Latest news with #Dodgers'
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to Sports: They need to turn it down at Dodger Stadium
As someone who has permanent ringing in the ears (tinnitus) as a result of hearing damage from concerts, I must take exception to how loud the music is played at sporting events these days. Despite quotes from Dodger players and executives stating how 'great' the loudness at Dodger Stadium is, they are putting the paying customers and employees at risk for hearing loss with the excessive volume. Entertaining the fans is one thing, assaulting the delicate instrument that is our ears is quite another. I'm sure they could turn it down to safer decibel levels and everyone will still have a good time. Mark FurcickSan Pedro Dodger Stadium hosts a Military Appreciation Night, a Salvadoran Heritage Night, and a Guatemalan Heritage Night. But we will never see an Autism Spectrum Night. The ear-shattering sound system would cause fans to run from the stadium screaming in pain and terror. I suffer from a condition called hyperacusis, where loud noises can cause ear pain lasting for days or even weeks. It's rare in the general population, but more common among autistic people. I love baseball, and used to love going to Dodger Stadium from the year it opened until 20-something years ago. But now I'd have to wear industrial-strength ear protection. Russell StoneWestchester I used to like bleacher seats but won't sit there again — way too loud right under the sound system. Bob WietingSimi Valley Sure it's 'entertainment.' Sure the players like the enthusiasm. But there are seats located beneath or near speakers that are simply painful to the ears. Richard MelnikerLos Angeles Thanks for the excellent article on loud music at Dodger Stadium, which reminded me of how annoying it was to watch UCLA basketball at Pauley Pavilion last season. Constant painfully loud rap and techno-music, measured at 90 decibels, which according to OSHA, can cause hearing damage from two hours of exposure. As an older alum, I would prefer to hear just the sound of the band playing and the cheers from the crowd. Tony DeRiggiSacramento What genius decided to use position players to pitch in the ninth inning when the team was either way ahead or way behind in a game? It's embarrassing to see lousy pitching, bases loaded, and hitters scoring. Use a regular bullpen pitcher, and spare us, your fans, from flinching. Deborah R. IshidaBeverly Hills Considering his recent outings and record, you'd have to say Clayton Kershaw is now the Dodgers' staff ace. Great story for him, maybe even worthy of comeback player of the year, if he keeps it up. Also more than a bit ironic, given the big money paid to the Dodgers' underwhelming three free agent starters. Kershaw might be barely hitting 90 mph on the radar gun, but he's pitching effectively, and more important, taking his turn in the rotation — which is a noteworthy achievement on this staff. John MerrymanRedondo Beach Ever since he got his vision corrected in April, Max Muncy has been on a hitting tear! Which has me wondering … when can we expect a bobblehead night for his ophthalmologist? Nick RoseNewport Coast Memo to the Los Angeles Dodgers: Find out who Max Muncy's eye doctor is and send the rest of the team to him. Ira M. FriedmanBeverly Hills Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder for winning the NBA title. One thing I noticed about this very young team is how mature and classy they are. They don't make ridiculous gestures like some of the old veteran superstars i.e. 'Night Night,' 'Ice in the Veins,' etc. I hope you veterans can learn something from these young champions. Paul KawaguchiRosemead The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used. Email: sports@
Kyodo News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Imanaga gets win in return from injury, Ohtani hits 28th HR
KYODO NEWS - 23 hours ago - 13:40 | Sports, All Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga picked up his fourth win of the season in his return from a hamstring strain and Shohei Ohtani hit his National League-leading 28th home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Imanaga (4-2) allowed only two baserunners via a single and a walk in five innings of work in the Cubs' 3-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Japanese left-hander struck out three en route to lowering his ERA to 2.54. Michael Busch hit a solo home run in the second inning and scored the Cubs' second run in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Ian Happ. "Working on a limited pitch count, I didn't want to be pulled after something like 4-2/3 innings, so I'm glad I got through five innings," said Imanaga, who missed nearly two months after suffering the left hamstring injury in his May 4 start. "I've realized that leaving a hole in the rotation would put my starting spot in jeopardy, so I need to prepare well for each start." Cubs teammate Seiya Suzuki went hitless in three at-bats. At Coors Field, Ohtani's seventh-inning solo homer capped the scoring in the Dodgers' 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. It was his third home run in four games. Ohtani went 1-for-3 with the RBI. Related coverage: Baseball: Dodgers' Yamamoto, Angels' Kikuchi pitch teams to victories Baseball: Shohei Ohtani hits 300th homer of combined Japan-U.S. career
Los Angeles Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Far from their best, Dodgers find a way to beat Royals and move into MLB wins lead
