Pregame – Page 27 – Dodger Thoughts

On June 30, 2014

Indians at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
Dan Haren, P

By Jon Weisman

June has been kind to many Dodgers, but on the hitting side, particularly so to Matt Kemp.

Since his OPS fell to .719 on May 30, its lowest point since the second game of the season, Kemp has been OPSing .905 (.381 on-base percentage and .525 slugging percentage). He leads the Dodgers in total bases for the month of June with 51.

Has Kemp been a changed hitter? Maybe. On the other hand, remember when I wrote how Kemp had the best batting average on balls in play in Dodger history, but that early in 2014, it was abnormally low? Well, take a look at the following:

Matt Kemp BABIP, 2014
.167 April 4-17
.392 April 18-May 21
.000 May 22-May 30
.405 May 31-June 29

For the year, Kemp’s BABIP is .352 — which exactly matches his career average.

Though Kemp’s home run power is down, he is on pace for a career-high 39 doubles. And Kemp still leads the Dodgers in home runs in June with three. Here’s an odd fact: The Dodgers have more wins in June (17) than home runs in June (13).

It doesn’t matter what order the wins come, as long as they come

On June 28, 2014

For more highlights from Friday, check Jon SooHoo’s LA Photog Blog.

Cardinals at Dodgers, 4:15 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

Tampa Bay has a four-game winning streak this year. So does San Diego. So do the Chicago Cubs and a bunch of other mediocre and disappointing teams.

So I’m not sure why anyone should care that the Dodgers don’t have a four-game wininng streak in 2014, any more than anyone should care whether the Dodgers win a game by scoring four runs in one inning or six runs in six different innings.

Pennants are not won on the basis of the number of four-game winning streaks you have. That the Dodgers don’t have one this year is a statistical fluke, signifying nothing.

What matters is that the Dodgers have the second-best record in the National League West, the third-best record in the NL and the sixth-best record in MLB, and are in striking distance of the top in all three categories.

If you need a source of streaky comfort, take this. They have no four-game losing streaks either. In fact, the 2014 Dodgers are 24-12 after any loss and 9-2 after any two losses in a row. That might not mean anything, but it sure means more than the trivia of an 0-6 record when they’ve won three games in a row.

Andre Ethier gets a breather

On June 27, 2014

For more highlights from Thursday, check Jon SooHoo’s LA Photog Blog.

Cardinals at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Scott Van Slyke, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

Andre Ethier is getting a rest day even though the Dodgers are facing a right-handed pitcher.

“Just to give Dre a little bit of a break,” Dodger manager Don Mattingly said before the game. “He’s had some bumps and bruises. Just a day.”

Ethier has had a rough June, though he’s not alone among Dodger outfielders in slumping from his usual totals. Ethier has a .246 on-base percentage and .215 slugging percentage in 69 plate appearances, with one double and no home runs.

Juan Uribe is back in time, but Carlos Triunfel is outatime

On June 26, 2014

In Health/injuries, Pregame

If our calculations are correct, when this guy hits 88 miles per hour… pic.twitter.com/rj4ipMooAW

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 27, 2014

Cardinals at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Drew Butera, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
Josh Beckett, P

By Jon Weisman

Five weeks and two days after pulling up lame while running to second base in the ninth inning in Flushing, Juan Uribe is back in the Dodger starting lineup.

Carlos Triunfel, 2 for 7 with a home run as a Dodger, was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. The move was an endorsement of the near-term prognosis of Hanley Ramirez, who is missing his third start in a row tonight with irritation in the acromioclavicular joint of his right shoulder and saw Dr. Neal ElAttrache today.

Uribe has a .331 on-base percentage and .454 slugging percentage this year — along with the third-best UZR/150 among National League third basemen — but has played only 34 innings in the past 49 days because of hamstring issues.

The bulk of the Dodgers’ innings at the hot corner during that time went to Justin Turner, who had a .405 OBP and slugged .524.

Ramirez, meanwhile, is sidelined with a 10-game hitting streak intact, during which he has had a .415 OBP and .556 slugging.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Dodgers are fourth in the NL in Wins Above Average at shortstop and second at third base. According to Fangraphs, the Dodgers are third in the league at third base and second at shortstop.

Dodgers support of Kershaw to be tested tonight

On June 24, 2014

In Health/injuries, Pregame

[mlbvideo id=”33980397″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Dodgers at Royals, 5:10 p.m.
Kershaw CXCIII: Kershawmnibus
Justin Turner, 3B
Matt Kemp, LF
Yasiel Puig, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Scott Van Slyke, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Jamie Romak, RF
Carlos Triunfel, SS
Miguel Rojas, 2B
(Clayton Kershaw, P)
* * *
Don’t forget: $22 discounted tickets for Clayton Kershaw’s next scheduled home start on sale

By Jon Weisman

On a night that the Dodgers send out a lineup with one 2014 MLB homer in the final four batting slots, you might be wondering about the run support for Clayton Kershaw.

