NNLDS Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers @ St. Louis Cardinals

[lasportzphan]

This has to change today:

The Cardinals, who ranked 29th in home runs during the regular season, now lead all teams in the postseason with seven.

 

[CatsTopPac]

Really bums me out that the rest of the team is working their asses off, and the bull pen just keeps giving it up. I have been very proud of the SP for the Dodgers in this series, and equally impressed with the defense and the hitting. Uribe, Gordon, Gonzales, and Puig really need to pick it up though. with the latter three hitters being our 1-3 hitters, be can't have that gap in the line up. Other than that, it's just heartbreaking to see the SP and hitting keep us up and/or in it, only to have the bullpen take us out; game after game.

Being that this is the second year in a row that our bullpen has overwhelmingly been our biggest weakness, Honeycutt has some explaining to do.

Like lasportzphan wrote, we need Kershaw and Greinke to go in, shut it down, and hopefully we have the score padded so that the bullpen can't give it up. Pretty proud of everyone but the bullpen.

 

[lasportzphan]

Really bums me out that the rest of the team is working their asses off, and the bull pen just keeps giving it up. I have been very proud of the SP for the Dodgers in this series, and equally impressed with the defense and the hitting. Uribe, Gordon, Gonzales, and Puig really need to pick it up though. with the latter three hitters being our 1-3 hitters, be can't have that gap in the line up. Other than that, it's just heartbreaking to see the SP and hitting keep us up and/or in it, only to have the bullpen take us out; game after game.

Being that this is the second year in a row that our bullpen has overwhelmingly been our biggest weakness, Honeycutt has some explaining to do.

Like lasportzphan wrote, we need Kershaw and Greinke to go in, shut it down, and hopefully we have the score padded so that the bullpen can't give it up. Pretty proud of everyone but the bullpen.

Completely fair assessment and I would even go as far as saying I'm still proud of Kershaw. If the Dodgers had a legit bullpen he probably gets pulled after two hits in the 7th. Instead, we all know, the manager knows, my fucking wife knows (and she could give a shit) our bullpen is a steaming pile of excrement. I don't even blame Mattingly. I would have gone to Baez in that situation - he's pitched well of late compared to his fellow ass clowns. I would have to gone to Howell and I would have gone to Howell last night before Elbert - but a subjective decision at this point. Damned if you do, damned if you don't right now with the bullpen. I blame Colletti. Not all star break Colletti - off season Ned Colletti for thinking this bullpen was any good. He's put Mattingly in a fucked situation and we saw this coming a mile away. If my dumb, couch watching ass could tell what a train wreck this bullpen was in April, WTF is Colletti doing? You guys have to listen to me whine about it all year and I'm sorry for that. I need to vent! Who in their right fucking mind offers a set up man 10 mil per after 9 tommy John surgeries with a vested player option? Not only are you bad a spotting relief talent, you're bad at business.

Honeycutt may take the fall, but ultimately, the Dodgers had starting pitcher injuries all year with a weak bullpen that had no depth. Mattingly was forced to go to the "Howell well" too many times and now the guy is burned out. Wilson burned out and can only really go half a year. Jansen was our work horse.

And you are right, the entire lineup needs to step up. The strikeouts are obnoxious at this point. I mean, I love Puig and the triple was a huge - but 7 ks in a row? 9 for the series? I'd like to see a little growth from year to year in the playoffs.

Today is not looking so good. Kershaw on short rest in a place that has not been kind to him. We will be lucky if he gets into the 7th. So what then? Well, I guess we will start an off season moves thread - the cycles of baseball. Or, this team can play to it's strength and hit the ball - it was the bats that blew it last night.

 

[CatsTopPac]

Yeah, I don't think you will find a single person who knows Dodger baseball that has a problem with you criticizing the bullpen. The hitting yesterday was suspect, but overall, it's mostly the strikeouts that are hurting us as far as the hitting is concerned.

And Ned is certainly to blame, I don't want to excuse him from this. But the fact is that the guns are there. Look at the careers of Wilson, League, and even Maholm. I just don't see how we put a dozen relievers in there this year, and everyone by Jansen has sucked ass. As much as that is a GM issue, it is a pitching coach problem.

And honestly, I completely agree that Donnie is not to blame. It's a shitty place to be when you are faced with keeping a pitcher in who is running out of gas, and handing the ball to any reliever with the expectation that they are going to give it up.

 

[lasportzphan]

Yeah, I don't think you will find a single person who knows Dodger baseball that has a problem with you criticizing the bullpen. The hitting yesterday was suspect, but overall, it's mostly the strikeouts that are hurting us as far as the hitting is concerned.

And Ned is certainly to blame, I don't want to excuse him from this. But the fact is that the guns are there. Look at the careers of Wilson, League, and even Maholm. I just don't see how we put a dozen relievers in there this year, and everyone by Jansen has sucked ass. As much as that is a GM issue, it is a pitching coach problem.

And honestly, I completely agree that Donnie is not to blame. It's a shitty place to be when you are faced with keeping a pitcher in who is running out of gas, and handing the ball to any reliever with the expectation that they are going to give it up.

I guess it's hard for me to blame Honeycutt because he's done such a great job with the core starting 5 - from Kershaw to Haren (think about how far Beckett came back??). It is not Honeycut's fault guys are losing velocity - they have dead arm. And how can Honeycut build up Frias, Baez and Elbert in one month? Give a guy a season (with preseason) and then indict him. But I just feel he was dealt a shit hand as well. Not trying to be contrarian.

