Tag Archives: Dave Roberts

Albert Pujols Hits First-Inning Home Run in St. Louis Return

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It’s a memorable homecoming for Albert Pujols.

The 41-year-old Dominican professional baseball player hit a home run in his return to Busch Stadium, sending the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-2 win over his former St. Louis Cardinals team on Tuesday night.

Albert Pujols

The playoff-contending Dodgers won the sixth time in eight games. St. Louis has lost four in a row.

A star slugger who led the Cardinals to a pair of World Series championships, Pujols made his second appearance at Busch Stadium after playing for St. Louis from 2001 to 2011.

Pujols drew a 40-second standing ovation when his name was announced prior to a first-inning at-bat, with catcher and longtime teammate Yadier Molina stepping in front of the plate to prolong the cheer. They had a short embrace before Pujols stepped in. Pujols promptly drilled the fourth pitch from J.A. Happ on a line over the wall in left. It was his 679th career home run and 17th of the season.

“It’s one of those things that you hope could happen,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “But the likelihood is very improbable. Getting a standing ovation and then homering in that first at-bat. Storybook. I’m a firm believer that the game honors you. The way Albert’s played the game for so long, the right way, that’s the way it was supposed to go.”

Pujols tried to downplay the moment.

“When it happens, you just let it happen,” he said. “It’s part of the game. Embrace the moment. But try not to get caught up too much.”

His teammates had no problem enjoying the special moment.

“It was pretty surreal,” Turner said. “Pretty cool for everyone in the stadium — not just Albert. Every time he hits a homer, you’re watching history.”

The 10-time MLB All-Star drew a similar fan reaction when he returned to St. Louis with the Los Angeles Angels for the first time in 2019. He was given a standing ovation in all 12 plate appearances that series, including a one-minute tribute in his first trip to the plate. He also homered in the first game of that series.

Pujols, who did not play in the series opener Monday night, went 1-for-4. The first baseman signed a 10-year deal with the Angels after the 2011 season, then joined the Dodgers last May.

Albert Pujols Reportedly Heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers

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Albert Pujols will be heading back to the field sooner than expected…

The 41-year-old Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter, a future MLB Hall of Famer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly agreed on a major league contract, according to ESPN.

Albert Pujols

The deal, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, isn’t expected to become official until Monday, a source said.

When it does, the Dodgers will pay Pujols only the prorated portion of the major league minimum salary for the rest of the season, roughly $420,000, a sum that will be subtracted from the $30 million salary that is being paid to him by the Los Angeles Angels.

Pujols, in the last year of his 10-year, $240 million contract, was designated for assignment by the Angels on May 6 and was officially released after clearing waivers on Thursday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts declined to comment on Pujols prior to Saturday’s game because the deal hasn’t been officially announced.

With the defending World Series champion Dodgers, Pujols is expected to be mostly used as a late-game pinch hitter. But he could also get some playing time at first base with everyday first baseman Max Muncy capable of playing second and third base.

Only 41 of Pujols’ 12,486 career regular-season plate appearances have come as a pinch hitter, but the Dodgers expect him to help a young, inexperienced bench.

His right-handed bat might also help a team that entered Saturday with a .663 OPS against left-handed pitchers, 136 points fewer than its OPS against righties. Pujols is batting only .198/.250/.372 in 92 plate appearances this season and has been a below-average hitter by park-adjusted OPS since 2017. But he owns an .878 OPS against lefties in 2021, and his .513 expected slugging percentage suggests he has also been running into some bad luck.

In 18 plate appearances under what Baseball-Reference identifies as late-and-close situations, Pujols owns a .313/.389/.500 slash line.

Pujols, who hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing beyond 2021, ranks fifth in career homers (667), second in RBIs since they became an official stat in 1920 (2,112) and 14th in hits (3,253). He has won three National League MVP awards, two Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers and has been invited to 10 All-Star Games.

His first decade with the St. Louis Cardinals — consisting of a .331/.426/.624 slash line, 408 home runs and 1,230 RBIs — stands as arguably the greatest 10-year run in baseball history. In Year 11, he finished fifth in NL MVP voting and won his second World Series ring.

He becomes the fourth former MVP on the current Dodgers roster, joining Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, the Dodgers are the fourth team in MLB history to feature four former MVP winners, joining the 1978 Reds, 1982 Angels and most recently the 1996 Red Sox.

Manny Machado Notches the First 100-RBI Season of His MLB Career

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It’s a memorable first for Manny Machado…

The 26-year-old Dominican-Americanhit a three-run home run to notch the first 100-RBI season of his Major League Baseball career during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Manny Machado

The win kept the Dodgers’ National League West lead at 1½ games over the Colorado Rockies, which won 5-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Machado had been eager for a memorable moment since he was traded to the Dodgers on July 18 from the Baltimore Orioles. He borrowed a page from a popular script: homering on his bobblehead night.

