All posts tagged: Dodgers

LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announces his wife Mamiko Tanaka is pregnant

LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announces his wife Mamiko Tanaka is pregnant

Published by skeptic

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Shohei Ohtani has revealed that his wife, former professional basketball player Mamiko Tanaka, is pregnant. The 30-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers star took to Instagram on Saturday (December 28) to share a sweet post about expanding his family. His picture included a snap of a pink onesie, next to a pair of white baby sneakers and an ultrasound, which had the emoji of a baby face covering it. Ohtani and his wife’s dog, Decoy, also posed for the picture. “Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” the MLB star wrote in the caption. The soon-to-be newborn will be Ohtani and Tanaka’s first child. While the couple have opted to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, Ohtani did reveal in February that …

Dodgers Kowtow To Teachers Unions, Honor ‘Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence’

Dodgers Kowtow To Teachers Unions, Honor ‘Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence’

Published by skeptic

Authored by Brenda Lebsack & Rebecca Friedrichs via RealClearPolitics, The “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” according to Catholic Vote, is “a vile anti-Catholic organization.” Their motto is “Go and sin some more” and they use the cross for pole dances. The group satirizes Catholic beliefs for the sake of activism. They mock Easter Sunday with a Hunky Jesus/Foxy Mary contest. According to the Catholic League, they hold “Midnight Confessional Contests” awarding the “hottest confessions.” So it makes sense that Dodgers fans came unglued when they heard their team would be rewarding the anti-Catholic, anti-Christian group. The Dodgers withdrew their award in response to customer outrage and disinvited the “Sisters,” but the California Teachers Association stepped in and strong-armed the Dodgers into standing with perverts against the will of their paying customers. CTA’s May 2023 New Business Item states, “CTA shall release a public statement condemning the Dodgers’ recent decision to rescind the Community Hero Award for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.” As veteran California teachers who’ve served within the unions and personally witnessed the radical agenda CTA …

Teoscar Hernández Hits 2-Run Homer in 6th Inning to Propel Dodgers to 3-1 Victory Over Marlins

Teoscar Hernández Hits 2-Run Homer in 6th Inning to Propel Dodgers to 3-1 Victory Over Marlins

Published by skeptic

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run homer in the sixth, Gavin Stone continued the run of solid Dodgers’ starts and Los Angeles beat the Miami Marlins 3-1 on Wednesday to complete an unbeaten six-game homestand. Los Angeles extended its overall winning streak to a season-high seven games and has won 14 of its last 16. “Today we didn’t put up a bunch of runs but we got a big hit when we needed it,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The starters are coming into their own. It’s one of those things where hitting is contagious, but also starting pitching is contagious.” Freddie Freeman got aboard with a two-out double off the wall in right field before Hernández drove a full-count changeup from Ryan Weathers (2-4) just over the wall in left center and past the outstretched glove of Miami left fielder Nick Gordon. Miami manager Skip Schumaker ended up second-guessing his decision of allowing Weathers to pitch to Hernández with first base open and Kiké Hernández on deck. “At the end of the …

Walker Buehler wins for Dodgers in return from Tommy John surgery

Walker Buehler wins for Dodgers in return from Tommy John surgery

Published by skeptic

It took all of seven pitches for Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler to exceed the expectations of manager Dave Roberts, who prefaced Buehler’s first major league start in 23 months Monday night by saying, “I don’t expect to see the 96-97 mph that he had before [Tommy John] surgery.” After completing his warmup pitches with Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” blaring on the Dodger Stadium public-address system, Buehler went into his windup with the signature high leg-kick and fired his first pitch, a 96-mph fastball, by Miami leadoff hitter Jazz Chisholm Jr. for strike one. Buehler hit 97 mph with his seventh pitch of the game, a fastball that Chisholm fouled off, and just for good measure, Buehler touched 97.6 mph with his eighth pitch, which was also fouled off by Chisholm. “It made sense with how amped up I was and how fast my heart was going,” said Buehler, whose fastball sat at 93-94 mph in six minor league rehabilitation starts. “You think about 22 months and now [two elbow] surgeries … the …

Walker Buehler Goes 4 Innings for Dodgers During 1st Major League Start in Nearly 2 Years

Walker Buehler Goes 4 Innings for Dodgers During 1st Major League Start in Nearly 2 Years

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Walker Buehler went four innings and struck out four Monday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers against Miami, his first major league start in nearly two years. The right-hander allowed three runs and six hits. He threw 77 pitches, including 49 strikes. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game that Buehler’s pitch count would be anywhere from 80 to 85. Buehler did not factor in the decision, but did depart with the Dodgers holding a 6-3 lead on the strength of four home runs, including Shohei Ohtani’s fourth in three games. It was Buehler’s first start since since June 10, 2022, at San Francisco The 29-year-old two-time All-Star had his second Tommy John surgery on Aug. 23 that year. The first reconstructive surgery on his right elbow was in 2015 shortly after he was drafted in the first round by the Dodgers. Buehler was 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA in six minor league starts this season, mostly with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He had 21 strikeouts and nine walks in 21 …

