Game 146 Thread: Sept 9 vs. Reds, 7p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.57) vs. Rhett Lowder (6-9, 5.43).

The Dodgers have beaten up on weaker teams for six consecutive wins, and while I'm not one to celebrate an outcome that is both expected as well as overdue--it is amazing to see that we've done this without Shohei Ohtani in the lineup (either performance-wise, or even physically some nights).

Kyle Tucker still isn't stepping up (except for a couple of great defensive plays this series!), but seeing Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez regain form...it gives me more hope for October than I had coming out of August.

We're now three games ahead in the second playoff spot, and only a game and half behind the Brewers for the best record in the National League. Let's continue resting that missing piece in the hopes it completes the whole in October.

Game 139 Thread: Sep 2 vs. Cardinals, 7p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.56) vs. TBD.

After Eric Lauer helped serve up five home runs to the Cardinals in yesterday's debacle, let's see if Yoshi can keep it in the yard today.

My god, we are awful sometimes.

Game 134 Thread: Aug 27 @ Braves, 4.15p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.61) vs. Chris Sale (12-9, 2.20).

Our new closer sucks, and now we've determined that our understudy closer (who was supposed to be our closer last year) also sucks. And the guy who probably will be our closer in the postseason just went on the IL with a blister issue.

What a frickin' mess.

We've lost the series and the season series, but maybe Yoshi can give us a ray of sunshine, now that Atlanta is only two games behind us in the second playoff bye spot.

Game 129 Thread: Aug 21 vs. Pirates, 7p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.60) vs. Bubba Chandler (6-8, 4.23).

Our old friends the Pirates roll into town today. They're 5.5 games out of the wild card and would have to vault four other teams to get there. But hey, a lot can get resolved in a half-hour sitcom, so who knows what can happen in a three-hour game? Or a three-game series?

(cue laugh track)

Game 123 Thread: Aug 14 vs. Brewers, 7p

Yamamoto vs. Gasser.

I have not been impressed with Edwin Diaz.

And if this end-of-season period is a way for the Dodgers to get a look at their potential postseason roster, remember that Tanner Scott was dropped from the postseason roster last year.

Diaz should go try and figure this out elsewhere. We have games we need to win right now.

Time to stop f'ing around, Diaz. And Kyle Tucker. And Teo, and Mookie, and Pages (from the plate).

Game 111 Thread: Aug 1 vs. Red Sox, 6p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-6, 2.72) vs. Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.32).

Well, after last night's debacle, caused in part by Blake Snell's laziness, tonight we have a starting pitcher who actually pitches a full season as well as extra time during the postseason: Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Blake Snell should take notes.

The Red Sox go with their own starter, so we'll see For Whom the Bell Toll(e)s.

Game 105 Thread: July 25 @ Mets, 4.15p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-6. 2.78) vs. Nolan McLean (7-6, 3.34).

Nolan McLean has a 0.75 ERA over his last four starts, with an active streak of 17 consecutive innings without an earned run. But he's going up against our 2025 World Series ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Should be a good one.

Sorry, I'm at San Diego Comic-Con. That's all I got for this GT.

At The All-Star Break, The Dodgers Are Suboptimal...And Still The Best

After getting swept by the Diamondbacks to end the first half of the season, the Dodgers certainly seemed a little lackluster and had cause to be alarmed: their offense was sleepy; Max Muncy, who has become sure-handed at third base, made 73 errors in the series; and many of our pitchers (starters and bullpen) just got beat.

But then, we still have an 11.5-game lead in the division. So there's that.

As Jared Diamond wrote in the WSJ's "A Lot Has Gone Wrong for the Dodgers. They’re Still the Best Team in Baseball Anyway.", it's not just our profligate spending which has allowed the Dodgers to thrive even with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Edwin Diaz, and Will Smith injured. And it's not just because we have deep pockets--it's because we have unsung players, polished in our development pipeline, who have filled in the gaps:

But the Dodgers’ astronomical budget doesn’t tell the whole story. Just ask the woeful New York Mets, MLB’s second-biggest spenders.

