Post-2025 NLWC Game 1 Thread: The Leakiest of Pens

2025 NLWC GAME 1: DODGERS 10, REDS 5

For the second straight outing, Blake Snell's seven solid innings (7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 Ks) should be the story. But it's not, because our bullpen is a disaster--and actually let the Reds back into this game because of their absolute ineptitude.

Alex Vesia entered the game in the eighth. 22 pitches, 13 strikes. He saw three batters and got one out. Both of his runners scored.

Edgardo Henriquez came into the game, and was even worse. He saw three batters and got no outs, walking in two runs.

Jack Dreyer came into the game, and barely escaped. He saw three batters, walking in a run on his own, and got a strikeout and then a pop out to first, to escape the jam.

That's three pitchers, 59 pitches, and three runs yielded--all in one inning. This bullpen is pathetic.

During that eighth inning, we had to rush Emmet Sheehan to get warm in the bullpen, given the implosion that was happening on the field. Thankfully, we had scored 10 runs by then: three RBI from two Shohei Ohtani HRs; four RBI from two Teoscar Hernandez HR; a solo shot from Tommy Edman; and an RBI from Ben Rortvedt. (An Alex Call single with a two-run error from Noelvi Marte led to the other run, but no RBI was awarded.)

So we went to the ninth inning up 10-5, with Blake Treinen in for the ninth. He got two Ks, then gave up a single to Gavin Lux, but got Miguel Andujar for the final out. Whew.

If our starters can't go eight innings, we don't stand a chance, not with this leaky pen. We should be happy with a series-opening 10-5 win. But this isn't good.

I'm not even going to dwell on Andy Pages' 0-for-5.

2025 NL Wild Card Game 1 Rally Towel: LET'S DO THIS!

This was given away at the ballpark for today's Game 1.

Apparently it isn't very absorbent. So there will be NO CRYING today! (I'm looking at you, Blake Snell!)

2025 NL Wild Card Game 1 Thread: Sept 30 vs. Reds, 6p

Blake Snell vs. Hunter Greene.

The Reds may have backed into the playoffs with a loss in their final game and a 83-79 record (10 games worse than the Dodgers), but it doesn't matter now--they're on level ground with the winners of the NL West. And since anything can happen in the playoffs--the Reds have a 31.4% chance of advancing, according to Fangraphs--I'm already pretty nervous (as usual).

The fact that we're starting Blake Snell for Game 1 doesn't settle my stomach much, either. Snell, who missed almost all of the first four months of the season with assorted boo boos, did not pitch against Cincinnati this year.

Notre Dame Sherman Oaks graduate Hunter Greene pitched one game against the Dodgers this season, on August 25, 2025. He took the loss having pitched 5.0 innings: 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 HR (both by Andy Pages), 2 BB and 3 Ks. Michael Conforto, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith all struck out against Greene, but Conforto and Freeman also had doubles against Greene before he exited, and Smith's walk against Greene in the bottom of the sixth (with none out and one on) chased Greene from the game.

Pages knocked in five runs in that game. I assume he will be in the starting lineup today.

And of course, this game marks another return to Dodger Stadium for former Dodger and 2024 World Series Champion, Gavin Lux. Lux, whose -0.2 WAR paled in comparison to (his replacement) Hyeseong Kim's 1.6 WAR, still had a respectable year, with a 97 OPS+ of .724 (relative to Kim's OPS .699 / OPS+ 95). So maybe trading Lux was a wash? He still has a mean ultimate frisbee forehand.

But the one to watch in Cincinnati's lineup has to be Elly De La Cruz, who played in every game for the Reds this year, batting .264 with a .777 OPS (109 OPS+, to lead the team). He mashes (a team-leading 22 HR), but also strikes out a lot (a team leading 181 Ks--which to be fair is six fewer than Shohei Ohtani). We need to keep him off the basepaths this series, or there will be no more plane rides for us this year.

(Lux photo: John Hefti-Imagn Images, from Sports Illustrated)

UPDATE 9.30 2p: Will Smith makes the NL Wild Card roster. Justin Dean grabs an outfielder spot, alng with Alex Call; Michael Conforto does not make the cut. Also, on the pitching side, Roki Sasaki makes the roster; Clayton Kershaw, who pitched the last game of the regular season, will not be on the NLWC squad (as has been widely reported for days now).

Kiké Hernandez Is Ready For October Baseball

Yeah, he's ready.

Post-Game 162 Thread: Kershaw Gets Final Win; Reds Take Back Door Into Playoffs

DODGERS 6, MARINERS 1

Clayton Kershaw's final regular season game line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks. Amazing.

Shohei Ohtani was also pretty damn good today, 3-for-5 with a HR and 2 runs scored.

Hyeseong Kim also had a two-run bomb to open up the scoring for the Dodgers, and Freddie Freeman added a two-run HR of his own, as the Dodgers rolled to the sweep, ending the season with five wins in a row.

So now, we play Cincinnati in the NL Wild Card, who lost to the Brewers 4-2, but backed into the playoffs when the Mets were blanked in Miami, 4-0.

