Tanner

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. The way I see it, the Dodgers needed to go 21-10 in their final 31 games to guarantee that they win the NL West (remember, they only have to tie the Padres), which means the Padres would have to go 22-9. Right now the Dodgers are 4-2, the Padres are 2-5.

Random thoughts

—The most frustrating thing about this year’s team is they seem to defeat themselves much more frequently than last year’s team. Baserunning mistakes. Fielding problems, with balls that seem to be catchable dropping. Going two or three games seemingly forgetting what makes them a great offense: working the count and tiring the pitcher. So, while I do believe in the importance of not taking any one loss too hard, the frustration can be understandable.

—Case in point, the Dodgers sweep Cincinnati, which is battling for a postseason spot, then almost get swept by Arizona, which is on the fringe of battling for a spot at best.

—The other thing to keep in mind: The Dodgers are defending World Series champions. For some teams, playing the Dodgers is their postseason. If they can play spoiler, they can hold their heads up just a little bit higher. Should the Dodgers respond? Sure. But the narrative that this is an underachieving franchise went away after last season’s title.

—Those of you hoping that the Dodgers would move Mookie Betts back to right field can stop rubbing your lucky rabbit’s foot. It didn’t work. “Mookie,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters, “will not go to right field…. When you’re talking about shortstop play, you’re looking for consistency, and I’ve just loved the consistency. He’s made every play he’s supposed to make, and then the last couple weeks, he’s made spectacular plays. He’s been a big part of preventing runs.“

—By the way, since Aug. 8, when a certain newsletter writer said Betts should move down in the order, he has hit .321/.398/.444.

—The Dodgers play Pittsburgh next. The Pirates have the third-worst record in the NL, so another trap series for the Dodgers.

—I still miss the Cool-a-Coo.

—The Dodgers were cruising along Sunday behind one of Yoshinobu Yamamoto‘s best starts in the majors (seven innings, one run, four hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts) when Tanner Scott came in and lost the entire three-run lead in the eighth inning.

Scott was signed to a four-year, $72-million deal during the offseason after he went 9-6 with a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves for the Marlins and Padres last season. It was his second strong season in a row and the signing was heralded as another example of the Dodgers outspending their opponents and ruining the game of baseball. Andrew Friedman had rarely shown a willingness to give a long, large deal to a reliever (and he probably will think twice before doing it again). Scott signed two days after the Dodgers landed Roki Sasaki and before they signed reliever Kirby Yates, sort of a triumvirate of sadness for the team this season.

“He’s someone that we have watched and admired from afar over the years and have tried to acquire multiple times,” general manager Brandon Gomes said at Scott’s introductory news conference. “Tanner possesses all of the qualities we value as an organization when looking to bring on a free agent.”

Roberts told Jack Harris just before the season began: “The fear in the batter’s box against him is certainly real,” he said of Scott, who pitched three scoreless innings in the NLDS and struck out Shohei Ohtani all four times he faced him. “I’m happy he’s on our side 1756824254,” Roberts added, comparing the quiet, bearded pitcher to an “assassin” on the mound.

So far, less like an “assassin” and more like Maxwell Smart.

This season, Scott is 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA. Last season, Scott blew only two saves. This season? Eight, which is second in the majors. Last season, he came in with 19 runners on base…. and none of them scored. That’s amazing! This season, two of nine runners he inherited have scored. Last season, he allowed 5.6 hits per nine innings. This season, 8.5.

So, what’s going to happen? Based on Dodgers history, nothing. The Dodgers don’t give up on players. They keep trotting them out there, hoping it will turn around. Sometimes it doesn’t work: Chris Taylor. Sometimes it works: Max Muncy.

So don’t be surprised if nothing happens. If they keep sending him out there, hoping he turns things around. This is how the Dodgers operate. Let’s not be surprised about it.

However, Roberts did say recently, “I just think that we’ve got to play the best players and that’s just the way it should be, right?… “Obviously Shohei is going to be playing. Mookie is going to be playing. But the point being is, we’ve got to ramp it up and we’ve got to be better. If some other guys deserve more opportunities, then they’re going to get them. That’s just the way it should be.”

