Dodger Thoughts

You can’t say Dodger games aren’t exciting these days. Not sure I’ve seen this linescore in the final two innings before …

Dodgers 001 000 022 - 5
Rockies 000 011 033 - 8

Jason Giambi’s pinch-hit, three-run home run off Scott Elbert ended the game of leapfrog in the bottom of the ninth, giving Colorado an 8-5 victory over Los Angeles.

The frolic began after the Dodgers, who took a 1-0 lead in the third when Mark Ellis drove home A.J. Ellis with a single, fell behind on solo homers off Clayton Kershaw (who brought a career ERA at Coors Field of 5.88 into the game) by Carlos Gonzalez in the fourth and Wilin Rosario in the fifth. It remained that way after Jerry Hairston Jr. was erroneously called out to end the sixth.

In the top of the eighth, Hairston got another chance after singles by newly crowned NL April Player of the Month Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier — and delivered a two-run double for a 3-2 lead.

Kershaw had only thrown 81 pitches to that point and looked like he might be a good bet for a complete-game victory, but it didn’t happen.  He allowed three runs, capped by Gonzalez’s second homer of the game — the first time in Kershaw’s career he’s allowed a homer hat trick to another team.

But even against Rafael Betancourt, who had allowed one run in 10 innings all season, the Dodgers weren’t done. Adam Kennedy, whose .095 batting average nearly mirrored Betancourt’s 0.90 ERA, singled. Two outs later and with Kennedy stuck on first, the Rockies walked Kemp intentionally rather than give him the chance to tie the game with one swing. (For Kemp, it was the sixth game of at least three walks in his career, something I predicted after noting Juan Rivera batting behind him and a left-hander starting the game.

That brought to the plate Dee Gordon, who was in the cleanup spot thanks to a double switch in the previous inning. On a 2-2 pitch, Gordon doubled and tied the game at 5.

Jamey Wright, who had finished the eighth inning for the Dodgers, came back out in the ninth and immediately dug a hole by walking Eric Young, Jr. and Marco Scutaro.  A sacrifice bunt later, Giambi came up in place of Dexter Fowler, and Scott Elbert — whose career lowpoint came at Coors Field two Mays ago — gave up the game-winning blast on a 1-0 fastball.

In addition to television coverage on Prime Ticket and KCAL, the press conference introducing the new Dodger ownership team will be streamed at MLB.com and FoxSportsWest.com. Time permitting, I will live-blog some quotes in this space.

Vin Scully: “By the time the day is over, you will sense the following things … commitment, fan-friendly, definition of winning, complete and honorable way to get there, and above all, longevity.”

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Mark Walter: “A man who realizes that the owners of this team are really the people of this town.”

Scully, telling the tale of a young prospect. “The manager was asked, ‘Just how good is this kid, what’s his ceiling, how high can he go?’ The manager thought for a moment, and said, ‘His ceiling is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.’ It’s time now to meet the group that will take the Dodgers higher than the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.”

Walter: “Thank you, Mr. Scully.”

Walter: “This is really not about us. This is about the Dodgers. One of the most honored and storied franchises in history, with limitless pride and potential. And for us, the Dodgers begin with the fans. … We are passionate about making this organization the best it can be in every respect, from winning, to its relationship with the community and to all the philanthropic things it can be a platform with. We know this is going to be hard work, and it’s going to take time … but I promise you this commitment to work will be a labor of love.”

Magic Johnson: “I just talked to the employees. It starts with you, because if you’re the best, it trickles down to the players on the field.”

Johnson: “Yes, we’re in first place, but it’s early in the season, so we want to continue to support the team. We know we have the best pitcher in baseball in Clayton Kershaw and the best player in baseball in Matt Kemp.”

Johnson: “We’re going to outwork everybody. I can’t wait until my office is done. … I told my team, I’m a man who gets up early and will be here early.”

Johnson: “Mr. O’Malley, thank you. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we just have to go back to the time where you had it before.”

Johnson: “Chick Hearn used to call my games, the sweertst voice in basketball. And now I get the cahnce, the sweetest voice, I’m almost about to cry, and now I got Vin Scully.”