We’ll see about this evening’s affair with the Royals, but so far this year, Kershaw has little reason to feel deprived. He enters tonight’s game enjoying the best run support of his career, 4.9 runs per start, including eight in last week’s no-hitter.

Oddly, despite missing more than a month of the 2014 season, Kershaw in 10 starts has been already credited with seven wins, a total he didn’t reach last year until his 18th start July 2, and in 2012 on his 19th start July 13.

(More trivia: The Dodgers are averaging 5.0 runs per game in Romak’s three starts and 4.3 runs per game in Rojas’ eight starts. So watch out for lots of scoring, fans of correlation.)

Yasiel Puig, who went 0 for 4 Monday despite ripping two balls to the outfield, takes the designated hitter spot today in one of the more unusual Dodger lineups this year.

The keystone combo of Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon starts the game on the bench, next to Andre Ethier. Gordon’s and Ethier’s absence is more likely than not because of the lefty (Danny Duffy) on the mound for Kansas City, but Ramirez’s would be health-related.

Hanley Ramirez is icing his shoulder

— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) June 24, 2014

Ramirez is out with A/C joint irritation.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) June 24, 2014

Ramirez felt it swinging Monday for first time. Same problem in Cincy.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) June 24, 2014

Mattingly says Hanley is day-to-day. No plans for tests or anti-inflammatory injections at this point.

— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) June 24, 2014

Ramirez hit a two-run double in his final swing of Monday’s 5-3 loss.

Romak, making his second start of 2014 in right field, is one of seven players this year to start in the outfield for the Dodgers. (You haven’t forgotten Mike Baxter, have you?) One who hasn’t been in a Dodger lineup is Joc Pederson, the highly regarded minor leaguer. We’re currently awaiting news on Pederson’s health, following reports that he injured his right shoulder diving for a ball in the first inning of Albuquerque’s game today.

Juan Uribe is reportedly close to coming off the disabled list, especially so if the Dodgers choose to have him fly to Kansas City for one game before returning to Los Angeles for the start of the next homestand Thursday.

All-Star Game could be interesting wrinkle in Clayton Kershaw’s schedule

On June 23, 2014

[mlbvideo id=”33850863″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Dodgers at Royals, 5:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, 3B
Carlos Triunfel, SS
(Zack Greinke, P)

By Jon Weisman

One month ago today, Clayton Kershaw was heading into a rain-soaked May 23 start at Philadelphia with a 4.43 ERA in only 22 1/3 innings and the thought of his fourth straight All-Star Game far from anyone’s mind.

Then Kershaw dampened the Phillies with six shutout frames, starting a personal run of 42 innings with a 1.50 ERA and 58 strikeouts against 29 baserunners (13 singles, eight doubles, three homers, five walks). That’s right: a 2:1 ratio of strikeouts to baserunners.

To put that in perspective, no starting pitcher in MLB history has ever had such a ratio over an entire season. (It helps to throw a near-perfect game into the mix.)

Aside from reclaiming his position as the backbone of the Dodger rotation, Kershaw’s return to top form has made the week before the All-Star Break considerably more interesting for the Dodger starting rotation.

In 365 days, 103 victories

On June 22, 2014

In History, Pregame

Dodgers at Padres, 1:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Scott Van Slyke, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

It began, like today begins, in San Diego.

The Dodgers were 30-42, last in the National League West, 9 1/2 games out of first place, 5 1/2 games out of fourth place.

You might be aware of this year’s inability to win four consecutive games. A year ago at this time, the Dodgers hadn’t won three straight games since early April. I was telling people that it was too much merely to be asking for waffles. I was writing about “The Pit of Despair.”

Here’s one for you: Forget about the playoffs for a moment. Forget about .500. The Dodgers need to play .450 ball over their remaining 90 games to reach 70 wins. Will they do it? …

… I don’t know when the losing is going to end for this current brand of Big Blue Wrecked Crew. I do know that in Los Angeles, things tend to reverse course in a hurry, good to bad, bad to good. We’ve really seen it all in the past 25 years – all except for a World Series.

Perhaps it will come in a year when we least expect it.

When they took the field against San Diego on June 22, 2013, the Padres were in second place, 38-36, 2 1/2 games behind Arizona. San Diego had dumped the Dodgers by three runs on each of the previous two nights. Reaching the fifth inning in a scoreless tie with the Padres – against Edinson Volquez, even – no doubt felt to some like an achievement, to others like par for a miserable course.

