I really do not have anything positive to say, so I focused on the MiLB games. I watched the Great Lakes game in the AM and after the LAD debacle I watched the the OKC and Rancho Cucamonga games. Both had frustrating endings.
This properly summarizes today’s game.
The Dodgers had:
-Bases loaded, no outs in the 2nd
-Bases loaded, two outs in the 3rd
-First and third, one out in the 5th
Overall, they went 0-for-7 with RISP, stranded 10 and were shut out by the Pirates.— Sonja Chen (@SonjaMChen) September 4, 2025
Feel free to lambaste the Dodgers MLB team or comment on any of the affiliates. Today’s star was Kendall George. Three SB shy of 100.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS
Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston) 9 – OKC Comets 7
Matt Sauer continues to show why he is organizational depth. He completed 2.1 innings, and allowed 8 runs, all earned, on 7 hits, including 3 HRs, 3 BB, and 2 K. The three HRs accounted for 6 runs.
Zach Penrod also continued to show why he too is organizational depth. He entered with one out, nobody on in the 3rd. He allowed a double and run scoring single in his 1.2 IP. The positive…his 5 outs were via the K.
Alex Vesia relieved in the 5th in his 1st rehab assignment and retired the side in order, with one K.
Tommy Edman was 0-3 with a BB in his first rehab game, and 0-2 in his 2nd game before being pinch hit for by José Ramos in the 6th. Ramos broke up the shut with a HR (4). Ryan Ward followed and hit his 32nd HR. CJ Alexander followed with a double, and Austin Gauthier singled Alexander home for their 3rd run of the inning.
Oppo 🌮 homer for Jose Ramos! pic.twitter.com/Ma36bI3Zno
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) September 4, 2025
B2B 💣’s – Ward’s homer gives him 115 RBI, the most in the PCL in a single season since 2016 pic.twitter.com/RhenERWwug
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) September 4, 2025
Ryan Sublette pitched a scoreless 6th.
In the 7th, Esteury Ruiz drew a BB and moved to 2nd on a ground out. Ryan Ward reached on an error. Ruiz (56) and Ward (15) pulled off a double steal. Alexander singled home both runners. Two more BB’s loaded the bases and Alexander scored on a WP.
Robinson Ortiz pitched a scoreless 7th and José Rodríguez pitched a perfect 8th with a K.
In the 9th, down by 3, Luken Baker led off with a single. Gauthier followed with a BB. Noah Miller drew a 1 out BB to load the bases. Ruiz drew a 2-out walk to score Baker. Ramos struck out to end the game. OKC down by 9 after 3 innings, came back with 7 runs, and left the bases loaded after a batter struck out on a pitch out of the zone. Sound familiar?
- Ryan Ward – 2-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (31), HR (32)
- CJ Alexander – 2-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI
- Austin Gauthier – 2-3, 2 BB, double (18)
- Doubles – Nick Senzel (15)
- Home Run – José Ramos (4)
Tommy Edman playing CF
Tommy Edman seems to be moving well in center field! pic.twitter.com/jz97iRwihw
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) September 4, 2025
Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota) 0 – Tulsa Drillers 0 – Game Postponed Inclement Weather
Great Lakes Loons 11 – Lake County Captains (Cleveland) 5
Yes…I watched the early morning game on MiLB TV.
Kendall George led off the game with a single and promptly stole 2B (95). George scored on a Josue De Paula single. Eduardo Quintero followed with his 3rd HR at Great Lakes.
Zyhir Hope followed with a BB and stole 2B (26). After the first out of the inning, Jake Gelof slugged his 14th HR, and the Loons jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 6 batters.
19-year-old Eduardo Quintero extends his hitting streak to 10 games with his 3rd dinger since joining the High-A @greatlakesloons.
