Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak selections – May 5th

As the series in Monterrey continues, Sarah and Jason give you their Dodgers Beat the Streak picks for tonight’s game against the Padres.
Last night, Walker Buehler pitched like he was a 10-year vet with a couple no-hitters already under his belt. No. Walker Buehler is a rookie, a rookie for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team known for cultivating the tremendous.
Buehler, who went 6 no-hit innings, came out of the game before the 7th, but the bullpen went on to give the Dodgers their first combined no-hitter.
Friday’s game kicked off the first of three games in Monterrey, Mexico; a city that lays 300 miles south-west of San Antonio, Texas. The Dodgers went back to back, with homers from Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez and ended up winning the 9 inning contest 4-0.
The combined no-hitter was the highlight of the night, however. Though the rain poured down on the artificial turf at Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey, Dodger pitching persisted.
Is it safe to say the bullpen is back? I’m superstitious, so I can’t say, but if they are, a combined no-no is how you make a triumphant return.
The hitting, like the pitching, was also worth a tip-of-the-cap. Here’s how things worked out on Friday night.
Friday’s picks:
Last night, Jason made a pick that seemed to be a little out of left field, but it turned out to be spot on. Jason’s pick, Tim Locastro, hit a ground rule double to left in the 4th.
I went with a safer pick, Yasmani Grandal, who ended up going 0-4 with two strikeouts.
Over the past couple of games, Locastro has proven himself to be a valuable asset to this team, not only at the plate but on the base path and on the field.
Saturday’s picks:
Jason’s pick (Current streak: one): Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger got the night off on Friday and will come back Saturday on fire with a big game for the Dodgers. Bellinger has been one of the Dodgers’ best bats this season, hitting .288 with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
Even when Bellinger is not hitting the basepaths he is hitting the ball hard and putting the ball in play. Bellinger has struck out in 20 percent of his at-bats, which is over six percent better than his mark from last season.
His solid contact is bound to eventually get a hit at one point in the game; especially with right-handed pitcher Bryan Mitchell on the mound. Mitchell has a 6.07 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP.
Sarah’s pick (Current streak: zero): Alex Verdugo
Today, I’m taking a page out of Jason’s book and taking a risk in Beat-the-Streak. Verdugo has so much potential; you don’t become one of baseball’s top 40 prospects without having potential.
This season, Verdugo is batting .353, though it’s the result of a fairly small sample size. So far, he’s gone 6-19 with 2 walks. Small sample size or not, this is the kind of success Verdugo is capable of. Broadcaster and former player, Eric Byrnes spent a lot of Thursday’s Facebook Live game praising and admiring Verdugo’s potential, and I completely agree.
Verdugo is the kind of player you can rely on to hit doubles, he’s hit 100 over the course of 440 minor league games. Doubles, in this game, are so valuable. They, momentarily, avoid double plays and put runners in scoring position with one swing of the bat.
Next: Manny Machado is not the answer
Though I predict that Verdugo will get a hit, maybe not a double, I’m not surprised if that’s how he gets on base.