In the top of the fifth, Volquez retired Mark Ellis, and then, improbably even for the future past Dodger, walked Juan Uribe, A.J. Ellis and Zack Greinke in succession to load the bases. Skip Schumaker hit into a force play at second base but stayed out of an inning-ending double play, with Uribe scoring for a 1-0 lead.

In a sense, from those humble beginnings, the Dodgers did not look back until October.

Six straight wins, 10-1 in 11 games, 16-3 in 19 games, 23-5 in 28 games, 32-7 in 39 games. They lost to St. Louis to put them at .800 ball over a 40-game stretch … then ripped off 10 more wins in a row. The magic figure: 42-8. And even after the flame was turned down from high, the heat continued all the way to the NLCS.

This year has not been without its frustrations, but on June 22, 2014, the Dodgers find themselves with the third-best record in the National League, four games behind San Francisco and five behind Milwaukee. Over the past 365 days, the Dodgers have gone 103-63, the best record in the Majors and 12 more wins than any other NL team.

To say the least, there has been plenty to celebrate since June 22, 2013 … and something even bigger to yearn for. Hopefully, the bonus candle on the cake will come this fall.

Taking a drink of wRC cola

On June 21, 2014

Jon SooHoo’s photo highlights from Friday can be found at LA Photog Blog.

Dodgers at Padres, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
Drew Butera, C
Josh Beckett, P

By Jon Weisman

Scott Van Slyke, Justin Turner and Matt Kemp have been the Dodgers’ most productive offensive players in June, while Yasiel Puig, who has been bothered by a strained hip flexor, has been struggling.

Kemp, with a .411 on-base percentage and .578 slugging in June, leads Dodger regulars this month with 14 wRC and 177 wRC+, according to Fangraphs, in 73 plate appearances.

Weighted Runs Created (wRC) is an improved version of Bill James’ Runs Created (RC) statistic, which attempted to quantify a player’s total offensive value and measure it by runs. In Runs Created, instead of looking at a player’s line and listing out all the details (e.g. 23 2B, 15 HR, 55 BB, 110 K, 19 SB, 5 CS), the information is synthesized into one metric in order to say, “Player X was worth 24 runs to his team last year.” While the idea was sound, James’ formula has since been superseded by Tom Tango’s wRC , which is based off of wOBA.

Similar to OPS+, Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) measures how a player’s wRC compares with league average. League average is 100, and every point above 100 is a percentage point above league average. For example, a 125 wRC+ means a player created 25% more runs than league average. Similarly, every point below 100 is a percentage point below league average, so a 80 wRC+ means a player created 20% fewer runs than league average.

In part-time action, Van Slyke and Turner each have 10 wRC. Van Slyke’s wRC+ is 230, while Turner is at 190.

Hanley Ramirez (10 wRC, 132 wRC+) and Dee Gordon (8 wRC, 113 wRC+) are both above average in June, while Puig (7 wRC, 95 wRC+) is fighting to get there. Farther down the list in June are Andre Ethier (3 wRC, 54 wRC+) and Adrian Gonzalez (3 wRC, 44 wRC+).

Ethier, whose career wRC+ against right-handed pitching is 140, a total he has matched or exceeded every year since 2008, is at 102 against righties this year.

Oh, those Petco Park effects

On June 20, 2014

Dodgers at Padres, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Justin Turner, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Dan Haren, P

By Jon Weisman

Just a friendly reminder: Don’t count on the Dodgers scoring a ton of runs at San Diego this weekend.

The years and players come and go, but one thing remains fairly constant — Petco Park is where offenses go to wilt.

For an amuse bouche ahead of tonight’s series opener against the Padres, I put together the following little chart, comparing the Dodgers’ scoring at San Diego with their scoring at Colorado since 2004.

For example, the Dodgers have been shut out 12 times at Petco in this period, compared with three times at Coors Field. They have never scored 13 runs or more at Petco, a figure they have reached or surpassed three times at Coors.

Los Angeles has been held to three runs or less 53 times in 94 games at Petco (56.4 percent of the time). The Dodgers are 10-43 (.189) in those games, winning three 1-0 games.

In Colorado, the Dodgers have been held to three runs or less 30 times in 95 games in Colorado (31.6 percent). The Dodgers are 5-25 (.167) in those games, all when they have scored three runs. When they have scored two runs or less at Coors, the Dodgers are 0-19.

It’s not impossible to score bunches of runs in San Diego. It’s just pretty darn challenging.

