True Blue LA - April 17: Mets 8, Dodgers 6Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2023-04-17T23:11:53-07:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/234501002023-04-17T23:11:53-07:002023-04-17T23:11:53-07:00Chris Taylor injures left side, will undergo tests
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<p id="Ei8sI2">LOS ANGELES — <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> utility man Chris Taylor hurt his left side making a throw from left field <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23686058/dodgers-home-runs-freddie-freeman-alex-vesia-bullpen-yikes-mets-recap">in Monday’s loss to the Mets</a>, and had to leave the game after seven innings. </p>
<p id="X7WmNt">“What’s concerning is he doesn’t come out of games. We’ll run some more tests tonight, tomorrow to see how he feels,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s quite fair to say that we’ll be down for a couple days.”</p>
<p id="rltw9L">It’s unclear on which play Taylor hurt his side, as three different singles were hit to left field during the three-run seventh that tipped the game in the Mets’ favor. But he was replaced in left field in the eighth inning by James Outman.</p>
<p id="ejgC2T">It’s been a frustrating season so far for Taylor, who struck out twice in his three at-bats on Monday. He’s hitting .125/.200/.425 with 18 strikeouts in 45 plate appearances, a 40-percent strikeout rate that’s <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=40&type=1&season=2023&month=33&season1=2023&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2023-01-01&enddate=2023-12-31&sort=5,d">tied for highest in the majors among the 247 players who have batted at least 40 times</a>. </p>
<p id="1kVFFM">Taylor only has five hits, though four of them are home runs.</p>
<p id="ur8Uj1">Depending on what the tests on Taylor show, it’s unlikely the Dodgers make a move for a few days. Though the injury might be serious enough to call someone up on Tuesday. </p>
<p id="90O18o">When asked if the injury was to his oblique, Roberts said, “I don’t want to say that word, but it’s something like that.”</p>
<p id="mDd63L">Yonny Hernández would be the best choice to call up from the 40-man roster, as he can play shortstop, third base, and second base, except he’s on the injured list in Triple-A and hasn’t played since April 4.</p>
<p id="TVwedx">Without Taylor, the only shortstop on the Dodgers active roster is Miguel Rojas, who already missed five games with a mild left groin strain and left last Wednesday’s game in San Francisco with a cramp in his hamstring. Rojas has four hits in 31 at-bats this season.</p>
<p id="lFdpDc">Luke Williams has been the regular shortstop for Oklahoma City, and is off to a hot start, hitting .375/.455/.696 with 12 extra-base hits in 14 games in the offense-friendly Pacific Coast League. But he’s not on the 40-man roster, so that would require a corresponding move to create room.</p>
<p id="TpJGt0">That roster room might not come until catcher Will Smith is cleared to return from the concussion injured list, <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23687428/will-smith-injury-dodgers-thursday-return-catching-plan-austin-barnes-austin-wynns">which can’t happen before Thursday</a>. Austin Wynns, the temporary backup to the backup catcher, doubled home two runs and threw out a baserunner trying to steal in his Dodgers debut on Monday.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23687679/chris-taylor-injury-dodgers-left-sideEric Stephen2023-04-17T22:02:01-07:002023-04-17T22:02:01-07:00Dodgers come up short, drop opener against Mets
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<figcaption>Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Loss drops LA to 8-9</p> <p id="P6uFd1">LOS ANGELES — After three games over the weekend with mostly good pitching but bad hitting, the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> broke out offensively on Monday but didn’t have the pitching to back it, falling to the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> 8-6 in the series opener at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<p id="L99Et4">The Dodgers fall to 8-9, their first time under .500 since starting 2022 by losing two of their first three games.</p>
<p id="3tmSdl">Looking only at score changes at the end of half-innings, the Dodgers led three times Monday and the Mets lead three times. It was tied once. But New York led when it counted, at the end, thanks to big innings against Dodgers starter Dustin May and an increasingly shaky LA bullpen.</p>
<p id="PWJ0cW">The Mets took the lead for good with a three-run the seventh. Alex Vesia allowed three singles to open the inning, loading the bases with nobody out, the last hit by Starling Marte, a right-handed batter.</p>
