With the Giants winning tonight, Dodgers fall two games back in the NL West following a 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Zack Wheeler outduels Clayton Kershaw in Phillies’ 2-0 win over Dodgers
You take a National League most valuable player, a World Series most valuable player and a leading candidate for this season’s MVP award out of the lineup, and it’s going to leave a mark. Eventually.
While the Dodgers have weathered injuries to middle-of-the-order sluggers Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager and Max Muncy, winning three straight and seven of eight games before Wednesday, their diminished offense was no match for Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler on Wednesday night.
Wheeler outdueled Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, giving up five hits in six shutout innings, striking out six and walking four, to lead the Phillies to a 2-0 victory before a crowd of 52,157 in Chavez Ravine.
After a gruesome knee injury nearly ended his career, Steven Souza Jr. is looking forward to proving he can still be an everyday player at the MLB level.
Hard-throwing Philadelphia left-hander Jose Alvarado struck out the side in the seventh and retired the side in order with one strikeout in the eighth. Hector Neris threw a scoreless ninth despite hitting two batters, getting Austin Barnes to bounce into a double play and Mookie Betts to fly to center to end the game.
It marked the first time in 68 games this season that the Dodgers have been shutout, and their first shutout loss since a 3-0 loss to the New York Mets on Sept. 14, 2019, a span of 139 regular-season games, 162 games including the playoffs.
“We haven’t had a lot of our guys all year, and this is the first time [we were shut out], so I guess the odds, regardless of who you’re running out there, is it was bound to happen,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“But Zack threw a heck of a ballgame, Alvarado isn’t necessarily a strike-thrower, but he was on point tonight, and when he’s filling up the zone, it’s tough, it’s 100 mph with depth, and Neris was kind of scattered but got a double-play ball when he needed it.”
Highlights from the Dodgers’ 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Kershaw navigated heavy traffic for most of the night but was able to limit the Phillies to two earned runs and eight hits, striking out nine and walking one in a 110-pitch performance that dropped the left-hander to 8-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 15 starts.
“Clayton was stressed a lot tonight,” Roberts said. “You have to give credit to those guys. They were spoiling a lot of pitches, which added to the stress and deeper counts. He had to work for a lot of outs.”
The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the first when Rhys Hoskins snapped an 0-for-33 skid by lining a full-count slider from Kershaw over the left-field wall for his 13th homer of the season.
Kershaw worked around Luke Williams’ one-out double in the second, striking out Brad Miller and getting Ronald Torreyes to line out to third, but the Phillies nicked him for run in the third when Odubel Herrera reached on an infield single and scored on J.T. Realmuto’s double to right-center field for a 2-0 lead.
“The Realmuto double was the tough one,” said Kershaw, who held the Phillies hitless in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position. “You got to two outs that inning, and you want to be able to get out of that.
“I left a fastball down the middle. That was a tough one. Other than that, I had traffic all night, so I was making a lot of pitches with runners in scoring position. I had to make pitches or it was gonna be a short night.”
Philadelphia threatened again in the fourth when Alec Bohm led off with a double to left. Kershaw responded by getting Williams to fly to left, striking out Miller with a slider and getting Torreyes to ground out to shortstop.
Wheeler and Herrera opened the fifth inning with singles before Hoskins flied out to right and Realmuto struck out swinging at a slider. Kershaw walked Andrew McCutchen to load the bases but struck out Bohm with a nice 86-mph slider to escape the jam.
The Dodgers failed to score off Wheeler despite putting two on with no outs in the first, runners on first and third with two outs in the third and two on with one out in the fifth.
Wheeler, who is 5-3 with a 2.15 ERA on the season, escaped trouble in the first by getting Chris Taylor to pop out to second, striking out Matt Beaty and, following a walk to AJ Pollock to load the bases, whiffing Zach McKinstry.
What will happen now that MLB has put out its memo reinforcing rules about foreign substances on baseballs?
Pollock grounded out with runners on the corners to end the third, and with two on in the fifth, Wheeler struck out Beaty with a 97-mph fastball and got Pollock to ground out to third.
“He’s got top-notch, ace stuff,” Roberts said of Wheeler. “It’s 97-99 mph, just enough of a slider to keep you off the fastball, he works both sides of the plate, the top of the zone, gets left and right out, so yeah, he’s a tough one.
“We had him early, the first two hitters get on base, we couldn’t push a run across, and he got comfortable and made pitches when he needed to.”
