Dodgers sweep Rockies to keep growing NL West

At some level, the Dodgers hope, they are going to be in a position to area a absolutely healthy lineup.

A late scratch on Wednesday to catcher Will Smith, however, meant it might have to wait at least a couple more days.

Despite activating Tommy Edman from the injured listing pregame, and continuing to sweep the Colorado Rockies with a 9-0 win that stretched their National League West lead to three video games, the Dodgers have been left dealing with another injury headache Wednesday, eradicating Smith from the beginning lineup just quarter-hour before first pitch after swelling developed around the bone bruise he has been dealing with in his proper hand.

“Not overly concerned,” supervisor Dave Roberts said of Smith’s standing, “but we’ve got to get that swelling under wraps.”

Smith’s absence hardly hampered the Dodgers in their fourth straight win.

Their lineup exploded for 4 runs in the second inning and 5 in the eighth behind a enormous night time from Mookie Betts, who continued his latest tear with a four-for-five, five-RBI efficiency that included a run-scoring double early and a grand slam to put issues away late. Betts is now on a 16-game on-base streak, has a number of RBIs in five-straight contests, and is batting .352 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs over his last 32 video games.

Behind the plate, Ben Rortvedt stuffed in to catch Blake Snell’s scoreless six-inning, 11-strikeout start, which continued a dominant run from a Dodgers’ rotation that now has a 1.18 ERA over the last six video games.

And thanks to a loss earlier in the day by the San Diego Padres, the workforce grew its lead atop the division for a second day in a row, successfully taking a 3-½ recreation NL West lead (when accounting for its head-to-head tiebreaker over San Diego) with 16 video games to play.

“That was a big home series sweep, to get us going … get us moving in the right direction,” Snell said. “All of us have been looking forward to getting it going. This was a really good step.”

Yet, after activating Max Muncy off the injured listing Monday, and welcoming Edman back into the fold Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers have been finally on the verge of having a full-strength squad for the first time since early July.

Instead, they have been reminded of the tenuous actuality of their oft-injured roster — and the issue of making an attempt to handle Smith’s hand in specific.

It had only been a week since Smith first obtained harm, when a foul ball in Pittsburgh ricocheted off his dangling throwing hand behind the plate and left him with a bone bruise that sidelined him until Tuesday — though didn’t require an injured listing stint. Smith had appeared OK in his return to motion that night time, lining a double in his first at-bat while serving to Emmet Sheehan carry a no-hitter into the sixth. He was back in the unique lineup the Dodgers posted Wednesday, as they sought a collection sweep over the 106-loss Rockies.

The issue, it appeared, is perhaps behind him.

But then, when the Dodgers emerged from the dugout Wednesday night time, it was Rortvedt who went to squat behind home plate.

“Literally 15 minutes before the game, as he’s getting ready, his hand started to swell up,” Roberts said. “After [his pregame] hitting, getting dressed, getting ready for the game, that’s when it started to show itself. He tried to get out there and throw. It just didn’t respond well.”

After Smith first obtained harm, Roberts cautioned his injury might linger for the remainder of the season. After Wednesday, he said the workforce would monitor Smith on Thursday’s off day –– and probably ship him for an MRI –– then determine on Friday whether or not he’ll play in this weekend’s series-opener in San Francisco.

“We’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Roberts said.

Smith’s hand gained’t be the only injury the Dodgers (82-64) can have to handle down the stretch.

While Edman returned from an ankle injury that had plagued him all 12 months, and sidelined him since its own flare-up on Aug. 3, Roberts said pregame he was still curious to see how the utilityman appeared.

Edman slotted in middle area on Wednesday — where he tracked down a fly ball on the sport’s first pitch — and will doubtless see most of his taking part in time there for at least the foreseeable future. Roberts famous that, not like earlier this 12 months when Edman was mainly restricted to infield duties, the fast reactions required at second base is perhaps harder on his ankle now.

“Getting off the ball is something I’m going to be really mindful of watching,” Roberts said of Edman. “Once he gets to full speed, it’s a lot easier [to decide what he can handle].”

With Edman in middle, the Dodgers also ran out a new outfield alignment, with Andy Pages transferring to left area and Michael Conforto dropping to the bench.

Roberts said Conforto will still see taking part in time against right-handed pitchers (the Rockies began left-hander Kyle Freeland on Wednesday). He also didn’t close the door on ultimately flipping Pages (who had three hits Wednesday, including an RBI double in the second to open the scoring) and Teoscar Hernández (who went deep in the eighth for his third home run in the last two nights) in the corners, though famous he’s holding Hernández in proper for now thanks to his improved defensive play in latest weeks.

“Teo played the season last year in left field, so we’ve shown that we can win a championship with him in left field,” Roberts said. “Not quite there yet, but thinking about it.”

Despite the transferring items, it all introduced the Dodgers nearer to the lineup they envisioned having at the start of this season, the one they’ve floundered with offensively (getting into the night time ranked just twenty sixth in the majors in scoring since July 4) while taking part in without.

“I think that we’ve all been waiting for our guys to come back to health and see what we look like,” Roberts said.

Still, they gained’t be at full strength again until Smith is. Wednesday was a reminder that his health stays in doubt.

Next steps for Sasaki

After his much-improved rehab outing with triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Roki Sasaki was en route back to Los Angeles on Wednesday to meet with membership officers about what his next steps will likely be.

Roberts said that might embrace discovering the rookie right-hander, who finally rediscovered his 100-mph fastball Tuesday after missing velocity and battling a shoulder injury beforehand this 12 months, an alternative to start a big-league recreation for the first time since April. Or, probably pitching out of the bullpen, which is how the 23-year-old would doubtless be used if he have been to be included on the postseason roster.

Before that latter situation might change into actuality, of course, the Dodgers will need to see Sasaki have some type of success back in the majors, where he had a 4.72 ERA in eight begins at the start of the season before going on the IL.

Nonetheless, Roberts described Sasaki’s rehab outing on Tuesday as “great for the Dodgers, great for Roki’s confidence, great for the organization.

“Mostly it was great for Roki,” Roberts added. “Just to really let it eat, let it fly, have some success and know that he can be the guy that he’s known to be.”