Game 17 Thread: April 13 vs. Cubs, 4p

Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 6.43) vs. Colin Rea (0-0, 0.00).

In Tyler Glasnow's last start in Philadelphia, Glasnow was swimming along through two innings before some rain started falling and impaired his throwing and got into his head. Glasnow couldn't even get an out in the third inning, walking a total of five batters and leaving the bases loaded so reliever Alex Vesia could enter the game and give up a dagger grand slam that put the game out of reach (the Dodgers did fight back to lose by one run, but it was still a loss).

It would be nice if Glasnow showed a little bit more backbone this time around. There's no forecast of rain today.

It's all you, Tyler.

Game 16 Thread: April 12 vs. Cubs, 6p

Roki Sasaki vs. Ben Brown.

It's another Sasaki turn. Hold on to your hats.

Game 15 Thread: April 11 vs. Cubs, 7p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1, 1.69) vs. Matthew Boyd (1-0, 0.00).

Finally, we get to play the storied team from Wrigley Field on home soil. It will be nice to see our old friend Justin Turner back at the Stadium, even if he is in a different shade of blue.

But I'm getting increasingly concerned about the bottom half of our lineup, which thankfully reduces by one slot with the expected return of Freddie Freeman to the lineup Friday. That move would be great, as it gets Kiké Hernandez and his .103 batting average out of the lineup.

That said, we're still stuck with the black hole that has been Max Muncy in 2025 (0-for 4 with 3 Ks on Wednesday, which makes it six strikeouts in his last seven AB). Andy Pages had a HR Wednesday which was nice, but he's still batting .171 and that's not even accounting for his mixed defensive play (just like Muncy).

On the bright side, the Dodgers currently have one of the best records in the majors against teams above .500 (6-2)--which should also contextualize the Giants' record as they still haven't even played a team above .500 this year (they are at the Yankees this weekend). Padres, who are ahead of the Dodgers ans Giants by a half-game, host the Rockies, so I'll expect them to still be on top after Sunday.

Game 14 Thread: April 9 @ Nationals, 1p

Landon Knack (1-0, 0.00) vs. Jake Irvin (0-0, 5.40).

Doomed to a losing roadtrip, the Dodgers try and salvage the last game of this three-game debacle in Nationals Park. And the bottom of our lineup is absolutely putrid:

• Michael Conforto (0-for-4 with 3 Ks yesterday, batting .235);
• Kiké Hernandez (HR anad a 1-for-3 outing raises his average to .111);
• Max Muncy (1-for-4 yesterday with 3 Ks, batting .190);
• Andy Pages (2-for-3 to raise his average to .162, so forgive me for not giving a shit about his meaningless HR late in the game);
• Austin Barnes (hitless for the 2025 season, and had 2 Ks yesterday).

Without Freddie Freeman in the lineup, the pain starts as early as the five-hole. We're currently in second place in the NL West despite being an impressive 6-2 against teams above 500 (the "surging" Giants, who are tied with us in the standings, have not played a winning team all year long). But this really can't go on like this.

Who's up for some serious fun today?

Game 13 Thread: April 8 @ Nationals, 3.45p

This Lord was a frogettable role in entertainment that no one saw. Let's hope for a sequel in today's game.

Justin Wrobleski (0-0, -.--) vs. Brad Lord (0-0. 4.50)

It's only Game 13, and the Dodgers are back to spot starters, thanks to Blake Snell's stint on the IL; not to mention an overworked bullpen due to Tyler Glasnow failing to keep composure during the elements, and Roki Sasaki's parade of short starts.

Justin Wrobleski gets the nod for the Dodgers. He was 1-2 with a 5.70 ERA in eight games last year.

The Dodgers have lost three of their last four games and have already made three errors on this roadtrip.

Oh yeah, and we're in second place to the Padres.

WTF.

Game 12 Thread: April 7 @ Nationals, 3.45p

Dustin May (0-0, 0.00) vs. MacKenzie Gore (0-1, 2.45).

