Dodgers defeat the Mariners, 7-1
Mariners: Jimmy Nelson still pitching. Crawford struck out swinging. Haniger grounded to short. Lewis struck out swinging.
Final score: Dodgers 7, Mariners 1
We go to the ninth, 7-1 Dodgers
Mariners: Luke Raley in the game in left. Jimmy Nelson now pitching for the Dodgers. Moore grounded to the pitcher. Jose Marmolejos, batting for the pitcher, fouled to the catcher. Haggerty grounded to second.
Dodgers: Right-hander Wyatt Mills now pitching for the Mariners. Betts reached first on a throwing error by the shortstop. Seager struck out swinging. Turner lined to center. Muncy grounded to first.
Score after eight: Dodgers 7, Mariners 1
Dodgers have 7-1 lead after seven
Mariners: Seager flied to center. France grounded to short. Murphy grounded to third. Easy seventh inning for Urías, who has given up one run, two hits, one walk and struck out six. He has made 87 pitches, 64 for strikes. Will they try to squeeze one more inning out of him?
Dodgers: Left-hander Aaron Fletcher now pitching for the Mariners. Muncy singled to right. Smith hit a one-hopper off of the second baseman’s glove. He was able to recover and throw Smith out, Muncy to second. Taylor flied to right, Muncy to third. AJ Pollock, batting for Beaty, singled to center, Muncy scoring. Lux hit a slow roller up the middle and barely beat the throw to first. First and second, two out. Sheldon Neuse, batting for Urías, grounded to second.
Score after seven: Dodgers 7, Mariners 1
It’s 6-1 Dodgers after six innings
Mariners: Sam Haggerty, who came into the game as part of a double switch last inning, popped to short. Crawford grounded to third. Haniger walked. Lewis flied to shallow right, with Betts making a nice running catch.
Dodgers: Chargois, who is still pitching for the Mariners, pitched for the Dodgers from 2018-19, appearing in 60 games with a 4.53 ERA. He was released after the 2019 season, sat out last season and signed with Seattle in January. Betts flied to left. Seager flied to left. Turner grounded to second.
Score after six: Dodgers 6, Mariners 1
Dodgers take 6-1 lead on Max Muncy’s two-run shot, RBI singles by Matt Beaty and Gavin Lux
Mariners: Seager grounded to Turner, who was on the right side of the infield for the shift. France singled to left. Murphy hit a slow bouncer to third, with the only play being at first. France moved up to second. That proved to be important when Moore singled to right-center, scoring France. 2-1 Dodgers. White grounded to third.
Dodgers: Right-hander Will Vest now pitching for the Mariners. Betts fouled to third. Seager flied to center. Turner singled to right. Max Muncy homered to DEEP center. It’s 4-1 Dodgers. Smith doubled down the right-field line. Taylor walked on five pitches. Beaty hit a rocket to second that skipped under the fielder’s glove for a single and an RBI. And that’s it for Vest. I mean, seriously, aren’t vests out of style? Former Dodger JT Chargois comes in to pitch. He gives up a single to Lux to make it 6-1, then strikes out Urías.
Score after five: Dodgers 6, Mariners 1
Dodgers take 2-0 lead thanks to Matt Beaty’s double
Mariners: Crawford lined to left. Haniger struck out swinging. Lewis fouled to first. Muncy crashed into the fence moments after catching the ball. Really good play,
Dodgers: Turner walked on nine pitches. Muncy walked. Smith hit a pop fly to the perfect spot in shallow right for it to fall in for a hit, loading the bases. Taylor flied to shallow center, runners holding. Beaty doubled to right, scoring Turner and Muncy, Smith stopping at third. Lux grounded to first, Smith thrown out trying to score. First and third, two out. Urías struck out swinging.
Score after four: Dodgers 2, Mariners 0
Dodgers threaten but don’t score in third
Mariners: After working the count full, Dylan Moore struck out swinging. Evan White struck out swinging. Justin Dunn struck out looking. Five strikeouts through three innings for Urías, who has thrown 35 pitches.
Dodgers: Gavin Lux grounded to third. Julio Urías grounded to short. Betts doubled to left-center. Seager grounded into the shift for the third out.
Score after three: Dodgers 0, Mariners 0
It’s scoreless after two innings
Mariners: Kyle Seager popped to short. Ty France flied to center. Tom Murphy struck out looking.
