Knack impresses but Dodgers lose to the Guardians
by Megan Garcia
The Dodgers have unexpectedly tested the depths of their roster this season. During the 3–1 loss to the Guardians on Friday at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers watched a rookie hold down a first-place team.
Landon Knack set a career-high in strikeouts with eight against the Guardians. He tossed six innings, gave up two earned runs on three hits and one walk. The righty replaced Gavin Stone, who was placed on the injured list prior to the game.
As the Dodgers maintain their “next man up” approach, Knack earned his next start in the rotation.
“Landon was a star tonight,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He did everything more than we had hoped for. He’s done it all year for us given his uncertain circumstances this year being up and down. He gave us a chance to win.”
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The 27-year-old retired the first 16 of 18 batters he faced in the game before surrendering a two-run homer to Andrés Giménez to start the scoring.
“I just kind of pulled a fastball just a little bit,” Knack said of the home run to Giménez. “I left it just a little bit too middle in and he jumped me.”
The Dodgers responded in the bottom of the sixth when Shohei Ohtani hit his 45th home run as the only run for the offense on Friday. Cleveland extended its lead in the eighth with Brayan Rocchio’s home run off reliever Anthony Banda.
The solo homer was also his 100th RBI of the season. This is the second time in Ohtani’s seven-year career that he has recorded at least 100 RBIs in a season. The two-way superstar crossed the 100-RBI mark Oct. 3, 2021 — the final day of the regular season — with the Angels.
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The Dodgers out-hit the Guardians 6–5 but went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base as a team.
Hernández Possibly Headed to Injured List
Teoscar Hernández may go on the injured list, Roberts said, after he was hit on his left foot during his at-bat in the first inning by a pitch from Matthew Boyd.
“The X-ray was negative,” Roberts said. “We’re going to get some scans tomorrow just to kind of dig a little bit more and get some more information, but he’s as tough as they come. He could barely move his foot, so I don’t see how it’s not going to be IL.”
Hernández was removed from the game after the hit by pitch and was replaced by Chris Taylor. Hernández has been one of the hottest bats for the Dodgers recently. He slashed .279/.339/.529/.869 with six home runs and 18 RBI in August. He also recorded his third career five-hit game on Sept. 1 against Arizona.
Stone Placed on Injured List
Stone was placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation on Friday. Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, said Stone felt discomfort after his start in Arizona on Aug. 31.
A timetable for Stone’s return has not been determined. Stone leads the team with 140 1/3 innings pitched. In his first full season at the Major-League level, the righty has a 3.53 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 25 starts.
“Everyone in that room is rooting for him to get back as quickly as possible,” Friedman said. “We’re going to do everything we can.”
Stone will be shut down for 10 days and will be reevaluated to determine the next steps. He is the 12th starter to be placed on the injured list this season.
Where They Stand
The Dodgers’ lead in the National League West diminished to four games with Friday’s loss. The San Diego Padres gained ground in the division after beating the Giants.
Knack impresses as Dodgers lose to the Guardians was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.