Dodgers Wrap Up Arizona Camp with Tie Against Athletics

The Dodgers concluded their Arizona spring training with a 5-5 tie against the Athletics at Camelback Ranch, marking their first tie in 756 days, since February 24, 2024, against the Angels. The game served as a fitting close to their time in Arizona, where the team has been fine-tuning its roster ahead of the regular season.

Emmet Sheehan, who started Saturday’s game, is expected to secure a spot in the Dodgers’ rotation, likely making his first start next weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite facing challenges this spring, including a bout with the flu that set him back, Sheehan showed marked improvement during his latest outing. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, throwing 80 pitches and recording five strikeouts against two walks.

However, the outing was not without its difficulties. In the second inning, Sheehan allowed Colby Thomas to double and steal third, while a slow pickoff attempt led to Henry Bolte stealing second. A triple from Leo DeVries brought Thomas home, and a wild pitch from Sheehan capped a troublesome three-run inning. Commentator Rick Monday noted Sheehan’s struggles, suggesting he appeared to “fall asleep on the mound” during that frame.

Sheehan faced further issues in the fifth inning when DeVries reached base again. After a balk call sent DeVries to second, he later scored, marking a surprising turn given Sheehan’s track record of allowing only four steals in eight attempts over his two major league seasons.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addressed the ongoing position-player battle between Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland for a spot on the roster. Freeland, who has had a challenging spring, managed to break an 0-for-18 slump with a two-run home run on Saturday, his first of the spring. Despite this, he has only five hits in 43 at-bats, with a .116 batting average, but leads the team with 11 walks.

Jack Suwinski, who joined the Dodgers after being claimed off waivers on February 21, has been working primarily on the backfields at Camelback Ranch. After being sent to the minors, he made his way back to game action last Sunday and has since homered in all three of his appearances, including a solo shot to center field. He is now tied for the team lead with three home runs.

In an interesting turn of events, the re-entry rule was utilized during Saturday’s game. A’s starter Jacob Lopez was removed during a challenging first inning but returned to pitch a scoreless second. He later loaded the bases again in the third inning before being pulled for good. Both relievers who came in managed to escape the jams without allowing any runs.

With their time in Arizona now complete, the Dodgers will return to Phoenix for a series against the Diamondbacks from June 1-4. Before that, they have just three spring training games left, starting with the Freeway Series against the Angels in Anaheim on Sunday night at 6:07 p.m., with Tyler Glasnow set to take the mound for the Dodgers.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.