As Billingsley chooses surgery, Kershaw speaks about his comrade

On June 16, 2014

In Health/injuries, Pregame

In his first start of the 2012 season, Chad Billingsley allowed four baserunners in 8 1/3 shutout innings while striking out 11. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Rockies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Matt Kemp, LF
Scott Van Slyke, 1B
Andre Ethier, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Miguel Rojas, 3B
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

Chad Billingsley first described himself as “flustered” by the turn of events that has brought him face-to-face with a second year of surgery in a row, this time to repair a torn flexor tendon, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports here.

Normally you’d might expect “frustrated,” a word Billingsley in fact later used with reporters here, but “flustered” adds a level of agitation that speaks to his eagerness to get back in the game.

Billingsley will miss the remainder of the 2014 season as he recovers from his latest operation. By the time the 2015 campaign begins, the right-hander, who turns 30 next month, will have pitched 12 Major League innings in more than 80 weeks.

“Bills is a good friend of mine, so I just feel bad for him,” said Clayton Kershaw, for six years a teammate of Billingsley. “I know how much he loves to complete and how much he wanted to pitch, and I can’t imagine going through that whole rehab process and finding out that news. You just try to put yourself in his shoes and be there for him the best you can, and realize it’s a pretty terrible situation.”

Hockey ball

On June 13, 2014

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Kershaw CXCI: Kershaw Kings Go
Dee Gordon, 2B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Chone Figgins, 3B
Clayton Kershaw, P

By Jon Weisman

So, I was watching the Kings score their first goal tonight, and I was imagining what baseball would be like if, instead of a single batter standing 60 1/2 feet away from the pitcher, you had several batters at once each hacking away at a ball with their bats and the infielders hacking back at them.

Anyway …

Much was made early on of how the Dodgers fattened up on a weak Diamondbacks team, going 7-1 in their first eight matchups. On April 29, the Dodgers were 14-12 and the Diamondbacks 8-22. But since then, Arizona is 21-18 and the Dodgers 21-21. Meaning that Arizona is not the pushover it was originally believed to be.

Things change. And then they change again. Something to keep in mind.

* * *

Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. has an update on the rehab of Carl Crawford and Juan Uribe.

Ryu rues the walks

On June 12, 2014

[mlbvideo id=”33629187″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

Dodgers at Reds, 9:35 a.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Justin Turner, 3B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Tim Federowicz, C
Miguel Rojas, SS
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

The Dodgers have reduced their early season problem of bases-empty walks, but it came back to bite them Wednesday in their 5-0 loss to Cincinnati — with two out and an 0-2 count no less.

In the bottom of the third inning in a scoreless game, Hyun-Jin Ryu had that advantage on the Reds and Billy Hamilton, but six pitches later, Hamilton had a free pass to first base. In his speedy case, that’s as good as an escort to second base, though after Hamilton stole second, Ryu had Todd Frazier down 1-2 and walked him as well.

Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips made Ryu pay with a double and a single, putting the Dodgers down 3-0.

Ryu has walked eight batters with the bases empty in 171 plate appearances. That ratio is fourth-best among Dodger starting pitchers, ahead of Josh Beckett. Two of the pitchers ahead of him, Zack Greinke and Dan Haren, have allowed more home runs with the bases empty than walks.

The Dodger lefty had benefited from a terrific defensive play the previous inning by Dee Gordon. One out after Phillips and Jay Bruce singled, Gordon ranged deep behind second to make an over-the-shoulder catch and doubled Phillips off second base. (Just earlier, Phillips had remained at second base out of overt respect for Yasiel Puig’s throwing arm.)

Zoo station

On June 11, 2014

After that, @YasielPuig conquered his fear of snakes. (photo via @CincinnatiZoo) http://t.co/L63WlrDyBv pic.twitter.com/nLXNe6YBrw

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 11, 2014

Dodgers at Reds, 4:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Chone Figgins, 3B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Andre Ethier, CF
Miguel Rojas, SS
Drew Butera, C
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

Yasiel Puig went to the zoo today. Youngest Master Weisman almost went to the zoo, but ended up miniature golfing instead.

Summer is a kids’ paradise …

* * *

Injury updates:

Chad Billingsley was unable to pitch freely in his Tuesday bullpen session, and will meet with Dr. Neil ElAttrache on Thursday.
Carl Crawford has seen improvement doesn’t have “the explosiveness” he is used to having, according to Manny Randhawa of MLB.com. Crawford is eligible to come off the disabled list Thursday, but still doesn’t have a minor-league rehab assignment scheduled.
A.J. Ellis could be activated from the disabled list this week, without a rehab assignment, reports Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles, while Juan Uribe could go on a rehab journey in days as well. Uribe last played May 20.
Update: Hanley Ramirez has been scratched with right AC joint irritation. Miguel Rojas will start at shortstop tonight.

Rain, rain — seriously, go away

On June 10, 2014