True Blue LA

1 week ago | truebluela.com | Eric Stephen

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Hit by pitches and ejections took over the spotlight in the final inning of a heated series, but what looked like a dud of a game got lively in the ninth. Down five runs with three outs to play, the Dodgers got the tying runs in scoring position, but fell short in a 5-3 loss to the Padres on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

1 week ago | truebluela.com | Eric Stephen

Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images After winning all three series against their closest National League West pursuers, the Dodgers conclude their homestand by hosting the reeling Washington Nationals beginning Friday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Nationals come to town having lost 11 of their last 12 games, including losing three out of four at home to the feeble Rockies. Thursday’s win by Washington in 11 innings snapped an 11-game losing streak.

1 week ago | truebluela.com | Eric Stephen

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images The Dodgers on Thursday optioned pitcher Emmet Sheehan after his return from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, and called up pitcher Jack Little from Triple-A Oklahoma City as a fresh arm in the bullpen. In Wednesday’s win over the Padres, the Dodgers only used the only two pitchers they were hoping to use after a week of heavy usage. Sheehan pitched four innings after getting activated off the injured list, and Justin Wrobleski pitched five.

1 week ago | truebluela.com | Eric Stephen

The Dodgers pitching depth chart of available players on Wednesday was perhaps its shortest of the season, but Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski made it work to get through nine innings. Then Will Smith hit a pinch-hit, walk-off home run in the ninth inning for a 4-3 win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium. The two 2021 draft picks combined to retire 18 batters in a row at one point, including the first 11 faced by Wrobleski before a two-out double in the eighth inning.

1 week ago | truebluela.com | Eric Stephen

Photo by Yuki Taguchi/MLB Photos via Getty Images Playing one another seven times in 11 days is a lot of familiarity between division rivals, and the finale of this current Dodgers-Padres series comes on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Monday got heated when Andy Pages was mad after getting hit by a pitch, and Padres manager Mike Shildt yelling from the dugout, “Who the f*** do you think you are?”Tuesday saw both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Shohei Ohtani hit.