Dodgers: Max Muncy walked on four pitches. Will Smith struck out swinging. Chris Taylor struck out swinging. Matt Beaty flied to center.
Score after two: Dodgers 0, Mariners 0
No score after first inning
Mariners: Left-hander Julio Urías pitching for the Dodgers. J.P. Crawford fouled to third. Mitch Haniger, who homered in the first inning last night, hit a hard one-hopper right at Justin Turner at third. He threw to first, where Max Muncy made a nice dig for the out. Kyle Lewis struck out swinging on a nice changeup.
Dodgers: Right-hander Justin Dunn pitching for the Mariners. Mookie Betts popped to first. Corey Seager flied to the warning track in center. Justin Turner flied to right. Uneventful first inning.
Score after one: Dodgers 0, Mariners 0
On this day in 2004: Alex Cora’s 18-pitch at-bat ends with a home run
On this day in 2004, Dodgers shortstop Alex Cora put together one of the most epic at-bats in major league history.
Facing Matt Clement of the Cubs, Cora fouled off 14 consecutive pitches and then hit the 18th pitch for a two-run home run which doubled the Dodger lead to 4-0. The Dodger Stadium crowd cheered each foul ball, watching the increasing total displayed on the scoreboard.
Dodgers reach COVID-19 vaccine threshold; can ease safety protocols
Manager Dave Roberts announced on Wednesday that the Dodgers have had 85% of their players, coaches and others with Tier 1 access receive their final doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, allowing them to ease some of the health and safety protocols they’ve been adhering to this season.
Under Major League Baseball’s health and safety protocols, mask use can be dropped from dugouts and bullpens, and electronic tracing devices would be eliminated when 85% of Tier 1 staff are vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Fully vaccinated players and staff can also eat and drink on flights and gather in indoor spaces such as hotels without masks or social distancing as long as non-vaccinated people aren’t present. They can carpool or use Uber or Lyft for transportation.
MLB announced last week that five clubs had reached the 85% threshold of Tier 1 individuals receiving their final dose of COVID-19 vaccine and that seven other clubs were expected to reach that threshold in the next two weeks.
Roberts hopes reaching the threshold will help the Dodgers avoid an outbreak like the San Diego Padres had this week, when they lost five players—star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., first baseman Eric Hosmer, right fielder Wil Myers and utility players Jurickson Profar and Jorge Mateo — to positive tests or contact-tracing requirements.
“Absolutely,” Roberts said, when asked if reaching the threshold could give the Dodgers a competitive edge over teams that haven’t. “I think we were very mindful of that coming into the season, of trying to get to that 85% while also respecting peoples’ personal decisions, to stay away from a situation like that.”
Injury to top pitching prospect Josiah Gray does not appear serious
Top pitching prospect Josiah Gray was diagnosed with a shoulder impingement and will be shut down for a week to 10 days, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old right-hander, who was the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year when he went a combined 11-2 with a 2.28 ERA in 26 games across the Class-A, double-A and triple-A levels in 2019, was scratched from Tuesday’s scheduled start for triple-A Oklahoma City because of shoulder discomfort.
Gray, who mixes a lively fastball that he throws between 92-97 mph with a mid-80s slider and an upper-70s curve, had made one start this season. Tests did not reveal any structural damage, which came as a relief to the Dodgers.
“I’m just happy that we and Josiah detected it early and he didn’t try to push himself,” Roberts said.
Infielder Edwin Rios to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery
The Dodgers announced on Wednesday that corner infielder Edwin Rios will undergo surgery next week to repair a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder, ending his season. Rios, 27, is expected to be ready for spring training next year.
Rios had a solid season in 2020, hitting .250 with a .946 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, eight homers and 17 RBIs in 32 games and easing the loss of injured third baseman Justin Turner.
He was expected to be a key contributor off the bench this season but struggled at the plate for his entire tenure with the Dodgers, batting .078 (nine for 51) with a .354 OPS, one homer, one RBI, 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 games before being placed on the injured list on May 5.
Julio Urías looks to get back in the win column tonight vs. Mariners
Julio Urías will look to rebound from his first loss in almost two years when the Dodgers left-hander takes the mound against Seattle Mariners right-hander Justin Dunn Wednesday night in Chavez Ravine.
