Dodgers Win 5th Consecutive Series Behind Another Yamamoto Gem

Yoshinobu Yamamoto continues to shine.  His first pitch was middle-middle and Jazz Chisholm promptly hit it into the stands for a Marlins 1-0 lead.  Josh Bell singled with 2 outs in the 1^st, but Yamamoto had thrown nothing but strikes in the first inning.  Yamamoto continued to pound the strike zone.  His first 19 pitches were strikes.

Yoshi never found himself in danger until he gave up his 2^nd HR of the game.  This one was to Bryan De La Cruz in the 6^th.  This was the first HR he has given up on a splitter this season.  He then proceeded to pitch through the lineup.  He got through the lineup completely three times, and the first two in the order 4 times.  I didn’t think they were supposed to be able to do that.

After three consecutive 6.0 IP starts, Yamamoto pitched 8 innings for the first time.  He allowed two other hits other than the HR, but did not walk a batter.  He has lowered his ERA from 45.00 after the first game to a season best of 2.79.  He threw 97 pitches in the 8 innings with 73 strikes (75% strikes).  The big difference for Yamamoto tonight was the command of his fastball, especially at the top of the zone.  If he masters that pitch, he will be on a different level.

This was Yoshi’s first win at Dodger Stadium.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's non-Korea starts:

3/30: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
4/6: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
4/12: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
4/19: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
4/25: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
5/1: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
5/7: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

1.76 ERA.

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) May 8, 2024

Edward Cabrera has been the topic of multiple trade talks.  But his control has been a problem for a while, and tonight was just another example.  After getting Mookie to fly out to CF, Cabrera walked Shohei Ohtani, hit Freddie Freeman, and walked Will Smith.  On the 2^nd pitch that Max Muncy saw, he hit an opposite field grand slam and a 4-1 lead.  It was Muncy’s sixth career grand slam, which places him sixth all-time in the Dodgers’ record books. Gil Hodges is the all-time leader with 14, and the next closest players are Carl Furillo and Mike Piazza with eight each, while Matt Kemp and Cody Bellinger are tied with seven.

MAX SLAM. pic.twitter.com/AvXjBPwL55

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 8, 2024

The Dodgers loaded the bases again in the 3^rd.  Andy Pages broke the string of runs scored on HRs with a sac fly.  Max having doubled in the inning moved to third.  For whatever reason, Christian Bethancourt threw down to third and was not close as it went into LF.  Max scored, and Teoscar moved to 3rd.

Gavin Lux followed that with a 2-run HR.  This was Gavin’s first HR since August 15, 2022.

Gavin Lux big fly! pic.twitter.com/MHjQHUxGG6

— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) May 8, 2024

This was the Dodgers 6^th consecutive win.  This win gives the Dodgers the 2^nd best record in the NL and MLB.  They only trail the Phillies, a team actually hotter than the Dodgers. The Phillies have won 18 out of their last 21.

Gavin Stone will try to continue his excellent pitching of his last two starts in the homestand finale.  LHP Ryan Weathers will start for the Fish.

MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT

Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston) 3 – OKC Baseball Club 2 – 10 innings

 OKC scored first in the 2^nd inning.  Kevin Padlo and Hunter Feduccia drew inning opening walks.  Both runners pulled off a double steal, and Padlo scored on a ground out.

They added another in the 3^rd when Drew Avans opened with a triple and scored on a Miguel Vargas SF.  That was Avans’ 5^th triple of the year.

Dinelson Lamet pitched his consecutive 5.0 scoreless innings for OKC.  He looks to be making a statement.  Connor Brogdon relieved Lamet in the 6^th.  He gave up a single and 2-run HR  before recording an out.  He retired the side on 3 fly balls to end the inning.

The teams took a 2-2 tie into the 9^th.  Hunter Feduccia 9thopened with a double.  Kody Hoese and Austin Gauthier followed with walks to load the bases with nobody out.  Jonathan Araúz reached on a fielder’s choice with an out recorded at the plate. Drew Avans struck out, and Miguel Vargas lined out to the LF.

Kevin Gowdy retired the side in order in the bottom of the 9^th.