The doubtful guests Dodgers visit Washington to face Gore(y). Will Dustin May's start be another horror show (just like Sunday's disastrous debacle, starring Andy Pages)?

Andy Pages' route from center field on Bryce Harper's leadoff double, B7, in yesterday's 8-7 loss.

Game 11 Thread: April 6 @ Phillies, 10.30a

The case of the missing H.

Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 0.00) vs. Cristopher Sanchez (0-0, 1.69).

Holy cow, this game is on early. How am I going to watch this from church?

Game 10 Thread: April 5 @ Phillies, 1p

Not exactly the opposing starting pitcher, but close.

Roki Sasaki (0-0, 5.79) vs. Aaron Nola (0-1, 8.44).

Roki Sasaki has not been good this season, beset by a combination of nervousness and wildness that has prevented him from getting into the fourth inning in either of his starts. He's given up 3 ER, 5 Ks and 9 BBs, and basically...looks like a 23-year-old pitcher competing in a foreign country on the biggest stage. Which he is!

Luckily, the Dodgers have a chance in this one, as we face Aaron Nola, who got shellacked for 5 ER in his only start this year (3/30 vs. WSH: 5.1 IP, albeit 8 Ks and 0 BB).

Game 9 Thread: April 4 @ Phillies, 3.45p

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0, 2.70) vs. Jesús Luzardo (1-0, 3.60).

Jesús Luzardo only lasted five innings in his first start (vs. Washington 3/29), giving up two ER and five hits--but struck out 11. That's almost as many Ks as Yoshinobu Yamamoto has (14) in two games and 10.0 IP.

Max Muncy and Andy Pages are probably good for at least two Ks each. So it's up to the rest of the order to see if they can pound out some hits at Citizens Bank Park today and extend this undefeated start to the season.

Post-Game 8 Thread: Ohtani Walks It Off On First 2025 Bobblehead Night

SoSG AC got there early for the bobblehead, and stayed late for the walk-off HR.

DODGERS 6, BRAVES 5

Jack Harris of the LAT had a great recap of last night's game at the Stadium, where a Shohei Ohtani walk-off HR in the ninth allowed the Dodgers to win the game 6-5, open up the year with an unprecedented 8-0 record, and sweep the Braves (who are now 0-7 on the year, notable because no team has ever started 0-7 and made the playoffs).

But what was funny was, as bad as the Dodgers were playing early, those of us who had been watching this year knew what was coming. Sure, Max Muncy made two throwing errors and three feeble at bats to start the game (Muncy did hit a two-run double in the eighth to tie the game at 5, but before we all get excited, let's remember that Muncy's hit lifted his pathetic 2025 average to .120 and his his OPS to .414 (which translates to an OPS+ of 21, 79% worse than the major league average)).

Andy Pages' dropped ball in center was also coupled with a feeble batting line (0-for-3 wwith 2 Ks, sitting on a .120 BA). And big contract Blake Snell, who only lasted five innings last start, was even worse this outing, with a 4.0 IP, 2 K night that does not portend well for the remaining 4.9 years of this contract.

But when the Dodgers are down 5-0, great things seem to happen. Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto homered for the first three runs of the comeback; Muncy got two runs across the plate in his last AB; and then Shohei hits the first pitch for a game-winning HR in the bottom of the ninth. Aaron Judge didn't even need to drop a ball in this contest; the Dodgers were capable of winning this game anyway.

Said Dave Roberts in the aforementioned LAT piece, "We had no business winning that game. But to our guys’ credit, we just kept fighting.” In eight games, we've had six comeback victories. Imagine how this team might be if we actually put all the pieces together and / or had a complete lineup (our outfield bats are still questionable outside Teoscar Hernandez, and Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup for the third straight game).

Off to our road trip!

Game 8 Thread: April 2 vs. Braves, 5.30p

Blake Snell (1-0, 3.60) vs. Bryce Elder (0-0, -.--).

