Game of the Week: April 5: SF @ LAD

[Commissioner Erick]

San Francisco (3-1) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (2-2)


SF: Miguel Diaz (0-0)
LAD: J.B. Bukauskas (0-0)


Giants 5 Key Stats

15: Wins for Miguel Diaz last year. Diaz is San Francisco’s fifth starter, yet is still capable of going out and winning 15 games, highlighting the depth of San Francisco’s rotation.

0: Error for San Francisco in their first four games. The club is playing strong defense.

.975: Luis Nunez’ OPS. San Francisco’s Center Field hit just .200/.279/.307 last year, a miserable offensive performance. This year, he already has five hits in 15 at bats, a homer, and five RBIs.

22.2: The ground ball rate for San Francisco’s bullpen. The Dodgers have a lot of power, and if the game is close in the late innings, the Dodgers may be able to muscle difference-making home runs.

10: Doubles hit by San Francisco thus far. That number leads the league.


Dodgers 5 Key Stats

1: Game in their opening series where LA scored more than one run. The Dodgers offense is struggling a bit in the early going.

14: At bats without a hit to start the year for Manny Machado. Machado is off to a dreadful start and the Dodgers offense has struggled with him providing nothing.

1.4: HR/9 rate for J.B. Bukauskas last year, best of his career. If that trend keeps improving, he’ll be tough for the Giants to hit. If he’s still a homer prone pitcher, the Giants have the bats to take advantage.

2: Doubles by Wuilmer Beccera: Beccera struggled as a hitter brought on to bash lefties last year after being acquired mid-season. He clubbed a pair of doubles off Talbot Dobbie on Sunday to start 2027 in a big way.

0: Strikeouts by Luis Robert so start the season. Robert is seeing the ball extremely well, walking four times and hitting .571. He was a huge driver of the Dodgers’ success last year, and has been their best hitter in the early going.


Questions for the GMs:


For Dave Twibell, Sergio Maldonado was your main starter in Left Field last year, but he’s on the bench this season. Why the change?

How do you feel about Joe Taylor stepping in to be your Third Baseman?

Why the decision to keep Zipper Willemsen in the minors to begin the year?

For Ben Vincent, your offense struggled against Arizona’s right-handed pitchers. Concerned at all, or just waiting for Manny Machado to wake up?

You largely have the same team as last year, but how do you feel it stacks up with prior versions?

Arturo Pedroza is a new member of your bullpen. Why has he made his way into the Dodgers bullpen?



TRIVIA: Among pitchers who have had more than half their career appearances come in relief, who has pitched in the most career games without a save?

[Ben_Dodgers]

That stat should read one game in which we've scored more than two runs. But yeah, it's not great, and not what we were hoping for. Against a team like Arizona we really need to be doing better than 2-2.

Machado is a bit of a risk, I guess. Last year he was limited by injury, but he's a 7-time all star and won the platinum stick in 2025. If he returns to form he'll be an upgrade over Bregman both offensively and defensively. I'm not sure what to expect from Choo. He was stellar in Korea, but the environment there is very different. His tools are comparable to or slightly better than Ruiz, though. I think our bench has improved as well - Healy and Becerra give us a lot more flexibility matching up with lefties. On the mound we have 5 healthy starters and one of the best bullpens in the league. Overall I think the team is in a better position than we were a year ago.

Pedroza has a bright future and there wasn't much left for him to learn facing minor league hitters. He won the spot in spring training and I expect him to flourish with the club this year. Schroeder was a key piece for us last year, and I expect we'll call him up to cover for injuries. Right now we're getting him stretched out so he could pitch in the rotation if need be.

[Commissioner Erick]

Dodgers 2 - Giants 0


WP: J. Bukauskas (1-0)
LP: M. Diaz (0-1)
SV: I. Robles (1)


Starting pitcher J.B. Bukauskas was a major factor in the 2-0 Los Angeles Dodgers triumph over the San Francisco Giants. The save went to Ismael Robles, number 1 for him. The loss makes San Francisco 3-2.

The game was on the line with two out in the top of the eighth inning, but Nick Burdi didn't flinch. With the bases loaded and San Francisco trailing 2-0, Burdi retired Enrique Valdez to end the threat. "Nothing to it," said Burdi, with a wink.


Questions for the GMs:


For Dave Twibell, with the Giants down two in the eighth and the bases loaded, Enrique Valdez was allowed to bad against Nick Burdi and he struck out. Do you think he should have been pinch hit for?

Your offense struggled with just seven hits. Do you think you have the offense to pressure the Giants?

Dan Cabrera was caught stealing in the second. Did you want him being so aggressive in the game?

For Ben Vincent, how relieved were you to see Manny Machado show off a good eye and also crush a home run after struggling against Arizona?

How did Arturo Pedroza look in his debut?

Did you ever feel threatened in the game with San Francisco's lineup?


TRIVIA: Who has the best BB/9 among qualified Dodgers in Los Angeles history?

[Commissioner Erick]

Trivia 2: Daniel successfully guessed Eduardo Rodriguez

[Ben_Dodgers]

It was great to see Manny start to put it together today. That homer was a key insurance run, and really helped his confidence.

Pedroza looked good. I think the manager bot left him in too long - he hadn’t thrown that many pitches, but the inning breaks messed with his rhythm. Fortunately we got out of that jam.

I am always worried about San Francisco’s offense. They don’t pile up the runs as much as some other teams but they have a lot of talented hitters, and any time they get someone on base they’re a threat to score. Our games are usually low scoring and close, so every run counts.

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA: Ben correctly guessed Clayton Kershaw