LOS ANGELES — Jacob Misiorowski proved every bit the tough customer the Dodgers thought he’d be, striking out six over six innings in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 4-1 win on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
“He’s probably the best pitcher in baseball, throwing the baseball the best this year. He’s going to get his strikeouts, he’s incredibly talented. I think you’ve just kind of got to fight, get the pitch count up,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday. “It’s going to be a tough one.”
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It was a very tough task on Saturday for Dodgers hitters, but they gave themselves chances.
Alex Call, starting in right field for the home-weary Kyle Tucker, reached on an infield single in the third inning after Misiorowski retired his first seven batters faced. Shohei Ohtani followed with a line drive down the right field line for a triple to pull the Dodgers within 2-1.
Ohtani’s triple was hit off a 100.3-mph fastball. In the fifth inning, Call and catcher Hunter Feduccia singled in the fifth off triple-digit fastballs as well, showing some signs of life against a pitch that has confounded them for two months. Down 4-1 in that fifth, the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out, with the top of the order coming up. But Miserowski struck out Ohtani on three pitches and fanned Freddie Freeman on five pitches to escape his biggest jam unscathed, finishing off both batters with sliders.
“It’s obviously a guy that we’re probably going to see in the postseason. He’s one of the best in the game if not the best right now,” Roberts said Saturday. “Players don’t like to be embarrassed. It’s something that is a challenge, and you’ve got to go out there and complete pitch to pitch.”
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The Dodgers have faced Misiorowski three times in the last 14 months, from his fifth major league start last July to Game 3 of the NLCS before Saturday. He’s eaten their lunch each time, with 27 strikeouts in 17 total innings, permitting only four runs, three of them earned.
Juston Wrobleski allowed only six Brewers to reach base in his six innings on Saturday, but two of them happened to come before two-out home runs — by Joey Ortiz in the second inning and William Contreras in the fourth. Wrobleski has allowed 11 home runs in 19 2/3 innings over his last four starts, after allowing only eight home runs in his first 17 appearances and 106 2/3 innings.
But this outing wasn’t a total loss like his previous two. Wrobleski gave the Dodgers length they were desperate for after heavy bullpen usage of late, with Saturday the ninth day of 13 game days in a row. Wrobleski, who threw 107 pitches on Saturday and struck out six, has lasted at least six innings in 15 of his 20 starts this season. This was just the first time he did so in August.
|
Year |
MLB |
Minors |
Postseason |
Total |
|
2023 |
0 |
102.3 |
9.3 |
111.7 |
|
2024 |
36.3 |
95.7 |
0 |
132 |
|
2025 |
66.7 |
51.7 |
5 |
123.3 |
|
2026 |
126.3 |
0 |
TBD |
126.3 |
through August 15, 2026
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Wrobleski has a career major league high of 126 1/3 innings this season, but he’s not quite at his professional high, counting the minor leagues and postseason. Still, with six weeks remaining in the regular season, Wrobleski figures to add to that total.
“He’s thrown a lot, but I still feel like the stuff, for me, isn’t ticking down,” Roberts said earlier Saturday. “Is it sustainable? We’ll see. But at some point in time he’s going to the ‘pen anyway because of guys we have coming back.”
Silver lining
In addition to Wrobleski completing six innings, Jonathan Hernández followed with three scoreless innings on 34 pitches, making a full rest day for the Dodgers’ six other active relievers. It wasn’t exactly a three-inning save, but more of a save the bullpen.
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Saturday also marked Hernández’s longest outing since May 31, 2024, when he pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the Texas Rangers at the Miami Marlins.
Saturday particulars
Home runs: Joey Ortiz (6), William Contreras (12)
WP — Jacob Misiorowski (12-5): 6 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
LP — Justin Wrobleski (11-5): 6 IP, 4 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Sv — Aaron Ashby (1): 2 IP, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Up next
The Dodgers finish off the homestand on Sunday afternoon (1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA), with Tarik Skubal on the mound against excelling rookie Logan Henderson for Milwaukee.
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