by Cary Osborne
Bobby Miller walked off the mound under his own power and toward the dugout after taking a line drive off the forehead in the third inning on Thursday in the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener at Camelback Ranch.
Miller was struck by a ball that left Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch’s bat with a 106-mph exit velocity.
Dodger third baseman Max Muncy said he could tell that Miller was OK when in the dugout he told a trainer that he hung the curveball that Busch hit.
Manager Dave Roberts said Miller will be monitored for a possible concussion.
“As far as going forward, certainly it’s somewhat of a setback. We’ve got to make sure that he feels OK going forward,” Roberts said. “I don’t know how long this (concussion) protocol lasts, but very scary moment. But it was good to see him actually walk off the field.”
Game 1 in the books
The Dodgers lost to the Cubs 12–4.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto started for the Dodgers and went 1 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, no runs, no walks, and he struck out two batters.
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Yamamoto used four different pitches and was consistently at 95 mph with his four-seamer. Roberts has often said this spring how ahead Yamamoto is compared to this time last year in his debut Major League season.
Yamamoto agreed.
“This year, I know how to prepare myself based on what I experienced last year,” Yamamoto said. “And also with (Roberts) and also the coaching staff, I know how to communicate better with everybody than last year.”
Non-roster invitee and 2021 National League Championship Series MVP with the Braves Eddie Rosario hit a two-run home run in the second inning — the first Dodger homer of the spring. It gave the Dodgers a 2–0 lead at the time.
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Welcome ABS
This was the first use of Major League Baseball’s Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), which will be used for about 60% of Spring Training games. Major League Baseball is testing the system out to see if it is a viable option.
Each team starts a game with two challenges apiece. A team loses a challenge if the technology confirms an umpire’s call.
Roberts joked before the game that he told Max Muncy — who has the reputation of having one of the best eyes in baseball — not to make a challenge. “He’s our biggest culprit of not agreeing with the strikezone,” Roberts said.
Muncy then became the first batter to use the challenge system when he did so as the second batter of the game for the Dodgers. The call was confirmed a strike.
“The technology, I think they’ll admit, is not entirely there yet, but it’s a cool idea,” Muncy said.
Said Roberts: “I like it because especially in the big spot, you want to get the call right.”
Top of the order
Roberts said the Dodgers plan to keep Shohei Ohtani in the leadoff spot and Mookie Betts batting second in 2025.
“I just think that it protects Mookie a little bit. I just think it makes the most sense in that it’s hardest (for opponents) to navigate. Gives Shohei five at-bats a night,” Roberts said.
Freddie Freeman is slated to bat third and Teoscar Hernández will follow him in the lineup. This was the regular 1–4 in the lineup from Aug. 12 on last year after Betts returned from a broken hand.
The immediate pitching plan
The Dodgers’ next two starting pitchers will be Tony Gonsolin (Friday) and Nick Frasso (Saturday). This will be Gonsolin’s first Cactus League game since 2023. He missed the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery.
It will be Frasso’s first career Cactus League start. Frasso was the Dodgers’ №2 prospect heading into 2024 but missed the season with shoulder surgery.
Spring Training 2025: A scary moment for Bobby Miller in the Cactus League opener was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.