Let's give Mike Bolsinger lots of credit here: there were never any expectations for him in the 2015 season. He was merely an additional arm brought in from the Diamondbacks to possibly make some spot starts.
Instead, season-ending injuries to Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy have thrust him right into the rotation, and through 10 games, he's responded very well: 4-2, 2.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 55 K's in 58 IP.
Wednesday night was his latest start, and he held the Cubs to two runs over 4 2/3 innings, just missing going the required five innings to pick up the win in the Dodgers' 5-2 victory. He literally was a Kris Bryant walk away from getting through five. But who the heck can blame him for walking that guy, right?
The obvious question is how long Bolsinger can keep up such a good pace, especially considering in nine starts last year with the D-Backs, he went 1-6 with a 5.50 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. He's a much better pitcher now, but probably not THAT much better to have a sub-3.00 ERA and a 1.3 WAR.
Andrew Friedman has made no secret of the fact that he wants to upgrade the starting pitching, and rightfully so. Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke anchor the top two spots, and even if Kershaw is having home run problems, you still feel great about rolling those two out in the first two games of any series. Brett Anderson has held up so far (3-4, 3.29, 1.33), but we all know that it's a huge IF that he can continue to make his scheduled starts without breaking down.
That brings us to the back end of the rotation, where Carlos Frias and Bolsinger have combined to make 20 starts. Frias hasn't been as good, going 4-5 with a 4.68 ERA and 1.47 WHIP, but his major problem is that he's either brilliant or completely horrible. At least some of his starts have given the Dodgers a chance to win.
In watching the ESPN broadcast on Wednesday, they made a big deal about Bolsinger's inability to get hitters out after he gets through the order once. His BAA actually skyrockets after two times through, and with that in mind, Don Mattingly had no choice but to yank him in the fifth inning at 87 pitches. That's a pretty big concern going forward.
At 40-33, the Dodgers have played 45% of their games with basically 40% of their rotation being out (McCarthy only made four starts before being shelved). Even though the offense has gone into a huge dry spell in June, when you look at this team in-depth, it's no wonder why they want to get more starting pitching in the fold. Relying on Anderson, Bolsinger, and Frias over and over isn't the most realistic way of winning a division in the long run.
With all of that said, Bolsinger still deserves a ton of credit for positing the numbers he has, despite some flaws. A regression in the future might, and probably will, happen, but that doesn't change the fact that he's stepped up big time when the Dodgers needed him to fill lots of inning. Good for him.
Showing posts with label Frias. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frias. Show all posts
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Double Play Dodgers spells doom in Texas
Carlos Frias competed his butt off for five innings.
Then the sixth inning came, and with zero runs from his offense for support, he finally ran out of wiggle room.
The Rangers put up four runs on three hits and a couple of walks, and with the Dodgers' offense doing a big pile of nothing, there was no drama in dropping one in Texas 4-1.
I can't blame Frias too much, other than the two straight walks to open the sixth were obviously a killer. At that point, he had made all the big pitches when he needed to, working around a few hits here and there. Then the walks came, and the floodgates opened.
But that's beside the point. The biggest culprit in this loss was once again the maddeningly inconsistent offense. Actually, they have been pretty consistent the last couple of weeks - they can't score any damn runs.
Any threat the Dodgers put together was met by a giant thud. Here's some of the "high"lights:
* Justin Turner doubled with one out in the second. He was stranded at third after two groundouts.
* Jimmy Rollins singled (yes, really) to open the third. He was gunned out stealing as Alberto Callaspo struck out.
* Turner singled to start the fifth, but was erased on Andre Ethier's double play ball.
* Callaspo and Joc Pederson walked to open the sixth inning of a scoreless game. Yasiel Puig flew out, and Adrian Gonzalez grounded into the dreaded DP.
* Howie Kendrick hit an infield single to start the seventh, but another Ethier DP ended that threat.
* Yasmani Grandal hit a solo homer to begin the eighth, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Callaspo walked and Pederson singled with one out, but Puig and A-Gon did nothing with it.
* Kendrick singled leading off the ninth, but again, nothing happened.
In case you're scoring at home, the Dodgers started six of the nine innings with a runner on, including Grandal's homer. Take away that homer, and they did a whole lot of nothing with those runners. They were 0-for-7 with RISP, and left six men on.
