2024 World Series Hero Walker Buehler Released By Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox just released Walker Buehler, whom they gave a one-year, $21M deal this off-season, after a horrible 2025 in which he went 7-7 over 22 starts, sporting a 5.45 ERA.

How far Buehler has fallen, so quickly. I would not have expected that outcome this year, and I actually feel bad for the guy.

It should be noted that Dustin May, whom we traded to the Red Sox at the deadline, is 1-3 in four starts with a 4.50 ERA with Boston (his Boston ERA is a bit better than his 4.85 ERA with us). Yikes.

Fenway Park appears to be where Dodger starters go to die.

Let's get Buehler for the bullpen!

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.

2024 World Series Game 3 Post-Game Thread: Buehler, Freeman, Betts Come Through Again

DODGERS 4, YANKEES 2

The Dodgers just throttled the hell out of the Yankees in the 2024 World Series Game 3, a game which would have bifurcating narratives depending on the outcome. Lose, and the Dodgers see a steamroller of a Yankees team with two more home games and the potential revitalization of a somnambulent offense. Win, and the Dodgers are fully in control of a World Series, up 3-0 in a best-of-seven.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, it was the latter outcome tonight in the Bronx. But what's more, the Dodgers' offense was not necessarily overpowering--fewer than the 6+ run outbursts we've seen from other crooked scores this postseason--but it still sucked the life out of the Yankees and Yankees fans, and the silence was palpable.

Credit Shohei Ohtani for his leadoff four-pitch walk, and Freddie Freeman, for yet his third home run of the series, one each for the first three 2024 World Series games, to silence the crowd with a big swing of his bat. Watching this highlight, you can hear the neanderthal Yankees fans cheering "F' you, Freddie!" before he silences them with this shot:

Also, credit Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman for manufacturing another run in the top of the third inning; and then Kiké Hernandez for poking another RBI to center, scoring Gavin Lux.

And credit Teoscar Hernandez for nailing Giancarlo Stanton at home in the bottom of the fourth inning, ending the inning and spoiling Stanton's one-out double and keeping the Yankees off the board.

But those heroics aside, the most telling moment of tonight's game occurred well after Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler left the mound (5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 Ks). When Alex Verdugo hit a two-run HR in the bottom of the ninth on Michael Kopech, all the body language from Verdugo and the whole Yankees team wasn't about rallying for a comeback. Even by halving the deficit, they looked like a beaten team.

And that play was the dagger. If the Yankees, as a team, don't even feel good about closing the gap to have the tying run on deck--well yes, this series might be over.

I was shocked to see this behavior, but honestly I was even a little shocked that we took the game in the first place. The Dodgers are absolutely rolling--and we haven't even yet had one of the breakout offensive games that we've seen throughout this 2024 postseason. Maybe that outburst i still coming. I'd sure like to think so.

2024 World Series Game 3 Thread

The World Series shifts to the Bronx for Game 3.

Walker Buehler vs. Clarke Schmidt, 5p.

After two thrilling victories in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers see the series shift to Yankee Stadium, where the Dodgers took two of three back in June. Much has changed since then, though, including the most recent news that Dodgers leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani, who suffered a partial shoulder dislocation in Game 2, is slated to play Game 3 but might not be at full strength.

The Dodgers are already trying to muscle through injuries up and down the lineup, including our whole starting rotation, a hobbled Freddie Freeman, and a recuperating Miguel Rojas. Adding Ohtani to this mix of walking wounded is pretty devastating. On top of that, some Yankees fans were cheering Ohtani's injury, which is just distasteful and horrible.

The Dodgers enter this Game 3 as the underdog, starting Walker Buehler. Buehler has pitched in two World Series Game 3s so far: in 2018 against the Red Sox, where he went 7.0 IP of two-hit ball (0 ER) and got a ND (that was the Max Muncy 18th inning walkoff); and in 2020, where he went 6.0 IP of three-hit ball (1 ER) and earned the win over the Rays. Buehler, injured for most of this season, has spent this year still trying to find himself, including some really dreadful outings along the way. I suppose that's part of the reason why we're the underdog tonight.

Not to mention, when the Yankees had the Dodgers down two games to none in the 1981 World Series, the Dodgers responded by winning the next four games, including all three at home. And when the Dodgers last had the Yankees down 0-2 in the 1978 World Series, the Yankees took the next four games, again including all three at home.

