But the pitcher who delivered the best start of this series against the San Francisco Giants, and the one that stood tall between the Giants and what would have been a humiliating sweep, was Tyler Glasnow.
That was one storyline from an eventful afternoon at the ballpark and, for the Dodgers, a sorely needed 3-0 victory on a day they found themselves a new cleanup hitter, a new closer — and on a day a Giants player blasted a Dodgers player for making a “dirty” play.
Nothing like a little bad blood to breathe a little life into a languishing rivalry.
The cleanup hitter: Kyle Tucker, dropped from second to fourth in the lineup after his average had fallen to .233, ignited a two-run rally in the fourth inning with a double and delivered his first two-hit game in 17 days.
The closer: Tanner Scott, just as the Dodgers planned last year. After Glasnow pitched eight shutout innings and gave up one hit, Scott got the first save situation since the Dodgers lost closer Edwin Díaz to elbow surgery. Scott has a 0.84 ERA this season, including the perfect ninth inning he worked Thursday for the first of what might be quite a few saves this season.
The Dodgers (17-8), remember, signed him for $72 million as their closer last season, but he lost his job and did not pitch in the playoffs.
“It was terrible,” he said. “But I washed it away.”
The “dirty” play was the second of two acts in a sixth-inning drama.
On Tuesday, cameras caught Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing muttering something after looking back at the Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee, who was in discomfort after an awkward slide at home plate. Rushing had tagged out Lee and was headed back to the dugout when he turned back to see Lee on the ground, then kept going.
Rushing did not play Wednesday. On Thursday, in his third plate appearance, Rushing was hit by a pitch from San Francisco starter Logan Webb.
Webb dodged a question about whether the pitch was a response to the thing that happened with Rushing and Lee.
“What thing with Jung Hoo?” Webb said. He simply described the pitch as “fastball, inside.”
Said Rushing: “I like getting on base. Whatever works. If it was intentional, I’ll take it. I’ll take what I deserve. I’ve cleared the air with all of that. I’ve made sure Jung Hoo is good and healthy.”
When the following batter, Hyeseong Kim, grounded to second baseman Luis Arraez, Rushing threw up his hands and slid away from the base to try and prevent shortstop Willy Adames from completing the double play.
The second-base umpire pointed at Rushing and awarded the Giants with the double play. The first-base umpire ruled the Giants had completed the double play anyway, since Adames’ throw beat Kim to first base.
“For me, that’s not good baseball,” Arraez said. “It’s dirty.”
Rushing said the slide was not his response to getting hit.
“I was taught that in college,” he said. “That’s kind of the way you go in, especially when you have a speedster like that with Hyeseong behind me. You’re not going four or five feet outside the bag. You stay within the body length and try to break up a double play. Nothing against any of those guys right there.”
Did Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believe Webb’s pitch was intentional?
“It probably was,” Roberts said. “For me, he [Rushing] said what he said. I don’t think he meant it too personally. But they see it, social media catches it, Webb is an old-school guy. He’s protecting his teammates. I’ve got no problem with it.”
Roberts said he saw nothing wrong with Rushing’s slide.
“I like that too,” Roberts said. “That’s baseball. They’re going to hit you. You know, Webb has got really good command. I get it. They’ll deny it. I like the way he went in hard. No problem. That’s nothing against Adames, but he went in hard and they turned a double play. That’s good baseball — good, hard-nosed baseball.”
And winning baseball, for a happy flight after a mediocre trip. The Dodgers concluded a 3-4 trip to Colorado and San Francisco, the teams projected to finish in the bottom two spots in the National League West. Up next: the Chicago Cubs, winners of nine consecutive games.
Glasnow faced one batter over the minimum over his eight innings. The one hit he allowed was a single. He struck out nine. His ERA is 2.45, with Yamamoto at 2.48.
Roberts said the combination of Glasnow’s evolving maturity — his ability to respond to setbacks and challenges — makes him a legitimate Cy Young candidate.
“Now, for me, he’s going to be in that conversation,” Roberts said. “And I think for me, that was the missing piece. You know you’re not going to feel great every outing. There’s going to be stress, there’s going to be things that you can’t control, and you got to be able to manage it. And I think now he’s equipped mentally to do that.”
There is one thing Glasnow has yet to accomplish. The Dodgers decided a season-high 105 pitches from an oft-injured pitcher was enough this early in the year.
However, this could have been his big chance: In 133 major league starts and 130 minor league starts, he never has pitched a complete game.
Dodgers right-hander Shohei Ohtani had navigated the Mets lineup without much trouble until the fifth inning. But he’d also been holding back a little something.
“I can’t go full throttle the whole time,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton after the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory Wednesday. “But considering where the game was at that point, I felt like I just really had to go full throttle and make sure I’m considering the game situation.”
The Mets had just scored their first run of the game — ending Ohtani’s streak of innings without an earned run at 32 ⅔, the longest of his career — and cut the Dodgers’ lead to one.
So he unleashed a 100.2 mph fastball past Tommy Pham, and then 100.3 mph. Pham foul-tipped both and had some choice words with himself on the way back to the dugout.
“He has a little extra gear when he needs it,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I’m sure he was frustrated about giving up a run, and then came back and really went after Pham.”
That strikeout was one of 10 Ohtani had in a performance that was dominant, regardless of the first mark on his previously spotless ERA.
Holding the Mets to one run through six innings, Ohtani logged double-digit strikeouts in a regular-season start as a Dodger for the first time, matching his effort in Game 4 of the 2025 National League Championship Series against the Brewers.
Shohei Ohtani pitches against the New York Mets.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Roberts said he’d been considering pulling Ohtani after the fifth inning started going sideways.
Ohtani had faced just one over the minimum through the first four innings he pitched. Then in the fifth he issued two walks before giving up a run-scoring ground-rule double to Mets designated hitter MJ Melendez on a line drive into the right-field corner.
Roberts changed his mind after Ohtani steamrolled Pham and got Francisco Lindor to line out to escape the inning without further damage.
“Just added a little more intensity after they scored a run,” Ohtani said. “But overall it felt really nice and easy and loose throughout the whole outing. So I think that’s the reason why I threw a little harder.”
Good thing Roberts sent Ohtani back out, too. He struck out the No. 2 through 4 hitters in the Mets’ batting order, all on different pitches.
The two-way phenom only had one job to worry about Wednesday.
For the first time since 2021, he was not also in the lineup as a hitter while pitching.
“If it weren’t for the hit by pitch [Monday], he would’ve been DHing and pitching tonight,” Roberts said before the game.
Ohtani was hit in the back of his right shoulder by a 94-mph sinker on Monday. Though that didn’t prevent him from serving as the designated hitter the first two games of the series, the Dodgers wanted to lighten the load Wednesday.
“Just feeling what gives him the best chance to stay loose during the outing, feel good,” Roberts said. “There’s still some soreness in there. When he’s hitting, there’s a component that he’s in the cage getting ready to hit, and if we can take that off his plate and just focus on one thing tonight, we felt — training staff, pitching coaches, myself — we just felt it was the best thing for him. So, once I told him, he completely understood.”
Dalton Rushing rounds the bases after an eighth inning grand slam.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
When asked what Ohtani’s initial reaction had been, Roberts widened his eyes in an impressively accurate impression of one of Ohtani’s patented facial expressions.
“I was a little bit surprised,” Ohtani said after the game. “But it made sense hearing what he had to say.”
The next time Ohtani takes the mound, he is expected to also hit. But Roberts didn’t rule out again having Ohtani just pitch if a similar situation arises again.
“It’s something I’m going to keep an eye on if it makes sense, but not just kind of do it proactively,” Roberts said. “It’s something that’s … got to make sense to not have your best hitter not in the lineup.”
To account for Ohtani’s absence in the batting order Wednesday, Kyle Tucker moved up from No. 2 to leadoff, and Dalton Rushing served as the DH.
The Dodgers scored all eight runs via the long ball: a two-run shot from Hyeseong Kim, his first home run of the season, a solo blast from Teoscar Hernández, Rushing’s first career grand slam, and a solo homer from Tucker.
“We had a really good DH hit today,” Ohtani said of Rushing, who also hit a double.
Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz was available Wednesday, for the first time since Friday. But the Dodgers’ five-run eighth inning eliminated the save situation. Instead, right-hander Kyle Hurt made his first major-league appearance since 2024. He gave up a run and had three strikeouts.
Jackie Robinson Day
The Dodgers’ celebration of Jackie Robinson Day began with the annual reflection at the Jackie Robinson statue, with both teams in attendance. Speakers included Robinson’s granddaughters Sonya Pankey Robinson and Ayo Robinson, Roberts, and Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
“We make the rather bold assertion that Jackie’s breaking of the color barrier wasn’t just a part of the Civil Rights movement,” Kendrick said in his speech, “it was the beginning of the Civil Rights movement.”
He broke down the timeline: Robinson debuted with the Dodgers in 1947, years before the Supreme Court ruled on Brown vs. the Board of Education (1954) or Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Ala. (1955). The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was still a student at Morehouse College.
“If you don’t believe that one individual can indeed invoke change, you have to look no further than right here,” Kendrick said, pointing to the statue of Robinson. “Because what he did was incredibly difficult, under some of the most harsh circumstances you could ever imagine.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Last week it’s hot, this week it’s cold. I think the weather has the flu.
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The Dodgers are 12-4, are on pace to win 122 games, have the best record in baseball and generally are off to the type of start everyone expected.
So, let’s check in and see how the players are doing. We will list in order from highest batting average to lowest. To see everyone’s complete stats, click here.
Dalton Rushing, .538/.571/1.308
It’s great to see him off to this start, but it has been only four games. He’s a much better hitter than he showed last season. He will cool off of course.
Andy Pages, .417/.453/.733
He was Dave Roberts’ pick to have a breakout season, and he’s certainly doing that, leading the majors in batting average, hits and RBIs (20).
Alex Call, .417/.563/.583
Just what you want out of your fourth outfielder. Solid defense and offense. The top three guys here won’t come close to finishing with these numbers of course, but you can realize that and acknowledge their incredible start.
Miguel Rojas, .357/.387/.429
Doing what he has done his whole career: Solid at-bats, strong fielding.
Teoscar Hernández, .314/.357/.549
It appears the 2024 version of Hernández has been re-introduced after consumers weren’t satisfied by the 2025 model.
Hyeseong Kim, .308/.412/.385
Kim was hitting the cover off the ball in his brief stint in the minors, and has continued to hit and field well in the majors. It’s only 13 at-bats, the same number as Rushing, but the Dodgers will have an interesting roster decision to make when Mookie Betts is ready to return.
Will Smith, .298/.400/.426
Best catcher in the game continues to prove it.
Freddie Freeman, .273/.324/.485
Batting average isn’t where it usually is, but, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, it’s still very early.
Shohei Ohtani, .267/.410/.533
I hear he can pitch a little too.
Kyle Tucker, .237/.352/.305
The first disappointment on the list. Two extra-base hits in 71 plate appearances. 16 strikeouts, nine walks. After 16 games last season, Michael Conforto was hitting .200/.333/.422 with six extra-base hits.
