Post-Game 57 Thread: Dodgers Home Run Derby

DODGERS 4, PHILLIES 2

It wasn't so much what the Dodgers did--stop the red-hot Phillies and give opposing starter Zack Wheeler his first loss of the year--but how they did it: four solo home runs from Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Shohei Ohtani, and Will Smith.

Oh, and Justin Wrobleski, who had struggled in his last start against Milwaukee, came back with a vengeance (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 9 Ks and 0 BB). Bryce Harper struck out three times and Kyle Schwarber struck out twice, contributing to 11 Ks overall for the Dodger pitchers (Wrobleski; the moderately effective Edgardo Henriquez; a clutch K for Alex Vesia (on his bobblehead night!); and a perfect ninth from Tanner Scott).

I couldn't watch this one as I don't have Apple TV, but that gave me the chance to hear Charley Steiner botch Freeman's HR call as well as call the Dodger right fielder "Kyle Turner." Hoo, boy.

2025 World Series Game 7 Post-Game Thread: BACK TO BACK WORLD CHAMPIONS!

DODGERS 5, BLUE JAYS 4 (11)
DODGERS WIN WORLD SERIES, 4-3

In the end, it wasn't about ruining baseball. It was about grit.

And the Dodgers had it--arguably, even more than the Toronto Blue Jays.

For the Dodgers to go into Rogers Centre needing to win both games, and then winning Game 7 in an extra-inning classic--amazing. This one will be remembered for all time. And what a gutty win after getting kicked in the nuts early, with Shohei Ohtani giving up a three-run HR to Bo Bichette in an extremely abbreivated start.

Ohtani didn't have it on the mound this night, but the truth is, this Dodger team is much more than even its brightest star. The 2025 Dodgers showcase a roster full of future Hall of Famers, but also honors a panoply of unsung and unlikely heroes:

Max Muncy, whose eighth-inning home run brought us within one run of a comeback.

Miguel Rojas, an unlikely savior with his game-tying home run in the ninth inning.

Andy Pages, who ran over Kiké Hernandez in the ninth inning on a deep gapper fly ball, to preserve the tie game.

Will Smith, overshadowed superstar workhorse catcher, with the game-winning solo home run in the 11th.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, winner of World Series Game 6 and 7, the latter on zero days rest.

Mookie Betts, whose clutch double play to end the 2025 World Series showed off his fully-honed defensive skills at a brand new position.

And let's not forget some of the little guys who got us here:

Justin Dean, whose headsup play to call for the deadball in Game 6 saved us the game.

Will Klein, whose Game 3 heroics earned us a victory in the 18-inning marathon.

Justin Wrobleski, whose fourth-inning inside pitches in Game 7 fired the Dodgers back up.

And of course, Dave Roberts, who made incredible decisions all series long, a grandmaster of chess moves in this World Series.

I'm still processing this one (and, hung over), but I wanted to get something posted.

Congratulations to the 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers. What an incredible ride.

2025 World Series Game 6 Post-Game Thread: Tyler Glasnow, Escape Artist Extraordinaire

DODGERS 3, BLUE JAYS 1

The Dodgers only had four hits all game (to the Blue Jays' eight hits), and even made the game's only error (a Max Muncy misplay). And yet, the Dodgers prevailed in World Series Game 6, 3-1, capping another largely-medicore game at the plate (12 Ks, with three of those coming from Teoscar Hernandez' continual whiffs in his 0-for-4 night) with a very surprising road victory.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had another great postseason start, though his line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB and 6 Ks, didn't match up to the amazing standards of a couple of his other complete game postseason starts. Which left the fate of this game to the bullpen, with the Dodgers nursing a two-run lead that came after three runs in the third inning (one-out double from Tommy Edman to get things going; RBI double from Will Smith; and then a clutch two-run single by Mookie Betts):

The Betts single silenced the Rogers Centre crowd a bit, even though the Blue Jays got one back in the bottom of the third to make it 3-1. But the crowd got louder as the Dodgers bullpen buckled, but did not break. Justin Wrobleski yielded a two-out double to Ernie Clement, but then got Andres Gimenez to strike out and end the seventh inning. Roki Sasaki had two on in the eighth with one out, but got Bo Bichette to foul out and then Miguel Rojas fielded a Daulton Varsho bullet to escape that jam.

Sasaki was not so lucky in the ninth, leaving men on second and third--which was fortunate in itself, thanks to late-replacement Justin Dean having the veteran-like wherewithal to raise his hands when Addison Barger's double became lodged under the outfield padding. This forced the umpires to call a dead ball and stop Myles Straw (pinch running for Alejandro Kirk, who was HBP to start the inning) from scoring the Blue Jays' second run. But Sasaki then was pulled for...potential Game 7 starter Tyler Glasnow.

Selecting Glasnow here was a ballsy move by Dave Roberts (as was getting Sasaki to pitch the eighth inning; Sasaki was clearly not sharp with a 25-pitch eighth and a shaky start to the ninth). But credit Roberts for pulling out all the stops tonight--there is no Game 7 if we don't win Game 6 anyway--and so, Glasnow entered with two RISP and none out.

Three pitches later, it was over. Glasnow had some luck to get Clement to pop out to Freddie Freeman. But then the game ended on a crazy 7-4 double play when Gimenez flied to Kike Hernandez in left, a bloop single wiht a 40% probability of being caught--and Kike Hernandez had the composure to not only catch, but then gun the ball back to the infield, where Miguel Rojas caught Barger sleeping off of second base.

Kiké even said, postgame, that he lost that fly ball in the lights:

(and how sweet is it that Kiké is wearing a rotowear Yamamoto shirt! It's here, by the way--and no, we don't get a commission for this link.)

Watching that ninth inning, all I could hear was the echoes of Joe Carter's 1993 Game 6 walkoff home run. It seemed like Toronto was just about to fulfill its destiny there in Game 6.

Instead, we have a Game 7 tomorrow. I'm still in shock having peeled myself off the floor, after watching this one.

Holy smokes. What an ending.

2025 World Series Game 6 Thread: Oct 31 @ Blue Jays, 5p

Dave Roberts tried to introduce basepaths in Thursday's practice, something the team had not experienced for the last two games.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Kevin Gausman.

The Dodgers' 2025 season is poised to end tonight, and even with Blake Snell's crappy start throwing batting practice at the beginning of Game 5, or Teoscar Hernandez' continual misadventures in right field, or failed double play attempts in the infield, it wasn't those mistakes that ultimately derailed the Dodgers' 2025 World Series bid.

It was the hitting. Or lack thereof.

In a particularly awful time for everyone in the starting lineup to get cold, we've got Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman, Max Muncy, and Andy Pages all flailing at the plate. The Game 5 lineup--which thankfully did not include Pages--amassed 15 strikeouts and too many first-pitch infield flies to give the Blue Jays any pressure.

So the Dodgers all got out to Rogers Centre today and took batting practice--which the LAT reported that Roberts took as an exciting positive (whoop dee frickin' doo!)--rather than moping in their hotel rooms, I imagine.

There will be plenty of time for moping if our offense continues to be lost tonight.

Let's frickin' go, Dodgers! Show us a treat, not a trick.

2025 World Series Game 2 Post-Game Thread: Yoshi For The Win

DODGERS 5, BLUE JAYS 1
World Series tied 1-1

Rogers Centre was ready to erupt again, with the Dodgers scuffling around offensively before finally breaking through on Kevin Gausman in the seventh inning. But the fact that we could keep this game close for that long was only due to the continued heroics of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who spun a 105-pitch complete game victory, limiting the Blue Jays to 4 H and 1 ER (0 BB, 8 Ks), and giving our offense the chance to take and extend the lead late in Game 2.

This is Yamamoto's second straight complete game in the postseason, which is amazing. As per Sonja Chen of MLB.com:

He is the first pitcher with back-to-back complete games in the postseason since the D-backs' Curt Schilling in 2001, and the first Dodger since Orel Hershiser in 1988. The most recent pitcher with multiple complete games in the postseason was the Giants' Madison Bumgarner in 2014.

"I think that you look at Yamamoto," manager Dave Roberts said, "it's kind of the throwback in the sense of when he starts a game, he expects to finish it. And he'll go as long as I let him."

Yamamoto not only prevented the Dodgers from needing to reach into their mixed bag of a 'pen, but he also put his team in a much more favorable position now that the Series is tied 1-1. In the history of best-of-seven postgame series with the current 2-3-2 format, teams that have taken a 2-1 lead at home in Game 3 have prevailed in the series 29 of 48 times (60.4%).

