Vesia (0-5) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and one walk over 1.1 relief innings.
Vesia entered with two outs in the ninth to face Matt Olson, retiring the lefty hitter on a fly out. When the game went into an extra frame, Vesia remained in the contest and initially looked like he would hold Atlanta at bay, retiring the first two batters he faced in the 10th. However, the southpaw issued a two-out walk to Sean Murphy, then served up a long three-run homer to Orlando Arcia, creating a deficit the Dodgers couldn't come back from. It was the second time since the All-Star break Vesia has allowed multiple runs in an outing, but he's been pretty effective overall during that period, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB over 18.2 innings while notching four holds.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Recalled to majors
Rotowire
The Dodgers recalled Vesia from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Vesia will come up from the minors alongside Nick Robertson to replace Yency Almonte (paternity) and Daniel Hudson (knee) on the Dodgers' active roster. Vesia has been solid at Triple-A this season but has yet to carry that success over into the majors, where he holds a 7.58 ERA and 2.42 WHIP across 19 innings.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Fires perfect inning for save
Rotowire
Vesia struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Pirates.
It was clean work for Vesia in his return to the major-league roster after two weeks at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He'd given up six runs (five earned) over 3.2 innings across his five appearances prior to getting sent down, but he was sharp in his return. Save chances are likely to be sparse for Vesia -- Evan Phillips had pitched three times between July 2-4, so he was likely getting a little extra rest. Brusdar Graterol picked up a hold in the eighth inning and Caleb Ferguson should also be in the mix for saves, which will likely keep Vesia in a middle-relief role. He has a 7.20 ERA, 2.30 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB through 20 innings this season while adding three holds and an 0-4 record.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Vesia was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday by the Dodgers, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Vesia was removed from the 26-man active roster to make room for Phil Bickford, who was reinstated from the injured list. Vesia will likely be back with the Dodgers at some point this summer.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Recalled to LAD bullpen
Rotowire
Los Angeles recalled Vesia from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Vesia posted an ugly 7.84 ERA and 2.81 WHIP across 10.1 innings of relief earlier this season with the Dodgers, but he hadn't allowed an earned run over his last nine appearances at the Triple-A level. The 27-year-old left-hander will try to climb back into a prominent setup role as he returns to the big-league bullpen mix.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Demoted to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Dodgers optioned Vesia to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Los Angeles selected Gavin Stone's contract from Triple-A in a corresponding move, with the young right-hander replacing the lefty reliever on the 26-man active roster. Vesia has posted consecutive scoreless appearances but has struggled considerably this season with a 7.84 ERA and 2.81 WHIP in 10.1 innings. The southpaw will surely get another opportunity with the Dodgers this season, but he'll need to perform significantly better to pitch in high-leverage spots like he did in 2022.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Having rough start to season
Rotowire
Through four appearances this season, Vesia has given up four earned runs on eight hits over three innings.
Vesia was one of the Dodgers' best relievers in both 2021 and 2022, posting a collective 2.19 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 133:46 K:BB over 94.1 innings. It's been a different story for the southpaw so far in 2023, as he's given up at least one run in three of his four appearances and has yet to get through an outing without giving up at least one hit. Vesia was thought to be a contender for save chances in Los Angeles' closer committee when the season opened, but he's unlikely to see any such chances until he gets things straightened out.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Has up-and-down spring
Rotowire
Vesia pitched in eight games for the Dodgers during Cactus League play, allowing five runs over six innings. He posted a 10:3 K:BB.
Vesia racked up plenty of strikeouts this spring, but his ERA took a hit as a result of him serving up two homers. The lefty didn't have that problem last season, as he gave up only two long balls across 54.1 frames. Vesia was a major weapon for the Dodgers in 2022 with a 2.15 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 79:24 K:BB while recording 16 holds and two saves. He could see high-leverage work again this season and may even get a few save chances given the team's decision to go with a closer committee, at least in the early part of the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Continues dominance with 16th hold
Rotowire
Vesia earned a hold over San Diego on Thursday by retiring both batters he faced, including one by strikeout.
After Chris Martin allowed two of the three batters he faced to reach base in the eighth inning, Vesia entered and got two outs to preserve Los Angeles' 5-2 lead. The scoreless outing was Vesia's 25th over his past 26 appearances. Over that stretch, he's posted a 38:9 K:BB while allowing just one run over 24 innings.
Vesia earned a hold against the Padres on Sunday with a perfect inning of work that included two strikeouts.
The contest became a rout late, but when Vesia entered in the sixth inning the Dodgers were ahead by only two runs. The southpaw kept things that way, throwing 13 of 15 pitches for strikes and notching a pair of punchouts. Vesia has been very impressive in his second campaign with Los Angeles, registering a 2.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 67:21 K:BB over 46.2 innings. He's notched 15 holds, one save and four wins.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Secures 14th hold
Rotowire
Vesia picked up a hold against the Mets on Tuesday as a result of pitching a scoreless inning. He struck out one batter and issued one walk.
After Los Angeles took the lead in the top of the seventh, Vesia was asked to keep the Mets at bay in the bottom of the frame. He was a bit wild, throwing only eight of 17 pitches for strikes, but worked around a two-out walk to protect the lead. Vesia hasn't allowed a run since July 21. Since that time, he's racked up two wins and six holds while posting a 22:4 K:BB over 14 innings spanning 16 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Credited with win Friday
Rotowire
Vesia (2-0) earned the win against San Francisco on Friday by retiring the only batter he faced.
With the game tied 1-1 in the eighth inning, Vesia was summoned with two outs and two runners on base to face David Villar. Vesia got Villar to ground out, and the lefty reliever earned the win as a result of Los Angeles scoring four times in the bottom of the frame. It was a nice bounce-back effort from Vesia after he allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Giants on Thursday.
Vesia earned a save against the Cubs on Thursday by striking out the only batter he faced.
Los Angeles turned to Craig Kimbrel with a three-run lead heading into the ninth inning, but the closer stumbled and allowed the winning run to come to the plate. Vesia was then called upon to put out the fire, and he struck out Nelson Velazquez on six pitches to finish off the victory. The save was Vesia's first of the campaign and second of his career. He's not a threat to usurp Kimbrel for closing duties, but the left-hander is putting together a solid season with a 3.12 ERA and seven holds along with 34 strikeouts over 26 innings.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Notches first win Wednesday
Rotowire
Vesia (1-0) earned the win over the Reds on Wednesday, working a scoreless inning during which he allowed one hit and struck out two batters.
Starter Tyler Anderson went five innings for Los Angeles, and Vesia came on to replace him with the score tied in the sixth. The lefty reliever allowed a one-out single but nothing else, and he was credited with the win as a result of the Dodgers pulling ahead in the next frame. Vesia has recorded a 3.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB across 21.2 innings this season and has been working primarily in low- and medium-leverage situations of late.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Picks up sixth hold
Rotowire
Vesia earned a hold against Arizona on Saturday, allowing one walk and striking out two batters in one scoreless inning.
The left-hander handled the eighth inning for Los Angeles and protected a one-run lead despite issuing a one-out walk. Vesia has seen his high-leverage opportunities increase over the course of the season, and he has secured a hold in five of his past six outings. He's allowed only one run during that span and has held the opponent scoreless in 16 of his 18 appearances on the season.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Credited with first hold
Rotowire
Vesia retired two batters -- one by strikeout -- and did not allow any baserunners to earn a hold in Tuesday's victory against the Giants.
Los Angeles carried a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning before Brusdar Graterol got into a jam that saw the Giants put the tying run on second base. Vesia was summoned to contain the threat, and he allowed a sacrifice fly before striking out Luke Williams to preserve the lead. This was the southpaw's first hold of the campaign, as he's primarily been used in lower-leverage spots thus far. Vesia has yet to allow a run through seven innings this season, and he has posted a superb 10:1 K:BB.
Vesia was one of 16 pitchers named to the Dodgers' Opening Day roster Thursday.
Vesia's inclusion on the roster was expected following a breakthrough campaign last season, during which he posted a 2.25 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 12.1 K/9. He eventually became the team's go-to left-handed reliever and finished with nine holds and one save. Vesia will likely work in a high-leverage role again as Los Angeles' top southpaw out of the bullpen in 2022.
