Dodger Thoughts

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

Month: June 2016 (Page 7 of 8)

Bullpen preserves victory for Kershaw, Dodgers

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By Jon Weisman

For the first time this season, the Dodgers asked their bullpen to go three innings to protect a Clayton Kershaw lead — a 1-0 lead at that.

And the bullpen, which is back on one of its hot streaks during an eventful season, did the job.

Joe Blanton, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen made Kershaw’s six shutout innings stand up, and the Dodgers scored late to finish with a 4-0 victory over Atlanta.

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Hot-hitting Corey Seager puts his best foot backward

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Photos: Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Braves at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CCLIV: The Kershawsy Chaperone
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian González, 1B
Trayce Thompson, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Howie Kendrick, LF
A.J. Ellis, C
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

Going through virtually all of the photos Jon SooHoo & Co. take of the Dodgers the way I do, you notice certain things about certain players.

With Corey Seager it’s no different.

Something that’s long struck me about Seager is the way he turns his front foot nearly backward in his batting stance. It looks uncomfortable if not torturous, but clearly, it works for the 22-year-old, who now has 16 home runs and an .892 OPS in 82 career games.

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Dave Roberts discusses Justin Turner’s struggle

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs

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

By Jon Weisman

Justin Turner has again slumped, going 3 for 24 in his past eight games with a double and three walks.

Turner’s batting average has dropped to .225, but Dave Roberts has not dropped him in the Dodger batting order for two reasons: He believes Turner will come out of it, and because even now, his on-base percentage is still .327, roughly identical to those of Trayce Thompson (.333) and Corey Seager (.331).

Nevertheless, Roberts does have a theory about why Turner is struggling.

“When I know Justin is at his best, (it’s) when he’s elevating to the pull side,” Roberts said. “For me, right now there’s too many balls in the air the other way. The contact point’s a little deep, (and) he might be getting underneath the baseball a little bit.

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Former Dodger pitcher Lee Pfund dies at 96

Maury Wills greets Lee Pfund in August 2012 (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Maury Wills greets Lee Pfund in August 2012 (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

Lee Pfund, who pitched 15 games for the Dodgers in 1945 and later went to become an immensely successful baseball and basketball coach at Wheaton College, passed away Thursday at age 96.

Pfund, the father of former Lakers coach Randy Pfund, coached Wheaton to the 1957 NCAA College Division basketball title and won 362 games from 1952-75, then later was honored by the school naming its baseball stadium after him.

Born in Oak Park, Illinois nine days after the 1919 World Series involving the Chicago White Sox ended, Pfund pitched two shutout innings on April 25, 1945, in his Major League debut, a memory he described in this Dodger Insider story commemorating the 70th anniversary of that moment and recalling his life in sports. Click here to read the entire story.

Our best wishes go to Randy Pfund and the Pfund family.

DodgerVisionaries: Scoreboard operations have gone light years beyond runs, hits and errors

The DodgerVision crew, consisting of nearly three dozen people, delivers the pregame and in-game entertainment at Dodger Stadium at least 81 games per year. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

The DodgerVision crew, consisting of nearly three dozen people, delivers the pregame and in-game entertainment at Dodger Stadium. (Photos: Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Cary Osborne

There’s a picture on a bulletin board inside DodgerVision — the command center for game entertainment at Dodger Stadium. There are 11 men in the photo with a giant scoreboard rising from the Left Field Pavilion. Judging by the fashion displayed by the men in the photo, it was taken in the mid-1990s. It represents almost the entire game entertainment crew for the Dodgers at the time.

Dan Valdivia is one of two people from the photo who still remain working in DodgerVision. He has worked his way up to the position of director. Back then, he said, one of his jobs was slotting Betamax video cassettes into a playback machine that would then relay videos, like bloopers or highlights from a recent episode of “This Week in Baseball,” onto the giant screen hovering over the pavilion.

“I don’t think we did as much fan-interaction stuff,” Valdivia said, “because we literally had three cameras, so we were limited in what we could show.”

If that picture were recreated today, there would be nearly three dozen men and women in it. The DodgerVision crew would include producers and directors, camera operators, scoreboard and LED operators, engineers, a public-address announcer, a DJ and an organist.

They’d be standing in front of one of two high-definition scoreboard/video screens that deliver statistics (including in 2016 for the first time, exit velocity), pre-produced videos and games (created by a team of videographers using Corporate video production services Toronto and editors — led by Dodgers director of production Greg Taylor — and graphic artists — led by Dodgers director of graphic design Ross Yoshida), instant replay and live videos.

Times have changed.

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Joc Pederson Baseball ProCamp set for August 11

Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Joc Pederson is hosting a one-day baseball camp August 11 for boys and girls in grades 1-8 at the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles. The camp takes place on an off day between the Dodgers’ home series against the Phillies and Pirates.

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LGBT Pride Night arrives Friday at Dodger Stadium

LGBT

lgbt-tank275x422By Jon Weisman

A reminder: LGBT Pride Night takes place Friday at Dodger Stadium, with numerous activities and guest appearances.

The fun starts at 5:10 p.m., when you can meet your friends at the Right Field Plaza bar, where Levy Restaurants will feature a Blue Pride-themed drink that will be available for purchase, while you dance to the sounds of DJ Adam.

On the Dodger Stadium field, members of Varsity Gay League will play a kickball game from approximately 5:45 p.m.-6:30 p.m. That’s followed by a special pregame ceremony that will include Robbie Rogers (first pitch), Michael Sam, Lance Bass and Esera Tuaolo (National Anthem).

