Troubling trends from last year

[duke1861]

Bad pitching is killing this team. Unless Kershaw is on the mound, we simply cannot count on our staff doing its job. We can't have 5 aces out there but we should have addressed the pitching staff and bull pen in a better fashion in the offseason. I believe we should have signed Cueto instead of Kazmir.

The might need to call up Urias and work him out of the pen. Hatcher is giving up runs left and right again and we need stability in the bullpen. I understand the Front Office's goal was to lower payroll, but this team is not getting it done.

Lot of time left but we certainly are not look much better than a .500 club at this point. We just didn't do a good enough job this offseason. I understand we aren't healthy, but the Front Office knew that going into the season. If we are going to overtake the Giants and make any type of noise in the playoffs, the kids have to come up from the Minors or we will need to make multiple trades. I hate it, but thats the way it is at this point. Its very frustrating to watch.

 

[lasportzphan]

Bad pitching is killing this team. Unless Kershaw is on the mound, we simply cannot count on our staff doing its job. We can't have 5 aces out there but we should have addressed the pitching staff and bull pen in a better fashion in the offseason. I believe we should have signed Cueto instead of Kazmir.

The might need to call up Urias and work him out of the pen. Hatcher is giving up runs left and right again and we need stability in the bullpen. I understand the Front Office's goal was to lower payroll, but this team is not getting it done.

Lot of time left but we certainly are not look much better than a .500 club at this point. We just didn't do a good enough job this offseason. I understand we aren't healthy, but the Front Office knew that going into the season. If we are going to overtake the Giants and make any type of noise in the playoffs, the kids have to come up from the Minors or we will need to make multiple trades. I hate it, but thats the way it is at this point. Its very frustrating to watch.

Things are a bit uncertain right now, no doubt. Slowly creeping into that make or break zone. 8 games over .500 at the break gets you to 90 wins.... And will 90 be enough?

 

[Smed55]

Again I've said Hatcher has no business anywhere near the mound in ANY close game. That being being said, we aren't playing well, we really haven't had a good run yet, but we are still right there in the standings. We are due to have our run yet and maybe that will get us going?

I was also watching the game the other night and even the announcers mentioned what I've been saying for years about certain players on our team. It's great to have depth, but you have to have guys that are regular starters, we have way to much platooning. They were saying either Pederson is our starting CF or he's not? You can't platoon him and give him 400 at bats a year hows he suppose to learn how to hit left-handers from the bench? He hit like .290 against left handers his last year in the minors!. It's also time to sit Crawford and play Thompson more against both righties and lefties

 

[duke1861]

Again I've said Hatcher has no business anywhere near the mound in ANY close game. That being being said, we aren't playing well, we really haven't had a good run yet, but we are still right there in the standings. We are due to have our run yet and maybe that will get us going?

I was also watching the game the other night and even the announcers mentioned what I've been saying for years about certain players on our team. It's great to have depth, but you have to have guys that are regular starters, we have way to much platooning. They were saying either Pederson is our starting CF or he's not? You can't platoon him and give him 400 at bats a year hows he suppose to learn how to hit left-handers from the bench? He hit like .290 against left handers his last year in the minors!. It's also time to sit Crawford and play Thompson more against both righties and lefties

Great point Smed. I have never been a Hatcher fan and the sooner we realize he just can't cut it the better. People can be fascinated with his fastball but he gives up runs at an absurd pace. Hopefully Montas takes his spot. We need to let him go now I believe.

We almost took the opposite approach than the DBacks. They built their team around 5 All-Star players. We are building our team around depth. The best answer is somewhere in the middle. I understand that we need to cut payroll but we are already seeing the effects of this mentality. We countered the Giants moves of Cueto/Shark with Kazmir/Maeda. Instead of addressing the bullpen with talented proven pitchers, we went the cheap route and continue to believe in pitchers who just aren't going to cut it. Until some dormant bats heat up (Turner, Kendrick Puig) we have to rely on pitching. Outside of Kershaw and Jansen, that is not a good idea. Hopefully Ryu, Montas, McCarthy and Urias can bring stability to a dumpster fire known as our pitching staff.

 

[duke1861]

I am beginning to hate the Kazmir signing!

 

[lasportzphan]

I am beginning to hate the Kazmir signing!

He's not locating. 7BBs and two home runs allowed to a weak hitting team.

 

[duke1861]

He's not locating. 7BBs and two home runs allowed to a weak hitting team.

Right. I have no idea what his deal is. Its like he is trying to work on mechanics. Not good for a post 30 pitcher. I am really beginning to question how we approached last offseason. I liked the Cincy-ChiSox trade but the Kazmir, Kendrick and possibly Maeda signings have been disappointing.

