So, one of the big series' of the weekend was Rangers-Dodgers, and it led to three very tight, low-scoring games. Of course it did.
The Dodgers are gonna be hard to beat because they just won a World Series and, in response, got even better. The Rangers are gonna be hard to beat because everyone who was hurt last year is healthy again, and the Bruce Bochy magic now works on odd years rather than even ones. Between the two teams you have some of the best players in baseball right now, a few of which didn't even factor into many of the games in this series. The knock-down/drag-out quality of just an April version of Rangers-Dodgers foreshadows the fact that this could very well be a World Series matchup.
That's certainly not something that intimidates Corey Seager, arguably one of the best postseason performers of the last decade. By 31, he's a two-time World Series MVP, and a two-time World Series champion. He's responsible for 19 postseason home runs and 48 postseason RBIs, 20 of those happening during the 2020 playoffs. His last three seasons with Texas he's hit 30+ home runs, a feat made even bigger when you factor in that he never crossed 30 with the Dodgers, even though, surrounded by Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson and Max Muncy, he never really needed to. And now that Seager's paired with Pedey again, uh...Pedey's not really hitting too well. No matter. Seager's hitting .304 with 4 homers and 6 RBIs already.
The thing about Seager, which is interesting to talk about the week he faces the battery of Betts, Ohtani and Freeman, three surefire future HOFers, is that Seager's HOF case is...borderline. He played on some of the biggest teams of the decade and was the difference-maker on them, had 4 seasons of 5 WAR or more, and placed high among the best contact hitters of his day. His career WAR at the moment is 38, which isn't...crazy, but you also think that if he hadn't gotten injured a bunch of times that'd be in the 50 zone by now. And that would be the factor that keeps Seager from fully recognized greatness, those injury numbers, especially during the Dodgers years. It's why the Dodgers were so willing to let him go...and why the Rangers were so pleasantly surprised that, by and large, he's held together ever since.
As Seager has become one of the more crucial Rangers, somehow Teoscar Hernandez has fit into LA perfectly. I wasn't sure how much of a presence he'd have in LA, after a fairly middle of the road 2023 in Seattle, but Teoscar has become one of the most lovable parts of an already easy to enjoy Dodgers lineup. Last season with the Dodgers, Teoscar topped his old single season HR total with 33, not counting the 3 he'd blast during the postseason. Three more and he'll top 200 total, as he's already knocked 5 this season. Tesocar is the new cheesy power guy, and unlike your standard grade Max Muncy, he's got the occasional defensive perk and some contact moments. He's now started two different all-star games for two different teams, and he's still a big part of this current Dodgers lineup. Arguably there are more versatile bats, but somebody like Teoscar is perfect for this team, and it's no wonder he's already found his fanbase in LA.
The success of Tesocar, and the Dodgers' lineup in general, is distracting from some pitching woes, like some more starting roulette. Already Snell and Glasnow have gotten hurt, and Landon Knack, Bobby Miller and Justin Wrobleski have all struggled in fill-in starts. It helps that the core of the rotation, Yamamoto, Sasaki and May, has been pretty good so far, but this is the exact kind of musical chairs shit they went through last year, and you'd think they'd have ironed out the kinks by now. Half the guys who should be here, Gonsolin and Kershaw mostly, are still rehabbing. Now even relievers are getting in on the fun, as Blake Treinen and Michael Kopech are out for a bit. You really shouldn't be putting that many eggs in Luis Garcia's basket, not at this age. At the very least a new reliever named Jack Dreyer who I've never heard of has been phenomenal in that position, but who knows how long it'll be before he burns out as well.
Like...it says a lot where, of the two teams, LA's rotation is more of a liability. The Rangers have Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle and Nate Eovaldi. And their backup choice is Patrick Corbin, who's been surprisingly pretty good despite being bitten by an animal before his last start, which is genuinely one of the funniest things I've ever heard. Falling in the shower is nothing, here's Patrick Corbin getting bitten by a spider and suddenly becoming phenomenal. After Wade Miley and Noah Syndergaard, the Marvel superhero motifs are just gonna work for me every time.
Anyway, Rangers-Dodgers is fascinating even now. We may see it again later. It may be even more fascinating.
Coming Tomorrow- He's already hit a ton of home runs this season, but it's one he didn't hit that people are talking about.
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