Dodger Thoughts

By Jon Weisman

100 02x xxx -- 3
000 200 xxx -- 2
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Above are the linescores against Mike Bolsinger in his four starts this year, and as you can see, he’s allowed one crooked number in each of them.

They’ve never been the same inning. One crooked number in the third inning (June 1), one in the fourth (May 24), one in the fifth (May 18) and one in the sixth (tonight).

Tonight brought the biggest crooked man of all, thanks to a three-run home run by Trevor Story in the sixth inning that doubled Colorado’s run total on its way to a 6-1 victory over the Dodgers.

As you can see, the crooks haven’t always broken in at the same point in the game, not always the same trip through the order. But come they have.

Dodgers play righty vs. righty card against Chatwood

In Hitting, Pregame

Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Justin Turner, 3B
Corey Seager, SS
Trayce Thompson, RF
Adrian González, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Kiké Hernandez, LF
Scott Van Slyke, RF
A.J. Ellis, C
Mike Bolsinger, P

By Jon Weisman

If you’re wondering why Dave Roberts chose to rest left-handed hitters Chase Utley and Joc Pederson against right-handed Rockies pitcher Tyler Chatwood, it’s mainly because right-handed batters have had more success against him.

This year, righties have an .788 OPS against Chatwood, while lefties are at .579. The split was even more pronounced in 2014, before Chatwood had the Tommy John surgery that forced him out of action in 2016. Chatwood has returned this year to lead Colorado starters with a 2.99 ERA.

Corey Seager: Not NL Player of the Week

In Awards

By Jon Weisman

One week ago today, Corey Seager went 0 for 4 with a career-high three strikeouts.

A trend was not forming.

Over his next six games, the 22-year-old shortstop went 10 for 23 with six home runs — five in the past three games against Atlanta — two walks and a sacrifice fly, giving him a .462 on-base percentage and 1.217 slugging percentage.

That would have made Seager the youngest Dodger to be named National League Player of the Week since Fernando Valenzuela won the honor twice in 1981 at age 21, except the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter swooped in to take the award, with a .577 on-base percentage and .920 slugging percentage.

In the past 30 days, Seager has 12 home runs, with a .364 on-base percentage and .667 slugging percentage. He ranks seventh in Major League Baseball in wins above replacement, behind Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Dexter Fowler, Xander Bogaerts, Jose Altuve and Nolan Arenado.

Corinne Landrey has an analysis of Seager’s offensive explosion at Fangraphs.

The 10th anniversary of drafting Clayton Kershaw

In Draft, History

Flanked by Dodger scout Calvin Jones and his mother Marianne, 18-year-old Clayton Kershaw signs with the Dodgers. (Ben Platt/MLB.com)

By Jon Weisman

On June 6, 2006, the Dodgers made their best single front-office decision of this century and long before it.

Carl Crawford designated for assignment

On June 5, 2016

In Transactions

By Jon Weisman

The Dodger career of Carl Crawford has come to an end.

Crawford was designated for assignment this morning, with the Dodgers recalling catcher-infielder Austin Barnes from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his spot on the roster.

Bullpen preserves victory for Kershaw, Dodgers

On June 4, 2016

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

For the first time this season, the Dodgers asked their bullpen to go three innings to protect a Clayton Kershaw lead — a 1-0 lead at that.

And the bullpen, which is back on one of its hot streaks during an eventful season, did the job.

Joe Blanton, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen made Kershaw’s six shutout innings stand up, and the Dodgers scored late to finish with a 4-0 victory over Atlanta.

Hot-hitting Corey Seager puts his best foot backward

On June 4, 2016

In Hitting, Pregame

Photos: Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Braves at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CCLIV: The Kershawsy Chaperone
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian González, 1B
Trayce Thompson, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Howie Kendrick, LF
A.J. Ellis, C
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

Going through virtually all of the photos Jon SooHoo & Co. take of the Dodgers the way I do, you notice certain things about certain players.

With Corey Seager it’s no different.

Something that’s long struck me about Seager is the way he turns his front foot nearly backward in his batting stance. It looks uncomfortable if not torturous, but clearly, it works for the 22-year-old, who now has 16 home runs and an .892 OPS in 82 career games.

Dave Roberts discusses Justin Turner’s struggle

On June 3, 2016

In Health/injuries, Pregame

Braves at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian González, 1B
Joc Pederson, CF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Trayce Thompson, RF
Carl Crawford, LF
Kenta Maeda, P

By Jon Weisman

Justin Turner has again slumped, going 3 for 24 in his past eight games with a double and three walks.

Turner’s batting average has dropped to .225, but Dave Roberts has not dropped him in the Dodger batting order for two reasons: He believes Turner will come out of it, and because even now, his on-base percentage is still .327, roughly identical to those of Trayce Thompson (.333) and Corey Seager (.331).

Nevertheless, Roberts does have a theory about why Turner is struggling.

“When I know Justin is at his best, (it’s) when he’s elevating to the pull side,” Roberts said. “For me, right now there’s too many balls in the air the other way. The contact point’s a little deep, (and) he might be getting underneath the baseball a little bit.

