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a day ago
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Plaschke: Dodgers' inability to improve bullpen at trade deadline haunts them again
A lazy, lovely afternoon at Chavez Ravine was startled awake Sunday by three blue-curdling screams. The Dodger bullpen had struck again. Eighth inning, one out, Dodgers leading the Toronto Blue Jays by a run, rusty Blake Treinen on the mound. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., boom, nooooo! Addison Barger, boom, nooooo! Ninth inning, game tied, Alex Vesia on the mound acting like a closer because the Dodgers don't have a healthy closer. Ernie Clement, boom, not again! Battered by three home runs in the last two innings Sunday, the Dodgers lost a game they should have won, blew a game they should have had, and planted an ominous message deep into the bowels of sweaty Dodger Stadium. Read more: Dave Roberts criticizes Shohei Ohtani after Dodgers' frustrating loss to Blue Jays This is a team trying to win a second consecutive championship without an adequate bullpen. The 5-4 loss wasted a sterling start by Tyler Glasnow, frittered away 10 hits and 13 walks from a burgeoning offense, ruined a chance to sweep the team with the best record in the American League, and created a trivia question that will be bandied about the league until the last week in October. What standout reliever did the Dodgers acquire at the trade deadline? Nobody. What standout reliever had their critics been begging them to acquire for weeks? Any of them. Maybe Andrew Friedman's previous deadline brilliance convinced everyone into thinking he could pull something off again, and maybe the public pressure was less than usual because of the credits earned by the 2024 title, but here's guessing much of Dodger nation woke up Monday morning after watching a reliever tagged with the loss in three of the last six games and thought... What just happened? Is it too late to fix? What happened was the Dodgers' belief in the recovering health of their bullpen. And, um, yeah, unless you want to bring Bobby Miller up from Oklahoma City to close games (not a bad idea, eh?), it's not getting fixed anytime soon. Michael Kopech, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates should all be returning from the injured list, and the thought is that the Dodgers can find a closer somewhere in there, but you've seen them all and do you agree? There is also the belief in this weird bit of Dodger closer history — the final inning in their last two championships was worked by a starter. This is countered by the fact that the last two times Friedman didn't make a significant pitching upgrade at the deadline they were eliminated in the first round. So, yes, Friedman hasn't lost any of his smarts and Dave Roberts hasn't lost any of his savvy and they can probably piece this mess together for short periods in October. But between now and then, you need someone to make the big pitch in the clutch situation and save the offense from itself. You need a closer so you don't have the eternal optimist Roberts looking oddly despondent late Sunday afternoon. 'This is frustrating because I just felt there is no way we should lose this game today,' he said. He wasn't so upset with Vesia and Treinen — both guys have been put in tough spots, especially Treinen, who recently came off the injured list. He was mostly upset with the Dodger offense that made the withering bullpen — which has recorded the most innings in baseball — so necessary. The Dodgers had a 3-2 lead after six innings. The back-to-back dingers in the eighth cost them that lead. The Dodgers came back to tie it on a bases-loaded walk to Freddie Freeman in the eighth. Clement's long ball grabbed the lead again for the Blue Jays in the ninth. 'Yeah, it's pretty frustrating,' Vesia said. But equally frustrating was the 16 men the Dodgers left on base, including leaving the bases loaded three times, twice in the last two innings. 'We had them on the ropes numerous times,' Roberts said. 'And for us not to win is so frustrating.' Read more: Blake Snell turns in a performance befitting his 'Snellzilla' nickname in Dodgers' blowout win How disappointed was Roberts? When is the last time you've heard him criticize Shohei Ohtani's play? Well, he did it Sunday, twice in a span of a minute. First, there was Ohtani ending the sixth inning by getting thrown out attempting to steal third base with Freeman at the plate. 'Not a good baseball play,' Roberts said. Then there was Ohtani striking out with a wild swing on a low and outside full-count pitch from Mason Fluharty — he of the 5.15 ERA — with bases loaded in the ninth. 'We've got to come up with one right there,' Roberts said. 'Chasing the ball down below ... is something that we can't have.' You know what could have prevented all this angst? A deeper bullpen. A more rested bullpen. A fixed bullpen. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Dodgers' inability to improve bullpen at trade deadline haunts them again
A lazy, lovely afternoon at Chavez Ravine was startled awake Sunday by three blue-curdling screams. The Dodger bullpen had struck again. Eighth inning, one out, Dodgers leading the Toronto Blue Jays by a run, rusty Blake Treinen on the mound. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., boom, nooooo! Addison Barger, boom, nooooo! Ninth inning, game tied, Alex Vesia on the mound acting like a closer because the Dodgers don't have a healthy closer. Ernie Clement, boom, not again! Battered by three home runs in the last two innings Sunday, the Dodgers lost a game they should have won, blew a game they should have had, and planted an ominous message deep into the bowels of sweaty Dodger Stadium. This is a team trying to win a second consecutive championship without an adequate bullpen. The 5-4 loss wasted a sterling start by Tyler Glasnow, frittered away 10 hits and 13 walks from a burgeoning offense, ruined a chance to sweep the team with the best record in the American League, and created a trivia question that will be bandied about the league until the last week in October. What standout reliever did the Dodgers acquire at the trade deadline? Nobody. What standout reliever had their critics been begging them to acquire for weeks? Any of them. Maybe Andrew Friedman's previous deadline brilliance convinced everyone into thinking he could pull something off again, and maybe the public pressure was less than usual because of the credits earned by the 2024 title, but here's guessing much of Dodger nation woke up Monday morning after watching a reliever tagged with the loss in three of the last six games and thought... What just happened? Is it too late to fix? What happened was the Dodgers' belief in the recovering health of their bullpen. And, um, yeah, unless you want to bring Bobby Miller up from Oklahoma City to close games (not a bad idea, eh?), it's not getting fixed anytime soon. Michael Kopech, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates should all be returning from the injured list, and the thought is that the Dodgers can find a closer somewhere in there, but you've seen them all and do you agree? There is also the belief in this weird bit of Dodger closer history — the final inning in their last two championships was worked by a starter. This is countered by the fact that the last two times Friedman didn't make a significant pitching upgrade at the deadline they were eliminated in the first round. So, yes, Friedman hasn't lost any of his smarts and Dave Roberts hasn't lost any of his savvy and they can probably piece this mess together for short periods in October. But between now and then, you need someone to make the big pitch in the clutch situation and save the offense from itself. You need a closer so you don't have the eternal optimist Roberts looking oddly despondent late Sunday afternoon. 'This is frustrating because I just felt there is no way we should lose this game today,' he said. He wasn't so upset with Vesia and Treinen — both guys have been put in tough spots, especially Treinen, who recently came off the injured list. He was mostly upset with the Dodger offense that made the withering bullpen — which has recorded the most innings in baseball — so necessary. The Dodgers had a 3-2 lead after six innings. The back-to-back dingers in the eighth cost them that lead. The Dodgers came back to tie it on a bases-loaded walk to Freddie Freeman in the eighth. Clement's long ball grabbed the lead again for the Blue Jays in the ninth. 'Yeah, it's pretty frustrating,' Vesia said. But equally frustrating was the 16 men the Dodgers left on base, including leaving the bases loaded three times, twice in the last two innings. 'We had them on the ropes numerous times,' Roberts said. 'And for us not to win is so frustrating.' How disappointed was Roberts? When is the last time you've heard him criticize Shohei Ohtani's play? Well, he did it Sunday, twice in a span of a minute. First, there was Ohtani ending the sixth inning by getting thrown out attempting to steal third base with Freeman at the plate. 'Not a good baseball play,' Roberts said. Then there was Ohtani striking out with a wild swing on a low and outside full-count pitch from Mason Fluharty — he of the 5.15 ERA — with bases loaded in the ninth. 'We've got to come up with one right there,' Roberts said. 'Chasing the ball down below ... is something that we can't have.' You know what could have prevented all this angst? A deeper bullpen. A more rested bullpen. A fixed bullpen.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Late home runs, stranding walks doom Dodgers in loss to Blue Jays