We could have gone other routes and we didn't.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Right. I have no idea what his deal is. Its like he is trying to work on mechanics. Not good for a post 30 pitcher. I am really beginning to question how we approached last offseason. I liked the Cincy-ChiSox trade but the Kazmir, Kendrick and possibly Maeda signings have been disappointing.

We could have gone other routes and we didn't.

Let me hear your plan. All you ever say is we could have done something different but you have no clue how.

 

[duke1861]

Let me hear your plan. All you ever say is we could have done something different but you have no clue how.

No problem.

During the offseason I said we should have signed Cueto and Daniel Murphy. I don't know if we were ever interested in either one but that is what I said we should have done.

Those two players alone would be making a difference. I also advocating trading for or signing two relief pitchers. Instead the FO has decided to stick with Hatcher because they traded for him.

So yes, I did have a clue how to improve this team. I will admit that its easier to play arm chair GM, but you have to admit that this FO has made some bone headed moves that should never have been made.

 

[lasportzphan]

Let me hear your plan. All you ever say is we could have done something different but you have no clue how.

Question not directed at me, but instead of retroactively deriding decisions (pointless, can't change the past), I'll take a stab.

Stay the course in the farm system. You can blame this front office for a few things but you have to concede what an excellent job they have done in stockpiling future trade bait or potential big leaguers. It was a dumpster fire of a farm system post McCourt.

Move some bulky contracts. If you can trade Ethier, do it. Probably a team willing to eat more of his contract if he shows something upon his return. Eat the Crawford contract and get cents on the dollar in return. Probably have to eat the Alex Guerreo deal pretty soon as well.

I'd keep Urias down for as long as possible (although rumor has it his up in first week of June). He's only 19 and I don't like messing with the confidence of players far too young. Get him so low leverage situation reps later in the year. But this team has other issues to deal with and should not levy them upon a 19 year old with a potentially amazing future ahead. The risk is not worth it.

This off season they need another rotation arm and two more bullpen arms, the very least a link to Jansen (8th inning guy). And if Ryu does not pan out, possibly a backend rotation guy too.

Need a left fielder and an excellent bat. This will require dough and potentially a chunk of the farm system.

As promised every year, I'll offer my assessment of this team. The next three weeks take us to June 13th. Road trip to NYM, ChiC and SF. Home stand versus Col and Atl. Tough three weeks overall and should resolve the direction of this team.

 

[Smed55]

He's not locating. 7BBs and two home runs allowed to a weak hitting team.

I agree, he's pushing almost a third of the season, he needs to locate his location soon, as in real soon!

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Question not directed at me, but instead of retroactively deriding decisions (pointless, can't change the past), I'll take a stab.

Stay the course in the farm system. You can blame this front office for a few things but you have to concede what an excellent job they have done in stockpiling future trade bait or potential big leaguers. It was a dumpster fire of a farm system post McCourt.

Move some bulky contracts. If you can trade Ethier, do it. Probably a team willing to eat more of his contract if he shows something upon his return. Eat the Crawford contract and get cents on the dollar in return. Probably have to eat the Alex Guerreo deal pretty soon as well.

I'd keep Urias down for as long as possible (although rumor has it his up in first week of June). He's only 19 and I don't like messing with the confidence of players far too young. Get him so low leverage situation reps later in the year. But this team has other issues to deal with and should not levy them upon a 19 year old with a potentially amazing future ahead. The risk is not worth it.

This off season they need another rotation arm and two more bullpen arms, the very least a link to Jansen (8th inning guy). And if Ryu does not pan out, possibly a backend rotation guy too.

Need a left fielder and an excellent bat. This will require dough and potentially a chunk of the farm system.

As promised every year, I'll offer my assessment of this team. The next three weeks take us to June 13th. Road trip to NYM, ChiC and SF. Home stand versus Col and Atl. Tough three weeks overall and should resolve the direction of this team.

I agree with you about the bulky deals. I feel like if they could have traded Ethier they would have done it by now. Contracts like Crawford and Ethier really inflate the payroll but I don't think you can really blame the current front office for that since Colleti was the one who made most of those moves. The current front office has been very frugal most likely because of the size of the payroll they inherited.

As far as Urias goes, I couldn't really say, I haven't seen the guy pitch. Maybe I'm lacking some baseball savvy but I see no problem with starting him off in the bullpen if they feel like he's ready. A young guy with electric stuff can be a very good relief pitcher for an inning or two, he might be the bridge to Jansen you were speaking about.

Our staff is full of back end rotational guys once you get past Kershaw and Maeda (Kazmir needs to be more consistent). Don't think another one of them will help very much, plus we have Ryu and Anderson hopefully coming back at some point. That would be like trading for an outfielder when we're already full up on outfielders. I agree we probably need another top end rotation arm but the great teams develop prospects, they don't trade them, so I'm not hating what the front office has done. Teams like the Giants and Cards seem to call up anybody and have them perform right away.

