MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 25: Hoan Bridge over Lake Michigan, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on AUGUST 25 2012. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
BREWERS
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Brandon Lockridge – LF
Ketel Marte – 2B
Brice Turang – 2B
Corbin Carroll – RF
William Contreras – C
Adrian Del Castillo – C
Jake Bauers – 1B
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Gary Sanchez – DH
Lourdes Gurriel – LF
Luis Rengifo – 3B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Greg Jones – RF
Jose Fernandez – DH
Blake Perkins – CF
Alek Thomas – CF
Joey Ortiz – SS
E. Rodriguez – LHP
Brandon Sproat – RHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.
Recalled from Triple-A Reno: LHP Philip Abner (No. 50)
Optioned to Reno following last night’s game: RHP Andrew Hoffmann
Probably a necessary move, simply for an extra arm. Though the chart above doesn’t necessarily show it, the D-backs bullpen has been wheezing. Jack went into more detail about that earlier today, due to a combination of short outings by starters and close contests. But it is interesting to note that Arizona are below MLB average, both in terms of bullpen innings, and batters faced. They are above the median in relief outings – but at 101, only five percent above it (96). So why is it a problem for Arizona? Part of the reason might, oddly, be the stability of the D-backs bullpen.
This is only the second “true” change to the bullpen since Opening Day, over a month ago. The first was DFA’ing Joe Ross, who was replaced by Taylor Rashi. When he was optioned to Reno to make way for the return of Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt got bumped to the bullpen. But that has been it. Consequently, Arizona has used only 11 relievers all year, and that includes James McCann. The teams atop the bullpen usage by innings, the White Sox and Nationals have also used the most relievers – a startling twenty-one already in Chicago’s case, almost twice as many as the D-backs. Arizona has been leaning heavily on the same arms since the beginning of the season.
We can see this if we look at the average number of outings per reliever. Take the total number of relief appearances, and divide by the number of relievers used. For Arizona that comes out to 9.2 games per reliever, well above the median (around 7.5). The real problem is the lack of reliable bullpen arms for Arizona. We don’t have many credible alternatives in Reno who can be rostered in and out to give others a blow. Not helping matters: as Jack notes, only Hoffman and Juan Morillo have options, so can be sent to the minors. Well, technically, Pfaadt does too, but I’d not expect him to be enjoying buffet food anytime soon.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 28: Drew Millas #14 of the Washington Nationals shows his foul catch of a hit by Mj Melendez #1 of the New York Mets to end the first inning at Citi Field on April 28, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last night was one of those games you just have to flush down the drain. The Nats were never in it, and fell 8-0. Those types of games happen in a 162 game season. It is all about responding well the next night. They will have a chance to do that with an improving Cade Cavalli on the mound.
With a lefty on the mound, Blake Butera made a few alterations. James Wood will get off his feet for the first time in a while and get the nod at DH. That means Joey Wiemer will play right field. Curtis Mead will get the start at first base, as he looks to heat up again after cooling off lately. Keibert Ruiz will be the man behind the dish. Cade Cavalli had his best start of the season last time against the Braves, and he will look to follow up that outing in style.
The Mets are not making many changes. Juan Soto is still only healthy enough to DH. Brett Baty will start at first, while Tyrone Taylor will play center field. Carson Benge will move back to his natural right field position. David Peterson is on the mound tonight, and he has had a lot of success against the Nats in his career.
The Nats offense has cooled off considerably the past week or so. They will look to get back on track tonight. This team has been pretty resilient after heavy losses so far this season, so hopefully that can continue tonight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
The Rangers’ Brandon Nimmo left Wednesday’s game with right hamstring tightness.
During the bottom of the fifth inning against the Yankees in Arlington, the ex-Mets outfielder went from second to third base on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Joc Pederson.
After the play, Nimmo was checked on by the Rangers’ trainer and manager Skip Schumaker and left the game after a brief conversation near the bag.
Nimmo appeared to grab at his right hamstring before walking off the field.
A replay showed Nimmo moving gingerly to third base.
Nimmo downplayed the injury in a postgame press conference, saying he and Schumaker were “being cautious” in pulling him from the contest.
“I fully expect to be available Friday,” he added.
Texas Rangers’ Brandon Nimmo (24) walks off the field with head athletic trainer Matt Lucero in the fifth inning on April 29, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. AP
A long-term loss of Nimmo would be a major blow for a Rangers team that has enjoyed his presence in the lineup through the first month of the season.
The Mets haven’t quite enjoyed their half of the trade.
Semien is hitting just .214 with one longball in 103 at-bats headed into Wednesday’s play.
Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo (24) hits an RBI sacrifice fly during the third inning against the Athletics at Globe Life Field. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Mets have been one of the worst teams in baseball to date, sitting at 10-19 in a tie with the Phillies for last in the NL East, but Nimmo claims there’s still time to turn it around.
“Listen, I don’t think anything surprises me anymore,” Nimmo said Monday before the Rangers’ series opener against the Yankees. “I was part of that team that started off [0-5 in 2024], and then from May 15 on was the best team in baseball. So I’ve been on both sides of it. I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. Baseball, it takes a long time to have a good or bad season.
“So there’s still plenty of time for them to right the ship. And there’s still plenty of time for teams that are hot to go bad. So I wouldn’t say I’m surprised anymore. I’ve seen baseball go a lot of different ways. So now it’s just like, ‘Well, yep, that’s baseball.’ Baseball’s a crazy game.”
A.J. Minter continues to progress well on his road back to the Mets’ bullpen.
The left-hander looked strong throwing a bullpen session at Citi Field on Tuesday, and he came back in feeling good Wednesday morning, Carlos Mendoza said.
Minter is expected to rejoin Syracuse and make his next rehab appearance on Friday.
Mendoza said that the plan is for him to throw on Sunday as well, working twice in three days for the second time, and then the team will see how he’s feeling from there.
The 32-year-old hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since suffering a season-ending lat injury during a game against the Nationals last April.
He has enjoyed success as he continues building his workload, allowing just two runs (one earned) in six appearances over three levels of the minors.
Getting Minter back in the mix would be a huge boost to New York’s pen.
The southpaw had gotten off to a tremendous start to his time as a Met prior to the injury, pitching to a 1.64 ERA while striking out 14 batters across 13 appearances.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 28: Ozzie Albies #1 and Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves high five during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Truist Park on April 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are looking to stack another series win on their record tonight before the calendar flips to May.
Ritchie vs. Skubal starts at 7:15 pm ET tonight on BravesVision.
A most unusual occurrence − the Los Angeles Dodgers losing a series at home to the Miami Marlins − ended in a most unusual fashion: An unassisted double play from the second baseman.
Xavier Edwards and the Marlins made it happen, though, as the Marlins pushed across an eighth-inning run and held on for a 3-2 victory that ended when Edwards bagged superstars Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman at first to end it.
The situation: Freeman chopped a ball toward first base that Edwards fielded in the basepath. Ohtani realized that if he'd continue running, Edwards would have an easy double play by tagging him out and tossing to first.
So Ohtani froze in the basepaths and then shuffled back toward first, trying and failing to twist away from Edwards' tag attempt. Meanwhile, Freeman was lumbering down the line.
Edwards' deft manuevering resulted in a tag of Ohtani and, not breaking stride, a tap of the first base bag with his right foot a step ahead of Freeman to end the game. He spiked his first baseman, Connor Norby, in the process, but the Marlins were otherwise safely out of town.
Kodai Senga revealed to reporters on Wednesday afternoon that the lumbar spine inflammation forcing him to the sidelines wasn’t a recent development.
The righty dealt with the issue at times during spring training and early in the regular season, but he was able to pitch through it so he didn’t come forward.
