The Dodgers finished their 2024 schedule against the Giants yesterday. Fittingly, Clayton Kershaw made his return to the major leagues after major shoulder surgery for the first time since his first inning debacle in game one of the NLDS last season.
No one knew what to expect from him. His re-hab starts had been less than inspiring. Kershaw though had declared himself healthy and felt he was ready to go. One thing you did know was that the ballpark would be full and the fans cheering for their hero.
Kershaw in his career has faced the Giants 59 times, 57 of those as the starting pitcher. His career record against them is 26-16. The only team he has more wins against is the Rockies, 27. He also owns a 2.01 ERA against the Giants. It is his best ERA against any division opponent. Amazingly, he has a better record against the Giants at Oracle Park, 15-7 1.69 ERA, than he does in LA, 11-9 ERA a little over 2.32.
We all knew he would be on a low pitch count and would probably not go more than four innings before turning it over to the pen. Even a veteran of his stature is going to have some butterfly’s coming back to the mound where he has been so dominant. 112-41 2.19 ERA.
There was an emotional impact in the stands also. As his wife and family watched, the camera’s zeroed in on them and she could be seen crying a little just before he made his first pitch. Naturally the ball was very high. But he settled down to get Soler on a pop up to Freeman. Fitzgerald then hit a liner to center that fooled Pages some, but he managed to make a snow cone catch.
Ramos then doubled to center and Chapman walked. Kersh got out of the jam by striking out Patrick Bailey on one of his vintage back foot sliders. The second inning was a little easier as Kersh struck out Villar, then got Estrada to fly out to center. Yastrzemski then hit a liner that deflected off of Lux’s glove for a single. Hill flied out to Heyward in right to end the inning. Over two innings, Kershaw had made 28 pitches.
The bottom of the lineup, which has been much better lately, then got busy. Lux walked. Heyward hit a slow roller that Webb fielded and threw to first to get Heyward. Lux moved to second. Kike then singled to right and Lux scored. Barnes singled extending his hit streak. Ahmed flew out moving Kike to third, and then Ohtani grounded out ending the inning. In the bottom of the third, the Giants got aggressive and began to hit Kershaw hard.
Soler singled to left. Fitzgerald then hit a hard shot down the line that Hernandez could not cut off and it went for a run scoring triple. Ramos singled to score Fitzgerald and Chapman also singled. No one out, two on. Kershaw then reached into the way-back machine and struck out Bailey, then Villar and finally Estrada to end the inning and get out of the jam. Sighs of relief could be heard.
The Dodgers went meekly in the bottom of the inning and Kersh came out to pitch the 4th. He got Yaz swinging, then Hill popped out to Lux. Soler up and he walked. Soler ended up walking 8 times in the series. Fitzgerald then flied out to Heyward. Kersh went to the dugout and the handshakes began. His day was over. 72 pitches. 47 were strikes. 6 hits, 2 earned runs and 6 K’s while walking 2. Not vintage Kersh, but for a guy who had not pitched in over 300 days in the majors, not bad either.
In the bottom of the fourth, the bottom of the lineup got it done again. Lux doubled. Kike then got his second hit of the day, a double scoring Lux. Heyward struck out, and Barnes got his second hit a sharp grounder that got by Chapman and Kike scored. Ahmed struck out and then Ohtani doubled to left scoring Barnes. Hernandez walked, and then Freeman popped out to end the inning.
Kershaw stayed in the dugout, and Joe Kelly came in to pitch the top of the 5th. Orel opined that Kersh had probably wished he could go out and give the team another inning with all the innings the BP has piled up lately. Kelly struck out the first hitter, Ramos. Then in typical Kelly fashion, he walked Chapman and Bailey, who was glad to see Kersh leave, singled. No problem, Kelly then struck out Villar and Estrada! Jumbo Jacks for all!
Hudson and Phillips pitched the sixth and seventh respectively. Hudson walked a batter and Phillips had a clean inning. Meanwhile, the Dodgers had three singles in the bottom of the fifth and scored a run when Heyward hit into a double play. That made it 4-2. They got three more singles, Ahmed, Hernandez and Freeman, wrapped around an Ohtani flyout. With the bases loaded, Pages hit into an inning ending double play. Jackson struck out the side in the bottom of the 7th, and Vesia came in to pitch the top of the eighth.