By the way, Scott is one of the rare left-handed closers in history. There have been many great right-handed closers, but comparatively few left-handed. The best left-handed closers of all time were Billy Wagner, John Franco, Sparky Lyle and Randy Myers. Only seven of the top 50 all-time in saves were left-handed. That’s 14%. Historically, around 25% of pitchers in MLB history each year are left-handed.

Walker Buehler

Some fans were unhappy when the Dodgers didn’t make a real attempt to re-sign Walker Buehler after his postseason heroics. And while it’s true that Buehler does have that swagger that has been missing often this season with the team, it appears they made the right decision. The Boston Red Sox gave him a one-year, $21.05-million deal. Buehler went 7-7 with a 5.38 ERA and the Red Sox released him last week. After he cleared waivers, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and will join their rotation after making a start in the minors. Which leads me to my new nightmare: Game 7 of the NLCS, the Dodgers trail by one in the ninth inning. Bases loaded, one out. And who comes in to shut the Dodgers down and save the game?

By the way, if the Dodgers do tie the Padres for first in the NL West this season, you can thank Buehler for the Padres not getting that one extra win they needed. Buehler’s best start this season came on Aug. 8 at San Diego when he pitched six shutout innings against the Padres. It was Buehler’s last win this season.

It’s never fun to see a storied Dodger fail, no matter where he goes. Hopefully Buehler can recapture his old magic at some point and have a long, good career. Just not against the Dodgers.

Notes

—The Dodgers activated Hyeseong Kim and Michael Kopech from the IL on Monday, bringing their roster to the 28 allowed in September.

—The Dodgers signed pitcher Andrew Heaney, who had been released by Pittsburgh. Heaney, a left-hander, is 5-10 with a 5.39 ERA this season. He was signed in time to be postseason eligible if need be. He was sent to triple-A Oklahoma City. Heaney had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022 with the Dodgers, when he went 4-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 14 starts. It’s hard to see exactly where he fits in on this team, but if injuries crop up, he could contribute.

—Max Muncy’s return was delayed after he came down with some sort of cold or flu. He should be back during the next homestand.

—Since moving to the bullpen at Oklahoma City, Bobby Miller has given up eight hits in 12.2 innings, walking seven and striking out 14 with an ERA of 3.68.

—The Padres were dealt a tough injury Sunday when reliever Jason Adam suffered a ruptured tendon in his left quadriceps and will be out for the season. Adam was their primary setup man and was 8-3 with a 1.81 ERA this season.

A different race

The race for the NL batting title is going to be interesting to follow. Here are the top seven after Monday’s games:

Trea Turner, Philadelphia, .301 (.300 over last week)
Freddie Freeman, .300 (.235)
Sal Frelick, Milwaukee, .298 (.269)
Will Smith, .293 (.167)
Ketel Marte, Arizona, .290 (.316)
Brice Turang, Milwaukee, .2888 (.300)
Nico Hoerner, Chicago, .2886 (.263)

Dropping out of the top seven since we last checked: Geraldo Perdomo. Joining the list: Turang.

The postseason

Here’s how the postseason race pans out after Monday’s games:

NL
1. Milwaukee, 85-54
2. Philadelphia, 80-58
3. Dodgers, 78-59

Wild-cards
4. Chicago, 79-59
5. San Diego, 76-62
6. New York, 74-64

7. Cincinnati, 70-68
8. San Francisco, 69-69

AL
1. Detroit, 80-59
2. Toronto, 79-59
3. Houston, 76-62

Wild-cards
4. New York, 76-61
5. Boston, 77-62
6. Seattle, 73-65

7. Texas, 72-67
8. Kansas City, 70-67
9. Cleveland, 68-68

The Dodgers have three games remaining with Philadelphia, which could be crucial in determining the No. 2 seed. Right now, the Phillies lead the season series, 2-1. Whoever wins the season series has the tiebreaker advantage. If they tie, 3-3, in games, then the second tiebreaker is record within their own division. Right now, the Dodgers are 26-13 against the West and the Phillies are 23-19 against the East.

