News Dodgers Team Notes

Your daily Dodgers trivia game, Thursday edition

tb_la_social.0.png


Think you can figure out what Dodgers player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.

We’re back for another day of the True Blue LA in-5 daily trivia game. If you missed any of this week’s games, you will find a link below. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in the Google Form.

Today’s True Blue LA In-5 game​


If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article.

Previous Games​


Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Monday, May 19, 2025
Sunday, May 18, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games​


NFL in-5
MLB in-5
MMA in-5

True Blue LA in-5 instructions​


The goal of the game is to guess the correct Dodgers player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS this week. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. The game will appear in the No. 3 slot of the True Blue LA layout each day this week and as noted above, will appear in this article exclusively.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/22/24435129/sb-nation-dodgers-daily-trivia-in-5
 
Dodgers-Mets this weekend is national TV only

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

For the next two weekends, the Dodgers will be on national television only while playing a New York team. Here are broadcast details for the weekend against the Mets.

For the next two weekends, the Dodgers won’t be televised locally on SportsNet LA. It’s all national TV for both this weekend against the Mets at Citi Field in New York and again next weekend hosting the Yankees at Dodger Stadium.

In both cases, Friday’s game will be on Apple TV+, Saturday on Fox, and Sunday night on ESPN.

This weekend against the Mets, Wayne Randazzo and Dontrelle Willis will be on the Apple TV+ call on Friday night (4:10 p.m. PT), along with reporter Heidi Watney on the telecast. This is the second game on Apple TV+ this season for the Dodgers, along with April 4 against the Phillies. Next Friday against the Yankees will be the last Apple TV+ game for the Dodgers through the end of June. The network releases the remainder of its season schedule one month at a time.

Saturday on Fox (4:15 p.m. PT), Joe Davis will be on the call, this time partnered with A.J. Pierzynski and reporter Ken Rosenthal. This is the third exclusive Fox Saturday broadcast for the Dodgers this season, along with April 19 at the Rangers and May 3 at the Braves.

The series finale of Dodgers vs. Mets is on ESPN ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ (4:10 p.m. PT), with the usual crew of Karl Ravech calling play-by-play alongside analysts David Cone and Eduardo Pérez in the booth, and reporter Buster Olney on the broadcast as well. This is the fourth exclusive ESPN telecast for the Dodgers this season.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/22/24434523/dodgers-mets-national-television-apple-tv-fox-espn
 
Dodgers take on Mets for three prime time games

MLB: NLCS-New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Dodgers are in New York this weekend, for a rematch of the 2024 NLCS. Which will win out, the Dodgers struggling pitching staff, or the Mets struggling offense?

I know a lot of you are not familiar with me, and I’d like to tell you something — I am in a mixed marriage.

Yes, that’s right. I am married to a Mets fan.

(There aren’t a lot of Dodgers fans in Northeast Pennsylvania).

And the thing you should know about my Mets fan husband, is that he absolutely loathes the team he roots for. Hates them all. Thinks they all are terrible and just all-around stink.

The thing about that, though, is that they don’t stink. Currently they have only one fewer win than the Dodgers, at 30-20, and that is after going 2-4 in their last six games.

Now, New York are returning home and look to avenge their NLCS loss to the Dodgers. Most of the Mets team the Dodgers faced in that series are still there, with the one huge edition of Juan Soto.

If you’re anywhere near any sports media, you know that Soto has not had a great start to his long tenure with his new team. Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract in the offseason, the largest contract ever in the sport. He is currently slashing .243/.347/.429 with eight homers. That is well below his career numbers of .283/.419/.528 with a 159 OPS+.

I’m not here to get into why Soto is not performing, I’m just here to worry that Soto might start performing much better this weekend against the slim Dodgers pitching staff. The starters for this series for the Dodgers will be Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, and Landon Knack. All three are coming off not great starts and haven’t gotten very deep into games leading to more bullpen usage. But, facing a struggling Mets offense could be what they need to get themselves back on track.

The Dodgers offense will face a Mets pitching staff that boasts the best rotation ERA in the majors. Right off the bat the Dodgers will encounter Griffin Canning, who is 5-1 on the season with a 2.47 ERA. He has only allowed 10 runs over his last seven games. Then they face lefty David Peterson who only allowed one run over six innings to the hot New York Yankees in his last outing, and after that they get Kodai Senga who is sporting a sweet little 1.43 ERA.

Add in that all of these games are primetime games covered by national outlets, and the Dodgers seem to usually not perform well in games of that nature, I am not expecting a dominant performance from the Boys in Blue. I fear this series will be another battle that the struggling Dodgers do not need.

Maybe I should stop hanging out with my husband.