<p id="u8wixo">Phil Bickford entered an impossible situation, then turned up the weirdness factor of the game with a balk on his first pitch, bringing home the tying run. A ground out and a single plated two more runners, giving the Mets the lead. All three runs were charged to Vesia, who has allowed 15 hits in 31 batters faced this season, and seven runs in five innings.</p>
<p id="Ev9Rzd">Bickford wasn’t much better, walking two after the run-scoring single to load the bases again. But left-hander Justin Bruihl, <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23687240/dodgers-roster-justin-bruihl-recalled-lefties-andre-jackson-optioned">just called up on Monday after a stellar start to the season in Triple-A</a>, got rookie Brett Baty to fly out to stop the bleeding.</p>
<p id="xosPrM">The Dodgers bullpen has a 4.94 ERA on the season in 54⅔ innings, allowing a .495 slugging percentage. </p>
<p id="KNuD0r">“Right now, we have a handful of guys, half the guys are in a good spot, and some other guys trying to figure it out,” manager Dave Roberts said. “These are our guys, and they have a track record so we’ve got to keep throwing them out there, but they’ve got to perform.”</p>
<h3 id="ztF0QQ">Finding their groove</h3>
<p id="jUJppK">The Dodgers offense was alive on Monday, matching their weekend total of six runs in one game. Freddie Freeman led the way with a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run shot in the fifth off Mets starter David Peterson.</p>
<p id="qTBeht">Freeman <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/BoRp5">now has 18 two-home-run games in his career</a>, though that was his first with the Dodgers. It was his first since September 10, 2020 with the Braves.</p>
<p id="zBeJI6">In the bottom of the sixth, Max Muncy crushed a ball 433 feet into the right field pavilion for his sixth home run in his last seven games. If you didn’t see the ball land, nobody could blame you, as the person in charge of the new Dodger Stadium lights had an itchy trigger finger making the ballpark dark super early.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">WOW, MAX. <a href="https://t.co/ugXzOVd6Pw">pic.twitter.com/ugXzOVd6Pw</a></p>— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1648172132030103554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a>
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<p id="w0VHkJ">James Outman narrowly missed a two-run game-tying home run in the eighth, but his ball got stuck in the video board part of the right field wall. Instead of Freeman scoring from first on a regular double, it was ruled a ground-rule double, keeping Freeman at third and Outman at second.</p>
<p id="DJeiY7">Muncy popped out and Miguel Vargas struck out to end the threat.</p>
<p id="Pyt57M">“We needed one more hit, and just didn’t get it,” Freeman said. “It feels like the story of the first two weeks of the season”</p>
<p id="X6WSbL">A tale of two seasons — last year when the Dodgers scored at least six runs, <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/cbh8l">they were 64-3 (.955)</a>. This year they are 5-3 (.625) in such games.</p>
<h3 id="NSZ7Sy">Weird, wild stuff</h3>
<p id="wflyXS">May was all over the place on Monday, but not necessarily in his pitching. He didn’t walk anyone and threw 71 percent of his pitches for strikes. But he also contorted or fell off the mound a few times, made a sprawling tag attempt up the first base line but couldn’t field the ball cleanly while doing so, and May also spun and threw wildly to second base, providing us with one of the wilder still shots of the season to date. </p>
<p id="kw4E8O">Vargas, behind Miguel Rojas, actually caught this ball, and got an out at second base.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The most excellent backing up of the bag that I've ever seen <a href="https://t.co/KLiQun5XBz">pic.twitter.com/KLiQun5XBz</a></p>— Michael Clair (@michaelsclair) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelsclair/status/1648165262439645184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a>
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<p id="o3K3sE">With so many pitches in the strike zone, May only got six swinging strikes and one strikeout, while the Mets clipped him for eight hits and five runs in 5⅔ innings.</p>
<p id="ZnT9DT">“Dustin had good stuff,” Roberts said. “I think the execution and putting guys away, we couldn’t do that tonight.”</p>
<p id="xpJAdf">“I was throwing balls in the strike zone, and they were hitting little shots in the infield, stuff like that and getting on base,” May said. “I need to make better quality throws in those scenarios, and I didn’t.”</p>
<p id="gGMCX9">May walked off the mound in a tie game in the sixth with the go-ahead run on second, but the lefty Vesia got the last out of the frame to escape any damage. But Vesia created his own damage in the seventh. </p>
<h3 id="V8Awlw">Welcome aboard</h3>
<p id="QPnsM3">The Dodgers’ other catcher named Austin made his debut with the team on Monday, and in Austin Wynns’ first at-bat he doubled to the gap in right center to bring home two runs in the second inning, giving his new team the lead.</p>
<p id="L2AFk1">Wynns in the fifth inning threw out Starling Marte trying to steal second base, matching the total runners caught stealing by Dodgers catchers in the first 16 games of the season. Will Smith and Austin Barnes — and obviously the Dodgers pitchers — allowed 23 steals in those games.</p>
<h3 id="xOMbCk">Monday particulars</h3>
<p id="GwUiXC"><strong>Home runs</strong>: Freddie Freeman 2 (3), Max Muncy (7); Daniel Vogelbach (1)</p>
<p id="9Cw2Mo"><strong>WP — David Peterson (1-2)</strong>: 6 IP, 7 hits, 6 runs, 6 strikeouts</p>
<p id="hpMt3I"><strong>LP — Alex Vesia (0-2)</strong>: ⅓ IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout</p>
<p id="ln7m9q"><strong>Sv — David Robertson (5)</strong>: 1 IP, zeroes</p>
<h3 id="l5KsBY">Up next</h3>
<p id="9XOTqm">The Dodgers send Clayton Kershaw to the mound on Tuesday night (7:10 p.m.; SportsNet LA, TBS) for his first crack at career win No. 200. Right-hander Tylor Megill starts for New York. Bob Costas and Jeff Francoeur will call the TBS broadcast, which won’t be available in either team’s local markets.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23686058/dodgers-home-runs-freddie-freeman-alex-vesia-bullpen-yikes-mets-recapEric Stephen2023-04-17T18:52:00-07:002023-04-17T18:52:00-07:00Dodgers vs. Mets Game I chat
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<figcaption>Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="qeNxW2">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> open a series against the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<p id="BlirZ3">Dustin May starts on the mound. Austin Wynns catches in his Dodgers debut.</p>
<h3 id="m4EaP0">Pregame reading</h3>
<aside id="vtDOLw"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Dodgers eying Thursday return for Will Smith: ‘It’s a progression’","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23687428/will-smith-injury-dodgers-thursday-return-catching-plan-austin-barnes-austin-wynns"},{"title":"Tony Gonsolin starts Thursday for OKC","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23687389/tony-gonsolin-rehab-start-oklahoma-city-dodgers-left-ankle-sprain"},{"title":"Week 3: Breaking even, again","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23681398/dodgers-week-3-max-muncy-andre-jackson-david-peralta"},{"title":"Breaking down Mets starter David Peterson","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23685322/dodgers-mets-david-peterson-breakdown"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="arFrrh">Lineups</h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Game one in the City of Angels. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LGM?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LGM</a><br><br> Los Angeles (NL)<br> <a href="https://twitter.com/_David_Peterson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_David_Peterson</a><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYtv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SNYtv</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLBNetwork</a><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/wcbs880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wcbs880</a> <a href="https://t.co/F7WNu5ViQN">pic.twitter.com/F7WNu5ViQN</a></p>— New York Mets (@Mets) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1648102203012284417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2023</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tonight’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dodgers</a> lineup vs. Mets: <a href="https://t.co/XpqMxrwYOz">pic.twitter.com/XpqMxrwYOz</a></p>— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1648093266846576641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2023</a>
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<h3 id="GoSRG8">Game info</h3>
<ul>
<li id="ZL3WE1">Teams: Dodgers vs. Mets</li>
<li id="tQFNfP">Stadium: Dodger Stadium</li>
<li id="ipxAAz">Time: 7:10 p.m. PT</li>
<li id="yx3Lxu">TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)</li>
<li id="dwj5Kq">Radio: AM 570 (English); KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)</li>
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https://www.truebluela.com/23686053/dodgers-mets-game-chatEric Stephen2023-04-17T17:56:01-07:002023-04-17T17:56:01-07:00Dodgers eying Thursday return for Will Smith: ‘It’s a progression’
