Category: los angeles dodgers

Dave Roberts’ blunt reaction to potential Clayton Kershaw retirement at end of Dodgers’ 2023 MLB season

October 1, 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping to secure 100 wins with a win over the San Francisco Giants heading into the 2023 MLB Playoffs. A win would add manager Dave Roberts’ Dodgers to a group including the Braves and Orioles among 100-win teams.

The Dodgers made a key Lance Lynn roster move ahead of the playoffs that may surprise some fans. Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas got real on the results of a HBP that led to a wrist injury.

On Monday night Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett revealed Roberts’ thoughts on this season possibly being the last of Clayton Kershaw’s career.

The Dodgers superstar is preparing for the playoffs now and that’s the way Roberts would like to keep things.

“There’s no sense (of retirement talk)…I think that’s the way Clayton would want it. I think right now, we’re just solely focused on the postseason,” Robert said.

Roberts continued, adding context and additional thoughts to his answer.

“With Clayton, when you’re as great as he’s been for this length of time, there’s certain fanfare that comes with it. It’s not who he is… e’s just a very humble person. So I do think about it. I think there’s an undertone this potentially could be his last regular-season game with the Dodgers.”

Kershaw took the mound on Saturday for the Dodgers, giving up one run and striking out three batters through three innings against the Giants.

Roberts continued with his retirement comment, saying that it wasn’t something on the forefront of his mind.

“I don’t know that,” he added about Saturday night possibly being Kershaw’s final regular season start. “ So I don’t let my mind go too far into that. But you know, when it happens, which is inevitable, we’ll give it its due. But I just don’t think that’s what Clayton wants.”

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Dodgers make Lance Lynn roster move before playoffs

September 30, 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed SP Lance Lynn on the bereavement list and recalled RP Victor Gonzalez, the team announced. Lynn has been placed on the bereavement list due to a death in his family, Bob Nightengale of the Orange County Register reports.

Lynn will have plenty of time to be away from the team since the Dodgers clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs. He’s expected to play a big role in the rotation upon his return, joining Clayton Kershaw and Bobby Miller. Lynn has been fairly inconsistent since joining the Dodgers so LA is hopeful he can find his footing in the postseason. For now, the focus for Lynn understandably isn’t baseball given the situation at hand.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez is a left-handed reliever who’s displayed signs of promise in the past. He will finish the 2023 season in the Dodgers bullpen, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will earn a playoff spot.

Dodgers preparing for playoffs

The Dodgers will finish the ’23 campaign against the San Francisco Giants on the road. Following the series, LA will be up against a challenge, something that did them in last year.

The team must find a way to stay motivated and ready for competition during their first-round bye in the postseason. Los Angeles is expected to play a scrimmage and fans will be able to watch. Having fans in attendance will give the feel of a real game.

The Dodgers had a bye last year and were ultimately upset by the San Diego Padres in the NLDS. They need to learn from that experience and make sure they are ready in 2023.

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Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas gets real on HBP vs. Giants after positive injury update

September 30, 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants was positive for two reasons. The Dodgers got the victory, and Miguel Rojas’ injury scare is less severe than originally thought. Rojas was hit by a pitch on Friday night, inducing a wrist injury that caused him to leave the game early. Fortunately, X-rays on his wrist were negative.

“X-rays were negative on Miguel Rojas’ left wrist, Dave Roberts said. Will get a CT tomorrow. Said they feel they dodged a bullet,” Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic wrote on Twitter.

This is good news for the Dodgers, who look to make a deep playoff run after finishing their series against the Giants. Rojas is optimistic about getting a chance to return to the baseball field.

“I’m pretty positive that everything’s going to be all right, and I’ll be good to go for the rest of the season,” Rojas said via SportsNet LA. “Right now, I know it’s going to hurt. I got hit [in my left wrist] before, so it’s going to take a little while [to recover]. But I’m glad we have a couple of days before we play our first playoff game, so I’m pretty positive I’m going to be able to play.”

 

The Miguel Rojas injury could give San Francisco a chance to steal the last game of the series. The Giants, however, have larger concerns. San Fransisco fired manager Gabe Kapler following the team’s underwhelming performance this season. The firing makes way for change on a Giants team in need of new leadership.

As Rojas tends to his wrist, the Dodgers will focus on closing out their last regular-season game before the playoffs begin October 3rd.

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Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas gets real on HBP vs. Giants after positive injury update

September 30, 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants was positive for two reasons. The Dodgers got the victory, and Miguel Rojas’ injury scare is less severe than originally thought. Rojas was hit by a pitch on Friday night, inducing a wrist injury that caused him to leave the game early. Fortunately, X-rays on his wrist were negative.

“X-rays were negative on Miguel Rojas’ left wrist, Dave Roberts said. Will get a CT tomorrow. Said they feel they dodged a bullet,” Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic wrote on Twitter.

This is good news for the Dodgers, who look to make a deep playoff run after finishing their series against the Giants. Rojas is optimistic about getting a chance to return to the baseball field.