Friday game info​

  • Teams: Dodgers at Mets
  • Stadium: Citi Field, New York
  • Start time: 4:10 p.m.
  • TV: Apple TV+
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/23/24435801/dodgers-mets-preview
 
Thoughts on a Dodgers-Mets marathon

Los Angeles Dodgers v. New York Mets

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images

The Dodgers played their longest game of the season by time, and tied for the longest MLB game of the season by innings, needing 13 frames to beat the Mets in a wacky, hilarious, and at times infuriating game in the series opener at Citi Field that started on Friday but ended on Saturday in New York.

And that’s before adding in the one-hour, 38-minute rain delay that began the process of unraveling each team’s pitching plans for the weekend. Thirteen innings tied for the longest game in the majors in 2025, along with Cardinals at Pirates on April 9.

Even had the game ended in nine innings, it still would have qualified for weird or at least odd, because of a few plays.

Right before the rains came in the third inning, Michael Conforto tagged up on a fly ball to the gap. He left second base as soon as the ball hit the glove of Tyrone Taylor, who bobbled but ultimately caught the ball. To the utter surprise of Wayne Randazzo and Dontrelle Willis on the Apple TV+ call, Conforto was well within his rights to do so.

The Mets appealed that Conforto left too early, but to no avail, thanks to MLB Rule 5.09(a)(1):

“Catch Comment: A catch is legal if the ball is finally held by any fielder, even though juggled, or held by another fielder before it touches the ground. Runners may leave their bases the instant the first fielder touches the ball. A fielder may reach over a fence, railing, rope or other line of demarcation to make a catch. He may jump on top of a railing, or canvas that may be in foul ground. No interference should be allowed when a fielder reaches over a fence, railing, rope or into a stand to catch a ball. He does so at his own risk.

If a fielder, attempting a catch at the edge of the dugout, is “held up” and kept from an apparent fall by a player or players of either team and the catch is made, it shall be allowed.”
Click to expand...

(Added emphasis mine)

Four pitches later, the game was delayed by rain, which gave me time to remember that Apple TV+ broadcasts allow you to choose the team radio feeds of the game to listen to, so I switched over to KLAC AM 570 the rest of the way.

Rick Monday did know the rule, and made references to the play often in the next few innings, with Stephen Nelson noting on the broadcast that Monday had his rule book open to the very page of the rule.

A more obscure play came in the fourth inning, after the rain delay. Pete Alonso flew out to right field, and Teoscar Hernández threw out Starling Marte at home plate to seemingly end the inning. But third base umpire Tripp Gibson called obstruction on third baseman Max Muncy, who was several feet away from both the bag and Marte, because Muncy was blocking Marte’s view of the play in right field.

You see something new every day.

Monday and Nelson had several innings worth of barbs for the obstruction call. Their back-and-forth on the broadcast made the game more enjoyable, even as the later innings descended into madness.

The game got progressively weirder, including Tanner Scott moving officially into embattled territory by allowing three runs in the ninth inning to send this one into extra innings. He also blew Tuesday’s game against Arizona, and on Friday was pitching for the third time in four days, the first time he did that this season.

Rain in the third inning forced both teams to abandon their starting pitchers (Clayton Kershaw and Griffin Canning) after a 98-minute delay. The Mets used all eight relievers and the Dodgers used seven, including Luis García getting the final seven outs on just 14 pitches, without allowing a run. The Dodgers did not allow a run during the four extra innings.

Matt Sauer and Ben Casparius each pitched three innings on Friday.

Jack Dreyer was the only Dodgers reliever who didn’t pitch Friday. He’ll likely see action behind Tony Gonsolin on Saturday, and it would be an upset if the Dodgers don’t call up another pitcher for extra coverage, at the very least.

From Bill Plunkett’s game story in the Orange County Register, manager Dave Roberts said, “There was some usage certainly that we’re going to talk through as far as protecting some downside in the next handful of days. But there were some good things that came out of tonight.”

Among the healthy, available pitchers on the 40-man roster, J.P. Feyereisen (optioned May 15), Justin Wrobleski (May 16), and Ryan Loutos (May 17) can’t yet be recalled without replacing someone going on the injured list because their 15 days in the minors aren’t up. Plus, Wrobleski just started for Oklahoma City on Thursday.

That leaves Noah Davis, who threw 40 pitches and got four outs on Friday night in Triple-A, Nick Frasso, who started Wednesday, and Bobby Miller, who last pitched Sunday (throwing six scoreless innings in his best outing of the year) and was scheduled to start Saturday for Oklahoma City.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/23/24436310/dodgers-mets-marathon-pitching-usage
 
Dodgers fall to Mets 5-2

Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Mets

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

The Dodgers will have to start a new winning streak as they dropped the second game of their three game set against the New York Mets by a final score of 5-2.

The Dodgers once again struck the scoreboard first inning, as Kiké Hernández squirted an RBI single against David Peterson past the diving Jeff McNeil to score Andy Pages. Dalton Rushing followed Hernández with a grounder that was fouled off of his shin but the umpires missed the call, allowing Tommy Edman to bring home the Dodgers’ second run of the inning.

