Game 142 Thread: September 6 @ Orioles, 4p

Yamamoto vs. Rogers.

A couple of days ago, I sacked up and dropped $30 for a month of SNLA+ so I could actually watch this Dodgers team that I love. (I was watching them through another (legal, mind you) streaming service earlier this year, but now needed to get SNLA+, so I dropped the coin. I figured, $30 for roughly 30 games--basically, $1/game investment.

After last night's Tanner Scott debacle, the latest in a long string of soul-crushing disappointments from our high-priced offseason addition, I feel totally ripped off. Sure, the bullpen was otherwise pretty good, with Shohei Ohtani and team covering for Tyler Glasnow's ouchie. And the Dodgers' offense was shitty again, leaving 8 on base and going 0-for-5 with RISP.

But Tanner Scott is a steaming pile of shit this year.

As is Michael Conforto.

For the love of god, stop playing these two black holes. There's only 21 more games. There's no more time to fuck around.

I could have used that $30 elsewhere.

Post-Game 138 Thread: Teoscar Hernandez Is Killing Us (and Michael Conforto Is Worse)

PIRATES 9, DODGERS 7

Two runs was the difference in this game, so it's fitting that we call out Teoscar Hernandez for letting this two-run double by Tommy Pham ruin the Dodgers' hopes at victory Tuesday (not to mention, probably rattle Clayton Kershaw, who settled back into a groove after that four-run first inning). Watching Hernandez in right field has been awful all season, but on this one he looked like an old man, getting to the ball late with a weak slide and then letting the ball roll past him into the corner, allowing two Pirates to score.

Teoscar Hernandez' Fielding Run Value, according to Baseball Savant, is -9 RPG (3rd percentile). That isn't far off from where he was in 2024, but it's a far cry from his above-average performance in 2023. At this stage of the season, though, we just can't afford to have this defensive liability bumbling around in right.

The misadventures in right field remind me a lot of watching the right-field escapades of Juan Soto, to whom the Mets are tethered for the next 15 years. Soto is also an awful fielder (as we saw plainly in the 2024 World Series). However, Soto has a 161 OPS+, driving his WAR to 5.5. Hernandez has a 102 OPS+, which is right at league average, and his WAR is 0.9. In 2025, Hernandez is only batting .247 (he batted .272 last year, and had a 135 OPS+).

Update: Jack Harris in the LAT says Hernandez' WAR is even worse since the end of June (-0.5, worse than all other Dodger players), which is terrifying.

All the sunflower seed showers in the world, as well as Hernandez' radiant smile and value-additive cheerleading, aren't going to make his play in right field any prettier.

The logical solution would be to move Teoscar back to left field, where he might have a chance at throwing runners out at third. We could either move Andy Pages over to right once Tommy Edman returns; or finally succumb to bringing back Mookie Betts to right field and slot Hyeseong Kim and the resurgent Miguel Rojas in the infield.

That of course leaves no place for Michael Conforto, whose own year-long experiment has been another unmitigated disaster. Conforto has a -0.6 WAR this season and a 75 OPS+, and yet we keep trotting him out there in the hopes that something might change? It's ridiculous.

Conforto was 0-for-3 in yesterday's loss. You can't spell C0nf0rt0 without three 0s.

We've got to stop both these players and move them from their current roles, before they doom our postseason chances.

Game 129 Thread: August 22 @ Padres, 6.40p

We can boo Machado, but he's so good, it's a matter of time before he goes off.

Blake Snell (3-1, 1.80) vs. Yu Darvish (2-3, 5.97).

Sounds familiar: home team comes into a three-game series one game behind in the standings, with a visiting rival squad that has something to prove. And though this worked out well for the Dodgers last weekend, the Dodgers' pathetic series split in Denver against the Rockies demonstrates that we are far from firing on all cylinders (not to mention, Teoscar Hernandez' defense in right field sometimes looks like he's up on cinder blocks in the driveway).

And don't get me started on why the hell Michael Conforto keeps playing (he is 0-for-his-last-13 and sports a .186 batting average and .612 OPS this year, with 63 hits on the year and 93 Ks). We keep trotting out lineups like this, and we're expecting to lose.

