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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>True Blue LA -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilled</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2025-08-01T11:38:00-07:00</updated>
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  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2025-08-01T11:38:00-07:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-08-01T11:38:00-07:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Dodgers and Rays start August in the salt air of Tampa</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dSDUXG9ygOR9ycSaKGpulqSfQY4=/1x0:3175x2116/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74204478/usa_today_26716398.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;The Dodgers start August in Tampa Bay, while whispers of ‘are you sure’ that’s all you did at the trade deadline? echo through Dodger fans lips. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="TzXvLj"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478347/dodgers-mlb-trade-deadline-2025"&gt;trade deadline has come and gone&lt;/a&gt;, and the dog days of August are upon us. The &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;Dodgers&lt;/a&gt; only made a few changes to their team, most notably &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478538/dustin-may-trade-dodgers-red-sox-james-tibbs"&gt;sending Dustin May to Boston&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478364/james-outman-trade-dodgers-twins-brock-stewart"&gt;shipping James Outman to Minnesota&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478339/brock-stewart-trade-dodgers-twins"&gt;welcoming back relief pitcher Brock Stewart to the fold&lt;/a&gt;. Now, we ride. To live for the hope of it all. &lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="21ahdD"&gt;First up in the month of months, one that the Dodgers hope goes better than July, are the &lt;a href="https://www.draysbay.com/"&gt;Tampa Bay Rays&lt;/a&gt;. The Rays have not had the best season, with their woes starting all the way back in the fall.&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="xj6KXK"&gt;Hurricane Milton ravaged the Tampa/St Pete area and destroyed the roof at Tropicana Field. The work to fix the roof is finally expected to begin this month and is slated to be done in April of 2026.&lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="JJk45F"&gt;In the meantime, the Rays have been playing at George Steinbrenner Field, the &lt;a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/"&gt;Yankees&lt;/a&gt; spring training facility and the home to the &lt;a href="https://www.tomahawknation.com/"&gt;Florida State&lt;/a&gt; league’s Single-A Tampa Tarpons. The &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/30/24477388/dodgers-rays-game-august-1"&gt;maximum capacity is 10,046&lt;/a&gt;, which makes it the smallest in all of MLB.&lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;p id="eNtqrA"&gt;Here is how the &lt;a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/statcast-venue?venueId=2523"&gt;ballpark compares&lt;/a&gt; to current major league ballparks.&lt;/p&gt;
  25. &lt;p id="OFVDJI"&gt;The Rays are just under .500, at 54-56. They are 4-9 since the All-Star break. They were busy at the trade deadline, trading a bunch of players, including reliever Zack Littell. They also picked up one of the better relievers on the trade market in Griffin Jax. They held on to core players in closer Pete Fairbanks, Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe.&lt;/p&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="YV4a2X"&gt;The Dodgers &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/30/24478008/dodgers-trade-deadline-paul-gervase-hunter-feduccia-adam-serwinowski-ben-rortvedt"&gt;did get some players from the Rays&lt;/a&gt;, including Paul Gervase who would be the tallest member of the team at 6’10 once he gets called up. The Dodgers also sent catcher Hunter Fedducia to the Rays as part of a three team trade. Rays fans hope they are still changing for the better as even though they are four games out of the wild card, the front office thinks the Rays still have a lot of fight in them. &lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="VVwT7J"&gt;Friday’s game will be at 7:35pm local time, but the other two will be in the early afternoon, when the weather will be in the mid 90s, and the real feel is into the 100s.  &lt;/p&gt;
  28. &lt;p id="D6ZIXv"&gt;Clayton Kershaw will take the mound for the Dodgers Friday night, and he will be facing off against Shane Baz, a righty who is 8-7 with a 4.61 ERA. Kershaw is coming off of his worst outing of the season, allowing four runs to the &lt;a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/"&gt;Boston Red Sox&lt;/a&gt; in 4⅔ innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  29. &lt;p id="5WV43h"&gt;In Baz’s last outing, he went five innings against the &lt;a href="https://www.redreporter.com/"&gt;Cincinnati Reds&lt;/a&gt; and allowed two earned runs. The outing before that, however, he only went four innings against the &lt;a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/"&gt;Chicago White Sox&lt;/a&gt;, allowing eight earned runs. The outing before that, only one run allowed in 6⅓ inning against the Boston Red Sox. He only had 12 strikeouts in those 15⅓ combined innings. So long story short, who knows what version of Baz the Dodgers will get. &lt;/p&gt;
  30. &lt;p id="QhDv4r"&gt;This series will also feature the return of Blake Snell on Saturday, taking on his old team the Rays. &lt;/p&gt;
  31. &lt;h4 id="Jgt3pB"&gt;Friday game info&lt;/h4&gt;
  32. &lt;ul&gt;
  33. &lt;li id="ZL3WE1"&gt;Teams: Dodgers at Rays&lt;/li&gt;
  34. &lt;li id="tQFNfP"&gt;Ballpark: Steinbrenner Field, Tampa&lt;/li&gt;
  35. &lt;li id="ipxAAz"&gt;Start time: 4:35 p.m. PT&lt;/li&gt;
  36. &lt;li id="yx3Lxu"&gt;TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)&lt;/li&gt;
  37. &lt;li id="dwj5Kq"&gt;Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)&lt;/li&gt;
  38. &lt;/ul&gt;
  39.  
  40. </content>
  41.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478647/dodgers-rays-preview"/>
  42.    <id>https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478647/dodgers-rays-preview</id>
  43.    <author>
  44.      <name>Andy Lane Chapman</name>
  45.    </author>
  46.  </entry>
  47.  <entry>
  48.    <published>2025-08-01T10:26:00-07:00</published>
  49.    <updated>2025-08-01T10:26:00-07:00</updated>
  50.    <title>Dodgers travel guide to Tropicana Field</title>
  51.    <content type="html">  
  52.  
  53.    &lt;figure&gt;
  54.      &lt;img alt="Adric at Tropicana Field. May 28, 2023." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f5wCrU2q3XttwlywzQPo8o_pOdg=/0x171:2048x1536/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74204378/SLBcMiE.0.jpeg" /&gt;
  55.        &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Adric at Tropicana Field. May 28, 2023.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; | Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  56.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  57.  
  58.  
  59.  &lt;p&gt;The Guide explores Tropicana Field, the once and future home of the Tampa Bay Rays&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div id="wG759S"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mPc2plEHrHA?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  60. &lt;p id="BoC6Dw"&gt;So you have decided to heed &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A2eet1bttY&amp;amp;ab_channel=JJCANE2"&gt;the call to adventure&lt;/a&gt;. Good for you.&lt;/p&gt;
  61. &lt;p id="Do836e"&gt;If you need to recall what the Guide is or who I am, please refer to the included links.&lt;/p&gt;
  62. &lt;aside id="dFy8ae"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Introduction to the Guide","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/22899979/dodgers-travel-eli-adric"},{"title":"The Guide’s Disclaimer","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/22911880/on-the-road-with-elizondo-and-adric-what-the-guide-is"},{"title":"The 2022 Itinerary of Field Research for the Guide","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/22907655/on-the-road-with-elizondo-and-adric-the-2022-itinerary"},{"title":"The 2023 Itinerary of Field Research for the Guide","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2023/4/13/23573934/dodgers-travel-guide-introduction-2023"},{"title":"The 2024 Itinerary of Field Research for the Guide","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2024/4/8/24061748/dodgers-travel-itinerary-2024-junior-circuit"},{"title":"The 2025 Itinerary of Field Research for the Guide","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2025/4/3/24362304/dodgers-travel-2025-itinerary"}]}'&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="64RPbS"&gt;
  63. &lt;h4 id="CuCkPZ"&gt;The shabby ice rink that God forgot&lt;/h4&gt;
  64. &lt;div&gt;&lt;div id="PnvKy3"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gSZFg2ku6vk?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  65. &lt;p id="Bc9LGo"&gt;The Guide has the following to say about going to a game at Tropicana Field (“the Trop”), home of the &lt;a href="https://www.draysbay.com/"&gt;Tampa Bay Rays&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
  66. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="OJhlYv"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Saying the truth feels like bullying, all things considered. But at the end of the day, no one told these jokers to &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/city-of-st-pete-changed-insurance-coverage-of-tropicana-field-back-in-march"&gt;&lt;em&gt;reduce their insurance coverage&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; while living in an area prone for hurricanes. Still, could be worse — you could be at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/5/24165957/dodgers-travel-guide-miami-marlins-loandepot-park"&gt;&lt;em&gt;loanDepot Park&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  67. &lt;p id="HkDjCm"&gt;The main adjective that comes to mind when I think about Tropicana Field is “shabby.” The Trop opened in 1990 as a multi-purpose arena, sharing its facilities with the Rays and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL, who moved in 1993 before departing in 1996. &lt;/p&gt;
  68. &lt;p id="2ATKop"&gt;From the lighting to the views to the overall vibe while walking around the stadium, it is as if you've been magically transported to an off-brand circus, a sketchier version of the now-animal-free Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp;amp; Bailey Circus. While the venue had a permanent roof, it was air-conditioned, which helped during Memorial Day 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  69. &lt;aside id="yWiLiD"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Experiencing the Fred McGriff gauntlet","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2023/6/3/23741708/dodgers-road-trip-braves-rays-memories-fred-mcgriff-gauntlet"},{"title":"Cinderella Man revisited","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2023/6/2/23731630/trayce-thompson-slump-breaker-dodgers-rays"}]}'&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;p id="8f2MBL"&gt;Keeping the above in mind, it is impossible to discuss this ballpark without acknowledging the ecological elephant in the room: Hurricane Milton. On October 9, 2024, Tropicana Field was indeed the shabby ice rink that God forgot. The following day, God remembered and took the stadium’s roof as recompense.&lt;/p&gt;
  70. &lt;div id="hdbmeV"&gt;
  71. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  72. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Now that the sun is up, here’s a 360-degree view of the damage Hurricane Milton caused to Tropicana Field’s roof and the inside of the ballpark. Absolutely heartbreaking   &lt;a href="https://t.co/ZCtPHv6rE9"&gt;pic.twitter.com/ZCtPHv6rE9&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Ry_Bass/status/1844367980249178396?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;October 10, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  73. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  74. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  75.  
