The offense is still struggling, as they managed just 4 hits. The two big ones was a RBI double from Freddie, and then a 2-run single from Mookie. A Shohei double and Conforto single were the other two.
But the story on the night was Tyler Glasnow. No hits through 7.0 IP with 11 Ks. He did walk two, and one of those BB turned into a run after a SB and two fly balls. After a one-out BB to Ryan Ritter in the 3rd, he retired to 14 consecutive batters before exiting the game. Back to back 7.0 IP. This is the Tyler Glasnow that many of us were expecting. Glasnow’s ceiling is very high, and even he knows his injury history, so he was not upset about being taken out after 7.0.
Blake Treinen got back to what he was doing before Saturday night. His slider was very good and stayed in the strike zone, and when hit, it was not hit hard. He did strike out Kyle Karros.
Some will focus on the loss of the no-hitter, however I like that Tanner Scott came all the way back without surrendering a run, and had his slider working. Scott has to quit throwing sliders at the shin, about 1 ½ balls below the bottom of the zone. Ryan Ritter hit a slider down at his shin for a double, and the no-no was gone. Down and in on a RH hitter? That’s a good pitch, but a better AB. He did not have his strikeout pitch going, but he got three outs with balls not hit harder than 81.6. I guarantee you that nobody feels worse than Tanner Scott about what has transpired. I am sure he felt he was in quicksand. The harder he fought it, the lower he sunk. He is still a 31 year old LHRP who has been dominant in prior years. I would not DFA him, but more importantly, neither will LAD.
One other LAD player needs to be mentioned. Ben Rortvedt was a throw in for the Hunter Feduccia trade to Tampa Bay. Certainly the pitch forks were out for Ben. HE IS A BACKUP CATCHER. Nobody expected him to get the call, but after injuries to Smith and Rushing, Rortvedt did get that call. I hear the Dodgers tried for Cal Raleigh but Seattle wanted to hold on to him.
Rortvedt is a lot like Austin Barnes. He is very good at calling a game, framing, and blocking balls in the dirt. But he has a weak arm and is light in the hitting arena. He has started 3 games for LAD while Smith recovers, and all he has done is catch 8.2 no-hit IP from Yamamoto. Yama was very good and confessing that the pitch he threw to Holliday was his pitch. It is what he wanted to throw.
He caught Clayton Kershaw and got 5.2 IP from Kersh before he hit the wall. He did not allow a hit until the 4th.
Then he got the 7.0 no hitter innings from Glasnow. Glas was calling Rortvedt off in the first few innings, but once he got command on his fastball they on the same page.
Max Muncy was making his first start after returning from his IL stint, and hit the ball decently for all three PA. He got one hard hit ball at 103 MPH (362 feet) and one very close at 94.2 MPH (320 feet).
Just like I was more than fine with Austin Barnes as the LAD backup catcher, I am okay with Ben Rortvedt. Assuming Dalton Rushing will be okay by October, Ben Rortvedt will have done his job. With 13 PA, Rortvedt is tied for the team lead in sac bunts with Miggy Ro. He set up the offense twice with runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out.
BTW, Feduccia is batting .125/.250/.179/.429 for Tampa Bay. I would have been fine with Hunter as the Dodgers backup catcher, but the Dodgers got a pair of pretty good pitchers with Rortvedt straight up for Feduccia.
The team still has 18 games for the offense to come all the way back. But the SP sure looks like it will be very good.
Next up is Emmet Sheehan for the Dodgers and German Marquez for Colorado.
Baseball America puts out a Hot Sheet each week for the prospects who had the best weeks, in their estimation. This past week, BA had three LAD prospects:
Baseball America Hot Sheet List for the week – 2 Great Lakes OF, and a Tulsa OF
- Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers
- Team: High-A Great Lakes (Midwest)
- Age: 20
- Why He’s Here: .409/.552/.818 (9-for-22), 6 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 7 BB, 5 SO, 2-for-4 SB
The Scoop: Even with some inconsistency and time on the injured list, De Paula is having one of the sneakiest strong seasons in the minor leagues. He is one of just two players in the minor leagues 20 years old or younger with 15 or more doubles, 10 or more homers, 80 or more walks and 30 or more stolen bases (keep scrolling to learn the identity of the other player). And he’s the only one to do so while striking out fewer than 100 times. In fact, since 2006, just four other 20-or-under players have posted that same stat set. Included among that group are current red-hot Marlins rookie Jakob Marsee and Mookie Betts during his 2013 campaign.