Urías gave up five earned runs and eight hits, striking out four and walking none, in last Friday night’s 9-2 loss to the Angels in Anaheim, ending an unbeaten string of 17 regular-season games dating back to Aug. 9, 2019.
AJ Pollock is not in the Dodgers for the fourth straight game after suffering a mild left-hamstring strain Friday night. The outfielder drew a pinch-hit walk in Tuesday night’s 6-4 win over the Mariners and hopes to return to the lineup this weekend against Miami.
“Every day it has gotten significantly better,” Pollock said on Wednesday. “It’s been a very positive thing since I did it. I’m just trying to be smart. I don’t want to rush back too soon, but at same time.”
Pollock, who was injured when he pulled up on a Mike Trout hit to left field, has been on the injured list five times in his career because of a variety of hand, elbow and groin injuries, but this is the first time he’s hurt a hamstring. With no experience with such an injury, he’s being extra careful.
“I hate injuries. I hate missing games, period. But I’ve also been in situations where I ran it out there too early, wanting to get back so bad that it turned into something longer,” Pollock said.
“It’s such a unique sport. It’s hard to explain the sport to anyone who hasn’t been in there, hasn’t put their body on the line for this long, every single day. You gotta push things, but you also have to be patient and know that when you’re ready, you’re ready.”
DODGERS LINEUP
RF Mookie Betts
SS Corey Seager
3B Justin Turner
1B Max Muncy
C Will Smith
CF Chris Taylor
LF Matt Beaty
2B Gavin Lux
LHP Julio Urias
MARINERS LINEUP
SS JP Crawford
RF Mitch Haniger
CF Kyle Lewis
3B Kyle Seager
2B Ty France
C Tom Murphy
LF Dylan Moore
1B Evan White
RHP Justin Dunn
Dustin May tweets an after-surgery photo
Dodgers right-hander Dustin May had Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. Take a look:
Gavin Lux joins Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants
Gavin Lux executed a squeeze play without dropping a bunt Tuesday night, the Dodgers second baseman donning some extremely tight-fitting pants in honor of right-hander Walker Buehler, who gained some notoriety during last October’s World Series run for the form-fitting uniform pants he wears when he pitches.
Lux tries to wear the tighter pants every time Buehler takes the mound.
But after hitting a dramatic game-winning three-run homer in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s 6-4 come-from-behind win over the Seattle Mariners, don’t be surprised if Lux — a believer in superstition, as most baseball players are — opts for more snug-fitting pants Wednesday night. And this weekend. And next week.
“Whenever Walker is out there rocking the tight pants, I’ll rock them with him,” Lux said after the game. “They might be here to stay now. We’ll see.”
First baseman Max Muncy providing Gold Glove-caliber defense
The Dodgers have yielded a major league-high 27 unearned runs this season and are a middle-of-the-pack team in two other key defensive categories, ranking 15th with 21 errors and 17th with two overall defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs.
But they would be a lot worse if not for the play of first baseman Max Muncy, who has added some flashy glovework to go with his usual power and plate discipline.
Muncy has not committed an error in the 30 games he has played at first base, and he enters Wednesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners with five defensive runs saved, the most for any first baseman in baseball.
Muncy also ranks fifth with a Fangraphs ultimate zone rating (UZR) of 0.6, which quantifies how many runs a player saved or gave up through his fielding prowess, or lack thereof, and first with a UZR150 of 10.4, the number of runs above or below average a fielder is, per 150 defensive games.
Muncy has been particularly adept at scooping throws in the dirt, and in the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s 6-4 come-from-behind win over the Mariners, he ranged far into foul territory to make an over-the-shoulder catch of Ty France’s popup as he tumbled onto the short wall and into the protective netting.
“I think, for me, it’s been Gold Glove-caliber defense,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The range, the picks at first base … he’s saved a lot of runs.”
Betting lines and odds for Dodgers vs. Mariners on Wednesday
The Dodgers last won consecutive games on April 17 during an eight-game winning streak. Will they they be able to weave wins together again Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners?
The Dodgers have won 10 of their last 13 games with Julio Urías pitching, dating back to the 2020 postseason. He enters Wednesday’s start having given up at least three earned runs in three of his past five games.
The Mariners are 4-1 in Justin Dunn’s starts this season despite him issuing six walks per nine innings and failing to complete six innings in a game.
