Pregame – Page 19 – Dodger Thoughts

On June 6, 2015

Last day in lancaster. Ready for LA tomorrow @w.rivas_13 @mlbsunnyd @bird601_1400 @jmrichy45

A post shared by @yasielpuig (@yasielpuig) on Jun 5, 2015 at 6:14pm PDT

Cardinals at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CCXXI: Kershawnational Velvet
Joc Pederson, CF
Chris Heisey, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Justin Turner, 1B
Kiké Hernandez, 2B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

Ending a 39-game absence, Yasiel Puig has been activated by the Dodgers from the disabled list and is back in the starting lineup against the Cardinals.

Puig is batting third, though Don Mattingly told reporters that he could see Puig batting second or fifth going forward.

The Dodgers went 21-18 with Puig out of the lineup, with Andre Ethier batting .285/.362/.504/.866 as the primary right fielder. Ethier is on the bench tonight while the Dodgers face Cardinals lefty Jaime Garcia, but figures to get much of the time in left field in the near term.

Scott Schebler, who went 1 for 3 in his MLB debut, has been optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Schebler will be joined there by David Huff, who cleared waivers, but Sergio Santos has elected to become a free agent. Former Oklahoma City reliever David Aardsma, who opted out of his contract, has signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta.

In other news, Brandon League is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday.

Scott Schebler called up for MLB debut

On June 5, 2015

Scott Schebler has 80 homers in 521 career games as a professional. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodger)

Scott Schebler has 80 homers in 521 pro games. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Cardinals at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Andre Ethier, RF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Scott Schebler, LF
Kiké Hernandez, 2B
Brett Anderson, P

By Jon Weisman

“Slow starts don’t hold back outfield prospect Scott Schebler,” says the subhead of the feature on the 24-year-old outfielder in the June edition of Dodger Insider magazine, and today’s transaction news certainly backs this up.

Schebler, a notoriously cold hitter in the early going throughout his career, finds himself in the starting lineup for the Dodgers tonight, taking the roster spot of reliever Daniel Coulombe, who was optioned back to Triple-A.

Schebler has had a .696 OPS in 49 games this year, but he is 4 for 13 with a double and triple to start June, a month in which he has usually excelled throughout the minors. Last year, for example, he followed a .761 OPS in May with a 1.133 OPS in June.

“In a way, Schebler’s development as a baseball player parallels his in-season performance,” Cary Osborne writes in his story below. “He was a five-sport athlete at Iowa’s Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, also participating in football, basketball, soccer and track and field. But because of the weather, his baseball time was limited, and by the time he was drafted in the 26th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, he was less experienced. … An argument can be made that no Dodger prospect has made up more ground since 2012 than Schebler.”

According to Jeff Johnson of the Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when Schebler called his parents in the middle of the night to give them the news that he was on his way to Los Angeles, his mom’s reply was, “For what?”

Read all of our Scott Schebler feature below (click the images to enlarge), and get many more stories like it in this month’s Dodger Insider magazine.

Kenley Jansen cleared to pitch tonight

On June 4, 2015

In Health/injuries, Pregame

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Atlanta Braves Monday, May 25, 2015 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles,California. The Dodgers beat the Braves 6-3. Photo by Jon SooHoo/©Los Angeles Dodgers,LLC 2015

(Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Cardinals at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Andre Ethier, RF
Alex Guerrero, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Kiké Hernandez, 2B
Carlos Frias, P

By Jon Weisman

Kenley Jansen has been cleared by medical staff to pitch tonight after being held out of Wednesday’s 7-6 Dodger loss to the Rockies.

Jansen, who has faced 20 batters this season and allowed one hit and no walks while striking out 11, complained of headaches and an upset stomach and was found to have elevated blood pressure, according to Don Mattingly, who said he learned Jansen would be unavailable in about the fifth inning.

Mattingly said he did not discuss the specifics of Jansen’s condition after Wednesday’s game out of respect to Jansen’s wishes. Jansen, however, is expected to speak to reporters before tonight’s game.

In other medical news, Howie Kendrick has been given a rest from the starting lineup tonight after his knee stiffened following a slide into third base Wednesday. Kendrick has started 50 of the Dodgers’ first 53 games in 2015.

Also, Triple-A pitching prospect Zach Lee has experienced tingling in the fingers of his right hand, and is in Los Angeles to be examined.

In case you missed it: Home Run Dopey

On June 3, 2015

[mlbvideo id=”141829583″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Dodgers at Rockies, 5:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Alex Guerrero, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Mike Bolsinger, P

By Jon Weisman

I strongly recommend you read Eric Stephen’s piece at True Blue L.A. today on the Dodger offense, which is starting to take on criticism for hitting too many home runs. Yeah, really.

At the heart of the problem is the increasing circulation of the misleading statistic that 49 percent of the Dodger offense has been produced by home runs (117 of the Dodgers’ 238 runs have been driven in by homers) — which conveniently ignores how the guys who scored ahead of the home runs get on base.

Example: Do you really want to be arguing that the three ninth-inning singles Tuesday had *nothing* to do with Alex Guerrero's grand slam?

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) June 3, 2015

I guess the fear is that somehow, if the Dodgers score too many runs on home runs, then they’ll be in trouble in October when the home runs don’t come so easily — as if somehow walks, hit-and-runs and stolen bases in the playoffs somehow are a piece of cake.

Let’s find other things to think about …

Tonight’s Dodger game has been — shocker, I know — delayed by rain. No cancellation is expected.
Hector Olivera is expected begin his professional career Thursday with Double-A Tulsa in a 5:05 Pacific game against Midland.
Yasiel Puig is expected to start his rehab assignment with Rancho Cucamonga in a 6:30 p.m. game at Lancaster. His last rehab assignment began three weeks ago but was cut short May 8.
Ian Thomas, the 26th man on the roster for Tuesday’s doubleheader, has been returned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
In the wake of Joc Pederson’s awesome power display Tuesday, Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs looks at Joc Pederson’s awesome power.
ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, updated through Tuesday, is a lot of fun to look at today.
Talk about batting 1.000 …

In 523 combined plate appearances, Pederson, Gonzalez and Guerrero have hit .297/.383/.617/1.000! with 61 walks, 33 doubles and 37 homers

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) June 3, 2015

Exit Barnes and Huff, enter Coulombe and Ravin

On June 2, 2015

Josh Ravin (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Rockies, 12:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Kiké Hernandez, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Andre Ethier, RF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Chris Heisey, RF
Zack Greinke, P

Following their 6-3 loss to Colorado in the first game of today’s doubleheader, the Dodgers …

optioned catcher Austin Barnes, who went 0 for 2 with a walk today, to Triple-A Oklahoma City
designated pitcher David Huff, who threw a shutout eighth inning today, for assignment (for the second time this year)
called up lefty reliever Daniel Coulombe, who has a 1.13 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings for Oklahoma City, for the third time in the past 30 days.
selected the contract of righty reliever Josh Ravin, who has a 2.25 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 20 innings for Oklahoma City, for his potential Major League debut.

— Jon Weisman

Scott Van Slyke becomes third Dodger outfielder on DL

On June 2, 2015

Scott Van Slyke has a .423 on-base percentage against lefties this season, but both his home runs have come against righties. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Rockies, 12:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Chris Heisey, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Alex Guerrero, LF
Kiké Hernandez, SS
Austin Barnes, C
Juan Nicasio, P

By Jon Weisman

Scott Van Slyke, who has been ailing with back inflammation, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, with Chris Heisey returning from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his place on the roster.

Van Slyke has only played once in the past eight days. He has been in a 4-for-36 slide with two walks and no extra-base hits, dating back to May 13.

He joins Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford on the disabled list, though Puig continued to progress toward a return by taking live batting practice today in Colorado, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

This will be a fish-or-cut-bait stint for the Dodgers with Heisey, who will now have the five years’ service time to refuse a minor-league assignment.

Ian Thomas, one of the pitchers acquired from Atlanta, in the Juan Uribe/Chris Withrow trade, has also been called up from Oklahoma City as the 26th man permissible for today’s doubleheader.

Thomas, who would be the first Ian in Dodger history if he gets into a game, had a 0.00 ERA in 12 2/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett this year, before giving up six runs in 2 1/3 innings during his only appearance with Oklahoma City.

