It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always.
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting Seafarer's Memorial in Homer, LA gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Homer, LA is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
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Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Karen Hornaday Park in Homer, LA with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local The Chart Room Restaurant or visit Pratt Museum, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Homer, LA, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Homer, LA understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Homer, LA 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
LOS ANGELES -- As Elly De La Cruz rounded third base in the top of the third on Tuesday night, he didn’t just look toward his teammates waiting in the dugout. He pointed a finger directly toward the seats behind home plate, locking eyes with his brother, who was watching from the stands as the Reds shortstop put on a show in Chavez Ravine.Cincinnati’s 24-year-old centerpiece unloaded on a first-pitch, 87.5 mph changeup from Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal, sending a Statcast-projected 444-foot rocket soaring into left-center ...
LOS ANGELES -- As Elly De La Cruz rounded third base in the top of the third on Tuesday night, he didn’t just look toward his teammates waiting in the dugout. He pointed a finger directly toward the seats behind home plate, locking eyes with his brother, who was watching from the stands as the Reds shortstop put on a show in Chavez Ravine.
Cincinnati’s 24-year-old centerpiece unloaded on a first-pitch, 87.5 mph changeup from Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal, sending a Statcast-projected 444-foot rocket soaring into left-center field to tie the game before the Reds ultimately dropped a 3-2 decision to Los Angeles.
The two-run blast bested a July 12 launch by Shohei Ohtani by seven feet to become the longest home run hit at Dodger Stadium so far during the 2026 season, while matching De La Cruz's single-season career high with his 25th big fly and extending his home run streak to four consecutive games.
"I thought it was a good pitch to hit," De La Cruz said of the blast. "We always want to come out with a win, but it feels good to do the job."
The home run erased Cincinnati's early deficit, but De La Cruz was far from done in the third. Before the frame was over, he found another way to leave his mark on the game.
In the bottom of the frame, Teoscar Hernández lined a ball into center field that skipped all the way to the outfield gate. As Hernández rounded third, third-base coach Dino Ebel waved him home. De La Cruz gathered the relay from left fielder JJ Bleday, turned and uncorked a legendary strike to catcher Jose Trevino to gun down Hernández at the plate.
The throw clocked in at 102.0 mph, per Statcast, and was easily the fastest assist by an infielder tracked by Statcast (since 2015), surpassing De La Cruz's own record of 99.8 mph, which he did twice. Beyond the numbers, the sheer spectacle of the throw left everyone stunned.
"That was one of the better throws you'll ever see, I mean, ever," manager Terry Francona said. "I know I turn on the old things and you see Dave Parker or somebody making throws or Clemente; they might be showing that one [now]."
"Every time he throws a ball, it's an absolute rocket," starting pitcher Nick Lodolo added. "It was a great throw, and it was a great pick by Trevi to stay with that and make the tag. A lot of credit to both guys there."
As for De La Cruz, when asked about the potential velocity on the play, the shortstop took a more modest view of his arm strength.
"I thought it was like 98, 99 [mph]," De La Cruz said. "I didn't know; it was not hard."
While De La Cruz generated the night's biggest moments, Lodolo fought through a demanding outing on the mound in front of his hometown Southern California crowd
The left-hander worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking out six across 97 pitches.
After surrendering a solo homer to Will Smith in the first, Lodolo's biggest obstacle arrived in the second, when a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch forced home a run, but he was able to escape without allowing further damage. Yet, despite fighting his command early, Francona saw clear improvement in his efficiency through the middle innings before a two-out single by Teoscar Hernández in the fifth ended the southpaw's night.
"I thought early he wasn't commanding," Francona said. "As he got into the third, fourth, fifth, I actually thought he was better, and I was kind of fighting it [leaving him in] because I know Hernández wasn't a great matchup, but I really wanted him to get through that fifth. I thought it would have been really good for him, [but then] he reached out and poked a 3-1 changeup into right."
For Lodolo, the evaluation of his evening came down to those early execution issues on the mound.
“Too many free passes on my part," Lodolo admitted. "That's what led to the runs outside of the good hit by Smith in the first. Overall, got to limit the free passes. My stuff is great, just gotta limit that and make them work a little bit more."