The Mariners have the best run line record in MLB at 23-13, including a 21-10 mark as an underdog with a 16-15 straight up record as an underdog.
The Dodgers have covered four of their last 21 games on the run line, having allowed at least four runs in eight of their nine games in May. They lead the league in runners left on base while the Mariners are stranding the fewest runners on base in the majors.
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Vintage win for Dodgers, 6-4 over Mariners
Gavin Lux pounded his chest three times and roared at his teammates before his three-run homer had even landed Tuesday night, the no-doubt-about it blast sending the Dodgers hurtling toward a dramatic 6-4 come-from-behind win over the Seattle Mariners in Chavez Ravine.
Lux, whose offensive struggles have mirrored those of an underachieving club that had lost 15 of 20 games, glided around the basepaths, tapped his helmet several times as he rounded third and was engulfed by teammates in the third-base dugout as a crowd of 15,570 went wild.
“Obviously, you could see the pent-up emotions inside of him come out, which is a good thing and something we want,” Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler said. “If he keeps hitting the ball like that, he can yell and scream whatever he pleases.”
Dave Roberts indicated in early March that Lux would be his starting second baseman, the Dodgers manager saying he could see the Baseball America 2019 minor league player of the year “getting a good runway, playing regularly.”
But with Lux entering Tuesday night’s game with a .209 average, .515 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, no homers, one double and eight RBIs in 25 games, it was fair to ask Roberts how long that runway is.
“I don’t think you can really define what it is,” Roberts said. “For me, the defense has been very consistent. I see the at-bat quality getting better each day. And it’s not really, in Gavin’s particular case, about results. So I don’t really think there’s a game or a stat line that I’m looking at
Though his job appears safe, Lux helped himself by producing a stat line worth looking at Tuesday night, hitting a key single in a two-run seventh inning and crushing a 97-mph fastball from Mariners reliever Rafael Montero 413 feet to right-center field for his game-winner in the eighth.
“Obviously, every win is important, and they all feel good, but they’re not all created equal,” Roberts said. “The way we came back and won a ballgame, how they did it … Gavin has been grinding, so for him to get that big hit was huge for him. It unlocked a lot of … not pressure, but kind of relief. I’m so happy for him.”
Trailing 4-3 with two out in the eighth, Chris Taylor lined a single to right off Montero—his third hit of the game—and pinch-hitter Matt Beaty was hit by a pitch. Lux then drove a 1-and-0 pitch from Montero for his homer, and Kenley Jansen struck out two of three batters in the ninth for his sixth save.
Gavin Lux gives Dodgers a 6-4 lead with a three-run homer
Mariners: Left-hander Garrett Cleavinger now pitching for the Dodgers. Cleavinger has been shaky at best this season. After getting ahead in the count 3-0, White struck out looking. Sam Haggerty flied to center. Crawford struck out looking.
Dodgers: Smith flied to right. Muncy struck out swinging. Taylor singled to center. Matt Beaty hit for Neuse. On an 0-2 pitch, Beaty was hit by a pitch. Lux homered to DEEP RIGHT, Dodgers lead, 6-4. What a massive hit, just what Lux needed, and the type of hit that can turn a team around. Luke Raley, batting for the pitcher, struck out swinging.
Score after eight: Dodgers 6, Mariners 4
Tatis, Profar, Mateo, Hosmer and Myers lost to the Padres because of coronavirus testing, contact tracing
It looks like the San Diego Padres will be without much of its lineup for a while.
Before Tuesday’s game with the Colorado Rockies, shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and utility players Jurickson Profar and Jorge Mateo were listed as unavailable after Tatis tested positive for COVID, and the other two players were put on the IL because of contact tracing.
During the game, the Padres pulled right fielder Wil Myers because of a positive test and first baseman Eric Hosmer was removed in the seventh because of contact tracing.
“Naturally, you’re punched in the stomach,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said.
MLB health and safety protocols say players must isolate for a minimum of 10 days after a positive COVID test.
Corey Seager knocks in two as Dodgers close within 4-3 after seven
Mariners: France fouled to first, right next to the scoreboard. Muncy had to make a nice, leaning catch, sno-coning the ball. Torrens grounded to short. Moore struck out swinging. That’s eight strikeouts for Buehler.
