June 2014 – Page 3 – Dodger Thoughts

On June 22, 2014

In History

By Jon Weisman

Fifty years ago today, the Dodgers signed 17-year-old Fremont High School outfielder Willie Crawford to a bonus contract worth $100,000.

That might not seem so unusual in this era of seven-figure contracts for teenage amateur ballplayers. But less than three months later, just nine days after his 18th birthday, Crawford made his Major League debut with Los Angeles.

Crawford’s signing on June 22, 1964 was headline news in the Times, which cited assistant general manager Red Patterson as saying Crawford had “lucrative offers” from 16 MLB teams. The Times added that Crawford “has been clocked in 3.1 seconds going to first base,” which would be faster than Dee Gordon on his Little League home run last week.

Dodger scouts Al Campanis, Kenny Myers and Tom Lasorda worked as a team to sign the highly prized athlete at his parents’ home, 1447 E 69th St.

Even Charley Finley, the controversial owner of the Kansas City Athletics, made a last-minute personal appearance at Crawford’s home Sunday in an effort to sign him. …

… The club said it believed this was the highest bonus ever paid a Negro. It is the second highest ever paid out by the Dodgers, Frank Howard having received $107,000.

Taking a drink of wRC cola

On June 21, 2014

In Offense, Pregame

Jon SooHoo’s photo highlights from Friday can be found at LA Photog Blog.

Dodgers at Padres, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Drew Butera, C
Josh Beckett, P

By Jon Weisman

Scott Van Slyke, Justin Turner and Matt Kemp have been the Dodgers’ most productive offensive players in June, while Yasiel Puig, who has been bothered by a strained hip flexor, has been struggling.

Kemp, with a .411 on-base percentage and .578 slugging in June, leads Dodger regulars this month with 14 wRC and 177 wRC+, according to Fangraphs, in 73 plate appearances.

Weighted Runs Created (wRC) is an improved version of Bill James’ Runs Created (RC) statistic, which attempted to quantify a player’s total offensive value and measure it by runs. In Runs Created, instead of looking at a player’s line and listing out all the details (e.g. 23 2B, 15 HR, 55 BB, 110 K, 19 SB, 5 CS), the information is synthesized into one metric in order to say, “Player X was worth 24 runs to his team last year.” While the idea was sound, James’ formula has since been superseded by Tom Tango’s wRC , which is based off of wOBA.

Similar to OPS+, Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) measures how a player’s wRC compares with league average. League average is 100, and every point above 100 is a percentage point above league average. For example, a 125 wRC+ means a player created 25% more runs than league average. Similarly, every point below 100 is a percentage point below league average, so a 80 wRC+ means a player created 20% fewer runs than league average.

In part-time action, Van Slyke and Turner each have 10 wRC. Van Slyke’s wRC+ is 230, while Turner is at 190.

Hanley Ramirez (10 wRC, 132 wRC+) and Dee Gordon (8 wRC, 113 wRC+) are both above average in June, while Puig (7 wRC, 95 wRC+) is fighting to get there. Farther down the list in June are Andre Ethier (3 wRC, 54 wRC+) and Adrian Gonzalez (3 wRC, 44 wRC+).

Ethier, whose career wRC+ against right-handed pitching is 140, a total he has matched or exceeded every year since 2008, is at 102 against righties this year.

Oh, those Petco Park effects

On June 20, 2014

In Offense, Pregame

Dodgers at Padres, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Dan Haren, P

By Jon Weisman

Just a friendly reminder: Don’t count on the Dodgers scoring a ton of runs at San Diego this weekend.

The years and players come and go, but one thing remains fairly constant — Petco Park is where offenses go to wilt.

For an amuse bouche ahead of tonight’s series opener against the Padres, I put together the following little chart, comparing the Dodgers’ scoring at San Diego with their scoring at Colorado since 2004.

For example, the Dodgers have been shut out 12 times at Petco in this period, compared with three times at Coors Field. They have never scored 13 runs or more at Petco, a figure they have reached or surpassed three times at Coors.

Los Angeles has been held to three runs or less 53 times in 94 games at Petco (56.4 percent of the time). The Dodgers are 10-43 (.189) in those games, winning three 1-0 games.

In Colorado, the Dodgers have been held to three runs or less 30 times in 95 games in Colorado (31.6 percent). The Dodgers are 5-25 (.167) in those games, all when they have scored three runs. When they have scored two runs or less at Coors, the Dodgers are 0-19.

