Hello, and welcome to a different version of Dodgers Dugout. My identify is Houston Mitchell and it’s time for some random ideas after 12 video games within the season.
—Simply when everybody begins to like Andrew Heaney, he goes on the IL with a sore left shoulder. It isn't anticipated to maintain him out lengthy. Tyler Anderson will substitute him within the rotation.
—Who's sporting No. 35 for the Dodgers and what has he achieved with Cody Bellinger? This new man is hitting .279/.354/.535 with six extra-base hits and an OPS+ of 156. “Each time he steps within the field, he’s conducting an expert at-bat,” stated supervisor Dave Roberts. “He’s placing the barrel on the ball and being extra like what we anticipate of Cody. For him to grasp sport conditions, really feel good on the plate, seeing the baseball … that’s the place we wish to hold him. ... I actually consider he is usually a higher hitter now going ahead than in his MVP 12 months. There was a variety of slug in there that carried the MVP. ... I believe there’s a very good alternative for him to be an much more well-rounded hitter.”
—A renewed Bellinger would go a protracted solution to getting the Dodgers again within the World Collection.
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—Talking of hitters, let’s verify the OPS+ of the 12 Dodgers who've batted this season. Keep in mind, OPS+ compares you towards league averages. If in case you have an OPS+ of 100, meaning you're a league common hitter. An OPS+ of 125 means you're 25% higher than common. An OPS+ of 75 means you're 25% worse than common.
Above common
Austin Barnes, 229 (Barnes is tied for the staff lead in homers)
Freddie Freeman, 167 (the man Barnes is tied with)
Gavin Lux, 158
Cody Bellinger, 156
Chris Taylor, 131
Trea Turner, 116
Edwin Ríos, 111
Will Smith, 110
Beneath common
Justin Turner, 70
Max Muncy, 66
Mookie Betts, 51
Hanser Alberto, 30
In fact, it’s solely 12 video games, so take all this with a grain of salt. If Alberto goes three for 4 subsequent sport, he’ll be above common.
—The considerations in the intervening time are Betts, Justin Turner and Muncy. I don’t actually fear about Betts, as he’s too good and too younger to not be fantastic. Muncy is coming off a foul elbow damage, so it'd take a while to actually discover his strike. He’s nonetheless drawing walks and has energy.
No, the priority for me is Justin Turner. He's 10 for 44 with two doubles, hitting .227/.306/.273. Final season, he hit .241/.321/.434 within the second half of the season. It’s actually not an amazing concern. It’s solely 12 video games, and he's a notoriously gradual starter, particularly energy smart (he has solely 9 dwelling runs in 567 April at-bats). It’s simply one thing to regulate because the season progresses.
—The pitching has been large. When your worst beginning pitcher after 12 video games is Walker Buehler, then you already know you actually have one thing. And the bullpen has been lights out for essentially the most half.
—Blake Treinen didn’t pitch within the Atlanta sequence due to a sore elbow. He's anticipated again tonight towards San Diego. In the event that they need to put him on the IL earlier than the sport, then, uh oh.
—I watched the Apple TV+ “telecast” of final Friday’s sport. A be aware to Apple: If you wish to broadcast baseball, you would possibly wish to rent some announcers who know one thing about baseball. It was Jackie Robinson Evening, they usually appeared to don't have any clue as to who Jackie Robinson was. Apple merchandise had been promoted in the course of the sport. The principle play-by-play announcer thought each fly ball was going to be a house run. And people are the nicest issues I can say about them. It was really a humiliation.
—By the way in which, if you're at a sport and have a tough time telling if a fly ball goes to be a house run, keep in mind the trick Vin Scully taught all of us: Watch the outfielder, not the ball. You may inform by his actions the place the ball goes. Once I was a child, I keep in mind sitting within the reserved stage and getting excited after I thought a fly ball was a house run, solely to observe Invoice Russell settle underneath it for the out. Since studying Vin’s lesson, I’ve by no means been fooled.
—I obtained extra unsolicited reader e mail concerning the Apple TV+ broadcast than I've within the historical past of this article. They had been really horrible. Fortunately, the Dodgers solely seem yet one more time there, in June towards the Cleveland Guardians.
—Kenley Jansen got here into the sport Tuesday night time to get the save for Atlanta and acquired booed. To me, that was the improper transfer. He deserved an ovation when he got here in, after which want for him to blow the lead. I imply, if Joc Pederson and different Dodgers can get standing ovations after they come again, Jansen deserved no less than that a lot respect.
—Trevor Bauer‘s paid administrative depart has been prolonged till April 29. Take into account, the depart can’t be prolonged except the gamers’ union, which represents Bauer, agrees to it, so it’s not like MLB is unilaterally doing this on their very own. He's nonetheless anticipated to obtain a suspension of some kind. To be decided is whether or not the video games he has already missed whereas on depart will depend towards that suspension. And for many who ask me how he might be suspended although he wasn’t charged with a criminal offense, it’s all a part of the home abuse coverage the league and gamers’ union negotiated. Consider it like this: I might tweet out “The Los Angeles Occasions is the worst place to work in historical past and I consider they're secretly financing an alien invasion.” It could not be a criminal offense to tweet that. However The Occasions might actually droop me or hearth me for that. It’s no totally different right here. We’re simply going to have to attend and see how all this stuff play out.
—Simply after they wanted it most, Tony Gonsolin pitched among the best video games of his profession Wednesday.
—Let’s check out these NL West standings:
Dodgers, 9-3
Colorado, 8-4, 1 GB
San Diego, 9-5, 1 GB
San Francisco, 8-5, 1.5 GB
Arizona, 5-8, 4.5 GB
Final season was nerve-racking sufficient with simply the Giants battling the Dodgers for first. If the Rockies and Padres be a part of that group, I'll need to put money into a house defibrillator.
Obscure stat of the week
Does Clayton Kershaw pitch higher when Austin Barnes is his catcher in comparison with Will Smith? Let’s have a look. In his 15 seasons with the Dodgers, Kershaw has had 13 batterymates. Right here is his profession ERA with every one:
Tim Federowicz (21 IP), 1.71 ERA
Ramon Hernandez (15), 1.80
A.J. Ellis (829), 1.97
Rod Barajas (177.2), 2.08
Yasmani Grandal (403.2), 2.23
Brad Ausmus (54.2), 2.30
Drew Butera (34), 2.38
Dioner Navarro (87.2), 2.77
Austin Barnes (349.1), 2.83
Russell Martin (362), 3.33
Will Smith (96.2), 3.63
Danny Ardoin (22.1), 4.84
Matt Treanor (13.2), 5.93
Up subsequent
Tonight: Dodgers (*Julio Urías) at San Diego (Nick Martinez), 6:30 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: Dodgers (*Tyler Anderson) at San Diego (Yu Darvish), 5:30 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw) at San Diego (*Sean Manaea), 1 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
*-left-handed
Tales you might need missed
Mookie Betts’ hunch worrisome amid the Dodgers besting Braves: 5 takeaways
Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw has a pitching doppelganger in single A
Hernández: Clayton Kershaw’s aggressive hearth rages whilst Dodger followers present him love
And at last
Ross Porter visits with Ron Cey. Watch and pay attention right here.
Till subsequent time...
Have a remark or one thing you’d wish to see in a future Dodgers publication? E mail me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and observe me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this article in your inbox, click on right here.
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