Following the game, with Kenta Maeda scheduled to face the Atlanta Braves, sit on the field and enjoy Friday Night Fireworks (presented by Denny’s), featuring music by George Figares and DJ Blacklow.

Purchase a special ticket to the game directly from dodgers.com/lgbt and receive an exclusive Dodgers LGBT tank top.

Take public transport from beach to Dodger Stadium

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You won’t see the Expos when you arrive, but you can now take the new Expo Line from Santa Monica to Union Station, and then catch the Dodger Stadium Express to the game. For more information, watch the video above or visit dodgers.com/transportation.

— Jon Weisman

Defeat — but also progress — for Julio Urias

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By Jon Weisman

Julio Urias pitched longer. He pitched more efficiently.

Early on, he was victimized by three soft hits, a debatable ball four and an error.

And then he gave up two home runs.

And then he gave up a home run.

Urias’ five innings against the National League-leading Chicago Cubs today, in what became a 7-2 loss by the Dodgers, probably weren’t something to cut out for the scrapbook. Six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk rarely are.

But they absolutely looked like a step forward from his 2 2/3 innings at New York in his MLB debut six days ago, and offered a more concrete vision of the potential the 19-year-old presents.

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Kershaw named National League Pitcher of the Month

Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets

By Jon Weisman

Honestly, if there had been a Nobel Pitcher Prize, Clayton Kershaw would have earned it in May.

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Yasiel Puig’s hamstring remains an issue

Pedro Guerrero and Yasiel Puig pose prior to the Dodgers' May 27 game at New York.

Pedro Guerrero and Yasiel Puig pose prior to the Dodgers’ May 27 game at New York.

By Jon Weisman

Yasiel Puig is out of today’s starting lineup for the third straight game with a left hamstring problem, and though Dave Roberts told reporters that the right fielder is available to pinch-hit, Scott Van Slyke is also just about ready to come off the disabled list — so there is speculation that they might switch places.

Though Puig has struggled offensively (.646 OPS, .283 weighted on-base average), his improvement defensively is largely responsible for the Dodger outfield emerging as the most improved in baseball, according to Mike Petriello of MLB.com. Fangraphs ranks Puig fourth among National League right fielders in overall defense, and he is first in defensive runs saved.

Van Slyke is 7 for 31 with a double, a home run, three walks and six strikeouts in his eight minor-league rehab games. He also stole a base Thursday.

Urias throwing against Cubs, not being thrown to wolves

Al Bello/Getty Images

Al Bello/Getty Images

Dodgers at Cubs, 11:20 a.m.
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Joc Pederson, CF
Trayce Thompson, RF
Carl Crawford, LF
A.J. Ellis, C
Julio Urias, P

By Jon Weisman

Without a doubt, there was some surprise — I even shared it — that Julio Urias’ second start would come on the road today against the National League’s current top team, the Chicago Cubs, rather than Friday in Los Angeles against the National League’s current bottom team, the Atlanta Braves.

But some things to keep in mind:

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Dodgers pitch three-hitter but lose in Chicago

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By Jon Weisman

In their past three games against each other, Elias Sports told us today, the Dodgers and Cubs became the first pair of teams in Major League history to play three consecutive games with a no-hitter or one-hitter:

There was Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter in the final meeting between the teams last year, plus back-to-back one hitters, one by each team, Monday and Tuesday.

Tonight, offense ran wild. Chicago exploded for three hits, while the Dodgers went bananas and got four. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the team with fewer hits won.

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Julio Urias to start Thursday vs. Cubs, wearing No. 7

Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets

Dodgers at Cubs, 5:05 p.m.
Kiké Hernandez, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Corey Seager, SS
Howie Kendrick, 1B
Trayce Thompson, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Mike Bolsinger, P

By Jon Weisman

Julio Urias will start Thursday’s 11:20 a.m. at Chicago for the Dodgers, with Kenta Maeda opening the Dodgers’ next homestand Friday against the Braves, followed Saturday by Clayton Kershaw.

Urias will be on five days’ rest when he takes the mound for his second career MLB outing. In doing so, he gives Maeda an extra day to recover from the line drive that went off his hand Saturday at New York.

Kershaw will be pitching on five days’ rest himself. With that amount of rest this year, Kershaw has a 1.63 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP with two walks and 43 strikeouts, averaging 7.7 innings per start.

Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Urias will switch from No. 78 to No. 7, making him the first true Dodger pitcher to wear a single-digit uniform number since Bobo Newsom in 1943.

(Technically, there have been other single-digit pitchers since then. Skip Schumaker, I was reminded by Dodger public relations manager Jon Chapper, pitched for the Dodgers while wearing No. 3, and team historian Mark Langill mentioned Mickey Hatcher, who wore No. 9 when he took the mound for the Dodgers in 1989.)

Urias is following in the footsteps of Kershaw, who switched from No. 54 to No. 22 after his first MLB start.

Looking at the Dodger bullpen, game by game

Bullpen log crop

Above is a snapshot of how each member of the Dodger bullpen has performed this season.

  • Green: A successful, no-complaints outing (no runs or inherited runs allowed)
  • Yellow: Under par, but inconsequential (such as mop-up work in a runaway game)
  • Red: Damage done (run or inherited run allowed in a non-runaway)

In 173 separate appearances this season so far, the Dodger bullpen had done its job 76.3 percent of the time, with that figure slightly higher in May.

— Jon Weisman

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