ohtani

MINNEAPOLIS — The series finale between the Dodgers and Minnesota Twins featured a marquee pitching matchup between Shohei Ohtani and Joe Ryan. But the Dodgers’ 4-3 win on Wednesday wasn’t quite the pitcher’s duel it was advertised to be, in front of the Twins’ first sellout crowd of the season at Target Field.

The Dodgers offense had eight hits against Ryan, tied for the second-most he’s allowed in a start this season, and four runs in six innings. And Ohtani gave up three runs (two earned) and five hits.

Ryan won the first battle — the one against Ohtani the hitter to lead off the first inning.

Ohtani roped a first-pitch fastball to right field, clocking an exit velocity of 110.7-mph, into the glove of Twins outfielder Kody Clemens. That was part of a three-up, three-down first inning for Ryan. Ohtani countered with a hitless first inning of his own on the mound, but with a walk.

In the top of the second, Mookie Betts’ solo homer gave the Dodgers (52-29) an early lead. The 300th home run of Betts’ career was part of a three-hit day for the shortstop, a triple shy of the cycle.

The Twins’ offense responded.

Their first run was the result of a passed ball. Ohtani gave up singles to three of the first four batters he faced in the second inning, to load the bases. Then, Ohtani threw a first-pitch fastball inside to Ryan Kreidler. It got past catcher Dalton Rushing, who seemed to expect a different pitch, and the ball rolled out of play to tie the score.

Rushing, in his first game back in the lineup after being removed Monday to rule out a concussion, huddled with Ohtani and pitching coach Mark Prior on the mound to debrief.

Ohtani then gave up a two-run single to Kreidler before striking out Trevor Larnach to end the inning.

It was a good thing Ohtani, who went 2-for-5 on Wednesday, had lobbied to hit and pitch. Dodgers No. 9 hitter Alex Freeland led off the third with a double. Then Ohtani sent a ground ball up the middle to give himself some run support.

That started a three-run rally for the Dodgers. Max Muncy later drove in Ohtani, and Alex Call contributed a sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers a lead again.

Twins left-hander Anthony Banda, who received his World Series ring Monday from a gaggle of his former teammates, took over for Ryan in the seventh.

Ohtani was the first hitter he faced. And Banda struck him out on a fastball that barely clipped the outside corner — and was initially called a ball, before a successful ABS challenge by Twins catcher Victor Caratini.

Banda then hit Andy Pages with a pitch and gave up a single to Freeman. But he escaped unscathed, stranding them at the corners.

The Twins threatened in the seventh and eighth, but Dodgers right-hander Kyle Hurt overcame a pair of walks, and left-hander Alex Vesia navigated a pair of singles to hold the score. Closer Tanner Scott secured the save.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell.

We received more than 500 questions for Justin Turner after putting out the plea a couple of weeks ago, which is a record. (Some were the same question asked by multiple people.) I selected a few, and Turner answered them via email between games with the Tijuana Toros.

Mark Haendel in Santa Monica asks: Any ideas of staying in baseball after you actually retire? Coaching, managing, college or pro level, etc.?

Turner: I will definitely stay in the game in some capacity. I love it too much and my son loves being around it too much to step away.

Kristen Lazalier in Norman, Okla., asks: Please share three favorite memories of your years with the Dodgers. Thank you for always bringing such passion and joy to your play — both on and off the field!

Turner: It would have to be winning the World Series in 2020. Winning the Roberto Clemente Award in 2022. The walk-off homer in the NLCS and winning the fan vote for my first All-Star Game in 2017.

Chris Nayve asks: What is your go-to mindset or thought that helps you when things get challenging in baseball or just in life?

Turner: The best thing is just to simplify things and not try to do too much. Take the results out and trust the process. Live in the moment and control what is in front of me.

Robert Scott Wallace asks: First and foremost, I wanted to thank JT and his wife for all the good they do for the city of Los Angeles. A basic question: Who is the toughest pitcher you had to ever face in the big leagues and why?

Turner: Felix Hernández was the nastiest. Cliff Lee and Tyler Glasnow, after the 2020 World Series, own me. (Editor’s note: Turner was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Hernández, one for 20 against Lee with four strikeouts and 0 for 11 against Glasnow with 10 strikeouts.)

Paul Mihalow asks: Did anybody on your MLB teams ever complain about the “pine tar” on the back of your jersey — like clubhouse managers or laundry guys?

Turner: No. I asked the clubhouse guys and they said it was actually very easy to get out every night.

Jeff Plotkin asks: Who were some of your favorite teammates?

Turner: That’s a tough one. I get along great with just about everyone. But my favorite baseball guy of all time is, hands down, Chase Utley.

Gabriel Ortega asks: What is one lesson you’ve learned from fatherhood that has surprised you the most, and how has it changed the person you are both on and off the field?

Turner: Being a dad definitely taught me patience and understanding. That just because i know what I’m saying or asking doesn’t mean Bo or anyone else does. Sometimes you have to get creative to get your message across.

Robert Shannon asks: Where does the 2004 College World Series championship with Cal State Fullerton rank on your career highlights?

Turner: That has to be way up near the top. That’s one of the hardest tournaments to win and that was always a special group of guys.

Marshall Fong asks: What adjustments did you make as you aged to remain a competitive player?

Turner: The biggest thing is time management and learning how to get my work in that needs to be done without killing myself and my energy for the game.

Thanks again to Turner for taking the time to answer reader questions.

Andy Pages has a burden

Last week, colleague Liana Handler wrote a nice story on Andy Pages and the struggle he has as his family lives in Cuba. He is unable to see them and sometimes he can’t get reach them on the phone, which is when the fears really loom large.

A few key passages from Handler’s story:

Unlike his teammates — both American and those on visas — Pages is distinctly cut off in the United States, where he lives with his wife, Alondra, but is separated from his parents and sister in Mantua. The third-year Dodgers center fielder is making $800,000 this year but can’t spend his money on flights home or on bringing his family to the country where he plays baseball. The tense relations between the U.S. and Cuba — the Trump administration has imposed economic sanctions and made diplomatic threats — don’t allow for that.

“I haven’t found any way that gives me that tranquility and peace,” he told The Times in Spanish two weeks ago. “Because the way things are there, what’s always on your mind is that it could happen. Anything, any time. And I have all my family in Cuba. So, you have to live with that worry all the time.”

Most of Pages’ family can only listen to his baseball games on the radio or through fuzzy images on the television.

No one understands that more than Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas. A Venezuelan immigrant, Rojas said he felt a personal responsibility for Pages, who is caught between wanting to speak more about the situation and being guarded because of his budding career and the fact that he’s not yet eligible to be a free agent.

“We need to preserve our job, because this is our only way to make an income, and a lot of us are the head of the family, so we got to continue to think about it that way,” Rojas said. “I would like to be more vocal and be a little bit more present for my community, but it’s really hard because I’m performing my job, and if I stop doing this, I don’t know how to do anything else.”

As Rojas describes, it is not easy to focus on your job when you see people you know at home suffering.

“We are here to perform and actually provide entertainment to people, and sometimes we are seen like that,” he said. “The problem is when the lights are off at night, when you have to go home, when you become a regular human being that is on the streets.”

The story is well worth your time and can be read here.

Perfect Father’s Day present

Shohei Ohtani missed Friday’s game to be present for the birth of his second child with his wife, Mamiko.

“We are again overjoyed to experience this wonderful day in our lives together,” Ohtani said on Instagram. “Thank you for being born safely. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey.”

Injury updates

—Will Smith has an inflamed disk in his neck and recently had an injection there to help reduce it. The earliest he will be back is Friday, as he is not going on the team’s trip to Minnesota.

—Teoscar Hernández will begin a rehab assignment in triple-A this week and could be back before the end of the month.

—An MRI on Blake Treinen‘s elbow showed no structural damage, so he should be back as soon as he can come off the 15-day IL.

—Reliever Edwin Díaz is progressing well and remains on track to return after the All-Star break.

—Reliever Evan Phillips has pitched in six games for triple-A Oklahoma City. In 5-1/3 innings, he has given up five hits, walked four and struck out five. He should return in early July.

—Reliever Brock Stewart could be activated before today’s game against Minnesota. If not, then sometime this week.

These names seem familiar

How notable players who were with the Dodgers the last couple of seasons are doing with their new teams (through Sunday). Click on the player’s name to be taken to their full stats page:

Anthony Banda, Twins: 2-0, 4.22 ERA, 2 saves, 32 IP, 26 hits, 14 walks, 29 K’s, 104 ERA+

Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .276/.370/.473, 324 PA’s, 15 doubles, 3 triples, 11 homers, 49 RBIs, 133 OPS+

Walker Buehler, Padres: 4-3, 3.96 ERA, 72.2 IP, 73 hits, 23 walks, 65 K’s, 105 ERA+

Mike Busch, Cubs: .247/.377/.396, 337 PA’s, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 42 RBIs, 122 OPS+

Michael Conforto, Cubs: .222/.328/.434, 116 PA’s, 9 doubles, 4 homers, 13 RBIs, 116 OPS+

Justin Dean, Cubs: .500/.500/1.500, 2 PA’s, 1 triple, 3 RBIs, 443 OPS+

Caleb Ferguson, Reds: 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 12 IP, 10 hits, 5 walks, 12 K’s, 302 ERA+

Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 1-8, 5.35 ERA, 65.2 IP, 69 hits, 34 walks, 78 K’s, 81 ERA+, on the IL

Kenley Jansen, Tigers: 1-3, 4.00 ERA, 9 saves, 18 IP, 10 hits, 10 walks, 22 K’s, 110 ERA+

Craig Kimbrel, Rays: 0-2, 5.50 ERA, 18 IP, 19 hits, 8 walks, 18 K’s, 78 ERA+

Gavin Lux, Rays: on the IL

Dustin May, Cardinals: 5-6, 4.30 ERA, 83.2 IP, 78 hits, 22 walks, 77 K’s, 94 ERA+

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .177/.272/.259, 171 PA’s, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 11 RBIs, 48 OPS+

James Outman, Tigers: .169/.238/.286, 84 PA’s, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 5 RBIs, 44 OPS+

Joc Pederson, Rangers: .237/.333/.419, 235 PA’s, 7 doubles, 2 triple, 9 homers, 25 RBIs, 119 OPS+

Luke Raley, Mariners: .241/.303/.503, 210 PA’s, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 14 homers, 35 RBIs, 126 OPS+

Ben Rortvedt, Mets: in the minors

Corey Seager, Rangers: .186/.284/.373, 204 PA’s, 6 doubles, 9 homers, 24 RBIs, 91 OPS+, on the IL

Justin Turner, Tijuana (Mexican League): .273/.483/.461, 196 PA’s, 14 doubles, 6 homers, 25 RBIs

Trea Turner, Phillies: .227/.280/.336, 328 PA’s, 12 doubles, 7 homers, 22 RBIs, 67 OPS+

Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .236/.353/.465, 324 PA’s, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 16 homers, 44 RBIs, 126 OPS+

Kirby Yates, Angels: 0-3, 3.68 ERA, 1 save, 14.2 IP, 9 hits, 7 walks, 19 K’s, 116 ERA+

Up next

Monday: Dodgers (*Eric Lauer, 2-5, 5.37 ERA [1-0, 3.22 ERA with Dodgers]) at Minnesota (Zebby Matthews, 3-4, 4.78 ERA), 4:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Dodgers (*Justin Wrobleski, 8-2, 2.72 ERA) at Minnesota (Joe Ryan, 5-3, 2.99 ERA), 4:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, TBS, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 7-2, 1.47 ERA) at Minnesota (*Connor Prielipp, 2-5, 5.17 ERA), 4:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announces birth of second child

Shaikin: Why MLB’s Pride Night cap condemnation isn’t the anti-Christian crackdown conservatives claim

Lopez: There might be one advantage to climate change: More home runs at Dodger Stadium

Dodgers Debate: BLISTER WATCH. Should Shohei Ohtani be shut down?

Shaikin: The Dodgers are ruining baseball! Stop them! But first let me vote for all their players

And finally

Vin Scully tells us “Don’t be afraid to dream.” Watch and listen here.

Until next time …

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins crashed chest first into the blue padding of the wall as he made one last-ditch effort to save his team from a Dodgers home run. His glove, though, came up empty.

Not even a leaping Mullins, one of baseball’s veteran home-run robbers, could stop Freddie Freeman from doing what the Dodgers first baseman does best: hitting clutch home runs.

Freeman’s two-run home run in the sixth inning Wednesday, set up by Andy Pages’ double an at-bat earlier, lifted the Dodgers to a 5-4 win that allowed them to maintain a season-high nine-game lead over their closest National League West rival, the San Diego Padres (38-35). For the Dodgers (48-27), it was their sixth sweep of the season — all while surviving a shaky start on the mound by the usually unshakable Shohei Ohtani.

“He’s like a lot of our guys — when they feel good, they get their rest, production follows,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Freeman. “He’s been good for quite some time.”

If Ohtani’s left knee inflammation was bothering the four-time MVP, it didn’t seem to pose that great of a threat as he pitched the first four innings, and he pinch-hit in the sixth inning for Miguel Rojas, who had started at designated hitter.

Tampa Bay (41-30) eventually broke through in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on small-ball hits that found just enough grass. No particular pitch seemed particularly off for Ohtani, though the Rays connected more on his four-seam fastball that inning than the others. A bleeding blister that opened up didn’t help either.

“The stuff was good,” Roberts said. “The sweeper wasn’t as lights out, swing and miss as we’ve seen. He still always finds a way to manage innings and make pitches when he needs to, but yeah, I mean, I think that he was still kind of working through some delivery stuff with the knee.”

A handful of unlucky plays in the fifth left the Dodgers vulnerable. Take Mullins’ single to Freeman. Mullins hit the ball hard enough that Freeman, more than a handful of steps away from first base, wouldn’t be able to make the play unassisted. Ohtani tried his hardest to match Mullins’ speed but couldn’t.

“There was a little confusion with the Shohei inning, as far as you know, Freddie going to second, then Shohei thinking that, so giving them an extra out there,” Roberts said.

After a five-hit inning, Ohtani escaped on a bunt that went to Tommy Edman — playing third base in his return from the injured list — who threw to first for the third out. Ohtani’s ERA, after he surrendered a season-worst four earned runs, rose to 1.47 but still is second only to Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski among pitchers with at least 70 innings.

Shohei Ohtani gave up a season-worst four earned runs in the fifth inning Wednesday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

“I felt good overall,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “It’s just really that inning, that fifth inning, that I wasn’t really too pleased. But aside from that, the stuff was good and felt pretty good overall.”

Rays starter Shane McClanahan also ran into trouble in the fourth inning. Alex Call singled in Mookie Betts for the first run, then stole second base. Call sprinted home on an Alex Freeland single, his helmet popping off and skidding a couple of feet into the grass as he crossed home.