Will Smith and Max Muncy broke the 1-1 tie in the seventh with solo home runs. The Dodgers manufactured two more runs in the eighth inning, on a wild pitch by Jeff Hoffman (scoring Andy Pages from third), and then Smith scoring Shohei Ohtani from third on a force out.

Watching Fangraphs' playoff odds shift will drive one crazy, but here's the recap so far: Going into the Game 1, the Dodgers had a 66.3% chance to win the 2025 World Series. After the Game 1 loss, the Dodgers' chances dipped to 48.4%. And now with the Game 2 victory, the Dodgers are back to 63.4%.

Fox analyst and former Yankee Derek Jeter noted the Dodgers' calm in the wake of the Game 1 loss: "The Dodgers have been here, they know what it takes to win," said Jeter. "They know that losing by 10 runs is the same as losing by one run. It gives the Toronto Blue Jays a lot more confidence, and they're not a team that ever lacks confidence 'cause they know they can hit. But I expect the Dodgers to bounce back."

And bounce back they did, thanks to Yamamoto's leadership and poise.

Let's look forward to Game 3 in Los Angeles!

2025 NLCS Game 3 Post-Game Thread: The End of Les Miz

DODGERS 3, BREWERS 1

One day more. Another day, another destiny.
This never-ending road to victory.
These Brewers try to steal a win but Glasnow and crew kept us in.
One day more.

I did not think this bullpen could.
How can I hope, when they have farted?
One day more.
Tomorrow we can sweep away!
Unless Doc's moves become outsmarted.

One day more to show the world
(Can we win the LCS?)
One more day that rests on Shohei
(Who has been bad at the plate!)
But if he can just go six
(He still has to take at bats)
And I swear we can advance!

The time is now
The day is (tomorrow)

We certainly channeled Les Miz tonight, as Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski carved up the Dodgers lineup for five relief innings. But you kinda thought that when we broke through, this game would be over.

And sure enough, it was. Tommy Edman did the honors tonight, singling in Will Smith to take a 2-1 lead in the sixth, which expanded further when Abner Uribe tried to pick off Edman at first, but threw wide, allowing Fredie Freeman to score from third.

Surprisingly, a 3-1 lead was all the Dodgers needed, with Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, Anthony Banda, and Roki Sasaki holding down the lead from starter Tyler Glasnow (5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB and 8 Ks). Glasnow wasn't as sharp as Blake Snell or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but it was enough to put the Dodgers up 3-0 in the NLCS.

Let's GOOOOO!

An Anonymous Bob Redford Tribute

From the our anonymous poet:

Post-Game 137 Thread: Will Smith Slaps One Out Of Here

DODGERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4

Look, you can revel in the majesty of Will Smith's walk-off pinch hit home run to lead off the ninth (his fourth PH HR of his career). It was pretty awesome, and just what the Dodgers needed after blowing the three-run lead late.

But don't let that take your eye off of how bad we looked all weekend long against a fourth-place, sub-.500 team after we narrowly avoided the sweep today. The offense was horrible for the first two games of this series, compounding yet another non-quality start from Blake Snell (5.1 IP, 3 ER) and as well as a mediocre start from Tyler Glasnow (7.0 IP, but also 3 ER).

The Dodgers' relief additions to the squad this year, which looked good on paper, continued to underperform. Kirby Yates came in yesterday to give up a three-run jack to Arizona's nine-hole, Ildemaro Vargas; and then Tanner Scott came in today to give up the lead on a three-run jack to Corbin Carroll. Scott, who has been awful for us all year, has already ceded three times the number of home runs this year than he did last year--and this year isn't over yet.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a solid seven innings of one-run ball today (1 ER, 10 Ks with 0 BBs), and we couldn't even hold on to give him a win. Unacceptable.

Let's also talk about the drop off in offense beyond our top four hitters, and that's even with Teoscar Hernandez benched today. Michael Conforto was 0-for-1 and batting .190 on the year before being removed for Kiké Hernandez in the fifth; Kiké promptly GIDPd on the first pitch to end a threat. Alex Call went 0-for-4 and has cooled off, as has Alex Freeland (he went 2-for-4 today but is bating .208). Both Alexs had two Ks each. Dalton Rushing is lost, 0-for-3 with 2 Ks. And Miguel Rojas had a nice day, 2-for-3 with a RBI, providing some hope from the depths of our lineup.

