New faces aren’t paying dividends just yet

The Dodgers are making moves and bringing back some familiar faces as the trade deadline approaches this week.

It hasn’t translated to wins yet, but some of the new acquisitions are making an impact already.

The Dodgers traded for Kike Hernandez and Joe Kelly, two key players from the 2020 World Series team, and look like they are trying to put that band back together.

One player the Dodgers didn’t land was Max Scherzer. The former Dodger from the record-setting 2021 team was traded from the New York Mets to the Texas Rangers.

There are still some big names reportedly available as the trade deadline approaches Tuesday. Justin Verlander and Jack Flaherty are two players who have been rumored to be on the block. Either one would give the Dodgers rotation a boost. 

The Dodgers did reinforce its starters by adding Lance Lynn. They also traded for Amed Rosario, a shortstop from the Cleveland Guardians. They sent Trayce Thompson to the White Sox and Noah Syndergaard to the Guardians in the deals. With the moves, the Dodgers addressed holes in the rotation, the bullpen and the infield. 

“I would argue we've raised the floor and the ceiling," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told ESPN. “With [Hernandez], there's a familiarity, there's something that we feel like we can tap into, essentially give him some opportunities versus [left-handed pitchers], use the versatility on defense. And I think that with Joe, familiarity, and I mentioned the culture part of it. I think there are some things with Lance -- the sequencing, the strikeout rates, there are certain things that can raise that ceiling. And then with Amed -- his buy-in, his athleticism. He's now the fastest player on our ballclub, so that speed element, the ability to move around the diamond, to lengthen our ballclub versus left-handed pitching has raised the ceiling."

Hernandez went 2-for-4 in his first game back with the Dodgers, an 8-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Rosario had an impressive debut going 2-for-4 with an RBI single in a 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

Kelly earned the win in relief in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Reds.

The Dodgers struggled all week for the most part with their new players. They went 2-4 in six games at home against the Blue Jays and Reds. They are 2-5 in their last seven games, which includes a loss to the Texas Rangers.

The Dodgers lost again on Sunday to the Reds, 9-0. They have lost 10 Sunday games in a row. It is one of the weirdest streaks in the league.

Despite the rough week, the Dodgers are still in first place in the National League West standings. They have a two-game lead over those surprising San Francisco Giants and a four-game lead over those annoying Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lynn makes his first start for the Dodgers on Tuesday at home against the Oakland A’s. He hasn’t had a great season with a 6.47 ERA and a major league leading 28 home runs allowed in 119 ⅔ innings pitched with the White Sox. But he is still an upgrade from Syndergaard.

Dodger starting pitcher power rankings:

1. Emmet Sheehan
2. Julio Urias
3. Tony Gonsolin
4. Bobby Miller
5. Michael Grove

The Dodgers (59-45) start a three-game series against the A’s on Tuesday and head to San Diego for a four-game weekend series against the Padres that starts on Friday.

The Dodgers are on fire

Nothing’s been hotter than the Dodgers since the All Star break. Not the San Fernando Valley, not the deserts in Palm Springs, not even the edges of the Antelope Valley. The Dodgers are the hottest team in the league and perhaps the hottest group in all of sports.

The Dodgers went 4-2 last week and are 6-3 in their last nine games. That is the same record since the All Star Game. The Dodgers took two of three games against the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers all on the road. For those keeping score at home, the Orioles lead the American League East standings and the Rangers are in first place in the American League West. 

On the strength of their hot streak, the Dodgers increased their lead in the National League West standings to four games over those annoying Arizona Diamondbacks and those surprising San Francisco Giants. 

The Dodgers lost to the Rangers 8-4 on Sunday and are 0-9 in Sunday games. It’s the only blemish on an otherwise impressive season so far.

The Dodgers outscored the Rangers 31-16 in the three-game series in Texas, including a 16-3 thrashing on Saturday. 

Max Muncy hit a milestone grand slam in Sunday’s loss to the Rangers. It was his third grand slam of the season, tying an LA team record. It was also the 10th grand slam of the season for the Dodgers, which leads the National League.

Despite the loss, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was happy with the way his team played on the nine-game road trip.

“This road trip was a fantastic road trip. Really proud of the way we played,” Roberts told the Associated Press after Sunday’s game.

Mixed in the road trip was a concerning loss for Julio Urias. He was the starter against the Orioles on Wednesday. It was a getaway day game at Camden Yards and turned into the worst outing of the year for Urias.