  76. &lt;/div&gt;
  77. &lt;p id="px9Y6t"&gt;Accordingly, in 2025, the Rays are playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the &lt;a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/"&gt;New York Yankees&lt;/a&gt;. Unlike the Trop, this facility is an open-air stadium, which makes sense in March, when the weather cooperates. In the summer, in the blistering, unforgiving Florida humidity and rain, having an open-air stadium borders on madness.&lt;/p&gt;
  78. &lt;p id="d8bnAc"&gt;To no one’s surprise, the Rays’ schedule in 2025 was adjusted to front-load home games to the earlier part of the year. Unfortunately, for the &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;Dodgers&lt;/a&gt;, they visit in the height of the dog days of summer.&lt;/p&gt;
  79. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;aside id="eCzZyY"&gt;&lt;q&gt;Will the Trop seem like paradise after three games in exposed Florida air in August? Yes, probably. Any Florida ballpark that has air conditioning in summer is a godsend, as the 2025 Dodgers are likely about to find out.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  80. &lt;p id="65bdt9"&gt;I have no guidance as to the games in August 2025, except to recommend staying home. With the smaller venue, &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4KhddyXOhI&amp;amp;t=4s&amp;amp;ab_channel=BrodieBrazil"&gt;ticket prices have soared&lt;/a&gt;, and I would expect Dodgers/Rays tickets to be a premium affair, even being exposed to the elements. &lt;/p&gt;
  81. &lt;p id="TmQNky"&gt;As the Rays are scheduled to return to the Trop at some point in 2026, this Guide will proceed as planned, which will be small comfort to those fending off the Florida elements.&lt;/p&gt;
  82. &lt;p id="Rd8vAQ"&gt;The Trop suffered from numerous, maddening flaws, and yet still is the superior baseball experience in the Sunshine State. As one of the smallest venues in MLB, one will generally respect the passion of those fans who manage to show, and yet be appalled by the quality of the experience. &lt;/p&gt;
  83. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  84.        &lt;img alt="The Trop from the Air. May 26, 2023." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r2rEFInhvXoJ6QIAIzWE8SH3V7o=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26070845/2oqj8Kd.jpeg"&gt;
  85.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  86.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Trop from the Air. May 26, 2023.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  87.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  88. &lt;p id="hSEvz4"&gt;Yes, it is a shabby venue that you can quickly walk around, but if forced to choose, I would return here over loanDepot Park. Here is everything you need to know when attending a Dodgers/Rays game at the Trop.&lt;/p&gt;
  89. &lt;h4 id="Rvkqaq"&gt;The Five Questions of the Guide&lt;/h4&gt;
  90. &lt;h5 id="p0EhhQ"&gt;1. Is it worth going here?&lt;/h5&gt;
  91. &lt;p id="UPDwQW"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No, but if you &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;have&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;strong&gt; to go to a Dodgers game in Florida...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  92. &lt;div class="p-fullbleed-block"&gt;
  93. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  94.        &lt;img alt="Section L117. Tropicana Field. May 26, 2023." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TYwj_bRPbK2ACrglPEs05QRmblk=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26070878/Mwo6a3V.jpeg"&gt;
  95.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  96.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Section L117. Tropicana Field. May 26, 2023.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  97.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  98. &lt;/div&gt;
  99. &lt;p id="q6XhvK"&gt;Much like its cross-state cousin, the Trop offers a subpar baseball experience. Yet, one can find nice things to say about the ballpark without much effort. The ballpark’s fatal flaws are the stadium’s location and the underlying cheapness of the operation.&lt;/p&gt;
  100. &lt;p id="bBCfCH"&gt;The Rays on the field are generally fine to good, somehow McGuyvering themselves into playoff contention every year with a shoestring budget, some pluck, and some glue. The venue feels like an amateurish attempt at being a Major League stadium, which is a bit unfair considering the literal minor league ballpark in West Sacramento masquerading as a proper MLB venue.&lt;/p&gt;
  101. &lt;p id="4ibmtl"&gt;There are lighting issues with the Trop, but they are not as severe as in Miami. This same view would have caused me a migraine, whereas in St. Petersburg, unless I look directly at the light, I can enjoy a baseball game.&lt;/p&gt;
  102. &lt;p id="QJ0x8n"&gt;The food was fine, if unremarkable. Anyplace that serves a vodka vanilla donut milkshake (with a heavy pour) on a Sunday morning cannot be all bad, &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/5/28/23740316/dodgers-pitching-short-gavin-stone-offense-home-runs-wasted"&gt;especially when all hell is breaking loose on the field&lt;/a&gt;. The Trop did offer souvenir sodas that one could both fill themselves and offer unlimited refills for the duration of the game.&lt;/p&gt;
  103. &lt;p id="tXOjzd"&gt;Suppose you wanted to take a tour of the Trop, you are out of luck, as they are not offered. I knew this fact before my trip in 2023, and proceeded to make my quasi-photo tour, including the ray tank where one can pet rays at no additional cost. No one warns you about the smell, though. The lower level is partially blocked off with alcoves containing team memorabilia. &lt;/p&gt;
  104. &lt;div id="iOJ32M"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="gallery:12669040"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  105. &lt;p id="yLM3pg"&gt;I found exactly one Customer Service table that had to be cajoled into giving me a physical First Game Certificate, which was about as plain as they come.&lt;/p&gt;
  106. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  107.        &lt;img alt="First Game Certificate. Tropicana Field." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6xP6tBtuNupu8leVAQrGLV-DDkE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26074253/Screenshot_2025_07_31_224610.png"&gt;
  108.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  109.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;First Game Certificate. Tropicana Field.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  110.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  111. &lt;p id="dHfASU"&gt;Rays’ fans are generally a faithful, if small, and rowdy bunch. Considering the logistical hurdles they have to navigate to get to St. Petersburg, they are attentive and committed to their team.&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;h5 id="BggMRy"&gt;2. How should I get there?&lt;/h5&gt;
  113. &lt;div class="p-fullbleed-block"&gt;
  114. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  115.        &lt;img alt="Outside Tropicana Field. May 26, 2023." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GQwBvej7kS2qnyjx9j_DaDL6lhg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26074254/VLdFlwW.jpeg"&gt;
  116.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  117.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Outside Tropicana Field. May 26, 2023.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  118.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  119. &lt;/div&gt;
  120. &lt;p id="qWetVm"&gt;If you live in California, one typically gets to Florida by plane. But landing in Tampa International Airport is only half of the battle. YouTuber Kevin Linkowski (aka UTree) published a video essay in 2021 describing the logistical headache of getting to Tropicana Field. &lt;/p&gt;
  121. &lt;p id="0wV5cq"&gt;Fair warning, the intro of this video essay did not age well because &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fnews%2Fwander-franco-found-guilty-of-sexual-abuse-in-dominican-republic&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.truebluela.com%2F2025%2F8%2F1%2F23765755%2Fdodgers-travel-guide-tampa-bay-rays-tropicana-field" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Wander Franco had not been arrested or convicted of sexual abuse&lt;/a&gt; in the Dominican Republic at the time of the video’s publication.&lt;/p&gt;
  122. &lt;div id="ZNHVjm"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DeGhcezhvW0?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="VMX8dY"&gt;The logistical headaches present in 2021, described by Linkowski, have persisted. Imagine if &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/23059268/dodgers-travel-guide-dodger-stadium-los-angeles-dodgers"&gt;Dodger Stadium&lt;/a&gt; were in Pasadena or &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/22904127/dodgers-travel-guide-oracle-park-san-francisco-giants"&gt;Oracle Park&lt;/a&gt; were in Vallejo; the traffic bottlenecks would be nightmarish at best, and you would have an understanding of how much of a pain it is to get to St. Petersburg.&lt;/p&gt;
  124. &lt;p id="Kl9vAD"&gt;Yes, new ownership is coming. Yes, the Rays abandoned the moronic plan to split time in Canada. &lt;a href="https://www.fdottampabay.com/project/417/422904-2-52-01"&gt;No, the bridge construction is not done yet&lt;/a&gt; — think Spring 2026.&lt;/p&gt;
  125. &lt;p id="LU4MZI"&gt;Yet, the Rays persist like a weed in an inhospitable environment. Assuming you take this Guide’s advice, you can walk to the ballpark with a modicum of effort. Anything beyond that, you will be forced to drive yourself or take a rideshare, as there were no public transportation options to get to The Trop when I visited in 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  126. &lt;p id="iXbyG9"&gt;Traffic around the ballpark clogs rapidly and intensely before and after games. Still, if you are willing to wait in the parking, eventually the area clears out and feels weirdly abandoned once the congestion works itself out.&lt;/p&gt;
  127. &lt;h5 id="XSAL9O"&gt;3. Where should I stay?&lt;/h5&gt;
  128. &lt;div id="uiupNx"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s9_axD5bl3A?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  129. &lt;p id="ixlMy0"&gt;If actually getting to the ballpark is the most significant hurdle to going to a Dodgers game in St. Petersburg, then finding the right place to stay is the second-biggest hurdle. Unlike other ballparks, there is a correct answer as to where to stay when going to a Dodgers game in the Tampa area.&lt;/p&gt;
