It is no secret that I am not too fond of the D-Backs. I lived in Phoenix for about 12 years. It’s a dry heat. I only moved there to be close to my daughter and my grandkids. But I was also lucky since Phoenix is in the trucking industry, a hub city. Which means several trucking companies have large terminals there, including the Phoenix based company, Swift Transportation. So, finding a job was pretty easy.
As a Dodger fan, I know that ballpark can be a den of horrors for Dodger pitchers. And with this current lineup of young athletic players, they are outscoring everyone else in the league. So, it was imperative that Flaherty keep their offense at bay, and that the Dodger offense be a lot better than they were on Sunday. Mission accomplished.
As I expected, Wrobleski was sent back to OKC after Sundays debacle, and reliever Michael Petersen was called up. When the Dodgers went into this series, I knew they needed to at least get a split and keep their 4-game lead. Evey game meant a 2-game switch. The Dodgers scored enough in game one, and then held off a spirited D-Back rally in game one for the 10-9 win. The bullpen got gassed that day because of Kershaw’s sore big toe, and he and Joe Kelly ended up back on the IL. You had to know that they needed as much length as they could get out of Gavin Stone on Saturday.
Gavin gave them enough, going 5 innings allowing 5 runs, 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4. He allowed 2 homers. The Dodgers had kicked off the game doing something that had never been done in franchise history. Ohtani, Betts and Freeman went back-to-back to back for a quick 3-0 lead. That disappeared in the bottom of the inning when Stone allowed an inside the park homer to Carroll. Az then got 2 singles and an error by Muncy allowed the runners to move up to second and third.
Gurriel then hit a ball that Teo deflected for a double and two runs scored. Two batters later, Suarez hit a sac-fly. In the top of the second, the Dodgers struck right back, Muncy and Rojas singled. Kiermaier got aboard via a fielder’s choice that featured an error by the pitcher, Kelly. Ohtani hit a sac-fly to score Muncy. After Mookie struck out, Freeman singled in Rojas. In the bottom of the third, Gurriel hit a homer into the left-field seats. It would be Az’s last hit.
In the top of the 5th, Lux doubled and Muncy singled him in with 2 outs. Stone set Az down in order in the 5th. In the top of the 7th, the Dodgers loaded the bases with 1 out. But Puk came in and struck out Kike and got Rojas to fly out. Arizona tied the game in the bottom of the 7th without a hit. Honeywell, in his second inning of work, walked Guilleorme. He was sacrificed to second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac-fly by Carroll.
In the top of the 9th, Smith singled, Taylor ran for him. Lux singled. Kike sacrificed them to second and third. Rojas hit a line drive that the second baseman snagged for the second out. Edman then singled to right scoring both runners. Phillips pitched a clean 9th, and LA won 8-6. Young Ben Casparius, who pitched a scoreless 8th, got the win.
Sunday’s game was a disaster for Justin Wrobleski, and he was sent down. But even after giving up 10 runs in the second inning, he showed a lot of grit by going back out and pitching into the 6th inning. He will be a factor next year, if he is not traded in some deal this winter.
I think today’s game was a statement game for the Dodgers. There was a lot riding on the outcome of the game. And they had Flaherty pitching against Rodriguez. If they lost, the lead was back to 4. If they won, they would win the season series and hold the tiebreaker, which they do not have over the Padres.
They answered and answered loudly. Freeman’s 2 run shot in the third inning gave them a 3-0 lead. D-Backs got one back. It stayed the same until the top of the 7th when they would score 3 again. With one out, Ohtani singled and then stole second and third. His 45th and 46th steals of the year. He had stolen his 44th in the first inning. Betts was walked intentionally. Freeman hit a sac-fly scoring Ohtani. Betts went to second. Hernandez, who went 5-5 on the day, singled off of the leg of Montgomery knocking him out of the game. Betts went to third on the play. Hernandez stole second and Smith singled in both runners.
Arizona got 2 back in the bottom of the inning for a 6-3 score. The Dodgers put the game away in the top of the 8th. with two outs, Taylor singled. Ohtani walked and Betts doubled down the line scoring both. After a wild pitch got Betts to third, Freeman crushed his second homer of the game to centerfield for 2 more runs. LA up 10-3. Singles by Teo, Smith and Edman plated the 11th run. Az would score 1 in the bottom of the 8th and 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the 11-6 final. Flaherty got his 11th win.
