Dodger Thoughts

On August 15, 2014

In Promotions

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Matt Kemp gives a winning performance in this promo spot (modeled after “The Indian and the Cupboard”) for the Matt Kemp Figurine giveaway, August 24 when the Dodgers host the Mets. The first 40,000 ticketed fans in attendance will receive the item.

— Jon Weisman

Video: Your Vin Scully Mic Night

In Dodger Stadium, Fans, Promotions

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Here’s a nice video compiling fan photos from the Vin Scully Talking Microphone giveaway at Dodger Stadium on July 29, the night the Dodger legend announced his return for 2014.

— Jon Weisman

Rotation rolls on, Dodgers roll home after 6-4 win completes 6-3 trip

In Pitching, Postgame

By Jon Weisman

With Roberto Hernandez scattering three hits and four walks over his six innings in the Dodgers’ 6-4 victory at Atlanta today — admittedly needing 118 pitches, second-most for a Dodger this year behind only Josh Beckett in his no-hitter — the Dodgers’ No. 4, 5 and 6 starters continued their roadtrip dominance, lowering their ERA to 2.01 with 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Seemingly toying with the Braves offensively, the Dodgers took a 5-1 lead into the eighth inning. Dee Gordon (3 for 4 with a walk, two bunt singles and two steals) scored the first of his four runs while coffee was still being sipped in Los Angeles, and Drew Butera added a big blow with a two-run homer in the second inning. Los Angeles had 58 baserunners in the four-game series in Atlanta, including at least 10 hits in each game.

Yasiel Puig was picked off again and thrown out at home but had three hits, a hit by pitch and the defensive play of the game.

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The Dodgers had to hang on after Brian Wilson gave up hits to the first three batters in the bottom of the eighth, all of whom scored. Kenley Jansen allowed one inherited runner to score before striking out Evan Gattis to end the eighth inning. Adrian Gonzalez drove in his second run of the game in the ninth for some welcome insurance. Jansen then completed the save in the ninth, despite allowing a single and a double, finishing with four strikeouts.

Los Angeles finished off a 6-3 trip against the Angels, Brewers and Atlanta, and the pitching staff had a 2.65 ERA. The Dodgers are 16-10 (.615) since the All-Star Break, 15-8 (.652) against teams with winning records.

Introducing the Magic Johnson Bobblehead

In Promotions

On the occasion of the Dodger owner’s birthday, we’d like to formally present the Magic Johnson Bobblehead. This will be given away to the first 50,000 ticketed fans at the September 2 game vs. Washington; tickets are on sale now.

— Jon Weisman

Kershaw being Kershaw

In Pregame

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Dodgers at Braves, 9:10 a.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, CF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, RF
Andre Ethier, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Miguel Rojas, SS
Drew Butera, C
Roberto Hernandez, P

By Jon Weisman

A.J. Ellis has a guest piece for ESPN.com today in which he details the preparation Clayton Kershaw makes before a start. Here’s an excerpt:

Interleague play usually takes away the most valuable tool of setting any game plan: data on head-to-head matchups. In the recent Freeway Series with the Angels, Kersh and I both fell victim to this trap. Kershaw hadn’t faced the Angels since 2011, and had a limited history with the majority of the Halos. It’s no secret across baseball that Kersh loves to pound right-handed hitters inside. His combination of angle, deception and command make it extremely hard to square up an executed fastball on the inside corner.

The trouble is the Angels have a bunch of great hitters who feast on pitches on the inner half. So in our pregame meeting, we decided to scrap Kersh’s strength and try to work the outer half of the plate toward those hitters’ statistical weaknesses. Three innings and three earned runs later, we both realized we compromised our typical game plan in favor of the numbers our computer spewed out regarding hitters’ results versus left-handed pitchers who probably do not own two Cy Young Awards or pitch with the will and ferocity Kersh does.

Realizing the error of our ways, we went back to what Kersh does well, and he cruised the rest of the way. After giving up seven hits and striking out just one batter in his first three innings because of our dumb game plan, Kersh allowed no hits and struck out six in his final four frames. Lesson learned

There’s more, including a discussion of Zack Greinke’s approach to preparation.

Cooking Channel to feature Dodger Stadium’s Chef Dave

In Dodger Stadium, Food

By Jon Weisman

Dodger Stadium’s beloved Chef Dave Pearson will be a featured guest on the Cooking Channel’s “My Grandmother’s Ravioli” on August 20, airing at 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. depending on your provider.

Chef Dave, a daily presence in the Dodger press box, will be in an episode entitled “A Home Run in the Kitchen,” in which we’re told he trains host Mo Rocca “to cook like a major leaguer without too many drops, errors or rookie mistakes.” This includes showing “how to make his buddy Tommy Lasorda’s favorite dish, lasagna, at Dodger Stadium, and later they prepare short ribs and green beans for a family dinner at his home.”

You might have read about Chef Dave before, in Steve Lopez’s piece in the Times or Ron Cervenka’s for Think Blue L.A., for example. He has been with the Dodgers for more than 50 years.