LOS ANGELES — The Blue Jays homered to take leads off Dodgers relievers Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia in the eighth and ninth innings, giving Toronto a 5-4 win in a back-and-forth affair in which the Dodgers couldn't fully capitalize on numerous chances. Staked to a lead to open the eighth inning, Treinen was brought in to face the heart of Toronto's order. After striking out Bo Bichette, Treinen allowed a home run to center field to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and two pitches later Addison Barger slammed a solo shot into the right field pavilion. These were the first two home runs allowed by Treinen in five games since returning from the injured list, but he wasn't sharp in those earlier outings. In all, 12 of 23 batters faced by Treinen have reached base, with eight hits and four walks in his last 3⅔ innings. The Dodgers tied things in the bottom of the eighth, but Ernie Clement greeted Vesia in the ninth with a home run to left. Vesia has tied for most appearances on the Dodgers and has been the team's best reliever with his 2.61 ERA and 34.9-percent strikeout rate, but his eight home runs allowed represent a new career high, one more than he gave up in each of his previous two years. The outcome spoiled a strong start by Tyler Glasnow, who survived early trouble. He allowed a walk and RBI double by Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning, and was in hot water again in the second inning, loading the bases with one out. He escaped that jam with a double play and retired 10 of 11 batters to get through the fifth. Two singles with a productive out in between produced Toronto's second run, but Glasnow walked off the mound with a lead and eight strikeouts to his ledger, working around his four walks. Since returning from the injured list, Glasnow has a 2.27 ERA in six starts, with a 29.9-percent strikeout rate in his 35⅔ innings. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman each homered in the first inning off longtime Dodgers nemesis Eric Lauer. With a runner in scoring position in the second inning and first base open, the Blue Jays intentionally walked Ohtani this time around. Mookie Betts singled to load the bases and Freeman walked as well to bring home another run against Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer. Those three runs were all Lauer allowed, but at 71 pitches and 10 baserunners allowed, the left-hander's day was done after just three innings. That's the shortest outing by Lauer in 13 career starts against the Dodgers, against whom he has a 2.90 ERA. Still, the Dodgers might have left some runs on the table. Betts was caught stealing directly before Freeman's home run in the first inning, and Ohtani was thrown out trying to steal third base to end the sixth while Freeman was at the plate. Presented with another runner in scoring position and first base open in the eighth inning, Toronto intentionally walked Ohtani again. This time Betts struck out against Yariel Rodríguez for the second out of the frame. Jeff Hoffman entered and walked both Will Smith and Freeman to force home the tying run. Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto worked a 3-0 count but popped out in foul territory to the catcher on a 3-1 count to keep the game tied. Hoffman also began the ninth inning and simply could not find the strike zone. He walked the bases loaded, with his only out in the inning a sacrifice bunt by Alex Freeland. Hoffman threw 23 balls in his 33 pitches and walked five of his seven batters faced. But he earned the win because Mason Fluharty struck out Ohtani and got Betts to ground out to strand the bases loaded in the ninth. The Dodgers left 16 runners in base. They were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but the hit was a single that didn't drive home a run. Freeman is the first Los Angeles Dodger with two bases-loaded walks in the same game. Thirteen walks by Dodgers hitters are their most in a game since May 21, 1999, a 12-inning contest against the Braves. The last time they walked 13 times in a nine-inning game was May 24, 1981 at the Reds. Hoffman is the first MLB pitcher since at least 1901 to walk five batters, pitch no longer than an inning, and be credited with a win. Anthony Banda got the final out of the sixth inning to strand the tying run after Glasnow left. It's just the second time Banda has pitched on his birthday in the majors. His first birthday game in MLB was his third game as a rookie with Arizona in 2017, in which he allowed three runs in four innings. 