After a scoreless first inning, Tony Gonsolin needed just one more strike to record a perfect bottom of the second inning, but lost his command on an inside fastball that plunked Jared Young. Tyrone Taylor and Brett Baty each laced singles that put the Mets on the board before Gonsolin escaped further trouble by inducing a flyout of Francisco Lindor.

Gonsolin allowed the first hit of the series for Juan Soto in the bottom of the third inning. In a matter of just two pitches, he put the potential go-ahead run on base and then recorded an inning ending double play. Gonsolin’s troubles in two-out situations continued in the fourth inning, as he walked two straight hitters on eight consecutive balls, before an infield single from Starling Marte loaded the bases. Soto got the best of Gonsolin again, narrowly missing a grand slam with a two-run double that would have cleared the bases had it not been for an excellent relay from Edman and Mookie Betts.

On the contrary to his ugly fourth inning, Gonsolin needed just 10 pitches to complete a perfect fifth inning, with all 10 pitches finding the strike zone.

The Dodgers offense had no further answers against Peterson, as he allowed just four base runners over his next five innings of work. Each time the Dodgers put a man on base, they swiftly sent him right back to the dugout as the Mets turned three double plays, two of which ended the inning. With the Mets bullpen severely depleted after Friday night’s marathon, Peterson was asked to eat as many innings as possible. He was able to pitch all the way into the eighth inning, before Carlos Mendoza tasked Edwin Díaz with getting a four-out save.

Brett Baty was the standout offensive player for either club, as he reached base all four times while driving in the first and last runs scored by New York.

Bobby Miller made his first career relief appearance at the big league level, tossing two innings of one run ball. After loading the bases in the eighth, he escaped further damage with a nice glove flip to Dalton Rushing and by getting Juan Soto to ground out weakly.

Game particulars​

  • WP— David Peterson (3-2): 7 2⁄3 IP, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
  • LP— Tony Gonsolin (2-1): 5 IP, 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
  • SV— Edwin Díaz (11): 1 1⁄3 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts

Up next​


The Dodgers wrap up their three game set against the Mets on Sunday (4:10 p.m. PT, ESPN) before flying out to north Ohio to take on the Cleveland Guardians. Landon Knack starts the finale against Kodai Senga.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/24/24436633/dodgers-mets-game-recap
 
Another week of interleague play for Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers v Cleveland Guardians

Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images

For the second time in three weeks, it’s an all interleague schedule for the Dodgers this week, finishing off the road trip against the Guardians in Cleveland before heading home to host the Yankees next weekend.

The Dodgers have two more weeks against only American League opponents in July, playing the White Sox and Astros at home from July 1-6, then hosting the Twins and heading to Boston from July 21-27.

The first such all-interleague week for the Dodgers didn’t go so well, mostly due to getting swept at home by the Angels. That spoiled an otherwise productive time against AL teams by the Dodgers, who won series against the Tigers, Rangers, and A’s and are 7-5 overall in interleague play so far this season.

This series in Cleveland is the second road interleague matchup for the Dodgers, who took two of three games in Texas from April 18-20.

Among the standouts for the Dodgers against American League foes this season:

  • Shohei Ohtani: 1.097 OPS, 5 HR, 10 RBI in 10 games
  • Will Smith: .393/.486/.607, 2 HR in 11 games
  • Hyeseong Kim: seven hits in nine at-bats, first major league homer, two walks
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Monday’s starter): 2.50 ERA, 26 K in 18 IP
  • Anthony Banda: 1.35 ERA, 6⅔ IP, 9 K
  • Ben Casparius: 2.57 ERA, 7 IP, 5 K

Monday game info​

  • Teams: Dodgers at Guardians
  • Stadium: Progressive Field, Cleveland
  • Start time: 3:10 p.m. PT
  • TV: SportsNet LA
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/26/24437260/dodgers-schedule-interleague-play
 
May in May for the final time this season

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Dustin May gets set for his 10th start in 2025, tying a career high

Dustin May and Tanner Bibee will start on the mound for Tuesday's Dodgers—Guardians pitching matchup. That particular pitching duel has a few parallels worth pointing out.

Both starters, in their own way, could be used to symbolize and will inevitably battle a sort of underwhelming feeling. On the Dodgers' side, here is a World Series favorite whose closest thing to a number two starter at the moment is a starter in his sixth big league season, having yet to pitch over 60 innings in a single campaign. May has been pretty solid with a 4.02 ERA, but even with the acknowledgment that this rotation carried a ton of injury risk heading into 2025, the plan was never to rely on him so heavily this early.

For the Guardians, Bibee has also been pretty solid in a vacuum with a 3.57 ERA, but when you account for the expectations he set forth by his 2024 campaign, the cause for concern is there. Bibee’s FIP is over 5.00, and the right-hander has seen a drastic decrease in strikeout rate, currently 18.1%, well below the major-league average.

