{"id":895177,"date":"2026-09-14T07:54:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T07:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/895177\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T07:54:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T07:54:38","slug":"josue-de-paula-shines-but-dodgers-fall-to-marlins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/895177\/","title":{"rendered":"Josue De Paula shines, but Dodgers fall to Marlins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MIAMI\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula\u2019s<\/a> first major-league hit was a no-doubter off the bat.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d already fouled off three sinkers in the at-bat and was rewarded with a four-seam fastball on the inner third of the plate. He extended through it and admired the ball\u2019s flight to loanDepot Park\u2019s right-field upper deck, his bat at his side.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers dugout turned raucous.<\/p>\n

In the Dodgers\u2019 6-4 walk-off loss<\/a> against the Marlins on Sunday, De Paula\u2019s three-run home run in the fourth inning gave the team a spark on offense. He also drew a walk and hit a double to reach base in every plate appearance.<\/p>\n

As Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan turned in a two-hit gem over the course of six scoreless innings, De Paula carried the offense. De Paula drew a walk and hit a double to reach base in every plate appearance. The Dodgers logged just two other extra-base hits, a double from Will Smith to lead off the fourth, and an RBI double from Mookie Betts in the ninth.<\/p>\n

Then to start a bullpen meltdown, reliever Edgardo Henriquez gave up two runs in the eighth to make it a nail-biter. Closer Tanner Scott<\/a> finished the inning, but after allowing an infield single and a bunt for a base hit in the ninth, he surrendered a game-tying double to Javier Sanoja. Right-hander Brock Stewart<\/a> replaced him and gave up a walk-off two-run homer to Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you give a team extra outs, that\u2019s what happens,\u201d manager Dave Roberts<\/a> said, pointing to Betts\u2019 slow transfer on a soft ground-ball single in the eighth, and first baseman Freddie Freeman\u2019s poor flip to first base on a ground-ball single in the ninth. \u201cIt\u2019s baseball. It sucks. It feels bad. But that\u2019s part of the thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freeman, still dealing with knee soreness, labored in his movements all game, went 0-for-four and grounded into two double plays. Roberts said he plans to give him the day off Monday as the Dodgers open a four-game series against the Reds. <\/p>\n

Add Miguel Rojas<\/a> to the Dodgers\u2019 growing list of hurt veteran position players. <\/p>\n

In the eighth inning, he dove after a ground ball up the middle but got stuck in the artificial turf. Rojas was slow to get up, holding his right shoulder. He remained in the game for the rest of the inning. Utility man Tommy Edman pinch hit for him against a right-handed reliever in the top of the ninth. <\/p>\n

Rojas said after the game that it felt as if he\u2019d aggravated a recurring labrum tear that he\u2019s dealt with for much of his career. He predicted that he may get a cortisone shot to deal with the pain. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that time of the year when you will do whatever is possible to stay on the roster, to stay on the lineup, and play through minor stuff,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The Dodgers needed a spark. And though it wasn\u2019t enough for the win, De Paula showed that he could provide one. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basically the same game, just around different people,\u201d De Paula said. \u201cBut one thing I didn\u2019t expect is this team to be so cool. All the players, the way they accepted me, the way they greeted me here, making me feel comfortable and just putting me in a better position to just be me.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Paula\u2019s day started with a first: a major-league start in the outfield. He\u2019d served as the designated hitter in his first two big-league games, racking up three walks in eight plate appearances. But the Dodgers\u2019 lineup Sunday was missing left fielder Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> and Edman<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roberts explained that, for them, he wanted to avoid the toll of playing three straight days in a turf outfield. So, De Paula went out to left field, and Alex Call started in center field.<\/p>\n

De Paula\u2019s defense is behind his offensive game, but the Dodgers have been pleased with his progress lately. And he\u2019s bought into a pregame routine with third base coach Dino Ebel in his short time with the team.<\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula celebrates after hitting a three-run homer against the Marlins Sunday in Miami.<\/p>\n