In the 10^th, Miguel Vargas was the free runner starting at 2^nd.  Trey Sweeney struck out.  Miguel Vargas was then thrown out on an attempted steal of 3B, and Andre Lipcius struck out to end the inning.

The Space Cowboys got one IBB and one unintentional BB to load the bases.  They got the sacrifice fly to win the game.

• Drew Avans – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, triple (5)
• Hunter Feduccia – 2-2, 2 BB, double (6)
• Austin Gauthier – 0-2, 2 BB – Mr. OBP gets on twice in his AAA debut.

Box Score

Midland RockHounds (A’s) 8 – Tulsa Drillers 7

Critical mistakes cost the Tulsa Drillers the opening game of a six-game series against the Midland RockHounds. The Drillers held three different leads in the opener, but five consecutive walks in the sixth inning and a dropped pop up in the eighth inning combined to hand Midland an 8-7 win on Tuesday afternoon at Momentum Bank Ballpark.

Taylor Young got the Drillers off to a hot start by sending the second pitch of the game into the Drillers bullpen in right field for a leadoff homer.

The rain out from Sunday pushed pitcher Justin Wrobleski’s start to game one in Midland, and the lefty ran into hard luck in the first inning. Jacob Wilson began the bottom of the first with a double to right, and the throw back into the infield got away from Young. Wilson ran towards third base as Young quickly recovered and threw to the bag in plenty of time, but the RockHound’s leadoff man was ruled safe. One batter later, Wilson scored on a groundout to tie the game at 1-1.

The Drillers responded by scoring three runs in the second inning. Tulsa only needed two hits and was helped by two hit batters and a walk. Brendon Davis drove in the first run with a single, and Bubba Alleyne followed with a sacrifice fly. Dalton Rushing singled to score Tulsa’s third run and up the lead to 4-1.

The RockHounds brought the game within one run with a 1-out single, followed by a run scoring double.  Another single put runners on 1^st and 3^rd with one out.  A run scored on a ground ball.

Wrobleski exited the game after striking out the two batters he faced in the 6^th. Apparently 86 pitches was enough.  Ronan Kopp entered to register the final out of the 6^th.  Unfortunately he was not able to get that out.  The big lefty issued five consecutive walks, leading to two runs and a 5-4 lead for the RockHounds. Sauryn Lao took over and struck out Cooper Bowman to end the inning.

Tulsa did not trail long as Griffin Lockwood-Powell delivered a two-run homer in the seventh to put the Drillers back in front.

Austin Beck added a run to the Drillers lead in the eighth inning. The former RockHound hit a solo blast to increase Tulsa’s lead to 7-5.

Welcome back to Midland Austin Beck!
Beck played in the As system, and after missing all of last year to an ACL tear, chose Free Agency in the off season, then chose the Dodgers. He chose well! His skills are gonna flourish in this system. Big power! #dodgers pic.twitter.com/qTYFj45bZT

— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) May 8, 2024

Midland quickly loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth and scored on Wilson’s single. Reliever Jack Little induced a strikeout and a pop out to record two outs. Shane McGuire followed with a pop up in short right field that looked to be the final out of the inning, but the ball was dropped, allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to score, giving Midland an 8-7 lead.

The Drillers could not respond in the ninth as RockHounds reliever Grant Holman (remember him?)  worked around a one-out walk to close out the game.

Ronan Kopp is a veritable strikeout machine, who has real problems consistently throwing strikes.  In today’s game, He threw 27 pitches without recording an out, and only 7 of those pitches were strikes. This year, Kopp has 4.1 IP.  He has allowed 5 hits, 8 walks, and accumulated 4 strikeouts.  For his career, Kopp has 141.0 IP, 102 walks, and 224 strikeouts.  He is still just 21 and is too talented to give up on.

• Taylor Young – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (3)
• Griffin Lockwood-Powell – 1-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (4), HR (4)
• Brendon Davis – 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI
• Chris Alleyne – 3-3, 1 RBI
• Austin Beck – HR (4)

Box Score

Great Lakes Loons 2 – Lansing Lugnuts (A’s) 0

I fully acknowledge that I have no experience in player development or understanding who gets promoted and why.  However, I have to ask out loud.  Why is Jared Karros still at Great Lakes?  He started against the A’s high A team in the Midwest League, Lansing Lugnuts, and dominated for 6.0 IP. He allowed 2 singles, no BB, and 5 Ks.  He threw 71 pitches in 6.0 IP.  He was both efficient and dominant.  That was less than 12 pitches per inning.

Karros has now started 6 games. He has completed 5.0 innings in the first 5 and 6.0 innings in his last. He is 23, and I would like to see what he could do at AA. Rankings in Midwest League.

• #2 IP – 31.0
• #2 WHIP – 0.77
• #3 ERA – 1.74
• #3 BAA – .180
• #5 K – 32
• #5 BB (Least) – 4

Jared Karros is so good at commanding his stuff, he gets in what I call the "Rocking Chair" because he makes everything look so easy & stress free. Very Impressive!
6 IP
2 H
0 R
5 Ks
0 BB
Moved to 5-0, ERA is just 1.74, WHIP just 0.77, 32 Ks, just 4 walks. #dodgers pic.twitter.com/qeoQr8MyjV

— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) May 8, 2024

The Loons were not prolific with the bats themselves.  They went scoreless for 5.0 innings.  Noah Miller doubled to lead off the bottom of the 6^th, and Chris Newell followed with a 2-run HR for the only runs of the game.

Recently promoted Jake Gelof went 1-3.  He singled in the 4^th, and then stole 2B.

Jerming Rosario (still one of my favorites) pitched the final three shutout innings.  He did not allow a hit, issued 1 BB, and struck out 2.  He earned his first save of 2024.  It appears that Jerming is being transitioned to a multi-inning reliever.  That is undoubtedly where he belongs.  The odds are stacked way against him, but I still root for him.

• Chris Newell – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI, doubles (6), HR (7)
• Noah Miller – 1-4, 1 run, double (6)

Box Score

Visalia Rawhide (Dbacks) 5 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4

19 year old infielder, Oswaldo Osorio, was reassigned to the Quakes from the ACL prior to  the game.

The Quakes scored 1^st.  In the 2^nd, Jefferson Valladares opened with a double.  He moved to 3^rd on an Osorio single, and scored on a Juan Alonso sacrifice fly.

Payton Martin had an easy first inning, and got out of a bases loaded jam in the 2^nd inning.  But in the 3^rd, he gave up 2 runs on 3 hits (2 XBH), and walk.  With a runner on 2^nd and two outs, Payton Martin was relieved in favor of Roque Gutierrez.

Gutierrez got the final out in the 3^rd and pitched 4.0 additional innings.  He gave up an unearned run in the 4^th. He allowed 2 doubles for 1 run in the 6^th, and allowed another run in the 7^th on a BB, sac bunt, another walk as the runner on 2^nd moved to 3^rd on a WP Ball 4.  He then scored on a ground out.

Jordan Thompson homered in the 6^th.  The Quakes battled back in the 8^th.  With 1 out, Jordan Thompson hit his 2^nd HR of the game, and Jesus Galiz followed with a BB.  With 2 outs, Oswaldo Osorio tripled home Galiz.  They were within 1 run, but that is as close as they would get.

• Jeral Perez – 2-4, 1 BB, double (9)
• Jordan Thompson – 3-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 2 HR (5)
• Jefferson Valladares – 2-4, 1 run, double (4)
• Oswaldo Osorio – 2-4, 1 RBI, triple (1)

Box Score

Question:  I know the Dodgers are known for their ability to “fix” pitchers, but why is it that they have problems getting their own pitchers to throw strikes?  Outside of Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski, and Jared Karros, many LAD pitcher prospects have trouble with their control.  Why?  Are they really primarily concerned with power arms and figure out control later?  Today it was Ronan Kopp.  It has been Maddux Bruns in most of his games. Peter Heubeck,  Jackson Ferris, Hyun-il Choi, Rickt Vanasco, Kendall Williams, Ben Harris, Ryan Sublette, Jonathan Edwards, Gabe Emmett, Christian Ruebeck, Garrett McDaniels, Callum Wallace, Felix Cabrera…

The more I look at Griffin Lockwood-Powell the more I see a RH hitting Ryan Noda.  The advantage that GLP has is that he is also a catcher.  He would be an ideal 3^rd catcher for a non-contending team.  I hope some team picks him up next year.