MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

What a series! Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman did Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman things, we got to see the official returns of Tyler Glasnow and Dustin May, and the Dodgers swept the Braves to set the record for best start by a defending champion… and, of course, Shohei Ohtani added another signature moment to his Dodger career!

The Week in Review
Headline for the Week: The Dodgers Are Inevitable

Results: The Dodgers swept the Braves in dramatic fashion, including defeating another reigning Cy Young award winner and capping off the sweep with a 6-5 comeback victory that ended with an Ohtani’s walkoff homerun on his MVP Bobblehead Night.

Pitching Analysis:
Tyler Glasnow had a solid outing, 1 inning short of a quality start: 5 innings, 8k, 3bb, 79 pitches, 2 hits, 0 runs. His curveball had a 70% Whiff rate, with 5 k’s coming from the curve.

Dustin May is back! After a near two year hiatus, May returned with a flurry, striking out the side in the first showing off the incredible movement we are accustomed to from May. Overall, he had 6k, 3bb, 81 pitches, 1 hit, 1 unearned run in earning the no decision. He mixed his pitches well to keep the hitters off balance: sweeper (thrown 36% of the time), sinker (32%) and 4-seam FB (25%) as the primary pitches thrown.

Blake Snell had a tough 2nd game. A combination of errors and walks followed by 2-out doubles led to 5 unearned runs by the Braves in the first two innings. He was was able to get a 1-2-3 3rd inning. With 2 on and 2 outs in the 4th, Tommy Edman made a great defensive play on a hard-hit (106mph) ground ball by Matt Olson to get out of the inning. Snell finished with 2k, 4bb, 80 pitches, 5 hits, 5 unearned runs in 4 innings.

The bullpen showed their depth in this series (again): 12 innings, 16k, 3bb, 1 run, 7 hits. Jack Dreyer earned his first win after pitching the final two innings in the series finale.

Hitting Analysis:
The Dodgers can really just get you that quick. Defending Cy Young Winner Chris Sale cruised through 5 innings with the only hit an infield single. He had Shohei Ohtani 0-2 to lead off the 6th. Three pitches later the Dodgers took the lead, and two pitches later Sale was knocked him out of the game. They took the lead on Mookie Betts’ 3rd Homerun – all of which have been go-ahead homeruns, including the walkoff last week.

Tommy Edman continued his hot hitting streak, hitting .363 this series, adding a homerun, three RBIs, and scoring four times. Michael Conforto is making it extremely difficult to platoon him, as he hit .600 this series, with one homer, two RBI, and three runs scored.

And, of course, there’s Shohei Ohtani. He started the series 1 for 7, but still got a key hit with 2 strikes against Sale that seemingly changed the course of game 2. He did not disappoint on his bobblehead night. The Dodgers were quickly down 5-0 after an inning and a half Wednesday night, but clawed their way back to tie in on Max Muncy’s two out double in the eighth. After Andy Pages struck out to lead off the ninth, the entire stadium rose to their feet as Ohtani strolled to the batter’s box. The first delivery from Raisel Iglesias to Ohtani was smacked over the centerfield wall, sending the Dodgers into a frenzy. It was unbelievable, but it really wasn’t.

Defensive/Base Running Analysis:
Making a special section to highlgiht Max Muncy’s poor throws (not worried in the long run), Andy Pages’ path, tracking, and drop in CF (concerning), and Pages’ baserunning miscues (advancing from 2nd to 3rd was risky, but we’ll take it… getting doubled off third on that liner back to the pitcher? Little leaguers learn that the second week of practice).

Takeaway for the Week: Don’t ever turn the Dodger game off.
Six of the eight Dodger victories have been come from behind wins (although we will admit that is a misnomer of a thing in baseball), but the Dodgers are simply just too good to not see what happens in any given game. Detroit and Atlanta both had them seemingly on the ropes, only to come away with crushing losses.

Burning Question (And Attempted Answer): Is Freddie Freeman actually okay?

This absolutely nothing but speculation, but the fact that it was a simple act that caused the injury on on the previously bad ankle was the first red flag. Then the timeline from day-to-day to 10 day IL raises another red flag. At the end of the day, the Dodgers can likely make the playoffs with Freeman missing considerable time, and even a 60-day DL stint gives him enough regular season time to get ready for the playoffs, but it is still something to monitor moving forward.

Around the MLB:
Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for an illegal substance. This comes after his best season slashing .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs and 85 RBIs. Suspicious?
Carson Kelly of the Cubs went 4 for 4 hitting for the cycle against the Athletics. He also added 3 runs, 2 walks, and 5 RBI helping the Cubs cruise to an 18-3 victory on Monday.

The Reds lost 1-0 for the third straight game, joining the 1960 Phillies as the only teams to lose three straight games like this since at least 1920.

Next Series’ Preview
Matchups: The Dodgers hit the road in the states for the first time in 2025 for a six game road stand, starting in the City of Brotherly Love to face the Phillies. This April matchup could be an early preview of the NLCS. The Phillies are 5-1 following a sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers will face Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez, countering with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow. Sanchez pitched well vs the Blue Crew last season going 2-0 with 7k and 3 runs in 12 innings pitched over two starts. This will be the third time he faces the Dodgers in his young career.

Analysis:

Dodger pitchers and hitters will certainly have their hands full in this series. The Phillies are second in the MLB in average exit velocity (91 mph) and OPS (.881) while their pitching staff has amassed 76k, good enough for second in the MLB… behind the Dodgers who have 91.

What to Look For:
Roki Sasaki will make his first career road start in game 2 of the series. This will be his toughest start by far going into a raucous environment who would love to see him struggle. Let’s see if he can keep his composure and find a rhythm and pitch deeper into the game.