News Dodgers Team Notes

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers nearing division title in gutty extra-inning win over D-backs

The Dodgers looked to be destined for another late loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, but the bullpen hung on and Tommy Edman played the hero in a 5-4 win over 11 innings.

Shohei Ohtani began the game with a triple high off the center field wall against Ryne Nelson, extending his on-base streak to 28 games. Mookie Betts plated him with a sacrifice fly that put the Dodgers in front early, but Nelson made quick work of the next two hitters he faced.

Arizona quickly responded against Blake Snell with a ringing double from Ketel Marte to begin the bottom of the first, later advancing to third on a weak bouncer back to the mound. A walk to Corbin Carroll put men on the corners with one out, and Gabriel Moreno tied the game with a sacrifice fly of his own. After a pair of stolen bases put the speedy Carroll at third base, Snell struck out Blaze Alexander to preserve the tie.

The Dodgers began to mount a rally against Nelson with two outs in the top of the third with singles from Betts and Freddie Freeman. Facing Max Muncy, Nelson tossed a fastball that caught the outside corner of the zone, but was ruled a ball much to the surprise of everyone on the field. Nelson bounced back to strike out Muncy swinging on a full count curveball to limit the threat.

After Tommy Edman connected for his second hit against Nelson in the top of the fourth, Andy Pages cashed in Edman and himself on a monster two-run home run to make it a two run Dodger lead. Pages’ 26 home runs on the year are double from his total as a rookie, with only six of them coming away from Dodger Stadium.

Andy for the go-ahead! pic.twitter.com/XRPchOnoil

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 25, 2025

Snell kept Arizona in check after the first inning, where the southpaw tossed six innings for a third consecutive start. The sacrifice fly from Moreno was the first run he allowed since a five run meltdown in Pittsburgh, and his five strikeouts on the night were the lowest in a start since Aug. 22 against the San Diego Padres. Snell officially closes the book on an injury-plagued first regular season with the Dodgers, finishing with a 2.35 ERA and 72 strikeouts over just 61 1/3 innings pitched.

Six strong innings from Blake.

Tonight's King of the Hill presented by @KingsHawaiian. pic.twitter.com/mBmsazbmYL

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 25, 2025

Roki Sasaki made his return from injury after being sidelined for four months, making his first ever relief appearance at the big league level. Sasaki’s fastball reached a maximum speed of 99.8 miles per hour in a perfect bottom of the seventh where he struck out two on just 13 pitches, eight of which went for strikes.

Welcome back, Roki! pic.twitter.com/dpPdRFCrxz

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 25, 2025

The Dodgers grabbed a huge insurance run with Teoscar Hernández slicing an RBI double in the top of the eighth inning to make it a three run game. Hernández advanced to third on the play with Geraldo Perdomo bobbling the relay throw.

Alex Vesia came in for a second straight game to begin the bottom of the eighth, and the same issues the bullpen experienced on Tuesday persisted. Marte slapped a one out single before Vesia lost a 10 pitch battle against Perdomo on a free pass. Carroll brought home Marte on a line drive double that cut the lead in half, and Edgardo Henríquez was brought in to face Moreno with the tying run in scoring position. Moreno chopped a swinging bunt that Ben Rortvedt could not handle, allowing Perdomo to score and place the tying run 90 feet away from scoring. Torey Luvollo called on pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo to make it a brand new ball game as he did the night before. Del Castillo lined a deep fly ball that Edman managed to grab, but plenty deep enough for Carroll to score and tie the game and once again ruining a Dodger starter’s chances of securing the win after a quality start.

Clayton Kershaw made his first relief appearance in either the regular or postseason since his infamous implosions against the Washington Nationals in Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS. Kershaw got the first two hitters he saw to ground out, and an incredible diving catch from Edman robbed Marte of extra bases and sent the game to extra innings.

Kersh out of the 'pen and Tommy with the diving catch! pic.twitter.com/DsmPxQGcHX

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 25, 2025

A base hit from Mookie Betts looked to score the ghost runner Hyeseong Kim, but a slight hesitation from Kim off the second base bag allowed Carroll to gun him down.

The Dodgers appeared to trend towards another walk-off defeat as Jack Dreyer loaded the bases with only one out. After getting pinch hitter Jake McCarthy to pop out, Blake Treinen took over to face the James McCann, and Treinen kept the game alive by inducing a fly out.

As dazzling as Edman was in center field defensively, his third hit of the game scored Freeman in the top of the 11th against Brandyn Garcia to give the Dodgers the lead again. Justin Wrobleski secured his second save of the season as the Dodgers keep their hunt for another division title alive.

Go ahead, Tommy! pic.twitter.com/gfi56YXfNh

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 25, 2025

The Dodgers’ magic number is now down to just 1 after the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the San Diego Padres. The Philadelphia Phillies did clinch a first round bye with a dominant win over the Miami Marlins, meaning the Dodgers will indeed play in the Wild Card series. Arizona is now hanging by a thread, as they and the Cincinnati Reds are only one game behind the New York Mets for the final Wild Card spot.

Game particulars​

• Home runs— Andy Pages (26)
• WP— Blake Treinen (2-7): 1/3 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
• LP— Brandyn Garcia (0-2): 2 IP, 2 hits, 1 run (0 earned), 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
• SV— Justin Wrobleski (2): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts

Up next​

The Dodgers wrap things up in Arizona on Thursday (12:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before heading out to Seattle to take on the Mariners for their final regular season series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes his final start of the regular season against Zac Gallen.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/104543/dodgers-diamondbacks-game-recap

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

September 25: Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 0

• Dodgers aren’t a super team, but they won a division title just the same
• Dodgers rout Diamondbacks to win NL West
• Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks game XIII chat
• Dodgers on Deck: September 25 at Diamondbacks

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/104603/dodgers-diamondbacks-september-25

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers aren’t a super team, but they won a division title just the same

The Dodgers clinched the National League West on Thursday afternoon with a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, winning their fourth straight division title and 12th in 13 years. The Dodgers winning the NL West was expected, but the path was much more turbulent than many projected.

The Dodgers this year will finish with their worst record since 2018 (91-72), but their victory on Thursday gave them 90 wins for the 12th full season in a row, a stretch that was only interrupted by a 43-17 (.717) 2020 season. The only other team in major league history to win 90 games 12 full years in a row was the New York Yankees, from 1947-58.

Caveat here: ninety wins in a 162-game schedule is roughly the same as 86 wins in the old 154-game schedule. The Yankees had 13 straight years of 86 or more wins from 1946-58, but that was dwarfed by New York’s 18-year streak from 1926-43.

