Tim Rogers
The Dodgers took on the Diamondbacks today, March 10th as they head towards the middle of the exhibition season. The lineup contained just one prospect in DJ Peters and only one pitcher scheduled to pitch, Garrett Cleavinger. I expect the low trend to continue as the team starts pointing towards the season and getting the regulars in the lineup more often.
Luke Raley had a couple of nice defensive plays. In the fourth inning, Josh VanMeter singled to right-center field and was thrown out by Raley at second base as he cut the ball off and made an excellent throw. Next, Daulton Varsho hit a shot to right-center field that Raley tracked down to make a diving catch.
There is a battle for the second left-hander in the bullpen after Victor Gonzalez. The battle is between rookies Garrett Cleavinger, Alex Vesia, and veteran Scott Alexander. Tonight, Cleavinger made his push by striking out three batters in his inning of work. He keeps improving and it would not surprise me if the pitching coaches are having a big impact on him.
Very down for this version of Garrett Cleavinger pic.twitter.com/W3HrL7P4r9
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) March 11, 2021
It was great to see catcher Stevie Berman get another plate appearance and get a base hit. Berman was a 31st round draft choice in the 2016 draft. It is great to see him continue to get some opportunities during Spring Training. My hope is that he starts the season in Triple-A.
Stevie Berman singles on a fly ball to left fielder Jake McCarthy. Rangel Ravelo to 3rd. Jacob Amaya to 2nd.
Bottom of the 8th | 0 outs#ARIvsLAD
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) March 11, 2021
Final Thoughts
The Dodgers play the Mariners at 5:05 PM PST tomorrow, March 11th. Trevor Bauer will pitch for the Dodgers. I expect to continue to see fewer and fewer prospects in the starting lineup going forward but they’ll still get into the later parts of the game.
Here is some bonus material from Ryan Pepiot striking out Eugenio Suarez
I can't stop watching this Ryan Pepiot FB-CH overlay. 🤢 #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/uv6CpPjnXt
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) March 10, 2021
