Dodgers' sparkling record masks problems exposed during series loss to Astros
That team went on to win the World Series.
When this year's Dodgers land in Milwaukee on Sunday night to begin the last road trip before the all-star break, their record will be a game better and their division lead about the same, pending the results of San Diego's game Sunday night.
But if you take a good look under the hood, there are obvious — and worrying — differences between this year and last year.
In 2024, the Dodgers had one of the best records in baseball against teams with a winning record. After Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros, this year's team is just a game over .500 — 20-19 — against teams over .500. Those are the only kind of teams the Dodgers will face in the playoffs.
And it's not just that they lose, it's how they lose that's troubling.
In losing three in a row for the first time since mid May, the Dodgers were outscored 27-8 by the Astros. The sweep was Houston's first in a three-game at Dodger Stadium since 2008, when the team played in the National League.
Look a little deeper and there are other concerns. The Dodgers' injured list, already as crowded as a Beyoncé concert — it swelled to 12 players with Max Muncy's addition Thursday — could get even larger this week depending on the results of MRIs on outfielder Tesoscar Hernández and utility player Tommy Edman.
Hernández, who fouled a ball off his left foot Saturday, spent 13 days on the IL with a groin problem in May and has been troubled by that injury and a nagging hip-flexor issue that could be behind a slump that has seen him hit .188/.240/.321 during his past 30 games. Edman didn't play Sunday after hitting a ball off the small toe on his right foot over the weekend.
That left manager Dave Roberts with a short bench. And with the rotation still missing four starters to injury, he gave the ball to right-hander Emmet Sheehan, who had thrown just four big-innings all season.
Sheehan went one better Sunday, allowing just a run on five hits over five innings. But his teammates did little against Houston starter Ryan Gusto (6-3), who gave up four hits — including a run-scoring double to Dalton Rushing — over six innings.
Will Klein came on in favor of Sheehan to start the sixth and after two quick outs, the Astros loaded the bases on a double, a hit batter and an infield single. Klein then walked Zack Short on a 3-2 pitch to force in the go-ahead run.
The Astros padded their lead with back-to-back homers from Christian Walker and Yainer Díaz to start the seventh off reliever Tanner Scott.
Jose Altuve closed the scoring with another solo homer off Anthony Banda in the ninth.
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Warriors, Lakers, NBA expansion headline offseason fan mailbag
The post Warriors, Lakers, NBA expansion headline offseason fan mailbag appeared first on ClutchPoints. This has been an interesting offseason. Although the trade deadline may have been more exciting when it comes to players switching teams and big moves being made, there have still been a handful of significant transactions in NBA free agency and on the trade block. For starters, Kevin Durant headlined this offseason's biggest trade, as the two-time Finals MVP joined the Houston Rockets, who won 52 games last season and claimed the 2-seed in the Western Conference. Other notable names, such as Desmond Bane, Kristaps Porzingis, Cam Johnson, Jrue Holiday, and John Collins, were traded to teams positioned to contend in their respective conferences. While this free-agent class was nothing too special compared to years past, especially with top talents remaining in their current situations, we did see some surprising movement. Myles Turner shaded the Indiana Pacers to join the Milwaukee Bucks, Chris Paul reunited with the LA Clippers, and three important sign-and-trades were executed: Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Atlanta Hawks. Duncan Robinson from the Miami Heat to the Detroit Pistons. Dennis Schroder from the Detroit Pistons to the Sacramento Kings. Of course, then there was the unexpected buyout market, which became the focal point of the offseason when Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Marcus Smart, and Deandre Ayton hit the open market. As we prepare to enter August, plenty of storylines that have yet to be sorted out remain. The Golden State Warriors are the only team in the NBA yet to make any moves this summer, and that is because of Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency holdup. Speaking of, Kuminga is one of four key restricted free agents who have yet to make their decisions this offseason, joining Josh Giddey, Cam Thomas, and Quentin Grimes. How will these four situations play out, and will all four young talents return to their current situations with the offseason dying down? Also, plenty of trade rumors appeared this offseason, yet the trade market has gone quiet. Will any of these trade