Pitching – Page 7 – Dodger Thoughts

Starting rotation likely to shift in second half

On July 1, 2015

Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40 p.m.
Kiké Hernandez, CF
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Scott Van Slyke, 1B
Alex Guerrero, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
A.J. Ellis, C
Brett Anderson, P

By Jon Weisman

With neither Mike Bolsinger nor Carlos Frias having reached six innings in a game since June 8-9, the Dodgers are prepared to separate them in the starting rotation so that the innings don’t pile up on the bullpen, Don Mattingly told reporters today.

The split wouldn’t happen until after the All-Star Break, Mattingly said, adding that Frias, who was reportedly suffering from back tightness during his 98-pitch, five-inning outing Tuesday, is expected to make his next start. Either Frias or Bolsinger would go in between Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

After the All-Star Break is also when the Dodgers could be close to bringing Brandon Beachy into the starting rotation. Beachy, who is taking the mound for Oklahoma City in a rehab start as I write this, could have his rehab process complete by then. Entering tonight’s game, he had allowed one run on three hits and four walks in six Triple-A innings, with five strikeouts.

Each Dodger starting pitcher after tonight has two starts left before the break. That would set up Kershaw to take the first start of the second half (July 17 at Washington). Moving the No. 4 or 5 starter after Kershaw would put Greinke in the July 19 game. Of course, with Greinke a lock to get an All-Star invite and Kershaw a strong candidate, the Midsummer Classic would factor into any planning.

Relief pitcher Brandon League has completed his rehab and will come to Los Angeles, where a decision will be made on how he fits in, according to Mattingly.

Zack Greinke’s ERA puts him in rare air

By Jon Weisman

On June 29, 2015

In Pitching

By Jon Weisman

In the history of the Dodgers, only one time has a pitcher had a better ERA in the first half of a season than Zack Greinke’s 1.58 with the Dodgers today.

That pitcher was Don Drysdale, the year of his record streak of 58 consecutive scoreless innings. Drysdale had a 1.37 ERA before the All-Star Break, before finishing the year at 2.15.

If Greinke, who extended his own scoreless innings streak to 20 2/3 innings in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory Sunday over Miami, can maintain his current ERA over what figure to be his two remaining starts before the All-Star Break, it would only be the 15th time in the past 50 years that any MLB starting pitcher has had an ERA below 1.60 at the break (minimum 75 innings).

If you really want to get ahead of yourself, nine starting pitchers — none of them Dodgers — have finished a season with at least 150 innings and a park/era-adjusted ERA better than Greinke’s today. The best was Pedro Martinez (1.74 ERA, 291 ERA+). Greinke’s current ERA is lower than Martinez’s, but the easier pitching enviroment puts Greinke’s ERA+ at 235.

Don’t expect Greinke to keep his 2015 ERA below Robert Hoover’s grade-point average at Faber College, but it’s still fun to think about.

In case you missed it: Breaking Bolsinger

By Jon Weisman

On June 17, 2015

In In case you missed it, Pitching

Mike Bolsinger with family and friends prior to Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Texas Rangers Monday, June 15, 2015 at Globe Life Park in Arlington Park,Texas. The Rangers beat the Dodgers 4-1. Photo by Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers,LLC 2015,LLC 2015

Mike Bolsinger with family and friends prior to Monday’s game at Texas.

By Jon Weisman

A few quick hits before mid-morning passes into late-mid-morning …

The subtle variations in Mike Bolsinger’s pitching arsenal are analyzed by Eno Sarris at Fangraphs.
Great perspective on how the notion of “playing the game the right way” varies between locales is provided by John Baker at Fox Sports’ Just a Bit Outside.
Third-round draft choice Philip Pfeifer’s journey from being booted off the Vanderbilt baseball team as a junior to his seven shutout innings at the College World Series is recounted by Michael Lananna at Baseball America.
Dodger co-owner Peter Guber also has a share of the Golden State Warriors, so he was celebrating Tuesday, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.

As Dodger bats shout, Mike Bolsinger quietly stakes his claim

By Jon Weisman

On May 12, 2015

In Pitching, Postgame

[mlbvideo id=”112594683″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

By Jon Weisman

A funny thing happened in between Giancarlo Stanton flying one to the moon and the Dodgers playing among their stars.