Game 1 is Tuesday at 6p. I'm not sleeping on the Reds. Hoo boy!

Game 162 Thread: Sept 28 @ Mariners, 12.10p

It's this man's final regular season start.

Clayton Kershaw (10-2, 3.52) vs. Bryce Miller (4-5, 5.53).

This blog has been around since 2006, and for almost the entirety of this 20-year run, we've had one constant: Clayton Kershaw (who debuted with the Dodgers in 2008).

It will be very weird to think of the Dodgers without Clayton Kershaw on the roster.

So let's celebrate his last regular-season start today, and honor the class act that is Clayton Kershaw.

UPDATE 9.49a: Okay, I can't help myself. We have to keep half an eye on the out of town scoreboard today, to see who our opponent will be for the National League Wild Card series.

In Milwaukee, Cincinnati's Brady Singer (14-11, 3.95) goes up against Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.68), who has been talked about for the National League Cy Young Award. That's a heck of an opponent for the Reds, but if they win, they advance to the playoffs.

In Miami, the Mets' Sean Manaea (2-4, 5.80) squares off against Edward Cabrera (7-7, 3.66). If the Mets lose, the Reds advance to the playoffs. The only combination of outcomes that works for the Mets is a Mets victory AND a Reds loss.

All MLB games start at the same time today.

If there's another silver lining, it's that both the Reds and Mets will have to throw their best (remaining) arm and also play their full lineup, whereas the Dodgers can let Kershaw go a minimum number of innings (Tyler Glasnow only had three innings in his start yesterday), and also rest the batters (apparently, there's a Monday workout back in Los Angeles).

Post-Game 161 Thread: Dodgers Bullpen Takes Down Logans

DODGERS 5, MARINERS 3

Mariners starter Logan Gilbert got tagged for two runs, and was followed by Logan Evans, who gave up another run...and then Kiké Hernandez hit a two-run double in the top of the ninth to give the Dodgers the late lead.

But more amazingly, the Dodgers bullpen showed moxie that they had not shown all season. Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, and Edgardo Henriquez each had scoreless innings with three strikeouts each, setting a franchise record nine consecutive strikeouts. Amazing.

Tomorrow, we find out who our Wild Card opponent will be, as all MLB games start at the same time. Either a win by the Reds, or a loss by the Mets, sends Cincinnati to Los Angeles for Game 1 on Tuesday.

Here we go, folks!

Game 161 Thread: Sept 27 @ Mariners, 6.40p

Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.30) vs. Logan Gilbert (6-6, 3.43).

I didn't expect yesterday's outcome, not with Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott pitching the eighth and ninth innings (neither of those came easy, but we still eked out a 3-2 win). We even overcame two incredibly shitty plays by Michael Conforto in left field: one, a first-inning missed fly ball that led to the Mariners' first run; and then in the seventh, a line drive that he plays off the wall and threw very wide to second base, allowing Randy Arozarena to reach second instead of being caught dead to rights.

Conforto, who got the start in left field, must be stopped.

He's back below the Mendoza line, btw, with an 0-for-2 performance yesterday.

I also wouldn't have expected us to win a game in which we didn't play Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Tommy Edman, Max Muncy, or even the injured Will Smith.

This can't be our postseason strategy, right?

Post-Game 160 Thread: Mets? Reds? Which One Do We Prefer?

Here comes September Kiké.

The Dodgers' 3-2 win over Seattle wasn't the real story last night, despite the fact that Tanner Scott earned the save (which is news in itself).

No, Friday night was all about scoreboard watching in the National League. And with the Mets' collapse to lose 6-2 to the Marlins, plus the Reds' comeback victory over the Brewers, the Reds and Mets are now tied in the standings, with the Reds owning the tiebreaker for the last Wild Card position.

Former Dodger Gavin Lux was Player of the Game, with a 2-for-4 performance, scoring two runs.

The last Wild Card slot will face the Dodgers in a best of three series, with all three games at Dodger Stadium.

So clearly, there is question about which team we want to back, with two games left on the docket. Fangraphs has the Reds at 54% and the Mets at 46%.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale thinks the Dodgers should prefer the Mets:

The Dodgers will publicly tell you they really don’t care who they’re facing, but if they had their druthers, surely they would prefer the Mets.

This is a team that not only has self-destructed, its pitching staff is also in tatters. The Mets had to rely on three rookies who were called up to make their major-league debuts this past month, and even if they happen to survive to Sunday, they have no idea who would even pitch Game 162, let alone in a playoff series.

The Reds, meanwhile, led by future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona, may have the fourth-worst offense in the National League – scoring three or fewer runs in their last five games – but they have an awfully talented starting rotation. If they make it, they are lined up to have ace Hunter Greene (7-4, 2.76 ERA) pitch in Game 1, Brady Singer (14-11, 3.95 ERA) in Game 2 and Nick Lodolo (9-8, 3.30 ERA) for a potential Game 3.