The losses of Max Muncy, Tommy Edman, and even Hyeseong Kim, coupled with the year-long impotence of Conforto, are just glaring holes in this lineup. We've got a day off Monday to think about this further, but honestly, do we really think this team, with this lineup, has legs in the postseason?

Smith can't save us every time.

2025 Dodgers WAR (Through June 23, 2025)

I just peeked at this and found it pretty surprising:

• Shohei Ohtani 3.6
• Will Smith 3.3
• Andy Pages 3.0
• Mookie Betts 2.7
• Max Muncy 2.3
• Freddie Freeman 1.9
• Teoscar Hernandez 1.6
• Tommy Edman 1.5
• Michael Conforto -1.1

For substitutes, Hyeseong Kim leads with a 1.1 WAR. Kiké Hernandez has a 0.6 (better than I expected!), and Miguel Rojas and Dalton Rushing each have 0.3.

Austin Barnes was -0.3 and Chris Taylor was -0.6.

From a pitching perspective, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a 1.9 WAR, and Clayton Kershwaw has a 0.4 WAR. Roki Sasaki is 0.1, as is Tyler Glasnow. Blake Snell has a -0.2 WAR, worse than even Dustin May (-0.1) and Tony Gonsolin (-0.1). Landon Knack has a -0.3 WAR.

Within the relief corps: Ben Casparius has a 0.7 WAR, Alex Vesia is at 0.5, Jack Dreyer is at 0.4, and Anthony Banda is at 0.3. New pickups Tanner Scott is at 0.1 and Kirby Yates is at 0.0.

Game 75 Thread: June 18 vs. Padres, 7p

Emmet Sheehan vs. Stephen Kolek (3-2, 3.50).

I didn't expect to win yesterday's bullpen game against the Padres, but we did (8-6), thanks to our bats. At the center of this was Will Smith, who slapped his way through a long 12-pitch AB against Jeremiah Estrada, culminating in a two-run HR that put the Dodgers up 5-3 and opening up the floodgates in that five-run frame.

But it's not like we didn't know how to win a bullpen game against the Padres, right?

So tonight, we run back what is basically another bullpen game, starting fresh call-up Emmet Sheehan (4-1, 4.92 ERA over his career). Let's see how this goes!

Game 55 Thread: May 27 @ Guardians, 3p

Today's opposing starting pitcher (with a huge assumption on the gender preferences of the insect).

Dustin May (2-4, 4.09) vs. Tanner Bibee (4-4, 3.57).

Last night, out of the spotlight of nationally-broadcast television, felt like the type of road game the Dodgers should be playing: solid pitching that goes relatively deep with efficiency (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB and 7 Ks across 88 pitches); power hitting (Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith solo HRs) as well as timely hitting (4-for-8 with RISP, including a nice two-out rally in the sixth with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman RBI singles); and only one error (this time, not from Max Muncy!).

The Guardians are solid: behind the Tigers in the AL Central, but in the first wild card position in the American League. Tanner Bibee has also been solid for the Guardians, while Dustin May has shown flashes of brilliance in 2025 but a lack of consistency between starts. Let's see how today plays out.

Post-Game 6 Thread: No Freeman, No Cry

$15 at Home Depot could have prevented this.

DODGERS 6, BRAVES 1

With the pre-game news that Freddie Freman was out for this game due to a weekend mishap slipping in the shower (keep your imaginations out of the gutter, Dodger fans!), the Dodgers entered with a little bit of concern, maybe? But to be fair, the Braves found out over the weekend that the Braves would be without new signing Jurickson Profar for 80 games, maybe we caught the Braves at the right time. And even with Freeman out, the Dodgers rolled to a 6-1 victory that was never in doubt.

Teoscar Hernandez opened up with a first-inning two-run HR. Michael Conforto had a RBI double and Tommy Edman added a sacrifice fly in the second, to make it 4-0. Will Smith added a RBI single in the fourth, and then Kiké Hernandez hit a solo shot in the fifth to make it 6-0 LA.

Sure, Tanner Scott gave up a solo HR to Michael Harris III in the eighth to lose the shutout. But that was all the damage Atlanta could do tonight.

