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On May 25, Clayton Kershaw had a 4.32 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, and A.J. Ellis had a .208 on-base percentage and .140 slugging percentage.
Since May 26, Kershaw has a 1.53 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, and Ellis has a .467 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage.
— Jon Weisman
A.J. Ellis said, with no home runs, teammates joked that he was sponsored by Coke Zero. Said now he hoped to move up to Uno
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) July 9, 2015
By Jon Weisman
So it’s the Dodgers’ official position that Clayton Kershaw is an All-Star, and it’s my personal position that Clayton Kershaw is an All-Star, and a lot of people in the baseball world outside of Los Angeles seem to agree that Clayton Kershaw is an All-Star, but at the end of the day, we’re all selling him short.
Clayton Kershaw is Clayton Kershaw. And whatever team he is on — that’s the team to be on.
In tonight’s 5-0 victory over Philadelphia, the No. 2 strikeout performance of his career, behind only his 15-K no-hitter, Kershaw faced 36 batters tonight, and threw 31 pitches out of the strike zone.
Josh Sborz reacts after striking out the final Vanderbilt batter in Game 2 of the College World Series Championship Series (Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
Two of the top arms from the College World Series who were drafted by the Dodgers last month — Virginia right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz and Vanderbilt lefty Philip Pfeifer — have inked their deals with the team.
Sborz was named Most Valuable Player of the CWS after he threw 13 shutout innings there, part of a season-ending 27-inning scoreless streak that lowered his 2015 ERA to 1.60.
Pfeifer allowed three runs (all unearned) in 12 innings at the CWS on 12 hits and four walks, while striking out 13.
The Dodgers have signed 32 of their 42 draft picks.
Clayton Kershaw isn’t yet topping the National League All-Star Final Vote — though he’s within 1 percent of the lead — but as future dad Zack Greinke saw on July 4, we know from these Juan Ocampo photos that Kershaw is No. 1 in Cali Ann’s eyes.
As we’ve seen before, Kershaw definitely likes to hold his daughter in his glove arm.
— Jon Weisman
Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
I first noticed on Saturday that Pedro Baez had just about become his own commercial break, taking around 30 to 40 seconds between pitches — something that was a bit excruciating to watch but that I chalked up to the sudden pressure of protecting what had once been a 4-0 lead in the eighth inning.
It stood out less Monday, when nearly every pitcher in that marathon 10-7 affair seemed to be carrying a boulder on the mound, but it didn’t escape the notice of Don Mattingly, who said today he spoke to the former infielder about his pace.
By Jon Weisman
A day after Brandon Beachy threw 92 pitches in six innings of his fifth rehab start from his second Tommy John surgery, Don Mattingly did not rule out the 28-year-old right-hander as a possible starter for the Dodgers against the Brewers on Saturday.
While cautioning that the Dodgers weren’t near a decision and were considering a number of candidates, Mattingly conveyed an upbeat report on Beachy, saying he touched 93 mph Monday, though he did allow 12 baserunners in those six innings while striking out five.
“He’s throwing the ball well,” Mattingly said. “We haven’t really gotten to the candidates for this weekend. We know he’s feeling good. … In fact, his velocity was kind of back to where he was in the past.
“One of the things we’ve talked about a lot with Brandon, was to give him the time not only be physically be ready but mentally be at the point where he’s ready to compete. … He could be a guy that we use.”
Beachy’s last MLB start was August 20, 2013 with Atlanta. He has a 3.23 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings in his 46-game, 267 2/3-inning big-league career.
Ian Thomas (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
Southpaw pitcher Ian Thomas has been called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take the roster spot of Eric Surkamp, who was optioned there.
Thomas has pitched 39 1/3 innings this season in Triple A with a 4.81 ERA and 41 strikeouts against 54 baserunners. This is his third callup by the Dodgers, for whom he has made one appearance: three innings of four-run ball in the first game of the June 2 doubleheader at Colorado.
With Atlanta in 2015, Thomas had a 3.38 ERA in five relief appearances, allowing nine baserunners while striking out five in 5 1/3 innings.
In his Dodger debut Monday, Surkamp allowed a bunt single, walk, home run, single and line-drive double play to the first five batters he faced. After that, he stabilized somewhat, finishing with 3 1/3 innings, four runs, seven baserunners and four strikeouts.
Thomas and Surkamp each faced 16 batters in their lone relief appearances, the most by any Dodger reliever this year.
An injured Chad Billingsley leaves the game on August 24, 2012. (Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Chad Billingsley’s long and winding road has wound its way back to Dodger Stadium, where he will pitch tonight for the first time in more than two years — and for the first time ever as a member of the visiting team.
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
Juan Pierre, who memorably accompanied his retirement announcement with the amusing lament that while he had 18 career home runs, he wished he had 20, was lighthearted Monday responding to my tweet that he had been the only position player in Dodger history to start in the No. 9 slot in the batting order after the pitcher.
— Jon Weisman
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By Jon Weisman
This has certainly not been the easiest of Jimmy Rollins’ 16 Major League seasons, but his perseverance through the Dodgers’ 10-7 victory Monday against his former team, Philadelphia, was a welcome harbinger for the second half of 2015.
