Tigers beat Diamondbacks 7-2, winning 4th straight after a 1-12 slump
The AL Central-leading Tigers have won four straight games, coming off a 1-12 slump that spanned before and after the All-Star Game.
Detroit may make moves before the trade deadline on Thursday to bolster its chances winning the franchise's first World Series since 1984.
Arizona has lost five straight, matching its longest losing streak of the season.
Paddack (4-10) gave up only one run on three hits with five strikeouts and no walks, two days after the right-hander was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Twins.
Ryne Nelson (6-3) allowed four runs — one earned — on six hits. Kyle Backhus followed and gave up three runs on four hits, retiring only two batters.
Carpenter snapped a scoreless tie with a two-out triple in the third inning, scoring Colt Keith after his second single of the game.
Jake Rogers hit a two-run home run in a three-run sixth inning, giving the Tigers a six-run cushion that was comfortable against the offensively challenged Diamondbacks.
Arizona All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez, a potential trade target, was 1 for 4 at the plate. Suarez returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday's game because he was hit on the right hand by a pitch the previous night.
Key moment
Carpenter's two-run homer in the fifth inning gave Detroit a 4-1 lead.
Key stat
Paddack gave up only one run in his second straight start.
Up next
Arizona RHP Merrill Kelly (9-6, 3.22) is the team's probable pitcher Friday night on the road against the Athletics. Detroit plays at Philadelphia on Friday night with Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (6-10, 4.51) and Phillies LHP Ranger Suárez (8-4, 2.59) expected to pitch.
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New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Phillies unwilling to move Andrew Painter
The 2025 MLB trade deadline has passed. Follow along for live reaction and analysis after an active week around the league. Getty Images Getty Images By Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb If the Phillies were willing to trade top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, they would be in play for both Athletics closer Mason Miller and Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran. But they refuse to even entertain the thought of moving Painter, just as they were in previous talks for top lefty starter Garrett Crochet. The Phillies view Painter as perhaps their best pitching prospect since Cole Hamels - yes, perhaps even better than Aaron Nola. And at some point after the deadline, they likely will deploy him as a weapon for their major-league club. Painter started Wednesday afternoon at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and produced one of his best outings at that level. He eclipsed the 100-pitch mark for the first time in his professional career while going a season-high 6 1/3 innings. He allowed one run, struck out four, and walked two while featuring more secondary stuff than usual. His 103rd and final pitch was 96.1 mph. He's struggled with command in his first full season after Tommy John surgery, but he's now gone six innings in consecutive starts. It is the best he's pitched so far in 2025. Is this Eugenio Suárez's last game as a Diamondback? With his name swirling in trade rumors, he is batting cleanup as the designated hitter this afternoon in Detroit but so far, he is 0-2 with a strikeout. Suárez will have a chance to rectify his hitless day when he bats in the top of the 7th inning. Starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs, who ranks 46th on The Athletic's MLB trade deadline Big Board, will be on the hill tonight in Sacramento as the Athletics face the Seattle Mariners. He is 9-7 this season with a 4.13 ERA. Here are a few notable stats regarding the 32-year-old lefty: 82nd percentile in breaking ball run value 88.4 mph average opponent exit velocity (71st percentile) 36.9% hard-hit percentage (78th percentile) 9 wins (9th in AL) 20 home runs allowed (6th-most in AL) 1.20 WHIP (15th in AL) This could be Cedric Mullins' last series as an Oriole, and he's putting on an absolute show. He just climbed the center field wall to rob his second homer of the series and got a ovation in Baltimore. Imagn Images Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, who is No. 2 on The Athletic's Big Board of top 50 trade candidates, just knocked an RBI single in Boston's series finale against the Minnesota Twins to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead. Roman Anthony actually came around to score from first thanks to a misplay by Twins center fielder Harrison Bader — another outfielder on the trade block, and No. 30 on our big board. Bader, a versatile outfielder and above-average hitter on a one-year contract, is a much more likely candidate to move by 6 p.m. tomorrow than Duran, who's under team control through 2028 and whose spot in Boston's crowded outfield has become clearer after Marcelo Mayer hit the injured