In fact, in 1978, the Dodgers also started the World Series struck by a tragic loss, when Jim Gilliam paased away from a brain hemorrhage two games before the start of the World Series. And now we just lost Fernando Valenzuela. The parallel is eerie.

Gulp.

I'll be watching this one and commenting throughout the game. Hope to see you all in the GT!

Let's go, Dodgers!

2024 NLCS Game 3 Thread

Even the mayor of New York City is conflicted.

Walker Buehler vs. Luis Severino, 5p.

Some fans aren't happy with the Dodgers' decision to go with a bullpen game in NLCS Game 2, as the team now plays three games in enemy territory at Citi Field. To be fair to the Dodgers and Dave Roberts, it wasn't necessarily the bullpen game in Game 2 that doomed us, it was a bad second inning by Landon Knack--after which time, the Dodgers outscored the Mets 3-1.

But it's a 1-1 series tie nonetheless, so the next step forward rests with Walker Buehler, 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA in the postseason this year (having lasted 5.0 IP in NLDS Game 3 against San Diego, yielding 6 ER including a HR in a nightmare second inning--what is it about the second innings here?!). Can Buehler get crafty, given he's no longer the overpowering pitcher of his youth?

And though the Dodgers were largely powerless against Sean Manaea in Game 2, Luis Severino has yielded 3 ER in each of his post-season starts this year (1-0 record, with 1-1 game outcomes), lasting six innings each time. If the Dodgers are going to have a chance in Game 3, they're going to need to sever Severino early. That means you, Shohei Ohtani!

Let's go!

2024 NLDS Game 3 Thread

Walker Buehler (1-6, 5.38) vs. Michael King (13-9, 2.95), 6p.

Time, as it is said, heals all wounds.

I write this post 24 hours after I was at Dodger Stadium to witness probably the worst playoff loss, if not the worst-ever loss, suffered by the Dodgers...and I have to say, the pain has subsided a bit.

Some of this is a situational comparison, made possible by watching the two ALDS games play out on Monday. As of Tuesday morning, all four 2024 Division Series are tied. Which means all four series go to best-of-three series, held in the lesser seeds' parks: in San Diego, New York, Detroit, and Kansas City.

So for all the Dodgers' many foibles in Game 2: their unlucky GIDPs, their just-short home run balls, a spate of mediocre at bats from key players, their inappropriate fans chucking shit on the field like idiots--we are in exactly the same boat as the Yankees, the Phillies, and the Guardians.

In fact, of the 16 Division Series starters so far, only five of them have gone more than five innings, and that includes Dodgers Game 2 starter Jack Flaherty (5.1 IP), who unfortunately faced off against Yu Darvish, who tied the Dodgers up in knots for seven innings, escaping the few jams into which he got. So every team is highly reliant upon its bullpen.

That's baseball in 2024.

And to be fair to Dave Roberts: his use of the bullpen in Game 1 was a master class (SoSG Orel and I talked about this in Game 2, since there was nothing on the field worth discussing), with brilliant moves like bringing Michael Kopech in for the eighth inning--and then pulling Kopech early, causing Blake Treinen to have to get five outs to win the game (which he did). Treinen capped six innings of scoreless relief for the Dodgers in Game 1.

Conversely, the bullpen let the game get out of hand late in Sunday's game (six runs in the last two frames), but we were cooked by then anyway, with Freddie Freeman already on the bench. This Game 2 loss wasn't on Doc.

One could make the argument that the Dodgers are in a relatively worse state than their top-seeded peers, and it's a fair opinion. We're throwing Walker Buehler, who has had more trouble finding a strike zone than most men finding a g-spot. Mookie Betts was close to a first-inning HR on Monday, but he is still on a 0-for-26 playoff streak and has only 3 XBH since our World Series Championship in 2020 (78 AB, 92 PA). Freddie Freeman's ankle is hanging on with duct tape and popsicle sticks.

Not to mention, we're going to face a hostile Petco Park environment, against the Padres' best arm. It doesn't look good for the Dodgers in Game 3.

Let's see if we can punch back.

Games 157-159 Thread: Sept 24-26 vs. Padres

Tue 9.24: Knack vs. King
Wed 9.25: Flaherty vs. Cease
Thu 9.26: Buehler vs. Musgrove

The Dodgers have a three-game lead on the Padres for the NL West division lead, and we play three games at home vs. the Padres in this, the second-to-last series of the season. We throw our three of our four most probable starting pitchers for the postseason (given the options available at this point) against the Padres' three best starters.