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<img alt="MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Im7zjxgLdIsnWG2m5Hmd0iK-qok=/0x0:5147x3431/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72189935/usa_today_20378392.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Plus, the Barnes/Wynns catching plan vs. Mets</p> <p id="fqVkSs">LOS ANGELES — <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> catcher Will Smith won’t play during the three-game series against the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> at Dodger Stadium, but the team is eying Thursday’s series opener at Wrigley Field in Chicago for Smith’s return, the earliest day he’s eligible to be activated off <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/16/23685453/will-smith-injured-list-concussion-dodgers-austin-wynns-contract">the seven-day concussion injured list</a>.</p>
<p id="3EtgAP">“The hope is to activate him [Thursday], but it’s all contingent on how he’s feeling,” manager Dave Roberts said.</p>
<p id="CwUXmt">Smith has hit directly in his catcher’s mask by three foul balls last Tuesday against the Giants, the middle game of a three-game set in San Francisco. He said he felt fine on Wednesday, and had two hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly in the Dodgers win.</p>
<p id="fUxqYJ">But Thursday was when Smith started to experience headaches and dizziness, which Roberts described Sunday as feeling “foggy.”</p>
<p id="shuESk">“I took three foul tips to the face,” Smith said Monday at Dodger Stadium. “That’s kind of a lot for one game. Usually it’s one, maybe two.”</p>
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<p id="TngeYc">Smith didn’t play Friday or Saturday against the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>, and went through a battery of tests. Still feeling symptoms, Saturday was when it was ruled that he experienced a concussion, setting in motion the Dodgers signing Austin Wynns to backup Austin Barnes behind the plate, with Smith <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/16/23685453/will-smith-injured-list-concussion-dodgers-austin-wynns-contract">placed on the seven-day concussion injured list on Sunday</a>, retroactive to Thursday.</p>
<p id="ARgxrx">Smith participated in a full workout before Monday’s game, and also hit in the cage. He said he feels better than he did over the weekend, but wasn’t yet ready to declare himself fit to play on Thursday in Chicago.</p>
<p id="vKn5bO">“My number one priority is getting back to 100 percent. I don’t want to rush this. There’s plenty of things you can play through and deal with, but head stuff, concussion stuff is not something anyone should mess with,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a progression. We’ll see how I recover after today. ... It’s day by day.”</p>
<p id="wtGYck">Barnes caught all three games of the series against the Cubs, and Wynns will make his Dodgers debut catching Dustin May and batting ninth. Roberts said Wynns went through a crash course on Sunday, mostly learning signs and studying up on May.</p>
<p id="c4Ua8p">Barnes will catch Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday night, with catching duties for Wednesday’s series finale still to be determined. The daytime start factors in, because the Dodgers in recent years have typically avoided starting a catcher in a day game after catching the night game before. They didn’t do it at all during the 2022 season, with Barnes catching Saturday and Sunday against the Cubs the first such instance of 2023.</p>
<p id="ikxM4t">“We’ll just see how [Barnes] feels after [Tuesday’s] game to see if he’s going to catch that day game,” Roberts said.</p>
<p id="Ui8xpI">Getting Smith back isn’t just about catching, but also adding back the third-best hitter on the team to the lineup. During the three-game series against Chicago, <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23681398/dodgers-week-3-max-muncy-andre-jackson-david-peralta">the Dodgers scored only six runs — two in each game</a>.</p>
<p id="fESmtQ">“Will is a big part of the offense, as far as lengthening the lineup. So when he’s not in there it kind of changes the structure,” Roberts said Monday. “But we’ve still got to go out there, and we’ve still got a lot of good players.”</p>
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https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23687428/will-smith-injury-dodgers-thursday-return-catching-plan-austin-barnes-austin-wynnsEric Stephen2023-04-17T17:06:43-07:002023-04-17T17:06:43-07:00Tony Gonsolin starts Thursday for OKC
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<img alt="MLB: Spring Training-Los Angeles Dodgers Workouts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KhQkSJheskp2MCWuEXx0YxNXQ4M=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72189829/usa_today_20044364.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Gonsolin expected to pitch 4 innings in Albuquerque on Thursday</p> <p id="jsSCgB">LOS ANGELES — <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> pitcher Tony Gonsolin threw a bullpen session and participated in fielding drills on Monday at Dodger Stadium, a precursor to the right-hander making a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.</p>
