The Los Angeles Dodgers lost three games in a row, and some fans of the Dodgers thought that this year’s version of the September Slumpies might be upon them.
One of those games was against Jacob deGrom at CitiField in New York, and one was after they arrived back in Los Angeles at 4:00 am the night before.
But the Dodgers responded Saturday night with an Angry Win, beating the San Diego Padres 12-1, while clobbering four home runs. Those 12 runs were more than the Dodgers had scored in the previous five games combined.
Blake Treinen made his long awaited return to the bullpen, getting three outs on just five pitches. He hit 98 and 97 mph on his last two pitches, respectively.
Before the game, Treinen told reporters that originally, he was advised to get surgery on the partial tear in his right shoulder. He got a platelet-rich injection his right shoulder. Treinen then needed a physical for his contract extension, and that showed that scarring had already occurred in his shoulder, and that allowed him to work on his rehabilitation from there.
Another Dodger relief pitcher hit the IL, however. On Sunday, David Price was placed on the 15-day IL with a left wrist inflammation. “The feeling I have in my hand right now is not something you want to throw with. I’ll just take a little bit of time and I’ll be back out there,” Price told reporters on Sunday. He went on to say it was similar to the feeling he had in 2019 when he had surgery to have a cyst removed. He also said that he has been dealing with it for a few weeks now, and feels confident that he will return this season.
Walker Buehler talked to reporters for the first time since his second Tommy John surgery. He did not want to rule out pitching in 2023, but acknowledged that if he does, it would not be in his normal starter’s capacity.
He also said that he heard from Nathan Eovaldi after the surgery. “I’m probably forgetting someone else, but first on my mind is that’s the guy who’s had two of them and had success afterwards. Seeing that from across the field in ’18 and since, I think his arm is fine,” Walker said.
The Dodgers on Sunday are employing their first opener of the year. Caleb Ferguson will face the heart of the Padres order in the top of the first inning. Ryan Pepiot is expected to work the bulk of the innings in the rest of the game. Pepiot was reinstated when Price hit the IL. Andrew Heaney, who was originally slated to start, was moved to Monday to give him more rest.
After Saturday’s game, Julio Urías now owns the lowest ERA in the National League, sitting at 2.29. Unfortunately, Tony Gonsolin no longer qualifies for the league lead after going on the IL last week.