June 2014 – Page 4 – Dodger Thoughts

By Jon Weisman

A.J. Ellis dancing the can-can in a gray shirt on a catcher’s mask sidelined the Dodger catcher for a little more than two weeks, but now that he’s back, he is marching on to vintage A.J. Ellis form.

Going 2 for 2 with a walk in his first three at-bats of Monday’s Dodgers-Rockies game before grounding out, Ellis has now reached base in 20 of his past 38 plate appearances — with two doubles, six singles and 12 walks. In that stretch, he has struck out three times.

Ellis pushed his batting average above .200 for the first time since March 30, but more importantly, his on-base percentage was up to .408. Hitting with more power is the next piece of the puzzle.

As Billingsley chooses surgery, Kershaw speaks about his comrade

In Health/injuries, Pregame

In his first start of the 2012 season, Chad Billingsley allowed four baserunners in 8 1/3 shutout innings while striking out 11. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Matt Kemp, LF
Scott Van Slyke, 1B
Andre Ethier, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, 3B
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

Chad Billingsley first described himself as “flustered” by the turn of events that has brought him face-to-face with a second year of surgery in a row, this time to repair a torn flexor tendon, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports here.

Normally you’d might expect “frustrated,” a word Billingsley in fact later used with reporters here, but “flustered” adds a level of agitation that speaks to his eagerness to get back in the game.

Billingsley will miss the remainder of the 2014 season as he recovers from his latest operation. By the time the 2015 campaign begins, the right-hander, who turns 30 next month, will have pitched 12 Major League innings in more than 80 weeks.

“Bills is a good friend of mine, so I just feel bad for him,” said Clayton Kershaw, for six years a teammate of Billingsley. “I know how much he loves to complete and how much he wanted to pitch, and I can’t imagine going through that whole rehab process and finding out that news. You just try to put yourself in his shoes and be there for him the best you can, and realize it’s a pretty terrible situation.”

Stanley Cup comes Tuesday to Dodger Stadium

In Other sports

The celebration continues tomorrow, when the @LAKings bring Lord Stanley to Dodger Stadium: http://t.co/SqOlZKvxph pic.twitter.com/R564puZ70n

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 16, 2014

Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers will honor the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings — who will bring the Stanley Cup trophy to the ballpark — during pregame ceremonies prior to the Dodgers’ game against the Colorado Rockies.

— Jon Weisman

Farewell, Tony Gwynn

In Farewells

By Jon Weisman

Tony Gwynn, the Baseball Hall of Famer who played 20 seasons for the San Diego Padres and the father and brother of former Dodgers Tony Gwynn Jr. and Chris Gwynn, has died at age 54.

The joyful Gwynn had 271 of his 3,141 career hits against the Dodgers, batting .330 with a .396 on-base percentage and 49 doubles against them in 225 games and 931 plate appearances, and .329 in 112 games at Dodger Stadium. From 1993-95, Gwynn batted .479 (56 for 117) with 18 walks against the Dodgers.

He had 78 multi-hit games against the Dodgers, and on June 26, 1997, he hit a game-winning, inside-the-park grand slam to beat Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.

As great an opponent as I have ever seen at Dodger Stadium … rest in peace, Tony Gwynn.

From the magazine: ‘Father’s Daze’

On June 15, 2014

In Publications

Ahead of Father’s Day, I talked to several Dodgers about how they remained connected with their families when they spend so much of their lives away from home. Below, the reprint from this month’s Dodger Insider magazine (click each page to enlarge):

— Jon Weisman

Farewell, Don Normark, Chavez Ravine photographer

On June 14, 2014

In Uncategorized

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

By Jon Weisman

Don Normark, whose photographs helped chronicle the pre-Dodger Stadium history of Chavez Ravine, died June 5 at age 86.

Among other things, Normark’s images served as the basis for his book, Chavez Ravine: 1949 and were key to the PBS Independent Lens documentary, “Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story.”

The doc itself depicts how Chavez Ravine was taken control of by the city of Los Angeles, years before the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn.

From his Times obituary by Elaine Woo:

A class assignment to find a postcard view of L.A. led him to scout the terrain above downtown. At the top of a hill, he looked down and discovered “a village I never knew was there.”

He became a familiar presence among the 1,000 families who lived in the three neighborhoods of Chavez Ravine — La Loma, Bishop and Palo Verde. Luckily for Normark, much of life there took place outside, “in public, where the stranger’s camera could see.” The residents’ acceptance of him was, he wrote in his book, “like a gift to me,” yielding evocative images of a working man with a lunchbox heading home on a winding dirt path or a grinning boy covered with broken eggshells from Easter cascarones.

Another remembrance of Normark comes from J. Michael Walker at L.A. Observed’s Native Intelligence.

‘Where the Action Is’: Dodger catchers’ roundtable

On June 14, 2014

In Catching, Publications

[mlbvideo id=”33699075″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

By Jon Weisman

Our big story in the June issue of Dodger Insider magazine was a roundtable with catchers A.J. Ellis, Drew Butera and Tim Federowicz about all the ins and outs of their position.

