Dodger Thoughts

On August 29, 2015

In Television, Uncategorized

By Jon Weisman

Vin Scully apologized, unnecessarily of course, for being two minutes late to his press conference today to discuss his return to the Dodgers in 2016, citing an accident near De Soto Avenue on the Ventura Freeway.

Then came the words that made everyone who adores him slam on their brakes: that 2016 would likely be his last season.

Clayton Kershaw shines as Dodgers win third straight ‘Vin Scully Returns’ game

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

August 22, 2013: Vin Scully announces return, Dodgers win, 6-0.

July 29, 2014: Vin Scully announces return, Dodgers win, 8-4.

August 28, 2015: Vin Scully announces return, Dodgers win, 4-1.

I do see a trend, though it hasn’t hurt to have Clayton Kershaw on the mound for two of those three games.

Tonight, Kershaw tied a season high with 14 strikeouts — one shy of the career high he set in his June 18, 2014 no-hitter — in the Dodgers’ third victory over the Cubs in five meetings this year.

Kershaw allowed a fourth-inning home run to Anthony Rizzo that tied the game at 1, but then retired the next 10 batters he faced, striking out seven, and didn’t surrender a hit the rest of the game. He threw 108 pitches in his eight innings of work.

Though Kershaw had his 31-inning home scoreless streak broken, the big lefty finished August with a 1.24 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 45 innings. He is the first Dodger pitcher to have at least 50 strikeouts in August since Hideo Nomo in 1995, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Since May 26, Kershaw has a 1.28 ERA with 163 strikeouts in 126 2/3 innings.

Chase Utley, who tripled in the Dodgers’ first run (his first RBI with his new team) in the third inning, scored the go-ahead run from second base in the sixth on a wild pitch and throwing error. Los Angeles pushed across two more runs in the inning for breathing room.

It’s official: Vin Scully to return to Dodgers in 2016

In Radio, Television

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

With a reveal in the second inning of tonight’s Dodger game, Vin Scully has officially announced he will return to the Dodgers broadcast booth for his 67th season in 2016.

“I talked it over with my wife, Sandi, and my family and we’ve decided to do it again in 2016,” Scully said. “There’s no place like home and Dodger Stadium and we look forward to being a part of it with all of our friends.”

Said Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten: “Vin is a national treasure, and the Dodgers couldn’t be happier to have him back at the microphone in 2016. Vin makes every broadcast special, and generation after generation of Dodger fans have been blessed to be able to listen to him create his poetic magic since 1950. We look forward to adding many new chapters to that legacy in 2016.”

If you date the franchise back to its American Association roots in 1884, Brooklyn played 66 seasons before Scully’s arrival, and Brooklyn-Los Angeles has played 66 seasons since.

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Yasiel Puig placed on disabled list, Peraza recalled

In Health/injuries, Pregame, Transactions

Cubs at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CCXXXV: Kershawgmalion
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Chase Utley, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Andre Ethier, RF
Carl Crawford, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Kiké Hernandez, CF
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

Even with rosters expanding in four days, obviating the need to use the disabled list, the Dodgers are convinced enough that Yasiel Puig’s latest hamstring injury will sideline him for long enough to put him on the 15-day disabled list.

Rather than play a man down between now and Tuesday, the Dodgers have called up infielder-outfielder Jose Peraza, who has a .316 on-base percentage and .378 slugging percentage in Triple-A this year, in addition to having a walk and a triple in seven plate appearances for the Dodgers this month.

The timing for Puig’s injury is a drag, considering that he has a .975 OPS over his past 12 games and also keeps opposing baserunners at bay with his arm.

Tommy Lasorda earns Jim Murray Foundation honor

In Awards

By Jon Weisman

Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda will receive the Jim Murray Memorial Foundationʼs “Great Ones” trophy, a bronze bust of Pulitzer Prize winning writer Jim Murray.

Lasorda is being honored for more than 60 years of meritorious service in the Dodger organization. Previous winners include Arnold Palmer, Joe Namath, Luc Robitaille, Bobby Rahal, Chris McCarron, Duke Snider, Sugar Ray Leonard and Rick Reilly.

“The Great Ones Award is our Stanley Cup. Each year we add a new name to it for that individualʼs contribution to his sport,” said Bill McCoy, president of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation. “Tommy Lasorda and Jim Murray were friends for many years. It seems fitting we honored both their legacies with this award.”

The JMMF was established by Linda Murray Hofmans in 1999 following the passing of the longtime Times columnist. The foundation awards journalism scholarships to the nation’s top college journalists through a national essay competition. To date, the JMMF has awarded 99 scholarships totaling over $500,000.

However, if you’re looking for an affordable essay writing service with very reasonable price, and high quality work, then this essay writing service reddit is an excellent option you may want to consider.

Kershaw, Dodgers look to cook Cubs, Giants

In Uncategorized

Clayton Kershaw waits out a stadium lighting delay in Wrigley Field on June 22. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

On is the heat.

With temperatures in the 90s as a greeting, the Dodgers are preparing to host playoff contenders from Chicago and San Francisco over the next six games.

Some would call this the Dodgers’ biggest test of the year to date, though Los Angeles already played the Giants and Cubs in back-to-back series in June. The Dodgers went 3-4, which I would call a bogey, though it’s worth noting Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke pitched in only two of those seven affairs.

Here’s a quick recap of how those games went:

Giants 9, Dodgers 5 (June 19): Mike Bolsinger allowed a grand slam to Buster Posey in the third inning, while Daniel Coulombe and Josh Ravin combined to give up four more runs in the seventh.
Giants 6, Dodgers 2 (June 20): Carlos Frias allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Dodgers 10, Giants 2 (June 21): Yasmani Grandal hit two of the Dodgers’ four homers in support of Brett Anderson.
Cubs 4, Dodgers 2 (June 22): The power-outage game, in which Clayton Kershaw allowed a tiebreaking, seventh-inning home run to Matt Szczur.
Cubs 1, Dodgers 0 (June 23): Zack Greinke pitched six shutout innings, but in his first game in two months, Joel Peralta took the loss in the 10th.
Dodgers 5, Cubs 2 (June 24): Justin Turner hit a three-run home run, and the bullpen pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings in relief of Bolsinger.
Dodgers 4, Cubs 0 (June 25): Four more shutout innings from the bullpen after Frias goes five.

It was an unpredictable stretch, to say the least, and you can judge for yourself the good or bad of going 3-4 without getting a victory from Kershaw or Greinke.

In any case, here we are again with the Cubs and Giants, but this time at home, and this time with Kershaw or Greinke pitching half the games.

Kershaw, who pitches tonight and Wednesday, has …

a 0.90 ERA with 82 strikeouts and seven walks in 70 innings since July 1.
a 1.29 ERA with 149 strikeouts and 16 walks in 118 2/3 innings since May 26.
28 consecutive scoreless innings at home.

And, Kershaw and Greinke currently have two of the top 10 single-season Dodger Stadium ERAs ever.

0.85 Sandy Koufax (1964)
1.08 Orel Hershiser (1985)
1.33 Don Sutton (1971)
1.38 Sandy Koufax (1963)
1.38 Sandy Koufax (1965)
1.39 Don Drysdale (1968)
1.42 Zack Greinke (2015)
1.49 Clayton Kershaw (2015)
1.52 Sandy Koufax (1966)
1.53 Bill Singer (1967)

It’s a scene, man.

After Kershaw pitches tonight, it’s Mat Latos, Alex Wood and Brett Anderson scheduled to go Saturday-Monday, before Greinke and Kershaw finish the homestand off.

Inside the Dodger offense, good and bad

In Offense

Why does the Dodger offense, talented as it is, seem to be underperforming? Jeff Sullivan offers a sound analysis at Fox Sports’ Just a Bit Outside. The conclusion might seem mundane unless you go through his process, so I recommend you read the entire story.

Update: Cincinnati slugger Joey Votto has given some words of encouragement to Dodger rookie Joc Pederson when the two have met at first base, writes Pedro Moura in this nice piece for the Register.

— Jon Weisman

Remembering ’65: Lowly Mets send Dodgers reeling

In Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

Here’s a game, within a series, within a season, that would have driven Dodger fans on Twitter crazy.

Singular Greinke lifts double-playing Dodgers

In Postgame

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

By Jon Weisman

Zack Greinke gave up five runs in his first inning of August. For the rest of the month, his ERA was 1.36.

Greinke improved those figures with seven shutout innings today at Cincinnati, and the Dodgers needed every one of them, hanging on for a 1-0 victory.

The Dodgers grounded into five double plays, tying a team record, including a franchise record-tying three by Yasmani Grandal — then wasted a bases-loaded, none-out opportunity in the ninth with a strikeout and two foulouts.

Fortunately for Los Angeles, the first GIDP scored a run in the second inning, and it held up, despite the offensive struggles and injuries to Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig.

Only in the fifth inning did trouble find Greinke: a first-and-third situation with one out and 22 pitches already thrown in the frame. But Greinke was able to use opposing pitcher Anthony DeSciafani and technically-the-leadoff-hitter Skip Schumaker as an escape hatch, striking out both.

Greinke now has a 3.46 ERA in the first inning this year, and a 1.29 ERA after the first inning. Throwing 109 pitches, Greinke struck out nine against six baserunners today. For the year, his ERA is 1.61.

With Kenley Jansen having pitched the first two games of the series, it was up to Chris Hatcher and Jim Johnson to close out the game. And with a shutout inning apiece, they did.

The Dodgers are 4-1 in games decided by a 1-0 score this season.

Gonzalez, Puig leave game with injuries

In Health/injuries

By Jon Weisman

Two key parts of the Dodger offense didn’t make it through today’s game at Cincinnati.

Adrian Gonzalez fouled a ball off his knee in the third inning and departed the contest in the fifth. He is day to day with a contusion, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Potentially more serious is the condition of Yasiel Puig, who came up limping after beating out an infield hit in the ninth inning,. With a 2-for-4 day today, Puig has a 10-game hitting streak in which he has a .390 on-base percentage, .526 slugging percentage and .916 OPS.

Grandal returns, but Ellis could play more down stretch

In Pregame

Dodgers at Reds, 9:35 a.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Chase Utley, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Andre Ethier, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Joc Pederson, CF
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

Yasmani Grandal is back in the starting lineup for the first time since Saturday, but as Pedro Moura of the Register wrote, Grandal’s left shoulder isn’t 100 percent.

With A.J. Ellis three months into a hot streak off the bench, Grandal himself indicated that Ellis might play more than the typical one or two games per week as the season heads into September.

“A.J.’s doing a great job behind home plate,” Grandal told Moura. “Why not give him a shot at playing more games in a row, getting him a little more comfortable back there on back-to-back days? You never know what can happen.”

No one’s looking to put Grandal out to pasture, especially if he can heal up. According to Fangraphs, the 26-year-old is No. 4 among Major League catchers in wins above replacement and is tops among everyday catchers in offense. He has a .383 on-base percentage and .471 slugging percentage, despite going 3 for his last 30 (with five walks).

But after two seasons of injury-plagued decline, Ellis has been reborn at age 34. His .736 OPS in 2015 is his best since 2012, and from May 26 through August 26, he has a .435 OBP while slugging .521, including a homer, single and walk in Wednesday’s 7-4 win over the Reds.

“I don’t know if it was just health, or bad swing mechanics,” Ellis said in explaining his surge to Moura. “I was hitting a lot of ground balls to the left side of the infield on pitches I should have traditionally stayed up the middle on or hit the other way. I worked hard on staying up the middle.”

Given their side-by-side success, we should see the Dodgers be able to take advantage of Grandal and Ellis not only down the stretch but if they reach the playoffs, especially given how often in their friendly partnership Grandal has caught Zack Greinke while Ellis has caught Clayton Kershaw.

It doesn’t hurt that in his postseason career, Ellis is hitting .386/.481/.682 for a 1.163 OPS in 53 plate appearances (yes, small sample size warning). He has a 10-game hitting streak in the playoffs and has a hit in all but one of his 14 career playoff games.

Meditations on hitting three home runs and winning

On August 26, 2015

In Doggerel, Thinking out loud

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On hitting three home runs and winning

It is good. So very
Very good

Shaming
A team for hitting
Home runs
Is like shaming
A Redwood
For being old
And strong

Smallball
Isn’t allball
Manufacturing runs is fine
Until the factory runs down
And no factory is invulnerable

Be your strength
Be proud
For when you say
“Run!”
I say,
“How slow?”
When you say “Bunt!”
I say, “But we do not bunt well.”

Just as a team
That has no power
Cannot be told, “Just have more power!”

We are not perfect
But our
Strengths
Are not weaknesses

— Jon Weisman

Nothing is easy unless everything is easy

On August 26, 2015

In Bullpen, Pregame

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Dodgers at Reds, 4:10 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Scott Van Slyke, LF
Chase Utley, 2B
A.J. Ellis, C
Kiké Hernandez, CF
Brett Anderson, P

By Jon Weisman

As four-run Dodger victories go, Tuesday’s 5-1 win at Cincinnati was a nailbiter.

Los Angeles had a 5-0 lead against the Reds with 10 outs to go in the game. Under normal circumstances, you would recline in your chair a bit.

But there was the hovering drone of the five-game losing streak, with two of those five defeats directly tied to the bullpen. In between was a loss charged to Tuesday’s starting pitcher, Alex Wood, who gave up the go-ahead run August 19 to Oakland … with 10 outs to go in the game.

So here we were at Great American Ball Park. Ten outs to go. Bases empty. Five runs ahead. Maybe this night would go easier.

Here’s how many pitches it took to get each of the next 10 outs (click to enlarge):

It should jump out at you that of those 10 remaining outs, six came quickly and were quite routine. Yeah, there was a massive foul ball by Brayan Pena off Kenley Jansen, but that was with the bases empty and two out in the ninth.

But the final outs of the sixth and eighth innings … those were the times that try fans’ souls.

In the bottom of the sixth, the tension was underscored by just how far the Dodgers had to go to get to the end of the game, how intimidating those final 10 outs seemed. If it was going to be so hard to get one — three pitchers, 13 pitches — how would they ever get nine more?

We were 14 pitches and a baserunner into the seventh inning before J.P. Howell got an out, but that turned out to be two-for-Tuesday special, so the jeopardy factor was fairly low.

Then, just when you might have relaxed — three outs on seven pitches after the double play — you were punished. The game crept slowly, from two out/bases empty … to man on first … to men on first and second … to bases loaded, tying run at the plate … to Jay Bruce taking two 93 mph fastballs and fouling off two 94 mph fastballs on his way to a 2-2 count … and seemingly nowhere for Luis Avilan to go.

Seventeen Dodger pitches with two out in the eighth. Seventeen pitches, with only two swing-and-misses. Seventeen pitches, each more agonizing than the last. Seventeen pitches, holding us in suspended aggravation, until Avilan threw that final, liberating curveball for strike three.

After 11 more flings by Jansen, Dodger fans could exhale.

No, you wouldn’t think it should be this hard. Right now, it is. It won’t always be, and man, will we appreciate that.

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