Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Page 102 of 381

Pederson walking it back, Hernandez backing it up

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Dodgers at Pirates, 5:08 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Andre Ethier, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Joc Pederson, CF
Alex Wood, P

By Jon Weisman

Since taking two days off to regroup during last weekend’s series against the Angels, and then returning in the bottom third of the batting order, rookie outfielder Joc Pederson has seen some progress.

Pederson has resembled the player he was in April, when he was bringing solid defense and walking all the time but hitting one home run in his first 11 games. This past week, Pederson has two singles, a double and eight walks in 23 plate appearances with five strikeouts, so while the slugging percentage is languishing at .267, the on-base percentage is at .478.

In July, Pederson walked four times the entire month, struck out 31 times and slugged .258.

Kiké Hernandez has cushioned the effect of Pederson’s post-July struggles, with a .421 OBP and .606 slugging since July 1.

The Dodgers are still a few days away from activating third baseman Justin Turner, Don Mattingly told reporters.

Jimmy Rollins has become integral to Dodgers in second half

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Dodgers at Pirates, 1:05 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Scott Van Slyke, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Kiké Hernandez, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Alex Guerrero, 3B
Mat Latos, P

By Jon Weisman

One month ago, the night he broke a 7-7 tie with the game-winning RBI in a 10-7 victory over his former Philadelphia team, Jimmy Rollins described the changes he was attempting to revitalize a difficult season.

“I’ve been working on hitting the ball the other way,” Rollins said. “It’s a new swing, so it has its ups and downs, but tonight on the last hit, it worked out for me.”

Things have been working out pretty well for Rollins ever since. Dating back to that night, Rollins has a .333 on-base percentage, .505 slugging percentage and .839 OPS. In 55 plate appearances since July 23, Rollins has a .418 OBP, .653 slugging and 1.071 OPS.

The defense, which has been there all season, hasn’t suffered, illustrated most recently by his snap throw to first base Friday to catch Gregory Polanco taking a wide turn after a base hit. And one of the great, smart hustle plays of the year, Rollins scored from second base in the second inning on Howie Kendrick’s infield single in the third inning. (Rollins had just stolen second base to get into scoring position.)

Rollins predicted a month ago that he would heat up in the second half, and so far he has been good to his word. Since the All-Star Break, Rollins is third among Dodger position players in wins above replacement, behind Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner.

Kershaw bruised, beaten but not bowed

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By Jon Weisman

Clayton Kershaw had pitched 37 straight shutout innings, the last 25 of them against the Nationals, Mets and Angels — teams that are a combined 21 games above .500. Strength of schedule has not been an issue for Kershaw.

But Kershaw, by his own admission, wasn’t sharp in the Dodgers’ 5-4, 10-inning loss Friday to Pittsburgh. He allowed four runs (most since May 21) on 12 baserunners (most since May 10) in six innings (fewest since June 17) while striking out five (tying a season low).

“It was a tough one,” Kershaw said, according to Bill Plunkett of the Register. “I struggled all the way through pretty much. I didn’t have good stuff. I was getting to two strikes, wasn’t putting anyone away.”

There were unforced errors: a first-pitch home run by Gregory Polanco, a bases-loaded walk to Chris Stewart (Kershaw’s first since allowing one to Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright on July 24, 2012). But it’s not as if fate made the game easy on him. Kershaw was hit by baseballs three times — twice on defense, once while batting.

Door opens for Clayton Kershaw’s fourth Cy Young

St.Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers at Pirates, 4:05 p.m.
Kershaw CCXXXI: Kershawma’s Family
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Andre Ethier, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Yasiel Puig, RF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Joc Pederson, CF
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

One of the amusing parts of the hysteric reaction many had to Clayton Kershaw’s early-season struggles — such as they were — was sitting back and going, “Everyone’s asking ‘What’s wrong with Kershaw?’ Watch him win another Cy Young Award.”