<p id="rjB7Qt">Gonsolin tested out his left ankle, which <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/3/20/23648898/tony-gonsolin-injury-dodgers-left-ankle-sprain-2023">was sprained on March 6 in a backfields drill during spring training</a>. Gonsolin was one of <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/3/30/23630669/dodgers-injured-list-tony-gonsolin-daniel-hudson-ryan-pepiot-alex-reyes-opening-day-roster">eight Dodgers pitchers to open the season on the injured list</a>.</p>
<p id="nGupBM">Oklahoma City plays a day game on Thursday in Albuquerque against the Isotopes, a Rockies affiliate. Gonsolin is expected to fly to Albuquerque on Tuesday. </p>
<p id="pbV0s0">“He’ll throw four innings, and we’ll see where we go from there,” manager Dave Roberts said Monday. “I assume he’ll do the four innings, then in another five or six days, do another five innings.”</p>
<p id="0AwDDT">In other words, <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/10/23678234/tony-gonsolin-ryan-pepiot-injury-timeline-dodgers-rotation-may">last week’s concern that Gonsolin might not return until May</a> might still be technically true, with a potential return to the Dodgers on May 1 or 2, if all goes well. </p>
<p id="WCGVQL">Ryan Pepiot, like Gonsolin, landed on the injured list on opening day, but <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/3/30/23663629/ryan-pepiot-injured-list-dodgers-left-oblique-strain">with a strained left oblique</a>. Pepiot still hasn’t thrown a baseball, nearly three weeks since <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/3/28/23661202/ryan-pepiot-walks-home-runs-dodgers-angels-freeway-series">his last spring training start on March 28</a>, limited thus far to working out with <a href="https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/product/driveline-plyocare-balls/">plyo balls</a>. </p>
<p id="byVtHF">“We’re all just kind of miffed at the slow progress,” Roberts said.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23687389/tony-gonsolin-rehab-start-oklahoma-city-dodgers-left-ankle-sprainEric Stephen2023-04-17T11:04:00-07:002023-04-17T11:04:00-07:00Breaking down Mets starter David Peterson
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<img alt="MLB: New York Mets at Milwaukee Brewers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HjwQURF-T4w_gQ-wj6ptF-oBo6E=/2x0:2500x1665/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72188634/usa_today_20398130.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="bp22xJ">For whatever reason thus far this season, the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> have really struggled against left-handed pitching. They’ve hit .185/.324/.404 with 44 strikeouts in 179 plate appearances (24.6 percent). </p>
<p id="TII2Fm">Part of this can be attributed to the fact that Freddie Freeman, a left-handed hitter, is much worse against lefties in his career than righties, though still above average. But a lineup that still features the likes of Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and, for a time, Will Smith should be able to more than hold their own against southpaws. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="ZVkrse"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Dodgers facing several LHP on the homestand","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/13/23681153/dodgers-offense-left-handed-pitching-trayce-thompson-chris-taylor"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="A6syc4">Unfortunately for the Dodgers though they will be facing one on Monday in <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> starter David Peterson. Down below we are going to evaluate what the 27-year-old brings to the table. </p>
<p id="BTIwJI"><em>Will include batted ball profiles next week. Unfortunately, there is not enough 2023 data in that category yet to have it support any claims. </em></p>
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<h4 id="cO1TI2">Pitch #1: Four-seam, 2023 usage rate - 30.6 percent </h4>
<div id="orPhIS"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/nelson-cruz-strikes-out-on-a-foul-tip-iyevzw" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="okbKdw"><em>2023 stats - Average velo - 93.3 MPH - Spin rate - 2,170 RPM - vertical movement - 16.9 inches - horizontal movement - 0.0 inches</em> </p>
<p id="rBwM45">There have been some interesting changes in the numbers against Peterson’s four seamer early in the season. The first being the ground ball percentage on the pitch has gone from 43.2 percent in 2022 to 66.7 percent this season with the launch angle dipping from 10 degrees to -1. Additionally, his four seamer has been less accurate this season as its in-zone percentage has dropped from 56.1 percent in 2022 to 38.3 percent in 2023. When thrown in the zone though, hitters are swinging at it at an increasingly higher rate jumping from 65.2 percent to 74.2 percent. I’m not sure if this is an overall adjustment from hitters who are hunting his four seamer early and often or if this is a pure coincidence but look for the likes of Mookie Betts to hunt this pitch all game. </p>
<h4 id="bKe5JM">Pitch #2: Slider, 2023 usage rate - 24.9 percent<strong> </strong>
</h4>
<div id="82fvh6"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/david-peterson-swinging-strike-to-ha-seong-kim" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="B5G1UW"><em>2023 stats - Average velo - 85.8 MPH - Spin rate - 2,454 RPM - vertical movement - 37.3 inches - horizontal movement - 3.0 inches</em> </p>
<p id="RmBbpZ">Despite it being less effective this year, the slider is Peterson’s best pitch. It carried a whiff rate of 47.9 percent in 2022 and 42.4 percent thus far this season. Over the past two seasons as well Peterson has produced chase rates of 41.1 percent and 35.1 percent with it. Notably, Peterson’s slider is his most used pitch against left-handed batter, with a usage rate of 40.7 percent and 36.1 percent over the past two seasons. Against righties though it takes a big dip at 26 and 19.8 percent respectively. As a result, the few left-handed hitters in the Dodgers' lineup on Monday should expect to see the slider early and often. </p>
<h4 id="rQLTS2">Pitch #3: Changeup, 2023 usage rate - 20.4 percent<strong> </strong>
</h4>
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<p id="7jRUlA"><em>2023 stats - Average velo - 86 MPH - Spin rate - 1,629 RPM - vertical movement - 28.9 inches - horizontal movement - 16.3 inches</em> </p>
<p id="bY0593">Behind his slider, this is in my opinion Peterson’s second-best pitch, which he uses nearly exclusively against right-handed hitters. Over the past two seasons he has thrown it 345 times to righties compared to just 16 to lefties. This is a pitch that Peterson does throw largely out of the strike zone as in 2022 the out of zone percentage on it was 69.1, the highest amongst all of his pitches. Surprisingly though, despite being thrown out of the zone so frequently last season it only generated a chase rate of 20.8 percent. </p>
<h4 id="POvvNB">Pitch #4: Sinker, 2023 usage rate - 17 percent<strong> </strong>
</h4>
<div id="bANPTc"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/david-peterson-called-strike-to-xander-bogaerts-cio6pp" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="eyersv"><em>2023 stats - Average velo - 92.9 MPH - Spin rate - 2,195 RPM - vertical movement - 25.2 inches (4.4 inches above average - horizontal movement - 0.0 inches</em> </p>
<p id="X6LmtX">Honestly, I can’t say I really understand the purpose of his sinker. It does give him a pitch that breaks in on lefties, but he only threw it 12.6 percent of the time against them last season. Left handers did hit the pitch quite well last season as well with an xSLG of .499 and xWOBA of .372. Righties had similar success as well against it posting an xSLG right above .500 and xWOBA a hair under .400. Perhaps the most surprising part of his 2022 to 2023 adjustment is the usage rate on the pitch increase 5.3 percent this season despite its limited success. </p>
<p id="Xb3jE3"><em>Did not include his curveball which he threw 5 percent of the time last season and 7.2 percent thus far this season. </em></p>
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<h4 id="nD9VsV">Key matchup to watch: Mookie Betts</h4>
<p id="Wm7WNT">Betts only has two career at bats against Peterson, so there isn’t a whole lot to go off in that category. Despite being about even in terms of lefty/righty splits over his career, Betts had a significant gulf between the two splits last season. He had a .983 OPS vs lefties and a .832 OPS against righties, meaning this is a matchup Betts has to dominate. Peterson’s two most-used pitches this season are ones that Betts has dominated in the past. His run value per 100 pitches faced against four-seamers last year was 1.9 and against sliders it was 0.9. If the Dodgers are going to flip the early season script against lefties, it is going to start with Betts having a big game, which I think he will. </p>
<p id="t85jDd"><strong>Prediction</strong>: Peterson pitches five innings, allows three earned runs and strikes out five batters. </p>
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https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/17/23685322/dodgers-mets-david-peterson-breakdownDevin Csigi