July 2015 – Page 7 – Dodger Thoughts

By Jon Weisman

The Dodgers were shut out today by the Mets and the National League All-Star voters, who didn’t put any Dodger position players among the league’s elected starters.

Los Angeles still has a chance to make an impression on the All-Star roster when reserves are announced Monday afternoon, with Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen and J.P. Howell in consideration for the pitching staff and Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner for the bench. Pederson and Greinke could still even end up in the starting lineup.

Southpaw starters sort of stymie Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

On July 5, 2015

In Offense

Los Angeles Dodgers during game against the Miami Marlins Sunday, June 28, 2015 at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. The Dodgers beat the Marlins 2-0 . Photo by Jon SooHoo/©Los Angeles Dodgers,LLC 2015

Kiké Hernandez is 14 for 41 with five doubles, two triples, a homer and three walks against left-handed starting pitching this season. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Mets at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m.
Kiké Hernandez, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Soctt Van Slyke, LF
Joc Pederson, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Mike Bolsinger, P

By Jon Weisman

It’s more like a bug bite than a debilitating injury, but the Dodgers could be happier, healthier and heartier facing left-handed starters this year.

Going into today’s game against left-handed Mets rookie Steven Matz, the Dodgers are 7-8 (.467) against southpaw starters in 2015, compared with 39-28 (.582) against righties.

In those eight losses, the Dodgers have scored a combined 14 runs. Three of those eight losses have come in games started by San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner, who has a 1.31 ERA against Los Angeles in 2015.

In their seven wins against lefty starters, the Dodgers have scored 35 runs (five per game).

Lefty starters have held the Dodgers to a .668 OPS, as opposed to their .783 OPS against righty starters. Confounding expectations, Dodger right-handed batters have hit better against righties than lefties in 2015.

Yasiel Puig (1.082 OPS) and Kiké Hernandez (1.034 OPS) have been the Dodgers’ best hitters against lefty starters this year, which helps explain why Hernandez is batting leadoff today. Joc Pederson is starting in the No. 7 spot for the first time since April, though his OPS against lefty starters (.875) is third on the team, ahead of Scott Van Slyke (.744).

One problem for the Dodgers is that the typical No. 3 and No. 4 hitters, Justin Turner (.559) and Adrian Gonzalez (.601) have not done well in their small samples against lefty starters this year. The right-handed hitting Turner’s career platoon splits actually favor him against right-handed pitching (.681 OPS vs. all lefties, .816 OPS vs. all righties).

Further, Dodger catchers A.J. Ellis, Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes are 7 for 44 with two doubles and no home runs against southpaw starters this year (.204 slugging percentage), though Ellis does have 10 walks to give him a .356 on-base percentage.

Even Alex Guerrero only has a .239 on-base percentage against left-handed starters, though he has two homers in 45 at-bats.

One other piece of trivia: The Dodgers have one stolen base all season against a left-handed starter, and that was by Zack Greinke.

Carlos Frias placed on disabled list, Daniel Coulombe recalled for fifth time

By Jon Weisman

On July 5, 2015

In Health/injuries, Pregame, Transactions

By Jon Weisman

As was suspected, Carlos Frias has been placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to July 1) with lower back tightness, and Daniel Coulombe has been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City for the fifth time since May 4.

Frias said he expects to return shortly after All-Star break, will need one rehab start. Felt lower back discomfort last three starts.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) July 5, 2015

From May 30 to June 9, Frias averaged nearly seven innings over his three starts, with a 1.77 ERA, though he allowed 29 baserunners against nine strikeouts. In four starts since, he has barely averaged five innings, with a 5.66 ERA (36 baserunners/12 strikeouts).

Juan Nicasio, who made one spot start this year for the Dodgers, last pitched June 30, throwing 29 pitches that night. The Dodgers haven’t announced whether they will call up a pitcher to take Frias’ start Monday, but that seems to be likely rather than going with a bullpen game.

