Accentuating the Positive

Dodgers home after 4-2 road trip.

Jul 02, 2024

Shohei Ohtani homering Tuesday at Chicago.

Sure, the Dodgers experienced some, shall we say, misadventures, in losing a series at San Francisco over the weekend. But allow me to accentuate the positive on the first of July.

For example, Jakes Paxton pitched well…on Monday, when he held the White Sox to three hits in five scoreless innings at Chicago.

For another example, the Boys in Blue swept the Chisox series Monday through Wednesday, and with a rousing 14-7 extra-inning affair Saturday at San Francisco, managed a 4-2 road trip.

And Cavan Biggio blooped a little a single with his club down 9-2 in the eighth yesterday to raise his season batting average to .200 (and .188 as a Dodger).

You see what I did there? But this is my story and I’m sticking to it.

Gavin Stone continued his remarkable run of success with a four-hit, no-walk, seven-strikeout shutout Wednesday. The 25-year-old rookie followed up on his inspired month of May (3-1, 1.97) with a near-carbon-copy June (4-0, 1.97). On the year, his record stands at 9-2, the ERA at 2.73, with a 1.124 WHIP and an opponents slash line of .227/.282/.317. Re-mark-a-ble. And re-li-a-ble. He’s L.A.’s most reliable starting pitcher.

Landon Knack might be the second most reliable. That’s a strong statement, and I said “might,” but with Tyler Glasnow’s monthly ERAs increasing (2.72 in April, 3.48 in May and 3.72 in June), with his injury history, with Bobby Miller perhaps a meltdown away from being shipped to Oklahoma City, and with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw all questionable to return; yeah, maybe. Knack has made six starts this year and lifetime. He’s allowed no more than two runs, earned or otherwise, in any game in that lifetime. He boasts a 2.08 ERA and a 0.956 WHIP.

Landon Knack, Friday at San Francisco. By Godofredo A. Vásquez, AP.

The three newest members of the bullpen were standouts this past week: Yohan Ramirez allowed a run in four innings, to lower his Los Angeles ERA after a rough beginning to 2.91. Michael Petersen tossed 4 2/3 of scoreless ball in his three outings, with his Dodgers ERA shrinking to 1.17. Not to be outdone, Anthony Banda made three appearances without allowing a hit (L.A. ERA = 0.98). Feel-good stories all (see Media Savvy below).

I find myself unable to get too far into a column without a Shohei Ohtani mention. During the week that was, the Los Angeles designated hitter struck three home runs, and while the seven-day batting average was subpar (.238), he still managed a .414 on base percentage and a .668 slugging. At the 85-game mark, Ohtani leads the National League in batting (.316), slugging (.635), homers (26), total bases (205), OPS (1.034) and bWAR (4.8).

While I am able to mention Miguel Rojas, happily, it is especially important to do so now, because he’s 17-45 (.400) as Mookie Betts’ replacement. He hit .444/.500/.556 last week and .350/.386/.450 the week before that, while playing essentially perfect shortstop all year long (0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage). As I’ve said should be the case during the season and prior to, the club has acknowledged that Rojas is likely to remain at short when Betts returns, perhaps sometime in July. Under that scenario Mookie would either move to second base full-time (hallelujah!) or, as he did last year, play second versus right-handed starting pitchers and right field vs. left (double hallelujah!).

Chris Taylor, maligned here and in most places earlier, has perked up considerably of late. And with Biggio proving an inadequate substitute for Max Muncy at third base, CT3 will get an opportunity to fill the role for now. The 33-year-old utilityman is hitting .475/.550/.824 over an eight-game, two-week stretch of time, with a double, a triple, a homer, two steals in as many tries, and importantly, only one strikeout.

The Dodgers flew home Sunday, are off today, and the opponents are about to become more challenging. The Diamondbacks are at Chavez Ravine for a three-game set, armed with an ace, as Zac Gallen returned good as new from a hamstring injury Saturday (6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 Ks). The NL Central leading Brewers are in town Friday through Sunday before L.A. concludes the first half of the season at Philadelphia and Detroit.