Ryu suffers muscle strain in narrow Dodger loss

In Health/injuries, Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

The Dodgers came oh so close to rallying in the ninth to victory, loading the bases against Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel, before Matt Kemp’s sharp grounder went to the wrong spot for a game-ending 4-6-3 double play and a 3-2 loss to the Braves.

Los Angeles is hoping that was the only loss of the night, after Hyun-Jin Ryu left his start with two out in the sixth with a right gluteus muscle strain. He is day to day, according to Joe Morgan of MLB.com, and with Kevin Correia in the bullpen and a long-awaited off day Monday, could theoretically miss a start.

Jamey Wright retired the final seven batters of the game, preserving the rest of the Dodger bullpen for Thursday’s game, which has a 9:10 a.m. Pacific first pitch.

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Farewells to Figgins and Hynes, and surgery for Fife

In Health/injuries, Pregame, Transactions

Dodgers at Braves, 4:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, CF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, RF
Carl Crawford, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

Chone Figgins and the Dodgers have parted ways, while Stephen Fife has heard the dreaded words, “Tommy John surgery.”

The Dodgers asked for unconditional release waivers on Figgins, determining that they were content with their current reserve infield depth of Justin Turner, Miguel Rojas and Darwin Barney, not to mention Alex Guerrero, Erisbel Arruebarrena and Carlos Triunfel.

Also leaving the organization was minor-league reliever Colt Hynes, who had been designated for assignment and was claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Fife, meanwhile, saw his most challenging season come to a difficult end. He made 11 appearances (nine starts) for Triple-A Albuquerque, battling injuries on his way to a 7.01 ERA with a 1.83 WHIP, along with one of the two starts by minor-league callups for the Dodgers this year. Dr. Neal ElAttrache was scheduled to operate today to repair Fife’s ulnar collateral ligament.

Jr. Dodgers RBI team reaches semifinals at RBI World Series

In Community

By Erin Edwards

Playing amid challenging weather conditions, the Jr. Dodgers RBI team beat worthy opponents from Texas, Maryland and the Dominican Republic before losing to a strong Miami team in the semifinals of the MLB RBI World Series in Arlington, Texas.

Brian Wilson still sees a knuckleball in his future

In Pitching

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

Brian Wilson has been pretty strong for the Dodgers for some time now, as Mike Petriello underscores at Dodgers Digest today. Since May 14, Wilson has a 2.05 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings and an opponents’ OPS of only .570.

Both Petriello in his piece and Orel Hershiser on television have commented on Wilson’s increased use of the curveball, with Hershiser saying at first he thought Wilson might be mixing in the knuckleball he showed in Spring Training. Hershiser later said he was mistaken, but in a conversation I had with Wilson in the Dodger clubhouse July 31, the 32-year-old reliever said he still thinks about reinventing himself as a knuckleballer someday.

Bottom’s up for the Dodgers

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

They call it the back of the Dodger starting rotation, Retread City, but look what it’s done lately.

That’s some good stuff there. Dan Haren turned in his second straight solid performance in tonight’s 4-2 victory over Atlanta, the Dodgers’ seventh straight over the Braves dating back to Game 3 of the 2013 National League Championship Series.

Haren and the Dodgers got some great defensive help from Darwin Barney in his first start with the team. Barney also singled in a run and scored another. Carl Crawford, in his first leadoff start of the season against a left-hander, had three hits and is now 8 for his last 12 at the plate.

Video: Tribute to April Thompson

In Farewells

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Here is the video tribute that was shown August 5 at Dodger Stadium honoring longtime Dodger employee and friend April Thompson, who passed away August 2.

— Jon Weisman

Gonzalez, Gordon and Rojas rest, while Crawford bats leadoff against lefty for first time in 2014

In Pregame

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Dodgers at Braves, 4:10 p.m.
Carl Crawford, LF
Yasiel Puig, CF
Matt Kemp, RF
Scott Van Slyke, 1B
Justin Turner, SS
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Darwin Barney, 2B
Dan Haren, P

By Jon Weisman

It’s an unusual lineup for the Dodgers today, even considering that a lefty, Mike Minor, is on the mound for Atlanta.

Scott Van Slyke giving Adrian Gonzalez a rest at first base isn’t that surprising, even though Gonzalez has been sizzling of late (11 for 19 with three walks, three doubles and two homers). Gonzalez had started nine games in a row and every game but one since the All-Star Break.

Nor is it too shocking to see Dee Gordon take a seat, given that Gordon is in a 3-for-24 slump with no walks, no extra-base hits and no steals.

But Miguel Rojas is also getting a breather, with Justin Turner getting his sixth start of the season at shortstop, while Darwin Barney makes his debut in the Dodger starting lineup at second base. And the leadoff spot goes to Carl Crawford, for only the seventh time in 2014 and first since April 22. All six previous leadoff apperances were against righties.

Robin Williams at the Hollywood Stars Game, 1979