Tyler Glasnow Spins a Gem as Offense Breaks Out

I guess I picked a good game to miss (Saturday).  I got home, saw the score, and then came to the site, and it read as if the Dodgers were on their way to last place this year.  So what is wrong with the Dodgers?  Nothing that 10 runs and Tyler Glasnow can’t fix.  8.0 shutout innings from Glasnow with 10 K’s and 0 BB.  Shutting down a team that was averaging 7 runs per game for the last 11 games coming into Sunday.

Number of starts with 7+ IP, 0 ER, 0 BB & 10+ K in a single season (Dodgers history)

4 – Clayton Kershaw (2015)
3 – Sandy Koufax (1965)
2 – Tim Leary (1988), Walker Buehler (2019), Tyler Glasnow (2024)

It's only April @baseball_ref pic.twitter.com/37g87324xc

— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) April 21, 2024

Tyler Glasnow is the first MLB pitcher this season to pitch eight scoreless while racking up double-digit strikeouts.

🎞: via Dodgers on IG https://t.co/E02lnbAROP pic.twitter.com/NBwwlyTMzU

— Dodgers Tailgate (@DodgersTailgate) April 21, 2024

Home runs by Shohei (2-run) and Andy Pages (3-run).  Two doubles from Freddie Freeman, who is now 4-6 with 5 RBI his last two games, and showing signs of warming up.  2 potential SB attempts being thrown out by Will Smith.  No errors.

Ohtani’s HR (176^th career) was a record breaker.  He broke Hideki Matsui’s record for most HR’s by a Japanese player.  It took Matsui 10 years (2003-2012).  This is Ohtani’s 7^th season, with another 138 games to go this season.

Shohei's record-breaking 176th homer was a sight to see. pic.twitter.com/hHJEk4i9IP

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 21, 2024

On the flip side, this was Andy Pages’ 1^st career HR.

The first of many home runs in the major league career of one Andy Pages. #Dodgers and their fans celebrate. And you know what, laughers are funny.
pic.twitter.com/7tddlfynjv

— Howard Cole (@Howard_Cole) April 21, 2024

Pages also hit a double (2), as did Will Smith (6).

For the first 8 games of the home stand the Dodgers were 15-77 WRISP (.195) and  26-132 WRISP (.197) over last 15 games.  For Sunday, the Dodgers were 5-11 WRISP (.455).  Hitting WRISP does aid a team in scoring and winning game.

Most point to the LAD pitching as the vulnerable spot with this roster.

The Dodgers started ST with the following potential starters/relievers:

Starters:

• Tyler Glasnow
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto
• Bobby Miller – IL Shoulder Inflammation
• James Paxton
• Gavin Stone
• Emmet Sheehan – IL forearm Inflammation
• Landon Knack
• Kyle Hurt – IL Shoulder Inflammation
• River Ryan – MiLB 60 Day IL (Stretch to consider starter option at ST, but still another injury).

Starters beginning the season on IL:

• Walker Buehler – TJ surgery – Due back in May
• Clayton Kershaw – Shoulder surgery – Due back August”ish”
• Dustin May – Flexor tendon surgery – Due back around All Star Break – Probably as a reliever
• Tony Gonsolin – TJ surgery – Due back 2025
• Nick Frasso – Shoulder surgery – Due back 2025

Hybrid:

• Ryan Yarbrough
• Michael Grove

The team is down to five “healthy” starters, and a pair of healthy hybrids.

Walker Buehler will have his next rehab start next Wednesday, April 24, for OKC.  He is going to have to pitch better on Wednesday to get a clearer picture of his MLB reinstatement date.

FWIW, per Dave Roberts, Miller will start throwing this weekend.  Sheehan will start throwing next week.

Outside of AAAA players who signed MiLB contracts, there is no help in MiLB.  Nabil Crismatt (back to starting at OKC) and Elieser Hernández???

Relievers:

The two relievers that started the season on the IL remain there:  Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen.  In-season acquisition Connor Brogdon pitched one game and then went on the IL (Plantar Fascitis).

The others?  Outside of Evan Phillips, they’re just not very good right now.  ERA for those relievers with more than 8.0 IP:

• Evan Phillips – 1.04 ERA
• Alex Vesia – 2.45 ERA
• Daniel Hudson – 2.70 ERA
• Ryan Yarbrough – 3.86 ERA
• Ryan Brasier – 6.23 ERA
• Michael Grove – 6.43 ERA
• Joe Kelly – 7.00 ERA

Nick Ramirez is now with the MLB team and is promising considering what the other options are.  4 games, 5.0 IP, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 BB, 1 K.  Those numbers would indicate that Nick pitches to contact, and Sunday’s game provided the exclamation point.

The others on the 40 man – J. P. Feyereisen, Ricky Vanasco, Gus Varland, and Eduardo Salazar.  Feyereisen and Varland have not pitched well, and Salazar never got into a game.

Bottom line, the Dodgers are going to need the pitchers on the IL to get healthy.  There is no real help down in MiLB like there has been the last couple of years (Pepiot, Miller, Sheehan, Stone, Grove, Hurt (relief)).

