I was somewhat surprised that Kyle Hurt was added to the roster, but there is no denying that he has the profile of a reliever… and maybe a “lockdown reliever.” I just did not expect to see him this year. I do not think Kyle will ever be a starter because his curve and slider are way below average, and his control is very erratic. However, his fastball moves with extreme run and ride as he hits 96-97 MPH, and his changeup is elite!
Hurt is a big, burly corn-fed country boy who is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound righthander and has big, burley stuff, but he has well below-average control and struggles to command his fastball. He’ll walk batters en masse and has long struggled to maintain his poise for more than a few innings at a time. In other words, he’s a perfect reliever. He just turned 25 and was part of the Dylan Floro trade with Miami, along with Alex Vesia.
He looked very impressive in his two innings against the Padres last night, and he even struck out the side in the ninth inning. As I mentioned, I never saw him as a starter, and we may have gotten a glimpse of what his future might be with the Dodgers. Sometimes, it just takes a “click” with a Mark Prior or even a Josh Bard. His debut was impressive, and he filled up the strike zone. We saw a lot of movement on his pitches, and his change is a “game-changer.” He can be effective in one to three-inning stints. This is something to watch.
Lance Lynn changed his pitching methodology last night… and it worked. No longer trying to strike out every batter, he pitched to contact. This is also something to watch. The conventional thinking is that the Dodgers do not have the pitching to win it all this year, but oftentimes, conventional thinking has been wrong – up to 180 degrees wrong! This is fun to watch develop!
I know that Doc said that Hurt was just up for the short term, but he could force his way into an audition if he pitches like he did last night. The pitching is still in flux and is a work in progress. Stay tuned. Ryan Pepiot tonight, and I think the Magic Number is FIVE!
Down on the Farm
- The Loons lost to the Tin Caps 5-0 in the first playoff game. It’s best that I did not go.
- OKC beat Tacoma 5-4 behind a Miguel Vargas 2-Run HR. Michael Busch was 1-2.
- Tulsa lost their 10th straight game 12-0. Ouch!
- The RC Quakes lost 3-0. Goodnight!
Discussion (15)
Disagree, not disagreeable
If the Dodgers find a way to give Wong a lot more consistent PA’s, his batting proficiency/production would improve considerably and give this team a better chance of winning the 9-8 games they’ll find themselves playing in most of the time in the playoffs.
Has the Dodgers ever had 3 Guys have with100 RBI in a season.Mookie.Freddie and Muncie will have and JD would have if he didn’t miss about 40 games.Can someone tell us.
Kershaw’s start is again pushed back… but keep on believing he will be fine.
Max Scherzer is toast!
DODGER’S PRESS RELEASE
DODGERS ACTIVATE JOE KELLY
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly from the injured list and optioned right-handed pitcher Kyle Hurt.
Kelly, 35, returns after missing 29 games with right forearm inflammation. He made two rehab appearances with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga, tossing 1.2 innings and recording one win. On the season, he has appeared in four games for the Dodgers, striking out seven in 3.2 innings. On the season, he is a combined 2-5 with a 4.41 ERA (16 ER/32.2 IP) and 48 strikeouts in 35 games with Chicago-AL and Los Angeles. He has been in the Major Leagues parts of 12 seasons with St. Louis (2012-14), Boston (2014-18), Los Angeles (2019-21), Chicago-AL (2022-23) and Los Angeles (2023) and he is a combined 53-37 with a 3.96 ERA (352 ER/800.1 IP) and 720 strikeouts in 443 games (81 starts). He was originally drafted in the third round of the 2009 First Year Player Draft out of UC Riverside by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Hurt, 25, made his Major League debut last night, tossing 2.0 scoreless and finishing his night by striking out the side in the ninth inning. Prior to joining the Dodgers, he split the season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, going a combined 4-4 with a 3.87 ERA (38 ER/88.1 IP) and 145 strikeouts in 25 games. The No. 12 prospect in the Dodgers organization according to MLB.com was acquired from the Marlins on February 12, 2021 along with left-handed pitcher Alex Vesia in exchange for right-hander Dylan Floro. In three minor league seasons, he is a combined 11-13 with a 4.62 ERA with 290 strikeouts in 181 innings. The Southern California native was drafted by the Marlins in fifth round of the 2020 First Year Player Draft out of USC.
10:10 PM ET
Padres (68-78)
Dodgers (88-56)
SP Blake Snell L
13-9 2.52 ERA
SP Ryan Pepiot R
2-0 .86 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
LF Chris Taylor R
DH J. Martinez R
3B E. Hernandez R
2B Amed Rosario R
CF James Outman L
SS Miguel Rojas R
C A. Barnes R
0%
71° Wind 8 mph Out
Rangers learning the hard way the folly of giving aging Pitchers long expensive contracts.
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Joe Kelly is back at Dodger Stadium and expected to be activated today. #Dodgers
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Dave Roberts said Kyle Hurt was called up specifically to pitch in the next two night’s to help #Dodgers bullpen.
This isn’t about an October audition.
Dodgers magic number to clinch the National League West is 4 because they won the season series against Arizona 8-5.
Tuesday scores
Playoffs
Fort Wayne 5, Great Lakes 0 (Fort Wayne leads series 1-0)
Inland Empire 3, Rancho Cucamonga 0 (Inland Empire leads series 1-0)
Regular season
Oklahoma City 5, Tacoma 4 (11 innings)
Corpus Christi 12, Tulsa 0
Wednesday schedule
10:05 a.m. PT: Oklahoma City (River Ryan) vs. Tacoma (Adam Oller)
10:05 a.m.: Tulsa (TBA) vs. Corpus Christi (A.J. Blubaugh)
I love going back and reviewing all the brainiac LADT preseason evaluations of the Dodgers and what a poor job Friedman did constructing this team. And what a brilliant job the Padres, Mets and Yankees did. And how the Pads were going to run away with the West. It’s really comical what a bunch of idiots we really are! Sometimes Mark is the only sane one in the room and that’s hard to admit!
Dodgers Team News
Dodgers Rumors: LA Among Top Landing Spots for Japanese Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Another name tossed around with the Dodgers organization is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Nippon Professional Baseball star. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand linked him to LA as a potential landing spot if he’s posted this offseason.
Yamamoto is expected to be posted by the Orix Buffaloes this offseason, adding another intriguing arm to the free-agent market. The 25-year-old has won both Pacific League MVP honors and the Sawamura Award (Japan’s version of the Cy Young) in each of the past two years, and scouts believe he can immediately jump into the No. 1 or 2 spot in a big league rotation the way Masahiro Tanaka did with the Yankees nearly a decade ago. If/when he is posted, Yamamoto will likely jump into the Top 5 — possibly the Top 3 — of these rankings.
(via Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)
After the game, the Padres placed Rich Hill on waivers. Looks like Dick Mountain is at the end of the trail.
I was wondering as he’s a newbie, who he was changing next to?
Where’s the Hurt Locker?
Mathew Batten is a perfect Abbott and Costello bit:
Who’s hitting?
Batten
Okay, my bad, who’s Batten?
The kid from the Angels.
Great. What’s his name?
Who?
The guy Batten.
Absolutely.
Okay, again, Who’s the guy Batten?
No. Who retired.
I don’t care Who retired. The guy Batten is?
0 for 4 in the 7 hole.
I know there are limitations to the number of September calls ups but does anyone know why Miguel Vargas or Michael Busch were not called up? Did they use the call ups on pitchers?
Would Hurt even be eligible for an Oct roster spot, since he came up after Sept 1?
Or, because he was already in the organization, we’re ok?