MLB's No. 53 overall prospect (@Dodgers) has 17 homers across two levels of the Minors this season. pic.twitter.com/a8fcSfrl1g
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 3, 2025
WE WANT IT pic.twitter.com/FlbT5YNED5
— Great Lakes Loons (@greatlakesloons) September 3, 2025
Maddux Bruns was staked to that 5-0 lead. However in the 3rd, he allowed 4 straight hits to open the inning, allowing two runs to score.
After a scoreless 4th, the wheels came off in the 5th. On a strikeout WP by Bruns, the Captains had a runner on 1st. After a one out single, and Bruns was done for the day. He threw 81 pitches in 4.1 IP. He struck out 8 but walked two, allowed 5 hits and threw a WP on a strikeout. He could not follow up 2 good games, and seemed to revert to a prior Maddux Bruns. He was the LAD 1st round pick in 2021 and is struggling in A+.
With two runners on, Joseilyn Gonzalez was brought in to close out the inning. Unfortunately for the Loons, Gonzalez allowed a single, double, and two walks to allow 3 runs to tie the score.
In the 6th, Gonzalez walked the leadoff hitter and allowed a single putting runners on 1st and 3rd. Myles Caba was ushered in and struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.
In the 7th, catcher Frank Rodriguez drew a one out walk. George followed with a bunt single. De Paula hit a high bouncer to 2B who threw to 2nd to get George, but the throw hit George in the helmet and bounced into LF. Rodriguez scored and George moved to 3rd. Quintero walked to load the bases, and Hope walked to plate George. Logan Wagner then grounded a base hit into RF to score 2 more. Jake Gelof singled Hope home for a 10-5 lead, with their 2nd 5 run inning.
In the bottom of the 7th, Caba struck out the first two batters for 4 straight Ks, but walked the next batter. Nicolas Cruz came in to relieve Caba and got the final out of the inning.
In the 8th, with one out George grounded a single into LF. He was balked to 2nd, and stole 3rd (96). De Paula walked putting runners on the corner. De Paula took off and was in a run down and when George took off for home, the ball was late, and the Loons pulled off a successful double steal and an 11-5 lead. That was George’s 97th steal.
Kendall George is so much fun to watch.
One other note for Great Lakes league leaders, Zyhir Hope leads the Midwest League with 75 RBI, and Logan Wagner is #2 with 73.
Ryan Brown relieved in the 9th and retired the side giving Great Lakes the 11-5 win.
Caba, Cruz, and Brown combined to pitch the final 3.2 scoreless innings, not allowing a hit, 2 BB, and 5 K.
The Loons are now 0.5 games behind Lake County for the final playoff spot in the Midwest League East Division standings. The two teams will be playing each other for the next four games to determine who moves on.
- Kendall George – 3-5, 3 runs, 3 SB (97)
- Jake Gelof – 2-5, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (14)
- Zyhir Hope – 1-3, 2 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, SB (26)
- Josue De Paula – 1-3, 2 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, SB (31)
- Home Run – Eduardo Quintero (3)
It looks like Josue De Paula is ready to join LAD.
This is not going to be a popular post. In the past few games #Dodgers Josue De Paula is showing signs on lazy play in the outfield. Balls that should be caught and jogging to fly balls. This play just switched the momentum of the game. pic.twitter.com/dYaOt1Gc2q
— Dodgers_After_Duty (@msalas24) September 3, 2025
Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado) 6 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 5
The Quakes put up 3 in the top of the 1st. Landyn Vidourek opened with a BB. Emil Morales followed with a single, and Ching-Hsien Ko walked to load the bases. Chase Harlan walked to force in one run. Niko Perez hit a Sac Fly for the 2nd run, and Oswaldo Osorio singled home the 3rd run.
SP, Jakob Wright, surrendered a pair of runs in the 2nd inning. He allowed a leadoff single, and after a passed ball and wild pitch, the Grizzlies had a runner on 3rd. He struck out the next two batters, but a single brought home the Grizzlies’ first run. Wright issued a BB and a single to plate Fresno’s 2nd run.
