September 2016 – Page 9 – Dodger Thoughts

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On September 5, 2016

In Profiles, Publications

By Jon Weisman

Sunday brought another homer for the catcher who leads Major League catchers in homers, Yasmani Grandal.

Grandal has actually surpassed Justin Turner in adjusted OPS (126 OPS+) and trails only Corey Seager on the Dodgers. His impressive year still seems to be operating under the radar, but we did make him the cover story in a recent Dodger Insider magazine.

“Whoever tells you that they say, ‘I’m going to hit a home run here,’ and they’re thinking about it and they hit it, not too many guys can do that,” Grandal said. “If you think about it, it’s probably not going to happen. My main point throughout the whole season is being able to hit the ball hard, and wherever it goes, it goes.

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.

Debuting De León delights for Dodgers

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

After his first big-league game, Jose De León has a 6.00 ERA, a number that doesn’t come close to reflecting how good he looked Sunday.

De León, who struck out 33 with no walks in his final three minor-league games this year, became the first Dodger pitcher ever to strike out nine and walk none in his MLB debut, a 7-4 victory over San Diego.

The 24-year-old, who became the first ever to wear No. 87 for the Dodgers, had the most strikeouts in a big-league initiation for the Dodgers since Kaz Ishii in 2002.

#VinTop20: No. 10, Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter

Previously:
No. 11, Joe Ferguson’s throw
No. 12, Fernandomania begins
No. 13, ‘The Squeeze!’
No. 14, Nomo’s No-No
No. 15, the 4+1 Game
No. 16, Don Drysdale’s streak stays alive
No. 17, Mike Piazza, Giant-slayer
No. 18, Yasiel Puig’s first slam
No. 19, Manny’s Bobbleslam
No. 20, Mark McGwire hits it way, way out

In Broadcasting, History

Between now and Vin Scully Appreciation Day on September 23, the Dodgers are revealing the results of the fan vote ranking Scully’s top 20 Dodger calls of all time, one at each home game. Here’s No. 10: Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter.

— Jon Weisman

[mlbvideo id=”1131807283″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Clayton Kershaw to start for Dodgers on Friday

In Health/injuries, Pregame, Transactions

Padres at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m.
Howie Kendrick, LF
Kiké Hernandez, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrián González, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Chase Utley, 2B
Austin Barnes, C
Charlie Culberson, SS
Jose De Leon, P

By Jon Weisman

The Dodgers’ official roster move today was to make Jose De Leon their 31st player on the active roster and their first to take the mound today against San Diego.

But they also signaled a bigger roster move to come later this week. According to Dave Roberts, Los Angeles plan to send National League Cy Young Award candidate Clayton Kershaw to the mound Friday at Miami for the start of the Dodgers’ 10-game road trip.

If he resumes his big-league campaign Friday and works regularly on four days’ rest, Kershaw would theoretically have five regular-season starts remaining: September 9 (at Marlins), September 14 (at New York Yankees), September 19 (vs. Giants), September 24 (vs. Rockies) and either September 29 (at Padres) or September 30 (on five days’ rest at Giants).

Obviously, that’s just on paper — there’s a lot of road between now and the end of the month.

Could Clayton Kershaw still win the NL Cy Young?

In Awards

Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

This was the kind of thing I was afraid to say out loud, because it almost sounds too silly. But this post by Dave Cameron at Fangraphs gave me the opening I needed.

Even though Clayton Kershaw won’t finish the 2016 season with enough innings to qualify for the National League ERA title, when all is said and done in October, he could still be the league’s best choice for the Cy Young Award.

Cameron explains why at length, so I’ll just bullet-point a few of the main arguments:

#VinTop20: No. 11, Joe Ferguson’s throw

Previously:
No. 12, Fernandomania begins
No. 13, ‘The Squeeze!’
No. 14, Nomo’s No-No
No. 15, the 4+1 Game
No. 16, Don Drysdale’s streak stays alive
No. 17, Mike Piazza, Giant-slayer
No. 18, Yasiel Puig’s first slam
No. 19, Manny’s Bobbleslam
No. 20, Mark McGwire hits it way, way out

On September 3, 2016

In Broadcasting, History

Between now and Vin Scully Appreciation Day on September 23, the Dodgers are revealing the results of the fan vote ranking Scully’s top 20 Dodger calls of all time, one at each home game. Here’s No. 11: Joe Ferguson’s stunning World Series throw.

— Jon Weisman

[mlbvideo id=”1131933383″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

#VinTop20: No. 12, Fernandomania begins

Previously:
No. 13, ‘The Squeeze!’
No. 14, Nomo’s No-No
No. 15, the 4+1 Game
No. 16, Don Drysdale’s streak stays alive
No. 17, Mike Piazza, Giant-slayer
No. 18, Yasiel Puig’s first slam
No. 19, Manny’s Bobbleslam
No. 20, Mark McGwire hits it way, way out

On September 3, 2016

In Broadcasting, History

Between now and Vin Scully Appreciation Day on September 23, the Dodgers are revealing the results of the fan vote ranking Scully’s top 20 Dodger calls of all time, one at each home game. Here’s No. 12: The pitch that launched Fernandomania.

— Jon Weisman

[mlbvideo id=”1129200283″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Dodgers recall Puig, Barnes and Fields, activate Coleman and Ravin

In Transactions

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

Yasiel Puig will be back in the Majors for the Dodgers’ September stretch run, joined by catcher-infielder Austin Barnes and pitchers Louis Coleman, Josh Fields and Josh Ravin.