Dodgers are shut out by the Phillies, 2-0
Phillies: Burns in at third. Pujols in at first. Left-hander David Price pitching. Travis Janikowski, batting for the pitcher, singled to left. Herrera grounded into a 6-3 double play. Hoskins lined to right.
Dodgers: Janikowski in at right field. Right-hander Hector Neris now pitching for the Phillies. Souza was hit in the left arm by a pitch. That hurt, but he’s staying in the game. Barnes grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Will Smith, batting for Price, was hit in the left side by a pitch. It really grazed his uniform more than hit him. Betts flied to center.
Final score: Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
We go to the ninth, 2-0 Phillies
Phillies: McCutchen lined to center. Bohm grounded to third. Williams doubled to center. Miller was walked intentionally. Torreyes grounded to third. McKinstry got his feet tangled, but recovered in time to throw him out.
Dodgers: Andy Burns, batting for Beaty, flied to center. Pollock struck out swinging. Albert Pujols, batting for McKinstry, flied to right. The fans cheered loudly, seeing the ball with their hearts and not their eyes.
Score after eight: Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
Dodgers strike out, strike out, strike out in the seventh inning
Phillies: Right-hander Phil Bickford now pitching for the Dodgers. Herrera struck out swinging. Hoskins struck out swinging. Realmuto grounded to short.
Dodgers: Left-hander Jose Alvarado now pitching for the Phillies. Betts struck out swinging. Lux struck out swinging. Taylor struck out swinging. There have been 20 strikeouts out of 42 outs this game.
Score after seven: Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
Dodger offense remains silent after six innings
Phillies: Williams bunted up the third-base line for a hit. Why don’t more batters learn to do that? Miller struck out swinging. Torreyes struck out swinging. Wheeler struck out swinging.
Dodgers: McKinstry singled to right. Souza grounded to third, forcing McKinstry at second. Barnes popped to first. Luke Raley, batting for Kershaw, struck out swinging.
Score after six innings: Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
It’s still 2-0 Phillies after five
Phillies: Wheeler singled to left. Herrera singled to right, Wheeler to second. Hoskins flied to right. Realmuto struck out swinging. McCutchen walked on six pitches, loading the bases with two out. Bohm struck out swinging.
Dodgers: Betts grounded to third. Lux singled to left. Taylor walked on six pitches. Beaty struck out swinging at a pitch outside the zone. Too high. Pollock grounded to third.
Score after five: Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
Steven Souza Jr. looking to make the most of his comeback lifeline with Dodgers
More than two years have passed since Steven Souza Jr. suffered the grisly left-knee injury that nearly ended his career, and the 32-year-old outfielder still can’t bring himself to click on a replay of it.
“Never — I won’t watch it,” said Souza, who was recalled by the Dodgers and started in right field against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. “I just don’t feel like I need to.
“I can visualize it in my head plenty, you know, being there and experiencing it. Every time I cross home plate I can feel it a little bit. My dad tried to show it to me the next day, and I almost threw him off my couch.”
Souza was playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks when he stepped awkwardly on home plate and collapsed during an exhibition game at Chase Field in Phoenix on March 25, 2019.
Score after four: Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
Phillies: Bohm doubled to left. Williams lined to center. Miller struck out swinging. Torreyes grounded to short.
Dodgers: McKinstry struck out swinging. Souza beat out a slow grounder to short. Barnes struck out looking. Kershaw grounded to the pitcher.
Score after four: Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
Phillies take 2-0 lead
Phillies: Zack Wheeler struck out swinging. Herrera singled to second. Hoskins flied to center. Realmuto doubled to deep right-center, scoring Herrera. McCutchen struck out looking.
Dodgers: Betts popped to short. Lux walked. Taylor popped to short. Beaty singled to right, Lux to third. Pollock grounded to third.
Score after three: Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
Phillies 1, Dodgers 0 after two
Phillies: Alex Bohm grounded to short. Luke Williams doubled to left. Brad Miller struck out swinging. Ronald Torreyes lined to third.
Dodgers: Newest Dodger Steven Souza Jr. flied to center. Barnes popped to second. Kershaw grounded to short.
Score after two: Phillies 1, Dodgers 0
Phillies have 1-0 lead after one
Phillies: Left-hander Clayton Kershaw pitching for the Dodgers. Must be a new guy. Odubel Herrera grounded to the pitcher. Rhys Hoskins homered. He was like 0 for his last 100. J.T. Realmuto grounded to short. Andrew McCutchen grounded to short.
