Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. When an announcer says a player is “day-to-day” I’m reminded of what Vin Scully said about that: “Aren’t we all.”
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It looked like the Dodgers were just going to have to be satisfied with only pitchers going on the injured list. But since our last newsletter, two key position players have been injured.
Tommy Edman was put on the 10-day IL on May 3 because of right ankle inflammation. He is scheduled to resume running this week, but he probably won’t be back until the Dodgers return home to play the Athletics on May 13. The Dodgers recalled Hyeseong Kim to replace him.
Teoscar Hernández was put on the 10-day IL on Tuesday after straining an adductor muscle while stretching to make a catch in Monday’s game. According to the Mayo Clinic, the adductors are a group of three muscles which exist in the inner thigh that help control the leg and stabilize the pelvis.
“Obviously, he’s going to be inactive for a while,” Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “It’s certainly [going to be several] weeks, but I just don’t know how long. I think that’s all contingent on when he starts back up again.” On Wednesday, he was a bit more optimistic, saying Hernández could be back in a couple of weeks.
When he was injured, Hernández was tied with Shohei Ohtani for the team lead with nine homers and led the majors with 34 RBIs, so that’s a big loss.
James Outman was brought up to replace Hernández. Outman got off to a bad start at triple-A Oklahoma City, but has hit .359 the last three weeks. His overall numbers there: .254/.322/.508 with seven doubles and eight homers in 130 at-bats. The Dodgers would gladly welcome similar production with them. And he had a solid first game with the team Wednesday
Losing Edman and Ohtani puts a couple of big holes in the offense. Kim is hitting .417, but it’s far too early to draw any conclusions. He does bring some needed speed to the lineup, and you can see why the Dodgers were so high on him. Outman was a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2023, but was terrible last season. Can he rebound? This will be a big chance for him to reclaim a spot with the Dodgers.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers put reliever Evan Phillips on the IL with right forearm discomfort.
Phillips joins a major league roster full of pitchers on the IL. Let’s take a look at the current injured list. Don’t hold your breath while reading this or you will pass out before the end.
Pitchers
Tyler Glasnow
Brusdar Graterol
Michael Grove
Edgardo Henriquez
Kyle Hurt
Clayton Kershaw
Michael Kopech
Evan Phillips
River Ryan
Emmet Sheehan
Blake Snell
Gavin Stone
Blake Treinen
Position players
Tommy Edman
Teoscar Hernández
That’s 13 pitchers, two positions players, 15 overall. How does that compare to other teams (through Wednesday afternoon)?
Dodgers, 15 overall, 13 pitchers, 2 position players
Orioles, 13 overall, 8 pitchers, 5 position players
Mets, 12 overall, 8 pitchers, 4 position players
Yankees, 11 overall, 8 pitchers, 3 position players
Tigers, 11 overall, 6 pitchers, 5 position players
Reds, 10 overall, 6 pitchers, 4 position players
White Sox, 10 overall, 6 pitchers, 4 position players
Rays, 10 overall, 5 pitchers, 5 position players
Brewers, 9 overall, 7 pitchers, 2 position players
Guardians, 9 overall, 7 pitchers, 2 position players
Nationals, 9 overall, 7 pitchers, 2 position players
Astros, 9 overall, 6 pitchers, 3 position players
Marlins, 9 overall, 5 pitchers, 4 position players
Pirates, 9 overall, 5 pitchers, 4 position players
Rockies, 9 overall, 4 pitchers, 5 position players
Padres, 8 overall, 6 pitchers, 2 position players
Red Sox, 8 overall, 6 pitchers, 2 position players
Athletics, 7 overall, 6 pitchers, 1 position player
Mariners, 7 overall, 4 pitchers, 3 position players
Blue Jays, 6 overall, 6 pitchers
Cubs, 6 overall, 6 pitchers
Royals, 6 overall, 5 pitchers, 1 position player
Angels, 6 overall, 4 pitchers, 2 position players
Diamondbacks, 5 overall, 5 pitchers
Rangers, 5 overall, 4 pitchers, 1 position player
Braves, 5 overall, 3 pitchers, 2 position players
Giants, 4 overall, 4 position players
Twins, 3 overall, 1 pitcher, 2 position players
Cardinals, 2 overall, 1 pitcher, 1 position player
Phillies, 1 overall, 1 pitcher
The Dodgers have the most players on the IL, and by far the most pitchers. Some of that is because they sign players with injury histories, such as Snell and Glasnow, some of that is because some pitchers are getting older, such as Kershaw, but some of that remains a mystery.
Why do the Dodgers have more pitching injuries than anyone else? They say they studied their methods during the offseason, yet pitchers are still getting hurt. Every former pitcher I talk to blames it on one of these things: pitchers are throwing with maximum effort on every pitch; the lack of “Spider tack” on balls has made it harder on elbows and shoulders; the pitch clock doesn’t allow for enough rest between pitches; kids are asked to throw breaking balls at far too young an age. And the Dodgers also seem to enjoy signing or drafting pitchers who have had arm injuries.
