It's bittersweet news for the Dodgers. Tyler Glasnow, who had been sidelined since the first week of July, returned on Wednesday to pitch five innings, allowing two runs. He wasn't at his best, but he still did well considering he came back from lower back tightness. However, his return didn't translate to a win, as the Dodgers dropped their first game since the All-Star break.
It was a pitching debacle for the Dodgers bullpen, which allowed the rest of the runs as the San Francisco Giants triumphed 8-3 at Dodger Stadium. After scoring two off Glasnow in the fourth inning, the Bay Area team scored six off them in the sixth, with the Dodgers bullpen taking a beating.
Glasnow (5 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 4 Ks, 91 pitches) was not happy with his own outing, as he said:
"I just think mechanics felt a little weird. Not really in a good rhythm... wasn't really commanding any of my pitches."
Fans were not sold, as they took a dig at the team's overall performance:
"Lol. Crappy pitching, even worse offense," one fan commented.
"I’m so unimpressed by Glasnow. Dude seems to crumble under pressure," another posted.
"Mid and offense is pathetic," another added.
Some gave their thoughts about Glasnow's return:
"It’s time to wake up Tyler. You don’t play for Tampa Bay no more," one quipped.
"He was overrated," another wrote.
"He’s just not good," another commented.
Dodgers bleed further: two return, two more injured — a tale of chaos
Just when the Dodgers were getting the hang of things with the return of Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw, who will pitch on Thursday, another department took a hit: the infield.
On Wednesday, coach Dave Roberts said that Miguel Rojas has a right flexor strain and will be out for a while. During Wednesday's game, Chris Taylor exited in the seventh inning due to a left groin injury and will also be in line to miss a few weeks.
“Sort of high,” manager Dave Roberts said regarding Taylor’s injury via MLB.com. “Any time he comes out of the game — which he doesn't, his pain tolerance is very high — that’s certainly telling. … I’m assuming it’s an IL and hopefully it’s not much more than that though.”
With shortstop Rojas already on the injured list and Taylor also likely headed that way, the Dodgers did damage control by signing Nick Ahmed. Juan Toribio reported that Ahmed will perform shortstop duties until either Miguel Rojas or Mookie Betts returns.
It seems the Dodgers have hit another block and the fans can only hope that nothing major, especially an injury to a key player, is on the way. If not, the World Series hopefuls will not be feared when October hits the calendar.