Former Dodger pitcher Lee Pfund dies at 96

On June 3, 2016

In Farewells, History

Maury Wills greets Lee Pfund in August 2012 (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

Lee Pfund, who pitched 15 games for the Dodgers in 1945 and later went to become an immensely successful baseball and basketball coach at Wheaton College, passed away Thursday at age 96.

Pfund, the father of former Lakers coach Randy Pfund, coached Wheaton to the 1957 NCAA College Division basketball title and won 362 games from 1952-75, then later was honored by the school naming its baseball stadium after him.

Born in Oak Park, Illinois nine days after the 1919 World Series involving the Chicago White Sox ended, Pfund pitched two shutout innings on April 25, 1945, in his Major League debut, a memory he described in this Dodger Insider story commemorating the 70th anniversary of that moment and recalling his life in sports. Click here to read the entire story.

Our best wishes go to Randy Pfund and the Pfund family.

DodgerVisionaries: Scoreboard operations have gone light years beyond runs, hits and errors

On June 3, 2016

In Dodger Stadium

The DodgerVision crew, consisting of nearly three dozen people, delivers the pregame and in-game entertainment at Dodger Stadium at least 81 games per year. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

The DodgerVision crew, consisting of nearly three dozen people, delivers the pregame and in-game entertainment at Dodger Stadium. (Photos: Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Cary Osborne

There’s a picture on a bulletin board inside DodgerVision — the command center for game entertainment at Dodger Stadium. There are 11 men in the photo with a giant scoreboard rising from the Left Field Pavilion. Judging by the fashion displayed by the men in the photo, it was taken in the mid-1990s. It represents almost the entire game entertainment crew for the Dodgers at the time.

Dan Valdivia is one of two people from the photo who still remain working in DodgerVision. He has worked his way up to the position of director. Back then, he said, one of his jobs was slotting Betamax video cassettes into a playback machine that would then relay videos, like bloopers or highlights from a recent episode of “This Week in Baseball,” onto the giant screen hovering over the pavilion.

“I don’t think we did as much fan-interaction stuff,” Valdivia said, “because we literally had three cameras, so we were limited in what we could show.”

If that picture were recreated today, there would be nearly three dozen men and women in it. The DodgerVision crew would include producers and directors, camera operators, scoreboard and LED operators, engineers, a public-address announcer, a DJ and an organist.

They’d be standing in front of one of two high-definition scoreboard/video screens that deliver statistics (including in 2016 for the first time, exit velocity), pre-produced videos and games (created by a team of videographers using Corporate video production services Toronto and editors — led by Dodgers director of production Greg Taylor — and graphic artists — led by Dodgers director of graphic design Ross Yoshida), instant replay and live videos.

Times have changed.

Joc Pederson Baseball ProCamp set for August 11

In Uncategorized

Joc Pederson is hosting a one-day baseball camp August 11 for boys and girls in grades 1-8 at the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles. The camp takes place on an off day between the Dodgers’ home series against the Phillies and Pirates.

LGBT Pride Night arrives Friday at Dodger Stadium

In Promotions

By Jon Weisman

A reminder: LGBT Pride Night takes place Friday at Dodger Stadium, with numerous activities and guest appearances.

The fun starts at 5:10 p.m., when you can meet your friends at the Right Field Plaza bar, where Levy Restaurants will feature a Blue Pride-themed drink that will be available for purchase, while you dance to the sounds of DJ Adam.

On the Dodger Stadium field, members of Varsity Gay League will play a kickball game from approximately 5:45 p.m.-6:30 p.m. That’s followed by a special pregame ceremony that will include Robbie Rogers (first pitch), Michael Sam, Lance Bass and Esera Tuaolo (National Anthem).

Following the game, with Kenta Maeda scheduled to face the Atlanta Braves, sit on the field and enjoy Friday Night Fireworks (presented by Denny’s), featuring music by George Figares and DJ Blacklow.

Purchase a special ticket to the game directly from dodgers.com/lgbt and receive an exclusive Dodgers LGBT tank top.

Take public transport from beach to Dodger Stadium

In Transportation/parking

[mlbvideo id=”737984883″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

You won’t see the Expos when you arrive, but you can now take the new Expo Line from Santa Monica to Union Station, and then catch the Dodger Stadium Express to the game. For more information, watch the video above or visit dodgers.com/transportation.

— Jon Weisman

Defeat — but also progress — for Julio Urias

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

Julio Urias pitched longer. He pitched more efficiently.

Early on, he was victimized by three soft hits, a debatable ball four and an error.

And then he gave up two home runs.

And then he gave up a home run.

Urias’ five innings against the National League-leading Chicago Cubs today, in what became a 7-2 loss by the Dodgers, probably weren’t something to cut out for the scrapbook. Six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk rarely are.

But they absolutely looked like a step forward from his 2 2/3 innings at New York in his MLB debut six days ago, and offered a more concrete vision of the potential the 19-year-old presents.

Kershaw named National League Pitcher of the Month