[Gareth]

Had his 4 innings of shut out ball last night been the first 4 innings of the game, he may have redeemed himself. But I agree, 4-0 up that game should have been over. Then 7-4?? No way lightening should strike twice

He gets a little credit from me for last night. But, honestly, by the time he came in, the Astros had already lost their edge with the nice lead. They were not digging in with the same intensity and mindset as in a close game or when trying to come back.

And, by the way, I've always thought this whole "heroic" label put on pitchers who pitch on short rest during these situations is way overstated. Heroic? These guys are pitchers and they go out and pitch. I mean Bumgarner was awesome but he nomally throws on that day anyway.

[snackdaddy]

Had his 4 innings of shut out ball last night been the first 4 innings of the game, he may have redeemed himself. But I agree, 4-0 up that game should have been over. Then 7-4?? No way lightening should strike twice

Yeah, that game put a damper on his legacy. But he's generally considered one of the premier pitchers in the game the past few years even with that. Game 7's are where legends are made. He deserves to be given the chance to cement his legacy and Roberts didn't give him the ball. Instead he gave the ball to a guy who's been shaky for the majority of the season and was even worse his last outing. That decision is on Roberts.

I woulda been ok with it if Kershaw had another bad outing. He's the guy you rode to get here. You gotta give him the opportunity. If it doesn't work at least you put it in the hands of your star. Its why I agreed with leaving Bellinger in there to keep hitting even though it was clear he was lost at the plate.

You give the guys who got you there the chance to win it for you. If it doesn't work you tip your hat to your opponent and move on. Now we'll all be wondering why Kershaw didn't get the ball.

[Elvis]

And, by the way, I've always thought this whole "heroic" label put on pitchers who pitch on short rest during these situations is way overstated. Heroic? These guys are pitchers and they go out and pitch. I mean Bumgarner was awesome but he nomally throws on that day anyway.

I've played sports with sore muscles before, didn't realize i was a hero...

[PARAM]

Being down 2-0 is a different game than being down 5-0
I just dont understand how if Kershaw can give you a couple innings, how he doesnt start the game. Houston feasts on RH pitching

That's the conundrum.

I've heard some "experts" ask, in these situations, maybe it's best to go bullpen all the way, mixing in the available starters vs certain parts of the lineup?

Obviously they figured Darvish on regular rest was best. If he had his good stuff, it wouldn't be an issue.

[dieterbrock]

That's the conundrum.

I've heard some "experts" ask, in these situations, maybe it's best to go bullpen all the way, mixing in the available starters vs certain parts of the lineup?

Obviously they figured Darvish on regular rest was best. If he had his good stuff, it wouldn't be an issue.

If they really felt their best pitcher and ace of the staff was good for 40-50 pitches, I cant see how you dont start him.
Game 7 is all about getting that early lead and putting the pressure on the other team.
And Darvish sucked in his previous start and you could tell right away he didnt have his best stuff.
Oh well

[Hacksaw]

Roberts puts a premium on rested arms. He seems to fear that a tired arm has a higher chance of hanging one over the plate. Which is true to a point. I think he over thinks/over thought that a bit too much. In the WS it was exposed.

The Asstros played pretty consistently throughout the series. The Dodgers had 2 bad outing from Darvish,, Hill was prematurely pulled in game 2 and Bellinger, Utley and Turner all disappeared at the plate. You can't make tactical errors or have failures like that in such an evenly matched series.

Congrat's to Houston. They needed that.

The Dodgers will be fine and will be back.

Now straighten out that slick ball business before spring training MLB and give us our advantage (deep solid pitching) back.

[PARAM]

Roberts puts a premium on rested arms. He seems to fear that a tired arm has a higher chance of hanging one over the plate. Which is true to a point. I think he over thinks/over thought that a bit too much. In the WS it was exposed.

He seemed to have no problem going to Janzen for 6 outs or more.

[Hacksaw]

He seemed to have no problem going to Janzen for 6 outs or more.

6 outs shouldn't be to much to ask. He failed though, so perhaps it was. Still the only reason he had to go 6 was due to pulling starters / relievers early earlier.

[Hacksaw_64]

Farm-Hand Fridays: Looking At Alex Verdugo
Blake Coble
02/11/2018
Editorials

Today we are covering our #2 prospect Alex Verdugo.
The Basics

Name: Alex Verdugo
DOB/Age: May 15, 1996 / 21 Years Old
Height/Weight: 6’0″ / 205lbs
Home State/Country: Arizona
Highest Level Reached: MLB
On the 40-Man Roster: Yes
ETA: Now

Other Notable Rankings

Baseball America: #2
Baseball Prospectus: #2
MLB.com: #2*
TrueBlueLA: #2
Dodgers Digest: #2 (mid 2017-season)

Risk Level

(1-10, with 1 being very low, and 10 being very high)

3 – Alex Verdugo may not be the flashiest prospect, but the kid can hit. He isn’t likely to belt 30+ homers in his prime, but he could easily contend for batting titles while providing solid outfield defense. Part of what makes Verdugo highly rated across the board is how advanced his hitting eye is at such a young age. He has quickly moved through the Dodgers’ system, all while hitting exceptionally. Alex Verdugo has a very high ceiling, which makes him a solid prospect. At a minimum we could expect around a .270 average, low double-digit home run totals, with solid defense, and a cannon arm. That would play well on many teams in the corner outfield positions.

The Past

The first thing you need to know about Alex Verdugo is that he actually wasn’t initially viewed as an outfielder when scouted as a high schooler in Arizona. As a senior, he was catching the eye of scout’s by hitting 94 MPH with his fastball. Despite this, the Dodgers still liked what they saw in him enough to draft him in the 2nd round as an outfielder in 2014. Since then he has consistently shown a keen eye and exceptional contact skills. Instantly he impressed by slashing .353/.421/.511 in 2014.

He continued his upward trajectory in 2015 by hitting .311/.340/.441. His great arm in the outfield, solid defense, and excellent hitter’s eye all contributed to him winning Minor League Player of the Year honors for the Dodgers that season. 2016 brought more success for Verdugo, where he spent the whole season at AA. Once there he again slashed a solid .274/.336/.407. What was more impressive was that he struck out only 67 times in 126 games, while walking 44 times. That, and he was almost a full four years younger than his competition at AA.

The Present

Transition to 2017 and Verdugo had firmly staked his claim as a top 10 prospect in the organization and top 100 prospect overall. Last season was an even more impressive one for the young outfielder. At AAA Oklahoma City he hit an excellent .314/.389/.436 while walking (52 times) more than he struck out (50)! Indeed he has cemented himself as one of the better batter eye’s not just in our system, but in all the Minor Leagues. Though he didn’t show much power initially, he still ended the season with 37 extra base hits.

Going forward many scouts would love to see him with a little more power. But with Verdugo’s current approach you can’t complain at all. He uses all fields, and hits a lot of line drives. Eventually he may translate some of that average raw power into actual game power, but for now he is content to hit line drives to all fields and put up well above-average batting totals.
The Future

Since Alex Verdugo is now on the 40 man roster, and made a short cameo in September, there are higher expectations for him this year. He has little left to prove in the Minors, but his issue is a lack of a spot to play. Granted prospects over the last two to three years have found a way to force themselves into the picture (i.e. Seager and Bellinger) but Verdugo’s situation is a bit different. While both Seager and Bellinger made quick jumps, they were both realistically #2 or #3 on the organization depth chart at their positions. Verdugo falls somewhere around #4-5 on the depth chart. He has in front of him at least Joc Pederson, Andrew Toles, and Kike Hernandez for playing time in left-field.

If Verdugo is to play everyday for the Dodgers this year, he would have to significantly outperform all three of the above mentioned players to lock in left-field. On the flip-side since he isn’t as necessary to the future of the club as say Seager and Bellinger are, he may end up becoming a trade chip. Verdugo was long-rumored to be a top trade target for opposing clubs last season, and ultimately he remained with the Dodgers.

Whatever Verdugo’s future holds, it should be a nice bright one.

http://www.dodgersnation.com/farm-hand- ... 018/02/11/

[snackdaddy]

Dodgers open up at home against the Giants next week. Giants seemed to have improved this year but I still feel this is the Dodgers division to win.

Losing that series to the Astros was painful. Kershaw and Jansen picked the wrong time to have a bad day. Bellinger was lost at the plate. Darvish was horrible tipping his pitches. They still went 7 with all that but I feel they shoulda won that series.

They just have to put that behind them. Keep winning and making the post season and sooner or later it will happen. I remember how many times the Braves looked like the best team only to fade in the playoffs during the 90's. They eventually broke through and won one. Keep getting there and sooner or later it'll happen.