Some fans questioned Roberts bringing in Vesia for just one hitter in the 6th with 2 men on base. Flaherty had given up a single to McCarthy, struck out Pederson and then had Smith throw out McCarthy stealing. But Jack then walked two hitters in a row and was obviously out of gas. With the rookie, Del Castillo coming up, Roberts went to Vesia. Vesia struck Del Castillo out on a ball in the dirt and Smith had to throw to first to get him.
I believe the reason he sent Banda out to pitch the 7th instead of sending Vesia back out there was because the top of the seventh was a long half-inning and Vesia would have cooled off significantly sitting there waiting for the inning to finish. He probably trusts Banda more when there is no one on base to begin an inning rather than bringing him in with 2 men on. That was about the only criticism I heard today about the way Dave managed the game. Honeywell did get into some trouble in the 9th, and Kopech was warming up, but he got out of it, and the Dodgers won their 83rd game. Best in the majors.
San Diego leapfrogged the D-Backs and climbed into second place 5 games back. LA is 7-3 over their last 10, Az, 5-5 and the Padres, 6-4. Padres are 6 games back of the Dodgers in the loss column, but only 4 in the win column, thus the 5-game lead. The Cubs, who the Dodgers will play next week after the Guardian series, lost and dropped 3.5 games back in the wild card race. The Mets, meanwhile, are now just .5 games back of the Braves. The Brewers have the largest division lead, they are 10 games ahead of Chicago.
I was wrong when I said the Dodgers had a day off Monday, was looking at the wrong schedule. The 2-game series in Anaheim could be a trap series. The Dodgers need to take the Angels seriously the next couple of days. Arizona is playing a fading Giants team while the Dodgers play the Angels. Buehler went 5 innings and looked better than he has in quite a while. He did allow two solo homers. He also struck out six. Detmer’s though struck out 10. Through the top of the 9th, the Dodgers have struck out 15 times and managed only 3 hits.
The Dodgers took control of their game with the Angels in the 10th. Edman was the ghost runner on second. Muncy hit a ground ball to first, moving Edman to third. Rojas singled Edman in. I still love him in clutch situations. He has the best contact rate on the team. Lux PH for Taylor, and Kiermaier ran for Rojas. Lux hit a grounder to first, Kiermaier beat the throw to second and the Angels decided to walk Ohtani. Mookie hit a three-run homer and it was 6-2. Freeman singled and Hernandez made an out. Brasier got the Angels out without giving up a run. LA picks up 1/2 game on the idle Padres, 5 1/2 game lead now. Still waiting on the final in San Francisco. Giants ended up losing 8-7.
Minor League Scores
Round Rock beat OKC, 4-2. Hoese and Outman hit homers for the only OKC runs. Of more importance to Dodger fans were the re-hab appearances of Yamamoto and Graterol. Yamamoto pitched 2 innings allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. He made 53 pitches, 36 for strikes. Graterol went 1 inning, He gave up 3 hits and one run, he struck out 1.
Tulsa shut out San Antonio, 6-0. Rosario threw 5 scoreless innings and got the win. Tulsa pitchers allowed only 3 hits. Lockwood-Powell was 2-4, Ramos 3-4 with a homer and 2 driven in. Fernandez hit a homer and drove in 3.
Great Lakes did not play. Rancho shut out Visalia, 2-0. Visalia had only 3 hits. Visalia managed only 2, but one was a homer by Decker. Swan went 4 innings; Gonzalez went 2 scoreless and got the win.
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
Lucky to win this one. 16 SO is alarming. Kudos to Buehler and the Bullpen.
Here’s a sobering stat.
The Dodgers may not win 100, which may be seen by some as a “down” year.
It’s relative.
Well, as of right now this is the most wins a team with Ohtani on it has ever had. EVER. In the majors.
What a waste of talent.
Yamamoto looked a bit wobbly. Could not put hitters away, driving up the pitch count. He had one at bat with 17 pitches thrown , in the end giving up a double to the hitter.
