Happy Monday Dodgers fans! Let’s start our week off looking at some numbers. Hyun-Jin Ryu has a 1.26 ERA and the Dodgers have 48 wins, tied with the Houston Astros for best record in all of the major leagues.
It’s not that often when a blockbuster trade backfires on Los Angeles boss Andrew Friedman and his front office troops. When the Dodgers packaged up and sent Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer to the Reds last winter, there was plenty of scrutiny, especially from those who felt the team would be lacking in the power department heading into its 2019 campaign.
With the 2019 MLB trade deadline right around the six-week mark, I was recently looking at a few numbers while attempting to get an idea where the conceivable weaknesses lied on the Dodgers‘ roster. Unquestionably, the Los Angeles management crew will make every attempt possible to upgrade an extremely vulnerable bullpen, but the question lingers as to whether or not the team might try to upgrade an otherwise capable offense.
There is no doubt that the Dodgers are a really good team, and there is also no doubt that they still have some issues. The good news is that there is time until the playoffs to deal with them.
(Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)Beginning the year in the starting rotation, Ross Stripling was going into the season prepared for any role. The righty said in an interview last offseason that all he wants to do is win, so he was prepared to relieve as well as start. Last year, Stripling was in the pitching roles of reliever, middle-man and starter.
The Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday morning officially activated infielder Matt Beaty from the 10-day injured list and placed infielder Corey Seager on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 12, with left hamstring strain.
Wednesday is thankfully an off day for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the fans and team alike deal with two bad losses against the Angels, and absorbing the blow that Corey Seager will once again be sidelined for an extended period of time.
Whether the management crew of the Dodgers is prepared to admit it or not, the bullpen is continuing to prove itself as the weakest link on an otherwise very talented ballclub. Monday night’s loss to the Angels was another example of how the relief corps imploded, as it surrendered four combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings, spoiling a very fine outing by Hyun-Jin Ryu.
In the middle game of the weekend series against the Giants on Saturday night, Corey Seager came up huge, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI. He helped lift the Dodgers to a 7-2 victory, as his team is back in the winning column after a two-game skid, leading the second-place Rockies in the West by a full 10 games.. Seager is amid his most productive streak of the season—when he’s hot, he certainly makes the Los Angeles lineup one of the most potent in the league.