July 2014 – Page 5 – Dodger Thoughts

Padres at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CXCVI: Kershawll About Eve
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Scott Van Slyke, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

A closer’s workload can always fluctuate, and rarely can you see it illustrated better than the example of Kenley Jansen.

We’re on the 10th day of July, and Jansen has thrown all of eight pitches this month, retiring all three batters he faced July 3 at Colorado. The only other late-inning, small lead the Dodgers have had in July was when Cleveland scored three runs in the eighth inning July 2.

Dodgers activate Carl Crawford, designate Clint Robinson for assignment

In Transactions

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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.

What you might not know about the birth of Fernando Valenzuela’s screwball

In Pitching

valenzuela_5 From Bruce Schoenfeld’s New York Times Magazine piece, “The Mystery of the Vanishing Screwball”:

The apotheosis of the screwball in modern baseball history took place on Oct. 19, 1981, when Valenzuela, then a 20-year-old rookie, faced the Expos in the deciding game of the National League Championship Series. “I’m going to throw mostly screwballs tomorrow,” Valenzuela told the coach Manny Mota over dinner. “Just watch.”

Though no records exist to confirm it, Valenzuela probably threw more screwballs that day than most ballparks have seen in the past decade. He allowed three hits over eight and two-thirds innings, beat the Expos, 2-1, and lifted the Dodgers to the World Series, which they won over the Yankees. “It was working, so I threw it over and over,” he told me. “It was one of my best games.”

In other words, it wasn’t until near the end of that magical 1981 season that Valenzuela reached peak screwball.

— Jon Weisman

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices at Dodger Stadium

In Dodger Stadium, Food

Meet the meatless. And their occasionally meatful, gluten-free cousins.

Below is a list of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free offerings during games at Dodger Stadium, provided by Levy Restaurants. Obviously, not everything on the list is a main course, but you might be surprised by the sheer number of choices.

And at the bottom of this post, you’ll see the Dodger Insider magazine guide to Dodger Stadium food concessions.

Gluten tag!

— Jon Weisman

Tonight’s starting pitchers have a 1.68 ERA — combined

In Pitching

By Jon Weisman

Clayton Kershaw has a 36-inning scoreless streak, has allowed seven runs in seven weeks and will take over the MLB lead in ERA if he throws seven shutout innings against the worst offense of the past 30 to 50 years.

But he won’t have the lowest ERA on the mound when play at Dodger Stadium begins tonight.

Second-half rotation depends on Kershaw’s All-Star usage, Beckett’s health

On July 9, 2014

In Pitching, Pregame

Dodgers at Tigers, 10:08 a.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
(Zack Greinke, P)

By Jon Weisman

Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to pitch his last game before the All-Star Break on Thursday. But Kershaw might not start the Dodgers’ first game after the All-Star Break on July 18, eight days later.

Don Mattingly told reporters in Detroit today that if Kershaw pitches two innings in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, that he would not open the Dodgers’ post-break schedule in St. Louis.

Whether that will happen remains to be seen.

What to know about Yasiel Puig and the Home Run Derby

In Uncategorized

Here’s the NL HR Derby team, with a look at where their HRs this season would have landed at Target Field pic.twitter.com/YeyGU5zqPT

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 8, 2014

By Jon Weisman

Above is a chart from ESPN Stats & Information that gives you a flavor of what this year’s Home Run Derby — co-starring Yasiel Puig, we learned today — would look like, if this year’s Home Run Derby were the first 3 1/2 months of the baseball season compressed into one night.

But not only does this year’s Home Run Derby not resemble that, it doesn’t even resemble last year’s Home Run Derby. Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com summarizes the key differences:

Tigers, unlike Brazil, rally from 5-0 first-half/inning blitz

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

The Dodgers had two hits after the first inning. The Tigers had 20.

That includes 10 hits in their first 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and a 12-for-17 performance for the game with RISP in what became a 14-5 romp.

The top pitcher of the night for the Dodgers: Pedro Baez, who in his second career game threw a perfect inning, aided by a sprawling catch by Matt Kemp. Kemp had half of the Dodgers’ six hits for the night.

Video: Yasiel Puig’s incredible throw becomes sidelight as Dodgers, Tigers each roll 5s

In Midgame

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By Jon Weisman

Torii Hunter was ruled safe at second base on a replay review, but that can’t take away from the brilliance of this play by Yasiel Puig.

