Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers tried ruining my pun yesterday by having Trea Turner pinch hit late, but I was not going to be denied. The Dodgers also lost another extra inning game, dropping to 1-12 in extras and losing the chance to gain a game on the Giants.
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|---|---|---|---|
| 6:10 PM | Los Angeles | ||
| LF | Upton | 2B | T. Turner |
| 2B | Fletcher | 1B | Muncy (L) |
| SS | Iglesias | RF | Betts |
| 1B | Gosselin | SS | Seager (L) |
| C | Suzuki | 3B | J. Turner |
| RF | Adell | C | Smith |
| CF | Marsh (L) | LF | Taylor |
| P | Barria (R) | CF | Bellinger (L) |
| 3B | Mayfield | P | Urias (L) |
Julio Urias gets his 23rd start of the season for the Dodgers. He’s won an NL-leading 13 games and the Dodgers are 16-6 in games that he starts. He got a bit of run support last time out, as the Dodgers put up 13 on the Diamondbacks on August 1. Urias only needed one run, as he held Arizona scoreless for five innings before being pulled, probably in an effort to save some bullets in an already-lopsided game. He’s allowed only two runs in his last three starts (17 2/3 innings), the first two of which were against the Giants. Urias turned in one of his worst starts of the season against the Angels in Anaheim. He allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings, thanks to a two-dong, four run second inning.
Opposing Urias and hitting eighth for the Angels is Jaime Barria. It’ll be Barria’s fifth Major League appearance and third start of 2021. Barria started the season with a disastrous relief outing in Toronto, where he allowed seven earned runs in two innings. He needed 72 pitches to complete those two innings and had a 31.50 ERA after that outing. It has gone down since then. He was recalled in May and gave the Angels four shutout innings in relief against Cleveland. He’s been in the rotation the last two turns and has been good. He held the Twins to two runs and four hits in seven innings on July 25, and in his last start he threw 6 2/3 shutout against Oakland. He’s not a high-strikeout pitcher, with only seven strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings over his two starts.
The Dodgers have seen Barria once back in 2019. Barria was coming off a start in Seattle where he allowed 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings, so naturally he held the Dodgers to a run and three hits in five innings. Obviously the sample sizes have been limited, but in each of the three Major League season’s Barria had pitched in prior to this year, he threw a slider most often. This season, he’s thrown a four-seam fastball 41.6 percent of the time and his slider only 38 percent of the time. He’s only thrown 19 2/3 innings this year, so the total number of sliders he’s thrown is only 11 less than the number of fastballs.
Turner gets his first start at second base today and he’ll lead off. Mookie Betts was limping around a bit last night, but is back in right field and hitting third. Betts will be getting a scheduled off day tomorrow. Cody Bellinger is back in the lineup against a righty and hitting eighth.
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Another player could be making their Dodger debut today.
Kevin Quackenbush has been called up to give the bullpen a fresh arm as Darien Nunez hits the IL. Quackenbush hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2019, when he allowed 11 runs in 10 games (nine innings) for the Reds. He’s allowed six runs (only two earned) in 29 1/3 innings at Triple A OKC this season.
The Dodgers lost some catching depth today (and then replenished it).
After trading Keibert Ruiz, the Dodgers added Chad Wallach to give them a third 40-man backstop. The Angels claimed him off waivers, so his time with the Dodgers lasted one game at OKC.
Longtime Rockie Tony Wolters was reportedly signed to a minor league deal. The Dodgers will also be getting Tim Federowicz back from the Olympics after the US took home the silver in Tokyo.
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Cole Hamels threw a simulated game today.
Hamels threw an inning today, and the plan is for him to build up to five innings in a simulated game before being activated to the Major League squad.
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First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 PM PDT and will be shown on Sportsnet LA.
