MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

The Dodgers took three of four from the Padres that included Shohei Ohtani’s Dodger pitching debut, several ejections and benches cleared, and a walkoff homerun.

The Week in Review
Headline for the Week: Dodgers Extend NL West Lead with Strong End to Homestand 

Results: The Dodgers won the first three games of the series by a combined score of 18-12, before their comeback in the 9th fell short in a 5-3 loss. 

Pitching Analysis: This series was really about the guys who returned from injury, as Ohtani took the mound to start the series and Emmet Shehan, coming off Tommy John Surgery, made his first start on Wednesday. Both guys were solid, all things considered. Ohtani gave up two weak hits, was squeezed out of a strikeout, touched 100 on the gun, and gave up a sacrifice fly. Shehan gave up a run in his four innings of work, striking out 6 in the process. Both guys provided exciting opportunities for the staff moving forward. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto again pitched well (quality start, 5 Ks), but had nothing but an “L” to show for it. It was the 10th time in 15 starts this year that the Dodgers have scored 0 or 1 run while Yamamoto was on the bump. 
  
Hitting Analysis: This series was all about Andy Pages. He hit two home runs, drove in a team high four RBI, and was the center of controversy when he was hit twice with pitches. Pages continues to insert himself into the All Start conversation. 

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Will Smith’s pinch hit walk off home run. Smith started the day on the bench, but came in to deliver the knockout below to save the game. 

Takeaway for the Week: The Dodgers are really, really good. They used the series to get work Ohtani and Sheehan back from injury, used multiple pitchers who they send down to the minors after the game, Used an opener/bullpen game twice, and still came up victories in three of four games against a team that hates them and uses them as a measuring stick. 

Next Series’ Preview
Matchups: The Dodgers take on the Nationals in the Nation’s Capital this weekend. The Nats have slipped to 4th in the NL East, clinging to a one game lead over the Marlins for last place in the division. 

Analysis: The Nationals just ended an 11-game losing streak with a 4-3, extra inning walkoff win against the hapless Rockies. They’ve lost 14 of 17 in the month of June. The natural inclination would be to see a dominating performance from the Dodgers, who have seemed to have found something (winners of 8 of 11 dating back to last week). BUT, this is baseball, so we expect a 1-1 series with the rubber match on Sunday. 

What to Look For: The Bookend Starters for the Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, fresh off his most dominant performance in over two years, returns to the mound in game one, and Ohtani returns to the mound in game three.