Post-Game 58 Thread: Dodgers Rout Yankees And It Was Really Fun

DODGERS 18, YANKEES 2

I didn't get a chance to see SoSG Dusty at this game, which was pretty much the only disappointing part of what was otherwise an outstanding afternoon at the Stadium. My anxiety level was high, knowing Landon Knack was on the mound for the Dodgers, and my nerves were already fried having had awful traffic luck getting to Chavez Ravine (the crossing guards really need to let cars flow too, and not just pedestrians; or install some damn bridges for god's sake, Frank McCourt!).

Knack worked out of a leadoff walk to Trent Grisham in the first by getting Aaron Judge to ground into a double play, and then Cody Bellinger flied out to end the top of the first.

And then, it was on.

Four singles in the first five batters, including a solid RBI single from Max Muncy, put the Dodgers up 2-0. A sacrifice fly from Michael Conforto stretched the lead to three, and a hot shot off the bat of Tommy Edman tied up Yankees third baseman Jorbit Vivas and scored Muncy, for a 4-0 lead.

One inning later, the Dodgers had Will Warren on the ropes, knocking him out of the game on a three-run HR by Muncy. But it dind't stop there: a two-out walk to Conforto, a RBI double by Edman, and then a surprising two-run HR from Hyeseong Kim stretched the lead to 10-0 thorugh two frames. The Dodgers batted around in both of the first two innings, posting two very crooked numbers. And it kept getting silly.

Aaron Judge did have two solo HR this game, which was great for the reigning AL MVP. Max Muncy, on the other hand, had two three-run HRs this game, as well as an RBI single, to total 7 RBI on the day. Muncy went 3-for-6 and raised his batting average to .220. His .723 OPS at the completion of this game may have gotten him all the way back to replacement level (he had an OPS+ of 94 entering tonight's game), and if Muncy can break out of his year-long slump at last, that would be incredible for the bottom of our lineup.

Pages, another bat who has gotten really hot in the last 2-3 weeks, notched a HR of his own in the seventh to extend the lead to 15-1, and, following Judge's second HR, rookie Dalton Rushing came out in the eighth inning and hit his first major-league HR to make it 18-2 (a three-run shot off of Yankees position player Pablo Reyes).

Knack ended up earning the win with a 6.0 IP, 5 H performance (3 BB, 6 Ks). Anthony Banda had an impressive 2 K seventh inning; Chris Stratton gave up only one run in the eighth; and position player Kike Hernandez pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Dodgers. Knack's great starting effort, one night after Tony Gonsolin went six innings on his own, helped rest that Dodgers bullpen that has worked more than any other pen in baseball this year.

The Dodgers also had some sweet defensive play from Hyeseong Kim, in the third inning with an unassisted double play that douvbled Austin Wells off second with Kim diving to tag the second-base bag before Wells got back, and then an amazing strike from centerfield (where Kim had shifted to start the sixth inning), nailing Judge at second when Judge tried to stretch a leadoff single to a double (and instead, was nailed with a perfect throw and tag by Edman). No issues with Judge trying to make something happen there for the Yankees, but credit to the Dodgers for shutting that effort down quickly.

So that's the second straight game the Dodgers have taken from the Yankees on national television, with tomorrow's game also nationally televised (this time, on ESPN). It was a wonderful time for me, sipping that huge can of Michelob Ultra, and enjoying the fireworks on the field.

Let's go, Dodgers!

Post-Game 39 Thread: Ohtani Bat Flips with Three-Run HR in Ninth

DODGERS 14, DIAMONDBACKS 11

I mean, look at that bat flip. That's all I have to say about that amazing comeback victory.

Oh, and maybe the fact that Michael Conforto wasn't in yesterday's starting lineup (he did score a run in the ninth, reaching through a HBP. But he lined out PH for Chris Taylor in the eighth as well, dropping his BA to .134). Hmmmmmmmmm....