Dodgers Dugout: Andy Pages could have been doing all this for the Angels

Dodgers Dugout: Andy Pages could have been doing all this for the Angels

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Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and it appears this Shohei Ohtani guy is quite a hitter. Where has he been the last few years? Before we get to some random thoughts, it’s a good time to talk about Andy Pages, who has done remarkably well since he was recalled from the minors in mid-April when Jason Heyward went on the injured list. After his first six games, Pages, 23, was hitting .182, but since then he has hit .383/.380/.638. Those aren’t typos, his batting average is higher than his on-base percentage in that span because he has drawn no walks, which is also pretty remarkable and the only warning sign in his hitting. He has two sacrifice flies, which don’t count as at-bats but do count when you figure in OB%. Pages has had 74 plate appearances this season and has not walked. But, let’s not focus on the one negative. Jack Harris did a feature story on Pages the other day, so I’m just going …

Shohei Ohtani has sweeping Dodgers dreaming of a different October

Shohei Ohtani has sweeping Dodgers dreaming of a different October

Published by skeptic

This wasn’t October. This can’t be confused with October. This has nothing to do with October. Yet make no mistake, the Dodgers’ weekend sweep of the Atlanta Braves at a rollicking Dodger Stadium was a fair predictor of an entirely different sort of October. An October with Shohei Ohtani. Goodness, the imagination soars, like a 464-foot blast into the lunging grasps of the pavilion partiers. My, the possibilities seem endless, like a 412-foot rocket that disappears over the center-field fence. Ohtani authored both moments during Sunday’s 5-1 sweeping victory, once again leaving witnesses searching for adjectives. “He just keeps doing things that we haven’t seen before,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Leading this team to its first full-season title in 36 years would qualify as something else few have seen before, wouldn’t it? Heavens, the potential is enormous. Ohtani, who was elsewhere while the Dodgers were failing in 10 of their previous 11 postseasons, filled his first playoff atmosphere here with ohhs and ahhs and oh yeahs. Ohh, he wrecked the pitching staff of the …

Shohei Ohtani hits two homers as Dodgers sweep the Braves

Shohei Ohtani hits two homers as Dodgers sweep the Braves

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Dave Roberts seemed a little conflicted before Sunday’s series finale against the Atlanta Braves in Dodger Stadium. The manager didn’t want to put too much emphasis on an early-May series against a potential playoff opponent, saying, “I just want to win as many games as we can,” but as he sized up a “great” trip in which the Dodgers won seven of nine games and a homestand that began with two wins over the Braves, he changed his tune. “It’s time to get greedy,” Roberts said, “so, yeah, we’re trying to sweep them.” The gluttonous Dodgers did just that, riding a strong start by left-hander James Paxton, a pair of bookend home runs by Shohei Ohtani and a two-run shot by Teoscar Hernández to a 5-1 victory that completed a three-game sweep of the Braves before a crowd of 52,733. “It was Cinco de Mayo, it was sold out, the fans were great … it was good to see our guys play to the level and energy that the fans had this whole series,” Roberts …

How hitting with RISP has been Shohei Ohtani’s one Dodgers flaw

How hitting with RISP has been Shohei Ohtani’s one Dodgers flaw

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The timing was coincidental. But, on Shohei Ohtani’s first off day as a Dodger, the discourse Wednesday centered on the one big struggle of his 2024 season — a weakness that had cropped up again the night before. When there hasn’t been a runner at second or third base this season, Ohtani has been the best hitter in baseball. He is batting an MLB-best .398 in such spots. His .774 slugging percentage is more than 100 points better than all but two other players. When the Dodgers need to start a rally, the $700-million signing is often their most potent spark. However, with runners in scoring position over the first month of the season, the slugger’s production has unexpectedly cratered, leading to a trend of frustratingly empty key at-bats. With RISP, Ohtani is batting just .184 (seven for 38) with a .237 slugging percentage. Of the 14 big leaguers with at least 35 such at-bats, he is the only one with fewer than 10 RBIs. And, somewhat amazingly, he has driven in more runs without …

The Dodgers bullpen was turning a corner. Now, injuries cut into depth

The Dodgers bullpen was turning a corner. Now, injuries cut into depth

Published by skeptic

PHOENIX —  A swarm of bees might have delayed the start of action. But it was a disappearance of depth in the bullpen that stung the Dodgers most Tuesday night. With the score tied in the ninth, and then with the Dodgers leading by one in the 10th, the club found itself with few appealing options against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Closer Evan Phillips was unavailable because of a heavy recent workload. Right-handers Joe Kelly and Daniel Hudson had been burned earlier in the game. Typically, that would mean a save opportunity for the other high-leverage relievers on the roster, such as Brusdar Graterol, Ryan Braiser or Blake Trienen. But each of those three was out with injuries. So, with the game on the line, recent minor-league call-up Nabil Crismatt got the call instead. Despite a clean ninth inning that forced the game into extras, Crismatt — a journeyman right-hander with his sixth team in six years — ultimately met the fate many Dodger fans would have feared. Three pitches into the 10th, he left a changeup …