I am not as worried about Yoshinobu Yamamoto as many others.  Yamamoto has always been a command and control pitcher.  The strike zone in Japan is smaller than MLB.  Balls that were at the top of the zone in Japan are probably in a sweet spot for MLB hitters that feast on high fastballs.    He is going to have to learn to elevate that-seamer more and get it above the MLB zone.

Yamamoto basically throws 3 pitches:  4-seamer (37%), curve (28.6%), splitter (27.3%).  The only pitch that is being hit has been the 4-seamer:

• 4-seamer – .355 BA, .371 XBA, .710 SLG, .665 XSLG
• Curve – .208 BA, .212 XBA, .375 SLG, .304 XSLG
• Splitter – .115 BA, .163 XBA, .192 SLG, .226 XSLG

Better command placement of that 4-seamer, and Yoshi will be the pitcher they saw in Japan.  Yoshi is 25 and throwing with a smaller ball.  I predicted he would be ROY, and I have no reason to back off that prediction. I think we will see a completely different (better) pitcher beginning in June than we saw in the beginning of the year.

He is still 5 years younger than Shōta Imanaga and 6 years younger than Kodai Senga.  I am okay that he is starting a bit slower than Imanaga, who has been excellent.  In the longer run, Yamamoto will be difference maker.

The bottom of the order may have got a glimmer of a good look with Andy Pages.  Make no mistake, it is still a problem.  More on the hitting woes are coming up in a soon to be published post.

While the Dodgers have had mediocre to poor pitching results, they really are not all that different from the Atlanta Braves, tie with best record in NL.

Using ERA as the comparative metric:

• Dodgers – 4.13 (Overall – #17), 3.91 (Starter – #14), 4.35 (Reliever – #20).
• Braves – 4.17 (Overall – #18), 4.74 (Starter – #24), 3.42 (Reliever – #10).

The LAD starters’ ERA got a big boost after Glasnow’s gem.  The Dodgers relievers have thrown more innings (103.1) than any other team.  That is 8.9 innings more than the next team with the highest relief innings pitched.  More games like Glasnow’s and that metric will be reduced.  More games like Stone’s, not so much.

The Dodgers are 13-11 after Sunday’s game. This is not the first time a Dodgers’ team has had similar starts, and I believe each year, the fans were convinced the team was not any good.

• 2023 – Started 13-11 – Final record 100-62
• 2022 – Started 17-7 – Final record 111-51
• 2021 – Started 15-9 – Final record 106-56
• 2019 – Started 15-9 – Final record 106-56
• 2018 – Started 11-13 – Final record 92-71 – 18-26 on 05/19 (Game 44); 4^th place 6.0 GB
• 2017 – Started 12-12 – Final record 104-58
• 2016 – Started 12-12 – Final record 91-71 – 21-23 on 05/21 (Game 44); 3^rd place 4.5 GB
• 2015 – Started 16-8 – Final record 92-70
• 2014 – Started 13-11 – Final record 94-68
• 2013 – Started 12-12 – Final record 92-70 – 30-42 on 06/21 (Game 72); 5^th place 9.5 GB

So after a 13-11 start, I am not about to give up on this team.  Holes?  To be sure!  Can they be fixed?  I guess we will find out.

MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS

OKC Baseball Club 5 – Sacramento River Cats (Giants) 4

OKC jumped out to a 5-0 lead.  Drew Avans led off with a single and Miguel Vargas drew a BB.  Trey Sweeney singled home Avans, and when the CF had a fielding error, Vargas scored, and Sweeney moved to third.  Sweeney scored on a ground ball.

In the 2^nd inning, Hunter Feduccia drew a BB and moved to 3^rd on a Jonathan Araúz double.  Both runners scored on a Drew Avans single and a 5-0 lead.

Eduardo Salazar was the starting pitcher for OKC and pitched the first three scoreless innings even while navigating traffic.  In the 4^th, a BB and 2 singles scored a River Cat’s run.

John Rooney, Gus Varland, and Jesse Hahn each pitched a scoreless inning.

Ricky Vanasco relieved Hahn.  Sacramento opened the inning with three straight singles and a BB scored a run.  A sacrifice fly scored a 2^nd run and left runners on 1^st and 3^rd.  Michael Petersen relieved Vanasco, and immediately surrendered a run scoring single.  Sacramento creeped within 1.  Petersen got out of the inning and Kevin Gowdy came in to close the game.

Gowdy retired the side in order with 2 Ks to record his 4^th save.

Jonathan Araúz went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run. He extended his hitting streak to 11 games and he is 13-for-44 during the stretch with five doubles and a home run. His hitting streak is the longest in the PCL to start the season.

Drew Avans went 3-for-5 with two RBI, scored a run and recorded two stolen bases. It was his second three-hit game of the season, while his two stolen bases and two RBI were season highs…Avans moved into a tie for second place on OKC’s all-time career leaders list for stolen bases during the Bricktown era (since 1998) as he now has 87. He also moved into sole possession of seventh place on OKC’s career hits list with 339 total hits.