The Dodgers' 7-0 start is pretty surprising, but what's more surprising is the Braves' 0-6 start. Atlanta was picked by many as one of a small handful of teams that could vie for the 2025 title--and they still might, given their lineup is not at full strength yet--but a 0-6 start might reflect bad timing (running into buzzsaws against the Padres and Dodgers, both undefeated so far) and / or bad luck.

Another loss from Elder tonight, and the Braves might face...oblivion?

The Braves are batting .137 this season with a .458 OPS, 30th in the majors (the Dodgers are .226 with a .791 OPS: 16th for average, and 8th for OPS). So the Braves, collectively, are basically Andy Pages-level offense (.136 BA, .451 OPS).

(And to be fair to Pages, that's better than Kiké Hernandez, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas, and Austin Barnes.)

Blake Snell faced 24 batters in his debut against Detroit (where he got the win, 5.0 IP with 2 ER, 2 Ks and 4 BB). We expect more from Snell's starting rotation spot. Show me, Blake!

Game 7 Thread: April 1 vs. Braves, 7p

Dustin May (0-0, -.--) vs. Chris Sale (0.0, 5.40).

Dustin May last pitched on May 17, 2023.

He returns to major league play against the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, Chris Sale.

No pressure, Dustin!

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.

Game 6 Thread: March 31 vs. Braves, 7p

Ulysses S. Grant's Home, in Galena, IL. Admission is $5 for adults.

Tyler Glasnow vs. Grant Holmes.

After a quizzical Sunday off-day, the Dodgers get back to work against an Atlanta Braves team, picked before the season as one of the teams that has the best chance to stop the Dodgers in 2025. Not yet at full strength with the returns of Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr., the Braves have opened the season 0-3 (getting swept by the Padres).

They send a guy to the mound who almost has as much hair as our starter, Tyler Glasnow. Can we go 6-0 to start the season and match the 1981 Dodgers?

P.S.: Is SoSG really going back to individual Game Threads?! (More on this, later.)

Post-Game 4 Thread / At-Game Recap: Mookie Walks It Off

DODGERS 8, TIGERS 5 (10)

Ever since the 2024 postseason, the Dodgers seem to have picked up a flair for the dramatic. The comeback series victory over the Padres in the 2024 NLDS. Defeating the Mets in the 2024 NLCS behind Tommy "Tanks" Edman's offensive outburst. Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam to win 2024 World Series Game 1. Vanquishing the rival Yankees in Game 5 following an epic collapse by New York, and an unrelenting, never-say-die Dodger tidal wave.

The second game of the home opener homestand was also fit for the dramatic, with a pre-game World Series Ring Ceremony that was special, followed by one hell of a great game on the field.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto notched a career-high 10 Ks, but was also a little inefficient, racking up 91 pitches to get through five innings of work and yielding solo HR to Dillon Dingler and former Yankee Gleyber Torres. On the other side, 2024 Dodger Jack Flaherty (who will receive his World Series ring at today's game) was carving up the Dodgers through five, on what seemed to be half the pitch count (I remember it being in the 30s during the fourth inning), one-hitting the Dodgers through five frames.

And then, a peek at the drama to come. Mookie Betts reaches with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and Freddie Freeman takes the next pitch yard, tying the game at 2. The Dodgers take the lead in the eighth on a Mookie Betts home run that was so close, it needed to be reviewed to be confirmed. And then new Dodger reliever Tanner Scott looked largely ineffective in letting Detroit tie the game in the ninth, which could have been worse if not for Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman relaying a throw to Austin Barnes, who barely got the third out at home (also reviewed, with the call on the field overturned).

In the 10th, the Tigers look to be done with two on and two out, but Dillon Dingler triples home both baserunners and the Tigers take a daunting two-run lead (5-3) into the bottom of the inning. Not good for Dodgers fans, but no fans seem to be leaving their seats.

