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By Jon Weisman
There have been several bits of business that I’ve been meaning to get to, so I figured the best solution was to bring back the reliable “In case you missed it” feature from Spring Training to capture them all.
By Jon Weisman
When Justin Turner hit his first homer of 2016 on Saturday, it capped his best four-game stretch of the season.
Turner went 6 for 16 with two doubles, two walks and the homer, raising his OPS from .631 to .714. Though Turner went 0 for 3 with a walk Sunday, Dave Roberts didn’t think the uptick in numbers was a fluke.
Luis Cruz greets Justin Sellers during 2013 Opening Day introductions. (Photos by Jon SooHoo)
Vicente Padilla allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings on Opening Day 2010.
By Jon Weisman
Every spring, there’s tons of edge-of-your-laptop anticipation over who will start for the Dodgers on Opening Day, even if it won’t mean much by the end of that year, month, week or game.
Going back 30 years, here are nine of the most eccentric picks for the Dodgers’ season-opening lineups. Do you remember them all? They’re each peculiar yet lovable in their own way …
Adam Liberatore has struck out 11 in nine Cactus League innings this year.
By Jon Weisman
The Dodgers are down to two left-handers in their Major League bullpen after optioning Adam Liberatore to the minors following the team’s 5-4 victory Monday over Texas.
The question now is, will they go down to one?
Since we last checked in on the bullpen, it has been whittled in predictable fashion, leaving the following:
By Jon Weisman
One week from Opening Day, it’s safe to say that injuries have dampened Spring Training for the Dodgers this year, like picking the wrong line at Philippe’s 30 minutes before game time. If there’s an upside, it’s that aside from the injuries, there’s been a feast for the baseball senses. Nearly everyone on the field is meeting or exceeding expectations. Here are some of the brightest (and, knock on wood) healthiest lights at Camelback Ranch this month:
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By Jon Weisman
I hope you don’t have to read a tougher story than this today: Former Dodger reliever Javy Guerra spoke to J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News about the twin horrors of losing his brother and sister in the past two years.
Here’s what’s happening around the Dodgers …
Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
It’s hard not to like what Kenta Maeda has brought to the U.S. so far.
Same with Justin Turner, even if the journey isn’t quite so far.
By Jon Weisman
Justin Turner’s 2016 Cactus League debut could hardly have gone better.
In the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory over Milwaukee today, Turner — playing his first Spring Training game following offseason surgery on his left knee — doubled in a run and scored in the first inning and made a clean defensive play at third base in the second inning. In the third, Turner walked, then scored all the way from first base on an Adrian Gonzalez double, sliding smoothly at home plate.
“I’m still standing,” said Turner, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “Everything is a test to see how I feel on both sides of the ball. I had a little extra adrenaline with the fans in the stands. I was anxious to get back out there in a real game. Playing on the back fields is good to get the work in, but it’s not the same adrenaline and intensity with the fans in the stands. I felt great. Ran, slid into home, dove for a ball. Everything felt fine.”
Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. has more. Assuming Turner has no ill after-affects Tuesday, he should return to game action Wednesday.
By Jon Weisman
The Iced Man cometh.
In the Dodgers’ 13th Cactus League game of 2016, Justin Turner will make his first appearance.
Turner, who has been recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee, is scheduled to play approximately five innings at third base.
The 31-year-old Turner made it back into the lineup exactly three weeks before Opening Day at San Diego.
Alex Guerrero, who pinch-hit Sunday in his first game in eight days, gets his first start in that span at designated hitter.
Today’s game is preceded by a “B” game, slated to go no more than five innings, in which Scott Kazmir of the Dodgers is pitchinh against Chris Sale of the White Sox. Yasmani Grandal, who has been sidelined with a forearm contusion, is catching Kazmir.
Just seeing if you’re paying attention. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Earlier this week, MLB.com, the Times, the Register, True Blue L.A. and ESPN.com all wrote about how the Dodgers don’t expect to have a full-time leadoff hitter in 2016.
“It’s still wide-open,” Dave Roberts said, according to Bill Plunkett of the Register. “It might change but I don’t foresee a designated leadoff guy – versus left, versus right, versus any type of pitcher – because any day is different, any pitcher is different. So whatever I feel is the best, which makes the most sense for that night or day, we’ll do.”
For some reason, this seems to get under the skin of some fans, who correlate a consistent presence atop the order with winning. And to be sure, if you’ve got guy who posts a .400 on-base percentage against all pitching and doesn’t have redwoods for legs, that’s a good head start toward victory.
But you’re not doomed if you don’t have that person, and it doesn’t serve anyone to pretend that you do. Whatever advantage might be derived from stubbornly batting the same player in the same batting slot, regardless of who the opposing pitcher is, is surely bettered by creating the best matchups.
Let’s look at the Dodgers’ potential leadoff hitters, casting a wide net …
By Jon Weisman
A sizable media contingent, soon to be followed by a sellout Camelback Ranch crowd, greets Kenta Maeda today for his first start in a Dodger uniform.
“We’re all excited to get him out there,” Dave Roberts said this morning. “He’s excited to get out there. And it’s just more of getting an up-and-down — two innings — controlling those emotions, and just the fastball command. He’s gonna mix in some breaking balls, but I think for the most part it’s that fastball command.”
With Adrian Gonzalez making his first exhibition start today, Roberts also gave an update on Justin Turner, the only likely Opening Day position player who has yet to see Cactus League action.
“He’s doing everything right now as a baseball player, and I think the first thing we’re gonna do is get him in a game as a designated hitter,” Roberts said. “There’s no date yet — as I said early, he wasn’t going to be playing the first week. … But he’s gonna have time to get at-bats, whether on this side or the (minor-league) side, and he’s taking all the grounders, doing everything he needs to do.”
By Jon Weisman
Justin Turner is looking forward to leaping into 2016, but he’ll be leaping cautiously at first.
As a precaution and not unexpectedly, Turner won’t play in the first week of Cactus League games, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com writes.
Dave Roberts told reporters today that Turner, who is recovering from November microfracture knee surgery, remains on schedule for Opening Day, and that he can get at-bats in minor-league camp in the interim.
Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley will get some starts at third base in the meantime, Roberts said.
Soon. #DodgersST#LADProductions pic.twitter.com/zsfTvckgxA
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 24, 2016
By Jon Weisman
The full Dodger squad, minus newly signed Yaisel Sierra, fell into place on what appeared to be a beautiful day a Camelback Ranch. Here’s the latest news and notes …
For more photos from today, visit the Dodgers Photog Blog.
By Jon Weisman
Hey! It’s that day!
With today’s “pitchers and catchers reporting” day arriving, it’s time to bring back our regular roundup of relevant news on the Dodgers and baseball. Here’s what’s percolating on the Camelback campus …
By Jon Weisman
From the Dodgers’ perspective, today’s three-team trade with the Reds and White Sox was about picking up three 24-and-under players who have already had a taste of the Major Leagues.
But in an unmistakable way, it was also about a player who wasn’t part of the trade at all — Justin Turner.
What happens when three old friends in crisis fall into an unexpected love triangle? In The Catch, Maya, Henry and Daniel embark upon an emotional journey that forces them to confront unresolved pain, present-day traumas and powerful desires, leading them to question the very meaning of love and fulfillment. The Catch tells a tale of ordinary people seeking the extraordinary – or, if that’s asking too much, some damn peace of mind.
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