Ohtani hits 40th homer and Snell overpowers Blue Jays as Dodgers romp to 9-1 rout
Max Muncy opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth, and Ohtani connected for a solo shot to center field off starter Chris Bassitt (11-6) in the fifth. It's the third year in a row and fourth time overall the two-way superstar from Japan has reached 40 homers; the previous three came during MVP seasons.
Los Angeles broke open the game with six runs in the sixth, as rookie Dalton Rushing and Mookie Betts each had a two-run single before Andy Pages tacked on a two-run double.
Snell (2-1) permitted three hits and three walks in his fourth start this season and second since returning Aug. 2 from a shoulder injury that had sidelined him since early April.
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Los Angeles Times
27 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘He looks much more confident.' Hard-throwing Edgardo Henriquez settling in with Dodgers
DENVER — Edgardo Henriquez has a gift. He can throw a baseball faster than all but a few humans in history. Yet he prefers to think of it as something he and God created together, not something that was just given to him. 'We've worked for that,' said Henriquez, who frequently uses the plural pronoun when talking about himself. 'All the work, the effort, the physics. And God's reward, most of all.' Wherever the lightning in his right arm came from, he's making good use of it. Of the 83 pitches he's thrown this season entering Wednesday's game, 28 have topped 101 miles per hour. The fastest hit 103.3 on the radar gun last Saturday, making it the hardest-thrown pitch by a Dodger since Statcast began tracking speed in 2015 and likely the fastest pitch in franchise history. Henriquez, 23, shrugs and smiles at the numbers. 'Now we have to stay consistent,' he said in Spanish. 'Even growing up in Venezuela, I always threw hard.' What he didn't do in Venezuela was pitch because when he signed as a 16-year-old in 2018, Henriquez was a catcher. The Dodgers moved him to the other side of the plate a year later, when they got him to their Dominican academy. The process was not a smooth one. The right-hander allowed 22 runs in 30 innings in his first season then, after sitting out the summer of 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, he came to the U.S. a year later and went 2-3 with a 4.93 ERA in 13 games split between the Arizona Complex League and Single A Rancho Cucamonga. The Dodgers projected him as a starter but after Henriquez missed the 2023 season to Tommy John surgery, he came back throwing gas and the team moved him to the bullpen. The results were spectacular, with Henriquez climbing four levels, from Low A Rancho Cucamonga to the majors, in six months to make his big-league debut in the final week of the regular season. And he announced his presence with authority, topping 101 mph twice to earn the save in his third game. Henriquez grew up in Cumaná, a historic beach city of about half a million people wedged between the Manzanares Rivers and Venezuela's Caribbean coast, 250 miles east of Caracas. The oldest continuously-inhabited Spanish settlement in South America, it has been the birthplace and poets and presidents. But baseball players? Not so much. Pitcher Armando Galarraga, who was robbed of a perfect game by an umpire's call in 2010, is probably the best known of Cumaná's big-leagues while Maracay, on the other end of the country, has produced more than two dozen players, among them all-stars Bobby Abreu, Miguel Cabrera and Elvis Andrus. 'Maracay, yes. They say that is the birthplace of baseball in Venezuela,' Henriquez said. 'But the truth is it's Cumaná.' Henriquez took to the game at an early age, playing on local fields and sandlots. And because he was among the biggest of the neighborhood kids, he was put behind the plate. The Dodgers liked his size — he looks much bigger than the 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds he's credited with on the roster — and arm so they offered him $80,000 to sign as an international free agent with the intention of making him a pitcher. Before the elbow-reconstruction surgery, Henriquez touched 101 mph with this fastball but he came back throwing even harder, averaging 99 mph and reaching 104 in the minors last summer. That earned him a September promotion and a spot on the roster for the Dodgers' first two postseason series. He was also in line for a spot on the opening day roster this season before a metatarsal injury in his left foot landed him in a walking boot, sidelining him for most of spring training. Neither the Dodgers nor Henriquez will talk about how the injury happened. 'I'd rather keep that to myself,' the pitcher said this week. Yet that setback proved just another obstacle for Henriquez to overcome, and after striking out 36 batters in 23 2/3 innings for Triple A Oklahoma City, he was summoned back to the Dodgers a month ago. In some ways, he was a different pitcher. 'He looks much more confident,' manager Dave Roberts said. 'I think he was confident last year, but there was like a fake confidence, understandably. He knows his stuff plays here, so it's good to see.' His record-setting pitch came in his sixth of seven scoreless appearances when he struck out pinch-hitter Ryan O'Hearn out on a four-seam fastball in the seventh inning of a win over the San Diego Padres. His parents, Edgar and Erika, where visiting from Venezuela and in the stands at Dodger Stadium for the pitch to O'Hearn, one that has generated a lot of attention on social media. As a result Roberts said pitching coach Mark Prior and bullpen coach Josh Bard are making sure Henriquez understands there's more to pitching that just lighting up the radar gun. As good as the four-seamer is, however, it may not be Henriquez's best pitch. His cutter, which sits in the mid-90s, can be all but unhitable and he also has a devastating slider. He'll need every bit of that repertoire to succeed in the majors, said Chris Forbes, the senior director of player development for the Colorado Rockies, because the number of hard-throwers is growing. 'If there isn't deception, there isn't ride, [hitters] can catch up if you don't have something else that they can think about,' he said. So far the hitters aren't catching up: In seven innings this summer entering Wednesday, Henriquez has allowed just three hits and walked one while striking out four. Opponents are hitting .120 against him. It's been a rapid rise for Henriquez, who has gone from teenage catcher to big-league reliever, surviving a global pandemic, Tommy John surgery and a fractured bone in his foot to pitch for a World Series champion. But there's still one goal left, albeit one he talks about only grudgingly. On a team without set bullpen roles, Henriquez wants to be a closer, using his blazing fastball not just to demoralize hitters but to shut down games as well. 'Whatever God has in store for me. We'll work wherever and keep going,' he said. 'But yes, I'd like to be a closer.'
Newsweek
29 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Writer Proposes Offseason Sonny Gray Trade for Cardinals – But One Obstacle Remains
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly in rebuild mode after struggling to stay afloat this season. As we slowly approach the offseason, there are a lot of players on the Cardinals' roster who could be moved in potential deals this winter. FanSided's Curt Bishop recently suggested the Atlanta Braves could be a landing spot for Cardinals ace Sonny Gray if St. Louis is able to trade him in the offseason. ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 16: Sonny Gray #54 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 16, 2025 in St... ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 16: Sonny Gray #54 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 16, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. More"The Braves make sense for Gray because of the close proximity to his offseason home. But they also have a better outlook than the Cardinals despite what has been a down year," Bishop wrote. "Atlanta is further out of contention than St. Louis, but it's more likely that 2025 is a blip on the radar screen, especially with all the talent on Atlanta's roster, while St. Louis doesn't have much. "The Cardinals likely won't contend in 2026, and it's going to take a couple of years before they get back to prominence. So, it would make sense to trade Gray. Atlanta didn't sell at the trade deadline, likely hoping to remain competitive this year. So, it will be interesting to see just how things shake out in the offseason, but if the Cardinals are fully embracing the rebuild, expect Gray to at least be shopped this winter." The big issue with a potential Gray trade is his no-trade clause. Up to this point, Gray hasn't voiced a willingness to waive his no-trade clause for any deal to any team. Instead, he seems to be content with staying in St. Louis as a veteran leader to the younger pitchers. If this changes, the Braves would make a lot of sense as a landing spot. Atlanta needs to add more pitching, and Gray would be easy to land if the Braves are willing to take his contract, too. More MLB: Dodgers Fumble Chance To Replace Michael Conforto With Outfield Upgrade
New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Blue Jays takeaways: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. health update, new rotation plans, more
PITTSBURGH — After George Springer's leadoff homer, the Toronto Blue Jays' bats fell quiet Wednesday. They managed just two hits for the rest of the day, wasting a 10-strikeout performance from Chris Bassitt. The Jays fell, 2-1, dropping the series to the Pittsburgh Pirates. With a win, the Jays would've broken their 2024 win total with more than five weeks left in the season. Instead, they sit at 74-54. Here are three takeaways from Toronto's set in Pittsburgh, including new rotation plans and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s hamstring health. Advertisement A week after the Jays optioned Joey Loperfido despite the outfielder hitting over .350, manager John Schneider faced another tough decision — how to navigate the starting rotation with the return of Shane Bieber. Instead of moving to a six-man rotation, the Jays chose to bump a starter to the bullpen. The casualty will be Eric Lauer, for now. With Bieber set to debut Friday in Miami, Lauer joins the bullpen for the weekend, Schneider said. It is not a permanent move to the bullpen and Lauer will stay stretched out by making 'pretty traditional' outings in the near future, Schneider said. But with the other five starters owning All-Star resumes and a combined 59 years of big league experience, Lauer is the odd man out in the short term. 'I think it was just looking at everyone's total body of work,' Schneider said. 'And who can be kind of the most flexible.' Lauer started his 2025 campaign as a swingman, which certainly factored into the decision. But he's been arguably the Jays' best starter. He owns the lowest ERA of Toronto's starting group (2.76) and they've won 11 of his 14 starts. Though Lauer will sit in the bullpen for three games against the Marlins, it's likely not the end of his season as a starter. The situation will remain fluid. 'I'm still treating it as a start,' Lauer said. 'Because I'm available for length, kind of like I was before, the same kind of deal. But then, I believe, next time through, I should be right back in the rotation. I believe that's kind of the plan.' In a move likely made to make room for Bieber on the 26-man roster, the Jays optioned Braydon Fisher to Triple A after Wednesday's contest. Addison Barger smiled out to right field, wiping his mouth against the sleeve of his blue jersey before digging back into the box. Normally, he would've sat on a different pitch. He'd just hammered a screaming liner down the line, a few feet foul. He was early on Paul Skenes' seventh consecutive fastball. Advertisement For any other pitcher, Barger would've adjusted, waiting for the inevitable off-speed pitch that followed his early swing. But not with Skenes. The Pirates ace was sticking with one pitch. 'Typically,' Barger said. 'When I foul a fastball off like that, I'm usually selling out for off-speed the next pitch. But with him, I just can't.' When the eighth 98 mph fastball came down the middle of the plate, Barger was ready. He dropped his front foot and drilled it to the wall, fair. The 115.8 mph single was the hardest hit Skenes has allowed in his 49 big league starts. It was the second-hardest piece of contact Barger's made in his career. 'That was power against power,' Schneider said. As Barger's breakout put him on the map, other teams adjusted. They threw the lefty 39 percent breaking balls in June and upped off-speed offerings in recent months. Barger has, mostly, survived the adjustments, though his season OPS fell to .804 after peaking at .853 in early July. The one area sustaining Barger's success is an improving ability to punish fastballs, like Skenes'. In April, Barger hit just .167 off fastballs. He upped it to .264 in May and it's been above .260 ever since. Even as opposing pitchers challenge Barger with new pitches, his ability to hammer fastballs will keep his power threat in Toronto's lineup. After leaving Monday's game with left hamstring tightness, Guerrero sat out the remainder of Toronto's series in Pittsburgh. An MRI on Monday night revealed inflammation. The franchise first baseman felt better on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the Jays wanted to 'take advantage' of an upcoming off day ahead of the Miami series, Schneider said, giving Guerrero additional rest. The Jays aren't portraying significant concern over Guerrero's ailment. But the real test will come on Friday. If he returns to the lineup against the Marlins, fear of any significant absence can fade away. (Photo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. working out this week: Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
