“I don’t necessarily want to speak for the team. But I’m pissed personally. I don’t like losing. I want to win. That’s why I came here. And we are not playing up to our capabilities right now, so I’m mad.”
After yet another one-run loss, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer vented to reporters on the state of his current team.
The Dodgers have lost 15 of their last 20 games, and everyone from players to fans is feeling the frustration. Once having the best record in baseball at 13-2, the Dodgers now sit at 18-17, third place in the NL West. They started the season as the clear-cut No. 1 in power rankings, and now they’re not even in the top five.
This run of bad games is slightly reminiscent of the the slide the Dodgers had in August and September of 2017, when the the team also lost five consecutive series. That team pulled it together in time to get hot for their World Series run. When will this version finally do the same?
There’s a lot of talk of how the Dodgers are too talented to not get back to their previous winning ways, and that’s true. Injuries have decimated the team, both within the lineup and throughout the pitching staff. Depth was one of the big talking points of the offseason, and even that has not come through for them.
One thing that I’ve lamented previously about this team is that they have no spark plug, no one seemingly willing to put the team on their back. Mookie Betts had been that person in the offseason, but it seems to be lacking a bit now. They have their fun hand gestures and that’s about it.
The Dodgers have also been unlucky. They’ve now lost 10 one run games, which is unsustainable. Corey Seager has been hitting the ball on the screws all season and doesn’t have much to show for it. Only five players in all of MLB have more hard hits (95 mph +) that he does. In Sunday’s game, Gavin Lux hit a ball 101.8 off the bat that had a .820 xBA (expected batting average) and it was caught. Things like that are bound to turn around.
It’ll be interesting to see if Bauer’s comments have any affect on the clubhouse and their attitude. No one on the Dodgers has been this outspoken in quite some time. Manager Dave Roberts’s go-to lines are usually “we know we’re better, we just need to play better” over and over until the team finally does start playing better. Team veterans usually echo the same sentiment, just bland excuses/statements that they know they’re better and they’re not worried. I can’t remember a player coming out and saying he’s pissed about losing.
Help might be on the way. On Monday, Cody Bellinger posted video of himself running at Camelback Ranch. Roberts had previous said that Belli was running at about 60%, and Cody’s stride in the video looks comfortable and strong.
Also on Monday, the Dodgers sent catcher Keibert Ruiz back to Triple-A Oklahoma City. This will allow Ruiz to get more consistent at bats. He was 1-for-6 while with the big club, his one hit being a home run against the Chicago Cubs. This leaves an open roster spot, and who will fill it will probably not be named until Tuesday’s short series with the Seattle Mariners.
The Dodgers now begin a nine game home stand against the Mariners, Miami Marlins, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Now is the time to get it together before they face the first place San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros to close out the month of May.
In answer to your question, yes, I think Bauer’s comments may have some effect here. I agree with your comments and have also been saying that the team needs someone to be more than a pleasant leader/personality. A guy like Kirk Gibson who can motivate them by challenging them instead of patting them on the back.
They may be ready to break out of this anyway, but at the very least I’m glad Bauer said what he did.
Dodgers do need a spark. Roberts is not really a manager he is more like a Cruise Director. The Dodger Front Office runs the team and he is the Happy happy guy. He doesn’t have the influence to fire up or change a team’s behavior as a great manager does.
The offense needs to turn it around obviously. The team does not play team baseball. They do not move runners over or sacrifice themselves for a run. This is a manager’s job but Roberts is not truly a manager. The Front Office has been providing him with top talented teams he has only needed to keep a happy clubhouse.
McKinstry was able to spark them. It speaks volumes that this veteran team needs a rookie as a catalyst.
Reports are Gonsolin will be back soon and Bellinger is progressing. Hopefully, Kelly can get some more game time and figure his mechanics out. Graterol later will help. I still would like to see some Dodger Farm team kids come up to help.
I see OKC Dodgers have had Estevez playing the outfield! He is a contact hitter. Mann has also been making contact and Kendall is hitting the ball! Short sampling but Kendall is one of those guys if he can ever make contact consistently lookout he could be an amazing outfielder with his athleticism.
I guess you could keep shuffling minor leaguers in the hopes that one or two of them would produce, but our AAA prospect pool is really poor right now and the guys who have had their chance (with the exception of ZMac) have failed pretty miserably. By “failed miserably” I mean they have played like our first stringers, most of whom are playing as though they should be starting at OKC.
