Author: Dennis Schlossman

Clayton Kershaw, Will Smith Join 2023 National League All-Star Team

Published on by Dennis Schlossman1 Comment

Despite an ugly series this weekend against the lackluster Kansas City Royals — in particular the lack of offense and ineffective pitching in the finale — the was a sliver of good news for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.

The MLB named pitcher Clayton Kershaw and catcher Will Smith as All Stars, allowing them to join teammates Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, who were all voted in as National League starters on Thursday. For the fourth straight season, the Dodgers will have five or more representatives at the game and the third-highest total of players going to Seattle, behind the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers.

Continue reading “Clayton Kershaw, Will Smith Join 2023 National League All-Star Team” →

Dodgers Roster: The Current State of the Starting Rotation

Published on by Dennis Schlossman5 Comments

For all the injury turmoil the Los Angeles Dodgers had to deal with in the first half of the season, the team’s starting rotation isn’t in that bad of shape. Obviously, there’s still a long way to go to the playoffs, but there are seemingly a few legitimate options now that didn’t exist in the early stages of the year.

Of course, there are probably some other areas — like the bullpen and offense — that need to be addressed before the club even thinks about the postseason. However, for now, let’s take a close look at the current rotation to see how it stacks up.

Continue reading “Dodgers Roster: The Current State of the Starting Rotation” →

Dodgers Show All Weaknesses in Latest Series Against Giants

Published on by Dennis Schlossman11 Comments

Losing streaks happen — sometimes even long, horrific ones. But when a team clinches a playoff spot 10 straight seasons and has essentially controlled the National League West for a decade, fans begin getting impatient and overly frustrated when a club is at its worst.

There are so many things to digest about the 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers, and we’re not even at the halfway point of the season. Obviously, injuries have been a critical part in the way the season has played out so far, from Julio Urias’s hamstring issue and Dustin May’s elbow to Gavin Lux’s ACL injury to Max Muncy’s latest stint on the injured list.

Continue reading “Dodgers Show All Weaknesses in Latest Series Against Giants” →

Dodgers Make Several Roster Moves Ahead of Series vs. Giants

Published on by Dennis Schlossman9 Comments

The Los Angeles Dodgers made several roster moves ahead of the series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday, including recalling infielder Michael Busch and selecting the the contract of pitching prospect Emmet Sheehan. To make room on the active roster, the team option pitcher Michael Grove back to Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed Max Muncy on the injured list with a hamstring strain, retroactive to June 13.

The 23-year-old Sheehan will make his first MLB start Friday evening against the Giants. The right-hander was 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA and 88 strikeouts so far this year in 12 starts for Double-A Tulsa. He led the Texas League in ERA, strikeouts, batting average against (.131) and WHIP (0.88). Last season, he split the season between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa, going a combined 7-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 106 strikeouts.

Continue reading “Dodgers Make Several Roster Moves Ahead of Series vs. Giants” →

How Will Dodgers Address Current Starting Pitching Dilemma?

Published on by Dennis Schlossman4 Comments

Using your bullpen to pitch an entire game occasionally isn’t a completely bad idea, especially if your rotation is somewhat taxed and needs a break. However, when you count on your bullpen to throw two games in a hitter-friendly ballpark against one of the better offensive teams in the National League, you’re just asking for trouble.

Continue reading “How Will Dodgers Address Current Starting Pitching Dilemma?” →

Dodgers Prospect Watch: A Closer Look at Jonny DeLuca

Published on by Dennis Schlossman14 Comments

Although the news is not official at the time of this writing, it appears that the Los Angeles Dodgers will promote outfield prospect Jonny DeLuca to the big-league club in place of Trayce Thompson, who apparently suffered an oblique strain when he attempted to check a swing in Saturday night’s middle game against the Yankees.

Continue reading “Dodgers Prospect Watch: A Closer Look at Jonny DeLuca” →

Dodgers Prospect Watch: A Closer Look at Landon Knack

Published on by Dennis Schlossman24 Comments

If you’re a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, looking at the current starting pitching injuries and the depth chart throughout the organization is borderline scary. Headlining the injury list right now is a quintet of relatively big names in Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Dustin May, Ryan Pepiot and Michael Grove, a group that could probably represent an entire rotation for a smaller market team.

Continue reading “Dodgers Prospect Watch: A Closer Look at Landon Knack” →

How Active Will Dodgers Be at 2023 MLB Trade Deadline?

Published on by Dennis Schlossman26 Comments

At this point, it’s probably a given that the Los Angeles Dodgers will make at least a few moves at the 2023 MLB summer trade deadline. The big question, though, is whether the team will make a big splash having an immediate impact.

Several weeks ago, many fans felt that it could take a little time for the 2023 version of the Dodgers to develop. However, as the 50-game mark of the campaign approaches, it’s probably safe to say this is one of the most inconsistent teams we’ve seen in recent years. Although Los Angeles is barely holding on to first place in the NL West, it’s still hard to say how the rest of the field will shape up as the season progresses.

Continue reading “How Active Will Dodgers Be at 2023 MLB Trade Deadline?” →

Dodgers Sweep Padres in Weekend Series, Extend Winning Streak

Published on by Dennis Schlossman10 Comments

Tony Gonsolin threw five scoreless innings and Mookie Betts hit a two-run homer in the third frame to propel the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres at home on Sunday, securing the series sweep while maintaining their three-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West.

Continue reading “Dodgers Sweep Padres in Weekend Series, Extend Winning Streak” →

Ronan Kopp: Future Closer for Dodgers?

Published on by Dennis Schlossman8 Comments

Relief pitching is a topic fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers take very seriously. We seemingly begin putting a hypothetical bullpen together from the days following the last contest of the World Series the whole way through the final Cactus League games of spring training. The days and weeks leading up to the trade deadline are especially exciting, as front-office boss Andrew Friedman and his crew have always been known to add an interesting piece or two for the stretch run of the season.

Continue reading “Ronan Kopp: Future Closer for Dodgers?” →