Tony Gonsolin (3-1, 5.23) vs. Griffin Canning (5-2, 3.23).
The Dodgers tied the series yesterday, after losing in extras on Monday to the Mets. With the Mets taking two of three from us in New York last month, we'll need to win these last two games (starting today) in order to wield the home-field advantage over the Mets.
(And we have no starter named for Thursday.)
(cries)
Landon Knack (2-2, 5.22) vs. Will Warren (3-2, 4.09).
The Dodgers overcame their national-TV curse and actually won last night's game, staging a furious six-run comeback from 5-2 in the sixth inning to take the lead 6-5 off of Max Fried, and then extend the lead to 8-5 off of Andy Pages' two-run RBI single. The outcome was totally surprising, given Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin was serving up meatballs (four HR, in fact) to the Yankees' lineup--but to Gonsolin's credit, he hung in there through 6.0 IP, outdueling Yankees ace Fried and earning the victory.
We're going to need a lot of the same formula tonight, given Landon Knack's penchant for meatballs of his own, not to mention this game is also nationally-televised (this time on Fox, rather than Apple TV+). My expectations are very low for tonight's game, but I'd sure like to see a win.
SoSG Sax and Dusty will both be at today's game, so please give a shout if you're going to be there! Let's go, Dodgers!
Tony Gonsolin (2-1, 4.68) vs. Max Fried (7-0, 1.29).
A rematch with the New York Yankees, whom we vanquished in the 2024 World Series, at Dodger Stadium? Yep, I certainly like Game 1 of this series...though going up against Harvard-Westlake Wolverine Max Fried isn't going to be easy. Fried is off to a blistering start with the Yankees, who picked him up this offseason while other teams thought he might be soft (according to Buster Olney on his Baseball Tonight podcast). But in one of the toughest cities to in which to play baseball, Fried is sporting a 2.6 WAR is tied for fifth in the majors this season.
Hmm, now I'm a little nervous. Maybe I'll go watch a movie to calm the nerves.
Gonsolin vs Peterson.
At least I can actually watch tonight's game!
Tony Gonsolin (2-0, 2.81) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (0-4, 3.72).
With today's news that Chris Taylor has been designated for assignment, joining Austin Barnes as long-time Dodgers who have been cut from the roster, will the Dodgers finally have a back-end of the lineup that can bat over .200?
Given we've lost both games to the Angels this series, that would be very welcome.
Tony Gonsolin (1-0, 4.09) vs. Zac Gallen (3-4, 4.37).
Finally, the last game of a ten-game road trip. The Dodgers are a perfectly mediocre 11-11 on the road this year, which is why we're in a tie for first place going into play today (with the Padres). Hopefully we can go relax in a pool for tomorrow's off-day.
Tony Gonsolin (1-0, 4.50) vs. Cal Quantrill (2-3, 8.10).
Great to have Tony Gonsolin back to help support the beleaguered starting rotation! We're 4-0 against the Marlins this year, so let's keep this feasting on fish thing going!
Gonsolin (2025 debut) vs. Quantrill (2-2, 7.83).
The Dodgers have a chance for a fish sweep! Welcome back, Catman!
ESPN's Bradford Doolittle had the Dodgers currently sitting at #4 among MLB teams, with still a lot of time left in the offseason for some additional pickups (namely, Roki Sasaki). The Dodgers' ranking is behind the Mariners, Phillies, and Braves. But note that Clayton Kershaw is not mentioned at all:
Rotation index: 110.5
Ranks -- Stars: 3 | Depth: 13 | Length: 11 | Dominance: 2
Top 6: 1. Blake Snell (Rating: 121), 2. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (115), 3. Tyler Glasnow (124), 4. Shohei Ohtani (119), 5. Tony Gonsolin (96), 6. Dustin May (103)
We went with Gonsolin and May at the bottom of the Dodgers' six-man rotation, though others -- Landon Knack, Ben Casparius, Bobby Miller -- could figure into the mix.
This is probably also a good place to highlight the possible impact of Sasaki, who could propel the Dodgers near the top of these rankings, or boost the fortunes of one of the teams below. The possibility is why the term "an embarrassment of riches" was invented.Los Angeles Dodgers:
Fri 18 7p: Tony Gonsolin vs. Sandy Alcantara Sat 19 12n: TBD vs. TBD Sat 19 6p: Julio Urias vs. Eury Perez
The Dodgers have won 11 in a row and now it's getting ludicrously implausible. Thursday's game, a 1-0 victory, came at the hands of seven scoreless innings from a Chicago White Sox castoff (Lance Lynn, now 4-0 with the Dodgers), and the first home run in almost a year for the meek Austin Barnes (who raised his average to a still microscopic .136).
