Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers looked dead in the water last night after Walker Buehler allowed six runs in the first two innings and seven total in his four innings of work. The Dodgers were down 9-4 headed into the ninth and the bottom of the order rallied until Jason Heyward killed the rally with a grand slam. Shohei Ohtani singled to start a new rally, and then all the weirdness happened. Will Smith was rung up on a strike three after not being granted time, Freddie Freeman was intentionally walked and Teoscar Hernandez checked a swing (allegedly) to avoid a game-ending strikeout. The next Victor Vodnik pitch was right down the pipe and Hernandez hit it out to complete the seven-run inning. It was another controversial check swing against an NL West opponent, and while this one (likely) won’t have much impact of the postseason we should all remember this when the Dodgers edge out the Rockies in game 163. The Dodgers look to carry the seven-run inning into tonight’s game as they get a starter back from the IL.
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| 5:40 P.M. | Denver | ||
| DH | Ohtani (L) | CF | Doyle |
| 1B | Freeman (L) | LF | Jones (L) |
| LF | T. Hernández | SS | Tovar |
| CF | Pages | 3B | McMahon (L) |
| RF | Heyward (L) | C | Stallings |
| 2B | Lux (L) | 1B | Togila (S) |
| 3B | Biggio (L) | RF | Cave (L) |
| SS | K. Hernández | DH | Montero |
| C | Barnes | 2B | Amador (S) |
| P | Miller (R) | P | Feltner (R) |
Bobby Miller returns from the IL to make his fourth start of the season. Miller’s first start of the season was phenomenal. He started the second game in LA against St. Louis and allowed two singles and a walk over six shutout innings while striking out 11. As good as that start was, he followed it up with a terrible start in Chicago. He struck out the side in the first inning, but failed to get out of the second after he allowed a homer, two singles, two walks and a double before being pulled with two outs. Miller only lasted four innings in his third start in Minnesota and only allowed two runs, but allowed five hits and three walks in another outing where he didn’t look like himself. A couple days later he was placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation and was shelved until May 26, when he made his first rehab start. He made four total rehab starts and the results weren’t really there. He allowed 13 earned runs in 15 innings over four starts and only struck out 10 with eight walks. He failed to complete five innings in any of his starts, but did build up to 93 pitches in his last outing last Thursday. Miller made one start at Coors last season and allowed two runs and seven hits over seven innings. He cruised through the first four innings before allowing a leadoff homer to Elehuris Montero in the fifth. He struck out the next three batters in the fifth, but allowed a double and RBI single in the sixth. He finished off the seventh on his 91st pitch before giving way to the bullpen.
Ryan Feltner makes his 15th start of the season for the Rockies. Feltner started the season off solidly enough, with a 3.38 ERA over his first three starts. However, that was the last time his ERA was under 5. Feltner’s allowed 42 earned runs (48 total runs) over his last 59 2/3 innings and hasn’t recorded a win since that third start of the season. Some of that wasn’t exactly his fault. His best start of the season came in Oakland on May 23, where Feltner held the A’s scoreless over six innings and left with a 4-0 lead. Colorado went on to allow runs in the next five innings and despite taking a 9-5 lead in the top of the 11th, they managed to lose on a walk-off walk after intentionally walking the bases loaded. How the hell was last night not the most demoralizing Rockies loss of the season. Feltner’s allowed five or more earned runs in a game five times this season and allowed a season-high three homers in his last start against the Pirates.
Felner’s faced the Dodgers four times in his career. He’s allowed 12 runs and 17 hits in 17 innings with most of that damage coming last season. In 2022, Feltner made one start and one relief appearance against LA and allowed two runs in 9 1/3 innings. Feltner’s first and last starts of 2023 came against the Dodgers and he allowed five runs in both of them. In LA, he allowed five runs and walked five batters in 4 2/3 innings. In Colorado, he only issued one walk but allowed five on six hits in only three innings of work. Feltner is primarily a fastball/slider pitcher. He’s averaged a career-high 95 mph on his fastball this season and has thrown it 35.4 percent of the time. He’s thrown a slider 30.1 percent, changeup 14.5, sinker 12.3 percent and curve 7.3 percent of the time (and has thrown two pitches registered as sweepers on Savant.
Smith sits tonight, so almost everyone else moves up a spot in the order. Enrique Hernandez gets the start at short over Miguel Rojas with a righty on the mound, and Austin Barnes starts behind the plate and hits ninth. For the Rockies, Charlie Blackmon is out of the lineup after leaving last night’s game with a hamstring injury.
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Remember how like a week ago we were all talking about a six-man rotation. Miller is back, but another Dodger starter hit the IL.
#Dodgers Walker Buehler will be placed on the IL. He took a liner off of his hip yesterday, so Dave Roberts said this time will allow his body to heal and work through a few things regarding his pitching.
— Kirsten Watson (@kirsten_watson) June 19, 2024
Buehler reportedly had some hip discomfort heading into yesterday’s start, so this feels like a logical move. It’ll also allow him to potentially have another rehab assignment and work out the struggles in the minors.
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First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 PM PT and will be shown on SportsNet LA.
