Ferdja Ferdja.com delivers the latest news and relevant information across various domains including politics, economics, technology, culture, and more. Stay informed with our detailed articles and in-depth analyses.
The trip is equally as essential as the location in the eyes of Miguel Rojas, which is why the professional shortstop isn’t stressing over the truth that the Dodgers remain in a dogfight for the National Organization West for the very first time because 2021.
The Dodgers travelled to department titles the previous 2 periods, winning the NL West by 22 video games in 2022 and 16 video games in 2023, and what great did that do them?
Drive right into high-intensity ready the very first time in weeks, the 100-win Dodgers were swept by 84-win Arizona in the NL Department Collection last October, and their 111-win team lost to 89-win San Diego in a four-game NLDS in 2022.
Find Out More: Shohei Ohtani’s 112-mph homer a slump-buster? Dodgers hope so in tight NL West race
Rojas thinks the tension and strength of a six-week tussle with the Padres and Diamondbacks for playoff areas will certainly make the Dodgers even more battle-tested for October than they were the previous 2 periods.
” Those groups that need to win video games down the stretch to enter into the playoffs, like the Diamondbacks in 2015, they roll right into the postseason understanding exactly how to win and exactly how to play in those do-or-die video games,” Rojas stated.
” I believe they have the benefit due to the fact that the stress is off, the stress and anxiety is gone, due to the fact that you have actually been playing video games like that and winning them. You have the self-confidence you can win them.”
Sunday’s nail-biter of a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Arena had that pennant-race feeling, the Dodgers damaging a scoreless connection with 2 fifth-inning escape Cardinals ace Sonny Gray and Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw tossing 6 nothing innings in which he surrendered 4 hits, started out 2 and strolled one.
Kershaw, in his 5th draw back from shoulder surgical procedure, did not permit a jogger to get to keystone till the 6th, when he surrendered songs to Pedro Pagés and Victor Scott II to open up the inning.
Yet he got away the two-on, no-out jam by obtaining Masyn Winn to fly bent on facility area and Willson Contreras to ground to 3rd, where Rojas transformed a dual play.
This had not been the 2014 variation of Kershaw, when he won the NL most beneficial gamer honor and his 3rd Cy Youthful Honor– his heater balanced just 90.1 miles per hour on Sunday– yet he caused a great deal of weak get in touch with and required just 70 pitches to finish 6 innings.
” With his things, it’s not 95-97 [mph], yet with the command, the grit to toss strikes, to prosper of players, you can head out there and still pitch deep right into a video game,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “So I believe that’s something every one of our individuals require to remember of.”
Evan Phillips surrendered one hit in a scoreless 7th, Daniel Hudson surrendered a pinch-hit homer to Lars Nootbaar that drew the Cardinals to 2-1 in the 8th, and Michael Kopech pitched around a one-out tossing mistake by catcher Austin Barnes in the 9th, obtaining Nolan Arenado to ground right into a game-ending 6-4-3 dual play.
Kopech, that tossed a 102.6-mph heater Friday evening, balanced simply 96.7 miles per hour with his four-seamer Sunday, 2 ticks below his 98.7-mph period standard, yet Roberts stated Kopech was worn down from pitching 3 times in 4 days and not harm.
Find Out More: Why Tyler Glasnow felt obligated to say something about his sore elbow
” He’s simply gassed,” Roberts stated, “so I’m mosting likely to offer him a pair days to reset.”
Shohei Ohtani finished a scoreless incorporate the 5th when he switched on Gray’s hanging first-pitch contour and sent out a 113.5-mph lining right into the right-field bullpen for his 39th homer of the period and a 1-0 lead. Of Ohtani’s 12 hits in August, 7 are crowning achievement.
Mookie Betts strolled, and Gavin Lux, that increased in his very first 2 at-bats, singled Betts to 3rd. Teoscar Hernández started out for the 2nd out, yet Rojas lined a clutch RBI solitary to left-center for a 2-0 lead. Rojas based right into a bases-loaded dual play to finish the Dodgers’ 3rd inning.
” I’m striking in some strange area today– I have actually never ever struck 5th in my occupation, and I have actually never ever secured a cleaning player previously,” Rojas stated. “Scenarios like today are mosting likely to instruct me a lesson. They pitched around Teo [in the third], they pursued me, and I based out right into a dual play. 2nd time around, I was much better prepared.”
The win, which topped a 4-3 journey to Milwaukee and St. Louis, relocated the Dodgers 3 video games in advance of the Padres and 4 video games in advance of the Diamondbacks, that both shed one-run video games Sunday. Yet San Diego has actually won 20 of 25 video games, and Arizona has actually won 18 of 24 video games.
” They’ve been warm, yet I seem like that provides us inspiration to remain to play our video game and win video games, you understand?” Rojas stated. “We can not truly loosen up today, despite the fact that we have the [second] ideal document in the NL. I believe it’s great that we’re playing video games we require to win, since that’s exactly how we’re mosting likely to need to play in the playoffs.”
Roberts checks out the limited department race as something of a double-edged sword.
” I believe you can check out it both means,” he stated. “Remaining in a genuine pennant race, I believe highlights the [best in] people, in groups. The opposite of the coin is, you do not have the high-end of relaxing individuals or type of red-lining specific individuals due to the fact that every video game is a lot more amplified. That’s not always an advantage.”
The Dodgers turning is still racked by injuries, yet the schedule is nearing complete toughness, with Betts returning from a left-hand crack recently and 3rd baseman Max Muncy (oblique stress) and energy male Tommy Edman anticipated to be triggered Monday.
The bullpen got a massive increase with the procurement of Kopech from the Chicago White Sox, right-hander Ryan Brasier returned from a calf bone stress on Saturday, and Blake Treinen (left-hip pain) will certainly be triggered on Tuesday.
The Dodgers will certainly require all the workforce they can obtain– and they’ll require to win even more video games like Sunday’s– to repel the pesky Padres and Diamondbacks.
” We require to win the 2-1 video games, we require to liquidate video games, we require to obtain the RBIs in huge scenarios, since that’s what it requires to win the Globe Collection,” Rojas stated. “It’s great that we need to play under stress. In 2015, we ran away with the department, yet having somebody chasing you is constantly great inspiration to remain to hold the lead.”
Brief jumps
The obstructed center finger on Freddie Freeman’s tossing hand intensified Sunday, stopping the very first baseman from playing, the very first time in 3 years with the Dodgers he has actually missed out on a video game as a result of injury. Freeman will certainly undertake a CT check on Monday, and he is not anticipated to play Monday evening versus Seattle. … Muncy took some ground spheres with triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday in situation he is required to substitute Freeman today. … The Dodgers contacted right-hander Ben Casparius from three-way A to include some size to the bullpen. Right-hander Brent Honeywell was assigned for task.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This tale initially showed up in Los Angeles Times.
