The Los Angeles Dodgers traveled to Miami to battle the Marlins in a three-game series to begin the week. The Dodgers are coming off a close 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, but still won the series against the Braves 2-1. The Marlins are scuffling, losing eight of ten games.
On Monday, Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts decided to go with a bullpen game with multiple starting pitchers on the shelf, including Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.
The Dodgers wanted to start the series off on high note, and turned to a former Iowa pitcher to get them started.
Former Hawkeye Jack Dreyer got the call for the Dodgers and served as the opening pitcher for Monday's contest. Dreyer was solid, adding to his stellar rookie campaign.
Dreyer gave up no hits or runs and did not register a strikeout in 1.1 innings. He was pulled with one out in the second inning and replaced by Ben Casparius. Casparius gave up one run on five hits and struck out five in four innings, earning the win.
The big story was Shohei Ohtani's return to Miami after setting major league history last season. On September 19, 2024, Shohei became the only member of the 50-50 club (50 homers, 50 stolen bases) after going 6-6 with three home runs, two steals, and a massive 10 runs batted in (RBI).
Ohtani only managed one hit during Monday's game, but it was a big one. In the top of the fifth inning, Ohtani smashed his ninth home run of the season to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead.
After going undrafted in 2022, Jack Dreyer has been a revelation for the Dodgers' bullpen. Dreyer missed his final season with the Hawkeyes in 2021recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers signed him to a free-agent contract in 2022.
Dreyer quickly rose through the minor leagues. He tallied 164 strikeouts and had a 2.18 earned run average in 100 games. He debuted for the Dodgers three years later in Japan on March 19.
Dreyer has accumulated a 2-1 record in 15 games. In 19 innings, he has tallied 22 strikeouts and has held opposing batters to a .154 batting average.
Dreyer and the Dodgers battle the Marlins in game two at 5:40 p.m. Central Time in Miami.