Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers (74-51) continued their abysmal stretch, dropping three of four against the Brewers capped off with a 6-2 loss in the finale. The offense put up eight runs in the four games against Milwaukee, and while the starting pitching was mostly fine, with each of the four starters going six innings and combining to allow nine runs in 24 innings. The bullpen struggles continued and the defense continued their sloppy play, culminating in Kyle Tucker dropping a fly ball and two Tommy Edman errors leading to three of the six Brewer runs yesterday.
Despite how ass they’ve been for like six weeks, the Dodgers still have the fourth-best record in baseball, the largest run differential in baseball (+136, tied with Milwaukee) and the second-biggest division lead in baseball (seven up on San Diego). Today, they begin a three-game set with the last place Rockies (50-74). The Rockies have the third-worst record and the second-worst run differential (-113) in baseball. They have won two consecutive series, taking two of three against Arizona last week and two of three over the Giants over the weekend. They sold a couple bullpen pieces at the deadline, moving Antonio Senzatela to the Brewers and Victor Vodnik to Miami.
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| 5:40 P.M. | Denver | ||
| DH | Ohtani (L) | LF | McCarthy (L) |
| 1B | Freeman (L) | CF | Carrigg (S) |
| CF | Pages | C | Goodman |
| 3B | Muncy (L) | 3B | Castro (S) |
| SS | Betts | 1B | Rumfield (L) |
| RF | Tucker | RF | Beck |
| 2B | Edman (S) | 2B | Norby |
| LF | T. Hernández | SS | Tovar |
| C | Feduccia (L) | DH | Amador (S) |
| P | Snell (L) | P | Sugano (R) |
Blake Snell gets his second start off the IL. He was fantastic in his return against the Royals on Tuesday, allowing one run and three hits over six innings with 10 strikeouts and only one walk. He ended up with a no-decision as Evan Phillips gave up three runs in the eighth, but the Dodgers walked it off on a Max Muncy single in extras. Snell has pitched at Coors six times in his career with some very mixed results. Snell’s seventh career start came at Coors back in 2016 and he threw six one-hit innings, issuing three walks but striking out nine. He didn’t pitch at Coors again until he was a Padre in 2021, where he pitched there twice. He needed 84 pitches to get through four innings in his first Coors start that season, allowing two runs on three walks and five hits with seven strikeouts. He then turned in one of his worst starts of the season about a month later at Coors, giving up seven runs on nine hits and two walks with only one strikeout in 3 1/3 innings. He pitched twice at Coors in 2022 as well and combined to allow nine earned runs (one unearned) on nine hits in 8 1/3 innings with 10 walks and 10 strikeouts. His last Coors game came in 2023 and he dominated, giving up a run on three hits over seven innings with no walks and 12 strikeouts.
Tomoyuki Sugano makes his 22nd start of the season tonight. The 36-year-old has been the Rockies’ best starter this season, with a team-leading 4.43 ERA in 113 2/3 innings. The Rockies, who are 24 games under .500, are 14-7 when Sugano pitches and are 8-2 in his 10 starts since the beginning of June. Sugano missed a couple weeks in July with some back spasms and has been pretty good since returning, allowing 11 runs in 29 1/3 innings over his last five starts. Sugano’s been charged with five losses this season and two of those have come in his two starts against the Dodgers. The Dodgers handed Sugano his first loss of the season on April 17 in Colorado, as they put up five runs on nine hits in four innings off Sugano in a 7-1 win. They scored in each of Sugano’s four innings and Muncy took him deep to start the second inning. Sugano also took the loss in LA on May 27, giving up three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman each took Sugano deep in the first inning and Alex Call added a RBI single in the fourth. Home runs have been the main issue for Sugano. He’s allowed 24 in 21 starts and has allowed at least one in each of his last nine outings (and in 16 of his 21 starts altogether).
Among pitchers with 110+ innings pitched Sugano has the 12th-best walk rate in baseball, walking only 5.5 percent of batters. That’s about where his Baseball Savant red ends, as he’s in the bottom-10th percentile in xERA (6.93), xBA (.309), average exit velocity (90.7 MPH), whiff rate (18.2 percent), strikeout rate (13.9 percent) and barrel rate (13.7 percent). He throws seven different pitch types leading with a splitter (21.5 percent) and fastball (20.5 percent). He also throws a sinker (19.5 percent), cutter (11.4 percent), sweeper (10.7 percent), slider (9.7 percent) and curve (6.8 percent).
Hunter Feduccia starts behind the plate, but other than that no changes to the lineup today. Clearly they didn’t read Dustin’s case for Josue De Paula, but you valued reader don’t have to make the same mistake.
Dodgers should consider promoting top prospect Josue De Paula for stretch run https://t.co/X75qO78Eeb
— Dodgers Digest (@DodgersDigest) August 17, 2026
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Will Smith could begin a rehab assignment next week.
Dave Roberts said if all goes well with Will Smith rehab at Dodger Stadium #Dodgers will send him out on rehab assignment next week.
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) August 17, 2026
Smith is still working through some things in LA, but if all goes well he could go off on a rehab assignment next week. P good September call-up.
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First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 PM PT and will be on SportsNet LA.