Well …

Zack Greinke, for all his ongoing greatness, allowed six runs Thursday. Max Scherzer has a 3.86 ERA in his past six starts. And so we have this:

Cy Young contenders

Kershaw wouldn’t win the award if there was a vote today, but thanks to a 37-inning scoreless streak (detailed here) and a 1.10 ERA in his past 12 starts, he has closed the gap considerably. You could say he’s No. 3 with a bullet.

Fielding-independent pitching is the key here. No, it’s not that so many voters value FIP or xFIP over more conventional stats. But by leading the National League in those two categories — by significant margins — Kershaw shows that he’s the most likely of the Cy Young contenders to finish the season strong. Just as his league-leading xFIP of 2.15 on May 21 — when his ERA was 4.32 — showed that Kershaw was actually underrated (yep, I wrote that) and not worth all the panic.

Then there’s Kershaw’s history. From 2011-14, Kershaw’s ERA after the All-Star break was 1.70. His worst post-All-Star ERA in that time was 2.10 in 2012.

In other words, between bad luck and Kershaw’s proven level of dedication and determination, it would have been more surprising if Kershaw hadn’t launched himself into Cy Young contention. Instead, a fourth award is within reach — a milestone achieved only by Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton and Greg Maddux.

Kershaw probably won’t win the award if he doesn’t capture what would be a fifth-straight ERA title. Right now, the award is still Greinke’s — especially if the Dodger righty keeps that ERA below 2.00. With his league-leading Wins Above Replacement, Scherzer is surely in the running as well.

And there are other threats.  There’s Jacob deGrom and his 2.09 ERA pitching the Mets to a surprising NL East lead (remember, the only time Kershaw has lost a Cy Young since 2011 was to a Met, R.A. Dickey). Gerrit Cole — tonight’s opponent for Kershaw and the Dodgers in a sterling matchup at Pittsburgh — also has a lower ERA than Kershaw’s and a chance at a 20-win season for those who still care. Jake Arrietta of the Cubs is sort of a blend of the deGrom and Cole candidacies. Arrietta is nearly as hot as Kershaw right now, with a 1.37 ERA in his past nine starts.

Who do you think will win?

Greinke’s ‘Believe It or Not’ game yields an even more unbelievable finish

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ZG1By Jon Weisman

How weird was Zack Greinke’s day?

His third-inning home run in the Dodgers’ 10-8 victory at Philadelphia ranked about fifth on the list of today’s most unlikely events.

Earning top billing among Greinke’s exploits were …

  • A throwing error on the first batter of the game — Greinke’s third as a Dodger and sixth of his MLB career.
  • Five runs allowed to the first five batters — raising Greinke’s 2015 ERA from 1.41 to 1.72.
  • A bases-loaded single by Ryan Howard — the first bases-loaded hit Greinke had allowed all season, and only the fourth in three seasons as a Dodger.
  • Three runs scored — making Greinke the first Dodger pitcher to score thrice in a game since Claude Osteen in 1970.

And then, there was the final play of the game … but we’ll get to that.

When the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead after two were out in the top of the first inning, you could be excused for thinking the game was all but over. It had been 10 starts since Greinke last allowed three runs in a game, and only on June 2 at Colorado had he exceeded that amount.

But after fielding Cesar Hernandez’s tapper in front of the plate, Greinke threw wildly to first base — and seemed discombobulated through Howard’s two-run single and Dominic Brown’s three-run homer.

Greinke retired the next three batters, then vented some aggression by leading off the second inning with the first of his three hits and six total bases (tying July 8, 2013 for his career best). Greinke would come around to score on an Adrian Gonzalez’s three-run homer that put the Dodgers ahead to stay.

It would be Greinke’s own blast to left field, the fifth homer of his career, that would give the Dodgers’ their seventh run and help ensure he left the game with the lead.

Greinke now has a .231 on-base percentage and .300 slugging percentage this season. San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner, who has three homers this year, is at .265/.426.

After Brown’s homer, Greinke retired 18 of his remaining 22 batters, with one run scoring. Greinke has allowed 30 runs all season, and 20 percent of them were scored today.

Every Dodger starter had a hit in this game, with Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, Yasmani Grandal, Andre Ethier and Alberto Callaspo reaching base twice.

J.P. Howell and Juan Nicasio combined for two shutout innings. However, the Phillies scored two runs in the ninth, charged to Joel Peralta, meaning that the Dodger bullpen has allowed runs in seven straight games and 10 of its past 11.

Brown came to the plate as the winning run with one out. He ripped a liner down the line that Gonzalez dived to catch with his body on first base, to double off Howard and end the game.

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In case you missed it: Cancer scare for Tiffany Billingsley

Tiffany Billingsley (left) has been quietly going through chemotherapy to beat a rare but aggressive form of cancer called gestational choriocarcinoma. (MLB.com)

Tiffany Billingsley (left) has been quietly going through chemotherapy to beat a rare but aggressive form of cancer called gestational choriocarcinoma. (MLB.com)

Dodgers at Phillies, 10:05 a.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Andre Ethier, RF
Carl Crawford, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Joc Pederson, CF
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

Before the first of three midweek day games this month, followed by August 19 at Oakland and August 27 at Cincinnati, here is some quick news, led by a life-and-death story …

  • Tiffany Billingsley, the wife of former Dodger pitcher Chad Billingsley, revealed this week that she had a major cancer scare this year but is now cancer-free, as Todd Zolecki reports in a harrowing piece for MLB.com.
  • Jimmy Rollins has a .400 on-base percentage and .650 slugging percentage in his past 11 games, while Howie Kendrick is at .406/.600 in his past seven games.
  • Zack Greinke has pitched at least seven innings in six consecutive games. Other than Clayton Kershaw, the last Dodger to do that was Hiroki Kuroda in 2010. (Kershaw pitched at least seven innings in 17 straight games last year.)
  • If Greinke goes at least seven innings today without allowing more than two runs, that would be the longest streak of its kind by a Dodger since Tom Candiotti in 1995. The franchise record is 10 games by Don Sutton in 1976.

Dodger minor league report No. 16: Mike Bolsinger, Carlos Frias, Jose Peraza and more

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By Jon Weisman

Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias, the two Dodger starting pitchers displaced by Mat Latos and Alex Wood, each had early exits from their first starts back with Triple-A Oklahoma City this week.

Bolsinger was hit in the forearm Tuesday by a batted ball and departed after three-plus innings, after allowing three runs on six hits. Don Mattingly relayed to reporters Wednesday that Bolsinger isn’t expected to miss his next scheduled start.

Frias, who was officially optioned to Triple-A on Sunday, started Wednesday for Oklahoma City, pitched one shutout inning and then took his leave. Mattingly told reporters after the Dodgers’ victory in Philadelphia last night that Frias “felt something” and was removed as a precaution, then added today that Frias was undergoing further tests.

Joe Wieland ended up pitching five innings in relief, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out five.

Two other recent Dodger starting pitchers have resumed work for Oklahoma City. Zach Lee allowed one earned run in seven innings (striking out three) August 2, and Brandon Beachy — who was accepted an assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers — allowed five earned runs in six innings August 3.

Now, on with our tour of the Dodger minor leagues …

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A welcome ‘Welcome back’ for Kenley Jansen in Dodger victory

Kenley 1

Kenley 2

Kenley 3In a game that featured a three-run homer by Yasiel Puig in the first inning but 12 other runners subsequently left on base, the Dodgers held on for a 4-3 victory over Philadelphia tonight — with Kenley Jansen striking out the side in the ninth to end a streak of three consecutive games allowing runs.

With two months to go in the season, Brett Anderson has tied his career high of 13 quality starts. He pitched six innings of one-run ball, and has held the opposition to two runs or less in 10 of those 13 quality starts.