That's the most frustrating thing about this game - they had practically their A lineup in, and they couldn't do squat. Andrew Friedman made such a big deal before the season about having a deeper lineup. Well, that "deeper" lineup didn't bring it at all.
Here's one solution for Don Mattingly: PLAY ALEX GUERRERO!!! I can understand wanting to get A-Gon some rest by putting him at DH. And I know Donnie likes Callaspo for defense at third. And I know Donnie likes Guerrero pinch-hitting.
But come on now, the guy needs to play! Especially after the Dodgers once again laid an egg on offense, you can't ignore a guy who has 10 homers and 28 RBIs in about half the at-bats as some of the regulars. There's no excuse not to play him now. This team needs a spark, and if one of your sparks never gets off the bench, that's just ridiculous.
We'll see what lineup Donnie runs out there tonight, but if Guerrero isn't a part of it, then I'm about to go over to the "Fire Mattingly" side of things.
Then the sixth inning came, and with zero runs from his offense for support, he finally ran out of wiggle room.
The Rangers put up four runs on three hits and a couple of walks, and with the Dodgers' offense doing a big pile of nothing, there was no drama in dropping one in Texas 4-1.
I can't blame Frias too much, other than the two straight walks to open the sixth were obviously a killer. At that point, he had made all the big pitches when he needed to, working around a few hits here and there. Then the walks came, and the floodgates opened.
But that's beside the point. The biggest culprit in this loss was once again the maddeningly inconsistent offense. Actually, they have been pretty consistent the last couple of weeks - they can't score any damn runs.
Any threat the Dodgers put together was met by a giant thud. Here's some of the "high"lights:
* Justin Turner doubled with one out in the second. He was stranded at third after two groundouts.
* Jimmy Rollins singled (yes, really) to open the third. He was gunned out stealing as Alberto Callaspo struck out.
* Turner singled to start the fifth, but was erased on Andre Ethier's double play ball.
* Callaspo and Joc Pederson walked to open the sixth inning of a scoreless game. Yasiel Puig flew out, and Adrian Gonzalez grounded into the dreaded DP.
* Howie Kendrick hit an infield single to start the seventh, but another Ethier DP ended that threat.
* Yasmani Grandal hit a solo homer to begin the eighth, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Callaspo walked and Pederson singled with one out, but Puig and A-Gon did nothing with it.
* Kendrick singled leading off the ninth, but again, nothing happened.
In case you're scoring at home, the Dodgers started six of the nine innings with a runner on, including Grandal's homer. Take away that homer, and they did a whole lot of nothing with those runners. They were 0-for-7 with RISP, and left six men on.
That's the most frustrating thing about this game - they had practically their A lineup in, and they couldn't do squat. Andrew Friedman made such a big deal before the season about having a deeper lineup. Well, that "deeper" lineup didn't bring it at all.
Here's one solution for Don Mattingly: PLAY ALEX GUERRERO!!! I can understand wanting to get A-Gon some rest by putting him at DH. And I know Donnie likes Callaspo for defense at third. And I know Donnie likes Guerrero pinch-hitting.
But come on now, the guy needs to play! Especially after the Dodgers once again laid an egg on offense, you can't ignore a guy who has 10 homers and 28 RBIs in about half the at-bats as some of the regulars. There's no excuse not to play him now. This team needs a spark, and if one of your sparks never gets off the bench, that's just ridiculous.
We'll see what lineup Donnie runs out there tonight, but if Guerrero isn't a part of it, then I'm about to go over to the "Fire Mattingly" side of things.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Ryu's value has skyrocketed... and oh ya, he's still hurt
As I type this, the Dodgers are still being creamed in Colorado 16-1 in the top of the ninth. This is a game that saw Carlos Frias make a spot start for Hyun-Jin Ryu, and it could not have gone any worse.
How bad was Frias? He only lasted two outs, giving up eight runs on 10 hits, including a three-run homer to Justin Morneau that started the scoring. His ERA coming in was 3.91... his ERA going out is 6.58. That's hard to do.
There's also this little tidbit, courtesy of Dodgers' beat writer Dylan Hernandez: Frias became the first pitcher in the modern baseball era to give up 10 hits and not complete an inning. Wow. Just plain wow.
Kevin Correia also made an appearance today, giving up six runs (five earned) in three innings, raising his ERA with the Dodgers to 7.73.
Roberto Hernandez has made seven starts with the Dodgers for a 4.76 ERA. He's failed to last longer than 4 1/3 innings in each of his last three starts.
