Blake Snell to the rescue
You never know what to expect when a pitcher comes back from an extended stay on the IL, but Blake Snell came back with an eye-popping 10 strikeouts in 6 IP. He walked just 1 batter and allowed 1 run on 3 hits. I'd say he exceeded expectations. Yeah, I was happy to see Mookie hit a home run, but that does not change my opinion of him: He's a super-great guy... in steep physical decline. Prove me wrong!
Blake looked healthy, wealthy, and wise last night. The Dodgers starting staff now looks like this:
Skubal
Yamamoto
Snell
Sasaki
Lauer
With Glasnow due back soon...
I also believe that Ohtani will start back up in September. I'd say that the playoff rotation is set, and with the possibility of Stone and Stewart being back at some point, the bullpen is set. There will be some really good pitchers who don't make the playoff roster. Wroboleski is gassed but, with a little rest, should be a weapon in the playoffs.
A three-peat is tough, and it's even tougher with this aging roster. I am eager to see if the Dodgers bring up DePaula and Sirota in September. It remains a possibility!
BTW: I think Mookie reads this blog! I am going to keep hammering him!
Jeff Dominique's Minor League Report
Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 13 – OKC Comets 7
This was a bullpen game for OKC, and none of the six pitchers had a good outing. They allowed 13 runs, on14 hits and 9 BB.
Down 1-0, OKC took a brief lead in the 3rd. With one out, SS Noah Miller singled, and scored on RF Zach Ehrhard’s 2-run HR, his 16th on the season.
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They doubled their score in the 4th. 2B Hyeseong Kim led off with his 2nd HR of the season. LF Ryan Fitzgerald followed with a double and moved to 3rd when C Eliézer Alfonzo singled. Fitzgerald scored on Miller’s SF.
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RHRP Bobby Miller retired the 1st six batters he faced. He went back out in the 5th, and it did not go as well. He faced 4 batters in the 5th. Single, double, walk, and double before being lifted for RHRP Ryder Ryan. The 3rd run scored on a groundout to tie the score.
Albuquerque rolled off 7 more unanswered runs through the top of the 8th.
In the bottom of the 8th, Miller had a 1-out single and scored on Alex Freeland’s 2-run HR (5).
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Albuquerque put up 2 more in the 9th off Ryan Fitzgerald. In the bottom of the 9th, Kim hit a 2-out double and scored on Fitzgerald’s RBI single.
· Zach Ehrhard – 3-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (23), HR (16)
· Hyeseong Kim – 2-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (9), HR (2)
· Ryan Fitzgerald – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (25)
· Noah Miller – 3-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI, SF
· Double – Alek Thomas (16)
· HR – Alex Freeland (5)
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Tulsa Drillers 8 – Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 7
RHSP Payton Martin pitched 2 scoreless innings. In the 3rd, with 1 out, Martin walked the next batter and balked him to 2nd. With 2 outs, he gave up an RBI single.
In the bottom of the 3rd, 1B Joe Vetrano led off with a solo HR (6). 2B Jose Izarra and DH Taylor Young both singled. LF Josue De Paula hit an infield single to load the bases. 3B Jake Gelof hit a SF for the 2-1 lead.
In the 4th, RF Kole Myers walked. C Frank Rodriguez singled with Myers to 3rd. Vetrano singled to score Myers and Rodriguez moved to 3rd, as Vetrano moved to 2nd on an error. After an out, Young had an RBI single with Vetrano to 3rd. Vetrano scored on a balk for a 5-1 lead.
Martin was still on the bump in the 5th. He allowed a leadoff double, a one out RBI double, WP, and BB before being lifted for RHRP Christian Ruebeck. Ruebeck inherited runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. He struck out the first batter he faced but hit the next batter and walked the next for a run. Arkansas cut the lead to 5-3
In the bottom of the 5th, SS Elijah Hainline hit a solo HR (11).
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In the bottom of the 6th, Young hit a solo HR (3).
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Newly acquired RHRP Jacob Kmatz pitched 2.0 scoreless innings with no hits, 1 BB, and 4K. He has been very good in all three of his relief appearances for Tulsa.
