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.
Shohei Ohtani (.478 average, 6 XBH, 9 RBIs this week; .272 average, .885 OPS, 8 HR, 26 RBIs this season)
It’s no surprise that, just as Ohtani emerged from his slump this week, so did the Dodgers’ offense.
From April 28 to May 12, the Dodgers failed to score more than three runs in 10 of 13 games — a glaring cold spell for their $415 million roster that led to a 4-9 slide. In that stretch, Ohtani was one of their coldest batters, reaching the nadir of his early-season slump with a .143 average and, at one point, an 0-18 drought.
Ohtani has rediscovered his swing (and his approach) lately, however, returning from a two-day break from hitting by reaching safely multiple times in each of his six games since (and seven straight overall).
The Dodgers’ offense, unsurprisingly, has also heated up right along with him, scoring at least four runs in all but one of their last eight games while going 7-1.
How impactful has Ohtani been? In the Dodgers’ last 15 run-scoring innings, Ohtani has contributed in some form, either by getting on base or driving in a run or, as he did to lead off Wednesday’s game, hitting a home run.
As he goes, so does the offense. And lately both have been back in better form.
Will Klein (4 scoreless innings, 4 strikeouts, 1 save) and Edgardo Henriquez (3.1 scoreless innings, 4 strikeouts, 1 hold)
When Díaz got hurt, the Dodgers not only lost their closer but also their best right-handed reliever.
It created an opportunity that Klein and Henriquez have taken advantage of.
After their individual postseason heroics in October, both of them entered this year trying to establish themselves as consistent regular-season performers, too.
Klein has been much of the year, holding teams scoreless in 11 of his 15 appearances, but has elevated his play while stepping into more high-leverage opportunities lately. It culminated in his first career save on Tuesday, as he retired the side in the ninth in order to preserve a one-run lead.
“[I’m] throwing more strikes, attacking guys, not getting behind, not giving up free passes,” Klein said. “That’s the biggest thing, just trusting my stuff in the zone.”
It’s been the same story with Henriquez, who has trimmed his ERA from 5.23 to 3.26 in the last three weeks. Over his last nine innings, he has yielded one run, struck out eight batters and walked only two. He contributed to both wins in San Diego this week, following up 1 ⅓ scoreless innings Tuesday with a scoreless sixth inning Wednesday against the heart of the Padres’ order.
Between them, Kyle Hurt (who has a 0.64 ERA on the season) and Blake Treinen (who has a 2.08 ERA in his last 10 appearances), the Dodgers’ right-handed relief worries have been alleviated.
Mike Sirota (.325 average, 7 HR, 22 RBIs in High-A this year) and Emil Morales (.323 average, 6 HR, 35 RBIs in Single-A this year)
We have featured Sirota and Morales in this space previously this year.
This week, both of the highly touted prospects were on the move, with Sirota being promoted to Double-A Tulsa and Morales to High-A Great Lakes.
Those represented some of the most significant moves yet in the Dodgers’ farm system this year. They were also more than warranted for two players who had torn up their early-season competition.
Sirota, 22, is one of the many promising outfielders in the Dodgers’ system, after originally being acquired in a trade for Gavin Lux a couple years ago and returning from a season-ending knee injury last summer.
Morales, 19, was an international signing shortstop who, as still a teenager, is already well ahead of the curve by reaching High-A.
(Where we identify a potential Dodgers’ future acquisition –– sometimes far-fetched, sometimes not)
Mason Miller, Padres (ETA: 2028)
The Padres have a serious problem: Their three highest-paid position players are contributing almost nothing offensively.
Two of them, 33-year-old Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts, just look old. The other, Fernando Tatis Jr., isn’t the player he was before he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
What makes the situation especially problematic is that their contracts aren’t about to expire anytime soon. Machado’s and Bogaerts’ deals run through 2033; Tatis’ contract expires after the 2034 season.
How could the Padres possibly unload any of these deals? What if they attach Miller, the game’s best closer?
OK, so maybe that’s not realistic — but is it any less realistic than the Padres winning a World Series?
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