Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Page 126 of 381

Adrian Gonzalez’s three-homer night on Twitter

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On April 8, 2015

In Offense

By Jon Weisman

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Look who’s haunting his old team

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On April 8, 2015

In Transactions

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Padres at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Joc Pederson, CF
Brandon McCarthy, P

By Jon Weisman

Well, with all that’s been going on in this Dodgers-Padres series, it’s about time we confront how much damage that All-Star slugger is doing to his old division rival.

Yes, Adrian Gonzalez is hammering the Padres.

No, the Padres didn’t trade Gonzalez directly to the Dodgers, but they did part ways with him, and now he’s in Los Angeles taking his old team to task.

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Hyun-Jin Ryu’s rap mission impossible

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On April 8, 2015

In Uncategorized

I’m taking Vin Scully’s advice and just stepping out of the way of this one …

— Jon Weisman

Vote for your top Dodgers in MLB’s Franchise Four

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On April 8, 2015

In History

Four

 

By Jon Weisman

MLB.com is asking fans to vote for the top four players in the history of every franchise — not unlike the “Who goes on your team’s Mt. Rushmore?” conversations you’ve probably been a part of. Also being voted on are the greatest from the Negro Leagues, MLB pioneers and greatest living players.

Selecting the eight for each team were panelists including official MLB historian John Thorn, representatives the Elias Sports Bureau (official MLB’s statistician), MLB.com, MLB Network and the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Click here to vote for your top Dodgers’ candidates (a write-in vote is permitted).

Of note: Steve Garvey is also among the Padres’ finalists. For that matter, so is Adrian Gonzalez.

Yes, they lost, but this was still great

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On April 8, 2015

In Postgame

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers

For more photos from Tuesday, visit LA Photog Blog.

By Jon Weisman

Despite the Dodgers losing by four runs, Tuesday’s game was not without its highlights, starting with Vin Scully’s narrative about beards in 2015.
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Dodger defense will see better days after 7-3 defeat

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On April 7, 2015

In Defense, Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

Three sighs, and the Dodgers were out.

Adrian Gonzalez is hitting like a man possessed in his first two games of 2015 and Zack Greinke was practically untouchable in his season debut, but the Dodgers are 1-1, thanks to a three-error performance by their defense tonight that figures to be uncharacteristic.

After a 30-minute rain delay, San Diego topped Los Angeles, 7-3, scoring its first four runs thanks to shortcomings by the Dodger defense.

  • Racing in on a wet outfield, Carl Crawford’s diving attempt failed to corral Justin Upton’s sinking liner in the first inning, allowing it to scoot past for an RBI triple. Padres 1, Dodgers 0.
  • Jimmy Rollins lost his balance while backpedaling for a seventh-inning Yangervis Solarte pop-up, dropping the ball to allow Yonder Alonso to score. Combined with a second-inning miscue on a grounder, it was Rollins’ first two-error game since August 10, 2010. Padres 2, Dodgers 2.
  • With two on and one out and in the top of the eighth, Will Middlebrooks flied to Yasiel Puig, who caught the ball flat-footed. Derek Norris tagged up and went to third base, then scored on an Alonso single. Padres 3, Dodgers 2.
  • In the ninth, after Clint Barmes singled, Cory Spangenberg reached base when Yasmani Grandal bobbled his bunt and then made a desperate throw into Spangenberg’s back. Barmes advanced to third, then scored on a single by Wil Myers. Padres 4, Dodgers 3.

The Padres would tack on three more runs to effectively put the game out of reach. San Diego won by four, scoring three unearned runs, plus the first inning tally that was questionably if officially earned.

“Errors are gonna happen,” Don Mattingly said. “The field – there was a little rain – but I think guys for the most part would say the field didn’t have a lot to do with it. Plays we have chances to make, we don’t make.”

Puig, as he so often does, recovered from his setback in impressive ways, making a difficult catch of a foul by Upton for the second out of the ninth. And the Dodgers were twice resilient, rallying from 1-0 and 3-2 deficits before the dam burst in the ninth.

Leading the way was Gonzalez, who became the first Major League player since Ray Jablonski in 1956 and second ever to have a single, double and home run in each of his first two games of the season. Gonzalez is 6 for 9 with a hard liner to third in his first at-bat of 2015. His sixth-inning double and eighth-inning homer each tied the game.

The Dodgers’ eight doubles in their first two games also ties a Los Angeles record set in 1995.