Josh Beckett heading to disabled list

In Health/injuries, Pregame, Transactions

Dodgers at Tigers, 4:08 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Scott Van Slyke, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
(Hyun-Jin Ryu, P)

By Jon Weisman

Amid his banner comeback season, there’s been increasing concern about general wear and tear on Josh Beckett, concern that was only exacerbated when he went aggravated his left hip on the basepaths Sunday in Colorado.

Today, the Dodgers announced that Beckett is heading the disabled list with a left hip impingement. Because of the All-Star Break, Beckett might miss only one scheduled start, the one Saturday at home against San Diego. Assuming the Dodgers reset their rotation after the break, Beckett could return to make a start July 22 at Pittsburgh.

In case you missed it: Carl Crawford progressing

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it

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By Jon Weisman

Carl Crawford appears off to a healthy start in his rehab assignment at Albuquerque.

Testing for the third game in a row the left ankle that has had him on the disabled list for six weeks, Crawford stole a base, singled and tripled Monday for the Isotopes while playing the entire game, reports Christopher Jackson of Albuquerque Baseball Examiner.

“I haven’t seen anything that has been hampering him as far as the ankle,” Isotopes manager Damon Berryhill told Jackson. “He’s been explosive. He’s gotten good breaks on the ball in the outfield. I think his swing, he says it feels it good. He hasn’t complained about anything. I think he’s due to go six more (innings) here (Tuesday).”

Mike Petriello of Dodgers Digest has more. If the Dodgers keep Crawford to the estimated five or six games of rehab, that would mean activating him Thursday or Friday in Los Angeles. Earlier this week, Dodger manager Don Mattingly told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com that “not that worried” about how Crawford’s return will affect the Dodgers northward march in the standings. …

“We’ll deal with it when he gets here,” said Mattingly. “We’re playing good and I don’t expect too many changes messing with it.”

But Mattingly cautioned not to conclude that means Crawford won’t play.

“You never know what happens in five or six days,” he said. “Things tend to work themselves out.”

The best opening of the day goes to Jeff Sullivan at Fangraphs: “The last time Clayton Kershaw allowed a run, his team was trailing the Giants in the National League West by seven and a half games.” With San Francisco losing Monday, the Dodgers have gained 8 1/2 games in the standings during Kershaw’s scoreless inning streak.
You know this already, but it’s still painful to see Andrew Grant describe at True Blue L.A. how poorly the Dodgers have at the Home Run Derby.
Corey Seager and Joc Pederson made the MLBPipeline.com First-Half All-Prospect team, as Jonathan Mayo chronicles for MLB.com.
At Deadspin’s The Stacks, Alex Belth brought back this tremendous seven-year-old piece by John Schulian on Jim Brosnan — actually Schulian’s introduction of Brosnan for his induction into the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals. Must-read piece on Brosnan, who died late last month.

Off-day reading: Bird-watching at Dodger Stadium

On July 7, 2014

In Dodger Stadium

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A year ago, the Dodgers posted the above behind-the-scenes video illustrating the work of landscape manager Chaz Perea, Major League Baseball’s only full-time in-house arborist. It serves as a nice complement to this month’s Stadium Ways feature in Dodger Insider magazine, reprinted below, on the many different kinds of birds visible in and around the ballpark.

Click to enlarge the article. Remember, you can purchase the magazine at Dodger Stadium or subscribe by visiting dodgers.com/magazine.

Coaching coaches with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation

On July 7, 2014

In Community

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By Erin Edwards

Vital to a positive baseball experience is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic coach. The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) is committed to ensuring that the coaches of their Dodgers RBI are the best possible.

Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America push Urias, Pederson and Seager into top 20

On July 7, 2014

In Minor leagues

By Jon Weisman

Baseball Prospectus moved three top Dodger prospects up in its midseason rankings: Julio Urias (35th to 15th), Joc Pederson (50th to 17th) and Corey Seager (44th to 19th). That’s right: Baseball Prospectus now considers the Dodgers to have three top 20 prospects in the minors.

Update: Corroboration. Here’s the Baseball America midseason list, with Urias at 13 (up from 51 at the end of 2013), Seager at 16 (up from 37) and Pederson at 18 (up from 34).

Here are Baseball Prospectus’ comments:

Dodger All-Stars: Puig, Gordon, Kershaw, Greinke