By winning the division, the Dodgers have locked up the No. 3 seed in the National League playoffs, and will begin their postseason on Tuesday, September 30 at Dodger Stadium hosting the best-of-three wild card series.

When factoring in what is certain to be a record-setting competitive balance tax payment — breaking last year’s mark, also by the Dodgers — this year the Dodgers will pay well over $540 million in competitive balance tax payroll and taxes for 2025. With that payroll comes massive expectations, and backlash.

A nine-day span at the end of January saw consternation over the Dodgers, on two fronts. Their free agent signings of Tanner Scott — his four-year, $72 million deal is the fifth-largest contract in total value ever signed by a reliever — and Kirby Yates for one-year, $13 million were seen as excess for a bullpen that was already deep and stacked.

I’ll pause for laughter.

But another key point in those nine days in January was when Roki Sasaki signed with the Dodgers, too. Sasaki was so hellbent on coming to MLB now rather than wait two years for a surefire nine-figure contract, that he was forced to sign as an international amateur, and will be subject to three years of near-minimum salaries before three more years of arbitration before even qualifying for true free agency. A 23-year-old, mostly-ready-made major league starting pitcher making a relative pittance is the most coveted type of player in the sport, and literally every team wanted to and could have signed him. The Dodgers couldn’t simply flex their financial muscles to sign Sasaki, yet he chose to sign with them anyway, for a $6.5 million signing bonus.

The signings of Sasaki, Scott, and Yates were more fuel on the “Dodgers are ruining baseball” fire, which makes it darkly funny that those three pitchers have been mostly terrible in 2025, combining for a 4.88 ERA and 27 home runs allowed in 132 2/3 innings.

The Dodgers were by no means a super team, with the rotation, bullpen, and lineup at times missing key pieces due to injury, and several regulars underperforming. Even stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman went through arguably the worst stretches of their careers for several weeks. Those two combined to drive in five runs in the clincher on Thursday.

The bullpen carried the pitching staff for a while as several starters were out, and now the bullpen is going through its worst stretch in years while the rotation is so deep that Emmet Sheehan and Clayton Kershaw — the latter will finish second on the team in starts and innings, amazingly — aren’t expected to start in the postseason.

Despite many problems throughout the year, the Dodgers have spent most of the season in first place. They were in second or third place for three weeks in April, but never more than 2 1/2 games out of first, and after that were one game back of the Padres on three different days in August.

It’s fitting that Yoshinobu Yamamoto was on the mound for Thursday’s division clincher, as he’s been the rock of the pitching staff all season. The right-hander has a 2.49 ERA in 173 2/3 innings, the first Dodgers pitcher with enough innings to qualify since 2022. Yamamoto is one of only three Dodgers pitchers to stay on the active roster all season, along with left-handed relievers Anthony Banda and Jack Dreyer.

For a pitcher who receives some of the worst run support of any qualified starter in baseball, Yamamoto got his best backing yet with eight runs on Thursday, the most the Dodgers have scored with him in the game all year. Not that Yamamoto needed much support, pitching six scoreless innings in his final regular season start of the year.

The win on Thursday also gave the Dodgers’ the season series over the Diamondbacks at 7-6. They also went 9-4 against both the Padres and Giants, and 11-2 against the Rockies. Going 36-16 (.692) against divisional opponents is a great way to ensure winning it.

This is a special time in Dodgers history, with more NL West titles in the last 13 years (12) than in the previous 44 years combined (11). These things shouldn’t be taken for granted, no matter what happens next.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/104463/dodgers-division-title-2025

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers can use Mariners series as reset

The Dodgers finally clinched the NL West on Thursday and celebrated in the Arizona away team clubhouse. Next stop Seattle, for the final series of the regular season.

Clinching the National League West title on Thursday allows the Dodgers the ability to relax slightly before the playoffs and do a reset of sorts. Since the Dodgers did not have one of the top two records in the NL, they will start the playoffs hosting the number six seed in the Wild Card round on Tuesday.

The Dodgers can use this series as a ‘bye’, insofar as being able to rest starters as much as possible and allowing those arms in the bullpen that need work to do so in low pressure situations.

Emmet Sheehan, Tyler Glasnow, and Clayton Kershaw are lined up to finish up the season. Neither Sheehan nor Kershaw look to figure into the starting rotation for the playoffs, so they could conceivably eat some more innings they might not have before. Ben Rordvedt can get some rest with Daulton Rushing getting more work in coming back from his IL stint.

Seattle has also clinched their division, using a sweep against the Houston Astros last weekend to secure their win. They have the same record as the Dodgers, 90-69. The Mariners however will have one of the top two seeds in the American League and will have to navigate how to manage their team until next weekend when their part of the playoffs start.

The biggest news surrounding the Mariners of course is the season that catcher Cal Raleigh is having. Affectionately known as ‘The Big Dumper’, Raleigh is having himself an MVP season. Raleigh has 60 home runs, two away from the AL record of 62 that was set by reigning MVP Aaron Judge. The Mariners plan seems to be moving Raleigh to designated hitter for the final few games to give him some rest but allow him to chase that record.

The Mariners reunited with Eugenio Suarez at the trade deadline, after he was traded from the Mariners to the Diamondbacks in 2023. Suarez sits at 49 homers on the season, and if he hits one more this weekend Seattle will have only the second set of teammates to both have 50 or more home runs in the same season.

Enjoy the last relatively stress-free series of the season, Dodger fans. On Tuesday, it gets real.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Mariners
• Ballpark: T-Mobile Park, Seattle
• Start time: 6:40 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/24480896/dodgers-use-mariners-series-reset

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers 2025 injured list tracker

Every Dodgers player who ends up on the injured list during the 2025 season, we will track here. That includes the concussion IL, which is a minimum of seven days, or the standard IL, which is 10 days at minimum for position players and 15 days for pitchers, as well as the 60-day injured list.

We’ll also track players on paternity leave, the bereavement list, or the family medical emergency list. Basically any time a Dodgers player misses time that requires a roster move, we’ll note it here.

During the 2024 season, 28 different Dodgers missed time. In 2023, there were 34 such players.

Every injured list placement this season will also be chronicled on our 40-man roster page, which like this post will be updated throughout the 2025 season.

Gavin Stone was the first Dodger to land on the injured list in 2025, placed on the 60-day IL on February 11 to make roster room for the signing of Kiké Hernández. Stone is expected to miss the entire season after shoulder surgery in October.

Two days later, River Ryan was placed on the 60-day injured list to make room for Clayton Kershaw. Ryan had Tommy John surgery in August 2024 and is expected to be out for all of 2025 as well.

In finalizing their opening day roster on March 18, the Dodgers placed nine more pitchers on the injured list, including seven on the 15-day IL plus Brusdar Graterol and Michael Grove on the 60-day IL.

Note: if you are on a mobile device, these tables will show up best in landscape mode.

Player	Pos	Injury	Date on	Eligible to return	Comments
Will Smith	C	Right hand contusion	Sep 13	now
Michael Kopech	RHP	Right knee inflammation	Sep 19	Oct 1 (before NLDS)
Kirby Yates	RHP	Right hamstring strain	Sep 24	Oct 6 (after NLDS starts)	retro to Sep 21
Kyle Hurt*	RHP	Tommy John surgery	Mar 17	now	started rehab Sep 2
Brusdar Graterol*	RHP	Right shoulder surgery	Mar 17	now

---

Player	Pos	Injury	Date on	Date off	Games out	Comments
Tommy Edman	IF/OF	Right ankle inflammation	May 3	May 18	17	no rehab games
Tommy Edman	IF/OF	Right ankle sprain	Aug 4	Sep 10	33	5 rehab games
Nick Frasso	RHP	Needed room for Heaney	Sep 27	n/a	2	procedural move
Freddie Freeman	1B	Right ankle sprain	Apr 3	Apr 11	9	no rehab games
Luis García	RHP	Right adductor strain	Jun 1	Jun 26	25	1 rehab game
Tyler Glasnow*	SP	Right shoulder inflammation	Apr 28	Jul 9	65	3 rehab starts
Tony Gonsolin	SP	Back tightness	Mar 17	Apr 30	30	4 rehab starts
Tony Gonsolin*	SP	Internal brace surgery	Jun 7	n/a	98	also flexor tendon repair
Michael Grove*	RHP	Right shoulder surgery	Mar 17	n/a	162	expected out for season
Edgardo Henriquez*	RHP	Left foot fracture	Mar 17	Jun 29	84	12 rehab games
Kiké Hernández	IF/OF	Left elbow inflammation	Jul 7	Aug 25	40	5 rehab games
Teoscar Hernández	OF	Left groin strain	May 6	May 19	12	1 rehab game
Clayton Kershaw*	SP	Left toe surgery	Mar 17	May 17	45	5 rehab starts
Hyeseong Kim	IF/OF	Left shoulder bursitis	Jul 29	Sep 1	30	9 rehab games
Michael Kopech*	RHP	Right shoulder impingement	Mar 17	Jun 7	64	9 rehab games
Michael Kopech*	RHP	Torn right meniscus	Jul 1	Sep 1	52	7 rehab games
Michael Kopech	RHP	Right knee inflammation	Sep 19	n/a	9	regular season over
Max Muncy	3B	Left knee bone bruise	Jul 3	Aug 4	25	5 rehab games
Max Muncy	3B	Oblique strain	Aug 15	Sep 8	22	3 rehab games
Shohei Ohtani	DH	Paternity leave	Apr 18	Apr 20	2	birth of daughter
Evan Phillips	RHP	Right rotator cuff strain	Mar 17	Apr 19	21	6 rehab games
Evan Phillips*	RHP	Tommy John surgery	May 7	n/a	126	surgery on June 4
Dalton Rushing	C	Right shin contusion	Sep 6	Sep 16	9	4 rehab games
River Ryan*	SP	Tommy John surgery	Feb 13	n/a	162	expected out for season
Roki Sasaki*	RHP	Right shoulder impingement	May 13	Sep 24	116	7 rehab games
Tanner Scott	LHP	Left elbow inflammation	Jul 22	Aug 22	27	1 rehab game
Emmet Sheehan*	SP	Tommy John surgery	Mar 17	Jun 18	74	4 rehab starts
Blake Snell*	SP	Left shoulder inflammation	Apr 6	Aug 2	102	4 rehab starts
Blake Snell	SP	Paternity list	Aug 23	Aug 26	3	birth of daughter
Brock Stewart	RHP	Right shoulder surgery	Aug 12	n/a	43	3 rehab games
Gavin Stone*	SP	Shoulder surgery	Feb 11	n/a	162	expected out for season
Blake Treinen*	RHP	Right forearm tightness	Apr 19	Jul 27	84	7 rehab games
Alex Vesia	LHP	Right oblique strain	Aug 26	Sep 9	15	2 rehab games
Kirby Yates	RHP	Right hamstring strain	May 18	Jun 7	18	no rehab games
Kirby Yates	RHP	Lower pack pain	Aug 1	Aug 23	22	1 rehab game

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-injuries/87827/dodgers-injured-list-tracker-2025

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

September 27: Dodgers 5, Mariners 3

• Dodgers vs. Mariners game II chat
• Dodgers add Andrew Heaney into the mix
• Facing Logan Gilbert is a good trial run for the postseason
• Dodgers on Deck: September 27 at Mariners

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/104812/dodgers-mariners-september-27

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers notes: Wild card, Shohei Ohtani, Alex Vesia, Andrew Heaney

We head into Sunday’s final day of the 2025 regular season knowing the Dodgers are the No. 3 seed in the National League playoffs, but we don’t yet know what team they will play on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

The Reds and Mets enter Sunday tied at 83-78, and Cincinnati has the tiebreaker between the two teams. If the Reds beat the Brewers or if the Mets lose to the Marlins, Cincinnati is the No. 6 seed. The Mets need both a win and a Reds loss to make the playoffs.

Expect full wild card schedules, including start times and television broadcast info, to be announced by MLB on Sunday. The league has made such announcements on the final day of the regular season in each of the last three seasons under the current playoff format.

---

Mike Petriello of MLB,com delved into various ways Shohei Ohtani could be used as a two-way player this offseason, even including one or two scenarios Petriello himself called “unhinged.” Regardless of likelihood, I think my favorite scenario posited by Petriello was using Ohtani as starting pitcher, then remains in the game as a designated hitter, and he closes the game on the mound.

Alex Vesia struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth inning on Saturday, giving the left-hander a bullpen-best 80 strikeouts this season. Vesia is the only Dodgers pitcher in the last four seasons to strike out 80 batters in relief; he also struck out 87 batters in 2024.

Vesia was preceded by Blake Treinen and followed by Edgardo Henriquez on the mound on Saturday. Henriquez earned the save, giving the Dodgers 11 different pitchers with a save this season. Treinen, Vesia, and Henriquez combined to strike out the final nine Mariners batters of the game, the first time Dodgers pitchers pulled that off since Aaron Harang did so himself on April 13, 2012 against the Padres at Dodger Stadium.