“I don’t think anyone would want to play us if we sneak in there, not with our pitching," Lux told USA TODAY Sports last month. “We’re a young team with nothing to lose. We can match up with anyone."

I don't know, man. I think I would prefer to see the Reds. But let's see how this weekend plays out.

Game 160 Thread: Sept 26 @ Mariners, 6.40p

Here's a list of some places you might see Dodger players this weekend.

Emmet Sheehan (6-3, 2.86) vs. TBD.

The Mariners have clinched the AL West. The Dodgers have clinched the NL West.

Let's just get out there and enjoy things today, okay? Maybe even give Michael Conforto the start?

Other games to watch, with implications on our upcoming Wild Card Series opponent:

• Mets, currently in the #6 seed: at Marlins, 4.10p. Sproat vs. Alcantara.
• Reds, currently one game behind the Mets: at Brewers, 5.10p. Littell vs. Priester.
• D'backs, currently two games behind the Mets: at Padres, 6.40p. Gallen vs. Darvish.

The Dodgers went 3-4 against the Mets, 5-1 against the Reds, and 7-6 against the Diamondbacks this season. I suppose I'm pulling for Cincinnati, then.

Post-Game 159 Thread: Dodgers Clinch 2025 NL West

DODGERS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 0

The Dodgers earned their 12th National League West Division title and their 13th National League Postseason berth in 13 years. That's only one appearance short of the record, held by the Atlanta Braves from 1991 to 2005 (with 1994 having no postseason). The New York Yankees also have 13 consecutive playoff seasons, frm 1995-2007.

The Dodgers last missed the postseason in 2012. In 2013, the Dodgers beat the Braves in the NLDS before losing to the Cardinals (who lost to the Red Sox in the World Series). And the playoff run started from there:

• 2013: NLDS win over Braves; NLCS loss to Cardinals
• 2014: NLDS loss to the Cardinals
• 2015: NLDS loss to the Mets
• 2016: NLDS win over the Nationals; NLCS loss to the Cubs
• 2017: NLDS win over the Diamondbacks; NLCS win over the Cubs; stolen World Series
• 2018: NLDS win over the Braves; NLCS win over the Brewers; World Series loss to the Red Sox
• 2019: NLDS loss to the Nationals
• 2020: NLWC win over the Brewers; NLDS win over the Padres; NLCS win over the Braves; World Series win over the Rays
• 2021: NLWC win over the Cardinals; NLDS win over the Giants; NLCS loss to the Braves
• 2022: NLDS loss to the Padres
• 2023: NLDS loss to the Diamondbacks
• 2024: NLDS win over the Padres; NLCS win over the Mets; World Series win over the Yankees.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had six scoreless innings (4 H, 2 BB and 7 Ks); Tanner Scott had an inning where he did not implode; Anthony Banda cleaned up the ninth.

Shohei Ohtani had his 54th home run in the fourth inning; Freddie Freeman had two HR, and Andy Pages added a homer to boot. Even Kiké Hernandez had two hits.

And now, we wait to see who our Wild Card round opponent will be.

Here's to a happy flight to Seattle for the final series of the season! Congratulations, 2025 Dodgers!

Game 159 Thread: Sept. 25 vs. D'backs, 12.40p

Only some red and black Beaks stand between us and our goal.

UPDATE 1.18p: Since the Snakes are wearing alternate color uniforms, I've updated the image accordingly. (And Beeks is already out of the game, making this image even less relevant.)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8, 2.58) vs. Jalen Beeks (5-2, 3.67).

With their unlikely win last night in extras, the Dodgers' magic number to win the NL West is one. All we need is one favorable outcome, from seven remaining events (the Dodgers have one game in Arizona, followed by three games in Seattle; the Padres have three games in Arizona), and the NL West is ours.

Gosh I'd love to clinch the divisional win at Chase Field today. Hmm, if we were to win on the road today, how might we celebrate? I wonder...

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Post-Game 158 Thread: Vesia and Henriquez Try To Throw This Away, But New Bullpen Arms (and Tommy Edman) Earn The Win Anyway

This game was exhausting.

DODGERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4 (11)

No one will remember Blake Snell's six innings of one-run ball tonight. And they may not even remember scoreless frames from two Dodger starters, Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw, to contribute to the cause.

But after Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez' ineptitude in the eighth inning to cede the 4-1 lead and let the Snakes tie the game; and after pinch runner Hyeseong Kim hesitates at second and is thrown out at the plate in the top of the 10th inning--the Dodgers had some unlikely solid performances from the bullpen: Blake Treinen, who came in with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the 10th, and got the final out; and Justin Wrobleski, who pitched a scoreless 11th to earn the victory.

Also, Tommy Edman had a two-out, two-strike single to left-center which scored Freddie Freeman from third in the top of the 11th, scoring the game's winning run. Edman also had a solid play in the field to end the ninth inning for Kershaw.

No Tanner Scott tonight, so we actually won this game. Magic number is at 1.