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dave Roberts has a high bar for his $400 million baseball team. Sure, the Dodgers entered Friday winners of 13 of their 17, tied for the best overall record in baseball, and leading the National League West by six games. Sure, they already have one guaranteed All-Star in Shohei Ohtani, and seven other finalists who advanced to the second stage of fan voting that will begin next week. But, in the eyes of their manager, 'I still just don't believe we're playing our best baseball,' Roberts said Friday afternoon. 'I don't think we've played complete baseball for a stretch.' On Friday night, the Dodgers still weren't at their best. Dustin May managed just four innings in a four-run start. The lineup produced only four total hits. Teoscar Hernández made a defensive blunder in the outfield. And the bullpen danced in and out of trouble down the stretch. But right now, amid this soft portion of the team's schedule, flawed performances have often still been enough. And in Friday's 5-4 win over the badly slumping Kansas City Royals, that once again proved to be the case. For all the Dodgers' shortcomings, they did just enough to compensate in a series opener at Kauffman Stadium. May gave up a run in the first after letting three straight batters reach with two outs … but not before Ohtani opened the scoring with a leadoff blast. Hernández let a hard-hit but very-much-catchable line drive get over his head in right field in the third, fueling a three-run Royals rally that was punctuated by Bobby Witt Jr.'s two-run blast … but that was sandwiched by a two-run Max Muncy homer in the second, and a game-tying triple from Ohtani in the fifth. Mookie Betts eventually put the Dodgers in front one at-bat after Ohtani's triple, singling him home to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead. And though May's high pitch count forced him to exit after early, a worn-down Dodgers bullpen patched together five scoreless frames, escaping their biggest jam in the ninth when closer Tanner Scott induced a game-ending double-play with the bases loaded. It wasn't pretty, but it was still enough to move the Dodgers into sole possession of the best record in the majors at 52-31. That extended stretch of dominance is still eluding them. But for now, they're finding ways to win anyway.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have struggled at the plate lately for the Dodgers
The Dodgers' Freddie Freeman hits an RBI single in the sixth inning of Thursday's game against the Colorado Rockies. It was Freeman's first hit of the series against the Rockies. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press) As the Dodgers completed a sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, it was two of their cornerstone hitters who helped lead the way. In what was then a tie game in the top of the sixth inning, Mookie Betts led off with a double in the gap, Freddie Freeman brought him home with a line drive to right, and the Dodgers took a lead they wouldn't relinquish, completing a three-game sweep that kept them tied for the best record in baseball. Advertisement For much of the last four years, that would've been an unremarkable sequence. Shohei Ohtani might be the most potent hitter in the Dodgers' lineup, but Betts and Freeman have long been the bedrock of their offense; All-Stars in each season they've played in Los Angeles, and MVP candidates more often than not. On Thursday, however, their sixth-inning heroics had a different feel. Because, for the last three weeks, both superstars have been mired in startlingly stark slumps. Read more: Clayton Kershaw moves three strikeouts away from 3,000 as Dodgers finish sweep of Rockies Over Betts' last 17 games, the former MVP is batting .191 with only one home run and eight RBIs — dropping his season-long production to just a shade above league average (he has a 106 OPS+, an all-encompassing stat in which 100 is considered league average). Advertisement Freeman's last 20 games have been even worse, highlighted by a .160 average that marks the lowest of any single-season, 20-game stretch in his entire career — diminishing the stellar numbers he had this year beforehand. Such coinciding struggles haven't triggered any 'long-term concerns,' manager Dave Roberts said this week. Thursday's game provided some long-awaited production, a sigh of relief for two veteran sluggers who don't often need one. But still, the numbers are the numbers. A trip to even hitter-friendly Coors Field failed to fully bring them back to life. And until they rebound, external questions about their bats will linger, while their personal search for answers will carry on. 'I've been frustrated for about six weeks now,' Freeman said recently. Advertisement "If I knew [what was wrong],' Betts echoed this week, 'I promise you I wouldn't keep doing it.' The Dodgers' Mookie Betts remains adamant that playing shortstop is not the reason his numbers are down at the plate this season. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times) It wasn't long ago that both Betts and Freeman were on polar opposite trajectories, surging through most of May and early June on offensive heaters that evaporated their slow (and physically hampered) starts to the campaign. On April 28, Betts was hitting only .230 with an OPS nearly below .700, clearly affected by a stomach virus that drained him over the two weeks leading up to opening day. Then, in a 32-game stretch from April 29-June 7, his typical levels of production suddenly reappeared. He hit .312 with four doubles, four home runs and an .835 OPS. And he did it all while showing defensive mastery of shortstop, quieting a growing narrative that the toll of his new position was curbing his capabilities at the plate. Advertisement 'It's not about shortstop,' Betts said last month. 