batting

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Here’s a bonus edition of the newsletter as we continue to look at the top 10 Dodgers at each position.

Top 10 relief pitchers

Here are my picks for the top 10 relief pitchers in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player’s name to be taken to the baseball-reference.com page with all their stats.

1. Kenley Jansen (2010-21, 37-36, 2.37 ERA, 350 saves, 164 ERA+, 3-time All Star)

Really, it’s hard to find anyone else who should be named the best Dodgers reliever. Let’s look at his 2017 season: 68.1 innings, 41 saves, 5-0, 44 hits, only seven walks, 109 strikeouts. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting and 15th in MVP voting. He pitched in 701 games in relief for the Dodgers; the next closest is 250 games behind him.

I wrote a lot about Jansen when he was with the Dodgers. Suffice to say he had an incredible career with the team and it’s nice to see him having a good season with the Angels this season. He has pitched in 928 games and has 473 career saves, Hall of Fame numbers.

2. Ron Perranoski (1961-67, 54-41, 2.56 ERA, 100 saves, 132 ERA+)

For all the praise (much deserved as it is), Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale get for pitching the Dodgers to three World Series appearances and two titles in the 1960s, people sometimes overlook the fact that waiting in the wings in case one of them, or some other starter, faltered late was Perranoski. He finished fourth in MVP voting in 1963 after going 16-3 with a 1.67 ERA and 21 saves in a league-leading 69 games and led the league in games pitched three times, often pitching more than 100 innings. When the Dodgers swept the Yankees in the 1963 World Series, they used only four pitchers: starters Koufax, Drysdale and Johnny Podres, and Perranoski in relief.

He later served as Dodger pitching coach from 1981-94. He died in 2020 at 84.

3. Jim Brewer (1964-75, 61-51, 2.62 ERA, 126 saves, 127 ERA+, 1-time All Star)

Brewer became the closer in 1968 and remained in the job through the 1973 season.

Brewer had four terrible seasons for the Cubs before the Dodgers acquired him before the 1964 season. He wasn’t expected to make the team, but had such a good spring training that the Dodgers traded reliever Larry Sherry to make room for him

He had a good season, but didn’t pitch in too many games where the Dodgers were leading. He had two pitches, a fastball and curve, neither of which set the world on fire. In spring training in 1965, he was experimenting with a screwball, but couldn’t make it work. The Dodgers played the Braves in an exhibition game, and Brewer asked legendary Braves left-hander Warren Spahn how he threw the screwball.

“I had been working on a screwball but never felt confident enough to use it in a game. I approached Spahn and asked him for some advice,” Brewer told the Sporting News in 1968. “He never said a word. He just took a baseball out of his pocket, showed me his grip and how he released it. I had been releasing the ball off my middle finger, but he showed me how he let the ball go off his index finger which gave much more velocity to the pitch.”

Elbow pain, perhaps from his new pitch, limited him in 1965 and 1966, but in 1967 he was a new pitcher. Used as a setup man, he pitched 100 innings and had a 2.68 ERA. The next season he became the closer and had sub-two ERAs in 1971 and 1972.

Despite a strong 1973 season, when he made the All-Star team, injuries were beginning to pile up for Brewer. So, before the 1974 season the Dodgers acquired Mike Marshall and named him the new closer. After the season, Brewer asked to be traded. In July 1975 the Dodgers sent him to the Angels for reliever Dave Sells. He retired after the 1976 season because of a torn elbow ligament.

Brewer died two days after his 50th birthday, when, on Nov. 14, 1987, he was killed in a head-on collision.

4. Eric Gagné (1999-2006, 25-21, 3.27 ERA, 161 saves, 125 ERA+, 3-time All Star, 2003 Cy Young Award)

The numbers above are a little misleading, because they include his time as a poor starting pitcher. If you limit it to just his seasons as a reliever, his ERA drops to an amazing 1.82, a 221 ERA+.

In 1999, Gagné was the top pitching prospect in the Dodgers organization as a starting pitcher. He looked like he would be a solid No. 2 or 3 man in the rotation for many years. However, he struggled in the majors, going 4-6 with a 5.15 ERA in 19 starts in 2000 and 6-7 with a 4.75 ERA in 24 starts in 2001. He gave up a hit an inning and his strikeout rate was 7.7 per nine innings. A far cry from what he eventually would do.

Jeff Shaw retired before the 2002 season, leaving the Dodgers without a closer. Manager Jim Tracy had an idea: What about Gagné? People often forget what a controversial move it was at the time. Take one of your top starting pitcher prospects and make him the closer?

Then Gagné immediately became the best closer in the game. He dominated in spring training. He started the season with 10 consecutive saves. He was named to the All-Star team. He finished the year with 52 saves.

And he captured the imagination of Dodgers fans, because he was the first closer the team ever had who could come in and just dominate batters, blowing the ball by them. He struck out 114 in 82 1/3 innings.

When Gagné was in his prime, no one left the game early because they wanted to see him close it out. If the Dodgers had a narrow lead, people would stand as soon as the eighth inning ended, anticipating his arrival. As soon as Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” started playing, the stadium would erupt in cheers and whistles. Very few Dodgers in history received that type of reception every time. Gagné became known as “Game Over,” with Game Over T-shirts worn throughout the stadium.

In 2003, Gagné finished with a 1.20 ERA, 55 saves (no blown saves), 137 strikeouts and only 20 walks in 82.2 innings. He gave up only 37 hits. He was named the NL Cy Young winner. It is still the greatest season by a closer in history. From 2002-04, Gagné had 84 consecutive saves, still the record.

Gagné’s career quickly unraveled though. He hurt a knee in spring training before the 2005 season. He came back, hurt his arm and had season-ending Tommy John surgery. He pitched in only two games in 2006 and then hurt his back, needing season-ending surgery for two herniated disks.

After the season he became a free agent and bounced around to three teams. His last season was in 2008 with Milwaukee. He made a comeback attempt with the Dodgers in 2010, but after six runs in two spring training innings, he retired.

Some shine of the streak was dulled when he was named in the Mitchell Report as a player who had used performance-enhancing drugs. He said he used human growth hormone and apologized to the fans, saying he started using it when he was injured in 2005, after the streak. Gagné talked about it in 2010.

“It changed it a lot for a couple of years,’’ Gagné said. “But now, you come to grips, where you know what, it is what it is. You have to accept it and just go on. You have to keep going and enjoy baseball, get people out and get back to basics. There are a lot of regrets. But the whole time I was with the Dodgers, it was an unbelievable time. The Mitchell Report and everything is negative. It’s always going to be on my resume for the rest of my life.”

5. Hugh Casey (1939-42, 1946-48, 70-41, 3.34 ERA, 49 saves, 115 ERA+)

It’s hard to compare relievers before the modern era of closer to relievers since that era began. Back then, saves weren’t even a stat (they were rewarded retroactively) and relievers would regularly pitch multiple innings.

Which brings us to Casey, who was the first real “closer” in Dodger history. He led the NL with 13 saves in 1942 before losing three seasons to World War II. He came back to go 11-5 with five saves in 1946 and then led the NL with 18 saves in 1946. Casey was a starter until manager Leo Durocher switched him to relief midway through the 1941 season. It made all the difference in the world for Casey, who thrived in the role. In 1942, the Dodgers were training in Cuba and author Ernest Hemingway was there. Some team members and Hemingway were having some drinks when Hemingway challenged Casey to a fight. Casey refused, so Hemingway sucker punched him. Casey then pretty much beat up Hemingway until the author punched Casey in the groin and declared the fight a draw.

Casey had a difficult life after baseball, and died at 37 in 1951. For a great bio of Casey, click here.

6. Jay Howell (1988-92, 22-19, 2.07 ERA, 85 saves, 170 ERA+, 1-time All Star)

Howell, who had been Oakland’s closer for two seasons, had a terrible 1987, going 3-4 with a 5.89 ERA. After the season, he was part of the three-team deal in which the Dodgers traded Bob Welch, Matt Young and Jack Savage and received Howell, Alfredo Griffin and Jesse Orosco.

Those who followed the pitchers and “sticky substances” controversy a couple of season ago and were fans of the 1988 Dodgers had to be reminded of Howell, who was suspended during the NLCS for using pine tar on his glove. It had been cold and rainy in New York, and Howell did it to get a better grip on the ball. He was suspended for three games (it was reduced to two the next day), an event that seemed to anger the team rather than make them fall apart. He had 21 saves that season. He pitched in Game 3 of the World Series in Oakland, and after retiring the first batter in the bottom of the ninth, gave up the game-winning homer to Mark McGwire. Afterward, some of the A’s said how happy they were to see Howell and his “Little League curveball” come into the game. That was bulletin board material from Tommy Lasorda, who didn’t hesitate to bring in Howell the next day. He was brought in with the Dodgers leading, 4-3 with two out in the seventh inning. The A’s had runners on first and second. Griffin made an error on a ball hit to short, loading the bases, bringing up McGwire, who popped to first on the first pitch. Howell finished out the 2-1/3 inning save. Can you imagine a closer pitching that long today?

Howell put together five good-to-great seasons with the Dodgers, then pitched a season with Atlanta and a season with Texas before retiring.

7. Clem Labine (1950-60, 70-52, 3.63 ERA, 81 saves, 113 ERA+, 2-time All Star)

Labine relied on a sinker as his main pitch, telling Peter Golenbock in the book “Bums,” “They go to swing at it, and it drops on you, and you get the top of the ball. So, you’re not gonna hit a lot of line drives off of me, just a lot of groundballs. And don’t forget who we had scooping them up: Gilly, Robinson, Reese and Cox.” Labine pitched in four games in the 1955 World Series, winning one and saving one.

Sadness seemed to be a constant in Labine’s life after he retired. He once told Roger Kahn, “You heard about Jay? My son Clement Walter Labine Jr. He stepped on a mine in Vietnam and blew his leg off. The Marines sent a car to our house. Barbara [Clem Sr.’s wife] was away. I was out playing golf. My brother-in-law saw this Marine car and went over and said, ‘Is this about Jay, Clem Labine, Jr.?’ The Marine officer was very polite. He asked who was he talking to and my brother-in-law said he was Jay’s uncle and the Marine said that under the rules he couldn’t say anything. Next of kin only. So when they came and got me off the golf course, the first thing they said was, ‘Jay’s been hurt, but he’s alive’. He wrote me a letter from the hospital. It was so calm and matter-of-fact. If I hadn’t been a ballplayer, I wouldn’t have been away all the time. But the traveling cost me all of it, Jay growing up. If I hadn’t been a ballplayer, I could have developed a real relationship with my son. The years, the headlines, the victories, they’re not worth what they cost us. Jay’s leg.”

“Clem Labine was one of the main reasons the Dodgers won it all in 1955,” Vin Scully said after Labine died at age 80 in 2007. “He had the heart of a lion and the intelligence of a wily fox. And he was a nice guy, too.”

8. Tom Niedenfuer (1981-87, 30-28, 2.76 ERA, 64 saves, 128 ERA+)

Some Dodger fans just remember Niedenfuer as the guy who gave up that home run to Jack Clark. But they are missing the big picture. Niedenfuer was a quality relief pitcher and threw 106 innings that year. He also gave up a game-winning homer to Ozzie Smith earlier in the series. “Looking back on it,” Niedenfuer said in a 2010 interview, “it’s a very proud feeling that your manager had enough confidence in you to be the guy he put in that situation. I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world because I loved being out there. But when it happened, all I can remember is … you let the team down.”

Niedenfuer was also a key reliever on the 1981 World Series champs, pitching five innings in the World Series, giving up three hits and no earned runs. Niedenfuer lives in Florida with his wife, actress Judy Landers. They have two daughters.

The one thing I remember most about Niedenfuer: After he gave up Clark’s homer, he answered every question from the media after the game. He didn’t hide or go home before reporters arrived. As he said, “Just because I didn’t do my job doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to do yours.”

The Dodgers traded Niedenfuer to the Baltimore Orioles on May 22, 1987, for outfielder John Shelby and pitcher Brad Havens.

Niedenfuer took part in our “Ask….” series. You can read that here.

9. Mike Marshall (1974-76, 28-29, 3.01 ERA, 42 saves, 114 ERA+, 2-time All Star, 1974 Cy Young Award)

Marshall was a man of strong opinions. He felt he could pitch pretty much every day, but most of his managers thought he was a nut. Until he hooked up with Walter Alston, who trusted Marshall and told him to just tell him if he couldn’t pitch, otherwise he’d use him as much as possible. And that set the stage for an incredible 1974 season, where Marshall appeared in 106 games, pitching an amazing 208.1 innings in relief, going 15-12 with a 2.42 ERA and 31 saves. He won the Cy Young Award, becoming the first reliever to do so. But because Marshall was so outspoken, and a big proponent for the burgeoning union, he was usually sent packing quickly by teams. The Dodgers traded him in 1976. In all, Marshall spent 14 seasons in the majors, playing for nine teams. He is also a key background character in Jim Bouton’s book, “Ball Four.”

10. Steve Howe (1980-85, 2.35 ERA, 59 saves, 150 ERA+, 1-time All Star, 1980 NL Rookie of the Year)

The tragic story of Steve Howe in 10 sentences:

1. Won Rookie of the Year award in 1980, then developed a major drug problem when given cocaine at the new conference to announce his award.
2. Was on the mound for the final out of the Dodgers’ 1981 World Series title.
3. Had his best season in 1983, when he had 18 saves and a 1.44 ERA in 68.2 innings.
4. Was suspended for the entire 1984 season.
5. Dodgers finally gave up on him midway through the 1985 season.
6. He bounced in and out of baseball for the rest of the 80s before finally appearing to clean himself up.
7. Pitched for six seasons for the Yankees from 1991-96.
8. Was suspended seven times in his career for substance abuse.
9. In 2006, he was killed in a single-car accident when his truck rolled over in Coachella.
10. An autopsy report found meth in his system.

The next 10: Takashi Saito, Larry Sherry, Phil Regan, Joe Black, Alejandro Peña, Jonathan Broxton, Jeff Shaw, Todd Worrell, Ed Roebuck, Vito Tamulis.

The readers’ top 10

There were 2,302 ballots sent in. Thirty-six relievers received at least one vote, the most diverse ballot of all the positions. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. For those of you who were wondering, I make my choices before I tally your results. Here are your choices:

1. Kenley Jansen, 1,088 first-place votes, 22,027 points
2. Eric Gagné, 953 first-place votes, 21,575 points
3. Ron Perranoski, 153 first-place votes, 14,579 points
4. Mike Marshall, 90 first-place votes, 12,052 points
5. Jim Brewer, 9,659 points
6. Steve Howe, 5,868 points
7. Larry Sherry, 10 first-place votes, 5,732 points
8. Clem Labine, 4,017 points
9. Charlie Hough, 3,972 points
10. Jay Howell, 5 first-place votes, 3,965 points

The next 10: Phil Regan, Tom Niedenfuer, Blake Treinen, Todd Worrell, Jeff Shaw, Jonathan Broxton, Takashi Saito, Alejandro Peña, Joe Black, Evan Phillips.

Top 5 managers

Who are your top five Dodgers managers of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list, in order from 1 (your selection as the best) to 5 (the fifth best) to [email protected] and let me know. Remember, we are considering only what they did with the Dodgers.

Many of you have asked for a list of people to consider for each position. Here is every person who managed the Dodgers for at least 81 games:

Walter Alston, Billy Barnie, Charlie Byrne, Max Carey, Bill Dahlen, Chuck Dressen, Patsy Donovan, Leo Durocher, Charlie Ebbets, Dave Foutz, Burleigh Grimes, Ned Hanlon, Glenn Hoffman, Davey Johnson, Tommy Lasorda, Grady Little, Harry Lumley, Don Mattingly, Bill McGunnigle, Dave Roberts, Wilbert Robinson, Bill Russell, Burt Shotton, Casey Stengel, George Taylor, Joe Torre, Jim Tracy, John Ward.

And finally

Steve Howe gets the final out of the 1981 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. That beeping sound you hear is the Dodgers and Padres trying to back into the NL West title.

If you believe in foreshadowing, then the Dodgers’ loss on Saturday against the Orioles in not a good sign.

Here was my thought process as the game unfolded:

“Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a no-hitter in the ninth. He could be the true ace of the team. I hope he gets the no-no.”

“Oh, that’s too bad, losing the no-hitter and shutout on one pitch. Why didn’t Andy Pages make more of an attempt to catch that ball? It’s a no-hitter, you have to try harder than that.”

“With how bad the Dodgers’ bullpen has been, I’m not sure I’d take Yamamoto out. Give him one more batter.”

“At least they are bringing in Blake Treinen, not Tanner Scott. This game is well in hand.”

“Treinen doesn’t have it tonight. Maybe bring in Edgardo Henriquez or Jack Dreyer. Give Scott a mental rest from tough situations. Maybe Henriquez or Dreyer can give them a big boost psychologically by getting out of this.”

“Oh no, they are bringing in Scott.”

“Wow, one of the worst losses in recent memory. I’m afraid to look at my emails.”

By the way, to be fair to Pages, different angles showed there was no way he would have caught the ball unless he became Mr. Fantastic and could stretch his arms a few feet. Orioles staff working the area said it first landed about 18 inches higher that it appeared on TV. But at the time, you want to see the effort, don’t you? Dave Roberts had this to say to reporters: “I’d like to think that if there was any chance to make a play on a no-hitter play that you would just exhaust every effort. But again, I couldn’t tell, and I refuse to go back and look at it.” (I’m not so sure, “I refuse to go back and look at it,” is the best response from a manager.)

I remember a game where Shawn Green was in right field. I forget who the pitcher was, but he had a no-hitter going into the eighth inning, and the batter hit a liner to shallow right. Green came in and instead of diving, pulled up and played it on the bounce. Fans were irate with Green for not diving for the ball, even though he wouldn’t have caught it. But sometimes players and management forget that the fan at home lives vicariously through the players. Many fans watching had a dreams of playing pro baseball. And in the mind of the fan, we would dive for every ball. We would give 100% on every play! Whether that is realistic or not doesn’t matter. Players and management sometimes need to put themselves in the position of the fan.

You know, for the last few seasons, everything has seemingly gone right for the Dodgers. Most of the breaks went their way. They got a lot of key hits and great relief. This year, not so much. Is the magic gone?

But the most frustrating thing to me, is the lack of urgency, and a growing lack of hustle. Mookie Betts, who is the king of hustle, hit a ball off the wall in the ninth inning Sunday, and was held to a single when he didn’t run hard right out of the box. And this is the guy whose hustle put him on first base in the infamous fifth-inning Yankees meltdown, when pitcher Gerrit Cole failed to cover first. And I don’t mean to pick on just Betts. There is a lack of apparent hustle in the outfield going after balls. I get the sense, but don’t know, that Teoscar Hernández is still hurting from the bruised bone is his foot and strained groin he had earlier this season, because he built his career on hustle and it stopped happening soon after those injuries. But the lack of hustle is team wide. You don’t know what is in the heart or mind of a person, so to say they don’t care this year is unfair. You don’t reach the majors by not caring. But something is off.

Remember after the Dodgers won the World Series last season, and players said afterward that they knew they could beat the Yankees because of their weaknesses, lack of positioning and bad defense? Well, that’s how the Dodgers are playing right now. There are a lot of things to clean up.

So now what? Max Muncy should be back in the lineup today against Oakland. If he is still hitting like he did, then that is huge. He is the one Dodger to consistently work the count and make the pitcher put in a little extra effort. That has a cascading effect throughout the lineup. It should also remove one of the weaker hitters from the lineup.

Will Smith should be back in the lineup soon after bruising a bone in his hand when taking a foul tip off it. Hands are a key part of hitting, so a bone bruise (and it’s bad enough that the Dodgers said he will have to manage it the rest of the season) could hamper his swing. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Tyler Glasnow seems to have recovered from the tight back that caused him to miss his scheduled start Friday. Brock Stewart and Alex Vesia should be back to help, with Vesia perhaps coming back today. Tommy Edman should be back soon. All this should help.

People still tell me the Dodgers have no chance of winning the World Series this year. I tell those people they should be headed to Vegas and placing bets since they know what’s going to happen. If you asked me today, “Will the Dodgers win the World Series?” I’d say it looks unlikely the way they are playing. But, the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2006 World Series after finishing the season 83-78. The 1987 Minnesota Twins were 85-77. If we knew who was going to win, there’s be no reason the play the postseason at all.

Shohei Ohtani, closer?

Could Ohtani be moved to the bullpen?

Roberts: “There’s obviously thoughts about that. I can’t answer that question right now. But we’re going to do whatever we feel gives us the best chance to give us a chance to win. And I know Shohei would be open to whatever. We haven’t certainly made that decision.”

Wait, I figured it out

Last season, the Dodgers weren’t supposed to be champions because, while they had a great bullpen and a good offense, they had no starting pitching. They won anyway. This year, they want to prove that you can win with great starting pitcher, but no bullpen and an inconsistent offense.

The postseason

Here’s how the postseason race pans out after Monday’s games:

NL
1. Milwaukee, 89-55
2. Philadelphia, 83-60
3. Dodgers, 79-64

Wild-cards
4. Chicago, 81-62
5. San Diego, 78-65
6. New York, 76-67

7. San Francisco, 72-71
8. Cincinnati, 72-71

AL
1. Toronto, 82-61
2. Detroit, 82-62
3. Houston, 78-66

Wild-cards
4. New York, 80-63
5. Boston, 79-65
6. Seattle, 75-68

7. Texas, 74-70
8. Kansas City, 73-70
9. Cleveland, 72-70

The Dodgers have three games remaining with Philadelphia, which could be crucial in determining the No. 2 seed. Right now, the Phillies lead the season series, 2-1. Whoever wins the season series has the tiebreaker advantage. If they tie, 3-3, in games, then the second tiebreaker is record within their own division. Right now, the Dodgers are 26-13 against the West and the Phillies are 23-19 against the East.

The top two teams in each league get a first-round bye. The other four teams in each league play in the best-of-three wild-card round, with No. 3 hosting all three games against No. 6, and No. 4 hosting all three against No. 5.

The division winners are guaranteed to get the top three seeds, even if a wild-card team has a better record.

In the best-of-five second round, No. 1 hosts the No. 4-5 winner and No. 2 hosts the No. 3-6 winner. That way the No. 1 seed is guaranteed not to play a divisional winner until the LCS.

Up next

Monday: Colorado (Chase Dollander, 2-12, 6.77 ERA) at Dodgers (TBD), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Colorado (Germán Márquez, 3-12, 6.19 ERA) at Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 3-4, 3.19 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Colorado (*Kyle Freeland, 4-14, 5.10 ERA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 3.75 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Davey Johnson, former Dodgers manager who also guided Mets to title, dies at 82

Does anyone want to win the NL West? | Dodgers Debate

And finally

Mike Scioscia hits a key two-run homer during Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS. 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. The way I see it, the Dodgers needed to go 21-10 in their final 31 games to guarantee that they win the NL West (remember, they only have to tie the Padres), which means the Padres would have to go 22-9. Right now the Dodgers are 4-2, the Padres are 2-5.

Random thoughts

—The most frustrating thing about this year’s team is they seem to defeat themselves much more frequently than last year’s team. Baserunning mistakes. Fielding problems, with balls that seem to be catchable dropping. Going two or three games seemingly forgetting what makes them a great offense: working the count and tiring the pitcher. So, while I do believe in the importance of not taking any one loss too hard, the frustration can be understandable.

—Case in point, the Dodgers sweep Cincinnati, which is battling for a postseason spot, then almost get swept by Arizona, which is on the fringe of battling for a spot at best.

—The other thing to keep in mind: The Dodgers are defending World Series champions. For some teams, playing the Dodgers is their postseason. If they can play spoiler, they can hold their heads up just a little bit higher. Should the Dodgers respond? Sure. But the narrative that this is an underachieving franchise went away after last season’s title.

—Those of you hoping that the Dodgers would move Mookie Betts back to right field can stop rubbing your lucky rabbit’s foot. It didn’t work. “Mookie,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters, “will not go to right field…. When you’re talking about shortstop play, you’re looking for consistency, and I’ve just loved the consistency. He’s made every play he’s supposed to make, and then the last couple weeks, he’s made spectacular plays. He’s been a big part of preventing runs.“

—By the way, since Aug. 8, when a certain newsletter writer said Betts should move down in the order, he has hit .321/.398/.444.

—The Dodgers play Pittsburgh next. The Pirates have the third-worst record in the NL, so another trap series for the Dodgers.

—I still miss the Cool-a-Coo.

—The Dodgers were cruising along Sunday behind one of Yoshinobu Yamamoto‘s best starts in the majors (seven innings, one run, four hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts) when Tanner Scott came in and lost the entire three-run lead in the eighth inning.

Scott was signed to a four-year, $72-million deal during the offseason after he went 9-6 with a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves for the Marlins and Padres last season. It was his second strong season in a row and the signing was heralded as another example of the Dodgers outspending their opponents and ruining the game of baseball. Andrew Friedman had rarely shown a willingness to give a long, large deal to a reliever (and he probably will think twice before doing it again). Scott signed two days after the Dodgers landed Roki Sasaki and before they signed reliever Kirby Yates, sort of a triumvirate of sadness for the team this season.

“He’s someone that we have watched and admired from afar over the years and have tried to acquire multiple times,” general manager Brandon Gomes said at Scott’s introductory news conference. “Tanner possesses all of the qualities we value as an organization when looking to bring on a free agent.”

Roberts told Jack Harris just before the season began: “The fear in the batter’s box against him is certainly real,” he said of Scott, who pitched three scoreless innings in the NLDS and struck out Shohei Ohtani all four times he faced him. “I’m happy he’s on our side 1756824254,” Roberts added, comparing the quiet, bearded pitcher to an “assassin” on the mound.

So far, less like an “assassin” and more like Maxwell Smart.

This season, Scott is 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA. Last season, Scott blew only two saves. This season? Eight, which is second in the majors. Last season, he came in with 19 runners on base…. and none of them scored. That’s amazing! This season, two of nine runners he inherited have scored. Last season, he allowed 5.6 hits per nine innings. This season, 8.5.

So, what’s going to happen? Based on Dodgers history, nothing. The Dodgers don’t give up on players. They keep trotting them out there, hoping it will turn around. Sometimes it doesn’t work: Chris Taylor. Sometimes it works: Max Muncy.

So don’t be surprised if nothing happens. If they keep sending him out there, hoping he turns things around. This is how the Dodgers operate. Let’s not be surprised about it.

However, Roberts did say recently, “I just think that we’ve got to play the best players and that’s just the way it should be, right?… “Obviously Shohei is going to be playing. Mookie is going to be playing. But the point being is, we’ve got to ramp it up and we’ve got to be better. If some other guys deserve more opportunities, then they’re going to get them. That’s just the way it should be.”

By the way, Scott is one of the rare left-handed closers in history. There have been many great right-handed closers, but comparatively few left-handed. The best left-handed closers of all time were Billy Wagner, John Franco, Sparky Lyle and Randy Myers. Only seven of the top 50 all-time in saves were left-handed. That’s 14%. Historically, around 25% of pitchers in MLB history each year are left-handed.

Walker Buehler

Some fans were unhappy when the Dodgers didn’t make a real attempt to re-sign Walker Buehler after his postseason heroics. And while it’s true that Buehler does have that swagger that has been missing often this season with the team, it appears they made the right decision. The Boston Red Sox gave him a one-year, $21.05-million deal. Buehler went 7-7 with a 5.38 ERA and the Red Sox released him last week. After he cleared waivers, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and will join their rotation after making a start in the minors. Which leads me to my new nightmare: Game 7 of the NLCS, the Dodgers trail by one in the ninth inning. Bases loaded, one out. And who comes in to shut the Dodgers down and save the game?

By the way, if the Dodgers do tie the Padres for first in the NL West this season, you can thank Buehler for the Padres not getting that one extra win they needed. Buehler’s best start this season came on Aug. 8 at San Diego when he pitched six shutout innings against the Padres. It was Buehler’s last win this season.

It’s never fun to see a storied Dodger fail, no matter where he goes. Hopefully Buehler can recapture his old magic at some point and have a long, good career. Just not against the Dodgers.

Notes

—The Dodgers activated Hyeseong Kim and Michael Kopech from the IL on Monday, bringing their roster to the 28 allowed in September.

—The Dodgers signed pitcher Andrew Heaney, who had been released by Pittsburgh. Heaney, a left-hander, is 5-10 with a 5.39 ERA this season. He was signed in time to be postseason eligible if need be. He was sent to triple-A Oklahoma City. Heaney had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022 with the Dodgers, when he went 4-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 14 starts. It’s hard to see exactly where he fits in on this team, but if injuries crop up, he could contribute.

—Max Muncy’s return was delayed after he came down with some sort of cold or flu. He should be back during the next homestand.

—Since moving to the bullpen at Oklahoma City, Bobby Miller has given up eight hits in 12.2 innings, walking seven and striking out 14 with an ERA of 3.68.

—The Padres were dealt a tough injury Sunday when reliever Jason Adam suffered a ruptured tendon in his left quadriceps and will be out for the season. Adam was their primary setup man and was 8-3 with a 1.81 ERA this season.

A different race

The race for the NL batting title is going to be interesting to follow. Here are the top seven after Monday’s games:

Trea Turner, Philadelphia, .301 (.300 over last week)
Freddie Freeman, .300 (.235)
Sal Frelick, Milwaukee, .298 (.269)
Will Smith, .293 (.167)
Ketel Marte, Arizona, .290 (.316)
Brice Turang, Milwaukee, .2888 (.300)
Nico Hoerner, Chicago, .2886 (.263)

Dropping out of the top seven since we last checked: Geraldo Perdomo. Joining the list: Turang.

The postseason

Here’s how the postseason race pans out after Monday’s games:

NL
1. Milwaukee, 85-54
2. Philadelphia, 80-58
3. Dodgers, 78-59

Wild-cards
4. Chicago, 79-59
5. San Diego, 76-62
6. New York, 74-64

7. Cincinnati, 70-68
8. San Francisco, 69-69

AL
1. Detroit, 80-59
2. Toronto, 79-59
3. Houston, 76-62

Wild-cards
4. New York, 76-61
5. Boston, 77-62
6. Seattle, 73-65

7. Texas, 72-67
8. Kansas City, 70-67
9. Cleveland, 68-68

The Dodgers have three games remaining with Philadelphia, which could be crucial in determining the No. 2 seed. Right now, the Phillies lead the season series, 2-1. Whoever wins the season series has the tiebreaker advantage. If they tie, 3-3, in games, then the second tiebreaker is record within their own division. Right now, the Dodgers are 26-13 against the West and the Phillies are 23-19 against the East.

The top two teams in each league get a first-round bye. The other four teams in each league play in the best-of-three wild-card round, with No. 3 hosting all three games against No. 6, and No. 4 hosting all three against No. 5.

The division winners are guaranteed to get the top three seeds, even if a wild-card team has a better record.

In the best-of-five second round, No. 1 hosts the No. 4-5 winner and No. 2 hosts the No. 3-6 winner. That way the No. 1 seed is guaranteed not to play a divisional winner until the LCS.

Up next

Tuesday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 9-2, 3.06 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Carmen Mlodzinski, 3-2, 1.97 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 4.18 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Braxton Ashcroft, 3-7, 3.86 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Thursday: Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 3-3, 2.41 ERA) at Pittsburgh (Paul Skenes, 9-9, 2.05 ERA), 3:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Hernández: Everyone can stop wondering. Mookie Betts isn’t moving back to right field

State legislators heed L.A. mayor and council, spurn McCourt on gondola legislation

Bookie linked to Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter sentenced to prison

And finally

Steve Yeager hits a three-run homer during the 1977 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. The way I see it, the Dodgers needed to go 21-10 in their final 31 games to win the NL West (remember, they only have to tie the Padres), which meant the Padres would have to go 22-9. Right now the Dodgers are 3-0, the Padres are 1-2.

The Dodgers made a couple of changes since the last newsletter. Kiké Hernández was activated from the IL, which brings to an end the Buddy Kennedy era of the Dodgers. He was designated for assignment.

The Dodgers also activated relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates from the IL. If they return and pitch like they did last season, then it’s like the Dodgers acquired two great relievers at the trade deadline. We’ll have to wait and see. To make room for Scott and Yates, reliever Matt Sauer was sent to the minors and Blake Snell was added to the paternity list.

Snell spent a couple of days on the paternity list then was activated when the Dodgers put reliever Alex Vesia on the IL. Vesia has a strained right oblique, which is the same thing sidelining Max Muncy. The external oblique muscle is one of the outer abdominal muscles, extending from the lower half of the ribs around and down to the pelvis. These guys wouldn’t strain their obliques if they would insulate them in a nice layer or two of fat like I have.

Freddie Freeman is dealing with a neck issue, Alex Call has a sore back.

Right now, the Dodgers 26-man roster is:

Pitchers
*Anthony Banda
Ben Casparius
*Jack Dreyer
Tyler Glasnow
Edgardo Henriquez
*Clayton Kershaw
*Tanner Scott
Emmet Sheehan
*Blake Snell
Blake Treinen
*Justin Wrobleski
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Kirby Yates

*-left-handed

Two-way players
Shohei Ohtani

Catchers
Dalton Rushing
Will Smith

Infielders
Mookie Betts
Alex Freeland
Freddie Freeman
Kiké Hernández
Miguel Rojas

Outfielders
Alex Call
Michael Conforto
Justin Dean
Teoscar Hernández
Andy Pages

Beginning Monday, clubs can expand their rosters to 28, with no more than 14 pitchers. The Dodgers have the following players who could be coming off the IL in September: Vesia, Muncy, reliever Michael Kopech, pitcher Roki Sasaki, utility players Hyeseong Kim and Tommy Edman.

If all six of them are activated, which four players from the current roster go bye bye? Wrobelski, Dean. Who else? Or will there be an injury or two to open a spot? (Knowing the Dodgers, probably.) Which 26 players will make the postseason roster? Who will be the starting pitchers in the postseason?

It will be interesting to watch.

A different view

Once again, in the quest to give you some different voices to hear from during the season, I have reached out to Clint Pasillas, the host and creator of “All Dodgers,” a (mostly) daily YouTube live podcast (you can watch it here), and co-host of “Dodgers Territory” with Alanna Rizzo on the Foul Territory Network (you can watch it here). He’s been writing about, talking about, tweeting about the Dodgers online since 2008.

This interview was conducted via email.

Q. How did you become a Dodger fan?

Pasillas: Simply put, I became a diehard fan by going to my first game. It wasn’t an important game by any stretch of the imagination — Dodgers vs Marlins in some mostly meaningless late-August game in 2002. Up to that point, I had watched the team off and on when games were on KTLA 5 for years. But going to that first game… showing up late (like a true Dodger fan) and hearing this insane roar of the crowd from the stadium through my rolled down window in my car while looking to find spot in the parking lot. In that moment, I was hooked.

That crowd roar, by the way, was a Dodger homer off the bat of Mike Kinkade. The Dodgers won it on a walk-off that night. Shawn Green doubled home Adrian Beltré. Good times!

Q. How important do you think it is for the Dodgers to win the NL West this season?

Pasillas: I feel like it’s massive. Avoiding a short wild-card series will do wonders for my heart, for one. Of course, it’ll also be beneficial to get some rest after the grind of 162. At least now that the Dodgers have seemingly cracked the code to surviving those five days off. Plus, lining up the rotation the way they want never hurts.

Quieting Padres fans is a fun reason to win the division as well.

Q. A genie grants your wish and says you are the owner of the Dodgers and can make three immediate changes. What changes do you make? And keep in mind it doesn’t have to be player changes.

Pasillas: If I have a genie, I’m assuming I’m already immensely wealthy (having used a wish on mad cash). So, making money to me wouldn’t be as critical in this hypothetical. With that set up out of the way, as the magic, genie-wielding owner of the Dodgers, I would make the ballpark experience affordable for fans again. Parking prices down. Ticket prices reasonable. Concessions not insane. Is that three wishes or four?

Q. If the postseason started tomorrow, and assuming all the players who are expected back from the IL do come back from the IL, what would be your 26-man postseason roster?

Pasillas:

Pitchers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (rotation)
Blake Snell (rotation)
Shohei Ohtani (rotation)
Clayton Kershaw (rotation)
Anthony Banda
Ben Casparius
Jack Dreyer
Tyler Glasnow
Edgardo Henriquez
Michael Kopech
Tanner Scott
Emmet Sheehan
Blake Treinen
Alex Vesia
(Sorry, Kirby)

Position Players
DH Shohei Ohtani
C Will Smith
1B Freddie Freeman
2B Kiké Hernandez
3B Max Muncy
SS Mookie Betts
LF Teoscar Hernandez
CF Tommy Edman
RF Andy Pages
Bench Dalton Rushing
Bench Miguel Rojas
Bench Hyeseong Kim
Bench Alex Call

Q. When would you have given up on Michael Conforto?

Pasillas: January 26, 1986, when the Bears won the Super Bowl (shout out Chris Farley for that one). My real answer… likely June?

Q. Who are your three favorites to win the World Series?

Pasillas: Dodgers in 5, Dodgers in 4, Dodgers in 6.

A different race

The race for the NL batting title is going to be interesting to follow. Here are the top seven after Thursday’s games:

Freddie Freeman, .302 (.292 over last seven days)
Trea Turner, Philadelphia, .299 (.185)
Sal Frelick, Milwaukee, .298 (.280)
Will Smith, .295 (.118)
Nico Hoerner, Chicago, .290 (.318)
Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona, .290 (.429)
Ketel Marte, Arizona, .289 (.238)

Dropping out of the top seven since we last checked: Manny Machado, Xavier Edwards. Joining the list: Perdomo and Marte.

The postseason

Here’s how the postseason race pans out after Thursday’s games.

NL
1. Milwaukee, 83-52
2. Philadelphia, 77-57
3. Dodgers, 77-57

wild-cards
4. Chicago, 76-58
5. San Diego, 75-59
6. New York, 72-62

7. Cincinnati, 68-66
8. San Francisco, 66-68

AL
1. Toronto, 78-56
2. Detroit, 78-57
3. Houston, 74-60

wild-cards
4. Boston, 75-60
5. New York, 74-60
6. Seattle, 72-62

7. Kansas City, 69-65
8. Texas, 68-67
9. Cleveland, 66-66

The Dodgers have three games remaining with Philadelphia, which could be crucial in determining the No. 2 seed. Right now, the Phillies lead the season series, 2-1. Whoever wins the season series has the tiebreaker advantage. If they tie, 3-3, in games, then the second tiebreaker is record within their own division. Right now, the Dodgers are 25-11 against the West and the Phillies are 21-18 against the East.

The top two teams in each league get a first-round bye. The other four teams in each league play in the best-of-three wild-card round, with No. 3 hosting all three games against No. 6, and No. 4 hosting all three against No. 5.

The division winners are guaranteed to get the top three seeds, even if a wild-card team has a better record.

In the best-of-five second round, No. 1 hosts the No. 4-5 winner and No. 2 hosts the No. 3-6 winner. That way the No. 1 seed is guaranteed not to play a divisional winner until the LCS.

Comparing the innings

Just to show you how much baseball can change even in a period as short as 10 years, let’s look at the Dodgers innings-pitched leaders every 10 years starting in 1965:

1965
Sandy Koufax, 335.2 (8.14 innings per start)
Don Drysdale, 308.1 (7.32)
Claude Osteen, 287 (7.18)

Dodgers used 12 pitchers and had 58 complete games.

1975
Andy Messersmith, 321.2 (7.98)
Doug Rau, 257.2 (6.78)
Don Sutton, 254.1 (7.27)

Dodgers used 14 pitchers and had 51 complete games.

1985
Fernando Valenzuela, 272.1 (7.78)
Orel Hershiser, 239.2 (6.90)
Jerry Reuss, 212.2 (6.38)

Dodgers used 14 pitchers and had 37 complete games.

1995
Ramón Martínez, 206.1 (6.88)
Ismael Valdéz, 197.2 (6.96)
Hideo Nomo, 191.1 (6.83)

Dodgers used 21 pitchers and had 16 complete games

2005
Jeff Weaver, 224 (6.59)
Derek Lowe, 222 (6.34)
Brad Penny, 175.1 (6.05)

Dodgers used 20 pitchers and had six complete games

2015
Clayton Kershaw, 232.2 (7.1 innings per start)
Zack Greinke, 222.2 (6.94)
Brett Anderson, 180.1 (5.81

Dodgers used 31 pitchers and had six complete games.

2025
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 139.2 (5.59)
Dustin May, 104 (5.52)
Clayton Kershaw, 88.1 (5.2)

Dodgers have used 39 pitchers and have no complete games.

Odd stat alert

Will Smith has more sacrifice flies since 2020 than any other player in the majors.

1. Smith, 41
2. Eugenio Suarez, 40
3. Xander Bogaerts, 35
4. Cody Bellinger, 33
4. Ryan Mountcastle, 33

The next highest Dodger is Freddie Freeman, tied for 18th place with 27

The new schedule is here!

You hopefully read that headline for this topic in the same manner as Steve Martin when the new phone book arrived in “The Jerk.”

The 2026 Dodgers schedule was released earlier this week. They open at home on March 26 against Arizona and their final game is Sept. 24 against San Diego before they close the season with three games at San Francisco. No game times have been announced, but you can check out the schedule by clicking here.

Up next

Friday: Arizona (Zac Gallen, 9-13, 5.13 ERA) at Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 3-2, 1.97 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Arizona (*Eduardo Rodriguez, 5-8, 5.67 ERA) at Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 1-2, 3.36 ERA), 6:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Arizona (Brandon Pfaadt, 12-8, 5.24 ERA) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 11-8, 2.90 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Dodgers draft pick Sam Horn is also competing for Missouri’s starting quarterback job

Shaikin: How Shohei Ohtani turned the Dodgers into a global entertainment gateway

Shaikin: The National League has one .300 hitter. What’s up with that?

BTS singer V surprises broadcasters at Dodger Stadium by being athletic

10 things to know about the Dodgers’ 2026 schedule. When do they play the Padres?

MLB relief pitcher of the year award to honor an essential role — just ask the Dodgers

And finally

Rick Monday hits a clutch home run against Montreal in Game 5 of the 1981 NLCS. 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Here’s a bonus edition of the newsletter as we continue to look at the top 10 Dodgers at each position.

Top 10 right fielders

Here are my picks for the top 10 right fielders in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player’s name to be taken to the baseball-reference.com page with all their stats.

1. Carl Furillo (1946-60, .299/.355/.458, 112 OPS+, two-time All-Star)

“The Reading Rifle” led the NL in batting average at .344 in 1953, the second of his two All-Star seasons with the Dodgers. He finished sixth in MVP voting in 1949 when he hit .322 with 27 doubles, 10 triples, 18 homers and 106 RBIs. He was a good fielder with a great arm, racking up 24 assists in 1951, more than earning his nickname.

Nobody knew how to play the right-field wall at Ebbets Field like Furillo. The wall was 19 feet high, with a 19-foot screen on top. The screen was vertical, the wall was slightly angled, so balls would ricochet off in strange directions.

Furillo described how he played the wall. “Will it hit above the cement and hit the screen? Then you run like hell toward the wall, because it’s gonna drop dead. Will it hit the cement? Then you gotta run like hell to the infield, because it’s gonna come shooting out. The angles were crazy.”

He was a steady player for the Dodgers for years and played in seven World Series with the team, including the 1955 and 1959 title teams. Years later, in the book “Bums” by Peter Golenbock, Furillo talked about what it meant to win that 1955 World Series: “Oh God, that was the thrill of all thrills. I never in my life seen a town go so wild. You did it for yourself, too, but you did it for the people.” The Dodgers released Furillo during the 1960 season and he moved back east. He helped install the elevators in the World Trade Center buildings. On Jan. 21, 1989, he died of heart failure at the age of 75.

2. Mookie Betts (2020-current, .278/.363/.503, 136 OPS+, four-time All-Star, two Gold Gloves)

You could make an argument for Betts to be No. 1. I went with the longer Dodger career. Moving him to shortstop remains a mistake for now. Maybe at some point it pays off, but not yet.

3. Babe Herman (1926-31, 1945, .339/.396/.557, 144 OPS+)

Babe Herman was a great hitter and a lousy fielder who will always be remembered for doubling into a double play. On Aug. 15, 1926, the Dodgers were playing the Boston Braves. With one out and the bases loaded, Herman launched a flyball to right that looked like it would be caught, but it hit the wall. The runner on third scored, but the runner on second, Dazzy Vance, rounded third and stopped, unsure if the ball had been caught. The runner on first, Chick Fewster, saw Vance round third and assumed he was going to score, so Fewster rounded second and continued to third, where he met the confused Vance. Meanwhile Herman, head down all the way, came sliding into third with what he thought was a triple. The base belonged to Vance, so Fewster and Herman were tagged out, inning over. What often gets overlooked, the run Herman did knock in turned out to be the winning run in the game. It also led to a story, possibly apocryphal, of a Brooklyn man hailing a cab. The driver has the Dodgers game on the radio and the passenger asks “What’s going on with the Dodgers?” the driver answers “they have three men on” and the passenger responds, “Oh yeah? Which base?”

Also, Herman played so well that season that the Dodgers released aging future Hall of Famer Zack Wheat, convinced Herman could replace him.

Herman’s best season came in 1930, when he hit .393 with 48 doubles, 11 triples, 35 homers and 130 RBIs. Tempering those numbers a bit is the fact the entire league hit .303 in 1930 and despite those lofty numbers, Herman amazingly didn’t lead the league in anything. Herman led the team in homers in RBIs in 1931 and hit for the cycle twice. He got into a salary dispute after the season and the Dodgers traded him to Cincinnati. He left the majors after the 1937 season but in 1945, with the Dodgers in a pennant race and players scarce because of the war, general manager Branch Rickey asked Herman, who had been playing in the Pacific Coast League, if he would like to return to the Dodgers. Herman, 42, said sure and hit .265 with a double, homer and nine RBIs in 34 at-bats. He retired for good and became a long-time scout for various teams. Babe Herman died in Glendale on Nov. 27, 1987 at age 84.

4. Reggie Smith (1976-81, .297/.387/.528, 152 OPS+, three-time All-Star)

Reggie Jackson got the headlines, but the best Reggie in right field from 1977-78 was Reggie Smith. Which seems appropriate, because Steve Garvey got the headlines on the Dodgers even though Smith was a better player those two years, finishing fourth in MVP voting both seasons and leading the league in OB% in 1977 with an amazing .427 mark. That season, he hit .307 with 32 homers and 87 RBIs and scored 104 runs. And you didn’t mess with Smith or one of his teammates while he was with the Dodgers. In 1981, the Dodgers were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates when their pitcher, Pascaul Perez, hit Bill Russell with a pitch. The Dodgers demanded that Perez, who had a reputation of throwing at batters, be warned. The umpires refused. A couple of batters later, Perez hit Dusty Baker. Smith leveled a series of threats and profanities at Perez. After the inning, Perez motioned to Smith that he would meet him under the stands. The two players raced up their respective dugout tunnels and met behind home plate, under the stands. On TV, all we saw was both dugouts emptied as players from both teams also raced up the tunnels. It looked as if everyone had vanished. Amazingly, no one was ejected, and Perez even pitched the next inning. The Dodgers won the game. Smith left the majors after the 1982 season and played two years in Japan. He worked for the Dodgers as a coach, was the hitting coach for the 2000 gold-medal winning U.S. baseball team and is probably best known for his youth baseball camp and the Reggie Smith Baseball Center in Encino.

5. Dixie Walker (1939-47, .311/.386/.441, 129 OPS+, four-time All-Star)

Walker played for 18 seasons in the majors but had his greatest success with Brooklyn, leading the league in hitting in 1944 (.357) and in RBIs in 1945 (124). Nicknamed “The People’s Choice,” he was extremely popular among Brooklyn fans, but now is mostly remembered for trying to keep Jackie Robinson from joining the team. He was among a group of Dodgers in spring training of 1947 who petitioned the team not to put Robinson on the team and, when they did, Walker asked Rickey for a trade. Walker and Robinson did their best to avoid each other during the season, and after the season, Walker credited Robinson for much of the team’s success. Robinson also credited Walker for giving him a batting tip early in the season. Years later, in an interview with Roger Kahn, Walker said “I organized that petition in 1947, not because I had anything against Robinson personally. … I had a wholesale business in Birmingham and people told me I’d lose my business if I played ball with a Black man.” Walker apologized and added “A person learns, and you begin to change with the times.” After the 1947 season, the Dodgers traded Walker to Pittsburgh for Billy Cox, Gene Mauch and Preacher Roe. Walker was a batting coach for the Dodgers from 1968 to 1974 and died of colon cancer in 1982 at age 71.

6. Shawn Green (2000-04, .280/.366/.510, 130 OPS+, one-time All-Star)

Green played in only five seasons with the team, but one of those years included perhaps the greatest offensive game by a Dodger. On May 23, 2002 in Milwaukee, Green hit four home runs, a double and a single, drove in seven runs and scored six runs. Green became a hero to many in the Jewish community the season before, when he ended his consecutive games played streak at 415 games in order to observe Yom Kippur. “I felt like it was the right thing to do. … I didn’t do this to gain approval. I thought it was the right example to set for Jewish kids, a lot of whom don’t like to go to synagogue,” Green said. Green was also known for giving away his batting gloves to a kid in the stands after every home run. He talked about how Vin Scully was the impetus for that when Green took part on our “Ask…” series. You can read that here. The Dodgers traded Green to Arizona before the 2005 season for Dioner Navarro and three minor leaguers. He played three more seasons in the majors and retired at age 34.

7. Andre Ethier (2006-17, .285/.359/.463, 122 OPS+, two-time All-Star, one Gold Glove)

On Dec. 13, 2005, the Dodgers made one of their best trades ever when they sent Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez to Oakland for Ethier, who became their starting right fielder for the next 10 seasons and put himself on many all-time top 10 lists in L.A. Dodger history. You knew what you were going to get from Ethier every season: A .280-.290 average with about 20 homers and 80 RBIs. He was the first Dodger to have at least 30 doubles in seven consecutive seasons. It was 2009 when Ethier became a fan favorite. He had six walk-off hits that season, four of them home runs. He played in a then-franchise record 51 postseason games and drove in the Dodgers’ only run in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. It was his final appearance as a Dodger, as he retired before the 2018 season after two injury-marred seasons.

8. Raúl Mondesi (1993-99, .288/.334/.504, 122 OPS+, one-time All-Star, two Gold Gloves, 1994 NL rookie of the year)

Mondesi is sort of the original Yasiel Puig. He was an exciting player to watch who played Gold Glove-level defense in right, but also made a lot of baserunning mistakes and wasn’t always popular with his teammates. He was named NL rookie of the year in 1994 after hitting .306 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs and in 1997 became the first Dodger to join the 30-30 club when he hit 30 homers and stole 32 bases. He was traded to Toronto after the 1999 season along with Pedro Borbon for Shawn Green and bounced around the majors after that, with his career ending in 2005. He was elected mayor of his hometown, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, in 2010 and in 2017 was sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption and mishandling of public funds while mayor. His son played seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals.

9. Willie Crawford (1964-75, .268/.351/.413, 118 OPS+)

Crawford is one of those guys who was good at a lot of things but not great at anything, and those types of players tend to be overlooked. But you need players like that every year in order to win. Crawford first played for L.A. as a 17-year-old in 1964 and had his best season in 1973, when he hit .295/.396/.453 with 14 homers and 66 RBIs. He was solid defensively, playing more shallow than most right fielders to cut down on bloop singles and relying on his speed to catch any balls hit over him. “He was big and powerful, and he could hit a ball as far as anybody. Boy, was he something,” Tommy Lasorda once said of Crawford, who the Dodgers signed out of Fremont High. Crawford was signed out of high school for $100,000, and the rules at the time said if you signed for at least that much, you had to stay on the major league roster for a season, which hampered his development. In 1965, the 19-year-old Crawford got a World Series ring for being on the Dodgers roster, but he batted only 27 times in the regular season. In his first four seasons as a Dodger, he played in 72 games. He was a productive player for many years and retired after the 1977 season. Crawford died of kidney disease at age 57 in 2004. You can read more about him here.