- Eduardo Quintero, OF, Dodgers
- Team: High-A Great Lakes (Midwest)
- Age: 20
- Why He’s Here: .250/.448/.700 (5-for-20), 9 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBIs, 7 BB, 4 SO, 2-for-2 SB
The Scoop: As mentioned above, there are just two players in the minor leagues this year who are 20 years old or younger and have 15 or more doubles, 10 or more homers, 80 or more walks and 30 or more stolen bases. The kicker? They both hit in the top third of the Great Lakes lineup. Quintero and Josue De Paula have each turned the feat so far in 2025, and the outburst has helped Quintero leap into the Top 100 and become more prominent in the prospect world. The 19-year-old—BA’s No. 1 prospect in the Arizona Complex League two summers ago—has been excellent at both Class A stops and gives the Dodgers another outstanding outfield prospect among the low levels of their system.
- Zach Ehrhard, OF, Dodgers
- Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas League)
- Age: 22
- Why He’s Here: .348/.393/.652 (8-for-23) 8 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 3 BB, 5 SO, 1-for-1 SB
The Scoop: It’s always worth keeping a close eye on any prospect the Dodgers target, and Ehrhard is no exception after arriving in the Dustin May trade. A bat-first corner outfielder, Ehrhard stands out for his disciplined approach and advanced feel to hit. He makes consistent contact with minimal swing-and-miss, which fuels his offensive profile. While the power is still coming along, refined launch angles could help unlock more. He’s posted 13 home runs and 64 RBIs this season.
A win is a win that is all that really matters now.
The question remains, can the pitching and hitting come together for a month? The team is still not at full strength. Will that even happen this year?
It looked to me that Call turned the wrong way on that double in the 9th. Well struck, but, catchable?
Yes, a win is win. But this is Colorado. They are 40 games behind and 2-8. This is a team the Dodgers must put away.
Teo, .670 OPS in August, .345 OPS in September. Last 28 days .557 OPS. That is worse than Conforto.
Obviously there is still time to come together, but the countdown has begun. 18 games. Then the tournament begins. Where will they be seeded?
Had the same thought about Call.
Doc also said that he believed that Call got turned around on the play.
I cared less about the no-hitter, but like Badger, I thought the ball was catchable, and I also thought Call was playing too much towards center. In the old days, the left fielder would have been playing closer to the line, the no doubles defense. Beat Marquez tonight because Freeland seems to have gotten his mojo back. His last outing he went 8 innings and struck out 10 Padres. They got a 10-inning walk off win against the Reds last night who blew a 3-0 lead.
The Dodgers could have pitched two no hitters in three days and the “could” revolves around Pages and Call’s misplays. I think Betts will stay in the infield so the Dodgers outfield next year could be a mix between Pages, Call, Hernandez, and Edman or none of them.
Hernandez could find a new home as a DH.
Edman’s legs probably can’t handle full-time outfield.
Pages might be in a package for a center fielder.
Call is mostly bench strength along with Edman.
Conforto is obviously gone.
I would like Royce Lewis at third. Many if not most will want Muncy back but history says he won’t be available for a lot of the season and some of season that he is available will see him hit below the Mendoza line and some of it will be awesome. Lewis has his own troubles staying in the lineup so there is that.
I see a lot of changes for 2026.
I agree that the Dodgers roster will have a changed look next year, especially in the OF. I will not be shocked if Pages and Teoscar both join Conforto as “former Dodgers”. I will be shocked if both return.
I have been a Royce Lewis advocate for a long time. But I no longer think he is a fit for LAD. They have to get away from the chronically injured as Lewis is. The Dodgers will have five days after the WS to decide if they want to exercise the $10MM club option for Max Muncy. I do not think it will take them 5 minutes to make that decision in the affirmative. Max’s injury history pales in comparison to Lewis’. Lewis has gone on the IL three times for hamstring, 1 time for quad, 1 time for oblique, and two ACL tears. That is a lot of soft tissue injuries for a young player. And how long can that twice repaired knee hold out for?
Lewis has had the most PA this year than any in his career. So let’s compare him to Max in 2025:
• Lewis – 335 PA,1.1 fWAR (Value – $8.5MM) – .237/.293/.406/.698, 90 OPS+
• Muncy – 351 PA, 2.7 fWAR(Value $21.9MM) – .255/.387/.486/.873, 144 OPS+
Lewis still has less PA than Max this year.
In Muncy, you have a player who has taken far less than his perceived market value to stay with the Dodgers. He has made it clear that he wants to retire as a Dodger. The Dodgers could do far worse opening the season with Max at 3B for $10MM and waiting for his “obligatory” IL stint due to an oblique injury, than spending elite prospect capital for Royce Lewis who may not play as much as Max anyway.
I mention Lewis because he might be available given what you said about him. He is still young and probably still has a high ceiling.
Hopefully Freeland can pair with Max should the Dodgers prefer to use player capital on the outfield.
I think the OF is where the prospect capital will be needed.
If you had to guess, what do you think the OF will look like next year?