For the Dodgers’ only doubleheader last year, the 26th man was Red Patterson, who started the second game at Minnesota and allowed one run on five baserunners in 4 2/3 innings. Patterson is currently rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery.

Dodgers move Carl Crawford to 60-day DL, arrive in Colorado in a Huff, send West east

On June 1, 2015

Carl Crawford injured himself April 27 while hitting his only triple so far of 2015. (Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Rockies, 5:40 p.m.
Kershaw CCXX: Kershawsablanca
Joc Pederson, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Kiké Hernandez, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
A.J. Ellis, C
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

Just for the record, the Dodgers made no transactions Friday. But we’re back in the daily swing of things, or thing of swings.

A day after being called up, reliever Matt West was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City, replaced on the roster by swingman David Huff.

Huff’s arrival also means the move of Carl Crawford to the 60-day disabled list, meaning that we won’t see the Dodger outfielder in a game until the end of June at the earliest. Crawford, who has a .260 on-base percentage and .408 slugging percentage in 50 plate appearances this season, last played for the Dodgers on April 27.

Read More

Dodgers place Paco Rodriguez on disabled list, call up Matt West

On May 31, 2015

Dodgers at Cardinals, 11:15 a.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Alex Guerrero, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Brett Anderson, P

By Jon Weisman

Paco Rodriguez has had trouble finishing pitches, manager Don Mattingly told reporters this morning, so he has been placed on the disabled list and is heading to Los Angeles for examination on his left elbow.

Rodriguez’s velocity has been on the decline, as noted in the Daily News by J.P. Hoornstra, despite not having been used frequently. Friday’s 18-pitch outing was his first in five days, and he has pitched on consecutive days only once in the past six weeks.

Here’s a small excerpt from Hoornstra’s piece:

… What’s interesting is that Rodriguez said he had no idea his velocity has been steadily dropping. He’s never relied primarily on speed to be effective, rather deception and location. Because of that, he said, he’s never paid close attention to radar-gun readings.

The decrease in speed is partially by design. Rodriguez said he was hoping to slow down his curveball this year by tightening his grip on the ball, “just so the fastball looks that much harder.” Rodriguez allowed for the possibility that he’s tightened the grip on all his pitches inadvertently. …

So far in 2015, Rodriguez has a 2.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts, stranding 17 of 22 inherited runners.

To take Rodriguez’s place on the active roster, the Dodgers have called up Matt West, the righty they cashed out of Toronto on May 4, from Triple-A Oklahoma City. In the organization this year, West has had 10 strikeouts and a 0.68 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings for Double-A Tulsa, along with four baserunners in two innings with one strikeout for Oklahoma City.

West’s MLB career consists of four innings with the Rangers last season, in which he allowed three runs on seven baserunners while striking out three.

If and when he appears in a game, West will be the first in Dodger history to wear No. 76. However, he will only be the second Dodger ever from Houston’s Bellaire High, after the inimitable Kelly Wunsch.

Yasmani Grandal activated to start tonight

On May 30, 2015

Dodgers at Cardinals, 4:15 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Andre Ethier, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Scott Van Slyke, LF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Carlos Frias, P

By Jon Weisman

Yasmani Grandal returns to active duty today after spending seven days on the concussion-themed disabled list.

Grandal will start tonight and bat sixth (where he has hit in his past eight starts), but Jimmy Rollins has been dropped from second to eighth. Scott Van Slyke is also back on starting duty.

Austin Barnes, who started Sunday and played in two other games — including Friday, after A.J. Ellis was ejected in a balls-and-strikes/pitch-framing controversy — is remaining with the team. Outfielder Chris Heisey, who started on Thursday, has been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Grandal, who brings a .403 on-base percentage and .466 slugging percentage back to the Dodger lineup tonight, went 3 for 10 with five walks and three strikeouts in three games designated hitting for Oklahoma City. That includes his own ejection in the second of those games.

Neither Ellis nor Grandal had ever been ejected from a professional game before, according to the two catchers. Ellis discussed his ejection after Friday’s game with reporters, as chronicled by Bill Plunkett of the Register.

