The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Posted By on July 7, 2025

The Good

  • Emmit Sheehan is Special, and I am not looking at the fact he pitched five innings and allowed one run. I am looking at the shape of his pitches, his velocity, and the fact that he is frequently out of the zone by just a bit, which induces a lot of chase. This is a guy who may be in the playoff rotation.
  • Will Klein has a lot of potential. He will get better and better.
  • Dalton Rushing may be the best catcher on the Dodgers and Will Smith is damn good!
  • Hyeseong Kim‘s defense at 2B is incredible… maybe Mookie stays at SS for a couple more years.

The Bad

  • The Dodger offense… what offense?
  • Shohei Ohtani‘s offense since he became a pitcher.

The Ugly

  • Tanner Scott has been paid and lost his edge. He signed his big deal and is fat and happy.

In all seriousness, the Dodgers are just sleepwalking… and going through the motions… and that is what they should be doing with a seven-game lead. They say, “You can’t just flip a switch.” Yes, you can!

  • Bryan Reynolds has a no-trade provision to the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, and Padres. Evidently, he is a loser and likes being on losing teams.
  • Nick Senzel is heating up at OKC. He can play 3B and LF. After being drafted #2 in the 2016 draft he has never reached his potential.
  • Bobby Miller is still a train wreck.

This article has 91 Comments

  4. LA has been swept twice at home this year, both by AL West teams. The Stros and the Angels. LA still 7 games in front of both SD and SF. Padres are getting Yu Darvish back. Nats fired GM Mike Rizzo and the manager, Dave Martinez. They also signed Luis Garcia. After these last 6 games before the break, LA faces the Brewers and Twins in LA then the Red Sox and Reds on the road up until the trading deadline.

    1. Yup last year we got swept by Cinnci and Philly….no big deal.

      Its a marathon….

    2. I like the way Blue plays when they’re three games back. Seven games up goes to our heads and we lay a rotten egg. That said, Go Blue

  5. Maybe Reynolds averse to attention? Winning clubs get more media attention and all those named clubs win more than lose. Weird.

      1. Well, that worked for the Dodgers when Rendon was a fee agent (Thank God!)…but there’s not much “Hollywood-ness” in NY, SF, SD or Toronto. I think he just doesn’t want the scrutiny a strong fan base will apply to his play…..in which case he’d better avoid Philly like the plague!

    2. Reynolds—State income tax for those New York and Calif. cities. Exchange rate in Canada ?
      Looks like just a net income issue and is he really that good?

  6. The new Top 100 Prospects is out and here are the Dodgers on it:

    #21 – Dalton Rushing
    #22 – Josue DePaula
    #26 – Zyhir Hope
    #37 – Roki Sasaki
    #46 – Mike Sirota
    #55 – Alex Freeland
    #61 – Eduardo Quintero

    Barely missing the Top 100 were Jackson Ferris, Kellon Lindsey, Joendry Vargas, and Emil Morales, Chase Harlan, River Ryan and Edgardo Henriquez!

    1. I predicted Sirota would be in the Top 100 or maybe 75. BA had him at 46. Nice!

  7. Let us pause to praise Will Smith, the catcher with the choirboy looks who has quietly edged ahead of Shohei as the team’s OPS leader, .993 to .990.
    Will’s league-leading .433 on-base percentage sits on top of his league-leading .332 BA. (Aaron Judge, as if making up for his World Series defense, leads the majors in both categories. )
    Who was the last catcher to lead a league in hitting? Was it Joe Mauer?
    Will has a big lead on the No. 2 guy, who happens to be Freddie at .307 followed by Trea Turner at .299. A closer look suggests that Will’s splits are agnostic: .350 vs lefties, .324 vs righties. (Rushing bats lefty. No platoon is needed, but Smith needs his rest.)
    Rushing has stepped up nicely as the backup catcher, but I want to see him and Will in the same lineup once in a while. More ABs will help Rushing get into a groove. His K rate was over 50% until recently. Over the past 30 days, Rushing has compiled an impressive .382 on-base percentage, while Conforto, despite recent improvement, has had an OBP of only .257.
    With Max out, the lineup against RHP could have Edman at 3B, Kim at 2B and Rushing at LF. If Freddie needs a day off, Rushing should play 1B, not Kike.
    With the trade deadline looming, I can’t help but think that Conforto’s continuing role with the Dodgers hangs with every AB and ball hit his way. If he hangs on to his job through the deadline, he could still be replaced down the stretch by Ruiz or Outman. Or maybe even Rushing, with Feduccia called up as an extra catcher.