  130. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  131.        &lt;img alt="The hotels near Tropicana Field." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5BdG9VGY_NDGS1IBvC1jyxHK8uA=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26073046/Screenshot_2025_07_30_233239.png"&gt;
  132.      &lt;cite&gt;Screenshot courtesy of Google Maps&lt;/cite&gt;
  133.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The hotels near Tropicana Field.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  134.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  135. &lt;p id="ySUZdG"&gt;There are four hotels within a short walk of the Trop. Pick one and you will be fine. There are even some local restaurants and bars on the same street as the Tru by Hilton, which are reasonably priced and usually filled with locals and tourists before and after games. I waited out the crowds by getting a bite to eat and drinking too much before returning to my awful hotel a couple of miles away.&lt;/p&gt;
  136. &lt;p id="dkDMEC"&gt;Personally, I would probably not pick the Staybridge Suites unless the other options were sold out because of the car traffic one would have to navigate. This selection of hotels allows you to go to and from the ballpark with relative ease. The area near the Trop is hardly what I would consider pedestrian-friendly, but it is a small price to pay for bypassing the hurdle of driving or ridesharing.&lt;/p&gt;
  137. &lt;p id="ODyHHh"&gt;The problem with these hotels is that they will likely rival your airfare as your largest expense. When I went in 2023, the hotel prices near the ballpark were about $1,000 for the entire three-game series. &lt;/p&gt;
  138. &lt;p id="TvJblm"&gt;I stayed elsewhere for significantly less money, further into St. Petersburg, which was a spectacular mistake as the area gets pretty rough, pretty quickly. Honestly, if you are going to travel to Florida from California, spend the money to be closer to the ballpark to save yourself the headache. &lt;/p&gt;
  139. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  140.        &lt;img alt="Don’t do this. 2.7 miles is sometimes a lot further than you think." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XncMwyrwLYsY4HvZAUFsZy91jvI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26074212/Screenshot_2025_07_31_212716.png"&gt;
  141.      &lt;cite&gt;Screenshot courtesy of Google Maps&lt;/cite&gt;
  142.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Don’t do this. 2.7 miles is sometimes a lot further than you think.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  143.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  144. &lt;p id="hKKi6Q"&gt;Sometimes 2.7 miles is a lot further than you think, especially in an area designed for having a car. Imagine the drive somehow taking 20 minutes, and you will experience a portion of the frustration I felt while trying to go to Dodgers/Rays games in 2023. The pedestrian unfriendliness gets even worse the farther you get from the stadium. Staying in Tampa proper is not a viable option for the previously mentioned logistical issues. &lt;/p&gt;
  145. &lt;h5 id="E6cLHs"&gt;4. Where should I sit?&lt;/h5&gt;
  146. &lt;div class="p-fullbleed-block"&gt;
  147. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  148.        &lt;img alt="From the Rays Club. Tropicana Field. May 27, 2023." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Gq6xsmt3H0Yu0_QUbs3BGDg-q1E=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26073048/XMCucDW.jpeg"&gt;
  149.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  150.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;From the Rays Club. Tropicana Field. May 27, 2023.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  151.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  152. &lt;/div&gt;
  153. &lt;p id="YEFdcp"&gt;One of The Trop’s saving graces is that tickets are not that expensive. As you can see from the footage, the field has this desaturated look that arises as a combination of artificial turf and the stadium’s indoor lighting, which was more annoying than painful.&lt;/p&gt;
  154. &lt;p id="2d35NW"&gt;Like &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2023/5/8/23544235/dodgers-travel-guide-american-family-field-milwaukee-brewers"&gt;American Family Field&lt;/a&gt;, you get what you pay for. The main flaw with seating in this ballpark is that, unless you are in the very front row by the field, being in the front row of the section leads to obstructed views of people going back and forth. Moreover, there is a limited selection of viable seats to watch the game.&lt;/p&gt;
  155. &lt;p id="QatKbI"&gt;While the Rays did have sales for seats for $20, even with the Dodgers visiting, one has to take care to follow the advice in this entry, as a seat where you cannot see anything due to people walking by, a bad angle, or a claustrophobic seat is no bargain to speak of.&lt;/p&gt;
  156. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  157.        &lt;img alt="Recommended seats of Tropicana Field" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vohATcV2lZ3gxsnbodXVYCip4MQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26074232/Screenshot_2025_07_31_221535.png"&gt;
  158.      &lt;cite&gt;Map courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays / Illustration by Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  159.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sit in the blue L and you will be fine.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  160.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  161. &lt;p id="TYFnlT"&gt;Generally, you will want to sit at least four rows back to get that sweet spot of view without people obstructing your view of the game. There is a walkway bisecting seats on field level, think rows PP-TT, which can feel claustrophobic and are often blocked by people going to and fro.&lt;/p&gt;
  162. &lt;div class="p-fullbleed-block"&gt;
  163. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  164.        &lt;img alt="Section L117, Row PP, Seat 5. Tropicana Field. May 26, 2023." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LxFzTLd2idN5ZjQMBtK-sGE_CJY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26074213/iUvnd05.jpeg"&gt;
  165.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  166.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Section L117, Row PP, Seat 5. Tropicana Field. May 26, 2023.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  167.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  168. &lt;/div&gt;
  169. &lt;p id="bFSJXV"&gt;Like loanDepot Park, The Trop’s upper deck is sealed off due to a lack of attendance. The catwalks are a unique feature of the ballpark, but honestly, they are a testament to the bad design of the ballpark.&lt;/p&gt;
  170. &lt;div id="K9Ydg9"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/umRT3ttlgLo?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  171. &lt;p id="WtdIBx"&gt;If you have made the effort to go to St. Petersburg and get a hotel that is within walking distance of the ballpark, there is no reason to sit in the outfield, as the game plays out with almost a reverse-batter’s eye, a solid wall of blue seats that makes watching the game difficult.&lt;/p&gt;
  172. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  173.        &lt;img alt="First row of Center Field. Tropicana Field. May 28, 2023. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RBuxUPjmTAxqeeDx-877ftxKJqY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26074244/NsnnXSS.jpeg"&gt;
  174.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  175.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;First row of Center Field. Tropicana Field. May 28, 2023. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  176.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  177. &lt;p id="sYx5pm"&gt;One might be tempted to default to “luxury” seating at The Trop. You can upgrade your ticket after scanning it and entering the ballpark for a fee on the MLB Ballpark App. This option allows you to watch the game from Rays Club seating, located in Sections 104 to 126, as indicated in purple on the diagram.&lt;/p&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="mLitX0"&gt;Food, drink, including some alcohol is included with your ticket in this section of seating. Unless you are a glutton, there is no way that you are going to recoup the costs of your ticket in food. The main drawback to this section is the high number of seats packed into each section. The seats are too close together by row.&lt;/p&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="QGyYDB"&gt;If I were shorter, I would not have noticed any issues. As I am taller than Mookie Betts, my knees were banging against the seat in front of me for the entire game I sat there. Overall, seating will not likely be an issue, so pick someplace where I suggested at a price that works within your budget.&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;p id="BW1bs2"&gt;As a final note, one might be tempted to sit right behind home plate. The narrow seat issue is not as bad here, but for how empty the ballpark is, you will quickly be surprised by how cramped it can actually be.&lt;/p&gt;
  181. &lt;h5 id="bH5e3b"&gt;5. After your trip, is it worth going back?&lt;/h5&gt;
  182. &lt;div class="p-fullbleed-block"&gt;
  183. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  184.        &lt;img alt="The rotunda upon entering Tropicana Field. May 27, 2023." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tmVG7uZO4eqd4Q8ElOzGyGe1ekU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26074260/WPBEjZE.jpeg"&gt;
  185.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  186.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The rotunda upon entering Tropicana Field. May 27, 2023.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  187.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  188. &lt;/div&gt;
  189. &lt;p id="roUGYg"&gt;In the disclaimer to the Guide, I described the informal range of subjective outcomes that can occur after visiting a location. So far, I have attended three games at Tropicana Field in 2023, during which the Dodgers won one. After this visit, my rating of going to Tropicana Field is:&lt;/p&gt;
