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For Father’s Day at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, Dodger players brought the whole cute and kaboodle. (For more images, visit LA Photog Blog.)
— Jon Weisman
Category: Uncategorized (Page 5 of 63)
By Jon Weisman
Guess what? It’s increasingly looking that J.P. Howell’s struggles in late September and October last year were an aberration.
By striking out the side in the Dodgers’ 1-0 balkoff victory Thursday over Texas, Howell has now pitched 18 1/3 consecutive innings since allowing his last earned run. And the only inherited runner who scored this month on Howell came in on a passed ball in the ninth inning at Colorado, the night Kenley Jansen was too ill to pitch.
Only one batter out of the 83 Howell has faced this year has an extra-base hit, and it’s pretty forgivable — Arizona slugger Paul Goldschmidt’s leadoff double in the ninth inning of an 8-0 Dodger victory on May 1.
The biggest difference between Howell this year and his 2013-14 heyday is that his strikeout rate, even after his last outing, is down. But even while allowing a higher batting average on balls in play in 2015, he has managed to keep batters off base at essentially the same rates.
Among pitchers with at least 100 innings in Dodger history, only Takashi Saito has a better adjusted ERA than Howell, and only five pitchers (Saito, Kenley Jansen, 1915 starter Phil Douglas, Clayton Kershaw and Jay Howell) have a better WHIP.
Howell can’t maintain a 0.45 ERA all year, but don’t let that stop you from being impressed.
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For me, this Joc Pederson-Justin Turner Father’s Day BBQ Set battle comes down to who mugs it better. And it might be too close to call.
Presented by Farmer John, the Father’s Day BBQ Set is being given away to the first 40,000 fans at the Dodgers’ game with the Giants on June 21.
— Jon Weisman
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Yasiel Puig throws to Adrian Gonzalez at first base for the final out in his MLB debut, June 3, 2013 (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Today marks the second anniversary of Yasiel Puig’s Dodger debut, which began right away with his first Major League hit in the first inning and culminated with that memorable, game-ending 9-3 double play.
Puig, who is said to be nearing a minor-league assignment to complete his rehab of an injured left hamstring, has been stuck on 50 plate appearances and an .845 OPS since April 24. For the first two years of his MLB career, Puig — still only 24 — has a .386 on-base percentage and .501 slugging percentage with 37 home runs.
His 150 OPS+ ranks fifth in Dodger history among players with at least 1,000 plate appearances, behind only Gary Sheffield, Mike Piazza, Jack Fournier and Reggie Smith.
The Dodgers have held their own without him, but it will be great to have him back …
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By Jon Weisman
The Hollywood Stars Game, once the on-field hobnob of Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon and Bob Newhart, comes back to Dodger Stadium on June 6 at 5 p.m., preceding the Dodgers’ 7:10 p.m. game against St. Louis. This year’s game is presented by New Balance.
Talkshow host Larry King and actor, director, producer and writer Garry Marshall will serve as honorary managers of softball teams that will include the following talent: Alan Thicke (“Growing Pains”), Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”), James Van Der Beek (“Dawson’s Creek”), Kevin McHale (“Glee”), Frank Grillo (“Captain America”), Jaleel White (“Family Matters,” “Dancing With the Stars”), Charlotte McKinney (“Dancing With the Stars”), Tyler Hoechlin (“Teen Wolf,” “Road to Perdition”), Austin Stowell (“Love and Honor”), Clark Gregg (“Iron Man,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Vivica A. Fox (“Independence Day”), Brian Dietzen (“NCIS”), WNBA great Lisa Leslie, USA soccer star Landon Donovan, “Entertainment Tonight” co-host Kevin Frazier, actor/comedian Rob Riggle, tennis pro Mardy Fish and Blink 182 bassist Mark Hoppus.
Dot Marie Jones (“Glee”) will reprise her Old-Timers Game role as one of the umpires.
Get your tickets here or by calling (866) DODGERS.
By Jon Weisman
Cey. Russell. Lopes. Garvey.
Not since the final game of the 1981 World Series has the legendary infield been in the same lineup together. That changes at Saturday’s Old-Timers Game at Dodger Stadium, when Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey reunite on the Orel Hershiser-managed home team.
There’s going to be a great turnout for the Old-Timers festivities, which begin at 4 p.m. with introductions honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1965 World Series championship team and the 60th anniversary of the 1955 World Series titlists. Among those scheduled for salutes are Sandy Koufax, Tommy Lasorda, Don Newcombe, Tommy Davis, “Sweet” Lou Johnson, Al Ferrara, Wes Parker, Ron Fairly, Wally Moon, Roger Craig, Ron Perranoski, Ed Roebuck, Jeff Torborg and Dick Traceweski, along with Manny Mota and Charlie Hough.
Though there could be some trades before gametime, here are the current rosters for the two teams playing in the game itself, which also welcomes back MLB Ambassador of Inclusion and onetime Dodger Billy Bean:
Team Orel
Infielders/catchers: Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, Ron Cey, Steve Sax, Steve Yeager
Outfielders: Pedro Guerrero, Mickey Hatcher, Jerry Hairston, Mike Marshall, Billy Bean
Pitchers: Orel Hershiser, Darren Dreifort, Chan Ho Park
Team Nomar
Infielders/catchers: Maury Wills, Eric Karros, Nomar Garciaparra, Tim Wallach, Derrel Thomas, Todd Zeile
Outfielders: Shawn Green, Ken Landreaux, Rick Monday, Steve Finley
Pitchers: Fernando Valenzuela, Tommy John, Rick Honeycutt
After the Old-Timers Game, the Dodgers play the Rockies at 6:10 p.m. (with a 1965 World Series replica ring being given to the first 40,000 fans in attendance.) Don’t miss this great day of baseball.