Mike Bolsinger appears to have grabbed the No. 5 slot in the Dodger starting rotation.

Despite allowing the sixth homer out of Dodger Stadium in the ballpark’s 54-season history, Bolsinger surrendered but one run over 5 2/3 innings for the second time this season, scattering four Miami singles that together didn’t add up to the 478 feet of Stanton’s blastmatic blast.

Bolsinger on Stanton: "You have to laugh a little bit. That's the hardest ball anyone's hit off me … since the last one he hit off me."

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) May 13, 2015

By keeping the Marlins’ offense in park after Stanton’s homer long enough for the Dodgers to rev up a season-high 21 hits and an 11-1 lead through eight innings, Bolsinger maintained his 1.59 ERA, hours after manager Don Mattingly indicated in his pregame chat that the Dodgers were moving past shuffle time with the back of their starting rotation.

Together in four starts this season, Bolsinger and Carlos Frias are averaging six innings per outing, with a 1.88 ERA and 7.1 K/9. Frias faces Miami in Wednesday’s 4:50 p.m. series finale.

In case you missed it: Baseball and ‘Fantasy Life’

By Jon Weisman

On April 24, 2015

In History, In case you missed it, Pitching

Unique Tintype 16659 (8x10 inches): Sandy Koufax, Brooklyn Dodgers, by Tabitha Soren

Unique Tintype 16659 (8×10 inches): Sandy Koufax, Brooklyn Dodgers, by Tabitha Soren

By Jon Weisman

“Fantasy Life,” an exhibition by photographer Tabitha Soren (the former MTV journalist for people of my generation) that opens Saturday and runs through June 6 at the Kopeikin Gallery on La Cienega Boulevard, explores the fantasies that define America through the lens of baseball.

“In a nutshell, my artwork visualizes psychological states, and ‘Fantasy Life’ is what it looks like to try to touch greatness,” Soren said of the exhibition, which was 12 years in the making. “I’m using baseball as a metaphor to explore the American Dream.”

Images of Clayton Kershaw, Sandy Koufax and Yasiel Puig are among the 92 in the exhibition, for which an opening reception is being held Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Here’s more …

This series explores the fantasies that define America: Manifest Destiny, the romantic idea of the restless wanderer, the hopeful idea that failure is just a step on the road to greatness, the notion that the pursuit of fame and fortune is also the pursuit of happiness, the belief that to secure one’s identity, one must seek to stand apart from the community. Fantasy Life expands upon these beliefs thought to be truths through a captivating series of portraits that engage the audience and shift their perspective of baseball.

Soren’s use of baseball is ingenious in its familiarity. In spite of the growing diversity and the ever-changing landscape of America’s demographics, the national pastime is relatable to everyone. The mystical nature of Soren’s work adds to its nostalgic appeal and to its representation of the myths and fantasies of a nation. This exhibit includes 92 images, including gelatin silver and C-print, plus 26 tintypes and 3 installations – one involving human bones.

For more information, visit Soren’s website.

Now, let’s take a trip around the web …

Since giving up the first two of Adrian Gonzalez’s three homers on April 8, San Diego’s Andrew Cashner has thrown 12 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, notes Alex Espinoza of MLB.com. Cashner, whom the Dodgers face tonight in San Diego, has allowed six unearned runs in that span, however.
Fun story: Yasiel Puig gets his bats from Dove Tail Bat Co. in smalltown Maine, writes Mike Lange in the Piscataquis Observer (link via Sons of Steve Garvey).
Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs has an interesting look at Dodger pitching and rising fastballs. Almost tangential to the story: Clayton Kershaw, despite his supposed rocky start to 2015, has a 1.93 xFIP.
If you made up an All-Star team from each of the six MLB divisions, the National League West would come out on top, concludes David Schoenfield at ESPN.com’s Sweet Spot.
“Branch Rickey’s Residual Legacy” is the subject of this thoughtful piece by Bill Felber at the National Pastime Museum (via Baseball Think Factory).
Tommy John’s elbow and ticket stubs from two Dodger-Giant games are part of Josh Leventhal’s “A History of Baseball in 100 Objects,” reviewed by Tom Hoffarth at the Daily News’ Farther Off the Wall.
Hoffarth also writes about “Gil Hodges: A Hall of Fame Life,” while Bruce Markusen had an interview with writer Mort Zachter at the Hardball Times.
The New Yorker has a baseball-themed cover this week (but no, I’m not suggesting there are Dodgers on it).
A history of the color line and the Pacific Coast League is authored by Ronald Auther at Our Game.
Why are baseball games nine innings long? Mental Floss provides the answer (link via Hardball Talk).

