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10 hours ago
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Bullpen sinks slumping Dodgers again in loss to Twins
They missed high, wide and, in one of the most confounding plays you'll see on a major league diamond, even on a relatively routine throw to first base. The Dodgers know this isn't the bullpen they expected to have at the moment. They have been resigned to playing the long game, trying to weather key injuries and extended absences with a revolving door of minor-league call-ups. But in a 10-7 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night, even they couldn't have foreseen the shockingly sloppy pitching that doomed them late. In the sixth and seventh innings at Dodger Stadium, the Twins scored six runs without hardly even needing to swing. Over the two innings, Minnesota managed only two hits. But on a night that one Dodger reliever after the next struggled to find the strike zone, a parade of walks kept them circling around the bases, turning what had been a tie score into one of the Dodgers' most dismal defeats of the season. The nightmare started with Ben Casparius, who replaced Yoshinobu Yamamoto after a laborious five-inning, three-run (one earned) start. Right away, Casparius' command looked off. He walked one batter on five pitches, then another after a Ty France double to load the bases. Up next came Royce Lewis, who took a first-pitch cutter inside before watching each of Casparius' next three throws sail well above the zone. It was a four-pitch walk that forced in a go-ahead run. And as Lewis trotted to first, Casparius grabbed at his right leg and called for a trainer. That would be the end of his outing — the team later said he had a calf cramp — but only the start of the Dodgers' bullpen meltdown. Read more: Dodgers put Tanner Scott on IL, but hopeful he returns this season Alexis Diaz, the former All-Star Cincinnati Reds closer who was making his first appearance for the Dodgers since being acquired in a minor-league trade earlier this season, couldn't escape the jam he inherited unscathed. Harrison Bader drove in a run on a swinging bunt up the third base line. Christian Vázquez added another with an RBI single to left. And though the Dodgers answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, trimming the deficit to 6-5 on a two-run Hyeseong Kim single, the pitching staff made sure the momentum didn't last. In the seventh, hard-throwing right-hander Will Klein took over, but succumbed to the same fate as Casparius. After striking out Willi Castro, he walked each of his next three batters on pitches that drifted progressively farther from the plate. The final indignity belonged to Edgardo Henriquez, who marked his return to the majors with a comical bit of pitchers' fielding practice. After starting Lewis, his first batter, with a wild cutter that sent catcher Will Smith sprawling behind the plate, Henriquez executed a better one on the outside corner to induce an excuse-me swing. The only problem: The ball went trickling back toward Henriquez in front of the mound, where he first bobbled it, then made an ill-advised decision to try and compensate with a rocket of a throw to first base. It missed — horrendously — zipping past Freddie Freeman and rolling all the way to the wall in right field while all three baserunners came around to score. Most of the crowd groaned. Others, surely, couldn't help but quietly laugh in pitiful misery. Read more: Hernández: 'Still a threat.' Why Shohei Ohtani needs to remain a two-player for Dodgers In what is shaping up to be one of the Dodgers' worst single-month performances in years (they are now 6-11 in July, and have dropped four of five since the All-Star break), this was a new nadir. Granted, the Dodgers (59-43) disappointed in myriad other ways Tuesday. There was the three-run rally they gifted the Twins (49-52) in the second inning, when Miguel Rojas misplayed a grounder at third base and Yamamoto hung a two-strike splitter that Vázquez belted for a two-run double. There were squandered opportunities from what remains an out-of-sync offense, which got an early three-run home run from Andy Pages and a garbage-time two-run home run from Shohei Ohtani (his fourth-straight game going deep), but also hit into three rally-killing double plays. Still, nothing stood out more than the woeful relief pitching, where a unit currently without half a dozen important pieces (including, most recently, Tanner Scott, who went on the injured list pregame with what the Dodgers hope isn't a season-ending elbow injury) came unraveled trying to lean on unreliable replacements. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers star defends Astros cheating conspiracy
Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher turned broadcaster Orel Hershiser almost made history repeat itself Friday night as the Houston Astros took on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a rematch of the 2017 World Series. Of course, we are all aware of the Astros cheating scandal that came about during that World Series, which they won, and in the coming years as well. Advertisement However, nearly a decade after the original actions, Hershiser made a comment in the press box during the Astros 18-1 slaughtering of the Boys in Blue Friday night that the Astros hitters were "swinging at these breaking balls like they knew what was coming," a clear mention to the scandal. However, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy cleared things up on the matter Tuesday, and actually thought the opposite, that Dodgers rookie pitcher Ben Casparius may have actually been tipping his pitches to the hitters, allowing them to know what was coming up. "Do I think they knew it was coming? Yes, I do. Do I think they were cheating to get there? No, I think that they had a tip on the pitcher and that's on us to clean that up," Muncy said on the Foul Territory podcast with Erik Kratz and A.J. Pierzynski. "That's not cheating, that's part of the game. Good teams are going to do that." Muncy, who was in the Dodgers' Triple-A team in the infamous year that they faced Houston in the World Series, even credited his own team with the ability to read signs from pitchers. Advertisement "It's one of those things where you just always have to careful about what you're doing out there, you don't want to give away anything to the other team. That's something we've taken advantage of a lot of times. You have to find a way to clean that up. It's not cheating, it's just a part of the game." Unfortunately for Muncy and the Dodgers, he was recently sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee after colliding with a runner earlier in the month, sidelining him for at least the next month and a half, and the Dodgers would go on to get swept in the three-game series that they hosted the 2017 and 2022 World Series champions.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers' Dave Roberts Calls on Team to 'Flush' Worst Loss in Franchise History
