Los Angeles Dodgers

It's a tight race in the NL West ... but Eric Karros says he's 100% convinced the Dodgers will scrap together a late season push and make the playoffs.

Also, he's super biased.

Karros -- the L.A. Dodgers' all-time home run leader -- has been involved with the Dodgers organization since 1991. So, he bleeds Dodger Blue, but he also knows when a team is doomed.

So, with the Dodgers currently 1.5 games out of the NL Wild Card spot with only 37 games left in the season ... and only winning 4 out of the last 10 games ... we asked if it's time to stick a fork in 'em.

Get your betting slips ready ... 'cause Thomas John has had a premonition -- and it's about to make the Red Sox, Dodgers and degenerates VERY happy.

We got the "Seatbelt Psychic" star at Craig's and asked him for anything that could possibly make us money.

That's when he revealed those from the afterlife (or the clouds or the tea leaves or wherever) are telling him to BET ON L.A. AND BOSTON TO MAKE THE WORLD SERIES!!

"I feel Red Sox and Dodgers in there," Thomas says.

There's more ... John also tells us the spirits are sending him a lot of "good energy" when it comes to Johnny Manziel.

Dodgers' superstar Matt Kemp says he's "really excited" for his good friend, Manny Machado, to join the Blue Crew -- telling TMZ Sports the squad has a real shot to win the World Series.

"Great baseball player, friend of mine," Kemp told us at the airport in D.C. ... "I think the city of Los Angeles is really excited at the moment."

Kemp also admits he knew about the Machado trade during the All-Star game on Tuesday -- when he took a selfie with Manny on the field.

We also asked Kemp if he had any advice for LeBron James on how to succeed in L.A. -- and Dodgers fans are REALLY gonna like his answer.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Anibal Sanchez had his hotel room burglarized this weekend while he was on the mound against the Dodgers ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Sanchez's room was broken into Saturday night while the RHP pitched against the boys in blue as the Braves were in L.A. We're told Sanchez was staying at a hotel near DTLA, and that there doesn't appear any forced entry to his suite.

Sources say more than $100,000 in jewelry were stolen from Sanchez's room, which included 4 watches, among other items. Police are currently investigating the matter.

The Dodgers can still win the World Series -- even without star player Corey Seager ... so says W.S. champ and Dodgers analyst Jerry Hairston Jr.

On Monday the team announced that Seager -- the 2016 Rookie of the Year and 2x All-Star -- needed Tommy John surgery ... ending his season.

We called a guy who knows a thing about winning a ring ... Hairston Jr. won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009.

Rest easy L.A., the season ain't over ... 'cause Hairston Jr. says with Cody Bellinger and Clayton Kershaw the team still has enough talent to go all the way.

FYI -- the team is 12-16 ... and in 4th place in the N.L. West.

The Dodgers are going for a clean sweep -- not of their Opening Day opponents, the Giants -- but of the waste water that seeped onto the Dodgers Stadium field.

Sources inside the L.A. County Dept. of Health tell TMZ Sports ... inspectors were roaming the third baseline area next to the dugout Wednesday ... checking out the disgusting mud patch left behind after Tuesday night's sewage spill.

If ya missed it, Big Blue's exhibition game against the Angels was cut short when a waste water pipeline burst, sending up a stench worse than Yu Darvish's World Series outings.

We're told that section of the field had to be vacuumed, and the material shipped off to a waste disposal facility. Then the area was doused with chlorine, lye and other antibacterial chemicals. The Dept. of Health will make another inspection on Thursday morning ... ahead of the Opening Day festivities.

If you're going to the game, that's bleach you're smelling. And maybe a little left over from Yu.

Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda has a pretty clear New Year's resolution: scaring the living hell outta his translator!!

Since the calendar hit 2018, Kenta's been on a tear messing with his language bro, Will, in the most hilarious ways possible.

On Thursday, the Japanese star punk'd him with a jump scare (again) ... but his best work had to be the classic water bottle coin trick (c'mon, bro ... that one was obvious).

Will's being a great sport through it all ... probably 'cause he's plotting a mistranslating scheme for when the season starts up again.

Yasiel Puig had 11 of the strongest barbers on the planet give him a brand new look Thursday night ... getting a fresh bald haircut from kids battling cancer!!

The Dodgers superstar rolled into Cedars-Sinai hospital in L.A. where he decided to get his head shaved as a show of solidarity with all the tough kids in the hospital going through chemotherapy.

The kids loved it -- and so did Puig, who addressed every kid as his "new barber."

The Dodgers are a lock to make back-to-back World Series trips, right??

Not so fast, says stud closer Kenley Jansen -- who told TMZ Sports a repeat trip to the Fall Classic is far from guaranteed even if the Boys in Blue bust their asses.

The Dodgers did just reunite with ex-superstar Matt Kemp, who was out with Kenley at Thursday night's Lakers game ... and you can bet they ain't done makin' moves.

