The Dodgers announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Ben Rortvedt, a move that was previously reported.
The MLB playoffs are just around the corner and shaping up to be a wide-open affair. For the second consecutive season, there is not a single team on pace to win 100 or more games. That means there is plenty of parity across the majors, which is bound to carry over to October.
The 33-year old was taken No. 7 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2011 MLB Draft. Most scouts presumed Bradley to become an elite starting pitcher out of his native Oklahoma. Instead, Bradley morphed into a very credible reliever over the course of what was a nine-year career. He featured mostly for Arizona - though his time in the big leagues also included stops with the Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and the Miami Marlins.
That remains to be seen how Josh feels about the matter. It's never easy when you're in a playoff race to open discussions like that. I know that there is interest on our end, and I believe that there is interest on Josh's end.
Edman, 30, joined the Dodgers in a three-team trade with the White Sox and Cardinals last year. In 123 regular season games since then, Edman has slashed .231/.285/.403 with 18 homers, nine steals, and a 17.9% strikeout rate in 485 plate appearances. That's good for only a wRC+ of 90, although it's worth noting that Edman hit .328/.354/.508 during the Dodgers' World Series run last year and even earned NLCS MVP honors for his work against the Mets.
The Angels were dealt a tough blow during their win over the Athletics last night when catcher Logan O'Hoppe was struck by a warmup backswing off the bat of A's shortstop Jacob Wilson. Wilson's warmup swing hit O'Hoppe under the face mask, and he immediately fell to the ground in pain before exiting the game shortly thereafter. After the game, interim manager Ray Montgomery told reporters (including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com) that O'Hoppe was "doing OK".
A sac fly was the game's first out to make it 4-0, and after yet another single followed, a double play allowed Kershaw to get through that inning as he was in danger of being removed. The good news is Kershaw did settle down from there, as he allowed just a pair of walks over the next four innings, ending his outing by spearing a missile of a comebacker from Tommy Pham.
He's made a couple starts as of late as a multi-inning opener type, and now has a 5.01 ERA across 46.2 innings pitched as a starter, compared to a 2.41 ERA in 37.1 innings out of the bullpen. His last time out he allowed one run on three hits and three walks across three innings against the Cardinals on 46 pitches, before Pittsburgh turned to Bubba Chandler for four innings.