On the flip side, one can also focus on the positive of seeing May remain healthy and giving the Dodgers a good fighting chance every time he takes the mound, which is almost all this offense ever really needs. With the Guardians, you have a very talented starter grinding out solid results, even though things are far from smooth with his arsenal.

Offensively, one of the primary goals is still to try and get Mookie Betts going, the only superstar who hasn’t really clicked this season. Mookie historically does pretty well in Cleveland, with a .902 OPS in 17 games at the home of the Guardians, but at the same time, it’s not like that number is much different from the career line of this future Hall of Famer.

Having lost the services of Josh Naylor, who was traded to the Diamondbacks this offseason, Cleveland’s offense has taken a step back in the second year under Stephen Vogt (92 team OPS+ in comparison with 100 in 2024),. However, José Ramírez remains the same dangerous of old. Ramírez is second on the team in homers with nine, trailing the youngster Kyle Manzardo, who has really grown this year.

Tuesday game info​

  • Teams: Dodgers at Guardians
  • Stadium: Progressive Field, Cleveland
  • Start time: 3:10 p.m. PT
  • TV: SportsNet LA
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/2...s-cleveland-guardians-dustin-may-tanner-bibee
 
J.P. Feyereisen clears waivers, elects free agency

Athletics v Los Angeles Dodgers

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Feyereisen, who pitched this season for the D-backs and Dodgers, was designated for assignment by LA on Sunday.

Right-hander J.P. Feyereisen, who was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Sunday, cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Feyereisen declined the assignment and elected free agency instead.

Feyereisen has pitched in the majors for both the Diamondbacks and Dodgers this season, has allowed seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits and an intentional walk in his four innings over four appearances. Two of those games were with the Dodgers, who claimed him off waivers from Arizona on May 1.

After spending the previous two years with the Dodgers, including recovering from shoulder surgery for the entirety of the 2023 season, Feyereisen allowed three runs (one earned) on eight hits in two innings with the Dodgers this season.

Feyereisen was active for two stints in the majors this year with the Dodgers, and also allowed five runs on 10 hits in 4⅔ innings in four games for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was designated for assignment on Sunday to clear 40-man roster space for the newly-signed Chris Stratton.

Feyereisen, 32, has pitched in five major league seasons, with a 3.27 ERA and 4.36 FIP in 104⅔ career innings.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/27/24438394/dodgers-roster-jp-feyereisen-free-agency
 
Dodgers find no relief, blow chance to sweep Guardians

Los Angeles Dodgers v Cleveland Guardians

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

Tanner Scott allowed four runs in eighth inning, two of which scored on a three-run home run by Angel Martínez off Alex Vesia that provided the winning margin for Cleveland.

The Dodgers held a three-run lead in the seventh inning but the top arms in the bullpen trust tree blew the game in a 7-4 loss to the Guardians on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Dodgers relievers have pitched over a dozen more innings than any other major league team on the season, averaging roughly 4⅓ innings per night. The bill for that heavy usage has come due this month, as cracks in the foundation have started to widen.

Asked to get the final four innings on Wednesday, the Dodgers couldn’t hold what became a three-run lead.

Lou Trivino, one of the many in-season additions by the Dodgers in their never-ending quest for fresh arms, pitched a scoreless sixth inning, stranding the bases loaded. He allowed a run in the seventh and was pulled with two outs.

Tanner Scott got a strikeout to end the seventh to preserve a two-run lead, but then allowed three hits and a walk in the eighth to tie the score. Scott has blown leads in three of his last five appearances, allowing 10 total runs during that time. He allowed four runs through his first 21 appearances.

Alex Vesia was called into a tie game with two runners on and one out in the eighth, but gave up a three-run home run to Angel Martínez that served as the game winner for Cleveland. Vesia has already allowed seven home runs this season in 27 games, matching his seasonal totals in each of the last two years, in 56 and 67 games, respectively.

Five runs in the eighth inning turned the game around.

“This inning really stinks,” Orel Hershiser said on the SportsNet LA broadcast. “Dodgers are 28-2 when leading after seven innings. This one is a shocker.”

On offense, the Dodgers made the most of their opportunities in building the lead.

Doubles by Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith in the fourth inning tied the game, then Andy Pages followed with a single for the lead. Both run-scoring hits in the frame came with two outs.

Mookie Betts walked in the sixth inning, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. That made it easy for him to score on a single by Freddie Freeman, one of two hits for the Dodgers first baseman.

The team had three hits in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position on Wednesday, but didn’t even need a hit with runners on to add some insurance in the seventh. Kiké Hernández did double with one out in the inning, then took third base on a flyout to center, and scored on a wild pitch, narrowly avoiding the tag at home plate of covering pitcher Tim Herrin.

Clayton Kershaw was getting hit very hard, including four smashes into the left field corner that were sure doubles. Only the Dodgers had Andy Pages out there, and he had an opportunity to showcase his golden arm. Pages, who probably leads the league in making no-chance plays look close, did just that in throwing out José Ramírez at second base to limit the damage in the first inning.