Andrew Heaney pitched two innings and allowed three runs on a home run by Jorge Polanco. Called up earlier on Saturday, Heaney was the 62nd player used by the Dodgers this season, passing 2021 for most in one year in franchise history. Heaney was also the 40th pitcher used by the Dodgers in 2025, matching last year’s club record.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...d-card-shohei-ohtani-alex-vesia-andrew-heaney

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

September 28: Dodgers 6, Mariners 1

• Shohei Ohtani breaks own Dodgers record with 55th home run
• Dodgers vs. Mariners game III chat
• Dodgers call up Landon Knack, option Andrew Heaney
• Dodgers on Deck: September 28 at Mariners

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/104861/dodgers-mariners-september-28

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers in September: Starting rotation & Big 3 finish strong

Don’t judge a book by its cover, and perhaps especially so when both covers are wildly different. The Dodgers lost their first five games in September and won their last five games of the regular season. In between they were 10-5 which fueled the drive to another National League West title.

Performance was top heavy for the month, led by a deep starting rotation at its finest and three Hall of Famers on offense.

September results​

15-10 record
125 runs scored (5.00 per game, 4th in MLB)
84 runs allowed (3.36 per game, 2nd in MLB)
.674 pythagorean win percentage (17-8)

Final season stats​

93-69 record
825 runs scored (5.09 per game, 2nd in MLB)
683 runs allowed (4.22 per game, t-12th in MLB)
.586 pythagorean win percentage (95-67)

Playing in heavy rotation​

Dodgers starting pitchers began to stabilize the staff in August, and took that into hyperdrive in September. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, and Clayton Kershaw combined for a 1.97 ERA with a 32.1-percent strikeout rate. The staff as a whole had a 30.9-percent strikeout rate, the first time ever the Dodgers struck out 30 percent of batters faced in a single month, and the first MLB team to do so since the Astros in September/October 2022.

Yamamoto came within one out of a no-hitter in his first start of the month and in his four September starts allowed only two runs on seven hits in 27 innings, with 34 strikeouts.

But while the starters were stingy, Dodgers relievers were very much not. The bullpen blew late leads in five different games, which led to four losses and Wednesday night’s 11-inning win in Arizona that set the stage for the division clinch the next day. In addition, Dodgers relievers lost a tie game in the final inning three times, with home runs against Tanner Scott (twice) and Blake Treinen.

The bullpen during September had a 5.26 ERA with a 12.9-percent walk rate, and allowed 12 home runs, compared to only four home runs given up by the rotation.

Big 3 leading the lineup​

The Dodgers were mostly without Will Smith, who had only 10 plate appearances during September and only played in one of the Dodgers’ last 23 games after suffering a hairline fracture in his right hand on a foul ball. In addition, Max Muncy and Tommy Edman each returned from the injured list but still dealt with various ailments down the stretch, combining for only .169/.244/.286 in 86 plate appearances in September.

But their other load-bearing stars led the way.

Mookie Betts was mired in the worst offensive season of his career, hitting just .231/.302/.355 with an 84 wRC+ as late as August 4. But he started to turn things around during August, and that carried over into September and then some. He hit .293/.343/.557 with six home runs and five doubles in the season’s final month, and tied for the major league lead with 23 RBI in September. That included five straight games with multiple RBI from September 6-10 that was one game shy of the Dodgers franchise record. He finished with a 104 wRC+ on the season after a strong finishing kick.

Shohei Ohtani was Mr. Reliable this season, on his way to a likely fourth MVP award. He hit 10 home runs with a 209 wRC+ in September, and along the way broke his own Dodgers home run record for the season among other marks. Freddie Freeman his six more home runs in September, hitting .271/.333/.510 with a 129 wRC+, including two home runs in last Thursday’s division clincher in Arizona.

Previous monthly reviews: April | May | June | July | August

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...yamamoto-shohei-ohtani-mookie-betts-september

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Blake Snell starts Game 1 of wild card series for Dodgers

The Dodgers will turn to left-hander Blake Snell in Game 1 of the wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium, a 6:08 p.m. start time for a game that will be televised by ESPN.

This decision could have been expected, as the Dodgers lined up Shohei Ohtani, Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to pitch the three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. This lines up Snell to pitch Tuesday on five days rest. Dave Roberts said Monday that Yamamoto will start Game 2 on Wednesday, which would also be on five days rest.

When Snell signed his five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers, he mentioned looking forward to pitching in games like this.

“Being able to pitch in a packed stadium, to make moments for people, this is where you want to play,” Snell said in December. “I don’t think there’s a situation that you could be in better than being right here.”

Entering Sunday, the Reds as a team hit .229/.300/353 against left-handed pitchers with a 79 wRC+ that ranked 26th in MLB, compared to .250/.320/.403 with a 97 wRC+ against right-handers.

Snell missed four months with left shoulder inflammation, but since returning to the team in the first week of August had a 2.41 ERA and 32.7-percent strikeout rate in nine starts. Over his last three starts Snell allowed only one run in 19 innings, including scoreless starts with 11 and 12 strikeouts.

Hunter Greene starts Game 1 for the Reds and, like Snell, also pitched last Wednesday. The right-hander from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks had a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts this season, with 132 strikeouts in 107 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs (three earned runs) in five innings in a loss at Dodger Stadium on August 25.

The Dodgers won their 12th NL West title in 13 seasons, but as the NL division winner with the worst record they will be the No. 3 seed in the NL playoffs. That brings the No. 6 seed Reds to Los Angeles, where the entire best-of-three wild card series will be played.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...s/104906/dodgers-blake-snell-game-1-wild-card

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers offense can’t just be Shohei Ohtani

It was certainly something unforgettable to watch the bookend of the regular season in Seattle. I will have thoughts on Kershaw’s swan song and other shenanigans from the regular season finale later this week.

After returning to Vallejo at 2:30 am on Monday morning, I woke up six hours later with something bothering me. Yes, fatigue weighed on my brow, but something was figuratively gnawing at me. After I read Eric Stephen’s excellent (and awaited) finale of the 2025 in thirds series, I realized that something did not align with what I saw in Seattle. I had a hunch and checked BaseballReference.com, and sadly, my suspicions were confirmed.

I think everyone is rightfully pointing out the gang of figurative baseball arsonists masquerading as a bullpen as the major weakness of the 2025 Dodgers. That fiasco deserves both scorn and a deep dive whenever the season ends.

Given the inconsistencies in this season’s offense, there is a glaring oversight that everyone is overlooking.

