Will the Dodgers Be Rushing Dalton to Catch?
NOTE: I wrote this BEFORE the Dodgers announced that Will Smith was going on the IL, Will Smith has been one of the best, if not THE best, catchers in baseball for the past few years. But Will Smith is not a big guy – he is on the smallish side, while Dalton Rushing is a little…
NOTE: I wrote this BEFORE the Dodgers announced that Will Smith was going on the IL,
Will Smith has been one of the best, if not THE best, catchers in baseball for the past few years. But Will Smith is not a big guy – he is on the smallish side, while Dalton Rushing is a little “burly.” I’ll get right to the point: Will Smith is experiencing what happens to your body when it starts to break down as you age. I think Will needs to go to a less demanding position or risk sitting out half the games. Will’s bat (when healthy) is valuable. I have suggested in the past that he should move to 3B, but now I think that 2B is a better solution. The reasons why:
- He has a little experience there;
- 2B is likely easier to learn than 3B;
- Max is signed for another year and can platoon with Freeland, Edman, or whoever; and
- Rushing is ready!
Some say, “Well, Rushing is a hothead!” OK, maybe, or maybe he is just the guy you want to go to war with! I’d rather rein in my lions than teach my sheep to hunt! It’s also said, “It’s better to live 1 day as a lion than live a 1,000 days as a sheep.” A lineup with BOTH a HEALTHY Will Smith and Dalton Rushing would be a better lineup:
- Ohtani DH
- Pages CF
- Freeman 1B
- Rushing C
- Smith 2B
- Muncy 3B
- Betts SS
- Teo/Ward LF
- Tucker RF
If you don’t like where you are hitting… then hit your way out of it!
Last night’s game – Never happened! Write it off, but take note. Don’t worry… Be Happy! This is the same bullpen that went about 40 shutout innings earlier. Pitchers pitch well and then sometimes get out of sync. It happens all the time. Vesia, Hurt, and Dreyer didn’t have it last night. It happens. They just weren’t executing their pitches. You are going to win 50 games accidentally and lose 50 games accidentally. The other 62 determine your fate.
Case in point: Kyle Hurt – In 6 games in April, he had a 1.50 ERA. In May, he appeared in 12 games and sported a 0.75 ERA. So far in June, he has 4 appearances and a 21.60 ERA. So, let’s throw the baby out with the bathwater? Maybe he needs a tweak, or maybe he needs to go back to OKC to tweak more. The Dodgers know best. I’ll leave it to them. Games like last night are sometimes going to happen. DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT!
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS
OKC Comets 10 – Charlotte Knights 1
This was not RHSP River Ryan’s finest start, but it was not bad either. He pitched 4.0 shutout endings with stress, but in the 5th he allowed 2 leadoff singles and was lifted for RHRP Paul Gervase. Gervase got a forceout at 2nd, but then surrendered a RBI single, a run charged to Ryan. Gervase finished the inning with 2 walks and 2 K.
RHRP Evan Phillips continued his rehab assignment. He competed 1.0 shutout inning, allowing 1 hit, 1 BB, and 1 HBP, with 1 K. This was his 3rd rehab game.
LHRP Ronan Kopp allowed 2 singles, but struck out the side. RHRP Griff McGarry and RHRP Keynan Middleton also pitched a scoreless inning each, but each walked one.
OKC took the lead in the 5th. With one out, LF Ryan Fitzgerald singled. With 2 outs, SS Hyeseong Kim singled. The duo pulled off a double steal and scored on the catcher’s throwing error.
After the Knights pulled within 1, OKC put up 5 in the 6th. RF Zach Ehrhard reached on a fielding error and stole 2B. Ehrhard moved to 3rd on a 2B Tommy Edman ground out. 1B James Tibbs III singled to score Ehrhard. DH Jack Suwinski followed with his 15th HR. CF Alek Thomas started it up again with a single. With 2 outs, 3B Noah Miller walked and Kim doubled (3) both home.
In the 7th, 3 walks and balk brought home another run. In the 9th, the first two batters made outs. JTIII walked, Suwinski singled, and Thomas walked to load the bases. R. Fitzgerald singled home a pair to finish the scoring.