“I’m pretty positive that everything’s going to be all right, and I’ll be good to go for the rest of the season,” Rojas said via SportsNet LA. “Right now, I know it’s going to hurt. I got hit [in my left wrist] before, so it’s going to take a little while [to recover]. But I’m glad we have a couple of days before we play our first playoff game, so I’m pretty positive I’m going to be able to play.”

 

The Miguel Rojas injury could give San Francisco a chance to steal the last game of the series. The Giants, however, have larger concerns. San Fransisco fired manager Gabe Kapler following the team’s underwhelming performance this season. The firing makes way for change on a Giants team in need of new leadership.

As Rojas tends to his wrist, the Dodgers will focus on closing out their last regular-season game before the playoffs begin October 3rd.

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Dodgers players Bobby Miller, James Outman will absolutely love Miguel Rojas’ latest move

September 30, 2023

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas is setting an example for the younger players on his team. The veteran has taken some of those young players like Bobby Miller and James Outman on his team shoe shopping.

Rojas spoke on the importance of being there for the rookies and young teammates saying, “Being a veteran, I always like to care of the young players so they can have some kind of reference when they first played in the big leagues and someone took care of them. Hopefully, when they become veterans and leaders of the teams, they take care of the rookies as well,” via the Los Angeles Dodgers official Twitter page.

The move exemplifies the kind of teammate and player Rojas is. The transition to the pro leagues can be tough on some players as they change cities and face a lot more pressure than ever before. The shopping trip is one that will build both camaraderie and respect in the locker room while helping the young stars settle in.

The nine-year veteran originally played for the Dodgers in 2014 before he was traded to the Miami Marlins for seven years. He was traded back to the Dodgers in January. Rojas has 91 hits, 49 runs, and five home runs on the season

Miguel Rojas and the Dodgers are currently getting set for their latest playoff run. The Dodgers won the NL West with a 99-61 record and begin their first playoff series on October 7th. Rojas is dealing with a hand contusion, but the Dodgers are hoping he won’t have to miss time in the playoffs.

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Juan Soto slaps Dodgers with Padres warning amid intense rivalry

September 30, 2023

The next time that Juan Soto and the San Diego Padres will be facing the 2023 NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers will be in the Spring Training of 2024, what with the Padres missing out on the postseason festivities thanks to an overwhelmingly disappointing season. But that doesn’t seem to have sapped Soto’s confidence one bit, as he believes that the Padres can still go toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best teams despite their underperformance this season.

Speaking to retired shortstop Jimmy Rollins of MLB on TBS: Leadoff, Soto fired a warning shot towards the Dodgers, even going as far as to say that they should not be worried about the NL West champions, but rather, they should be worried about the Padres.

“I think, we don’t worry about them. They should be worrying about us. I mean, we showed up last year. We showed them what we have in the playoffs, and we just came up, play good baseball and beat them,” the Padres left fielder said. “Our bullpen is great. We have one of the best bullpens in the league. We don’t worry about anybody.”

Those are confident words from Juan Soto, especially given how the Padres’ 2023 season has turned out. Perhaps they should be worrying about their opposition more; they have underperformed their run differential (+98) to a considerable degree, thanks, perhaps, to an inability to deliver in the clutch (or by failing to sequence their hits in an ideal manner).

Nevertheless, confidence is never bad in a professional sports setting. So to see Soto and company look forward to the evergreen challenge that is the Dodgers’ NL West reign of terror is a good sign when it comes to righting the ship come the 2024 season.

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Giants-Dodgers game makes never before seen MLB history after Gabe Kapler’s firing

September 30, 2023

With the San Francisco Giants firing manager Gabe Kapler before Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they aided in creating a major first in MLB history.

The Giants named Kai Correa as the interim manager in the wake of Kapler’s firing. Interestingly, Correa is of Hawaiian, Portuguese and Japanese descent. His Dodgers counterpart, Dave Roberts, is also someone of Japanese descent. With that said, the Friday showdown became the first MLB game ever to have two managers with Asian descent.

“Giants bench coach Kai Correa has been named interim manager with dismissal of Gabe Kapler. Correa is of native Hawaiian, Portuguese and Japanese descent, making this the first MLB game featuring two [managers] of Asian descent. Dodgers [manager] Dave Roberts’ mother is Japanese,” Bill Plunkett of Orange County Register reported.

This amazing tidbit only further highlights how diverse the MLB is. It is already one of the most diverse leagues in all of professional sports, which is why it isn’t a surprise why one of the biggest players in major league baseball is Asian (Shohei Ohtani of Japan). Sure enough, that diversity also transcends to coaching.

It remains to be seen if there will be more players and coaches from Asia and other parts of the world who will be able to make it big in America’s favorite pastime. However, what the Giants and the Dodgers achieved on Friday with Kai Correa and Dave Roberts certainly paves the way for many more to aspire to make it to the MLB.