10. Willie Keeler (1893, 1899-1902, .352/.389/.425, 130 OPS+)

How long ago did Keeler play? He retired 115 years ago. He died 102 years ago. He was one of the biggest stars of 19th-century baseball, known for his hitting philosophy of “I hit ‘em where they ain’t,” referring to fielders. He holds the Dodger record for career batting average, a record that seems unlikely to be broken. He was starring with Baltimore when, in essence, the two teams fell under the same ownership group and decided to put all the best players, including Keeler, on Brooklyn. Keeler was born in Brooklyn, so he was elated, as it also allowed him to live with his mother, who was very ill. Brooklyn was the best team in the National League in 1899 and 1900, but there was no World Series, so that’s about as far as it went. He signed with the New York Highlanders (who eventually became the Yankees) in 1903 for $11,000, becoming the first player to be paid at least $10,000.

He retired after the 1910 season. He was well off financially, but a series of bad investments led to him becoming virtually penniless. He was so popular, players in both leagues donated money, and he was presented with a check for $5,000 in 1921. He died of endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart) in 1923.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

The readers’ top 10

1,317 ballots were sent in. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. For those of you who were wondering, I make my choices before I tally your results. Here are your choices:

1. Mookie Betts, 659 first-place votes, 12,143 points
2. Carl Furillo, 421 first-place votes, 9,719 points
3. Reggie Smith, 53 first-place votes, 7,481 points
4. Shawn Green, 7,006 points
5. Andre Ethier, 12 first-place votes, 5,900 points
6. Babe Herman, 47 first-place votes, 5,479 points
7. Raúl Mondesi, 4,978 points
8. Dixie Walker, 10 first-place votes, 4,636 points
9. Frank Howard, 7 first-place votes, 3,108 points
10. Ron Fairly, 2,529 points

The next five: Willie Keeler, Frank Robinson, Yasiel Puig, Hack Wilson, Mike Marshall.

Top 10 starting pitchers

Who are your top 10 Dodgers right fielders of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know. Remember, we are considering only what they did with the Dodgers.

Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the strongest starting pitcher candidates, in alphabetical order.

Tim Belcher, Chad Billingsley, Ralph Branca, Kevin Brown, Bob Caruthers, Watty Clark, Al Downing, Don Drysdale, Carl Erskine, Zack Greinke, Burleigh Grimes, Orel Hershiser, Burt Hooton, Tommy John, Brickyard Kennedy, Clayton Kershaw, Sandy Koufax, Tim Leary, Ramón Martínez, Rube Marquard, Andy Messersmith, Van Lingle Mungo, Don Newcombe, Hideo Nomo, Claude Osteen, Chan Ho Park, Jeff Pfeffer, Johnny Podres, Doug Rau, Jerry Reuss, Preacher Roe, Nap Rucker, Bill Singer, Sherry Smith, Ed Stein, Don Sutton, Adonis Terry, Fernando Valenzuela, Dazzy Vance, Bob Welch, Whit Wyatt.

And finally

Reggie Smith homers in the 1977 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Here we are, right back where we started.

You play 131 games only to end up where you were before Game 1 began: tied with the Padres. OK, technically, the Dodgers are in first place right now because they hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Padres. But it feels like a tie.

Before we get to the main topic here, there are a couple of points worth mentioning, with all due respect to the players involved:

Unless there is an injury involved, Buddy Kennedy should not be starting any games over Alex Freeland or Miguel Rojas. Let’s look at those numbers, shall we?

Kennedy: .069/.156/.103, -26 OPS+
Freeland: .226/.342/.387, 104 OPS+
Rojas: .252/.313/.388, 95 OPS+

And, in case you are a big Kennedy fan and are hollering “small sample size” right now, let’s take a look at those career numbers

Kennedy: .178/.271/.274, 54 OPS+
Freeland: .226/.342/.387, 104 OPS+
Rojas: .259/.313/.361, 85 OPS+

And it’s not like Kennedy is Ozzie Smith with the glove out there, while Rojas makes plays like this one from last week. Freeland hasn’t played much, but he was ranked as their No. 3 prospect, so there’s little reason to play Kennedy over him.

—Michael Conforto has gotten plenty of runway now. Time for him to hit the bench and for Alex Call to play every day. There are 161 players who have at least 400 plate appearances this season. Where does Conforto rank among those players? Let’s look:

Batting average
158. Ryan McMahon, NYY, .216
159. Anthony Volpe, NYY, .208
160. Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh, .207
161. Michael Conforto, Dodgers, .183

Not only is Conforto last, he is 24 points behind the next-worst player.

On-base%
151. Michael Conforto, Dodgers, .293
158. Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers, .277
159. Anthony Volpe, NYY, .274
160. Michael Harris II, Atlanta, .273
161. Adolis Garcia, Texas, .270

Gee, two Dodgers in the bottom 10. Perhaps Hernández didn’t want Conforto to feel so bad.

Slugging %
158. Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee, .328
159. Ke’Bryan Hayes, Cincinnati, .317
160. Michael Conforto, Dodgers, .314
161. Victor Scott II, St. Louis, .312

Last. 151st. Next to last. That’s not good.

OPS+
158. Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee, 72
159. Matt McLain, Cincinnati, 71
160. Michael Conforto, Dodgers, 70
161. Ke’Bryan Hayes, Cincinnati, 70

WAR (which also factors in defense)
158. Agustín Ramírez, Miami, -0.2
159. Eric Wagaman, Miami, -0.6
160. Michael Conforto, Dodgers, -0.9
161. Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia, -1.1

So, please, he might be the nicest guy in the history of the universe and I know he’s getting paid $17 million, but it’s not like you have to pay him more if you don’t play him. Until Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández get back, let’s send Call out. I don’t care what hand the pitcher throws with.

With the two teams tied with 31 games remaining, let’s do a few more comparisons:

Longest winning streak
Dodgers, 8
Padres, 7

Longest losing streak
Dodgers, 7
Padres, 6

Most runs scored
Dodgers, 19
Padres, 21

Most runs allowed
Dodgers, 18
Padres, 14

Times shut out
Dodgers, 6
Padres, 8

Times opponent was shut out
Dodgers, 6
Padres, 15

Comeback wins
Dodgers, 40
Padres, 33

Walkoff wins
Dodgers, 8
Padres, 6

Walkoff losses
Dodgers, 7
Padres, 6

Run differential
Dodgers, +94
Padres, +57

Home
Dodgers, 41-24, .631
Padres, 43-22, .662

Road
Dodgers, 33-33, .500
Padres, 31-35, .470

Before the All-Star break
Dodgers, 58-39, .598
Padres, 52-44, .542

After the All-Star break
Dodgers, 16-18, .471
Padres, 22-13, .629

Extra-inning games
Dodgers, 7-5, .583
Padres, 6-4, .600

One-run games
Dodgers, 21-20, .512
Padres, 26-19, .578

Games decided by 5+ runs
Dodgers, 21-9, .700
Padres, 18-14, .563

Interleague
Dodgers, 23-19, .548
Padres, 16-20, .444

vs. NL West
Dodgers, 25-11, .694
Padres, 24-18, .571

So what’s going to happen? No idea. Will the Dodgers’ offense remain erratic? Will the bullpen improve? Will the Padres get even better (because they have holes too)? I don’t what’s going to happen over the next 31 games. No one does. So don’t give in to pessimism or false hope. Enjoy each game as it happens. Get frustrated at times, sure. But these next 31 games will be exciting. A division race that comes down to the wire. It doesn’t get any better than that.

An interesting race

The race for the NL batting title is going to be interesting to follow. Here are the leaders after Sunday’s games:

Freddie Freeman, .302
Trea Turner, Philadelphia, .300
Sal Frelick, Milwaukee, .298
Will Smith, .297
Manny Machado, San Diego, .292
Xavier Edwards, Miami, .291
Nico Hoerner, Chicago, .291

Smith was leading the NL for quite a while this season, but the rigors of playing catcher have caught up to him, as he is hitting just .158 in August (9 for 57). That’s not meant as a criticism. Playing catcher is taxing, especially in the heat, and we’ve had a lot of warm nights in Los Angeles this month. The hope was that by releasing Austin Barnes and bringing up Dalton Rushing, the Dodgers could give Smith more days off, which they have, but it hasn’t helped.

In major league history, a catcher has won the batting title only seven times (Bubbles Hargrave in 1926, Ernie Lombardi in 1938 and 1942, Buster Posey in 2012 and Joe Mauer in 2006, 2008 and 2009.) All the foul balls you take off your body also take a tremendous toll.

Will Freeman hold on to win? Will Turner win another batting title? Tune in next week to find the answers, same Bat-time, same Bat-… wait wrong show.

And isn’t it amazing that only two players who qualify for the title are hitting .300?

Up next

Monday: Cincinnati (Hunter Greene, 5-3, 2.63 ERA) at Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 4-2, 4.17 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Cincinnati (Nick Martinez, 10-9, 4.59 ERA) at Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 8-2, 3.13 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Cincinnati (Zack Littell, 9-8, 3.62 ERA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-1, 4.61 ERA), 5:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Shaikin: The Padres aren’t dead, and the Dodgers have plenty to lose in baseball’s best rivalry

News Analysis: The Dodgers have an outfield problem. But do they have the options to fix it?

Dalton Rushing knows ‘main focus is catching,’ but first base also on his mind

And finally

Lou Johnson homers in Game 7 of the 1965 World Series to give the Dodgers the lead. 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. The Dodgers play an important series against the Padres this weekend. It seems like that just happened.

Well, here we are again. The Dodgers vs. the Padres. Last time, the Padres had a one-game lead on the Dodgers. This time, the Dodgers have a one-game lead on the Padres after splitting the series against the Rockies, while the Padres won three of four against the Giants.

Last time, the games were at Dodger Stadium. This time, Petco Park. Expect Padres fans to be loud and waving towels in support of their team. How will the Dodgers respond?

These are also the final three times the teams play each other this regular season. The Dodgers are 8-2 against the Padres, so no matter what happens, the Dodgers will hold the tiebreaker if the two finish with the same record.

Watching the Dodgers sweep the Padres last weekend, then lose two to the lowly Rockies, brings up the question: How have the Dodgers fared against teams with winning and losing records this season? We did this just before the All-Star break, but let’s update it with a twist: How have the Padres done in those situations? Let’s look.

The Dodgers’ overall winning percentage is .570

Dodgers against winning teams (.500+)
29-28, .509

against losing teams
44-27, .620

How does that compare to the Padres?

The Padres’ overall winning percentage is .563

Padres against winning teams
33-34, .493

Padres against losing teams
39-22, .639

Last season, the Dodgers were 51-41 (.554) against winning teams and 47-23 (.671) against losing teams. They won 98 games. This season, they are on pace to win 92.

So, what is the schedule like the rest of the way for the two teams after this Sunday? Let’s take a look

Dodgers
against winning teams
vs. Cincinnati, 3
vs. Colorado, 3
vs. Philadelphia, 3
at Seattle, 3

against losing teams
vs. Arizona, 3
at Arizona, 3
at Pittsburgh, 3
at Baltimore, 3
at San Francisco, 3
vs. San Francisco, 4

Padres
against winning teams
at Seattle, 3
vs. Cincinnati, 3
at NY Mets, 3
vs. Milwaukee, 3

against losing teams
at Minnesota, 3
vs. Baltimore, 3
at Colorado, 3
vs. Colorado, 4
at Chicago White Sox, 3
vs. Arizona, 3

Both teams have 12 games left against teams that currently have a winning record and 19 against teams with a losing record. However, the Padres have 10 games left against the two worst teams in baseball, the Rockies and the White Sox. And the Dodgers have seven games with the Giants, who would love to play spoiler.

It’s going to be an interesting ride to the end of the season. Being a wild-card in the postseason is not fun, so the Dodgers need to avoid that.

That’s it?

You’ve gotten a lot of long newsletters the last couple of weeks, so we’ll keep this one short. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. A couple of things to clean up though: Buddy Kennedy was born in 1998, not 1988 (why do they put the 8 and 9 key right next to each other?). And Duke Snider hit 40+ homers in five consecutive seasons (because I can be dumb sometimes).

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 3-1, 1.80 ERA) at San Diego (Yu Darvish, 2-3, 5.97 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 1-1, 3.12 ERA) at San Diego (*Nestor Cortes, 0-1, 4.20 ERA), 5:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 10-8, 2.90 ERA) at San Diego (Nick Pivetta, 13-4, 2.81 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

‘He looks much more confident.’ Hard-throwing Edgardo Henriquez settling in with Dodgers

Dave Roberts says Dodgers haven’t discussed moving Mookie Betts to right field

Shaikin: Can L.A. decide on the Dodger Stadium gondola, or anything, in a timely manner?

Doing away with traditional leagues could be in MLB’s not-too-distant future, Rob Manfred says

And finally

Andrew Toles hits a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning. 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. On Friday, we’ll see how they did in the four games against the Rockies and look at the final Padres series of the season. But until then, here’s a bonus edition of the newsletter.

Top 10 center fielders

Here are my picks for the top 10 center fielders in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player’s name to be taken to the baseball-reference.com page with all their stats.

1. Duke Snider (1947-62, .300/.384/.553, 142 OPS+, seven-time All Star)

Snider is known primarily as a power hitter, but he also led the NL in runs three times, in walks once and in OB% once. He also led the league in homers in 1956 with 43 and in RBIs in 1955 with 136. He hit 40 or more homers in five consecutive seasons and it can be argued that he is the greatest player in Dodgers history. He also hit four home runs in the 1955 World Series and 11 World Series homers overall. Snider grew up in Compton and went to Compton High, where the Dodgers discovered him and signed him for $750 after he graduated before the 1943 season. He was assigned to the minors and developed a reputation as a bit of a crybaby, once demanding he be sent to another team after a manager flashed him the take sign. He joined the Dodgers in 1947 and was a part-time player for a couple of seasons. Branch Rickey took him under his wing in 1948 and helped him improve his plate discipline and his footwork in center field. He became the starting center fielder in 1949 and quickly became one of the better players in the league. When the Dodgers moved to L.A. in 1958, injuries and the Coliseum, with its’ 430-foot distance to right-center, hurt his power somewhat. Snider hit only 15 homers in 1958 and 23 in 1959. He then became a part-time player again, but is the first Dodger to get a hit in Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers sold him to the New York Mets in 1963 and he retired after a season with the San Francisco Giants in 1964. It took him several tries to be elected to the Hall of Fame, finally breaking through with 86% of the votes in 1980. Snider died in Escondido on Feb. 27, 2011.

2. Willie Davis (1960-73, .279/.312/.413, 107 OPS+,two-time All Star, 3 Gold Gloves)

Davis was an outstanding defensive player who led the NL in triples twice (1962 with 10 and 1970 with 16) and whose offensive numbers don’t look as impressive as they should because he played during one of the biggest pitchers eras in baseball history. His best season was probably 1969, when he hit .311 with 23 doubles, eight triples and 11 homers, or it could have been 1962, when he hit .285 with 18 doubles, 10 triples and 21 homers, or 1971, when he hit .309 with 33 doubles, 10 triples and 10 homers. He didn’t walk much and had moderate power, but he caught everything hit to him (except for that one game in the 1966 World Series, but let’s not get into that). He is still the L.A. Dodgers’ career leader in runs (1,004), hits (2,091) and triples (110). He was traded to the Montreal Expos after the 1973 season for reliever Mike Marshall and retired after the 1979 season. Davis played in the majors for 18 seasons and had over 2,500 hits, but strangely never appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot. Not that he would have made it, but he certainly deserved to be up for consideration. He died in Burbank on March 9, 2010.

3. Pete Reiser (1940-42, 1946-48, .306/.384/.460, 132 OPS+, three-time All Star)

Pete Reiser never met an outfield fence he didn’t like crashing into and it may have cost him a Hall of Fame career. After playing in 58 games with the Dodgers in 1940, Reiser came into his own in 1941 when he hit a league-leading .343 to go with 117 runs, 39 doubles, 17 triples, 14 homers and 76 RBIs. He also played great defense in center. That got him second place in NL MVP voting behind teammate Dolph Camilli (Reiser should have won). Reiser led the league in nine categories. He followed that by hitting .310 with 33 doubles and 10 homers in 1942, leading the league with 20 steals and making his second straight All-Star team. However, on July 18 of that year, he crashed full speed into the center field fence while chasing a fly ball. He ended up with a separated shoulder and fractured skull. In those days though, you didn’t let little things like a fractured skull slow you down. He returned to the lineup a week later, but he wasn’t the same. He hit .244 the rest of the season. He then enlisted in the Army and spent three years there. Reiser returned to the majors in 1946 and broke his leg while stealing second. He crashed into the fence in St. Louis and missed some time. But he still led the league with 34 steals, though his batting average dropped to .277. In 1947, he was chasing another fly ball when he crashed into the wall face-first. This caused another fractured skull. He was given the Last Rites by a priest in the hospital before making a miraculous recovery. He ended up playing 110 games that season. He was a bench player the following season, as he had put on a little weight and had been slowed tremendously by his numerous injuries. The Dodgers traded him to the Boston Braves after the season for Nanny Fernandez and Mike McCormick. He retired after the 1952 season and came back to the Dodger organization as a roving minor-league hitting instructor. He joined Walter Alston’s coaching staff in L.A. in 1960 and helped tutor Maury Wills on how to steal bases. Reiser had a heart attack in 1965, went on as an assistant coach for other teams. Reiser, who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day throughout his adult life, died of emphysema in Palm Springs in 1981. He was only 62.

4. Matt Kemp (2006-14, 2018, .292/.348/.494, 127 OPS+, three-time All Star, two Gold Gloves)

I won’t write too much on Kemp since I assume everyone knows a lot about him. His arthritic hips robbed him of his speed, so if you only know him from his 2018 return, keep in mind that he stole 40 bases in 2011, 35 in 2008 and 34 in 2009. He never really had a bad season with the team, it’s just that his best seasons were so good that his other seasons looked bad in comparison. He was robbed of the MVP award in 2011, finishing second to Ryan Braun of Milwaukee, who was later suspended for 65 games for violating baseball’s drug policy. Kemp had a better season than Braun.

5. Mike Griffin (1891-98, .305/.399/.416, 125 OPS+)

It’s really hard to compare players from the 19th century to players much later, because it was such a different game. But Griffin was great and deserves a spot in the top 10.

Griffin score 100 or more runs in six of his eight season in Brooklyn, stole 264 bases and was considered the finest fielding center fielder of his day. In 1894, he hit a career-high .357. He was named team captain in 1895. But his career ended strangely.

Brooklyn fired manager Bill Barnie during the 1898 season and named Griffin as player-manager. He had that position for four games, decided he didn’t like it and asked to be just a player again. Team president Charles Ebbets became the manager.

After much cajoling, Ebbets convinced Griffin to try and become player-manager again for the 1899 season. He signed a contract for $3,500. What Griffin didn’t know was that Brooklyn was having financial problems, as was Baltimore, so Ebbets (who was wealthy) bought the Baltimore club and merged it with Brooklyn. Baltimore was managed by Ned Hanlon, considered a top manager. Ebbets no longer needed Griffin as a manager, and sent him a new contract for $2,800 as just a player. Griffin refused, saying he had a signed contract for $3,500. In March, 1899, Ebbets sent Griffin a telegram that stated: “You have been released to the Cleveland club. They wish you to report to Cleveland on Monday, to go with team to Hot Springs. Personally I wish you the best of luck in your new position.”

Griffin said he wouldn’t play for Cleveland. After two weeks of fighting over it, with various lawyers involved, Cleveland sold his contract to St. Louis. He never reported there, instead announcing his retirement and suing Ebbets for breach of contract. The New York State Supreme Court ruled in Griffin’s favor. But Griffin never played in the majors again. He died in 1908 of pneumonia. He was 47.

6. Cody Bellinger (2017-22, .248/.332/.487, 118 OPS+, two-time All Star, 2017 Rookie of the Year, 2019 NL MVP, one Gold Glove)

After his first four seasons, it seemed possible that Bellinger was going to be the best position player in Dodgers history and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Then, while celebrating a home run in the 2020 World Series, he and Kiké Hernández high-fived so strongly that Bellinger separated his shoulder. He was never the same after that, hitting .165 in 2021 and .210 in 2022. The Dodgers had little interest in re-signing him as a free agent, and he has since played for the Cubs and Yankees, putting together solid seasons for both teams. But he has never again reached the heights he once reached.

7. Johnny Frederick (1929-34, .308/.357/.477, 117 OPS+)

There’s not a lot out there about Frederick. What is known was dug up by baseball historian Graham Womack: Frederick came into the league as a 27-year-old rookie in 1929 and led the league with 52 doubles (to go with 24 homers). He followed it up by hitting .334 with 44 doubles, 11 triples and 17 homers. Then Rawlings introduced a cork-cushioned baseball to the majors and Frederick’s power slowly began to slip. He was out of the majors for good when the Dodgers traded him to a minor-league team in 1934 for Frenchy Bordagaray. In 1935, he hit .363 for Sacramento. He then hit .322 over five years with the Portland Beavers, who made him player manager for his 19th and final professional season in 1940. Frederick finished his minor league career with 2,467 hits. Add that to his major league total, and Frederick had 3,421 hits in his pro career. He died in 1977 in Tigard, Ore., at the age of 75. You can read much more about Frederick here.

8. Jim Wynn (1974-75, .261/.394/.463, 144 OPS+, two-time All Star)

Wynn might be a little too high here, but he was my first favorite player on the Dodgers, so here he is.

The Dodgers acquired Wynn from the Astros before the 1974 season for Claude Osteen. Wynn got off to a fast start and became a fan favorite, with the bleachers in left center being dubbed “Cannon Country,” after Wynn’s nickname, “The Toy Cannon.”

Wynn hit .271 with 32 homers and 108 RBIs in 1974 while leading the Dodgers to the World Series. Honestly, he should have won the MVP award that season, but he finished fifth to Steve Garvey,

He got off to a good start in 1975, hitting .270 with 14 homers at the All-Star break, but slumped after that. The Dodgers, always ones at that time to trade a player a season too soon rather than a season too late, sent him to Atlanta for Dusty Baker.

Strangely, Wynn is probably best remembered by Dodgers fans for a play in the 1974 World Series.

Usually a standout defender, Wynn hurt his right shoulder making a diving catch near the end of the season, and his throwing arm after that had all the strength of a wet paper towel.

Knowing this, right fielder Joe Ferguson and Wynn had a deal. If a ball was hit between them and a runner was on third, Ferguson would make the catch with the hope his stronger arm would hold the runner, or that he could throw them out trying to score.

Game 1 of the World Series reached the eighth inning, with Oakland leading, 3-1. With Sal Bando on third for the A’s, Reggie Jackson hit a fly ball to right center. With a left-hander up, Wynn was playing toward right-center, and Ferguson was closer to the right-field line, so it looked like Wynn’s ball all the way.

Wynn set himself for the catch, when at the last second Ferguson, who started racing over as soon as the ball was hit, cut in front of him, made the catch, and threw a perfect strike to catcher Steve Yeager 300 feet away. Bando barreled over Yeager, who held on to the ball for the out.

Some Dodger fans, even now, think Ferguson was just trying to show up Wynn, which isn’t true.

“I called to him that I could take it and he said ‘Go ahead,’ ” Ferguson said.

Asked if that was true, Wynn responded “Yep. Wasn’t that one tremendous throw? It hurt my arm just to look at it.”

You can watch that play here.

9. Brett Butler (.298/.392/.368, 112 OPS+, one-time All Star)

Butler was a pest. He seemed to be on base all the time, ran the bases with reckless abandon and scored 80-100 runs every season. Signed as a free agent, Butler made the All-Star team in his first season with the Dodgers and led the league with 112 runs and 108 walks. His on-base percentage topped .400 three times with L.A. and he played solid defense. He was caught stealing a little too often (28 times in 1991 compared to 38 stolen bases), but he’s the type of player you don’t see too often in the game today. In May of 1996, Butler was diagnosed with cancer of the tonsils. He underwent treatment and returned to the lineup in September. He played one more season with the team and retired.

10. Kiké Hernández (2015-20, 2023-current, .236/.303/.413, 93 OPS+)

I’ve written tons about Hernández. With the Dodgers, he has played at least 50 games at every position for the Dodgers, except pitcher (where he has appeared 10 times) and catcher (zero). One of the biggest fan favorites in Dodger history, he becomes an entirely different hitter in the postseason, where he has hit .278/.353/.522 in 75 postseason games with the Dodgers, including 10 homers and 26 RBIs.

The readers’ top 10

1,302 ballots were sent in. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. For those of you who were wondering, I make my choices before I tally your results. Here are your choices:

1. Duke Snider, 1,193 first-place votes, 15,125 points
2. Willie Davis, 107 first-place votes, 10,610 points
3. Matt Kemp, 8,394 points
4. Cody Bellinger, 6,731 points
5. Pete Reiser, 5,706 points
6. Rick Monday, 1 first-place vote, 5,651 points
7. Brett Butler, 5,374 points
8. Jim Wynn, 1 first-place vote, 4,266 points
9. Ken Landreaux, 1,911 points
10. Kiké Hernández, 1,579 points

The next five: Johnny Frederick, Joc Pederson, Juan Pierre, Mike Griffin, Don Demeter.

Top 10 right fielders

Who are your top 10 Dodgers right fielders of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know. Remember, we are considering only what they did with the Dodgers.

Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the strongest right fielder candidates, in alphabetical order.

Mookie Betts, Buzz Boyle, Hubie Brooks, Thomas Burns, Dick Cox, Willie Crawford, Mike Davis, J.D. Drew, Andre Ethier, Ron Fairly, Al Ferrara, Carl Furillo, Shawn Green, Tommy Griffith, Babe Herman, Teoscar Hernández, Frank Howard, Jay Johnstone, Fielder Jones, Willie Keeler, Harry Lumley, Mike Marshall, Raúl Mondesi, Yasiel Puig, Frank Robinson, Reggie Smith, Casey Stengel, Darryl Strawberry, Ed Swartwood, Dixie Walker, Paul Waner and Hack Wilson.

