Mike Sirota keeps making life look easy at a level that’s supposed to get harder.
The Dodgers’ in-season Double-A promotion has barely slowed him down. On a road night in an 8-4 Drillers win, Sirota reached base a season-high five times and launched his 10th home run in just 56 games with Tulsa. For a player adjusting upward on the fly, that’s about as loud a statement as you can make.
Triple-A Oklahoma City also finished on the right side of the scoreboard, but it took patience. The Comets waited until the final third of the game to break through, then rallied past the Bees 6-3 behind a pair of key bats from the bottom of the lineup. Shortstop Hyeseong Kim and designated hitter Ryan Fitzgerald each drove in two runs.
There was another notable piece in that game, too. Gavin Stone, back after nearly two full years without appearing in a game, was limited to an inning and two-thirds in his rehab start.
Even so, he showed some encouraging signs by striking out three. Charlie Barnes handled the late innings with three scoreless frames and picked up the win, while Seth Halvorsen closed it out by striking out the side in the ninth despite allowing a hit and a walk.
Tulsa followed a similar script to Oklahoma City, hanging back before making its move late. Jake Gelof’s grand slam and a solo homer from Frank Rodríguez carried the Drillers to a road win over the Hooks. On the mound, Zach Root turned in a much stronger second Double-A start than his first, working six innings and allowing three runs while piling up double-digit strikeouts.
The news wasn’t nearly as clean for Great Lakes. The Loons were buried by six errors from the Dragons, but they still didn’t do enough offensively to turn that mess into a win and fell 8-2 on the road.
Jose Meza had a rough day all around, committing half of those errors and going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Charles Davalan also made an error and, despite reaching base three times from the leadoff spot, didn’t score or drive in a run.
Jacob Frst ran into trouble as well, issuing five or more walks for the third time this season. That third-inning rally sent him to the dugout after he was charged with six runs in 2.1 innings.
Single-A Ontario had its own offensive issues in a 5-2 loss to the Storm. Kellon Lindsey, batting leadoff, struck out three times and finished 0 for 5 without reaching base. One of the brighter spots for the Tower Buzzers was right fielder Javier Herrera, who hit safely three times in four trips and now owns an .856 OPS in 46 games at Single-A.
Luis Gamez gave Ontario a strong start by allowing just two hits, but reliever Luis Carias couldn’t find the zone and handed out five free passes to take the loss.
On the transactions front, Gavin Stone began his rehab assignment with the Comets, and the club also activated veteran left-hander Cole Irvin. Ontario added shortstop Caleb Johnson and right-handed pitcher Devin Bell, while releasing right-hander Jhonny Jímenez and Peter Bonilla.
In Other News...
Dodgers Fans Just Sent A Loud Message About SportsNet LA
Tarik Skubals Dodgers debut on Aug. 1 did more than give Los Angeles another night of buzz around the ballpark. It also turned into a notable win for SportsNet LA, whose local telecast drew a 2.97 Nielsen household rating and outperformed TBSs national broadcast of the same game. For a network that has spent years trying to strengthen its place in the Dodgers daily routine, that kind of audience is its own kind of validation.
SportsNet LA has steadily evolved since the channel launched, reshaping its broadcast team along the way and adding fresh elements to its set at Dodger Stadium. The latest ratings bump suggests Dodgers viewers are still willing to stay close to home for their coverage, even when a national outlet is carrying the same game. What makes that even more interesting is how much the networks identity has changed and how much attention this game might bring to the next step in its broadcast push. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Their August Skid
The Dodgers seven-game losing streak has not been caused by a lack of pitching. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal and others have delivered quality starts during this rough stretch, giving Los Angeles a chance to stay afloat even as the calendar has turned into August and the skid has deepened.
What has made the slump more unsettling is how quietly the offense has slipped since July 1. The Dodgers have landed in the bottom half of the league in several key areas, including home runs and overall batting performance, and they have not been creating enough plate appearances with runners in scoring position to fully cash in when chances do appear. For a club built to overwhelm teams with lineup depth, that is a more troubling development than any one bad week. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Prospect Kendall George Now Faces A Bigger Question After Freak Injury
Kendall Georges season took a strange turn at Double-A Tulsa when the Dodgers prospect collided with the Drillers bat dog, an odd play that wound up sidelining one of the organizations quickest players. George, who has built his reputation in the Dodgers minor league system on speed and base-stealing ability, was briefly able to return before landing back on the injured list, leaving the setback hanging over what had been a promising year.
The bigger issue now is less about the unusual way the injury happened and more about how long it will take George to get right again. He let the news out on Instagram, and for a player whose value is tied so closely to burst and movement, any knee trouble creates real uncertainty about when he can get back to impacting games the way he usually does. [Read more 🡒]