By Jon Weisman
Pitching prospect Julio Urias turned 19 today, 19 and still a Dodger, 12 days after the MLB non-waiver trade deadline.
Among other things, the occasion made me wonder whom a 19-year-old Clayton Kershaw might have been traded for, back in 2007.
By Jon Weisman
With three strikeouts tonight, Clayton Kershaw will have his sixth consecutive 200-strikeout season.
The only Dodger to strike out 200 in six straight years is Sandy Koufax (1961-66). The only other Major Leaguers to do it are …
Hernandez has 145 strikeouts this season.
By Jon Weisman
Yimi Garcia has returned to the Dodgers from Triple-A Oklahoma City, with Joel Peralta going on the disabled list with a right neck strain.
In his past six games — five in the minors, one July 28 with the Dodgers — Garcia hasn’t allowed a run in 7 1/3 innings, scattering six baserunners while striking out six. With the Dodgers this year, Garcia — who turns 25 a week from today — has a 3.99 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Peralta, who has been having trouble finishing pitches, has allowed 12 runs in 14 1/3 innings since coming off the disabled list in June. Before that, in April, he pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Dodger bullpen has allowed runs in nine of its past 10 games, but don’t blame Pedro Baez. He has a streak of 11 consecutive scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts against eight baserunners. Forced into action Monday after others were used Sunday, Baez and Kenley Jansen combined to strike out seven of the nine batters they faced, using 35 pitches.
By Jon Weisman
Kiké Hernandez is nothing if not a man of personas. And if we know nothing else, we know he’s not nothing.
By Jon Weisman
“Life moves pretty fast,” warned Ferris Bueller, no doubt with Jose Peraza in mind.
With Howie Kendrick and his strained left hamstring officially headed to the disabled list, Peraza — the 21-year-old infielder acquired from Atlanta in the Dodgers’ July 30 three-team deal — has been called up to make his Major League debut for Los Angeles.
Born on April 30, 1994 — the day that the Dodgers rallied from a 10-5, eighth-inning deficit to beat the Mets — Peraza is poised to become the youngest Dodger since Clayton Kershaw made his debut on May 25, 2008 at 20 years and 67 days. And, he’ll be the Dodgers’ youngest position player since Adrian Beltre, who was 19 when he was called up in 1998.
Peraza has a .318 on-base percentage and .379 slugging percentage in Triple-A this season, numbers that have soared to .415 and .590 since moving to Oklahoma City. He has also stolen 27 bases in 34 attempts this year.
Kendrick has a .341 OBP and .418 slugging percentage in his first season with the Dodgers and is fifth among National League second basemen in wins above replacement. Since July 20, Kendrick was hitting .396/.420/.583.
Also tonight, Scott Van Slyke is making his second career start batting in the No. 3 spot, and first since May 15, 2012. Kiké Hernandez is making his third career start batting fifth.
Also, Carlos Frias is back on the disabled list with lower back tightness. Frias was optioned to the minors earlier this month, but technically, that action has been voided.
Update: Van Slyke and Puig have shifted spots in the lineup.
[mlbvideo id=”352826983″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
In the wake of Neil Walker’s “What does a yellow line mean?” triple Sunday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, I thought you might enjoy this snapshot of not-so-simple Ebbets Field ground rules, straight from page 38 of the 1956 Dodger Yearbook.
— Jon Weisman
[mlbvideo id=”352652883″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman
“Darkest before the dawn” can be a tough sell, especially when “darkest before it gets even darker” is also true. It’s hard to know whether it’s midnight or 5 a.m.
Individual games and series disappear quickly behind you, succumbing to the omnipotence of “What just happened?” Just as the sweep over the Angels or the two victories against the Phillies are already distant memories, so too will be the three excruciating Dodger losses this weekend to the Pirates. A walkoff defeat in the 10th, a one-run loss with the tying run in scoring position in the ninth, and then Sunday’s come-from-ahead, 13-6 electroshock featuring a numbing nine-run seventh.
By this time Tuesday, we’ll be talking about how the Dodgers found a ray of daylight against the Nationals, or how they slipped deeper into the void by losing their fourth game in a row for the first time this year. Los Angeles is 5-0 after it has lost three games this season.
Complicating our vision is what appears to be a rather serious injury to Howie Kendrick, a strained left hamstring that will receive an MRI today but that already has the Dodgers preparing for an extended absence. Until third baseman Justin Turner returns, the Dodgers are without half their starting infield. Kiké Hernandez, hitting .400/.450/.714 (but mostly against southpaws) is a candidate to take some at-bats, with newly acquired Jose Peraza (.385/.415/.590 for Triple-A Oklahoma City) perhaps getting a call.
The Dodgers are also looking for salvation for their bullpen. Saturday’s four shutout innings ended a streak of eight straight games that the Dodger relievers had allowed a run, but faced with an equal task Sunday, Jim Johnson entered a nightmare, with eight batters reaching base, interrupted only by a sacrifice fly and topped off by a three-run homer off Joel Peralta by Jung Ho Kang.
So yes, darkness.
At the outset of Sunday’s game, I ranted out several tweets that might have seemed ill-timed by the ugly seventh inning, but that actually were all the more appropriate. Here is the text:
Imperfection is not the same as incompetence. Not having reached the ideal — especially in August — does not mean the season is lost.
Look, I understand that until a new World Series title is won, many Dodger fans live in a binary world, where nothing is good unless everything is good. I understand that. I do. I could feel the rising anger with every run the Pirates scored.
I also know that the Dodgers could have the best record in baseball, and while the national coverage in that case might be good, for sure there would still be concern here at home over what was lacking. Going 26 years and 10 months without a championship makes insecurity a permanent condition.
There are good signs for this team, and there are bad. But the best sign of all is there are still games to play. Whether it’s midnight or 5 a.m., the night is far from over.
[mlbvideo id=”347075883″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman
Since taking two days off to regroup during last weekend’s series against the Angels, and then returning in the bottom third of the batting order, rookie outfielder Joc Pederson has seen some progress.
Pederson has resembled the player he was in April, when he was bringing solid defense and walking all the time but hitting one home run in his first 11 games. This past week, Pederson has two singles, a double and eight walks in 23 plate appearances with five strikeouts, so while the slugging percentage is languishing at .267, the on-base percentage is at .478.
In July, Pederson walked four times the entire month, struck out 31 times and slugged .258.
Kiké Hernandez has cushioned the effect of Pederson’s post-July struggles, with a .421 OBP and .606 slugging since July 1.
The Dodgers are still a few days away from activating third baseman Justin Turner, Don Mattingly told reporters.
[mlbvideo id=”342913383″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman
One month ago, the night he broke a 7-7 tie with the game-winning RBI in a 10-7 victory over his former Philadelphia team, Jimmy Rollins described the changes he was attempting to revitalize a difficult season.
“I’ve been working on hitting the ball the other way,” Rollins said. “It’s a new swing, so it has its ups and downs, but tonight on the last hit, it worked out for me.”
Things have been working out pretty well for Rollins ever since. Dating back to that night, Rollins has a .333 on-base percentage, .505 slugging percentage and .839 OPS. In 55 plate appearances since July 23, Rollins has a .418 OBP, .653 slugging and 1.071 OPS.
The defense, which has been there all season, hasn’t suffered, illustrated most recently by his snap throw to first base Friday to catch Gregory Polanco taking a wide turn after a base hit. And one of the great, smart hustle plays of the year, Rollins scored from second base in the second inning on Howie Kendrick’s infield single in the third inning. (Rollins had just stolen second base to get into scoring position.)
Rollins predicted a month ago that he would heat up in the second half, and so far he has been good to his word. Since the All-Star Break, Rollins is third among Dodger position players in wins above replacement, behind Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner.
[mlbvideo id=”345905283″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman
Clayton Kershaw had pitched 37 straight shutout innings, the last 25 of them against the Nationals, Mets and Angels — teams that are a combined 21 games above .500. Strength of schedule has not been an issue for Kershaw.
But Kershaw, by his own admission, wasn’t sharp in the Dodgers’ 5-4, 10-inning loss Friday to Pittsburgh. He allowed four runs (most since May 21) on 12 baserunners (most since May 10) in six innings (fewest since June 17) while striking out five (tying a season low).
“It was a tough one,” Kershaw said, according to Bill Plunkett of the Register. “I struggled all the way through pretty much. I didn’t have good stuff. I was getting to two strikes, wasn’t putting anyone away.”
There were unforced errors: a first-pitch home run by Gregory Polanco, a bases-loaded walk to Chris Stewart (Kershaw’s first since allowing one to Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright on July 24, 2012). But it’s not as if fate made the game easy on him. Kershaw was hit by baseballs three times — twice on defense, once while batting.
By Jon Weisman
One of the amusing parts of the hysteric reaction many had to Clayton Kershaw’s early-season struggles — such as they were — was sitting back and going, “Everyone’s asking ‘What’s wrong with Kershaw?’ Watch him win another Cy Young Award.”
Well …
Zack Greinke, for all his ongoing greatness, allowed six runs Thursday. Max Scherzer has a 3.86 ERA in his past six starts. And so we have this:
Kershaw wouldn’t win the award if there was a vote today, but thanks to a 37-inning scoreless streak (detailed here) and a 1.10 ERA in his past 12 starts, he has closed the gap considerably. You could say he’s No. 3 with a bullet.
