Post by Commissioner Erick on Aug 5, 2018 20:42:27 GMT -5
Washington Nationals (73-38) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (74-37)
WAS: Peter Solomon (7-0, 2.92)
LAD: Julio Urias (4-8, 5.48)
The Dodgers lost their last Game of the Week against the Nationals, the first day back from the All Star break. They lost the next day to the Nationals too. Since then, they've won 18 of 19, including 16 in a row and are the hottest team in baseball.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to continue that hot streak and exact revenge on the Washington Nationals when the two powerhouses square off for the Game of the Week.
With Washington ascending and Chicago bulking up, the Dodgers have flown under the radar as a contender recently. This recent hot streak has shown why that would be a mistake. The Dodgers are first in the NL in runs scored and have watched Nomar Mazara evolve from an All-Star to a superstar, to an MVP candidate this year. He hit .420 with nine home runs in July, is batting .375 in August, and now leads the league in average by a mile.
Only Bryce Harper bests Mazara in runs and in the triple-slash components this year, and only Harper and Francisco Lindor are ahead of him in WAR. Mazara's set a career high in steals with seven, and just won the Player of the Month Award for July. Only 24, Mazara is the best player on what may be the best team in baseball.
He'll take on an interesting story when he faces Peter Solomon of the Nationals. Solomon was a fifth round pick by the Astros in 2017, and was a rapid riser through the minors. Well-polished when he was drafted, Solomon went from High-A to Triple-A last season. Acquired when the Nationals hedged their bets and traded Daniel Murphy and Andrew McCutchen to Houston, Solomon has been the prize paying off in the short term. The trade is a fascinating one considering the wildly successful seasons Murphy and McCutchen are having this year, but Solomon is undefeated with a 2.92 ERA in 89.1 innings. That number would be eighth in ERA if he qualified.
Solomon really handles right-handers well, as they hit only .232 against him. Lefties have a better average versus him, but he's allowed only two home runs to lefties all season. That ability to keep lefties in the park has served Solomon well all season. However, he hasn't worked deep into games very often. He's only pitched 7.0 innings as a career high, accomplishing that feat four times this year. That means Washington's middle relief will be important.
Fortunately, that middle relief group has been solid over the second half. Washington's bullpen was third in ERA in July and is fourth in August after a rougher opening to the year. Two particular relievers have come on strong for Washington.
First is Enny Romero. Romero hasn't allowed a baserunner in August in 6.0 innings of work. He also pitched to a 1.17 ERA over 8.2 innings in July, meaning he's allowed only one run in 15.2 innings the past six weeks. His role hasn't appreciably changed. He's faced more righties than lefties recently, so it's not a case of having the platoon advantage more often. He's just pitched better.
The second is someone who has stabilized Washington's bullpen since he came on board. Sean Doolittle hasn't been quite as dominant as he was when he first arrived from Oakland, but he's allowed just a run on two hits in 4.1 innings in August. He really had just three bad outings in July that contributed to a 4.50 ERA though. He's worked 2 innings against the Dodgers this year, and was perfect in those three innings, striking out half of the six batters he's faced.
The Dodgers will counter Solomon and Washington's pen with Julio Urias and the second best bullpen in the league. After strong seasons in 2017 and 2018, Urias has had a rough year this year. The walk rate is good and the strikeout rate is going up. Unfortunately, like the rest of baseball, more home runs are being hit and Urias hasn't adapted well. Also, after a league best BABIP last year, his BABIP has rocketed to an elevated .330 this year. He gave up 6 runs in Washington on July 20th, and didn't give up a home run either. Instead he gave up all six runs in one inning that included six singles, one double, and one walk. The Nationals got three ground ball hits and a pop fly double in that frame hinting at a lack of defense that did Urias in.
Urias is going to take on an outsized roll in the Dodgers rotation as the only lefty standing. Big money superstar Gio Gonzalez landed on the DL with an oblique strain that may bench him until the postseason. Alex Wood was declared out for the year with an elbow injury a few weeks ago, and Clayton Kershaw has a sore elbow the team is hoping isn't very serious. If Kershaw goes on the DL, that's $97 million dollars on the disabled list.
There are only a handful of rested arms in the Los Angeles pen, but one of them is newly signed Mike Caldwell. A free agent signing who is new to professional baseball, Caldwell throws 100 miles an hour with a devastating changeup. His command is barely existent, which has been used against him turning pro in the past, but he declared and signed an approximately $60 million deal with the Dodgers. With basically no professional track record to go by, how he fares against today will be anyone's guess.
Questions for the GMs:
For Jake Pennel, tonight's starter was part of a massive trade you made with Houston last year when you were on the fringe of the playoff race. Looking back on it with hindsight, what are your thoughts about the trade?
Your middle minors are almost embarrassingly bad. Do you feel like you're putting your youngsters on the best path to grow and succeed?
Peter Solomon is undefeated so far this year. What did you see in him when you acquired him and promoted him earlier this year?
For Troy Allenbagh, with Gio and perhaps Kershaw going on the DL, what roster moves will you make for this week?
Peter Solomon has barely given up any home runs to lefties. Will that affect your lineup choices today?
Mike Caldwell is very new to organized baseball, and you shelled out a lot of money to get him. Give up a scouting report on the type of player he is and what we can expect from him?