  190. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="BhRs4r"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hey, that was somehow NOT fun. Why did I put myself through all of this work?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  191. &lt;p id="t5WFVf"&gt;The Trop is a flawed, shabby ballpark. One could easily call it a dump, but there is a rough-hewn charm that makes the place endearing for a single visit. But to some, it’s home.&lt;/p&gt;
  192. &lt;p id="mbPHI7"&gt;Will the Trop seem like paradise after three games in exposed Florida air in August? Yes, probably. Any Florida ballpark that has air conditioning in summer is a godsend, as the 2025 Dodgers are likely about to find out.&lt;/p&gt;
  193. &lt;p id="93Gv8S"&gt;How would I fix the Trop? Easy, a new ballpark that is in downtown Tampa, which does not feel like a hockey rink. I am not asking for a second version of &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/22957596/dodgers-travel-guide-pnc-park-pittsburgh-pirates"&gt;PNC Park&lt;/a&gt;. If the consensus is that your home ballpark is a dump, that fact cannot be waived away as being snooty. The fans of the Rays deserve better, and hopefully, within the next few years, they will get something better and something that rewards their ongoing faith in their plucky franchise.&lt;/p&gt;
  194. &lt;p class="c-end-para" id="Xtes33"&gt;The Trop avoids the bottom rank of the Guide through its passionate fans, being slightly cheaper and less irritating lights than its cross-state neighbor. For its many, many faults, it is a major league ballpark, which some other venues cannot credibly claim. Here’s hoping the St. Petersburg faithful get to watch games back home very soon.&lt;/p&gt;
  195. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  196.        &lt;img alt="Adric: See you next time!" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wQhG5XwoojOvDM3pwIeTlVFlW9g=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26074267/73gc9Mq.jpeg"&gt;
  197.      &lt;cite&gt;Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA&lt;/cite&gt;
  198.      &lt;figcaption&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Adric: See you next time!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  199.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  200. &lt;p id="JbTE0y"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  201. &lt;p id="MgDHm3"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  202. &lt;p id="ueAv33"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  203.  
  204. </content>
  205.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/23765755/dodgers-travel-guide-tampa-bay-rays-tropicana-field"/>
  206.    <id>https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/23765755/dodgers-travel-guide-tampa-bay-rays-tropicana-field</id>
  207.    <author>
  208.      <name>Michael Elizondo</name>
  209.    </author>
  210.  </entry>
  211.  <entry>
  212.    <published>2025-08-01T09:17:00-07:00</published>
  213.    <updated>2025-08-01T09:17:00-07:00</updated>
  214.    <title>New Dodgers relievers are all right</title>
  215.    <content type="html">  
  216.  
  217.    &lt;figure&gt;
  218.      &lt;img alt="Seattle Mariners v. Minnesota Twins" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vORJEgAn17BTV3g6IqmjT8NVvB4=/0x0:3640x2427/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74204284/2221539624.0.jpg" /&gt;
  219.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Graham Miller/MLB Photos via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  220.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  221.  
  222.  &lt;p id="Q1jO1S"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;Dodgers&lt;/a&gt; added seven players and sent away five in their four deals &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478347/dodgers-mlb-trade-deadline-2025"&gt;ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline&lt;/a&gt;. Three of those additions are on the 40-man roster, two of whom are right-handed relief pitchers.&lt;/p&gt;
  223. &lt;p id="Ny0rIr"&gt;Old friend Brock Stewart, who was drafted by the Dodgers in 2014 and previously pitched for them from 2016-19, &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478339/brock-stewart-trade-dodgers-twins"&gt;is back in the bullpen&lt;/a&gt;. They also added Paul Gervase, one of three players received from the Rays in &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/30/24478008/dodgers-trade-deadline-paul-gervase-hunter-feduccia-adam-serwinowski-ben-rortvedt"&gt;a three-team trade that also involved the Reds&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  224. &lt;p id="JaSf3C"&gt;Adding right-handed relief options makes sense considering the various missing pieces in the Dodgers bullpen. Evan Phillips &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/30/24440344/dodgers-evan-phillips-tommy-john-surgery-mookie-betts-stubbed-toe"&gt;had Tommy John surgery&lt;/a&gt;, ending his season. Michael Kopech will be out at least another four weeks &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/9/24464406/dodgers-michael-kopech-knee-injury-tyler-glasnow-alexis-diaz"&gt;after meniscus surgery&lt;/a&gt;. Brusdar Graterol hasn’t yet pitched this season &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2024/11/15/24297564/brusdar-graterol-shoulder-surgery-labrum-dodgers"&gt;after shoulder surgery&lt;/a&gt; but might be back in September.&lt;/p&gt;
  225. &lt;p id="GJnRIy"&gt;Blake Treinen missed more than three months and &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/27/24475166/dodgers-roster-blake-treinen-will-klein"&gt;just got back this week&lt;/a&gt;. Kirby Yates has struggled. The only other right-handed relievers currently on the active roster are Ben Casparius, &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/30/24475736/dodgers-season-middle-54-games-2025"&gt;whose second third of the season was much worse than his first&lt;/a&gt;, and Alexis Díaz, who struggled so badly with the Reds earlier this year that he was booed earlier this week by fans in Cincinnati.&lt;/p&gt;
  226. &lt;p id="9Z8f0n"&gt;Stewart should definitely help, with his 2.38 ERA and 2.25 xERA in 39 games this season.&lt;/p&gt;
  227. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;div id="4cX0qC"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/dansby-swanson-strikes-out-swinging-uiniur" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  228. &lt;p id="EisdT3"&gt;Dodgers relief pitchers against right-handed batters have a 15.5-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/splits-leaderboards?splitArr=43,6&amp;amp;splitArrPitch=&amp;amp;autoPt=false&amp;amp;splitTeams=false&amp;amp;statType=team&amp;amp;statgroup=2&amp;amp;startDate=2025-03-01&amp;amp;endDate=2025-11-01&amp;amp;players=&amp;amp;filter=&amp;amp;groupBy=season&amp;amp;wxTemperature=&amp;amp;wxPressure=&amp;amp;wxAirDensity=&amp;amp;wxElevation=&amp;amp;wxWindSpeed=&amp;amp;position=P&amp;amp;sort=10,1"&gt;which ranks seventh in the majors&lt;/a&gt;. But their 36 home runs allowed to righty batters are second-most (one behind the Angels), with opposing righties hitting .252/.325/.408 against the bullpen with &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/splits-leaderboards?splitArr=43,6&amp;amp;splitArrPitch=&amp;amp;autoPt=false&amp;amp;splitTeams=false&amp;amp;statType=team&amp;amp;statgroup=1&amp;amp;startDate=2025-03-01&amp;amp;endDate=2025-11-01&amp;amp;players=&amp;amp;filter=&amp;amp;groupBy=season&amp;amp;wxTemperature=&amp;amp;wxPressure=&amp;amp;wxAirDensity=&amp;amp;wxElevation=&amp;amp;wxWindSpeed=&amp;amp;position=P&amp;amp;sort=18,-1"&gt;a .320 expected wOBA that was only 22nd-best among MLB bullpens&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  229. &lt;p id="oBoZIa"&gt;Stewart this season has demolished right-handed batters to the tune of .104/.178/.149 against, best in the majors in all three rate stats, with 29 strikeouts and three walks, one of them intentional. His 39.7-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate against right-handed batters &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/splits-leaderboards?splitArr=6&amp;amp;splitArrPitch=&amp;amp;autoPt=false&amp;amp;splitTeams=false&amp;amp;statType=player&amp;amp;statgroup=2&amp;amp;startDate=2025-03-01&amp;amp;endDate=2025-11-01&amp;amp;players=&amp;amp;filter=IP%7Cgt%7C20&amp;amp;groupBy=season&amp;amp;wxTemperature=&amp;amp;wxPressure=&amp;amp;wxAirDensity=&amp;amp;wxElevation=&amp;amp;wxWindSpeed=&amp;amp;position=P&amp;amp;sort=9,1"&gt;is fifth-best among the 221 major league pitchers with at least 20 innings pitches&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  230. &lt;p id="mIOaRv"&gt;Down the road, the Dodgers could also get help from Gervase, who made his major league debut earlier this season with the Rays and put up impressive numbers in the minors.&lt;/p&gt;
  231. &lt;p id="DZWWKy"&gt;Gervase struck out 40.5 percent of his batters faced in 2024 for Double-A Montgomery, the &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/minor-league?pos=all&amp;amp;level=0&amp;amp;lg=2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,14,12,13,15,16,17,18,30,32&amp;amp;stats=pit&amp;amp;qual=40&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;team=&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;seasonEnd=2024&amp;amp;org=&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;splitTeam=false&amp;amp;players=&amp;amp;sort=9,1"&gt;second-best strikeout rate in all of the minors among pitchers with at least 40 innings&lt;/a&gt;. This year for Triple-A Durham, Gervase struck out 39.1 percent of his batters faced, which &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/minor-league?pos=all&amp;amp;level=0&amp;amp;lg=2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,14,12,13,15,16,17,18,30,32&amp;amp;stats=pit&amp;amp;qual=30&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;team=&amp;amp;season=2025&amp;amp;seasonEnd=2025&amp;amp;org=&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;splitTeam=false&amp;amp;players=&amp;amp;sort=9,1"&gt;is 14th best among all minor league pitchers with at least 30 innings&lt;/a&gt;, and his 7.5-percent walk rate is better than any other minor league pitcher with a top-30 strikeout rate.&lt;/p&gt;
  232. &lt;p id="Sl5NyF"&gt;The 25-year-old right-hander has also excelled against right-handed batters over the last two seasons, holding same-handed hitters to just .143/.229/.222 with 91 strikeouts (a 43.3-percent rate) and 19 walks between the minors and majors.&lt;/p&gt;
  233. &lt;p id="rHocfJ"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  234.  