McClanahan left the game with the bases loaded after the left-hander walked Edman — his only time reaching base in an 0-for-3 day — before Pages ended the inning by lining out softly to short against Casey Legumina.

The Dodgers came up short in another bases-loaded opportunity the next inning, squandering a chance to take the lead. Kyle Tucker pushed one run across on a bases-loaded walk. Yet, with no outs, the next three batters — Call, Dalton Rushing and Freeland — went down in order. The Dodgers finished with 11 runners left on base, which nearly cost them.

Alex Vesia put the potential tying run on base with a walk and spent most of his ninth-inning outing with Tampa Bay’s Austin Slater on second. The Dodgers intentionally walked Yandy Díaz with two outs to face Jonathan Aranda, who earned a walk. With the bases loaded, Vesia struck out Mullins swinging to end the game. It capped a stretch of nine scoreless innings by the bullpen in this series after the unit struggled during the team’s recent trip.

“I put myself into that mess,” Vesia said with a small smile while shaking his head. “Rush and I were just — I was leaning on him, to be honest. He had some good words of encouragement during a couple meetings. Just trust my stuff. I felt like I was nibbling around the edge. Overall, I’ll take it. It was a good win for all of us.”

Injury updates

Teoscar Hernández, out with a hamstring injury, is scheduled to take live batting practice Thursday. A simulated game is also in the works for the 33-year-old outfielder before a rehab game early next week, Roberts said.

Will Smith is unlikely to be reinstated Friday when he is eligible to come off the injured list. The Dodgers still are trying to figure out ways to make sure he doesn’t regress once the catcher comes back from a neck injury. He did a full workout Tuesday.

“I don’t want to put a say on when he’s going to play,” Roberts said. “But each day is getting better.”

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was away from the team Friday for the birth of his second child.

He was out of the lineup for the series opener against the Orioles, but the Dodgers did not opt to put him on the paternity list, temporarily playing down a player instead. The team said it expects Ohtani back at some point this weekend.

Ohtani pitched Wednesday, so he should be back with the team well before his next turn in the rotation.

With Ohtani out, rookie Ryan Ward served as the designated hitter Friday, batting seventh. And right fielder Kyle Tucker moved up to the leadoff spot that Ohtani usually occupies.

Entering Friday, Ohtani owned the second-highest OPS (.962) in the National League, among qualified hitters. And his 1.47 ERA ranked No. 2 among pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings, despite giving up seven combined earned runs in his past two starts.

Ohtani has been pitching through a blister on the middle finger of his right hand. And last week he missed a game to address a bout of inflammation in his left knee, which he thinks may have stemmed from mechanical problems in his pitching delivery.

Will Smith to get injection for neck

Catcher Will Smith (stiff neck) will get an injection to address his neck injury, manager Dave Roberts said. Recent imaging came back “fine,” Roberts said, and didn’t reveal anything “really bad.”

Smith said last week, before undergoing imaging, that he was diagnosed with an “inflamed disk.”

Smith — remaining on the injured list past the minimum stint, despite the Dodgers’ initial optimism — will be sidelined through the weekend, and he may not make the trip to Minnesota on Monday, which kicks off a three-city trip.

Edwin Díaz throwing off mound

Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz pitches against the Washington Nationals in April.

(Nick Wass / Associated Press)

Closer Edwin Díaz (elbow surgery) has progressed to throwing off the mound. He threw a 15-pitch bullpen on Friday, all fastballs, at 91-93 mph, Roberts said.

“Really positive day for Edwin,” Roberts said.

When Díaz underwent the procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow in late April, the Dodgers eyed a post-All-Star break return. And they won’t push for an aggressive build-up, with the long-term in mind.

Short hops

Left fielder Teoscar Hernández (strained left hamstring) is on track to begin a minor-league rehab assignment early next week, Roberts said. … Left-hander Blake Snell (elbow surgery) is progressing in his throwing program after undergoing a NanoNeedle scope procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow in mid-May. He is close to throwing off a mound, Roberts said.

Whenever Shohei Ohtani is questioned, it seems, he does something spectacular.

On Tuesday, with discussion still swirling over whether his knee problem from the week before would influence his two-way availability when he took the mound Wednesday, Ohtani broke open a scoreless standoff with a sixth-inning solo home run.

It held as the winning run, and the Dodgers went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0.

“That’s just him,” Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski said of Ohtani. “He’s obviously the best player of all time. I’m super lucky and blessed to be his teammate and watch him play. It’s been super cool.”

Up to that point, neither team’s starting pitcher had flinched.

Wrobleski had given up just three hits in six scoreless innings. And, along with five strikeouts, he hadn’t had more than one baserunner in any inning, squashing the scrappy Rays’ ability to manufacture a run.

Though the Dodgers had made more viable scoring threats against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, they’d come up short for five innings.

They came within a couple of feet of scoring in the second inning, but the Rays pulled off a trick play to throw out Kyle Tucker at home.

Rays catcher Nick Fortes tags out Kyle Tucker trying to score in the second inning.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

With runners on first and third, Alex Freeland laid down a bunt to Rasmussen. When he fielded it cleanly, Tucker shuffled back toward third base. But then Rasmussen turned and fired toward second base, and Tucker took off. Rays shortstop Taylor Ward cut off the throw in front of the base and cut down Tucker as he slid headfirst for the plate.

For the next three innings, the Dodgers (47-27) failed to reach base.

Then Ohtani happened.

Leading off the sixth inning, Ohtani pounced on a cutter that drifted toward the heart of the plate.

He launched it to straightaway center field, where it bounced on the netting beyond the fence.

Rasmussen lasted through the seventh inning, leaving that home run as the only blemish on his outing. Then the two bullpens duked it out to a draw in the late innings.

Justin Wrobleski pitched six scoreless innings.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Ohtani’s home run stood alone.

It was his fifth home run in nine games, bringing his season total to 14.

After a slow start, by his standards, Ohtani lamented his lack of power. Now, with the second-highest on-base-plus-slugging percentage in the National League (.966), just barely trailing the Washington Nationals’ James Wood (.967), Ohtani has that going for him too.

“He was hitting the ball hard, some doubles, singles,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And if he was just missing a little bit [before], there was going to be slug. So that’s what’s happening. Seeing the baseball well. Swinging at good pitches. And when he uses the big part of the field, there’s just no one better.”

The home run Tuesday, however, was not enough to claim a spot in the batting order Wednesday. Not in an extra-early 12:10 p.m. game. Not just days removed from a bout of inflammation in his left knee.

Before the game, Ohtani threw off a mound to test his knee before his scheduled pitching start the next day. It went well enough that he’ll be taking the mound, Roberts confirmed Tuesday night. But he will not be hitting.

Roberts will keep a close eye on Ohtani, who left the game last Thursday with a swollen knee and then sat out Friday. Ohtani theorized over the weekend that issues with his pitching mechanics may have aggravated his knee.

Said Roberts: “He wouldn’t start if we felt that we were going to put him in harm’s way.”

Glasnow hopes to begin throwing soon

In retrospect, it’s clear to right-hander Tyler Glasnow that he tried to start throwing a little too quickly after back spasms pulled him out of his start against the Houston Astros on May 6. But at the time of the injury, Glasnow, who is no stranger to back problems, was encouraged.

“It didn’t feel as bad when I first did it,” Glasnow told The Times on Tuesday.

Nearly a month and a half later, Glasnow has twice tried to restart throwing, and twice he’s had to shut it down.

“Frustrating, for sure,” Glasnow said. “Just because it happens so frequently. A lot of times I just want to find a way to address the underlying issues of why it happens.”

He has yet to find that long-term solution, but he does not expect to have surgery.

Glasnow, encouraged by his recent improvement, expects to start throwing again “soon.”

“We’re just waiting for it to be fully, fully healed,” he said.

Edman activated

As expected, the Dodgers activated Tommy Edman (right ankle surgery) off the injured list Tuesday and designated utility man Santiago Espinal for assignment.

Edman didn’t make his season debut, but Roberts said he’ll play a mixture of second base, third and left field, with his playing time dictated by factors such as pitcher matchups and the availability of left fielder Teoscar Hernández’s (strained left hamstring), who’s still on the IL.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Maybe the Dodgers can lure Nuke LaLoosh out of retirement.

The Dodgers are struggling in June, going 7-6 this month after going 20-11 in March/April and 18-10 in May. Why? Let’s take a look.

Runs per game
March/April: 5.39
May: 5.25
June: 5.54

Batting average
March/April: .273
May: .252
June: .261

OB%
March/April: .350
May: .339
June: .354

SLG%
March/April: .452
May: .441
June: .413

Power is down a bit, but all the other numbers are normal, so offense does not appear to be a big problem. They are hitting about the same in all the clutch stats, so that’s not a big problem. Let’s look at the pitching:

ERA
April: 3.19
May: 2.95
June: 4.73

ERA by starters
April: 2.83
May: 3.31
June: 3.28

ERA by relievers
April: 3.88
May: 2.35
June: 7.51

Ah, we begin to see the problem: The bullpen, which has been outstanding all season until this month.

Let’s look at ERA by each pitcher in June:

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 1.10 (16.1 IP)
Shohei Ohtani, 2.13 (12.2)
Edgardo Henriquez, 3.38 (5.1)
Justin Wrobleski, 3.38 (10.2)
Eric Lauer, 3.48 (10.1)
Tanner Scott, 4.15 (4.1)
Will Klein, 4.50 (4)
Emmet Sheehan, 4.97 (12.2)
Alex Vesia, 5.40 (3.1)
Roki Sasaki, 5.56 (11.1)
Blake Treinen, 6.23 (4.1)
Jonathan Hernández, 8.10 (6.2)
Jack Dreyer, 9.00 (7)
Kyle Hurt, 21.60 (3.1)

That’s a lot of bad pitching in the bullpen this month. Of course, this is the same bullpen that set a team record for most consecutive scoreless innings. And, just like batters go into slumps, so do pitchers.

“Out of the bullpen specifically, I think maybe some strike throwing, a few more walks that we’re not used to over the last six weeks or so, because they’ve been really, really good,” bench coach Danny Lehmann told reporters after the Dodgers lost to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. “We’ve gotten bit by the long ball, obviously in Pittsburgh, and here tonight. But overall, it’s more the strike throwing and just getting ahead of guys and doing what they’re supposed to do.”

Are fresh arms on the way?

Well, Brock Stewart is on a rehab assignment in Ontario, but he has been injured so often since the Dodgers traded for him, you can’t expect anything from him. You can just hope. Evan Phillips is on assignment in Oklahoma City, and is on track to return in early July.

“It’s really good to see,” Dave Roberts told reporters recently. “Evan’s a guy that’s very focused and determined, and he’s going to do everything he’s supposed to do to get back. And to potentially have him back is a big weapon that we’ve missed for quite some time, and I miss seeing him around. … I depended on him a lot when he was active, so to get him back is going to be a big boost to everyone.”

There are the usual suspects in the minors, such as Paul Gervase, whom they can turn to, but other than that, it’s just wait and see and hope Stewart and Phillips can come back healthy (especially Phillips, who was a key man in the bullpen for four seasons).

Congratulations!

Roberts missed Sunday’s game for a very good reason: His daughter, Emme, graduated from Stanford.

“I’m really proud,” Roberts told David Vassegh on AM 570 last week. “It is weird, though, because you never want to miss a game. But I think that this is a good reason.

“I think the one thing for me, is the world has evolved, and many can argue not in a good way. In some ways good, some ways bad. But I do think in a lot of ways from the workplace sense of things, it’s more open to people spending time with their families. Knowing that those moments are important, they’re fleeting. The job is going to get done with or without you.

“So I encourage my coaches to enjoy graduations and things like that. One of our coaches had to leave for a surgery for their daughter. I certainly welcome that, because there’s nothing more important than family. And also, I think when you get to do moments with your family and other things that are really important, I think you do your job better, and you feel better for the people you work with and for.”

These names seem familiar

How notable players who were with the Dodgers the last couple of seasons are doing with their new teams (through Sunday). Click on the player’s name to be taken to their full stats page:

Anthony Banda, Twins: 2-0, 4.54 ERA, 1 save, 30 IP, 25 hits, 14 walks, 27 K’s, 98 ERA+

Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .265/.361/.462, 299 PA’s, 14 doubles, 3 triples, 10 homers, 45 RBIs, 128 OPS+

Walker Buehler, Padres: 4-3, 4.14 ERA, 67.1 IP, 68 hits, 22 walks, 58 K’s, 99 ERA+

Mike Busch, Cubs: .253/.377/.412, 313 PA’s, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 42 RBIs, 128 OPS+

Michael Conforto, Cubs: .227/.327/.443, 113 PA’s, 9 doubles, 4 homers, 13 RBIs, 120 OPS+

Justin Dean, Cubs: in the minors

Caleb Ferguson, Reds: 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 8.2 IP, 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 K’s, 219 ERA+

Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 1-8, 5.35 ERA, 65.2 IP, 69 hits, 34 walks, 78 K’s, 81 ERA+, on the IL

Kenley Jansen, Tigers: 1-3, 4.50 ERA, 7 saves, 16 IP, 9 hits, 9 walks, 21 K’s, 98 ERA+

Craig Kimbrel, Rays: 0-2, 5.82 ERA, 17 IP, 19 hits, 8 walks, 18 K’s, 74 ERA+

Gavin Lux, Rays: on the IL

Dustin May, Cardinals: 4-6, 4.21 ERA, 72.2 IP, 71 hits, 20 walks, 66 K’s, 95 ERA+

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .178/.271/.259, 157 PA’s, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 10 RBIs, 48 OPS+

James Outman, Tigers : .164/.243/.299, 74 PA’s, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 49 OPS+

Joc Pederson, Rangers: .239/.344/.438, 210 PA’s, 7 doubles, 2 triple, 8 homers, 23 RBIs, 128 OPS+

Luke Raley, Mariners: .241/.303/.503, 210 PA’s, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 14 homers, 35 RBIs, 126 OPS+

Ben Rortvedt, Mets: in the minors

Corey Seager, Rangers: .186/.284/.373, 204 PA’s, 6 doubles, 9 homers, 24 RBIs, 91 OPS+

Justin Turner, Tijuana (Mexican League): .287/.405/.497, 173 PA’s, 12 doubles, 6 homers, 23 RBIs

Trea Turner, Phillies: .219/.269/.330, 309 PA’s, 11 doubles, 7 homers, 21 RBIs, 63 OPS+

Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .247/.370/.490, 304 PA’s, 11 doubles, 1 triple, 16 homers, 44 RBIs, 138 OPS+

Kirby Yates, Angels: 0-2, 4.38 ERA, 12.1 IP, 9 hits, 5 walks, 16 K’s, 99 ERA+

Up next

Monday: Tampa Bay (Nick Martinez, 2-5, 4.63 ERA) at Dodgers (*Eric Lauer, 2-5, 5.47 ERA [1-0, 2.76 ERA with Dodgers]), 7 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Tampa Bay (Drew Rasmussen, 6-2, 2.71 ERA) at Dodgers (*Justin Wrobleski, 3-2, 4.50 ERA), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Tampa Bay (*Shane McClanahan, 6-2, 2.43 ERA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 6-2, 1.06 ERA), 12:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

The hardest days are when calls don’t go through: Andy Pages opens up about family in Cuba

Shaikin: Would Dave Roberts snub Yoshinobu Yamamoto to start Shohei Ohtani in All-Star Game?