Clayton Kershaw through the 12-K, two-homer prism

By Jon Weisman

On April 17, 2015

In Pitching

[mlbvideo id=”77949883″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

I guess you could be bothered that Clayton Kershaw allowed two home runs tonight and lasted but six innings.

Or, you can be pleased that Clayton Kershaw allowed one earned run on seven baserunners in six innings and struck out 12.

I can’t really tell you what to do. I can only tell you what I’d recommend.

After leaving for a pinch-hitter with the Dodgers leading 6-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Kershaw has an ERA with the uncharacteristic swell of 4.42, but he held the No. 3 offense in the National League so far this year almost entirely at bay.

Striking out six of the first 10 batters he faced over three innings, while the Dodgers built a 3-0 lead, Kershaw next allowed a home run to top Colorado hitter Troy Tulowitzki. He then sandwiched a wild pitch between two singles, benefiting from Andre Ethier throwing out Corey Dickerson at the plate — giving the Dodgers an assist from each outfield position this week.

The defense had the opposite effect on Kershaw in the next inning (which began with the Dodgers ahead, 4-1), when Adrian Gonzalez’s error allowed Drew Stubbs to reach first leading off the fifth. Kershaw then struck out the next two batters, but on the ninth pitch of the next at-bat, Charlie Blackmon homered to right.

Two more Rockies reached base in the sixth inning before Kershaw put a stop to their mischief, striking out Dickerson and Stubbs.

So it was a peccable evening, but not alarming. He allowed two homers, but that’s happened eight previous times during his run of Cy Youngs since 2011. Meanwhile, Kershaw has 26 strikeouts in his first 18 1/3 innings this year.

He has allowed 22 hits this year, but that’s with opponents batting .413 on balls in play against him. Something tells me he’s not going to remain that unlucky.

So I say be pleased.

Kershaw’s troubles on 0-2 counts extremely rare

By Jon Weisman

On April 7, 2015

In Pitching, Pregame

For more images from Monday, visit LA Photog Blog.

Padres at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Joc Pederson, CF
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

Last year, Clayton Kershaw got ahead 0-2 on 211 hitters and allowed only 27 to reach base, including three doubles, a triple and two homers (.116 batting average, .128 on-base percentage, .169 slugging percentage).

That’s a .297 OPS, or nearly 30 percent below the 2014 National League average OPS of .421 on 0-2 counts.

One of the flukes from Kershaw’s Opening Day — and there’s little reason to think it was anything more than a Ripley’s — was that three of the 10 batters he had 0-2 reached base, on the Wil Myers leadoff hit-by pitch and doubles by Clint Barmes and Matt Kemp. The first and the third of those contributed to all three runs the Padres scored.

“I just didn’t put a lot of guys away,” Kershaw told reporters after the game. “I got ahead on a few guys and wasn’t able to finish it off.”

Maybe the most interesting aspect of Kershaw’s day was that his most challenging inning was a scoreless one. San Diego hitters fouled off 18 Kershaw pitches in the game — but 10 of those came in the fourth inning, including six with two strikes. Kershaw threw 24 pitches that inning before retiring the side, then gave up what were the go-ahead runs in the fifth.

Dodger manager Don Mattingly credited the Padres’ tenacity.

“Guys are fighting,” Mattingly said. “They’re not gonna just come in here and give up. These are Major League players. There’s a lot of talent. To be honest with you, when you put a team that ends up in last and a team that ends up in first side by side, a lot of times it’s gonna be a lot of close games in there. It’s just not that easy.”

Had Juan Uribe been able to throw out Derek Norris with two out in the fifth inning, Kemp’s two-run double wouldn’t have happened. Mattingly said that Uribe and the Dodgers knew Norris could run, but that Uribe didn’t have a good grip on the ball when he was readying to throw.

