Dodger Thoughts

On June 3, 2015

In Pregame, Transactions

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Dodgers at Rockies, 5:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Alex Guerrero, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Mike Bolsinger, P

By Jon Weisman

I strongly recommend you read Eric Stephen’s piece at True Blue L.A. today on the Dodger offense, which is starting to take on criticism for hitting too many home runs. Yeah, really.

At the heart of the problem is the increasing circulation of the misleading statistic that 49 percent of the Dodger offense has been produced by home runs (117 of the Dodgers’ 238 runs have been driven in by homers) — which conveniently ignores how the guys who scored ahead of the home runs get on base.

Example: Do you really want to be arguing that the three ninth-inning singles Tuesday had *nothing* to do with Alex Guerrero's grand slam?

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) June 3, 2015

I guess the fear is that somehow, if the Dodgers score too many runs on home runs, then they’ll be in trouble in October when the home runs don’t come so easily — as if somehow walks, hit-and-runs and stolen bases in the playoffs somehow are a piece of cake.

Let’s find other things to think about …

Tonight’s Dodger game has been — shocker, I know — delayed by rain. No cancellation is expected.
Hector Olivera is expected begin his professional career Thursday with Double-A Tulsa in a 5:05 Pacific game against Midland.
Yasiel Puig is expected to start his rehab assignment with Rancho Cucamonga in a 6:30 p.m. game at Lancaster. His last rehab assignment began three weeks ago but was cut short May 8.
Ian Thomas, the 26th man on the roster for Tuesday’s doubleheader, has been returned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
In the wake of Joc Pederson’s awesome power display Tuesday, Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs looks at Joc Pederson’s awesome power.
ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, updated through Tuesday, is a lot of fun to look at today.
Talk about batting 1.000 …

In 523 combined plate appearances, Pederson, Gonzalez and Guerrero have hit .297/.383/.617/1.000! with 61 walks, 33 doubles and 37 homers

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) June 3, 2015

Puigiversary

On June 3, 2015

In Uncategorized

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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 …

‘I am speechless — I am without speech’

In Postgame

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8XhiaUE9xg&feature=youtu.be&t=17s

By Jon Weisman

How can something be so exhilarating and so exhausting at once?

How can Joc Pederson hit two homers and a triple in one day … and his team still be one strike away from two losses?

How can his team still be down by three with two out and two strikes on the batter … and win the game?

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? pic.twitter.com/0ptBa5a4Mu

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) June 3, 2015

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Doctor, my eyes … my eyes are fried.

If you’re a Los Angeles Dodger fan, this was a first for your team.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, according to Elias Sports and the Dodger public relations department, the Dodgers had hit five other grand slams after two were out in the ninth. Four of those were in tie games. After the only previous two-out, come-from-behind grand slam in the ninth inning, the Dodgers still lost the game. Todd Benzinger’s heroic blast on September 4, 1992 was not enough to prevent a ninth-inning collapse and the Dodgers falling to 54-80 in that misbegotten season.

Kenley Jansen made sure that didn’t happen again.

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How in the world is Guerrero doing this? Ten home runs in 98 at-bats. A 1.011 OPS.

Babe freakin Guerrero!!

— Brandon Beachy (@Brandon_Beachy) June 3, 2015

And how in the world is Pederson doing this? Home runs in four straight games. A .971 OPS, at age 23. On pace (forgive me) for 50 homers.

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Pederson and Guerrero have combined for 26 home runs, and the season has 110 games to go.

Not for nothing, the three players who got the hits ahead of Guerrero’s slam had batting averages of .212 (Alberto Callaspo), .211 (Jimmy Rollins) and .125 (Chris Heisey).

And let’s not forget Josh Ravin, who came up today and made his big-league debut after 209 games across 10 seasons in the minors, threw five pitches at a combined 494 miles per hour — and got the win. He is the first National League pitcher since 2006 to get an MLB win with only five career pitches.

Oh, it’s a scene, man. It is a scene.

Exit Barnes and Huff, enter Coulombe and Ravin

In Pregame, Transactions

Josh Ravin (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Rockies, 12:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Kiké Hernandez, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Andre Ethier, RF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Chris Heisey, RF
Zack Greinke, P

Following their 6-3 loss to Colorado in the first game of today’s doubleheader, the Dodgers …

optioned catcher Austin Barnes, who went 0 for 2 with a walk today, to Triple-A Oklahoma City
designated pitcher David Huff, who threw a shutout eighth inning today, for assignment (for the second time this year)
called up lefty reliever Daniel Coulombe, who has a 1.13 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings for Oklahoma City, for the third time in the past 30 days.
selected the contract of righty reliever Josh Ravin, who has a 2.25 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 20 innings for Oklahoma City, for his potential Major League debut.

