Depth Being Tested

It seems like every season lately the media talks about the depth of the Dodger organization. It also seems like every season that depth is tested. The beginning of this season seems to be no exception. The depth of the starting rotation is already under scrutiny because of the performance of Sasaki and Sheehan,

To his credit, Sheehan has looked better his last couple of starts. His ERA after 4 starts sits at 5.85. He gave up just 2 earned runs in Colorado and the team got its first loss in one of his starts. He is 2-0. The team is 3-1 in his starts. He allowed 3 earned runs in his prior start against the Rangers in a win for the team.

Sasaki has also made 4 starts. The Dodgers are 1-3 in his starts. He is 0-2 with a 6.11 ERA. They both have given up 4 homers. Sasaki’s best outing was actually his first. He gave up just 1 run in a 4-2 loss to the Guardians. In his 2nd outing, he put the Dodgers in a hole by giving up 6 runs in 5 innings. They wound up winning 8-6.

They have better depth it would seem in position players. Betts, Edman and Kike will be back at some point in time, and the offense will be that much better. The defense right now is pretty solid, and it will only get better.

Catcher is a strong spot on the team. Smith and Rushing make a fine duo. It is surprising that Rushing has more homers than Ohtani. Muncy and Rushing together have more homers than the Giants as a team. Much like last season, there seem to be games that the offense takes the night off.

The bullpen is challenged now due to Diaz having to have surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. Luckily, Tanner Scott has been more like the 24 version than last year’s model. Vesia, Treinen, Dreyer, have been effective. Klein had one bad game. Henriquez is awesome one night and looks awful the next. Kyle Hurt, who replaced Casparius, has pitched in just two games so far.

With Snell on the IL, Justin Wrobleski has done an excellent job as his replacement. Wrobo is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA. Glasnow, Shohei and Yoshi, have all been as advertised. LA is built for the long run, and we all know they are going to rest players when they feel there is a need. For this team to dominate, Sheehan and Sasaki are going to have to up their game because right now, there is no one at AAA who looks to be of much help.

MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT

OKC Comets 9 – Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle) 7

OKC scored 9 runs on 6 hits, 8 BB, and 1 HBP.

Tacoma drew 1^st blood 3^rd off RHSP Christian Romero.  A walk and 2 singles scored one run in the 3^rd.

OKC got 4 in the bottom of the 3^rd.  LF Mike Siani led off with a double (3).  With one out, 3B Ryan Fitzgerald hit a run scoring double (6).  CF Zach Ehrhard drew a BB, and 1B James Tibbs III hit his 10^th HR of the year.

Romero gave up a solo HR in the 4^th.

In the bottom of the 5^th, the Comets drew back to back to back BB to start the inning.  DH Ryan Ward hit a 2 run single.  OKC got their 3^rd run of the inning on a double steal by Ward and RF Jack Suwinski.

In the 6^th, SS Noah Miller led off with a double (4).  After catcher Seby Zavala was HBP, Fitzgerald singled to score Miller.  A passed ball moved the runners to 2^nd and 3^rd, and Zavala scored on a Ehrhard SF.

With 2 outs in the 7^th, LHRP Antoine Kelly walked three and run scored on a fielders choice.  With RHRP Griff McGarry pitching in the 8^th, he walked three and gave up a grand slam HR.

RHRP Carlos Duran pitched a scoreless 9^th for the save.

Fitzgerald was the only OKC batter with 2 hits.

Box Score

Tulsa Drillers 5 – Frisco RoughRiders (Texas) 0 – Game 1, 7 innings

After three horrific starts to open the season, LHSP Adam Serwinowski pitched his best game as a LAD prospect.   In his first three starts, Adam pitched 8.0 innings, allowed 15 hits, 11 BB, 8K, and an ERA of 18.00.  In Wednesday’s game, Adam completed 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and registering 8 K.  RHRP Kelvin Ramirez pitched the final inning, retiring the side in order to preserve the shutout.

The offense was provided by RF Josue De Paula and LF Zyhir Hope.  De Paula was 3-4 with a run and RBI.  Hope was 2-4 with 2 RBIs.

CF Kendall George was 1-3 with a BB, keeping his average north of .400.  He scored a run and drove one in.  He also stole his 12^th base.

SS Sean McLain hit his first triple.

Box Score

Tulsa Drillers 12 – Frisco RoughRiders (Texas) 6 – Game 2, 8 innings

Tulsa scored an unearned run in the 1^st, and then Frisco scored 6 unanswered runs against starter RHSP Roque Gutierrez in 2+ innings.  RHRP Cam Day, LHRP Evan Shaw, and RHRP Nick Robertson kept Frisco scoreless through 7.

Down 6-1, Tulsa started their comeback in the 4^th.  Catcher Nelson Quiroz led off with a double (2) and moved to 3^rd on a SS Sean McLain single. Quiroz scored on a pitcher’s errant pickoff throw, and McLain eventually came around to score on a ground out.

Down 6-3 in the 6^th, Quiroz led off with a single and moved to 3^rd on a McLain double (2).  Both runners scored on a CF Kendall George single.  George moved to 2^nd on a ground out and scored on 3B Kyle Nevin’s double (3) to tie the score.  On to extra innings.

Tulsa broke it open in the 8^th.  They scored 6 on placed runner at 2^nd, 2 singles, 3 BB, and a bases clearing 1B Joe Vetrano double (1).  RHRP Carson Hobbs pitched a scoreless 8^th to get the win.

• Nelson Quiroz – 4-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (2)
• Kyle Nevin – 3-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (3)
• Kendall George – 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI
• Zyhir Hope – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run
• Sean McLain – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, double (2)

Box Score

Great Lakes Loons 9 – Beloit Sky Carp (Miami) 5

A day after CF Charles Davalan led off the game with a HR, DH Mike Sirota did the same on Wednesday.  This was Sirota’s first HR of the season.

The lead did not last long as LHSP Jakob Wright continued to have control concerns.  This is becoming a common theme for LAD prospect pitchers.  In 3.1 IP, he allowed just 1 single, but also 7 BB and 1 HBP, and that accounted for 3 runs (2 earned).

Great Lakes tied it up in the 4^th.  3B Logan Wagner singled and moved to 2^nd on a WP.  Wagner scored on a 2B Nico Perez single.  Perez stole 2^nd, moved to 3^rd on a F8, and scored the tying run on a ground ball out.

The Loons took the lead for good in the 5^th.  SS Eduardo Guerrero singled and scored on a Sirota double (6).  RF Eduardo Quintero’s single plated Sirota.  Wagner was HBP, Perez drew a BB, and 1B Jose Meza hit a SF to give Great Lakes a 6-3 lead.

With RHRP Alex Makarewich now pitching for GL, he proceeded to walk the first three batters in the fifth before LHRP Myles Caba relieved him.  He allowed a SF, but got out of the inning without any further damage.  Makarewich threw 32 pitches, 11 for strikes.

Caba would retire all 9 batters he faced in his 3.0 IP, with 2 K.

GL got two more in the 8^th after Guerrero drew a BB, stole 2^nd and scored on Sirota’s 2^nd double (7) of the game.  Sirota went to 3^rd on a F8 and scored on a WP.

GL scored their final run in the 9^th on Perez’s 2^nd single, stole 2B, and eventually came around to score on Guerrero’s 3^rd single.

The on again off again fireballer RHRP Reynaldo Yean entered in the 8^th.  He did give up a HR, but struck out 5 without allowing a BB in his 2 innings.

• Mike Sirota – 3-4, 3 runs, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 doubles (7), HR (1)
• Eduardo Guerrero – 3-4, 2 runs, 1 BB
• Nico Perez – 2-3, 2 runs, 2 BB, stole 4 bases (now has 10)

Box Score

San Jose Giants 4 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 2

LHSP Blake Snell made a rehab start for his first innings pitched in 2026.  It was a struggle, but he got out of the 1^st inning without a run.  A single, BB, double play, and pop out and the inning was over.  But in the 2^nd. A fielding error, double, and single scored two runs.  After a 2^nd error, Snell was removed for RHRP Accimias Morales who got out of the inning without any further damage.

RHP Hyun-Seok Jang was the bulk pitcher for this game, and completed 4.0 innings, allowing 1 unearned run. 

RHRP Seamus Barrett allowed the final run. In the 7^th, giving the Giants a 4-0 lead. 

Ontario scored a pair of runs in the 8^th on a SF and fielder’s choice.

Ontario had 4 hits.  Ching-Hsien Ko had 2 hits including a double (2) for the only multi-hit game and only XBH.

Box Score