5 Triple-A Albuquerque games to be televised by SportsNet LA

ALBUQUERQUE -- The Dodgers own television network might not be seen by too many people, but those who have it will have more programming to see in the coming weeks. Five of the final 12 home games for Triple-A Albuquerque will be televised on SportsNet LA.

There is a catch, of course, as usually the Isotopes and Dodgers tend to play in roughly the same time windows. The five Albuquerque games that will be shown on SportsNet LA will be two days after the fact. The first game shown is this Friday's game against Memphis, televised on Sunday at 11 p.m. PT

Carriage issues for the network aside, this is a good step for the network. Even two days later, getting to watch Dodgers minor leaguers play for five games is an increase over the current zero games, except for those with an MiLB.tv subscription.

"To have exposure in the market of our major league partner is very exciting," Isotopes general manager John Traub said in a statement. "13 players on the Dodgers’ current 25-man roster have played with the Isotopes on their way to the major leagues so this new agreement will be a great way for Dodgers fans to watch some of the top prospects in the organization on their way to Los Angeles."

Finding ways to fill 24 hours worth of programming every day is difficult enough without getting repetitive, and having Isotopes games on the network is a good step that will hopefully continue into next season, presumably with more than a third of Los Angeles able to watch.