Dodgers Dugout: Despite the injuries, Dodgers should be fine

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and did anything interesting happen in the last week?

Before we get to the main topic, my apologies for the length of time between newsletters. I now have a grandson (gee, the guy who writes this newsletter is old). I tried to convince my daughter to name him Vincent Scully Mitchell, but she said no, so I didn’t even bother passing along my second choice, Bruce Springsteen Mitchell. And they are going with the last name of the father even though Mitchell is a great last name. Oh well, kids today. No respect.

Anyway, let’s take the big news items of the 10 days one at a time.

1. Mookie Betts breaks his hand

Betts broke his left hand just below his pinkie and ring finger when hit by a pitch.

“You’ve got to stay in there,” Betts said. “You can’t be scared. You’ve got to stay in there, especially against a guy with a pretty good slider.

“It was just kind of up and I was holding my ground and unfortunately it hit me in the hand.”

Betts will be out at least six weeks, probably more like 10 weeks. And hand injuries are slow to heal and tough to come back from offensively because it can rob you of hand strength for a while even after the break has healed.

What does this mean for the Dodgers? Well, it’s a big blow on offense, but they will get an upgrade defensively with Miguel Rojas getting most of the playing time at short. The offense seemed to cruise along the first few games without him, but they were playing in Denver, so take it with a grain of salt. The Dodgers will still win the NL West, and this may have a hidden benefit: Betts could come back refreshed and not wear down at the end of the season. And if Rojas continues to hit well and Gavin Lux continues to struggle, Betts could come back as the second baseman.

2. Yoshinobu Yamamoto goes on IL with strained rotator cuff

Yamamoto was 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA this season, the lowest ERA among the starters. After pitching only once a week in Japan, the worry when he signed was whether he could hold up for a full major league schedule. And now we have our answer. He also had triceps soreness. These can be warning signs for the need of Tommy John surgery. And despite Andrew Friedman’s seeming love for pitchers who have had that surgery, let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Yamamoto’s injury ties in with our next item....

3. Walker Buehler goes on IL with... sore hip

Let’s face it, Buehler’s return from Tommy John surgery has been less than ideal. Turns out not only was he dealing with the ups and downs of his return, he was also suffering from a sore right hip. “He’s had hip issues,” Dave Roberts said. “[Putting him on the IL] is the right thing to do.” With all due respect to Buehler, losing him to the IL doesn’t hurt the team too much because he wasn’t pitching well, with the worst outing of his career coming Tuesday against Colorado (seven runs in four innings). What this does is put a little added pressure on the other starters and cut into the Dodgers’ depth. With Yamamoto and Buehler out, the rotation right now is:

Tyler Glasnow (7-5, 3.00 ERA)
Gavin Stone (8-2, 3.04 ERA)
James Paxton (7-1, 3.65 ERA)
Bobby Miller (1-1, 6.00 ERA)
Landon Knack (1-1, 2.61 ERA)

With Clayton Kershaw waiting in the wings. It’s possible we will see a bullpen game or two. The Dodgers have wanted to give their rotation and extra day off when possible, particularly Paxton.

4. Don’t expect a trade any time soon

Trade ideas from readers filled my inbox the last few days, but don’t hold your breath waiting for one soon. “I actually don’t think it meaningfully changes anything at this point,” general manager Brandon Gomes said after the Betts and Yamamoto injuries. “With the expectation that those guys are gonna be back for the postseason.”

With the Brewers in first place, don’t look for them to trade shortstop Willy Adames. The Kansas City Royals are in playoff contention, so why would they trade star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.? Starting pitchers who may be available would be at the level of Tyler Anderson (current Angel, former Dodger), who would not be enough of an upgrade that you would overpay for him by rushing into a trade. This all may change as we get closer to the July 31 trade deadline. But for right now, with a big NL West lead, the Dodgers can afford to be patient.

5. Big rally against Colorado

The Dodgers were trailing 9-4 going into the ninth inning Tuesday in Denver. Three outs later, they were leading 11-9. It was the franchise’s biggest ninth-inning comeback since 1957, and first in which they’d erased a five-run ninth-inning hole without playing extra innings since 1929. Jason Heyward had a pinch-hit grand slam, and Teoscar Hernández hit the decisive three-run homer, one pitch after the Rockies felt he should have been called out on a check swing. The first base umpire said no. It was one of those calls where if the umpire rules against your team, you think the umpires are horrible, but if the ump rules for your team, well, those are the breaks of the game.

In the wake of the signings of Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto, little attention was paid when the Dodgers signed Hernández to a one-year deal. But he has given the Dodgers more than expected and leads the team with 54 RBIs. He also has given the Dodgers a dimension that seemed to be lacking the last couple of seasons: Some genuine passion on the field. Look at his reaction to his home run.