A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Frank Howard and Ron Fairly are listed here, for example.

And finally

Willie Davis homers off of Nolan Ryan in the 1973 All-Star Game. 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hello everyone, my name is Houston Mitchell, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. It’s amazing how three games can change things, isn’t it?

Random thoughts

—To be honest, I would not have bet on the Dodgers sweeping the Padres. Winning two of three? Yes. But not a sweep. It was a good sign, as championship teams need to rise to the occasion. The question now is, will the Padres rise back next weekend at San Diego? Heck, with the way baseball goes, the Dodgers could be back in second place before that series. But I doubt it.

—Mookie Betts. People like, oh, newsletter writers, have been pointing out his flaws all season. He shouldn’t be playing short. He’s playing terrible. But you know what? He came to the park early most days and put the work in. Worked to find what happened to his swing. Worked to become a better shortstop. So it had to be sweet redemption on Sunday when he hit that home run.

—Since I said Betts should be moved down in the order, he has hit .306/.366/.472 with nine runs scored and nine RBIs in nine games.

—Last time we talked about some concerns on the Dodgers. One area that wasn’t mentioned was the defense. The defense has been much worse than last season, and not always in ways that show up in the fielding numbers. Teoscar Hernández is not playing well in right. He looks like he’s running uphill all the time. Ryan O’Hearn of the Padres hit a fly ball hit into the right-field corner Sunday that seemed to hang up in the air forever, but Hernández couldn’t get there in time and it dropped for an RBI double. Those are the types of plays the Dodgers took advantage of against the Yankees during the World Series, and then later said they knew the Yankees had weaknesses defensively. Well, the Dodgers are in that boat this season.

—The Dodgers were the team not getting any breaks this season, but they seemed to get them all in the Padres series. Manny Machado dives for and misses a ball he would probably catch 99 times out of 100 on Friday, eventually leading to two runs. Jackson Merrill drops a fly ball in center field Saturday, scoring two runs. With a runner on second, Blake Treinen benefits from a very generous strike call from the umpire with Machado at the plate, avoiding a walk and then getting out of the inning.

—And what can you say about Clayton Kershaw? The guy can barely reach 90 on his fastball. Analytics would tell you this guy could not possible be successful in the majors. But there he is, working the corners and, you know, pitching. Not just throwing. The man is 7-2 with a 3.01 ERA. In some ways, this is the most impressive season of his career. And now I’ve probably jinxed him.

—Will Smith threw out three baserunners trying to steal Saturday, and has thrown out 27.9% of attempted base stealers this season. That’s 12th in the majors among catcher who have had 25 chances to throw out a stealer. Salvador Perez leads the majors at 48%. In case you were wondering, Johnny Bench, considered by many to be the best defensive catcher ever, was at 43.5% for his career. Steve Yeager was 38% and Mike Scioscia 34.4%. Mike Piazza was 23.2%. Smith’s career number is 25.5%. His best season was last year, 33.3% (32 of 96).

—The Dodgers head to Denver next to play the Rockies, who are the worst team in baseball, on pace to finish 46-116. Prime spot for a letdown. The Dodgers are 6-0 against the Rockies this season, 10-3 against them last season.

—I get many emails from readers saying the Dodgers leave too many men on base. This is something we’ve talked about in seasons past, so you veteran subscribers out there, forgive me for a moment. The teams with the best offenses are frequently the teams with the most runners left on base, because they have more runners on base. A game ends 6-2. The team that scored six had nine hits and three walks and left six on base. The team with two got both runs on homers and drew no walks. They left no one one base. But which team had the best offense?

Since 1950, the team that has left the most runs on base in a season is the 1976 Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds, who are in the conversation for best team in history. They averaged 5.29 runs per game and averaged 8.19 LOB. Next are the 1993 Detroit Tigers, who averaged 5.55 runs per game and 8.10 LOB.

The Dodgers are averaging 5.16 runs per game and are 6.82 LOB. Runners left on base is not a big problem.

But, I hear you saying, this could mean they lack clutch hitting, stranding all these runners. No.

Batting average with runners in scoring position this season:

1. Milwaukee, .288
2. Toronto, .286
3. Dodgers, .283
4. Miami, .275
5. Tampa Bay, .270
21. San Diego, .243
30. Chicago White Sox, .221

Batting average with two out and runners in scoring position this season:

1. Detroit, .273
2. Miami, .270
3. Milwaukee, .268
4. Dodgers, .265
5. Tampa Bay, .259
12. Padres, .234
30. Pittsburgh, .190

Individual Dodgers

Batting average with runners in scoring position (minimum 20 at bats)

1. Hyeseong Kim, .387 (31 at bats)
2. Freddie Freeman, .354 (96)
3. Will Smith, .341 (82)
4. Andy Pages, .336 (107)
5. Max Muncy, .329 (76)
6. Tommy Edman, .303 (66)
7. Teoscar Hernández, .300 (110)
8. Dalton Rushing, .280 (25)
9. Mookie Betts, .276 (98)
10. Kiké Hernández, .233 (43)
11. Shohei Ohtani, .230 (76)
12. Michael Conforto, .167 (78)
13. Miguel Rojas, .163 (43)

Batting average with two out and runners in scoring position (minimum 10 at-bats):

1. Hyeseong Kim, .462 (13 at bats)
2. Andy Pages, .373 (51)
3. Max Muncy, .371 (35)
4. Will Smith, .333 (39)
5. Teoscar Hernández, .327 (52)
6. Freddie Freeman, .310 (42)
7. Shohei Ohtani, .281 (32)
8. Kiké Hernández, .200 (20)
9. Mookie Betts, .196 (46)
10. Tommy Edman, .188 (32)
11. Michael Conforto, .156 (45)
12. Miguel Rojas, .125 (24)

Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani made his first pitching start of the season on June 16. Let’s look at his batting numbers before and after:

Before June 16
.297/.393/.642, 83 for 279, 11 doubles, 5 triples, 25 homers (one every 11.1 at bats), 41 RBIs, 11 steals, 44 walks, 79 K’s

Since June 16
.262/.390/.595, 51 for 195, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 18 homers (one every 10.8 at bats), 39 RBIs, 6 steals, 39 walks, 71 K’s

His batting average is down but the home runs are up. His steals are down, while his walks and strikeouts are up. Really, it’s sort of what you would expect.

Newest Dodger

The Dodgers added Buddy Kennedy, a utility infielder, to the roster last week when Max Muncy went on the IL. (They hope Muncy, who has a strained oblique, is back in September.)

Kennedy was born Clifton Lewis Kennedy on Oct. 5, 1988, just 12 days before the Dodgers won the World Series that year. He was drafted out of Millville (N.J.) High by Arizona in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. He was in triple-A by 2022, and the Diamondbacks brought him to the majors that year. He hit .217 in 30 games, then .167 in 10 games the next season and was put on waivers. Oakland picked him up in September, but put him on waivers in October and he was picked up by St. Louis, who put him on waivers in Sept. 2024. Detroit signed him and he hit .182 in eight games before Philadelphia purchased his contract. He played in 12 games over two seasons for them, was released, and Toronto signed him. He went one for five for them this season and they released him, and now he’s with the Dodgers.

So, four seasons in the majors, seven teams.

He trains with Mike Trout in the offseason. Trout also went to Millville High. “Mike has been great to me,” Kennedy told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2024. “He slowly started … not getting on me, but holding me accountable. And to this day, I can call him, or text him, and ask him about a pitcher I’m facing, or how to handle myself in the big leagues.

“He’s very open and honest. And that’s helped me a lot.”

Kennedy’s grandfather is Don Money, who was a really good player for the Phillies and Brewers in the ’70s and ’80s.

Why is it so hot with all these fans?

Why do the Dodgers keep raising prices on tickets? What about the family of four who want to go to a game? Well, this is why. They have no incentive to lower prices. Average home attendance this year:

1. Dodgers, 49,961
2. San Diego, 42,567
3. NY Yankees, 41,995
4. Philadelphia, 41,836
5. NY Mets, 39,765
8. San Francisco, 36,225
12. Angels, 32,317
16. Arizona, 29,689
17. Colorado, 29,345
30. Athletics, 9,590

Postseason

If the postseason started today, these would be the 12 teams to qualify:

NL
1. Milwaukee
2. Philadelphia
3. Dodgers
4. Chicago
5. San Diego
6. New York

AL
1. Toronto
2. Detroit
3. Houston
4. Boston
5. Seattle
6. New York

The top two teams in each league get a first-round bye. The other four teams in each league play in the best-of-three wild-card round, with No. 3 hosting all three games against No. 6, and No. 4 hosting all three against No. 5.

The division winners are guaranteed to get the top three seeds, even if a wild-card team has a better record.

In the best-of-five second round, No. 1 hosts the No. 4-5 winner and No. 2 hosts the No. 3-6 winner. That way the No. 1 seed is guaranteed not to play a divisional winner until the LCS.

These names seem familiar

A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Saturday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats.

Batters

Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .264/.318/.481, 487 plate appearances, 20 doubles, 5 triples, 22 homers, 71 RBIs, 119 OPS+

Michael Busch, Cubs: .260/.342/.500, 442 PA’s, 16 doubles, 3 triples, 24 homers, 68 RBIs, 142 OPS+

Hunter Feduccia, Rays: 4 for 25 (.160), 2 doubles, 47 OPS+ (numbers with Rays only)

Gavin Lux, Reds: .280/.359/.378, 390 PA’s, 20 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 45 RBIs, 101 OPS+

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .258/.336/.432, 4181 PA’s, 18 doubles, 8 triples, 10 homers, 40 RBIs, 112 OPS+

James Outman, Twins: 1 for 8, 1 triple, 29 OPS+ (numbers with Twins only)

Joc Pederson, Rangers, .145/.277/.267, 196 PA’s, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 61 OPS+

Keibert Ruiz, Nationals, .247/.277/.318, 267 PA’s, 12 doubles, 2 homers, 25 RBIs, 70 OPS+

Corey Seager, Rangers: .258/.361/.464, 404 PA’s, 17 doubles, 18 homers, 44 RBIs, 140 OPS+

Chris Taylor, Angels: .189/.302/.396, 42 PA’s, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 82 OPS+ (numbers with Angels only)

Justin Turner, Cubs: .219/.288/.328, 156 PA’s, 6 doubles, 3 homers, 15 RBIs, 80 OPS+

Trea Turner, Phillies: .291/.348/.432, 552 PA’s, 27 doubles, 4 triples, 12 homers, 52 RBIs, 112 OPS+

Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .229/.307/.394, 460 PA’s, 25 doubles, 2 triples, 13 homers, 44 RBIs, 96 OPS+

Alex Verdugo, Braves: .239/.296/.289, 213 PA’s, 10 doubles, 12 RBIs, 66 OPS+, released by Braves

Pitching

Ryan Brasier, Cubs: 0-1, 4.13 ERA, 24 IP, 24 hits, 4 walks, 19 K’s, 93 ERA+

Walker Buehler, Red Sox: 7-7, 5.43 ERA, 106 IP, 114 hits, 50 walks, 78 K’s, 75 ERA+

Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 6-12, 4.76 ERA, 124.2 IP, 114 hits, 49 walks, 153 K’s, 88 ERA+

Kenley Jansen, Angels: 5-2, 2.68 ERA, 23 saves, 47 IP, 34 hits, 15 walks, 47 K’s, 158 ERA+

Dustin May, Red Sox: 1-1, 2.79 ERA, 9.2 IP, 11 hits, 2 walks, 12 K’s, 152 ERA+ (numbers with Red Sox only)

Ryan Pepiot, Rays: 8-10, 3.95 ERA, 148 IP, 125 hits, 51 walks, 146 K’s, 103 ERA+

Max Scherzer, Blue Jays: 3-2, 3.83 ERA, 54 IP, 46 hits, 12 walks, 52 K’s, 110 ERA+

Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees: 3-1, 3.90 ERA, 55.1 IP, 48 hits, 17 walks, 49 K’s, 104 ERA+

Up next

Monday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 10-8, 2.84 ERA) at Colorado (*Kyle Freeland, 3-12, 5.18 ERA), 5:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 3-2, 3.86 ERA) at Colorado (*Austin Gomber, 0-6, 6.75 ERA), 5:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 3.47 ERA) at Colorado (Tanner Gordon, 3-5, 7.98 ERA) 5:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Thursday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 7-2, 3.01 ERA) at Colorado (Chase Dollander, 2-9, 6.43 ERA) 12:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Shaikin: Max Muncy’s absence creates major matchup challenges for Dodgers hitters

Plaschke: The ‘legend’ Clayton Kershaw is legendary again for Dodgers

‘We wanted to throw a twist on it’: Why an iconic Kobe Bryant image was altered for a Dodger-themed mural

Dodgers’ Max Muncy to miss several weeks because of oblique strain

Two arrests made after violent brawl between Angels and Dodgers fans at Angel Stadium

And finally

Steve Garvey and Jim Wynn hit consecutive home runs in the 1975 All-Star game. 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. For some reason, I’ve been wanting to listen to “Free Fallin’ ” by Tom Petty a lot lately. I wonder why?

So, here we are.

After the games of July 3, the NL West standings looked like this:

Dodgers, 56-32, .636
San Diego, 46-40, .535, 9 GB
San Francisco, 47-41, .534, 9 GB
Arizona, 43-44, .494, 12.5 GB
Colorado, 20-67, .230, 35.5 GB

Here are the NL West standing for the games after July 3:

San Diego, 23-12, .657
Arizona, 17-18, .486
San Francisco, 12-21, .364
Dodgers, 12-21, .364
Colorado, 12-22, .353

The NL West standings today:

San Diego, 69-52, .570
Dodgers, 68-53, .562, 1 GB
Arizona, 60-62, .492, 9.5 GB
San Francisco, 59-62, .488, 10 GB
Colorado, 32-89, .264, 37 GB

When you have basically the same record as the Rockies over a 33-game stretch, well, that’s not ideal.

So what happened? For a while it was starting pitching, but the return of Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell have stabilized that. For a while it was the offense, but Mookie Betts and company are hitting better now, stabilizing that.

The Dodgers caught all the breaks last season, this season it seems none of them go their way (for example, Edgardo Henriquez trying to field that double-play grounder in the eighth inning Wednesday, tipping the ball away for an infield single, loading the bases). There’s not much that can be done if the baseball gods are frowning upon you.

Let’s take a look at a couple of things:

Dodgers runs per game, 2024: 5.20
Dodgers runs per game, 2025: 5.17

Dodgers rotation ERA, 2024: 4.23
Dodgers rotation ERA, 2025: 4.13

Dodgers bullpen ERA, 2024: 3.53
Dodgers bullpen ERA, 2025: 4.22

So really, it’s the bullpen. It’s terrible. Let’s look at the Dodger bullpen at this moment:

Anthony Banda, 3.38 ERA
Ben Casparius, 4.78
Alexis Díaz, 7.71
Jack Dreyer, 2.90
Edgardo Henriquez, 0.00 (only 4.2 IP)
Blake Treinen, 4.26
Alex Vesia, 2.76
Justin Wrobelski, 4.09

Now, let’s look at the Dodger bullpen through much of the postseason last year:

Anthony Banda, 3.08 ERA last season
Ryan Brasier, 3.54
Ben Casparius, 2.16
Brusdar Graterol, 2.45
Brent Honeywell, 2.62
Daniel Hudson, 3.00
Landon Knack, 3.65
Michael Kopech, 1.13
Evan Phillips, 3.62
Blake Treinen, 1.93
Alex Vesia, 1.76

The Dodgers had anywhere from 6-8 shut-down guys in their bullpen last season. Right now, they have zero. The guy they acquired to help out, Brock Stewart, is on the IL with a bad shoulder. Hard to believe that you could acquire a guy with a history of shoulder problems and he gets sideline by … a shoulder problem. Alex Vesia, so strong last season, seems gassed from overuse.

Kirby Yates, signed to a one-year, $13-million deal, is on the IL.

Tanner Scott, signed to be the new closer for four years, $72 million, is on the IL.

Michael Kopech is on the IL.

Brusdar Graterol is on the IL, and it looks more and more unlikely that he will return this season.

Evan Phillips is on the IL, out for the year.

Ryan Brasier is pitching for the Cubs.

Daniel Hudson retired. (Hey, maybe the Dodgers can give him a call).

Remember Antonio Osuna? He pitched for the Dodgers in the mid- and late-90s and had electric stuff. Threw near 100 mph, and struck out more than a batter an inning back when it wasn’t as common as it is now. But every time they tried to make him a closer, he fell apart. Couldn’t do it. The whole bullpen right now reminds me of Osuna. From the fourth to seventh innings, they pitch fine, but when it comes down to the final two innings, especially when the Dodgers have a narrow lead, they fall apart.

So, what’s the solution? Well, there won’t be any trades, because the deadline has past. What the Dodgers will do is wait, and hope that Scott, Yates and Kopech can come back at some point and pitch like they are capable of doing. And that Treinen rediscovers his form from last season.

So, it’s going to be frustrating. The offense is going to have to provide some bigger leads. They have had chances to do it recently but have failed. The starting pitching will have to remain consistent. And someone will need to step up in the bullpen. They need Vesia to pitch like the old Vesia, not the one from the last three games. They need someone to say “OK men, follow me.”

A lot of people are down on Dave Roberts, saying he has mismanaged the bullpen. Managing the bullpen has always been his biggest weakness, but he hasn’t had much to work with this year. It’s like playing BeanBoozled. You reach into the pile and hope you get the lime flavored jelly bean, not the garbage flavored.

I still believe the Dodgers will make the postseason, where anything can happen. Last season at this time, they had only a two-game lead of the Padres and Diamondbacks. Some Dodger fans were convinced this team didn’t have what it takes. They then won 11 of their next 14.

This weekend and next weekend against the Padres will be a real test. The Padres and their fans will be fired up. They’d love to stomp on the Dodgers right now. Will they? Time will tell. But the season isn’t over. Don’t give in to pessimism, be a realist. A lot can still happen, we don’t know how things will play out. That’s what makes it fun to watch.

Michael Conforto

Why is Michael Conforto still playing? Why isn’t Alex Call out there? Or Dalton Rushing?

That’s the question I get most frequently. We’ve talked about this subject before, but rather than hear me talk about it again, I asked Jack Harris, our Dodgers beat writer who is with the team almost every day, for his thoughts:

“Ah yes, the Michael Conforto discourse has returned. After a decent July (.273 average, .827 OPS), the $17-million offseason signing has indeed gone back into a deep freeze in August (three for 30). His struggles reached the point on Wednesday that manager Dave Roberts sat him against the Angels — in part because Angels right-hander Kyle Hendricks has reverse splits, but also, Roberts acknowledged, because of Conforto’s latest slump.

“ ‘I gotta try to find some combinations to get some production, some consistent production,’ Roberts said. ‘That’s just kind of where we’re at in this time of season. I’ve gotta do that.’

“Despite that, Conforto will still get regular at-bats for the time being (starting with Friday’s series opener against the Padres). Why?

“Well, for one, the Dodgers still don’t have many obviously better options. Alex Call is batting .150 since coming over from the Nationals. The team has closed the door on last year’s experiment with Dalton Rushing in the outfield (he is also hitting just .202 this season). And until Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández return, the club’s outfield depth is frankly too thin (yes, Ryan Ward is tearing it up in triple-A, but the team has already bypassed him multiple times when calling up outfielders, which probably tells you how much they think he could impact the big-league lineup).

“Also, the Dodgers were encouraged by Conforto’s performance in July. To at least some degree, it factored into their decision not to make a bigger addition to the lineup. The last couple of weeks have been bad, but they continue to believe he’ll be at least somewhat more productive down the stretch. I know many fans will disagree, but that remains the team’s stance.

“All that said, and as Wednesday epitomized, Conforto will have to heat up again at some point to remain a fixture in the lineup.”

“The guess here: You’ll start to see his playing time gradually decrease the rest of the way if he doesn’t turn things around, and as others on the roster get healthy. For now, however, the team’s lack of alternatives means he’ll continue to play.”

Thanks Jack. So there you have it. Learn to live with Conforto, at least for a little while longer.

The Padres

The Padres are up next, and they are playing very well. The Dodgers could be four games out of first by Monday, or two games ahead, or somewhere in between. That’s why they play the games and don’t just give the win to the hot team.

It would be a mistake to think the Padres are invincible. They had their own points in the season where they slumped. The went 5-11 at one point in June and had a losing record that month. They went 3-10 at one point in May. That’s how they fell nine games back. So, keep in mind that every team has had problems this season.

Let’s compare the two teams and where they rank among the 30 MLB teams:

Runs per game
1. Dodgers, 5.17
22. Padres, 4.21

Batting average
4. Dodgers, .255
10. Padres, .252

OB%
3. Dodgers, .332
8. Padres, .323

SLG%
2. Dodgers, .441
25. Padres, .383

Batting avg. with 2 out/RISP
4. Dodgers, .267
11. Padres, .238

Doubles
14. Dodgers, 195
17. Padres, 190

Triples
T12. Dodgers, 16
T12. Padres, 16

Home runs
2. Dodgers, 180
29. Padres, 103

Stolen bases
T16. Padres, 81
20. Dodgers, 72

Batter walks
2. Dodgers, 450
11. Padres, 399

Batter Strikeouts
13. Dodgers, 1,027
28. Padres, 840

Pitching

ERA
2. Padres, 3.55
19. Dodgers, 4.17

Home runs allowed
10. Dodgers, 146
28. Padres, 116

Fewest walks per 9 IP
17. Padres, 3.30
23. Dodgers, 3.53

Strikeouts per 9 IP
5. Dodgers, 9.02
8. Padres, 8.71

Saves
1. Padres, 40
T3. Dodgers, 35

Blown saves
T6. Dodgers, 20
T24. Padres, 15

Inherited runners who scored %
2. Dodgers, 25.6%
6. Padres, 28.2%

Rotation ERA
13. Padres, 3.99
18. Dodgers, 4.13

Bullpen ERA
1. Padres, 2.97
20. Dodgers, 4.22

By the way

Scott is expected to throw to hitters this week and hopefully go to the minors for some rehab work after that.

Yates is a step ahead of Scott, having thrown to hitters already this week.

Kopech was set to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday at triple-A Oklahoma City.

Tony Gonsolin had surgery and will not return this season.

This feels more like a MASH unit than a baseball team at times.

How does this compare?

Where were the Dodgers in the standings each Aug. 15 since they started their postseason streak in 2013? Let’s look:

2013
70-50, First place, 7.5 games ahead of Arizona

2014
70-54, First place, five games ahead of San Francisco

2015
66-51, First place, 2.5 games ahead of San Diego

2016
65-52, Second place, 0.5 game behind San Francisco

2017
84-54, First place, 18.5 games ahead of Colorado and Arizona

2018
65-57, Tied for second, 1.5 games behind Arizona

2019
81-42, First place, 19.5 games ahead of Arizona and San Francisco

2020
COVID shortened year

2021
72-46, Second place, four games behind San Francisco

2022
80-34, First place, 17 games ahead of San Diego

2023
72-46, First place, nine games ahead of San Francisco

2024
71-51, First place, two games ahead of San Diego and Arizona

So this isn’t even the most they’ve trailed at this point. In 2021, they ended up 106-56, one game behind the Giants. They beat St. Louis in the wild-card game, beat the Giants in the NLDS, before losing to Atlanta in the NLCS.

Up next

Friday: San Diego (TBD) at Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 6-2, 3.14 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: San Diego (Dylan Cease, 5-10, 4.52 ERA) at Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 2-1, 2.37 ERA), 6:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: San Diego (Yu Darvish, 2-3, 5.61 ERA) at Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 1-1, 3.08 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Mookie Betts has a playoff soundtrack infused with ‘the relaxing vibe of the beach’

Shohei Ohtani focused ‘on the field,’ not distraction of Hawaii real estate lawsuit

Hernández: Dodgers’ failure to improve their bullpen spurred free fall with no end in sight

Shaikin: Will Smith could win a batting title. Could the Dodgers stop him?

More bad news for Dodgers’ bullpen: Brock Stewart goes on the IL

After one year, this MLB postseason schedule innovation is no longer

Shohei Ohtani and his agent accused of sabotaging $240-million real estate project

And finally

Wally Moon discusses the origin and the art of hitting a “Moon Shot.” 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

On Tuesday, Will Smith led the National League in batting.

On Wednesday, he does not, but he still has a better batting average than the guy behind him.

It’s all a quirk of baseball’s rules, but one that could cost Smith the batting title if he keeps hitting and the Dodgers keep using him the way they do. We’ll explain and exhale in a bit, but first we ought to appreciate the rarity of this situation.

The Dodgers have been in business for 142 years, and never has one of their catchers won a batting title.

Mike Piazza? Good guess.

In 1997, Piazza batted .362, but Tony Gwynn batted .372.

In 1995, Piazza batted .346, but Gwynn batted .368.

In 1996, Piazza batted .336, but Gwynn batted .353.

In major league history, only four catchers have won a batting title. Two of them were Cincinnati Reds: Bubbles Hargrave (1926) and Ernie Lombardi (1938 and 1942). One is a Hall of Famer: Joe Mauer (2006, ‘08 and ‘09). One is a Hall of Famer in waiting: Buster Posey (2012).

Posey, now the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, said one factor weighing against a catcher in the batting race is the need to not only prepare himself for a game but to prepare a revolving cast of pitchers as well.

“And, especially as you get late in the year, as much as you try to maintain your legs throughout the season, inevitably you get later in the year and your legs do start to get a little bit tired,” Posey said. “That’s the foundation to hitting. So you’re kind of combating that.

“You’re also a foul tip away from getting one off your hands that would impact how you grip the bat. So there is a lot.”

The batting title used to be one of the most prestigious awards in the game. In the analytical revolution, batting average has become something of a lost statistic, sacrificed at the altar of on-base percentage.

Posey does not quite buy all of this. He would not sign a player simply because of a high batting average, he says, but he considers a high batting average a worthy statistic.

“I’m a believer in batting average,” he said. “With that batting average, I think you’re still hoping for some impact there as well, which Will is doing with his ability to drive the ball.