… “Their job is to call balls and strikes,” Ellis said. “It’s not their job to be a catching coach behind the plate. It’s not their job to be critical of what I’m doing. It shouldn’t even matter if there’s a catcher there or not. The ball comes through a zone and they need to take a look at that.

“People on blogs and websites can critique my framing but I’m not going to take it from an umpire because it’s not their job to do that. It’s their job to call balls and strikes based on what comes through a strike zone.”

Winters was asked to respond but declined to speak to a pool reporter. He said only through a Cardinals official that the issue was balls and strikes and “the rest of it stays private.”

Not entirely. Winters was apparently wearing a microphone for MLB Network during the game. …

Ten facts about the Dodger bullpen

On May 29, 2015

In Bullpen, Pregame

Yimi Garcia has struck out 33 and walked seven in 20 innings this season. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Cardinals, 5:15 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Andre Ethier, RF
Alex Guerrero, LF
A.J. Ellis, C
Mike Bolsinger, P

By Jon Weisman

Here’s where the Dodger bullpen ranks in 10 key categories, compared with the rest of the National League:

No. 3 in fewest innings thrown, behind the Mets and Reds.
No. 2 in fewest batters faced, behind only the Mets.
No. 2 behind the Mets in lowest on-base percentage allowed.
No. 2 behind the Mets in WHIP.
Tied for No. 1 with the Marlins for fewest home runs allowed.
No. 1 in lowest slugging percentage allowed.
No. 1 in lowest OPS allowed.
No. 1 in strikeouts per nine innings.
No. 1 in strikeout-walk ratio.
No. 7 in rate of inherited runners allowed to score.

The last bullet point shows that Dodger relievers aren’t doing everything right. But they’re doing a lot of things very right — and that’s with Kenley Jansen having thrown 57 pitches so far all season.

And the other good news, heading into a stretch of 34 games in the next 34 days (with one doubleheader and one day off in June), is that so far, the Dodger bullpen haven’t been overworked.

Unpacking the Uribe-Withrow-Callaspo-Thomas-Jaime-Stults trade (see, that’s a lot to unpack right there)

On May 27, 2015

Juan Uribe has a message for you, Dodger fans. pic.twitter.com/a7xuNPX2BM

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 27, 2015

For photos from Tuesday, visit LA Photog Blog.

Braves at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Alex Guerrero, LF
Chris Heisey, RF
A.J. Ellis, C
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

As unusual as the past 36 hours have been, nothing quite brought it home more sharply than seeing Juan Uribe in Atlanta Braves gear at Dodger Stadium, so soon after he had worn Dodger whites for the final time.

Gazing upon Matt Kemp as a Padre on Opening Day took an adjustment and a half, but at least we had most of an offseason to prepare.

But baseball, the game without a clock, ticks on — and everyone moves forward, ready or not. Here is a bullet-point summary of this late afternoon’s news.

Uribe says he would have felt bad if he had been traded to a soccer team or basketball team. But a baseball team is OK.

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) May 27, 2015

According to Don Mattingly, Uribe had initiated discussions about his decreased playing time, and Andrew Friedman said that Uribe’s agent told him that Uribe would welcome a trade to a team that would offer more playing time. It wasn’t a literal trade demand, but more an indication of where Uribe’s mind was at.
Similarly, Alberto Callaspo balked at the trade at first because he was concerned that his at-bats would go down, according to Friedman, but his concerns were assuaged. It has been reported elsewhere that the Braves paid Callaspo an additional sum to agree to the trade.
Friedman thinks the switch-hitting Callaspo can help the Dodgers as a left-handed bat off the bench (with Andre Ethier starting, the Dodgers often don’t have a lefty position player in reserve at all). Callaspo’s positional versatility is also a better fit for the Dodger bench than Uribe would offer, according to Friedman.
Chris Withrow was admired enough by Friedman to be a trade target while Friedman was with the Rays, but hopes of what Withrow might provide in 2016 were sacrificed in order to add pitching depth for this year.
Left-handed Ian Thomas will be stretched out at Oklahoma City to see if he might become a starter (not coincidentally, a recent Dodger acquisition, Eric Surkamp, is getting the same treatment as a starter for Oklahoma City tonight.) Relief pitching is a fallback for Thomas.
Righty reliever Juan Jaime “misses bats,” Friedman said, and so the Dodgers will attack his control problems at in extended Spring Training at Camelback Ranch to see what develops.
Chris Heisey was called up in no small part because two Dodger outfielders, Scott Van Slyke and Kiké Hernandez, are not 100 percent healthy.
The Dodgers hope that the two pitchers designated for assignment today, Sergio Santos and Eric Stults, will clear waivers and remain in the organization, but whether they clear remains to be seen.
Brandon Beachy threw three simulated innings today, ahead of his next steps — first games at Camelback, and hopefully the start of a minor-league rehab assignment in June.
For their doubleheader Tuesday at Colorado, the Dodgers get a 26th-man roster exemption. Joe Wieland is lined up in the Triple-A rotation if the Dodgers want him, but they have not announced how they will use the extra spot.

