Athletics @ Dodgers July 29, 2015: The Game No One Wants

I know you all want to talk about the Mat Latos trade that was until it wasn’t and may be yet again, but… okay, fine, we will. Latos is in the Marlins dugout tonight, but most reports indicate that the deal will get done, except now Ken Rosenthal is saying that the Braves are the third team, but they don’t really have any need at all for Michael Morse either, but Joel Sherman said “significant players are involved.” And then:

#Braves lefty Alex Wood would go to #Dodgers if three-team deal with #Marlins is completed, sources tell me and @jonmorosi.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2015

Alex Wood! For real? Not unless the Dodgers are also sending something of value directly to Atlanta in addition to what they’re giving Miami, let’s be clear, but Rosenthal also says reliever Jim Johnson would be included. Wood is only 24, and has a career 3.10 FIP, and has four seasons of team control after this one. There has to be more than this. Do they keep him? Do they flip him for David Price or Cole Hamels? What’s the Atlanta motivation? What about Jose Peraza? They’re clearing getting something to do this.

Anyway, there’s actually a game tonight, the end of a brief two-game series against Oakland, and can we just cancel this? It’s getting in the way. I don’t want this game. I want to talk about this trade.

At least you get to take your mind off the confusion by watching Clayton Kershaw, and… oh. Great. Kershaw has been scratched with a sore hip, though it’s not apparently serious, and he’ll instead face the Angels on Friday. (Zack Greinke goes Saturday. Sunday is TBD, but it’s not hard to expect it’ll be Latos.)

Instead, Mike Bolsinger will go. With a relatively rested pen after Monday’s day off and another day off tomorrow, it’s not actually the worst time for a pitcher who doesn’t always go deep into games. It’s an interesting lineup, though. Joc Pederson gets dropped down to seventh, which makes sense, as he’s been struggling terribly lately. That said, moving Jimmy Rollins back to the top doesn’t really seem to be a big improvement. Of course, you’re not looking at that. You’re realizing that Alex Guerrero really is starting at third base for the first time in months, since Justin Turner is still out with that leg infection.

I know I said this last night, but because tomorrow’s an off day and Friday’s a night game, this is really it before the deadline. The next time the Dodgers play, Latos is probably in blue. Morse probably isn’t. At least two other players probably are. Things are about to get weird.

First things first, though. Bolsinger! Jesse Chavez! Yasiel Puig bobblehead night! It’s Wednesday night baseball from Dodger Stadium!