And big credit to SportsNet LA's Jessica Mendoza for noticing Kim's hesitation at second immediately and calling it out. She did great on color commentary tonight and I love to hear her insight in the booth.

Game 158 Thread: September 24 @ D'backs, 6.40p

Three is still the Dodgers' magic number. (cries)

UPDATE 4.20p PT: Padres lose to Milwaukee, 3-1. Two is now the Dodgers' magic number!

Snell vs. Nelson.

Last postseason, we had to go with bullpen games. This year, it looks like we'll have to go with all-starter games, or at the very least stop (Padres sleeper agent) Tanner Scott from entering the game.

Which means you're going to have to go deep into tonight's game again, Blake Snell. Hope you enjoyed your four-month vacation earlier this season. We need you now.

And here's a recap of the postseason races: the Dodgers are two games ahead of the Padres in the NL West, with five games to play. And in the NL Wild Card race, the Mets now have the sixth and final playoff spot, but Arizona and Cincinnati are both only one game out of that spot.

Post-Game 157 Thread: Tanner Scott Is A Sleeper Agent For The Padres

"I think my slider is going to end up somewhere over there. Maybe."

DIAMONDBACKS 5, DODGERS 4

10 blown saves this year, after two all of last year?

There's no other way to explain Tanner Scott.

He cannot pitch for the Dodgers again, at least in 2025.

Game 157 Thread: September 23 @ Diamondbacks, 6.40p

Shohei Ohtani (1-1, 3.29) vs. Brandon Pfaadt (13-8, 5.02).

The Padres clinched a playoff berth last night with a walk-off win over the Brewers. And the NL West is still open, with the Dodgers' magic number at three (with six games play), not to mention with Blake Treinen on the Dodgers' bullpen roster.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are also still in the playoff mix, one game out of the final wildcard spot (which is a virtual tie between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets, the former having the tiebreaker between those two). So this might be a more meaningful game for Arizona than it is for us.

But let's hope the Dodgers maintain the good vibes from the mental reset following last week's celebrations of Clayton Kershaw.

Scoreboard Watching: September 22, 2025

Winning five out of seven from the division rival Giants, with them on the precipice of making the playoffs, sounds a heck of a lot better than what really happened on Sunday, another bullpen meltdown (this time by Blake Treinen), who gave up three runs in the top of the eighth inning to ruin the Dodgers' 1-0 lead and waste seven scoreless innings from Emmet Sheehan.

The Giants' playoff chances may be bleak, but so too appear to be the Dodgers' 2025 playoff chances when formerly steady hands like Treinen--or Tanner Scott, or Kirby Yates, or Michael Kopech, among others--have been hopeless here in late September. Or, in Tanner Scott's case, all year long.

Conventional baseball wisdom says that the Dodgers' overuse of the bullpen all year, a byproduct of the injury-ridden starting rotaation, is coming back to bite the team at the worst time. We've got six more games to see who has the potential to step up this postseason.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, the National League Wild Card race has gotten hairy, as strange things are afoot at the Circle K. Cincinnati just siezed the third and final WC spot from the Mets (Reds hold the tiebreaker), and both the Mets and Reds are idle today (along with the Dodgers).

But the Padres, three games back of the Dodgers in the NL West, host the Brewers at 6.40p PT (MIL Freddy Peralta vs. SD Jake Pivetta), in a game that means a bit more for the Padres, however both teams are comfortable in their current postseason berth positions.

And the Giants host the Cardinals (STL Michael McGreevy vs. SF Justin Verlander) at 6.45p PT, with Verlander trying to keep the Giants relevant while he looks for his fourth win of the year (and 266th of his career).

Game 156 Thread: September 21 vs. Giants, 1p

Emmet Sheehan (6-3, 3.17) vs. Old McDonald (EI-EIO, 9.00).

After winning the first two games in this four-game set, it looked like the Dodgers--at least, Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow--were going to let yesterday's game slide. Glasnow gave up four runs in the first inning, in which the Giants batted around.

But leave it to the Dodgers' stars to usher in another comeback victory. The first six players in the Dodgers lineup: Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, and Tommy Edman--all had hits in this game, including three home runs (Muncy, Edman, Ohtani) and 6 total RBI.

And then, contributions from a very unlikely source: light hitting Michael Conforto, again raising his average above .200 for the first time since April 2025, went 3-for-4 for the second time in a week (and only the fifth time this year). We will take it, even if I really think this is a mirage (Conforto's other 3-for-4 this week was also against the Giants).

Today is the last game of the series and then final home game of the 2025 regular season.

Let's keep our foot on the gas pedal!

Game 155 Thread: September 20 vs. Giants, 6p

I'd open this, but I'm afraid of its fragility.

Tyler Glasnow (3-3, 3.06) vs. Kai-Wei Teng (2-4, 6.41).

Okay so we've won two games against the Giants, allowing the Dodgers to clinch a 13th straight postseason berth and also open up a four-game lead on the Padres in the NL West, with eight games to play. The rest of this season becomes a final exam for who should make the postseason lineup.