  8. One year ago we had the following in our starting lineup:

    Biggio
    Vargas
    Taylor
    Rojas
    Kike

    Of that group only Kike started game 1 of the WS

    The team you see today will not be the same you see in October…

    1. Good point.
      And now we learn that Kike is going on the IL and Outman will be called up.
      He certainly deserves another ML stint. Here’s hoping that he brings his hot bat with him this time.
      Starting lineup vs RHP?
      Shohei DH
      Mookie SS
      Freddie 1B
      Smith C
      Pages LF
      Teo RF
      Edman 3B
      Outman CF
      Kim 2B

      BTW, Robert still seems reluctant to start Kim against lefties. That’s why he’s had only 7 ABs against southpaws.
      But in those 7 ABS, he’s had four hits, including a homer and a double.

  9. Mark, you made the following statement above:

    “Bryan Reynolds has a no-trade provision to the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, and Padres. Evidently, he is a loser and likes being on losing teams.”

    My response: Bryan Reynolds has a smart agent who advised him to only list perennial contenders. That way, when they call the Pirates this month, Reynolds has extra leverage for waiving his no-trade.

    1. I’m shocked you are the only person to bring this up. This is a very routine practice.

  11. 07/07/25 Los Angeles Dodgers designated 1B CJ Alexander for assignment.
    07/07/25 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned LHP Justin Wrobleski to Oklahoma City Comets.
    07/07/25 Los Angeles Dodgers recalled CF James Outman from Oklahoma City Comets.
    07/07/25 Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of RHP Julian Fernández from Oklahoma City Comets.

  12. Dodgers Starting Lineup

    Shohei Ohtani, DH
    Mookie Betts, SS
    Freddie Freeman, 1B
    Will Smith, C
    Andy Pages, RF
    Michael Conforto, LF
    Hyeseong Kim, 2B
    Miguel Rojas, 3B
    James Outman, CF

    Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP

    1. Good for James – Now, make it count!

      This will determine your future, James!

  13. Very easy, very fast, this game…
    It looks like the streak of pathetic games will continue for at least one more day.

  14. Did the White Sox take the Dodgers offense and pitching with them when they left town? Asking for a friend.

  16. “The Dodgers will welcome Tyler Glasnow back on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including MLB.com’s Sonja Chen). He’ll take the ball opposite veteran southpaw Jose Quintana in the series finale against the Brewers. Glasnow is on the 60-day injured list, meaning the Dodgers will need to create a 40-man roster spot within the next two days”.

  18. The Los Angeles Dodgers had a record of 55-36 going into the All-Star break in 2024, according to the Los Angeles Times. This record gave them a 7 1/2-game lead in the National League West. They also had over 50 wins for the 10th consecutive season, which is the longest such stretch in MLB

  20. the last 4 games have been excruciating to watch! But i watch. I watch every single pitch. I’m looking for a bright spot in a dark sky. this will pass, but dang it is so painful! …. Yamamoto can drive me crazy at times! teams are laying off the splitter , which is dropping below the strike zone, and hitting the fastball. Buthe probably throws 7 shutout innings in his next start! …. Don’t really know what to expect from Clayton today. the white sox just “pecked” him into submission last start. the Brewers are similar in that regard. …. I just don’t see AF standing pat with this offense. Again, i keep hearing they’re the top offense in baseball. Doesn’t seem like it to me. Mookie? not right. Freddie? not being Freddie. Ohtani? the pitching seems to have killed his hitting. Teo? bad offensively and defensively. Max? probably their best hitter except for Will. ( hurry back!). Edman? not healthy. Kim? still learning mlb pitching. ( his defense is very good!). Dalton? probably would be one of their best hitters if he played more. Kike? just let him hang out on the il till the playoffs! Conforto? it’s time. At the end of the day, they need a spark! it’s not the end of the world, they could use a little more energy in their lineup! … Pages being a dodger cost him an all star appearance. He’s got better numbers than the ped guy in san diego. so anti dodger sentiment? you better believe it!

  21. I quit panicking over things like this years ago. They are not hitting, and the pitching the last 4 games has been atrocious. So, you are going to lose when you play like that. Of more concern is Ohtani’s extended offensive slump, Mookie unable to keep a consistent bat, Freddie finding it and then losing it a game later. He is missing fastballs he usually crushes, and he is striking out a lot more. Teo and Tommy being banged up is also a concern, along with the fact that with Kike and Muncy now down, more playing time is going to be forced on the aging SS, Miguel Rojas. Maybe Miggy can handle it, he is a pro that is a given. But he has also had some hammy issues at times this year. They do not need Ruiz on the team, he has speed, but not much else, I would have brought up someone who could play multiple positions, Freeland or maybe even Michael Chavis, who has played third at the major league level. But AF is in charge, and he has way more info than I do.