Ladies and gentlemen, Ryu's value has suddenly gone through the roof without even throwing one pitch.
We all knew that Ryu was good before, but after having to sit and watch some of these other scrubs pitch way too often, it's obvious the Dodgers need a healthy Ryu if they stand any chance in October. The last thing anyone wants to see is one of the above mentioned guys get a big start in the postseason. That's as scary a thought as I can possibly think of.
Right now, Ryu is not on the DL, but is out with left shoulder soreness. The latest update is that he has no structural damage, which is huge. He's considered day-to-day as the Dodgers just hope they can win enough without him to wrap up the NL West and keep him resting as long as possible.
That's the silver lining on a day like this, as the Dodgers just wrapped up a horrible afternoon of baseball with a 16-2 loss. I know it's Coors Field, and I know every team has clunkers throughout the season, but these last two days have been very discouraging. To go from dominating the Giants the last two games in San Francisco to being outscored by the Rockies 26-6 the last two days is pretty frustrating.
And that's why Ryu's imminent return is such good news. Let's not forget his Game 3 start against the Cardinals last year in which he hurled seven shutout innings after the Cards defeated Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke the first two games. The stage is definitely not too big for him, and that's what the Dodgers need again next month.
Maybe four games in Chicago against the Cubs will get the Dodgers going again, as Kershaw and Greinke are scheduled to go. Maybe the bats will drive in runs again, just like the did last weekend against the Giants. Maybe the Giants will help out and lose some more.
And maybe, just maybe, Ryu can comeback strong and be that rock in the #3 spot of the rotation. That's what the Dodgers need the most.
How bad was Frias? He only lasted two outs, giving up eight runs on 10 hits, including a three-run homer to Justin Morneau that started the scoring. His ERA coming in was 3.91... his ERA going out is 6.58. That's hard to do.
There's also this little tidbit, courtesy of Dodgers' beat writer Dylan Hernandez: Frias became the first pitcher in the modern baseball era to give up 10 hits and not complete an inning. Wow. Just plain wow.
Kevin Correia also made an appearance today, giving up six runs (five earned) in three innings, raising his ERA with the Dodgers to 7.73.
Roberto Hernandez has made seven starts with the Dodgers for a 4.76 ERA. He's failed to last longer than 4 1/3 innings in each of his last three starts.
Ladies and gentlemen, Ryu's value has suddenly gone through the roof without even throwing one pitch.
We all knew that Ryu was good before, but after having to sit and watch some of these other scrubs pitch way too often, it's obvious the Dodgers need a healthy Ryu if they stand any chance in October. The last thing anyone wants to see is one of the above mentioned guys get a big start in the postseason. That's as scary a thought as I can possibly think of.
Right now, Ryu is not on the DL, but is out with left shoulder soreness. The latest update is that he has no structural damage, which is huge. He's considered day-to-day as the Dodgers just hope they can win enough without him to wrap up the NL West and keep him resting as long as possible.
That's the silver lining on a day like this, as the Dodgers just wrapped up a horrible afternoon of baseball with a 16-2 loss. I know it's Coors Field, and I know every team has clunkers throughout the season, but these last two days have been very discouraging. To go from dominating the Giants the last two games in San Francisco to being outscored by the Rockies 26-6 the last two days is pretty frustrating.
And that's why Ryu's imminent return is such good news. Let's not forget his Game 3 start against the Cardinals last year in which he hurled seven shutout innings after the Cards defeated Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke the first two games. The stage is definitely not too big for him, and that's what the Dodgers need again next month.
Maybe four games in Chicago against the Cubs will get the Dodgers going again, as Kershaw and Greinke are scheduled to go. Maybe the bats will drive in runs again, just like the did last weekend against the Giants. Maybe the Giants will help out and lose some more.
And maybe, just maybe, Ryu can comeback strong and be that rock in the #3 spot of the rotation. That's what the Dodgers need the most.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
8th inning could be the Dodgers downfall
Remember last season when Brian Wilson was signed, and the Dodgers had the ultimate 1-2 punch with Kenley Jansen down the stretch and in the postseason?
Well, it sure was fun while it lasted.
The combination of Jamey Wright and Brandon League were the latest to not get the job done in the setup role, as they turned a 2-0 lead into a 5-2 deficit, and the Dodgers dropped one to the Brewers 6-3. At least the Phillies had a comeback of their own in beating the Giants, so the lead in the NL West remains 5 1/2.