Michael Kopech has already missed the cut. Justin Wrobleski, who gave up another run yesterday (over 1.1 IP), looks like he can't hold form over consecutive days, which is what we'll need for the playoffs.

Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott are on the bubble, though Yates had a three-up-three-down inning on Friday, while Tanner Scott had another shaky (albeit 2 K) inning to get the save.

I say, let's rest Glasnow early (a prudent move, given his penchant for injuries), and just trot these bullpen arms out and see how they perform. We'd better learn now.

Game 154 Thread: September 19 vs. Giants, 7p

Clayton Kershaw (222-96, 2.54) vs. Robbie Ray.

Tonight is Joe Davis Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium. However, the publicity-hogging Clayton Kershaw decided to make his big retirement announcement yesterday, and with his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium this evening, Kershaw has now completely eclipsed Davis' moment in the spotlight.

Davis, who has been the Los Angeles Dodgers' main play-by-play announcer since 2017 (after joining the Dodgers broadcasting team in 2016), took over for Vin Scully. He calls about 90 games per season for the Dodgers, since he is constrained by his other jobs calling national baseball and football games.

It's kind of sad that Davis is getting totally overshadowed by a guy who only started 20 games and has only 102 innings this year (to be fair, the 102 innings rank third on the team, and the 20 games started ranks second). But I guess tonight's sellout crowd that surely came to show their love for Davis will have to spare a little bit of gratitude for Kershaw.

I mean, 11x All-Star, 2x World Series Champion, 2014 NL MVP, 3x Cy Young Award, no-hitter--Kershaw is still the most important and legendary pitcher for the Dodgers franchise, sure. I'll give Kid K that.

Game 153 Thread: September 18 vs. Giants, 7p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8, 2.66) vs. Logan Webb (14-10, 3.34).

Blake Snell figured out how to optimize the Dodgers bullpen in yesterday's 5-0 victory: He wouldn't let any relievers into the game, at least not in a critical seventh inning with two on and two out, nursing a three-run lead. With the tying run, Otto Kemp, at the plate, Snell rejected Dave Roberts' attempt to bring in a reliever--Alex Vesia had actually left the bullpen, only to turn tack and leave the field of play--and stuck in the game to get Kemp to strike out and maintain the shutout through seven full frames.

In the eighth inning, Shohei Ohtani added a solo home run (his 51st this season), and Tommy Edman added a sacrifice fly, to expand the margin to 5-0. And Vesia did pitch a scoreless eighth inning, and even Tanner Scott had a scoreless inning in the ninth.

So we finally beat the Phillies (though we lost the series), and now we have four games against the Giants in our last homestand of the year. We're 5.5 games out of the #2 playoff seed, so that's not going to happen. But with ten games left in this season, we hold a two-game lead on the Padres for the divisional lead.

Meanwhile, the Giants are two games out of the last wild card spot--behind the Diamondbacks, but still not dead yet. Let's get some wins here, keep pace in the division, and banish the Giants.

UPDATE: I'll be at the Stadium tonight!

Game 152 Thread: September 17 vs. Phillies, 7p

Blake Snell vs. Jesus Luzardo.

That photo up above, my dear friends, is the Dodgers Bullpen Trust Tree, where all branches basically lie in ruin on the ground. With their second straight implosion last night, spoiling Shohei Ohtani's five no-hit inning start, the Dodgers bullpen has clearly demonstrated (against a playoff-bound team) that there are no pieces on which Dave Roberts can rely.

Justin Wrobleski, Edgardo Henriquez, and Blake Treinen all shit the bed last night. Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer, and Alex Vesia all shit the bed Monday night. Tanner Scott has shit the bed so many times all year long, his bed has to be an absolutely toxic pig sty. Hopefully he's got a washable mattress protector.

And in both nights' losses, the bullpen has squandered leads, and comeback dramatics, to ultimately lose the game.

I'm not even going to get into the fact that the bullpen has recently screwed no-hit bids from both of our Japanese starting pitchers. At this stage, Roki Sasaki has to be wondering if he even wants to make it back to The Show, given the clowns that would follow after him.

And it's not like we've got starters who will go deep into games. We're just not built that way. Look at tonight's starter, for example.

An Anonymous Bob Redford Tribute

From the our anonymous poet:

Game 151 Thread: Sept 16 vs. Phillies, 7p

Ohtani (1-1, 3.75) vs. Sanchez (13-5, 2.57).

Last night, we lost in extra innings, despite heroics from Emmet Sheehan, Mookie Betts, and Andy Pages, mostly because our bullpen repeatedly failed us and gave up leads in multiple innings.

But the other disaster (and unfortunately, this one could have been avoided) was batting Teoscar Hernandez third in the lineup. Teo, who has been lost for most of the season and basically all of the second half, went 0-for-4 with 2 Ks, and squashed Dodgers rallies in the second, fifth, and seventh innings (making the third and final out in all four of his plate appearances).

I love Teoscar's energy and enthusiasm, his sunflower seed showers, and his unwavering support of teammates. I wouldn't sit him, as we need him to get his swing back. But I sure as hell wouldn't bat him third, either.