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By Jon Weisman
The Dodgers lost tonight, 6-3, but as a consolation prize, Joc Pederson hit his eighth and ninth homers of the year –- his sixth and seventh homers since his last single. In between, he also made another crazy catch.
It’s just crazy, man.
The last MLB player who homered for seven straight hits was Jay Bruce in June 2013, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last Dodger was beloved first baseman in June 2005.
(Man, how good a season is Adrian Gonzalez having that his OPS is still 110 points higher than Pederson’s?)
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
Someday, it will happen. Someday, age will catch up with talent, and like every pitcher before him, Clayton Kershaw will become ordinary.
That day has not yet arrived.
This is what Kershaw has done over his past four starts: 26 1/3 innings, 2.73 ERA, 12 singles, three doubles, two triples, four homers, two walks, 37 strikeouts.
That’s not an ordinary pitcher. That’s an All-Star.
Even including his singular worst start of 2015, when he allowed five earned runs in 6 1/3 innings April 11 at Arizona, Kershaw leads the Major Leagues in xFIP (1.88) and is 14th in FIP, according to Fangraphs.
David Schoenfield of ESPN.com’s Sweet Spot took a look at Kershaw’s season, focusing mainly on his home runs allowed, and other than some stumbles in location, discerned the following:
… Batters are having more success early in the count against Kershaw, hitting .407 and slugging .852 when putting the first pitch in play, compared to .291 and .464 a year ago. Of the 27 balls in play against Kershaw on a 0-0 count, 24 have been fastballs. That’s similar to last season, when 105 of the 114 first pitches in play against Kershaw came against his fastball, so that doesn’t necessarily suggest batters have been more aggressive against the fastball. They just haven’t been missing.
When Kershaw gets to two strikes, he’s still been dominant, although not quite as dominant:
2014: .114/.147/.178
2015: .141/.212/.269
The home run to Blackmon was the first he’d allowed to a lefty with two strikes since 2012.
Overall, Kershaw should be fine. He’s made some mistakes and got a little unlucky with some of the fly balls leaving the park. After Monday’s game in Milwaukee, he told reporters, “I don’t feel like answering questions right now. I don’t want to analyze it right now. Thanks.” He did apparently apologize for his terse response but it speaks to his frustration level.
Kershaw has raised expectations so high for himself that anything short of start-to-finish dominance is jarring, and anything that evokes the late-inning struggles from last year’s playoffs can make you queasy. But there is no crisis here.
It has been 50 weeks since Kershaw allowed three triples in a seven-run third inning at Arizona, and alarm bells rang from here to Phoenix, ignoring the possibility that sometimes a bad inning is just a bad inning. After that game, Kershaw had a 4.43 ERA. From that point on, his ERA was 1.43.
It’s not that the same thing is guaranteed to happen this year. It’s that it doesn’t really make sense to assume the worst, especially when he’s still nearly as dominant as any pitcher in the game.
Given that Kershaw has made three consecutive starts looking for his 100th win and the Dodgers have lost each game by one run, I’m most reminded of his arrival in the big leagues. It took the future three-time Cy Young Award winner no fewer than 10 tries to get his first victory in the big leagues. Nine games and two months into his MLB career, Kershaw was 0-3 with a 5.18 ERA. We know what happened next.
Keep counting out Clayton Kershaw, and one day you’ll be right. But you’ll be wrong many, many times before then.
By Jon Weisman
Jon SooHoo’s brief abdication of his job to Jimmy Rollins (note the photo credit above) allows me to pass along this Howie Kendrick note: Kendrick is not only OPSing .968, he has played every one of the Dodgers 134 1/3 innings this season, starting every game as the cleanup hitter and staying in until the final out each time.
Oh, and occasionally coming up with, you know, kind of a dazzling play.
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Thursday’s inaugural Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala was quite an event, combining the spectacle of players as Ted Baker fashion models with the sincere commitment to raising funds to benefit the wide-ranging efforts of the LADF.
Watch the video above to hear more about the philanthropy, and enjoy photos from the Dodger team photographers, as well as from Instagram and Twitter.
— Jon Weisman
I’m taking Vin Scully’s advice and just stepping out of the way of this one …
— Jon Weisman
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By Jon Weisman
Rain has delayed the scheduled start of tonight’s Dodger game to 7:30 p.m. Who better to take you through a rain delay than Vin Scully?
More clips below …
Tommy Lasorda has still got it. Here’s his inspirational speech to the Dodgers at Spring Training (via SportsNetLA’s Backstage Dodgers).
— Jon Weisman
By Jon Weisman
James Shields, who today was named the San Diego Padres’ Opening Day starter April 6 against the Dodgers, will be making his first career National League appearance — but the right side of the Dodger infield has a friendly history with him.
Second baseman Howie Kendrick is 14 for 29 with four doubles, a triple, a homer and a walk in his career against Shields, good for a .500 on-base percentage and .793 slugging percentage. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is 8 for 25 with a homer and three walks (.379 OBP, .440 slugging).
Thanks to Mike Adams for bringing the long-lost 0, and helping me remember how old I am.
— Jon Weisman
