Will Dodgers seek starting pitching at deadline? Loss to Rays highlights question
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — What started as a potential preseason concern for the Dodgers has turned into a sudden midseason conundrum.
Less than two months into the schedule, the team’s starting pitching might need to be shored up.
It’s a result of injuries at the major league level, coupled with thinning options on the farm.
And though Major League Baseball’s trade deadline isn’t until the beginning of August, speculation about the team’s need to add more on the mound is already beginning to start.
It’s an issue that was under the microscope in a 9-3 loss to the first-place Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, when Noah Syndergaard gave up six runs in six troublesome innings that raised his earned-run average to 6.27 — eighth highest in the majors among pitchers with at least 40 innings.
Dodgers can’t keep up with Rays in 9-3 loss
⚾ Rays 9, Dodgers 3 — FINAL
Top of the ninth: Facing Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks, Will Smith grounded out, J.D. Martinez struck out and Max Muncy grounded out.
Noah Syndergaard struggled for the Dodgers, giving up eight hits and six earned runs as he fell to 1-4 on the season and his ERA rose to 6.27. Justin Bruihl also struggled against the Rays, giving up five hits and three earned runs in relief.
The Dodgers were three for 14 with runners in scoring position. Freddie Freeman extended his hitting streak to 15 games and J.D. Martinez extended his hitting streak to 10 games and earned his 16th RBI in 13 games.
The Dodgers and Rays continue their three-game series Saturday at 1:10 p.m. PDT
Jose Siri home run gives Rays commanding lead in eighth
⚾ Rays 9, Dodgers 3 — End of the eighth
Top of the eighth: Rays reliever Calvin Faucher walked Miguel Vargas, then struck out struggling James Outman. Miguel Rojas grounded out to short. Chris Taylor doubled down the left-field line, scoring Vargas. Mookie Betts walked before Faucher struck out Freeman to end the inning.
Bottom of the eighth: Taylor Walls flied out before Christian Bethancourt doubled into left off Justin Bruihl. Manuel Margot grounded out to third. Jose Siri followed with a two-run home to left field for his ninth blast of the season. Yandy Diaz then had his third extra-base hit of the game, with a double to right-center field. Mookie Betts then threw out Diaz at home plate with a spot-on throw after Wander Franco singled to right, sending the game into the ninth.
Rays continue to pull away from the Dodgers in the seventh
⚾ Rays 7, Dodgers 2 — End of the seventh
Top of the seventh: Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman grounded out. Will Smith was hit by a pitch before J.D. Martinez singled on sharp liner to left. Colin Poche took over on the mound for a lefty-lefty matchup against Max Muncy, who grounded into a force out to second, with Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe tagging out Martinez on the basepath.
Bottom of the seventh: Justin Bruihl took over on the mound for Noah Syndergaard to start the inning. Syndergaard allowed eight hits, six earned runs, walked one and struck out three over six innings and 94 pitches.
Bruihl walked Yandy Diaz to start the frame. Wander Franco grounded into a forceout at second. Franco picked up his 18th stolen base of the season, just beating out Will Smith’s throw. Brandon Lowe followed with a single off the glove of first baseman Freddie Freeman and into right field, scoring Franco. Bruihl hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch, prompting a mound visit from pitching coach Mark Prior. Chris Taylor then made another great jumping catch in the left-field corner on Harold Ramirez liner to limit the damage.
Chris Taylor makes spectacular catch in the sixth
⚾ Rays 6, Dodgers 2 — End of the sixth
Top of the sixth: Miguel Vargas flied out and James Outman grounded out before Miguel Rojas singled to right. Facing Rays reliever Jake Diekman, Chris Taylor struck out to leave Rojas stranded at second.
Bottom of the sixth: Christian Bethancourt popped out to third. Chris Taylor then made a spectacular, leaping catch into the left-field wall to snag what likely would have been a multiple-bases hit by Luke Raley. Jose Siri flied out to Taylor to end the inning.
Noah Syndergaard retires Rays in order, but Dodgers still trail
⚾ Rays 6, Dodgers 2 — End of the fifth
Top of the fifth: Will Smith singled on a infield liner. J.D. Martinez took a called third strike on a Cooper Criswell pitch that painted the outside corner. Criswell then struck out Max Muncy to cap the frame.
Bottom of the fifth: Randy Arozarena and James Lowe flied out before Noah Syndergaard struck out Taylor Walls. Syndergaard stands at 84 pitches.
Rays extend lead on Yandy Diaz solo home run
⚾ Rays 6, Dodgers 2 — End of the fourth inning
Top of the fourth: James Outman led with a walk. Miguel Rojas then lined out into a 5-4-3 double play and David Peralta struck out.
Bottom of the fourth: Jose Siri was originally declared safe on grounder to short before the call was overturned on replay. Yandy Diaz then hit his 12th home run of the season — a blast to the left-field corner — to extend the Rays’ lead. Wander Franco flied out and Brandon Lowe struck out to end the inning.