Fielding-independent pitching is the key here. No, it’s not that so many voters value FIP or xFIP over more conventional stats. But by leading the National League in those two categories — by significant margins — Kershaw shows that he’s the most likely of the Cy Young contenders to finish the season strong. Just as his league-leading xFIP of 2.15 on May 21 — when his ERA was 4.32 — showed that Kershaw was actually underrated (yep, I wrote that) and not worth all the panic.
Then there’s Kershaw’s history. From 2011-14, Kershaw’s ERA after the All-Star break was 1.70. His worst post-All-Star ERA in that time was 2.10 in 2012.
In other words, between bad luck and Kershaw’s proven level of dedication and determination, it would have been more surprising if Kershaw hadn’t launched himself into Cy Young contention. Instead, a fourth award is within reach — a milestone achieved only by Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton and Greg Maddux.
Kershaw probably won’t win the award if he doesn’t capture what would be a fifth-straight ERA title. Right now, the award is still Greinke’s — especially if the Dodger righty keeps that ERA below 2.00. With his league-leading Wins Above Replacement, Scherzer is surely in the running as well.
And there are other threats. There’s Jacob deGrom and his 2.09 ERA pitching the Mets to a surprising NL East lead (remember, the only time Kershaw has lost a Cy Young since 2011 was to a Met, R.A. Dickey). Gerrit Cole — tonight’s opponent for Kershaw and the Dodgers in a sterling matchup at Pittsburgh — also has a lower ERA than Kershaw’s and a chance at a 20-win season for those who still care. Jake Arrietta of the Cubs is sort of a blend of the deGrom and Cole candidacies. Arrietta is nearly as hot as Kershaw right now, with a 1.37 ERA in his past nine starts.
Who do you think will win?
[mlbvideo id=”339112083″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman
How weird was Zack Greinke’s day?
His third-inning home run in the Dodgers’ 10-8 victory at Philadelphia ranked about fifth on the list of today’s most unlikely events.
Earning top billing among Greinke’s exploits were …
And then, there was the final play of the game … but we’ll get to that.
When the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead after two were out in the top of the first inning, you could be excused for thinking the game was all but over. It had been 10 starts since Greinke last allowed three runs in a game, and only on June 2 at Colorado had he exceeded that amount.
But after fielding Cesar Hernandez’s tapper in front of the plate, Greinke threw wildly to first base — and seemed discombobulated through Howard’s two-run single and Dominic Brown’s three-run homer.
Greinke retired the next three batters, then vented some aggression by leading off the second inning with the first of his three hits and six total bases (tying July 8, 2013 for his career best). Greinke would come around to score on an Adrian Gonzalez’s three-run homer that put the Dodgers ahead to stay.
It would be Greinke’s own blast to left field, the fifth homer of his career, that would give the Dodgers’ their seventh run and help ensure he left the game with the lead.
Zack Greinke is the first Dodgers pitcher to go 3-3 or better with a home run since Leo Dickerman in 1923.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 6, 2015
Greinke now has a .231 on-base percentage and .300 slugging percentage this season. San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner, who has three homers this year, is at .265/.426.
After Brown’s homer, Greinke retired 18 of his remaining 22 batters, with one run scoring. Greinke has allowed 30 runs all season, and 20 percent of them were scored today.
Every Dodger starter had a hit in this game, with Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, Yasmani Grandal, Andre Ethier and Alberto Callaspo reaching base twice.
J.P. Howell and Juan Nicasio combined for two shutout innings. However, the Phillies scored two runs in the ninth, charged to Joel Peralta, meaning that the Dodger bullpen has allowed runs in seven straight games and 10 of its past 11.
Brown came to the plate as the winning run with one out. He ripped a liner down the line that Gonzalez dived to catch with his body on first base, to double off Howard and end the game.
[mlbvideo id=”339369483″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
Tiffany Billingsley (left) has been quietly going through chemotherapy to beat a rare but aggressive form of cancer called gestational choriocarcinoma. (MLB.com)
By Jon Weisman
Before the first of three midweek day games this month, followed by August 19 at Oakland and August 27 at Cincinnati, here is some quick news, led by a life-and-death story …
In a game that featured a three-run homer by Yasiel Puig in the first inning but 12 other runners subsequently left on base, the Dodgers held on for a 4-3 victory over Philadelphia tonight — with Kenley Jansen striking out the side in the ninth to end a streak of three consecutive games allowing runs.
With two months to go in the season, Brett Anderson has tied his career high of 13 quality starts. He pitched six innings of one-run ball, and has held the opposition to two runs or less in 10 of those 13 quality starts.
— Jon Weisman
What happens when three old friends in crisis fall into an unexpected love triangle? In The Catch, Maya, Henry and Daniel embark upon an emotional journey that forces them to confront unresolved pain, present-day traumas and powerful desires, leading them to question the very meaning of love and fulfillment. The Catch tells a tale of ordinary people seeking the extraordinary – or, if that’s asking too much, some damn peace of mind.
Thank You For Not ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén
