Dodger Thoughts

On July 10, 2016

In Community, Dodger Stadium, In case you missed it, Off the field, Pregame

"The Los Angeles Dodgers will continue to stand firm against all forms of hatred, violence and discrimination."https://t.co/Z2iwBALGma

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 9, 2016

Padres at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m.
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrián González, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Trayce Thompson, CF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Scott Van Slyke, LF
Kenta Maeda, P

By Jon Weisman

I didn’t want to let the weekend go by without passing along the words Vin Scully recited to the Dodger Stadium crowd before Friday’s game, near the end of an incredibly difficult week in this country.

Ladies and gentlemen. At this time, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the tragic events that have occurred across our country over the past few days. As a community and a nation, we mourn the tragic loss of lives and injuries, and our deepest sympathies go out to all who have been directly impacted by those events and to their families and friends. As United States attorney general Loretta Lynch said today, “This has been a week of profound grief and heartbreaking loss, but as she also reminded us, “Today and every day we are one nation, we are one people and we stand together.

Therefore, we commend the heroic actions and courage of our first responders, volunteers, citizens and government officials, and we gratefully acknowledge the sacrifice that so many have made on behalf of those people. And as the organization that took a historic stance against racism, the Los Angeles Dodgers will continue to stand firm against all forms of hatred, violence and discrimination. At this time, we ask that you please stand silently for a moment of reflection and respect.

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

A few other items from recent days …

Adam Liberatore sets Dodger record in victory

On July 9, 2016

In Bullpen, Postgame

Adam Liberatore has become a key face in the Dodger bullpen. (Not pictured: Adam Liberatore)

By Jon Weisman

On Pups in the Park Day at Dodger Stadium, Adam Liberatore struck out both batters he faced to set a Dodger record with his 24th consecutive scoreless appearance, helping preserve a 4-3 Dodger victory over San Diego.

The 29-year-old Liberatore has thrown 18 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings during the streak, retiring 54 of 66 batters, 23 of them on strikeouts. Two of 14 baserunners he has inherited have scored, both harmlessly enough in Dodger victories.

Three homers? Yes, many for Yasmani

In Postgame

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By Jon Weisman

There was no grand slam, but three slams that were grand for Yasmani Grandal.

Grandal became the third Dodger catcher ever to hit three homers in a game, joining Roy Campanella (1950) and Mike Piazza (1996), in the Dodgers’ 10-6 victory tonight over San Diego.

Grandal added a bunt single and a line-drive single, finishing the night with five hits and six RBI, becoming the third catcher in MLB history to have at least five hits in a game with three homers. The previous two: Walker Cooper of the Reds in 1940 and Victor Martinez of the Indians in 2004.

For good measure, Grandal also had a great throw to nail Wil Myers attempting to steal second base.

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"So there are many, many ways to spread the parsley around the fish, and Grandal knows every one." – Vin

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) July 9, 2016

All this despite taking a foul ball to the jaw midway through the game.

Ticket discount tied to Seager and Home Run Derby

In Promotions, Tickets

A ticket promotion for the Dodgers’ August 14 game against the Pirates has been linked to Corey Seager’s entry into Monday’s Home Run Derby.

Fans will be offered a $10 discount toward ticket purchases for the August 14 game — which also features a Magic Johnson Gnome giveaway (presented by Bank of America) for the first 40,000 fans — plus an additional $5 off for every round Seager advances (for a maximum of $25 off).

The ticket offer will launch at 8 p.m. Monday, after the Home Run Derby, and run through 5 p.m. Wednesday, while supplies last. You can find it at dodgers.com/seager.

— Jon Weisman

Dodgers bring up Andrew Toles, option Carlos Frias

In Pregame, Transactions

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By Jon Weisman

Carlos Frias did his job with four innings of shutout relief, but with the All-Star Break coming in three days, his presence on the Dodgers’ active roster is not required.

So Frias has been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and replaced on the big-league roster by outfielder Andrew Toles.

In addition, Los Angeles acquired 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Alec Grosser as the player to be named later to complete the Bud Norris trade.

The Dodgers designated Cole Figueroa for assignment to create a spot on the 40-man roster for Toles, a 5-foot-10 left-handed hitter.

Toles, 24, was signed to a minor-league contract in September, after he missed the 2015 season, as Barry Lewis of the Tulsa World notes. A third-round draft pick in 2012 by Tampa Bay (when Andrew Friedman was running the show there), he has played at three levels for the Dodgers this year, most recently posting a .333 on-base percentage and .485 slugging percentage in 36 plate appearances for Oklahoma City.

Six Dodgers in Baseball America Top 100 update

In Minor leagues

Cody Bellinger (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

Despite this year’s promotions of Corey Seager and Julio Urias and the debut of American rookie Kenta Maeda, Baseball America included six Dodgers in its Midseason Top 100 Prospects update.

Cody Bellinger (24), Jose De Leon (25), Alex Verdugo (44), Grant Holmes (60), Frankie Montas (82) and Willie Calhoun (98) were the Dodgers listed.

By comparison, the season-opening 2016 Baseball America 100 had Seager (1), Urías (4), De Leon (23), Maeda (50), Bellinger (54), Holmes (72) and Verdugo (100).

The new list does not include anyone taken in the 2016 draft or signed internationally this month.

Ryu feels no pain after start, looks to increase velocity

In Health/injuries, Pitching

By Jon Weisman

Hyun-Jin Ryu said after tonight’s big-league comeback start that he felt no problems physically with his surgically repaired shoulder, and is focusing on improving the results.

“Overall, I felt really great, (though) I gave up the runs,” Ryu said. “My shoulder felt great. I didn’t see any issues.”

“As I threw more, I was feeling better mentally,” he added. “I don’t think there were any uncomfortable pitches. I was pretty much happy with my control. … I just have to get better. ”

Ryu conceded that he is hoping his fastball speed will increase as he gets more work in.

“Compared to when I was healthy, of course my velocity is a little down,” he said. “Again, as I play more games, I think (I’ll improve).”

Seeing Ryu take a Major League mound again “was a victory in itself,” Dave Roberts said.

Hyun-Jin Ryu struggles in return

In Postgame

By Jon Weisman

The question with Hyun-Jin Ryu tonight, or at least one of the big ones after he spent more than a year recovering from shoulder surgery, was about the effectiveness of his fastball.

The San Diego Padres didn’t have much trouble answering it, knocking eight hits and scoring six runs over 4 2/3 innings, the length of Ryu’s first big-league appearance since the 2014 playoffs, in a 6-0 victory.

A look back: Walter Alston put the man in manager

In History

Above is the page from the 1954 Dodger Yearbook introducing Brooklyn’s new manager, 42-year-old Walter Alston. In honor of Alston’s No. 24 being tonight’s incarnation of the Retired Numbers Pin Series giveaways at Dodger Stadium, click below for a 2014 piece from Dodger Insider magazine celebrating the Hall of Fame manager.

Click here to read the story.

— Jon Weisman

Dodgers activate Hyun-Jin Ryu, call up Carlos Frias

In Pregame, Transactions

Hyun-Jin Ryu was recognized by Korean consulate general Key-Chul Lee and director of Korean tourism Tae Shik before Tuesday’s game against the Orioles.

Padres at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrián González, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Trayce Thompson, CF
Scott Van Slyke, LF
A.J. Ellis, C
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

As presaged three days ago, Hyun-Jin Ryu has officially been activated by the Dodgers, who also promoted Carlos Frias from Triple-A Oklahoma City to support their heavily used bullpen.

To make room on the roster for the two right-handers, the Dodgers have designated outfielder Will Venable for assignment and will send reliever Luis Avilan to Oklahoma City.