It could be one of those things, something else entirely, or some of those things combined. We all have our beliefs why this is happening, but no one has any proof. Unless your name was Nolan Ryan, pitchers in the old days didn’t give maximum effort on every pitch. And Ryan lasted for 27 years. There was no pitch clock, but game film tells us most pitchers in the 1930s and ‘40s didn’t waste any time between pitches.
We may never know for sure what is causing all this, we just know that it happens to the Dodgers more frequently. And they need to figure out why.
Speaking of Kershaw
He pitched six scoreless innings in a rehab start Tuesday night. He will make one more start, and if all goes well, he should come off the IL when he’s eligible on May 17.
Ohtani loves Miami
Ohtani had another big series against the Marlins in Miami, a place he seems to favor. Let’s look at his numbers at various parks (minimum 20 plate appearances):
Highest OPS
at Miami: .382 Avg/.475 OB%/1.000 SLG% (six homers in 34 at-bats)
at Texas: .432/.479/.841 (four in 44)
at Kansas City: .357/.471/.810 (four in 42)
at Washington: .370/.433/.778 (two in 27)
at Colorado: .407/.448/.759 (four in 54)
Worst OPS
at San Diego: .133/.297/.267 (one homer in 30 at-bats)
at Yankees: .167/.239/.373 (four in 59)
at Seattle: .184/.280.,377 (six in 114)
at Philadelphia: .250/.365/.296 (0 in 44)
at Houston: .228/.307/.461 (nine in 167)
Most homers
at Angels: 99 (1,254 at-bats)
at Dodgers: 34 (399)
at Houston: 9 (167)
at White Sox: 8 (70)
at Texas: 8 (126)
at Oakland: 8 (150)
at Seattle: 6 (114)
at Miami: 6 (34)
Least homers
at Cincinnati: 0 (14 at-bats)
at Philadelphia: 0 (44)
at San Diego: 1 (30)
at Pittsburgh: 1 (15)
at Mets: 1 (19)
at Toronto: 1 (14)
at Cubs: 1 (22)
Vision quest
If you have watched the last few games, you may have noticed something different about Max Muncy: He’s wearing glasses.
It turns out that Muncy has an astigmatism in his right eye, and as a left-handed hitter, his right eye is forward when he’s batting, so … glasses.
The big question is why they are just now finding out he has this problem. Maybe a thorough eye exam should happen in spring training?
Since he started wearing them, Muncy is 3 for 19 with a double, triple, homer, three RBIs, five walks and six strikeouts.
All-time leaders
The Dodgers all-time leaders among starting pitchers in ERA+, which compares ERA to the league average. For example, a pitcher with an ERA of 3.00 when the league average is 4.50 is better than a pitcher with an ERA of 3.00 when the league average is 3.50. An ERA+ of 120 means the pitcher is 20% better than league average, an ERA+ of 80 means 20% worse than league average. A league ERA+ is 100.
Minimum 100 games started
Franchise
1. Clayton Kershaw, 156
2. Kevin Brown, 147
3. Julio Urías, 134
4. Sandy Koufax, 131
5. Andy Messersmith, 129
5. Hyun-jin Ryu, 129
5. Dazzy Vance, 129
5. Whit Wyatt, 129
9. Walker Buehler, 125
9. Jeff Pfeffer, 125
Los Angeles
1. Clayton Kershaw, 156
2. Kevin Brown, 147
3. Sandy Koufax, 135
4. Julio Urías, 134
5. Andy Messersmith, 129
5. Hyun-jin Ryu, 129
7. Walker Buehler, 125
8. Derek Lowe, 120
9. Tim Belcher, 118
9. Tommy John, 118
9. Don Drysdale, 118
Up next
Thursday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 4-2, 0.90 ERA) at Arizona (Brandon Pfaadt, 5-2, 3.79 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Friday: Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 1-1, 3.86 ERA) at Arizona (Eduardo Rodriguez, 1-3, 5.92 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: Dodgers (Dustin May, 1-2, 4.36 ERA) at Arizona (Corbin Burnes, 1-1, 3.58 ERA), 5:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Dodgers (TBD) at Arizona (Zac Gallen, 3-4, 4.37 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
*-left-handed
In case you missed it
Evan Phillips goes on IL, but Dodgers bounce back with blowout win against Marlins
Dodgers place Teoscar Hernández on IL with groin injury, call up James Outman
Mookie Betts overcame illness early in the season. Why his swing took time to catch up
LA Times Today: Roki Sasaki’s bond with Rikuzentakata endures, long after 2011 tsunami
‘Couldn’t deliver.’ How Dodgers’ lacking lineup depth was exposed in loss to Braves
‘Big brother, little brother.’ How Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages bond is helping Dodgers
Shaikin: ‘No one should forget.’ How the manager of the AL’s best team is shedding his asterisk
Dodgers call up utilityman Hyeseong Kim, put Tommy Edman on injured list
Why the Dodgers’ Max Muncy has started wearing glasses in games: ‘Anything that can help’
And finally
Sandy Koufax pitches a shutout in Game 7 to win the 1965 World Series. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.