Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After the off day, the Dodgers return tonight to open up a two-game interleague series with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are the only team under .500 in the AL West at 27-41, and their -70 run differential is the sixth-worst in baseball. They just got swept in a four-game weekend series at home against the Astros. The Dodgers just took two of three against the Braves, and have had the best offense in baseball over the last two weeks.
Over the last two weeks, the @Dodgers have had the best offense in baseball.https://t.co/ogZU3UR5Ao
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) June 12, 2018
Seems good.
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Rangers
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Dodgers
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7:10 PM
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Los Angeles
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LF
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Choo |
SS
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Taylor | |
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CF
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DeShields |
2B
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Muncy | |
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RF
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Mazara |
3B
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Turner | |
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3B
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Beltré |
LF
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Kemp | |
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SS
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Profar |
1B
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Bellinger | |
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1B
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Gallo |
C
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Grandal | |
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C
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Chirinos | RF | Puig | |
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2B
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Odor |
CF
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Pederson | |
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P
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Colon (R)
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P
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Ferguson (L)
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Caleb Ferguson returns to make his second career start. Hopefully it goes a bit better than his first. Ferguson made his Major League debut last Wednesday in Pittsburgh and failed to make it out of the second inning. He hit the first batter he faced, but with some help from the defense only faced four batters in the first. Things unravelled after Ferguson also hit the first batter in the second inning. He got a strikeout, but walked the next two batters to load the bases. After another strikeout, Josh Harrison knocked a bases-clearing double. He was pulled after another walk, and Daniel Hudson allowed a fourth run charged to Ferguson. The Dodgers ended up tying the game to get Ferguson a no-decision, but they allowed 11 runs and lost anyways.
Max Muncy makes his first start of the season at second base tonight. He played 159 innings there for the A’s in 2016 and started at second nine times at Triple-A OKC last season. Justin Turner returns after missing the last three games with wrist soreness.
Ferguson was born on July 2, 1996. On April 4, 1997, Bartolo Colon made his Major League debut. Tonight, he starts opposite Ferguson for the Rangers. Colon is in his 21st season and at this point is more of a meme than a productive arm, as he owns a 4.16 ERA/5.26 ERA in 71 innings so far this season. He’s still capable of eating innings, as he’s gone at least six innings in six of his 11 starts this season. Colon is coming off a start against Oakland during which he allowed only two runs and two hits in five innings. Colon hasn’t really been a big strikeout guy during the latter stage of his career and has struck out more than four batters in a game only once this season. His control is still fine, as he’s yet to walk more than two batters in a game. However, he’s allowed four home runs in a game twice already this season.
The most important thing about today’s Ranger lineup is that Colon will bat for the first time this season. Adrian Beltre also returns to Dodger Stadium for the seventh time since being signed away from the Dodgers by the Seattle Mariners, the first time since 2009.
As future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre returns to Dodger Stadium, he talked about growing up as a Dodger, the magic of the 2004 season and what could have been.
“I wanted to stay there forever.” https://t.co/cRUsoFzu6d
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) June 12, 2018
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Ferguson was optioned after his start, so his return needed a DL move. It was the one we didn’t want.
The Dodgers are placing Walker Buehler on the disabled list with a microfracture in his ribs. It’s retroactive three days.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 12, 2018
Walker Buehler has a microfracture in his rib. The Dodgers are reportedly hopeful that he’ll only miss a couple weeks, which could be a blessing in the long run as it’ll keep his innings down.
Nine pitchers on the #Dodgers disabled list:
Clayton Kershaw
Rich Hill
Kenta Maeda
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Julio Urias
Walker Buehler
Dennis Santana
Tom Koehler
Tony Cingrani— Jon Weisman (@jonweisman) June 12, 2018
This tweet will be outdated tomorrow as Kenta Maeda is slated to return, but it’s remarkable that the Dodgers aren’t dead in the water with all of these injuries. Not to mention their third baseman missed the first six weeks of the season and their shortstop is hurt. Muncy, Matt Kemp and Ross Stripling, just like we all predicted in March.
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Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu are both on track.
Both Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu threw off mounds today. The Dodgers are not revealing timelines for either, but they seem to be on track for July returns.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 12, 2018
It’s not much of an update, but it’s good to know they’re still throwing without concerns.