“He kind of double-pumped it, double-tapped it … and it takes that split-second longer,” Mattingly said.

Not that Kershaw was holding Uribe responsible.

“They gave me the lead, and I wasn’t able to hold it,” Kershaw said. “A little bit disappointed with that, but you know what, we got some clutch hits.”

And in any case, Kershaw was probably being too hard on himself. Six of the other seven hitters that he had 0-2 in the count struck out.

Personal catchers, schmerschonal catchers

By Jon Weisman

On April 7, 2015

In Catching, Pitching

By Jon Weisman

A.J. Ellis’ Opening Day partnership with Clayton Kershaw did little to dissuade those who believe that Ellis will remain the Dodger ace’s personal catcher, but you can bet you’ll see Yasmani Grandal behind the plate in several Kershaw starts.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say Ellis won’t catch the majority of Kershaw games. Even if the plan is for Grandal to start 80 percent of the Dodgers’ 162 outings this year, which is about the maximum imaginable, that would still leave at least 32 starts for Ellis, or enough to make him Kershaw’s permanent catcher if that were the desire. (It would be plenty surprising to see Ellis’ starts split evenly among the five spots in the starting rotation.)

But even allowing for Kershaw’s obvious bond with Ellis, several other considerations remain, such as:

There are going to be times when the Dodgers want Grandal in the lineup, even when Kershaw is pitching.
Kershaw is signed through 2020. Ellis is 34 years old. Grandal is 26. Sooner or later, Grandal will be the guy.
Given that the Dodgers traded Matt Kemp primarily to acquire Grandal, he should be the guy.
Grandal’s pitch-framing skills should be something the Dodgers want to take advantage of, even when Kershaw is on the mound.
Don Mattingly has said repeatedly that he wants every Dodger pitcher to trust every Dodger catcher. For Kershaw, the team leader, to show he’s not willing would set the wrong tone.
Kershaw is smart enough to realize all of this.

I’m not sure how many of Kershaw’s starts (usually 33 per year) Ellis would have to take to be defined as his personal catcher. If you make the bar 25 starts, that might happen. If you say 30, that’s a lot less likely.

What I do feel is that this will ultimately reveal itself to be a non-issue. Ellis could catch most of Kershaw’s starts without it being a reflection of Grandal’s worth or ultimate importance to the Dodgers.

Grandal as pinch-hitter

A footnote: As early as the sixth inning of Opening Day, questions were raised about whether Mattingly should have had Grandal pinch-hit for Ellis. After the game, Mattingly replied that he thought it was too early in the game to make such a move — but he didn’t rule out doing so in later innings of future games.

The obvious deterrent is the worry about what would happen if your last catcher then was injured. But Grandal’s ability to stay in the game and play first base would allow the Dodgers to keep two catchers available, though it would mean losing Adrian Gonzalez for the rest of the given game. It’s not a move you want to make, but it’s also not a horrible tradeoff if you think Grandal would make a difference off the bench in a particular moment.

The chances of a second catcher getting hurt late in a game are extremely remote, especially with the plate-blocking rules Major League Baseball instituted last year. However, given that the Dodgers’ have strong pinch-hitting options in Justin Turner, Alex Guerrero and whoever isn’t playing outfield that day, you can probably expect that using a catcher to pinch-hit will remain Mattingly’s last resort.

From Anderson to Wieland, the long road to pitching depth

By Jon Weisman

On March 31, 2015

In Pitching

[mlbvideo id=”57879883″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

White Sox at Dodgers, 1:05 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Andre Ethier, CF
Joe Wieland, P

By Jon Weisman

It might have been the top performance of a Dodger starting pitcher this spring. It was certainly a cool illustration of what the Dodgers’ offseason machinations have wrought.

In the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory Monday over Arizona, free-agent signee Brett Anderson whipped through six innings in 74 pitches, taking advantage of the Dodgers’ defensively fortified infield to induce every out via groundball or strikeout (with one caught stealing).

Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. and Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles offer a detailed account of the day for Anderson, whom Don Mattingly called “the picture of health,” knock on wood.

