Mets @ Dodgers May 28, 2019: Welcome to the bigs, Will Smith

The pitchers’ duel that kinda was and wasn’t last night leads to a matchup between two lefties in Steven Matz and Rich Hill.

	Mets			Dodgers
	7:10 p.m.			Los Angeles
SS	Rosario		CF	Hernandez
LF	Davis		3B	Turner
RF	Conforto		1B	Freese
1B	Alonso		RF	Bellinger
C	Ramos		LF	Taylor
3B	Frazier		2B	Muncy
CF	Gomez		SS	Seager
2B	Hechavarria		C	Smith
P	Matz (L)		P	Hill (L)

With a lefty on the mound, we won’t see guys like Joc Pederson and Alex Verdugo to start this game, but I’m sure they’ll be in at some point.

But the talk of the Dodgers, the National League and baseball, really, has been Cody Bellinger. He is playing at a different level this season, and he’s getting some notice.

Cody Bellinger now has 19 home runs and 7 outfield assists this season.

The last player to reach those totals through 52 games in a season: Babe Ruth in 1932. https://t.co/07781TUd3g

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 28, 2019

Babe Ruth, eh? I’d say that’s pretty good company.

But tonight’s biggest storyline is the debut of Dodgers’ prospect Will Smith. He was promoted to the MLB roster yesterday and is making his MLB debut tonight. Just last week I wrote that his improvement at the plate could force the Dodgers to bring him up sooner than most expected. Austin Barnes‘ groin injury sped up that timeline, even from what I might have expected.

What you’re going to get is a plus-defensive catcher who has a strong arm, is a good receiver/framer and could be the Dodgers’ future behind the plate. He doesn’t do anything at an elite level presently, but he projects to be an above-average catcher who has good bat control, decent strike zone judgment and good pop.

——

Here’s a little news:

Dave Roberts said reliever Tony Cingrani is having his shoulder re-evaluated. Cingrani is at Dodger Stadium today after his rehab assignment was cut short because of recurring discomfort.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) May 28, 2019

Tony Cingrani‘s rehab from a sore shoulder hasn’t gone particularly well. At this point, it might be best for the Dodgers to not expect much from him this season. They’ll surely grab a left-handed reliever or two before the July 31 trade deadline.

Dave Roberts said closer Kenley Jansen is available tonight after needing only 19 pitches for his five-out save on Monday night.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) May 28, 2019

Nineteen pitches to get five outs is pretty efficient. Here’s hoping the Dodgers score enough runs tonight so that they won’t have to use Jansen.