And finally

Vin Scully tells us about the history of home plate. Watch and listen here.

Until next time …

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

CHICAGO — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani stepped into the Rate Field batter’s box for the first time this series on Saturday, greeted by a smattering of boos from White Sox fans.

He took his first swing at the second pitch of the game. And he sent it into the right-field stands. A no-doubter, proclaiming that his availability was no longer in doubt.

Ohtani returned to the lineup for the Dodgers’ 7-1 win against the White Sox on Saturday, after exiting the Dodgers’ game Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and missing Friday against the White Sox because of inflammation in his left knee.

“I felt good waking up in the morning,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton after going one for three with a home runs and three walks Saturday. “I feel good now. So I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to stay healthy, and should be good to go [Sunday] as well.”

Ohtani also tested his knee playing catch before the game Saturday. And the Dodgers will continue to monitor him as he prepares to take the mound Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium.

“It wasn’t 100% today,” Ohtani said. “But with the next three, four days, I feel pretty confident, with enough recovery, that I should be able to make the next start.”

Even Ohtani said he hasn’t been able to pinpoint the cause of the swelling. But he has a theory.

“All I can really know for sure is that I think my mechanics weren’t quite great in terms of my pitching side,” he said, “so I believe that had something to do with this.”

Even before Ohtani’s knee swelled the Dodgers planned to have him pitch the day before their Thursday off day.

They switched Ohtani and left-hander Justin Wrobleski in the rotation order, having Wrobleski pitch Thursday on regular rest.

That remains the plan, even after Wrobleski was hit in the leg by a comebacker during his start Thursday. He left the game after that play in the fifth inning with a bruised right hamstring.

The Dodgers considered bringing in a spot starter, manager Dave Roberts said, in order to keep the full rotation on extra rest.

Shohei Ohtani leads off the game with a home run to spark the Dodgers to a 7-1 win over the White Sox on Saturday.

(Matt Marton / Associated Press)

“But considering how Wrobo’s start went short, feels good after it, we feel the four days’ rest will be fine for him,” Roberts said. “And then where Shohei is at, we feel good about just leaving it status quo.”

Ohtani returned Saturday without restrictions in his designated hitter role — except one request from his manager, after a couple days of parsing whether a steal attempt that was snuffed out by a foul ball had contributed to Ohtani’s injury.

Though they didn’t find a clear cause for the injury, Roberts made it clear Saturday: “There will be no basestealing.”

CHICAGO — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was out of the lineup Friday against the White Sox after exiting the game before with discomfort in the back of his left knee.

Manager Dave Roberts had expressed optimism Thursday night, after the Dodgers’ 8-6 win against the Pirates at PNC Park, that Ohtani would not miss additional time for the ailment. But he added: “Obviously with the travel [to Chicago on Thursday night], we’ll just kind of see how he comes in.”

Especially at this point in the season, the Dodgers have incentive to play it safe with Ohtani’s recovery. Pushing him to return early and exacerbating the injury would be a larger blow to a team seeking its third straight World Series championship.

With Ohtani out, left fielder Alex Call was in the leadoff spot, and Santiago Espinal served as the designated hitter.

It was not immediately clear whether the injury would affect Ohtani’s next pitching start. He’s lined up to take the mound Wednesday against the Rays, before the Dodgers’ off day Thursday.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and my second favorite announcer is the great Harry Doyle.

Who is the best at ABS challenges?

A friend of mine, Tom Black, asked me the other day why Freddie Freeman never makes an ABS challenge. It made me wonder who makes a lot of challenges, who’s the best at it, etc., which led to this newsletter.

The majors instituted the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system this season, which allows a batter, pitcher or catcher to challenge an umpire’s ball or strike call.

First, some quick ABS rules:

1. Only the batter, pitcher or catcher can make a challenge. No one else.

2. Challenges must be made immediately after the umpire’s call, without assistance from the dugout or other players.

3. The player taps his cap or helmet to alert the umpire to his desire to challenge the call. Players are also encouraged to verbalize their challenge, to leave nothing to doubt, but the cap/helmet tap represents the official challenge.

4. A team gets two challenges per game. If a challenge is successful, they retain their challenge. Theoretically, you could challenge every pitch as long you were correct every time. Once you are wrong twice, you are out of challenges.

5. If a game goes into extra innings, any team that starts the extra inning out of challenges will get one challenge for the 10th inning. If they exhaust that challenge, they will then get another challenge for the 11th, and so on. If a team has challenges remaining at the start of the 10th inning, they will not get an additional challenge for that inning, though they will for any subsequent inning if they are out of challenges at the start of the inning.

There has been an average of 4.1 challenges per game.

From MLB.com:

How is the ABS strike zone measured?

Like the plate, it is 17 inches wide. The top end of the zone is at 53.5% of the player’s height, while the bottom is at 27% of the player’s height. The depth of the zone is 8.5 inches from both the front and back of the plate to its center.

All position players in Spring Training had their heights measured by a team of independent testers conducting manual measurements and by representatives from a research institute using biomechanical analysis to confirm the manual measurements and safeguard against potential manipulation. Players are measured standing straight up without cleats.

And now that the technical stuff is out of the way, let’s look at who is good and bad at challenges (all numbers through Tuesday and courtesy of baseball-reference.com):

Teams that are most successful at getting calls overturned:

1. Arizona, 60.2% (68 of 113)
2. Cincinnati, 59.9% (85 of 142)
3. Detroit, 59.5% (78 of 131)
4. Chicago Cubs, 59.4% (82 of 138)
5. Texas, 58.7% (64 of 109)
6. Dodgers, 58.4% (73 of 125)

The five worst:
1. Pittsburgh, 42.4% (53 of 125)
2. Cleveland, 44.7% (68 of 152)
3. Washington, 45.8%, (60 of 131)
4. Chicago White Sox, 47.2% (76 of 161)
5. San Francisco, 48.1% (65 of 135)

Minnesota has made the most challenges with 179, Boston the fewest with 105.

Best challenge overturned % by hitters (minimum seven challenges):

CJ Abrams, Washington, 100% (7 for 7)
Nick Kurtz, Athletics, 85.7% (6 for 7)
Xander Bogaerts, San Diego, 75% (9 for 12)
Davis Schneider, Toronto, 75% (9 for 12)
Aaron Judge, Yankees, 75% (6 for 8)
Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers, 70% (7 for 10)
Brent Rooker, Athletics, 70% (7 for 10)
Jose Altuve, Houston, 69.2% (9 for 13)

The worst
Trea Turner, Philadelphia, 12.5% (1 for 8)
Spencer Horwitz, Pittsburgh, 14.3% (1 for 7)
Andrés Giménez, Toronto, 14.3% (1 for 7)
James Wood, Washington, 20% (3 for 15)
Mauricio Dubón, Atlanta, 22.2% (2 for 9)

Most challenges by a batter
Sal Stewart, Cincinnati, 29 (65.5%, 19 for 29)
Gary Sánchez, Milwaukee, 19 (42.1%, 8 for 19)
Cam Smith, Houston, 17 (41.2%, 7 for 17)
José Caballero, Yankees, 16 (56.3%, 9 for 16)
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta, 16 (43.8%, 7 for 16)

Best challenge overturned % by catchers, minimum 10 challenges
Carson Kelly, Chicago Cubs, 84.4% (27 for 32)
Mitch Garver, Seattle, 81.8% (18 for 22)
J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia, 80.8% (21 for 26)
Travis d’Arnaud, Angels, 80% (8 for 10)
Sandy León, Atlanta, 77.8% (14 for 18)
Salvador Perez, Kansas City, 75% (33 for 44)

Worst challenge overturned % by catchers, minimum 10 challenges
Bo Naylor, Cleveland, 33.3% (4 for 12)
Jhonny Pereda, Seattle, 35% (7 for 20)
Samuel Basallo, Baltimore, 36.4% (8 for 22)
Drew Millas, Washington, 38.9% (14 for 36)
Elias Díaz, Texas, 40% (4 for 10)

Most challenges by a catcher
William Contreras, Milwaukee, 81 (60.5%, 49 for 81)
Edgar Quero, White Sox, 66 (48.5%, 32 for 66)
Nick Fortes, Tampa Bay, 58 (58.6%, 34 for 58)
Patrick Bailey, Cleveland, 55 (58.2%, 32 for 55)
Shea Langeliers, Athletics, 53 (58.5%, 31 for 53)

Pitchers don’t make very many challenges. The most is five by Freddy Peralta of the Mets.

How Dodgers batters have done:

Freddie Freeman, 100% (1 for 1)
Mookie Betts, 75% (3 for 4)
Teoscar Hernández, 70% (7 for 10)
Miguel Rojas, 62.5% (5 for 8)
Alex Call, 60% (3 for 5)
Alex Freeland, 50% (1 for 2)
Max Muncy, 50% (2 for 4)
Will Smith, 50% (1 for 2)
Kyle Tucker, 40% (2 for 5)
Andy Pages, 33.3% (3 for 9)
Shohei Ohtani, 33.3% (1 for 3)
Dalton Rushing, 33.3% (1 for 3)
Hyeseong Kim, 0% (0 for 1)

Dodgers catchers
Will Smith, 66% (31 for 47)
Dalton Rushing, 61.1% (11 for 18)

Dodgers pitchers
Tyler Glasnow, 100% (1 for 1)
Edwin Diaz, 0% (0 for 1)
Kyle Hurt, 0% (0 for 1)

Big milestone for Freeman

Freddie Freeman got his 2,500th hit during the rout of Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

“It means a lot,” Freeman told reporters after the game. “And then when your manager and teammates appreciate what you’ve done over the course of your career, it does mean a lot. Yeah, there’s always another goal to get to. But to step back and realize how long you have to play … to play at a high level over many, many years to get there, it does mean a lot.”

Freeman became only the 102nd player in history to get 2,500 hits. He is on pace to finish with 167 hits this season, which would give him 2,598 hits in his career, letting him pass the following players on the all-time hits list: Jimmy Ryan, Buddy Bell, Joe Morgan, Todd Helton, Heinie Manush, Garret Anderson, George Van Haltren, Steve Finley, Willie Davis, Manny Ramirez, Richie Ashburn, Ernie Banks, Reggie Jackson, Julio Franco, Vladimir Guerrero and Luis Gonzalez. He would be in 85th place, just one hit behind Steve Garvey.

Through Tuesday, Freeman had 796 of his hits with the Dodgers. Up next in his career is the magical 3,000-hit milestone.

“I would love to,” Freeman said. “I’m not going to deny that. But do I know if I’m going to get there? I don’t know.”

Will Smith to IL

The Dodgers put Will Smith on the injured list because of an inflamed disk in his neck and recalled catcher Chuckie Robinson from the minors. Smith will be eligible to come off the IL next Friday.

“Hopefully, the day I’m able to come off,” Smith told reporters, “I can come back and play, that’s the plan for now.”

Robinson had one at-bat with the Dodgers last season and in 52 games in the majors he is hitting .131.

Ohtani, Wrobleski hurt?

Thursday’s win over Pittsburgh could have proved costly. Shohei Ohtani left the game because of an inflamed left knee, and pitcher Justin Wrobleski left early after getting hit on the inside of his right leg by a liner. He left because of a sore hamstring.

The Dodgers were very optimistic that both would be fine, but we’ll see how they feel on Friday. Ohtani had surgery on that knee in 2019, but this is in a different part of the knee. Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing.

“[Friday], he’ll get there, do his routine, play catch, push off, land on it, see how it reacts,” Roberts said. “And then obviously take swings and see how it reacts too.”

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 3-3, 4.03 ERA) at Chicago White Sox (Sean Burke, 3-3, 3.88 ERA), 4:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 6-4, 2.68 ERA) at Chicago White Sox (TBA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 3-3, 4.70 ERA) at Chicago White Sox (Erick Fedde, 1-5, 4.69 ERA), 11:10 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

How the Dodgers plan to shuffle catchers with Will Smith on the injured list

Dodgers Debate: The pitching blues of the summer

And finally

Vin Scully discusses the history of Friday the 13th. Watch and listen here.

Until next time …

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and I’m wondering why no one ever talks about Roy Hobbs as one of the all-time greats. It’s like he didn’t even exist.

The next part of our “Ask …” series is here, and it’s a big one. Former Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, now playing for the Tijuana Toros in the Mexican League, has agreed to answer selected questions from Dodgers Dugout readers.

Do I really need to remind you of who Turner is and his feats as a Dodger? I don’t think so. He is one of the most beloved Dodgers in recent times.

Turner agreed to answer questions from readers of this newsletter. Please send me an email with your question to houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Please make sure the subject line reads Ask Justin Turner. I will select some questions for him to answer. His answers will appear in a future newsletter. You have until Sunday at 6 p.m. to send in your question.

Ohtani is a decent player

It appears reports of Shohei Ohtani‘s demise were greatly exaggerated.

On April 24 against the Chicago Cubs, he went 0 for 3, striking out all three times. His batting splits (batting average/OB%/SLG%) dropped to .237/.361/.433), his worst numbers in a few seasons. Stories started to appear everywhere that pitching and hitting is too much for him. The Dodgers needed to give him a lot more days off, or, have him stop pitching altogether, since no one can do what he is trying.

Ohtani heard all of that, I’m guessing, and used it to stoke his competitiveness.

His numbers since April 24:

Hitting: .344/.461/.576. He’s now hitting .301/.420/.521 this season. Last season he hit .282/.392/.622. His power is down, but power is down across the majors this season. At current projections, there will be 400 fewer home runs this season.

On the mound since April 24, Ohtani is 4-2 with an 0.97 ERA.

Will he become the first person to win MVP and Cy Young in the same season? Well, on Wednesday, MLB.com announced the results of a survey of 35 experts, asking them to vote as if the season ended that day. Here are the results:

NL MVP
1. Ohtani
2. James Wood, Nationals
3. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks

They didn’t do voting for Cy Young, but most places have Ohtani third right now, behind Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies and Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers.