- Jack Suwinski – 3-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (15)
- Hyeseong Kim – 3-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (3)
- Ryan Fitzgerald – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI
Tulsa Drillers 5 – Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota) 2
RHSP Payton Martin continues to grow. He now has two consecutive starts with 6.0 completed innings. In April, Martin pitched 12.0 innings with a2 11.25 ERA. For May and June (to date), Martin has pitched 36.1 innings and has compiled a 2.97 ERA over those 36.1 innings.
Remember, Martin was a high school SS with some mound time. He was committed to play SS for East Carolina. Dodgers liked his pitching prospects and drafted him in the 19th round, giving him a way above slot of $125K bonus. He reached #18 with BA in 2025.
On Wednesday, Martin’s first 4.0 IP were scoreless with 1 hit and 1 BB to go with 4 K. In the 5th, the leadoff hitter doubled and scored on a single. It was déjà vu again in the 6th with a double and single scoring a second run. He exited the game with a 3-2 lead.
RHRP Carson Hobbs pitched 2.0 scoreless innings while RHRP Cam Day pitched a scoreless 9th for the save.
In the first inning, DH Josue De Paula led off with a BB, stole 2nd , and moved to 3rd on the catcher’s throwing error. CF Mike Sirota continued his mastery of reaching base safely with his 49th consecutive game.
After Wichita tied the score in the top of the 5th, Tulsa retook the lead in the bottom of the inning. With 2 outs, RF Zyhir Hope drew a BB and scored ahead of 2B Jake Gelof’s 11th HR. Gelof has been on a HR tear of late, with his 5th HR of June.
In the 7th, SS Sean McLain led off with a BB, and JDP (21) and Sirota (7) each doubled to plate 2 runs, giving Tulsa a 5-2 lead.
- Josue De Paula – 1-2, 2 BB, 2 runs, double (21)
- Mike Sirota – 2-4, 3 RBI, double (7)
- Jake Gelof – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (11)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee) 5 – Great Lakes Loons 0 – Game 1, 7 innings
It was 0-0 for the first 5.0 innings. Great Lakes did not score in the top of the 6th, but Wisconsin put up 5 off RHRP Dilan Figueredo, including a 3-run HR.
RHSP Aidan Foeller pitched the 1st three innings facing just 10 batters. The only base runner was a single. Foeller struck out 4.
RHRP Robby Porco pitched 2 scoreless innings.
With 5 hits and 5 BB, GL had more baserunners than Wisconsin (10-7). But nothing to show for it.
Great Lakes Loons vs Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee) – Game 2 Postponed – Makeup Game Thursday
Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 6 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 1
RHSP Mason Estrada started and completed 4.0 IP. In the first, after a one out BB, there was a two out RBO double giving the Storm a 1-0 lead. In the 4th, Estrada walked the leadoff batter and back to back WP put the runner on 3rd, where he scored on sac fly.
Even with the offense not showing up, the team was still in OK position going into the bottom of the 7th. RHRP Jose Cabrera entered in the 7th as relief for RHRP Angel Cruz. Cabrera walked the 1st batter. He struck out batter two, and threw a WP allowing the runner to reach 2nd. He struck out the next batter as well, but it was on a WP so the batter reached base and the runner moved to 3rd. Next batter walked to load the bases. His third WP scored one run with the runner on 2nd moving to 3rd. The runner on 1st stole 2B. Next batter doubles to score two. The runner steals 3rd and scores on a sac fly.
In the 9th, 1B Easton Shelton doubled (13) and scored on SS Joendry Vargas’ RBI single to break up the shutout.
- Easton Shelton – 2-4, 1 run, 2 doubles (13)
- Joendry Vargas – 2-4, 1 RBI
- Bryan Gonzalez Garcia – double (1)
ACL Royals 15 – ACL Dodgers 9
The ACL Dodgers had leads of 3-2 and 5-2, before the Royals scored 3 in the 6th to tie the score. Then everything went south. The Royals scored 10 runs in the 7th…4 singles, 2 HBP, 2 BB, 2 errors, 1 fielders choice, and 1 WP.
The Dodgers scored a pair in the 7th and 9th to close the gap.
- 1B Oswaldo Osorio – 3-4, 1 BB, 3 runs, 2 RBI, 2 doubles (4), HR (3)
- 3B Moises Bolivar – 2-4, 1 BB, 4 runs, 1 RBI, HR (6)
- C Eduardo Rojas – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, double (1)
- DH Daniel Mielcarek – 2-5, 3 RBI, 2 doubles (3)
The ACL Dodgers are 9-21 good for 15th out of 15 teams. The run differential is -92. Next closest -58. They are half way through the season.
