For as much as the summer trade deadline hyped up all those close to the Dodgers, the injury setbacks and bullpen use are still lingering concerns as the final third of the season approaches.
In Friday’s opener against the Diamondbacks, starter Tony Gonsolin was pulled with two outs in the second inning after surrendering two earned runs on a hit and a whopping five walks on 55 pitches.
The Dodgers lost the game in extras, but the worst part about the defeat was that skipper Dave Roberts used nine pitchers in the affair. What’s even worse is Saturday’s contest will be another bullpen game with Mitch White taking the ball as the opener.
However, there may be a bit of good news in the coming days, as the newly acquired Max Scherzer will tentatively make his first start in Dodger Blue against the Astros on August 4, while Clayton Kershaw should be activated from the injured list on August 7.
Clayton Kershaw
Kershaw threw three innings in a simulated game while he was with the team early this week in San Francisco and came out of the affair feeling fine. On Sunday, he’ll throw another session either at Chase Field or Camelback Ranch as the final part of his rehab.
Of course, it’s still more than a week away, but having both Scherzer and a healthy Kershaw in the starting five should play huge, especially with regards to eating innings. It should also be interesting to see what happens with Gonsolin and David Price with the final rotation spot. Either way, if all are healthy, the first four will consist of Kershaw, Scherzer, Walker Buehler and Julio Urias.
Mookie Betts
After being bothered by a sore hip for most of the season, the Dodgers finally took the plunge and placed right fielder Mookie Betts on the injured list on July 25. The move was retroactive to July 22, so the soonest Betts can return is on Sunday in the finale against the D-backs. As of this writing, everything appears to be on schedule.
No question the top of the Dodgers lineup will change fluidly over the next several days. Trea Turner is currently on the COVID list, so it’s still unknown when he’ll be active. Still, with a healthy Betts in the leadoff spot, it will no doubt boost a Los Angeles squad that has won just four contests over its last 12 games.
Corey Knebel
While there is not yet a firm return date for righty reliever Corey Knebel, the idea that he’s been throwing great at Triple-A Oklahoma City suggests that his return to the majors might indeed be a reality.
In two rehab starts so far at OKC, he has allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out four batters. His fastball has been clocked as high as 97 MPH. There’s still a long way to go but adding Knebel to the backend of the bullpen will certainly bolster a unit that has been questionable as of late.
Corey Seager
After going 2-for-5 and playing all 10 innings at shortstop on Friday, the plan is to give Corey Seager a day off on Saturday before inserting him back into Sunday’s lineup.
“He’ll be down tomorrow, you know, after playing a four hour-plus game,” Roberts said on Friday. “He’ll be back in there on Sunday, but I thought he looked fantastic. It was good to have him back.”
(Update: Not long before Saturday’s first pitch, the Dodgers placed Gonsolin on the 10-day injured list with shoulder inflammation.)
The thought of having our whole team available plus adding Scherzer and TT to that is really intoxicating.
Now, they need to avoid further injuries and all perform up to their capabilities and we can start planning a parade.
That said, there are some very strong teams out there standing in the way of our repeating.
I’m sorry, but even after adding Bryant, I think the Giants are not as dangerous as the Padres, Brewers, Astros, Rays and White Sox. Those are the five teams that I feel are our toughest competition. And five is a pretty big number.
https://twitter.com/azfreedman/status/1421571319687262218
Landon Knack was promoted to Tulsa. I saw something in the twitterverse that said AF was intent on not including Pepiot, Miller or Knack in the Scherzer trade. If true, I guess that means he values those three above Gray. I’m going to miss JoJo. Great personality and attitude, not to mention his talent. I wish him well.
Also promoted to Tulsa is lefty reliever Cameron Gibbens, a 6’8″ Australian. Started the year at RC, then moved to GL. Combined 30.2 innings, 58 strike outs. Mama! But………………………………..he’s a southpaw and walks almost 5 per 9 innings. I’ll be interested to see if he can make it all the way to OKC by season’s end.
Yes, best of luck to the guys traded. I think Ruiz will be an All-Star catcher in a few years especially with all the East Coast hype that gets generated.
I have been impressed with the little information out there on all three of those young pitchers. Pepiot has a devastating change. I have been following Gibbens on the great website Dodgers2080. The other guy that ‘s blowing up his league is Miller.
I have become a big Vargas fan also.
Yep, with you on Vargas. Definitely one to watch.
Gonsolin sent to DL with a shoulder issue.
I’m a big Catman fan so I’m very torn by this.
I’m glad that there was a reason for his horrible performance last night, but this is now getting to be a chronic problem and I’m concerned that he’s going to need shoulder surgery, which can be much worse for a pitcher than TJ.
Gonsolin has obviously been struggling with a bad shoulder. I blame the pitching coach. He should have never been allowed to pitch last night. I think th eDodger pitching coach has been ineffective this year.
It’s almost become predictable that if a pitcher has a bad game he is going to go on the IL the next day. With Gonsolin he had been really good lately and was really bad so probably is an issue there that he tried to work through. Hopefully it’s not serious.
There is still time to make up the 3 games with the Giants. Gonsolon’s outing was horrific! Throw a strike Please!!
In the last 28 games, Bellinger has a batting avg of .100 and his OBP is .180! His defense is great but he is a consistent rally-killer. You can write out his scorecard before the game with fly balls and strikeouts. So far with his batting stance, he cannot get around on inside pitches. The league has figured out they can jam him every time and he is too stubborn to change his stance or approach. Go with the pitch! With 2 strikes change your approach! The right side is empty and you are batting .100 jeez…
Congrats to Pujos for his great play off the bench.
Note to Bellinger: get it fixed or buy a cushion for your seat on the pine.
Yep bench him or send him down. He needs to get his head on straight and figure it out quickly.
No bench, no send down. He is a Major League hitter in a Major League slump. He will get it figured out and contribute to a Division Championship.
Believe me, we all hope so. He had two hits today but went 0 for 5 yesterday, The problem is I don’t think it’s a slump. I think it’s a flaw in his stance and overall approach! He is very easy to jam hence constant pop-ups and strikeouts. He has not been very productive since his MVP season. If you listen to retired major league guys that were very productive like Big Poppi and A Rod they all point to his stance and that he is easily jammed. They say he needs to change his stance and get off the plate. Also, they talk about changing his approach with two strikes. Look at Pujo or Turner with two strikes they go with the pitch and make sure to make contact.
His two hits last night were infield hits that he beat out with his speed. He did have a loud out on a hard hit ball to LF which hopefully is a good sign.
His defense continues to be great.
Bellinger had two infield hits that his speed was able to get. But a great example of his ineffectiveness was no outs with Pollock on second in the 9th. The least he should do is move the runner over. Instead, he strikes out as he completely whiffs on another inside fastball. Bellinger cannot hit an inside pitch with his stance and approach. Why they have not had him change is beyond me! Teams have found he can’t hit the inside pitch so guess what they pound him with? Pujos continues to be clutch with 2 hits and RBI’s! Watching Pujos’s joy is wonderful to see! So glad such an incredible player is enjoying baseball as his career winds down. Definitely a 1st ballot HOF’ er. Hopefully, he and the Dodgers get another WS Ring!