Ramírez hit another one to roughly the same spot in the third inning but didn’t even test Pages, throwing up his hands in exasperation at two bases subtracted from his slugging percentage. Not to be undaunted, Ramírez did finally get his double, this time in the seventh inning off Trivino off the top of the wall but in right field.

Kershaw was on the ropes in the first inning, as he also walked a pair after the two hard hits. He escaped with only one run allowed but needed 26 pitches to get his first three outs. But he settled down after that, allowing just four hits with no walks, needing only 48 pitches to get through his next four innings. Kershaw struck out three, and induced nine swinging strikes, eight of them after the first inning.

The Dodgers finish the road trip 3-3.

Wednesday particulars​


Home run: Angel Martínez (3)

WP — Matt Festa (1-0): 1 IP, 1 hit

LP — Tanner Scott (0-1): IP, 3 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Sv — Emmanuel Clase (11): 1 IP, 1 strikeout

Up next

The road trip now over, the Dodgers fly home to Los Angeles and are off on Thursday. It’s a World Series rematch this weekend at Dodger Stadium beginning Friday night (7:10 p.m., Apple TV+). Tony Gonsolin takes the ball in the series opener, with Max Fried likely on the mound for the Yankees.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/28/24438831/dodgers-bullpen-bad-tanner-scott-alex-vesia-guardians
 
The Straw Hat Pirates are coming to Dodger Stadium

2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Photo by Wang Fan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Toei Animation and the Dodgers announced a collaboration for the July 3rd home game against the Chicago White Sox.

On May 28, the Dodgers and Toei Animation announced a theme night based on the long-running hit anime, One Piece. The first 40,000 fans who attend the home game on July 3 against the Chicago White Sox will get a co-branded straw hat.



View this post on Instagram​


Click to expand...

The theme night does not require a special ticket.

That night, Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of Straw Hat Pirates will take over Dodger Stadium with various features around the ballpark.

I would not be surprised if organist Dieter Ruehle cut loose with some classic songs from the anime, including Bink’s Sake, Run Away!, and Overtaken before and during the game.

The night’s festivities will conclude with a themed drone show featuring the show's animated characters after the game.

“This exciting partnership between the Dodgers and Toei Animation will bring a fun-filled event to Dodger Stadium,” said Lon Rosen, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Los Angeles Dodgers. “It’s great to showcase ONE PIECE, one of the most popular franchises in the world, to the best fan base in the world.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Los Angeles Dodgers to bring the global hit series ONE PIECE to Dodger Stadium on July 3 for a very special one-day promotion,” said Lisa Yamatoya, Senior Director, Head of Marketing at Toei Animation Inc. “We invite fans to join us for ONE PIECE Night, which will offer a truly memorable, one-of-a-kind entertainment experience, complete with a not-to-be-missed ONE PIECE drone show after the game!”
Click to expand...

Since 1999, anime has delighted millions of fans worldwide. The franchise now includes 15 feature films, numerous video games, a burgeoning trading card game, and an expanding catalog of licensed merchandise, theme park entertainment, and adaptations (both live-action and animated).

When we last discussed the intersection with the Straw Hat Pirates and MLB, we were commenting about the birth of the Ohtani Swipe and Michael Kay attempting to describe the hit anime to Paul O’Neill during a Jazz Chisholm at-bat on April 2nd.

Since that night, two subsequent One Piece theme nights have been in Seattle (April 8) and Boston (May 3). Given the apparent growing Japanese influence in the Dodgers’ fanbase and the team’s tendency to monetize just about everything, it seemed likely that it would be a question of when the Straw Hats took over Dodger Stadium rather than if.

One might be forgiven for forgetting that the Los Angeles Lakers collaborated with One Piece in late February. I am not a basketball person, but I did chuckle at this intersection a few months ago.

One Piece is the story of a pirate and his merry band of lunatics who arrive on every new island and ultimately dismantle every local government they come across (while shouting his name, address, and Social Security number) for the cost of someone’s leftovers.

The above description is reductive, but it is not inaccurate. An ongoing story that is reaching its climax after almost 30 years almost guarantees that One Piece’s presence in the cultural zeitgeist will only grow.

Considering current trends, you will likely see fathers dancing online with their children very soon, from a dance that recently debuted in One Piece.

Do you need context to understand what is going on in the clip? Not really. However, considering how often the Dodgers have been borrowing from anime for celebrations in 2025, I would not be surprised to see Shohei Ohtani dancing like that with his child in the near future. Hence, I am trying to preempt the “Why is Ohtani hopping like Super Mario?” discussion.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/29/24439187/dodgers-one-piece-hisashiburi-dana-mugiwara-july-3
 
Dodgers acquire struggling Alexis Díaz from Reds

Los Angeles Dodgers v Cincinnati Reds

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images

Evan Phillips was moved to 60-day injured list, pushing back his timeline into at least July. LA sent 13th-round 2024 draft pick Mike Villani to Reds.

