By Jon Weisman
It wasn’t the offensive display of 27 hours earlier, but the Dodgers still delivered when needed to win their second straight game over the Padres to start the season.
Category: Postgame (Page 10 of 21)
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
A historic day for the Dodgers began with something between a hunch and an observation by new manager Dave Roberts.
Chase Utley isn’t the Dodgers’ permanent leadoff hitter. He was simply the kind of hitter, based on his long history in the game, whom Roberts thought might do well batting first against Tyson Ross on Opening Day.
Coming up to start the 2016 season, Utley fell behind 1-2, worked the count to 3-2, and then stroked a simple, solid, sinking drive to left-center at which Jon Jay dove fruitlessly, good for a double.
No. 2 hitter Corey Seager, with almost none of Utley’s past but potentially all of his future and more, then boomed a double off the left-field wall on the fly, and it was on.
How on, we had no idea.
Their 15-0 victory (recapped by MLB.com) was the largest Opening Day shutout by any team in Major League history, according to Elias, breaking a 105-year-old record set by the Pirates at Cincinnati on April 12, 1911, 14-0.
“That first inning really set the tone for us,” Roberts said after the game. “After that, guys kept having good at-bats.”
The dominant performance created this cavalcade of conquest …
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By Jon Weisman
The fates didn’t waste any time throwing the business at Corey Seager in his first Dodger game in nearly three weeks.
Ross Stripling in February (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Ross Stripling had an interesting day today — not as interesting as the 11-9 final score of the Dodgers’ loss to the Padres would suggest — but interesting nonetheless.
Adam Liberatore has struck out 11 in nine Cactus League innings this year.
Dodgers at Padres, 1:10 p.m.
Carl Crawford, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Chase Utley, 2B
Kiké Hernandez, SS
Joc Pederson, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Ross Stripling, P
Carl Crawford, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Chase Utley, 2B
Kiké Hernandez, SS
Joc Pederson, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Ross Stripling, P
By Jon Weisman
The Dodgers are down to two left-handers in their Major League bullpen after optioning Adam Liberatore to the minors following the team’s 5-4 victory Monday over Texas.
The question now is, will they go down to one?
Since we last checked in on the bullpen, it has been whittled in predictable fashion, leaving the following:
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By Jon Weisman
Before tonight’s 3-1 loss to Kansas City, Andrew Friedman confirmed suspicions that Mike Bolsinger’s oblique injury would knock him off track for an opening-week start.
Carlos Frias, Zach Lee and Brandon Beachy are the leading possibilities for making that start on April 8, though Julio Urias conspiracy theorists will note that the teenage lefty threw three “impressive” innings in a minor-league game, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
What else can I tell you?
- Pedro Baez struck out all four batters he faced, giving him 11 this spring against three walks. Half of Baez’s 22 outs have been whiffs.
- Alex Verdugo didn’t enter the game until the bottom of the seventh – and doesn’t turn 20 until May 15 – but still made an impression. In the bottom of the eighth, he made a sliding stop of a double to the gap and threw to second baseman Charlie Culberson, who fired home to catcher Austin Barnes for an out. Verdugo followed that with a double in the top of the ninth.
- Joc Pederson had a streak of 12 straight plate appearances with a hit or strikeout end when he grounded out to third in the fourth inning. Pederson, who also lost a six-game hitting streak tonight, was 5 for 12 with seven strikeouts in that little run.
- Louis Coleman allowed his third hit of March but struck out his 10th batter while completing his seventh scoreless inning. He hasn’t walked anyone.
- Chris Young held the Dodgers hitless for 4 1/3 innings, but was still charged with a run. Young walked his last batter, Rob Segedin, and reliever Scott Alexander gave up an RBI double to his first batter, speedy Rico Noel.
- Four Dodgers played complete games tonight: Segedin at first, Noel in right, Kiké Hernandez at short and Trayce Thompson in left field.
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- Alex Wood threw 62 pitches in a four-inning stint. Above, Rick Honeycutt talks about Wood.
- Clayton Kershaw not only came out of a car accident unscathed, he posed for pictures with the pair who collided with him. Doug Padilla of ESPN.com has more.
Whatever you think of the Dodgers’ luck right now, there’s this: Clayton Kershaw came out of a car accident unscathed.
Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
It’s hard not to like what Kenta Maeda has brought to the U.S. so far.
Same with Justin Turner, even if the journey isn’t quite so far.
Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
In discussing potential Dodger leadoff hitters last week, I hesitated to include Andre Ethier because he had never done so in a regular-season game – but I decided to do so anyway, because against right-handers, it makes sense.
Sure enough, Ethier grabbed a leadoff spot in today’s 7-3 Dodger victory over Colorado, walking and singling in his first two at-bats.
Dave Roberts told reporters today that Ethier could bat leadoff when the matchup is favorable.