The truth about the Dodgers isn’t just that they’re the wealthiest team in baseball. They’re also quite possibly the smartest.

Under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, a former executive with the small-market Tampa Bay Rays, the Dodgers have built a player-development apparatus that is the envy of the entire industry. MLB.com ranks the Dodgers’ farm system as second-best in baseball behind the Milwaukee Brewers, even though they haven’t had a top-10 draft pick in 20 years.

In other words, the Dodgers seemingly have a limitless supply of MLB-ready replacements at every position. Coupled with their vast resources, it’s a lethal combination that has transformed them into an unstoppable juggernaut.

Take All-Star pitcher Justin Wrobleski. The Dodgers selected him in the 11th round in 2021, and he initially looked like little more than a mid-level prospect. He has turned into a savior in Snell’s absence, going 10-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 2026.

When All-Star catcher Will Smith went down with a neck injury, they turned to homegrown Dodger Dalton Rushing. He has an .812 OPS. Cuban outfielder Andy Pages signed with the Dodgers as a 17-year-old in 2018 and is now an All-Star for the first time this season.

Wrobleski, Rushing and Pages are all making around $800,000. Without them and others, the Dodgers would be more like the Mets.

“Guys have stepped up,” Roberts said. “We just find ways to win.”

So relax, Dodgers! You've earned a break this week.

That is, except Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Andy Pages, and Justin Wrobleski. All six of you have to go to Philadelphia, if only to participate in off-field festivities!

Game 96 Thread: July 11 vs. Diamondbacks, 6p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-5, 2.49) vs. Brandon Pfaadt (2-1, 4.84).

The Dodgers got snakebit last night, but tonight we go with a real starter. Let's hope for better results.

Game 90 Thread: July 4 vs. Padres, 7p

Canned Gryphon.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-5, 2.67) vs. Griffin Canning (1-5, 7.09).

The Dodgers once again turned the tables on the Padres, seemingly cruising to victory only to see those ideas get vaporized in a flash. Friday, it was at the hand of Teoscar Hernandez, whose light-hitting exploits of late became moot when he hit the game-winning, back-breaking grand slam to turn the Padres 3-0 lead into a 4-3 deficit.. That score held up, and the Dodgers won again over San Diego.

The numbers seem to favor the Dodgers based on the starting pitcher matchup. But who the heck knows, it's baseball! All I know is, I'll be there at the Stadium (with SoSG Orel!) to watch the fireworks.

Game 83 Thread: June 27 @ Padres, 5.40p

Yoshinobo Yamamoto (7-5, 2.65) vs. Randy Vasquez (6-5, 4.17).

Even after winning last night's game, the Padres are eight games back of the Dodgers.

That is all.

Game 71 Thread: June 13 @ White Sox, 1p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4, 2.68) vs. Sean Burke (3-3, 3.88).

This series with the White Sox is a good opportunity to remember former Dodger Miguel Vargas. A mediocre infielder with a negative WAR over parts of three seasons, Vargas was traded to the White Sox where he further cratered (-1.0 WAR in only 42 games) in the remainder of the 2024 season. Since then, however, Vargas has markedly improved and kept a starting position: 1.9 WAR in 2025, and he's off to a great start this year with a 2.6 WAR and a 143 OPS+.

I'm sure he's approaching this series with a bit more vigor. Hoping Yoshi can shut that down today and we can tie the series.

Game 59 Thread: May 31 vs. Phillies, 1p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Andrew Painter.

That starting matchup sounds like our Japanese ace does not support the arts. I don't think that's the case, but I hope Yoshi can paint corners himself today.

Game 53 Thread: May 24 @ Brewers, 11a

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-4, 3.32) vs. Brandon Sproat (1-2, 5.75).

The last time Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched at American Family Field, he shut the Brewers down by pitching the first postseason complete game in eight years (a 5-1 NLCS Game 2 victory). That was a heck of a lot better than Yamamoto in his regular season start that season, when he lasted two thirds of an inning and gvae up five runs, three of them earned.