And then, it's like the Dodgers just flipped a switch and decided to go back to Dominate Mode, opening up the video game cheat codes on a poor Tigers reliever, Beau Brieske, who was up to some Brieske business. Michael Conforto, whose ill-advised dive in the top of the inning led to Dingler's two-RBI triple, atones for his defensive error with a run-scoring double (Edman was the ghostrunner starting on second). Andy Pages, still looking overwhelmed at the major league level, grounds out for the first out (Pages was 0-for-3 and is batting .182 on the season). And that brings up Austin Automatic-Out Barnes (0-for-3 with 2 Ks in this game).

But in a stroke of brilliance, Dave Roberts pinch hits Will Smith for Barnes, which gives us a chance to win. Smith singles to left, scoring Conforto and tying the game at 5. Shohei Ohtani singes to right for his only hit of the game (1-for-4 with a walk and a K).

And that brings up Mookie Betts, still 15 pounds underweight due to this stomach illness. Mookie takes the count full and then unloads on a home run to left that wins the game with a dramatic walkoff HR. Betts, 3-for-5 with 4 RBI during this game, was exuberant and emotional rounding the bases in a way that one would have thought this was a World Series game. It certainly was dramatic.

But the Dodgers have a flair for the dramatic of late, right? Amazing to see in person (and even better that I could see the whole ring ceremony before, and then get out of the parking lot quickly thanks to a post-game drone show that I skipped).

Clayton Kershaw gets his World Series ring.

The last two games I have seen at Dodger Stadium have been Freddie Freeman's walkoff grand slam in 2024 WS G1, and now Mookie Betts' walkoff home run in the first homestand of 2025. I dont know how it gets better than this!

We're 4-0 for the first time since 1981. Let's keep it rolling, Dodgers!

Kirsten Watson, likely asking Mookie Betts post-game how he is feeling

Post-Game 3 Thread: Dodgers Win Home Opener, 5-4

DODGERS 5, TIGERS 4

For all the talk about the Dodgers' formidable, stacked, dominating lineup: today's Opening Day win was a squeaker that showed a lot of vulnerabilities in the armor.

Blake Snell only lasted five innings and earned the win despite leaving the mound with a 2-1 lead through five frames (Teoscar Hernandez' three-run HR in the bottom of the fifth rescued Snell from the loss column, putting the Dodgers ahead 4-2). Snell struggled his third time through the order--which we've obviously seen before--and needed 92 pitches to get through his five innings (Tigers starter Tarik Skubal needed only 80, and both starters ended up with 2 Ks each).

The Dodgers' bullpen was also kind of shaky, with Ben Casparius working out of a jam in the sixth; Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott each yielding a run in their innings of work; and closer Blake Treinen needing 23 pitches to sneak his way out of the ninth inning by getting Colt Keith to foul out to Freddie Freeman for the final out.

Hernandez' shot was the big bopper, bookended by Tommy Edman's second-inning solo shot and Shohei Ohtani's homer in the seventh. But Freddie Freeman was 0-for-4 and Max Muncy was 0-for-3 with 2 Ks (he is batting .100 on the year). And even with the three homers, we just eked out the one-run victory over the Tigers, who aren't a bad team, but aren't stacked like the Dodgers.

But a win is a win, I guess. Credit to my uncle for taking this photo and for staying the whole game, obviously. He'll probably be in Dodger Stadium traffic through midnight.

Games 3-5: March 27-29 vs. Tigers (Home Opening Series)

Thu 3.27 4p: Blake Snell vs. Tarik Skubal
Fri 3.28 7p: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. TBD
Sat 3.29 6p: Roki Sasaki vs. TBD

Those first two games in Japan didn't seem fully real, right? The artificial turf of the Tokyo Dome; the impossibly difficult time zone difference from Los Angeles; the lack of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in the lineup. Luckily, the Dodgers came away with two wins to start the season--and now we can open the season the right way, back at home in Chavez Ravine.

At least, we're hoping this is the right way, with the right lineup--Betts (suffering from a stomach ailment that had him lose 15-18 pounds) played in some of the Freeway Series exhibition games versus the Angels this week, though he (understandably) didn't look great.

Mookie Betts, now with his skinnier frame.

But the Dodgers' re-tooling for 2025 starts with the man on the mound Thursday, as two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell takes the mound for the Dodgers (man, that is really weird to type, and I'm sure will be even weirder to witness!). Snell, who signed a five-year, $182M deal with Los Angeles this offseason, was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA this spring across 4.2 IP. He faces Tarik Skubal, a front-runner for the 2025 American League Cy Young award. Skubal was 2-0 this spring with a 2.33 ERA across 19.1 IP.

I have been too accustomed to seeing Blake Snell's pouty demeanor on opposing teams (Rays in the 2020 World Series; Padres 2021-2023; Giants 2024) that I am going to have trouble rooting for him as a Dodger. He had better show up Thursday.

On Friday, I will be at the Stadium for the game. It might be one of the few times I can attend a game this season, so I'm really looking forward to this one. Let's go, Yoshi! (And you too, Roki, on Saturday.)

Archiving the 2024 SoSG Attendance Record, For Posterity

It's that time again, to archive the prior season's attendance record: this time, the World Championship 2024 season. It was the first season ever that the Sons were below .500 for the regular season--and look how this turned out! (To be fair, we were .500 if you include the postseason games.)

SoSG 2024 record: 5-6; 2-1 postseason

4/3 vs. SF (W, 5-4): Sax
4/15 vs. WSH (L, 4-6): Dusty, Orel, Sax
5/6 vs. MIA (W, 6-3): AC, Sax
5/16 vs. CIN (L, 2-7): AC, Sax
6/12 vs. TEX (L, 2-3): Sax
7/5 vs. MIL (W, 8-5): Sax
7/21 vs. BOS (W, 9-6): Sax
7/24 vs. SF (L, 3-8): Sax
8/24 vs. TB (L, 8-9 (10)): Sax
8/29 vs. BAL (W, 6-3): Orel, Sax
9/9 vs. CHC (L, 4-10): Sax

10/5 NLDS G1 vs. SD (W, 7-5): Sax
10/6 NLDS G2 vs. SD (L, 2-10): Orel, Sax

10/25 WS G1 vs. NYY (W, 6-3 (10)): Sax

I still get chills thinking about that last attended game, World Series Game 1. Wow.

Prior SoSG attendance records: 2008 (18-15), 2009 (21-10), 2010 (9-8), 2011 (10-7), 2012 (24-18), 2013 (24-16), 2014 (22-12), 2015 (27-13), 2016 (10-5), 2017 (27-13) 2018 (12-9), 2019 (10-5), 2020 (0-0), 2021 (4-3), 2022 (4-4), 2023 (5-5).

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.

Games 1-2 Thread: Tokyo Series vs. Cubs (March 18-19)

Lots of open mouths here. Whatever happened to nose breathing?

Tue 3.18: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Shota Imanaga, 3a
Wed 3.19: Roki Sasaki vs. Justin Steele, 3a

It's finally time for Dodger Baseball, and it's awful early in the day here in Los Angeles. But I'm totally excited to get up and watch the Dodgers defend their World Series Championship by facing off against the Cubs in the Tokyo Dome. And just in time, Spectrum is finally allowing a subscription streaming service, which should open the Dodgers up to all those cord-cutting fans in the Los Angeles market.

The only bad news? Mookie Betts' recent diet plan (drop 15 pounds in short notice!), a.k.a. the flu he's been fighting since leaving for Japan last week, has knocked our new shortstop off the roster for these two games in Japan. I guess that puts more pressure on that other guy to carry the load. (No, not Freddie Freeman; he did his part during the 2024 World Series!).

I'm going to try and get up at 3a and watch this puppy. Come join us on this GT!

LET'S GO, DODGERS!