Dodgers looking for a little more All Star power

The Los Angeles Dodgers have four All Stars on the National League team. That is the third most of any team, with the Atlanta Braves with five and the New York Yankees with six, if you’re  keeping score at home.

It’s a little insulting.

The Dodgers can’t have all the All Stars, but some of the choices look a little vindictive, given Braves manager Brian Snitker made some of the choices.

First, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin are All Stars. Betts and Turner are starters. Kershaw and Gonsolin are in the conversation to be the starting pitcher for the National League team. Given the game is in Dodger Stadium, either Kershaw or Gonsolin would be the right choice to start the game.

Gonsolin is having a breakout season. He is 11-0 and leads the National League with a 1.64 ERA. His WHIP is 0.80 and he has emerged as a favorite to win the Cy Young Award.

Kershaw’s numbers are not as impressive, but All Star worthy. He is 6-2 with a respectable 2.40 ERA. But his selection to the team is more sentimental than meritorious. It is his ninth All Star selection, which is the second most in Dodgers history. Pee Wee Reese has the most All Star Game appearances with 10. Steve Garvey, Don Drysdale, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges each had eight appearances.

But with Snitker making the call to who starts the All Star Game, there’s a chance it could be either Sandy Alcantara from the Florida Marlins or Braves ace Max Fried.

That would be a mistake.

While Kershaw would be the feel-good pick to start for the National League All Stars, Gonsolin is the one who deserves it.

But if Snitker chooses Fried, don’t be surprised.

It looks like Snitker is already holding grudges against Freddie Freeman. Snitker did not pick Freeman as one of the All Star reserves, opting for Pete Alonso from the New York Mets and CJ Cron from the Colorado Rockies instead.

Another obvious snub was Will Smith. He leads all National League catchers in home runs with 13 and RBIs with 42, but Snitker chose his own catcher, Travis d’Arnaud, to the All Star team. Not that d’Arnaud isn’t having an All Star season, second among National League catchers in home runs  with 11 and second in RBIs with 37. But it’s not hard to see Snitker is playing favorites.

For the record, the Dodgers lead the National League with a 151 run differential. The Braves are second in the NL with a 72 run differential.

Suck on that, Snitker.

Another glaring omission from the National League All Star team is Tyler Anderson. 

He is having the best season of his career, going 9-1 with a 3.15 ERA in the first half. He is also the surprising workhorse of the Dodgers rotation, leading the team with 91.1 innings pitched.

But probably the most impressive stat of Anderson’s season so far is that he has only walked 15 batters in 14 starts. Pair that with 77 strikeouts, and he is more than All Start worthy.

And finally, Gavin Lux deserved some All Star consideration. He is leading the Dodgers with a .304 batting average and is second on the team with a .370 on-base percentage. Mix that in with Lux still playing out of position in left field for most of the first half of the season, and his All Star credentials only grow.

There is still a chance the Dodger snubs will make the All Star team. Players always drop out because of injuries, or just to take extra time off at the All Star break. But the first All Star Game at Dodger Stadium since 1980 should have more Dodgers on the team.

Speaking of the 1980 All Star Game, Turner is the first Dodger shortstop to start for the NL All Stars since Bill Russell in 1980.

The Dodgers ended the week by sweeping the visiting Chicago Cubs in a four-game weekend series.

Dodger startiers power rankings:

1. Tony Gonsolin
2. Tyler Anderson
3. Clayton Kershaw
4. Julio Urias
5. Ryan Pepiot

The Dodgers have won seven games in a row and are 11-1 in their past 12 games. It has given the Dodgers an eight-game lead over those pesky San Diego Padres in the NL West standings.

The Dodgers (56-29) start a three-game series on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday and have a two-game weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim starting on Friday.

The All Star Game is July 19.

Dodgers put pesky Padres in their place, second place

The Dodgers are 14-2 against those pesky San Diego Padres in their last 16 games.

This is why the Padres will never be a legitimate rivalry to the Dodgers.