'I think Torey [Lovullo] apologized for taking me out early,' Banda recalled earlier on Sunday. Home runs: Shohei Ohtani (41), Freddie Freeman (14); Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (19), Addison Barger (18), Ernie Clement (8) WP — Jeff Hoffman (7-4): ⅔ IP, 5 walks LP — Alex Vesia (2-2): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 strikeouts Sv — Mason Fluharty (1): ⅔ IP, 1 strikeout The Dodgers hit the road, sort of, with a bus trip to Anaheim against the Angels. Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball in the series opener on Monday (6:38 p.m.; SportsNet LA, FanDuel Sports Network West, KCOP 13), with right-hander José Soriano on the mound for the home team.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers blow lead, then leave bases loaded and lose to the Blue Jays
Sunday was one of those cloudless late-summer Dodger Stadium afternoons in which the flags in center field stirred lazily in the slight breeze and the air felt far hotter than the thermometer said. The temperature was 83 degrees at the matinee's first pitch, yet many fans crowded into the top rows of the reserved and loge levels and stood atop the outfield pavilions in search of shade from an unrelenting sun that hovered directly overhead. As for the Dodgers, they were just as hot as the weather until the bullpen gate swung open at the start of the eighth inning Sunday, with relievers Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia giving up three solo home runs in the span of six batters in a 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The deciding run scored when second baseman Ernie Clement drove Vesia's first pitch over the wall in left field for this eighth homer of the season, ruining another splendid outing from starter Tyler Glasnow and a big offensive day from Shohei Ohtani, who reached base four times before striking out against reliever Mason Fluharty with the bases loaded in the ninth. Mookie Betts followed by grounding into a force out, the second time in as many innings the Dodgers left the bases loaded. The Dodgers had 10 hits and 13 walks on the afternoon but were one for 10 with runners in scoring position, stranding 16. Even more important: The loss, combined with the Padres' win over the Boston Red Sox in San Diego, cut the Dodgers' lead in the National League West to two games. The Blue Jays came to Los Angeles after a three-game sweep of the Rockies in Colorado in which they scored 45 runs and had 63 hits. Against the Dodgers, Toronto scored just three times and had just 17 hits entering the fifth inning. Glasnow did his part, giving up two runs and four hits through 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight. It was his fifth stellar start in six outings since returning from an inflamed shoulder last month and he left with a 3-2 lead, the first time since his first start of the season in March that he left a game with a chance at a win. Read more: Blake Snell turns in a performance befitting his 'Snellzilla' nickname in Dodgers' blowout win But the bullpen couldn't hold it, with Treinen giving up back-to-back homers to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger with one out in the eighth. After the Dodgers came back to tie the score on a bases-loaded walk to Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the inning, Vesia gave the lead right back in the ninth. Glasnow, as he has all season, deserved a better fate. He has given up more than two runs just once in his last nine starts and has given up just 20 hits in 34 2/3 innings since returning from the injured list. Yet he has little positive to show for it, with nine of his 11 starts ending with no decision despite a 3.06 ERA and .172 opponents' batting average. 'I really like the way that he's got the blinders on it, and nothing's affecting him,' Dodger manager Dave Roberts said before the game. 'To say a player, specifically Tyler, is unflappable is a big compliment, and I think that that's something he's worked on because he gets emotional. 