Dodgers: Taylor singled to center. Neuse struck out swinging. Kikuchi has made 102 pitches and is staying in the game. What is this, 1965? Lux hit a bouncer to third. With the shift on, no one was there, so Lux reached first. First and second, one out. AJ Pollock, batting for Buehler. Left-hander Anthony Misiewicz replaces Kikuchi, who pitched a great game. Pollock walked on six pitches, loading the bases. Not sure why the Mariners would bring in a left-handed reliever with two right-handers coming up. DJ Peters ran for Pollock, who is still nursing a strained hamstring.
After falling behind 0-2, Betts worked the count full, fouled off a couple of pitches and struck out looking at a ball that was well inside. Bad plate umpiring, which is out of hand this season. Seager singled to right, scoring Taylor and Lux, Peters to third. It’s 4-3 Mariners.
With Turner coming up, the Mariners make a double switch. Sam Haggerty comes into left, right-hander Rafael Montero comes in to pitch. Turner struck out swinging. He has struck out four times tonight.
Score after seven innings: Mariners 4, Dodgers 3
Mitch Haniger’s second homer of game makes it 4-1 Mariners
Mariners: Crawford flied to left. Haniger homered to left, his second of the game. 4-1 Mariners in the top of the sixth. Buehler has given up three home run in a game for the first time since 2018. Seager flied to center.
Dodgers: Turner struck out swinging at a ball in the dirt. He seems to be pressing tonight. Three strikeouts in one game is a rarity for him. Smith flied to shallow right-center. Muncy struck out looking. Kikuchi has 10 strikeouts.
Score after six: Mariners 4, Dodgers 1
Dodgers trail 3-1 after five innings
Mariners: Moore flied to left. White struck out looking. Kikuchi struck out looking. He actually swung the bat once this time.
Dodgers: Lux struck out swinging. Buehler struck out swinging. Betts doubled down the left-field line. Seager flied to center.
Score after five: Mariners 3, Dodgers 1
Kyle Seager hits two-run homer for Mariners, Muncy answers with home run of his own
Mariners: Haniger, whose home run is the only run of the game, grounded to short. Lewis singled to right. Seager homered HIGH AND DEEP to right. It’s 3-0 Mariners. France walked on six pitches. Torrens grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
Dodgers: Turner struck out swinging. Smith grounded to short. Muncy homered to DEEP right-center. Taylor tripled off the fence in right. Neuse struck out swinging.
Score after four: Mariners 3, Dodgers 1
It’s still 1-0 Mariners after three
Mariners: Evan White grounded to first. Yusei Kikuchi struck out looking. Kikuchi, the pitcher, comes to the plate wearing all the cool-looking gear. The elbow guard. The shin guard. Looks stylish. Never swings the bat. Crawford grounded to second.
Dodgers: Walker Buehler struck out swinging. Betts grounded to first. Seager struck out swinging. Kikuchi is dominant that inning.
Score after three: Mariners 1, Dodgers 0
Dodgers strand two in second, trail 1-0
Mariners: Ty France struck out looking. Luis Torrens struck out swinging. Four straight strikeouts for Buehler. Dylan Moore grounded to second, Lux ranging far to his right to make the grab. Nice play.
Dodgers: Will Smith singled to right-center. Max Muncy walked. Chris Taylor struck out swinging on three pitches. Sheldon Neuse flied to deep right. I’m at a loss to explain why Smith didn’t tag up and advance. He’s not that slow. Gavin Lux lined to right.
Score after two: Mariners 1, Dodgers 0
Mariners jump to quick 1-0 lead on Mitch Haniger’s homer
Mariners: Right-hander Walker Buehler pitching for the Dodgers. J.P. Crawford grounds the first pitch to third for an out. Mitch Haniger homered to center. There goes the no-hitter. There goes the shutout. Kyle Lewis struck out swinging. Kyle Seager, brother of Corey, struck out swinging.
Dodgers: Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi pitching for the Mariners. Mookie Betts chopped the first pitch to third for an out. Corey Seager grounded to second. Justin Turner struck out swinging.
Score after one: Mariners 1, Dodgers 0
Catcher Will Smith continues season-long search for his “A swing”
Will Smith was so frustrated after missing another pitch he should have crushed last Friday in Anaheim, the Dodgers catcher slamming his bat into the ground before heading to first base, that he barely made it to second when the popup dropped in shallow right field for what should have been a stand-up double.
