On Tuesday Major League Baseball officially announced the 2025 postseason schedule and broadcast schedule.
On Tuesday the Los Angeles Dodgers officially put their 2025 postseason hopes in jeopardy.
Over the course of four weeks, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts‘ team went from having a 9.0-game lead over the National League West second-place San Diego Padres, to waking up on Wednesday morning tied for the division lead with the Friars; this after losing six of their last 10 games (with the Padres winning seven of their last 10), including the Dodgers losing their last three in a row – one to the American League East first-place Toronto Blue Jays and two to the AL West fourth-place Angels of Anaheim – with one more to play against the Halos at Angel Stadium on Wednesday.
“You just gotta play better baseball,” Roberts told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson following his team’s inexcusable 7-6 loss to the Halos on Tuesday. “You know, we got doubled off tonight, we… we got doubled off in a triple play situation… um… you know, just… just some things that we’re not also not helping ourselves right by playing good baseball.
“Um… I think that tonight I saw some good things as far as (Edgardo) Henriquez was really good tonight, you know, Emmet (Sheehan) found a way to get through five innings, um… but yeah, I mean, we still gotta get better on all fronts, and um… now it’s a… it’s a new season. So, you know, you look at the standings and… and um… we gotta… we just gotta play better baseball and find ways to win games.”
(SportsNet LA)
Sheehan finding “…a way to get through five innings” consisted of:
There weren’t many, but there were two highlights from Tuesday’s loss. The first was a second-inning two-run home run by Dodgers rookie catcher Dalton Rushing, a 386-foot shot to right field, tying the game at 3-3. It was the 24-year-old Memphis, TN native and Dodgers second-round draft pick in 2022 out of the University of Louisville’s second home run of the season. The second was a ninth-inning solo home run by Dodgers international superstar designated hitter (and Wednesday’s scheduled starting pitcher) Shohei Ohtani, a 404-foot blast to right field, tying the game at 6-6 and sending it into extras.
(SportsNet LA)
But it didn’t take long for 29-year-old Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia to blow the Dodgers eighth-inning 3-2 lead, or for 26-year-old Dodgers right-hander Ben Casparius to blow the game in the bottom of the ninth:
“Obviously, the last few outings haven’t been clean or typical of what, you know, he’s done for us, so, ah… we gotta dig into it, but ah… yeah, it’s just… it’s, you know, surprisingly for him, been inconsistent, but we’ll work through it,” Roberts said of Vesia postgame, sounding like the proverbial broken record.
Another entertaining highlight on Tuesday – albeit against the Dodgers – was a rare triple play turned in by the Angels in the top of the sixth inning. Dodgers pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas led off the frame with a single to center, which was followed by a single to right by Rushing. Unfortunately, this was followed by an up-the-middle laser shot line drive by Ohtani to Angels shortstop Zach Neto, who stepped on second base to double-up Rojas, and fired a dart to Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel to triple-up Rushing, who was inexcusably way off first base.
(SportsNetLA)
Yes, Doc, you “…just gotta play better baseball” – and soon.
Play (Better) Ball!
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