Sale vs Flaherty, on the surface, it had all the markings of a pitcher’s duel. Well, that evaporated early. Dodgers got a walk from Ohtani, Mookie hit into a double play on the first pitch, and then Teo was thrown out at third trying to stretch his double into a triple.
Flaherty seemed to be struggling locating his pitches right from the start. He gave up a single to Harris leading off the first. After striking out Soler and Ozuna, Olson doubled off of the wall in right field, a ball Mookie just missed catching and Harris scored. Neither team scored in the second inning. In the top of the third, Muncy struck out, then Kike hit a ground rule double. Shohei struck out and then Betts his a bloop single to center that scored Kike. That would be the Dodgers only score of the game.
Flaherty gave up a leadoff double to Soler in the bottom of the third. Ozuna walked, and Olson struck out. Murphy hit into a force play for the second out. A wild pitch sent Murphy to second. Kelenic walked loading the bases. Arcia doubled to right clearing the bases making the score 4-1 Atlanta. Urshela walked before Merrifield grounded into a force out to end the inning.
For all practical purposes, the game was over. But Atlanta kept piling on. They would score 6 more runs in the bottom of the 6th inning for the 10-1 win. The Dodgers would finish with 7 hits, 2 by Miguel Rojas who got his BA up to .294. The big 4 went 3-12. Evan Phillips had a nightmare 1/3rd of an inning and he was charged with 5 earned runs. When Brasier entered the game to relieve him, the bases were loaded. Brasier gave up a bases clearing double to Olson, and it was 9-1. Olson got to third on an error by Betts. Murphy hit a sac-fly to score Olson and end the scoring.
Miguel Rojas and Kike Hernandez pitched the last two innings allowing just 1 hit between them. The loss was the Dodgers 61st of the season. In games affecting the Dodgers, Arizona lost to the Brewers, so their lead over Arizona stays at 5 games. San Diego was up 8-0 in the 9th inning on the Giants. So, the lead over the Padres will drop to 3.5 games. The Dodgers and Arizona have 14 games remaining. The Padres have 13 games left. The series with the Padres in the next homestand now takes on some serious importance depending on how well or badly the Dodgers play the rest of this road trip.
Charlie Morton makes the start for Atlanta against Buehler tomorrow. The Dodgers need Buehler to be a lot better than he has been lately. They need length from him, and some shut down innings. Yamamoto will pitch Monday against Freid. The Dodgers are between the rock and a hard place pitching wise. Right now, the post-season rotation would consist of Flaherty, Yamamoto, Buehler and Miller, with Knack also a possibility. Those are the only healthy starting arms. Glasnow is gone for the year, Stone is supposed to start a throwing program this weekend.
Andrew Freidman has said that this winter the team is going to look into the cause of so many arm injuries and try to find solutions to the growing problem. There will most likely be changes in the way pitchers prepare for games. MLB is also considering some rules changes to the number of innings a pitcher must pitch. It will be an interesting winter.
The Dodgers have few options to replace any of the injured arms. And the options they do have are kids with very little experience. Wrobleski and Casparius both have pitched in the majors this year. Casparius only pitched one inning, but he could be a piggy-back option come playoff time. Same with Wrobleski. As it stands right now, with Kershaw’s status up in the air, the Dodgers do not have a left-handed starter in the rotation. Against teams like Arizona and the Phillies, who both have some pop from that side, this could be a real disadvantage. They have to hope that Miller and Buehler can find some semblance of the pitchers they have been in the past. There are no pitchers at AAA this year with extensive MLB experience.
Minor League Scores
OKC beat Tacoma 9-3 and OKC’s pitchers held the Rainiers to just 3 hits. Rushing was 3-4 with his 7th homer. Lipcius was 2-5 and hit his 25th homer. Lipcius drove in 2 and Rushing 3. Freeland, Gauthier, Ward and Feduccia also had multiple hits. Rooney got the win with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Tulsa beat Wichita 3-2. They had 12 hits, only 2 of them for extra bases. Morillo got the win, his 5th. Young, Santana, Alleyne, and Casey all had 2 hits.
Is a sweep coming? We all know our pitching is suffering badly, but what about our batting? There seems to be a lethargy within the Dodgers starters. It’s not that we cannot hit. We don’t hit when it matters. There is no reason the hitting should collapse at this point. This is the time that the chemistry should be clicking in and the excitement rising. Will this be our 3rd year in a row collapse? I truly hope not.
Bad luck.
I mean REALLY bad luck, no?
Oh there’s a sweep coming and it’s not against Atlanta this week.
Last year I called the Dodgers season over around June. So many people told me I was crazy. Or that I was “performing”. My analysis was so simple. “when was the last time any team had won a World Series with no starting pitching”? I asked. Still people argued with me. “But they have no starting pitching” I stated. Going into the playoffs they still had no starting pitching and they were swept.
Nothing has changed. This year the Dodger’s pitching staff is a national disaster, and it’s not due to bad luck. (sorry Bluto).
This time, I will make my case with numbers to back this up. Let’s dive into this.
The Dodgers pitching staff ranks 13 in ERAThe Dodger’s starting pitching ranks 18 in ERAThe Dodgers have just two pitchers log over 100 innings (Glasnow and Stone)The Dodgers have just two starters make 20 starts or more (Glasnow and Stone)The pitcher with the third most innings registered is no longer with the club (Paxton 89)The Dodger’s staff ranks 18 in Strikeouts (1235)The Dodgers staff walks too many batters (536 third in MLB)The Dodgers staff gives up too many home runs (205 third in MLB)Dodgers have the sixth worst BAA (.254)The starters are 24 in innings pitched.Dodger relievers have pitched 576.1 innings this year.Let’s dive deeper.