— Jon Weisman

Is Alex Guerrero up there swinging? Check out his homer-walk ratio

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Dodgers at Phillies, 4:05 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Andre Ethier, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Brett Anderson, P

By Jon Weisman

Just out of curiosity, I took a look at Baseball Reference to see if the Dodgers had ever had a player hit double-digit homers in a season without having double-digit walks. Sure enough, Alex Guerrero has a chance to be the first.

Guerrero has 11 homers and five walks this year. The fewest walks by any Dodger with at least 10 homers belong to Glenn Wright, who had 11 homers and 12 walks in 1932.

Marquis Grissom is the lone Dodger this century to hit at least 10 homers in a season and have more homers than walks: 21 homers, 16 walks in 2001.

The only other Dodger to fit this description is Don Demeter, who had 18 homers and 16 walks in 1959. Raul Mondesi had 16 homers and 16 walks in 1994, as well as 30 homers and 30 walks in 1998.

If you think Guerrero’s numbers are unusual, just keep this in mind: He’s no Todd Greene. With the Texas Rangers, Greene had 10 homers and two walks — twice. First in 2002, then again in 2003.

Pitch imperfect a sour note for Dodgers

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By Jon Weisman

Alex Wood had a solid Dodger debut for six innings, with eight strikeouts (tying a season high), no walks and one run allowed, when things went in the wrong direction — figuratively with a single by Carlos Ruiz (followed by an intentional walk to Cesar Hernandez), then literally with a still-not-sure-how-that-happened, slipped-pitch balk.

As it turned out, the balk actually had no direct effect on the game’s outcome, but the Dodgers never rediscovered their magnetic north.

Wood left the game after another walk, and reliever Joel Peralta served up a grand slam to Maikel Franco that lifted the Phillies to a 6-2 victory over the Dodgers.

Los Angeles relievers have allowed runs in five straight games and eight of their past nine, though this was only the second of those nine games that led directly to a loss.

Offensively, the Dodgers had 16 baserunners in the game, but it was one of those nights when they couldn’t cash them in. Los Angeles is third in the National League this season in OPS with men on and with runners in scoring position.

Besides Wood’s first six innings, silver linings for the Dodgers included Joc Pederson’s three walks (his first of any kind since July 18) and Jimmy Rollins’ two hits, maintaining his on-base percentage in his past 10 games at .400.

Rollins also received a lovely bit of brotherly love while stepping in for his first at-bat as a visiting player in Philadelphia after 14 seasons there.

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In case you missed it: Walker Buehler to have surgery

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By Jon Weisman

Some pregame news and notes for you …

  • Walker Buehler, the Dodgers’ No. 1 choice in the 2015 draft, will have Tommy John surgery performed Wednesday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
  • Justin Turner will spend some time at Camelback Ranch while recovering from his leg infection, Don Mattingly told reporters today. Turner is still not expected to miss more than 15 days.
  • In their past 10 games in Philadelphia, the Dodgers have allowed 13 runs, according to the Dodgers’ public relations department.
  • Same source (with help from Stats, LLC): The Dodgers have an extra-base hit in 95 straight road games, tied for the second-longest streak all-time behind the 2005-07 St. Louis Cardinals (127 games).
  • Tonight’s starting pitcher, newly acquired Alex Wood, has a bit of a decline in strikeouts this year. Daniel Brim of Dodgers Digest did a deep dive and may have connected the dots with some shifts in Wood’s unorthodox delivery.
  • Pedro Moura of the Register has more on Wood, including this:

    Over the weekend, Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt watched Wood’s first bullpen session in awe.

    “Some of his changeups were almost like splits that went almost straight down,” Honeycutt said. “I said to him, ‘Geez, that’s filthy.’”

    “He goes, ‘Yeah.’”

  • New Dodger reliever Jim Johnson, now on his fifth team in the past two seasons, spoke to Arash Markazi of ESPN.com about the travails of changing teams.
  • Despite the presence of Adrian Beltre and, of late, Justin Turner, no MLB team has gone longer without an All-Star third baseman than the Dodgers, writes Miles Wray of the Hardball Times. Pedro Guerrero was the last, in 1983.
  • Newly acquired injured pitcher Bronson Arroyo could play an indirect role in the Dodger postseason, even if he never throws a pitch, as Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. explains.
  • Major League Baseball Advanced Media has make a major deal to run the NHL’s TV and online video operations, as Todd Spangler of Variety notes. How BAM, as it’s known, became such a behemoth is explored by Ben Popper at the Verge.
  • Adrian Gonzalez’s three-homer, 13-base game against the Padres in April is the top offensive performance by a player this year, according to Cliff Corcoran of SI.com.
  • Kiké Hernandez and Yasiel Puig took up this year’s Ice Bucket Challenge on behalf of the Dodgers this year. Don’t worry — they did it over the Dodger Stadium grass, so the water was put to use.
  • Funny stuff from Jason Bateman on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” the other night (via Blue Heaven) — watch below.

Dodger catching goes from worst to first

Yasmani Grandal has a .997 OPS since May 1. (Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Yasmani Grandal has a .997 OPS since May 1. (Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Phillies, 4:05 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Andre Ethier, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Yasiel Puig, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Alex Guerrero, 3B
Alex Wood, P

By Jon Weisman

How’s this for a transformation?

Last year, Dodger catchers were 29th in the Major Leagues with a .544 OPS. This year, they’re first, with an .853 OPS.

For the most part, you can thank Yasmani Grandal, who leads all MLB starting catchers with a .928 OPS behind the plate. (His .401 on-base percentage also is No. 1, while his .527 slugging is best in the National League.)

In smaller doses, A.J. Ellis and Austin Barnes have chipped in.

Ellis, activated from the disabled list today, has a .429 on-base percentage and .511 slugging percentage in 57 plate appearances since May 26. Overall, his OPS behind the plate is .667 in 105 plate appearances.

Barnes, who is returning to Triple-A Oklahoma City, went 3 for 10 with a double, walk and a hit-by-pitch in his second Dodger stint, for a .817 OPS. His overall OPS for the Dodgers is .722 in 18 plate appearances.

Add in Grandal’s MLB-leading pitch-framing numbers, according to Baseball Prospectus, and the team’s above-average rate of throwing out would-be basestealers, and it’s clear how dramatically improved the Dodgers are behind the plate.

(In wins above replacement, Fangraphs lists the Dodgers as No. 2 in the big leagues behind the Giants, though this includes Buster Posey’s 91 plate appearances as a first baseman, in which he has a .429 OBP and .600 slugging. In any case, this is heady company to be in.)

Clayton Kershaw named NL Pitcher of the Month

Kershaw-Pitcher-OTM-840x440

By Jon Weisman

For the fourth time in the past five seasons, Clayton Kershaw has been named National League Pitcher of the Month for July.

Kershaw won the award even though his eight shutout innings on Saturday, July 32 weren’t counted. In the 31 previous days, the 27-year-old lefty pitched 33 innings and allowed one run for a 0.27 ERA (1.31 xFIP), walking two and striking out 45.

It was not an easy month to win the award. Among the competition was teammate Zack Greinke (38 innings, 0.95 ERA, 2.89 xFIP) and Chicago Cubs pitchers Jon Lester (43 1/3 innings, 1.66 ERA, 2.31 xFIP) and Jake Arrieta (42 2/3 innings, 1.90 ERA, 2.56 xFIP).

Kershaw previously won the July honor in 2011, 2013 and 2014. He also won the award for June 2014, becoming the first Dodger to be so honored in two consecutive months since Burt Hooton in 1975.

Yin 5, Yang 3 (10 innings)

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By Jon Weisman

Andre Ethier was 0 for 3, then Andre Ethier was the hero.