So, rest up, Freddie! You recover. We're okay.

Post-Game 2 Thread: Dodgers Sweep Cubs in Tokyo Dome

DODGERS 六, CUBS 三

Though they scheduled these contests way too early for me to watch either of the Tokyo Series games, the Dodgers still prevailed with a series sweep over the Cubs, following a 6-3 victory in the second game that featured a Shohei Ohtani home run, which followed taters from Tommy Edman (first MLB HR in 2025!) and Kiké Hernandez. All three of those Dodgers now lead the majors in HR.

Other crazy stats from the disparate number of games played (which reminds me of when Adrian Gonzalez led the majors in stolen bases, following the 2014 Opening Series in Sydney, Australia): Kiké Hernandez leads RBIs (3); Landon Knack co-leads Wins (1), along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto; and Will Smith is tied for the batting title at .500 (along with Chicago's John Berti).

More importantly, the Dodgers--sans both Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in this series--still opened up a dominant two-game lead in the NL West with only 160 games to play. Let's get the team back together here in Los Angeles, and hopefully get Betts and Freeman back to health.

2024 World Series Game 4 Thread

Undisputed:
Ice Cube > Fat Joe

Ben Casparius vs. Luis Gil, 5p.

Can the Dodgers actually win this 2024 World Series? Now up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, and with a 94.7% chance of winning the series (albeit, only a 43% chance of winning Game 4, according to FanGraphs ZiPS projections)...I'm finally starting to believe, just a little bit?

I mean, if Freddie Freeman, who is building a great case for the 2024 World Series MVP, can keep mashing home runs each game, like he did in Game 3 to completely silence the Yankees crowd (who were cursing epithets at him at the time):

And if Mookie Betts--now batting .291 with 14 RBI in the 2024 postseason--can keep adding runs on the board:

And if the Yankees keep trying to get on the board by sending Giancarlo Stanton from second base on a single, when Stanton's speed ranks 549th out of 566 MLB players:

I almost feel bad for Stanton on that one, he was dead to rights by the time he rounded third base. And check out Will Smith's reaction (and do your own lip reading!) on this amazing field view:

Sure, Shohei Ohtani isn't hitting and has a bum shoulder; Will Smith isn't hitting and who knows what the hell is wrong with him; and Max Muncy is back on one of those bad offensive streaks again. It's not all good in Dodgerville.

But so far this World Series, we've played pretty good defense at all positions, the bullpen has been incredible in all sorrts of weird situations, our starters have outpitched the Yankees' formidable starting rotation, and Dave Roberts is making all the right calls.

And I know we've been successful with bullpen games...but we're starting Ben Casparius for Game 4. Casparius is making his first major league start in the World Series. This is a big stage for Big Ben!

No time to rest. We need to keep the pressure on the Yankees.

Let's do this.

LET'S GO, DODGERS!

2024 NLCS Post-Game 2 Thread: So, Apparently There's A Limit To This "Bullpen Game" Strategy

METS 7, DODGERS 3

Brimming with confidence after a Game 1 drubbing, the Dodgers came out for the afternoon NLCS Game 2 and wasted no time getting behind the eight ball. Ryan Brasier gave up a run to the first batter (a solo HR by Francisco Lindor), putting an end to that record-tying 33 consecutive scoreless postseason innings streak. And then, in short order, Landon Knack gave up a grand slam to Mark Vientos in the second, putting the Dodgers in a 6-0 hole from which we could not claw back.

Not that we didn't have opportunities, and I'm particularly looking at Kiké Hernandez, who hit into an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the sixth, squashing that rally (Tommy Edman's 2-RBI single brought us within three runs, 6-3). And then Kiké came out again in the eighth inning, with two RISP, and weakly popped to right to end that inning as well. It's tough to get on Kiké Hernandez just yet, though, given his heroics in NLDS Game 5.

And it's tough to get on Landon Knack, who ceded the big blast but also, as a rookie, shouldn't even be in the mix in the first place. But with all the injuries to the rest of the pitching staff, Knack is there. Sure, maybe he shouldn't have been inserted in that slot in the game. But we didn't pitch Michael Kopech, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, or Evan Phillips today (or yesterday, for that matter)--so I'm not questioning Dave Roberts' bullpen decisions at all (and certainly not after his mastery in NLDS Games 4 and 5).