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Dave Roberts goes full Deion Sanders with gesture from Dodgers that will hype up Colorado football

September 29, 2023

So far in this college football season, the Colorado football team has been the main storyline. Deion Sanders took over as head coach in the offseason, and he’s done a tremendous job so far. The attention that the program is getting is unlike we have ever seen in college football. The Buffaloes take on USC this Saturday, and a plethora of celebrities will be in attendance for the game. It is sure to be an exciting matchup, and the attention of the program is veering off into other sports as well. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers had some fun with a dress up day to celebrate their successful season, and many members of the team dressed up like the Colorado football team, including manager Dave Roberts.

Dave Roberts decided to go with a Deion Sanders look for dress up day with the Dodgers. He got the cowboy hat, he got the sunglasses, and he looked the part. This gesture from the Dodgers is sure to fire up the Colorado football team.

What makes it more interesting is the fact the Dodgers are in Los Angeles, and this is right before USC heads to Boulder to take on Colorado. USC is also located in Los Angeles, so it looks like the Dodgers might not be supporting the home town university.

The Dodgers regular season is almost up, and the playoffs will begin shortly. Los Angeles is going to get the two seed in the National League as they are only behind the Atlanta Braves.

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JD Martinez completes eye-popping Dodgers feat not seen before in history

September 29, 2023

JD Martinez and the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to make history in 2023. During Thursday evening’s road contest against the Colorado Rockies, Martinez recorded a run batted in, making him the fourth member of the Dodgers this season with at least 100 RBIs on the campaign.

The other three Dodgers to reach the accomplishment are Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and Freddie Freeman.

The feat marks the first time in Dodgers franchise history that the team has had at least four players with 100 RBIs in the same season, per Dodger Insider.

Although the Dodgers haven’t been quite as dominant this season as they were during 2022 (in the regular season, at least) the team is still firmly in second place in the overall NL standings behind only the Atlanta Braves. The 36-year-old Martinez continues to produce solid numbers, with 113 hits and 31 home runs on the campaign in 109 appearances.

Mookie Betts, meanwhile, is in a neck-and-neck race with Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. for NL MVP honors, having put together one of the most impressive seasons of his illustrious career in 2023.

At 98-60, Los Angeles has long since clinched yet another NL West title and have a legitimate chance to win their first championship since 2020 when the MLB postseason gets underway next month.

The Dodgers will be hoping to rid themselves of the memory of last year’s playoffs embarrassment, when heavily favored Los Angeles was sent home in four games by the San Diego Padres in the NLDS.

The MLB Playoffs are slated to begin with the Wild Card Round, of which the Dodgers won’t be a part, on October 3.

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Dodgers vs. Rockies prediction, odds, pick, how to watch – 9/28/2023

September 28, 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the road to take on the Colorado Rockies for the final game of a four-game series. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Dodgers-Rockies prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.

The Dodgers will not be the top seed in the National League playoffs. However, they have locked down the second seed, and they will get a first round bye. Whoever they play in the NLDS, the Dodgers will host that series. They have this final game with the Rockies, and then they wrap up the season with the San Francisco Giants. Los Angeles does not need to win anymore games, so they should just coast these last four games of the season.

The Rockies are waiting for this season to be done. Four more games, and Colorado will be able to reset and start getting ready for 2024. The Rockies have only won two of the 12 games played against the Dodgers this season, and that is the case for a lot of the teams they have played. Colorado has lost nine of their last 10 games in general, and are sitting in last place in the NL West division.

Ryan Yarbrough will get the ball for the Dodgers. Chris Flexen will start for the Rockies.

Here are the Dodgers-Rockies MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Dodgers-Rockies Odds

Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (-150)

Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (+125)

Over: 11.5 (-122)

Under: 11.5 (+100)

How To Watch Dodgers vs. Rockies

TV: Spectrum SportsNet, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain

Stream: MLB TV subscription

Time: 8:40 PM ET/5:40 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread

The Dodgers are facing a struggling pitcher in the game. Flexen has an ERA over 7.00, a 1.69 WHIP, and opponents are batting .320 off him this season. The Dodgers offense is great, and they have a fantastic matchup in this one. Flexen has been prone to giving up quite a few runs, and the game is at Coors Field. The Dodgers should be able to get their pitches up in the zone, and drive them to the gaps. If they can do this, the Dodgers should cover the spread.

Yarbrough has been doing a good job since being traded to the Dodgers. He does not go deep into games, but he is very good when used correctly. He already has a game pitched against the Rockies this season. In that game, Yarbrough threw three scoreless innings, and he allowed just one hit. If Yarbrough can open up with four or five innings, and allow just two or three runs, the Dodgers will cover the spread.

Why The Rockies Could Cover The Spread

Colorado will need Flexen to have a good game in this one. Luckily, Flexen has been much better at home than on the road. Flexen’s ERA is almost three runs better than his road ERA, and his oBA is much better, as well. Surprisngly enough, Flexen is a better pitcher at Coors Field. Now, this is no easy matchup. He could easily get banged for five or six runs, but he can also go deep into the game and allow just two or three. If the latter happens, the Rockies will cover the spread.

Final Dodgers-Rockies Prediction & Pick

I do not think this game will be close. I am going to take the Dodgers to win this game easily, and cover the spread.

Final Dodgers-Rockies Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (-150), Under 11.5 (+100)

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