The top two teams in each league get a first-round bye. The other four teams in each league play in the best-of-three wild-card round, with No. 3 hosting all three games against No. 6, and No. 4 hosting all three against No. 5.

The division winners are guaranteed to get the top three seeds, even if a wild-card team has a better record.

In the best-of-five second round, No. 1 hosts the No. 4-5 winner and No. 2 hosts the No. 3-6 winner. That way the No. 1 seed is guaranteed not to play a divisional winner until the LCS.

Up next

Tuesday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 9-2, 3.06 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Carmen Mlodzinski, 3-2, 1.97 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 4.18 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Braxton Ashcroft, 3-7, 3.86 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Thursday: Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 3-3, 2.41 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Paul Skenes, 9-9, 2.05 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Hernández: Everyone can stop wondering. Mookie Betts isn’t moving back to right field

State legislators heed L.A. mayor and council, spurn McCourt on gondola legislation

Bookie linked to Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter sentenced to prison

And finally

Steve Yeager hits a three-run homer during the 1977 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

It took the Dodgers until the ninth inning Monday night to erase their first two-run deficit.

But when Tanner Scott surrendered a pair of scores in the top of the 10th, they couldn’t do it again.

In a 4-3 extra-innings loss to the New York Mets on Monday, a night that started with frustration — then crescendoed with a late-game rally — ultimately ended in a familiar fizzle.

Despite tying it behind a seventh-inning home run and a ninth-inning sacrifice fly from Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers (36-24) once again stumbled beneath the weight of their slumping closer.

In the top of the 10th, Scott gave up an RBI double to Francisco Alvarez to lead off the inning. Francisco Lindor followed with a down-the-line single to bring another run for the Mets (38-22). The left-hander, who signed for four years and $72 million this offseason, has a 4.73 earned-run average in his first 28 outings.

And after coming back once on Monday night, the Dodgers’ magic ran out in the bottom of the 10th.

Although Freddie Freeman led off with a walk, and Andy Pages followed with an RBI single that made it a one-run score, the Dodgers came up empty the rest of the way.

Max Muncy struck out. Will Smith pinch-hit for Michael Conforto at the last second — literally running out of the dugout with Conforto already digging in at the plate — but flied out to center. Then Tommy Edman scorched a comebacker straight to reliever Jose Buttó, concluding a night in which the Dodgers went two for 11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 men on base.

The result squandered a strong six-inning, two-run start from Dustin May. It let Ohtani’s late-game heroics go to waste.

And instead of a rollicking late-game comeback, the Dodgers instead suffered a second consecutive deflating defeat.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits a 424-foot home run to right field during the seventh inning Monday.

(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)

Three times in the ninth inning last Friday night in New York, new Dodgers closer Tanner Scott made the same simplistic, save-blowing mistake.

In an inning that saw Scott blow a three-run Dodgers lead — forcing the team into a 13-inning marathon that, despite eventually winning, their overworked bullpen could ill-afford — Scott got to two strikes against a Mets batter, only to leave a mistake pitch over the plate.

To Starling Marte, it was a 1-and-2 fastball up and over the middle, resulting in a leadoff single.

After a one-out walk to Pete Alonso, Scott had Jeff McNeil 2-and-2 before throwing a belt-high heater on the inner half that was ripped for a two-run triple.

Another two-strike count followed to Tyrone Taylor, but Scott’s 1-and-2 slider hung up around the heart of zone, leading to a tying single that marked Scott’s fourth blown save in 14 opportunities this year and raised his ERA to 3.42 — hardly the numbers expected out of an All-Star left-hander signed to a $72-million contract this offseason.

“I think the stuff is still good,” manager Dave Roberts said afterward. “It’s just right now, it just seems like when there is a mistake, they find some outfield grass or put a good swing on it.”

And lately, such mistakes have been coming in more abundance than usual for Scott, highlighting one early-season trend the Dodgers are now working to address.

“Right now, he’s just kind of living in the middle, the midline of the zone,” pitching coach Mark Prior said. “You leave it in that spot, more than likely they’re gonna put a good swing on it.”

Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott embraces catcher Dalton Rushing after a 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on May 21.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

For a pitcher who struggled with command issues early in his career — before blossoming into one of the top left-handed relievers in the sport of the last several seasons — Scott is now seemingly suffering from the opposite problem.

So far this year, more than 58% of his pitches have been in the strike zone, a rate that is easily a personal career high (well up from his previous high mark of 52.4% last year) and ranks 18th among qualified big-league relievers.

On top of that, hitters have been on such offerings as well, making contact on 80% of swings against Scott’s pitches over the plate (compared to his 76% career rate) and averaging almost 92 mph of exit velocity on balls put in play (leaving Scott in the seventh percentile of MLB arms when it comes to batted ball contact).

The good news is that Scott has 25 strikeouts and only two walks. Even with his fastball playing a tick down velocity-wise (averaging 96.1 mph this year compared to 97 mph last year), he converted nine of his first 11 save opportunities, squandering only a pair of one-run leads while posting a sub-2.00 ERA through his first 21 appearances.

This past week, however, Scott was knocked around twice: Giving up three runs on two homers to the Arizona Diamondbacks last week (in another game that necessitated extra innings before the Dodgers came back to win) before his ninth-inning meltdown at Citi Field on Sunday.

“He’s actually been pretty good for us,” Roberts said of Scott’s performance overall. “But the last couple, the last two of three, he’s obviously given up leads.”

Scott said his increased aggressiveness in the strike zone has not been by design.

“I don’t even look at it,” he bristled when asked about his rise in in-zone pitch percentage this weekend. “I don’t even look at it.”

But Prior acknowledged it is something on the coaching staff’s radar.

“Obviously, we want strikes; more strikes than balls,” Prior said. “But he gets in situations where he can get into counts, and I think we’re just leaving too many balls in the zone late in counts, instead of going for more miss.”

Friday’s blown save being Exhibit A.

“I’m not putting [guys] away,” acknowledged Scott, whose whiff rate has also dropped to 26.6% this season compared to his 34.7% career average. “I’m not getting the swing-and-miss, and I’m keeping the ball in the zone too much.”

To Prior, it’s even OK if Scott starts “to walk a few more guys,” he said, “[if] in turn he can get more chase out of the zone when you have leverage.”

“He’s still a really good pitcher,” Prior added. “So we’re going to bank on him.”

Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott throws from the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 20 at Dodger Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Right now, the Dodgers don’t have much of a choice.

Fellow high-leverage relievers Evan Phillips (forearm discomfort), Blake Treinen (forearm sprain), Kirby Yates (hamstring strain) and Michael Kopech (shoulder impingement) are all out injured. And while Kopech is on a minor-league rehab assignment, and Yates and Treinen are both beginning throwing programs, Phillips’ absence is starting to become “concerning,” Roberts acknowledged this weekend, with the team’s former ninth-inning fixture now going on three weeks without throwing because of an injury initially expected to keep him out for only the minimum 15 days.

“I’m getting a little kind of concerned,” Roberts said of Phillips, “but hoping for the best.”

It all makes Scott’s performance in save opportunities particularly crucial for the Dodgers right now.

Given the team’s MLB-high bullpen workload this year, Roberts has been forced to be selective when it comes to the usage of the few high-leverage relievers still at his disposal. Having Scott blow games in which the team has already burned its best other relief bullets, and could potentially face the added burden of resulting extra innings, are all taxing side effects the Dodgers are not currently equipped to handle.

“To be quite fair,” Roberts noted of Scott, whose 23 ⅔ innings are only fourth-most in the bullpen, “the other guys have been used a lot more than he has.”

Thus, while Scott might only require simple adjustments, such as better locating his fastball up and out of the zone and more consistently executing his slider in locations that induce more chase, enacting such changes quickly is paramount.

After all, the Dodgers made him one of the highest-paid relievers in baseball this offseason to stabilize their bullpen. And lately, he’s instead been one more source of unneeded flux.