Vesia gave up a leadoff double to Villar. He then struck out Wisely and Yaz. Conforto then doubled to left, scoring Villar. Treinen was then brought in to face Soler. Soler singled to left scoring Conforto and tying the game at 4. Treinen then struck out Fitzgerald, the 15th Giant to strike out in the game.
Tyler Rogers came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Barnes lined out to Conforto. Nick Ahmed, playing his second game as a Dodger, matched his season total for homers by hitting one into the left field seats off of the team that had released him about 2 weeks prior. That had to feel sweet. Ohtani then hit a skyscraping fly down the right field line that went into the seats for his 31st of the year. Dodgers up, 6-4. Teo grounded out, Freddie was hit by a pitch and Pages grounded out to end the inning.
Brent Honeywell came in to try and record his first ever save. Ramos singled to center. Chapman then hit a grounder to Ahmed who threw to Lux. Lux’s relay to first was low and Freeman made a great play for the DP. The Giants challenged but lost. With 2 outs, Honeywell struck out Bailey to seal the win and get his first save. 16 Giants went down on strikes. Only 7 Dodgers fanned. The Giants had 11 hits and 4 walks, the Dodgers 14 hits and 3 walks. The bottom five in the lineup had 9 of the hits, scored 4 and drove in 4.
The win allowed the Dodgers to keep their lead over the Padres at 7.5 and increase their lead over Arizona, who was idle, to 8.5 games. They have 58 games remaining and left for a 8 game road trip to Houston, San Diego and Oakland after the game. What did it mean in the overall scheme of things? Well, it gave them a winning record for the year over their arch-rivals, 9-4. It was also a phycological boost for the team. The teams longest tenured player, and perhaps the best pitcher in the team’s history is back. Everyone had to feel good for Kershaw.
“Clayton Kershaw celebrates after he threw a no hitter. The Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 8-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. 6/18/2014(Photo by John McCoy Daily News)”
It was for a team that stumbled so badly just before the All-Star break, a huge boost to team morale. And it erased the taste of a really bad game the night before. We shall see how it affects the teams moves at the deadline, which is now just 4 days away.
Minor League Report
Tacoma 5 OKC 3: OKC dropped a game to the Rainers in OKC. Chris Valimont started and went 5 innings giving up just 2 runs, and 4 hits. He walked 4 and struck out 5. He got the loss, but Gus Varland gave up 3 runs in the sixth and that was the difference in the game. Varland allowed 2 hits and 3 runs. Sweeney went 2-3 with an RBI, and Owings hit his 9th homer. Trejo drove in the other run.
Frisco 9 Tulsa 3: Tulsa, after scoring 3 in the top of the first, Keith driving in one and Davis the other two, then gave up 9 unanswered for the loss. Rosario took the loss giving up 7 earned on 4 hits and 5 walks in 3 innings of work. Davis was the only Driller with multiple hits.
Lake County 8 Great Lakes 2: Great Lakes scored 2 runs on 3 hits. The game was tied at 2 after 2 innings, but then Lake County scored 6 unanswered runs. Copen gave up 7 earned on 6 hits, and 3 walks. He struck out 4. 2 of the hits were homers. There were really no offensive highlights for the Loons.
Inland Empire 5 Rancho 4: The Quakes dropped a close one at Inland Empire to make it a clean sweep for Dodger affiliates, they all lost. 66ers jumped to a 2-0 lead after 4 innings. Both runs coming off of Brito, who had relieved Makarewich in the second. Meza tripled in the top of the fifth and would score on a wild pitch. In the 6th, McLain homered, Decker tripled and then scored on a sac-fly by Rojas. 66ers went ahead with 2 in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the eighth, George singled, went to second on a fly out, stole 3rd, his 28th, and then scored on a single by Rojas to tie the game. In the bottom of the 9th, the 66ers leadoff hitter singled. He was replaced by a pinch runner who stole second. He then scored the winning run on another single to right field. Barera got the loss. Alonso was the only Quake with multiple hits.