(Lynne Sladky \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing candid, I don\u2019t think that he\u2019s valued it as much as he will,\u201d Roberts said earlier this week. \u201cAnd it just has to be important. Certainly, when you get to the big leagues, outs are important, converting outs are important. And so, he\u2019s a young player, he\u2019s 21 years old. His bat has certainly got him here, but it\u2019s our job to make him value defense and get him to be a better defender.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Paula immediately impressed with the quality of his at-bats \u2014 \u201cI don\u2019t think he swung at a ball out of the hitting zone,\u201d Roberts said Saturday \u2014 and he again showed off his plate discipline in his first at-bat Sunday, drawing a five-pitch walk in the second inning.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first two days, I loved my at-bats, even though I didn\u2019t get the results from it,\u201d De Paula said. \u201cI felt like the results were coming really soon, so I just feel like I just need to stick with my approach, and good things are coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, in the fourth, he stepped into the biggest situation of his young major-league career: a 0-0 ballgame, with runners on first and second. And his patience paid off.<\/p>\n

The crack of the bat echoed the thunder that had been rumbling outside of the roofed ballpark for much of the afternoon.<\/p>\n

He lifted Marlins starter Eury P\u00e9rez\u2019s fastball at a 39-degree launch angle, according to Statcast, 108.2 mph off the bat.<\/p>\n

De Paula tossed his bat aside, looked into the Dodgers dugout and slapped his chest across the letters and shouted.<\/p>\n

What did he say?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know [if] I can say it on TV,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n

He logged his second major-league hit in the next at-bat. With two outs in the sixth inning, he lined a splitter from Marlins right-handed reliever Jack Ralston off the wall in right-center field for a double.<\/p>\n

Going into the bottom of the sixth, with the Dodgers leading 3-0, Roberts lifted De Paula for defense. And in doing so, he presented De Paula with a new challenge to embrace: Get to the point where his defense keeps him in games. <\/p>\n

Because his bat is clearly already there. <\/p>\n

Rojas returns \"Dodgers' <\/p>\n

Dodgers\u2019 Mookie Betts, left, and Miguel Rojas celebrate in the seventh inning against the Marlins in Miami on Sunday.<\/p>\n

(Megan Briggs \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Roberts also made sure to get Miguel Rojas in the lineup Sunday, in what may be the former Marlin\u2019s last game at loanDepot Park. Rojas has shied away from a full farewell tour but is contemplating returning after the season and transitioning into a player development role.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a conversation with him about a week ago about potentially getting a start here,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cThat\u2019s something that meant a lot to him. I don\u2019t know how emotional you\u2019re going to see him. Maybe at the end of the game or to start the game I think you\u2019ll probably see some kinds of emotions if you\u2019re looking closely. This has been an important place for him, an important organization. So for him to get a potential final start here, it\u2019s important for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Marlins played a tribute video for Rojas after the first inning. At the top of the dugout stairs, he put his hand over his heart and acknowledged the cheering crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not just for me; it\u2019s for my whole family and the people that supported me throughout my career when I was here,\u201d Rojas said. \u201cI spent eight years of my life playing and giving everything that I have to that organization, and I really appreciate that they have the gesture of having a little tribute video for me, just in case this is going to be my last time playing in the stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula\u2019s first major-league hit was a no-doubter off the bat. He\u2019d already fouled off…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":895178,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[310018,37041,68549,310017,49,48,511,310019,45501,196036,1517,10165,462,4637,6912,29607,82,30128,21550],"class_list":["post-895177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-at-bat","tag-ball","tag-bat","tag-big-league-game","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-dodgers","tag-four-seam-fastball","tag-inning","tag-josue-de-paula","tag-marlins","tag-miguel-rojas","tag-mlb","tag-out","tag-plate","tag-roberts","tag-sports","tag-sunday","tag-walk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=895177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/895178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=895177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=895177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=895177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}