On the mound, Zack Greinke was fairly mesmerizing. After allowing a two-out hit to Matt Kemp in the first before Upton’s triple, Grienke held the next 18 Padres hitless with one walk. The bullpen didn’t fare nearly as well, with six relievers combining to allow nine hits over the final three innings.

Vin Scully Rain Delay Theater

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On April 7, 2015

In Uncategorized

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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 …

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Kershaw’s troubles on 0-2 counts extremely rare

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On April 7, 2015

In Pitching, Pregame

Kershaw 032

For more images from Monday, visit LA Photog Blog.

Padres at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Joc Pederson, CF
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

Last year, Clayton Kershaw got ahead 0-2 on 211 hitters and allowed only 27 to reach base, including three doubles, a triple and two homers (.116 batting average, .128 on-base percentage, .169 slugging percentage).

That’s a .297 OPS, or nearly 30 percent below the 2014 National League average OPS of .421 on 0-2 counts.

One of the flukes from Kershaw’s Opening Day — and there’s little reason to think it was anything more than a Ripley’s — was that three of the 10 batters he had 0-2 reached base, on the Wil Myers leadoff hit-by pitch and doubles by Clint Barmes and Matt Kemp. The first and the third of those contributed to all three runs the Padres scored.

“I just didn’t put a lot of guys away,” Kershaw told reporters after the game. “I got ahead on a few guys and wasn’t able to finish it off.”

Maybe the most interesting aspect of Kershaw’s day was that his most challenging inning was a scoreless one. San Diego hitters fouled off 18 Kershaw pitches in the game — but 10 of those came in the fourth inning, including six with two strikes. Kershaw threw 24 pitches that inning before retiring the side, then gave up what were the go-ahead runs in the fifth.

Dodger manager Don Mattingly credited the Padres’ tenacity.

“Guys are fighting,” Mattingly said. “They’re not gonna just come in here and give up. These are Major League players. There’s a lot of talent. To be honest with you, when you put a team that ends up in last and a team that ends up in first side by side, a lot of times it’s gonna be a lot of close games in there. It’s just not that easy.”

Had Juan Uribe been able to throw out Derek Norris with two out in the fifth inning, Kemp’s two-run double wouldn’t have happened. Mattingly said that Uribe and the Dodgers knew Norris could run, but that Uribe didn’t have a good grip on the ball when he was readying to throw.

“He kind of double-pumped it, double-tapped it … and it takes that split-second longer,” Mattingly said.

Not that Kershaw was holding Uribe responsible.

“They gave me the lead, and I wasn’t able to hold it,” Kershaw said. “A little bit disappointed with that, but you know what, we got some clutch hits.”

And in any case, Kershaw was probably being too hard on himself. Six of the other seven hitters that he had 0-2 in the count struck out.

Billy Crystal’s long connection to the Dodgers

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On April 7, 2015

In Celebrities

Billy Crystal

Actor/comedian Billy Crystal, whose new series “The Comedians” premieres Thursday on FX, is one of baseball’s most famous fans. And though his New York roots run deep, his connection with the Dodgers is longstanding. Read more in this excerpt from the April issue of Dodger Insider magazine. (Click the image to enlarge.)

— Jon Weisman

Personal catchers, schmerschonal catchers

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On April 7, 2015

In Catching, Pitching

Los Angeles Dodgers first workout for pitchers and catchers

By Jon Weisman

A.J. Ellis’ Opening Day partnership with Clayton Kershaw did little to dissuade those who believe that Ellis will remain the Dodger ace’s personal catcher, but you can bet you’ll see Yasmani Grandal behind the plate in several Kershaw starts.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say Ellis won’t catch the majority of Kershaw games. Even if the plan is for Grandal to start 80 percent of the Dodgers’ 162 outings this year, which is about the maximum imaginable, that would still leave at least 32 starts for Ellis, or enough to make him Kershaw’s permanent catcher if that were the desire. (It would be plenty surprising to see Ellis’ starts split evenly among the five spots in the starting rotation.)

But even allowing for Kershaw’s obvious bond with Ellis, several other considerations remain, such as:

  • There are going to be times when the Dodgers want Grandal in the lineup, even when Kershaw is pitching.
  • Kershaw is signed through 2020. Ellis is 34 years old. Grandal is 26. Sooner or later, Grandal will be the guy.
  • Given that the Dodgers traded Matt Kemp primarily to acquire Grandal, he should be the guy.
  • Grandal’s pitch-framing skills should be something the Dodgers want to take advantage of, even when Kershaw is on the mound.
  • Don Mattingly has said repeatedly that he wants every Dodger pitcher to trust every Dodger catcher. For Kershaw, the team leader, to show he’s not willing would set the wrong tone.
  • Kershaw is smart enough to realize all of this.

