By Jon Weisman
I’ll begin, inappropriately for a day that woke up to the news from Orlando, on a hopeful note.
Page 56 of 381
By Jon Weisman
Yep. Uh-huh. Yeah.
You figured Clayton Kershaw would pitch well at San Francisco. He did. You figured the Dodger offense would struggle at San Francisco. It did.
But how would it end?
Thanks to Justin Turner’s heroics, happily for the Dodgers.
Turner’s ninth-inning home run off Santiago Castilla — the Dodgers’ first hit since the first inning — made a winner of Kershaw and Los Angeles over Johnny Cueto and the Giants, 3-2.
Dodgers at Giants, 7:15 p.m.
Kershaw CCLV: Kershawpdish
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian González, 1B
Trayce Thompson, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Kiké Hernández, LF
Clayton Kershaw, P
Kershaw CCLV: Kershawpdish
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian González, 1B
Trayce Thompson, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Kiké Hernández, LF
Clayton Kershaw, P
By Jon Weisman
Adjective-defier Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers tonight, but in a sense, the spotlight will be at least as much on the Dodger offense as Kershaw.
Dodger hitters batted .119 with a .237 on-base percentage and .190 slugging percentage in their three-game series against the Rockies this week. In 98 plate appearances, they had eight singles, 11 walks and as many extra-base hits (two) as hit-by-pitches.
Even including their 12-run outburst Sunday against Atlanta, the Dodgers are hitting .171/.263/.326 in their past 10 games — winning five of them thanks to some favorable pitching. They have 13 homers in those 10 games: six by Corey Seager, three by Trayce Thompson, two by Kiké Hernandez and one each for Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner.
Roberts said Trayce Thompson has played himself into everyday status. Thompson could play LF, Puig RF.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) June 11, 2016
The potential for a turnaround is unmistakable. Nos. 3 and 4 hitters Turner and Adrian Gonzalez are a combined 6 for 48 with three singles and three extra-base hits, for an OPS in the mid-.400s. Just a dose of their normal selves would go a long way.
But for that turnaround to begin tonight, it will have to come against a pitcher, Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto, who is sixth among MLB pitchers in wins above replacement. And it will have to come at AT&T Park, which has been very much a mixed bag for Los Angeles.
Weird fact: Since the start of 2015, the Dodgers have averaged 4.1 runs per game overall. But in their past 14 games at San Francisco, the Dodgers haven’t once scored four or five runs.
They’ve been held to three runs or less 11 times (2-9 in those games). And on the three occasions that the Dodgers have busted out for six runs or more, they’ve won only once.
I wouldn’t want to say the Dodgers are due, any more than I’d want to say, paraphrasing Vin Scully, that we aren’t all day to day. But to quote another memorable source: “When it’s time to change, then it’s time to change …”
Eighth-round draft pick Andre Scrubb of High Point University (High Point Athletics)
By Jon Weisman
As the Dodgers completed the first 10 rounds of the 2016 MLB draft, some fans scratched their heads over the selection of three shortstops, considering that the team has a 22-year-old future All-Star at the position.
But in discussing the Dodgers’ selections today, director of amateur scouting Billy Gasparino explained the thinking — and no, it’s not that the Dodgers have forgotten about Corey Seager.
“The theory is that looking throughout the history of the draft and how athletes develop and age, when they’re athletic enough to play shortstop, it’s a pretty good recipe — as they age and get older and their skills develop and their bodies go forward or backwards — they can usually play other positions,” Gasparino said. “So many players today who are left fielders or right fielders, third basemen, second basemen, started out as shortstops. If you can start there, it’s a lot easier to transition to other places on the field, and gives you more avenues of versatility that way.”
In other words, this isn’t the NBA. With development such a long, protracted process in baseball — and almost no such thing as a quick fix — the overwhelming tendency is to take the player with the greatest potential, regardless of what the current Major League roster looks like. If the worst-case scenario is the Dodgers have multiple quality shortstops, they’ll live with that.
Gasparino also said that the drafting of several players from smaller four-year or community colleges illustrates an attempt to find value within a draft landscape where so few rocks go unturned.