Comparison

The Dodgers have played 63 games this season and are 40-23. How do they compare to last season’s team at the same point in the season?

Record
2026: 40-23
2025: 38-25

Runs per game
2026: 5.24
2025: 5.69

Batting average
2026: .264
2025: .265

OB%
2026: .343
2025: .341

SLG%
2026: .443
2025: .466

Doubles
2026: 108
2025: 106

Triples
2026: 7
2025: 9

Home Runs
2026: 85
2025: 101

Walks
2026: 249
2025: 234

Batter Strikeouts
2026: 483
2025: 515

Grounded into double play
2026: 56
2025: 47

Left on base
2026: 438
2025: 416

Stolen bases
2026: 27
2025: 40

ERA
2026: 3.08
2025: 4.12

Starters’ ERA
2026: 2.96
2025: 3.69

Relief ERA
2026: 3.31
2025: 4.27

Hits per 9 IP
2026: 6.87
2025: 8.09

Walks per 9 IP
2026: 2.79
2025: 3.54

K’s per 9 IP
2026: 8.99
2025: 9.13

IRS%
2026: 26.8%
2025: 23.4%

Don’t be like these people

I’m sure some readers get annoyed when during my semi-annual reminder that it’s only a game, and if you are angry five minutes after a game is over, perhaps you should find a new hobby.

But there was a reminder last week as to why it is so necessary to keep it in mind. The world is a much angrier place now than when I was younger (uh oh, old man rant). I blame social media. Everyone can find their own echo chamber of people who agree with them and never have to see an opposing opinion. And when they do, they can’t handle it (generally speaking, of course).

And the anonymity of social media gives people false bravado, causing them to say things they never would in person. Such was the case Saturday, after Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott had his first blown save in what has been a good season for him.

The next day his wife, Maddie, shared some messages the Scott family received on social media. One of them was, ““Hope this mutt d i e s soon,” on a photo of the Scott’s child on Instagram. And that was the most tame of the messages. All because Tanner Scott blew a save and the Dodgers lost.

Disturbing? That doesn’t begin to describe it. While I’m sure none of the Dodgers Dugout readers are this depraved, it serves as a reminder that these people are human beings trying their best. Be critical of their performance when warranted. But don’t get angry. You should see some of the emails I get after the Dodgers lose two in a row. Some people are just beyond furious, calling players names, etc.

“I don’t speak out often. Ever actually,” Maddie Scott wrote over a screenshot of the hatred she received. “I promise you, you don’t know what it’s like unless you’re living it. When did it stop being a game?”

Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. received death threats after a loss last season, telling reporters, “I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with just as a father, I think. So just as a father, I think there have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me. But I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public they’re going to stab my kids to death, things like that, it’s tough to hear as a dad,” McCullers said, in the understatement of the year.

I realize the stupid people doing this are a small, small percentage of any team’s fan base. But, don’t give in to the anger when the Dodgers lose. Be disappointed, sure. But just think, if the worst thing in your day is that the Dodgers lost, then you’ve had a pretty good day.

Scott got the loss Thursday when he gave up a walk-off homer. Disappointing? Sure. Ruin the rest of your night? I hope not.

It’s All-Star time

Time to vote for who you think should start in this year’s All-Star game. You can click here to vote. I still miss the days at Dodger Stadium when ushers (wearing their straw hats) would hand people stacks of ballots. Some ushers even had ballots with the Dodgers already selected for you.

Up next

Friday: Angels (*Reid Detmers, 2-5, 4.63 ERA) at Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 3-3, 4.59 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KTTV, AM 570, KLAA 830, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Angels (Jack Kochanowicz, 2-4, 5.23 ERA) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 5-4, 2.86 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KCOP 13, AM 570, KLAA 830, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Angels (José Soriano, 6-4, 2.72 ERA) at Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 3-2, 4.50 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KCOP 13, AM 570, KLAA 830, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Shaikin: MLB’s wild pitch: Using fan-despised TV blackouts as leverage against players

Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott’s wife reveals death threats she received about their child

Plaschke: Ryan Ward becomes an unlikely star in memorable Dodger Stadium debut

And finally

Justin Turner‘s walk-off homer against the Cubs in Game 2 of the 2017 NLCS. Watch and listen here.

Until next time …

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

PHOENIX — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a decision to make.

Before the Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte delivered the walk-off blow to the Dodgers — a towering home run off reliever Tanner Scott, punctuated by a bat flip — Roberts had to choose whether to send Shohei Ohtani to the plate as a pinch-hitter.

In a 3-2 loss, Ohtani, who didn’t start after two-way duties the day before, remained in the dugout.

“It has to be the right spot,” Roberts said.

The defensive picture complicated the calculus.

If Scott had thrown a scoreless inning and sent the game into the 10th, Roberts planned to have Ohtani pinch hit for Miguel Rojas, the third batter due up.

In the ninth, however, unless Ohtani replaced designated hitter Will Smith (who ended up hitting a two-out double), Roberts would have had to put in a defensive replacement for the bottom half of the inning.

“I didn’t want to go two innings trying to figure out how to play defense with Shohei then being out of the game,” Roberts said.

Roberts already had been forced to use the rest of his bench.

Third baseman Max Muncy exited in the fifth inning after a collision at first base, and Santiago Espinal replaced him. When rookie left fielder Ryan Ward walked in the seventh inning, the speedier and more defensively sound Alex Call replaced him on the bases. And in the eighth, the right-handed hitting Rojas pinch-hit for Alex Freeland against Diamondbacks left-hander Brandyn Garcia.

Arizona’s Ketel Marte, center, celebrates with teammates as he steps on home plate after hitting a walk-off home run against the Dodgers on Thursday.

(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

The Dodgers had Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker and Smith — none of whom were candidates to be pulled for a pinch-hitter — due up in the ninth. But after Smith hit a two-out double, leaving first base open, the Diamondbacks surely would have intentionally walked Ohtani if he pinch-hit for Espinal.

Then, the Dodgers would have had to reconfigure their defense, likely moving first baseman Freddie Freeman to third, catcher Dalton Rushing to first base and Smith behind the plate, forfeiting the designated hitter spot.

That would mean a shaky defensive lineup with the game still on the line in the ninth, with pitchers forced to hit if it went into extra innings.

So, instead, Roberts saved Ohtani.

“Once we get into extra innings, then I would fire that bullet,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers, however, didn’t get to extra innings. Scott struck out the first batter he faced. Then he threw a fastball down and in to Marte, who managed to get the barrel of his bat to it.

“You’ve got to tip your cap,” Scott said. “He’s a good hitter. Should I have gone up and in? Yeah. Or just a slider. I knew he was going to be aggressive.”

Ohtani dealing with blister

Ohtani has been dealing with a small blister on the middle finger of his right hand for his last couple starts, Roberts said.

“I don’t expect it to affect him going forward,” Roberts said Thursday afternoon, the day after Ohtani held the Diamondbacks to two hits in six scoreless innings. “Even [Wednesday], if we wouldn’t have tacked on, he would’ve stayed in there.”

Roberts pulled Ohtani after the Dodgers pulled out to a seven-run lead in the top of the seventh inning.

Roberts also said he didn’t believe the blister affected Ohtani’s command last week, when he threw six hitless innings against the Rockies but issued four walks and hit a batter.

“When his command has been off, I think it’s a bigger thing than just a blister,” Roberts said. “Because it’s a small blister. That’s just when his mechanics are out of whack.”

Shohei Ohtani does it again

From Maddie Lee: Shohei Ohtani needed just one well-spotted fastball to Corbin Carroll to get out of the only real jam of his start against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Ohtani zipped it in at knee level, and Carroll drilled it into the ground, right to second baseman Alex Freeland. As the Dodgers defense turned a quick double play, Ohtani pumped his fist.

With that, he wrapped up the pitching half of one of his best two-way performances of the season.

With Shohei, every run is a premium,” manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 7-0 win Wednesday. “He’s literally trying to throw a shutout every time out there, where I don’t know that every starter has that mindset.”

Ohtani only allowed three base runners (two hits and a walk), while reaching base himself five times (three hits and two walks). With six scoreless innings pitched, Ohtani improved his ERA to 0.74, the third-lowest ERA any pitcher has recorded in his first 10 starts of the season (excluding openers) since the earned run became an official stat in 1913, according to MLB.com.

He came in behind only Jacob deGrom in 2021 (0.56) and Juan Marichal in 1966 (0.59). Not to mention, at the same time, Ohtani the hitter has a National League-leading .420 on-base percentage. At the time of his third hit Wednesday, he became one of 15 qualified hitters in MLB with a batting average over .300.

Continue reading here

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels rout the Rockies

Wade Meckler and Nick Madrigal each had four of the Angels’ 16 hits, Walbert Ureña pitched six solid innings and the Angels beat the Colorado Rockies 11-4 on Wednesday night.

Meckler is batting .389 (14 for 36) with two homers and 10 RBIs since he was recalled from double-A on May 22.

Vaughn Grissom added a homer and three RBIs, and Oswald Peraza had two hits and two RBIs to help the Angels — who tied their season high with the 16 hits — avoid a three-game sweep.

Continue reading here

From ‘Jo Show’ to ‘oh no’: Angels outfielder revives José Canseco meme by giving up homer off his head

Angels box score

MLB standings

What to watch for at the women’s U.S. Open

From Sam Farmer: Reaching the summit is a dream. But staying there? That’s an altogether different challenge.

Maja Stark has a special appreciation for that now, a year after winning the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills and feeling the hefty weight of expectation that came along with it.

For her, the aftermath of that victory brought heightened anxiety, and searing criticism from outsiders when the Swedish pro’s play took a dip.

“You get comments and stuff saying, ‘What happened? You just won a major; why do you suck all of a sudden?‘” Stark said at the Chevron Championship in April. “That does take some energy and just makes you focus on the wrong things. Then I got even more stressed and anxious.”

That career-shaping pressure will be on display again this week when the USGA brings the U.S. Women’s Open to Riviera Country Club for the first time, merging the game’s most prestigious women’s championship with a historic venue celebrating its centennial year. The tournament takes place Thursday through Sunday.

A look at some of the players to watch:

Continue reading here

How Shannon Rouillard is transforming Riviera into a tougher U.S. Women’s Open test

This day in sports history

1870 — Ed Brown becomes the first Black jockey to win the Belmont Stakes, with Kingfisher.

1927 — The United States wins the first Ryder Cup golf tournament by beating Britain 9½-2½.

1932 — Faireno, ridden by Tommy Malley, wins the Belmont Stakes by 1½ lengths over Osculator. Burgoo King, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, doesn’t race.

1966 — Ameroid, ridden by Bill Boland, wins the Belmont Stakes by 2½ lengths over Buffle. Kauai King, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, finishes fourth.

1974 — NFL grants franchise to Seattle Seahawks.

1984 — 1960 champion Arnold Palmer fails to qualify for the US Open Golf Championship for the first time in 32 years.

1987 — Danny Harris defeats Edwin Moses in the 400 hurdles at a meet in Madrid, ending the longest winning streak in track and field. Moses, had won 122 consecutive races dating to Aug. 26, 1977.

1988 — West Germany’s Steffi Graf beats 17-year-old Natalia Zvereva of the Soviet Union in 32 minutes with a 6-0, 6-0 victory to win the French Open for the second straight year.

1990 — Penn State is voted into the Big Ten. The school becomes the 11th member of the league and first addition to the Midwest-based conference since Michigan State in 1949.

1994 — Haile Gebrselassie becomes the first Ethiopian to set a world track record with a time of 12:56.96 in the men’s 5,000 meters at Hengelo, Netherlands.

1998 — Harut Karapetyan of the Galaxy scores three goals in five minutes for the fastest hat trick in MLS history in an 8-1 rout of the Dallas Burn. The seven-goal margin sets an MLS record.

2005 — Justine Henin-Hardenne beats a rattled and fumbling Mary Pierce 6-1, 6-1 to win the French Open, capping a comeback from a blood virus with her fourth Grand Slam title and her second at Roland Garros.

2005 — Eddie Castro sets a North American record for most wins by a jockey in one day at one track, winning nine races on the 13-race card at Miami’s Calder Race Course.

2008 — The Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in 11 seasons with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 .

2011 — Li Na becomes the first Chinese — man or woman — to win a Grand Slam singles title. She beats Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the French Open final for her fifth career title and first on clay.

2016 — Garbine Muguruza wins her first Grand Slam title by beating defending champion Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 at the French Open, denying the American her record-equaling 22nd major trophy.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1940 — The Pirates beat the Boston Bees 14-2 in the first night game at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field.

1940 — The St. Louis Cardinals play their first night game at Sportsman’s Park, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers 10-1.

1951 — Pittsburgh’s Gus Bell hit for the cycle to lead the Pirates to a 12-4 victory over the Phillies at Philadelphia.

1964 — Sandy Koufax pitched his third no-hitter, striking out 12, as the Dodgers beat the Phillies 3-0 in Philadelphia.

1968 — Don Drysdale of the Dodgers blanked the Pirates 5-0 for his sixth straight shutout en route to a record 58 2/3 scoreless innings.

1972 — A major league record eight shutouts were pitched in 16 major league games: five in the American League, three in the National League. The Oakland Athletics swept a pair from the Baltimore Orioles by identical 2-0 scores.

1974 — The game between the Cleveland Indians and the Texas Rangers at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium was forfeited to Texas. Umpire Nestor Chylak had problems with fans all night on 10-cent beer night. The crowd got out of control when Cleveland tied the score 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth.

1989 — Toronto beats Boston 13-11 in 12 innings after trailing 10-0 after six innings. Red Sox starter Mike Smithson threw six scoreless innings before leaving in the seventh because of a foot blister. The Jays then scored two in the seventh, four in the eighth and five in the ninth and two more in the 11th on Junior Felix’s home run. It was the biggest lead the Red Sox have blown and their 12th consecutive loss to the Blue Jays at Fenway Park.

1990 — Ramon Martinez struck out 18 and pitched a three-hitter, sending the Dodgers past the Atlanta Braves 6-0.

1996 — Pamela Davis pitched one inning of scoreless relief and got the win in a minor league exhibition game. She is believed to be the first woman to pitch for a major league farm club under the current minor league system. The 21-year-old right-hander pitched for the Jacksonville Suns, a double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, against the Australian Olympic team.

2000 — Esteban Yan of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays becomes the 77th major league player to hit a home run in his first at bat, but just the fourth American League pitcher and the first since the Angels’ Don Rose in 1972, the year before the designated hitter rule took the bat out of AL pitchers’ hands.

2005 — Rafael Palmeiro and Melvin Mora each hit grand slams to help Baltimore rally for a 14-7 win over Detroit.