— Jon Weisman

Dodgers-Rockies in 18-round bout today

In Midgame

By Jon Weisman

So with at least 18 innings of baseball on tap today, my experiment is to score each inning like a boxing match, using the 10-point system.

This system assigns ten points to the winner of each round. The loser receives nine points for a close round, eight points if he was knocked down or dominated, and seven points if he was knocked down twice. If a round is even and neither boxer was knocked down, both boxers receive 10 points.

Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. will join me as a fellow judge. Check back here for round-by-round updates.

Round 1: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-10 (Weisman)
Comment: “Pitch count and strikeout edge for De La Rosa and the ground ball off Nicasio was hit harder.” — Stephen

Round 2: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-9 Rockies (Weisman)
Comment: “Dodgers initially parried the Rockies’ hard-hit punches, only for Colorado to sneak in a soft blow to the underbelly. ” — Weisman

Round 3: 10-8 Dodgers (Stephen), 10-8 Dodgers (Weisman)
Comment: “Pederson with the left hook! ” — Weisman

Round 4: 10-8 Rockies (Stephen), 10-8 Rockies (Weisman)
Comment: “The ball is really carrying today in this day game.” — Orel Hershiser

Round 5: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-8 Rockies (Weisman)

Round 6: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-9 Rockies (Weisman)
Comment: “The Rockies have lost only one round so far, but a big round for the Dodgers could get them back in this fight.” — Weisman

Round 7: 10-8 Rockies (Stephen), 10-9 Rockies (Weisman)

Round 8: 10-9 Dodgers (Stephen), 10-10 (Weisman)

Round 9: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-9 Rockies (Weisman)
Comment: “The Rockies didn’t bat this inning, but sealing the victory seems worth an edge. The Dodgers had one baserunner in the final four innings.” — Weisman

Round 10: 10-8 Dodgers (Stephen), 10-9 Dodgers (Weisman)

Round 11: 10-9 Dodgers (Stephen), 10-9 Dodgers (Weisman)

Round 12: 10-9 Dodgers (Stephen), 10-9 Dodgers (Weisman)
Comment: “Lots of punches that landed.” – Stephen

Round 13: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-9 Rockies (Weisman)

Round 14: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-10 (Weisman)

Round 15: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-8 Rockies (Weisman)

Round 16: 10-8 Rockies (Stephen), 10-9 Rockies (Weisman)

Round 17: 10-9 Rockies (Stephen), 10-9 Rockies (Weisman)

Round 18: 10-7 Dodgers (Stephen), 10-6 Dodgers (Weisman)

But do we rule this a TKO?

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Gonzalez, Pederson losing ground in All-Star vote

In All-Star Game

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By Jon Weisman

Adrian Gonzalez still leads the National League All-Star balloting at first base, but as was the case in 2014, Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt has begun cutting into Gonzalez’s lead.

Ahead by nearly 450,000 votes a week ago, Gonzalez leads Goldschmidt by about 313,000 votes now.

In addition, Joc Pederson fell from sixth to 10th in the outfield race, despite continuing to lead NL center fielders in WAR. Pederson, who a week ago was 356,000 votes out of a starting spot in the NL outfield, now trails current No. 3 Giancarlo Stanton of Miami by more than 620,000 votes.

The best news for the Dodgers this week is that Yasmani Grandal has moved into the top five at catcher, though he still trails San Francisco’s Buster Posey by more than a million ballots.

See below for the current leaders …

Read More

Scott Van Slyke becomes third Dodger outfielder on DL

In Health/injuries, Pregame, Transactions

Scott Van Slyke has a .423 on-base percentage against lefties this season, but both his home runs have come against righties. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Rockies, 12:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Chris Heisey, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Alex Guerrero, LF
Kiké Hernandez, SS
Austin Barnes, C
Juan Nicasio, P

By Jon Weisman

Scott Van Slyke, who has been ailing with back inflammation, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, with Chris Heisey returning from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his place on the roster.

Van Slyke has only played once in the past eight days. He has been in a 4-for-36 slide with two walks and no extra-base hits, dating back to May 13.