Here's another great view, from the field perspective:

Game 39 Thread: May 9 @ Diamondbacks, 6.40p

Michael Conforto, concrete block anchor.

Roki Sasaki (1-1, 3.86) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 5.92)

The Dodgers are only 4-3 on this road trip, with three games left to play against the Diamondbacks. We had a shot at a rally last night in the eighth inning, down 5-2 and poised for more, until Michael Conforto grounded into a double play with men at the corners and one out.

I konw that Conforto doesn't feel any better about this than I do, but going 0-for-3 with that key GIDP, he is now batting .135 with a .503 OPS (47 OPS+, which means he's 53% worse than an average player). We have to stop the madness of trotting Conforto out in this lineup. We can't carry Conforto and then also hope to have Max Muncy, James Outman, and possibly Kike Hernandez surrounding him with further sub-mediocrity.

photo: Brandon Sloter / Getty Images

Game 37 Thread: May 7 @ Marlins, 1.40p

TBD Landon Knack (1-0. 7.27) vs. Valente Bellozo (0-2, 4.97)

The Marlins might be a bunch of clown(fish), but I suppose it was inevitable that they win at least one game this series. Hopefully that's all they get. But with Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman both on the IL, can we count on Max Muncy (0-for-2 yesterday, .176 BA on the year) or Michael Conforto (0-for-3 yesterday, .142 BA on the year) to pick up the slack?

I'm not taking that bait.

Post-Game 8 Thread: Ohtani Walks It Off On First 2025 Bobblehead Night

SoSG AC got there early for the bobblehead, and stayed late for the walk-off HR.

DODGERS 6, BRAVES 5

Jack Harris of the LAT had a great recap of last night's game at the Stadium, where a Shohei Ohtani walk-off HR in the ninth allowed the Dodgers to win the game 6-5, open up the year with an unprecedented 8-0 record, and sweep the Braves (who are now 0-7 on the year, notable because no team has ever started 0-7 and made the playoffs).

But what was funny was, as bad as the Dodgers were playing early, those of us who had been watching this year knew what was coming. Sure, Max Muncy made two throwing errors and three feeble at bats to start the game (Muncy did hit a two-run double in the eighth to tie the game at 5, but before we all get excited, let's remember that Muncy's hit lifted his pathetic 2025 average to .120 and his his OPS to .414 (which translates to an OPS+ of 21, 79% worse than the major league average)).

Andy Pages' dropped ball in center was also coupled with a feeble batting line (0-for-3 wwith 2 Ks, sitting on a .120 BA). And big contract Blake Snell, who only lasted five innings last start, was even worse this outing, with a 4.0 IP, 2 K night that does not portend well for the remaining 4.9 years of this contract.

But when the Dodgers are down 5-0, great things seem to happen. Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto homered for the first three runs of the comeback; Muncy got two runs across the plate in his last AB; and then Shohei hits the first pitch for a game-winning HR in the bottom of the ninth. Aaron Judge didn't even need to drop a ball in this contest; the Dodgers were capable of winning this game anyway.

Said Dave Roberts in the aforementioned LAT piece, "We had no business winning that game. But to our guys’ credit, we just kept fighting.” In eight games, we've had six comeback victories. Imagine how this team might be if we actually put all the pieces together and / or had a complete lineup (our outfield bats are still questionable outside Teoscar Hernandez, and Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup for the third straight game).

Off to our road trip!

Boston Adds FA Cheater ($120M) and Mets Drop $765M on Soto, Forcing Dodgers to Scramble to Compete

Cheaters love short left-field porches.

With Alex Bregman getting picked up by the Red Sox yesterday ($120M, three years), off the backs of a wild off-season in which the Mets snagged Juan Soto for $765M and 15 years, it is clear that baseball players are getting rich contract, especially from the subset of teams that decide to spend money. Roster Resource now has 11 of the 30 MLB teams with a 2025 payroll projection of at least $200: Dodgers ($389M), Mets ($331M), Phillies ($288M), Yankees ($285M), Blue Jays ($250M), Rangers ($222M), Cheaters ($218M), Braves ($212M), Red Sox ($210M), Padres ($207M), and Angels ($202M).