To say the eighth inning was ugly would be an understatement. Here's the final tally: nine batters, four hits, five runs, one walk, one strikeout. Most of that damage was done against Wright, who gave up four of those hits and one intentional walk. Even his one out was a hard lineout by Jonathan Lucroy leading off. Every ball hit against him was hard.
League was put in a tough situation of the bases loaded and one out, but he did get Rickie Weeks swinging for two down. But, as has been the case over his three-year deal worth $22.5 million, he couldn't get a second big out, as Lyle Overbay's double cleared the bases and any hope of the Dodgers winning. It was pathetic.
There's no doubt in my mind that the biggest issue the Dodgers face right now is bridging the gap to Jansen. There certainly isn't a Wilson circa 2013 Don Mattingly can turn to. Wilson, by the way, had an 0.66 ERA in 18 appearances last season. Little did we realize just how much we'd miss that version of Wilson.
About the only reliable guy in the 'pen before Jansen is J.P. Howell, but he's not your prototypical setup man. He relies on the soft stuff, and is very effective at it. In 39 1/3 innings, he has a 1.37 ERA. I think Mattingly should just ignore the lefty-righty stuff and pitch him more in the eighth regardless. It certainly can't hurt.
But other than Howell... yikes. It's just a whole lot of nothing to turn to. Here's my breakdown of the other choices, and why they're.... well, not good choices:
Wilson - 5.26 ERA, and can't seem to pitch a clean eighth
League - Much better ERA at 2.32, but the bigger the pressure, the worse he gets
Wright - Had a chance to make a positive impression, and showed why he's much more suited to pitching earlier in the game
Chris Perez - Currently on the DL, and when he's back, has absolutely no business taking the mound in any inning
Pedro Baez and Carlos Frias - Too young and inexperienced to pitch in a big situation. But then again, it's not like they can do any worse, so why not try them?
So like I said, there just aren't any solid options to turn to. I actually liked it on Friday night when Donny gave Wright a chance to do the job. It definitely backfired, but the other options are so bad, it was worth a shot.
This is definitely a big concern heading into the postseason. The only positive is that the Dodgers have really good starting pitching in Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu (who hopefully can rest his sore butt!). They can pitch deep into games, which would then limit the amount of relievers needed. We hope.
If I'm Jansen, I'm making sure my arm is plenty rested and ready to go in October. I absolutely think Donny will call upon him in the eighth for more than the traditional three-out save. Donny really has no choice. Might as well skip all the other bums and go with the Big Dog.
Will someone actually step up and finally claim that setup role over the final month-and-a-half? That will be the major question facing the Dodgers the rest of the season.
Well, it sure was fun while it lasted.
The combination of Jamey Wright and Brandon League were the latest to not get the job done in the setup role, as they turned a 2-0 lead into a 5-2 deficit, and the Dodgers dropped one to the Brewers 6-3. At least the Phillies had a comeback of their own in beating the Giants, so the lead in the NL West remains 5 1/2.
To say the eighth inning was ugly would be an understatement. Here's the final tally: nine batters, four hits, five runs, one walk, one strikeout. Most of that damage was done against Wright, who gave up four of those hits and one intentional walk. Even his one out was a hard lineout by Jonathan Lucroy leading off. Every ball hit against him was hard.
League was put in a tough situation of the bases loaded and one out, but he did get Rickie Weeks swinging for two down. But, as has been the case over his three-year deal worth $22.5 million, he couldn't get a second big out, as Lyle Overbay's double cleared the bases and any hope of the Dodgers winning. It was pathetic.
There's no doubt in my mind that the biggest issue the Dodgers face right now is bridging the gap to Jansen. There certainly isn't a Wilson circa 2013 Don Mattingly can turn to. Wilson, by the way, had an 0.66 ERA in 18 appearances last season. Little did we realize just how much we'd miss that version of Wilson.
About the only reliable guy in the 'pen before Jansen is J.P. Howell, but he's not your prototypical setup man. He relies on the soft stuff, and is very effective at it. In 39 1/3 innings, he has a 1.37 ERA. I think Mattingly should just ignore the lefty-righty stuff and pitch him more in the eighth regardless. It certainly can't hurt.