“But part of my belief in batting average is that it just creates pressure on the defense, having traffic on the bases. I know that you can get there other ways, with a walk and whatnot, but it’s part of the puzzle to create pressure. I think the good teams do a nice job of having a lineup sprinkled with some of those guys that are a little bit more bat-to-ball, and then have some of their power hitters mixed in around them.”

Smith made his major league debut in 2019, the next-to-last season for Posey.

“I’ve always been a fan of Will,” Posey said. “Playing against him, I felt like we had some similarities, because he wasn’t looking to be your best friend when you came to the plate. I kind of appreciated that about him. He was always very business.

“You could tell he wanted to do everything he could to beat you. There’s no doubt he’s been a big part of that team’s success.”

Smith is hitting .312, which would be the lowest average to win an NL batting title. In this era in which batting average is devalued and disparaged, the NL has only three .300 hitters: Smith, teammate Freddie Freeman and the Miami Marlins’ Xavier Edwards.

Smith also leads the league in on-base percentage (.414) and ranks fourth in OPS (.930, behind Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber and Ketel Marte).

Technically, Smith does not lead in those categories. Under Rule 9.22 (“Minimum Standards for Individual Championships”), a player cannot qualify for a title unless he averages 3.1 plate appearances per game.

Smith batted under .200 in each of the three rounds of last year’s postseason, and the Dodgers prioritized getting him extra rest this season. Some days, he meets that average, and he shows up among the league leaders. Then the Dodgers give him a day off, and he does not.

Smith’s performance would indicate the extra rest has worked as intended so far. However, the rest is primarily designed to allow Smith to play more often down the stretch and play more effectively in October.

And “down the stretch” took on a more urgent meaning Tuesday, when the Dodgers fell into a first-place tie with the San Diego Padres in the NL West. A division title is at stake, and with it the possibility of a first-round playoff bye.

The teams play three games this weekend at Dodger Stadium, three more next weekend at Petco Park. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said “there’s a chance” Smith could play all three games on one of those weekends.

As of Wednesday, Smith projects to make 500 plate appearances this season. The magic number to qualify for the batting title: 502.

The team comes first, and with the Dodgers that means preparedness for October. If Smith keeps hitting, might he have to sacrifice a chance at the batting title for the good of the team? I asked Roberts, and I was pleasantly surprised at the answer.

“He’s going to qualify. No matter what, I’ll make sure of that,” Roberts said. “I’m going to make sure he gets enough at-bats.”

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Winning two of three doesn’t feel as good when you lose the third game. But beating the team with the American League‘s best record two of three is good.

Random thoughts

—We could talk about the bullpen again, but really, there’s nothing new to talk about. Just waiting for Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott, Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol to get healthy. And there are no guarantees then. The last two World Series the Dodgers won, there was a starting pitcher on the mound in relief for the final out. Closer Clayton Kershaw anyone?

—Kopech, Scott and Yates threw bullpen sessions Friday.

—Bobby Miller has been moved to the bullpen in the minors, because he was still having trouble as a starter. Since moving to the bullpen: Six innings pitched, no hits, no runs, one walk, five strikeouts. He could end up as a valuable bullpen addition.

—Roki Sasaki is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment with Oklahoma City this week. The plan is to build him up to five innings before he returns.

—Hyeseong Kim has resumed baseball activities and will start a rehab assignment possibly this week.

—Tommy Edman should return when rosters expand in September.

—Shohei Ohtani has 41 home runs this season. The list of Dodgers who have had 40-home-run seasons:

5 times
Duke Snider (1953-57)

2 times
Shawn Green (2001-02)
Gil Hodges (1951, 1954)
Shohei Ohtani (2024-25)

Once
Cody Bellinger (2019)
Adrian Beltré (2004)
Roy Campanella (1953)
Mike Piazza (1997)
Gary Sheffield (2000)

Ohtani has the season record with 54 last season. He is on pace for 56 this year.

—Ohtani has scored 111 runs this season. It is the 54th time a Dodger has scored at least 111 runs. The top 11 in runs scored since 1901:

Babe Herman, 143 (1930)
Shohei Ohtani, 134 (2024)
Pee Wee Reese, 132 (1949)
Duke Snider, 132 (1953)
Freddie Freeman, 131 (2023)
Maury Wills, 130 (1962)
Eddie Stanky, 128 (1945)
Johnny Frederick, 127 (1929)
Mookie Betts, 126 (2023)
Goody Rosen, 126 (1945)
Duke Snider, 126 (1955)

Ohtani is on pace to score 152 runs this season.

—That points to one reason Ohtani bats leadoff. He gets on base more often, so he scores more often. Yes, he’d probably drive in more if he batted lower, but he’d also score fewer runs. Is it a fair trade-off? Well, they won the World Series with him there last season.

—The Dodgers surprised many by bringing outfielder Justin Dean up from the minors last week, sending Esteury Ruiz down.

Dean was a 17th-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2018. He played in the minors for the Braves, and in the Mexican League, before signing with the Dodgers as a minor league free agent before this season. It has been a long road for Dean, 28.

“I had thoughts that maybe it’s not for me,” Dean told Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider. “It’s not for everybody. So I definitely had those thoughts. But I don’t know what else I would do, so I’m going to keep doing this. And my parents really encouraged me to continue to do it. They’re my backbone and who I would fall back on when things didn’t feel right, and they just continued to push for me and continued to pray for me.”

So why did the Dodgers call him up instead of other, younger players with better offensive numbers? One word, a word that has been missing in a lot of the Dodgers’ outfield this season: defense.

“Justin is a really plus, plus center fielder,” Dave Roberts told reporters. “So we’re just giving him a look out there as a defensive replacement, to pinch run, be a guy off the bench that we think there’s a lot of utility in that.”

We forget sometimes the struggles some of these players go through to reach the majors. Players such as Ohtani make it look so easy and glamorous. It’s easy to forget that for some guys it can be a grind, with many never making it. So give Dean a couple of extra seconds of applause the next time you see him.

—Since saying in Friday’s newsletter that Mookie Betts should be moved down in the order, Betts has gone five for 14 (.313) with a home run and five RBIs. I must remember to use the power of the newsletter for good and not evil.

—I get a couple hundred emails after each newsletter. I try to respond to as many as I can. If I don’t respond to yours, forgive me. I read them all, and appreciate them all, even the ones who disagree with me. Lately, I’ve gotten a lot of emails a bit anxious over the fact that the Dodgers are striking out so much. So, are they striking out more than usual? Let’s look at the strikeout percentage for each batter this season, compared to career norms. We’ll focus on the 13 Dodgers with the most plate appearances.

The average strikeout percentage for a player in the majors this season is 21.9%. In 1988, just to go back to a season we all remember fondly, the rate was 14.7% (and that was with the pitcher batting for almost half the teams).

Striking out more this season

Player, +/-, K% in 2025, 2024 K%, career K%
Freddie Freeman, +7.2%, 22.9%, 15.7%, 18.9%
Kiké Hernández, +6.2%, 25.8%, 19.6%, 20.1%
Shohei Ohtani, +4.5, 26.7%, 22.2%, 25.6%
Miguel Rojas, +3.7%, 13.8%, 10.1%, 12.3%

Striking out less this season
Max Muncy, -5%, 21.3%, 26.3%, 24.4%
Teoscar Hernández, -3.9%, 24.9%, 28.8%, 29.2%
Andy Pages, -3.6%, 20.8%, 24.4%, 22.6%
Tommy Edman, -2.4%, 17.2%, 19.6%, 16.7%
Michael Conforto, -1.2%, 23%, 24.2%, 23.7%
Will Smith, -0.1%, 19.2%, 19.3%, 18.6%
Mookie Betts, 0, 11%, 11%, 13.5%

Team strikeout % this year: 21.4%
Team strikeout % last year: 22%

So, the Dodgers are actually striking out less often this year, and it’s pretty consistent across the board, no matter the game situation.

The only two people who are truly having a bad strikeout year are Freeman, who has already struck out more times this season than last season, and Kiké. Ohtani is close to career norms, and Rojas is striking out more, but still far less than most. They’ve scored 5.18 runs per game this season, 5.20 last season. If the Dodgers don’t win it all this season, it probably won’t be because of strikeouts, even if Ohtani did have a crucial strikeout with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a one-run loss to Toronto on Sunday. The final pitch was out of the strike zone.

—Dave Roberts gave a rare criticism of Ohtani after the game: “The last thing I was thinking was he was going to strikeout. We’ve got to come up with one right there. Chasing the ball down is something we can’t have happen.”

—The Dodgers travel all the way to Orange County to take on the Angels for three games starting tonight. For those of you wishing for a cheaper way to go to a Dodger game without a big traffic hassle getting in and out of the stadium, now is your chance.

—If the postseason started today, these would be the 12 teams to qualify:

NL
1. Milwaukee
2. Philadelphia
3. Dodgers
4. Chicago
5. San Diego
6. New York

AL
1. Toronto
2. Detroit
3. Houston
4. Seattle
5. Boston
6. New York

The top two teams in each league get a first-round bye. The other four teams in each league play in the best-of-three wild-card round, with No. 3 hosting all three games against No. 6, and No. 4 hosting all three against No. 5.

The division winners are guaranteed to get the top three seeds, even if a wild-card team has a better record.

In the best-of-five second round, No. 1 hosts the No. 4-5 winner and No. 2 hosts the No. 3-6 winner. That way the No. 1 seed is guaranteed not to play a divisional winner until the LCS.

It would behoove the Dodgers to finish in the top two in the NL.

These names seem familiar

A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Saturday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats.

Batters

Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .272/.325/.485, 464 plate appearances, 20 doubles, 5 triples, 20 homers, 66 RBIs, 122 OPS+

Michael Busch, Cubs: .263/.348/.500, 416 PA’s, 16 doubles, 3 triples, 22 homers, 64 RBIs, 143 OPS+

Hunter Feduccia, Rays: 3 for 19, 1 double, 28 OPS+ (numbers with Rays only)

Gavin Lux, Reds: .274/.356/.375, 379 PA’s, 20 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 42 RBIs, 99 OPS+

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .269/.348/.454, 391 PA’s, 18 doubles, 8 triples, 10 homers, 39 RBIs, 120 OPS+

James Outman, Twins: in the minors

Joc Pederson, Rangers, .148/.287/.282, 179 PA’s, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 67 OPS+

Keibert Ruiz, Nationals, .247/.277/.318, 267 PA’s, 12 doubles, 2 homers, 25 RBIs, 70 OPS+

Corey Seager, Rangers: .265/.370/.470, 378 PA’s, 15 doubles, 17 homers, 41 RBIs, 143 OPS+

Chris Taylor, Angels: .189/.302/.396, 42 PA’s, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 82 OPS+ (numbers with Angels only)

Justin Turner, Cubs: .222/.292/.333, 154 PA’s, 6 doubles, 3 homers, 15 RBIs, 82 OPS+

Trea Turner, Phillies: .282/.340/.427, 520 PA’s, 25 doubles, 4 triples, 12 homers, 51 RBIs, 109 OPS+

Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .229/.305/.402, 439 PA’s, 25 doubles, two triples, 13 homers, 44 RBIs, 97 OPS+

Alex Verdugo, Braves: .239/.296/.289, 213 PA’s, 10 doubles, 12 RBIs, 66 OPS+, released by Braves

Pitching

Walker Buehler, Red Sox: 7-6, 5.40 ERA, 100 IP, 110 hits, 46 walks, 75 K’s, 76 ERA+

Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 6-11, 4.56 ERA, 120.1 IP, 106 hits, 48 walks, 147 K’s, 90 ERA+

Kenley Jansen, Angels: 4-2, 2.72 ERA, 21 saves, 43 IP, 32 hits, 13 walks, 42 K’s, 156 ERA+

Dustin May, Red Sox: 0-1, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 6 hits, 1 walk, 4 K’s, 61 ERA+ (numbers with Red Sox only)

Ryan Pepiot, Rays: 7-9, 3.77 ERA, 136 IP, 114 hits, 47 walks, 134 K’s, 108 ERA+

Max Scherzer, Blue Jays: 2-2, 4.21 ERA, 47 IP, 41 hits, 11 walks, 49 K’s, 99 ERA+

Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees: 3-1, 3.90 ERA, 55.1 IP, 48 hits, 17 walks, 49 K’s, 104 ERA+

Up next

Monday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 10-7, 2.51 ERA) at Angels (José Soriano, 7-9, 4.01 ERA), 6:38 p.m., Sportsnet LA, FanDuel Sports Network West, KCOP Ch. 13, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830, KWKW 1330

Tuesday: Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 3-2, 3.00 ERA) at Angels (*Tyler Anderson, 2-7, 4.63 ERA), 6:38 p.m., Sportsnet LA, FanDuel Sports Network West, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830, KWKW 1330

Wednesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 2.37 ERA) at Angels (Kyle Hendricks, 6-8, 4.63 ERA) 6:38 p.m., Sportsnet LA, FanDuel Sports Network West, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830, KWKW 1330

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

‘Straight grinder.’ How new Dodger Alex Call became one of MLB’s toughest at-bats

And finally

The Dodgers salute Don Newcombe. 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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. My third grandchild, Paisley, was born this week. Things like that give Brock Stewart pitching poorly the proper perspective.

The Dodgers season was going along just fine. We had grown accustomed to the pitching doing poorly, and being injured, and were just waiting for the start of the postseason. But, no, the Dodgers had to thrown in a new wrinkle: The offense is now terrible too.

So what has happened to the offense? Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández stopped hitting. Max Muncy was injured. It seemed that only Will Smith could still get the key hits when needed.

Let’s take a look at the team’s hitting in July:

Alex Freeland, 1 for 2
Will Smith, .349/.461/.587, 22 for 63, 3 doubles, 4 homers, 7 RBIs, 12 walks, 15 K’s
Michael Conforto, .273/.342/.485, 18 for 66, 5 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBIs, 6 walks, 15 K’s
Freddie Freeman, .253/.327/.352, 23 for 91, 6 doubles, 1 homer, 13 RBIs, 9 walks, 32 K’s
Miguel Rojas, .250/.361/.481, 13 for 52, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 5 RBIs, 9 walks, 9 K’s
Andy Pages, .247/.299/.382, 22 for 89, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 9 RBIs, 6 walks, 26 K’s
Teoscar Hernández, .232/.284/.362, 3 doubles, 2 homers, 11 RBIs, 5 walks, 20 K’s
Mookie Betts, .205/.261/.325, 17 for 83, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 5 RBIs, 6 walks, 14 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, .204/.321/.505, 19 for 93, 1 double, 9 homers, 19 RBIs, 16 walks, 32 K’s
Hyeseong Kim, .193/.207/.211, 11 for 57, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 1 walk, 24 K’s
Esteury Ruiz, .190/.261/.333, 4 for 21, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, 8 K’s
Dalton Rushing, .179/.200/.214, 5 for 28, 1 double, 2 RBIs, 8 K’s
Tommy Edman, .156/.239/.230, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 5 walks, 15 K’s
James Outman, .067/.176/.133, 1 for 15, 1 double, 1 walk, 5 K’s
Max Muncy, 0 for 5
Kiké Hernández, 0 for 9
Team, .226/.302/.375, 31 doubles, 30 homers, 80 walks, 226 K’s, 3.79 runs per game

That’s pretty brutal (however, note how well Conforto has been hitting for over a month now). Let’s look at the team rankings in July among the 30 MLB teams:

Batting average: 28th
OB%: 27th
SLG%: 25th
Runs: 28th

They were last in doubles and triples, 15th in home runs.

Things have picked up slightly in August. Freeman is hitting .458 with power, Ohtani is hitting .400, Teoscar is hitting .250 with power. The only one still not hitting is Betts, who is hitting .174 in August. They are only 3-3 in August and are 13-17 over their last 30 games.

Betts is having the worst season of his career, and it’s not even close. Let’s look at his OPS+ each season (remember, OPS+ compares a hitter to the league average. An OPS+ of 120 means the hitters is 20% better than league average, an OPS+ of 80 means they were 30% worse.

2014: 126
2015: 117
2016: 133
2017: 108
2018: 186
2019: 134
2020: 147
2021: 126
2022: 140
2023: 165
2024: 142
2025: 88

His best season, 2018, was the year he won AL MVP with the Red Sox.

With the move to shortstop, the Dodgers have gone from having a perennial Gold Glove and MVP candidate in right field, to an average (at best) fielding, below-average hitter at shortstop. I checked at Baseball Reference, and looked for Dodgers shortstops who had a career OPS+ near 85 and similar fielding stats. The answer: Greg Gagne and Bill Russell.

And, when you think about it, Betts is playing about the same as Russell did, only 50 years later in a much different game.

Betts talked to Times columnist Dylan Hernández before and after Tuesday’s game, and had some interesting quotes. Betts said it wasn’t the position switch or the illness just as the season began that triggered his slump. It started when Betts broke his left hand in June last season.

“I really haven’t been right since I came back from my hand last year,” Betts said. “Think about it. Go and look at it. I haven’t been right since.”

OK, so let’s look at it.

Before his hand was broken, Betts was hitting .304/.405/.488 last season. After that, he hit .263/.314/.497. Lower average, a lot fewer walks, but more power. He hit .290 in the postseason with five doubles and four homers.

Then there’s this season, where he has fallen off a cliff.

There was hope Tuesday when Betts went three for four. But that came on the heels of an 0 for 20 skid, and he followed it up by going one for four Wednesday as the Dodgers lost two of three from the Cardinals.

Betts has continued to work hard to improve, taking extra batting practice and doing anything and everything to get better, so the effort is not in question. And it’s hard to think of a player who was at the level Betts played at who just stopped hitting all of a sudden. There’s usually a gradual decline. Adrián González stopped hitting suddenly, but he wasn’t quite at Betts’ level, and the shift played into that some.

But here’s the thing. When the Dodgers moved Ohtani to the leadoff spot, the reasoning was they wanted to give their best hitter the most at bats. Some didn’t like it, but they won a World Series with Ohtani leading off.

Betts had a .314 on-base percentage last season after his hand was broken. He has a .308 on-base percentage this season. He is batting second. That is not giving the most at bats to your best hitters. It’s time to move Betts down to the bottom half of the order. Dave Roberts isn’t going to do that, but it’s time. For a full season now, Betts’ on-base percentage has been subpar. One of the jobs of your top two hitters is to get on base. And maybe Betts will relax a little lower in the order. Who knows. We’re not in the Dodgers clubhouse every day to get an emotional read on everyone. Maybe moving Betts down would destroy his confidence. I can’t speak intelligently as to those things. But on paper, he needs to move down to sixth or seventh. Maybe try Alex Call in the two spot against lefties. He has a .371 on-base percentage this season and is a guy GM Brandon Gomes called “a grinder.” He works the count. The Dodgers have fallen out of the habit of doing that. Maybe a fresh look at the top of the lineup will get things going again.

Because one thing is for sure. The Padres are looming large in the rear-view mirror. I still believe the Dodgers will make the postseason, but better to do it as a division winner than a wild-card.

But, despite this brutal, no-good, very bad season, keep in mind an important fact:

Last season at this time, the Dodgers were 66-49 and had a three-game lead over San Diego and Arizona in the NL West. They had just gone 11-13 in July and were 3-3 in August at that time. Some readers and fans online were saying this team would never win the World Series.

This season, the Dodgers are 66-49 and have a two-game lead over San Diego in the NL West. They have just gone 10-14 in July and are 3-3 in August. Some readers and fans online are saying this team will never win the World Series.

Check out what Jack Harris has to say about the offense by clicking here.

Notes

—Ohtani got his 1,000th major league hit on Wednesday. 1,405 players have reached the 1,000-hit mark. Remember Amed Rosario, whom the Dodgers acquired via trade twice in the last couple of seasons and then cut loose relatively quickly? He has 1,001 hits (in 100 more at bats).

—Ohtani is on pace for 55 home runs this season, one more than he hit last year. However, he has only 16 steals, compared to 59 last year. That’s what pitching will do. Have to protect those legs.

—Readers ask why Ohtani is striking out so much. Compared to his career norms, he really isn’t (a 1.2% increase). However last season, a magical season for him, was his career low in strikeouts, making this season seem worse than it is. His career high is 189, in 2021 with the Angels. He’s on pace to strike out 192 times this season, but in 100 more plate appearances than in 2021.

—Brock Stewart has given up two runs in 2-2/3 innings with the Dodgers. Apparently they accidentally acquired the 2019 Stewart.

—Roki Sasaki has a three-inning simulated game Friday, after which he could go out on a minor-league rehab assignment.

—The Giants released former Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes, who went eight for 39 (.205) in the minors with them.

—Dustin May made his first start for the Red Sox on Wednesday, giving up three runs in 3-2/3 innings of a loss.

—Max Muncy hit two homers Tuesday, his 19th multi-homer game with the Dodgers, tying him for the most in L.A. Dodgers history with Mike Piazza.

—Muncy has 205 home runs with the Dodgers, fourth in L.A. history behind Eric Karros (270), Ron Cey (228) and Steve Garvey (211). He’s still well off the franchise record, held by Duke Snider (389).

—As far as position player injuries go, Hyeseong Kim could be back soon, while the return date for Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández remains murky.

—Only 20 pitchers have struck out at least 3,000 batters. Two of them, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw, start against each other Friday. You have to appreciate these moments when they happen.

—The Toronto Blue Jays come to town next. They just scored 45 runs and had 63 hits in a three-game sweep of the Rockies. And yes, the Rockies are historically bad, but still…

Up next

Friday: Toronto (Max Scherzer, 2-1, 4.39 ERA) at Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 5-2, 3.29 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Toronto (Chris Bassitt, 11-5, 4.12 ERA) at Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 1-1, 3.21 ERA), 6:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Toronto (*Eric Lauer, 7-2, 2.59 ERA) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 10-7, 2.51 ERA) 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Hernández: Mookie Betts sounds depressed, but he isn’t giving up on snapping his hitting slump

Things are finally turning around for Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki

‘They’ve got to perform better.’ Three Dodger stars who need to heat up at the plate

And finally

In 2004, Adrian Beltré hits a go-ahead grand slam. 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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. On Friday, we’ll look at the struggling offense. Until then, here’s a bonus edition of the newsletter.

Top 10 third basemen

Here are my picks for the top 10 third basemen in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player’s name to be taken to the baseball-reference.com page with all their stats.

1. Ron Cey (1971-82, .264/.359/.445, 121 OPS+, 6-time All-Star)

Cey is one of the most underrated players in the history of baseball, let alone the Dodgers. He was unfortunate in that he was a direct contemporary of possibly the two greatest third basemen in history (especially up to that time) in Mike Schmidt and George Brett, so Cey often went overlooked.

If you ask fans who was the best player on the Dodgers from 1977-81, most would name Steve Garvey or Reggie Smith. But let’s take a look at the numbers:

From 1977-81

Most homers: Cey, 122; Garvey, 118; Dusty Baker, 102.

OPS+: Smith, 154; Cey, 129; Garvey, 126.

WAR: Cey, 22.4; Smith, 16.7; Garvey, 16.3

Cey, of course, was nicknamed “The Penguin,” because his knees were about six inches off the ground, giving him a stiff-legged run. He never seemed slow though, just awkward looking.

He was co-MVP of the 1981 World Series, the Series during which he was famously hit in the head by a Goose Gossage fastball, still the only game (Game 5) I have watched where I was convinced someone had just been killed. Cey was taken to the hospital and had a concussion. You can watch it here. He played in Game 6.

‘’I heard it hit the helmet,’’ Gossage said after the game. ‘’If he doesn’t have a helmet on, he might be dead.’’

The Dodgers traded Cey to the Chicago Cubs after the 1982 season for Dan Cataline and Vance Lovelace. They traded him too soon, for players that didn’t pan out. Cey went on the have four productive seasons with the Cubs, leading them to the NL East title in 1984. He was released by the Oakland A’s during the 1987 season and never played in the majors again.

Cey took part in our “Ask….” series five years ago. You can read it here.

2. Pedro Guerrero (1978-88, .309/.381/.512, 149 OPS+, 4-time All-Star)

Let’s get the negative out of the way first: Guerrero was born to be a DH. He was a bad third baseman, a bad first baseman and a bad outfielder. But he may be the best hitter in Dodger history. He is second in OPS+ in Dodger history (minimum 3,000 plate appearances), trailing only Mike Piazza. and he had around 1,000 more plate appearances than Piazza. He hit .320 in 1985, then blew out his knee on an ill-advised slide in spring training of 1986. He came back in 1987 to hit .338. He had power, hitting 30+ homers three times (back when that really meant something) and had a good eye at the plate. He was not a good fielder at third, and hated playing there, but you have to give him credit for going out there whenever he was asked. On April 3, 2017, Guerrero had a stroke while in New York. According to his wife Roxanna Jimenez, doctors said Guerrero was in a coma, declared him brain dead and asked her to consider taking him off life support. She refused. Two days later, Guerrero woke up and has made a miraculous recovery. He still has memory problems and moves slower than he used to, but he makes appearances at autograph shows.

3. Justin Turner (2014-22, .296/.375/.490, 133 OPS+, 2-time All-Star)

Turner remains a fan favorite, as every offseason I get emails from readers hoping the Dodgers will bring him back.

Turner had a middling career with the Orioles and Mets (.260 career average in 318 games) before signing with the Dodgers before the 2014 season in a transaction that few paid attention to. The Dodgers and Turner unlocked something in his swing though, because he was a revelation in 2014, hitting .340/.404/.493 in 109 games. He became the heart of the offense, and his hard-nosed style of play endeared him to fans. If there was a clutch situation, Turner was the one you wanted up at the plate. Remember this clutch moment against the Cubs in the 2017 NLCS? And even though he is on the downside of his career with the Cubs this season, he still has his clutch moments. He’s one of those guys you hope retires as a Dodgers.

4. Max Muncy (2018-current, .232/.358/.484, 127 OPS+, 2-time All-Star)

Muncy has never captured the hearts of Dodgers fans the way other players the last few years have. He hits for a low average, but draws a lot of walks and has a lot of power. The offense this season went into the tank about the same time he was injured. And while he will never win a Gold Glove, he usually battles the position to a draw. The streakiest of streak hitters, he set a record for most consecutive times reaching base in the NLCS last season, then followed it up by going 0 for 16 in the World Series. A big part of the Dodgers’ success since he joined the team.