After winning the 2024 ACL Championship, the 2025 ACL Dodgers dropped below .500, and this year’s version is not very good. Okay, they are bad. More on that later.
DSL Padres Gold 9 – DSL LAD Mega 0
LAD Mega managed two hits, both doubles: SS Yojackson Laya (2) and RF Hendry Arvelo (1).
No need to mention the pitching.
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (104)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Tucker batting 9th lol.
Sirota and DePaula are both hitting way over .300, but Sirota is OPS’ing 120 points higher. That’s likely because he is older… and stronger. Both of these guys are better than Kyle Tucker… RIGHT NOW! Just my opinion. These two guys are elite! This is the OF, I’d like to see: LF – DePaula CF – Pages RF – Sirota I think Sirota might be a better CF than Pages, but why mess with success?
Screw Tucker!
In his last 5 outings, 4.1 innings, Kyle Hurt has given up 8 earned runs. In Dreyer’s last 5 outings he’s given up 3 home runs. Tanner Scott’s last 5 outings, only 4 innings, he’s given up 5 earned. Hernandez also got bombed his last time out, and 7 earned with 3 HR in his last 5 outings he’s given For any pitcher, the last 5 outings is a big deal. Is this something to be concerned about? Kinda feels like it. “Will Smith is smallish.” To you maybe. He’s a stout 195 pounds, which is not far from the Major League average of 200 pounds. And second or third base? Generally speaking second requires more range and footwork while third demands elite reflexes and arm strength. I would try him at third, but then that’s where Muncy plays. If Will Smith is indeed breaking down, the Dodgers have a problem. He’s only 31. He should be fine. For a while anyway. Load management. We’ve been talking a lot about this. Well, I have anyway. Be careful. I don’t believe any of our minor league players are better than Kyle Tucker. Tucker’s OPS+ is 103. It will improve.
That was the BPs second stinker in 4 days. They blew Sunday’s game too. Phillips and Stewart should be back soon along with Edman. And another roster crunch will emerge. Can Chukie Robinson be this year’s Rortvedt? The kid who pitched for the Angels and gave up 9 first inning runs is headed for TJ surgery. Can’t pronounce his name, let alone spell it. John: Saw your comment on Larker from yesterday’s thread. I had heard that about him. He just looked like one of those guys who was never happy. But he did have that one great season as a Dodger.
I think you are spot on about moving Tuck and Mookie down in the order. Having a cleanup hitter below the Mendoza line doesn’t inspire confidence in the fans, and everyone can see how both are struggling. Way too many swings at first pitches for outs.
Feels like an eternity that our bullpen had not given up a run in over 38 innings. Shows how quickly things can change in this game. For better or worse. Mookie and Tucker have become bona fide rallye killers.
The odds of Sirota and/or depaula having any MLB impact this year 0- minus 5. Unless massive injuries
There were also some strikes that were called balls at critical times in the 8th inning last night. It happens.
That umpire last night was awful. He missed so many calls. The more I watch Tucker, the less I see of the player he was in Houston. His approach and swing are horrible. I am surprised he is hitting .230.
I watched him a lot in Chicago last year. He is very unimpressive and average… or below. No one has been more pro-Friedman than me, but THIS is a blunder! However, if Conforto was worth $17 million to the Dodgers, then Tucker is worth double that. The problem is that they are paying him 4X that!
Tough loss especially with a 6-1 lead. Maybe we need another bullpen arm at the deadline. Seems like Jack Dryer needs more work. His fastball last night was on a tee and very hittable. Win today and win the series. Then we are on to the White Sox. They just won the series against the Braves so they are playing well. It was only the 4th series the Braves have lost all year.
Terrible contract,terrible player for the money! Could have had Ward for less than a million for one year. Veteran players are NOT always the answer on a roster for success.
They have Phillips on a rehab assignment, so he should be back soon. I could see them swinging a trade for another arm though.
Its frigging June fellas. Give the guy a little bit of time, check the back of his baseball card Geez…..this place loses its mind after a loss….