So let's break down some of the bigger moves this offseason:

• Mets: Soto ($765M/15), Pete Alonso ($54M/2), Sean Manaea ($75M/3), Clay Holmes ($38M/3), Frankie Montas ($34M/2)
• Yankees: Max Fried ($218M/8), Cody Bellinger (trade), Devin Williams (trade), Paul Goldschmidt ($12.5M/1)
• Red Sox: Bregman ($120M/3), Walker Buehler ($21M/1), Patrick Sandoval ($18M/2), Garrett Crochet (trade), Aroldis Chapman (10.7M/1)
• Padres: Nick Pivetta ($55M/4)
• Diamondbacks: Corbin Burnes ($210M/6)
• Giants: Willy Adames ($182M/7), Justin Verlander ($15M/1)
• Braves: Jurickson Profar ($42M/3)
• Phillies: Max Kepler ($10M/1)
• Orioles: Charlie Morton ($15M/1), Tyler O'Neill ($49.5M/3)
• Angels: Kenley Jansen ($10M/1), Yusei Kikuchi ($63M/3), Travis d'Arnaud ($12M/2), Kyle Hendricks ($2.5M/1)
• Tigers: Jack Flaherty ($35M/2), Gleyber Torres ($15M/1)
• Rangers: Joc Pederson ($37M/2), Nathan Eovaldi ($75M/3)
• Blue Jays: Anthony Santander ($92.5M/5), Max Scherzer ($15.5M/1)
• Cheaters: Christian Walker ($60M/3)

So the Dodgers could have sat on the laurels of their 2024 World Series Championship crown, sure. Instead, though, they did some deals of their own:

• Clayton Kershaw ($7.5M/1)
• Kiké Hernandez ($6M/1 TBC)
• Blake Treinen ($22M/2)
• Kirby Yates ($13M/1)
• Tanner Scott ($72M/4)
• Roki Sasaki ($6.5M/6)
• Hyeseong Kim ($12.5M/3)
• Teoscar Hernandez ($66M/3)
• Michael Conforto ($17M/1)
• Tommy Edman ($74M/5)
• Blake Snell ($182M/5)

In isolation, none of those Dodger deals looks out of whack with market norms. There are no $40M AAV deals on the table like Boston gave to Bregman; there are no long-term deals like the Mets gave to Soto or the Yankees gave to Fried or the Snakes gave to Burnes (in fact, the longest-term Dodger deal, to Roki Sasaki, is an absolute bargain due to international signing rules).

And in aggregate, the team added some players, sure. But we also lost Buehler, Flaherty, Gavin Lux, Daniel Hudson, and Joe Kelly, not to mention others who are recovering from season-ending injuries and won't play for all or most of next year.

As pointed out on The Windup (Athletic podcast), with the Dodgers' consistent divisional dominance, they never get access to the generational draft picks (like Paul Skenes or Bryce Harper), forcing them to have to go to the open market as well as make higher-risk, lower-in-order draft decisions.

I'm ecstatic for the Tommy Edman signing (to get a utility player with a potent bat!), albeit less so for the Dodgers getting a full year of sub-100 OPS+ Kiké Hernandez (not sure why we couldn't just pick him up in July in order to leverage his annual October performance uptick). Oh yeah, and we still have Chris Taylor for another year...(cries).

The Dodgers won the World Series last year. That said, we also came very close to getting dispatched in the 2024 NLDS to San Diego, which would have added more fuel to the ridiculous narrative that the Dodgers choke in the playoffs--but sure, it almost happened again.

But you can't have that (debunked) narrative on the one hand, and then turn around and begrudge the Dodgers for fortifying their own arsenal with reinforcements--especially after last year's experience, when we were down to 2.5 starters in the playoffs and ran bullpen games as a matter of course. (Of note: 1.5 of those 2.5 playoff starters, comprised of Flaherty and Buehler, has left the Dodgers this off-season, leaving only Yoshinobu Yamamoto.)

Blame the Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox for ruining baseball. It's not the Dodgers. They're just trying to keep in the game.