He joins Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford on the disabled list, though Puig continued to progress toward a return by taking live batting practice today in Colorado, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

This will be a fish-or-cut-bait stint for the Dodgers with Heisey, who will now have the five years’ service time to refuse a minor-league assignment.

Ian Thomas, one of the pitchers acquired from Atlanta, in the Juan Uribe/Chris Withrow trade, has also been called up from Oklahoma City as the 26th man permissible for today’s doubleheader.

Thomas, who would be the first Ian in Dodger history if he gets into a game, had a 0.00 ERA in 12 2/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett this year, before giving up six runs in 2 1/3 innings during his only appearance with Oklahoma City.

For the Dodgers’ only doubleheader last year, the 26th man was Red Patterson, who started the second game at Minnesota and allowed one run on five baserunners in 4 2/3 innings. Patterson is currently rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery.

Colorado wither report: Dodgers reign

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

Good news: The only rain in the game at Colorado tonight consisted of Dodger home runs — four of ’em — in an 11-4 victory.

Andre Ethier and Jimmy Rollins each hit second-inning home runs, and then after the Rockies tied the game, Joc Pederson and Howie Kendrick homered as part of an 18-hit night for Los Angeles.

After hitting the first 12 homers of his season/career against right-handed pitchers, Pederson has hit two in two days against lefties.
Adrian Gonzalez had the 28th four-hit game of his career (including one six-hit game), second of the season and sixth as a Dodger.
Kendrick had an RBI single and three-run homer when he wasn’t putting on a defensive show.
Ethier, the right fielder who is closer to becoming a left fielder as Yasiel Puig slowly nears a return, had a triple to go with his homer.
Clayton Kershaw had the 11th multihit game of his career and first with three hits.
Kershaw’s past two starts: 14 innings, two runs, nine hits, one walk, 17 strikeouts.

The Dodgers announced late tonight that Juan Nicasio would start Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader, in what will be a bullpen game. Nicasio will be the Dodgers’ 10th starting pitcher this year.

Dodgers move Carl Crawford to 60-day DL, arrive in Colorado in a Huff, send West east

In Health/injuries, Pregame, Transactions

Carl Crawford injured himself April 27 while hitting his only triple so far of 2015. (Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Rockies, 5:40 p.m.
Kershaw CCXX: Kershawsablanca
Joc Pederson, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Kiké Hernandez, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
A.J. Ellis, C
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

Just for the record, the Dodgers made no transactions Friday. But we’re back in the daily swing of things, or thing of swings.

A day after being called up, reliever Matt West was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City, replaced on the roster by swingman David Huff.

Huff’s arrival also means the move of Carl Crawford to the 60-day disabled list, meaning that we won’t see the Dodger outfielder in a game until the end of June at the earliest. Crawford, who has a .260 on-base percentage and .408 slugging percentage in 50 plate appearances this season, last played for the Dodgers on April 27.

Read More

Inside the #RallyBanana: A Dodger Insider special

In Publications, Social media

Today, we launch a new Dodger Insider feature, which will take select magazine stories and blog posts and display them on a whole new level. For our inaugural effort, click above and let Matthew Mesa take you into the fascinating, living-on-peel’s-edge world of Kiké Hernandez and the Rally Banana.

— Jon Weisman

Dodger Insider magazine — June 2015 edition

In Publications

By Jon Weisman

Joc Pederson has been embraced by his Dodger teammates as quickly as he has taken the National League by storm.

Pederson, who has a higher OPS at this stage of the campaign than any previous Dodger Rookie of the Year Award winner, is featured on the cover of the June 2015 issue of Dodger Insider magazine, which once again offers more than two dozen stories, plus games and photos galore.

Andre Ethier’s comeback season is also explored in this month’s issue, which includes something truly unique: a special player-behind-the-camera showcase of second baseman Howie Kendrick’s photography.

But wait, there’s more: We also look back at the Dodgers’ 50-year history in the MLB draft with a package that spotlights not only Dodger broadcaster Rick Monday (MLB’s first-ever amateur draft selection) but also the little-known saga of the Dodgers’ inaugural draft pick, Bakersfield High infielder John Wyatt.

The June 2015 Dodger Insider magazine is available at all Dodger team stores. To subscribe, visit dodgers.com/magazine. Orders taken through June 11 will begin with the July issue.