What could possibly go wrong?

Games 154-156 Thread: Sept 20-22 vs. Rockies

Fri 9.20 7p: TBD vs. Freeland
Sat 9.21 6p: Buehler vs. Quantrill
Sun 9.22 1p: Yamamoto vs. Senzatela

Following a majestic end to the roadtrip that saw Shohei Ohtani reach 50/50 for the first time in major league history...this series against the Rockies is bound to be a let-down.

The Dodgers have clinched a playoff berth and have a four-game lead on San Diego in the division. The Dodgers are also three games up on the Brewers for one of the first two spots in the NL Playoffs (guaranteeing a bye in the first round).

Let's just have fun out there at the Stadium this weekend!

Games 147-150 Thread: Sept 13-16 @ Braves

Fri 9.13 4.20p: Knack vs. Schwellenbach
Sat 9.14 4.20p: Flaherty vs. Sale
Sun 9.15 4.10p: Buehler vs. Morton
Mon 9.16 4.20p: Yamamoto vs. Fried

This is it, the last playoff tune-up series for the remainder of the 2024 season: four games, on the road, against perennial National League powerhouse (and historic Dodgers rival), the Atlanta Braves. This year, Atlanta is getting a lot of talk about the loss of starter Spencer Strider as well as position player (and reigning NL MVP) Ronald Acuna Jr, and how the Braves are now one game back of the Mets for the last Wild Card spot.

I don't understand why Atlanta gets the sympathy while the Dodgers have been MUCH more beset by injuries. The 2024 Dodgers have spent 1,992 days on the IL (as of today), which dwarfs every other MLB team by at least 150 days, and that includes the Braves (1,575 IL days). So spare me the sob stories, Atlanta. As well as that inappropriate tomahawk chop.

Games 144-146 Thread: Sept 9-11 vs. Cubs

9.9: Walker Buehler vs. Kyle Hendricks
9.10: TBD vs. Shota Imanaga
9.11: TBD vs. Jordan Wicks
all games 7p first pitch

Former Dodger Cody Bellinger returns to Dodger Stadium again, as a revived hitter; he's batting .263 with a .744 OPS (108 OPS+), and would be better than his +1.5 bWAR if not for his injuries this year. Still, some believe Matt Chapman, who recently extended his deal with the Giants, would have been a better fit at Wrigley Field. Chapman has a far superior WAR this season (+6.5), but the Giants aren't vying for a 2024 postseason spot, either.

It's going to be hot as Hades Monday at the Stadium, but I'll be there to cheer on the Dodgers. This is a big start for Walker Buehler tonight, given how our starting rotation is in shambles (save Jack Flaherty, who dominated the Guardians Sunday in a 4-0 victory). Crossing fingers for Buehler!

photo: Michael Layton / Getty Images

Games 139-140 Thread: Sept 3-4 @ Angels

I don't recall this bobblehead driving fans to get in line 10 hours before first pitch. Life was simpler back then.

Tues 9.3: Buehler vs. Detmers
Wed 9.4: Miller vs. Canning
Both games 6.38p first pitch

On August 1, the Dodgers were still playing lackadaisically and had a 4.5-game lead on the Padres and 5.0-game lead on the Diamondbacks--and it was well established that our opponents in the NL West were carrying all the momentum (the Dodgers had a 9.0-game lead on June 20, so it made sense).

But after taking three of four against the Diamondbacks this Labor Day Weekend, the Dodgers are now 5.0 games up on the Padres and 6.0 games up on the Diamondbacks. And our rotation may still be swiss cheese, but at least a healthy offensive lineup is showing more signs of life.

And we have a little respite here against the last-place Angels (who are amazingly 2.5 games behind fourth-place Oakland), before hosting the Guardians and Cubs in a six-game homestand. Let's see if Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller can improve their bids for a postseason roster slot.

UPDATE 9.3 2p: I just heard on the Roggin and Rodney show that the Angels are not planning to do anything for Shohei Ohtani's return to Angel Stadium, for the first time since he left the team after last season. If that's true, that would be incredibly spiteful of Arte Moreno and the organization.

UPDATE 9.4 3p: Apparently, there was a 42-second tribute on the video screen (which seems really paltry, but whatever, Anaheim). And then they did this:

That about sums it up

(via meredith_lynn/IG) pic.twitter.com/3ho7jYIA8T

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 4, 2024

Games 132-134 Thread: Aug 27-29 vs. Orioles

For some history on the goofy Oriole bird's ebbs and flows, check out this great piece by Todd Radom.

