The Dodgers’ Sunday night didn’t go the way they wanted, but the bigger story around the club kept moving anyway.
Los Angeles fell 8-4 to the Red Sox and dropped to 69-43, with Emmet Sheehan charged with five earned runs in 2.2 innings. Jack Dreyer covered 1.1 scoreless frames, Evan Phillips worked a clean inning, and Kyle Hurt and Wyatt Mills each gave up an earned run over two innings apiece.
At the plate, Andy Pages and Max Muncy were the bright spots, each finishing with two hits. Pages also drove in three runs. Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. didn’t record a hit, but he still picked up his fourth MLB RBI on a sacrifice fly in the second inning.
Alfonzo was in the game because Dalton Rushing was scratched just minutes before first pitch. The issue was arm irritation, and Dave Roberts said the team chose not to push it.
“Dalton had some arm irritation when he was playing catch before the game, which is very uncommon,” manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “I didn’t want to take a chance and kind of push him anymore, so that’s why I decided to scratch him.
“He got treated today, and my expectation is he’s going to be with us on the plane, and then kind of day to day.”
The catching situation matters here because Rushing’s absence comes with Will Smith still at least 3-4 weeks away. That leaves Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. as the only other catcher on the roster.
While that was unfolding, the Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal move continued to settle in. His debut has been officially set for this week, and Skubal was straightforward about what the chance means to him.
“I’m excited to be a Dodger,” Skubal said to reporters the night of the trade. “I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys, and chase three championships in a row.
That’s hard to do. So I’m excited to be a part of that."
And even after landing Skubal, the deadline work is not done. Andrew Friedman said the Dodgers are still talking about additional deals, with more trades still possible before the window closes. The team is also focused on trading outfielder Alex Call, with the Rangers described as the likely suitors.
The front office has heard the noise around the Skubal blockbuster, but Friedman made clear where he stands on it.
“I look at it from the other side. The inverse of that hopefully means that our fans are really happy. That's our only mission: to do everything we can to be great stewards of this organization and to reward our incredibly passionate fans.”
There was also one more bit of deadline drama attached to a Dodgers top prospect, who was removed from Sunday’s High-A game in the seventh inning with less than 28 hours left before the deadline.
In Other News...
Dodgers Rumor Could Put Two Key Lineup Roles In Play
Jeff Passan stirred the deadline market on his podcast by naming Zach Neto as a possible prize trade candidate, and the Dodgers are among the big-market clubs said to be in the mix. For a team that has already asked Mookie Betts to handle shortstop, the appeal is obvious: Neto would give Los Angeles another high-end infield option and another layer of flexibility as the front office weighs how to line up the roster for the stretch run.
A deal, though, would not be as simple as adding another bat and glove. Neto is productive, under control through 2030, and the Angels would have every reason to drive a steep price, which is why a serious pursuit could force the Dodgers to rethink more than one position on the roster. Betts could end up back at second base or right field, and any move that big would likely ripple into the outfield picture as well. [Read more 🡒]
Nike Just Gave Dodgers Fans A New Kobe Collectible To Want
Nike used a Dodger Stadium backdrop against the Red Sox to roll out its latest Kobe collection, a package built around the franchises look and the pull of one of the citys most enduring sports icons. The drop includes the Kobe 5 Protro and Kobe Air Force 1 Protro, along with apparel and accessories like T-shirts and batting gloves, giving fans a mix of on-field style and everyday wear tied to the Dodgers brand.
For Los Angeles collectors, the timing matters almost as much as the design. Early access is set for Aug. 8 and 9 in the city, with a wider public release coming Aug. 15 at select retailers, so this is one of those rare crossover items that should draw both sneakerheads and Dodgers fans looking for something a little different to track down. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Just Used A Quiet Depth Piece To Address A Need
The Dodgers used a little depth to patch a different part of the roster landscape just before the trade deadline, moving outfielder Jack Suwinski to the Rays in exchange for catcher Hunter Feduccia. It was the kind of under-the-radar transaction that can get lost amid bigger deadline noise, but it still speaks to how front offices sort through fit, timing and organizational need when the market starts to tighten.
For Tampa Bay, the appeal was adding another outfield option even with several already in place, banking on the idea that Suwinskis Triple-A track record can still translate more consistently at the major league level. For the Dodgers, it was a chance to turn a quiet depth piece into help at a position where coverage matters, and the real question now is how much value they can squeeze out of the return before the next roster squeeze arrives. [Read more 🡒]