I’m not sure how many of Kershaw’s starts (usually 33 per year) Ellis would have to take to be defined as his personal catcher. If you make the bar 25 starts, that might happen. If you say 30, that’s a lot less likely.

What I do feel is that this will ultimately reveal itself to be a non-issue. Ellis could catch most of Kershaw’s starts without it being a reflection of Grandal’s worth or ultimate importance to the Dodgers.

Grandal as pinch-hitter

A footnote: As early as the sixth inning of Opening Day, questions were raised about whether Mattingly should have had Grandal pinch-hit for Ellis. After the game, Mattingly replied that he thought it was too early in the game to make such a move — but he didn’t rule out doing so in later innings of future games.

The obvious deterrent is the worry about what would happen if your last catcher then was injured. But Grandal’s ability to stay in the game and play first base would allow the Dodgers to keep two catchers available, though it would mean losing Adrian Gonzalez for the rest of the given game. It’s not a move you want to make, but it’s also not a horrible tradeoff if you think Grandal would make a difference off the bench in a particular moment.

The chances of a second catcher getting hurt late in a game are extremely remote, especially with the plate-blocking rules Major League Baseball instituted last year. However, given that the Dodgers’ have strong pinch-hitting options in Justin Turner, Alex Guerrero and whoever isn’t playing outfield that day, you can probably expect that using a catcher to pinch-hit will remain Mattingly’s last resort.

Storytime theater ends happily for Dodgers

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On April 6, 2015

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

Opening Day at Dodger Stadium usually makes for a good story. But it’s hard to remember one when there was so much story.

Game 1 of 162 wasn’t merely a contest between the two top contenders in the National League West, it was a full-throated battle for narrative.

Matt Kemp took the early lead in the bid for headlines, Clayton Kershaw threatened to sneak his way back in, and Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick and the Padres’ defense all had their moments in the sun (literally and figuratively). For good measure, you had Hanley Ramirez threatening to show up the Dodgers, hitting two home runs out in a far-off time zone.

But standing large-font triumphant at the end of the day were Jimmy Rollins, the Dodger bullpen and ultimately, the Dodgers themselves.

Los Angeles did its fans the big favor of sending them home with a 6-3 victory over San Diego — and plenty of tales to tell.

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Video: Tommy Lasorda’s 2015 motivational

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On April 6, 2015

In Uncategorized


Tommy Lasorda has still got it. Here’s his inspirational speech to the Dodgers at Spring Training (via SportsNetLA’s Backstage Dodgers).

— Jon Weisman

Happy Opening Day, 2015

By

On April 6, 2015

In Dodger Stadium

By Jon Weisman

As the song says, is everyone prepared to face the interesting set of events that are about to take place?

Below, a quick roundup of Dodger Insider posts to help kick off your Opening Day experience.

Check the blog and dodgers.com for frequent updates, follow the Dodgers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, follow Dodger Insider on Twitter — and have a great day!

Longtime Dodger Billy De Lury passes away

By

On April 5, 2015

In Farewells

Vin Scully and Billy DeLury (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
Vin Scully and Billy DeLury (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

Billy DeLury, a Dodger employee since 1950, the same year Vin Scully joined the organization, passed away Saturday evening. He was 81 years old.

“I was privileged to know Bill DeLury for more than 60 years,” Scully said, “from the time he was an office boy in Brooklyn and rose to become a most valuable member of the organization as our traveling secretary. A Dodger from head to toe. A respected baseball man. And a deeply religious husband and father. Anyone and everyone in baseball who knew Bill will mourn his passing and he will be truly missed.”

Said Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten: “Billy’s consistent dedication and outstanding character were both an inspiration in our front office as well as a daily reminder of our roots in Brooklyn. His presence will be missed by all who knew him.”

A native of Brooklyn, DeLury began his career with the Dodgers on September 1, 1950 at age 17 after graduating from high school, employed by the organization both in New York and Vero Beach, starting out in jobs including laundry and the mail room. He received his first World Series ring in 1955 while, as he called himself, “an office boy.”

Working his way up the ladder, DeLury sold advertising for Dodger programs, then moved into the minor-league department under vice president Fresco Thompson, before becoming assistant ticket manager and, for more than 20 years, the Dodgers’ traveling secretary. His service with the Dodgers was continuous, save for his military duty from 1957-58. In recent years, he has served as an assistant to the broadcasters and to the traveling secretary.