Johnson: “General parking is going down from $15 to $10.”

Stan Kasten: “The team, the fan experience and our relationship with our community. I assure you I could spend an hour on each of these subjects … and I’m just coming off a six-month gag order, so I’ve got a lot to say.”

Kasten: “A culture of winning – for me, that has always started and ended with a scouting and player development system … both domestically and increasingly important, internationally.”

Kasten: “The other commitment we want to make is our own personal availability and accessibility. … You won’t have to look for me. I’ll be on the concourse.”

Kasten: “Today I want to announce a special e-mail suggestion box: fanbox@ladodgers.com. We want to hear from all of you. Send us your thoughts and your suggestions … this is how we’re going to do it.”

Kasten: “We’re going to liberalize our policy for access to batting practice. We’re going to have more access for autographs.  We’re going to do a lot more with social media. … There will be times you will have players in full uniform greeting fans at the gate. The players understand why this is important. You never get any pushback – you just have to ask them.”

Scully: “Walking across the field with Ned Colletti, it seemed like just yesterday we were just introducing Joe Torre and the McCourts. And my mind began to wonder, and I realized I was there to see Branch Rickey hand off the franchise to Walter O’Malley.”

Rob Manfred, MLB executive: “Dodger fans have stayed loyal through difficult times, and we know this ownership group will reward them for their support.”

Scully: “I will finish with a disappointing note.  … They were going to have a small basketball court put out here, and Magic and I were going to go one on one, skins against the shirts. Unfortunately during the Washington Nationals series, I suffered a split infinitive and will not be able to contest.”

Moving on to the Q&A …

Kasten (slight paraphrase): “No team has had sustained success without a sound scouting and player development system. But we understand where we are, this market, this fan base … these fans deserve a team that can win, can repeat, can contend well. We intend to be aggressive with that as well. We’re not going to pass up any opportunity. We’re not going to wait for 25 kids to grow into their uniform.”

Johnson: “I’m gonna be involved — heavily.”

Walter: “A hundred percent of all the operations of this baseball team … everything that happens in Chavez Ravine and the Dodgers is controlled and managed by us, and all of the money from all that goes to the Dodgers. Former ownership does have an economic interest in the profits from the possible eventual development of any part of the property, but that’s down the road. In terms of current operations, parking, it’s not related to that.”

Johnson: “I don’t want the fans to think just because we wrote a big check that we’re gonna stop now. … We’re out to win, and we’re out to win for the fans. I don’t want that question to go, ‘Now we’re short on money.’ … I didn’t come here to not win and not give the fans a great experience, because they deserve that.”

Kasten: “During the due diligence phase of this purchase, I had a day where we brought in a dozen engineers to really survey the building. That’s why I referred to the back-of-the-house  things that need near-term attention: power, water, information systems. As far as enhancements, we have ideas. … Our plan is to retain those things that make this ballpark so special but try to upgrade the experience so that it’s more in keeping with what fans can expect in the 21^st century. We think we can do both.”

Walter: “We don’t have any plans for development, but there’s 300 acres here. I don’t know what the future may or may not hold, but we don’t have any current plans.”

Kasten: “Nothing can be developed if we don’t think it’s good for our fans and (the franchise).”

Johnson: “Frank McCourt is not involved in any, shape, fashion. If you need me to come up, I’m 6-9. The rumors, we’re squashing them right now … his only future profits is from new development, if we do any. There’s nothing on the table.”

Johnson: “This franchise is moving forward with us. If (McCourt) is part of the future development, so what? … That’s how you got to get it sometimes. We own it. We control everything. Fans got to understand, we’re going to make sure we’re going to win and have a great team every day and that they’re going to have a great experience. … Frank’s not here, he’s not part of the Dodgers anymore — we should be clapping just for that.”

Walter: “It is a lot of money. I believe the value is there. If we do things right … I believe people will look back and say the value is there.

Scully: “I am telling each and every one of you right now — this is the last new ownership press conference I will ever attend.”