Dodgers: Right-hander Zack Wheeler pitching for the Phillies. Mookie Betts walked on seven pitches after falling behind 0-2. Gavin Lux singled to left, Betts to second. Chris Taylor popped to second. Matt Beaty struck out looking. AJ Pollock walked on seven pitches. Zach McKinstry struck out swinging. 27 pitches for Wheeler that inning.
Score after one: Phillies 1, Dodgers 0
Steven Souza Jr. to make Dodgers debut in right field against Phillies
The Dodgers will look to complete a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies in Chavez Ravine Wednesday night with newly promoted veteran Steven Souza Jr. in right field and batting seventh and third baseman Justin Turner on the bench.
Manager Dave Roberts said it is a scheduled day off for Turner, who can combine it with Thursday’s off day to take two days “to recalibrate,” Roberts said.
Roberts has stuck to his plan to give veterans such as Turner and Mookie Betts days off despite injuries to shortstop Corey Seager, center fielder Cody Bellinger and first baseman Max Muncy.
“It’s not easy, but I think it’s just committing to what we believe is the right thing to do,” Roberts said. “It’s always easier to put Justin in there, to put Max or Mookie in there, but to get ahead of things, to keep them fresh and hopefully increase the chances of keeping them healthy, it’s the right way to do it. It also gives other guys opportunity.”
Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who rebounded from two shaky starts to give up one unearned run and three hits, striking out nine and walking none, in an 8-5 win over Texas last Friday night, will oppose Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.
Kershaw, who is 8-5 with a 3.39 ERA on the season, gave up 10 earned runs and 15 hits, including two homers, in 12 innings of losses to San Francisco on May 30 and Atlanta on June 5. Wheeler is 4-3 with a 2.29 ERA.
The Dodgers have won seven of eight games, including Tuesday night’s 5-3 win before a crowd of 52,078 in Dodger Stadium, to improve to 41-26 and a season-high 15 games over .500. The Phillies will be without injured right fielder Bryce Harper and shortstop Jean Segura.
DODGERS LINEUP: CF Mookie Betts, SS Gavin Lux, 2B Chris Taylor, 1B Matt Beaty, LF AJ Pollock, 3B Zach McKinstry, RF Steven Souza Jr., C Austin Barnes, LHP Clayton Kershaw.
PHILLIES LINEUP: CF Odubel Herrera, 1B Rhys Hoskins, C J.T. Realmuto, LF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Alec Bohm, 2B Luke Williams, RF Brad Miller, SS Ronald Torreyes, RHP Zack Wheeler.
Betting lines and odds for Dodgers vs. Phillies on Wednesday
Dodgers have won seven of their last eight games and will go for a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Clayton Kershaw will try to reduce the amount of hard contact he’s been allowing at Dodger Stadium — he’s allowed 20 home runs in his last 14 home games. Despite this, Kershaw has allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 home starts between the regular season and postseason, with the team going 8-2.
Zack Wheeler will get the start for Philadelphia. He’s allowed a combined eight runs in his last seven starts with the Phillies going 5-2 in that span. Opponents are hitting .196 off of Wheeler and he has gone at least six innings over his last seven starts.
Kershaw is backed up by a lineup that has scored at least five runs in five of their last six games and leads the National League in runs per game with 5.25.
The Phillies are 11-21 on the road and are 1-5 in their last six road games but have won eight of Wheeler’s last 12 road starts.
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Veteran outfielder Steven Souza Jr. is added to Dodgers roster
The Dodgers recalled veteran outfielder Steven Souza Jr. from triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday. To clear a roster spot, reliever Nate Jones was designated for assignment.
The right-handed-hitting Souza, 32, signed with the Dodgers as a minor-league free agent on April 12 and hit .284 (19 for 67) with six homers and 16 RBIs in 21 games for Oklahoma City.
He had three solid seasons (2015-2017) in Tampa Bay, batting .238 with a .753 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 63 homers and 167 RBIs in 378 games, including a 30-homer, 78-RBI season in 2017.
Souza hit .148 (four for 27) with one homer and five RBIs in 11 games for the Chicago Cubs in 2020 but missed all of 2019 after tearing three ligaments in his left knee when he stepped awkwardly on home plate in a spring training game for the Arizona Diamondbacks that March. The Dodgers play at Arizona this weekend.
Jones, 35, had an 8.31 ERA in 8 2/3 innings in eight games for the Dodgers.
Dodgers defeat Phillies, 5-3
The Dodgers’ 67th game of the 2021 regular season, played Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, was unlike any of the first 66 before a pitch was thrown.
The difference was in the stands. For the first time since Game 5 of the 2019 National League Division Series, the last heartbreaking defeat in the club’s tortured championship drought, Dodger Stadium was filled to capacity. With it came the persistent buzz between pitches unique to baseball. The deafening, ground-shaking cheers. The players feeding off the energy.
In the end, a sellout crowd of 52,078 squeezed into seats, filling nearly every section in the ballpark for the Dodgers’ 5-3 win. The team said it was the largest crowd for a professional team sports league game in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
The capacity crowd witnessed the Dodgers, winners of seven of eight, improve to 41-26 and a season-high 15 games over .500. It roared the loudest in the seventh inning when Mookie Betts, playing his first game in front of a full home crowd as a Dodger, blasted an 0-2 changeup for a go-ahead solo home run.
Dodgers take 5-3 lead thanks to Mookie Betts’ RBI single
Phillies: Right-hander Phil Bickford now pitching for the Dodgers. He was less than stellar in his last outing on Sunday. Can he bounce back? Travis Janikowski, batting for Torreyes, walked on seven pitches. With Hoskins batting, Janikowski stole second. Hoskins walked on five pitches. David Price is throwing in the Dodger bullpen. But, with the three-batter minimum, Bickford has to pitch to one more batter. McCutchen struck out swinging. Bohm struck out looking. Williams grounded to third. Great comeback by Bickford to preserve the Dodger lead.
Dodgers: Janikowski in right field. Williams moves to short. Right-hander Archie Bradley now pitching for the Phillies. Taylor walked. Pujols singled to left, Taylor to second. McKinstry grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Andy Burns, batting for Bickford, was hit in the left arm by a pitch. First and third, two out. Betts singled to center, scoring Taylor, Burns to second. Lux struck out looking.
Score after eight: Dodgers 5, Phillies 3
Mookie Betts’ homer gives Dodgers 4-3 lead in seventh
Phillies: Right-hander Joe Kelly now pitching for the Dodgers. Herrera struck out swinging. Segura flied to center. Realmuto fouled to first.
Dodgers: Mookie Betts homered to left-center. It’s 4-3 Dodgers. And the crowd is raucous. Nice to have a loud crowd again. Lux walked. Turner grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Smith walked. AJ Pollock, batting for Beaty, grounded to short, forcing Smith at second.
Score after seven: Dodgers 4, Phillies 3
Sixth inning ends, still 3-3
Phillies: Hoskins grounded to second. McCutchen walked on seven pitches. Bohm singled to left, McCutchen to second. And the Dodger bullpen is thin tonight. Jansen, Treinen and Gonzalez have all pitched on consecutive days. Williams flied to right. Brad Miller, batting for the pitcher, was announced. Victor Gonzalez replaced Urias. Miller lined to second.
Dodgers: Sam Conrood pitching for the Phillies. Taylor struck out swinging. Pujols singled to center. McKinstry lined to center. Luke Raley hit for Gonzalez. Left-hander Ranger Suarez in to pitch for the Phillies. Raley struck out swinging.
Score after six: Dodgers 3, Phillies 3
Phillies tie it in top of fifth thanks to two Dodger errors
Phillies: Bohm singled to center. Williams grounded to second, but everyone was safe on Taylor’s throwing error. Eflin sacrificed the runners to second and third. One out. Herrera singled to left. Beaty, looking up to see if the runner on second was going to try to score, kicked the ball, allowing that runner to score and Herrera to take second. Segura lined to first. Realmuto was walked intentionally, bringing up Torreyes, who is hitting in Bryce Harper’s spot. He popped to first.
Dodgers: Lux grounded to second. Turner grounded to short. Smith was hit by a pitch. Beaty flied to left.
Score after five: Dodgers 3, Phillies 3
Dodgers take 3-1 lead on doubles by McKinstry and Urías
Phillies: Harper struck out swinging. Hoskins grounded to short. McCutchen grounded to first.
Dodgers: Ronald Torreyes in a shortstop. Luke Williams moves to right. Bryce Harper is out of the game. No word as to why yet. Beaty singled to right. Taylor grounded to the pitcher, forcing Beaty at second. Pujols flied to right. McKinstry doubled to right-center, Taylor scored. Urías hit a ground-rule double to right, scoring McKinstry. Betts flied to right. Urías is four for his last nine with a double and eight RBIs.
