Dodgers Dugout: How the offense stacks up with the rest of the potential NL playoff teams

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and the Dodgers have three players in the top 10 in NL batting averages.

The Dodgers have been on a pretty good hot streak the last couple of weeks, but that doesn’t stop some fans from gnashing their teeth and wearing sackcloth and ashes after each loss.

Lately, the growing consensus is that the Dodgers can’t possibly win the World Series with two guys hitting below .220.

This, of course, ignores the fact that the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020 with two guys hitting below .200.

The tendency among many fans is to treat their team as if it exists in a vacuum. The focus is on the Dodgers’ flaws, forgetting that every teams has flaws. The Dodgers are going to make the playoffs and then anything can happen.

But are the Dodgers really at a disadvantage having two players (Max Muncy, .161, and Cody Bellinger, .212) hitting below .220? Let’s take a look at the three worst batting averages/OPS+ combinations for players who get a lot of playing time for potential playoff teams.

Dodgers
Max Muncy, .158/.317/.303, 77 OPS+
Cody Bellinger, .210/.271/.380, 80 OPS+
Chris Taylor, .238/.319/.409, 101 OPS+

Mets
Tomás Nido, .211/.256/.236, 42 OPS+
Eduardo Escobar, .217/..273/.387, 86 OPS+
J.D. Davis, .240/.328/.353, 95 OPS+

Braves
Adam Duvall, .204/.269/.383, 78 OPS+
Orlando Arcia, .248/.324/.360, 89 OPS+
Marcell Ozuna, .226/.282/.418, 90 OPS+

Phillies
Bryson Stott, .187/.256/.301, 58 OPS+
Didi Gregorius, .236/.298/.339, 82 OPS+
Odubel Herrera, .240/.280/.392, 89 OPS+

Brewers
Luis Urias, .223/.315/.391, 99 OPS+
Kolten Wong, .227/.314/.391, 99 OPS+
Tyrone Taylor, .228/.277/.423, 95 OPS+

Cardinals
Andrew Knizner, .205/.297/.260, 65 OPS+
Tyler O’Neill, .235/.286/.353, 84 OPS+
Harrison Bader, .256/.303/.370, 93 OPS+

Padres
Trent Grisham, .190/.293/.324, 81 OPS+
C.J. Abrams, .233/.278/.328, 77 OPS+
Austin Nola, .236/.306/.300, 79 OPS+

Giants
Joey Bart, .168/.299/.327, 76 OPS+
Brandon Crawford, .218/.303/.339, 80 OPS+
Darin Ruf, .226/.337/.353, 95 OPS+

And the two best AL teams:

Yankees
Joey Gallo, .166/.287/.336, 80 OPS+
Josh Donaldson, .225/.310/.395, 102 OPS+
Aaron Hicks, .237/.356/.357, 107 OPS+

Astros
Martin Maldonado, .165/.236/.325, 59 OPS+
Jose Siri, .185/.248/.315, 60 OPS+
Yuli Gurriel, .230/.283/.385, 89 OPS+

So, if you look at the Dodgers in a vacuum, they look like they are in trouble with three below average hitters in the lineup. But if you compare them to the other teams, they don’t look as bad. In fact, some of those teams would gladly welcome Max Muncy into their lineup as an improvement.

That’s not to say we should be rejoicing. No, there’s obvious room for improvement. But those three hitters don’t put the Dodgers at a marked disadvantage.

Graterol to IL

Brusdar Graterol went on the 15-day IL on Thursday because of right shoulder inflammation. The Dodgers brought Reyes Moronta up from the minors to take his place. There isn’t too much concern over Graterol, and he was put on the IL to take advantage of the All-Star break. “Just kind of given the workload for the first half,” Dave Roberts said. “You’ve got three days to backdate, you’ve got four days over the break, so the cost isn’t that much.”

Sort of hot

Freddie Freeman has 13 hits in his last 16 at-bats, one short of the L.A. Dodger record for most hits over a four-game period. A look:

Rafael Furcal, 2007, 14 for 18
Shawn Green, 2002, 13 for 19
Mike Piazza, 1995, 13 for 20
Jim Wynn, 1974, 13 for 18
Ted Sizemore, 1970, 13 for 19

The all-time Dodger record is 16 hits in a four-game period by Milt Stock in 1925. He did it in 23 at-bats.

Poll results

You were asked to vote in our informal survey asking “Who should start the All-Star game, Tony Gonsolin or Clayton Kershaw? After16,072 votes, here are the results:

Clayton Kershaw, 76.3%
Tony Gonsolin, 23.7%

Pin time

Two new Dodger pins

(Courtesy 76)

One of the more popular Dodger-related promotions is the pins that 76 gas stations give away each summer with a purchase. I can remember collecting Dodger-related items from 76 when I was a kid, so I always look forward to this promotion. I get no kick backs for this, it’s just a reminder of a fond childhood memory.

This year, they are giving away two pins to people who use the My 76 App to buy at least eight gallons of gas between July 15-Aug. 31. And with the price of gas currently, that means you can get two pins for around $3,000.

You can see the pins in the picture above.

Obscure Dodger stat of the week

Who are the best and worst pitchers ranked by ERA+ in Dodgers history? Here’s the top and bottom 10. ERA+ allows us to compare ERA’s across time periods. An ERA+ of 90 means you were 10% worse than an average pitcher in your period. An ERA+ of 110 means you were 10% better. And so on. Minimum 350 innings.

Bottom 10
Mel Eason, 71
Jim Pastorius, 78
Harry McIntyre, 82
Hal Gregg, 82
Joe Shaute, 84
Joe Moeller, 86
Jack Coombs, 86
Elmet Knetzer, 87
Rick Sutcliffe, 89
Max Butcher, 89

Top 10
Kenley Jansen, 164
Zack Greinke, 156
Clayton Kershaw, 155
Kevin Brown, 147
Walker Buehler, 135
Julio Urías, 134
Jonathon Broxton, 132
Ron Perranoski, 132
Pedro Baez, 132
Sandy Koufax, 131

If we just consider L.A. Dodgers:

Bottom 10
Joe Moeller, 86
Rick Sutcliffe, 89
Kaz Ishii, 93
Darren Dreifort, 95
Jeff Weaver, 97
Rick Honeycutt, 100
Charlie Hough, 102
Tim Leary, 102
Kevin Gross, 102
Odalis Pérez, 102

Top 10
Kenley Jansen, 164
Zack Greinke, 156
Clayton Kershaw, 155
Kevin Brown, 147
Sandy Koufax, 135
Walker Buehler, 135
Julio Urías, 134
Jonathon Broxton, 132
Ron Perranoski, 132
Pedro Baez, 132

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 6-2, 2.40 ERA) at Angels (*Patrick Sandoval, 3-4, 2.95 ERA), 6:30 p.m., SportsNet LA, BallySports West, AM 570, KLAA 830, KTNQ 1020, KWKW 1330

Saturday: Dodgers (*Julio Urías, 7-6, 3.01 ERA) at Angels (*Jose Suarez, 1-3, 4.79 ERA), 7 p.m., SportsNet LA, BallySports West, AM 570, KLAA 830, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

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And finally

Seven Dodger Stadium details you might not know. Watch and listen here.