The Quakes’ 19 year old RHP, Jesus Tillero, completed 4.0 scoreless innings. But Jesus gave up a 2-run HR in the 7th, giving Fresno a 4-3 lead. Jose Cabrera relieved Tillero with 2 outs and got the final out of the 7th, and followed that up with a scoreless 8th.
Niko Perez hit his 3rd HR of the season to tie it up in the 8th.
Cabrera hit the leadoff batter in the top of the 9th, and walked the next batter. Dilan Figueredo relieved Cabrera. The first batter sacrificed the two runners to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Ethan Holliday was IBB to load the bases. Figueredo unintentionally walked the next batter to force in the go ahead run. Tanner Thach singled home 2 more giving Fresno a 7-4 lead.
In the bottom of the 9th, Vidourek had a one out single, and Emil Morales followed with a run scoring double. Ko hit an RBI single and moved to 2nd on a throwing error. Perez singled Ko to 3rd and steals 2nd. But that is as close as the Quakes were going to get as Mairo Martinus grounded out to end the game.
- Emil Morales – 3-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (11)
- Niko Perez – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (3)
- Double – Angel Diaz (5)
Depressing to watch these 2025 Dodgers play.
Just depressing.
All those bases loaded situations and NO ONE coming threw with a key hit.
I just do not see them turn the switch this year.
Emil Morales keeps raking at RC. I hope the Dodgers put him on the fast track next season and start him right at GL.
And George is having a season for the ages.
DePaula must be related to Teo somehow. 😑 Atrocious play in the outfield. He has to get his s.hit together on defense.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They are trolling us. All-time great roster with so-so results.
Skenes tonight the chokling dogs might get swept. Hard to believe talk about under achiving. Perhaps next year Friedman can get us 2 Confortos
Moron
He’s waiting until the exact right moment to release him.
That was three months ago.
I understand the whole “flipping the switch” thing. We saw it often with the Lakers the last 20 years.
But I realized we’re not seeing emotion or heart from this Dodger team (aside from Vesia when he strikes guys out). This is a very blah team right now, and I’m not sure how THAT switch gets flipped.
Maybe we need a brawl. Maybe we need a hit batter. Maybe we just need October. But for now, this is a dud. A loss today, even vs Skenes, would be flat out embarrasing.
Maybe they need a leader?
Lots of wealthy jocks in that clubhouse, someone needs to step up.
After watching the De Paula video above it appears he’s ready to man LF for the Dodgers in 2026. So that would be De Paula, Pages, and Hernandez manning the outfield next year. I’m sure one of the brainiacs in the analytic dept can develop a useful metric to turn dropped fly balls into a positive stat.
I think “The Dodger Way to Play Baseball” book needs to be revisited. Ai -“Written by Al Campanis in 1954 it became a foundational text for the Dodger organization. It was the bible of for the team’s philosophy on fundamentals, speed, pitching, and defense”.
Note: 1) Al Campanis has to be turning over in his grave. 2) The current front office probably burned any remaining copies of the book when they took over.
“We don’t have a need any stinking fundamentals!”
Carry on
I’ve mentioned that book and the Dodger cadre of old in many forums.
Old School is dead. These new punks don’t care and the Greatest Generation is gone.
Me, at 77, losing interest.
Luckily Smith’s X-Rays were negative. The emergency catcher was Kike. Would not be surprised to see a C from AAA brought up just in case to travel with the team. Smith will probably sit today. They once again missed a golden opportunity to gain ground on the Padres. SF has won 10 of their last 11 and LA heads there next weekend then the Giants come to LA for four games the following weekend. Better start playing some flawless baseball. Snell tonight against Skenes.
Admittedly the Dodgers have struggled for consistency but when they’ve needed to, especially in the red hot atmospheres against the Padres, they have delivered.
This bodes well.
There has been much improvement in the Starting Rotation of late, and flickers of life from Shohei. Mookie, Freddie, Teo and Will. When Max returns and brings his on base skills to lengthen the lineup. Plus Tommy Tanks and the energy of Kim I’m expecting a big upturn in performance and results.
Dont give up on this team yet, there are far too many talented players and way too much baseball to be played.
In a couple of weeks we will be watching a very different team.
Watford, in a period of LAD baseball that is mired in doom and gloom, you brighten my day with optimism. Like Badger, I too have not given up on them, and will not until they are eliminated, regardless how p*** poor they play. I have preached patience, and I see no reason to stop.
I’m not giving up. It has for years proven to be near impossible to repeat. It hasn’t been done in over twenty years. This team has the look of one that isn’t hungry to do it. They’ve got their rings, they’ve been handing them out to former players and glad handing each all year. The question will be, when they have to, can they turn it on?
The bottom of the order was 0 for 12 last night. Are we back to that again? I’m sorry but Freeland needs to go. Get Edman back and play Kim. Kiké is hitting .197. He’s here for October? Great. Bench him til then. Conforto? It’s already been said a thousand times so no need to repeat it. Pages? We live with his God given talent and his bone headed play until he matures, which I don’t see happening in the next 30 days.
A League players. 2-3 years away. All of them. Some will be traded to improve the now. Not the now now, too late for that, but the now later.
Kendall George very much interests me. He’s getting on base at a .406 clip. Can he do that in AA? Guess we’ll see next year.
I’m hearing from my giant fan friends. Their team set a club record for home runs consecutive games. 15 I think. Do they have enough to make the playoffs? Heck, they are only 7.5 behind the Dodgers and play them 7 times coming up. 1951?
OK, another 3:40 game against a true ace. Am I going to sit through it? Yeah, maybe Might go swimming after the first time through the order, come back in time to see the finish. Might record it. As long as they are all playing like they are drugged I’m sure I can find other things to do.
I assume you mean the Rams.
Pages swinging at a ball way out of strike zone with bases full for strike 3 was the most painful out.
Not sure about painful, but by far the ugliest. Freeland at this point is overmatched.
Freeland is very much overmatched right now. There is no question about that. I just hope it does not do anything with his confidence as it did with Outman. Maybe if they bring up a catcher they can option Freeland today. But if they do bring up a catcher, they will have to DFA someone so that one of the 3 emergency catchers at OKC can be placed on the 40 man first.
Freeland’s problem is the stache. He needs to do a fuller mustache or get rid of it altogether.
I’ve never pitched above the Little League level so I’m speaking out of my ass here, but I think it’s important for a batter to look dangerous when he comes to the plate. That way the pitcher, even if only subconsciously, isn’t quite so sure that he’ll be an easy out. I bring this up because I think Call needs to do something about his batting stance. When I look at him in the box, he just looks very defensive, like he doesn’t expect to get a hit.
OK, now that I’ve fixed Freeland and Call, I guess I need to help Conforto.
You had me until you got to Conforto.
My wife hated Rushing’s stache and was happy when he shaved it off. She still comments about Freeland’s porn star stache. I asked her to expand and she says tv shows call skinny staches porn staches. I say go big or go away.
Maybe if Call made more contact he would look scarier to pitchers. Or, he could do that elbow pump thing Morgan did. And his walk up music could be the Macarena.
Matt Chapman was suspended after a brawl with the Rockies the other day. He appealed and played last night.
It is time for the Dodgers to put on their big boy pants and ditch the Huggies.
I don’t know what it is but rge team just looks old and sll these other teams are getting better.
There are 12 teams currently in the playoff picture. Like the Dodgers, most are treading water.
NL:
· Milwaukee – 5-5 last ten games
· Philadelphia – 5-5 last ten games
· Dodgers – 5-5 last ten games
· Cubs – 5-5 last ten games
· Padres – 2-8 last ten games
· Mets – 6-4 last ten games
AL:
· Toronto – 5-5 last ten games
· Detroit – 5-5 last ten games
· Astros – 5-5 last ten games
· Yankees – 8-2 last ten games
· Red Sox – 7-3 last ten games
· Mariners – 4-6 last ten games
7 of the 12 teams, including the Dodgers, are playing .500 for the last ten games. 3 teams are playing > .500 and 2 teams are playing < .500.