He gave up eight runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings and dropped to 7-6. The Dodgers lost the game 8-5. It was the most earned runs he's given up in a start in his career.

The start of the game was also delayed 41 minutes because the grounds crew didn’t put the tarp on the infield overnight. It rained the night before the game and it took longer than expected to prepare the field for the game.

No one is accusing the Orioles of any shenanigans, but it does seem a little suspicious the Orioles created a rain delay that might or might not have messed up Urias’ preparation routine.

Regardless, the Dodgers head home with a little cushion in the standings and a lineup that is breaking records at the plate.

Dodgers starting pitcher power rankings:

1. Bobby Miller
2. Michael Grove
3. Tony Gonsolin
4. Emmet Sheehan
5. Julio Urias

The Dodgers (57-41) start a nine-game homestand with a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays Monday. The Cincinnati Reds and Oakland A’s will also visit Dodger Stadium over the next two weeks. Grove is scheduled to start Monday’s game.

Dodgers and Betts in the middle of their own heat wave

The Dodgers came out of the All Star break and nearly swept the Mets in New York over the weekend, taking two of three games and losing Sunday’s game in extra innings.

The Dodgers won the first two games of the series and extended their winning streak to six games. They are 6-1 in their past seven games and 14-6 in their past 20 games.

At the All Star break, the Dodgers were tied with those annoying Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West standings.

After Sunday’s games, the Dodgers have a 1.5 game lead over the Diamondbacks and the second best record in the National League. Only the Atlanta Braves have a better record.

One of the reasons for the Dodgers recent surge is Mookie Betts. He has been the hottest hitter in the league for about a month. He’s been hotter than the San Fernando Valley. He’s been hotter than a climate change denier. He’s been the equivalent of a solar flare on the baseball field in July.

Betts almost outhit the whole Mets team in the first two games of the series. He had six hits in the first two games. The Mets had seven, and only scored one run.

Betts went 4-for-4 with a walk against the Mets on Saturday, a game the Dodgers won 5-1. It was a tie game until the eighth inning when Dave Peralta drove in the go-ahead run for the Dodgers. The Dodgers scored three more runs in the ninth inning. Betts hit a home run in the third inning, his eighth home run in his past 13 games. 

He has hit 10 home runs since June 23. After Saturday’s game, he was hitting .410 with 21 RBIs in his previous 17 games. 

He added an RBI single in Sunday’s game, driving in the only run of the game for the Dodgers, and has at least one RBI in five straight games.

The Dodgers lost to the Mets, 2-1, on Sunday, wasting a strong start by rookie Bobby Miller. But Betts didn’t cool off.

“I think this lineup top to bottom, they all swing it really well. And I think it was just a matter of time before we started clicking and started rolling,” Los Angeles pitcher Tony Gonsolin told the Associated Press after Saturday’s game.

No hitter has been better than Betts. He raised his batting average to .286 and has 27 home runs and 65 RBIs after Sunday’s game. Not bad for a leadoff hitter.

Dodger starting pitcher power rankings:

1. Julio Urias
2. Tony Gonsolin
3. Bobby Miller
4. Michael Grove
5. Emmet Sheehan

The Dodgers (53-39) head to Baltimore to start a three-game series against the Orioles on Monday. The Dodgers end the week with a three-game series in Texas against the Rangers starting on Friday. Sheehan is scheduled to start Monday’s game against the Orioles. 

Dodgers fit to be tied in first half

The Dodgers head into the All Star break tied for first place in the National League West standings. Given the hurdles the Dodgers faced in the first half of the season, it’s quite an accomplishment to be at the top of the NL West.

The Dodgers are actually a fraction of a percentage point ahead of those annoying Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have played two more games (91) than the Dodgers (89) at the break, and have one more win and one more loss than the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday while the Dodgers had the day off after a two-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.

It all adds up to a tie for first place between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks in the NL West.

The Dodgers are a season-high 13 games over .500, have a four-game winning streak and went 5-1 against the Pirates and Angels last week.

Considering the Dodgers have three starters, Clayton Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard and Dustin May, on the injured list, and every starter from the opening day roster has spent time on the IL, it’s amazing they are playing this well.