“The depth of the draft is a priority and something we preach,” he said, “so in many ways it leads you to go look for those players, and you kind of think you have value there, whereas (for example) the junior center fielder from the University of Georgia has been well seen.”
Though players at different levels — or even at the same level but from different regions — obviously don’t face the same level of competition, the Dodgers are confident in their ability to translate performance.
“That’s why we have the tool grades, and you just look at the physical tools,” Gasparino said. “And I think our analytical staff does a very good job of analyzing the numbers and trying to correlate different levels of competition with a lot of different factors. And just our scouts’ experience: We have a lot of experience on the staff, and they seem to have a very good knack of trying to cipher through that stuff and figure out who the better players are.”
Gasparino said that advanced scouting stats such as exit velocity and spin rate have migrated to the Division I colleges and high-school summer showcases, further enhancing their ability to evaluate.
And with that, here are quick thoughts from Gasparino on each of the Dodgers’ draft picks today:
By Jon Weisman
Left-handed pitcher Devin Smeltzer was the Dodgers’ fifth-round selection in the 2016 MLB draft.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pounder from Voorhees, New Jersey was previously drafted by the Padres in the 33rd round in 2014. A former top-100 prospect of Baseball America, he instead attended Florida Gulf Coast University, before transfering to San Jacinto College in Texas to accelerate his path to the pros, according to Dana Caldwell of the Naples Daily News.
He had a 1.18 ERA and 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings with SJC this year, finishing his season with a 20-strikeout two-hitter, in which he threw 140 pitches.
This figures to be the final 2016 draft pick we’ll do an individual post on. We’ll round up the rest of the Day 2 selections later today — in the meantime, follow the action at MLB.com’s Draft Tracker.
By Jon Weisman
With their fourth-round pick and the 131st taken overall in the MLB draft, the Dodgers selected their second 6-foot-6 player in a row: 20-year-old right-handed outfielder D.J. Peters, from Glendora High School by way of Western Nevada Community College.
Peters had a .519 on-base percentage and .734 slugging percentage in 2016 for the Wildcats, with 31 extra-base hits and 34 walks compared with 33 strikeouts. For context, his .419 batting average and 16 home runs in 2016 set school records. (He also had a 1.35 ERA in 6 2/3 innings)
As this Western Nevada story notes, Peters was taken in the 36th round twice before, by the Texas Rangers last year and by the Cubs after his senior year at Glendora.
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By Jon Weisman
Kicking off their selections in today’s second day of the MLB Draft, the Dodgers used their third-round pick (101st overall) on right-handed pitcher Dustin May from Northwest High School in Justin, Texas.
https://twitter.com/d_maydabeast/status/741334334817243136
May, who turns 19 in September, checks in at 6-foot-6, 180 pounds. Here’s the MLB.com scouting report on him:
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By Jon Weisman
Preferring the idea of having Julio Urias face San Francisco’s lineup over Arizona’s, the Dodgers have flipped him with Mike Bolsinger so that the teenage lefty pitches Sunday against the Giants, while Bolsinger will go Monday against the Diamondbacks.
Dave Roberts announced the switch Wednesday after the Dodgers’ 1-0 loss to Colorado, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Urias will be pitching on four days’ rest.
Vanderbilt’s Walker Buehler was the Dodgers’ No. 1 draft pick in 2015. (Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
With three picks before the second round of Thursday’s 2016 MLB draft, the Dodgers are sitting pretty.
And on top of that, their top pick from 2015, Walker Buehler — who had Tommy John surgery in August before appearing in a professional game — is on course to make this year’s haul even stronger.
“Walker Buehler’s going to be ready to throw next year — he’s almost like a pick this year,” Gasparino said. “We feel good about his recovery, his rehab and where he’s at in the process.”
Corey Seager has been all over the bases lately, but he’s still underneath Colorado’s Trevor Story in the NL All-Star shortstop balloting.
By Jon Weisman
Corey Seager’s memorable week hasn’t boosted him into contention for a starting spot on the National League team at this summer’s All-Star Game, but there’s still time. Fan voting continues through the end of June at dodgers.com/vote.