Come on, Doc.

Game 150 Thread: Sept.15 vs. Phillies, 7p

Emmet Sheehan (6-3, 3.32) vs. Ranger Suarez (12-6, 2.77).

A four-and-a-half game lead in the playoff standings, with only 13 games to go, is just too much for the Dodgers to make up, right? If we remain in the #3 playoff spot (as the divisional winner with the worst record), it means we'll play in the Wild Card round, against the Mets (or possibly the Giants, Diamondbacks, or Reds)--none of which are really great first-round opponents, especially in a short best-of-three series.

Bill Shaikin of the LAT reminisces that having a first-round bye didn't work so well for us in 2022 and 2023, though in 2024 we had a bye and barely eked out the NLDS victory. But Andrew Friedman, in a very confusing quote, still prefers we get the first-round bye:

“There is not a question in my mind that that does not make sense,” Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, told me last week. “It is better for your World Series odds to not play those three games.”

The five days off that come with a bye can disrupt the timing of hitters. They also can allow time for injured and weary players to recover — that could be critical for Dodgers catcher Will Smith, in particular — and for the Dodgers to arrange their starting rotation just the way they might like it. And, of course, you can’t be eliminated in the first round if you don’t play in it.

Taking the long view: if the Dodgers follow-up their pre-season juggernaut coronation with entering the playoffs as the worst divisional winner, one has to register this as a disappointment.

Maybe that's a big enough chip on the shoulder to motivate the Dodgers (who won the weekend series by dominating the last two games, but still slept through Friday's disappointing walk-off loss to the Giants).

Or maybe I'm just looking too far ahead.

Game 149 Thread: Sept. 14 @ Giants, 1p

Tyler Glasnow (2-3, 3.21) vs. Robbie Ray (11-6, 3.32).

I'm so late in putting up this Game Thread, I can also add the lineup here in the post:

• 1 Ohtani DH
• 2 Betts SS
• 3 T Hernandez RF
• 4 Freeman 1B
• 5 Edman CF
• 6 Call LF
• 7 Rojas 2B
• 8 K Hernandez 3B
• 9 Rortvedt C

Ben Rortvedt already has 8 RBI, almost 1/3 of what Kiké Hernandez has this whole season. Why is Kiké in the starting lineup today? I thought we would want to try and win this series.

Game 148 Thread: Sept. 13 @ Giants, 6p

Clayton Kershaw (10-2, 3.27) vs. Logan Webb (14-9, 3.12).

How about we don't use Tanner Scott today?

Game 147 Thread: Sept. 12 @ Giants, 7.15p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8, 2.72) vs. Justin Verlander (3-10, 4.09).

The Giants, left for dead after picking up the clubhouse cancer that is Rafael Devers (and subsequently trading away decent players at the deadline), have strangely surged back into third place in the NL West, and sit only 1.5 games back of the Mets for the last-wild card spot (the Reds share the Giants' 74-72 record). Devers, who now has played in almost the same number of 2025 games with both Boston and San Francisco, has a much lower WAR with SF (1.7 vs. 2.2 with Boston), but is still a formidable hitter with a .824 OPS / 136 OPS+ (vs. a .905 OPS / 149 OPS+, the latter of which was a career high).

We have seven games against San Francisco this season, starting with this one, and you just know Oyster Pubes would love nothing more than seeing the rival Dodgers roll over and play dead, like they did in most of July and August. Giants homer Grant Brisbee just posted a piece that basically called the Dodgers a disappointment, whose mortality this season has been exposed by aging veterans and insufficient young guns from the farm system.

Speaking of the Dodgers' young guns, Yoshinobu Yamamoto may come into this game salty. He was denied a no-hitter in his last start, cruelly losing the last out to a potentially-catchable fly ball to center that was met with little defensive effort on the part of Andy Pages. The center-field angles in Birdshit Park are equally precarious, so I'm hoping Pages has had some time to shag some balls out there this morning.

Oh, man. This is gonna be bad.

Post-Game 146 Thread: Curb Your Enhusiasm

DODGERS 9, ROCKIES 0

The Dodgers have now won four games in a row, following Wednesday's victory over Colorado, extending their NL West divisional lead back to three games over the Padres, and pundits are already coronating the Dodgers after one full rotation of solid starts:

[Wednesday Dodgers starter Blake] Snell put the finishing touches on a stellar turn through the Dodgers' rotation. Here's how the others fared leading up to Wednesday:

• Friday, Shohei Ohtani: 3 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 5 K, 1 BB
• Saturday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 8 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 10 K, 2 BB
• Sunday, Clayton Kershaw: 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 8 K, 1 BB
• Monday, Tyler Glasnow: 7 IP, 1 ER, 0 H, 11 K, 2 BB
• Tuesday, Emmet Sheehan: 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 9 K, 1 BB

And then Snell on Wednesday went 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 11 K, 2 BB.