Prayers for Freddie Freemans family. Freddie left the team before the start of their series with the Astros. His son, Maximus, is in the hospital fighting a viral infection. So, the Dodgers are playing a man short. Walker Buehler got knocked around in his four innings of work at OKC. 8 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 Ks, 2 walks. 72 pitches, 45 for strikes. OKC lost 4-1. Freeman can be placed on the family emergency list which he would have to stay on for 3 days. It would allow LA to add a player. The Dodgers were shutout tonight at Houston and played less than inspired baseball. Base running blunders cost them a run. They had the bases loaded and one out, Hernandez struck out and Pages flew out to right. Padres won, so LA’s lead is down to 6.5
Pathetic game from our team in the opener against Houston. Stone not having his command and control in alignment. Our hitters can’t seem to support our pitchers these days, at least on a regular basis. They look like a minor league team playing an MLB team. Mistakes, SOs, no focus, no joy. I can’t bear to watch Biggio any longer. Help me, Lord……………..
Not much you can say about the game. They sure did not seem like they wanted to be there. And there might have been a lot of concern for their teammate’s family. Once again, life intervenes. Very hard on parents and friends when one’s child is ill. And it seems it started when he attended the All-Star game. So just maybe when Freddie left the home run derby before Teo won, he had good reason. But what last night really showed me is that with that lineup, missing three of their best players, they couldn’t beat a AAA team. Changes need to be made. Pages hasn’t shown any power in weeks and he damn sure is not a centerfielder. Vargas might be a very good player at AAA, but he has shown nothing at this level to make me believe he is more than a AAAA guy. The run he would have scored would not have mattered. But Teo up with the bags juiced and one out needs to be way more selective than he was. He was chasing phantoms up there and showed his biggest weakness as a hitter. Lack of patience. Then with 2 outs, Pages hits a harmless fly to right. Dodgers hit several to the warning track. Rookies starting the next two games, and unless the pull some offense out of their butts, they are going to get swept. Apple’s broadcast team avoided saying anything about the cheating scandal when they were talking about the Stros 2017 title. Glad the game is on Sportsnet tonight.
It is painfully obvious that without some major upgrades in the outfield, and the starting pitching, this team is going to have trouble holding on to its lead in the division, much less winning in the playoffs.
This is the first year in several years that AF did not have a MLB experienced outfielder stashed at AAA. Last year, there were several including Kole Calhoun, and David Dahl, who is back with the Phillies. This lack has shown since they are unwilling to give guys like Ward and Avans a chance at the MLB level. If I were those guys, I would want to be traded somewhere else. Best outfield prospects are years away.
Isaac Paredes anyone. Hell no on Roberts Jr. Brent Rooker and Pham.
Flaherty and a top drawer reliever.
Trade any or all of Vargas, Pages, Outman, and Kike.
Hunter Feduccia is on his way to Houston, I’m assuming to replace Freddie for a few days, although I have no clue of he’s ever played first base, so we may still be stuck with Biggio and Kike with HF being held for pinch hitting opportunities.
I do not know it all, never have. I base what I post on observation. I have like all of you, watched Freidman closely since he took over in November of 2014. Those of you who do remember was that he made a flurry of roster changes and trades before spring training even began in 2015. He still had a 1-2 punch in the starting rotation, Kersh-Greinke. His first trade in November brought in 2 relievers, Peralta-Liberatore. He let Hanley leave in free agency. He then got rid of Haren, Gordon and Miguel Rojas, then he traded Kemp. Most of his major moves have come in the winter. Yes, I know he traded for first Darvish, then Machado, then Scherzer-Turner. But I doubt he ever had as much pressure to pull the trigger on a major trade as he does right now. Over 1 billion dollars spent on talent over the winter. And 300 mil of it is missing in action, Yamamoto, 125 million has been on the shelf, and just returned, but has not pitched as well lately, Glasnow. He is only getting his money’s worth from Ohtani and Hernandez. His rookie pitchers are doing better than his big money guys and his young position players would be better served elsewhere. Fans are restless, ownership has to be concerned, and perhaps the biggest thing, at least in my eyes, there is not a team in either league that is afraid of this team at all. What is there to fear? Three thirty homer guys are missing. Their defense in the outfield is suspect, their pitching is erratic and can be beaten. Unless they do something really drastic that works, they are nowhere near the team that left spring training and not a post season threat at all.
