Short-handed Dodgers may be forced to make roster moves after Astros sweep
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts could do little to counteract Houston Astros left-handers Bennett Sousa and Bryan King in the seventh and eighth innings of Sunday's 5-1 loss.
Three of Roberts' four right-handed hitting reserves — Teoscar Hernandez, Kike Hernandez and switch-hitter Tommy Edman — were unavailable because of minor injuries, which could force the Dodgers to make a roster move to bolster their bench depth before Monday night's series opener at Milwaukee.
That forced left fielder Michael Conforto, second baseman Hyeseong Kim and catcher Dalton Rushing, all lefties, to bat against Sousa and King, who threw scoreless innings to help the Astros sweep a three-game series in Dodger Stadium for the first time since 2008.
'Today, we had one player available, and that was the catcher,' Roberts said, referring to All-Star starter Will Smith, who is healthy but was given the day off. 'That's not a good feeling.'
Teoscar Hernández, who is batting .257 with a .758 OPS, 14 homers and 54 RBIs, fouled a ball off his left foot Saturday night. A scan of the foot was negative, but he was too sore to play Sunday and will be reevaluated on Monday.
Edman, who is batting .239 with a .718 OPS, 10 homers and 38 RBIs, fractured his toe when he fouled a ball off his right foot on Saturday, but Roberts said the utility player should be able to play through the injury.
'It's kind of per his (pain) tolerance,' Roberts said, 'so I don't see an (injured list) situation.'
Kiké Hernández, a utility player who is batting .195 with eight homers and 22 RBIs in 71 games, has been playing with left-elbow discomfort for about a month and seems the most likely of the three to go in the injured list Monday or Tuesday.
'It doesn't affect the defense, but his swing has been compromised — yesterday (Saturday), it came to a head as far as swinging, and so we stayed away from him today (Sunday),' Roberts said. 'So with these three guys, we're trying to figure out where we're at.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
recommended
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Naylor homers as the Diamondbacks beat the Padres 6-3 on Machado's big night
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Josh Naylor hit a two-run homer against his original team and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat San Diego 6-3 on Monday night after Padres slugger Manny Machado got his 2,000th career hit. Machado hit a hard shot off the glove of diving shortstop Geraldo Perdomo leading off the fourth inning and received a standing ovation. Machado, whose milestone hit came off starter Zac Gallen, became the fifth active player and 297th overall to reach 2,000 hits. Machado's third hit of the night was a homer off Kyle Backhus leading off the eighth, his 15th of the season and 357th of his career. The All-Star slugger also had a single in the first. Machado grounded into a game-ending double play against Kevin Ginkel, who earned his second save. Yu Darvish (0-1) made his season debut for the Padres after being sidelined with right elbow inflammation since spring training. He allowed two runs and three hits in 3 2/3 innings, struck out five and walked two. He got a nice ovation when he was lifted. Naylor homered to center field off Yuki Matsui with one out in the fifth and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. aboard on a single. It was his 11th. Naylor made his big league debut with the Padres in 2019 and was traded to Cleveland on Aug. 31, 2020, in the nine-player deal that brought Mike Clevinger to San Diego. Gallen (7-9) pitched six strong innings, holding the Padres to one unearned run and five hits while striking out nine and walking one. He improved to 4-0 in his last five starts against San Diego. Naylor walked leading off the second and scored on All-Star Eugenio Suárez's double that rattled around in the left-field corner. Gurriel's single in the third brought in Corbin Carroll, who hit a leadoff double and advanced on Perdomo's sacrifice bunt. Carroll hit an RBI triple in the eighth and scored on Perdomo's single. Key moment Machado's milestone hit came a day after his 33rd birthday. Key stat Machado is the 12th-youngest player with 2,000 career hits and at least 350 homers. Up next Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (7-4, 3.55 ERA) and Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (9-2, 3.25) are scheduled to start Tuesday night. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Photos show Turkey's youngest oil wrestlers keeping a 14th-century tradition alive
EDIRNE, Turkey (AP) — On a grass field slick with olive oil and steeped in tradition, hundreds of boys as young as 11 joined the ranks of Turkey's most time-honored sporting event: the annual Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Championship. Held every summer in the northwestern city of Edirne, the event is said to date back to the 14th century as a way of keeping the Ottoman Empire's fighting men fit and ready for battle. The sport, which is on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list, sees wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil and try to press their opponent's back to the ground to win the bout. Alongside the men contesting, youngsters also don the iconic 'kispet' leather trousers to embark on a slippery test of strength, skill and stamina under the scorching sun. The boys are ranked in divisions based on age, height and build, with the youngest generally placed in the 'minik,' or tiny, category. Under strict safety regulations, their matches are shorter and closely supervised. Most young wrestlers train year-round at local clubs, often in towns where oil wrestling is passed down through generations. While the youngest competitors aren't wrestling for titles like 'baspehlivan,' the grand champion of the men's matches, their participation is no less significant as it is key to the continuity of a sport that holds deep cultural importance across Turkey. This year's contest – the 664th in its history – saw 36-year-old Orhan Okulu win his third men's title. 'My goal was the golden belt in Kirkpinar and thanks to my God, I succeeded,' Okulu said of the coveted prize.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Photos show Turkey's youngest oil wrestlers keeping a 14th-century tradition alive
EDIRNE, Turkey (AP) — On a grass field slick with olive oil and steeped in tradition, hundreds of boys as young as 11 joined the ranks of Turkey's most time-honored sporting event: the annual Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Championship. Held every summer in the northwestern city of Edirne, the event is said to date back to the 14th century as a way of keeping the Ottoman Empire's fighting men fit and ready for battle. The sport, which is on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list, sees wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil and try to press their opponent's back to the ground to win the bout. Alongside the men contesting, youngsters also don the iconic 'kispet' leather trousers to embark on a slippery test of strength, skill and stamina under the scorching sun. The boys are ranked in divisions based on age, height and build, with the youngest generally placed in the 'minik,' or tiny, category. Under strict safety regulations, their matches are shorter and closely supervised. Most young wrestlers train year-round at local clubs, often in towns where oil wrestling is passed down through generations. While the youngest competitors aren't wrestling for titles like 'baspehlivan,' the grand champion of the men's matches, their participation is no less significant as it is key to the continuity of a sport that holds deep cultural importance across Turkey. This year's contest – the 664th in its history – saw 36-year-old Orhan Okulu win his third men's title. 'My goal was the golden belt in Kirkpinar and thanks to my God, I succeeded,' Okulu said of the coveted prize. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