But, whether or not they repeat as NL champs, one thing's clear -- the fans FREAKIN' LOVE 'EM.

Derek Jeter's haters can take a seat ... 'cause he ain't gonna let the Marlins suck forever -- so says legendary MLB boss Peter O'Malley.

O'Malley was the man back when he ran the Dodgers ... so we got him to give DJ a quick job eval -- after the Marlins CEO got DESTROYED in the media for trading away sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna.

Peter told TMZ Sports Derek knows what the hell he's doing ... and we'll all see that eventually.

"Jeter’s gonna do a great job. He’s a very fine person, knowledgeable," O'Malley said.

Dodgers star Alex Wood and his red hot wife have ditched the L.A. "winter" for the sunny sands of Saint Lucia ... makin' it rain MLB money all over their Caribbean honeymoon!!

The newlyweds are droppin' around $3K PER NIGHT for their "Galaxy Sanctuary" suite at the Jade Mountain Resort -- which comes equipped with a 900-SQUARE FOOT infinity pool.

As you can see in the video ... the sunset views are a 10/10 -- as is Mrs. Wood, Suzanna Villarreal -- one of the MVPs from our World Series WAGs showdown.

Yeah ... guessing Alex is over Game 7.

Congrats!

The World Series bonus checks are in ... and the Houston Astros are coming up BIG!!!!

Here's how it works ... each team in the MLB playoffs gets a bonus check based on how far they advanced. The bonus money is pooled from gate receipts from the playoff games.

The big winner -- the Houston Astros ... with each player getting a $438,901.57 bonus check!!!!

According to MLB, it's the largest bonus ever paid out. The previous record was held by the 2014 SF Giants, which paid players $392k each.

But don't feel too sorry for the L.A. Dodgers ... even though they lost the World Series, each player still made out with $259,722.14.

Here's how the rest of the bonuses paid out:

NY Yankees -- $138k
Chicago Cubs -- $133k

AZ Diamondbacks -- $40k
Boston Red Sox --$36k

Cleveland Indians -- $36k
Washington Nationals -- $36k

Colorado Rockies -- $18k
Minnesota Twins -- $18k

It pays to be good.

L.A. fans might just have an ace in the hole to get Giancarlo Stanton in Dodger Blue -- his rumored GF, singer Lexy Panterra.

There are big-time rumors that the Dodgers are eyeing Stanton via trade, and when we got Panterra out at Warwick we asked her what she thought of the idea of the slugger in Tinseltown.

"I think that'd be a great idea. He'd be closer!!!"

Remember, it was just last week Panterra performed at Stanton's surprise B-day party at Hyde -- and just a couple of months ago the duo did a super sexy damn-near-naked music video together.

So it's clear what the Dodgers need to do to get Stanton to come to L.A. -- bombard him with THIS VIDEO until he realizes just what he's missing being gone half the year.

Not everyone has the clutch gene -- and MLB playoffs legend Curt Schilling says that includes Clayton Kershaw, who exposed himself in this year's World Series.

We spoke to Curt about big-game pitching after the Dodgers' W.S. collapse ... and he didn't sugarcoat what separates guys like him from the Kershaws of the world -- Hall of Fame talents that don't show up when the lights are brightest.

"You have to want to be in a situation where everything's on you," Schill told TMZ Sports.

"And if you can't accept that -- if you can't accept the demand for perfection -- you're gonna lose."

We also asked Curt about the rumors of him hitting up new Phillies manager Gabe Kapler about an assistant coaching gig ... and he told us what's really going on.

Yu Darvish is opening up on his World Series nightmare -- telling TMZ Sports he feels terrible for blowing his big moment.

"Dodger fans ... they expect we won the World Series. I couldn't do it. I still feel sorry," Darvish told us out in Beverly Grove.

Darvish -- who couldn't have been nicer to our photog -- says he gave everything he had to try and win ... but just came up short. Sucks, but Darvish told us he's soldiering on.

The big question -- will Darvish (a free agent) re-sign with L.A.??

We asked ... and he definitely didn't rule it out.

BONUS: We also got Joe Buck -- who called the game for FOX -- and he told us why L.A. fans should back off that ledge ... it's gonna be okay.

Rapper ScHoolboy Q's got an ice-cold reality check for Lonzo Ball -- saying the Lakers superstar needs to get the hell out the studio and "STICK TO BASKETBALL."

With Lonzo droppin' more tracks in recent weeks, we had to ask Q if he wanted to get in on the aspiring emcee's career like DJ Mustard and DJ Quik.

His answer -- "HELL NAH! 'Cause I rather see that n***a score some points and get some damn assists."

But Q ain't hatin' ... telling TMZ Sports he just wants Lonzo to be great on the court.

FYI, dude's a huge Lakers fan, but beefs hard with the Dodgers -- straight-up TRASHING the National League champs for chokin' away the World Series.