The busiest bullpen in the majors might have a new member, eventually. The Dodgers on Thursday acquired reliever Alexis Díaz from the Reds, though this won’t be a short-term fix. If anything, this transaction is emblematic of the dwindling number of pitching options the Dodgers actually have.

To make room for Díaz on the 40-man roster, Evan Phillips was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Phillips has already missed over three weeks with right forearm discomfort, but hasn’t yet started throwing yet. His timeline isn’t exactly known, but this move means the earliest he could possibly be activated is July 6.

Fourteen Dodgers pitchers are currently on the injured list, with 11 of them on the 60-day injured list. The one likely to return next is Michael Kopech, whose results while rehabbing in Triple-A have been mixed at best. Edgardo Henriquez will start a rehab appearance Thursday night in Triple-A Oklahoma City, per Comets broadcaster Alex Freemdan.

Dodgers relief pitchers have thrown more innings than any other team in baseball, and it’s taken its toll. In May, the Los Angeles bullpen ranks 18th in ERA (4.34) and 23rd in FIP (4.34). They are fifth in strikeout-minus-walk rate (16 percent), but 26th in home run rate (1.56 per nine innings).

Alex Vesia and Anthony Banda have already allowed as many home runs this season as they did all of last season. Tanner Scott has blown three leads in his last five appearances, giving up 10 runs in those games. That culminated in a five-run eighth inning off Scott and Vesia on Wednesday in Cleveland.

The Dodgers bullpen currently has Lou Trivino and Chris Stratton on the active roster, both of whom were signed this month after getting designated for assignment by other teams.

Díaz likely won’t be part of the immediate fix, as Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic reported that the right-hander will head to Camelback Ranch to work on some things.

Díaz was an All-Star in 2023 and saved 75 games from 2022-24, has been a mess this season. He began the year on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, then allowed eight runs, including four home runs, in six innings, with more walks (five) than strikeouts (three) before getting optioned to Triple-A Louisville on May 1. In the minors, Díaz had a 4.61 ERA in 14 games with 12 walks and 16 strikeouts in 13⅔ innings.

Díaz is making $4.5 million this season, the first year he was eligible for salary arbitration, with the Dodgers responsible for roughly $2.98 million the rest of the way.

The Dodgers sent pitcher Mike Villani to the Reds in the trade. The right-hander was drafted in the 13th round last year out of Long Beach State, and in his pro debut over the last week struck out five of his six batters faced in two perfect appearances in the Arizona Complex League.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/29/24439696/alexis-diaz-dodgers-reds-evan-phillips-bullpen
 
Dodgers vs Yankees: Same rivalry, slightly different cast

Syndication: USA TODAY

Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The last time the Dodgers and Yankees met, it was in Yankee Stadium with the Dodgers mounting an epic comeback win in Game 5 of the World Series to win the whole thing.

These two teams are different iterations of what they were in October. Walker Buehler and Alex Verdugo, the two key players for the final out, departed for other teams. Juan Soto is on the cross-town Mets. Gerrit Cole underwent Tommy John surgery this spring. Chris Taylor, who didn’t contribute on the field but who pissed off Yankees fans by rightly pointing out how the errors in Game 5 lead to their demise, is now with the Angels. Of the 10 players that started Game 5 for the Yankees, only three are currently on the active roster.

But a lot is the same. Both are atop their divisions. The Dodgers are still limping into the series with limited pitching. Freddie Freeman and Aaron Judge are hitting like the batting champs they are. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still shoving.

One big addition is a guy that the Dodgers will face right off the bat - Max Fried. Currently sporting a 7-0 record with a 1.29 ERA, Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract during the offseason that is immediately paying dividends.

Judge is having an outstanding season, even by Judge-ian standards. He is currently slashing .391/.488/.739 with 18 home runs, most in the American League. Not having Soto or Giancarlo Stanton (currently on the IL) near him in the lineup isn’t hurting him at all.

The Yankees are also on a heater, going 9-1 in their last 10 games and are currently on a five-game winning streak. They also have the most homers as a team in the majors, and sport the highest OBP, SLG, and OPS in the majors. On the pitching side, they also have the lowest WHIP and batting average against.

So, another big test for the beleaguered Dodgers pitching staff. The Dodgers will send Tony Gonsolin, Landon Knack, and Yamamoto to the mound as their starters for the series. After Fried, the Yankees will have Will Warren go on Saturday, and it is to be determined who will start Sunday.

As in the Mets series, all games will be nationally televised games - on Apple TV, Fox, and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.

As has been mentioned many a time, the Dodgers are in the middle of a really tough slog in their schedule. After the Yankees series, the Mets come into town for a four-game set. Then it’s off to face St. Louis and San Diego. The Dodgers will just have to handle it the best they can with the pitching staff they have. Time for the offense to really step up and score like we all know they can.