Dodgers' Dave Roberts Calls on Team to 'Flush' Worst Loss in Franchise History originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers got clobbered by the Houston Astros, 18-1, on July 4th. It tied the worst loss in franchise history, and was the worst loss by the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in franchise history. Advertisement Amid such a loss, in a piece from ESPN, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts commented on the loss and what his team needs to do going forward. "That was one you want to flush as soon as possible," Roberts said. "I don't think there were many positives from this night." It's a very candid response to the Dodgers getting blown out, but the team does need to move past this loss and regroup for the remaining two games of the series against the Astros. Before Noah Davis came in and allowed ten runs in the sixth inning, the game was already almost out of reach. It was 7-1, thanks in large part to Ben Casparius struggling to start the game. Advertisement Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) talks with the media before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Aiken-Imagn Images "I don't think Ben was good tonight," Roberts said. "It seemed like they were on everything he threw up there." While a blunt assessment of Casparius's performance, it isn't wrong. He struggled in his start, which began on a first-pitch, leadoff home run to Isaac Paredes. Casparius allowed six earned runs on nine hits in three innings of work. He was on the hook for the loss, but Davis's sixth-inning disaster certainly didn't help spark a potential comeback. The 18-1 loss was tied for the worst home loss in franchise history, and also was the worst home loss the Dodgers ever suffered after moving into Dodger Stadium. Advertisement But, as Roberts said, the team needs to flush this loss and put it behind them. They're still in first place in baseball and have a strong lead in the NL West. It's only one game, and while it was disastrous, it's far from season-altering. Related: Dodgers' Max Muncy Shares Positive News Amid Injury Scare Related: Dodgers Trade Deadline Plans Revealed Amid Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow News This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
CNN
05-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Los Angeles suffers worst ever loss at Dodger Stadium as Houston Astros win 18-1
The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their worst ever loss at Dodger Stadium on Friday night as they were routed 18-1 by the Houston Astros. The last time the Dodgers lost by 17 runs at home was July 3, 1947, when Brooklyn, where the franchise was based until 1958, was on the end of a 19-2 blowout win by the New York Giants at Ebbets Field, according to ESPN. 'That was one you want to flush as soon as possible,' said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after Friday's game, the first of a three-game series between two division leaders. 'I don't think there were many positives from this night.' Jose Altuve exploded for the Astros, with three hits – two of which were home runs – two walks, four runs and five RBIs. The Venezuelan was booed incessantly by the crowd at Dodger Stadium having been part of the Houston team which beat Los Angeles in the 2017 World Series, after which it emerged that the Astros had been stealing signs. Dodgers starter Ben Casparius struggled in his three innings on the mound, allowing six runs on nine hits, three of them homers. 'I don't think Ben was good tonight. It seemed like they were on everything he threw up there,' said Roberts. 'At the end of the day, he's got to execute better. There might have been 60 throws tonight, and probably only a handful executed where he wanted them to be.' The night got off to the worse possible start for the Dodgers when Isaac Paredes went deep on the very first pitch, but it wasn't until the sixth inning that things got out of hand. The Astros scored 10 runs in that inning, seven of which came of Victor Caratini's grand slam and Altuve's three-run home run, representing the most runs given up in a single inning by the Dodgers this century, per AP. Los Angeles allowed 11 in the third inning of a 12-5 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals in April 1999. Will Smith's solo shot in the second inning was the only time the Dodgers got on the board on Friday. Elsewhere in MLB, it was a different story for the Chicago Cubs, who hit a franchise record eight home runs – three of which were by Michael Busch – in an 11-3 victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. In Seattle, Cal Raleigh continued his impressive hot streak with two more home runs in the Mariners' 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, to take his total for the season to 35 – tying Ken Griffey Jr.'s franchise record for homers before the All-Star break.
CNN
05-07-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Los Angeles suffers worst ever loss at Dodger Stadium as Houston Astros win 18-1
The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their worst ever loss at Dodger Stadium on Friday night as they were routed 18-1 by the Houston Astros. The last time the Dodgers lost by 17 runs at home was July 3, 1947, when Brooklyn, where the franchise was based until 1958, was on the end of a 19-2 blowout win by the New York Giants at Ebbets Field, according to ESPN. 'That was one you want to flush as soon as possible,' said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after Friday's game, the first of a three-game series between two division leaders. 'I don't think there were many positives from this night.' Jose Altuve exploded for the Astros, with three hits – two of which were home runs – two walks, four runs and five RBIs. The Venezuelan was booed incessantly by the crowd at Dodger Stadium having been part of the Houston team which beat Los Angeles in the 2017 World Series, after which it emerged that the Astros had been stealing signs. Dodgers starter Ben Casparius struggled in his three innings on the mound, allowing six runs on nine hits, three of them homers. 'I don't think Ben was good tonight. It seemed like they were on everything he threw up there,' said Roberts. 'At the end of the day, he's got to execute better. There might have been 60 throws tonight, and probably only a handful executed where he wanted them to be.' The night got off to the worse possible start for the Dodgers when Isaac Paredes went deep on the very first pitch, but it wasn't until the sixth inning that things got out of hand. The Astros scored 10 runs in that inning, seven of which came of Victor Caratini's grand slam and Altuve's three-run home run, representing the most runs given up in a single inning by the Dodgers this century, per AP. Los Angeles allowed 11 in the third inning of a 12-5 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals in April 1999. Will Smith's solo shot in the second inning was the only time the Dodgers got on the board on Friday. Elsewhere in MLB, it was a different story for the Chicago Cubs, who hit a franchise record eight home runs – three of which were by Michael Busch – in an 11-3 victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. In Seattle, Cal Raleigh continued his impressive hot streak with two more home runs in the Mariners' 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, to take his total for the season to 35 – tying Ken Griffey Jr.'s franchise record for homers before the All-Star break.
