Winning is Better Than Losing
I am very adept at discerning the obvious immediately. With last night’s win over the Midgets, the Dodgers slipped back into first place in the NL West with the 3rd best record in the National League and the 5th best in all of baseball. However, anything less than 162-0 is…
I am very adept at discerning the obvious immediately. With last night’s win over the Midgets, the Dodgers slipped back into first place in the NL West with the 3rd best record in the National League and the 5th best in all of baseball. However, anything less than 162-0 is considered a failure by some. Oh, well. Tonight, they drive to Anaheim and play the pathetic Angels, who are the worst team in baseball with an 18-28 record. The Dodgers will probably get swept! I am kidding, but this is baseball, where anything can happen.
I bought tickets to the Great Lakes Loons at the Dayton Dragons on May 28th in Dayton, Ohio, which is a two-hour drive from my house. I hope they don’t start call-ups before then. I’m looking forward to seeing Sirota, Wagner, Davalan, Perez, Quintero, and company. My son and son-in-law are going too. My SIL will take lots of photos. I have to get a Frisch’s Big Boy on the way – they don’t have any around Indy.
For the most part, I eat very healthy food, but a guy has to have a Big Boy on occasion. I had planned to see the Loons in Ft. Wayne at the end of July, but I was informed by my wife that I was going to London with her and the family. So, I settled on the Dayton Dragons. They’re a Reds farm team.
At any rate, the Dodgers scored 5 runs last night. Teoscar is off life support. Sheehan improved until one bad or unlucky hit. It was nice to see him go six, and the bullpen was lights out with Scotty getting the save. Onward and upward!
P.S. I edited the Dodger site links on the right side of the Homepage and took off the inactive sites. I have some more to add, but coding is not my thing, although AI did this job OK.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT by Jeff
OKC Comets 12 – Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 10
OKC raced out to a 12-3 lead until mid-7. OKC had to hang on after 7 Isotope runners crossed the plate the last 2 innings.
RHSP Christian Romero kept Albuquerque off the board for the first four innings. In the 5th, he walked the leadoff hitter, who stole 2nd, and scored on a single. Romero retired the side in order in the 6th, and he was done for the night. In 6.0 innings in Albuquerque, Romero allowed 1 run on 3 hits, 3 BB, and 4 K. That is a good outing.
OKC scored a run in the 1st. 1B Ryan Ward had an infield single and moved to 2nd on the errant throw. Ward scored on LF Ryan Fitzgerald single.
In the 3rd, SS Noah Miller doubled (5) and CF Zach Ehrhard and DH James Tibbs III both walked to load the bases. Miller scored on Ward’s sac fly.
After the Isotopes scored to tighten the score to 2-1, OKC got two more in the 6th. With 2 outs, Miller singled and scored on Ehrhard’s double (8). Ehrhard scored on 3B Alex Freeland’s single.
Going into the 7th, OKC led 4-1. There was a total of 17 runs scored in the last three innings. In the top of the 7th, RF Ryan Fitzgerald hit a one-out double (2). Fitzgerald moved to 3rd on Eliézer Alfonzo’s single. 2B Austin Gauthier (6) hit a ground rule double to score Fitzgerald. Ehrhard hit his 2nd double of the game (9) to score 2 more. Freeland knocked in Ehrhard for the 2nd time for an 8-1 lead.
LHRP Garrett McDaniels came in to relieve in the 7th. A 1-out triple, back to back singles, a WP, a sac fly, and Albuquerque scored 2.
In the 8th, Ryan and Tyler Fitzgerald drew inning opening BB. Alfonzo doubled with Ryan scoring and Tyler moving to 3rd. Tyler scored on a WP and Alfonzo moved to 3rd. Gauthier drew a walk and Alfonzo scored on a Miller sac fly. With two outs, Freeland, Tibbs III, and Ward each walked to allow Gauthier to score for a 12-3 lead.
With LHRP Jake Eder in relief in the 8th, a HBP, back to back doubles, a BB, ground out, and 2 run single and the Isotopes brought in 4 before RHRP Paul Gervase entered to get the final two outs.