It’s not impossible to score bunches of runs in San Diego. It’s just pretty darn challenging.

$22 discounted tickets for Clayton Kershaw’s next scheduled home start on sale

On June 19, 2014

In Tickets

Another no-hitter, another special Dodger ticket offer.

In celebration of Clayton Kershaw’s first career no-hitter last night, the Dodgers will offer a limited number of $22 tickets to Kershaw’s next scheduled home start, June 29 vs. the Cardinals at 1:10 p.m.

A limited number of $22 Infield Reserve (reg. $30), Preferred Reserve (reg. $25) and Left Field Pavilion tickets for the June 29 game are available for purchase now, while supplies last, by visiting www.dodgers.com/nohitter or by calling 866-DODGERS.

— Jon Weisman

Hi, I’m Clayton Kershaw — I’m on top of the world and have absolutely no idea that gallons of colored liquid are about to attack

On June 19, 2014

Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2014

Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter, Twitter-style

Yah! pic.twitter.com/KoiJHzOUWg

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) June 19, 2014

"He's done it." – Vin Scully

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 19, 2014

The most dominant pitching performance in Dodger history?

In History

By Jon Weisman

It was the strikeouts.

For nearly the entire night, Colorado’s hitters simply could not find the ball.

Right or wrong, when I imagined Clayton Kershaw throwing a no-hitter — and how often, how very often I imagined it — I imagined he’s get his seven or eight strikeouts, but the majority of the outs would be of efficient dispatch. Lots of first-pitch groundouts.

Instead, the strikeouts came by the bushel, so much so that with four outs remaining in the game, Kershaw had a chance to tie the franchise record of 18 strikeouts in a game, held by Sandy Koufax and Ramon Martinez.

Kershaw did break one record of some obscurity but significance nevertheless. His Game Score of 102 was the highest in Dodger history, higher even than Koufax during his 14-strikeout perfect game, and a concise testimony to his dominance. Only Kerry Wood, in his 20-strikeout game, had a higher Game Score.

He was the first player ever to strike out at least 15 without allowing a hit or walk.

And the 26-year-old lefty finished it off on only 107 pitches. There were nine groundouts, and only three balls in the air all night. I counted only one three-ball count for Kershaw tonight, to Josh Rutledge in the second inning.

Clayton Kershaw was walking on the sun.

Kershaw’s no-hitter, from start to finish

[mlbvideo id=”33848827″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Kershaw does it! A no-hitter for the ace!

In Postgame

[mlbvideo id=”33848011″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

So that’s what it’s like to stare into the sun.

Clayton Kershaw lassoed the brilliant light of 191 previous Major League starts and unleashed it on a Colorado Rockies team that had no shield, no defense. And baseball fans around the world could only gaze in wonder.

Striking out a career-high 15 batters, Kershaw pitched his first career no-hitter — and of course, the second by a Dodger in less than a month — wiping out the Colorado Rockies, 8-0.

Kershaw had taken one previous no-hitter into the eighth inning, on May 17, 2009, before Cody Ross broke it up with a double.

Tonight’s was a perfect game before Hanley Ramirez’s throwing error to lead off the seventh inning. Undaunted, Kershaw retired the final nine Rockies, needing only one outstanding defensive play, a deep throw from back of third base by Miguel Rojas.

Dodger Stadium meets ‘Boy Meets World’ meeting ‘Girl Meets World’

In Television

Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence: pic.twitter.com/nMDuosolbs

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 19, 2014

By Jon Weisman

My cultural translator tells me that as “The Brady Bunch” was to my generation and “Saved by the Bell” was to the generation that immediately followed, so was “Boy Meets World” to the generation or half-generation after that, which explains all the excitement that immediately surrounded Disney Channel’s plans to spin the latter series into “Girl Meets World.”

Imagine if Greg and Marcia had ~~gotten married~~ become co-parents through entirely moral means. That’d beat “The Brady Brides” with all its unnecessary spouses any day.

So was it a big deal that Cory and Topanga were at Dodger Stadium tonight? To those who form our nation’s future, I have no trouble believing that it was.

The creepers

The Dodgers are floating all around you ….

Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CXCII: Kershawctify
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Scott Van Slyke, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, 3B
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

You know how when a batter’s on a hot streak, the baseball is as big as a beachball?