 

[lasportzphan]

Puig benched today, Ethier starting. Mixed on this.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

At this point whatever can work Hopefully Ethier can get a couple of base hit's at least. Oh well.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Our bullpen has been decimated by injuries 2 years in a row and guys like Wilson falling off his game this year doesn't help matters. Seems like the days when the 7th-8th-9th innings were locked down are far, far behind us. Going to have to do something about that next year.

I wouldn't have gone to Baez, I would have went to Howell, I would have went to Howell before Elbert last night but overall our bullpen is the weakest out of all the playoff teams, without a doubt. Kemp's homer saved Mattingly from his late inning substitution blunder (tie game without Hanley in the lineup?).

Can you name a manager within the past 2 years that has more questionable decisions? There may be one out there but I can't think of one. I'm getting tired of watching Matheny out-manage him at every turn.

We ride or die with Kershaw today, hopefully he doesn't expect to get many calls in his favor. Playing in Busch means he has to be flawless.

 

[CatsTopPac]

I'm talking about the fact that in the last two years, we have had Dominguez, Butera, Correia, Frias, Maholm, Wilson, Wright, Perez, Withrow, Rodriguez, Wall, Guerra, Magill, Moylan, Guerrier, and Belisario all in the pen for us, and none of them could muster a sub 3.00 ERA.

Our relievers that have done well during the season <2.75 ERA have coughed it up in the playoffs: League, Elbert, Howell, Marmol and Baez.

That long list of relievers at the beginning that I named have thrown over 450 innings over the last two years (almost 3 IP per game) and the ERA for those innings collectively has been atrocious. And again, when we get in the playoffs, even the good arms lock up.

When the Dodgers have had about two dozen relievers in the last two years and besides Jansen, NO ONE can get it done, then we have to move beyond picking apart specific pitchers, beyond the failings of Ned, and look at Honeycutt. With all he has done with the starting 5, how can an effective pitching coach not be able to have an effective bullpen, with 20+ relievers over 2 years?

I can't see that Kershaw, Greinke, and Ryu need much direction. And Haren is a veteran, I don't think he requires much either (relatively speaking). Beckett came back well, but he is also a vet.

How come we can't find anyone in the last two years that we can point to no matter what, and say that he will get the ball to Jansen? Even with Ned, Honeycutt has to have found SOMEONE, out of 2 dozen, that he can point to. If not, that has to be on him at some point.

 

[Clayton]

Puig benched today, Ethier starting. Mixed on this.

You don't bench Puig here unless he sleeps with someone's wife. He turns singles into doubles and doubles into triples.

 

[lasportzphan]

I'm talking about the fact that in the last two years, we have had Dominguez, Butera, Correia, Frias, Maholm, Wilson, Wright, Perez, Withrow, Rodriguez, Wall, Guerra, Magill, Moylan, Guerrier, and Belisario all in the pen for us, and none of them could muster a sub 3.00 ERA.

Our relievers that have done well during the season <2.75 ERA have coughed it up in the playoffs: League, Elbert, Howell, Marmol and Baez.

That long list of relievers at the beginning that I named have thrown over 450 innings over the last two years (almost 3 IP per game) and the ERA for those innings collectively has been atrocious. And again, when we get in the playoffs, even the good arms lock up.

When the Dodgers have had about two dozen relievers in the last two years and besides Jansen, NO ONE can get it done, then we have to move beyond picking apart specific pitchers, beyond the failings of Ned, and look at Honeycutt. With all he has done with the starting 5, how can an effective pitching coach not be able to have an effective bullpen, with 20+ relievers over 2 years?

I can't see that Kershaw, Greinke, and Ryu need much direction. And Haren is a veteran, I don't think he requires much either (relatively speaking). Beckett came back well, but he is also a vet.

How come we can't find anyone in the last two years that we can point to no matter what, and say that he will get the ball to Jansen? Even with Ned, Honeycutt has to have found SOMEONE, out of 2 dozen, that he can point to. If not, that has to be on him at some point.

Fair points, but Ryu, Greinke, Kershaw etc all need input throughout the year, pitching mechanics can be like a golf swing. But I hear you, they are certainly less maintenance than most. I'd be curious to see what many of the names have done post LA/Honeycutt....

 

[lasportzphan]

You don't bench Puig here unless he sleeps with someone's wife. He turns singles into doubles and doubles into triples.

The Cardinals appear to be in LAs head. Probably something that has gone on since '85. Put team is a mess and I fear the death blow is there for the taking with you guys. Who knows, maybe Kershaw and the bats can muster something. Otherwise, I agree with you, an athlete like Puig should always be in the lineup for the biggest game of the year.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

1 2 3 those were some pathetic at bats.

 

[White Rat]

This is going to be a great game. I see 2 to 1 finish, not sure who comes out on top though. Both pitchers are going to be tough to get hot against.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

You don't bench Puig here unless he sleeps with someone's wife. He turns singles into doubles and doubles into triples.

Puig would have been nice to have in the lineup so far.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Another blunder by Mattingly not reviewing that pick off when Gonzalez asked for it.

 

[BPNAZ]

lolol

1988 and out...

 

[lasportzphan]

Soul crushing. And the organization remains a complete mess.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

Fuck this shit.

 

[lasportzphan]

How many late inning meltdowns in the playoffs can a team manage? Philly all over.

Well, this team was not built for the playoffs, but still sucks.