At the 100-game mark, the Dodgers are the best team in baseball. No question. With the players they have coming back, they will get even better. Other teams can improve, but not enough! Even after the trade deadline, the Dodgers are in a class of their own. However, there's that "crapshoot thing" called the playoffs. You have to be lucky and good!
Dodgers Minor League Report – July 19, 2026
The Dodgers’ affiliates split four games Sunday, with Oklahoma City pitching a shutout and Ontario exploding for 11 runs. Easton Shelton supplied the day’s biggest performance, collecting five hits, two home runs and five RBI.
Player of the Day: Easton Shelton
Easton Shelton had the kind of game that distorts a stat line.
The 6-foot-5 first baseman went 5-for-6 with two home runs, a double, four runs scored and five RBI in Ontario’s 11–5 victory. Shelton reached safely five times and accounted for nine total bases.
Oklahoma City Comets 10, Tacoma Rainiers 0
The Comets were scoreless through five innings before erupting for 10 runs over the final four frames. Oklahoma City finished with 16 hits while Cole Irvin and three relievers combined on a four-hit shutout.
Ryan Fitzgerald turned in a perfect afternoon, going 5-for-5 with a double, two RBI, two runs and a stolen base.
Austin Gauthier went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, while Zach Ehrhard added a two-run homer, walked and stole a base. Chuckie Robinson also homered.
James Tibbs III entered the game and doubled in his only at-bat, later scoring a run.
Ryan Fitzgerald: 5-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB
Austin Gauthier: 3-for-5, HR, 3 RBI
Zach Ehrhard: 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R, SB
Ryan Ward: 1-for-3, RBI, 3 BB, 2 R
Hyeseong Kim: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 BB
James Tibbs III: 1-for-1, 2B, R
Chuckie Robinson: 1-for-5, HR
Kiké Hernández: 1-for-5, K
Irvin allowed four hits and one walk over six scoreless innings, throwing 49 of his 82 pitches for strikes. Wyatt Mills, Nick Robertson and Nick Frasso each followed with a perfect inning.
Pitching:
Cole Irvin: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Wyatt Mills: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Nick Robertson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Nick Frasso: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Frisco RoughRiders 6, Tulsa Drillers 4
The Drillers carried a 4–2 lead into the bottom of the eighth, but their bullpen surrendered four runs and turned a potential series-ending victory into a 6–4 loss.
Christian Ruebeck began the eighth and faced three batters without recording an out. He allowed two hits, a walk, a wild pitch and three earned runs. Kelvin Ramirez entered with the bases loaded and allowed two inherited runners to score before completing the inning.
Mike Sirota led the Tulsa offense, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Zyhir Hope reached base three times, drove in a run and stole two bases.
Hayden Gilliland hit a two-run home run in the second inning.
Mike Sirota: 3-for-4, 2 2B, R
Zyhir Hope: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB, R
Hayden Gilliland: 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
Taylor Young: 1-for-3, BB, SB, R
Josue De Paula: 0-for-5, 2 K
Kendall George: 0-for-4, BB, K
Wyatt Crowell gave Tulsa four solid innings, allowing only one run on one hit. He walked three and struck out four.
Pitching:
Wyatt Crowell: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K
Myles Caba: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB
Carson Hobbs: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Christian Ruebeck: 0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB
Kelvin Ramirez: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Great Lakes Loons 6
Jakob Wright’s command deserted him, and the Whitecaps scored eight times in the first two innings. Wright allowed seven runs on three hits and five walks while recording only four outs.
The Loons’ bullpen gave the offense a chance to rally. Joseilyn Gonzalez, Matt Lanzendorfer, Justin Chambers, Dilan Figueredo and Robby Porco combined to allow no earned runs over the final 7⅔ innings.
Great Lakes scored twice in the sixth and four times in the seventh but could not completely erase the eight-run deficit.
Charles Davalan led the comeback, going 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Eduardo Quintero reached base twice, scored and drove in a run, while Emil Morales supplied two RBI.
Charles Davalan: 2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R
Eduardo Quintero: 1-for-3, BB, RBI, R
Emil Morales: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Jose Meza: 1-for-4
Victor Rodrigues: 1-for-4, R
Jose D. Hernandez: 1-for-3, BB, R
Logan Wagner: 0-for-4, 2 K
Cameron Decker: 0-for-4, 2 K
Pitching:
Jakob Wright: 1⅓ IP, 3 H, 7 R, 5 BB, 1 K
Joseilyn Gonzalez: 1⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 K
Matt Lanzendorfer: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Justin Chambers: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Dilan Figueredo: ⅓ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Robby Porco: 1⅔ IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Ontario Tower Buzzers 11, Lake Elsinore Storm 5
Ontario collected 14 hits and scored in five consecutive innings, building a 9–1 advantage before Lake Elsinore briefly made the game interesting with four runs in the seventh.
