Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers (48-27) took care of business on Wednesday with another comeback victory thanks to a sixth-inning game-winning Freddie Freeman homer. The Dodgers swept the Rays with each of the three games being decided by one run, thanks to a bullpen that combined to allow seven baserunners in nine innings (with three of those coming when Alex Vesia walked the bases loaded in the ninth on Wednesday). It was a strong series win against one of the best teams in the AL, and the Dodgers continue their AL East homestand with three against Baltimore. The Orioles (35-41) are in fourth in the AL East and their 13-22 record on the road is the fifth-worst in baseball. They’re only 4-8 in the last 12 games and dropped two of three in Seattle to kick off this west coast road trip. The Orioles only scored one run in the two games they lost, but their pitching did keep them in striking distance allowing three runs in each of the three games. That’s an improvement for a team that’s pretty middle-of-the-pack offensively, but has the eighth-worst team ERA in baseball (4.55). Kind of amazingly, the Oriole starters have a 4.55 ERA and the relievers have a 4.56. Sunday’s expected starter Brandon Young is the only Oriole starter with a sub-4.00 ERA and with a winning record. Yennier Cano (2.16 ERA in 25 innings) and Rico Garcia (1.76 ERA in 30 2/3 innings) have been stars in their bullpen.
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| 7:10 P.M. | Los Angeles | ||
| DH | Ward | RF | Tucker (L) |
| SS | Henderson (L) | CF | Pages |
| 1B | Alonso | 1B | Freeman (L) |
| C | Basallo (L) | SS | Betts |
| RF | Tavares (S) | 3B | Muncy (L) |
| CF | Cowser (L) | LF | Edman (S) |
| 3B | Mayo | DH | Ward (L) |
| 2B | Holliday (L) | C | Rushing (L) |
| LF | Jackson | 2B | Freeland (S) |
| P | Gibson (R) | P | Sasaki (L) |
Roki Sasaki gets the ball coming off his worst start of the season in Chicago. Sasaki allowed a baserunner in each of the first four innings of the game, giving up only a first inning solo homer before things fell all the way apart in the fifth. Things reverted way back to early-season Sasaki, as he began the inning allowing three runs on three walks, two singles and a double while only recording one out before being pulled. Dave Roberts chose to go to Blake Treinen in relief with the bases loaded and one out, and he allowed an RBI single and a bases clearing triple to put six runs in the inning on Sasaki’s line. Sasaki did get snakebitten a bit by the BABIP gods in that inning as the singles came on 75.1 and 84.9 MPH exit velocities, but he fell back into his habit of noncompetitive pitches and really just fell apart in that inning. Sasaki had allowed seven runs in five starts coming into last Friday’s game, so hopefully that’s more of a blip in an otherwise solid season for Sasaki.
Rookie Trey Gibson makes his fifth start and sixth overall appearance for the Orioles this season. It’s been a rough start to his career, with a 5.91 ERA/6.37 FIP in 21 1/3 innings and more walks (13) than strikeouts (12) this season. Gibson entered the season as the Orioles’ fourth-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline, but he’s had a rough go in the Majors. He did start the season solidly in AAA, with a 3.55 ERA in 38 innings over nine starts before being called up in early May. Gibson made his Major League debut in New York against the Yankees and actually fared decently well, allowing three runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed a run in two innings of relief four days later against the A’s before being demoted, but came back up in late May. He started his second stint with a strange start against Tampa where he held them to six hits and one run over 5 2/3 innings, but struck out only one and walked four batters. He followed that up allowing three runs in 4 2/3 innings against Seattle and set a season high with seven strikeouts in his last start against the Padres, but allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings. Gibson only allowed three hits against the Padres, but two of them were first-inning home runs and he issued five walks, two of them coming before the homers.
Gibson leads with a sinker, throwing it 31.2 percent of the time. He’s also thrown a cutter (21.7), slider (16.7), curve (15.1), four-seamer (13.8) and sweeper (1.6). It’s obviously been a tiny sample size, but Gibson’s 54.3 percent ground ball rate is the 39th-highest among 412 pitchers with at least 50 batted balls against. Batters are only hitting .160 against his sinker (4-for-25) and each of the four hits off it have been singles. Gibson primarily throws that sinker to righties and attacks lefties with a cutter, but batters are 6-for-15 off the cutter. He’s allowed a .740 OPS against righties but lefties are OPSing .845 off him.
A very delayed Dodger lineup today with Shohei Ohtani away on paternity. He seemingly isn’t officially being placed on the paternity list and the Dodgers’ tweet said he’ll likely return this weekend.
Shohei Ohtani is away from the team on paternity. He is expected to be back at some point this weekend.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 20, 2026
Kyle Tucker moves up to the leadoff spot and Tommy Edman gets the start in left with Ryan Ward serving as the DH. For the Orioles, Adley Rutschman is out of the lineup after getting hit in the ear on a throw to first base in the ninth inning in Seattle yesterday.
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Lots of injury updates today regarding Will Smith, Edwin Diaz, Teoscar Hernandez, Brock Stewart, Blake Snell and Evan Phillips.
Dodgers injury updates, ready set go:
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) June 19, 2026
Will Smith (neck) received an injection, won’t be active this series, TBD if he’ll travel on the upcoming road trip.
Edwin Díaz threw a 15-pitch (all FBs) bullpen at Dodger Stadium, his first post-surgery. Sat 91-93, all encouraging things.
Smith got a neck injection and definitely won’t be back this weekend. He might also not travel on the upcoming nine-game road trip, which again as a reminder they didn’t IL him for like four days when this neck issue started. Diaz threw his first bullpen after a loose body elbow surgery, and Snell is expected to throw one soon. Teo’s still on track to begin his rehab assignment next week. Stewart and Phillips are both pitching in rehab games and Stewart seems close to returning. Stewart’s thrown three innings in his rehab and Phillips has thrown six, but Phillips is farther away from returning after having Tommy John surgery last June.
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First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM PT and will be on SportsNet LA.
