MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

The Dodgers capped off their road trip with an early 3-0 win, giving them another series win in the second half. They maintained their 3 game lead in the west.

The Week in Review
Headline for the Week: Dodgers Take Two of Three At Tampa

Results: Pitching was the theme of the weekend, as the Dodgers and Rays played in three shutouts. The Dodgers blanked the Rays on Friday and Sunday, 5-0 and 3-0, respectively, while the Rays shutout the Dodgers 4-0 on Saturday. 

Pitching Analysis: The pitching was, in a word, superb, this series. Kershaw and Yamamoto combined to throw 11.2 scoreless innings, only allowing 10 hits and striking out 9. The bullpen pitched 9 ⅓ innings this series, allowing only six hits and striking out 12. Only Jack Dreyer allowed more than one hit and a run. Blake Treinen’s return was a bit rough – he started the ninth with a walk and ended up walking the bases loaded, but he did strike out two batters and Ben Casparius closed the door with four pitches.

Blake Snell also made his return, going five innings, allowing three runs and striking out eight. His start was better than it seemed. If you remove Yandy Diaz, Snell gave up only two hits and zero runs. Even Diaz’ homers aren’t strong indicators: His first inning homer had an expected batting average of .170 and was only a home run in Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field. His second home run would have been a home run in two other stadiums, but it had an expected batting average of .060. Just some hard luck for Snell against his former team. 
  
Hitting Analysis: A tale of Jekyll and Hyde overall. The Dodgers had 23 hits in the series, but left 19 runners on base. They were 6 for 19 with runners in scoring position, but also suffered an 18 inning scoreless streak in the series. Freddie Freeman is back, however, as he was 7 for 13 in the series. Mookie Betts continued to struggle, however, as he was moved back into the second slot in the lineup. He was 0 for 11 in the series. Andy Pages had a clutch hit in game three, and Alex Freeland wowed in his debut and performance. He did go 0 for 4 in game 3, but his career is off to a strong start. 

Takeaway for the Weekend: We’ll focus on the two newcomers: Alex Call and Brock Stewart. Call pinch hit on Friday, grounding out to short in the 8th. On Sunday, he went 0 for 3 with a run scored. Stewart’s Dodger re-debut also came in the 8th, this time in game 3. He threw 14 pitches, 11 for strikes, allowing a hit but otherwise escaping unscathed. The takeaway for us is a) Stewart adds depth to an improving bullpen and b) Call adds depth to a crowded OF. Roberts will need to juggle Hernandez, Kim, Call, and Conforto, (and Edman and Kiké) effectively come playoff time. 

Burning Question (And Attempted Answer): Will the Dodgers move Mookie Betts in the lineup? The smart answer feels like yes, and while we believe in Betts so much, we think it’s a good idea. Betts’ issues are likely mental as much as they are mechanical. Dropping Betts in the lineup could reduce that mental strain, and potentially allow him to get more into the flow of the game before his first AB. At the end of the day, the Dodgers don’t necessarily need Betts to be Betts in August or September, but they need him in October. Doing whatever it takes over the next two months: letting him work through it, moving him down, batting him leadoff, giving him six days off… whatever it takes is what they need to do. 

Dodger Record Since We Said Not to Worry: 7-5

Next Series’ Preview
Matchups: The return home to face the Cardinals, who just dropped two of three in San Diego. 

Analysis: The Cardinals will send out Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, and Matthew Liberatore as their starters. All have an ERA above or near 4.00. The Dodgers need to jump all over them, and this is a good series 

What to Look For: The obvious are looking at the continued recoveries of Emmet Sheehan, Tyler Glasnow, and Treinen,  and taking a look at the new additions of Call and Stewart. But keep an eye on Mookie Betts in game 2. Betts has seen Mikolas well in his career, albeit a brief sample size: Betts is batting 4 for 10 against him, with two home runs and two walks. Betts is batting .265 against Gray (38 plate appearances, 0 home runs) and .333 (1 for 3) against Liberatore.