Jimmy Nelson faces live hitting, could be activated off injured list vs. Braves

Jimmy Nelson faced live hitting Tuesday for the first time since being placed on the injured list with right forearm inflammation, throwing roughly an inning’s worth of pitches to Yoshi Tsutsugo under the watchful eye of the coaching staff at Dodger Stadium.

“I thought the stuff was good. The fastball had life, both breaking balls were sharp. There wasn’t the command that I think that he was probably like,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But I think right now with with Jimmy, it’s just kind of how he feels. And that’ll drive the decision for for Friday.”

Nelson last pitched for the Dodgers on May 20. He is eligible to be activated whenever the Dodgers choose, but the plan is for him, along with outfielder AJ Pollock, to accompany the team on Thursday’s flight to Atlanta. Both could be activated as early as Friday before a weekend series against the Braves.

Nelson said he felt tightness in his forearm and elbow area that was gradually increasing the more he threw, but after more than a week of treatment and gradually getting back on the mound, his arm feels better now.

“One of the main reasons I came back here was this medical staff and strength staff, knowing they do a great job of helping me stay on the field,” said Nelson, who through shoulder surgery, elbow issues, and back surgery was limited to just 22 major league innings from 2018-2020 combined.

This year, Nelson has been one of the Dodgers best relievers, with a 2.41 ERA and 1.83 FIP in 16 games, with 30 strikeouts, 11 walks, and no home runs allowed in 18⅔ innings.

Links

Come for Bill Plunkett’s overview of Cody Bellinger’s first few days back at the Orange County Register, stay for his excellent subhead about Blake Treinen’s availability.

Before Thursday’s fifth Dodgers bullpen game this season — and the fourth since Dustin May went down — Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic looked at how these games have shaped the roster, the usage of the four starters in the rotation, and how David Price and Jimmy Nelson might be used once Tony Gonsolin returns.

Joe Davis, 33, is among several young broadcasters interviewed by Richard Deitsch at The Athletic, and shared advice from his former agent, who told him to control what he could control: “It’s such great advice for any ambitious person in any field. I’m a worrier by nature, and I used to get so worked up over every little assignment I didn’t get. Basically, I was really good at making mountains out of molehills when I didn’t feel like I was making progress towards my goals. But, over the years, he hammered me with that mantra enough that I got a lot better at investing my energy in the things I could control.”

Following along with championship odds from BetOnline, the Dodgers have remained the 2021 favorites, beginning with just after last year’s World Series. The Dodgers odds to win it all this year on October 30 were 4.5/1 (meaning a winning $100 bet nets $450), the same on December 30, down to 3/1 odds on March 31, up to 3.4/1 on May 3, and 3.25/1 on Tuesday.

With an MLB-wide batting average of .236 this year the lowest of all-time, Emma Baccellieri at Sports Illustrated looked back at how coverage at the time described the famed “Year of the Pitcher” in 1968, a year that included Don Drysdale’s then-record 58-inning scoreless streak. The lead image in Baccellieri’s story features Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers in an homage to a famous cover from 53 years ago, with Drysdale: