With a score that resembled a football game more than a baseball game, the Dodgers Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes pounded the Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks) 17-8 on Sunday afternoon at LoanMart Field. But while the Quakes offense had a proverbial field day tying their season-high in runs scored and collected 21 hits, Dodgers left-handed reliever Adam Liberatore was a bit less stellar in his first rehabilitation appearance since landing on the disabled list for left elbow inflammation on August 3.

In his one inning of work, the Dodgers most dominating reliever not named Kenley Jansen allowed two runs on three hits with no strikeouts or walks in what figures to be the first of several minor league rehab assignments.

Lib, as his teammates call him, entered the Cal League game in the seventh inning with the Quakes already leading by a score of 11-3. After inducing a ground out to second base to the first batter he faced, the hard-throwing 29-year-old Bellflower, California native gave up double to center field, got the next Rawhide batter to pop-up to second base, allowed another double – this one to right field for a run – followed by a single to center field for another run. He then got the last batter he would face to fly out to center field without any further damage. The extremely intense and competitive lefty made a total of 15 pitches, 10 of which were strikes.

Of the six batters Liberatore faced on Sunday afternoon, two doubled and one singled.
(Photo credit – Steve Saenz)

Ironically, Liberatore just missed facing rehabbing Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollack by one batter. The former Gold Glove and All-Star center fielder – who was the designated hitter on Sunday afternoon – had already homered earlier in the game, his second in the five rehab games he has played with the snakes High-A team thus far. As you may recall, Pollack began the 2016 season on the disabled list when it was discovered that the pain he was experiencing in his right elbow was the result of a fracture, for which he underwent surgery to have a plate inserted. Pollack’s loss has been a devastating blow to the Dbacks and a big reason why they currently occupy last place in the NL West.

According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Liberatore is scheduled to make another rehab appearance with the Quakes on Tuesday evening when the team travels to Modesto for a four game series with the Nuts (Rockies), followed by three against the San Jose Giants (Giants) in San Jose. This, of course, depends on Liberatore feels after Sunday’s outing. Roberts declined to give a time frame on when Liberatore might return to the Dodgers but said that he is confident it will be relatively soon.