The Dodgers won three of four games against the Padres this weekend. They won the first three games of the series before losing the fourth game on Sunday, ruining seven innings of shutout baseball by Clayton Kershaw.

It might have been the curtain call performance of Craig Kimbrel as closer, too.

The Dodgers had a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning. They didn’t exactly give Kershaw a ton of run support.

But it’s nothing new to Kershaw. He just put together another scoreless gem and gave his team a chance to win, sweep the Padres and extend the Dodgers lead in the National League West standings.

Then Kimbrel happened. 

He not only gave up the lead, he gave up four runs in the ninth inning. The Dodgers were down, 4-1 and in position to disappoint Dodger Nation again.

The Dodgers managed to scratch across a run in the bottom of the ninth and had the tying run at the plate, but the game ended with the Padres winning, 4-2.

Still, it was a good week for the Dodgers, a winning week at any rate. They went 4-3, after losing two of three games to start the week against the Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers won the first game of the series against the Padres, 3-1, on Thursday night in a total team effort. Mitch White started and left in the fifth inning. Justin Turner hit two home runs and looked like his old self for at least one game. Kimbrel came in and pitched an uneventful ninth inning for his 14th save. 

The Dodgers continued rolling against the Padres on Friday. Tony Gonsolin pitched into the eighth inning, became the first pitcher to win 10 games in the National League, and lowered his ERA to 1.54 in a 5-1 win over the Padres.

Gonsolin improved to 10-0 and looks like the leader in the clubhouse to start the All Star Game.

Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger showed signs of life and hit home runs. It looked like a series with the Padres is just what some of the Dodgers needed to get back on track.

Tyler Anderson started for the Dodgers in the third game of the series against the Padres.

He made his best pitch for the All Star team, improving to 9-1, pitching into the seventh inning of a 7-2 win over the Padres on Saturday.

The Dodgers hit three home runs in the first inning and doused any hopes of a Padres uprising early. 

After Saturday’s game, the Dodgers were 14-1 against the Padres in their past 15 games, had an eight-game winning streak against the Padres in Dodger Stadium, and sent a message to all of San Diego that they are the second best city in the National League West.

But after Kimbrel blew the save for the Dodgers on Sunday, manager Dave Roberts said he was going to give him some rest. Kimbrel said his back was tight and he might be injured. It looks like the Dodgers will give him some time to heal and think about what he did to the team on Sunday.

As for the Padres, they are still looking for a spot on the Dodgers rivalry list, and they can’t even crack the top 10.

Dodgers rival power rankings:

1. San Francisco Giants
2. New York Yankees
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. New York Mets
5. Atlanta Braves
6. Montreal Expos
7. Los Angeles Angels
8. Oakland A’s
9. Philadelphia Phillies
10. Houston Astros

The Dodgers (49-29) have a 3.5 game lead over the Padres in the National League West standings. They start a three-game series against the Rockie Monday at Dodger Stadium and finish the week with a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs.  

Some Dodgers have Georgia on their minds

It was reunion time for some of the players on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves over the weekend, emotional and predictable on several levels.

Freddie Freeman returned to Atlanta for the first time since joining the Dodgers as a free agent after the 2021 season. He won a World Series and an MVP with the Braves, and he was welcomed back ceremoniously by Atlanta.

After Sunday’s game, which the Dodgers won, 5-3 in 11 innings, Freeman told the Associated Press, ``I’m emotionally drained.”

He had quite the weekend. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI double that gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the 10th inning in Sunday night’s game. He was 4-for-12 in the series, scored two runs and struck out four times. 

Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel had a bit of a homecoming too. He spent the first five years of his MLB career with the Braves. 

But he didn’t exactly do his new team any favors. He blew the save on Sunday night, giving up a run in the bottom of the 10th inning. He did not endear himself to either Dodger fans or Braves fans, with Dodger fans lamenting having Kimbrel in their bullpen and Braves fans grateful he is no longer part of their pitching staff.

But the most dramatic reunion was centered around Kenley Jansen. The new Braves closer had a roller coaster of a career with the Dodgers, blowing saves at key points over the years, but also shutting down teams in the middle of heated pennant races. Over the weekend, Braves fans saw all Jansen has to offer, and why he lost favor in LA.

