Is it any surprise that all the names in today’s headline are pitchers? The Dodgers struggled with their rotation last year and decided that they were never going to have rotation issues again, then ended up with so much depth that they could comfortably move a contingent of their starters to the bullpen. What a team, man. Today’s game can’t come soon enough.
Dodgers Notes
Blake Snell pitched for the San Francisco Giants last year, and he credits teammate Logan Webb with teaching him how to go the distance, writes
Alex Simon at SF Gate. After watching Webb routinely go into the seventh inning of games, Snell asked him how he did it—then pitched all nine innings of a no-hitter in August.
Repeating as World Series champions isn’t easy, but the Dodgers are making it look that way, writes Bill Shaikin at the Los Angeles Times. Despite a few hiccups along the way, the team is 7-1 this postseason, setting them up for a historic finish—and their stellar starting rotation was part of the plan all along.
Those starters are tossing their way into the history books so far, with two incredible starts to kick off the NLCS. Now, it’s Tyler Glasnow’s turn, and he’s hoping some of that magic rubs off on him when he starts on Thursday, writes Andrés Soto at MLB.com. “Starters sort of want to feed off each other, compete against one another, push each other,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And that’s what we’re sensing from our staff. It’s going to be hard to top Blake and what Yoshinobu did, but I’m sure Glas is going to try to put his mark on this [series].”
Roki Sasaki is adding to the Dodgers’ postseason success from a new perch in the bullpen, and so far, so phenomenal. “For him to start the season how he did and then come back now — it’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen,” Glasnow said of his teammate to ESPN’s Alden González. Also in the running for the Most Improved award is Mookie Betts, who also gets high marks from González when it comes to postseason contributions after an ugly summer.
Have you heard of Milwaukee’s haunted hotel? The elegant, historic Pfister Hotel has been the home base of choice for teams visiting the Brewers, but not everyone enjoys the free ghosts allegedly included in each stay. Betts has stayed at an Airbnb instead for a few years now, and Teoscar Hernández opted for alternative digs for his wife’s sake during the NLCS, writes Chuck Schilken at the Los Angeles Times.