It’s an interesting, far-ranging and often funny chat, filmed while Ellis was on the disabled list and Butera and Federowicz were both on the active roster.

Thanks to the Dodger video production team for putting together the highlight package above, and thanks to Ellis, Butera and Federowicz for their time.

Below, the full print version of the big magazine feature (click pages to enlarge a bit). There’s more great content like this every month in Dodger Insider magazine.

Video: Dodger Stadium celebrates Kings’ Stanley Cup

In Dodger Stadium, Other sports

[mlbvideo id=”33696823″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Hockey ball

In Pregame

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CXCI: Kershaw Kings Go
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Chone Figgins, 3B
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

So, I was watching the Kings score their first goal tonight, and I was imagining what baseball would be like if, instead of a single batter standing 60 1/2 feet away from the pitcher, you had several batters at once each hacking away at a ball with their bats and the infielders hacking back at them.

Anyway …

Much was made early on of how the Dodgers fattened up on a weak Diamondbacks team, going 7-1 in their first eight matchups. On April 29, the Dodgers were 14-12 and the Diamondbacks 8-22. But since then, Arizona is 21-18 and the Dodgers 21-21. Meaning that Arizona is not the pushover it was originally believed to be.

Things change. And then they change again. Something to keep in mind.

* * *

Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. has an update on the rehab of Carl Crawford and Juan Uribe.

Another setback for Chad Billingsley

In Health/injuries

Chad Billingsley leaves the mound in his final appearance of 2012, on August 24 (Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

Chad Billingsley, aiming to recover from Tommy John surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, now has a partial tear of his flexor tendon, per an examination Thursday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Billingsley and Dr. ElAttrache are considering treatment options, according to the Dodgers’ public relations department, and further information will be released in the coming days.

The right-hander, who turns 30 on July 29, ranks 11th in Los Angeles Dodger history in adjusted ERA among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings.

Dodgers activate Ellis, option Federowicz

In Transactions

A.J. Ellis last played for the Dodgers on May 24. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

A.J. Ellis will make his first appearance on the active roster since the day of Josh Beckett’s no-no, coming off the disabled list in time for tonight’s game. Tim Federowicz, who singled, doubled and homered with a sacrifice hit and sacrifice fly (.654 OPS) in 17 plate appearances while Ellis was out, will head back to Albuquerque.

Ellis was 4 for 23 with two singles, two doubles and eight walks (.648 OPS) in May.

— Jon Weisman

Yasiel Puig’s New York catch, super-tracked

In Uncategorized

[mlbvideo id=”33676413″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Ryu rues the walks

On June 12, 2014

In Pregame

[mlbvideo id=”33629187″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Dodgers at Reds, 9:35 a.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Tim Federowicz, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

The Dodgers have reduced their early season problem of bases-empty walks, but it came back to bite them Wednesday in their 5-0 loss to Cincinnati — with two out and an 0-2 count no less.

In the bottom of the third inning in a scoreless game, Hyun-Jin Ryu had that advantage on the Reds and Billy Hamilton, but six pitches later, Hamilton had a free pass to first base. In his speedy case, that’s as good as an escort to second base, though after Hamilton stole second, Ryu had Todd Frazier down 1-2 and walked him as well.

Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips made Ryu pay with a double and a single, putting the Dodgers down 3-0.

Ryu has walked eight batters with the bases empty in 171 plate appearances. That ratio is fourth-best among Dodger starting pitchers, ahead of Josh Beckett. Two of the pitchers ahead of him, Zack Greinke and Dan Haren, have allowed more home runs with the bases empty than walks.

The Dodger lefty had benefited from a terrific defensive play the previous inning by Dee Gordon. One out after Phillips and Jay Bruce singled, Gordon ranged deep behind second to make an over-the-shoulder catch and doubled Phillips off second base. (Just earlier, Phillips had remained at second base out of overt respect for Yasiel Puig’s throwing arm.)

Zoo station

On June 11, 2014

In Pregame

After that, @YasielPuig conquered his fear of snakes. (photo via @CincinnatiZoo) http://t.co/L63WlrDyBv pic.twitter.com/nLXNe6YBrw

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 11, 2014

Dodgers at Reds, 4:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Chone Figgins, 3B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Miguel Rojas, SS
Drew Butera, C
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

Yasiel Puig went to the zoo today. Youngest Master Weisman almost went to the zoo, but ended up miniature golfing instead.

Summer is a kids’ paradise …

* * *

Injury updates:

Chad Billingsley was unable to pitch freely in his Tuesday bullpen session, and will meet with Dr. Neil ElAttrache on Thursday.
Carl Crawford has seen improvement doesn’t have “the explosiveness” he is used to having, according to Manny Randhawa of MLB.com. Crawford is eligible to come off the disabled list Thursday, but still doesn’t have a minor-league rehab assignment scheduled.
A.J. Ellis could be activated from the disabled list this week, without a rehab assignment, reports Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles, while Juan Uribe could go on a rehab journey in days as well. Uribe last played May 20.
Update: Hanley Ramirez has been scratched with right AC joint irritation. Miguel Rojas will start at shortstop tonight.

Josh Beckett: NL Comeback Player of the Year?