Milwaukee, WI
Alexander: A Dodgers’ crisis, or just a small sample size?
LOS ANGELES – Too soon to panic, Dodger fans?
It’s probably fair to suggest that the past week, when the Dodgers were 3-4, lost two games off an 8½-game division lead and had their starting pitchers compile a 9.00 ERA in those seven games, represented a short sample size in a long season rather than a troubling trend.
Calm down, folks. Crisis averted. For now.
James Paxton made it through five innings Saturday, reinventing himself as he goes. And some late inning thunder and a managerial move that almost backfired but didn’t – we’ll explain – gave the Dodgers a 5-3 win over Milwaukee, the NL Central leader, and cinched their first series win in over a week.
If you’re seeking a reason why spirits have been so down – or at least up and down – among certain segments of the fan base, here’s a hint: The first 12 questions manager Dave Roberts fielded in his pre-game briefing Saturday involved injury updates. Among the revelations: Max Muncy has stopped swinging the bat in his rehab process, because the oblique injury that has kept him out of the Dodgers’ lineup since May 15 just won’t allow him to do so freely.
“Everything he does, turning and rotating, is good except swinging the bat,” Roberts said.
Given that swinging the bat is what Muncy does best, and is not only his best contribution to a Dodgers lineup but creates a giant chasm when he’s not in it, that’s a problem.
Go down the list. Clayton Kershaw has another simulated game lined up Sunday, as he tries to regain momentum after a slight rehab setback of his own. Joe Kelly is getting hitters out for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes but is probably still at least a couple more outings away from returning. MVP candidate Mookie Betts, recovering from a broken left hand, is doing some baseball-type activities but is still a few weeks away – and he, too, can’t swing a bat yet. (But his appearance in the Dodgers’ TV booth Wednesday night suggested he could have a post-career future in the booth if he wants it).
Meanwhile, relievers Brusdar Graterol and Ryan Brasier are still working out at Camelback Ranch, Michael Grove and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are in various stages of their rehabs … and the list goes on. The upshot: A team that still has a healthy division lead also has plenty of needs as the July 30 trading deadline approaches. Clearly, $1.1 billion doesn’t guarantee health.
Layered over all of this is the realization, within the organization as well as among its fan base, that the only achievement that means anything has to come in October.
So on social media, our current bastion of learned discourse, Dodger fans are chill, nobody’s suggesting any outlandish trades and Roberts isn’t getting hammered for his in-game decisions, right?
Right??
Hey, if you allow it to, following baseball can be a nightly nervous breakdown.
To be sure, Roberts gave the wannabe managers more ammunition Saturday. Nursing a 3-2 lead, he used Daniel Hudson in the sixth, Blake Treinen in the seventh and normal closer Evan Phillips in the eighth, guessing that Phillips could handle the middle of the order in that inning and Alex Vesia could pitch the ninth for the save. Roberts had done so at the start of the last road trip against the woeful White Sox and got away with it.
This time, Christian Yelich sent a 2-2 pitch into the net above the kids’ play area in dead center field off Phillips to tie the game 3-3.
But Roberts ultimately got away with it again. Miguel Vargas pinch-hit for Gavin Lux leading off the bottom of the eighth and hit a paint-scraper that just cleared the left field fence to break the tie. Two hitters later Shohei Ohtani left no doubt with his 28th homer of the year, a 430-foot cannon blast (one estimated foot longer than Yelich’s). And Vesia retired the Brewers in order in the ninth, so what could the critics say?
“It was a right, left, right” situation, Roberts said afterward, given that righties William Contreras and Willy Adames bookended the left-handed Yelich. You could make the counter argument that the dominant hitter in the eighth, Yelich, was left-handed, while right-handed Rhys Hoskins – who had already homered in the fourth Saturday, after hitting a grand slam Friday night – was likely due up in the ninth.
“I feel confident with Alex versus either, but I think that for me, just having the righty on Contreras and Adames, I like that,” Roberts said. “And, you know, (Phillips) had count leverage on Yelich (it was 2-2) and left a sweeper middle, middle. But if I had to do it over again, I’d do the same thing.”
Footnote: Vesia struck out Hoskins on a 2-2 slider to start the ninth.
Meanwhile, maybe Paxton provided a sliver of hope by battling his way through five innings and 83 pitches and leaving with a 3-2 lead.
He acknowledged he’s not the same pitcher he was before Tommy John surgery in 2021, and Saturday he was working with a four-seam fastball that topped out at 93.9 mph and averaged 92.8, a couple of ticks below his 93.3 average for the year. He’s thrown mostly four-seamers and knuckle curves this season, with a few changeups and very few cutters (Saturday he threw two). Three years ago he was throwing the cutter nearly 30 percent of the time according to Baseball Savant; this year, less than four percent.