Ground chuck, not filet mignon​

Over the last two weeks, the Dodgers have averaged above 4.85 runs per game (63 runs over 13 games) while allowing about 3.23 runs per game (42 runs over the same 13 games). That’s a dog that’ll hunt, as the team has gone 9-4 over that stretch.

Before delving into what I found, which is something that I would be shocked if the Cincinnati Reds did not already know, I should admit my bias for the sake of total clarity.

I wrote off the 2025 Dodgers after the team bungled the finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.

It is hard not to view this regular season campaign as a significant disappointment, considering the talent assembled. At least the players are publicly cognizant of that assessment. Per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register:

“I guess when this team lost back-to-back DS’s against the Padres and D-backs, that was the narrative – that the bye week cooled us, them off,” said utility man Kiké Hernandez, who was with the Boston Red Sox in 2022. “Now, we don’t have an excuse.

“We did it to ourselves. We were very inconsistent throughout the year, and here we are.”

In a season full of unexpected lows, the finale against the Blue Jays seemed to take the cake. If a team keeps finding creative ways over and over to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, eventually a fan takes the hint.

In true @slangsonsports.bsky.social fashion, the Dodgers have lost five times since moving to LA when they have been gifted both 10+ hits and 10+ walks:Today, vs. TOR (10H, 13BB)3/29/2019, vs. ARI (11H, 12BB)5/11/1982, at PHI (13H, 10BB)6/9/1978, at MON (10H, 10BB)6/29/1959, vs. SF (11H, 10BB)

— Michael Elizondo (@elidelajandro.bsky.social) 2025-08-11T05:23:14.052Z

Here is the kicker, though. The official scorer changed one of Teoscar Hernandez’s “hits” (in the seventh inning) into an error, rendering the above would-be SlangsOnSports special wrong. You be the judge.

I have seen worse called a hit, but c’est la vie. Orel Hershiser thought the dribbler was an error at the time and the scoring was changed to reflect that fact.

At that point, every indicator seemed to point to an embarrassing first-round exit. As a point of order, this essay is not a prediction essay.

Needless to say, for all the agita on that Sunday against the Blue Jays, things got so, so, so much worse. As an aside, people asked how I managed not to lose my mind over Labor Day week. Simple — when you have no expectations apart from your own, disappointment is often an impossibility. This mindset was severely tested over the course of that week.

I am not a saint. For as much glee as I have taken and will continue to take from the New York Mets, sadly, I must take my own medicine by reliving the divine comedy of this moment.

Things did turn, though. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Dodgers effectively ended the San Francisco Giants’ season and indirectly led to venerated manager Bob Melvin being fired by Gerald Posey III, just three months after exercising a contract extension.

The Homer​

Yes, the offense seems to be humming. Still, even a cursory examination of slash lines during this period reveals that the offense is coming from fewer sources than you would generally think. While folks are raving about a perceived return to form, the stats do not support that description.

This offense, when in full swing, was supposed to overwhelm opponents off the field. While the team has been winning lately, I could not escape the feeling that the timing was still off. I was expecting a sports car offense for most of the year, and yet for large stretches this year, it has been well, anything but:

For the 13 games to close out the year, the offense has had the following slash lines:

• Shohei Ohtani: (12 games) 14 for 48, 4 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 9 RBI, 6 BB, 18 K; .292/.370/.792
• Mookie Betts: (12 games) 9 for 45, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 8 K; .200/.250/.356
• Freddie Freeman: (12 games) 12 for 42, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 6 BB, 9 K; .286/.388/.571
• Teoscar Hernández: (11 games) 8 for 40, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K; .200/.273/.375
• Michael Conforto: (9 games) 5 for 28, HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 10 K; .179/.303/.286
• Andy Pages: (13 games) 13 for 48, 4 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 12 K; .271/.300/.542
• Kiké Hernandez: (9 games) 8 for 26, 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, BB, 7 K; .308/.321/.654
• Hyeseong Kim: (5 games) 2 for 9, HR, 2 RBI, 4 K; .222/.222/.556
• Miguel Rojas: (11 games) 9 for 34, HR, RBI, BB, 8 K; .265/.286/.441
• Ben Rortvedt: (9 games) 3 for 24, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 5 K; .125/.192/.250
• Tommy Edman: (8 games) 6 for 30, HR, 3 RBI, 3 K; .200/.194/.300
• Max Muncy: (7 games) 3 for 23, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB, 8 K; .130/.200/.391
• Dalton Rushing: (5 games) 5 for 14, HR, 3 RBI, 3 K; .357/.357/.643
• Alex Call: (10 games) 4 for 15, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K; .267/.333/.533

In case anyone forgot, a batting average of under .200 is bad, an on-base percentage over .330 is good, and a slugging percentage of .500 is good. As you can see, the offense is quite lopsided as of late. It is unfortunate that the team did not bolster its depth at the deadline.

David Vassegh reported that some interesting names now had lockers at Dodger Stadium on Monday.

Esteury Ruiz, Justin Dean, and Ben Casparius have lockers at Dodger Stadium. #Dodgers #Reds

— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) September 29, 2025

I see speed and more speed…and somehow less defense. This lineup also misses Will Smith terribly, but maybe Rushing can do some damage if given the opportunity. Personally, Rortvedt nearly calling multiple no-hitters carries some weight.

Right now, in the shortest of short series, if I am Terry Francona, I do not let Ohtani, Freeman, K. Hernandez, or Pages beat me. I make Betts, T. Hernandez, or Conforto do it. And if they can, especially Conforto, who is comically bad when it comes to clutch situations in 2025 (.143 with runners in scoring position and two outs), you tip your cap.

For everyone raving about Betts’ return to classic form, in Seattle, I could not help but notice his bad habits at the plate re-emerging: when he’s off, the pop-ups are high and plentiful, and they were. Teoscar needed an oar to swing at some of the pitches he was offering at in Seattle.

As I have said, this essay is not a predictive one. Maybe the Dodgers live up to their potential and steamroll the postseason tournament. If you tell me from the future that the Dodgers repeat, I would not be surprised. I would probably be equal parts glad and annoyed, considering the inconsistency that the team foisted on us all during the year.

But if you tell me that the Dodgers flounder in the Wild Card round against this opponent, I would be nothing short of shocked.

The fruits of expanded playoffs​

If you keep expanding the playoffs, eventually the cream stops rising to the top. If we are being honest with ourselves, the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds have no business playing playoff baseball in 2025. The Tigers’ collapse is the stuff of legend and will likely be rectified by the Cleveland Guardians.

