The Dodgers didn’t tie their Cactus League game on Sunday, but settled for 4-3 win over the Angels at Camelback Ranch.
Mookie Betts made his game debut on Sunday and played four innings at shortstop. He grounded out to shortstop in both of his plate appearances, but reach on the first of those thanks to a fielder’s choice at second base. That allowed Betts to score from first on Freddie Freeman’s double to the wall in left center in the first inning.
Betts after outing spoke with Kirsten Watson in the dugout for SportsNet LA, and included that this offseason he incorporated throwing javelins in his training, something Yoshinobu Yamamoto has done for several years.
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“It’s going good. I don’t throw it nearly as far as Yoshi, but from when I first started to now, it’s a night-and-day difference. Even me just throwing the ball across the diamond, it’s a lot different than last year in a very positive way,” Betts said. “Yoshi, what he did, going back to back, and how he stays healthy, why not?”
Not-for-long balls
Landon Knack allowed a home run every 18.5 plate appearances last season, 12th-highest rate in the majors among pitchers with at least 40 innings. So it wasn’t all that surprising that the Angels homered twice within Knack’s first four batters faced.
A double ended Knack’s first inning at 26 pitches. After a brief conversational embrace with manager Dave Roberts just off the mound, Knack watched the rest of the first inning from the dugout. Rather than re-enter in the top of second inning, which is allowed by the lax rules of spring training, Knack’s day was complete.
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Staying on schedule
Most of the relief pitchers on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster have pitched every third day so far this spring, and bullpen mainstays Jack Dreyer, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia each pitched a scoreless inning on Sunday. Vesia struck out the side in the fourth inning against the Angels and this spring has retired all nine batters he faced, with five strikeouts. What a way to make a living.
Kyle Hurt, after missing all of last season while rehabbing, struck out two in his perfect frame as well, making his third appearance, every third day. Edgardo Henriquez and Paul Gervase are on the docket to pitch Monday against the Rockies, on that same schedule.
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Making the most of it
With the Dodgers showing restraint in playing some regulars until a little after the spring schedule started, the team leader in starts in the Cactus League is non-roster outfielder Zach Ehrhard. Acquired with outfielder James Tibbs III from the Boston Red Sox last July in the Dustin May trade, Ehrhard was the designated hitter on Sunday for his seventh start in 10 days.
Ehrhard singled in the second inning, then went first to third on a dump single to right field, then challenged old friend Chris Taylor’s arm in center field to score on a sacrifice fly, showing the aggressive baserunning that led to 37 steals in 41 attempts in the minors last season. The 23-year-old Ehrhard this spring has six hits, including three doubles in his 17 at-bats (.353/.450/.529), plus two walks and a hit by pitch.
Tibbs is tied for the team lead with eight games played, and Sunday was his sixth start, this time in right field. His opposite-field home run in the sixth inning tied the game at 3-3, part of a two-hit game for the former first-round pick.
Up next
The Dodgers take a trip to Scottsdale to take on the Colorado Rockies on Monday afternoon (12:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Ryder Ryan will be first on the mound for Los Angeles, with Jimmy Herget taking the ball first for Colorado. Ryan, like many other relievers in camp, will be pitching three days after his last outing.
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