The injury became too much to manage and effected Senga’s performance, though, so he finally met with trainers following a third consecutive rough outing on Sunday.
“There were games I felt good and I was able to pitch well,” he said through an interpreter. “But these past couple of games the results show it was unfortunately something I was not able to manage -- I was determined I could get through it, but it got to a point I wasn’t able to.”
The numbers certainly showed that over his latest outings.
After beginning the year with a pair of decent showings against the Cardinals and Giants, Senga failed to compete three full innings of work in two of the next three.
Even in the game he did reach that mark, he was pulled in the fourth.
His ERA now sits at an ugly 9.00 with a 1.95 WHIP after allowing 16 runs (15 earned) on 17 hits and five homers while issuing eight free passes and striking out just seven batters over that span.
“It’s just not good enough,” Carlos Mendoza said following Sunday’s loss.
The 33-year-old doesn’t know exactly how this will effect him the rest of the season, but his main focus right now is just getting healthy and back out on the mound.
When exactly that will be still remains to be seen.
Senga won't throw for the next seven-to-10 days after being given an epidural on Tuesday, then he will sit down with the doctors and trainers to see where things go from there.
“The expectation is that the injection will calm down the nerve irritation,” he said. “The medicine kicks in at different points for different people, so I’m not exactly sure when it’s going to start hitting, but we’ll see how the body responds.”
Sep 12, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante (53) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals continue was has been a very enjoyable vacation in Pittsburgh so far this week as they and the Pirates will tangle in game 3 Wednesday night. Andre Pallante gets the start for St. Louis while Pittsburgh will hope Bubba Chandler can turn them around. If weather allows it, first pitch scheduled for 5:40pm central time, but there is rain in the forecast.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 29: Matt Brash #47 of the Seattle Mariners walks to the dugout after pitching against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning of the game at Target Field on April 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Brash exited the game with an injury after throwing two pitches. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners won Wednesday’s series finale against the Twins, giving them a 5-1 record on the road trip, but suffered a potentially serious loss in their bullpen. Matt Brash departed Wednesday’s game against Minnesota after throwing just two pitches with what manager Dan Wilson called “discomfort in his side.”
Brash entered with the game tied 2-2 in the eighth to face leadoff man Ryan Jeffers. His first pitch, which Jeffers fouled off, was a 96.3 mph sinker, which is about a full tick slower than his average, but not so much as to be immediately worrying. On replay, though, you can see Brash shrug a little after throwing the pitch:
Brash’s next pitch came up on Statcast as an 89 mph changeup, and it sailed past Cal Raleigh’s glove, clear to the backstop. Cal Raleigh immediately signaled for the trainer, who came out along with Dan Wilson. Once again, it was obvious on replay that Brash was wincing with that little shrug motion.
During the mound visit, Wilson did most of the talking, shaking his head: no, no, no, as Brash clearly argued to stay in. Speaking to the media postgame, Brash said he recognized he did need to come out of the game but was processing during the mound visit, thinking of the pitcher behind him who would be thrown into a difficult situation taking over mid-batter.
“I’ve never done that before,” said Brash post-game. “I was kind of like – not arguing with Dan, but he was telling me to come out, and I was trying to process in the moment. I didn’t want to put Gabe [Speier] or anyone in a tough spot having to come in without warming up…I just knew I’d be hurting the team, not being able to compete at the best of my ability.”
“It was tough,” said Wilson. “He didn’t want to come out of the game, but it’s something where – he’s had a couple of days here, so we just didn’t want to take any chances. We’ll get a look at it tomorrow and go from there.”
Brash, who missed the 2024 season and the first month of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, was pitching for the second day in a row and the fourth time in six days. The team has ramped Brash up slowly this spring post-injury, but with Luis Castillo going short in the series opener and Logan Gilbert only completing five innings in yesterday’s game, and the close nature of each of the final two games, the leverage arms in the bullpen were relied upon heavily.