The Dodgers might have struggled against a New York Mets team that got its act together or a pesky Arizona Diamondbacks squad that was playing with house money. The Giants would not have merited this essay. But the Reds are the beneficiaries of a historic bungling in Queens and are a poster child for the mediocrity the owners want to see in the playoffs.

The Reds are the first team in MLB history to have:

no qualifying batter hit .270
no batter hit 25 homers
no pitcher win 15 games
no pitcher notch 200 strikeouts

…in a non-shortened season and yet still make the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/5qESbdIRuq

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 29, 2025

I am not being unjustifiably dismissive. Over the last month, the Mets were 10-15 and missed just about every opportunity to save their sinking season. The Reds were 14-11, not bad, but certainly not playing on fire. That description would apply to the Guardians (20-7), Yankees (18-7, uh oh), Phillies (17-8, double uh oh), and Mariners (17-8).

As an aside, why the Mariners took this last weekend off with the first-round bye is a puzzler.

For as unbalanced as this series between the Dodgers and Reds is on paper, the Reds have at least a puncher’s chance to knock out the Dodgers at home, thanks to the team’s mismanagement of its summer. The Wild Card Series is the dividend of every boneheaded loss caused by a consistently inconsistent squad. Whether the Dodgers will have the opportunity to exact revenge against the Phillies is a question that will quickly resolve itself over the next three days.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/104983/dodgers-offense-questions-wild-card

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

No one told the Dodger offense that the playoffs are about pitching

Pitching, pitching, pitching. That was the storyline in baseball until the Dodger offense took the field and decided to show not why this team was favored to beat the Reds, but why it was widely considered the leading contender to win the World Series at the beginning of the year. Los Angeles faced one of the many aces that started a game this first day of the Wild Card round and simply ran Hunter Greene out of the building with a parade of long balls against him and the Reds’ bullpen.

In a short series, time is not on your side as the superior team, but Shohei Ohtani got that memo, helping Los Angeles take a lead they’d never relinquish with a solo homer in the top of the first.

LEADOFF HOMER? SHO OFF. pic.twitter.com/xD0rUBoRHB

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 1, 2025

It was difficult even tracking a missile that left Ohtani’s bat at over 117 MPH before it went over the wall. It was the fourth-hardest-hit long ball in the postseason since the beginning of the Statcast era, trailing only Giancarlo Stanton, Kyle Schwarber, and a previous Ohtani homer. Further enhancing the absurdity of that homer, it came on a Hunter Greene fastball clocked at 100.4 MPH.

Greene never truly settled in, but after that Ohtani homer, there were a couple of moments in which it looked like the Dodgers would let him off the hook. This would have allowed for the game to carry on with a low score like every single other postseason matchup so far, with runners being stranded in both the first and second innings. Ultimately, the firepower of the Dodger offense prevailed, and Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman went back-to-back to already blow this game wide open in the third.

Something is intriguing about Hernández and Edman batting next to each other because. Although they’re completely different players, there is a parallel to make between them as noted X factors of the Dodgers’ offense. Partially due to injuries, but also some unexpected inconsistencies, both Edman and Hernández didn’t quite perform to the level expected from them throughout the year. Their performance in the previous postseason played a massive part in helping the Dodgers secure the World Series title, and if they are to go far this time around, they’ll need the likes of these two and other complementary quality players to step up as well. That will make the difference between this offense simply carrying its weight or being a full-on juggernaut.

Despite the 5-0 lead after three, the Dodgers’ offense never fully stopped, and it’s a good thing that it didn’t. Already having homered in this game, neither Ohtani nor Hernandez was done, and they went on to become only the fifth duo in the history of the sport to go deep for the same team in a postseason game. Interestingly enough, three of the previous four times came since 2020. Credit to Sarah Langs for the info.

The Dodgers are the 5th team in postseason history with 2 players with a multi-HR game in the same postseason game, along with:

2023 NLDS G3 Phillies: Nick Castellanos & Bryce Harper
2021 NLCS G5 Dodgers: AJ Pollock & Chris Taylor
2020 NLWCS G2 Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr & Wil… https://t.co/DYP0PQbN92

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 1, 2025

It’s not always that the difference between two teams shows up quite so dramatically. However, having hit 77 more home runs than the Reds during the regular season, the Dodgers showed their superior power by outhomering Cincinnati five-to-zero in what was the only comfortable win of this first day of postseason play.

As it turns out, due to the bullpen struggles in the eighth inning, the Dodgers needed every bit of those 10 runs, not necessarily to win the game, but to avoid what was a sense of uneasiness from turning into genuine fear. At one point late in this one, the Reds managed to have the tying run on deck, but that was as close as it got in this 10-5 Dodger win, due in large part to the power of this outstanding lineup.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-...dgers-offense-win-wild-card-round-game-1-reds

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers Game 2 lineup: Kiké Hernández starts, Tommy Edman sits

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers’ starting lineup in Game 2 of their wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds has only one change from Game 1. Kiké Hernández is back in left field, but Miguel Rojas starts in place of Tommy Edman at second base on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Both Hernández and Edman exited Game 1 early while dealing with nagging injuries. Edman, who has dealt with right ankle issues all season, was removed after five innings on Tuesday night. Hernández experienced back tightness, and was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning.

Game 2.

Tonight’s #Dodgers Wild Card Series lineup vs. Reds: pic.twitter.com/9069wUUEWS

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 1, 2025

Both players were remove while the score was lopsided, as the Dodgers led 6-0 when Edman came out of the game in favor of Miguel Rojas, and were up 8-2 when Alex Call pinch-hit for Hernández.

Manager Dave Roberts after Game 1 said both removals were out of precaution.

“Whenever we can get him off it, to get him ready for the next day, that’s what we’re going to do,” he said of Edman, who missed a total of 49 games on two ankle-related injury-list stints during the regular season.

Edman aggravated the ankle injury while making a diving catch on September 24 against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix, and didn’t play the field for the final four games of the regular season, making his lone start over the weekend as designated hitter in Seattle. The ankle injury makes it unlikely he will in the outfield at least for this series, instead sticking at second base for now, when he plays.

“I think for us, the best chance to keep him going and strong right now is to limit the amount of movement in the outfield,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Tuesday. “Hopefully we’ll get some days and keep going, and it progressively gets better and better, and it kind of opens that up. But right now we’re erring on the side of caution.”

Before exiting on Tuesday, both Edman and Hernández had productive Games 1. Edman homered — one of five Dodgers home runs to match a team postseason record — and Hernández singled twice in three at-bats and scored a run.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/105107/dodgers-playoffs-game-2-lineup

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Terry Francona, and intentionally walking Shohei Ohtani to get to Mookie Betts

LOS ANGELES — There’s nothing appealing about an intentional walk, a strategic act of surrender to potentially escape an unpleasant situation. The Reds were in such dire straits late in Game 2 on Wednesday night against the Dodgers.