Wednesday's game, a 7-1 victory, included home runs from the light-hitting nine-hole Miguel Rojas (now bating .220 on the year, with three HR total) and Chris Taylor in the eight hole (his 13th of the year, batting .219). If we could just get Max Muncy hitting again, this would be absolutely absurd.
But here we are, having feasted on poor teams but still thriving against good ones (Milwaukee still leads the NL Central, with a two-game lead over the Reds). And here come the Marlins, tied with the Reds for the third and final Wild Card position, and throwing their reigning Cy Young award winner to start the truncated weekend series (rescheduled due to the incoming hurricane Hilary).
I highly doubt we can stretch this streak to 14 by grilling the visting Fish. But that's okay, I'd much rather save some in the tank for the playoffs! I hope we're not peaking too soon.
Thu Aug 10 7p: TBD vs. Blach Fri Aug 11 7p: Lynn vs. Gomber Sat Aug 12 6p: Gonsolin vs. Lambert Sun Aug 13 1p: Urias vs. Flexen
I was supposed to go to tonight's (Thursday's) game. But I can't go, so I'm salty.
But you know who isn't salty? The Dodgers, who extended their lead in the NL West to six games over San Francisco (who lost its last two), 11 games over Arizona (who were swept in the two-game series at home), 13 games over San Diego, (who lost three of four to us in the recent weekend series), and a crazy 22.5 games over the visiting Rockies.
All this, and we still can't pitch well. It's amazing.
Fri Aug 4 6.40p: Bobby Miller vs. Yu Darvish Sat Aug 5 5.40p: TBD vs. Blake Snell Sun Aug 6 4.10p: Lance Lynn vs. TBD Mon Aug 7 1.10p: Tony Gonsolin vs. Seth Lugo
With the trade deadline pickups of Rich Hill and Ji-Man Choi, the Padres are all-in! And I feel about as confident about that assertion, as I do about the Dodgers being all-in by picking up Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, and Amed Rosario.
I suppose the material difference is that the Dodgers are 62-45 and have a 2.5-game lead in the NL West, whereas the Padres are in fourth place in the division, 9.0 GB (and 4.0 games out of the Wild Card race).
Still, these four games should be a better barometer of how formidable the Dodgers might be for the playoffs--at least, relative to the Dodgers' recent sweep over the hapless and homeless Athletics. Let's go, Dodgers!
Everyone was excited to welcome Kiké Hernandez, 2020 World Series Championship contributor, back to the Dodgers. Nostalgia is great, but his 2023 record (batting .222, OPS a dismal .599 (OPS+ of 61), and WAR of -0.7) is a sober reminder that three years have passed, and Hernandez is nowhere near the same player. And sure, this move gets Mookie Betts back out to his regular right field position, and gives us another option besides the offensive black holes that are the two Miguels (Rojas and Vargas). But still. Enrique Hernandez is not going to save us.
And that started today, with an absolute whooping by the Blue Jays, thanks to another inefficient and ineffective outing by Tony Gonsolin (5.0 IP, 5 ER, 109 pitches), not to mention porous outings from Alex Vesia (1 ER in an inning) and Tyson Miller (2 ER in 2 IP). Phil Bickford had a scoreless ninth, but after Monday night's Bickfordian meltdown (losing the game in the 11th by ceding three runs, in the 6-3 loss), who gives a damn.
Oh yeah, Kiké. He did go 2-for-4 to lift his average to .226 (ahead of starters Chris Taylor (1-for-4, .213), Max Muncy (0-for-3, .197), and Austin Barnes (1-for-3, .110). But we can't expect Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith (who didn't play) to do all the heavy lifting here (J.D. Martinez was 0-for-4 with 3 Ks). Not with this pitching staff, that's for sure.
Day off tomorrow, then we host the red-hot Cincinnati De La Cruzes this weekend.
Mon 24 7p: Grove vs. Berrios Tue 25 7p: Urias vs. Bassitt Wed 26 1p: Gonsolin vs. Kikuchi
The Dodgers completed their nine-game road trip yesterday with a dispiriting 8-4 loss to the Rangers, but that didn't detract from an overall 6-3 roadtrip record that saw the Dodgers expand their divisional lead to four games over the Diamondbacks and Giants.
The Snakes have lost four in a row; the Giants have lost five straight. Meanwhile, the Dodgers won all three series (against the Mets, Orioles, and Rangers), have now won their last five series, and seem to be rolling...all without reliable pitching from either the starters or the bullpen.