talks reignite as the 2025-26 NBA season begins, especially before the trade deadline in February? From talk about the Warriors to the Lakers to trade scenarios to the possibility of Adam Silver and the NBA announcing expansion in the coming years, here are the burning questions NBA fans submitted on social media for this ClutchPoints' offseason mailbag: Q: Will any restricted free agents accept the qualifying offer? Out of the four restricted free agents remaining (Kuminga, Giddey, Thomas, and Grimes), it seems like Cam Thomas is the most likely of the four to potentially accept his qualifying offer. There are several reasons for this. The Brooklyn Nets are rebuilding, and they constructed almost a third of their roster for the 2025-26 NBA season through the draft. Ben Saraf, Nolan Traore, and Egor Demin are all backcourt talents who represent the future of this franchise. Where does that leave Thomas? Well, as good as Thomas has been when healthy, he's never truly been the focal point in Brooklyn. The belief around the league is that the Nets don't want to keep him as a focal point long-term, which leads to answers about why they don't want to ink him to a three- or four-year contract that is worth upwards of $20 million to $25 million per season — which Thomas and his representation want. The two sides have been very far apart in negotiations, which is why Thomas could opt to take the one-year deal and leave the Nets in unrestricted free agency next year. If it's true that the Nets won't offer him more than the mid-level exception, which is reasonable to believe but I have not heard such, then Thomas should bet on himself since he will be the Nets' leading scorer during the 2025-26 season. Outside of Thomas, it's hard to imagine any of the other three RFAs will take the qualifying offer. Grimes and the Philadelphia 76ers will eventually figure out their situation in the $13 million to $17 million range, and it would shock many if Giddey were playing anywhere else but with the Chicago Bulls during the upcoming year. While Giddey and the Bulls are also far apart in discussions, with the guard wanting to be paid like Jalen Suggs and Immanuel Quickley in the $30 million per season range, they will come to a compromise soon enough. A lot of smoke has been made about Kuminga in the recent week since NBA Summer League, which leads us to our next topic and question at hand. Q: Will Jonathan Kuminga sign soon? A lot of people have asked about Jonathan Kuminga's situation, and there have been a lot of details released from both sides (Kuminga and the Warriors). For all of the latest Kuminga intel, we highly recommend you check out our story from Thursday talking about Golden State's paths moving forward and why the Kuminga stalemate has held up the Dubs' offseason. To keep things short — No, I don't believe we will see a resolution to the Kuminga situation anytime soon. At Summer League, the word was that this would likely drag into August before more details emerge, and sure enough, here we are on the doorstep of the eighth month with no movement on this front. Kuminga wants a new situation. We've reported on this extensively at ClutchPoints, and the 22-year-old has signaled that the role he wants moving forward isn't obtainable with the Warriors. That is why the two sides have searched throughout the NBA for potential sign-and-trade opportunities. At one point, the two sides were hopeful something would happen with the Bulls near the start of free agency. That hope still exists now, but Chicago has yet to signal that they want to bring in Kuminga since they want to sort out Giddey's mess first. The Phoenix Suns have also been mentioned as a suitor for Kuminga, but such a deal would likely take a third team to facilitate contracts, which complicates a potential sign-and-trade even more. The Warriors' worst nightmare would be Kuminga accepting his qualifying offer, which is something he has hinted at, according to ESPN. However, this seems more like an empty threat from Kuminga's camp, as doing so would lock him in with the Warriors on a significantly cheaper contract than he wants, and this would be a huge risk for the young forward since he would be held hostage in a limited role. Whereas Kuminga wants a contract that pays him $30 million per year and could possibly be willing to accept $25 million per season at the minimum, the Dubs have not exceeded an offer in the $20 million to $23 million range. With no sign-and-trade avenues being of interest to Golden State at the moment, the Warriors' offseason hibernation continues. Q: How will Warriors fill out their roster? It isn't a secret to anyone around the league that Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton have deals lined up with the Warriors. This was the word at NBA Summer League, and it makes sense when you consider that both veterans have not signed yet, even though they each received significant interest in free agency. The main reason Horford and