In case you missed it: Grandal denies W for acha

On May 31, 2015

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it

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By Jon Weisman

On Saturday in St. Louis, Michael Wacha carried a shutout (OK, a no-hitter) into the seventh (OK, the sixth) inning, then gave up a couple of hits and a huge home run. Sound familiar, anyone?

Sure, the stakes were different in the Dodgers’ 5-1 victory than Game 4 of the National League Division Series, but otherwise it was something of a mirror image of Clayton Kershaw’s final October downfall.

Judging by what he told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny left Wacha in the game mainly to try to get him the “W” next to his name in the boxscore.

“You’ve got that situation there with an opportunity to pitch (Gonzalez) tough, fouled off a lot of pitches and that did, no question, wear him down pretty good,” Matheny said. “At that point we’ve got to try and keep him in that game. Try and get our offense back out there and get him a win. The ball jumped for Grandal and that was the big game-changer.

“If it’s a 1-1 game, it’s Michael’s game.”

Said Yasmani Grandal, who blasted the three-run shot off Wacha, to David Cobb of MLB.com: “It just so happened that [Wacha] made a mistake, probably the only mistake he made all night, and I was able to capitalize on it.”

MLB’s Statcast took a look at Grandal’s tiebreaking homer Saturday and noted that Grandal “has an average exit velocity of 94.5 mph on balls Statcast™ has tracked, which leads all catchers.”

Grandal’s .492 on-base percentage in May is the second-best mark in the National League this month behind Bryce Harper, according to the Dodgers’ PR department, and he is third in slugging percentage (.698), behind Harper (.905) and Paul Goldschmidt (.720).

Grandal also provided benefits behind the plate for the Dodgers on Saturday. Grandal told Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles that starting pitcher Carlos Frias was trying to do too much too soon in his fruitless start a week ago against San Diego.

… “He wanted to use all four of his pitches from the beginning for some reason and I thought we could go with one or two pitches for the first three or four innings and all of a sudden mix in those other two,” Grandal said.

Frias talked about his trust with Grandal, saying he never shook him off Saturday. He was perfectly happy to cede the game plan to his catcher.

“If he’s thinking, he’s probably not doing his job right,” Grandal said. …

Despite an error by Howie Kendrick on his first batter and loading the bases before getting an out, Frias went seven innings and allowed only one run, unearned.

“Last time he was all over the place,” Don Mattingly told Cobb. “Tonight, he seemed to be hitting his spots. He used his slider some. As the game went on, he started using his curveball. That’s the key.”

Here are some more notes from the weekend …

Dodgers place Paco Rodriguez on disabled list, call up Matt West

On May 31, 2015

In Health/injuries, Pregame, Transactions

Dodgers at Cardinals, 11:15 a.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Alex Guerrero, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Brett Anderson, P

By Jon Weisman

Paco Rodriguez has had trouble finishing pitches, manager Don Mattingly told reporters this morning, so he has been placed on the disabled list and is heading to Los Angeles for examination on his left elbow.

Rodriguez’s velocity has been on the decline, as noted in the Daily News by J.P. Hoornstra, despite not having been used frequently. Friday’s 18-pitch outing was his first in five days, and he has pitched on consecutive days only once in the past six weeks.

Here’s a small excerpt from Hoornstra’s piece:

… What’s interesting is that Rodriguez said he had no idea his velocity has been steadily dropping. He’s never relied primarily on speed to be effective, rather deception and location. Because of that, he said, he’s never paid close attention to radar-gun readings.

The decrease in speed is partially by design. Rodriguez said he was hoping to slow down his curveball this year by tightening his grip on the ball, “just so the fastball looks that much harder.” Rodriguez allowed for the possibility that he’s tightened the grip on all his pitches inadvertently. …

So far in 2015, Rodriguez has a 2.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts, stranding 17 of 22 inherited runners.

To take Rodriguez’s place on the active roster, the Dodgers have called up Matt West, the righty they cashed out of Toronto on May 4, from Triple-A Oklahoma City. In the organization this year, West has had 10 strikeouts and a 0.68 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings for Double-A Tulsa, along with four baserunners in two innings with one strikeout for Oklahoma City.

West’s MLB career consists of four innings with the Rangers last season, in which he allowed three runs on seven baserunners while striking out three.

If and when he appears in a game, West will be the first in Dodger history to wear No. 76. However, he will only be the second Dodger ever from Houston’s Bellaire High, after the inimitable Kelly Wunsch.

Yasmani Grandal activated to start tonight