Billy

Billy DeLury with Vin Scully, Sandy Koufax, Jaime Jarrin, Tommy Lasorda and Maury Wills

A famous DeLury story involved him getting the assignment, while still a teenager, to leave the Polo Grounds in the ninth inning of the final game of the 1951 National League playoff between the Giants and the Dodgers, with Brooklyn ahead 4-1, to take the train back to Ebbets Field and begin distributing World Series tickets. When he arrived, there were no crowds, only a night watchman who told him of Bobby Thomson’s home run, which was dubbed the “shot heard ’round the world.”

Update: Jon SooHoo has posted some of his favorite photos of DeLury.

Dodgers make difficult cuts to set 25-man roster

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On April 4, 2015

In Bullpen, Status report, Transactions

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs Los Angeles Dodgers

For more photos from Saturday, visit LA Photog Blog.

By Jon Weisman

Here it is: the Dodgers’ Opening Day 25-man roster …

Starting pitchers (4): Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson

Relief pitchers (7): Pedro Baez, Yimi Garcia, Chris Hatcher, J.P. Howell, Juan Nicasio, Joel Peralta, Paco Rodriguez

Catchers (2): A.J. Ellis, Yasmani Grandal

Infielders (7): Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, Jimmy Rollins, Juan Uribe, Darwin Barney, Alex Guerrero, Justin Turner

Outfielders (5): Carl Crawford, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier, Scott Van Slyke

Disabled list (4): Brandon Beachy, Kenley Jansen, Brandon League, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Chris Withrow

As evidenced by the ninth-inning homer that Kiké Hernandez hit tonight, giving the Dodgers an unreal eighth tie of Spring Training, the Dodgers are sending a lot of talent back to the minors. Hernandez alone hit six home runs during Spring Training.

Chris Heisey, David Aardsma, David Huff, Adam Liberatore and Sergio Santos were also among the last cuts.

“We feel very strongly we sent down some Major League players,” Dodger president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters after the game. “To have that depth is key.”

In the bullpen, the Dodgers kept three relievers who had options remaining — Baez, Garcia and Rodriguez — at the expense of others with more big-league experience, giving them five relievers age 30 or under. Though they released Dustin McGowan earlier this week, the Dodgers lost no other talent at the roster deadline, so their stockpile of relievers remains — and that’s with Jansen, League and Withrow potentially returning at various times later this year.

Liberatore, who struck out nine in 10 1/3 scoreless innings this spring while allowing seven baserunners, was a particularly close call, but as with so many of these players, he’ll likely have his chance. That the 27-year-old hasn’t made his MLB debut yet worked against him for Opening Day, said Friedman, who valued the younger Rodriguez’s experience for the start of the season.

Rodriguez not only matched Liberatore’s scoreless spring, he struck out 13 in 10 2/3 innings. But as the Dodgers have maintained all along, it’s about more than just numbers.

“Paco probably generated some of the worst swings out of hitters this camp,” said Friedman.  “Lib will get his chance.”

Mike Adams, who appears to be contemplating retirement, is technically reassigned to minor-league camp, according to Friedman.

Left unsaid for now is who will be the Dodgers’ fifth starter come April 14. Because that date comes less than 10 days after the start of the season — and the start of his option this year to the minors — Joe Wieland could fill that role only if he replaces a player who goes on the disabled list. A player not currently on the 40-man roster, such as Huff, could have his contract purchased for a spot start if the Dodgers make room for him.

Also delayed: Paring the Dodger bench. The Dodgers will begin the season with 11 pitchers and 14 position players, but by mid-April, the Dodgers figure to go with a 12-man pitching staff. Barney, who has done nothing but impress since becoming a Dodger last year, nevertheless stands as a player who could spend time in the minors, however briefly, if no other moves are made.

In my 14 seasons blogging about the Dodgers (I’m staring at that “14” in disbelief), this is the deepest team they have brought to Opening Day. Not every question has been answered, but no team has ever been bulletproof.  The bench and farm system are as rich as they’ve been since, well, the 1900s. Even starting the season with their No. 3 starter and No. 1 reliever on the disabled list, it’s striking how much talent the 2015 Dodgers have to draw from up and down the line.

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Attendance

1991-2013
Dodgers at home: 1,028-812 (.558695)
When Jon attended: 338-267 (.558677)*
When Jon didn’t: 695-554 (.556)
* includes road games attended

2013
Dodgers at home: 51-35 (.593)
When Jon attended: 5-2 (.714)
When Jon didn’t: 46-33 (.582)

Note: I got so busy working for the Dodgers that in 2014, I stopped keeping track, much to my regret. 

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