2007 — Mark Ellis hit for the cycle and Eric Chavez had a two-out homer in the 11th inning to lift Oakland to a 5-4 win over Boston.

2009 — Randy Johnson became the 24th major league pitcher to win 300 games by leading San Francisco to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals in the first game of a doubleheader.

2012 — Angels manager Mike Scioscia became the ninth manager in AL history to manage 2,000 games with one club. The Mariners beat the Angels 8-6.

2018 — In a doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge sets a record by striking out eight times.

2019 — San Francisco Giant Manager Bruce Bochy wins his 1,000th game as the manager of the Giants with a 9-3 victory over the New York Mets.

2022 — The rule preventing position players from pitching in a close game is invoked for the first time when Crew chief C.B. Bucknor objects to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts calling on utility player Zach McKinstry to pitch the ninth inning gainst the Mets with his team trailing, 9-4. The rule, adopted before the 2020 season but not implemented until this year due to the upheavals caused by the coronavirus pandemic, states that a team cannot use a position player on the mound unless there is a difference of six or more runs between the two teams. Roberts is thus forced to use a real pitcher, Evan Phillips, to pitch the final inning.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and I sort of wished Chris Taylor had signed a one-day contract to retire as a Dodgers.

Taylor is one of those guys who become a fan favorite because they seem to be wringing every ounce of athletic ability out of their body. We could identify with Taylor, because we could imagine us playing the way he did. Play like Shohei Ohtani? No. But play like Taylor? We could fool ourselves into believing that if we just stuck with it, we could have been Chris Taylor. He was us on the field.

This newsletter began a couple of weeks before the 2015 season. And I believe the first group of angry emails I got about something the Dodgers did was June 19, 2016, when the Dodgers traded pitcher Zach Lee to Seattle for some guy named Chris Taylor.

Lee had been touted as one of the best Dodgers pitching prospects in years. In the minors in 2015, he went 13-6 with a 2.63 ERA. Sure, he had a terrible outing in what turned out to be his only start with the Dodgers (4.2 IP, 11 hits, one walk, three strikeouts, 13.50 ERA), but that could happen to anyone. He was the pitcher of the future. Until he wasn’t. And to trade him for this Taylor guy, who in three seasons with the Mariners hit .240/.296/.296? Surely they could have gotten more for him than that! (They couldn’t and don’t call me Shirley.)

So, Taylor had a steep hill to climb. In 34 games with the Dodgers in 2016, he hit .207. And then, well, there’s a reason why Jerry DiPoto, who was GM of the Mariners for the trade, called it the worst deal he ever made.

Before the 2017 season, the Dodgers, or Taylor, or both, unlocked something offensively. He hit .288/.354/.496 with 34 doubles, 21 homers, 72 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 2017 while playing five different positions and was a key player on the team that reached the World Series before losing to the Houston Astros*. Taylor hit two homers during the NLCS and one during the World Series. He was named co-MVP of the NLCS with Justin Turner. Little-known fact: He didn’t make the team out of spring training. He was brought up from the minors on April 19, 2017, when Logan Forsythe suffered a broken toe when hit by a pitch. How would Dodger, and Taylor’s, fortunes have changed if Forsythe wasn’t hit by that pitch?

In 2018 he hit .254/.331/.444, with 35 doubles and 17 homers, .262/.333/.462 with 29 doubles and 12 homers in 2019 and .270/.366/.476 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He made his first and only All-Star team in 2021. And then the wheels started falling off, as he struggled his last couple of seasons with the team.

Here’s a guy who was with the team from 2016-25, and what do we know about him? Not much. He never sought the spotlight, just did his job every day to the best of his abilities.

“He is the consummate pro, the way he did a trust fall when he got here,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said when the Dodgers released Taylor last season. “He came in hungry and wanting to get better, and dove in with our hitting guys, with our position coaches. … He was a huge part of so much success that we’ve enjoyed. Can’t say enough about the human, the worker, the teammate, the player.”

If you dig a little deeper into Taylor, you discover he quietly helped families who were hurt by the devastating wildfires in 2025. His CT3 Foundation raised millions of dollars for organizations in L.A. and his hometown Virginia Beach, including Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Variety Boys and Girls Club, the Friendship Foundation, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters, and Roc Solid Foundation.

Taylor’s first career home run was a grand slam with the Dodgers. His 100th career home run was a grand slam with the Dodgers, making him the only player in history whose first and 100th home runs were grand slams!

He appeared in 80 postseason games with L.A., hitting .247/.351/.441 with 13 doubles, nine homers and 26 RBIs. The most important homer may have been his walk-off in the 2021 wild-card game against St. Louis. You can watch that here.

He made an incredible catch in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS against the Brewers. You can watch that here.

He hit three home runs in Game 5 of the 2021 NLCS against Atlanta. You can watch that here.

He always reminded me of that great quote from the movie “Rudy,” which I am going to alter a bit here:

“You’re 5 foot nothin’, 100 and nothin’, and you have barely a speck of athletic ability … And you’re gonna walk outta here with two World Series rings.”

Thank you, Chris Taylor, for the memories.

*-The Astros cheated during that season and postseason.

Injuries!

Wow, that’s like, three exclamation points in one newsletter. A record. I bought a bunch at the dollar store and need to get rid of them.

Injuries struck the Dodgers this week, and this time not to pitchers.

Kiké Hernández, fresh off the IL, had gone four for four in two games with two doubles and a homer when he came out of Tuesday’s game with what was diagnosed as a torn oblique. He will be out quite a while.

He initially got injured while taking batting practice before his first game back.

“I was pretty embarrassed about it,” Hernández told reporters Wednesday. “I thought it was just weird tightness. Never done an oblique before. So I didn’t really know what I was feeling. Came in today, wasn’t feeling great. I got treatment, but I thought I could play. … Compared to some of the things I’ve played through in the past, it was nothing. And, yeah, it was a little more than nothing.”

On Wednesday. Teoscar Hernández strained his left hamstring while trying to beat out a grounder.

“Don’t know how severe it is; he tested well,” Dave Roberts said after the game. “… There’s just no timeline, but something like that obviously is going to be a few weeks at the minimum. Disappointing. He’s been playing so well and he’s a big part of what we’re doing. So to lose him for any length of time is not great.”

Teoscar had been on a hot streak lately, so it’s doubly infuriating.

Alex Freeland and Ryan Ward were recalled from the minors to replace the injured duo.

Whoops! My bad

Remember that consecutive scoreless innings streak by the bullpen we talked about last time? It ended the night the newsletter came out. Sorry about that.

Up next

Friday: Philadelphia (Zack Wheeler, 4-0, 1.67 ERA) at Dodgers (*Justin Wrobleski, 6-2, 3.07 ERA), 7:15 p.m., Apple TV, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Philadelphia (Andrew Painter, 1-5, 5.40 ERA) at Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 3-3, 4.93 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Philadelphia (*Jesús Luzardo, 4-4, 4.38 ERA) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 4-4, 3.09 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Shaikin: As MLB proposes salary cap, Sacramento pursues team it might not be able to afford

Shaikin: For Dodgers, getting to playoffs is not good enough for Mark Walter. For Lakers?

Kiké Hernández’s oblique shows ‘significant tear’ as utility man returns to IL

How Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior influenced Eric Lauer at the beginning of his pro career

And finally

Chris Taylor career highlights. Watch and listen here.

Until next time …

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and my doctor told me to walk a mile every day. Now I’m 30 miles from home and don’t know what to do.

Time to hear from a different voice about the Dodgers, and colleague and columnist Mirjam Swanson was kind enough to answer a few questions about the team.

Q. We are almost a third of the way through the season. How would you assess the Dodgers so far?

Swanson: Exactly where I thought they’d be! And where they thought they’d be, too, I imagine.
Even without overexerting themselves (or Shohei Ohtani), forever keeping the main thing, the main thing, they’re one of baseball’s best teams.

As I write this, at 31-19, they have the third-best winning percentage in baseball and, even more tellingly, they have the second-best run differential: plus-98. Only the Atlanta Braves’ plus-104 is better.

They’re cruising along, weathering the expected injuries, deep enough to not have to rush anyone back, hopeful that all their most important pieces will be primed for postseason play.

In other words: Another year in the life of the Dodgers.

Q. The Dodgers are still the favorites to win the World Series. Which NL team would you say has the best chance to unseat them in the postseason, and which AL team would you say is best right now?

Swanson: Whomever the Dodgers face in the NLDS.

Because that club — be it the Padres, Cubs, Cardinals, Phillies or whoever — will have to beat the Dodgers only three times. There’s much more variance in a best-of-five series than in a traditional seven-game set.

But beating this team four times? Good luck.

As far as the American League? Does it matter? The AL is to MLB what the Eastern Conference is to the NBA: Meh.

The Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees are the only teams that have consistently played good ball all season. The Cleveland Guardians have gotten hot, so now they’re in the same proverbial ballpark standings-wise, at 30-22.

But after that: The A’s and the Chicago White Sox, who are barely .500, won’t intimidate anyone come playoff time.

And those are the only five teams in the AL that are above .500. Woof.

Q. I get emails from readers who say the Padres are now the Dodgers’ biggest rival, not the Giants? Your thoughts?

Swanson: When I was schooling at the University of Oregon, fans there thought of UCLA as our rival (the football teams were both good or getting good at the time).

I’m pretty certain UCLA didn’t think much about Oregon. Because obviously … USC.

That’s kind of how it seems with the Padres-Dodgers situation.

The Padres and their people really might have it in for the Dodgers.

But the Dodgers have an already established historical rival that overshadows any tug-of-war of the moment. They have the Giants.

I posed this question to a Dodger fan in my life to see what he’d say, reminding him that the Giants have stunk lately.

His response: “Good.”

Q. At some point, the window will close on this team and they won’t make the postseason. I don’t think the window closes this season, but do you think that time is coming soon?

Swanson: What’s soon? Five seasons? Four? I think as long as this ownership group is involved and this front office is calling the shots, they can play the game — on the field and off, salary cap or no. The Dodgers are going to be able to keep that window propped open.

They spend big, but they also build smartly, so they’ve got prospects lined up, just waiting for a crack at the regular big league opportunity. (See: Dalton Rushing, River Ryan, Hyeseong Kim, who would be regulars by now on almost any other team.)

Especially with a dozen teams getting in every season, I’d be shocked if they didn’t put some distance on the Braves’ 14-consecutive-playoff-appearance record, which the Dodgers should tie this season.

But, no, I suppose they won’t go on winning at this clip for the next 50 years.

What about that bullpen!

The Dodger bullpen has pitched 38 consecutive scoreless innings. breaking the team mark of 33 set by the 1998 bullpen.

Dave Roberts: “They’re on a heater. It’s one of those things where when it doesn’t go well, they get the blame. And when it does go well, they don’t get a lot of credit. But they are getting the credit now, and it’s earned. Really happy for those guys. We spread those innings pretty well with a lot of different arms.”

The last time the bullpen gave up a run was in the seventh inning of a loss to the Giants on May 12. Blake Treinen gave up a run that inning. The Dodgers were 24-18 after that game. Since then:

Dodgers record: 9-2
Charlie Barnes, 2 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 K
Jack Dreyer, 2 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 4 K’s
Paul Gervase, 2 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk
Edgardo Henriquez, 1-0, 5 1/3 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 6 K’s
Jonathan Hernández, 2 IP, 1 K
Kyle Hurt, 5 IP, 4 hits, 3 walks, 4 K’s
Will Klein, 1 save, 3 IP, 4 K’s
Chayce McDermott, 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 K
Wyatt Mills, 2 IP, 3 walks, 2 K
Tanner Scott, 1-0, 1 save, 5 1/3 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 10 K’s
Blake Treinen, 3 2/3 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks, 3 K’s
Alex Vesia, 4 2/3 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks, 8 K’s
Total, 38 IP, 13 hits, 15 walks, 44 K’s

And that doesn’t include the two scoreless innings Klein threw as an opener the day Blake Snell was put on the IL.

Catcher Dalton Rushing: “They’re pretty relentless. “Everyone wants the ball, regardless of who you are, regardless of the situation. They want to go out there, they want to succeed, they want to show out of the team. I don’t think it’s really in their head, what they’re doing right now — I don’t think they’re aware of it. But that’s the good thing about it. They just go out there, throw the ball and good results come.”

This is the fifth-longest streak in history. The top four (according the baseball-reference.com):

45.2 innings: 1962 Detroit Tigers
44 innings: 1966 Kansas City Athletics
41 innings: 2016 Kansas City Royals
38.2 innings: 2017 Cleveland Indians

If you are having trouble remember the 1998 Dodgers bullpen, which had the previous team record, the main arms were: Jeff Shaw, Antonio Osuna, Scott Radinsky, Mark Guthrie and Jim Bruske.

And you know no one in the current bullpen wants to be the one to break the streak.

Best bullpen ERA in the majors:

Dodgers, 2.87
Boston, 3.00
Texas, 3.01
Seattle, 3.01
Atlanta, 3.08

Worst: Houston (no relation), 5.62

Chris Taylor retires

Former Dodger Chris Taylor broke his left forearm while playing for the Angels’ triple-A Salt Lake team last week. On Friday, his name appeared on the retirement list, prompting “Chris Taylor has retired” stories throughout baseball media. On Saturday, it was removed from the list, prompting, “Chris Taylor has unretired” stories throughout baseball media. On Sunday, he finally, officially, definitely retired, stating on his Instagram page,

“Clearing up any confusion. I’ve officially decided to retire from the game I’ve dedicated my entire life towards. I’m beyond grateful to all of my coaches and teammates, and the organizations who allowed me to live out my childhood dream. I’ll forever cherish the memories along the way and most of all, the friendships that will last a lifetime. Thank you to the loyal fans who have supported me through my success and stuck with me through the struggles. Thank you to my parents and family who have been with me from the very beginning. My baseball journey would have never begun if it weren’t for you guys. Most of all, thank you to my wife Mary who has been my number one. You stepped up for our family and allowed me to see my dream through all the way to the end and then some. I cant wait to start our next chapter in life together with our boys.”

We will have a newsletter dedicated to Taylor in the next week or two. In the meantime, we thank him for all the wonderful moments he provided and wish him the best in retirement.

These names seem familiar

How notable players who were with the Dodgers the last couple of seasons are doing with their new teams. Click on the player’s name to be taken to their full stats page:

Anthony Banda, Twins: 1-0, 5.96 ERA, 22.2 IP, 19 hits, 8 walks, 19 K’s, 72 ERA+

Austin Barnes, out of baseball (released by Mets in spring training)

Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .274/.381/.473, 223 PA’s, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homers, 32 RBIs, 144 OPS+

Walker Buehler, Padres: 3-2, 5.05 ERA, 46.1 IP, 47 hits, 18 walks, 41 K’s, 80 ERA+

Mike Busch, Cubs: .230/.360/.380, 238 PA’s, 11 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers, 29 RBIs, 118 OPS+

Michael Conforto, Cubs: .284/.388/.537, 80 PA’s, 8 doubles, 3 homers, 11 RBIs, 168 OPS+

Justin Dean, Cubs: in the minors

Caleb Ferguson, Reds: just off the IL, hasn’t pitched yet

Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 0-6, 5.94 ERA, 47 IP, 49 hits, 29 walks, 55 K’s, 70 ERA+

Tony Gonsolin: out of baseball

Kenley Jansen, Tigers: 1-3, 5.02 ERA, 7 saves, 14.1 IP, 9 hits, 5 walks, 19 K’s, 84 ERA+

Craig Kimbrel, Mets: designated for assignment

Michael Kopech: out of baseball

Gavin Lux, Rays: on the IL

Dustin May, Cardinals: 3-5, 5.00 ERA, 54 IP, 60 hits, 17 walks, 42 K’s, 77 ERA+

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .177/.240/.240, 104 PA’s, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 7 RBIs, 36 OPS+

James Outman, Twins: .179/.258/.286, 62 PA’s, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 RBIs, 53 OPS+

Luke Raley, Mariners: .265/.326/.545, 140 PA’s, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 10 homers, 27 RBIs, 151 OPS+

Ben Rortvedt, Mets: in the minors

Corey Seager, Rangers: .179/.286/.353, 182 PA’s, 6 doubles, 7 homers, 20 RBIs, 91 OPS+, on the IL

Chris Taylor: retired

Justin Turner, Tijuana (Mexican League): .298/.412/.536, 81 PA’s, 8 doubles, 4 homers, 17 RBIs

Trea Turner, Phillies: .225/.281/.338, 231 PA’s, 9 doubles, 5 homers, 16 RBIs, 72 OPS+

Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .244/.376/.500, 221 PA’s, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 12 homers, 31 RBIs, 146 OPS+

Alex Verdugo: Out of baseball, had season-ending shoulder surgery

Kirby Yates, Angels: 0-0, 4.26 ERA, 6.1 IP, 4 hits, 3 walks, 9 K’s, 102 ERA+

Up next

Monday: Colorado (*Kyle Freeland, 1-5, 7.04 ERA) at Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 3-1, 4.93 ERA), 6:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Colorado (TBA) at Dodgers (*Eric Lauer, 1-5, 6.69 ERA, first start with Dodgers), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Colorado (Tomoyuki Sugano, 4-3, 3.86 ERA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 4-2, 0.73 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

How Eric Lauer is trying to return to a better version of himself with the Dodgers

Shaikin: Do the Dodgers need a “Will he hit?” drama every time Shohei Ohtani pitches?

And finally

Chris Taylor makes an incredible catch against the Brewers in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and I’m wondering what babies think about. They don’t know any words!

Reports of Shohei Ohtani’s demise were greatly exaggerated, as he has bounced back at the plate the last few games. He has been great on the mound this year, and after he defeated the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, his ERA dropped to 0.73.

Some wondered if this is the best start, through eight games, in history. Well, if you wondered that, you are forgetting another great player in Dodgers history.

A look at the best ERA’s after eight starts since 1920 (according to baseball-reference.com):

1. Fernando Valenzuela, 1981 Dodgers, 0.50 ERA
8-0, 7 complete games, 72 IP, 43 hits, 17 walks, 68 K’s

2. Mike Norris, 1980 Oakland A’s, 0.52 ERA
5-2. 6 CG’s, 68.2 IP, 33 hits, 25 walks, 49 K’s

3. Zack Greinke, 2009 Kansas City Royals, 0.60 ERA
7-1, 4 CG’s, 60 IP, 40 hits, 10 walks, 65 K’s

4. Jacob deGrom, 2021 NY Mets, 0.71 ERA
4-2. 1 CG, 51 IP, 22 hits, 7 walks, 82 K’s

5. Shohei Ohtani, 2026 Dodgers, 0.73 ERA
4-2, 0 CG’s, 49 IP, 28 hits, 13 walks, 54 K’s

6. Juan Marichal, 1966 San Francisco Giants, 0.78 ERA
7-0, 6 CG’s, 69 IP, 42 hits, 6 walks, 45 K’s

7. Pedro Martinez, 2000 Boston Red Sox, 0.90 ERA
7-1, 2 CG’s, 60.1 IP, 33 hits, 11 walks, 88 K’s

8. Randy Johnson, 2000 Arizona Diamondbacks, 0.95 ERA
7-0, 4 CG’s, 66.1 IP, 39 hits, 14 walks, 88 K’s

9. Shota Imanaga, 2024 Chicago Cubs, 0.96 ERA
5-0, 0 CG’s, 46.2 IP, 36 hits, 8 walks, 51 K’s

10. Nolan Ryan, 1981 Houston Astros, 0.98 ERA
4-2, 1 CG, 55.1 IP, 40 hits, 24 walks, 54 K’s

Fernando’s start continues to be the greatest in history. The fact he pitched 72 innings and had seven complete games is incredible. In the game he didn’t complete, he pitched nine innings. The Dodgers won in 10.

If we limit the list to just Dodgers:

1. Fernando Valenzuela, 1981, 0.50 ERA
8-0, 7 complete games, 72 IP, 43 hits, 17 walks, 68 K’s

2. Shohei Ohtani, 2026, 0.73 ERA

4-2, 0 CG’s, 49 IP, 28 hits, 13 walks, 54 K’s

3. Sandy Koufax, 1963, 1.06 ERA

6-1, 5 CG’s, 68 IP, 33 hits, 12 walks, 59 K’s

4. Leon Cadore, 1920, 1.08 ERA
4-2, 6 CG’s, 83.1 IP, 65 hits, 13 walks, 34 K’s

The amazing thing about Cadore’s first eight starts in 1920: In his fourth start, the game lasted 26 innings. Cadore pitched all 26 innings, giving up one run and 15 hits. Strangely, he lasted only five innings in his next start and said his arm felt tired. He didn’t start again for 12 days. Slacker.

5. Jesse Petty, 1926, 1.25 ERA
6-2, 8 CG’s, 72 IP, 49 hits, 20 walks, 23 K’s

6. Don Sutton, 1972, 1.29 ERA
6-0, 4 CG’s, 69.2 IP, 32 hits, 16 walks, 50 K’s

7. Carl Erskine, 1955, 1.34 ERA
5-1, 4 CG’s, 67.1 IP, 47 hits, 26 walks, 31 K’s

8. Claude Osteen, 1971, 1.35 ERA
6-2, 3 CG’s, 66.2 IP, 55 hits, 18 walks, 23 K’s

9. Brad Penny, 2007, 1.39 ERA
5-0, 0 CG’s, 51.2 IP, 42 hits, 18 walks, 33 K’s

10. Zack Greinke, 2015, 1.52 ERA
5-1, 0 CG’s, 53.1 IP, 35 hits, 11 walks, 44 K’s

Any time you find yourself on a list between Fernando and Koufax, you’ve done well.

Game time

MLB has a daily trivia game on each team’s website that I enjoy playing. You might too. You can find it here.

Injury updates

Blake Snell had the less invasive NanoNeedle Scope procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow Tuesday, which means his recovery time will be shorter, probably two months instead of three. So, Snell could be back at the beginning of August.

Tyler Glasnow has had more soreness in his back that has stopped him from throwing. As soon as it calms down, he’ll start the comeback trail again.

Brusdar Graterol injured his back while with triple-A Oklahoma City and was moved to the 60-day IL. At this point, you have to wonder if we will ever see Graterol pitch again.

Pitcher Ben Casparius, already on the 15-day IL because of shoulder inflammation, was moved to the 60-day IL. Seems unlikely he will be back before the All-Star break.

Pitcher Bobby Miller is still on the 60-day IL with a shoulder injury. The timeline for his return is unclear.

Kiké Hernández is currently on a rehab assignment with triple-A Oklahoma City, where he is eight for 34 (.235) with two doubles, a triple and three RBIs. He can be activated on May 24.

Tommy Edman has been running the bases, but will need a rehab assignment of his own before he can come back from his ankle injury.

Everyone currently on the IL for the Dodgers:

Pitchers
Ben Casparius (60-day)
Jake Cousins (60)
Edwin Díaz (60)
Jack Dreyer (15)
Tyler Glasnow (15)
Brusdar Graterol (60)
Landon Knack (60)
Bobby Miller (60)
Evan Phillips (60)
Blake Snell (15)
Brock Stewart (15)
Gavin Stone (60)

Position players
Tommy Edman (60)
Kiké Hernández (60)

Halls of Fame

You know our annual Dodgers Hall of Fame voting? Well, I also compile The Times’ Sports Report newsletter, and have started a Hall of Fame for different sports there. The first three ballots are active, and you can only consider what they did in L.A. If you wish to participate, the ballots are:

Pro baseball (click here)
NBA (click here)
Pro football (click here)

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (*Justin Wrobleski, 6-1, 2.49 ERA) at Milwaukee (Logan Henderson, 1-1, 3.50 ERA), 4:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 2-3, 5.09 ERA) at Milwaukee (Robert Gasser, 0-0, 4.50 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Dodgers (Yoshibobu Yamamoto, 3-4, 3.32 ERA) at Milwaukee (Brandon Sproat, 1-2, 5.75 ERA), 11:10 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Shaikin: Do the Dodgers need a “Will he hit?” drama every time Shohei Ohtani pitches?

Shaikin: From the Big Apple, sour grapes toward the voice of the Dodgers

Tennis great Billie Jean King graduates from Cal State L.A. 65 years after enrolling

Shaikin: Pitching injuries are piling up again for Dodgers. Can the starting rotation hold up?

And finally

Andre Ethier‘s top moments with the Dodgers. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Dodgers beat the Padres

From Maddie Lee: The crack of the bat reverberated throughout Petco Park. The crowd let out a collective, “Oh.” And Shohei Ohtani started his trot around the bases.

Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a valiant effort to bring back the home run. But after leaping and stretching his torso over the top of the wall, the ball fell just out of his reach.

Ohtani, hitting while pitching for the first time in almost four weeks, had homered on the first pitch of the game. Then, helping the Dodgers to a 4-0 win and series victory against the Padres on Wednesday, Ohtani threw five shutout innings and gave up just three hits.

“The goal as a pitcher is to not give up the first run,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “So I was able to not do that and happy that we were able to score first.”

He lowered his ERA to 0.73, which is the best mark of any pitcher who has started a game this season. It’s also the sixth-lowest ERA through the first eight starts of a season (excluding openers) that a pitcher has recorded in the live-ball era (since 1920), according to MLB.com. Fernando Valenzuela, with an 0.50 ERA through eight starts in 1981, leads the pack.

Continue reading here

Shaikin: From the Big Apple, sour grapes toward the voice of the Dodgers

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels lose to the Athletics

Jeff McNeil hit a tying homer in the ninth inning and Tyler Soderstrom had an RBI single in the 10th to rally the Athletics past the Angels 6-5 on Wednesday night.

The Angels loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10th but left-hander Hogan Harris got Jorge Soler to ground out, sending the Angels to their 23rd loss in 29 games.

A’s reliever Scott Barlow (1-0) threw a scoreless ninth for the win. Angels right-hander Chase Silseth (1-1) took the loss after giving up an unearned run in the 10th.

Continue reading here

Angels box score

MLB standings

UCLA men’s basketball adds four players

Forwards Filip Jovic of Auburn and Sergej Macura of Mississippi State as well as guards Jaylen Petty of Texas Tech and Azavier Robinson of Butler have joined UCLA through the transfer portal, coach Mick Cronin said Wednesday.

Jovic averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in all 37 games for Auburn last season, helping the Tigers win the NIT title. Macura averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 28 games for Mississippi State last season.

Petty averaged 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 33 games as a freshman at Texas Tech. Robinson averaged 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 22 games as a freshman at Butler.

Continue reading here

This day in sports history

1881 — A small group of tennis club members meets at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to form the world’s first national governing body for tennis: the United States National Lawn Tennis Assn. The new organization is created to standardize tennis rules and regulations and to encourage and develop the sport.

1891 — Australian boxer Peter Jackson and future world heavyweight champion Jim Corbett fight a No Contest in 61 rounds at California Athletic Club, San Francisco.

1932 — 1st Curtis Cup for Women’s team amateur golf: U.S. wins, 5½-3½ at Wentworth Club (Wentworth, England).

1966 — Muhammad Ali TKOs Henry Cooper in six for heavyweight boxing title.

1966 — Kauai King, the Kentucky Derby winner ridden by Don Brumfield, wins the Preakness Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths over Stupendous.

1971 — Chelsea win 11th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Real Madrid 2-1 in Athens (replay).

1977 — Heavily favored Seattle Slew, ridden by Jean Cruguet, wins the Preakness Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths over Iron Constitution, a 31-1 shot.

1979 — The Montreal Canadiens win their 21st Stanley Cup by beating the New York Rangers 4-1 in Game 5.

1981 — The New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup in five games with a 5-1 triumph over the Minnesota North Stars.

1988 — Risen Star, ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, spoils Winning Colors’ bid to become the first filly to win the Triple Crown by capturing the Preakness Stakes.

1989 — LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Jack Nicklaus GC: Nancy Lopez wins for the third time, by three strokes over Ayako Okamoto of Japan.

1995 — The Penske Racing Team is shut out of the 33-car Indianapolis 500 field when two-time winners Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi fail to qualify. Unser is the first Indianapolis 500 winner to fail to qualify the next year.

2005 — Afleet Alex, ridden by Jeremy Rose, regains his footing and his drive after being cut off by Scrappy T in a frightening collision and breezes home to win the Preakness Stakes. Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo finishes third.

2005 — English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (71,876): Arsenal beats Manchester United, 5-4 on penalties after 0–0 (a.e.t.); Gunners’ 10th title.

2006 — Detroit holds Cleveland to the lowest point total in a Game 7 in NBA history and advances to its fourth straight Eastern Conference final with a 79-61 win over the Cavaliers.

2006 — The Swedish ice hockey team Tre Kronor takes gold in the World Championship, becoming the first nation to hold both the World and Olympic titles separately in the same year.

2008 — UEFA Champions League Final, Moscow: Manchester United beats Chelsea, 6-5 on penalties after scores tied at 1-1 after extra time; first all-English final in the competition’s history.

2009 — Evgeni Malkin scores three goals — two in the third period — for his first NHL playoff hat trick and leads Pittsburgh to a 7-4 win over Carolina and a 2-0 advantage in the NHL Eastern Conference finals. Teammate Sidney Crosby scores the first goal of the game for a record-tying sixth goal to start a playoff game. Bobby Hull of the Blackhawks (1962) and Edmonton’s Fernando Pisani in 2006 also had six game-opening goals in a playoff year.