Mattingly said Brandon Beachy is not an option to start Monday. Also would prefer not to start Juan Nicasio

— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) July 5, 2015

With the Dodgers this year, Coulombe has appeared in four games and allowed runs all four times. He has pitched shutout ball in his last three outings at Oklahoma City, with four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Coulombe’s 2015 itinerary:

March 24: Optioned to Oklahoma City
May 4: Recalled from Oklahoma City
May 6: Optioned to Oklahoma City
May 14: Recalled from Oklahoma City
May 15: Optioned to Oklahoma City
June 2: Recalled from Oklahoma City
June 5: Optioned to Oklahoma City
June 18: Recalled from Oklahoma City
June 22: Optioned to Oklahoma City
July 5: Recalled from Oklahoma City

Carlos Frias in doubt for Monday

By Jon Weisman

On July 4, 2015

In Health/injuries, Pregame

Mets at Dodgers, 4:15 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Yasiel Puig, RF
Andre Ethier, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

While Zack Greinke and Mike Bolsinger are set to go in this weekend’s remaining games against the Mets, Carlos Frias’ start Monday against Philadelphia is uncertain.

From Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

Frias has been dealing with lower back stiffness in his past two starts, lasting only five innings in both. Mattingly described the pain to be on the side of his lower back.

“Everything came out totally clean as far as structural problems, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still feeling something,” Mattingly said.

If Frias is unable to go Monday, Ian Thomas could be a fill-in, although Mattingly said that there have been no definite plans made as far as a potential replacement.

In the meantime, we’ve got Greinke vs. Matt Harvey tonight, followed by music and fireworks. Enjoy.

2015 Dodgers Top 50: The best plays of the first half

By Jon Weisman

On July 4, 2015

In Defense, Status report

By Jon Weisman

We’re through the first 81 games of the 2015 season, and the Dodgers’ first half was nothing if not action-packed. To be completely honest with you, I tried to trim this collection of top Dodger plays down to 50 — removing some really fine moments — but if you count, you’ll find a few extra.

So I say, revel in it. Sit back, click and enjoy …

Kershaw shines before Dodgers lose duel in ninth

By Jon Weisman

On July 3, 2015

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

This is Clayton Kershaw over his past eight starts:

Unfortunately for Kershaw and the Dodgers, they couldn’t push another run across after Adrian Gonzalez’s second-inning home run and lost to the New York Mets, 2-1.

Not even Howie Kendrick’s sixth-inning stolen base — the Dodgers first after 23 games without one — could rally the Dodgers.

Sevens (in innings, baserunners and strikeouts) weren’t lucky for Kershaw, who allowed one run but left with the score tied. Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard matched well with Kershaw, allowing four baserunners in six innings while striking out six.

.@Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard averaged 97.6 MPH with his fastball tonight, highest by any starter in a game this season.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 4, 2015

“He was really good,” Kershaw said. “Really impressed. We all know when the big prospects come up, they’re gonna have the stuff, but he commanded the ball well on both sides of the plate, threw breaking balls high in counts, things like that. Even threw some changeups in there. Just another Texas kid — what do you expect?”

Carl Crawford eager to return to action

By Jon Weisman

On July 3, 2015

In Health/injuries, Pregame

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Friday, April 24, 2015 at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The Dodgers beat the Padres 3-0. Photo by Jon SooHoo/©Los Angeles Dodgers,LLC 2015.

Mets at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CCXXVI: Kershawming to America
Joc Pederson, CF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Andre Ethier, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

Carl Crawford was in fine spirits today as he made a short stop at Dodger Stadium today before resuming his rehab work at Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Crawford has been sidelined since April 27 with a right oblique injury, but contended that the time has been anything but idle.

“Trust me, they work around it,” Crawford said. “One thing I try to do is keep my legs strong, make sure I can still run, do the things that I do when I play. My legs feel good — I feel like I can steal a base at any time, I’ll run down balls in the outfield. The only thing I need to do now is play, swing the bat as much as I can. … I’d like to be back as soon as possible.”

Don Mattingly initially stated today that he didn’t expect Crawford back on the active roster before the All-Star Break, then backtracked slightly.

