Why is Arizona favored over the Dodgers tonight?
- Thread starter MadJack
- Start date
No, that's right. Similar situation to last night. Zona would have won if wasn't for their putz closer, pun intended.
Wrong team favored here :0008
Wrong team favored here :0008
Where Do The D-Backs Go From Here?
Where does the team go from here? A very good question and in my point of view there are several key cogs in the Diamondbacks? proverbial machine that need either a serious overhaul or complete replacement. Cog No. 1 is J.J. Putz and the bullpen. Putz?s season has been atrocious. It is very similar to the photo at the right, head-scratchingly awful. Putz is a dismal 0-3 on the year with a woeful 7.20 ERA
with nine saves in 12 opportunities. Last season he only blew four saves total. Let that marinate for a minute, only four blown saves all year long.
We need to get one thing straight, last year was an aberration, not the normal from Putz. To expect that from him is clearly overly ambitious. He has struggled mightily and is past his prime as a closer so it is time to move on and figure out who will be our closer for the future.
That could be David Hernandez, who while he has a much better ERA at 2.25, is zero for three in save opportunities. It is time to put him in that role and allow him to flourish into the closer we all know he has the skills to become.
Another cog is first base with Paul Goldschmidt and Lyle Overbay. We need some consistency and that consistency is Overbay. He is hitting .370, .453 OBP, and a .593 slugging, compared to Goldschmidt?s .244, .304, and .366. Goldschmidt has a case of the sophomore slumps and needs to be sent down to Reno to gain some confidence at the plate, while Overbay clearly should have the everyday job at first base. Overbay is better right now and we need to ride the hot hand now more than ever.
The third cog is fixing the strikeout bug. It has again bitten the Diamondbacks and bitten them bad. Jason Kubel, Justin Upton, Goldschmidt, and Miguel Montero all lead the team with a whopping 39 strikeouts a piece. The team is sixth in the majors in strikeouts with 357, while it is 12th with a .252 batting average. Either the guys are not seeing the ball well and need to spend more time in the cage or something more serious is affecting the team.
In contrast the team is 24th in ERA with a 4.21 ERA. I think this can be fixed if we get our pitchers healthy, like Daniel Hudson and continue to develop Patrick Corbin and Trevor Bauer.
There has been one bright spot on the team and that is Wade Miley. To think he was almost cut right before the season, now seems absurd. Miley is 5-1 with a 2.14 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, he also sports a .375 batting average. He has done it all and will continue to do so.
As long as we can get these things fixed, the Diamondbacks can get back on track, if not it?s time to develop the young guns and give them some time.
Where does the team go from here? A very good question and in my point of view there are several key cogs in the Diamondbacks? proverbial machine that need either a serious overhaul or complete replacement. Cog No. 1 is J.J. Putz and the bullpen. Putz?s season has been atrocious. It is very similar to the photo at the right, head-scratchingly awful. Putz is a dismal 0-3 on the year with a woeful 7.20 ERA
with nine saves in 12 opportunities. Last season he only blew four saves total. Let that marinate for a minute, only four blown saves all year long.
We need to get one thing straight, last year was an aberration, not the normal from Putz. To expect that from him is clearly overly ambitious. He has struggled mightily and is past his prime as a closer so it is time to move on and figure out who will be our closer for the future.
That could be David Hernandez, who while he has a much better ERA at 2.25, is zero for three in save opportunities. It is time to put him in that role and allow him to flourish into the closer we all know he has the skills to become.
Another cog is first base with Paul Goldschmidt and Lyle Overbay. We need some consistency and that consistency is Overbay. He is hitting .370, .453 OBP, and a .593 slugging, compared to Goldschmidt?s .244, .304, and .366. Goldschmidt has a case of the sophomore slumps and needs to be sent down to Reno to gain some confidence at the plate, while Overbay clearly should have the everyday job at first base. Overbay is better right now and we need to ride the hot hand now more than ever.
The third cog is fixing the strikeout bug. It has again bitten the Diamondbacks and bitten them bad. Jason Kubel, Justin Upton, Goldschmidt, and Miguel Montero all lead the team with a whopping 39 strikeouts a piece. The team is sixth in the majors in strikeouts with 357, while it is 12th with a .252 batting average. Either the guys are not seeing the ball well and need to spend more time in the cage or something more serious is affecting the team.
In contrast the team is 24th in ERA with a 4.21 ERA. I think this can be fixed if we get our pitchers healthy, like Daniel Hudson and continue to develop Patrick Corbin and Trevor Bauer.
There has been one bright spot on the team and that is Wade Miley. To think he was almost cut right before the season, now seems absurd. Miley is 5-1 with a 2.14 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, he also sports a .375 batting average. He has done it all and will continue to do so.
As long as we can get these things fixed, the Diamondbacks can get back on track, if not it?s time to develop the young guns and give them some time.
LA seeks seventh straight win behind 5-0 Lilly
In the eyes of Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, the difference between his club's slow start last season and its Major League-best start this year isn't much.
The Dodgers were 21-28 last year on May 23, but just a year later they are 30-14 and have won six in a row.
"I think we're playing almost the same way we played early last year, we just weren't getting runs early last year," he said. "We played good defense last year. Our bullpen was a mess early, but we played the same game. We just didn't get the big hit we're getting now. [Pitching coach Rick] Honeycutt told me last year that in our first 90 games, we scored three runs or less 60 times. Hard to win those games."
With veteran lefty Ted Lilly on the mound on Wednesday, a pitcher who has exemplified his team's 2012 turnaround, the Dodgers will look to sweep the reigning National League West winners, the D-backs, at Chase Field.
After posting a 12-14 record in 2011, Lilly is off to a 5-0 start this year. His 1.79 ERA ranks second among NL starters, slightly behind Atlanta righty Brandon Beachy's 1.77.
In his last outing, the 36-year-old gave up four runs, none of which were earned, on four Cardinals hits over seven innings in a 6-5 Dodgers victory.
On the hill for the D-backs will be a veteran lefty of their own in Joe Saunders. After boasting a 0.90 ERA in April, the 30-year-old has struggled in May with a 7.40 mark.
Saunders will have to work Wednesday without the services of batterymate Miguel Montero, who strained his left groin on Monday and isn't expected back until Friday at the earliest.
"We don't think it's 15 days, but at the same time, we don't want to push him," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "We'll see the treatment and the kind of relief he gets. He is a catcher though, he's got to block balls. He's not going to start [Wednesday] for sure."
In the eyes of Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, the difference between his club's slow start last season and its Major League-best start this year isn't much.
The Dodgers were 21-28 last year on May 23, but just a year later they are 30-14 and have won six in a row.
"I think we're playing almost the same way we played early last year, we just weren't getting runs early last year," he said. "We played good defense last year. Our bullpen was a mess early, but we played the same game. We just didn't get the big hit we're getting now. [Pitching coach Rick] Honeycutt told me last year that in our first 90 games, we scored three runs or less 60 times. Hard to win those games."
With veteran lefty Ted Lilly on the mound on Wednesday, a pitcher who has exemplified his team's 2012 turnaround, the Dodgers will look to sweep the reigning National League West winners, the D-backs, at Chase Field.
After posting a 12-14 record in 2011, Lilly is off to a 5-0 start this year. His 1.79 ERA ranks second among NL starters, slightly behind Atlanta righty Brandon Beachy's 1.77.
In his last outing, the 36-year-old gave up four runs, none of which were earned, on four Cardinals hits over seven innings in a 6-5 Dodgers victory.
On the hill for the D-backs will be a veteran lefty of their own in Joe Saunders. After boasting a 0.90 ERA in April, the 30-year-old has struggled in May with a 7.40 mark.
Saunders will have to work Wednesday without the services of batterymate Miguel Montero, who strained his left groin on Monday and isn't expected back until Friday at the earliest.
"We don't think it's 15 days, but at the same time, we don't want to push him," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "We'll see the treatment and the kind of relief he gets. He is a catcher though, he's got to block balls. He's not going to start [Wednesday] for sure."
Dodgers (T. Lilly - L) @ Diamondbacks (J. Saunders - L)
1. Elian Herrera (S) CF
2. Jerry Sands (R) LF
3. Bobby Abreu (L) RF
4. Scott Van Slyke (R) 1B
5. A.J. Ellis (R) C
6. Ivan De Jesus (R) 2B
7. Adam Kennedy (L) 3B
8. Dee Gordon (L) SS
9. Ted Lilly (L) P
1. Willie Bloomquist (R) SS
2. Ryan Roberts (R) 3B
3. Justin Upton (R) RF
4. Jason Kubel (L) LF
5. Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
6. Aaron Hill (R) 2B
7. Gerardo Parra (L) CF
8. Henry Blanco (R) C
9. Joe Saunders (L) P
1. Elian Herrera (S) CF
2. Jerry Sands (R) LF
3. Bobby Abreu (L) RF
4. Scott Van Slyke (R) 1B
5. A.J. Ellis (R) C
6. Ivan De Jesus (R) 2B
7. Adam Kennedy (L) 3B
8. Dee Gordon (L) SS
9. Ted Lilly (L) P
1. Willie Bloomquist (R) SS
2. Ryan Roberts (R) 3B
3. Justin Upton (R) RF
4. Jason Kubel (L) LF
5. Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
6. Aaron Hill (R) 2B
7. Gerardo Parra (L) CF
8. Henry Blanco (R) C
9. Joe Saunders (L) P