Today, Joe Wieland, another offseason import and a leading candidate to shoulder some of the innings that the injured Hyun-Jin Ryu will miss, makes his first official exhibition start after nine exhibition innings so far. Wieland’s last Cactus League game action was a three-inning, 14-batter outing at the Alamodome 11 days ago, so this afternoon’s Camelback Ranch finale (yes, we’ve arrived at that point) stands as a test of endurance and approach, whatever the stats.

As valuable as Anderson might be, pitchers like Wieland will play a key role as well. The idea of a five-man starting rotation is a myth. The Dodgers averaged 10.7 starting pitchers per season in the nine-year Ned Colletti era (without even counting pitchers who missed an entire season, such as Chad Billingsley in 2014). The Andrew Friedman-Farhan Zaidi era figures to be little different.

The Dodger defense is solid, and there’s offensive depth at every position. If there’s a most likely place for things to go wrong for the Dodgers in 2015, it’s if no pitcher is ready to step in when prime forces like Ryu and Kenley Jansen are hurt. There are going to be games where a starting pitcher blows up or a reliever coughs up a lead, but you just don’t want there to be too many.

Wieland won’t quell those fears in a single exhibition start, good or bad. Today simply offers one of many steps for the entire pitching staff toward its goal of providing an overall level of excellence, same as Anderson’s start on Monday.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’d be nice to see Wieland do well today, even though it won’t mean anything if he doesn’t.

Injuries afflict Dodgers (and everybody else)

By Jon Weisman

On March 22, 2015

In Health/injuries, Pitching, Transactions

Hyun-Jin Ryu resumes throwing alongside the other Dodger pitchers. #DodgersST

A post shared by Los Angeles Dodgers (@dodgers) on Mar 22, 2015 at 10:06am PDT

Indians at Dodgers, 1:05 a.m.
Kike Hernandez, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Yasiel Puig, DH
Scott Van Slyke, 1B
Joc Pederson, CF
Alex Guerrero, 3B
Corey Seager, SS
Scott Schebler, RF
Chris O’Brien, C
(David Huff, P)

By Jon Weisman

At the risk of being labeled a Pollyanna about the Dodgers (not for the first time), let’s not overreact to the aches and ailments suffered by Dodger pitchers in the past 48 hours.

First and foremost, when a veteran non-roster pitcher leaves a Spring Training start more than two weeks before Opening Day for precautionary reasons, as Erik Bedard did Friday and Chad Gaudin did Saturday, that’s not exactly double-over news. (Today came news that Bedard will get an MRI on Monday, while Gaudin is fine.)

Bedard pitched 75 2/3 big-league innings last year, Gaudin zero. They might well contribute at some point in 2015 — neither would be with the Dodgers if there weren’t hope for that — but a mid-March setback for either of these two doesn’t spell “doom.” It doesn’t even spot you the “d.”

Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu are bigger deals. Kershaw dodged a bullet (at least, all of him except two teeth did) when he was struck by an Andy Parrino hit Friday, hours after we learned that Ryu’s status for the start of the regular season is up in the air.

Hyun-jin Ryu will start throwing today. He felt 100% after the injection in his shoulder

— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) March 22, 2015

Though Kershaw is not expected to miss any time, and Ryu might still barely miss a beat, the twin pieces of news reminded that no pitcher, not even the rock that is Kershaw, is guaranteed to make it unscathed through a Major League season. To lessen the pain of their injuries, the best cbd cream can be utilized.

Guess what: That’s true for the other 29 teams as well.

Injuries are part of the game. It’s a cliche because it’s true. Injuries are part of the game. They’re gonna keep coming. And the Dodgers remain one of the best equipped teams to survive them.

* * *

A brief note: Matt Carson and Kyle Jensen had their tickets to minor-league camp punched today. Each hit two homers for the Dodgers in Cactus League play.