  22. News from Internet:

    Dodgers World Series odds, per FanGraphs

    before Astros series: 24.1%
    now: 22.6%

    The Phillies acquired a Dodger OF minor league prospect:
    https://x.com/PhilsTailgate/status/1938809895672848894

    2022 4th rounder, Biddison is only the 3rd of 18 signed draftees to exit the org. He hit .226/.336/.360 (98 wRC+) in 223 minor league games across three levels (A+, AA, AAA).

    Future Dodgers has a big board of potential Dodger targets in the upcoming draft (picks 40/41)
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tuooytw157kjyMeY1ecRDnPq9FTGGWQOwzWSgsQpqN4/edit?gid=992370283#gid=992370283

    Lodise, Neville and Forbes lead his list.

    Jay Jaffe writes about Kershaw joining the 3000K club:
    https://blogs.fangraphs.com/at-long-last-clayton-kershaw-joins-the-3000-strikeout-club/

    “Note that Kershaw owns not only the lowest ERA- of any pitcher in the club but the lowest of any with at least 2,000 innings. Remarkably, he’s just the fourth lefty to reach 3,000 strikeouts, after Carlton, Randy Johnson, and Sabathia. I dug into that particular oddity on the occasion of Sabathia’s milestone in 2019. It’s founded in the relative scarcity of lefty pitchers….”

    New Baseball America Mock ($$$$$)
    https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-mlb-draft-baseball-america-staff-draft-3-0/

    Dodgers take Cam Leiter, high-upside arm coming off an injury. Sounds on brand.

    As per Francys Romero on Twitter:
    https://x.com/francysromeroFR/status/1939778053841780967

    Randy Maria Moya, a 20-year-old right-hander pitcher from the Dominican Republic, signed today with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    Bonus deal: $30,000.

    Originally from Cibao, Moya’s fastball touches 92–94 mph.

    David Laurila @FanGraphs talks to old friend Ryan Pepiot:
    https://blogs.fangraphs.com/lucas-giolito-kevin-gausman-and-ryan-pepiot-on-game-prep-and-conversations/

    One Dodger makes the “Noteable Risers and Fallers” for July ($$$$)
    https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/notable-risers-fallers-in-july-top-30-mlb-prospects-update/

    It’s Sasaki.

    Per Dan Valerio:
    https://x.com/DanValerio3/status/1803263210159493608

    Harlan is slashing .321/.371/.696 with 5 HR and 6 2B across 14 games. Most encouragingly, Harlan has cut his K rate down to 17.7%

    The aforementioned Jay Jaffe had a chat:
    Mookie Bats: Thanks for your recent article on Mookie Betts’s excellent SS defense. On the other side of the ledger, he’s running a 99 wRC+ and there’s not a huge difference between his .312 wOBA and his .332 xwOBA. Do we chalk this up to all that weight he lost during his March stomach illness?

    Jay Jaffe: I don’t think his illness and the weight loss can be discounted when it comes to his offense. Maybe the extra work he’s putting in at shortstop is costing him some time to iron out his offensive woes, but given the shape of the Dodgers’ roster right now, it’s been a worthwhile tradeoff thanks to his defense

    E. Sheehan: Is my control breakout real? Over 38 innings, across the majors and minors, I have 74K to 2BB

    Jay Jaffe: I think you’re misreading something. We show him with 34 K and 2 BB in 17.1 minor league innings plus 6 K and 0 BB in 4 major league innings. It’s impressive, and he’s probably one of the Dodgers’ five best starters even if he’s not being treated as such due to workload concerns. But given his 30/40 command grades from Eric, I’m going to remain skeptical until he logs more major league innings.

    Baseball America’s Hot Sheet ($$$$$)
    https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/ranking-the-20-hottest-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-7-7-25/

    #1! Is a DODGER. Emil Morales.

    Braydon Fisher was traded for Cavan Biggio. He’s doing pretty well for Toronto.
    https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/blue-jays-reliever-braydon-fisher-continues-to-dominate/ar-AA1I4Y1N?cvid=2d69bcdba9ec4b368438469c6a97cf5e&ocid=hpmsn

    “When you look at what’s made Fisher so dominant, you’ll quickly find that his slider/curveball combination has been the leading cause.