5. Adrian Beltré (1998-2004, .274/.332/.463, 108 OPS+)

How is a Hall of Famer fifth? He wasn’t a Hall of Famer when he was with the Dodgers. In fact, he was considered a bit of a disappointment until an amazing 2004 season, when he hit .334 with 48 homers and 121 RBIs. He finished second in MVP voting that year. Sadly, that would be his last year as a Dodger, as management at the time (owner Frank McCourt and general manager Paul DePodesta) didn’t make a big effort to sign him. “I think it was more the GM than anything,” Beltré said later in his career. Beltré blamed himself for telegraphing that he didn’t want to leave. “It was a mistake on my part to show it too much, that I wanted to stay back then. They wanted to use that against me in the negotiation.” (Read more about Beltre and his time with the Dodgers here.) Beltré was the best fielding third baseman in team history, and the Dodgers spent many years seeking an adequate replacement for him, something they were never able to do until Justin Turner came along.

6. Cookie Lavagetto (1937-41, 1946-47, .275/.372/.384, 105 OPS+, 4-time All-Star)

Lavagetto had an incredible batting eye, walking 370 times while striking out only 155 times from 1937-41. His career was derailed by World War II, as he served four years in the Navy during what would have been his prime. When Lavagetto was young, Oakland Oaks owner Cookie DeVincenzi took an interest in him and signed him to a contract, so Lavagetto’s new teammates started calling him “Cookie’s Boy,” which eventually was shortened to just “Cookie.” His real first name was Harry. When he returned from the Navy, his skills had eroded enough to where he played only two seasons. But he had one great moment in him still. In Game 4 of the 1947 World Series, Bill Bevens of the Yankees had a no-hitter against the Dodgers in the ninth inning. Bevens had walked eight Dodgers, and the Yankees led 2-1. With one out, Bevens walked Carl Furillo, then got Spider Jorgensen to foul out. Al Gionfriddo ran for Furillo and stole second. Bevens intentionally walked Pete Reiser, and Eddie Miksis ran for Reiser. Manager Burt Shotton then sent up Lavagetto to pinch-hit for Eddie Stanky. Lavagetto hit Bevens’ second pitch off the right-field fence, scoring Gionfriddo and Miksis with the winning runs and ending Bevens’ no-hitter. Lavagetto died in 1990 at the age of 77.

7. Arky Vaughan (1942-43, 1947-48, .291/.368/.383, 113 OPS+, 1-time All-Star)

Vaughan is in the Hall of Fame, as a shortstop wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates cap. That’s where he spent the first 10 seasons of his career.

You might see that gap in his career and think “military service interrupted his career,” but no. Vaughan hit .277 and .305 in his first two seasons with the Dodgers.

On July 10, 1943, Dodgers manager Leo Durocher suspended pitcher Bobo Newsom for insubordination. The next day, Vaughan read a newspaper story in which Durocher belittled Newsom. He confronted Durocher when he arrived at the ballpark. Durocher stood behind what he said. According to teammate Billy Herman, “Arky didn’t say another word. He went back to his locker and took off his uniform — pants, jersey, socks, cap — made a big bundle out of it, and went back to Leo’s office, telling Leo, ‘Take this uniform and shove it right up your… If you would lie about Bobo, you would lie about me and everybody else. I’m not playing for you.’

And Vaughan left. Some of his teammates left with him. Durocher and general manager Branch Rickey convinced all of the players to return for that day’s game except Vaughan. He returned the next day and played the rest of the season, but quit baseball at the end of the season.

Rickey talked to him every year, trying to get him to return, but Vaughan refused. Until Rickey said he needed a veteran leader like Vaughan on the bench in 1947 because of the debut of Jackie Robinson. Vaughan returned. Vaughan hit .325 off the bench for the Dodgers and helped them reach the World Series, his first. He played in 1948, hit .244, and retired for good.

On August 30, 1952, he and a friend, Bill Wimer, went sailing on Lost Lake in northern California. The boat sank. Wimer couldn’t swim, so Vaughan tried to carry him along as he swam to shore. Witnesses at the time said they made it to 25 yards from shore when they both sank and drowned (why these witnesses didn’t help is lost to the annals of time). Their bodies were recovered the next day. Vaughan was 40.

At Vaughan’s funeral, Robinson said, “He was one of the fellows who went out of his way to be nice to me when I came in here as a rookie. Believe me, I needed it. He was a fine fellow.”

8. Billy Cox (1948-54, .259/.320/.370, 82 OPS+)

Cox was a member of the “Boys of Summer” Dodgers but had the misfortune of being traded to Baltimore just before the 1955 season, when Brooklyn finally won the World Series. Cox was a great fielder but below-average hitter. He served for four years in the military during World War II as a member of the 814th Signal Corps. The Signal Corps laid wire and set up communication centers for the advancing troops, which meant he was often in the middle of combat zones. One time, while playing for the Pirates, the sound of a fireworks display that was set off while he was on the field reminded him of his time in the military and he ran to the dugout for cover. And how good was Cox on defense? Perhaps teammate Carl Erskine put it best: “He had such quick hands that it seemed as though he had four gloves instead of one.” Cox started smoking when he was overseas during the war, and it eventually took its toll. He died of esophageal cancer in 1978. He was only 58 years old. The baseball field in his hometown of Newport, Pa., is named for him.

9. Joe Stripp (1932-37, .295/.335/.384, 97 OPS+)

Stripp had a solid bat and was a Gold Glove-level defender, though they didn’t give that award out when he played. After Stripp retired, he opened up a baseball school in Orlando, Fla., which was considered one of the best baseball schools in the country in the 1940s and ’50s. Stripp died in Orlando in 1989 at the age of 86.

There isn’t a lot known about Stripp, who is one of those guys who just sort of faded away after he retired. He was born 122 years ago and played in the majors for 11 seasons. It’s nice to remember him here.

10. Mike Sharperson (1987-93, .287/.363/.373, 108 OPS+, 1-time All-Star)

Sharperson was more of a utility player than a third baseman, appearing at every infield position and in right field with the Dodgers. His best season was 1992, when he hit .300 and made his only All-Star team. He was a guy you could put in for a player who needed a day off and know you were going to get a solid performance. Those types of players are very valuable to a team over the course of 162 games. On May 26, 1996, Sharperson was killed in a one-car crash at the junction of the 15 and 215 freeways. He was driving from Las Vegas, where he was playing for the triple-A Las Vegas Stars, to San Diego, which had just recalled him from the minors. Witnesses said it appeared he was about to miss the turn onto the 215 connector and tried to get over at the last second. His car hit a dirt median and Sharperson was ejected through the sun roof. Sharperson was only 34.

Once you get down to around ninth or 10th place, there are a lot of guys who are interchangeable there. You could make a case for Billy Grabarkewitz or Casey Blake or Ken McMullen or George Pinkney or Tim Wallach or a host of others. The Dodgers have not had a lot of great third basemen.

The readers’ top 10

1,286 ballots were sent in. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. For those of you who were wondering, I make my choices before I tally your results. Here are your choices:

1. Ron Cey, 791 first-place votes, 13,429 points
2. Adrian Beltré, 321 first-place votes, 10,510 points
3. Justin Turner, 74 first-place votes, 10,189 points
4. Max Muncy, 25 first-place votes, 7,345 points
5. Pedro Guerrero, 23 first-place votes, 7,232 points
6. Billy Cox, 3,438 points
7. Cookie Lavagetto, 3,335 points
8. Tim Wallach, 1,731 points
9. Arky Vaughan, 42 first-place votes, 1,657 points
10. Bill Madlock, 1,483 points

The next five: Juan Uribe, Mickey Hatcher, Todd Zeile, George Pinkney, Joe Stripp.

Top 10 left fielders

Who are your top 10 Dodgers left fielders of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.

Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the strongest left fielder candidates, in alphabetical order.

Sandy Amorós, John Anderson, Dusty Baker, Rube Bressler, Bill Buckner, Gino Cimoli, Kal Daniels, Vic Davalillo, Tommy Davis, Len Gabrielson, Augie Galan, Kirk Gibson, Gene Hermanski, Todd Hollandsworth, Lou Johnson, Brian Jordan, Joe Kelley, Joe Medwick, Wally Moon, Manny Mota, Darby O’Brien, Lefty O’Doul, Andy Pafko, AJ Pollock, Manny Ramirez, Jimmy Sheckard, Gary Sheffield, George Shuba, Chris Taylor, Danny Taylor, Andrew Toles, Jayson Werth, Zack Wheat.

A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Joc Pederson (center field) and Ron Fairly and Teoscar Hernández (right field), for example, will be listed at those positions.

And finally

Pedro Guerrero goes three for five with five RBIs in 1981 World Series Game 6. 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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. For you movie buffs, it’s nice to see a genuine Superman back on the big screen again.

The trade deadline

Well, the trade deadline is over and the Dodgers made moderate upgrades to their bullpen and outfield and some nice additions to their farm system. Before we can appraise the overall picture, let’s see what happened (all numbers are from the time they were traded). So, as an old friend would say, pull up a chair and spend part of the day with us.

—Dodgers acquire right-handed reliever Brock Stewart from Minnesota for outfielder James Outman.

If Stewart’s name sounds familiar to you, it’s because he pitched for the Dodgers from 2016-19, throwing 84 innings for a 5.46 ERA. And in the rare case of a pitcher getting better after leaving the Dodgers, he eventually landed in Minnesota, where he has pitched the last three season, throwing 77.1 innings with a 2.33 ERA. His fastball was 91 mph with the Dodgers, it is 96 mph now. A setup man with the Twins, Stewart has 14 holds and only blown one lead this season and right-handers are hitting only .104 against him. Dave Roberts said he wouldn’t hesitate to use Stewart in the ninth inning.

However, in a phrase I should have saved so I can cut and paste it whenever the Dodgers acquire a pitcher, Stewart has quite the injury history. He has never pitched more than 34.1 innings in a season, and that was in 2017. He was at 34 innings this season before the Dodgers acquired him. He had Tommy John surgery in 2021, because the Dodgers are apparently legally required to only acquire pitchers who have had that operation. In 2023, he was shut down in June because of an elbow injury. Last season, he appeared in only 16 games because of shoulder surgery. He started this season on the IL because of a strained left hamstring. So, while he’s been good when he pitches, he doesn’t pitch all that often.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes to reporters on Stewart: “We felt like he’s in the upper tier of right-handed relievers. He’s been absolutely dominant against righties this year and performing really well.”

Outman finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023 but has been terrible at the major league level since then, hitting .137/.245/.269. This is his final option year, so the Dodgers would have had to expose him to waivers if they tried to send him down next season. Trading him for Stewart is a pretty good deal for the Dodgers, and for Outman. Hopefully he rediscovers his swing in the majors (he remains a good hitter in triple A).

—Dodgers acquire minor league outfielders James Tibbs and Zach Ehrhard from Boston for pitcher Dustin May.

Tibbs was the Giants’ first-round pick in 2024 and the Giants traded him to Boston in June for Rafael Devers. He’s a left-handed hitter who can play left, right and first base. He hit .246/.379/.479 in High-A with the Giants. The Red Sox promoted him to double-A and he hit .207/.319/.267, which isn’t great, but he’s only 22. Either the Red Sox saw something they didn’t like, or they gave up on him way too soon. MLB has him as the No. 7 prospect in the Dodgers’ system.

Ehrhard was selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. He’s a right-hander who can play left or right, and has some speed, stealing 23 bases in 88 minor league games this season while hitting .270/.371/.434 split between High-A and double-A. He is now the 25th-ranked prospect in the Dodger system.

Injuries sidetracked what looked like was going to be a great career for May. He has shown flashes of his old form this season, but has a 4.84 ERA in 104 innings (the first time he has pitched over 100 innings). With Tony Gonsolin and Blake Snell back, there was no room in the rotation for May, and apparently he didn’t want to pitch in the bullpen. He is going to be a free agent after this season, so getting two good prospects for him is a good deal. He will probably become Boston’s fifth starter, joining former teammate Walker Buehler in the Red Sox rotation.

Gomes on the trade: “We had a lot of really respectful conversations with D-May, and he’s been a huge part of the organization for a long time. Through those conversations, it was apparent that starting was very important to him. And while we felt like he could have been a contributor out of the bullpen and an impact-type piece, trying to understand the mindset and his desire to continue to start, we took that into consideration.”

—Dodgers acquired outfielder Alex Call from Washington for minor league pitchers Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Linan.

Call, 30, can play all three outfield positions and has a good defensive reputation. If nothing else, he can sub in for Michael Conforto or Teoscar Hernández at the end of games to get a better glove in the game. He is hitting .274/.371/.386 over 237 plate appearances this season, and could become a platoon partner with Conforto, with Call starting against left-handers, against whom he has much better success (.262/.345/.403 in his career versus .230/340/349 against righties). In his one season as a regular, he hit .200/.307/.307, so he’s not cut out to be an everyday starter. He has two minor league option years remaining and is under team control through 2029. He works the count and draws walks.

Swan was the 16th-ranked prospect and Linan 20th. Swan has a high-90s fastball and had a 4.43 ERA in High-A this season, but gave up almost as many walks (46) as hits (49) in 79 innings. Linan’s out pitch is a changeup. He had a 2.01 ERA in 67 innings while striking out 89 spread across High-A and Low-A. He is only 20.

Gomes to reporters on Call: “This guy’s just a straight grinder, works at-bats. Playing against him, he’s always incredibly frustrating to try to game plan for and get out. So I think it was a nice balance to fill some holes and continue to build out with a really, like, functional roster on top of the already really strong talent we had.”

—In a three-team deal, Dodgers acquired minor league pitcher Adam Serwinowski from Cincinnati and pitcher Paul Gervase and minor league catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Rays for catcher Hunter Feduccia.

Serwinowski is considered the class of this part of the deal, as he was a top 10 prospect for the Reds and is ranked 14th with the Dodgers. He’s 6-5 and left-handed, and scouts do love the tall left-handers. He has struck out 242 in 188.1 minor league innings, but has struggled somewhat in High-A this season, with a 5.45 ERA, giving up 68 hits and 39 walks in 74.1 innings. Gervase is a 6-10 right-hander who joins the Dodgers in the majors. He is 25 and pitched only six inning with the Rays, but had a 3.12 ERA in triple-A with 63 strikeouts in 40.1 inning, giving up 27 hits and 12 walks. He’s tall, but his fastball reaches “only” 94, and he also throws a slider and a cutter. Rortvedt, with all due respect, basically provides minor league depth at catcher for the Dodgers. He has hit .186/.276/.265 in 209 games in the majors.

Feduccia was squeezed out when the Dodgers decided it was time to let Dalton Rushing play in the majors. He’s 28 and will get more of a chance to play elsewhere, as his path to the majors in L.A. was limited to someone getting hurt.

So there you have it. Nothing earth-shaking.

What does it mean? It means the Dodgers have decided to go all-in on the team they have. The team that made some people get carried way with themselves and predict 120 wins. The team that many consider a disappointment despite them being in first place most of the season. The Dodgers believe that getting Glasnow and Snell back, and possibly Roki Sasaki, will stabilize the rotation. Then getting Blake Treinen back, and hopefully getting Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates back will stabilize the bullpen. That Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández will start hitting like themselves again (Freeman is already showing signs of it). That Max Muncy will return and hit like he did before he was injured. That’s a lot to hope for, but it could happen.

When the season began, Andrew Friedman said he signed guys like Scott and Yates and Sasaki so the team wouldn’t have to overpay to acquire anyone at the trade deadline. And it appears we should have believed him. They have almost all of their top prospects still, while the Padres traded 10 of their top 30 prospects in a bid to win it all this year.

The Dodgers have acquired big names at the deadline before, names that seemed to put them over the top, only to see it not happen. Yu Darvish. Max Scherzer. Trea Turner. Other teams made bigger improvements this year at the deadline. But that has happened before without those teams winning the World Series.

Did the Dodgers do the right thing this year? Emotionally, it would have been nice to see a big name or two added, but in reality, it’s impossible to say. Some people will say the sky is falling and that the Dodgers guaranteed failure this season by doing relatively little. Some will say they did the right thing. But the truth is, no one knows what will happen. There were plenty of people who thought the Dodgers weren’t going to win the World Series last year because they didn’t have enough starting pitching. But they did. Guys they needed to stepped up. Yoshinobu Yamamoto stepped up, as did others. Guys they didn’t count on stepped up. Walker Buehler stepped up, as did unexpected others. That’s what has to happen this year, any year, to win the World Series. Will the Dodgers have the expected guys, and the unexpected ones, step up?

The Dodgers could win the World Series. They could lose in the first round. They could fall apart and not even make the postseason. Don’t worry about the destination right now. Enjoy the ride.

How do the Dodgers feel about what they did? Again, Gomes: “We feel really good about this group. Coming into the year, we felt like this was as talented of a roster as we’ve ever had. We’re in a position where we’re in first place, and I don’t even think we’ve played our best baseball yet. So as we continue to get some of our starters back, and then adding these pieces, and our guys just kind of playing up to their potential, we feel like it’s still a really, really strong team, and we don’t feel any differently about our aspirations than we did at the beginning of the year.”

To read how Jack Harris recapped everything, click here.

To read what Bill Plaschke‘s opinion on all this is, click here.

The Padres

The Padres have won seven of eight and are surging, only three games behind the Dodgers. What did they do at the deadline? Let’s look:

—Acquired pitcher Nestor Cortes, minor league infielder Jorge Quintana from Milwaukee for outfielder Brandon Lockridge

Cortes gave up the grand slam to Freddie Freeman in Game 1 of the World Series. He made two starts for Milwaukee then went on the IL. He is scheduled to come off soon.

—Acquired first baseman-outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano from Baltimore for six minor leaguers: Boston Bateman, Brandon Butterworth, Cobb Hightower, Victor Figueroa, Tyson Neighbors, and Tanner Smith

O’Hearn and Laureano could platoon in left, which has been a weak spot all year for the Padres. O’Hearn is hitting .277/.342/.454 over the last three years with Baltimore. Or they could just start Laureano, who is hitting .290/.355/.529 this season and put O’Hearn at first. Or have O’Hearn switch between first and DH.

—Acquired infielder Will Wagner from Toronto for minor league catcher Brandon Valenzuela

Wagner can play any infield position, so he gives the Padres versatility, but he was sent to the minors after they acquired him. He is hitting .237/.336/.298 this season.

—Acquired catcher Freddy Fermin from Kansas City for pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek

Catching has been a real weak spot for San Diego this season, and Fermin gives them a bit of an upgrade on offense and defense. In four seasons with the Royals, he is hitting .268/.314/.383, but he is having his worst season this year. Bergert has a 2.78 ERA in seven starts this season, while Kolek has a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts. Seems like the Padres overpaid a bit.

—Acquired pitchers Mason Miller and JP Sears from Athletics for minor league shortstop Leo De Vries and minor league pitchers Henry Baez, Braden Nett and Eduarniel Nunez

The Padres upgraded an already stellar bullpen. Don’t let Miller’s 3.76 ERA fool you. He had a rough couple of weeks, but since then has been his usual great self, giving up one run in his last 15 innings with 19 strikeouts. His fastball averages 101 mph. Sears is a starter with a career 4.48 ERA.

De Vries is considered the Padres’ top prospect and the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball, so the Padres paid a price for the two pitchers. Will it pay off? Will trading 10 of their top 30 prospects get them that long-awaited World Series title this year? Reading the reaction of Padres fans on social media, they are just as split as Dodger fans. Some think the Padres overpaid. Some think this will lead to the promised land.

For all the trades by every team, click here.

Memory lane

A look at some previous trade deadline deals by the Dodgers.

2017

—Acquired pitcher Yu Darvish from Texas for A.J. Alexy, Willie Calhoun and Brendon Davis.

—Acquired pitcher Tony Cingrani from Cincinnati for Scott Van Slyke and Hendrik Clementina.

—Acquired pitcher Tony Watson from Pittsburgh for Angel German and Oneil Cruz.

—Acquired outfielder Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets for Jacob Rhame.

Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 74-31, .705

Record after Aug. 1: 30-27, .526

2018

—Acquired shortstop Manny Machado from Baltimore for Rylan Bannon, Yusniel Diaz, Dean Kremer, Zach Pop and Breyvic Valera.

—Acquired pitcher John Axford from Toronto for Corey Copping.

—Acquired second baseman Brian Dozier from Minnesota for Logan Forsythe, Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer.

—Acquired infielder David Freese from Pittsburgh for Jesus Valdez.

Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 59-49, .506

Record after Aug. 1: 33-22, .600

2019

—Acquired pitcher Adam Kolarek from Tampa Bay for Niko Hulsizer.

—Acquired infielder Jedd Gyorko from St. Louis for Jeffry Abreu and Tony Cingrani.

Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 71-39, .645

Record after Aug. 1: 35-17, .673

2020

Nothing significant. This was the 60-game COVID season.

2021

—Acquired pitcher Max Scherzer and shortstop Trea Turner from Washington for Gerardo Carrillo, Donovan Casey, Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz.

—Acquired outfielder Billy McKinney from the New York Mets for Carlos Rincón.

—Acquired pitcher Danny Duffy from Kansas City for Zach Willeman.

Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 63-43, .594

Record after Aug. 1: 43-13, .768

2022

—Acquired pitcher Chris Martin from the Chicago Cubs for infielder-outfielder Zach McKinstry.

—Acquired left fielder Joey Gallo from the New York Yankees for Clayton Beeter.

Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 68-33, .673

Record after Aug. 1: 43-18, .705

2023

—Acquired Kiké Hernández from Boston for Justin Hagenman and Nick Robertson.

—Acquired pitchers Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox for Jordan Leasure, Nick Nastrini and Trayce Thompson.

—Acquired infielder Amed Rosario from Cleveland for Noah Syndergaard.

—Acquired pitcher Ryan Yarbrough from Kansas City for Derlin Figueroa and Devin Mann.

Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 59-45, .567

Record after Aug. 1: 41-17, .707

2024

—Acquired pitcher Jack Flaherty from Detroit for Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney.

—As part of a three-team deal, acquired infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman from St. Louis, pitcher Michael Kopech from the Chicago White Sox for Alexander Albertus, Jeral Perez and Miguel Vargas.

Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 63-46, .578

Record after Aug. 1: 35-18, .660

2025

Dodgers record before Aug. 1: 63-46, .578

Record after Aug. 1: ?

These names seem familiar

A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Friday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats.

Batters

Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .279/.330/.505, 436 plate appearances, 20 doubles, 5 triples, 20 homers, 65 RBIs, 129 OPS+

Michael Busch, Cubs: .269/.356/.510, 396 PA’s, 15 doubles, 3 triples, 21homers, 61 RBIs, 149 OPS+

Hunter Feduccia, Rays: 0 for 3

Gavin Lux, Reds: .272/.358/.374, 355 PA’s, 18 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 42 RBIs, 100 OPS+

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .265/.347/.445, 376 PA’s, 16 doubles, 8 triples, 9 homers, 37 RBIs, 119 OPS+

James Outman, Twins: in the minors

Joc Pederson, Rangers, .129/.262/.223, 165 PA’s, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 43 OPS+

Keibert Ruiz, Nationals, .280/.327/.363, 168 PA’s, 7 doubles, 2 homers, 17 RBIs, 97 OPS+

Corey Seager, Rangers: .265/.372/.469, 347 PA’s, 15 doubles, 15 homers, 38 RBIs, 143 OPS+

Chris Taylor, Angels: .189/.302/.396, 42 PA’s, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 83 OPS+ (numbers with Angels only)

Justin Turner, Cubs: .211/.286/.297, 147 PA’s, 5 doubles, 2 homers, 13 RBIs, 70 OPS+

Trea Turner, Phillies: .286/.339/.424, 487 PA’s, 23 doubles, 3 triples, 11 homers, 45 RBIs, 108 OPS+

Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .229/.305/.402, 439 PA’s, 25 doubles, 2 triples, 13 homers, 44 RBIs, 96 OPS+

Alex Verdugo, Braves: .239/.296/.289, 213 PA’s, 10 doubles, 12 RBIs, 66 OPS+, released by Braves

Pitching

Walker Buehler, Red Sox: 6-6, 5.74 ERA, 94 IP, 106 hits, 44 walks, 71 K’s, 71 ERA+

Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 6-10, 4.36 ERA, 115.2 IP, 98 hits, 47 walks, 144 K’s, 94 ERA+

Kenley Jansen, Angels: 3-2, 2.93 ERA, 20 saves, 40 IP, 31 hits, 11 walks, 39 K’s, 145 ERA+

Dustin May, Red Sox: has not pitched for Boston yet.

Ryan Pepiot, Rays: 6-9, 3.80 ERA, 130.1 IP, 109 hits, 45 walks, 128 K’s, 107 ERA+

Max Scherzer, Blue Jays: 2-1, 4.39 ERA, 41 IP, 35 hits, 8 walks, 44 K’s, 95 ERA+

Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees: 3-1, 3.90 ERA, 55.1 IP, 48 hits, 17 walks, 49 K’s, 104 ERA+

Up next

Monday: St. Louis (Sonny Gray, 10-5, 4.38 ERA) at Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 1-1, 3.38 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: St. Louis (Miles Mikolas, 6-8, 4.83 ERA) at Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 2-2, 3.60 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: St. Louis (*Matthew Liberatore, 6-9, 3.96 ERA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 2.40 ERA) 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Dodgers welcome deadline additions, hopeful arrival ‘raises the floor for our ballclub’

Hernández: Dodgers look vulnerable, and Padres and rest of their competitors know it

Plaschke: Andrew Friedman struck out on the Dodgers’ urgent need for a closer

Dodgers pass MLB trade deadline quietly, add Brock Stewart and Alex Call

And finally

Game 2 of the 1978 World Series, Bob Welch vs. Reggie Jackson. 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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. We’ll recap trade deadline deals on Monday. In the meantime, a palate cleanser.

Top 10 second basemen

Here are my picks for the top 10 second basemen in Dodgers history, followed by how all of you voted. Numbers listed are with the Dodgers only. Click on the player’s name to be taken to the baseball-reference.com page with all their stats.

