Spring Training – Page 11 – Dodger Thoughts

On March 28, 2010

In Health/injuries, Pitching, Scouting, Spring Training, Uncategorized

Last gasp for Ellis?
Dodgers at Reds, 1:05 p.m.

Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Blake DeWitt, 2B
A.J. Ellis, C
Clayton Kershaw, P

Ronald Belisario said he did nothing wrong to cause his visa delays, reports Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Dubious – and even if it’s true, his communication with the Dodgers still should have been better. I still wonder if something more was going on. Anyway, expect the Dodgers to activate him by April 25 at the latest.
Russell Martin is scheduled to catch seven innings and bat seven times against the Indians’ AAA team today, according to the Dodger press notes.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News has a nice piece today describing the dog days of Spring Training.
The first of a two-part interview with Logan White has been posted by David Laurila of Baseball Prospectus. Some really good stuff in there. Sample:

“Another thing I do is keep a private log of certain types of arm actions – the success rates of them. Certain types of deliveries – their success and failure rates. The same with hitters. There are certain things that we will either like or stay away from based on our own statistics of how those have been working over the past 10 or 15 years. I’ve kept these since I was an area scout. Let’s say for example that a guy is a slinger or he has a bad wrist wrap. How many guys have that who have been drafted and signed, that I’ve seen, and have actually made it? And how far? Things like that. I’ve kept pretty good records and I haven’t publicized them, not even to my own staff, but I do utilize that kind of stuff.”
How much playing time do you think each Dodger will get this year? Submit your predictions with Tangotiger.

Never fear, Ronald Belisario is here

On March 27, 2010

In Spring Training, Uncategorized

Tony Jackson chronicles Ronald Belisario finally arriving at Camelback Ranch.

…Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng said Belisario can be kept on the restricted list for up to 30 days after being placed there on Friday, meaning he has to be either activated or waived — he is out of minor league options — by April 25.

Belisario is expected to dress in the major league clubhouse until the team breaks camp on Wednesday, but his activity will take place in minor league camp.

“We have to see what kind of shape he is in,” Ng said. “After determining that, then he will probably be on the other side.”

Other than saying hello to a couple of reporters in the parking lot, Belisario declined to speak with reporters until Sunday morning. …

Colletti was asked minutes before Belisario’s arrival whether the pitcher’s strange behavior might signify a deeper problem.

“It certainly makes you wonder,” he said. “But he is obviously a talent.” …

* * *

Following up on the tea leaves, which I posted on the fly from my cellphone and couldn’t comment on: It sure seemed as if Joe Torre was hinting at the possibility that Blake DeWitt would go to the minors for roster reasons. (And no, I wouldn’t agree with any decision that would send DeWitt down to preserve Nick Green.) I wouldn’t assume DeWitt won’t start at second base, but I wouldn’t quite lock it in, either.
And, when Charlie Haeger and Florida (site of the Dodgers’ fifth-starter debut) were mentioned in the same sentence, you got the feeling that Torre was liking the idea of Haeger in the rotation, and today’s 5 1/3 shutout innings probably made him like it just a little more. Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness arrived at Camelback this weekend and posted a first-hand account of Haeger today.
Dodger Thoughts commenter BHSportsGuy wrote a worthy piece for True Blue L.A. about the effect of the divorce litigation on the Dodgers.
UCLA baseball is now a mesmerizing 20-0.
A few months before his 60-homer 1927 season began, Babe Ruth was arrested in Long Beach – and Steve Harvey of the Times tells the story.

Big and low tea leaves

On March 27, 2010

In Spring Training, Uncategorized

Joe Torre quotes to reporters this morning:

“Blake and Ethier are going to Las Vegas. Ellis and DeWitt will both be there too. We’ll make a statement on second base in a few days. DeWitt couldn’t have done anymore that is within his control, he’s done everything he possibly could have done and come through with high marks.

“Physically guys are ready, mentally it’s tough to remind yourself these games are important. We still have decisions to make not just at second base but the pitching staff as well.