It's not tough to point the finger at Will Smith, though: batting .087 this postseason, including an 0-for-4 day today. Mookie Betts is also subpar this postseason: 0-for-4 today with a run scored, but three Ks (one of three strikeouts to Edwin Diaz in the ninth). And even Shohei Ohtani, 0-for-3 today, is only batting .222 (and I don't recall a huge Ohtani hit since NLDS Game 1).

The Dodgers were 1-for-9 with RISP today, with 10 total left on base.

We need to get these bats going here. Three games at Citi Field means we may not even play another home game this year.

Get it together, Dodgers!

2024 NLDS Game 4 Post-Game Thread: I Will Not Go Quietly

Apparently, Don Henley never made a music video for this track, so this is all I could come up with for a visual image.

DODGERS 8, PADRES 0

Dylan Cease lasted 3.1 IP in NLDS Game 1 against the Dodgers. But the Padres, brimming with confidence after winning Game 3 and taking a 2-1 series lead in a best-of-five, sent Cease out there again, on four days rest, for the first time in his career.

Wednesday night, in Game 4, Cease lasted only 1.2 IP. His three ER tonight raised his ERA to 14.40. And the Dodgers jumped on the Padres pitchers all night at Petco Park, with home runs from Mookie Betts (his second in two days, in the first inning off of Cease); Will Smith (his first hit of the 2024 postseason, off of vowel-heavy Bryan Hoeing; and Gavin Lux (off of a fish called Wandy Peralta in the seventh inning).

Max Muncy even had a double, raising his postseason average to .188. Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-5, and Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-3 with two walks (including an epic nine-pitch AB in the sixth that chased Jeremiah Estrada). Kike Hernandez went 2-for-4.

And sure, Chris Taylor looked like the 2024 CT3: 0-for-4 with 4 Ks (the famous golden sombrero). But in a 8-0 win, we can stomach that malaise.

The Dodgers were 5-for-9 with RISP on a 12-hit evening. The Padres were 0-for-9 with RISP.

And that's because Dave Roberts' use of the bullpen tonight--eight pitchers, in total--was masterful. Ryan Brasier, Anthony Banda, Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, and Landon Knack: you guys all stepped up and were superb. And as Ben Clemens of Fangraphs pointed out, a bullpen game usually doesn't go well--especially for the Dodgers--but tonight was a master class:

In a few days, no one is going to remember this game. It was a laugher where no one got eliminated. There were no unforgettable plays. Neither Ohtani nor Tatis made me spit out my drink in sheer wonder. These two rivals are about to play again, with higher stakes and a better pitching matchup. Why would you dwell on this one?

But without the Dodger bullpen, there wouldn’t be a fifth game. Every reliever did his part, with no hiccups. These games go wrong all the time. So give them their due. This was the platonic ideal a of bullpen game, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Friday is going to be spectacular. Buckle up.

I didn't watch this game, but I heard Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday indicating that Padres fans left Petco Park in a hurry tonight. I can't wait to watch the condensed game highlights.

On we go to a winner-take-all Game 5! Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2024 All-Star Game Thread

Globe Life Field will always be a special place for Dodgers fans. So even though All-Star starer Shohei Ohtani will be one of the few Dodgers able to play in this one (with Mookie Betts and Tyler Glasnow out), we can hope to see Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernandez get some swings tonight.

Everybody stay healthy, please!

Globe Life Field, 2020

Post-Game 84 Thread: Dodgers Win By Touchdown in Extra Time

DODGERS 14, GIANTS 7 (11)

The Dodgers typically don't perform very well on nationally-televised games, and this afternoon's matchup with the Giants seemed to be more of the same. In a seesaw affair, the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead, then went down 5-2, before clawing back to tie the game at 6-6 and go to extra innings.

In extras, the Dodgers went up 7-6 in the tenth, only to see that lead evaporate and the Giants have bases loaded with one out on the bottom of the tenth. However, Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson settled down and struck out Patrick Bailey and then induced a pop foulout on Matt Chapman (who started the game 3-for-3, so this was no small feat), to end the threat.

To be clear, with one out in the bottom of the tenth, the Giants had a 82.9% chance to win the game. And they couldn't seal the deal.

