I had to listen to the game on the radio for a little bit today, and no, the Cleveland broadcasters aren’t bitter. In the 10 minutes I was listening, they mentioned the Dodgers’ $414M payroll three times. It is six times the payroll of the Guardians. The Dodgers have ONE BILLION DOLLARS in deferred monies. They also spent some time opining about how when you play baseball at Harvard, you DO have to go to class, and you CAN’T play for seven years. The disgust was seeping through the airwaves. They obviously rolled in on the bitter bus.
On the field, the Dodgers looked like a team that has six times the payroll of their opponents across the field. They beat the Guardians 11-3, with Cleveland’s runs all coming off a three-run homer given up by Edgardo Henriquez in the second inning.
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The Dodgers are a perfect 4-0 so far this spring, allowing only six runs total, while scoring 34.
What was important in this game was the return of Gavin Stone to the mound – and boy, did he look good.
Stone has not seen a Major League mound since August 2024, when he was sidelined needing shoulder reconstruction surgery. While he pitched only one inning, his 15 pitches were dominate. His changeup looked nasty, and he struck out two of the three batters he faced, setting them down in order.
“That’s my bread and butter, so if I don’t have that I’m screwed”, Stone told reporters after the game. “Seeing the results today was really uplifting”.
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SportsnetLA’s Kirsten Watson had a nice interview with Stone after his outing.
I am here for a Dodgers band. I feel like maybe Kike’ Hernandez would be a good lead singer.
Justin Wrobleski got the win, and including Wrobleski, the remaining seven Dodger pitchers that appeared in the game combined to allow only four more hits for the rest of the game.
Freddie Freeman also appeared in his first game this spring. He popped out his first at bat and then roped a patented Freeman double in his next at bat, scoring two.
Max Muncy and Mookie Betts remain the only two regular starters that haven’t appeared in a Spring Training game so far but should do so by the end of the week. Roki Sasaki will make his first start tomorrow, and Tyler Glasnow will start on Thursday. The Dodgers will be at Salt River Fields against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and home against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday although they will be the away team.
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