The Dodgers stand 52-33, on a 99-win pace and 7 1/2 games ahead of second place San Diego in the NL West. They are 25-16 at home and 27-17 on the road. This, minus Betts, Muncy, Yamamoto, Buehler, Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Joe Kelly Ryan Brasier and Michael Grove. Trades are coming. I promise you; trades are coming. Perhaps even good ones, he said, accentuating the positive.

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ICYMI:

Muncy has begun taking swings off a tee as well as doing some fielding drills.

If you’re hoping to see Shohei Ohtani in the Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field July 15, it looks like you’re going to have to settle for two, three or four at bats in the All-Star Game the next night. While the decision hasn’t been finalized, Dave Roberts seems to have put a halt to such talk. And I think for good reason.

Major League Baseball’s new Home Run Derby rules can be found here.

It may be that Ohtani will be available to participate in the All-Star Game festivities, or any festivities at all, because of the keen hand-eye coordination of one now famous Dodgers bat boy.

Former Dodger Justin Turner also exhibited some fine hand-eye action last week, which you can view here.

Below please see artist Chuck Styles’ new Hank Aaron Forever stamp.

And sadly, the Giants (the Cardinals, and baseball) have lost another Hall of Famer, Orlando Cepeda, who passed away Friday at the age of 86.

Tweet of the Week:

Tweet of the Week, Runner-Up:

Tweet of the Week, Bronze Medal:

Hideo Nomo and Craig Counsel.

Tweet of the Week, I Don’t Know What Comes After Bronze, But This Is Pretty Damn Good:

Media Savvy:

Bill Plaschke has a fine column about Dodgers historian, Mark Langill, who is battling brain cancer, at the Los Angeles Times.

Also at the LAT, and regarding a far less serious subject, is the feel-good story mentioned above, “How Yohan Ramírez, Anthony Banda, Michael Petersen became Dodgers’ latest bullpen success stories,” by Mike DiGiovanna.

“That was one of the best things that has ever happened to me on a baseball field,” Ramírez said through an interpreter. “I think it awakened something in me that I didn’t really know I had. It kind of revitalized my whole career, and my focus and my confidence has grown ever since that moment.”

Thirdly at the Times, here is “Bobby Bonilla Day: How his deferred contracts compare to Shohei Ohtani’s deal,” by Steve Henson.

Here is a two-year-old piece that is still very much worth your time: “‘A League of Their Own’ turns 30: Catching up with mighty Marla Hooch,” by Daniel Brown at the Athletic.

And three from baseball historian, Bill Arnold:

1. It had to happen to somebody. So it did, on June 22 on Coors Field in a matchup between the Nationals and the Rockies: Nats north paw Kyle Finnegan became the first pitcher in MLB history to give up a bases-loaded walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth because of a pitch-clock violation. The infraction was called by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt on a full count, and the beneficiary was Colorado third baseman Ryan McMahon, and, of course, the Rockies - the free pass capping their walk-off rally that beat the Nationals 8-7. Meanwhile, pity the pitchers: Last season's rules allowed 20 seconds between pitches; this season, it's 18, a change that has forced MLB moundsmen to alter their routine yet again. Finnegan has the dubious distinction of leading the majors in pitch-clock violations, with nine.

2. After winning on Thursday, the Orioles turned June into another winning month: their ninth consecutive. The team's current streak of nine straight winning months is the longest active monthly streak in the majors. The Braves saw their 11-month streak end when they finished May with a 12-13 record.

3. When the Twins' Carlos Santana took the field against the A's on June 22, he became the second active major leaguer to see duty in 2,000 career games, joining Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates.

[Note: Santana, a catcher at the time with Russell Martin blocking him at the major league level, was traded with Jon Meloan by the Dodgers to Cleveland for Casey Blake, July 26. 2008.]