Aside from the whole clutch performance thing we discussed yesterday, the most glaring weakness of the Dodgers has undoubtedly been the bullpen, especially at the back-end. Kenley Jansen may be at a point where he’s deemed undependable. In the meantime, though, who should be the closer, at least until Jansen figures things out?
One night, everything seems like it’s working perfectly for the Dodgers—sort of like their bulldozing 11-1 victory against the Padres in the series opener on Friday evening. The next night, however, the squad will find itself in a very tight contest, only to under-perform in the moments when the game is on the line. This has become a popular theme of the 2018 Dodgers, leaving fans feeling confident one moment, but pulling their collective hair out the next.
Continue reading “Dodgers Are the Worst Clutch Performers in Majors”
It’s really quite incredible, in some ways, how this Dodgers season has been the complete antithesis of last season.
Continue reading “Frustrations Mounting as Dodgers Search for Spark”
The good news is there are 34 games remaining on the regular season schedule, which is more than enough time for the Dodgers to climb back atop the NL West division. The bad news, however, is that whatever strategies the team tries in hopes of fixing its existing problems, nothing at all seems to work.
While many fans of the Dodgers probably think a conversation about next year’s catching picture is irrelevant, there are certainly a few relative factors that play into the remainder of the 2018 season’s landscape. The four biggest questions which pertain to many of the upcoming discussions over the winter are whether or not management will pursue a contact with Yasmani Grandal, if the coaching staff will ever trust Kyle Farmer defensively behind the plate, if Austin Barnes‘ 2018 season is simply an anomaly, and whether or not Will Smith can hit big league pitching.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospect Watch: Can Will Smith Hit Major League Pitching?”
With the big league Dodgers currently battling to stay in the NL West divisional race, it’s time to take another quick look at what’s been happening on the farm.
Continue reading “Dodgers Weekly Minor League Report: Santana, Ruiz, Gonsolin, Crawford & More”
Overall, it was a very good weekend for the Dodgers in Seattle. Los Angeles won two of three and could’ve gotten the sweep if not for a (suspect) balk.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prepare for Cardinals at Home After Successful Weekend in Seattle”
If you’ve been checking out any of Jason’s weekly minor league reports, you’ll know that he has been mentioning infielder Gavin Lux quite a bit recently. Selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2016 draft, many folks believed that he got off to a relatively slow start in the organization; however, his 2018 campaign has proven his tremendously high value.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospect Watch: Gavin Lux Finally Making Noise”
Sometimes, all it takes is an 11-1 drubbing of another contending club to quickly change a fan’s perspective about the direction of their favorite baseball team. When an offense works according to the way it was specifically designed, it takes a huge amount of pressure off a pitching staff, especially a bullpen which has struggled mightily over the past week. And, with the news that closer Kenley Jansen‘s healing progress has been accelerated, the immediate future of the Dodgers doesn’t seem so dismal after all.
Continue reading “Suddenly, the Outlook of the Dodgers Bullpen Doesn’t Seem So Gloomy”
After an eventful week where the Dodgers only managed to get two wins in series against the Rockies and the Giants, the Boys in Blue take their stagnant offense and beleaguered bullpen to Seattle to play the red-hot Mariners.
Continue reading “Series Preview: Dodgers Head to Seattle to Face Mariners”
Think Blue Planning Committee 