Post by Commissioner Erick on Nov 8, 2018 7:52:48 GMT -5
San Diego Padres (0-0) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (0-0)
SD: Anderson Espinoza (0-0, 0.00)
LAD: Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 0.00)
The Dodgers will take the field tonight showcasing their superstar-filled roster that won the World Series last year. They'll begin the season by taking on the most talented Padres roster San Diego has assembled in the PBA-era.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will collect their rings and ring in the new season when they host the San Diego Padres in the Game of the Week.
The Dodgers didn't make many changes in the offseason, but they didn't need to, bringing back the core of a championship team. The changes the Dodgers have made have been forced upon them by a spade of injuries in Spring Training.
Presumed opening day starter Clayton Kershaw was scheduled to work the first game of Spring Training then make it out to The Netherlands for the World Baseball Classic. Two innings in and he never had the chance to represent the United States as he suffered back spasms that kept him out the rest of the spring. He's stated he wants to give it a go, but Troy Allenbagh may want to bring him along slowly. With fellow ace Julio Urias also going down in Spring Training, though, it makes the Dodgers a little bit thin at the front of their staff.
Prize reliever Will Harris will miss a couple of months to begin the year, really hurting the Dodgers' setup core. Kenley Jansen and Mike Caldwell are terrific, but Josh Fields is in Philadelphia this year. Pedro Baez, Adam Liberatore, and Jacob Rhame will have pressure on them to produce in Harris' stead.
While the pitching concerns are real, at least the team is returning the fourth best offense from 2019. Also, while the offense was fourth, a number of key players are 24 years old or younger, meaning its possible internal improvements make the offense better.
Nomar Mazara is the headliner, as The Big Chill's .326 average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS were all second in the NL last year. His walk-off home run against Sean Doolittle in Game 5 of the NLDS is a huge reason why the Dodgers were able to win a playoff series last year, let alone a title. He's accomplished all this while not turning 25 yet. He has a memorable regular season game against the Padres under his belt already, terrorizing San Diego last September 8th. Mazara batted six times, hitting two home runs, driving in four runs, and walking four times in six plate appearances. The walks tied a Dodgers record.
Aside from Mazara, the Dodgers could throw out a lineup of eight batters who hit from the left side, including a pair of corner outfielders who hit left-handed and slugged 38 and 39 home runs last year in Alex Verdugo and Joc Pederson. There's also Cody Bellinger who popped 50 home runs two seasons ago.
It'll be a minefield for Anderson Espinoza to deal with, but he's the man in charge of taking the ball for an optimistic Padres team. Espinoza has dealt with injuries in his past, stalling his development. However, he has a minor league All-Star to his credit, a 15-strikeout game in the minors, and peaked as the 28th best prospect two years ago. He debuted with San Diego last year and was outstanding in 11 starts. San Diego was conservative, and he only worked 55.1 innings, but Espinoza worked to a 3.25 ERA, and a 1.12 WHIP. He was excellent for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic this spring, going 2-0 in three starts, striking out 19 in 15.1 innings, and working to a 1.76 ERA for the World runners up. The recently turned 22-year old has 100-miles-per-our stuff, minor league acclaim, international renown, and major league success. He's the ace the Padres have needed.
He'll lead an offense that saw Ryan Davis upgrade through free agency. Luis Urias is the star, as the youngster led the NL in average as a 22-year-old sophomore last season. However, Brandon Belt and Jonathan Schoop were big names brought in to add some thump to the lineup. Long a doubles maven, Belt clubbed a career high 38 two-baggers last year in San Francisco. He also added a career high 23 home runs playing in a brutal power park by the bay.
Schoop had a tough time of it last year after a midseason trade to Pittsburgh. He hit 19 home runs the year prior with a league-leading 43 doubles. All that doubles power will play nicely with Jake Lamb in the middle of the order. Lamb has hit over 30 home runs in each of his seasons, and hitting behind Urias and Belt should give him numerous opportunities to drive in runs.
Most of San Diego's hitters down in the lineup, though, are flawed players skewed towards defense, making it a puzzle of how San Diego expects to score if Kershaw starts and is on his game. Manny Margot regressed in his second season and had an OBP just north of .300. Austin Hedges' OBP was nowhere close to that mark, landing at .273. Michael Reed is supposed to be a lefty-masher, but has just a .343 slugging percentage against southpaws in a small career sample of 169 at bats, and a .201 average to go with it.
There will be a lot of pressure on Espinoza to pitch well as San Diego can win a low-scoring contest. It'll be tough to see them winning a shootout though, especially If Kershaw takes the hill.
Questions for the GMs:
For Ryan Davis, you mentioned that your team had a bit of a problem getting on base last year. To that extent adding Brandon Belt is a good addition. However, to what extent does Jonathan Schoop's strengths get washed away by the on-base problems he has?
Allen Cordoba is a really interesting player. He slugged just .338, but he had more walks than strikeouts and stole 52 bases. Do you think he'll hit enough to take advantage of his strengths?
There are a lot of good lefties on the Dodgers. Which pitcher in your pen do you feel most comfortable taking them on?
For Troy Allenbagh, Clayton Kershaw is just coming back from injury and Jurickson Profar has a bad knee. Do they play today?
Will Willie Calhoun make the roster? If so, will he start and at what position?
If Kershaw and Urias can't go, you don't have proven arms to take the ball at the top of the rotation. Does the lack of starter depth concern you?
Trivia: Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias feature prominently in the most single-season wins totals in Dodgers history. Which pitcher not named Urias or Kershaw has the most wins in a season for the Dodgers?