With Gervase back on the mound, 2 singles and a 3-run HR brought Albuquerque was within 2 at 12-10. But Gervase got the final 3 outs to secure the win.
For OKC every batter got at least 1 hit, and 7 had 2. Every batter reached 1st at least twice. Hitting star for the night… Eliézer Alfonzo.
- Eliézer Alfonzo – 4-6, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (5)
- Alex Freeland – 2-5, 1 BB, 2 RBI
- James Yibbs III – 2-4, 2 BB
- Ryan Fitzgerald – 2-5, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI
- Tyler Fitzgerald – 2-4, 2 BB, 2 runs, double (2)
- Noah Miller – 2-4, 2 runs, 1 RBO, 1 Sac Fly, double (5)
- Zach Ehrhard – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 3 RBI, 2 doubles (9)
Springfield Cardinals 6 – Tulsa Drillers 2
Springfield scored 1 run in each of the 2nd thru 5th innings, all off LHSP Wyatt Crowell. In 4.1 IP, Crowell allowed the 4 runs (3 earned), 6 hits, including 1 HR, 4 BB and 6 K.
Tulsa got one back in the 4th. SS Elijah Hainline hit a one out single and stole 2nd, and proceeded to 3B on the catcher’s throwing error. C Griffin Lockwood-Powell had an RBI single.
Tulsa got one more in the 5th. CF Kendall George hit a leadoff double (8), went to 3rd on RF Josue De Paula’s F7, and scored on 3B Kyle Nevin’s sac fly.
With RHRP Kelvin Ramirez on the hill, Springfield scored 2 more in the 7th. Two BB, a WP, and a 2 run single.
RHRP Nick Robertson was not perfect in this one. He did allow a walk and single, but struck out 3 more. For the season, Nick has appeared in 11 games and has not allowed a run. He has allowed 3 hits, 4 BB, and 20 K. Why is he still in AA
RHRP Christian Ruebeck allowed a run in the 9th.
The last 12 Tulsa batters were retired by Springfield.
Kendall George was the only Tulsa hitter with 2 hits, including a double (8). Josue De Paula also had a double (7).
Great Lakes Loons 3 – West Michigan Whitecaps 2
LHSP Zach Root led three GL pitchers for 7.0 shutout innings. Root allowed 1 hit,1 BB with 4K. He threw 41 pitches, 25 for strikes. LHRP Matt Lanzendorfer followed with 3.1 IP. He allowed one hit, one BB, and registered 1 K. LHRP Justin Chambers retired the side in order in the 7th with 2 K.
GL scored their run in the 5th. With 2 outs, SS Jose Izarra singled. CF Charles Davalan walked. A WP put runners on 2nd and 3rd. RF Mike Sirota singled to score Izarra.
Great Lakes took the 1-0 lead into the 9th. RHRP Nicolas Cruz went to the mound for his 3rd inning. There was a single, a passed ball, and a F8 moved the runner to 3rd. He scored on a second single in the inning for an unearned run to tie the score.
In the 10th, with a runner on 2nd, a ground ball to Cruz who got the out at 1st and the runner moved up to 3rd. He scored the go-ahead run on a sac fly.
But Great Lakes came back to score a pair in the bottom of the 10th for the win. With C Gio Cueto the placed runner at 2nd, SS Jose Izarra hit an infield single with Cueto moving to 3B. Izarra stole 2B, and Sirota drew a BB to load the bases. LF Eduardo Quintero also walked to force in the tying run. On the 2nd pitch to DH Jose Meza, the pitcher unleased a wild pitch, and Izarra came home with the walkoff win.
Izarra had 2 hits and Sirota had a hit and 2 BB.
Ontario Tower Buzzers 8 – San Jose Giants 4
Three multi run innings in this one. Two by Ontario (3 and 5) and one by San Jose (4).
San Jose jumped out to a 4-0 lead off RHSP Brady Smith and RHRP Wuillians Herrera. Smith kept San Jose scoreless for the 1st two innings. In the 3rd, a leadoff double and RBI single scored the first run of the game. Smith retired the next two batters, before Herrera came in with a runner on 1st. The first two batters walked and a run scoring double.
