Emmet Sheehan kept dealing in Triple-A, and the Dodgers’ farm system kept stacking up crooked numbers everywhere else on Saturday night.
Sheehan was the clear headliner. The right-hander worked 5 2/3 innings for Oklahoma City, struck out seven and allowed one run on five hits and two walks. It was the only run he’s given up in his last three starts for the Comets, and over that stretch he has allowed just one run in 17 1/3 innings with 24 strikeouts and six walks.
Oklahoma City also got offense late, with Zach Ehrhard breaking a tie by homering in the eighth inning to beat the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres). Will Smith, catching three games this week before moving into the designated hitter spot, doubled twice in four at-bats.
Justin Wrobleski was also in the mix on a rehab assignment, throwing four outs in relief. He gave up a run on three hits in the eighth, then got the first out of the ninth and finished with two strikeouts.
On the El Paso side, old friend Brent Honeywell was charged with the tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh after a pair of errors extended a 25-pitch inning. It was his first game action in 22 months, dating back to Game 4 of the 2024 World Series, after injuries kept him out for most of the last two years.
Tulsa turned its night into a marathon and came out on top. The Drillers outlasted the Midland RockHounds (A’s) 10-?
no, 10 runs total in an 11-inning win, scoring four times in the 11th after a wild night that included 19 strikeouts, 16 hits and nine walks. Taylor Young singled, walked three times, stole a base and then doubled home a run in the 11th.
Jake Gelof had a huge night too, homering, adding a sacrifice fly and then driving in two more with a two-run single in the 11th for four RBI overall. Elijah Hainline also went deep.
Jose Izarra doubled twice and stole a base from right field, while Kole Myers singled twice, walked twice and swiped a bag. Josue De Paula finished with a double, a single and two runs scored, including his 100th run of the season as the free runner in the 10th.
He’s now one RBI away from 100 as well, after entering the year with career highs of 69 runs and 62 RBI, both set in 2024.
Jacob Kmatz’s night was a mixed bag. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline in the Hunter Feduccia/Jack Suwinski swap, he had allowed only one run on three hits across his first eight appearances for Tulsa.
On Saturday, he gave up a run on three hits to tie the game in the eighth, but escaped a much bigger mess. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Kmatz forced a play at the plate, got an easy flyout and then a strikeout to strand all three runners.
Payton Martin also returned after two and a half weeks on the injured list and threw two scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing a single and a walk. It was just the fifth bullpen appearance of his career, and his first seven starts before the IL stint had gone badly, with 33 runs allowed in 31 1/3 innings.
At High-A Great Lakes, the Loons broke things open by scoring in five of eight innings in a blowout of the Lansing Lugnuts (A’s). Mairo Martinus launched a three-run homer and Charles Davalan added a two-run shot.
Martinus also scored his 99th and 100th runs of the season, matching Josue De Paula’s milestone night in Double-A. Eduardo Quintero and Emil Morales each doubled and singled, with Morales now up to 115 RBI in 111 games between Great Lakes and Class-A Ontario.
Eduardo Guerrero chipped in three hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Isaac Ayon backed it all up with five innings of one-run ball on three hits for the win.
Ontario needed the ninth to finish the job, but the Tower Buzzers got there with a pair of homers. Catcher Conner O’Neal and Ching-Hsien Ko both went deep in the final inning to break a tie and lift Ontario past the Stockton Ports (A’s), with Ko’s blast going for two runs.
Ontario didn’t score until the seventh, when second baseman Kellon Lindsey tied it with a solo shot. The 2024 first-round pick had homered six times in his first 59 pro games across last year and this year, but he’s found another gear since July 18, when he has eight homers in his last 33 games and is hitting .250/.413/.508.
Luis Gamez, pitching the day before his 20th birthday, closed out his teens with four scoreless innings and six strikeouts, working around four walks and a single. Jecsua Liborius struck out two in a scoreless ninth to pick up his 11th save.
In Other News...
Dodgers Suddenly Have A Late Chance To Fix Their Biggest Problem
The Dodgers have suddenly been handed a late option to try to patch up an offense that has been too quiet at the wrong time. With the Mets placing outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on outright waivers, teams have a 48-hour window to make a claim, and Los Angeles is reportedly weighing whether to jump in as the playoff race tightens. Dave Roberts already acknowledged the clubs offensive struggles after a recent loss, a reminder that this is not a small-side issue but one that could shape how far the team can go in October.
Robert would give the Dodgers another path to help a lineup that has searched for consistency, especially with the postseason approaching and every at-bat carrying extra weight. The question now is whether Los Angeles sees enough upside to act quickly, because the timing of the waiver window leaves little room for deliberation and the teams biggest problem is still sitting right in front of it. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Catcher Crunch Is Putting One Roster Spot In Serious Danger
Will Smith is expected to come off the injured list on Sept. 1 when rosters expand, a move that will briefly give the Dodgers the luxury of carrying three catchers. For a team that has spent much of the season juggling the position, it is a welcome problem to have, especially with Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia splitting the work behind the plate while the club waits for its regular starter to rejoin the mix.
The wrinkle is Dalton Rushing, who is also tracking toward a return later in September after his injury. What remains unclear is whether he will be ready to take back catching duties, and that uncertainty could quickly force the Dodgers into some difficult roster math once Smith is back and the depth chart starts to tighten. Feduccias stronger offensive showing has only added another layer to the decision, making the next few weeks important for a position that suddenly has more bodies than openings. [Read more 🡒]
Clayton Kershaws New Dodgers Role Feels Bigger Than A One-Off
Clayton Kershaws first turn on SportsNet LA during the Dodgers game against the Braves had the feel of a test run for a player who spent so much of his career on the other side of the microphone. The longtime left-hander said he never really enjoyed media interactions while he was active, but he sounded more at ease talking baseball from a broadcasting chair, where the conversation is less about answering for results and more about explaining the game he knows so well.
Kershaw has already been around Dodger Stadium plenty since retiring, and his role with the organization has grown beyond a ceremonial goodbye tour. In addition to working as a special assistant in the front office, he is now showing up in the broadcast booth too, which gives the Dodgers a familiar voice in one corner of the ballpark and a familiar presence in another. It is the kind of transition that makes it clear his next chapter is not going to be a quiet one. [Read more 🡒]