Dodgers: Defensive Woes Could Be Postseason Achilles
Currently, the 2019 Los Angeles Dodgers are on pace for 105 regular season wins. Without question, that is the mark of an incredible team. However, even incredible teams have an achilles. Like every human that walks the earth – imperfection exists beneath the surface.
Once more – one of the Dodgers’ best writers Pedro Moura – writes about a harrowing quality that could follow the club into their postseason.
Dave Roberts said he pulled Joc Pederson tonight because Pederson did not run out his eighth-inning RBI grounder. “You gotta run the ball out,” Roberts said. “There’s a certain way to play the game. I didn’t see the effort there.”
Pederson said his effort was unprofessional.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) July 30, 2019
While it’s been no secret amongst us, some of these defensive miscues recently bled into other areas of play. At Coors Field in Colorado, Joc Pederson had a rough day over at first base. Certainly, you can all picture the sequence of events referred to if you were watching the game.
First, it was a ground ball off the glove of Pederson. Then, Pederson grounded out and didn’t run out the play to first. Manager Dave Roberts promptly benched his player for that, and Pederson talked about it after the game. To no surprise, the outfielder turned first baseman sounded frustrated.
“I let the emotions get the best of me,” he said. “I’m better than that. I’ve gotta continue to put in work and go through as many experiences as I can. It is what it is.”
Without question, errors become a larger flaw when you are taking those mistakes into your offensive phases of baseball.
The skipper himself has been around the game long enough to know this. With the great team the Dodgers have assembled, all the talent and chemistry in the world won’t be able to outrun this sudden weakness in the month of October.
“It needs to get better,” Roberts said. “I’m not concerned about the long term. But in the present, it’s important. It causes pitchers to go shorter in games because the pitch count gets up, and the rhythm of the game. Hopefully, it turns sooner than later.”
At this point, the club has to do more than simply hope things get better. While Pederson should be expected to hustle, you can only blame a player miscast in a position or role to a small degree.
The Dodgers are all about maximizing value – both on the field and in player acquisition. The month of August really needs to serve as a ‘turn the page’ string of days on the calendar. Primarily, you want to see what guys at what spots are yielding the best results defensively. Then, you start to chalk out your best nine that will go on stage when the lights shine the brightest.
Right now, this is an obvious area that must get cleaned up. Without that, a big error or two at the wrong time could be something we talk about for a long time; for all the wrong reasons.
The fact of the matter is that Joc is an outfielder who lacks the versatility of some of our other Dodgers’ players (adapt at playing multiple positions in and out field.) And I agree that the Dodgers’ offensive miscues have been more problematic. Still, our “Achilles heel” remains the Dodgers bull pen and very- little- to- nothing was done to address that. Despite this lack of responsiveness to “the elephant in the room”, I will remain a Dodgers’ post-season hopeful. And with a bit of delusional thinking, I choose to believe that we can make it through the play off’s with what we have. (I was with you last year when it seemed virtually impossible that we could win the NL championship.) As for the World Series……one step at a time……on a wing and a prayer.
The defense of the Dodgers has suffered because “Dave” and Friedman continue to play people out of position in an effort to match up what they perceive to be their best RH versus LH hitting lineups. If you ask Muncy or Pederson to continue to play somewhere defensively they should not be playing, these defensive lapses are going to continue to happen. It’s that simple. The ball will find them…….and in baseball, giving away outs will eventually cost you in a ball game at a critical juncture. It is going to happen……
Excellent post here, bluz1st! Every bit of it is right on the money. But as far as getting the needed BP help, teams were not going to deal with us withouit demanding our very top prospects in return. and even if Dodgers got Vasquez and another top end reliever, the Dodgers as it stands now do not have the offense to compete with the offenses of the Astros or Yankees in a possible WS match up. That is why I am not exactly losing any sleep over what Dodgers did or did not do at this deadline.
I totally agree, AZUL!!!! I do think the move reducing Joc’s exposure at first base is a good one. If May can give us a solid effort worthy of a starting pitcher, we might just have a very good pitching staff by the end of September. If Kelly can spell Jansen, so much the better. A Yankee or Astro v LA WS would be one for the record books; reminds me of 1963 when the Dodgers were seen as pitching rich and lacking in hitting. Go Blue!!
Why do you put Dave in quotes lol that’s his actual name. You use quotes too much
I have to say common knowledge In defense of Pederson ,He is not happy playing a position he does not really feel comfortable at , the position being ( first base )
It would take an effect on anybody and is now starting to show in him. I think that you are hurting him as a player who, still has great potential ,leave him alone.Better yet let
( Friedman ) play left field or first base Prolblem solved,
Put Friedman in the bullpen !! Can’t lose !! World Series winner here we come !!!!!!!!
LOL. But in any event, I must say that this experiment with Joc at 1st base MUST END and END NOW! He is not hitting at all to even warrant keeping him there in the first place , big division lead or no division lead.