Dodgers Dugout: Three pitchers get A’s on midseason report card

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, reminding you that when you start feeling discouraged, just think to yourself, “It could be worse, I could be an Angels fan.”

Making the grade

We’re at the All-Star break, which means it’s time for our annual midseason report card.

On Tuesday, I graded the batters. See those grades here.

Today, it’s the pitchers’ turn.

On Friday, I’ll look at all the transactions Andrew Friedman has made since joining the Dodgers. I did this once before, and based on new information, some of those trades will get new grades.

Now, the pitchers (I am including their W-L and ERA along with their FIP, ERA+ and WAR):

Starters

Clayton Kershaw (11-2, 1.79 ERA, 1.70 FIP, 220 ERA+, 4.7 WAR)

What else is left to say about Kershaw? He is the second-best pitcher in Dodgers history, behind Koufax. And he was putting together his best season ever before getting sidelined by a back injury. Grade: A+

Kenta Maeda (8-6, 2.95, 3.41, 133, 2.1)

Maeda has been a pleasant addition to the team and concerns about how he would react to pitching every fifth day have been unwarranted so far. You have to worry that he will tire by the end of the season, but he has been better than pretty much anyone expected. Grade: B

Scott Kazmir (7-3, 4.52, 4.41, 87, 0.2)

Kazmir has been very inconsistent this season, either pitching a gem or getting lit up. He has an 8.50 ERA in the first inning, so the team might want to consider blacking out the first inning on the scoreboard when he pitches in an attempt to trick him into thinking the game is starting in the second. On May 24, he was 3-3 with a 4.84 ERA. Since then he is 4-0 with a 3.72 ERA. Grade: C+

Ross Stripling (2-3, 4.53, 3.79, 87, 0.1)

Almost pitched a no-hitter in his first start (and I still say he should have been allowed to stay in that game), but it has been pretty much downhill from there. Is currently resting comfortably in a dark room someplace to conserve his innings. Grade: C

Alex Wood (1-4, 3.99, 3.30, 99, 0.2)

Wood pitched much better than his record indicates, as his FIP+ is over half a run better than his ERA. He could give the Dodgers an important boost down the stretch when he returns from the disabled list. Unfortunately, with that oddly segmented delivery, he may be spending some time in future years on the DL too. Grade: B-

Julio Urias (1-2, 4.95, 3.59, 80, -0.2)

The kid came up and proved a couple of things: First, most of us unfairly overhyped him, and second, his erratic debut showed just how special Fernando Valenzuela was. Urias is currently back in the minors pitching in the bullpen. But don’t let his first few games with the Dodgers fool you, because he is going to be really good for a long time. Grade: C-

Mike Bolsinger (1-4, 6.83, 5.85, 58, -0.6)

Whatever he was doing to pitch so effectively last season disappeared this season. It’s probably going to take half the rotation going down to injury before Bolsinger gets another real chance. Grade: D-

Relievers

For relievers, I am adding in one stat: their percentage of inherited runners that scored. The league average in IRS is 31%.

Kenley Jansen (3-2, 1.16 ERA, 1.34 FIP, 339 ERA+, 10% IRS, 1.9 WAR)

Jansen is one of the best closers in baseball and is the only reliever on the staff with a save (he has 27). He is going to get a large contract in the off-season, but will the Dodgers be the ones to give it to him? Grade: A+

Adam Liberatore (1-0. 0.61, 2.15, 646, 20.83%, 1.4)

Liberatore broke the Dodgers record for most consecutive scoreless appearances, which is a lot easier to do when you only face one batter a game. Still, though, he has been great at doing what the Dodgers want, which is shutting down left-handed hitters. They are batting .119 and slugging .203 against him. Grade: A

Joe Blanton (4-2, 2.09, 3.47, 189, 28.57%, 1.2)

