Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off a series sweep of the Seattle Mariners, get a much-needed off day after playing thirteen games in thirteen straight days.
In those thirteen games, the Dodgers won ten and are now a season-best twenty-four games over .500. They have also added another game to their National League West lead, which stands at four entering today.
As the Dodgers gear up for their next three games of this nine-game homestand, facing off the Tampa Bay Rays in a 2020 World Series rematch, catch up on all the latest Dodgers Notes.
Glasnow update
Before the Dodgers returned home to kick off their nine-game homestand, they wrapped up a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning two of three against the Red Birds.
Missing from that series was right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who was placed on the 15-day injured list minutes before Friday’s start, which allowed left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski to be added to the 26-man roster.
It was the second time this season that Glasnow had been placed on the injured list, the first being an issue with his elbow. In mid-July, the righty missed time due to back tightness.
However, this injury is more alarming despite Glasnow’s optimism about the situation. He claimed he pushed not only to make the start but also to avoid the injured list entirely.
However, yesterday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave us a gloomy update on Glasgow’s elbow tendonitis, stating that he had not begun throwing, which would likely push back his return after the 15-day injured list stint.
This contradicts Roberts’ statements from last week, when he was very optimistic that Glasnow would only miss the fifteen days and then return to the rotation, perhaps missing only two turns through the rotation; however, even that now feels like a pipe dream.
In Glasnow’s absence, right-handed Bobby Miller will be allowed to fill the void in a season that has been disastrous for the sophomore starter.
With August winding down, the Dodgers could push Glasgow’s return to September when rosters expand from twenty-six to twenty-eight. But with the team in a tight division race and with a huge four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks coming up, it would be great if Glasnow was back by then.
Muncy impact
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been plagued with numerous injuries throughout the 2024 regular season, and one key player missing for most of the season was third baseman Max Muncy.
Muncy, 33, was placed on the 15-day injured list in mid-May due to an oblique injury that the team initially thought would only last 10-15 days. However, it ended up being a massive problem for Muncy, who was unable to swing a bat consistently during his rehab.
It would take until July until Muncy would see an external source visiting a chiropractor that would reveal that it was no longer a strained oblique that was ailing him but a lower rib out of place that was continuing to cause him pain.
Muncy was a crucial piece in the Dodgers lineup, hitting .223/.323/.475 with a .798 OPS and 117 wRC+ from April to mid-May. Once the left-handed slugger was shelved, the Dodgers offense struggled, as did their third base carousel, trying to replicate any production between Chris Taylor, Cavan Biggio, and Kiké Hernández.
After multiple trips to realign the rib, Muncy was finally able to ramp up his rehab exponentially and return to the Dodgers lineup earlier this week to kick off the Dodgers three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.
In just those three short games, Muncy reminded the league just what the Dodgers were missing as the lefty would go four-for-ten with two doubles, two home runs, and six RBI, along with two walks, and had an absurd .400/.500/1.200 slash line and 1.700 OPS as the Dodgers rolled through the Mariners elite pitching staff sweeping them to begin their nine-game homestand.
The return of Muncy and utilityman Tommy Edman has helped provide the Dodgers lineup with much-needed depth. Both players have shifted to the bottom third of the order, an area that has plagued the team all season.
However, now at full strength offensively, the Dodgers lineup one through nine is arguably the best in baseball, and they have proved that this week so far.
Buehler’s future
It is no secret that former ace of the rotation right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler has struggled this season, his first season since having his second career Tommy John surgery in 2022.
Through two stints in the Dodgers rotation, Buehler has a 1-4 record with a 6.09 ERA, 6.16 FIP, 1.67 WHIP, and a .326 BAA, all career highs.
Buehler returned to the Dodgers rotation after being placed on the 15-day injured list in mid-June due to hip discomfort and spent the next several weeks working in a private pitching facility in Florida before rejoining the Dodgers and going on a minor league rehab assignment.
Despite adjusting his pitching delivery and grips on his pitches, Buehler still struggled with his command, walking the bases loaded in the first inning.
Buehler pitched three and a third innings, allowing four runs (one earned) and three hits while also issuing four walks on eighty-seven pitches. While the Dodgers defense did him no favors, having three errors on the day, the glaring issue with Buehler has been his command, which is shown in his high walk rate and 1.562 WHIP in forty innings.
In Buehler’s next turn through the rotation, he would face the Seattle Mariners, a team whose offense ranks in the bottom third of batting average and OPS but was still unable to have success, allowing three runs on seven hits, three walks, and only collecting one strikeout on the day.
Buehler shared his frustrations after the game when Los Angeles Times writer Dylan Hernandez asked about his impending free agency.
There’s just not a whole lot to talk about;I have a six ERA. I’m trying to figure out how to get people out in the major leagues. Free agency is for talking about when you have a two-five [ERA] and you’re rolling through the league.
It will not get any easier for Buehler, as his next scheduled start is against the young American League juggernaut Baltimore Orioles. With the Dodgers in a tight division race, they do not have the luxury of taking the “wait and see” approach.
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