But other than Howell... yikes. It's just a whole lot of nothing to turn to. Here's my breakdown of the other choices, and why they're.... well, not good choices:
Wilson - 5.26 ERA, and can't seem to pitch a clean eighth
League - Much better ERA at 2.32, but the bigger the pressure, the worse he gets
Wright - Had a chance to make a positive impression, and showed why he's much more suited to pitching earlier in the game
Chris Perez - Currently on the DL, and when he's back, has absolutely no business taking the mound in any inning
Pedro Baez and Carlos Frias - Too young and inexperienced to pitch in a big situation. But then again, it's not like they can do any worse, so why not try them?
So like I said, there just aren't any solid options to turn to. I actually liked it on Friday night when Donny gave Wright a chance to do the job. It definitely backfired, but the other options are so bad, it was worth a shot.
This is definitely a big concern heading into the postseason. The only positive is that the Dodgers have really good starting pitching in Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu (who hopefully can rest his sore butt!). They can pitch deep into games, which would then limit the amount of relievers needed. We hope.
If I'm Jansen, I'm making sure my arm is plenty rested and ready to go in October. I absolutely think Donny will call upon him in the eighth for more than the traditional three-out save. Donny really has no choice. Might as well skip all the other bums and go with the Big Dog.
Will someone actually step up and finally claim that setup role over the final month-and-a-half? That will be the major question facing the Dodgers the rest of the season.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Start of more changes? Perez to the DL, Frias called up
After a pretty humiliating weekend in which the Dodgers not only dropped two of three to the Cubs, but looked pretty lifeless in the process, one thing they knew needed to get better was their pitching. More specifically, the back ends of both their rotation and bullpen.
Today appeared to be the first step in making changes, as Chris Perez and his 5.03 ERA was placed on the 15-day DL with bone spurs in his right ankle. In his place will be right-handed Carlos Frias from Triple-A Albuquerque.
It's obvious the Dodgers have some pretty big pitching problems, so sitting Perez is a good start. Look, I am in no way celebrating someone getting hurt. As has happened many times in the past when someone struggling mysteriously has an injury that leads to a DL stint, we have to take their word for it that something is really wrong... even when we probably know the truth.
So out goes Perez, and in comes Frias. In the article that you can click above, it says he's made 20 starts between Double-a Chattanooga and Triple-A for a 10-5 record and 4.58 ERA. Keep in mind that any ERA at Albuquerque will be high since that's considered the Coors Field of the minors. Hitters will always have better numbers, and pitchers worse. That's just the way it is.
Don Mattingly has already stated that Frias will only start if something happens to Beckett or Haren, who are both slated for starts this week. So, it appears that Frias will be used in long relief, which is needed with Paul Maholm tearing his ACL. Maybe he'll eventually get a start, who knows.
I don't care who was brought up, this is a good move. Every time Perez takes the mound, there's a losing feeling that goes with it. Now the Dodgers can put in a fresh arm and let him show what he can do. At the very worst, he performs like Perez. Let's hope he can do better.
This is a decent start, but what I want to know is, what's next?
Today appeared to be the first step in making changes, as Chris Perez and his 5.03 ERA was placed on the 15-day DL with bone spurs in his right ankle. In his place will be right-handed Carlos Frias from Triple-A Albuquerque.
It's obvious the Dodgers have some pretty big pitching problems, so sitting Perez is a good start. Look, I am in no way celebrating someone getting hurt. As has happened many times in the past when someone struggling mysteriously has an injury that leads to a DL stint, we have to take their word for it that something is really wrong... even when we probably know the truth.
So out goes Perez, and in comes Frias. In the article that you can click above, it says he's made 20 starts between Double-a Chattanooga and Triple-A for a 10-5 record and 4.58 ERA. Keep in mind that any ERA at Albuquerque will be high since that's considered the Coors Field of the minors. Hitters will always have better numbers, and pitchers worse. That's just the way it is.
Don Mattingly has already stated that Frias will only start if something happens to Beckett or Haren, who are both slated for starts this week. So, it appears that Frias will be used in long relief, which is needed with Paul Maholm tearing his ACL. Maybe he'll eventually get a start, who knows.
I don't care who was brought up, this is a good move. Every time Perez takes the mound, there's a losing feeling that goes with it. Now the Dodgers can put in a fresh arm and let him show what he can do. At the very worst, he performs like Perez. Let's hope he can do better.
This is a decent start, but what I want to know is, what's next?
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