Tue 8.27: Flaherty vs. Irvin
Wed 8.28: Buehler vs. Burnes
Thu 8.29: TBD Miller vs. Povich
All games 7p first pitch

This should be another playoff-caliber series!

The Baltimore Orioles, a worthy opponent, were leading the AL East until recently, when injuries to their starting rotation put them on a mediocre skid (sound familiar?). They're now 1.5 games back of the division-leading Yankees, but in ownership of the first Wild Card spot by three games. And with the O's hurling staff ace Corbin Burnes (12-6, 3.28) on Saturday, against our Walker Buehler who is valiantly (but, to date, unsuccessfully) trying to figure out if he can return to form (1-4, 6.09 ERA; not good)--we will be hard-pressed to get a series victory here.

But it all starts with Jack Flaherty, Tuesday's starter, who is 3-0 with a 3.22 ERA in four starts since joining his hometown Dodgers at the trade deadline.

Thursday's starter is TBD (and I'm planning on going to this game, with SoSG Orel!), right before we head into the lions' den in Arizona for four games over Labor Day Weekend.

Games 126-128 Thread: Aug 19-21 vs. Mariners

That does not look like Jason Momoa. But speaking of superheroes...what about Superman in 2020? He's on the Mariners now!

Mon 8.19: Stone vs. Woo
Tue 8.20: Buehler vs. Miller
Wed 8.21: Flaherty vs. Gilbert
All games 7p

The 2024 Mariners are known not only for their tridents (as well as their lack of tooth decay); they're also known for their solid pitching. But it's their lack of bats which have caused them to lose their grip on first place in the AL West in the last month (to the Cheaters, no less; the Mariners are now four games behind). But back to the arms: they are starting three solid pitchers against us this series (Miller has a 3.29 ERA; the other two starters are sub-3.00).

Meanwhile--and not that we're checking the out-of-town scoreboard all the time, right?--the Diamondbacks are on the road at Miami (early games), and the Padres are hosting the Twins.

Games 68-70 Thread: June 11-13 vs. Rangers

Dan Hurley, also not in the running to be new Dodgers manager

Tue 6.11 Paxton vs. TBD Dunning
Wed 6.12 Buehler vs. TBD
Thu 6.13 Yamamoto vs. TBD
All games 7p

Winning two out of three over the YankMes on the road should be cause for celebration, I suppose. But let's remember that we didn't see Juan Soto in their lineup, nor did we see Gerrit Cole in their rotation. So I'm not going to get too excited here.

I might get excited if we can dispatch the defending World Champion Rangers, even if they're 5.5 games behind the AL West-leading Mariners (Dodgers still have a 7.5-game lead over the .500 Padres), and they're a sub-.500 team this year.

I'm going to the game Wednesday night, probably to see another shaky start from Walker Buehler, who is clearly still finding his form. Hey, at least we've named our three pitchers for this series by now.

UPDATE 6/12 11p: Yamamoto's start pushed back a couple of days.

photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Games 62-64 Thread: June 4-6 @ Pirates

Tues 6.4: Glasnow vs. Jones
Wed 6.5: Paxton vs. Skenes
Thu 6.6: Buehler vs. Falter
All games 3.40p

Paul Skenes is the hottest young prospect in baseball today, with a wicked 100 mph fastball that has the young Pirates pitcher referenced to Stephen Strasburg. And Skenes, from Fullerton CA, is worthy of the hype: after a late call-up likely due to service time manipulation, Skenes has gone 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and has 30Ks in 22 innings.

And seriously, when you watch these highlights of Skenes shutting down the Cubs at Wrigley Field with some wicked movement, it's pretty impressive (from May 17, 2024):

It's too bad we won't have Max Muncy in the lineup, as Muncy is one of the few guys in the Dodgers' lineup who hunts fastballs. We'll see if the rest of the guys can keep up, but I'm guessing the bottom of our order goes pretty quickly.

Skenes is also known for being boyfriend to LSU gymnast (and NCAA champion) Olivia Dunne, who has a large social media following on multiple platforms. I'm sure this Wednesday game against the Dodgers will get the requisite amount of hype. We'll see how James Paxton (still undefeated at 5-0, with a 3.29 ERA) holds up under the pressure.