The loss halted a strong run for the Reds, who had entered the week having won three consecutive series over the Cubs, Padres and Brewers. Cincinnati will look to avoid a sweep and salvage Wednesday night's finale against the Dodgers.
It may have laid the foundations of Western storytelling, but Homer’s “Odyssey” wasn’t exactly built for the movies. Sprawling across 24 chapters and sending its hero through a decade of shipwrecks, monsters, gods and witches, the roughly 2,700-year-old epic poem was never going to fit neatly into a single sit — even a three-hour Imax blockbuster — without some serious rethinking.Christopher Nolan’s solution was to treat Homer less as a blueprint than a starting point. “I wanted to tell ...
It may have laid the foundations of Western storytelling, but Homer’s “Odyssey” wasn’t exactly built for the movies. Sprawling across 24 chapters and sending its hero through a decade of shipwrecks, monsters, gods and witches, the roughly 2,700-year-old epic poem was never going to fit neatly into a single sit — even a three-hour Imax blockbuster — without some serious rethinking.
Christopher Nolan’s solution was to treat Homer less as a blueprint than a starting point. “I wanted to tell it in a fresh and modern way, to make it as accessible for a modern audience as it was for Homer’s,” he told The Times earlier this month. His ancient Greeks certainly don’t talk like they stepped out of a classics seminar: Odysseus complains about spending “10 years on this f— beach” at Troy, while Telemachus refers to Penelope and Odysseus as Mom and Dad. Nolan preserves the broad arc of Odysseus’ struggle to return home while freely reshaping what happens along the way, often shifting the emphasis from the mythological to the psychological.
Homer-heads will notice plenty of other changes too. Gone are Aeolus’ bag of winds, which sends Odysseus back out to sea with Ithaca in tantalizing sight, and the Phaeacians, who help him finally make it home. The cannibalistic Laestrygonians become towering armored warriors, while other episodes are combined or radically re-imagined, with characters and storylines invented from whole cloth.
Obviously with massive spoilers ahoy, here are eight of the biggest ways Nolan’s “Odyssey” departs from Homer’s.
Homer’s “Odyssey” begins after Troy has already fallen, with the Trojan War recounted in memories and stories rather than unfolding as part of the action. But Nolan puts the anguish of the war at the center of his movie. The director takes us inside the Trojan Horse and into the horrific slaughter that follows, with the Greeks’ desecration of a statue of Athena becoming another image that haunts Matt Damon’s guilt-ridden Odysseus. He comes to see the Trojan Horse itself, his great act of cunning, as a violation of Zeus’ sacred law of hospitality. One of Odysseus’ defining triumphs becomes, in Nolan’s telling, something closer to an original sin.
In Homer’s original poem, the gods hold meetings, argue, play favorites and meddle so routinely in human affairs that Athena is practically a second protagonist. Nolan keeps them at a much greater distance. Zeus never appears (we hear a thundercrack only once) and Poseidon remains unseen even as Odysseus blames him for bad winds and choppy waters at sea. Only Athena (Zendaya) crosses the divide, and even she is a far more inscrutable presence than Homer’s hands-on divine fixer. The gods may still be up there somewhere, but Nolan, unlike Homer, isn’t about to give us a seat at their table.
One of the most famous episodes in Homer’s poem finds Odysseus and his men facing the Cyclops Polyphemus in his cave, where their struggle becomes a battle of wits: lies, taunts, a drunken ruse. Nolan strips away most of that gamesmanship. Odysseus and his men initially have no idea the Cyclops can speak, leaving them scrambling against a creature they can barely understand. They still blind him with a hot stake and escape by strapping grass to their backs to pass as sheep. But in another alteration, Damon’s Odysseus fires an arrow into the already blinded Cyclops’ eye as he escapes, giving the monster’s father, Poseidon, a new reason to make his journey home miserable.
When Odysseus’ men encounter Circe in Homer’s poem, the goddess drugs them and turns them into pigs. But after Odysseus resists her magic, she restores his crew, takes him as her lover and invites everyone to stay awhile. They remain for a year, feasting and recovering, before Circe helps them prepare for the journey ahead.
Nolan’s Circe (Samantha Morton) is not someone you would want to spend a year with. She physically twists Odysseus’ men into pigs in a grotesque sequence of body horror, with no romance, yearlong idyll or magical help. It’s part of a broader change in Nolan’s telling: His Odysseus has far fewer sexual entanglements than Homer’s, keeping his devotion to Penelope more firmly in the foreground. The Circe encounter is shorter, scarier and considerably less sexy, turning one of Homer’s strangest extended layovers into something closer to a waking nightmare.