list with a sprained wrist. GO FURTHER How the Rafael Devers trade prepared the Red Sox for the trade deadline Trade candidate Adrian Houser (2.10 ERA) was supposed to make his 12th start of the season today, but the Chicago White Sox announced that lefty Tyler Alexander will start instead. There has been no immediate word of a trade, but it makes sense that the White Sox might be holding him out in anticipation of a deal. Getty Images With MacKenzie Gore's name being floated around as a potential trade candidate, this afternoon could be his last start as a Washington National, facing the Astros in Houston. It's been a solid campaign so far for the 26-year-old, recording a 3.52 ERA in 21 starts. He's struck out 144 batters in just 117.2 innings, which ranks fourth in the National League. Gore's breaking ball has been his go-to, ranking in the 91st percentile in breaking run value, per Baseball Savant. He also ranks in the 88th percentile in both chase percentage and strikeout percentage. By Chandler Rome and Dan Hayes The Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins have discussed a trade of shortstop Carlos Correa, but multiple sources from both teams on Wednesday downplayed the likelihood of a deal manifesting before Thursday's 5 p.m. CT trade deadline. Twins sources said the Astros approached them to discuss Correa, who in January said, 'I've got a full no-trade clause. Let me tell you something: I love Minnesota, and I love the fishing here.' Even so, the Twins believe the Astros are the one team Correa might approve for a trade because he maintains an offseason home in the Houston area. The two sides have discussed parameters, but people with knowledge of the situation indicated the teams initially were far apart. Read more below. GO FURTHER A Carlos Correa return to Houston via trade with Twins seems unlikely — for now: Sources Getty Images Ian Happ fouled a ball off his shin last night and is day-to-day, leaving the Chicago Cubs with perhaps some meaningful at-bats available, including in today's series finale against the hard-charging Milwaukee Brewers. Interesting, then, that the team chose to promote Moisés Ballesteros over Owen Caissie. Patrick Mooney explains: Ballesteros, 21, batted .188 during his brief exposure to the majors in May. He is regarded as a smooth left-handed hitter who still has to answer questions about whether he can handle catching at the highest level. How the rest of the baseball industry values him is one of many unanswered questions for Thursday's 5 p.m. CT deadline. Caissie, 23, is a powerful left-handed slugger who's already on Chicago's 40-man roster and still waiting to make his major-league debut. His performance at Triple A this season (20 home runs and a .938 OPS) has made him a popular name in trade chatter. Mooney goes on to explain that the Cubs need pitching, and they have a good amount of Triple-A position talent that's blocked at the big league level and could be traded for an arm. Ballesteros and Caissie are among those potential trade chips. The Los Angeles Angels are… buying? As Ken Rosenthal reported, that the Angels are acquiring 35-year-old lefty Andrew Chafin and 38-year-old righty Luis García from the Washington Nationals for lefty Jake Eder and Double-A first baseman Sam Brown. This could be setting the stage for a future trade of closer Kenley Jansen and lefty Reid Detmers, but it's the Angels, so who knows? GO FURTHER Angels add relievers Andrew Chafin, Luis Garcia in hopes of playoff push Getty Images As this trade market came into focus in recent weeks, it the relief market that seemed most robust. There was no ace readily available, and even the right-handed hitters seemed relatively limited, but there were a ton of high-end relievers who could be moved, including some of the biggest names in the sport. As Matt Gelb writes, though, the relief market has shifted, and the Minnesota Twins hold the key. But, with Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase and Baltimore's Félix Bautista off the market, the pool of high-end controllable relievers is shallow. A lot hinges on the Minnesota Twins, who boast Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. It is unclear whether the Twins intend to deal either pitcher; they could delay a decision until the offseason after gaining information from interested clubs this summer. It's possible neither of Minnesota's two best relievers will be traded in the next two days. Gelb notes that the Philadelphia Phillies are among the teams interested in Pirates closer David Bednar and Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. The Blue Jays, who already traded for setup man Seranthony Domínguez, are still looking for a swingman-type reliever. The Cardinals are dangling several relief pitchers — the Padres are interested in lefty JoJo Romero — with the Dodgers, Tigers, Mets and Blue Jays believed to be among the teams interested in Helsley. Rays closer Pete Fairbanks is also reportedly available, and it's worth wondering if the Padres could get creative and make Robert Suarez available in a sell-to-buy maneuver. The Twins, even if they don't trade Jax or Duran, are still expected to trade free-agent-to-be Danny Coulombe (who's been really good). Other relievers who made our Big Board: Angels lefty Reid Detmers, Royals closer Carlos Estévez, and setup men Jake Bird (Rockies) and Dennis Santana (Pirates). Getty Images The Braves designated reliever Enyel De Los Santos for assignment to open a roster spot after trading for Colorado reliever Tyler Kinley. De Los Santos had a 4.53 ERA in 43 appearances for Atlanta this season, including an 8.18 ERA in his past 15 outings. Jesse Chavez has retired, so reliever Luis García and the Angels have assumed the "Can't quit you" mantle. This will be García's third stint with the Angels in his career and the third team this season for García, who started the season with the Dodgers and was claimed off waivers by the Nationals before being flipped back to Southern California. Getty Images The Los Angeles Angels are acquiring LHP Andrew Chafin from the Washington Nationals, source tells The Athletic, with Washington acquiring 1B Sam Brown and LHP Jake Eder in the deal. RHP Luis Garcia also headed to the Angels, as first reported by ESPN. In their trade for Rockies reliever Tyler Kinley, the Braves are sending 26-year-old Double-A pitcher Austin Smith to Colorado. Smith was an 18th-round draft pick in 2021 and has a 5.07 ERA in 107 minor league appearances over five seasons, including 4.88 this season in 29 appearances in High A and Double A, with 34 strikeouts and 15 walks in 31 1/3 innings. The Braves will be responsible for the $750,000 buyout of the $5 million option on Kinley's contract for next season. Getty Images Tyler Kinley is a rental for the Atlanta Braves, who entered the day 13 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. That said, he's an interesting acquisition because of a few elite metrics: 86.3 mph average exit velocity (95th percentile) 30.5% whiff rate (84th percentile) 31.5% chase rate (83rd percentile) 6.0% barrel percentage (82nd percentile) 30.6% hard-hit percentage (97th percentile) On Monday, the Detroit Tigers acquired pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor-league catcher Enrique Jimenez. In a matter of moments, Paddack will make his first start for the Tigers at Comerica Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 21 starts this season, the 29-year-old is 3-9 with a 4.95 ERA, tallying 83 strikeouts in 111 innings. He's also allowed 115 hits so far this season, already tied for the most he's given up in a single season in his career. Updates on the directions of two teams, from major-league sources briefed on their respective plans: As expected, the Texas Rangers are trying to add with the goal of making a run at the AL West title. The Los Angeles Angels also are trying to add, but perhaps only bullpen help Nothing major, most likely. Getty Images The St. Louis Cardinals are shopping several relief pitchers, and closer Ryan Helsley could be their best trade chip who's likely to move. But there remains at least some chance the team will trade its third baseman. Here's Kate Woo's latest: St. Louis continues to make calls on Nolan Arenado, but no substantial traction has formed. The third-base market is robust, and only one team will land the top target, Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds are all looking to upgrade the hot corner. However, it's unlikely the Cardinals would trade within their division — especially with their long-time rival. It's also unclear which teams Arenado would waive his full no-trade clause for, if any. At 34 years old, Arenado has regressed to a well below average offensive player this season (84 wRC+), but he's been worth 5 defensive runs saved and 2 outs above average at third base, enough to make him basically a 1 WAR player. The problem is, he's signed through 2027 — his salary does drop the next two years, but he's still overpaid for this level of production — and his no trade protection could stand in the way of any potential deal. Cardinals starters Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas also have full no-trade clauses. GO FURTHER What I'm hearing about the Cardinals' trade deadline with less than 48 hours to go


New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Latest on Griffin Jax, Steven Kwan
The 2025 MLB trade deadline has passed. Follow along for live reaction and analysis after an active week around the league. Getty Images Getty Images The Toronto Blue Jays continue to talk to the Minnesota Twins about reliever Griffin Jax and the Cleveland Guardians about outfielder Steven Kwan, according to sources briefed on the discussions. Neither player is seen as particularly likely to be traded. The Los Angeles Dodgers also are talking to the Guardians about Kwan, but consider a trade for him a longshot. Earlier in the day, a Twins official acknowledged increased activity on Jax, but expressed skepticism a team would meet the threshold necessary to acquire him. Want to follow along with some of The Athletic's MLB expert as all the trade deadline drama ramps up? Then you're in luck as Eno Sarris , Derek VanRiper , and Britt Ghiroli are hosting a Rates & Barrels livestream starting in just a few minutes at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on the Rates & Barrels YouTube channel, breaking down all of the moves and news coming out of his year's Trade Deadline. Watch on YouTube or below: On July 7, the Texas Rangers were 44-47, trailing the Astros by 11 games in the AL West, and had just lost in a walk-off to the Los Angeles Angels. With less than a month to go before the deadline, it seemed pretty obvious what direction they were headed: sell, sell, sell. Since then, they're 13-5, and despite two more losses to the Angels this week, they're tied with the Mariners for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. The sale is off, and the acquisition of LHP Danny Coulombe (1-0, 1.16 ERA) from the Twins was a buy. We're still waiting to learn two things: The first: what was the prospect price for Coulombe? But more importantly, with just over an hour left to the deadline, is this … it? Sure, they needed a reliever, particularly with Chris Martin (calf, 4-6 weeks) and Jacob Webb (back spasms, 10-day IL) out of commission. But it sure seems like they could use one more bat to boost an offense that flailed for the first 3.5 months of the year, even if they have been hitting much better of late. Getty Images Ke'Bryan Hayes will wear No. 3 for the Reds. He'd worn 13 with the Pirates and said he'd worn 13 or 8 most of his life, because those are the two numbers his dad wore the most in his career. Neither of those numbers were available in Cincinnati because both have been retired in honor Dave Concepción (13) and Joe Morgan (8), both of whom won five Gold Gloves. Boston Bateman is among the prospects going to Baltimore in the Padres' deal for Ryan O'Hearn and Ramón Laureano, MLB sources tell The Athletic . Getty Images The Padres are collectively slugging .380 this season. That's basically the same as Tommy Pham but with a much lower on-base percentage. The Royals, who notoriously need offensive help, are slugging .382. So, yeah, the Padres needed offense. Getting Mason Miller was a blockbuster, but trading for both Ramon Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn might have done more to help the Padres in the short-term. Laureano's 144 wRC+ is higher than every Padres player except Manny Machado (146), and O'Hearn's 134 is just slightly better than Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 133. Laureano will presumably step in as the Padres' regular left fielder. O'Hearn isn't a perfect fit as another left-handed hitter — first baseman Luis Arraez and regular DH Gavin Sheets also hit lefty — but O'Hearn could also get some time in left field, and Sheets hasn't done much since the end of May (.646 OPS). Getty Images There is one prospect going back to the Minnesota Twins in the Carlos Correa deal, a team source tells The Athletic . The Twins are eating some of the money. The deal is pending medical review. The Padres are going all in at the trade deadline, now acquiring All-Star Ryan O'Hearn from the Orioles. Just how good has he been this season? Here are the numbers: .283/.374/.463 slash line .837 OPS (12th in AL) 13 home runs 49.0% hard-hit percentage (82nd percentile) 11.6% walk rate (82nd percentile) .478 expected slugging percentage (73rd percentile) 82nd percentile in fielding run value 93rd percentile in range GO FURTHER Padres double dip, adding Ryan O'Hearn, Ramón Laureano in trade with Orioles Getty Images One thing that made San Diego's blockbuster move for Mason Miller and JP Sears earlier today so surprising is that the Padres' offense, not their pitching staff, was in dire need of upgrading. But never doubt A.J. Preller at the deadline. He's come through with a deal highlighted by 2025 AL All-Star Ryan O'Hearn headed from San Diego to Baltimore. More from O'Hearn from Michael Charles in a moment... Getty Images The Houston Astros are in the bottom half of the league in OPS against right-handed pitching (.716). Take a guess which NL non-factor ranks ahead of them. It's the Marlins. So, the Astros just traded for the Marlins' second-best hitter against righties. Jesús Sánchez doesn't really hit lefties at all (.393 OPS, which is comically low) but he has an .814 OPS against righties. That's not quite as good as superstars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.829) or Bobby Witt Jr. (.827) but it's not far away. He's not a bad right fielder either (3 Outs Above Average with a good arm). Astros rookie Cam Smith has destroyed lefties but struggled against righties, Yordan Alvarez was supposed to be the Astros' big left-handed hitter, but he's been hurt most of the year. Sánchez should help fill that void and bring some balance to the lineup. One Minnesota Twins player just told The Athletic : 💬 'Now no one wants to stay if they are selling like this.' The Blue Jays woke up on deadline day seeking more bullpen help, starting pitching depth and potentially a bat. After acquiring Shane Bieber, they are not done, a league source said, with two hours until the deadline. At the very least, bullpen remains a priority. Though the Jays asked on Mason Miller, they were priced out by the Padres' massive offer, a source said. Duran was seen as more attainable, with Toronto holding the top prospects to acquire him, but he's now the Phillies closer. Other top relief options continue to fall off the board — including David Bednar to the Yankees — but many arms remain. Getty Images Houston selected Carlos Correa with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft and witnessed him blossom into one of the faces of its current golden era, leading the team to a 2017 World Series title. Correa won American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2015 and started an ascension to superstardom. He became one of the most influential voices inside Houston's clubhouse, helping to shepherd it through the fallout from the electronic sign-stealing scandal in 2020 and 2021. Getty Images Astros fans are no strangers to Carlos Correa but here's an update on how he's performed this season: .267/.319/.386 slash line 92 OPS+ Seven home runs and 31 RBIs .282 expected batting average (83rd percentile) 91.1 mph average exit velocity (73rd percentile) 47.4% hard-hit percentage (79th percentile) 29.8% chase rate (34th percentile) Fielding run value (36th percentile) 27th percentile in range Getty Images The Astros are 'working hard' to acquire Dylan Cease from the Padres, source tells The Athletic. No indication at this point that a deal is close. Getty Images The Minnesota Twins have been the most aggressive sellers on the market. They've made four trades, and including two for long-term assets that seemed unlikely to move just a few days ago. Here's who they've traded away. S P Chris Paddack — Free agent this winter — Free agent this winter RP Randy Dobnak — Team option (to be declined) — Team option (to be declined) OF Harrison Bader — Mutual option — Mutual option RP Jhoan Durán — Arbitration eligible through 2027 — Arbitration eligible through 2027 SS Carlos Correa — Signed through 2028 (with club options through '32) The Twins could still make a splash by trading any one of SP Joe Ryan, SP Pablo López or RP Griffin Jax, but even without dealing another long-term asset, the Twins could still make several moves in the next hour and a half. INF Willi Castro, LHP Danny Coulombe, 1B Ty France, and C Christian Vázquez are all heading to free agency this winter. The Twins could trade any of all of them... and sure enough, Coulombe was just dealt, per our Ken Rosenthal . Getty Images Source confirms: Rangers are acquiring LHP Danny Coulombe from the Twins. This was first reported by ESPN. Getty Images Astros are acquiring outfielder Jesús Sánchez from Marlins, source tells The Athletic .
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dodgers pass MLB trade deadline quietly, add Brock Stewart and Alex Call
Before trade rumors heated up and dream scenarios were briefly envisioned, before the Dodgers were linked to a string of big names who all wound up anywhere but Los Angeles, the team's front office foreshadowed what proved to be a rather straightforward, unremarkable trade deadline on Thursday afternoon. 'This group is really talented,' general manager Brandon Gomes said last week. 'I would argue it's better than the team that won the World Series last year.' 'It's really about our internal guys, and the fact that these are veteran guys that have well-established watermarks,' echoed president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, amid a July slump that fueled deadline speculation about what the team would need. 'I think the fact that we see the work they put in, how much they care, just makes it easier to bet on.' Read more: MLB trade deadline tracker: Live updates, news and every major move On Thursday, maintaining faith in their current group is exactly what the Dodgers did. The team did address its two main needs ahead of MLB's annual midseason trade deadline. In the bullpen, it reunited with right-handed veteran Brock Stewart in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. In the outfield, it added solid-hitting, defensively serviceable 30-year-old Alex Call in a deal with the Washington Nationals. But compared with the flurry of blockbuster deals that reverberated around them in the National League — from a head-spinning seven-player shopping spree by the San Diego Padres, to a bullpen arms race between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — the Dodgers' moves were mild, tame and certainly cost-conscientious. They didn't splurge for one of the several established closers that were dealt for sky-high prices throughout the league. They didn't remake their lineup by landing someone such as Steven Kwan, or any other hitter with anything close to All-Star pedigree. In fact, the Dodgers hardly gave up much at all, content to round out the margins of their roster while parting with little in the way of prospect capital. High-A pitchers Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan (the Nos. 16 and 20 ranked players in their farm system by MLB Pipeline) were shipped to Washington. But otherwise, the only other departures were 40-man roster players unlikely to factor much into the team's late-season plans: James Outman, who went to Minnesota in exchange for Stewart; Dustin May, who was dealt to the Boston Red Sox for a prospect a few months before entering free agency; and minor-league catcher Hunter Feduccia, who was part of a three-team deal late Wednesday night that netted the Dodgers two pitching prospects and a journeyman catcher. Compared to last year — when the Dodgers added Jack Flaherty (their eventual Game 1 starter in the World Series), Tommy Edman (the eventual National League Championship Series MVP) and Michael Kopech (a key piece in a bullpen that carried the team to a World Series title) — it all felt rather anticlimactic. Which, as the Dodgers' top two executives had noted the week before, appeared to be perfectly fine by them. In Stewart, the team got a lower-cost addition in what was an expensive seller's reliever market. The 33-year-old has only two career saves, and is unlikely to fix the Dodgers' ninth-inning problems. But, he is having a strong statistical season with 14 holds and a 2.38 ERA, 14th-best in the American League among relievers with 30 innings. He will give the Dodgers a stout option against right-handed hitters, who have just a .104 average and .372 OPS against him. And he comes with familiarity in the organization, still thought highly of after starting his career with the Dodgers from 2016-2019 — back before he reinvented himself with a fastball that now sits in the mid-to-upper 90 mph range. In Call, the Dodgers gave themselves more versatility in the outfield. Read more: Dodgers begin deadline with minor trade, while still seeking upgrades in bullpen and outfield The right-handed hitter has appeared in just 277 career games over four MLB seasons with the Nationals and Cleveland Guardians. But the former third-round draft pick is having a nice 2025 season, highlighted by a .274 batting average, .756 OPS and decent (if unspectacular) defensive grades at all three outfield positions. While Call's role wasn't immediately clear, he could factor into a platoon with recently resurgent left-handed hitting outfielder Michael Conforto. He also gives the Dodgers another option in center field, specifically, which would allow Andy Pages to spend more time in a more naturally suited corner outfield spot. For those Dodgers, the moves checked off their two big priorities: Adding another dependable right-handed reliever in the bullpen, and improving their defensive options in the outfield. What was missing from the Dodgers' deadline, however, was the kind of big splash so many other contenders reeled off this week. The Padres acquired Mason Miller, Ramon Laureano, and Ryan O'Hearn without sacrificing any key big-league pieces. The Mets added Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto to their already stout bullpen, while the Phillies upgraded theirs with the addition of Jhoan Durán. Already this year, the rest of the NL was keeping pace with what was billed as a seemingly invincible Dodgers team. Suddenly, the competition looks that much stronger, not only for the club to defend its World Series, but even to preserve the narrow three-game lead it holds over the Padres in the NL West. The Dodgers, however, see internal improvement as the key to the rest of the season. Read more: Shohei Ohtani leaves pitching start because of cramping, Dodgers go on to lose to Reds Already, their pitching staff is getting healthy. Tyler Glasnow, Blake Treinen and (as of this coming Saturday) Blake Snell are all back from extended injuries. Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol, Tanner Scott and Roki Sasaki are also scheduled to return over the final two months. Offensively, the club is confident that slumping stars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Tesocar Hernández will get back on track, and that Max Muncy will provide a jolt in his return from injury next week. All that — coupled with the MVP-caliber play of Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith — they believe should yield a lineup capable of repeating a run to the World Series. 'It's always tricky when you're in the midst of a swoon in team performance, because in those moments you feel like we need everything,' Friedman acknowledged leading into the deadline, with the team enduring a 10-14 slide in July. 'So for us, it's about, all right, let's look ahead to August, September. Let's look at what our best-case scenario is. Let's look at, if we have a few injuries here and there, what areas are we exposed? What areas do we feel like we have depth?' Apparently, the Dodgers still liked what they already had, rolling the dice on their current group while other contenders stocked up all around them. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.