“Haeger could go five or six today, we’re not concerned about building up his endurance. He’s done a good job and handled everything we’ve thrown at him. He can dominate a game when that thing’s working. He talked with Charlie Hough about how to pitch in certain environments. Florida should be fine, he said he enjoys pitching indoors too.

“We’ve got to figure out our starters and figure it out from there. You have Sherrill, Broxton, and Troncoso. Kuo is a question mark, he probably won’t be ready for the season. We’ve got a lot of options. Sherrill is looking at some video for those who are wondering. They thought he was doing some mechanical stuff that he doesn’t normally do.

“I had a talk with Doug Mientkiewicz yesterday and told him it doesn’t look like he’ll make the team with Anderson around. I told him I’d love to have him around, but he’ll take a day to think about his options. He was understanding of the decision, he likes being here but he wants to be in the big leagues.”

Who will shock the world (or at least Dodger fans)?

On March 25, 2010

Mark Duncan/AP
Could Justin Miller make a surprise appearance on the Opening Day roster?

Here are 25 remaining Opening Day roster variables, in no particular order …

1) Hong-Chih Kuo: Arm is dangerous?
2) Russell Martin: All work leads to no play?
3) Ronald Belisario: Seeking writ of habeas corpus?
4) Eric Stults: Stays or goes?
5) Ramon Troncoso: Soft spring portends hard times?
6) Carlos Monasterios: Does he pass Go and collect $400,000?
7) Charlie Haeger: Knuckling under or over?
8) Justin Miller: Inky dinky do?
9) Blake DeWitt: Options work against him?
10) Luis Ayala: You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here?
11) Russ Ortiz: Still at the end of every hard-earned day people find some reason to believe?
12) Ramon Ortiz: First among Ortizii?
13) Josh Towers: From Taiwan, With Love?
14) Nick Green: I got well for this?
15) Brad Ausmus: Too old and infirm? “My body lies over the notion.”
16) Chin-Lung Hu: Good enough to ride your bench?
17) A.J. Ellis: Waiting for Guh! D’oh!
18) Doug Mientkiewicz: Am I still a Torre fave?
19) Garret Anderson: Better late than never, or worse?
20) Chad Gaudin: Outside looking in?
21) Josh Lindblom: Young gun?
22) Ronnie Belliard: Weight, weight, don’t tell me?
23) Jeff Weaver: What, last year wasn’t good enough?
24) Vicente Padilla: Forearm stiffness?
25) Field: Will all the other roster locks stay healthy?

Starting pitching: Working down the list

On March 24, 2010

In Game chat, History, Pitching, Spring Training

AP/Getty Images
Jose Lima fared well as a surprise starting pitcher in 2004; Scott Erickson was a Spring Training hit in 2005 (2.10 ERA) but fell out of the starting rotation before the end of May.

A’s in the hole!
Dodgers at A’s, 7:35 p.m.

Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Garret Anderson, DH
Blake DeWitt, 2B
A.J. Ellis, C
(Hiroki Kuroda, P)

The chart below shows how quickly the Dodgers went beyond their first five starting pitchers, in each of the past six seasons. In parentheses next to each name is the game number of their first start that year.

No season was created equally. For example, Hiroki Kuroda was injured before his second start of 2009, meaning that the Dodgers had six starters in their first six games. Chad Billingsley was delayed in 2008 only because Joe Torre didn’t want to send him out on a rainy April night. The year before, of course, was the beginning of the Jason Schmidt saga. In 2005, Elmer Dessens and Scott Erickson each got starts before Brad Penny did. Dessens, memorably, got the start in Game No. 161 of 2004.

In the past six years, the latest the Dodgers have gone to a sixth starting pitcher was their 32nd game of the season. In the past five years, the Dodgers have used eight starting pitchers before the season was half over.

It’s interesting that the Dodgers used fewer starting pitchers in the woebegone 2005 campaign than they did in the next four seasons. But my favorite tidbit of this chart is that in 2006, the Dodgers didn’t use a starting pitcher with more than five letters in his last name until the 66th game of the season.