RHRP Carson Hobbs relieved Kmatz in the 8th. He gave up a single, BB, and 2 run triple to the first three batters he faced. After a pop out, the next batter reached on an error. Hobbs struck out the next batter, but the next batter hit a game tying 2-run double.
The game went into the bottom of the 9th all tied up at 7-7. In the 9th, JDP walked, CF Mike Sirota was HBP, and Gelof walked to load the bases. JDP scored on a groundout for the walkoff win.
· Taylor Young – 3-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (3)
· Jake Gelof – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 SF
· Elijah Hainline – 3-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (11)
· Joe Vetrano – 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI
Great Lakes Loons 6 – South Bends Cubs 3
It looks to be innings management time for the GL pitchers. RHSP Hyun-Seok Jang who has pitched well since the promotion to Great Lakes. He is up to 80 IP thus far in 2026 which is more than his first two years combined.
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Jang allowed a double but no runs in the 1st inning. In the 2nd inning, the first three batters went single, single, 2-run double. He then retired the side with 2 Ks. That was his outing. 42 pitches/22 for strikes.
RHRP Joseilyn Gonzalez gave up a solo HR in the third. Gonzalez, LHRP Matt Lanzendorfer, and RHRP Dilan Figueredo combined to finish the game without any additional runs.
Down 3-0, GL scored a pair in the 4th. RF Eduardo Quintero singled and one out later 2B Nico Perez hit a 2-run HR (8).
GL tied it up in the 6th. 3B Eduardo Guerrero hit a one out single and DH Jose Meza drew a BB. Guerrero moved to 3rd on a fly out and scored the tying run on an infield single by 1B Mairo Martinus.
In the 7th, the Loons took the lead for good. C Victor Rodrigues BB. CF Charles Davalan singled, but the batted ball hit Rodrigues for an out. Quintero forced Davalan at 2nd. Quintero stole 2nd and scored on SS Emil Morales’ RBI single. Morales scored when Perez slugged his 2nd 2-run HR (9) of the game.
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· Charles Davalan – 2-4, double (27)
· Eduardo Quintero – 2-4, 2 runs
· Nico Perez – 2-4, 2 runs, 4 RBI, 2 HR (9)
· Mairo Martinus – 2-4, 1 RBI
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (LAA) – Ontario Tower Buzzers 1
RHSP Cam Leiter had a fantastic start and was the Ontario star on the night. He pitched 3.0 scoreless innings with no hits, 1 BB, and 5 K. He threw 44 pitches, 25 for strikes.
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I am still very bullish about Leiter. I think he could be a good MLB pitcher.
What is becoming a very common theme for Ontario, 2 relievers allowed 5 runs in the next 3.2 IP.
Ontario scored their lone run in the 7th. SS Caleb Johnson singled and was picked off 1B. But a throwing error by the 1B allowed Johnson to get to 3rd where he scored on C Frank Espinoza’s single.
No Ontario batter had more than one hit, and the only XBH was a triple (6) by 3B Joendry Vargas.
Discussion (133)
Disagree, not disagreeable
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Per pitch profiler:
The Dodgers got Seth Halvorsen to drop his release point 3.5 inches and extend down the mound a couple more inches while gaining ride and run on his fastball due to leaving Coors.
link: https://x.com/pitchprofiler/status/2087553302477070343?s=46
Pages is really starting to get irritating in center field! Seriously, just make a play, not a Sportscenter play every single play! I sometimes wonder if the corner outfielders get irritated with him when he takes every fly ball to the outfield? Just a thought. I know centerfield is the “Captain “! Hard to believe some contender didn’t swoop up Michael W. At 35 , he is still pitching at a high level. Although, it was against a Dodger lineup not clicking on all cylinders. If I were running the Rays, (which I’m not!), I’d have been all in on him instead of Peralta. Bobby Whitt has a cannon! Will he be a Royal in 5 years? I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but that “Snellzilla” thing is borderline ridiculous! But boy he was sharp! Now I’m still in the camp of Ohtani doesn’t really need to pitch. But he will. Yamamoto. Skubal. Snell. Glasnow. Sasaki. That’s very impressive! I’m more concerned about the offense than the pitching. The new dude was impressive last night! If they get the Good Scary Henriquez to go along with him, now that’s a big deal come October! Funny thing. Doc pinch hit for Teo Monday night and it worked out great! Last night he pinch hit Teo for Ben and it worked out perfectly! Maybe Doc knows a thing or two about baseball! Maybe a little too loyal at times, but damn he’s good! Probably the best! And no, he’s not a checkbook manager! He’s just that good!
