For the most part, the Los Angeles Dodgers keep plugging away. Plugging in players and pitchers when another has a slump, or has inexplicably imploded on the mound.
And yet, the team is still tied for first in the NL West with the (still!) productive Arizona Diamondbacks, tied for best record in the NL, and third in all of the major leagues.
It’s really not too bad for a team that feels like there’s a new injury or bad reliever every other day.
The offense has definitely been producing, leading the NL in home runs, runs, slugging, and OPS. They also lead the NL in taking their walks.
One player in particular has been on another planet as of late.
On Friday, Freddie Freeman was named the National League Player of the Month for May.
Freddie posted a whopping .400 average, six home runs, 26 RBI, and a 1.184 OPS. He also is currently in the middle of a 21 game hitting streak. Freddie also leads all baseball in total bases so far in 2023, with 1,214.
Freeman and the Dodgers now welcome the New York Yankees and Aaron Judge to Chavez Ravine. Judge is Freeman’s counterpart in the AL, taking home his own Player of the Month award. He returned from an injury May 9th, and took off. He doubled Freddie’s home run amount with 12, batted .342, and had 25 RBI and a 1.356 OPS.
The Yankees started their season slow, mired in the basement of the AL East for weeks. They now have started surging, and are up to third in what is the best division in all of baseball, with all five teams having a winning record.
The Yankees will also have Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton returning to the team from their respective IL stints, adding even more power to this already powerful lineup.
Clayton Kershaw will be the first to face the Yankees, Friday night. Kersh has not pitched well his last three starts, but it sure to be fired up for this matchup at home. He will face Luis Severino who has only pitched 11.1 innings so far for the Yankees, but has a 1.59 ERA, allowing one homer and striking out 10.
Saturday will see Gerrit Cole, who is 6-0 on the season, facing Micheal Grove, who made one start and went on the IL. Sunday will be Domingo Germán and Bobby Miller who looks to get his third win on the season.
On Friday before the game, Manager Dave Roberts spoke to the media. He stated that the Dodgers have decided that Noah Syndergaard will make his next start, in Cincinnati. There has been some discussion of whether or not that would happen, but the Dodgers seem intent to try to let Thor have as long as possible to try to figure things out. Syndergaard has allowed five and six runs in his last two outings, and seems uneven at best. So far, even Mark Prior does not seem to be able to work his magic with the once top-tier pitcher.
“When he makes that start, I’m going to feel the same way I do every time he takes the mound. That he’s going to pitch well and it’s going to turn,” said Roberts. Let’s hope that Doc’s never gets being optimistic output comes true.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
If Syndergaard doesn’t get straightened out pretty soon, I’d relegate him to the bullpen. His velocity as a starter has been dismal. But tell him to cut loose for 1-2 innings. If he could ramp up his velocity for short stints he might be more effective.
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Syndergaard was not very good, but, if Vargas doesn’t botch the easy double play in the 5th inning, Thor would have escaped only yielding 3 runs. Graterol is the one that totally crapped himself. Bickford sucked again, but, If Graterol does his job, Bickford would not have been in the game.
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Reading the quotes from Thor’s post game interviews I would sit him down. Dodgers are being tone deaf as he is mentally not in a good place and pitching is mental as well as physical. Dodgers must not have much faith in the Tulsa pitchers to trot Thor out there. But they r still in first so they have games to throw away. Thors last start was brutal!
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My only guess as to that is they are giving him a chance against Cincinnati, which might be the easiest team after Oakland to pitch to. I think if he can’t do well and gain confidence from that start he’s done in the starting rotation
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Actually, the Reds have finally put some good young players on the field, certainly not as tough as facing the Braves, Yankees, etc. but not pushovers either.
Seems to me that Doc had 3 possibilities:
1) Remove him from the rotation now
2) Skip a turn since they have two off days between yesterday and Monday.
3) Keep him in the rotation for another start or two and pray he improves.
They’ve obviously chosen #3, probably because they want to give the other guys in the rotation as much rest as possible and the guys they could have brought up to replace him are either washed up and pitching poorly at OKC or not considered ready for prime time at Tulsa.
Tulsa has a 6 man rotation, all of whom are very promising, but the last 3 games, each starter has gotten knocked around, including Landon Knack who would probably have been the leading candidate had one of them been brought up direct from AA.
AF will have some difficult decisions come July, compounded by the fact that there may be very few difference makers available.
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