois, Bear. Unless someone goes to the IL he’s the logical choice. They won’t go with 14 pitchers and Shaggy still has options. Yimi doesn’t. Sadler has done well since arriving. Floro was just activated. Actually Chargois hasn’t been bad either. It was his bad luck that he had to pitch at Coors, which greatly limits his ability to throw his breaking pitches well, and that’s very important to his success.
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Angels just sent Adam McCreery down. Big lefty was one of AF’s trades this winter and then dealt to the Angels earlier this year.
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Must be spring training. May is getting uni # 85…..first Dodger ever to wear that number….
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Don’t know what all the panic is about….they have a 16 game lead over the Gnats. Pads and Rocks so far behind they cannot even see the LA taillights, and AZ is basically irrelevant. It would take a collapse of epic proportions for any of those teams to even sniff the division lead.
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Panic?
The West was decided before Opening Day. We’ve been NL favorites SINCE Opening Day. Recognizing that the Astros are better isn’t panic. It’s just observation.
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Floro to OKC, Ryu to IL with sore neck. Gonsolin coming back.
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Sore neck huh. Predictable and in fact predicted. Jacuzzi time! Buehler next. Then Kershaw.
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Hopefully May doesn’t try to do too much his first start by trying to strike every hitter out. If he trusts his stuff, throws strikes and establishes that hard sinker of his he will do just fine. I’ll be happy with 5 solid innings his first time out.
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We all know about “sore neck ” injuries! Or as Dodgers call it an limit innings injury!
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Did not see that coming. I guess they want Floro to work on some more things before the stretch run. Ryu came out of no where, but after that road trip and all the time on planes, it is understandable….Happened to Chicken Strip.
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Lots of players getting DFA’d here lately. Tony Sipp of DC got the treatment today. Been a weird year. And darn, the Rockies have pulled Davis from the closer role!
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Gonsolin will make Ryu’s start on Monday.
Kolarek taking grounders at first, in case they want to have him move over there for a batter and then move back to pitch. He did that at Tampa Bay.
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That’s a great idea. I’m surprised more teams don’t do this.
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The Rays are very good at thinking outside the (batter’s) box. If I’m not mistaken, they were the first team to adopt openers.
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WTF…White leading off??? what in the wide wide world of sports is a goin on? Weird. Of course there is a lefty pitching tonight so the RH lineup is in vogue, but White????? The Great White is more like it. I bet Scoop could out run that guy even at his advance age!
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Doc is still learning the new guys. He hasn’t yet figured out which guy is White and which one is Negron.
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My take on that is the BP had better be ready. Two rookies in 4 days with little experience. Going to be a strain on the pen unless those kids show something special. Watching the Angels play the Indians. Old pal Puig is 2-2 with 2 ribbies. Cleveland has a pretty stacked lineup.
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Not only does the pen need to be ready but because of the moves they made today they’re a man short. Floro to OKC and Gonsolin activated while they announce he’s Monday’s starter. Explain that one.
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They need a starter for one start. Ryu will miss only 1 game with the stiff neck. He reported it immediately and told them he did not want to start and risk screwing up his mechanics. Tony G will be headed back to OKC sometime next week.
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Stories can change. I hope Ryu’s thing is nothing serious. Actually I hope it’s a made up story to let him skip a turn, but you never know how the story will develop. If it were up to me I’d have him skip about three turns. He’s on track to pitch quite a few innings this year after not having done so in a long time. Save some innings for the playoffs.
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Those were Roberts comments when asked about it. They are not concerned at all. It is considered very minor.
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Roberts also told us Stripling had a neck problem. Next thing we know, he’s on the IL with bicep tendinitis, return date unknown. Between injuries that morph into other injuries and AF’s uncanny ability to manipulate the IL, I take all injury statements with a large grain of salt (not sure yet if it’s Morton’s, kosher or sea salt). I stand by my previous statement: I hope Ryu’s neck thing is nothing serious but I really wouldn’t mind it if he skipped a few turns to keep his innings in check and to stay a little fresher for the playoffs.