But before we ge too excited here, let's just remember that our opponent the last three games was the Colorado Rockies, 40-106 on the year, who are getting outscored by opponents at a historic clip unseen in the modern era:

Through Tuesday, the Rockies have been collectively outscored by their opponents, 922-545. Their overall run differential of minus-377 would be the worst ever in the modern era, which began in 1901.

Barring a miraculous turnaround, they will shatter the current mark that has stood for more than nine decades: minus-349, a badge of ignominy set by the Boston Red Sox in 1932.

Oh, and Saturday's Yamamoto start, with 8.2 IP of no-hit ball? Yeah, that was the game where the last-place Orioles took Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott behind the woodshed, in a game we ended up losing when Baltimore scored four in the ninth inning with two out, walking it off.

And Friday? That was another walkoff victory for the Orioles, when Samuel Basallo took Tanner Scott yard to win the game. Scott also came in for Monday's game and gave up a leadoff double to Ryan Ritter of the Rockies, nursing a 3-1 lead, and barely escaped that one, as well.

And even last night, Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded in the seventh, causing the recently-activated Alex Vesia to come in to escape the jam, before Mookie Betts and company opened up the five-run eighth inning.

Our starters, many of whom were injured for some if not all of the year, remain untested. Our bullpen has a trust tree that is more like a full-but-floppy-branched balsam fir rather than a sturdy Douglas fir.

Our lineup, buoyed by the resurgent Mookie Betts (and to a lesser extent, Miguel Rojas), seems to be getting hot, especially with Teoscar Hernandez finally showing signs of life? But Andy Pages and Kiké Hernandez are still swinging after stupid pitches; Max Muncy and Tommy Edman are just back from extended IL stints; and even Freddie Freeman seems like he has cooled off (not to mention, Will Smith is struggling with a hand bruise).

The next ten games include seven against the Giants, fighting for their playoff lives and only two games behind the Mets for the last wild-card spot; and the Phillies, who have a four-game advantage on us for the #2 playoff spot and a first-round bye.

This Dodgers team has some bright spots. But they are still nothing like the dominant juggernaut predicted in the beginning of the season. So let's not let a sweep fo the majors' worst team get us too excited. Really.

Game 146 Thread: Sept. 10 vs. Rockies, 7p

Blake Snell (3-4, 3.19) vs. Kyle Freeland (4-14, 5.10).

It's the return of "Snellzilla" to the mound, who has not been that impressive in his last three games (all losses), including his most-recent egg, a 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER dud against Pittsburgh. Even the Rockies aren't afraid of this starting pitcher, not when they know his kryptonite is just getting through the order a third time.

Roar.

Game 145 Thread: Sept. 9 vs. Rockies, 7p

Emmet Sheehan (5-3, 3.59) vs. Germán Márquez (3-12, 6.19).

Die Dodgers haben zwei Spiele in Folge gewonnen. Können sie es schaffen, drei Spiele in Folge gegen German zu gewinnen?

Game 144 Thread: Sept. 8 vs. Rockies, 7p

TBD Tyler Glasnow vs. Chase Dollander (2-12, 6.77).

Instead of using this home stretch to iron out any lingering nits as we gear up for the playoffs, the Dodgers are playing for their lives in these final 20 games. Key questions abound: Why is Michael Conforto still allowed to take at bats with his .197 BA and -0.7 WAR? Why should Tanner Scott ever touch the ball in the late innings? Why are we carrying Kiké Hernandez on our regular season roster when he is only good in the playoffs?

Maybe we can use this series against the Rockies to answer some of these questions definitively. But given it's a last-place team, and we went 1-5 against Pittsburgh and Baltimore last week--I'm guessing we're going to play just as poorly this series.

Which will lead to even more questions.

I'm hoping we don't suffer from the weight of the Rox today.

Game 143 Thread: Sep 7 @ O's, 10.30a

Clayton Kershaw vs. Tomoyuki Sugano.

This season is a disaster.

Game 142 Thread: September 6 @ Orioles, 4p

Yamamoto vs. Rogers.

A couple of days ago, I sacked up and dropped $30 for a month of SNLA+ so I could actually watch this Dodgers team that I love. (I was watching them through another (legal, mind you) streaming service earlier this year, but now needed to get SNLA+, so I dropped the coin. I figured, $30 for roughly 30 games--basically, $1/game investment.

After last night's Tanner Scott debacle, the latest in a long string of soul-crushing disappointments from our high-priced offseason addition, I feel totally ripped off. Sure, the bullpen was otherwise pretty good, with Shohei Ohtani and team covering for Tyler Glasnow's ouchie. And the Dodgers' offense was shitty again, leaving 8 on base and going 0-for-5 with RISP.

But Tanner Scott is a steaming pile of shit this year.

As is Michael Conforto.

For the love of god, stop playing these two black holes. There's only 21 more games. There's no more time to fuck around.

I could have used that $30 elsewhere.

Game 141 Thread: Sept. 5 @ Orioles, 4p

Tyler Glasnow (1-3, 3.41) vs. Krispy Kremer (9-10, 4.52).