    Both pitches have a sub .212 expected batting average against, both pitches have a sub .320 expected slug% against, and both pitches return a 31% or better whiff rate. The tall right-hander also has a 4-seam fastball in his back pocket, which he uses sparingly, that has outlier traits (18″ of IVB), and a cutter, which he’s used just 3% of the time.”

  23. nobody’s panicking! we all see the same thing happening. why not michael chavis? Freeland? How many times will we watch james strike out before someone else gets a chance? Ruiz? not good. would love a line drive hitter mixed in with all the home run swingers. … would love to see Kim lay down a bunt. Would love mookie to hit some line drives instead of popping up so much. maybe doc should move Will into the 2 spot. just some thoughts. i’m sure everything will be fine. But the top 3 and conforto need to hit! then we’ll see the real dodgers.

    1. Wasn’t implying that anyone is panicking, but I see a lot of negative posts out there claiming the sky is falling. At 77 years old, I don’t sweat the small shit. Alex Diaz is being recalled no corresponding move announced yet. Former Dodger, Henry Blanco named Nats bench coach along with another former Dodger, Miguel Cairo now the interim manager. Cairo played 3 years in the Dodger system and was part of the trade for 3rd baseman Mike Blower. Blanco was in 3 games in 1997 for LA. At least 2 roster moves coming up with Diaz and Glasnow being activated. At least 3 former Dodger outfielders, Alex Verdugo, Billy McKinney and Manuel Margot are now free agents. A name from the past, Devlin Smeltzer, signed to a minor league deal with the Tigers. Smeltzer is 29, he was part of the trade the Dodgers made for Brian Dozier in 2018. One of AF’s worst deals. Of course, my least favorite, with apologies to Yasmani Grandal, who I also despise, was for Tyler White. Dude hit just .045 as a Dodger. He really sucked!

  25. Dodgers dropping like flies. All Stars playing like chumps. Getting thumped by everyone except the Chisox and Rox.

    Dodgers record against .500+ teams is 20-19. They are beating up on bad teams and are only so-so against good teams. That won’t work in October

        1. Which is why I said probably . But more times than not and only if you are in a shorter series.

          It’s a fun problem to work out

  26. Dodgers Starting Lineup

    Shohei Ohtani, DH
    Mookie Betts, SS
    Freddie Freeman, 1B
    Andy Pages, RF
    Michael Conforto, LF
    Hyeseong Kim, 2B
    Dalton Rushing, C
    James Outman, CF
    Miguel Rojas, 3B

    Clayton Kershaw SP

    Limping into the Break with this lineup

  27. Verdugo must really be an A-hole. I assumed he would get at least an 8 or 9 million dollar contract this year but it looks like being an A-hole has cost him at least 7 million this year. I know he is trending as very mediocre but the Dodgers are paying some players who are a lot worse a lot more money.
    It will be interesting to see the contract he gets next year.

  28. Someone pointed out that there isn’t a single Brewer’s player with an OPS of .800. The Dodgers had 5 in their lineup yesterday and managed 1 run. Something’s just wrong.

  30. It is beyond my comprehension as to why the Dodgers hit Conforto behind Pages all the time. Pages is still getting pitches to hit which I also don’t understand if there are two outs or if a runner is in scoring position and first base is empty.

  31. At least this game lasted 4 innings, that’s 3 more than the last few games!

  33. I’m going to the game tomorrow. I hope Dustin May can throw a complete game shutout because the Dodgers offense is still in LA.

    1. I was at the Milwaukee game Monday. At least the weather was great, and it’s an inexpensive and comfortable place to see a game. Amazingly, two adult tickets, preferred parking, and fees were only $36 total thanks to the Brewers’ Monday night pricing.

      1. Milwaukee is a great venue. One of my favorites. We considered going up for a couple of games but could not get a dog sitter on short notice, and she is leaving Sunday for a week in NY.

        I was there when Shawn Green hit 4 bombs.

        1. I hope you held on to that ticket stub Mark. Great collector’s item. Add Green’s signature to it and you have a priceless piece of memorabilia.

          Milwaukee is one of about a dozen stadiums that I haven’t visited yet. Hope to make it there next year.

