Dodgers defeat Twins, 10-3
Caleb Ferguson pitched the ninth for the Dodgers. Gio Urshela struck out swinging. Gilberto Celestino struck out swinging. Max Kepler struck out looking.
Final score: Dodgers 10, Twins 3
We go to the ninth, Dodgers 10, Twins 3
The Twins made it closer in the top of the eighth. Phil Bickford now pitching for the Dodgers. Nick Gordon singled. Byron Buxton homered to center. Former Astro Carlos Correa, being booed and called cheater through the at-bat, popped to short. Jorge Polanco fouled to the catcher. Some fan, whose IQ is lower than Andrew Heaney’s ERA, ran on the field and was quickly tackled and taken off. Jose Miranda grounded to third. It’s 8-3 Dodgers.
In the bottom of the eighth, Cody Bellinger fouled to the catcher. Trayce Thompson, batting for Betts, doubled to left. Trea Turner doubled to left, scoring Thompson. Freddie Freeman flied to center. Will Smith singled to right, scoring Turner. Max Muncy struck out.
Score after eight: Dodgers 10, Twins 3
Dodgers lead 8-1 after seven
The Dodgers turned it into a laugher in the seventh. Freddie Freeman led off with a single. He took third when Will Smith singled to right. Max Muncy doubled to right, scoring Freeman, Smith to third. Justin Turner grounded to short, scoring Smith. Right-hander Emilio Pagan came in to pitch. Gavin Lux grounded to third, Muncy to third. Joey Gallo struck out swinging.
Score after seven: Dodgers 8, Twins 1
Dodgers now lead 6-1
The Dodgers added yet another run in the bottom of the fourth. After Cody Bellinger lined to left, Mookie Betts singled. He stole second and took third on the catcher’s throwing error. He scored on Trea Turner’s ground out. Freddie Freeman flied to left to end the inning. The Dodgers have scored in every inning.
Score after four: Dodgers 6, Twins 1
Dodgers lead 5-1 after three
The Dodgers added a run in the bottom of the fourth when Max Muncy homered to right-center. If Bellinger and Muncy start hitting, look out. Justin Turner followed with a double. Took third on a wild pitch. Stayed there on Gavin Lux’s fly to shallow left and Joey Gallo ended the inning by fouling to third.
Score after three: Dodgers 5, Twins 1
Dodgers increase lead to 4-1 after two innings
The Twins tied it in the top of the second. With one out, Gio Urshela tripled to center. And it’s hard to hit a triple at Dodger Stadium. Gilberto Celestino hit a verrrrrrry slow roller up the third-base line and beat the throw to first, Urshela scoring. Max Kepler grounded to second, with Lux throwing Celestino out at home. Sandy León popped to first.
The Dodgers didn’t let it stay tied long. Justin Turner, in what feels like his first at-bat since 2017, struck out. Gavin Lux singled to right. Joey Gallo doubled to right, Lux to third. On a 3-0 pitch, Cody Bellinger doubled to right, scoring both runners. Mookie Betts flied to left. Trea Turner doubled to center, scoring Bellinger. Freddie Freeman fouled to third.
Score after two: Dodgers 4, Twins 1
Dustin May looks sharp in fourth triple-A start
Dustin May took what is expected to be the penultimate step in his 15-month rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery on Tuesday night, giving up one run and three hits in five innings, striking out eight and walking one for triple-A Oklahoma City against Red Rock.
May threw 68 pitches, 45 for strikes, in his fourth triple-A start, and all eight of his whiffs came on swinging strikes. His only blemish was a solo homer to Nick Solak.
The hard-throwing right-hander, who hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since tearing his ulnar collateral ligament in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 1, 2021, will likely need only one more rehabilitation start before being returning to the Dodgers rotation.
May, who appears to have regained the velocity of a two-seam sinking fastball that averaged 97.8 mph in 2021, has given up three earned runs and 10 hits in 14 innings of his four starts for Oklahoma City, striking out 23 and walking five.
Dodgers take early 1-0 lead
The Dodgers get on board quickly. Mookie Betts struck out and Trea Turner flied to right. Freddie Freeman singled. Will Smith doubled to the wall in right-center, scoring Freeman. Max Muncy grounded to second.