In case you missed it: Catch a falling star

On May 25, 2015

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it, Pregame

[mlbvideo id=”129932583″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

For photos from Sunday, visit LA Photog Blog.

Braves at Dodgers, 5:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Andre Ethier, RF
Scott Van Slyke, LF
A.J. Ellis, C
Brett Anderson, P

By Jon Weisman

Boy, that Bobby Crosby is something. He is more coordinated with a baseball flying at blazing speed toward him than I am at … anything.

See above for his latest cameraball feat, and see the bottom of this post for our May 2014 Dodger Insider magazine profile on him.

Carlos Frias matched the worst start in Dodger history Sunday by allowing 10 runs, but it’s not even the worst start in the Majors this weekend. Today, Kansas City righty Jeremy Guthrie allowed 11 runs while getting only three batters out.
Frias’ game score of -4 was the worst in Los Angeles Dodger history and the worst in the franchise since Johnny Babich’s record -21, when he gave up 13 runs on 16 hits and two walks with one strikeout almost exactly 80 years ago, on June 23, 1935.
In his 61-inning MLB career, Frias has allowed 39 runs — 18 of those runs in the 4 2/3 combined innings of his starts Sunday against San Diego and September 17 in Colorado. In his remaining 56 1/3 innings, Frias has allowed 21 runs.
Brett Anderson has not only been rained on in three straight starts, he has drawn a base on balls while batting as well, notes Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.
Yasmani Grandal will play designated hitter for Triple-A Oklahoma City this week, ahead of his expected reactivation by the Dodgers on Saturday.
Brandons Beachy and League are headed for Camelback Ranch later this week for the next step of their respective journeys back to action, with minor-league rehabilitation assignments apparently on the horizon for June.
Erik Bedard took the mound in a game for the first time since Spring Training, starting for single-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Changing of the guard at third base

On May 24, 2015

In Pregame

[mlbvideo id=”128612883″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

For more photos from Saturday, visit LA Photog Blog.

Padres at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Andre Ethier, RF
Alex Guerrero, 3B
Kiké Hernandez, LF
Austin Barnes, C
Carlos Frias, P

By Jon Weisman

Don Mattingly never came out and said that Juan Uribe had been benched at third base after being the starter there for the past two seasons, but the lineups this month have indicated as much.

With a week to go in May, Uribe has four total bases this month (on four singles) plus a walk. Since making back-to-back starts May 7-8, Uribe has made two starts in the past 16 days.

Speaking to reporters this morning, Mattingly said his intention to keep putting the guys out there who are playing well, and for now that means Justin Turner and Alex Guerrero. On the horizon, of course, is Hector Olivera, who could be on the Major League roster before June is over.

Turner, who has started 11 games at third base this month, has a .421 on-base percentage and .617 slugging percentage in May. As a Dodger, Turner has a .397 OBP while slugging .505. Among players with at least 400 plate appearances, Turner has the fifth-best adjusted OPS in Dodger history, behind Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Mike Piazza and Jack Fournier.

Guerrero has cooled since his Rookie of the Month performance in April. This month, Guerrero has a .283 OBP while slugging .380. He is making his fourth start of the month today at third base and eighth at the position this year, to go with 11 starts in left field.

Today, Kiké Hernandez is making his first start as a Dodger in left field, while Austin Barnes is making his MLB debut at catcher.

With Grandal sidelined, Dodgers call up Austin Barnes

On May 23, 2015