Cody Snavely
LOS ANGELES, CA — It has been a few years since we have been able to cover the team this deep into October, but here we are. Anticipation is at an all-time high because not only are the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, but they’re playing the New York Yankees, one of the most historic franchises in North American sports.
With the five-day layoff between game six of the National League Championship Series and game one of the World Series, which kicks off on Friday, October 25th, multiple key Dodgers players get a much-needed break to recover from their injuries, and we have received plenty of updates over the last several days.
The team also hinted at its possible roster, announced the starters for game one and game two, and much more, which we will go over in the latest Dodgers Notes from DodgersBeat.
Injury Notes
Since the postseason began, all eyes have been on Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. The veteran has been playing with a sprained ankle since the end of September, which he suffered in the National League West clinching game against the San Diego Padres.
Freeman, 35, has missed three games this October: NLDS game four, NLCS game four, and NLCS game six. Luckily for the Dodgers, the offense did not skip a beat, winning all three games in Freeman’s absence. Still, you’d be lying if you said you did not want Freeman in the lineup every day of this upcoming World Series.
We are now approaching a full month since Freeman suffered the injury. With the days off from the end of the NLCS, Freeman is trending in the right direction to be in the lineup for game one of the World Series, according to Freeman.
The lefty has gone three full days without running but has been able to hit without any problems. However, like every game this postseason, Freeman will have to go through a rigorous pregame routine to be game-time ready.
Dodgers veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas, who was left off the NLCS roster after aggravating his adductor injury, could rejoin the team during the World Series. According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Rojas has” made strides” but isn’t a lock to make the World Series roster.
Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux was largely absent in the final game of the NLCS due to a lefty on the mound in Sean Manaea and a hip flexor injury that has bothered him since the beginning of last week.
However, with some time off, Dave Roberts insisted that he believes that Gavin Lux will be in the starting lineup in game one of the World Series and should be a “full go” to play the entire series.
The Dodgers bullpen has been absolute nails for the team this October pitching a total of fifty-seven innings along with three bullpen games, two of which were in the NLCS, however, the team could be getting a massive return with lefty Alex Vesia and righty Brusdar Graterol.
Vesia suffered an intercostal injury during the NLDS that kept him off the NLCS roster. Vesia has been one of Dave Roberts’ most dependable bullpen arms, with his ability to get both left- and right-handed batters out and go more than one inning if asked.
Graterol, 26, has spent more time on the injured list than off it this season. He missed most of the season with a shoulder and hip injury. Graterol began experiencing shoulder discomfort in late September, which caused him to land on the 15-day injured list. He was ruled out for the start of the postseason, but he has been throwing recently.
At the time of the injury, Roberts called it a week-to-week situation and noted that the right-hander had dealt with it throughout the season. However, now Roberts suggests that both will be a game-time decision on whether they will be on the roster or not, so we will have to wait and see until Friday when World Series rosters have to be announced.
World Series Preview at a glance
After a grueling 162-game regular season and two hard-fought postseason series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are finally back in the Fall Classic, facing off against the American League Champion New York Yankees.
It will be the twelfth time these two historic franchises have faced off in the World Series and their first meeting since the 1981 season, which saw the Dodgers win in six games.
For the New York Yankees, a team glittering with postseason hardware, this is their first World Series appearance since 2009, when they won over the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.
It is the Dodgers’ first World Series appearance since they won it all in the COVID-19 shortened season and their fourth appearance in the last eight years.
While the idea of the two best teams in baseball, who can spend the most money, meeting in the World Series could turn people off, it is the first year since 2013 that both number-one seeds in their respective leagues have made it to the World Series.
The Dodgers will have home-field advantage and kick off this best-of-seven series on Friday at 5:08 PM PT.
Flaherty & Yamamoto get first two games
In yesterday’s Zoom media session, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty will get the ball in game one of the World Series, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get game two on Saturday.
As for game three, when the series returns to New York, Roberts hinted that they are considering a bullpen game or right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler but will have a definitive answer as the series approaches that date.
Flaherty has made three postseason starts for the Dodgers this October. In game two of the NLDS, he allowed four runs in 5.1 innings in a lopsided loss against the San Diego Padres.
Flaherty rebounded in the next round, kicking off the NLCS against the New York Mets by pitching seven shutout innings, but when called upon again in game five at Citi Field, the righty surrendered eight runs in three innings.
Overall, Flaherty has an ERA over seven in over fifteen innings, but if that blip in New York was just him feeling under the weather, expect a good performance from Flaherty in his home stadium.
For game two, the Dodgers are going with their $325 million rookie right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has been excellent since his first postseason start in game one of the NLDS.
In the Dodgers’ game five clincher, Yamamoto pitched five scoreless innings against a Padres team that has had his number so far in his career. In game four of the NLCS, Yamamoto allowed two runs in 4.1 innings pitched but dominated the Mets hitters, collecting eight strikeouts.
Saturday’s start will also be the first time facing the New York Yankees since June when Yamamoto pitched seven scoreless innings in what was perhaps the best start of the season.
For the rest of the series, if I were the Dodgers, I would go with Walker Buehler in game three in the Bronx, and for game four, use the bullpen.
This would set up Flaherty and Yamamoto for games five and six and a potential winner-take-all game seven in the hands of postseason stud Walker Buehler.
Bullpen “dawgs”
The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen has been the team’s biggest strength outside of their offense, which has averaged over six runs per game.
The Dodgers’ starting rotation took a massive hit at the end of the season, losing Tyler Glasnow (elbow), Clayton Kershaw (toe), and Gavin Stone (shoulder) to season-ending injuries.
Entering October, the team only had three legit starting pitchers and would have to depend on their bullpen more than any other team in baseball, and so far, it has worked.
The Dodgers bullpen has pitched fifty-seven innings so far this postseason, including three bullpen games, with a 3.16 combined ERA.
They have taken the moniker of “DAWG,” and veteran right-handed pitcher Daniel Hudson states that mentality started in the final month of the season.
I think it started with the bullpen games later in the year. It was like, ‘Hey man, don’t let those dogs out of the cage down there.’ We’re down there in that cage, don’t let us out, or we’re going to go out there and rip some peoples’ faces off
For the Dodgers to accomplish their ultimate goal, they’ll need the bullpen to be dawgs one more time.
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