  235. </content>
  236.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478383/dodgers-bullpen-brock-stewart-paul-gervase"/>
  237.    <id>https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478383/dodgers-bullpen-brock-stewart-paul-gervase</id>
  238.    <author>
  239.      <name>Eric Stephen</name>
  240.    </author>
  241.  </entry>
  242.  <entry>
  243.    <published>2025-08-01T07:43:00-07:00</published>
  244.    <updated>2025-08-01T07:43:00-07:00</updated>
  245.    <title>Dodgers in July: Where did the bats go?</title>
  246.    <content type="html">  
  247.  
  248.    &lt;figure&gt;
  249.      &lt;img alt="Los Angeles Dodgers v Cincinnati Reds" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5JLoNhC9eRYOUQi1e5aAYnq--Vs=/0x0:3067x2045/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74204101/2227619054.0.jpg" /&gt;
  250.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  251.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  252.  
  253.  &lt;p&gt;The Dodgers struggled to score during July, which led to more losses than wins, which is rare around these parts.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="zazvet"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;Dodgers&lt;/a&gt; swept their first series of the month and won their final series in July, but otherwise found rough sledding that added more losses to the ledger than wins.&lt;/p&gt;
  254. &lt;p id="zht4nk"&gt;Their seven-game losing streak during the month is their longest of the season. The Dodgers were swept by the &lt;a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com"&gt;Astros&lt;/a&gt; at home, and were swept by the &lt;a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/"&gt;Brewers&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;twice&lt;/em&gt; in a two-week span.&lt;/p&gt;
  255. &lt;p id="48MWsz"&gt;In all the Dodgers won 10 and lost 14 in July, and they were equal opportunists, going 5-7 at home and 5-7 on the road.&lt;/p&gt;
  256. &lt;p id="63ZybB"&gt;July was just the second losing baseball month for the Dodgers during the last seven regular seasons, &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2024/8/1/24207794/dodgers-july-terrible-pitching"&gt;along with last July&lt;/a&gt;. This month featured a .417 winning percentage that was the Dodgers’ worst in any month since May 2013.&lt;/p&gt;
  257. &lt;p id="TRPuhi"&gt;The Dodgers in May 2013 were 10-17 (.370), &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2013/6/1/4385908/adrian-gonzalez-clayton-kershaw-dodgers-may-review"&gt;their worst May record in the history of the franchise&lt;/a&gt;. You might remember that month &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2013/5/19/4346208/don-mattingly-dodgers-week-7-review"&gt;for when I wrote&lt;/a&gt;, “Stick a fork in the 2013 Dodgers. They are dead.”&lt;/p&gt;
  258. &lt;p id="YpjGzP"&gt;That team won the division by 11 games, and they haven’t missed the playoffs since.&lt;/p&gt;
  259. &lt;h5 id="XH6c83"&gt;July results&lt;/h5&gt;
  260. &lt;p id="SDFzvq"&gt;10-14 record&lt;br&gt;91 runs scored (3.79 per game, 26th in MLB)&lt;br&gt;114 runs allowed (4.75 per game, 18th in MLB)&lt;br&gt;.398 pythagorean win percentage (10-14)&lt;/p&gt;
  261. &lt;h5 id="n8RCL2"&gt;Year to date&lt;/h5&gt;
  262. &lt;p id="7lKoXx"&gt;63-46 record&lt;br&gt;568 runs scored (5.21 per game, 2nd in MLB)&lt;br&gt;501 runs allowed (4.60 per game, 23rd in MLB)&lt;br&gt;.557 pythagorean win percentage (61-48)&lt;/p&gt;
  263. &lt;p id="HQmZUz"&gt;The offense disappearing was the main culprit for the subpar month, scoring two or fewer runs nine times in 24 games. Missing a red-hot Max Muncy hurt, as &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/3/24461162/max-muncy-injured-list-knee-bone-bruise-dodgers-esteury-ruiz"&gt;he injured his knee in the second game of the month&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  264. &lt;p id="sO7Lb8"&gt;Through the end of June, the Dodgers led the majors in runs scored per game but in July they ranked 26th.&lt;/p&gt;
  265. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;aside id="PrvnGY"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Week 16: Tale of two sweeps","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/7/24462017/dodgers-white-sox-astros-will-smith-clayton-kershaw-max-muncy-dustin-may"},{"title":"Week 17: Both sides of Ohtani","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/14/24464957/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-tyler-glasnow"},{"title":"Week 18: Another Milwaukee sweep","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/21/24470755/dodgers-week-18-brewers-sweep-freddie-freeman-shohei-ohtani-tyler-glasnow"},{"title":"Week 19: Breaking even","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/28/24474958/dodgers-week-19-tyler-glasnow-shohei-ohtani-michael-conforto"}]}'&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  266. &lt;p id="5pxTbg"&gt;Andy Pages, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernández each had an OPS that started with a six, while Mookie Betts was at .586 and Tommy Edman .489.&lt;/p&gt;
  267. &lt;p id="FkZZbY"&gt;Will Smith was great, hitting .349/.461/.587 with four home runs and a 194 wRC+. Miguel Rojas had a 138 wRC+ and .841 OPS with three home runs and three doubles in July, almost matching his extra-base hit total (eight) for the first three months.&lt;/p&gt;
  268. &lt;p id="FMOf4Y"&gt;Michael Conforto had his best month of the season, hitting .273/.342/.485 with a 132 wRC+.&lt;/p&gt;
  269. &lt;h4 id="qBR1DZ"&gt;Rotation mixed bag&lt;/h4&gt;
  270. &lt;p id="cT8AZb"&gt;Tyler Glasnow &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/9/24464217/tyler-glasnow-strikeouts-dodgers-brewers"&gt;returned from the injured list&lt;/a&gt; and was effective, as he and Yoshinobu Yamamoto had ERAs in the twos. So did Shohei Ohtani, albeit only in 11 innings, but with 14 strikeouts.&lt;/p&gt;
  271. &lt;p id="OcCpSE"&gt;Clayton Kershaw did not win any of his four starts and struck out only 10.8 percent of his batters faced. Though in his first start of the month &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/3/24460759/clayton-kershaw-3000-strikeouts-dodgers-dave-roberts"&gt;he did notch his 3,000th career strikeout&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  272. &lt;p id="XLAe2f"&gt;Dustin May had a 5.48 ERA in his four appearances, and as the odd man out in the rotation &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478538/dustin-may-trade-dodgers-red-sox-james-tibbs"&gt;was shipped off to Boston on the final day of the month&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  273. &lt;h4 id="dX1URb"&gt;Swipe left&lt;/h4&gt;
  274. &lt;p id="Ca0wp8"&gt;The three relief pitchers who had the most appearances during July also had the best numbers, and all are left-handed. Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer, and Alex Vesia combined for a 1.56 ERA and 28.8-percent strikeout rate in 34⅔ innings, helping hold the bullpen together.&lt;/p&gt;
  275. &lt;p id="g7vsqU"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Previous monthly reviews&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/5/1/24417588/dodgers-april-yoshinobu-yamamoto-teoscar-hernandez-freddie-freeman"&gt;April&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/6/1/24438586/dodgers-may-shohei-ohtani-freddie-freeman"&gt;May&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/6/30/24455714/dodgers-june-max-muncy-andy-pages-clayton-kershaw-justin-wrobleski"&gt;June&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  276. &lt;h4 id="m7hda9"&gt;The month ahead&lt;/h4&gt;
  277. &lt;p id="176zSt"&gt;American League opponents are lined up to face the Dodgers for three of the first four series of August, but then divisional play kicks in again, with series against the Padres (twice), Rockies, and &lt;a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/"&gt;Diamondbacks&lt;/a&gt; on the back stretch of the month.&lt;/p&gt;
  278. &lt;p id="fVTTHV"&gt;In August the Dodgers play 15 games at home and 13 games on the road. One of those road series is against the Angels from August 11-13, and surrounded by home series, so some Dodgers can sleep in their own beds for a two-week stretch from this Sunday night through the series finale against the Padres on August 17.&lt;/p&gt;
  279. &lt;p id="20gO6e"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  280. &lt;p id="rXLKcM"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  281.  