WAS: Peter Solomon (7-0, 2.92)
LAD: Julio Urias (4-8, 5.48)
The Dodgers lost their last Game of the Week against the Nationals, the first day back from the All Star break. They lost the next day to the Nationals too. Since then, they've won 18 of 19, including 16 in a row and are the hottest team in baseball.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to continue that hot streak and exact revenge on the Washington Nationals when the two powerhouses square off for the Game of the Week.
With Washington ascending and Chicago bulking up, the Dodgers have flown under the radar as a contender recently. This recent hot streak has shown why that would be a mistake. The Dodgers are first in the NL in runs scored and have watched Nomar Mazara evolve from an All-Star to a superstar, to an MVP candidate this year. He hit .420 with nine home runs in July, is batting .375 in August, and now leads the league in average by a mile.
Only Bryce Harper bests Mazara in runs and in the triple-slash components this year, and only Harper and Francisco Lindor are ahead of him in WAR. Mazara's set a career high in steals with seven, and just won the Player of the Month Award for July. Only 24, Mazara is the best player on what may be the best team in baseball.
He'll take on an interesting story when he faces Peter Solomon of the Nationals. Solomon was a fifth round pick by the Astros in 2017, and was a rapid riser through the minors. Well-polished when he was drafted, Solomon went from High-A to Triple-A last season. Acquired when the Nationals hedged their bets and traded Daniel Murphy and Andrew McCutchen to Houston, Solomon has been the prize paying off in the short term. The trade is a fascinating one considering the wildly successful seasons Murphy and McCutchen are having this year, but Solomon is undefeated with a 2.92 ERA in 89.1 innings. That number would be eighth in ERA if he qualified.
Solomon really handles right-handers well, as they hit only .232 against him. Lefties have a better average versus him, but he's allowed only two home runs to lefties all season. That ability to keep lefties in the park has served Solomon well all season. However, he hasn't worked deep into games very often. He's only pitched 7.0 innings as a career high, accomplishing that feat four times this year. That means Washington's middle relief will be important.
Fortunately, that middle relief group has been solid over the second half. Washington's bullpen was third in ERA in July and is fourth in August after a rougher opening to the year. Two particular relievers have come on strong for Washington.
First is Enny Romero. Romero hasn't allowed a baserunner in August in 6.0 innings of work. He also pitched to a 1.17 ERA over 8.2 innings in July, meaning he's allowed only one run in 15.2 innings the past six weeks. His role hasn't appreciably changed. He's faced more righties than lefties recently, so it's not a case of having the platoon advantage more often. He's just pitched better.
The second is someone who has stabilized Washington's bullpen since he came on board. Sean Doolittle hasn't been quite as dominant as he was when he first arrived from Oakland, but he's allowed just a run on two hits in 4.1 innings in August. He really had just three bad outings in July that contributed to a 4.50 ERA though. He's worked 2 innings against the Dodgers this year, and was perfect in those three innings, striking out half of the six batters he's faced.
The Dodgers will counter Solomon and Washington's pen with Julio Urias and the second best bullpen in the league. After strong seasons in 2017 and 2018, Urias has had a rough year this year. The walk rate is good and the strikeout rate is going up. Unfortunately, like the rest of baseball, more home runs are being hit and Urias hasn't adapted well. Also, after a league best BABIP last year, his BABIP has rocketed to an elevated .330 this year. He gave up 6 runs in Washington on July 20th, and didn't give up a home run either. Instead he gave up all six runs in one inning that included six singles, one double, and one walk. The Nationals got three ground ball hits and a pop fly double in that frame hinting at a lack of defense that did Urias in.
Urias is going to take on an outsized roll in the Dodgers rotation as the only lefty standing. Big money superstar Gio Gonzalez landed on the DL with an oblique strain that may bench him until the postseason. Alex Wood was declared out for the year with an elbow injury a few weeks ago, and Clayton Kershaw has a sore elbow the team is hoping isn't very serious. If Kershaw goes on the DL, that's $97 million dollars on the disabled list.
There are only a handful of rested arms in the Los Angeles pen, but one of them is newly signed Mike Caldwell. A free agent signing who is new to professional baseball, Caldwell throws 100 miles an hour with a devastating changeup. His command is barely existent, which has been used against him turning pro in the past, but he declared and signed an approximately $60 million deal with the Dodgers. With basically no professional track record to go by, how he fares against today will be anyone's guess.
Questions for the GMs:
For Jake Pennel, tonight's starter was part of a massive trade you made with Houston last year when you were on the fringe of the playoff race. Looking back on it with hindsight, what are your thoughts about the trade?
Your middle minors are almost embarrassingly bad. Do you feel like you're putting your youngsters on the best path to grow and succeed?
Peter Solomon is undefeated so far this year. What did you see in him when you acquired him and promoted him earlier this year?
For Troy Allenbagh, with Gio and perhaps Kershaw going on the DL, what roster moves will you make for this week?
Peter Solomon has barely given up any home runs to lefties. Will that affect your lineup choices today?
Mike Caldwell is very new to organized baseball, and you shelled out a lot of money to get him. Give up a scouting report on the type of player he is and what we can expect from him?