Homer’s trip to the land of the dead is crowded with ghosts from Odysseus’ past and Greek legend. Nolan gives Odysseus a more personal set of ghosts. Chief among them is someone absent from Homer’s original conception: Sinon (Elliot Page), the Greek soldier who helps trick the Trojans into accepting the wooden horse in Virgil’s “Aeneid.” Nolan reinvents him as a naive young soldier left outside the horse to sell Odysseus’ deception. The Hades sequence gets much of its emotional weight from Page, as Sinon confronts Odysseus with the lie that sent him to his death.
In Homer’s poem, the goddess Calypso rescues Odysseus from a shipwreck and keeps him on her island for seven years, even as he longs for Penelope and Ithaca. Nolan recasts Odysseus’ time with Calypso (Charlize Theron) as less of a sexual distraction and more of a therapeutic psychodrama. She gives him lotus flowers to dull his pain, but as he keeps eating them, his memories and sense of identity begin to fade. For a filmmaker fascinated by the slippery workings of memory, the combination is a natural fit: Before Odysseus can resume his journey, he has to remember that he wants to go home.
In Homer’s poem, the long-awaited reunion between Odysseus and Telemachus is a quiet, intimate affair. After returning to Ithaca disguised by Athena as an old beggar, Odysseus reveals himself to the son he hasn’t seen since infancy in the hut of the swineherd Eumaeus. Father and son then begin plotting together to take back the palace from the suitors.
Nolan reunites them in full action-movie mode. When Telemachus (Tom Holland) is targeted by assassins, Odysseus arrives to rescue him, though Telemachus has no idea the apparent beggar fighting at his side is his father. Their first meeting becomes an entirely invented action sequence, replacing Homer’s quiet recognition scene with something much more physical and immediate. It also offers a bit of blockbuster fan service unavailable to Homer: Spider-Man and Jason Bourne fighting bad guys side by side.
Homer’s “Odyssey” ends by putting Odysseus’ world back together. After slaughtering the suitors, he reunites with Penelope, who finally accepts that he is truly her husband after testing him with a secret only the two of them know about their marriage bed, and Odysseus reclaims his throne.
Nolan complicates that restoration. Instead of ruling, Odysseus goes into self-imposed exile as Telemachus takes his place, while he and Penelope (Anne Hathaway) sail into “the unknown west” to honor the men who didn’t make it home. In a closing monologue, Odysseus looks ahead to the collapse of the Bronze Age, imagining a future in which his world and everything that happened to him will be forgotten. Civilization will eventually rise again, he says, only for humanity to forget its mistakes once more.
It’s Nolan’s final way of connecting Homer’s world to our own. Whereas the poem ends with order restored, the film leaves history caught in an endless cycle of collapse, rebirth and forgetting.
In Shohei Ohtani, who on Tuesday became the first Japanese player to hit 300 home runs in MLB, the Dodgers had the first National League All-Star voted in this year.They still have a chance for a late addition.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been lobbying for two members of his pitching staff to be named replacement players: left-handed starter Justin Wrobleski and left-handed reliever Tanner Scott.“There’s going to be some changes and some talks here,” Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss a...
In Shohei Ohtani, who on Tuesday became the first Japanese player to hit 300 home runs in MLB, the Dodgers had the first National League All-Star voted in this year.
They still have a chance for a late addition.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been lobbying for two members of his pitching staff to be named replacement players: left-handed starter Justin Wrobleski and left-handed reliever Tanner Scott.
“There’s going to be some changes and some talks here,” Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. “There’s continual talks about both guys.”
Earlier Tuesday, MLB announced replacements for three NL pitchers who won’t be eligible to appear in the All-Star Game. Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft, Philadelphia’s Jesús Luzardo and St. Louis’ Riley O’Brien claimed spots as Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Miami’s Max Meyer bowed out.
“Obviously it’s disappointing,” Wrobleski said after holding the Rockies to one run through seven innings. “You want to be an All-Sta r. It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod. But like I said before, it’s just more reason to try and keep getting better. Hopefully I can gain the respect of players and everybody else and maybe be in there next year.”