Postgame, Dan Wilson said that Brash is “fine,” but acknowledged he’s been battling “a little discomfort” in his right side, which is what prompted his removal from the game.
“I’m okay,” said Brash postgame. “I’ve been dealing with some side stuff for a couple days now. It bugged me a little yesterday in my outing, but I felt fine pregame today. But as soon as I put some effort into the ball, I could feel it.”
Brash said he could feel the discomfort yesterday in his outing, specifically on his fastball extension, but chalked it up to the cold, saying he felt good after his outing and felt good pregame today. It was only when warming up in the bullpen that he started to feel the discomfort returning, and recognized immediately something was off when he threw his first two pitches.
Oblique injuries can be tricky to diagnose, beginning as a nagging pain that comes and goes, and can easily get worse quickly. Brash said although he doesn’t think his injury is anything “super serious” and called today’s decision to remove him from the game “precautionary”, he recognizes the importance of not letting this specific injury get worse. On the Mariners pitching staff this season, Bryce Miller has already demonstrated the difficulty of rehabbing an oblique, something Brash would be well familiar with. He’ll get imaging tomorrow and the team will know more then. This story will be updated when that information is made available.
“Sucks, for sure,” said a frustrated Brash. “It’s tough, but we’ll figure it out.”
Apr 16, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Sproat (23) walks off the field against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers picked up their second straight win on Tuesday and aim to make it three in a row—and their first series victory in over a week—on Wednesday evening at home versus the Diamondbacks.
Yesterday, Chad Patrick battled wildness (and vision problems and vomiting, apparently) but allowed just two earned runs in five innings, and the Brewer offense broke through for a massive, Brewersy sixth inning that was the backbone of a 13-2 victory. Tonight, Milwaukee sends Brandon Sproat to the mound to face the veteran lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.
Before we get to the pitching matchup, though, there are a couple of roster notes to cover. We’ll start with the good news: Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn were both officially sent to Triple-A Nashville to begin rehab assignments. They’re expected to be available to the Brewers on Monday for the beginning of next week’s series in St. Louis.
The not-as-good news is in relation to lefty Ángel Zerpa, who looked good with Team Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic but has had a rough start to the 2026 season. It turns out there could be a reason for that. Zerpa has been sent to the 15-day IL with what is being called “left forearm tightness,” which is not what you want to hear when it comes to pitchers. Even more troublingly, Pat Murphy’s concern level appears high:
Pat Murphy didn't reveal a diagnosis yet for Angel Zerpa but indicated that he could be sidelined for a while with a significant injury.
"It's highly concerning."
They pulled him mid-inning on Saturday in part because they were concerned by how his stuff looked. Zerpa's sinker…
It sounds like the best-case scenario that Brewers fans should hope for for now is that Zerpa does not require elbow surgery. Best wishes to him in his recovery, and we’ll hope to hear from a healthier Zerpa again before the season is over.
To replace Zerpa on the roster, the Brewers have called up another lefty, Brian Fitzpatrick. Drafted in the tenth round in 2022 out of Rutgers, Fitzpatrick will be making his major-league debut whenever he first appears in a game with the Brewers. Fitzpatrick is not really considered a prospect—he turns 26 on June 1st and did not appear on FanGraphs 53-man list of top Brewers prospects. But he’s off to an excellent start at Triple-A Nashville this season, and has not allowed an earned run in 10 1/3 appearances. Fitzpatrick was primarily a starter until midway through the 2024 season, but he’s been pitching out of the bullpen since. Last season, he earned a 1.82 ERA in 23 appearances (34 2/3 innings) for Double-A Biloxi, but had a hard time in 13 appearances after a promotion to Nashville. Things have been much smoother this season, and we’ll se how things go whenever he gets a shot.