One of the players who has been playing extremely well is Mookie Betts. He set some records in the game Saturday against the Angels. He hit his 10th leadoff home run, tying a record for the most leadoff home runs in the first half of a season. Bobby Bonds hit 10 leadoff home runs in the first half of the 1973 season for the San Francisco Giants. It was Betts’ 26th home run of the season. He set the Dodgers franchise record for most leadoff home runs in the first half. It was also his 46th career leadoff home run, tying him for seventh all time with Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Seems like every swing he's barreling up the ball,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman told the Associated Press after Saturday’s game. “Sometimes breaks can come at the wrong time, but I think Mookie found something in his swing and he's been able to lock it in. For 30, 35 games now, it's been that special.”

The Dodgers hit five home runs against the Angels on Saturday and won the game, 10-5. Freeman hit his 17th home run, Max Muncy hit his 21st, JD Martinez hit his 22nd and David Peralta added a pinch-hit solo home run in the seventh inning.

The Dodgers hit five home runs against the Angels in the game on Friday night too. Hitting has not been a problem for the Dodgers. They have a plus-76 run differential, second best in the National League behind the Atlanta Braves, and have scored 494 runs in 89 games. The Braves lead the National League with 499 runs in 89 games.

But pitching has been a problem.

Kershaw, the Dodgers best starter in the first half of the season, is on the injured list and it’s not clear when he will return to the rotation. May is probably out for the season and Syndergaard looks like he’s headed to the bullpen when he is healthy enough to return. 

On a positive note, it looks like Chris Taylor, the Dodgers super sub, is ready to rejoin the team when the Dodgers head to New York for a series against the Mets after the All Star Game in Seattle.

Dodger starting pitcher power rankings:

1. Tony Gonsolin
2. Julio Urias
3. Bobby Miller
4. Michael Grove
5. Emmet Sheehan

The Dodgers (51-38) have five players in the All Star Game. Betts, Freeman and Martinez are starters. Catcher Will Smith is a reserve. Kershaw was selected to the team but is injured. The All Star Game is Tuesday in Seattle. The Dodgers head to New York for a three-game weekend series against the Mets on Friday. 

Dodgers cool off when it’s time to heat up

Just when it looked like the Dodgers were going to turn the corner and start a winning streak, they lost two of three games to one of the worst teams in the American League.

The Dodger bats cooled off at the worst possible time. The Dodger pitchers didn’t offer much relief either. It was a missed opportunity against the Kansas City Royals over the weekend.

The Dodgers ended the series with a 9-1 loss to the Royals on Sunday. Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin struggled. The Dodger batters managed only six hits in the game, half of them from David Peralta. And the Royals won their first series since May 17.

“We just didn't play well and they played better, quite frankly,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the Associated Press after the game. “Those guys just outplayed us. It's a different brand of baseball as far as putting the ball in play, hitting behind runners, stealing bases. They were excellent in situational hitting. To be quite honest, we didn't keep up. That's how they won the series.”

Gonsolin had one of his worst outings of the season. He gave up four runs on six hits in 3⅔ innings. He has given up 15 runs in his last 14⅓ innings. He is definitely going through a cold stretch.

It wasn’t much better for Julio Urias in Saturday’s game against the Royals. He made his first start since coming off the injured list and was rudely greeted with a five-run first inning by the Royals. 

The Dodgers battled back, scoring three runs in the second inning, but eventually lost 6-4.

Urias was making his first start since hurting his hamstring on May 18, but it was nothing to celebrate.

He gave up five runs on six hits in only three innings. Urias, who had the lowest ERA in the National League last year, saw his ERA rise to 4.94 after Saturday’s game.

The Dodgers went 3-3 in six games last week, taking two of three games against the Colorado Rockies to start the week. It was actually a productive week in the standings for the Dodgers. They jumped over the surprising San Francisco Giants for second place in the National League West standings, and are within striking distance of those annoying Arizona Diamondbacks, three games out of first place.

But the Dodger definitely blew a chance to make up more ground against a Royals team that has won only 25 games all season.

Another bright note was Clayton Kershaw took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Rockies on Tuesday, leading to a 5-0 shutout for the Dodgers. Kershaw won his 10th game of the season and was selected to the National League All Star team. But he left the game with soreness in his shoulder. He is supposed to start against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight, but he might miss it because of the injury. 

Dodgers starting pitchers power rankings:

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Bobby Miller
3. Emmet Sheehan
4. Tony Gonsolin
5. Julio Urias

The Dodgers (46-37) start a four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium today. The Los Angeles Angels visit for a two-game weekend series on Friday. The All Star Game is July 11 in Seattle and the Dodgers are sending five players to the game. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and JD Martinez are starters. Will Smith and Kershaw were added as reserves.