Max Muncy, .226/.317/.453
This is what Muncy does. Can look lost one game (striking out four homers Monday), just two days after hitting three homers in a game.
Alex Freeland, .220/.289/341
Had a great first game, but hasn’t quite found his groove since then. Will he eventually find it, or is he Miguel Vargas 2.0?
Mookie Betts, .179/.281/.429
Played eight games before he got injured. We are still waiting to see if last season was his new norm as a hitter, or just a down year.
Santiago Espinal, .154/.154/.231
Has had only 13 at-bats, but seems to be the last man on the bench. Does he go when Betts comes back?
Now we move on the pitching, listed in order of ERA:
Shohei Ohtani, 1-0, 0.00 ERA
I guess we could quibble a bit about his walk rate (three walks per nine IP).
Alex Vesia, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 save
Gives what he always gives, high emotion, high energy, good results.
Blake Treinen, 0-0, 0.00 ERA
Has struck out four and walked three in 5 1/3 innings. If the old Treinen is back, then the Dodgers will cruise to the NL West title.
Will Klein, 1-0, 1.17 ERA
The new fan favorite looks great out there, and it appears that amazing World Series performance elevated him to a different level.
Tanner Scott, 0-0, 1.17 ERA
Has pitched in more games than any other reliever (nine) and has given up five hits in 7 2/3 innings. Looks like his old self out there.
Justin Wrobleski, 2-0, 2.12 ERA
Who picked Wrobleski to have the best start as a Dodger so far this season?
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2-1, 2.50 ERA
Is Ohtani the ace, or Yamamoto? A good problem to have.
Jack Dreyer, 1-0, 2.84 ERA
A key left-hander they go to early, Dreyer has done well and made trading Anthony Banda a little easier to swallow.
Tyler Glasnow, 1-0, 4.00 ERA
Has pitched into a little bad luck, as his FIP is 2.81. He has struck out 22, walked four and given up 13 hits in 18 innings.
Edgardo Henriquez, 1-0, 5.40 ERA
Henriquez has an electric arm, but his numbers never seem to reflect that.
Edwin Díaz, 1-0, 6.00 ERA, 4 saves
The problem with being a reliever is that a bad outing can ruin your ERA for a couple of weeks. As Maddie Leereported Sunday, Díaz’s velocity has been down this season and Friday (when he had his first blown save), his fastball velocity sat at 95.5 mph and slider at 87.8, according to Statcast, 1.7 mph and 1.3 mph down from last season, respectively.
“Two miles an hour, that’s pretty significant,” Roberts said Sunday. “So I think that’s why we sort of flagged it. We wanted to have him down [Saturday] and kind of see what we get. Because a couple days ago there were a lot of throws in there too. So just trying to also, like we’ve done many times, play the long game with our guys.”
Roki Sasaki, 0-2, 6.23 ERA
The Dodgers have lost four games, and Sasaki is responsible for two of them. In his other outing, he gave up six runs in five innings. That about sums up his value so far.
Emmet Sheehan, 2-0, 6.60 ERA
Then you have Sheehan, who has pitched about as poorly as Sasaki but has two wins. Baseball is crazy.
Ben Casparius, 0-1, 9.64 ERA
Casparius wins the award for first pitcher to go on the IL. He was put on the 15-day IL on Monday because of shoulder inflammation. Kyle Hurt was brought up to replace him.
Where is Julio Urías?
There hasn’t been much news on former Dodger Julio Urías since he last pitched for the Dodgers in September 2023. He was investigated for domestic abuse and sat out the 2024 season, then was suspended for the first half of the 2025 season. He has been eligible to pitch since then, but unlike Trevor Bauer, who has pitched overseas after his suspension ended, Urías has not surfaced anywhere. And, according to his agent, Scott Boras, who talked to my colleague Bill Shaikin about him, that is by Urías’ choice.
“Teams ask me about him all the time,” Boras said. “With the pitching market in this world, Julio could play in a minute. But I think it’s about him deciding if it’s something he wants to go do right now.”
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. Today, we remember a Dodgers icon.
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Sad news in Dodgersland this week as Davey Lopes, member of the famed Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey infield, died at the age of 80.
“Even though Davey may have been the less visible of the famous long-running Dodger infield with Cey, Russell and Garvey, his impact on the team’s success was huge,” former Dodgers owner and president Peter O’Malley told The Times. “All Dodger fans will always remember the excitement he gave us on the basepaths and I admire his commitment to the game managing, coaching and instructing after his playing days.”
Lopes was born May 3, 1945, in East Providence, R.I. He did not remember his father, who died when Lopes was 2. His mother, Mary Rose, supported Lopes and his nine siblings on the meager salary she earned as a maid. Lopes found solace in baseball.
“If it hadn’t been for sports, there’s no telling what I’d be or where I’d be,” Lopes told former Times baseball columnist Ross Newhan in 1973. “I had one glove until I got to high school. I guess I can admit now that I confiscated more than a few bats and balls.”
Lopes found a mentor in baseball coach Michael Sarkesian, who usually coached the team Lopes was playing against while growing up. Sarkesian remembers Lopes, though, and brought him to Iowa Wesleyan when Sarkesian became the athletic director there.
“Whatever I missed by not really having had a father, Sarkesian provided,” Lopes told Newhan. “He could relate to my problems, my environment. The drive, the determination, not to give in to the ghetto, to make something of my life, stems from my relations with him.”
Lopes was an NAIA All-American at Wesleyan and then followed Sarkesian to Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. He hit .380 and was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the seventh round of the 1967 MLB draft. He turned them down, then signed with the Dodgers when they chose him in the second round of the secondary phase of the 1968 draft.
He played his first two seasons at Class A Daytona Beach, hitting .247 with 26 steals in 82 games in 1968, then hitting .280 with 32 steals in 72 games in 1969.
Davey Lopes steals second while Reds shortstop Davey Concepcion awaits the throw in a 1980 game.
(Joe Kennedy / Los Angeles Times)
Lopes was promoted to triple-A Spokane in 1970, and it was there that he met Tommy Lasorda, who was managing Spokane, and where the Dodgers converted Lopes from an outfielder to a second baseman under the tutelage of Monty Basgall. He was focused on learning a new position and stole only 11 bases, but rebounded in 1971 to hit .306 with 27 steals.
After another standout year in 1972, the Dodgers called him up to the majors for the first time for the final two weeks of the season. He stole four bases in four attempts.
At spring training in 1973, Lopes battled with Lee Lacy for the second base job and lost. But Lacy got off to a terrible start and Walter Alston made Lopes the starting second baseman on April 22. And he remained the starting second baseman until the 1982 season.
Eventually, Bill Russell, Ron Cey and Steve Garvey found their way into the starting lineup and on June 23, 1973, the foursome started together for the first time and stayed together for nine seasons, the longest-running infield in MLB history.
Lopes was the spark plug atop the lineup, becoming one of the best base stealers in the game. “I realize that when I’m running and stealing bases, I’m setting the momentum and getting the adrenaline going for the rest of the lineup,” Lopes told Newhan in 1974. “And until someone proves he can stop me, or the situation dictates I don’t run, I’m going to be stealing all the time.”
Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench once called Lopes the best base stealer in the game.
Beginning in 1975, Lopes racked up some impressive stolen base numbers:
In those five seasons, he stole 276 bases and was caught only 42 times, an amazing 86.8% success rate. He is the best base stealer in Dodger history. Maury Wills stole more often, but Lopes was more successful.
In 1975, Lopes stole 38 bases in a row from June 10 to August 24 to break Max Carey’s mark of 36 in a row set during the 1922-23 seasons. He was finally thrown out by Montreal’s Gary Carter in the 12th inning of a game.
In postseason play for the Dodgers, Lopes hit .241 with six home runs, 22 RBIs, 28 runs scored and 20 steals in 50 games, as the Dodgers lost in the World Series to Oakland (1974) and the Yankees twice (1977-78) before finally breaking through against the Yankees in 1981.
Lopes’ mentor with the Dodgers was Jim Gilliam. One day after the Dodgers won the 1978 NLCS, Gilliam died, leaving Lopes distraught. He channeled his emotions into an incredible Game 1 of the World Series, hitting two home runs and driving in five in an 11-5 rout. After his first homer, Lopes pointed to the sky to acknowledge Gilliam. A couple of years later, “The Bronx Zoo” by Yankees reliever Sparky Lyle was published. In it, he wrote about Lopes, saying, and I’m paraphrasing here, that it was bush league for Lopes to put up “We’re No. 1” while circling the bases, that the Dodgers had no class and that the Red Sox were better than the Dodgers. He had missed the point completely.
“They can do anything they want with us now,” Lopes said after the 1981 World Series victory. “I’ve got the ring. They can’t take that away from me.”
From left, Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve Garvey reunite in 2013.
(Los Angeles Times)
His comments contained a bit of foreshadowing. Lopes had his worst season in 1981, hitting .206 in 58 games of a strike-interrupted season (though he still stole 20 bases while being caught only twice). The Dodgers had prized prospect Steve Sax waiting in the wings. So, on Feb. 8, 1982, the Dodgers traded Lopes to Oakland for Lance Hudson. If you’ve never heard of Hudson, that’s OK, because he never made it to the majors. In essence, the Dodgers gave Lopes away for nothing.
Lopes was far from through, though. He hit .242 with the A’s in 1982 and .277 with 17 homers and 22 steals in 1983. Oakland sent him to the Chicago Cubs near the end of the 1984 season for pitcher Chuck Rainey. And in 1985, Lopes had a season for the ages, or at least, aged. At the age of 40, he stole 47 bases and was caught only four times while hitting .284/.383/.444 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 99 games. It is still the record for most stolen bases at age 40. Rickey Henderson is next with 37 in 1999.
Lopes finished his career with two seasons with the Astros, retiring after the 1987 season. He then began a long career as coach and manager, including a stint as first base coach for the Dodgers from 2011-15. Then GM Ned Colletti made it his mission to bring Lopes back as a coach.
Colletti had this to say after learning of Lopes’ death: “Davey Lopes transformed coaching at first base. His situational awareness and intricacy of coaching first base was the best I have ever watched. He changed a coaching position and how it was executed — base running, secondary leads, pitch tipping, cutting your steps from first to third.
“His contract has expired in Philadelphia [after the 2010 season] and I went and recruited him back. He helped players and, therefore, teams, get better. He could find any advantage and he was a great teacher. He was one of my favorite people.”
Former Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer, who played with Lopes on the 1981 championship team, had this to say: “Davey was 15 years older than me and he was quiet with us new guys. But he treated us as equals and was helpful. It had to be tough seeing Sax come up and knowing his days were numbered.”
Among the 112 players with at least 350 stolen bases, Lopes is fifth in stolen base percentage:
1. Tim Raines, 808 steals, 146 caught, 84.7% 2. Willie Wilson, 668-134, 83.3% 3. Barry Larkin, 379-77, 83.11% 4. Tony Womack, 363-74, 83.07% 5. Davey Lopes, 557-114, 83% 6. Jimmy Rollins, 470-105, 81.7% 7. Carl Crawford, 480-109, 81.5% 8. Ichiro Suzuki, 509-117, 81.3% 9. Joe Morgan, 689-162, 81% 10. Vince Coleman, 752-177, 80.9%
Rickey Henderson is 11th with an 80.8% success rate. Maury Wills is 42nd at 73.8%. Steve Sax 49th at 71.4%. Ty Cobb 81st at 64.3%.
How was Lopes so successful? In an interview with Ross Porter, he said, “Well, it’s just not running by chance. I studied the pitchers. I tried to look for idiosyncrasies in their bodies that tell me when they go to first base compared to going home. Try to pick that up, react to it as quickly as I possibly can.”
He also told Porter his favorite moment of his career: “Actually, the first time I ran on the field. It was like I had reached a goal I set as a kid — to be a Dodger. I always wanted to be a Brooklyn Dodger, but for some reason, they left Brooklyn. We won’t get into that. But to do it as a Dodger — that meant everything. It was kind of like second best, but it was like I arrived.”
As a leadoff hitter, Lopes would often bat after the pitcher. I always enjoyed watching Lopes stall for time when the pitcher had to run hard during his at-bat. To give the pitcher ample time to rest in the dugout, especially if there were two out, Lopes had a variety of delay tactics before getting to the batter’s box. He’d give a couple of extra swings in the on-deck circle. He’d walk to the plate, then stop and go back to the on-deck circle to get some extra pine tar. He’d “have trouble” getting the weighted circle off his bat. He’d take the first pitch and then call time. It was a master class in looking at the big picture.
Our best wishes to Lopes’ family, friends and former teammates. He will be missed.
More sad news
Miguel Rojas was all set to play Tuesday against Toronto when he learned that his father had passed away in Venezuela.
“There’s nothing I could do being this far,” Rojas told reporters Wednesday. “Just support my family, and trying to understand a little bit of what’s going on. I found out that my dad, on the way to the hospital, passed away. He couldn’t live through the heart attack that he had. So it was suddenly that he passed away; he was feeling good. Really hard to understand. I’m still trying to process the whole thing.”
Micky Rojas’ funeral was Wednesday. “That’s how they do things in Venezuela,” Miguel Rojas said. “It happens quick because they have to. They don’t have many places to hold these funerals.”
Rojas played Wednesday and wanted to play Tuesday until a couple of Dodgers talked him out of it. He said later he was glad that Dave Roberts and Freddie Freeman took that decision out of his hands. But Rojas was adamant about playing Wednesday.
“It’s going to be emotional, yes, for me, I understand that,” Rojas said. “But I’ve been through moments like this before with my mom, my grandparents. I know what they want me to do is play baseball. They raised me up and they gave up everything in their life for me to be a baseball player. This is what they want me to do. They know how much pride I take in showing up every day, and not letting my teammates down.”
We send out best wishes to Rojas and his family. You can read more about the situation in this story by Maddie Lee.
What about the team?
We will discuss the team in detail starting next week. It has been a strange two weeks with Charley Steiner, Lopes and Rojas, and sometimes life is more important that baseball. I received over 500 emails about Steiner, and some of them will appear in a special edition of this newsletter in the next couple of weeks.
Davey Lopes hits two home runs in Game 1 of the 1978 World Series. 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.
If you go with Option 1, you are taking the top four batters, in order, in the lineup of what was billed as the best team this country ever had to offer: the United States entry in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
But, with the Dodgers off to another hot start, this would be an opportune moment for fans to take a step back from whatever concerns they might have about pitching depth and the injury list to appreciate the star-studded championship lineup of the home team.
Their opening day lineup started with Option 2. Betts is injured now, but the Dodgers just took a series from the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays without him. Twelve games into the season is a small sample, but no team has a better record than the Dodgers (9-3).
They lead the majors in batting average (.287), home runs (21) and OPS (.841). That OPS is the same as Tucker put up for the Chicago Cubs last season, which means their lineup essentially consists of nine guys putting up the OPS that earned Tucker a Dodgers contract for $60 million per year. (That won’t last, but the Dodgers did put up a .768 OPS over the full season last year, the best in the National League.)
Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez took to social media this week to call this “the best Dodgers team I’ve ever seen” and call the lineup “absolutely loaded.”
And, yes, the Dodgers lineup just might be better than the Team USA one.
“I’ll take our guys against anybody,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “How about that?”
The Dodgers’ lineup on opening day finished, in order, with Will Smith, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages and Miguel Rojas. The Team USA lineup in the WBC championship game finished with Alex Bregman, Roman Anthony, Smith, Brice Turang and Byron Buxton.
“There were probably more accolades and all that on that USA team,” said Smith, the Dodgers’ catcher and the only man in both lineups. “It was more of an all-star team type of thing, the best guy at his position.”
In that Team USA lineup: five MVP awards and 28 All-Star appearances. In that Dodgers lineup: six MVP awards and 33 All-Star appearances.
Dino Ebel, the Dodgers’ third-base coach, throws batting practice as well. He coached for Team USA and threw batting practice there, too.
“I was like, ‘This lineup I’m throwing to is familiar to what I see every night for 162.’ Pretty cool,” he said. “You compare the Dodger lineup, all the way from 1 to 9, to Team USA, I thought we matched up pretty well.”
For the opinion of someone never employed by the Dodgers, I checked in with Blue Jays and Team USA infielder Ernie Clement.
“It’s tough to compare a WBC team with an actual MLB team,” Clement said. “The Dodgers have a really great lineup, obviously. I think they have learned how to win when they don’t have their best stuff. That’s what great teams do.
“Our lineup on Team USA was pretty stacked. It’s tough to do when you only play seven games. You don’t go through that whole grind of a season. The Dodgers have had the same guys on their team for quite some time, with some pieces added here and there. But, for the most part, they have those main guys that have been there and know each other really well.”
Those main guys are international stars now, Ohtani and the rest of his constellation. Everyone watches them. Everyone outside Los Angeles blames them — nothing personal, mind you, but as a symbol of the gaping financial disparity in baseball and a trigger for the almost certain lockout to follow the World Series.
Those four guys at the top of the Dodgers lineup — that Option 2 above — carry contracts worth a combined $1.5 billion. Would your team do that?
The thought that the Dodgers lineup matches up well against the Team USA lineup presents a marketing idea for Major League Baseball.
Of all the major sports, baseball boasts the one All-Star Game that has largely resisted gimmicks, but then again last year’s game ended with a home run derby. So why not lean into the Dodgers hate by turning this year’s All-Star Game into a Dodgers-against-the-world affair?
The game is in Philadelphia. Nowhere else do people boo like they do there.
And, if the Dodgers can match up with Team USA, they can take on the best lineup the other 29 major league teams have to offer.
Seriously, then, your 2026 All-Star Game: The Dodgers vs. Everybody Else.
Roberts laughed, but the twinkle in his eye was genuine.
TORONTO — Shohei Ohtani acknowledged he wasn’t feeling his best Wednesday.
In the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, it took him 22 pitches to navigate a scoreless first inning. But he escaped unscathed.
“Made some adjustments and finished strong at the end,” Ohtani said through Japanese interpreter Will Ireton, after pitching six innings and not giving up an earned run.
Regardless of the unearned run Toronto scored in the third inning, Ohtani holds the longest active streak of innings pitched (26⅔) without allowing an earned run in the majors, according to MLB.com and Elias Sports Bureau.
And by drawing a walk in his first at-bat Wednesday, Ohtani extended his on-base streak to an active-best 43 games, matching Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki for the most ever by a Japanese-born player.
“It was a grind,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You could see it. He just didn’t feel synced up with his delivery. You could see by the misses he was fighting himself the entire outing.
“But obviously the compete comes into play. The stuff comes into play. … Pretty impressive, to be honest with you, given how he felt.”
Ohtani got more efficient as he went, retiring seven straight before he gave up a lead-off double in the sixth inning to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He got out of the inning with a pair of ground balls and a pop-up.
Asked whether it was fatigue or his delivery that was off, Ohtani said it was hard to tell.
“But I think it’s a little bit of both,” he said. “For players, we usually feel fatigue at the end of the road trip. I’m not sure if that was the main cause, but I want to make sure that I’m addressing, if any, some mechanical changes.”
The Dodgers reordered their rotation to give Ohtani seven days between his first two starts of the season. They made Justin Wrobleski the sixth starter, after he began the season in long relief. And they flipped Yamamoto and Ohtani, so Yamamoto was pitching on five days’ rest Tuesday against the Blue Jays.
Ohtani had, however, been in the lineup every day, a physical demand no other pitcher has to worry about.
He reached base twice Wednesday, also gaining a free pass in the fifth inning when a pitch grazed the toe of his right cleat.
“I think [my swing is] going in the right direction,” Ohtani said after hitting three home runs in the last six games and bringing his OPS to .896 through Wednesday. “I think May is a good goal to see where I’m at. I feel like it’s headed in the right direction.”
Though he had a slow first week at the plate, Ohtani’s walk rate (16.9%) has been up, hence the on-base streak.
“I try to really stay with a simple approach and if they’re not throwing me strikes, I’m happy to take a walk,” he said. “If they are throwing strikes, my job is to swing at them.”
TORONTO — Fans lined up before the game, waiting patiently for the chance to take a selfie with trophies that commemorated the back-to-back World Series championships.
Dodger Stadium is not the only place you can do this. The trophies were from 1992 and 1993, and they honored the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Dodgers matched that back-to-back feat over the past two years, including a classic Game 7 victory in Toronto in last year’s World Series, and returned here Monday to a noise pit packed with fans primed to boo, and to urge their team to exact vengeance on the evil mercenaries from America.
On this night, the mercenaries prevailed, in a pummeling so relentless and a silencing so rapid that a three-peat appeared all but inevitable: Dodgers 14, Blue Jays 2.
Dalton Rushing celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting his second home run of the game in the eighth inning of a 14-2 win over Toronto on Monday.
(Mark Blinch / Getty Images)
“These fans, sadly, didn’t want to see us come to town,” Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing said, “and rightfully so, after what we did tonight.”
Those fans did want to see the Dodgers, but they did not want to see this. On a night the Dodgers fielded a lineup without Mookie Betts and Will Smith, the team hit five home runs — two by Rushing — and scored in every inning but the second and ninth. Of the six Toronto pitchers, the only one to hold the Dodgers scoreless was catcher Tyler Heineman.
To the Dodgers, well, it was another day on the job, if a bit louder than usual at the start. They had a game to win on the long road toward October and, as they often do, they won.
In Toronto, however, pitcher Kevin Gausman said, “It feels like we’re getting ready for Game 8.” The fans mercilessly booed Shohei Ohtani, who turned down $700 million from the Blue Jays to take $700 million from the Dodgers, and outfielder Kyle Tucker, who turned down $350 million (over 10 years) from the Blue Jays to take $240 million (over four years) from the Dodgers.
They even booed Justin Wrobleski, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, and Miguel Rojas, usually an infielder but on Monday the Dodgers’ final pitcher. Wrobleski, who won his seventh major league game Monday, said he expected the boos.
