How the new dead ball is faking out players, fans and even cameramen
On the field and in the stands, how players and others react to MLB's newly juiceless baseballs off the bat tells a story.
2019 ScheduleAll times ET
2019 Schedule
106-56, 1st in NL West
Freese, 2011 Series MVP, retires after 11 seasons
David Freese, who was named MVP after his Game 6 home run kept the Cardinals alive in the 2011 World Series, has retired. He spent the final two seasons of his 11-year career with the Dodgers.
Alden Gonzalez ESPN Staff Writer
Can confirm an earlier report from the LA Times that Dave Roberts will continue on as Dodgers manager. A source told me and Buster Olney that the subject of letting him go was not ever discussed.
Dave Roberts will have to own this Dodgers disaster
L.A.'s hopes of getting back to the World Series -- and winning this time -- died at the hands of its manager and his dubious moves.
Kershaw suffers another postseason collapse (1:51)
BBTN: Roberts' Decisions, Kershaw's Legacy, ALDS Preview
After the Dodgers fall short in October once again, Buster and Keith Law talk about Dave Roberts' handling of the bullpen and how Clayton Kershaw's poor performance affects his career narrative (20:43). Plus, they discuss Stephen Strasburg's resilience and the Cardinals' thrashing of the Braves. Sarah Langs also plays "The Numbers Game" (38:47) and The Athletic's Jake Kaplan previews tonight's ALDS Game 5 between the Astros and Rays (45:22).
Dodger blues: Team stunned as dream dissolves
The Dodgers' dream season that included 279 home runs, 12 walk-offs, 106 regular-season victories and a seventh consecutive division title evaporated in the National League Division Series on Wednesday night.
Kershaw: 'I had one job to do' (1:22)
Alden Gonzalez ESPN Staff Writer
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: "If the blame falls on me, I've got no problem with it. I feel that my job is to put guys in the best position to have success, and if it doesn't work out, there's always going to be second-guessing. And I've got no problem wearing the brunt of that."
Alden Gonzalez ESPN Staff Writer
Tonight's bullpen decisions, as explained by Dave Roberts: He wanted to keep Kenta Maeda away from the LHH Juan Soto, so he was hoping Clayton Kershaw could get through the Eaton-Rendon-Soto part of the lineup before getting Maeda in. ... Joe Kelly game out for a second inning because he threw only 10 pitches in the ninth and his stuff looked good. With runners on second and third in the 10th, he loaded the bases with an intentional walk hoping Howie Kendrick would hit a pitch on the ground.
Dodgers fall short of expectations (1:42)
Alden Gonzalez ESPN Staff Writer
Kiké Hernandez: "Maybe down the road, when all of us retire, we can look back and look at all the records that we broke as a team this year for an historic franchise like the Dodgers. But for us to be one and done, it's tough. And I don't think anyone in this clubhouse expected us to be going home this soon."
Alden Gonzalez ESPN Staff Writer
Walker Buehler was asked about Clayton Kershaw's eighth inning and said, "I'm not gonna talk about that s—- right now, man." Lots of raw emotion in the Dodgers' clubhouse tonight. Rich Hill was on the verge of tears when asked if it's fair to blame Kershaw. "We wouldn't be here without him," he said.
Alden Gonzalez ESPN Staff Writer
Clayton Kershaw tonight: "I'm not going to hang my head. I'm going to be here and continue to try to fight, continue to try to compete. I'm not going to run away from it. ... Everything people say is true right now about the postseason. I understand that. Nothing I can do about it right now. It's a terrible feeling. It really is."
Kurkjian: Kershaw is 'clearly' not the same pitcher in October (1:45)
Roberts explains why he went with Kershaw in 8th (0:58)
Nationals stun Kershaw, beat Dodgers to move on to NLCS
With two homers in the eighth off the Dodgers ace, then a Howie Kendrick grand slam in the 10th, Washington knocked out the NL favorite.
Nats stun Dodgers on Kendrick's 10th-inning slam
Howie Kendrick hit a tiebreaking grand slam off Joe Kelly in the 10th inning, and the Washington Nationals overcame a three-run deficit with a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 on Wednesday and advance to the NL Championship Series.
Eddie Matz ESPN Senior Writer
Redemption for Howie Kendrick. The Nats veteran crushed a grand slam to dead center off Joe Kelly to put the Nationals up 7-3 in the 10th inning. Kendrick had been struggling both in the field (three errors) and at the dish.
Eddie Matz ESPN Senior Writer
This is the first time for both the Dodgers and Nationals that they've gone to extras in a winner-take-all game. It's the 13th time it's happened in MLB history.
Alden Gonzalez ESPN Staff Writer
The back-to-back home runs Clayton Kershaw allowed to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto illustrate the difficulties of pitching at this stage in his career — they came on an 89-mph fastball and then an 89-mph slider. Those two pitches have at times been indistinguishable from one another.
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2019 NL West Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 106 | 56 | .654 | - | W7 |
| Arizona | 85 | 77 | .525 | 21 | W5 |
| San Francisco | 77 | 85 | .475 | 29 | L3 |
| Colorado | 71 | 91 | .438 | 35 | W3 |
| San Diego | 70 | 92 | .432 | 36 | L6 |
2019 Team Leaders
- Batting
- Pitching
BATTING AVERAGE
Home Runs
RUNS BATTED IN
Earned Run Average
Wins
Strikeouts
Team Stats
- Batting
- Pitching
Runs8865th
Batting Average.25710th
On Base Percentage.3385th
Slugging Percentage.4724th
Earned Run Average3.371st
Quality Starts805th
WHIP1.103rd
BAA.2232nd