Pitching tonight for the Brewers is Brandon Sproat, who has showcased enticing stuff even when he’s been bad this season. Sproat is still rocking a less-than-desirable 6.45 ERA, but his last two starts have been encouraging; on April 16th against Toronto, he had one of the best Brewers starts of the season when he allowed one run and walked only one batter in a 2-1 victory, and he followed that up by allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings (while walking two) in a duel with Tarik Skubal in Detroit on Thursday. Sproat walked as many batters in each of his first three outings as he did in his last two combined, so keeping those walks down seems like a big key to his success.
For Arizona, Eduardo Rodríguez got off to an incredible start but has not been as good in his last two outings. The 33-year-old lefty began the season by allowing just one earned run across his first three starts (which spanned 18 innings), but he’s allowed four runs in five innings each of his last two times out (in games against the Orioles and White Sox). Rodríguez is in his 11th season as a big leaguer, has thrown over 1300 innings, and is closing in on his 100th career win (he enters the night with 96); I know that wins don’t matter, but it’s hard to rack up 100 wins in modern baseball, and it is a testament to his durability and longevity.
With the left-handed starter tonight, the Brewers send out their “yikes” outfield of Brandon Lockridge, Greg Jones, and Blake Perkins, and with Joey Ortiz in at shortstop, runs may be hard to come by. Luis Rengifo is starting at third base, with William Contreras behind the plate and Gary Sánchez at DH. Brice Turang and Jake Bauers round out the starting nine. Of note in the Diamondbacks’ lineup is the presence of Ildemaro Vargas, who last night extended his hitting streak to 21 games (24 if you count the end of last season).
First pitch tonight is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 13: The tarp covers the field in anticipation for the incoming storm prior to the game between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies on June 13, 2014 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants game on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies has officially been postponed, and will be made up on Thursday with a split doubleheader. About half an hour before the game was scheduled to start, it was announced that it will not happen at all, as a large storm is hitting the east coast.
While the game was originally scheduled for 3:40 p.m. PT, it was moved up earlier in the day in hopes of avoiding the storm, and had been slated for a 3:10 p.m. PT start instead.
Now the teams will instead play twice on Thursday. It’s a split doubleheader, which means that instead of playing twice in a row, with the second game starting whenever the first one ends, there will just be two scheduled games in the day. The first will be at 9:35 a.m. PT, after which the fans will leave the stadium and the next group of ticket holders will enter. The Giants and Phillies will then play the second game of the doubleheader at 2:35 p.m. PT.
Each team will be allotted an extra player that they can add to the roster for the day. The Giants have not announced who they’ll bring up, but it will almost certainly be a pitcher.
The Boston Red Sox haven't had the greatest start to the 2026 MLB season. The team fired what seemed like everyone in house, including manager Alex Cora and five other coaches after starting the year with a 10-17 record.
Frustration has been building in the clubhouse. Despite many fans believing the Red Sox would compete for an AL East crown this year, the team has floundered, ranking outside the top 20 in team runs, home runs and OPS, while ranking exactly 20th in team strikeouts and ERA.
Starting pitcher Brayan Bello has struggled in particular, amounting a 9.00 ERA in 22 innings pitched prior to Wednesday's start against the Toronto Blue Jays. Then, he surrendered three earned runs (four before the inning was over) in just 3.2 innings pitched and only recorded two strikeouts. He was struggling, and interim manager Chad Tracy gave Bello the hook after just 63 pitches.
Very, very quick hook for Brayan Bello at just 63 pitches. Shook his head for several seconds as Tracy made his way out to take the ball. Yikes.
Greg Weissert replaced Bello and immediately surrendered a two-run shot. The Blue Jays would end up winning, 8-1.
Was this the shortest start of Brayan Bello's career?
No. Bello has had four outings where he threw fewer than 63 pitches. That said, only one of those outings saw Bello start the game: June 25, 2024 against (ironically) the Blue Jays. Bello pitched just 2.1 innings and was pulled after 52 pitches. He surrendered five hits and seven earned runs before being pulled.