The next batter reached on E6 and a 3rd run scored. The 4th run came home on a WP.
In the 4th, after the first two batters struck out, CF Brendan Tunink was HBP, and 3B Chase Harlan drew a walk. RF Ching-Hsien Ko followed with a 3-run HR (7).
The score remained 4-3 to the 8th. In the 8th, DH Easton Shelton singled to lead off the inning. LF AJ Soldra followed with a single. 1B Mairo Martinus was HBP to load the bases. SS Emil Morales hit a 2-run single to give Ontario a 5-4 lead, with Martinus moving to 3B. With one out, Martinus scored on a Harlan sac fly. 4 BB and 2 additional runs give Ontario an 8-4 lead going into the 9th.
After 5.0 shutout IP by RHRP Luis Carias, on 3 hits, and 6 K, RHRP Robby Porco pitched a scoreless 9th. He did walk one, but struck out 3.
Ontario had a total of 5 hits, and no Ontario hitter had more than 1 hit. Martinus’ 7th double and Ko’s 7th HR were the only XBH.
ACL Guardians 5 – ACL Dodgers 1
The Dodgers scored 1 unearned run on 3 hits, 2 by catcher Abel Lorenzo.
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Discussion (65)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The Dodgers are undefeated in the Charlie Barnes Era!
Why not Julio?
Sheehan stays in the rotation, and so does Sasaki and Wrobo, what with Snell suddenly out after just one appearance, and Glasnow being Glasnow…. (When will River Ryan and Gavin Stone be ready?) . Teo may be using his bat to make amends for playing that double into an inside the park HR. The “Grandson of the Wind” lived up to that reputation… Nice to see Tucker get a few hits–but the jury I’m on is still out on that humongous contract…. Alex Call is proving to be a good bench player, and that’s fine… Doc simply placed Will into Shohei’s leadoff spot, which makes sense because of Will’s excellent on-base skills. It made less sense when he batted Rushing leadoff…. It’s interesting how the Dodgers brass is leaning into “load management.” Freddie got a day off right after both Shohei and Mookie sat. Makes a lot of sense with the aging roster and the looong path to the playoffs. Days off for both Max and Teo have kind of been baked in with quasi-platoons.. It will be fun when the Dodgers need a pinch hitter and can turn to Shohei or Freddie…. With Snell out, the impromptu bullpen game was kind of epic: 8 relievers combining for a 2-hit shutout with 11 Ks. Yes, it was against the Angels, but still. Nice to see Shohei get that double after two days off from hitting duties… Pages is on a pace for about 150+ RBI, and Max could hit 40 HRs… Looks to me that the Dodgers’ top all-star candidates are Shohei as a pitcher and Pages as an outfielder. Maybe Max has a shot if he keeps hitting. I think Diaz might suffer only a suspension if he makes a public apology and donates $1 million to Puerto Rico’s version of PETA….. Something like that, anyway
Nice game by the boys. Mookie looks rusty, but he should get better. His second half stats are always his best. Ohtani with 2 more Ks, and a double. I wonder how close Gavin Stone is to beginning a rehab stint. Teo with an opposite field dinger was good to see. Defense on both sides was excellent. Pads kept pace with a 2-0 win over Seattle. Miller pitched 2 innings for the save.
Keep him in low leverage until he shows it consistently . More Hurt. He has closer type stuff. Ryan threw over 50 pitches tonight. Put him in Snell’s spot next week. Seems like 75 pitches would be the next progression. They won’t but they could.
Treinen didn’t look washed up tonight
05/15/26 Los Angeles Dodgers placed LHP Blake Snell on the 15-day injured list retroactive to May 12, 2026. Left elbow loose bodies. 05/15/26 Los Angeles Dodgers recalled LHP Charlie Barnes from Oklahoma City Comets
“The injuries continue to pile up for the Los Angeles Dodgers. On Friday, the Dodgers scratched left-handed pitcher Blake Snell from his scheduled start against the Los Angeles Angels and placed him on the 15-day IL (retroactive to May 12) with loose bodies in his left elbow. This type of injury typically requires surgery, but it’s currently unknown if Snell will undergo a procedure to get the loose bodies removed”.
Amen!
The Athletic wrote about this a year and a half ago. Per Drellish, “Commissioner Rob Manfred and some of the sport’s owners are seriously talking about nationalizing baseball’s TV rights.” Baseball owners in small markets want to grow media “revenues,” and to do this, they would need to “centralize the deal-making, and from there, to potentially sell all 30 teams’ regular-season broadcasts as one streaming package.” But there are teams in large markets that make the most money who are “vehemently” opposed to this idea. While MLB has various national broadcast media deals for postseason baseball with FOX and TBS, and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, individual teams (…. like SNY…) control most of their regular season “inventory, as well as the chance of television stations they partner with inside their home markets, per the Athletic. What does this mean for you? If MLB and the teams agree to doing away with local rights, this could “eliminate many of the blackout restrictions that frustrate fans,” per the Athletic. And why can’t MLB just turn around and nationalize local rights tomorrow? Because teams have existing contracts with regional sports networks, some running into the 2030s. Per the Athletic, “These deals have often promised exclusivity to the RSN, such that MLB couldn’t just turn around and bundle the games as it saw fit with a simulcast.” And even if teams agreed to nationalize local rights, MLB would have to wait until some contracts expire. Dodgers TV contract goes through 2038. The NYMets contract with SNY was not mentioned. For this to happen: MLB will have to negotiate with the players union because “revenue sharing between teams is collectively bargained,” per the Athletic. The next CBA negotiations is 2026. So what does this mean? We’re years away of a nationalize MLB broadcast which could eliminate blackouts. However, the conversations have started. You can read the in-depth article on the Athletic. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5500209/2024/05/17/mlb-national-streaming-deal-tv/
I hear you on the MLB game block. I spend the summer in NE PA. MLB blocks Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Pittsburgh. I do go to Dodger games in New York, an hour and a half away, but Pittsburgh is over 4 hours. None of the cable companies offer Pirate games. I imagine Congress has control of the broadcasting restrictions.
Ben Clemens at FG, writes about Muncy and the Dodgers https://blogs.fangraphs.com/max-muncy-is-hot-the-dodgers-are-not/
I KNOW for a fact that Diaz thinks/thought it was legal. How do I know? Because he said so: “It’s legal in Puerto Rico thank God. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I feel safe here. The cockfighting arena is like my home,” said Diaz
9:38 PM ET Dodgers (26-18) Angels (16-28) SP Will Klein R 1-2 2.76 ERA SP Jack Kochanowicz R 2-2 3.97 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L SS Mookie Betts R C Will Smith R RF Kyle Tucker L CF Andy Pages R 3B Max Muncy L LF T. Hernandez R 1B D. Rushing L 2B Hyeseong Kim S 68° Wind 8 mph Out
Snell scratched from start.
Do they play trumpets when his chickens come out to fight?
Don’t forget Beltran
After an ice-cold start, Jack Suwinski, is doing almost as well as Tibbs III at OKC. He is hitting .292 with 9 homers, 29 driven in. His OBP and OPS are both higher than Tibbs. He also has fewer Ks, and 2 more RBIs than Tibbs III. Angel pitcher tonight against Snell is Kochanowicz. Huh? We’ll just call him, Alphabet. Rushing, Miggy, Tucker, Teo and Espinal have never faced him before. Call has 4 Abs against him, Freddie and Pages 3 each.
Diaz story is now in the New York Post, so someone thinks it is news.
Not according to the reports, I have read. It is a big deal in Puerto Rico, and it is against the law.
no, that’s the kind of chicken I’m talking about! Ray’s howling! The Costco roasted chicken! Zankou!
My statement of “competition isn’t quite up to MLB standards” was said tongue in cheek. Just glad that at his age he’s able to hit off of any competition whatsoever. I wish for him a place to play as long as he wants to, but then, it’s back to the Dodger organization. He would be a very valuable asset, same as Jason Heyward whom we brought back this week.
Grilled maybe.
It figures our humor would get posted twice. I was thinking about how big the chickens had to be.
Phil, I agree on Rushing. The catcher should be calming the pitcher and not the other way around.