Melton, or any other player, have yet to sign with the Warriors is because of Kuminga's holdout. If the Dubs were to agree to multiple contracts right now, they would inch closer to the tax apron and basically take away their ability to match a potential offer sheet that could come in from another team for Kuminga. As a result, Golden State would lose Kuminga for nothing, which isn't something the organization envisions. If, by some chance, Horford decides he no longer wants to wait on the Warriors and he ultimately retires or joins another team, Trey Lyles and Chris Boucher would become backup plans for this team. Until Horford signs, these two are forced to wait in free agency. Golden State is the only team being linked to Horford at this juncture, especially after Summer League. Another name that has gained traction for the Warriors in recent weeks is Seth Curry, Steph's younger brother. While in Las Vegas, we reported how Seth was a name coming up for the Dubs and that the team had interest in him. Now, it appears that interest is mutual, as Anthony Slater of ESPN reported Curry's interest in Golden State on Thursday. Malcolm Brogdon is a name to watch for the Warriors if he's willing to accept a sixth-man-like role on a minimum contract, and there is still mutual interest that exists between the team and Gary Payton II. Until the Kuminga situation gets figured out, Golden State is stuck in a holding pattern and can't carve out the rest of their roster with the free agents available. Q: Can you fill us in on the latest regarding NBA expansion? When Adam Silver spoke to an exclusive group of media members in Las Vegas, which included ClutchPoints, he was excited to inform everyone about the ongoing discussions the NBA held with its Board of Governors about the idea of expansion, especially as it relates to the formation of a new league in Europe. Although the idea of a European-based league is certainly at the forefront of the league office's plans over the next few years, they ARE NOT solely shifting their focus to this. Mark Tatum, the NBA's deputy commissioner, has been overseeing the European league discussions and the project as a whole, which Silver described as a way for the NBA to expand globally. In terms of domestic expansion and the league adding teams, there are still some roadblocks that need to be crossed. Even so, Silver's opening comments raised eyebrows in the room, especially when he mentioned how it feels like Las Vegas already has an NBA team. 'I know I'm going to get questions about expansion. But I feel like we already have the 31st franchise,' Silver said. 'We own two weeks of the calendar here. We are a regular fixture, and we keep coming back for the summer. It feels like we do have an enormous presence in Las Vegas.' 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Q: Are the Lakers done making moves, and what happens with LeBron James? After signing Marcus Smart, it does appear as if the Lakers are locked into their roster for the 2025-26 season. Los Angeles is currently about $1 million below the first apron with 14 of their 15 roster spots filled. Hypothetically speaking, the Lakers could still look to add a veteran free agent remaining on the market, someone like Brogdon or Payton. However, why would either player want to join the Lakers after Smart just signed there? Not to mention, the team would need to move a contract to have enough flexibility under the aprons. This seems like the Lakers' roster entering training camp, and they addressed key needs this offseason — finding a consistent center and addressing their 3-and-D depth on the perimeter. I fully expect Los Angeles to be busy before the 2026 NBA trade deadline, seeing as they have roughly $44 million in expiring contracts, not including LeBron James. Speaking of LeBron, he has been one of the headlines of the NBA offseason. There won't be any buyout involving James, and he won't be traded either. Many have tried to create narratives about the league's all-time leading scorer asking for a trade or something being close with Dallas, but none of this ever happened. Both teams confirmed at Summer League that these conversations were fake. As far as LeBron's future in the NBA, the word that rapidly circulated around the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas was that this could be his final season. We have heard this rumor before, but it is beginning to look a lot more likely. James has been eerily quiet this offseason and is simply enjoying life with his family. Not to mention, he continues to focus a lot of energy and effort on his off-the-court business moves, including partnerships with Amazon and discussing opportunities to form a Las Vegas ownership group. All the stars have aligned for the 2025-26 season to be James' last, especially since he has always talked about playing 23 years in the NBA, which represents both his and Michael Jordan's iconic number. Word from Summer League is that if LeBron is to