2011 — Shackleford wins the Preakness, holding off a late charge from Animal Kingdom to win as a 12-1 underdog. Ridden by Jesus Lopez Castanon and trained by Dale Romans, Shackleford wins by three-quarters of a length in 1:56.21.

2011 — Bernard Hopkins, at age 46, becomes the oldest fighter to win a major world championship, taking the WBC light-heavyweight title from Jean Pascal in Montreal. He takes the WBC, IBO and The Ring magazine titles from the 28-year-old Pascal (26-2-1), the Canadian fighter who was making his fifth defense. Hopkins (52-5-2) broke the age record set by George Foreman in a heavyweight title victory over Michael Moorer in 1994.

2016 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Manchester United beats Crystal Palace, 2-1 (a.e.t.); Jesse Lingard scores 110′ winner.

2016 — On same card, American boxer Jermell Charlo KOs John Jackson in 8th to claim vacant WBC super welterweight title, and Jermall Charlo beats Austin Trout on points to retain IBF version; first twins to hold world championships in same weight division.

2017 — The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, Greystone G&CC: Defending champion Berhard Langer wins by five strokes over Scott Parel and Scott McCarron.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1926 — Earl Sheely of the Chicago White Sox hit three doubles and a home run against the Boston Red Sox. Sheely doubled in each of his last three at-bats the previous day to give him seven consecutive extra-base hits, tying a major league record. The six doubles in the two games also tied a major league record.

1930 — Babe Ruth hits three consecutive home runs in the first game of a doubleheader against the A’s.

1943 — In the fastest nine-inning night game in American League history, the Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Senators 1-0, in 1 hour, 29 minutes.

1948 — Joe DiMaggio had two home runs, a triple, double and single to lead the New York Yankees to a 13-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

1952 — Duke Snider’s home run highlighted a 15-run first inning in the Dodgers’ 19-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Brooklyn. Snider, Pee Wee Reese and Billy Cox each made three plate appearances in the first inning.

1986 — Rafael Ramirez of Atlanta had four doubles in seven at-bats as the Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 9-8 in 13 innings.

1996 — Larry Walker drove in a career-high six runs, hitting a pair of two-run homers, a triple and a double in the Colorado Rockies’ 12-10 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. His 13 total bases set a club record.

1996 — At Fenway Park, Seattle pounds out 19 hits to beat Boston, 13-7. Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes the 7th-youngest player to collect 200 homers when he connects in the M’s six-run 4th inning. Jay Buhner hits a two-run shot in the inning, the 5th game in a row he’s connected, and Edgar Martinez adds four hits in the game.

1997 — Roger Clemens earned his 200th victory, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-1 win over the New York Yankees.

2000 — For the first time in baseball history, there were six grand slams in a single day. Garret Anderson of the Angels hit the record-breaker off Kansas City’s Chris Fussell. J.T. Snow of San Francisco, Brian Hunter of Philadelphia, Jason Giambi of Oakland, and Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green of the Dodgers connected with the bases loaded before Anderson. The old mark of five was set in 1999.

2002 — The Diamondbacks set down the Giants, 9-4, behind Randy Johnson. Johnson notches the 3,500th strikeout of his big league career in the contest.

2004 — In his return to Texas, Alex Rodriguez is roundly booed by fans at the Ballpark in Arlington. The fans continue to show their displeasure as the Yankees third baseman drives a 2-1 pitch over the fence during his 1st-inning at-bat.

2004 — Jose Cruz Jr. went 4-for-4 with a homer and three doubles, leading Tampa Bay to a 5-3 victory over Cleveland.

2005 — The Texas Rangers set two club records in an 18-3 rout of the Houston Astros. Texas got home runs from Rod Barajas, Hank Blalock, Laynce Nix and Mark Teixeira in an eight-run, four-homer second inning. Texas slugged a team-record eight homers total on the day, also receiving blasts from Kevin Mench, Richard Hidalgo and two from David Dellucci.

2009 — Albert Pujols of St. Louis hit a homer in the first inning that knocked out the “I” on the Big Mac Land sign located in Busch Stadium’s left field. The Cardinals won 3-1.

2009 — Joe Mauer hit a grand slam, two doubles and drove in a career-high six runs as Minnesota routed the Chicago White Sox 20-1.

2010 — Dan Haren doubled twice, drove in three runs and pitched eight strong innings, offsetting Edwin Encarnacion’s three home runs for Toronto, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Blue Jays 8-6. Haren gave up four runs and nine hits and two of Encarnacion’s three homers.

2013 — Mike Trout hit for the cycle and drove in five runs to lead the Angels in a 12-0 rout of Seattle Mariners.

2015 — The Brewers’ Will Smith is ejected for having rosin and sunscreen on his forearm in the 7th inning of Milwaukee’s 10-1 loss to the Braves. Smith explains that he simply forgot to wipe off his arm before leaving the bullpen when called into the game. He will receive an eight-game suspension as well.

2018 — Baseball has a new phenom as 19-year-old Juan Soto of the Nationals, making his first start ever in the outfield after striking out as a pinch-hitter in his debut the day before, crushes the first pitch he sees from Robbie Erlin of the Padres for a three-run homer. He goes 2-for-4 in 10-2 win by Washington. He is the first teenager to homer since teammate Bryce Harper did so in his rookie year in 2012.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

SAN DIEGO — The crack of the bat reverberated throughout Petco Park. The crowd let out a collective, “Oh.” And Shohei Ohtani started his trot around the bases.

Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a valiant effort to bring back the home run. But after leaping and stretching his entire torso over the top of the wall, the ball fell just out of his reach.

Ohtani, hitting while pitching for the first time in almost four weeks, had homered on the first pitch of the game.

Manager Dave Roberts has held Ohtani out of the batting order for each of his last three starts on the mound, in what’s become a start-by-start decision. But Wednesday, he handled pitching and hitting duties, with immediate positive feedback.

“Obviously it’s a big series, and with the way he’s swinging the bat, I feel it gives us the best chance to win,” Roberts said before the game. “And last week, giving him a couple days off to reset, I thought that was beneficial. We’re on the heels of an off day [Thursday]. So I think all that in total, it just made sense to have him hit today.”

Roberts has also witnessed a “recharged” Ohtani on this trip, as evident on the basepaths and in the batter’s box.

Roberts and Ohtani differ in how much they credit his offensive turnaround to the two-day break from hitting that Roberts gave the two-way phenom last week, versus the progress he was already showing. But Ohtani entered Wednesday with four doubles and 10 hits total in five games against the Angels and Padres.

“I think he’s getting there,” Roberts said before the game. “I wouldn’t say he’s back; I think he’s getting there.”

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and I’m wondering whatever happened to good old rotator cuff injuries?

So, you might want to sit down for this shocking news, but Blake Snell is on the injured list. He has what must be the trending injury this season: “loose bodies” in his pitching elbow. Loose bodies are cartilage or bone fragments that float around in the fluid of the elbow joint. Reliever Edwin Díaz is also on the IL because of “loose bodies.”

Some pitchers have loose bodies and it’s not a problem. Díaz said he has had loose bodies since 2014. It’s when they move into a position that cause the elbow to lock up that causes a problem.

Snell will have surgery Tuesday, and his return depends on what type of surgery he needs. There is a version of the surgery that is less invasive, and basically entails a small incision in the elbow, and there’s a version that is more invasive. Doctors won’t know until they get a look inside his elbow.

“He said he was just excited to have a date on the calendar to get it taken care of, get back to playing catch and getting back to joining us,” Dave Roberts said.

The question has been asked frequently since he went on the IL: Why do the Dodgers sign or trade for so many injured pitchers?

Well, for one, almost every pitcher in the majors now has some sort of injury history. In the olden days, pitchers didn’t throw as hard as they could on every pitch. Now they do. That puts tremendous strain on the elbow and shoulder. Also, spin rate (how fast the ball spins after being released) is king, and that also puts tremendous strain on the elbow and shoulder.

Finding a pitcher without an injury history of some sort is difficult.

And the Dodgers would much rather this happen now than in September. The Dodgers built this team (and teams in years past) to withstand this sort of injury. So, if Snell and Tyler Glasnow have to spend some time on the IL now, it’s OK as long as they come back by September and are ready for the postseason.

Last season, Glasnow made only 18 starts, pitching 90 1/3 innings. Snell made only 11 starts, pitching 61 1/3 innings. They pitched well when they were healthy, and they were in the postseason, where Glasnow pitched 21 1/3 innings with a 1.69 ERA and Snell pitched 34 innings with a 3.18 ERA. If they can do that again this season, the Dodgers will be pleased.

The Dodgers have won two straight World Series. so we should probably give them the benefit of the doubt that they know what they are doing.

Starting pitchers for the Dodgers last season:

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 30 starts
Clayton Kershaw, 22
Dustin May, 18
Glasnow, 18
Shohei Ohtani, 14
Emmet Sheehan, 12
Snell, 11
Roki Sasaki, 8
Landon Knack, 7
Tony Gonsolin, 7
Jack Dreyer, 5
Ben Casparius, 3
Lou Trivino, 2
Justin Wrobleski, 2
Anthony Banda, 1
Matt Sauer, 1
Bobby Miller, 1

And in 2024:

Gavin Stone, 25
Tyler Glasnow, 22
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 18
James Paxton, 18
Walker Buehler, 16
Bobby Miller, 13
Landon Knack, 12
Jack Flaherty, 10
Clayton Kershaw, 7
Justin Wrobleski, 6
Ryan Brasier, 4
River Ryan, 4
Anthony Banda, 2
Michael Grove, 2
Brent Honeywell Jr., 1
Elieser Hernandez, 1
Kyle Hurt, 1

That’s 17 starting pitchers each season. So this is nothing new. This season is looking amazingly like last season. And that one turned out pretty well.

Here come the Padres

Nothing cures a team’s woes this season better than playing three games against the Angels.

But starting tonight, the Dodgers begin a three-game series with the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers and Padres have been battling for the NL West lead almost the entire season. This will be a good test for both teams to see exactly how they stack up. It’s in San Diego, and Padres fans always gear up for games against the Dodgers. The Dodgers view the season as just getting ready for the postseason, but the Padres treat these games as if they were the World Series. How will the teams respond? It will be interesting to see.

Roster moves

The Dodgers used a bullpen game on Friday after Snell went on the IL. So, they reshuffled the bullpen on Sunday to get some fresh arms in preparation for the Padres series.

They acquired left-hander Eric Lauer from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations. Lauer pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers in the World Series last season, but has not been good this season, giving up a league-leading 11 home runs in 36 1/3 innings.

To make room on the 40-man roster, they put Brusdar Graterol on the 60-day IL. Also, they put Jack Dreyer on the 15-day IL with a sore shoulder and recalled Paul Gervase and Chayce McDermott from the minors while sending Charlie Barnes back to the minors.

Greatest moment in Dodgers history

Coming soon, we will count down the greatest moments in Dodgers history. But first, let’s make sure every great moment is considered. So email me your more obscure pick for a greatest moment candidate. You don’t have to send in World Series victories, or Kirk Gibson‘s homer, or obvious ones like that. But if there is a moment you think might be overlooked, email it to me. I’ll compile a list and we will vote on it.

These names seem familiar

How notable players who were with the Dodgers the last couple of seasons are doing with their new teams. Click on the player’s name to be taken to their full stats page:

Anthony Banda, Twins: 1-0, 6.98 ERA, 19.1 IP, 19 hits, 8 walks, 18 K’s, 63 ERA+

Austin Barnes: out of baseball (released by Mets in spring training)

Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .267/.375/.458, 200 PA’s, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, 30 RBIs, 133 OPS+

Walker Buehler, Padres: 3-2, 5.01 ERA, 41.1 IP, 42 hits, 14 walks, 37 K’s, 82 ERA+

Mike Busch, Cubs: .232/.355/.369, 203 PA’s, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 26 RBIs, 112 OPS+

Michael Conforto, Cubs: .345/.456/.655, 68 PA’s, 8 doubles, 3 homers, 11 RBIs, 220 OPS+

Caleb Ferguson, Reds: on the IL

Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 0-5, 5.77 ERA, 43.2 IP, 41 hits, 29 walks, 48 K’s, 73 ERA+

Justin Dean, Cubs: in the minors

Tony Gonsolin: out of baseball

Kenley Jansen, Tigers: 1-2, 3.65 ERA, 7 saves, 12.1 IP, eight hits, five walks, 18 K’s, 118 ERA+

Craig Kimbrel, Mets: 0-2, 6.35 ERA, 11 1/3 IP, 12 hits, six walks, 13 K’s, 64 ERA+

Michael Kopech: out of baseball

Gavin Lux, Rays: on the IL

Dustin May, Cardinals: 3-4, 4.81 ERA, 48 2/3 IP, 54 hits, 15 walks, 35 K’s, 81 ERA+

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .182/.250/.260, 84 PA’s, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBIs, 44 OPS+

James Outman, Twins: .190/.244/.310, 45 PA’s, three doubles, one triple, 3 RBIs, 54 OPS+

Ben Rortvedt, Mets: in the minors

Corey Seager, Rangers: .179/.286/.353, 182 PA’s, 6 doubles, 7 homers, 20 RBIs, 91 OPS+

Chris Taylor, Angels: in the minors

Justin Turner, Tijuana (Mexican League): .318/.432/.561, 81 PA’s, seven doubles, three homers, 12 RBIs

Trea Turner, Phillies: .236/.286/.340, 206 PA’s, 8 doubles, 4 homers, 15 RBIs, 73 OPS+

Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .247/.374/.506, 198 PA’s, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 11 homers, 29 RBIs, 146 OPS+

Alex Verdugo: Out of baseball, had season-ending shoulder surgery

Kirby Yates, Angels: 0-0, 4.91 ERA, 3.2 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 6 K’s, 94 ERA+

Up next

Monday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 3-3, 3.60 ERA) at San Diego (Michael King, 3-2, 2.63 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 3-2, 0.82 ERA) at San Diego (Griffin Canning, 0-2, 10.64 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 3-1, 4.54 ERA) at San Diego (Randy Vásquez, 5-1, 2.68 ERA), 5:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Dodgers acquire left-hander Eric Lauer from Blue Jays, adjust roster after injuries

Shaikin: Hey, young athletes: Would you trust this former Dodgers pitcher to manage your money?

How Shohei Ohtani scored a Little League home run during Dodgers’ rout of Angels

Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell scheduled for arm surgery, timeline for return is unclear

Dodgers’ Blake Snell returns to injured list with loose bodies in his left elbow

And finally

Eric Karros hits a walk-off homer. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

All the Dodgers had to do was stay patient.