* * *

• Using data from Baseball Info Solutions, ESPN.com determined that Jerry Hariston, Jr. was April’s top defensive player in the National League.
  

  … Hairston was able to make the good play and the great play. He finished April tied with Ryan Zimmerman for the major league lead with four Web Gems (including the No. 1 Gem on consecutive nights). He was credited with one Defensive Run Saved at second base, one at third base and two in left field.

  Hairston finished April with a Good Play/Misplay tally of 11 to 1 in only 15 games in his first month with the Dodgers.

  His highlight-reel play came on April 19 against the Milwaukee Brewers while playing third base, when he robbed Alex Gonzalez of the game-tying hit in the eighth inning with a diving stop and throw from his knees on a groundball down the line.

  The next day, he missed on a similar diving attempt against Jose Altuve of the Astros, but then sprinted into foul territory and threw a strike to second base to nail Altuve’s attempt at an extra-base hit.

  Hairston got six of our 10 first-place votes, and even someone who voted him second-best was quite impressed. “No matter where you put him on the field, he posseses the ability to make a dynamic play,” Singleton said. “His value as a utility player is as high as anyone on the defensive side.” …

• Ted Lilly left Tuesday’s game after six innings and 79 pitches because of a stiff side muscle, while Juan Uribe re-injured his wrist during batting practice, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Times. No immediate word on whether the pair might miss more playing time.
• Albuquerque infielder Luis Cruz has known Isotopes manager Lorenzo Bundy since childhood, writes Christopher Jackson of Albuquerque Baseball Examiner.
• Clayton Kershaw’s ERA at Coors Field: 6.75 in 2011, 5.88 in his career (49 innings).

On a night that Dee Gordon hit his first major-league home run (off the upper deck, no less) …

On a night that Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis also hit taters …

On a night that Ted Lilly pitched an effective six innings …

On a night that Mark Ellis had four hits and fine defense …

On a night that Javy Guerra struck out the first and last batters of the ninth inning …

I’m not going to spend a moment worrying about what might have gone wrong in between.

Dodgers 7, Rockies 6.

Some Matt Kemp facts to wrap up April, from ESPN Stats & Information, starting with the fact that Kemp led the majors with a weighted on-base average (wOBA) of .559:

This statistic measures the overall offensive value of a player. Each offensive “event” (single, double, etc) is weighted in proportion to its run value, or how much it contributes to a run scored, and it is based on the concept that all hits are not created equal.

The MLB average wOBA this season is .326. Anything over .400 is considered great, in the top 10 percentile, and anything below .240 is considered bad, in the bottom 10 percentile.

• Kemp finished April with a 1.383 OPS, almost 200 points higher than the second-highest total (David Ortiz). It’s the highest OPS for any player in a calendar month since the start of 2009.
• Kemp finished April with a .417 BA, 12 HR and 25 RBI. He is just the third player since 1920 (when RBI became official) to hit .400 with 10+ HR and 25+ RBI in April.
• Kemp dominated the zone, batting .456 against pitches in the strike zone.

Cliff Corcoran of SI.com and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com have their own looks at how great Kemp has been.

Elsewhere …

• Major League Baseball has seen at least 26 of its personnel arrested for driving under the influence since 2004, notes Arun Gupta of Struck Out Swinging (via Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk).
• Bill Shaikin of the Times explored the possibility of the Angels swooping in for a downtown Los Angeles stadium.
• Starting in 2013, the Dodgers and Angels might no longer play each other in two different series each year, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
• Sons of Steve Garvey wonders if Javy Guerra succumbed to the Snuggie curse.
• Ryan Braun became the first player with three home runs and a triple in the same game since Fred Lynn on June 18, 1975, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
• Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven innings of one-run ball for the Yankees and helped himself with this tag at the plate.
• Reds prospect Billy Hamilton (the 21st-century version, not the 19th-century one) looks even faster than Dee Gordon. How fast is he? Let Sam Miller of Baseball Prospectus show you.
• From the entertainment side: What do Grover Cleveland and Curb Your Enthusiasm have in common?
• Eric Nusbaum shares his ballot for the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals at Pitchers & Poets. “Predictably, I leaned toward Dodger-associated figures and pitchers who ooze weird style,” Nusbaum writes. “I also thought it was important to take advantage of this more democratic induction process to get women their rightful respect and appreciation in the baseball world.”