'There's things that you can't control at times, and his ability to kind of lock back in, he's been really, really impressive.' Glasnow got off to a slow start, getting an out on his first pitch then missing the strike zone on five of his next six before Guerrero — who came in hitting .364 lifetime against Glasnow — drove a run-scoring double to the wall in center field. But by the time Glasnow came out to start the second inning, he had a lead. Ohtani evened the score, lining his 23rd career leadoff home run into the right-field bleachers to run his hitting streak to nine games, matching his season high. Two outs later, Freeman put the Dodgers in front, slicing an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left-center for his 14th homer of the season. Glasnow, who continued to struggle with his control, nearly gave the lead back, loading the bases on two walks sandwiched around a double by Joey Loperfido. But after a mound visit from pitching coach Mark Prior, the right-hander got Nathan Lukes to ground into an inning-ending double play. That allowed the Dodgers to extend their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second when Freeman walked with the bases loaded. Read more: In a battle of 3,000K stars, Clayton Kershaw outduels Max Scherzer in Dodgers' win Glasnow wouldn't be in trouble again until the sixth, when Bo Bichette led off with a single and came around to score on a two-out flare to right by Ty France, cutting the lead to 3-2. That drove Glasnow from the mound an out short of the seventh inning. The Dodgers missed a chance to add to that lead shortly after Glasnow left when Ohtani was thrown out at third on the front end of a double steal with two on and two out and Freeman at the plate to end the sixth. That proved costly when Treinen, the fourth reliever summoned to close out the game, coughed on the lead on the back-to-back homers. Freeman wouldn't be denied his next opportunity, drawing his second bases-loaded walk of the game, and the fourth walk of the inning, on a full-count pitch to tie the score with two out in the eighth. But while the Dodgers would load the bases again the ninth, they would get no more. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers' Dave Roberts provides key updates on Blake Snell, Blake Treinen
The post Dodgers' Dave Roberts provides key updates on Blake Snell, Blake Treinen appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been rolling recently, winning 8 of their last 10 games and building an 8-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West. They have managed to get hot and establish firm control in their division even though they have suffered numerous injuries to their pitching staff. However, the pitching staff is getting healthy once again. Manager Dave Roberts expects to have ace Blake Snell in the Dodgers rotation shortly, and he also said that key reliever Blake Treinen is expected to return to the bullpen. Both pitchers should return to active duty shortly after the All-Star break. Shohei Ohtani has already returned to the rotation and has been able to serve as an opener in 4 games since returning to mound duties. He has pitched 1 inning in his first two starts and 2 innings in his third start. He made his fourth start Saturday night against the Houston Astros and pitched 2 scoreless innings. The Dodgers have been using Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dustin May as their two primary starters this season. Yamamoto has mad 17 starts and has pitched 96.2 innings this season. He has an 8-6 record along with a 2.51 earned run average. May has a 5-5 record with a 4.52 ERA in his 16 starts. He has struck out 84 batters in 89.2 innings. Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw has made 9 starts and has a 4-0 record with a 3.43 ERA. He recently struck out the 3,000th batter of his career. Snell is coming back from shoulder injury Snell only made two starts this season before a shoulder injury took him out of the Dodgers rotation. Once he returns and is able to demonstrate that he is healthy and comfortable on the mound, he is very likely to be the ace of the Dodgers staff. He was at his best in 2023 with the Padres when he made 32 starts and had a 14-9 record with a 2.25 ERA. The left-hander struck out 234 batters in 180.0 innings. He has a 77-58 career record and has won the Cy Young Award twice and has also been an All-Star. Snell was 5-3 last year with the San Francisco Giants with a 3.12 ERA while making 20 starts and pitching 104.0 innings. The key for Snell will be his ability to put batters away with his strikeout pitch. He struck out just 4 batters in 9.0 innings before he went on the Injured List this season. Treinen has been on the Injured List with a low-grade forearm sprain. The injury did not require surgery but he has needed rest. Treinen is an 11-year veteran and he has spent five seasons with the Dodgers. He pitched in 50 games last year and had a 7-3 record and a 1.93 ERA. He struck out 56 batters in 46.2 innings. Related: Dodgers' Dave Roberts keeps it real about Shohei Ohtani's pitching future Related: Dodgers' Dave Roberts provides crucial Emmet Sheehan update