announce his retirement, he will do so in August. Time will tell what the immediate future holds for James. Q: Which current trade rumors or players being mentioned will be hot topics before the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline? This is an interesting question, because a lot of times, trade talks are situational and not necessarily all-encompassing. What I mean by that is things pop up through a season (injuries, frustrations, coach firings, etc.), and what was discussed during the offseason isn't always readily available in the middle of the year. One name that was brought up in this question was the idea of the Portland Trail Blazers buying out or trading Jrue Holiday. That won't happen, as Holiday is excited for his opportunity in Portland. 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I want to make it very clear that listing these four players is just a matter of opinion and speculation based on where their teams are and the possibility of taking a step back. There is nothing to suggest that these four stars are on the trade block at this time, yet I have a feeling the aggregators will find a way to spin this… Q: Where will Ben Simmons end up? As crazy as it sounds, Ben Simmons is one of those dominoes holding up other players in free agency. Multiple teams have been linked to Simmons this offseason, but one of the teams mentioned as a potential suitor in reports never held interest in him. That would be the Phoenix Suns, who were focused on Marcus Smart before he elected to join the Lakers. Phoenix believed they had a legitimate shot at landing Smart before Luka Doncic coerced him to sign with Los Angeles. The Suns were never seriously pursuing Simmons this offseason. One team that has been pursuing Simmons, and makes a lot of sense given the opportunity to play and try to revive his career, is the Sacramento Kings. After adding Dennis Schroder, the Kings have continued to search the market for another facilitator and ball-handler. Although Russell Westbrook and Brogdon have been mentioned as potential candidates as well, the Kings' interest in Simmons is real. His playmaking abilities as a primary facilitator fit the mold of the player Sacramento needs next to Sabonis. Not to mention, Simmons' rebounding abilities would be valued as well. Boston and New York have also been mentioned as potential suitors. The Celtics just got out of the second apron, and they aren't in the best spot to contend this upcoming season, which would make Simmons' fit questionable. Then again, perhaps this could be a 'tryout year' for Simmons in Boston to see if he would fit in with their long-term plans once Jayson Tatum recovers from his Achilles injury. I wouldn't rule out the Celtics here. Simmons would fit in well with the Knicks, but they have two roster spots to fill and are about $3.7 million from their second apron hard cap. As a result, everything points in the direction of Sacramento, in my opinion. We will see how this plays out. Related: NBA news: CJ McCollum admits new CBA 'is not perfect' Related: 10 NBA players who refused to play for the teams that drafted them, ranked
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Teoscar Hernández's solo home run (16)
Teoscar Hernández belts a solo home run to left field, increasing the Dodgers' lead to 2-0 in the 1st inning
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Tigers to let go of .300 hitter at trade deadline?
The Detroit Tigers are one of the best teams in the major leagues right now, and for very good reason. Great young talent on the team, a World Series champion manager, and one of, if not, the best pitchers in the game today in Tarik Skubal. But an underrated part of Detroit's success is their farm system, and it could help them get some good pickups at the trade deadline, especially second baseman Max Anderson, whom The Athletic predicts will be donning a new jersey come July 31. Anderson, who was selected by the Tigers in the second round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Nebraska, has been stellar with Double-A Erie, currently holding a .314 batting average with 12 long balls and 57 runs batted in during his 79 games played. "Anderson is having a great season, hitting above .300 in Double-A Erie and showing ability to get to his power in games. But his defensive ability is average at best, and with other infielders like Kevin McGonigle, Hao-Yu Lee and Jace Jung in the system, Anderson seems expendable to the Tigers. He could simultaneously be attractive to other teams in a high-priced market," Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic said. With the starting middle infield consisting of players like Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez, two All-Star Game starters from this year, perhaps Detroit can afford to ship off a prime prospect in order to get a slightly shinier diamond in the process as they look to make their way back to the World Series for the first time since 2012.
