May 2016 – Page 4 – Dodger Thoughts

By Jon Weisman

Clayton Kershaw gets dirty.

That’s the thing. He’s so precious, that you want to protect him like a porcelain … well, like a porcelain Kershaw.

But Clayton Kershaw must think he’s Nerf or something. He leaps, he dives — he barrel-rolls if that’s what it takes.

Tonight, in the third inning, Kershaw singled. And then Chase Utley singled, and Kershaw took off. While all the Dodger fans clutched their hearts for dear life, like their boy was heedlessly dashing into the street to retrieve his ball, Kershaw rounded second and careened toward third.

He slid, hard, into the base, where the baseball was waiting for him, courtesy of Mike Trout. He was out. We was scared.

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And then with that streak of Dodger dirt along his side and on his rump, Clayton Kershaw got up, walked back to get his glove, returned to the mound, and proceeded to finish dominating his latest Major League opponent.

In eight innings, Kershaw struck out 11 Angels and walked none, extending his unique Major League record, in a 5-1 victory by the home team at Dodger Stadium.

It was the sixth consecutive game that Kershaw had whiffed double-digits without walking more than one batter — two more games than anyone else has had. In addition, Kershaw is within one of Randy Johnson’s NL record for consecutive games with at least 10 strikeouts, and two of Chris Sale’s MLB record. (Pedro Martinez has the record crossing over two seasons of 10 games.)

And now, process this. For the season, Kershaw now has 88 strikeouts and still only four walks. Twenty-two strikeouts for each walk.

In his past five starts, he has 58 strikeouts. And one walk.

Rod Carew hopes everybody’s got a healthy heart

In Community

By Jon Weisman

Hall of Famer Rod Carew was at Dodger Stadium on Monday to talk about his Heart of 29 campaign, whose purpose is to raise funds for the American Heart Association and awareness of cardiovascular disease. His visit included a stop to say hello to Vin Scully.

Learn more in this story and in the video below …

We’re getting more Clayton Kershaw than ever before

In Pitching, Pregame

Angels at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CCLI: Dankershawoen
Chase Utley, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Corey Seager, SS
Howie Kendrick, 1B
Joc Pederson, CF
Trayce Thompson, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
A.J. Ellis, C
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

By one measure, Clayton Kershaw never worked harder in than he did in 2010.

Then 22, Kershaw averaged 106 pitches per start, which remains his career high.

Now 28, Kershaw is on pace to throw approximately 270 innings, which would be 44 more than his previous high total.

But Kershaw isn’t exerting himself more. He isn’t throwing more pitches. He is currently averaging 105 pitches per start, which is completely in line with what he’s done throughout his career.

If anything (with the caveat that no one should question how hard he is working), Kershaw’s days at the office are easier, because he’s averaging a career-low 13.5 pitches per inning.

Gonzalez day to day, Bolsinger a day away, Thompson no longer on layaway

In Health/injuries, Transactions

By Jon Weisman

With the Dodgers barely halfway through a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, Mike Bolsinger is being called up Wednesday to take a turn in the Dodger starting rotation and give its existing members an extra day of rest, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reported late Monday.

Bolsinger will be inserted after Clayton Kershaw takes his scheduled start at Dodger Stadium tonight.

In other news, the Dodgers will learn more today about the lower-back tightness of Adrian Gonzalez, who left Monday’s game after the fifth inning.

Thompson’s twin homers make fans want to hold him now

https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/732447956650098688

By Jon Weisman

Though it came in a loss, this might be the night that the calls for Trayce Thompson to play every day reached a critical mass.

Two home runs by Thompson nearly helped the Dodgers overcome subpar outings by Kenta Maeda and Pedro Baez, but the Dodgers ultimately fell a run short and lost a Monday marathon — four hours in all — to the Angels, 7-6.

Dodgers look to get jump on Angels in Freeway Series

In Managing, Other teams, Pregame

Angels at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Howie Kendrick, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Joc Pederson, CF
Trayce Thompson, RF
Carl Crawford, LF
Kenta Maeda, P

By Jon Weisman

Taking the mound tonight against the Dodgers is a pitcher with a 9.12 ERA, which might be enough to make you want to dial 9.11 if you’re an Angels fan.

But Matt Shoemaker is also a pitcher who had a 3.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings as recently as 2014. And even last month, he pitched back-to-back games — both on the road — in which he allowed two runs in 12 innings.

It’s almost as if there are two Shoes, and you don’t know which the Angels will put on tonight when they meet the Dodgers in the regular-season kickoff of the Freeway Series.