“I want to stay,” Hernández, who signed for $23.5 million, told Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “I don’t want to keep bouncing around the league. I feel good here, comfortable. I think this is a good chance for me to win. That is the most important thing for me. It’s a great group. I would love to stay.”

And right now, Dodgers fans across L.A. would love for him to stay.

6. Wille Mays dies

Yes, it’s a Dodgers newsletter and Willie Mays was a Giant, but did any Dodger fan hate Mays? I hope not. Either Mays or Babe Ruth was the greatest MLB player of all time. And he was Vin Scully’s favorite player (along with Mel Ott).

Interesting point of view

My colleague and all-around good guy Sammy Roth covers climate change and other environmental issues for The Times. In his latest piece, he takes a closer look at the Dodgers being so heavily sponsored by Union 76, which has its iconic logos in the stadium and used to operate a gas station in center field. It’s an interesting column and worth a read. You can read it here.

Offense

Here’s a look at the Dodgers’ numbers the last two weeks (through Wednesday):

Miguel Vargas, 3 for 7 (.429), 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 2 walks
Miguel Rojas, .357/.357/.536, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBIs, 3 K’s
Freddie Freeman, .326/.466/.587, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 9 RBIs, 11 walks, 7 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, .296/.377/.648, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 12 RBIs, 6 walks, 8 K’s
Teoscar Hernández, .294/.368/.726, 4 doubles, 6 homers, 16 RBIs, 5 walks, 13 K’s
Andy Pages, .277/.404/.468, 3 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBIs, 8 walks, 12 K’s
Mookie Betts, .270/.400/.405, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 8 RBIs, 7 walks, 6 K’s
Jason Heyward, .226/.368/.484, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 11 RBIs, 5 walks, 9 K’s
Kiké Hernández, .217/.379/.478, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, 6 walks, 6 K’s
Gavin Lux, .216/.237/.243, 1 double, 4 RBIs, 1 walk, 7 K’s
Chris Taylor, .214/.267/.571, 1 triple, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 6 K’s
Cavan Biggio, .177/333/177, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 6 K’s
Will Smith, .162/.250/.297, 1 triple, 1 homer, 6 RBIs, 5 walks, 9 K’s
Austin Barnes, .154/.214/.154, 2 doubles, 1 walk, 6 K’s
Team, .262/.361/.486, 26 doubles, 2 triples, 23 homers, 6.23 runs per game

Pitching

And here is how the pitchers have done the last two weeks (through Wednesday):

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 0.00 ERA, 9 IP, 3 hits, 3 walks, 8 K’s
Daniel Hudson, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 6 K’s
Alex Vesia, 0.00 ERA, 1 save, 5 IP, 1 hits, 1 walk, 5 K’s
James Paxton, 2-0, 1.38 ERA, 13 IP, 4 hits, 3 walks, 10 K’s
Ryan Yarbrough, 3.00 ERA, 6 IP, 5 hits, 5 walks, 4 K’s
Anthony Banda, 3.00 ERA, 6 IP, 6 hits, 3 walks, 7 K’s
Yohan Ramírez, 0-1, 3.12 ERA, 1 save, 8.2 IP, 8 hits, 3 walks, 8 K’s
Tyler Glasnow, 1-1, 3.46 ERA, 13 IP, 11 hits, 2 walks, 21 K’s
Gavin Stone, 1-0, 3.55 ERA, 12.2 IP, 12 hits, 4 walks, 9 K’s
Michael Petersen, 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 2 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 K’s
Michael Grove, 2-1, 5.14 ERA, 7 IP, 8 hits, 6 K’s
Evan Phillips, 6.23 ERA, 2 saves, 4.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 walks, 4 K’s
Bobby Miller, 7.11 ERA, 6.1 IP, 6 hits, 3 walks, 2 K’s
Blake Treinen, 0-1, 7.20 ERA, 5 IP, 4 hits, 4 walks, 9 K’s
Walker Buehler, 0-1, 9.00 ERA, 12 IP, 20 hits, 3 walks, 7 K’s
J.P. Feyereisen, 18.00 ERA, 2 IP, 4 hits, 1 K
Team, 8-5, 3.98 ERA, 4 saves, 117.2 IP, 99 hits, 38 walks, 108 K’s

Bottom of the lineup

We’ll keep track of this throughout the season, because I have a feeling this is going to be crucial when the postseason comes around. Here are the best and worst team batting averages for the Nos. 7-9 spots in the batting order:

1. Milwaukee, .276/.344/.425
2. N.Y. Mets, .262/.315/.391
3. Angels, .259/.325/.417
4. San Francisco, .251/.319/.388
5. Houston, .249/.287/.384

MLB average: .228/.293/.356

23. Dodgers, .211/.281/.331

26. Pittsburgh, .205/.263/.295
27. Chicago White Sox, .202/.249/.312
28. Miami, .202/.247/.292
28. Cleveland, .201/.287/.319
29. Detroit, .196/.260/.289
30. Oakland, .192/.279/.325

The Dodgers have risen four places since we checked two weeks ago and are out of the bottom five for the first time this season.

