MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

After getting embarrassed 11-1 in the first game, the Dodgers exploded for 28 runs over the next two games, routing the A’s on their way to another series win.

The Week in Review
Headline for the Week: Muncy, Dodgers Power Past A’s

Results: The Dodgers offense looked feeble on Tuesday, mustering only two hits from people not named Will Smith or Michael Conforto, while the A’s had 18 hits on their way to a ten run victory. All was right with the world after that, however, as Mookie Betts broke open game two in the 8th, followed by Max Muncy slamming the door. Thursday’s game 3 was more of the same, as the Dodgers turned a 3-2 second inning lead into a 15-2 lead by the fourth. 

Pitching Analysis:
Landon Knack took the mound in game one. He kept the Dodgers in the game through the first 4 innings, only allowing a 2-run HR in the 3rd inning. He was not able to make it thru the 5th allowing another 2-run HR and a 2-run double. His final line was 4.2 innings, 8 K’s, 1 BB, 5 earned runs. After the bullpen allowed another 4 runs, Miguel Rojas got to throw an inning, allowing 2-solo jacks in the 9th. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked solid, delivering another quality start, even if not up to his normal standards. From Yamamoto’s exit and into the Game 3 bullpen game, the bullpen held the A’s in check the rest of the way. The bullpen ended the series by throwing 12 innings, striking out eight and only allowing four hits (it’s a little easier to pitch with a 15-2 lead)
  
Hitting Analysis:
Max Muncy is back?! Taking on his former team, the patented Muncy bat flip made its return after he clobbered a no-about-it dagger in the eighth inning of game two. Leaving no doubt, Muncy went 3 for 4 in game three, hitting another homer and driving in four. His batting average is now over .200 and he looks to have righted the ship. 

In the Opening game of the series, the only Dodger offense to speak of was Will Smith and Michael Conforto. Other than that, the bats were silent, as they accounted for 6 of the 8 team hits. The only run came on a ground-ball by Mookie Betts in the 3rd inning that was booted by the shortstop, allowing Chris Taylor to score. 

In thee second game Dodgers took the lead on a Rojas pinch-hit go-ahead RBI double, bringing in Conforto from 1st. 

In the eight, the script for the series completely switched. After Ohtani was intentionally walked, Mookie hit a 2-run double in the 8th to add some insurance, and he was fired up staring towards the A’s dugout. This was followed by a Max Muncy “go get it out of the ocean” type 3-run HR. 

Game 3 was more of the same: Every starter had at least one hit and every starter (but Confort0) was directly involved with at least one run scored. 

It was good to see Dalton Rushing get his first major league hit, as he went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and Hyeseon Kim continued the electric start to his career. 

Defense/Baserunning Analysis:
Some big plays from Game 2:
Top 4th – Hyeseong Kim had a slick backhand play up the middle to throw out Luis Urias.
Top 6th – On the shift, Mookie and Muncy had a heads up play on a ground-ball hit to Mookie in which Muncy ran to cover 2nd-base for the 6-5 put out. 
Bot 6th – Pages thrown out by LF trying to get 1st to 3rd.

Takeaway for the Week: The Dodgers have an abundance of talent, and there is an all-around expectation that we will see a couple more Austin Barnes type moves in the near future.

Burning Question (And Attempted Answer):
What will the Dodgers do once Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman come back?
The emergence of Hyeseong Kim means there is going to be at least one odd man out once Edman and Hernandez return from the IL. The prevailing theory is that Chris Taylor gets DFA’d, while others are pointing to Rojas as a potential DFA candidate as well. For our money, Edman’s return probably means Taylor will get DFA’d, and Hernandez’s return will result in James Outman returning to the minors. 

Around the MLB: 
Texas’ 1-0 victory over the Astros gave Bruce Bochy 2195 career wins, allowing him to pass Sparky Anderson for 6th on the MLB Wins list. 
The Twins became the first team to win 10 straight games this season, as they’ve won 11 straight heading into today’s games. Incredibly, they are still five games behind the Detroit Tigers, who are tied with the Dodgers for Best Record in MLB. The Tigers have the best run differential, however. 

Next Series’ Preview
Matchups: Apparently it’s Rivalry Weekend in the MLB… We’ll defer our comments on that. In any case, the Angels come to Dodger Stadium this weekend. The series opens with Dustin May against Jack Kochanowicz, followed by Clayton Kershaw making his 2025 debut against Tyler Anderson. The series concludes with Tony Gonsolin taking on Yusei Kikuchi. 

Analysis: The AL West has four teams within two games of each other, with all four teams at .500 or above. The one team? The Angels. They’ve struggled this year, with a team ERA over 5 and a run differential that ranks in the bottom 5 of Major League Baseball. 

What to Look For: On the pitching side, all eyes will be on Clayton Kershaw’s debut. He’s looked solid in the minors, and it’s always nice to celebrate Kershaw Day. Dustin May has struggled his last few starts, so his execution will also be intriguing. With Yamamoto, Sasaki, and theoretically Glasnow and Snell entrenched as starters, this series is somewhat of an audition for the fifth spot in the rotation (once… if… everyone is healthy).

In the batter’s box, the Max Muncy resurgence will hopefully continue and Kim’s performance will determine how tough of a decision the Dodgers will have to make in the future. Dalton Rushing should also get another start in this series as well.