The Dodgers were pathetic chokers, then the Dodgers were gritty survivors.

Change one swing of the bat, and you change the entire perception of a player and a team.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

No sport lends itself to microanalysis the way baseball does. Every play — practically every pitch — has such ripe implications.

The problem is that there’s such a widespread expectation for ballplayers to be consistent that any deviation, any break in the pattern, is often perceived as a cataclysmic shift.

Baseball players aren’t arrows, rising and setting through the sky in a predictable arc. They’re fireworks, bursting in every direction and every different color, never the same from moment to moment.

Andre Ethier. Joc Pederson. Kenley Jansen. We’ve even seen it with Clayton Kershaw. For nearly two months to start the season, he wasn’t at the precision-perfect top of his game — and the now infamous “What’s wrong with Kershaw?” stories sprouted like weeds. There was not enough middle, not enough understanding that baseball isn’t static, but rather a continual process, filled with growth and regression and adjustment and counter-adjustment.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

For his last 37 innings, Kershaw has been what so many expect him to be. His maximum is the minimum. Yet if he gives up four runs in his next start, even if he gives up five in the one after that, it doesn’t mean that he has suddenly lost it. Everyone (including Kershaw) will analyze what might have gone wrong, but more likely than not, it will just be the latest ebb, with the next flow not far behind.

It bears reminding that an ERA does not represent what a pitcher will do every game. It is the average of experiences, good and bad, great and awful. Kershaw’s 2015 ERA in 21 starts is 2.37, but do you know how many individual games he’s had an ERA has been between 2.00 and 3.00? Two.

We expect Kershaw’s next inning to be a shutout inning, but we never really know, do we? We never really know anything until it’s happened, which might be why we’re so prone to passionate judgments after the fact.

Baseball’s wonder is that it is so predictable and unpredictable all at once. Baseball makes you a cynic and an optimist. Baseball is conflict.

Is it any wonder that as baseball fans, we can feel so tortured? Or that we keep coming back for more?

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Mat Latos ready for Dodger debut, as Yimi Garcia is optioned

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Angels at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Andre Ethier, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Joc Pederson, CF
Mat Latos, P

By Jon Weisman

For the first two days of August, none of the players acquired by the Dodgers at the non-waiver trade deadline have been used. That changes today, when Mat Latos makes his first start for Los Angeles.

Latos is pitching on six days’ rest. In his final start for Miami, on July 26, he allowed three runs in six innings of a 3-2 loss at San Diego.

One thing I spotted with Latos — and honestly, I hadn’t noticed anything like this before — is that he has thrown four consecutive quality starts without exceeding 90 pitches. If he does it again, he will tie an MLB record, held by Bob Tewksbury, Marvin Freeman and Greg Maddux.

In his past five starts, Latos has averaged 6.5 innings per start and 13.2 pitches per inning. He has struck out 26 and walked five in that time.

To make room for Latos on the active roster, the Dodgers optioned Yimi Garcia to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Garcia, who has a 3.99 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 38 1/3 innings for the Dodgers this year, returned July 26 from a mid-July trip to Oklahoma City and pitched a shutout inning against Oakland on Tuesday. With 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings this season, Garcia still has great promise.

The revamped Dodger bullpen now features Kenley Jansen, Jim Johnson, Pedro Baez, Juan Nicasio and Joel Peralta from the right side, and J.P. Howell and Luis Avilan from the left. Jansen, who has allowed runs in his past three outings, has been battling a virus for the past week, as Steve Bourbon of MLB.com notes.

If a save situation were to arise today, Jansen would likely get the day off after throwing 50 pitches over the past two games. Conceivably, the Dodgers could use all newcomers on the mound, with Latos, Avilan and Johnson. (Neither Johnson nor Avilan have pitched since Monday.)

By the time Alex Wood starts for the Dodgers on Tuesday, he could be the Dodgers’ 50th player of the season. The team record is 53, set in 1944 and 1998.

Page 102 of 381

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