'Because remember, last year, I was playing pretty well [offensively while] playing at shortstop. I had no idea what I was doing. Now, I'm way more confident in how I show up and prepare each and every day. The shortstop argument can't be it." Given his recent skid, however, such speculation is back. 'I'm gonna hold to no,' Roberts said when asked about the dynamic again this week. 'I think it's a fair debate. But all I can go with is what Mookie is saying, as far as the separation of the hitting to the defense, the comfort level with the defense … So I don't think there's a correlation.' Instead, Roberts pointed to a lack of power as a bigger factor. Betts' .392 slugging percentage thus far is 50 points worse than his previous career-low (which came in his rookie 2014 season). He ranks below league-average in underlying metrics such as exit velocity, hard-hit percentage and bat speed most of all (slipping to the 11th percentile among MLB hitters in that category). Advertisement 'I think it's the lack of hitting the ball on the barrel,' Roberts said. 'He's a guy that knows how to find the barrel. But there's times that he's chasing a little bit more than he usually does. And then there's a lot more pop-ups than typical. So to get power, you gotta find the barrel. That's what we're trying to do.' Freeman has endured even more whiplash amid his rollercoaster season. At the end of May, he was leading the National League with a .374 batting average. He was seemingly compensating for whatever lingering pain remained in the right ankle he had surgically repaired in the offseason, then re-aggravated with a slip in the shower at the end of March. Even at age 35, he appeared primed for a potential career season, well on track for an elusive first batting title. 'He's just been relentless,' Roberts said last month. Advertisement Now, however, one of the game's best hit collectors can't seem to buy a knock most days. His batting average has fallen all the way to .309 entering Friday. Before his Thursday afternoon single, he was 0-for-11 in the Rockies series and one-for-his-last-22 overall. 'I have seen some signs where he's hit some balls hard and hasn't gotten anything to show for it,' Roberts said, searching for positives amid Freeman's highly uncharacteristic slump. 'That's discouraging for him. But I just know he's gonna find his way out of it.' To this point, though, he hasn't, with his usual routine of slump-busting drills — from a net exercise designed to promote an inside-out bat path, to mental cues intended to help him stay back in his swing — having yet to get his mechanics re-aligned. 'I've gone through every cue 16 times over again in the last six weeks,' he said. 'So just waiting for it to click.' Advertisement Though Freeman, who also battled a minor quadriceps injury in recent weeks, still looks hobbled while running the bases and playing defense at times, he insisted the problems aren't injury-related. 'The only pain is the swing,' he said. And despite his best efforts to conceal such frustrations during games, Roberts has noticed the toll his slump has started to take. 'I think he just wants consistency from his swing,' Roberts said. 'Wants to feel right consistently.' Somewhat amazingly, the Dodgers haven't missed a beat even with their superstar pairing clearly out of tune. The team is 13-4 in its last 17 games. The offense has scored six runs per game in that span, half-a-run better than its already MLB-leading season average. Other middle-of-the-order bats — from current NL batting leader Will Smith, to June player of the month candidate Max Muncy and rising second-year star Andy Pages — have helped pick up the slack. Advertisement Read more: Max Muncy gets help from the rain, then hits a grand slam to lead Dodgers past hapless Rockies Ohtani, meanwhile, leads the National League with 28 home runs even while returning to two-way duties. But in the long run, much of the Dodgers' success still figures to run through Betts and Freeman. They are still the two most veteran, experienced producers in a lineup full of All-Star caliber talent. At the very least, Roberts insisted, Thursday offered 'something to build on.' But with the way the last month has gone for each, there remains a lot of work left to do. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Why Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have struggled at the plate lately for the Dodgers
DENVER — As the Dodgers completed a sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, it was two of their cornerstone hitters who helped lead the way. In what was then a tie game in the top of the sixth inning, Mookie Betts led off with a double in the gap, Freddie Freeman brought him home with a line drive to right, and the Dodgers took a lead they wouldn't relinquish, completing a three-game sweep that kept them tied for the best record in baseball. For much of the last four years, that would've been an unremarkable sequence. Shohei Ohtani might be the most potent hitter in the Dodgers' lineup, but Betts and Freeman have long been the bedrock of their offense; All-Stars in each season they've played in Los Angeles, and MVP candidates more often than not. On Thursday, however, their sixth-inning heroics had a different feel. Because, for the last three weeks, both superstars have been mired in startlingly stark slumps. Over Betts' last 17 games, the former MVP is batting .191 with only one home run and eight RBIs — dropping his season-long production to just a shade above league average (he has a 106 OPS+, an all-encompassing stat in which 100 is considered league average). Freeman's last 20 games have been even worse, highlighted by a .160 average that marks the lowest of any single-season, 20-game stretch in his entire career — diminishing the stellar numbers he had this year beforehand. Such coinciding struggles haven't triggered any 'long-term concerns,' manager Dave Roberts said this week. Thursday's game provided some long-awaited production, a sigh of relief for two veteran sluggers who don't often need one. But still, the numbers are the numbers. A trip to even hitter-friendly Coors Field failed to fully bring them back to life. And until they rebound, external questions about their bats will linger, while their personal search for answers will carry on. 