I personally think the offense doesn't need anything, our players just aren't performing up to expectation so unless we start clearing house and start trading some of our starters then we have to ride it out and hope they start playing up to their normal standards.

 

[LASports96]

I still think, 6 weeks in, the biggest issue thus far has been too many guys we were counting as givens in this lineup have been massively disappointing. Turner, Puig, Kendrick, Grandal, Gonzo (lesser degree) have been all underperforming massively.

Everybody wants to complain about the bullpen and their is reason for concerns there but it's been pretty much a league average pen, not great, but probably not as bad as it seems. This also seems to be the easiest group to upgrade.

Starting pitching is a little skewed by Kershaw but generally again pretty solid. Kershaw, Maeda, and Wood have generally been pretty good. Kazmir has been very disappointing. Stripling is what it is, a 5th starter who's been some really good and some really bad, who needs to be replaced soon.

Now this offense, has been in the bottom portion of the league pretty much for a while now. (92 wRC+, 19th in MLB)... Ethier is coming back, maybe he helps? But if those aforementioned guys who are disappointing don't turn it around and it significant ways, we were always screwed regardless of FO moves or bonehead managing decisions or whatever. But yes I'm starting to not like Dave Roberts either.

 

[duke1861]

I still think, 6 weeks in, the biggest issue thus far has been too many guys we were counting as givens in this lineup have been massively disappointing. Turner, Puig, Kendrick, Grandal, Gonzo (lesser degree) have been all underperforming massively.

Everybody wants to complain about the bullpen and their is reason for concerns there but it's been pretty much a league average pen, not great, but probably not as bad as it seems. This also seems to be the easiest group to upgrade.

Starting pitching is a little skewed by Kershaw but generally again pretty solid. Kershaw, Maeda, and Wood have generally been pretty good. Kazmir has been very disappointing. Stripling is what it is, a 5th starter who's been some really good and some really bad, who needs to be replaced soon.

Now this offense, has been in the bottom portion of the league pretty much for a while now. (92 wRC+, 19th in MLB)... Ethier is coming back, maybe he helps? But if those aforementioned guys who are disappointing don't turn it around and it significant ways, we were always screwed regardless of FO moves or bonehead managing decisions or whatever. But yes I'm starting to not like Dave Roberts either.

We can only hope the offense comes around. Bottom line is that if we acquire a premium bat, number 2 starter and a set up man, the farm will be depleted. I would rather build from within. The pen has been terrible this year:

Bill Plunkett ?@billplunkettocr 1h1 hour ago

9 losses have been charged to #Dodgers bullpen. Only 2 NL teams have more -- Reds, Braves.

To put our pen in the same category as the worst team in baseball is telling. I am hoping the Urias and Montas bring stability. I think they will actually.

 

[Villain]

Bill Plunkett ?@billplunkettocr 1h1 hour ago

9 losses have been charged to #Dodgers bullpen. Only 2 NL teams have more -- Reds, Braves.

To put our pen in the same category as the worst team in baseball is telling. I am hoping the Urias and Montas bring stability. I think they will actually.

Wins and losses are a terrible measure of how good a bullpen is. Those losses saddled to the bullpen are also a product of the team not putting runs on the board. The Dodgers bullpen isn't elite, but by the numbers it ranks in the "mediocre" range, not in the disaster range as that tweet from Bill Punkett would imply.

 

[Smed55]

Wins and losses are a terrible measure of how good a bullpen is. Those losses saddled to the bullpen are also a product of the team not putting runs on the board. The Dodgers bullpen isn't elite, but by the numbers it ranks in the "mediocre" range, not in the disaster range as that tweet from Bill Punkett would imply.

Gee sorry to disagree, but when your team is ahead and the bullpen comes in and you lose, I'm thinking thats on the bullpen, not because our offense didn't score more runs after the bullpen gave up the lead? Sometimes Villian has to put down the koolaid

 

[Smed55]

Again, I guess according to Villian the bullpen takes no blame in this game? I guess it's the offenses fault again, if we would have scored 5 or 6 in the ninth maybe we win? I mean only 3 different guys out of the pen gave up a HR, ya Urias put us in a hole, but the pen put us in a deeper hole!
I know Villian is in love with guys that can throw hard, but that only means it goes farther when it's hit! Keep denying that the BP isn't that bad Villian maybe someday it won't be and you will actually be right about something!

 

[lasportzphan]

Well, May is nearly in the rear view mirror and this team is middling (at best, statistically speaking) at the plate.

Through May 30th, Agon, Seager, Thompson, Utley, Joc have been solid contributors, but not enough to conside the offense good or consistent. Turner, Puig, Kike, Grandal, and Crawford have been terrible year to date.

Players need to step up or else the Giants will run away with it.

 

[Villain]

Good thread.