Game of the Week: June 20: LAD @ TEX

[Commissioner Erick]

Los Angeles Dodgers (39-24) @ Texas Rangers (34-29)


LAD: James Kapriellan (4-4 4.27)
TEX: Marcus Stroman (6-5, 4.54)

After the offense got off to a collective slow start, the Texas bats have heated it up with the Texas summer and now lead the league in home runs. They'll face off against a pitcher who couldn't stop yielding the long ball last year, but appears to have changes his tune this season in James Kapriellan. The start will go a long way in proving how real Kapriellan's gains are.


Players to Watch


Dodgers:


SP—James Kapriellan:

Kapriellan's 2022 has been better on the surface than his 2021, but his 4.27 ERA is only slightly better than his 2021 4.59 ERA. His strikeouts are up and the home runs that plagued him in 2021 have disappeared. However, while he got off to a great start, his last two outings have been rough. He gave up seven runs in 2 innings against the Cardinals, and five runs in 4.1 innings against Arizona. Today's start will go a long way in determining if Kapriellan is a new pitcher or the same guy who can't stop giving up extra base hits.


RP—Adam Liberatore:

One of the most unheralded members of the Dodgers, Liberatore has been slinging from the left side for the Dodgers since 2017, working to a 3.26 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over his career. He's always had a fantastic slider, using it to strike out 130 batters in 80.1 innings last year. Lefties have been a disaster against Liberatore, hitting just .164 with a .303 slugging mark over his tenure. The change to Liberatore's career came when he learned how to adjust where he stands on the rubber to work better against righties. They had a .612 OPS in 2020, and a .586 mark last year, cascading down to a .508 OPS this year. Fans may not think about Liberatore too much, but Kyle Seager and Rougned Odor will be.


RF—Victor Reyes:

Despite four hits in his prior Game of the Week, Reyes wasn’t able to parlay a great game into a great stretch of games. He's had only two multi-hit games since, and has just two extra base hits for the month of June. He also has just three walks for the month. He just hasn't shown he's worthy of a starting spot, and won't start today's game as he's suspended for fighting San Diego's Adalberto Mejia.


Rangers:


2B—Rougned Odor:

Odor was expected to a backup this season after the acquisition of Ozzie Albies, but he played himself into the starting lineup by recovering his penchant for hitting the ball hard. After sensational 2017 and 2018 seasons, Odor had missed time every single season since then. He's finally healthy, and is second in the AL in home runs. Odor is coming off a nice series against the Royals where he went 4-12 with two doubles and a home run.


SP—Marcus Stroman:

After a spectacular April, Stroman has had a rough go in May and June as his ERA has ballooned from a 2.02 mark to his current 4.54. He hasn't struck out as many batters as he has in the past, with his strikeout rate dipping below 20% for just the second time in his career. He's been very unlucky with his strand rate, and has run an elevated BABIP for the second year in a row. Stroman's not allowing any homers, so the assumption is that his ERA will get lower in the future. The Dodgers aren't a big strikeout team, and don't get on base a ton, doing a lot of their damage with solo home runs. They may be a perfect team for Stroman to face.


3B—Kyle Seager:

Seager hasn't put things together this season in the worst year of his career. He perennially hits roughly 30 home runs with a batting average between .260 and .280. Last year, the average spiked to .293, and this year, it's dropped well below the range to .212. The homers are still there, but the average and doubles that provided so much of his value have disappeared. Seager will turn 35 after the season, so it's possible he'll never return to be the player he was from 2017-2021. However, if he can turn things around, last week was encouraging. He hit .333, with a home run, a triple, and two doubles, plus he walked more than he struck out. If he's seeing the ball better, this game against the Dodgers would be a nice time to show it.




TRIVIA: Francisco Mejia is easily first in career WBC RBI for a catcher with 23. Who is second?

[Commissioner Erick]

Rangers 6 - Dodgers 3


WP: K. Barraclough (2-3)
LP: J. Pacheco (0-1)


The Los Angeles Dodgers got a key base hit from Alex Verdugo off Alex Claudio to tie the game at 3-3 in the eighth inning, putting them in good shape for the stretch run. With a dominant bullpen, the assumption was that they'd keep Texas at bay until their offense could break through. However, Jairo Pacheco was thrust into the crucible in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game. After walking the leadoff hitter, and putting runners on the corners with one out, he struck out Raimfer Salinias to give hope that he could escape the mess he created. On the next pitch, Carlos Correa just cleared the center field fence on a fly ball, and Texas emerged with a dramatic victory.



How they Played:


Dodgers:


SP—James Kapriellan: 5 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K

The Rangers were a tough test for Kapriellan because of their power, and they did get two home runs off him. Kapriellan didn't give up much else, and continued his strikeout kick, with eight in 5 innings. Even if Kapriellan reverts back to someone who gives up a lot of home runs, the strikeouts will result in fewer balls in play, and the home runs will be solo shots.