'I've been frustrated for about six weeks now,' Freeman said recently. 'If I knew [what was wrong],' Betts echoed this week, 'I promise you I wouldn't keep doing it.' It wasn't long ago that both Betts and Freeman were on polar opposite trajectories, surging through most of May and early June on offensive heaters that evaporated their slow (and physically hampered) starts to the campaign. On April 28, Betts was hitting only .230 with an OPS nearly below .700, clearly affected by a stomach virus that drained him over the two weeks leading up to opening day. Then, in a 32-game stretch from April 29-June 7, his typical levels of production suddenly reappeared. He hit .312 with four doubles, four home runs and an .835 OPS. And he did it all while showing defensive mastery of shortstop, quieting a growing narrative that the toll of his new position was curbing his capabilities at the plate. 'It's not about shortstop,' Betts said last month. 'Because remember, last year, I was playing pretty well [offensively while] playing at shortstop. I had no idea what I was doing. Now, I'm way more confident in how I show up and prepare each and every day. The shortstop argument can't be it.' Given his recent skid, however, such speculation is back. 'I'm gonna hold to no,' Roberts said when asked about the dynamic again this week. 'I think it's a fair debate. But all I can go with is what Mookie is saying, as far as the separation of the hitting to the defense, the comfort level with the defense … So I don't think there's a correlation.' Instead, Roberts pointed to a lack of power as a bigger factor. Betts' .392 slugging percentage thus far is 50 points worse than his previous career-low (which came in his rookie 2014 season). He ranks below league-average in underlying metrics such as exit velocity, hard-hit percentage and bat speed most of all (slipping to the 11th percentile among MLB hitters in that category). 'I think it's the lack of hitting the ball on the barrel,' Roberts said. 'He's a guy that knows how to find the barrel. But there's times that he's chasing a little bit more than he usually does. And then there's a lot more pop-ups than typical. So to get power, you gotta find the barrel. That's what we're trying to do.' Freeman has endured even more whiplash amid his rollercoaster season. At the end of May, he was leading the National League with a .374 batting average. He was seemingly compensating for whatever lingering pain remained in the right ankle he had surgically repaired in the offseason, then re-aggravated with a slip in the shower at the end of March. Even at age 35, he appeared primed for a potential career season, well on track for an elusive first batting title. 'He's just been relentless,' Roberts said last month. Now, however, one of the game's best hit collectors can't seem to buy a knock most days. His batting average has fallen all the way to .309 entering Friday. Before his Thursday afternoon single, he was 0-for-11 in the Rockies series and one-for-his-last-22 overall. 'I have seen some signs where he's hit some balls hard and hasn't gotten anything to show for it,' Roberts said, searching for positives amid Freeman's highly uncharacteristic slump. 'That's discouraging for him. But I just know he's gonna find his way out of it.' To this point, though, he hasn't, with his usual routine of slump-busting drills — from a net exercise designed to promote an inside-out bat path, to mental cues intended to help him stay back in his swing — having yet to get his mechanics re-aligned. 'I've gone through every cue 16 times over again in the last six weeks,' he said. 'So just waiting for it to click.' Though Freeman, who also battled a minor quadriceps injury in recent weeks, still looks hobbled while running the bases and playing defense at times, he insisted the problems aren't injury-related. 'The only pain is the swing,' he said. And despite his best efforts to conceal such frustrations during games, Roberts has noticed the toll his slump has started to take. 'I think he just wants consistency from his swing,' Roberts said. 'Wants to feel right consistently.' Somewhat amazingly, the Dodgers haven't missed a beat even with their superstar pairing clearly out of tune. The team is 13-4 in its last 17 games. The offense has scored six runs per game in that span, half-a-run better than its already MLB-leading season average. Other middle-of-the-order bats — from current NL batting leader Will Smith, to June player of the month candidate Max Muncy and rising second-year star Andy Pages — have helped pick up the slack. Ohtani, meanwhile, leads the National League with 28 home runs even while returning to two-way duties. But in the long run, much of the Dodgers' success still figures to run through Betts and Freeman. They are still the two most veteran, experienced producers in a lineup full of All-Star caliber talent. At the very least, Roberts insisted, Thursday offered 'something to build on.' But with the way the last month has gone for each, there remains a lot of work left to do.