IMHO he needs another outing at OKC .
Graterol too appears to need more rehab.
Dodgers can afford to be a little patient with both looking at the division lead at 5,5 games.
Buehler was solid but nothing more. Still have my doubts about him in the postseason rotation.
Now lets see what Bobby Miller can bring today.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s another sobering stat:
Michael Kopech has as many wins since joining the Dodgers as Miller and Buehler combined.
Sure glad they beat the Angels. They’re the Angels. We’re supposed to beat them. Beat the teams you’re supposed to beat and hold serve against the others.
It’s fun to watch this team’s offense when they get it going. Wouldn’t it be even more fun if all of them got it going in October?
And Yamamoto? Your guess is as good as mine.
Why are people worried here? Robots won’t steal your batteries.
I’m giving Walker more credit than others. It’s not just The Angels. It’s every baseball team on the planet trying to beat The Dodgers because it’s the Dodgers. Their pitcher decides today is the day to buckle down for the first time in 2024. Great. They have absolutely nothing to lose. It was their playoff game.
They are finding ways to win. The team karma and resiliency is at a season high IMO. As irritating as innings 3-9 were to watch, I knew they would not give up. And they didn’t.
Keep battling. Keep giving the starting staff innings to build on. Keep winning. 5 innings and 2 runs for Walker resulting in a W is a very good day for The Dodgers.
*That’s about as entertaining of a baseball game as you’ll ever see, last night. It had it all. A tight pitching dual. great middle relief, a battle of closers, 100 mph fastballs like walking in the park and clutch hitting.
Mookie and My Man, Miggy Ro, do it again. Some very knowledgeable baseball folks here still refuse to give Rojas the respect and credit he has earned and still maintain he’s nothing more than a “utility player”. They can’t wait for next year when we can get real SS, a guy like Adames. Aways a knock on the guy; needs to rest, couldn’t hit, too old. The lack of respect he gets here is remarkable.
*Buehler pitched well, which is super positive moving forward. Great duel with Detmers. Walker was again victimized by the home run. He just doesn’t seem to get away with mistakes. I set out to research why. His fastball seems to be the problem and he lives “thigh high” with that pitch. Even when not center-cut, thigh high gets hit. More at the top or bottom of the zone, works.
His velocity is back to where it was prior to TJ, but it’s lost movement. It’s hit at a .367 clip. His other pitches are more effective, especially his cutter, which I think he hung last night for a dinger. His changeup has been horseshit, but he never throws it. That pitch could keep hitters off his fastball. He could rally use that pitch now days, if he could improve it and threw it way more often. But he gets better every outing.
And the bullpen was great last night and well managed by Doc.
*How does anybody hit Joyce and 105.5? I slowed him down, frame by frame and his arms speed and the violent whip is unbelievable. How his arm doesn’t shred is amazing. It’s may be only a matter of time, sadly. Aroldis Chapman has thrown hard for a very long time. He does it differently with core rotational strength and gigantic separation. Joyce does it with violence. He certainly has a strong base but his arm speed is extraordinary. The whip and flexibility of his arm is like nothing I’ve seen. Nolan Ryan powered the ball through the strike zone. Joyce whips it to the zone.
*Kopeck’s came in and his first pitch of 97 and it looked like Slo-Pitch. Then he too hit 100. You’d better get that front foot down and be ready to pull the trigger with these boys.
*So Washington does the correct thing and walks Shohei, for Betts. I think it just pissed Mookie off. He seemed more then pleased with that homer.
What a game. This game had everything.
*Here’s what it didn’t have. Hey Ted, not beat a dead mule, but did you watch the Dodger pregame? On my TV, I got a Kirsten report prior to the first pitch about Ohtani’s return. No Dodger lineup, no Angels defensive alignment and no umpire info. Nothing, nada.
Bottom 1, they showed the Angels batting order. There was never a graphic showing of the Dodger line up or any defensive lineups. And none of the umpires were ever mentioned.
That’s just not adequate information for interested fans. Literally every other broadcast has that basic information except the Dodgers. I guess it’s a secret.
Darrin Ruf, who was a Dodger for all of about 20 minutes, has not retired yet, but he has joined the coaching staff of the University of Nebraska Omaha baseball team. Wish him well. Padres get Darvish back tonight. Pirates moved Bednar out of the closer’s role.
