SAN DIEGO (AP) — The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers acquired right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers just before the trade deadline Tuesday to bolster their rotation and also obtained four-time Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier from the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 28-year-old Flaherty, who is from the Los Angeles area, was 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA in his first season with the Tigers. He had 133 strikeouts with a 0.96 WHIP and .211 batting average against.
The Dodgers needed a top starter because Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler are on the injured list. Clayton Kershaw made his season debut last week after offseason shoulder surgery and is scheduled to start Wednesday night against San Diego's Dylan Cease, who threw his first career no-hitter last week against Washington.
“I'm really excited about what we did,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Roberts said Flaherty “is a guy that's been wanting to be a Dodger, being from the (San Fernando) Valley. For so long he's wanted to be a Dodger. So to get that done, I'm really excited.
“You look at the guys that were moved throughout baseball, he's pretty much at the top of the food chain as far as starters,” Roberts said. “For what was out there, we did a great job.”
Flaherty was scratched from his scheduled start against Baltimore on Monday night. Roberts said Flaherty will likely make his first start for the Dodgers during a weekend series at Oakland.
Flaherty was teammates with Lucas Giolito and Max Fried at Harvard-Westlake, a prestigious prep school in Los Angeles, and was a first-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2014. He played with the Cardinals for 6 1/2 seasons ad was traded to Baltimore last summer.
Detrout received minor league catcher Thayron Liranzo and infielder Trey Sweeney.
Kiermaier, 34, was hitting .195 with four homers and 18 RBIs in 81 games for the Blue Jays. But the Dodgers value him for his defensive play. He's been in the big leagues for parts of 12 seasons with Tampa Bay and Toronto. He plans to retire at the end of the season.
“I know KK is a lock-down defender,” Roberts said.
The Blue Jays got left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who was designated for assignment on Monday by the Dodgers after they acquired infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Toronto Blue Jays' Kevin Kiermaier (39) hits a double against the Detroit Tigers in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Nick Cammett)
While the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar thrill supporters of Saudi clubs, Roberto Mancini is concerned that his national team players aren’t getting enough time in the league to prepare for World Cup qualifying.
Saudi Arabia was among the high-profile Asian teams that struggled in third-round openers last week in continental World Cup qualifying. The Saudis were 1-1 by Indonesia, the lowest-ranked of the six-teams in Group C. Tuesday is a crucial match against China at Dalian for coach Mancini’s team.
“We have had problems capitalizing on opportunities, which have been evident in the last few games,” Mancini said.
With most clubs in the Saudi Pro League using their full quota of 10 foreign imports, Mancini, who left his job as head coach of Italy a year ago to join Saudi Arabia's national team, has complained that local players are not getting enough action.
“Saudi Arabia’s national team players must participate as core players with their clubs," Mancini said. “I have 20 players sitting on the bench in local matches.”
He said there needed to be greater cooperation between the national team and clubs.
Australia’s attempt to qualify for a sixth successive World Cup tournament were damaged by a shocking 1–0 loss to Bahrain at home.
“It’s a learning curve for the players. It wasn’t our night,” Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said. “You could see physically they were ready for us. These types of things happen in football, it’s how you get over it.”
Australia faces a relatively short trip to Jakarta to face a much-improved Indonesia squad that will be supported by 60,000 fans. “We are not afraid of anyone and we are looking forward to the challenge,” Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong said.
The early pacesetters in Group C meet when Bahrain hosts Japan, which opened with a thumping 7-0 win over China.
The 18 teams in the third round of qualification have been divided into three groups of six. The top two from each automatically qualify for the World Cup. The teams that place third and fourth will advance to a fourth round to compete for two more places.
In Group B, South Korea also started with a disappointing result, a 0-0 draw with the Palestinian team in Seoul. Led by English Premier League stars Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan as well as Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in, South Korea travels to Muscat to face Oman, which lost 1-0 to Iraq.
Son suggested the poor pitch condition in Seoul was a reason for the result.
“We weren’t able to play at a high tempo and I am sure fans were disappointed with that,” Son said. “The fact that pitch conditions are better for away matches is a shame, but I also think it’s fortunate for us at the same time.”
The Palestinians will play Jordan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as the team is unable to host games at home. Jordan had a 1-1 draw with Kuwait in its opening game a nd now faces Iraq, the only team in the group to win.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
South Korea's Son Heung-min, center, is tackled by Palestine's Michael Termanini during the Asian qualifier group B match for 2026 World Cup between South Korea and Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Japan's Takumi Minamino and China's Liu Yangyi compete for the ball during a World Cup and AFC Asian Qualifier between Japan and China at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Japan team celebrate after defeating China after a World Cup and AFC Asian Qualifier between Japan and China at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
South Korea's Son Heung-min reacts during the Asian qualifier group B match for 2026 World Cup between South Korea and Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Bahrain's Mahdi Abduljabbar Mahdi Darwish Hasan, front left, competes with Australia's Harry Souttar for a high ball during their World Cup 2026 qualifying match at the Gold Coast, Australia, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)
Japan's players celebrate Japan's fourth goal during a World Cup and AFC Asian Qualifier between Japan and China at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