Happy birthday, Juan! pic.twitter.com/6lBJK0dJbF

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 22, 2015

Sunday Science Day

By Jon Weisman

On March 1, 2015

In Health/injuries, Pitching

By Jon Weisman

Hope you’re having a nice, lazy Sunday morning. Here are a few stories you can settle into, from baseball’s metaphorical laboratory …

Something striking from this Matthew Leach article at MLB.com (via MLB Trade Rumors) about research into reducing Tommy John operations: “Youth pitchers who said that they had ‘often pitched’ when fatigued were a staggering 36 times more likely to have needed surgery.”
This paper by Joe Rosales and Scott Spratt of Baseball Info Solutions takes pitch-framing analysis a step farther by attempting to break down the influence of not only the catcher, but also the pitcher, batter and umpire (via Baseball Think Factory).
“No one would have predicted he would find himself blindfolded and bouncing on a trampoline in a doctor’s office in Las Vegas.” How’s that for an intriguing setup for Chelsea Janes’ story in the Washington Post about the effect of inner-ear dysfunction, using Nationals second baseman Dan Uggla as a focal point (also via BTF).
This might not seem like science per se, unless you allow for the science of human behavior. Brandon McCarthy is among those quoted in this Anthony Castrovince story at Sports on Earth about potential changes to the strike zone, particularly with regard to the low strike.

“We’re all just an ant colony,” McCarthy said. “You put something in front of us, we’ll all just figure out a way to go around it and something else will emerge in its place. But it would be interesting to see how long that adjustment would take.”

In case you missed it: Two days until pitchers and catchers

By Jon Weisman

On February 17, 2015

In Farewells, History, In case you missed it, Pitching, Television

http://instagram.com/p/zED0aXrEJw/?modal=true

By Jon Weisman

Pitchers and catchers, we’ll be saying hello to you at Camelback Ranch inside of 48 hours. Hope you packed as well as we did.

In the meantime …

Brett Anderson, Clayton Kershaw share 10-year history

By Jon Weisman

On January 21, 2015

In Minor leagues, Pitching

[mlbvideo id=”5635201″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

For an update on Brett Anderson’s offseason progress, read Ken Gurnick’s story at MLB.com.

By Jon Weisman

So, 2015 won’t be the first time that Brett Anderson and Clayton Kershaw are teammates.

Turn the clock back about 10 years, and the new Dodger lefty and the standout Dodger lefty found themselves on the Team USA 18-and-under squad.

Clayton Kershaw, and why sometimes a bad inning is just a bad inning

By Jon Weisman

On December 17, 2014

In Pitching

Don Mattingly comes to the mound to remove Clayton Kershaw in the second inning on May 17 at Arizona. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

It was an odd mission, unlikely to be rewarding, and it was voluntary.

But I chose to revisit Clayton Kershaw’s May 17 blowup against Arizona, when he allowed seven runs in the second inning.

I was listening on the radio when it happened, and it was more than six months ago, so some of its nuances — yes, there were nuances — weren’t fresh in my mind. I remembered the four-pitch walks to Cody Ross — yes, more than one. I remembered the three triples. I remembered that Kershaw just was not Kershaw — the seven runs makes that pretty clear — and that given that he had come off the disabled list just a couple weeks before, there was some amount of panic among Dodger followers.

Kershaw, of course, recovered spectacularly from the start, with a 1.43 ERA and 211 strikeouts in his next 176 innings. You wanted to forget that outing in Arizona? Wish granted. It was completely irrelevant to his National League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player pursuits.

And yet, I retained some curiosity about it, mostly because it was just so unusual.

Zack Greinke was a Giant-killer in 2014

By Jon Weisman

On December 9, 2014

In Pitching

By Jon Weisman

It didn’t get very much press in 2014, but Zack Greinke had an absolutely dominant season against the World Series champion San Francisco Giants.

Dodger Thoughts

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

Category: Pitching (Page 7 of 16)

Starting rotation likely to shift in second half

Zack Greinke’s ERA puts him in rare air

In case you missed it: Breaking Bolsinger

As Dodger bats shout, Mike Bolsinger quietly stakes his claim

In case you missed it: Baseball and ‘Fantasy Life’

Clayton Kershaw through the 12-K, two-homer prism

Kershaw’s troubles on 0-2 counts extremely rare

Personal catchers, schmerschonal catchers

From Anderson to Wieland, the long road to pitching depth

Injuries afflict Dodgers (and everybody else)

Sunday Science Day

In case you missed it: Two days until pitchers and catchers

Brett Anderson, Clayton Kershaw share 10-year history

Clayton Kershaw, and why sometimes a bad inning is just a bad inning

Zack Greinke was a Giant-killer in 2014

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