The Dodgers' play has been downright disgusting of late, as we just dropped all three games to the last-place Pirates (who are the fourth-worst team in the National League). But wait--that disgust extends to the Padres as well, who just dropped three straight to the last-place Orioles (who are the fourth-worst team in the American League).

So the Dodgers go into Camden Yards where the birds are strangely hot, and the Padres...go to Colorado, which has been ice cold all year long.

At least the Dodgers can count on Michael C0nf0rt0 to stay ice cold!

Game 140 Thread: Sept 4 @ Pirates, 3.40p

Blake Snell (3-3, 2.41) vs. Paul Skenes (9-9, 2.05).

In yesterday's pathetic game (a 3-0 road loss), the Dodgers had bases loaded with none out in the second, and didn't score. Then they again had bases loaded in the fourth inning, and again didn't score. In fact, they went 0-for-7 with 10 LOB, and didn't score all game. And there you have it: a series loss to a last-place team, thanks to minimal RISP effort from the bottom of our lineup.

Much "credit" can be given to Andy Pages, 0-for-4 with 2 Ks, at least one of which was way out of the zone; Teoscar Hernandez, 0-for-4; Alex Freeland, 0-for-3 with a K; and Kiké Hernandez, 0-for-3 with a K. Pages' decision-making at the plate is incredibly frustrating to watch.

Alex Freeland is batting .190 with a .601 OPS / 69 OPS+ (0.2 WAR). Kiké Hernandez is batting .197 with a .605 OPS / 68 OPS+ (-0.3 WAR).

There's one school of thought that the Dodgers are just "pushing too hard." Possibly. But it's equally plausible that the Dodgers are not pushing at all; at least, the stats on the field from everyone 5-9 in the order certainly play that out. It seems like Nobody Wants This 2025 World Series title.

The only silver lining is that the Padres, losers of four straight (and swept by the Orioles!), also don't seem to want to win. We're still 2.5 games ahead of them in the West, and two games behind Philadelphia for the first-round playoff bye. The latter of which, we certainly don't deserve.

Game 139 Thread: Sept 3 @ Pirates, 3.40p

If this game is like yesterday's, it's gonna be torture.

Ohtani (1-1, 4.18) vs. Ashcraft (4-2, 2.58).

Our dispriting loss to the Pirates yesterday may have been allayed by the Padres' loss to the Orioles, allowing us to keep our lead of 2.5 games in the NL West (with 24 games to play). But we're now two full games behind the Phillies, who took the day off yesterday in the middle of their series with the Brewers (weird!), so we're still staring at having to play in the first round of the playoffs.

It would be great if Ohtani could right the ship here. After all, we've got Paul Skenes tomorrow.

Post-Game 138 Thread: Teoscar Hernandez Is Killing Us (and Michael Conforto Is Worse)

PIRATES 9, DODGERS 7

Two runs was the difference in this game, so it's fitting that we call out Teoscar Hernandez for letting this two-run double by Tommy Pham ruin the Dodgers' hopes at victory Tuesday (not to mention, probably rattle Clayton Kershaw, who settled back into a groove after that four-run first inning). Watching Hernandez in right field has been awful all season, but on this one he looked like an old man, getting to the ball late with a weak slide and then letting the ball roll past him into the corner, allowing two Pirates to score.

Teoscar Hernandez' Fielding Run Value, according to Baseball Savant, is -9 RPG (3rd percentile). That isn't far off from where he was in 2024, but it's a far cry from his above-average performance in 2023. At this stage of the season, though, we just can't afford to have this defensive liability bumbling around in right.

The misadventures in right field remind me a lot of watching the right-field escapades of Juan Soto, to whom the Mets are tethered for the next 15 years. Soto is also an awful fielder (as we saw plainly in the 2024 World Series). However, Soto has a 161 OPS+, driving his WAR to 5.5. Hernandez has a 102 OPS+, which is right at league average, and his WAR is 0.9. In 2025, Hernandez is only batting .247 (he batted .272 last year, and had a 135 OPS+).

Update: Jack Harris in the LAT says Hernandez' WAR is even worse since the end of June (-0.5, worse than all other Dodger players), which is terrifying.

All the sunflower seed showers in the world, as well as Hernandez' radiant smile and value-additive cheerleading, aren't going to make his play in right field any prettier.

The logical solution would be to move Teoscar back to left field, where he might have a chance at throwing runners out at third. We could either move Andy Pages over to right once Tommy Edman returns; or finally succumb to bringing back Mookie Betts to right field and slot Hyeseong Kim and the resurgent Miguel Rojas in the infield.

That of course leaves no place for Michael Conforto, whose own year-long experiment has been another unmitigated disaster. Conforto has a -0.6 WAR this season and a 75 OPS+, and yet we keep trotting him out there in the hopes that something might change? It's ridiculous.

Conforto was 0-for-3 in yesterday's loss. You can't spell C0nf0rt0 without three 0s.

We've got to stop both these players and move them from their current roles, before they doom our postseason chances.