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By Jon Weisman
Carl Crawford’s ankle-induced exile from the Dodger active roster has ended after 43 days, as the left fielder was activated today.
Tag: Clint Robinson
By Jon Weisman
Seven and a half months before his 30th birthday, Clint Robinson got his first Major League hit. That it was a game-winning hit was obviously no small bonus, but as Dylan Hernandez of the Times wrote, “the two months Manager Don Mattingly’s team spent chasing the Giants was nothing compared to how long Robinson waited for to live a dream.”
“Twenty-nine years and counting,” Robinson told Hernandez. “I have so many emotions right now, it’s kind of hard to even put words together.
“Man, that feels good,” Robinson said he told himself as he reached first base, Hernandez added.
They send these graphic destructobeams at the speed of light via satellite, I hear. Fortunately, this one only sheared off the front of Clint Robinson’s helmet but left his head unscathed after his first Major League hit tonight.
– Jon Weisman
Update: But would he survive a liquid attack from land?
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By Jon Weisman
It was the play of the game, early in the game. With David Murphy (who had walked) on second and two out, Miguel Rojas dove to his left to flag a sharp shot up the middle by Michael Bourn off Dan Haren that had RBI stamped and scribbled all over it.
Rojas jumped to his feet and threw to first, and Bourn was called out.
The bad news for the Dodgers: Upon further review, the call was reversed.
The good news for the Dodgers: Cleveland had no more baserunners the rest of the game.
Yes, there but for the grace of replay went the Dodgers’ third no-hitter in six weeks. Really.
But there, thanks to the grace of Clint Robinson, the Dodgers moved into first place in the National League West for the first time since April 24.
Coming to the plate in a scoreless game in the bottom of the seventh inning, after Andre Ethier had tripled with none out and pinch-hitter Hanley Ramirez had been intentionally walked with two out, Robinson grounded a 3-2 pitch almost to the same spot that Bourn hit his ball, but this – Robinson’s first Major League hit – had enough moxie to get through for the RBI that gave the Dodgers a 1-0 victory over Cleveland.
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Robinson was batting for Haren, who faced 23 batters and retired all but the aforementioned two, striking out five. Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen were perfect in closing out the game.
Dodger pitchers have …
- a 0.33 ERA in their past three games with 32 strikeouts in 27 innings.
- a 1.14 ERA in their past seven games with 67 strikeouts in 63 innings.
- a 1.81 ERA in their past 14 games with 124 strikeouts in 124 2/3 innings.
And the Dodgers have won 16 of their past 22 games, gaining 10 games on San Francisco in 22 days.
Photo by Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2014
Dodgers at Royals, 5:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, DH
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Scott Van Slyke, 1B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
(Dan Haren, P)
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, DH
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Scott Van Slyke, 1B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
(Dan Haren, P)
By Jon Weisman
With Juan Uribe close to coming off the disabled list, Jamie Romak’s immediate Dodger future has been in jeopardy. Today, the infielder/outfielder, who had a double and two walks in 23 plate appearances, was designated for assignment.
But the one replacing Romak on the active roster might come as a surprise. It’s first baseman Clint Robinson, who will be suiting up today for the Dodgers against the Kansas City Royals, the team that selected him 25 rounds into the 2007 draft.
If he plays, Robinson would be the 40th Dodger to enter a game this year. With the Royals in 2012, Robinson had four pinch-hitting appearances — flying out, grounding out and striking out twice.
By Jon Weisman
Why yes, I have noticed that a certain Even Steven approach to the Dodger exhibition season. Cyndi Lauper is putting out her new single, “Tie After Tie,” as we speak.
Today’s 8-8 deadlock with Oakland widened the Dodgers’ Cactus League record to 4-6-4 and gave them ties in nearly 30 percent of their contests. In their past 10 games, the Dodgers are 2-4-4. Their past six games have been as easy as 1-2-3.
Last year, Los Angeles played 15 extra-inning games out of 162 in the regular season.
The Dodgers allowed a game-tying five runs in the eighth inning today, but it could have been worse. Brian Wilson, still mixing the occasional knuckleball, had a visit to the mound from an assistant trainer in the eighth inning (no, I’m not making a connection there), but the team reported no trouble to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Wilson was charged with two runs, while Carlos Frias, who retired none of his four batters, was charged with three.
Los Angeles looked great at the outset, with Andre Ethier lovingly smashing a three-run home run in the first inning, Juan Uribe following with a solo shot, and Hyun-Jin Ryu scattering a run and four baserunners over five innings, striking out four.
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Miguel Olivo added a three-run double (not to mention a stolen base) in helping boost the Dodgers’ lead to 8-3. In addition, J.P. Howell and Dee Gordon each turned in fine defensive plays.
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Following the game today, the Dodgers optioned pitcher Matt Magill and reassigned Frias, J.C. Boscan, Brendan Harris and Clint Robinson to minor-league camp. Harris is the second of the pre-Spring Training infield candidates to miss the cut, following Justin Sellers, who was sent to Cleveland.
Magill has had a nice exhibition season, with six strikeouts against five baserunners in 5 2/3 innings.
And, a postscript: I know the story here is Zack Greinke and Matt Kemp progressing in their rehab, but what really tantalized me was the thought of seeing Kemp bat against Julio Urias. The 17-year-old gave up a sacrifice fly to Kemp in the intrasquad game, but also struck him out.
In short, call it Even Steven.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prvm5ZFPIrE&w=550&h=413]
By Jon Weisman
However low the stakes might have been, today’s Dodgers-Brewers game was high on the entertainment side.
And since the stakes were low, Dodger fans didn’t have to feel so bad about the loss.
Despite scoring two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth, the Dodgers fell a tally short against Milwaukee today, dropping a 6-5 decision that evened their Cactus League record at 2-2. (Adam McCalvy has the MLB.com recap.)
Clint Robinson, the brilliantly named combination of Clint Eastwood and Cliff Robertson, continues to be the early belle of the ball at Spring Training for the Dodgers, going 3 for 3 to give him hits in five consecutive at-bats. The 29-year-old left-handed hitting first baseman has a career .884 OPS in the minors but all of four career plate appearances in the Majors, with Kansas City in 2012. (Below is video from Robinson’s home run on Friday.)
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One-time Dodger utilityman Elian Herrera matched Robinson with three hits of his own for the Brewers. Another old friend, Brent Leach, got the win for Milwaukee.
Chris Reed took the brunt of the Brewers’ punishment, allowing four runs in the first of his two innings on five hits. In his second inning of work, Reed retired Milwaukee in order.
The biggest triumph of all for the Dodgers might just have been that they were able to play today’s game, on a day that several exhibition games were rained out. In particular, it was good for Dan Haren to get his first start of Spring Training in, with Josh Beckett scheduled to go on Sunday. Haren allowed a run in two innings, then threw a simulated third inning in the bullpen.
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By Jon Weisman
It was a feel-good day for the pitchers on both the Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox … and then Joc Pederson came to the plate.
Pederson, understudying for Scott Van Slyke in right field today, followed a Clint Robinson single by slicing a ball the opposite way over the left-field fence, breaking a seventh-inning scoreless tie and lifting the Dodgers on their way to a 5-0 victory over Chicago.
Robinson himself hit a homer in the eighth inning that capped a three-run rally and gave him three hits in six Cactus League at-bats so far. Robinson’s pull shot to right field followed a walk and stolen base by Dee Gordon, a double by Mike Baxter and a sacrifice fly by Brendan Harris.
While the good times ended abruptly for the White Sox hurlers, they rolled right on for the home-clad Dodgers.
Hyun-Jin Ryu became the first Dodger starting pitcher at Spring Training this year to complete two scoreless innings, allowing two hits with no strikeouts. Brian Wilson, Kenley Jansen, Chris Perez, J.P. Howell and Jamey Wright each followed with scoreless innings, with Matt Magill throwing 38 pitches in two frames to wrap things up.
Los Angeles lowered its Cactus League ERA through three games to 2.33. The Dodgers have yet to allow a home run in 27 innings of Cactus League play. A total of 13 Dodger pitchers have combined to allow one run in their past 16 innings.