1. Jackie Robinson (1947-56, .311/.409/.474, 133 OPS+, 6-time All-Star, 1 NL MVP award, 1 ML Rookie of the Year award

I have written a lot about Robinson over the years, so I won’t repeat myself here. He was a great, great player.

2. Jim Gilliam (1953-66, .266/.360/.355. 93 OPS+, 2-time All-Star, 1 NL Rookie of the Year award)

It seemed that every season Jim Gilliam would be on the bench, squeezed out of the lineup by a hot rookie or flashy newcomer, then by the end of April, either the new player would be a bust or an injury would open a spot and Gilliam would end the season as the starting second baseman. Or starting third baseman. Or starting left fielder.

Let’s recount a story Vin Scully told me about Gilliam for my book: “I was introducing the team, and I would introduce, ‘So and so is the shortstop’ and so on, and I introduced Jim as ‘Jim Gilliam, baseball player.’ He was one of the smartest players. I remember Walter Alston saying that Jim never missed a sign. Never. Like anyone else, you are going to drop a ball, you are going to make an error, but Jim never made a mental mistake. And on the base paths, he’d go from first to third all the time. He always did the right thing. He was very quiet and not at all ‘on,’ but he was a consummate baseball player. He was married in St. Louis, and the team bus stopped at the reception while the photographer was taking pictures. Jim said to the photographer, ‘One more.’ The photographer took it and Jim got on the bus and we went to Busch Stadium.”

On Sept. 15, 1978, Gilliam suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at home and went into a coma. He died on Oct. 8, only 49 years old. He died the day after the Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies to win the NL pennant. His number, 19, was retired, and until the Dodgers finally retired Fernando Valenzuela’s number, he was the only Dodger not in the Hall of Fame to have his number retired.

3. Davey Lopes (1972-81, .262/.349/.388, 105 OPS+, 4-time All-Star, 1 Gold Glove)

Here’s what I best remember about Lopes. Not only was he a great base stealer, he was the best at the lost art of the leadoff man stalling after the pitcher makes an out, giving the pitcher more time to rest in the dugout.

It usually happened like this: Someone such as Don Sutton would hit a slow roller to second and would hustle up the line. The second baseman would throw him out, but Sutton would have used a lot of energy in the process.

Lopes was a magician at wasting time to give Sutton a chance to towel off and cool down a bit. Especially if there were two out. Lopes would spend a moment or two extra in the on-deck circle. Then he would have trouble getting the round weight off his bat. Then he would slowly walk to the batter’s box.

Once there, he would return to the on-deck circle to rub a little more pine tar on the handle. Then he would return to the batter’s box and take his time digging in. Then he would take a pitch or two.

Of course, this can’t happen anymore because pitchers don’t hit (except for Shohei Ohtani) and there’s a pitch clock. It was really fun to watch.

More than that though, Lopes was a key member of four Dodgers World Series team, in 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1981.

An argument can be made that Lopes is the best base stealer of all time. He finished his career with 557 steals, which is 26th all-time. Of the 36 players with at least 400 stolen bases and for whom we have caught stealing totals available, Lopes ranks third all-time in stolen-base percentage, at 83%, trailing Tim Raines (84.7%) and Willie Wilson (83.3%). In 1985, when Lopes was 40 years old and playing for the Chicago Cubs, he stole 47 bases and was caught only four times.

Lopes is second all-time in Dodgers history, with 418 steals, trailing only Maury Wills, who had 490.

4. Tom Daly (1890-1901, .294/.382/.412, 119 OPS+)

There isn’t a lot known about the personal life of Daly, and it’s hard to compare players who competed more than 120 years ago to players of today, but Daly had a good reputation. In 1890, “Sporting Life” magazine said, “During the fall of 1889 he entered into negotiations with the Brooklyn Club and finally signed with it at the largest salary, it is said, ever paid a catcher. He is a sure catch, wonderfully accurate thrower and a good batsman.”

Of course, Brooklyn moved him to second base, which is why he appears here.

According to SABR.org, Daly was involved in a number of bizarre incidents during his baseball career. During a baseball world tour of 1888, Daly was sharing a room with teammate Mark Baldwin when Baldwin blew out a gas lamp, causing both him and Daly to faint. In 1893, in between games of a doubleheader, Daly fell asleep in the outfield. Teammate Oyster Burns pulled out a small knife and poked Daly with it to wake him up, which resulted in a rather nasty injury, severing Daly’s tendon. In 1901, Daly encountered fellow major leaguer Ned Garvin at a saloon. The two men got into an argument which resulted in Garvin pushing Daly to the ground, putting a glass cup on his face and stomping on it.

Despite all that, Daly lived until 1938, when he died at the age of 72 in Brooklyn.

5. Eddie Stanky (1944-47, .263/.405/.336, 105 OPS+, 3-time All-Star)

The Dodgers acquired Stanky from the Cubs in 1944 because their regular second baseman, Billy Herman, was drafted by the Navy. Stanky didn’t have a lot of power, but he drew a lot of walks (his 148 walks in 1945 was an NL record at the time) and played a hard-nosed style that quickly endeared him to Brooklyn fans.

It has been written in a couple of books that Stanky was unhappy when Jackie Robinson joined the team and told him so, a belief that persists to this day. However, Jonathan Eig, in his book on Robinson, says that was wrong and Jackie and found accounts from 1947 where Robinson said Stanky was one of his earliest backers. And, as memorably recreated in the movie “42,” when Phillies manager Ben Chapman hurled racial slurs toward Robinson during a game, Stanky was the first to defend him.

Stanky’s son, Mike, talked to Eig about the relationship, saying “Dad talked about that first game and Jackie a lot. He was so impressed by Jackie’s raw ability and the way he dealt with everything he had to handle, that, despite what’s been written over the years, they became really close. I think they both discovered that, despite their obvious differences, they were alike, very much alike.”

6. Steve Sax (1981-88, .282/.339/.356, 97 OPS+, 3-time All-Star, NL Rookie of the Year)

Sax replaced Lopes as the starting second baseman and quickly became a fan favorite due to his constant hustle.

Sax usually hit for a decent average but didn’t draw that many walks, so he had relatively low on-base percentages for a leadoff hitter. So, he never scored 100 runs in a season and scored more than 90 runs just twice. He stole 56 bases in 1983 but was caught stealing 30 times. I’m being a little hard on him probably. He did hit .332 in 1986 and it is unfair that he is mostly remembered now for the case of the yips he developed for a while, unable to throw the ball to first base. He committed 30 errors in 1983, most of them throwing errors.

Here’s a well-known story: the Dodgers were trying to convert Pedro Guerrero to third base, and he just wasn’t getting the hang of it. He had all the physical tools, and the team was convinced the problem was mental. So Tommy Lasorda went for a walk with Guerrero before a game. “When I was playing,” Lasorda said, “I wanted every ball hit to me. That’s the mentality you need to have out there. Two outs, bases loaded, we’re leading by one, you’re playing third base. Pedro, what are you thinking.” Pedro answers “I’m thinking, ‘Please don’t hit the ball to me.’ ” An unhappy Lasorda begins to scold him “Is that all you are thinking out there?” Pedro answers “No, I’m also thinking, ‘Please don’t hit the ball to Sax.’ ”

7. Jim Lefebvre (1965-72, .251/.323/.378, 104 OPS+, 1-time All-Star, NL Rookie of the Year)

In 1965, Lefebvre joined with first baseman Wes Parker, shortstop Maury Wills and third baseman Jim Gilliam to form the first all switch-hitting infield in major league history. Lefebvre went four for 10 in the World Series, where the Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins, and was named NL Rookie of the Year after the season. How different was the game in the 1960s, when pitching dominated? Lefebvre and Lou Johnson led the Dodgers in homers in 1965, with 12 each. The Dodgers hit 78 as a team.

Lefebvre’s best season was 1966, when he hit 24 homers, the Dodger record for a second baseman until Lopes broke it in 1979 with 28. A series of injuries derailed his career after that, but Lefebvre was well-known enough to appear in several TV shows, including “Gilligan’s Island” and “Batman.” The Dodgers released him after the 1972 season and he spent four seasons as a player in Japan, before returning to become a longtime coach and manager in the majors and minors. He was a coach with the Dodgers until he got into a fistfight with Lasorda before the 1980 season, putting an end to his Dodger career. He last coached for the Padres in 2009, and retired after the Padres fired him.

8. Billy Herman (1941-43, 1946, .292/.367/.376, 112 OPS+, 2-time All-Star)

The Dodgers acquired Herman, who was considered the best second baseman in the league, from the Chicago Cubs, who thought they had someone better (and cheaper) in the minors by the name of Lou Stringer, who ended up not panning out (to be fair, three of his seasons were lost when he was drafted for World War II).

Herman provided immediate dividends, hitting .291 for Brooklyn and leading them to the World Series. He hit .256 in 1952, but rebounded to .330 in 1943, finishing fourth in MVP voting, before his career was interrupted by the war. He enlisted in the Navy.

He returned to the Dodgers in 1946, but was blocked by Stanky. The Dodgers traded him to the Boston Braves in June.

Herman later coached for the Angels, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975. He died of cancer in 1992.

9. Jeff Kent (2005-08, .291/.367/.479, 119 OPS+, 1-time All-Star)

It’s a mystery why Kent has drawn such little support for the Hall of Fame. He compares favorably to other second basemen there. Perhaps it was because he had a reputation for being a bit prickly.

Kent spent the final four seasons of his career with the Dodgers, driving in 105 runs his first season with the team. He was solid offensively and defensively and was a clutch hitter.

After he retired, he began the Jeff Kent Women Driven Scholarship Endowment for the University of California, his alma mater. It has raised more than $600,000 for scholarships for female walk-on athletes at Cal. “Having the opportunity to get an education at Cal can make a profound difference in life. I know how much I benefited,” Kent said. “Everybody should have a shot, and this is my chance to ensure others have their shot.”

10. Lee Lacy (1972-78, .270/.324/.390, 101 OPS+)

When injuries depleted the Dodger infield during the 1972 season, the Dodgers bypassed Lopes in triple-A and brought Lacy up from double-A, where he was hitting .389. He hit .407 his first two weeks, was named NL player of the week, and became the starting second baseman. He cooled off considerably after that, hitting .259 for the season.

He lost the starting second baseman job to Lopes in 1973 after hitting only .226 with no power in 16 games. He became a super utility player after that, mostly spelling Lopes at second base. He played great defense everywhere and was a solid pinch-hitter. The Dodgers traded him before the 1976 season to Atlanta along with Jim Wynn, Tom Paciorek and Jerry Royster for Dusty Baker and Ed Goodson. The Dodgers missed Lacy’s versatility and bat and sent reliever Mike Marshall to Atlanta midway through the 1976 season to reacquire Lacy (along with reliever Elias Sosa).

Lacy is probably best remembered by Dodgers fans for hitting home runs in three consecutive pinch-hit at bats (May 2, 6 and 17) in 1978, setting a major-league record.

Wanting to play every day, Lacy left the Dodgers as a free agent, signing a six-year, $1.05-million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 1978 season.

The readers’ top 10

1,111 ballots were sent in. First place received 12 points, second place nine, all the way down to one point for 10th place. Here are your choices:

1. Jackie Robinson, 1,003 first-place votes, 12,988 points
2. Davey Lopes, 103 first-place votes, 9,637 points
3. Jim Gilliam, 2 first-place votes, 7,622 points
4. Steve Sax, 6,407 points
5. Jeff Kent, 1 first-place vote, 3,859 points
6. Jim Lefebvre, 1 first-place vote, 3,798 points
7. Billy Herman, 1 first-place vote, 2,613 points
8. Eddie Stanky, 2,319 points
9. Chase Utley, 2,090 points
10. Charlie Neal, 1,852 points

The next five: Ted Sizemore, Gavin Lux, Lee Lacy, Juan Samuel, Orlando Hudson.

Top 10 third basemen

Who are your top 10 Dodgers third basemen of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.

Many of you have asked for a list of players to consider for each position. Here are the strongest third baseman candidates, in alphabetical order.

Adrian Beltré, Casey Blake, James Casey, Ron Cey, Billy Cox, Blake DeWitt, Wally Gilbert, Billy Grabarkewitz, Pedro Guerrero, Dave Hansen, Lenny Harris, Mickey Hatcher, Don Hoak, Spider Jorgensen, Cookie Lavagetto, Bill Madlock, Ken McMullen, Bobby Morgan, Max Muncy, George Pinkney, Mike Sharperson, Billy Shindle, Red Smith, Joe Stripp, Bill Sudakis, Justin Turner, Juan Uribe, Arky Vaughan, Tim Wallach, Todd Zeile.

A reminder that players are listed at the position in which they played the most games for the Dodgers, which is why Pedro Guerrero and Mickey Hatcher, for example, are listed here and not at other positions they played.

Notes

The Dodgers seemed to avert disaster when Shohei Ohtani had to leave Wednesday’s start early. Leg cramps were the issue on a very humid evening in Cincinnati and he stayed in the game at DH. I probably would have just taken him out of the game entirely.

The Dodgers put Hyeseong Kim on the IL with an injured shoulder and brought infielder Alex Freeland up from triple-A. The injury probably explains why Kim was just five for his last 32 with no extra-base hits.

Freeland is the Dodgers’ No. 3 prospect and was hitting .253/.377/.421 at triple-A Oklahoma City. He was drafted out of Central Florida in the third round of the 2022 draft. Before the season began, Baseball America listed him as the 46th-ranked prospect in all of baseball. He has decent home run power, draws a lot of walks and is a stolen-base threat. He can play second, third and short.

Max Muncy began a rehab assignment on Tuesday, playing six innings for Oklahoma City. If all goes well, he could be back with the Dodgers next week, a remarkable recovery from his knee injury. Hopefully, he hasn’t lost his swing while he was hurt.

Blake Snell has made four starts in the minors, giving up two runs in 13.2 innings, and is on schedule to start for the Dodgers this weekend, probably Saturday.

Kiké Hernández is still sidelined with an elbow injury and isn’t doing any baseball activities, so his return is unknown.

Tony Gonsolin still hasn’t begun throwing, making his return this season more doubtful by the day.

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 4-2, 3.62 ERA) at Tampa Bay (Shane Baz, 8-7, 4.61 ERA), 4:35 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Dodgers (*TBD) at Tampa Bay (Drew Rasmussen, 8-5, 2.96 ERA), 10:10 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 9-7, 2.63 ERA) at Tampa Bay (TBD), 10:10 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Dodgers begin deadline with minor trade, while still seeking upgrades in bullpen and outfield

With Dodgers battling more injuries, prospect Alex Freeland called up for MLB debut

As Dodgers look to upgrade outfield, Harrison Bader could be a trade deadline fit

Orel Hershiser puts a bounty on his Topps one-of-one signed chrome card

Shaikin: Home again? Why Kenley Jansen could be a good trade match for Dodgers

And finally

Davey Lopes appears on “The Baseball Bunch.” 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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. It’s time for some random thoughts about the Dodgers.

—This team seems to make more costly errors than any Dodger team in recent memory.

—Why is James Outman, who is hitting .137/.245/.269 over his last two seasons with the Dodgers (including .103 this season), in the majors while Ryan Ward, who is hitting .315/.401/.614 with 26 homers at triple-A Oklahoma City, sits in the minors? Maybe Ward (who hit .258/.317/.543 with 33 homers last season in triple A) will flame out in the majors, but we know Outman can’t hit. We don’t know what Ward can do yet.

—Would moving from shortstop help Mookie Betts hit again? Let’s take a look at his numbers last season:

when he started at shortstop: .308/.407/.500, 15 doubles, nine homers, 39 walks, 29 K’s in 240 at bats.

at right field: .273/.324/.517, eight doubles, nine homers, 14 walks, 21 K’s in 161 at bats.

He hit better as a shortstop last season, so perhaps that isn’t the problem after all.

However, I think the Dodgers are much better defensively with Betts in right and Miguel Rojas (or someone else) at short.

—The Dodgers have played poorly lately, but we still won’t have any sense of what this team really is until after the trade deadline.

—Betts is 32 and has always had one of the slowest bat speeds in the majors. We could be looking at how he’s going to hit from now on. Probably not, but the days of 39 homers and 107 RBIs may be over, regardless if he rebounds this season or not.

—A lot of people have asked what is up with Charley Steiner, who called part of the first game of the season and nothing since. The Dodgers remain mum, but we do know he was battling cancer last season. We wish him well.

—Tyler Glasnow looked like an ace Tuesday, giving up one run in seven innings while striking out 12. If he can stay healthy, that will be huge come the postseason. That’s a big if though.

—Austin Barnes is hitting .174 (4 for 23) for the Giants in triple A. He singled off Blake Snell, who was pitching a rehab game for the Dodgers, so some things never change. If he could have faced Snell his whole career, he’d be in the Hall of Fame.

—Dalton Rushing, who came up when Barnes was released to provide more offense, is hitting .216/.280/.297 in 27 games. With the Dodgers this season, Barnes hit .214/.233/.286. It was still the right move to make, but it hasn’t worked out like expected so far.

—Max Muncy is ahead of schedule as he works to return from a bone bruise in his knee. In May, who would have thought we’d be eagerly awaiting the return of Muncy?

—Bobblehead nights I’d like to see: A duo of reliever Mike Marshall and outfielder Mike Marshall. John Shelby, pounding his glove just before a catch. Jay Howell, with a lot of pine tar on the outside of his glove. Pedro Guerrero, holding a bat with no glove in sight. Jerry Reuss no-hitter bobblehead. Mickey Hatcher two World Series home runs bobblehead. Steve Yeager blocking home plate, with that flap hanging down from his mask. Bill Buhler with that can of freeze spray he used. Brian Holton and Tim Crews, unsung heroes of the 1988 team. The 1988 “Stuntmen,” Hatcher, Rick Dempsey, Dave Anderson, Franklin Stubbs and Danny Heep. Jim Wynn and Lance Rautzhan, two of my favorite Dodgers.

—Blake Treinen could be back in the next couple of weeks.

—I don’t wish for anyone to be injured, but this forearm inflammation that is sidelining Tanner Scott could be a blessing in disguise, giving him a chance to reset mentally and come back like the Scott of old. He is a much better pitcher than he has shown so far.

—The Dodgers are hitting .212 in July.

—The league might be catching up to Hyeseong Kim. He is hitting .191 this month with only one extra-base hit and on walk in 47 at bats.

—Tommy Edman is seven for his last 49 (.143)

—Michael Conforto is hitting better than Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández this month.

—There are 59 games left to go and the Dodgers are still in first place. We can always examine the negatives, but we have to remember the positives too.

—Baseball Reference ran a simulation 1,000 times of the remaining games and the postseason. Here are the teams that won the World Series at least 20 times in those simulations:

Chicago Cubs, won World Series 175 times
Detroit, 125 times
Milwaukee, 114 times
NY Yankees, 105 times
Houston (no relation), 95 times
Dodgers, 72 times
Philadelphia, 61 times
Toronto, 49 times
NY Mets, 44 times
Boston, 31 times
Seattle, 30 times
San Diego, 26 times
Tampa Bay, 26 times
Texas, 23 times

Trade prospects?

The trade deadline was Thursday at 3 p.m. PT. The Dodgers have needs. They signed relievers (Scott, Kirby Yates) in the offseason so they wouldn’t have to trade for relief help, yet here we are. An outfielder could be nice. I’ve long since stopped guessing what Andrew Friedman will do at the deadline, because it’s almost always something unexpected. Instead, we will look at the top players available at positions it seems the team needs help. Click on the player name to be taken to their stats page at Baseball Reference. They are listed in alphabetical order and stats are through Wednesday.

Starting pitchers

Sandy Alcantara, Miami: Won the NL Cy Young in 2022. Missed last season after Tommy John surgery, so you know that makes him extra appealing to the Dodgers. Has a 6.66 ERA this season, which I’m told is not very good.

Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh: Is only 4-10 with a 3.53 ERA and is owed $56 million over the next three seasons, so this seems unlikely, but possible.

Seth Lugo, Kansas City: Lugo throws nine different pitcher (think Rich Hill, only right-handed.) Finished second in AL Cy Young voting last season after going 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA. Has a 2.95 ERA this season.

Relief pitchers

Félix Bautista, Baltimore: It would take a slew of prospects to get him, but Bautista has thrown 161 innings in the majors and struck out 248 to go with a 2.01 ERA.

David Bednar, Pittsbugh: A two-time All-Star who has rebounded from a terrible 2024 season (5.77 ERA), Bednar would probably cost the least, as far as prospects go, in a trade. Led the league with 39 saves in 2023.

Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland: Had one of the best seasons ever by a closer last season (4-2, 47 saves, 0.61 ERA, 39 hits and 10 walks in 74.1 innings) but is having his worst season this year, if you can call 5-2, 22 saves and a 2.80 ERA “worst.”

Jhoan Durán, Minnesota: His fastball averages 100 mph. Had an off year last season (3.64 ERA), but has rebounded, posting a 1.94 ERA and 15 saves in 46.1 innings, giving up 37 hits and 16 walks while striking out 51.

Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay: He’s 31, but has added velocity to his fastball this season.

Ryan Helsley, St. Louis: Had 49 saves last season, but not quite as successful this season. 34 innings, 34 hits, 14 walks is not a shutdown reliever.

Griffin Jax, Minnesota: Has struck out 68 in 44 innings, but also has a 4.09 ERA. His FIP is 2.07 though, so he has been a bit unlucky.

Cade Smith, Cleveland: Only in his second season, he drew Cy Young votes as a rookie last year, when he struck out 103 in 75.1 innings. Has struck out 64 in 43.1 innings this season as the stup man for Clase. Could the Dodgers send over a package that could land them Clase, Smith and Kwan? They are one of the few teams that could.

Outfielders

Jarren Duran, Boston: Having an off season by his standards but finished eighth in MVP voting last season.

Steven Kwan, Cleveland: A three-time Gold Glove in left who hits for average and draws walks.

Cedric Mullins, Baltimore: He would give the Dodgers a true center fielder, but just an average bat. Hit 30 homers in 2021, but hasn’t had more than 18 since.

Luis Robert, Jr., Chicago White Sox: Good glove, and used to be able to hit, but not anymore. Hitting .206 this season. Continually linked to the Dodgers in trade rumors, but, well, let’s hope not.

Please note that this is not an all-encompassing list. It’s mainly the names that have been linked to the Dodgers at one point over the last several weeks. It doesn’t include players such as Jesús Sánchez, Bryan Reynolds or Mason Miller, who are also possibilities.

And, time for the warning I give out every year: Don’t fall for every rumor you see online. Some sites will try to lure you in with a headline such as “Dodgers, Rays discuss Mookie Betts deal” when what happened was the Rays GM called the Dodgers and asked “Any chance you will trade Mookie Betts?” And the Dodgers say “No.” Technically, they discussed a Betts deal, but did they really? If you want to keep track of what’s going on with the Dodgers, Jack Harris has it covered for us at latimes.com/sports/dodgers. Jack takes a look at the trade deadline here. For a broader picture, I recommend mlbtraderumors.com.

Ohtani ties record

Shohei Ohtani homered in his fifth consecutive game Wednesday, tying the Dodger record. A look:

Home runs in five consecutive games:

Ohtani, July 19-23, 2025 (five home runs total)
Max Muncy, Aug. 15-21, 2019 (five)
Joc Pederson, May 31-June 3, 2015 (five)
Adrián González, Sept. 27, 2014-April 8, 2015 (seven)
Matt Kemp, Sept. 28-Oct. 3, 2010 (five)
Shawn Green, July 21-25, 2001 (five)
Roy Campanella, June 11-17, 1950 (five)

A Dodger has homered in four straight games 35 times, including four times by Duke Snider and twice by Pedro Guerrero, Matt Kemp, Gary Sheffield and Reggie Smith.

Welcome back

Rich Hill, a fan favorite when he pitched for the Dodgers back when Gerald Ford was president, signed with the Kansas City Royals and gave up only one run in five innings of his first start. Hill, 45, is pitching for his 14th majors league team, tying the record set by former Dodger top prospect Edwin Jackson.

Hill has played for:

Angels
Baltimore
Boston
Chicago Cubs
Cleveland
Dodgers
Kansas City
Minnesota
NY Mets
NY Yankees
Oakland
Pittsburgh
San Diego
Tampa Bay

Players to play for 13 teams
*Octavio Dotel

12 teams
*Mike Morgan
Matt Stairs
Ron Villone

11 teams
*Paul Bako
Miguel Batista
*Henry Blanco
Bruce Chen
Royce Clayton
Bartolo Colon
Joe Gerhardt
LaTroy Hawkins
*Kenny Lofton
*Deacon McGuire
*Terry Mulholland
*Dennys Reyes
Fernando Rodney
Julian Tavarez
*Gus Weyhring
Rick White
*Todd Zeile

*-played for the Dodgers

Worst month?

The Dodgers are 6-11 this month. Have they had any months where they finished .500 or worse since their postseason streak began in 2013?

Months at .500 or worse by the Dodgers since 2013:

May, 2013, 10-17, .370
July, 2025: 7-11, .389
September, 2017: 12-17, .414
April, 2018: 11-14, .440
September, 2013, 12-15, .444
July, 2024: 11-13, .458
April, 2016: 12-13, .480
May, 2018: 14-14, .500
May, 2014: 15-15, .500
June, 2015: 15-15, .500
June, 2023: 12-12, .500

Note: This does not include short months (March or October) when they may have gone 0-1 or 2-3.

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 1-1, 4.41 ERA) at Boston (Brayan Bello, 6-4, 3.23 ERA), 4:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 4-1, 3.27 ERA) at Boston (*Garrett Crochet, 11-4, 2.19 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 1.50 ERA) at Boston (Walker Buehler, 6-6, 5.72 ERA), 10:35 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Beyond the bullpen, how aggressive will the Dodgers be at the MLB trade deadline?

Dodgers put Tanner Scott on IL, but hopeful he returns this season

Rich Hill isn’t finished yet. Former Dodgers and Angels player will pitch for his 14th MLB team

Hernández: ‘Still a threat.’ Why Shohei Ohtani needs to remain a two-player for Dodgers

From a day off to the leadoff spot, Dodgers try unraveling mystery of Mookie Betts’ slump

And finally

The Dodgers score five runs in the second inning of Game 2 of the 1988 World Series, including a key homer by Mike Marshall. 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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Doesn’t it feel like Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes were released last season? No, that was this season.

