Mailbag Monday: Lance Lynn concerns, Clayton Kershaw possibly retiring, team dress-up day?!
Answering questions from paid subscribers!
Happy Monday, everyone! September is almost in the books, meaning October baseball is around the corner (where the hell did the time go?)
You guys crushed it this week when it came to the mailbag! Lots of topics covered this week.
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Andrew Countis — When you read between the lines of the various recent local articles and the comments made by Dave Roberts, etc, do you not sense retirement for Kersh? I know we have had this every year since at least 2018, but it seems different this time. Thoughts?
I agree that it seems a little different than previous years, but I think it might be due to his current health. Kershaw has not looked right for the last couple of months, and his injury is definitely playing a role. I think seeing him not look 100 percent makes it a little worrisome because he’s said in the past that he doesn’t want to continue pitching if he’s not elite anymore. Of course, he won’t have a decision for a few months and I’m sure it’s nowhere close to made at the moment. But I’m definitely less confident than I’ve been in previous years. I also want him to just never leave!
Travis — Absolutely anything on J.P. Feyereisen? It appeared to be a move with 2024 in mind, but nothing has been heard in months.
Yeah I think that’s the reason. 2024 was always the play with him. I don’t think there was ever any consideration for him to return in 2023, at least not to my knowledge. Honestly up until this question, I had forgotten all about him. He’ll definitely be a nice pickup for the bullpen in 2024!
Jeff Dominique — Any word on the Landon Knack injury?
Nothing that I’ve seen. It’s usually harder to learn more about injuries in the minors. He was placed on the IL on August 25, so it’s been a while since we’ve seen him pitch. I’m guessing since we haven’t heard anything about it, it’s probably not too serious? Still, missing a month of the season isn’t ideal!
Alex Khalifa — How odd is it to see the Padres and Giants with identical records?
Imagine if I would have told you back in March that the Padres and Giants would have the same record entering the final week of the season. You’d probably think the Giants were using their voodoo magic again and they’d be a 100-win team! It’s crazy that both teams have the same record. It’s even crazier considering what the standings looked like at the beginning of the month. Just two weeks ago, the Giants had a 6.5 game lead over the Padres!
Baseball Geek — What is Dave Roberts obsession with Kiké Hernandez? Every year he has one, Edwin Rios in previous years.
To be fair, Hernandez hasn’t been awful since coming over to the Dodgers. He’s hitting .250 with an OPS right at .700. Not All-Star numbers by any means, but serviceable. His ability to play anywhere is also valuable as well. Sure, there are better options offensively, but for being an average hitter with versatility in the field, I don’t mind him playing as often as he does!
Bob Lowe — 2 questions regarding Lance Lynn: 1. Is there a specific pitch that opponents are blasting for home runs? 2. Wouldn’t an opener for him possibly be a help?
I don’t have the home run data, but opponents have their highest batting average and slugging percentage off his cutter. With that being said, his 4-seamer has the highest hard-hit percentage. So it seems like both pitches are a lose/lose!
I don’t know if any opener would help too much with his overall numbers. I guess he would face the top of the lineup less, which could help considering those are the better hitters. It could help, but I doubt the Dodgers even consider it with a veteran like Lynn.
Dustin Estrada — How we feeling about Lance Lynn? His stuff on his day is nasty, but the HR issue seems glaring especially against a possible Atlanta match up.
I worry about him. His home run rate has actually INCREASED since joining the Dodgers. His FIP is also higher as well, so his ERA is a little deceiving. I just don’t think I can trust him on the mound in a playoff game. Sure, he can give you 6-7 innings which is so valuable, but he can just blow up at any time. In a five-game series and eventually a seven-game series, you just can’t risk that.
He’s been great over his last three starts, but that’s because he’s allowed a total of only three homers. It really seems like if he allows fewer than two homers, he’s fantastic. If he allows more, he’s out by the fourth inning with a huge deficit. You just don’t know which Lynn you’re going to get.
Hopefully the Dodgers have a 2-0 series lead by the time a decision needs to be made on Lynn to start. This may be a hot take, but I don’t think he’d be a lock to make the roster in the NLCS against the Braves. I mean I just can’t imagine throwing him out there against that lineup.
Eddie Becker — What are your unbiased opinions about our chances this upcoming postseason?
I think the Dodgers are the second best team in the NL. I think the Braves are a much better team, but as we’ve learned, anything can happen in a postseason series! My gut tells me this team isn’t strong enough, which definitely means they’re going to win it all!
MJ — Do you think / hope the dodgers will do their annual dress up day? I look forward to it every year!
I have no idea why the Dodgers haven’t had a dress up day yet! Usually they’ve done it by now. My only guess is that they saved it for the final roadtrip. They can either do it when they leave Colorado this week or when they wrap up the season in San Francisco this weekend. I’ll be really disappointed if they don’t do it this season, especially since this team is a lot more fun than previous ones!
Love the honesty to my question. I feel the same way, another October is going to cut like a knife to the heart again. But I along with many of you have high hopes for next season!