SD: Anderson Espinoza (0-0, 0.00)
LAD: Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 0.00)
The Dodgers will take the field tonight showcasing their superstar-filled roster that won the World Series last year. They'll begin the season by taking on the most talented Padres roster San Diego has assembled in the PBA-era.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will collect their rings and ring in the new season when they host the San Diego Padres in the Game of the Week.
The Dodgers didn't make many changes in the offseason, but they didn't need to, bringing back the core of a championship team. The changes the Dodgers have made have been forced upon them by a spade of injuries in Spring Training.
Presumed opening day starter Clayton Kershaw was scheduled to work the first game of Spring Training then make it out to The Netherlands for the World Baseball Classic. Two innings in and he never had the chance to represent the United States as he suffered back spasms that kept him out the rest of the spring. He's stated he wants to give it a go, but Troy Allenbagh may want to bring him along slowly. With fellow ace Julio Urias also going down in Spring Training, though, it makes the Dodgers a little bit thin at the front of their staff.
Prize reliever Will Harris will miss a couple of months to begin the year, really hurting the Dodgers' setup core. Kenley Jansen and Mike Caldwell are terrific, but Josh Fields is in Philadelphia this year. Pedro Baez, Adam Liberatore, and Jacob Rhame will have pressure on them to produce in Harris' stead.
While the pitching concerns are real, at least the team is returning the fourth best offense from 2019. Also, while the offense was fourth, a number of key players are 24 years old or younger, meaning its possible internal improvements make the offense better.
Nomar Mazara is the headliner, as The Big Chill's .326 average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS were all second in the NL last year. His walk-off home run against Sean Doolittle in Game 5 of the NLDS is a huge reason why the Dodgers were able to win a playoff series last year, let alone a title. He's accomplished all this while not turning 25 yet. He has a memorable regular season game against the Padres under his belt already, terrorizing San Diego last September 8th. Mazara batted six times, hitting two home runs, driving in four runs, and walking four times in six plate appearances. The walks tied a Dodgers record.
Aside from Mazara, the Dodgers could throw out a lineup of eight batters who hit from the left side, including a pair of corner outfielders who hit left-handed and slugged 38 and 39 home runs last year in Alex Verdugo and Joc Pederson. There's also Cody Bellinger who popped 50 home runs two seasons ago.
It'll be a minefield for Anderson Espinoza to deal with, but he's the man in charge of taking the ball for an optimistic Padres team. Espinoza has dealt with injuries in his past, stalling his development. However, he has a minor league All-Star to his credit, a 15-strikeout game in the minors, and peaked as the 28th best prospect two years ago. He debuted with San Diego last year and was outstanding in 11 starts. San Diego was conservative, and he only worked 55.1 innings, but Espinoza worked to a 3.25 ERA, and a 1.12 WHIP. He was excellent for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic this spring, going 2-0 in three starts, striking out 19 in 15.1 innings, and working to a 1.76 ERA for the World runners up. The recently turned 22-year old has 100-miles-per-our stuff, minor league acclaim, international renown, and major league success. He's the ace the Padres have needed.
He'll lead an offense that saw Ryan Davis upgrade through free agency. Luis Urias is the star, as the youngster led the NL in average as a 22-year-old sophomore last season. However, Brandon Belt and Jonathan Schoop were big names brought in to add some thump to the lineup. Long a doubles maven, Belt clubbed a career high 38 two-baggers last year in San Francisco. He also added a career high 23 home runs playing in a brutal power park by the bay.
Schoop had a tough time of it last year after a midseason trade to Pittsburgh. He hit 19 home runs the year prior with a league-leading 43 doubles. All that doubles power will play nicely with Jake Lamb in the middle of the order. Lamb has hit over 30 home runs in each of his seasons, and hitting behind Urias and Belt should give him numerous opportunities to drive in runs.
Most of San Diego's hitters down in the lineup, though, are flawed players skewed towards defense, making it a puzzle of how San Diego expects to score if Kershaw starts and is on his game. Manny Margot regressed in his second season and had an OBP just north of .300. Austin Hedges' OBP was nowhere close to that mark, landing at .273. Michael Reed is supposed to be a lefty-masher, but has just a .343 slugging percentage against southpaws in a small career sample of 169 at bats, and a .201 average to go with it.
There will be a lot of pressure on Espinoza to pitch well as San Diego can win a low-scoring contest. It'll be tough to see them winning a shootout though, especially If Kershaw takes the hill.
Questions for the GMs:
For Ryan Davis, you mentioned that your team had a bit of a problem getting on base last year. To that extent adding Brandon Belt is a good addition. However, to what extent does Jonathan Schoop's strengths get washed away by the on-base problems he has?
Allen Cordoba is a really interesting player. He slugged just .338, but he had more walks than strikeouts and stole 52 bases. Do you think he'll hit enough to take advantage of his strengths?
There are a lot of good lefties on the Dodgers. Which pitcher in your pen do you feel most comfortable taking them on?
For Troy Allenbagh, Clayton Kershaw is just coming back from injury and Jurickson Profar has a bad knee. Do they play today?
Will Willie Calhoun make the roster? If so, will he start and at what position?
If Kershaw and Urias can't go, you don't have proven arms to take the ball at the top of the rotation. Does the lack of starter depth concern you?
Trivia: Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias feature prominently in the most single-season wins totals in Dodgers history. Which pitcher not named Urias or Kershaw has the most wins in a season for the Dodgers?