Score after four innings: Dodgers 3, Phillies 1
Celebrating Dusty Baker’s 72nd birthday
Trevor Bauer credits and criticizes MLB for its plans to police ‘sticky stuff’
Trevor Bauer is recognized as the first player to publicly criticize Major League Baseball for inadequately policing pitchers’ use of foreign substances to change pitch movement, starting back in 2018. He continued his criticism Tuesday when MLB finally announced it will have umpires enforce the rules on the books starting Monday.
Speaking to a group of reporters Tuesday, Bauer credited MLB for addressing “sticky stuff,” which is recognized as one of the reasons fewer balls are put in play this season than ever before. Violators will be suspended for 10 games with pay and can’t be replaced on the roster during the ban.
But Bauer criticized the league for taking the measure midseason after telling players they wouldn’t face discipline in a March memo, for disallowing the use of sunscreen, for the lack of an appeals process and for placing the onus on umpires not trained to decipher between substances.
“It’s a mess,” Bauer said in an interview on SportsNet LA, the Dodgers’ television network. “Typical MLB fashion. They didn’t get a whole lot about this right.”
Bauer also took to Twitter to express his thoughts. He tweeted a video showing a ball sticking to his hand. He followed up by saying that he used just rosin and sweat, making it legal. He wondered if an umpire could tell the difference. He also speculated that umpires’ grudges and biases could dictate who is punished.
“They haven’t thought through a lot of these things,” Bauer said in the TV interview. “They just made the umpires judge, jury and executioner.”
Mixing sunscreen and rosin is a universally accepted concoction pitchers have used for a better grip. The data suggests it doesn’t drastically increase spin rate. And yet MLB has barred sunscreen. On Tuesday, Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow blamed not using sunscreen in a recent start against the Washington Nationals as the reason for the partial ulnar collateral tear and flexor strain in his right elbow.
“My hope is this is not a sign of things to come,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “I did say a couple of weeks back that to make a change in the middle of the season is difficult and challenging. That certainly could be debated, but that’s not my call. Outside of that, I just don’t know what else to say. I hope pitchers can stay healthy because you always want the best talent on the field. We want a level playing field.”
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner shared his manager’s sentiment.
“Just consistency is all anyone can ask for and make all the balls the same and make all whatever substance pitchers can use the same,” Turner said. “Make whatever substance pitchers can use the same and let everyone have the same playing field so it’s a fair game across the board and it’s not favoring any one group or another group, I think is the goal.”
Bauer has not denied using foreign substances to increase his spin rate after challenging the league on it on various platforms, including Twitter, HBO’s Real Sports and the Players’ Tribune. He said he’s also discussed the issue directly with MLB officials, including commissioner Rob Manfred, during phone and in-person conversations over the years.
The revolutions per minute (rpm), the metric used to measure spin rate, on his pitches suddenly spiked in September 2019 and rose again in 2020 when he won the NL Cy Young Award.
It increased even further this season — his four-seam fastball average spin rate was more than 200 rpm better than any other starter’s — until it promptly plummeted 223 rpm two starts ago against the Atlanta Braves. It remained in the same vicinity in his last outing against the Texas Rangers. He surrendered seven runs on 15 hits and six walks in 12 1/3 innings in the two starts.
“I just want to compete on a fair playing field,” Bauer said after his start against the Braves. “I’ll say it again. That’s been the whole point this entire time. Let everyone compete on a fair playing field.”
It’s still 1-1 after three innings
Phillies: Herrera struck out swinging. Segura struck out swinging. Realmuto hit a flare to right and McKinstry ran in to make a nice diving catch. Misplays two balls last night, makes a great catch tonight. Life in the majors.
Dodgers: Betts singled to left. Lux struck out swinging. Turner flied to center. Smith grounded to short, forcing Betts.
Score after three: Dodgers 1, Phillies 1
Phillies tie it on Andrew McCutchen’s homer
Phillies: Rhys Hoskins struck out swinging. Andrew McCutchen homered to left, tying the score. Alec Bohm lined to short. Luke Williams singled to right-center. Zach Eflin struck out looking.
Dodgers: Chris Taylor grounded to third. Albert Pujols grounded into the shift, with the second baseman making the play. Zach McKinstry was jammed and hit a flare into left for a hit. Julio Urías grounded to short, forcing McKinstry.
Score after two: Dodgers 1, Phillies 1
Dodgers take 1-0 lead after one inning
Phillies: Left-hander Julio Urías on the mound for the Dodgers. Odubel Herrera flied to center. Jean Segura singled to left. J.T. Realmuto grounded to short, forcing Segura at second. Realmuto just beat the throw to first. For a catcher, he runs fast. Bryce Harper flied to left.