Brandon Sproat has never faced the Dodgers in his two years in the majors.

That's all I got. It's early, and I'm still hung over from last night's romp. I need coffee.

Game 48 Thread: May 18 @ Padres, 6.40p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-3, 3.60) vs. Michael King (3-2, 2.63).

47 games into this season, and the Dodgers haven't yet faced the team that looks to be our prime division rival in 2026, the San Diego Padres. Heading into tonight's opener with Yoshinobu Yamamoto should give us some confidence, but Michael King isn't a pushover. And I'm sure the Petco Park faithful will be ready to cheer on their team. Let's see how this boss battle goes.

Game 42 Thread: May 12 vs. Giants, 7p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-2, 3.09) vs. Adrian Houser (0-4, 6.19).

That's three consecutive blowout losses for the Dodgers, dropping us into second place in the NL West, and I'm frickin' tired of this shit.

Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-5 with two Ks in the leadoff spot--his second straight 0-fer night--and now has one multi-hit game in his last 10 games. Glad we're only paying him $2M/year.

It was nice to see Mookie Betts back in the lineup (he went 1-for-5 and raised his average to .182), but the Dodgers' sparsely placed 10 hits weren't going to overcome our parade of ineffective relievers last night.

When does Tommy Edman get back again?

Game 35 Thread: May 4 @ Cheaters, 5p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2, 2.87) vs. Steven Okert (0-0, 4.20).

I don't care if it's May the Fourth. Screw these dirty, evil cheaters.

Game 29 Thread: April 27 vs Marlins, 7p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-2. 2.48) vs. Chris Paddack (0-4, 6.38).

Top Paddock was one of my favorite breakfast spots in Melbourne, and I used to frequent it regularly. Their coffees were exquisite and their breakfast offerings were the kind of fare that you would be proud presenting to visitors from out of town (and there were many!) who were looking to get acclimated to quality Mekbourne dining.

Anyway, I bring this all up because, I'm hoping we can Top Paddack today.

Game 23 Thread: April 21 @ Giants, 6.45p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, 2.10) vs. Brandon Roupp (3-1, 2.38).

Brandon Roupp is on fire (the Roupp! the Roupp!), with 24 Ks this year compared with the pedestrian 21 K from our own Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But the Giants are only a half-game out of the cellar in the NL West, thanks to a division-worst -21 run differential (not to mention a 3-7 home record this year, also the worst in the division).

The Dodgers had to play that stupid Monday late game in Colorado, further stacking odds against Los Angeles. The Giants had the day off to rest. At least we can take solace that it rained all day in SF.

Post-Game 18 Thread: Ohtani Notches 10Ks When He Doesn't Have To Multi-task

DODGES 8, METS 2

The Dodgers swept the Mets this series with some standout pitching performances in all three games: Justin Wrobleski opening with eight innings of two-hit, shutout ball Monday; then Yoshinobu Yamamoto going 7.2 IP with 7 Ks on Tuesday; and finally, Shohei Ohtani going 6.0 IP of 2 H, 1 ER ball (with 10 Ks) last night.

The bullpen also had admirable efforts, with Tanner Scott on Monday, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia on Tuesday, and then Treinen, Scott, and Kyle Hurt on Wednesday. Hurt gave up the bullpen's only earned run in the series, but of note as that we didn't leverage expensive off-season acquisition Edwin Diaz, who is still dealing with a knee issue that stems back to his ill-fated 2023 WBC celebration.

Dalton Rushing, in a rare DH appearance last night, hit a grand slam (another great call from Dave Roberts to put Rushing in at DH, btw) to ice the game. The Dodgers scored 14 runs this series, and held the Mets to three runs. The Dodgers have the highest run differential in the majors at +46 runs, but of note is that the Braves aren't far behind at +44 (having played one more game than the Dodgers as of this morning).

There's chatter about Ohtani's best performance of the year last night, given he wasn't also in the lineup as DH and didn't have to deal with all the between-inning chicanery that adds difficulties to his two-way performances. Blue Jays manager John Schneider is probably happy to see this potential evolution, I'm sure.