Padres at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrián González, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Kiké Hernandez, LF
Joc Pederson, CF
Julio Urías, P

Since he was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on August 2, Puig played in 24 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, with a .422 on-base percentage, .605 slugging percentage, five homers and nine walks against 11 strikeouts.

“For us, Yasiel’s done everything that was asked of him,” Dave Roberts said today in an interview with MLB Network about Puig, who will start tonight. “As we talked through things, we felt ultimately that he makes us better, with him keeping his end of the deal. It’s all about Yasiel becoming a better person, a better teammate, but also helping the Dodgers with baseball games.”

Yasiel Puig on his return: "It feels a little strange, but I'm glad to be given the opportunity." pic.twitter.com/sCzX3l0054

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) September 2, 2016

Said Puig to reporters this afternoon: “I earned the demotion to Triple-A. I feel that I’m now a better person, and I’m here to show it.”

Puig has a .320 on-base percentage, .386 slugging percentage and .706 OPS this season for the Dodgers. Between his return from the disabled list and his trip to the minors, he had a .390 OBP while slugging .440.

He joins a Dodger outfield that has Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles, Kiké Hernandez and (though mainly an infielder) Rob Segedin.

Andre Ethier, who has played three nights in a row in rehab games with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga (including seven innings in right field Thursday), might not be far behind.

The 26-year-old Barnes wraps up his second season in Oklahoma City with a .380 on-base percentage, .443 slugging percentage and 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts, along with 43 walks against 53 strikeouts. In brief action with the Dodger this year, Barnes is 3 for 23 with three walks and a double.

Coleman pitched four shutout innings in rehab outings from August 22-30, allowing five hits while walking none and striking out six. With the Dodgers, he has a 3.70 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 37 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings. He had made six straight scoreless appearances before going on the disabled list August 3 with right shoulder fatigue.

Fields has pitched two innings for Oklahoma City since he was optioned August 23. He had allowed five earned runs and 18 baserunners in 9 2/3 innings as a Dodger since his August 1 acquisition from Houston.

Placed on the disabled list August 15 with right triceps inflammation, Ravin pitched in one rehab inning August 30 for Rancho Cucamonga, allowing a hit and a run with a strikeout. He has two shutout innings with the Dodgers this year.

Luis Avilan, a winning pitcher Wednesday thanks to Toles’ grand-slam heroics, was only temporarily on the team as the 26th man for the second game of the doubleheader, and officially returned to Triple-A today. Because he was optioned August 25, he isn’t eligible for a permanent recall until Sunday.

So as they start September, the Dodgers have 15 pitchers and 15 position players on their active roster — with more to come.

Farm Fresh: Brock Stewart, Edwin Rios win Dodger Player of the Year awards

In Awards, Minor leagues

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

Brock Stewart has been named the Dodgers’ Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year, and third baseman Edwin Rios is the franchise’s Minor League Player of the Year.

In case you missed it: 29 games to go

In In case you missed it, Status report

By Jon Weisman

Two games in the National League West separate the Dodgers and Giants, who each have 29 games remaining in the regular season — six against each other — and nearly identical schedules.

KTLA to broadcast Vin Scully’s final six games

In Broadcasting, Television

Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

KTLA Channel 5 will air Vin Scully’s final six broadcasts through an agreement with Charter that was announced today.

The six simulcasts with SportsNet LA include the September 23-25 home series finale against Colorado — which will be Vin Scully Weekend at Dodger Stadium — and the last three games of the regular season, September 30-October 2 in San Francisco.

The September 23 broadcast will also feature the live Vin Scully Appreciation Day pregame ceremony, beginning at 6:15 p.m.

In all, Scully will work 16 more games — six on the homestand that starts tonight, seven from September 19-25, and the final three at AT&T Park.

Ten years later: Andrew Toles is Marlon Anderson

On September 1, 2016

In History, Offense

Marlon Anderson touches home plate with the tying run in the bottom of the ninth on September 18, 2006 (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

We have now entered the 10th anniversary month of the 4+1 Game, the most unforgettable regular-season game for a generation of Dodger fans, and one that cemented Marlon Anderson as a folk hero for the franchise.

It’s been hard not to think of Anderson over the past 20-odd hours since Andrew Toles delivered the biggest hit of what has been a magical debut as a Dodger, the 4-in-1 grand slam that completed Los Angeles’ comeback from an 8-2, eighth-inning deficit to a 10-8 victory at Colorado.

Toles’ slam came, to the day, 10 years after Anderson’s acquisition from the Phillies for 20-year-old Gulf Coast League pitcher Jhonny Nunez. And if you look at Anderson’s record as a Dodger in 2006, you find that he played in 25 games — exactly as many as Toles has played so far.

At this moment, there’s even more to link Toles and Anderson. Among players with at least 50 plate appearances in a season for the Dodgers, Toles and Anderson rank No. 2 and No. 3 in adjusted OPS, trailing only 2008’s Manny Ramirez.

I mean, it’s really quite something.

First-rounder Gavin Lux relishes Dodger Stadium visit

On September 1, 2016

In Minor leagues

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

He sat down in the Dodger dugout Tuesday afternoon, wisely ignoring the guy in street clothes on his left, in order to pick the brain of the Major League pitcher on his right.

To say the least, it’s been a big year for Gavin Lux. Taken in the first round of the 2016 draft in June, the 18-year-old shortstop posted a .365 on-base percentage in 48 Arizona Rookie League Games. Then on Wednesday, he took the next step higher with Rookie League Ogden, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and stolen base in his debut.

But before the promotion came what Lux called his highlight of the season. For the simulated innings being thrown by Dodger starters Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy, Lux was among the group called upon to take swings against the MLB veterans.

“Facing all big-league pitchers is pretty sweet,” Lux said.

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