“We fed off that,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s trying like heck, and he wants that signature moment. Hopefully tonight alleviated some of the pressure for him.”

Machado’s homer was one of three by the Dodgers in the game, giving them a National League-leading 222 on the season and breaking the club record of 221, set last year.

“We have great hitters here,” Machado said. “We’re all confident. We know the team we have.”

Urias to Make MLB History During Game 4 of the National League Championship Series

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Julio Urias is ready to hit the mound while making history in the process…

The 20-year-old Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers will start in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs.

Julio Urias

When he throws his first pitch, Urias will become the youngest postseason starting pitcher in Major League Baseball history, surpassing a mark previously held by Bret Saberhagen, when he took the mound as a 20-year-old in 1984.

Urias will be 20 years, 68 days old when he pitches in Game 4.

“Julio, I think that we expect him to just go out there and compete, use his pitch mix and go after these guys,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Give us a chance to win a baseball game. It’s what Julio’s done all year long.”

The Mexico native made his major league debut at the age of 19, when he took on the New York Mets in New York on May 27. It was a rough night, as he lasted just 2 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks.

Five days later, he made his first of two appearances against the Cubs and struggled again, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits in five innings at Wrigley Field.

Urias rebounded to go 5-2 in his rookie season with a 3.39 ERA in 18 appearances, 15 of them starts. Taking out those first two outings, Urias posted a 2.73 ERA. In his second matchup with the Cubs, at home on Aug. 27, he gave up one run on six hits in six innings while matching a season high with eight strikeouts. He earned his fifth victory of the season in that game.

He will enter Wednesday’s outing, though, having been used sparingly down the stretch. Urias pitched just 14 innings in September as the Dodgers curtailed his innings. They had originally decided to move him to the bullpen in an attempt to limit his innings, but he has been on hand as a fourth starter since the postseason started.

He was not asked to start in the five-game NL Division Series, although he did pitch two scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ Game 5 victory, earning a spot in the NLCS.

Urias has thrown as many as 100 pitches just once this season and reached the 90-pitch mark just four times. Roberts said he is less concerned with pitch count this time around and will primarily monitor effectiveness.

“I think that we’ve kind of monitored his usage throughout the regular season, but I think right now for me, it’s not necessarily the pitch count,” Roberts said. “A lot of it is the stressful innings, too. It’s going to be a big game. So if he’s throwing the baseball the way we expect, then I’m not afraid to push him to help us win a baseball game.”

Puig Hits First Home Run Since Being Recalled by the Los Angeles Dodgers

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Yasiel Puig strikes back…

The 25-year-old Cuban baseball player hit a three-run homer in the third inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ come-from-behind, 7-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

Yasiel Puig

Puig’s blast put the Dodgers ahead 3-2 in his second start since being recalled last week after a month-long demotion to the minors. It was his first homer since he returned to majors.

“The homer was great. It was a big hit for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But the at-bat quality he had throughout the day, hitting the cutoff man, throwing to the right base, backing up — there’s a lot of things Yasiel did today to help us win a baseball game.”

In the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss to San Diego on Friday, Puig went 2-for-4. In his two stints with the Dodgers this season, Puig is hitting .265 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs.

“I’m very happy with the opportunity my teammates have given me, very thankful for their support, and it motivates me to do better on the field,” Puig told MLB.com after the game. “When you do your job, everything works out better — when you prepare, when you’re in the dugout. Those are the things I didn’t do before and now I’m doing them.”

The NL West-leading Dodgers took two of three from last-place San Diego, increasing their lead to three games over the San Francisco Giants, who lost to the Chicago Cubs 3-2 in 13 innings.

Urias to Get Two More MLB Starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers

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Make that two more Major League Baseball starts for Julio Urias…

The 19-year-old Mexican professional baseball pitcher will now stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers until the All-Star break.

Julio Urias

Urias picked up his first MLB victory on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers despite walking six batters. But with limited starting options and Clayton Kershaw‘s uncertain status with lower-back soreness, the Dodgers are in no position to be sending Urias away, even if it means preserving his rising innings total.

“I would say the odds of Julio being in the rotation until the All-Star break are very high,” manager Dave Roberts said.

The Dodgers have already used nine different starting pitchers in 81 games, four of those who were first-time starters. Urias was one of those first-timers, as was Brock Stewart, who started Wednesday.

Even with his six walks Tuesday, Urias continues to show increasing comfort with pitching in the major leagues after a rocky debut May 27 at New York.

In seven starts, the left-hander has a 4.09 ERA in 33 innings, reaching the 100-pitch mark in his last outing. He has 41 strikeouts to 15 walks. Counting his work in the minor leagues, Urias has pitched 74 innings this season. His minor league high is 87 2/3 innings at Rancho Cucamonga in 2014.

If the Dodgers’ rotation stays in order, Urias figures to make starts Sunday at home against the Colorado Rockies and July 8 at home against the San Diego Padres before reaching the break.