Who’s your favorite name from this group? Jason Johnson? Derek Thompson? Any members of the Jae Seo Marching and Chowder Society, speak up now!

	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004
1	Kuroda (1)	Penny (1)	Lowe (1)	Lowe (1)	Lowe (1)	Nomo (1)
2	Wolf (2)	Lowe (2)	Wolf (2)	Penny (2)	Perez (2)	Perez (2)
3	Billingsley (3)	Kuo (3)	Schmidt (3)	Perez (3)	Weaver (3)	Weaver (3)
4	Kershaw (4)	Kuroda (4)	Penny (4)	Tomko (4)	Dessens (4)	Ishii (4)
5	McDonald (5)	Loaiza (7)	Tomko (8)	Seo (8)	Erickson (5)	Lima (11)
6	Stults (6)	Billingsley (8)	Hendrickson (16)	Sele (32)	Penny (18)	Alvarez (28)
7	Weaver (28)	Park (42)	Kuo (55)	Billingsley (66)	Alvarez (45)	Jackson (51)
8	Milton (38)	Kershaw (49)	Billingsley (73)	Hendrickson (80)	Thompson (48)	Penny (105)
9	Schmidt (103)	Stults (72)	Stults (99)	Maddux (108)	Houlton (55)	Dessens (161)
10	Haeger (119)	Johnson (106)	Wells (130)	Kuo (141)	Jackson (124)
11	Padilla (128)	Maddux (128)	Loaiza (137)	Stults (143)
12	Garland (135)

Another day on the Hong-Chih Kuoller coaster

On March 23, 2010

In Health/injuries, Spring Training, Uncategorized

Hong-Chih Kuo hasn’t thrown since Friday and received treatment today, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Hopefully, it’s just precautionary …

Chad Billingsley became more and more pleased with his mechanics in an 84-pitch, six-inning outing in a minor league game. Gurnick and The Associated Press have details. And Gurnick has a vow from James McDonald to come back strong from his demotion to the minors.

Your top story tonight, however, is this feature on Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo by Chris and Alex Volk at DodgerFan.net.

Russ Ortiz continues to vex with his good spring

On March 22, 2010

Goodness, could it really be Russ Ortiz?

The name that is anathema to a rational choice for the Dodgers’ pitching staff, Ortiz produced the coveted four-inning save today in the Dodgers’ 8-4 split-squad victory over Milwaukee, allowing one run on four baserunners while striking out three.

He did so on a day that Carlos Monasterios faltered, giving up three runs in the first two of his four innings today in the other split-squad game, a 4-2 loss to the Angels.

Paul Connors/AP
Clayton being Clayton: Kershaw had the same number of hits allowed and wild pitches Monday.

Monasterios still doesn’t look like a pitcher the Dodgers want to let go of, but Ortiz again asserted himself in a battle for a roster spot. And since Monasterios is much more likely to be a reliever than a starter, it remains possible that Ortiz could be in the rotation despite his poor performance in recent years.

The contenders for the final three or four spots on the Dodger pitching staff: Monasterios, Ramon Ortiz, Russ Ortiz, Eric Stults, Charlie Haeger, Jeff Weaver and Josh Towers. Monasterios, Stults and Haeger are the three who cannot be sent to the minors, meaning that the others are probably battling for a single slot.

Meanwhile, poor fielding helped sabotage Clayton Kershaw’s first inning against Milwaukee, but the young lefty ended up going a solid five innings, striking out six while allowing one earned run.

For the first time since July 18, there was a W next to Kershaw’s name in a boxscore. And an S (not to be confused with Superman’s) emblazoned on Ortiz.

Jamey Carroll went 3 for 4 with a walk, raising his Spring Training on-base percentage to .474.

* * *

If you are having commenting problems on Dodger Thoughts, please e-mail me with as many details as possible, including the nature of the problem, what kind of computer and browser you are using and when this was happening. Please type the words “Commenting problems” in the subject header of your e-mail.

Traffic concerns at the Dodgers’ other home

On March 19, 2010

Morry Gash/AP
Camelback Ranch

Dodgers at Padres, 7:05 p.m.

Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
Casey Blake, 3B
Ronnie Belliard, 1B
Jamey Carroll, 2B
A.J. Ellis, C
Hiroki Kuroda, P

There are some parking issues with Camelback Ranch — particularly when it comes to leaving after a game — as these blog posts by Rob McMillin of 6-4-2 and Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue indicate. The commenters on Bleed Cubbie Blue offer lots of reactions and possible solutions.

Since I still haven’t been to Camelback, I leave it to you readers to offer your own reactions.

* * *

Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. has a brief report from this afternoon’s Dodger minor-league games. Cole St. Clair might sound like a romance novel leading man, but apparently he’s got a way about him on the pitcher’s mound.

Joe Torre pleased with Chad Billingsley’s latest outing

On March 18, 2010

It was just another Spring Training game — well, one that featured a record Cactus League crowd of 13,391 and a busy four innings for Manny Ramirez — but no harm in noting that everyone was feeling positive about the progress of Dodger pitcher Chad Billingsley.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Chad Billingsley retired his first 13 batters September 2 vs. Arizona, then allowed four runs.

“I thought he was very good,” Dodger manager Joe Torre said after the game. “Close to 15 pitches an inning — that’ s not too bad, you know, considering he walked the first guy. I was very, very pleased with his performance today.”

Staked with a 75-pitch limit today, Billingsley stretched it to cover 4 2/3 innings, in which he struck out four and allowed one run on six baserunners.

“I worked on everything I needed to work on,” Billingsley said. “Rhythm, tempo — everything felt a lot better out there today. Great sign. Curveball was a little off today, but as far as everything else, everything else was pretty good.”

Ramirez more than made up for the lack of drama surrounding Billingsley’s performance. At the plate, Ramirez hit a two-run homer and grounded into a double play. In his first game in left field of the season, Ramirez was reportedly slow on a ball that went for a second-inning ground-rule double by Chad Tracy, who scored the game’s only run of Billingsley, but then Ramirez made a leaping catch at the wall in the fourth inning on a drive by Tyler Colvin.

Overall, Torre was also pleased with what he saw from Ramirez.

“Timing-wise, he’s hitting line drives,” Torre said, “and he’s much more balanced than he was last year.”

Jon Link got the final out in the fifth inning for Billingsley and the Dodgers. Charlie Haeger gave up a run in two innings, while Jeff Weaver pitched a shutout eighth. Backup outfielder Reed Johnson had a three-run homer late in the game, while Blake DeWitt and Garret Anderson each had two hits.

Update: Here’s Ramirez’s catch.

Courtesy Los Angeles Dodgers (via Twitpic)

Manny Ramirez tries out his glove, Jamey Carroll cool with his

On March 18, 2010

Brad Mangin/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Manny Ramirez catches a fly ball at San Francisco on Aug. 12.

Manny Ramirez gets his first start of 2010 in left field today. I hope he did more pregame stretching today than I did Sunday.

Cubs at Dodgers, 1:05 p.m.

Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Blake DeWitt, 2B
Brad Ausmus, C
Chad Billingsley, P

* * *

In his pregame chat with reporters, Dodger manager Joe Torre indicated he was comfortable with Jamey Carroll as the backup shortstop, which would free up the Chin-Lung Hu/Nick Green/whoever roster spot for someone else.

Torre also said the following about Blake DeWitt:

“He hasn’t had the opportunity to turn a double play all spring. I’d like to see that happen. He seems to be fine, he’s swinging the bat real well. He’s not going to play second defensively as well as Hudson or Belliard, but he’s not shy about going after the ball. He’s a good kid and has a good feel for the game. ”

Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com predicts that Torre will soon name Clayton Kershaw the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter. Jackson is doing a live chat at 12 noon.