If only we could keep playing the Royals, at home, with Cy Young pitchers, we might keep winning 1 run games!
Eric Lauer best addition to 26 Dodgers.
Somebody please teach Pages the pop up slide. And every time he taps his helmet it’s a 10 k fine.
Pages again with an absolute nonsensical waste of a challenge.
From the WSJ:
"Walter has also been recovering from a stroke that he suffered during the 2024 World Series. Since then, his health status has become a source of concern within his empire, with varying opinions on whether lingering effects from it have impacted his fitness to lead his businesses, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. In an earlier statement, a spokesperson for TWG said that he has the full support of shareholders, clients and business partners. "
I may be the only one around but I really likes the Ghost Runner (Manfred’s Man) in extra innings, although I might like to see it start in the 11th. I like it because the game doesn’t drag out and because of the strategies that can be employed. The game isn’t decided in the 15th with the batboy pitching. With the moves employed these days the roster is depleted by the 9th and nobody’s left. I like the strategy, especially if the visitors don’t score the wheels really turn. Last night the Royals chose to walk Freddie to have runners at 1st and 2nd and set up a double play. Page’s nubber foiled that so the wise move was to walk em loaded. And Max delivered. I love the moves involved in trying to win at such a disadvantage. I played in some marathons and hated them. Quick finality works for me.
Wow, Snell was absolutely awesome especially the first 3 innings. I suspect Badger was enjoying his fastball up and breaking ball low and away. Nice mix with 97 at the top and his curveball was “Snappy-Tom” Nice tidy 84 pitches. Hopefully he feels good today. Wacha was no slouch. Good bullpen work with the exception of Phillips. I like Seth Halvorsen. He was thrown into the grease and answered the bell with 101. Not much nonsense here. He’s going to get you out with a fastball, mix in a nice slider…..and let’s play. I guess he has a splitter but why?
Mookie must have been reading our geriatric reports, picking up 2 big RBI. One nit-picky criticism of Mookie’s defense. He makes poor tags. He has a nasty habit of chasing throws to bases, leaving the bad and having to sweep tag. Get on the base and let the ball travel. Miggy needs a tag-teach session.
There’s not much to dislike about having Skubal followed by Snell. Good game.
Wednesday’s Dodger Affiliates' Schedule 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jacob Frost) vs. South Bend (Braylon Myers) 4:35 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Emmet Sheehan) vs. Albuquerque (TBD) 5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Adam Serwinowski) vs. Arkansas (Ryan Hawks) 6:30 p.m. PT: Ontario (Luis Carias) at Rancho Cucamonga (Trey Gregory-Alford)
First time we have won back to back games since July 29th and 30th. One of these days it would be nice to win a blowout game right from the get go, something like 12-1. Nothing is easy at this point, 2 close 1 run games with 1 going extra innings.
Boy the NL Wildcard race is so close. Cubs look like a lock but the other one is a 3 team tie between DBacks, Padres and Phillies. Going to be fun to see how that gets sorted out.
Lets get the sweep today and gear up for a 4 game series with the Brewers. Looks like we will be seeing "The Miz" in one of those games.
Another reliever to watch down on the farm is new guy Jacob Kmatz. His season stats give him the system's best WHIP at 0.91, ahead of Zazueta's 0.94. He's done this over 55 innings while striking out 76 against 10 walks. The Dodgers got Kmatz along with Hunter Feduccia for Jack Suwinski and intl bonus money. (Suwinski is good but had only a slim chance of playing in LA, and of course Feduccia is now sharing C duties until Smith gets back. Kmatz was sort of "the other guy" in the Feduccia deal, but he might turn out to be more important in the long run. Love this trade.) Speaking of relievers, it was nice to see new guy Halvorsen deliver today in his first appearance for the Dodgers. Gotta hand to it to the front office for its dexterity in stocking and re-stocking the bullpen. Another reason I like Kmatz: He's 23, so not a kid. Not too young, not too old.