Oh yeah, and there are two other games bookending the Skenes showdown.

photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo / Getty Images

Games 59-61 Thread: May 31-June 2 vs. Rockies

Fri 5.31 7p: Buehler vs. Hudson
Sat 6.1 7p: Yamamoto vs. Quantrill
Sun 6.2 1p: Stone vs. Gomber

Before we start celebrating prematurely over the sweep of the Mets on the road, let's remind ourselves that the Mets aren't very good, notably their bullpen, with one of the culprits designated for assignment after his glove-throwing, ejection-catalyzed meltdown. But Francisco Lindor is batting .211 with a .651 OPS in the leadoff spot; Pete Alonso is batting .231 with a .761 OPS; and Starling Marte looks like he can't cover the ground in right field anymore.

The Dodgers rolled to victory Wednesday and won each game of Tuesday's doubleheader by three runs (the first win coming in extra innings). But again, this is the Mets, who are now 22-33, 16 games out of first place in their division. Everyone take a breath.

Will Smith, taking a breath on Wednesday (when he hit two HR)

And remember, we were just swept in Cincinnati prior to the Mets series--and this was to a last-place NL Central team.

This series, again, won't be much of a test; the Rockies are 20-35 and 14.5 games behind the Dodgers, sitting in last place in the NL West. I'm not going to this shortened homestand. We should be in good shape, right?

Games 53-55 Thread: May 24-26 @ Reds

Welcome to Cincinnati! We will give you nightmares for weeks!

Fri 24 4.10p: Paxton (5-0, 2.84) vs. Ashcraft (3-3, 4.25)
Sat 25 4.15p: Buehler (1-1, 4.05) vs. Greene (2-2. 3.22)
Sun 26 10.40a: Yamamoto (5-1, 3.17) vs. Abbott (3-4, 2.68)

The Dodgers finished up their 13-consecutive-games stretch with a couple of meek showings vs. the Diamondbacks at home, putting a downer on a trip that had some momentum after taking three of four games from the Reds to start the homestand. But now they've got three days off in between three series (six on the road, starting tonight in Cincy; then three at home with the Rockies), so hopefully we can get back to form.

A third of the way through this season, we are 33-19 and have a 6.5 game lead over the Padres and the third best run differential in the majors (only to the Phillies, who have beaten up on sub-.500 teams for 45 of their 51 games; and the Yankees). And in the top echelon of teams that has seemed to emerge early--alongside the Phillies, Braves, Yankees, and Orioles--the Dodgers' divisional position should give us the option to continue working out kinks in the lineup (like who can hit in bottom of our batting order; or why Tyler Glasnow can be dominant some nights and lay some serious turds on others).

There's no better pace to try out some things than Cincinnati, where injuries have ravaged a team that had high expectations earlier in the year. So yeah, let's trot Chris Taylor out there for a game this weekend. Why the hell not?

I'm not stressing out by the fact we've gone 7-6 in our last 13, we have a 2-game losing streak, or the fact that we can't beat interdivisonal rivals in a series. Really, I'm not.

Sure.

Games 46-49 Thread: May 16-19 vs. Reds

I'm getting this bad boy tonight! And apparently, there's a randomly assorted grey uniform variant (~4.25%)

Thu May 16 7p: Tyler Glasnow (6-1, 2.53) vs. Brent Suter (0-0, 3.86)
Fri May 17 7p: James Paxton (5-0, 2.58) vs. Frankie Montas (2-3, 4.20)
Sat May 18 6p: Walker Buehler (0-1, 7.36) vs. Graham Ashcraft (3-2, 4.12)
Sun May 19 1p: TBD Landon Knack (1-1, 2.81) vs. Hunter Greene (2-2, 3.27)

Things were rolling against the Giants earlier this week with two good wins, however the series unfortunately culminated in our meek 4-1 loss last night, with plenty of wasted opportunities throughout. Blame the bottom five in the lineup again: Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Andy Pages, and James (Automatic) Outman, who went a combined 0-for-18 with 7 Ks, to thoroughly squash any potential rally we tried to muster.

The healthy division lead gives us time to figure out who else outside the Big Four is going to hit. I had high hopes for Muncy and Lux, both of whom have picked up their defensive play, but Muncy has fallen back to a .223 BA / .798 OPS (still an OPS+ of 125, shockingly) and Lux a .194 BA / .525 OPS (OPS+ 50). And then there's Automatic Outman, batting .151 with an OPS of .530 (OPS+ 51).

I'm excited to go to the Stadium tonight and pick up the Shohei Ohtani bobblehead. And I've got an outside shot at going to the Sunday game, featuring Notre Dame Sherman Oaks High School's Hunter Greene.