Taylor Walls unstoppable as Rays extend lead in the third
⚾ Rays 5, Dodgers 2 — End of the third
Top of the third: Freddie Freeman led with a walk, then took second on a wild pitch from Cooper Criswell. Will Smith drew a walk before J.D. Martinez lined a first-pitch changeup into left to score Freeman. Max Muncy grounded into a 4-6-3 double play before Miguel Vargas lined out to center, leaving Smith stranded at third.
Bottom of the third: Randy Arozarena grounded out and Josh Lowe flied out. Taylor Walls followed with a single on short flare to center. Walls then stole second and third bases on back-to-back pitches, beating throws from Will Smith. Christian Bethancourt singled to left, scoring Walls. David Peralta made a leaning-forward catch in left on a Luke Raley liner for the third out.
Rays score two more runs in the second inning
⚾ Rays 4, Dodgers 1 — End of the second
Top of the second: Jalen Beeks struck out James Outman. Miguel Rojas grounded out after a diving grab by Rays third baseman Taylor Walls. David Peralta then singled to center, prompting Tampa Bay to pull Cooper Criswell from the bullpen. A sprinting Luke Raley caught a liner to right off Mookie Betts’ bat to leave Peralta stranded.
Bottom of the second: Christian Bethancourt hit a standup double into the left-field corner off Noah Syndergaard, who then walked Luke Raley. Jose Siri singled on a grounder to left, loading the bases. Yandy Diaz drove in Bethancourt on a groundout to third, extending the Rays’ lead. Wander Franco drove in Raley on a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field. Syndergaard got Brandon Lowe on a called third strike with his 38th pitch of the game.
Rays lead Dodgers 2-1 heading into the second inning
⚾ Rays 2, Dodgers 1 — End of the first inning
Top of the first: Facing Tampa Bay starter Jalen Beeks, Mookie Betts drew a leadoff walk. Freddie Freeman then lined a single over leaping Rays right fielder Luke Raley to the warning track for a single. Will Smith followed with a single to right, scoring Betts.
J.D. Martinez grounded out to second, moving Freeman to third and Smith to second. After a mound visit, Beeks got Max Muncy to fly out to shallow center. Miguel Vargas struck out on three pitches to cap the frame.
Bottom of the first: Yandy Diaz led with a double to the right-center-field wall off Dodgers starter Noah Syndergaard. Wander Franco was initially ruled out on softly hit liner to first, but the call was overturned on replay. Brandon Lowe grounded out to second, but it was enough to plate Diaz from third, tying the game.
Miguel Rojas made a nice leaping grab on a liner from Randy Arozarena for the second out before Josh Lowe drove in Franco on a liner to left to push Tampa Bay into the lead. Lowe took second for his 10th stolen base of the season before Taylor Walls grounded out to first.
Long before joining the Dodgers, family ties almost led Jason Heyward to UCLA
ATLANTA — There are two Kenny Washingtons in the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.
The more famous one was a barrier-breaking, three-sport trailblazer. He was a baseball teammate of Jackie Robinson’s in the late 1930s, the first consensus All-American in the history of the football program, and in 1946, one of four Black players to re-integrate the National Football League.
The other left his own memorable Bruins legacy a few decades later.
In the 1960s, that Washington was a leading figure on the first two of John Wooden’s 10 national championship basketball teams. He had a legendary 26-point performance in the 1964 title game.
Dodgers activate Clayton Kershaw, claim ex-Rays reliever Zack Burdi
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After being away from the team earlier in the week on the bereavement list while he attended his mother’s funeral, Clayton Kershaw rejoined the Dodgers at Tropicana Field on Friday ahead of his scheduled Saturday start against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The left-hander hasn’t missed any starts since his mom, Marianne, died on May 13. He made one three days later, then another in St. Louis last weekend before going on the bereavement list while the Dodgers were in Atlanta.
Kershaw is 6-4 with a 2.98 ERA this season, and said Friday he “feels great” despite manager Dave Roberts revealing last week that Kershaw had mentioned experiencing some “body fatigue” recently.
In another roster move Friday, the Dodgers claimed right-handed reliever Zack Burdi off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. Burdi, 28, is a former first-round pick who has an 8.44 ERA in 18 major-league appearances. A product of the University of Louisville, he also was a college teammate of Dodgers catcher Will Smith.
To make room on their roster for Kershaw and Burdi, the Dodgers optioned reliever Tayler Scott and transferred injured reliever Tyler Cyr (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list.
Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.
Wednesday recap: Braves avoid sweep with walk-off, but Dodgers settle for moral victory
ATLANTA — It’s a good thing the Dodgers already clinched their series win over the Braves this week.
Otherwise, Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Truist Park would have been a lot more frustrating.
After surprise wins in the first two games of the series, when the Dodgers prevailed with rookie pitchers on the mound, the finale seemed set up for a potential statement sweep.
The Dodgers outhit the Braves 12-5. They got their starting pitcher into the sixth inning for the first time in almost two weeks. They had runners aboard in every inning.