Score after one inning: Dodgers 1, Twins 0
Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol to begin minor league rehab stints Friday
Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen each threw two-inning simulated games of about 20 pitches to Joey Gallo and Hanser Alberto on Tuesday, the relievers taking another step toward returns that should give an injury ravaged bullpen two huge shots in the arm.
Treinen, who has been out since mid-April because of a shoulder injury, and Graterol, who has been out since July 14 because of right-shoulder inflammation, will begin rehabilitation assignments with triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday.
Graterol, who is 2-3 with a 3.35 ERA and three saves in 37 games this season, striking out 35 and walking 10 in 40 1/3 innings, is expected to make two or three minor league appearances before returning to the Dodgers.
Treinen, pitched in only three games this season before going on the injured list, will need a few more appearances than Graterol. The plan is for the right-hander to be activated on Sept. 1.
Graterol’s fastball hit 101 mph on Tuesday, the right-hander declaring afterward that “I’m ready to go.” Treinen’s last pitch of the outing was clocked at 98 mph.
“Both guys were good today,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Blake’s last throw was 98 and in on Gallo, so that’s as good as it’s gonna be. That’s not even in a major league game. And I know Brusdar was sitting at 100 mph. The stuff of both guys is right where it needs to be.”
Treinen was probably the team’s most valuable reliever last year, going 6-5 with a 1.99 ERA in 72 games, striking out 85 and walking 25 in 72 1/3 innings and pitching in a variety of high-leverage roles.
Roberts said he will give Treinen “some softer landings” when he returns to the big leagues but expects the right-hander to ready to serve as closer Craig Kimbrel’s primary setup man by October.
“The goal is to have him take on any role we need in leverage,” Roberts said, “and to then to be able to of use [Evan] Phillips, Graterol and Blake kind of interchangeably, as far as the right-handed relievers.”
Justin Turner to start at designated hitter in return from injured list
Justin Turner was activated off the injured list and will bat sixth as the designated hitter as the Dodgers look to extend an eight-game winning streak in the opener of a two-game series against the Minnesota Twins in Chavez Ravine on Tuesday night. Infielder/outfielder Miguel Vargas was optioned back to triple-A Oklahoma City to clear a roster spot.
Turner, 37, was batting .257 with a .738 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, eight homers and 54 RBIs in 86 games on the season when he was put on the IL because of an abdominal strain in early August. He has played in just two games since July 16.
Turner was just beginning to warm at the plate when he felt some pain in his rib cage while taking warmup swings before an at-bat against the San Francisco Giants on July 21.
He hit .400 (22 for 55) with a 1.030 OPS, two homers, two doubles and 13 RBIs in 16 July games after batting .227 with a .673 OPS, six homers, 20 doubles and 41 RBIs in 70 games through June 30.
Dodgers’ dominance means only one thing — they must win the World Series
By now, the years are starting to blend together, the decade-long renaissance making one season indistinguishable from the last. October baseball is now taken for granted in this city.
The consistency shouldn’t be mistaken from the lack of variety. Some Dodgers teams were better than others.
One-hundred-eight games into their season, this year’s Dodgers are separating themselves from the majority of their forebears.
They casually dismissed the latest challenge mounted by the San Diego Padres, completing a three-game sweep of their visitors from Port Loser in a 4-0 victory. They remain on track to become the fifth team in the sport’s history to win more than 110 games.
Rehabbing pitcher Dustin May sets sights on his return to Dodgers. But when?
His perspective really hasn’t changed.
After more than a year-long process of rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, however, Dustin May’s patience sure has grown.
“Going through the rehab and everything, you definitely have to have a lot of that,” May said recently. “Because there’s no speeding it up. There’s only slowing it down.”
Finally, though, the 24-year-old Dodgers pitcher is inching toward the finish line — and a long-awaited comeback at the major league level.
Over the last three weeks, May has been with the Dodgers triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment. He’s worked his way from two to three to four innings in a trio of promising starts.
How to watch and stream the Dodgers this season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers broadcast and streaming schedule for the remainder of the 2022 regular season: