Justin Wrobleski gave the Dodgers the kind of outing that should have kept them in position to pounce, but the home run ball bit them again in a 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
The defeat left Los Angeles unable to take advantage of a chance to pull even with Milwaukee for first place in the National League. Atlanta also lost Saturday, so the Dodgers stayed in second place, now two games behind the Brewers.
Wrobleski and Jacob Misiorowski matched up for six innings apiece and finished with the same strikeout total, six. Wrobleski gave up four hits, one fewer than Misiorowski, and his 15 whiffs were just two shy of the Brewers starter.
The problem for Wrobleski was familiar. He has now allowed 11 home runs over his last four starts, with a move to the bullpen looming as Tyler Glasnow gets closer to returning. Before this stretch, Wrobleski had yielded only eight homers across 17 games, including 16 starts, this season.
Both Milwaukee blasts against him came with two outs. William Contreras kept the second inning alive with a base hit before Joey Ortiz unloaded on a pitch. Later, after the Dodgers had trimmed the margin, Contreras made sure a leadoff walk didn’t go to waste, turning on a cutter low and inside for another big swing.
That was a tough look for Los Angeles against a Brewers club that sits near the bottom of the league in home runs.
Still, Wrobleski did give the Dodgers a little something to build on. His six strikeouts stood out, and he also extended the Dodgers’ streak of a starter going at least six innings to 72 games, the most in the majors.
Misiorowski’s night was all about the fastball. It showed up immediately against Shohei Ohtani to open the game, when Ohtani popped out to third on the sixth pitch he saw.
Each of those pitches came in at least 102.9 mph, and one early fastball hit 104.2 mph. That was Misiorowski’s fastest pitch of the night.
His heater averaged 101.4 mph over six innings, and his five hardest pitches all came against Ohtani.
Ohtani did account for the Dodgers’ only run against Misiorowski and in the game, lining a chopper down the right-field line for a triple after Alex Call’s infield single.
Saturday marked the Dodgers’ third meeting ever with the hard-throwing right-hander, and their most recent look came in Game 3 of last year’s NL Championship Series. Dave Roberts didn’t think there was much carryover from that outing.
“It’s a fair take that he’s probably the best pitcher in baseball, throwing the baseball the best this year. I think he’s going to get his strikeouts, he’s incredibly talented,” Roberts said.
“I think you’ve just got to fight and get the pitch count up. I don’t know if there’s much of a lesson to be learned.
“I really don’t, because how he threw that night is going to be different. It’s going to be a tough one.”
Even with the fastball pressure and the Dodgers’ ongoing issues against velocity, they had chances to do more damage than one run. One came when Teoscar Hernández, Call and Hunter Feduccia strung together consecutive singles to load the bases. Misiorowski escaped by striking out Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, getting both to swing over the top of sliders.
Kyle Tucker was out of the Dodgers lineup for the second time in six days. He had entered as a pinch-hitter on Monday and played three innings in that game, but Saturday he never got into the contest.
The benching came amid growing frustration with Tucker’s home production. He is hitting .192/.290/.276 at Dodger Stadium, compared with .275/.371/.469 on the road.
In Other News...
Tarik Skubals Dodgers Future Just Became A Bigger Story
Tarik Skubals arrival in Los Angeles already gave the Dodgers another high-end arm to sort into the mix, but the bigger storyline is the one hanging over what comes next. Acquired at the trade deadline after spending his entire professional career with the Tigers, Skubal has made two starts in a new uniform and is still settling into a different clubhouse, a different routine and a contender that expects to keep pushing deep into October.
What makes the situation more interesting is that Skubal is only here for now. He will be a free agent after the season, and while he has said he is excited to be with the Dodgers, there is still no clarity on whether this is a short-term stop or the start of something longer. For a team that rarely gets to enjoy uncertainty for very long, that looming decision gives his first few weeks in Los Angeles a little extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Glasnow Just Put Dodgers Rotation Plans Under The Spotlight
Tyler Glasnow kept building his case Saturday night with another sharp minor league rehab outing for Triple-A Oklahoma City, working 3 2/3 innings against Albuquerque as he continues his return from back spasms. It was his third rehab start since going on the shelf May 8, and the Dodgers have been encouraged enough by the progression to expect one more tune-up before he is considered for a return.
His latest step forward only adds to the roster question hanging over the clubs rotation plans. Dave Roberts said a move will be needed to activate Glasnow from the 60-day injured list, which means the Dodgers have to make room before they can bring back a pitcher they clearly still plan to count on. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Face A Real Roki Sasaki Decision Late In Games
Edwin Diazs uneven season has put the Dodgers in an awkward late-game spot, with the closer now carrying the kind of volatility that can reshape how a staff is deployed in September and beyond. After another blown save added to a rough stretch, the conversation around the bullpen has shifted from simple concern to possible redesign, especially with the club still trying to settle on the safest path for tight games.
Roki Sasaki is at the center of that discussion because he has already shown he can handle relief work, and the Dodgers deep starting-pitching mix makes it harder to assume his best postseason value has to come in the rotation. For a team built to chase October margins, the question is no longer just whether Sasaki can start, but whether the ninth inning might be where he can matter most when the games tighten. [Read more 🡒]