The Los Angeles Dodgers are now 0-2 in Cactus League play to begin the 2025 Spring Training slate after dropping another matchup against the Chicago Cubs, this time by a score of 7-3.
Tony Gonsolin made his return to a Major League mound for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he was impressive in his short outing. Although he lasted just one inning, Gonsolin struck out two and allowed a hit before going to throw more in the bullpen after he was out of the game.
“Overall felt pretty good,” Gonsolin said. “I thought the fastball execution could be a little bit better but thought I threw a couple good splitters, couple good sliders and couple good curveballs. Overall it was good results.”
Gonsolin was the only Dodgers pitcher to keep the Cubs off the board until Carlos Duran in the seventh as each of Landon Knack, Luis García, Ben Casparius and Joe Jacques allowed a run. Both García and Jacques allowed multiple runs while Casparius was the only one to throw more than one inning.
Offensively, the Dodgers had mixed results. They had no trouble getting runners on base, tallying 13 hits and six walks, but they struggled to cash in on those opportunities.
They went a solid 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but left 15 on base and grounded into two double plays.
It’s Spring Training, and more notably early on in the schedule, so there should be no worries about the showing through the first two games. The key takeaway is everyone came out of the game healthy and a few of the players expected to be on the Opening Day roster had nice games.
Mookie Betts, Austin Barnes, Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor all had multiple hits, while Tommy Edman and Andy Pages each picked up one.
The biggest concern of the game was a misread fly ball from Andy Pages in center field. The mistake turned a routine fly ball into a double, and that run eventually came around to score.
Pages, who is competing for a starting role, struggled defensively in center field last season, and this miscue highlighted lingering concerns about his ability to handle the position at the Major League level.
What’s next for Dodgers?
The Dodgers return to Camelback Ranch on Saturday to host the Kansas City Royals, their first game of the year against a team other than the Cubs. Top prospect Nick Frasso is set to take the mound in his return from labrum surgery, and he’ll face off against Chandler Champlain.
First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. PT and 1:05 p.m. local time.
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