Now, we're back at home for the first time since the All-Star break, with pleasant days off in between all three of the series on this homestand. I'm sure Mookie Betts will welcome Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the Stadium, having lost in their Home Run Derby faceoff in Seattle (Guerrero Jr. went on to win the whole Derby). Our bats had better keep slugging if we have any chance of overcoming this pitching staff...and who knows, maybe help is on the way?
Fri 21 5p: Gonsolin vs. Heaney Sat 22 1p: Miller vs. Dunning Sun 23 11.30a: Sheehan vs. Perez
Win two, lose one. Win two, lose one. That's how the Dodgers have fared since the All-Star Break, winning series in Queens and in Baltimore. But now they face their toughest opponent of all, the Texas Rangers, who lead the AL West by 4.5 games (as of end of play Wednesdauy).
Thursday's day off will help erase the turd of Wednesday's eight-run stinker by Julio Urias. But this weekend will be quite a test to see if the Dodgers can maintain their razor-thin lead in the NL West.
Fri Jul 7 7p: Gonsolin vs. Canning Sat Jul 8 6p: TBD vs. Detmers
No Angels? Not the German female supergroup, of course. We're talking the Los Angeles Angels, who have lost Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon in this week alone. The Dodgers certainly aren't weeping, having had their own pitching staff decimated by injuries all season long, capped by Daniel Hudson's injury to his other knee, after working his way back from ACL surgery last year.
Hudson had just closed out Wednesday's win against the Pirates, in his third appearance of the year, earning his first save. Now, he'll be out for at least a month, and possibly the rest of this season.
But back to the Angels! They too are struggling for the playoffs, aiming for a Wild Card spot while sitting in third place in the AL West, 6.5 games behind Texas (and 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot). The Dodgers have inched their way back to a half-game deficit to the Diamondbacks, and hold the NL's second Wild Card spot. Let's see if we can make up any more ground in these last two games before the All-Star Break.
Fri 6.30 5p: Miller vs. Marsh Sat 7.1 4p: TBD vs. Lynch Sun 7.2 11a: Gonsolin vs. Singer
Two out of three wins vs. Colorado just moved us up into second place in the NL West, two games behind the Diamondbacks. Now we've got three games against the Royals, second-worst team in the American League (while the Giants play the Mets in New York; and the Diamondbacks play the Angels in Anaheim). Could we pull a KC Masterpiece move up even further with this weekend series? (Probably not with that bullpen game slotted for Saturday, but who knows.)
Tue 6.6 4p: Gonsolin vs. Weaver Wed 6.7 4p: Syndergaard vs. Williamson Thu 6.8 9.30a: Kershaw vs. Ashcraft
Coming off a losing series with the YankMes, the Dodgers get a quick two-city road trip starting in Cincinnati. I'm terrified by the Wednesday game with a Noah Syndergaard start, since either outcome is bad: if he wins (against a sub-.500 Reds team), we get lulled into thinking he might still be salvagable; if he loses (as he should), we drop a game we shouldn't be losing. It's a lose-lose proposition. Yikes.
Mon 29 6p: Bobby Miller vs. Trevor Williams Tue 30 7p: Tony Gonsolin vs. Jake Irvin Wed 31 1p: Noah Syndergaard vs. Patrick Corbin
Hot off a disappointing 4-6 road trip (their longest of the season), not to mention a depressing 11-10 loss which dropped the series in Tampa Bay, the Dodgers return to the Stadium to face a swarm of pesky Nats. The Dodgers still own the second-best record in the National League (only behind the Braves by a half-game), and pundits have those two teams as the only NL playoff locks at this point.
But the team definitely looks weaker than their record shows, pillaged most recently by injuries to the starting rotation, not to mention a horrible May for Max Muncy that saw his batting average drop back below .200 (he's at .208 going into Monday's game, which he is sitting out). We get three games against the sub-.500 Nationals before the red-hot Yankees come to town. Better get the kinks out now.
Mon 5.22: Stone vs. Morton
Tue 5.23: Miller vs. Strider
Wed 5.24: Gonsolin vs. Elder
All games 4.20p first pitch
Well, that house of cards toppled pretty fast.
Not only were the Dodgers soundly beaten in St. Louis (the Dodgers dropped three of four to the Cardinals), felled by poor bullpen showings, capricious strike zones, and sitting Mookie Betts on Sunday (basically conceding the series)--we also lost Dustin May (flexor issue) and Julio Urias (hamstring issue), plus Clayton Kershaw has had two straight ineffective starts. As such, we don't know who is going to start for two of the three games this series...against the best team in the National League and a likely matchup for playoffs in October.
So yeah, it's 52-card pickup at this stage. Which is funny, since .052 isn't that far off from the batting averages of either Austin Barnes (.092) or Trayce Thompson (.109).
Hoo boy.