Trey Sweeney went 1-for-4 with a RBI and scored a run and has now reached base safely in each of his first 20 Triple-A games. He owns the longest on-base streak in the PCL to start the season.

Miguel Vargas (6) and Hunter Feduccia (3) each hit doubles.

Box Score

Wichita Wind Surge (Twins) 6 – Tulsa Drillers 2

With 2 outs in the 2^nd, Taylor Young singled, stole 2B (5) and scored on a Brandon Lewis single.

Hyun-il Choi drew the start for Tulsa.  After two scoreless innings, he issued a BB who scored on a double to tie the score.  With a BB and 2 HBP, the 2^nd run scored.

In the 4^th, the Drillers tied it up with 2 BB, a F-9, and a sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the 4^th, Choi issued a 1 out walk, and Juan Morillo came in to relieve.  The first two batters Morillo faced each drew BB to load the bases.  Morillo balked in a run, and after a 2^nd out, Morillo offered up a 3-run HR, and a 6-2 lead.

Michael Hobbs (2.0 IP), Logan Boyer (1.0 IP), and Braydon Fisher (1.0 IP) finished the game without allowing an additional run.

• Chris Alleyne – 2-4
• José Ramos – 1-4, double (2)
• Brandon Lewis – 1-3, sac fly, 2 RBI

Box Score

West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit) 8 – Great Lakes Loons 4

The Great Lakes Loons left 13 runners on base, and the West Michigan Whitecaps accumulated 14 hits to grab the series finale.

Up 4-2, the Whitecaps scored three runs in the seventh inning. After Michael Martinez induced two groundouts, a walk, and two 0-2 pitches were singles, one by Roberto Compos and a two-run single from Izzac Pacheco. Both runs on Pacheco’s single scored on a throw up the line, it also allowed him to get to third. Peyton Graham singled to plate Pacheco.

In the middle innings, the Loons stranded six runners on base. Whitecaps starter Carlos Marcano worked around an error and walked in the fourth, forcing a popup. In the fifth, Liranzo hit a ball 109 miles per hour right into a 4-6 double play lineout.

In the 6th, the Loons got a run on a wild pitch, but with bases loaded, Dylan Campbell was robbed of an extra-base hit by a diving catch by Roberto Campos on the warning track in center field.

The Loons had a response in the bottom of the seventh but left more on base. Thayron Liranzo walked on six pitches with one out to set up Yunior Garcia’s second two-run home run in as many days. Hit 417 feet, the longest blast for Great Lakes this season. Now down 7-4, Nick Biddison doubled with two outs, but a flyball left him aboard.

Great Lakes’ bullpen was strained this week. Jacob Meador, who started Tuesday pitched today, allowing a run through three innings. Christian Romero, who was touched up for two in the fourth throwing 36 pitches, was extended into the fifth and sixth responsible for three runs.

• Nick Biddison – 2-3, 1 BB, double (2)
• Kyle Nevin – 1-2, 2 BB, 1 RBI, double (5)
• Yunior Garcia – 1-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (2)

Box Score

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 9 – Inland Empire 66ers (LAA) 4

The Quakes finished off a great week on the road, blasting the Inland Empire 66ers by a final of 9-4 on Sunday.

Jose Rodriguez (3-0) came out of the Rancho bullpen and dominated over 4.2 scoreless innings, striking out a career-high 11 batters, while allowing just two hits, helping Rancho to a fourth straight win overall and five of six in the series.

The Quakes broke a scoreless tie in the fourth, putting five on the board. Josue De Paula opened the inning with a triple.  He remained at 3B on an infield single by Jake Gelof. De Paula scored on a WP, and Gelof scored on a Joe Vetrano RBI triple.  Cameron Decker drew a BB, and Vetrano scored on a Carlos Rojas single.  Wilman Diaz doubled home Decker.

In the 5^th. De Paula led off with a double.  Jake Gelof singled De Paula to 3B.  De Paula scored on a fielder’s choice ground out.

In the 8^th, back to back 2-out doubles by Jordan Thompson and De Paula gave the Quakes their 7^th run.

Quake pitchers pitched 7 shutout innings.  Christian Ruebeck came in to relieve in the 8^th and gave up a grand slam to Cristian Garcia to make it 7-4 in the eighth.

In the 9^th, Juan Alonso hit a 1-out triple and scored on a balk.  Three more singles plates the 9^th and final run.

Reynaldo Yean put the 66ers down in order to finish it off.

The Quakes had 14 hits and 7 were XBH.  Josue De Paula had 3 of them.

• Josue De Paula – 3-4, HBP, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 2 doubles (3), triple (2)
• Joe Vetrano – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, triple (1)
• Jake Gelof – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run
• Carlos Rojas – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run
• Wilman Diaz – 1-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI, double (2)
• Juan Alonso – triple (1)
• Jordan Thompson – double (1)

Box Score