The in Los Angeles are currently tied The San Diego Padres is the number one spot in the National League West.
The took a nine-game lead in the Division on July 3, but the Padres snapped the 18-year division title drought to 22-12, making it 12-20.
The Padres and meet six times in the next 12 days starting Friday night in Los Angeles, in a gauntlet that has great significance in the postseason.
More news: ‘ Tony Gonzolin undergoes elbow surgery and misses 8-10 months
What has been bothering the all season is that they are as popular as ever at this point in the season.
Baseball business president Andrew Friedman spoke about the lack of worry about moving forward with the team’s injury issues despite the newly acquired Brock Stewart landing on the injured list after just four games in the uniform and right-hander Tony Gonzolin (carrying until 2026) who underwent a season-ending surgery.
“I’m not worried about pitching. I think once we get to a good place it will be a real strength for us. It doesn’t help us lose the game last night or a week or two ago. It’s frustrating.
“We feel good about the quality and depth of the arms we have,” he added. “Now we’re bringing them back, making them healthy and keeping others healthy. But again, I feel this has a very legitimate opportunity to become the most talented pitching staff ever.”
While it’s not wise to rely on an arm on the injured list before the postseason, there are still a few key players to reaffirm Friedman’s confidence.
Right-handed Michael Kepeck emerged as one of baseball’s best bailouts when he arrived in LA at the trading deadline last year, but has only recorded eight games this season. He appears to be ready to return to Japan at the end of August.
Tanner Scott has been shelved for inflammation in his left elbow since the end of July, but he has already returned to the painless bullpen session. Kirby Yates hit an IL with a back pain shortly after Scott, but he’s sure he’ll be back “quickly.”
As for rotation, rookie Phenom Loki Sasaki is painless and has already launched to return to the mound by October.
The current situation for the is more tense than anyone else, but Friedman knows who can turn to from the injured list and defines the season in October.
More news: ‘ Bobby Miller reveals the biggest adjustments to the bullpen so far
Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Image
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