Snellzilla was impressive. I expect an Ohtani-Lauer piggyback as they build Ohtani back up. I think I would have got Phillips out of there after three batters. It would be fun to see DePaula or Sirota come up. Call gave them the scrappy AB that he’s on the roster for.
Knack still looks like he is a AAA pitcher, and not ready for prime time. He got out of it, but my trust level of this guy is pretty low.
Mookie again looking like the Betts he has been most of his career. Good for Feduccia, nice homer.
The good news is we have enough pitching.
The bad news is the four organic chicken breasts I just bought at the market cost $31.
;)
10:10 PM ET
Royals (49-72) Dodgers (72-48)
SP Mason Black R 0-0 3.57 ERA SP Eric Lauer L 6-6 4.89 ERA
Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L CF Andy Pages R 1B F. Freeman L RF Kyle Tucker L SS Mookie Betts R 3B Max Muncy L LF T. Hernandez R C H. Feduccia L 2B Miguel Rojas R
74° Wind 10 mph Out LINE LAD -206
Recent released players and DFAs. Jake Rogers was DFAd by the Rangers. Skubal's favorite catcher with the Tigers. German Marquez released by the Padres. Rangers released Chris Martin. Royals released Matt Strahm Red Sox DFAd Seth Martinez. Nationals DFAd Miles Mikolas. MLB owners will vote on the Padres sale next Monday.
For those of you who wonder WHY the Dodgers might call up Sirota and/or DePaula, there is history that supports it. Here's some historical ammunition for the idea that a prospect can arrive in September, get scorching hot, and materially help a contender:
Shane Spencer, Yankees, 1998 is probably the poster child for the position-player version. Spencer exploded for 10 home runs in only 54 September plate appearances, including three grand slams. Then he hit two more homers in the ALDS. He became an instant New York folk hero on a team that went on to win the World Series.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox, 2007 was recalled on September 1 and hit .361/.390/.536 in 105 September plate appearances. He was named AL Rookie of the Month and played so well that Boston eventually put him in the starting lineup during the postseason. In Game 3 of the World Series, Ellsbury went 4-for-5 with three doubles. Boston won the championship.
Francisco Rodríguez, Angels, 2002 might be the most dramatic example of all. K-Rod didn't make his MLB debut until September 18. He threw 5⅔ scoreless innings and struck out 13 during the regular season. Then the Angels essentially said, "Fine, kid, go win us a World Series." Rodríguez went 5-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 18⅔ postseason innings as Anaheim won the championship.
David Price, Rays, 2008 was recalled in September during Tampa Bay's pennant push. The former No. 1 overall pick posted a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings over five regular-season appearances. A few weeks later, the rookie was on the mound recording the save in Game 7 of the ALCS, sending Tampa Bay to its first World Series.
Matt Moore, Rays, 2011 jumped to the majors on September 12. In his first MLB start, on September 22, he beat the Yankees. Tampa Bay was in that famous frantic Wild Card race that culminated in Game 162. Then the Rays handed the 22-year-old the ball in Game 1 of the ALDS, and he threw seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits, in a 9-0 win over Texas.
Brandon Finnegan, Royals, 2014 is another beauty. Kansas City drafted him that June and called him up on September 1. He promptly put up a 1.29 ERA with 10 strikeouts in seven innings during the Royals' fight for their first postseason appearance in 29 years. He then threw 2⅓ crucial innings in the epic Wild Card win over Oakland and contributed throughout Kansas City's run to the World Series.
Spencer is the extreme case: forget development timelines, the guy just caught fire. Nobody expected 10 homers in 54 September plate appearances.
