Dodgers Youngsters Make Bucs “Walk the Plank”
Chris Taylor, Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson and Alex Wood, lead the Dodgers (18-14) in an absolute rout of the Pirates (14-18) last night in a 12-1 victory at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers got off to a quick start putting up 6 runs in the first inning, 4 of which came off of Chris Taylor with one swing of the bat – the Dodgers 2nd grand slam in as many games.
Yasiel Puig followed with a bomb of his own making it 6-0 and, essentially, put the game out of reach for the struggling Pirates.
Joc Pederson also produced 3 hits in his first 3 at bats driving in 2 RBI’s and scoring 2 runs. Ironically, the only starter (other than Wood) to remain hitless was rookie and “NL Player of the Week“, Cody Bellinger; however, he did draw a key walk which lead to Taylor’s blast.
Alex Wood pitched another gem allowing no runs on only 2 hits and 1 BB while striking out 11 in 5 innings. The Dodgers ended up striking out a grand total of 17 batters – a season high for the club and only 1 K short of the franchise record. Ross Stripling pitched a solid 3 innings of relief allowing only 1 run and striking out 5 Pirates of his own.
Of the aforementioned starters in last night’s game, none of them are older than 26 years old. These Dodgers “youngsters” are proving that they want to be here. It’s refreshing to finally see a young team producing the way the Dodgers are. Long gone are the days of washed-up veterans taking up the majority of the roster spots riding out the remaining years of their contracts (Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent and yes, even you Chase Utley, all come to mind); however, don’t be misled, veteran players are a necessary part of the game. The prowess, experience, and motivational abilities cannot be matched, not even by the coaches.
Take the Chicago Cubs for example. They were one of the youngest teams to win the World Series but would they have still become world champions last season without the likes of John Lackey, Jon Lester, Ben Zobrist or David “Grandpa” Ross? Likely not. The difference between the Dodgers now compared to Dodgers past is that the youngsters are all seeing more playing time – not acting as bench-warming spectators.
Dave Roberts has been criticized for altering the line-up day in and day out (myself included) but one thing he is doing right is starting the guys who are playing well. All of our young players still have a lot to learn; however, many of them now have playoff experience (some 4 years worth!). These youngsters staying healthy and hot, combined with the presence of veterans Chase Utley and Adrian Gonzalez at least in the dugout, should equate to a team of worthy playoff contenders.
BakoBoyInBlue
