Dodgers get more strong pitching in a victory over the Rockies
Let’s play build a bullpen. The Dodgers planned on populating theirs at some point with these relievers, veterans all:
Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Caleb Ferguson, Jimmy Nelson, Victor González, Danny Duffy, Tommy Kahnle.
Today they all populate the injured list.
Figure in the three starters out with injuries — Walker Buehler, Dustin May and Andrew Heaney — and it’s flabbergasting that the Dodgers still boast the best pitching in the National League.
By far.
The Dodgers’ earned-run average after their 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night was 2.92. The next lowest ERA among NL teams was the San Diego Padres’ 3.60. The Dodgers have given up the fewest hits and issued the fewest walks in the league. Opponents are batting a feeble .220 against them.
Trayce Thompson stays hot at the plate, delivering an RBI as Dodgers close out win
Colorado’s Kris Bryant delivered a solo home run in the sixth inning, but the Dodgers tacked on a RBI single from Trayce Thompson in the eight and held on for a 5-2 victory over the Rockies Tuesday night.
A day after hitting a three-run homer to lift the Dodgers, Thompson notched the RBI during his sole at-bat. He is the brother of NBA star Klay Thompson and has struggled to stay on the Dodgers’ roster in the past, but he has thrived during his most recent call-up.
Rookie Ryan Pepiot earned his first win of the season as the Dodgers took a 2-0 series lead against the Rockies.
The teams close out their three-game set Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Max Muncy jumps on first pitch again as Dodgers increase their lead to 4-1
Max Muncy entered the game batting .163, but the Dodgers infielder liked what he saw early in his first two at-bats, hitting the first pitch both times.
After hitting a two-run home run in the second inning, he led off the fourth with a double down the right-field line and scored on Justin Turner’s single.
The Dodgers led 4-1 after four innings. Dodgers rookie Ryan Pepiot, brought up from triple-A for a spot start, has struck out five and scattered four hits.
Mitch White was scheduled to start but manager Dave Roberts said Pepiot was inserted in the rotation to give every starter an extra day of rest. Reliever Reyes Moronta was optioned to triple-A to create a roster spot for Pepiot.
Max Muncy and Mookie Betts homer to give the Dodgers an early 3-1 lead
The Dodgers answered a run by the Rockies in the second inning with two of their own on Max Muncy’s eighth home run of the season.
An inning later, Mookie Betts homered added a solo homer.
Muncy followed a walk to Will Smith by pulling the first pitch by Germán Márquez 382 feet over the right-field fence. Betts also hit the first pitch.
The Rockies’ run came on an RBI double by José Iglesias, the former Angels shortstop who homered Monday.
Dodgers pitching has sparkled all season despite deluge of injuries
Let’s play build a bullpen. The Dodgers planned on populating theirs with these relievers, veterans all.
Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Caleb Ferguson, Jimmy Nelson, Victor Martinez, Danny Duffy, Tommy Kahnle.
Today they all populate the injured list.
Figure in the three starters out with injuries — Walker Buehler, Dustin May and Andrew Heaney — and it’s flabbergasting that the Dodgers still boast the best pitching in the National League.
By far.
The Dodgers’ earned-run average entering Tuesday’s game was 2.94. The next lowest ERA among NL teams was the San Diego Padres’ 3.60. The Dodgers have given up the fewest hits and issued the fewest walks in the league. Opponents are batting a feeble .220 against them.
All while pitchers are zipping in and out of the training room with the frequency of shoppers entering and exiting Costco.
The spectacular emergence of starters Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson has been a godsend. They are a combined 19-1 with an ERA of 2.33. Clayton Kershaw has been excellent when healthy and Julio Urias has been consistently good.
All four are well-deserved All-Star candidates.
Seventeen different relievers have made appearances this season. None are All-Star candidates. Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Alex Vesia and Phil Bickford get props simply for being healthy most of the season.
Dodgers fans have been introduced to Yency Almonte and Reyes Moronta, while seeing Mitch White and Ryan Pepiot surface from triple-A to make spot starts. Veteran left-hander David Price must watch it all with bemusement.
Let’s catch up on how close a few of those on the injured list are to returning:
May: The red-headed right-hander recovering from Tommy John surgery is throwing to hitters and progressing well. How soon could he begin a minor league rehab assignment?
“I don’t know, but it’s imminent,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s moving in the right direction.” Still, May isn’t expected to be activated until August.
Heaney: The left-handed starter with a 0.59 ERA in 15 innings was shut down after experiencing shoulder pain in his first start June 19 after spending two months on the injured list. He threw 30 pitches in the bullpen Tuesday and likely won’t return until after the All-Star break.
“The ball was coming out well, his fastball and slider,” Roberts said. “There will be another bullpen, then facing hitters, then potentially starting. Still a ways down the road.”
Treinen: The setup reliever has been out since mid-April with shoulder issues. He threw 30 pitches off the mound Monday and Roberts said “it was pretty dang good. That’s ahead of where initially I thought he was, especially off a mound, so that was really encouraging.”
However, don’t expect a return any time soon. The Dodgers will proceed cautiously with the reliever that could move into a closer role in the postseason if Kimbrel continues to struggle.
“With Blake, he is so valuable to our ballclub,” Roberts said. “We feel like we have one bullet to get him back and do it right, so we want to be prudent and take our time. I just don’t see how it’s before August.”
Chris Taylor’s bobblehead night marred by CT scan showing foot fracture
Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor is headed to the injured list, putting a damper on his bobblehead night Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
A CT scan on CT3 revealed a fractured left foot. Taylor sustained the injury Saturday against the San Diego Padres but played Monday against the Colorado Rockies.
He walked in the fifth inning and trotted around the bases when Trayce Thompson followed with a home run. Taylor did not take the field in the sixth inning and afterward said the foot hurt when he ran.
“The pain extends from the arch of the foot up into my ankle,” he said. “It hurts when I run.”
Despite the injury, Taylor caught the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday’s game and was not walking with a noticeable limp.
Taylor, who signed a four-year, $53-million contract during the offseason, is batting .238 with six home runs and 27 RBIs.
Julio Urías burnishes All-Star credentials, Dodgers win on Trayce Thompson’s home run
A Dodgers starting pitcher made a strong case for an All-Star berth for the fourth day in a row.
A journeyman outfielder known primarily as a member of a decorated basketball family struck the key blow.
And an injury-ravaged bullpen wobbled its way through the ninth inning in a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night that marked the Dodgers’ 50th win two games ahead of the season’s halfway point, keeping them on pace for a 100-win season.
On our holiday that celebrates the land of the free, the Dodgers let Freeland reign into the fifth inning. Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland retired the first 13 batters in order before the Dodgers changed the course of the game.
Trayce Thompson, brother of NBA star Klay Thompson and son of former Lakers forward Mychal Thompson, followed Justin Turner’s single and Chris Taylor’s walk with a three-run home run to left field that put the Dodgers ahead 3-1.
Hernández: Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw deserves the All-Star start
There was no mention of the month Clayton Kershaw spent on the injured list or how he hasn’t pitched a sufficient number of innings to qualify to be on the earned-run average leaderboard.
In the view of Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes, this was a no-brainer: Kershaw should pitch in the All-Star Game.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more deserving to pitch an All-Star Game in Dodger Stadium,” Barnes said.
Baseball can make it happen. Baseball should make it happen.
In fact, National League manager Brian Snitker should take it a step further and designate Kershaw the starter.
Baseball has a chance to manufacture a moment in what is generally an unscripted theater, and what better moment can there be than the 34-year-old Kershaw making his first All-Star start at home in what could be the final season of his Hall of Fame career?