Supervisor Dave Roberts continued to present Michael Conforto his probabilities on the plate.
The previous Big was pegged to do what he’s executed his complete profession: hit with energy. As a substitute, he’s struck out 41 instances and hits a whopping .153, comfortably backside of the barrel within the Dodgers lineup.
For Chris Taylor, begins are few and much between. The Dodgers have now performed 42 video games. Taylor has solely performed in 26 and began in six.
The tremendous utilityman performed a job in eight Dodgers postseasons, bursting onto the scene within the 2017 NL pennant-winning run. He grew to become a fan favourite, his typically monotone cadence differentiating himself from his teammates. However since signing his four-year, $60-million contract earlier than the 2022 season, Taylor has been extra of a non-factor than an element at Dodger Stadium. He’s tallied simply 1.7 WAR (in keeping with Baseball Reference) since placing pen to paper.
On Tuesday, Conforto and Taylor have been the bottom-of-the-order X-factors towards southpaw Jeffrey Springs and the Athletics. Taylor and Conforto mixed for 4 extra-base hits (of eight hits) after combining for eight getting into the sport. Conforto doubled thrice, to exit velocities of 103.7 mph, 106.1 mph and 109.5 mph.
“I’m just impressed that he just kind of kept his head down,” Roberts stated of Conforto. “Going through this thing that he was going through for the first five weeks of the season. I think he’s really starting to get some confidence now.”
Not that it mattered a lot throughout Tuesday’s 11-1 loss to the Athletics at Dodger Stadium.
“I thought this was as far as collectively as forgettable as an outing, a compilation of offense, team offense, as we’ve seen in quite some time,” Roberts stated.
Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman resembled a lot of what the underside half has supplied in 2025 — going 0-for-9 on the plate. Ohtani fouled out with a runner on second within the seventh. Betts grounded right into a fielder’s alternative and reached through an error on a should-have-been 6-3 putout. Freddie Freeman killed a third-inning rally by grounding right into a 1-6-3 double play.
Mixed with beginning pitcher Landon Knack’s efficiency — failing to complete the fifth inning after giving up two, two-run house runs to Thousand Oaks excessive alumnus Jacob Wilson (career-high 4 RBIs) in his Dodger Stadium debut — the Dodgers (27-15) misplaced the primary recreation of a nine-game house stand.
Knack, who might now be solidly within the rotation fairly than making the treks forwards and backwards to triple-A Oklahoma Metropolis after Roki Sasaki hit the injured listing Tuesday with a right-shoulder impingement, struck out a career-high-tying eight batters and ended the night time with 5 of the Athletics (22-20) runs charged to him.
“Obviously want to go as far into the game as possible, kind of save the pen a little bit,” Knack stated. “You try to focus on some of the positives, take some of those from it, and then kind of sit back and see what was I not doing well, what I need to get better at, and as we move forward, just try to attack that this week.”
The 27-year-old right-hander has but to pitch into the sixth inning in major-league motion this 12 months. With Sasaki becoming a member of lefty Blake Snell and righty Tyler Glasnow on the injured listing — each pitchers met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache to garner suggestions on subsequent steps in restoration — it’ll make Clayton Kershaw’s return Saturday much more related.
Kershaw will make his season debut Saturday towards the Angels, supervisor Dave Roberts stated. Kershaw tossed 5 minor-league rehab begins, reaching six innings as soon as throughout a Could 6 outing for the Arizona Complicated League Dodgers in Arizona. When Kershaw debuts, it’ll be his 18th season with the Dodgers, tying Invoice Russell and Zack Wheat for the franchise document for seasons performed with the crew.
“It’s a big shot in the arm,” Roberts stated of Kershaw pregame, earlier than Sasaki went on the injured listing.
The Dodgers might now be in search of additional “shots in the arm” within the weeks forward — however will want run help as they give the impression of being to even up the collection Wednesday.
Sasaki’s damage analysis
Roberts stated postgame that Sasaki’s been shut down for the foreseeable future because the crew treats his right-shoulder impingement.
Sasaki didn’t say something to the teaching workers about discomfort till his begin in Arizona, Roberts stated, though Sasaki admitted to having been pitching by means of the difficulty for a couple of weeks.
“I think that our goal is to get him healthy, get him strong,” Roberts stated, including that there isn’t a timeline for Sasaki’s return. “Make sure his delivery is sound for him to pitch for us. Now with the information we’ve learned, he hasn’t been as productive as he would’ve liked because he was compromised.”