Friday game info​

  • Teams: Dodgers vs. Yankees
  • Stadium: Dodger Stadium
  • Start time: 7:10 p.m.
  • TV: Apple TV+
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/30/24440072/dodgers-yankees-preview-rivalry-different-rosters
 
Dodgers pitching, and getting to six innings

Arizona Diamondbacks v Los Angeles Dodgers

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — An issue all season for the Dodgers has been heavy usage from the bullpen, which leads the majors in innings pitched. But they won the first two games against the Yankees in part because their starting pitcher lasted deep into the game.

This is not to discount the main reason the Dodgers won those two games, with eight runs scored on Friday and a whopping 18 on Saturday. But the efforts by Tony Gonsolin and Landon Knack helped a great deal, perhaps with ancillary benefits in the days ahead.

Gonsolin narrowly avoided disaster in the series opener, allowing four home runs before recording an out in the third inning. His outing at that point became a salvage game, in which he needed to get as many outs as possible at that point to ease the burden on the bullpen. But Gonsolin turned things around, retired his final 10 batters faced to get through six innings, while the Dodgers offense rallied to erase a four-run deficit.

Knack had one of those salvage outings on May 19 against Arizona. Following an opener, Knack allowed a pair of two-run home runs in his first inning, putting the Dodgers behind 7-0. But he recovered to pitch four scoreless innings after that. The Dodgers didn’t win that game, but he did eat up outs for the bullpen and the team won the next two to win the series.

In his two starts since, Knack lasted six innings, with wildly different run support. Knack allowed three runs on Sunday against the Mets, but only one run was earned, and the Dodgers scored only once in a loss. On Saturday against the Yankees, the Dodgers scored 10 runs in the first two innings, which made Knack’s mission even clearer. He struck out six and allowed only a solo home run to Aaron Judge.

“When he’s aggressive and on the attack in the hitting zone, he’s much better than when he’s nibbling and trying to be so fine,” manager Dave Roberts said of Knack on Saturday night. “He’s given us length. A few days ago, looking at where our pen was at, to now, looking at this stretch, it’s what Landon and the other guys are doing right now are helping us.”

The Dodgers have 17 games this season in which a pitcher has thrown at least six innings, less than a third of their games and tied for fourth-fewest in the majors. MLB teams average 23 such games through Saturday. The Dodgers are 11-6 (.647) in games when a pitcher goes at least six innings, a little better than their 25-16 (.610) in other games. MLB teams as a whole have a .618 win percentage in games when their pitcher goes at least six innings.

Six times in the last 10 games, the Dodgers had a pitcher go at least six innings, with five of them wins. Yoshinobu Yamamoto leads the team on the season with seven such games, including each of his last three starts. He gets the ball in the series finale against New York.

With Sunday day three in a stretch of 19 games in 20 days, any sort of length they can get from their starters, the better.

Sunday game info​

  • Teams: Dodgers vs. Yankees
  • Stadium: Dodger Stadium
  • Start time: 4:10 p.m.
  • TV: ESPN
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/6/1/24440900/dodgers-pitching-six-innings
 
Week 11: Back on track, beating Guardians & Yankees

Dodgers vs Yankees in Los Angeles, CA


Dodgers took two of of three in Cleveland, then did the same at home against New York. Max Muncy hit four home runs, surpassing a career milestone along the way.

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers got back on track, winning series over the Guardians and Yankees, last year’s ALCS matchup.

The Dodgers won the first two games of each series, on the road in Cleveland and at Dodger Stadium against New York, then lost the finale. Things could have gotten worse in Friday’s opener against the Yankees, as Tony Gonsolin allowed four home runs by the third inning. But he rebounded to finish six frames and the Dodgers offense did the rest for a comeback win.

All that spilled over into Saturday, when the Dodgers were up 10-0 by the second inning in a one-sided affair. It was somewhat cathartic as they entered the week with 11 losses in their previous 20 games.

“We’ve been playing middling baseball for a while,” manager Dave Roberts quipped Saturday. “Maybe we needed the Yankees.”

Batter of the week​


Max Muncy tied a career best with seven RBI in Saturday’s rout of New York, including a pair of three-run home runs. But he also hit two other home runs, drove in 12 for the week and slugged 1.000. He entered the week with a 96 wRC+ on the season and left it with a 112 wRC+.

Pitcher of the week​


Landon Knack had his best start of the year, the other part of Saturday’s blowout, holding the Yankees to only one solo Aaron Judge home run in his six innings, with six strikeouts to earn the win.

Week 11 results​


4-2 record
49 runs scored (8.17 per game)
28 runs allowed (4.67 per game)
.736 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date​


36-23 record
343 runs scored (5.81 per game)
263 runs allowed (4.46 per game)
.619 pythagorean win percentage (37-22)

Standing: 1st place in NL West, two games up on San Diego

Miscellany​


Milestone Saturday: There were plenty of runs to go around in the middle game against the Yankees, and Max Muncy drove in seven of them with a pair of three-run home runs. The first long ball was the 200th of his career. Later in the game, Dalton Rushing hit his first major league home run. Both players got the struck baseballs after the game (two for Muncy).


