Here’s what you need to know
Dodgers fail to capitalize on Noah Syndergaard’s impressive debut in loss
It took four spring training starts for Noah Syndergaard to come to grips with the fact that, despite his December proclamation that there is “no excuse as to why I can’t get back to 100 mph,†his once-vaunted fastball is not going to approach triple digits like it did before 2020 elbow surgery.
“If I don’t throw 100 [mph] again,†the new Dodgers pitcher said on the eve of the regular season, “that’s fine.â€
And that’s perfectly fine with the Dodgers, who weren’t expecting the second coming of Sandy Alcantara when they signed Syndergaard to a one-year, $13-million contract.
Offense dries up and Dodgers fall 2-1
⚾ Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1 — Final
The Dodgers went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth and lost to the Diamondbacks 2-1 at Dodger Stadium.
Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor struck out and Jason Heyward grounded out to first to end the four-game series.
Despite outscoring the Diamondbacks 20-7 in the series, the Dodgers managed only two wins.
Will Smith’s first-inning home run was the only offense of the Dodgers, who had just three other hits.
Brusdar Graterol has a rough ninth inning
⚾ Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1 — Top of the ninth inning
Making his first appearance of the season for the Dodgers, Brusdar Graterol struggled.
The right-handed reliever came into a 1-1 game in the ninth. He gave up a leadoff double to Ketel Marte.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a single to right. Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts threw Marte out at the plate, but Graterol couldn’t take advantage of the play.
He gave up a single to Christian Walker to put runners at first and second. Corbin Carroll grounded into a force out, advancing Gurriel to third.
Jake McCarthy bunted between the mound and first, but Graterol could not field the ball cleanly. McCarthy was credited with a hit and the Diamondbacks had a 2-1 lead.
An impressive debut for Noah Syndergaard
⚾ Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 1 — End of the seventh inning
Noah Syndergaard’s day is over and the Dodgers could hardly have asked for more.
The right-hander pitched six-plus innings in his first game for the team, giving up one run and four hits. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
He was pulled after giving up a leadoff single to Christian Walker in the seventh. Caleb Ferguson immediately induced a double-play grounder from Corbin Carroll.
Diamondbacks even the score in fifth inning
⚾ Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 1 — End of the fifth inning
Arizona scored its first run in the fifth after Corbin Carroll hit a lead-off single, stole second and third and came home on a two-out double by Geraldo Perdoma off Noah Syndergaard.
Strong start for Noah Syndergaard
In his Dodgers debut, Noah Syndergaard has not given up a run in four innings. He has five strikeouts and has given up just one hit.
The Dodgers continue to lead 1-0.
Will Smith hits solo home run to give Dodgers early lead
⚾ Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 0 — End of the first inning
Will Smith hit a solo home run off Arizona starter Zach Davies just over the wall in the left-field corner to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
Smith continues to be an early-season standout for the Dodgers. He drove in four runs in the team’s season-opening win Thursday.
In the top of the inning, Dodgers starter Noah Syndergaard started his Dodgers career by striking out Josh Rojas and Ketel Marte before allowing a single to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Christian Walker then lined out to end the frame.
Controlling the running game a point of emphasis for Noah Syndergaard’s Dodgers debut
Noah Syndergaard will make his Dodgers debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Chavez Ravine on Sunday, and as usual, all eyes will be on … the base paths?
OK, most eyes will be focused on the radar-gun readings of Syndergaard’s fastball, always a fascination for those who have watched his heater, which used to touch triple digits, fall into the 94-mph range since his 2020 Tommy John surgery.
But how Syndergaard controls the running game — always an Achilles heel for the burly right-hander — can be just as important as the velocity of his fastball.
Opponents have been successful on 169 of 190 stolen-base attempts against Syndergaard during his seven-year big-league career, an 89% success rate, and they swiped 30 bases in 33 attempts against him (91%) last season, when Syndergaard pitched for the Angels and Philadelphia Phillies.
“It was [a challenge last year], and it has been his entire career,†manager Dave Roberts said. “And I think [the Diamondbacks], more so than any team in baseball, are more apt to try to steal bases. … They’re very athletic, very fleet of foot, so obviously, you want to minimize traffic. But if they get guys on base, they’re gonna try to be aggressive.â€
Roberts said Syndergaard, who signed a one-year contract with the Dodgers in December, quickened his delivery from the stretch this spring, and the Dodgers have emphasized the importance of varying his looks and times to the plate.
Though pitch-outs have gone the way of the hit-and-run and the sacrifice bunt in the game — they’re practically extinct — Roberts said they would be “in play†with Syndergaard. An occasional back-pick, with the catcher throwing to first base, could help.
But there is a fine line between incorporating more slide-steps from the stretch and tinkering too much with the mechanics of a veteran pitcher.
“Yeah, I think there’s a middle [ground],†Roberts said. “I do think that where he was in in spring training, you know, 1.4 seconds, 1.5 seconds [to the plate], I think right there, varying the looks, the holds … I think that’s the sweet spot for him.â€
Max Muncy out of Dodgers lineup after ‘interaction’ with baseball in his midsection
Dave Roberts gave as diplomatic an answer as he could Saturday night.
Why had Max Muncy been removed from the Dodgers’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks early?
“He had an interaction with a baseball,†the manager said with a sheepish expression, “that he needed to catch his breath a little.â€
The subtext: Muncy took a ground ball at third base to a particularly sensitive area of his midsection. And the issue apparently carried over to Sunday, as well.
Muncy isn’t in the Dodgers lineup for their series finale against the Diamondbacks, with Chris Taylor instead getting the start at third base in one of several changes the Dodgers made to their Sunday lineup.
Roberts said Muncy was still sore on Sunday and likely won’t be available off the bench, but doesn’t expect the third baseman to miss much more time the rest of the week.
As part of the lineup reshuffle, Mookie Betts will slide to second base for the first time this season, while Trayce Thompson joins James Outman and David Peralta in the outfield, as promised, following his three home run outburst in Saturday’s win.
On the mound, Noah Syndergaard will make his first start of the season for the Dodgers, squaring off against Diamondbacks right-hander Zach Davies.
Here is the Dodgers full lineup:
Clayton Kershaw puts on a vintage performance in Dodgers’ win over Arizona
Ahead of the first matchup between Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner in almost five years, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts predicted the showdown would “bring out the best†in the two decorated left-handers.
He noted their career-long friendship and mutual respect; their competitive nature and equally intense internal drives.
“They always want to outdo one another,†Roberts said. “You’re gonna see that come out tonight.â€
The only problem?
Trayce Thompson’s three-homer game rekindles a confidence he never lost
After being stuck on the bench for the first two games of the season this week, Trayce Thompson was reluctant to leave it in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday night.
The outfielder had just completed a career night at the plate; one that began with a first-inning grand slam off longtime Dodgers foe Madison Bumgarner, continued in the fifth with a three-run bomb that put the team’s 10-1 win out of reach, and culminated with an eighth-inning moon shot that landed halfway up the left-field pavilion.
And just like his first two big flies, Thompson’s last long ball brought a crowd of 48,886 at Dodger Stadium raucously to its feet.
Only this time, the cheering didn’t end when Thompson disappeared into the dugout.
Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.
