Cody Snavely
Happy Monday! Even with the loss of Mookie Betts, the Dodgers and their fans are blessed to have multiple MVP award winners on their roster who can step up in his place. However, the main man they have turned it on this past week is $700 million two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who has quickly taken over the leadoff role.
The Dodgers had a decent week, winning a four-game series in Colorado and splitting a two-game series with the Freeway rival Anaheim Angels.
However, there was a lot of news and updates on plenty of Dodgers players this week that will catch you up on in the latest Dodgers Notes.
Week recap (6/17/2024-6/23/2024)
Rockies Recap: The Dodgers and their offense rebounded nicely after losing Mookie Betts to a fractured hand as they took three of four against their National League West rival, the Colorado Rockies.
The offense exploded as it usually does in Coors Field, but in game one, James Paxton shut the door on the Rockies’ offense, allowing one run in seven crucial innings of work. However, it was game two that sent shockwaves through the headlines, as the Dodgers would complete the largest ninth-inning comeback in franchise history, scoring seven unanswered runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Dodgers would lose game three as Bobby Miller‘s first start off the injured list was not sharp, but questions were raised about why Roberts pushed the righty to enter the seventh inning, given the situation. Still, the Dodgers would take care of business in the fourth and final game, winning the series.
- Game One: 9-5, W
- Game Two: 11-9, W
- Game Three: 7-6, L
- Game Four: 5-3, W
Angels Recap: One of the major storylines of the 2024 MLB season was former Angel Shohei Ohtani facing off against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels, in the Freeway series.
Ohtani made his presence known, hitting two absolute bombs, but the Dodgers would settle for a split. The offense in game one was anemic, but in game two, they busted out for seven runs, helping Tyler Glasnow pick up his eighth win of the season.
On Saturday, the Dodgers also debuted their new City Connect uniforms, and they are now officially 1-0 in them.
Injury Notes
Turning our attention to the injury front, the Dodgers have shared crucial updates on several players currently on the injured list, providing a comprehensive view of the team’s health status.
Right-handed pitcher Kyle Hurt was activated off the 60-day IL and placed on the Triple-A OKC active roster.
Hurt has been on the injured list since late April after having shoulder inflammation and was on a rehab assignment over the last three weeks.
With his activation, the Dodgers had to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster, which brings us to Max Muncy.
With Hurt’s activation the Dodgers opted to transfer third baseman Max Muncy on the 60-day IL which puts him out after the 2024 All-Star game.
What was first perceived by Dave Roberts as a 7-10 day injury has been a multiple week-long IL stint, during which Muncy has stated he is still not close to returning and has not swung a bat.
Clayton Kershaw, who just completed his first rehab start at Rancho, will have his second rehab outing pushed back after the lefty complained of shoulder soreness.
The Dodgers had an MRI, which showed no damage, but the Dodgers and Kershaw will likely take their time in his rehab and push Tuesday’s start back a few days or weeks.
Brusdar Graterol and Dustin May have begun throwing bullpens again as each pitcher ramps up their arms in a hopeful return at some point this season.
Graterol has been shut down since Spring Training but would likely be the better bet to make an appearance this season.
City Connect 2.0 debut
Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers debut their second rendition of the City Connect uniforms against the Angels on Saturday.
The City Connect uniform that Major League Baseball and Nike established has been widely controversial. Many fans around the league are also up in the air from all the changes Nike and Fanatics made before the start of the season.
The Dodgers are the first team to get a second edition of the City Connect after retiring their “Los Dodgers” all-blue uniform at the end of the 2023 season.
Like many fans, I eagerly anticipated what the Dodgers and Nike would unveil, especially after the first edition of 2021 was deemed plain and uninspiring by many.
However, when leaks of the new uniforms surfaced on social media months ago, the initial excitement quickly turned to shock and disappointment as fans were left questioning the design choices.
The Dodgers themselves must have heard the feedback, as over the weekend, many media personalities and Dodgers employees were seen wearing and promoting the new uniform.
I’ve made my opinion known about the uniforms and how I believe Nike dropped the ball a second time around. However, seeing them in person, they were not as bad as the leaks indicated. I do not expect the Dodgers to wear these too often.
Glasnow closing in on career-high innings pitched
After Saturday’s seven-inning, one-run performance, Tyler Glasnow picked up not only his eighth win of the season but also eclipsed the one-hundred-inning pitch mark, which is just the third time the right-handed pitcher has done that in his career.
Last season, Tyler Glasnow threw his career high in innings, tossing 120 innings over twenty-one starts. However, on June 24th, 2024, Glasnow is just twenty innings away from tying this feat.
Currently, Tyler Glasnow stands as one of the top starting pitchers, not just in the National League but in all of baseball. As noted by fellow DodgersBeat writer Adrian Medina, Glasnow leads National League pitchers in several key categories, including strikeouts (135), WHIP (0.87), K % (35.2), IP (100), AVG (.174). He also ranks fifth in ERA in all of baseball (2.88), a testament to his exceptional performance this season.
Glasnow, who was traded to the Dodgers this past offseason for fellow right-handed pitcher Ryan Pepiot, has beaten fans’ expectations of him becoming the Dodgers’ best pitcher. The only question that remains now is how the team will look at his usage from July to October.
Ohtani taking advantage of leadoff spot
When Dodgers star shortstop Mookie Betts took a 98mph fastball off the hand against the Kansas City Royals on Father’s Day Sunday at Chavez Ravine.
Betts ultimately fractured his left hand and is estimated to be out the next 6-8 weeks, which leaves a void at shortstop and the leadoff spot in the Dodgers lineup.
Enter Shohei Ohtani, who had nearly one hundred career games at the leadoff spot in his time with the Angels and would take over the spot in Betts’ absence, and so far, in seven games, it has paid off.
Since taking over the leadoff spot, Ohtani is hitting .396/.500/.929 with a 1.429 OPS. The left-handed batter has also had a scorching hot June, hitting .308/.413/.705 with nine home runs and driving in nineteen runs this month.
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