Dodgers Hammer Blue Jays as Gavin Stone Spins Best Game as a Major Leaguer

Going into the Toronto series, the Dodgers lineup had 7 hitters with OPS north of .800, the Blue Jays had 2.  All of those OPS numbers rose after Game 1 of the series.  They now have 2 north of 1.000, 3 north of .900, and 5 north of .850.Every starter had at least 1 hit, and 6 had 2 or more.  The team had 19.  After the game, Danny Jansen joined the .900 club in very limited PA.  He joins JT and Daulton Varsho.

Over the last five games, the team has scored 39 runs.  Three of those games, they scored 10 or more runs.  Not only has the team unloaded with their bats, but the pitching has been exceptional, especially the starters.  Only 6 runs against in those five games.  That is a run differential of +33.

The starters have started to get a little deeper into the games:

• Tyler Glasnow – 8.0 innings – 0 runs
• James Paxton – 4.2 innings – 1 run
• Landon Knack – 6.0 innings – 2 runs
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto – 6.0 innings – 0 runs
• Gavin Stone – 7.0 innings – 1 run

This was Gavin Stone’s best game of his career.  He gave up a single to JT in the 2^nd, 2 walks in the 3^rd coming back after a long 6 run 3^rd for the Dodgers, and HR to Danny Jansen on his worst pitch of the game.  It was middle/middle and had a big neon sign saying Hit Me, and Jansen did.  After that HR, Stone retired the next 10 Blue Jays, including his 2 Ks (Bo Bichette and JT).  Stone had 94 pitches, an average of 13.4 pitches per inning.

YO GAVIN STONE WHERE DID THAT 4-SEAMER COME FROM?

we need be praying and hope that this wasn't a fluke because that 18 iVB fastball from Stone tonight grades out at one of the best fastballs in the sport.

It hasn't been that way at all before today, so maybe they made a change! https://t.co/JytppWFVlJ

— Jake (@MarkPriorRBW) April 27, 2024

One of the highlights of the night (for me), was after the boos that Shohei was getting from the Blue Jays fans in the 1^st inning, he goes yard to shut them up.

Shohei takes flight in Toronto! pic.twitter.com/pCQ0Q209lp

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 26, 2024

Will Smith had another 4 hit game. He was a triple shy of the cycle.  That is four 4-hit games in the first 28 games, and his 2^nd in his last three games. He also had a sac fly.

The Dodgers were 7-14 WRISP.  Over the last 5 games, LAD is 23-60 WRISP, .383 BAA.  That includes a 1-10 game on Thursday.

The Dodgers had three more steals.  Mookie stole his 7^th in 7 tries.  Teoscar stole his 3^rd, and Gavin Lux stole his 1^st.

That is 5 in a row for LAD.  On Saturday, Tyler Glasnow will face off against Yusei Kikuchi.  Tyler has not had a lot of previous success against Toronto or in the Rogers Centre.  That all changes on Saturday.

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I came across the following note this week.  As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 63 pitchers on major-league injured lists with elbow or forearm injuries.  Sixty-three pitchers and it’s not even May yet!

While the Dodgers have had their share forearm injuries, for the last couple of years there has been a rash of shoulder injuries with the Dodgers.

• Blake Treinen – Shoulder surgery – November 2022
• Clayton Kershaw – Shoulder surgery – November 2023
• Nick Frasso – Shoulder surgery – November 2023
• Bobby Miller – Shoulder “fatigue” – Two consecutive years
• Kyle Hurt – Shoulder “fatigue”
• River Ryan – Shoulder “fatigue”
• Brusdar Graterol – Shoulder injury

And we still do not truly know the status of Maddux Bruns or Payton Martin.

Why so many shoulder issues, especially with the young guns?  What is their winter workout regimen?

It has been difficult to believe what is said.  The status of both Graterol and Sheehan have gone from mild to “it’s a long term process”.  It has been more than a month since the start of the season, and Blake Treinen was supposed to be back at the domestic home opener for LAD.  He went from a bruised lung, to broken ribs. He has made one rehab appearance, but since it was in Albuquerque it really was not a fair test.  Who has confidence in the health status reports for any LAD?

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Chris Taylor is a favorite bad guy right now.  As long as the Dodgers are winning, I am indifferent with him continuing to find his refined stroke.  When CT was at Virginia, he was considered a glove first contact hitter.  614 PA – .296/.384/.422/.806 – 83 K, 62 BB, 7 HR.  That is a 13.5% K rate.  That was his natural swing.  He recognized that the swing he had was not going to allow him to get to The Show and stay there.  He recognized that power was the primary hit tool to get to the Bigs.  Thus, he decided to change his swing to put more of a launch angle into it, to generate more power.

In 2002 MiLB PA, he hit .316/.402/.464/.866, 348 K, 235 BB, 27 HR.  17.4% K rate.

He did not get a MLB HR while with Seattle.  His professional career high HR was 8 before he landed with LAD.  In 2017 (first full season with LAD), he hit 21 HR.   He has been double digit HRs every year except 2020 while with the Dodgers.  But that came at a cost.  He struck out 142 times in 568 PA, or 25% in 2017.  And that has been his low.

His swing is the most extreme launch angle in MLB, and it makes it very difficult for him to hit anything up.  This year he is the worst hitter for pitches middle/middle and up.

But it hasn’t just been this year.  According to Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs, Taylor has had strikeout rates of 35.2 percent in 2022 and 32.6 percent in 2023 and has hit just .211/.303/.362 since a foul ball fractured his left foot on July 6, 2022.