There are 5 aspects to pitching (IMO)
velocityspinlocationlengthefficiencyWe know the Dodgers never have length. And they don’t have efficiency either. Some of the guys throw hard, but spin is seriously lacking this year. According to Baseball Savant the Dodgers have just one pitcher in the top 50 in spin rate on four-seamers (Vesia). They have 3 on the curve (Yamamoto, Ryan, Knack). They have none in the top 50 on sliders. They do have 4 in the top 50 in movement (Vesia, Knack, Kopech, Wrobleski)
So let’s recap. The Dodger pitchers don’t go deep into games. They Don’t pitch efficiently (way too many 3-ball counts), very few have spin or movement on their pitches, and they struggle with location (way too many walks). Even worse, they give up a boatload of runs in the first inning (5.11 ERA).
Does this look like a championship caliber pitching staff? This is the third consecutive season they are heading into the playoffs with almost no starting pitching and a tired bullpen. Is this the way to win a World Series?
I don’t know what the solution is, but they can’t continue acquiring injury riddled pitchers. Health and innings count. The Dodgers doubled down on load management this year and it was a trainwreck. They have almost an entire roster of pitchers on the injured list.
There has to be a change in strategy and development. Are you guys ok with this exact same result (early playoff exit, or sweep) again next year?
I’ll say it again, since when has a team with no starting pitching ever won a World Series?
The Glasnow news comes not unexpected.
And I will not be surprised when the Dodgers say in the next days he will need TJ surgery and will be out for 2025 too.
Last nights game was a preview of what will await us in the postseason. An excellent starting pitcher going for the opponent, a good lineup to deal with. Our starter not able to provide length and a bullpen parade .
Buehler and Miller better get their sh.it together and step up.
Bullpen is showing some serious cracks recently too which is not surpsring given the workload htey had to shoulder for months now.
My expectation level for a WS run is under 10 percent. At best. I can even see the Dodgers melting down and not winning the division.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Once again, just like last year, the Dodgers only blueprint afforded them to advance in the playoffs is for virtually all of their post-season wins to come by outscoring their opponents in high-scoring affairs.
And once again, that AIN’T gonna happen!
Can the Dodgers win the WS with their current starting pitching?
Since there is growing talk about Ohtani pitching for the Dodgers this postseason:
Some are saying do not risk sending him out to pitch this season. Those voices say it could lead to him being out as a hitter for 2025 if he reinjures himself pitching.
But he is already throwing off of a mound these days. So there is the risk of a reinjuring the elbow already present. Could happen with every pitch he throws .
So IMHO the Dodgers have to make a principal decision: Do they want Ohtani to pitch again or do they not ? If they want to use him as a pitcher and he is medically cleared to pitch again do it. If not shut him down as a pitcher for good and permanently.
If they want to use him as a pitcher I see no reason to hold him back IF medically cleared.
A reinjury and losing him as a hitter too for some time is the risk you have to take then
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This team was snake bitten before the season even started. The brass doesn’t know how to manage pitchers. Clearly. And it’s going to end the season. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Like others have said, Dodger pitching is one thing. But getting shut down like a AAA squad by other pitching results in a blow out.
Decent chance they don’t win the division IMO.
Just read this on another site:
Our potential playoff rotation as of now:
Flaherty
Hope (Yamamoto)
Pray (Stone)
Rain
😀
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
The simple truth is staring us in the face. As constructed at this point in time, the starting pitching on the Dodgers is not going to win the World Series. With 14 games left, and a 3.5 game lead over the Padres, there should be some concern about winning their own division. If they were to lose the division to the Pads, they most likely would have to face Arizona in a 3-game wild card series. It is simply not looking too promising for the boys in blue.
Wow, on the same day, three exe Dodger pitchers get cut loose by their teams. The Angels DFAd Nick Robertson, the D-Backs DFAd Dylan Floro and the Yankees released Victor Gonzalez. It is looking less likely that Cody Bellinger will opt out of his Cubs contract. He would be leaving 50 million on the table. More likely he would opt out after next season when it would only be 20, and he will only be 30 years old.
Orioles DFAd LHRP Cole Irvin for assignment.
Tony Gonsolin gets the start in OKC tonight against Tacoma.
Well on the bright side that sure was a nice catch CT made.had to think of something good all the doom and gloom on here is depressing
I think “extensive MLB experience” as a consideration down the stretch and in the playoffs, should be out the window. Flaherty, Yamamoto and the maybe’s; Kershaw, Miller, Buehler and Stone don’t provide much comfort. It’s a MASH unit. Find some fresh arms.
Heyward 2-2 against the Angels today. Homer and a single and he has driven in 2 runs.
It seems every time Buehler pitches we score very little and/or crappy d. He has already walked 5 so he has little margin for error. Barnes continues to play crappy d costing runs and elevating the pitch count. Defensive interference again and can’t throw to first or second.
All things considered, I would happily take this game from Buehler in October.
After going into hibernation for several games, the Dodgers offense finally wakes up with clutch hits from the big guns in the 9th-inning.
Clutch Dodger win and they needed it badly. 13 games to go with a 3.5 game lead. Kopech was excellent. Yamamoto tomorrow against Fried. Go Blue!
I’m pretty sure the Dodgers are undefeated when they hit back-to-back-to-back homers.
So that’s a good strategy with the starting rotation in tatters.
Did Buehler’s start represent a small step forward? I’d like to think so, because he really might be needed in the playoffs.
Nice to have Graterol back. The bullpen continues to look like a strength.