Easton Shelton was unstoppable, going 5-for-6 with two home runs, a double, five RBI and four runs scored.
Joendry Vargas also had a perfect day at the plate, finishing 3-for-3 with a double, two walks and a stolen base. He reached safely in all five plate appearances.
Easton Shelton: 5-for-6, 2 HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 4 R
Joendry Vargas: 3-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB, R
Jaron Elkins: 2-for-5, BB, RBI, R
Mairoshendrick Martinus: 2-for-6, 2 R, SB
Ching-Hsien Ko: 1-for-5, BB, 2 R
Landyn Vidourek: 1-for-4, BB, RBI
Conner O’Neal: 0-for-2, 3 BB, RBI
Oswaldo Osorio: 0-for-3, BB, RBI
Brady Smith limited the Storm to one run over 4⅔ innings, striking out five. Luis Carias struggled in the seventh, allowing four runs while recording two outs, but Edwin Díaz, Dailoui Abad and Jose Vasquez combined for three scoreless innings to finish the game.
Pitching:
Brady Smith: 4⅔ IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Jhonny Jimenez: ⅓ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
Edwin Díaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Luis Carias: ⅔ IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Dailoui Abad: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Jose Vasquez: 1⅓ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
DSL American League All-Stars 7, DSL National League All-Stars 6
Three Dodgers prospects appeared for the National League squad in the Dominican Summer League All-Star Game.
Helvin Mendoza entered as a substitute, drew a walk and scored a run. Fran-Jean Haseth struck out in his lone plate appearance.
Right-hander Tom Apfelbaum threw only two pitches. He allowed a single before inducing a groundout to complete one-third of a scoreless inning.
Dodgers representatives:
Helvin Mendoza: 0-for-1, BB, R, K
Fran-Jean Haseth: 0-for-1, K
Tom Apfelbaum: ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Sunday’s Standouts
Easton Shelton: 5-for-6, two home runs, double, five RBI
Ryan Fitzgerald: 5-for-5, double, two RBI
Joendry Vargas: 3-for-3, double, two walks
Austin Gauthier: Three hits and a three-run homer
Mike Sirota: Three hits and two doubles
Charles Davalan: Two hits and three RBI
Cole Irvin: Six scoreless innings
Oklahoma City bullpen: Three perfect innings, four strikeouts
Discussion (107)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Injury Report Edwin Díaz: Has made a couple of appearances with Class A Ontario, pitching two innings, striking out four. He will need to pitch in consecutive games before he is activated. Tyler Glasnow: His back has been an issue all season. He is throwing only fastballs at the moment. Kiké Hernández: Is on assignment with triple-A Oklahoma City and could return when the Dodgers return home from their current trip. Shohei Ohtani: Has been shut down from pitching because of swelling in his left knee. Timetable for his return as a pitcher remains murky, but he can still hit. Will Smith: Out until at least mid-August. His return is pivotal for the Dodgers, because they don’t want to go into the postseason with just Dalton Rushing to count on behind the plate. Blake Snell: Began a rehab assignment in triple A on Saturday and will probably need to make at least three more starts there before he is ready. Blake Treinen: On the IL since June 20 because of a sore elbow, he is slowly working his way back. As for the other guys on the IL, Ben Casparius, Brusdar Graterol, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, it would be miraculous to get meaningful contributions from them this season.
On a positive note. Edman 9 game hit streak
And Knack is just Sheehan light
OK. What has MLB done to the baseballs again?
End of the line for Sheehan! Another 93 mph center cut fastball hammered.
Haven't given up on this game yet
OK not sure what The dodgers will have to give up But we have to get Skubal, It would be nice for A3P and a parade in LA And a d*** good shot for 2027 World Series
It’s because he can’t locate his fastball. Same with Roki but he throws 102. At 94/95 Sheehan can’t get away with it. Rushing is now in full backup catcher status. Way too much swing and miss. He’s just overmatched against good pitching and he’s no defensive stalwart. Tonight is why Phillies scare me in October. If they were to add Skubal to Sanchez and Wheeler, then we are very vulnerable.
To the subject of Mark's AI aided post, 2/3 is AMAZING. If the team went 2/3 for the length of the season they would win 105 games (math FTW) and would post a top20 all time record.
Sheehan has become an off-speed pitcher. Best pitch is a slider. He'll be a valuable and versatile reliever for us in the postseason. Right now he is just helping pull down innings in the rotation.
Sheehan has to be the first SP to be sent out once Snell and/or Glasnow get activated. I give him credit for taking the ball every six days, but his game isn't big league right now.
MLB trade deadline 2 weeks from today. Detroit is 4.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot, behind 5 other teams.
In the just published Baseball America new Top 30 (post draft), SS Bo Lowrence debuts at #12, and RHP Russell Sandefer debuts at #22.