Hey, if you can strike out Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier with the bases loaded, I tip my hat to you.

Colorado used three relievers to retire Kemp, Ethier and pinch-hitter Juan Rivera to escape the sacks-filled, none-out situation in the seventh inning tonight at Coors Field, enabling the Rockies to take a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Kemp hit his 12th home run of April in the first inning, and also had a catch above the center-field wall in the fifth, but Aaron Harang was nicked for five runs on seven baserunners in 5 2/3 innings.

Matt Kemp’s OPS in 2012: 1.382.

Matt Kemp’s career OPS at Coors Field: 1.285.

Clearly, he’s headed for a slump over the next three games.

As we wait for today’s Rockin’ New Ownership special …

• It’s sugar, baseball cards and the need to stop time today for Josh Wilker of Cardboard Gods (via The Classical).
• Moose Skowron, the former Yankee (and 1963 Dodger World Series hero), is remembered by Bruce Markusen at Bronx Banter.
• A new official scoring guideline came into play during Sunday’s Angels-Indians game, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Errors can now be charged on balls that fielders don’t touch, which meant that when Torii Hunter lost a ball in the sun, it went for a two-base (and two-run) error, rather than a double as it would have been in past years.
• Chad Billingsley was a model of pitching in this Saturday sequence described in detail by Carson Cistulli of Fangraphs.
• Juan Uribe had a .476 on-base percentage and .500 slugging last week, notes Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.
• Two Rancho Cucamonga minor-leaguers had big strikeout games this weekend: Andres Santiago and Garrett Gould.
• Former Dodger reliever George Sherrill will have Tommy John surgery (via Hardball Talk).
• Interesting what Cleveland Press sportswriter Franklin Lewis wanted to change about baseball – in 1957. Larry Granillo shares the info at Baseball Prospectus.
• Dodgers public relations staffer Amy Summers, who’s been great to Dodger Thoughts over the years, has left for a new job at Time Warner, according to Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Best of luck!

Mark J. Terrill/AP

What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon, Mary. … Then you can swallow it, and it’ll all dissolve, see… and the moonbeams would shoot out of your fingers and your toes and the ends of your hair …

Because of Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, the baseball world focused its attention on Dodger Stadium on Saturday.

Because of what happened over the next three and a half hours, the baseball world can’t stop buzzing.

And because of Matt Kemp … wow.

Kemp’s walkoff home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, his team-record 11th of April, gave the Dodgers a 4-3 victory in a game that for six innings was a taut pitcher’s duel, and for the remaining four played like a cat all tangled up in a ball of yarn … until Kemp smothered it all up and threw it in the air like skyrockets.

There’s so much more we could talk about, but I think I’m just gonna go with this:

Uribe’s double would have been the most stunning thing in the inning if not for the three wild pitches from the Nationals’ own version of Lucile II, Henry Rodriguez. The second one came with Washington one strike away from winning.

In the 10th, after Jamey Wright continued his unreal run of strikeouts (he now has 10 in nine innings this season), Kemp came up and did … well, kinda did what everyone expected him to do, once an intentional walk wasn’t offered. He drivered a ball that would have made Bubba Watson envious, sending it over the wall to dead center and the crowd into delirium. Dodger Stadium, buoyed by a bobblehead-Harper-Strasburg crowd, was rocking.

Strasburg and Chad Billingsley, who each pitched six shutout innings before allowing single runs in the seventh, deserve credit for setting up the night’s unbelievable third act – as does Jerry Hairston Jr. for his daredevil exploits in the field and racing into home to survive a laser Harper throw. (Hairston later left the game with a left wrist contusion.) A number of people on Twitter were saying this was the best baseball game of the 2012 season to date, and while there’s no doubt some hype to that, for the Dodgers and their fans, it’s the kind of hype you like to be a part of. What a nice change.

Remember, George: no team is a failure that has Matt Kemp.