That dynamic played out in Kapriellan's other start, where he gave up a solo home run but only two hits in 7 innings in a 4-1 win over the Giants. Kapriellan did walk six over 12 innings, which is a concern, so he'll have to keep up the strikeouts to continue his excellent streak.


RP—Adam Liberatore: 0.2 IP, 1 K

Liberatore came in to face the left-handed Ryan O'Hearn and the switch-hitting Ozzie Albies, and did his job. He struck out O'Hearn and got Albies to ground out weakly to begin the seventh inning, before straining his calf. It was a classic appearance, as Liberatore struck out the lefty he faced, was effective against a switch-hitter, and then gave way to the Dodgers' terrific cadre of righties in their pen, though he may have stayed on to face Raimfer Salinas if he didn't hurt himself.

Liberatore pitched two days later to face four batters in the eighth inning of a 4-0 game, retiring two of three righties, and the only lefty he faced. He came back on Thursday to work a back-to-back, which was a terrible decision. He couldn't loosen up his calf and gave up five runs in 0.2 innings. At 35-years-old, Liberatore is a little fragile and should be rested if he has minor day-to-day injuries.


RF—Victor Reyes: DNP

Braxton Davidson started for Reyes in the game and struck out three times, while drawing a walk. Davidson's performance showed why Reyes is the starter for LA.

Reyes' week though, showed why his starting role is precarious. He hit just .100 with one walk and one driven in. His OPS is down to .632 on the year, and while his defense is okay, that's a rough batting mark for a team with championship potential.


Rangers:


2B—Rougned Odor: 0-4, 2K

Odor had a rough day against the Dodgers staff, and Texas' offense struggled through most of the game. He had a chance to do some damage in the first with two on and one out, but he struck out. He flew out to lead off the fourth, and struck out against Will Harris to begin the sixth. He hit a ball hard in the eighth, lining out right to Alex Verdugo for the second out in the eighth. Aside from solo homers, it took until the ninth inning for Texas to get a crooked number on the board.

Odor made up for the rough game with several big performances during the week. He had three hits, two homers, and four runs scored in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday, doubling in the second game. He had a couple RBIs on Thursday, plus a pair of hits against the White Sox on Friday. For the week, he only hit .250 with a few empty days, but with a pair of homers and six RBIs, he showed off his run-producing power. He also struck out eight times and walked once. Considering the opponents were a pair of excellent pitching teams in the Dodgers and White Sox, Texas can expect Odor to produce power, but the strikeouts and inability to get on base could limit how good Odor is. Odor is only a .216 hitter with a .249 on-base percentage in the postseason, and this week didn't assuage those on-base and strikeout concerns.


SP—Marcus Stroman: 6.1 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 K

It was a classic Stroman day, as he didn't allow many walks, struck some guys out, limited hard contact, and walked out with a quality start. After Jurickson Profar doubled and came home to score in the first, Stroman retired 14 in a row, and didn't give up a second hit until three straight singles by the heart of the Dodgers' lineup brought home a run in the sixth. Stroman dominated the lesser hitters of the Dodgers lineup, which is what he does best. With his command, his movement, his execution, and his five-pitch repertoire that limits sitting and guessing, Stroman overwhelms lesser bats. No spot in the lineup below the five-spot has an OPS over .700 against Stroman, and three are under .600.

Stroman struggled in his other start against the White Sox though. He only walked one and struck out nine, but he allowed nine hits in 6.1 innings. Chicago has a powerhouse lineup though, and even with the movement and command, they can eschew home runs to go for line drives. It may be something to monitor as Texas has World Series aspirations.


3B—Kyle Seager: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K

Seager didn't have a bad start against James Kapriellan, hitting a ball hard in a line out in the second and walking in the fourth. He banged a single up the middle off Will Harris in the sixth, but he struck out with two on and two outs in the eighth. Defensively, he made a simple play on a sacrifice bunt in his area, and made a nice pick on a Keibert Ruiz smash on the final play in the ninth.

Seager stayed stuck in the mire he's been trapped in for the rest of the week. He did homer and double, but he only hit .200 with a .261 on-base percentage. He's still hitting for a decent amount of power, but the on-base skills have disappeared. He's a solid defender at third and has a track record of success, so there's still hope, but if he can't turn things around, it may keep Texas from winning the west and forcing them to fight for a Wild Card spot.


TRIVIA: Carlos Correa now has 11 hits against two pitchers, the most hits he has off of anybody. Who are those two pitchers?

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 1: Tomoya Mori

TRIVIA 2: Jesse Hahn and Marcus Stroman