That’s how big the MLB scoreboard is for the Dodgers right now. Every time they look up at it lately (well, eight times in the last 10 days), the National League West-leading San Francisco Giants have eephused a big, rainbow-colored loss.

Having been bounced by the Chicago White Sox twice in 18 hours, including 7-6 this afternoon in Illinois, San Francisco has surrendered more than half of its once-proud 9 1/2-game advantage. Los Angeles can come within four games of first place if Clayton Kershaw can hold off the Rockies tonight.

“There’s no doubt you gain a little energy by creeping,” Dodger manager Don Mattingly said. “It’s like you’re chasing somebody in a race, right? And you’re getting closer … it’s never motivating when that guy’s running and you can’t see him anymore. I think the fact that we’re able to kind of get a little bit of view, I think it helps.

“But that’s only short-lived. You’ve still got to take care of business over the long haul.”

To that end, some players are closer to action:

Juan Uribe, out since May 20, will begin a rehab assignment Thursday in Rancho Cucamonga, designated hitting in his first game.
Justin Turner, whose last start was June 12, could play tonight, but Mattingly is hoping to combine one more day of rest with Thursday’s off day before starting him Friday in San Diego.
Hanley Ramirez, who left Tuesday’s game with a contusion on his right ring finger, was listed in the starting lineup, though he stood to be reevaluated after batting practice. Mattingly was happy that it was even a possibility Ramirez could play.
An MRI behind him, Carl Crawford remains in Arizona, continuing to wait for progress on his left ankle that will allow him to resume his recovery work.
Scott Elbert, recovering from multiple operations including Tommy John surgery, has begun a rehab assignment in Ogden. Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. has more.
Grant Holmes, the first-round draft pick who officially signed with the Dodgers on Tuesday, will take the Dodger Stadium mound for his first Major League start on June 28, 2017.*

*I might have made this up.

Arc de Triunfel latest monument to champs, L.A. says

On June 17, 2014

In Bench

[mlbvideo id=”33818367″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

From some fair diamond, miles upon miles away, Eugenio Velez looks at Carlos Triunfel and shakes his head.

Triunfel, the Dodgers’ all’s-a-shortstop-that’s-going-to-shortstop tonight after Hanley Ramirez joined Justin Turner (not to mention Juan Uribe, Chone Figgins and Alex Guerrero) on the sidelines in the seventh inning tonight, hit his first career home run immediately upon entry, providing a valuable insurance run as the Dodgers clung to a 4-2 victory over the Rockies.

The 24-year-old April 2 acquisition from Seattle has two hits in his first two at-bats as a Dodger, two more than Velez had for the 2011 Dodgers in 37 at-bats. But I come not to bury Velez. Not to praise him, either, but mainly to point out that there are no small parts in baseball, only small actors with unpredictable comic timing.

As the Dodgers aim to climb out of a 9 1/2-game hole in the National League West for the second summer in a row — and in the past nine days, they have shaken the streets of San Francisco, reducing their distance from the Giants by 4 1/2 games — the little guys and role players, whom the narrative so recently told us the Dodgers were sorely lacking, have loomed large.

Consider what’s happened merely on the left side of the infield since Uribe went on the disabled list:

Turner is OPSing .764 on the season and .951 in his last 95 plate appearances since May 9.
Figgins had a .373 on-base percentage before going on the disabled list himself.
Erisbel Arruebarrena went 4 for 13 with a walk.
Miguel Rojas is 6 for 21 (.286).
Jamie Romak is … for now, keeping us humble. But stand by.

Together, the group has hit adequately. It has fielded adequately. It has done both with the occasional flourish, particularly from Turner until his calf started acting up.

But this is what the reserve role demands. Hold the fort and fire off the occasional salvo. Same with the Scott Van Slykes and Drew Buteras of the ravine. While observers near and far were quick to point out all the Schumakers and Puntos that the 2014 Dodgers lacked, what they weren’t noticing was that a new breed was coming along right under their noses.

Combine that with a little well-directed Ramirez team spirit, and lo! Forsooth, a new narrative. There comes a time when, instead of focusing on what you isn’t present or isn’t working, you start making the best of what is.

Note on the headline: Too much. I know.

Dee Gordon’s eyes have it

On June 17, 2014

What’s it like to go around the bases in less than 14 seconds? Let Jon SooHoo take you inside the eyes of Dee Gordon.

— Jon Weisman

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Video: Dee Gordon’s 13.9-second merry-go-round

On June 16, 2014