I really don’t see anyone at OKC or Tulsa who is going to make a difference at this point in time. Ruiz was sent down today, a move I agree with completely. He needs to be playing every day and I very much hope he’ll also get some playing time at first and even in the outfield (where he says he has played some when he was a youngster).
In my mind, AF has two options to try to get this train back on the tracks:
1) Wait for things to straighten out by themselves and know that things will improve even more when some of these guys get back off the IL.
2) Make a trade for one or more of the “missing pieces”.
I’m guessing that he’ll pick number 1 and I can’t really argue with that. I do not think that the answer lies with our minor leaguers, the better ones all of whom are still younger and/or inexperienced and a fair amount away from helping.
Yes, odds are he picks door #1. Friedman’s comments have been to go with the waiting game and I agree with him. What I would like to see is for them to cycle in a few Minor league guys to see if they can provide the spark that McKinstry gave them and they desperately need. Unfortunately, Roberts is so loyal to his starters he probably would not play them unless Friedman forced it.
They have been starting Estevez in the outfield for OKC it’s interesting as he is a 2nd baseman. Is it because they have lots of second base options as in Lux, Busch, Mann, Estevez, and others and few if any legitimate OF prospects in the next few years that can make contact? Tim Rogers in his great Dodgers 2080 reported last year Mann started coming around in 2019.
As the Dodgers are not bringing up Gray is he over-hyped? He is supposedly their #1 pitching prospect. What about Pepiot, Jackson, Carrillo, etc are they not really well thought of internally?
Oh good you guys. I always felt like a jerk the past year saying they don’t have much depth, no prospects on the farm to look forward to in the next few years and the farm was generally full of career minor leaguers and guys that were too old to be real major leaguers. I don’t get very excited about a 25/26 year pitchers old breaking in and when your best pitching prospect is not called up at 23 I think of Buehler and May actually contributing at that age. I have the same concerns as tmaster about gray. You only have to look around at the 23 year olds in the league. Its full of them. On a positive note this is still a good team and they will turn it around but there will be no help on the farm.
Bauer didn’t come here to lose? Why did he come here? I think there are 102 million reasons why. This team doesn’t need inspiration from a hired gun who wasn’t here for the last 8 winning seasons. They’ll figure it out. I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple veterans go to Bauer and ask him politely to tone it down.
Last I looked our minor league system is not even in the top ten. The Major League ready players are already up and at the moment aren’t really helping all that much. The guys we are talking about here need more developing. I think that’s why Friedman is scouring the wires and finding replacement players elsewhere.
Well as the Doors sang, Light My Fire! They do need a spark. Whether he or someone else says it does not really matter. But my feeling is that this kind of thing should come from Kersh and Turner. Jansen is not that kind of a leader. The entire team respects those two. I am not sure they still respect the manger.
I think they respect each other. Everything I’ve read suggests that, but what do I know.
At this point I’m most disappointed in Rios and Lux. Muncy is next on the list. Those who know me know I’ve never liked Seager as a shortstop, he is way down the list of SS defensive metrics. But how can you not like him as a hitter. It’s a contract year. He knows what he needs to do and moving like Lindor at short isn’t necessary. He just needs to hit.
I sure hope Bellinger gets back at 100% soon. His bat should help light a few fires.
As for the young guys I’m not yet impressed. McKinstry looks ok, but hurt already? And Peters hasn’t made contact since March. Then there’s Lux and Rios. I had those guys penciled in as stars starting last month. So far, that bet don’t look so good. Long way to go.
Have to agree Scoop. Those guys have been a huge disappointment in my book. I knew Rios had trouble making contact, but this year his bat meeting the ball is non existent and was that way in spring. Muncy takes way too many good pitches. I have seen him watch two go right down Broadway and then swing at one a snake could not hit. Very frustrating. And at this point he has no business in the 4 hole.
If you have a guy that is not getting hits but walks a lot … has the highest OBP in the team @ .423 why not have him lead off? Set the table for Betts, Seager, & Turner?
Mookie leads off. I put Muncy at 8, let him walk from there, the pitcher can bunt him over then the top of the order drives him in.
Bear is right. He looks at strike one down the middle. That’s the best pitch he’s going to see and he looks at it nearly every time. He’s become a Mendoza hitter. I don’t want a hitter like that leading off.
I understand but if he is going to start all year he currently gets on base at a .423 clip. Highest on the team. This team lacks base runners and hits. Betts, Seager, & Turner are the highest averages. So if they do get a hit you may actually get a run. Something incredibly rare right now. I know Betts is the prototypical lead-off guy but they have lost 15 out of 20…change things up this team needs runs!!!