Seager stands tall at shortstop, but he’s still looking up at the top five in the NL All-Star balloting.
Thanks to his latest hot streak, the 22-year-old is hitting .284/.346/.526 with 12 doubles and 14 home runs, and has extended his lead over NL shortstops in wins above replacement. He is at 2.8, which is 0.5 higher than the next-closest shortstop, San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford, and more than double that of vote leaders Addison Russell of Chicago and Trevor Story of Colorado.
Seager also ranks No. 1 among NL shortstops in weighted on-base average and weighted runs created. He is third defensively, behind Crawford and Philadelphia’s Freddy Galvis.
Put a smile on Seager’s face — #VoteCorey.
By Jon Weisman
When I set out to do our latest cover story for Dodger Insider magazine on Kenley Jansen, the initial idea was to talk to the big reliever about his potential first All-Star appearance, or his approach toward the Dodger career save record.
But quickly the story switched to an angle I was only too happy to explore — Jansen’s close relationship with Dodger legend Don Newcombe.
“He’s my father in the United States,” Jansen said. “That’s what it feels like.”
“I think he’s a fine human being, a fine human being,” Newcombe emphasized. “He’s like a son to me, and he wants me to just be a part of his life. That’s all. No big deal, no instructions or anything, just a part of him.”
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
Jansen is 28 years old. Newcombe turns 90 in one week (his birthday will be celebrated at Dodger Stadium with his bobblehead night this evening). Generations separate them, but their connection runs deep — and it was a joy just to see how much.
Read the entire story by clicking here.
Beginning this year, the Dodgers merged their previously separate Playbill and Dodger Insider magazines into one publication (at least 80 pages per issue) with a new edition available each homestand plus one in October, 13 issues total. It is distributed at auto gates (one per vehicle) and via Fan Services for those who use alternate transportation. Dodger Insider magazine includes news, features, analysis, photos, games, stadium information and more. Fans who still wish to subscribe can do so at dodgers.com/magazine.
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By Jon Weisman
One locker separates the workstations of Trayce Thompson and Julio Urias in the Dodger clubhouse, which made for a funny scene when the hero of tonight’s game came by.
By Jon Weisman
Julio Urías remains in need of an efficiency expert, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying his most satisfying appearance as a Dodger to date — and setting a record to boot.
In his first appearance before his Los Angeles fans, Urías struck out seven — the most by a teenager in Los Angeles Dodger history — but used up 86 pitches by the fourth inning, leaving with a 3-1 lead over Colorado.
The Rockies bedeviled Urías by fouling off 19 pitches — 14 in his final two innings — and never surrendering a quick out. Urías faced 16 batters, and none saw fewer than four pitches in an at-bat.
But from the start, Urías countered his pitch-count difficulties with flashes of the brilliance that makes him so enticing.
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian González, 1B
Trayce Thompson, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Howie Kendrick, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Julio Urías, P
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian González, 1B
Trayce Thompson, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Howie Kendrick, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Julio Urías, P
By Jon Weisman
In the hours before Julio Urías took the mound for the first Dodger Stadium start by a teenage pitcher since Dwight Gooden in 1984, Dave Roberts expressed high expectations for the 19-year-old left-hander, but also acknowledged the high degree of difficulty.
A swath of fan reaction since June 2, following Urías’ second consecutive losing start, focused on the fact that Urías wasn’t ready for the Majors. That might be true in and of itself — and it’s not as if the Dodgers have ruled out returning Urías to the minors.
But there’s also an overwhelming sense that the most important lessons Urías must learn can only come in the big leagues.
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By Jon Weisman
For the final time as a Dodger broadcaster, Vin Scully commemorated the anniversary of D-Day, as he has for so many years. In the video above is how he concluded.
"I'm not trying to impress you. What I'm trying to do is impress the young people listening how important this day should always be." – Vin
— Jon Weisman (@jonweisman) June 7, 2016
Update: Here’s how Scully introduced his night of D-Day remembrances.
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