Welcome to The California Post’s weekly Dodgers recap, where baseball writers Dylan Hernández and Jack Harris review the week that was, hand out very official awards and take stock of the state of …
Welcome to The California Post’s weekly Dodgers recap, where baseball writers Dylan Hernández and Jack Harris review the week that was, hand out very official awards and take stock of the state of the season.
Teoscar Hernández A week ago, Teoscar Hernández’s month-long slump had gotten so bad –– he hit just .184 over 24 games from April 7 to May 6 –– that things finally reached a tipping point. Following an atrocious start to the season, Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernandez appears to be turning a corner.
First, manager Dave Roberts said the team was considering cutting down on his playing time so he could work through issues with his swing. Ultimately, they went down a different path instead, dropping the two-time All-Star to the No. 8 spot in the batting order for a couple games this week; the first time Hernández had hit that low since 2020.
He had two hits in his first game batting eighth on Monday, including a double that marked his first extra-base knock in two weeks. He followed that up with another two-hit performance Wednesday, when he moved up to the No. 6 spot on a day Shohei Ohtani was out of the lineup and collected his first RBI of the month.
Then came Thursday, when Hernández atoned for a miserable defensive mistake by collecting three hits –– including two doubles and a sixth-inning single that keyed the Dodgers’ go-ahead three-run rally. Hernández’s overall numbers remain well below his career norms.
And it’s fair to wonder whether the 33-year-old is starting to show signs of age midway through the three-year, $66 million extension he signed with the Dodgers before last season. Then again, on a team full of other superstars, the Dodgers don’t exactly need Hernández to be a Silver Slugger-caliber hitter.
After dropping down to No. 8 in the Dodgers batting order, Hernandez has seen a steady climb up over the past week. Kyle Hurt and Jack Dreyer We’ve covered Shohei Ohtani’s pitching dominance ad nauseam lately, so let’s look at two of the Dodgers’ youngest relievers for this week’s pitching award.
Both Hurt and Dreyer continue to climb up Roberts’ so-called “trust tree” in the bullpen, earning increasingly important leverage opportunities amid strong starts to their respective seasons. Dreyer is in the midst of a 10 ⅓ inning scoreless streak, dating back to a game-losing three-run home run he allowed in San Francisco last month.
Hurt, meanwhile, has been almost flawless since allowing his lone run of the year in his season debut on April 15. Since then, he has pitched 10 scoreless innings, allowed only just hits, and struck out 13 batters while walking only one. They’ve been big reasons why the Dodgers bullpen has remained steady even in the wake of Edwin Díaz’s elbow surgery.
The team’s relief corps currently ranks 11th in MLB in ERA, and has amassed the third most wins-above-replacement, according to Fangraphs. Since April 15, Kyle Hurt has pitched 10 scoreless innings, allowed only just hits, and struck out 13 batters while walking only one. Emil Morales At just 19 years old, Emil Morales is off to one of the best starts in the Dodgers’ minor-league ranks.
A 6-foot-3 shortstop who impressed evaluators during spring training, Morales has hardly looked out of place as a teenager getting his first taste of full-season affiliated ball, leading the organization’s single-A club in batting average, OPS and RBIs so far this season. He’s a potentially important piece in the Dodgers’ outfield-heavy farm system, too, representing the only primary infielder ranked higher than 15th in the organization’s MLB Pipeline rankings.
With the Astros stumbling and the Dodgers needing more pop in the lineup, Yordan Alvarez could be a trade candidate. The Cheatin’ Astros stink, which could make them sellers at the trade deadline. If the Dodgers’ don’t solve their offensive problems by then, they could swing a deal for Alvarez, the 6-foot-4, 237-pound hitting machine.
Alvarez isn’t a perfect fit for the Dodgers, but they could make this work. The Dodgers’ lineup is extremely left-handed, but Alvarez’s career splits are better against left-handers than against right-handers. Alvarez has played most of his games as a designated hitter, but he can play left field, a position currently occupied by a substandard defensive player in Hernández.
And, hey, if the Dodgers don’t want Shohei Ohtani DHing in games he pitches, Alvarez provides them with an alternative to the four-time MVP. Alvarez will be under contract for two more seasons after this one, at a relative bargain price of $26 million per year. By trading for him, the Dodgers could right one of their greatest wrongs in recent years.
As an amateur player, the Cuba-born Alvarez signed with the Dodgers in June of 2016, only to be traded less than two months later for a long-forgotten reliever named Josh Fields. Getty ImagesAt first pitch Thursday night, the Dodgers were not alone atop the NL West standings. The club sharing first place with them? Their longtime rivals down south, with the San Diego Padres off to an improbable 25-18 start .
Whether the Padres are for real or not remains unclear. Their pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries. Their offense owns the worst batting average in the majors. Superstar outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has yet to hit a home run.
And yet, when the Dodgers travel to San Diego next week for their first meeting with the Padres this year, first place will be on the line. Following an atrocious start to the season, Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernandez appears to be turning a corner. After dropping down to No. 8 in the Dodgers batting order, Hernandez has seen a steady climb up over the past week.
Since April 15, Kyle Hurt has pitched 10 scoreless innings, allowed only just hits, and struck out 13 batters while walking only one. With the Astros stumbling and the Dodgers needing more pop in the lineup, Yordan Alvarez could be a trade candidate. One of the biggest questions being asked around baseball is if the Padres are for real or not?
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