In the top of the 11th, facing a second inning from Giants reliever Sean Hjelle (whom Giants manager Bob Melvin had to leave in the game, against his judgment, given the Giants' injury-plagued rotation and bullpen), the Dodgers opened up a seven-run can of whupass that buried the Giants:

Seven runs from the Dodgers in the top of the eleventh inning put this game away. The Dodgers earn a split from the first two of this series--meaningful, since the red-hot Padres trounced the Red Sox on Friday and Saturday, and are now five games over .500 (and 7.5 games behind the Dodgers).

Also meaningful:

• Will Smith (3-for-6, 3 RBI) looks like he might have emerged from his recent slump;
• the Dodgers' bottom of the order largely contributed to the victory today (which is aberrant, given they are in the bottom third batting in the majors this year), save the black hole batting ninth that is Cavan Biggio (0-for-2 with lame fielding) plus Kiké Hernandez (0-for-4 with a fielding error)--please get well soon Max Muncy!;
• and Shohei Ohtani hit his NL-leading 26th home run in the third inning.

The Dodgers go for the series victory tomorrow. LFG!

Dodgers' Big Three: Big, But Rarely Big Together

No, not this Big Three.

THIS Big Three!

Much has been made about the Dodgers' Big Three at the top of our lineup, and it's no wonder: they're the only guys in our lineup consistently hitting (though Will Smith makes a strong case for re-naming it "The Big Four"). Here's the stats so far:

Betts: .355 BA, 1.103 OPS
Ohtani: .368 BA, 1.094 OPS
Freeman: .287 BA, .797 OPS
Smith: .346 BA, .853 OPS

Everyone else in the lineup has an average at or below .258 (Teoscar Hernandez, who went 1-for-9 in the series with the Mets, including at least two ABs leaving the bases loaded), with many of the players closer to .100 batting averages than .200. In other words, if not for these three (or four) dudes, we'd be toast.

But here's your fun fact of the day: through the Dodgers' first 24 games, the Big Three have only gotten consecutive hits twice this season--and only in yesterday's win over the Mets did these consecutive hits yield at least one run.

In fact, in the Sunday April 21 10-0 win over the New York Mets, it was the first time all year that Betts, Ohtani, Freeman, and Smith (the Big Four) all got consecutive hits--opening up a mammoth eight-run fifth inning that put the game way out of reach, and finally showed what might happen if this team lived up to its true offensive potential.

The only other time the Big Three stitched consecutive hits together this year, was on March 30 vs. the Cardinals, when we led off the game with three singles, only to strand everyone with consecutive strikeouts from Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Teoscar Hernandez. (The Dodgers are second in the majors in strikeouts with 226, only behind the Boston Red Sox.)

It might be too much to ask for the bottom of the lineup to hit closer to the league average. So maybe we'll need to see more strings of consecutive hits at the top of the order, if we want to notch some more victories.

Post-Game 9 Thread: Ohtani Slugs His First Dodger HR

The moment.

DODGERS 5, GIANTS 4: DODGERS SWEEP!

Shohei Ohtani finally broke out of his home run slump--the longest of his career apparently (but only by a game)--by CRUSHING a home run to right that sounded so amazing off the bat, the pavilion lights started flashing well before the ball even reached the fans in the crowd:

Shohei Ohtani crushes his first home run as a Dodger! pic.twitter.com/Riq4vqqeDr

— MLB (@MLB) April 4, 2024

We ended up needing that insurance run after the Giants' Jorge Soler hit a home run in the eighth to make it close, but Dinelson Lamet secured the save with a scoreless, 2-K ninth, and the Dodgers earned the sweep.

Dodgers also got a solid start from Tyler Glasnow (6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB and 7 Ks), as well as some small ball off the bat of Will Smith (RBI double to score Ohtani from first) and Kike Hernandez (RBI single to score Smith in the same inning). And Miguel Rojas hit his second home run of the year, which is absolutely crazy. Gavin Lux is clearly dealing with some confidence issues, but in the meantime, it's good to know we might have options.

Sax was at the game and I have to admit, I wasn't on the edge of my seat for that seventh-inning Ohtani AB, partially because Ohtani's offense to date hasn't been other-worldly (.270 BA, .749 OPS). But man, it was electric from the moment it left the bat. I can't wait to see more of this from Ohtani in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.