“I was frustrated that I missed a fastball,” Smith said after that night’s loss. “I’m not usually a guy who shows my emotions, and I think the last couple of weeks got to me there. It happens in baseball.”
It has been happening too much this season for Smith, the offensive-minded half of the team’s catching platoon struggling at the plate far more than he’s used to.
Smith entered Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners in Dodger Stadium with a .242 average, .794 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, three homers and 13 RBIs in 27 games, a considerable drop-off from 2020, when he hit .289 with a .980 OPS, eight homers and 25 RBIs in 37 games.
Veteran Clayton Kershaw cautions that the Dodgers can’t become complacent a year after a sense of urgency infused the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
“I haven’t really had my ‘A swing’ in the box that much this year, so it’s a lot of just compete and try to help the team win,” Smith said before Tuesday game. “I feel like I’ve been grinding at the plate all year, trying to make adjustments, trying to get better contact, get more hard-hit balls in play.
“I just don’t feel great in the box, but that doesn’t really matter. You gotta compete from at-bat to at-bat, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Like many Dodgers hitters, Smith got off to a hot start, going five for 10 with two homers, two doubles and four RBIs in his first four games. But in his next 23 games, he hit .210 (17 for 81) with a .642 OPS, one homer, five doubles and nine RBIs.
Smith’s 11 extra-base hits (he has one triple) and his 13 walks to go with 17 strikeouts have prevented his slugging percentage (.440) and OPS from plummeting too far.
“I do see he’s grinding through at-bats, and when he’s in the box, I feel that something good is going to happen,” manager Dave Roberts said. “To know what he’s OPS’ing and to see the at-bats each day and to know he doesn’t have his A swing is pretty encouraging for all of us.”
Smith, who had five hits and three RBIs in the National League Division Series-clinching win over San Diego and a huge sixth-inning, three-run homer that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead in an eventual NL Championship Series Game 5 win over Atlanta, feels he’s a tick or two off mechanically.
“There’s so many moving parts, so many things you have to time up and sync up correctly, and if one little thing gets messed up, it causes other problems,” Smith said. “That’s baseball. It’s a game of adjustments.”
Outfielder AJ Pollock nears return; David Price, Cody Bellinger progressing
AJ Pollock is not in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners in Dodger Stadium, the third straight game the Dodgers left fielder has not started since he was knocked out of Friday night’s game against the Angels by a mild left-hamstring strain.
But manager Dave Roberts said Pollock is getting “better with treatment” and will be available to pinch hit. The expectation is that Pollock will return to the lineup either Wednesday against Seattle or Friday against Miami.
Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler, who is 1-0 with a 3.13 ERA in his first six starts, striking out 39 and walking 13 in 37 1/3 innings, will oppose Seattle Mariners left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (1-2, 4.30 ERA) Tuesday night.
Buehler has been very good this season but a tick below his dominance of last October, when he went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts, striking out 39, walking 12 and allowing 18 hits in 25 innings.
“I feel like he’s throwing good — the stuff is there,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. “He’s never gonna live up to his expectations. He wants to go out there and throw nine shutout innings every game. That’s the kind of competitor he is. But he’s been working on some stuff, trying to get all his pitches back to that wipeout stuff it has been, and he will.”
Before the game, left-hander David Price, out since April 26 because of a right-hamstring strain, threw some pitches off the Dodger Stadium mound and covered first base.
“He looked really good,” Roberts said. “It didn’t seem like he was holding anything back.”
Roberts said the veteran left-hander will face hitters in the next few days and will need only one or two live batting-practice sessions before being activated and returning as a multi-inning reliever.
“I actually would be surprised if he chooses to go out on [minor league rehabilitation] assignment,” Roberts said. “He hasn’t been out that long, in our opinion, but David being the veteran he is, we’ll let him make that call. Our hope is to have him face hitters once or twice and then be activated.”
Center fielder Cody Bellinger, out since April 6 because of a hairline fracture of his left fibula, posted another video of himself running in Arizona on social media, but Roberts said the slugger is still running at only 60%, so he’s not quite ready to begin a minor league rehab stint.