Los Angeles was already up five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Cincinnati only had six outs to go on offense to try to make up the deficit. A Miguel Rojas single and Ben Rortvedt sacrifice bunt put a runner in scoring position with one out, capping a productive night for the bottom of the Dodgers lineup, with the 7-8-9 batters totaling six hits and five runs scored.

Right-hander Tony Santillan was pitching for the Reds and due up was Shohei Ohtani, already with three hits and two home runs in the series.

Reds manager Terry Francona was even asked about this type of situation before Game 2, whether he would intentionally walk Ohtani with first base open and runner(s) in scoring position.

“You’re kidding, right? Have you heard of Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman?” Francona said. “I think it would be a very poor decision. He’s a really dangerous hitter. He also struck out 185 times this year. That’s where we have to get to. You start walking people in that lineup and you’re asking for trouble.”

We can use a run expectancy table to figure out the math of an average situation based on runner(s) on base and number of outs, to determine the average number of runs to expect in the rest of the frame. Back in May at FanGraphs, Ben Clemens took a stab at updating run expectancy tables for recent years. Using 2025 numbers to that point, having a runner on second base with one out leads to an average of 0.67 runs for the rest of the inning. Runners on first and second base with one out leads to 0.96 runs. Using the 2021-24 numbers, a runner on second with one out yields 0.71 runs, and runners on first and second with one out leads to 0.94 runs.

With an intentional walk, you’re putting yourself in a worse spot in hopes of getting a more favorable batter-pitcher matchup or maybe trying to induce a double play. A last-ditch effort of desperation in a rough situation.

We’ve seen this a lot since Ohtani joined the Dodgers, giving them three Hall of Famers atop the lineup instead of three. Dave Roberts in 2024 referred to intentional walks as “picking your poison,” especially with Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman lumped together.

Betts went through the worst slump of his career this season, but rebounded to still be an above-average hitter, just not at the level of Ohtani. Betts understood the choice Francona made, to walk Ohtani and face Betts.

“I wouldn’t let Shohei swing either. I understand. I expect the Phillies to do it. I expect for the rest of the postseason for it to happen,” Betts said. “I understand the situation of the game. So I just gotta be ready to do my thing.”

Betts did in fact do his thing in Game 2. After Ohtani got the free pass, Betts lined a double into the left field corner to score Rojas, giving the Dodgers’ their eighth run of the night. It capped off a four-hit, three-RBI night for Betts, including a Dodgers-record-tying three doubles.

Four hits, three doubles for Mookie Betts@Dodgers are ROLLING! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/xIgTKg74w5

— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2025

This season, including the playoffs, Ohtani has been intentionally walked 21 times, 18 of them with Betts as the next batter. Betts has six hits, including three doubles in 16 at-bats plus two walks in those situations, with eight runs batted in.

“If there’s a man on base and Shohei’s up, I’m anticipating an intentional walk,” Betts said. “So, if they do, cool, I’ll be ready to go. If they don’t, gotta deal with Shohei. Kind of it is what it is.”

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...-shohei-ohtani-intential-walks-terry-francona

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers vs. Phillies National League Division Series schedule

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers dispatched the Reds in two games in the wild card round, which earned them a berth in the National League Division Series for the 13th year in a row. Up next are the Phillies, who will host the first two games of the NLDS beginning on Saturday evening at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

The Phillies won the NL East with 96 wins to earn the No. 2 seed in the NL playoffs, three games better than the NL West-winning Dodgers, the No. 3 seed with 93 victories.

Major League Baseball on Thursday announced the schedule for the first two days of the Division Series round, with Game 1 of Dodgers-Phillies set to start at 3:38 p.m. PT on Saturday, followed by Game 2 at 3:08 p.m. PT on Monday.

Dodgers vs. Phillies NLDS schedule​

Game 1: Saturday, October 4 at Philadelphia, 3:38 p.m. PT (TBS)
Game 2: Monday, October 6 at Philadelphia, 3:08 p.m. (TBS)
Game 3: Wednesday, October 8 at Los Angeles, time TBA (TBS)
Game 4*: Thursday, October 9 at Los Angeles, time TBA (TBS)
Game 5*: Saturday, October 11 at Philadelphia, time TBA (TBS)
*if necessary

TBS will televise both National League Division Series, with an alternate telecast on truTV, and streaming on HBO Max.

MLB starts both National League and American League Division Series on the same day, then insert an off day for one league to stagger the remainder of the series, to minimize the potential days with no baseball. This year, the NL has the odd non-travel off day in between Games 1 and 2. So Dodgers vs. Phillies if it does the distance will have three off days instead of two.

The Dodgers lost both series to the Phillies during the regular season, dropping two of three games in Philadelphia from April 4-6, then losing two of three games at Dodger Stadium from September 15-17.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-schedule/105080/dodgers-phillies-nlds-schedule-2025

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers-Phillies NLDS will be televised by TBS

Under the current national television contracts that run through 2028, TBS and Fox alternate leagues in broadcasting the Division Series and League Championship Series. This year, TBS has the National League side of the playoffs, which means Dodgers vs. Phillies will be televised by TBS.

Brian Anderson and Jeff Francoeur will call the Dodgers-Phillies NLDS, along with reporter Lauren Shehadi on the telecasts. All TBS postseason games will be simulcast on truTV and HBO Max as well.

Game 1 for Dodgers vs. Phillies starts at 3:38 p.m. PT on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, with a fantastic pitching matchup of Shohei Ohtani and Cristopher Sánchez in the opener.

TBS will also have a studio show for pregame and postgame coverage throughout the NLDS and NLCS, with Adam Lefkoe hosting alongside analysts Pedro Martínez, Curtis Granderson, and Jimmy Rollins, coincidentally all three of whom played for the Dodgers (plus Rollins and Martínez with the Phillies as well). On Saturday, the pregame studio show on TBS begins at 10 a.m. PT, an hour ahead of the start of Brewers vs. Cubs Game 1 in Milwaukee.

National radio coverage of the Dodgers vs. Phillies NLDS will be handled by ESPN Radio, with Dave O’Brien on play-by-play and Jessica Mendoza as analyst.

Unlike television broadcasts, there are local options on the radio for the remainder of the postseason. Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday will be on the call for all Dodgers games on AM 570, with Spanish-language radio broadcasts of Dodgers games on KTNQ 1020 AM with Pepe Yñiquez, José Mota, and Luis Cruz.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...05203/dodgers-phillies-nlds-tbs-tv-espn-radio

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers notes: Roki Sasaki, Kiké Hernández, NLDS vs. Phillies

Roki Sasaki was originally signed by the Dodgers to be a part of the starting rotation, not the bullpen.

Eight starts into his big league career, and Sasaki posted less than pedestrian results, dealing with command issues before being placed on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. It took four months and a season-long catastrophic display from the bullpen for Sasaki to make his return to the Dodgers, and in his playoff audition, he finally showed Dodger fans and the baseball world why he was so highly coveted last offseason.

And in his postseason debut, pitching in the ninth inning for the first time in his career, he set the Cincinnati Reds down in order to send the Dodgers to the NLDS to set up a date with the Philadelphia Phillies.

As the Dodgers continue to assemble their pitching staff against Philadelphia, the question now concerns which pitcher will be the man to tack on the high leverage innings out of the bullpen, and Sasaki just might be the guy, writes Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

“I trust him, and he’s going to be pitching in leverage,” Roberts said. “I don’t think the moment’s going to be too big for Roki.”

Links​

When the calendar flips to the month of October, Kiké Hernández transforms from a below-league average depth option to one of the greatest postseason hitters in baseball history. The trend has continued this year, as Hernández logged four hits in the Dodgers two-game sweep of the Reds in the Wild Card series.

What has helped Hernández produce in a big way in the postseason is the chance to have a fresh start, considering that he hasn’t been a league-average hitter in the regular season since 2021, notes Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times.

“The beautiful thing about the postseason is that once we get to the postseason, everything starts at zero. You can have a bad year and you flip the script and you start over in the postseason. You have a good postseason, help the team win, and nobody ever remembers what you did in the regular season.”

The Dodgers and Phillies finally meet again in the postseason for the first time since Philadelphia took a second straight NLCS from the Dodgers in 2009.

The Phillies took four of six from the Dodgers this season, and despite the Dodgers finishing with a worse record compared to Philadelphia, Dave Roberts is still confident in his team’s ability in repeating as championships, with the Phillies series being the next obstacle in their way, writes Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register.

“I think we can win it all,” Roberts said. “We’re equipped to do that, we have the pedigree and we have the hunger and we’re playing great baseball.”

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-...oki-sasaki-enrique-hernandez-nlds-vs-phillies

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers set Division Series rotation vs. Phillies

The Dodgers taking care of the Reds in two games instead of three, coupled with the extra day off in the National League Division Series, allowed them to lineup their starting rotation in a number of ways against the Phillies. We know Shohei Ohtani starts on Saturday in Game 1, but after that they will run it back with Blake Snell in Game 2 on Monday in Philadelphia then Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3 on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Friday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Snell, who struck out nine in seven innings against the Reds on Tuesday, will be on five days rest for Game 2 against the Phillies on Monday. Yamamoto after striking out nine in 6 2/3 innings on Wednesday in the wild card round, will be on six days rest next Wednesday against the Phillies.

Roberts also said Tyler Glasnow would be available in relief in Game 1 against the Phillies, which would line him up to start Game 4 if necessary. Glasnow was active in the wild card round but did not pitch against the Reds.

Given that there would be three off days if the NLDS goes the distance, the Dodgers would also have options in Game 5 on Saturday, October 11. Either Ohtani could pitch again on six days rest, or Snell could start on four days rest if they needed him.

Roster notes​

Roberts reiterated what he and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in Los Angeles, that Clayton Kershaw will be active in the NLDS and pitch in the bullpen. If the Dodgers carry 13 pitchers — which they’ve done in each of their last six series of at least five games — they would also add another reliever after carrying 11 pitchers for the short wild card round.

Then it becomes who is preferred between the left-handed Anthony Banda or right-handed Ben Casparius.

Carrying 13 pitchers would require dropping two position players from the 15 who were active against the Reds. Late-inning outfield defensive specialist Justin Dean and utility speedster Hyeseong Kim are candidates here, or the Dodgers could carry only two catchers instead of three. The latter, however unlikely, would require Will Smith to be able to catch, which might take until Saturday morning to decide after how Smith comes out of Friday night batting practice in Philadelphia.

View Link

“He will be available to catch. Just trying to be mindful of haven’t caught in a long time and then kind of looking at the series and the capacity he can take on,” Roberts said of Smith. “So those are things that are kind of going through our heads right now.”

Smith has started only once in the last month after suffering a hairline fracture in his right hand. Friedman on Tuesday explained the steps of Smith finally being able to get back behind the plate.

“Last week he had a hard time gripping things. That progressively got better and got to a place where the bone had to heal. Now it’s about getting strength back, and once you do that then it’s about throwing,” Friedman said. “We were able to keep his legs going, but he hasn’t had that throwing volume for a little while. Now we have to keep continuing to aggressively layer that on.”

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...05197/dodgers-pitching-rotation-nlds-phillies

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Shohei Ohtani & Dodgers postseason starting pitching streaks

Shohei Ohtani’s first career postseason pitching start went well, overcoming a second-inning blip to pitch six innings, earning the win as the Dodgers took Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday over the Phillies.

He also struck out nine, joining Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to give the Dodgers three consecutive postseason starts with at least nine strikeouts for the first time in franchise history, a body of work that spanes 295 games.

The only other time in franchise history the Dodgers got even eight strikeouts three postseason starts in a row came five years ago at the start of the 2020 postseason. Walker Buehler struck out eight in Game 1 of the wild card round, Clayton Kershaw struck out 13 in Game 2, then Buehler started the NLDS with another eight strikeouts.

Snell, Yamamoto, and Ohtani are also the first Dodgers starting pitchers with three quality starts in a row since Zack Greinke, Hyun-jin Ryu, and Clayton Kershaw in Games 2-4 of the 2014 NLDS. Even with good starts it doesn’t guarantee success, and the Dodgers lost the final two of those games to get eliminated.

This year, the Dodgers have won all three games and the starting pitcher was credited with the win in all three games. They hadn’t done that since sweeping the Cubs in the 2008 NLDS, with Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda turning the trick.

Ohtani has now gone six innings in each of his last two starts, after getting capped at five innings through the first 13 starts of his comeback from elbow surgery.

During the postgame media session Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, Ohtani was asked why it was so important to return to pitching, to be a two-way player again.

“The reason why it’s a two-way player is because it’s who I am, it’s what I can do,” Ohtani said, through interpreter Will Ireton, ”and also at the same time it’s what the team wants.”

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...05302/shohei-ohtani-dodgers-starting-pitching