  34. Kershaw pitched a quality game and the Dodgers looked like minor leaguers once again. I hope this stops soon.

    1. Kershaw was excellent, but Misioroski was fantastic. I don’t think the Dodgers looked like the Comets or Quakes in this one. Close-but-no-cigar: Mookie’s blasted one to the centerfield wall, and in clutch moments Freddie and Pages both pulled smashes down the respective lines that could have driven in runs if not for some nice defense. It’s not like they struck out or hit pop-ups.
      Because I’m rooting for Outman, I was bummed when the box score showed two Ks. Then I noticed he was far from alone–and Freddie struck out three times.
      The loss sucks, but I think the Dodgers just have to tip their caps to the rookie. And it’s a bit weird to think that Kershaw is looking more reliable than Yamamoto.

  35. Sooner or later we have to accept that Mookie is no longer a superstar but a average or below player and Kim is a star on the rise. After those sparkling defensive plays recently, I think he would be as good or better at SS than Mookie or Kike. But then what do we do with Mookie?

    1. I am not buying that. He is playing an excellent SS. He was sick early on and the effects may linger. I think he bounces back. It’s just been an off year.

  36. There is a post by Bluto above that has a lot of great info.,

    It was in jail and I just paid it’s bail,

  37. Emmet Sheehan: Piggybacking Ohtani on Saturday
    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Sheehan is scheduled to pitch in bulk relief behind Shohei Ohtani .

  38. Blake Snell: Cleared for rehab start Thursday
    Snell (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

  39. 2:10 PM ET

    Dodgers (56-37)
    Brewers (52-40)

    SP Tyler Glasnow R
    1-0 4.50 ERA
    SP Jose Quintana L
    6-3 3.44 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    DH S. Ohtani L
    SS Mookie Betts R
    C Will Smith R
    1B F. Freeman L
    RF Andy Pages R
    2B Tommy Edman S
    3B Miguel Rojas R
    LF Esteury Ruiz R
    CF James Outman L

    In Domed Stadium

    1. Teoscar Hernandez: Expected back in lineup Friday

      Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that he expects Hernandez (foot) to be back in the lineup for Friday’s game in San Francisco.

  40. 07/09/25 Los Angeles Dodgers activated RHP Tyler Glasnow from the 60-day injured list.
    07/09/25 Los Angeles Dodgers transferred RHP Michael Kopech from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Right knee inflammation.
    07/09/25 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned RHP Alexis Díaz to Oklahoma City Comets.

  41. Tuesday scores
    Oklahoma City 2, Sugar Land 1
    Arkansas 6, Tulsa 4
    Great Lakes 3, Lansing 2
    Rancho Cucamonga 10, Inland Empire 3

    Wednesday schedule
    4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Payton Martin) vs. Lansing (Wei-En Lin)
    4:35 p.m.: Tulsa (Jackson Ferris) at Arkansas (Reid VanScoter)
    5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (TBA) vs. Sugar Land (Tyler Ivey)
    6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Aidan Foeller) vs. Inland Empire (Peyton Olejnik)

  42. 2025 MLB All-Star Game: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Replaced By Reds’ Andrew Abbott

    “Yoshinobu Yamamoto was among the five Los Angeles Dodgers players selected to the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, marking his first career selection to the Midsummer Classic.Yamamoto was joined by his teammates Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman as those heading to the All-Star Game for the Dodgers.

    Yamamoto is scheduled to start the weekend before the All-Star break against the San Francisco Giants, so he won’t be available to pitch in the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, July 15”.

  43. I’m in RF seats right now. You can hear Glasnows fast ball pop in Smiths mitt from hear. Gaaaaaassssss!

  44. I watch Mookie and just feel like when he loads he’s dropping his hand too low.

  47. Tanner Scott has not been a big help this year. At least he’s been healthy I guess

  49. After the glass man finally didn’t get hurt, everything went to shit… again.

    Seriously, it even makes me laugh!

  50. The back end of the bullpen has been awful. No Treinen or Phillips. (or Kopech really). New guys (Yates and Scott) have not been consistently effective. Only Alex Vesia has been there all year and has mostly pitched well. Maybe Friedman will need a reliever at the deadline.

  51. Oh dear

    The boys need a break

    And maybe an infusion of some new blood…..

  52. I left in the top of the 9th with the Dodgers wasting another scoring opportunity. I suspected that they would blow the lead. Yep. Gut wrenching.

  54. The Dodgers have to live with Scott for 3 plus years and his 18 million per year contract. Thank God Yates is gone after this year. Suprised AF overpaid for relievers when he usually finds bargains for low risk high reward.

  55. Has FatherTime caught up wth Betts and Freeman or is this a temporary situation with their offense?

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