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Did you see the game where he left in the bottom of the 5th? When he got to the bench he was pointing to his neck. I do not know where the arm strain came in, but I think if I remember anatomy right, that problems in your limbs can cause you to have a pain in the neck…….No pun intended. Lots of claiming of guys on waivers going on. A’s just claimed Garneau from the Angels.
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See if you can convince the Bucs to put Vazquez on waivers. 🙂
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Hear you go. This should help:
Well, your toe bone connected to your foot bone
Your foot bone connected to your heel bone
Your heel bone connected to your ankle bone
Your ankle bone connected to your leg bone
Your leg bone connected to your knee bone
Your knee bone connected to your thigh bone
Your thigh bone connected to your hip bone
Your hip bone connected to your back bone
Your back bone connected to your shoulder bone
Your shoulder bone connected to your neck bone
Your neck bone connected to your head bone
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I forgot all about that!
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Line up White, Muncy, Turner, Bellinger, Seager, Smith, Verdugo, Negron, May. 4 lefty’s and 4 righty’s….pitcher does not count……..who leads the Dodgers in hitting..z?????? wrong, not Belli, it is Santana at .500. Santana, Negron, Smith, Gonsolin and Stewart all have higher averages as a Dodger this year………….
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I’m thinking they let May throw to the ceiling of his pitch limit no matter the results. That lineup was pulled out of a hat. With our lead? Why not.
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He’s gone over 100 pitches at OKC this year.
Re: Kolarek, how do you think Joc feels about being replaced as the alternate first baseman by a pitcher?
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Who cares? He will likely have been used already or will be on the bench as a PH.
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I agree Scoop. But it would have been better for his Psyche had they pulled him with a lead. Baez was warming, why not just bring him in? They have not beaten Lauer in his career. He is 4-0 against them. Offense never got going at all except for Belli’s bomb. The defense continues to struggle and Joc wasn’t even in there. They also had Negron playing CF and those 2 balls he did not catch would have been caught had Verdugo or Pollock been out there. Pollock was kept out for a slight leg problem. Some tightness in his calf.
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Now it’s White’s turn to screw up an easy play at first. Maybe we need new coaches.
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Just put Kolarek in permanently.
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That play has been the same since the game was invented. It’s simple really, never through across the baseline. A chimp can understand that. White threw from the outside of the line to the inside of the line. Duh. That error should not be made in Little League. Maddening.
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Smith doing it every which way! Please can we please put Belli back at first! My goodness!
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Rich, Bellinger is going to be playing first a lot more. Roberts said he will be getting starts there against RHP. With Pollock down for a game, they improvised and that cost them because Negron is no CF in my book. won’t hurt you at the corner spots, but he looked lost out there.
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I obviously missed the two plays you’ve been referring to because I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Negron as basically a 25th-man-on-the roster type of guy.
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He is a fine defender in the infield. But he was playing CF for the first time in Dodger Stadium and he misjudged both of those balls. One he jumped too soon and the other he got a bad jump on and just flat out missed. Put it this way. Even Joc, who has not played CF in quite a while would have gotten to those.
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The future is bright for the Dodgers. The stage is definitely not too big for this kid.
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5 innings and 79 pitches was perfect for a first start. They just had to squeeze another inning out of it…….
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Overall pretty impressive performance but you just can’t get beat by a crummy hitter. You have to bear down and get Naylor out there! It will come with more experience. Makes you appreciate Ryu and how he can limit the damage with runners in scoring position
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This offense is running cold right now! Unless Smith hits a five run homer tough to get enough offense! I don’t get to watch but what makes Yates so good?
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He throws strikes and pounds the zone. Decent fastball, but a put away slider. The ball he struck out Belli on had real sharp late movement. The offense is not cold. They were out pitched. They have not solved Lauer yet. He is 4-0 in his career against them. A couple of players are cold, Turner, who’s batting average has dropped from the .300’s to .280’s in 2 weeks and Muncy, who at last count was 3-23. Has not hit a homer in quite a while.
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5.2. 97 pitches. 3 earned. 97 pitches is a lot to get 17 outs. Could have been worse.
Houston 1/2 game back now. Yankees 1 back with fewer losses. Guess we can hope they lose in the AL playoffs. One of them will. Both? Yeah, sure, it could happen. Atlanta won’t catch us…. right? Nah.
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