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7:10 PM ET Dodgers (63-37) Phillies (55-45) SP Emmet Sheehan R 4-6 4.81 ERA SP C. Sanchez L 11-4 2.62 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L CF Andy Pages R 3B Tommy Edman S 1B F. Freeman L SS Mookie Betts R 2B Miguel Rojas R LF T. Hernandez R RF Alex Call R C D. Rushing L 82° Wind 7 mph Out LINE PHI -149
Apparently, Cody Bellinger was close to re-signing with LAD. I apologize if this has been brought up before, but I just came across the story. Bellinger’s daughters are about to start school, and he wanted long term security, which the Dodgers were not willing to give him. So, the Dodgers paid Kyle Tucker $240MM for 4 years instead of Bellinger $162.5MM for 5 years. Mark this one down in the AF miss column. Not many, but there are misses.
I really enjoyed this Yankee series. I’m looking forward to the Phillies series. I think this Phillies team is formidable and will be around, big time, in September, if they stay healthy. Badger mentioned that Mookie and Teo have looked lost. I see the same again for Kyle Tucker who is struggling again, after showing some signs of improvement. I wonder how much his swing was subtly affected by the hairline fracture he had in his right hand in June of 2025? That looks like about the time he started sliding downward. He hit .218 in July of 2025. He fell into a 38-game stretch in which he hit .189 with just four extra-base hits (including one home run) and 26 pull-side ground ball outs. July thru October, 2025, he hit .225. after hitting .290 in March - June. He does have an unusual swing, as we have previously discussed here. It’s long and right now he drops his barrel a lot. Long swings can be inconsistent and it’s easy to get out of sync and make inconsistent contact. ALERT - if you’re not interesting in my breaking down swing mechanics - STOP HERE! I have watched his swing from the side a lot to try to figure out why it looks odd and see 2 things that are very different from typical hitters, besides the dropping barrel. His right arm is long at load so his hands are unusually far back, away from the pitcher, when he loads. It makes a long path to get his hands to the baseball. And I just noticed why his swing looks stiff and lacks “snap”. He is a “block rotator”. He lacks the normal separation with his lower and upper body, as he swings. That is seen in many youth pitchers. Their whole body rotates in unison as they throw. As they rotate to throw the ball their hips don’t lead and the upper body doesn’t stay coiled and closed, like a spring. (Aroldis Chapman is the poster child for great separation. At foot strike, he’s wound up like a coiled spring waiting to explode. His belly button is facing the batter while his back is turned to the plate) Hitters, like Tucker, can block rotated too. From the side, Tucker’s hips and upper body lack the usual, natural separation as he rotates through the swing. His hips don’t fire open while his top half stays closed. To me, that’s why his swing looks so odd. So this unusual move combined with his hand injury may be causing him to be a .240 hitter. I may be full of shit but that’s what I see.
The Dodgers traded RHRP Nick Frasso and OF Landyn Vidourek to Colorado for RHRP Seth Halvorsen. Halvorsen has been optioned to OKC. It is a head scratcher for me, but worth a shot. I am not sure what Halvorsen offers, but somebody sees something, and that has worked before. Neither Frasso or Vidourek figured to make LAD this year or any time soon.
Aaron Nola is not the Phillies 3rd best pitcher. That role belongs to Jesús Luzardo. The Phillies decided to roll with just one of their 3 pitchers against NYM and set up the other two with the Dodgers. That is because the Phillies have just three pitchers…Zach Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo. That’s it. Their next three are Nola, Andrew Painter, and Alan Rangel, a 28-year-old RHP is still in his rookie year. He started Sunday and lost. He did pitch 11.0 innings last year and is up to 23.1 this year. • Nola – 20 starts – 5.68 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .278 BAA • Painter – 12 starts – 7.06 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, .316 BAA • Rangel – 3 starts – 5.40 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, .269 BAA A much-maligned pitcher here, Emmet Sheehan, would be welcomed in Philadelphia. He would slide in as their #4.
Just a Tower Buzzer.... but could Easton Shelton be the real deal? The early reports was that he was a feast-or-famine power hitter. A bunch of HRs but way too many strikeouts. Then the later reports show multiple-hit games, which suggests he is making more contact and cutting down on the Ks. Love the fact that Dodgers signed him as an UNDRAFTED free agent out of high school. That means 29 other teams could have nabbed him. Now he's putting up numbers that compare favorably to high draft picks and international signees with fat bonuses. Just a fun prospect to dream on.