  282. </content>
  283.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478700/dodgers-july-offense-disappeared"/>
  284.    <id>https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478700/dodgers-july-offense-disappeared</id>
  285.    <author>
  286.      <name>Eric Stephen</name>
  287.    </author>
  288.  </entry>
  289.  <entry>
  290.    <published>2025-08-01T07:00:00-07:00</published>
  291.    <updated>2025-08-01T07:00:00-07:00</updated>
  292.    <title>Can you guess this Dodgers outfielder in today’s in-5 trivia game?</title>
  293.    <content type="html">  
  294.  
  295.    &lt;figure&gt;
  296.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0UC4QL5ZMxCdxZ2_oPS1f1omVf0=/250x0:2950x1800/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74204003/tb_la_social.0.png" /&gt;
  297.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  298.  
  299.  &lt;p&gt;Think you can figure out what Dodgers player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="eAn6gY"&gt;We’re back for another day of the True Blue LA in-5 daily trivia game. If you missed any of this week’s games, you will find a link below. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in &lt;a href="https://forms.gle/azZgG1uQf1g6FTE4A"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the Google Form&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  300. &lt;h3 id="LDWdGn"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Today’s True Blue LA In-5 game&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  301. &lt;div id="QquXEE"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://games.voxmedia.com/networks/tbla/08-01-2025" width="100%" height="750" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" style="margin-bottom: 25px;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  302. &lt;p id="QjN1It"&gt;If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, &lt;a href="https://truebluela.com/games/in-5/mlb"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;click this game article&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  303. &lt;h2 id="Lh08ss"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Previous Games&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  304. &lt;p id="pjYgJ6"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/games/in-5/07-31-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday, July 31, 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/games/in-5/07-30-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday, July 30, 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/games/in-5/07-29-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday, July 29, 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/games/in-5/07-28-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monday, July 28, 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  305. &lt;h2 id="x62Tnv"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  306. &lt;p id="eYul3Q"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-games"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NFL in-5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb-games"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MLB in-5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mma-games"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MMA in-5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;h2 id="p5PojY"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;True Blue LA in-5 instructions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  308. &lt;p id="W0BSQ4"&gt;The goal of the game is to &lt;strong&gt;guess the correct &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dodgers&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; player&lt;/strong&gt; with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in &lt;strong&gt;BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS&lt;/strong&gt; this week. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. The game will appear in the No. 3 slot of the True Blue LA layout each day this week and as noted above, will appear in this article exclusively. &lt;/p&gt;
  309. &lt;p id="UzewZY"&gt;After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out &lt;a href="https://forms.gle/azZgG1uQf1g6FTE4A"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;this Google Form&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  310. &lt;p id="G1NBFl"&gt;Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;
  311. &lt;p id="TdpIM7"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  312.  
  313. </content>
  314.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478887/dodgers-trivia-your-in-5-daily-game-thursday-edition"/>
  315.    <id>https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478887/dodgers-trivia-your-in-5-daily-game-thursday-edition</id>
  316.    <author>
  317.      <name>Eric Stephen</name>
  318.    </author>
  319.  </entry>
  320.  <entry>
  321.    <published>2025-08-01T06:27:38-07:00</published>
  322.    <updated>2025-08-01T06:27:38-07:00</updated>
  323.    <title>Wyatt Crowell pitches 7 scoreless innings for Great Lakes</title>
  324.    <content type="html">  
  325.  
  326.    &lt;figure&gt;
  327.      &lt;img alt="Pittsburgh Pirates v Cincinnati Reds" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NZLRileVl-_0d_cDAU_7Zvl7nN4=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74203974/2210090714.0.jpg" /&gt;
  328.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  329.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  330.  
  331.  &lt;p&gt;Two games won on errors in the tenth inning&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="iCZczy"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478347/dodgers-mlb-trade-deadline-2025"&gt;trade deadline has now come and gone&lt;/a&gt;, and the &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;Dodgers&lt;/a&gt;’ prospects who remained won all their games on Thursday. Gone are James Outman. Eriq Swan, Hunter Feduccia, Sean Paul Linan, and Dustin May. New players include Ben Rortvedt, Paul Gervase, Adam Serwinowski, Brock Stewart, Alex Call, James Tibbs lll, and Zach Ehrhard . Taken together, the Dodgers didn’t give up anybody they should lose sleep over, and picked up seven players, many who will play games for the Dodgers at some point.&lt;/p&gt;
  332. &lt;h4 id="v5eBPN"&gt;Player of the day&lt;/h4&gt;
  333. &lt;p id="vsZqSf"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wyatt Crowell&lt;/strong&gt; has pitched well since &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-mlb-draft/2023/7/10/23789964/dodgers-mlb-draft-2023-wyatt-crowell-fourth-round"&gt;getting drafted in the fourth round in 2023&lt;/a&gt;. The 23-year-old made 17 starts at three different levels in 2024, sporting a tidy cumulative ERA of 3.09 and a .171 batting average against. This season has been more of the same, 17 appearances, 3.19 ERA, and a .168 average against. After pitching seven shutout innings on Thursday, Crowell has put together a streak of dominance over his last four appearances, giving up only one unearned run on six hits in his last 18 innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  334. &lt;h4 id="HQdeHU"&gt;Triple-A Oklahoma City&lt;/h4&gt;
  335. &lt;p id="QIqw3P"&gt;A ninth-inning throwing error by Salt Lake Bees (Angels) third baseman Niko Kavadas opened the door for the Comets to tie the game in the ninth inning. Two-out hits by Jose Ramos and Chuckie Robinson sent the game into extras.&lt;/p&gt;
  336. &lt;div id="GXie4N"&gt;
  337. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  338. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;CHUCKIE ROBINSON CLUTCH FACTOR  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Down to their last out the Comets tie it up‼️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/E8qV2TSwTI"&gt;pic.twitter.com/E8qV2TSwTI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/OKC_comets/status/1951115955599450186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;August 1, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  339. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  340. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  341.  
  342. &lt;/div&gt;
  343. &lt;p id="vaETgm"&gt; The Comets won the game in the tenth inning when designated runner Justin Dean stole third base and came home on a walk-off throwing error by the catcher.&lt;/p&gt;
  344. &lt;div id="s7QN9H"&gt;
  345. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  346. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Nothing new, just JD3 causing mayhem on the bases… BUT, this time for the WIN! ☄️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/HD0XdjR1Xg"&gt;pic.twitter.com/HD0XdjR1Xg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/OKC_comets/status/1951119979874505087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;August 1, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  347. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  348. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  349.  