It is not as easy to change your swing as many seem to think.  Swinging a bat very much involves muscle memory.  It has been more than 7 years with his revised swing, and now he wants to switch back to his more natural swing.  I know…just change it.

How much time?  I have no idea. He has been a good Dodger.  Whatever that means.  He should get at least as much as Miguel Vargas got.  As long as the Dodgers are winning, I am okay with letting him work it out.  As of right now it looks like a CT/Outman platoon…until one gets hot.

MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS

OKC Baseball Club 5 – Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 4

A different feel in this game.  OKC was held to 5 runs, but did have 12 hits.  The flip side is that Elieser Hernandez started and completed 5.0 innings.  For 4 of the 5 innings Hernandez was very good.  But that 4^th (in the 4^th) was not very good at all.  BB, double, and 3 singles pushed across three runs.

Blake Treinen pitched in his 2^nd rehab game.  It went a little better.  He gave up a run on a single and double in his 1.0 IP.

Michael Petersen (H6), John Rooney (H3), and Ricky Vanasco pitched the final three innings without allowing a baserunner.  It was Vanasco’s 5^th save.

OKC opened the scoring in the 3^rd.  Kody Hoese singled, and Chris Owings doubled Kody to 3^rd.  Hoese scored on a 4-3 fielder’s choice.  Miguel Vargas singled home Owings.

OKC retook the lead in the 5^th.  After 2 BB, Andre Lipcius hit a 2-out 3-run HR for the final scoring.

OKC was 2-13 WRISP.  Good for the excellent relief pitching.

• Miguel Vargas – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, double (8)
• Trey Sweeney – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, double (8)
• Andre Lipcius – 2-4, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (7)
• Kody Hoese – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (4)
• Chris Owings – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 run, double (1)

Box Score

Tulsa Drillers 4 – Northwest Arkansas Naturals (KC) 2

Kendall Williams pitched a very good 5.0 innings allowing only an unearned run.  He surrendered 4 hits, 2 BB, and registered 2 K.  Williams threw 79 pitches (44 strikes) in his 5.0 IP.

The Drillers took the lead in the 4^th.  Brendon Davis singled.  Taylor Young reached on a force out.  Yeiner Fernandez singled and Austin Beck tripled both home.  The Drillers doubled their run total in the 5^th on a Griffin Lockwood-Powell 2-run HR.  It was his 2^nd HR in as many games.

• Yeiner Fernandez – 2-4, 1 run
• Austin Beck – 2-4, 2 RBI, triple (1)
• Dalton Rushing – 1-1, 3 BB, 1 run, double (4)
• Griffin Lockwood-Powell – 1-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (2)

Box Score

Great Lakes Loons 5  – Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) 3

Great Lakes is on the road, and the first five batters reached safely, and the first four scored.  Alex Freeland led off with a HBP, Noah Miller doubled, and Kyle Nevin, Dylan Campbell, and Chris Newell all singled.  Campbell actually scored the 4^th run on a fielder’s choice ground out.

Peter Heubeck had his third (out of four) solid start.  He completed shutout 4.0 IP allowing 3 hits, 1 BB, and 8 K.  He was at 79 pitches.

Jonathan Edwards relieved Heubeck, and he struck out the first 2 batters he faced before a BB, single, catcher’s interference, and BB forced in a run.  Livan Reinoso

relieved Edwards and got out of the inning and retired the side in order in the 6^th.  It was a good appearance for Reinoso.

The Loons were shut down after the first 5 batters until the 6^th.  Dylan Campbell singled and came around to score on a passed ball, and two fly outs.

In the 7^th, Franklin De La Paz walked the bases loaded and a 2-run single.

Kelvin Ramirez pitched the final 2.0 innings.  He did not allow a run and recorded his 2^nd save and lowered his ERA to 0.87 after 7 games and 10.1 IP.  He has 11 K and 2 BB.

• Dylan Campbell – 2-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI
• Noah Miller – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (4)

Box Score

Inland Empire Storm (Padres) 5 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2

The 6 game winning streak came to an end when the Storm scored 2 in the 8^th and 3 in the 9^th, 1 earned.

Patrick Copen and Callum Wallace pitched 7.0 innings of 0-hit ball.  Copen allowed 4 BB and 7 K for the first 4.2 innings.  Wallace faced the minimum 8 batters in his 2.2 innings with 4 K.

Christian Ruebeck lost the no-no in the 8^th with the first batter he faced who doubled.  He moved to 3^rd on a WP, after a BB, the run scored on a single.  A second BB loaded the bases and a sacrifice fly scored the go ahead 2^nd run.

RC scored the first run in the first inning.  Jeral Perez continued his hot 2024 with a double and scored on a Zyhir Hope single.  The Quakes tentatively tied the game in the 8^th.  Jesus Galiz opened the inning with a single. Juan Alonso walked, and after one out, Carlos Rojas singled to load the bases.  Galiz scored on a fielders choice, but that was all RC could produce.

Felix Cabrera allowed 3 runs (1 earned) in the 9^th for the margin of victory.

• Jeral Perez – 2-5, 1 run, double (6)
• Zyhir Hope – 2-5, 1 RBI
• Jesus Galiz – 2-4, 1 run

The Quakes (and Dodgers) got good news when learning that Josue De Paula will not have to go on IL with a hamstring injury.

Box Score