MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

When we were kids, I remember going to a Dodger game with my dad and his friends where the Dodgers faced a pitcher who was in the midst of some struggles on the mound. I don’t remember the pitcher, the team, or even the year, but I remember the Dodgers loss with a putrid showing at the plate. After the game, one of my dad’s friends said something that has stuck with me all these years. As we were leaving, he said “There’s nothing better to lower your E.R.A. than to face this Dodger Offense.” The moment has always stuck with me, even as the Dodgers have transformed from the late 90s Dodgers, to the mid 2000s Dodgers, to where they are now. As a little homage to all the suffering of those Dodger teams, at least we can amend the quote: “There’s nothing better to improve your morale than to face the Colorado Rockies.”

The Week in Review
Headline for the Week: Dodgers get back on track with sweep of Rockies

Results:
The Dodgers are back on track, but they still haven’t hit their stride. The bats hit fairly well all series, but never really, truly put the nail in the coffin in any game, but they ended their recent 3-6 skid with three straight wins: 5-3 on Monday, 6-2 on Tuesday, and 8-7 on Wednesday.

Pitching Analysis:
Dustin May was able to dominate the lowest-scoring team in the MLB – 6 innings, 1 earned run, 7k, 3 hits – on an efficient 76 pitches. The bullpen not so much, with Anthong Banda giving up a 2-run HR, Kirby Yates getting himself out of his own jam, and Tanner Scott making his save an exciting one.

Landon Knack rebounded nicely in game 2, with the bullpen throwing nearly 5 innings of 1-hit baseball. Jack Dreyer continues his tear getting 5 outs in relief, with four of them strikeouts.

Bobby Miller once again struggled, with Dave Roberts referring to two of his pitches as “non-competitive” post game. After allowing a run to start the game, he was given seven in the bottom of the first as the Dodgers batted around. By the end of the third, Miller had almost given them all back. The Dodgers held on, as four relievers combined to strike out nine in six innings, walking none and only allowing three hits.

Hitting Analysis:
We mentioned this in our preview article, but the Rockies helped get Freddie Freeman back on track. The Big 3 (Shohei Ohtani, and Mookie Betters, and Freeman) combined to hit 7 hits in 14 at-bats with Mookie getting a 2-run HR in the 1st and Shoehei blasting a solo HR in the 3rd in game 1. Will Smith contributed 2 hits as well to start the series, but the rest of the team only tallied 1 hit combined. Ohtani was close to a few more HR’s with the ball getting caught at the base of the wall twice.

In games 2 and 3, Betts was held hitless, but Freeman’s predicted return came to fruition, as he went 2 for 3 in both games, including his first home run since returning from the IL. Ohtani led off game 3 with a homerun, showing signs that he is breaking out of his mini-slump as well.

Takeaway for the Week: We’ll say it again: there’s nothing better to improve your morale than to face the Colorado Rockies. It wasn’t 27 shutout innings like the Padres had, and it wasn’t as dominating as one might hope or expect, but the Dodgers got the sweep and are trending in the right direction

Burning Question (And Attempted Answer): What will the Dodgers do with Bobby Miller?

Game 3 was set up for Miller beautifully: Facing the worst team in the NL and potentially all of baseball, Miller was given a 7-1 lead after an inning. Miller had a stellar rookie season in 2023, but since his playoff start, in which he gave up three runs in an inning and two-thirds, it has been all downhill from there. The Dodgers are known to develop pitchers, and they have enough talent and depth to give Miller opportunities to figure it out, but one would expect his chances are numbered. Miller has only been used as a starter so far in the Major Leagues, but it would be intriguing to see him work out of the bullpen and try to right the ship from there.

Around the MLB:
Washington Nationals reliever Jorge Lopez was suspended three games for throwing at Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen. The incident led to an argument between the players, which led to the benches clearing.
The New York Yankees, thanks to a pretty outfield assist from Aaron Judge and despite the ejection of Jazz Chisholm, beat Tampa Bay in their series opener. With their sweep of Royals earlier this week, the Yankees have won four straight and lead the AL East

The Arizona Diamondbacks have quietly won five straight games, finishing off a sweep of the Marlins on Thursday. What do the Diamondbacks have to show for it this early in the season? They are fourth in the NL West and still trail the division-leading Padres by three games. The D-Backs can take solace in the fact that they would be in first (or tied for first) in every other division in baseball

Next Series’ Preview
Matchups: The Dodgers travel to Texas to face another team on a tear in the Texas Rangers, who have won three straight and sit alone atop the AL West.

Analysis: The Rangers have the best home record in the AL, trailing on the Padres overall. They’ll send familiar foe Jacob DeGrom to the hill in game 1, followed by former Dodger Nathan Eovaldi in game 2 and Tyler Mahle in game 3. The Dodgers will counter with their three-headed-monster of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow. Even though DeGrom is not who he once was, these are three fantastic pitching matches and overall a great test for the Dodgers.

What to Look For: It’s always fun to see former Dodgers Corey Seager and Joc Pederson. Seager leads the Rangers in batting (hits and average), and is tied for the lead in home runs. Pederson, on the other hand, has struggled. He’s hitting .060 with an OPS under .245, and has struck out in 28% of his at bats. He’s also yet to homer, which is absolutely a recipe for him to hit one deep this series.