Bello's frustration with Tracy comes just days after Bello experienced another rough outing against Baltimore. During that game, then-manager Alex Cora came to the mound after witnessing some very poor body language from Bello, who'd already given up four home runs to Orioles hitters.
Bello lasted just 2.1 innings in that game, and after getting pulled, he took out his frustrations by throwing his glove at a bubble gum container in the dugout.
When Brayan Bello got to the dugout, he spiked his glove off the bubble gum container a few times.
Bello is currently undergoing one of the worst stretches of his career. The five-year vet has not made it through the fifth inning in any of his last three starts and has surrendered four, eight, and four runs respectively in those outings.
He currently boasts a 9.00 ERA and is recording the lowest K/9 rate of his career (6.1) and simultaneously the highest BB/9 of his career (5.3).
Coming into Wednesday's game, the 22 earned runs he'd surrendered this season were the most of any pitcher in the American League.
Los Angeles , CA - April 29: Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) walks back to the dugout after striking out during the first inning of a MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 in Los Angeles , CA. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES— The Dodgers had a chance to walk off the Miami Marlins and take the series on Wednesday, but failed to do so again as the Dodgers lost 3-2.
After both Tyler Glasnow and Sandy Alcantara completed a scoreless first inning, Miami struck first again in the top of the second as Liam Hicks drilled his second home run of the series to deep right field, putting the Marlins up 1-0.
Max Muncy led off the bottom second with a ringing double to center field just past the diving Jakob Marsee. Alcantara was an out away from preserving the lead until Alex Call skied one high on the infield that was misplayed by shortstop Otto Lopez, allowing Muncy to score and tie the game.
Glasnow settled into a nice groove after the home run from Hicks, as he managed to strike out six batters in a row from the second through fourth innings. He was an out away from completing five innings with the tie intact after picking off Graham Pauley going for second, but the former Dodger Esteury Ruiz’s first hit as a Marlin traveled over the left field wall to give Miami the lead again. Glasnow was once again an out away from completing six innings after striking out his ninth hitter, but he was pulled after 5 2/3 innings while tossing 92 pitches.
Wednesday was Glasnow’s first non-quality start since April 10 where he allowed four runs over six innings against the Texas Rangers. Despite a season-low in innings, it was the second consecutive start and third time this season where he struck out at least nine hitters.
Alcantara continued to hold the Dodgers in check until they rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning, highlighted by a game-tying single from Dalton Rushing to get Tyler Glasnow off the hook for the loss.
After a scoreless inning from Will Klein following Alex Vesia’s brief appearance, the Marlins managed to reclaim the lead in the top of the eighth inning on a bloop single from Javier Sanoja.
In pursuit of their second walk-off win against Miami, the Dodgers put the first two men on base via a walk with nobody out. A sacrifice bunt from Alex Freeland moved both runners into scoring position with one out, and Miami elected to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani to load the bases. A base hit was all Freddie Freeman needed to complete the comeback, but he grounded a soft ball to second base. Xavier Edwards stepped on the bag at first just before tagging out Ohtani running back to first to thwart the comeback.
The Dodgers end their homestand with an even record, the first time they’ve done so this season, while it is their first series at home where they failed to hit a single home run.
The Dodgers are off on Thursday as they fly out to St. Louis to open a three-game series with the Cardinals on Friday (5:15 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Emmet Sheehan goes for the Dodgers against left-hander Matthew Liberatore.
Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman went a combined 0-for-7 as the Dodgers’ offensive woes continued. AP
They managed only seven hits. They went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring positions. And despite having the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, they came up empty on a game-ending double-play grounder from Freddie Freeman.
“I think in general, we’re just not all there,” Roberts said. “There are more guys that aren’t going well right now that are.”
Granted, Wednesday’s opposing pitcher was former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, who scattered all seven hits over a six-inning, two-run start.
Still, for a star-studded club that has put up big overall numbers this season, there have also been several disconcerting stretches along the way –– including a current 12-game run in which they are now just 5-7.