Let’s look at the Dodgers in the Nos. 7-9 spots individually:

No. 7 (mainly Pages and Outman): .212/.280/.300
No. 8 (mainly Lux, Rojas and Pages): .212/.292/.364
No. 9 (mainly Barnes, Lux and Rojas): .209/.270/.331

These names look familiar

We’re doing something a little different this season. Instead of looking only at players who were with the team last season, we will expand it to include notable players from the past. Click on the player’s name for a complete look. Numbers are through Wednesday.

Yency Almonte, Chicago Cubs, 1-0, 3.45 ERA, 15.2 IP, 9 hits, 8 walks, 20 K’s, on the IL

Tyler Anderson, Angels, 6-7, 2.48 ERA, 94.1 IP, 70 hits, 41 walks, 63 K’s

Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs, .263/.322/.432, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 9 homers, 33 RBIs, 112 OPS+

Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs, .266/.360/.464, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 9 homers, 26 RBIs, 132 OPS+

Jonny DeLuca, Tampa Bay, .151/.244/.264, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 14 RBIs, 48 OPS+

Caleb Ferguson, N.Y. Yankees, 1-3, 4.94 ERA, 1 save, 23.2 IP, 22 hits, 12 walks, 29 K’s

Victor González, N.Y. Yankees, 2-1, 3.22 ERA, 2 saves, 22.1 IP, 12 hits, 12 walks, 10 K’s

Bryan Hudson, Milwaukee, 4-0, 0.90 ERA, 40 IP, 18 hits, 8 walks, 46 K’s

Kenley Jansen, Boston, 2-1, 2.59 ERA, 13 saves, 24.1 IP, 15 hits, 11 walks, 31 K’s

Craig Kimbrel, Baltimore, 5-2, 2.63 ERA, 16 saves, 27.1 IP, 16 hits, 11 walks, 39 K’s

Lance Lynn, St. Louis, 2-3, 4.08 ERA, 75 IP, 77 hits, 30 walks, 73 K’s

J.D. Martinez, N.Y. Mets, .282/.356/.494, 11 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homers, 27 RBIs, 147 OPS+

Zach McKinstry, Detroit, .174/.244/.252, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homer, 8 RBIs, 42 OPS+

Kenta Maeda, Detroit, 2-3, 6.02 ERA, 49.1 IP, 51 hits, 18 walks, 36 K’s

Shelby Miller, Detroit, 4-5, 4.03 ERA, 22.1 IP, 14 hits, 6 walks, 21 K’s

Ryan Pepiot, Tampa Bay, 4-4, 4.57 ERA, 63 IP, 49 hits, 19 walks, 72 K’s

Kevin Pillar, Angels, .330/.381/.578, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 6 homers, 25 RBIs, 166 OPS+

David Peralta, San Diego, .238/.333/.286, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs, 82 OPS+

Luke Raley, Seattle, .256/.306/.439, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homers, 20 RBIs, 117 OPS+

Amed Rosario, Tampa Bay, .296/.318/.408, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, 23 RBIs, 109 OPS+

Corey Seager, Texas, .256/.347/.450, 5 doubles, 14 homers, 35 RBIs, 127 OPS+

Trayce Thompson, in the minors with N.Y. Mets

Justin Turner, Toronto, .238/.331/.371, 13 doubles, 5 homers, 22 RBIs, 103 OPS+

Trea Turner, Philadelphia, .340/.386/.449, 10 doubles, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, 139 OPS+,

Alex Verdugo, N.Y. Yankees, .257/.314/.419, 15 doubles, 1 triple, 9 homers, 41 RBis, 107 OPS+

Up next

Friday: Angels (*Patrick Sandoval, 2-8, 5.24 ERA) at Dodgers (Landon Knack, 1-1, 2.61 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, Bally Sports West, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

Saturday: Angels (TBD) at Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 7-5, 3.00 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, Bally Sports West, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Willie Mays, baseball’s Say Hey Kid, has died at 93

Dodgers GM: Betts and Yamamoto injuries shouldn’t affect trade deadline plans

Four ways the Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto injuries impact the Dodgers

Shaikin: Why Dodgers’ new City Connect uniforms are an L.A. blast

The Dodgers’ road to the World Series just got much tougher

Hernández: Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto injuries create a Dodgers trade deadline dilemma

And finally

Vin Scully meets with Willie Mays. Watch and listen here.