Dodgers and Philly are the only NL teams over 60 wins. 6.5 games up.
Betts, graterol, grove and brasier on the road back.
lux seems to have figured it out.
Sometimes, I waffle on if Skubal even fits in:
Glasnow
Kershaw
Stone
Wrobleski
Knack
Miller
Yamamoto waits in the wings.
maybe a BIG unexpected bat to really fill out the order?
Jeff, have you published thoughts on Chris Campos?
AF is not going to overpay for anyone (nor should he), so unless he finds a fair deal I’m not expecting anything earth shattering by the trade deadline. My guess is he will ride it out hoping to plug holes on the roster as players come off of the IL. Betts, Muncy, Yamamoto, Rojas & all the relievers are better than any trade out there. If it doesn’t work this season then it’s on to 2025.
I wanted a bat last year and I again want one this year. I like Robert Jr but if the Dodgers want to overpay then I would go after Royce Lewis 3B. I want to live with Outman in CF full time with Pages in RF and T. Hernandez in LF also full time.
The Dodgers might not have a good Playoff rotation and the Aces they might want might not have enough innings in them to pitch in the playoffs. Therefore it would be dangerous to trade two or three of the following: Ryan, Miller, Knack, Wrobleski, Stone to get either Skubal or Crochet.
Here is my playoff team:
Ohtani
Betts
Freeman
Smith
Lewis
Lux
Hernandez
Outman
Pages
Here is my rotation to get to the playoffs:
Miller, Kershaw, Glassnow, Yamamoto, Stone, Wrobleski, Ryan, Knack, Buehler
Well Jazz Chisolm looks to be off the table.
per Alden Gonzalez:
Source: The Yankees are acquiring CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins for three prospects, headlined by C Agustin Ramirez.
per Kiley:
While we wait for the other two names, it’s worth noting Agustin Ramirez is a catcher in AAA w/+ raw power (and 20 HR this yr), a good-enough glove, decent contact skills, and an average arm. Haven’t finished my Top 100 update but he’s close if not on there. 45 FV entering 2024.
Padres winning again 4-0. With the lineup the Dodgers are throwing out there against the ASStros they will be lucky to score much less win. The Dodgers lead could be down to 4.5 by Monday. I believe they have a matchup with the padres next week. If they don’t get some help soon this division will be up for grabs. We just don’t have a mlb team on the field currently. Our starting pitching is just not performing and our offense non-existent. I don’t want to be gloom and doom but we cannot beat good teams with this lineup.
Phillies replenish bullpen.
Getting Carlos Estevez from LAA. The Angels will receive Phillies’ No. 23 prospect LHP Samuel Aldegheri and No. 28 prospect George Klassen in return for Estevez, . @JeffPassan was on it.
Passan adds:
A quick reminder for the trade deadline: Public prospect rankings quite often are not updated during the season. If you think George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri are not good because they were ranked in the 20s before the season, you do not know ball. They are both very good.
Adds McDaniel:
To Jeff’s point: like Agustin Ramirez in the Chisholm trade, George Klassen is also firmly in the top 100 mix, if not on the list; has been since May when it was clear he was much better than in college at Minnesota. He was a 2023 6th rounder with well below average command then, and to make the point with Klassen further: I had him over Mick Abel in my Phillies live/private rankings and just checked with a few more execs to make sure. They also had Klassen over Abel.
4 runs on bleeders and bloops. What might go unnoticed is the line drive to right that began the scoring likely would have been caught by the 6’5” Freeman.
This team, at this time, can be tough to watch.
The best chance they had to win this game was to let Wrobleski pitch as deep into the game as possible. But I knew at 80 pitches he would be hooked. Jhair was talking about it on the post-game.
Obviously they cared very little about winning this game. The bullpen has been run into the ground. Management’s game strategies and pitching management is weak, tired and predictable.
They just refuse to make any adjustments or change anything. Get ready but you guys are likely to be very disappointed at the trade deadline again.
Hoping Freddie’s son makes a quick recovery. Sending good thoughts to his family. No need for him to rush back anytime soon, this team has no chance at a title this year anyways.
Padres now firmly in the rear view mirror at 5.5 games out; AZ not far behind. Not sure the Dodgers can hang on much longer with this bullpen.