Dodgers: Right-hander Zach Eflin pitching for the Phillies. I always want to call him Elfin. Let’s see how many times I mess it up tonight. Mookie Betts struck out looking at a pitch that was outside. Gavin Lux singled to short. Did anyone else see Dave Coulier when the panned the stands? Just me then? Justin Turner fell behind 0-2, then worked the count full and singled to left. Lux was running on the pitch and easily took third. First and third, one out. Will Smith hit a slow grounder to short, forcing Turner. Smith hustled down the line and beat the throw to first, allowing the run to score. Matt Beaty lined to second.
Score after one: Dodgers 1, Phillies 0
The Dodgers commemorate Juneteenth
Brett Butler (who turns 64 today) reminds everyone how to bunt
Bunting is a lost art in the majors, as front office shy away from sacrifices and fewer players know how to bunt (one reason the shift works so well).
One of the best bunters ever, former Dodger Brett Butler, is shown here in this Tweet teaching us all how to bunt. So, if you know a major leaguer, send this to him:
Cody Bellinger placed on injured list, Mitch White recalled
The Dodgers placed center fielder Cody Bellinger on the injured list with left hamstring tightness minutes before first pitch Tuesday. Right-hander Mitch White was recalled to take his spot on the roster.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Monday said the team was hopeful that Bellinger, out since Friday with the hamstring injury, could return to the lineup by Wednesday if he made the necessary progression.
He didn’t by Tuesday, but Roberts said the club planned on waiting at least until Wednesday to put Bellinger on the injured list when addressing the media Tuesday afternoon. That changed over the next three hours.
“He’s hitting, he’s done some running,” Roberts said. “It’s day to day. We’re kind of trying to wait as long as we can before we have to make a decision on the IL. I don’t think there’s much of a cost right now, where we’re at today.”
Injuries have plagued Bellinger since the end of last season. He dislocated his right shoulder celebrating a home run in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. Less than a month later, he underwent surgery and didn’t appear in spring training games until mid-March.
On April 5, Oakland Athletics reliever Reymin Guduan stepped on Bellinger’s left leg. He was diagnosed with a fractured fibula 11 days later and didn’t return to the Dodgers until May 29. He then appeared in 12 games before leaving Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers in the fifth innings.
The 2019 National League MVP has missed 51 of the Dodgers’ 67 games this season. He’s slashing .226/.324/.323 with one home run and 19 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances.
Kenley Jansen gets the save, Dodgers win, 3-1
Phillies: Kenley Jansen in to pitch for the Dodgers. Travis Janikowski, batting for the pitcher, hit a liner to third that Turner dove and caught. Great play. He was up to protect for the bunt and had less time to react than usual. Herrera grounded to first. Segura struck out swinging.
Final score: Dodgers 3, Phillies 1
We go to the ninth, 3-1 Dodgers
Phillies: Jimmy Nelson now pitching for the Dodgers. Pujols stays in the game at first. McCutchen grounded to short. Bohm struck out swinging. Brad Miller, batting for Torreyes, struck out looking.
Dodgers: Segura moves to short. Miller stays in at second. McKinstry grounded to second. Andy Burns, batting for the pitcher, popped to third.
Score after eight: Dodgers 3, Phillies 1
It’s 3-1 Dodgers after seven innings
Phillies: Blake Treinen now pitching for the Dodgers. Segura struck out swinging. Realmuto reached on an infield single to third. Harper flied to deep right-center. Everyone thought that ball was gone, but it just died on the warning track. Hoskins struck out swinging. The ball got past Smith and he threw Hoskins out at first.
Dodgers: Smith grounded to second. Albert Pujols, batting for Beaty, singled to left. Pujols took second on a wild pitch. Taylor grounded to short, Pujols to third. Pollock popped to first.
Score after seven: Dodgers 3, Phillies 1
It’s 3-1 Dodgers after six innings
Phillies: McCutchen grounded to third. Bohm grounded to short. Torreyes singled to center. Matt Joyce, a left-handed hitter, was announced for the pitcher. Which brings on a pitching change, with left-hander Victor Gonzalez coming in for the Dodgers. Right-hander Luke Williams comes in to hit for Joyce and singles to center. First and second, two out. Herrera flied to right.
Dodgers: Left-hander Bailey Falter now pitching for the Phillies. Betts popped to second. Lux struck out looking. Turner grounded to third.