In a 15-2 win Saturday against the Angels in Anaheim, the Dodgers offense wasn’t able to gain much of a lead until the sixth inning. Then six consecutive free passes spurred an offensive explosion that put the game away.

In fact, Will Smith’s first-inning sacrifice fly scored the only run for either team through the first five innings, as the starting pitchers — Dodgers lefty Justin Wrobleski and Angels right-hander José Soriano — dueled.

Though the Dodgers scored first, Soriano avoided traffic on the bases more effectively than Wrobleski. That is, until Soriano lost command in the sixth.

Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski throws to the plate during a win over the Angels Saturday at Angel Stadium.

(Mark J. Terrill / Ap Photo/mark J. Terrill)

With one out in the sixth inning, Mookie Betts got the Dodgers’ rally started by drawing a five-pitch walk. Freddie Freeman followed suit and Smith wore a curveball to load the bases.

Soriano, who had only allowed one hit, didn’t regain his footing. He walked in two runs before being lifted. And then his replacement, Angels reliever Chase Silseth, hit Teoscar Hernández to bring in a third run for the Dodgers before they logged a hit in the inning.

Alex Call, the eighth Dodgers hitter to step up to the plate in the sixth, finally delivered the only knock of the rally, a two-run single on a ground ball through the left side of the infield.

The strong Dodgers fan presence at a sold-out Angel Stadium made itself known in the eighth inning when Shohei Ohtani drove a two-run triple into the right-field corner, raced to third as it bounced up and off the netting and then scored on a throwing error.

“MVP” chants broke out from the fans clad in blue.

They let out a roar shortly after, when Betts launched a solo homer to left.

The Dodgers continued the barrage in the ninth, scoring on pitcher Alek Manoah’s errant throw that past second base, Hernández’ sharp single up the third-base line and Ohtani’s bases-clearing double into the right-field corner.

That earned more “MVP” chants.

The Dodgers, one day removed from scratching left-hander Blake Snell and pivoting to a bullpen game on Friday, needed Wrobleski to give their relievers a breather.

The Dodgers’ bats ultimately helped take pressure off all the team’s pitchers.

Didn’t hit. Didn’t pitch.

But that didn’t make Shohei Ohtani not the story.

On the contrary. Seeing him chillin’ in a Dodger-blue hoodie — and not dressed for success in his white home uniform top — was the most striking part of the Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

Back on Tuesday, before the Dodgers’ fourth consecutive loss, with Ohtani having recorded just four hits in 36 at-bats, manager Dave Roberts announced plans to bench baseball’s best player.

To get him some R&R — rest and reset. “A good spa day,” Roberts would joke Thursday.

Of course, it’s Ohtani, so much is being made of the much-needed breather.

Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Maybe you hate it. Maybe you hate it for him. Maybe you think a $700 million contract doesn’t account for days off. Maybe you were among the unfortunate 51,048 paying customers who came to watch the Dodgers even their series with the Giants without Ohtani’s help, and you’re sad about it.

Maybe, though, you should give Roberts the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you should remind yourself Ohtani isn’t actually a unicorn. Not a myth, but a man.

“Mentally, the days that he does pitch, it’s tougher on him [to also hit],” Roberts said Thursday. “Physically, it’s the day after.”

And so the manager wasn’t joking; he wasn’t juking. Even after Ohtani homered for the first time in 53 plate appearances in Tuesday’s 6-2 loss, Roberts stuck with the plan and gave his superstar a whole day off Thursday after having him only pitch the night before.

Only. As in that he only pitched seven scoreless innings, only struck out eight and only lowered his ERA to a major-league leading 0.82. Yes, he only teed up the Dodgers for a 4-0 victory. An honestly exceptional day’s work for anyone else.

Then on Thursday, Ohtani contributed only vibes.

Which was weird. Which was good.

Instead of swinging a bat, Ohtani served as the welcoming committee after Will Smith led off the game with a home run. Ohtani was later an accessory to Smith’s prank filling Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s hood with wrapped pieces of bubble gum. And still, for the second consecutive game without him in the lineup, the Dodgers (26-18) finished the job.

For all of their recent scuffing and shuffling, these loaded, baseball-ruining Dodgers should be able to survive an Ohtani skip day every so often.

Even without Ohtani or Mookie Betts, a lineup with Smith, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández should be able to overpower the lowly Giants, who have been outscored by 45 runs and now are 18-26.

Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani laughs with teammates while sitting in the dugout before a game against the Giants Thursday.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

But maybe you think: Here the Dodgers go again, making it too complicated, being too cute. They’re back to being too cautious, too careful.

But don’t think of it as load management. Consider it asset management.

The Dodgers are going to protect their personnel from as much wear and tear as possible — and from themselves.

Obviously, Ohtani — who came into the season appearing to really covet the Cy Young award — is capable of multidimensional greatness. He’s the Him who closed out the National League Championship Series with a wildest-dream-exceeding, 10-strikeout, three-home run game.

But it’s important that the Dodgers don’t let the 31-year-old burn himself out.

“The thing is with all players, once you get to a point where you’re exhausted and tired and that’s in the middle of the summer, it’s tough to recoup,” Roberts said. “So you kind of have to know how to push them but not get to the red line point. If we can kind of hold and get a good rhythm, which I think we’re getting a good grasp on now, then we’ll have more of a base, a foundation to push him when the time is right. It’s certainly not right now.”

Roberts said Ohtani is sharing in these decisions. If there are days that Roberts feels like Ohtani would benefit from a day off, he’s given the manager his blessing.

Sometimes less is more, even for the guy who can do it all.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and I’m back. The wedding was beautiful. Thanks to all of you who wrote in with well wishes.

The big news is that the Dodgers have continued to slump. Since starting the season 15-4, they have gone 11-14, including two four-game losing streaks. Why is this happening? Well, there’s usually not one thing that causes team slumps. It’s easy to blame Shohei Ohtani, since he isn’t hitting at his normal spectacular level, but you can say that about other players too.

Let’s look at some numbers. Let’s see where the Dodgers rank among the 30 MLB teams in some categories. These numbers are through Wednesday:

Runs per game
4.93 (seventh in MLB)

Batting average
.263 (second)

OB%
.342 (first)

Slugging%
.433 (second)

Grounded into double play
37 (tied for third)

Grounded into double play %
10.6% (eighth)

Batting average with runners in scoring position
.266 (ninth)

Batting average with two out and RISP
.241 (11th)

ERA
3.40 (third)

Rotation ERA
3.28 (fourth)

Bullpen ERA
3.60 (10th)

Nothing really stands out there. They are in the top 10 in almost every category. If you had to point at a troubling spot, it’s double plays. They hit a lot of hard grounders right at fielders with runners on base. Is that just bad luck? Better scouting by opponents? Too soon to tell.

The team slump really began on April 28. They were 20-9 going into that game, 6-9 since then. Let’s look at some individual numbers (through Wednesday) during that bad streak:

Kyle Tucker: .318/.446/.545, 7 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBIs
Freddie Freeman: .288/.362/.423, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBIs
Andy Pages: .283/.333/.528, 1 double, 4 homers, 10 RBIs
Will Smith: .270/.333/.324, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs
Alex Call, .267/.368/.400 (4 for 15)
Teoscar Hernández: .256/.347/.279, 1 double, 1 RBI
Alex Freeland: .250/.344/.357, 1 homer, 2 RBIs
Max Muncy: .214/.313/.405, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 6 RBIs
Hyeseong Kim: .200/.243/.286, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 RBI
Dalton Rushing, .167/.200/.167, 1 RBI
Santiago Espinal, .167/.167/.417 (2 for 12)
Mookie Betts, .154/.154/.385 (2 for 13)
Shohei Ohtani, .143/.294/.238, 1 double, 1 homer, 4 RBIs
Miguel Rojas, .095/.136/.095 (2 for 21)

Almost every player is hitting below their career averages in almost every category. It’s a teamwide slump that has lasted two weeks. It’s dragging the team numbers down, because remember above when I said they are in the top 10 in every category? Well, before the slump they were in the top five. If this continues, they will keep sliding down the rankings.

And while it’s certainly not all Ohtani’s fault, he is mired in a deep slump. The Dodgers gave him two days off from hitting Wednesday and Thursday (he pitched Wednesday).

“For me, with any hitter, when the quality of at-bat starts to go down consistently, I think that’s a telling sign there needs to be a break,” Dave Roberts told reporters. “Because you’re just not able to — whether it’s the mechanics, the mind — stay within your game plan, and then the chase starts to spike.”

Dalton Rushing has crashed back to earth. Teoscar Hernández has lost all his power. The whole team, except for Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker, has lost power. Maybe they forgot to pay their Edison bill. They are on pace to hit 214 homers this season. Last season, they hit 244. The last time they hit fewer homers in a season was 2012, when they hit 121. And won 111 games.

Should we be worried about the Dodgers? Well, they’ve gone through teamwide slumps in the past. If they are still hitting poorly when June begins, then be worried. And keep in mind, they are 26-18 and on pace to win 96 games this season. Last season they won 93 and were 29-15 after 44 games. In 2024, they won 98 games and were 29-15 after 44 games. And those seasons ended pretty well. The Dodgers are just getting their teamwide slump out of the way early this season.

Of course, I was tracking the team while gearing up for the wedding, and once I came back they have now won two in a row. Perhaps the slump is already over.

Unfortunately, the team the Dodgers seem to have the most trouble with, the lowly Angels, are up next on the schedule. Last season, the Dodgers lost all six games against the Angels. If the Angels sweep them this weekend, maybe I’ll start writing an Angels newsletter.

René Cárdenas dies

When I was a kid, the Dodgers’ Spanish broadcast crew was always Jaime Jarrín and René Cárdenas. Unfortunately, one half of that duo, Cárdenas, is no longer with us as he died Sunday. He was 96.

Cárdenas started with the Dodgers in 1958 and was the No. 1 broadcast, with Jarrín the No. 2 man. Cárdenas left the team to broadcast elsewhere, then returned to the Dodgers for the 1982 season.

As colleague Ed Guzman writes in the Cárdenas obit: By this point, Jarrín was firmly in place as the team’s lead Spanish-language play-by-play announcer — particularly in the wake of Fernandomania the season before, when Jarrín’s profile was raised as Fernando Valenzuela’s interpreter during his media interviews.

“It was explained to him by our producer, ‘You can’t come back as the No. 1 announcer because Jaime is established, he has many years as the lead announcer and he is beloved by the community,’” Jarrín said Monday. “René said, ‘I don’t care, I’ll come back as the No. 2 with Jaime. I just want to come back to the game of baseball.’ He was determined to return to the Dodgers.

“It was during that time that we established a close-knit friendship and we were well-received by the community as a broadcast duo.”

Cárdenas worked with the Dodgers through the 1998 season and moved back to Houston.

Our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Jason Heyward is back

But not as a player. He has rejoined the team in the front office as a special assistant to the general manager. “I asked for an opportunity,” Heyward said. “I asked for an opportunity to learn. I have a goal of potentially one day being in the front office. But I understand there’s a lot I have to learn on this side of things. It’s great to be a player, it’s great to have that experience. I think that will help me along the way. But at the same time, I knew it was important to learn to scout, how to evaluate players, learn the R&D, analytics, terminologies and things like that.”

Heyward played for the Dodgers from 2023-24.

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (*Justin Wrobleski, 5-1, 2.42 ERA) at Angels (Jack Kochanowicz, 2-2, 3.97 ERA), 6:38 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KTTV, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830

Saturday: Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 0-1, 12.00 ERA) at Angels (Jose Soriano, 6-2, 1.66 ERA), 6:38 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KCOP 13, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830

Sunday: Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 1-3, 5.88 ERA) at Angels (TBA), 1:07 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KCOP 13, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Kiké Hernández ‘little bit shocked’ by reception in Albuquerque while on rehab assignment

Shohei Ohtani holds Giants scoreless, Dodgers’ bats heat up to snap losing streak

Fan favorite Jason Heyward joins Dodgers as a special assistant with an eye on more

Shaikin: Mark Walter says the Dodgers can’t win all the time. Even Magic Johnson agrees

Dodgers tout outfielder Alek Thomas’ upside after acquiring him from the Diamondbacks

René Cárdenas, broadcasting pioneer who was Dodgers’ first Spanish-language announcer, dies

And finally

One hour of Vin Scully telling stories. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

The Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Thursday night, reclaiming first in the National League West after San Diego lost to Milwaukee. The Dodgers also escaped a third straight series loss at home ahead of their weekend road series against the Angels.

Designated hitter Will Smith, whom Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described earlier in the day as “unflappable,” hit from the leadoff spot and homered to right-center field in the first inning to set the tone for the series-splitting win.

The decision to put Smith in the leadoff spot allowed Roberts to maximize the 31-year-old’s plate appearances without moving other players after Shohei Ohtani was held out of the lineup.

The Dodgers (26-18) are trying to lighten Ohtani’s workload after his recent struggles at the plate. It’s the first time a healthy Ohtani has been out of back-to-back batting orders, except for the paternity list, since the universal designated hitter rule was implemented in 2022.

Though the Dodgers outlasted the Giants (18-26) without Ohtani’s help, the team’s compounded mistakes almost cost it a win.

In the second inning, the bottom of the lineup strung together two hits to score Max Muncy, who reached on a walk. However, after Miguel Rojas softly hit a ground ball to Giants starter Landen Roupp, Teoscar Hernández found himself stranded in no-man’s land after running toward home from third — there was no force play at the plate.

Rojas, who stood on the basepath, slammed his helmet down in frustration after Smith struck out to end the inning.

Will Smith gets a face full of sunflower seeds from teammate Andy Pages after hitting a leadoff home run in the first inning for the Dodgers on Thursday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Rojas wasn’t the only one upset. Dalton Rushing was shown on the game broadcast breaking his bat in the dugout and slamming his leg guard on the back bench after striking out in the fourth inning. Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan shared some words of encouragement with the catcher and patted him on the back.

Sheehan’s night was relatively uneventful before the fifth. He put together three hitless innings before San Francisco’s Rafael Devers hit a one-out single to left field.

From there, things got worse. In the fifth, Jung Hoo Lee hit an inside-the-park home run when Hernández misread the ball off the left-field wall in foul territory, allowing the ball to roll past him. Rojas’ relay throw was too high for Rushing to catch, and Lee slid into home to become the first Giants player to hit an inside-the-park homer at Dodger Stadium.

But the Dodgers responded in the sixth. After Max Muncy reached base on a force out at second and was moved over to third on a single from Hernández, Alex Call delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single to right field. Rojas then blooped a ball over the infield to drive in Call.

Sheehan finished his night after six innings, giving up two earned runs, two hits with six strikeouts and two walks. With combined efforts from relievers Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez, the Dodgers shut down the Giants the rest of the way.