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By Jon Weisman
I’m not sure I can do justice to the surreal quality of tonight’s long and crazy, crazy and long Dodger game, won by the home team, 10-7, in well under five hours, so just take these notes and know that I did not feel rushed to write them.
Don't stop voting: http://t.co/kFj5qMJvPc pic.twitter.com/T1ywAzNhy7
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 7, 2015
By Jon Weisman
Last year’s National League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award-winner is one of this year’s NL All-Star Game Final Vote candidates.
Despite leading the league in strikeouts, strikeout rate and xFIP and being second in the NL in wins above replacement, Clayton Kershaw’s All-Star chances in 2015 depend on him winning the fan vote for the final spot on the roster.
Voting takes place now through 1 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Click here to vote. you can also vote on Twitter beginning at 7 a.m. Pacific on Friday.
Fans can now begin to vote an unlimited number of times for Kershaw to be the final player selected to the National League’s 34-man roster via the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote. Voting is available online at dodgers.com/vote and, in addition to the web, fans can use their mobile phones to cast votes via text message. To receive the ballot, text the word “VOTE” to 89269 or to vote for a specific player, fans can text the choice to 89269 (Kershaw: N3). Standard message and data rates may apply. Text “STOP” to end and “HELP” for information. Mobile voting in Canada also is available and fans should text their choices to 101010.
Kershaw’s competition is Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, Mets reliever Jeurys Familia, Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez and Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The Dodgers are promoting the vote for Kershaw with the hashtag #MVPtoASG. For six hours beginning at 7 a.m. Pacific on Friday, the final day of voting, tweets with that hashtag will also count as votes.
By Jon Weisman
Flexibility is the name of the game tonight for the Dodgers and their move to start reliever Yimi Garcia tonight, with the plan to bring minor-league starter Eric Surkamp in partway through the game.
“We just thought this was going to give us the best chance (and) the most options to win,” Don Mattingly said, adding that the decision came through conversations with the front office.
Mattingly didn’t say exactly when Surkamp would enter the game, but he joked that Garcia isn’t batting in the No. 8 spot of the order “for his bat.” This is the first time that the Dodgers have a starting pitcher batting eighth since 2009, when it happened eight times, according to Baseball-Reference.com. (On each of those occasions, Juan Pierre batted ninth.)
The Dodgers went 4-4 with their starting pitcher batting eighth. Randy Wolf and Chad Billingsley each had one single.
For his part, Surkamp said today he was told to “be ready for whatever.” He said he would preserve as much of his starting routine as he could.
By Jon Weisman
For the second year in a row, four Dodgers have been named to the National League All-Star team.
Adrian Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal, Zack Greinke and Joc Pederson were selected by a combination of player vote and NL All-Star manager Bruce Bochy. (Pederson and Greinke were by player vote, Gonzalez and Grandal by Bochy.)
As noted Sunday, Greinke and Pederson are each in the running to end up as All-Star Game starters. Greinke is probably the No. 1 alternative to Washington’s Max Scherzer, while Pederson is one of the top candidates to be an injury replacement for either Giancarlo Stanton or Matt Holliday.
Eric Surkamp has a 3.77 ERA in Triple-A this season. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
Eric Surkamp, whom the Dodgers acquired May 23 from the White Sox for minor-leaguer Blake Smith, has been brought up from Triple-A Oklahoma City for tonight’s game for Los Angeles in place of the injured Carlos Frias.
Surkamp will not start, however. Instead, relief pitcher Yimi Garcia will make his first official MLB start, with the Dodgers possibly then playing a platoon switcheroo and bringing Surkamp in for early long relief. It’s possible the Dodgers could even go through tonight’s game without having the pitcher bat, giving them a psuedo-designated hitter.
Garcia has pitched a career-high two innings four times, most recently June 15 against Texas. His career high in pitches for one game is 33, set September 14 against San Diego. His last professional start came in 2011 with Rookie League Ogden.
The 24-year-old hasn’t pitched since July 1, except for a five-pitch outing Saturday. From June 7-27, he had a 0.79 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings, while stranding all five inherited runners. But in three outings since then, Garcia has allowed four runs on five hits in two innings.
Daniel Coulombe has been optioned to Oklahoma City for the sixth time this year, and Paco Rodriguez has moved from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day to make room for Surkamp on the 40-man roster.
For a variety of health and scheduling reasons, Scott Baker, Brandon Beachy, Zach Lee, Ian Thomas and Joe Wieland were among the other minor-league starting pitchers unavailable to make today’s start.
In 53 2/3 career MLB innings, Surkamp — who turns 28 in 10 days — has a 6.20 ERA with 33 strikeouts against 98 baserunners. He pitched 35 big-league games in relief in 2013, and his last MLB start was July 23, 2013. He has never pitched in Dodger Stadium.
His best Major League outing was his first, when he allowed one run in six innings on August 27, 2011 for the Giants against Houston, striking out four.
Over his past five starts with Oklahoma City, all in June, the lefty has had a 2.89 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 28 innings.
Surkamp pitched for the White Sox against the Dodgers on Opening Day of Cactus League play this year, allowing a run in two innings on two hits, including a Joc Pederson double.
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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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