Your missing an all star Wrobo
It was reported that Glasnow threw a bullpen session over the weekend. He's been out with back spasms, which is a somewhat vague term. I don't know if the spasms indicated something more fundamental, like a disc? Who knows? But I see no reason why he won't ramp up his throwing and eventually return to the ration in time to stretch out and get fine tuned by the time the playoffs roll around. Was Kershaw out the entire year when he had his back issues? The same can be said about Snell, who, according to some reports I've read here, is pretty thrilled with the early pain free sharpness of his pitches. Snell is a stud. Glasnow, when he went out, was 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA and an 11.12 K/9 % and was in early conversations as a top NL Cy Young candidate this year. When both healthy, they're both studs. Skubal is just a little bit studlier. He's at the upper tier of stud. Would that additional level of studliness help the Dodgers in their bid to threepeat? Of course. How much, though? And is it worth the cost? Is it even realistic from a roster standpoint? The current Word Series winning odds are as follows (excuse the AI formatting. I was lazy here and copy/pasted): | Team | Approx. World Series Chance | | -------- | --------------------------: | | Dodgers | **18–22%** | | Yankees | 11–14% | | Mariners | 9–11% | | Phillies | 8–10% | | Braves | 6–8% | | Cubs | 5–7% | | Astros | 4–6% | | Tigers | 4–6% | The Dodgers are in relatively good shape. But also think about it another way. The Dodgers have about an 80% chance of getting knocked out of the playoffs or WS and going home in disappointment in spite of the fact they have arguably the best team in baseball. Understanding this is relevant if you want to consider the tradeoffs of getting Skubal. So, our likely current playoff rotation (remember, a playoff rotation is typically your four best starting pitchers) is as follows: Ohtani Yama Snell Glasnow Maybe Ohtani's knee is bugging him still, although I can't see a scenario where he isn't dragged kicking and screaming off the mound to only DH in the playoffs. Maybe Glasnow has a setback, which is a possibility. Maybe Snell has a setback. But also, assuming that they are healthy, which is most likely, they are all under expensive long term contracts as frontline starting pitchers - and they're all really good at it. If you get a Skubal, do you put one of these four in the bullpen, a role to which they are unsuited? And, BTW, any scenarios hypothesizing Skubal in a five or six man rotation like I read from Mark recently - as impressive as that looks on paper - is totally irrelevant. The Dodgers wouldn't be getting Skubal for the regular season. Just purge those thoughts from your mind. That doesn't matter. The playoffs are a given at this point. You're getting Skubal for 5 or 6 starts in this year's playoffs. That's it. That's what the trade comes down to, those 5 or 6 starts. So, would those 5 or 6 starts really matter? Actually, they kind of would. According to my totally infallible and non hallucinatory AI research into this subject, adding Skubal to the playoff rotation would increase the Dodgers World Series winning chances 2-3% points. I mean, that's not insignificant, though still relatively small in the grand scheme of things. So, the Dodgers chances of winning it all go from around 20% to around 22-23%. Plus, they'd have the option to insert Skubal - a true difference maker and absolute stud - into key games. He really becomes the Dodger's ace. It's a tempting option.
It worked
I hit the save button
You are now able to save your name and e-mail without having to type it every time... allegedly.
Katie Woo’s latest says latest news from AFvand company is not focuses on major league catching or Skubal https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7457108/2026/07/20/dodgers-trade-deadline-plans/ But things could change!
Crapshoot- an event completely dependent on luck and/or chance. AF and I both agree they the playoffs are not a crapshoot. Ok sure, luck and chance could play a minimal role. And the best team does not always win. But the reasons are usually definable. I may be splitting hairs. But alternative viewpoints are the life blood at LADT. Book em
I am beginning to believe that they are indeed going to be more or less forced to trade for a front-line starting pitcher. I do think that Wrobo should be in the mix. One reason is the kids mind set. He goes out and attacks hitters. Ryan Yarbrough had the Dodger hitters very out of whack yesterday. Nice to see Tommy Tanks come off of the bench and at least tie the game.
“Dodgers must confront mound of a problem” “Ohtani’s knee troubles may force team to face future without two-way star pitcher.” “What if the Dodgers never get a full season from Shohei Ohtani.” Just a few lines from this morning’s paper. Of the four starting pitchers they would plan to use in the playoffs - Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow and Ohtani, Yamamoto is the only one pitching in the Majors right now. What have I been saying for months now. It’s not “gotta get Skubal or else” but it sure looks like gotta get somebody just in case. Dónde está Fred? Y STB? (Jefe) Y patch? So many great contributors over the years. Venice Glen. SLO Tim. Wrecks. Gonzo. TO Dave. And others. Even those with whom I crossed word swords. I miss those people. Sure is hot out there these days. And wet. But only 80s in Philly. However, it does looks like rain.
Yes it was a good weekend winning 2 out of 3 against the Yankees. Looks like a tough series in Philadelphia as we have to face there top 3 pitchers. All 3 games at 6:40 EST Sheehan - Sanchez Lauer - Wheeler Wrobleski - Nola