Score after six: Dodgers 3, Phillies 1
Dodgers take 3-1 lead in fifth on Chris Taylor’s home run
Phillies: Realmuto flied to left. That’s it for Price, who is replaced by Joe Kelly. Harper singled to center. Hoskins grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Dodgers: Taylor homered to left. Dodgers only have two hits tonight, both homers. Right-hander Connor Brogdon comes in to pitch. Pollock struck out swinging. McKinstry struck out swinging. Kelly, high leg kick and all, grounded to first.
Score after five: Dodgers 3, Phillies 1
Dodgers take 2-1 lead on Will Smith’s homer
Phillies: McCutchen walked. Bohm singled to center, McCutchen stopping at second. Torreyes struck out looking at a pitch that was well outside. Howard struck out looking. The last two pitches were low, but were called strikes. And, with a left-handed hitter coming up, that is all for Gonsolin, who threw 81 pitches in 3.2 innings. David Price comes in to pitch. Herrera hit a slow bouncer to second. The runner crossed in front of Taylor and may have distracted him, because he kicked the ball for an error, loading the bases with two out. Segura grounded to short, forcing Herrera at second.
Dodgers: Betts walked, and Phillies manager Joe Girardi yelled at the ump, probably wondering why his team doesn’t get those close calls. First baserunner for the Dodgers. Lux grounded to short, forcing Betts. Turner flied to left. Smith homered to left to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. Howard tried to throw three fastballs past Smith, which was one too many. Beaty struck out swinging.
Score after four: Dodgers 2, Phillies 1
Remembering Don Newcombe on what would have been his 95th birthday
Today would have been the 95th birthday of Don Newcombe, the great Dodger pitcher who died in 2019. The year before that, we asked readers of our Dodgers newsletter to send in their choices for the 10 greatest Dodgers of all time. Newcombe finished in 21st place. A look back:
The 25 greatest Dodgers, No. 21: Don Newcombe (13 first-place votes, 4,413 points)
Shohei Ohtani? Don Newcombe could have been a two-way player if the Dodgers would have let him.
In 1956, Newcombe went 27-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 38 games, 36 starts and 268 innings with 15 complete games. At the plate, he hit .234 with six doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs. He won the Cy Young and MVP awards after the season. He was Rookie of the Year in 1949 and is the first player to win all three major baseball awards.
In an eight-season Dodger career, Newcombe went 123-66 with a 3.51 ERA. He went 20-5 during the Dodgers’ World Series champion 1955 season. That year, he hit .259 with nine doubles, seven homers and 23 RBIs. How good a hitter was Newcombe? He pinch-hit 88 times in his career.
He last pitched in the majors with Cleveland in 1960. In 1962, he signed with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan, as a hitter, not as a pitcher. In 81 games, he hit .262 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs.
Newcombe struggled with alcoholism for years, but has been sober since 1967. He has worked for the Dodgers for years, helping athletes and others around the country in their struggles with sobriety.
“What I have done after my baseball career and being able to help people with their lives and getting their lives back on track and they become human beings again means more to me than all the things I did in baseball,” Newcombe said in 2008.
Nothing exciting happens in the third inning, still 1-0 Phillies
Phillies: Realmuto flied to center. Harper grounded to first. Hoskins flied to left.
Dodgers: Pollock grounded to third. McKinstry struck out swinging. Gonsolin grounded to short.
Score after three: Phillies 1, Dodgers 0
It’s 1-0 Phillies after two innings
Phillies: Ronald Torreyes grounded to short. Spencer Howard doubled to right, on a ball McKinstry appeared to lose in the sun and misplayed. Herrera grounded to the pitcher, Howard to third. Segura struck out swinging.
Dodgers: Will Smith grounded to short. Matt Beaty flied to left. Chris Taylor flied to center. Quick inning.
Score after two: Phillies 1, Dodgers 0
Phillies take 1-0 lead in top of first
Phillies: Tony Gonsolin on the mound for the Dodgers. Odubel Herrera walked on six pitches. Jean Segura hit a sinking liner to right. McKinstry made a diving attempt, but the ball ticked off his glove into the corner for a double. Second and third, nobody out. J.T. Realmuto struck out swinging. Bryce Harper singled to right, scoring Herrera. First and third, one out. Double play gets them out of the inning. Rhys Hoskins popped to shallow center, not nearly deep enough to score Segura. Andrew McCutchen walked on seven pitches. Alec Bohm struck out swinging.
Dodgers: Right-hander Spencer Howard pitching for the Phillies. Mookie Betts struck out looking. Gavin Lux flied to center. Justin Turner struck out swinging.
