Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
On this episode of Dugout Blues, Jared and I bring you the hottest of Dodger takes. You know, ones like “Clayton Kershaw is good.”
It was a perfectly average week for the Dodgers. They went 3-3 against the Giants and Mariners, but it wasn’t without its share of interesting moments.
Yasiel Puig got suspended for starting a benches-clearing situation against the Giants. He showed emotion, Nick Hundley didn’t like it, got in Puig’s head and Puig earned himself a 2-game suspension (which he’s appealing). That was Game 2 of the series. In Game 1 (and 2), the bullpen blew it yet again, leading to a fifth consecutive loss. That’s not great. The Dodgers were able to salvage the final game of that series by winning on a Brian Dozier sac fly in the 12th inning.
The Mariners’ series was a different story. The Dodgers outscored Seattle 27-7 and took two of three from the playoff-contending M’s. They got dong happy on Friday by hitting five. On Sunday, Justin Turner led the way by going 4-for-5 and…
I think Justin Turner might be back, y’all.
— Dustin Nosler (@DustinNosler) August 19, 2018
…yeah.
The one game they lost was on a walk-off balk … a balk-off. Dylan Floro balked. The rule is dumb. Oh well.
Julio Urias is still rehabbing. He’s on track to come back at the beginning of next month. In what capacity is to be determined. It’ll likely be as a long-reliever once a week.
Kenley Jansen is progressing and could come back sooner than expected. It’d be nice, but him being 100 percent is the most important thing.
In the minors, Cristian Santana has been on fire of late. He has a lot of power and can play a quality third base, but he has swing-and-miss and plate discipline issues which could limit his ceiling. But when he makes contact, the ball goes a long way. Keibert Ruiz, in his age-19 season in Double-A, is heating up to close the season. This season has been a “reality check” (to use Jared’s term) for him (and us as prospectors), but his ceiling is still incredibly high. Gavin Lux is still hitting in Double-A, while Omar Estevez is having a strong 2018 for Rancho. It’ll be interesting to see him in Tulsa next year. Carlos Rincon, who struggled at Great Lakes, has been almost literally on fire with the Quakes (1.320 OPS). He has power and can take a walk, but it remains to be seen if it’s a product of a swing change or the hitting environment. Tony Gonsolin is finishing off a tremendous season and Yadier Alvarez is showing some signs of life. Jordan Sheffield is back with Rancho and it seems he’ll be in the bullpen the rest of the season. Marshall Kasowski is finishing his 2018 strong and is putting himself on the prospect map. Jared’s boy Gerardo Carrillo is an interesting guy, while John Rooney is having his way in Low-A. Finally, Mitchell White is showing why he still has a high ceiling. If he closes the season strong, perhaps a trip to the Arizona Fall League is in order for him.
We end with a decent Q&A. Please keep the questions coming.
Libsyn Link
Direct Link
iTunes Link
Look for new episodes of “Dugout Blues” every Monday. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and review us on iTunes. We want to make this the best podcast we can so we’re always looking for suggestions and ways to improve.
If you have questions you’d like us to answer or certain topics/players you want to hear more about, feel free to email us ([email protected]) or send us messages on Twitter (@JaredJMassey or @DustinNosler). You can also “Like” the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.