There should continue to be movement on the All-Star roster, especially on the pitching side, with rotation schedules limiting which starters can participate. Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for example, is lined up to start Saturday, which may take him off the table for the All-Star Game next Tuesday.
That could open the door for Wrobleski and Scott.
Asked to make his pitch for Wrobleski, Roberts pointed to his ERA (2.69, No. 8 among qualified NL pitchers), average of more than six innings per start and 10 wins.
“We run a six-man rotation, and I just don’t want him to get dinged for not making a couple more starts that he potentially could have had,” Roberts said. “I just think that he’s performed enough to earn that opportunity.
“And also, Tanner had a rough one [Monday], but I still think that … he’s one of the elite relievers in the National League.”
Scott, after notching just his second blown save Monday, compared to his 12 saves and 2.70 ERA, didn’t have an opening to improve on his All-Star campaign Tuesday.
Wrobleski, however, strengthened his.
He stayed true to his identity, pounding the strike zone and inducing weak contact to go with nine strikeouts. The only run he gave up came on a groundout in the sixth inning with runners on the corners.
In a nod to Wrobleski’s new nickname, “The Shark,” coined by Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez, Dodger Stadium organist Dieter Ruehle played a snippet of the “Jaws” theme to punctuate Wrobleski’s punchouts, and as he walked off the mound for the last time.
Once Wrobleski’s job was done, he paced in the dugout, interrupted once in a while by a hug or handshakes from a teammate. Catcher Dalton Rushing held his hand up to his forehead like a shark fin.
The name and attacking reputation had stuck. Would it be enough for an All-Star nod?
“If it happens, great,” Wrobleski said. “If it doesn’t happen, some time off and just chill for a couple days. Either way, I’m all good.”
On the offensive side, Ohtani’s leadoff homer made him the first player to notch 300 home runs and 100-plus stolen bases in his first nine MLB seasons, according to ESPN Insights. Tuesday was his 1,101st game with at least one plate appearance. By that measure, he was the fifth-fastest to 300 home runs, according to and Elias Sports Bureau, behind only Aaron Judge (953), Ralph Kiner (1,086), Ryan Howard (1,091) and Juan González (1,093).
“It was quite the homer,” Roberts said. “I mean, it was [112 mph] off the bat, low launch angle. It was squared up, got out in a hurry. And 300 — he got there pretty quickly for us. I just marvel at him every day.”
The Dodgers widened their lead to two runs but gave it up in the eighth on a pair of errors, including one on a sacrifice bunt.
Shortstop Miguel Rojas, who botched a grounder to his left earlier in the inning that enabled a run to score, was late breaking to cover third. Second baseman Alex Freeland tried to hit Rojas in stride with his throw and was charged with an error when it got away and the go-ahead run scored.
“Physical errors happen, and I’m OK with that,” Rojas said. “I’m not perfect, and I’m going to make errors, and physical errors are OK. But mental errors are the ones that are disappointing. I should have been on third base, I shouldn’t be putting Alex Freeland in the situation of throwing the ball with me on the run there. That’s the one that I kick myself for.”
Said Roberts: “This guy’s as dependable as they come. So that it happens, we don’t like it, doesn’t feel good, but you know that player. I give him a lot of grace, because he is very dependable.”
Right-hander Evan Phillips made his first major-league appearance in 14 months, after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, and had two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning. But the Dodgers offense didn’t muster a comeback, as the top of the batting order went down in order with two runners on.
Ohtani is still in line to pitch Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Roberts said.
The right biceps issue that flared in Ohtani’s final at-bat last Friday, and sidelined him Saturday, raised the question of whether he should skip his last start before the All-Star break. But Roberts said Ohtani’s catch play has been normal and he hasn’t reported any concerns with his biceps.
“As he goes through the next couple days, if he doesn’t feel great, we’ll pivot, and we’re prepared to pivot,” Roberts said. “But as we sit here, I don’t see that changing.”
Roberts said he doesn’t think Ohtani will pitch in the All-Star Game or participate in the home run derby. But he does expect him to take an at-bat or two as the NL’s starting designated hitter.
“He understands the responsibility he has,” Roberts said. “So I do think that there’s a middle for what’s best for him, what potentially could be downside, but also what’s best for the game.”
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