LOS ANGELES – Before the teams went through batting practice Friday, Cubs reliever Ryan Braiser met his former Dodger bullpen mates, a couple other teammates, coaches and manager Dave Roberts on the field. They presented him with his 2024 World Series ring.
“Obviously the guys that brought it out from the bullpen last year, we were a pretty strong, close group,” Brasier said. “And I thought it was really cool how they did it.”
The Dodgers’ diamond- and sapphire-studded rings open to reveal an etching of Dodger Stadium and the Commissioner’s Trophy on one side and a piece from a base used in the World Series on the other.
Last year marked Brasiers’ second World Series championship. He claimed his first ring with the Red Sox, beating the Dodgers in the World Series to take home the title.
Brasier landed with the Cubs in February, designated for assignment by the Dodgers and then traded for a player to be named later or cash. He pitched one inning against the Dodgers in Tokyo, allowing a run and two hits, but landed on the IL with a groin strain to begin the domestic schedule.
He’d begun throwing on flat ground as of Friday.
“Brasier played catch [Friday] and also got his World Series ring,” manager Craig Counsell said. “So, good day.”
Cubs blanked
The Cubs were shut out Friday for the first time this season, facing the staunch quartet of Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto and relievers Kirby Yates, Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott.
Yamamoto limited the Cubs to just two hits and a walk in six innings.
“Early in the count, he was just on the corners, and so it didn’t feel like we ever got anything good to hit,” Counsell said after the 3-0 loss. “The split finger’s a really good pitch. Pitched a great game. And it’s tough to score when a guy’s going like that.”
Ross returns to coaching
Team USA announced its coaching staff for the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Friday, and it included some familiar faces.
Former Cubs manager and 2016 World Series champion David Ross was named bullpen coach. The Cubs infamously fired the former fan favorite in November of 2023 in order to hire Counsell. In Ross’ four years at the helm, he amassed a 262-284 record.
Ross will be serving on the staff of Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, who led the national team to a second-place finish last WBC. DeRosa also played for the Cubs in 2007-2008.
Notes
Cubs utility player Vidal Bruján (bruised right elbow) played center field and shortstop on back-to-back days in his first two games of a Triple-A rehab assignment. He went 3-for-5 on Friday. “We’ve got to make sure he’s healthy and then just get him back into the swing of being an everyday player,” Counsell said. “But I don’t think it’ll take him that long.”
- Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman returned from the 10-day IL (sprained right ankle) Friday just in time to strengthen an already star-studded lineup against the Cubs, and to celebrate his bobblehead night.