Corey Seager to slug away in Home Run Derby

In All-Star Game, Home Run Derby

By Jon Weisman

Corey Seager has officially been named a participant in the 2016 MLB Home Run Derby, beginning at 5 p.m. Monday in San Diego.

The 22-year-old rookie All-Star shortstop is tied for 15th in the National League in home runs, though he has 15 in his past 54 games, equivalent to a 45-homer pace.

Only six rookies before this year had been in the Home Run Derby, including Dodger teammate Joc Pederson in 2015. Narrowly missing out as champion to Todd Frazier, Pederson upended the previous Home Run Derby shortcomings of Mike Piazza (1993, 1994), Raul Mondesi (1995), Hee-Seop Choi (2005), Matt Kemp (2011) and Yasiel Puig (2014).

Many have attributed Pederson’s struggles after a hot start last year to the Derby, though his statistical slide began more than a month before the Derby took place. From June 4 last year until the 2015 All-Star Break, Pederson hit .175/.322/.308 with three homers in 146 plate appearances.

Dodger bullpen, brilliant for so long, succumbs in 14th

On July 6, 2016

In Bullpen, Postgame

Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

As this sentence was being written, the Dodgers and Orioles were tied, 4-4, in the ninth inning. At that moment, two things were certain:

If there were going to be a Dodger hero today, a fine young man carried off the field, it would be a hitter.

And some Dodger reliever would either be a goat, or lost in the shuffle.

So what happened?

In the Dodgers’ longest game since they played 17 innings at San Diego on May 22 — on a day that Chase Utley became the first Dodger to have six hits since Shawn Green’s memorable day in Milwaukee on May 23, 2002 — Jonathan Schoop hit a two-out, sinking line drive in the 14th inning that barely eluded Trayce Thompson’s glove, driving in two runs for a 6-4 Baltimore win.

Chris Hatcher, who had thrown 31 pitches the previous night, took the loss. He also had the burden of making the final out, with the bases loaded, long after the Dodgers ran out of pinch-hitters.

Painful as that is for Dodger fans to process, the Dodger bullpen deserves a collective bow. In the six games of this homestand — in the midst of what has really become a rebirth for the relief core — Dodger relievers have done the following.

The bullpen has averaged approximately five innings and 80 pitches per game for the past six games, yet had a 0.94 ERA on the homestand before the game-winning hit.

Dodger relievers are on pace to throw 524 innings this year, which believe it or not, would not be a record. In 2009, a National League Championship Series season, the Dodger bullpen racked up 553 innings.

Footnote: The Dodgers and Orioles combined to set a Dodger Stadium single-game strikeout record with 36. The previous Dodger Stadium strikeout record of 32 was originally set by the Padres and Dodgers in a 17-inning game June 27, 1989, and matched in an 18-inning Braves-Dodgers game August 3, 1996.

Also, Adam Liberatore, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning of relief, has made 23 consecutive scoreless appearances, tying the franchise record set by John Candelaria in 1991.

Kershaw, Ethier, Anderson quicken recovery progress

On July 6, 2016

In Health/injuries, Pregame

Orioles at Dodgers, 12:10 p.m.
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrián González, 1B
Trayce Thompson, CF
Howie Kendrick, LF
Scott Van Slyke, RF
A.J. Ellis, C
Bud Norris, P

By Jon Weisman

Chronically the last team to count their chickens before they hatch, the Dodgers nevertheless feel upbeat about the latest progress from Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson and Andre Ethier in their injury rehab.

Kershaw and Anderson, each recovering from different back ailments — Anderson’s required surgery in March, Kershaw’s an epidural last week — played catch in left field this morning, “which is exciting and encouraging for all of us,” Dave Roberts said.

No return timetable has been outlined for Kershaw, but Roberts said that the clearance to play catch came ahead of schedule.

Hanger stakes Orioles to rare win at Dodger Stadium