Dodger stolen base drought is a team record — but look to the 2011 Cardinals

By Jon Weisman

On July 3, 2015

In Baserunning

Zack Greinke steals second base on May 27 (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

From the Dodgers public relations department:

The Dodgers have not stolen a base since June 7 and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, their 23-game streak without a steal is the longest streak in modern franchise history (since 1900). Los Angeles has been thrown out on all six attempted steals during the stolen base drought. The last Major League team with a longer streak was the Cardinals, who went 33 games without a steal from June 10-July 20, 2011 and then won the World Series in October.

NL division leaders and their league rank in stolen bases:

12t) St. Louis
14) Washington
15) Los Angeles

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) July 3, 2015

The last Dodger to steal a base, Andre Ethier in the sixth inning against St. Louis, was thrown out at home trying to score to end that same inning. Jimmy Rollins was the last Dodger to steal a base and then score (June 2) — though he stole third and then scored on a triple.

The last Dodger to steal second base before Ethier was Zack Greinke on May 27. The last Dodger to steal two bases in a game was Jimmy Rollins on May 23.

And yes, as you can see from the chart that follows … the Dodgers have not stolen a base that led directly to a run this entire season.

Recently on Dodger Insider: Sliding into the Dodgers’ baserunning issues

Brandon League’s roller-coaster ride as a Dodger loops into the finish

By Jon Weisman

On July 2, 2015

In Transactions

By Jon Weisman

After 35 months, Brandon League’s tenure as a Dodger appears to have come to an end.

Dodgers acquire two more minor leaguers, plus Trevor Cahill

By Jon Weisman

On July 2, 2015

In Transactions

By Jon Weisman

Doubling down on their slots-for-tots strategy from earlier today, the Dodgers have acquired two minor leaguers — right-handed pitcher Caleb Dirks and outfielder Jordan Paroubeck — from Atlanta in exchange for international signing slot No. 87.

The 22-year-old Dirks, a Riverside native who will report to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, had a 0.68 ERA at two levels of Single-A ball this season, with 29 strikeouts and a 1.28 WHIP in 26 2/3 innings. That includes 16 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings since being promoted to Single-A Carolina on May 8.

Paroubeck, 20, had a .346 on-base percentage and .457 slugging percentage for San Diego’s Rookie-level squad in Arizona last year. He went to Atlanta as part of the Craig Kimbrel deal and has played in 25 extended spring training games this year. Paroubeck will head to Camelback Ranch for ongoing rehab of a minor quad injury.

The Dodgers also signed 27-year-old veteran right-hander Trevor Cahill, who was designated for assignment by Atlanta on June 19 after allowing 22 earned runs on 48 baserunners in 26 1/3 innings.

As of 6 p.m., the Dodgers had added 14 players to the organization today.

Teenagers are no wasteland for Dodger international scouts

By Jon Weisman

On July 2, 2015

In International, Minor leagues, Scouting, Transactions

Yadier Alvarez

By Jon Weisman

Spending big dollars on teenagers from the international market — as in today’s nine international signings — involves no small amount of risk, but the Dodgers are clearly bullish on their new prospects, as Dodger senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes indicated in a conference call with reporters this afternoon.

Byrnes began by talking about 19-year-old Yadier Alvarez, the top-rated pitching prospect in the international market and a rare talent.

“He’s one of the more talented teenage right-handed pitchers who a lot of us who have been doing this a long time have seen,” said Byrnes, who added that Alvarez throws 97 mph, “occasionally touching 99-100, with very little effort and some pretty good feel for secondary pitches.”

Dodgers sign nine international prospects, led by Yadier Alvarez, Starling Heredia

By Jon Weisman

On July 2, 2015

In International, Minor leagues, Scouting, Transactions

[mlbvideo id=”135173383″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

By Jon Weisman

Today, the opening day of the new signing period for international players not subject to the MLB draft, the Dodgers announced the following signings, led by the most highly regarded pitcher in the market …

Read More

Dodgers acquire minor-leaguers Chase DeJong and Tim Locastro

By Jon Weisman

On July 2, 2015

In Transactions

By Jon Weisman

We’ll have a complete roundup on today’s Dodger international signings later, but in the meantime, there’s a minor-league trade to annouance.