Carlos Monasterios: One surprise fits all

On March 17, 2010

The funny thing about Carlos Monasterios’ emergence as a legitimate roster contender (based on his eight shutout innings this spring) is how little shock there is about it. It’s like being tipped off about a surprise party.

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
With even less upper-level experience than Fernando Valenzuela had in the minors, Carlos Monasterios won’t be a full-time starting pitcher in 2010 – but he could still contribute.

By now, we’re all used to unexpected faces on the Opening Day roster, from well-known retreads like Wilson Alvarez to out-of-nowheres like Takashi Saito. Ronald Belsiario’s 2009 season removed the last vestige of shock-and-huh? from our consciousness. You never know who’s going to be great, but throw enough arms out there, and you’ve got a good chance of finding someone.

Now, the Dodgers do make it look a lot easier than it really is – otherwise every team in baseball would have had Saitos and Belisarios in the past few years. It could be a remarkable run of luck, but why not give credit to the scouts for finding studs among the duds? After all, it was the same scout – Ron Rizzi – who recommended both Belisario last year and Monasterios this year.

Unlike some of the wild-card arms contending for a roster spot, Monasterios at least brings a strikeout pitch, fanning 7.6 batters per nine innings in the minors last season. But Monasterios, who turns 24 Sunday, has only thrown 183 2/3 innings the past two seasons and only 7 1/3 innings above A ball – he’s got less experience than Fernando Valenzuela had in 1980 before his Dodger callup – so let’s be clear. Under no circumstances is Carlos Monasterios going to grab a permanent spot in the Dodger starting rotation in 2010.

At best (underscore that, because it’s still only March), you’re talking spot starter and middle reliever. But that would still be a pretty impressive reward for a $50,000 acquisition fee. An unbelievable coup – yet par for the course for the Dodgers if it happens.

“He’s got a nice presence out there,” Dodger manager Joe Torre said of Monasterios. “He’s got a really good off-speed pitch; he’s very aggressive. I like what I see. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Eric Stults remains the leading candidate for the starting rotation based the Dodgers’ inability to send him to the minors. Monasterios could be in a direct battle with Charlie Haeger for the final spot on the staff (or there could be room for both depending on what happens with Belisario or Hong-Chih Kuo), while pitchers like Ramon Ortiz begin the season in the minors, waiting for the first calamity.

“Stults and Haeger haven’t done anything to hurt their chances,” Torre said.

Belisario’s DUI case has been resolved, according to Jim Peltz of the Times. Peltz talked to Belisario’s lawyer J. Michael Flanagan, who said Belisario was fined $1,000 after charges against him were reduced to reckless driving. That should mean that Belisario’s arrival in the States will be sooner rather than later, though everyone remains in wait-and-see-and-wonder mode.

As for Kuo, he had an encouragingly successful bullpen session, his first since before elbow pain made him a scratch in Sunday’s Taiwan game, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

* * *

Last call for the Dodger Thoughts March Madness group. Password is “Kershaw.”

James McDonald headed for bullpen

On March 17, 2010

Chris McGrath/Getty Images
James McDonald

This probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but Dodger manager Joe Torre told reporters this morning that James McDonald “looks like more of a bullpen guy.”

White Sox at Dodgers, 1:05 p.m.

Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, DH
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Garret Anderson, LF
Blake DeWitt, 2B
A.J. Ellis, C
(Russ Ortiz, P)

I don’t know yet if Torre means that about McDonald in April, or forever. But you get the sense that we’ll see McDonald limited to shorter stints in the near future at least, and that he won’t be starting the year in the Albuquerque rotation with Scott Elbert.

No longterm decision on McDonald should be based on the first two weeks of Spring Training games, or for that matter his four career major-league starts. But you start to wonder if the Long Beach native will ever get a full opportunity to prove himself as a starter, or whether, like Jonathan Broxton (who was a very effective starting pitcher over 50 games in the minors), it has simply been decided that McDonald’s skill set doesn’t translate into a big-league rotation.

* * *

The Dodgers sent Russ Mitchell, Juan Perez and Prentice Redman to minor-league camp.
Former Dodger and current Rangers manager Ron Washington will be part of a media tempest after he admitted to testing positive for cocaine use last year.
The Rockies have an ample supply of health concerns, according to Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus. Here’s his rundown of Arizona as well, while David Pinto of Baseball Musings points specifically to problems in the Colorado bullpen.
In surprising news, the Nationals released outfielder Elijah Dukes.

The Ramon Ortiz tease

On March 15, 2010

Fifteen Dodger pitchers have Spring Training ERAs of 0.00, so it’s not exactly a rare feat at this stage of 2010. But it’s fair to tip one’s hat to Ramon Ortiz, who has extended his scoreless string to nine innings (with seven baserunners and 11 strikeouts) after throwing four shutout frames today in the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory over the Angels.

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
Ramon Ortiz allowed two baserunners in four innings today, while striking out five.

It doesn’t mean that Ortiz will end 2010 a better pitcher than Scott Elbert, who had some soreness about as soon as Spring Training began and was optioned to the minors today with a 20.25 ERA. But it does mean that Ortiz has made himself a very real part of the No. 5 starter conversation, along with fellow 0.00ers Eric Stults, Russ Ortiz and Carlos Monasterios.

I emphasize the word “conversation” because we are still three weeks away from Opening Day, which means we’re still at the talking stage as opposed to the decision stage. The Ortizii also operate at a disadvantage to Stults, Monasterios and Charlie Haeger, all of whom the Dodgers would lose if they’re not on the April 5 roster. As I wrote last month, neither Ortiz (combined age: 73) has had a major-league ERA below 5.00 since 2004. So this isn’t just a question of turning over a new leaf – did they upend the entire tree?

Predictably, there’s all kinds of talk of Ramon Ortiz succeeding by adjusting to his limitations, as seen here in Tom Singer’s MLB.com article this afternoon. Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that Ortiz benefited by learning to throw a curveball in Japan in 2008. I’m not ruling it all out – nor am I ruling out the possibility that Ortiz will leapfrog the others and earn a spot on the staff in April. I just happen to still have major doubts that we’ll be waxing positive about Ortiz in September.

* * *

When Spring Training began, there were at least two spots on the pitching staff open for competition. But now there could be as many as five – if Ronald Belisario begins the year on the restricted list, if Hong-Chih Kuo begins the year on the disabled list and if the team goes with a 12-man staff. (At this point, my bets would be: yes, no, yes.)

There are at least 10 remaining candidates: Ortiz, Ortiz, Stults, Haeger, Monasterios, Jon Link, James McDonald, Josh Towers, Justin Miller and Jeff Weaver. Too soon to say what will happen, but the most intriguing decision might be whether McDonald will be in the Dodger bullpen or the Isotopes starting rotation, alongside Elbert.

* * *

Trayvon Robinson Saturday, Brian Cavazos-Galvez Sunday and Angelo Songco today – all hitting no-doubter home runs. I can’t remember a Spring Training when the Dodgers got homers in three consecutive games from players 22-and-under – two of them not even out of A ball yet. Fun.
Argenis Reyes, Brent Leach, Travis Schlichting and Ivan De Jesus, Jr. were sent to the minors this afternoon.
Doug Mientkiewicz has a .421 on-base percentage in Spring Training after going 2 for 3 today; Garret Anderson is at .400 (2 for 5 in two games).
There will be a memorial service for Willie Davis on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, according to The Associated Press.
Now that “Sugar” is making the rounds on cable and DVD – Josh Wilker wrote about it today at Cardboard Gods – it’s time for any of you who ignored my recommendation to see it to go see it already!
Update: What do Jamie McCourt and Leslie Knope have in common? The ambition to be President of the United States, according to Bill Shaikin of the Times.

Scott Elbert, Eric Gagne sent down

On March 15, 2010