I have no clue, but it will be vastly different. If I have to go out on a limb, I think the Dodgers will make a strong push for either Jarren Duran or Ceddanne Rafaela from Boston. I might make a run at Rafaela to play CF and then look to trade for Kwan to play LF. Let Pages play RF. He might be too young to quit on. After the season I will look over the OF lists to see who could genuinely be available. My personal preference would be Pete Crow-Armstrong for CF, but Chicago is not trading him. I also do not think that AF will spend $400MM+ for Kyle Tucker. I do think that Teo + cash gets traded to a team in need of a DH who can play an occasional OF.
With so many highly regarded outfield prospects in the system – some just two years away, I hope that the Dodgers do not block these prospects with the acquisition of guys like Kwan and Duran. Or even worse, signing a guy like Tucker to a five to seven year contract. I don’t disagree they should move on from Hernandez but I would prefer a shorter term replacement in center field and a move of Pages to right. Personally, the Dodgers are more fun to root for when they develop a majority of their own players. Aside from Will Smith and Pages, their current roster of position players is from outside the organization.
Will the Dodgers make another run at Kwan?
I would clear the outfield next year. Teo had his career year send him to Boston. Pages doesn’t seem to have the aptitude. Call will come off the bench. Edman could come off the bench infield and outfield. Kim can’t hit can’t bunt strikes out plenty. Good defender but a bench piece. His base stealing is negated when he bats in front of Ohtani. Muncy should be another bench piece. Too fragile full time. I agree a lot of changes 2026.
Max has had a right oblique injury history (3 times), but only 1 of then put him on the IL for an extended lengthy stay:
• 06-21-2021 – 10 days on IL
• 05-17-2024 – 94 days on IL
• 08-15-2025 – 24 days on IL – Pushed longer due to a major chest cold
His most severe injury came on the last day of the 2021 season when Jace Peterson of the Brewers ran into Max at 1B and injured his elbow. He was not able to return until 06-09-2022, but even then he probably was not ready. It was by far his worst non-Covid year in MLB.
Max was out 11 days in 2023 with a hamstring strain.
In 2025, Max suffered a knee contusion when he was run into at 3B by Michael Taylor on a SB attempt. He was on the IL for 32 days, however because of the All Star break, he missed only 23 games.
Thus I would agree that Max will probably suffer an oblique injury next year, but he now knows that when he tweaks it, he does not push it. IMO, that is not a reason to not sign a player for $10MM who has been significant player with a career OPS of .831. For me, he would be the regular 3B until he is injured. If nothing else, he will be a fantastic LH bat off the bench. He should be a steal at $10MM. Even with the time off due to injury this year, he currently has a fWAR of 2.7 ($21.9MM value).
I’m okay with Max on the team if he isn’t automatically assigned third base.
Where else would he play? Not Dh or first. He could play second in a pinch. Unless they decide to not exercise his option, unlikely, or they decide to try and sign the Japanese third baseman, Murakami, Max will be back.
Left out?
Your funny Fred. You know better than that. He is going to play.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game against the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers won 1-0, and only had one hit themselves, and that did not play a part in their one run. In the fifth inning, Lou Johnson led off with a BB. He was moved to 2nd on a Ron Fairly sac bunt. Sweet Lou stole 3B and scored on the catcher’s errant throw.
Johnson doubled in the 7th to break up Bob Hendley’s no hitter.
Koufax would strike 14, including the final 6.
Here is a fantastic recall of the game 60 years ago, including Vin Scully’s call of the 9th inning.
https://www.mlb.com/news/vin-scully-call-of-sandy-koufax-perfect-game-60-years-later
Good thing Ramirez wasn’t playing shortstop. Although Ramirez error was only significant because Rojas made a great play at third earlier.
Ben Casparius has been optioned to OKC to make room for the activation of Alex Vesia.
Smith back in the lineup. Pages is youngest guy in the lineup. Conforto in left, Teo in right, Rojas is playing 2nd. Lineup Sheehan Vs Marquez: Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Smith, Muncy, Hernandez, Conforto, Pages, Rojas. Marquez is 3-7 lifetime against LA with a 4.19 ERA he has given up 21 homers to Dodger hitters. He is 3-4 at Dodger Stadium with a 3.97 ERA and 13 of the homers have come there.
Pages is the youngest position player on the 40-man roster so every day he plays he’s the youngest guy in the lineup.
That said, this roster could stand a little youth injection this winter.
Wasn’t the case a few days ago.
Bear,
Thanks for that info. So should we expect 4 or 5 shutout innings from him
Nope.
Roki Sasaki with a good night for OKC
Can we please put to bed this notion that Mookie needs to go back to RF to hit again. He is playing elite defense and elite offense.
Second that
If only they could face Rockies pitching every game…
Today was the first time in Rockies history that they were no-hit through the first five innings two games in a row. Padres lost to the Reds, LA up by 2.