Jansen earned the save in Saturday’s game, which the Braves won 5-3. He struck out the side in the ninth inning and gave the Dodgers no shot at mounting a comeback.

It looked like Jansen was going to make it two saves in a row, striking out the first two batters he faced in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s game.

But the Dodgers put together three hits in a row, erased a 2-0 Braves lead, and tied the score. The Braves were Jansened.

Trayce Thompson, who is in the midst of his second go-round with the Dodgers, delivered the big blow against Jansen in the ninth. His two-run single tied the score, 2-2.

Chris Taylor delivered the knockout blow in the 11th inning with a run-scoring double to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. Trea Turner added an RBI single to give the Dodgers a little breathing room.

After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, ``That was a heavyweight battle.’’

Indeed it was. 

When the week was all over, the Dodgers put together a 5-1 record during their six-game road trip, sweeping the Cincinnati Reds to start the week. They took two of three games against the Braves and ended their season series with a 4-2 record against the reigning World Series champions.

The only real drawback was that Tony Gonsolin didn’t win his 10th game of the season. He pitched into the sixth inning in Sunday’s game against the Braves, but left down 1-0. It wasn’t a total loss, though. Gonsolin lowered his major league leading ERA to 1.58. 

Dodgers starter power rankings:

1. Tony Gonsolin
2. Clayton Kershaw
3. Julio Urias
4. Tyler Anderson
5. Mitch White

The Dodgers (45-26) have a two-game lead over those pesky San Diego Padres in the National League West standings. They start a three-game series in Colorado against the Rockies on Monday and come home to start a four-game weekend series against the Padres on Thursday.

Anderson provides bright spot for Dodgers

It was another disappointing week for the Dodgers. They dropped two of three games to the visiting Cleveland Guardians and fell out of first place in the National League West standings, if however briefly, for a day.

The Dodgers went 3-2, in part by sweeping the lowly Los Angeles Angels in a little two-game series to start the week.

One of the bright spots of the week was Tyler Anderson, who took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Angels on Wednesday.

Shohei Ohtani broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out triple in the top of the ninth inning. Anderson, who has been a pleasant surprise in the Dodgers rotation this season, allowed five base runners before Ohtani’s triple. Two Angels batters walked, two reached on errors and one was hit by a pitch.

Anderson nearly missed a no-hitter and Clayton Kershaw flirted with a perfect game earlier this season. They were just two more stellar pitching performances to add to Dodgers history. Here is a look at some of the best pitching performances throughout franchise history.

Dodger pitchers have thrown 25 no-hitters since becoming a pro baseball team in the American Association in 1884. The first no-hitter in franchise history came on Oct. 4, 1884, but it wasn’t an “official’’ no-hitter. 

Sam Kimber pitched 10 no-hit innings for the Brooklyn Grays against the Toledo Blue Sox but the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

Tom Covett pitched a no-hitter in 1891 against the New York Giants, but there is no record if he was a right-handed or left-handed pitcher.

Sandy Koufax holds the Dodgers record with four no-hitters and two other Dodger pitchers have more than one no-hitter. Adonis Terry pitched two no-hitters, the first in 1886, a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Browns, and the second in 1888, a 1-0 win over the Louisville Colonels.

Carl Erskine pitched two no-hitters for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His first was in 1952, a 5-0 win over the Chicago Cubs, and his second was in 1956, a 3-0 win over the New York Giants.

Here is a look at the top-five no-hitters in Dodgers history:

Sept. 9, 1965: Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers won 1-0 and it is the only perfect game in Dodgers history. It was also the fourth and last no-hitter Koufax pitched for the Dodgers. Koufax struck out 14 Cubs, and recorded the most strikeouts in a perfect game.

Sept. 17, 1996: Hideo Nomo no-hit the Colorado Rockies. It was the first no-hitter in Coors Field and still the only no-hitter ever pitched in Coors Field. The Dodgers won 9-0, the largest margin of victory in a Dodgers no-hitter.

June 29, 1990: Fernando Valenzuela pitched the only no-hitter of this career against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was one of two no-hitters pitched on June 29, 1990. Dave Stewart pitched a no-hitter for the Oakland A’s against the Toronto Blue Jays on the same day.

June 18, 2014: Clayton Kershaw pitched the only no-hitter of his career. The Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies, 8-0. He struck out 15 Rockies, and didn't walk a batter. Only Nolan Ryan had more strkeouts in a no-hitter, 16, against the A's in 1991.

July 14, 1995: Ramon Martinez pitched the only no-hitter of his career against the Florida Marlins. The Dodgers won the game 7-0. Pedro Martinez, pitching for the Montreal Expos, lost a perfect game against the San Diego Padres in the 10th inning on June 3 of the same season. It would have been only the second time brothers pitched no-hitters. Bob and Ken Forsch are the only brothers to pitch no-hitters in the major leagues.

Dodger starter power rankings:

1. Tyler Anderson
2. Tony Gonsolin
3. Julio Urias
4. Andrew Heaney
5. Clayton Kershaw

The Dodgers (40-25) have a half-game lead over those pesky San Diego Padres. They start a three-game series on the road against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday and play the Braves in Atlanta for a three-game series starting on Friday.  

Dodger All Stars dim during recent woes

All Star voting started last week, but the way the Dodgers have been playing lately, it’s hard to make a case for any of them to make the National League All Star team.

The Dodgers were swept by the surprising San Francisco Giants over the weekend. The Dodgers scored only four runs in three games against the Giants. The Giants closed the gap on the Dodgers in the National League West standings. They are in third place and 3½ games out of first.

The Dodgers are still in first place in the NL West, but the race got a lot tighter after the series against the Giants.

Julio Urias was the hard-luck loser on Sunday. He dropped to 3-6 despite striking out 10 Giant batters in six innings in a 2-0 loss.

The Dodgers offense has mostly disappeared over the past two weeks. They went 2-4 last week and are 2-6 in their last eight games.

Ouch!

Still, there are some Dodgers who are All Star worthy despite the recent struggles. Here are the players on the Dodgers who should be All Stars and the players who are longshots to make the All Star team.

The locks:

Mookie Betts leads the National League in runs scored with 52 and is second in the league with 16 home runs. He is also fourth on the Dodgers with a .278 batting average.

Trea Turner leads the Dodgers with a .298 batting average, 46 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He is third in the league in stolen bases, fifth in the league in RBIs and 18th in the league in batting average.

Tony Gonsolin is tied with five other pitchers for the league lead in wins with seven. His 1.58 ERA is second in the league and he has become the ace of the Dodgers staff in the first half of the season.

Tyler Anderson also has a league-leading seven wins and a respectable 3.07 ERA in nine starts for the Dodgers. More importantly, he has emerged as one of the more reliable starters in the Dodgers rotation and in the National League.

On the bubble:

Gavin Lux leads the Dodgers in on-base percentage (.375) and is second on the team in batting average (.296).

Freddie Freeman is second on the team in hits with 68 and second in OPS at .817.

Clayton Kershaw is 4-1 with a 2.12 ERA and leads the team with a 0.86 WHIP. 

The longshots:

Chris Taylor is batting .255 with six home runs, but he might be the most versatile player in the National League. He plays left field, second base, shortstop and has become the de facto designated hitter for the Dodgers. He plays wherever the Dodgers need him.

Will Smith is batting .248 with a .418 slugging percentage and a .771 OPS, and has seven home runs, which might not put him among the league leaders, but they are pretty good power numbers for a catcher. 

Dodger starters power rankings:

1. Tony Gonsolin
2. Tyler Anderson
3. Julio Urias
4. Clayton Kershaw
5. Walker Buehler

The Dodgers (37-23) have a half-game lead over those pesky San Diego Padres in the NL West standings. The Dodgers start a two-game Freeway Series against the Angels on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium and end the week with a three-game series at home against the Cleveland Guardians starting on Friday.