“I think I’m just evolving as a pitcher,” he said. “You know, my stuff isn’t what it used to be, but I’m pitching differently, pitching to weak contact, and still trying to give us a chance to win.
“I kind of figure it out as I go.”
That’s sort of the way baseball works in general. In this case, they’ll be figuring it out not only on the field and in the dugout but in the executive suite as July 30 approaches.
Meanwhile, after this series the Dodgers head to Philadelphia to play the team with baseball’s best record. So if your daily mood depends on the previous night’s results, you might want to hold on tight for a while.
jalexander@scng.com
South Milwaukee students spread holiday cheer
Students from Zion Lutheran School surprised residents at a South Milwaukee assisted living facility with gifts, treats and songs, continuing their annual Giving Tree holiday tradition.
SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Residents at an assisted living facility in South Milwaukee received an early dose of Christmas cheer as students and families from Zion Lutheran School delivered gifts, treats and songs as part of the school’s annual Giving Tree program.
What we know:
During the season of giving, students from the school joined family members and church volunteers to surprise residents at Franciscan Villa, filling wagons with presents and handing them out throughout the facility. The Giving Tree is a long-running holiday tradition for the school, built around gift donations for different groups each year, including veterans and families in need.
“It was just fun and happy,” said Ellen Rogers, a student volunteer.
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Rogers spent her Sunday morning alongside friends and family, sharing moments with seniors who staff say don’t always have the opportunity to see loved ones during the holidays.
What they’re saying:
“As a Christian it shows living our faith and being able to give to others especially during this time,” said Neil Schliewe, Zion Lutheran School principal. “With a facility like this having people that maybe their family is far away, maybe their family isn’t able to visit or maybe they’ve lost touch with family.”
Schliewe said the impact of the visit was immediately visible, with some residents moved to tears.
“We saw literally residents crying tears of joy because of not being able to experience that family time during this period of their lives and so being able to have kids from our school and our church, be able to come and do that it’s incredibly special,” Schliewe said.
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What’s next:
After the gift-giving wrapped up, students and staff shared one final surprise, singing Christmas songs together with residents. School leaders say planning for next year’s Giving Tree will begin on Thanksgiving.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)
MILWAUKEE – One person was killed in a shooting in Milwaukee early Sunday morning, Dec. 21.
According to the Milwaukee Police Department, at about 3:50 a.m., a 24-year-old was shot in the area of 96th and Beatrice, which is off of Brown Deer Road.
Their shooting victim died at the scene.
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MPD tips
What you can do:
Police are looking for those responsible.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app.
The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department sent FOX6 the information.
Man charged in ‘card cracking’ scheme
A Milwaukee man is now accused of scamming people and banks out of tens of thousands of dollars in what investigators call a “card cracking” scheme.
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, already serving prison time for a fatal crash, is now accused of scamming people and banks out of tens of thousands of dollars before that crash even happened.
In Court:
Prosecutors said 27-year-old Jaquon Benson used fraudulent checks to take cash out of multiple ATMs in a scheme known as “card cracking.” He is charged with six felonies.
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‘Card cracking’ scheme
The backstory:
Court filings said Benson was caught on camera at ATMs across the Milwaukee metropolitan area, cashing out what investigators said were fraudulent checks.
According to a criminal complaint, Benson was the ringleader in a scheme that spanned several months in 2023. Here’s how investigators said it worked.
ATM surveillance image of Jaquon Benson (Courtesy: MCDAO)
First, someone needs a check or bank information. Benson is accused of recruiting a friend to steal checks from USPS drop boxes. The stolen checks would then be modified, sometimes to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Next, prosecutors said Benson took to social media to recruit people to use their bank accounts or to open up new accounts. Investigators said, after depositing the fraudulent checks into those accounts, Benson would pull up to the ATM to withdraw – or attempt to withdraw – the money he had just deposited.
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Multiple banks were targeted to the tune of more than $116,000. Court filings said the victims ranged from people to business – to even the “Milwaukee County Office of the Sheriff.” But not all that money was pocketed.
The complaint said many banks had security measures in place to stop potential fraud before it happened. Still, Benson is accused of cashing out close to $61,000.
Social media image included in criminal complaint filed against Jaquon Benson (Courtesy: MCDAO)
Dig deeper:
Benson was caught driving a stolen car in May 2024. When officers tried to stop him, he took off and crashed into a van at 27th and Locust – killing a 41-year-old man. He was sentenced to more than a decade in prison.
The Source: FOX6 News reviewed a criminal complaint filed with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court records, as well as prior coverage of the fatal crash case.
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