Games 40-42 Thread: May 10-12 @ Padres

Remember this?

Fri 5.10 6.40p: Tyler Glasnow (6-1, 2.70) vs. Michael King (3-3, 4.29)
Sat 5.11 5.40p: James Paxton (4-0, 3.06) vs. Matt Waldron (1-4, 5.82)
Sun 5.12 1p: Walker Buehler (0-0. 6.75) vs Yu Darvish (2-1, 2.94)

2022 was not a good postseason for the Dodgers (losing the NLDS to San Diego)--and 2023 (getting swept in the NLDS by the Diamondbacks) wasn't any better. In both years, the Dodgers won the NL West by healthy margins (22 games and 16 games), and it didn't matter, with the team unable to even advance past its first playoff round.

So here we are, again well ahead in the NL West, but into the Friar's pan. We avoid seeing Dylan Cease (who just struck out 12 Cubs in seven innings on Wednesday), but we are still facing a guy who has already beaten us this year (King, who beat us in Korea game #2), not to mention old friend Darvish.

San Diego should be pumped to get their season in gear. The Dodgers walk in with a seven-game win streak.

What could possibly go wrong?

At-Game 37 Recap: Buehler Back; Four Home Runs; Microscopic Food Fare (May 6, 2024)

DODGERS 6, MARLINS 3

May The Sixth Be With You!

The Dodgers, looking to bring in crowds after their showdown sweep over the Braves this past weekend, shifted Star Wars Night @ Dodger Stadium to May 6, rather than the traditional May 4. Fun was still had by all, and in particular, Dodger fans who got a chance to see Walker Buehler take the mound for the first time in two years.

Here's Buehler's introduction from the public address announcer, which was pretty cool to hear:

But then came the reality: a 25-pitch first inning that yielded two runs for the Marlins. To say he wasn't sharp was an understatement--but to be fair, Buehler AND the rest of the Dodgers didn't give up a walk, all game. Not to mention, the Dodgers hit all the necessary milestones to win the crowd some free food: stolen base (ampm free hot dog and 12 oz coke), seven strikeouts (Jack in the Box free Jumbo Jack), and six runs scored (McDonald's free 6-piece Chicken McNuggets). (I think the free CPK pizza deal ended after last season.)

More on the Dodgers food situation later.

Luckily for the Dodgers, we have Shohei Ohtani, whose first-inning HR (following a Mookie Betts leadoff walk) immediately tied the score, with none out in the first. I was fortunate to get this video (yes, that's me and SoSG AC screaming):

Freddie Freeman followed with a first-inning HR of his own, so it was 3-2. The Marlins then tied it in the second on a Nick Gordon solo HR. Then in the bottom of the second, after Gavin Lux worked a walk, James Outman came to the plate. I jokingly said to SoSG AC that Outman was going to pull an Ohtani of his own and hit a two-run HR. Which, amazingly, he did. We were both cracking up that I had called that.

The Dodgers added one more with a solo poke HR from Teoscar Hernandez, who apparently has seven of his eight HR on the year at Dodger Stadium. Solid performances from Ryan Yarbrough, Blake Treinen, and Alex Vesia gave us the 6-3 victory and our fifth win in a row (we are undefeated in May 2024 so far).

The Star Wars Night theming was pretty good, including a Dejarik board for the hat shuffle, a pre-game trivia contest, and abundant crowd shots of fellow nerds in the crowd. (Anthony Keides of the Red Hots and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 were also at the game.)

The return of onions at Dodger Stadium: possibly the only fiscally positive addition to the Stadium this season

On the downside: the Dodger Stadium food fare has really sunk to new depths of both quantity (small) and pricing (large). They got rid of the chicken sandwich place that I liked from last year (the Nashville spicy chicken sandwich was great), and instead the new Japanese place has a chicken katsu sandwich which is a total ripoff. Not only is the chicken wafer-thin like a smushed McDonald's hash brown patty (breaded of course), the small piece of white "bread" for the sandwich (and I use that liberally, as it's little more than the size of a Triscuit cracker) is pathetically microscopic:

I'm already shelling out $16.50 for a beer at the Stadium. If the food is also going to be both skimpy in portion size and exorbitant in price, I'm going to bring in my own food in the future. Very disappointing from a food front! Thankfully, I've got free food to eat today all over town.

Fix the food and GO DODGERS!