Ellsbury may be the better philosophical comparison. Boston was already a championship-caliber club. They didn't need a rookie to save them. But when Ellsbury arrived and played better than established veterans, they played the hot hand rather than worrying about age or experience.
A September call-up doesn't have to mean:
"This kid is now our starting player for the next six years."
It can simply mean:
"For the next six weeks, who gives us the best chance to win?"
Baseball history contains quite a few cases where the answer turned out to be the kid who wasn't supposed to be ready yet.
Someone please explain to me why they want Ohtani to pitch in the playoffs if he’s healthy.
Nice win last night. Looked like vintage Mookie last night.
Can someone explain to me why Evan Phillips was throwing nothing but sweepers last night? Why are relievers these days obsessed with this pitch? Maybe this explained why the bullpen has been so mediocre the last 2 years or so? Wouldn't it be better to throw more than one pitch to mix it up a bit?
everyone really piling it on Pages for that bobble. He's had a nice season at the plate. He's young, He'll stop making those mistakes with some experience.
It was surprising to see Snell be so effective right out the gate. He had commented during his rehab that his arm hadn't felt as good as it did in years. Apparently, he wasn't just blowin' smoke. It will be interesting on how he feels today. With the large lead in the division allowed the Dodgers to not rush Snell back too soon. Hopefully, the same results will happen with Glasnow. That would be huge for the postseason! A possible playoff starting staff: Yamamoto Skubal Snell Glasnow
I'd prefer Ohtani not pitch anymore this season unless there is a major injury The above pushes Wrobleski and Sasaki to the BP which needs some stability going into the playoffs. But, as with any BP, it change quickly. Look at the Dodger BP stats in the first two months as opposed to what we are seeing now. Can the BP revert back to its beginning of the season effectiveness?
Well, Mookie surely made a statement last night. It might have been a "hold my beer" moment for Mookie. I will make the appropriate adjustments to his current WAR which I and others pointed out was heading to zero for the season. Lol. Happy to do so. I wouldn't mind adjusting his WAR upward as the season progresses.
Very much looking forward to the Brewers series. It will make a strong statement if the Dodger offense can score 4,5,6 runs against a potent Brewers pitching staff. And a chance for the BP to throw some shutdown innings including Diaz with some non-dramatic closing chances. Better yet, he won't be needed to close any games. Though that could be good or bad.
Carry on.
Dodger owner Mark Walter, after buying the Lakers last year, just sold the Lakers to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner (brother of Jared Kushner), making himself a nice little 2 billion dollar profit in 1 year.
It's clear to me that Doc is not yet managing the BP like he would in the playoffs. He is still trying to see who he can trust in high leverage situations (and who he cannot--Tanner Scott, Dryer, Phillips). I love Phillip's tenacity, but I am afraid he will need more than Aug and Sep to get used to his new arm--i.e., get the type of movement that made him a closer. Today he looks more like Kirby Yates.
Here is my guess on how the BP might stack-up for postseason play: HIGH LEVERAGE: Diaz, Sasaki MEDIUM : Henriquez, Scott, Vesia, Wrobo LOW: Phillips, Dreyer, EAT INNINGS IN BLOW-OUT WIN/LOSS: Wrobo, Dreyer, Lauer
Mark, unless someone is released, or sent down, only one of DePaula or Sirota could be called up. One position player and one pitcher is all that are allowed. And seriously, they are not bringing up two kids in the middle of a tight race. No, if anyone comes up, it will be someone who adds to the offense and pen and is not an untested kid. Back when they could bring up as many as they liked maybe, but in this era, not a chance. Betts might not be all the way back, but he is looking a lot more like himself at the plate. Three hits, one of them a clutch hit to right and a gap double to go along with the homer. A lot could have been avoided if Pages kept his head and wasn't in a hurry.
I crashed early last night, so didn't see Halvorsen pitch. How did he look to you guys (aside from the stats)?
We played rather poorly the past 10 days, and lost all of those games. The last 2 games we've played poorly at times, but managed to win these last 2. I'll take that as a good sign that it's turning around.
Of course, let's take today's W vs the easier opponent, as the big 4 game series starts tomorrow. We can't continue to play poorly vs them.