Kenley Jansen on target for Dodger save record(s)

In Bullpen

By Jon Weisman

Kenley Jansen has saved 13 of the Dodgers’ 38 games this season, putting him on pace for 55, which would tie the franchise single-season record set by Eric Gagne in 2003.

Jansen is also closing in on Gagne’s all-time Dodger saves record, with Saturday’s appearance leaving him six shy.

The 28-year-old Jansen on Saturday relieved in the 354th game of his MLB career, matching the number of relief appearances Gagne made in his career (including stints with Milwaukee, Texas and Boston).

As familiar as Jansen has become to Dodger fans, it might surprise some that his relief stats virtually match those of Gagne with Los Angeles, with 75 1/3 more innings. Gagne retains a slight edge in baserunners allowed, while Jansen has the strikeout edge.

In case you missed it: Organizational news and notes

In Community, Health/injuries, In case you missed it, Minor leagues, Transactions

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By Jon Weisman

There have been several bits of business that I’ve been meaning to get to, so I figured the best solution was to bring back the reliable “In case you missed it” feature from Spring Training to capture them all.

Wily Wood, Sockin’ Seager not enough for Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

Alex Wood extended his Dodger Stadium mastery another six innings (one run, five baserunners, five strikeouts), but another dominant streak ended a moment too soon for the Dodgers.

Ryu goes two in rehab debut

In Health/injuries

Cardinals at Dodgers, 5:07 p.m.
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Howie Kendrick, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Alex Wood, P

By Jon Weisman

Hyun-Jin Ryu threw two scoreless innings for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga today in his first rehab appearance, retiring six batters in a row after a leadoff single and striking out two.

Ryu is expected to require three or four more rehab appearances before the Dodgers would activate him, Dave Roberts said Saturday.

J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News said that Ryu threw 22 pitches in the game, plus 10 more in the bullpen afterward, and that both strikeouts came on curveballs.

“Ryu said he was exerting about 60 to 70 percent of his maximum effort, which explains his lower-than-usual 85-mph average fastball velocity,” Hoornstra wrote.

Farm Fresh: Bellinger rings true

Read the entire story by clicking here.

In Minor leagues, Publications

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Cody Bellinger hit a 10th-inning walkoff grand slam Saturday for Double-A Tulsa, which makes Cary Osborne’s current Dodger Insider magazine feature on the 20-year-old all the more timely (a bit more so than Mike Petriello’s Gamevolution piece on Yimi Garcia, who went on the disabled list shortly after our magazine went to print).

* * *

Beginning this year, the Dodgers merged their previously separate Playbill and Dodger Insider magazines into one publication (at least 80 pages per issue) with a new edition available each homestand plus one in October, 13 issues total. It is distributed at auto gates (one per vehicle) and via Fan Services for those who use alternate transportation. Dodger Insider magazine includes news, features, analysis, photos, games, stadium information and more. Fans who still wish to subscribe can do so at dodgers.com/magazine.

Alex Wood: The most extreme home-road Dodger

In Dodger Stadium, Pitching

By Jon Weisman

You might be aware that Alex Wood’s home-road splits as a Dodger are poles apart, but we’re not talking your typical North and South Poles. We’re talking the North Pole on Earth and the South Pole on Neptune.

How so?

No starting pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history has a lower home ERA than Wood’s 2.00 in eight starts.
One starting pitcher* in Los Angeles Dodger history has a higher road ERA than Wood’s 6.79 ERA in 11 starts.

If you include Wood’s time with Atlanta, he has a career 1.78 ERA at Dodger Stadium — a full five runs better than what he’s done on the road as a Dodger.

So yeah, Wood comes across as a wee bit happy to pitch at Chavez Ravine (if also a wee bit inconsistent overall). The formula gets put to the test in tonight’s 5 p.m. game against St. Louis. For the second time in his Dodger career, the 25-year-old Wood is making a second consecutive start at home.

Great Scott: Kazmir stifles Cardinals

On May 14, 2016

Yasiel Puig’s diving catch in the second helped Scott Kazmir retire the first six batters he faced.

By Jon Weisman

Well, thanks for the lovely meal, Scott Kazmir.

Kazmir hadn’t served past the seventh inning in seven previous starts for the Dodgers, but he was everything but the after-dinner mint tonight, coming out out short of his third career complete game in a 5-3 victory over the Cardinals.

Hyun-Jin Ryu to pitch rehab game Sunday