A Laugher, Series Win and Return of Mookie and Belly’s Bats Put Dodgers in Good Stead
AJ Pollock, Jimmy Nelson activated, Edwin Uceta and Alex Vesia optioned to OKC.
As the Dodgers go, so goes my mood. The team goes 13-2 to start the season, there’s a giddy-up in my step. A 5-15 stretch of games follows and I’m looking for the nearest tall building. Perhaps I need therapy — group therapy; large group therapy — but such is the state of things in Howardwood. Join the club; we meet Monday and Thursday most weeks.
The 2021 Dodgers are an up-and-down bunch. After a series win over the Cards, featuring a rousing 11-run first inning and 14-3 victory Wednesday at Chavez Ravine, it feels like things are looking up now. Not because of the little two-out-of-three or because of the record-setting frame, necessarily, but because of the spark provided by recently-returned-to-health players Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry, and by Mookie Betts.
Bellinger ripped a single in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s 3-2 loss to St. Louis, putting the tying and winning runs on base before Betts hit what looked like a game-winning double, only to have Tyler O’Neill make a great running catch for the final out. The way the game ended — right there, with Belly and Betts swinging — I felt a little uplift, and said as much at the time.
I didn’t expect much of an offensive contribution from Bellinger immediately after almost two months on the shelf with a hairline fracture in his left leg (and with his offseason left shoulder surgery and shortened spring schedule before that), but here we are. It took the 2019 National League Most Valuable Player Award winner 10 at bats to make his presence felt, with the dramatic hit first in a losing cause Tuesday, then a two-run single in his first at bat Wednesday and punctuated by a grand slam in his second AB moments later. And while some may take Bellinger’s defense for granted, I sure don’t. He’s been all over place in center field, making a difference already.
McKinstry also plated two runs in the big first inning last night while playing left field, third base and left field again. The rookie replacement for Kiké Hernandez was hitting .296/.328/.556 before landing on the injured list with an oblique strain April 20. He was missed, he makes the team better, and it’s fine if it takes him a while to start raking again. And it might not.
Perhaps most importantly for Los Angeles, even with being robbed in his final at bat Tuesday, Betts has six hits in last 11 at bats (.545), including a double and two singles last night. Sure, it’s a tiny sample size, but Wednesday marked Mookie’s first three-hit game of the season, and his first 6-11 stretch since August 11 to 13 of last year.
I’m energized by the small-sample-size performances from Betts and Bellinger. And if I’m energized, imagine the feeling in the clubhouse. AJ Pollock (hamstring) and Jimmy Nelson (shoulder) were activated from the IL this morning, with relievers Edwin Uceta and Alex Vesia being optioned to Oklahoma City. Getting Pollock and Nelson back provides a boost. Corey Seager (hand) is said to be progressing and could return in a couple of weeks. Tony Gonsolin (shoulder) makes what is expected to be his final rehab start at OKC opposite the Sugar Land Skeeters tonight, and if all goes well will step into the rotation next week. Translation? No. More. Bullpen games.
After a day off today the Dodgers take their 33-23 record to Atlanta for a weekend series. They’re a game behind the Giants and half a game back of the Padres, pending the Cubs-at-SF and Mets-at-SD games tonight. The Braves are 26-28 and are not as good as they were last year. They are again without starter Mike Soroka, who has had a setback in Achilles recovery, catcher Travis d’Arnaud (thumb) is on the 60-day IL and domestic abuser Marcell Ozuna (hand) will have to deal with the law and likely a league-imposed suspension before he can return. If he returns. Because wife beating is frowned upon in the Braves organization now, apparently. Better late than never, I suppose. Bastards.
Matchups for the Atl series are as follows: Julio Urias vs. Ian Anderson Friday at 4:20 p.m., Clayton Kershaw vs. Charlie Morton Saturday at 4:15 p.m. and Trevor Bauer vs. Max Fried Sunday at 10:20 a.m. Then another day off Monday followed by three in Pittsburgh with the hapless Bucs.
It’s reasonable to expect a 4-2 road trip. Bellinger is back. McKinstry’s back. Pollock and Nelson are back. Gonsolin might be back for the Pirates series. And most encouragingly, Betts is back. Trust me, Betts is back. Those who doubted him are clueless. They are without a clue. I’m glad I’m not one of them.
ICYMI:
With his eighth home run of the season (and 670th lifetime) Sunday, Albert Pujols passed the great Babe Ruth with career extra base hit number 1357, good for fourth place in baseball history. Hank Aaron leads all comers with his 1477 XBH, with Barry Bonds behind him at 1440 and Stan Musial standing third all-time with 1377.
Dodgers relief great and 1974 Cy Young Award winner, Mike Marshall, passed away Monday at the age of 78 at his home Zephyrhills, Florida. An argument can be made that Marshall should have won the MVP trophy over Steve Garvey in addition to the Cy, but I’m not going to make that argument this afternoon. I will, however, link to an obit in the Montreal Gazette which I find to be a good one. The right-hander came to Los Angeles in the two-player deal that sent Willie Davis to Canada, which was a tough pill for me to swallow at the time.
I’ll also link to a fine piece about L.A.’s original Iron Mike by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, plus an interesting Jeff Passan column titled “[w]hy pitching as we know it today wouldn't exist without Mike Marshall” at ESPN.com. And I’ll proudly post the video of Marshall picking off “designated pinch-runner” Herb Washington in Game 2 of the 1974 World Series; the first Series game I attended and the only Dodgers win in that year’s Fall Classic.
I should note that Marshall would hold the major league record for most consecutive games pitched for his 13 straight in ‘74, if not for Bobby Valentine’s shameful managing 12 years later. While at the helm at Texas, Valentine went out of his way to give rookie Dale Mohoric a place in history, handing him the ball when he ordinarily wouldn’t have in August of 1986. Included in Mohorcic’s streak was an eighth-inning appearance leading 8-1, a two-thirds-of-an-inning appearance down 12-0, and to top it off, a summoning to get the final out after 8 2/3 of one-run ball from Charlie Hough, leading 7-1, for a share of the record. If I remember correctly (and I think I do), Valentine was in a period of resentment for perceived slights by the L.A. organization. Or maybe he was still pissed about being traded to Anaheim for Frank Robinson in 1972. Actually, Valentine, wasn’t a key player in the seven-player blockbuster. Read about it at the LAT here.
Media Savvy:
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times; clubs simply do not have to limit the opportunities to improve themselves by waiting until July to made deals. In this MLB.com article, Bryan Murphy details 15 June trades going all the way back to the 1986 Dennis Martinez Expos/Orioles exchange involving Rene Gonzalez and a couple of players to be named later. The Zach-Lee-for-Chris-Taylor-trade is in there too.
Will Leitch presents his May All-Star team at MLB.com, which includes two Dodgers.
Two more Passan pieces to share with you, one featuring the highlights of the month of May in baseball; the other about what led to the creation of Lou Gehrig Day.
Should the Mets be concerned about their new $341 million shortstop, Francisco Lindor? Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post thinks so, and writes that this isn’t an ordinary slump we’re talking about here. I’m not sure I agree particularly, but please read and see what you think. In fairness, the switch-hitting Lindor is 5-10 with a double and a triple in two games since the Greenberg piece was published.
And here is “Everything you need to know for Team USA's Olympic baseball qualifying tournament” by David Schoenfield at ESPN.com.
Baseball Photos of the Day:
Sudden Sam McDowell.
Roger McDowell.
Jack McDowell.
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the Internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter. Follow OBHC on Twitter here. Be friends with Howard on Facebook.
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