Cody Snavely
Happy Monday! The Los Angeles Dodgers had a respectable week after going four and two on their six-game road trip against the Chicago White Sox and San Fransisco Giants.
The Dodgers, despite sweeping the White Sox to start their weekend, ended the weekend on a low note, dropping their three-game series to their divisional rival after getting outhit in Sunday’s loss.
Despite a few setbacks, the Dodgers are still leading the pack in the National League West with a 7.5-game lead over the second-place San Diego Padres.
Coming up on the pipeline is a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks as the two rivals look to duke it out with some Fourth of July fireworks thrown in before hosting the National League Central-leading Millwulake Brewers over the weekend.
However, before that, let’s recap this past week’s games and the latest notes, rumors, and injury reports.
Week recap (6/24/2024-6/30/2024)
White Sox Recap: The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off their six-game road trip heading to South Side Chicago in an interleague matchup with the last-place White Sox.
While this series was expected to turn up the audience numbers on Sports Net LA, the Dodgers and their front office got an up-close look at a few trade deadline players who have been throughout the rumor mill, such as Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr.
James Paxton was nails in game one, tossing five scoreless innings as the Dodgers battled it out against left-handed pitcher Crochet. The Dodgers would feast on the White Sox bullpen, securing a thrilling three-to-nothing victory.
In game two, Bobby Miller took the mound in his second start since being activated off the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation, and it was not good. The Dodgers’ bullpen and offense would have to save the day, winning four to three.
The series’ performance was in game three, as rookie Gavin Stone threw a complete game shutout on one hundred-seven pitches, and the Dodgers would complete the three-game sweep.
- Game One: 3-0, W
- Game Two: 4-3, W
- Game Three: 4-0, W
Giants Recap: After securing a three-game sweep of the White Sox, the Dodgers headed to the Bay Area to face their National League West rival, San Fransisco Giants, for a three-game set.
Despite the Giants’ victory, the Dodgers’ resilience was evident as they turned to Landon Knack in game one. Knack’s performance, allowing only one run on five hits, was commendable. However, the Dodgers’ offense faced a tough time, and the Giants’ two runs in the bottom of the ninth sealed their victory.
Game two was no better for the Dodgers as right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow could go three innings, allowing five runs while walking two and only striking out one hitter.
The game went to extras, with the Dodgers and Giants trading runs in the tenth before the Dodgers’ offense erupts with a seventh spot in the eighth inning, securing the win.
Game three was all Giants. Left-handed pitcher James Paxton was unable to hold off the Giants’ hitters, who collected sixteen hits on the day and blew out the Dodgers ten to four.
- Game One: 5-3, L
- Game Two: 14-7 F/11, W
- Game Three: 10-4, L
Max Muncy is inching toward a return
Perhaps the most impactful injury to the Dodgers this season not named Mookie Betts has been the oblique injury that has kept third basemen Max Muncy sidelined since mid-May.
Initially, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism, suggesting that Muncy’s return was imminent. However, the reality of the situation has been far from certain, with Muncy experiencing multiple setbacks and eventually being shut down from all baseball activity.
However, as all injuries go, Muncy has had multiple setbacks to the point where he was shut down from all baseball activity.
Since Muncy’s injury, the Dodgers have been grappling with his absence, struggling to replicate his success. The third basemen who have stepped in have been unable to fill his shoes, batting a mere 153/.221/.219 in 150 plate appearances.
Luckily, the team received some good news. During their weekend series with the Giants, Max Muncy was present and began swinging the bat again, a significant step toward his recovery.
Muncy was transferred to the 60-day injured list and is eligible to return after the 2024 all-star break, but the Dodgers sure do miss his bat. According to Dave Roberts, the team will turn to Chris Taylor over the next few weeks.
Chris Taylor has a batting average of .348, eight hits, a homer, two RBIs, and five runs scored in his last ten games. He is hitting better than Cavan Biggio, who was acquired to fill the void.
Trade Notes
With July upon us, it is officially trade deadline season, and over the next several weeks, we will see plenty of rumors. The Dodgers, who will likely be aggressive as they plan to patch the holes in their roster, have been linked to plenty of star players thus far, but a recent update by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale may give Dodgers fans some bad news.
For starters, Nightengale gave an update on the Toronto Blue Jays, stating that general manager Ross Atkins is not planning to blow up the team this deadline and intends to keep players such as Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., opting to trade pending free agents such as Yusei Kikuchi and former Dodgers third basemen Justin Turner.
According to MLB.com’s Juan Toribio, the Dodgers had expressed interest over the winter in shortstop Bo Bichette, but talks never advanced. With Mookie Betts’s defensive struggles, who is out with a fractured left hand for the next 6-8 weeks, fans started to speculate about Bichette in Dodger Blue.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Chicago White Sox find themselves in a challenging position. Currently, in last place in the American League Central, they hold the unfortunate title of the worst record in Major League Baseball, evoking a sense of empathy from the audience.
The White Sox have plenty of inventory that contending teams are interested in. The two most popular players are left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet and outfielder Luis Robert Jr., both of whom will be under team control after the 2024 season.
However, according to Nightengale, the White Sox are leaning toward keeping Robert Jr. and want to shift trying to offload Andrew Benintendi’s contract as the left-handed hitting outfielder is owed R50 million over the next three and half years.
What is surprising and concerns the Dodgers is that they have already submitted an offer for Crochet, which was declined. The White Sox are looking for more young, controllable talent. Although the rumored package is unknown, it shows that the Dodgers are looking heavily into upgrading their starting rotation.
The last update is what was shared before the weekend as Jon Heyman from the New York Post linked the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres to Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen.
Jansen, 36, is 3-1, with a 2.30 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and thirty-two strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched this season. With multiple veteran relief pitchers currently on the injured list, it is not hard to understand why the Dodgers are looking to upgrade the bullpen despite having the best bullpen ERA in the National League.
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