The 1st and the 200th.

Tonight's Photos of the Game presented by Daiso. pic.twitter.com/ON9TYd90OF

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 1, 2025​
Click to expand...

Most valuable rarity: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani each homered in the first inning on Friday at Dodger Stadium, and Ohtani hit another home run in the sixth inning. It’s the second time the two reigning MVP winners homered in the same game, along with Barry Bonds and Miguel Tejada on June 20, 2003.

Tops at the bottom: Among the many eye-popping stats from Saturday’s blowout win was that both Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim had four hits, while batting eighth and ninth, respectively. It was just the fourth time since 1901 the Dodgers got four hits out of players in both the eighth and ninth spots in the batting order in the same game, and the first such game since May 26, 1970.

18 years of stinginess: Clayton Kershaw did not get the win on Wednesday in Cleveland, but he did allow only one run in his five innings, which marked the 204th time in 432 career starts that the Dodgers left-hander allowed zero or one run.


Clayton Kershaw has allowed 0 or 1 run in 47.2% (204/432) of his career starts (including today).

That is is the highest percentage among 310 pitchers to debut in the modern era (since 1901) with at least 300 starts. The next highest is Chris Sale at 40.9%. pic.twitter.com/bs2c6QbF6k

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 28, 2025​
Click to expand...

Transactions​


Tuesday: Two days after getting designated for assignment, J.P. Feyereisen was cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A, but declined the assignment and elected free agency.

Thursday: Reliever Alexis Díaz was acquired from the Reds for minor league pitcher Mike Villani. To make room on the 40-man roster, Evan Phillips was moved to the 60-day IL, one day before it was revealed he’ll have Tommy John surgery this week, ending his season.

Saturday: Catcher Chuckie Robinson was claimed off waivers from the Angels. Tyler Glasnow was moved to the 60-day IL.

Sunday: Right-hander Luis García became the 15th Dodgers pitcher on the injured list, and Noah Davis was recalled from Oklahoma City.

Game results​


Previous reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10

Up next​


The Dodgers run the José Oquendo gauntlet, finishing off the homestand with four games against the Mets followed by a road trip starting in St. Louis to play the Cardinals.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/6/2/24439141/dodgers-max-muncy-landon-knack-guardians-yankees
 
June 3: Dodgers 6, Mets 5 (10 innings)

MLB: New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Dodgers scored four runs in the first inning, then didn’t score again until Max Muncy homered in the ninth inning, his second homer of the game. Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless 10th inning, then Freddie Freeman doubled home the game-winner to beat the Mets on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

These teams have needed extra innings to decide three of their five meetings this season.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/6/3/24439992/dodgers-mets-june-3
 
Dodgers take on Mets for penultimate game of series

MLB: New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Dodgers and Mets play again on Wednesday night, with both teams hoping that it will not be another extra-inning affair. The teams have already had three of those in their season series

Well look at that, the Dodgers actually brought in Tanner Scott in a tie game, he didn’t give up the lead, and the Dodgers won the game in walk-off fashion. Could things be trending better in that area?

After the game on Tuesday night, Scott spoke to reporters about his first clean inning in what seems like forever. He noted that he, assistant pitching coach Connor McGuinness, bullpen coach Josh Bard, and pitching coach Mark Prior did a “deep dive” on his struggles as of late.

“I was flying open, lower half leading to upper half. Everything was popping out a little early, and not staying through a pitch. It was leading to locations being terrible.”
Click to expand...

For one game at least, it seems like the quartet fixed Scott’s issues. He struck out the first two batters he faced, and then got Brandon Nimmo to ground out to second to end the inning. Freddie Freeman then did Freddie Freeman things, doubling in the winning run in the bottom of the inning.

This was the second game in a row where the Dodgers and Mets went to extra innings, and that Dave Roberts called on Scott to keep the score tied. Monday it didn’t work out. Tuesday it did. Whether Scott is back to being a dominant bullpen piece remains to be seen.

Wednesday, the Dodgers will try to even the season series with the Mets. They will face Griffin Canning, who pitched in the one game the Dodgers took in New York. He pitched only 2.2 innings, allowing three earned, before the rain delayed the game. It eventually took 13 innings to end that game, with Scott blowing the save that night, also.

Having pitched in the last two games, it is unlikely that Scott will pitch in Wednesday’s game. The Dodgers will send Tony Gonsolin to the mound with the hope that he is able to complete six full innings like in his last outing, but not allow five earned, nor the four home runs that constituted that start.

Wednesday game info​

  • Teams: Dodgers vs. Mets
  • Stadium: Dodger Stadium
  • Start time: 7:10 p.m.
  • TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/2025/6/4/24443197/dodgers-mets-preview
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top