That should not make anyone feel better. It is a case of lost opportunities, but it has been just as much of lost opportunities for the Padres, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Cubs. Every Division leader played .500 over the last 10 games. I guess some can say that the others are playing better, but that does not make it so.
Dog days of summer
Your right. Doesn’t make me feel any better. This is getting depressing and hard to watch. I don’t remember ever seeing a Dodger team play so lifeless. I actually felt a little anger when they used Conforto to pinch hit. I really shouldn’t let them playing pitiful bother me so much
The Dodgers are still 2.5 games ahead of SD, and if LAD loses today (strong possibility), they will be 2.0 games up, but effectively 3.0 games. 22 games left after today. Once Edman is back, that pretty much puts Conforto on the bench, and Dean back in OKC. Max comes back and Freeland is back to OKC. That’s improvement.
But everyone can feel free to vent here. Their play is frustrating, but I am still a believer.
This is true, but the problem here is that the Dodgers have been playing .500 or worse the entire season with the exception of two periods, one in April to start the season (first two weeks) and the other a three week period in June. Otherwise they have been mediocre, barely above, or worse. It doesnt give anyone confidence that the team can even win consecutive series, especially on the road where they are below .500 for the season.
What difference does it make as long as they get to the Playoffs? That is what I have heard for years. Just get there. Milwaukee was arguably playing over their heads for July and August. Who is to say they are not playing to their ability for September. Philadelphia has lost one of the top three pitchers in the NL. Cubs have not been playing well at all, just like the Dodgers. The Dodgers are 7.5 games ahead of the Giants for the #4 Wild Card team, and 8.5 games ahead of Cincinnati.
It has also been argued that the team with the best SP has the best chance to win. I like the LAD chances here. Since August 1 SP ERA:
CHC – 3.58
Bos – 3.63
LAD – 3.65
Mil – 3.71
NYY – 3.78
Phi – 4.04
SDP – 4.07
Det – 4.35
Tor – 4.36
Hou – 4.49
Sea – 4.77
NYM – 5.09
So you can choose to pick apart the Dodgers as you do so well. I can pick apart the other contenders just as easily. And as far as the roster goes, once Max and Edman are back, I guess you can say they won’t pull out of the funk, but what team will put together a better roster. I say they will pull out of the funk. They have to execute, but that is true for every one of the playoff teams.
I get it. if they get in, they have a shot. But to say they are playing poorly is putting it kindly, and management is actively putting out their worst lineups on purpose. We don’t know why. Arrogance? Delusions? Data?
at what point does their start to be some accountability?
Love your optimism. I’m losing mine. A funk this deep and so widespread will take nothing short of a miracle to pull out of in my humble opinion. But sometimes I love to be wrong
at this point i have no faith well bench Conforto unless hes dead.
Dodgers have DFA’d Alexis Diaz, optioned Alex Freeland, and brought up catcher Ben Rortvedt. All makes sense to me.
Rortvedt is hitting .095 (6 for 63) this year for Tampa Bay, so he should fit right in. I’m sure management will tell us they love his hard hit rates. Will we see him batting cleanup tomorrow? Sure would have been nice to have Hunter Feduccia right now.
“Rortvedt”. Sounds like a maneuver to dislodge food from the windpipe.
And yet I would take Adam Serwinowski every day. If you are worried about trading a player because the MLB starting player may get hurt, you would never make a trade. Just how many ABs do you think Rortvedt is going to get? Everyone wanted a longer runway for Rushing, now we have one. Rortvedt has never been considered a plus offensive player, but is considered a good defensive catcher, I know that is something that you do not give a rip about as you continuously bashed Austin Barnes only caring about what is at the back of his baseball card. You will never understand what the purpose of a backup catcher is.
Yes I do see Rortvedt batting cleanup this weekend…all weekend. BTW, Feduccia is blistering the ball at a .137/.246/.196/.442 clip. And Rortvedt is considered a much better defensive catcher than Feduccia. Again what is important for a backup catcher.
I only bashed Barnes because he was a terrible hitter. But some of the mendoza line guys they have this year are making even Barnes look like Johnny Bench.
Serwinowski may never make the majors.
“Just how many ABs do you think Rortvedt is going to get?”
judging by how many outs they are giving up this year to mendoza line hitters, and how they continue to play Conforto every day, probably quite a few. He’ll fit right in with the rest of the sub .200 hitters.
for the record, I do value a good defensive catcher, ( I think Rushing is doing very well in that capacity) and I understand that Smith is hurt, and it’s either Rortvedt comes up or Chuckie Robinson, but doesn’t that say something about the state of management, that the Dodgers are forced to roster either Rortvedt or Chuckie Robinson in September while they are clinging to a playoff spot?
They have 4 players on the roster all batting under .200 (counting Rortvedt taking Freeland’s spot) and all four (Conforto, Freeland, Rushing, Kike) have been starting every day almost, and on most days more than one, sometimes all of them are in the lineup at the same time. This is why they are not scoring runs.
no amount of positive thinking from any of us here will change that. The only thing that can change that is by putting out your best lineup every day, which means not playing below .200 hitters (with the exception of Rushing, who now has to start at catcher until Smith returns)
So when Max and Tommy come back who’s the guy other than Dean who gets jettisoned?
Does it come down to Kim or Conforto or will AF play IL games?
Wow George numbers are mind blowing
Good article in The Athletic by Fabian Ardaya about Tanner Scott. Scott opined that maybe he is throwing too many strikes. That is exactly what I have been saying for the last several months (pre-injury). His BB ratio has gone from 7th percentile in 2024 to 89th percentile in 2025. His average exit velo has gone from 100th percentile in 2024 to 11th percentile in 2025. His fastball command has caught way too much of the plate. I know many do not like the nibbling, but in the case of Tanner Scott that may be exactly what he should do.
His fastball run value has gone from the 93rd percentile to 41st percentile. With the decrease in BB, that to me is telling.
In the Great Lakes game, Kendall George hit an infield single, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, and scored on the catcher throwing error. George now has 99 SB on the year.
Kendall stole his 3rd base and the 100th of the season.
A bunt or slap hitter might not need to spend as much time in the Minors. Kim at 2nd and George in LF would be different for the Dodgers
I really hope he makes it. Sounds like an absolute game changer
I just hope he’s not traded for some 32 year old relief pitcher coming off an arm injury. That seems to be the Dodger way these days.
Snell with San Francisco was nearly untouchable. He comes LA and is mediocre. The offseason signings plus Edman have been bad. I don’t blame AF for the signings but if we could have a do over I don’t think any would be signed..
Excellent managing to save Ben Rortvedt, who’s is hitting .095 (6 for 63) this year for Tampa Bay, for the last out.
It’s always a good idea to clear your bench when you’re down 5 – ZIP, just in case you mount a comeback.
It gives Ben an opportunity to be thrown in the grease and be the rally killer we all were excited to see.
I wish Ben had gotten on to see if Doc would have pinch hit Ohtani with the Bat Boy.
Hell, Conforto got 2 hits so I had high hopes for the Bat Boy.
It was a smart move until it wasn’t
At what point was it smart? Did Rushing need time off his feet? Did he need a day off?
kike was the next catcher maybe you find a way to get him an inning behind the dish?
“At what point was it smart?”
Because doing something to lessen your chances of winning a game near the end of the season when you’re struggling to win games for playoff seedings or just to make the playoffs–is a smart way to run your team according to Dodgers management.