What else can I tell you?
- Hyun-Jin Ryu is not going to pitch in Cactus League play and is doubtful to return to Major League action before June, Dave Roberts said today.
- Zach Lee retired the first eight batters he faced in a 3 1/3-inning performance, allowing a run on four baserunners with one strikeout.
- Julio Urias gave up a run in his first inning of relief, but retired the final four batters in his two-inning outing.
- In his second Cactus League game, Justin Turner went 1 for 3 with an error.
- Elian Herrera and Trayce Thompson both scored on the same wild pitch in the eighth inning.
- Some interesting data from Tony Blengino at Fangraphs supports a big 2016 season for Yasmani Grandal. In his first Cactus League game since March 9, Grandal singled and walked.
- Outfield prospect Alex Verdugo did a Q&A with Jim Callis of MLB.com.
- Dustin Nosler of Dodgers Digest rated Dodger minor leaguers according to best tools.
- Frank Sinatra Jr., who sang the national anthem at Dodger Stadium several times, most recently in September as part of the centennial celebration of his father, has passed away at age 72. Tommy Lasorda expressed his sadness this evening. “Like his father, Frank Jr. brought us much joy with his unbelievable musical talent,” Lasorda said. “Last season, Frank Jr. sang the national anthem at Dodger Stadium on my birthday. What a voice! Frank Jr. was a great and lovely family man. He will be missed dearly.”
- For a brief moment this morning, it looked like Dodger Stadium was going the Calvinball route …
Dodger Stadium looks great, and the intriguing second pitchers' mound near first base is even more exciting! pic.twitter.com/o8WJnLW1pc
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) March 16, 2016
Mike Bolsinger has allowed two runs in nine Spring Training innings. (Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Mike Bolsinger shone in the spotlight for the Dodgers, while Scott Kazmir and Hyun-Jin Ryu had interesting days behind the scenes.
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Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
Spirits soared with Julio Urias’ first inning on a Cactus League mound this year, before his second inning reminded us of his youth.
Taking the mound in the seventh inning today against the Angels, Urias struck out the side — before allowing a single, double, triple and walk to the four batters he faced in the eighth inning of what became an 8-4 Dodger loss, recapped by MLB.com.
Urias told AM 570 Dodger Talk’s David Vassegh that he struggled with his fastball command in his second inning of work. Hopefully, it wasn’t from his coffee run earlier today.
.@theteenager7 y @JDL_87 entre los jugadores que fueron por 65 órdenes de @Starbucks por la mañana. (Foto: @kFarm17) pic.twitter.com/nuDFYnJGfv
— Los Dodgers (@LosDodgers) March 11, 2016
The Dodgers lost despite holding the Angels hitless from the second through seventh innings. Zach Lee gave up three hits in the first inning, including a three-run homer, but then faced the minimum over the next two innings. Kenley Jansen, J.P. Howell, Pedro Baez and Louis Coleman each pitched an inning of hitless ball. They were helped by Charlie Culberson, who made two outstanding plays at shortstop today.
What else have we got?
By Jon Weisman
For seven innings today, the Dodgers were on their way to an unprecedented feat.
By Jon Weisman
Spring Training stats are never, ever to be taken seriously.
So it’s entirely in the spirit of fun and frolic that I point out the Dodgers have a .383 on-base percentage and .478 slugging percentage as a team, after reaching base 17 times in today’s 7-3 victory over the Cubs (recapped here by MLB.com).
Here are some postgame notes and news about the 4-1-1 Dodgers:
By Jon Weisman
Just like Jose De Leon and Chris Anderson on Saturday, homegrown Dodger pitching prospects Zach Lee and Ross Stripling each threw two shutout innings today.
Chase De Jong, acquired from Toronto in 2015, added two zeroes of his own in the Dodgers’ 5-2 road Cactus League victory over San Francisco, recapped by MLB com.
The first two Giant batters against Lee reached base on a single and an error, but the 24-year-old righty retired the remaining six batters he faced, striking out one and allowing only one more ball out of the infield.
Stripling, 26 and just about two years removed from Tommy John surgery, allowed three baserunners in his two innings, striking out one. De Jong did almost the same — just subtract one baserunner.
If you’re wondering where Julio Urias is in all this, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that he is about a week behind the rest of the staff because of a tight groin muscle. After three days off, Urias threw a bullpen session Friday and is expected to throw another before entering Cactus League play near the end of this week.
The Dodgers are 3-0-1 through four games, with a team ERA of 1.75.
https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/706249816687259648
By Jon Weisman
Jamey Wright, born in 1974, pitched the fifth inning for the Dodgers today.
Jose De Leon, born in 1992, pitched the sixth inning for the Dodgers today.
As wide as that age gap was, both could feel pleased with their performances.
