Jack Flaherty sizzles in rubber match as Dodgers beat the Guardians

09/08/2024 08:15 PM

by Megan Garcia

Jack Flaherty was acquired at the trade deadline to bolster the depth of the Dodgers starting rotation. Now, he's the anchor for the pitching staff as the regular season approaches its final weeks.

The sweltering California sun didn't faze Flaherty on Sunday. The 28-year-old righty made his longest start since joining the Dodgers, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings in the Dodgers 4–0 win over the Guardians at Dodger Stadium.

Described as a stabilizer by manager Dave Roberts, Flaherty was expected to put the Dodgers in a position to win the rubber match while also going the distance. It's a role that Flaherty has quickly taken in a handful of starts.

"It's huge, especially after last year and after the trade," Flaherty said. "Just being able to give these guys a chance to win and they're scoring runs and playing great defense behind me, so if I just keep us in the game then we have a good shot. It's been a lot of fun playing with these guys."

This marked Flaherty's fourth start against Cleveland this season — three being with Detroit. He sported a 1.50 ERA (3 earned runs, 18 innings pitched) in those starts with five walks and 16 strikeouts.

Flaherty needed 36 pitches to retire nine of the 11 batters he faced in the first three innings. His first strikeout in the game came in the fourth with an 85.8-MPH slider that missed the bat of Lane Thomas.

"They came out swinging the bat early," Flaherty said. "So, at some point, you just got to go out and execute and let everything else come to you,"

He struck out five of his next 10 batters before Roberts signaled to the bullpen with one out and a runner on first base in the eighth inning.

Will Smith singled in Mookie Betts for the Dodgers to break through with a 1–0 lead in the fourth. The Dodgers added an insurance run after Shohei Ohtani blasted a home run in the fifth. They extended their lead in the eighth after Max Muncy hit a solo homer and Chris Taylor singled in Smith.

Ohtani Reaches 46/46

Ohtani reached the 46/46 mark with a loud home run to uncharted territory at Dodger Stadium. Ohtani demolished a changeup from starter Tanner Bibee and sent it 450 feet to the Stadium Club level in right field. Coaches, players and fans were left in awe as a ball has never reached that level in the ballpark.

"You just don't see guys hitting the ball that far and hard as he hits it," Roberts said. "He's just locked in. 50/50 — the chase is on."

Ohtani finished the day 2-for-4 at the plate in the series finale against Cleveland. He needs four home runs and stolen bases to enter the 50/50 club.

Ohtani finished the day 2-for-4 at the plate in the series finale against Cleveland.

Ohtani swiped his 46th stolen base on Sept. 2 in Arizona as part of a three-stolen-base day for the superstar. Ohtani is the only player in Major League history to surpass the 42/42 threshold in a single season.

"It's something I will look back on at the end of the season," Ohtani said of approaching the 50/50 mark. "What's important is winning the game, winning the series and today we were able to do both."

Where They Stand

The Dodgers (86–57) extended their lead in the National League West to six games over the San Diego Padres (81–64), who lost to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.

Jack Flaherty sizzles in rubber match as Dodgers beat the Guardians was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.