Editor’s note: This is the Monday, July 3, 2023, edition of the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.
Good morning. The Dodgers’ game tonight, or rather a decision to be announced in the hours before it, will go a long way in telling the story of their season.
First, other sports news:
• The Angels got a much-needed win over Arizona as Shohei Ohtani hit his 31st home run on the day he was named an All-Star pitcher; columnist Jim Alexander wonders if it’s a turning point.
• The Lakers open the summer season today (vs. Miami, 3 p.m., ESPN2) with first-round draft pick Jalen Hood-Schifino on the roster set for games in Sacramento and Las Vegas.
• The Sparks lost big at Atlanta, completing an 0-3 trip that dropped them out of playoff position. Goalie Cam Talbot is happy to go from the Ottawa Senators to the Kings and from snowsuits in Canada to shorts in L.A.
• The United States advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals, trouncing Trinidad and Tobago as Jesús Ferreira scored his second hat trick in five days.
• Goalkeeper DiDi Haracic starred and Jun Endo returned from injury in Angel City’s scoreless draw with Gotham FC.
• And state championship-winning Verbum Dei High coach “Lalo” Mendoza is being remembered as more than a football man.
Now, about the Dodgers’ decision about whether Clayton Kershaw will start against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of their last homestand before the All-Star break – or go on the injured list because of a sore pitching shoulder.
Kershaw’s shoulder has been a daily saga since he asked out of a June 27 game at Colorado after six innings and 79 pitches, having held the Rockies without a baserunner for four innings and without a hit for 5⅔.
It took a couple of days to reveal that it was, in fact, a “cranky” left shoulder bothering Kershaw, and that he’d received an anti-inflammatory injection. He tested the joint by throwing before a game in Kansas City on Saturday, but SCNG Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett reported that his chance of making tonight’s scheduled start “seems low.” Manager Dave Roberts said yesterday, as Kershaw and Dodgers catcher Will Smith were being named the team’s fourth and fifth All-Stars, that a decision on Kershaw’s status would have to be made that day.
If Kershaw doesn’t pitch tonight, he almost certainly would go on the injured list (allowing the team to recall rookie Michael Grove to take his place) and would miss at least two starts before returning sometime after next week’s All-Star break.
Losing the three-time Cy Young Award winner would be a blow. A healthy Kershaw, at age 35, has been the sturdy backbone of a starting rotation with few sturdy bones or other important body parts. Taking his turns after Noah Syndergaard and Tony Gonsolin, Kershaw frequently has had to stop or prevent losing streaks, and he has gone 7-1 (the team has gone 8-1) in his starts following losses.
But losing their ace would have a bright side. It would solidify the Dodgers’ best excuse for playing sub-.500 baseball over the past seven weeks. It would mean that all five of the pitchers expected to be in their starting rotation when the season began have been on the injured list.
Julio Urias was on the IL for more than 40 days with a hamstring injury before returning Saturday with a loss to the Royals in Kansas City. Gonsolin missed the first four weeks with an ankle sprain, and yesterday’s loss to the Royals was his latest poor outing. Dustin May has been on the IL since mid-May with a forearm strain. Syndergaard went on the IL in early June with a blister on a finger, and the Dodgers can’t be eager to bring him back.
Since May 20, the last time the Dodgers completed a spin through their intended starting rotation, the team is 7-10 with Kershaw, Gonsolin, Urias or Syndergaard on the mound. They actually have been better, going 10-6, with rookie starters Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone and Grove pitching.
Maybe it should be a point of pride for the Dodgers that they’re as good as they are at 46-37, second in the National League West (three games behind the Diamondbacks) and second in the wild-card standings (holding a playoff spot by 1½ games) despite having only 14 winning decisions from intended starters not named Kershaw.
We’ll find out today if they still have Kershaw or another hole in their preseason plans.
For updates, follow J.P. Hoornstra (@JPHoornstra) and Bill Plunkett (@BillPlunkettOCR) on Twitter, bookmark Dodgers news here and sign up for the Inside the Dodgers newsletter here.
TODAY
• The Angels open a three-game series in San Diego, trying to dent Padres starter Yu Darvish’s 10-3 record against them (6:40 p.m., BSW, FS1).
• The Dodgers come home to play the first of four against Pittsburgh, facing Pirates All-Star Mitch Keller (7:10 p.m., SNLA).
• Los Alamitos continues the holiday weekend with an eight-race thoroughbred card (1 p.m., FanDuel TV).
BETWEEN THE LINES
The Atlanta Braves were +375 favorites (bet 100 to win 375) to win the World Series as July began. The last July 1 favorites to go on and win the Series were the tainted 2017 Houston Astros (+450) and before them the 2016 Chicago Cubs (+320). Recent champions in normal seasons had July 1 odds of +660 (2018 Boston Red Sox), +4250 (2019 Washington Nationals), +3500 (2021 Braves) and +550 (2022 Astros). Data is from SportsOddsHistory.com.
280 CHARACTERS
“On paper, Dodgers should not have lost a series to the lowly KC Royals. But the Dodgers are better on paper than they have been on the road this season.” — Bill Plunkett on Twitter.
1,000 WORDS
Out of hand: Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy loses his grip on the ball when he moves to throw it as the Kansas City Royals’ Maikel Garcia runs safely to first base with what was scored as a single in the fifth inning of L.A.’s 9-1 loss in Kansas City on Sunday. The photo is by Charlie Riedel for AP.
YOUR TURN
Thanks for reading. Send suggestions, comments and questions by email at kmodesti@scng.com and via Twitter @KevinModesti.
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