Ask Jaime Jarrín

We received many questions for Jaime Jarrín, who was kind enough to take time out of his day to answer some of those questions. Deputy sports editor Ed Guzman conducted the interview by phone. Because Jarrín was the longtime Spanish-language broadcaster for the Dodgers, it seemed appropriate for a couple of the questions and answers to be in Spanish. In the case of multiple people asking the same questions, the person who asked the question first gets credit for the question. Questions without a name were asked by Guzman.

From Virgilio Del Rio: How did you prepare to become a sports broadcaster?

Jarrín: Well, before becoming a sports broadcaster, I was a newsman. I used to write news, I edited news, that was my experience. Sportscasting, I learned that when I came to this country. But back home, for four years, I was a newsman writing news, editorials and things like that.

(Follow-up question from Guzman): Once you were a broadcaster here in the States, did you ever want to broadcast games in English or were you always just focused on doing it in Spanish?

Jarrín: I always wanted to do it only in Spanish. I never really wanted to go into English-language because I thought that it was my duty to do this in Spanish. So I’m very proud to have done it all in Spanish.

From Jerry Smith of Los Angeles: You called the “Thrilla in Manila” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. What was that like?

Jarrín: It is my greatest experience doing sports because the atmosphere in Manila was unbelievable. I was there for I think it was two days before the fight and it was like a carnival there. Muhammad Ali was walking the streets around the arena, you know, promoting the fight and signing many things. And he was a great, great promoter. So it was unbelievable. And the day of the fight, it was so hot, so rainy, and the fight was held at 10 o’clock in the morning (to accommodate the international viewing audience). It was really a great, great experience.

From Alex Andrade of Paramount: How difficult or easy is it to switch from calling boxing versus calling a baseball game?

Jarrín: Well, it’s totally different. In boxing, I was the blow-by-blow announcer. So I didn’t have time to do commentary. Besides, I had a commentator with me, Mr. Cuco Conde, who was a very famous boxing promoter in Cuba.

So in my case, I just narrate the fight. In boxing, you have to follow the action through the blows that are thrown by the fighters. In baseball, you have time to describe what’s going on, you have time for anecdotes, important dates and things like that.

From Mark Layne: Do you have a favorite story about Vin Scully?

Jarrín: I was very fortunate. It was a privilege to spend so much time with him because on the road we were always together, having lunch together, then dinner at the ballpark. Same thing here in Los Angeles. We always had dinner together before the games. And to see how nice he was with everybody; he never refused to shake hands with anybody; he never refused to take a picture with anybody. He was very, very special. As a baseball announcer, as a sports announcer, he was the best of the best of all time. But as a human being, he was exceptionally beautiful.

Something very special I have to mention is the fact that when my wife passed away six years ago, he was the first one to call me and he talked to me for about 20 minutes. It was the most beautiful call I ever received.

The way that he talked about my wife, about our friendship, the way that he handled the language, his intonation, his delivery on the phone. It was really, really something very, very unique that I will never, never forget. Very touching.

Very touching.

From Paul Aist of Ventura: In your opinion, did Tommy Lasorda shorten Fernando Valenzuela’s career by overusing him?

Jarrín: In a way, probably, but it was because Fernando wanted to stay in the games. He used to tell me, “Jaime, when I start something, I like to finish that. And when I start a game, I want to finish that.” So I’m sure that Lasorda wanted to take him out earlier in many games, but he insisted on staying on.

The Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony is later this month for the newest class. What do you remember about your induction into the Hall of Fame in 1998?

Jarrín: I remember very well the phone call that I received from the head of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Around 8 o’clock in the morning, I got a telephone call. They told me, ‘Please, Jaime, be around a telephone because probably you are going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.’ And the telephone rang at around 9:30 in the morning. And it was the head of Cooperstown. And he said, ‘Jaime, it’s my pleasure to let you know that you have been selected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year along with Don Sutton and Larry Doby.’ You can imagine how excited I was.

My wife, Blanca, was standing there next to me near the phone. And she saw my face, my reaction, and she started crying. And that was really something very, very special, something that is in my heart for the rest of my life. It was very emotional. It was very, very incredible.

And then the ceremony in Cooperstown is something very unique, very special. I would say that before the ceremony, they put you with all the Hall of Famers in a room. And there were about, I would say, 25, 28-30 Hall of Famers. And to be there among them, it was, to me, like being in heaven. I couldn’t believe that I would be there next to Henry Aaron, next to Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax and Tom Seaver and all those Hall of Famers. It was something special, and that changed my life. Because before that, I was one of the many, many announcers doing baseball. But after the Hall of Fame, owners of the different ballclubs, GMs and people like that, they would look for me to take a picture, to shake my hand, to introduce themselves. So really, it was a turning point. Fantastic.

How much do you watch this year’s team?

Well, I follow every single game on TV. When I go to the ballpark, I go to the field, I go to the clubhouse, I say hello to the ballplayers. Then I go to the press box because I like to see the writers because they were so nice with me, English or Spanish. They wrote beautiful things about me, about my career. I like to see the employees at the press box. Then I stay for three, four or five innings and come home. So it’s perfect. The perfect combination. But I follow the team through TV when I am not at the ballpark, yes.

¿Qué opina usted sobre el pitcheo del equipo de esta temporada?

El pitcheo deja mucho que desear debido a las lesiones. Los Dodgers durante el invierno fueron en busca de verdaderos ases del montículo y lograron contratar a varios de ellos. Pero dos de ellos han estado lesionados todo el tiempo y eso ha desbalanceado completamente el desempeño del equipo de lanzadores.

Debido a las lesiones, también hemos tenido prácticamente cada juego en que los abridores únicamente lanzan tres o cuatro innings, máximo. Y eso ha minado mucho la fortaleza del bullpen. Y el bullpen se ha visto dismal en verdad, en lo que a potencia se debe debido al uso cotidiano prácticamente de todos los días.

Espero que en este descanso los Dodgers logren consolidar el excelente elenco de lanzadores que necesitan para poder llegar y ganar la Serie Mundial.

Hemos escuchado el cuadrangular de Kirk Gibson en la Serie Mundial en la transmisión de Vin Scully, y también en el relato de Jack Buck. Pero uno no puede encontrar el relato de ese jonrón de usted o de René Cárdenas. ¿Por qué no hay modo de escuchar ese relato?

La simple respuesta: porque en aquel entonces, lamentablemente, la estación de radio y los mismos Dodgers no se preocuparon en guardar las transmisiones. No tenemos ninguna, ninguna grabación de ninguno de los juegos de los Dodgers hasta hace pocos años. Es un misterio, en verdad. KWKW y KTNQ, las dos emisoras que estuvieron con los Dodgers en esos años, no se preocuparon en mantener grabaciones de eso. Y por eso es que no existe absolutamente nada en lo que respecta a nuestras transmisiones. Es una lástima, en verdad, pero es la realidad.

From Bruce Campbell of Los Angeles: Your wife, Blanca, died in 2019. What would you want people to know about her?

Well, you know, it was such a heavy blow to myself and my family, my two sons, Jorge and Mauricio. What can I tell you? She was such a beautiful person. She was so supportive of me. All the accolades that I have gained is thanks to her because she was behind me all the time. She never complained about my being absent because I used to travel with the Dodgers and sometimes, road trips took 16 days, 19 days. And she was so generous with people and everything.

The Jaime and Blanca Jarrin Foundation has expressed a desire to uplift underserved students by awarding scholarships to those pursuing careers specifically in law and journalism. Why those two areas?

Jaime: Jorge can answer that because he is on top of everything. He can express very well the goals of the foundation. I was very pleased when Jorge and Mauricio, along with my three grandsons, joined forces to create a foundation in order to preserve the image and the name of my wife, Blanca, who was a very generous person. So I was delighted when they told me about the project. And now, I just try to help my family as much as possible. Jorge and the rest of the family work very hard in trying to create the funds that we need for the scholarships.

Jorge Jarrín, Jaime’s son, who sat in on the interview: That’s easy, actually. You know, when we started this foundation in honor of my mom, in the back of my mind, I also knew the importance, as my father was nearing the twilight of his career, looking for a way to maintain and uphold the legacy that he has created as an immigrant coming to this country. You know, he knows the trepidation and the fear that comes naturally to an immigrant coming to a nation where he doesn’t necessarily really speak the language, doesn’t really know a lot of people, is looking to establish roots so that he can, in turn, he or she, in turn, can bring their family so that they can create a better life. So, that’s that legacy.

And when my mom passed away, I thought, this is the way to do that. Speaking selfishly for a moment, this is a way to accomplish two things. To honor the memory of my mom who created such an environment for us growing up that we never felt neglected. We never felt that we missed out on anything because my father was gone all the time. And there was no guilt. There was nothing negative along that line.

And so, knowing that my father, at this point, had been speaking to Latino homes for 60-plus years, I know how people react when they see my father for the first time, when they talk to him, when they have a chance to meet him in person. Because he represents, for many, their childhood growing up, their relationships with their parents, their grandparents, aunts and uncles. He gave them that commonality of which they can talk about together.

So, knowing that impact that he has on people, we thought it’s one thing to give scholarships. But for a lot of Latinos, to get a scholarship from Jaime Jarrin is even more special. We call them the Jarrín Scholars.

And the reason we did journalism, to get back to your original question, journalism and law, two reasons: The journalism honoring the career that my father chose to create, the path that he took. And the law, because we have been fortunate in addition to the Los Angeles Dodgers to have a long and steady career as a spokesperson for Los Defensores. Los Defensores is an organization, it is a cooperative legal marketing firm that represents a network of Spanish-speaking attorneys who are there to help people, Latinos, who don’t know the language well, who are intimidated, who may be undocumented.

But there are certain rights that they’re entitled to under the law, under the Constitution. And we try to empower Latinos to speak up for themselves, to not be afraid, to not be intimidated. So my father has had a 40-year career of being the voice of Los Defensores, too. So it only made sense that because of our association with Los Defensores that we also single out law because overall, we’re seeking to help those who are eventually going to be making decisions that affect us as a community and as a society. We want to empower them, we want to help them to be the best that they can be. Unfortunately, you look at for example the state of California, 49% of which are Latinos, and yet less than 3% Latinos pass the bar examination to become attorneys.

Less than 6% of the attorneys in the United States are Latinos. Yet it doesn’t reflect the numbers of our community in terms of its makeup of demographics, so there’s something not right here. And we’re trying to get those in a four-year college the help that they need, not only financially but because I’ve had students say to me: you saw me, you recognized me, and you’re willing to invest in my future. Because that’s what it is, it’s an investment and it’s a validation that we see them, we recognize them, we want to support them. That’s it in a nutshell.

—Thank you to Jaime Jarrín for taking time from their day to answer reader questions. The Jaime and Blanca Jarrín Foundation are having “Wine Night at the Ravine,” at the centerfield plaza in Dodger Stadium on Aug. 19. For more information and tickets, click here.

Next time

We’ll talk about Mookie Betts and the Dodgers continuing to scuffle (if they still are). Betts was benched Saturday to get a mental reset, then was moved to the leadoff spot Sunday, with Shohei Ohtani moving to the two spot. It has been a tough stretch. They score six runs, the opponent scores seven. But if they hold the opponent to two runs, the Dodgers score just once. When they hit well they don’t pitch, when they pitch well they don’t hit. And they don’t field well most of the time. Freddie Freeman was hit on the wrist by a pitch Sunday and had to leave the game. X-rays were negative, according to the Dodgers, but a wrist injury isn’t good for hitters.

Luckily for them, the Giants are playing worse, and the Padres are playing just OK.

Up next

Monday: Minnesota (David Festa, 3-3, 5.25 ERA) at Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 1.00 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: Minnesota (Simeon Woods Richardson, 5-4, 3.95 ERA) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 8-7, 2.59 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Minnesota (Chris Paddack, 3-9, 5.14 ERA) at Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 1-1, 3.10 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Pitching injuries continue to be an issue in MLB. How it’s impacting pitchers at all levels

Is there a way to mitigate pitching injuries? The Rays (and Dodgers) may shed some light

New mural at Dodger Stadium honors Fernando Valenzuela

Dave Roberts gives Mookie Betts a day off as season-long slump continues

‘As lucky as we could be.’ Dodgers’ Max Muncy already recovering better than expected

Shaikin: Why the small-market Milwaukee Brewers might be America’s team

Four major questions the Dodgers face in the second half of the season

And finally

The Dodgers retire Fernando Valenzuela‘s number. 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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

ATLANTA — The hierarchy of stars was obvious even in the table arrangements.

At an All-Star Game media day event on Monday at the Roxy Coca-Cola Theater in Atlanta, the Dodgers’ five All-Star representatives were in the same area of the large venue.

In the first row, basking under large spotlights near an elevated stage, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw were positioned front and center, expected to attract so many reporters that retractable ropes lined the perimeter of their podiums.

Several feet behind them, in the shadows of a balcony overhang, sat Will Smith and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

An obvious A-List, followed by a clear B-group.

And even then, where Yamamoto’s media contingent stretched several rows deep, Smith’s rarely swelled beyond a few people.

He was a third-time All-Star, National League starter and batting title contender — once again relegated to the background of the sport’s public consciousness.

“He’s up there as far as being overlooked,” Dodgers manager and NL All-Star skipper Dave Roberts said of his ever-present but easily forgotten backstop. “You know what you’re going to get, but you probably don’t appreciate it as much as you should.”

Appreciated, Smith has not been this year. Not fully, at the very least.

Entering the All-Star break, the 30-year-old slugger is a distant leader in the NL batting race, sporting a .323 mark that outpaces the next closest qualified hitter (his recently slumping teammate, Freeman) by a whopping 26 points.

Smith also has 12 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a .965 OPS (which trails only his two-way teammate, Ohtani) in addition to a 15% walk rate (fifth-best in the league).

According to Fangraphs’ all-encompassing wRC+ metric, only Yankees superstar Aaron Judge and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh have been more productive hitters this season.

And he’s done it all while shepherding a banged-up Dodgers pitching staff, helping keep the team atop the NL West despite it having used 35 different arms through the first half of the year.

“For him to go out there, catching these guys, having your team in first place, and then you’re hitting .325, I don’t think people are paying attention to that,” Freeman said Monday, peering through a forest of reporters to catch a glimpse of Smith over his shoulder. “People are gonna tune into the All-Star Game, they’ll throw his numbers up on the TV, and they’re gonna be like, ‘Whoa, that’s a really good season.’”

But for as well as Smith has played, the seven-year veteran remains somewhat obscured from the public spotlight.

He is, as Roberts jokingly puts it, the most “vanilla” of the team’s collection of spotlight talent. He doesn’t have jaw-dropping highlights like Ohtani. He doesn’t have a signature World Series moment such as Freeman. He isn’t excelling at a new position such as Mookie Betts. And even when he is swarmed by reporters around the ballpark, it’s usually to field questions about catching the Dodgers’ star Japanese trio of Ohtani, Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

“Honestly, I don’t really care,” he said Monday. “That stuff has never been important to me. Being ‘the guy’ or not, any of that. I show up, play baseball every day, try to help the team win, try to be a good teammate, try to lead the pitchers, and ultimately try to win a World Series every year. That’s what’s important to me.”

This year, Smith was voted an All-Star starter for the first time by fans. But, he isn’t even the most talked about catcher at this week’s festivities in Atlanta, overshadowed again by Raleigh and his 38 first-half home runs — making the slugger affectionately known as “Big Dumper,” who also won the Home Run Derby on Monday night, the best current catcher in baseball in the eyes of many around the sport.

“Will’s just always kind of really under the radar, for whatever reason,” Kershaw said. “He’s been unbelievable for us, at a position that’s really important and very demanding.”

For Smith, the true joy of this year has simply been his health.

Two years ago, he slumped mightily in the second half of 2023 (finishing the year with a .797 OPS) while battling a broken rib he had suffered that April. This spring, Roberts revealed that Smith’s underwhelming performance in 2024 (when he posted more career lows with a .248 average and .760 OPS) was hampered by an ankle injury that again plagued his second-half performance.

“The last couple years, I had some, not major things, but some tough injuries,” Smith said. “But that’s my decision to play through them.”

Now, however, he is back at full physical capacity, allowing him to work counts (he has almost as many walks, 45, as strikeouts, 55), punish fastballs (a pitch he struggled against the last two years) and maintain the most consistent production of any hitter in the Dodgers’ juggernaut lineup.

“I just feel like I have a really good understanding of my swing right now,” Smith said. “It’s a long season, it comes and goes. But for whatever reason this year, I’ve been able to keep it more than I haven’t. So that’s been fun. Credit to the hitting coaches as well for keeping me in that spot. I just have a really good understanding of what I’m doing up there.”

In his typically modest fashion, Smith sidestepped a question about his chances of winning the batting title, something no catcher has done since Buster Posey in 2012.

“I’ve never been one to chase awards or anything,” he said. “I think when you do that, it probably doesn’t go your way, you put too much pressure [on yourself]. So just trying to have one good at-bat at a time, help the team win that day.”

At his current pace, he could be a recipient for MVP votes for the first time in his career as well, although the Dodgers’ careful management of his playing time has left him ranked ninth in the NL in wins above replacement to this point, according to Fangraphs.

“What he’s doing is Buster Posey-ish, Joe Mauer-ish,” Freeman said, citing the only other backstop this century with a batting title (Mauer won three with Minnesota in the late 2000s). “When you’re leading the league in hitting and you’re catching, it’s really hard to do. You’re calling games. It’s almost like they’re more worried about putting up a zero than they are about hitting.”

In time, Freeman believes, Smith’s Q-rating will continue to rise, especially if he keeps replicating the kind of numbers he has posted this season.

“I think it just takes maybe a couple times [being here at the All-Star Game],” Freeman said. “We all know in L.A. how special he is. Obviously, the front office extended him 10 years. So, hopefully now that he’s starting in the All-Star Game, he’s gonna get that national recognition.”

But even if he doesn’t, he hardly seems to be bothered by his second-tier (and, on Monday, second-row) status.

“I just think he’s resolved to not having to be at the forefront,” Roberts said. “He doesn’t ever self-promote. He doesn’t need notoriety or attention. He just wants to win. Some players thrive on getting attention. He’s certainly not one of those guys.”

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Sorry we are a day late, asthma, plus a cold, plus smoke in the air from fireworks equals bad breathing.

Ask Jaime Jarrín

For the next part of our “Ask….” series. Jaime Jarrín, the Spanish-language voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for 64 seasons before retiring after the 2022 season, will answer selected questions from readers. Jarrín is in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster and was the longtime interpreter for Fernando Valenzuela. Please send your questions to [email protected] before 10 p.m. Friday.

Koufax or Kershaw?

When Clayton Kershaw reached the 3,000 strikeout mark, Bill Plaschke wrote a column saying it clinched Kershaw being the greatest pitcher in Dodgers history, greater than Sandy Koufax.

I could give you pages of stats and biographical information on both men, but I’m guessing most of you already know about them. Books have been written about Koufax, and books will be written about Kershaw.

A few weeks ago, I wrote “Kershaw and Koufax are the two best pitchers in Dodgers history,” and I got inundated with emails from angry Koufax fans, wondering why I would mention them in the same sentence, let alone list Kershaw first (um, alphabetical order). So, I broach the topic very carefully.

The thing to keep in mind is they are both great pitchers. Both first-ballot Hall of Famers. Both have won World Series, Cy Young Awards and MVP awards.

So how do you determine who is the best? It depends on how much you value certain things. Let’s look at some arguments.

1. Koufax had only five great seasons, and they all came when the rules of the time favored the pitcher.

2. In his prime, Koufax pitched 300 innings a season and had multiple complete games (Koufax had 27 complete games in 1965 and 1966. Kershaw has had 25 complete games in his career and never pitched more than 236 innings in a season). Keep in mind that Kershaw never wanted to come out of games, he was really an old-school pitcher stuck in modern times.

3. Koufax is the best postseason pitcher in history with an 0.95 ERA in eight postseason games, all in the World Series. Of all pitchers with multiple Cy Young Awards, Kershaw is easily the worst in the postseason, going 13-13 with a 4.49 ERA. If we just limit it to the World Series, it’s not much better, as he is 3-2 with a 4.46 ERA.

4. Koufax pitched in three World Series that the Dodgers won. Kershaw pitched in only one.

5. Koufax didn’t have to pitch in multiple postseason rounds like Kershaw did. If he had to pitch in three rounds just to get to the World Series, his numbers likely wouldn’t be as good.

6. Kershaw had a much, much longer career where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Depending on what you call a great season, it’s 10, 11 or 12. Koufax had “just” the five.

7. Kershaw has a career ERA+ of 155, meaning he was 55% better than a league average pitcher in his career. Koufax’s was 131, meaning he was 31% better. Of course, Kershaw didn’t pitch into the eight and ninth all that often, helping save his ERA somewhat.

Those are just a few of the arguments. As to what I think? If I had to pick one, in their prime, to start a winner-take-all game, I’d pick Koufax. If you said “You can have this guy’s regular-season career, starting from Game 1, for your team,” I’d go with Kershaw. So, it depends on what you consider great. They were both great.

Read Plaschke’s column, which has several good arguments, by clicking here.

Have you read it? Then please vote in our survey, “Who was better, Clayton Kershaw or Sandy Koufax?” Heck, you can vote even if you didn’t read Plaschke’s column. You can vote by clicking here.

Swept by the Astros

Of all teams to be swept by, it had to be the Houston (no relation) Astros? They did expose some problems the Dodgers have had all season: Banged-up players and bad pitching.

Max Muncy, who was their best hitter in the last six weeks, is on the IL (more on that below). Tommy Edman has a broken toe. Teoscar Hernández fouled a ball off his left foot Saturday, and is still plagued by the groin injury that put him on the IL earlier this season. He isn’t close to 100%. Kiké Hernández went on the IL Monday with elbow inflammation. Mookie Betts hasn’t seemed to recover from losing 25 pounds just before the season and is hitting a paltry (by Betts’ standards) .252/.324/.397. Last season he hit .289/.372/.491. He is currently on track for the worst offensive season of his career. Add in the fact that Teoscar is just a brutal fielder in right, and you have to wonder if a move back to right is being considered, not that they’d talk openly about it. I mean, it was so bad that Michael Conforto hit fifth Sunday.

Pitching wise, Ben Casparius is suddenly having trouble getting people out. Noah Davis, with a career ERA of 8.95 was on the staff and gave up 10 runs Friday. Most of the guys in the bullpen are having bad seasons compared to their career norms. The bullpen ERA (4.41) is 24th of the 30 teams. In the rotation, they have one reliable guy (Yoshinobu Yamamoto), two erratic guys (Dustin May and Kershaw), one guy who might be solid, but it’s too soon to tell (Emmet Sheehan), one guy who pitches well but hasn’t gone more than two innings (Shohei Ohtani) and a bunch of wishes and prayers for everyone else.

We keep hearing that Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are returning soon (Glasnow perhaps this week), but I’ll believe it when I see it, and given their history, how long before they get hurt again?

Does this mean it is time to panic? Of course not. Despite all of the above, the Dodgers have the second-best record in baseball, a six-game lead over the Giants and seven-game lead over the Padres. They will make the postseason. If you recall, they struggled at times with similar issues last season, and that season ended OK if I remember correctly.

Andrew Friedman has shown that he is not afraid the make moves at the trade deadline. You can count on a move or two before the deadline this season (July 31 at 3 p.m. PT). The roster right now will not be the roster on day one of the postseason. So, let’s see what happens.

Max Muncy injured

You have to feel bad for Max Muncy. He finally had turned things around and was one of the team’s best hitters again. Then, his knee is injured when Michael Taylor of the White Sox slides into it while trying to steal third. It looked terrible, as your knee isn’t designed to bend that direction. It looked like he had torn everything in his knee and would be out for the season.

However, the Dodgers say an MRI exam showed just a bone bruise and he should be back in six weeks. Hopefully, that’s what happens and he doesn’t lose his swing while he’s recovering. However, the Dodgers have been historically vague when talking about injuries. If you remember, Muncy hurt his elbow on the last day of the 2021, in a similar situation, only the runner collided with his elbow at first instead of his knee at third.

After that injury, the MRI was described as the best-case scenario, and Dave Roberts said, “I just don’t want to, we don’t want to, close the door on a potential down-the-road postseason appearance.” Muncy and the club kept insisting he could return for the postseason if the Dodgers advanced to the World Series.

A month or so after the Dodgers were eliminated from the postseason, Muncy said he had torn the UCL in his elbow and knew he wasn’t going to play in the postseason.

So, hopefully his new injury is the best-case scenario, but I’m not holding my breath. With this injury, the Dodgers said they won’t be actively exploring a deal for a third baseman since Muncy will be back, meaning we will know a lot more about the accuracy of what they are saying if they actually don’t trade for a third baseman.

All-Stars

The five Dodgers who will be on the All-Star team this season:

Starters
Freddie Freeman
Shohei Ohtani
Will Smith

Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Kershaw was named as the commissioner’s “Legend Pick.”

Christian Walker

Christian Walker continues to be a Dodger killer. He had a big series for the Astros, and is one of only nine opponents with at least 20 homers at Dodger Stadium. The list:

Barry Bonds, 29
George Foster, 23
Henry Aaron, 22
Dale Murphy, 22
Mike Schmidt, 22
Willie Stargell, 21
Paul Goldschmidt, 20
Dave Kingman, 20
Christian Walker, 20

In his career against the Dodgers, Walker is hitting .259/.318/.563 with 10 doubles, 28 homers and 64 RBIs in 340 plate appearances. Some have emailed wondering if they should just intentionally walk Walker in every at bat. No. That would be foolish. Just walk him when the situation calls for it (second and third, one out, for example, depending on who is pitching). There is no one in baseball history you should walk every at bat.

In case you missed it

Dodgers pitchers Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto named to all-star game roster

Hernández: Dodgers must aggressively pursue pitchers before the trade deadline

With Max Muncy expected back from knee injury, Dodgers stick with trade deadline plans

Max Muncy heads to IL with what Dodgers are calling a left knee bone bruise

And finally

Jaime Jarrín’s Hall of Fame speech. 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 [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.