“It was fun,” he said. “They care about baseball here. It’s a fun environment. If people weren’t a little upset and a little, I’d say, passionate about what happened last year in the World Series, maybe they’re not real fans.”
The boos could have been a sign of respect, or of a long memory: about the ninth most-memorable part of Game 7 was Wrobleski hitting Toronto infielder Andrés Gimenez, then shouting language so profane Wrobleski later said he apologized to his mother for using it. You cannot be a nobody if you can get the benches to clear in Game 7.
“They wouldn’t boo me,” Wrobleski said, “if they didn’t know who I was.”
Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski delivers during the first inning against the Blue Jays on Monday.
(Mark Blinch / Getty Images)
The Dodgers led 4-1, then 5-1, then 6-1, then 9-1, and that was before the sixth inning was done.
“When you score a lot of runs, you’re going to take the crowd out of it,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said.
“I think the media and everyone else was more hyped up. It’s a new team, new year. We’ve got different guys on our team too. But we obviously understand it’s a World Series matchup.”
The Blue Jays were different: infielder Bo Bichette is in New York, catcher Alejandro Kirk is on the injured list, infielder-outfielder Addison Barger is hurt, and Toronto is borrowing a page from the Dodgers’ playbook with a rotation full of hurting pitchers: Shane Bieber, José Berrios, Cody Ponce and phenom Trey Yesavage all are on the injured list, and Max Scherzer left after two innings Monday because of tendinitis in his throwing arm.
The Dodgers are 8-2. The only defending World Series champion to get off to a better 10-game start in the last 100 years: last year’s Dodgers, at 9-1.
Last year worked out just fine. This is April, and no one is facing elimination any time soon. That explains how Roberts rated his anxiety level on Monday.
“It was probably a 10 in October and probably a one tonight,” he said.
Monday’s game offered yet another example of how the team that supposedly is ruining baseball is fattening the wallets of the league’s other 29 teams. The Dodgers have led the league in road attendance in each of Ohtani’s two previous seasons and almost certainly will do so again this season — and a fair number of those ticket buyers are Dodgers fans following their team here, there and everywhere.
In a 10-minute pregame walk around the main concourse, I saw plenty of fans in Dodgers jerseys: not only with the names of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman but with the names of Rojas, Kiké Hernández and Roki Sasaki.
As soon as the third inning, a “Let’s Go Dodgers” chant echoed through the stadium.
The Blue Jays are off to a 4-6 start, including series losses to the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox. The Jays should be good again, and soon. In the meantime, they are offering 77-cent hot dogs Tuesday.
For all the Dodgers fans here, that’s quite the trip: a rout that silenced a hostile crowd one day, hot dogs valued at 55 cents in U.S. currency the next. The fruits of victory, as Tommy Lasorda might have said, rarely are so cheap and filling.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I hope those of you who participate enjoyed the Easter festivities over the weekend. But why does a rabbit bring eggs? Shouldn’t it be the Easter Chicken?
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We are only nine games into the season, far too early to reach any conclusions. Yes, the offense struggled for a few games, but the Dodgers are still 7-2. And the offense’s struggles wouldn’t have been noticeable if it had happened for a few games in the middle of the season instead of right at the start.
So let’s turn our attention to something else. I get emails every week asking about Charley Steiner. He handled the radio call for the first three innings on opening day, then left and hasn’t been back since. Stephen Nelson put up a picture of Steiner and Rick Mondaythat you can see by clicking here.
In October 2024, Bill Plaschke wrote a column detailing Steiner’s battle with multiple myeloma blood cancer. You can read that column here. Steiner sat out the 2004 season because of it. He called six innings on opening day in 2025 and three innings on opening day this year.
In his column, Plaschke wrote:
—”He endured constant debilitating lower back pain. He lost 50 pounds. He was confined to a wheelchair. He initially moved his bed from the second floor of his Westside home down to the family room because he couldn’t climb the stairs. He enlisted the full-time help of nurses. It wasn’t pretty.”
—“He’s gone through hell,” said his longtime radio partner Rick Monday.
—”An extremely private person, Steiner lived the nightmare without fanfare, without telling anyone outside of his inner circle, the loquacious storyteller keeping his most important words to himself.”
At the time, Steiner’s cancer was in remission, which is why he talked about it. I don’t want to speculate too much about his current health, but the fact he has called only nine innings since then can’t be a great sign. The Dodgers have kept him on the payroll and support him, just as they have done with Andrew Toles. It is one of the great things about the organization.
When Steiner was calling games on the radio full time, I would occasionally criticize him for not mentioning the score and game situation enough. Now that seems rather meaningless.
So, with so much divisiveness and unkindness in the world, here is what I would like you to do. If you remember a particular call of Steiner’s, or a moment he made you laugh, or if you just want to wish him well and let him know Dodgers fans have not forgotten him, send me an email at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and I will compile them in a future newsletter. I’m sure he will see it, and if we can bring a little sunshine into someone’s day, then we have accomplished a good thing.
A couple of my favorite Steiner moments:
When Steiner was with ESPN, he couldn’t stop laughing after hearing Carl Lewis singing the national anthem. His laughter will make you laugh. You can watch that here.
Steiner talks about growing up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and how much Vin Scully meant to him. You can watch that here.
Mookie injured
Mookie Betts injured his back while running the bases during Saturday’s victory and was put on the injured list on Sunday because of a strained right oblique. According to WebMD, the oblique muscles are broad, diagonal abdominal muscles located on the sides of the torso (internal and external) that enable trunk rotation, side-bending, and core stability. They assist in breathing and protect the spine, with external obliques running over internal obliques in opposite directions and…. this is why I’m not a doctor.
Injuries are one of the biggest things that could derail the Dodgers this season. Can they survive for four-to-six weeks without Betts? Sure, their offense is build to withstand things such as that. But if multiple hitters start ailing, then there could be a problem. Just look at the Lakers. Cruising toward the playoffs, with some experts saying they could at least reach the conference finals. Then, suddenly Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are injured, and winning a first-round series now seems problematic.
The Dodgers recalled Hyeseong Kim from Oklahoma City, where he has been crushing the ball. Kim and Miguel Rojas will share time to shortstop.
How much is too much?
On opening day, the Dodgers offered a Shohei Ohtani collectors cup for $75, with free soda all game. Many fans online were outraged by the price. For the second game of the season, the Dodgers dropped the price to $68.99 and said you could get free refills of soda all season long.
And actually, if you go to a few games a season and drink soda, that is quite a bargain, considering sodas at the stadium cost around $11.99. Of course, your ensuing bill for the onset of diabetes will make it less of a bargain.
Survey says
We asked, “Which Dodger closer had the best entrance music?” The results, after 10,941 votes:
Eric Gagne, “Welcome to the Jungle” — 53.9% Edwin Díaz, “Narco” — 30.9% Kenley Jansen, “California Love” — 15.2%
Up next
Monday: Dodgers (*-Justin Wrobleski, 0-0, 6.75 ERA) at Toronto (Max Scherzer, 1-0, 1.50 ERA), 4:05 p.m., Sportsnet LA, FS1, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Tuesday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 1-1, 3.00 ERA) at Toronto (Kevin Gausman, 0-0, 0.75 ERA), 4:05 p.m., Sportsnet LA, TBS, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Wednesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) at Toronto (Dylan Cease, 0-0, 2.79 ERA), noon, Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
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. The Dodgers are on pace to finish 162-0! That might be a record.
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Some random thoughts after an opening three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
—It is apparent that the Dodgers will never be out of almost any game. They’re 3-0, and they trailed in all three games.
—Opening day is always fun, filled with pomp and circumstance.
—However, having the starting lineup on opening day come in from center field, walk up a stage and back down it, was a bit much. Even the players seemed somewhat embarrassed, and I was just waiting for someone to turn an ankle on the stairs.
—Shohei Ohtani is hitting only .125. He is so overpaid.
—Clayton Kershaw did really well as an analyst. He seemed to know a lot about the Dodgers. I wonder how?
—Bob Costas told Kershaw he had permission to leave in a few minutes for the ring ceremony. Way to do your homework there, Bob. The ring ceremony was the next day.
—Kershaw sat in the stands next to the dugout during the game. Sitting across the aisle from him was Magic Johnson. Two of the greatest sports legends in L.A. history. We have an embarrassment of riches here.
—Alex Freeland certainly showed why he belongs on the roster. Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City, Hyeseong Kim went five for five on Saturday.
—It took all the way until the second inning of the second game of the season to get an email from a reader concerned about the team. “They don’t look ready!”
—Will Smith comes through on Will Smith bobblehead night. You can’t write it any better than that.
—OK, the Timmy Trumpet entrance by Edwin Díaz is really cool. If you haven’t seen it, you can here.
—That brings me a to quick poll. Which Dodgers closer had the best entrance?
—Eric Gagne, “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses —Kenley Jansen, “California Love” by Tupac Shakur —Edwin Díaz, “Narco” by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet
—Remember in the last newsletter when we talked about Will Klein perhaps reaching a new level after his Game 3 performance last season? Well, he has pitched two scoreless innings and has a win.
—The first three batters in the lineup are hitting below .200, but the Dodgers are 3-0. A good sign.
—If you believe social media, there were apparently a lot of fights in the stands in the opening homestand. I can’t speak as to this season yet, but in the past it has always been ridiculously easy to get around their beer limitation policies. And alcohol has been a prime factor in every fight I’ve ever seen there.
—What a bizarre schedule. Games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but no game on Sunday.
—Take a look at the very, very early NL West standings. Maybe the experts were right about everyone except the Dodgers finishing with a losing record.
Dodgers, 3-0 San Diego, 1-2 Arizona, 0-3 Colorado, 0-3 San Francisco, 0-3
—The Dodgers’ magic number is 158. Too soon?
—There are only 159 games left to go in the season.
Meet Maddie Lee
Jack Harris, our former Dodgers beat writer, has left us to become a Tibetan monk (at least, that’s what I’ve heard). We have a new Dodgers beat writer this season: Maddie Lee, who spent the last few years covering the Chicago Cubs. Here’s a Q&A with her:
Q. Welcome to The Times. What was the road that led you here?
Lee: Thank you. It was a pretty winding road, to be honest. I grew up in Seattle, played Division III softball in Portland, and have covered everything from high school football, to MLS, to the NBA. But the last six years I’ve been a Cubs beat writer, first for NBC Sports Chicago and then for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Q. We will just jump right into the fire: Roki Sasaki. He looks lost at times. Is he really the best pick for the rotation?
Lee: Sasaki’s spring performance rightfully made him a controversial pick. And if his first regular-season start goes the same way, we could very well see Justin Wrobleski coming in to pitch multiple innings behind him. But with Sasaki’s record in Japan, and even last year, the Dodgers are hoping that pitching in games that matter will help him snap into compete mode and pull out a better version than we’ve seen so far. And if that doesn’t happen, they may have to reevaluate.
Q.You covered the Cubs for a bit. Have you detected any big differences in the way the teams do things? Which team has the best press box?
Lee: I haven’t been around the Dodgers enough yet to give a fair comparison between the organizations. But I’ve spent plenty of time in both press boxes. The Wrigley Field press box is roomier, but this time of year it’s also usually freezing.
Q.Why Alex Freeland and not Hyeseong Kim?
Lee: This was another decision that wasn’t rooted in spring performance. The Dodgers thought Kim could get value going to triple A, where he could get his swing and plate discipline back on track with regular at-bats, while also playing multiple positions. On the other hand, they saw a greater development opportunity for Freeland in the majors, where he’d be tested against a higher caliber of pitching. And it’s not a long-term decision. Kim is expected to make an impact on the major-league roster this year. And when Tommy Edman is ready to return from the IL, the Dodgers will have to clear a spot on the active roster for him.
Q. For many of our readers, covering the Dodgers sounds like a dream job. But there’s travel, little free time, not to mention the fact you have to try and find somewhere to live and move all your belongings. What do you do in your little free time to stay sane?
Lee: Let me be clear, it’s definitely a dream job. That will never be lost on me.
Also, what’s this free time you speak of?
Just kidding, most of my time away from the ballpark is spent with my dog, who loves beach walks and hikes.
Q. I understand you once had Tommy John surgery! What was that recovery like, and can you still touch 100 on the radar?
Lee: I had TJ between my freshman and sophomore year in college. I also got nerve damage from the operation, which added a bit of a wrinkle to the recovery, but I played all four years. I was a catcher and luckily my biggest strength was my softball IQ, not any physical gifts. What a shock that I would end up in the press box rather than on the field.
Q. Lastly, some Dodger fans aren’t satisfied unless the Dodgers build a 20-game lead in April and then slowly pull away. Do you have a prediction for how many games they will win this season?
Lee: I like using PECOTA projections as a jumping off point. They have the Dodgers at 103 wins, which would be a big improvement from their 93-win season last year. But the Dodgers obviously dealt with the injury bug last year and underperformed in the regular season. And, of course, Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz were big offseason additions. So, 103 wins feels attainable. I’ll go with 100.
The new rings are here
A detailed look at the inside of the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series championship ring.
(The Champions Collective)
The Dodgers gave out World Series rings on Friday. The diamond- and sapphire-encrusted rings include engravings of the 2024 and 2025 trophies on both the outside and inside of the ring.
The L.A. logo is made up of 17 custom-cut blue sapphires, one for every postseason game the Dodgers played last year.
On the underside side of the ring, the four playoff series are listed, along with “11.01.25,” the date of Game 7 of the World Series.
A detailed look at the inside of the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series championship ring.
(The Champions Collective)
The ring top holds dirt collected from home plate during Game 7, visible through a glass window when the ring is opened. Inside the ring sits a band that’s also set with sapphires and a diamond.
The total attendance figure for the 2025 season (4,012,470) gleams in blue on the bottom of the ring. Each player’s ring is also personalized with his signature, last name and number.
Up next
Monday: Cleveland (*-Parker Messick) at Dodgers (Roki Sasaki), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Tuesday: Cleveland (TBA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Wednesday: Cleveland (Gavin Williams) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto), 5:20 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
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. The long journey to the postseason begins today.
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As we embark on the 12th season of this newsletter, there are certain things, like death and taxes, that are guaranteed. Here they are.
—The Dodgers will charge way too much to park in their poorly designed, poorly lit parking lot.
—Shohei Ohtani will have a game where he strikes out 10 and hits multiple home runs. No one will be able to explain how he does this until we learn he was actually sent here by the aliens from “Project Hail Mary.”
—Ohtani will go hitless for three-to-four games in a row and have a bad pitching outing during the same time, leading to some to say he is overpaid.
—Will Smith will catch at least 130 games and be in the conversation for NL MVP.
—The Padres will be better than most are saying and their fans will approach the games with the Dodgers as if it is their World Series.
—The Rockies will be terrible again.
—Teoscar Hernández will continue to struggle as a fielder, but people won’t care as much as his bat will be rejuvenated.
—A pitcher no one has heard of will be signed by the Dodgers off the waiver wire. He will appear in a game and pitch great, maybe even getting the win. The following week, he will be designated for assignment.
—Mookie Betts will win the Gold Glove at short, and while he won’t reach his previous heights at the plate, he will hit better than last season.
—Andy Pages will slump at some point and fans will demand that Ryan Ward, who is hitting .350 with about a million homers in the minors, get a chance. He won’t get a chance and Pages will recover.
—Fans will complain that Joe Davis takes too many games off and isn’t a true Dodger like Vin Scully was, even though Vin took just as many games off for national duties.
—The music at Dodger Stadium will continue to be so loud that even the aliens from “A Quiet Place” will complain. (Editor’s note: Two outer space aliens references in one newsletter. What is wrong with this guy?)
—The most worn former Dodger jersey worn by fans at the stadium will continue to be… Fernando Valenzuela‘s. And it will be for many years to come.
—Max Muncy will look like the worst hitter in baseball for an extended period, then he will hit like Babe Ruth.
—Dalton Rushing will be a decent backup for Smith and will hit well enough that he can spell Freddie Freeman at first base on occasion.
—Freeman will hit .300 again in what will be his last great season at the plate.
—The Dodgers will continue to “give away” games during the season in order to be ready for the postseason. For example, they will allow a reliever to take a beating in a game at the start of long road trip in order to preserve the rest of the bullpen. Some fans will be irate at this, thinking the Dodgers should try to win every game at all costs.
—The Cool-A-Coo will not return to Dodger Stadium and will continue to be missed.
—The Dodgers will continue to call the hot dog they sell a Dodger Dog, even though it tastes nothing like a Farmer John Dodger Dog.
—Only three pitchers will pitch more than 100 innings, but the quality of the staff from top to bottom will be more consistent throughout the season, allowing them to use fewer than 40 pitchers this season.
—Either Blake Treinen or Tanner Scott will continue to pitch poorly, but the Dodgers, again with their eye on the postseason and on how much money they are paying these guys, will continue to trot them out there in hopes they will rebound.
—Some fans will complain about the abhorrent price of going to a Dodger game. They will still go though, and the Dodgers will draw four million, giving them no reason to lower prices.
—Justin Turner will sign a one-day contract with the team and then retire.
—Edwin Díaz will save 30 games and give the bullpen some much-needed stability.
—Kyle Tucker won’t hit as well as hoped, but will be a significant upgrade over Michael Conforto.
—Hyeseong Kim will come up at some point, wow fans with his blazing speed, hit close to .300, and then be sent back down.
—Dave Roberts will have a bad game or two where he makes a decision that seems nonsensical. Some will demand he be fired because “Anyone could manage this team.” Those people will be wrong.
—You will continue to need to subscribe to about a dozen streaming channels to watch all the Dodger games on TV. No one will.
—Yoshinobu Yamamoto will lead the team in victories.
—Organist Dieter Ruehle will continue to find the perfect song for any situation.
—Tyler Glasnow will look unbeatable one start, then get thrown off his next start by a hangnail and pitch like Dave Goltz.
—There will be thrilling victories, agonizing defeats and some boring games. But it will all be worth it as we look around and see all the different types of Dodger fans out there, reminding us that baseball unites us.
—The Dodgers will finish the season 98-64 and cruise to the NL West title. They will not have to play in the wild-card game.
—And that means they will be in the postseason where … anything can happen.
—So, don’t get so worried about the destination that you forget to enjoy the ride.
How many games will the Dodgers win?
We asked, How many games will the Dodgers win this season? After 10,566 responses:
They will win 96-100 games, 46.3% They will win 101-110 games, 35.5% They will win 91-95 games, 13.2% They will set the record by winning more than 116 games, 2.3% They will win 111-115 games, 1.6% They will win 86-90 games, 0.9% They will finish under .500, 0.2% They will win 81-85 games, one vote
We asked, Will the Dodgers win the World Series this season? After 10,538 responses:
Yes, 79.1% No, 20.9%
A walking path to Dodger Stadium?
Did you know there is a walking path to Dodger Stadium? There is a one-mile walking path from the Chinatown Metro station to Dodger Stadium. There’s one problem though, to quote Bill Shaikin‘s column on the path: “To go a very short distance safely with a feeling that you’re not going to die is very difficult.”
Our opening day tradition: Danny Kaye sings the Dodgers song. 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.
It was Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, when the grass outside the baseline and the bright red sign high above center field read “UNIQLO FIELD.” It will be Dodger Stadium on Thursday, when the defending World Series champions open their new season, and forevermore.
The official name of our summer home is now Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. The team announcers will say that, and so will some of the signs. The fans won’t, and the founder of the company that just spent nine figures on the name you won’t use said he completely understands.
“That’s a very natural reaction,” Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai told me through an interpreter. “We respect that.”
Yanai said his company’s deal with the Dodgers covers five years. He would say only that the total value was “more” than $125 million. That provides the Dodgers with an annual naming rights payment in line with the ones at Crypto.com Arena, Intuit Dome and Sofi Stadium, without the Dodgers having to sell naming rights to the actual venue.
Are the Dodgers baseball’s version of a gold mine? Yes. Do they spend big and win big? Also yes. Do you mind if Uniqlo essentially covers Freddie Freeman’s salary this season?
“We need a lot of revenue to put out the product that we do,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. “That’s not a secret. And we’re proud of everyone who helps us do it: all of our fans, all of our media partners, and all of our sponsor partners. They are all important. It is how this all comes together.”
While Uniqlo would be delighted if you used its name, whatever local fans choose to call the stadium is not critical to the success of the partnership.
Ohtani made an estimated $125 million in endorsements and sponsorships last year, Sportico reported, a larger annual haul “than any other athlete in the history of sports.”
“The Dodgers are such a popular team,” Yanai said. “I usually ask my wife, after I come back from the office, whether Shohei hit a home run. I think all the Japanese people do that.”
Uniqlo Field signs were unveiled Wednesday at Dodger Stadium in the wake of the team’s naming rights deal.
(Beth Harris / Associated Press)
According to Forbes, Yanai is the richest man in Japan, where baseball teams carry corporate names. Why not buy a team and call it, say, the Uniqlo Bears?
“I always keep saying that could be very interesting,” he said, “but my wife turned it down. She keeps telling me, ‘Tadashi, you are not cut out to manage sports teams.’”
Instead, he is managing Uniqlo, an apparel company that pitches itself as blending comfort with quality. “We do not make disposable clothing,” Yanai said in the company’s last annual report.
Uniqlo has 794 stores in Japan but only 77 in the United States, including 14 in the Southland. Koji Yanai, a senior executive officer and Tadashi’s son, said the company aspires to grow annual U.S. revenues from $6 billion to $30 billion.
He shared what might be a more challenging aspiration.
“The Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium name may be very new for everyone,” he said, “but I hope in the near future the fans will like it and will love it.”
Jeff Marks, the chief executive of Los Angeles-based Innovative Partnerships Group, once brokered a naming rights deal in which the Cal football team would play on Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium. He tried to find a receptive audience for the name.
“We educated a lot of freshmen, sophomores, and newcomers,” Marks said. “Are you going to go after alumni who have been calling it Memorial Stadium? No. So you didn’t focus on that. You focused on people that could be more impressionable, and it worked.”
With Dodger Stadium, we’ll see. For the 2026 season, it is now time for Dodgers baseball, but not before one reporter at a press conference Wednesday asked company officials whether Uniqlo would provide the Dodgers players with free clothing.
Kasten could not pass up the chance to interject.
“We pay them enough,” he said with a grin, “to shop at Uniqlo stores.”
Shohei Ohtani’s three straight strikeouts in the fourth inning of his final spring start Tuesday featured a different putaway pitch for each.
He got Angels slugger Jorge Soler to whiff on a sweeper. Jeimer Candelario went down on a curveball. And Jo Adell struck out on a fastball.
“Just shows the confidence he has and different ways he had to attack guys, to get ahead and also put guys away,” manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 3-0 loss to the Angels in the Freeway Series finale. “And today the feel was really good, even better than the first outing.”
Pretty much everything was clicking for Ohtani heading into the regular season, even though it was only his second spring training start on the mound. Ohtani recorded 11 strikeouts in four-plus innings. He held the Angels to four hits, three of which were consecutive singles in the fifth, and was charged with three runs, all scored in the fifth.
For the first time in three years, Ohtani is set to begin the season as a fully healthy pitcher. And it will be the Dodgers’ first time managing his two-way schedule all year. Limited the last two seasons by his recovery and build-up from elbow surgery, Ohtani last made 20-plus starts in 2023 with the Angels.
“The desire is high,” Roberts said when asked about Ohtani’s aim to pitch wall to wall. “I think it’s realistic. Then the bigger question is, how are we going to manage that and navigate it?”
Thinking through the plan going into the season, Roberts floated the idea of giving Ohtani a little extra rest between starts. Dodgers starters are already on a six- to seven-day rotation. But a six-man starting pitching group gives the team flexibility as they map out their pitching plan.
“My intent is to be in the rotation under normal rest, normal circumstances,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton last week in Arizona. “Now if management thinks that I need extra rest, I’ll take it. But I’ll let management handle that. Just looking at our roster, we have a lot of pitchers. It doesn’t hurt to rest more.”
Ohtani’s in-game limits, after a build-up slowed by his participation in the World Baseball Classic as a position player, will be adjusted before each start. But his Freeway Series outing Tuesday set him up well. He stretched out to 86 pitches.
“When you’re talking about the first game of the season, could he get through six innings? Could he touch the seventh? Yes,” Roberts said Tuesday afternoon. “But he won’t touch the eighth inning. So there’s got to be some responsibility as far as how we manage him.”
When it comes to awards, Ohtani is going after a third World Series title. But his trophy case is well stocked with individual accolades too. He’s won four MVPs, five All-Star selections, four Silver Sluggers and a Rookie of the Year award.
The Cy Young, however, has remained elusive. He came close in 2022, when a 2.33 ERA and league-leading 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings earned him a fourth-place finish in the American League. It was the only time in his career that he crossed the 25-start threshold, with 28.
“I would never want to sacrifice our chance of winning and performing in the postseason,” Ohtani said. “So I think that’s really the No. 1 goal in my mind. Just because I want to try to win the Cy Young and throw more innings, that’s not necessarily the priority over winning a championship. So with that being said, if there’s a situation where there’s some injuries and I do have to pitch on shorter rest, I’m happy to do so.”
Would showing that he can make regular starts all year automatically put him in the Cy Young conversation?
“Oh yeah,” Roberts said. “Because of just talent, ability, will. If he does that, he’ll be in the conversation, absolutely. I have no doubt about that.”
Of course, besides reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, Ohtani would also be competing for the award with his own teammate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who enters the season with the edge.
If Ohtani continues to pitch like he did on Tuesday, while building up the rest of the way, he and the Dodgers will be in good shape.
“It was another good one for him,” Roberts said, “and he’ll be ready to go.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. If you told me five years ago that right now we would ‘ be discussing whether the Dodgers could win their third consecutive World Series, I would have laughed. How fortunate we are.
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Opening day is Thursday, with the flag ceremony that day and the ring ceremony Friday. So, let’s take a look at the opening day roster, barring an injury or implosion by someone.
Catchers
Will Smith — Some Mariners fans took umbrage that I said Smith was the best catcher in the game with Cal Raleigh second. Consistency lifts Smith to No. 1. If Raleigh has another season like last season, he could move up. And did you notice who started the key games for the U.S. in the WBC? Smith, not Raleigh.
Dalton Rushing — An important season for Rushing, who failed to impress last season. Far too early to throw in the towel on him. Can he become a consistent hitter while playing twice a week? Would Ben Rortvedt have made the team instead of Rushing?
Infielders
Mookie Betts — Remember, last season he was very sick around opening day and lost 20 pounds in two weeks. And he’s not exactly a physical giant to begin with. He then had to come back and learn a new position on the fly. It’s possible he never reaches the MVP heights of the past, but it’s also possible he hits much better than last season.
Santiago Espinal — Hitting .372 this spring and played steady defense, more than earning his way onto the team. Hasn’t had a good season on offense since 2021, but is a career .291 hitter against left-handers, so expect to see him against lefties.
Alex Freeland — He won the utility job over Hyeseong Kim despite having a terrible spring in which he went five for 45, though with 13 walks. There must be something about Kim the Dodgers do not like, though they say they sent him down so he can get consistent daily at-bats. Freeland will get a big opportunity here. Can he deliver?
Freddie Freeman — Here’s betting he becomes a .300 hitter again this season and that his mobility improves at first now that his ankle has had more time to heal.
Max Muncy — Everyone knows what Muncy will provide each season between stints on the IL, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t provide it again.
Miguel Rojas — Shohei Ohtani asked him not to retire. He will be the defensive glue for the infield, will get some key hits, and will help everyone on the infield become better defensively.
Outfielders
Alex Call — Exactly what you want in a fourth outfielder: Good defense with the ability to get on base and spell someone in the lineup without a huge dropoff in quality.
Teoscar Hernández — Says he never felt quite right after his injury early last season. Judging by his spring numbers (.468 with five homers), I’d say he was correct.
Andy Pages — Dave Roberts says Pages is his “pick to click” this season. Considering he hit 27 homers last season, you have to wonder what his numbers will be if he does click.
Kyle Tucker — Will the pressure of a big contract cause him to start slow as it has so many others?
Two-way player
Shohei Ohtani — Just think, Ohtani could hit 40 homers this season and be accused of having a disappointing season.
Tommy Edman will be back at some point, and Kiké Hernández will be back around the midpoint of the season, perhaps sooner.
Rotation
Yoshinobu Yamamoto — There are certain guys who should never be booed later in their playing career after what they have done in the past for the team. Fernando. Orel Hershiser. With his 2025 postseason, Yamamoto has claimed a spot on that list.
Tyler Glasnow — Fans still like to call him Glass-now. Pitched only 90 1/3 innings last season. Has pitched in 100 or more innings in only three of his 10 major league seasons. It would be a miracle if he makes 25 starts this season, but when he does pitch, he’s usually very good and the Dodgers will protect his arm as much as they can to make sure he can pitch in the postseason.
Shohei Ohtani — Will Ohtani win the MVP and Cy Young Award? The only time he came close was in 2022 with the Angels, when he was second in MVP voting and fourth in Cy Young voting. Last season he made 14 starts and pitched 47 innings. My prediction is he receives votes for both, but doesn’t win both as some pitcher will put up better or similar numbers in more innings.
Roki Sasaki — One of the big mysteries of the season. Can Sasaki harness his ability? His emotions seem to overwhelm his ability at times. But he’s only 24. When I was 24, I had just started working at The Times and my emotions overwhelmed my ability at times. It’s easy to forget these are men, not machines. However, after a disastrous start Monday against the Angels, giving up four runs in the first inning, you have to wonder if he will indeed start the season in the majors.
Emmet Sheehan — Went 6-3 with a 2.82 ERA last season before he was moved to the bullpen for the postseason and pitched terribly (8.59 ERA). When Blake Snell is ready to come back, hopefully in May, either Sasaki or Sheehan will either move to the bullpen or get sent down. They are in effect using April to battle for a permanent spot in the rotation.
Bullpen
Ben Casparius — He can be a starter, a short guy, a long man, an opener. He’s a jack-of-all-trades, or, a Ben of all trades. Has walked nine in 7.2 spring innings, so that’s something that can’t continue.
Edwin Díaz — The closer job is his. Mets fans say Dodgers fans should get used to Díaz walking a tightrope when he pitches. We’ll have to wait and see, but as of right now, this is a terrific signing.
Jack Dreyer — Had a solid rookie season and pitched four scoreless innings in the postseason.
Edgardo Henriquez — An electric arm that hasn’t always translated to electric results. He bounced back and forth between the minors and the Dodgers last season and could again this season.
Will Klein — Sometimes one outing transforms a player from being an average player to being a good-to-great one. Was Game 3 the pivot point for Klein, who has a career 5.16 ERA? He has been great this spring. And apparently Klein jerseys have become a top seller, so there will be a lot of people pulling for him.
Tanner Scott — He is in the second year of a four-year, $72-million deal, and he was terrible in Year 1 of the deal. The comment for Treinen below applies to Scott as well. Will the Dodgers use Scott and Treinen as their first non-closer option in high leverage roles at the start of the season?
Blake Treinen — Will the Treinen of 2024 return, or will it be the Treinen of 2025? And if it is the Treinen of 2025, how much leash will the Dodgers give him before giving up? Those will be two key things to watch early in the season.
Alex Vesia — After what he and his wife went through, is anyone rooting against this guy? He will wear his emotions on his sleeve as always and will neutralize left-handers.
Justin Wrobleski — Can give them some length out of the bullpen, plus can step into the rotation if Sasaki or Sheehan prove too unreliable before Snell returns.
Some teams say the Dodgers have an unfair advantage, because Ohtani being a two-way player means the Dodgers can carry nine relievers while most teams can carry only eight. Funny how those teams never complained about this when Ohtani was with the Angels.
At some point, Snell, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart will be back.
Also keep in mind that last season the Dodgers used 40 pitchers, so there will be a lot of churn among that part of the roster. They will start April with these 14 pitchers, but it’s unlikely the same 14 reach the end of April, or maybe even mid-April.
They used 25 position players last season, but it seems like the opening 13 will stay together for a little bit, at least until the first injury.
How many games will the Dodgers win?
It’s that time of year where I ask you how many games the Dodgers will win, and this year I will also ask if the Dodgers will win the World Series again?
So, how many games will the Dodgers win this season?
They will finish under .500 (this will tell me how many Padres/Giants fans subscribe to the newsletter)
Most experts point to the fact the the Dodgers are favorites to win it all among oddsmakers. If you look around at the various oddsmakers, the Dodgers are given about a 28% chance to win the World Series, far ahead of any other team (Seattle usually is second).
But, look at it another way. You could also say there is a 72% chance the Dodgers won’t win the World Series. We have been spoiled the last two seasons. Really, compared to most teams, we have been spoiled ever since Guggenheim bought the team. Winning a World Series is really difficult, even if you have the best team during the season.
I’ll give my predictions on Thursday. In the meantime, Bill Plaschke gave his prediction, which you can read here.
Andrew Friedman speaks….
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman sat down with our new Dodgers reporter, Maddie Lee (we’ll meet her officially soon) and answered some questions. You can read the whole thing here. A couple of highlights:
Q: It’s such a cliche to say you can never have too much pitching, but with this group, are you close?
Friedman: I’ve learned my lesson to never say that we have enough pitching. But I do feel like we are breaking camp with the most talented one through 20 arms — which gets at, obviously, who we’ll break with, and then depth behind it — that we’ve ever had.
Q: The Dodgers are very much caught in the middle of CBA posturing with the current agreement expiring this year. You hear a lot of players saying the Dodgers are doing it the right way and other teams could be doing something similar. On the other hand, the league appears to be floating a salary cap, and plenty of fans are accusing the Dodgers of “ruining baseball.” What’s it been like to see those conflicting narratives?
Friedman: Obviously see it, come across it, hear it quite a bit. But we’re just not that focused on it. We’re a really healthy organization, and the partnership we have with our fans is our guiding light. And we’re doing everything we can to put a team out there that our fans really connect with, and that they feel that partnership with all that they pour into us, and don’t really think about it in any other terms.
And so obviously, there’s a lot of narratives that get extrapolated from that. But our sole focus is on ourselves and the partnership we have with our fans and the rest of it to us, it’s kind of just noise.
Shohei Ohtani hits three homers and strikes out 10 in Game 4 of the 2025 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.
The Dodgers’ rotation order is set for the first homestand of the season.
To round out the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, after Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the mound Thursday on opening day, he’ll be followed by Emmet Sheehan and Tyler Glasnow. Roki Sasaki is penciled in for Monday against the Cleveland Guardians, followed by Shohei Ohtani on March 31.
Off days on Sunday and April 2 make it possible for the Dodgers to give all their pitchers at least five days’ rest between their first and second starts without needing a sixth starter.
Left-hander Justin Wrobleski is pegged to be that additional starter when the schedule features less frequent days off. In the meantime, he’ll be available to throw multiple innings out of the bullpen.
After starting the season for the Dodgers in Tokyo last year, Yamamoto is looking forward to opening day at Dodger Stadium.
“It’s going to be a different game, and with a different atmosphere,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “And then we’re coming off the championship year, then this is the first time I’ll be pitching in front of the Dodgers fans [since then].”
Yamamoto, who was on the mound for the final out of the 2025 season, hasn’t pitched at Dodger Stadium since Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sheehan claimed a regular spot in the rotation after returning last June from Tommy John surgery rehab. He had a 2.82 earned-run average through 15 appearances last season.
“I was maybe throwing bullpens right now a year ago,” Sheehan said after his last spring start. “So it’s definitely nice. That’s the main thing, to have my health. Grateful for that every time.”
Sheehan wrapped up Cactus League play with a 5.91 ERA in three starts, but he was encouraged by the progress he made in syncing up his delivery.
Glasnow capped his strong spring with five innings of one-run baseball against the Angels on Sunday.
“When everything’s lined up and feeling good … I think a lot of the other stuff follows,” Glasnow said. “And I was just able to go out and be myself.”
He recorded 11 strikeouts against the Angels, leaning on his curveball as his putaway pitch. It generated a 72% whiff rate, according to Statcast.
“Having my curveball feel so good, I kind of just leaned on it,” Glasnow said. “I’m sure things will change in-season, game to game. But tonight, it was a pretty obvious game plan for me.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Today we continue our series looking at the NL West, position by position.
Are you a true-blue fan?
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NL West, the third basemen
Let’s look at the third basemen and shorstops, ranked from best to worst. Click on the player’s name to be taken to their full stats page.
San Diego Manny Machado Last season: .275/.335/.460, 33 doubles, 27 homers, 95 RBIs, 118 OPS+ Career: .279/.338/.486, 94 OPS+, 124 OPS+
Though, as Yogi Berra famously said, “Nobody likes Manny Machado,” you have to give the devil his due. Machado is one of the best third basemen in the game, not just the NL West. He hits for average and power and is a defensive stalwart at third. It has already been eight years since he was with the Dodgers.
San Francisco Matt Chapman Last season: .231/.340/.430, 23 doubles, 21 homers, 61 RBIs, 120 OPS+ Career: .240/.330/.458, 119 OPS+
Similar to Max Muncy offensively, Chapman gets the nod because he is a five-time Gold Glove winner at third and stays in the lineup more consistently.
Dodgers Max Muncy Last season: .243/.376/.470, 10 doubles, 19 homers, 67 RBIs, 136 OPS+ Career: .229/.354/.474, 124 OPS+
There will come a time this season when Muncy will go on one of his notorious cold streaks. Some will say the Dodgers should dump him. Nonsense. He is one of the 10 best third basemen in the league and is a steal at only $10 million this season.
Yes, he’s the son of former Dodger Eric Karros. Don’t let those offensive numbers fool you, they were in limited playing time. He is one of the Rockies’ top prospects and has a bright future. He is only 23.
I’ve been writing this newsletter for 12 seasons now, and sometimes I get things very, very wrong. I was against moving Betts to short. But I was wrong. He’s already Gold Glove level there, and here’s guessing his bat rebounds to elite levels this season, because one thing I have learned is to not bet against Mookie Betts.
If his new level of offense reached last season is for real (his previous high in homers was six), then he could easily move up to No. 1 on this list.
San Francisco Willy Adames Last season: .225/.318/.421, 22 doubles, 30 homers, 87 RBIs, 111 OPS+ Career: .244/.321/.440, 109 OPS+
He signed a seven-year, $182-million deal with the Giants before last season, then got off to a horrible start, dampening his overall numbers, which were pretty good despite that. There are a lot of good shortstops in the NL West.
San Diego Xander Bogaerts Last season: .263/.328/.391, 30 doubles, 11 homers, 53 RBIs, 99 OPS+ Career: .287/.350/.446, 114 OPS+
Still a good fielder, but his offense has regressed, as he has been below average the last two seasons.
Colorado Ezequiel Tovar Last season: .253/.294/.400, 18 doubles, 9 homers, 33 RBIs, 83 OPS+ Career: .258/.291/.429, 88 OPS+
Tovar has never met a pitch he wouldn’t swing at, but when he does connect he hits it hard. He won the Gold Glove in 2024, but last season was a setback for him, in part due to injuries.
Max Muncy hits an important home run in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. 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. Today we continue our series looking at the NL West, position by position.
Are you a true-blue fan?
Get our Dodgers Dugout newsletter for insights, news and much more.
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy such as personalizing your experience and ads.
NL West, the first basemen
Let’s look at the first and second basemen, ranked from best to worst. Click on the player’s name to be taken to their full stats page.
Freeman’s ankle never seemed 100% last season, and he still put up solid numbers. He has said he wants to hit .300 again after failing to do so the past two seasons. There are only three current players (minimum 2,000 plate appearances) with a career batting average of at least .300: Freeman, Luis Arráez (.317) and Jose Altuve (.303). The top 10 in career batting average among active players:
San Francisco Rafael Devers Last season: .252/.372/.479, 33 doubles, 35 homers, 109 RBIs, 140 OPS+ Career: .276/.349/.506, 129 OPS+
Devers was acquired at the trade deadline from Boston. Oracle Park didn’t seem to dampen his numbers as much as it does to others, as he hit 11 homers there and 20 overall with the Giants. He’s not exactly Wes Parker at first base, but he is a solid run producer.
San Diego Gavin Sheets Last season: .252/.317/.429, 28 doubles, 19 homers, 71 RBIs, 105 OPS+ Career: .236/.301/.397, 94 OPS+
Sheets was a big surprise for the Padres last season, hitting better than he had in four seasons with the White Sox. He will get the majority of starts against right-handers, but could sit against tough lefties.
“The big thing for me has been controlling the strike zone, getting walks and being disciplined,” Sheets said about his improved hitting this spring. “You get swings like this and you build off the two of those things, you can really put the two of those things together.”
Arizona Carlos Santana Last season: .219/.308/.325, 11 doubles, 11 homers, 54 RBIs, 77 OPS+ Career: .241/.352/.425, 112 OPS+
How old is Carlos Santana? He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Dodgers in 2004. He was traded to Cleveland in 2008 for Casey Blake, who retired in 2011. He was a solid player for the then Indians, twice finishing in the top 20 in MVP voting, but he is well into his decline stage now.
Colorado Edouard Julien Last season: .220/.309/.324, 10 doubles, three homers, 12 RBIs, 76 OPS+ Career: .232/.336/.382, 99 OPS+
Julien finished seventh in rookie of the year voting in 2023 when he hit .263/.381/.459 for the Minnesota Twins in a little over half the season. It has been all downhill since then. The Twins traded him to Colorado in January, and the Rockies get to see if they can unlock whatever was working for him three years ago.
He has won back-to-back NL Silver Sluggers, finished third in 2024 NL MVP balloting and had an OPS+ of 145 last season. He is the key to the Diamondbacks’ offense and one of the more underrated players in the game.
San Diego Jake Cronenworth Last season: .246/.367/.377, 20 doubles, 11 homers, 59 RBIs, 108 OPS+ Career: .247/.335/.406, 107 OPS+
Cronenworth is one of those guys who don’t make the headlines but quietly puts up steady production every day. Every team needs a player or two such as Cronenworth, a guy you can pencil into the lineup every day and not have to worry about him.
Dodgers Miguel Rojas Last season: .262/.318/.397, 18 doubles, seven homers, 27 RBIs, 100 OPS+ Career: .260/.314/.362, 86 OPS+
He apparently had some sort of big hit in the World Series last season. I must have missed it. Hyeseong Kim and Santiago Espinal could also get playing time at second until Tommy Edman is able to return.
San Francisco Luis Arráez Last season: .292/.327/.392, 30 doubles, eight homers, 61 RBIs, 99 OPS+ Career: .317/.363/.413, 115 OPS+
How valuable is a guy whose value lies almost entirely in his batting average? Arráez has won three batting titles, three years in a row, with three different teams. He is with a new team again this year. He has mild power, draws few walks, is terrible on defense. But he can get line drive singles all day long.
Colorado Tyler Freeman Last season: .281/.354/.361, 20 doubles, two homers, 31 RBIs, 92 OPS+ Career: .247/.324/.342, 85 OPS+
It appears, according to MLB.com, that Freeman has edged out Willi Castro for the job. Either one can play multiple positions and will probably get plenty of time everywhere on a team that is expected to lose 100 games again.
Freddie Freeman hits the walk-off homer in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series. 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. Today we start a series looking at the NL West, position by position, and we meet our new sports columnist.
NL West, the catchers
It seems like a good time to look at the starting lineups for all the teams in the NL West. The Dodgers are prohibitive favorites to win the division, with some prognosticators thinking they will be the only team in the division to finish above .500.
Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projection has the NL West finishing like this.
1. Dodgers, 105-57 2. San Francisco, 81-81 2. San Diego, 81-81 4. Arizona, 79-83 5. Colorado, 61-101
It seems to me at least one other team will finish above .500, but, that’s why they play the games. A lot of projections had Toronto not even making the postseason last year. So take it with a grain of salt.
Now, let’s look at the catchers, ranked from best to worst. Click on the player’s name to be taken to their full stats page.
Dodgers Will Smith Last season: .296/.404/.497, 20 doubles, 17 homers, 61 RBIs Career: .264/.358/.476, 128 OPS+
Smith, who turns 31 on March 28, is the best catcher in baseball and he is a steal at only $14 million a season through 2033. Of catchers who started at least 81 games last season, he was eighth in caught stealing at 25.5%. Some will argue that Cal Raleigh or Alejandro Kirk are better, but when you consider the total package, I put Smith first. Of course, if Raleigh’s huge step up in offense that he took last season is for real, then he could certainly slot ahead of Smith.
Arizona Gabriel Moreno Last season: .285/.353/.433, 12 doubles, nine homers, 40 RBIs Career: .281/.349/.404, 108 OPS+
Moreno has inflammation in his right elbow, but it appears he will be ready for opening day. He has had quite a few injuries the last couple of seasons.
Goodman was one of the few bright spots for the Rockies, who lost 119 games last season. Last season was his first good season at the plate. He was an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger award. Earlier this spring training, he had this to say about his defense: “I mean, last year for the whole first half, was kind of like I was in fight-or-flight mode the whole game behind the dish. So just trying to get to where I’m comfortable on the plate and working to get these guys strikes and call better games and stuff like that.”
San Francisco Patrick Bailey Last season: .222/.277/.325, six homers, 55 RBIs Career: .230/.287/.340, 78 OPS+
Bailey is solid defensively, and has proven to be a master at when to challenge a ball/strike call under the new Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System (more on that in a future newsletter). Bailey has also focused on his swing in the offseason and has been a much better hitter this spring.
San Diego Freddy Fermin Last season: .251/.297/.339, 13 doubles, five homers, 26 RBIs Career: .264/.309/.376, 91 OPS+
The Padres acquired Fermin from the Royals at the trade deadline last season, and loved how he handled the pitching staff, much like the Dodgers with Ben Rortvedt. He will be backed up Luis Campusano, who hit .336 in triple A but isn’t exactly Johnny Bench behind the plate.
Meet our new columnist
We have a new columnist at The Times, Mirjam Swanson. She will be covering all sports, but here’s guessing she will be writing quite a bit of opinion about the Dodgers. So, let’s get to know her.
Q. Welcome to The Times. What was the road that led you here?
Swanson: Thank you! Oh, it’s been a long and windy road, scenic let’s say. I grew up in Southern California, so it was always my dream to work for the L.A. Times. But journalism is a tough business. And I know I’m not the only mom out there who has turned down and/or taken jobs based on what was best for her children. Plus, I’ve always had this problem of getting really into whatever I’m covering, whether it was action sports or local politics or World Series runs. So while the dream of working at the Times persisted, I was also always happy with what was right in front of me, never desperate to move on. But here I am now, finally, better for the journey, I think.
Q. You will be an all-sports columnist, but we’ll focus on the Dodgers since this is a Dodgers newsletter. Do you have a favorite moment in Dodger history?
Swanson: The moment in Dodgers history that will stick with me most is …
… hmm. The Dodgers’ history books could fill a library — where to start?
I was in the backseat of the family car on a freeway somewhere in Southern California listening to Kirk Gibson put his signature on the improbable 1988 season with his impossibly clutch pinch-hit home run in Game 1 of the World Series. And I was in the ballpark when Gibby met Freddie in 2024, feeling the stadium shake and watching on a TV in the overflow media workspace, feeling awe and angst. Freddie Freeman with grand timing that night, right on deadline.
Watched Shohei Ohtani turn Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS into a Little League game with 10 strikeouts and three home runs. There might never be a greater individual game — or there might be. Put nothing past Ohtani, including the inconceivable.
And I won’t forget my L.A. neighborhood erupting over Miguel Rojas’ “no-way!” ninth-inning solo shot in Game 7 of last season’s World Series.
But all of that is a long and windy way to arrive at this: It’s Andy Pages’ catch.
That’s not recency bias, either. It’s that the play was so confounding, so unexpected, the plot twist no one saw coming. Violent and athletic and hilarious. A whole movie in 10 seconds.
We might not have expected it to be Rojas to hit that season-saving home run, but our brains are trained to accept seeing a home run in such a moment. But an outfielder coming out of nowhere, running down and over his own teammate to make an improbable, impossible season-saving catch for the final out in the ninth inning of Game 7? Wasn’t on my bingo card.
I think about that play daily, it was so cool.
Q. What do you see as the biggest obstacle for the team this season?
Swanson: The answer is health, of course. But the Dodgers are so deep, they’ve done as much as a club can to fortify itself against inevitable injuries and ailments throughout a season, so it feels like less of a concern than it’s supposed to be.
So it’ll be mental. Having to handle the weight of trying to three-peat, of everyone either desperately wanting to see them do it or rooting desperately against them doing it. Every other team is going to treat their games against the Dodgers like it’s the World Series. That should make for good baseball, but it also will test these guys’ psychological stamina.
Manager Dave Roberts said the other night that he felt more pressure to repeat than three-peat, and that at this point, the Dodgers are playing with house money. That might be true, but there’s no ignoring the historic opportunity, either. Heady stuff for a team that’s set up as well as a team can be to do it if players can keep their edge.
Q. I get quite a bit of email from fans saying Roberts is overrated and that anyone could manage this team to the World Series. What are your thoughts on Roberts as a manager?
Swanson: I know some of these people.
And I hope they’re on no one’s jury, because evidence evidently means nothing to them.
A guy I know, an otherwise relatively rational dude, told me after the Dodgers repeated: “The only bad thing about this is Dave Roberts is going to be around longer.”
As if there was any bad thing for fans of the team about the Dodgers’ repeating. You really have to want to be unhappy about something if you’re anti-the manager who has won three World Series crowns in six seasons.
As if it’s automatic to pilot a team with so many talented players, to keep them happy and motivated and locked in, to manage these millionaires with understandable egos. That’s actually so much harder to do than to coach up a team of prospects with modest expectations.
And to pull so many of the right levers along the way, too?
Yeah, Roberts is elite at what he does. And apparently his haters are elite at what they do too.
Q. Is a lockout inevitable after the season, and does baseball need a salary cap?
Swanson: Sigh.
Yes, probably.
No, probably not.
All the salary cap is going to do is save the smarter-than-you Dodgers’ ownership group money while everyone keeps chasing them. It won’t level the playing field, but it will give owners cover for not paying their players as much as they could — and possibly cost us all priceless opportunities to watch Ohtani play baseball while the owners and players arm wrestle over finances offstage.
Sigh.
Q. Lastly, how many games will the Dodgers win this season?
Swanson: Fewer than 100.
Yes, they’re the most talented team money could buy. But every other team is going to give everything it has in every game against the Dodgers. And the Dodgers aren’t going to match that energy every time out — or 117 times out, if you’re hoping the major league record + World Series three-peat combo is on the menu.
The regular season isn’t what it’s really about for the Dodgers. They’ll be conservative with their approach, they won’t push anyone to do anything that could diminish their performance in the postseason. They’re going to play it cool … until they’re not.
And it’s going to drive observers along the way nuts, because it will cost them some games. But let’s try not to fret too much, Dodgers fans. Try not be too hard on Roberts.
Because only one number really matters: Three.
Dodger Stadium has a new field name
The Dodgers agreed to a deal granting Uniqlo naming rights to the field at Dodger Stadium. Though not officially announced by the Dodgers, the name likely will be Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.
Uniqlo is a Japan-based clothing brand. This is just another example of the revenue the Dodgers are generating because of Shohei Ohtani.
But here’s guessing that no one will call it Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.
Opening day starter will be…
Dave Roberts said Monday that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the opening day starter on March 26 against Arizona at Dodger Stadium. It will be the second straight opening day start for Yamamoto, and after all he did in the postseason last year, it is much deserved.
And the number is….
Some of you who haven’t seen any spring training games have asked what numbers the new Dodgers are wearing.
Edwin Díaz is wearing No. 3, last worn by Chris Taylor and also worn by such Dodger luminaries as Steve Sax, Willie Davis and Billy Cox. He becomes the 40th Dodger to wear No. 3.
Kyle Tucker is wearing No. 23, last worn by Michael Conforto (I hope that’s not a bad omen) and also worn by, among others, Adrián González, Eric Karros, Kirk Gibson, Jim Wynn, Claude Osteen and Don Zimmer.
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 — It’s only fitting that the pitcher who recorded the Dodgers’ final eight outs of the World Series will take the mound on opening day, as the club tries to pick up where it left off in 2025 and chase a third straight championship in 2026.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will toe the rubber for the March 26 opener at Dodger Stadium against the Arizona Diamondbacks — the second straight year he’s had the honor and the first time at home, after pitching last season’s opener in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs.
Roberts added Yamamoto is expected to return to Camelback Ranch soon, after participating in the World Baseball Classic with Team Japan. The Samurai Warriors, seeking a second straight WBC title, were eliminated by Team Venezuela Saturday night in the quarterfinals.
Yamamoto is expected to make one more start in the Cactus League before opening day, although the date has yet to be scheduled, according to Roberts.
Shohei Ohtani returned to Dodgers camp Monday morning, and Roberts plans to have a conversation with him soon about configuring his throwing plan leading up to regular season play. Per Roberts, Ohtani threw four innings in a simulated game while with Team Japan last Thursday.
“He’s going to get here and throw a bullpen,” Roberts said, adding: “I’m trying to figure out when we can get him into a game, but it should be here in the next day or two, to take some at bats. But as far as his progression, there’s going to be a bullpen soon, and [we’re] trying to figure out what day he’s going to pitch this week. It should be this week, but I’m not sure which day yet.”
Ohtani has not pitched in a Cactus League game and did not pitch in the WBC. Roberts does not expect the four-time MVP to be fully stretched out by the start of the regular season. Still, as Roberts notes, he’s further along than he was at this time a year ago, when he was working his way back from Tommy John surgery.
“I think this year we’re certainly north of that, I don’t see how we won’t be able to get to three or four innings in a major league game, so that’s certainly a better jumping-off point than last year, so we’ll see how it goes,” Roberts said.
Beyond Yamamoto, Ohtani and trusty veteran Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers’ back end of the rotation is still taking shape. Though Roberts had considered a six-man rotation to begin regular season play, he indicated Monday that he expects the club to use a five-man rotation, noting that things are still “fluid.”
Last week, Roberts said he “didn’t see a world in which Roki Sasaki doesn’t break [camp] as a starter.” That would leave one rotation spot up for the taking, with 25-year-old Justin Wrobleski, 26-year-old Emmet Sheehan and 27-year-old River Ryan among those in the running.
