Syndergaard and Dodger power in focus in penultimate spring game
by Ron Gutterman
The trek down I-5 to Angel Stadium of Anaheim did not stop the Dodgers from continuing to mash at the plate.
LA hit three solo home runs on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium. They added four more on Monday to bring their two-game total to seven long balls.
But a 12-hit night from the Angels’ bats put them over the top in a 5–4 Dodger defeat.
Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor — for the second straight night — and Luke Williams all went deep to left field.
Betts hit his third home run of Spring Training in the fourth inning against Angels starter Tyler Anderson. It was hit to the left-field bullpens at Angel Stadium.
Rojas took a ball to nearly the same spot in the fifth inning. Those two long balls cut the Angel lead to 4–2.
“It was really nice to hit a ball out of the ballpark with two strikes,” Rojas said. “I used to be really protective with two strikes — I described it as playing defense with two strikes — and now I have a little bit more freedom.”
Williams’ homer came in the eighth inning against Jose Quijada.
Syndergaard Focused on Process
Noah Syndergaard threw 85 pitches over five innings of work. He finished with five earned runs (two home runs), nine hits, two strikeouts and one walk.
“I feel good,” Syndergaard said after the outing. “I checked all the boxes I was looking to accomplish. I have to be more selective on location, but definitely trending forward, so that’s a good sign.
Fifty-four of Syndergaard’s 85 pitches were strikes. He averaged 93.4 mph on his fastball and topped out at 95 mph. He stated his focus moving forward is on location and command as opposed to pure velocity.
“If I never throw 100 again, that’s fine,” Syndergaard said. “I’m not trying to throw 100, I’m trying to get outs.”
Roberts is focused on a similar goal for the new Dodger starter.
“I do think that the velocity is going to continue to tick up,” Roberts said. “But mixing, sequencing and having command — which he does have — is the best course of action for betting on the velocity to tick up. But I’m not sitting here trying to chase velocity.”
Taylor Finding Early Success Against Lefties
Roberts said on Sunday that much of Chris Taylor’s playing time this season would come against left-handed pitchers. He’s hit two home runs off of two southpaws in back-to-back nights.
It was Angels starter Tucker Davidson on Sunday and reliever Aaron Loup on Monday.
Injury Updates
Multiple Dodger pitchers are slated to begin the season on the injured list, including right-handed starter Tony Gonsolin (sprained left ankle) and reliever Daniel Hudson (torn left ACL).
Gonsolin injured his ankle on March 7 and it was revealed he would need an IL stint by Dave Roberts on March 17.
“Tony threw a bullpen today and Mark Prior said it went really well,” Roberts said on Monday. “So my assumption is in the next few days he’ll throw another one and progress from there. Today was right around 20–25 (pitches), so he’s still a ways away.”
Hudson has been working to return from a June 24, 2022 tear in his ACL. But he’ll need some more time before he’s ready to ramp up and join the team.
“He’s feeling better. After bullpens, that’s where it kind of went sideways and he started throwing lives where he didn’t respond well,” Roberts said. “The last one, I heard, was better.
“He’s not going to be around for Opening Day, he’s going to stick around in Arizona to stay on the routine,” Roberts said. “I think Buehler’s on that same program. It’s still kind of a slow process for (Hudson).”
What’s Next
The Dodgers’ Spring Training finale takes place in Anaheim against the Angels on Tuesday. Opening Day is Thursday at Dodger Stadium against the Diamondbacks.
