MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

The Dodgers backed into the All Star Break with a bit of momentum – a modest two game win streak following a seven game losing streak. Still, they entered the break with the best record in the National League, and only a game behind the Detroit Tigers for best record in the majors. They’ve scored the most runs in the majors and have done all this with a patchwork pitching staff. 80% of the rotation has spent significant time on the IL. Tyler Glasnow is now back, and Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki are nearing returns. We expect to see a better Dodgers team in the second half. 

Of course, before we can get to real games being played, there was the All Star game. We’ve recapped each Dodger performance from the game. 

The Week in Review
Shohei Ohtani: 
Ohtani got the scoring started for the NL by singling and scoring in the first. He stranded Pete Crow-Armstrong at second in the second, and was pinch-hit for in the fifth. 

Freddie Freeman: 
Freeman played perfect defense at first, and was able to get his own standing ovation as he departed in the third. He went o for 1 at the plate. 

Will Smith: 
Smith went 0 for 2 with a K in his two at bats, leaving a runner in scoring position. He handled the NL Pitching staff well, however, catching four scoreless innings. 
  
Yoshinobu Yamamoto:
Because Yamamoto pitched Sunday, he was unable to participate in Tuesday’s game. 

Clayton Kershaw: 
Kershaw threw ⅔ of an inning. His first pitch was smacked to left, expertly caught by Michael Tucker. Obviously, it very easily could have been a hit, but it was Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh, one of the two favorites for AL MVP, so an out is an out. He finished his appearance by striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr, leaving with the baseball and a standing ovation. The coolest part, however, was hearing him mic’d up as he pitched. 

Next Series’ Preview
Matchups: The Dodgers take on the Brewers, who compounded the Dodger woes last week when they swept the Dodgers in Milwaukee. 

Analysis: The Dodgers were outscored 15-4 last week against the Brew Crew, and really didn’t put up a fight until Game 3, when they took a 2-1 lead into the 9th before the bullpen gave up the tying run in the 9th and winning run in the 10th. The Brewers followed the sweep of the Dodgers with a sweep of the Nationals, extending their winning streak to seven, the longest current streak in the National League and second longest in the majors heading into the All Star Break. The win streak also catapulted the Brewers to the top of the Wild Card Race, and they are only a game back of the Cubs for then NL Central lead, and only a game and half back of the Dodgers for best record in the NL.

What to Look For: The Brewers have a top five pitching staff and are only a run off the NL lead for least runs given up, and that was obvious in the series last week. This is a true test for Dodgers coming out of the gate, and a good chance to see if the time off helped Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, and the rest of the struggling Dodgers.