Score after one: Phillies 1, Dodgers 0
Cody Bellinger could be heading to the injured list
Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger could head to the injured list if he cannot run at full speed in the coming days, manager Dave Roberts said Monday.
Bellinger (left hamstring) suffered his injury Friday. He missed his third consecutive start Monday, and Roberts said he could not see Bellinger returning to the lineup before Wednesday.
Roberts said the Dodgers are wary of bringing Bellinger back too soon, which would risk aggravating the injury and turning it into one that would require three to four weeks of recovery.
“We’re not going to put him out there if he isn’t 100%,” Roberts said.
Bellinger, who broke his leg in the first week of the season, has missed 49 of the Dodgers’ first 65 games.
The Dodgers’ lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies:
Mookie Betts, cf
Gavin Lux, ss
Justin Turner, 3b
Will Smith, c
Matt Beaty, 1b
Chris Taylor, 2b
AJ Pollock, lf
Zack McKinstry, rf
Tony Gonsolin. p
Max Muncy takes the MLB All-Star voting lead among NL first basemen
Max Muncy is the leader in All-Star voting among National League first basemen, according to initial balloting results released Monday.
Muncy entered play Monday with a .946 OPS, which ranks fourth in the NL. His 14 home runs are tied for eighth in the NL. He could be the first Dodgers first baseman elected to the All-Star starting lineup since since Steve Garvey won seven straight fan votes from 1974-80.
However, it is uncertain whether Muncy would be able to play in the July 13 All-Star game. On Saturday, the Dodgers put him on the injured list because of a strained oblique, an injury that can take weeks to heal.
Gavin Lux (second base), Corey Seager (shortstop) and Justin Turner (third base) each ranks third at his position, with Will Smith fourth among catchers and Mookie Betts fourth among outfielders. Chris Taylor ranks sixth among outfielders and AJ Pollock 15th.
On June 27, MLB will unveil the top three vote-getters at each position. The top three will compete in a runoff election to determine the starter.
Betting lines and odds for Dodgers vs. Phillies on Monday
The Dodgers continue their homestand with a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
The Dodgers opened between -155 and -175 favorites in Las Vegas on the overnight line and it had settled at around -165 (implied win odds of 62.3%) as of 9:45 a.m. PDT Monday. The Dodgers are always a popular play on the run line of -1.5 runs in Vegas; they’re +110 to win by two or more runs on Monday night.
The defending champs are usually bigger favorites, but they’re starting back-of-the-rotation Tony Gonsolin (0-0, 5.20 ERA, 4.20 WHIP), who is making just his second start of the season after lasting only 1 2/3 innings against the Pirates on Wednesday when he walked five batters. Spencer Howard (0-1, 4.61 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) gets the start for the Phillies, who are on a four-game winning streak that has them back over .500 at 32-31.
The Over/Under is set at eight runs, which seems low as the Dodgers are second in MLB at 5.29 runs per game while the Phillies are middle of the road (No. 15 of 30 teams) at 4.3 runs per game.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these two teams haven’t met since July 2019. The Dodgers are -250 series favorites (implied odds of 71.4%) to win at least two of the three games.
VSiN, the Sports Betting Network, offers more expert sports betting content in a free daily email at VSiN.com/email.
How to watch and stream the Dodgers vs. Phillies series
Here’s how to watch this week’s three-game series between the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies:
How to stream
Spectrum SportsNet LA is available with a subscription to AT&T TV “Choice Plan” ($84.99 / mo.). You can stream the game on your Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, and your browser.
Fans outside of the Los Angeles market can stream the games using MLB.TV.
How to watch on TV
Spectrum SportsNet LA and SportsNet LA Desportes are carrying the games on cable and satellite providers.
How to listen
In Los Angeles, the games can be heard on 570 AM or 1020 AM (Español).
ICYMI: Walker Buehler’s dependability proving vital as questions surround Dodgers pitchers
The last time Walker Buehler lost a game, pandemics were something that happened in science-fiction movies.
LeBron James hadn’t yet reached the postseason with the Lakers.
Jared Goff and Sean McVay were still viewed as inseparable.
Buehler extended his unbeaten streak to 29 starts Sunday, the right-hander overcoming early control problems to pitch six scoreless innings in a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium.
While Clayton Kershaw is the most revered pitcher on the Dodgers and Trevor Bauer the most talked-about, the 26-year-old Buehler has quietly taken on the role as the most consistent.