  350. &lt;/div&gt;
  351. &lt;h4 id="GRgVsg"&gt;Double-A Tulsa&lt;/h4&gt;
  352. &lt;p id="LtQjLQ"&gt;The Drillers defeated the Midland Rockhounds (Athletics) 4-3 in ten innings. After Rockhounds starting pitcher Yunior Tur got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth by striking out three, they brought him back out to pitch the sixth inning. He was removed after letting the first three batters reach base, they all scored, and the Drillers took a 3-1 lead. The Rockhounds tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, and the game headed into extra innings. And just like their comrades at Oklahoma City, they pushed the winning run home in the tenth on an error.&lt;/p&gt;
  353. &lt;div id="VaJyza"&gt;
  354. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  355. &lt;p lang="et" dir="ltr"&gt;WHOOPSIE...Kole "The Flash⚡️" Myers puts Tulsa   &lt;br&gt;TUL4️⃣| MID3️⃣ &lt;a href="https://t.co/DB9jtGhthj"&gt;pic.twitter.com/DB9jtGhthj&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TulsaDrillers/status/1951119041810018632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;August 1, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  356. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  357. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  358.  
  359. &lt;/div&gt;
  360. &lt;h4 id="ygSnpl"&gt;High-A Great Lakes&lt;/h4&gt;
  361. &lt;p id="cMKrFH"&gt;Three Loons pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout, as the Loons defeated the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) 2-0. Crowell lasted seven scoreless innings, the first time in his pro career he has pitched more than five and one-third innings. Eduardo Quintero, playing his fifth game at High-A ball, had the only RBI of the game when he doubled home Carlos Rojas.&lt;/p&gt;
  362. &lt;h4 id="Q9WLUg"&gt;Low-A Rancho Cucamonga&lt;/h4&gt;
  363. &lt;p id="9zofow"&gt;Five shutout innings and nine strikeout by starter Aidan Foeller, plus three RBI each by Jaron Elkins and Eduardo Guerrero led the Quakes to a 9-3 win over the Fresno Grizzlies  (Rockies).  &lt;/p&gt;
  364. &lt;p id="YOR5p8"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Feeling the trades:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  365. &lt;p id="jXGKda"&gt;As I suspected, &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478347/dodgers-mlb-trade-deadline-2025"&gt;the Dodgers didn’t make any dramatic trades&lt;/a&gt;, didn’t trade away any top prospects, and just made a few moves around the periphery. As a result, none of the trades particularly bothered me or excited me. Michael Conforto is still in left field, however with a better platoon option. There are new relievers, same as the old relievers…. I mean, who knows with relievers? If you get lucky, they pitch well.  &lt;/p&gt;
  366. &lt;p id="i4UvZj"&gt;I am happy for Feduccia because he is a viable major league catcher, and I am glad to see him get an opportunity. I’ll root for him. He should have had more major league time the last two seasons, but despite the injury plague affecting the entire team, the Dodgers’ catchers have been remarkably injury-free for the most part the last two seasons. As a result, Feduccia only got a handful of major league at-bats, during which he held his own. Outman will also get a better shot elsewhere at a major league career. Poor Ryan Ward is still stranded at Oklahoma City despite tearing up the Pacific Coast League for the second consecutive year. &lt;/p&gt;
  367. &lt;p id="62NfK9"&gt;Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan are interesting pitching prospects, we’ll have to see how they pan out for another team. I’ll have to see Alex Call before making any judgements, he seems like a reasonable outfield option against southpaws, and his name offers excellent pun possibilities. As for the most interesting pickup in my view, they call him Mr. Tibbs (James Tibbs lll). The overall 13th pick in the 2024 draft, the 22-year-old hasn’t done much to impress in his first 113 professional games with a batting line of .234/.343/.387.&lt;/p&gt;
  368. &lt;h4 id="bgzgx8"&gt;Thursday scores&lt;/h4&gt;
  369. &lt;ul&gt;
  370. &lt;li id="GqmcuD"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.milb.com/gameday/bees-vs-comets/2025/07/31/779980/final/box"&gt;Oklahoma City 6. Salt Lake City 5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  371. &lt;li id="l8oWdC"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.milb.com/gameday/drillers-vs-rockhounds/2025/07/31/782129/final/box"&gt;Tulsa 4, Midland 3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  372. &lt;li id="MxVzZF"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.milb.com/gameday/loons-vs-tincaps/2025/07/31/785167/final/box"&gt;Great Lakes 2, Fort Wayne 0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  373. &lt;li id="cBDIQz"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.milb.com/gameday/quakes-vs-grizzlies/2025/07/31/788727/final/box"&gt;Rancho Cucamonga 9, Fresno 3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  374. &lt;/ul&gt;
  375. &lt;h4 id="SQ9tbm"&gt;Friday schedule&lt;/h4&gt;
  376. &lt;ul&gt;
  377. &lt;li id="5VQpF4"&gt;Great Lakes (Payton Martin) at Fort Wayne (Isaiah Lowe), 4:05 PM PST&lt;/li&gt;
  378. &lt;li id="WGPvdg"&gt;Tulsa (Chris Campos) at Midland (TBA), 5:00 PM PST&lt;/li&gt;
  379. &lt;li id="MsYfEd"&gt;Salt Lake (Dakota Hudson) at Oklahoma City (TBA), 5:05 PM PST]&lt;/li&gt;
  380. &lt;li id="0beIrn"&gt;Rancho Cucamonga (Sterling Patick) at Fresno (Angel Jimenez), 7:05 PM PST&lt;/li&gt;
  381. &lt;/ul&gt;
  382.  
  383. </content>
  384.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478783/dodgers-wyatt-crowell-justin-dean"/>
  385.    <id>https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478783/dodgers-wyatt-crowell-justin-dean</id>
  386.    <author>
  387.      <name>Jack Ebner</name>
  388.    </author>
  389.  </entry>
  390.  <entry>
  391.    <published>2025-08-01T05:07:00-07:00</published>
  392.    <updated>2025-08-01T05:07:00-07:00</updated>
  393.    <title>Reactions to the Dodgers’ unusually quiet trade deadline</title>
  394.    <content type="html">  
  395.  
  396.    &lt;figure&gt;
  397.      &lt;img alt="Minnesota Twins v Cincinnati Reds" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tvGwDo9IZvjuAC3YzPTxwYgH1u4=/0x0:5616x3744/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74203849/2220997081.0.jpg" /&gt;
  398.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  399.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  400.  
  401.  &lt;p id="kzHrIX"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;Dodgers&lt;/a&gt; in recent years have been avid participants at the trade deadline. This year, with the front office insistent on wanting to keep the roster constructed over the offseason, it was a relatively quiet deadline for the Dodgers. &lt;/p&gt;
  402. &lt;p id="YNtbUS"&gt;The Dodgers addressed their two main issues— the bullpen and outfield— by bringing back Brock Stewart in a deal with the &lt;a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/"&gt;Minnesota Twins&lt;/a&gt; and improved their outfield depth by trading for &lt;a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/"&gt;Washington Nationals&lt;/a&gt; outfielder Alex Call. As a result, James Outman was dealt to Minnesota in return, while the struggling Dustin May will now look to salvage his season with the &lt;a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/"&gt;Boston Red Sox&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  403. &lt;p id="NBcT6G"&gt;Here are some reactions from around the baseball world to the Dodgers trade deadline moves. &lt;/p&gt;
  404. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="iUkLpi"&gt;
  405. &lt;p id="qC2J9N"&gt;The addition of Brock Stewart not only gives the Dodgers a high end relief option against right-handed hitting, but brings home the return of pitcher that spent parts of his first four seasons with the team. &lt;/p&gt;
  406. &lt;p id="5Eiy6N"&gt;Stewart spoke with &lt;a href="https://x.com/AM570LASports/status/1951070460957041011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1951070460957041011%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;amp;ref_url=about%3Asrcdoc"&gt;David Vassegh of KLAC AM 570&lt;/a&gt; during the Dodgers home series against the Twins about his journey from MLB castoff into becoming a star reliever and now the Dodgers’ newest bullpen addition. &lt;/p&gt;
  407. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="QI3e7V"&gt;&lt;em&gt;“It was Covid summer, and I had a barbecue over at our house with some friends. A friend of a friend came over, and her boyfriend’s name was named Ben Brewster. Ben Brewster is the co-founder of Tread Athletics... I got to working with them, and sure enough it definitely paid off.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  408. &lt;div id="6amwbO"&gt;
  409. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  410. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Brock Stewart this season so far: 2.38 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 34 innings.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;.&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/THEREAL_DV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@THEREAL_DV&lt;/a&gt; spoke with the newest Dodgers reliever Brock Stewart on the last Dodgers home-stand! &lt;a href="https://t.co/F1Ldwe1p1n"&gt;pic.twitter.com/F1Ldwe1p1n&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— AM 570 LA Sports (@AM570LASports) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/AM570LASports/status/1951070460957041011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;August 1, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  411. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  412. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  413.  
  414. &lt;/div&gt;
  415. &lt;p id="6gF00F"&gt;With injuries to both Kiké Hernández and Hyeseong Kim paired with the poor offensive display from Michael Conforto and (now former Dodger) James Outman, the Dodgers were in the market for an upgrade to their outfield, and they did so by bringing in Alex Call. &lt;/p&gt;
  416. &lt;p id="zRGr3o"&gt;The addition of Call doesn’t necessarily force Michael Conforto into a platoon role, as &lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-07-31/dodgers-mlb-trade-deadline-brock-stewart-alex-call"&gt;Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times&lt;/a&gt; notes, but the move will allow Call to receive playing time in center field while moving Andy Pages to the corner spots. &lt;/p&gt;
  417. &lt;p id="5Aw3lv"&gt;It was either going to be a permanent move to the bullpen or a way out for Dustin May, and the Dodgers decided on the latter so May could continue his career as a starting pitcher, per &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fdodgers%2Fnews%2Fdodgers-trade-dustin-may-to-red-sox-for-two-outfield-prospects&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.truebluela.com%2F2025%2F8%2F1%2F24478764%2Fdodgers-trade-deadline-brock-stewart-alex-call-dustin-may-steven-kwan" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Sonja Chen of MLB.com&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  418. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="GMviTV"&gt;&lt;em&gt;“While we felt like he could have been a contributor out of the bullpen and an impact-type piece,” Gomes said, “trying to understand the mindset and his desire to continue to start, we took that into consideration. And if there was a deal that we felt like made sense, we were going to be open to do it.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  419. &lt;p id="g3M6HN"&gt;The Dodgers displayed interest in acquiring &lt;a href="https://www.coveringthecorner.com/"&gt;Cleveland Guardians&lt;/a&gt; outfielder Steven Kwan, but the return haul came with a hefty price that the Dodgers were unwilling to pay, notes &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6528713/2025/07/31/dodgers-trade-deadline-takeaways/"&gt;Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  420.  
  421. </content>
  422.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478764/dodgers-trade-deadline-brock-stewart-alex-call-dustin-may-steven-kwan"/>
  423.    <id>https://www.truebluela.com/2025/8/1/24478764/dodgers-trade-deadline-brock-stewart-alex-call-dustin-may-steven-kwan</id>
  424.    <author>
  425.      <name>Jacob Macofsky</name>
  426.    </author>
  427.  </entry>
  428.  <entry>
  429.    <published>2025-07-31T21:26:03-07:00</published>
  430.    <updated>2025-07-31T21:26:03-07:00</updated>
  431.    <title>Dodgers trade deadline summary</title>
  432.    <content type="html">  
  433.  
  434.    &lt;figure&gt;
  435.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers-Workouts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cWCVpPPPbJjQj3SR-5txbqRnZr0=/0x0:4310x2873/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74202765/usa_today_25446324.0.jpg" /&gt;
  436.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  437.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  438.  
  439.  &lt;p&gt;Every roster move made by the Dodgers at and around the 2025 major league trade deadline of July 31&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="SPifhl"&gt;The Major League &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb-trade-deadline"&gt;Baseball trade deadline&lt;/a&gt; is 3 p.m. PT on Thursday, July 31, and the &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;Dodgers&lt;/a&gt; got their dealing started the night before. Here’s a summary of all the moves made by Los Angeles in and around the 2025 trade deadline, which included three players added to the 40-man roster, three players removed from the 40-man roster, four minor leaguers coming to the Dodgers and two minor leagues traded away.&lt;/p&gt;
  440. &lt;h4 id="pCR4Vj"&gt;Gervase and extras to Los Angeles&lt;/h4&gt;
  441. &lt;p id="yKGuRK"&gt;Technically the first trade by the Dodgers was completed on the morning of the deadline, though it was all reported the Wednesday night before. The Dodgers traded catcher &lt;strong&gt;Hunter Feduccia&lt;/strong&gt; to the Rays for pitcher &lt;strong&gt;Paul Gervase&lt;/strong&gt;, a 6’10 right-hander with impressive strikeout rates in the minors who made his major league debut this season. But that’s not all.&lt;/p&gt;
  442. &lt;p id="68SvLg"&gt;This &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/30/24478008/dodgers-trade-deadline-paul-gervase-hunter-feduccia-adam-serwinowski-ben-rortvedt"&gt;was a three-team deal&lt;/a&gt;, and the Dodgers also got minor league catcher Ben Rortvedt, who has major league experience and replaces Feduccia as third on the catching depth chart, but just off the 40-man roster. Also coming to the Dodgers was left-hander Adam Serwinowski from the Reds, a 21-year-old in High-A.&lt;/p&gt;
  443. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;aside id="Cf9h9c"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Dodgers definitely need relief","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/30/24477856/mlb-trade-deadline-relief-pitching-dodgers"},{"title":"LA position player targets","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/29/24476750/dodgers-trade-deadline-harrison-bader-steven-kwan-brendan-donovan"}]}'&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  444. &lt;p id="CitCqG"&gt;Getting potentially multiple years of a reliever for Feduccia, who was the odd man out behind Will Smith and Dalton Rushing, seems like a reasonable deal for the Dodgers, and more so if they get anything out of Rortvedt and/or Serwinowski.&lt;/p&gt;
  445. &lt;h4 id="IZbnZn"&gt;Old friend returns home&lt;/h4&gt;
  446. &lt;p id="H3afXQ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brock Stewart&lt;/strong&gt; pitched in an independent league and Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2021-22 seasons. But he has emerged as an effective reliever the last three seasons for the Twins who throws hard, strikes out a lot of batters and limits hard contact. He’s &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478339/brock-stewart-trade-dodgers-twins"&gt;back with the team&lt;/a&gt; that drafted him in 2014, and for whom he pitched parts of four seasons for 2016-19.&lt;/p&gt;
  447. &lt;p id="npUy72"&gt;Stewart, now 33, has two more seasons of salary arbitration remaining after 2025.&lt;/p&gt;
  448. &lt;p id="xJ3xPw"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;James Outman&lt;/strong&gt; was &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478364/james-outman-trade-dodgers-twins-brock-stewart"&gt;sent to the Twins for Stewart&lt;/a&gt;. The outfielder finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, but hit just .137/.245/.269 with a 36.5-percent strikeout rate in 75 games in the majors in the two seasons since.&lt;/p&gt;
  449. &lt;h4 id="PnW5a6"&gt;Getting the Call&lt;/h4&gt;
  450. &lt;p id="iuNZlk"&gt;After dealing away two position players off the 40-man roster, the Dodgers got one back &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478505/alex-call-trade-dodgers-nationals-eriq-swan-sean-paul-linan"&gt;with &lt;strong&gt;Alex Call&lt;/strong&gt; coming from the Nationals&lt;/a&gt;. The right-handed hitter has played all three outfield positions during his four major league seasons and has better career numbers against left-handed pitching.&lt;/p&gt;
  451. &lt;p id="ghmSE7"&gt;Like the additions of Gervase and Stewart, the 30-year-old Call could potentially be around for longer than 2025, as he won’t hit salary arbitration until this winter and still has two option years remaining.&lt;/p&gt;
  452. &lt;p id="I4XKuC"&gt;Minor league pitchers Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan were sent to the Nationals in the trade.&lt;/p&gt;
  453. &lt;h4 id="AMiAOF"&gt;The Paxton route&lt;/h4&gt;
  454. &lt;p id="I7oKtB"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dustin May&lt;/strong&gt; was the odd man out in the Dodgers rotation, which will get Blake Snell back on Saturday. May, a pending free agent with a healthy but uneven season to date, &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478538/dustin-may-trade-dodgers-red-sox-james-tibbs"&gt;was traded to the Red Sox&lt;/a&gt;, just like James Paxton one July earlier.&lt;/p&gt;
  455. &lt;p id="Ni42XV"&gt;The Dodgers in return got two minor league outfielders drafted in 2024. James Tibbs III, the 13th pick in 2024 out of Florida State, was traded for the second time this season, He also went from the Giants to the Red Sox in the Rafael Devers trade in June. Zach Ehrhard was the fourth-rounder by the Red Sox last year out of Oklahoma State. Both Tibbs and Erhardt were playing in Double-A Portland.&lt;/p&gt;
  456.  
  457. </content>
  458.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478347/dodgers-mlb-trade-deadline-2025"/>
  459.    <id>https://www.truebluela.com/2025/7/31/24478347/dodgers-mlb-trade-deadline-2025</id>
  460.    <author>
  461.      <name>Eric Stephen</name>
  462.    </author>
  463.  </entry>
  464. </feed>
  465.  

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