“The last 10 days, it just hasn’t been synced up,” Roberts said of the offense. “We just haven’t got those hits when we needed them.”
Indeed, the Dodgers (20-11) had chances to break Wednesday’s game open.
Four different times, they had a runner at second with no outs in an inning.
Capitalizing on such opportunities, however, nearly proved futile. They might have been held scoreless, had they not benefitted from a couple good breaks.
Los Angeles has now lost back-to-back games and is 5-6 in their precious 11. Getty Images
Their first run only scored when Miami shortstop Otto Lopez lost a two-out infield pop-up from Alex Call in the sun, letting it drop for the most fortuitous of RBI singles in the bottom of the second. The next came in the sixth, when Dalton Rushing followed Kyle Tucker’s leadoff double with a soft bloop single that managed to find grass in right field.
Beyond that, their offense managed nothing else.
The Marlins (15-16) weren’t much better against Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow. The only damage he allowed came via the long ball, with Liam Hicks going deep in the second and former Dodgers outfielder Esteury Ruiz doing the same in the fifth.
Tyler Glasnow continues to throw well on the mound, limiting the Marlins to 2 runs over 5.2 innings with 9 strikeouts. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Otherwise, the right-hander only faced trouble when he invited it upon himself. He walked six batters (tying a career high) but stranded all of them. He racked up nine total strikeouts, including six in a row at one point, and finished his 5 ⅔ innings outing with a 2.56 ERA this season.
That kept the game tied 2-2 until the eighth, when the Marlins scored the decisive run on Javier Sanoja’s RBI single against Will Klein.
And though the Dodgers loaded the bases in the ninth on three walks –– two from Hyeseong Kim and Call to lead the inning off, then another when Shohei Ohtani was intentionally put aboard following a sacrifice bunt –– Freeman couldn’t complete the last-gasp comeback, bouncing a grounder to second base where Xavier Edwards fielded the ball, tagged out Ohtani, and stepped on first (as was confirmed by video review) to complete the game-ending double-play.
What it means
Just when it seemed like the Dodgers’ lineup was turning a corner last weekend, they suffered what was easily their worst series performance at the plate all year.
Outside of a three-run walk-off rally in Monday’s ninth inning, the team combined for only five runs in this week’s other 26 innings. They also failed to hit a home run in any of the three contests, the second time in their last three series that they have failed to go deep.
Who’s hot
Glasnow continued his strong start to the season, even while battling more wild command than usual.
Of his 92 pitches, only 56 were strikes. Because of all the free passes, he was forced from the game with two outs in the sixth.
“I think early on it felt good,” Glasnow said. “Then the fifth and sixth, I just was super weird. Lost timing, flying open. It was just one of those days where it was hard to throw strikes.”
Still, when Glasnow was in the strike zone, the Marlins had a tough time hitting him –– outside of the two home runs that came on first-pitch four-seamers over the plate.
For a second-straight start, Glasnow once again pivoted to more of a sinker-heavy game plan to get ahead in the count. And when he mixed in his breaking stuff, he got 10 whiffs out of 17 swings and eight of his nine total Ks.
Who’s not
While Roberts said some of his hitters are lacking “a clear plan of what they’re trying to accomplish” in situational opportunities, Freeman’s recent struggles have been all about his swing.
The most glaring moment Wednesday came on his game-ending double play, when he went after a sweeper low in the zone and rolled it over to the pull side. However, his 0-for-5 performance was full of plenty other examples, from a thigh-high changeup he skied for a flyout in the third, to another double-play grounder on a bottom-edge sweeper he hit in the seventh.
“I had pitches to hit,” Freeman said. “I just didn’t hit ’em.”
Now, he is just 6-for-35 in his last nine games.
Up next
The Dodgers are off on Thursday, and will travel to St. Louis to open a three-game series with the Cardinals on Friday. It’s the first of two stops on their upcoming road trip, which will end in Houston with three games against the Astros next week.
