LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers had only one player in mind to upgrade a roster with no glaring needs. “It was [Tarik] Skubal or nothing,” said manager Dave Roberts. The Dodgers never even kicked the tires on acquiring any other starting pitchers, according to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. (Photo by Luke…
There’s the evil empire, and then there are the Dodgers – the merciless mega-team that just made baseball’s nightmare scenario official. On Saturday night, with a day and a half to spare before Monday’s deadline, Los Angeles traded for reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. Take that in….
Get ready for a wild weekend ahead. As the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches, a plethora of teams still remain on the bubble between buying, selling or doing a little of both. That’s what happens when only nine teams are more than three games out of a playoff spot. The other 21 clubs are all…
LOS ANGELES — At least publicly, despite the Dodgers’ looming presence in any potential Tarik Skubal deadline sweepstakes, the team’s front office continues to downplay its need or desire to add high-end starting pitching. Even with Shohei Ohtani’s timeline to return to the mound uncertain, Dodgers executives point to the production of young starters Justin…
Shohei Ohtani skipped a tentatively scheduled bullpen session Saturday and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the two-way superstar won’t throw off a mound again until his irritated left knee feels 100%. “We’re just going to kick the can,” Roberts said before his team played the New York Mets. “I think like I said…
The All-Star break is over, and with it, the excuses. Teams have roughly two weeks before the Aug. 3 trade deadline to decide whether they’re buying, selling or holding. Surprise contenders have to figure out if their first-half magic was real, bubble teams have to decide which direction to turn and teams in the cellar…
LOS ANGELES — Many professional baseball players tout the benefits of journaling for their personal and professional growth, but Justin Wrobleski has always been more of a numbers guy. So, rather than put pen to paper to jot down his thoughts after every start, the Dodgers pitcher updates Excel spreadsheets. Wrobleski, whose college tenure began…
Several top pro athletes and their surgeons say a modern version of an old tool is shaving weeks off the recovery time for certain injuries. And some top doctors think this is only the beginning. Cy Young Award winners Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell let doctors use the instrument on their prized elbows. Connor Hellebuyck,…
As Shohei Ohtani fired six scoreless innings Wednesday to drop his ERA on the year to 0.74, the third-lowest mark through the first 10 starts of a season in MLB history, he continued to feature a new element to his game. And it’s one that might be necessary as the two-way star tries to capture…
We are set for a rematch of the NL Championship Series in Los Angeles as the Dodgers host the Brewers. Both teams are living up to their billing as postseason contenders, but the Brewers are also finding themselves in a surprising slugfest in the NL Central where all five teams have winning records. Let’s look…