My opinion of Tucker was formed after watching him last year and part of this season. In his last season in Houston (where he missed over 80 games with injury), he OPS’d .993. Last year, he OPS’d .841. This year, his OPS is .720. I think you have to be bat-shit crazy to have much hope. I see a trend… and that is DECLINE! The league may have him figured out, or maybe he is not hungry since he got paid… or BOTH! This has the potential of being the worst signing in MLB history. Also, I am very concerned with Mookie. He is a world-class human, but you can see his foot speed has declined. Last year he OPS’d. 732. This year it is .606. He is still an asset defensively, but I will be shocked if he OPS’s much over .700. I agree with David that the Dodgers will likely not promote DePaula or Sirota to LA this year, but they should. It is not Andrew Friedman’s MO to sign a guy like Tucker. I think some day we will find out that ownership pressured him. Tucker, Betts, and Freeman are in decline. Freddie is still feared; Tucker and Betts… not so much. Several baseball people I respect think the league has caught up to Tucker, and they believe Mookie is on a steep downhill slope.
Forget Skubal go get Aroldis Chapman and his 0.46 ERA. Can never have enough shutdown relievers.
Chapman is 103 years old and still throws 103 MPH.
So what are you suggesting? Clean house on a squad that is on pace for 102 wins? Mookie left his bat in his locker when he moved to short. You wanted Luis Aparicio? You got him. Luis OPS’d under 100 all the way to age 39. Made the HOF. Maybe Betts can do it too. The difference is, Luis was always an SS, made a dozen All Star teams there and won 9 Gold Gloves. Kyle Tucker is 29 years old. He is still in his prime. Fix the pen, get another quality starter in July, and cruise to another Division Championship. Matt is right. It’s June. Plenty of time to correct course.
I agree with Mark, Sirota and DePaula are untouchable, to me Sirota is our #1 prospect. DePaula has more BBs than strikeouts and Sirota is close (50bb 54k) very rare in todays game. Sirota has reached base in 49 consecutive games and hitting .340 overall so far over 2 levels. As far as pen goes, they are going through a bad stretch and thats going to happen over a long season, but in our last 2 losses, Doc left both relievers(hernandez and hurt) in way too long when they clearly didn’t have it
Once Pitt burned their two challenges, the ump didn’t give them anything close to the plate, either during batting or pitching. He knew they couldn’t do anything about it and if the manager complained about balls/strikes, he gets tossed. But I bet Catcher Rodriguez got a sermon on challenges after the game. It would have been an ass chewing if they lost. Lol.
Tough loss? Absolutely! Pirates returned the favor from Tuesday. Wish Doc had continued the “6” innings from Ohtani game plan! lol! The bullpen has evolved from untouchable, to unreliable! Is it some fatigue? Doubt it. Maybe they are just not as good as they appeared a few weeks ago. Phillips will most certainly help. Stewart? Hopefully he can stay off the injury list. Hurt might be hurt! Dryer? I have no clue. I agree with Bear. A trade may be coming soon for some additional bullpen depth. I’m still believing in Mookie! But. He does swing at the first pitch way too much. It does seem to kill rallies every time he does! Ryan Ward is having a great time in the majors! I’m having a great time watching him! Hate the thought of him being sent back down! He’s out performing Tucker since he arrived! I believe he’s a mlb player. Maybe not a star, but there’s a place for him somewhere in the majors! I love it when dodgers players win awards. I love it more when they win World Series! More than likely, Ohtani will win another MVP. It seems that he wants the cy young award more. At some point, he has to become fatigued to the point where it hurts him and the team. I know he is superhuman, but does it make sense for him to wear himself out? Not my call, but skipping a start now and then , would make sense, right? Felt bad for Max last night. He makes that play 99 times out of a Hundred! Watched a little bit of the finals last night. Is it just me or does the NBA not even remotely resemble the game of the eighties and nineties? I don’t know, but it doesn’t appeal to me that much. I’ve said for a long time, the officiating is almost WWE style! Just me.
I think they will win 100, and I still see them as Odds-On-Favorites to win the World Series, but I felt Tucker was a bad move at the time and am even more convinced of it. We can live with Mookie for a couple of years…
Is it just me or is Ward playing a solid LF and hitting with his strength? Mark penciled him and Teo in left, which is a common sense platoon. Those chase down and sliding catches show his experience in the outfield and he did a great interview a few days ago which showed his maturity and common sense. He understands the system and accepts it. The grand slam was a 400 foot rope at 24 degrees and got the whole bench on their feet. If there’s room for Ward, I think he will reward management.
On the trade deadline, I’m going to sit back and make a pot of green tea and watch us do the unexpected: probably trade a starting player for another prospect!