“He’s progressing really nicely, his swing is good, and [after he ran] he had no pain,” Roberts said. “It’s very encouraging, but I don’t know how the timeline looks. He’ll have to take some at-bats, play defense and stand on his feet for nine innings, but each day it’s been better.”
DODGERS LINEUP
RF Mookie Betts
SS Corey Seager
3B Justin Turner
C Will Smith
1B Max Muncy
CF Chris Taylor
LF Sheldon Neuse
2B Gavin Lux
RHP Walker Buehler
MARINERS LINEUP
SS JP Crawford
RF Mitch Haniger
CF Kyle Lewis
3B Kyle Seager
2B Ty France
C Luis Torrens
LF Dylan Moore
1B Evan White
LHP: Yusei Kikuchi
On this day in 2015: Scott Van Slyke hits walk-off three-run homer
On this day in 1963: Sandy Koufax pitches his second no-hitter
Mookie Betts is confident back issues are behind him
Mookie Betts said the back issue that bothered him for much of April “is long gone now,” but the right fielder acknowledged Tuesday that the injury probably hindered him more than he let on.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Betts said after conducting a video question-and-answer session for more than 150 youths from the Catholic Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Los Angeles County in Dodger Stadium. “But that’s not an excuse. Guys have aches and pains all the time. You have to figure out a way to get the job done, no matter what.”
Betts hit .348 (eight for 23) with a 1.030 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, one homer and two doubles in the first five games of the season before he was sidelined for four games because of back stiffness, describing his discomfort a sensation he had never experienced before.
He returned on April 13 but hit only .220 (18 for 82) with a .692 OPS, two homers, six doubles and five RBIs in 20 games from April 13 through last Wednesday, capping the skid by going hitless with three strikeouts in a 6-5, 11-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field.
Betts also crumpled to the ground and bit his gold chain in pain after being hit in the right forearm by a 95-mph fastball from Seattle right-hander Rafael Montero in the ninth inning of an April 19 game in T-Mobile Park.
But Betts seemed to find his timing and stroke over the weekend in Anaheim, going four for 10 with a homer, five RBIs and four walks against the Angels, who won two of three games in the Freeway Series.
Asked if he feels like he’s turned a corner entering Tuesday night’s game against the Mariners in Dodger Stadium, Betts said, “I don’t know yet. It’s a long season. You have your ups and down. We lost the series, so it’s not about me. As a team, we have to get rolling.”
After Betts was traded from Boston to Los Angeles and signed a 12-year, $365-million extension with the Dodgers, he said he was looking forward to immersing himself in the community.
The pandemic has limited the number of in-person interactions Betts can have with fans, but he hoped Tuesday’s hour-long session, which was part of the team’s Love LA community tour and aired on the stadium video boards, would impact some of the kids on the call.
“I was one of those kids, too, and you never know what you might say that can change someone’s life or perspective,” Betts said. “Sometimes you can have an effect by saying something positive, and that’s what I try to do.”
Betting lines and odds for Dodgers vs. Mariners on Tuesday
After a 13-2 start, the Dodgers open a two-game series against the Seattle Mariners having lost 15 of their last 19 games.
The Dodgers will look to Walker Buehler for a quality start. He has pitched at least six innings in each of six starts this season despite the Dodgers losing in his last three appearances.
The Mariners counter with Yusei Kikuchi, who has been better on the road than at home, posting an 0-1 record with a 4.95 ERA at home and a 1-1 record with a 3.57 ERA away from Seattle.
The Mariners have the best run line record in the MLB at 23-12, including a 21-9 mark as an underdog with a 16-14 straight-up record as an underdog.
The Dodgers are 3-17 on the run line in their last 20 games after allowing at least four runs in seven of their eight games in May. Thirteen of their past 16 have gone over the total.
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Clayton Kershaw: Flailing Dodgers need to ‘figure it out right now’
If the 162-game baseball season is a marathon, the Dodgers are nowhere near Heartbreak Hill. The defending World Series champions are 35 games into the six-month grind, six shy of the season’s quarter-point, so there’s plenty of time to recover from a brutal three-week stretch in which they’ve lost 15 of 20.
But in the eyes of veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw, this is no time to keep calm and carry on.
“It doesn’t do anyone any good to think, ‘Oh, it’s a long season, it’s 162 games, and we’ll figure it out — we’re too good not to,’ ” Kershaw said over the weekend. “In my opinion, you figure it out right now.