Did they poll baseball fans?
Bear, you mentioned that Phoenix was a trucking hub with several trucking companies based there.
I’m not sure when you were last there but the number of new shipping distribution centers is staggering. It’s like they drop them from the sky, ready to do business. 100’s of loading docks in each. all the big national players are there; Amazon, Dick’s, Daimler, Boeing, Ball, Lennox, UPS, all the major box stores.
They line the newest westside freeway, the 303 running north-south, which runs from about the Anthem area north, runs into an interchange with the 60 to Wickenburg and Vegas, and hooks up with the 10, just east of Buckeye. It’s a perfect location to go east to Phoenix and west to L.A.
When I last counted there were 30 huge distribution centers up and running or under construction.
And there are even more taking over the farm land around Luke A.F. B. There’s talk of moving Luke south. I hope not, that’s where I get a bird’s eye view of the F-35’s and the F-16 coming and going.
I through you might be interested in this since you worked in and out of there for 12 years.
This discussion on Rojas fascinates me. He saved The Dodgers’ ass when Mookie went down. He is AUTOMATIC at shortstop and Mookie was not even close to that.
Rojas has been so good Mookie went back where he belongs in right.
What else could we ask this guy to do LOL? He has been amazing. One of the most clutch hitters on the team and gold glove defense. Great leader.
The outfield was a problem when Mookie was at short and on the DL. Now the outfield is strong AND the SS position as well. Give me some Rojas all day long.
For the most part I want to see positions filled by players that have a chance to be in that position for 5+ years. I love that Rojas makes good contact and plays good defense. I’m also intrigued by a guy like Alex Freeland who could be the shortstop for 10 years. I can see Edmand and Rojas sharing shortstop next year until Freeland is ready.
I would like to see Betts play third against lefties and RF against righties and gradually be the full time third baseman. That would leave innings for Pages, DePaula, and Outman next year.
As Rojas is discussed, let’s not forget there was a time when Barnes, Rojas, and Taylor couldn’t buy a hit. Those memories shape our current thoughts.
Dont sleep on Kim. His stats are down this year, making him a potential value signing.
lots of positional versatility.
Asian appeal from a commercial standpoint
Doc just announced that Yamamoto will be pitching next Tuesday at home vs the Cubs
Oh I forgot to mention this in my only other post about Rojas and Pages. No analytics will say Rojas should be blocking Pages from playing against LHP and I supplied the slashlines. So that right there should tell you that the front office DOESN’T CALL ALL THE SHOTS. Doc has a say about who’s starting, bullpen changes and in game tactics. I do believe the front office gives him the Analytics, but it’s up to DOC whether or not he uses them. I’m sure Doc uses some but not all of them. Doc is not a robot in the dugout getting signals in his robot brain from the front office.
I’d be confident (for what’s worth) with Edman and Rojas at short. Taylor can be in the mix. Somewhere I read some giving some love to Hoese. He’s been rock solid from the small sample size I’ve seen his defense is good. I believe he was a first round draft choice and struggled early in his professional career. It might be his time. Toughest call the Dodgers have to make with position players is Teo Hernandez. I see him like JD Martinez last season. He had a very good season but it’s time to move on.
Adames is not all that. I’d rather have Betts at SS and build an outfield starting with Pages and Outman.
Ok Phil. Dodger lineup posted on the Dodger broadcast a couple of minutes before the first pitch. Then showed the Angel pitcher’s stats for the season.
If they’re talking about career, they’re pretty much right.
Rojas will always fly under the radar as there are several considered Top Tier big name shortstops in baseball. Our guy plays great defense and has been a solid bottom of the order hitter for them. As I just explained the Phil, whose opinion I respect, he’s a fill in for the Dodgers. With names like Witt, Seager, Turner, Lindor, De LaCruz, Abrams, Bogaerts, Swanson, Henderson, Kim, Adames…. the list is long and Rojas isn’t on it.
It is for the Angels!
Facing one of the league leaders in losses and looking like a AAA squad. This is the stuff that concerns me about a playoff series. They just don’t show up ready to play sometimes.