The Dodgers picked up right-handed pitcher Chase DeJong and infielder Tim Locastro from Toronto in exchange for three international signing slots: 27, 57 and 117. DeJong and Locastro have been assigned to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.

The 21-year-old DeJong, a native of Long Beach, had a 3.13 ERA, a .231 opponents’ batting average and a 1.08 WHIP in 14 starts this year for Single-A Lansing. Locastro, who turns 23 this month, has a .409 on-base percentage while slugging .421 for Lansing. His career OBP in three pro seasons is .399.

Dodger minor league report No. 12: Scott Schebler’s turn and Zach Lee’s return

By Jon Weisman

On July 2, 2015

In Minor leagues

[milbvideo id=”178401683″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

By Cary Osborne

In the June edition of Dodger Insider magazine, we profiled outfield prospect Scott Schebler. The theme of the story was how Schebler was a notoriously slow starter who takes off once the summer months hit.

When the story was written, Schebler’s numbers were subpar. The No. 8 prospect in the system, added in the offseason to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, was hitting .208/.299/.377 for Triple-A Oklahoma City entering June with six doubles, one triple, six home runs and 14 RBI.

Then June arrived, and true to form, Schebler turned it on. The 24-year-old was one of the best hitters in the Dodger chain last month. He batted .321/.389/.595 with four doubles, five triples, three home runs and 17 RBI.

A year after leading the Double-A Southern League in triples and home runs, Schebler ranks tied for second in the Pacific Coast League in triples. He is mere percentage points from Corey Seager’s OPS in OKC (.780 to Seager’s .783).

We talked to Dodger director of player development Gabe Kapler about Schebler this week, who said, in reality, Schebler’s early swoon was less that met the eye.

“Scheb all along was performing well. He just wasn’t having a lot of luck,” Kapler said. “He was striking the ball with real authority. He was doing a good job from a number of perspectives. He just wasn’t showing the results in the traditional counting numbers. Now you’re starting to see that. A lot of that is completely out of your control. Scheb’s actually been doing a good job all the way through.”

Here’s more from the past week in minor-league action …

Sliding into the Dodgers’ baserunning issues

By Jon Weisman

On July 2, 2015

In Baserunning

By Robert Tagorda

If every team has a weakness, then the Achilles’ heel for the Dodgers can be found in their legs. Halfway through the season, they rank last in the majors with 14 stolen bases — three times fewer than the average team and over five times below the league-leading Reds. They’ve also been caught stealing more often than they’ve succeeded. In fact, they’re the only team with a stolen base percentage under 50 percent.

These statistics seem damning, especially when compared to last year’s results, which saw the Dodgers atop the majors with 138 steals. But we need to frame the issue in the proper context before searching for solutions.

Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Month: July 2015 (Page 7 of 8)

Shutout Sunday won’t extend to All-Star selections Monday

Southpaw starters sort of stymie Dodgers

Carlos Frias placed on disabled list, Daniel Coulombe recalled for fifth time

Carlos Frias in doubt for Monday

2015 Dodgers Top 50: The best plays of the first half

Kershaw shines before Dodgers lose duel in ninth

Carl Crawford eager to return to action

Dodger stolen base drought is a team record — but look to the 2011 Cardinals

Brandon League’s roller-coaster ride as a Dodger loops into the finish

Dodgers acquire two more minor leaguers, plus Trevor Cahill

Teenagers are no wasteland for Dodger international scouts

Dodgers sign nine international prospects, led by Yadier Alvarez, Starling Heredia

Dodgers acquire minor-leaguers Chase DeJong and Tim Locastro

Dodger minor league report No. 12: Scott Schebler’s turn and Zach Lee’s return

Sliding into the Dodgers’ baserunning issues

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