The email I get about him is still about 80% negative, despite the fact that he has pitched pretty well. He had a couple of shaky outings early in the season that some people have fixated on, but since giving up three runs to St. Louis on May 15, he has gone 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA, with the big drawback being a 40% IRS in that time. However, he rarely comes in with men on base (since May 15, he has stranded three of five inherited runners). Overall, he has been an effective set-up man for Jansen. Grade: B+

Pedro Baez (2-2, 3.19, 3.88, 124, 43.75%, 0.5)

He has the stuff of a closer, but bring him in with runners on and he can’t get anyone out. He had the same problem last season, and let’s not even bring up his 2015 playoff performance. Note to Dave Roberts: Look at the bases when you walk out to the mound. If you see opponents there, don’t wave Baez into the game. Grade: C-

Casey Fien (0-0, 2.49, 4.84, 160, 0%, 0.4)

Fien’s biggest problem is the long ball, as he has given up five homers in only 21.2 innings. Grade: C

J.P. Howell (1-1, 3.81, 4.16, 104, 50%, 0.2)

Howell weathered a brutal April and had an ERA of 9.00 when the month came to an end. But his numbers have consistently improved since then. Here’s an odd fact: Last season, right-handers hit .318 against him and lefties hit .224. This season? Righties are hitting .170 and lefties .321. Grade: C

Louis Coleman (1-1, 4.01, 3.65, 99, 22.73%, -0.1)

Coleman is one of those guys who hangs around all season, eating up innings without really standing out in your memory. He’s basically the definition of a league average pitcher, and has been slightly below average this season. Grade: C-

Chris Hatcher (5-4, 5.02, 5.35, 79, 20%, -0.5)

I’ve been trying to come up with something nice to say about Hatcher’s performance this season and I finally came up with one: As far as I know, he hasn’t missed a team flight. Grade: D-

Didn’t pitch enough to get a fair grade:

Bud Norris, Brandon McCarthy, Yimi Garcia, Luis Avilan, Carlos Frias, Chin-hui Tsao, Brock Stewart, Hyun-jin Ryu, Nick Tepesch.

What Vin Scully means to me

I asked you to tell me your best Vin Scully memory, and I got a lot of responses. I will publish selected ones in each newsletter. And keep emailing them to me.

Jim Tomkovicz: By way of background and context, I am a native Angeleno and lifelong Dodger fan, born downtown at Third and Alvarado, raised and schooled in the San Fernando Valley. I moved to the Midwest for a career in the early ‘80s. Six or seven years ago I was visiting L.A. with my then-teenage daughter. We were attending Mass in the Valley and were a bit early. As we pulled into the lot to park, the prior service was just ending. When I saw a man walking across the lot, I exclaimed, “THAT’S VIN SCULLY!” I hastily parked, got out, and walked up to him before he could reach his vehicle, asking if I could take my daughter’s picture with him. He said, “of course,” but my daughter insisted that I should pose with Vin instead. After the shot, I informed him that as a little boy I would fall asleep at night to his voice coming from the prized transistor radio under my pillow! Without missing a beat, ever-humble Vinny replied, “I tend to have that effect on a lot of people!”

Sometimes I realize I haven’t changed much through the years. Now, while following the boys on MLB, I often relive my youth by falling asleep to the sound of Vin’s voice coming from the iPad sitting beside my bed! Whatever shall I do next year? Like so many others, I will be disconsolate when the voice reaching my ear is no longer his. I am grateful for learning the game from the very best, and for the wealth of memories he has provided.

The TV situation

If you would like to complain about the Dodgers’ TV situation, you have three options: The Dodgers, Time Warner Cable and whatever local cable or satellite provider you have that doesn’t carry the Dodgers. Here’s who to contact:

For the Dodgers, click here or call (866) DODGERS, or (866) 363-4377. (I hope you like form letters).

For Time Warner, click here.

For DirecTV, call (800) 531-5000 or click here.

For your local cable or satellite provider, consult your bill for the customer service number and for the website.

And finally

Kenley Jansen is finally an All-Star in what could be his last season with the team. Read all about it here.

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter: @latimeshouston

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