DODGERS NOTES: OHTANI, BICHETTE, FLAHERTY

Entering July, Shohei Ohtani was leading the National League in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, wRC+, and home runs, but didn’t receive the most amount of votes for the NL All Star team.

Ohtani, as well as teammates Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández, have advanced to the second round of All Star Game voting, yet Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies was named as the automatic starter.

Huston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times discusses why Dodgers players such as Betts, Hernández, and Ohtani didn’t receive more All-Star votes in the latest edition of Dodgers Dugout.

Both Ohtani and Hernández helped build their cases for being National League All-Star starters on Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, as Ohtani finished a triple shy of the cycle (including collecting his 500th career RBI) while Hernández capped off a three hit game with a walk-off, raising his RBI total to 58 on the season in the process.

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Will Sammon, Patrick Mooney, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic discuss why a pairing between Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette and the Dodgers wouldn’t necessarily work out.

A middle infield of Bichette and Betts would be dynamic, and for the right acquisition cost the Dodgers surely would jump. But the Jays are not certain to sell, much less sell low on Bichette, who is under club control through next season.

It’s been a down season for the former All-Star Bichette, as he is currently slashing .227/.282/.326 with just four home runs, 28 RBI and a 70 wRC+ through 73 games for a last place Blue Jays team.

In light of the recent injuries to the Dodgers’ rotation, as well as Clayton Kershaw’s setback, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times mentions two American League starters that could serve as viable rotation depth.

There are other alternatives to consider. Jack Flaherty, a Dodgers trade target in years past, is a pending free agent having a strong year for the Detroit Tigers. [Tyler] Anderson, the former Dodgers starter, is having a resurgent season with the Angels (though also with another year left on his contract).

In his first season with the Detroit Tigers, Flaherty has posted a 5-5 record with a 3.24 ERA and a 129 ERA+ through 15 starts, while Anderson in his second season as an Angel has posted a 7-8 record with a 3.03 ERA and a 139 ERA+ through 17 starts.

2024-07-03T14:25:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd